Apocalypse Explained (Whitehead)

1. APOCALYPSE. CHAPTER 1.

1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show unto His servants the things which must quickly come to pass, and signified, sending by His angel, unto His servant John.
2. Who bare witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, whatsoever things he saw.
3. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear, the words of the prophecy, and keep the things which are written therein; for the time is near.
4. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you, and peace, from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come; and from the seven spirits which are in sight of His throne;
5. And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the Firstborn from the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loveth us, and washeth us from our sins in His blood;
6. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father: to Him be the glory and the might unto the ages of the ages. Amen.
7. Behold, He cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth shall lament over Him. Even so; Amen.
8. I am the Alpha and the Omega, Beginning and End, saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.
9. I, John, who also am your brother and partaker in the affliction and in the kingdom and patient expectation of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos,* for the Word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
10. I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day; and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
11. Saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last; and what thou seest write in a book, and send to the churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and Smyrna, and Pergamum, and Thyatira, and Sardis, and Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
12. And I turned to see the voice which spake with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,
13. And in the midst of the seven lampstands one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the paps with a golden girdle.
14. And His head and hairs white as white wool, as snow: and His eyes as a flame of fire.
15. And His feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace; and His voice as the voice of many waters.
16. And having in His right hand seven stars; and out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword going forth; and His face as the sun shineth in his power.
17. And when I saw Him I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the First and the Last;
18. And the Living One; and I became dead; and behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages, Amen: and I have the keys of hell and of death.
19. Write the things which thou sawest, and the things which are, and the things which are to be hereafter.
20. The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven lampstands which thou sawest are the seven churches.
* The Photolithograph has in every case “Parmos” for “Patmos.”

1. Many have expounded this prophetical book called Revelation, but none of them understood the internal or spiritual sense of the Word. They have therefore applied the particular things in the book to the successive states of the church, which they have learned from histories; many things, moreover, they have applied to civil affairs. For this reason those expositions are for the most part conjectures, which can never appear in such light that they can be affirmed as truths. As soon, therefore, as they are read, they are put aside as speculations. The expositions of Revelation now extant are of this character, because, as has been said, their authors had no knowledge of the internal or spiritual sense of the Word. Yet, in fact, all things recorded in Revelation are written in a style similar to that of the Old Testament prophecies, and to the style, in general in which everything in the Word is written. The Word in the letter is natural, but in its bosom it is spiritual; and being such, it contains within it a sense that is not at all apparent in the letter. How the one sense differs from the other may be seen from what is said and shown in the small work on the White Horse and in the appendix there from the Arcana Coelestia.

2. From this it is evident that Revelation, equally with the Old Testament prophecies, can in no wise be understood, nor can anything therein be understood, unless the spiritual sense be known, and furthermore unless there be revelation from heaven, where the whole Word is understood according to that sense. That this is so the exposition itself that follows will establish.

3. In the following exposition many passages are cited from the Arcana Coelestia; be it known, therefore, that they are from that work.

sRef Rev@1 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @1 S0′ 4. EXPOSITION

Verses 1-3. The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show unto His servants the things which must quickly come to pass, and signified, sending by His angel, unto His servant John, who bare witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, whatsoever things he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear, the words of the prophecy, and keep the things which are written therein; for the time is near. 1. “The revelation of Jesus Christ,” signifies predictions from the Lord respecting the last times of the church (n. 5); “which God gave Him to show unto His servants,” signifies for those who are in truths from good (n. 6); “the things which must quickly come to pass,” signifies which will certainly be (n. 7); “and signified, sending by His angel, unto His servant John,” signifies which are revealed out of heaven to those who are in the good of love (n. 8, 9); 2. “who bare witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ,” signifies to those who in heart acknowledge Divine truth, and the Divine of the Lord in His Human (n. 10); “whatsoever things he saw,” signifies having their understanding enlightened (n. 11); 3. “Blessed,” signifies those in whom is heaven (n. 12); “is he that readeth” signifies that they have perception (n. 13); “and they that hear the words of the prophecy,” signifies that they live according to the doctrine of heaven (n. 14); “and keep the things which are written therein,” signifies from the delight of the love of truth (n. 15); “for the time is near,” signifies such an interior state (n. 16).

sRef Rev@1 @1 S0′ 5. Verse 1. The revelation of Jesus Christ, signifies predictions from the Lord respecting the last times of the church. This is evident from the signification of “revelation,” as being predictions; and since these are from the Lord alone, it is said, “the revelation of Jesus Christ.” The revelation, or predictions, are respecting the last times of the church, since those times are especially treated of. It may be supposed that in Revelation the successive states of the church from beginning to end are treated of; these, however, are not there treated of, but only the state of heaven and of the church near the end, when the Last Judgment takes place, thus the last times. The successive states of the church were foretold by the Lord Himself in Matthew 24, 25; and also in Mark 13; yet what is there given is written in the Divine prophetic style, that is, by means of correspondences; consequently it is of such a character that it can only be revealed and made evident by the internal or spiritual sense. (It has therefore been granted me from the Lord to unfold these things in the Arcana Coelestia, at the beginning of chapters 26 to 40 of Genesis; which explanations may be seen in their order, in the following places: n. 3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3751-3757, 3897-3901, 4056-4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335, 4422-4424, 4635-4638, 4661-4664, 4807-4810, 4954-4959, 5063-5071.)

sRef Rev@1 @1 S0′ 6. Which God gave Him, to show unto His servants, signifies for those who are in truths from good. This is evident from the signification of “gave Him to show the revelation,” as being to declare predictions, that is to say, predictions for those; and from the signification of “His servants,” as being, who are in truths from good. Such are meant by servants of God, because those who hearken to and obey God are called, in the Word, servants of God. Hearkening and obedience take place with those who are in truths from good, but not with those who are in truths alone, or in truths without good; for these have truths in the memory only, and not in the life; whereas those who are in truths from good have truths in the life, and those who have truths in the life do them from the heart, that is, from love. Be it known, that no truth ever enters into the life of man unless the man be in good, for good is of love, and love makes the whole man; man therefore receives into his life all truths that are in accord. This may be abundantly seen from the fact, that whatever a man loves he appropriates to himself; and everything else he casts from him, yea, holds it in aversion. By good is here meant the good of love to the Lord and the good of love towards the neighbor; for this good is the only spiritual good, and with this truths of faith are in accord.

sRef Rev@1 @1 S0′ 7. Things which must quickly come to pass, signifies which will certainly be. This is evident from the signification of “things which must come to pass,” as being things that must needs be; and from the signification of “quickly,” as meaning what is certain and full (Arcana Coelestia, n. 5284, 6783). Those who look at all things in the Word according to the sense of the letter do not know otherwise than that “quickly” signifies quickly; thus here, that the things predicted in Revelation were to occur quickly; from which they are led to wonder that nevertheless so long a time has elapsed before the Last Judgment took place. But those who know the internal sense of the Word, do not understand “quickly,” but certainly.
They see that “quickly” means certainly, because quickly involves time, and time is proper to nature; thus quickly is a natural, not a spiritual expression; and in the Word, all natural expressions signify the spiritual things that correspond to them; for the Word in its bosom is spiritual, while in the letter it is natural. Thence it is that “quickly” signifies what is certain. (That time is proper to nature, and, in the spiritual world, corresponds to state of life, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, in the chapter on Time in Heaven, n. 162-169.)

sRef Rev@1 @1 S0′ 8. And signified, sending by His angel, to His servant John, signifies which are revealed out of heaven to those who are in the good of love. This is evident from the signification of “signified,” as being the things in the sense of the letter that contain and thus signify those that are in the internal sense; for it is said, “the revelation which God gave to show, and signified;” and by the things that He signified are meant those that are in the sense of the letter, because all these signify, while the things that are signified are those that are contained in the internal sense. For all things in the Word are significative of spiritual things, which are in the internal sense. This is also evident from the signification of “sending by His angel,” as meaning, which are revealed out of heaven; for “to send” is to reveal, and “by an angel” is out of heaven. “To send” is to reveal, because everything that is sent out of heaven is revelation; for that which is there is what is revealed; and this is the spiritual which relates to the church and its state; but with man this is changed into the natural, such as is expressed in the sense of the letter in Revelation and elsewhere in the Word. That which comes out of heaven can be presented to man in no other way; for the spiritual falls into its corresponding natural when it descends out of the spiritual world into the natural. This is why the prophetic Word in the sense of the letter is such as it is, and being such, is in its bosom spiritual and is Divine. By “angel” is meant “out of heaven,” because that which an angel speaks is out of heaven; for when an angel communicates to man such things as pertain to heaven and the church, he does not speak as man speaks with man, who brings forth out of his memory what another has told him; but that which an angel speaks flows in continuously, not into his memory, but immediately into his understanding, and from that into words. From this it is that all things that the angels spoke to the prophets are Divine, and nothing at all from the angels. Whether it be said, that these revelations are out of heaven, or are from the Lord, it is the same; because the Divine of the Lord with the angels constitutes heaven, and nothing whatever from the angels’ proprium [selfhood, or what is their own]. (But this may be better understood from what is said and shown in Heaven and Hell, n. 2-12, 254.)

[2] The things revealed out of heaven are said to be for those who are in the good of love, because it is said, “sending by His angel to His servant John,” and by “John” those who are in the good of love are represented and meant. For by the twelve apostles are represented and signified all in the church who are in truths from good; consequently, all truths from good, from which is the church; and by each of the apostles in particular something special; thus by “Peter” faith; by “James” charity; and by “John” the good of charity or the good of love. Because John represented this good, the revelation was made to him; for revelation out of heaven, such as this, can be made only to those who are in the good of charity or of love. Others, indeed, can hear the things that are from heaven, but they cannot perceive them. Only those who are in the good of love have spiritual perception. This is because they receive heavenly things not only with the hearing, but also with the love; and to receive with the love is to receive fully, since the things so received are loved; moreover, those who thus receive, see these things in their understanding, where the sensation of their internal sight is. That this is so has been proven to me by much experience. It might also be elucidated by much rational argument; but the subject cannot just now be amplified so far.
It is here only necessary to say, that all names mentioned in the Word signify not persons but things; that “John,” for instance, signifies such as are in the good of love, thus in the abstract the good of love itself. (That all names in the Word signify things may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 768, 1888, 4310, 4442, 10329. That the names of persons and places in the Word cannot enter heaven, but that they are changed into the things that they signify, n. 1876, 5225, 6516, 10216, 10282, 10432. How exquisite the internal sense of the Word is, even where mere names are mentioned, illustrated by examples, n. 1224, 1264, 1888. That the twelve disciples of the Lord represented, and thence signified, all things of faith and love in the complex, in like manner as the twelve tribes of Israel, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397. That “Peter,” “James,” and “John” represented, and thence signified, faith, charity, and the good of charity, in their order, see preface to Genesis 18, and 22, and n. 3934, 8581, 10087.)

sRef Rev@1 @1 S0′ sRef Mark@3 @17 S1′ sRef Mark@3 @16 S1′ 9. When one knows that all names in the Word signify things, and that the names of the twelve sons of Jacob, or of the twelve tribes, signify all truths and goods of the church in the complex; and in like manner, the names of the twelve disciples of the Lord; and that “Peter,” “James,” and “John” signify faith, charity, and the good of charity; he can see many arcana in the Word; as for example, why:
The Lord gave the name Peter to Simon, and to James and John the name Boanerges, which means sons of thunder (Mark 3:16-17).
For “Peter,” like petra [rock], signifies the Lord as to truth from good, or faith from charity; and “sons of thunder” signify those who from affection, which is of love, receive the truths of heaven. (That “rock” signifies the Lord in respect to truth from good, or faith from charity, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8581, 10580; in like manner the “stone of Israel,” n. 6426; and that “thunders” signify Divine truths from heaven, n. 7573, 8914; and “lightning” the splendors thereof, n. 8813; whence thunders were also called “voices,” n. 7573, 8914.)
sRef Matt@26 @34 S2′ sRef Matt@16 @19 S2′ sRef Matt@16 @18 S2′ [2] I will here mention some arcana that may be seen by those who are aware that “Peter” signifies faith, and “John” the good of charity. First, why the Lord said to Peter:
I also say unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build My church; and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 16:18-19).
It appears from the letter, as if that power was given to Peter, when in fact no power was given to Peter; but it was so said to him because “Peter” signified truth from good, which is from the Lord; and truth from good, which is from the Lord, has all power, thus the Lord has all power from good through truth. (That this is so may be seen illustrated in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 57.) A second arcanum that may be seen, when it is known that “Peter” signifies faith, is, why the Lord said to him, that:
Before the cock crowed, he would deny Him thrice; which also came to pass (Matt. 26:34 seq.).
By these words is signified, that in the last time of the church there would be no faith in the Lord, because no charity; for “cock-crowing,” as well as “twilight,” signifies the last time of the church (n. 10134); and “three” or “thrice,” signifies what is complete to the end (n. 2788, 4495, 5159, 9198, 10127. That the end of the church is when there is no faith, because no charity, see in the small work on The Last Judgment n. 33-39, seq.).
sRef John@21 @18 S3′ sRef John@21 @15 S3′ sRef John@21 @17 S3′ sRef John@21 @16 S3′ sRef John@21 @22 S3′ sRef John@21 @20 S3′ sRef John@21 @21 S3′ sRef John@21 @19 S3′ [3] A third arcanum that may be seen is what is signified by the following words concerning Peter and John:
Jesus saith to Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed My lambs. He saith to him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Tend My sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? Peter was grieved because He said unto him the third time, Lovest thou Me? And he saith unto Him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love Thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed My sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, when thou wast younger, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest; but when thou shall be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and bear thee whither thou wouldest not. And when He had thus spoken, He saith unto him, Follow Me. Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved, following, and he saith, Lord, What shall this one [do]? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou Me (John 21:15-22).
What these things signify no one can know unless he knows the internal sense, and knows that “Peter” signifies faith, and “John” the good of charity, thus that “Peter” signifies those in the church who are in faith, and “John” those who are in the good of charity. That Jesus said to Peter three times, “Lovest thou Me?” and that Peter said three times. “Thou knowest that I love Thee,” and that Jesus then said, “Feed My lambs,” and “Feed My sheep,” signifies that those who are in faith from love, ought to instruct those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and in the good of charity towards the neighbor; for those who are in faith from love are also in truths, and those who from this are in truths, instruct concerning good, and lead to good; for all spiritual good that a man has, is gained and implanted by truths. (That “lambs” signify those who are in the good of innocence and of love to the Lord, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 3994, 10132; that “sheep” signify those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor, n. 4169, 4809; and that “to feed” is to instruct, n. 5201, 6078.)
[4] Faith, as it was to be in the first period of the church and as it was to be in the last, is then described by the Lord. The first period of the church is meant by “when thou wast younger,” and its last by “when thou shalt be old.” That when Peter “was younger he girded himself and walked whither he would,” signifies that in the first period of the church men would imbibe truths from the good of charity and would act from freedom; for to act from freedom is to act from the affection of truth from good. “When thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee and lead thee whither thou wouldest not,” signifies that in the last period of the church they would no longer imbibe truths from the good of charity, thus would not know them in any other way than as declared by another; and thus would be in a servile state; for a servile state ensues when good does not lead. (That “garments” signify truths, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1073, 2576, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216, 9952, 10536; and that therefore to “gird oneself” denotes to imbibe and perceive truths, n. 9952. That to “walk” is to act and live; to act from freedom is to act from love or affection, since what a man loves that he does freely, n. 2870, 3158, 8987, 8990, 9585, 9591. That every church begins from charity, but that in process of time it turns aside to faith, and at length to faith alone, n. 1834, 1835, 2231, 4683, 8094.)
[5] Since, in the last period of the church, faith becomes such that it rejects the good of charity, saying that faith alone constitutes the church and is saving, and not the good of life which is charity, Jesus said to Peter, by whom such faith is here meant, “Follow Me; and Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved, following; and he saith, Lord, what shall this one [do]?” By this is signified that faith, in the last period of the church, would turn itself away from the Lord; for it is said of Peter, by whom such faith is signified, that “turning about, he saw;” also that he said of the disciple whom Jesus loved, or of John, by whom is signified the good of charity, “what shall this one [do]?” that is, that he is not anything. But Jesus said to him, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou Me.” By this is signified that the good of charity will follow the Lord, and will acknowledge Him, even to the last period of the old church, and the first of the new. (That the last period of the old church is called “the consummation of the age,” and the beginning of the new church “the coming of the Lord,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4535, 10622.) A fourth arcanum that may be seen is, why the Lord loved John above the rest of the disciples, and consequently why John lay on the breast or in the bosom of the Lord (John 13:23; 21:20); namely, because the good of love was what the Lord saw when He beheld John, who represented and signified that good; since it is that good that constitutes heaven and the church (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13-19). A fifth arcanum is manifest when it is known that John represented the good of love, namely, what is signified by the words of the Lord from the cross to the mother Mary and to John:
When Jesus therefore seeth His mother, and the disciple standing by whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son. Then He saith to the disciple, Behold thy mother. And from that hour the disciple took her unto his own home (John 19:26, 27).
By “mother” and by “woman” is here meant the church, and by “John” the good of charity; and by the things here said, that the church will be where the good of charity is. (That by “woman,” in the Word, is meant the church, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 252-253, 749, 770, 3160, 6014, 7337, 8994; that the like is signified by “mother,” n. 289, 2691, 2717, 3703, 4257, 5581, 8897, 10490. That to “take her unto his own home” is that these should dwell together, is evident.) From this it can now be seen how great arcana lie concealed in the Word, which are laid open to those only who know its internal or spiritual sense. Apart from that sense it cannot be known, moreover, what is signified when it is said:
That the apostles shall sit upon twelve thrones, and shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:30).
By “apostles” here are meant not apostles, but all truths from good, which are from the Lord; thus by these words is signified that the Lord alone will judge all from truths that are from good, thus that everyone will be judged according to those truths.

sRef Rev@1 @2 S0′ 10. Verse 2. Who bare witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, signifies to those who in heart acknowledge Divine truth, and the Divine of the Lord in His Human. This is evident from the signification of “hearing witness,” as meaning to acknowledge in heart (of which hereafter), and from the signification of “the Word,” or speech of God, as meaning Divine truth (see AC, n. 4692, 5075, 9987); and from the signification of “[the testimony of] Jesus Christ,” as meaning the acknowledgment of the Lord’s Divine in His Human. This is signified by “the testimony of Jesus Christ,” because “to testify” signifies to acknowledge in heart, and to acknowledge Jesus Christ in heart is to acknowledge the Divine in His Human; for he that acknowledges the Lord, and does not at the same time acknowledge the Divine in His Human, does not acknowledge the Lord; since His Divine is in His Human, and not out of it; for the Divine is in Its Human as the soul is in the body, consequently to think of the Lord’s Human, and not at the same time of His Divine, is like thinking of a man abstractly from his soul or life, which is not thinking of a man.
sRef John@14 @6 S2′ sRef Rev@19 @10 S2′ [2] That the Lord’s Divine is in His Human, and that together they are one person, the doctrine received throughout the Christian world teaches; which teaching is as follows: “Although Christ is God and Man, yet they are not two, but one Christ; one, but not by a change of the Divine into the Human, but the Divine took the Human to Itself. Altogether one, not by confusion of the two natures, but by unity of person; for as soul and body make one man, so God and Man are one Christ” (Athanasian Creed). From this it is manifest, moreover, that those who separate the Divine into three persons, when they think of the Lord as a second person, ought to think of both together, the Human and the Divine; for it is said that they are a single person, and that they are one, as soul and body are. Therefore those that think otherwise do not think of the Lord; and those that do not think of the Lord in that way are unable to think of the Divine that is called the Father’s, for the Lord saith:
I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one cometh unto the Father but through Me (John 14:6).
Since this acknowledgment is signified by the “testimony of Jesus Christ,” it is said that:
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10).
“The spirit of prophecy” is the life and soul of doctrine (that “spirit” in the internal sense of the Word, signifies life or soul, may be seen Arcana Coelestia n. 5222, 9281, 9818; and that “prophecy” signifies doctrine, n. 2534, 7269); and the acknowledgment of the Lord is the very life or soul of all doctrine in the church. But of this more will be said in what follows.
sRef John@21 @24 S3′ sRef John@19 @35 S3′ [3] To “bear witness” is to acknowledge in heart, because spiritual things are treated of; and no one can bear witness respecting spiritual things except from the heart, because from no other source does he perceive that they are so. To bear witness of things that have existence in the world is to bear witness from knowledge, or from memory and thought, because the man has so seen or heard; but it is otherwise with things spiritual, for these fill the whole life and constitute it. The spirit of man, in which his life primarily resides, is nothing else than his will or his love, and his understanding and faith therefrom, and “heart” in the Word signifies the will and love, and understanding and faith therefrom. From this it is evident whence it is that by “bearing witness” in the spiritual sense, is meant to acknowledge in heart. Since by the “heart” is signified the good of love, and this alone is what acknowledges Divine truth, and the Divine of the Lord in His Human, and since that good is signified by “John,” it is also said by John that he “bears witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ.” So also in another place:
And he that hath seen hath borne witness, and his witness is true; and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye may believe (John 19:35);
and in another place:
This is the disciple that beareth witness of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his witness is true (John 21:24).

sRef Rev@1 @2 S0′ 11. Whatsoever things he saw signifies their understanding enlightened. This is evident from the signification of “seeing,” as being to understand (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2150, 2325, 2807, 3764, 3863, 3869, 4403-4421, 10705); here, to understand from enlightenment, because the things of the church and of heaven are treated of, which are not understood and perceived except from enlightenment; for things of the church and of heaven, which are called spiritual things, do not enter into man’s understanding, except by means of the light of heaven, and the light of heaven enlightens the understanding. For this reason the Word, in which are contained the things of the church and of heaven, cannot be understood except by one who is enlightened, and those only are enlightened who are in the affection of truth from good, thus who are in love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbor. This good is spiritual good, with which and from which is the light of heaven, which enlightens.

sRef Rev@1 @3 S0′ 12. Verse 3. Blessed, signifies those in whom is heaven. This is evident from the signification of “the blessed,” as meaning those who are happy to eternity, thus in whom is heaven. Blessedness that is not eternal is indeed called blessedness, yet comparatively it is not, for it passes away, and that which passes away, in comparison with that which does not pass away, is as nothing. It is said, “in whom is heaven,” because heaven is in man; the heaven that is outside of man flows into the heaven that is within him, and is received so far as there is correspondence. (That heaven is in man, and that the internal of a man who is in heavenly love is heaven in the least form, corresponding to the greatest, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 51-58; and that he who has heaven in himself comes into heaven may be seen in New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 232-236.)

sRef Rev@1 @3 S0′ 13. Is he that readeth, signifies that they have perception. This is evident from the signification of “reading” the Word, as being to understand from enlightenment, thus to perceive, since to “read” signifies the like as to “see,” because he who reads, sees, and to “see” signifies to perceive from enlightenment, as was shown just above (n. 11).

sRef Rev@1 @3 S0′ 14. And they that hear the words of the prophecy, signifies that they live according to the doctrine of heaven. This is evident from the signification of “hearing,” as being to perceive and obey (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2542, 3869, 4653, 5017, 7216, 8361, 8990, 9311, 9397, 10061); thus also to live according to that doctrine; for those who perceive and obey the doctrine of heaven live according to it; and from the signification of “the words of the prophecy,” as being the truths that pertain to the doctrine of heaven; for “words” are truths (n. 4692, 5075); and “prophecy” is doctrine (n. 2534, 7269); here it is the doctrine of heaven, since it is prophecy belonging to the Word, and the Word is from heaven. To “hear” is to obey and to live, because with celestial angels the things that are heard enter into the life; but as this is a thing unknown, I would like to explain it briefly.
There are two senses given to man which serve as means of receiving the things whereby the rational is formed, and also the things by which man is reformed; these are the sense of sight and the sense of hearing; the other senses are for other uses. The things that enter by the sense of sight enter into man’s understanding and enlighten it, for which reason by “sight” is signified the understanding enlightened, for the understanding corresponds to the sight of the eye, as the light of heaven corresponds to the light of the world. The things, however, that enter by the sense of hearing enter both into the understanding and into the will, and for this reason by “the hearing” is signified perception and obedience. Consequently, in human language, to “hear” anyone, and to “give ear to” anyone, also to “listen to,” and “hearken to,” are common expressions; and by “hearing anyone” is meant to perceive, and by “giving ear to,” as also by “listening to” is meant to obey; while “hearkening to” means either perceiving or obeying. These expressions flowed down into human language out of the spiritual world, where man’s spirit is. Their origin in the spiritual world shall also be explained.
[2] Those there who are in the province of the ear are obediences from perception. (That all who are in the spiritual world are in some province that is named from the members, organs, or viscera of man, because they correspond thereto, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 87-102.) Moreover, the province of the ear is in the axis of heaven; into it, therefore, or into those who are there, the whole spiritual world flows in, with the perception that “thus must it be done;” for this is the reigning perception in heaven; from this it is that those who are in that province are obediences from perception. That the things that enter by hearing enter immediately through the understanding into the will, may be further illustrated by the way in which angels of the celestial kingdom, who are most wise, are instructed. These angels receive all their wisdom by hearing, and not by sight; for whatsoever they hear about Divine things, they receive in the will from veneration and love, and make it of their life; and because they receive these things not first in the memory, but immediately in the life, they do not speak about matters of faith, but when these are mentioned by others, they answer, “Yea, yea,” or “Nay, nay,” according to the Lord’s words in Matthew 5:37. From this it is evident that hearing is given to man chiefly for the reception of wisdom, and sight for the reception of intelligence. Wisdom is to perceive, to will, and to do; and intelligence is to know and to perceive. (That the celestial angels imbibe wisdom by hearing, not by sight, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 270, 271; and more concerning those angels, n. 20-28.)

sRef Luke@11 @28 S0′ sRef John@15 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @3 S0′ sRef Matt@28 @20 S0′ sRef John@15 @10 S0′ sRef John@14 @24 S0′ sRef John@14 @15 S0′ sRef John@14 @23 S0′ sRef John@8 @52 S0′ sRef John@8 @51 S0′ 15. And keep the things which are written therein, signifies from the love of truth. This is evident from the signification of “observing” and “keeping,” as being to perceive, to will, and to do according thereto, here according to the doctrine of heaven; and from the signification of “the things which are written therein,” as being, from the love of truth, or from the delight of that love; for what is done from love is done from delight; delight is from no other source. This is signified by “the things which are written therein,” because the things contained in the doctrine of heaven are written on the heart, and thus on the life, of those here described; and things written on the heart and life are written on the love; for “heart” in the Word signifies love (Arcana Coelestia, n. 7542, 9050, 10336). The love of truth is meant, because these things are said of the doctrine of heaven, and the doctrine of heaven is from truths. In the Word frequent mention is made of observing and keeping the precepts, the commandments, the words, and the law: and by observing and keeping is there signified to understand, to will, and to do, as in Matthew:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you (Matt. 28:20);
in Luke:
Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it (Luke 11:28);
in John:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, if anyone keep My word he shall never see death (John 8:51);
in the same:
If any one love Me he will keep My word: He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My words (John 14:15, 23-24);
and in the same:
If ye keep My commandments ye shall abide in My love. Ye are My friends if ye do the things which I command you (John 15:10, 14).
To do is to will, and to will is to do; because in deeds the will is everything.

sRef Rev@1 @3 S0′ 16. For the time is near, signifies such an interior state. This is evident from the signification of “time,” as meaning state (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 162-169, where Time in Heaven is treated of); and from the signification of “near,” as being the internal; thus here, because it refers to state, the interior state such as is described above is meant. By state is meant a state of affection and of thought therefrom. He who reads this, and knows nothing of the internal sense, supposes that by “the time being near” is meant that the time was near when the things contained in Revelation would be fulfilled. But that this is not meant can be seen from the fact that seventeen centuries elapsed before they were fulfilled. But because the Word in the letter is natural and within is spiritual, it is said that “the time is near,” in order that in heaven the interior state might be understood; for if the expression “the interior state,” which is the spiritual sense, had here been used, it would not have been understood by the angels; for they perceive all things of the Word according to correspondences. “Near” signifies interior, because distances in heaven are entirely in accord with the differences of the good of love; for which reason those who are in kindred good are also near one another; and it is from this that on earth kinships are called near relationships [propinquitates], because they relate to spiritual affinities, which in heaven are really such. In heaven this is so because the good of love conjoins, and the more interior the good, the nearer is the conjunction. From this it is, that heaven is nearer to man, the more interiorly he is in the good of love; and the origin of this is that the Lord is nearer to an angel, to a spirit, and to man, the more interiorly they love Him. To love Him interiorly is to love His precepts interiorly; that is, to perceive, to will, and to do them from the delight of love. It is from this that “nearness,” in the Word, signifies presence and conjunction (as may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 5911, 9378, 9997, 10001). This nearness is thus described in John:
Jesus said, He that loveth Me keepeth My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him (John 14:23);
and in the same:
Ye know the Comforter, the Spirit of truth; for He abideth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:17);
“the Comforter, the Spirit of truth” is Divine truth going forth from the Lord; therefore it is said, “He shall be in you.”

sRef Rev@1 @3 S0′ 17. These approximate or general explanations of the preceding words, not being presented in a continuous series, will appear disconnected; and this must be the case when each word or phrase is expounded separately, and the internal sense is immediately joined to the literal sense, which is diverse from it, and each is viewed by itself. But nevertheless, with angels, who are in the internal sense, this is not so. They do not see the sense of the letter, nor do they know anything about it; they see only the internal sense; and because they see this in the light of heaven, they see it in such a series and connection, and also in such abundance and thence in such wisdom, as cannot be expressed and described in human words. The ideas of angels, which are spiritual, also conjoin all things in a wonderful manner, and comprehend more than man can include or express in his ideas, which are natural, even as to a thousandth part thereof.

sRef Rev@1 @6 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @5 S0′ 18. Verses 4-6. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you, and peace, from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come; and from the seven spirits which are in sight of His throne; and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loveth us, and washeth us from our sins in His blood; and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be the glory and the might unto the ages of the ages. Amen.
4. “John,” signifies the Lord in respect to doctrine (n. 19); “to the seven churches,” signifies to all who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity (n. 20); “in Asia,” signifies those who are in the light of intelligence (n. 21); “Grace to you, and peace,” signifies the delight of truth and good (n. 22); “from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come,” signifies from Him who is the All in all things of heaven and of the church from eternity to eternity (n. 23); “and from the seven spirits,” signifies the Divine in heaven (n. 24); “which are in sight of His throne,” signifies presence and providence (n. 25). 5. “And from Jesus Christ,” signifies from the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (n. 26); “the faithful witness,” signifies from whom is all truth in heaven (n. 27); “the Firstborn from the dead,” signifies from whom is all good in heaven (n. 28); “and the Prince of the kings of the earth,” signifies from whom is all truth from good in the church (n. 29); “Unto Him that loveth us, and washeth us from our sins in His blood,” signifies His love, and regeneration from Him through truths that are from Him (n. 30). 6. “And hath made us kings and priests,” signifies that from Him we are in His spiritual and celestial kingdom (n. 31); “unto God and His Father,” signifies by Divine truth and Divine good (n. 32); “to Him be the glory and the might unto the ages of the ages,” signifies that these things are from Him alone to eternity (n. 33); “Amen,” signifies Divine confirmation (n. 34).

sRef Rev@1 @4 S0′ 19. Verse 4. John signifies the Lord in respect to doctrine. This is evident from the representation of “John,” as being the good of love (of which above, n. 8). Because he represents the good of love, he also in the highest sense represents the Lord, since all the good of love is from the Lord. Man, spirit, and angel, are only recipients, and they who are recipients are said to signify that which is from the Lord. It is similar with many others in the Word, as with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Elijah, Elisha, John the Baptist, Peter, and the other apostles; each one of whom signifies some good or truth of heaven and the church, yet all of them, in the highest sense, signify the Lord. For instance, “David,” in the internal sense, signifies Divine truth in the spiritual kingdom, which is called the royalty of the Lord; for this reason, David in the highest sense signifies the Lord in respect to that truth and in respect to royalty; on which account it is said of David in the Word, that he is to come and reign over the sons of Israel (Ezek. 37:24, 25; Hosea 3:5). In like manner Elijah and Elisha, who, because in the internal sense they signify the Word, in the highest sense signify the Lord, from whom the Word is. (That “Elijah” and “Elisha” signify the Word, thus the Lord in respect to the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2762, 5247; likewise “John the Baptist,” who is therefore called “Elijah,” n. 7643, 9372. That “Peter” signifies faith, and therefore the Lord in respect to faith, because faith is from the Lord, see above, n. 9.) From this it can be seen why “John” signifies the Lord. He signifies the Lord in respect to doctrine because it is said, “John to the seven churches,” and by “the seven churches,” in the internal sense, are meant all who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity; for it is these that constitute the church; and doctrine is what teaches these truths. From this it is that as the Lord is the Word, so is He also the doctrine of the church, for all doctrine is from the Word. (That the Lord is the doctrine of the church, because all truth that is of doctrine is from the Word, thus from the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2531, 2859, 3712.)

sRef Rev@1 @4 S0′ 20. To the seven churches, signifies to all who are in truths from good or in faith from charity. This is evident from the signification of “seven,” as being all [persons]. For “seven,” in the Word, signifies the beginning and end, thus an entire period and a full state, in like manner as a “week” (Arcana Coelestia, n. 728, 6508, 9228); and because “seven” signifies what is full, it also signifies all, since all constitutes what is full, for fullness, as regards those that constitute a society (here, the church), means all; therefore when magnitude is treated of in the Word, “seven” signifies what is full; but when multitude is treated of, “seven” signifies all. “Three” also in the Word signifies what is full and all (as may be seen in Arcana Coelestia n. 2788, 4495, 7715); but “seven” is used in the Word where anything holy is treated of, and “three” in all other cases (Arcana Coelestia n. 10127); therefore “seven” is here used, because truths from good, which are the holy things of the church, are treated of. It is also evident from the signification of “churches” as being those who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity.
These are meant by “churches,” because such truths constitute the church with everyone; for those who are not in truths from good, though born within the church, yet are not of the church, because there is no church in them. From this it is that the Lord’s church consists of all those, wheresoever they are, who are a church, that is, who are in truths from good. (That the church, like heaven, is in man, and not outside of him, consequently that man who is in truths from good is a church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3884; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 53, 54, 57.) It is also said, who are in faith from charity, since this is similar; for truth is of faith, and good is of charity; for in fact, everything that man believes is called truth, and everything that man loves is called good. (That every truth is from good, and that everything of faith is from charity, see in The small work, The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 84-107, 108-122; and The Last Judgment n. 33-39; also Heaven and Hell, n. 364, 424, 482, 526.) He who knows nothing of the internal sense of the Word, when he reads these things believes no otherwise than that by “seven churches” are meant the seven churches afterwards named (verse 11); whereas churches are not meant, but all who are of the church; because this is the spiritual sense of the Word.

sRef Rev@1 @4 S0′ 21. In Asia, signifies those who are in the light of intelligence. This can be seen by a spiritual idea only, such as angels have, concerning the regions of this earth. When Asia is named, angels perceive the south; when Europe is named, the north; and when Africa, the east; and as by the “south” is signified the clear light of intelligence, so that light is signified by “Asia.” This perception has been granted also to me, as often as I have been in the spiritual idea and have thought of Asia. Such is the spiritual idea of Asia, because the church was there in ancient times, and then extended over many regions there; therefore, those who are in heaven from that country are in the light of intelligence. For this reason, when Asia is thought of, a light like that which is in the south of heaven flows in. (That in ancient times, and also in the most ancient, the church was in Asia, extending through many kingdoms there, see the quotations from the Arcana Coelestia in the little work on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 247; and that the “south” signifies the light of intelligence, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 141-153, where the Four Quarters in Heaven are treated of.) By “Asia,” however, the inhabitants of Asia are not here meant, but all, wheresoever they are, who are in the spiritual light of intelligence, or, what is the same, who are in truths from good; for those who are in truths from good are in the spiritual light of intelligence; and all such constitute the Lord’s church.
(That the Lord’s church exists also among the Gentiles, although specifically where the Lord is known and the Word is read, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 318-328; and on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 244, 246.)

sRef John@1 @16 S0′ sRef Luke@4 @22 S0′ sRef John@1 @17 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @4 S0′ sRef John@1 @14 S0′ 22. Grace to you and peace, signifies the delight of truth and good. This is evident from the signification of “grace” as being the delight of truth (about which more presently); and from the signification of “peace,” as being the delight of the good of innocence and love (on which see in the work on Heaven and Hell, where the State of Peace in Heaven is treated of, n. 284-290). “Grace” means the delight of truth, because there are two things that proceed from the Lord, united in their origin, but separated with those that receive them. For there are those that receive more the Divine truth than the Divine good, and those that receive more the Divine good than the Divine truth. Those that receive more the Divine truth than the Divine good are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, and are therefore called spiritual; but those that receive more the Divine good than the Divine truth are in the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and are therefore called celestial (On these two kingdoms in heaven and in the church, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28.) To those in the spiritual kingdom it is granted by the Lord to be in the affection of truth for the sake of truth; and this Divine is what is called grace; so far, therefore, as anyone is in that affection is he in the Lord’s Divine grace; nor is there any other Divine grace with man, spirit, or angel, than to be affected by truth, because it is truth, since in that affection there is heaven and blessedness for them (see in The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 232, 236, 238; and Heaven and Hell, n. 395-414). Whether we say the affection of truth or the delight of truth it is the same; for there is no affection without delight.
[2] This in particular is what is meant by “grace” in the Word; as in John:
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us, and we beheld His glory, a glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth, of His fullness we all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:14, 16-17).
It is said “grace and truth,” because grace is the affection and the delight of truth. And in Luke, after the Lord had explained in the synagogue the prophesy of Isaiah respecting Himself, that is, the Divine truth, it is said:
All wondered at the words of grace proceeding out of His mouth (Luke 4:22).
the Divine truths that the Lord spoke are called “words of grace proceeding out of His mouth,” because they are acceptable, grateful, and delightful. In general, Divine grace is all that is given from the Lord; and as all that is so given has relation to faith and love, and faith is the affection of truth from good, this is meant in particular by Divine grace: for to be gifted with faith and love, or with the affection of truth from good, is to be gifted with heaven, thus with eternal blessedness.

sRef Rev@1 @4 S0′ 23. From Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, signifies from Him who is the All in all things of heaven and of the church from eternity to eternity. This is evident from the signification of “who is, and who was, and who is to come,” as being from eternity to eternity, also the All in all things of heaven and of the church. From eternity to eternity is meant, because all times in the Word signify not times but states of life (as may be seen from what is said and shown concerning Time in Heaven, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 162-169); and as all times signify states of life, so in reference to the Lord they signify infinite state, and infinite state as to time is eternity. That all times are comprised in “who is, and who was, and who is to come,” is evident. Of eternity, which is of the Lord alone, many things might be said; but such things are not understood by the natural man, whose thoughts are chiefly based on time, space, and matter, while, nevertheless, eternity, in itself, does not include such things.
If, indeed, man could think of eternity as the angels of heaven do, he might arrive at some idea of it, and thus might comprehend what from eternity is, which is signified by “who was;” also what the Divine foresight is, that it is in the most particular things from eternity; and what Divine Providence is, that it is in the most particular things to eternity; consequently, that whatsoever proceeds from the Lord is from eternity to eternity; and unless it were so heaven and the universe would not subsist. But there is no time to go further into this arcanum as yet (something may be seen respecting it in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 167); only let it be known, that the like is meant by “Jehovah” as by “who is, who was, and who is to come,” since “Is,” which is the meaning of Jehovah, involves what precedes, that is, “who was,” and also what is future, that is, “who is to come,” and thus signifies from eternity to eternity. sRef Ps@2 @7 S2′ [2] That “Is,” signifies from eternity is also known in the Christian world from the Psalm of David, where it is said:
I will declare of the decree; Jehovah said unto me; thou art My son; this day have I begotten thee (Ps. 2:7);
it is known that these things are said of the Lord, and that by “today” is meant from eternity. (That by “tomorrow,” also in the Word, where the Lord is treated of, is signified to eternity, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3998.) That the words “who is,” “who was,” and “who is to come,” signify also the All in all things of heaven and the church is because they signify eternity; and in heaven eternity can be expressed by no other word than Divine, for the reason that what is infinite cannot fall into the angelic idea, and still less into a human idea; and eternity is infinite Existere from infinite Esse; but only this enters the idea, that eternity, which is the Divine in respect to Existere, is the All in all things of heaven and of the church. For the whole heaven is heaven not from the angels’ proprium [selfhood, or what is their own], but from the Divine of the Lord; nor is the church the church from the proprium of men, but from the Divine of the Lord; for all the good of love and the truth of faith are from the Lord, and it is the good of love and the truth of faith that make heaven and the church. Angels and men are only recipients, and so far as they receive, heaven and the church are in them. (These things may be seen illustrated by many things in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 7-12, where it is shown that the Divine of the Lord makes heaven, and that the Divine that makes heaven is the Divine Human, which is the Divine Existere from the Divine Esse, n. 78-86.)

sRef Rev@1 @4 S0′ 24. And from the seven spirits, signifies the Divine in heaven. This is evident from the signification of “seven,” as being what is full, and therefore all, and from its being predicated of the holy Divine things that proceed from the Lord (see above, n. 20); also from the signification of “spirits,” as being those of whom heaven consists; for all these are called “spirits of God,” since the Spirit of God is the Divine proceeding, or Divine truth united to Divine good in heaven and the church (Arcana Coelestia n. 9818); and the Divine proceeding or Divine truth united to Divine good, forms and creates the angel, and thus makes him [what he is] according to quality and quantity of reception (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 7-12). From this it is evident that by “the seven spirits” (of which more below), are not meant seven spirits, but all who are in heaven; as by the “seven churches” are not meant seven churches, but all who are in truths from good, or who are of the church (see above, n. 20). When this is understood, an arcanum is opened, namely, the meaning of “Jehovah God” in the Word; which is, that by “Jehovah” is meant the Divine Esse, and by “God” the Divine Existere in heaven. The Divine that is meant by “God” is the Divine Existere in heaven, because the Divine in heaven is in many; therefore in the Hebrew language, God is called “Elohim,” in the plural; for the same reason angels are called gods, not that they are gods, but because the Divine of the Lord that is in them is meant by “God.” (That in the Word the Lord is called Jehovah from Esse or Essence, and God from Existere or Existence, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 300, 3910, 6905; also that the Divine Esse is Divine good, and that the Divine Existere is Divine truth, n. 3061, 6280, 6880, 6905, 10579; and in general, that good is esse, and truth is existere therefrom, n. 5002. That angels are called gods from the reception of Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good of the Lord, n. 4295, 4402, 7268, 7873, 8301, 8192; and that Divine truth united to Divine good in heaven, is called, in one phrase, Divine truth, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13, 133, 140.)

sRef John@15 @4 S0′ sRef John@15 @5 S0′ sRef John@14 @17 S0′ sRef John@15 @7 S0′ sRef John@15 @6 S0′ sRef John@14 @23 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @4 S0′ 25. Which are in sight of His throne, signifies presence and providence. This is evident from the signification of “sight,” as being, when predicated of the Divine, presence, and providence therefrom (of which more in what follows); and from the signification of “throne of God,” as being Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, thus heaven, because it is its receptacle (concerning which see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5313, 6397). “Look” means presence, because by look or sight the understanding and thence thought are signified; and in the understanding everything that is thought stands forth as present. For this reason, those in the spiritual world with whom another desires to speak appear present provided the person had formed any idea of them from sight in the world, especially if this is true of both. This is why friends meet there, and also wives and husbands; the reason is that internal sight, which is the understanding, acts as one, in a spirit, with his external sight or sight of the eye; and as spaces in the spiritual world are not like spaces in the natural world, in that world what one desires to see is near, and what he does not desire to see is far off. From this now it is that “look” signifies presence. (That “look” or “sight” signifies the understanding, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2150, 2325, 2807, 3764, 3863, 3869, 10705; and therefore signifies presence, n. 4723; and that spaces in heaven are not like spaces in the world, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 191-199.) “Look,” in respect to the Lord, as here, signifies His Divine presence, because the Lord knows all, and they, in turn, know the Lord who are in love and faith towards Him; consequently with such the Lord is present in the goods of love and in the truths of faith that are in them from Him. For these [goods and truths] are the Lord in heaven and in the church; since the things that proceed from the Lord are not merely His, but they are Himself [2] From this it is clear how the Lord is in man; thus, how that is to be understood that he spoke in John:
Abide in Me, and I in you; he that abideth in Me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit (John 15:4-5).
In the same:
He that loveth Me keeps My word; and the Father and I will come unto him, and make Our abode with him (John 14:23).
In the same:
Jesus said to His disciples, Ye know the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth; for He abideth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:17).
The “Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth,” is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; or what is the same, it is the Lord as to Divine truth; and “disciples” are all who are in goods and thence in truths; it is therefore said, “He shall be in you.” In the same:
The Word became flesh and dwelt in you* (John 1:14).
The Word, too, is Divine truth; and that the Word is the Lord is clear, since it is said that “the Word became flesh.” (That the “Word” signifies Divine truth, and signifies the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia n. 4692, 5075, 9987.) “Look” here also signifies providence, because all presence of the Lord is providence (as may appear from what is said and shown in the small work on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 267-279; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 9, 12, 143, 145).
* The Greek has “us,” as found also in Apocalypse Explained, n. 43.

sRef John@14 @10 S0′ sRef John@14 @9 S0′ sRef John@14 @6 S0′ sRef John@10 @30 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @5 S0′ 26. Verse 5. And from Jesus Christ, signifies from the Lord as to the Divine Human. This is evident from the fact that such was the Lord’s name in the world; thus the name of His Human; but in respect to the Divine, His name was “Jehovah” and “God.” It is called the Divine Human because the Lord made His Human Divine when He was in the world; for He united it to His Divine which was in Him from conception, and which was to Him a soul from the Father, thus which was to Him His life; for the soul of everyone is his life, and the body, which is the human, lives therefrom; when, therefore, the Divine was united to the Human in the Lord, as soul to body, it is called the Divine Human. (That it is according to the doctrine of the church that as soul and body make one man, so the Divine and the Human make one Christ, as also that His Divine and His Human make one person, see above, n. 10.) They, therefore, who think of the Lord’s Human and not at the same time of His Divine, will on no account admit the expression Divine Human, for they think of the Human separately and of the Divine separately, thus, as it were, of a man separately from his soul or his life; this, however, is not to think of the man at all, still less of the Lord.
[2] Because such a separate idea is in their thought, they pray to the Father to have compassion for the sake of the Son; when, nevertheless, the Lord Himself ought to be prayed to that He may have compassion, in whom, according to the universal doctrine of the church, the Divine is such as the Father has; for that doctrine teaches, that as the Father, so also the Son, is uncreate, infinite, eternal, almighty, God, and Lord; and neither is before or after the other, nor greater or less than the other (from the Athanasian Creed). This also is in accordance with the doctrine given by the Lord Himself, which is: That He and the Father are one; and that he who seeth Him seeth the Father, because He is in the Father and the Father in Him; that He is the way, the truth, and the life; and that no one cometh to the Father but by Him. From this it is clear how much they turn aside from the way and the truth who pass by the Lord and approach the Father. But as I have conversed much on this subject with angels, and also with spirits, who, when they lived as men in the world, were of the Reformed Church and of the Papal religion, I shall be pleased to relate these conversations in the following pages; from which it will appear in what light the church would be respecting the Divine, which is the first and primary principle of the church, if it would acknowledge and believe in the Divine Human of the Lord.

sRef Rev@1 @5 S0′ 27. The faithful witness, signifies from whom is all truth in heaven. This is evident from the signification of “faithful witness,” as being, in reference to the Lord, the acknowledgment of the Divine Human from whom is all truth in heaven (of which in what follows). It is said in heaven, because Divine truth, proceeding from the Lord’s Divine good, makes heaven in general, and with each angel there in particular. (This may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13, 126-140; and that this is from the Lord’s Divine Human, n. 7-12, 78-86.) The Lord as to the Divine Human is called the “faithful witness,” because Divine truth proceeding from Him, bears witness in heaven concerning Him.
This testimony is universally in the Divine truth in heaven; as may be seen from this, that angels of the interior heaven can think of the Divine in no other way than under a human form, thus as the Divine Human, and for the reason that the Divine Human of the Lord fills the universal heaven and forms it, and the thoughts of angels proceed and flow according to the form of heaven (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 59-102, 200-212, 265-275). From this it is that “the testimony of Jesus Christ” (see n. 10) signifies the acknowledgment of the Divine of the Lord in His Human.
sRef John@1 @34 S2′ sRef John@1 @9 S2′ sRef John@1 @7 S2′ sRef John@1 @8 S2′ [2] From this can be seen what is meant in the spiritual sense by “bearing witness” and by “testimony” in the following passages:
John [that is, the Baptist] came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the Light, that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but came that he might bear witness of the Light. It was the true Light, which lighteth every man. And I have seen and have borne witness (John 1:7-9, 34).
“Light” signifies Divine truth; therefore the Lord is here called “the true Light, which lighteth every man,” and to “bear witness of the light” signifies an acknowledgment of His Divine Human, from which Divine truth proceeds. (That “light” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, in the chapter on The Light of Heaven, n. 120-140.)
sRef John@15 @26 S3′ sRef John@3 @31 S3′ sRef John@3 @32 S3′ sRef John@8 @14 S3′ sRef John@5 @33 S3′ sRef John@3 @11 S3′ sRef John@5 @34 S3′ [3] In the same:
Ye sent unto John, and He bare witness unto the truth; but I receive not testimony from man (John 5:33-34).
In the same:
Jesus said, Verily I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and bear witness of what we have seen. He that cometh from heaven is above all. What He hath seen and heard, of that He beareth witness (John 3:11, 31-32).
In the same:
Jesus said, Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true; for I know whence I came and whither I go (John 8:14).
By this is signified that He bears witness concerning Himself from Himself, because He was Divine truth. In the same:
When the Comforter is come, the Spirit of Truth, He shall bear witness of Me (John 15:26).
“The Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,” is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9818, 9820, 10330; and above, n. 25).
sRef John@18 @37 S4′ sRef John@18 @38 S4′ [4] In the same:
Pilate said, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest it, because I am a king. For this have I been born, and for this am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth My voice. Pilate said, What is truth? (John 18:37-38).
The Lord thus answered when He was asked whether He was a king, because the Lord, as king, is Divine truth, for this is the royalty of the Lord in heaven, while His Divine good is the priesthood there. This is why the Lord said that He was a king, that to this end He was born, and to this end He came into the world, that He should bear witness unto the truth; and that everyone that is in truth heareth His voice; and therefore Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” thus whether that was king. (That Divine truth is the royalty of the Lord in the heavens, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3009, 5068; and that “kings,” therefore, in the Word, signify those who are in Divine truths, or abstractly from persons, signify Divine truths, see n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044.) That “kings” signify those who are in Divine truths, will appear more clearly in the explanation of what follows in Revelation, where kings are mentioned; and just below, where it is said, “He hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father.” From this it can be seen that by the words, “from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,” is signified the Lord as to the acknowledgment of His Divine Human, from which is all truth in heaven.

sRef Rev@1 @5 S0′ sRef Matt@22 @31 S0′ sRef Matt@22 @32 S0′ 28. The Firstborn from the dead, signifies from whom is all good in heaven. This is evident from the signification of the “firstborn,” as being, in reference to the Lord, Divine good in heaven, thus all good there. The “firstborn” signifies this, because by generations, in general and in particular, spiritual generations are signified, which are the generations of good and truth or of love and faith; from this it is, that by “father,” “mother,” “sons,” “daughters,” “sons-in-law,” “daughters-in-law,” and “son’s sons,” are signified goods and truths which generate and are generated in their order (Arcana Coelestia n. 10490), for in heaven there are no other nativities. This being so, by “firstborn” is not meant the firstborn, but the good of heaven and of the church, because this is in the first place. And since it is the Lord from whom all good in heaven is, He is called the “Firstborn.” He is called “the Firstborn from the dead,” because, when He arose from the dead, He made His Human to be Divine good by union with the Divine that was in Him from conception. sRef Ps@89 @27 S2′ [2] This is why He is called “the Firstborn from the dead,” and says of Himself in David:
I will make Him the Firstborn, high above the kings of the earth (Ps. 89:27).
What is meant by His being “high above the kings of the earth” will be seen in a subsequent article. (That the Lord, when He departed from the world, made His Human Divine good, see Arcana Coelestia n. 3194, 3210, 6864, 7499, 8724, 9199, 10076; thus that He came forth from the Father and returned to the Father, n. 3194, 3210; and that after the union, the Divine truth, which is the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, proceeds from Him, n. 3704, 3712, 3969, 4577, 5704, 7499, 8127, 8241, 9199, 9398, 9407. But this arcanum may be seen more fully explained in the small work on The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 293-295; and in the passages there cited from the Arcana Coelestia, n. 303-305.) As the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is called “the Firstborn,” for the reason that all good proceeds from Him, so all the firstborn in the Israelitish church were holy to Jehovah; so also the Levites were received in place of all the firstborn in Israel; for by the sons of Levi were represented those of the church who are in the good of charity: therefore also a double portion of inheritance was allotted to the firstborn; all this for the reason that the firstborn signified the good that is from the Lord, and in the highest sense, the Lord Himself in respect to the Divine Human from which is all good. For all things that were commanded in the Israelitish church were representative of Divine things, spiritual and celestial.
sRef Ex@13 @2 S3′ sRef Ex@22 @30 S3′ sRef Ex@22 @31 S3′ sRef Ex@13 @12 S3′ sRef Ex@22 @29 S3′ [3] That all the firstborn in the Israelitish church were holy to Jehovah appears from Moses, in the following passages:
Sanctify unto Me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is Mine (Exod. 13:2).
Thou shalt cause to pass over unto Jehovah all that openeth the womb, and every firstling that cometh of a beast, as many as thou hast, the males shall be Jehovah’s (Exod. 13:12).
Thou shalt not delay to offer the firstfruits of thy produce, and the firstfruits of thy wine. The firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto Me. Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen and with thy sheep; seven days it shall be with its dam: on the eighth day thou shalt give it Me. And ye shall be men of holiness unto Me (Exod. 22:29-31).
They were to give also the firstborn of beasts, because these, too, were representative; and because they represented they were also made use of in burnt-offerings and sacrifices. (What the various beasts in these services represented, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1823, 3519, 9280, 10042. Why the Levites were accepted in place of all the firstborn in Israel, see Num. 3:12, 13, 41, 45; 8:15-20, was, as was said above, because the “sons of Levi” represented, and therefore signified, the good of charity, and “Levi,” in the highest sense, signified the Lord as to that good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3875, 3877, 4497, 4502, 4503, 10017. A double portion of the inheritance was given to the firstborn, Deut. 21:17, because a “double portion” signified the good of love, Arcana Coelestia, n. 720, 1686, 5194, 8423.)

sRef Rev@1 @5 S0′ 29. And the Prince of the kings of the earth, signifies from whom is all the truth from good in the church. This is evident from the signification of “Prince of kings,” as meaning from whom is all truth; a “prince” denoting what is primary, and “kings” truths; and, because it refers to the Lord, who is here called “Prince of kings,” it means from whom is all truth (that “prince” means what is primary, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1482, 2089, 5044; and that “kings” are truths, see in the explanation of the following verse, where it is said, “and hath made us kings and priests,” n. 31); also from the signification of the “earth,” as meaning the church (of which in what follows). One who knows not the internal sense of the Word must needs believe that the kings of the whole earth are here meant; whereas kings are not meant, nor earth; but by “kings” are meant all who are in truths from good; and by the “earth” is meant the church. (That by the “earth” is signified the church is shown in many places in the Arcana Coelestia, from which these particulars may be seen: That by the “earth” is signified the kingdom of the Lord and the church, n. 662, 1066, 1068, 1262, 1413, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577, 8011, 9325, 9643. The chief reason of which is, that by the “earth” is meant the land of Canaan; and the church was there from most ancient times, n. 567, 3686, 4447, 4454, 4516, 4517, 5136, 6516, 9325, 9327; also that, in the spiritual sense, by the “earth” is meant the nation who dwell thereon, and their worship, n. 1262.
That the “new heaven and the new earth” signify the church in the heavens and on earth, n. 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4535, 10373. That by the creation of heaven and earth, in the first chapters of Genesis, in the internal sense, is described the establishment of the Most Ancient Church, see n. 8891, 9942, 10545. That to “create” is to establish and regenerate, see n. 10373. That “ground,” too, signifies the church; “ground” from the reception of seeds, which are truths, but “earth” from the nations therein, and their worship, see n. 566, 1068, 10570. Moreover, “earth,” as it signifies the church, signifies also the religious principle, consequently also such as is idolatrous; as the land of Egypt, the land of the Philistines, the land of Chaldea, and of Babel, and many others. That “earth” signifies the church is also briefly shown in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 3, 4.)

sRef Rev@1 @5 S0′ 30. Unto Him that loveth us, and washeth us from our sins in His blood, signifies His love, and regeneration by truths that are from Him. This is evident from the signification of “washing from sins,” as meaning to regenerate (see Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 202-209); and from the signification of “in His blood,” as meaning by truths that are from Him (see in the same Doctrine, n. 210-213; and in the extracts from the Arcana Coelestia there, n. 217, 219, 222). That the Lord’s “blood” signifies truths from good, thus truths from the Lord, can with difficulty be seen and believed by a man who knows nothing of the internal sense of the Word; moreover, it seems far-fetched to understand truths from the Lord in place of His blood; and yet in heaven nothing else is understood by the Lord’s blood. This is because the Lord there is Divine truth united to Divine good, consequently no one there thinks of His flesh and blood. Thought concerning these they call material thought, of which there is none with them. They say, moreover, that they are not aware that flesh and blood are mentioned in the Word; for with them the things belonging to the literal sense of the Word, are changed into spiritual ideas, since they themselves are spiritual and not natural; thus “flesh” when ascribed to the Lord, is changed into Divine good, and “blood” into Divine truth, each proceeding from the Lord.
[2] “Flesh” and “blood” are mentioned in the literal sense of the Word, in order that corresponding spiritual things may be perceived in heaven; for all spiritual things terminate in natural things; in them they have their outmost plane, therefore the Divine passing through the heavens terminates in that plane, and thereon subsists, comparatively like a house on its foundation, and is then in its fullness. This is why the Word is such as it is in the letter, and why “flesh” and “blood” are there mentioned; the angels, however, are astonished that the man of the church, who might also be made spiritual from the Word, does not allow himself to be elevated above the sense of the letter, and thinks not spiritually but materially of the Lord, and of His flesh and blood. But because they so wondered, and it was told them that many, especially the simple, do think spiritually about these things, they explored whether it was so; and they discovered that many, and almost all the simple, when they come to the holy supper do not think at all about flesh and blood, but only of that which is holy which they then have from the Lord. The angels perceived that this is continually provided by the Lord, in order that the man of the church may then be in a spiritual and not in a material idea.
[3] The reason why material eating is understood and adopted in doctrines, is because men have thought of the Human of the Lord as of the human of another man, and have not then thought at the same time of the Divine in His Human, rejecting the expression, “Divine Human;” and they that so thought of the Lord’s Human could not think otherwise than materially of His flesh and blood. It would have been different if they had thought of the Lord according to the universal doctrine of the church, which is, that His Divine and Human is one person, the two being united as soul and body (see above, n. 10, 26). Moreover, “blood” is mentioned in many places in the Word, as also elsewhere in Revelation (as in 6:12; 7:14; 8:7-8; 11:6; 12:11; 14:20; 16:3-4, 6; 18:24; 19:2, 13). I purpose, therefore, in the following pages, to confirm fully that by “blood” is signified truth from the Lord, and in an opposite sense falsity that offers violence to that truth.

sRef Rev@1 @6 S0′ 31. Verse 6. And hath made us kings and priests, signifies that from Him we are in His spiritual and celestial kingdom. This is evident from the signification of “kings,” as meaning those who are in truths from good; and since they constitute the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, as meaning those who are in His spiritual kingdom. That these are signified by “kings” in the Word, will appear from what follows. The above is evident also from the signification of “priests,” as meaning those who are in the good of love; and since these constitute the Lord’s celestial kingdom, they also are those who are in His celestial kingdom. (That there are two kingdoms, into which the heavens are in general divided, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28, and that the spiritual kingdom is called the Lord’s regal kingdom, and the celestial kingdom His priestly kingdom, n. 24.) In any places in the prophetic Word, kings are mentioned, and he that is ignorant of the internal sense believes that by “kings” are there meant kings; kings, however, are not meant, but all those who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity, from the Lord. The reason of this is, that the Lord is the sole king, and those who from Him are in truths from good are called His “sons;” for this reason the same are meant by “princes,” by “sons of the kingdom,” by “sons of kings,” and also by “kings;” and in a sense abstracted from the idea of persons, as it is in heaven, truths from good are meant, or, what is the same, faith from charity; since truth is of faith, and good is of charity.
sRef Matt@13 @38 S2′ sRef Rev@5 @10 S2′ [2] That kings are not meant can be seen simply from its here being said that Jesus Christ “hath made us kings and priests”; and afterwards:
And hast made us to be unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign upon the earth (Rev. 5:10);
and in Matthew:
The good seed sown in the field are the sons of the kingdom (Matt. 13:38);
the “seed of the field” are truths from good with man from the Lord (Arcana Coelestia, n. 3373, 10248, 10249). Everyone, moreover, may perceive that the Lord will not make all those here treated of to be kings, but that he calls them kings from the power and the glory which those have who from the Lord are in truths from good. From this it can now be seen that by “king,” in the prophetic Word, is meant the Lord as to Divine truth, and by “kings” and “princes,” those who from the Lord are in truths from good, and as most things in the Word have also an opposite sense, that “kings” signify in that sense those who are in falsities from evil.
sRef John@18 @37 S3′ sRef John@18 @38 S3′ sRef John@19 @19 S3′ sRef John@19 @20 S3′ sRef John@19 @22 S3′ sRef John@19 @21 S3′ [3] That by “King” in the Word is meant the Lord in respect to Divine truth, is clear from the words of the Lord Himself to Pilate:
Pilate said, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest it, because I am a king. For this have I been born, and for this am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is in the truth heareth My voice. Pilate said unto Him, What is truth? (John 18:37, 38).
From the question of Pilate, “What is truth,” it is clear that he understood that truth was called “king” by the Lord; but as he was a Gentile, and knew nothing from the Word, he could not be taught that Divine truth is from the Lord, and that He is Divine truth; therefore, immediately after his question:
He went out to the Jews, saying, I find no fault in him; and afterwards put upon the cross, This is Jesus, the king of the Jews. And when the chiefs of the priests said unto him, Write not, The king of the Jews, but that He saith I am the king of the Jews, Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written (John 19:4, 19-22).
sRef Rev@19 @19 S4′ sRef Rev@16 @12 S4′ sRef Rev@17 @2 S4′ sRef Rev@17 @18 S4′ sRef Rev@18 @3 S4′ sRef Rev@17 @9 S4′ sRef Rev@17 @10 S4′ sRef Rev@17 @14 S4′ sRef Rev@17 @12 S4′ sRef Rev@21 @24 S4′ [4] When these things are understood, it may be known what is meant by “kings” in the following passages in Revelation:
The sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up, that the way might be made ready for the kings that come from the sun rising (Rev. 16:12).
The great harlot that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication (Rev. 17:1-2).
The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth, and they are seven kings; the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come. And the ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive power as kings with the beast for one hour. These shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for He is Lord of lords and King of Kings (Rev. 17:9, 10, 12, 14).
And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, which hath the kingdom over the kings of the earth (Rev. 17:18).
Of the wine of the wrath of her fornication all the nations have drunk, and the kings of the earth committed fornication with her (Rev. 18:3).
And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together, to make war against Him that sat on the horse and against His army (Rev. 19:19).
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it (Rev. 21:24).
In these passages by “kings” are not meant kings, but all who are either in truths from good, or in falsities from evil, as was said before. Likewise in Daniel:
By the king of the south and by the king of the north, who made war against each other (Dan. 11).
By “the king of the south” are there meant those who are in the light of truth from good, by “the king of the north” those who are in darkness from evil. (That “south” in the Word signifies those who are in the light of truth from good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1458, 3708, 3195, 5672, 9642; and “north” those who are in the darkness of falsity from evil, n. 3708, and in general, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 141-153, where The Four Quarters in Heaven are treated of.) sRef Isa@52 @15 S5′ sRef Isa@49 @23 S5′ sRef Isa@60 @16 S5′ [5] “Kings” are also frequently mentioned by the prophets in the Old Testament; and there likewise are meant those who, from the Lord, are in truths from good, and in a contrary sense, those who are in falsities from evil; as in Isaiah:
He shall disperse* many nations: kings shall shut their mouths upon Him; for that which had not been told them they have seen, and that which they have not heard they have understood (Isa. 52:15).
In the same:
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel, thou shalt suck the milk of the nations, and shalt suck the breast of kings (Isa. 40:14, 16).
Kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and the chief women thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth (Isa. 49:23; and elsewhere, as in Isa. 14:9; 24:21; 60:10; Jer. 2:26; 4:9; 49:38; Lam. 2:6, 9; Ezek. 7:26, 27; Hos. 3:4; Zeph. 1:8; Ps. 2:10; 110:5; Gen. 49:20).
[6] Since “kings” signify those who, from the Lord, are in truths from good, it was a custom derived from ancient times for kings, when they were crowned, to receive such insignia as signify truths from good: as for the king to be anointed with oil, to wear a crown of gold, to hold a scepter in his right hand, to be clothed with a purple cloak, to sit upon a throne of silver, and to ride with the royal insignia upon a white horse; for “oil” signifies good from which is truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 886, 4638, 9780, 9954, 10011, 10261, 10268, 10269); a “crown of gold” upon the head has a like meaning (n. 9930); a “scepter,” which is a staff, signifies the power of truth from good (n. 4581, 4876, 4966); a “cloak” and a “robe,” Divine truth in the spiritual kingdom (n. 9825, 10005); and “purple,” the spiritual love of good (n. 9467); a “throne,” the kingdom of truth from good (n. 5313, 6397, 8625); “silver,” that truth itself (n. 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658); a “white horse,” the understanding enlightened from truths (see the small work on The White Horse, n. 1-5. That the ceremonies observed at the coronation of kings involve such things, but that the knowledge thereof is at this day lost, see also Arcana Coelestia, n. 4581, 4966).
sRef Gen@49 @11 S7′ sRef Judg@5 @10 S7′ sRef Gen@49 @10 S7′ sRef 1Ki@1 @33 S7′ sRef Judg@5 @9 S7′ sRef Zech@9 @9 S7′ [7] As it is known from these things what is meant by a “king” in the Word, I will add to the above:
Why the Lord, when He entered Jerusalem, sat upon the foal of an ass, and the people then proclaimed Him king, and also strewed their garments in the way (Matt. 21:1-8; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:14-16).
This is predicted in Zechariah:
Exult, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy king cometh unto thee, just and having salvation; riding upon an ass, and upon the foal of an ass (Zech. 9:9; Matt. 21:5; John 12:15).
The reason was, that to sit upon an ass and the foal of an ass was the distinctive mark of the highest judge and of a king; as can be seen from the following passages:
My heart is towards the lawgivers of Israel, ye who ride upon white asses (Judg. 5:9-10).
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgivers from between his feet, till Shiloh come; who shall bind his ass’s foal to the vine, and the son of his she-ass to the noble vine (Gen. 49:10, 11).
As sitting on an ass, and the foal of an ass, was such a distinctive mark:
Judges rode upon white she-asses (Judg. 5:9-10);
And his sons upon asses’ colts (Judg. 10:4; 12:14);
And the king himself when crowned, upon a she-mule (1 Kings 1:33);
And his sons upon mules (2 Sam. 13:29).
One who does not know the signification of “horse,” “mule,” and “the foal of an ass,” in a representative sense, will suppose that the Lord’s riding upon the foal of an ass was significative of misery and humiliation. But it signified royal magnificence; for this reason the people then proclaimed the Lord king, and strewed their garments upon the way. This was done when He went to Jerusalem, because by “Jerusalem” is signified the church (as may be seen in the little work on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 6; and that “garments” signify truths clothing and serving good, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 1073, 2576, 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9215, 9216, 9952, 10536; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 177-182).
[8] From this it is now clear what is signified by the “King” and by “kings,” in the Word, so also what by the “Anointed,” “Messiah,” and “Christ;” for “Anointed,” “Messiah,” and “Christ,” like “King,” signify the Lord as to Divine truth proceeding from His Divine good; for a king is called “anointed;” and “anointed” in the Hebrew is Messiah, and in the Greek Christ. But that the Lord, as to the Divine Human, was alone “the Anointed of Jehovah,” since in Him alone was the Divine good of Divine Love from conception, for He was conceived of Jehovah, but that all that were anointed were only representatives of Him (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9954, 10011, 10268-10269). But “priests” signify such good as exists in the celestial kingdom (see in Arcana Coelestia, namely, that priests represented the Lord, as to Divine good, n. 2015, 6148; that the priesthood was representative of the Lord as to the work of salvation, since this was from the Divine good of His Divine Love, see n. 9809; that the priesthood of Aaron, of his sons, and of the Levites, was representative of the work of salvation, in successive order, see n. 10017; that from this “the priesthood,” and “priesthoods,” in the Word signified good of love, which is from the Lord, see n. 9806, 9809; that by the two names, “Jesus” and “Christ,” is signified both His priesthood and His royalty, that is, by “Jesus” is signified Divine good, and by “Christ” Divine truth, n. 3004, 3005, 3009; that priests and likewise kings who do not acknowledge the Lord signify the opposite, namely, evil, and falsity from evil, n. 3670).
* The Hebrew has “sprinkle,” as found also in Arcana Coelestia, n. 2015.

sRef Rev@1 @6 S0′ sRef John@14 @10 S0′ sRef John@16 @32 S0′ sRef John@14 @11 S0′ sRef John@10 @30 S0′ sRef John@10 @38 S0′ 32. Unto God and His Father, signifies by Divine truth and Divine good. This is evident from this, that “God” is the Divine truth, and “Jehovah” is the Divine good; therefore in the Word the Lord is called “God” when Divine truth is treated of, and “Jehovah” when Divine good is treated of (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4287, 4402, 7010, 9167); but here it is said “Father” instead of Jehovah, because the Father of the Lord was Jehovah, and by “Father” the like is meant as by “Jehovah.” By both “God” and “the Father” the Lord alone is meant; for the Father was in Him as the soul is in its body (see above, n. 10, 26); since He was conceived of Jehovah, and one’s soul is from him of whom He is conceived; consequently when the Lord spoke of the Father He meant His Divine in Himself. This was why He said:
That the Father is in Him and He in the Father (John 10:38; 14:10, 11).
That the Father and He are one (John 10:30).
That He is not alone, but He and the Father (John 16:32).
(That the Lord called the Divine of Jehovah, which was in Him from conception, and which was the esse of His life in His Human, “the Father,” and the Divine truth which is from Divine good “the Son,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2803, 3704, 7499, 8328, 8897; that “the Son of man” is Divine truth, and “the Father” Divine good, see n. 1729, 1733, 2159, 2628, 2803, 2813, 3255, 3704, 7499, 8897, 9807. See also citations from Arcana Coelestia in New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 304, on the unition of the Divine which is called “Jehovah,” “the Father,” with the Divine Human of the Lord.)

sRef Rev@1 @6 S0′ sRef John@15 @8 S0′ sRef John@15 @7 S0′ 33. To Him be the glory and the might unto the ages of the ages, signifies that these things, namely, Divine good and Divine truth, are from the Lord alone to eternity. This is evident from the signification of “glory,” as meaning Divine truth in heaven (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429); and from the signification of “might,” as meaning Divine good through Divine truth, since Divine good has all might and all power through Divine truth (see n. 3091, 3563, 6344, 6423, 8304, 9643, 10019, 10182; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, where the power of the angels of heaven from the Lord is treated of, n. 228-233). That “unto the ages of the ages” means to eternity is clear without explanation. “Glory” is Divine truth in heaven because Divine truth is the light there; and the things that have existence from the light of heaven are called “glory,” because they have existence from the Lord and represent the Divine truth that is from Him, and declare His glory; especially the things that are within the angel, which are of intelligence and wisdom. (That the light of heaven is Divine truth, and that all things that are in heaven, whether without or within the angel, have existence from the light there, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140, 172, 173, 176.) It is believed in the world that “Glory be to God” means that God for His own sake desires glory from man, and that He is moved by it, and imparts blessings in return for it. But this is a mistake. God desires glory from man for man’s sake; for thus man ascribes all things to the Divine and nothing to himself, and when he does this, the Divine can flow in with Divine truth, and give him intelligence and wisdom. Thus and no otherwise is the Lord glorified in man; for the Lord loves everyone, and, from love, desires that His glory, that is, Divine truth, may be in men. This, moreover, the Lord teaches in John:
If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask whatever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, and that ye be made My disciples (John 15:7-8).
(That the salvation of the human race is the glory of the Lord, see n. Arcana Coelestia 4347, 4593, 5957, 7550, 8263, 10646.)

sRef Rev@1 @6 S0′ 34. Amen, signifies Divine confirmation. This is evident from the signification of “Amen,” as meaning truth, for this is the meaning of Amen in the Hebrew; and as all truth which is truth is Divine, “Amen,” when said in the Word, signifies Divine confirmation. For truth confirms all things, and Divine truth confirms itself; and it was because the Lord when He was in the world was Divine truth itself, that He so frequently said “Amen” [usually translated “Verily”].

sRef Rev@1 @6 S0′ 35. Verses 7, 8. Behold He cometh with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth shall lament over Him. Even so: Amen. I am the Alpha and the Omega, Beginning and End, saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. 7 “Behold He cometh with the clouds,” signifies that the Lord is about to reveal Himself in the Word through the internal sense (n. 36); “and every eye shall see Him,” signifies that all will acknowledge Him who are in truths from good (n. 37); “and they who pierced Him,” signifies that they also will see Him who are in falsities from evil (n. 38); “and all the tribes of the earth shall lament over Him,” signifies that the falsities of the church will oppose (n. 39); “even so: Amen,” signifies Divine confirmation, that so it will be (n. 40). 8. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, Beginning and End,” signifies that He governs all things from firsts through ultimates, and thus all things of heaven to eternity (n. 41); “saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come,” signifies from Him who is the All in all things of heaven and of the church from eternity to eternity, and Jehovah (n. 42); “the Almighty,” signifies from Himself (n. 43).

sRef Rev@1 @7 S0′ 36. Verse 7. Behold, He cometh with the clouds, signifies that the Lord is about to reveal Himself in the Word through the internal sense. This is evident from the signification of “coming,” as being, in reference to the Lord, to reveal Himself; and from the signification of “clouds,” as being Divine truths in ultimates, thus the Word in the letter; for the Word as to the sense of the letter is Divine truth in ultimates; and since each thing therein contains an internal or spiritual sense, “coming with clouds” means revealing Himself through that sense. That “clouds” signify Divine truths in ultimates is from appearances in the spiritual world. There clouds appear in various kinds of light; in the inmost or third heaven in a flaming light, in the middle or second heaven in a bright white light, and in the outmost or first heaven in a light more dense; and everyone there knows that they signify Divine truth from the Lord through the angels; for when Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, which is the very light of heaven, passes through the angels, it appears as a cloud, purer or denser according to their intelligence. Such clouds have oftentimes been seen by me, and what they signify has also been perceived. This is why “clouds,” such as those that appear before the eyes of men in the world, signify Divine truth in ultimates; and as the Word in the letter is Divine truth in ultimates, that is what is meant by “clouds.”
sRef Luke@21 @27 S2′ sRef Matt@26 @64 S2′ sRef Matt@24 @30 S2′ sRef Matt@26 @63 S2′ [2] He who does not know that “clouds” have this signification, may suppose that the Lord is about to come in clouds for the Last Judgment, and to appear in glory; according to His words in the Evangelists, where He says:
Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and much glory (Matt. 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27).
“The consummation of the age” which is there treated of is the last time of the church; and the Lord’s coming at that time is the revelation of Himself, and of Divine truth which is from Him, in the Word, through the internal sense. Elsewhere than in the Word the Lord does not reveal Himself, nor does He reveal Himself there except through the internal sense. The Word in the internal sense is also signified by “power” and “glory.” (That this is fulfilled at this day, namely that the age is consummated, and the Last Judgment accomplished; and also that the Lord has come in the clouds of heaven, that is, has revealed the internal sense of the Word, may be seen in the small work on The Last Judgment, from beginning to end; also in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 1; also in New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 249-266.
That “the consummation of the age” signifies the last time of the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4535, 10622; that “the coming of the Lord” signifies the revelation of Divine truth through the internal sense, n. 3900, 4060; that “clouds” signify the sense of the letter of the Word, n. 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8106, 8781, 9430, 10551, 10574; that “glory” signifies Divine truth in heaven, thus the internal sense, for this is Divine truth in heaven, n. 5922, 9429, 10574. The Lord is said to be “about to come in power,” because Divine truth, which is from the Lord has all power, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 228-233, 539.) The like is meant by the Lord’s words to the high priest:
Jesus said to the high priest, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven (Matt. 26:64; Mark 14:62).
“The Son of man” is the Lord as to Divine truth; “sitting at the right hand of power” is His omnipotence; “coming in the clouds of heaven” is the revelation of Divine truth respecting Him in the Word, for He has revealed Himself and has also fulfilled all things contained in the internal sense, which treats especially of the glorification of His Human.
sRef Rev@14 @14 S3′ sRef Dan@7 @13 S3′ sRef Ps@68 @4 S3′ sRef Isa@19 @1 S3′ sRef Rev@14 @16 S3′ sRef Ps@104 @3 S3′ [3] The same is signified by “clouds” in the following passages. In Daniel:
I saw in the night visions, and behold there came with the clouds of heaven, one like unto the Son of man (Dan. 7:13);
in Revelation:
I saw, and behold a white cloud; and on the cloud one sat like unto a man,* having on his head a crown (Rev. 14:14, 16);
in Isaiah:
Behold, Jehovah sitting upon a dense light cloud (Isa. 19:1);
in David:
Sing unto God, sing praises to His name, extol Him that rideth upon the clouds (Ps. 68:4);
in the same:
Jehovah appointeth the clouds His chariot; He walketh upon the wings of the wind (Ps. 104:3).
Who cannot see that these things are not to be understood according to the sense of the letter, that is, that Jehovah sits upon a cloud, that He rides upon the clouds, and that He makes the clouds His chariot? He who thinks spiritually may know that Jehovah is present in His Divine truth, for this proceeds from Him, consequently that this is what is meant by “clouds there;” so it is also said that Jehovah “appointeth the clouds His chariot;” because by “chariot” is signified the doctrine of truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2762, 5321, 8215).
sRef Isa@45 @8 S4′ sRef Ezek@10 @3 S4′ sRef Deut@33 @26 S4′ sRef Ezek@10 @4 S4′ sRef Nahum@1 @3 S4′ sRef Ps@68 @34 S4′ sRef Ps@89 @37 S4′ [4] Likewise in the following places. In Isaiah:
Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the higher clouds [pour down] righteousness (45:8);
in Nahum:
The way of Jehovah is with cloud** and storm, and clouds are the dust of His feet (Nahum 1:3);
in David:
Ascribe ye strength unto God; His excellency is over Israel, and His strength is in the higher clouds (Ps. 68:34);
A faithful witness in the clouds (Ps. 89:37).
in Moses:
There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in thy*** magnificence upon the clouds (Deut. 33:26);
From this it can be seen what is meant by:
The cloud filling the inner court (Ezek. 10:3-4);
And the cloud resting upon the tent (repeatedly in Moses); also that:
Jesus when He was transfigured, was seen in glory, and a cloud overshadowed the three disciples, and it was said to them out of the cloud, This is my beloved son (Matt. 17:1-10; Mark 9:1-11; Luke 9:28-36.
(See also what is said about the Lord’s being in a cloud in the midst of angels, in the little work on The Earths in the Universe, n. 171.)
* The Greek has “the Son of man,” as found also in Apocalypse Explained, n. 906; Apocalypse Revealed, n. 642; Arcana Coelestia, n. 9807, 9930.
** The Hebrew has “storm and tempest,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 419, 594; Arcana Coelestia, n. 2162.
*** The Hebrew has “His,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 594.

sRef Rev@1 @7 S0′ 37. And every eye shall see Him, signifies that all will acknowledge Him who are in truths from good. This is evident from the signification of “seeing,” as being to understand, to perceive, and to acknowledge (see Arcana Coelestia n. 2150, 2325, 2807, 3764, 3863, 3869, 4723, 10705); and from the signification of “eye,” as being understanding and faith (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2701, 4403-4421, 4523-4534, 9051, 10569); thus such as are in truths from good, for these are in faith and thence in understanding. That the “eye” signifies understanding and faith, is from correspondence; for understanding is internal sight, and it is internal sight that sees by means of the eye, for that sight determines the eye to objects and disposes its interior parts, which are many, for reception. It is in consequence of this that the iris and pupil seem now dilated, now contracted, now obscure, now bright and sometimes sparkling, altogether in agreement with the desire and want of the understanding. Therefore, to some extent, the affection of the thought can be seen from the eyes. It is from this correspondence that the eye signifies the understanding. The eye also signifies faith, because truths of faith have no other abode than the understanding; truths that do not abide there are not in the man (see New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 28-36). The “eye” is, in the spiritual sense, faith, also because of the angels looking to the Lord; for angels turn their faces continually to the Lord, and see Him by faith and understanding. (On which turning, see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 123, 142, 143, 145, 151, 153, 255, 272, 510.)

sRef Rev@1 @7 S0′ sRef Isa@37 @17 S1′ 38. And they who pierced Him, signifies that they also will see Him who are in falsities from evil. This is evident from the signification of “piercing,” as being those who altogether deny the Lord, for these kill and pierce Him in themselves; for these are meant by the soldier who pierced His side (John 19:34-37). By “soldier” and “soldiers” are meant those who are of the church, and who should fight for the Lord. Here in particular are meant those of the Jewish church, and, in general, all that are of the church who are in falsities from evil. And as such were signified by “soldiers,” the soldiers divided the Lord’s garments, and cast lots upon His coat; which means that the Jewish church dispersed the Divine truths that are in the sense of the letter of the Word, but were unable to disperse interior truths, or the truths of the internal sense (for “garments” signify truths in ultimates; see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2576, 5248, 6918, 9158, 9212; “to divide” signifies to dissipate and disperse, see n. 4424, 6360, 6361, 9093; and “the coat” interior truths, n. 9048, 9212, 9216, 9826).

sRef Rev@1 @7 S0′ 39. And all the tribes of the earth shall lament over Him, signifies that the falsities of the church will oppose. This is evident from the signification of “lamenting” as being to mourn, to grieve, to be displeased, to be angry, to be averse from, thus also to oppose; and from the signification of “tribes,” as being all truths and goods in the complex, and in the contrary sense, all falsities and evils in the complex (of which in what follows); also from the signification of “the earth,” as being the church (see above, n. 29). By “all the tribes of the earth,” then, the whole church is meant, and by “their lamenting over Him” is signified that truth and good will be no more, because falsities and evils are to prevail and oppose. For this verse treats, in general, of what the state of the church will be at its end, when there will be no longer any faith, because no charity, namely, that the Lord will then reveal Himself, and that all who are in truths from good will acknowledge Him, and that they also will see Him, who are in falsities from evil, but that the falsities of the church will oppose. (That Revelation does not treat of the successive states of the church, but of its last state when it is at its end, see above, n. 5; and that its end is when there is no faith, because no charity, see the little work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-39 seq.; and when there is no faith, because no charity, falsities from evil prevail and oppose truths from good.)
[2] In the Word “tribes” are often mentioned, inasmuch as the Israelitish people were divided into twelve tribes, and one who does not know the internal sense of the Word supposes that by “tribes” are meant the tribes of Israel; but by “tribes” are not meant tribes, nor by “Israel” is Israel meant, but by “tribes” are meant all those who are in truths from good, and by “Israel” the Lord’s church. He who is ignorant of this will easily adopt the common belief that the sons of Israel were chosen in preference to all others on earth, and that they are also to be brought at last into the land of Canaan; indeed, that heaven also is to be formed chiefly from them; when, in fact, by their names they are not meant, but they who are in truths from good, thus those who are of the church; by the twelve tribes, all such, and by each tribe, some particular truth and good pertaining to those who are of the church.
[3] When this is understood, what is meant by these words in Revelation can be seen:
I heard the number of them which were sealed, a hundred and forty and four thousand sealed of all the tribes of the sons of Israel. Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Asher were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Naphtali were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasseh were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zebulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand (Rev. 7:4-8).
Here those who are of the Israelitish nation are not meant, but all, how many soever, who are in the truths from good, for all such are sealed for heaven. Moreover, the numbers “one hundred and forty-four thousand” and “twelve thousand” signify all; and each tribe signifies all who are in that truth or good which is signified by its name, as may appear from what is shown in the Arcana Coelestia; as what good and truth are signified by “Judah,” n. 3881, 6363; what by “Reuben,” n. 3861, 3866, 4605, 4731, 4734, 4761, 6342-6345; what by “Gad,” n. 3934, 3935; what by “Asher,” n. 3938, 3939, 6408; what by “Naphtali,” n. 3927, 3928; what by “Manasseh,” n. 3969, 5351, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267, 6296; what by “Simeon,” n. 3869-3872, 4497, 4502-4503, 5482, 5626, 5630; what by “Levi,” n. 3875, 3877, 4497, 4502-4503; what by “Issachar,” n. 3956, 3957; what by “Zebulon,” n. 3960, 3961, 6383; what by “Joseph,” n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417; and what by “Benjamin,” n. 3969, 4592, 5411, 5413, 5443, 5639, 5686, 5688, 5689, 6440. That all numbers in the Word signify things, see n. 482, 487, 647-648, 755, 813, 1963, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265, 6175, 9488, 9659, 10217, 10253. That “twelve” signifies all, and all things in respect to truths from good, see n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913, likewise the numbers “72,” “144,” “1200,” “144,000,” because they arise from the number 12 by multiplication, n. 7973. That composite numbers have a like meaning with the simple numbers from which they are produced by multiplication, see n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973).
sRef Rev@21 @14 S4′ sRef Rev@21 @12 S4′ sRef Rev@21 @17 S4′ sRef Rev@21 @16 S4′ [4] He who is not aware that numbers signify things, and what the numbers “twelve,” “one hundred and forty-four,” and “twelve thousand” signify, likewise what “tribes” and “apostles” signify, cannot know what is signified by these words in Revelation:
The holy city, New Jerusalem, had a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and in the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; and the wall had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the apostles of the Lamb. The wall was a hundred and forty and four cubits, and the length and the breadth of the city twelve thousand furlongs (Rev. 21:12, 14, 16-17).
What is signified by all this you will see explained in the small work on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine (n. 1); namely, that by “Jerusalem” is signified the church in respect to doctrine; by its “wall,” protecting truths; by the “gates,” introductory truths; by the” foundations,” the knowledges on which doctrine is based; by “twelve angels,” and by “twelve tribes,” all truths and goods in the complex; “the twelve apostles,” have a like signification, and the numbers “twelve,” “one hundred and forty-four,” and “twelve thousand,” signify all things and all persons.
sRef Rev@7 @8 S5′ sRef Matt@19 @28 S5′ sRef Rev@7 @5 S5′ sRef Rev@7 @7 S5′ sRef Rev@7 @6 S5′ sRef Rev@7 @4 S5′ [5] Furthermore, he who is aware that such things are signified by the twelve tribes can see the arcanum in this:
Why the names of the twelve tribes were engraved on the precious stones in the Urim and Thummim, likewise what that breastplate signified (Exod. 28:21; 39:10-15).
(This arcanum may be seen unfolded in Arcana Coelestia, n. 3858, 6335, 6640, 9863, 9865, 9873, 9874, 9905.) He can also see what is signified by this:
That the twelve apostles should sit upon twelve thrones, and are to judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28);
namely, that the Lord alone will judge everyone by truths from good (n. 2129, 6397). Also what is meant by:
The predictions of Israel, the father, respecting his sons (Gen. 49:2-28);
as well as numerous other passages of the Word, where tribes are mentioned (as in Isa. 19:13; 49:6; 63:17; Jer. 10:16; Ezek. 48:1 seq.; Ps. 122:3-5; Deut. 32:8; Num. 24:2; Rev. 5:9; 7:4-9; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; and elsewhere).
sRef Matt@24 @30 S6′ sRef Matt@24 @29 S6′ [6] Again, what is meant by the Lord’s Word respecting the consummation of the age and His coming:
After the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth lament; and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory (Matt. 24:29-30).
(These words can be seen explained in detail in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 1; and in the following passages in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that the twelve tribes of Israel represented and thence signified all truths and goods in the complex, thus all things of faith and love, n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335; that like things are signified by the twelve apostles, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397; and that their signification varies according to the order in which they are named, n. 3862, 3926, 3939, 4603, seq., 6337, 6640, 10335.)

sRef Rev@1 @7 S0′ 40. Even so, Amen, signifies Divine confirmation that so it will be. This is evident from the signification of “even so,” as being a confirmation of what goes before, that so it will be; and from the signification of “Amen,” as being Divine confirmation (see above, n. 34).

sRef Luke@24 @39 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @8 S0′ 41. Verse 8. I am the Alpha and the Omega, Beginning and End, signifies that He governs all things from firsts through ultimates, and thus all things of heaven to eternity. This is evident from the signification of “the Alpha and the Omega,” as being the first and the last, or in firsts and in ultimates; and He who is in firsts and in ultimates also governs intermediates, thus all things. These things are said of the Lord’s Divine Human, for they are said of Jesus Christ, by which name His Divine Human is meant (see above, n. 26). By means of this the Lord is in firsts and in ultimates. But that He governs all things from firsts through ultimates, is an arcanum that cannot as yet be perceived by man; for man knows nothing of the successive degrees into which the heavens are divided, and into which also the interiors of man are divided; and he scarcely knows that man as to flesh and bones is in his ultimates. Neither does he perceive how intermediates are governed from firsts through ultimates; and yet in order that He might thus govern all things, the Lord came into the world that even to ultimates, that is, even to flesh and bones, He might assume the Human and glorify it, that is, make it Divine. That the Lord put on such a Human, and took it with Him into heaven, is known in the church from this, that He left nothing of His body in the sepulcher; also from His own words to His disciples:
See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; handle Me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye behold Me having (Luke 24:39).
By this Human, therefore, the Lord is in ultimates; and by making even these ultimates Divine, He put Himself into the Divine power of governing all things from firsts through ultimates. If the Lord had not done this, the human race on this earth would have perished in eternal death. But this arcanum is not carried further because more must be known whereby an idea of the Divine government from firsts through ultimates may be formed and acquired. (Yet some thing may come into the understanding from what is shown in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that interior things flow in successively into external things, even into what is extreme or ultimate, and that there they have existence and subsistence, n. 634, 6239, 6465, 9216, 9217; that interior things not only flow in successively, but they also form what is simultaneous in the ultimate, and in what order, n. 5897, 6451, 8603, 10099; therefore, that all interior things are held together in connection, from what is first by means of what is ultimate n. 9828, and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 297; that from this there is strength and power in ultimates, n. 9836; that from this also what is ultimate is more holy than what is interior, n. 9824; that from this “the first and last [or ultimate]” signify all things, n. 10044, 10329, 10335. On the successive degrees into which the heavens are divided, and into which also the interiors of man are divided, see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 38.) It is said also, that the Lord is “Beginning and End,” and by this is meant that He is from eternity to eternity; but neither can this be explained to the apprehension further than has been done above (n. 23) which see.

sRef Rev@1 @8 S0′ 42. Saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, signifies from Him who is the All in all things of heaven and of the church, from eternity to eternity, and Jehovah, as is evident from the explanation given above (n. 23), where the same words occur.

sRef John@5 @26 S0′ sRef John@1 @1 S0′ sRef John@15 @5 S0′ sRef John@1 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @8 S0′ sRef John@1 @4 S0′ sRef John@1 @3 S0′ 43. The Almighty, signifies from Himself. This is evident from this, that no one except the Lord alone has any power in the heavens; therefore the angels are powers, or are powerful, in the measure of their reception from the Lord, and they receive in the measure in which they are in Divine good united with Divine truth; for this is the Lord in Heaven. From this it is clear that the Lord alone is powerful, and no one else in heaven except from the Lord. The reason is that the Divine of the Lord is the All in all things in heaven, for this makes heaven in general, and with each one in particular. Moreover, by Him were all things created that were created, thus heaven and earth, as He Himself teaches in John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. All things were made through Him; and without Him was not anything made that hath been made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us (John 1:1, 3-4, 14).
By “the Word” is meant the Divine truth which is in the heavens, and from which are all things there. That this is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is evident, for it is said, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us.” And because all the life of the angels is therefrom, likewise all the light in the heavens, it is said, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (But all these things may be seen more fully illustrated in the work on Heaven and Hell, namely, that the Divine of the Lord makes heaven, n. 7-12; that this is His Divine Human, n 78-86; that all the life of angels is therefrom, n. 9; and also all light in heaven, n. 126-140; that angels have all their power from the Lord, and none at all from themselves, n. 228-233.) From this it is clear that “Almighty” means to be, to live, and to have power, from Himself. That the Lord’s Divine Human has being, life, and power from Itself equally with His Divine in Himself, which is called the Father, the Lord also teaches:
As the Father hath life in Himself, so gave He to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:26);
and that no one else has life in himself Jesus declares:
Without Me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).

sRef Rev@1 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @11 S0′ 44. Verses 9-11. I John, who also am your brother and partaker in the affliction and in the kingdom and [patient] expectation of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the Word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day: and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last; and, what thou seest write in a book, and send to the churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and Smyrna, and Pergamum, and Thyatira, and Sardis, and Philadelphia, and Laodicea. 9. “I, John” signifies doctrine respecting the Lord (n. 45); “who also am your brother,” signifies and respecting the good of love to Him (n. 46); “and partaker in the affliction,” signifies the truth of faith infested by falsities (n. 47); “and in the kingdom,” signifies in the church where truths are (n. 48); “and the [patient] expectation of Jesus Christ,” signifies where there is a knowledge of the Divine in His Human (n. 49); “was in the isle that is called Patmos,” signifies revelation to the Gentiles (n. 50); “for the Word of God,” signifies that Divine truth may be received (n. 51); “and for the testimony of Jesus Christ,” signifies and that the Lord’s Divine Human may be acknowledged (n. 52). 10. “I was in the spirit,” signifies a spiritual state when there is revelation (n. 53); “on the Lord’s day,” signifies Divine influx then (n. 54); “and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,” signifies manifest perception of Divine truth, revealed from heaven (n. 55). 11. “Saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” signifies who governs all things from firsts through ultimates and thus all things of heaven to eternity (n. 56); “and what thou seest write in a book,” signifies that the things revealed may be for posterity (n. 57); “and send to the churches which are in Asia,” signifies and then to all, who are in the light of intelligence (n. 58); “unto Ephesus, and Smyrna, and Pergamum, and Thyatira, and Sardis, and Philadelphia, and Laodicea,” signifies in each case according to reception (n. 59).

sRef Rev@1 @9 S0′ 45. Verse 9. I, John, signifies doctrine respecting the Lord. This is evident from the representation of “John;” that by him is meant in the highest sense, the Lord in respect to doctrine (see above, n. 19) wherefore also by “John” is signified doctrine respecting the Lord; for to know the Lord is the chief thing of all things of doctrine, or the first and the last thereof; for the primary thing of the church is to know and acknowledge its Divine; for it is conjoined with its Divine by means of acknowledgment and faith, and without conjunction with the Divine all things of doctrine are of no account; this, moreover, is the reason why the Divine has revealed Itself. The Divine that has revealed Itself is the Divine Human. (That without acknowledgment of the Divine in the Lord’s Human there is no salvation, see Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 280-310.) From this now it is that “John,” because he represents the Lord in respect to doctrine, also represents doctrine respecting the Lord.

sRef Matt@12 @48 S0′ sRef Matt@23 @8 S0′ sRef Matt@12 @47 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @9 S0′ sRef Matt@12 @49 S0′ sRef Matt@12 @50 S0′ 46. Who also am your brother, signifies and respecting the good of love to Him. This is evident from the signification of “brother,” as being the good of love. “Brother” signifies the good of love, because in heaven there are no other than spiritual relationships, thus no other brotherhoods; for those there do not become brothers by birth; moreover, those who were brothers in the world do not recognize each other there, but each regards the other from the good of love; those most closely conjoined regarding each other as brothers; and others, according to their conjunction by good, regarding each other as kinsmen and as friends. This is why in the Word “brother” signifies the good of love. This, moreover, the Lord teaches where it is said:
One said unto Jesus, Behold, Thy mother and Thy brethren stand without seeking to speak with Thee: but He answered and said, Who is My mother, and who are My brethren? (Matt. 12:47-50).
My mother and My brethren are they who bear the Word of God and do it (Luke 8:18-21).
And in another place:
One is your Teacher, Christ, and all ye are brethren (Matt. 23:8).
From this it is evident what it is to be a “brother in the Lord.” (But see what has been shown before respecting this; as that all are consociated in heaven according to spiritual kinships, which are the kinships of the good of love and faith, and that such recognize each other as kindred, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 205; and in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 685, 917, 2739, 3612, 3815, 4121; consequently by “brethren” in the Word are meant those who are conjoined by good, n. 2360, 3303, 3803, 3815, 4121, 4191, 4267, 5409, 6756, 10490; that the Lord calls those “brethren” who are in the good of love and of faith from Him, n. 4191, 5686, 5692, 6756; that they are called “brethren” also from spiritual kinship, n. 6756; that charity and faith, thus good and truth, are brethren, in what respect, n. 367, 3160, 9806; that good and truth are also brother and sister, in what respect, n. 2508, 2524, 3160; that good and truth are also married partners, in what respect, n. 3160; that “man with brother” means truth with good, n. 3459, 4725.)

sRef Matt@24 @29 S0′ sRef Matt@24 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @9 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @20 S0′ sRef Matt@24 @21 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @21 S0′ 47. And partaker in the affliction, signifies the truth of faith infested by falsities. This is evident from the signification of “partaker,” as being the truth of faith (concerning which see below); and from the signification of “affliction,” as being infestation by falsities (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6663, 6851, 9196). In the Word frequent mention is made of “brother” and “partaker” (or companion), and by these good and truth are signified. Moreover, in ancient times those were called “brethren” who were in good and those were called “partakers” (or companions) who were in truths, and for this reason, that truth must be in company with good, and when it is in company, it becomes a brother; consequently here by “partaker” is signified the truth of faith. (That good and truth are meant by “brother” and “companion” in the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6756, 10490.) “Affliction” signifies infestation by falsities, since a mind that is in truths is afflicted by falsities, when the two are in conflict with each other; spiritual affliction is from no other source. This, therefore, is what is signified by “affliction” in the Word, as in Matthew:
He that was sown upon the rocky places hath no root in himself; when affliction and persecution ariseth because of the Word, straightway he is offended (Matt. 13:20-21).
And in the same:
In the consummation of the age they shall deliver you up into affliction. For then shall be great affliction, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor shall be. Immediately after the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened (Matt. 24:9, 21, 29; Mark 13:19, 24).
The “consummation of the age” is the last time of the church; and since falsities are then to prevail and fight against truths, it is said that they shall be in “affliction, and in so great a one as hath not been from the beginning of the world.” Such affliction is meant by the affliction in which John is said to be a “partaker,” and by John is here meant the doctrine respecting the Lord; for in Revelation the last time of the church is treated of (see above, n. 5).

sRef Rev@1 @9 S0′ 48. And in the kingdom, signifies in the church where truths are. This is evident from the signification of “kingdom” in the Word, as being heaven and the church. It means the church in respect to truth, or where truths are, because by the royalty of the Lord is signified Divine truth proceeding from Him, and therefore by “kings” are signified truths (see what is shown above, n. 31). It is said the church in respect to truth, by which is meant the church in respect to truths from good; and for the reason that there are no truths without good, for truths have their life from good. Truths with a man who is not in good are indeed truths in themselves, but they are not truths in him (as may be seen abundantly shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 11-27). sRef Matt@24 @7 S2′ sRef Matt@21 @43 S2′ sRef Matt@8 @12 S2′ [2] That “kingdom” in the Word signifies heaven and the church in respect to truths, is evident from many passages in the Word, some of which I will cite. Thus in Matthew:
The sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into the outer darkness (Matt. 8:12);
the “sons of the kingdom” here are those of the church where truths do not prevail, but falsities. In the same:
He that heareth the Word of the kingdom, and giveth not heed to it, the evil one cometh, and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the wayside. The field is the world; the seed are the sons of the kingdom (Matt. 13:19, 38).
“To hear the Word of the kingdom” is to hear the truths of the church; and because “seed” signifies truths, they who receive truths are called “sons of the kingdom.” (That “seed” is the truth of the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3038, 3373, 3671, 10248, 10249.) In the same:
Therefore the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth fruit (Matt. 21:43).
It is evident that “the kingdom of God” here signifies the church in respect to truths, thus also the truths of the church, from its being said that “it should be taken away from them, and given to a nation bringing forth fruit;” “fruit” is good. Again in the same:
In the consummation of the age, nation shall be stirred up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom (Matt. 24:3, 7).
The consummation of the age” is the last time of the church, “nation against nation” is evil against good, and “kingdom against kingdom” is falsity against truth. (That “nation” is the good of the church, and in the opposite sense the evil there, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1059, 1159, 1258-1260, 1416, 1849, 6005.)
sRef Matt@6 @10 S3′ sRef Matt@6 @13 S3′ [3] From this it is plain what is meant by “kingdom” in the Lord’s prayer:
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also upon the earth. Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory (Matt. 6:10, 13).
“Thy kingdom come” is a prayer that truth may be received; “Thy will be done,” that it may be received by those who do God’s will; “Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,” means Divine truth from God alone; it is also said “power and glory,” because Divine truth has all power and glory (see above, n. 33). From all this it can be seen what “the kingdom of God” signifies in very many passages in the Word, namely, the church in respect to truths, and also heaven, and in the highest sense the Lord in respect to the Divine Human. “Kingdom,” in the highest sense, signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, because from Him all Divine truth proceeds; and “kingdom” signifies heaven, because heaven with the angels is from no other source than from the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord’s Divine Human (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 7-12, 78-86, 126-140).

sRef Rev@1 @9 S0′ 49. And the [patient] expectation of Jesus Christ, signifies where there is knowledge of the Lord’s Divine in His Human. This is evident from the signification of “the expectation of Jesus Christ,” as being the coming of the time when the church shall know the Lord; and the church knows the Lord when it acknowledges the Divine in His Human. That by “Jesus Christ” is meant the Lord in respect to the Divine in His Human, see above (n. 26). The church of which this is said is the church that is to come after the present one, for it is said “in the expectation.”

The church that is at this day knows, indeed, that the Divine is in the Human of the Lord; for it knows that according to the accepted doctrine, the Divine and the Human are not two but one person; also that they are like soul and body in man (see above, n. 10, 26). And yet it does not know that the Lord’s Human is Divine, for it separates the one from the other, as is clear from this, that those who are of the church do not admit the expression “Divine Human;” also that they approach the Father, that He may have compassion for the sake of the Son when yet the Divine Itself in heaven is the Divine Human (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 78-86). And because this knowledge and acknowledgment have thus perished, and yet it is the chief thing of all things of the church, as it is the chief thing of all things in heaven, therefore a new church is being established by the Lord among the nations, where this is not only known but also acknowledged. This, then, is what is signified by “the expectation of Jesus Christ.”

sRef Rev@1 @9 S0′ 50. Was in the isle that is called Patmos, signifies revelation to the nations. This is evident from the signification of “Patmos,” as being the revelation contained in Revelation; for all places mentioned in the Word signify things, and the things they signify are from the worship there, or from some memorable event that occurred there, or from their location in or near countries whereby the religious principle of the nation is signified. “Patmos” signifies revelation, from the memorable fact that there a revelation was made to John. The revelation was made on an island, because an “island” signifies a nation remote from true worship, but still desiring to be enlightened. That this is signified by “islands” in the Word, will be clear from what follows; in the first place something shall be said about names of places in the Word signifying things.
All persons mentioned in the Word, and all by whom the Word was written, were led to places that were significant, in order that all things might be significative of spiritual things. Even the Lord Himself, for the same reason, went to places thus significative; as into Galilee, to Tyre and Sidon, to Jerusalem, and to the Mount of Olives there, and also, when an infant, He was carried into Egypt. It was similar with the prophets, and with many who are mentioned in the historical Word, as may be abundantly shown. For this reason, John also was commanded to betake himself into the isle of Patmos, that the things that are to be at the end of the church might there be revealed, because “island” signifies a nation about to accept truths of doctrine. This island, moreover, is in the archipelago, where there are numerous other islands; and from this also it is that by “Greece” in the Word such nations are signified. (Thus in Dan. 8:21; 10:20; 11:2; John 12:20-21; Mark 7:26 seq.) (That all names of places mentioned in the Word signify things, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1224, 1264, 1876, 1888, 4310, 4442, 10329.)
sRef Isa@51 @5 S2′ sRef Isa@49 @1 S2′ sRef Isa@42 @4 S2′ sRef Jer@31 @10 S2′ sRef Isa@24 @15 S2′ sRef Zeph@2 @11 S2′ sRef Isa@60 @9 S2′ sRef Isa@42 @12 S2′ sRef Isa@42 @10 S2′ [2] That “islands” signify nations that are about to accede to the true worship of God, is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Glorify Jehovah in Urim, the name of the God of Israel in the isles of the sea (Isa. 24:15).
In the same:
He shall not quench nor break, until He have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall hope in His law. Sing unto Jehovah a new song, His praises, ye ends of the earth: ye that go down to the sea, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare His praise in the islands (Isa. 42:4, 10, 12).
In the same:
Listen, O isles, unto Me, and hearken, ye peoples from afar (Isa. 49:1).
In the same:
The isles shall hope in Me, and on My arm shall they trust (Isa. 51:5).
In the same:
The islands shall trust in Me, and the ships of Tarshish (Isa. 60:9).
In Jeremiah:
Hear the words of Jehovah, O ye nations, and declare them in the isles afar off (Jer. 31:10).
And in Zephaniah:
Jehovah will make lean all the gods of the earth, that they may worship Him, everyone in his place, even all the isles of the nations (Zeph. 2:11).
(And elsewhere as in Isa. 23:2, 6; 41:1, 5; 42:15; 66:19; Jer. 2:10; 25:22; Ezek. 27:3, 7, 15, 35.) From these and other passages it is plain that “isles” signify nations, specifically nations in respect to the doctrine of truth, in other places in respect to the doctrine of falsity; for most things in the Word have also opposite significations.

sRef Rev@1 @9 S0′ 51. For the Word of God, signifies that Divine truth may be received. This is evident from the signification of “the Word of God,” as being Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4692, 5075, 9987).

sRef Rev@1 @9 S0′ 52. And for the testimony of Jesus Christ, signifies that the Lord’s Divine Human may be acknowledged. This is evident from the signification of “testimony,” as being acknowledgment in heart (see above, n. 10, 27); and from the signification of the names “Jesus” and “Christ,” as being the Lord in respect to His Divine Human (see also above, n. 26). These things are said concerning the church of the Gentiles, which is about to receive Divine truth and acknowledge the Lord’s Divine Human. (That these things are said of the church of the Gentiles, see just above, n. 50.) The Christian church indeed, acknowledges the Lord’s Divine, but not His Divine Human; when, therefore, they think and speak about the Lord from doctrine, they separate His Human from the Divine, and make His Human like the human of another man; when yet the Divine is in His Human as the soul is in the body. This is why such as these can have no idea of the Divine; although it is the idea that conjoins, because thought conjoins; and moreover, without conjunction with the Divine through thought and affection, or what is the same, through faith and love, there is no salvation. It is said that conjunction through thought and affection is the same as conjunction through faith and love, since what I believe, that I think, and what I love, by that I am affected. To believe in the invisible is much the same as believing in the inmost of nature, an error to which the mind readily lapses when it indulges in its own phantasies. Yet there is implanted within everyone, from heaven, and this by continual influx therefrom, a desire to see what he regards as the Divine, and this, indeed, under the human form.
[2] This desire is implanted in the simpleminded, and also with well-disposed Gentiles (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 82). All such therefore, if they have also lived a life of charity, are received by the Lord, and heaven is granted them. No others can be received, because they are not conjoined. (That all angels in heaven, also the most wise in ancient times, and all who have spiritual faith, that is, a living faith, both on this earth and on all the earths in the universe, see their Divine in thought, because they acknowledge the Divine Human, and are therefore accepted by the Lord, see Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 280-310; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 79-86, 316, 321; and in the small work on The Earths in the Universe, n. 7, 40, 41, 65, 68, 91, 98, 99, 107, 121, 141, 154, 158, 159, 169.) Because this implanted desire, which is in everyone from heaven, has been almost wholly rejected among the learned of the world, and access to the Divine thereby debarred, therefore, a new church is now being established by the Lord, among the Gentiles that have not extirpated that idea, and faith along with it. The extirpation from the Christian world of this implanted desire had its first beginning with the Babylonish body, which separated the Lord’s Human from His Divine, in order that its chief might be acknowledged as the vicar of the Lord’s Human, and might thus transfer to himself the Lord’s Divine power, saying that the Lord received that power from the Father, when in fact it was from Himself, because it was from His Divine. Thus they are unwilling to hear anything about the Divine Human (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4738). But on this subject, as it is the chief thing of all things in the church, more will be said hereafter.

sRef Rev@1 @10 S0′ 53. Verse 10. I was in the spirit, signifies a spiritual state when there is revelation. This is evident from the signification of “to be in the spirit,” as being to be brought into the state in which spirits and angels are, which state is a spiritual state. Into this state a man is brought when he is let into the state of his spirit, for every man is a spirit as regards his interiors (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 432-444). When a man is in that state, the things that are in the spiritual world appear to him as clearly as objects appear in the natural world; but the things that appear, because they are of spiritual origin, are in themselves spiritual, and such things as are of heavenly wisdom are presented as it were in a natural image. In this way Divine things are presented before the eyes of spirits and angels in visible forms. From this it is that all things that are seen in heaven are representative and significative, as were also the things seen by John, as described in Revelation. (The character of such things can be further learned from what is said and shown concerning Representatives and Appearances in Heaven, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 170-176.)
[2] While man is in the body he does not see such things as are in heaven, unless the sight of his spirit is opened; when this is opened, then he sees. In this way John saw the things described in Revelation; and in like manner the prophets saw; and they were therefore called Seers, and were said to have their eyes opened. In this way also angels were seen in ancient times, and the Lord also was thus seen by the disciples after His resurrection. This sight is the sight of the spiritual man; and because in this state all things appear representatively, John was in it. He who knows nothing about this sight, believes that angels, when seen by men, have taken on a human form, and that when they vanished from their sight they laid it aside; but this is not so; angels then appeared in their own form, which is the human form, not before the sight of men’s bodily eyes, but before the sight of their spirit, which sight was then opened. This is evident from the Lord’s being seen by the disciples [after His resurrection], when He Himself showed to them that He was a man in a complete human form (Luke 24:39; John 20:20-28); and yet He became invisible. When they saw Him the eyes of their spirit were opened, but when He became invisible those eyes were closed. That man has such a sight is clear to me from much experience, for all things I have seen in the heavens have been seen by that sight. At such times I was in the same state of wakefulness as when they were not seen. But at the present time that sight is seldom opened to anyone by the Lord, and for many reasons.

sRef Rev@1 @10 S0′ 54. On the Lord’s day, signifies Divine influx then. This is evident from the signification of “the Lord’s day,” as being then the Lord is instructing man, thus when He is flowing in. The Lord’s day is the day of the Sabbath, and the Sabbath in the ancient churches, which were representative churches, was the most holy thing of worship, because it signified the union of the Divine and the Human in the Lord, and thence also the conjunction of His Divine Human with heaven (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8494-8495, 10356, 10360, 10370, 10374, 10668). But when the Lord had united His Divine with His Human that holy representative ceased, and that day became a day of instruction (n. 10360). For this reason revelation was made to John on the Lord’s day. Revelation here is instruction concerning the state of the church.

sRef Rev@1 @10 S0′ 55. And I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, signifies manifest perception of Divine truth about to be revealed from heaven. This is evident from the signification of “hearing,” as being to perceive and obey (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2542, 3869, 4653, 5017, 7216, 8361, 8990, 9311, 9397); and from the signification of “behind me,” as being manifestly (of which hereafter); and from the signification of “voice,” when heard out of heaven, as being Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia n. 219-220, 3563, 6971, 8813, 8914); and from the signification of a “trumpet,” as being truth to be revealed out of heaven (of which hereafter). “Behind me” signifies manifestly, because the things that flow in from heaven into man’s affection flow in into the occipital region, and come thus into his manifest perception; for whatever enters into affection is manifestly perceived, for the whole life of perception is from affection; but whatever flows out of heaven immediately into the thought flows into the region above the forehead. (Concerning this influx, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 251.) From this it is clear what is signified by John’s having heard “behind him,” and by his afterwards “having turned to see the voice which spoke with him.” A “trumpet” or “horn” signifies Divine truth about to be revealed out of heaven, because sometimes Divine truth is heard in this way when it flows down from the Lord through the heavens with man; for it is increased in coming down; and it thus flows in. But it is thus heard only in the beginning with those through whom Divine truth is to be revealed in the ultimate sense, which is representative of interior things. But afterwards it is heard as a human voice. From this it is evident why “the voice of a trumpet” or “horn” signifies Divine truth about to be revealed out of heaven.
sRef Hos@8 @1 S2′ sRef Jer@4 @6 S2′ sRef Matt@24 @31 S2′ sRef Jer@4 @22 S2′ sRef Jer@6 @18 S2′ sRef Jer@6 @17 S2′ sRef Jer@4 @21 S2′ sRef Ezek@33 @5 S2′ sRef Jer@4 @5 S2′ sRef Ps@47 @5 S2′ sRef Zech@9 @14 S2′ sRef Isa@18 @3 S2′ [2] He who is aware that “trumpet” or “horn,” signifies Divine truth out of heaven can understand many passages in the Word where these are mentioned. As in Matthew:
He shall send forth His angel, with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the elect from the four winds (Matt. 24:31).
In Isaiah:
All ye inhabitants of the world, and ye dwellers on the earth, when the sign of the mountains shall be lifted up, see ye; and when the trumpet is blown, hear ye (Isa. 18:3).
In Jeremiah:
Proclaim with the trumpet in the land. Set up a standard towards Zion. How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? For my people are foolish, they are sottish sons, and they have no understanding (Jer. 4:5-6, 21-22).
In the same:
I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. Therefore hear, ye nations (Jer. 6:17-18).
In Ezekiel:
He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him; whereas if he had taken warning he should have delivered his soul (Ezek. 33:5).
In Hosea:
[Set] the trumpet to thy mouth, because they have transgressed My covenant, and trespassed against My law (Hos. 8:1).
In Zechariah:
The Lord Jehovih shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with the whirlwinds of the south (Zech. 9:14).
In David:
God is gone up with a shout, and Jehovah with the sound of a trumpet (Ps. 47:5).
And also in Revelation (chap. 4:1; 8:2, 7-8, 13; 9:1, 13, 14; 10:7; 18:22). Because a “trumpet” signified Divine truth, therefore when Divine truth was first about to be revealed before the people of Israel:
Sounds of a trumpet were heard from Mount Sinai (Exod. 19:16).
For this reason sounding the trumpet became representative with them:
When they were to assemble, and when they went forward, and also in their solemnities, at the beginnings of months, at burnt-offerings and eucharistic sacrifices (Num. 10:1-10).
They also sounded trumpets when they went forth to battle against the Midianites (Num. 31:6).
And when they took the city of Jericho (Josh. 6:4-20);
for wars and battles signified spiritual combats, which are combats of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth.

sRef Rev@1 @11 S0′ 56. Verse 11. Saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, signifies who governs all things from first principles through ultimates, and thus all things of heaven to eternity, as is evident from what is said and shown above (n. 41).

sRef Rev@1 @11 S0′ 57. And, what thou seest write in a book, signifies that the things revealed may be for posterity, as is clear without explanation.

sRef Rev@1 @11 S0′ 58. And send to the churches which are in Asia, signifies and then to all who are in the light of intelligence. This is evident from the signification of “the seven churches,” as being all who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity, thus who are of the church (see above, n. 20); and from the signification of “Asia,” as being those who are in the light of intelligence (see also above, n. 21).

sRef Rev@1 @11 S0′ 59. Unto Ephesus, and Smyrna, and Pergamum, and Thyatira, and Sardis, and Philadelphia, and Laodicea, signifies in each case according to reception. This is evident from what follows, where these churches are treated of in detail. It is said according to reception, because the light of intelligence does not constitute the church with man, but the reception of light in heat, that is, the reception of truth in good. It is said the reception of light in heat, because spiritual light is Divine truth, and spiritual heat is Divine good, and these two in the spiritual world are as light and heat in the natural world; for insofar as spring or summer heat is added to the light, so far all things grow and germinate, but so far as that heat is not added to the light, so far all things become torpid and die. (That light in the spiritual world is Divine truth, and heat there is Divine good, and that they are as heat and light in the natural world, see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140.)

sRef Rev@1 @16 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @12 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @13 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @15 S0′ 60. Verses 12-16. And I turned to see the voice which spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the paps with a golden girdle. And His head and hairs white as white wool, as snow; and His eyes as a flame of fire. And His feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace; and His voice as the voice of many waters. And having in His right hand seven stars; and out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword going forth; and His face as the sun shineth in his power. 12. “And I turned to see the voice which spoke with me” signifies the understanding illustrated (n. 61); “and having turned I saw seven golden lampstands,” signifies a new heaven and a new church, which are in the good of love (n. 62). 13. “And in the midst of the seven lampstands one like unto the Son of man,” signifies the Lord, from whom is the All of heaven and of the church (n. 63); “clothed with a garment down to the foot,” signifies Divine truth proceeding from Him (n. 64); “and girt about at the paps with a golden girdle,” signifies Divine good likewise (n. 65). 14. “And His head and hairs white,” signifies His Divine in firsts and in ultimates (n. 66); “as white wool, as snow,” signifies in respect to good and truth therein (n. 67); “and His eyes as a flame of fire,” signifies Divine Providence from His Divine Love (n. 68). 15 “And His feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace, signifies the ultimate of Divine order, which is the natural [full of Divine Love] (n. 69, 70); “and His voice as the voice of many waters,” signifies Divine truth in ultimates (n. 71). 16. “And having in His right hand seven stars,” signifies all knowledges of good and truth from Him (n. 72); “and out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword going forth,” signifies the dispersion of all falsities by the Word (n. 73); “and His face as the sun shineth in his power” signifies His Divine Love, from which are all things of heaven (n. 74).

sRef Rev@1 @12 S0′ 61. Verse 12. And I turned to see the voice which spoke with me signifies the understanding illustrated. This is evident in some degree from what was said above (n. 55), in the explanation of what is signified by John’s hearing a voice behind him. It is clear that in these words there is an arcanum that cannot be known unless it is known how the Divine flows in out of heaven with man; for it was from influx that John heard the voice behind him, and that afterwards, having turned to see the voice, he saw the things that follow. Divine influx out of heaven is into man’s will, and through that, into his understanding. Influx into the will is into the occipital region, because into the cerebellum, and from this it passes towards the foreparts into the cerebrum, where the understanding is; and when it comes by that way into the understanding, then it comes also into the sight; for man sees from the understanding. That there is such influx it has been granted me to know by much experience. It is the same whether we say influx into the will, or into the love, since the will is the receptacle of love; and it is also the same whether we say influx into the understanding or into faith, since the understanding is the receptacle of faith (see what is adduced in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 28-35). But it is not permitted to adduce more on these subjects at present, because up to this time they have been unknown: only these few things have been said that it may be known what is involved in John’s hearing a voice behind him, and his turning to see it; and why it is that this signifies the understanding illustrated; it is because what enters through the will into the understanding, or through love into faith, comes into illustration, since what man wills or loves, that he clearly perceives. It is otherwise if it enters by the way of the understanding alone. It is said “to see the voice,” because by “seeing,” when predicated of spiritual things, is signified understanding from illustration (as was shown above, n. 11); and unless “seeing” signified understanding it could not have been said “to see the voice.”

sRef Rev@1 @12 S0′ 62. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, signifies a new heaven and a new church, which are in the good of love. This is evident from the signification of “having turned to see,” as being to understand from illustration (see just before, n. 61); and from the signification of “seven,” as being what is full and all, and as being predicated where the holy things of heaven and the church are treated of (see above, n. 20, 24); and from the signification of “lampstands,” as being the new heaven and the new church (as will be seen in what follows); and from the signification of “gold,” as being the good of love (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 113, 1551-1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9510, 9874, 9881). That “seven lampstands” signify heaven and the church is evident from the last verse of this chapter, where it is said, “The seven lampstands which thou sawest are the seven churches.” That “the seven churches” signify all who are of the church of the Lord, thus the church in general, may be seen above (n. 20); they also signify heaven, because heaven and the church make one; moreover, those that have the church in them have heaven in them; for the reason that the good of love and of faith makes the church with man, and makes heaven with him, as it does with angels; consequently, those that had the church, that is, the goods and truths of the church, in them in the world, come into heaven after death. (That this is so, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 12; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 57, 221-227.) The “seven lampstands” here mean the new heaven and the new church, for these are treated of at the end of Revelation (see chapter 21), and thus the conclusion of all things therein; and because that which is last is also first, the prediction respecting these is presented at the beginning. Moreover, it is also customary in the Word to mention in the beginning things that are to take place at the end, because intermediates are thus included; for, in the spiritual sense, the first is the end for the sake of which, as that is both first and last, and to it all other things look (see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 98).
sRef Zech@4 @2 S2′ sRef Zech@4 @3 S2′ sRef Rev@2 @5 S2′ sRef Rev@21 @23 S2′ sRef Rev@21 @24 S2′ [2] That “lampstand” signifies heaven and the church is evident from the description of the lampstand which was in the tabernacle, for by the tabernacle the whole heaven in the complex was represented; and by the lampstand therein, the spiritual heaven, which is the second heaven (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3478, 9457, 9481, 9485, 9548-9577, 9783). That this is so is clearly evident from John’s seeing “in the midst of the seven lampstands one like unto the Son of man;” “the Son of man” is the Lord in respect to His Divine Human, from which is Divine truth, which is the All in all things of heaven and the church. In the spiritual heaven also lampstands appear in much magnificence; by these that heaven is represented. These it has been given me to see. From this it can be seen what is meant in the Word, in the spiritual sense, by “lampstands” and by “lamps,” in the following passages. In Revelation:
I will remove thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent (Rev. 2:5).
“To remove thy lampstand” is to take away from them heaven or the church. In Zechariah:
The angel said to the prophet, What seest thou? And I said, I have seen, and behold a lampstand all of gold, its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon, with seven pipes to the lamps (Zech. 4:2, 3).
Here Zerubbabel is treated of, who was to lay the foundation of the house of God, and to finish it. By Zerubbabel is represented the Lord, that He was about to come and restore heaven and the church: these are the “lampstands” and the holy truths there are “the seven lamps.”
[3] Because a lampstand takes its representative meaning from the lamps, and the lamps from light, which in heaven is Divine truth, so the Lord is also called “a lamp,” as in Revelation:
The holy Jerusalem hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; the glory of God shall lighten* it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof (Rev. 21:23; 22:5).
From this also it is that David, and the kings after him, are called:
Lamps of Israel (2 Sam. 21:17; 1 Kings 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19);
for the Lord in respect to His royalty was represented by David, likewise by the kings of Judah and Israel. (For the representation by “David,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1888, 9954; and by “kings,” n. 31, above.) The lampstands that were seen were of gold; because “gold” signifies the good of love, and all that proceeds from the Lord is from Divine love; consequently the Divine of the Lord in the heavens is love to Him and love towards the neighbor, which is charity (as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13-19). This is why the lampstand here, as well as the lampstand in the tabernacle, was of gold.
* The Greek has “did lighten,” as also found in Apocalypse Revealed, n. 897, 919, 940; though elsewhere we also find “will lighten” and “lightens.”

sRef Rev@1 @13 S0′ 63. Verse 13. And in the midst of the seven lampstands one like unto the Son of man, signifies the Lord, from whom is the All of heaven and of the church. This is evident from the signification of “in the midst,” as being in the inmost (see Arcana Coelestia., n. 1074, 2940, 2973); and as all things proceed from the inmost, as light proceeds from the center to the circumferences, so “in the midst” signifies from whom; also from the signification of “the seven lampstands,” as being the new heaven and the new church (of which just above, n. 62); and from the signification of “the Son of man,” as being the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, and also in respect to Divine truth, because Divine truth proceeds from His Divine Human. From this it can be seen why the Lord appeared “in the midst of seven lampstands,” namely, because from Him the All of heaven and the church proceeds; for it is the good of love and of faith that makes heaven and the church, and that this good is from the Divine is known in the Christian world, and as it is from the Divine, it is from the Lord, for the Lord is the God of heaven, and the Divine of the Lord makes heaven (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 2-6,7-12; and that this is His Divine Human, see n. 78-86).
sRef John@12 @35 S2′ sRef John@12 @34 S2′ sRef John@12 @36 S2′ [2] That the Son of man is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, and also in respect to Divine truth, because Divine truth proceeds from His Divine Human, is evident from those passages in the Word where the Son of man is mentioned. Thus in John:
The multitude said to Jesus, How sayest Thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? Jesus answered thee, Yet a little while is the light with you; walk while ye have the light, lest darkness overtake you. While ye have the light believe in the light, that ye may be sons of light (John 12:34-36).
From these words it is clear that “the Son of man” and “Light” have a like signification; for when the people asked, Who is the Son of man? the Lord answered that He was the Light in which they should believe. (That “light” is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine Human, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 49; thus also the Son of man.)
sRef Luke@6 @22 S3′ [3] In Luke:
Blessed are ye when men shall hate you for the Son of man’s sake (Luke 6:2).
“For the Son of man’s sake” is for the sake of Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord. Divine truth is the All of faith in and of love to the Lord. Because the evil deny these things, and those who deny also hate them, while the good acknowledge them, therefore it is said that the good are blessed. sRef Luke@17 @22 S4′ sRef Luke@17 @23 S4′ [4] In the same:
The days will come when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, but ye shall not see it. Then they shall say to you, Lo here, or Lo there. Go not away, nor pursue after (Luke 17:22-23).
“To desire [to see] one of the days of the Son of man,” is to desire Divine truth, which is genuine truth, as to something thereof; the end of the church is here meant, when there will no longer be any faith, because there will be no charity, at which time all Divine truth will perish; and because Divine truth is signified by “the Son of man,” it is said, “Then shall they say, Lo here, or Lo there; pursue not after.”
sRef Luke@18 @8 S5′ [5] In the same:
When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith upon the earth? (Luke 18:8);
which means that when Divine truth shall be revealed out of heaven it will not be believed. Here also, “the Son of man” is the Lord in respect to Divine truth; the coming of the Lord is the revelation of Divine truth at the end of the church (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3900, 4060).
sRef Matt@24 @30 S6′ sRef Matt@24 @27 S6′ [6] In Matthew:
As the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west, so shall the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth lament, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and glory (Matt. 24:27, 30).
That by “the coming of the Lord in the clouds of heaven” is here signified the revelation of Divine truth at the end of the church, see above (n. 36).
sRef Matt@26 @64 S7′ sRef Luke@22 @69 S7′ [7] In the same:
I say unto you, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven (Matt. 26:64).
And in Luke:
From henceforth shall the Son of man be seated at the right hand of the power of God (Luke 22:69).
“The Son of man” is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, and in respect to Divine truth proceeding from Him; “to sit at the right hand of power” means that He has omnipotence; its being said that they were now about to see this means that Divine truth was in its omnipotence when the Lord in the world had conquered the hells and reduced to order all things there and in the heavens, and that thus those who received Him in faith and love could be saved (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9715. That to “sit at the right hand” means omnipotence, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3387, 4592, 4933, 7518, 8281, 9193; that all the power of good is by means of truth, n. 6344, 6423, 8304, 9327, 9410, 9639, 9643. That Divine power itself is by means of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine Human, see n. 6948; that the “clouds” in which the Son of man is to come are the Word in the letter, which is Divine truth in the ultimate of order, see the preface to chapter 18 of Genesis, n. 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8443, 8781; and that “glory” is Divine truth itself, such as it is in the internal sense of the Word, see n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 9429).
sRef Rev@14 @14 S8′ sRef Dan@7 @13 S8′ [8] From this it can now be seen what is signified by these words in Revelation:
I saw, and behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown (Rev. 14:14).
And in Daniel:
I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of the heavens one like unto the Son of man (Dan. 7:13).
Because all judgment is executed according to truth, therefore it is said, that it was given to the Lord:
To execute judgment, because He is the Son of man (John 5:27); and that:
The Son of man shall render unto every man according to his deeds (Matt. 16:27);
and that:
When the Son of man shall come, He shall sit on the throne of His glory, and shall judge (Matt. 25:31).
sRef John@5 @27 S9′ sRef Matt@25 @31 S9′ sRef Matt@13 @38 S9′ sRef Matt@13 @37 S9′ sRef Matt@16 @27 S9′ [9] In Matthew:
He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man, the field is the world, the seed are the sons of the kingdom, the tares are the sons of the evil one (Matt. 13:37-38).
“Good seed” is Divine truth; it is therefore said that the Son of man soweth it; “the sons of the kingdom” are Divine truths in heaven and the church; for “son” is truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623), and, in the contrary sense, falsity, which also is “the son of the evil one.”
sRef Luke@17 @25 S10′ sRef Matt@17 @12 S10′ sRef Matt@17 @23 S10′ sRef Matt@17 @22 S10′ sRef Matt@8 @20 S10′ [10] In the same:
The Son of man hath not where to lay His head (Matt. 8:20);
by which is meant that Divine truth had no place anywhere, that is, with any man at that time. That the Son of man was about to suffer and be put to death (Matt. 17:12, 22-23; 26:2, 24, 45; Mark 8:31; 9:12, 31) signifies that thus they were about to treat Divine truth, consequently the Lord, who was Divine truth itself. This He also teaches in Luke:
But first must the Son of man suffer, and be rejected of this generation (Luke 17:25).
sRef Jer@51 @43 S11′ sRef Jer@49 @18 S11′ sRef Jer@49 @33 S11′ sRef Ps@146 @3 S11′ [11] In Jeremiah:
No man [vir] shall dwell there; neither shall a son of man [hominis] sojourn there (Jer. 49:18, 33).
And in the same:
In the cities no man [vir] shall dwell, nor shall a son of man [hominis] pass through them (Jer. 51:43).
He who does not know the spiritual sense of the Word believes that by “cities” here are meant cities, and that by “man,” and “son of man,” are meant a man and a son; and that the cities were to be so desolated that no one should be in them, but it is the state of the church in respect to the doctrine of truth that is described by these words; for “cities” are the doctrinals of the church (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 402, 2449, 3216, 4492, 4493); and “man” is its very truth conjoined with good (see n. 3134, 7716, 9007); therefore a “son of man” is truth.
sRef Isa@51 @12 S12′ [12] As Divine truth proceeding from the Lord was signified by “the Son of man,” therefore the prophets by whom it was revealed were called “sons of man” (as Daniel 8:17; and Ezekiel 2:1, 3, 6, 8; 3:1, 3-4, 10, 17, 25; 4:1, 16; 8:5-6, 8, 12, 15; 12:2, 3, 9, 18, 22, 27). As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so “son of man” has a contrary signification, which is the falsity opposite to truth. Thus in Isaiah:
What art thou, that thou art afraid of man, that dies; and of the son of man, who shall be as grass (Isa. 51:12).
And in David:
Put not your trust in princes, in the son of man, with whom there is no salvation (Ps. 146:3).
“Princes” are primary truths (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2089, 5044); so, in the contrary sense, primary falsities; and “the son of man” is falsity itself.

sRef Rev@1 @13 S0′ 64. Clothed with a garment down to the foot, signifies Divine truth proceeding from Him. This is evident from the signification of “garments” as being truths that clothe good (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1073, 2576, 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216, 9952, 10536). Here is only mentioned “a garment down to the foot,” which is a general covering; by which, as the Lord is treated of, all Divine truth in general is meant. Since the Lord is here described in respect to the Divine Human, which is here the “Son of man seen in the midst of the lampstands,” and it is said that He was “clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the paps with a golden girdle,” and afterwards that “His face shone as the sun in his power,” I wish to give an explanation of what is said in the Evangelists about the Lord when He was transfigured, where some similar expressions are used; and afterwards of what is said about the soldiers dividing His garments, and casting the lot upon His tunic.
sRef Matt@17 @1 S2′ sRef Matt@17 @2 S2′ sRef Matt@17 @3 S2′ sRef Matt@17 @4 S2′ sRef Matt@17 @5 S2′ [2] Of the Lord’s transfiguration it is thus written:
Jesus took Peter, James, and John, into a very high mountain, and He was transfigured before them; and His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became white as the light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah speaking with Him. And behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him (Matt. 17:1-6; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36).
The Lord took Peter, James, and John, because by them the church in respect to faith, charity, and the works of charity was represented; He took them “into a high mountain,” because “mountain” signifies heaven; “His face did shine as the sun,” because “face” signifies the interiors, and it did shine as the sun because His interiors were Divine, for the “sun” is Divine love; “His garments became white as the light,” because “garments” signify Divine truth proceeding from Him; the like is signified by “light.” “Moses and Elijah” appeared, because the two signify the Word, “Moses” the historical Word, and “Elijah” the prophetical Word; “a bright cloud overshadowed them,” because “a bright cloud” signifies the Word in the letter within which is the internal sense; “a voice out of the cloud said, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him,” because “a voice out of the cloud” signifies Divine truth out of the Word, and “beloved Son,” the Lord’s Divine Human. And because Divine truth is from Him, and thence all truth of the church, it was said out of the cloud, “in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him.”
sRef John@5 @37 S3′ sRef John@1 @2 S3′ sRef John@1 @18 S3′ sRef John@19 @24 S3′ sRef John@19 @23 S3′ [3] It was plainly the Divine Human of the Lord that was thus seen, for the Divine Itself cannot be seen by anyone, except through the Divine Human. This the Lord also teaches in John:
No man hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath brought Him forth to view (John 1:18).
And in another place:
Ye have neither heard the voice of the Father at any time, nor seen His shape (John 5:37).
(That such things are signified by these words in the Evangelists, can be seen in the Arcana Coelestia where the particulars are made known, namely, that by “Peter,” “James,” and “John,” in the Word, are signified faith, charity, and the works of charity, n. 3750, and above, n. 8, 9; by “high mountain” is signified heaven, n. 8327, 8805, 9420, 9422, 9434, 10608; by “face,” the interiors which are of the mind, n. 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796, 5102, 9306, 9546; and by “the face of the Lord,” mercy, peace, and every good, n. 222, 223, 5585, 9306, 9546, 9888; by “the sun,” Divine Love, n. 2495, 4060, 7083; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125; by “garments,” when the Lord is treated of, Divine truth, n. 9212, 9216; and the like by “light,” n. 3195, 3222, 5400, 8644, 9399, 9548, 9684; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140. That “Moses and Elias” signify the Word; “Moses,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 9372, 10234; and “Elias,” see n. 2762, 5247. That “clouds” signify the Word in the letter, see above, n. 36; that “beloved Son” is the Divine Human of the Lord is evident.) From the fact that the “Lord’s garments” signify Divine truth, it may be known what is signified by the soldiers dividing the garments of the Lord among them, and casting a lot upon His tunic, of which it is thus written in John:
The soldiers took His garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part, also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore one to another, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for whose it shall be; that the Scripture might be fulfilled which saith, They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did (John 19:23-24).
sRef Num@4 @39 S4′ sRef Num@4 @23 S4′ sRef Num@4 @43 S4′ sRef Num@4 @47 S4′ sRef Num@4 @35 S4′ [4] He who is not aware that in every particular of the Word there is an internal sense which is spiritual, cannot see any arcanum in these things; he knows only that the soldiers divided the garments and not the tunic; and beyond this he knows nothing; when not only in this fact is there a Divine arcanum, but also in every particular of what is recorded concerning the passion of the Lord. The arcanum in this fact is that the garments of the Lord signified Divine truth, thus the Word, because the Word is Divine truth; the “garments” that they divided, the Word in the letter, and the “tunic” the Word in the internal sense to “divide them” signifies to disperse and falsify; and “the soldiers” signify those that are of the church, who should fight in behalf of Divine truth. This is why it is said, “These things therefore the soldiers did.” From this it is clear that the meaning of these words in the spiritual sense is that the Jewish Church dispersed the Divine truth which is in the sense of the letter, but could not disperse the Divine truth which is in the internal sense. That the “garments of the Lord” signified Divine truth, thus the Word, was shown above; that His “tunic” signified Divine truth, or the Word, in the internal sense, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9826, 9942; that to “divide” is to disperse and separate from good and truth, thus to falsify, see n. 4424, 6360, 6361, 9094; that “the soldiers” signify those that are of the church, here of the Jewish church, who should fight in behalf of Divine truth, is clear from the spiritual sense of “warfare” and of “war;” that “war” signifies spiritual combats, which are of truth against falsity, see n. 1659, 1664, 8295, 10455; it is therefore said of the Levites, whose function pertained to such things as are of the church, that they were discharging military duty and were serving in war, when they were exercising their ministry in the tent of the assembly (Num. 4:23, 35, 39, 43, 47; 8:23, 24).

sRef Rev@1 @13 S0′ 65. And girt about at the paps with a golden girdle, signifies Divine good likewise. This is evident from the signification of “being girt about at the paps with a girdle,” as being to be encompassed about the breast; “paps” and “girdle” are mentioned, because paps stand out from the breast, and a girdle encompasses. Divine good going forth from the Lord is here meant because this is signified by the “breast” in general and by the “paps” in particular. Good proceeding is meant because all garments signify things that proceed, for they are outside the body and clothe it; as things that proceed are also outside the body and encompass it. (That this is so can be seen from what is said in the work on Heaven and Hell, of The Garments with which Angels are Clothed, n. 177-182; namely, that everyone is clothed with garments according to his affection for becoming intelligent and wise, and this affection is what proceeds from them; for there is a sphere that proceeds from every angel and spirit, which is a sphere of affection, and is called the sphere of his life, and their garments are according to this sphere. That this is so does not appear before their eyes, but yet they know that it is so. Of this sphere, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2489, 4464, 5179, 7454, 8630.)
sRef Isa@60 @15 S2′ sRef Isa@60 @16 S2′ [2] From this it can be seen that the “Lord’s garments” signify the proceeding Divine, which is Divine truth united to Divine good, which fills the universal heaven and enters into the interiors of the mind, and gives to him who receives it intelligence and wisdom. This is meant by being “clothed with white garments.” Because the proceeding Divine good is signified by “the girdle” with which the Lord was girded, therefore the girdle appeared golden, for “gold” signifies the good of love (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9510, 9874, 9881). The “paps” are mentioned instead of the breast, which was girt with the girdle, because “paps” signify spiritual love, and “breast” signifies the good itself of that love. This love is signified by “paps” in Isaiah:
I will make thee a magnificence of eternity, the joy of generation and generation. Thou shalt suck the milk of the nations, and shalt suck the paps of kings (Isa. 60:15-16).
“Kings” are truths out of good from the Lord (see above, n. 31); “paps” and “breast” are that good, which is the good of spiritual love.
[3] That “breast” signifies the good of spiritual love is from correspondence with heaven; for the whole heaven corresponds to all things of man; the inmost or third heaven corresponding to the head; the middle or second to the breast; and the outmost or first to the feet. Because there is this correspondence, heaven is also called the Greatest Man. And as the inmost or third heaven corresponds to the head, by “head” is signified the good of celestial love, which is the good of love to the Lord; because that good rules and makes that heaven; and as the middle or second heaven corresponds to the breast, by “breast” is signified the good of spiritual love, which is the good of love to the neighbor, because that good rules and makes that heaven; and as the outmost or first heaven corresponds to the feet, by “feet” is signified the good of natural love from spiritual love, which is the good of faith; because that good rules and makes that heaven. From this it is clear why “paps” signify spiritual love, and the “breast” its good. (But these things may be better understood from what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, especially in the following chapters: On the Three Heavens, n. 29-39; That the Divine of the Lord in the Heavens is Love to Him and Charity towards the Neighbor, n. 13-19; That the Universal Heaven represents one Man, n. 59-67; That there is a Correspondence of Heaven with all things of Man, n. 87-102; and in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 4938, 4939, 10087. It may be permitted to cite from that work, by way of illustration, this further reason why the “breast” signifies the good of spiritual love, namely, that within the breast are the heart and lungs, and the “heart” from correspondence signifies celestial love, while the “lungs” signify spiritual love, but the lungs fill the breast. That there is this correspondence, see in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 3883-3896, 9280, 9300. What celestial love is, and what spiritual love, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 23.)

sRef Rev@1 @14 S0′ 66. Verse 14. And His head and hairs white, signifies the Divine in firsts and in ultimates. This is evident from the signification of “head,” when it refers to the Lord, of whom these things are said, as being the Divine in firsts (of which presently); and from the signification of “hairs,” as being the Divine in ultimates (of which also presently); and from the signification of “white,” as being what is pure. (That “white” [album] and “bright white” [candidum] mean what is pure, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3301, 3993, 4007, 5319.) “Head,” in reference to the Lord, is the Divine in firsts, because the head is the highest part of man, and in it are his firsts, which are called the beginnings, from which are derived all things that have place in the body; for in the head are the understanding and the will, from which, as from their firsts or beginnings, flow the remaining things that relate to man’s outer life, such as speech and all actions. But “hairs,” in reference to the Lord, mean the Divine in ultimates, because hairs are ultimate things, for they grow out of the outmost parts of man, and first things terminate in them; when, therefore, “head” and “hairs” are mentioned firsts and ultimates are meant.
sRef Judg@16 @17 S2′ sRef Num@6 @15 S2′ sRef Num@6 @17 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @22 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @20 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @21 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @19 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @18 S2′ sRef Num@6 @16 S2′ sRef Num@6 @9 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @13 S2′ sRef Num@6 @10 S2′ sRef Num@6 @11 S2′ sRef Num@6 @12 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @14 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @16 S2′ sRef Num@6 @8 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @15 S2′ sRef Num@6 @13 S2′ sRef Num@6 @14 S2′ sRef Num@6 @6 S2′ sRef Num@6 @18 S2′ sRef Num@6 @19 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @29 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @30 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @31 S2′ sRef Num@6 @20 S2′ sRef Num@6 @4 S2′ sRef Num@6 @5 S2′ sRef Num@6 @21 S2′ sRef Num@6 @1 S2′ sRef Num@6 @2 S2′ sRef Num@6 @3 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @28 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @26 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @25 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @27 S2′ sRef 2Ki@2 @24 S2′ sRef 2Ki@2 @23 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @24 S2′ sRef Num@6 @7 S2′ sRef Judg@16 @23 S2′ [2] Anyone who knows that in spiritual things also “head” signifies first things and “hairs” ultimates, and that first things and ultimates signify all things (as shown in n. 41), can know many arcana of the internal sense where “head” and “hairs” are mentioned; as that:
A Nazarite should not shave the hair of his head, for this, as it is said, was the Nazariteship of God upon his head, and when the days were accomplished, he was to shave it off and consecrate it (Num. 6:1-21);
also that:
The strength of Samson was in his locks, and when they were shaven off he became weak, and when they grew again he came into his strength (Judg. 16:13 to the end);
also that:
Forty-two children were torn in pieces by bears because they mocked Elisha, calling him bald-head (2 Kings 2:23-24);
as also that:
Elijah was clothed with a garment of hair (2 Kings 1:8);
And John the Baptist with camel’s hair (Mark 1:6);
furthermore, what “head,” “hairs,” “beard,” and “baldness” signify wherever they are mentioned in the Word.
sRef Luke@24 @39 S3′ sRef Luke@24 @40 S3′ [3] That a Nazarite should not shave his hair, because this, as is said, was the Nazariteship of God upon his head; and that when the days were accomplished he should shave it off and consecrate it, was for the reason that the Nazarite represented the Lord in firsts and in ultimates, and His Divine in ultimates was His Human, which He made Divine even to the flesh and bones, which are ultimates. That He made it Divine even to the flesh and bones is evident from the fact that He left nothing in the sepulcher, and that:
He said to the disciples that He had flesh and bones, which a spirit hath not (Luke 24:39-40).
And when the Divine Itself is Divine even in ultimates, then it governs all things from firsts by means of ultimates (as can be seen from what was shown above, n. 41; especially from what was cited from the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that interior things flow in successively into exterior things, even into what is extreme or outmost, and there have existence and subsistence, n. 634, 6239, 6465, 9215, 9216; that they not only flow in successively, but also form what is simultaneous in the ultimate, in what order see n. 5897, 6451, 8603, 10099; that therefore all interior things are held together in connection from the first by means of the ultimate, n. 9828, and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 297; that from this the ultimate is more holy than the interiors, n. 9824; and therefore in ultimates there is strength and power, n. 9836). These then are the reasons why the Nazariteship was instituted. The Nazarite was finally to consecrate his hair by putting it into the fire of the altar, because it represented the Divine holiness, and the “fire of the altar” signified that holiness (n. 934, 6314, 6832).
sRef Judg@16 @17 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @16 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @18 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @20 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @19 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @30 S4′ sRef Judg@13 @7 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @13 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @15 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @14 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @21 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @28 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @27 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @31 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @29 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @23 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @22 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @24 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @26 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @25 S4′ [4] From this it can be seen, moreover, why the strength of Samson was in his hair (Judges 16:13 to the end), for it is said that:
He was a Nazarite from his mother’s womb (Judg. 13:7; 16:17).
Moreover, for the same reason:
It was not lawful for the high priest and his sons, nor for the Levites, to shave the head and make themselves bald (Lev. 10:6; 21:5, 10; Ezek. 44:20).
Likewise:
With the Israelitish people to cut off the beard (which had a like signification) was disgraceful (2 Sam. 10:4, 5).
The forty-two children were torn in pieces by the bears because they mocked Elisha, calling him bald-head, for the reason that Elijah and Elisha represented the Lord in respect to the Word, which is Divine truth, the sanctity and strength of which are in ultimates from firsts, as was said just above. Because “baldness” thus signified the deprivation of these, this took place. “Bears,” moreover, signify truth in ultimates. (That Elijah and Elisha represented the Lord in respect to the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2762, 5247.) From this it is clear also why Elijah had a hairy garment and John one of camel’s hair; for John the Baptist, like Elijah, represented the Lord in respect to the Word; for this reason also he was called Elijah (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7643, 9372).
sRef Amos@8 @10 S5′ sRef Ezek@29 @18 S5′ sRef Jer@7 @29 S5′ sRef Ezek@5 @1 S5′ sRef Isa@15 @2 S5′ sRef Isa@7 @20 S5′ sRef Ezek@7 @18 S5′ sRef Ps@68 @21 S5′ sRef Jer@7 @28 S5′ [5] When these things are understood, it can be known what is signified in the Word by “head,” “hairs,” “beard,” and “baldness,” as in Isaiah:
In that time shall the Lord shave by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hairs of the feet, He shall also consume the beard (Isa. 7:20).
In the same prophet:
On all heads baldness, every beard cut off (Isa. 15:2).
In Jeremiah:
Truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth. Cut off thine hair and cast it away (Jer. 7:28-29).
In Ezekiel:
Take a razor and pass it over the head and beard (Ezek. 5:1).
Shame shall be upon every face, and baldness upon all heads (Ezek. 7:18).
Every head was made bald (Ezek. 29:18).
In Amos:
I will bring up baldness upon every head (Amos 8:10).
In David:
God shall bruise the head of His enemies, the hairy scalp of him that goeth on in his guilt (Ps. 68:21).
In these passages and in others, by “cutting off the hair of the head,” “shaving the beard,” and inducing baldness, is signified to deprive of all truth and good; since he that is deprived of ultimates is also deprived of things prior, for prior things have existence and subsistence in ultimates, as was said above. Moreover, in the world of spirits there are seen some that are bald, and I have been told that they are such as have abused the Word, and have applied the sense of the letter, which is Divine truth in ultimates, to wicked purposes, and therefore have been deprived of all truth. These are most malignant. Many of them are of the Babylonish body. Angels, on the contrary, appear with becoming hair.

sRef Dan@7 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @14 S0′ sRef Mark@9 @3 S1′ 67. As white wool, as snow, signifies in respect to good and truth therein. This is evident from the signification of “white wool” as being good in ultimates (of which presently); and from the signification of “snow,” as being truth in ultimates. “Snow” means truth in ultimates by reason of the water of which it is composed, and its whiteness and brightness. (That “water” signifies truth, see below, n, 71; and that “whiteness,” and “brightness,” signify truth from the transparency of light, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3301, 3993, 4007, 5319, 8459.) “White wool,” signifies good in ultimates, because wool upon lambs and sheep has a signification like that of hair upon man; and “lambs,” and “sheep” signify good, “lambs” celestial good (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3519, 3994, 10132), and “sheep” spiritual good (n. 4169, 4809). From this it is that the “hairs,” by which Divine truth in ultimates is signified, are said to be “white as white wool, and as snow.” So also of the Lord, when He was transfigured:
His garments became glistening, exceeding white as snow, so as no fuller on earth can whiten them (Mark 9:3);
and of the “Ancient of Days” in Daniel:
I beheld till thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit; His raiment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was white wool* (Dan. 7:9).
“Raiment” signifies the Divine in ultimates (see above, n. 64); and “the Ancient of Days,” the Lord from eternity.
sRef Ps@147 @16 S2′ sRef Ezek@34 @3 S2′ sRef Ps@147 @15 S2′ sRef Hos@2 @5 S2′ sRef Isa@1 @18 S2′ sRef Hos@2 @9 S2′ [2] Because “wool” signifies good in ultimates, good is sometimes described in the Word by “wool,” and truth by “linen” and by “snow,” as in Hosea:
She said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my waters, my wool and my flax. Therefore will I return and take my corn in the time thereof, and I will pluck away my wool and my flax (Hos. 2:5, 9).
In Ezekiel:
Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool; ye slaughter that which is the best; ye feed not the flock (Ezek. 34:3).
In David:
Jehovah will send** out His word upon the earth; He giveth snow like wool (Ps. 147:15-16).
In Isaiah:
Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow; though they be red like purple they shall be as wool (Isa. 1:18).
“Snow” is predicated of sins that were as scarlet, and “wool” of sins that were red like purple, because “scarlet” signifies truth from good, and in a contrary sense, falsity from evil (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4922, 9468); and “red” and “purple” signify good, and in a contrary sense, evil of every kind (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3300, 9467, 9865).
* The Chaldee here has “like,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 504; Apocalypse Revealed, n. 47; Arcana Coelestia, n. 3301, 5313.
** The Hebrew has “sends.”

sRef Rev@1 @14 S0′ sRef Jer@24 @6 S0′ sRef Ps@11 @4 S0′ sRef Ps@33 @18 S0′ 68. And His eyes as a flame of fire, signifies Divine Providence from His Divine love. This is evident from the signification of “eyes,” as being the understanding (see above, n. 37); and in reference to the Lord, as meaning presence, and thus providence (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3869, 10569) of which in what follows; also from the signification of “a flame of fire,” as meaning, in reference to the Lord, Divine love. “A flame of fire” means Divine love because from heaven the Lord appears as a sun, and the Divine that proceeds from Him as light, flaming light in the inmost or third heaven, and bright white light in the middle or second heaven. The Divine love itself is what thus appears. From this it is that in the Word “fire” and “flame” signify love (as can be seen from what is shown in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that in the Word “fire” signifies love in each sense, n. 934, 4906, 5215. That sacred and celestial fire is Divine love, and every affection which is of that love, see n. 934, 6314, 6832. That there are two origins of heat, one the sun of the world, from which all things vegetate upon the earth, the other the sun of heaven, which is the Lord, from which angels and men derive the all of life, see n. 3338, 5215, 7324. That love is the fire of life, and that life itself is actually therefrom, see n. 4906, 5071, 6032, 6314. That flame is truth from the good of the inmost heaven, and light truth from the good of the middle heaven, see n. 3222, 6832; the reason is, that light in the inmost heaven appears flaming, and in the middle heaven bright white, see n. 9570; and likewise in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-140). In reference to the Lord, “eyes” signify Divine Providence, because, in reference to man, they signify understanding; and the Divine understanding, because it is infinite, is Divine Providence. Nothing else is signified by the “eyes” of Jehovah in Isaiah:
Incline thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear; and open thine eyes, O Jehovah, and see (Isa. 37:17).
In Jeremiah:
I will set Mine eye upon them for good, and I will bring them again to their land,* and I will build them (Jer. 24:6).
In David:
Behold the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear Him (Ps. 33:18);
and in the same:
Jehovah is in the temple of His holiness, His eyes behold, and His eyelids prove the sons of man (Ps. 11:4);
and elsewhere. (What Divine Providence is, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 267-279.)
* Hebrew: “this land,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 403; but Arcana Coelestia, n. 10569 has “their land.”

sRef Rev@1 @15 S0′ 69. Verse 15. And His feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace, signifies the ultimate of Divine order, which is the natural, full of Divine love. This is evident from the signification of “feet,” as being the natural (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952); therefore, in reference to the Lord, as meaning the ultimate of Divine order, because that is the natural; also from the signification of “burnished brass,” or brass polished, as being natural good (of which presently); and from the signification of “glowing,” as being, in reference to the Lord, what is from Divine love (see n. 10055). It is said, “as if glowing in a furnace,” in order that the Divine love in the greatest degree and in its fullness may be represented, for the Divine is in its fullness when it is in its ultimate, and the ultimate is the natural (see above, n. 66).
From this it is clear that by “His feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace,” is signified the ultimate of Divine order, which is the natural, full of Divine love. These things, as well as the preceding, are described by comparisons; as that “His head and His hairs were white as white wool, as snow,” and that “His feet were like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace;” but it is to be noted, that all comparisons in the Word are significative, for they are from correspondences in like manner as the things themselves (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3579, 4599, 8989).
[2] In reference to the Lord, “feet” signify the ultimate of Divine order, and this is the natural, because heaven is heaven from the Lord’s Divine Human, and from this it is that heaven in the whole complex represents one man; and as there are three heavens, that the highest heaven represents the head, the middle heaven the body, and the lowest heaven the feet. The Divine that makes the highest heaven is called the celestial Divine, but the Divine that makes the middle heaven is called the spiritual Divine, and the Divine that makes the lowest heaven is called the natural Divine from the spiritual and celestial. This makes it evident why the Lord is here described in respect to His Divine Human, which is the Son of man seen in the midst of the lampstands, not only as regards His garments, but also as to His head, breast, and feet. (That the Son of man is the Lord as to His Divine Human, see above, n. 63; and that the “lampstands” are heaven, see n. 62. But since these things are arcana hitherto unknown in the world, and yet must be understood in order that the internal sense of this and the following parts of this prophetical book may be comprehended, the particulars have been explained specifically in the work on Heaven and Hell; as That the Divine Human of the Lord makes Heaven, n. 7-12, 78-86, seq.; That on this account Heaven in the whole Complex represents one Man, n. 59-77; That there are Three Heavens, and that the highest refers to the head, the middle to the body, and the lowest to the feet, n. 2940.) When this is understood it can be seen what is signified in the Word by “the feet of Jehovah” or “of the Lord,” namely, the ultimate of Divine order, or the natural; and since the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word is the ultimate of Divine order in the church, and is the natural, this is specifically signified by “the feet of Jehovah” or “of the Lord.”
sRef Ex@24 @10 S3′ sRef Isa@60 @14 S3′ sRef Nahum@1 @3 S3′ sRef Ps@99 @5 S3′ sRef Isa@60 @13 S3′ sRef Ezek@1 @7 S3′ sRef Lam@2 @1 S3′ sRef Ps@132 @7 S3′ sRef Rev@10 @1 S3′ sRef Isa@66 @1 S3′ sRef Dan@10 @5 S3′ sRef Dan@10 @6 S3′ [3] Because of this signification of “the feet of Jehovah” or “of the Lord,” therefore when the Lord was seen as an Angel by the prophets elsewhere, He appeared in like manner. Thus by Daniel:
I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with gold of Uphaz; His body was like the tarshish stone, and His eyes as lamps of fire, and His arms and His feet like the brightness of polished brass (Dan. 10:5-6).
In like manner the cherubs, by which is meant the Lord in respect to providence and protection (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9277, 9509, 9673), were seen by Ezekiel:
Their feet sparkled like the brightness of polished brass (Ezek. 1:7).
The Lord was seen in like manner as an Angel as described further on in Revelation:
I saw an Angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed with a cloud, and a rainbow was about His head, and His face was as the sun, and His feet as pillars of fire (Rev. 10:1).
As the Lord appeared in this manner as to His feet, therefore under His feet there was seen by some of the sons of Israel:
As it were a work of sapphire stone, and as it were the substance of heaven for clearness (Exod. 24:10).
Their vision of the Lord was not as to the feet, but “under the feet,” because they were not in, but under, the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 248).
[4] Since “the feet of Jehovah” or “of the Lord” signify the ultimate of Divine order, and this specifically is the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word, therefore this external is called in the Word “His footstool,” as in Isaiah:
The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; I will make the place of My feet honorable. And they shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet (Isa. 60:13-14).
In the same:
Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool (Isa. 66:1).
In Jeremiah:
God doth not remember His footstool in the day of anger (Lam. 2:1).
In David:
Worship Jehovah at His footstool (Ps. 99:5).
We will go into His tabernacles; we will worship at His footstool (Ps. 132:7).
In Nahum:
Of Jehovah, the clouds are the dust of His feet (Nahum 1:3).
“Cloud” is the external of the Word, or the Word in respect to the letter (see above, n. 36). Because “cloud” is the external of the Word, it is also the external of the church and of worship; for the church and worship are from the Word. “Clouds” are called “dust of His feet,” because those things that are in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural, appear scattered.

sRef Rev@1 @15 S0′ 70. The feet are said to be “like unto burnished brass,” because burnished brass is polished brass, shining from something fiery; and “brass” in the Word signifies natural good. Metals are equally significative with the rest in the Word. “Gold” in the Word signifies celestial good, which is inmost good; “silver” signifies the truth thereof, which is spiritual good: “brass” natural good which is outmost good, and “iron” the truth thereof, which is natural truth.
Metals have such significations from correspondence; for in heaven many things are seen shining as if from gold and silver, and also many things as if from brass and iron; and it is there known that by these the goods and truths mentioned above are signified. It was from this that the ancients, who had a knowledge of correspondences, named the ages according to these metals; calling the first age the “golden,” because innocence, love, and wisdom therefrom then ruled; but the second “silver,” because truth from that good, or spiritual good, and intelligence therefrom then ruled; the third age “brazen” or “copper,” because mere natural good, which is justness and sincerity of moral life, then ruled; but the last age they called “iron,” because mere truth without good then ruled, and when that rules, falsity also rules. All this was from the spiritual signification of these metals.
sRef Isa@60 @17 S2′ sRef Dan@2 @33 S2′ sRef Dan@2 @32 S2′ [2] From this it can be known what is signified by the image seen in a dream by Nebuchadnezzar:
The head of which was of gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and sides of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet partly of iron and partly of clay (Dan. 2:23, 33);
namely, the state of the church in respect to good and truth, from its first time to its last; its last time was when the Lord came into the world. When it is known that “gold” signifies celestial good, “silver” spiritual good, “brass” natural good, and “iron” natural truth, many arcana in the Word, where these metals are mentioned, can be understood. Thus what is signified by these words in Isaiah:
For brass I will bring gold, for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron; I will also make thy government peace, and thine exactors justice (Isa. 60:17).
sRef Deut@8 @7 S3′ sRef Jer@15 @20 S3′ sRef Jer@15 @21 S3′ sRef Deut@33 @24 S3′ sRef Deut@33 @25 S3′ sRef Ezek@27 @13 S3′ sRef Deut@8 @9 S3′ [3] But as the signification of “brass,” as meaning natural good, is here treated of, I will cite only a few passages where “brass” is mentioned, as signifying that good. Thus in Moses:
Asher acceptable unto his brethren, and dipping his foot in oil. Thy shoe iron and brass, and as thy days thy fame (Deut. 33:24-25).
“Asher,” as one of the tribes, signifies the blessedness of life, and the delight of affections (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3938-3939, 6408); “to dip the foot in oil” signifies natural delight, “oil” is delight (see n. 9954), “foot” the natural (see just above, n. 69); “the shoe iron and brass” signifies the lowest natural from truth and good, “the shoe” is the lowest natural (see n. 1748, 1860, 6844), “iron” is its truth, and “brass” its good (as above). In the same:
Jehovah thy God will bring thee into a wealthy land; a land out of whose stones thou mayest hew out iron, and out of its mountains brass (Deut. 8:7, 9).
In Jeremiah:
I will give thee unto this people for a fortified wall of brass, that they may fight against thee and not prevail against thee (Jer. 15:20).
And in Ezekiel:
Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy traffickers; with the soul of man and with vessels of brass they traded thy merchandise (Ezek. 27:13).
In this chapter the traffickings of Tyre are treated of, by which are signified the knowledges of good and truth; by the names “Javan,” “Tubal,” and “Meshech,” are signified such things as are of good and truth, of which knowledges treat; the “soul of man” is truth of life; “vessels of brass” are scientifics of natural good. (What is signified by “Tyre” may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 1201; what by “traffickings,” n. 2967, 4453; what by “Tubal and Meshech,” n. 1151; what by “Javan,” n. 1152, 1153, 1155; what by the “soul of man,” n. 2930, 9050, 9281; what by “vessels,” n. 3068, 3079, 3316, 3318.) In the same:
The feet of the cherubs sparkled like the appearance of polished brass (Ezek. 1:7).
What “cherubs” and “feet” signify, see above (n. 69).
sRef John@3 @15 S4′ sRef John@3 @14 S4′ sRef Ezek@1 @7 S4′ sRef Ezek@40 @3 S4′ sRef Num@21 @6 S4′ sRef Num@21 @8 S4′ sRef Num@21 @9 S4′ [4] In the same:
I saw and behold there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, and a line of flax was in his hand; and he was standing in the gate (Ezek. 40:3).
It was because this angel measured the wall and the gates of the house of God, which signify the externals of the church, that his appearance was seen as the appearance of brass. He who knows that “brass” signifies the external of the church, which in itself is natural, can in some measure know why:
The altar of burnt-offering was overlaid with brass, and the grating about it was of brass, and the vessels of brass (Exod. 27:1-4);
as also why:
The great vessel, which was called the sea, with the twelve oxen under it, and the ten lavers with the bases, and also all the vessels of the tabernacle for the house of God, were made by Solomon of polished brass (1 Kings 7:43-47).
[5] He who knows what “brass” signifies may also enter into the arcanum why it was commanded that a serpent of brass be set up for the people to look at, of which it is thus written in Moses:
Jehovah sent serpents among the people, and they bit the people. And He said unto Moses, Make thee a serpent, and set it upon a standard, and it shall come to pass that everyone that is bitten, and looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon a standard; and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, and he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived (Num. 21:6, 8-9).
That this “serpent” signified the Lord, He Himself teaches in John:
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have everlasting life (John 3:14-15).
By the “serpent” is signified that which is the ultimate of life with man, and is called the external sensual, which is the natural. Because this ultimate in the Lord was Divine, a serpent of brass was made among the sons of Israel, with whom all things were representative; and this signified that if they would look to the Divine Human of the Lord they would live again, that is, if they would believe in Him they would have eternal life, as the Lord Himself also teaches. (That to “see” is in the spiritual sense to believe, see above, n. 37, 68; and that the “serpent” is the external sensual, which is the ultimate of man’s life, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 195-197, 6398, 6949, 10313.) That “brass” and “iron” in the Word also signify what is hard (as in Isa. 48:4; Dan. 7:19; and elsewhere), will be seen in what follows.

sRef Rev@1 @15 S0′ 71. And His voice as the voice of many waters, signifies Divine truth in ultimates. This is evident from the signification of a “voice” when it is from the Lord, as being Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 219, 220, 3563, 6971, 8813, 8914, and above, n. 55); and from the signification of “waters,” as being the truths of faith, and also the knowledges of truth (of which see n. 2702, 3058, 5668, 8568, 10238); and since the knowledges of truths are in ultimates, “the voice as the voice of many waters,” because it is said of the Lord, signifies Divine truth in ultimates. (That knowledges and scientifics are of the external or natural man, because they are in the light of the world, thus in ultimates, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5212, and in general, New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 51.) As it is not yet known that “waters” in the Word signify the truths of faith and the knowledges of truth, I would like, since this signification may possibly appear remote, to show here briefly that this is what is meant in the Word by “waters.” This, moreover, is necessary, because without a knowledge of what “waters” signify, it cannot be known what baptism signifies, nor the “washings” in the Israelitish church so frequently referred to. “Waters” signify the truths of faith, as “bread” signifies the good of love. “Waters” and “bread” have this signification because things that pertain to spiritual nourishment are expressed in the sense of the letter by such things as belong to natural nourishment; for bread and water, which include in general all food and drink, nourish the body, while the truths of faith and the good of love nourish the soul. This also is from correspondence, for when “bread” and “water” are read of in the Word, angels, because they are spiritual, understand the things by which they are nourished, which are the goods of love and the truths of faith.
sRef Amos@8 @11 S2′ sRef Ps@147 @19 S2′ sRef Isa@41 @17 S2′ sRef Zech@14 @8 S2′ sRef Isa@41 @20 S2′ sRef Rev@22 @1 S2′ sRef Isa@41 @18 S2′ sRef Isa@44 @3 S2′ sRef Jer@17 @13 S2′ sRef Isa@48 @21 S2′ sRef Isa@58 @11 S2′ sRef Jer@14 @3 S2′ sRef Amos@8 @13 S2′ sRef Ezek@4 @17 S2′ sRef Ezek@4 @16 S2′ sRef Amos@8 @12 S2′ sRef Jer@31 @9 S2′ sRef Isa@58 @10 S2′ sRef Ps@147 @18 S2′ sRef Rev@22 @17 S2′ sRef John@7 @38 S2′ sRef John@7 @37 S2′ sRef Rev@21 @6 S2′ sRef John@4 @8 S2′ sRef John@4 @7 S2′ sRef John@4 @10 S2′ sRef John@4 @9 S2′ sRef Jer@2 @13 S2′ sRef Ps@23 @1 S2′ sRef Ps@23 @2 S2′ sRef Isa@11 @9 S2′ sRef John@4 @6 S2′ sRef Isa@33 @16 S2′ sRef Ps@148 @4 S2′ sRef Ps@63 @1 S2′ sRef Isa@12 @3 S2′ sRef Isa@33 @15 S2′ sRef John@4 @12 S2′ sRef John@4 @11 S2′ sRef John@4 @13 S2′ sRef John@4 @14 S2′ [2] But I will cite some passages from which it may be known that “waters” signify the truths of faith, likewise the knowledges of truth. Thus in Isaiah:
The earth is full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea (Isa. 11:9).
In the same:
Then with joy shall ye draw waters out of the fountains of salvation (Isa. 12:3).
In the same:
He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly, bread shall be given him, and his waters shall be sure (Isa. 33:15-16).
In the same:
The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none; their tongue faileth for thirst. I will open rivers upon the heights, and will place fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into a going forth of waters; that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand (Isa. 41:17, 18, 20).
In the same:
I will pour waters upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring (Isa. 44:3).
In the same:
Thy light shall arise in the darkness, and thy thick darkness be as the noonday; that thou mayest be like a watered garden, and like a going forth of waters, whose waters shall not prove false (Isa. 58:10-11).
In Jeremiah:
My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew out for themselves pits that hold no water (Jer. 2:13).
In the same:
Their nobles sent their little ones for water; they came to the pits and found no waters; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded (Jer. 14:3).
In the same:
They have forsaken Jehovah, the fountain of living waters (Jer. 17:13).
In the same:
They shall come with weeping,* and with supplications will I lead them; I will lead them unto fountains of waters, in the way of right (Jer. 31:9).
In Ezekiel:
I will break the staff of bread, and they shall eat bread by weight and with carefulness; and they shall drink water by measure and with astonishment; that they may want bread and water, and be desolated, a man and a brother, and pine away for their iniquities (Ezek. 4:16-17; 12:18-19; Isa. 51:14).
In Amos:
Behold the days come, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the Word of Jehovah. They shall wander from sea to sea, they shall run to and fro, to seek the Word of Jehovah, and shall not find it; in that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst (Amos 8:11-13).
In Zechariah:
In that day living waters shall go out from Jerusalem (Zech. 14:8).
In David:
Jehovah is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He will lead me to the waters of rest (Ps. 23:1-2).
In Isaiah:
They shall not thirst, He will cause waters to flow out of the rock for them, and He will cleave the rock, that the waters may flow out (Isa. 48:21).
In David:
O God, early will I seek Thee; my soul thirsteth, I am weary without waters (Ps. 63:1).
In the same:
Jehovah sendeth His word, He maketh the wind to blow, that the waters may flow (Ps. 147:18).
In the same:
Praise Jehovah, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens (Ps. 148:4).
In John:
When Jesus came to the fountain of Jacob, a woman of Samaria came to draw water; Jesus said to her, Give Me to drink. If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give Me to drink, thou wouldest ask of Him, and He would give thee living water. The woman said unto Him, From whence hast Thou living water? Jesus said to her, Everyone that drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but whosoever shall drink of the water that I shall give him shall not thirst for ever; and the water that I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up unto everlasting life (John 4:7-15).
In the same:
Jesus said, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (John 7:37-38).
In Revelation:
I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely (Rev. 21:6).
And in another place:
The angel showed unto him a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1).
And again:
The spirit and the bride say, Come. He that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come. And he that wisheth, let him take the water of life freely (Rev. 22:17).
sRef Ezek@43 @2 S3′ sRef Ps@29 @3 S3′ sRef Rev@14 @2 S3′ sRef John@3 @5 S3′ [3] These passages have been cited that it may be known that in the Word “waters” signify the truths of faith, consequently what is meant by the water of baptism, about which the Lord thus teaches in John:
Except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5).
“Waters” here are the truths of faith, and “spirit” a life according to them (see New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 202-209 seq.). Because it had not been known that “waters” signified the truths of faith, and that all things that were instituted among the sons of Israel were representative of spiritual things, it was believed that by the washings that were prescribed for them their sins were wiped away; yet this was not at all the case; those washings only represented purification from evils and falsities by means of the truths of faith and a life according to them (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3147, 5954, 10237, 10240). From this it is now clear that by “the voice,” which was “as the voice of many waters,” is meant Divine truth; as likewise in Ezekiel:
Behold the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east, and His voice was like the voice of many waters; and the earth was enlightened by His glory (Ezek. 43:2).
And in David:
The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters, Jehovah upon many waters (Ps. 29:3).
And in the following words in Revelation:
I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters (Rev. 14:2).
[4] I know that some will wonder why “waters” are mentioned in the Word, and not the truths of faith, since the Word is to teach man about his spiritual life; and since, if the expression the truths of faith had been used, instead of “waters,” man would have known that the waters of baptism and of washings contribute nothing to the purifying of man from evils and falsities. But it is to be known, that the Word in order to be Divine, and at the same time useful to heaven and the church, must be wholly natural in the letter, for if it were not natural in the letter there could be no conjunction of heaven with the church by means of it; for it would be like a house without a foundation, and like a soul without a body, for ultimates enclose all interiors, and are a foundation for them (see above, n. 41). Man also is in ultimates, and upon the church in him heaven has its foundations. For this reason the style of the Word is such as it is; and as a consequence, when man from the natural things that are in the sense of the letter of the Word thinks spiritually, he is conjoined with heaven, and in no other way could he be conjoined with it.
* The Latin has “weeping and with weeping,” the Hebrew “weeping and with supplication,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 239, 483; Arcana Coelestia, n. 3325.

sRef Rev@1 @16 S0′ 72. Verse 16. And having in His right hand seven stars, signifies all knowledges of good and truth from Him. This is evident from the signification of “having in His right hand,” as being from Him; for “hand” signifies power, thus it signifies whatever pertains to one, and so also whatever is from him. It is said “right hand,” because “right hand” signifies the power of good through truth. (That “hand” signifies power, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 875, 3091, 4931-4937, 6947, 10019; and consequently that it signifies whatever pertains to one, and so also whatever is from him, 9133, 10019, 10405; that the “right hand” signifies the power of good through truth, see n. 9604, 9736, 10061; and that “the right hand of Jehovah” signifies the Lord’s Divine power, thus omnipotence, see n. 3387, 4592, 4933, 7518, 7673, 8281, 9133, 10019.) This is evident also from the signification of “stars,” as being the knowledges of good and truth, of which more in what follows; and from the signification of “seven,” as being all (see above, n. 20, 24).
sRef Dan@12 @3 S2′ [2] That “stars” signify the knowledges of good and truth, thus goods and truths, is from the appearance in the spiritual world; for there the Lord appears as a sun, and angels from afar off as stars. Angels appear thus from their reception of light from the Lord as a sun, thus from their reception of Divine truth, which is from the Lord, for this is the light of heaven. From this it is that it is said in Daniel:
The intelligent shall shine as the brightness of the expanse; and they that justify many, as the stars for ever and ever (Dan. 12:3).
The “intelligent” are they that are in truths, and “they that justify” are those that are in good (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 346-348).
sRef Isa@13 @9 S3′ sRef Isa@13 @10 S3′ [3] When it is known to any that the “sun” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine love, thus also Divine love from the Lord, and that “stars” signify the truths of the church and knowledges thereof, these can also know what is signified in the Word where it is said that “the sun shall be darkened,” and that “the stars shall not give light,” also that they “shall fall from heaven;” and also what “stars” signify when mentioned elsewhere in the Word, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
I will make the land a waste, and destroy the sinners thereof out of it; the stars of the heaven and the constellations thereof shall not shine forth with their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not make bright her light (Isa. 13:9-10).
The vastation of the church is here treated of, which is when there is no good of love any more, nor any truths of faith. The “land” that shall be laid waste is the church; the “land” is the church (as may be seen above, n. 29).
sRef Dan@8 @9 S4′ sRef Rev@6 @13 S4′ sRef Matt@24 @29 S4′ sRef Dan@8 @10 S4′ sRef Ezek@32 @7 S4′ sRef Rev@22 @16 S4′ sRef Ezek@32 @8 S4′ sRef Rev@12 @4 S4′ sRef Matt@2 @1 S4′ sRef Matt@2 @2 S4′ sRef Num@24 @17 S4′ sRef Rev@8 @10 S4′ sRef Dan@8 @11 S4′ sRef Matt@2 @9 S4′ [4] In Ezekiel:
When I shall extinguish thee I will cover the heavens, and will make the stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not make her light to shine; all the luminaries of light will I make dark over thee, and I will set darkness upon the land (Ezek. 32:7-8).
“Darkness upon the land” means falsities in the church. In Joel:
The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars withdraw their brightness (Joel 2:10-11; 3:15).
In Matthew:
In the consummation of the age, after the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken (Matt. 24:29; Mark 13:24).
In Daniel:
From one of the horns of the he-goat went forth a horn, a little one, and it waxed exceeding great towards the south, and towards the east, and towards splendor; and it waxed great towards the host of the heavens; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down and trampled upon them. Yea, it magnified itself even to the Prince of the host (Dan. 8:9-11).
By the “host of the heavens” the goods and truths of the church in the complex are meant (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3448, 7236, 7988, 8019); in particular, such as combat against falsities (see n. 7277). From this Jehovah is called “Jehovah Zebaoth,” that is, Jehovah of Hosts (see n. 3448, 7988).
sRef Ps@147 @4 S5′ sRef Judg@5 @20 S5′ sRef Judg@5 @19 S5′ sRef Ps@148 @3 S5′ [5] In Revelation:
The dragon with his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven to the earth (Rev. 12:4).
The “stars” here also are the goods and truths of the church, and the knowledges thereof; the “third part” is the greater part; but what is signified by the “dragon” will be told in what follows. In the same:
The stars of heaven fell unto the earth (Rev. 6:13).
In the same:
A star from heaven is fallen unto the earth (Rev. 9:1).
In the same:
There fell from heaven a great star burning as a torch; it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters (8:10).
As “stars” signify the goods and truths of the church and the knowledges thereof, by their “falling from heaven” is signified that these perish. In David:
Jehovah telleth the number of the stars, He calleth them all by names (Ps. 147:4).
In the same:
Praise ye Jehovah, sun and moon; praise Him, all ye stars of light (Ps. 148:3).
In the book of Judges:
The kings came, they fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought (Judg. 5:19-20).
Since the angels in the spiritual heaven shine as stars, and since all the truths and goods that are with the angels are from the Lord, therefore the Lord, as He is called an “Angel,” is likewise called a “Star,” as in Moses:
There shall arise a star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall arise out of Israel (Num. 24:17).
In Revelation:
Jesus, the bright and morning Star (Rev. 22:16).
From this it can be seen:
Why the wise men from the east saw a star, and followed it, and why it stood where Jesus had been born (Matt. 2:1-2, 9).
From this it can now be known what is signified by the “seven stars” that were in the right hand of the Son of man, who there is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (see above, n. 63).

sRef Rev@1 @16 S0′ 73. And out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword going forth, signifies the dispersion of falsities by the Word. This is evident from the signification of “going forth out of the mouth,” as being, in reference to the Lord, Divine truth, thus the Word, for the Word goes forth out of the Lord’s mouth. This is evident also from the signification of “the long sword,” or the “sword,” as being truth combating; and as truth, when it combats, disperses falsities, therefore a “long sword” also signifies the dispersion of falsities. The long sword is called “two-edged and sharp,” because truth completely disperses. (That “long sword” or “sword” signifies truth combating against falsities and destroying them, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2799, 6353, 8294.) As “the long sword” is frequently mentioned in the following pages (as in chap. 1:12, 16; 6:4, 8; 13:10, 14; 19:15, 21), passages from the Word illustrating and showing that it signifies truth combating and dispersing falsities, will here be omitted. This will be illustrated and shown in those places.

sRef Rev@1 @16 S0′ 74. And His face as the sun shineth in his power, signifies His Divine love, from which are all things of heaven. This is evident from the signification of “face,” as being, in reference to the Lord, Divine love, from which is all good, thus all things of heaven (Arcana Coelestia, n. 5585, 9306, 9546, 9888; and that the Lord in the Word in respect to the Divine Human is called “the face of Jehovah,” see n. 10579. That the Lord from Divine love appears from heaven as a sun shining, and that from Him, as a sun, all things of heaven have existence and subsistence, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125, and in what follows).

sRef Rev@1 @20 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @17 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @18 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @19 S0′ 75. Verses 17-20. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the First and the Last; and the Living One; and I became dead; and behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages, amen: and I have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou sawest, and the things which are, and the things which are to be hereafter. The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in My right hand, and the seven golden Lampstands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven Lampstands which thou sawest are the seven churches. 17. “And when I saw Him,” signifies the presence of the Divine majesty (n. 76); “I fell at His feet,” signifies adoration from humiliation of heart in presence of the Divine (n. 77); “as dead,” signifies failure of self-life (n. 78) “And He laid His right hand upon me,” signifies life from Him (n. 79); “saying unto me, Fear not,” signifies revival (n. 80); “I am the First and the Last,” signifies who governs all things from firsts by means of ultimates, thus all things of heaven (n. 81). 18. “And the Living One,” signifies who is from eternity (n. 82); “and I became dead,” signifies that He was rejected (n. 83); “and behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages,” signifies that eternal life is from Him (n. 84); “amen,” signifies Divine confirmation (n. 85); “and I have the keys of hell and of death,” signifies that He has power to save (n. 86). 19. “Write the things which thou sawest, and the things which are, and the things which are to be hereafter,” signifies that all these things are for posterity, because Divine (n. 87). 20. “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in My right hand,” signifies revelation concerning goods and truths, which are all from Him (n. 88); “and the seven golden lampstands,” signifies also concerning the things in the new heaven and new earth (n. 89); “the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches,” signifies those who receive goods and truths from the Lord (n. 90); “and the seven lampstands which thou sawest are the seven churches,” signifies that all such are in the new heaven and in the new church (n. 91).

sRef Rev@1 @17 S0′ 76. Verse 17. And when I saw Him, signifies the presence of the Divine majesty. This is evident from the things that precede relating to the Son of man, all of which are of the Divine majesty, as is clear from the explanation of them in the internal sense; as that “He was clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the paps with a golden girdle,” signifying that Divine truth and Divine good proceed from Him; that “His head and His hairs were white as white wool, as snow,” signifying the Divine in firsts and in ultimates; that “His feet were like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace,” signifying that His Human, even in ultimates, is full of Divine love; that “His voice was as the voice of many waters,” signifying that all Divine truth is from Him; that “He had in His right hand seven stars,” signifying that all goods and truths of heaven and the church are therefrom; that “out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword went forth,” signifying that by Him all falsities are dispersed; that “His face was as the sun shineth in his power,” signifying that from His Divine love were all things of heaven. It is clear that these things are Divine, and that they appeared full of Divine majesty. That to “see” signifies here the presence, now most interior, of these things, is evident from this, that it was also said before that John saw them (verse 12), and according to that seeing also they were described; and now again it is said “I saw Him,” and on account of this seeing he fell at His feet as dead; therefore it is that by “seeing” is here signified the presence of the Divine majesty. This presence came to John, when he saw “His face as the sun in his power,” for from this he was illustrated and filled with awe, in the presence of the Divine; for all Divine light is from the Lord as a sun, and Divine light passes into the interiors; from this comes such presence and such filling with awe (as can be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, on the Lord as a Sun, n. 116-125; on Light and Heat therefrom in Heaven, n. 126-140; and on Turning to Him, n. 17, 123, 144, 145, 151, 255, 272, 510, 548, 561). It is to be known, moreover, that man has two kinds of sight, one from cogitative faith, the other from love: when he has sight from cogitative faith only, his sight is unattended with awe before the Lord’s Divine majesty; but when this sight is from love, it is attended with awe at the Divine majesty; this is because man is then turned to the Lord, for love turns him, but cogitative faith apart from love does not (as can be seen from the passages cited above from the work on Heaven and Hell, about turning). That this is so is well known in the spiritual world. It is clear, therefore, that by “I saw him,” stated a second time, is signified the presence of the Divine majesty.

sRef Rev@1 @17 S0′ 77. And I fell at His feet, signifies adoration from humiliation of heart in presence of the Divine. This is evident from the signification of “falling at the feet,” as being adoration from humiliation. Humiliation of heart is meant, because humiliation that springs from the heart in presence of the Divine produces that prostration. All affections, whatsoever they are, have corresponding gestures in the body. Into these gestures the body is borne and falls as of itself, when man is interiorly in the affection. Humiliation before a man produces a bowing down, according to the estimation of him; but in presence of the Divine it produces total prostration, especially when man thinks that the Divine in respect to power and wisdom is everything, and man in comparison is nothing, or that from the Divine is all good and from man nothing but evil.
When man is in this acknowledgment from the heart he comes as it were out of himself, and thence falls upon his face, and when he is thus out of himself he also is removed from the proprium [what is his own], which in itself is wholly evil; when this is removed, the Divine fills him and raises him up; not that the Divine desires such humiliation on its account, but because evil is then removed, and so far as evil is removed with man so far the Divine flows in; for evil alone stands in the way. (An example of such humiliation may be seen in the little work on the Earths in the Universe, n. 91.) Man’s state when the Divine presence with him removes proprium [what is his own], and afterwards infills him, is thus described in this verse: “When I saw Him I fell at His feet as dead; and He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not.” This state is more fully described in Daniel:
I lifted up mine eyes and looked, and behold a Man clothed in linen, His face as the appearance of lightning, and His eyes as lamps of fire, and His feet like the splendor of burnished brass. I alone saw the vision; but the men that were with me saw it not; but great fear fell upon them, and they fled. And there remained no strength in me; and I came into a deep sleep, and my face upon the ground. But lo, a hand touched me, and set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands, and He said, Fear not (Dan. 10:5-12).
This state is also described in Ezekiel, when he saw the cherubs, by which is signified the Lord in respect to Providence:
When I saw the glory of Jehovah, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of One that spoke. And He said unto me, son of man, stand upon thy feet, that I may speak to thee. And the spirit entered into me when He spoke unto me, and set me upon my feet, and I heard Him that spake unto me (Ezek. 1:28; 2:1-2; 3:24).
Likewise also, when Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, of which it is thus written in Matthew:
While Peter was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. And when the disciples heard these things they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes they saw no one save Jesus only (Matt. 17:5-8).
From this it is apparent of what nature is the presence of the Divine Human of the Lord with man, when man is in a state of humiliation of heart, namely, that he falls upon his face, and by the touch of the Lord’s hand is raised upon his feet. It was plainly the presence of the Lord in respect to the Divine Human; since it was the “Son of man” who was in the midst of the lampstands that appeared in this way before John; and the “Son of man” is the Lord as to the Divine Human, see above (n. 63). It was similar with the disciples when the Lord was transfigured; it is therefore also said that “when they lifted up their eyes they saw no one save Jesus only.” That it was also the Lord as to the Divine Human who was seen by Daniel and Ezekiel, is evident from the words of the Lord himself, that:
No one hath heard the Father’s voice at any time, nor seen His form (John 5:37; see also John 1:18).
Moreover, that men worshiped the Lord when He was in the world, by falling upon the face at His feet, may be seen in Matt. 28:9; and in Mark 7:25-26; Luke 8:41; 17:15-16, 18; and in John 11:32.

sRef Rev@1 @17 S0′ 78. As dead, signifies failure of self-life. This is evident from the signification of “as dead,” in reference to the Divine presence with man, as meaning the failure of self-life; for man’s self-life is that into which he is born, which is in itself nothing but evil, for it is altogether inverted, for it has regard to itself and the world only, and therefore turns itself back away from God and from heaven. The life that is not man’s self-life is that into which he is led when he is being regenerated by the Lord; and when he comes into that life he regards God and heaven in the first place, and self and the world in the second. That life flows in with man when the Lord is present; consequently so far as that life flows in, so far there is effected a turning of the life. This turning, when effected suddenly, causes man to appear to himself as dead; thence it is that by “as dead” is here signified the failure of self-life. But these two states of life cannot be so described as to be apprehended. Moreover, they are not the same with a man and with a spirit, and they are wholly different with the evil and with the good. Man cannot live with the body in the presence of the Divine; those who do live are encompassed by an angelic column, which moderates the Divine influx; for the body of every man is nonreceptive of the Divine, consequently it dies and is cast off. That man cannot live with the body in the presence of the Divine can be seen from the words of the Lord to Moses:
Thou canst not see My faces; for man shall not see Me and live (Exod. 33:20);
Moses, therefore, because he desired to see, was placed in a cleft of a rock and was covered until the Lord had passed by. Furthermore, it was known to the ancients that man cannot see God and live, as is evident from the book of Judges:
Manoah said unto his wife, Dying we shall die, because we have seen God (Judg. 13:22);
and this was also attested to the sons of Israel, when the Lord was seen from Mount Sinai, of which it is thus written in Moses:
Be ready against the third day; for the third day Jehovah will come down in the eyes of all the people, upon Mount Sinai. And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the extremity of it; whosoever toucheth the mount dying he shall die. And because terror seized upon them, they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us and we will hear; but let not God speak with us lest perchance we die (Exod. 19:11-12; 20:19).
(That by “Mount Sinai” is signified heaven, where the Lord is, and that by “touching” is signified to communicate, to transfer, and to receive, and for this reason it was forbidden to touch the extremity of that mountain, see in the explanation of those chapters in the Arcana Coelestia.) Jehovah has been seen by many, as recorded in the Word, but this was because they were encompassed at the time by a column of spirits, and thus were preserved, as was said above. In this way the Lord has also been seen at different times by me. But the state of spirits in the Divine presence is different from the state of men; spirits cannot die, consequently if they are evil they die a spiritual death in the Divine presence, the nature of which will be spoken of presently; but those who are good are conveyed into societies, where the sphere of the Divine presence is tempered and accommodated to reception. On account of this there are three heavens, and in each heaven many societies, and those who are in the higher heavens are nearer to the Lord, and those who are in the lower are more remote from Him (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28, 29-40, 41-50, 206-209). What the spiritual death is that evil spirits die in the Divine presence, shall be briefly stated. Spiritual death is a turning away and removal from the Lord. When evil spirits, however, who have not yet been vastated, that is, have not yet become fixed in their ruling love, enter any angelic society, then because the Divine of the Lord is there present they are direfully tormented, and not only turn away but even cast themselves down into the depths, where no light from heaven enters; some into dark caverns of rocks; in a word, into the hells (see what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 54, 400, 410, 510, 525, 527). This turning away and removal from the Lord is what is called spiritual death; and with such the spiritual of heaven is dead.

sRef Rev@1 @17 S0′ 79. And He laid His right hand upon me, signifies life from Him. This is evident from the signification of “right hand,” as being, in reference to the Lord, life from Him (see above, n. 72). It signifies life from Him, because it immediately follows the words, “I fell at His feet as dead;” and moreover, “to touch with the hand” signifies to communicate and transfer to another what pertains to oneself, and also to receive from another. To communicate and transfer to another what pertains to oneself, in reference to the Lord, as here, is to communicate and transfer life such as those have who are in a state of illumination and who see and hear such things as are in heaven. This also took place with John, for he was in such illumination when he saw and heard the things that are described in Revelation “To touch with the hand” is to communicate and transfer to another, because the whole power of man is transferred from the body into the hands; consequently what the mind wills that the body should do, that the arms and hands do (from this it is that by “arms” and “hands” in the Word is signified power, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 878, 3091, 4931-4937, 6947, 7673, 10019).
But this power is natural power, and communication thereby is an exertion of the bodily forces; but spiritual power is to will the good of another, and to will to convey to another as far as possible what is with oneself. This power is what “hand” in the spiritual sense signifies, and its communication and transference are signified by “touching with the hand.”
From this it can be seen what is signified by this, that the Lord, who is here called the “Son of man,” laid His right hand upon John, when John lay as dead, namely, that He communicated and transferred to him life from Himself (see above). “To touch,” and “to touch with the hand,” has a similar signification in many passages in the Word, as in the following. In Daniel:
The Lord, who there appeared to him as a man clothed in linen, whose appearance was as the appearance of lightning, and His eyes as torches of fire, and His feet as the brightness of polished brass, touched him; and restored him to his standing; and lifted him upon his knees; and touched his lips, and opened his mouth; and still again touched him, and strengthened him (Dan. 10:4 to the end).
In Jeremiah:
Jehovah put forth His hand, and touched my mouth, and said, I put My words into thy mouth (Jer. 1:9).
And in Matthew:
Jesus stretching forth His hand to the leper, touched him, saying, I will; be thou made clean. And straightway his leprosy was cleansed (Matt. 8:3).
In the same:
Jesus saw Peter’s wife’s mother sick of a fever, and he touched her hand, and the fever left her (Matt. 8:14-15).
In the same:
Jesus touched the eyes of the two blind men, and their eyes were opened (Matt. 9:29-30).
In the same:
When Peter was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed the disciples, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. And when the disciples heard these things they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. Then came Jesus and touched them, and said, Arise, be not afraid (Matt. 17:5-8).
In Luke:
Jesus came and touched the bier of the dead, and said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. Then he that was dead sat up, and began to speak (Luke 7:14-15).
In the same:
Jesus touched the ear of the deaf one,* and healed him (Luke 22:51).
In Mark:
And they brought [to Jesus] little children, that He should touch them; and He took them in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them (Mark 10:13, 16).
In the same:
They brought unto Jesus those that were ill, that they might touch if it were but the border of His garment; and as many as touched were made whole (Mark 6:56; Matt. 14:35, 36).
In Luke:
A woman suffering from an issue of blood touched the border of His garment; and immediately the issue of her blood stanched. Jesus said, Who is it that touched Me? Some one did touch Me; I knew that power went forth from Me (Luke 8:43-46).
Because “touching” and “laying on of hands” signify communicating and transferring to another what pertains to oneself, therefore it has been customary in the churches from ancient times to lay hands upon the head of those who are inaugurated and blessed:
This Moses also was commanded to do to Joshua (Num. 27:18-23; Deut. 34:9).
As all things among the sons of Israel were representative and significative of spiritual things, so also was touch; wherefore those who touched what was holy were sanctified, and those who touched what was unclean were polluted; for “touch” signified communication and transference to another, and reception from another, as can be seen from the following passages in Moses:
Whosoever shall touch the tent of meeting; the ark of the Testimony; the table, and all the vessels thereof; the lampstand and the vessels thereof; the altar of incense; the altar of burnt-offering, and all the vessels thereof, and the laver and the base thereof, shall be holy (Exod. 30:26-29).
Whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy (Exod. 29:37).
Everything that toucheth the remainder of the meal-offering, and the remainder of the flesh from the sacrifice, shall be holy (Lev. 6:18, 27).
Whosoever toucheth the dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of Jehovah; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel. And whosoever in the open field toucheth one that is slain with a sword, or the bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. He that toucheth the waters of separation shall be unclean until even. And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall become unclean, and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even (Num. 19:11, 13, 16, 21-22).
He that toucheth unclean beasts and unclean reptiles shall be unclean. Everything upon which they shall fall shall be unclean, whether it be a vessel of wood, raiment, water, an earthen vessel, food, drink, an oven, (but not a fountain, pit, or receptacle of water) shall be unclean (Lev. 11:31-36, besides other places, as Lev. 5:2, 3; 7:21; 11:37, 38; 15:1 to the end; 22:4; Num. 16:26; Isa. 52:11; Lam. 4:14, 15; Hos. 4:2, 3; Hag. 2:12, 13, 14).
* In the Greek we have “servant”; but Arcana Coelestia, n. 10130 also has “deaf one.”

sRef Rev@1 @17 S0′ 80. Saying unto me, Fear not, signifies renewal of life. This is evident from the series of things in the internal sense. For John lay as dead, and the Lord, seen as the Son of man, laid His right hand upon him, and said to him, “Fear not.” His “lying as dead” signified failure of his self-life; the Lord’s “laying His right hand upon him” signified life from Him; therefore His saying to him “Fear not” signified renewal of life; for all who come suddenly from self-life into any spiritual life are at first afraid, but their life is renewed by the Lord. This renewal is effected in this way that the Divine presence, and fear on account of it, are accommodated to reception. The Lord is present, indeed, with all in the universe, but more nearly or remotely according to the reception of good by means of truths with them from Him. For good is that in which the Lord is present with angel, spirit, and man; therefore the extent and quality of good from the Lord with them are what determine the extent and quality of His presence; if the presence goes beyond this, there is anguish and tremor; but by accommodation to reception there is renewal of life (as can be seen from what has just been said and shown above, n. 78). This renewal is what is signified by “Fear not;” also in other places, where it is said by the Lord or by the angel of the Lord when seen:
Fear not (Dan. 10:12, 19; Luke 1:12, 13; 2:8-10; Matt. 28:5, 9-10).
Renewal of life, that comes by accommodation to reception, appears in the spiritual world, when it is presented to view, as a cloud. All societies there are encompassed by such a cloud, denser or rarer according to reception. (That angels are encompassed by a thin correspondent cloud, lest they should be hurt by a nearer influx of the Divine of the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6849. What “clouds” are in the spiritual world, and therefore in the spiritual sense, see above, n. 36.)

sRef Rev@1 @17 S0′ 81. I am the First and the Last, signifies who governs all things from firsts by means of ultimates, thus all things of heaven. This is evident from the explanation given above (n. 41).

sRef John@14 @6 S0′ sRef John@1 @4 S0′ sRef John@1 @2 S0′ sRef John@1 @1 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @18 S0′ sRef John@1 @3 S0′ sRef John@5 @26 S0′ sRef John@1 @14 S0′ sRef John@11 @25 S0′ 82. Verse 15. And the Living One, signifies who is from eternity. This is evident from this, that He who is from eternity is the only Living One, and that all others, who are not from eternity, have been created by Him, and thus made recipients of life from Him. Therefore He only who is from eternity has life in Himself, and no one besides Him. That the Lord, in respect both to the Divine and to the Human, has life in Himself, is evident from what is said in John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us (John 1:2-4, 14).
That the Lord is here meant by the “Word” is clear, for it is said, “the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us.” In the same:
As the Father hath life in Himself, even so gave He to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:26).
In the same:
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).
And in the same:
Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
It is believed in the world that man has life implanted in him, and that it does not therefore flow in unceasingly from Him who alone has life in Himself, and who thus alone is Life. But this belief is a belief in what is false (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 9).

sRef Rev@1 @18 S0′ 83. And I became dead, signifies that He was rejected. This is evident from this, that the Lord is said to be “dead” when faith in Him and love towards Him are no more; for with those who are in love towards Him and faith in Him the Lord lives, but with those who are not in love and in faith toward Him He does not live. With such He is said to be “dead” because He is rejected. This is what is here meant in the internal sense by the words “I became dead;” but in the sense of the letter it is meant that He was crucified. The Lord’s being crucified has a like signification in the internal sense, namely, that He was rejected and treated thus by the Jews; for the Lord, when He was in the world, was Divine truth itself, and as Divine truth was altogether rejected by the Jews, therefore the Lord, who was Divine truth, suffered Himself to be crucified. Such things are signified by all that is related in the Evangelists concerning the Lord’s passion; the particulars, even to every minutest particular, involve this. Whenever, therefore, the Lord speaks of His passion He calls Himself the Son of man, that is, Divine truth (see above, n. 63). That Divine truth was altogether rejected by the Jews is well known; for they accepted nothing that the Lord said, and not even that He was the Son of God. From this it may be known how those things that the Lord said to the disciples about the Jews’ rejection of Him are to be understood. Thus in Luke:
The Son of man must suffer many things, and be repudiated by the elders and chief priests and scribes (Luke 9:22).
In the same:
The Son of man must suffer many things, and be repudiated by this generation (Luke 17:25).
In Mark:
It is written of the Son of man, that He should suffer many things and be set at naught (Mark 9:12).
In Luke:
Jesus took unto Him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are foretold through the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and shamefully entreated, and spit upon; and after they have scourged Him, they shall put Him to death; but the third day He shall rise again (Luke 18:31-33).
The way in which the Jews treated Divine truth, which was from the Word, is signified by these particulars. “Jerusalem” here is the Jewish Church; “to be delivered unto the Gentiles, to be mocked, to be shamefully entreated, to be spit upon, to be scourged, to be put to death,” are the wicked ways in which the Jews treated Divine truth; and as the Lord was Divine truth itself, because He was the Word (John 1:14), and as it was foretold in the prophets that Divine truth would be so dealt with in the end of the church, therefore it is said, “that all things may be accomplished that have been foretold through the prophets concerning the Son of man.” So elsewhere in the same Gospel:
These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me (Luke 24:44).
That all things were accomplished when Jesus was crucified He Himself said, when He was upon the cross:
Jesus, knowing that all things were accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst (John 19:28).
He then said, “I thirst,” because He longed for a new church that would acknowledge Him. (That to “thirst,” in the spiritual sense, signifies to long for, and that it is predicated of the truths of the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4958, 4976, 8568.) These are also the things that were predicted by Daniel concerning vastation and desolation:
After sixty and two weeks shall the Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself; then the people of the Prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, so that its end shall be with a flood. At last upon the bird of abominations shall be desolation, and even to the consummation and decision it shall drop upon the devastation (Dan. 9:26-27).
“Desolation” and “vastation” signify repudiation and rejection of Divine truth with those that are of the church (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5360, 5376). That Divine truth, which is the Word, was so repudiated by the Jews, is also meant by these words in Matthew:
I say unto you that Elias is come already, and they have not acknowledged him, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Even so shall the Son of man suffer of them (Matt. 17:12).
By “Elias” the Word is signified (see Arcana Coelestia, preface to chapter 18 of Genesis, and in n. 2762, 5247), and also by “John the Baptist;” therefore he was called “Elias” (n. 7643, 9372). From this it can be seen what is signified by “Elias has come,” and that “they have done to him whatsoever they listed,” and that “the Son of man is to suffer of them.” How the Jews explained and thus rejected the Word is clear from many passages in the Gospels, where the Lord makes this manifest. From this it can now be seen that “I became dead,” signifies that He was rejected. Moreover, that the Lord, by the passion of the cross, also glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine, see New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 294, 295, 302, 305.

sRef John@4 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @18 S0′ sRef John@4 @11 S0′ 84. And behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages, signifies that eternal life is from Him. This is evident from the signification of “I am alive,” which means to be from eternity, and that in Him alone is life from Himself (on which see above, n. 82); but here as being life in others, and His life in others is eternal life. For it is said just before that He “became dead,” which signifies that He was rejected, because not received in faith and love; here, therefore, “I am alive” signifies that He is received by those who are in His life, which life is in faith and love with man, and that life is eternal life. That “unto the ages of the ages” signifies to eternity, is clear without explanation. That the life of the Lord is a life of faith in Him and love to Him, and that this life is eternal life is evident from many passages in the Word, as the following from John:
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have eternal life. He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that believeth not on the Son shall not see life (John 3:14-16, 36).
In the same:
The water that I shall give shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up unto eternal life (John 4:10-11, 14).
Water is the truth of faith (see above, n. 71).
In the same:
Everyone that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on Him, hath eternal life. The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life (John 66:40, 63).
The “words” that the Lord speaks are also the truths of faith. In the same:
I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he die, yet shall he live (John 11:25-26).
In the same:
Work for the food which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man giveth (John 6:27).
The “food” which the Lord gives is also the truth and good of faith, because spiritual food is meant (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5410, 5426, 8562, 9003). It was said that the life of the Lord is in faith in Him and love to Him with man; this is because everything of faith and love is from Him, and that which is from Him is also Himself, for it is His proceeding Divine, which is called “the Spirit of Truth” and “the Holy Spirit;” and as the Lord is therein, and it is Himself, therefore it is said that they should abide in the Lord, which means in faith in Him and love to Him, from Him; as in John:
Jesus said, Abide in Me, and I in you. If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask whatever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Abide in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love. He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for without Me ye cannot do anything (John 15:4-10).
From this it may be known what is meant by these words in John:
Ye see Me; because I live ye shall live also (John 14:19).
(That to “see” the Lord is to believe in Him, see above, n. 14, 25, 37; and that “to have faith,” or “to believe” in the Lord, is to be in love and charity, see the little work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-39; and New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 108-142.)

sRef Rev@1 @18 S0′ 85. Amen, signifies Divine confirmation, as may be seen above (n. 34).

sRef Rev@1 @18 S0′ 86. And I have the keys of hell and of death, signifies that He has power to save. This is evident from the signification of “keys,” as being the power to open and shut (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9410); and from the signification of “hell,” as being evils, for all evils are from hell and belong to hell; and from the signification of “death,” as being damnation, which is also called spiritual death (see n. 5407, 6119, 9008). “To have the keys of hell and of death” means also the power to save, because the Lord alone removes the hells with man and thereby damnation; and when the hells are removed man is saved, for in their place heaven and eternal life flows in; for the Lord is constantly present with man, and desires to fill him with heaven, but evils stand in the way of its being received; so far, therefore, as the hells are removed, that is, so far as man refrains from evils, so far the Lord with heaven flows in.
The Lord here says that He “has the keys of hell and of death,” because it is said immediately before that He is “alive unto the ages of the ages,” by which is meant that from Him is eternal life; and so far as the Lord is received in faith and in love so far as He is in man, and so far as He is in man so far He removes evils, thus the hells and eternal death. This the Lord alone does, and for this reason He ought to be received, as is evident also from the passages from the Word cited just above (n. 83). By “hell” evils of every kind are signified, because all evils are from hell. Whatever man thinks and wills is either from hell or from heaven. If he thinks and wills evil it is from hell, but if he thinks and wills good it is from heaven. There is no thought and will in man from any other source. The man who supposes that he thinks and wills from himself is not aware of this; but I can assert from all experience on this subject that every thing that a man thinks and wills is either from one or the other of these sources. For this reason, moreover, the man who thinks and wills evil is actually in hell; and where one actually is while he lives in the world thither will he come after death.
He can come into no other place because man’s spirit is formed and composed of those things that he thinks and wills. When, therefore, he thinks and wills evil, the whole man is formed and composed of evil, so that he is his own evil in form. From this it is that infernal spirits are altogether images of their own evil, and are monstrosities, horrible according to the kind of evil. Furthermore, the only means whereby a spirit can be formed and constituted for heaven is receiving the Lord in faith and love; for the Lord alone, by His presence in faith and love with man, removes evils, and forms man into an image of heaven, which is an angel. From this it can be seen what is signified by “having the keys of hell and of death.” The word “keys” is used because all the hells are closed up, and are opened only when evil spirits are cast into them, and when any are taken out of them, which occurs when evils increase with men. The openings that are then made are called “gates,” and as they are called “gates,” so also “keys” are mentioned, and these signify the power to open and to shut, since the opening and shutting of gates is effected by means of keys.
The keys given to Peter (Matthew 16:18, 19) have a like signification; for by “Peter” is there signified truth from the good which is from the Lord, thus it is meant that the Lord alone, from whom is all the truth of faith and the good of love, has that power (see the little work on The Last Judgment, n. 57).

sRef Rev@1 @19 S0′ 87. Verse 19. Write the things which thou sawest, and the things which are, and the things which are to be hereafter, signifies that all these things are for posterity, because Divine. This is evident from the signification of “writing,” as being that it is for remembrance (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8620), thus that these things are for posterity; and from the signification of “which thou sawest,” and “which are,” and “which are to be hereafter,” as meaning all things; for the three times, namely, past, present, and future, signify all things; and since the things he was to write were from the Lord, therefore they signify things Divine, since nothing proceeds from the Lord except what is Divine. Moreover, every particular recorded in Revelation, as well as every particular in the prophetical parts of the Word elsewhere, has an internal sense, and the internal sense is in the light of heaven, which is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. It is said here, “which thou sawest,” and “which are,” and “which are to be,” because above it was said in respect to the Lord, “who is, and who was, and who is to come.” What was there treated of was the Lord Himself; but here things Divine from the Lord with man are treated of, as can be seen from what precedes and from what follows in the series.

sRef Rev@1 @20 S0′ 88. Verse 20. The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in My right hand, signifies revelation concerning goods and truths, which are all from Him. This is evident from the signification of “mystery,” as being what lies concealed in the vision that John had, but here that vision revealed, since in what now follows it is told what is meant by the “seven stars” and by the “seven lampstands.” This is evident also from the signification of the “seven stars,” as being the knowledges of all things of good and truth, and thence all goods and truths (see above, n. 72); and from the signification of “in My right hand,” as meaning, in reference to the Lord, what is from Him (see also, n. 72). From this it is clear that by “the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest” is signified the revelation of goods and truths, which are all from Him.

sRef Rev@1 @20 S0′ 89. And the seven golden lampstands, signifies also concerning the things in the new heaven and in the new earth. This is evident from the signification of the seven “lampstands,” as being the new heaven and the new church (see above, n. 62). They are the goods and truths for those who are in the new heaven and the new church, because in the internal sense they thus cohere with what immediately precedes; for things that appear disconnected in the sense of the letter, in the internal sense are continuous (see above, n. 17).

sRef Rev@1 @20 S0′ 90. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, signifies those who receive goods and truths from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of the “seven stars,” as being goods and truths, all from the Lord (see above, n. 72); also from the signification of “angels,” as being those in the heavens who are in like correspondent good and truth with those in the church (of which more in what follows); also from the signification of “seven churches,” as being all those who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity, thus all who are of the church (see above, n. 20). From this taken together, it follows as a conclusion that by “the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches” are signified all who receive goods and truths from the Lord.
By “angels” are here signified those who in heaven are in like correspondent good and truth with those in the church, because the universal heaven is divided into societies, and the societies are arranged according to the affections of good and truth in general and in particular. These societies correspond to those on earth who are in like affections of good and truth. All these societies are called “angels,” and each one is called an “angel;” and a society also when viewed from a distance, and when so presented as to be seen as a one, appears as a single angel (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 62, 68-72). Moreover, there is a complete correspondence of heaven with the church, or of the angels of heaven with the men of the church; through this correspondence heaven makes a one with the church. From this it is clear what is here signified by the “angels of the seven churches,” and in the following chapter by the “angel” of each church, where it is said, “Write to the angel of the Ephesian church,” “to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans,” “to the angel of the Pergmean church,” “to the angel of the church of Thyatira,” “to the angel of the church in Sardis,” “to the angel of the Philadelphian church,” and “to the angel of the Laodicean church;” the command evidently was to write, not to angels but to churches, that is, to those who are in such good and truth from the Lord and who are described by each church (of whom we shall treat in what follows). (That in the Word by “angel” nothing else is meant but good and truth which are from the Lord with angel and man, will be more fully shown in the following pages; in the meantime see what is shown concerning the heavens and the angelic societies in the work on Heaven and Hell, since without knowledge of these things from that source, what is said of angels in the following pages can be but little understood; for knowledge must precede if the understanding is to be illustrated.)

sRef Rev@1 @20 S0′ 91. And the seven golden* lampstands which thou sawest are the seven churches, signifies that all such are in the new heaven and in the new church. This is evident from the signification of the “seven lampstands,” as being the new heaven and the new church (see above, n. 62); and also from the signification of the “seven churches,” as being those who are in truths from good or in faith from charity (see also above, n. 20). From this it is clear that by the “seven lampstands are the seven churches” all who will be in the new heaven and in the new church are signified.
All things in Revelation have regard to that which is signified by the “seven golden lampstands,” that is, to the new heaven and the new church, as to their end and conclusion; consequently, these are treated of in the final chapters. The remaining things that come between are such things as stand in the way, and are to be removed, as what is said of the “dragon” and of the “beasts of Babylon.” When these no longer oppose, or when they are removed, the new heaven and the new church come forth and are manifest.

Revelation 2

1. To the angel of the Ephesian Church write: These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand; He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands;
2. I know thy works, and thy toil, and thy endurance, and that thou canst not bear the evil, and hast tried them that say that they are apostles, and they are not, and hast found them liars;
3. And hast borne and hast endurance, and for My name’s sake hast toiled, and hast not failed.
4. But I have against thee, that thou hast left thy first charity.
5. Be mindful, therefore, of whence thou hast fallen, and repent, and do the first works; but if not, I will come unto thee quickly, and will move thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent.
6. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
8. And to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans write: These things saith the First and the Last, who was dead and is alive:
9. I know thy works, and affliction, and poverty, but thou art rich;** and the blasphemy of them who say that they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
10. Fear not the things which thou art to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have affliction ten days: be thou faithful even till death, and I will give thee the crown of life.
11. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death.
12. And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These things saith He that hath the sharp two-edged sword,
13. I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, where Satan’s throne is; and thou holdest My name, and didst not deny My faith, even in the days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
14. But I have against thee a few things: that thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the sons of Israel, to eat idol-sacrifices, and to commit whoredom.
15. So thou also hast then that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
16. Repent; or else I will come to thee quickly, and will fight against thee with the sword or My mouth.
17. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the hidden manna; and will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth except he that receiveth.
18. And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, that hath His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like burnished brass.
19. I know thy works and charity, and ministry and faith, and thine endurance, and thy works, and the last to be more than the first.
20. But I have against thee a few things; that thou, sufferest the woman Jezebel, that calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants to commit whoredom, and to eat idol-sacrifices.
21. And I gave her time that she might repent of her whoredom; and she repented not.
22. Behold, I cast her into a bed, and those that commit adultery with her into great affliction, except they repent of their works.
23. And her sons I will kill with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He that searcheth the reins and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your works.
24. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say; I put upon you no other burden.
25. Nevertheless, that which ye have, hold fast till I come.
26. And he that overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end, I will give him power over the nations.
27. And he shall rule them with an iron rod; as earthen vessels shall they be shivered, as I also have received from My Father.
28. And I will give him the morning star.
29. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
* “Golden” is not found in the Greek, nor in the text.
** “But thou art rich,” is crossed out by the author, but is found in n. 118 below. It is omitted in Apocalypse Revealed, n. 95.

92. In the preceding pages it has been told what is meant by the “seven churches” and by the “angels” thereof; namely, by the “seven churches” all who are in truths from good, and by the “seven angels” all in heaven that correspond to them (see n. 20, 90); and since heaven and the church make one by correspondence, it is said in what follows, “To the angel of the church, write,” and not, Write to the church. It is so said for this reason also, that there must be correspondence in order that the church may be a church with man; if there were no correspondence, there would be no communication of heaven, thus no heaven, with man; and if heaven were not with him neither would the church be with him. (See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 241-248. What the correspondence of the man of the church with heaven is, cannot be told in a few words, but whoever desires may be taught what it is in what is said and shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 87-115 and 291-310.) In a word, there is correspondence when man has becomes spiritual, and man becomes spiritual when he acknowledges the Divine and especially the Lord, and loves to live according to the precepts in the Word, for when he does this he is conjoined with heaven; and then the spiritual corresponds with the natural which is with him. I am aware that to many these things may seem to exceed their comprehension; but the reason is that it is not the delight of their love to know them; if it were the delight of their love, not only would they perceive them clearly, but they would also be eager to, know much more of such things; for a man desires what he loves, and what he loves is his delight; moreover, whatever is loved enters both with joy and with light into the idea of the mind.

93. The angel of the Ephesian church is the first here written to; and by the angel of that church all those in the church are meant who are in the knowledges of truth and good, thus in the knowledges of such things as are of heaven and of the church, and who still are not, or not yet, in a life according to them. By these knowledges are especially meant doctrinals; but doctrinals alone, or the knowledges of truth and good alone, do not make a man spiritual, but a life according to them; for doctrinals or knowledges without a life according to them abide only in the memory and thence in the thought, and all things that abide there only, abide in the natural man; consequently a man does not become spiritual until these enter the life, and they enter the life when a man wills the things which he thinks, and consequently does them.
That this is so anyone can see from this alone, that if anyone knows all the laws of moral and civil life, and does not live according to them, he still is not a moral and civil man; he may indeed talk about them more learnedly than others, but still he is rejected. It is the same with one who knows the ten precepts of the Decalogue, so as to be able even to explain and discourse about them with intelligence, and yet does not live according to them. Those, therefore, within the church who are in the knowledges of such things as pertain to the church, that is, who are in knowledges of truth and good from the Word, but are not, or not yet, in a life according to them, are here first treated of, and these are described by the things written to the angel of the Ephesian church.

sRef Rev@2 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @7 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @1 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @6 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @3 S0′ 94. EXPOSITION.
Verses 1-7. To the angel of the Ephesian church write: These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand; He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands; I know thy works and thy toil, and thy endurance, and that thou canst not bear the evil, and hast tried them that say, that they are apostles and they are not, and hast found them liars: and hast borne and hast endurance, and for My name’s sake hast toiled, and hast not failed. But I have against thee that thou hast left thy first charity. Be mindful therefore of whence thou hast fallen, and repent, and do the first works; but if not I will come unto thee quickly, and will move thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God. 1. “To the angel of the Ephesian church write,” signifies for remembrance to those within the church who are in the knowledges of truth and good from the Word (n. 95); “these things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand,” signifies from whom are all the knowledges of good and truth (n. 96); “He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands,” signifies from whom is life to all in the new heaven and the new church (n. 97). 2. “I know thy works, and thy toil, and thy endurance,” signifies all things that they think, will, and do, thus all things of love and faith in the spiritual and in the natural man (n. 98); [“and that thou canst not bear the evil,” signifies that they reject evils (n. 99)] and hast tried them that say they are apostles and they are not, and hast found them liars,” signifies also falsities, so far as they are able to search them out (n. 100). 3. “And hast borne, and hast endurance,” signifies resistance against those who assail the truths of faith, and diligence in instructing (n. 101); “and for My name’s sake hast toiled,” signifies acknowledgment of the Lord and of the knowledges of truth that have respect to Him (n. 102); “and hast not failed,” signifies so far as they could (n. 103). 4. “But I have against thee that thou hast left thy first charity,” signifies that they do not make such a life as those lived who were in the church at its beginning the essential of knowledges (n. 104). 5. “Be mindful therefore of whence thou hast fallen, and repent, and do the first works,” signifies the remembrance of former things, and thus the remembrance of having deviated from the truth, and this in order that the good of life of the church at its beginning may come into mind (n. 105); “but if not I will come unto thee quickly, and will move thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent,” signifies that if not, it is certain that heaven cannot be given (n. 106). 6. “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate,” signifies an aversion, derived from the Divine, towards those who separate good from truth, or charity from faith, from which separation there is no life (n. 107). 7. “He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches,” signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church (n. 108); “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life,” signifies that he who receives in the heart shall be filled with the good of love, and with heavenly joy therefrom (n. 109); “which is in the midst of the paradise of God,” signifies that all knowledges of good and truth in heaven and in the church look thereto and proceed therefrom (n. 110).

sRef Rev@2 @1 S0′ 95. Verse 1. To the angel of the Ephesian church write, signifies for remembrance to those within the church who are in knowledges of truth and good from the Word. This is evident from the signification of “writing,” as being for remembrance (Arcana Coelestia n. 8620). It means to those within the church who are in the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, because these are meant by the “angel of the Ephesian church.” That these are meant is evident from the things written to the angel of that church. What is meant by the angel of each church can be known only from the internal sense of the things written to each church. It is said, “from the internal sense,” since all things in Revelation are prophetic, and things prophetic can be explained only by the internal sense. Who that reads the Prophets does not see that there are arcana therein that are more deeply hidden than the plain meaning of the letter? And since these arcana cannot be seen by the merely natural man, those who account the Word holy pass those things by that they do not understand, saying that there is a hidden meaning therein that is unknown to them, and that some call mystical. That this is the spiritual of the Word is known by some, because they think of the Word as being in its bosom spiritual for the reason that it is Divine. Nevertheless, it has been unknown heretofore that this is the spiritual sense of the Word, and that the Word is understood in this sense by angels, and that by means of this sense there is conjunction of heaven with the man of the church (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 303-310). Those who are in the knowledges of truth and good from the Word are meant by the “angel of the Ephesian church,” because by the knowledges of truth and good are meant the doctrinals of the church, and only from the Word can doctrinals be obtained. Why it is said, “To the angel of the church, write,” and not, To the church, may be seen above (n. 92).

sRef Rev@2 @1 S0′ 96. These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, signifies from whom are all the knowledges of good and truth. This is evident from the signification of “seven stars,” as meaning all the knowledges of good and truth (see above, n. 72); and from the signification of “right hand,” as being, in reference to the Lord, what is from Him (see above, n. 72, 79); therefore by these words, “that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand,” is signified that from the Lord are all the knowledges of good and truth. It is said that He saith this “who holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, and walketh in the midst of the [seven] golden lampstands,” because by “stars” are signified the knowledges of good and truth, and by “golden lampstands” the new heaven and the new church. There is thus prefixed to each description of a church a Divine characteristic that indicates the subject treated of (as to the descriptions of the churches that follow, verses 8, 12, 18; chap. 3:1, 7, 14). It is so prefixed because everything of the church is from the Lord. From this it is clear also why the Lord, in respect to His Divine Human, is described in the first chapter by the representatives that were seen by John, namely, that from these might be taken what was to be prefixed to the description of each church, for a testimony and a memorial that everything of the church is from the Lord, and indeed from His Divine Human; for from this all the good of love proceeds and every truth of faith, and these constitute the church. What immediately proceeds from His Divine Itself does not reach man, because His Divine Itself is invisible and therefore does not fall within the thought, and what does not fall within the thought does not fall within the faith; for everything that is of faith must be thought. That the Son of man, who is described (in chap. 1) by the representatives seen by John, is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, and Divine truth proceeding therefrom, see above (n. 63). The knowledges of truth and good are here treated of first, because they are the first things of the church; for no one can be initiated into faith and charity, which constitute the church, except by means of knowledges from the Word that pertain to the church (see what is appended to n. 356 of the work on Heaven and Hell from the Arcana Coelestia).

sRef Rev@2 @1 S0′ 97. He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands, signifies from whom is life to all in the new heaven and in the new church. This is evident from the signification of “walking” as being to live, and in reference to the Lord, Life itself (of which more will be said in what follows); and from the signification of “seven golden lampstands,” as being all in the new heaven and in the new church (see above, n. 62). From this it is clear that the Lord was seen “in the midst of the lampstands,” because “midst” signifies inmost; “lampstands” signify heaven and the church, and “walking” signifies life; and to be “in the midst” signifies, in reference to the Lord, to be in all that are round about Him. By this, therefore, it was represented that all the life of faith and of love in heaven and in the church is from Him (see above, n. 84). (That “midst” denotes the inmost and the center from which, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1074, 2940, 2973, 7777.
That the Lord is the common center from whom is all direction and determination in heaven, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 123-124. That the extension of the light of heaven, which is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, from which angels have intelligence and wisdom, is effected also from the midst into those who are round about, see the same, n. 43, 50, 189.) That “walking” signifies living, and in reference to the Lord, Life itself, is from appearances in the spiritual world, where all walk according to their life, the evil in no other ways than those that lead to hell, but the good in no other ways than those that lead to heaven; consequently all spirits are known there from the ways wherein they are walking. Moreover, ways actually appear there; but to the evil, the ways towards hell only, and to the good, the ways towards heaven only; and thus everyone is brought to his own society. From this it is that “walking” signifies living. (Of these ways, and walking therein, in the spiritual world, see what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 195, 479, 534, 590; and in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 48.) That in the Word “ways” signify truths or falsities, and “walking” signifies living, may be seen from many passages therein; I will cite only a few here by way of confirmation. In Isaiah:
We have sinned against Jehovah; they would not walk in His ways, neither have they heard His law (Isa. 42:24).
In Moses:
If ye shall keep the commandments, by loving Jehovah your God, by walking in all His ways (Deut. 11:22).
In the same:
Thou shalt keep all this commandment to do it, by loving Jehovah thy God, and walking in His ways all the days (Deut. 19:9; 26:17).
In the same:
I will set My tabernacle in the midst of them,* and I will walk in the midst of you, and I will be to you for a God (Lev. 26:11, 12).
In the same:
Jehovah thy God walketh in the midst of your** camp, and therefore shall your** camp be holy (Deut. 23:14).
In Isaiah:
Remember, O Jehovah, how I have walked before Thee in truth (Isa. 38:3).
In the same:
He entereth into peace, walking in uprightness (Isa. 57:2).
In Malachi:
He walked with Me in peace and in uprightness (Mal. 2:6).
In David:
Thou hast delivered my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living (Ps. 56:13).
In John:
Jesus said, I am the light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).
In the same:
Yet a little while is the light with you; walk while ye have the light, that darkness overtake you not; and he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have the light believe on the light (John 12:35, 36).
In Mark:
The Pharisees and Scribes ask Him, Why walk not Thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders? (Mark 7:5).
In Moses:
If ye walk contrary to Me, and will not hearken to My voices, I will also walk contrary to you (Lev. 26:21, 23, 24, 27).
In Isaiah:
This people that walk in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow, upon them hath the light shined (Isa. 9:2).
In Micah:
All the peoples walk in the name of their god, and we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God (Micah 4:5).
In Isaiah:
Who among you feareth Jehovah? He that walketh in darkness, who hath no brightness (Isa. 50:10);
besides many other passages (as in Jer. 26:4; Ezek. 5:6; 20:13, 16; Zech. 10:12; Micah 4:5; Luke 1:6). From these passages it can be seen that “walking,” in the spiritual sense, signifies living; and as it signifies living, so in reference to the Lord, as in this passage, it signifies Life itself, for the Lord is Life itself, and the rest are recipients of life from Him (see above, n. 82, 84).
* The Hebrew has “you.”
** In both instances of “your,” the Hebrew has “thy,” as also found in Arcana Coelestia, n. 10039.

sRef Rev@2 @2 S0′ 98. Verse 2. I know thy works, and thy toil, and thy endurance, signifies all things that they will, think, and do, thus all things of love and faith in the spiritual and in the natural man. This is evident from the signification of “works,” as being the things that are of the will and love (of which in what follows); and from the signification of “toil,” as being the things that are of thought and faith (of which also in what follows); and from the signification of “endurance,” as being the things done from will and thought, or the things that these do. But it can with difficulty be comprehended that this is the meaning of these words, unless it is known that all things done by man flow out from the interiors belonging to his mind, also that the mind is the all in everything that man does, and that the body is a mere obedience through which is exhibited, in a form visible before the eye, that which the mind wills and thinks. This is why those external things here mentioned, “works,” “toil,” and “endurance,” signify wing, thinking, and consequent doing, or what is the same, loving, believing, and consequent presenting in act. But still these things are not comprehensible, unless it is also known that man has two faculties, called will and understanding, and that these two faculties are called by the one term “mind;” also that man has an internal and an external-an internal in the light of the spiritual world, and an external in the light of the natural world. (The Will and the Understanding are treated of in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 28-35; and the Internal and the External Man, n. 36-52.) When this is understood, it may be known that by “works,” in the spiritual sense, is meant everything that man wills and loves, and by “toil” everything that man thinks or believes, and by “endurance” everything that man does from these.
sRef Rev@3 @1 S2′ sRef Rev@2 @8 S2′ sRef Rev@3 @7 S2′ sRef Rev@2 @13 S2′ sRef Rev@3 @8 S2′ sRef Rev@2 @12 S2′ sRef Rev@2 @18 S2′ sRef Rev@2 @9 S2′ sRef Rev@3 @15 S2′ sRef Rev@2 @19 S2′ sRef Rev@3 @14 S2′ [2] But leaving these matters, as being, perhaps, too little known about and therefore too obscure to be clearly apprehended, let us advance to this point only, that by “works,” in the spiritual sense, are meant all things that are of man’s will or love; and this, for the reason that in what follows as to the seven churches, it is everywhere said first, “I know thy works;” as in these verses:
To the angel of the church of the Smyrneans write: These things saith the First and the Last, I know thy works, and affliction, and poverty (Rev. 2:8-9);
To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These things saith He that hath the two-edged sword, I know thy works, and where thou dwellest (Rev. 2:12-13);
To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, I know thy works and charity (Rev. 2:18-19);
To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith He that hath the seven spirits of God, I know thy works, that thou art said to live (Rev. 3:1);
To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, I know thy works (Rev. 3:7-8);
To the angel of the Laodicean church write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, I know thy works (Rev. 3:14-5).
[3] As it is here said everywhere, “I know thy works,” it is clear that “works” signify, in general, all things of the church; and as all things of the church have reference to love and faith, therefore these are what are meant in the spiritual sense by “works.” These are meant in the spiritual sense by “works,” because every work or deed or act, that to appearance is done from the body, is not done from the body, but is done by means of the body from man’s will and thought, for not a particle of the body moves itself except from the will and thought. From this it is that “works” signify, not the things that appear in outward form, but the things of will and thought. That this is so is known to everyone who reflects. Who that is wise regards a man from his deeds alone, and not from his will? If the will is good he loves the deeds; but if the will is evil he does not love the deeds. He sees the deeds also, but interprets them according to the intention of the will. He who is spiritual attends still less to the deeds, but explores the will; for the reason already given, that deeds in themselves are nothing, but all that they are is from the will, for deeds are the will in act. It is said “will,” but in the spiritual sense love is meant, for a man wills what he loves, and he loves what he wills. Man’s will is only the receptacle of his love. (See what is said and shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, on that faculty of man, n. 28-35; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 358, 470-484.)
sRef Matt@25 @34 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @45 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @46 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @36 S4′ sRef Matt@16 @27 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @35 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @37 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @38 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @40 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @42 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @41 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @32 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @33 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @39 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @44 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @43 S4′ sRef Rev@22 @12 S4′ sRef Rev@20 @12 S4′ sRef Rev@2 @23 S4′ sRef Hos@4 @9 S4′ sRef Rev@20 @13 S4′ sRef Jer@32 @19 S4′ sRef Rev@14 @13 S4′ sRef Jer@25 @14 S4′ [4] Because “works” or deeds in the Word signify specifically the things that proceed from man’s love or will, it is often said in the Word that a man shall be judged and it shall be rendered unto him according to his works; and the meaning is according to works in the internal form, not in the external; as in the following passages:
The Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then shall He render unto everyone according to his works (Matt. 16:27).
Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; their works do follow them (Rev. 14:13).
I will give unto each one of you according to his works (Rev. 2:23).
I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. The sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell gave up those that were in them; and they were judged everyone according to their works (Rev. 20:12, 13).
Behold I come, and My reward is with Me, to render to each one according to his works (Rev. 22:12).
In Jeremiah:
I will recompense them according to their work, and according to the doing of their hands (Jer. 25:14).
Jehovah, whose eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his works (Jer. 32:19).
Elsewhere:
I will visit upon him his ways, and will render unto him for his works (Hosea 4:9).
According to our ways and according to our works Jehovah hath done with us (Zech. 1:6).
Where the Lord prophesies respecting the Last Judgment He makes mention of works only, and declares that:
Those who have done good works shall enter into life eternal, and those who have done evil works into condemnation (Matt. 25:32-46).
sRef John@9 @4 S5′ sRef John@6 @29 S5′ sRef John@6 @28 S5′ [5] That “works” signify the things that are of love and faith the Lord also shows in these words:
They said to Jesus, What shall we do that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom [the Father] hath sent (John 6:28, 29).
The night cometh, when no man can work (John 9:4).
“Night” signifies the last time of the church, when there is no faith, because there is no charity. (That “night” signifies this time, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2353, 6000.) “Works” are so frequently mentioned, because the sense of the letter of the Word is made up solely of things external, which are in nature and which appear before the eyes: and this in order that there may be a spiritual sense in each particular, as a soul in a body, for otherwise the Word would not be a means of communication with the angels, for it would be like a house without a foundation (see above, n. 8, 16).
From this also it is that when “works” are mentioned, angels, because they are spiritual, do not understand works, but the things from which works spring, which are, as was said above, the will or love, and thought therefrom which is of faith. (This subject you will find more clearly explained in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 470-483, where it is shown that man is after death such as his life was in the world.) “Toil,” in the spiritual sense, means all things that man thinks, because spiritual toiling is thinking. And “endurance” signifies all things that man does, because “to endure” here means to be assiduous, and to put away the obstructions in the natural man that are continually rising up and hindering.

sRef Rev@2 @2 S0′ 99. And that thou canst not bear the evil, signifies that they reject evils. This is evident from the signification of “canst not bear,” as being to reject, for what a man cannot bear he rejects. “The evil” signify evils, because the thought of angels is abstracted from persons; when, therefore, in the sense of the letter of the Word “the evil” are mentioned, angels think of evils; for by “the evil,” men who are evil, thus persons, are meant. The thought of angels is of this character because they are in heavenly wisdom, and that wisdom has extension into the universal heaven; if therefore they should think with thought determined to persons, that extension would perish, and their wisdom with it. In this way the spiritual differs from the natural. This is why “the evil” signify evils. (Of the wisdom of the angels, that it is extended into the universal heaven because their thought is abstracted from space, time, and matter, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 169, 191-199, 265-275; and that their thought is abstracted from persons, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8343, 8985, 9007.)

sRef Rev@2 @2 S0′ 100. And hast tried them that say that they are apostles and they are not, and hast found them liars, signifies also falsities, so far as they are able to search them out. This is evident from the signification of “to try,” as being to inquire into and search out; and from the signification of “apostles,” as being those who teach the truths of the church, and in a sense abstracted from persons, the truths themselves that are taught (of which in what follows); also from the signification of “and are not, and are found liars,” as being not truths but falsities; for a “lie” and a “liar” signify falsity (Arcana Coelestia, n. 8908, 9248). From this and what precedes it is evident that “I know that thou canst not bear the evil, and hast tried them that say they are apostles and they are not, and hast found them liars,” signifies that they reject evils, and falsities also, so far as they are able to search them out. For in the things written to this church those who are in the knowledges of truth and good, thus in the knowledges of such things as are of heaven and of the church, are treated of (see above, n. 93); here, therefore, it is first said of them that they put away evils, and falsities also, so far as they are able to search them out; for those who are in the knowledges of the holy things of the church need first to know in general what good and truth are, also what evil and falsity are, for upon this knowledge all other knowledges are founded. (For this reason also The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem first of all treats of Good and Truth, n. 11-27, and from these it can also be seen what evil and falsity are.)
[2] By “apostles” those who teach the truths of the church are signified, because the apostles [those sent] were so called from their having been sent to teach and to preach the Gospel concerning the Lord and the drawing nigh of the kingdom of God through Him; thus to teach the truths of the church, by which the Lord is known and the kingdom of God is brought nigh. The kingdom of God on the earth is the church. From this it is evident what is meant by “apostles” in the spiritual sense of the Word, namely, not the twelve apostles who were sent by the Lord to teach concerning Him and His kingdom, but all who are in the truths of the church, and in a sense abstracted from persons, the truths themselves. For in the Word it is customary to speak of persons; but those who are in its spiritual sense, as angels are, do not think of persons at all, but their thought is abstracted from persons, and has respect therefore solely to things. The reason is, that it is material to think of persons, but spiritual to think apart from the idea of persons; for instance, where the “disciples” are mentioned in the Word, or “prophets,” “priests,” “kings,” “Jews,” “Israel,” “the inhabitants of Zion,” and of “Jerusalem,” and so on. (Moreover, the very names of persons and places are changed with angels into things, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 768, 1224, 1264, 1876, 1888, 4310, 4442, 5095, 5225, 6516, 10216, 10282, 10329, 10432; and that the thought of angels is abstracted from persons, n. 8343, 8985, 9007.)
sRef Rev@21 @14 S3′ sRef Luke@6 @13 S3′ sRef Luke@9 @1 S3′ sRef Luke@9 @11 S3′ sRef Luke@9 @10 S3′ sRef Luke@11 @49 S3′ sRef Luke@9 @2 S3′ [3] That the disciples of the Lord were called apostles from their having been sent to teach concerning Him and His kingdom is clear in Luke:
Jesus sent His twelve disciples to preach the kingdom of God. And the apostles, when they were returned, declared unto Him what things they had done. And Jesus spake to them of the kingdom of God (Luke 9:1, 2, 10, 11).
In the same:
When it was day, Jesus called His disciples; and He chose from the twelve, whom also He named apostles (Luke 6:13).
In the same:
I will send unto them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall kill and persecute (Luke 11:49).
They are called “prophets and apostles,” because by “prophets,” as well as by “apostles,” are meant those who were sent to teach truths; but by “prophets” those of the Old Testament, and by “apostles” those of the New. (That “prophets” in the Word signify those who teach truths and in a sense abstracted from persons the truths themselves, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2534.) As the “twelve apostles” signify the truths themselves of the church, it is said in Revelation:
The wall of the New Jerusalem had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Rev. 21:14).
(That by the “New Jerusalem” is meant the church in respect to doctrine, see in The small work on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 6; that by its “wall” are signified the truths of doctrine for defense, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6419; by the “foundations of the wall” are signified the knowledges of the truth, on which doctrine is founded, n. 9643; by “twelve” are signified all truths in the complex, n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913. From this it is clear why it is said that in the foundations of the wall were the “names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”)

sRef Rev@2 @3 S0′ 101. Verse 3. And hast borne and hast endurance, signifies resistance against those who assail the truths of faith, and diligence in instructing. This is evident from the signification of “bearing,” in reference to those who are in the knowledges of truth and good, as being resistance against those who assail the truths of faith, for those who are in knowledges defend those truths, and resist those who are against them; also from the signification of having “endurance” or “patience,” as being diligence in instructing.

sRef Rev@2 @3 S0′ 102. And for My name’s sake hast toiled, is the acknowledgment of the Lord and of the knowledges of truth that have respect to Him. This is evident from the signification of “the name” of Jehovah, or of the Lord, as being, in the highest sense, His Divine Human (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2628, 6887), and in a relative sense, all things of love and faith by which the Lord is worshiped, because these are things Divine that proceed from His Divine Human (n. 2724, 3006, 6674, 9310). This is evident also from the signification of “toiling,” as being to strive with mind and zeal that these things may be known and acknowledged; for this is signified by “toiling” when it is said of those who apply themselves to the knowledges of truth and good. From this it follows that “for My name’s sake hast toiled” signifies the acknowledgment of the Lord, and of the knowledges that have respect to Him. The knowledges that have respect to the Lord are all things that are of love and faith. In many passages of the Word it is said, “for the sake of Jehovah’s name,” “for the sake of the Lord’s name,” “for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ,” that “the name of God should be sanctified,” and the like. Those whose thoughts do not go beyond the sense of the letter suppose that the name alone is meant; but what is meant is not the name, but everything whereby the Lord is worshiped; and all of this has relation to love and faith. Therefore by “the Lord’s name” in the Word all things of love and of faith by which He is worshiped are meant; here the acknowledgment of the Lord and of the knowledges of truth that have respect to Him, because this is said to those who are only zealous about knowledges.
[2] That “Jehovah’s name” or the “Lord’s name” does not mean the name itself, but all things of love and faith, is from the spiritual world. There the names used on the earth are not uttered; but the names of the persons who are spoken of are formed from the idea of all things known about them combined into a single word. In this way names in the spiritual world are expressed; consequently names there, like all the other things, are spiritual The names “Lord” and “Jesus Christ,” even, are not uttered there as on the earth, but in place of those names a name is formed from the idea of all things known and believed respecting Him; and this idea is made up of all things of love to Him and faith in Him. This is because these in the complex are the Lord in them; for the Lord is in everyone in the goods of love and of faith that are from Him. As this is so, the quality of everyone there, in respect to love to the Lord and faith in the Lord, is immediately known if he only utters “Lord” or “Jesus Christ” by a spiritual expression or spiritual name; and for the same reason also, those who are not in any love to Him or faith in Him are unable to speak His name, that is, to form any spiritual name of Him. From this it is now clear why by the “name” of Jehovah, of the Lord, or of Jesus Christ, name is not meant in the Word, but everything of love and of faith whereby He is worshiped.
sRef John@14 @14 S3′ sRef Matt@10 @22 S3′ sRef Matt@24 @26 S3′ sRef Matt@24 @27 S3′ sRef John@3 @18 S3′ sRef John@3 @17 S3′ sRef Luke@19 @38 S3′ sRef John@14 @13 S3′ sRef Matt@24 @25 S3′ sRef John@1 @12 S3′ sRef John@2 @23 S3′ sRef Matt@24 @5 S3′ sRef Matt@18 @20 S3′ sRef Luke@21 @8 S3′ sRef John@20 @31 S3′ sRef Matt@21 @9 S3′ sRef Matt@23 @39 S3′ sRef Matt@24 @23 S3′ sRef Matt@24 @24 S3′ sRef Matt@19 @29 S3′ sRef Matt@24 @11 S3′ [3] Lest, therefore, the opinion that is entertained by many should prevail, that the mere name Jesus Christ, without love to Him or faith in Him, thus without the knowledges by which love and faith exist, contributes something to salvation, I will introduce some passages from the Word in which the expressions “for His name’s sake” and “in His name” are used, from which those who think more deeply may see that name alone is not meant:
Jesus said, Ye shall be hated of all for My name’s sake (Matt. 10:22; 24:9, 10).
Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them (Matt. 18:20).
As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God; even to them that believe in His name (John 1:12).
When Jesus was in Jerusalem many believed in His name (John 2:23).
He that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God (John 3:17, 18).
These are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in His name (John 20:31).
Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord (Matt. 21:9; 23:39; Luke 13:35; 19:35).
Everyone that hath left houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or fields, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundred-fold, and eternal life (Matt. 19:29).
(What is here signified by “houses, brethren, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, and fields,” which are to be left for the name of the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10490.)
Jesus said, Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that I will do (John 14:13, 14);
“to ask in My name” is to ask from love and faith.
Many shall come in My name, saying, I am He; go ye not therefore after them (Luke 21:8; Mark 13:6);
“to come in My name” and “to say that I am He” is to proclaim falsities and to say that they are truths, and thus to lead astray. The like is signified by saying that they are the Christ, when they are not, in Matthew:
Many shall come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and shall lead many astray (Matt. 24:5, 11, 23-27);
for by “Jesus” is meant the Lord in respect to Divine good; and by “Christ” the Lord in respect to Divine truth (Arcana Coelestia, n. 3004-3005, 3009, 5502), and by not being Christ, truth not Divine, but falsity.
sRef Isa@26 @13 S4′ sRef Deut@16 @2 S4′ sRef Deut@16 @16 S4′ sRef Isa@26 @8 S4′ sRef Mal@1 @11 S4′ sRef Isa@43 @7 S4′ sRef Deut@5 @11 S4′ sRef Deut@16 @15 S4′ sRef Micah@4 @5 S4′ sRef Deut@16 @11 S4′ sRef Deut@16 @6 S4′ sRef Isa@12 @4 S4′ sRef Isa@41 @25 S4′ sRef Deut@10 @8 S4′ [4] The “name of the Lord,” in the New Testament means the like as the “name of Jehovah” in the Old, because the Lord there is Jehovah. Thus in Isaiah:
And in that day shall ye say, Confess ye to Jehovah, call upon His name (Isa. 12:4).
In the same:
O Jehovah, we have waited for Thee; to Thy name and to Thy memorial is the desire of our soul. By Thee will we make mention of Thy name (Isa. 26:8, 13).
In the same:
From the rising of the sun shall My name be called upon (Isa. 41:25).
In Malachi:
From the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same My name is great among the nations; and in every place incense is offered unto My name; for My name is great among the nations (Mal. 1:11).
In Isaiah:
Everyone that is called by My name I have created for My glory, I have formed him (Isa. 43:7).
In Micah:
All peoples walk in the name of their god, and we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God (Micah 4:5).
In Moses:
Thou shalt not take the name of thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that hath taken His name in vain (Deut. 5:11).
In the same:
Jehovah separated the tribe of Levi, that they should minister and bless in the name of Jehovah (Deut. 10:8).
In the same:
They shall worship Jehovah in one place, where He shall place His name (Deut. 12:5, 11, 13, 14, 18, 26; 16:2, 6, 11, 15, 16).
“Where He shall place His name” means where there shall be worship from the good of love and the truths of faith. This was done at Jerusalem; and therefore by “Jerusalem” the church in respect to doctrine and worship is signified (see in the small work on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 6).
sRef Isa@42 @8 S5′ sRef John@12 @28 S5′ sRef Matt@6 @9 S5′ sRef Jer@23 @5 S5′ sRef Jer@23 @6 S5′ sRef Isa@42 @6 S5′ [5] Since by the “name of Jehovah” or the “name of the Lord” is signified in the spiritual sense all worship from the good of love and the truths of faith, therefore in the highest sense by “name of Jehovah” is meant the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, for the reason that from His Divine Human everything of love and of faith proceeds. That by “name of Jehovah,” in the highest sense, the Lord is meant, is evident in John:
Jesus said, Father, glorify Thy name. There came a voice out of heaven, saying, I have both glorified and will glorify again (John 12:28).
In Isaiah:
I will give thee for a covenant to the people, for a light of the nations. I am Jehovah, this is My name, and My glory will I not give to another (Isa. 42:6, 8);
the coming of the Lord is here treated of. In Jeremiah:
Behold the days come that I will raise unto David a righteous shoot, and He shall reign as King, and this is His name, by which they shall call Him, Jehovah, our righteousness (Jer. 23:5, 6).
From this it is clear what is meant in the Lord’s prayer by the words:
Hallowed be Thy name (Matt. 6:9);
namely, that the Divine Human of the Lord is to be accounted holy, and to be worshiped.
sRef Luke@10 @20 S6′ sRef John@10 @3 S6′ sRef Matt@10 @42 S6′ sRef Rev@3 @4 S6′ sRef Matt@10 @41 S6′ [6] As this is meant by “the name of the Lord,” the meaning of the following passages can be seen. In John:
The shepherd of the sheep calleth his own sheep by their name (John 10:3).
In Luke:
Rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20).
And in Revelation:
Thou hast a few names in Sardis (Rev. 3:4).
He who does not know what “name” signifies in the Word cannot possibly know how these words are to be understood, in Matthew:
He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous one in the name of a righteous one shall receive a righteous one’s reward; and whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold [water] in the name of a disciple only, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward (Matt. 10:41, 42).
“To receive a prophet in the name of a prophet,” “a righteous one in the name of a righteous one,” and “to give drink in the name of a disciple,” signifies to love truth for the sake of truth, good for the sake of good, and to exercise charity from the faith of truth; for by “prophet” is signified truth, by “righteous one” is signified good, and by “disciple” good from truth; and “to give to drink of cold [water]” is to exercise charity from obedience; “in the name” of these is for the sake of what they are, thus for their sake. Who could ever understand these things unless he knew what “name” signifies?
[7] To love and to do truth for the sake of truth, and good for the sake of good, is to have affection for truth and good for their sake, and not for the sake of one’s own reputation, honor, or gain. Such affection of truth and good is a truly spiritual affection; but the affection of truth and good for the sake of one’s own reputation, honor, or gain, is a merely natural affection. And as those who love truth and good for the sake of truth and good, or because they are truth and good, are in the spiritual affection of truth and good, therefore it is said that they shall receive “a prophet’s reward” and “a righteous one’s reward;” which means that they are in the spiritual affection of truth and good, and this affection has reward in itself, because it has heaven in itself. (That the happiness of heaven is in the affection of loving and doing truth and good, without regard to reward as an end, thus for the sake of truth and good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6388, 6478, 9174, 9984. That “prophet” signifies one who teaches truth, thus also, in the abstract, truth that is taught, see n. 2534, 7269. That a “righteous one” signifies the good of love to the Lord, n. 2235, 9857. That “disciple” signifies good from truth, which is the good of charity, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397. That “to give drink” is to instruct in the goods and truths of faith, and thus to exercise charity, n. 3069, 3772, 4017, 4018, 8562, 9412; and that “name” signifies the quality of a thing, n. 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 3237; hence “the name of Jehovah,” or “the name of the Lord,” signifies every quality by which He is worshiped, n. 2724, 3006, 6674, 9310.)

sRef Rev@2 @3 S0′ 103. And hast not failed, signifies so far as they could. This is evident from the signification of “not failing,” in reference to those who are eager for the knowledges of truth and good, as being so far as they could; for in what now follows, a life according to these knowledges is treated of. Those who are in a life according to these go forward and do not fail; but those who are as yet in knowledges alone, go forward as far as they can, but do not yet have the light of life, from which is vigor.

sRef Rev@2 @4 S0′ 104. Verse 4. But I have against thee that thou hast left thy first charity, signifies that they do not make such a life as those lived who were in the church at its beginning, the essential of knowledges. This is evident from the signification of “first charity,” as being a life according to the knowledges of good and truth, such as those lived who were in the church at its beginning (of which presently); and from the signification of “leaving that charity,” as being not to make it the essential of knowledges; for those who are eager for the knowledges of truth and good, and who believe that they are saved thereby, make knowledges essential, and not life, when yet a life according to knowledges is the essential. But as this essential of the church and of salvation is treated of in what follows, more will there be said about it. Charity is life, because all life in accordance with the precepts of the Lord in the Word is called “charity;” therefore to exercise charity is to live according to those precepts. (That this is so, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, in the chapter on Love to the Neighbor or Charity, n. 84-106; and in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-39.) The life of the church at its beginning is here meant by “first charity;” for every church begins from charity, and successively turns away from it to faith alone or to meritorious works. (On which subject, and on charity, see what is shown in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that every church begins from charity, but in process of time turns away from it, n. 494, 501, 1327, 3773, 4689; thus to falsities from evil, and at length to evils, n. 1834, 1835, 2910, 4683, 4689; commonly to faith alone, n. 1834, 1835, 2231, 4683, 8094. A comparison of the church in its beginning and in its decline, with the rising and setting of the sun, n. 1837; and with the infancy and old age of man, n. 10134; that the church is not with man until the knowledges of good and truth have been implanted in the life, n. 3310; that charity constitutes the church, n. 809, 916, 1798, 1799, 1844, 1894; that the internal of the church is charity, n. 4766, 5826; that there would be one church, and not many, as at this day, if all were regarded from charity, although they might differ in respect to doctrinals of faith and rituals of worship, n. 1286, 1316, 1798, 1799, 1834, 1844, 2385, 2982, 3267, 3451; that worship of the Lord consists in a life of charity, n. 8254, 8256; that the quality of worship is according to the quality of charity, n. 2190.)

sRef Rev@2 @5 S0′ 105. Verse 5. Be mindful therefore of whence thou hast fallen, and repent, and do the first works, signifies the remembrance of former things, and the remembrance of having deviated from the truth; and this, in order that the good of life of the church at its beginning may come into mind. This is evident from the signification of “be mindful,” as being here the remembrance of former things; from the signification of “whence thou hast fallen,” as being deviation therefrom, thus deviation from the truth; from the signification of “repent,” as being that it may come into mind; and from the signification of “doing the first works,” as being the good of life of the church at its beginning. (That “works” mean all those things of life that proceed from love and faith, see n. 98; and that “first works,” which are of charity, are those of the church at its beginning, see just above, n. 104.) That a life in accordance with knowledges is the essential of the church, and not knowledges apart from such a life, can be seen by everyone who thinks about it; for knowledges, so long as there is no life according to them, reside in the memory only; and so long as they reside there only they do not affect man’s interiors; for memory is given to man to be a receptacle, from which may be taken what will be serviceable to the life; and things are serviceable to the life when a man wills them and does them.
[2] The whole spirit of man is nothing but his will; when, therefore, man becomes a spirit, he is unable to resist anything that is favored by his will, for the whole man strives after it. That this is so is well known in the spiritual world; and I have occasionally seen the trial made, whether a spirit could do anything contrary to his will, from which he exists, and it was found that he could not. From this it was clear that man’s will is what gives form to his spirit, and that man’s spirit after it has left the body is his will. Whether you say will or love it is the same, for what a man loves he wills; so whether you say that the spirit of man cannot resist his will, or that it cannot resist his love, it is the same. The knowledges of good and truth, before they enter a man’s will or love, contribute nothing whatever to his salvation, because they are not within the man: but out of him. But still knowledges are necessary, for without them man can know nothing of spiritual life, and he who knows nothing of spiritual life cannot become spiritual; for that which a man knows he can think, can will, and can do, but not that which he does not know. But yet if knowledges enter no deeper than into the memory and into thought therefrom, they do not affect him, and consequently do not save him.
[3] It is believed by many in the world at this day, especially by those who make faith alone the essential of the church, that to know doctrinals and from mere knowing to believe that they are true, saves man, however he may live; but I can affirm that no one is saved by these alone. I have seen many, even the most learned, cast into hell; but on the other hand, those who have lived according to the knowledges of truth and good from the Word I have seen raised up into heaven. From this it is clear that knowledges are of no avail, but a life according to them; and that knowledges merely teach how man ought to live. To live according to the knowledges of truth and good is to think that one must do thus and not otherwise because it is commanded by the Lord in the Word. When man thus thinks and thus wills and does, he becomes spiritual. Yet it is necessary for those within the church to believe in the Lord, and when they think of Him to think of His Divine in the Human, since from His Divine Human everything of charity and faith proceed.

sRef Rev@2 @5 S0′ 106. But if not, I will come unto thee quickly, and will move thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent, signifies that if not, it is certain that heaven will not be given. This is evident from the signification of “coming quickly,” as being for certain; (that “quickly” means what is certain, see above, n. 7); also from the signification of “lampstand,” as being the church and heaven (of which also see above, n. 62). Therefore, to “move the lampstand out of its place” means to separate from the church and heaven, or in other words, that heaven is not given to them. That to those who are in knowledges alone, and not in a life according to them, heaven is not given, see above (n. 104).

sRef Rev@2 @6 S0′ 107. Verse 6. But [this] thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate, signifies an aversion, derived from the Divine, towards those who separate good from truth or charity from faith, from which separation there is no life. This is evident from the signification of “thou hast that thou hatest,” as being aversion (it is aversion derived from the Divine, because it is said, “which I also hate”); also from the signification of “works,” as being the things of the mind, that works spring from (see above, n. 98); from the signification of the “Nicolaitans,” as being those who separate good from truth, or charity from faith, such as do this being without life. These have no life, because all spiritual life is from charity, and from faith separate from charity there is no life. For to know and think are of faith, but to will and to do are of charity. Those that separate charity from faith can know nothing whatever of what makes heaven and the church with man, thus of what makes spiritual life; for they do not think within themselves, but outside of themselves. To think outside of oneself is to think from memory only; for the memory is outside of the man, being as it were a court, through which is an entrance into the house and its chambers; and into the thought that is outside of man heaven cannot flow in, for heaven flows into the things that are within man, and through these into the things that are outside of him. Such, therefore, cannot be taught what makes heaven and the church, or life eternal; for everyone is taught from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord, about the things that pertain to life eternal; thus he is taught by way of his life, which is by way of his soul and heart. He is greatly deceived who supposes that those who separate charity from faith can be in the knowledges of truth. For such apprehend all things from themselves, and nothing from heaven; and the things that man apprehends from self, and not from heaven, are falsities, because he then thinks in darkness, and not in light. All light in such things as pertain to the church must come from heaven.
[2] It is true that there are many in the church who say that charity is the essential of the church, and not faith separate; but to say this and believe it, and not to live a life of charity, is not to make it the essential, but only to say that it is. Such, therefore, are in the same position as those who say that faith is the essential, for to them charity is a matter of faith alone, and not of life; consequently they cannot be illustrated. About such in the spiritual world something snow-like, as if of light, appears; but the light from which the snow-like appearance is derived is natural; and this light is such that when light from heaven, which is spiritual light, flows in, it is changed into darkness. Such dwell there towards the left, almost in the angle of the north and west. These are intelligent only so far as they have applied the knowledges of truth and good to life.
[3] All who are in the knowledges of truth and good, but not, conformably to these, in the good of life, may live a moral life equally with those who are in knowledges and through these in the good of life; yet their moral life is not spiritual but natural, because in their life they do not live sincerely, justly, and well from religion; and those who do not live well from religion cannot be conjoined with heaven; for it is religion that makes a man spiritual and conjoins him with the angels, who are purely spiritual. To live well from religion is to think, to will, and to do because it has been so enjoined in the Word, and because the Lord has commanded it; but to live not from religion is to think, to will, and to do from a regard solely to civil and moral laws. Such as these, since they have regard only to these laws, conjoin themselves to this world alone, for which these laws are; but the former have regard to the Lord, and thereby conjoin themselves to Him. Gentiles are saved solely by this, that in their life they have regard to religion, thinking and saying that they ought to do thus and not otherwise, because to do otherwise would be contrary to the laws of their religion, thus contrary to the Divine; and when they thus think, and act accordingly, they are endowed with spiritual life, which with them is of such quality that afterwards, in the spiritual world, they receive truths more readily than those Christians who, in what they do, give no thought to the Word, or to the doctrine of the church, which is from the Word.
[4] Those who do not think from religion do not have conscience, because they are not spiritual; consequently, if their external bonds, which are fears respecting the law and reputation, should be loosened with them, they would rush into every wickedness; while on the other hand, if external bonds, which are fears respecting the law and reputation, should be taken away from those who think from religion, they would still act sincerely, justly, and well; for they fear God, and are kept in a life of obedience and charity out of heaven from the Lord, to whom they are conjoined. Those who separate charity from faith are called “Nicolaitans” chiefly from the sound of that word in heaven, for its sound is from truth or faith, and not from good or charity. (That from the expressions in the Word it may be known whether they involve good or truth, thus also whether they involve the one separate from the other, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 241.)

sRef Luke@6 @48 S0′ sRef Matt@7 @26 S0′ sRef Luke@6 @49 S0′ sRef Luke@8 @20 S0′ sRef Luke@8 @21 S0′ sRef Matt@7 @24 S0′ sRef Luke@8 @19 S0′ sRef Luke@6 @47 S0′ sRef Matt@11 @15 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @43 S0′ sRef Mark@4 @23 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @7 S0′ sRef Mark@4 @9 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @23 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @15 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @13 S0′ sRef Mark@7 @16 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @14 S0′ 108. Verse 7. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church. This is evident from the signification of “He that hath an ear let him hear,” as being that he who understands should hearken, or obey (that to “hear” is to understand and to do, that is, to hearken, see above, n. 11); also from the signification of “the Spirit,” here the Spirit of God, as being Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3704, 5307,6788, 6982, 6993, 7001, 7499, 8302, 9199, 9228, 9229, 9303, 9407, 9818, 9820, 10330); and from the signification of “churches,” as being those who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity, that is, who are of the church, for no others are of the church. These words, namely, “He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith into the churches,” are said to each of the churches (here to the church of Ephesus; afterwards to the church in Smyrna, verse 11; in Pergamum, verse 17; in Thyatira, verse 29; in Sardis, chapter 3:6; in Philadelphia, verse 13; and in Laodicea, verse 22), in order that everyone who is of the church may know that it is not knowing and understanding the truths and goods of faith, or doctrinals, or even the Word, that makes the church, but hearkening, that is, understanding and doing; for this is signified by the words “He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Because this makes the church and forms heaven with man, and knowing and understanding, apart from doing, does not, therefore the Lord also uses the same words in several other places:
He that hath an ear to hear let him hear (as in Matt. 11:15; 12:43; Mark 4: 9, 23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35).
In Revelation it is added, “what the Spirit saith unto the churches;” since by this is signified what Divine truth teaches and says to those who are of the church, or what is the same, what the Lord teaches and says, for all Divine truth proceeds from Him (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13, 133, 137, 139); for this reason the Lord did not Himself say, “what the Spirit saith,” because He who spoke was the Divine truth.
[2] That knowing and understanding Divine truths does not make the church and form heaven with man, but knowing, understanding, and doing, the Lord teaches plainly in many passages; as in Matthew:
He that heareth these words of Mine and doeth them, is likened unto a prudent man, but he that heareth and doeth them not, is likened unto a foolish man (Matt. 7:24, 26).
In the same:
He that was sown upon good land, this is he that heareth the Word, and taketh heed and thence beareth fruit (Matt. 13:23).
In Luke:
Everyone that cometh to Me and heareth My words, and doeth them, I will show to whom he is like. He is like a man building a house, who laid the foundation on a rock. But he that heareth and doeth not is like a man that built a house upon the earth, without a foundation (Luke 6:47-49).
In the same:
My mother and My brethren are they who hear the Word of God and do it (Luke 8:21);
and in many other places. In these passages, “hearing” signifies simply hearing, which is knowing and understanding. “Hearing,” in common discourse, has this meaning when one is said “to hear” a thing; but it means both understanding and doing when it is said “give ear to,” or “hearken to,” also “listen to.” Moreover, those who have separated life from faith are like those of whom the Lord speaks in Matthew:
Seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand (Matt. 13:13-15; Ezek. 12:2).

sRef Rev@2 @7 S0′ 109. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, signifies that he who receives in the heart shall be filled with the good of love and with heavenly joy therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “overcoming,” as being to receive in the heart (of which in what follows); also from the signification of “eating,” as being to be appropriated and to be conjoined (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2187, 2343, 3168, 3813, 5643); and from the signification of “the tree of life,” as being the good of love and heavenly joy therefrom (of which also in what follows). “To overcome” is to receive in the heart, because everyone who is to receive spiritual life must fight against evils and falsities which belong to his natural life; and when he overcomes these he receives in the heart the goods and truths which belong to the spiritual life. To receive in the heart is to receive in the will and love, for “heart” in the Word signifies the will and love (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2930, 3313, 7542, 8910, 9050, 9113, 10336). To receive in the heart, then, is to do these from the will or love; this is what is meant by “overcoming.”
[2] “The tree of life” signifies the good of love and heavenly joy therefrom, because “trees” signify such things as are with man in his interiors, which are of his mind [mens] or disposition [animus]; “boughs” and “leaves” signifying those things that are of the knowledges of truth and good, and “fruits” the goods of life themselves. This signification of trees draws its origin from the spiritual world; for in that world trees of every kind are seen, and the trees that are seen correspond to the interiors of the angels and spirits which are of their mind; the most beautiful and fruitful trees to the interiors of those who are in the good of love and thence in wisdom; trees less beautiful and fruitful to those who are in the good of faith; but trees bearing leaves only, and without fruits, to those who are only in the knowledges of truth; and horrible trees, with noxious fruits, to those who are in knowledges and in evil of life. To those, however, who are not in knowledges, and who are in evil of life, no trees appear, but stones and sands instead. These appearances in the spiritual world really flow from correspondence, for the interiors of the minds of those there are by such effigies presented actually before their eyes. (These things may be better seen from two chapters in the work on Heaven and Hell; first, where the Correspondence of Heaven with all things of Earth is treated of, n. 103-115; and the other, where Representatives and Appearances in Heaven are treated of, n. 170-176, and in what follows there, n. 177-190.)
[3] It is from this that “trees” are so often mentioned in the Word, and by them are signified the things with men that belong to their minds; and from this it is also that in the first chapters of Genesis: two trees are said to have been placed in the garden of Eden, one called “the tree of life,” and the other “the tree of knowledge.” “The tree of life” there signifies the good of love to the Lord, and heavenly joy therefrom, which were with those who were then of the church, and who are meant by the “man” and his “wife;” and by “the tree of knowledge” is signified the delight of knowledges apart from any other use than to be accounted learned and to acquire repute for erudition solely for the sake of honor or gain. “The tree of life” also signifies heavenly joy, because the good of love to the Lord, which is specifically signified by that tree, has heavenly joy in it (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 395-414, and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 230-239).
sRef Ezek@20 @47 S4′ sRef Rev@8 @7 S4′ sRef Dan@4 @11 S4′ sRef Dan@4 @10 S4′ sRef Isa@60 @13 S4′ sRef Ezek@17 @24 S4′ sRef Joel@1 @12 S4′ sRef Isa@41 @19 S4′ sRef Dan@4 @12 S4′ [4] That “trees,” which are so often mentioned in the Word, signify the interiors of man which belong to his mind and disposition, and the things that are on trees, as leaves and fruit, signify such things as are from these interiors, can be seen from the following passages:
I will give in the desert the cedar, the shittah tree,* and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the wilderness the fir tree, the pine, and the box tree (Isa. 41:19).
The establishment of the church is there treated of:
The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine, and the box tree together, to deck the place of My sanctuary (Isa. 60:13).
All the trees of the field shall know that I, Jehovah, humble the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree to bud (Ezek. 17:24).
Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour the green tree in thee, and every dry tree (Ezek. 20:47).
The vine is withered, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, all the trees of the field are withered: joy is withered away from the sons of men (Joel 1:12).
When the angel sounded, there followed hail and fire, which fell upon the earth; and the third part of the trees was burnt up (Rev. 8:7).
Beltshasar** saw in a dream a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great. The leaves thereof were fair, and the flowers many, and in it was food for all (Dan. 4:10-12).
(Because “trees” in general signify such things as are with man and constitute the interiors of his mind, and so also the spiritual things that are of the church; and because both are of various kinds, therefore there are so many kinds of trees mentioned, each signifying something different. What the various kinds signify is shown in the Arcana Coelestia, as what is signified by the “oil tree,” n. 9277, 10261; what by the “cedar,” n. 9472, 9486, 9528, 9715, 10178; what by the “vine,” n. 1069, 5113, 6375, 6378, 9277; what by the “fig,” n. 217, 4231, 5113, etc.)
sRef Ps@1 @3 S5′ sRef Ps@1 @1 S5′ sRef Ps@1 @2 S5′ sRef Ps@148 @9 S5′ sRef Ps@104 @16 S5′ sRef Jer@17 @8 S5′ sRef Rev@22 @2 S5′ sRef Joel@2 @22 S5′ sRef Ezek@47 @12 S5′ [5] Moreover, the things that are on trees, as leaves and fruit, signify such things as are with man; “leaves,” the truths with him, and “fruits,” the goods, as in the following passages:
He shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and shall spread out his roots by the river; his leaf shall be green; neither shall he cease from yielding fruit (Jer. 17:8).
By the river flowing out from the house of God, upon the bank on this side and on that, ascendeth the tree of food, whose leaf falleth not off, nor is its fruit consumed; it is renewed in its months, because its waters issue out of the sanctuary, whence its fruit is for food, and its leaf for medicine (Ezek. 47:12).
In the midst of the street and of the river (flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb), on this side and on that, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations (Rev. 22:1, 2).
Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law; he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of waters, that bringeth forth its fruit in its time, whose leaf also doth not wither (Ps. 1:3).
Be not afraid, for the tree shall bear fruit, the fig tree and the vine shall yield their strength (Joel 2:22).
The trees of Jehovah are satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon which He hath planted (Ps. 104:16).
Praise Jehovah, ye fruit trees, and all cedars (Ps. 148:7, 9).
sRef John@15 @2 S6′ sRef Deut@20 @19 S6′ sRef Lev@23 @41 S6′ sRef Matt@3 @10 S6′ sRef Luke@13 @7 S6′ sRef Luke@13 @8 S6′ sRef Deut@20 @20 S6′ sRef Luke@13 @9 S6′ sRef Luke@13 @10 S6′ sRef Luke@13 @6 S6′ sRef John@15 @5 S6′ sRef John@15 @6 S6′ sRef Lev@25 @20 S6′ sRef Lev@25 @4 S6′ sRef John@15 @8 S6′ sRef John@15 @7 S6′ sRef Lev@23 @40 S6′ sRef Matt@12 @33 S6′ sRef John@15 @3 S6′ sRef John@15 @4 S6′ [6] Because “fruits” signified the goods of life with man, therefore it was commanded in the Israelitish church, which was a representative church, that the fruits of trees, like men themselves, should be circumcised, concerning which it is thus written:
The fruit of the tree serving for food in the land of Canaan shall be uncircumcised; three years shall they be uncircumcised. But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy, praises to Jehovah. And in the fifth year shall ye eat [of the fruit thereof] (Lev. 19:23-25).
Because the “fruits of the tree” signified the goods of life, it was also commanded:
That in the feast of tabernacles they should take the fruits of the tree of honor, and the boughs, and be glad before Jehovah, and thus should keep the feast (Lev. 23:40, 41).
For by “tabernacles” were signified the goods of heavenly love, and holy worship therefrom (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 414, 1102, 2145, 2152, 3312, 4391, 10545); and by the “feast of tabernacles” was signified the implantation of that good or love (n. 9296). Because “fruits” signified the goods of love which are goods of life:
It was amongst the blessings that the tree of the field should give its fruit, and among the curses that it should not bear fruit (Lev. 26:4, 20).
So also it was a command that when any city was besieged:
They should not lay the axe to any tree of good fruit (Deut. 20:19, 20).
From all this it can be seen that “fruits” signify the goods of love, or what is the same, the goods of life, which are also called “works,” as likewise in these passages in the Evangelists:
The axe lieth unto the root of the tree; every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire (Matt. 3:10; 7:16-21).
Either make the tree good and the fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and the fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit (Matt. 12:33; Luke 6:43, 44).
Every branch that beareth not fruit shall be taken away; but every branch that beareth fruit shall be pruned, that it may bring forth more fruit (John 15:2-8).
A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, but found none. And he saith unto the vine dresser, Behold, for three years I come seeking fruit from the fig tree, and find none; cut it down; why should it make the ground unfruitful? (Luke 13:6-9).
Jesus saw a fig tree by the way; He came to it, and found nothing thereon but leaves only; and He said, Nevermore from thee shall there be fruit. And immediately the fig tree withered away (Matt. 21:19; Mark 11:13, 14, 20).
The “fig tree” signifies the natural man and its interiors, and “fruits” signify his goods (Arcana Coelestia, n. 217, 4231, 5113); but “leaves” signify knowledges (n. 885). From this it is clear what is signified by the fig tree’s withering away because the Lord found on it leaves only and no fruit. All these passages are cited that it may be known what is signified by the “tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God,” namely, the good of love proceeding from the Lord, and heavenly joy therefrom.
* This is translated “the cedar of Shittah” in Arcana Coelestia, n. 9472, 9780, Apocalypse Explained, n. 294, 375, 730.
** In the Chaldee this is related of Nebuchadnezzar.

sRef Rev@2 @7 S0′ 110. Which is in the midst of the paradise of God, signifies that all the knowledges of good and truth in heaven and in the church look thereto and proceed therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “the midst,” as being the center to which all things that are round about look and from which they proceed (of which above, n. 97) and from the signification of “paradise,” as being the knowledges of good and truth and intelligence therefrom (Arcana Coelestia, n. 100, 108, 1588, 2702, 3220); and because these are signified by “paradise,” therefore by the “paradise of God” heaven is signified, and as heaven, so also the church is signified, for the church is the Lord’s heaven on the earth. Heaven and the church are called the “paradise of God,” because the Lord is in the midst of them, and from Him is all intelligence and wisdom. Since it has not been known heretofore that all things in the Word are written by correspondences, consequently that there are spiritual things in every particular that is mentioned therein, it is believed that by the “paradise” treated of in the second chapter of Genesis, a paradisal garden is meant. But no earthly paradise is there meant, but the heavenly paradise which those possess who are in intelligence and wisdom from the knowledges of good and truth (see above, n. 109; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 176, 185).
sRef Ezek@31 @9 S2′ sRef Ezek@31 @3 S2′ sRef Ezek@31 @8 S2′ sRef Isa@51 @3 S2′ sRef Ezek@28 @13 S2′ [2] From this it can be seen not only what is signified by the “paradise” or “garden in Eden,” but also by the “paradises” or “gardens of God” elsewhere in the Word, as in Isaiah:
Jehovah shall comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places, even that He may make her wilderness into Eden, and her desert into a garden of Jehovah; joy and gladness shall be found therein (Isa. 51:3).
In Ezekiel:
Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering (Ezek. 28:13).
These things are said of Tyre, because by “Tyre” in the Word a church that is in the knowledges of truth and good and in intelligence therefrom is signified (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1201); its intelligence therefrom is “Eden, the garden of God,” likewise “the precious stone” from which is its “covering” (see n. 114, 9863, 9865, 9868, 9873). In the same:
Behold Asshur a cedar in Lebanon. The cedars have not hid it in the garden of God; nor was any tree in the garden of God equal to it in beauty. I have made it beautiful by the multitude of its branches; and all the trees of Eden in the garden of God envied it (Ezek. 31:3, 8, 9).
By “Asshur” in the Word those who have become rational by the knowledges of good and truth, thus whose minds are illustrated from heaven, are meant. (That “Asshur” is the rational of man, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 119, 1186.)
[3] Something shall now be said to explain how it is to be understood that all knowledges of good and truth look to the good of love to the Lord and proceed therefrom, which is the significance of these words: “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” The good of love to the Lord is the Lord Himself, since the Lord is in the good of His love with man, spirit, and angel. That all knowledges of good and truth look thereto, or to the Lord, is known in the Christian church; for the doctrine of the church teaches that there is no salvation apart from the Lord, and also that all salvation is in the Lord.
The knowledges of good and truth, or doctrinals from the Word, teach how man can come to God and be conjoined to Him. (That no one can be conjoined to God except from the Lord and in the Lord, see Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 283, 296.) From this it can be seen that all things taught by the church from the Word look to the Lord and to love to Him, as the end to which [ad quem]. That all knowledges of good and truth, or all doctrinals from the Word, proceed from the Lord is also known in the church, for it is there taught that everything of love and everything of faith is from heaven, and that nothing is from man; and that no one can love God and believe in Him from himself. To love God and to believe in Him involve all things that the church teaches, called doctrinals and knowledges, since from these is God loved and believed in. There is no love and faith without previous knowledges; for without knowledges man would be empty.
sRef Rev@22 @2 S4′ sRef Ps@104 @16 S4′ [4] From this it follows that as everything of love and of faith proceeds from the Lord, so do all knowledges of good and truth which make and form love and faith. Because all knowledges of good and truth look to the Lord, and proceed from Him, and this is what is signified by “the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God,” therefore all the trees in paradise are called “trees of life” and “trees of Jehovah;” in Revelation “trees of life”:
In the midst of the street and of the river (flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb) on this side and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits (Rev. 22:2).
In David they are called “trees of Jehovah”:
The trees of Jehovah are satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon which He hath planted (Ps. 104:16).
From this also it is clear that by the “tree of life in the midst of paradise” is meant every tree there, in other words, every man in the midst of whom, that is, in whom is the Lord. From what has been shown here and in the preceding article, what is signified by the words, “The Lord will give to him that overcometh to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God,” may be learned.

sRef Rev@2 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @10 S0′ 111. Verses 8-11. And to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans write: These things saith the First and the Last, who was dead and is alive. I know thy works, and affliction, and poverty, but thou art rich; and the blasphemy of them who say that they are Jews and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Fear not the things which thou art to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall have affliction ten days: be thou faithful even till death, and I will give thee the crown of life. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death. 8. “And to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans write,” signifies for remembrance to those within the church, who wish to understand the Word, but do not yet understand, and are therefore as yet but little in the knowledges of truth and good, which nevertheless they desire in heart (n. 112); “These things saith the First and the Last,” signifies the Lord, who governs all things from the Divine Human, from firsts by means of ultimates (n. 113); “who was dead and is alive,” signifies that He has been rejected, and yet eternal life is from Him (n. 114, 115). 9. “I know thy works,” signifies love (n. 116); “and affliction,” signifies anxiety from a longing to know truths (n. 117); “and poverty, but thou art rich,” signifies acknowledgment that they know nothing from themselves (n. 118); “and the blasphemy of them who say that they are Jews and they are not,” signifies denunciation by those who think themselves to be in the knowledges of good and truth because they have the Word, and yet are not (n. 119); “but are a synagogue of Satan,” signifies doctrine of all falsities with these (n. 120). 10. “Fear not the things which thou art to suffer,” signifies that they should not grieve because such men persecute them (n. 121); “Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison,” signifies that those who are in falsities from evil will set about to deprive them of all truth from the Word (n. 122); “that ye may be tried,” signifies consequent increase of longing for truth (n. 123); “and ye shall have affliction ten days,” signifies that infestation and temptation therefrom will last for some time (n. 124); “be thou faithful even till death,” signifies steadfastness in truths to the end (n. 125); “and I will give thee the crown of life,” signifies wisdom and eternal happiness therefrom (n. 126). 11. “He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches,” signifies that he that understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church (n. 127). “He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death” signifies that he who is steadfast in the genuine affection of truth to the end of his life in the world shall come into the new heaven (n. 128).

sRef Rev@2 @8 S0′ 112. Verse 8. And to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans write, signifies for remembrance to those within the church who wish to understand the Word, but do not yet understand, and are therefore as yet but little in the knowledges of truth and good, which nevertheless they desire in heart. This is evident from the signification of “writing” as being for remembrance (see above, n. 95); and from the signification of the “angel of the church of the Smyrneans,” as being those within the church who wish to understand the Word but do not yet understand, and are therefore but little in the knowledges of truth and good, which nevertheless they desire in heart. That these are meant by the “angel of the church of the Smyrneans” is clear from the things written to that angel which follow: for who are meant by the angel of each church can be known only from the internal sense of the things written to him.
[2] In the things written to the angel of the Ephesian church, explained just above, those are described who are in the knowledges of truth and good, and not also, or not yet, in a life according to them. Here now those are described who are in the knowledges of truth and good, and at the same time in a life according to them; these, therefore, are in the affection of truth from a spiritual source; but the former are those who are in the affection of truth from a natural source. In general, there are affections of truth from two sources, namely, from a natural and from a spiritual source. Those who are in the affection of truth from a natural source look first to self and the world, and thence are natural; but those who are in the affection of truth from a spiritual source look first to the Lord and to heaven, and thence are spiritual. Man’s affection or love looks either downwards or upwards; those who look to self and the world look downwards, but those who look to the Lord and to heaven look upwards. A man’s interiors, which are of his mind, actually look in the same direction as his love or affection does, for love determines them; and such as is the determination of man’s interiors, which are of his mind, such after death does the man remain to eternity. Looking downwards or upwards is looking from love through the understanding, thus through the things that form and make the understanding, which are the knowledges of truth and good.
[3] In what is written to the angel of the Ephesian church, those within the church who are in the knowledges of truth and good, and not also, or not yet, in a life according to them, thus those who are in the affection of truth from a natural source, are described; and now in what is written to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans, those who are in the knowledges of truth and good, and also in a life according to them, thus those who are in the affection of truth from a spiritual source are described; and this because the former is the first [state] of the church, and the latter is the second. For no one can be introduced into the church and formed for heaven, except by knowledges from the Word. Without these man does not know the way to heaven, and without these the Lord cannot dwell with him. It can be seen that without the knowledges of truth and good from the Word no one can know anything of the Lord, of the angelic heaven, or of charity and faith; and that which a man does not know he cannot think, thus cannot will, and accordingly cannot believe and love. It is evident, therefore, that by means of knowledges man learns the way to heaven. It can also be seen that without the knowledges of truth and good from the Word the Lord cannot be present with man and lead him, for when man knows nothing of the Lord, of heaven, of charity and faith, his spiritual mind, which is the higher mind, and is intended to see by the light of heaven, is empty, and has nothing from the Divine in it. But the Lord cannot be with man except in His own with man, that is, in the things that are from Him. For this reason it was said that unless a man is in the knowledges of truth and good from the Word and in the life thereof, the Lord cannot dwell with him. From this, taken together, it follows that the natural man can by no means become spiritual without the knowledges of good and truth from the Word.
[4] By “the angel of the church of the Smyrneans” are meant those within the church who wish to understand the Word, but do not yet understand, and therefore are as yet but little in the knowledges of truth and good, which nevertheless they desire because they are in the spiritual affection of truth; and those who are in the spiritual affection of truth are also in the life of charity, for from that they have spiritual affection. The spiritual comes to man from no other source than from charity. Those who are in spiritual affection are interested in the Word, and desire nothing more earnestly than to understand it. But as there are innumerable things therein that they do not understand, because the Word in its bosom is spiritual and the spiritual includes infinite arcana, therefore, so long as man lives in the world and then sees from the natural man, he can be but little in the knowledges of truth and good, and in generals only, in which, however, innumerable things may be implanted when he comes into the spiritual world or heaven.
sRef Matt@13 @12 S5′ sRef Luke@6 @38 S5′ [5] A man who is in the affection of truth from a spiritual origin knows many more things than he knew before; for the general knowledges that he has are like vessels that can be filled with many things, and they are also actually filled when he comes into heaven. That this is so can be seen merely from this, that all the angels in heaven are from the human race, and yet they possess wisdom such as could be described only by what is unutterable and incomprehensible, as is well known. (That the angels of heaven are from no other source than the human race, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 311-317:, and in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 14-22.) This fullness of intelligence and wisdom is what is meant by the words of the Lord in Luke:
Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall be given into your bosom (Luke 6:38);
and in Matthew:
Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundantly (Matt. 13:12; 25:29);
and in Luke:
The lord said to the servant who from the pound given him gained ten pounds, Because thou hast been faithful in a very little, thou shalt have authority over ten cities (Luke 19:16, 17).
By “ten” is here signified much and full, and by “cities” intelligence and wisdom. (That “ten” signifies much and full, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1988, 3107, 4638; and the “cities” signify those things that are of intelligence and wisdom, n. 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, 3584, 4492, 4493, 5297.)

sRef Rev@2 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @1 S1′ 113. These things saith the First and the Last, signifies the Lord, who governs all things from the Divine Human, from firsts by means of ultimates. This is evident from the signification of “the First and the Last,” as being, in reference to the Lord, His ruling all things from firsts by means of ultimates (see above, n. 41). That it is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human who here and in what follows speaks to the angels of the churches, can be seen from the preceding chapter, where similar things are said of the Son of man; and the Son of man is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (see above, n. 63). This is clearly shown by bringing the passages together; for example, the Son of man is described in the preceding chapter as seen:
In the midst of the golden lampstands, having in his right hand seven stars (Rev. 1:13, 16).
These same things introduce what is written to the angel of the Ephesian Church in these words, “These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, that walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands” (verse 1 of this chapter).
sRef Rev@1 @18 S2′ sRef Rev@2 @8 S2′ sRef Rev@2 @12 S2′ sRef Rev@1 @17 S2′ sRef Rev@1 @14 S2′ sRef Rev@1 @18 S2′ sRef Rev@1 @15 S2′ sRef Rev@1 @16 S2′ [2] In the preceding chapter the Son of man is described thus:
I am the First and the Last; and the Living One; and I became dead; and behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages (Rev. 1:17-18).
These things here introduce what is written to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans, in these words; “These things saith the First and the Last, who was dead and is alive” (verse 8). In the preceding chapter the Son of man is described, that there was seen:
Out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword going forth (Rev. 1:16).
This introduces what is written to the angel of the church Pergamum, in these words:
These things saith He that hath the sharp two-edged sword (Rev. 1:12).
In the preceding chapter the Son of man is described, that He was seen to have:
Eyes as a flame of fire; and feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace (Rev. 1:14-15).
These things introduce what is written to the angel of the church in Thyatira, in these words:
These things saith the Son of God, that hath His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like unto burnished brass (Rev. 1:18).
[3] Similar things introduce what is written to the angels of the other three churches (of which in the following chapter). From this it can be seen that it is the Son of man who says the things that are written to the churches; and as by the “Son of man” the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is meant (as was shown above, n. 63), it follows that all that is written to the churches is from the Lord’s Divine Human; and from this it also follows that the Divine Human is the All in all things of the church, as it is the All in all things of Heaven. So here by His being “the First and the Last” is signified that the Lord from His Divine Human governs all things from firsts by means of ultimates. (That the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is the All in all things of heaven, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 7-12 and n. 78-86, and the rest there. And as the Lord is the All in all things of heaven, He is also the All in all things of the church, for the church is the kingdom of the Lord on the earth.) This I can affirm, that no one who is within the church, and does not acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in His Human, can enter heaven. To acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in His Human is to think of His Divine when thinking of His Human. That it must be so thought of is because the whole heaven is from His Divine Human (as may be seen shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, from beginning to end; and above in the explanation of Revelation, n. 10, 49, 52, 82).

sRef John@1 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @8 S0′ 114. Who was dead and is alive, signifies that He has been rejected, and yet eternal life is from Him. This is evident from the signification of being “dead,” as being, in reference to the Lord, to have been rejected (of which see above, n. 83); also from the signification of “being alive,” as being that eternal life is from Him (of which also above, n. 84). The Lord is said to have been rejected when He is not approached and worshiped; and also when He is approached and worshiped in respect to His Human only, and not at the same time in respect to the Divine; therefore He is rejected at the present time within the church by those who do not approach and worship Him, but pray to the Father to have compassion for the sake of the Son, when yet neither man nor angel can ever approach the Father and worship Him immediately; for the Divine is invisible, and with it no one can be conjoined by faith and love; since what is invisible does not come into the idea of thought, nor, consequently, into the affection of the will; and what does not fall into the idea of thought does not fall within the faith; for the things that are to be of faith must be thought of. So also what does not enter into the affection of the will does not enter into love, for what is to be of the love must affect man’s will, for all the love that man has resides in the will (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 28-35).
sRef John@14 @9 S2′ sRef John@14 @10 S2′ sRef John@10 @30 S2′ sRef John@14 @6 S2′ sRef Matt@11 @27 S2′ sRef John@15 @5 S2′ sRef John@14 @7 S2′ sRef John@5 @37 S2′ sRef John@14 @8 S2′ sRef John@1 @18 S2′ sRef John@10 @38 S2′ sRef John@14 @11 S2′ [2] But the Divine Human of the Lord does come into the idea of the thought and thus into faith, and from that into the affection of the will, that is, into love. From this it is clear that there is no conjunction with the Father except from the Lord, and in the Lord. This the Lord Himself teaches with the utmost clearness in the Evangelists, as in John:
No one hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath brought Him forth to view (John 1:18).
In the same:
Ye have neither heard the Father’s voice at any time, nor seen His shape (John 5:37).
In Matthew:
No one knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whom the Son willeth to reveal Him (Matt. 11:27).
In John:
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father but through Me (John 14:6).
In the same :
If ye know Me ye know My Father also; he that seeth Me seeth the Father. Philip, believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? Believe Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me (John 14:7-11).
And that the Father and the Lord are one (John 10:30, 38).
I am the vine, ye are the branches; apart from Me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).
[3] From this it can be seen that the Lord has been rejected by those within the church who approach the Father immediately and pray to Him to have compassion for the sake of the Son; for these cannot do otherwise than think of the Lord’s Human as they think of the human of another man, thus they cannot think at the same time of His Divine as being in the Human, still less of His Divine as conjoined with His Human as the soul is conjoined with the body, according to the doctrine received throughout the universal Christian world (see above, n. 10, 26). Who is there in the Christian world, acknowledging the Divinity of the Lord, that is willing to be one who would place the Lord’s Divine outside of His Human? When yet to think of the Human only, and not at the same time of His Divine in the Human, is to view the two as separated, which is not to view the Lord, nor the two as one person; and yet the doctrine received throughout Christendom is, that the Divine and the Human of the Lord are not two persons but a single person.
[4] It is true that men of the church at this day, when they speak from the doctrine of the church think of the Divine of the Lord in His Human; but when they think and speak by themselves aside from doctrine, it is altogether otherwise. But be it known, that man is in one state when he is thinking and speaking from doctrine, and in another when he is thinking and speaking aside from doctrine. When man is thinking and speaking from doctrine, his thought and speech are from the memory of his natural man; but when he is thinking and speaking aside from doctrine, his thought and speech are from his spirit; for to think and speak from the spirit, is to think and speak from the interiors of one’s mind, from which is his real faith. Moreover, man’s state after death becomes such as were the thought and speech of his spirit by himself aside from doctrine, and not such as they were from doctrine, if the latter was not one with the former.
[5] Man does not know that he has two states in respect to faith and love; one when in doctrine and another aside from doctrine; but that the state of his faith and love aside from doctrine is what saves him, and not the state of his speech respecting faith and love from doctrine, unless the latter state makes one with the former. Yet to think and speak from doctrine respecting faith and love is to speak from the natural man and its memory, as is evident merely from this, that the evil, when with others, can think and speak thus equally with the good. For the same reason also evil preachers equally with good, or preachers that have no faith equally with those that have faith, can preach the Gospel, and, to appearance, with similar zeal and affection. This is because the man, as has been said, then thinks and speaks from his natural man and its memory. But to think from one’s spirit is not to think from the natural man and its memory, but from the spiritual man, and from its faith and affection. Merely from this it is clear that man has two states, and that it is the latter state, not the former, that saves him; for man after death is a spirit; therefore such as he was in the world in respect to his spirit, such he remains after his departure out of the world.
[6] Moreover, it has been given me to know from much experience that the man of the church has these two states. For after death, man can be let into either state, and is also actually let into both. Many of these, when they have been let into the former state, have spoken like Christians, and from such speech have been believed by others to be Christians; but as soon as they were remitted into the latter state, which was the real state of their spirit they spoke like devilish spirits, and altogether in opposition to what they had spoken before (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 491-498, 499-511).
[7] From this it can be seen how the statement is to be understood that the Lord has been at this day rejected by those within the church; namely, that although it is held from doctrine that the Divine of the Lord must be acknowledged and believed in the same degree as the Divine of the Father, for the doctrine of the church teaches that “As is the Father so also is the Son, uncreate, infinite, eternal, omnipotent, God, Lord, and neither of them greater or less, before or after the other” (see the Creed of Athanasius); yet they do not approach and worship the Lord and His Divine, but the Divine of the Father; this they do when they pray to the Father to have mercy for the sake of the Son; and when they say this they do not think at all of the Divine of the Lord, but they think of His Human as separated from the Divine, thus of His Human as similar to the human of any other man; and then they also think not of one God, but of two, or three. To think in this way of the Lord is to reject Him; for by not thinking of His Divine at the same time that they think of His Human, by the separation they thrust out the Divine. Yet these are not two, but one person, and make one as soul and body do.
[8] I once spoke with spirits who when they lived in the world were of the popish religion, and I asked whether in the world they ever thought about the Divine of the Lord? They said that they thought about it whenever they saw from doctrine, and that they then acknowledged His Divine to be equal with the Divine of the Father, but that apart from doctrine, they thought of His Human only, and not of His Divine. They were asked why they say that the power which His Human had was given to it by the Father and not by Himself, since they acknowledged His Divine to be equal with that of the Father? At this they turned away, making no answer. But it was said to them, that it was because they transferred to themselves all His Divine power, and that they could not have done this unless they had separated the Divine from the Human. That with them the Lord has been rejected, everyone may conclude from this, that they worship the pope instead of the Lord, and that they no longer attribute any power to the Lord.
[9] I will here also mention a great scandal heard from the pope called Benedict XIV. He openly declared that when he lived in the world he believed that the Lord had no power, because He had transferred it all to Peter, and after him to his successors; adding his belief that their saints have more power than the Lord, because they hold it from God the Father, while the Lord resigned it all and gave it to the popes; yet that He is still to be worshiped, because otherwise the pope is not worshiped with sanctity. But because this pope even after death claimed the Divine for himself, after a few days he was cast into hell.

sRef Rev@2 @8 S0′ 115. The Lord said to the angel of this church, “I am the First and the Last, who was dead and is alive,” because those within the church that are in the spiritual affection of truth are here treated of. These are such as search out truths from the Word, and when they find them they rejoice in heart, solely because they are truths. Those also are here treated of who are in a merely natural affection of truth. These are such as do not search for truths, nor rejoice in them because they are truths, but they simply acquiesce in the doctrinals of their church, not caring whether they are true or false; these they learn with the memory only, confirming them also by the sense of the letter of the Word; and doing this solely for the sake of acquiring repute, honors, or gain. It is with such that the Lord is “dead,” that is, rejected. The spiritual affection of truth, which is loving truth because it is truth, exists only with those who are conjoined to the Lord by the acknowledgment of His Divine in the Human, and by faith in it; since all the truth of heaven and all the truth of the church is from no other source than the Lord’s Divine Human; for out of this proceeds Divine truth, which is called “the Spirit of Truth,” or “the Holy Spirit.” From this the angels of heaven have all their affection of truth and all their wisdom (that this is so, see in the work on Heaven and Hell n. 126-140, 265-275, 346-356). It is with these that the Lord is alive.

sRef Rev@2 @9 S0′ 116. Verse 9. I know thy works, signifies love. This is evident from the signification of “works,” as being the things that are of the will or love, since works proceed therefrom, and that from which anything proceeds constitutes the all in that which proceeds, as cause does in effect, for when the cause is taken away or ceases the effect ceases. So it is with man’s will and works therefrom; will is the cause and works are the effects, and it is well known that when will ceases work ceases. From this it is clear that “works” in relation to cause are the will.
The will of man is spiritual, but works therefrom are natural; therefore here by “works,” in the spiritual sense, the will is meant. By “works” is meant also the love, because what a man loves that he wills, and what in heart he wills that he loves; and if you look more deeply you will see that all things of man’s interior will are of his love. Yet in common discourse we speak of man’s love, not of his will, because the loves are manifold, and there are many in one man, and all are together in the will, which is perceived by man as a one, because he distinguishes between will and understanding. The will, therefore, is man’s spiritual itself, because love is spiritual. “Works” are mentioned in the Word, and not the will or love (as here and in what follows, to the angels of the churches, “I know thy works,” and not “I know thy will,” or “thy love”), because all things that are in the sense of the letter of the Word are natural, and contain within them things spiritual; to bring out, therefore, the spiritual sense of the Word, the spiritual, which is in the natural or from which the natural proceeds, is to be explored.

sRef Rev@2 @9 S0′ 117. And affliction, signifies anxiety from a longing to know truths. This is evident from the signification of “affliction,” as being anxiety of mind from a longing to know truths; for those who wish to understand the Word, but who do not as yet well understand it, are here treated of (see above, n. 112), and these are in anxiety as to the spirit when they do not understand. That these have such anxiety when they do not understand, none can know except those who are in the affection of truth for the sake of truth, that is, who are in spiritual affection; who these are may be seen above (n. 115). The reason of this is, that such are conjoined to the angels of heaven, and angels continually long for truths, because they long for intelligence and wisdom; they long for these as a hungry man longs for food. For this reason also intelligence and wisdom are called spiritual food. This longing also man has from infancy, for when he is an infant, and afterwards when a child, he is conjoined to heaven, and this longing is from heaven; but with those who turn themselves to the world it perishes. From this it may be known what is the anxiety of mind or spiritual anxiety that is here signified by “affliction.”
[2] They have such anxiety when they read the Word and do not well understand it, because all the truths of heaven and the church are from the Word, and lie concealed therein in its spiritual sense, and are not opened to any except such as are conjoined to heaven, since that sense of the Word is in heaven. Yet the spiritual sense itself of the Word does not flow in with man out of heaven, but it flows into his affection, and through this into the knowledges that he has, and thus kindles his longing, and he then receives the genuine truths of the church so far as he can see them from the literal sense of the Word. Everyone who is in the spiritual affection of truth is conscious that the things that he knows are few, and the things that he does not know are infinite. He is aware, moreover, that knowing and acknowledging this is the first step towards wisdom; and that those who pride themselves on the things they know, and believe themselves on account of these to be most intelligent, have not reached this first step. Such persons also commonly glory more from falsities than from truths, for they have regard to their own reputation, and are affected by that alone, and not by truth itself. Such are they who are in natural affection only and in longing from that (see above, n. 115).

sRef Rev@2 @9 S0′ 118. And poverty, but thou art rich, signifies the acknowledgment that they know nothing from themselves. This is evident from the signification of “poverty,” as being the acknowledgment of heart that they know nothing from themselves (of which presently); and from the signification of “but thou art rich,” as being the affection of spiritual truth (of which also presently). That by “poverty” spiritual poverty is here meant, and that by “thou art rich” is meant to be spiritually rich, is clear, since these things are said to the church. To be spiritually poor, and yet to be rich, is to acknowledge in heart that one has no knowledge nor understanding nor wisdom from himself, but that he knows, understands, and is wise wholly from the Lord. In such acknowledgment are all the angels of heaven, wherefore they are also intelligent and wise, and this in the same degree in which they are in the acknowledgment and perception that this is the case. For they know and perceive that nothing of the truth that is called the truth of faith, and nothing of the good that is called the good of love, is from themselves, but that these are from the Lord; they also know and perceive that all things that they understand and in which they are wise have reference to the truth of faith and to the good of love; and from this again they know that all their intelligence and wisdom is from the Lord; and because they know and acknowledge this, and also wish and love it to be so, Divine truth from which are all intelligence and wisdom continually flows in from the Lord, and this they receive in the measure in which they are affected by it, that is, love it. But, on the other hand, the spirits of hell believe that all things which they think and will, and thence speak and do, are from themselves, and nothing from God; for they do not believe in a Divine; consequently, instead of intelligence and wisdom they have insanity and folly, for they think contrary to truth, and will contrary to good, and this is to be insane and foolish. Every man who is in the love of self does the same; he cannot do otherwise than attribute all things to self, because he looks only to self; and because he does this he is not in any acknowledgment that all intelligence and wisdom are from the Lord; consequently, when such persons think with themselves, they think contrary to the truths and goods of the church and of heaven, although when speaking with men they talk otherwise, from a fear of losing their reputation.
[2] From this it can be known what “poverty” in the spiritual sense means. He who is spiritually poor is nevertheless rich, because he is in the spiritual affection of truth; for into this affection intelligence and wisdom from the Lord flow; for everyone’s affection receives and imbibes things congenial to it, as a sponge does water; therefore the spiritual affection of truth receives and imbibes spiritual truths, which are the truths of the church, from the Word. The spiritual affection of truth has no other source than the Lord, because the Lord is Divine truth in heaven and in the church, for Divine truth proceeds from Him. And as the Lord loves to lead everyone to Himself, and to save him, and this He can do only by the knowledges of good and truth from the Word, so the Lord loves to impart these to man, and make them of his life, for in this way and no other can He lead man to Himself and save him. From this it is manifest that all spiritual affection of truth is from the Lord, and that no one can be in that affection unless he acknowledges the Divine of the Lord in His Human, for by such acknowledgment there is conjunction, and according to conjunction there is reception. (On this more may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, where it treats of The Wisdom of the Angels of Heaven, n. 265-275; and of The Wise and the Simple in Heaven, n. 346-356, and elsewhere in the same work, n. 13, 19, 25, 26, 133, 139, 140, 205, 297, 422, 523, 603; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 11-27; and above, in the explanation of Revelation, n. 6, 59, 112, 115, 117.
sRef Isa@41 @17 S3′ sRef Isa@14 @30 S3′ sRef Luke@14 @21 S3′ sRef Matt@5 @6 S3′ sRef Luke@6 @21 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @35 S3′ sRef Luke@6 @20 S3′ sRef Matt@5 @3 S3′ sRef Isa@41 @18 S3′ [3] In the Word, “the poor and needy” are mentioned here and there, also the “hungry and thirsty.” By “the poor and needy” are signified those who believe that of themselves they know nothing; and also those who are destitute of knowledge because they have not the Word; and by the “hungry and thirsty” are signified those who continually long for truths, and long to be perfected by means of truths. These two classes are meant by the “poor,” the “needy,” the “hungry,” and the “thirsty,” in the following passages:
Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled (Matt. 5:3, 6).
Blessed are the poor; for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. Blessed are ye that hunger; for ye shall be filled (Luke 6:20, 21).
To the poor the Gospel shall be preached, and the poor hear the Gospel (Luke 7:22; Matt. 11:5).
The master of the house said to the servant that he should go out into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor (Luke 14:21).
Then the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down with confidence (Isa. 14:30).
I was an hungered and ye gave Me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me to drink (Matt. 25:35).
The poor and the needy seek water, and there is none, their tongue faileth for thirst, I, Jehovah, will answer them. I will open rivers on the heights, and fountains will I place in the midst of the valleys (Isa. 41:17-18).

From this last passage it is clear that the “poor and needy” are those who long for the knowledges of good and truth, for the “water” that such seek is truth. (That “water” is the truth of faith, see above, n. 71.) Their longing is here described by “their tongue fainting for thirst,” and the abundance they are to have by “rivers being opened on the heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys.”
[4] Those who do not know that by the “rich” are signified those who have the Word and who thence can be in the knowledges of truth and good, and that by the “poor” are signified those who have not the Word, and yet long for truths, know no other than that by the “rich man” in Luke (16:19 seq.) “who was clothed in purple and fine linen,” are meant the rich in the world, and that by the “poor man” who “was laid at his gate, and desired to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table,” are meant the poor in this world. But by the “rich man” there the Jewish nation is meant, which had the Word, and might from it have been in the knowledges of truth and good; and by the “poor man” are there meant the Gentiles that had not the Word and yet longed for the knowledges of truth and good. The rich man is described as “clothed with purple and fine linen,” because “purple” signifies genuine good (Arcana Coelestia, n. 9467), and the “fine linen” genuine truth (Arcana Coelestia, n. 5319, 9469, 9596, 9744), both from the Word. The poor man is described as “laid at the rich man’s gate, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table,” because by “to be laid at the gate” is meant to be rejected, and to be deprived of the opportunity to read and understand the Word; and “wishing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table” means to long for some truths from the Word, for “food” signifies the things of knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom and in general, good and truth (Arcana Coelestia, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5410, 5426, 5576, 5582, 5588, 5655, 8562, 9003); and “table” signifies a receptacle for these (Arcana Coelestia, n. 9527). As the poor man was in that longing, which is the same as the spiritual affection of truth, it is said of him that “he was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom,” by which is signified to be raised into an angelic state in respect to intelligence and wisdom; “Abraham’s bosom” is the Divine truth that is in heaven, for those who are in that are with the Lord. (That “Abraham” in the Word signifies the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2010, 2833, 2836, 3245, 3251, 3305, 3439, 3703, 6098, 6185, 6276, 6804, 6847.)
sRef Luke@1 @53 S5′ [5] The like that is signified here by the “rich man” and the “poor man who hungered” is signified by the “rich” and the “hungry” in Luke:
The hungry He hath filled with good, and the rich He hath sent empty away (Luke 1:53).
(That by “riches” in the Word are meant spiritual riches, which are the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1694, 4508, 10227; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 365; and in a contrary sense, the knowledges of what is false and evil, which are confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word, Arcana Coelestia, n. 1694.) That “riches” in the Word signify the knowledges of truth and good, and intelligence and wisdom therefrom, is from correspondence; for with the angels in heaven all things appear as if refulgent with gold, and silver, and precious stones; and this so far as they are in the intelligence of truth and in the wisdom of good. Also with the spirits who are below the heavens there are riches in appearance according to the reception of truth and good from the Lord with them.

sRef Rev@2 @9 S0′ 119. And the blasphemy of them who say that they are Jews and they are not, signifies denunciation by those who think themselves to be in the knowledges of good and truth because they have the Word, and yet they are not. This is evident from the signification of “blasphemy,” as being reviling and denunciation; and from the signification of “Jews,” as being those who are in the knowledges of good and truth from the Word; for “Judah,” in the highest sense of the Word, signifies the Lord in respect to celestial love, in the internal sense the Lord’s celestial kingdom and the Word, and in the external sense doctrine from the Word, which is of the celestial church (see Arcana Coelestia, 3881, 6363). From this it can be seen that by the “blasphemy of them who say that they are Jews and they are not,” is signified reviling and denunciation by those who say that they acknowledge the Lord, and are in His kingdom and in true doctrine, because they have the Word, and yet they are not; in general, those who say that they are in the knowledges of good and truth from the Word, and yet are in falsities and evils.
[2] Those who know nothing of the internal sense of the Word cannot know otherwise than that by “Judah” and “Jews,” in the prophetical parts of the word, are meant Judah and the Jews; these, however are not there meant by their names, but all who are in the true doctrine of the church, thus who are in the knowledges of good and truth from the Word; and in the contrary sense, those who are in false doctrine, thus who have adulterated the truths and goods of the Word. That Judah and the Jews are not meant can be seen merely from this, that there is an internal sense in every particular of the Word, and also in the names of persons and places; and that nothing is treated of in this sense except what pertains to heaven and the church; such things, therefore, must also be signified by the names “Judah” and “Israel.” And as with them a church was instituted in which all things were representative and significative of things heavenly, so by their names was signified that which essentially makes the church, namely, in the highest sense, the Lord Himself; in the internal sense His Word; and in the external sense doctrine from the Word, as was said above. From this it is clear how greatly those are mistaken who believe, according to the letter, that the Jews are to be brought back into the land of Canaan, and that they have been chosen and destined for heaven in preference to others; when yet but few from that nation are saved, since none are saved except those who believe in the Lord; and he who believes in the Lord in the world, believes in Him after death; but that nation has altogether rejected Him from its faith.
sRef Gen@49 @10 S3′ sRef Gen@49 @11 S3′ sRef Gen@49 @9 S3′ [3] That by “Judah” is meant the Lord in respect to His kingdom and the Word can be seen from the prophecy of Israel regarding his sons; when this is unfolded by the internal sense it is clear what each tribe represented in the church. It is clearly evident that the tribe of Judah represented the Lord’s kingdom, or the church where the Word is; for it is said of Judah:
Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up. The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and upon Him shall the clinging of the people be; who shall bind to the vine the foal of His ass, and to the noble vine the son of His she-ass; whilst He shall have washed His garment in wine, and His vesture in the blood of grapes (Gen. 49:9-11).
That these particulars signify the Lord’s kingdom or the church, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, where they are explained.
sRef Joel@3 @6 S4′ sRef Joel@3 @18 S4′ sRef Isa@48 @1 S4′ sRef Joel@3 @20 S4′ [4] He who knows that by “Judah” is meant in the highest sense the Lord, and in the internal sense His kingdom and the Word, and in the external sense doctrine from the Word, also in a contrary sense those who deny the Lord and adulterate the Word, can know what is signified by “Judah” in very many passages of the Word, as in the following:
Hear ye, O house of Jacob, called by the name of Israel, and who are come forth out of the waters of Judah (Isa. 48:1).
The “house of Jacob” and “Israel” is the church; “to come forth out of the waters of Judah” signifies out of doctrine from the Word, for the church is from that. That “waters” denote the truths of doctrine out of the Word, see above (n. 71).
The sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the sons of the Grecians, that ye may remove them far from their borders. It shall come to pass in that day that all the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall go forth out of the house of Jehovah, and Judah shall sit to eternity (Joel 3:6, 18, 20).
“To sell the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of the Grecians” is to falsify the goods and truths of the church; “in that day” means when there is an end of that church and a new church has been established among the Gentiles; “all the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters” signifies the abundance of truth and good from the Word, for those who are in the new church; that these are from the Word is signified by the “fountain going forth out of the house of Jehovah.” From this it is evident that by “Judah,” who “shall sit to eternity,” is not meant Judah or the Jewish nation, but all those who are in good by means of truths from the Word.
sRef Zech@2 @11 S5′ sRef Hos@1 @11 S5′ sRef Isa@65 @9 S5′ sRef Zech@10 @6 S5′ sRef Ps@69 @35 S5′ sRef Hos@1 @7 S5′ sRef Ps@69 @36 S5′ sRef Zech@2 @12 S5′ sRef Zech@10 @3 S5′ [5] Like things are meant by “Judah” in the following passages:
I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them. And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall put over themselves one head, and they shall go up from the land; for great is the day of Jehovah* (Hos. 1:7, 11).
Then many nations shall join themselves to Jehovah in that day; they shall be to Me for a people, for I will dwell in thee; then Jehovah shall make Judah an heritage in Himself, His portion upon the land of holiness, and shall again choose Jerusalem (Zech. 2:11, 12).
Jehovah Zebaoth shall visit His flock, the house of Judah, and shall make them a horse of glory in war; I will render the house of Judah powerful (Zech. 10:3, 6).
God shall save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah; and they shall dwell there, and inherit it; the seed also of His servants shall inherit it; and they that love the name of Jehovah shall dwell therein (Ps. 69:35, 36).
I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains; that My chosen may possess it (Isa. 65:9);
besides very many other places. That the Jewish nation is not meant in the Word in these and other places, where they are called “chosen” and “heirs,” may be seen from what is cited respecting that nation from the Arcana Coelestia, in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem (n. 248). From this now can be seen what is signified by the “blasphemy of them who say that they are Jews, and they are not.”
* In Hebrew “Jezreel,” instead of “Jehovah”; in Doctrine of the Lord, n. 4, we have “Israel,” cf. Arcana Coelestia, n. 3580.

sRef Rev@2 @9 S0′ 120. But are a synagogue of Satan, signifies the doctrine of all falsities with these. This is evident from the signification of “synagogue,” as being doctrine (of which presently); and from the signification of “Satan,” as being the hell from which are all falsities. There are two kinds of hells, one in which those are who are in evils, and the other in which those are who are in the falsities of evil. The hell in which those are who are in evils is called, in one word, Devil, and that in which those are who are in the falsities of evil is called, in one word, Satan. That the hells are thus named is totally unknown to those who know nothing about the hells, but have adopted the belief that the devil was created an angel of light, and because he rebelled was cast down with his crew, and thus hell was made. (That the hells are called Devil and Satan may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 311, 544, 553; and in the small work on The Last Judgment, in the chapter where it is shown that Heaven and Hell are from the Human Race, n. 14-22.)
[2] Let it be known, moreover, that as all goods and truths are from the Lord out of the heavens, so all evils and falsities are out of the hells. He is greatly deceived who believes that goods and truths have any other source than out of the heavens from the Lord, or that evils and falsities have any other source than out of the hells. Man is simply a receptacle of these, and to whichever he turns himself of that he is a recipient. If he turns himself towards heaven, which is effected by the goods of love and the truths of faith, he receives goods and truths from the Lord; but if he turns himself towards hell, which is effected by the evils of love and falsities of faith, he receives evils and falsities from the hells. Now as all evils and falsities are from the hells, and as the hells are called, in one word, either Devil or Satan, it follows that by Devil are also signified all evils, and by Satan all falsities. From this it is that by a “synagogue of Satan” the doctrine of all falsities is signified.
[3] By “synagogue” doctrine is signified, because in the synagogues there was instruction, and differences in matters of doctrine were also adjusted. That there was instruction in the synagogues is evident from Matt. 4:23; 9:35; 13:54; Mark 1:21, 22, 29, 39; 6:2; Luke 4:15, 16, 44; 13:10, 14; John 18:20. That differences in matters of doctrine were adjusted in the synagogues may be inferred from what is said in Matt. 10:17; Mark 13:9; Luke 12:11; 21:12; John 9:22; 12:42; 16:2, 3. That with the Jewish nation there was the doctrine of all falsities can be seen from many things known as to that nation; namely, that they denied the Lord; that they wish for a Messiah whose kingdom will be upon the earth, and who will exalt them above all other nations in the world; that they place all worship in externals, and reject the internals of worship, which are of faith in the Lord and of love to Him; that they apply all things in the Word to themselves; and falsify it by traditions of their own invention (see Matt. 15:6-9; Mark 7:1-13). Again, what the quality of that nation in respect to their interiors has been from the beginning can be seen from the song of Moses (Deut. 32), and elsewhere in many passages (see also the quotations from the Arcana Coelestia, in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 248).

sRef Rev@2 @10 S0′ 121. Verse 10. Fear not the things which thou art to suffer, signifies that they should not grieve because such men persecute them. This is evident from the signification of “fear not,” as being, in reference to those about to suffer persecutions, that they should not grieve in mind; for fear with these is also grief; and from the signification of “the things which thou art to suffer,” namely, from those who are in the doctrine of all falsities, as being that such are about to persecute. The persecution of those who are in the spiritual affection of truth, by those who are in falsities, is now treated of. This can best be seen from those who are of this character in the world of spirits (of which world see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 421-535), for there the quality of everyone in respect to his interiors, which are of thought and intention, is manifest; since everyone there is in himself, because he is a spirit, and the spirit is what thinks and intends.
All spirits there are either conjoined with the hells or conjoined with the heavens. Those who are conjoined with the hells, as soon as they perceive anyone to be in the spiritual affection of truth begin to burn with hatred, and strive to destroy him; they cannot endure the sight of him. Very many of them, if they only perceive for a moment the delight of the spiritual affection of truth, which is the delight itself of heaven, become as if insane, and nothing is then more delightful to them than to destroy that delight. From this it is evident that all the hells are opposed to the spiritual affection of truth, and that all the heavens are in it. It would be similar among men on the earths if they were in the perception in which spirits are; but as they are not in such perception, and therefore do not know who are in spiritual affection, they remain quiet and act in a friendly manner towards each other, in accordance with the delights of the world. But this disposition displays itself in the churches, among those who are zealous in religious matters. It also becomes evident with those who are in that spiritual affection, in this way, that falsities break in upon their thoughts, endeavoring to extinguish their longing and the delight thence; these falsities that break in upon their thoughts are from hell; for everything that a man thinks is either from hell or from heaven (as was said above, n. 120).

sRef Matt@21 @37 S0′ sRef Matt@21 @40 S0′ sRef Matt@21 @34 S0′ sRef Matt@21 @35 S0′ sRef Matt@21 @39 S0′ sRef Matt@21 @38 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @10 S0′ sRef Matt@21 @33 S0′ sRef Matt@21 @41 S0′ sRef Luke@6 @22 S0′ sRef Luke@6 @23 S0′ sRef Matt@21 @36 S0′ 122. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, signifies that those who are in falsities from evil will set about to deprive them of all truth from the Word. This is evident from the signification of “casting into prison,” as being, in reference to those who are in the spiritual affection of truth, to endeavor and to set about to deprive them of truths from the Word (of which presently); and from the signification of the “devil,” as being the hells which are in evil and in falsities therefrom (of which above, n. 120). “To cast into prison,” in reference to those who are in the spiritual affection of truth, is to endeavor and to set about to deprive them of truths from the Word, for the reason that truths are, as it were, in prison or in confinement when falsities break in; and so long as falsities are under view, truths cannot appear, still less can they be set at liberty. Those that are in the spiritual affection of truth, who are those that love truths because they are truths, are held in such confinement whenever they do not understand the Word and yet wish to understand it; the falsities that imprison rise up from hell into the natural man when the delights of the love of self and the world have rule therein, for these delights are the origins of all evils and of the falsities therefrom (see Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 65-83).
[2] This is meant, in the spiritual sense, by “being cast by the devil into prison;” for as the devil is hell, and out of hell every evil arises, and as the influx from hell is into the natural man, and not into the spiritual, so the devil affects all who are in the delights of these loves, and subjects them to himself and makes them his crew; for all who are in the hells are in evils and the falsities thence from the loves of self and of the world (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 551-565; but that the delights of those loves are changed into correspondences, the character of which may be seen there, n. 485-490).
This casting into prison by the devil is described in the Word, where it is said that the Jews and the evil will persecute the Lord’s disciples, and will evil entreat and kill them; for by the “disciples of the Lord” are meant all who are in truths from good, thus who are in truths from the Lord; and as these are meant by the Lord’s disciples, so in a sense abstracted from persons, which is the spiritual sense itself of the Word, truths and goods themselves, which are from the Lord through His Word, are meant. (That by the Lord’s twelve disciples all things of faith and love in the complex, thus all the truths and goods of the church, are meant, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397; that the Word in heaven is understood in a sense abstracted from persons, see above, n. 99, 100.)
sRef Matt@24 @9 S3′ sRef Matt@5 @11 S3′ sRef Matt@5 @12 S3′ sRef Matt@24 @11 S3′ sRef Luke@11 @49 S3′ sRef Matt@10 @18 S3′ sRef Matt@10 @17 S3′ sRef Matt@23 @34 S3′ sRef Luke@21 @12 S3′ [3] When one knows that by the “disciples of the Lord” all those who are in truths from good from the Lord are meant, and in an abstract sense truths themselves from good; and that by their being “cast into prison by the devil” is meant the endeavor of those who are in falsities from evil to deprive them of truths, and in a sense abstracted from persons, the detention or imprisonment of truths by falsities, as described above, he can understand what is signified in each of these senses in the following passages:
They shall lay hands on you and shall persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, for My name’s sake (Luke 21:12).
That “for the sake of the Lord’s name” signifies for the sake of the goods of love and the truths of faith, from Him, see above (n. 102).
Then shall they deliver you up to affliction, and shall kill you, and ye shall be held in hatred for My name’s sake (Matt. 24:9, 11).
They will deliver you up to councils and to synagogues, and they will scourge you for My sake (Matt. 10:17, 18; Mark 13:9).
Behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them ye shall kill and crucify, and some of them ye shall scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city (Matt. 23:34).
A man that was a householder planted a vineyard, and let it out to husbandmen. When the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive the fruits of it. But the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants, and they did unto them likewise. At length he sent unto them his son. But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and possess his inheritance. And they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him (Matt. 21:33-44).
The wisdom of God said, I will send unto them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall kill and persecute (Luke 11:49).
(That by “prophets” in the Word are meant those who teach truths, and in a sense abstracted from persons the doctrine of truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2534, 7269; and that “apostles” have a similar signification, see above, n. 100.)
Blessed are ye, when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and shall say every evil word against you falsely, for My sake; rejoice and exult, for great is your reward in the heavens; for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you (Matt. 5:10-12).
Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you, and shall reproach you and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake; for in the same manner did their fathers unto the prophets (Luke 6:22, 23).
sRef Matt@16 @24 S4′ sRef Luke@14 @27 S4′ sRef John@15 @20 S4′ sRef Mark@10 @21 S4′ [4] Similar to this is the signification of the words of the Lord, that they should follow Him and take up their cross; as in the following passages:
Jesus said unto His disciples, If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34);
“to deny oneself” is to put away evils that are from proprium [the self-life].
Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:27).
Jesus said to the young man who was rich, One thing thou lackest; go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and come, follow Me, bearing the cross (Mark 10:21).
By this is meant, in the spiritual sense, that he should put away the falsities that were of the Jewish doctrine, and accept the doctrine of truth from the Lord, and should undergo assaults and temptations from falsities. Those, therefore, are deceived who believe that those who wish to follow the Lord are to sell their goods and suffer the cross. Since the Lord was Divine truth itself, which in John 1:1-3, 14, is called the “Word,” the Lord’s suffering Himself to be scourged and crucified signifies that Divine truth which is in the Word was so treated by the Jews. (That all things related of the Lord’s passion in the Evangelists involve and signify that the Jews so treated Divine truth, see above, n. 83.) Wherefore the Lord says:
Remember My word, if they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you (John 15:20).
sRef Matt@25 @43 S5′ sRef John@8 @43 S5′ sRef John@8 @44 S5′ [5] That the Jews in particular are meant by the “devil” who was to cast the disciples of the Lord into prisons, and that, in general, all that call themselves “Jews, and are not, but are a synagogue of satan,” are meant (according to the passages cited above, n. 119, 120), is clear from the Lord’s words in John:
Ye do not understand My speech because ye cannot hear My word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie he speaketh from his own, for he is a liar and the father thereof (John 8:43, 44).
That “their father was a murderer from the beginning,” “and the truth was not in him, but a lie,” signifies that from the beginning they had been against truths and in falsities from evil. For a “murderer” is a destroyer of the truth of the church, and “father” means predecessors. (Of the quality of the Jewish nation formerly and at present, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 248; that the “bound in prison” signify those who are in falsities from evil, see the Arcana Coelestia, n. 4958, 5096; “to be overcome* in prison” signifies to be detained and separated from truths, n. 5037, 5038, 5083, 5086, 5096; and also to be tempted, n. 5037, 5038.)
[6] The Jews were such as are here described because they were in the love of self and the world more than other nations; and persons of that character, when they read the Word, apply all things of the Word to their own loves; and especially the Jews, because they are so frequently mentioned. It is similar with others who are in these loves, for the love that is dominant turns the mind of him who reads to those things only that favor the love; for love is like a fire, which lights up the things that favor it, while the rest are either passed by as if not seen, or drawn over to one’s side by perverse explanation and thus falsified. Both infest those who are in the spiritual affection of truth, and both are meant by the “devil” who “casts into prison” those who are of the Lord’s church; from them, indeed, all falsities from the spiritual world flow into those that long for truths, and hold them as if bound in confinement. The same are meant by those of whom the Lord says:
I was in prison and ye visited Me not (Matt. 25:43).
* Some of the Latin editors read vinciri for vinci, “bound” for “overcome.”

sRef Rev@2 @10 S0′ 123. That ye may be tried, signifies consequent increase of longing for truth. This is evident from the signification of “being tried,” as being to be infested by falsities (of which see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 197, 198). But here, since it is said, “the devil shall cast some of you into prison,” by which such infestation is meant, so “being tried” signifies increase of longing, and as a consequence, increase of truth, since temptations effect this. (That through the temptations in which man conquers there come illustration and perception of truth and good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8367, 8370; that intelligence and wisdom are therefrom, n. 8966, 8967; that truths increase immensely after temptations, n. 6663; with many other things that may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 187-201.)

sRef Rev@2 @10 S0′ 124. And ye shall have affliction ten days, signifies that infestation and temptation therefrom will last for some time. This is evident from the signification of “affliction,” as being infestation and temptation of those who are in the spiritual affection of truth by those who are in falsities; (that this is meant by “affliction” is clear, since it is said in reference to such;) also from the signification of “ten days,” as being duration for some time. Duration for some time is signified by “ten days,” for the reason that the entire duration of infestation and temptation is signified by “forty days” (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2959, 7985, 7986), and “ten” means some part thereof; for all numbers in the Word signify things or states, with variety according to the relation to other numbers. The number “ten,” without reference to other numbers, signifies what is full or much (Arcana Coelestia, n. 3107, 4638); but in reference to a greater number, it signifies as much as is needed for uses (n. 9757); so here it signifies duration for some time, thus as use demands. (That all numbers in the Word signify things or states, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 482, 487, 647, 755, 813, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265, 6175, 9488, 9659, 10217, 10253.) He that considers, can see that by the “affliction of ten days” here, which they are to have who are cast into prison by the devil, something else must be meant than ten days’ affliction.

sRef Rev@2 @10 S0′ 125. Be thou faithful even till death, signifies steadfastness in truths to the end. This is evident without explanation. It is said “even till death,” because such as man is when he dies, such he remains to eternity; the life previously lived is only the life for the formation of his spirit (of which see many things in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 470-484).

sRef Rev@2 @10 S0′ 126. And I will give thee the crown of life, signifies wisdom and eternal happiness therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “crown,” as being wisdom, in reference to those who are in the spiritual affection of the knowledges of truth and good (of which more in what follows); and from the signification of “life,” as being eternal happiness, which is also called life eternal. Those who are in the spiritual affection of truth and good, and who are here treated of, have eternal happiness, because heaven with man is implanted by means of the knowledges of truth and good from the Word. He who believes that heaven is implanted by other means is much deceived; for man is born merely natural, with the faculty of becoming spiritual, and he becomes spiritual by means of truths from the Word and a life according to them. Who can ever become spiritual unless he has some knowledge of the Lord, of heaven, of the life after death, of faith, and of love, and of the other things that are means of salvation? If man had no knowledge of these things he would remain natural; and a merely natural man can have nothing in common with the angels of heaven, who are spiritual. Man has two minds, one exterior, the other interior.
The exterior mind is called the natural mind, but the interior is called the spiritual mind. The former or natural mind is opened by means of the knowledges of the things that are in the world; but the latter or spiritual mind by means of the knowledges of the things that are in heaven, which the Word teaches, and the church from the Word; by means of these man becomes spiritual when he knows them and lives according to them.
sRef John@3 @5 S2′ [2] This is meant by the Lord’s words in John:
Except a man has been born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5).
“Water” signifies the truths of faith, and “spirit” a life according to them (see above, n. 71; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 202-209). Most people at this day believe that they are to come into heaven solely by virtue of holy worship in temples and by adorations and prayers; but such of them as do not care for the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, and who fail to imbue with these the life, as well as the memory, remain natural as before, and do not become spiritual; for their holy worship, adorations, and prayers, do not proceed from any spiritual origin; since their spiritual mind has not been opened by the knowledges of spiritual things and a life according to them, but is empty; and worship that proceeds from what is empty is merely natural gesture, with nothing spiritual in it. If such persons are insincere and unjust in respect to moral and civil life, their holy worship, adorations, and prayers have within them what repels heaven from them, instead of opening heaven to them as they believe; for their holy worship is like a vessel containing things putrid and filthy, which are oozing forth, or like a splendid garment investing a body covered with ulcers. I have seen many thousands of such cast into hell. But wholly different are holy worship, adorations, and prayers with those who are in the knowledges of truth and good and in a life according to them; with such these acts are pleasing to the Lord, for they are the effects wrought by their spirit in the body, or the effects of their faith and love, thus they are not merely natural gestures, but spiritual acts.
From this it can be seen that the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, and a life according to them, alone make man spiritual; and that in him who is thereby made spiritual, angelic wisdom from the Lord can be implanted together with eternal happiness. Angels derive happiness from no other source than from wisdom.
sRef Ezek@16 @11 S3′ sRef Ezek@16 @12 S3′ [3] A “crown” signifies wisdom, because all things by which man is clothed or distinguished derive their signification from the part of man that they clothe or distinguish (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9827), and “crown” signifies wisdom, because it is a sign upon the head, and “head” in the Word signifies wisdom, for there wisdom resides. So in Ezekiel:
I decked thee with ornaments, I put bracelets upon thy hands; and a chain upon thy throat. And I put a jewel upon thy nose, and earrings in thine ears, and a crown of adorning upon thy head (Ezek. 16:11, 12).
Jerusalem, which signifies the church, is here treated of, such as it was when it was established by the Lord; by these various insignia are meant, in the spiritual sense, such things as are of the church; and each one takes its signification from the part to which it is applied, and “the crown of adorning” here means wisdom. (But what is meant by “ornament,” may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 10536, 10540; by “bracelets,” n. 3103, 3105; by “chain” n. 5320; by “jewel,” n. 4551; by “earrings,” n. 4551, 10402.) Wisdom, which is from the knowledges of truth and good from the Word and from a life according to them, is likewise signified by “crown” in many other passages in the Word (as in Isa. 28:5; Jer. 13:18; Lam. 5:15, 16; Ezek. 21:25, 26; 23:42; Zech. 6:11-14; Ps. 89:38, 39; Ps. 132:17, 18; Job 19:9; Rev. 3:11; 4:4). The crowning of kings is from ancient times, when men were familiar with representatives and significatives, and it was known that “kings” represented the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and that a “crown” was intended to signify wisdom (that “kings” represented the Lord in respect to Divine truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4581, 4966, 5068, 6148); that those that are in truths are called “kings” and “king’s sons” see above (n. 31); and as these are called “kings” in the Word, and kings have crowns, so here where these are treated of it is said that they were to receive “the crown of life.”

sRef Rev@2 @11 S0′ 127. Verse 11. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, signifies that he that understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church, as may be seen above (n. 108), where similar expressions occur.

sRef Rev@21 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @6 S0′ 128. He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death, signifies that he who is steadfast in the genuine affection of truth to the end of his life in the world, shall come into the new heaven. This is evident from the signification of “overcoming,” as being in reference to those who long for the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, to be steadfast in the genuine affection of truth, even to the end of life in the world. It is said “he that overcometh,” because those are meant who endure spiritual temptation, which is from evils and falsities, and who fight; and “to overcome” is to resist evils and falsities, and to tame and subdue them as one’s enemies. But no one overcomes unless he is steadfast in the spiritual affection of truth, even to the end of his life in the world; then the work is finished; for man remains to eternity such as he then is, namely, such as his life has been up to that point; death is what completes it. But no one is able to overcome except the Lord only. The man who supposes that he overcomes of himself, and not that it is the Lord with him that overcomes, does not overcome but succumbs; for it is spiritual faith that overcomes, and there is nothing of spiritual faith from man, but the whole of it is from the Lord. (What spiritual faith is, see in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-39; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 108-120; and what spiritual temptation is, n. 187-201.) That “not to be hurt by the second death” is to come into the new heaven, cannot be known unless it is known what the former heaven is, and what the new heaven, which are treated of in chapter 21 of Revelation. (Something of what the “former heaven” is can be seen in The small work on The Last Judgment, n. 65-72; and what the “new heaven” is, in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 1-7.) But what is meant by the “first death” and by the “second death,” also by the “first resurrection” and “second resurrection,” will be told in the explanation of chapters 20 and 21, where it is said:
The rest of the dead shall not live again until the thousand years be finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the second* resurrection; over these the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ (Rev. 20:5-6).
Their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Rev. 21:8).
From this it is clear that the “second death” is damnation; to be hurt by it, therefore, is to be damned, and on the other hand, not to be hurt by it is to be saved; and as all that are saved come into the new heaven, to come into the new heaven is signified by “not being hurt by the second death” (of which heaven, and of whom it consists, see in the small work on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 2-6).
* The Greek has “first” for “second,” as we also find in Apocalypse Revealed, n. 851.

sRef Rev@2 @13 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @12 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @17 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @16 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @15 S0′ 129. Verses 12-17. And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These things saith He that hath the sharp two-edged sword, I know thy works and where thou dwellest, where Satan’s throne is; and thou holdest My name, and didst not deny My faith, even in the days wherein Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have against thee a few things, that thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the sons of Israel, to eat idol-sacrifices, and to commit whoredom. So thou also hast them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come to thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the hidden manna; and will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth except he that receiveth. 12. “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write,” signifies for remembrance to those within the church who are in temptations (n. 130); “these things saith He that hath the sharp two-edged sword,” signifies the Lord, who alone combats in temptations (n. 131). 13. “I know thy works,” signifies love and faith (n. 132); “and where thou dwellest,” signifies amongst whom he now lives (n. 133); “where Satan’s throne is,” signifies where all falsities reign (n. 134); “and thou holdest My name,” signifies the acknowledgment of the Divine in His Human (n. 135); “and didst not deny My faith,” signifies constancy in truths (n. 136); “even in the days wherein Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was slain among you,” signifies in that time and state in which all are hated who openly acknowledge the Divine Human of the Lord (n. 137); “where Satan dwelleth,” signifies by those who are in the doctrine of all falsities (n. 138). 14. “But I have against thee a few things,” signifies that heed should be taken (n. 139); “that thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the sons of Israel,” signifies those who have been illustrated in respect to the understanding, and who teach truths, and yet love to destroy by craft those who are of the church (n. 140); “to eat idol-sacrifices, and to commit whoredom,” signifies that they may be imbued with evils and with falsities therefrom (n. 141). 15. “So thou also hast them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate,” signifies those who separate good from truth, or charity from faith, which is against Divine order (n. 142). 16. “Repent,” signifies dissociation from these (n. 143); “or else I will come to thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth,” signifies if not, when visitation comes, they will be dispersed (n. 144). 17. “He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches,” signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church (n. 145); “to him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the hidden manna,” signifies that those who conquer in temptations will have the delight of heavenly love from the Lord’s Divine Human (n. 146); “and will give him a white stone,” signifies wisdom and intelligence (n. 147) “and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth except he that receiveth,” signifies a state of interior life unknown to all except those who are in it (n. 148).

sRef Rev@2 @12 S0′ 130. Verse 12. And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write, signifies for remembrance to those within the church who are in temptations. This is evident from the signification of “writing,” as being for remembrance (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8620); and from the signification of “angel,” as being a recipient of Divine truth, and in the highest sense Divine truth itself proceeding from the Lord (of which more in what follows); and from the signification of the “church in Pergamum,” as being those within the church who are in temptations.
That these are meant by the “church in Pergamum” is clear from the things written to that church, which follow. From no other source can it be known what is signified by each of the seven churches. For as was shown before, what is meant is not any church in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, or Laodicea, but all who are of the Lord’s church, and by each of these churches something that constitutes the church with man is meant. And as the first things of the church are the knowledges of truth and good, and the affections of spiritual truth, these are first treated of, namely, in what is written to the angel of the Ephesian church and of the Smyrnean church; of the knowledges of truth and good to the angel of the Ephesian church, and of the spiritual affection of truth to the angel of the Smyrnean church. And as no one can be imbued with the knowledges of truth and good in respect to life, and be steadfast in the spiritual affection of truth, unless he undergoes temptations, so temptations are now treated of in what is written to the angel of the church in Pergamum. From this it appears in what order the things follow that are taught under the names of the seven churches.
[2] It is said “To the angel of the church, write,” and not, To the church, because by “angel” is signified Divine truth, which makes the church; for Divine truth teaches how man is to live that he may become a church. That “angel” in the Word, in its spiritual sense, does not mean any angel, but in the highest sense, Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and in a respective sense, he that receives it, can be seen from this, that all the angels are recipients of Divine truth from the Lord, and no angel is of himself an angel; but he is so far an angel as he receives Divine truth; for angels more than men know and perceive that all the good of love and all the truth of faith are from the Lord, not from themselves, and as the good of love and the truth of faith constitute their wisdom and intelligence, and as these constitute the whole angel, they know and say that they are merely recipients of the Divine proceeding from the Lord, and thus are angels in the degree in which they receive it. On this account they desire that the term “angel” should be understood spiritually, that is, in a sense abstracted from persons, and as meaning Divine truths. By Divine truth is meant at the same time Divine good, because these proceed from the Lord united (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13, 140 [? 133-140].
sRef Ex@23 @23 S3′ sRef Ex@23 @21 S3′ sRef Ex@23 @20 S3′ sRef Ex@23 @22 S3′ sRef Gen@48 @16 S3′ sRef Isa@63 @9 S3′ [3] And as Divine truth proceeding from the Lord constitutes the angel, by “angel” in the Word in the highest sense is meant the Lord Himself, as in Isaiah:
The angel of the faces of Jehovah delivered them, in His love and His pity He redeemed them, and took them up, and carried them all the days of eternity (Isa. 63:9).
In Moses:
The angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless them (Gen. 48:16).
In the same:
I send an angel before thee to keep thee in the way; take ye heed of His faces, for my name is in the midst of Him (Exod. 23:20-23).
sRef Matt@13 @49 S4′ sRef Matt@13 @41 S4′ sRef John@1 @51 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @31 S4′ sRef Matt@24 @31 S4′ [4] As the Lord in respect to Divine truth is called an “angel,” so also Divine truths are meant by “angels” in the spiritual sense, as in the following passages:
The Son of man shall send His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling. In the consummation of the age the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked out of the midst of the just (Matt. 13:41, 49).
In the consummation of the age the Son of man shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and shall gather together the elect from the four winds (Matt. 24:3, 31).
When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory (Matt. 25:31).
Jesus said, After this ye shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man (John 1:51).
In these passages, in the spiritual sense, by “angels” Divine truths and not angels are meant. So when it is here said that, in the consummation of the age, “the angels are to gather out all things that cause stumbling,” “are to sever the wicked from the midst of the just,” “are to gather together the elect from the four winds with a great sound of a trumpet,” and that “the Son of man with the angels is to sit upon a throne of glory,” it is not meant that angels, together with the Lord, are to do these things, but that the Lord alone will do them by means of His Divine truths; for angels have no power of themselves, but all power is the Lord’s through His Divine truth (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 230-233). That “ye shall see the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man,” means the like, namely, that Divine truths should be in Him and from Him.
sRef Rev@8 @7 S5′ sRef Rev@12 @9 S5′ sRef Rev@14 @6 S5′ sRef Rev@16 @12 S5′ sRef Rev@16 @8 S5′ sRef Rev@16 @4 S5′ sRef Rev@16 @10 S5′ sRef Rev@16 @3 S5′ sRef Rev@16 @1 S5′ sRef Rev@16 @2 S5′ sRef Rev@8 @6 S5′ sRef Rev@21 @12 S5′ sRef Rev@12 @7 S5′ sRef Rev@8 @8 S5′ [5] Moreover, in other places also “angels” mean Divine truths from the Lord, consequently the Lord in respect to Divine truths, as:
To the seven angels were given seven trumpets, and the angels sounded on the trumpets (Rev. 8:2, 6-8, 10, 12, 13; 9:1, 13, 14).
It is said that to the angels were given trumpets, and that they sounded thereon, because “trumpets” and their “sound” signify Divine truth to be revealed (see above, n. 55). Similar things are also meant:
By the angel warring against the dragon (Rev. 12:7, 9);
By the angel flying in the mid-heaven, having the eternal
gospel (Rev. 14:6);
By the seven angels pouring out the seven bowls (Rev.16:1-4, 8, 10, 12);
By the twelve angels upon the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:12).
That this is so will also be seen in what follows.
sRef Gen@2 @7 S6′ sRef Ps@104 @4 S6′ sRef John@3 @8 S6′ [6] That by “angels” are meant Divine truths which are from the Lord is clearly manifest in David:
Jehovah maketh His angels winds, and His ministers a flaming fire (Ps. 104:4);
by which words are signified Divine truth and Divine good; for the “wind” of Jehovah in the Word signifies Divine truth, and His “fire” Divine good (as can be seen from what is shown in The Arcana Coelestia, as that the “wind of the nostrils” of Jehovah is Divine truth, n. 8286; that the “four winds” are all things of truth and good, n. 3708, 9642, 9668; consequently “to breathe” in the Word signifies the state of the life of faith, n. 9281; from which it is evident what is signified by Jehovah’s “breathing” into the nostrils of Adam (Gen. 2:7); by the Lord’s “breathing” upon His disciples (John 20:22); and by these words, “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh” (John 3:8); concerning which see n. 96, 97, 9229, 9281; and also n. 1119, 3886, 3887, 3889, 3892, 3893; that “flaming fire” is Divine love, and therefore Divine good, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 133-140, 566-568; and above, n. 68).
sRef Rev@21 @17 S7′ [7] That “angel” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is clearly manifest from these words in Revelation:
He measured the wall of the New Jerusalem, a hundred and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, which is that of an angel (Rev. 21:17).
That the wall of the New Jerusalem is not the measure of an angel anyone can see, but that all protecting truths are there meant by an “angel” is evident from the signification of the “wall of Jerusalem,” and of the number “one hundred and forty-four.” (That the “wall” signifies all protecting truths, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6419; that the number “one hundred and forty-four” signifies all things of truth in the complex, n. 7973; that “measure” signifies the quality of a thing in respect to truth and good, n. 3104, 9603, 10262. These things may also be found explained as to the spiritual sense, in The small work on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 1.)
sRef Rev@8 @10 S8′ sRef Rev@8 @12 S8′ sRef Rev@8 @2 S8′ sRef Mal@2 @7 S8′ sRef Luke@7 @27 S8′ sRef Rev@8 @13 S8′ [8] Because by “angels” in the Word Divine truths are signified, therefore the men through whom Divine truths are made known are sometimes called “angels” in the Word, as in Malachi:
The priest’s lips ought to guard knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth, because he is the angel of Jehovah (Mal. 2:7).
He is said to be the “angel of Jehovah,” because he teaches Divine truth; not that he is the angel of Jehovah, but the Divine truth that he teaches is. Moreover, it is known in the church that no one has Divine truth from himself. “Lips” also here signify the doctrine of truth, and “law” Divine truth itself. (That “lips” signify the doctrine of truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1286, 1288; and that “law” signifies Divine truth itself, see n. 3382, 7463.)
[9] From this it is that John the Baptist also is called an angel:
Jesus said, This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send Mine angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee (Luke 7:27).
John is called an “angel,” because by him, in the spiritual sense, is signified the Word, which is Divine truth, in like manner as by Elias (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7643, 9372, and what is signified; this is what is meant by the persons mentioned in the Word, see n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3670, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806, 9229).
[10] It is said that by “angels” in the Word, in its spiritual sense, Divine truths proceeding from the Lord are meant, because these constitute the angels; when angels utter these truths, they speak not from themselves, but from the Lord. The angels not only know that this is so, but they also perceive it. The man who believes that nothing of faith is from himself, but that all faith is from God, also knows this, indeed, but he does not perceive it. That nothing of faith is from man, but all faith is from God, is the same as saying that nothing of truth that has life is from man, but all truth is from God, for truth is of faith and faith is of truth.

sRef Luke@22 @37 S0′ sRef Luke@22 @35 S0′ sRef Luke@22 @38 S0′ sRef Luke@22 @36 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @12 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @16 S1′ 131. These things saith He that hath the sharp two-edged sword, signifies the Lord, who alone combats in temptation. This is evident from the signification of “long sword” or “sword [romphaeae seu gladii],” as meaning truth combating against falsity, and in the opposite sense, falsity combating against truth. It is said to be “sharp two-edged,” because it pierces on both sides. Because this is signified by “the long sword,” dispersion of falsities is also signified by it, and also temptation. That it signifies dispersion of falsities, see above (n. 73). It signifies temptation, because in what is written to the angel of this church temptations are treated of. Moreover, “the long sword” also signifies temptation, because temptation is a combat of truth against falsity and of falsity against truth. (That spiritual temptation is such combat, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 187-201.) By “these things saith He that hath the sharp long sword with two edges” is meant that the Lord alone combats in temptations, because in the preceding chapter (verse 16) it was said that:
Out of the mouth of the Son of man, walking in the midst of the seven lampstands, a sharp two-edged long sword was seen going forth (Rev. 1:10).
and by the “Son of man” is meant the Lord in respect to Divine truth (as may be seen above, n. 63). (That the Lord alone combats in temptations, and not man at all, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 195-200.) By “long sword” or by “sword [romphaeam seu gladium]” is signified the combat of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth, because by “wars” in the Word are signified spiritual wars, and spiritual wars are wars of truths against falsities and of falsities against truths; and as “wars” in the Word have such a signification, all weapons of war, as “sword,” “spear,” “bow,” “arrows,” “shield,” and many others, signify each some special thing pertaining to spiritual combat; especially the “sword,” because in wars they fight with swords. (That “wars” signify spiritual combats, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1659, 1664, 8295, 10455; consequently that each weapon of war signifies something pertaining to spiritual combat, see n. 1788, 2686.)
sRef Matt@10 @34 S2′ [2] That “sword” in the Word signifies truth combating against falsity, and falsity against truth, and therefore the dispersion of falsities, and also spiritual temptation, can be seen from very many passages, of which I will introduce here only a few by way of confirmation. Thus in Matthew:
Jesus said that He came not to send peace on earth, but a sword (Matt. 10:34).
Here by “sword” is meant the combat of temptation. It was so said, because men at that time were in falsities, and the Lord uncovered interior truths, and only by combats from such truths can falsities be cast out.
[3] In Luke:
Jesus said to His disciples, Now he that hath a purse let him take it, likewise a wallet; and he that hath no sword let him sell his garments and buy one (Luke 22:35-38).
By “purse” and “wallet” spiritual knowledges, thus truths, are signified; “garments” signify what is their own; and by “sword” combat is signified.
sRef Jer@50 @38 S4′ sRef Jer@50 @36 S4′ sRef Jer@50 @37 S4′ sRef Jer@50 @35 S4′ [4] In Jeremiah:
A sword against the Chaldeans, and against the inhabitants of Babylon, and against her chiefs, and against her wise men. A sword against liars that they may become foolish; a sword against her mighty men that they may be dismayed; a sword against her horses and against her chariots; a sword against her treasures that they may be spoiled; a drought upon her waters that they may be dried up (Jer. 50:35-38).
By “sword” here dispersion and vastation of truth are signified; by each in particular against which the sword shall be, as the “Chaldeans,” the “inhabitants of Babylon,” her “chiefs” and “her wise men,” “liars,” “mighty men,” “horses,” “chariots,” and “treasures,” are signified the persons or things that will be vastated: as by “horses,” things intellectual; by “chariots,” doctrinals; and by “treasures,” knowledges; it is said, therefore, “a drought upon her waters, that they may be dried up,” for “waters” are the truths of the church, and “a drought that they may be dried up” is vastation. (That “drought” and “drying up” are where there is no truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8185; that “waters” are truths of the church, see above, n. 71; that “treasures” are knowledges, Arcana Coelestia, 1694, 4508, 10227; that “horses” are things intellectual, and “chariots” doctrinals, see White Horse, n. 2-5.)
sRef Isa@21 @14 S5′ sRef Ps@149 @6 S5′ sRef Ps@149 @5 S5′ sRef Rev@19 @15 S5′ sRef Ezek@21 @15 S5′ sRef Ezek@21 @12 S5′ sRef Ezek@32 @12 S5′ sRef Ezek@32 @11 S5′ sRef Rev@6 @4 S5′ sRef Ps@45 @3 S5′ sRef Ezek@32 @10 S5′ sRef Ezek@21 @11 S5′ sRef Ezek@21 @10 S5′ sRef Ps@45 @5 S5′ sRef Ezek@21 @13 S5′ sRef Rev@19 @21 S5′ sRef Ezek@21 @9 S5′ sRef Isa@21 @15 S5′ sRef Ps@45 @4 S5′ sRef Jer@12 @12 S5′ sRef Ezek@21 @14 S5′ sRef Ezek@21 @28 S5′ [5] In Isaiah:
Jehovah will plead, and with His sword with all flesh, and the slain of Jehovah shall be multiplied (Isa. 66:16).
In Jeremiah:
Upon all the heights in the desert the devastators are come, because the sword of Jehovah devoureth from the end of the land even to the end of the land (Jer. 12:12).
In Ezekiel:
Prophesy and say, a sword sharpened and also furbished, it is sharpened to slay a slaughter, it is furbished that it may have luster; let the sword be doubled for the third time; the sword of the slain, the sword of great slaughter entering into the secret chambers that the heart may melt, and stumblings be multiplied; against all their gates will I set the point of the sword: Ah! It is made into lightning (Ezek. 21:9-15, 28).
In Isaiah:
Bring waters to meet him that is thirsty, with bread prevent him that wandereth; for before the sword shall they wander, before the drawn sword, and before the bended bow, and for the grievousness of war (Isa. 21:14, 15).
In Ezekiel:
They shall quake with fear when I shall make my sword to fly before their faces, that they may tremble every moment, a man for his own soul; by the swords of the mighty casting down their multitude (Ezek. 32:10-12).
In David:
Let the saints exult in glory; let them sing upon their beds. Let the exaltations of God be in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand (Ps. 149:5, 6).
In the same:
Gird thy sword upon the thigh, O mighty one, in thy honor ascend the chariot, ride on the Word of truth, thy right hand shall teach thee wonderful things. Thine arrows are sharp (Ps. 45:3-5).
In Revelation:
There was given unto him that sat on the red horse a great sword (Rev. 6:4).
In another place:
Out of the mouth of him that sat on the white horse went forth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations. The rest were killed with the sword of him that sat upon the horse (Rev. 19:15, 21).
By “sword” in these passages is signified truth combating and destroying; this destruction is especially apparent in the spiritual world; there those that are in falsities cannot sustain the truth; when they come into the sphere of light, that is, where Divine truth is, they are in anguish, like those who are struggling with death; and thus also they are deprived of truths and are vastated.
sRef Isa@66 @16 S6′ sRef Luke@21 @24 S6′ [6] As most expressions in the Word have also a contrary sense, so also has “sword;” in that sense it signifies falsity combating against truth and destroying it. The vastations of the church, which take place when there are no longer any truths, but only falsities, are described in the Word by a “sword,” as in the following passages:
They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all nations; Jerusalem shall finally be trodden down by all nations, until the times of the nations shall be fulfilled (Luke 21:24).
The consummation of the age, which is here treated of, is the last time of the church, when falsities are to prevail. “To fall by the edge of the sword” denotes that truth will be destroyed by falsity; “nations” here are evils and “Jerusalem” is the church.
sRef Isa@13 @12 S7′ sRef Isa@13 @15 S7′ [7] In Isaiah:
I will make a man more rare than fine gold. Everyone that is found shall be thrust through; and everyone gathered in shall fall by the sword (Isa. 13:12, 15).
“A man who is rare” for those that are in truths; “to be thrust through” and “to fall by the sword” means to be consumed by falsity.
sRef Isa@31 @7 S8′ sRef Isa@31 @8 S8′ [8] In the same:
In that day they shall cast away every man the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold, which your own hands have made unto you. Then shall Asshur fall by the sword, not of a man [viri]; and the sword not of a man [hominis] shall devour him; but he who fleeth for himself before the sword, his young man shall be for tribute (Isa. 31:7, 8).
“The idols which the hands have made” are falsities from self-intelligence; “Asshur” is the rational by which [per quod]. “To fall by the sword not of a man” [viri], and “not of a man” [hominis], is not to be destroyed by any combat of truth against falsity. “He who fleeth for himself before the sword, his young man shall be for tribute,” means that the truth which is not destroyed shall be subservient to falsities. That this is the meaning of these words does not appear in the sense of the letter, which shows how far distant the spiritual sense is from the sense of the letter.
sRef Jer@2 @30 S9′ [9] In Jeremiah:
In vain I have smitten your sons; they accepted not correction; your own sword hath devoured your prophets (Jer. 2:30).
Behold, the prophet say, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine. By sword and by famine shall the prophets be consumed. If I go forth into the field, behold the slain with the sword; and if I enter into the city, then behold the sickness of famine (Jer. 14:13-18).
Both these passages treat of the vastation of the church in respect to truth; “prophets” are those who teach truths; and “the sword that consumes them” is falsity combating and destroying; “the field” is the church; “the city” is doctrine; “the slain with the sword in the field” are those in the church with whom truths are destroyed; “the famine” that is in the city is dearth of all truth in doctrine.
sRef Jer@11 @22 S10′ sRef Jer@5 @12 S10′ [10] In the same:
They have denied Jehovah when they have said, It is not He; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword and famine (Jer. 5:12).
In the same:
The young men shall die by the sword; and their sons and their daughters shall die by famine (Jer. 11:22).
“Young men” are those who are in truths, and in the abstract, truths themselves; “to die by the sword” is to be destroyed by falsities; “sons and daughters” are the knowledges of truth and good; “famine” is a dearth of these.
sRef Lam@5 @9 S11′ [11] In Lamentations:
We get our bread with peril of our souls, because of the sword of the wilderness (Lam. 5:9).
“The wilderness” is where there is no good because there is no truth; its “sword” is the destruction of truth; “bread” is good, which is got with “peril of souls,” because all good is implanted in man by means of truth.
sRef Ezek@7 @15 S12′ [12] In Ezekiel:
The sword is without, and pestilence and famine within; he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him (Ezek. 7:15).
“The sword” is the destruction of truth; “pestilence” consequent extermination; and “famine” complete dearth. Similarly in other places (as in Jeremiah 21:7; 29:17, 18; 34:17).
sRef Zech@11 @17 S13′ [13] In Zechariah:
Woe to the shepherd of nought forsaking the flock; a sword upon his arm, and upon his right eye; his arm in drying up shall dry up, and his right eye in growing dim shall grow dim (Jer. 11:17).
“A sword upon the arm” is the destruction of the voluntary in respect to good; “a sword upon the right eye” is the destruction of the intellectual in respect to truth; that all good and all truth are to perish is signified by “the arm in drying up shall dry up; and the right eye in growing dim shall grow dim.”
sRef Isa@37 @37 S14′ sRef Isa@37 @6 S14′ sRef Isa@37 @7 S14′ sRef Isa@37 @38 S14′ [14] In Isaiah:
Thus shall ye say to your lord, Fear not for the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the lads of the king of Asshur have blasphemed Jehovah. Behold, I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. And Senacherib, king of Asshur, returned; and it came to pass, when he bowed himself in the house of Nisroch his god, his two sons smote him with the sword (Isa. 37:6, 7, 37, 38).
As it is the rational that acknowledges and that denies the Divine, and when it denies seizes upon every falsity instead of truth, and thus perishes, there was this representative occurrence, namely, that the king of Asshur, because he blasphemed Jehovah, was smitten with the sword by his sons, in the house of Nisroch his god. “Asshur” signifies the rational in either sense (Arcana Coelestia, n. 119, 1186); the “sons” of that king signify falsities, and the “sword” signifies destruction by falsities.
sRef Deut@13 @13 S15′ sRef Deut@13 @12 S15′ sRef Deut@13 @16 S15′ sRef Deut@13 @15 S15′ [15] In Moses:
[It was commanded that] the city that worshiped other gods should be smitten with the sword, and burned up with fire (Deut. 13:12-16).
This was decreed because at that time all things were representative; “to worship other gods” is to worship from falsities; “to be smitten with the sword” is to perish by falsity; and “to be burned up with fire” is to perish by the evil of falsity.
[16] In the same:
Whosoever in the field toucheth one that is slain with the sword shall be unclean (Num. 19:16, 18, 19).
“One in the field slain with the sword” represented those within the church who destroyed truths with themselves; “the field” here is the church.
sRef Matt@26 @52 S17′ sRef Matt@26 @51 S17′ sRef Ps@57 @4 S17′ sRef Ps@59 @7 S17′ sRef Ps@64 @3 S17′ sRef Ps@64 @2 S17′ [17] That “sword” signifies falsity destroying truth is manifest in David:
The sons of man are set on fire; their teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword (Ps. 57:4).
Behold, they belch out with their mouth, swords are in their lips (Ps. 59:7).
Workers of iniquity sharpen their tongues like a sword; they hurl their arrow with a bitter word (Ps. 64:3).
From this it is clear what is signified by the Lord’s words to Peter:
All they that take the sword shall perish by the sword (Matt. 26:51-52);
namely, that those who believe falsities will perish by falsities.
[18] From this it is now evident what is signified in the Word by “the long sword,” “the short sword,” or the “sword” [romphaea, macharera, seu gladius] in both senses. Such things are signified by “sword” by reason also of appearance in the spiritual world. When spiritual combats take place there, which are combats of truth against falsity and of falsity against truth, various weapons of war, as swords, spears, shields, and the like are seen; not that the combats are maintained by these, but they are mere appearances, representative of spiritual combats. When falsities are fiercely combating truths, there sometimes appears from heaven the brightness or flashing of a sword vibrating every way, and causing great terror, by which those who are combating from falsities are dispersed.
sRef Ezek@32 @10 S19′ sRef Gen@3 @24 S19′ sRef Ezek@21 @10 S19′ sRef Ezek@21 @28 S19′ sRef Ezek@21 @13 S19′ sRef Ezek@32 @11 S19′ sRef Ezek@21 @14 S19′ sRef Ezek@21 @12 S19′ sRef Ezek@21 @11 S19′ sRef Ezek@32 @12 S19′ sRef Jer@14 @13 S19′ sRef Jer@14 @16 S19′ sRef Ezek@21 @15 S19′ sRef Ezek@21 @9 S19′ sRef Jer@14 @15 S19′ sRef Jer@14 @14 S19′ sRef Ezek@28 @7 S19′ sRef Jer@14 @17 S19′ sRef Jer@14 @18 S19′ [19] This makes clear what is meant by these words in Ezekiel:
They shall be horribly afraid when I shall brandish My sword before their faces, that they may tremble every moment for their soul (Ezek. 32:10-12).
And in the same:
Prophesy and say, a sword, it is sharpened and also furbished, that it may have luster, that the heart may melt. Ah! It is made into lightning (Ezek. 21:9-10, 15).
The sword causes so great terror because “iron,” of which a sword is made, signifies truth in ultimates, and the brightness and flashing are from the light of heaven and from vibration of this light upon the sword. The light of heaven is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. Divine truth thus falling upon those who are in falsities strikes terror.
[20] This also makes clear what is signified by this, that:
Cherubim, after Adam had been driven out, were made to dwell at the east of Eden, and the flame of a sword turning and vibrating every way, to guard the way to the tree of life (Gen. 3:24).
By the “tree of life” is signified celestial love, which is love to the Lord; by “cherubim” a guard; by the “flame of a sword turning every way” the terrific driving off and rejecting of all who are in falsities; the “east of Eden” is where the Lord’s presence is in celestial love; by these words, therefore, is signified that every approach to the acknowledgement of the Lord alone is closed to him who does not live a life of love. That “sword” signifies falsity is clearly evident in Ezekiel, where it is said of the prince of Tyre:
They shall unsheathe the swords upon the beauty of thy wisdom (Ezek. 28:7).
“The prince of Tyre” signifies intelligence from the knowledges of truth; because that is extinguished by falsities it is said that they should unsheathe their swords “upon wisdom,” which could not have been said unless by “swords” falsities were meant.

sRef Rev@2 @13 S0′ 132. Verse 13. I know thy works, signifies love and faith, as is made evident from what was shown above, (n. 98 and 116).

sRef Rev@2 @13 S0′ 133. And where thou dwellest, signifies amongst whom he now lives. This is evident from the signification of “dwelling,” as meaning to live. “To dwell,” in the spiritual sense, is to live, because dwellings in the spiritual world are all distinguished according to the lives and differences of life. (This can be seen from what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, concerning the Societies in Heaven, n. 41-50, and n. 205; the reasons are there given why “dwelling” in the Word signifies to live. That to “dwell” is to live may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 1293, 3384, 3613, 4451, 6051. That “dwelling together” is to be in agreement of life, n. 6792. That “dwelling” in the Word signifies things of the mind, thus the things of intelligence and wisdom, from which man has life, n. 7719, 7910. That “cities” are predicated of truths of doctrine, and “dwellers” of good of life, n. 2268, 2451, 2712. That “to dwell in the midst of them,” when said of the Lord, is His presence and influx into the life of love and faith, n. 10153. That “the dwelling place of the Lord” is heaven, n. 8269, 8309. That “the dwelling place of the tent” with the sons of Israel represented and signified heaven, n. 9481, 9594, 9632.)

sRef Rev@2 @13 S0′ 134. Where Satan’s throne is, signifies where all falsities reign. This is evident from the signification of “where the throne is,” as being where reigns, for “throne” signifies sovereignty; also from the signification of “Satan,” as being the hells where and whence are all falsities (of which above, n. 120). “Thrones” are mentioned in many passages of the Word, and in the spiritual sense they signify judgment from Divine truths, and in the highest sense the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, where His Divine truth is received more than His Divine good (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2129, 5313, 5315, 6397, 8625). But as “throne” is here mentioned in a contrary sense, showing this by passages from the Word will here be omitted. It will be shown in what follows.

sRef Rev@2 @13 S0′ 135. And thou holdest My name, signifies the acknowledgment of the Divine in the Human of the Lord, as well as all things of love to Him and faith in Him. This is evident from what has been shown above about the signification of the “name” of Jehovah, Lord, and Jesus Christ (n. 102). By the Lord’s “name” in the Word is meant primarily the acknowledgment of the Divine in His Human, because all things of love and faith are from that; for Divine goods which are of love, and Divine truths which are of faith, proceed from no other source than from the Lord alone; and these cannot flow in with man unless he thinks of the Lord’s Divine at the same time that he thinks of His Human; nor is His Divine separate from the Human, but it is in the Human (as may be seen above, n. 10, 26, 49, 52, 77, 97, 113, 114). I can aver, from all experience of the spiritual world, that no one is in the truths of faith and in the goods of love except he who thinks of the Lord’s Divine at the same time that he thinks of His Human; as also that no one is spiritual, or is an angel, unless he has been in that thought and consequent acknowledgment in the world. Man must needs be conjoined to the Divine by his faith and love in order to be saved; and all conjunction is with the Lord; and to be conjoined to His Human only, and not to His Divine at the same time, is not conjunction; for the Divine saves, but not the Human apart from the Divine. (That the Human of the Lord is Divine, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 280-310.)

sRef Rev@2 @13 S0′ 136. And didst not deny My faith, signifies constancy in truths. This is evident from the signification of “not denying,” as being, in reference to faith, to be constant (for he who is constant does not deny); and from the signification of “faith,” as being truths, since truth is of faith and faith is of truth. There are two things that constitute man’s spiritual life, love and faith. Every good has reference to love, and every truth to faith; but truth with man is of faith only so far as it is derived from the good of love; since every truth is from good, for it is the form of good, and all good is the esse of truth. For good, when it is so formed as to appear to the mind, and through the mind in speech, is called truth; therefore it is said that good is the esse of truth. (But more may be seen on this subject in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 11-27, likewise 28-35, 54-64, 108-122.)

sRef Rev@2 @13 S0′ 137. Even in the days wherein Antipas was My faithful martyr who was slain among you, signifies in that time and state in which all are hated who openly acknowledge the Divine Human of the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “day,” as being time and state (on which see Arcana Coelestia, n. 23, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850, 10656); consequently “in the days in which” signifies in that time and state; also from the signification of “Antipas My faithful martyr,” as being those who openly acknowledge the Divine Human of the Lord (of which more in what follows); also from the signification of “being slain,” as being to be hated. “To be slain,” is to be hated, because he who hates is unceasingly slaying; he cherishes in his thought nothing else and purposes nothing else than to slay, and he would also slay if the laws did not prevent. This lies concealed in hatred; he, therefore, who hates the neighbor, when in the other life external bonds are removed from him, is continually breathing the murder of some one. This has been testified to me by much experience.
aRef Luke@16 @21 S2′ [2] “Antipas the faithful martyr” signifies those who are hated because of their acknowledgment of the Lord’s Divine Human, for the reason that at that time one Antipas was slain on that account; by “Antipas,” therefore, all who are hated on that account are meant; just as by “Lazarus,” who lay at the rich man’s gate and longed to be fed with the crumbs that fell from his table, are meant all whom the Lord loves because they long for truths from spiritual affection (see above, n. 118). That the Lord loved a certain one named Lazarus, whom also He raised from the dead, is manifest in John (chap. 11:3, 5, 36) and that he reclined with the Lord at table, (chap. 12), on which account he was called “Lazarus,” by the Lord, who longed to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table, whereby is signified a longing for truths from spiritual affection (as shown above, n. 118). As “Lazarus” was so named on that account, so was “Antipas” because he was made a martyr for the name of the Lord, that is, for the acknowledgment of His Divine Human.
sRef John@14 @6 S3′ sRef John@15 @18 S3′ sRef John@15 @19 S3′ sRef John@14 @9 S3′ sRef John@15 @21 S3′ sRef John@1 @18 S3′ sRef Matt@28 @18 S3′ sRef John@14 @10 S3′ sRef John@15 @22 S3′ sRef John@15 @25 S3′ sRef John@5 @37 S3′ sRef John@14 @11 S3′ sRef John@15 @23 S3′ sRef John@15 @24 S3′ sRef John@15 @20 S3′ sRef Matt@24 @10 S3′ sRef John@1 @2 S3′ sRef John@14 @8 S3′ sRef Matt@24 @9 S3′ sRef John@14 @7 S3′ [3] That such as he are hated by all who do not think of the Lord’s Divine and of His Human at the same time, cannot be known from those who are in the world; but it can be known from the same in the other life, where they all burn with such hatred against those who approach the Lord alone as cannot be described in a few words; they desire nothing more eagerly than to murder them. The reason is, that all who are in the hells are against the Lord, and all who are in the heavens are with the Lord; and those who are of the church and who do not acknowledge the Lord’s Divine in His Human act as one with the hells, and it is from the hells that they have such hatred. They have frequently been told that they are doing wrong, since they know from the Word:
That the Lord has all power in the heavens and on earth (Matt. 28:18);
thus that He is the God of heaven and earth; likewise:
That He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one cometh unto the Father but by Him (John 14:6);
Also that he who seeth the Lord seeth the Father, because He is in the Father, and the Father in Him (John 14:7-11);
And that no one hath seen the Father’s shape, nor heard His voice, and that it is the Lord alone, who is in His bosom, and who is one with Him (John 1:18; 5:37).(Besides many other places.)
When they hear these truths they turn away, for they cannot deny them; but they are offended, and breathe forth the murder of all who openly acknowledge the Lord, as was just said, because hatred is inrooted in them (see above, n. 114).
[4] That they will hate all such for the Lord’s sake, He has predicted in several passages; as in Matthew:
In the consummation of the age, they shall deliver you up unto affliction, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all [the nations] for My name’s sake (Matt. 24:9-10).
In John:
Jesus said, If the world hateth you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. All these things will they do unto you for My name’s sake (John 15:18-25).
(See besides the passages cited above from the Word, n. 122.) These things have been said that it may be known that by “Antipas My faithful martyr, who was slain among you,” those are meant who are hated because they openly acknowledge the Lord’s Divine Human.

sRef Rev@2 @13 S0′ 138. Where Satan dwelleth, signifies by those who are in the doctrine of all falsities. This is evident from what was cited and shown above (n. 120 and 134). In what precedes we are told in what company those are who are in temptations, namely, they are among those who are in falsities of every kind; for man as to his body is with men in the natural world, but as to thoughts and intentions he is with spirits in the spiritual world. When he comes into spiritual temptation, he is among those spirits who are in falsities; these bind his thoughts and hold them as it were bound in prison, and continually pour in calumnies against the truths of faith, and call forth the evils of his life; but the Lord continually protects man by flowing in from the interior, and thus holds man in constancy in resisting; such are spiritual temptations. That man who is in temptations is among spirits that are in falsities is meant by these words in this verse, “I know where thou dwellest, where Satan’s throne is;” and also by these words, “Even in the days wherein Antipas, My faithful martyr, was slain among you where Satan dwelleth;” and constancy in resisting is understood by these words, “Thou holdest My name, and didst not deny My faith.” But none except those who acknowledge the Lord’s Divine in His Human and who are in the spiritual affection of truth are let into spiritual temptations; the rest are natural men, who cannot be tempted. (On temptations, see what is shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 187-201.)

sRef Rev@2 @14 S0′ 139. Verse 14. But I have against thee a few things, signifies that heed should be taken, as is evident from what follows, where it is told of whom heed should be taken.

sRef Rev@2 @14 S0′ 140. That thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, signifies those who have been illustrated in respect to the understanding, and who teach truths, and yet love to destroy by craft those who are of the church. This is evident from the historicals of the Word respecting Balaam and Balak, understood in the spiritual sense; and these must first be told. Balaam was a soothsayer from Pethor of Mesopotamia, and was therefore called by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelitish people; but this Jehovah prevented, and granted him to speak prophetically, yet he afterwards counseled with Balak how to destroy that people by craft, by leading them away from the worship of Jehovah to the worship of Baal-peor. Here, therefore, by “Balaam” those are meant who have been illuminated in respect to the understanding, and who teach truths, and yet love to destroy by craft those who are of the church. That Balaam was a soothsayer is evident from these words in Moses:
The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went to Balaam with the rewards of enchantment in their hand (Num. 22:7).
When Balaam saw that it was good in the eyes of Jehovah to bless Israel, he went not as in former times to meet with divinations (Num. 24:1).
And in Joshua:
Balaam also, the son of Beor, the diviner, did the sons of Israel slay with the sword upon their slain (Joshua 13:22).
That he was called by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the people of Israel, see Num. 22:5, 6, 16, 17; Deut. 23:3, 4; but that Jehovah prevented this, and granted him to speak prophetically, Num. 22:9, 10, 12, 20; 23:5, 16; the prophecies which he uttered may be seen Num. 23:7-15, 18-24; 24:5-9, 16-19, 20-24; all which things are truths, because it is said that:
Jehovah put a word into his mouth (Num. 23:5, 12, 16).
sRef Num@25 @9 S2′ sRef Num@31 @9 S2′ sRef Num@22 @7 S2′ sRef Num@24 @4 S2′ sRef Num@24 @3 S2′ sRef Josh@13 @22 S2′ sRef Num@23 @12 S2′ sRef Num@25 @1 S2′ sRef Num@24 @15 S2′ sRef Num@23 @16 S2′ sRef Num@23 @5 S2′ sRef Num@24 @1 S2′ sRef Num@24 @16 S2′ sRef Num@31 @16 S2′ sRef Num@25 @3 S2′ sRef Num@31 @8 S2′ sRef Num@25 @2 S2′ sRef Num@25 @18 S2′ [2] That afterwards he counseled with Balak to destroy the people of Israel by craft, by leading them away from the worship of Jehovah to the worship of Baal-peor, is evident from these words in Moses:
In Shittim the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat and bowed down to their gods. Especially did Israel join himself unto Baal-peor. Therefore there were killed of Israel twenty and four thousand (Num. 25:1-3, 9, 18).
They slew Balaam amongst the Midianites; and the sons of Israel led captive all the women of the Midianites; which was of the counsel of Balaam, to deliver them to prevarication against Jehovah, in the matter of Peor (Num. 31:8, 9, 16).
That by “Balaam” those are meant who have been illustrated in respect to the understanding, and who teach truths, follows from what has now been shown, for he spoke prophetically truths about Israel, and also about the Lord; that he spoke truths about the Lord also may be seen in his prophecy (Num. 24:17). To speak prophetically about Israel is to speak not about the Israelitish people, but about the church of the Lord, which is signified by “Israel.” The illustration of his understanding he himself describes in these words:
The saying of Balaam the son of Beor, the saying of the man whose eyes are opened, the saying of him who heareth the words of God, who falls prostrate, and has his eyes uncovered (Num. 24:3-4, 15-16).
“To have the eyes opened,” or “to have them uncovered,” is to be illustrated in respect to the understanding, for “eyes” in the Word signify the understanding (as may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 2701, 4410-4421, 4523-4534, 9051, 10569).
[3] That “Balaam” also means those who love to destroy by craft those who are of the church is evident also from what has been shown above; moreover, when he rode upon the ass, he continually thought upon the use of enchantments for destroying the sons of Israel; and when he was not able to do this by curses, he counseled Balak to destroy them by calling them to the sacrifices of his gods, and by their committing whoredom with the daughters of Moab. By the “sons of Israel,” whom he wished to destroy, is signified the church, because the church was instituted among them (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6426, 8805, 9340).
sRef Num@24 @1 S4′ sRef Num@22 @32 S4′ sRef Num@22 @33 S4′ [4] The arcanum respecting the she-ass on which Balaam rode, which turned aside three times out of the way from the angel seen with a drawn sword, and its speaking to Balaam, I will here briefly explain. When Balaam rode upon the ass he continually meditated enchantments against the sons of Israel; the riches with which he should be honored were in his mind, as is evident from what is said of him:
He went not as in former times to meet with divinations (Num. 24:1).
In heart, he was also a soothsayer, therefore when left to himself, he thought of nothing else. By the “she-ass” upon which he rides is signified, in the spiritual sense of the Word, the intellectual illustrated; consequently to ride on a she-ass or a mule was the distinction of a chief judge or a king (see above, n. 31; and in Arcana Coelestia, n. 2781, 5741, 9212). The angel with the drawn sword signifies Divine truth illustrating and combating against falsity (see above, n. 131). Therefore that “the ass turned aside three times out of the way” signifies that the understanding when illustrated did not agree with the thought of the soothsayer; this also is meant by what the angel said to Balaam:
Behold, I went forth to withstand thee, because thy way is evil before me (Num. 22:32).
By “way,” in the spiritual sense of the Word, is signified that which a man thinks from intention (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 479, 534, 590; and in The small work on The Last Judgment, n. 48). That he was withheld from the thought and intention of using enchantments by the fear of death is manifest from what the angel said to him:
Unless the ass had turned aside before me, surely now I had even slain thee (Num. 22:33).
sRef Num@23 @23 S5′ [5] It sounded to Balaam as if the ass spoke to him, yet she did not speak, but the speech was heard as if from her. That such was the case has often been shown me by living experience; it has been granted me to hear horses seemingly speaking, when yet the speech was not from them, but was seemingly from them. This actually occurred in Balaam’s case, that the story might be so related in the Word for the sake of the internal sense in every particular of it. That sense describes how the Lord protects those who are in truths and goods, that they may not be harmed by those who speak from seeming illustration, and yet have the disposition and intention to lead astray. He who believes that Balaam could harm the sons of Israel by enchantments is much deceived; for enchantments could have availed nothing against them; this Balaam himself confessed when he said:
Divination avails not against Jacob, nor enchantments against Israel (Num. 23:23).
Balaam could lead that people astray by craft, because that people were such in heart; with the mouth only they worshiped Jehovah, but in heart they worshiped Baal-peor, and because they were such this was permitted.
[6] It is to be noted, moreover, that a man can be in illustration in respect to the understanding, and yet in evil in respect to the will; for the intellectual faculty is separated from the voluntary with all who are not regenerated, and only with those who are regenerated do they act as one; for it is the office of the understanding to know, to think, and to speak truths, but of the will to will the things that are understood, and from the will, or from the love, to do them. The divorcement of the two is clearly manifest with evil spirits; when these turn themselves towards good spirits, they, too, understand truths, and also acknowledge them, almost as if they were illustrated; but as soon as they turn themselves away from good spirits, they return to the love of their will and see nothing of truth, and even deny the things they have heard (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 153, 424, 455).
[7] To be able to have the understanding illustrated is granted to man, for the sake of reformation; for in man’s will every evil resides, both that into which he is born and that into which he introduces himself; and the will cannot be corrected unless man knows, and by the understanding acknowledges, truths and goods, and also falsities and evils; in no other way can he turn away from the latter and love the former. (More may be seen on the will and the understanding in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 28-35.)

sRef Num@25 @1 S0′ sRef Num@25 @9 S0′ sRef Num@25 @2 S0′ sRef Num@25 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @14 S0′ 141. To eat idol-sacrifices and to commit whoredom, signifies that they may be imbued with evils and with falsities therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “eating,” as being to appropriate to themselves, and to be consociated with (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2187, 2343, 3168, 3513, 5643, 8001); so also to be imbued with; and from the signification of “idol-sacrifices,” which are things consecrated to idols, as being evils of every kind (of which more in what follows); and from the signification of “committing whoredom,” as being to falsify truths (of which also more presently). That Balaam counseled Balak to invite the sons of Israel to the sacrifices of his gods appears from what was shown in the preceding article, and from these words of Moses:
Israel abode in Shittim, where the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab; for he called* the people unto the sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. Especially did the people join themselves to Baal-peor; therefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel. And those that were slain were four and twenty thousand (Num. 25:1-3, 9).
It was among the statutes where sacrifices were instituted that some part of the sacrifices, especially of the thank-offerings, should be burnt from the altar, and some part eaten in the holy place. The “sacrifices” themselves signified worship from love and faith, and the “eating” of them signified appropriation of the good thereof. (That “sacrifices” signified all things of worship from the good of love and faith, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 923, 6905, 8680, 8936, 10042; and “eating” the appropriation of goods, n. 10109.) As the eating of things sanctified to Jehovah signified the appropriation of good, so the eating of the sacrifices offered to the gods of the nations, and which were called “idol-sacrifices,” signified the appropriation of evil.
[2] That to “commit whoredom,” in the spiritual sense, signifies to become imbued with falsities, so also to falsify truths, can be seen from many passages in the Word. The same was signified by the whoredoms of the sons of Israel with the daughters of Moab; for all historical parts of the Word involve spiritual things and signify them (as can be seen from the explanations of Genesis and Exodus, called Arcana Coelestia). And as the eating of idol-sacrifices by the sons of Israel and their whoredoms with the daughters of Moab involved such things (for what things signify they involve), therefore it was commanded that the heads of the people should be hung up to Jehovah before the sun; and for the same reason Phinehas the son of Eleazar thrust through a man of Israel and a Midianitish woman in the place of their lust, and for doing that he also was blessed; and for the same reason there were slain of Israel twenty and four thousand (as may be seen, Num. 25:1 to the end). Such punishments and such plagues merely because of the eating of idol-sacrifices, and committing whoredom with the women of another nation, would never have been commanded to be done, unless they had involved heinous offenses against heaven and the church, which do not appear in the literal sense of the Word, but only in its spiritual sense. The heinous offenses involved were the profanation at once of the goods and of the truths of the church, and this, as has been said above, was the appropriation of evil and falsity.
sRef Ezek@16 @32 S3′ sRef Ezek@16 @15 S3′ sRef Ezek@16 @33 S3′ sRef Ezek@16 @26 S3′ sRef Ezek@16 @28 S3′ sRef Ezek@16 @35 S3′ sRef Ezek@16 @29 S3′ [3] That adulteries and whoredoms involve such things is evident from numerous passages in the Word, where they are recounted, which show clearly that they signify the adulterations of good and the falsifications of truth, as in the following. In Ezekiel:
Jerusalem, thou hast trusted in thy beauty, and hast committed whoredom because of thy renown, so that thou hast poured out thy whoredoms on everyone that passed by. Thou has committed whoredom with the sons of Egypt thy neighbors, great of flesh, and hast multiplied thy whoredom. Thou hast committed whoredom with the sons of Asshur, when there was no satiety to thee, with whom thou committedst whoredom. Thou hast multiplied thy whoredom even to Chaldea, the land of traffic. An adulterous woman receiveth strangers instead of her husband. All give reward to their harlots,** but thou hast given reward to all thy lovers, and hast rewarded them that they may come unto thee on every side in thy whoredoms. Wherefore, O harlot! hear the word of Jehovah (Ezek. 16:15, 26, 28-29, 32-33, 35 seq.).
Who cannot see that by “whoredoms” here are not meant whoredoms in the usual natural sense? For the church in which all the truths of the Word have been falsified is treated of; this is what is meant by “whoredoms;” for “whoredoms” in the spiritual sense, or spiritual whoredoms, are no other than falsifications of truth. “Jerusalem” here is the church; the “sons of Egypt,” with whom she committed whoredom, are scientifics and knowledges of every kind, perversely applied to confirm falsities; the “sons of Asshur” are reasonings from falsities; “Chaldea,” the land of traffic, is the profanation of truth; the “rewards” that she gave to her lovers are the vendings of falsities; and because of the adulteration of good by the falsifications of truth, that church is called a “woman adulterous while subject to her husband.”
sRef Ezek@23 @11 S4′ sRef Ezek@23 @3 S4′ sRef Ezek@23 @5 S4′ sRef Ezek@23 @14 S4′ sRef Ezek@23 @2 S4′ sRef Ezek@23 @7 S4′ sRef Ezek@23 @16 S4′ sRef Ezek@23 @17 S4′ sRef Ezek@23 @8 S4′ [4] In the same:
Two women, the daughters of one mother, committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth. One committed whoredom while subject to me, and chose for lovers the Assyrians her neighbors; she bestowed her whoredoms upon them yet she hath not left her whoredoms in Egypt. The other hath corrupted her love more than she, and her whoredoms above the whoredoms of her sister; she increased her whoredoms, she loved the Chaldeans; the sons of Babel came to her to the bed of loves, and they defiled her with their whoredom (Ezek. 23:2-3, 5-8, 11, 14, 16-17 seq.).
Here also by “whoredoms” are in like manner meant spiritual whoredoms, as is evident from every particular. “Two women, the daughters of one mother, are the two churches, the Israelitish and the Jewish; “whoredoms” with “the Egyptians,” “the Assyrians,” “the Chaldeans,” signify the like as above; “the bed of loves with the sons of Babel” is the profanation of good.
sRef Jer@3 @9 S5′ sRef Jer@3 @1 S5′ sRef Jer@3 @8 S5′ sRef Jer@3 @6 S5′ sRef Jer@3 @2 S5′ [5] In Jeremiah:
Thou hast committed whoredoms with many companions, thou hast profaned the land with thy whoredoms, and with thine evil. Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? She hath gone away upon every high mountain, and under every green tree, and there committeth whoredom. Perfidious Judah also hath gone away and committed whoredom, so that by the voice of her whoredom she hath profaned the land; she hath committed adultery with stone and with wood (Jer. 3:1-2, 6, 8-9).
“Israel” is the church that is in truth, “Judah” the church that is in good, for they represented these two churches. The falsifications of truth are signified by the “whoredoms of Israel,” and the adulterations of good by “the whoredoms of Judah.” “To go away upon every high mountain and under every green tree and to commit whoredom” is to seek after all the knowledges of good and truth, even from the Word, and to falsify them; “to commit adultery with stone and wood” is to pervert and profane all truth and good; “stone” signifying truth, and “wood” signifying good.
sRef Jer@5 @1 S6′ sRef Jer@5 @7 S6′ [6] In the same:
Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man [vir], if there be any doing judgment, seeking truth. When I fed them to the full they committed whoredom and came by troops to the house of the harlot (Jer. 5:1, 7).
To “run to and fro through the streets, and to seek in the broad places of Jerusalem,” is to see and explore the doctrinals of that church; for “Jerusalem” is the church, and “streets” and “broad places” are doctrinals. “If ye have found a man, if there be any doing judgment, seeking truth,” means whether there be any truth in the church. “When I fed them to the full they committed whoredom,” means that when truths were revealed to them they falsified them. Such a church, in respect to doctrine, is the “house of the harlot,” into which they “came by troops.”
sRef Jer@13 @27 S7′ [7] In the same:
Thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, thine abominations on the hills in the field have I seen. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! thou wilt not be made clean (Jer. 13:27).
“Neighings” are profanations of truth, because a “horse” signifies the intellectual where there is truth; “the hills in the field” are goods of truth in the church, which have been perverted.
sRef Jer@23 @14 S8′ sRef Jer@29 @23 S8′ [8] In the same:
In the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible stubbornness in adulterating and in walking in a lie (Jer. 23:14).
They have wrought folly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their companions’ wives, and have spoken My*** word in My name falsely (Jer. 29:23).
To “adulterate” and to “commit adultery” here clearly mean to pervert truths; “the prophets” signifying those who teach truths from the Word; for it is said “in adulterating and walking in a lie,” and “they have spoken My word falsely.” A “lie” in the Word signifies falsity.
sRef Num@14 @33 S9′ [9] In Moses:
Your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your**** whoredoms even till their carcasses are consumed in the wilderness (Num. 14:33).
The sons of Israel did not bear whoredoms and were not for that reason consumed in the wilderness, but because they spurned heavenly truths, as is evident from this, that it was so said to them because they wished not to enter into the land of Canaan, but to return to Egypt; “the land of Canaan” signifies heaven and the church, with the truths thereof; and “Egypt” signifies the same falsified and turned into magic.
sRef Micah@1 @7 S10′ [10] In Micah:
All her graven images shall be beaten to pieces, and all the rewards of whoredom shall be burned up with fire; and all her idols will I lay waste, for she hath gathered them from the hire of an harlot, therefore even to the hire of an harlot shall they return (Micah 1:7).
“Graven images” and “idols” signify falsities that are from self-intelligence; “the rewards of whoredom” are the knowledges of truth and good that they have applied to falsities and evils and have thus perverted.
sRef Hos@1 @2 S11′ [11] In Hosea:
Jehovah said to the prophet, Take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms, for whoring the land doth commit whoredom in departing from Jehovah (Hosea 1:2).
By this was represented what the quality of the church was, namely, that it was wholly in falsities.
sRef Hos@4 @11 S12′ sRef Hos@4 @13 S12′ sRef Hos@4 @7 S12′ sRef Hos@4 @10 S12′ [12] In the same:
They sinned against Me; I will change their glory into disgrace. They committed whoredom; because they have forsaken Jehovah. Whoredom, wine, and new wine, have occupied the heart. Your daughters commit whoredom, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery (Hosea 4:7, 10-11, 13).
“Whoredom, wine, and new wine,” are falsified truths; “whoredom” falsification itself; “wine” interior falsity; “new wine” exterior falsity; “daughters who commit whoredom” are the goods of truth perverted; “daughters-in-law who commit adultery” are evils conjoined with falsities therefrom.
sRef Isa@23 @18 S13′ sRef Isa@23 @17 S13′ [13] In Isaiah:
It shall come to pass after the end of seventy years that Jehovah will visit Tyre, that she may return to her meretricious hire, and commit whoredom with all the kingdoms of the earth upon the faces of the world; at length her merchandise [and her meretricious hire] shall be holiness to Jehovah (Isa. 23:17, 18).
“Tyre,” in the Word, is the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good; “meretricious hire” the same knowledges applied, by perverting them, to evils and falsities; “her merchandise” the vending of these. “To commit whoredom with all the kingdoms of the earth,” is with all and every truth of the church. “Her merchandise and her meretricious hire shall be holiness to Jehovah” because these signify the knowledges of truth and good applied by them to falsities and evils; and by means of the knowledges themselves regarded in themselves, a man can gain wisdom; for knowledges are means of becoming wise, and they are also means of becoming insane. They are the means of becoming insane when they are falsified by being applied to evils and falsities. The like is signified where it is said that:
They should make to themselves friends of the unrighteous mammon (Luke 16:9);
and where it is commanded that:
They should borrow from the Egyptians gold, silver, and raiment, and take them away from them (Exod. 3:22; 12:35-36).
By the “Egyptians” are signified scientifics of every kind which they used to falsify truths.
sRef Nahum@3 @1 S14′ sRef Lev@20 @5 S14′ sRef Nahum@3 @3 S14′ sRef Rev@14 @8 S14′ sRef Nahum@3 @4 S14′ sRef Rev@18 @3 S14′ sRef Isa@57 @2 S14′ sRef Rev@17 @2 S14′ sRef Ex@34 @16 S14′ sRef Rev@17 @1 S14′ sRef Num@15 @39 S14′ sRef Ex@34 @15 S14′ sRef Rev@19 @2 S14′ sRef Isa@57 @3 S14′ [14] In Moses:
I will cut off the soul that looketh unto them that have familiar spirits and unto wizards, to go a-whoring after them (Lev. 20:5, 6).
In Isaiah:
He entereth into peace, he walketh in uprightness. But draw ye near, ye sons of the enchantress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot (Isa. 57:2-3).
In Nahum:
Woe to the city of bloods, all in a lie, the horseman ascendeth, and the flaming of the sword, and the flashing of the spear, a multitude of the slain; for the multitude of the whoredoms of the harlot, of the mistress of sorceries, selling the nations through her whoredoms (Nahum 3:1, 3-4).
In Moses:
A covenant must not be made with the inhabitants of the land, lest the sons and daughters go a-whoring after their gods (Exod. 34:15-16).
In the same:
That ye may remember all the commandments of Jehovah, and do them; and that ye spy not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye are wont to go a-whoring (Num. 15:39).
In Revelation:
Babylon hath made all nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her whoredom (Rev. 14:8);
The angel said, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters; with whom the kings of the earth have committed whoredom (Rev. 17:1-2);
Babylon hath made all nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her whoredom, and the kings of the earth have committed whoredom with her (Rev. 18:3);
He hath judged the great harlot, which did corrupt the earth with her whoredom (Rev. 19:2).
It is manifest that in these passages by “whoredoms” are meant the falsifications of truth.
sRef Lev@21 @9 S15′ sRef Lev@21 @7 S15′ sRef Lev@21 @14 S15′ sRef Deut@23 @18 S15′ sRef Deut@23 @17 S15′ sRef Lev@21 @13 S15′ sRef Lev@20 @10 S15′ [15] As such things are signified by “whoredoms” and “adulteries,” and as these have the same signification in heaven, therefore in the Israelitish church, which was a representative church, in which all things were significative, the following commands were given:
That there should be no harlot nor whoremonger in Israel (Deut. 23:17);
That the man that committed adultery with the wife of a man, and the man that committed adultery with the wife of his companion should be put to death (Lev. 20:10);
That the hire of a harlot should not be brought into the house of Jehovah for any vow (Deut. 23:18);
That the sons of Aaron should not take a harlot to wife, nor a woman put away by her husband. That the high priest should take a virgin to wife. That the daughter of a priest, if she profaned herself by committing whoredom, should be burned with fire (Lev. 21:7, 9, 13-14). (Besides many other passages.)
[16] That “whoredoms” and “adulteries” involve such things has been testified to me from much experience in the other life. The spheres from spirits who have been of such character have made these things evident; from the presence of spirits who have confirmed falsities in themselves, and have applied truths from the sense of the letter of the Word to confirm them, there exhales an abominable sphere of whoredom. Such spheres correspond to all the prohibited degrees (of which, see Lev. 20:11- 21) with a difference according to the application of truths to falsities and the conjunction of falsities with evils, especially with evils that gush out of the love of self (of which more may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 384-386).
* In Hebrew: “they called,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 140, 401; Apocalypse Revealed, n. 114; Arcana Coelestia, n. 10652.
** In Hebrew: “They give reward to all harlots,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 695; Arcana Coelestia, n. 8904.
*** In Hebrew: “the word,” as also found in Arcana Coelestia, n. 2466, 8904. “My” is found in Apocalypse Revealed, n. 134 and in True Christian Religion, n. 314.
**** In Hebrew: “your,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 633; Arcana Coelestia, n. 2466, 8904, but Apocalypse Revealed, n. 134 has “their.”

sRef Rev@2 @15 S0′ 142. Verse 15. So thou hast them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate, signifies those who separate good from truth, or charity from faith, which is against Divine order. This is evident from what was said and shown above (n. 107), where similar words occur. To which this is to be added: That those who separate truth from good, or faith from charity, turn away from themselves all influx of heaven into the goods they do, in consequence of which their goods are not good; for heaven flows in, that is, the Lord through heaven, into the good of man’s love; he, therefore, that rejects the good of charity from the doctrine of the church, and receives instead only those things that are called matters of faith, is shut out of heaven; truths with such have no life; and it is the life of truth, which is good, that conjoins, but not truth without life, or faith without charity. (But more on these subjects in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem where it treats of Charity, n. 84-107, and of Faith, n. 108-122.)

sRef Rev@2 @16 S0′ 143. Verse 16. Repent, signifies dissociation from these. This is evident from the signification of “repent,” as being in reference to the things signified by “the doctrine of Balaam,” and by “the doctrine of the Nicolaitans,” to be dissociated from them. Nor is repentance anything else; for no one repents unless he actually separates himself from the things of which he has repented; and he separates himself from them only when he shuns them and turns away from them. (That this is repentance or penitence, see the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 159-172.)

sRef Rev@2 @16 S0′ 144. Or else I will come to thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth, signifies if not, when visitation comes they will be dispersed. This is evident from the signification of “coming to thee quickly,” as being, in reference to the Lord, visitation (of which more in what follows); also from the signification of the “sword of the mouth,” as being truth combating against falsity, and the subsequent dispersion of falsities (see above, n. 73, 131); but here it signifies the dispersion of those who hold “the doctrine of Balaam,” and the “doctrine of the Nicolaitans,” that is, of those who are illustrated in respect to the understanding and who teach truths, and yet love to destroy by craft those who are of the church; and of those also who separate good from truth, or charity from faith (see above, n. 140, 142). “Coming quickly” means visitation, because the coming of the Lord in the Word signifies visitation (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6895). Visitation is the exploration of man’s character after death, before he is judged.

sRef Rev@2 @17 S0′ 145. Verse 17. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, signifies that he who understands should harken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church, as is evident from what was said and shown above (n. 14, and n. 108), where there are similar words.

sRef Rev@2 @17 S0′ sRef John@6 @48 S1′ sRef John@6 @49 S1′ sRef John@6 @45 S1′ sRef John@6 @50 S1′ sRef John@6 @58 S1′ sRef John@6 @46 S1′ sRef John@6 @55 S1′ sRef John@6 @57 S1′ sRef John@6 @56 S1′ sRef John@6 @52 S1′ sRef John@6 @51 S1′ sRef John@6 @53 S1′ sRef John@6 @54 S1′ sRef John@6 @47 S1′ sRef John@6 @31 S1′ sRef John@6 @41 S1′ sRef John@6 @42 S1′ sRef John@6 @38 S1′ sRef John@6 @34 S1′ sRef John@6 @40 S1′ sRef John@6 @37 S1′ sRef John@6 @44 S1′ sRef John@6 @43 S1′ sRef John@6 @33 S1′ sRef John@6 @35 S1′ sRef John@6 @36 S1′ sRef John@6 @39 S1′ sRef John@6 @32 S1′ 146. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the hidden manna, signifies that those who conquer in temptations will have the delight of heavenly love from the Lord’s Divine Human. This is evident from the signification of “overcoming,” as being those who conquer in temptations (for it is these that are treated of in what is written to the angel of this church, see above, n. 130); from the signification of “giving to eat,” as being to be appropriated and to be conjoined by love and charity (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2187, 2343, 3168, 3513, 5643) and as it is said “of the hidden manna,” which means the Lord in respect to His Divine Human, the “eating” of this here signifies the delight of heavenly love, for this is appropriated by the Lord’s Divine Human to those who receive Him in love and faith; also from the signification of the “hidden manna,” as being the Lord in respect to His Divine Human. That this is “manna” is manifest from the Lord’s own words in John:
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. The bread of God is He who cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world. I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat the manna in the wilderness, and they are dead. This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down out of heaven; if any man eat of this bread he shall live forever. The bread that I will give is My flesh (John 6:31-58).
That it is the Lord Himself who is meant by “manna” and by “bread,” He plainly teaches, for He says, “I am the bread of life which came down out of heaven.” That it is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, He also teaches when He says, “The bread that I will give is My flesh.”
sRef John@6 @27 S2′ sRef Luke@22 @30 S2′ sRef Matt@26 @26 S2′ sRef Luke@14 @15 S2′ sRef Matt@8 @11 S2′ [2] The Lord taught the same when He instituted the Holy Supper:
Jesus took bread and blessed it, and gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is My body (Matt. 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19).
“To eat of this bread” is to be conjoined to the Lord by love, for “to eat” signifies to be appropriated and to be conjoined (as above), and love is spiritual conjunction. The same is signified by “eating in the kingdom of God,” in Luke:
Blessed is he that eateth bread in the kingdom of God (Luke 14:15).
Ye shall eat and drink at My table in My kingdom (Luke 22:30).
In Matthew:
Many shall come from the east and the west, and shall recline to eat with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God (Matt. 8:11).
(That by “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” the Lord is meant, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1893, 4615, 6095, 6185, 6276, 6804, 6847.) In John:
Work not for the food which perisheth; but for the food which abideth, which the Son of man shall give unto you (John 6:27).
That the “Son of man” is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, see above (n. 63).
sRef Ex@16 @31 S3′ sRef Deut@8 @3 S3′ sRef Ex@16 @15 S3′ sRef Ex@16 @14 S3′ sRef Ex@16 @4 S3′ [3] It is called “hidden manna,” because the delight of heavenly love, which those receive who are conjoined to the Lord through love, is wholly unknown to those that are in a love not heavenly; and this delight no one is able to receive except he that acknowledges the Lord’s Divine Human; for from this the delight proceeds. Because this delight was unknown to the children of Israel in the wilderness, they called it “manna,” as appears in Moses:
Jehovah said unto Moses, Behold, I will cause bread to rain from heaven itself for you. And in the morning the dew lay round about the camp. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold upon the face of the wilderness a small round thing; and when they saw it, they said, This is manna? (what is this)? Moses said unto them, this is the bread which Jehovah giveth you to eat. And the house of Israel called the name thereof manna (Exod. 16:3 to the end).
In the same:
Jehovah fed thee with manna which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by all that is uttered by the mouth of Jehovah doth man live (Deut. 8:3).
This delight, which is meant by “manna,” was unknown to the sons of Israel, because they were in corporeal delight more than other nations, and those who are in that delight are altogether incapable of knowing anything of heavenly delight. (That the sons of Israel were such, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 248.) The term “delight” is used, and the delight of love is meant, for every delight of life is of love.
sRef John@6 @34 S4′ sRef John@6 @33 S4′ sRef John@6 @42 S4′ sRef John@6 @43 S4′ sRef John@6 @36 S4′ sRef John@6 @35 S4′ sRef John@6 @53 S4′ sRef Deut@8 @3 S4′ sRef John@6 @31 S4′ sRef John@6 @32 S4′ sRef John@6 @56 S4′ sRef John@6 @58 S4′ sRef John@6 @57 S4′ sRef John@6 @44 S4′ sRef John@6 @46 S4′ sRef John@6 @55 S4′ sRef John@6 @54 S4′ sRef John@6 @47 S4′ sRef John@6 @45 S4′ sRef Ps@105 @40 S4′ sRef John@6 @37 S4′ sRef John@6 @41 S4′ sRef John@6 @50 S4′ sRef John@6 @49 S4′ sRef John@6 @40 S4′ sRef John@6 @39 S4′ sRef John@6 @51 S4′ sRef John@6 @52 S4′ sRef Ps@78 @23 S4′ sRef John@6 @48 S4′ sRef Ps@78 @24 S4′ sRef John@6 @38 S4′ [4] As it is the delight of heavenly love that is signified by “eating of the hidden manna,” therefore it is called “the bread of the heavens” in David:
Jehovah commanded the skies from above, and opened the doors of the heavens; and He rained down upon them manna for food, and gave them corn of the heavens (Ps. 78:23, 24).
In another place:
Jehovah satisfied them with the bread of the heavens (Ps. 105:40).
It is called the “bread of the heavens,” because it rained down from heaven with the dew, but in the spiritual sense it is called the “bread of the heavens” because it flows down from the Lord through the angelic heaven. In that case no other heaven is meant, and no other bread than that which nourishes the soul of man. That it is in this sense that “bread” is to be understood here is evident from the words of the Lord Himself in John:
That He is the manna, or bread, that came down out of heaven (John 6:31-58).
And in Moses:
That Jehovah fed them with manna, that He might make them to know that man doth not live by bread only, but by all that is uttered by the mouth of Jehovah (Deut. 8:3).
“What is uttered by the mouth of Jehovah” is everything that proceeds from the Lord, and this, in a special sense, is Divine truth united with Divine good (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13, 133, 139, 140, 284-290).
sRef Ex@16 @31 S5′ sRef Num@11 @7 S5′ sRef Num@11 @8 S5′ [5] This delight is also described by the correspondences in Moses:
The manna appeared like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like cakes made with honey (Exod. 16:31).
And in another place in the same:
They made cakes of it; and the taste of it was as the taste of the juice of oil (Num. 11:7, 8).
The appearance and taste of the manna was such because “Coriander seed, white,” signifies truth from a heavenly origin; “cake,” the good of heavenly love; “honey” its external delight; “oil” that love itself; and its “juice,” from which was the taste, its internal delight: and the “rain with dew,” in which the manna was, the influx of Divine truth in which that delight is. (That “seed” signifies truth from a heavenly origin, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3038, 3373, 10248, 10249; that “white” is predicated of that truth, n. 3301, 3993, 4007, 5319; that “cake” signifies the good of heavenly love, n. 7978, 9992, 9993; that “oil” signifies that love itself, n. 886, 3728, 9780, 9954, 10261, 10269; its “juice,” therefore, signifies the delight of that love, because the taste is therefrom, and the taste is the delight and pleasantness, see n. 3502, 4791-4805. But more about these matters may be seen in the explanation of chapter 16 of Exodus in The Arcana Coelestia.)
[6] The delight of heavenly love is signified by “eating of the hidden manna,” when yet by “the hidden manna” the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is signified, because it is the same whether you say the Lord’s Divine Human, or the Divine Love, for the Lord is Divine Love itself, and what proceeds from Him is Divine good united to Divine truth; both are of love, and are also the Lord in heaven; consequently “to eat of Him” is to be conjoined to Him, and this by love from Him. (But these things may be better understood from what is said and shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13-19, 116-125, 126-140; also in Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 210-222, 307.)

sRef Rev@2 @17 S0′ 147. And will give him a white stone, signifies wisdom and intelligence. This is evident from the signification of “a white stone,” when [it is given] by the Lord, as being reception from Him and influx; and as it is reception and influx from the Lord, it also is wisdom and intelligence from Him, for those who receive from the Lord and with whom the Lord flows in, are in wisdom and intelligence. “To give a white stone” signifies these things, because formerly in public decisions the votes were taken by means of stones; white stones indicating the affirmative opinions, and black stones the negative; therefore by a “white stone” is signified the reception of wisdom and intelligence.

sRef Rev@2 @17 S0′ 148. And upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth except he that receiveth, signifies a state of interior life unknown to all except those who are in it. This is evident from the signification of “name,” as being the quality of state (of which see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1754, 1896, 2009, 3237, 3421); here the quality of the state of the interior life, because it is said “a new name, which no one knoweth except he that receiveth,” for the quality of the state of the interior life is wholly unknown to those who are not in the interior life. Those are in the interior life who are in love to the Lord, and none are in love to the Lord except those who acknowledge the Divine in His Human (that to love the Lord is to live according to His precepts, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10143, 10153, 10578, 10645, 10829). Interior life is the spiritual life, in which the angels of heaven are; but the exterior life is the natural life, in which are all who are not in heaven. With those, moreover, who live according to the precepts of the Lord and acknowledge the Divine in His Human, the interior mind is opened, and man then becomes spiritual; but those who do not so live, and do not acknowledge the Lord, remain natural. (That to all who are not in heavenly love the state of the interior or spiritual life is unknown, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 395-414; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 105, 238.)
sRef Isa@49 @1 S2′ sRef John@10 @2 S2′ sRef Isa@45 @4 S2′ sRef Isa@45 @3 S2′ sRef Isa@40 @26 S2′ sRef John@10 @3 S2′ sRef Isa@43 @1 S2′ [2] That “name” in the Word signifies quality of state is evident from many passages there, some of which I will here cite in confirmation. Thus in Isaiah:
Lift up your eyes on high and see; who hath created these? He that leadeth out the host in number; that calleth them all by name (Isa. 40:26).
“His calling them all by name” is knowing the quality of all, and giving to them according to the state of love and faith with them. In John the meaning is similar:
He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out (John 10:2-3).
In Isaiah:
Thus saith Jehovah thy Creator, O Jacob, and thy Former, O Israel, Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, and have called thee by name; thou art Mine (Isa. 43:1).
In the same:
That thou mayest know that I am Jehovah, who had called thee by thy name. For Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel My chosen, I have called thee by thy name, when thou didst not know Me (Isa. 45:3-4).
“I have called thee by thy name” means that He knew the quality of the state of the church; for “Jacob” and “Israel” are the church, “Jacob” the external church, and “Israel” the internal.
sRef Isa@65 @15 S3′ sRef Isa@62 @1 S3′ sRef Isa@48 @18 S3′ sRef Ezek@22 @5 S3′ sRef Isa@48 @19 S3′ sRef Ezek@22 @2 S3′ sRef Isa@62 @2 S3′ [3] In the same:
Israel, if thou hadst hearkened to My commandments, his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before Me (Isa. 48:18-19).
“The name being cut off and destroyed from before Jehovah” denotes the quality of the state by which conjunction is effected, which state is the spiritual state of him who is of the church signified by “Israel.” Again in the same prophet:
Jehovah hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother doth He make mention of my name (Isa. 49:1).
here “making mention of the name” is knowing the quality. In the same:
For Zion’s sake I will not be still, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet. And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory; and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall utter (Isa. 62:1, 2).
In the same:
He shall call His servants by another name (Isa. 65:15).
“To call by a new name,” and “by another name,” is to bestow another state of life, namely, a state of spiritual life. In Ezekiel:
The city of bloods, polluted by name (Ezek. 22:2, 5).
“The city of bloods” is the doctrine that offers violence to the good of charity; this is said to be “polluted by name” when it abounds with falsities and evils therefrom, which constitute its quality.
sRef Ex@33 @12 S4′ sRef Ex@33 @17 S4′ sRef Rev@3 @5 S4′ sRef Rev@3 @12 S4′ sRef Rev@3 @4 S4′ sRef Rev@22 @4 S4′ sRef Rev@13 @8 S4′ [4] In Moses:
Moses said unto Jehovah, Thou hast said, I know thee by thy name. And Jehovah said unto Moses, This word also that thou hast spoken I will do, for I know thee by name (Exod. 33:12, 17).
“His knowing Moses by name” is knowing his quality. In Revelation:
Thou hast a few names in Sardis which have not defiled their garments. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white garments, and I will confess his name before My Father. He that overcometh, I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, and My new name (Rev. 3:4, 5, 12).
It can be seen that “name” here signifies the quality of state in respect to the good of love and the truth of faith. In another place:
Whose names have not been written in the book of life (Rev. 13:8; 17:8).
“Names written in the book of life” are the quality of all things of man’s love and faith, the all things of his spiritual life. In another place:
They shall see the face of God and the Lamb, and His name shall be in their forehead (Rev. 22:4).
“His name in their forehead” is a state of love, for “forehead” corresponds to love, and therefore signifies love.
[5] “Name” in the Word signifies the quality of man’s state, because in the spiritual world each one is named according to the state of life in which he is, thus variously; for spiritual speech is not like human speech; all things there are expressed according to ideas of things and of persons; and these ideas fall into words. (This can be seen more clearly from what is shown on The Speech of the Angels in Heaven, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 234-245; also see above, n. 102, 135, where it is shown what “the name of Jehovah,” “of the Lord,” and “of Jesus Christ” signify in the Word.)

sRef Rev@2 @21 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @25 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @22 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @20 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @27 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @24 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @29 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @28 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @19 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @26 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @18 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @23 S0′ 149. Verses 18-29. And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, that hath His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like burnished brass, I know thy works and charity, and ministry and faith, and thine endurance, and thy works, and the last to be more than the first. But I have against thee a few things, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, that calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit whoredom, and to eat idol-sacrifices. And I gave her time that she might repent of her whoredom, and she repented not. Behold, I cast her into a bed, and those that commit adultery with her into great affliction, except they repent of their works. And her sons I will kill with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He that searcheth the reins and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your works. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say; I put upon you no other burden. Nevertheless, that which ye have hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end, I will give him power over the nations. And he shall rule them with an iron rod; as earthen vessels shall they be shivered, as I also have received from My Father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 18. “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write,” signifies those of the church with whom the internal and external, or the spiritual and natural man, make one (n. 150); “These things saith the Son of man”* signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, from which is that essential of the church (n. 151); “that hath His eyes as a flame of fire,” signifies Divine Providence from His Divine love and Divine wisdom and intelligence communicated to those who are in love towards Him and from that in faith in Him (n.152); “and His feet like burnished brass,” signifies the ultimate of Divine order, which is the natural, full of Divine love (n. 153). 19. “I know thy works and charity,” signifies the internal of those who are of the church (n. 154); “and ministry and faith,” signifies good and truth therein (n. 155); “and thine endurance,” signifies conjunction with the external [and consequent combat] (n. 156); “and thy works, and the last to be more than the first,” signifies the externals that are therefrom (n. 157). 20. “But I have against thee a few things,” signifies that heed should be taken (n. 158); “that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel,” signifies the delight of the love of self and of the world (159); “that calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants,” signifies that the doctrine of all falsities is therefrom (n. 160); “to commit whoredom and to eat idol-sacrifices,” signifies the falsifications of truth and the adulterations of good (n. 161). 21. “And I gave her time that she might repent of her whoredom, and she repented not,” signifies that those who are in falsities therefrom do not turn themselves to truths by means of truths (n. 162). 22. “Behold, I cast her into a bed,” signifies that they are left to their natural man, and to the doctrine of falsities therein (n. 163); “and those that commit adultery with her into great affliction,” signifies the grievous temptations of those who addict themselves to the falsities of such (n. 164); “except they repent of their works,” signifies except they separate themselves from them (n. 165). 23. “And her sons I will kill with death,” signifies that thus falsities are extinguished (n. 166); “and all the churches shall know that I am He that searcheth the reins and hearts,” signifies the acknowledgment of all who are of the church that the Lord alone knows and explores the exteriors and interiors, and the things that are of faith and of love (n. 167); “and I will give to each one of you according to your works” signifies eternal blessedness according to one’s internal in the external (n. 168). 24. “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira,” signifies to all and each one with whom the internal is conjoined to the external (n. 169); “as many as have not this doctrine,” signifies with whom external delight, which is the delight of the love of self and of the world, is not dominant (n. 170); “and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say,” signifies entanglement with these (n. 171); “I put upon you no other burden,” signifies that this alone should be guarded against (n. 172). 25. “Nevertheless, that which ye have hold fast till I come,” signifies steadfastness in a state of love and of faith, even until visitation (n. 173). 26. “And he that overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end,” signifies perseverance in love and faith after combat against these loves, and their removal as far as possible (n. 174); “I will give him power over the nations,” signifies over the evils within him, which will then be scattered by the Lord (n. 175). 27. “And he shall rule them with an iron rod,” signifies that he is about to chastise evils by means of truths, that are in the natural man (n. 176); “as earthen vessels shall they be shivered,” signifies the total dispersion of falsities (n. 177); “as I also have received from My Father,” signifies comparatively as the Lord from His Divine, when He glorified His Human (n. 178). 28. “And I will give him the morning star,” signifies intelligence and wisdom from the Lord’s Divine Human (n. 179). 29. “He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches,” signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church (n. 180).
* In Greek: “Son of God,” as just above; but here the Latin has “Son of man,” as also in Apocalypse Explained, n. 98, 250; Apocalypse Revealed, n. 70, 125.

sRef Rev@2 @18 S0′ 150. Verse 18. And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, signifies those of the church with whom the internal and the external, or the spiritual and natural man, make one. This is evident from what is written to this angel understood in the internal sense, which treats of the conjunction of the internal or spiritual man with the external or natural man, or concerning those of the church in whom these are conjoined. In every man there is an internal and an external; his internal is what is called the spiritual man, the external what is called the natural man. When man is born, the external or natural man is first opened; and afterwards, as he grows up and is perfected in intelligence and wisdom, the internal or spiritual man is opened. The external or natural man is opened by such things as man derives from the world, while the internal or spiritual man is opened by such things as he derives from heaven; for the external or natural man is formed for receiving such things as are in the world, but the internal or spiritual man for receiving such things as are in heaven. The things in the world, for receiving which the external or natural man is formed, have reference, in general, to all things of civil and moral life; while the things in heaven, for receiving which the internal or spiritual man is formed, have reference, in general, to all things of love and faith.
[2] Since there are these two in man, and each separately must be opened by means proper to it, it is clear that unless the internal is opened by its proper means man continues merely natural, and his internal in that case is closed. But those with whom the internal is closed are not men of the church; for the church with man is formed through communication with heaven: and there is no communication with heaven unless man’s internal is opened by its proper means, all which have reference, as was said above, to love and faith. It is to be known, moreover, that with the man of the church, that is, the man who has been regenerated by the Lord by means of truths called truths of faith and by means of a life according to them, the internal and external or the spiritual and natural man are conjoined, and that this conjunction is effected by correspondences. (The nature of correspondences, and therefore the nature of the conjunction effected by them can be seen from what is shown about them in The Arcana Coelestia, and cited from that work in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 261.)
[3] Now since a man does not become a man of the church until his internal or spiritual man has been opened and until this has been conjoined with the external or natural man, those within the church in whom this conjunction is effected are now treated of; for (as was said above, n. 20) by “the seven churches” are not meant seven churches, but all in general who are of the Lord’s church; consequently what is written to the angel of each church treats of such things as constitute the church; here, therefore, that is, “to the angel of the church of Thyatira,” the internal and external are treated of, and the conjunction of the two in those of the church. (But as hitherto it has not been known that these two are actually in man, and that they must be opened and conjoined that man may be a man of the church; and as these things cannot be made clear in a few words, therefore they have been treated of in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 36-53, 179-182.)

sRef Rev@2 @18 S0′ 151. These things saith the Son of man, signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, from which is that essential of the church. This is evident from the signification of “the Son of man,” as being the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, and in respect to Divine truth, since Divine truth proceeds from Him (see above, n. 63); also as being that from which is that essential of the church, namely, the opening of the internal or spiritual man, and the conjunction thereof with the external, since everything of the church with man is from the Lord’s Divine Human. For everything of love and faith, which two constitute the church, proceeds from the Lord’s Divine Human, and not immediately from the Divine Itself; for what proceeds immediately from His Divine Itself, does not fall into any thought and affection of man, nor consequently into faith and love, because it is far above them. This can be seen from the fact that man is not able to think of the Divine Itself apart from the human form, except as he thinks of nature, as it were, in things least. Thought that is not determined to a certain figure is diffused in every direction, and what is diffused is dissipated. This has been given me to know most especially from those in the other life who are from the Christian world, who have thought only of the Father, and not of the Lord, that they make nature in its minutest parts their God, and finally fall away from all idea of God, consequently from the idea and faith in anything of heaven and the church.
[2] It is otherwise with those who have thought of God under the human form; these have all their ideas determined to the Divine, nor do their thoughts, like the thoughts of those mentioned before, wander in every direction. And as the Divine under the Human form, is the Lord’s Divine Human, therefore the Lord bends and determines their thoughts and affections to Himself. This, because it is the primary truth of the church, unceasingly flows in out of heaven with man; consequently it is, as it were, implanted in everyone to think of the Divine under the human form, and thus to see His Divine inwardly in himself, with the exception of such as have extinguished in themselves this implanted thought (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 82). From this the reason can also be seen, why all men, whatsoever after death, when they become spirits, turn themselves to their own loves, and thus why those who have worshiped the Divine under the human form turn themselves to the Lord, who appears to them as a sun above the heavens. But those who have not worshiped the Divine under the human form, turn themselves to the loves of their natural man, all of which have reference to the loves of self and the world, thus turning backwards from the Lord; and turning oneself backwards from the Lord is turning towards hell. (That all in the spiritual world turn themselves to their own loves, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 17, 123, 142-145, 151, 153, 255, 272, 510, 548, 552, 561.)
[3] All who lived in ancient times and worshiped the Divine saw the Divine in thought under the human form, and hardly anyone thought of an invisible Divine; and the Divine under the human form was even then the Divine Human. But as this Divine Human was the Divine of the Lord in the heavens and passing through the heavens, when at length heaven became enfeebled, because men, of whom heaven is made up, from internal successively became external and thus natural, therefore it pleased the Divine Itself to put on a human, and to glorify it, or make it Divine, that thus from Himself He might affect all, both those who are in the spiritual world and those who are in the natural world, and might save those who acknowledge and worship His Divine in the Human.
sRef John@1 @2 S4′ sRef John@1 @8 S4′ sRef John@1 @1 S4′ sRef John@1 @9 S4′ sRef John@1 @7 S4′ sRef John@1 @6 S4′ sRef John@1 @4 S4′ sRef John@1 @5 S4′ sRef John@1 @10 S4′ sRef John@1 @14 S4′ sRef John@1 @13 S4′ sRef John@1 @12 S4′ sRef John@1 @3 S4′ sRef John@1 @11 S4′ [4] This is clearly stated in many passages in the Old Testament Prophets, as well as in the Evangelists; of these I will cite only the following in John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that hath been made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And that Light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not. It was the true Light, which lighteth every man coming into the world. He was in the world, but the world acknowledged Him not. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory (John 1:1-14).
It is plainly evident that the Lord in respect to the Human is here meant by “the Word,” for it is said, “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.” It is also evident that the Lord made His Human to be Divine, for it is said, “the Word was with God and God was the Word, and this became flesh,” that is, a man. And since all Divine truth proceeds from the Lord’s Divine Human, and this is His Divine in the heavens, therefore by “the Word” is also signified Divine truth; and thence He is said to be “the Light which lighted every man coming into the world.” Moreover, “light” is Divine truth; and because men from being internal became so external or natural as no longer to acknowledge Divine truth or the Lord, therefore it is said that “the darkness apprehended not the light,” and that “the world acknowledged Him not.” (That the Word is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human and Divine truth proceeding therefrom, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 263, 304. That “light” is Divine truth, and “darkness” the falsities in which those are who are not in the light, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140, 275.)
sRef John@1 @12 S5′ sRef John@1 @13 S5′ [5] That they who acknowledge the Lord and worship Him from love and faith, and are not in the love of self and the love of the world, are regenerated and saved, is also taught in these words in John:
As many as received Him, to them gave He power to be children of God, even to them that believe in His name; which were born, not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12, 13).
Here “of bloods” means such as destroy love and charity. “The will of the flesh” is every evil from the love of self and love of the world, also man’s will-proprium, which in itself is nothing but evil; “the will of man” is falsity thence that comes from that will-proprium. That those who are not in these loves receive the Lord and are regenerated and saved, is meant by its being said that those who “believe in His name become children of God,” and are “born of God.” (That to “believe in the Lord’s name” is to acknowledge His Divine Human and to receive love and faith from Him, see above. n. 102-135. That “bloods” are the things that destroy love and charity, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4735, 5476, 9127; that “flesh” is man’s will-proprium, which in itself is nothing but evil, n. 210, 215, 731, 874-876, 987, 1047, 2307, 2308, 3518, 3701, 3812, 4328, 8480, 8550, 10283, 10284, 10286, 10732; and that man’s proprium is the love of self and the love of the world, n. 694, 731, 4317, 5660. That “man” [vir] is the intellectual, and therefore truth or falsity, since the intellectual is of the one or the other, see n. 3134, 3309, 9007. Thus “the will of man” [viri] is the intelligence-proprium, which, when it exists from the will-proprium [which in itself is nothing but evil], is nothing but falsity, for where evil is in the will there is falsity in the understanding. That to be “born of God” is to be regenerated by the Lord, see Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 173-184. Moreover, that all in the universe, from influx out of heaven and from revelation, worship the Divine in the human form, see Earths in the Universe, n. 98, 121, 141, 154, 158, 159, 169; likewise all angels of the higher heavens, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 78-86.)
[6] From this it can now be seen that everything of the church, thus also everything of heaven with men, is from the Lord’s Divine Human. For this reason “the Son of man,” who is the Divine Human, is described in the first chapter of Revelation by various representatives; and from that description the introductory sentences to each of the churches are taken (as may be seen above, n. 113), and what is said to this church in particular treats of this chief essential of the church, namely, the conjunction of the internal and external, or the regeneration of the man of the church; for it is said to the angel of this church, “These things saith the Son of God, that hath His eyes as a flame of fire.”

sRef Rev@2 @18 S0′ 152. That hath His eyes as a flame of fire, signifies Divine Providence from His Divine love, also Divine wisdom and intelligence communicated to those who are in love towards Him and from that in faith in Him. That “eyes as a flame of fire,” means in reference to the Lord, His Divine Providence from His Divine love, see above (n. 68). This means also Divine wisdom and intelligence communicated to those who are in love towards the Lord, and from that in faith in Him, because “eyes” in the Word signify in reference to man the understanding of truth, and the understanding of truth is intelligence and wisdom; consequently “eyes” signify, in reference to the Lord, Divine wisdom and intelligence proceeding from Him; and what proceeds from Him is communicated to angels and to men who are in love towards Him and from that in faith in Him. All the wisdom and intelligence that angels and men have is the Lord’s with them and not their own; and this is also well known in the church; for it is known that all good, which is of love, and all truth, which is of faith, are from God, and nothing thereof from man; and truths interiorly seen and acknowledged constitute intelligence, and these together with goods interiorly perceived and thence seen constitute wisdom. From this then it is that “having His eyes as a flame of fire” also signifies the Lord’s Divine wisdom and intelligence communicated to those who are in the goods of love, and from that in faith in Him.
[2] “Eyes” signify the understanding, because all the sight of the eyes with men and angels is from the understanding. That all the sight of the eyes is from the understanding must sound absurd to those who are ignorant of the interior causes of things, out of which effects are presented in the body; those ignorant of these causes believe no otherwise than that the eye sees of itself, that the ear hears of itself, that the tongue tastes of itself, and that the body feels of itself; when yet it is the interior life of man, the life of his spirit, which is the life of his understanding and will, or of his thought and affection that, through the organs of the body, has sensation of the things that are in the world, and thus perceives them naturally. The whole body, with all its sensories, is merely an instrument of its soul, or of its spirit; which is also the reason that when man’s spirit is separated from the body the body has no sensation whatever, but the spirit afterwards continues to have sensation as before. (That man’s spirit sees, hears, and feels, after it is released from the body equally as before while in the body, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 461-469; and on The Correspondence of the Understanding with the Sight of the Eye, see Arcana Coelestia n. 4403-4421, 4523-4534.) With beasts, moreover, their interior life, which is also called their soul, has sensation equally through the external organs of their body, but with a difference, in that the sensation of the beast is not rational like man’s, thus is not formed from an understanding and will such as man has (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 108; and The Last Judgment, n. 25).
[3] From this, then, it is, that by “eye” in the Word is signified the understanding of truth, or intelligence and wisdom, as may be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Say to this people, hear ye in hearing, but understand not; and see ye in seeing, and know not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and smear their eyes, lest they see with their eyes (Isa. 6:9-10; John 12:40).
“To smear the eyes, lest they see with their eyes,” is to darken the understanding, that they may not understand.
sRef Isa@29 @10 S4′ [4] In the same:
Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes; the prophets and your heads, the seers hath He covered (Isa. 29:10);
where “He hath closed the eyes; the prophets and the heads, and the seers hath He covered,” is the understanding of truth. “Prophets” are those that teach truths, who are also called “heads,” because the head signifies intelligence, and are also called “seers” from the revelation of Divine truth with them.
sRef Isa@33 @17 S5′ sRef Isa@33 @15 S5′ sRef Isa@32 @3 S5′ [5] In the same:
The eyes of them that see shall not be closed, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken (Isa. 32:3).
“The eyes of them that see” means of those that understand truths. In the same:
Who shutteth his eyes from seeing evil. Thine eyes shall behold the king in his beauty (Isa. 33:15, 17).
“To shut the eyes from seeing evil” is not to admit evil into the thought; “their eyes shall behold the king in his beauty” is that they are to understand truth in its light with pleasantness; for by “king” here is not meant a king but truth (see above, n. 31).
sRef Lam@5 @16 S6′ sRef Jer@5 @21 S6′ sRef Lam@5 @17 S6′ [6] In Jeremiah:
Hear now this, O foolish people, who have no heart; who have eyes and see not; who have ears and hear not (Jer. 5:21; Ezek. 12:2).
In Lamentations:
The crown of our head hath fallen; for this our heart hath become faint; and for this our eyes have been darkened (Lam. 5:16, 17).
“The crown of the head” is wisdom (see above n. 126); the “faint heart” means that the will of good is no more (that “heart” is the will and love, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 95). “Eyes” are the understanding of truth, and they are said to be darkened when truth is no longer understood.
sRef Zech@11 @17 S7′ [7] In Zechariah:
The punishment of the shepherd forsaking the flock, a sword upon his right eye; and his right eye in growing dim shall be dimmed (Zech. 11:17).
“The sword upon the right eye,” and “the right eye in growing dim shall be dimmed,” means that all truth in the understanding is to perish through falsity (that “sword” is the destruction of truth by falsity, see above, n. 131).
sRef Zech@14 @12 S8′ [8] In the same:
The plague wherewith Jehovah will strike all the peoples that shall war against Jerusalem; their eyes shall consume away in their sockets (Zech. 14:12).
“The peoples that shall war against Jerusalem” are those that fight against the church; “Jerusalem” is the church; that “their eyes shall consume away” means that intelligence is to perish because they fight by falsities against truths.
sRef Zech@12 @4 S9′ [9] In Zechariah:
I will smite every horse with astonishment, and every horse of the peoples with blindness (Zech. 12:4).
Here the vastation of the church is treated of; by “horse” is signified the intellectual, therefore the understanding is meant when it is said that the horse should be smitten with astonishment and with blindness. (That “horse” signifies the intellectual, see the small treatise on The White Horse, n. 1-5.)
sRef Deut@16 @19 S10′ sRef Ps@13 @3 S10′ [10] In David:
Hear me, O Jehovah, my God; lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep [the sleep of] death (Ps. 13:4).
“Lighten the eyes” means the understanding. In Moses:
Thou shalt not take a gift, for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise (Deut. 16:19).
“To blind the eyes of the wise” is that they may not see or understand the truth.
sRef Matt@6 @22 S11′ sRef Matt@6 @23 S11′ [11] In Matthew:
The lamp of the body is the eye: if the eye be single the whole body is light; if the eye be evil the whole body is darkened. If therefore the light be darkness, how great is the darkness (Matt. 6:22, 23; Luke 11:34).
By “eye” here is not meant the eye, but the understanding; by “the eye single” the understanding of truth; by “the eye evil” the understanding of falsity; “darkness” is falsities; “the whole body” is the whole spirit, which is wholly such as the will is and the understanding therefrom; but if it has the understanding of truth from the will of good it is an angel of light; but if it has an understanding of falsity it is a spirit of darkness. By these words the reformation of man through the understanding of truth is described. From this it is clear that he who knows what “eye” signifies can know the arcanum of these words. That man is reformed by means of truths in the understanding, see above (n. 112, 126).
sRef Matt@5 @29 S12′ [12] In Matthew:
If thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee; for it is better for thee to enter life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire (Matt. 5:29; 18:9; Mark 9:47).
Here also, by “eye” is not meant the eye, but the understanding thinking; by “the right eye causing to stumble” the understanding thinking evil; “plucking it out and casting it away” is not admitting such evil, but rejecting it; “having one eye” is the understanding thinking not evil, but truth only, for the understanding can think the truth; if it thinks evil it is from the will of evil. It is said “the right eye,” because “the right eye” signifies the understanding of good, and the “left eye” the understanding of truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4410, 6923).
sRef Isa@42 @7 S13′ sRef Isa@43 @8 S13′ sRef Isa@42 @6 S13′ sRef Isa@35 @5 S13′ sRef Isa@29 @18 S13′ [13] In Isaiah:
In that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of thick darkness and out of darkness (Isa. 29:18).
In the same:
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf (Isa. 35:5).
In the same:
I will give thee for a light of the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to lead him that is bound out of the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the house of prison (Isa. 42:6, 7).
In the same:
Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears (Isa. 43:8).
“To open the eyes of the blind” is to instruct those who as yet are ignorant of truths, but nevertheless have a longing for them, that is, the Gentiles. The like is signified by:
The Lord’s healing the blind (Matt. 9:27-29; 20:29 to the end; 21:14; Mark 8:23, 25; Luke 18:35 to the end; John 9:1-21);
for all the Lord’s miracles involved such things as pertain to the church and heaven, therefore they were Divine (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7337, 8364, 9301).
sRef Lev@21 @18 S14′ sRef Lev@21 @17 S14′ sRef Lev@22 @22 S14′ sRef Lev@21 @19 S14′ sRef Lev@21 @22 S14′ sRef Lev@21 @21 S14′ sRef Lev@21 @20 S14′ sRef Lev@21 @23 S14′ sRef Lev@26 @16 S14′ [14] Because the “eye” signified the understanding it was among the statutes pertaining to the sons of Israel:
That no one of the seed of Aaron who was blind or had a blemish in the eye should come nigh to offer sacrifice, or enter within the veil (Lev. 21:17-23).
That what was blind should not be offered for a sacrifice (Lev. 22:22; Mal. 1:8);
so also among the curses was:
A fever that should consume the eyes (Lev. 26:16).
From all this it can now be known what is signified by “the eyes of the Son of God that were as a flame of fire,” namely, Divine wisdom and intelligence communicated to those who are in love towards the Lord and thence in faith in Him.
sRef Rev@4 @6 S15′ sRef Ezek@10 @12 S15′ sRef Rev@4 @8 S15′ [15] That His Divine Providence is also signified is evident from what was shown above (n. 68). To this may be added what is said of the cherubim in Ezekiel, and of the four animals about the throne in Revelation, which also signify the Divine Providence of the Lord, and in particular, a guard that the Lord be not approached except through good. In Ezekiel:
I saw, and behold four wheels near the cherubim; their whole flesh, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes round about (Ezek. 10:9, 12).
In Revelation:
About the throne were four living creatures full of eyes before and behind; each one had wings full of eyes about and within (Rev. 4:6, 8).
These four “living creatures” also were cherubim, for the description of them is almost like that of the cherubim in Ezekiel. So many “eyes” are ascribed to them because the Lord’s Divine Providence, which is signified by “cherubim,” is His government of all things in the heavens and on the earth by Divine wisdom; for the Lord by Divine Providence sees all things, disposes all things, and looks out for all things. (That by “cherubim” is signified the Lord’s Divine Providence, and in particular, a guard that the Lord be not approached except through good, see n. 9277, 9509, 9673.)

sRef Rev@2 @18 S0′ 153. And His feet like burnished brass, signifies the ultimate of Divine order, which is the natural, full of Divine love, as is evident from what is said and shown above (n. 69), where similar words occur. As what is written to the angel of this church treats of the internal of the church, which is spiritual, and its external, which is natural, that they must make one (see above, n. 150), so it is prefaced by these things respecting the Lord, from whom is everything of the church, “These things saith the Son of God, that hath His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like unto burnished brass;” for in respect to man, “eyes” signify the internal, which is spiritual, and “feet” the external, which is natural; but in respect to the Lord, “eyes” and “feet” signify the Divine things from which are the internal and external with man.

sRef Rev@2 @19 S0′ 154. Verse 19. I know thy works and charity, signifies the internal of those who are of the church. This is evident from the signification of “works,” as being the things that are of the will, or of celestial love (of which see above, n. 98), and from the signification of “charity,” as being the things that are of spiritual love. “Works and charity” signifies the internal of the church, because its internal is made up of the things that are of the will or love, and its external of the things that are of the understanding and faith. There are two loves that constitute heaven or the church, love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, or charity; love to the Lord is called celestial love, and love toward the neighbor, which is charity, is called spiritual love. They are so called for the reason that heaven is divided into two kingdoms, one called the celestial kingdom, the other the spiritual kingdom, consequently the loves that govern there are so called (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13-19, 20-28 also Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 54-62, 84-100, where also it is shown what celestial love is, and what spiritual love, namely, that celestial love is to do the commandments of the Lord from the affection of the will, and spiritual love is to do them from the affection of the understanding). There are two things that constitute heaven or the church with man, namely, love and faith. Love resides in man’s will, for what man loves that he also wills; but faith resides in his understanding, for what a man believes that he also thinks, and thought is of the understanding.
[2] The internal of the celestial church, therefore, is to do the Lord’s commandments from the affection of the will, consequently from the love of good; while the internal of the spiritual church is to do the Lord’s commandments from the affection of the understanding, consequently from the love of truth. That doing the Lord’s commandments is loving Him, He Himself teaches in John (14:21, 23). The internal of the celestial church is what is meant by “works,” and the internal of the spiritual church is meant by “charity.” (But as these things cannot be explained in a few words, so as to be clearly perceived, see what is said respecting them in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, on The Will and Understanding, n. 28-36; on The Internal and the External Man, n. 36-53; on Love in General, n. 54-64; on Love towards the Neighbor, or Charity, n. 84-107; on Faith, n. 108-122; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, where Celestial Love and Spiritual Love are treated of, n. 13-19.)

sRef Rev@2 @19 S0′ 155. And ministry and faith, signifies good and truth therein. This is evident from the signification of “ministry,” as being good (of which presently); and from the signification of “faith,” as being truth. Faith signifies truth, because truth is of faith, and faith is of truth. “Ministry” signifies good, because in the Word “ministry” is predicated of good. For this reason the function of Aaron, of his sons, and of the Levites, and the priestly function in general, was called a “ministry.” For the same reason, “ministering” to Jehovah, or to the Lord, means to worship Him from the good of love. From this it is clear that “ministry” has reference to works, and “faith” to charity, of which just above, where it is said, “I know thy works and charity,” for faith and charity make one, since where there is no charity there is no faith (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 108-122; and the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-40).
sRef Ps@104 @4 S2′ [2] That “ministry” and “ministering” in the Word are predicated of the good of love can be seen from the following passages. In David:
Jehovah maketh His angels spirits, His ministers a flaming fire (Ps. 104:4).
Jehovah’s “making His angels spirits” means that they are recipients of Divine truth (see above, n. 130). “Making His ministers a flaming fire” means that they are recipients of Divine good for “flaming fire” signifies the good of love (see above, n. 68). From this it is clear that by “ministers” those who are in the good of love are meant.
sRef Ps@103 @21 S3′ [3] In the same:
Bless Jehovah, all ye His hosts; ye ministers of His that do His will (Ps. 103:21).
Those are called “hosts of Jehovah” who are in truths (see n. 3448, 7236, 7988, 8019), and “ministers” those who are in goods; therefore it is said, “that do His will.” Doing the Lord’s will is acting from the good of love; for all good has reference to the will, as all truth has to the understanding.
sRef Isa@61 @6 S4′ sRef Jer@33 @21 S4′ [4] In Isaiah:
Ye shall be called the priests of Jehovah, the ministers of our God (Isa. 61:6).
Priests are called “ministers” because they represented the Lord in respect to the good of love; those, therefore, who are in the good of love are called “priests” in the Word (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2015, 6148, 9809, 10017); and for the same reason they are called “ministers of God.” On this account the function of Aaron and of his sons is called “a ministry;” also the function of the Levite priests; and entering into the tent of meeting and officiating in the ministry there, also approaching the altar and officiating in the ministry there, is called “ministering” (see Exod. 28:35; 30:20; Num. 8:15, 19, 24-26). And in Jeremiah:
Then shall My covenant become void with the Levites the priests, My ministers (Jer. 33:21).
(That Aaron represented the Lord in respect to the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia, 9806, 9946, 10017; likewise priests in general, n. 2015, 6148; consequently by “priesthood” in the Word the Divine good of the Lord’s Divine love is signified, n. 9806, 9809.)
sRef Isa@56 @6 S5′ sRef Matt@20 @27 S5′ sRef Matt@20 @28 S5′ sRef Matt@20 @26 S5′ sRef Luke@12 @37 S5′ sRef John@12 @26 S5′ [5] There are two kingdoms into which the whole heaven is divided, in one of which are the angels who are in the good of celestial love, in the other the angels who are in the good of spiritual love, or in charity. The Lord’s celestial kingdom is called His “priesthood,” the spiritual kingdom His “royalty” (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 24, 226). “Ministry” is predicated of those in the celestial kingdom, and “service” of those in the spiritual kingdom. From this it is clear what is meant in the following passages by “ministering” and “minister,” and by “serving” and “servant”:
Jesus said to the disciples, Whosoever would be great let him be your minister; and whosoever would be first, let him be your servant; as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister (Matt. 20:26-28; 23:11-12; Mark 9:35; Luke 22:24-27).
Jesus said, If any man will minister to Me let him follow Me; then where I am, there shall also My minister be; yea, if any man will minister to Me, him will My Father honor (John 12:26).
Jesus said, Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching; I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, and make them to recline to eat, and He will come forth and minister to them (Luke 12:37).
In Isaiah:
The sons of the alien that conjoin themselves to Jehovah to minister to Him, and to love the name of Jehovah (Isa. 56:6).
Because “ministering” is predicated of the good of love, “the sons of the alien” are said “to minister to Jehovah,” and “to love Him;” and of the Lord Himself it is said that “He would minister.” From all this it can now be seen that by “ministry” is signified everything that is done from the good of love, thus the good of love.

sRef Rev@2 @19 S0′ 156. And thine endurance, signifies conjunction with the external, and consequent combat. This is evident from the signification of “endurance,” as being in respect to those who are in the internal and the external of the church (who are here treated of), the conjunction of the internal with the external, and consequent combat. This is signified by “endurance,” because the conjunction of the internal with the external, or of the spiritual man with the natural, is effected by temptations; without these the two are not conjoined; therefore the combat by which that conjunction is effected, since man then suffers and endures, is signified by “endurance.” (That the internal man is conjoined with the external by temptations, which are spiritual combats, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10685; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 190, 194, 199.)

sRef Rev@2 @19 S0′ 157. And thy works, and the last to be more than the first, signifies the externals that are therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “works,” as being externals in which are internals; for “works” are ultimate effects, in which internals are presented together, and are in a series therein; there they form their ultimate and fullness. The things that are of the thought and the will, and spiritually speaking, those that are of love and of faith, are called internal; these are in works, consequently “works” are ultimates. (That the interior things, which are of the mind, successively flow into external things, even into the extreme or ultimate, and that they have existence and subsistence therein, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 634, 6239, 6465, 9215-9216; that in the ultimate they also form what is simultaneous, in what series, see n. 5897, 6451, 8603, 10099; that the whole man is in his deeds or works, and that what is only willed and not done, when man is able to do, does not yet have existence, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 475-476.)
sRef Zech@6 @1 S2′ [2] To this I will add an arcanum not yet known. After death, man’s spirit appears in a human form according to the life of his affection while in the world; in a beautiful form if he lived a life of heavenly love; in an unbeautiful form if he lived a life of worldly love. It is from this that angels are forms of love and charity; yet their form is not so beautiful from the affection of thought and will alone as from the affection of these expressed in deeds or works; for deeds or works from the affection of the will and thought, or of love and faith, are what constitute the outward aspect of the spirit, thus the beauty of his face, body, and speech. The reason for this is, that as the interiors terminate in deeds or works as into their extremes, so do they terminate in the outward form of the body. For it is well known that everything of man’s will terminates in the extremes of his body. Any part of the body in which the will does not terminate is not a part of the body; as is evident from the actions of the body, even the least of them; for these all flow from the impulse of the will and are manifested in the extremes of the body (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 59, 60; and in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 30, 31).
[3] The same is manifest from this, that man’s spirit is altogether as his will is; not as his will is that does not go forth into act when it can (that will is nothing but thought in which there is an appearance of wing), but as the actual will is, which has no other desire than to act; this will is the same with man’s love; in accordance with this is the whole spirit and its human form. (That the will or love is the spirit itself, see above, n. 105; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 479.) On this account it is so often said in the Word that man ought “to do the Lord’s commandments,” and that he will be recompensed according to his “doings,” that is, according to the love in deeds, but not according to the love without deeds, when doing is possible.
[4] It is said, “I know thy works, and the last to be more than the first;” by “the last being more than the first” is meant that the works are more full of love after the conjunction of the internal man with the external; for the more the internal is conjoined with the external the more there is of the internal in externals; consequently in the deeds or works; for externals or works are nothing but effects of the interiors which are of the will and of the thought therefrom; and effects derive their all from the internals from which they exist, as motion does from its conatus. In man the conatus is the will, and the motion therefrom is action.
[5] From what has been explained in this verse it can be seen in what order the conjunction of the internal with the external in the man of the church is described, namely, the internal by “I know thy works and charity;” the good of the internal and its truth by “ministry and faith;” the conjunction of the internal with the external by “endurance;” and the externals therefrom by “I know thy works, and the last to be more than the first.” That such things are involved in these words no one can see from the sense of the letter, but only from the spiritual sense which is within the literal sense.

sRef Rev@3 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @20 S0′ 158. Verse 20. But I have against thee a few things, signifies that heed should be taken, as is evident from what follows, for it is there told of what things heed should be taken.

sRef Rev@2 @20 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @2 S0′ 159. That thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, signifies the delight of the love of self and of the world. This is evident from the signification of “the woman Jezebel,” as being the church wholly perverted; for “woman” in the Word signifies the Church (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 252, 253, 749, 770, 6014, 7337, 8994), here the church perverted. And as all perversion of the church springs from those two loves, namely, from the love of self and the love of the world, “Jezebel” signifies the delight of these loves. The church in which these loves reign is called “the woman Jezebel,” because Jezebel the wife of Ahab represented in the Word the delight of these loves, and the perversion of the church thereby. For all things that are written in the Word, even in the historical portion, are representative of such things as are of the church (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 249-266). Every perversion of the church springs from these two loves when they reign over the heavenly loves, because these two loves are altogether opposite to the two loves that constitute heaven and the church, which are love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, and because from these two loves all evils and the falsities thence spring (see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 59, 61, 65-82 and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 252, 396, 399, 400, 486, 551-565, 566-575).
[2] That Jezebel the wife of Ahab represented what has been said will be seen presently; but something shall first be said about the delights of loves. Every man is such as his love is, and every delight of his life is from his love; for whatever favors his love he perceives as delightful, and whatever is adverse to his love he perceives as undelightful; consequently it is the same whether it be said that man is such as his love is, or such as his life’s delight is. Those, therefore, who are loves of self and of the world, that is, they, with whom these loves reign, have no other life’s delight or no other life than infernal life. For these loves, or the life’s delights from them that are permanent, turn all their thoughts and intentions to self and the world; and so far as they turn them to self and to the world, they so far immerse them in man’s proprium [what is his own], which he has by inheritance, thus at the same time in evils of every kind; and so far as man’s thoughts and intentions are turned to his inherited proprium, which in itself is nothing but evil, so far are they turned away from heaven. For man’s interiors, which are of his mind, that is, of his thought and intention, or of his understanding and will, are actually turned to his own loves, that is, downwards to self where the love of self and its delights reign, and outwards, that is, away from heaven towards the world, where the love of the world and its delights reign. It is otherwise when man loves God above all things, and his neighbor as himself; then the Lord turns the interiors which are of man’s mind, or of his thought and intention, to Himself, thus turning them away from man’s proprium [what is his own], and elevating them; and this without man’s knowing anything about it. From this it is that man’s spirit, which is the man himself, after its release from the body is actually turned to its own love, because that constitutes his life’s delight, that is, his life. (That all spirits are actually turned to their own loves, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 17, 123, 142-145, 151, 153, 272, 510, 548, 552, 561; and above, n. 41.)
[3] This may be illustrated somewhat by the fact that all the least parts of the body turn themselves to the common center of our earth, which is called the center of gravity; and from this it is that wheresoever men are, even those who are in directly opposite positions, and are called antipodes, all stand upon their feet. Yet this center of gravity is merely nature’s center of gravity; but there is another center of gravity in the spiritual world, and this, with man, is determined by the love in which he is, downwards if his love is infernal, but upwards if his love is heavenly; and whichever way man’s love is determined, in the same way his thoughts and intentions are determined; for these are in the spiritual world, and are impelled by the forces that are there.
[4] From this it can now be seen that the perversion of the church with men, which is signified by “the woman Jezebel,” is solely from the loves of self and of the world, since these turn man’s interiors, which are of his mind, downward, thus turning them away from heaven. It is said “the perversion of the church with men,” because the church is in man, as heaven is in the angel; every church is constituted of those that are of the church, and not of any others, even though they may be born where the church is; as can be clearly seen from this, that love and faith constitute the church, and love and faith must be in man, consequently the church must be in him. (That heaven is in the angel, and the church in man, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 33, 53, 54, 57, 454; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 232, 233, 241, 245, 246.)

sRef Rev@2 @20 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @2 S0′ 160. That calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants, signifies that the doctrine of all falsities is therefrom. This is evident from the signification of a “prophet,” as being one who teaches truths, and abstractly from persons, the doctrine of truth (of which, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2534, 7269); therefore in the contrary sense by a “prophet” those who teach falsities are meant, and abstractly from persons, the doctrine of falsities, and the like is here meant by “prophetess.” Because “prophetess” here signifies one who teaches falsities and the doctrine of all falsities, it is therefore added that “she teaches and seduces the servants of the Lord.” It is said “to teach and to seduce,” because “to teach” is predicated of truths and falsities, and to “seduce” of goods and evils; and those who are in truths are called in the Word “servants of the Lord,” and those who are in good are called “ministers” (see above, n. 155). It is said of Jezebel that she “calleth herself a prophetess,” not that Jezebel the wife of Ahab called herself a prophetess, but this is said because “Jezebel” signifies the delight of the love of self and the world; and this delight teaches and seduces those who are in truths. For everyone, when he thinks by himself, thinks from his own love, and thus imbues himself with falsities, which is “to teach and to seduce.” Of Jezebel we read in the Word:
That Ahab the king of Israel took to wife Jezebel the daughter of the king of the Zidonians, and that he went away and served Baal, and reared up to him an altar in Samaria, and made a grove (1 Kings 16:31-33);
And that Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah (1 Kings 18:4, 13);
And that she wished to slay Elijah also (1 Kings 19:1-2 seq.);
And that through craft, by substituting false witnesses, she took away the vineyard from Naboth, and slew him (1 Kings 21:6-7 seq.);
It was therefore predicted by Elijah that dogs should eat her (1 Kings 21:23; 2 Kings 9:10);
And afterwards, by the command of Jehu, she was thrown out of the window, and some of her blood was sprinkled upon the wall and upon the horses that trod her under foot (2 Kings 9:32-34).
[2] By all these things the perversion of the church by the delight of the love of self and the world, and by the evils and falsities flowing forth therefrom, was represented. For all the historical parts of the Word, as well as the prophetical, are representative of such things as are of the church. “Baal” whom Ahab served, and to whom he raised up an altar, signifies the worship from the evils of the love of self and the world; the “grove” which he made signifies worship from the falsities therefrom. That “Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah” signifies the destruction of the church in respect to its truths; that “she wished to slay Elijah also” signifies a desire to annihilate the Word, for Elijah represented the Word. “The vineyard which by means of false witnesses she took away from Naboth” signifies the falsification of truth and the adulteration of good; the prophecy of Elijah that “dogs should eat her” signifies uncleanness and profanation. That “she was thrown out of a window, and some of her blood was sprinkled upon the wall and upon the horses that trod her under foot,” signifies the lot of those who are of that character; what the lot of such will be can be seen from the internal sense of the particulars there. From this it can be seen that by “the woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess,” no other Jezebel is meant than Jezebel the wife of Ahab, spoken of in the Word; and that by her those are described who are in the doctrine of all falsities from the delights of the loves of self and of the world.

sRef Rev@2 @21 S0′ sRef Rev@2 @20 S0′ sRef 2Ki@9 @22 S0′ 161. To commit whoredom, and to eat idol sacrifices, signifies falsifications of truth and adulterations of good. This is evident from the signification of “committing whoredom,” as being to falsify truths (of which see above, n. 141), and from the signification of “eating idol sacrifices,” as being to appropriate evil (of which see also above, n. 141); to adulterate good is also signified, because appropriations of evil are, in things of the church, adulterations of good; for it is an application of its goods to evils, thus adulterating them. For example, the goods of the Israelitish church were signified by the altar, the sacrifices, and eating together of the things sacrificed; when these things were given over to Baal, goods were applied to evils (besides other like instances). It is the like in a church in which there are no representatives, when the Word is applied to confirm the evils of self, as is done by the papal body to gain dominion over the universal heaven. That “to commit whoredom and to eat idol sacrifices” signifies to falsify truths and adulterate goods, is also clear from this, that the deeds of Jezebel are in one expression called “whoredoms” and “witchcrafts,” in the second book of Kings:
When Jehoram saw Jehu, he said, Is it peace, Jehu? and he said, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are many? (2 Kings 9:22).

sRef Rev@2 @21 S0′ 162. Verse 21. And I gave her time that she might repent of her whoredom, and she repented not, signifies that those who are in falsities therefrom do not turn themselves to truths nor by means of truths. This is evident from the signification of “repenting of whoredom,” as being to turn oneself from falsities to truths; for “whoredom” is the falsification of truth, and “to repent” is to turn oneself away from falsities; for repentance is an actual turning from falsities to truths, and dissociation and separation from falsities (see above, n. 143); also from the signification of “she repented not,” as being that they do not turn themselves from falsities to truths. These things are said of Jezebel, but those are meant who from the delight of the loves of self and the world have falsified truths and adulterated goods; for in the prophecies of the Word one person is named, and by that person are meant all of that character.
[2] Something shall be here said briefly about this statement that those who have falsified truths with themselves by applying them to the delights of self-love do not afterwards turn themselves to truths. Man sees from the Word the truths of the church from the spiritual or internal man and from its intellectual, but he does not receive them therein except to the extent that he loves them so as to wish to do them. When man so wills, his internal or spiritual man calls forth and elevates to itself, out of the natural man and its memory, the truths that are there, and conjoins them to the love that is of his will; thus the internal spiritual man, where man’s interior and higher mind resides, is opened and is successively filled and perfected. But if man permits the natural delight, which is the delight of the love of self and the world, to have dominion, then he views all things from that delight; and if he then sees truths he applies them to his own love and falsifies them. When this is done the internal spiritual man is closed; for as this is suited only to the reception of such things as are in heaven, it cannot bear that truths should be falsified; consequently when truths are falsified it contracts itself and closes almost, as a fibril does when touched by a prickle. When the internal is once closed, the love of self reigns, or the love of the world, or both together; and they form the external or natural man altogether in opposition to the internal or spiritual man. For this reason those who have falsified truths by applying them to the delights of the love of self and the world are unable afterwards to turn themselves to truths. This is what is here meant by these words, “I gave to the woman Jezebel time that she might repent of her whoredom, and she repented not.”

sRef Rev@2 @22 S0′ 163. Verse 22. Behold, I cast her into a bed, signifies that they are left to their natural man, and to the doctrine of falsities therein. This is evident from the signification of a “bed,” as being the natural man, also the doctrine of falsities (of which presently). What now follows treats of those who suffer themselves to be seduced by those who are in the doctrine of falsities from the delight of the love of self and the world, who are meant by “Jezebel” (as was said above). Those who suffer themselves to be seduced are not like those who have falsified truths and adulterated goods from the delight of those loves; for such have seen truths and have applied them to favor their delights, and have thus perverted them, and afterwards these are unable to turn themselves to truths and acknowledge them. These are treated of in the preceding article (n. 162). But those who have not done this, but have suffered themselves to be led away by those who have, have not so closed the internal or spiritual man with themselves; for they have not themselves falsified truths, but have put faith in those who have, because these falsities sound like truths. For these think no more deeply than that their leaders must be believed because they are intelligent and wise; thus they hang upon the lips of a master. There are many such at this day in Christendom, especially among those born in countries where the papal religion prevails. These are meant by those that commit adultery with Jezebel in a bed.
[2] “Bed” signifies the doctrine of falsities, and at the same time the natural man, because the doctrine of falsities has no other source than the natural man separated from the spiritual; and the natural man separated from the spiritual sees worldly things in light, but heavenly things in thick darkness; it sees falsity, therefore, in the place of truth, and evil in the place of good; moreover, if it sees truth it falsifies it, and if it sees good it adulterates it; for heaven flows into the natural or external man through the spiritual or internal man, and not immediately into the natural or external; into it the world flows immediately. And when the natural world with man is not governed by the spiritual world, the bond with heaven is broken; and when this is broken man makes the world his all, and heaven of little or no account; so also self as all, and God of little or no account. When the external or natural man is in such a state it is in falsities from the evils that spring forth out of the love of self and the world. As “bed,” therefore, signifies the natural man, it also signifies the doctrine of falsities.
sRef Amos@3 @12 S3′ [3] “Bed” signifies the natural man, because the natural man underlies the spiritual, thus the spiritual lies on it and on the things that are in it as on its own bed. That “bed” signifies the natural man, also the doctrinals that are in it, can be seen from the passages in the word where “bed” is mentioned, as in the following. In Amos:
As the shepherd hath rescued out of the mouth of the lion two legs and a bit of an ear, so shall the sons of Israel be rescued that dwell in Samaria on the corner of a bed, and on the end of a couch (Amos 3:12).
“Lion” signifies the church, here those therein that destroy goods and truths; “legs and a bit of an ear” are the goods that are in the natural man, and something of perception of truth therefrom; “the sons of Israel that dwell in Samaria” are those of the church; “on the corner of the bed, and on the end of a couch,” are those in a little natural light from the spiritual, and in some truths therefrom.
sRef Amos@6 @5 S4′ sRef Amos@6 @4 S4′ sRef Amos@6 @1 S4′ sRef Amos@6 @6 S4′ [4] In the same:
Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountains of Samaria; to them that lie upon the beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; that devise for themselves instruments of song; that drink out of bowls of wine, and anoint themselves with the firstlings of the oils: but they are not grieved over the breach of Joseph (Amos 6:4-6).
Those that the “trust in the mountains of Samaria” are those that trust in themselves, and from self-intelligence hatch out doctrines. “Samaria” is the perverted spiritual church; “beds of ivory” are fallacies of the senses on which doctrine is founded; “to stretch themselves upon couches” is to confirm and multiply the falsities therefrom; “to eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall, to drink out of bowls of wine and to anoint themselves with the firstlings of the oils,” is to draw the truths and goods of the Word out of the sense of its letter and to apply and falsify them. “Not to be grieved over the breach of Joseph” is not to care that the spiritual church is perishing, and that its truths are being infringed upon. (That “Joseph” in the highest sense signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine spiritual; in the internal sense the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, thus also the spiritual church; and in the external sense the fructification of good and multiplication of truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417, 6526.)
sRef Gen@49 @26 S5′ [5] In Moses:
May the blessings of thy father prevail above the blessings of my parents, may they be on the head of Joseph, and on the head of the bed* of his brethren (Gen. 49:26).
“Joseph,” as was said, is the Lord’s spiritual church; “the head of the bed of his brethren” is the spiritual that flows into all the truths and goods of that church (for the twelve sons or tribes of Israel signify all the truths and goods of the church in the complex, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335).
sRef Luke@17 @35 S6′ sRef Luke@17 @34 S6′ sRef Luke@17 @36 S6′ [6] In Luke:
I say unto you, In that night there shall be two [men] in one bed; one shall be taken, the other shall be left. There shall be two [women] grinding together; one shall be taken, the other shall be left. There shall be two [men] in the field; one shall be taken, the other shall be left (Luke 17:34-36).
This treats of the consummation of the age, which is the last time of the church when judgment takes place. To be “in one bed” is to be in the same doctrine of the church; “two [women] grinding” are those that collect and learn such things as are serviceable to faith; “two [men] in the field” are those in the church that apply goods and truths to themselves. (That “those who grind” are those who collect and learn such things as are serviceable to faith, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4335, 7780, 9995; that “field” means reception of truth and good, see n. 368, 3310, 9141, 9295.)
sRef John@5 @10 S7′ sRef John@5 @14 S7′ sRef John@5 @9 S7′ sRef John@5 @12 S7′ sRef John@5 @11 S7′ sRef Mark@2 @4 S7′ sRef Mark@2 @9 S7′ sRef Mark@2 @11 S7′ sRef Mark@2 @12 S7′ sRef John@5 @8 S7′ [7] In John:
Jesus said to the sick man at the pool of Bethsaida,** Arise, take up thy bed, and walk. And straightway the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked. Afterward Jesus findeth him, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee (John 5:8-12, 14).
And in Mark:
They uncovered the roof where Jesus was, and they let down*** the bed whereon the sick of the palsy lay. Jesus said, Whether is easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed and walk? Then he said, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk and go unto thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all (Mark 2:4, 9, 11-12).
The Lord saying to these sick, “Arise, take up thy bed, and walk,” signifies doctrine, and a life according thereto; “bed” signifies doctrine, and “to walk” life (that ” walking” is living, see above, n. 97). “The sick man” signifies those that have transgressed and sinned; consequently the Lord said to the sick man at the pool of Bethsaida, “Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee;” and to the paralytic let down on a bed through the roof, “Whether it is easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk?” Those who know nothing of the internal sense of the Word may believe that the words that the Lord spoke involve nothing more than what is obvious in the sense of the letter, when yet every particular of what the Lord spoke has a spiritual meaning, for He spoke from the Divine, and thus in the presence both of heaven and of the world (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2533, 4637, 4807, 9048, 9063, 9086, 10126, 10276).
sRef Deut@3 @11 S8′ [8] The bed of Og, the king of Bashan, is thus described in Moses:
Og, king of Bashan, remained of the remnants of the Rephaim; behold, his bed was a bed of iron; is it not in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man (Deut. 3:11).
The bed of Og is here described, because he was of the remnants of the Rephaim, and because he was king of Bashan; for by the “Rephaim,” those were signified who were in the love of self above others, and therefore natural above all others, and from a persuasion of their eminence over others were in falsities of every kind (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 581, 1268, 1270, 1271, 1673, 7686). And by “Bashan” the external of the church, thus the natural, was signified, for Bashan was outside the land of Canaan where the church was. On this account the bed of Og is described, which would not have been described unless such things had been signified by “Og;” for whatsoever is mentioned in the Word, even in the historical Word, is significative as to every expression. From this it is that the Word is spiritual in each and every particular, and therefore Divine from inmosts to ultimates. On this account, also, it is said that the bed was “of iron,” that it was “in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon,” and that “nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.” For “iron” signifies what is natural (see below, n. 176); “Rabbah of Ammon” signifies the falsifications of truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2468); and “nine cubits the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it,” signifies the conjunction of evil and falsity.
sRef Lev@15 @4 S9′ sRef Gen@49 @33 S9′ sRef Lev@15 @5 S9′ [9] From this it can be seen what the Word is in its bosom. Because “bed” signifies doctrine, it was among the statutes in the church with the sons of Israel:
That every bed whereon he that hath the issue lieth should be unclean; and that the man who touched his bed should wash his clothes, and bathe himself in waters (Lev. 15:4-5).
“Having the issue” signifies those who are in natural love, separate from spiritual love; “washing the clothes, and bathing himself in waters,” signifies purification by the truths of faith (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 202-209). Because “Jacob” in the Word signifies the external church, which is with those who are in natural light, and who live a moral life from the obedience of faith, though not from internal affection, when “Jacob” is spoken of there is in the spiritual world above on the right side, the appearance of a man lying in a bed; therefore in the Word it is said of him when he was dying:
When Jacob had made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet upon his bed and expired (Gen. 49:33).
It is said “he gathered up his feet upon the bed,” because “feet” also signify the natural (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952).
* The word lectus here is a participle, meaning one chosen. Swedenborg read it in his Latin Bible for the noun lectus, a bed. In other places he translates the word “chosen.”
** The common reading is “Bethesda,” though a number of the Greek manuscripts, with Swedenborg, have “Bethsaida.”
*** The Latin has dimiserunt, “let go,” for which the Latin editor reads demiserunt, “let down.”

sRef Rev@2 @22 S0′ 164. And those that commit adultery with her into great affliction, signifies grievous temptations for those who addict themselves to the falsities of such. This is evident from the signification of “committing adultery,” as being to falsify truths (see above, n. 141) therefore “to commit adultery with Jezebel” is to surrender oneself to the falsities of those signified by “Jezebel;” and from the signification of “affliction,” as being the infestation of truth by falsities (see above, n. 47), here temptation, since temptation with man is nothing else but infestation of truth by falsities (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 188, 196, 197); therefore “casting those who commit adultery with her into great affliction” signifies the grievous temptations of those who addict themselves to the falsities of such.
Here those are treated of with whom the spiritual or internal man is not so closed, because they are in some spiritual affection of truth, and yet they suffer themselves to be seduced by those who are in the doctrine of falsities (see above, n. 162). As these receive falsities into the memory of their natural man, with which falsities the internal spiritual man cannot agree, for this receives nothing but truths, a combat arises between the spiritual and the natural man. This combat is temptation, and this is signified by “great affliction.” (That temptation is the combat between the spiritual and natural man, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 190, 194, 197, 199.)

sRef Rev@2 @22 S0′ 165. Except they repent of their works, signifies except they separate themselves from them. This is evident from the signification of “repenting,” as being to separate oneself from falsities (of which see above, n. 143); also from the signification of “works,” which are here whoredoms with Jezebel, by which are signified the reception of falsities (of which see just above, n. 163). To separate oneself from these is to repent, and to repent is to refrain from evils and falsities, and afterwards to shun them and to have them in aversion (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 161, 165, 169 seq.)

sRef Rev@2 @23 S0′ 166. Verse 23. And her sons I will kill with death, signifies that thus falsities are extinguished. This is evident from the signification of “sons,” as being truths of the church from the Word, and, in the contrary sense, falsities (of which presently); also from the signification of “king with death,” as being to extinguish; for falsities are separated, and as it were extinguished by temptations, and by man’s refraining from them, and shunning them, and holding them in aversion. “Sons” in the Word signify truths, and in the contrary sense falsities, because the spiritual sense of the Word treats only of such things as relate to the church and heaven; and all things of the church and of heaven have reference to the goods which are of love, and to the truths which are of faith. From this it is that the names of kinships and relationships, as husband, wife, son, daughter, brother, sister, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and others, signify spiritual things that have reference to spiritual birth, which is regeneration, and to the heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of good and truth. The things that are born of this marriage are likewise goods and truths. From this it is that “daughters” in the Word signify goods, and “sons” truths, both derived from the good that is signified by “father,” and from the truth that is signified by “mother.” (That all the truths and goods that are with the regenerate man are conjoined according to spiritual relationships, and follow in order, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2508, 3815, 4121. That all who are in heaven are also associated according to spiritual relationships, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 205. That “sons” signify truths and the affections of truth, is shown in Arcana Coelestia, n. 489, 491, 533, 2623, 3373, 4257, 8649, 9807; that “sons of sons” signify truths in successive order, n. 6583, 6584; that by “father,” “mother,” “brethren,” “children,” goods and truths, or evils and falsities with man are signified, n. 10490; that “to smite the mother upon the sons,” is to destroy all things of the church, n. 4257; that the Lord called Himself “the Son of man,” because He was Divine truth, and because every truth of heaven and of the church proceeds from Him, see above, n. 63.)

sRef Rev@2 @23 S0′ 167. And all [the churches] shall know that I am He that searcheth the reins and hearts signifies the acknowledgment of all who are of the church, that the Lord alone knows and explores the exteriors and interiors, and the things that are of faith and love. This is evident from the signification of “searching,” as being, in reference to the Lord, that He alone knows and explores; also from the signification of “reins” as being the truths of faith and their purification from falsities (of which in what follows); also from the signification of “hearts,” as being the goods of love. “Heart” signifies the good of love, because there are two things that rule in man, and from these is the whole life of his body, namely the heart and the lungs. And as all things in man’s body correspond to the things that are in his mind, there are two things also that rule there, namely the will and the understanding. These two kingdoms of the mind correspond to the two kingdoms of the body, namely the will to the heart and its pulse, and the understanding to the lungs and their respiration. Without this correspondence the body could not live, not even a particle of it. As the heart corresponds to the will, so it corresponds to the good of love; and as the lungs correspond to the understanding, so they also correspond to the truths of faith. It is from this correspondence that “heart” signifies love, and “soul” signifies faith. It is from this that the expression “from the heart and soul” is so often used in the Word, by which is meant from love and faith. (As this correspondence is much treated of in the Arcana Coelestia, these things may be seen more fully explained there, namely, that “heart” in the Word signifies love; and because it signifies love, it also signifies the will, n. 2930, 3313, 7542, 8910, 9050, 9113, 10336. That the heart corresponds to the things that are of love with man, and the lungs to the things that are of faith with him, n. 3883-3896. That in heaven there is a pulse such as that of the heart, and a respiration such as that of the lungs, n. 3884, 3885, 3887. That the pulse of the heart there is in accordance with the state of love, and the respiration of the lungs in accord with the state of faith, n. 3886-3889. That the influx of the heart into the lungs is like the influx of good into truth, and like the influx of the will into the understanding; it is also according to the influx of love into faith, and there are like communications and conjunctions, n. 3884, 3887-3889, 9300, 9495. Of the influx of heaven into the heart and into the lungs, from experience, n. 3884. That from this the correspondence in the Word, “from the heart and soul” signifies from love and faith, n. 2930, 9050. That the conjunction of man’s spirit with his body is by means of the respiration of the lungs and the pulse of the heart, and that therefore when these cease man dies as to the body, but lives as to the spirit, see in the work on Heaven and Hell [n. 521]; and that when the pulse of the heart ceases the spirit is separated, because the heart corresponds to love, which is the vital heat, n. 447, in the same work. Many other things respecting this correspondence, see n. 95.) “Reins” signify the truths of faith, and their purification from falsities, because the purification of the blood is performed in the reins and “blood” in the Word signifies truth (as may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 4735, 9127). The like is signified by the organ that purifies; and all purification from falsities is effected by truths. From this it is clear what is signified in the Word by the expression, that Jehovah, or the Lord, “searcheth the hearts and reins,” namely, that He explores the truths of faith and the goods of love, and separates them from evils and falsities.
sRef Jer@12 @2 S2′ sRef Jer@11 @20 S2′ sRef Jer@12 @3 S2′ [2] This is signified by “reins” in the following places. In Jeremiah:
Jehovah Zebaoth, Judge of righteousness, trying the reins and the heart (Jer. 11:20).
In the same:
Thou hast proved* them, yea, they have taken root; they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: Thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins. But thou, O Jehovah, Thou shalt see me, and shalt prove my heart (Jer. 12:2, 3).
“Near in the mouth and far from the reins” is truth in the memory only, and in some thought therefrom when man speaks, but not in the will and from that in act. Truth in the will and from that in the act is what separates and dissipates falsities. Truth in the will and from that in the act is willing and doing what a man knows and thinks to be true; such truth is what is especially meant by “reins.”
sRef Jer@17 @10 S3′ [3] In the same:
I, Jehovah, search the heart, I prove the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruits of his works (Jer. 17:10).
“Searching the heart” is purifying good by separating evil from it; “proving the reins” is purifying truth by separating falsity from it; it is therefore said “to give to every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his works;” “ways” are the truths that are of faith, and “the fruit of works” are the goods that are of love. (That “ways” are truths that are of faith, see above, n. 97; and that “the fruit of works” are the goods that are of love, n. 98, 109, 116.)
sRef Ps@73 @22 S4′ sRef Ps@26 @2 S4′ sRef Ps@51 @8 S4′ sRef Ps@73 @21 S4′ sRef Ps@51 @6 S4′ sRef Ps@7 @9 S4′ sRef Jer@20 @12 S4′ [4] In the same:
Jehovah Zebaoth, that provest the righteous, that seest the reins, and the heart (Jer. 20:12).
And in David:
Establish Thou the righteous; for Thou that provest the hearts and the reins art a righteous God (Ps. 7:9);
“the righteous” are those who love to do what is true and good, their goods and truths are purified by the Lord, which is meant by “seeing” and by “proving the reins and the hearts.”
In David:
Prove me, O Jehovah, and try me, explore my reins and my heart (Ps. 26:2).
Because truths are separated from falsities and goods from evils by means of temptations, it is said, “Try me.” In the same:
My heart is in a ferment, and I am pricked in my reins, but I am foolish and know not (Ps. 73:21, 22).
The infestation of good by evil and of truth by falsity is described by these words. In the same:
Behold, thou desirest truth in the reins and in the hidden part thou makest wisdom known to me (Ps. 51:6).
Here there is another word in the original for “reins,” that includes the separation both of falsities from truths and of evils from goods. This shows that the “reins” signify purification and separation.
sRef Ps@139 @15 S5′ sRef Ps@139 @13 S5′ sRef Ps@139 @12 S5′ sRef Ps@16 @7 S5′ [5] In the same:
I will bless Jehovah, who hath given me counsel; also my reins chastise me in the night (Ps. 16:7).
“Night” signifies the state of man when falsities rise up; the consequent combat of truths with falsities is signified by “my reins chastise me.” In the same:
Even the darkness doth not make darkness before Thee, but the night is lucid as the day; as the darkness so is the light. For thou possessest my reins, my bone was not hidden from Thee when I was made in secret (Ps. 139:12, 13, 15).
“Darkness” means falsities, and “light” truths; to “possess the reins” is to know falsities and truths with man; therefore it is said, “my bone was not hidden from Thee when I was made in secret,” which signifies that no falsity that was made was hidden. (That “darkness” means falsity and “light” truth, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140; and that “bone” means truth in the ultimate of order and in the contrary sense, falsity, Arcana Coelestia, n. 3812, 5560, 5565, 6592, 8005.)
[6] As “the reins” signified truths purified from falsities, so:
In the sacrifices, the fats and reins alone were offered up (as may be seen in Exod. 29:13; Lev. 3:4, 10, 15; 4:9; and elsewhere).
Fats and reins alone were offered upon the altar because “fats” signified the goods of love, and “reins” the truths of faith. (That “fats” or “fatnesses” signify the goods of love, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 353, 5943, 6409, 10033. That the “reins” signify the truths of faith, examining, purifying, and rejecting from themselves falsities, is from correspondence; for each and every thing of the body corresponds, as can be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, where this is shown in its chapter entitled, There is a Correspondence of all things of Heaven with all things of Man, n. 87-102; and on the Reins, n. 96, 97.) Unless it be known that there is such a correspondence, who could ever know why it is so often said of Jehovah or the Lord in the Word, that “He searcheth and proveth the reins and the heart?” (On the correspondence of the reins, of the ureters, and of the bladder, see further in Arcana Coelestia, n. 5380-5386.) To “search the reins and the heart” signifies also to explore the exteriors and the interiors of man, because truth is without and good is within; and spiritual good, which in its essence is truth, and in particular is signified by the “reins,” is exterior good; while celestial good which in particular is signified by the “heart,” is interior good. (This can be seen more fully from what is shown respecting The Spiritual Kingdom and the Celestial Kingdom, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-26.)
* The Hebrew instead of “proved” has “planted,” as also found in Arcana Coelestia, n. 348, 8918.

sRef Rev@2 @23 S0′ 168. And I will give to each one of you according to your works, signifies eternal blessedness according to one’s internal in the external. This is evident from the signification of “works,” as being the things that are of love and of faith therefrom (of which see above, n. 98, 116); and as being the same in deeds or works (see n. 157); also from the signification of “giving to each one according to his works,” as being eternal blessedness; for everything blessed and delightful is of love and according to the love (of which also see above, n. 146). Here “giving to each one according to his works” signifies eternal blessedness according to the internal in the external, because those are here treated of, who at the same time are in the internal and the external, and of the conjunction of the two (see above, n. 150). It is said, eternal blessedness according to the internal in the external, because all heavenly blessedness with man, spirit, and angel flows in through the internal into their external; for their internal is formed for the reception of all things of heaven, and their external for the reception of all things of the world; therefore there is heavenly blessedness with those only with whom the internal has been opened and formed after the image of heaven; and not with those in whom the internal has been shut; the blessedness of these is the delight of honor, glory, and gain, which delight a man may have so long as he lives in the world. (But after death, when man becomes a spirit, this is changed into the corresponding delight which is filthy and direful, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 485-490; and that the blessedness of heaven, which is called heavenly joy, those only have who are in the internal and from that in the external, see the same, n. 395-414; and what the internal and the external are, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 36-53.)

sRef Rev@2 @24 S0′ 169. Verse 24. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, signifies to all and each one within whom the internal is conjoined to the external. This is evident from what was said and shown above (n. 150), namely that in what is written to the angel of the church in Thyatira those are described who are in the internal and from that in the external, thus those with whom the internal is conjoined to the external.

sRef Rev@2 @24 S0′ 170. As many as have not this doctrine, signifies with whom external delight, which is the delight of the love of self and the world, is not dominant. This is evident from the signification of that “doctrine” which “Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess,” taught, and by which she seduced, as being the delight of love of self and the world (of which see above, n. 159-161). Here “doctrine” signifies life; so by “not having it,” is signified not to live according to it; for what is meant is having doctrine in themselves; and to have doctrine in themselves is to have it in the life. From this it is clear that by the “doctrine of Jezebel” is meant the life of the love of self and the world.

sRef Rev@2 @24 S0′ 171. And who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, signifies entanglement with these, as is evident from this, that the loves that rule in the hells are the loves of self and of the world, and those loves are altogether contrary to the love to the Lord and the love to the neighbor, which rule in heaven. “Satan,” by whom is meant hell (see above, n. 120), unceasingly inspires the loves of self and of the world; and these man also receives with delight, because they are in him hereditarily, and are therefore his proprium [his own]; thus hell insinuates itself with man and entangles him. This is what is signified by “the depths of Satan.” There are few, however, who are aware of this, because these loves, as they are man’s proprium [man’s own] by inheritance, draw his mind to themselves by allurements from delight, and thus draw him away from the delights of heavenly loves, even until he does not know what the delights of heaven are. These delights of the love of self and the love of the world are what close up the internal man and open the external; and to the extent that the external is opened the internal is closed, so that the man is finally in total thick darkness in respect to the things of heaven and the church, though in light [lumen] in respect to the things of self and the world. (These things may be seen more fully described in the work on Heaven and Hell, in the chapter where it is shown that The Divine of the Lord in Heaven is Love to Him, and Charity towards the neighbor, n. 13-19; and in the chapter where it is shown that All who are in the Hells are in Evils and in Falsities therefrom, out of the loves of Self and of the World, and that these loves are the Infernal Fires, n. 551-565, 566-575; also in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 65-83, where these two loves are treated of.

sRef Rev@2 @24 S0′ 172. I put upon you no other burden, signifies that this alone should be guarded against. This is evident from the signification of “laying a burden” upon those in whom the internal can be conjoined with the external, as being that they should carefully guard against this, since the delights of these two loves are the sole cause of the closing of man’s internal, which looks to heaven. When that is closed there is no conjunction of the internal with the external, which looks to the world, nor any influx from heaven. It is said “burden,” because man’s proprium [what is man’s own], which is to love self above God and the world above heaven, offers resistance.

sRef Rev@2 @25 S0′ 173. Verse 25. Nevertheless that which ye have, hold fast till I come, signifies steadfastness in a state of the good of love and faith, even until visitation. This is evident from the signification of “that which ye have hold fast,” as being to be steadfast in a state of love and faith, thus in a state of conjunction of the internal with the external, in which they are capable of being so far as they resist the delights of the loves of self and of the world. For so far as man removes these delights from him is the internal conjoined with the external, thus more in one man and less in another. This is evident also from the signification of “till I come,” as meaning visitation (of which see above, n. 144).

sRef Rev@2 @26 S0′ 174. Verse 26. And he that overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end, signifies perseverance in love and faith after combat against these loves and their removal as far as possible. This is evident from the signification of “overcoming” as being to fight against the delights of the loves of self and of the world, and to remove them. That this is the spiritual sense of these words follows from the connection. It is evident also from the signification of “keeping unto the end,” as being perseverance even unto death; for he who perseveres even unto death in love and faith is saved; for such as he then is in respect to his life, he thenceforth remains to eternity (see above, n. 125). It is evident also from the signification of “works” as being the things of love and faith in cause and in effect, that is in internals and in externals. These things are here signified by “works,” because these are the things treated of in what is written to the angel of this church (see above, n. 150). It is said, “keepeth My works,” because everything of love and faith, and every opening of the internal and its conjunction with the external is from the Lord alone; therefore the “works,” by which these are signified, are not man’s, but the Lord’s with man; and consequently it is said, “My works.”

sRef Rev@2 @26 S0′ 175. I will give him power over the nations, signifies over the evils within him, which will then be scattered by the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “nations,” as being evils (of which presently); and from the signification of “giving power over them,” as being that these (the evils) will then be dispersed by the Lord. “To have power,” in reference to “over the nations,” means to scatter in reference to evils; thus there is an adaptation of words to their subjects. It is said that evils will be scattered by the Lord, for the Lord scatters evils by means of truths. He first discovers them to man by means of truths, and when man acknowledges the evils, the Lord scatters them. (That the Lord alone does this, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 200.) “Nations and peoples” are often mentioned in the Word, and those who know nothing of the spiritual or internal sense of the Word, believe that peoples and nations are to be understood. But “peoples” mean those who are in truths, or in the contrary sense those who are in falsities, and “nations” those who are in goods, or in the contrary sense, those who are in evils. And as such are meant by “peoples” and by “nations,” so abstractly from persons “peoples” mean truths or falsities, and “nations” goods and evils; for the true spiritual sense is abstracted from persons, spaces, times, and like things, that are proper to nature.
[2] With these the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, is at one; and the sense that is at one with these serves as a basis to the sense that is apart from them. For all things that are in nature are ultimates of Divine order, and the Divine does not rest in the middle, but flows down even to its ultimates, and there subsists. From this it is that the Word in the letter is such as it is, and unless it were such it would not serve as a basis for the wisdom of angels who are spiritual. It can be seen from this how mistaken those are who despise the Word on account of its style. “Nations” signify those who are in good, and in the abstract, goods, because men who lived in ancient times were divided into nations, families, and houses; and they then loved each other mutually; and the father of a nation loved the whole nation which was from him; thus the good of love reigned among them. For this reason “nations” signified goods. But when men came into the opposite state, which took place in the following ages when empires were established, then “nations” signified evils. (See further on this subject in The small work on The Earths in the Universe, n. 49, 90, 173, 174.)
sRef Isa@60 @3 S3′ sRef Isa@60 @12 S3′ sRef Isa@60 @11 S3′ sRef Isa@60 @22 S3′ sRef Isa@60 @5 S3′ sRef Isa@60 @16 S3′ [3] That “nations” in the Word signify either goods or evils, and “people” either truths or falsities, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Nations shall walk to Thy light, and kings to the brightness of Thy rising. Then shalt Thou see and flow together, and Thine heart shall be enlarged, because the multitude of the sea is converted unto Thee, the army of the nations come unto Thee; Thy gates shall be opened continually, they shall not be shut by day and by night, that men may bring unto Thee the army of the nations, and their kings shall be brought; for the nation or kingdom that will not serve Thee shall perish; and the nations by wasting shall be wasted. Thou shalt suck the milk of nations, even the breasts of kings shalt Thou suck. The little one shall become a thousand, and the few a numerous nation (Isa. 60:3, 5, 11-12, 16, 22).
Here the Lord is treated of; and by “nations” all who are in the good of love to Him are meant, and by “kings” all who are in the truths of faith in Him. From this it is manifest who are meant by the “nations” that “shall walk to Thy light;” and by “the army of the nations that shall be brought;” also, who are meant by “the kings” that “shall walk to the brightness of Thy rising;” and by “the kings of the nations” that “shall be brought;” also, what is meant by “Thou shalt suck the milk of nations and the breasts of kings” (“milk” is the delight of the good of love, likewise “breasts,” for milk is from them). The multiplication of truth and the fructification of good are described by the “little one shall become a thousand, and the few a numerous nation.” But by “the nations that shall be wasted” are meant all that are in evils, and also the evils themselves.
sRef Isa@49 @22 S4′ sRef Isa@49 @23 S4′ [4] In the same:
Behold I will lift up My hand towards the nations, and set up Mine ensign towards the peoples, that they may bring thy sons in the bosom, and carry thy daughters upon the shoulder; and kings shall be thy nourishers and the chief women thy sucklers; with the face to the earth shall they bow down to thee (Isa. 49:22, 23).
here also the Lord is treated of, and those who shall worship and adore Him. To “lift up His hand towards the nations, and His ensign towards the peoples,”* is to join to Himself all who are in the goods of love and in truths therefrom; of these it is said that “they shall bring thy sons in the bosom, and carry thy daughters upon the shoulder;” “sons” are the affections of truth, and “daughters” the affections of good (see above, n. 166). And of these it is said that their “kings shall be thy nourishers, and the chief women thy sucklers.” “Kings” are truths themselves, “chief women” are the goods thereof; and as man is regenerated by both of these, and also nourished, it is said that they shall be “nourishers” and “sucklers.” (That man is regenerated by means of truths and a life according to them, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 23, 24, 27, 186.) This is the internal sense of these words; without that sense who could understand them?
sRef Isa@66 @20 S5′ sRef Isa@66 @19 S5′ sRef Isa@66 @18 S5′ sRef Isa@66 @12 S5′ [5] In the same:
Jehovah said, Behold I spread out upon Jerusalem peace as a river, and as a torrent the glory of the nations, that ye may suck. He will come to gather all nations and tongues, that they may come and see My glory. They shall declare My glory among the nations; then shall they bring your brethren out of all nations, as a gift to Jehovah, upon horses and upon the chariot, to the mountain of My holiness (Isa. 66:12, 18-20).
Here “Jerusalem” is the Lord’s church in the heavens and on the earth; it is said the church in the heavens, for the church is there also (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 221-227). By “nations and tongues” all who are in the goods of love and in truths therefrom are meant. It is said that “they shall bring out of all nations a gift to Jehovah, upon horses and upon the chariot;” “a gift to Jehovah” is worship from the good of love; “horses and chariots” are intellectuals and doctrinals, for these are the source and foundation of worship. (That this is what “horses and chariots” signify, see in the small work on The White Horse, n. 1-5.)
sRef Isa@11 @10 S6′ [6] In the same:
It shall be in that day that a Root of Jesse, which shall stand for a sign of the people, the nations shall seek (Isa. 11:10). “The root of Jesse” is the Lord; “to stand for a sign of the people” means that it may be seen by those who are in truths; “the nations which shall seek,” are those who are in the good of love. It is believed that “nations” here mean the nations that are to approach and acknowledge the Lord, from which is to be the church that is called the church of the Gentiles; but these are not meant by “nation” but all who are in love to the Lord and faith in Him, whether within the church or out of it (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 308, 318-328).
sRef Isa@26 @15 S7′ sRef Isa@25 @3 S7′ sRef Ps@67 @4 S7′ sRef Ps@67 @5 S7′ sRef Ps@106 @5 S7′ sRef Ps@67 @3 S7′ sRef Dan@7 @14 S7′ sRef Dan@7 @13 S7′ sRef Jer@4 @2 S7′ sRef Isa@61 @6 S7′ sRef Isa@26 @2 S7′ sRef Isa@42 @6 S7′ sRef Isa@34 @1 S7′ sRef Lam@4 @20 S7′ sRef Jer@10 @7 S7′ sRef Rev@21 @26 S7′ sRef Rev@21 @25 S7′ [7] In the same:
A strong people shall honor Thee, the city of the powerful nations shall fear thee (Isa. 25:3).
In the same:
Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation may enter in. Thou hast increased the nation, O Jehovah, Thou hast increased the nation, Thou art glorified (Isa. 26:2, 15).
In the same:
Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye peoples (Isa. 34:1).
In the same:
I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness, for a covenant to the people, for a light of the nations (Isa. 42:6).
In Jeremiah:
The nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall they glory (Jer. 4:2).
In the same:
Who will not fear Thee, O king of nations? and in all their kingdom there is none like unto Thee (Jer. 10:7).
In Daniel:
I was seeing in the night visions, and behold with the clouds of heaven One like the Son of man. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom; and all peoples, nations, and tongues shall worship Him (Jer. 7:13, 14).
In David:
The peoples shall give thanks unto Thee, O God; all the peoples shall give thanks unto Thee. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for Thou shalt judge the peoples with equity, and shalt lead the nations upon the earth (Ps. 67:3, 4).
In the same:
That I may see the good of Thy chosen, and be glad in the joy of Thy nations (Ps. 106:5).
In Revelation:
The glory and honor of the nations shall be brought into the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:26).
In Isaiah:
Ye shall be called priests of Jehovah; ministers of your** God, it shall be said to you. Ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory shall ye glory (Isa. 61:6).
In the Lamentations:
The breath of our nostrils, the Anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits; of whom we had said, In His shadow we shall live among the nations (Lam. 4:20).
In these passages, by “nations” all who are in love to the Lord, whether within the church where the Word is or out it: are meant.

sRef Jer@5 @15 S8′ sRef Jer@5 @17 S8′ [8] That by “nations” in a contrary sense those who are in evils are meant, and in the abstract, evils themselves, can be seen from the following passages. In Jeremiah:
I will bring a nation upon you from far, it is a mighty nation; it is a nation of an age, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not know. It shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread; it shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters; it shall eat up thy vine and thy fig-tree; it shall impoverish the cities with the sword (Jer. 5:15, 17).
The vastation of the church is here treated of; and by “nation” is meant the evil that will consummate it; it is therefore said, that “it shall eat up the harvest and the bread,” “the sons and daughters,” “the vine and the fig-tree,” and “shall impoverish the cities with the sword;” by which all the goods of love and the truths of faith are signified; by “harvest” a state of the reception of truth from good (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9295); by “bread” the good of love (see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 218); by “sons and daughters” the affections of truth and good (see above, n. 166); by “vine” the internal church, thus the internal things of the church (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1069, 5113, 6376, 9277): by “fig-tree” the external church, thus the external things of the church (Arcana Coelestia, n. 5113); by “cities” doctrines (Arcana Coelestia, n. 402, 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493); by “sword” falsity destroying (see above, n. 73, 131). From this it can be seen that by “nations” is signified the evil that destroys all these.
sRef Jer@6 @21 S9′ sRef Jer@6 @22 S9′ sRef Jer@6 @23 S9′ [9] In the same:
Behold I lay stumbling-blocks before this people, that they may stumble upon them, the fathers and the sons together. Behold, a people cometh from the land of the north, and a great nation from the sides of the earth. They have no compassion, their voice roareth like the sea, and they ride upon horses (Jer. 6:21-23).
(vi. 21-23).
Here also “nation” means evil, and “peoples” falsities, “the stumbling-blocks upon which the fathers and the sons stumble” are the perversions of good and truth (“fathers” are goods, and “sons” truths therefrom). It is said, “a people from the land of the north, and a nation from the sides of the earth,” for the “north” signifies falsity from evil, and “the sides of the earth” signify what is outside of the church, thus evils remote from the goods of the church. “To roar like the sea, and to ride upon horses,” is to persuade by fallacies of the senses, and by reasonings therefrom.
sRef Ezek@7 @24 S10′ sRef Ezek@7 @23 S10′ sRef Ezek@7 @27 S10′ [10] In Ezekiel:
The land is full of the judgment of bloods, and the city is full of violence, wherefore I will bring the worst of the nations, that they may occupy their houses; the king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with stupor (Ezek. 7:23-24, 27).
The “land” is the church; “full of the judgment of bloods” is to be in falsities that destroy goods; “city” is doctrine; “full of violence” is to use force against the good of charity; “the worst of the nations” are direful falsities from evil; “to occupy their houses” is to possess their minds; “the king who shall mourn” is the truth of the church; “the prince who shall be clothed with stupor,” is subservient truth. (That the “land” is the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 662, 1066, 1068, 1262, 1413, 1607, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577, 8011, 9325, 9643; that “bloods” are falsities destroying good, n. 374, 1005, 4735, 5476, 9127; that “city” is doctrine, n. 2268, 2449, 2451, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493; that “violence” is using force against the good of charity, n. 6353; that “houses” are the things of man that belong to his mind, n. 710, 2231, 2233, 2559, 3128, 3538, 4973, 5023, 6690, 7353, 7848, 7910, 7929, 9150; that “the king who shall mourn” is the truth of the church, see above n. 31.)
sRef Ps@33 @10 S11′ [11] In David:
Jehovah bringeth the counsel of the nations to naught, He overthroweth the thoughts of the peoples (Ps. 33:10).
“Nations” mean those who are in evils, and “peoples” those who are in falsities; and because both are signified, it is said that “Jehovah bringeth the counsel of the nations to naught, and overthroweth the thoughts of the peoples,” which are two expressions, as it were, of one thing, yet they are distinct in the internal sense, in which “nations” signify one thing, and “peoples” another.
sRef Luke@21 @24 S12′ sRef Luke@21 @25 S12′ [12] In Luke:
Then they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive among all nations, and at length Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the nations, until the time of the nations be fulfilled. Then there shall be signs in sun, moon, and stars, and upon the earth anguish of nations, the sea and the waves roaring (Luke 21:24-25).
The consummation of the age is here treated of, which is the last time of the church, when there is no longer any faith because there is no charity, or no truth because there is no good. This is here described by correspondences: “to fall by the edge of the sword” is to be destroyed by falsities; “to be led captive among all nations” is to be possessed by evils of every kind; “Jerusalem, which shall be trodden down,” is the church; the “sun” is love to the Lord; the “moon” faith in Him; the “stars” the knowledges of good and truth; the “signs” in them mean that these are to perish; “the sea and the waves that shall roar” are fallacies and reasonings therefrom.
sRef Matt@24 @9 S13′ sRef Matt@24 @7 S13′ [13] In Matthew:
Nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. And they shall deliver you unto affliction, and ye shall be hated of all the nations for My name’s sake (Matt. 24:7, 9; Luke 21:10, 11).
These things also were said by the Lord respecting the last time of the church; and by “nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” is signified that there will be conflicts of evils and falsities among themselves; by “famines and pestilences” are signified the failure and wasting of truths; by “earthquakes” the perversion of the church; by “being hated of all nations” is signified to be hated by all who are in evil; “the name of the Lord,” for the sake of which they shall be hated, signifies all things of love and faith whereby the Lord is worshiped (see above, n. 102, 135).
sRef Ezek@31 @12 S14′ sRef Ezek@31 @11 S14′ sRef Ezek@31 @5 S14′ sRef Ezek@31 @10 S14′ sRef Ezek@31 @6 S14′ sRef Ezek@31 @3 S14′ [14] In Ezekiel:
Behold Asshur a cedar in Lebanon. He has become high, and his branches have been multiplied. In his branches have all the fowl of the heavens built their nests, and under his branches all the beasts of the field have brought forth, and in his shade have dwelt all great nations. But his heart is lifted up in his height; therefore I will give him into the hand of the strong one of the nations, strangers shall cut him off, the violent of the nations, and they shall cast him down; whence all peoples of the earth have gone down from his shadow, and have abandoned him (Ezek. 31:3, 5, 6, 10-12).
These things no one can understand unless he has a knowledge of the spiritual or internal sense of the Word. He will believe them to be mere comparisons, in which there is no spiritual signification; when yet all the particulars therein signify things of heaven and the church; therefore they shall be explained briefly. “Asshur” is the rational of the man of the church which is illustrated; this is called “a cedar in Lebanon,” because a “cedar” has the same signification as “Asshur,” specifically truth from good in the rational; and “Lebanon” is the mind where the rational resides, because there were cedars in Lebanon.
By “his branches that were multiplied” are meant truths therefrom; “the fowl of the heavens that built their nests in his branches” are the affections of truth; and “the beasts of the field that brought forth under his branches” are the affections of good; the “great nations that dwelt in his shade” are the goods of love; “his heart lifted up in his height” is the love of self; “to be given into the hands of the strong one of the nations,” and “to be cast down by the violent of the nations,” means that evils from that love will destroy goods and truths; “the peoples of the earth that went down from his shadow and abandoned him” are all truths of the church. From this it is manifest that “nations” signify goods, and in the contrary sense evils; by “the nations that dwelt in his shade,” goods; and by “the nations that cut him off, and cast him down,” evils. (See, moreover, what is said and shown about nations and their signification in Arcana Coelestia, namely, that by “nations” in the Word are meant those who are in good, and consequently goods themselves, n. 1059, 1159, 1258, 1260, 1416, 1849, 6005; “the assembly of the nations,” truths and goods, n. 4574, 7830; “the holy nation,” the spiritual kingdom, n. 9255, 9256; when it is said “nation and people,” by “nation” those who are in celestial good are meant, and by “people” those who are in spiritual good, n. 10288. That by “nations,” especially the nations of the land of Canaan, evils and falsities of every kind are meant, n. 1059, 1205, 1868, 6306, 8054, 8317, 9320, 9327).
* The Latin has “kings” for “peoples,” but see text as quoted just before.
** Hebrew: “our,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 155, 1115, Arcana Coelestia, n. 9809; but in Apocalypse Revealed, n. 128 we find “your.”

sRef Rev@2 @27 S0′ 176. Verse 27.And He shall rule them with an iron rod, signifies that He is about to chastise evils by means of truths that are in the natural man. This is evident from the signification of “ruling,” as being to chastise, for it is added that “He would shiver them as pottery vessels,” and the evils which are signified are chastised by means of truths. It is evident also from the signification of “an iron rod,” as being truths that are in the natural man; a “rod” or “staff” signifies the power by which chastisement is effected; and “iron” truths in the natural man which chastise. (That a “rod” or “staff:” is power, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4013, 4015, 4876, 4936, 6947, 7011, 7026, 7568, 7572; that it is for this reason that kings have a scepter, which is a short staff, n. 4581, 4876.)
“Iron” signifies truths in the natural man, because metals, as well as the other things of the earth, by correspondence signify things spiritual and celestial, all of which have reference to truths and goods. “Gold” signifies the good of the internal man; “silver” its truth; “copper” or “brass” the good of the external or natural man; “iron” its truth. For this reason the ages were called by the ancients after the names of the metals, namely, Golden, Silver, Copper, and Iron; the Golden Age from the most ancient men, who lived in the good of love; the Silver Age from the ancients after them who lived in truths from that good; the Copper Age from their posterity who were in external or natural good; the Iron Age from the posterity of these who were in natural truth alone without good. Natural truth is truth in the memory, not in the life; truth of life is good. (But more about this correspondence in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 104, 115.)
sRef Dan@2 @32 S2′ sRef Dan@2 @43 S2′ sRef Dan@2 @33 S2′ sRef Dan@2 @34 S2′ sRef Dan@2 @42 S2′ sRef Dan@2 @41 S2′ [2] The successive states of the church, even until the coming of the Lord, are meant by the “gold,” the “silver,” the “brass,” and the “iron,” of which the statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar in a dream was composed, which is thus described in Daniel:
His head was good gold, his breast and his arms silver, his belly and his thighs brass, his legs iron, his feet part iron and part clay. A stone was cut out of the rock, and it smote the image upon his feet that were iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Whereas thou sawest the feet partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it signifies that the kingdom shall be divided; the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. Whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves by the seed of man; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron doth not mingle with clay (Dan. 2:32-34, 41-43).
By “the head which was good gold,” the first state of the church is meant, when men were in the good of love to the Lord; by “the breast and arms which were silver,” the second state of the church is meant, when they were in truths from that good; by “the belly and thighs which were of brass,” the following third state of the church, when they were no longer in spiritual good but in natural good, for “brass” signifies natural good; by “the legs which were of iron,” the fourth state of the church is meant, when natural good was no more, but truth only; but by “the feet which were of iron and clay,” the last state of the church is meant when there are both truth and falsity, truth in the Word and falsity in doctrine; when the truths of the Word are falsified, and doctrine is drawn from truths falsified, the state of the church is “partly iron and partly clay,” thus the kingdom is “partly strong and partly broken.” “The kingdom” here is the church; it is therefore called also “the kingdom of God.” That truths are thus mixed with falsities, but still they do not cohere, is meant by these words, “Whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves by the seed of man; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron doth not mingle with clay.” “The seed of man” is Divine truth, which is in the Word. (That this is signified by “seed,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3038, 3373, 10248, 10249; that “man” signifies the Lord, from whom is the Word, and also signifies the church, see n. 768, 4287, 7424, 7523, 8547, 9276.) That “potter’s clay” signifies the falsities that are in the natural man, will be seen in the following article (n. 177). By “the stone cut of the rock,” which “smote the image upon his feet,” the Lord by means of Divine truth is meant, and the destruction of falsities not cohering with truths from the Word. (That a “stone” is truth, and that “the stone of Israel” is the Lord in respect to Divine truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 643, 1298, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376; that “rock” likewise signifies the Lord, n. 8581, 10580, and in the small work on The Last Judgement, n. 57.) Because “iron” signifies truths in the natural man, “the feet of the statue” were seen to be “of iron,” for “feet” signify the natural (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952).
sRef Isa@60 @17 S3′ [3] Like things are signified by “gold,” “silver,” “brass,” and “iron,” in these words in Isaiah:
For brass I will bring gold, for iron I will bring silver, for woods brass, and for stones iron (Isa. 60:17).
“To bring gold for brass” means celestial good for natural good; “silver for iron” means celestial truth for natural truth; “brass for woods, and iron for stones,” means natural good and truth in great abundance like that of woods and stones. Here the state of the celestial church is treated of. (That “iron” signifies truth in the natural man, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 425, 426.)
[4] These passages are cited that it may be known what is meant by the “iron rod,” namely, the power whereby the Lord chastises the evils and disperses the falsities that are in the natural man; for a “rod” or “staff” signifies power (as was said above), and “iron” signifies truths in the natural man. The Lord chastises evils and disperses falsities by means of truths in the natural man, because all evils and the falsities therefrom have their seat in the natural man, and none in the spiritual or internal man. The internal man does not receive evils and falsities, but is closed against them. And as all evils and falsities have their seat in the natural man, they must needs be chastised and dispersed by means of such things as are there, which are truths in the natural man. Truths in the natural man are knowledges and cognitions, from which man can think, reason, and conclude naturally respecting the truths and goods of the church, and the falsities and evils which are opposed to these, and can consequently be in some natural illustration when he reads the Word. For the Word in the letter is not understood without illustration; and illustration is either spiritual or natural. Spiritual illustration is only with those who are spiritual; and the spiritual are those that are of the good of love and charity and in truths therefrom; while mere natural illustration is with those who are natural (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 153, 425, 455; and above, n. 140). Moreover, those who are spiritual have, whilst they live in the world, illustration in the natural; but this springs from illustration in the spiritual; for with them the Lord flows in through the spiritual or internal man into the natural or external, and thus illustrates it, from which enlightenment man can see what is true and good, and what is false and evil, and when he sees that, the Lord scatters the evils and the falsities that are in the natural man, by means of the truths and goods that are also there and that make one with the goods and truths in the spiritual or internal man (see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, on Sciences and knowledges, what they effect, n. 51, and on Influx, n. 277,278).
sRef Rev@19 @15 S5′ sRef Micah@4 @13 S5′ sRef Rev@12 @5 S5′ sRef Isa@11 @4 S5′ sRef Ps@2 @9 S5′ [5] From this it can now be seen what is signified by “the iron rod,” with which the Lord is to rule the nations, that is, chastise the evils that are in the natural man. These things are said to the angel of this church, because in what is written to this angel the internal and external man and their conjunction are treated of; for when the internal and the external or the spiritual and the natural are conjoined, the Lord chastises the evils and falsities that are in the natural man, and this by means of the knowledges of truth and good. But with those with whom the internal and external man are not conjoined, evils and falsities cannot be chastised and scattered, since they receive nothing from heaven through the spiritual man, but all things they receive are from the world; and these their rational favors, and supplies confirmations. Things similar to those here signified by “the iron rod” are also signified in the following passages. In David:
Thou shalt bruise [the nations] with an iron scepter; as a potter’s vessel Thou shalt dash them in pieces (Ps. 2:9).
In Isaiah:
He shall smite the land with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked (Isa. 11:4).
In Revelation:
The woman brought forth a male, a son, who is to rule all nations with an iron rod (Rev. 12:5).
Out of the mouth of the One sitting on the white horse went forth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations; for He shall rule them with an iron rod (Rev. 19:15).
In Micah:
Arise, O daughter of Zion; for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass, that thou mayest beat in pieces many peoples (Micah 4:13).
The “daughter of Zion” is the celestial church; “horn” is power in the natural man; “hoofs” are the ultimates there, called sensual scientifics; hence it is evident what is signified by “making the horn iron, and the hoofs brass.” (That the “daughter of Zion” is the celestial church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2362, 9055; that “horn” is the power of truth from good in the natural man, n. 2832, 9081, 9719, 9720, 9721, 10182, 10186; and that “hoofs” are the knowledges of the sensual man, which are truths in the ultimate of order, n. 7729.)

sRef Rev@2 @27 S0′ 177. As earthen vessels shall they be shivered, signifies the total dispersion of falsities. This is evident from the signification of “earthen vessels,” as being such things in the natural man as are from self-intelligence; and all things in the natural man that have respect to the things of heaven and the church and which are from self-intelligence are falsities (of which presently). It is evident also from the signification of being “shivered,” as being to be dispersed; “to disperse” is said of falsities, as “to shiver” is said of earthen vessels. That “earthen vessels” signify the things in the natural man that are from self-intelligence in matters of heaven and the church, and that these things are falsities, will be shown in what follows; something must first be said to show that the things that have respect to heaven and the church that gain entrance by self-intelligence are falsities.
Those who think from self-intelligence think from the world; for man, from his proprium [what is his own] loves only the things of the world and of self, and what he loves he also sees and perceives; the things he loves he calls goods, and the things he sees and perceives therefrom he calls truths; but these goods, which from love he so calls, are evils, and the truths which he sees from that love are falsities, since they spring forth from the loves of self and of the world, which loves are contrary to the loves of heaven, which are love to the Lord and love to the neighbor; and the things that pour forth from contraries are contraries.
[2] Those, therefore, who read the Word solely for repute of erudition, or to acquire fame that they may be exalted to honors or may gain wealth, never see and perceive truths, but falsities instead; and the truths that stand out before the eyes in the Word they either pass by as if not seen or they falsify them. The reason is, that to read the Word solely for the repute of erudition or for fame, that they may be exalted to honors and gain wealth, is to read it for the sake of self and the world as ends, thus from the loves of self and the world. And as these loves are of man’s proprium [man’s self] so the things that man sees and perceives from them are from self-intelligence.
[3] But those who read the Word from the spiritual affection of truth, which affection is a love of knowing truth because it is truth, see truths in the Word, and rejoice in heart when they see them; and this because they are in illustration from the Lord. Illustration descends from the Lord through heaven from the light there, which light is Divine truth. It is therefore given to them to see truths from the light of truth, and this in the Word, because the Word is Divine truth, and in it are stored up all the truths of heaven. But those only are in this illustration who are in the two loves of heaven, which are love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor; for these loves open the inner or higher mind, which is formed to receive the light of heaven, and through that mind in them the light of heaven flows in and illustrates. But so long as they live in the world they do not perceive truths in that mind, but they see them in the lower mind, the mind of the external or natural man. Such as these do not think from self-intelligence when they read the Word. The especial reason why these do not think from their self-intelligence when they read the Word is, that their interior or spiritual mind looks to the Lord, and the Lord then elevates it up to Himself, and with it the lower or natural mind, thus withdrawing it from man’s proprium [man’s self] which cannot be done with those who have regard first and foremost to themselves and the world.
[4] From this it can be seen that man from self-intelligence perceives nothing but evils and sees nothing but falsities; but that goods and truths that are of heaven and the church he perceives and sees from the Lord. When the internal or spiritual man, in which is the inner or higher mind of which we have just spoken, is opened, then the Lord subdues the evils and disperses the falsities which are in the external or natural man. These things, then, are what are meant in the spiritual sense by this, that the Son of man is to “give them power over the nations, and He shall rule them with an iron rod, and as earthen vessels they shall be shivered.”
sRef Ps@2 @9 S5′ [5] That “earthen vessels” signify such things as are from self-intelligence, thus the falsities that are in the natural man, is evident from various passages in the Word, of which I will cite the following as confirmation. In David:
Thou shalt bruise the nations with an iron scepter; as a potter’s vessel Thou shall dash them in pieces (Ps. 2:9).
In this passage also “to bruise the nations with an iron scepter” is to chastise and subdue the evils that are in the natural man. “Scepter” here has the same signification as “staff” or “rod.” It is added “as a potter’s vessel,” because that signifies falsity from self-intelligence. In the sense of the letter this is a comparison, for it is said “as a potter’s vessel,” and “as earthen vessels;” but in the internal sense comparisons are not perceived as comparisons, since comparisons are equally from things significative (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3579, 8989.) “A potter’s vessel,” or “earthen vessel,” signifies what is false, because a potter is one who forms, and a vessel is what is formed; and when man forms the vessel it is a falsity, but when the Lord forms it with man it is a truth; consequently in the Word “a potter’s vessel” signifies either what is false or what is true, and “a potter” signifies one who forms.
sRef Isa@29 @16 S6′ sRef Isa@64 @8 S6′ sRef Isa@45 @9 S6′ [6] The Lord Himself is called in the Word a “Potter,” from His forming man by means of truths; as in Isaiah:
Jehovah our Father; we are the clay, and Thou art our Potter, and we all are the work of Thy hands (Isa. 64:8).
In the same:
Woe unto him that striveth with the Former! a potsherd with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to its potter, What makest thou? (Isa. 45:9).
In the same :
Shall the potter be counted as clay? Shall the work say to its Former, He made me not, and shall the thing formed say of its potter, He understandeth not? (Isa. 29:16).
sRef Isa@30 @14 S7′ sRef Isa@30 @11 S7′ sRef Isa@30 @10 S7′ [7] As the Jews and Israelites falsified all the truths of the Word by applying them to themselves and to their own exaltation above all nations and peoples in the universal world, so their falsities are called “marred vessels” of a potter, as in Isaiah:
Who have said to the seers, See not; and to those that have vision, See not for us right things, speak unto us smooth things, see illusions; depart from the way; therefore iniquity shall break them as the breaking of the potter’s bottle; in beating it shall not spare, so that there shall not be found in the fragment thereof a sherd to take fire from the hearth or to draw waters from the cistern (Isa. 30:10-11, 13-14).
That they wholly deprived themselves of truths, and immersed themselves in falsities, is described by this, “They said to the seers, See not; and to those that have vision, See not for us right things, speak unto us smooth things, see illusions; depart from the way.” That they had so immersed themselves in falsities that no more truth remained, is described by “the breaking of the potter’s bottle, so that there should not be found in the fragment a sherd to take fire from the hearth or to draw waters out of the cistern.” By this is signified that not enough of truth should be left to enable them to perceive any good and truth from the Word; for “fire” signifies good, and “water” truth; “hearth” the Word in respect to good; “cistern” and “fountain” the Word in respect to truth.
sRef Jer@18 @2 S8′ sRef Jer@18 @1 S8′ sRef Jer@18 @3 S8′ sRef Jer@18 @4 S8′ [8] In Jeremiah:
The word came to Jeremiah, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and behold he wrought a work on the table. But the vessel that he was making was marred; and he turned back and made it another vessel as was right in the potter’s eyes to make (Jer. 18:1-4).
This also means that with the Jewish nation there was nothing but falsity; and “the vessel that was marred in the potter’s house” is that falsity; “the potter’s house” is the state in which they were. That the truth of the church should be taken away from them and given to others, is meant by this, that “the potter turned back and made it another vessel, as was right in his eyes.”
sRef Jer@19 @1 S9′ sRef Jer@19 @11 S9′ sRef Jer@19 @21 S9′ [9] In the same:
Jehovah said, Go buy a potter’s earthen bottle of the elders of the people and of the elders of the priests; and go forth into the valley of the son of Hinnom. Then shalt thou break the bottle before the eyes of the men that go with thee; and shalt say, I will break this people, and this city as one breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again; and they shall bury in Tophet, because there is no more a place to bury in (Jer. 19:1-2, 10-11).
“The potter’s earthen bottle, or vessel, from the elders of the people and of the priests” is here also the falsity in which all of that nation were. That this falsity was such that it could not be dispersed by means of truths is described by this, that “he should break the vessel before the eyes of the men that went with him, that it could not be made whole again;” that they should “bury in Tophet, because there was no more a place,” signifies where all truths and goods have been destroyed.
sRef Nahum@3 @14 S10′ sRef Nahum@3 @15 S10′ [10] In Nahum:
Draw thee waters for the siege; strengthen thy fortresses; go into the mire and tread the clay, repair the brick-kiln. There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off (Nahum 3:14-15).
“To draw waters for the siege and to strengthen the fortresses” is to fortify falsities by various means against truths; “to go into the mire and tread the clay” is to confirm falsities by fictions and fallacies; doctrine thence derived is called “a brickkiln,” because infernal love is strengthened by falsifications; it is therefore said that “the fire shall devour, and the sword cut off;” “fire” is infernal love, and a “sword” is falsity combating and destroying truth. “A potter’s vessel” or “earthen vessel” signifies falsity, because it corresponds to something fabricated, and what is fabricated is a product of man’s self-intelligence; it was from this correspondence that the prophets were commanded to do such things as are mentioned above.

sRef Rev@2 @27 S0′ 178. As I also have received from my Father, signifies comparatively as the Lord did from His Divine Human, when He glorified His Human, namely, that He dissipated all evils and falsities arising from the human that He had from the mother. By “the Father” here the Divine in Himself, or that which He had from conception, is meant, for this Divine was one with the Father, as He declares. It is said comparatively, for as the Lord glorified His Human, so He regenerates man; that is, as He united His Divine to the Human and the Human to the Divine, so He conjoins the internal to the external and the external to the internal with man. (But as this arcanum cannot be explained in a few words so as to be understood, consult what has been shown respecting it in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 280-297, and in the passages cited from the Arcana Coelestia in that work, n. 185, 298-307, in which it is fully explained.)

sRef Rev@2 @28 S0′ 179. Verse 28. And I will give him the morning star, signifies intelligence and wisdom from the Lord’s Divine Human. This is evident from the signification of “stars,” as being the knowledges of good and truth (see above, n. 72); and as they signify the knowledges of good and truth, they also signify intelligence and wisdom, for all intelligence and wisdom come by means of the knowledges of good and truth. It is evident also from the signification of “morning” as being the Lord in respect to His Divine Human, therefore “the morning star” means intelligence and wisdom from Him. “Morning” is often mentioned in the Word, and its signification varies according to the connection in the internal sense; in the highest sense it signifies the Lord, and also His coming; in the internal sense it signifies His kingdom and church, and their state of peace. Moreover, it signifies the first state of a new church, and also a state of love, and a state of illustration, consequently a state of intelligence and wisdom, and also a state of the conjunction of good and truth, the state in which the internal man is conjoined to the external. “Morning” has such various significations, because in the highest sense it signifies the Lord’s Divine Human; it therefore also signifies all things that proceed from the Divine Human, for the Lord is in those things that proceed from Him, even so that it is He there.
[2] The Divine Human of the Lord in the highest sense is meant by “morning,” because the Lord is the sun of the angelic heaven, and the sun of that heaven does not advance from morning to evening, or from rising to setting, as the sun of the world apparently does, but remains constantly in its place, in front above the heavens; consequently the sun is always in the morning there, and never in the evening. And since all the intelligence and wisdom that the angels have comes from the Lord as their sun, their state of love, and state of wisdom and intelligence, and in general their state of illustration is signified by “morning;” for these proceed from the Lord as a sun, and what proceeds from Him is Himself, for from the Divine nothing but what is Divine goes forth, and everything Divine is Himself. (That the Lord is the sun of the angelic heaven, and that from Him as a sun there exist all love, wisdom, and intelligence, and in general all illustration in respect to Divine truths, from which is wisdom, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125, 126-143, 155, 156.)
sRef 2Sam@23 @3 S3′ sRef 2Sam@23 @4 S3′ [3] From this it can he seen why “morning” is so often mentioned in the Word when Jehovah or the Lord, His coming, His kingdom and church, and the goods thereof are treated of; as in the following passages, which I will cite by way of illustration. In the second book of Samuel:
The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me. He is as the light of the morning; the son riseth, a morning without clouds (2 Sam. 23:3, 4).
“The God of Israel” and “the Rock” is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human and Divine truth proceeding therefrom; “the God of Israel” because Israel is His spiritual church, and “the Rock” because His Divine in the spiritual church is Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3720, 6426, 8581, 10580). As the Lord in the angelic heaven is a sun, and as all the light that angels have is therefrom, and as the sun there is continually in its morning, it is said, “He is as the light of the morning; the sun riseth, a morning without clouds.”
sRef Ps@110 @4 S4′ sRef Ps@110 @3 S4′ [4] In David:
From the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth; thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek (110:3, 4).
This is said of the Lord as about to come into the world; “from the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth” is conception from the Divine Itself, and the glorification of His Human thereby; “a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,” means that Divine good and Divine truth proceed from Him, for the Lord as priest is Divine good, and as king of holiness, who is, “Melchizedek,” is Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1725).
sRef Ezek@10 @19 S5′ [5] In Ezekiel:
The cherubim stood at the east entrance of the gate of the house; the glory of the God of Israel was over them above (Ezek. 10:19).
“Cherubim” signify the Lord in respect to providence and as to guard lest He be approached otherwise than by the good of love; “the east entrance of the gate of the house” signifies approach; “the house of God” is heaven and the church; the “east” is where the Lord appears as a sun, thus where He is continually as the morning; therefore it is said “the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.”
sRef Ezek@43 @2 S6′ sRef Ezek@43 @1 S6′ sRef Ezek@43 @4 S6′ [6] In the same:
The angel brought me to the gate that looketh towards the east; and behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and the earth was enlightened by His glory. And the glory of Jehovah came into the house by the way of the gate whose face is toward the east (Ezek. 43:1, 2, 4).
Here, in the internal sense, the influx of the Lord into those who are in His kingdom and church is described; “the God of Israel” is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human and the Divine truth proceeding therefrom; “the house of God” is His kingdom and the church; “glory” is Divine truth as it is in heaven; “to come by the way of the east into the house” means from the sun, where it is continually in its morning. (That “glory” is Divine truth as it is in heaven, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429; that “the house of God” is heaven and the church in respect to good, and “temple” is the same in respect to truth, n. 3720; and that the “east,” in the highest sense, is the Lord, because He is the sun of heaven, which is always in its rising and morning, consequently the “east” is the good of love from Him, see n. 3708, 5097, 9668.) sRef Ezek@47 @8 S7′ sRef Ezek@47 @1 S7′ sRef Ezek@47 @2 S7′ sRef Ezek@47 @9 S7′ [7] In the same:
The angel afterwards brought me back to the entrance of the house, where behold, waters issuing out from under the threshold of the house towards the east, they shall descend into the plain and come towards the sea, being sent forth into the sea that the waters may be healed; whence it comes to pass that every living soul that creeps, whithersoever the rivers come, shall live, whence there are exceeding many fishes, because these waters shall come thither, and they are healed, that everything may live whither the river shall come (Ezek. 47:1, 8, 9).
Here also, the influx of the Lord from His Divine Human with those who are of His kingdom and church is described by pure correspondences. By “waters issuing out from under the threshold of the house towards the east,” Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and flowing in with those that are in the east, that is, that are in the good of love to Him, is described. “The waters shall descend into the plain” and “into the sea,” and “thereby the waters of the sea are healed,” signifies influx into the natural man and into the knowledges which are therein; the “fishes therefrom” signifies many scientific truths in the natural man; that “everything shall live whither the river shall come” signifies that they should have life from Divine truth. That such thing are hereby signified there, no one can see except from the internal sense of the Word, yet every single expression therein involves arcana of man’s regeneration by the Lord; but what is involved in each expression here will he disclosed in explaining 22:1, 2, of Revelation, where like things are mentioned.
sRef Ps@130 @7 S8′ sRef Ps@130 @8 S8′ sRef Ps@130 @6 S8′ sRef Ps@130 @5 S8′ [8] In David:
I have waited for Jehovah, my soul doth wait, my soul waiteth for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning, the watchmen for the morning; for with Him is much redemption, and He will redeem Israel (Ps. 130:5-8).
Here the Lord’s coming into the world, and His reception by those that are in the good of love are treated of. The Lord’s coming is signified by “I have waited for Jehovah, my soul doth wait for the Lord, for with Him is much redemption, and He shall redeem Israel;” and His reception by those that are in the good of love is signified by “more than watchmen for the morning, the watchmen for the morning.” Here “morning” in the highest sense signifies the Lord, and in the internal sense His kingdom and church; and “watchmen for the morning” signify those who wait for the Lord’s corning, who are those that are in the good of love, since to those the Lord is “coming.”
sRef Isa@21 @12 S9′ sRef Dan@8 @26 S9′ sRef Isa@21 @11 S9′ sRef Dan@8 @14 S9′ sRef Zeph@3 @5 S9′ sRef Ezek@7 @7 S9′ sRef Ezek@7 @10 S9′ sRef Ezek@7 @6 S9′ [9] That “morning” signifies the Lord’s coming into the world and then a new church is evident from the following passages.
In Daniel:
Unto evening and morning, two thousand three hundred, then the holy (sanctum) shall be justified. The vision of the evening and the morning, which has been told, is truth (Dan. 8:14, 26). “Evening” signifies the last time of the former church, and “morning” the first time of the new church, thus the Lord’s coming.
In Isaiah:
Crying to me from Seir, Watchman,* what of the night? watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night (Dan. 21:11, 12).
Here also the Lord’s coming is treated of; “night” is the last time of the former church, and “morning” the first of the new. (What is signified by “calling out of Seir,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4240, 4384.) In Ezekiel:
The end is come, the end is come, the morning is come upon thee, O inhabitant of the land; behold the day cometh, the morning is gone forth (Ezek. 7:6, 7, 10).
Here likewise the Lord’s coming and the end of the former church and the beginning of a new one are treated of. In Zephaniah, where similar things are meant:
Jehovah in the morning, in the morning, He shall bring His judgment to light, nor shall He fail (Zeph. 3:5).
sRef Isa@17 @11 S10′ sRef Ps@59 @16 S10′ sRef Isa@33 @2 S10′ sRef Ps@143 @8 S10′ sRef Lev@6 @12 S10′ sRef Deut@16 @7 S10′ sRef Deut@16 @6 S10′ sRef Isa@50 @4 S10′ sRef Ex@19 @16 S10′ sRef Ps@63 @1 S10′ sRef Ps@90 @14 S10′ sRef Ps@5 @3 S10′ sRef Ps@46 @5 S10′ sRef Rev@22 @16 S10′ sRef Jer@7 @13 S10′ sRef Ex@16 @13 S10′ sRef Ex@16 @12 S10′ sRef Ex@16 @21 S10′ [10] As “morning” signifies the Lord, His coming, also His kingdom and church, as also the good of love from Him, what is meant by “morning” in the following passages can be seen.
In David:
Cause me to hear Thy mercy in the morning (Ps. 143: 8).
In the same:
I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning (Ps. 59:16).
In the same:
O satisfy us in the morning with Thy mercy; that we may sing aloud and be glad all our days (Ps. 90:14).
In the same:
O Jehovah, in the morning shalt Thou hear my voice; in the morning I will set myself in order for Thee (Ps. 5:3).
In the same:
God is in the midst of her; God shall help him** at the turning of the morning (Ps. 46:5).
In the same:
O God, my God, in the morning do I seek Thee (Ps. 63:1).
In Isaiah:
In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to blossom (Isa. 17:11).
In the same:
Jehovah is*** their arm every morning (Isa. 33:2).
In the same :
Jehovah**** hath given me the tongue of the learned; he hath awakened me every morning (Isa. 50:4).
In Jeremiah:
I speak unto you every morning (Jer. 7:13; 11:7; 25:3, 4). From the signification of “morning” it can be seen what is meant by the following:
That manna fell in the morning (Exod. 16:12, 13, 21).
That Jehovah descended in the morning from Mount Sinai (Exod. 19:16);
That the priest kindled wood upon the altar every morning and placed thereon the whole burnt-offering (Lev. 6:12). Also what is involved in the command respecting the sacrifice of the passover:
Thou shalt sacrifice the passover at the going down of the sun. Then thou shalt eat it; and thou shalt turn in the morning and go into thy tents (Deut. 16:6, 7).
“They should sacrifice the passover when the sun went down,” because “the setting of the sun” signified the last time of the church; that “they should turn in the morning,” signified the establishment of a new church, thus the Lord’s coming. These things are cited that it may be known what is signified by the “morning star,” which the Son of man would give, namely wisdom and intelligence from the Lord’s Divine Human. And as those who receive wisdom and intelligence from the Lord also receive Him, for the Lord is in the wisdom and intelligence that are from Him, even so that He is the wisdom and intelligence with them, the Lord Himself also is called “the Morning Star” in Revelation:
I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and Morning Star (Rev. 22:16).
He is likewise called a Star (Num. 24:17).
* The Latin has “Watchman, watchman,” the Hebrew has it only once.
** In Hebrew: “help her” as found in AR 151; TCR 764; Coronis 5.
*** The Hebrew has “be Thou their arm,” as also found in AC 4933, 8211.
**** The Hebrew has “Lord Jehovih,” as also found in Arcana Coelestia 3869.

sRef Rev@2 @29 S0′ 180. Verse 29. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are in His church, as is evident from what was said and shown above (n. 108), where there are like words.


Revelation 3

1. And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things saith He that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
2. Be wakeful, and confirm the things remaining that are about to die; for I have not found thy works full before God.
3. Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and take heed, and repent; if, therefore, thou shalt not be wakeful, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know in what hour I will come upon thee.
4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis that have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
5. He that overcometh shall be clothed in white garments; and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
6. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
7. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things saith the Holy, the True, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth and no one shutteth, and shutteth and no one openeth:
8. I know thy works; behold, I have given before thee an opened door, and no one is able to shut it; for thou hast some power, and hast kept My word, and hast not denied My name.
9. Behold, I will give, from the synagogue of Satan, of those saying that they are Jews and they are not, but do lie; behold I will make them to come and worship at thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
10. Because thou hath kept the word of My endurance I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation that is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
11. Behold, I come quickly; hold fast what thou hast, that no one take thy crown.
12. He that overcometh I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and He shall go out thence no more; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.
13. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
14. And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the working of God:
15. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; would that thou wert cold or hot.
16. So because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to vomit thee out of My mouth.
17. Because thou sayest, I am rich and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked:
18. I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried by fire, that thou mayest be enriched; and white garments, that thou mayest be clothed, that the shame of thy nakedness be not manifest; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see.
19. As many as I love I reprove and chasten; be zealous, therefore, and repent.
20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.
21. He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit with Me in My throne, as I also have overcome and am sitting with My Father in His throne.
22. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

sRef Rev@3 @1 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @6 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @5 S0′ 181. EXPOSITION.
Verses 1-6. And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things saith He that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be wakeful, and confirm the things remaining that are about to die; for I have not found thy works full before God. Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and take heed, and repent; if, therefore, thou shalt not be wakeful, I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know in what hour I will come upon thee. The hast a few names even in Sardis that have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He that overcometh shall be clothed in white garments; and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
1. “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write” signifies those who live a moral but not a spiritual life, because they have little regard for the knowledges of spiritual things and for intelligence and wisdom therefrom (n. 182); “these things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God,” signifies the Lord, from whom are all the truths of heaven and of the church (n. 183); “and the seven stars,” signifies from whom are all the knowledges of truth and good (n. 184); “I know thy works,” signifies the things that are of their life (n. 185); “that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead,” signifies the quality of their thought, in that they think themselves to be alive because they are living a moral life, when yet they are dead (n. 186). 2. “Be wakeful,” signifies that they should acquire for themselves life (n. 187); “and confirm the things remaining that are about to die,” signifies in order that the things that belong to the moral life may be vivified (n. 188); “for I have not found thy works full before God,” signifies that otherwise the Divine is not in the moral life (n. 189). 3. “Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and take heed,” signifies recalling to mind and attention what the Lord teaches in the Word (n. 190); “and repent,” signifies consequent spiritual life (n. 191); “if, therefore, thou shalt not be wakeful,” signifies if thou dost not acquire spiritual life (n. 192); “I will come on thee as a thief,” signifies the unexpected time of death, when all knowledges procured from the Word that have not acquired spiritual life will be taken away (n. 193); “and thou shalt not know in what hour I will come upon thee,” signifies ignorance of that time and the state then (n. 194). 4. “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis that have not defiled their garments,” signifies those who live a moral life from a spiritual origin, by applying the knowledges of truth and good [from the Word] to the uses of their life (n. 195); “and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy,” signifies their spiritual life which they have by means of the knowledges of truth and good from the Word (n. 196). 5.”He that overcometh,” signifies he that is steadfast even until death (n. 197); “shall be clothed in white garments,” signifies intelligence and wisdom according to truths and their reception (n. 198); “and I will not blot his name out of the book of life,” signifies that they will be in heaven, because they are fitted for it (n. 199); “and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels,” signifies that they will be in Divine good and in Divine truth therefrom (n. 200). 6. “He that hath an ear let him hear, what the Spirit saith to the churches,” signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church (n. 201).

sRef Rev@3 @1 S0′ 182. Verse 1. And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, signifies those who live a moral but not a spiritual life, because they have little regard for the knowledges of spiritual things and for intelligence and wisdom therefrom. This is evident from what is written to the angel of this church, from which, when viewed in the internal or spiritual sense, it can be seen that those who live a moral but not a spiritual life, because they have little regard for the knowledges of the spiritual things and for intelligence and wisdom therefrom, are here treated of. But before unfolding the things that follow as to their spiritual sense, it is necessary to explain and open what moral life is and what spiritual life is, also what moral life from spiritual life is, and what moral life apart from spiritual life. Moral life is acting well, sincerely, and justly with one’s companions in all the affairs and occupations of life; in a word, it is the life that is apparent before men, because it is the life lived with them. But this life has a two-fold origin; it is either from the love of self and the world, or it is from love to God and love towards the neighbor.
[2] Moral life from the love of self and the world is not in itself moral life, although it seems to be moral; for the man acting thus acts well, sincerely, and justly for the sake of self and the world only, and what is good, sincere, and just serves him as means to an end, which is, either that he may be raised above others and rule over them, or that he may gain wealth; and of these things he thinks in his spirit, or when he is by himself secretly; but these things that he thinks he does not dare to avow openly, because they would destroy the good opinion others have of him, and thus destroy the means by which he wishes to attain his ends. From this it can be seen that there lies within the moral life of such a man nothing else than to acquire all things in preference to others, thus that he wishes to have all others to serve him, or to gain possession of their goods; from which it is evident that his moral life is not in itself a moral life; for if he should gain what he aims at, or what he has as an end, he would subject others to himself as slaves, and would deprive them of their goods. And as all means savor of the end, and in their essence are of the same quality as their ends, for which reason they are also called intermediate ends, therefore such a life, regarded in itself, is merely craftiness and fraud. And this also becomes clearly evident in the case of those with whom these external bonds are released, as takes place, when engaged in lawsuits against their fellows, when they desire nothing so much as to subvert justice, and secure the good will of the judge or the favor of the king, and this secretly, that they may deprive others of their goods; and when they obtain this, they rejoice in spirit and in heart. This is still more evident in the case of kings who place honor in wars and victories, that they find the highest joy of their hearts in subjugating provinces and kingdoms, and where resistance is made, in depriving the vanquished of all their goods, and even of life. Such also is the delight of many who engage at such times in military service. This becomes still more evident with all of this character when they become spirits, which is immediately after the death of the body. As they then think and act from their spirit, they rush into every wickedness according to their love, however morally they may have lived in appearance while in the world.
[3] But spiritual life is wholly different, because it has a different origin; for it is from love to God and love towards the neighbor. Consequently, the moral life also of those who are spiritual is different, and is a truly moral life; for these, when they think in their spirit, which takes place when they are thinking secretly by themselves, do not think from self and the world, but from the Lord and heaven; for the interiors of their minds, that is, of their thought and will, are actually elevated by the Lord into heaven, and are there conjoined to Him; thus the Lord flows into their thoughts, intentions, and ends, and governs them and withdraws them from their proprium [what is their own], which is solely from the love of self and of the world. The moral life of such persons is, in appearance, like the moral life of those described above, and yet their moral life is spiritual, because it is from a spiritual origin. Their moral life is simply an effect of spiritual life, which is the efficient cause, thus the origin. For they act well, sincerely, and justly with their fellows from fear of God and from love of the neighbor; in these loves the Lord keeps their mind and disposition [mentem et animum]; consequently when they become spirits, which takes place when the body dies, they think and act intelligently and wisely, and are elevated into heaven. Of these it may be said, that with them every good of love and every truth of faith flows in out of heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord. But this is not true of those described above; for their good* is not the good of heaven, nor is their truth the truth of heaven; but what they call good is the delight of the lust of the flesh, and it is falsity therefrom that they call truth; these flow into them from self and from the world. From this it can also be known what moral life from spiritual life is, and what moral life apart from spiritual life is; namely, that moral life from spiritual life is truly moral life, which may be called spiritual, since it has its cause and origin in the spiritual; but that moral life apart from spiritual life not moral life, and may be called infernal, for so far as the love of self and of the world reign in it, so far it is fraudulent and hypocritical.
[4] From what has now been said, the quality of external sanctity may also be inferred (by which is meant worship in churches, prayers, and gestures then), with such as are in the love of self and of the world, and yet live an apparently moral life, namely, that nothing of these is elevated to heaven and is heard there, but that they flow out from some thought of the external or natural man, and thus from their mouth into the world. For the interior thoughts of such, which are of their very spirits, are full of craftiness and fraud against the neighbor; and yet it is through interiors that there is elevation into heaven. Moreover, their worship in churches, and prayers, and gestures at such times, are either the result of habit from infancy, and are thence become familiar, or they are from a principle that such external things contribute everything to salvation, or they are a consequence of there being no business for them at home and abroad on holy days, or of a fear of being regarded as irreligious by their companions. But worship with those who live a moral life from a spiritual origin is altogether different, for it is truly a worship of God, for their prayers are elevated to heaven and are heard, for the Lord leads their prayers through heaven to Himself. (But more may be seen on these subjects in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 468, 484, 529, 530-534; and above, in the explanation of Revelation n. 107.) These things are premised, because what is written to the angel of this church treats of those who live a moral but not a spiritual life, for the reason that they have little regard for the knowledges of spiritual things.
* The Latin for “good” has “the good of heaven.”

sRef Rev@3 @1 S0′ 183. These things saith He that hath the seven spirits of God, signifies the Lord from whom are all the truths of heaven and of the church. This may appear from the fact that it is the Lord who is meant, because it is the Son of man who said these things, as well as those said to the angels of the other churches; and the Son of man is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (see n. 63, 151). By “the seven spirits of God” all the truths of heaven and of the church are meant, because “the Spirit of God” in the Word signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. “Spirit” is mentioned in many passages in the Word, and “spirit,” when used in reference to man, signifies Divine truth received in the life, thus it signifies man’s spiritual life; but in reference to the Lord, by “spirit” is meant the Divine that proceeds from Him, which is called by the general term Divine truth. But since few at this day know what is meant by “spirit” in the Word, I will first show by passages from the Word that “spirit,” in reference to man, signifies Divine truth received in the life, thus man’s spiritual life. But because there are two things that constitute man’s spiritual life, namely, the good of love and the truth of faith, in many passages in the Word mention is made of “heart and spirit,” and also of “heart and soul;” and by “heart” the good of love is signified, and by “spirit” the truth of faith; the latter is also signified by “soul,” for this means in the Word man’s spirit.
sRef Ps@51 @17 S2′ sRef Ezek@36 @26 S2′ sRef Ps@51 @10 S2′ sRef Ps@51 @11 S2′ sRef Ezek@18 @31 S2′ sRef Ps@51 @12 S2′ [2] That “spirit,” in reference to man, signifies truth received in the life, is clear from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
Make you a new heart and a new spirit; why will ye die, O house of Israel (Ezek. 18:31).
In the same:
A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I give in the midst of you (Ezek. 36:26).
And in David:
Create for me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in the midst of me. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart God doth not despise (Ps. 51:10, 17).
In these passages “heart” signifies the good of love, and “spirit” the truth of faith, from which man has spiritual life; for there are two things that make all of man’s life, namely, good and truth; these two when united in man make his spiritual life.
sRef Ezek@13 @3 S3′ sRef Ps@78 @8 S3′ sRef Isa@33 @11 S3′ sRef Deut@2 @30 S3′ sRef Ezek@21 @7 S3′ sRef Ezek@20 @32 S3′ [3] As “heart” signifies good, and “spirit” truth, both received in the life, so “heart,” in the contrary sense, signifies evil, and “spirit” falsity; for most expressions in the Word have also a contrary sense. In this sense “heart” and “spirit” are mentioned, in David:
A generation that doth not set its heart aright, neither is its spirit steadfast with God (Ps. 78:8).
And in Ezekiel:
Every heart shall melt, and every spirit shall faint (Ezek. 21:7).
In Moses:
Jehovah hardened the spirit of the king of Heshbon, and confirmed his heart (Deut. 2:30).
In Isaiah:
Conceive chaff, bring forth stubble; your spirit fire shall devour (Isa. 33:11).
In Ezekiel:
Woe unto the foolish prophets that go away after their own spirit (Ezek. 13:3).
In the same:
That which ascendeth upon your spirit shall never come to pass (Ezek. 20:32).
[4] From this it is clear that the whole of man’s life is meant by “heart and spirit;” and as his whole life refers itself to these two, namely, to good and truth, and in a spiritual sense to love and faith, so these two lives of man are meant by “heart and spirit.” From this also it is that “heart and spirit” signify the will and the understanding of man; since these two faculties in man make all his life; nowhere else than in these has man life; and for the reason that the will is the receptacle of good and its love, or of evil and its love; and the understanding is the receptacle of truth and* its faith, or of falsity and its faith; and as has been said, all things with man refer themselves to good and truth, or to evil and falsity, and in a spiritual sense to love and faith (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 28-35). In reference to man, “spirit” signifies truth or falsity, and man’s life from one or the other; because by “spirit” is meant especially the spirit that is in man and that thinks, and it thinks** either from truths or from falsities. But as was said just above, there are two things that make the life of man, understanding and will; the life of the understanding is to think either from truths or from falsities, and the life of the will is to affect or inflame with love those things that the understanding thinks. These two lives of man correspond to the two lives of his body, which are the life of the respiration of the lungs, and the life of the pulse of the heart; it is by this correspondence that spirit and body with man are united (see above, n. 167; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 446-447).
sRef Rev@11 @7 S5′ sRef Rev@11 @11 S5′ sRef Ps@104 @29 S5′ sRef Ezek@37 @5 S5′ sRef Luke@8 @54 S5′ sRef Ezek@37 @10 S5′ sRef Luke@8 @55 S5′ sRef Ezek@37 @9 S5′ [5] Because of this correspondence the word that means spirit in the Hebrew, as well as in many other languages, means wind or breath; so also to expire [to breathe out] is expressed by the term “to give up the spirit [breath, or ghost];” and this also in the Word; as in David:
I gathered in*** their spirit, he expired (Ps. 104:29).
In Ezekiel:
The Lord Jehovih said to the dry bones, Behold I bring spirit into you, that ye may live; and the Lord Jehovih said, From the four winds come, O spirit, and breathe into these slain; and the spirit came into them, and they revived (Ezek. 37:5, 9-10).
In Revelation:
The two witnesses were slain by the beast that cometh up out of the abyss; but after the three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them, so that they stood upon their feet (Rev. 11:7, 11).
In Luke:
Jesus, taking the hand of the dead girl, called, saying, Maiden, arise. Therefore her spirit came again, and she rose up immediately (Luke 8:54-55).
sRef John@3 @8 S6′ sRef John@3 @5 S6′ sRef John@20 @22 S6′ sRef John@20 @21 S6′ [6] When these passages are understood it can be seen what “spirit” signifies, when predicated of man, in many places in the Word, of which I will cite only these. In John:
Except one be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh and whither it goeth; so is everyone that is born of the spirit (John 3:5, 8).
The Lord breathed on the disciples, and said, Receive ye the Holy Spirit (John 20:22).
And in the book of Genesis:
Jehovah breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of lives (Gen. 2:7);
besides other places.
sRef Luke@2 @40 S7′ sRef Dan@5 @12 S7′ sRef Luke@1 @80 S7′ sRef Dan@5 @14 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @3 S7′ sRef John@4 @23 S7′ [7] That “spirit,” in the spiritual sense, signifies truth, and man’s life therefrom, which is intelligence, is clear from the following passages. In John:
The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).
In Daniel:
In him was an excellent spirit of knowledge and understanding. I have heard of thee that the spirit of God is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee (Dan. 5:12, 14).
In Moses:
Thou shalt speak to all the wise in heart, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom (Exod. 28:3).
In Luke:
John grew, and waxed strong in spirit (Luke 1:80).
And concerning the Lord:
The child Jesus grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was filled with wisdom (Luke 2:40).
sRef Isa@11 @1 S8′ sRef Isa@11 @2 S8′ sRef Isa@42 @1 S8′ sRef John@3 @34 S8′ sRef John@16 @13 S8′ sRef John@6 @63 S8′ sRef John@16 @14 S8′ sRef John@16 @7 S8′ sRef Isa@59 @19 S8′ sRef Isa@61 @1 S8′ [8] When it is known what “spirit,” in reference to man, signifies, it can be known what it signifies when predicated of Jehovah or the Lord, to whom are attributed all things that a man has, as face, eyes, ears, arms, hands, as also heart and soul, and so also a spirit, which in the Word is called “the Spirit of God,” “the Spirit of Jehovah,” “the Spirit of His nostrils,” “the Spirit of His mouth,” “the Spirit of truth,” “the Spirit of holiness,” and “the Holy Spirit.” That “spirit” means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is plain from many passages in the Word. Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is “the Spirit of God,” because from it men have all their life; and those who receive that Divine truth in faith and life have heavenly life. That this is “the Spirit of God” the Lord Himself teaches. In John:
The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life (John 6:63).
In Isaiah:
There went forth**** a shoot out of the stock of Jesse; the spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and intelligence, the spirit of counsel and of might (Isa. 11:1, 2). In the same:
I have given My spirit unto Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the nations (Isa. 42:1).
In the same:
He shall come like a flood; the spirit of Jehovah shall lift up a standard against Him (Isa. 59:19).
In the same:
The spirit of the Lord Jehovih is upon me, therefore Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor (Isa. 61:1). In John:
He whom the Father hath sent speaketh the words of God, for not by measure hath God given the spirit (John 3:34).
These things are said of the Lord.
[9] That the Holy Spirit is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord can be seen in John:
I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I go away I will send Him unto you. When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He shall guide you into all truth; He shall not speak from Himself, but He shall take of Mine, and shall declare it unto you (John 16:7, 13, 14).
That “the Comforter (Paraclete)” here is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is plainly evident, for it is said that the Lord Himself spoke to them the “truth,” and that, when He should go away, He would send the Comforter, the “Spirit of truth,” who should “guide them into all truth,” and that He would “not speak from Himself,” but from the Lord. It is said “He shall take of Mine,” because Divine truth proceeds from the Lord, and what proceeds is called “Mine;” for the Lord Himself is Divine love; and what proceeds from Him is Divine truth, thus it is His (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 139, 140, and the preceding numbers; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 307). “Being sent” and “sending” mean proceeding and going forth (see Arcana Coelestia., n. 2397, 4710, 6831, 10561); the same is meant here by “I will send Him to you.” That “the Comforter” is the Holy Spirit is evident in John:
The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, He shall teach you all things (John 14:26).
sRef John@7 @37 S10′ sRef John@14 @26 S10′ sRef John@7 @38 S10′ sRef John@7 @39 S10′ [10] In the same:
Jesus cried with a great voice, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. This He saith of the spirit which they that believe on Him were to receive; the Holy Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:37-39).
It is clear from this that the Holy Spirit is Divine truth, proceeding from the Lord, which flows in with man, both immediately from the Lord Himself and mediately through angels and spirits; for the Lord says first, that “he who believes on Him, out of His belly shall flow rivers of living water,” and then that “He spake this of the spirit which they were to receive;” for “water” in the spiritual sense, signifies truth, and “rivers of living water,” Divine truth from the Lord in abundance; the like is therefore meant by “the spirit which they were to receive.” (That “water” signifies truth,” and “living water” Divine truth,” see above, n. 71.) And as Divine truth proceeds from the glorified Human of the Lord and not immediately from the Divine Itself, for this was glorified in Itself from eternity, so it is here said, “the Holy Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” That to “glorify” is to make Divine, and that the Lord fully glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine by His last temptation and victory on the cross, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem (n. 293-295, 300-306).
[11] It is greatly wondered at in heaven that the man of the church does not know that the Holy Spirit, which is Divine truth, proceeds from the Lord’s Human, and not immediately from His Divine, when yet the doctrine received in the whole Christian world teaches that:
As is the Father so also is the Son, uncreate, infinite, eternal, omnipotent, God, Lord; neither of them first or last, nor greatest or least. Christ is God and man: God from the nature of the Father, and man from the nature of the mother; but although He is God and man, yet they are not two, but one Christ; He is one, but not by changing the Divine into the Human but the Divine took the Human to Itself. He is altogether one, not by a mingling of two natures, but He is a single person, because as body and soul are one man, so God and man is one Christ. (This from the Creed of Athanasius).
Now as the Divine and the Human of the Lord are not two, but a single person, and are united as soul and body, it may be known that the Divine which is called the Holy Spirit goes out and proceeds from His Divine through the Human, thus from the Divine Human; for nothing whatever can go forth from the body except from the soul through the body, since all the life of the body is from its soul. And since “As is the Father so is the Son, uncreate, infinite, eternal, omnipotent, God and Lord, and neither of them is first or last, nor greatest nor least,” it follows that the proceeding Divine, which is called the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Divine Itself of the Lord through His Human, and not from another Divine that is called the Father; for the Lord teaches that the Father and He are one, and that the Father is in Him and He in the Father (see below, n. 200). But the reason why most of those in the Christian world think otherwise in their hearts, and thence believe otherwise, is, the angels said, because they think of the Lord’s Human as separate from His Divine, although this is contrary to the doctrine which teaches that the Divine and the Human of the Lord are not two persons, but a single person, united as soul and body. That this should be the doctrine of the whole Christian world was provided by the Lord, because it is the essential of the church, and the essential of the salvation of all. But they have divided the Divine and the Human of the Lord into two natures, and have said that the Lord is God from the nature of the Father, and man from the nature of the mother, because they do not know that when the Lord fully glorified His Human He put off the human from the mother, and put on a Human from the Father (according to what is shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 295. That this distinction was made in a certain council by those who were there, for the pope’s sake, that he might be acknowledged as the Lord’s vicar, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4738).
sRef Rev@19 @10 S12′ sRef Isa@28 @5 S12′ sRef Ezek@37 @14 S12′ sRef Isa@44 @3 S12′ sRef Isa@28 @6 S12′ sRef Matt@3 @11 S12′ sRef Ezek@37 @13 S12′ sRef Micah@3 @8 S12′ sRef Ps@33 @6 S12′ sRef Lam@4 @20 S12′ sRef Joel@2 @28 S12′ sRef Job@4 @9 S12′ sRef Joel@2 @29 S12′ [12] That the “Spirit of God” is Divine truth, and thence spiritual life to the man who receives it, is further evident from these passages. In Micah:
I am full of power with the spirit of Jehovah and of judgment (Micah 3:8).
And in Isaiah:
I will pour out waters upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground, and My spirit upon thy seed (Isa. 44:3).
In that day shall Jehovah Zebaoth be for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for might to them (Isa. 28:5-6).
In Ezekiel:
And ye shall know that I will put my spirit in you that ye may live (Ezek. 37:14).
In Joel:
I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and upon the menservants and upon the maidservants (Joel 2:28).
In Revelation:
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10).
Since the “Spirit of God” signifies Divine truth, it is called:
The spirit of the mouth of Jehovah (Ps. 33:6);
The spirit of His lips (Isa. 11:4);
The breath of God and the spirit of His nostrils (Lam. 4:20; Ps. 18:16; Job 4:9).
In Matthew:
John said, I baptize you with water unto repentance; but He that cometh after me, He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matt. 3:11).
In the spiritual sense, “to baptize” signifies to regenerate; the “Holy Spirit” is Divine truth, and “fire” Divine good. (That to “baptize” signifies to regenerate, see above, n. 71; and that “fire” signifies the good of love, n. 68.)
sRef Matt@28 @19 S13′ [13] From this it can now be seen what is meant by the words of the Lord to His disciples:
Go ye, baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19).
Here “the Father” is the Divine Itself, “the Son” is the Divine Human, and “the Holy Spirit” is the proceeding Divine which is Divine truth; thus there is one Divine, and yet there is a trine. That this is so the Lord teaches in John:
Henceforth ye know the Father, and have seen Him. He that seeth Me seeth the Father. I am in the Father, and the Father in Me (John 14:7, 9-10).
sRef Ps@104 @4 S14′ sRef Rev@5 @6 S14′ sRef Rev@4 @5 S14′ [14] Since the proceeding Divine, which is Divine truth, flows in with men immediately, as well as mediately through angels and spirits, it is believed that the Holy Spirit is a third person, distinct from the two called Father and Son. But I can affirm that no one in heaven knows any other Holy Divine than the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. And since Divine truth is also communicated to men mediately through angels, it is said in David:
Jehovah God maketh His angels spirits (Ps. 104:1, 4).
These passages have been cited that it may be known that “the seven spirits” signify all the truths of heaven and of the church from the Lord. It is made still more manifest that “the seven spirits” are all the truths of heaven and of the church, from these passages in Revelation:
The seven lamps of fire burning before the throne are the seven spirits of God (Rev. 4:5).
And further:
In the midst of the elders a Lamb standing, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth (Rev. 5:6).
It is plain that the spirits here are not spirits, from the fact that the “lamps” and the “eyes of the Lamb” are called spirits. “Lamps” signify Divine truths, and “eyes” the understanding of truth; and when predicated of the Lord, His Divine wisdom and intelligence (see above, n. 152).
* The Latin has “or,” but the context requires “and.”
** The Latin for “thinks either” has “either thinks either.”
*** For “I gathered in” the Hebrew has “thou gatherest in.”
**** For “there went forth,” the Hebrew has, “There shall go forth,” as found in AC 2826, 9818; AR 46, 962.

sRef Rev@3 @1 S0′ 184. And the seven stars, signifies from whom are all the knowledges of truth and good. This is evident from the signification of “seven,” as being what is full and all things (see above, n. 20, 24), also from the signification of “stars” as being the knowledges of truth and good (see also above, n. 72). It is said to the angel of this church, “These things saith He that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars,” because those within the church who are living a moral but not a spiritual life, because they have little regard for the knowledges of spiritual things and thence for intelligence and wisdom, are here treated of; for “the seven spirits of God” signify all the truths of heaven and of the church, and “the seven stars” the knowledges of truth and good; and through these two come all intelligence and wisdom. To the angel of each church is premised something respecting the Lord, which indicates what is treated of (see above, n. 113).

sRef Rev@3 @1 S0′ 185. I know thy works, signifies the things that are of their life. This is evident from the signification of “works,” as being the things that are of man’s life, both the good and the evil. “Works” signify the things that are of life because they are the effects of life, for they proceed from the life of everyone. If the life is good the works are good, but if the life is evil the works are evil. The life that is in works is the intention, which is of the will, and of the thought therefrom; and this life is the life of man’s spirit; for it is the spirit in man that intends and thinks. Without this life in works they would be only motions like those of automatons. For this reason the wise do not look at the works, but at the life that is in the works, namely, at the intention. This is especially true of the angels who are with man; they do not see his works, but only the intentions of his mind, and conclude therefrom what the man’s state is. From this it can be seen that “works” in the spiritual sense mean the life; and as the life of man is diverse, depending mainly upon his love, it is his love that is especially signified by “works;” see above (n. 98, 116). This is why it is said to the angel of each church in the beginning, “I know thy works;” which therefore means that the Lord knows the whole life of man, and its quality in respect to love.

sRef Rev@3 @1 S0′ 186. That thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead, signifies the quality of their thought, in that they think themselves to be alive, because they are living a moral life, when yet they are dead. This is evident from the signification of “name,” as being quality of state (see above, n. 148); also from the signification of “living,” as being to have spiritual life (of which presently); also from the signification of “being dead,” as being not to have spiritual life, but only moral life without it. This is “being dead,” because in the Word “life” signifies the life of heaven with man, which is there also called “life eternal;” while “death” signifies the life of hell, which life in the Word is called “death,” because it is the privation of the life of heaven. Here, therefore, “thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead,” signifies thinking that they have spiritual life, and thus are saved, because they are living a moral life, when yet they are spiritually dead. But how this is to be understood can be seen from what was said above (n. 182) of each life, spiritual and moral, namely, that moral life apart from spiritual life is the life of the love of self and the love of the world, while moral life that is from spiritual life is a life of love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor; this life is the life of heaven, but the other life is what is called spiritual death. When this is understood (see above, n. 182), it can be known what is meant here by “being alive and yet being dead.”
sRef Ezek@3 @21 S2′ sRef Ezek@3 @20 S2′ sRef Ezek@3 @19 S2′ sRef Ezek@3 @18 S2′ [2] That “to live,” or “being alive,” signifies spiritual life in man, and “being dead” deprivation of that life, and damnation, can be seen from many passages in the Word, of which I will cite the following. Thus in Ezekiel:
When I shall say unto the wicked, In dying he* shall die, and thou shalt not give him warning, nor speak to warn the wicked one from his evil way, that he may be made alive, the wicked shall die in his iniquity. But if thou shalt give warning to the wicked, and he shall not** turn back from his wickedness nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; yet hast thou delivered thy soul. So if thou shalt give warning to a righteous man that he sin no more,*** and he sin not, living he shall live, because he took warning (Ezek. 3:18-21).
Here “dying he shall die” is to perish in eternal death, which is damnation, for it is said of the wicked; and “living he shall live” is to enjoy eternal life, which is salvation, for it is said of those who repent, and of the righteous.
sRef Ezek@13 @19 S3′ [3] In the same:
Ye have profaned Me with My people, to kill the souls that should not die, and to keep alive the souls that should not live, whilst ye lie to My people, to them that hear a lie (Ezek. 13:19).
This treats of the falsification of truth, which is meant by “Ye have profaned Me with My people,” and by “ye lie to the people, to them that hear a lie.” Here “a lie” signifies what is false, and what is falsified. “To kill the souls that should not die” is to deprive them of the life that comes from truths; and “to keep alive the souls that should not live” is to persuade them that life eternal is from falsities. That this is here meant by “making alive” is evident from the preceding verse there.
sRef John@5 @24 S4′ sRef Ps@56 @13 S4′ sRef Ps@33 @19 S4′ sRef Jer@21 @8 S4′ sRef Ps@33 @18 S4′ [4] In David:
Behold the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear Him, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine (Ps. 33:18-19).
In the same:
Thou hast delivered my soul from death, and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living (Ps. 56:13).
In Jeremiah:
Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death (Jer. 21:8).
In John:
Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth My Word hath eternal life, and shall not come into condemnation, but shall pass from death into life (John 5:24).
sRef Isa@28 @15 S5′ sRef Rev@20 @14 S5′ sRef Ps@18 @4 S5′ sRef Ps@30 @3 S5′ sRef Ps@18 @5 S5′ sRef Hos@13 @14 S5′ sRef Isa@38 @18 S5′ sRef Rev@6 @8 S5′ sRef Isa@38 @19 S5′ sRef Ps@6 @5 S5′ sRef Ps@49 @14 S5′ [5] It is clear that in these passages “death” means damnation, and “life” salvation. Because “death” is damnation it is also hell, for which reason hell is commonly called “death” in the Word, as in these passages. In Isaiah:
Hell will not confess Thee, nor will death praise Thee; they that go down into the pit will not hope on Thy truth. The living, the living, he shall confess Thee (Isa. 38:18-19).
In the same:
We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we have made a vision (Isa. 28:15).
In Hosea:
I will ransom them from the hand of hell; I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be thy plague! O hell, I will be thy perdition! (Hosea 13:14).
In David:
In death there is no remembrance of Thee; in hell who shall confess Thee? (Ps. 6:5).
In the same:
The cords of death compassed me, and the cords of hell (Ps. 18:4-5).
In the same:
Like sheep shall they be laid in hell; death shall feed them (Ps. 49:14).
In the same:
Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from hell; Thou hast made Me to live (Ps. 30:3).
In Revelation:
A pale horse, and he that sat upon him whose name was death, and hell will follow**** him (Rev. 6:8).
And in another place:
Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14).
sRef Ps@91 @6 S6′ sRef Rev@8 @11 S6′ sRef John@8 @51 S6′ sRef Isa@25 @8 S6′ sRef Isa@53 @9 S6′ sRef Ps@91 @5 S6′ sRef Ps@9 @13 S6′ sRef John@8 @52 S6′ sRef Rev@16 @3 S6′ sRef Rev@2 @11 S6′ [6] As “death” signifies damnation and hell, its meaning in the following passages is evident. In Isaiah:
He will swallow up death for ever; and the Lord Jehovih will wipe away tears from off all faces (Isa. 25:8).
In the same:
That he might give the wicked to their sepulcher, and the rich in their deaths (Isa. 53:9).
In David:
Jehovah, Thou liftest me up from the gates of death (Ps. 9:13).
Thou shalt not be afraid for the arrow that flieth by day, nor for the death that wasteth at noonday (Ps. 91:5-6).
In John:
If any one keep My word he shall never see death John 8:51).
In Revelation:
He that overcometh shall not be destroyed in the second death (Rev. 2:11).
In another place:
Many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter (Rev. 8:11).
In the same:
The second angel poured out a bowl upon the sea, and it became blood as of one dead, whence every living soul died in the sea (Rev. 16:3).
sRef Num@19 @17 S7′ sRef Num@19 @18 S7′ sRef Num@19 @19 S7′ sRef Matt@8 @22 S7′ sRef Ps@106 @28 S7′ sRef Num@19 @22 S7′ sRef Num@19 @21 S7′ sRef Lev@21 @11 S7′ sRef Num@19 @20 S7′ sRef Ezek@44 @25 S7′ sRef Num@19 @16 S7′ sRef Num@6 @7 S7′ sRef Num@6 @6 S7′ sRef Num@19 @11 S7′ sRef Lev@21 @2 S7′ sRef Lev@21 @3 S7′ sRef Matt@8 @21 S7′ sRef Num@19 @13 S7′ sRef Num@19 @14 S7′ sRef Num@19 @12 S7′ sRef Num@19 @15 S7′ sRef Ps@143 @3 S7′ [7] From these passages it can be seen what is meant by “the dead,” namely, those who have not in themselves the life of heaven, and consequently are in evils and in falsities therefrom. These are meant also in the following passages. In David:
They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead (Ps. 106:28).
In the same:
He hath made me to sit in darkness, like the dead of eternity (Ps. 143:3).
In Matthew:
One of His disciples said, Lord, suffer me first to go away and bury my father. Jesus said, Follow Me, and let the dead bury the dead (Matt. 8:21-22).
On account of this signification of “the dead”:
The sons of Aaron were forbidden to touch any dead body (Lev. 21:2-3, 11);
Likewise the priests, the Levites (Ezek. 44:25);
Likewise the Nazirite (Num. 6:6-7);
And whoever of the sons of Israel touched the dead must be cleansed by the water of separation (Num. 19:11 to the end).
sRef Ps@66 @9 S8′ sRef Ps@66 @8 S8′ sRef Matt@19 @17 S8′ sRef Ps@142 @5 S8′ sRef Ps@27 @13 S8′ sRef John@5 @29 S8′ sRef Matt@18 @9 S8′ sRef Matt@7 @14 S8′ [8] As “death” signifies damnation and hell, so on the other hand “life” signifies salvation and heaven; as in the passages that follow. In Matthew:
Narrow is the gate and straitened is the way which leadeth unto life (Matt. 7:14).
In the same:
It is good to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire (Matt. 18:9).
If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments (Matt. 19:17).
In John:
They shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life (John 5:29).
From this it is that salvation is called “eternal life” (as in Matt. 19:16, 29; 25:46; Mark 10:30, 31; Luke 10:25; 18:18, 30; John 3:14-16, 36; 17:2, 3; and other places). For the same reason heaven is called “the land of the living,” as in David:
“the land of the living,” as in David:
O Jehovah, Thou art my reliance, my part in the land of the living (Ps. 142:5).
In the same:
That thou mayest see the good of Jehovah in the land of the living (Ps. 27:13).
In the same:
O bless our God, ye peoples, who places our soul among the living (Ps. 66:8, 9).
sRef John@11 @26 S9′ sRef John@6 @48 S9′ sRef John@5 @21 S9′ sRef John@14 @6 S9′ sRef John@11 @25 S9′ sRef John@5 @26 S9′ sRef John@6 @33 S9′ sRef John@6 @47 S9′ sRef John@6 @35 S9′ [9] That the Lord alone has life in Himself, and that even man has life from Him, the Lord Himself teaches in the following passages. In John:
As the Father raiseth up the dead and maketh them alive, even so the Son maketh alive whom He will. For as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:21, 26).
In the same:
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he die, shall live (John 11:25, 26).
In the same:
I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
In the same:
I am the bread of life that cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world (John 6:33, 35, 47, 48).
From this it is that the Lord is said to be “Living” and “the Living One” (Apoc. 4:9, 10; 5:14; 7:2; 10:6). The same is said of Jehovah in many passages in the prophets.
sRef John@11 @26 S10′ sRef John@5 @40 S10′ sRef John@10 @10 S10′ sRef John@10 @28 S10′ sRef John@11 @25 S10′ sRef John@3 @36 S10′ [10] And as the Lord is life, so all have life from Him; this also the Lord teaches. In John:
He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life (John 3:36).
In the same:
Jesus said, I came that the sheep may have life. I give unto them eternal life (John 10:10, 28).
In the same:
He that believeth on Me, though he die, shall live (John 11:25, 26).
In the same:
Ye will not come to Me, that ye may have life (v. 40).
sRef Ps@36 @9 S11′ sRef John@1 @1 S11′ sRef John@1 @9 S11′ sRef John@8 @12 S11′ sRef John@1 @4 S11′ [11] “Life” signifies the Lord, and thence salvation and heaven, because all of life is from one only Fountain, and that only Fountain of life is the Lord, while angels and men are merely forms receiving life from Him. The Life itself that proceeds from the Lord and fills heaven and the world, is the life of His love, and in heaven this appears as light, and because this light is life it enlightens the minds of angels, and enables them to understand and be wise. From this it is that the Lord calls Himself not only “the Life” but also “the Light.” As in John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man coming into the world (John 1:1, 4-12).
In the same:
Jesus said, I am the Light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).
In David:
Jehovah, with Thee is the fountain of life, in Thy light shall we see light (Ps. 36:9).
The light which is life from the Lord in heaven is there called Divine truth, because it shines in the minds of those who are there, and thence shines before their eyes. From this it is that in the Word “light” signifies Divine truth, and intelligence and wisdom therefrom, and that the Lord Himself is called “the Light.” (But this is shown more fully in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140, 275, which see.)
[12] The Lord is the source [a quo] of everything of life, because He is the sun of the angelic heaven, and the light of that sun is Divine truth, and its heat is Divine good; the two are life. From that origin is all life in heaven and in the world. The spiritual that flows into nature, and gives life there, is from no other source; but it gives life according to reception. (On this also see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125.) From this it is now evident why it is that the Lord calls Himself “the Life,” and why it is that those are said to have life and to live who receive light which is Divine truth, from the Lord, and why those who do not receive it are said not to live, but to be dead. (That there is one only Fountain of life, and that the Lord is that Fountain, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 9; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 278.)
* The Hebrew has: “thou shalt die,” as found also in Arcana Coelestia, n. 5890.
** Latin for “and he shall not turn” has “and he shall turn.”
*** Latin for “that he sin no more” has “lest he sin more.”
**** For “will follow” the Greek has “followed,” as found in AE 377, 383.

sRef Rev@3 @2 S0′ 187. Verse 2. Be wakeful, signifies that they should acquire for themselves life. This is evident from the signification of “being wakeful,” as meaning to be in spiritual life; but here, since those whose life is moral and not yet spiritual are treated of, “Be wakeful” is that they should acquire for themselves spiritual life. This life is meant by “wakefulness” and “being awake,” because spiritual life is to moral life, apart from spiritual life, as wakefulness is to sleep, or as noonday light is to the evening, yea, to darkness. But that this is so is not known or perceived by those who are in natural life alone, neither by those who are in moral life apart from spiritual life, for this life also is natural life. They do not know or perceive this, because they are in natural lumen only, and this lumen in comparison with spiritual light is as the darkness of evening to the light of noonday. Moreover, to such the darkness of evening seems like light; for their interior sight, which is that of the thought, is adapted to that darkness, just as the sight of owls, bats, and other birds that fly by night, is adapted to the shade. Consequently they believe themselves to be in light because they are able to reason, when yet they are in darkness. That this is so is manifest from the state of such after death, when they become spirits. They then believe, when with their companions, that they are in light, because they not only see all things that are about them, but also are able to think and speak about any matter whatever; and yet their light, when the light of heaven flows in with them, is changed into darkness, and they become so blind in respect to the understanding as not to be able to think at all. Moreover, when angels who are in the heavens look down on those who are in such lumen, they see nothing there but mere darkness. That spiritual life compared with moral life apart from spiritual life is as wakefulness compared with sleep, can be further seen from this, that those who are in spiritual light are in angelic wisdom and intelligence, which is such as to be incomprehensible and ineffable to those who are in natural lumen alone, and this not only with men while living in the world, but also with the same when after death they become spirits; and when intelligence and wisdom constitute wakefulness. From this it can now be seen that “Be wakeful” here signifies that they should procure for themselves spiritual life.
sRef Matt@24 @42 S2′ sRef Mark@13 @37 S2′ sRef Mark@13 @36 S2′ sRef Mark@13 @35 S2′ [2] To “be awake” has a similar signification in the following passages. In Matthew:
Be awake, therefore, for ye know not in what hour your Lord cometh (Matt. 24:42).
In Mark:
Be ye awake, for ye know not when the lord of the house cometh, at evening, or at midnight, or at cock-crowing;* lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. What I say unto you I say unto all, Be awake (Mark 13:35-37).
He that is ignorant of the internal sense of the Word may believe that these words refer to the Last Judgment, and that everyone should be prepared for that; but man’s state in respect to love and faith when he dies is what they refer to, for then is his judgment. “Evening,” “night,” and “cock-crowing” signify such states; “evening” signifying a state of waning faith and charity, which is man’s state when he comes into the exercise of his own judgment, and is extinguishing in himself the things that he imbibed in childhood; “night” signifying a state of no faith and charity; “cock-crowing” or “daybreak” the state when faith and charity are beginning, which is, when man loves truths and wishes to be reformed by them.
In whatever state a man dies he remains, and according to that he is judged. From this it is evident what is meant by “Be ye awake, lest the Lord coming suddenly find you sleeping. What I say unto you I say unto all, Be awake,” namely, that “to be awake” means to receive life from the Lord, which life is spiritual life, and that “sleeping” means living a natural life apart from a spiritual life. (That “evening” signifies a state of waning faith and charity, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3056, 3197, 3833, 8431, 10134, 10135; “night” a state of no faith or charity, n. 221, 709, 2353, 6000, 7870, 7947; and “daybreak” before morning, or “cock-crowing,” the state when faith and charity are beginning, n. 10134.)
sRef Luke@12 @37 S3′ sRef Luke@12 @40 S3′ [3] In Luke:
Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when He cometh shall find awake; verily I say unto you, He shall gird himself, and make them recline to eat, and drawing near will minister unto them. Be ye ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man will come (Luke 12:37, 40).
Here also, those that “are awake” mean those who are spiritually awake, that is, those who receive spiritual life from the Lord, for these come into the light of intelligence and wisdom respecting Divine truths; but those who do not receive spiritual life remain in obscurity and thick darkness respecting those truths; these, therefore, are asleep, while the former are awake. His “girding himself, making them recline to eat, and drawing near to minister unto them,” signifies to communicate to them the goods of heaven, which are all from the Lord.
[4] In Matthew:
The kingdom of the heavens is like unto ten virgins, five of them were prudent, and five were foolish. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept; but the bridegroom coming, they all arose and trimmed their lamps. And when the foolish came, who had no oil in their lamps, and said, Lord, Lord, open to us, the Lord answered, I say unto you, I know you not. Be awake, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh (Matt. 25:1-13).
By “the ten virgins” all who are of the church are meant; by “five” some of them are meant; this is what these numbers signify; by “lamps” the things of faith are signified; by “oil” the things of love. By “the five prudent virgins,” therefore, those who are in love and in faith therefrom are meant; but by “the five foolish virgins” those who are in no love, but in faith alone. As such are in no spiritual life (for only those who are in love and charity have spiritual life, because they only are in faith), so because such as these are shut out of heaven, it is said unto them, “I say unto you, I know you not.” From this it is most evident what is signified by “Be awake, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh,” namely, that they should receive spiritual life, which those have who are in love and in faith therefrom. (But these things may be seen more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 4635-4638.)
sRef Luke@21 @36 S5′ [5] In Luke:
Be wakeful, therefore, praying at every season, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:36).
Here, also, “to be wakeful” means to receive spiritual life; “to pray at every season” signifies to prepare oneself.
sRef Rev@16 @15 S6′ [6] In Revelation:
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that is awake, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked (Rev. 16:15).
Here “to be awake” signifies to receive spiritual life from the Lord, as is evident from its being said, “Blessed is he that is awake and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked;” “garments” signifying the knowledges of truth and good by means of which man has spiritual life; and “to walk naked” signifying life without such knowledges as means, thus life not spiritual but merely natural. (That “garments” signify the knowledges of truth and good, see below, n. 195, and that by “naked” is signified the deprivation of these, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1073, 5433, 5954, 9960.)
sRef Lam@2 @19 S7′ [7] In Lamentations:
Arise, cry aloud in the night, at the beginning of the watches; lift up thy hands to the Lord respecting the soul of thy babes, who have fainted through hunger at the head of every street (Lam. 2:19);
here, as above, “night” signifies a state of no faith; “the beginning of the watches” signifies the state when faith begins, thus a state of illustration, which is when man becomes spiritual. By “babes” are meant those who love truths, and long for them; “to faint through hunger at the head of every street” is to be deprived of spiritual life through a lack of the knowledges of truth and good. (That “hunger” means a lack of knowledges and a longing for them, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1460, 3364, 5277, 5279, 5281, 5300, 5360, 5376, 5893; and that “streets” are the truths of doctrine, n. 2336.)
sRef Ps@13 @3 S8′ sRef Ps@76 @5 S8′ sRef Jer@51 @57 S8′ sRef Jer@51 @39 S8′ sRef Ps@76 @6 S8′ sRef Matt@13 @25 S8′ sRef Matt@13 @24 S8′ [8] Because “to be awake” signifies to receive spiritual life, therefore “sleeping” signifies natural life apart from spiritual life, since natural life compared with spiritual life is as sleep compared with wakefulness, as has been said above. This is what “sleeping” signifies in Matthew:
The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man that sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat (Matt. 13:24-25).
In Jeremiah:
When they have grown warm, I will set their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may sleep the sleep of an age, and not awake (Jer. 51:39, 57).
In David:
Look! answer me, Jehovah my God! lighten Thine eyes** lest I sleep death (Ps. 13:3).
In the same:
The strong in heart have become a spoil, they have slumbered their sleep; at Thy rebuke both the chariot and the horse have fallen into a deep sleep (Ps. 76:5-6).
“Chariot and horse” signify the doctrine of the church and the understanding of doctrine; these are said “to fall into a deep sleep” when they are without truths, and when consequently the man of the church is without spiritual life by means of truths. (That “chariots and horses” in the Word signify doctrine and the intellectual, see in The small work on The White Horse, n. 1-5.)
* For “cock-crowing” the Latin has “belonging to chickens.”
** For “thine” the Hebrew has “mine,” as found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 152; Arcana Coelestia, n. 212, 6119.

sRef Rev@3 @2 S0′ 188. And confirm the things remaining that are about to die, signifies in order that the things that belong to the moral life may be vivified. This is evident from the signification of “confirming,” as being to vivify the moral life by means of truths; for truths from the Word are what vivify it; and when it is vivified it is also confirmed, for it then acts as one with the spiritual life; for spiritual life and moral life act as one with those who are spiritual, as will and action do; will is of the spiritual man and its life, and action is of the moral (see above, n. 182). It is said, “confirm the things remaining that are about to die,” which signifies lest the moral life be destroyed by evils and falsities; for moral life apart from spiritual life is nothing else than natural life; since all the good things that man does from a moral life, apart from the spiritual, are from no other origin than from the love of self and the world, that is, from the proprium [one’s own], and from the proprium [one’s own] nothing flows out except evil and falsity; man, indeed, wishes to be esteemed moral, because by feigning goodness, sincerity, and righteousness in outward form, he may gain ends that have respect to self and the world.
From this it is that all things that are with him are in themselves dead, that is, are “about to die,” unless they are made alive by truths and goods, which may bring about an opening of the internal spiritual man; for it is by this means that the Lord takes away the evils and falsities that are in the natural.

sRef Rev@3 @2 S0′ 189. For I have not found thy works full before God, signifies that otherwise the Divine is not in the moral life. This is evident from the signification of “works,” as being the things of life (of which see above, n. 185); here of moral life, because that is here treated of; also from the signification of “not full before God,” as being that the Divine is not in that life. The things of moral life, which are here signified by “works,” are said to be “full before God,” when they are from a spiritual origin, but “not full” when they are not from that origin; for moral life, which is the external life of man, must be either from a spiritual origin or from an origin not spiritual; it is not permitted to be from both, that is, something of it from one origin and something from the other, or something from heaven and something from hell, since this would be to “serve two masters, God and Mammon;” and then the man is “lukewarm, neither cold nor hot.” “Works,” therefore, must be either “full before God,” or they are nothing before God. This is why “I have not found thy works full before God” signifies that the Divine is not in the moral life. The meaning is the same whether it is said a moral life from a spiritual origin or from the Divine, since all spiritual life is from the Divine, for the spiritual means the same as the proceeding Divine, and is the Divine truth in heaven; and all angels of heaven, because they are recipients of this, are spiritual; and the like is true of men who receive Divine truth in faith and life. (What the spiritual is, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 48-49.)

sRef Rev@3 @3 S0′ 190. Verse 3. Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and take heed, signifies recalling to mind what the Lord teaches in the Word and attention. This is evident from this, that what is written to the angel of this church treats of those who are in a moral, and not in a spiritual life; and these are here told to acquire for themselves spiritual life, that their moral life may be made alive, which is signified by the words just preceding, “Be wakeful, and confirm the things remaining that are about to die;” from which it can be seen that “Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and take heed,” signifies recalling to mind what the Lord teaches in the Word, and attention. “To take heed” signifies attention, as it is with those who are in the spiritual affection of truth; for when these read the Word they do not look at it from the doctrine of the church in which they are born, but they look at it as if they were separated from that doctrine; for their wish is to be illustrated, and to see truths inwardly in themselves, and not from others. Those who are in such a state are illustrated by the Lord, and it is granted to them to make doctrine for themselves out of the truths that they see; and this doctrine is implanted in them, and abides in their spirit to eternity.
[2] But those who read the Word from the doctrine received from others are not able to see truths in the light of their own spirit, thus not inwardly in themselves, but only outside of themselves; for they think that a thing is true because others have seen it, and therefore they attend only to what corroborates it; other things they pass by as if not seen, or they bring them over to the support of what their doctrine declares. Such as these cannot be illustrated, as anyone can see; for they only store up confirmations in the memory, which belongs to their natural man, and from this memory they henceforth speak; consequently they stay natural as before, and do not become spiritual; for to become spiritual is to imbue one’s spirit with truths from the Word; and the spirit is not imbued with truths except as it desires to know truth wherever it is in the Word, and delights in it when it sees and perceives it; this affection is the spiritual affection of truth, that has been so often spoken of before. This, then, is what is meant in the spiritual sense by “Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and take heed.” (That it is the part of a wise man to see and perceive truth from the light of heaven, but not to confirm what others may say, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1017, 4741, 7012, 7680, 7950; that to see and perceive truth from the light of heaven is granted only to those that love truth because it is truth, and are therefore in the spiritual affection of truth, n. 8521; that the light of confirmation is not spiritual but natural light, which also the evil may have, n. 8780.)

sRef Rev@3 @3 S0′ 191. And repent, signifies consequent spiritual life. This is evident from what has been said above, thus without further explanation.

sRef Rev@3 @3 S0′ 192. If therefore thou shalt not be wakeful, signifies if thou dost not acquire spiritual life. This is evident from the signification of “be wakeful,” as being to acquire for oneself spiritual life (of which see above, n. 187).

sRef Rev@3 @3 S0′ 193. I will come on thee as a thief, signifies the unexpected time of death, when all the knowledges procured from the Word that have not acquired spiritual life will be taken away. This is evident from the signification of “coming as a thief,” when said of those who are not wakeful, that is, who are not acquiring for themselves spiritual life, as being that all the knowledges acquired from the Word that have not acquired spiritual life will be taken away from them. These words signify also the unexpected time of death, because death comes unexpectedly, and after death man remains to eternity in the state of that life which he acquired for himself in the world; for this reason man must be wakeful. As it is known to few that all the knowledges gained from the Word that have not acquired spiritual life are taken away, it is necessary to explain how this is done. All things that are in man’s spirit remain with him to eternity; but the things that are not in man’s spirit, after death, when he becomes a spirit, are dissipated. Those things remain in the spirit of man that he has thought from himself, that is, the things that he has thought from his own love when he was alone, for his spirit then thinks from itself and not from the things in the memory of his body that do not make one with his love. There are two states of man, one when he thinks from his spirit, and the other when he thinks from the memory of his body; when these two states do not make one, man can think in one way by himself, and can think and speak in another way with others.
[2] Take a preacher, for instance, who loves himself and the world above all things, and cares nothing for the Divine, even so that he denies it in heart, and therefore schemes evils of every kind, in consort with the crafty and malignant of the world; and yet when he is speaking with others, especially when he is preaching, he may be able to speak as from zeal for the Divine, and for Divine truths, and even at such times may be able to think in like manner; but this state is a state of his thought from the memory of the body, and is evidently separated from the state of his thought from the spirit, since when left to himself he thinks contrary to these things. This is the state that remains with man after death, but the other state does not remain, because it belongs to his body and not to his spirit; consequently when he becomes a spirit, which takes place when he dies, all knowledges that he acquired for himself from the Word that do not agree with the life of his spirit’s love, he casts away from him. But it is otherwise with those who, when left to themselves alone, think justly about the Divine, about the Word and the truths of the church therefrom, and who love truths even to the life, that is, so that they wish to live according to them.
The thoughts of these in their spirit make one with their thoughts from the memory of the body, thus they make one with the knowledges of truth and good which they have from the Word; and so far as these make one, these knowledges receive spiritual life, for they are elevated by the Lord from the external or natural man into the internal or spiritual man, and constitute the life, that is, the understanding and will, of the spiritual man. Truths, in the spiritual man, are living truths, because they are Divine, and from these man has life there. That this is so it has been granted me to know from much experience; if I were to adduce it all it would fill many pages. (Something may be seen in The work on Heaven and Hell, n. 491-498, 499-511; and above, n. 114.)
sRef Matt@6 @24 S3′ sRef Rev@16 @15 S3′ [3] From this it can now be seen what is meant in the spiritual sense by “I will come on thee as a thief,” namely, that after death all knowledges procured from the Word that have not acquired spiritual life will be taken away. The same is meant by the following in Revelation:
Behold I come as a thief; blessed is he that is wakeful, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked (Rev. 16:15);
it is said “as a thief” because evils and falsities therefrom in the natural man take away and cast out the knowledges of truth and good that are there from the Word; for the things that are not loved are cast out. With man there is either the love of evil and of falsity therefrom, or the love of good and of truth therefrom. These two loves are opposite to one another; consequently he who is in one of them cannot be in the other, for “no one can serve two masters,” without loving the one and hating the other (Matt. 6:24).
sRef Matt@6 @20 S4′ sRef Matt@6 @19 S4′ [4] Because evils and falsities therefrom penetrate from within, and break through as it were the wall that is between the state of man’s thought from the spirit and the state of his thought from the body, and cast out the knowledges of truth and good that have their abode with man in his outward part, therefore such evils and falsities are what are meant by “thieves,” also in the following passages.
In Matthew:
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, but in heaven, where thieves do not dig through nor steal (Matt. 6:19-20).
“Treasures” are the knowledges of truth and good; “laying them up in heaven” is in the spiritual man, for the spiritual man is in heaven. (That “treasures” are the knowledges of truth and good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1694, 4508, 10227; and that the internal spiritual man is in heaven, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 36-50.)
sRef Matt@24 @42 S5′ sRef Matt@24 @43 S5′ [5] In the same:
Be wakeful, therefore, for ye know not at what hour your Lord will come. But know this, that if the master of the house knew in what hour the thief would come he would be wakeful, and would not suffer him to dig through his house (Matt. 24:42-43).
This means that if man knew the hour of his death he would get himself ready, not from a love of what is true and good, but from a fear of hell; and whatever a man does from fear does not remain with him, but what he does from love remains; therefore he should be getting ready all the time (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 143, 168).
sRef Obad@1 @5 S6′ [6] In Obadiah:
If thieves come to thee, if robbers by night, how wilt thou be cut off! Will they not steal till they have enough? (Obad. 5).
Here also falsities and evils are called “thieves,” and are said to “steal;” falsities are “thieves,” and evils are “robbers by night;” it is said “by night,” because “night” signifies a state of no love and faith.
sRef Joel@2 @9 S7′ [7] In Joel:
They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall come up into the houses, they shall enter in through the windows like a thief (Joel 2:9).
The vastation of the church through falsities from evil is here treated of; “city” and “wall” signify the things of doctrine; “houses” and “windows” things pertaining to the mind that receives; “houses” that part of the mind that is called the will, where good is, and “windows” that part of the mind that is called the understanding, where truth is.
(That “city” in the Word is doctrine, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 402, 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493; that “wall” is the truth of doctrine defending, n. 6419; that “house” is that part of the mind which is called the will, where good is, n. 2231, 2233, 2559, 3128, 5023, 6690, 7353, 7910, 7929, 9150; and “windows” that part of the mind which is called the understanding where truth is, n. 655, 658, 3391.) From this it is clear what is signified by “running upon the wall,” “coming up into the houses,” and “entering in through the windows like a thief.”
sRef Hos@7 @1 S8′ [8] In Hosea:
I healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the evils of Samaria, for they made a lie, and the thief cometh in, and the troop spreadeth itself without (Hosea 7:1).
The “iniquity of Ephraim” signifies the falsities of the understanding; and the “evils of Samaria” the evils of the will; “to make a lie” is thinking and willing falsity from evil; “the thief” is falsity taking away and dissipating truth; and “the troop spreading itself” is evil casting out good. (That “Ephraim” is the intellectual of such things as are of the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267, 6296; that “a lie” is falsity from evil, n. 8908, 9248; that “a troop” is good casting out evil, and in a contrary sense, evil casting out good, n. 3934, 3935, 6404, 6405.)
sRef Ex@12 @36 S9′ sRef Ex@12 @35 S9′ [9] These things are adduced that it may be known what “a thief” in the Word signifies, namely, falsity vastating, that is, taking away and destroying truth. It was shown above, that after death all knowledges of truth and good from the Word that have not acquired spiritual life are taken away; consequently they are taken away from those who have not been made spiritual by knowledges from the Word. The same is signified by many other things in the historical parts of the Word; but this no one can see unless he knows the spiritual sense of the Word. This was signified by the sons of Israel’s borrowing from the Egyptians gold, and silver, and garments, and thus taking them away as it were by theft, which is thus described in Moses:
It was commanded that they should borrow of the Egyptians vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment. And Jehovah gave the people grace in the eyes of the Egyptians, so that they lent to them; and thus they plundered the Egyptians (Exod. 12:35-36).
The “Egyptians” represented those who are merely natural and yet possess many knowledges. By “the sons of Israel” are meant those who are spiritual; “vessels of gold and of silver,” and also “raiment,” signify the knowledges of truth and good, which the spiritual apply to good, but which the natural apply to evil and thus destroy. That nations were given up to the curse, and at the same time all things with them were either burnt with fire or plundered, to which there is frequent reference in the book of Joshua, and in the books of Samuel and of the Kings, has a like signification; for the nations of the land of Canaan represented those who are in evils and falsities, and the sons of Israel those who are in truths and goods.
sRef Luke@19 @25 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @15 S10′ sRef Luke@19 @15 S10′ sRef Luke@19 @24 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @17 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @29 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @28 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @18 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @30 S10′ sRef Luke@19 @18 S10′ sRef Luke@19 @19 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @14 S10′ sRef Luke@19 @17 S10′ sRef Luke@19 @20 S10′ sRef Luke@19 @22 S10′ sRef Luke@19 @23 S10′ sRef Luke@19 @21 S10′ sRef Luke@19 @16 S10′ sRef Luke@19 @13 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @24 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @19 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @21 S10′ sRef Luke@19 @14 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @22 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @23 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @25 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @16 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @27 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @20 S10′ sRef Matt@25 @26 S10′ [10] That the knowledges of truth and good from the Word will be taken away from those who have not acquired spiritual life for themselves, is also meant in the Lord’s parables respecting the talents and pounds given to the servants that they might trade and make gain, and respecting the servant who traded not and gained nothing, of whom it is written in the parables:
Unto him who hid his talent in the earth his lord said, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou oughtest to have put my silver to the bankers, in order that at my coming I might have received mine own with interest. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath the ten talents. For unto everyone that hath shall be given, that he may have abundance; but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into outer darkness (Matt. 25:14-30).
And in another place:
He came who had received the one pound, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I kept laid up in a napkin. The lord said, Wherefore gavest not thou my money into the bank, that coming I might have regained mine own with interest. And He said, Take from him the pound, and give to him that hath ten pounds. I say unto you, To everyone that hath shall be given; but from him that hath not, even than which he hath shall be taken away from him (Luke 19:13-26).
Here “talents,” “pounds,” and “money,” signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word; “to trade,” “to make gain,” “to put it to the bankers,” or “in the bank,” signifies to acquire for oneself thereby spiritual life and intelligence; “hiding these in the earth” or “in a napkin” signifies in the memory of the natural man only; of such it is therefore said that from them should be taken away that which they have, according to what has been explained in the beginning of this article.
[11] This takes place with all in the other life who have acquired for themselves knowledges from the Word, and have not committed them to the life, but only to the memory. He who has knowledges from the Word in the memory only, even if they were thousands, if he has not committed them to the life, remains natural as before. Committing knowledges from the Word to the life is thinking from them, when one, left to himself, thinks from his spirit, and also willing them and doing them; for this is loving truths because they are truths; and those who do this are those who become spiritual by means of knowledges from the Word.

sRef Rev@3 @3 S0′ 194. And thou shalt not know in what hour I will come upon thee, signifies ignorance of that time and of the state then. This is evident from the signification of “hour,” as being the time when man is to die, and also his state then; and from the signification of “not knowing” it, as being ignorance. It is said “In what hour I will come upon thee,” namely, “as a thief,” and this means, in the sense of the letter, that the Lord will so come; but in the spiritual sense, it means that evils and falsities will steal away the knowledges that they have from the Word. For in the sense of the letter of the Word doing evil is attributed to Jehovah, or to the Lord, but in the spiritual sense the meaning is that He does evil to no one, but that man does evil to himself (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2447, 5798, 6071, 6991, 6997, 7533, 7632, 7643, 7679, 7710, 7877, 7926, 8227, 8228, 8284, 8483, 8632, 9010, 9128, 9306, 10431).
sRef Matt@20 @3 S2′ sRef Matt@20 @15 S2′ sRef Matt@20 @14 S2′ sRef Matt@20 @16 S2′ sRef Matt@20 @2 S2′ sRef Matt@20 @1 S2′ sRef Matt@20 @5 S2′ sRef Matt@20 @4 S2′ sRef Matt@20 @6 S2′ sRef Matt@20 @12 S2′ sRef Matt@20 @11 S2′ sRef Matt@20 @8 S2′ sRef Matt@20 @13 S2′ sRef Matt@20 @7 S2′ sRef Matt@20 @10 S2′ sRef Matt@20 @9 S2′ [2] “Hour,” moreover signifies state, because all times in the Word, as a day, a week, a month, a year, an age, signify states of life, so likewise “an hour” (the reason of this may be seen in The work on Heaven and Hell, n. 162-169, where Time in Heaven is treated of). But as “hour” means both time and state, where “hour” occurs in the Word it can scarcely be known that it signifies anything except time. As in Matthew:
A householder hired laborers into his vineyard, who labored from the third hour, the sixth, the ninth, and the eleventh, and received equal reward (Matt. 20:1-16).
These “hours” mean, in the world, times, but in heaven, states of life, since in heaven there are no hours, because times there are not measurable and divided into days and these into hours, as in the world; consequently instead of these times the angels perceive the states of life of those who die, as old men, men, youths, or children, and who have equally acquired for themselves spiritual life; “laboring in the vineyard” is acquiring for oneself spiritual life by the knowledges of truth and good from the Word applied to the uses of life; the “third,” the “sixth,” and the “ninth hours” signify a like state of life, for all numbers in the Word are significative, and these numbers have a similar signification. (That “vineyard” in the Word signifies the spiritual church, and with man spiritual life, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9139, 3220. That “three” signifies a full state, or what is complete even to the end, n. 2788, 4495, 7715, 8347, 9825; likewise “six” and “nine.” But “eleven” signifies a state not yet full, and yet a receptive state such as there is with well-disposed children and infants. The “twelfth hour,” to which all labored, signifies truths and goods in their fullness, n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913. That all numbers in the Word are significative, n. 4495, 4670, 5265, 6175, 9488, 9659, 10217, 10253; and that composite numbers have a signification like that of the simple numbers from which they arise by multiplication, thus “three,” “six,” and “nine,” have a similar signification, n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973.)
sRef Rev@9 @15 S3′ sRef John@11 @9 S3′ [3] Since “twelve” signifies truths and goods in their fullness, thus man’s state of light or intelligence from these, the Lord says:
Are there not twelve hours of the day? If a man walk in the day he stumbleth not (John 11:9).
Elsewhere, also, “hours” signify states of life, as in Revelation:
Those four angels were loosed, which were prepared for the hour and day and month and year, that they should kill the third part of men (Rev. 9:15).
The times here mentioned mean the states of evil with man, as will be seen in the explanation of these words hereafter. From this it is now evident that “Thou shalt not know in what hour I will come upon thee,” means not only that one is ignorant of the time of death but also of the state of life at that time which will continue to eternity; for such as the state of man’s past life is, even to the end, such he remains to eternity.
sRef Matt@24 @44 S4′ sRef Matt@24 @42 S4′ sRef Matt@24 @50 S4′ sRef Matt@25 @13 S4′ [4] Like things are said by the Lord here and there in the Evangelists. In Matthew:
Ye know not in what hour your Lord will come; be ye ready; for in an hour that ye think not, the Son of man cometh (Matt. 24:42, 44).
The lord of the servant shall come in the day when he expecteth not, and in an hour that he knoweth not (Matt. 24:50).
Be wakeful, therefore, for ye know not the day, neither the hour, wherein the Son of man shall come (Matt. 25:13).
It should be known that man remains to eternity such as his whole life is, even to the end, and by no means such as he is at the hour of death: repentance at that time with the evil is of no avail, but with the good it strengthens.

sRef Rev@3 @4 S0′ 195. Verse 4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis that have not defiled their garments, signifies those who live a moral life from a spiritual origin, by applying the knowledges of truth and good from the Word to the uses of their life. This is evident from the signification of “name,” as being the quality of the state of man’s life (see above, n. 148); here, therefore, “names” signify men who are such. It is evident also from the signification of “the church in Sardis,” as being those who live a moral life but not a spiritual life, because they have little regard for the knowledges of truth and good from the Word (see also above, n. 148, 182); but here those are meant who live a moral life from a spiritual origin, for it is said, “that have not defiled their garments.” It is evident also from the signification of “garments,” as being knowledges [scientifica] and cognitions in the natural man (of which presently). “Not defiling their garments,” therefore, signifies living as a moral man not for the sake of self and the world, which is for the sake of the body and its life only, but for the sake of the Lord and of heaven, which is for the sake of the soul and its life. From this it is clear that “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis that have not defiled their garments,” signifies such as live a moral life from a spiritual origin, by applying the knowledges of truth and good from the Word to their life.
[2] But as few know what it is to live a moral life from a spiritual origin, and what it is to apply the knowledges of truth and good from the Word to the uses of their life, it shall be told. Man lives a moral life from a spiritual origin when he lives it from religion; that is, when he thinks, when anything evil, insincere, or unjust presents itself: that this must not be done because it is contrary to the Divine laws. When one abstains from doing such things in deference to Divine laws he acquires for himself spiritual life, and his moral life is then from the spiritual; for by such thoughts and faith man communicates with the angels of heaven, and by communication with heaven his internal spiritual man is opened, the mind of which is a higher mind, such as the angels of heaven have, and he is thereby imbued with heavenly intelligence and wisdom. From this it can be seen that to live a moral life from a spiritual origin is to live from religion, and within the church, to live from the Word; for those who live a moral life from religion and from the Word are elevated above their natural man, thus above what is their own [proprium], and are led by the Lord through heaven; consequently they have faith, the fear of God, and conscience, and also the spiritual affection of truth, which is the affection of the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, for to such men these are Divine laws, according to which they live. Many of the heathen live such a moral life, for they think that evil must not be done because it is contrary to their religion; this is why so many of them are saved.
[3] But on the other hand, to live a moral life not from religion, but only from the fear of the law in the world, and of the loss of fame, honor, and gain, is to live a moral life not from a spiritual but from a natural origin; therefore to such there is no communication with heaven. And as they think insincerely and unjustly regarding the neighbor, although they speak and act otherwise, their internal spiritual man is closed, and the internal natural man only is opened; and when this is open they are in the light of the world, but not in the light of heaven. For this reason such persons have in them little regard for Divine and heavenly things, and some deny them, believing nature and the world to be everything. (From this it can now be seen what it is to live a moral life from a spiritual origin, and what it is to live it from a natural origin; but these things may be seen set forth in clearer light in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 528-535.) Of those who live a moral life from a natural origin only, it may be said that they “defile their garments,” for “garments” mean that which is outside the man himself and which clothes him, thus his natural man with the things that are in it, which are knowledges [scientifica] and cognitions; and when these are from the Word they are defiled by the fact that he learns and holds them only for the sake of reputation, that he may be thought learned or well informed, or that he may thereby acquire honors and gain wealth; and except for such ends he has no regard for them. Thus it is that the knowledges from the Word are polluted and defiled by the loves of self and the world, for these knowledges dwell in the same place with the evils and falsities that gush out from those loves as from their fountains.
sRef John@6 @68 S4′ sRef John@6 @63 S4′ [4] It was said above, that man becomes spiritual by means of the knowledges of truth and good from the Word applied to the uses of life. Why men become spiritual by means of knowledges from the Word, and not by means of other knowledges, shall now be told. All things that are in the Word are Divine, and they are Divine for the reason that they have in them a spiritual sense, and by that sense communicate with heaven and with the angels there. When, therefore, man has knowledges from the Word and applies them to life, then through these he has communication with heaven and by that communication becomes spiritual; for man becomes spiritual by his being in like or in corresponding truths with the angels of heaven. It is said in “corresponding” truths, because each and all things in the sense of the letter of the Word are correspondences, for they correspond to the truths that angels have. But the knowledges derived from other books, which set forth and by various means establish the doctrines of the church, do not effect communication with heaven except by the knowledges from the Word they contain; such knowledges do give communication if they are rightly understood and are applied to life, and not to faith alone. Everyone can see that this is so from this, that the Word in itself is Divine, and what is Divine in itself can become Divine with man by his applying it to life. “Becoming Divine with man” means that the Lord can have His abode with man (John 14:23), thus dwelling with him in what is His own (that the Lord dwells in His own with man and angel, and not in what is their own [proprio illorum], see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 12). The Lord dwells in His own when He dwells in those things with man that are from the Word, for the Lord is the Word (John 1:1, 2, 14); and the words that He spoke, that is, that are in the Word:
Are spirit and life (John 6:63, 68; 12:50).
[5] That “garments” signify the things that are in the natural man, which are knowledges [scientifica],* true or false, or cognitions, is from the spiritual world; for in the spiritual world all, however many, appear clothed according to their moral life; consequently those who have lived a moral life from a spiritual origin appear clothed in shining white garments, like fine linen; but those who have lived a moral life from a natural origin only, appear according to the nature of that life, those who have polluted their life by evils and falsities appearing in dark garments, mean, torn, and hideous to behold (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 177-182). From this now it is that “garments” in the Word signify truths from good, and in the contrary sense falsities from evil, both of them in the natural man; truths and falsities in the natural man are called knowledges [scientifica] and cognitions.
sRef Isa@52 @1 S6′ [6] That “garments” in the Word signify truths or falsities can be clearly seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion, put on the garments of thy splendor, O Jerusalem; for henceforth there shall no more come to thee the uncircumcised and the unclean (Isa. 52:1).
“Zion” in the Word signifies the Lord’s celestial kingdom, thus also the celestial church, and “Jerusalem” the spiritual kingdom and the spiritual church (what the celestial kingdom is, and the spiritual kingdom, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28). The “garments of splendor that Jerusalem must put on” are Divine truths; the “uncircumcised and the unclean that shall not come to them” are those who are in evils and falsities.
sRef Isa@15 @3 S7′ [7] In Ezekiel:
Jerusalem, I clothed thee with broidered work, I shod thee with badger’s skin, I girded thee about with fine linen. I adorned thee with ornament, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy throat, and a jewel upon thy nose, and earrings upon thine ears, yea, a crown of ornament upon thy head. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver, and thy garments were fine linen, silk, and broidered work, whence thou becamest exceeding beautiful, and didst prosper even unto the kingdom. But thou didst take of thy garments, and didst make to thee high places with divers colors, that thou mightest commit whoredom upon them; thou also didst take garments of thy broidered work, and didst cover the images of a male, with which thou didst commit whoredom (Ezek. 16:10-13, 16-18).
Here what the church was when it was first established by the Lord is described; the “garments” that are mentioned are truths from good; “broidered work” is true knowledge [scientificum]; “fine linen and silk” are truths from a celestial source; the “bracelets,” “chain,” “jewel,” “earrings,” and “crown,” are decorations signifying things spiritual of various kinds; the “gold and silver” with which she was decked are the good of love and its truth. Then the same church when perverted is described, by this, that “she took of the garments, and did make to herself high places with divers colors,” signifying truths falsified; and that “she took the garments of broidered work, and covered the images of a male,” signifies that they applied the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word to so confirm falsities even so as to make them appear like truths; “committing whoredom with them” and “under them” signifies making doctrine and worship out of falsities (that this is to “commit whoredom,” see above, n. 141, 161).
(That “Jerusalem” is the church where there is true doctrine, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 402, 3654, 9166. That “broidered work” is knowledges [scientificum], n. 9688. That “fine linen” is truth from a celestial origin, n. 5319, 9469. That “bracelets” are truths and goods of the church, n. 3103, 3105. That “a chain [for the neck]” is representative of the conjunction of interior and exterior things, n. 5320; that “jewels [for the nose]” and “earrings” are representatives of perception and obedience, n. 4551. That “a crown” means wisdom, see above, n. 126. That “gold” is the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9510, 9874, 9881; that “silver” is truth from that good, n. 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658. That “high places with divers colors” are truths falsified, n. 796, 4005. That the “male” or “masculine” is truth, n. 749, 2046, 4005, 7838; therefore “images of a male” are appearances of truth.)
[8] In the same:
Fine linen in broidered work from Egypt was thy spreading forth, blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was thy covering. Syria was thy merchant in purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, with chrysoprasus. Dedan was thy merchant with garments of liberty for the chariot; Asshur and Chilmad with bales of blue and of broidered work, and with treasures of precious garments (Ezek. 27:7, 16, 20, 23-24).
Here Tyre and her wares are treated of, and “Tyre” signifies the knowledges of truth and good, and “trading” and “trafficking,” signify acquiring for oneself and communicating such knowledges; “purple and blue” signify the celestial love of good and truth; “Egypt,” the knowledge belonging to the natural man; by “broidered work from Egypt” the like; “Syria” the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good; “Asshur” the rational of that church; “Dedan” those who are in the knowledges of celestial things. From this it can be seen that the “wares of Tyre,” treated of in the whole of that chapter, do not mean wares, but each and all these things mean spiritual things, which man ought to acquire, be imbued with, and communicate. (That “Tyre” signifies the knowledges of good and truth, see Arcana Coelestia n. 1201. That “Egypt” signifies the knowledges [scientificum] belonging to the natural man, n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 5700, 5702, 6015, 6651, 6679, 6682, 6683, 6692, 7296, 9340, 9391. That “Syria” is the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, n. 1232, 1234, 3664, 3680, 4112. That “Dedan” signifies those who are in the knowledges of celestial things, n. 3240, 3241. That “Asshur” is the rational therefrom, n. 119, 1186. That “purple” is the celestial love of good, n. 9467. That “blue” is the celestial love of truth, n. 9466, 9687, 9833; likewise “chrysoprasus,” n. 9868. What “fine linen” and “broidered work” signify, see just above.)
sRef Ps@45 @14 S9′ sRef Ps@45 @13 S9′ [9] In David:
The king’s daughter is all glorious within, her clothing is inwrought with gold. She shall be brought unto the king in broidered work (Ps. 45:13-14).
The “king’s daughter” signifies the spiritual affection of truth, and therefore the church consisting of those who are in that affection; “king” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth; “clothing inwrought with gold,” intelligence and wisdom from that truth; the “broidered work” in which she should “be brought to the king” signifies the knowledges of truth. (That “daughter” signifies the affection of truth, and the church therefrom, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2362, 2623, 3373, 3963, 4257, 6729, 6775, 6779, 8649, 9055, 9807. That “king” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, see above, n. 31.)
sRef 2Sam@1 @24 S10′ [10] In the second book of Samuel:
Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet with dainty things, and who put an ornament of gold upon your apparel (2 Sam. 1:24).
This is in the lamentation of David over Saul, which he wrote:
To teach the sons of Judah the bow (2 Sam. 1:18);
by “bow” is signified truth combating against falsities (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2686, 2709); “Saul” here, as a king, signifies such truth; the “sons of Judah” signify those who are in truths from good; “to clothe the daughters of Israel in scarlet,” and “to put ornaments of gold upon the apparel,” is to impart intelligence and wisdom to those who are in the spiritual affection of truth.
sRef Matt@22 @11 S11′ sRef Matt@22 @13 S11′ sRef Matt@22 @12 S11′ [11] In Matthew:
When the king came in to behold those reclining to eat, he saw there a man that had not on a wedding garment; and he said unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? He was speechless. Then said the king, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him out into outer darkness (Matt. 22:11-13).
A “wedding garment” signifies the intelligence of the spiritual man, which is from the knowledges of truth and good; but “he that had not on a wedding garment” signifies a hypocrite, who by a moral life counterfeits the spiritual life when yet he is merely natural; “to bind him hand and foot” signifies the deprivation of the knowledges from the Word, by which he has put on the likeness of a spiritual man; “to be cast out into outer darkness” signifies among those who are in falsities from evil (for “outer darkness” signifies falsities from evil).
sRef Zeph@1 @8 S12′ [12] In Zephaniah :
I will visit upon the princes, and upon the king’s sons, and upon all that are clothed with the garments of the alien (Zeph. 1:8). “Princes” and “king’s sons” signify those who are in truths, and in a contrary sense, as here, those who are in falsities; these are said to be “clothed with the garment of the alien,” because “garment” signifies falsity, and “alien” those who are out of the church and do not acknowledge the truths of the church.
sRef Matt@7 @15 S13′ [13] In Matthew:
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing; inwardly they are ravening wolves (Mat. 7:15).
“False prophets in sheep’s clothing, who inwardly are ravening wolves,” are those who teach falsities as if they were truths, and who in appearance live a moral life, but who by themselves, when they think from their spirit, think of nothing but themselves and the world, and are eager to deprive all others of truths.
sRef John@8 @32 S14′ sRef John@21 @18 S14′ sRef John@8 @31 S14′ [14] In John:
Jesus said to Peter, When thou wast younger thou girdedst thyself and walkedst whither thou wouldest; but when thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thou wouldest not (John 21:18).
What these words signify in the spiritual sense may be seen above (n. 9); namely, that by “Peter” is meant the faith of the church; when he “was younger and girded himself and walked whither he would” means the faith of the church at the beginning, when men are in the good of charity, that they then think about the truths of the church from the spiritual man, which is to think from their spirit, thus from the spiritual affection of truth, that is, from freedom. But by “Peter when old, that he should stretch forth his hands and another should gird him,” is meant the faith of the church at its end, when faith would be without charity, that they then would think nothing about the truths of the church from themselves, but from others, thus from doctrine only and not from the Word, which is relatively a servile state. For to believe what another says is servile, but to believe what one himself thinks from the Word is freedom; according to the Lord’s words in John:
If ye abide in My Word, ye are truly My disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:31-32).
sRef Luke@5 @37 S15′ sRef Luke@5 @38 S15′ sRef Luke@5 @36 S15′ [15] In Luke:
No man putteth a piece of a new garment on an old garment; else the new will rend the old, and the piece from the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and itself be spilt, and the bottles be destroyed (Luke 5:36-37; Matt. 9:16-17; Mark 2:21-22).
Because a “garment” signifies truth, the Lord compared the truths of the former church, which was a church representative of spiritual things, to a piece of an old garment, and the truths of the new church, which were spiritual truths themselves, to a piece of a new garment; He compared them likewise to bottles of wine, because “wine” in like manner signifies truth, and “bottles” mean the knowledges that contain truth. (That “wine” in the Word signifies truth, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 219.)
sRef Rev@6 @11 S16′ sRef Rev@7 @9 S16′ sRef Rev@15 @6 S16′ sRef Rev@4 @4 S16′ sRef Rev@3 @18 S16′ sRef Rev@19 @14 S16′ [16] From this it can now be seen what is signified in the Word elsewhere by “garments,” which are often mentioned there, as in the following passages. In Revelation:
And upon the thrones four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments (Rev. 4:4).
Again:
The armies of the One sitting upon the white horse followed Him, clothed in fine linen, white and clean (Rev. 19:14).
And:
They who stood before the throne in sight of the Lamb, were clothed in white robes (Rev. 7:9).
Again:
The seven angels from the temple were clothed in linen, clean and shining (Rev. 15:6).
Again:
White robes were given to everyone of those under the altar (Rev. 6:11).
Again:
Buy gold and white garments (Rev. 3:18).
In Ezekiel:
If he giveth his bread to the hungry, and covereth the naked with a garment (Ezek. 18:16).
“To give bread to the hungry” signifies in the spiritual sense to instruct from the good of charity those who long for truths; “to cover the naked with a garment” signifies to instruct, in like manner, those who are not in truths.
sRef Deut@22 @5 S17′ sRef Ezek@18 @16 S17′ sRef Matt@21 @8 S17′ sRef Matt@21 @9 S17′ sRef Matt@21 @7 S17′ sRef Ezek@23 @26 S17′ sRef Zech@3 @4 S17′ sRef Zech@3 @5 S17′ sRef Ex@19 @14 S17′ sRef Lam@4 @14 S17′ sRef Lev@19 @19 S17′ sRef Zech@3 @3 S17′ [17] In the same:
The enemies shall strip thee of thy garments, and shall take away the jewels of thine adorning (Ezek. 23:26).
In Zechariah:
Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and thus stood before the angel. And he said to those that stood before him, Take away the filthy garments from off him. And he said, I have made thine iniquity to pass from off thee, in clothing thee with changed garments (Zech. 3:3-5).
In Lamentations :
They have wandered blind in the streets, they have been polluted with blood; what they cannot pollute they touch with their clothes (Lam. 4:14).
From the signification of “garments” it can be known what is meant by many statutes with the sons of Israel:
That they should not put on mixed garments (Lev. 19:19; Deut. 22:11);
That a woman should not wear the vessels of a man, nor a man be clothed with the garments of a woman (Deut. 22:5);
That they should wash their garments that they might be purified, and thus sanctified (Exod. 19:14; Lev. 11:25, 28, 40; 14:8-9; Num. 19:11 to the end);
and elsewhere:
That in mourning for transgression against Divine truths they should put off their garments and put on sackcloth (Isa. 15:3; 22:12; 37:1-2; Jer. 4:8; 6:26; 48:37; 49:3; Lam. 2:10; Ezek. 27:31; Amos 8:10; Jonah 3:5-6, 8);
And that they should rend their garments (Isa. 37:1; and elsewhere).
Also what this signifies:
That the disciples laid their garments upon the ass and the colt when the Lord was going to Jerusalem, and that the people then strewed their garments in the way (Matt. 21:7-9; Mark 11:7-8; Luke 19:35-36);
can be seen above (n. 31).
sRef Luke@24 @4 S18′ sRef Ps@104 @2 S18′ sRef Ps@45 @8 S18′ sRef Mark@9 @3 S18′ sRef Matt@28 @3 S18′ sRef Dan@7 @9 S18′ sRef Matt@17 @2 S18′ sRef Luke@9 @29 S18′ [18] That “garments” signify truths has its origin in this, that the light of heaven is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun there, and all things that have existence in the heavens have existence from the light there, and this is true in like manner of the garments in which the angels appear clothed. It is from this:
That the angels who sat at the Lord’s sepulchre had raiment white as snow (Matt. 28:3);
And that their garments were shining (Luke 24:4).
(That the garments in which the angels appear clothed correspond to their intelligence, and that they have intelligence according to their reception of Divine truth from the Lord, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 177-182; and that Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is light in heaven, n. 126-135.) From this it can be seen what “garments” signify in reference to the Lord, namely, Divine truth proceeding from Him; and as Divine truth is signified, the Word also is signified, for the Word is Divine truth from the Lord on earth and in the heavens. This was represented by the Lord’s “garments” when He was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, which are thus described in the Evangelists:
When Jesus was transfigured, His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became white as the light (Matt. 17:2);
And white, dazzling (Luke 9:29);
And glistering white as snow, so as no fuller on earth can whiten them (Mark 9:3).
The like is said of the Ancient of Days in Daniel:
The Ancient of Days did sit, and His garment was like white snow (Dan. 7:9).
“The Ancient of Days” is the Lord from eternity. As “light” is Divine truth, and this in reference to the Lord is signified by “garments,” therefore it is said in David:
Jehovah covereth Himself with light as with a garment (Ps. 104:2).
sRef Isa@63 @2 S19′ sRef Matt@9 @21 S19′ sRef Isa@63 @3 S19′ sRef Gen@49 @11 S19′ sRef Matt@9 @20 S19′ sRef Isa@63 @1 S19′ [19] From this it can be seen what the Lord’s garments mentioned elsewhere in the Word signify. As in David:
He hath anointed all Thy garments with myrrh and aloes and cassia (Ps. 45:7-8);
where the Lord is treated of. In Moses:
He will wash His vesture in wine, and His covering in the blood of grapes (Gen. 49:11).
This is also said of the Lord. “Wine” and “the blood of grapes” signify Divine truth. Because the Lord’s garments signified Divine truth, therefore also:
Those who touched the border of His garment were healed (Matt. 9:20-21; Mark 5:27-28, 30; 6:56; Luke 8:44).
In Isaiah:
Who is this that cometh from Edom, His garments bespattered from Bozrah; this that is honorable in His apparel? Wherefore art Thou red in Thine apparel, and Thy garments as of one treading in the wine-press? Their victory is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all Mine apparel (Isa. 63:1-3).
This also is said of the Lord; “garments” here signify the Word, which, as has been said, is Divine truth from the Lord on earth and in the heavens; the violence offered to Divine truth or to the Word by those who were then of the church, is described by this, that “He was red in apparel as one treading in the wine-press,” and that “victory was sprinkled upon His garments,” and that “He had stained all his raiment.”
sRef Rev@19 @13 S20′ sRef Rev@19 @16 S20′ [20] In Revelation:
He that sat on the white horse was arrayed with a garment dipped in blood; and His name is called the Word of God (Rev. 19:13).
Here it is plainly declared that He who sat on the white horse was called “the Word of God;” and it is clear that this is the Lord, for it is immediately said of Him:
He hath on His garment and on His thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16).
It is therefore the Word in the letter that is signified by the “garment dipped in blood,” since violence was done to it, but not to the Word in the spiritual sense; violence could not be done to this, because they knew nothing about it.
sRef John@19 @23 S21′ sRef John@19 @24 S21′ sRef Ps@22 @18 S21′ [21] That violence was done to the Word in the sense of the letter, but not to the Word in the spiritual sense, is signified also by the soldiers dividing the Lord’s garments, but not His tunic, of which it is said in John:
The soldiers took His garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part, also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore one to another, Let us not divide it, but let us cast lots for it, whose it shall be. These things therefore the soldiers did (John 19:23-24).
And in David:
They parted My garments, and cast the lot upon My vesture (Ps. 22:18).
“The garments of the Lord which they parted” signify the Word in the letter; His “tunic” the Word in the spiritual sense; “soldiers” signify those of the church who should fight in behalf of Divine truth; therefore it is said, “These things therefore the soldiers did.” (That “tunic” signifies Divine truth, or the Word in the spiritual sense, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9826, 9942; that “soldiers” signify those who are of the church, and who should fight in behalf of Divine truth, see above, n. 64, at the end, where these things are more fully explained.) It should be known that each particular related in the Evangelists respecting the Lord’s passion, involves and signifies how the church at that time, which was among the Jews, had treated Divine truth, thus the Word, for this was Divine truth with them; the Lord also was the Word, because He was Divine truth (John 1:1, 2, 14). But what each particular involves and signifies cannot be known except from the internal sense. Here it will be told only what “the Lord’s garments” signified, because the meaning of “garments” is here treated of, namely, that they signify truths, and in reference to the Lord, Divine truths.
[22] “The garments of Aaron and of his sons” have a like signification, because Aaron with his sons represented the Lord in respect to Divine good, and their garments the Lord in respect to Divine truth. (But these things may be seen explained and shown in The Arcana Coelestia; as that Aaron represented the Lord in respect to Divine good, n. 9806, 9946, 10017; also what each of their garments signified, the breastplate, the ephod, the cloak, the tunic wrought with checker work, the miter, and the belt, n. 9814, 9823-9828 seq.)
* The Latin has “knowledge,” for “knowledges.”

sRef Rev@3 @4 S0′ sRef John@3 @21 S1′ sRef John@1 @9 S1′ sRef John@1 @4 S1′ sRef John@14 @6 S1′ 196. And they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy, signifies their spiritual life, which they have by means of the knowledges of truth and good from the Word. This is evident from the signification of “to walk,” as being to live (see above, n. 97); from the signification of “in white,” as being in truths, for “whiteness” and “brightness” in the Word are predicated of truths (of which presently); therefore by these words, “they shall walk with me in white,” is signified spiritual life, since spiritual life is the life of truth, that is, a life according to truths, or according to the precepts of the Lord in the Word. This is evident also from the signification of “for they are worthy,” as being because they have spiritual life from the Lord. So far as anyone receives from the Lord he is worthy; but so far as he receives from self, that is, from what is his, or from what is his own [proprium] he is not worthy. Nothing else constitutes spiritual life with man but the knowledges of truth and good from the Word applied to life; and they are applied to life when man holds them as the laws of his life, for he then looks to the Lord in everything, and with such the Lord is present, and gives intelligence and wisdom and an affection for them and delight in them. For the Lord is in His truths with man, since every truth proceeds from the Lord, and what proceeds from the Lord that is His, even so that it is He; therefore the Lord says:
I am the truth and the life (John 14:6).
He that doeth the truth cometh to the light, [that his works may be made manifest] that they have been wrought in God (John iii. 21).
The Word was with God, and God was the Word. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. That was the true light, that lighteth every man. And the Word was made flesh (John 1:1, 4, 9, 14).
The Lord is called “the Word” because the Word signifies Divine truth; He is also called “the Light” because Divine truth is the light in the heavens; He is also called “the Life,” because everything that lives, lives from that life; from that also angels have intelligence and wisdom, in which their life consists. He who would derive life from any other source than from the Divine that proceeds from the Lord, which in heaven is called Divine truth and is there seen as light, is greatly mistaken. From this it can be seen how it is to be understood that “God was the Word,” and that “in Him was life, and that the life was the light of men.”
sRef Matt@17 @2 S2′ sRef Ps@51 @7 S2′ sRef Ps@51 @6 S2′ sRef Rev@15 @6 S2′ sRef Lev@16 @3 S2′ sRef Rev@6 @11 S2′ sRef Matt@28 @3 S2′ sRef Lev@16 @1 S2′ sRef Lev@16 @4 S2′ sRef Lev@16 @2 S2′ sRef Lev@16 @5 S2′ sRef Mark@9 @3 S2′ sRef Luke@24 @4 S2′ sRef Rev@19 @14 S2′ sRef Lev@16 @32 S2′ sRef Luke@9 @29 S2′ [2] “White” in the Word is predicated of truths, because Divine truth is the light of heaven, as was just said, and whiteness and brightness are from the light of heaven. From this it was:
That when the Lord was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, His face appeared as the sun, and His garments as the light (Matt. 17:2);
And as white, dazzling (Luke 9:29);
And glistering as snow, so as no fuller on earth could whiten (Mark 9:3);
That the angels at the Lord’s sepulcher had raiment white as snow (Matt. 28:3);
And shining (Luke 24:4);
That there appeared to John seven angels from the temple clothed in linen clean and shining (Rev. 15:6);
That those who stood before the throne of the Lamb were clothed in white robes (Rev. 6:11; 7:9, 13-14; 19:8);
That the armies of the One sitting upon the white horse followed Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean (Rev. 14:14).
From this also it was:
That Aaron had garments of linen, and that he put them on when he went within the veil before the mercy-seat (Lev. 16:1-5, 32).
“Linen” also signifies truth, because of its whiteness (Arcana Coelestia, n. 7601, 9959). As “white” signifies truth, and truths are what disclose falsities and evil with man and thus purify him, it is said in David:
Behold, Thou desirest truth in the reins, and in the hidden part Thou makest me to know wisdom. Thou shalt purge me with hyssop that I may be made clean; Thou shalt wash me and I shall be whiter than snow (Ps. 51:6-7).
sRef Lam@4 @7 S3′ sRef Lam@4 @8 S3′ [3] Because the Nazirites represented the Lord in respect to Divine truth in ultimates, which on earth is the Word in the sense of the letter, and this with the Jews was falsified and perverted, it is said of them in Lamentations:
The Nazirites were whiter than snow, they were brighter than milk, their bones were more ruddy than pearls, their polishing was sapphire; but their form is darkened, that they are not known in the streets (Lam. 4:7-8).
(That “Nazirites” represented the Lord in respect to Divine truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6437; that “the crown of the head of the Nazirites” means Divine truths in ultimates, or the Word in the letter, n. 6437, 9407. That the “hair” which was of the Naziriteship, and was called “the crown of the head of the Nazirite,” is Divine truth in ultimates, n. 3301, 5247, 10044. That Divine truth in ultimates has strength and power, n. 9836; that therefore the strength of Samson was in his hair, n. 3301.)
[4] From this it is clear what is signified by “the Nazirites were whiter than snow and brighter than milk,” and “sapphire was the polishing of their bones; but their form was darkened, that they were not known in the streets;” for “whiteness” and “brightness” signify Divine truth in its light (as was said above); and “bones,” as they are man’s ultimates, being the supports of his whole body, correspond to ultimates in heaven. (For all things of man correspond, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 87-102; consequently “bones” signify the ultimates in the spiritual world, which are also the ultimates of Divine truth or the Word, Arcana Coelestia, n. 5560-5564, 8005; that “sapphire” signifies what is translucent from truths, n. 9407; and “not to be known in the streets” signifies that Divine truth is no more seen, since “streets” signify where there are truths of doctrine, n. 2336.)

sRef Rev@3 @5 S0′ 197. Verse 5. He that overcometh, signifies he that is steadfast even until death. This is evident from the signification of “overcoming” as meaning to be steadfast in spiritual affection for truth even to the end of life (see above, 128).

sRef Rev@3 @5 S0′ 198. Shall be clothed in white garments, signifies intelligence and wisdom according to truths and their reception. This is evident from what was said above (n. 195-196), where it was shown that “white garments” are Divine truths. “To be clothed with them” signifies intelligence and wisdom according to truths and their reception, because all intelligence and wisdom are from Divine truths according to the perception of them and their reception in the life. To see truths, and to see what they are, is of perception; and to live according to them is of reception; and according to perception and reception there is intelligence and wisdom. Intelligence and wisdom which are not from Divine truths, but from worldly things only, are not intelligence and wisdom but merely knowledge [scientia] and thence a faculty to reason; for intelligence is seeing inwardly in oneself whether a thing be true or not; but they who are wise from worldly things only do not see truths inwardly in themselves, but from others; and to see from others is merely to know [scire]; and such things come no farther under the mind’s vision than that they may be confirmed. In such a state are most persons at this day within the church who make faith alone, separate from life, to be saving; consequently truths do not enter into their spirit, but merely into the memory of the natural man; and yet the light of heaven, which is Divine truth, can enter by no other way with man than by the way of his spirit which is also the way of his soul; and man’s spirit is such as his life is, but not such as his memory apart from his life is; and the light of heaven enters into man’s spirit when he is in the good of love and of charity from the Lord, and when he is in that good he is also in faith. (That man has no faith where there is no love or charity, see in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-40. Moreover, what true intelligence is, what spurious, and what false, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 346-356.)

sRef Rev@3 @5 S0′ 199. And I will not blot his name out of the book of life, signifies that they will be in heaven because they are fitted for it. This is evident from the signification of “name,” as being the quality of man’s state of life (see above, n. 148); and from the signification of “the book of life,” as being heaven (of which presently); therefore, “not to blot his name out of the book of life” signifies that they will be in heaven because their state in respect to love and faith is such, thus because they are fitted for heaven. “The book of life” signifies heaven, because a man who is in the love to the Lord and faith in Him is a heaven in least form, and this heaven of man corresponds to heaven in the greatest form; therefore he who has heaven in himself also comes into heaven, for he is fitted for it. (That there is such correspondence, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 51-58, 73-77, 87-102; and Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 230-236.) From this it is that “the book of life” is that with man that corresponds to the heaven with him. Because this remains with man to eternity, if he has become spiritual by means of the knowledges of truth and good applied to life in the world, it is said, “I will not blot his name out of the book of life.” In the world indeed it may be blotted out if man does not remain spiritual to the end of life; but if he does so remain it cannot be blotted out, because he is conjoined to the Lord by love and faith, and such conjunction with the Lord as there has been in the world remains with man after death.
sRef Ps@139 @15 S2′ sRef Rev@21 @27 S2′ sRef Ex@32 @33 S2′ sRef Ps@69 @28 S2′ sRef Rev@20 @12 S2′ sRef Rev@20 @15 S2′ sRef Dan@7 @10 S2′ sRef Rev@20 @14 S2′ sRef Rev@20 @13 S2′ sRef Dan@7 @9 S2′ sRef Rev@13 @8 S2′ sRef Dan@12 @1 S2′ sRef Ex@32 @32 S2′ sRef Ps@139 @16 S2′ [2] From this it can be seen that “the book of life” means that from the Lord which has been written on man’s spirit, that is, on his heart and soul, or what is the same, on his love and faith; and what is written by the Lord in man is heaven. From this it is clear what is meant by “the book of life” in the following passages. In Daniel:
The Ancient of Days sat, and the books were opened (Dan. 7:9-10).
In the same:
The people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book (Dan. 12:1).
In David:
Let them be blotted out of the book of lives, and not be written with the righteous (Ps. 69:28).
In Moses:
Moses said, Blot me, I pray, out of the book which Thou hast written. And Jehovah said, Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of the book (Exod. 32:32-33).
In Revelation:
All shall worship the beast whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 13:8; 17:8).
Again:
I saw that the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is that of life; and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. And if any was not found written in the book of life he was cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:12-13, 15).
Again:
There shall enter into the New Jerusalem only they that are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 21:27).
In David:
My bone was not hidden from Thee when I was made in secret. Upon Thy book all the days were written in which they were formed, and not one of them is wanting (Ps. 139:15-16).
“All the days were written” means all states of life. (That each and all things that man has thought, willed, spoken, and done, even all that he has seen and heard, are with him in his spirit as if written therein, so that nothing whatever is wanting, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 462, 463; and Arcana Coelestia, n. 2469-2494, 7398; and that this is man’s “book of life,” see n. 2474, 9386, 9841, 10505; and likewise, n. 5212, 8067, 9334, 9723, 9841.

sRef Rev@3 @5 S0′ 200. And I will confess his name before My father and before His angels, signifies that they will be in Divine good and in Divine truth therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “I will confess his name,” as being that things are to be in agreement with the quality of their state of life; for “I will confess,” when said by the Lord, means to grant that things may be; for what the Lord says or confesses respecting a man or angel who is in the good of love and faith, He grants and provides, since all the good of love and of faith is from Him. Therefore in the Word, “to speak,” when predicated of the Lord, signifies to instruct, to illustrate, and to provide (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5361, 6946, 6951, 7019, 8095, 10234, 10290). That “name” means the quality of the state of life, see above (n.148). This is evident also from the signification of “Father,” when it is said by the Lord, as being the Divine good, which is in the Lord and from Him (of which in what follows); and from the signification of “angels,” as being Divine truth, which is also from the Lord (of which above, n. 130). From this it is clear that “I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels,” signifies that they will be in Divine good and in Divine truth.
sRef John@14 @9 S2′ sRef John@8 @19 S2′ sRef John@14 @7 S2′ sRef John@14 @8 S2′ sRef John@14 @10 S2′ sRef John@10 @38 S2′ sRef John@12 @45 S2′ sRef John@16 @32 S2′ sRef John@10 @30 S2′ sRef John@14 @11 S2′ [2] “Father,” when it is said by the Lord, means the Divine good, which is in the Lord and from the Lord, because the Divine, which was in the Lord from conception, and which was the Esse of His life, to which Divine He united His Human when He was in the world; this He called “His Father.” That the Divine that was in Him from conception was what the Lord called “Father,” can be clearly seen from His teaching that He is one with the Father. As in John:
I and the Father are one (John 10:30).
In the same:
Believe that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father (John 10:38).
In the same:
He that beholdeth Me beholdeth Him that sent Me (John 12:45).
In the same:
If ye had known Me ye would have known My Father also; and from henceforth ye have known Him, and have seen Him. Philip said unto Him, Lord, show us the Father. Jesus saith, Am I so long time with you, and thou dost not know Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The Father that abideth in Me doeth the works. Believe Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me (John 14:7-11).
In the same:
If ye had known Me ye would have known My Father also (John 8:19).
In the same:
I am not alone, became the Father is with Me (John 16:32).
sRef John@1 @14 S3′ sRef John@1 @1 S3′ sRef John@16 @15 S3′ sRef John@3 @35 S3′ sRef Matt@28 @18 S3′ sRef John@15 @5 S3′ sRef John@1 @18 S3′ sRef John@17 @10 S3′ sRef John@1 @2 S3′ sRef John@1 @2 S3′ sRef John@14 @6 S3′ sRef Matt@11 @27 S3′ [3] Because the Lord is one with the Father He also declares:
That all things of the Father are His, and His are the Father’s (John 17:10);
That all things whatsoever that the Father hath are His (John 16:15);
That the Father hath given all things into the hands of the Son (John 3:35; 13:3);
And that all things have been delivered unto Him by the Father; that no one knoweth the Son save the Father, neither doth any one know the Father save the Son (Matt. 11:27; Luke 19:22).
That no one hath seen the Father except the Son, who is in the bosom of the Father (John 1:18; 6:46).
That the Word was with God, and God was the Word, and the Word became flesh (John 1:1, 14).
From this last passage also it is clear that they are one, for it is said, “The Word was with God, and God was the Word.” It is plain, too, that the Human of the Lord is also God, for it is said, “And the Word became flesh.” Because all things of the Father are also the Lord’s, and because He and the Father are one, the Lord when He ascended into heaven said to His disciples:
All power hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18);
by which He taught that men should approach Him alone, because He alone can do all things; as He also said to them before:
Without Me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).
This makes clear how these words are to be understood:
I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one cometh unto the Father but through Me (John 14:6);
namely, that the Father is approached when the Lord is approached.
sRef Matt@10 @32 S4′ [4] The Lord so often spoke of the Father as another than Himself, for this, among many reasons, that by “Father,” in the internal or spiritual sense, is meant the Divine good, and by “Son,” the Divine truth, each in the Lord and from the Lord; for the Word is written by correspondences, and is thus as well for men as for angels. The “Father” therefore is mentioned, that the Lord’s Divine good may be perceived by the angels who are in the spiritual sense of the Word; and “Son of God” and “Son of man” are mentioned, that the Divine truth may be perceived (as can be seen from what has been shown in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that “Father” in the Word signifies good, n. 3703, 5902, 6050, 7833, 7834; that “father” signifies the church in respect to good, thus the good of the church, and “mother” the church in respect to truth, thus the truth of the church, n. 2691, 2717, 3703, 5581, 8897. That the Divine good that was in Him from conception, and which was the Esse of life, from which was His Human, the Lord called “Father,” n. 2803, 3704, 7499, 8328, 8897; that the Lord is acknowledged as the Father in heaven because they are one, n. 15, 1729, 3690; that the Lord is also called “Father” in the Word, n. 2005; that the Lord also is a Father to those who are being regenerated, since they are receiving new life from Him, and His life, n. 2293, 3690, 6492; that the “Son of God,” and the “Son of man,” are the Lord in respect to the Divine Human and the proceeding Divine truth, see above, n. 63, 151, 166). Since, then, all who come into heaven must be in good as well as in truth (for no one can be in the one unless he is at the same time in the other, since good is the esse of truth, and truth is the existere of good); and since “the Father” signifies the Divine good, and “angels” the Divine truth, both from the Lord, therefore it is said, “I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” So, too, in the Evangelists:
Everyone who shall confess Me before men, him will I confess before My Father who is in the heavens (Matt. 10:32).
Everyone who shall have confessed Me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God (Luke 12:8).
sRef Luke@9 @26 S5′ sRef John@5 @37 S5′ sRef Mark@8 @38 S5′ sRef Matt@25 @31 S5′ [5] Since “Father” signifies Divine good, and “angels” Divine truth, the Lord also says:
When the Son of man shall come in His glory and that of the Father and of the holy angels (Luke 9:26; Matt. 16:27).
Here the Lord calls His glory “the glory of the Father and of the angels,” for He says, “in His glory and that of the Father and of the holy angels;” but in another place, “in the glory of the Father with the angels;” and elsewhere, “in His glory with the angels.” As in Mark:
When He shall come in the glory of His Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38).
And in Matthew:
When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him (Matt. 25:31).
It should be added further that if it is accepted as a doctrine and acknowledged, that the Lord is one with the Father, and that His Human is Divine from the Divine in Himself, light will be seen in every particular of the Word; for that which is assumed as doctrine and acknowledged from doctrine is in light when the Word is read; moreover, the Lord, from whom is all light and who has all power, will enlighten those who acknowledge this. But on the other hand, if it is assumed and acknowledged as a doctrine that the Divine of the Father is another Divine than the Lord’s, nothing will be seen in light in the Word; since the man who is in that doctrine turns himself from one Divine to the other, and away from the Divine of the Lord which he can see (which is done by thought and faith), to a Divine that he cannot see; for the Lord says:
Ye have neither heard the Father’s voice at any time, nor seen His form (John 5:37; also John 1:18);
and to believe in a Divine and love a Divine that cannot be thought of under any form is impossible.

sRef Rev@3 @6 S0′ 201. Verse 6. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church, as is evident from what has been said above (n. 108), where there are like words.

sRef Rev@3 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @7 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @13 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @12 S0′ 202. Verses 7-13. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things saith He that is Holy, He that is True He that hath the key of David, He that openeth and no one shutteth, and shutteth and no one openeth: I know thy works; behold, I have given before thee an opened door, and no one is able to shut it; for thou hast some power, and hast kept My word, and hast not denied My name. Behold, I will give, from the synagogue of Satan, of those saying that they are Jews and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of My endurance, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation that is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly; hold fast what thou hast, that no one take thy crown. He that overcometh I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out thence no more; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 7. “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,” signifies those of the church who are in the faith of charity (n. 203); “these things saith He that is Holy, He that is True,” signifies from whom is that faith (n. 204); “He that hath the key of David,” signifies who has power by means of Divine truth (n. 205); “He that openeth and no one shutteth, and shutteth and no one openeth,” signifies power to admit into heaven all who are in the faith of charity, and to remove from heaven all who are not (n. 206). 8. “I know thy works,” signifies the life of charity (n. 207); “behold, I have given before thee an opened door, and no one is able to shut it,” signifies that they will be admitted into heaven, and that to no one of such a quality will it be refused (n. 208); “for thou hast some power, and hast kept My word, and hast not denied My name,” signifies that they have power from the Lord against evils and falsities, in the measure in which they make truths from the Word to be of the life, and acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in His Human (n. 209). 9. “Behold, I will give, from the synagogue of Satan,” signifies those who are in the doctrine of faith alone, and in no charity (n. 210); “of those saying that they are Jews and are not, but do lie,” signifies who believe themselves to be in truths, when yet they are in falsities (n. 211); “Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet,” signifies the state of such after death, that they will be out of heaven, and are not to be admitted (n. 212); “and to know that I have loved thee,” signifies a consequent knowledge that the Lord is present in charity, and not in faith apart from charity (n. 213). 10. “Because thou hast kept the word of My endurance,” signifies that they have lived according to the Lord’s commandments (n. 214); “I also will keep thee in the hour of temptation that is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth,” signifies the time of the last judgment, when there will be visitation upon those who are in the former heaven, and that they will then be saved (n. 215). 11. “Behold, I come quickly,” signifies that this is certain (n. 216); “hold fast what thou hast,” signifies steadfastness in the state of faith from charity even unto the end (n. 217); “that no one take thy crown,” signifies lest intelligence should perish (n. 218). 12. “He that overcometh I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God,” signifies that those who are steadfast will be in Divine truth in heaven (n. 219, 220); “and he shall go out thence no more,” signifies that they shall be in it to eternity (n. 221); “and I will write upon him the name of My God,” signifies their quality according to the Divine truth implanted in the life (n. 222); “and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from My God,” signifies the doctrine of the new church, which is in the heavens (n. 223); “and My new name,” signifies that they will also acknowledge the Lord’s Divine Human (n. 224). 13. “He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches,” signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church (n. 225).

sRef Rev@3 @7 S0′ 203. Verse 7. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, signifies those of the church who are in the faith of charity. This is evident from the things written to the angel of this church understood in the internal sense, for (as was said above, n. 20) the “seven churches” mean, not seven churches, but all persons whatever who are of the church, or all things whatsoever with man that constitute the church; for “seven” in the Word means all persons and all things; for every number in the Word signifies something either of thing or state, as can be most plainly seen in this prophetic book, in which numbers are so frequently mentioned; and also in Ezekiel (chap. 40-48), where the new temple and the new earth are described, which is done by measurements given in numbers. The “new temple” and “new earth,” here mean a new church, and each measurement or each number signifies something pertaining to the church. (That all numbers in the Word signify things and states, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 263.)

sRef Rev@3 @7 S0′ 204. These things saith He that is Holy, He that is True, signifies from whom is that faith. This is evident from the signification of “He that is Holy, He that is True,” as being, in reference to the Lord, He from whom are charity and faith. He is called “holy” because charity is from Him, and “true” because faith is from Him. That the Lord is called “holy” because charity is from Him, and consequently that “holy” in the Word is predicated of charity and of faith therefrom will be seen presently. But the Lord is called “true” because faith is from Him, and consequently “true” in the Word is predicated of faith, for the reason that all truth is of faith; for that is called “true” which is believed; other things are not of faith because they are not believed. But because the faith of charity is here treated of, something shall first be said about faith and what it is.
[2] There is spiritual faith, and there is faith merely natural. Spiritual faith is wholly from charity, and in its essence is charity. Charity, or love towards the neighbor, is to love truth, sincerity, and what is just, and to do them from willing them. For the neighbor in the spiritual sense is not every man, but it is that which is with man; if this be truth, sincerity, and what is just, and the man is loved on account of these, then the neighbor is loved. That this is what charity means, in the spiritual sense, anyone may know if he will but reflect. Everyone loves another, not for the sake of his person, but for the sake of what is with him; this is the ground of all friendship, all favor, and all honor. From this it follows, that to love men for the sake of what is true, sincere, and just in them is spiritual love; for what is true, sincere, and just are spiritual things, because they are out of heaven from the Lord. For no man thinks, wills, and does any good thing that is good in itself, but it is all from the Lord; and what is true, sincere, and just are good things that are good in themselves when they are from the Lord. These things, then, are the neighbor in the spiritual sense; from which it is clear what is meant in that sense by loving the neighbor, or by charity. From that is spiritual faith; for whatever is loved is called truth when it is thought. Everyone can see that this is so if he will reflect upon it, for everyone confirms that which he loves by many things in the thought, and all things by which he confirms himself he calls truths; no one has truth from any other source. From this it follows, that the truths a man has are such as is the love with him; consequently, if the love with him is spiritual, the truths will also be spiritual, since the truths act as one with his love. All truths, because they are believed, are called in one complex, faith. From this it is clear that spiritual faith in its essence is charity. So far concerning spiritual faith.
[3] But faith merely natural is not a faith of the church, although it is called faith, but is merely knowing [scientia]. It is not a faith of the church, because it does not proceed from love to the neighbor, or charity, which is the spiritual itself from which faith comes, but proceeds from some natural love that has reference either to love of self or to love of the world, and whatever proceeds from these loves is natural. Love forms the spirit of man; for man in respect to his spirit is wholly as his love is; from that he thinks, from that he wills, and from that acts; therefore he makes no other truth to be of his faith than that which is of his love; and truth that is of the love of self or the world is merely natural, because it comes from man and from the world, and not from the Lord and from heaven; for such a man loves truth, not from a love of truth but from a love of honor, of gain and of fame, which he serves; and as his truth is such, his faith also is such. This faith, therefore, is not a faith of the truth of the church, or faith in a spiritual sense, but only in a natural sense which is a mere knowing [scientia]. And again because nothing of this is in man’s spirit but only in his memory, together with other things of this world, therefore also after death it is dissipated. For only that which is of man’s love remains with him after death, for (as has been said) it is love that forms man’s spirit, and man in respect to his spirit is wholly such as his love is. (Other things respecting charity and faith therefrom may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, where charity and faith are treated of, n. 84-106, 108-122; also in the small work on The Last Judgment, where it is shown that there is no faith where there is not charity, n. 33-39.)
sRef Rev@22 @11 S4′ [4] That “holy” in the Word is predicated of Divine truth, and therefore of charity and its faith, is evident from the passages where it is spoken of. There are two things that proceed from the Lord and are received by angels, Divine good and Divine truth. These two proceed united from the Lord, but they are received by angels variously; some receive Divine good more that Divine truth, and some receive Divine truth more than Divine good. Those who receive Divine good more than Divine truth constitute the Lord’s celestial kingdom and are called celestial angels, and in the Word are called “the righteous” [or “just”]; but those who receive Divine truth more than Divine good constitute the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, and are called spiritual angels, and in the Word “holy” [or “saints”]. (Of these two kingdoms and their angels, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28.) From this it is that “the righteous” [or “just”] and “righteousness” [or “justice”] in the Word mean the Divine good and what proceeds therefrom, and that “the holy” and “holiness” mean Divine truth and what proceeds therefrom. From this can be seen what is meant in the Word by “being justified” [or “made righteous”], and “being made holy.” As in Revelation:
He that is righteous let him be made righteous still, and he that is holy let him be made holy still (Rev. 22:11).
And in Luke:
To serve Him in holiness and righteousness (Luke 1:74-75).
sRef Rev@15 @3 S5′ sRef Rev@15 @4 S5′ [5] Since Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is meant by “holy,” therefore the Lord is called in the Word “the Holy One,” ” the Holy One of God,” “the Holy One of Israel,” “the Holy One of Jacob;” and it is also from this that angels are called “holy,” and also the prophets and apostles; and it is from this that Jerusalem is called “holy.” That the Lord is called “the Holy One,” “the Holy One of God,” “the Holy One of Israel,” and “the Holy One of Jacob,” may be seen in Isa. 29:23; 31:1; 40:25; 41:14, 16; 43:3; 49:7; Dan. 4:13; 9:24; Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34. He is also called “King of the holy ones [of saints]” in Revelation:
Righteous [or just] and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints (Rev. 15:3).
The Lord is called “the Holy One,” “the Holy One of God,” “the Holy One of Israel,” and “the Holy One of Jacob” because He alone, and no one else, is holy, which is also declared in Revelation:
Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy (Rev. 15:4).
[6] Angels, prophets, and apostles are called “holy” because by them, in the spiritual sense, is meant Divine truth; and Jerusalem is called “the holy city,” because by that city, in the spiritual sense, is meant the church in respect to the doctrine of truth. That angels in the Word are called “holy,” see Matt. 25:31; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; the prophets, Mark 6:20; Luke 1:70; Rev. 18:20; the apostles, Rev. 18:20; that Jerusalem is called “the holy city,” Isa. 48:2; 66:20, 22; Dan. 9:24; Matt. 27:53; Rev. 21:2, 10. (That by “angels” in the Word Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is meant, see above, n. 130, 200; the like by “prophets,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2534, 7269; likewise by “apostles,” see above, n. 100; that by “Jerusalem” in the Word the church in respect to the doctrine of truth is meant, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 6.) From this it can be seen why it is that Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is called “the Spirit of truth,” and “the Holy Spirit” (see above, n. 183), so also why heaven is called the “habitation of holiness” (Isa. 63:15; Deut. 26:15); and why the church is called “the sanctuary” (Jer. 17:12; Lam. 2:7; Ps. 68:35).
sRef Deut@33 @3 S7′ sRef Deut@33 @2 S7′ sRef John@17 @19 S7′ sRef John@17 @17 S7′ [7] That “holiness” is predicated of Divine truth is evident from the following passages. In John:
Jesus when praying said, Father, sanctify them [make them Holy] in Thy truth, Thy Word is truth, and for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified in the truth (John 17:17, 19).
Here “being made holy” is plainly said in respect to truth, and “those made holy” in respect to those who receive Divine truth from the Lord. In Moses:
Jehovah came from Sinai, out of the myriads of holiness; from His right hand the fire of the law unto them; even He who loveth the peoples; in Thy hand are all His saints, and they are prostrated at Thy foot; he shall receive of Thy words (Deut. 33:2-3).
“Sinai” signifies heaven where the Lord is, from whom is Divine truth, or from whom is the “law,” both in a strict and in a broad sense; “myriads of holiness” signifies Divine truths; “the law” signifies, in a strict sense, the ten commandments of the Decalogue, and in a broad sense, the whole Word, which is Divine truth; those are called “peoples” in the Word who are in truths, and those of them that are in truths are called “saints.” “Being prostrated at Thy foot,” and “receiving of Thy words,” is the holy reception of Divine truth in ultimates, which is the Word in the sense of the letter, and being instructed therefrom. From this it can be known what the particulars in that prophecy signify in the spiritual sense. (That “Sinai” in the Word signifies heaven where the Lord is, from whom is Divine truth, or from whom is the law, both in a strict and a broad sense, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8399, 8753, 8793, 8805, 9420. That “the law” signifies, in a strict sense, the ten commandments of the Decalogue, and in a broad sense, the whole Word, n. 2606, 3382, 6752, 7463. That those are called “peoples” who are in truths, and “nations” who are in goods, n. 1259, 1260, 2928, 3295, 3581, 6451, 6465, 7207, 10288. That “foot,” a “place of feet,” and “footstool,” signify, in reference to the Lord, Divine truth in ultimates, thus the Word in the letter, n. 9406.) From this it is clear that “myriads of holiness” are Divine truths, and that those here called “holy [saints]” are those who are in Divine truths.
sRef Deut@26 @19 S8′ sRef Zech@14 @20 S8′ sRef Deut@26 @17 S8′ sRef Lev@19 @2 S8′ sRef Ps@65 @4 S8′ sRef Lev@20 @7 S8′ sRef Lev@20 @8 S8′ [8] In Moses:
Speak unto all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy, for I Jehovah [God] of Israel am holy (Lev. 19:2).
This chapter treats of the statutes, judgments, and precepts which they were to keep; and as these signify Divine truths, it is said that those who keep them “shall be holy.” Moreover, “Israel” signifies the spiritual church, which is the church that is in Divine truths, therefore it is said, “I Jehovah [God] of Israel am holy.” In the same:
Ye shall sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy. And ye shall keep My statutes that ye may do them (Lev. 20:7-8).
Here also the statutes, judgments, and precepts which are to be kept are treated of.
In the same:
If they have kept thy statutes and judgments, they shall be a holy people unto Jehovah (Deut. 26:16-19).
In David :
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, with the holiness of Thy temple (Ps. 65:4).
It is said “to be satisfied with the goodness of Jehovah’s house and with the holiness of His temple,” because the “house of God” in the highest sense signifies the Lord in respect to Divine good, and “temple” in respect to Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3720). In Zechariah:
In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness unto Jehovah (Zech. 14:20).
The establishment of a new church is here treated of, and “bells” signify knowledges [scientifica] which are from the intellectual. (That “bells” signify such truths, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9921, 9926; and that “horse” signifies the intellectual, see in The small work on The White Horse, n. 1-4.)
sRef Ex@28 @38 S9′ sRef Ex@28 @36 S9′ sRef Ex@28 @37 S9′ [9] From this it can be seen what is represented and signified by this:
That upon the miter which was upon the head of Aaron was placed a plate, upon which was engraved Holiness to Jehovah (Exod. 28:36-38; 39:30-31);
for the “miter” signifies wisdom, which is of Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9827, 9949); so also what it represented and signified by:
That Aaron, his sons, their garments, the altar, the tabernacle, with everything there, were anointed with oil, and thus made holy (Exod. 29:1-36; 30:22-30; Lev. 8:1 to the end);
for “oil” signified the Divine good of the Divine love, and “sanctification” the proceeding Divine; for it is Divine good that makes holy, and Divine truth is what is holy therefrom.
[10] That the word “holy” is predicated of charity can be seen from what was said above respecting the angels of heaven, namely, that there are some who receive Divine good more than Divine truth, and some who receive Divine truth more than Divine good; the former constitute the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and are those who are in love to the Lord, and because they are in love to the Lord are called “righteous” [or “just”]; but the latter constitute the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, and are those who are in charity towards the neighbor, and because these are in charity towards the neighbor, they are called “holy [or saints].” (That there are two loves that make heaven, namely, love to the Lord, and love towards the neighbor or charity, and that the heavens are thereby distinguished into two kingdoms, namely, a celestial kingdom and a spiritual kingdom, see in the work on Heaven and Hell. n 13-19; 20-28.)

sRef Rev@3 @7 S0′ 205. He that hath the key of David, signifies who has power by means of Divine truth. This is evident from the signification of “key,” as being the power of opening and shutting, here heaven and hell, for it follows, “He that openeth and no one shutteth, and shutteth and no one openeth;” therefore “key” means here the power of saving (as above, n. 86), since to open heaven and to shut hell is to save. It is evident also from the representation of “David,” as being the Lord in respect to Divine truth. By “David” in the Word the Lord is meant, because by “kings” in the Word the Lord in respect to Divine truth is represented, and by “priests” there the Lord in respect to Divine good. The Lord is represented especially by king David, because David had much care of the matters of the church, and also wrote the Psalms. (That “kings” in the Word signify Divine truth, and “priests” Divine good, see above, n. 31; moreover, that all names of persons and places in the Word signify spiritual things, which are the things pertaining to the church and to heaven, see above, n. 19, 50, 102.)
It is said, “He that hath the key of David,” because David (as was just said) represented the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and the Lord has all power in the heavens and on earth from Divine good through Divine truth; for in general good without truth has no power, neither has truth without good any power, for good acts through truth. From this it is that Divine good and Divine truth proceed united from the Lord, and so far as they are conjointly received by the angels, so far the angels are powers. This then, is why it is said “the key of David.” (That all power is in truths from good, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 228-233, where the Power of the Angels of Heaven is treated of; also n. 539.)
sRef Ezek@37 @24 S2′ sRef Ezek@37 @25 S2′ sRef Ezek@37 @23 S2′ sRef Hos@3 @5 S2′ [2] That by “David” in the Word the Lord is meant is clearly evident from certain passages where he is mentioned in the prophets. As in Ezekiel:
They shall be to Me for a people, and I will be to them for a God, and My servant David king over them, that they may all have one shepherd. They shall dwell upon the land, they and their sons and their son’s sons even to eternity; and David My servant shall be prince to them to eternity (Ezek. 37:23-25).
In Hosea:
The sons of Israel shall return, and shall seek Jehovah their God, and David their king; and with fear shall they come to Jehovah and to His goodness in the extremity of days (Hosea 3:5).
It is said “They shall seek Jehovah their God, and David their king,” because “Jehovah” in the Word means the Lord in respect to Divine good, which is the Divine Esse, and “David a king” means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, which is the Divine Existere. (That “Jehovah” in the Word means the Lord in respect to Divine good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 732, 2586, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4253, 4402, 7010, 9167, 9315.)
sRef Zech@12 @8 S3′ sRef Zech@12 @10 S3′ sRef Zech@12 @9 S3′ sRef Zech@12 @7 S3′ sRef Zech@13 @1 S3′ [3] In Zechariah:
Jehovah shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David, and the glory of the inhabitant of Jerusalem, may not exalt itself above Judah. In that day shall Jehovah defend the inhabitant of Jerusalem, and the house of David shall be as God, and as the angel of Jehovah before them. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitant of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace. In that day there shall be a fountain open to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Zech. 12:7-8, 10; 13:1).
Here the Lord’s coming is treated of, and the salvation at that time of those who are of His spiritual kingdom. “Tents of Judah” mean the celestial kingdom; and the “house of David and the inhabitant of Jerusalem,” the spiritual kingdom. The spiritual kingdom is constituted of those in heaven and on earth who are in Divine truth, and the celestial kingdom of those who are in Divine good (see just above, n. 204). From this it can be seen what these words mean, namely, that these two kingdoms shall act as one, and that one shall not exalt itself above the other. (Of these two kingdoms, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28). That “Judah” signifies the Lord in respect to celestial love and the Lord’s celestial kingdom may be seen above (n. 119). And that “Jerusalem” signifies the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, see in The Arcana Coelestia (n. 402, 3654, 9166). The same is therefore signified by “the house of David;” consequently it is here said, “the house of David shall be as God, and as the angel of Jehovah;” “God” also means the Lord in respect to Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4287, 4402, 7010, 9167); and the like is meant by the “angel of Jehovah” (see above, n. 130, 200).
sRef Ps@89 @4 S4′ sRef Ps@89 @5 S4′ sRef Ps@89 @3 S4′ sRef Ps@89 @2 S4′ sRef Isa@55 @3 S4′ sRef Isa@55 @4 S4′ [4] “David” and his “house” have a like signification also in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Incline your ear, and come unto Me; hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold I have given Him as a witness to the peoples, a prince and a lawgiver to the nations* (Isa. 55:3-4).
These things are said of the Lord, who is here “David.” In David:
In the heavens Thou shalt establish Thy truth; I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, even to eternity will I establish thy seed, and will build up thy throne to generation and generation; and the heavens shall confess Thy wonder, O Jehovah; Thy truth also in the congregation of the saints (Ps. 89:2-5).
These things also were said of the Lord, and not of David; for it is said, “I have sworn to David My servant, even to eternity will I establish thy seed, and will build up thy throne to generation and generation;” this is not applicable to David, whose seed and throne were not established to eternity, and yet Jehovah swore, and an oath from Jehovah is irrevocable confirmation from the Divine (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2842). The “seed of David” in the spiritual sense, means those who are in the truths from good from the Lord, and in an abstract sense, truths themselves that are from good (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3373, 3380, 10249, 10445); and “throne” means the Lord’s spiritual kingdom (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5313, 5922, 6397, 8625). David is called “My servant” (as also above in Ezekiel 37:23-25), because “servant” in the Word is used of every person and every thing that serves and ministers (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3441, 7143, 8241), and Divine truth proceeding serves and ministers to Divine good from which it proceeds. That it is the Lord in respect to Divine truth, or Divine truth proceeding from the Lord that is meant by “David,” is evident, for it is said, “In the heavens Thou shalt establish Thy truth, and the heavens shall confess Thy truth in the congregation of the saints.” That those also are called “saints” who are in Divine truths, see just above (n. 204).
sRef Ps@132 @9 S5′ sRef Ps@89 @34 S5′ sRef Ps@132 @10 S5′ sRef Ps@132 @17 S5′ sRef Ps@132 @18 S5′ sRef Ps@89 @35 S5′ sRef Ps@89 @37 S5′ sRef Ps@89 @36 S5′ sRef Ps@132 @4 S5′ sRef Ps@132 @5 S5′ sRef Ps@132 @2 S5′ sRef Ps@132 @7 S5′ sRef Ps@132 @6 S5′ [5] In the same:
I will not profane My covenant, and what is pronounced by My lips will I not change. Once have I sworn by My holiness; I will not lie unto David. His seed shall be to eternity, and his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established as the moon to eternity, a faithful witness in the clouds (Ps. 89:34-37).
That these things are said of the Lord is evident in the whole Psalm, for it treats of His coming, and afterwards of the repudiation of Him by the Jewish nation. That the Lord is here treated of, and that He is here meant by “David” is plain from these words in the same Psalm:
I have found David, My servant; with the oil of My holiness have I anointed him. I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall call Me, Thou art my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. I also will make him the firstborn, high above the kings of the earth. I will set his throne as the days of the heavens (Ps. 89:20, 25-27, 29).
The Lord is meant also by “David,” by “the anointed,” and by “king,” in other passages in the Psalms, as can be clearly seen by those who understand the Word spiritually, but obscurely by those who understand it only naturally. As in these words in David:
Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness, and Thy saints shall shout for joy for Thy servant David’s sake turn not away the face of Thine anointed. There will I make the horn of David to bud: I will set in order a lamp for Mine anointed; upon himself shall his crown flourish (Ps. 132:9-10, 17-18);
here also the Lord is meant by “David” and by “the anointed;” for the Lord is treated of in this Psalm, as is clear from what goes before, where it is said:
He swore unto Jehovah, I will not give sleep to mine eyes until I find out a place for Jehovah, habitations for the mighty One of Jacob. Lo, we have heard of it at Ephrathah [Bethlehem]. We will come into His habitations, we will worship at His footstool (Ps. 132:2, 4-7).
[6] That David might represent the Lord in respect to Divine truth, the Lord was willing to be born of the house of David, and also to be called “the Son of David,” “his Root and Offspring,” also “the Root of Jesse.” But when the Lord put off the human from the mother, and put on the Human from the Father, which is the Divine Human, He was no longer David’s son. This is meant by the Lord’s words to the Pharisees:
Jesus said to the Pharisees, How does it seem to you respecting Christ? whose Son is He? They said unto Him, David’s. He said unto them, How then doth David in spirit call Him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at My right hand, until I place thine enemies as a stool of thy feet? If David then calleth Him Lord, how is He his Son (Matt. 22:42-45; Luke 20:41-44).
That the Lord glorified His Human, that is, put off the human from the mother, and put on a Human from the Father, which is the Divine Human, see in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem (n. 293-295, 298-310). For this reason He was not David’s son, as He was not the son of Mary, whom therefore He did not call His mother, but “woman” (Matt. 12:46-49; Mark. 3:31 to the end; Luke 8:19-21; John 2:4; 19:25, 26). The like is meant by “the key of Peter,” as by “the key of David,” namely, that the Lord has all power, and that He has this power through His Divine truth, as will be seen in the article that now follows.
* The Latin has “nations,” the Hebrew “peoples,” as found also in Arcana Coelestia, n. 1259, 4197.

sRef Rev@3 @7 S0′ 206. He that openeth and no one shutteth, and shutteth and no one openeth, signifies power to admit into heaven all who are in the faith of charity, and to remove from heaven all who are not. This is evident from the signification of “that openeth and no one shutteth,” as being, in reference to the Lord, to admit into heaven (of which presently); and from the signification of “and shutteth and no one openeth,” as being to remove from heaven. The former means to admit into heaven, and the latter to remove from heaven, because the Lord alone opens heaven to those who are admitted. This no man, spirit, or angel can do from himself. How this is shall be explained in a few words. When a man after death is in such a state that he can be admitted into heaven, there appears to him a way that leads to the heavenly society in which he is to be; until he is in this state the way thither does not appear to him; this way is opened to him by the Lord only. Such is each one’s introduction and admission into heaven. The same is true of the evil man after death. When he is in the state for passing into hell, a way appears to him that leads to the infernal society in which he is to be; until he is in this state the way thither does not appear to him. The reason of this is that ways in the spiritual world appear to each one according to the intention of his thought, thus according to the affection of his love. When, therefore, a spirit has been brought into his reigning love (for everyone after death is brought into that love), then ways to the society where his love reigns appear. From this it is clear that it is love itself that opens; and as all the love of good and truth is from the Lord, it follows that the Lord alone opens the ways for those who are admitted into heaven. On the other hand, as all the love of evil and of falsity is from the man or spirit only, it follows that the spirit himself opens for himself the way to hell. (These things may be seen more clearly in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 545-550, where it is shown that the Lord casts no one into hell, but that it is the spirit who casts himself thither. That ways in the spiritual world appear to everyone according to the intention of his thought, thus according to the affection of his love, see in the same work, n. 479, 590.)
[2] As regards the hells, they are all shut, and can in no wise be opened except by the Lord’s permission; they are shut because of the evils and falsities that are continually striving to break out from them and do harm to those who are in goods and truths from the Lord (about which see also in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 584-592). From this then it is clear how it is and thence how it is to be understood that, “He that hath the key of David openeth and no one shutteth, and shutteth and no one openeth.” Heaven is opened to those who are in the faith of charity, and is shut to those who are not, for those who are in the faith of charity are here treated of (see above, n. 203), and those who are in the faith of charity are in Divine truth from the Lord, and Divine truth from the Lord has all power, as was shown in the articles that immediately precede.
sRef Matt@16 @19 S3′ sRef Matt@16 @16 S3′ sRef Matt@16 @17 S3′ sRef Matt@16 @18 S3′ sRef Matt@16 @18 S3′ [3] Similar to what is here meant by the “key of David” is the signification of the “key of Peter,” thus referred to in Matthew:
I say unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail over it. And unto thee will I give the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens (Matt. 16:18-19).
“Peter” here, in like manner as “David,” signifies in the highest sense, Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine good, and in the internal sense, every truth from good that is from the Lord. The “rock” [petra] that is spoken of in the Word where Peter is mentioned, and from which Peter’s name is derived, has a like signification. The Lord’s twelve disciples represented all the truths and goods of the church in the complex; Peter represented truth or faith, James charity, and John the works of charity. But here Peter represented faith from charity, or truth from good which is from the Lord, because Peter here acknowledged the Lord in heart, saying:
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah;* for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father, who is in the heavens. I say unto thee, Thou art Peter, etc. (Matt. 16:16-18, and the following).
(This may be seen illustrated in The small work on The Last Judgment, n. 57.)
sRef Matt@18 @18 S4′ sRef Matt@19 @28 S4′ sRef Isa@22 @21 S4′ sRef Isa@22 @22 S4′ [4] There is a like meaning in the Lord’s words to the rest of the disciples, in Matthew:
Jesus said to His disciples, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matt. 18:18).
These things are said to the disciples because they represented all the truths and goods in the complex that are from the Lord. (That those things were represented by the twelve disciples, as also by the twelve tribes of Israel, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397.) The like is meant by the disciples where it is said, that:
They shall sit upon twelve thrones, and shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:30);
(see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2129, 6397). And the like is meant by “Eliakim,” who was to succeed Shebna over the house of the king, in Isaiah:
I will give dominion into his hands, that he may be for a father to the inhabitant of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah; and the key of the house of David I will lay upon his shoulder, that he may open and none shut, and that he may shut and none open (Isa. 22:21-22).
By “the house of the king” over which he was to be, is signified the church that is in truth out of good from the Lord; “opening and shutting,” and “binding and loosing,” mean in general to save (see above, n. 86).
* The Latin has “Jonah”; the Greek “Bar-jonah,” as found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 209.

sRef Rev@3 @8 S0′ 207. Verse 8. I know thy works, signifies a life of charity. This is evident from the signification of “works,” as being those things that are of man’s love, thus of his life (see above, n. 98, 116, 185); here, therefore, the things that are of charity, since that is what is treated of in what is written to this church.

sRef Rev@3 @8 S0′ 208. Behold I have given before thee an opened door, and no one is able to shut it, signifies that they will be admitted into heaven, and that to no one of such a quality will it be refused. This is evident from the signification of “giving an opened door,” as being to admit into heaven (of which presently) and from the signification of “no one is able to shut,” as being that it will not be refused; for when a door is shut entrance is refused, but when it is not shut it is not refused. This refers to those who are in charity, because they are treated of in what is written to this church (see above, n. 203). From this it is clear that “I have given before thee an opened door, and no one is able to shut it,” signifies that all such will be admitted into heaven, and that to none of these will entrance be refused. It is indeed plain from the common use of language, that “to give an opened door” signifies to admit into heaven; and still this is from correspondence; for a house and all things pertaining to a house correspond to the interiors of man which are of his mind, and from that correspondence they also signify in the Word the things of the mind. That this is so can be seen from representatives and appearances in heaven, where there are palaces, houses, rooms, bed-chambers, hallways, courts, and within them a variety of things for uses; these things the angels have from correspondence; and for this reason the wiser angels have palaces more magnificent than the less wise have (but respecting these, see in The work on Heaven and Hell, n. 183-190, where The Habitations of the angels of Heaven are treated of); and as palaces, houses, and all things pertaining to a house have a correspondence, so evidently do doorways, doors, and gates, which correspond to entrance and admission; and when the doorway appears open, it is a sign that there is opportunity to enter, and when it is closed, that there is no opportunity.
sRef John@10 @7 S2′ sRef John@10 @3 S2′ sRef John@10 @1 S2′ sRef John@10 @2 S2′ sRef John@10 @9 S2′ [2] Moreover, when newly arrived spirits are introduced into a heavenly society, the way that leads to it is opened to them by the Lord; and when they come thither there appears a gate with a door at the side, where there are guards who admit them, and afterwards there are others who receive and introduce them. From this it can now be seen what “doorways,” “doors,” and “gates,” signify in the Word, namely, admission into heaven: and as the church is the Lord’s heaven on earth, they also signify admission into the church; and as heaven or the church is within man, “doorways,” “doors,” and “gates” signify approach and entrance, with man (of which presently). And because all things that signify heaven and the church signify also the things of heaven and the church, and here the things that introduce, which are truths out of good from the Lord, and because these truths are from the Lord, and are therefore His, yea, are Himself in them, therefore “doorway,” “door,” and “gate” to heaven and the church, mean in the highest sense the Lord. From this is clear the signification of what the Lord says in John:
Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, he that entereth not through the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up another way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in through the door is the shepherd of the sheep; to him the porter openeth. I am the door of the sheep, through Me if anyone enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and find pasture (John 10:1-3, 7, 9).
Here “to enter in through the door” is evidently to enter in through the Lord, for it is said, “I am the door of the sheep.” To enter in through the Lord is to approach Him, acknowledge Him, believe in Him, and love Him, as He teaches in many passages; thus is man admitted into heaven, and in no other way; consequently the Lord says, “Through Me if anyone enter in, he shall be saved;” also “he that climbeth up another way, the same is a thief and a robber.”
sRef Rev@3 @20 S3′ [3] Therefore he that approaches the Lord, acknowledges Him, and believes in Him, is said to open the door to the Lord, that he may enter in. In Revelation:
Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me (Rev. 3:20).
What this means will be told in what follows where this part of the chapter will be explained. Here something shall merely be said about doors or gates, in respect to man, since it is said, “I stand at the door and knock.” To man’s rational two ways lead, one from heaven, the other from the world. By the way from heaven good is introduced, by the way from the world truth is introduced. So far as the way from heaven is opened with man, so far he is affected by truth and becomes rational, that is, sees truth from the light of truth. But if the way from heaven is shut, man does not become rational; for he does not see truth, and yet it is truth from the light of truth that makes the rational; he can, indeed, reason about truth, and from reasoning or from memory can talk about it; but he is not able to see whether truth is truth.
To think well about the Lord and about the neighbor opens the way from heaven; while to think not well about the Lord and to think evil about the neighbor shuts that way. As there are two ways that lead into man, so there are two doorways or gates through which entrance is effected. Through the gate or doorway that is opened from heaven the spiritual affection of truth from the Lord enters, because through that door (as was said above), good enters, and all spiritual affection of truth is from good; but by the gate or doorway that is open from the world all knowledge from the Word and from preaching from the Word enters, since by this way truth enters (as was also said above), for the knowledges from the Word and from preaching therefrom are truths. The spiritual affection of truth joined with such knowledges constitutes man’s rational, and enlightens it according to the quality of the truth conjoined to good, and according to the quality of the conjunction. Let these few words suffice respecting the two doorways or gates pertaining to man.
sRef Isa@26 @2 S4′ [4] As “doorways,” “doors,” and “gates,” signify admission into heaven and into the church, they therefore also signify truths from good which are from the Lord, because by them admission is effected; as in the following passages.
In Isaiah:
Open ye the gates, that the righteous nations keeping faithfulness may enter in (Isa. 26:2).
This means, in the sense of the letter, that they will admit those who are righteous and faithful into the cities; but in the internal sense, that they will admit them into the church; for “gates” signify admission; “a righteous nation” signifies those who are in good; “keeping faithfulness” signifies those who are in truths from good.
sRef Isa@60 @12 S5′ sRef Isa@60 @11 S5′ sRef Isa@60 @18 S5′ [5] In the same:
Thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night, that the army of the nations may be brought unto Thee, and their kings shall be led; for the nation and kingdom that will not serve Thee shall perish. Thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise (Isa. 60:11-12, 18).
This treats of the Lord and of the church about to be established by Him, and these words describe the continual admission of those who are in good and in truths therefrom. “The gates shall be opened continually, and shall not be shut day nor night,” signifies perpetual admission; “the army of the nations” signifies those who are in good, and “kings” those who are in truths; and that all shall serve the Lord is meant by “the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish.” That “nation” or “nations” signify those who are in good, may be seen above (n. 175), and that “kings” signify those who are in truths (n. 31).
sRef Isa@45 @1 S6′ sRef Isa@45 @3 S6′ [6] In the same:
Thus saith Jehovah to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; that I may loose the loins of kings, to open before him the doors that the gates may not be shut. And I will give thee the treasures of dark places, and hidden riches of secret places (Isa. 45:1, 3).
This likewise treats of the Lord and of the church to be established by Him. “To open the doors that the gates may not be shut” signifies perpetual admission; “nations and kings” signify those who are in goods and truths, and in the abstract, goods and truths (as above); “treasures of dark places and hidden riches of secret places” signifies interior intelligence and wisdom from heaven, for the things that enter by the gate that is open from heaven (of which above) come in secretly and affect all things that are with man; from this comes the spiritual affection of truth, through which things before unknown are revealed.
sRef Jer@17 @25 S7′ sRef Jer@17 @24 S7′ [7] In Jeremiah:
If ye bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, then shall there enter in by the gates of this city kings and princes, sitting upon the throne of David, riding upon the chariot and on horses, and the city shall be inhabited to eternity (Jer. 17:24-25).
Anyone can see what is meant by these things in the sense of the letter; but that something more holy is contained in them may be known, for this is the Word, and everything in the Word contains things that are of heaven and the church and these alone are holy; the holy thing meant is known from the internal sense. “The Sabbath day” in that sense means the conjunction of the Lord’s Divine Human with heaven and the church; “the city” which here is Jerusalem, means the church; “to bring in no burden through the gates of this city” means not to admit that which is from man’s own [proprium], but that which is from the Lord. “Kings and princes that shall enter in by the gates of the city” mean Divine truths which they should then have; “sitting upon the throne of David” means truths from the Lord; “riding upon the chariot and on horses” means that from these they should be in the doctrine of truth and in intelligence; “to be inhabited to eternity” means life and eternal salvation. (That “Sabbath” signifies the conjunction of the Lord’s Divine Human with heaven and the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8494, 8495, 8510, 10356, 10360, 10367, 10370, 10374, 10668, 10730. That “Jerusalem” signifies the church, see n. 402, 3654, 9166. That “burden” or “work” on the Sabbath day signifies not to be led by the Lord but by one’s own [proprium], n. 7893, 8495, 10360, 10362, 10365. That “kings and princes” signify those who are in Divine truths, and in the abstract, Divine truths, see above, n. 29, 31. That “chariot” signifies the doctrine of truth, and “horses” the intellectual, see in the small work concerning The White Horse, n. 1-5.)
sRef Rev@21 @25 S8′ sRef Rev@21 @21 S8′ sRef Rev@21 @12 S8′ [8] In Revelation:
The New Jerusalem, having a wall great and high, and twelve gates, and upon the gates twelve angels, and names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The twelve gates were twelve pearls. The gates shall not be shut (Rev. 21:12, 21, 25).
That “gates” signify Divine truths introducing into the New Church, thus those who are in truths from good from the Lord, can be seen from the explanation of these words in The small work on The New Jerusalem (n. 1 seq.). It is clear also from its being said that there were “twelve gates,” “twelve angels upon the gates,” and “the names of the twelve tribes written thereon,” and that the “twelve gates were twelve pearls.” (For “twelve” signifies all, and is predicated of truths from good, Arcana Coelestia, n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913; in like manner “angels,” see above, n. 130, 200; likewise the “twelve tribes of Israel,” n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335; and likewise “pearls.”)
sRef Jer@1 @16 S9′ sRef Jer@1 @14 S9′ sRef Jer@1 @15 S9′ [9] In Jeremiah:
Out of the north an evil shall be opened, that they may come and set every man his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls round about, because they have forsaken Me (Jer. 1:14-16).
This treats of the destruction of the church; the “north,” signifies falsity from which is evil; “to come and set every man his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem” is to destroy truths introductory to the church by means of falsities; “and against all the walls” means to destroy all protecting truths.
sRef Isa@14 @31 S10′ sRef Isa@24 @12 S10′ sRef Isa@22 @7 S10′ sRef Isa@22 @8 S10′ [10] In Isaiah:
Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou whole Philistia art dissolved, for from the north cometh smoke (Isa. 14:31).
In the same:
The choicest of thy valleys are full of chariots, and the horsemen setting have set themselves even to the gate; he hath uncovered the covering of Judah (Isa. 22:7-8).
In these passages also the destruction of the church is treated of; and “gates” here signify introductory truths which are destroyed; these truths are called “the covering of Judah,” because “Judah” signifies celestial love (see above, n. 119), and these truths cover and protect that love.
sRef Jer@14 @2 S11′ sRef Ezek@26 @2 S11′ sRef Judg@5 @7 S11′ sRef Judg@5 @8 S11′ [11] In the same:
The remnant in the city is a waste, and the gate is beaten* even to devastation (Isa. 24:12).
In Jeremiah:
Judah hath mourned, and the gates thereof have been made to languish (Jer. 14:2).
In the book of Judges:
The villages have ceased in Israel; he hath chosen new gods; there was fighting at the gates (Judg. 5:7-8).
In Ezekiel:
Tyre hath said about Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken, the doors of the peoples; she is brought around unto me (Ezek. 26:2).
Here also the destruction of the church is treated of; “Tyre” signifies the knowledges of truth and good, which are introductory truths; and “Jerusalem” the church in respect to the doctrine of truth; this shows why Jerusalem is here called the “doors of the people;” also what this signifies, “Tyre says, Aha, Jerusalem is broken, the doors of the people; she is brought around unto me, I shall be filled.”
sRef Isa@54 @5 S12′ sRef Matt@25 @11 S12′ sRef Ps@87 @2 S12′ sRef Matt@25 @10 S12′ sRef Matt@25 @12 S12′ sRef Luke@13 @25 S12′ sRef Ps@9 @14 S12′ sRef Luke@13 @24 S12′ sRef Isa@54 @12 S12′ sRef Ps@24 @7 S12′ sRef Ps@24 @9 S12′ [12] Since, as was said above, “doors” and “gates” signify admission, and in particular, introductory truths, which are truths from good from the Lord, it is clear what “doors” and “gates” signify in the following passage. In David:
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting portals, that the King of glory may come in (Ps. 24:7, 9).
In the same:
Recount the praises of Jehovah in the gates of the daughter of Zion (Ps. 9:14).
In the same:
Jehovah loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob (Ps. 87:2).
By “Zion” and “the daughter of Zion” the celestial church is meant.
In Isaiah:
Thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth he is called. I will make thy windows** of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles (Isa. 54:5, 12).
In Matthew:
The five prudent virgins went into the marriage feast, and the door was shut; and the five foolish virgins came and knocked, but the door was not opened to them (Matt. 25:10-12).
In Luke:
Jesus said, strive to enter in through the narrow gate; for many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the Master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door, then shall ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and He shall answer and say, I know you not whence you are (Luke 13:24-25).
These two passages treat of the state of man after death, showing that those who are in faith and not in love cannot then be admitted into heaven, although they may wish to be admitted because they have so believed; this is meant by the “door’s being shut,” and they knocked but were rejected.
sRef Deut@6 @9 S13′ sRef Deut@6 @8 S13′ sRef Deut@21 @19 S13′ sRef Ex@21 @6 S13′ [13] Because “gates” signify introductory truths, therefore it was among the statutes:
That the elders should sit at the gates and judge (Deut. 21:19; 22:15, 21; Amos 5:12, 15; Zech. 8:16);
therefore it was also commanded:
That they should write the commandments upon the posts and gates (Deut. 6:8-9);
and therefore it was likewise among the statutes:
That the ear of the servant who was not willing to go out free in the seventh year should be bored through at the door (Exod. 21:6; Deut. 15:17).
“Servants” from the sons of Israel signified those who were in truths and not in good; and “freemen” those who are in good and in truths therefrom. That “the ear should be bored through at the door” signified perpetual obedience and servitude, since he was not willing to be introduced by means of truths into good; for those who are in truths and this not from good, are perpetually in a servile state, because they are not in the spiritual affection of truth; and yet it is the affection which is of the love that makes man free (see in The Doctrine of The New Jerusalem, n. 141-149). Moreover introductory truths in respect to their quality are described by the covering of the entrance of the tent, and by the covering of the entrance of the tabernacle (Exod. 26:14, 36, 37; 38:18, 19); also by the measurements in numbers of the entrances and gates of the house of God and of the temple (in Ezekiel 40:6, 8-11, 13-15, 18-20, 24, 27, 28, 32, 35, 37; 41:1-3, 11, 17-20, 23-25; 42:2, 12, 15; 43:1-4; 44:1-3, 17; 46:1-3, 8, 12, 19; 47:1, 2; 48:31-34). He who knows what these particular numbers signify, may know many arcana respecting these truths. The gates of the house of Jehovah towards the north and towards the east are also spoken of in the same prophet (8:3-4; 10:19).
* Latin has “is beaten”; the Hebrew “shall be beaten,” as found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 223, 919.
** The Latin has “windows”; the Hebrew “suns,” as found in Arcana Coelestia, n. 655; Apocalypse Explained, n. 401.

sRef Rev@3 @8 S0′ 209. For thou hast some power, and hast kept My word, and hast not denied My name, signifies that they have power from the Lord against evils and falsities, in the measure in which they make truths from the Word to be of the life, and acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in His Human. This is evident from the signification of “having power,” as being power from the Lord against evils and falsities; and as those who are in faith from charity are treated of, it is said that they “have some power” (of which presently). It is evident also from the signification of “to keep My word,” as being to make truths from the Word to be of the life; for to keep truths or commandments means not only to know and perceive them but also to will and do them, that is to keep them; and those who will and do, make the truths that they know and perceive from the Word to be of their life (see also above n. 15). It is evident also from the signification of “not denying My name,” as being to acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in His Human (see above, n. 135).
[2] It should be known that there are two principal things of the church, namely, the acknowledgment of the Lord’s Divine in His Human, and making the truths from the Word to be of one’s life; moreover, no one can be in the one of these unless he is at the same time in the other; for all truths that are made to be of the life are from the Lord, and this is done with those who acknowledge the Divine in His Human. For the Lord flows in with all, as well in the heavens as on the earth, from His Divine Human, and not from the Divine separately. Consequently those who in their thought separate the Divine of the Lord from His Human, and look to the Divine of the Father not as in the Human but as beside it or above it, thus separated from it, receive no influx from the Lord nor thus from heaven, for all who are in the heavens acknowledge the Lord’s Divine Human (see concerning this in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 2-12, 59-72, 78-86 seq., 212). From this it is clear that all truths that are made of the life are from the Lord with those who acknowledge the Divine in His Human, that is the Divine Human. Truths become of the life when man loves them, thus when he wills them and does them, for he who loves, wills and does; in a word, truths are made of the life when man from affection lives according to them. Such truths are from the Lord because the Lord flows into the love with man, and through the love into truths and thus makes them to be of the life.
sRef Matt@16 @19 S3′ sRef Matt@16 @18 S3′ sRef Matt@16 @16 S3′ sRef Matt@16 @17 S3′ sRef Matt@16 @15 S3′ [3] Something shall now be said about the power that man has from the Lord against evils and falsities. All power that angels have and also that men have is from the Lord; and the measure in which they receive the Lord is the measure of their power. He who believes that any power against evils and falsities comes from what is man’s own [proprium] is greatly mistaken; for it is evil spirits, conjoined to the hells, that induce evils and falsities thence with men, and these spirits are numerous, and each one of them is conjoined to many hells, in each of which also there are many spirits, and no one except the Lord can turn these away from man, for the Lord alone has power over the hells, and man has no power at all from himself or from what is his own [proprium]; therefore man has power to the extent that he is conjoined to the Lord by love. There are two loves that reign in the heavens and constitute the heavens, namely, love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor; love to the Lord is called celestial love, and love toward the neighbor is called spiritual love. Those who are in celestial love have much power, but those who are in spiritual love have some power; and because what is written to the angel of this church, treats of those who are in love towards the neighbor, or in charity and in faith therefrom, which love is spiritual love, it is said, “Thou hast some power.”
[4] But it is to be noted, that all the power that angels and men have from the Lord is from the good of love; and since the good of love does not act from itself but through truths, therefore all power is from the good of love through truths, and with those who are spiritual, from the good of charity through the truths of faith. For good takes on a quality through truths, good without truths having no quality and where there is no quality there is neither force nor power. From this it is clear, that good has all power through truths, or charity through faith, and neither charity apart from faith nor faith apart from charity has any power. This is meant also by the keys given to Peter, for “Peter” there means, in the spiritual sense, truth from good which is from the Lord, thus faith from charity; and the “keys” given to him the power over evil and falsities. These things were said to Peter when he acknowledged the Divine of the Lord in His Human; which means, that those have power who acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in His Human, and from Him are in the good of charity, and in the truths of faith. That these things were said to Peter when he acknowledged the Lord is shown in Matthew:
Jesus said to the disciples, Who say ye that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering said unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jonah; for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but My Father who is in the heavens. But I also say unto thee, thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of the hells shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 16:15-19).
(But of Peter and his keys, see what is said above, n. 9; also what is shown in The small work on The Last Judgment, n. 57, and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 122; and that truth has all power from good, which is from the Lord, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 228-233, 539, and Arcana Coelestia, n. 3091, 3387, 3563, 4592, 4933, 6344, 6423, 7518, 7673, 8281, 8304, 9133, 9327, 9410, 10019, 10182).

sRef Rev@3 @9 S0′ 210. Verse 9. And* I will give from the synagogue of Satan, signifies those who are in the doctrine of faith alone, and in no charity. This is evident from the signification of “from the synagogue of Satan,” as being those who are in the doctrine of all falsities (see above, n. 120). Here therefore, “from the synagogue of Satan” means those who are in the doctrine of faith alone, and in no charity, since what is written to the angel of this church treats of those who are in faith from charity. These are said to be “from the synagogue of Satan” because they are not in faith, although they think they are; and because they reject charity as being no means to salvation, and yet the Lord flows into faith through charity, and not into faith separate from charity; for faith separate from charity is merely knowing [scientia] in which there is no life from the Divine. From this it is that they who are in the doctrine of faith alone, and not in charity, are in no illustration; they are therefore in the doctrine of many falsities, which is specially signified by “the synagogue of Satan.” (That there is no faith where there is no charity, see in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-39; and what faith and what charity are, in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 84-107, 108-122.) That they are in the doctrine of many falsities will be seen in the following article.
* Latin has “and” for “behold,” as found in n. 202.

sRef Rev@3 @9 S0′ 211. Of those saying that they are Jews, and are not, but do lie, signifies who believe themselves to be in truths, when yet they are in falsities. This is evident from the signification of “Judah,” which is in the highest sense, the Lord in respect to celestial love; in the internal sense the Lord’s celestial kingdom and the Word, and in the external sense, doctrine from the Word which belongs to the celestial church (of which see above, n. 119). From this it is that “to say that they are Jews” signifies to believe themselves to be in genuine doctrine, thus in truths themselves. This is evident also from the signification of “to lie,” as meaning to be in falsities, for “a lie” signifies in the Word the falsity of doctrine (about which see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8908, 9248).
They who are in faith alone and in no charity, know not that they are in falsities, because they believe themselves to be in truths, when yet, out of the false principle, which is that faith alone saves, falsities flow in a continual series; for a principle draws all things to its own side, since they must be connected with it; and this is the cause of their great ignorance in regard to the things of heaven and the church. That they who are in faith alone are so ignorant is clear from this, that they do not know what celestial love is, which is love to the Lord; what spiritual love is, which is charity towards the neighbor; what the neighbor is, what good is, what the conjunction of good and truth is, what spiritual life is, what spiritual affection is, what conscience is, what freedom of choice is, what regeneration is, what spiritual temptation is, what baptism and the holy supper are, and why they are commanded, what the spiritual sense of the Word is, what heaven and hell are, and that both of them are from the human race; and as to many other things. From this their ignorance falsities flow whenever these subjects are thought about, since they are unable to think, as was said above, from any illustration or to have any internal sight respecting anything spiritual. (See, moreover, what is shown on this subject in Arcana Coelestia, that faith separate from charity is no faith, n. 654, 724, 1162, 1176, 2049, 2116, 2343, 2349, 3849, 3868, 6348, 7039, 7822, 9780, 9783; that such faith perishes in the other life, n. 2228, 5820; that when faith alone is taken as the principle, truths are contaminated by a false principle, n. 2435; that such persons will not suffer themselves to be persuaded, because it is against their principle, n. 2385; that the doctrinals of faith alone destroy charity, n. 6353, 8094; that they who separate faith from charity, are inwardly in the falsities of their own evil, although they are ignorant of it, n. 7790, 7950; that therefore good cannot be conjoined to them, n. 8981, 8993; that faith separate from love and charity is as the light of winter, in which all things of the earth become torpid, and there is no production of corn, fruits, and flowers; but that faith from love of charity is as the light of spring and summer, in which all things flourish and are produced, n. 2231, 3146, 3412, 3413; that the light of winter, which is that of faith separate from charity, is turned into dense darkness when light out of heaven flows in; and that they who are in such faith then become blind and stupid, n. 3412, 3413; that they who separate faith from charity in doctrine and life are in darkness, thus in ignorance of truth and in falsities, n. 9186; that they cast themselves into falsities and into evils therefrom, n. 3325, 8094; the errors and falsities into which they cast themselves, n. 4721, 4730, 4776, 4783, 4925, 7779, 8313, 8765, 9224; that the Word is closed to them, n. 3773, 4783, 8780; that they do not see and attend to all that the Lord so often said about love and charity, and about fruits and good things in act, concerning which n. 1017, 3416; that they do not know what good is, thus what celestial love is, nor what charity is, n. 2417, 3603, 4126, 9995; that the simple in heart, who still are wise, know what the good of life is, thus what charity is, but not what faith is separate from charity, n. 4741, 4754.)

sRef Rev@3 @9 S0′ 212. Behold, I will make them to come and worship at thy feet, signifies the state of such after death, that they will be out of heaven, and are not to be admitted. This is evident from the connection with what precedes and follows. This verse treats of those who say that they are in truths when yet they are in falsities, because in no charity. Of such it is said in the Word that they will come to the door and knock, but will not be admitted; “to come to the door and knock,” is “to worship at the feet;” it is said, “at thy feet,” because heaven in the whole complex resembles a man; the highest or third heaven answers to the head, the middle or second heaven to the body, and the lowest or first heaven to the feet; therefore, to stand at the feet and worship, is to be out of heaven and to wish to be admitted, but not to be able. (That heaven in one complex resembles a man, see Heaven and Hell, n. 59-67 seq.; that there are three heavens, n. 29-40; and that the highest heaven forms the head, the middle the body, and the lowest the feet, n. 65.) From this it is clear why those who are out of heaven are said to stand “at the feet.” They cannot be admitted for the reason that the whole heaven is formed according to the affections of good and truth, and is divided into societies according to all the differences of those affections; therefore, those who are not in charity are not in any affection in which heaven is, for charity or love towards the neighbor is affection; consequently those who are not in charity have no place in heaven, but are out of it; and such of them as have been in evils and falsities are conjoined according to their loves or affections, to those who are in internals,* and thither they are cast down.
sRef Matt@7 @21 S2′ sRef Matt@7 @23 S2′ sRef Matt@7 @19 S2′ sRef Matt@7 @20 S2′ sRef Matt@7 @24 S2′ sRef Matt@7 @27 S2′ sRef Matt@7 @22 S2′ sRef Matt@7 @26 S2′ sRef Matt@7 @25 S2′ [2] That such a lot awaits those who are in faith alone and in no charity, was foretold by the Lord in many passages. Thus in Matthew:
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire; therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he that doeth the will of My Father who is in the heavens. Many shall say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied by Thy name, and by Thy name cast out demons, and in Thy name done many powers? And then will I confess unto them, I never knew you; depart from Me all ye workers of iniquity. Every one that heareth My words and doeth them, I will liken to a prudent man, who built his house upon a rock. And everyone that heareth My words and doeth them not, shall be likened to a foolish man who built his house upon the sand (Matt. 7:19-27).
Here those who are in faith from charity, and those who are in faith and in no charity are described; those who are in faith from charity, by “the tree bearing good fruit,” and by “the house that was built upon a rock;” “fruits” moreover signify in the Word the works of charity and a “rock” faith from charity; but those who are in faith separate from charity are meant by “the tree that bringeth forth no good fruit,” and by those “building a house upon the sand,” “evil fruit” moreover signifies in the Word evil works, and “sand” faith separate from charity. Of such it is said that they will say, “Lord, Lord, open to us,” but that the reply will be, “I never knew you; depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity.”
sRef Matt@25 @3 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @7 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @6 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @11 S3′ sRef Luke@13 @25 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @5 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @8 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @9 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @10 S3′ sRef Luke@13 @26 S3′ sRef Luke@13 @24 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @43 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @42 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @41 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @1 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @2 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @4 S3′ sRef Luke@13 @27 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @12 S3′ [3] In like manner in Luke:
Strive to enter in through the narrow gate; for many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and He shall answer and say, I know you not whence ye are; then shall ye begin to say, We did eat and drink before Thee, and Thou didst teach in our streets. But He shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity (Luke 13:24-27).
Here again those are treated of who are in faith and not in charity of whom it is said that they “will stand without, knocking at the door,” but that they will not be admitted; “to eat and to drink before the Lord, and to be taught in the streets” signifies to listen to the Word and preachings from the Word, and to know the matters of faith; but as such are in no charity, it is said to them, “I know you not whence ye are, depart from Me;” for the Lord knows all from love and not from faith separate.
[4] The same is meant by:
The five foolish virgins, who had not oil in their lamps, concerning whom also it is said that they came, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us; but He answered, Verily I say unto you, I know you not (Matt. 25:1-12).
“Virgins” signify in the Word those who are of the church; “lamps” the things that belong to faith, and “oil” the good of love; therefore by “the five foolish virgins, who had no oil in their lamps,” are signified they who are in faith and not in love. The like is signified also by:
The goats on the left hand to whom it was said that He hungered and thirsted and they gave Him not to eat and to drink; that He was a stranger and they took Him not in; that He was naked and they clothed Him not; that He was sick and in prison and they visited Him not (Matt. 25:41-43);
“the sheep at the right hand” here signify those who are in charity; “the goats” those who are in faith and in no charity. (That the latter are signified by “goats,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4769; and the former by “sheep,” n. 4169, 4809.)
* For “internals” the context requires “infernals.”

sRef John@14 @21 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @9 S0′ sRef John@14 @23 S0′ 213. And to know that I have loved thee, signifies a consequent knowledge that the Lord is present in charity, and not in faith apart from charity. This is evident from the signification of “to know,” as being knowledge; and from the signification of “to love,” as being, in reference to the Lord, that He is present. It means that He is present in charity, and not in faith apart from charity, because those are here treated of who are in the faith of charity (see above, n. 203); and the Lord is present in man’s affection or love, thus in the life of his spirit, for it is love or affection that makes the life of his spirit; consequently the Lord is present in charity, for charity is affection itself or man’s spiritual love; and as the Lord is present with man in charity, He is evidently not present in faith without charity; neither is faith without charity spiritual, consequently it is not inwardly in man, nor does it constitute his life, but it is outside of him, in the memory, and in something of natural thought therefrom. “To be loved,” in reference to the Lord, means that He is present, because love [dilectio seu amor] causes conjunction and consequent presence, and to him who loves, the Lord enters in, and teaches and leads him, and enables him also to love Him, that is, to do His commandments and precepts, for this is to love the Lord. That with him whom He loves the Lord is present, and that he who keeps His commandments and precepts loves Him, He Himself teaches in John:
He that hath My commandments, and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him (John 14:21, 23).

sRef Rev@3 @10 S0′ 214. Verse 10. And* thou hast kept the word of My endurance, signifies that they have lived according to the Lord’s commandments. This is evident from the signification of “keeping the word” of the Lord, as being to live according to His commandments, for “word” is commandment, and to “keep” it is to live. It is said, “the word of My endurance,” because of steadfastness in it without being wearied. The term “endurance,” is occasionally used in Revelation, and when used it signifies what is applied to life (as also above, n. 98).
* For “and” the Greek has “because,” as found in n. 202.

sRef Rev@3 @10 S0′ 215. I also will keep thee in the hour of temptation that is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth, signifies the time of the Last Judgment, when there will be visitation upon those who are in the former heaven, and that they will then be saved. This is evident from the signification of “the hour of temptation that is to come upon the whole world,” as being the time of the Last Judgment; and from the signification of “trying them that dwell upon the earth:” as being visitation upon those who are in the former heaven; that those who are in faith from charity, who are here treated of, will then be saved, is meant by “I will keep thee.” These things evidently relate to the Last Judgment, for it is said, “the hour of temptation that is to come upon the whole world, when they shall he tried that dwell upon the earth.” But as the Last Judgment, also the former heaven and its abolition, and the new heaven and its formation, are treated of in the small works on The Lost Judgment and The New Jerusalem, and will be further treated of in this work, additional explanation of these words is deferred.

sRef Rev@3 @11 S0′ 216. Verse 11. Behold, I come quickly, signifies that this is certain. This is evident from the signification of “quickly,” as being certainty and fullness (see above, n. 7). “Quickly” signifies certainty and fullness, because time and all things pertaining to time in the Word signify states; therefore “quickly” and “speedily” signify a present state of affection and of thought therefrom, consequently certainty and fullness. (That time and all things of time correspond to states, and therefore signify states, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 162-169; and that “quickly” signifies what is stirred up by affection, thus what is present and certain, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7695, 7866.)

sRef Rev@3 @11 S0′ 217. Hold what thou hast, signifies steadfastness in a state of faith from charity even unto the end, as is evident from what was said above (n. 173), where there are similar words.

sRef Rev@3 @11 S0′ 218. That no one take thy crown, signifies lest intelligence should perish. This is evident from the signification of “crown,” as meaning wisdom (of which see above, n. 126), here intelligence, because those who are in spiritual love or in charity and faith therefrom, are in intelligence; while those who are in celestial love, or in love to the Lord, and in the perception of truth therefrom, are in wisdom. “That no one take thy crown” signifies lest intelligence should perish, since evils and falsities therefrom take away man’s intelligence; for intelligence pertains to truth, and this is taken away from man by evil spirits when he is in evils, because he is then associated with them; and what is thus taken away perishes.

sRef Rev@3 @12 S0′ 219. Verse 12. He that overcometh I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, signifies that those who are steadfast will be in Divine truth in heaven. This is evident from the signification of “overcoming,” as being to be steadfast in the genuine affection of truth (see above n. 128); here in faith from charity, since that faith is treated of in what is written to the angel of this church (see above, n. 203); also from the signification of “pillar” as being Divine truth sustaining; also from the signification of “the temple of God” as being in the highest sense, the Lord’s Divine Human, and in the relative sense, the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, thus the heaven that constitutes that kingdom (of which presently). “A pillar in the temple” means Divine truth sustaining, because “temple” signifies heaven, and heaven is heaven from the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord; for by heaven all angels are meant, because heaven is made up of angels, and from them is called heaven: and angels are angels in the measure in which they receive the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord; and for this reason angels in the Word also signify Divine truths (see above, n. 130, 200).
Now as heaven is Divine truth, and “temple” signifies heaven, it follows that all things of the temple signify such things as pertain to Divine truth, and that the “pillars” therein signify Divine truths sustaining. Divine truths sustaining are in general lower truths, because these sustain the higher; for there are lower and higher Divine truths, as there are lower and higher heavens. (There are degrees of these, on which see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 38, 208, 209, 211.) The heavens that belong to a lower degree sustain those that belong to a higher degree; here, therefore, by the Lord’s making him that overcometh “a pillar in the temple” is meant that such will be in a lower heaven. They who are in the faith of charity are also in the lower heaven, which is called the spiritual heaven; while those who are in love to the Lord are in the higher heaven, which is called the celestial heaven, and this is sustained by the lower or spiritual heaven. (But a clearer idea can be had of these things from what is shown in three chapters in the work on Heaven and Hell, namely, in the chapter where it is shown that The Divine of the Lord in Heaven is Love to Him and Charity towards the Neighbor, n. 13-19; in another where it is shown that Heaven is distinguished into Two Kingdoms, Celestial and Spiritual, n. 20-28; and in a third where it is shown that There are Three Heavens, n. 29-40.)
sRef Jer@1 @18 S2′ sRef Jer@1 @19 S2′ [2] “Pillars” are here and there mentioned in the Word, and they signify lower truths, because they sustain the higher. That lower truths are signified by “pillars” in the Word can be seen from the following. In Jeremiah:
Behold I have given thee this day for a fenced city, and for a pillar of iron, and for walls of brass against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes and against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land, that they may fight against thee and not prevail (Jer. 1:18-19).
These things were said to the prophet, because all prophets signify the doctrines of Divine truth, and because the church in which Divine truths are falsified is here treated of it is therefore said, “Behold I have given thee this day for a fenced city, for a pillar of iron, and for walls of brass against the whole land;” “a fenced city” signifies the doctrine of truth; “a pillar of iron” truth sustaining it; “walls of brass” good defending, and “land” the church. It is said, also, “against the kings of Judah, against the princes, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land;” and “the kings of Judah,” and “princes,” signify truths falsified; “priests,” goods adulterated, and “the people of the land,” falsities in general; of these it is said, that they will fight against truths themselves, but shall not prevail.
sRef Jer@31 @21 S3′ [3] In the same:
Set thee up signs, place for thee high pillars, set thine heart to the highway, the way thou mayest go; return, O virgin of Israel, return to thy cities (Jer. 31:21).
The restoration of the church is here treated of. “The virgin of Israel” signifies the church; “to set up signs, and to place high pillars,” signifies instruction in such things as are the fundamentals of the church, which are called “high pillars” because they sustain: “to set the heart to the highway, the way thou mayest go,” signifies the affection of truth leading to life.
sRef 1Ki@7 @18 S4′ sRef 1Ki@7 @20 S4′ sRef 1Ki@7 @19 S4′ sRef 1Ki@7 @22 S4′ sRef 1Ki@7 @16 S4′ sRef 1Ki@7 @21 S4′ sRef 1Ki@7 @17 S4′ sRef Job@9 @6 S4′ sRef Ps@75 @2 S4′ sRef 1Ki@7 @15 S4′ sRef Ps@75 @3 S4′ [4] In David:
I will judge in uprightness; the earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved; I will make firm the pillars of it (Ps. 75:2-3).
“The earth dissolving” signifies those of the church who are not in truths but yet long for them; “to make firm the pillars” of it signifies to sustain the church by those truths upon which it is founded. Again, in Job:
Who causeth the earth to shake out of its place, so that the pillars thereof tremble (Job 9:6).
“The earth” here signifies the church, and “pillars” the truths that sustain it. That:
The pillars of the court of the tabernacle (mentioned in Exod. 27:10-12, 14-17);
also signify the ultimate truths sustaining the higher ones, see Arcana Coelestia, in the explanation of that chapter and those verses. Like truths are signified by:
The pillars of the house of the forest of Lebanon built by Solomon (mentioned in 1 Kings 7:2, 6).
[5] Similar also is the signification of:
The two pillars that Solomon set up in the porch of the temple, and that are described in the first book of Kings. He fashioned two pillars of brass, eighteen cubits was the height of each pillar; and a line of twelve cubits compassed the second pillar. And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars; seven chains for the one chapiter, and seven chains for the other chapiter. And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple; and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar and called the name thereof Boaz (1 Kings 7:15-21).
Since “the temple” signified heaven (as will be shown presently), therefore all things of the temple signified such things as are of heaven, thus of Divine truth there; for, as said above, heaven is heaven from the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord; therefore “the porch of the temple” signified the things pertaining to the ultimate heaven, and as this sustains the two higher heavens, those two pillars were placed in the porch.

sRef Rev@3 @12 S0′ 220. But it shall be told also what “temple” signifies in the Word. In the highest sense, “temple” signifies the Lord’s Divine Human, and in the relative sense, heaven; and as it signifies heaven, it also signifies the church, for the church is the Lord’s heaven on earth; and as “temple” signifies heaven and the church it also signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, for the reason that this makes heaven and the church; for those who receive Divine truth in soul and heart, that is, in faith and love, are they who constitute heaven and the church. As such is the signification of “temple,” it is said, “the temple of My God;” “My God,” when said by the Lord, meaning heaven and Divine truth there, which also is the Lord in heaven. The Lord is above the heavens, and to those who are in the heavens He appears as a sun. From the Lord as a sun light and heat go forth. Light in heaven is in its essence Divine truth, and heat in heaven is in its essence Divine good; these two make heaven in general and in particular. Divine truth is what is meant by “My God;” therefore in the Word of the Old Testament the Lord is called both “Jehovah” and “God;” “Jehovah” where Divine good is treated of, and “God” where Divine truth is treated of; for the same reason also angels are called “gods,” and the word God in the Hebrew is used in the plural, Elohim. This shows why it is said, “the temple of My God.” (That the Lord is called “Jehovah” where Divine good is treated of, but “God” where Divine truth is treated of, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 709, 732, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4283, 4402, 7010, 9167; that He is called Jehovah” from Esse, thus from Essence, but “God” from Existere, thus from Existence, n. 300, 3910, 6905; that the Divine Esse moreover is Divine good, and the Divine Existere is Divine truth, n. 3061, 6280, 6880, 6905, 10579; and in general that good is the esse, and truth the existere therefrom, n. 5002; that the angels are called “gods” from their reception of Divine truth from the Lord, n. 4295, 4402, 7268, 7873, 8192, 8301. That the Divine of the Lord in the heavens is Divine truth united to Divine good, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13, 133, 139-140. That light in the heavens is in its essence Divine truth, and heat there is Divine good, both from the Lord, see in the same work n. 126-140, 275.)
sRef John@2 @18 S2′ sRef John@2 @22 S2′ sRef John@2 @19 S2′ sRef John@2 @20 S2′ sRef John@2 @21 S2′ [2] That “temple” in the Word signifies the Lord’s Divine Human, and in the relative sense, heaven and the church, consequently also Divine truth, can be seen from the following passages. In John:
The Jews asking, What sign showest Thou unto us, that Thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, In forty and six years was this temple built, and wilt Thou raise it up in three days? But He was speaking of the Temple of His body (John 2:18-23).
That “temple” signifies the Lord’s Divine Human is here openly declared; for “destroying the temple and raising it up after three days” means the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection.
sRef Mal@3 @1 S3′ [3] In Malachi:
Behold, I send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me; and the Lord shall suddenly come to His temple, and the Angel of the covenant whom ye seek (Malachi 3:1).
Here also “temple” means the Lord’s Divine Human; for the Lord’s coming is here treated of, therefore “coming to His temple” signifies to His Human.
sRef Luke@12 @8 S4′ sRef Rev@21 @22 S4′ [4] In Revelation:
I saw no temple in the New Jerusalem, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb (Rev. 21:22).
The New Heaven and the New Earth, when they will be in internals, and not in externals, are here treated of, therefore it is said, that “there will be no temple,” but “the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb.” “The Lord God Almighty,” is the Divine Itself of the Lord, and “the Lamb” is His Divine Human; from which also it is clear, that His Divine in the heavens is meant by “temple.”
sRef Matt@27 @51 S5′ sRef Isa@6 @1 S5′ [5] In Isaiah:
I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His skirts filled the temple (Isa. 6:1).
“The throne high and lifted up,” upon which the Lord was seen to sit, signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth in the higher heavens; but “His skirts” signify His Divine truth in the church. (That “skirts” signify, in reference to the Lord, His Divine truth in ultimates, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9917.) That:
The veil of the temple was rent into two parts from the top to the bottom, after the Lord suffered (Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:34, 38; Luke 23:45);
signified the union of the Lord’s Divine Human with the Divine itself (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9670).
sRef Jonah@2 @4 S6′ sRef John@2 @16 S6′ sRef Jonah@2 @7 S6′ sRef Matt@23 @16 S6′ sRef John@2 @17 S6′ sRef Hab@2 @20 S6′ sRef Ps@138 @2 S6′ sRef Matt@23 @17 S6′ [6] In the passages that follow “temple” signifies the Lord’s Divine Human, and at the same time heaven and the church. In David :
I will bow myself down toward the temple of Thy holiness, and will confess unto Thy name (Ps. 138:2).
In Jonah:
I said, I am cast out from before Thine eyes, but yet will I add to look to the temple of Thy holiness, and my prayer came to Thee to the temple of Thy holiness (Jon. 2:4, 7).
In Habakkuk:
Jehovah in the temple of Thy* holiness (Hab. 2:20).
In Matthew:
Woe unto you, ye blind guides, who say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. Ye fools and blind; for whether is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? (Matt. 23:16, 17).
In John :
Jesus said to them that sold in the temple, Take these hence; make not My Father’s house a house of merchandise. Then the disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of Thine house hath consumed me (John 2:16, 17).
sRef Ps@92 @12 S7′ sRef Ps@92 @13 S7′ sRef Ps@27 @4 S7′ sRef Ps@18 @6 S7′ sRef Ps@23 @6 S7′ sRef Ps@84 @10 S7′ [7] Beside these, there are many other passages in the Word where “temple” is mentioned. That it may be known that “temple” means heaven and the church, as also Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, I will cite these passages here, lest the mind should cling to the idea that a mere temple is meant, and not something more holy; for the temple in Jerusalem was holy because it represented and thus signified what is holy. That “temple” signified heaven is evident from these passages. In David:
I called upon Jehovah, and cried unto my God: He heard my voice from His temple (Ps. 18:6).
In the same:
A day in Thy courts is better than thousands. I have chosen to stand at the door in the house of my God, rather than to dwell in the tents of wickedness (Ps. 84:10).
In the same:
The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They that are planted in the house of Jehovah shall flourish in the courts of our God (Ps. 92:12-13).
In the same :
One thing have I asked of Jehovah; that I may dwell in the house of Jehovah, and to early visit His temple (Ps. 27:4).
I shall be at rest in the house of Jehovah for length of days (Ps. 23:6).
In John:
Jesus said, In My Father’s house are many mansions (John 14:2).
It is clear that in these passages, by “house of Jehovah” and “Father’s house” heaven is meant.
sRef John@14 @2 S8′ sRef Jer@12 @7 S8′ sRef Hag@2 @8 S8′ sRef Dan@5 @2 S8′ sRef Zech@8 @9 S8′ sRef Hag@2 @9 S8′ sRef Hag@2 @7 S8′ sRef Isa@44 @28 S8′ sRef Dan@5 @4 S8′ sRef Isa@64 @11 S8′ sRef Dan@5 @3 S8′ [8] In the following passages the church also is meant. In Isaiah:
The house of our holiness and our splendor, where our fathers praised Thee, is burned up with fire (Isa. 64:11).
In Jeremiah:
I have forsaken My house, I have abandoned Mine heritage (Jer. 12:7).
In Haggai:
I will shake all nations, that the choice of all nations may come; and I will fill this house with glory. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former (Hag. 2:7-9).
In Isaiah:
He shall say to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thou shalt be founded (Isa. 44:28).

Here the coming of the Lord and a new church at that time are treated of. In Zechariah the meaning is similar:
The house of Jehovah was founded that the temple may be built (Zech. 8:9).
In Daniel:
Belshazzar commanded to bring the vessels of gold and silver which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, that they might drink from them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone, and then came the writing on the wall (Dan. 5:2-4 seq.).
The “gold and silver vessels that were brought from the temple of Jerusalem” signified the goods and truths of the church; that they “drank wine from them and praised the gods of gold, of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone,” signifies the profanation of those goods and truths; and on account of this the writing appeared on the wall, and the king** was changed from a man into a wild beast.
sRef Matt@24 @1 S9′ sRef Matt@24 @2 S9′ sRef Rev@11 @1 S9′ [9] In Matthew:
And the disciples came to show Jesus the building of the temple. Jesus said unto them, See ye all these things? There shall not be left here stone upon stone that shall not be thrown down (Matt. 24:1, 2; Mark 13:1-5; Luke 21:5-7).
That “there should not be left of the temple stone upon stone that should not be thrown down” signifies the total destruction and vastation of the church (“stone” signifying the truth of the church); and because this is what is meant, the successive vastation of the church is what is treated of in these chapters in the Evangelists. In Revelation:
And the angel stood, saying, Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar, and them that worship therein (Rev. 11:1).
The “temple” here also signifies the church, and “measuring” signifies to explore its quality:
The new temple and its measurements (Ezek. 40-47);
have a like signification.
sRef Ezek@10 @4 S10′ [10] That “temple” signifies Divine truth which is from the Lord, is evident from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
The glory of Jehovah mounted up from above the cherub over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud; but the court was full of the brightness of the glory of Jehovah (Ezek. 10:4).
“House” here means heaven and the church, and “cloud” and “glory” Divine truth. (That “cloud” is Divine truth, see above, n. 36; and “glory” the like, n. 33.)
sRef Micah@4 @2 S11′ [11] In Micah:
Many nations shall go, and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, and to the house of our God; that He may instruct us of His ways, and that we may go in His paths; for from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the Word out of Jerusalem (Micah 4:2).
“Mountain of Jehovah, and house of God,” signify the church, likewise “Zion” and “Jerusalem;” “to be instructed of His ways, and to go in His paths,” is to be instructed in Divine truths; it is therefore said, “From Zion shall go forth instruction, and the Word out of Jerusalem.”
sRef Rev@16 @17 S12′ sRef Rev@15 @6 S12′ sRef Rev@15 @8 S12′ sRef Rev@11 @19 S12′ sRef Rev@15 @5 S12′ sRef Isa@66 @6 S12′ [12] In Isaiah:
A voice of a tumult of Jehovah*** from the city, the voice of Jehovah out of the temple (Isa. 66:6).
“City” means the doctrine of truth; “temple” the church; and “the voice of Jehovah out of the temple” Divine truth. In Revelation:
There came forth a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying (Rev. 16:17).
Here, likewise, “voice” means Divine truth.
Again:
And the temple of God in heaven was opened, and there was seen in the temple the ark of His covenant; and there were lightnings, voices, thunderings (Rev. 11:19).
“Lightnings, voices, thunderings,” signify in the Word Divine truths out of heaven (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7573, 8914).
The temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened; and there came out from the temple seven angels, having the seven plagues. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power (Rev. 15:5-6, 8).
Here seven angels are said to have come out from the temple in heaven, because “angels” signify Divine truths (see above, n. 130, 200). What is signified by “smoke from the glory of God” will be seen in the explanation of these words further on. It should be known, moreover, that the temple built by Solomon, and also the house of the forest of Lebanon, and each particular thing pertaining to them (as described in 1 Kings 6, 7), signified spiritual and celestial things pertaining to the church and to heaven.
* The Hebrew has “His,” as found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 587; Arcana Coelestia, n. 643.
** It was not Belshazzar but Nebuchadnezzar who was changed into a beast.
*** “Of Jehovah” is not found in the Hebrew.

sRef Rev@3 @12 S0′ 221. And he shall go out thence no more, signifies that they shall be in it to eternity. This is evident from the signification of “going in* thence no more,” when it is said of heaven and the Divine truth there (which are signified by “the temple of God”), as being that they shall be steadfast in these to eternity.
* For “going in” the context requires “going out.”

sRef Rev@3 @12 S0′ 222. And I will write upon him the name of My God, signifies their quality in respect to Divine truth implanted in the life. This is evident from the signification of “writing upon one,” when spoken of the Lord, as being to implant in the life (of which presently); also from the signification of “name,” as being quality of state (see above, n. 148); and also from the signification of “God,” as being Divine truth proceeding from the Lord in heaven, thus the Lord in heaven (concerning which see above, n. 220); for the Lord is above the heavens, appearing to those who are in heaven as a sun (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125). The Divine proceeding therefrom, which is called Divine truth, and which makes heaven in general and in particular, is what is meant in the Word by “God;” from this it is that angels are called “gods,” and that “God,” in the Hebrew is Elohim, in the plural. This makes clear why the Lord here says, “the name of My God;” and above, “I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God” (n. 219); and below, “I will write upon him the name of the city of My God, of the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from My God” (n. 223).
sRef Rev@20 @13 S2′ sRef Ex@32 @32 S2′ sRef Ps@139 @15 S2′ sRef Rev@5 @1 S2′ sRef Ps@139 @16 S2′ sRef Rev@13 @8 S2′ sRef Rev@20 @12 S2′ sRef Rev@21 @27 S2′ sRef Dan@12 @1 S2′ sRef Ex@32 @33 S2′ sRef Ps@69 @28 S2′ [2] “To write upon one” means to implant in the life, because to write is to commit to paper anything from the memory, thought, or mind, that is to be preserved; in the spiritual sense, therefore, it signifies that which is to endure in man’s life, inscribed on it and implanted in it. Thus the natural sense of this expression is turned into a spiritual sense; for it is natural to write upon paper and in a book, but it is spiritual to inscribe on the life, which is done when anything is implanted in the faith and love, since love and faith make man’s spiritual life. Because “to write” signifies to implant in the life, it is said of Jehovah or the Lord that “He writes,” and that “He has written in a book,” meaning that which is inscribed by the Lord on man’s spirit, that is, on his heart and soul, or what is the same, on his love and faith. Thus, in David:
My bone was not hidden from Thee when I was made in secret; upon Thy book were written all the days when they were fashioned, and not one of them is wanting (Ps. 139:15-16).
In the same :
Let them be blotted out of the book of lives, and not be written with the righteous (Ps. 69:28).
In Daniel:
The people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book (Dan. 12:1).
In Moses:
Blot me, I pray Thee, out of the book which Thou hast written. And Jehovah said, Whosoever hath sinned against Me will I blot out of My book (Exod. 32:32-33).
In Revelation:
A book written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals, which no one could open but the Lamb only (Rev. 5:1).
Again:
All shall worship the beast whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 13:8; 17:8).
Again:
I saw that the books were opened: and another book was opened which is that of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the book,* according to their works. And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:12-13, 15).
Again :
And there shall enter into the New Jerusalem only they that are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 21:27).
In these passages it is not meant that they are written in a book, but that all things of faith and love are inscribed on man’s spirit (as may be seen from the things shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 461-469).
sRef Ex@31 @18 S3′ sRef Deut@27 @4 S3′ sRef Deut@27 @3 S3′ sRef Deut@27 @8 S3′ sRef Ezek@2 @10 S3′ sRef Deut@27 @2 S3′ sRef Jer@31 @33 S3′ sRef Ezek@2 @8 S3′ sRef Ezek@2 @9 S3′ [3] That “to write,” in the Word, signifies to inscribe on and implant in the life, is clear from other passages where “writing” is mentioned. Thus in Jeremiah:
I will give My law in the midst of them, and will write it on their heart (Jer. 31:33).
“To give the law in the midst of them” means Divine truths in them; “in the midst” signifies inwardly with man (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1074, 2940, 2973); and “to write it on the heart” is to impress upon the love, for “heart” signifies love (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7542, 9050, 10336). In Ezekiel:
The prophet saw a roll of a book written front and back, and there were written thereon plaints, moaning, and woe (Ezek. 2:9, 10; 3:1-3).
“The roll of a book written front and back” signifies the state of the church at that time, thus what the life was of those of the church; therefore “the roll of the book” means the same as “the book of life” mentioned above; and as their life was destitute of the goods of love and the truths of faith, it is said that “there were written thereon plaints, moaning, and woe”:
That the law was inscribed on tables of stone, and written with the finger of God (Exod. 31:18; Deut. 4:13; 9:10); signified that it must be impressed on the life (Arcana Coelestia, n. 9416); for “the law,” in a strict sense, means the ten commandments of the Decalogue, but in a broad sense, the whole Word (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6752, 7463); and “stone” signifies truth, here Divine truth (Arcana Coelestia, n. 643, 1298, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376). The like is signified by :
Their writing the words of the law upon the twelve stones taken out of the Jordan (Deut. 27:2-4, 8; Josh. 4:3, seq.)
sRef Ezek@37 @19 S4′ sRef John@10 @16 S4′ sRef Ezek@37 @16 S4′ sRef Ezek@37 @17 S4′ [4] In Ezekiel:
Son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his fellows; and take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and of all the house of Israel, his fellows; and then join them for thee one to another into one stick, that they both may be one in My** hand (Ezek. 37:16, 17).
What these things signify no one can know unless he knows what was represented by “Judah,” and what by “Joseph.” “Judah” represented the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and “Joseph” His spiritual kingdom; and “writing them upon two sticks” signifies each one’s state of love and of life therefrom. Their conjunction into one heaven is signified by “joining them one to another into one stick, that they both may be one in My hand.” The signification of these words is like that of the Lord’s words:
Other sheep also I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring; and there shall be one flock and one shepherd (John 10:16).
The writing was to be upon a stick, because a “stick (wood)” signifies good, and it is good that conjoins. (But these things will be more evident from what is shown in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that the spiritual kingdom before the Lord’s coming was not as it was after His coming, n. 6372, 8054; that it was the spiritual especially that were saved by the Lord’s coming into the world, and that they were then conjoined with those who were of His celestial kingdom into one heaven, n. 2661, 2716, 2833, 2834, 3969, 6854, 6914, 7035, 7091, 7828, 7932, 8018, 8159, 8321, 9684. That there are two kingdoms, the celestial and spiritual, and that there are three heavens, and that these are conjoined into one heaven, see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28, 29-40. That “Judah” in the representative sense signifies the Lord’s celestial kingdom, Arcana Coelestia, n. 3654, 3881, 5583, 5603, 5782, 6363; that ” Joseph” signifies the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417; that ” Ephraim” signifies the intellectual of the spiritual church, n. 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267, 6296; that “wood” signifies the good of love, n. 643, 3720, 8354.)
sRef Isa@44 @5 S5′ [5] In Isaiah:
This one shall say, I am Jehovah’s; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto Jehovah, and surname himself by the name of Israel (Isa. 44:5).
These things are said of the Lord and of His Divine Human. “Jacob” and “Israel,” where the Lord is treated of, signifies His Human, and that the Human is Jehovah is meant by “This one shall say, I am Jehovah’s,” and “he shall subscribe with his hand unto Jehovah.” (That “Israel” and “Jacob” are, in the highest sense, the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4286, 4570, 6424.)
sRef Jer@17 @14 S6′ sRef Jer@17 @13 S6′ [6] In Jeremiah :
O Jehovah, the hope of Israel, all that forsake Me shall be ashamed, and they that depart from Me shall be written on the earth, because they have forsaken Jehovah, the fountain of living waters. Heal me, O Jehovah, that I may be healed (Jer. 17:13, 14). “To be written in the earth” is to be condemned on account of the state of life, since “earth” signifies what is condemned (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2327, 7418, 8306).
sRef John@8 @11 S7′ sRef John@8 @6 S7′ sRef John@8 @10 S7′ sRef John@8 @8 S7′ sRef John@8 @9 S7′ sRef John@8 @4 S7′ sRef John@8 @3 S7′ sRef John@8 @5 S7′ sRef John@8 @2 S7′ sRef John@8 @7 S7′ [7] This makes clear what is signified by the Lord’s writing with His finger in the earth in John:
The Scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus in the temple a woman taken in adultery; and they said, This woman was taken in the very act. They asked whether she should be stoned according to the law of Moses. Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote in the earth; and rising He said, He that is without sin among you let him first cast a stone at her; and again stooping down, He wrote in the earth. And when they heard these things, they went out one after another; and Jesus was left alone, and the woman; and He said to her, Woman, where are thine accusers; hath no man condemned thee? And He said, Go and sin no more (John 8:2-11).
The Lord’s “writing in the earth” signifies the same as above in Jeremiah, “they that depart from Me shall be written in the earth,” namely, that they also were condemned on account of adulteries; therefore He said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” The Lord’s “writing twice in the earth” in the temple, signified their condemnation for adulteries in the spiritual sense; for the Scribes and Pharisees were those who adulterated the goods and falsified the truths of the Word, thus of the church; and “adulteries” in the spiritual sense are adulterations of good and falsifications of truth (see above, n. 141, 161); therefore that nation was also called by the Lord:
An adulterous and sinful generation (Mark 8:38).
* The Greek has “books,” as found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 98, 250, 785.
** The Hebrew has “my.”

sRef Rev@3 @12 S0′ 223. And the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from My God, signifies the doctrine of the new church, which is in the heavens. This is evident from the signification of “the city of My God,” as being the doctrine of Divine truth (of which presently); also from the signification of “the New Jerusalem,” as being the church in respect to doctrine (see the small work on The New Jerusalem, n. 6); also from the signification of “which cometh down out of heaven from My God,” as being that it is out of heaven from Divine truth there. That “God” means in the Word Divine truth, see above (n. 220, 222). And as Divine truth, which is in heaven and which comes down from heaven, is from the Lord alone, the Lord calls it His God. That “the city of My God” signifies the doctrine of Divine truth seems at first view remote, for the mind cannot readily think of doctrine when “city” is mentioned, or think of the church when a “land” is mentioned; yet in the Word, “cities” [civitates aut urbes] mean nothing else in the spiritual sense; and for the reason that the idea of a city is merely natural, but the idea of doctrine in a city is spiritual. Angels, because they are spiritual, can have no other idea of a city than of the people therein in respect to doctrine, as they can have no other idea of a land than of the people therein in respect to their church or their religion. The reason of this is that the societies into which the heavens are divided are for the most part like cities [communities], all differing from one another in respect to the reception of Divine truth in good; when, therefore, a “city” is mentioned angels think of the doctrine of truth. (That the heavens are divided into societies according to the differences of the good of love and faith, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 41-50; and that their habitations are disposed into the form of cities, n. 184).
sRef Jer@1 @18 S2′ sRef Jer@13 @18 S2′ sRef Jer@13 @19 S2′ [2] That “cities” [civitates seu urbes] in the Word signify doctrines can be seen from many passages there, of which I will cite here only the following. In Jeremiah:
Behold I have given thee this day for a fenced city against the whole land (Jer. 1:18).
These things are said to the prophet, because “a prophet” in the Word signifies one who teaches truth, and in an abstract sense, the doctrine of truth; and as this is what “prophet” signifies, it is said to him, “I have given thee for a fenced city,” which signifies the doctrine of truth defending against falsities. (That “prophet” in the Word signifies one who teaches truth, and in the abstract sense, the doctrine of truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2534, 7269.) In the same:
The crown of your splendor cometh down. The cities of the south are shut (Jer. 13:18-19).
Here the falsification of truth is treated of; and “the crown of their splendor cometh down” means that intelligence comes down; and “the cities of the south are shut” means that all the truths of doctrine are closed, which otherwise would be in the light. (That “crown” means intelligence and wisdom, see above, n. 126, 218; and that “south” means a state of light, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 148, 149, 151).
sRef Isa@25 @3 S3′ sRef Isa@25 @2 S3′ sRef Isa@25 @1 S3′ sRef Isa@26 @1 S3′ sRef Isa@26 @2 S3′ [3] In Isaiah:
Thou hast done [wonderful things, Thy] counsels from afar [are] truth, fidelity; and Thou hast made of a city a heap, of a fenced city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city, that it may not be built for ever; therefore a strong people shall honor Thee, a city of powerful nations shall fear Thee (Isa. 25:1-3).
The vastation of the former church, and the establishment of a new one, are here treated of; the vastation of the church in respect to doctrine is meant by “Thou hast made of a city a heap, of a fenced city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city;” and the establishment of a new church in respect to doctrine is meant by “a strong people shall honor Thee, a city of powerful nations shall fear Thee.” In the same:
In that day shall a song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will He appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation that keepeth faithfulness may enter in (Isa. 26:1-2).
Here “a strong city” signifies the doctrine of genuine truth, which falsities cannot destroy; “walls and bulwarks” signify truths defending; “gates” signify admission (as above, n. 208); “the righteous nation keeping faithfulness” means those who are in good and in truths therefrom.
sRef Rev@16 @19 S4′ [4] In the same:
How art thou fallen from heaven O Lucifer, how art thou cut down to the earth: that made the world as a wilderness, and threw down the cities thereof. Prepare slaughter for his sons, that they may not rise up and possess the land, and fill the faces of the world with cities (Isa. 14:12, 17, 21).
Here “Lucifer” means Babylon, where every truth of the doctrine of the church was either falsified or annihilated; “he made the world as a wilderness, and threw down the cities thereof,” signifies that this was done to the church and its doctrines; “prepare slaughter for his sons, that they may not rise up,” signifies that its falsities must be destroyed; “and may not possess the land, and fill the faces of the world with cities,” signifies in order that a church and doctrine may be there. In Revelation:
And the great city was broken* into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell (Rev. 16:18-19).
Here also Babylon is treated of; the doctrine of its falsities is what is meant by “a city broken** into three parts,” and the doctrine of evils therefrom by “the cities of the nations which fell.”
sRef Ps@107 @4 S5′ sRef Ps@107 @7 S5′ sRef Ps@107 @2 S5′ sRef Isa@6 @11 S5′ sRef Ps@107 @5 S5′ [5] In David:
The redeemed of Jehovah wandered in the wilderness in loneliness of life;*** they found not a city of habitation; hungry and thirsty [their soul fainted in them]. He led them into a straight way, that they might go to a city of habitation (Ps. 107:2, 4-5, 7).
“To wander in the wilderness and in loneliness of way,” is to be in want of the knowledges of truth and good; “to find not a city of habitation” means not to find the doctrine of truth according to which they may live; “the hungry and thirsty” are those who have a longing to know good and truth; “to lead them into a straight way, that they might go to a city of habitation” is to lead them into genuine truth, and into the doctrine of life. In Isaiah:
I said, Lord, how long? And He said, Until the cities shall be so devastated as to be without inhabitant, and the houses so that no man be in them, and the land be reduced to a waste (Isa. 6:11).
Here the total vastation of the church is treated of; “cities” are the truths of doctrine; “houses” the goods thereof; and “land” the church.
sRef Isa@24 @12 S6′ sRef Isa@24 @11 S6′ sRef Isa@24 @10 S6′ sRef Isa@24 @3 S6′ sRef Isa@24 @5 S6′ sRef Isa@24 @4 S6′ [6] In the same:
The land shall be emptied, the land shall be confounded, the land shall be profaned under its inhabitants; the empty city shall be broken, every house shall be shut, a cry over the wine in the streets, the remnant in the city is a waste, and the gate shall be beaten down even to devastation (Isa. 24:3-5, 10-12).
Here also the devastation of the church is treated of; “the land which is said to be emptied, confounded, and profaned,” is the church; “city” is the truth of doctrine, “house” is its good; “wine, over which there is a cry in the streets,” is the truth of doctrine falsified, over which there is contest and indignation.
sRef Jer@4 @7 S7′ sRef Jer@4 @29 S7′ sRef Jer@4 @28 S7′ sRef Jer@4 @26 S7′ sRef Zeph@3 @6 S7′ sRef Jer@4 @27 S7′ [7] In Zephaniah:
I will cut off the nations; I will desolate their streets, and their cities shall be laid waste (Zeph. 3:6).
Here “nations” are those who are in evils; “to desolate streets” means to desolate truths, and “to lay waste cities” means to lay waste doctrines. In Jeremiah:
The lion is gone up from the thicket, to reduce thy land to a waste; thy cities shall be destroyed; I saw Carmel a wilderness, and all its cities desolate; for this shall the land mourn; the whole city fleeing at the voice of a horseman and of the bowmen; the whole city is forsaken, not a man dwelling therein (Jer. 4:7, 26-29).
The “lion from the thicket” is falsity from evil; “the land” is the church, “cities” are the truths of doctrine; “Carmel” is the spiritual church; “the voice of the horseman and the bowmen,” because of which “the city will flee,” is reasoning and combat from falsities.
sRef Jer@47 @2 S8′ sRef Jer@17 @24 S8′ sRef Jer@48 @8 S8′ sRef Jer@17 @25 S8′ [8] In the same:
The devastator shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; and the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed (Jer. 48:8).
These words describe the total vastation of the church, until nothing of the truth of doctrine shall remain. In the same:
Behold, waters rising up out of the north, which shall become an overflowing brook, and shall overflow the land, the city, and them that dwell therein (Jer. 47:2).
Vastation also is signified by “an overflowing brook.” In the same:
If ye hallow the day of the Sabbath, there shall enter in through the gates of this city kings and princes, riding in chariot and on horses, and this city shall be inhabited to eternity (Jer. 17:24-25).
“Hallowing the Sabbath” in the spiritual sense signifies holy acknowledgment of the Lord’s Divine Human and of His conjunction with heaven and the church; “kings and princes entering in through the gates of the city” signify the truths of the church; “their riding in a chariot and on horses” signifies that they shall be in the truths of doctrine and in intelligence; “the city,” which here is Jerusalem, is the church in respect to doctrine. Such is the spiritual sense of these words; such therefore is the sense in heaven.
sRef Zech@8 @5 S9′ sRef Zech@8 @4 S9′ sRef Zech@8 @3 S9′ [9] In Zechariah:
Thus said Jehovah; I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; whence Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets (Zech. 8:3-5).
Here “Zion” does not mean Zion, nor “Jerusalem” Jerusalem; but “Zion” means the celestial church, and “Jerusalem” that church in respect to the doctrine of truth; therefore it is called “a city of truth;” “the streets of the city” signify the truths of doctrine; “boys and girls playing in the streets” signify the affections of truth and good. (That “Zion” signifies the celestial church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2362, 9055; that “Jerusalem” signifies the church in respect to doctrine, n. 402, 3654, 9166; and in the small work on The New Jerusalem, n. 6; that “streets” signify the truths of doctrine, n. 2336; that “boys and girls” signify the affections of truth and good, in which there is innocence, n. 3067, 3110, 3179, 5236, 6742; that “to play” means what pertains to interior festivity, which is the affection of truth and good, n. 10416.)
sRef Ezek@40 @1 S10′ sRef Rev@21 @2 S10′ sRef Isa@62 @11 S10′ sRef Isa@64 @10 S10′ sRef Matt@4 @5 S10′ sRef Isa@62 @12 S10′ sRef Rev@11 @2 S10′ sRef Isa@60 @14 S10′ [10] Because “Zion” signifies the celestial church, and “Jerusalem” the church in respect to the doctrine of truth, Zion is called “the city of Jehovah,” and Jerusalem is called “the holy city,” “the city of God” and “the city of the great king.” As in Isaiah:
They shall call thee, The city of Jehovah, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel (Isa. 60:14).
In Ezekiel:
The prophet saw upon a high mountain the frame of a city on the south, and an angel measured the wall, the gate, the chambers, the porch of the gate; and the name of the city was Jehovah-is-there (Ezek. 40:1 seq.; 48:35).
In Isaiah:
Behold, Jehovah hath caused it to be heard, even to the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh. And thou shalt be called a city that is sought (Isa. 62:11-12).
In David:
As we have heard so have we seen in the city of Jehovah of hosts, in the city of our God; God will establish it forever (Ps. 48:8).
(What the celestial church is, and what the spiritual church, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28.) These two cities are called “holy cities,” in Isaiah:
Thy holy cities are become a wilderness, Zion is become a wilderness, Jerusalem a waste (Isa. 64:10).
Jerusalem in particular is called “the holy city,” in Revelation:
The nations shall tread down the holy city (Rev. 11:2).
Again:
I saw the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven (Rev. 21:2).
In Matthew:
The devil took Jesus into the holy city (Matt. 4:5).
And in the same:
Coming forth out of the tombs, they entered into the holy city (Matt. 27:53).
sRef Ps@46 @5 S11′ sRef Matt@27 @53 S11′ sRef Matt@5 @35 S11′ sRef Ps@46 @4 S11′ sRef Ps@48 @1 S11′ sRef Ps@48 @2 S11′ [11] Jerusalem was called “the holy city” because it signified the church in respect to the doctrine of truth; and Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is what is called “holy” (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6788, 8302, 9229, 9820, 10361). That city, apart from such representation and consequent signification, was not at all holy, but rather profane, is evident from the Lord’s having been rejected and crucified there; and for this reason it is also called “Sodom and Egypt” (Rev. 11:8). But because it signified the church in respect to the doctrine of truth, it was called not only “the holy city,” but also “the city of God,” and “the city of the great king.” Thus in David:
There is a river, the streams whereof have made glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her (Ps. 46:4-5).
In the same:
Great is Jehovah in the city of our God, beautiful in situation the city of the great king (Ps. 48:1-2).
In Matthew:
Swear not by the earth, for it is the footstool of God’s feet; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king (Matt. 5:35).
Jerusalem was called “the city of God” because “God” in the Word of the Old Testament means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (as may be seen above, n. 220, 222); and it was called “the city of the great king,” because “king” also signifies, in reference to the Lord, Divine truth proceeding from Him (see above, n. 31). From this then it is that Jerusalem is called “the city of truth” (Zechariah 8:3).
[12] In Isaiah:
Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer and Former from the womb, I make void the signs of liars; turning wise men backward, and making their knowledge foolish; saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the desolate places thereof (Isa. 44:24-26).
This treats of the rejection of the church whose doctrine is from self-intelligence, and of the establishment of a new church, whose doctrine is from the Lord. Doctrine from self-intelligence is meant by “I make void the signs of liars, turning wise men backward, and making their knowledge foolish,” and doctrine that is from the Lord by “saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built.”
sRef Jer@7 @34 S13′ sRef Jer@7 @17 S13′ [13] In Jeremiah:
Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, for the land shall become a waste (Jer. 7:17, 34).
Here also “the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem” signify the truths of doctrine; “the voice of joy and the voice of gladness” is delight from the affection of good and truth; “the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride” are those affections themselves; and that these are to cease is meant by “the land shall become a waste;” the “land” is the church.
sRef Isa@19 @19 S14′ sRef Isa@19 @2 S14′ sRef Isa@19 @18 S14′ [14] In Isaiah:
I will commingle Egypt with Egypt that they may fight a man against his brother, and a man against his companion; city against city, kingdom against kingdom. In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak with the lip of Canaan and that swear to Jehovah of Hosts. In that day there shall be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of Egypt (Isa. 19:2, 18-19).
“Egypt” means the natural man and its knowledge [ejus scientificum]; “that they may fight a man against his brother, and a man against his companion,” means against good and truth; “city against city, and kingdom against kingdom,” signifies doctrine against doctrine, and church against church; “in that day” signifies the Lord’s coming, and the state then of those who are natural and in true knowledges [scientificis]; “five cities in the land of Egypt that speak with the lip of Canaan” signify the truths of doctrine in abundance, which are genuine truths of the church, “five” meaning many or in abundance; “cities” truths of doctrine; “the lip of Canaan” genuine truths of the church. “An altar to Jehovah” here signifies worship from the good of love.
sRef Isa@33 @9 S15′ sRef Isa@33 @8 S15′ [15] In the same:
The highways have been laid waste, he that passeth through the way hath ceased; he hath rejected the cities, he regardeth not man. The land mourneth, it languisheth; Lebanon hath faded away (Isa. 33:8-9).
“The highways that have been laid waste, and the way that is not passed through,” are truths leading to heaven, which are truths of the church; “to reject the cities” is to reject the truths of doctrine; “to regard not man” is to regard not truth and good. “The land that mourneth and languisheth” is the church in respect to good; “Lebanon that hath faded away” is the church in respect to truth.
sRef Isa@54 @3 S16′ sRef Isa@54 @1 S16′ sRef Isa@54 @2 S16′ [16] In the same:
Sing, O barren, that did not bear, for more are the sons of the desolate than the sons of the married one. Enlarge the place of thy tent; thy seed shall inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited (Isa. 54:1-3).
“The barren that did not bear” signifies the nations that have not as yet truths from the Word; “the sons of the desolate” are the truths that these will receive; “the sons of the married one” are the truths that are with those who are in the church; “to enlarge the place of the tent” means that their worship is from good; “seed” is truth therefrom; “the nations which the seed will inherit” are goods; and “the cities which shall be inhabited” are the doctrines therefrom.
sRef Jer@32 @42 S17′ sRef Jer@32 @44 S17′ [17] In Jeremiah:
I will bring upon them every good; they shall buy fields with silver, and this by writing in a book, in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountain, and in the cities of the plain, and in the cities of the south (Jer. 32:42, 44; 33:13).
These things are said of those in the church who are in good and in truths therefrom; “to buy fields with silver” is to acquire for themselves the good of the church by means of truths; “to write in a book” is to implant in the life; “the cities of Judah” and “the cities of the mountain” are the truths of doctrine which those have who are of the Lord’s celestial kingdom; “the cities of the plain, and the cities of the south,” are the truths of doctrine which those have who are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom.
sRef Matt@5 @14 S18′ sRef Matt@5 @15 S18′ [18] In Matthew:
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither do they light a lamp and put it under a bushel (Matt. 5:14-15).
These things were said to the disciples, by whom all truths and goods in the complex are signified; therefore it is said, “Ye are the light of the world;” for “light” signifies Divine truth and intelligence therefrom. Because that is what the words signify, “Ye are the light of the world,” therefore it is said, “A city that is set on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither can a lamp be lighted and be put under a bushel;” for “a city set on a mountain” signifies the truth of doctrine from the good of love; and “a lamp” signifies in general truth from good and intelligence therefrom.
sRef Matt@12 @25 S19′ [19] In the same:
Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city and house divided against itself standeth not (Matt. 12:25).
“Kingdom,” in the spiritual sense, signifies the church; “city” and “house” the truth and good of its doctrine, which do not stand but fall, if they do not unanimously agree.
[20] In the same:
Jesus sends forth the twelve disciples, saying to them, Go not off into the way of the nations, and enter not into a city of the Samaritans; go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt. 10:5-6).
“The way of the nations” into which they were not to go off, signifies falsity from evil; “a city of the Samaritans” into which they were not to enter, signifies the false doctrine of those who reject the Lord; “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” signify those who are in the good of charity and in faith therefrom, “Israel” meaning all such wherever they may be. “A city of the Samaritans” signifies the false doctrine of those who reject the Lord, because the Samaritans did not receive Him (as may be seen in Luke 9:52-56).
sRef Matt@10 @23 S21′ [21] In the same:
Jesus said, When they persecute you in one city they should flee**** into another (Matt. 10:23).
Here also by “city” is meant the doctrine of falsity from evil; that where this doctrine is the doctrine of truth will not be admitted, is meant by “when they persecute you in one city flee ye into another.”
[22] In Luke:
Then the master of the house being angry, said to his servants, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor and maimed and blind and halt (Luke 14:21).
“Their going out into the streets and lanes of the city” signifies that they should enquire where those are who receive the truths of the doctrine; for “streets” and “lanes” are the truths of doctrine (as above); and “city” means doctrine. The “poor,” “the maimed,” “the halt,” and “the blind,” signify those who are not in truths and goods, and yet long for them. (Who are signified specifically by “the poor,” who by “the maimed,” “the halt,” and “the blind,” may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 107, from Arcana Coelestia.)
sRef Luke@19 @13 S23′ sRef Luke@19 @15 S23′ sRef Luke@19 @14 S23′ sRef Luke@19 @16 S23′ sRef Luke@19 @17 S23′ sRef Luke@19 @18 S23′ sRef Luke@19 @19 S23′ sRef Luke@19 @12 S23′ [23] In the same:
A certain nobleman going into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, gave to his servants ten pounds for trading; when he returned, he commanded the servants to be called. The first came, saying, Thy pound hath gained ten pounds. He said to him, good servant, because thou hast been faithful over the least, thou shalt have authority over ten cities. Then the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath made five pounds. He said to him, Be thou also over five cities (Luke 20:12-19 seq.).
These words signify, in the spiritual sense, much more than can be expressed in a few words; let it be noted merely that by “cities” here are not meant cities but the doctrinals of truth and good; and by “having authority over them” intelligence and wisdom are meant; by “ten” much, and by “five” some. (That “ten” in the Word signifies much, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1988, 3107, 4638, 9757; and that “five” signifies some, n. 4638, 9604.) From this it can now be seen that “the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from My God,” signifies the doctrine of the new church, which is in the heavens. (This doctrine is also given in a separate small work, entitled The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine.)
* The Latin has “broken”; the Greek “made.”
** The Latin has “broken”; the Greek “made,” as found in Arcana Coelestia, n. 5120.
*** The Hebrew has “way” for “life,” as found in Arcana Coelestia, n. 2708, 3708.
**** For “they should flee” the Greek has “flee ye.”

sRef Rev@3 @12 S0′ sRef John@12 @28 S0′ 224. And My new name, signifies that they will also acknowledge the Lord’s Divine Human. This is evident from the signification of “I will write upon him My new name,” as being that they will acknowledge the Lord’s Divine Human. “To write upon one” is to implant in the life (see above, n. 222), here to implant in the faith that is from charity, because that faith is treated of in what is written to the angel of this church (see above, n. 203); and to implant in that faith is to acknowledge in heart. “The Lord’s new name” is His Divine Human, because this prophetic book, which is called Revelation, treats of those who will be in the New Jerusalem, and of those who will not, and not of the successive states of the church as is believed (see above, n. 5); and those who will be in the New Jerusalem are all who will acknowledge the Lord’s Divine Human. It is therefore also said at the end of The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem:
That there is a trine in the Lord, namely, the Divine Itself, the Divine Human, and the proceeding Divine, is an arcanum from heaven, and is for those who will be in the holy Jerusalem (n. 297).
It can be seen that this is “the Lord’s new name,” since this truth was not before acknowledged in the church. What besides this is meant in the Word by “the name of Jehovah,” “the name of the Lord,” and “the name of Jesus Christ,” can be seen above (n. 26, 102, 135, 148); and that the Lord’s Divine Human is meant (n. 26, 102). This is meant by “the name of Jehovah,” because “name” in the Word signifies the quality of a state and of a thing (see above, n. 148), and the Divine quality by which all things were created and made in the heavens and on earth, is the Lord’s Divine Human, as is said in John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the world was made through Him. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-3, 10, 14).
From this it can be seen why “the name of Jehovah” means the Lord’s Divine Human. That this is meant in the Word by “the name of Jehovah” the Lord Himself shows in John:
Jesus said, Father, glorify Thy name. And there came a voice out of heaven, saying, I have glorified it, and will glorify it again (John 12:28).
To “glorify” is to make Divine. In the same:
Jesus said, I have manifested Thy name unto men, and I have made known unto them Thy name, and will make it known (John 17:6, 26).

sRef Rev@3 @13 S0′ 225. Verse 13. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches, signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church, as is evident from what was said above (n. 108), where there are like words.

sRef Rev@3 @20 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @18 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @19 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @17 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @22 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @15 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @16 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @21 S0′ 226. Verses 14-22. And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the working of God. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; would that thou wert cold or hot. So because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to vomit thee out of My mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked: I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried by fire, that thou mayest be enriched, and white garments that thou mayest be clothed, that the shame of thy nakedness be not manifest, and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou mayest see. As many as I love I reprove and chasten; be zealous, therefore, and repent. Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. He that overcometh I will give to him to sit with Me in My throne, as I also have overcome and sit with My Father in His Throne. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 14. “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,” signifies those who are in faith alone, thus those who are in faith separate from charity (n. 227); “These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness,” signifies from whom is every truth and everything of faith (n. 228); “the beginning of the working of God,” signifies faith from Him, which in appearance is the first thing of the church (n. 229). 15. “I know thy works,” signifies the life of faith alone (n. 230); “that thou art neither cold nor hot,” signifies that it is between heaven and hell, because it is apart from charity (n. 231); “would that thou wert cold or hot,” signifies that it were better that there should be no faith or that there should be charity alone (n. 232). 16. “So because thou art lukewarm,” signifies those who live according to the doctrine of faith alone and of justification by faith (n. 233); “and neither cold nor hot,” signifies that they are between heaven and hell, because they are without charity (n. 234); “I am about to vomit thee out of My mouth,” signifies separation from the knowledges from the Word (n. 235). 17. “Because thou sayest, I am rich and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing,” signifies their faith that they believe themselves to be in truths more than others (n. 236); “and knowest not that thou art wretched,” signifies that they do not know that their falsities have no coherence with truths (n. 237); “and miserable and poor,” signifies that they do not know that they have neither knowledges of truth nor knowledges of good (n. 238); “and blind and naked,” signifies that they are without the understanding of truth, and without the understanding and will of good (n. 239, 240). 18. “I counsel thee,” signifies the means of reformation of those who are in the doctrine of faith alone (n. 241); “to buy of Me gold tried by fire, that thou mayest be enriched,” signifies that they should acquire for themselves from the Lord genuine good, that they may be able to receive the truths of faith (n. 242); “and white garments, that thou mayest be clothed,” signifies genuine truths and intelligence therefrom (n. 243); “that the shame of thy nakedness be not manifest,” signifies that filthy loves may not appear (n. 244); “and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou mayest see,” signifies that the understanding may be somewhat opened (n. 245). 19. “As many as I love I reprove and chasten,” signifies temptations then (n. 246); “be zealous, therefore, and repent,” signifies that they must have charity (n. 247). 20. “Behold I stand at the door and knock,” signifies the perpetual presence of the Lord (n. 248); “if anyone hear My voice,” signifies if one attends to the Lord’s precepts (n. 249); “and open the door,” signifies reception in the heart or the life (n. 250); “I will come in to him,” signifies conjunction (n. 251); “and will sup with him, and he with Me,” signifies the communication to them of the felicities of heaven (n. 252). 21. “He that overcometh I will give to him to sit with Me in My throne,” signifies that he who is steadfast to the end of life shall be conjoined with heaven where the Lord is (n. 253); “as I also have overcome and sit with My Father in His throne,” signifies comparatively as Divine good is united to Divine truth in heaven (n. 254). 22.”He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches,” signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church (n. 255).

sRef Rev@3 @14 S0′ 227. Verse 14. And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, signifies those who are in faith alone, thus those who are in faith separate from charity. This is evident from the internal or spiritual sense of all things that are written to the angel of this church; for the essential of the church that is described in what is written to each of the churches, is made evident only from the internal sense; for these are prophecies; and all prophecies, like all things else in the Word, are written by correspondences, to the end that by means of these there may be conjunction of heaven with the church. Conjunction is effected by means of correspondences; for heaven, or the angels in heaven, understand spiritually all those things that man understands naturally, and between natural and spiritual things there is a perpetual correspondence, and by means of correspondences there is conjunction like that between soul and body. On this account the Word is written in the style that it is; otherwise there would be no soul within it, consequently no heaven within it; and if heaven were not in it, the Divine would not be in it. For this reason then it is said that from the internal or spiritual sense of all things in what is written to each church, it is made manifest what essential of the church is meant; thus that what is written to the angel of this church treats of those who are in faith alone, that is, in faith separate from charity. It is said faith separate from charity, by which is meant faith separate from the life, for charity is of the life; consequently when faith has been separated from the life, it is not in the man but outside of him; for whatever has place in the memory only, and is taken up from the memory into the thought, without entering into man’s will and from the will into act, that is not within man but outside of him; for the memory, and thought therefrom, is only as a court, through which there is entrance into the house; the house is the will. Such is faith alone, or faith separate from charity. Moreover, what this faith is may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 108-122; also in The small work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-39; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 270, 271, 364, 482, 526. Also above, in the Explanation of Revelation, n. 204, 211-213. Moreover, what charity is and what the neighbor is, in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 84-107; in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13-19, 528-535; and above, in the Explanation, n. 182, 198, 213.)

sRef Rev@3 @14 S0′ 228. These things saith the Amen, the faithful and the Witness, signifies from whom is every truth and everything of faith. This is evident from the signification of “amen,” as being verity or truth (of which presently); also from the signification of “the faithful and true Witness,” as being, in reference to the Lord, everything of faith from Him; “for witness,” in reference to the Lord signifies Divine truth which is from Him, and therefore everything of faith, for faith is of truth and truth is of faith. Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is called “a witness,” because it is His Divine in heaven and in the church in which He is, and which is Himself there; for this proceeds from His Divine Human and fills the whole heaven and forms and makes it; and from this it is that heaven in the whole complex resembles one man. Because Divine truth is from that source and is such, it is called “a witness;” for it bears witness respecting the Lord’s Divine Human, and makes it clear with all who receive the Divine truth from Him. From this it is that the angels of the higher heavens do not and cannot perceive any other Divine than the Lord’s Divine Human, and this from the influx of the whole heaven into their minds. From this it can be seen why, in reference to the Lord, “witness” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth in heaven and in the church; and why “to bear witness,” in reference to those who receive Divine truth from the Lord, signifies to acknowledge in heart the Lord’s Divine in His Human (see above, n. 27. That heaven as a whole and in every part resembles one man, and that this is from the Lord’s Divine Human, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 59-86, seq., 101; and that the Divine that proceeds from the Lord, which forms heaven, and forms angels into the image of heaven, is Divine truth, n. 13, 133, 138-140).
sRef John@15 @26 S2′ sRef John@16 @15 S2′ sRef John@16 @14 S2′ sRef John@16 @13 S2′ [2] This Divine truth is called by the Lord “the Comforter, the Spirit of truth,” about which it is said that it should “bear Witness of Him,” and that it is “from Him;” that it bears witness of Him, in John :
When the Comforter is come, the Spirit of truth, He shall bear witness of Me (John 15:26).
And that it is from Him, in the same:
The Comforter, the Spirit of truth, shall guide you into all the truth; for He shall not speak from Himself, but whatsoever things He shall hear, He shall speak. He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall declare it unto you. All things whatsoever the Father hath are Mine; therefore said I, He shall take of Mine and shall declare it unto you (John 16:13-15).
That Divine truth is from the Lord, is meant by “He shall not speak from Himself, but He shall take of Mine, and shall declare it unto you;” and that Divine truth is from the Lord’s Divine Human is meant by “All things whatsoever the Father hath are Mine, therefore said I that He shall take of Mine, and shall declare it unto you;” and that Divine truth manifests the Lord’s Divine Human is meant by “He shall glorify Me;” “to glorify” is to make known the Lord’s Divine Human. (That “to glorify,” in reference to the Lord means this, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 294.)
aRef John@1 @51 S3′ sRef John@16 @8 S3′ sRef John@16 @7 S3′ [3] The like is signified by these words of the Lord:
I tell you the truth; it is expedient that I go away; if I go, I will send the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, unto you (John 16:7, 8).
From this it is clear that Divine truth is from the Lord’s Divine Human. The Lord calls Himself the “Amen,” because “amen” signifies verity, thus the Lord Himself, because when He was in the world He was Divine verity itself, or Divine truth itself. It was for this reason that He so often said “Amen,” and “amen, amen [verily, verily]” (as in Matt. 5:18, 26; 6:16; 10:23, 42; 17:20; 18:3, 13, 18; 24:2; 28:20; John 1:51; 3:11; 5:19, 24, 25; 6:26, 32, 47, 53; 8:34, 51, 58; 10:1, 7; 12:24; 13:16, 20, 21; 21:18, 25).
sRef John@17 @19 S4′ [4] That the Lord was Divine truth itself when He was in the world, He teaches in John:
I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
In the same:
For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth (John 17:19).
That “holy” in the Word is predicated of Divine truth, and “to be sanctified [made holy]” is predicated of those who receive Divine truth, see above (n. 204); therefore the Lord’s sanctifying Himself [making Himself holy], is making His Human to be Divine. (But on these things more may be seen shown in The Arcana Coelestia, in the quotations therefrom in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 303-306.) Moreover, that “Amen” signifies Divine confirmation, see above (n. 34); as also in the Old Testament (Deut. 27:15-26; 1 Kings 1:36; Isa. 65:16; Jer. 11:5; 28:6; Ps. 41:13; 72:19; 89:52; 106:48).

sRef Rev@3 @14 S0′ 229. The beginning of the working of God signifies faith from Him, which in appearance is the first thing of the church. This is evident from the signification of “beginning,” as being the first; and from the signification of “the working of God,” as being the church (of which presently). Faith is what is meant by “the beginning of the working of God,” for this is the subject treated of in what is written to the angel of this church; but that faith is “the beginning of the working of God,” that is, in appearance the first thing of the church, shall now be explained. By faith here is meant faith from the Lord, for faith not from the Lord is not the faith of the church; but faith from the Lord is the faith of charity. This faith is in appearance the first thing of the church, because it is the first to appear to the man of the church. But charity itself is actually the first thing of the church, because this is what makes the church with man.
[2] There are two things that make the church, charity and faith. Charity is of affection, and faith is of thought therefrom. Affection is the very essence of thought, for apart from affection no one can think; everything of life that is in thought is from affection. From this it is clear that the first thing of the church is the affection that is of charity or love. But faith is called the first thing of the church because it is the first to appear; for what a man believes, that he thinks, and by thought sees; but that whereby he is spiritually affected he does not think, and therefore does not see in thought, but he perceives it by a certain sensation that has no relation to sight, but to another feeling called the feeling of enjoyment. This enjoyment, as it is spiritual and is above the sense of natural enjoyment, man does not perceive, except when he has become spiritual, that is, when he has been regenerated by the Lord. For this reason the things that are of faith, and thus of sight, are believed to be the first things of the church, although they are not first except in appearance. This therefore is called “the beginning of the working of God,” because the Word in the letter is according to appearance, since it is for the simple. But spiritual men, like the angels, are lifted above appearances, and perceive the Word as it is in its internal sense; consequently they perceive that charity is the first thing of the church, and that faith is therefrom; for as was said above, the faith that is not from charity and that is not of charity, is not faith (about which, see also in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-39).
[3] Even from ancient times, what the first thing of the church is, whether faith or charity, has been a disputed point; and those who have not known what charity is have declared that faith is the first things; but those who have known what charity is have declared that charity is the first thing, and that faith is charity in its manifestation, since the affection of charity made manifest to sight in thought, is faith; for when the delight of affection passes from the will into the thought it takes form, and presents itself to view in a variety of forms. This the simple have not apprehended, consequently they have taken that which appeared before the sight of their thought to be the first thing of the church; and because the Word in the letter is according to appearances, this therefore is there called “the first,” “the beginning,” and “the firstborn.” For the same reason, Peter, by whom the faith of the church was represented, was called the first of the apostles; when yet John was the first, because by “John” the good of charity was represented. That John, not Peter, was the first of the apostles, is clear from this, that it was John who leaned on the breast of the Lord, and that he, and not Peter, followed the Lord (John 21:20-22). (That the twelve disciples of the Lord represented all the truths and goods of the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2199, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397; that Peter represented faith, n. 4738, 6000, 6073, 6344, 10087, 10580; and that John represented the good of charity, n. 3934, 6073, 10087).
[4] For the same reason, by Reuben also, because he was the firstborn of the sons of Jacob, faith was represented, and it was believed that the tribe that had its name from him was the first; but yet that tribe was not the first, but the tribe of Levi, since by Levi the good of charity was represented; and for this reason the tribe of Levi was appointed to the priesthood, and the priesthood is the first of the church. (That the twelve sons of Jacob, or the twelve tribes named from them, represented all the truths and goods of the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335, 7836, 7891, 7996; that Reuben represented faith, n. 3861, 3866, 4605, 4731, 4734, 4761, 6342-6345; and that Levi represented the good of charity, n. 3875, 4497, 4502, 4503.) For the same reason in the first chapter of Genesis, where in the sense of the letter the creation of heaven and earth is treated of, but in the internal sense the new creation or regeneration of the man of the church at that time, it is said that light was first made, and afterwards the sun and the moon (see verses 3-5, 14-19); when yet the sun is first, and light is from it. Light was said to be the first of creation, because “light” signifies the truth of faith, and “the sun and moon” the good of love and of charity. (That by the creation of heaven and earth in the first chapter of Genesis, in the spiritual sense, the new creation of the man of the celestial church, or his regeneration, is meant and described, see the explanation of that chapter in The Arcana Coelestia, also n. 8891, 9942, 10545. That “light” signifies truth from good, thus also the truth of faith, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140; and that “the sun” signifies the good of love, and “the moon” the good of charity, both from the Lord, in the same work, n. 116-125, 146.) From this it can now be seen what “the beginning of the working of God” signifies, namely, faith from the Lord, which in appearance is the first thing of the church.

sRef Rev@3 @15 S0′ 230. Verse 15. I know thy works, signifies the life of faith alone. This is evident from the signification of “works,” as being the things that are of man’s interior life, for works proceed from these and are their effects (see above n. 157-185); here, therefore, they signify the life of faith alone, because this is treated of in what is written to this church. To each of the churches it is said first, “I know thy works,” and in every case “works” signify the things of the church there treated of (see above, n. 98); therefore what now follows describes what the life of faith alone is or the life of faith separate from charity.

sRef Rev@3 @15 S0′ 231. That thou art neither cold nor hot, signifies that it is between heaven and hell, because it is without charity. This is evident from the signification of “cold,” as meaning to be not in spiritual love but in infernal love (of which presently); also from the signification of “hot,” as meaning to be in spiritual love (of which also presently). From this it is clear that “to be neither cold nor hot” signifies to be neither in infernal love nor in spiritual love, but between the two, and he who is between the two is between hell and heaven.
[2] That those who are in faith alone, or in faith separate from charity, are in this state, has not been known; but it is evident that they are so, from the particulars of what is written to the angel of this church, and moreover from this, that those who are in faith separate from charity live for themselves, the world, and appetite, and those who so live are in infernal love; and yet these, by reading the Word, by hearing discourses therefrom, by receiving the Holy Supper, and by many things from the Word that they merely retain in the memory, look towards heaven; and when they do this, they are in some spiritual heat; but yet because this is not spiritual heat, or spiritual love, since they do not live according to the Word; consequently they are neither hot nor cold. Moreover, they thus draw the mind in two directions, for by the things that are from the Word they turn themselves towards heaven, and by the things that are of the life they turn themselves towards hell, thus they halt between the two. When such as these come into the other life, they are eager for heaven, saying, that they have had faith, have read the Word, heard sermons, often attended the Holy Supper, and by these things ought to be saved. But when their life is explored, it is seen to be altogether infernal, that is, they have made enmities, hatred, revenge, craft, deceitful devices, of no account, and when they did what was upright, sincere, and just, it was only in the external form for the sake of appearing such before the world, whilst within themselves, or in their spirit, they had other thoughts, and many opposite thoughts, believing that thoughts and intentions are of no account providing they do not become manifest to the world. For this reason their spirit becomes such when freed from the ties of the earthly body; for it is the spirit of man that thinks and purposes.
sRef Matt@7 @22 S3′ sRef Luke@13 @25 S3′ sRef Matt@7 @23 S3′ sRef Luke@13 @27 S3′ sRef Luke@13 @26 S3′ [3] These are meant by the Lord’s words in Matthew:
Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied by Thy name, and by Thy name cast out demons, and in Thy name done many mighty works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity (Matt. 7:22-23).
Also by these words in Luke:
When ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and He shall answer and say, I know you not whence ye are; then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk before Thee, and Thou hast taught in our streets. But He shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity (Luke 13:25-27).
[4] “Cold” signifies infernal love, because “heat” signifies heavenly love. (That “heat” signifies heavenly love, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140, 567, 568; and that love to the Lord, and love toward the neighbor or charity are heavenly loves, and make heaven, n. 13-19; and that the love of self and the love of the world are infernal loves and constitute hell, n. 551-565. That in the hells also there is heat, but unclean, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1773, 2757, 3340; and that that heat is turned into cold when heavenly heat flows in, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 572.)

sRef Rev@3 @15 S0′ 232. Would that thou wert cold or hot, signifies that it were better that there should be no faith or that there should be charity alone. This is evident from the signification of “would that thou wert cold,” as being that it were better that there should be no faith (of which below); and from the signification of “or hot,” as being that there should be charity alone. What charity alone is, will be shown presently; first let it be shown what no faith is. Those who are in the doctrine of faith alone have, indeed, no faith, but this means no spiritual faith, or no faith of the church; yet they have a natural faith, which may be called a persuasive faith. For they believe that the Word is divine, they believe in eternal life, in the remission of sins, and in many other things; but with those who are without charity, this belief is a persuasive faith which, regarded in itself, is not different from a belief in things not known, which are heard from others in the world and believed in, although neither seen nor understood, but because they were said by someone thought worthy of credit. This is not one’s own faith, but another’s faith within oneself; and such a faith, if not made our own by seeing and understanding, is not unlike the faith that one born blind and whose sense of touch is dull might have regarding colors and objects of sight in the world, of which he has an extraneous idea that no one knows but himself. This is what is called historical faith, and is not at all a spiritual faith, such as the faith of the church must be. Spiritual faith, or the faith of the church, is wholly from charity, so that in its essence it is charity; moreover, to those who are in charity, things spiritual that are believed appear in light. This I say from experience; for everyone who has lived in charity in the world sees in the other life his truths that he believes, while those who have been in faith alone, see nothing at all.
[2] Yet still faith merely historical has a kind of conjunction with heaven through thought about God, heaven, and eternal life, but only through obscure thought, and not through the affection, which is of charity, for of this it has none. Such therefore, through the affection they have, which is the affection of the love of self and the world, are conjoined to hell. From this it can be seen that such are between heaven and hell, for they look with their eyes towards heaven, and with the heart towards hell. To do this is profanation, and the lot of profaners in the other life is the worst of all. To profane is to believe in God, in the Word, in eternal life, and in many things taught in the sense of the letter of the Word, and still to live contrary to them.
[3] It is for this reason then that it is said, “would that thou wert cold or hot;” for he who is cold, that is, without faith, does not profane; neither does he who is hot, that is, who has charity alone. (What profanation is and the nature of it, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 169, 172; and what and of what nature the persuasive faith is, n. 116-119; also, that there is no spiritual faith where there is no charity, in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-39.) It shall now be told briefly what charity alone is. Charity regarded in itself is a spiritual affection, but charity alone is natural affection, and not spiritual; for charity itself, which is spiritual affection, is formed by truths from the Word, and so far as it is formed by these, so far it is spiritual. But charity alone, which is natural affection, is not formed by any truths from the Word, but exists with man from hearing discourses, without giving heed to truths or learning them; therefore charity alone is without faith, for faith is of truth, and truth is of faith.

sRef Rev@3 @16 S0′ 233. Verse 16. So because thou art lukewarm, signifies those who live according to the doctrine of faith alone and of justification by faith. This is evident from the signification of “lukewarm,” as being those who are between heaven and hell, and thereby serve two masters. That those who think, believe, and live according to the doctrine of faith alone and justification by faith are such, has not yet been known; it shall therefore be made clear. With men of the church, there are two states of faith and of life therefrom, or of life and of faith therefrom; one is from doctrine, the other from the Word or from preachings from the Word. That there are these two states hardly anyone knows; yet that there are these two and that with some they act as one, and with many others they do not act as one, has been granted me to see and know through living experience with spirits recently from the world, since these carry with them all the states of their life. But so long as men live in the world this cannot be seen and known, since what man’s spirit in itself thinks, believes, and loves, in spiritual things, cannot be disclosed to anyone except by speech and outward deeds; and these, as to those things which are of faith, proceed either from the doctrine received in the church, or from the Lord’s precepts out of the Word without thought from doctrine. The former is true of the learned, the latter of the simple.
[2] What, therefore, the state of thought, faith, and life from doctrine is, shall first be said. The doctrine of the churches in the Christian world at this day declares that faith alone saves, and that the life of love is of no avail; also that when a man has received faith he is righteous, and that when he is thus justified nothing of evil can thenceforth be imputed to him; consequently, that any man is saved, even a wicked man, if he only has faith, or receives faith, though it be in the last hour of life. Those, therefore, who think and live from doctrine omit good works, because they believe that these do not affect a man, or contribute to his salvation. They are also unconcerned about evils of their thought and will, whether they be contempt of others in comparison with themselves, or enmities, hatreds, revenge, craft, deceits, and other like evils, because they believe that such evils are not imputed to those who have been justified by faith; saying in heart that they are not under the yoke of the law because the Lord fulfilled the law for them, nor under condemnation because the Lord took this upon Himself. From this then it is, that those who think, live, and believe according to the doctrine of faith alone and justification, do not look to God in their life, but only to self and the world; and those who in the course of their life look only to self and the world join themselves to the hells, for all who are in the hells make good and evil of no account. In a word, to live according to that doctrine is to confirm oneself in life that it is all the same to think, will, and do good, since this does not save, and also that it is the same to think, will, and so far as they have no fear of the law, do evil, since this does not damn, provided one has the confidence or trust, which is called saving faith (see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 115). These are evidently the “lukewarm” since they think, speak, and preach about God, the Lord, the Word, eternal life, whenever they are thinking, talking, or preaching from this doctrine, but give no thought to these subjects when they think or talk apart from doctrine. By such thought they look to heaven, but by their life they join themselves to hell; consequently they are between heaven and hell, and those who are between the two are “lukewarm.” Thus much about the state of faith and of life therefrom with those within the church, when their state is from doctrine.
[3] Something shall now be said about the state of faith and of life therefrom with men of the church, when it is from the Word. The greater part of those born within the churches where the doctrine of faith alone and of justification by faith is received, do not know what faith alone is, nor what is meant by justification; when, therefore, they hear those things preached, they think that a life according to the commandment of God in the Word is meant, for they believe that this is faith and also justification, not entering more deeply into the mysteries of doctrine. And when these are taught about faith alone and justification by faith, they believe no otherwise, than that faith alone is to think about God and salvation, and how they ought to live; and that justification is to live before God. All within the church who are saved are kept by the Lord in this state of thought and faith, and after their departure from this world they are illustrated in truths, for they are capable of receiving instruction. But those who have lived according to the doctrine of faith alone and justification by faith (of whom above), become blind, for the reason that faith alone is no faith, and therefore justification by faith alone is a thing of nought. (That faith alone is no faith, see in The little work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-39.)
[4] From this it can be seen who are meant by “the lukewarm,” namely, those who say in heart, What does it signify if I think, will, and do good, since this does not save? it is enough to have faith. Again, What does it signify if I think and will evil, since this does not damn? Thus they relax all restraints to their thoughts and intentions, that is, to their spirit, for it is the spirit that thinks and intends, and doing is wholly in agreement herewith. But it should be known that there are very few who thus live according to doctrine, although it is believed by the preachers that all do so who listen to their preachings. For it is of the Divine providence of the Lord that there are very few such, for the reason that the lot of the “lukewarm” is not unlike that of profaners, and their lot is, that after their life in the world, all that they have known from the Word is taken away from them, and they are then left to the thought and love of their spirit. And when the thought that they had from the Word is taken away, they become the most stupid of all; and they appear in the light of heaven like burnt skeletons covered over with some skin. (Of profanation, and the lot of those who profane, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 172.)

sRef Rev@3 @16 S0′ 234. And neither cold nor hot, signifies that they are between heaven and hell, because they are without charity, as is evident from what was said and shown above (n. 231).

sRef Rev@3 @16 S0′ 235. I am about to vomit thee out of My mouth, signifies separation from the knowledges from the Word. This is evident from the signification of “vomiting out,” when said by the Lord, as being separation; not that the Lord separates them from Himself, but they separate themselves from the Lord. It is said “to vomit out,” because the “lukewarm” are treated of, and in the world what is lukewarm produces vomiting. And this is also from correspondence; for the food that man takes corresponds to knowledges, and thence in the Word signifies knowledges; therefore separation from knowledges means non-admission; but as those here treated of do admit something from the Word, it means ejection or vomiting. (That “food,” from correspondence, signifies knowledges and intelligence therefrom, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5410, 5426, 5576, 5582, 5588, 5655, 8562; for the reason that knowledges nourish the internal man or spirit, as food nourishes the external man or body, n. 4459, 5293, 5576, 6277, 8418.) This is evident also from the signification of “out of My mouth,” as being, in reference to the Lord, out of the Word. “Out of the mouth” signifies, in reference to the Lord, out of the Word, because the Word is Divine truth, and this proceeds from the Lord, and what proceeds from the Lord and flows in with man is said to be “out of the mouth,” although it is not from the mouth, but is like light from the sun. For the Lord is seen above the heavens where the angels are as a sun, and light therefrom is Divine truth, from which angels and men have all their intelligence and wisdom (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125, 126-140). From this it can be seen that “I will vomit thee out of My mouth” signifies to separate from Divine truth, or what is the same, from the knowledges from the Word.
[2] That those who are “lukewarm,” that is, “neither cold nor hot,” who are those that live according to the doctrine of faith alone and justification by faith (of which just above), are separated from the knowledges from the Word, is not known to themselves, for they believe that they are in knowledges more than others; but they are not, yea, they are in scarcely any knowledge; and this for the reason that the principles of their doctrine and religion are false, and from false principles nothing results but falsities; when therefore they read the Word, they keep their minds in their falsities, and as a consequence, either they do not see truths, or if they see them they pass them by or falsify them. These false principles are, that salvation is by faith alone, and that man is justified by faith. That they are separated from the knowledges from the Word and that they do not see truths therein, they may know if they will; for what is more frequently declared by the Lord, than that they ought to do His words, His commandments, His will, and that everyone shall be recompensed according to his deeds; also that the whole Word is based upon two commandments, which are to love God, and to love the neighbor; also that loving God is doing His commandments (John 14:21, 23, 24)? What men must do in order to be saved is said a thousand times in each Testament, also that hearing and knowing are nothing without doing. But do those who have confirmed themselves in faith alone and justification by faith, see these things? And if they see them do they not falsify them? Consequently they have no doctrine of life, but a doctrine of faith alone; when yet, life makes the man of the church, and those things come to be of his faith which are of his life.
[3] That such persons are separated from the knowledges from the Word, can be seen also from this, that they are not aware that they are to live as men after the death of the body; that they have a spirit that lives; that heaven is from the human race, and hell also; that they know nothing at all about heaven and heavenly joy; nothing about hell and infernal fire; thus nothing about the spiritual world; nothing about the internal or spiritual sense of the Word; nothing about the glorification of the Lord’s Human; nothing about regeneration; nothing about temptation; about baptism, what it involves; about the Holy Supper, and what the flesh and blood, or the bread and wine in it signify; nothing about free will; nothing about the internal man; nothing about charity, about the neighbor, about good, about love; neither do they know what the remission of sins is; and many other things. Moreover, I have heard angels say that when they are permitted to look into the church, and to see those who believe themselves to be intelligent from doctrine, that they see nothing but mere thick darkness, and those so believing are seen as if deep down under waters.
sRef Isa@19 @14 S4′ [4] These are separated from the knowledges from the Word for two reasons; first, because they cannot be illustrated by the Lord, for the Lord flows into man’s good, and from that illustrates him in truths, that is, He flows into man’s love and therefrom into his faith; secondly, because they profane truths by falsifications, and those who do this are separated from truths themselves while they live in the world, that they may not know them, but in the other life they cast away from themselves all things they knew from the Word while in the world. Both these separations are meant by “being vomited out of the mouth.” Like things are meant by “vomiting” and “vomit” elsewhere in the Word; as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Jehovah hath mingled a spirit of perversities in the midst of Egypt; whence they have led Egypt astray in every work thereof, even as a drunkard goeth astray in his vomit (Isa. 19:14).
“Egypt” signifies the knowledge [scientia] of things, both spiritual and natural; “mingling the spirit of perversities in the midst thereof” signifies to pervert and falsify these things; “a drunkard” signifies those who are insane in spiritual things; and as truths mingled with falsities are cast out, it is said “as a drunkard goeth astray in his vomit.” (That “Egypt” signifies knowledge [scientia], see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 5700, 5702, 6015, 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692, 7296; also the knowledges [scientifica] of the church, n. 7296, 9340, 9391; that “drunkards” signify those who are insane in spiritual things, n. 1072.)
sRef Jer@25 @27 S5′ sRef Jer@48 @26 S5′ [5] In Jeremiah:
Drink ye, and be drunken, and vomit and fall, and rise not because of the sword (Jer. 25:27).
“To drink and be drunken” is to drink in falsities and mix them with truths, and thence to be insane; “to vomit and fall” is altogether to cast out things falsified; “the sword,” because of which they shall not rise, signifies falsity destroying and laying waste truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2799, 4499, 7102); which shows clearly what is meant by “vomiting and falling.” In the same:
Make Moab drunken, for he hath magnified himself against Jehovah, that he may clap the hands in his vomit (Jer. 48:26).
“Moab” signifies those who adulterate the goods of the church, therefore “vomiting” is predicated of them.
sRef Hab@2 @16 S6′ sRef Hab@2 @15 S6′ [6] In Habakkuk:
Woe unto him that maketh his companion to drink even making him drunken, that thou mayest look upon their nakednesses. Thou shalt be satiated with disgrace instead of glory; drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered; the cup of Jehovah shall go about unto thee, and disgraceful vomiting shall be on thy glory (Hab. 2:15-16).
“To drink even making him drunken” also signifies to drink in truths and mix them with falsities; the “nakednesses” upon which they look, signify the deprivation of truth and of intelligence therefrom (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1073, 5433, 9960). The “foreskin that shall be uncovered” signifies the defilement of good (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2056, 3412, 3413, 4462, 7225, 7245); “glory” signifies Divine truth, thus the Word (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429); which shows what is meant by “disgraceful vomiting upon their glory.”
sRef Isa@28 @7 S7′ sRef Isa@28 @8 S7′ sRef Isa@28 @9 S7′ [7] In Isaiah:
These err through wine, through strong drink they are gone astray; the priest and the prophet err through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they err among the seeing, they stumble in judgment; yea, even all tables are full of the vomit of filthiness; there is no place. Whom shall he teach knowledge? (Isa. 28:7-9).
Here “wine” and “strong drink,” by which they err, signify truths mixed with falsities; “priest” and “prophet” signify those who teach goods and truths, and in an abstract sense, the goods and truths of the church; “the seeing” among whom they err signify those who might be about to see truths; “to stumble in judgment” signifies insanity; “tables” signify all things that should nourish spiritual life, for tables mean the food that is on them, and “food” signifies all truths and goods, because these are what nourish spiritual life; therefore “tables full of the vomit of filthiness” signify the same things falsified and adulterated.
sRef Lev@18 @28 S8′ sRef Lev@18 @24 S8′ sRef Lev@18 @25 S8′ [8] In Moses:
Defile not yourselves with any of these things; for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you; whence the land is defiled; and the land hath vomited out her inhabitants; thus the land will not vomit you out, as it vomited out the nations that were before you (Lev. 18:24-25, 28).
Adulteries of every kind are here treated of, by which in the spiritual sense all kinds of adulterations of good and falsifications of truth or profanations are meant; and as it is not possible for evils and goods, nor for the falsities of evil and the truths of good to exist together without being cast out, therefore it is said that “the land,” that is, the church, “hath vomited them out.” From this it can be seen what is signified by “vomiting out.”

sRef Rev@3 @17 S0′ 236. Verse 17. Because thou sayest I am rich, and have gotten riches and have need of nothing, signifies their faith that they believe themselves to be in truths more than others. This is evident from the signification of “saying,” as involving what is believed by them; and as those who are in faith alone are here treated of, “saying” signifies their faith. Moreover, “to say,” in the spiritual sense, signifies to think, because what is said goes forth from the thought, and thought is spiritual because it pertains to the spirit of man, while expression and speech from thought are natural because they pertain to the body. For this reason, “saying” has several significations in the Word. This is evident also from the signification of “being rich,” as being to possess the knowledges of truth and good, and to be intelligent and wise thereby (of which presently); also from the signification of “have gotten riches and have need of nothing,” as being to know all things so that nothing is lacking.
[2] That those who are in the doctrine of faith alone and justification by faith are such, or believe themselves to be so, is not known to those who are not in that faith, although they are among them; but that still they are so it has been given me to know by much experience. I have talked with many who in the world believed themselves to be more intelligent and wise than others, from their knowing many things about faith alone and justification by faith, and such things as the simple minded are ignorant of; and these they called interior things and mysteries of doctrine, and believed they knew and understood everything, with nothing lacking. Among them were many who had written about faith alone and justification by faith. But it was shown them that they know nothing of truth, and that those who have lived a life of faith, which is charity, and have not understood justification by faith alone, are more intelligent and wise than they. It was also shown that the things they knew are not truths but falsities, and that knowing and thinking falsities is not being intelligent and wise, for intelligence is of truth, and wisdom is of the life therefrom. And the reason of this was disclosed, namely that they were in no spiritual affection of truth, but only in a natural affection of knowing the things taught by their leaders, by some for the sake of their function, by others for the fame of erudition; and that those who are in natural and not in spiritual affection believe that when they know these things they know everything. This is still more so with those who have confirmed these things by the sense of the letter of the Word, and have labored to connect these with other falsities by means of the fallacies of reason.
[3] I will also say something from experience about these things. Some spirits who were believed by others when they lived as men in the world to be men of learning, were examined to ascertain whether they knew what spiritual faith is. They said that they knew. They were therefore sent to those who were in that faith; and when they were given communication with these they perceived that they had no faith, and did not know what faith is. They were then asked what they now believe about faith alone, on which the whole doctrine of their church is founded, but they were ashamed and dumb-founded. There were also many of the learned of the church who were asked about regeneration, whether they knew what it is; they replied that they knew that it is baptism, since the Lord says, that “unless a man is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God;” but when it was shown them that baptism is not regeneration, but that “water and spirit” mean truths and a life according to them, and that no one can enter heaven unless he is regenerated through these, they went away confessing their ignorance. Again, when they were asked about angels, about heaven and hell, about the life of man after death, and many other matters, they knew nothing, and these things were all like thick darkness in their minds. They therefore confessed that they had believed that they knew all things, but they now know that they know scarcely anything. Knowing something means, in the spiritual world, knowing something of truth; but knowing falsities is not knowing, because it is not understanding and being wise. They were afterwards told that this is meant by the Lord’s words, “Because thou sayest I am rich, and have gotten riches, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”
sRef Ezek@28 @5 S4′ sRef Ezek@28 @4 S4′ [4] The “rich” in the Word signify those who are in truths, because spiritual riches are nothing else; and therefore “riches” in the Word signify the knowledges of truth and good, and “the rich” those who are in intelligence thereby; as can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
In thy wisdom and in thine intelligence thou hast made to thee wealth, gold and silver in thy treasures; by the abundance of thy wisdom thou hast multiplied to thee wealth (Ezek. 28:4-5).
These things were said to the prince of Tyre, by whom in the spiritual sense those who are in the knowledges of truth are meant; “wealth” means those knowledges themselves in general; “gold in treasures” mean the knowledges of good, and “silver in treasures” the knowledges of truth. That these signify knowledges is very clear, for it is said, “In thy wisdom and in thine intelligence thou hast made to thee wealth, and by the abundance of thy wisdom thou hast multiplied to thee wealth.” (“The prince of Tyre” means those who are in the knowledges of truth, because “prince” signifies primary truths, Arcana Coelestia, n. 1482, 2089, 5044; and “Tyre” the knowledges of truth, n. 1201; “treasures” signify the possessions of knowledges, n. 1694, 4508, 10227; “gold” signifies good, and “silver” truth, n. 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658.)
sRef Zech@9 @3 S5′ sRef Zech@9 @4 S5′ sRef Ps@45 @12 S5′ [5] In Zechariah:
Tyre heapeth up silver as dust, and gold as the mire of the streets; behold the Lord will impoverish her, and smite her wealth in the sea (Zech. 9:3-4).
Here also “Tyre” stands for those who acquire for themselves knowledges, which are “silver,” “gold,” and “wealth.” In David:
The daughter of Tyre shall bring to thee a gift, the king’s daughter; the rich of the people shall entreat thy faces (Ps. 45:12-13).
Here is described the church in respect to the affection of truth, which is meant by “the king’s daughter,” for “daughter” means the church in respect to affection (Arcana Coelestia, n. 3262, 3963, 6729, 9059; and “king” means truth, n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3670, 4575, 4581, 4966, 6148). For this reason it is said that “the daughter of Tyre shall bring a gift,” and that “the rich of the people shall entreat thy faces;” “the rich of the people” are those who abound in truths.
sRef Hos@12 @10 S6′ sRef Hos@12 @9 S6′ sRef Hos@12 @8 S6′ [6] In Hosea:
Ephraim said, Surely I am become rich, I have found me wealth, all my labors shall not find iniquity to me which is sin; but I will yet speak to the prophets and I will multiply vision (Hosea 12:8, 10).
“I am become rich, and I have found me wealth,” does not mean being enriched by worldly but by heavenly riches and wealth, which are the knowledges of truth and good; for “Ephraim” means the intellectual of those who are of the church, which is illustrated when the Word is read (Arcana Coelestia, n. 5354, 6222, 6238, 6267); therefore it is said, “I will yet speak to the prophets, and I will multiply vision;” “prophets” and likewise “visions” signifying the truths of doctrine.
sRef Jer@17 @11 S7′ sRef Jer@17 @10 S7′ [7] In Jeremiah:
Jehovah giving to every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings; as the partridge gathereth but bringeth not forth, he maketh riches but not with judgment; in the midst of his days he shall leave them, in the end of days he shall become foolish (Jer. 17:10-11).
This treats of those who acquire for themselves knowledges with no other purpose than merely to know, when, yet knowledges ought to be subservient to the life. This is what is meant by “gathering as the partridge and not bringing forth,” and by “making riches but not with judgment;” and by “becoming foolish in the end of days.” And as the knowledges of truth and good ought to be subservient to the life, for by these the life will be perfected, it is said that “Jehovah gives to everyone according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”
sRef Luke@14 @33 S8′ [8] In Luke:
Whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all his possessions, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:33).
He who does not know that “possessions” mean in the Word spiritual riches and wealth, which are knowledges from the Word, can know no otherwise than that he ought to deprive himself of all wealth in order to be saved; where yet that is not the meaning of these words. “Possessions” here mean all things that are from self-intelligence, for no one can be wise from himself, but only from the Lord; “to renounce all possessions” is to attribute nothing of intelligence and wisdom to oneself, and he who does not do this cannot be instructed by the Lord, that is, cannot be His disciple.
[9] They who do not know that “the rich” mean those who possess the knowledges of truth and good, thus who have the Word, and that “the poor” mean those who do not possess knowledges, but yet long for them, can know no otherwise than that “the rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen,” and “the poor man who was laid at his gate” (Luke 16), mean the rich and the poor in the common acceptation of these words, when yet “the rich man” there means the Jewish nation, which had the Word, in which are all the knowledges of truth and good; the “purple” with which he was clothed means genuine good (Arcana Coelestia, n. 9467); “fine linen” genuine truth (Arcana Coelestia, n. 5319, 9469, 9596, 9744); and “the poor man who was laid at his gate” means the Gentiles that were outside of the church, and did not have the Word, and yet longed for the truths and goods of heaven and the church. From this it is clear that “the rich” mean those who have the Word, and thus the knowledges of truth and good, since these are in the Word.
sRef Luke@1 @53 S10′ [10] So also in the prophecy to Elizabeth, in Luke:
God hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away (Luke 1:53).
“The hungry” are those who long for knowledges; such were the Gentiles that received the Lord and doctrine from Him; but “the rich” are those who have knowledges because they have the Word; such were the Jews, and yet they did not wish to know truths from the Word, consequently they did not receive the Lord and doctrine from Him. These are “the rich” who were sent empty away; but the others are “the hungry” who were filled with good things.

sRef Isa@47 @11 S0′ sRef Isa@47 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @17 S0′ 237. And knowest not that thou are wretched, signifies that they do not know that their falsities have no coherence with truths. This is evident from the signification of “wretchedness,” as meaning the breaking up of truth by means of falsities, and also no coherence; this shows what is meant by “the wretched.” They are so because their doctrine is founded on two false principles, which are faith alone and justification by faith; consequently falsities flow in from these in constant succession, and the truths which they adduce from the sense of the letter of the Word to confirm these are weakened and falsified, and truths when falsified are in themselves falsities. This is described in many passages in the Word, and is meant by the “vanities” that the prophets see, and the “lies” that they speak. It is described also by the “breaches” in the walls and houses so that they fall; likewise by “idols” and “graven images” that the artificer makes and connects by chains that they may cohere; for “idols” and “graven images” signify the falsities of doctrine; the like is signified by “breaches of the walls” and “of the houses,” and by “the prophets who see vanities and speak lies;” for “prophets” mean doctrines, “vanities” such things as are of no account, and “lies” falsities. But as these things are mentioned in many passages in the Word they cannot be cited here on account of their abundance; they will therefore be omitted, and a few only quoted here in which “wretchedness” and “wall” are mentioned, that it may be known that these signify the weakening of truth by falsities, and thus no coherence.
[2] In Isaiah:
Thy wisdom and thy knowledge it hath misled thee, when thou hast said in thine heart, I, and none like me besides. Therefore shall wretchedness fall upon thee, and devastation shall come upon thee (Isa. 47:10-11).
Here also those are described who believe that they know all things and that they are more intelligent than all others, when yet they know and understand nothing of truth; and that therefore the understanding of truth is taken away from them. Their belief that they are more intelligent than all others is meant by “Thy wisdom and thy knowledge it hath misled thee, when thou hast said in thine heart, I, and none like me besides;” and the loss of all understanding of truth is meant by “wretchedness shall fall upon thee, devastation shall come upon thee.”
sRef Ezek@7 @27 S3′ sRef Ezek@7 @26 S3′ [3] In Ezekiel:
Wretchedness shall come upon wretchedness; therefore they shall seek a vision from the prophets; but the law hath perished from the priest, and counsel from the elders. The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with astonishment (Ezek. 7:26-27).
Here the vastation of the church is treated of, which takes place when there is no truth that is not falsified. Falsity from falsity is meant by “wretchedness upon wretchedness;” “a vision from the prophet” is doctrine, here the doctrine of falsity; “the law hath perished from the priest” means that the Word is not understood, for “law” signifies the Word, and the “priest” one who teaches; “counsel hath perished from the elders” means that right has perished from the intelligent, “counsel” signifying right, and “elders” the intelligent; “the king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with astonishment,” means that there is no longer any truth, “king” signifying truth, and “prince” truths that are primarily of service.
sRef Jer@49 @3 S4′ sRef Ps@5 @9 S4′ [4] In David:
Right is not in their mouth, wretchedness is in their inward part (Ps. 5:9);
where “wretchedness” likewise stands for falsities not cohering with any truth. So too in Jeremiah:
Lament, and wander among the walls; for their king is gone into exile, and his priests and his princes together (Jer. 49:3).
“Wandering among the walls” is among truths destroyed by falsities; “the king gone into exile” signifies truth; and “his priests and princes together” signify the goods and truths of life and doctrine (see above).
sRef Ezek@13 @12 S5′ sRef Ezek@13 @11 S5′ sRef Ezek@13 @10 S5′ [5] In Ezekiel:
When they build a wall [maceriem], behold they daub it with untempered mortar. Say to them which daub it with untempered mortar, that the wall [paries] shall fall. Is it not said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? (Ezek. 13:10-12).
“The wall which they daub with untempered mortar” signifies falsity assumed as a principle, and by application of the Word from the sense of the letter made to appear as truth; “daubing” is application and seeming confirmation thereby; “untempered mortar” is what has been falsified; and because the truth of the Word is thus destroyed, and the truths used to confirm become truths falsified, which in themselves are falsities, and these with the false principle perish together, it is said, “Behold, the wall shall fall. Is it not said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?”
sRef Hos@2 @6 S6′ [6] In Hosea:
Behold, I obstruct thy way with thorns, and I will encompass wall with wall, that she shall not find thy* paths (Hosea 2:6).
“To obstruct the way with thorns” is to obstruct all thoughts by falsities of evil, that truths be not seen; falsities of evil are “thorns;” “to encompass wall with wall” is to heap falsities upon falsities; “that she shall not find thy paths” means that nothing of truth can be seen; this comes to pass because truths and falsities of evil cannot be together, as heaven cannot be with hell; for truths are from heaven, and falsities of evil are from hell; therefore when falsities from evil reign communication with heaven is taken away, and when that is taken away truths cannot be seen, and if presented by others they are rejected. For this reason, those who are in false principles, as those who are in the principles of faith alone and justification by faith, cannot be in any truths (as may be seen above, n. 235, 236).
[7] But let examples illustrate this. Those who have adopted faith alone and justification by faith as a principle of religion, when they read the Word and see that the Lord says that man shall be recompensed according to his deeds and works, and that he who has done good, shall come into heaven, and he who has done evils into hell, call the good things that they do fruits of faith, not knowing or not wanting to know, that the good things called fruits are all from charity, and none of them from faith separate, which is called faith alone; every good also is of charity, and truth is of the faith therefrom. From this it is clear that they pervert the Word; and they do this because they cannot otherwise apply truth to their principle, believing still that the two may thus cohere; but the result is that truth perishes and becomes falsity, and not only falsity but also evil.
[8] From this falsities evidently follow in constant succession, for they teach that the good works that man does are meritorious, not being willing to see that as faith with its truths are from the Lord, and thus not meritorious, so are charity with its goods. They teach also that as soon as a man receives faith he is reconciled to God the Father through the Son, and that the evils thenceforth done, as well as those done before, are not imputed; for they say that all are saved however they have lived, if only they receive faith, even though it be in the hours before death. But these, and many other things which are deductions from the falsity of the principle, do not cohere with the truths from the Word, but destroy them, and truths destroyed are falsities, even such falsities as emit a bad odor. From these a grievous smell is perceived in the other life, which is such that it cannot be endured by any good spirit; it is like the stench of purulent matter from the lungs. Many other examples might be adduced; there is an abundance of them; for whatever is deduced from a false principle becomes thereby a falsity, since in the deduction the principle only is regarded to which it clings because from this it flows and to this it is applied.
[9] What the religion of faith alone and of justification by faith is can be inferred from the simple fact that all who have confirmed these tenets in themselves by doctrine and life, send out from themselves in the other life a sphere of abominable adultery like that of a mother or stepmother with a son; this abominable adultery corresponds to such, and is also perceived from them wherever they go; from that sphere I have a thousand times recognized their presence. Such a sphere flows out from them because they adulterate the goods of charity and of the Word, and adulteries correspond to adulterations of good, while whoredoms correspond to the falsifications of truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2466, 2729, 3399, 4865, 6348, 8904, 10648).
[10] There is a like meaning in:
Reuben’s lying with Bilhah, of whom his father begat Dan and Naphtali (Gen. 35:22);
And therefore he was also accursed (Gen. 49:4);
And because he defiled his father’s couch the primogeniture was taken away from him and given to Joseph (1 Chron. 5:1).
For by “Reuben” in the Word faith is meant, and here faith alone (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3325, 3861, 3866, 3870, 4601, 4605, 4731, 4734, 4761, 6342, 6350); and by “Joseph,” the good of faith (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417).
sRef Dan@2 @43 S11′ [11] That such things are to take place at the end of the church is predicted in Daniel, where the statue that Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream is described in these words:
Whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of man; but they shall not cleave one to the other, even as iron doth not mingle with clay (Dan. 2:43).
By “iron” truth without good is meant; by “miry clay” the falsity that is from self-intelligence; by “the seed of man” the Word of the Lord (Matt. 13:24, 37). That these do not cohere is meant by “they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron doth not mingle with clay.”
* For “thy” the Hebrew has “her,” as found in Arcana Coelestia, n. 9144.

sRef Rev@3 @17 S0′ 238. And miserable and poor, signifies that they do not know that they have neither knowledges of truth nor knowledges of good. This is evident from the signification of “miserable” or “pitiable,” as meaning those who are in no knowledges of truth; and from the signification of “poor” as meaning those who are in no knowledges of good. That this is the meaning of “miserable” and “poor” is evident from many passages in the Word, and also from this, that spiritual misery and poverty are nothing else than a lack of the knowledges of truth and good, for the spirit is then miserable and poor; but when the spirit possesses these it is rich and wealthy; therefore also “riches” and “wealth” in the Word signifies spiritual riches and wealth, which are the knowledges of truth and good (as was shown just above, n. 236).
sRef Ps@40 @17 S2′ sRef Ps@86 @1 S2′ [2] “Miserable and poor” are terms used in many passages in the Word. He who is ignorant of the spiritual sense of the Word believes that by these no others are meant than the miserable and poor in the world. These, however, are not meant, but those who are not in truths and goods and in the knowledges thereof; and by the “miserable” indeed, those who are not in truths because not in the knowledges of truths, and by the “poor” those who are not in goods because not in the knowledges of goods. As these two, truths and goods, are meant by these two expressions, the two in many places are mentioned together; as in the passages that now follow. In David:
I am miserable and poor, Lord, remember me (Ps. 40:17; 70:5). Incline thine ear, O Jehovah, answer me, for I am miserable and poor (Ps. 86:1).
The “miserable and poor” here mean evidently those who are miserable and poor, not in respect to worldly riches but in respect to spiritual riches, as David says this of himself; therefore he also said, “Jehovah, incline thine ear, and answer me.”
sRef Ps@37 @14 S3′ [3] In the same:
The wicked draw out the sword and bend their bow, to cast down the miserable and poor (Ps. 37:14).
Here also “the miserable and poor” mean evidently those who are spiritually such and yet long for the knowledges of truth and good, for it is said that “the wicked draw out the sword and bend the bow,” “sword” signifying falsity combating against truth and striving to destroy it, and “bow” the doctrine of falsity fighting against the doctrine of truth; therefore it is said that they do this “to cast down the miserable and poor.” (That “sword” signifies truth combating against falsity, and in a contrary sense, falsity combating against truth, see above, n. 131; and that “bow” signifies doctrine in both senses, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2686, 2709.)
sRef Isa@32 @6 S4′ sRef Isa@29 @19 S4′ sRef Isa@32 @7 S4′ sRef Ps@109 @16 S4′ [4] So in another place in the same:
The wicked man hath persecuted the miserable and poor and the broken in heart, to slay them (Ps. 109:16).
In Isaiah:
The fool speaketh folly, and his heart doeth iniquity to practice hypocrisy and to speak error against Jehovah, to make empty the hungry soul, and to make him who thirsteth for drink to want. He counseleth wicked devices to destroy the miserable by words of a lie, even when the poor speaketh judgment (Isa. 32:6-7).
Here likewise “the miserable and poor” mean those who are destitute of the knowledges of truth and good; therefore it is said that “the wicked counseleth wicked devices to destroy the miserable by the words of a lie, even when the poor speaketh judgment;” “by the words of a lie” means by falsities, and “to speak judgment” is to speak what is right. Because such are treated of, it is also said that he “practices hypocrisy and speaketh error against Jehovah, to make empty the hungry soul and to make him who thirsteth for drink to want.” “To practice hypocrisy and to speak error” is to do evil from falsity, and to speak falsity from evil; “to make empty the hungry soul” is to deprive those of the knowledges of good who long for them, and “to make him who thirsteth for drink to want” is to deprive those of the knowledges of truth who long for them. In the same:
The miserable shall have joy in Jehovah, and the poor of men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel (Isa. 29:19).
Here also “the miserable and poor” signify those who are in lack of truth and good and yet long for them; of these, and not of those who are miserable and poor in respect to worldly wealth, it is said that they “shall have joy in Jehovah, and shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.” sRef Ps@72 @13 S5′ sRef Ps@72 @12 S5′ sRef Ps@69 @33 S5′ sRef Ps@69 @32 S5′ sRef Ps@35 @10 S5′ sRef Ps@140 @12 S5′ sRef Ps@74 @21 S5′ sRef Ps@72 @4 S5′ sRef Ps@9 @18 S5′ [5] From this it can be seen what is signified by the “miserable and poor” in other passages of the Word, as in the following. In David:
The poor shall not always be forgotten; and the hope of the miserable shall not perish for ever (Ps. 9:18).
In the same:
God shall judge the miserable of the people, He shall save the sons of the poor. He shall deliver the poor when he crieth, and the miserable. He shall spare the weak and the poor, and the souls of the poor He shall save (Ps. 72:4, 12-13).
In the same:
The miserable shall see, they that seek Jehovah* shall be glad. For Jehovah heareth the poor (Ps. 69:32-33).
In the same:
Jehovah deliverest the miserable from him that is too strong for him, the poor from them that despoil him (Ps. 35:10).
In the same:
The miserable and the poor praise Thy name (Ps. 74:21; 109:22).
In the same:
I know that Jehovah will maintain the cause of the miserable, and the judgment of the poor (Ps. 140:12).
Also elsewhere (as Isa. 10:2; Jer. 22:16; Ezek. 16:49; 18:12; 22:29; Amos 8:4; Deut. 15:11; 24:14). “The miserable” and “the poor” are both mentioned in these passages, because it is according to the style of the Word that where truth is spoken of, good is also spoken of; and in a contrary sense, where falsity is spoken of, evil is also spoken of, since they make a one, and as if it were a marriage; this is why “the miserable and the poor” are mentioned together; for, by “the miserable” those deficient in the knowledges of truth are meant, and by “the poor” those deficient in the knowledges of good. (That there is such a marriage almost everywhere in the prophetical parts of the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 683, 793, 801, 2516, 2712, 3004, 3005, 3009, 4138, 5138, 5194, 5502, 6343, 7022, 7945, 8339, 9263, 9314.) For the same reason it is said in what follows, “and blind and naked;” for by “the blind” one who is in no understanding of truth is meant, and by “the naked” one who is in no understanding and will of good. So in the following verse, “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried by fire, and white garments that thou mayest be clothed;” for by “gold tried by fire” the good of love is meant, and by “white garments” the truths of faith. And further, “That the shame of thy nakedness be not manifest; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see,” which means, lest evils and falsities be seen. So also elsewhere. But that there is such a marriage in the particulars of the Word, none but those who know its internal sense can see.
* For “Jehovah” the Hebrew has “God.”

sRef Rev@3 @17 S0′ 239. And blind and naked, signifies that they are without the understanding of truth, and without the understanding and will of good. This is evident from the signification of “blind,” as being those who are without the understanding of truth (of which presently); and from the signification of “naked,” as being those who are without the will of good, and thus without the understanding of it (of which presently). That those who are in the doctrine of faith alone and of justification by faith are without the understanding of truth, can be seen from this, that faith alone, or faith apart from charity, has its seat altogether in the memory, with nothing of it in the understanding; those, therefore, who are in it withdraw the understanding from matters of faith, saying that these must be believed, and that the understanding has nothing to do with matters of faith; thus they can say whatsoever they wish, even if most false, provided they know how to adduce something in proof of it from the sense of the letter of the Word, the spiritual sense of which they know nothing about; in this there lurks something like the decree of the popes, which is that all should hang on their mouth; thus persuading the people that they know and see, when yet they see nothing. Those, therefore, who do not see, that is, understand the things they believe, are “blind.” And in consequence of this also they are unable to perfect the life by means of the things pertaining to faith; for the understanding is the way to man’s life; by no other way can man become spiritual. All who are in heaven see truths with the understanding, and thus receive them; but what they do not see with the understanding they do not receive; and if anyone says to them that they must have faith, although they do not see or understand, they turn away, saying, “How can this be? I believe what I see or understand; but I am unable to believe what I do not see or understand; such things may be falsities that destroy spiritual life.”
[2] That those who are in the doctrine of faith alone and justification by faith are without the understanding of good, because they are without the will of good, can be seen from this, that they know nothing whatever about charity towards the neighbor, consequently nothing about good; for all spiritual good is from charity, and there is nothing without charity; consequently those who separate faith from charity, saying that charity contributes nothing to salvation, but only faith, are altogether ignorant of what good is because they are ignorant of what charity is, and yet spiritual good and the affection of it that is called charity is the spiritual life of man, and without it there is no faith. From this it is clear that such are without the understanding of good. And this is in consequence of their being without the will of good, for the reason that they declare themselves to be righteous [just] or to have been made righteous [justified] when they have faith; and by “justified” they mean not to be condemned on account of anything that they think and will, since they have been reconciled to God; consequently they believe, because it follows by connection with their principle, that the evil equally with the good are saved if only they receive faith, even if this should be in the last hours of life. The mysteries of this doctrine consist in this, that they speak of progressive steps of justification that are not from anything of man’s life, or from his affection of charity, but are from mere faith in the reconciliation of God the Father through the Son, which faith they call confidence or trust, and saving faith itself; not knowing that where there is nothing of charity there can be nothing of spiritual life. That which is interiorly perceived or is manifest in their confidence, still has nothing in it derived from spiritual affection, but only from natural thought about happiness or about escape from damnation.
[3] Moreover, those who know nothing about the good of charity have no will of good, and those who know nothing about this good know nothing about evil, for good discloses evil, consequently such persons cannot examine themselves, see their evils, and thus shun them and reject them. They therefore relax all restraints on their thought and their will, only being careful on account of the laws, the loss of fame, of honor, of gain, and of life, to avoid evil doings. And for this reason when such persons become spirits and these fears are taken away from them, they associate themselves with devils, for they think and will as devils do, because they so thought in the world; for it is the spirit in man that thinks. But it is otherwise with those who have lived a life of charity.
[4] Again, those who believe that they have been justified by faith alone, are of the opinion that they are led by God, and therefore that what they do is good, saying, that all good is from God, and nothing from man, and that otherwise good would be meritorious. They do not know that there ought to be reception on man’s part, and that reception is not possible unless man gives heed to his thoughts and intentions, and thence to his deeds; and then refrains from evils and does good, which is done when he has regard for the truths that he knows from the Word, and lives according to them. Unless man does this, there is nothing reciprocal, and therefore no reformation: and of what other use are the precepts of the Lord in the Word? That man is able to do this is also from the Lord, for every man has this faculty from the Lord’s Divine presence, and His will that there be reception. In a word, unless man receives in the understanding and will, that is, in the thought and affection, or what is the same, in faith and love, there is no reception on his part, consequently no conjunction with the Lord. Everyone knows that the Lord is continually present with good, and desires to be received, but He cannot flow in when all restraints on the thoughts are cast off; He can flow in only when the thoughts and intentions which are from lust are held in check by truths from the Word.
sRef Matt@13 @23 S5′ sRef John@14 @23 S5′ sRef John@14 @24 S5′ sRef Luke@8 @8 S5′ sRef Mark@4 @20 S5′ sRef Matt@13 @9 S5′ sRef Mark@4 @9 S5′ sRef Rev@3 @20 S5′ [5] That the Lord is continually present with good, and desires to be received, He teaches in the following words of this chapter, where he says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone will hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20). “Opening the door” is reception on man’s part, as has just been said. The Lord teaches the same elsewhere in the Word. As in John:
He that loveth Me keepeth My words; and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him. He that loveth Me not keepeth not My words (John 14:23-24).
In Matthew:
He that is sown in the good earth, this is he that heareth the Word and understandeth it, who beareth fruit and bringeth forth (Matt. 13:23).
In Mark:
Those are they that were sown upon the good ground, such as hear the Word and receive, and bear fruit (Mark 4:20).
As it is reception by man that conjoins him to the Lord, and thus makes him spiritual, so when the Lord said these things He cried saying:
He that hath ears to hear let him hear (Matt. 13:9; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8).
sRef Isa@29 @18 S6′ [6] That “the blind” signify those who are in no understanding of truth, and that “the naked” signify those who are in no understanding of good, because they are in no will of good, is evident from many passages in the Word, which I will here cite, so also that it can be seen that the Word in its bosom is spiritual, while in the letter it is natural, consequently that the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural, has a spiritual sense treasured up within it. That “the blind” signify those who are in no understanding of truth, is clear from the following passages in Isaiah:
And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of thick darkness, and out of darkness (Isa. 29:18).
In this passage, the restoration of the church is treated of, and “the deaf who shall hear the words of the book” mean those who are willing to obey truths, and thus to live a life of good, but are not able because they have not the Word, and “the blind whose eyes shall see in thick darkness, and in darkness,” means that those who are in no understanding of truth because in ignorance, are then to understand. It plainly does not refer to the deaf and blind.
sRef Isa@35 @6 S7′ sRef Isa@35 @5 S7′ sRef Isa@35 @4 S7′ [7] In the same:
Behold your God will come for vengeance, for the retribution of God will He come, and will save you; then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened; waters shall break out in the wilderness, and rivers in the plain of the desert (Isa. 35:4-6).
These things are said of the Lord’s coming, that then those will be saved who believe in Him. That those who are in no understanding of truth will then understand, is signified by “the eyes of the blind shall be opened;” and that those who are in no perception and will of good shall then obey and live in good, is signified by “the ears of the deaf shall be opened;” therefore it is said “waters shall break out in the wilderness, and rivers in the plain of the desert;” “wilderness” signifying where there is no good because there is no truth, “waters” truths, and “rivers” intelligence derived from truths.
sRef Isa@42 @7 S8′ sRef Isa@42 @8 S8′ sRef Isa@42 @6 S8′ [8] In the same:
I will give thee for a covenant to the people, for a light of the nations, to open the blind eyes, to lead forth him that is bound out of prison. I am Jehovah; that is My name; and My glory will I not give to another (Isa. 42:6-8).
These things also are said of the Lord, and of the establishment of a church by Him among the Gentiles. That those who before have been in ignorance are then to understand truths is signified by “the blind eyes which He will open;” and that they are to be led out of ignorance and falsities is signified by “He will bring him that is bound out of prison.” That the Divine Itself would assume a human is meant by “I am Jehovah; that is My name: and My glory will I not give to another.”
sRef Isa@42 @16 S9′ [9] In the same:
I will cause the blind to go in a way that they have not known; I will lead them into paths that they have not known; I will make their darkness light (Isa. 42:16).
Here also “the blind” are those who are in no understanding of truth; the truths and goods of truth that they are to receive are signified by “they will be caused to go a way and into paths that they have not known;” the dispersion of the falsity of ignorance and illustration are signified by “I will make their darkness light.”
sRef Isa@43 @5 S10′ sRef Isa@43 @6 S10′ sRef Isa@43 @7 S10′ sRef Isa@43 @8 S10′ [10] In the same:
I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back; bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the earth; everyone that is called by My name. I have created him; I have formed him; yea, I have made him. Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears (Isa. 43:5-8).
These things also are said of the establishment by the Lord of a church among the Gentiles; “to bring seed from the east, the west, the north, and the south,” means all of whatsoever religion; for “east” and “west” signify where the good of love is clear and obscure; and “north” and “south” where the truth of faith is in obscurity and where it is in clearness. Here those who are in obscurity from ignorance are meant, for it is said, “Bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the earth;” those who receive truths are called “sons” and those who receive goods are called “daughters;” “from far,” and “from the end of the earth,” signify those who are remote from the truths and goods of the church. That all will be received and reformed by the Lord who acknowledge Him, is signified by “I have created, have formed, and have made everyone called by My name.” These are here meant by “the blind who have eyes,” and by “the deaf who have ears.” sRef Isa@59 @9 S11′ sRef Isa@59 @10 S11′ [11] In the same:
Hoping* for light, but we behold darkness; in thick darkness we walk, we grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as they that have no eyes, we stumble in the noonday as in twilight, among the living we are as dead (Isa. 59:9, 10).
Here likewise “the blind” stand for those who are in no understanding of truth; “darkness” and “thick darkness” mean falsities; “to stumble in the noonday as in twilight” is to go astray in falsities, although able to be in light from the Word. sRef Isa@56 @11 S12′ sRef Isa@56 @10 S12′ [12] In the same:
His watchmen are all blind; and they are shepherds who know not to understand (Isa. 56:10, 11).
Here again “the blind” stand for those who do not understand truths, although they have the Word; “the blind” evidently signify such, for it is said “they know not” and “know not to understand.”
sRef Jer@31 @9 S13′ sRef Jer@31 @8 S13′ [13] In Jeremiah:
I bring them from the land of the north, among them the blind and the lame; with weeping they shall come, and with prayers I will bring them; I will lead them to the fountains of waters in the way of straightness (Jer. 31:8, 9).
“The land of the north” is where the falsity of ignorance prevails; those who are in it are called “blind;” that these are to be led to truths is meant by “I will lead them to fountains of waters in the way of straightness.”
sRef Lam@4 @11 S14′ sRef Lam@4 @14 S14′ sRef Lam@4 @13 S14′ [14] In Lamentations:
Jehovah hath kindled a fire in Zion, which hath devoured the foundation’s thereof, because of the sins of her prophets, the iniquities of her priests; they have wandered as blind men in the streets, they were polluted with blood, the things that they cannot, they touch with their garments (Lam. 4:11, 13, 14).
“Zion” is the church; the “fire that will devour her foundations” is the love of self which will disperse all the knowledges of truth; the sins of the prophets,” and “the iniquities of the priests,” are the perversions of those who teach what is true and good; that they will on this account understand nothing of truth is signified by their “wandering as blind men in the streets.” The “blood with which they were polluted” is the falsification of the truth and the adulteration of the good in the Word; the profanation of good and of truth therefrom by evils and falsities is meant by “the things that they cannot, they touch with their garments.”
sRef Zech@12 @4 S15′ [15] In Zechariah:
In that day I will smite every horse with astonishment and the horseman with madness; I will smite every horse of the peoples with blindness (Zech. 12:4).
“Horse” signifies the intellectual, and “horseman” one that is intelligent. This makes clear what is signified by “smiting every horse with astonishment,” and “every horse of the peoples with blindness,” and “the horseman with madness.” (That “horse” signifies the intellectual, see in The small work on The White Horse, n. 1-6.)
sRef Ps@146 @7 S16′ sRef Ps@146 @8 S16′ [16] In David:
Jehovah looseth the bound, Jehovah openeth [the eyes of] the blind (Ps. 146:7-8).
Those are called “bound” who are in falsities and long to be loosed from them; “the blind” are those who on this account are not in the understanding of truth; “to open their eyes” is to make them understand.
sRef John@12 @40 S17′ [17] In John:
Isaiah said, He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, that they may not see with their eyes and understand with the heart (John 12:39-40).
“To blind the eyes that they may not see with their eyes” signifies evidently not to understand truths.
sRef John@9 @40 S18′ sRef John@9 @41 S18′ sRef John@9 @39 S18′ [18] In the same:
Jesus said, For judgment came I unto this world, that they who see not may see, and that they who see may become blind. They said, Are we blind then? Jesus said, If ye were blind ye would not have sin; but now ye say, We see, therefore your sin remaineth (John 9:39-41).
“They who see not” mean those who are outside of the church and do not know truths because they have not the Word, thus the Gentiles; but “they who see” mean those who are within the church and have the Word, thus the Jews; of these it is said that “they shall become blind;” but of the former, that “they shall see.” It is said that “their sin remaineth” because they say that they are not blind but see, for the reason that they are in the church where the Word is, and yet are not willing to see and acknowledge truths, nor, consequently, the Lord. On this account the Scribes and Pharisees among the Jews were called by the Lord:
Blind guides of the blind (Matt. 15:14; Luke 6:39).
Also blind guides, fools, and foolish (Matt. 23:16-17, 19, 24).
sRef John@9 @1 S19′ sRef John@9 @7 S19′ sRef John@9 @5 S19′ sRef John@9 @6 S19′ [19] In John:
Jesus seeth a man blind from birth. He said to the disciples, while I am in the world I am the light of the world. When He had thus spoken, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said, Go and wash thee in the pool of Siloam. He went away therefore and washed himself, and came seeing (John 9:1, 5-7).
Why the Lord did this no one understands unless he knows the internal or spiritual sense of the Word; in that sense, by “a man blind from birth” those are meant who are born outside of the church and who therefore could not know anything about the Lord, or be taught out of the Word. “The clay that the Lord made from spittle on the ground” signifies reformation by means of truths from the sense of the letter of the Word; “the ground” is the church where the Word is; “clay” is the ultimate Divine forming; “anointing the eyes of the blind with it” is to give thereby the understanding of truth; “the pool of Siloam” also signifies the Word in the letter; “to be washed there” is to be purified from falsities and evils. That this is what is meant by it has been hitherto concealed. (That “ground” signifies the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 566, 10570; that “clay” signifies good from which is truth, thus good forming, n. 1300, 6669; that “the pool of Siloam” signifies the Word in the sense of the letter, is evident in Isaiah 8:6; and that “the pools” that were in Jerusalem in general signify this, Isaiah 22:9, 11.)
sRef Mark@8 @25 S20′ sRef Mark@8 @23 S20′ sRef Mark@8 @22 S20′ sRef Mark@8 @24 S20′ [20] In Mark:
Jesus cometh to Bethsaida; where they bring to Him a blind man and beseech Him to touch him. And He took hold of the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and spitting on his eyes, He asked him if he saw aught. And looking up, he said, I see trees as men** walking. After that He put His hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up; then he was restored, and saw all clearly (Mark 8:22-27).
What these words involve cannot be known except from the internal or spiritual sense of the Word; he who does not understand this sees nothing except that these things were done, and his thought about it will perhaps be merely sensual; but all things that the Lord spoke and all things that He did in the world contained spiritual things in order from things highest to the ultimates, thus in fullness as do all miracles and the accounts of them. The “blind” whom the Lord restored to sight signified the spiritually blind, who are those that do not know and understand truths. The blind man here was “led out of the town” of Bethsaida, because “Bethsaida” signified damnation, on account of its not receiving the Lord; “spitting on his eyes” has the same signification as “making clay of the spittle,” before; that He then touched his eyes signifies that he was illustrated from the Divine; then the blind man at first “saw trees as men walking,” which signifies common and obscure perception of truth from the sense of the letter, “trees” signifying knowledges, and “to walk” signifying to live. “His seeing all clearly” after he was touched by the Lord, signifies that after instruction and illustration from the Lord he understood truths; this meaning is in these words and this meaning is perceived by the angels. (That the town “Bethsaida” signifies damnation on account of its not receiving the Lord, is clear from Matt. 11:21, and Luke 10:13; that “touch” signifies communication and transference, but here illustration, because the eyes were touched, see above, n. 79. That “trees” signify knowledges, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2722, 2972, 7692; that “to walk” signifies to live, see n. 519, 1794, 8417, 8420; and above, n. 97.)
[21] Moreover, by all “the blind” whom the Lord healed those were meant who are in ignorance, and who receive Him and are illustrated by Him through the Word; and in general all the Lord’s miracles signify such things as are of heaven and the church, thus spiritual things; from this it is that His miracles were Divine, for it is Divine to act from firsts and to present these in ultimates. From this it is clear what was signified by “the blind” whom the Lord healed (about whom see Matt. 9:27-31; 12:22; 20:29 to end; 21:14; Mark 10:46 to end; Luke 7:21-23; 18:35 to end).
sRef Deut@28 @15 S22′ sRef Deut@27 @18 S22′ sRef Deut@28 @28 S22′ sRef Lev@19 @14 S22′ sRef Lev@22 @22 S22′ sRef Lev@21 @18 S22′ sRef Deut@28 @29 S22′ [22] As “the blind” signify those who are not in the knowledges of truth, and who therefore are not in any understanding of truth, therefore it was among the laws and statutes given to the sons of Israel:
That no one blind of the sons of Aaron or of the Levites should approach to offer the bread of his God, that is, to offer sacrifice (Lev. 21:18).
Also that anything blind should not be offered (Lev. 22:22; Deut. 15:21).
Likewise that a stumbling-block should not be placed before one blind (Lev. 19:14).
And that he should be cursed who made the blind to go astray from the way (Deut. 27:18).
These laws were enacted because the church instituted among the sons of Israel was a representative church, in which all things represented spiritual things because they corresponded to them. Therefore also the following curse is pronounced upon those who do not keep the commandments, in Moses:
If thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of thy God, to observe to do all His commandments. Jehovah shall smite thee with madness and blindness and astonishment of heart; that thou mayest grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in thick darkness (Deut. 28:15, 28-29).
This also means that those shall be smitten with spiritual blindness and astonishment who do not hearken to the voice of the Lord by doing those things that He has commanded in the Word. Spiritual blindness of the eyes and spiritual astonishment of the heart mean no understanding of the truth and no will of good; “to grope at noonday” is to be such in the church, where the light of truth is given through the Word. (That “noonday” signifies where truth is in light, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9642; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 148, 149, 151.)
* For “hoping” the Hebrew has “we hope.”
** For “trees as men” the Greek has “men as trees.”

sRef Rev@3 @17 S0′ 240. But that “naked” signifies those who are without the understanding of truth because without the will of good, is evident from the passages in the Word where “naked” and “nakedness” occur, which will be cited below. This is what “naked” and “nakedness” signify, because “garments” signify truths that are of the understanding, and he that is without truths is also without good, for all spiritual good is procured by means of truths; without truths, or except by means of truths, there is no spiritual good; spiritual good is charity. “Naked” and “nakedness” signify lacking in, or the lack of, intelligence and love, thus of the understanding and will of good; also for the reason that garments cover the body and flesh, and “body” and “flesh” signify good, therefore “garments” signify the things that cover good.
[2] There is the understanding of truth, and the understanding of good; the understanding of truth is the understanding of such things as are of faith, and the understanding of good is the understanding of such things as are of love and charity. There is also the will of truth and the will of good; the will of truth is with those who are of the Lord’s spiritual kingdom; but the will of good with those who are of His celestial kingdom. The latter, because they are in love to the Lord, and from this in mutual love, which is to them charity towards the neighbor, have truths inscribed on their hearts, and thence do them; and what proceeds out of the heart is out of the will of good, “heart” meaning the will of good. But those who are in love towards the neighbor, which love is charity, have truths inscribed not on their hearts but on the memory, and therefore on the intellectual mind, and what proceeds therefrom out of the affection is the will of truth. Thus it is that spiritual angels are distinguished from celestial angels. The latter appear naked in heaven, but the former clothed. Celestial angels appear naked because they have no need of the memory to retain truths, nor of understanding therefrom to comprehend them, because they have them inscribed on the heart, that is, on the love and will, and thence see them. But spiritual angels appear clothed because they have truths inscribed on the memory and thence on the understanding, and truths of the memory and of the understanding therefrom correspond to garments; they therefore all appear clothed according to their intelligence. (That angels are thus clothed, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 177-182.) From this it can be seen what “naked” signifies in both senses, namely, in the one sense it signifies those who are in celestial good, but in the other those who are not in good because not in truths.
sRef Isa@20 @3 S3′ sRef Isa@20 @2 S3′ sRef Isa@20 @4 S3′ [3] But these things can be better seen from the passages in the word where “naked” and “nakedness” occur, which now follow. In Isaiah:
Jehovah said to the prophet, Put off the sackcloth from upon thy loins, and put off thy shoe from upon thy foot. And he did so. Then Jehovah said, Like as My servant Isaiah hath gone naked and barefoot, so shall the king of Assyria lead the captivity of Egypt, and the crowd of Cush that is to be carried away, lads and old men, naked and barefoot, and with buttocks bare, the nakedness of Egypt (Isa. 20:2-4).
What of the church and of heaven lies hidden in these words no one can see unless he knows their spiritual sense; for in every particular of the Word there is something of the church and of heaven, because the Word is spiritual; this shall therefore be explained. By “prophet” the doctrine of the church is here meant; “putting off the sackcloth from his loins,” or presenting the loins naked, means to disclose filthy loves; the customary “sackcloth” of the prophet here means the breeches that cover, and “the loin” signify such loves; “putting off the shoe from upon his foot,” or unshoeing the soles of the foot, signifies to disclose the filthy things of nature; that “the king of Assyria shall lead the captivity of Egypt, and the crowd of Cush that is to be carried away,” means that the perverted rational will confirm evils and falsities by means of knowledges [scientifica] and by means of fallacies; “lads and old men” means by means of all things both general and particular; “naked and barefoot” means that they are deprived of all truth and all good; “buttocks bare” means the evils of self-love; “the nakedness of Egypt” means falsities therefrom. From this it is clear what things of the church and of heaven are here treated of, namely, that the perverted rational, which is the rational that denies God and attributes all things to nature, confirms itself by means of knowledges [scientifica] and fallacies, until it is destitute of all the understanding of truth and the will of good.
(That “prophet” in the Word means doctrine, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2534, 7269; that the “loins” signify loves in both senses, n. 3021, 4280, 5059; that “feet” signify the natural things with man, and “the soles of the feet” the things that are in ultimates, n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952; that “shoes” signify these same things in respect to their covering, n. 1748, 2162, 4835, 6844; that “the king of Assyria” signifies the rational in both senses, n. 119, 1186; that “Egypt” signifies the faculty of knowing [scientificum] of the natural man, in both senses, good and bad, n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 5700, 5702, 6015, 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692, 7296, 9340, 9391. That “Cush” signifies the fallacies of the senses, n. 1163, 1164, 1166.)
sRef Ezek@16 @6 S4′ [4] In Ezekiel:
When I passed by thee, and saw thee, I covered thy nakedness, and I washed thee, and I clothed thee. But thou didst trust in thy beauty and play the harlot, and thou hast not remembered the things* of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare; thou hast committed whoredom with the sons of Egypt, and with the sons of Asshur. And thou hast multiplied thy whoredom even unto Chaldea. Moreover, thy nakedness was revealed through thy whoredoms. Therefore they shall stone thee with stones, and shall cut thee in pieces with swords; and shall burn up thine houses with fire (Ezek 16:6 seq.).
Jerusalem is here treated of, by which the church in respect to doctrine is meant, and these and many other expressions in the same chapter describe what the church was in its beginning, and what it became when it turned away from good and from truth. What the church was when it was established by the Lord, thus what it was in the beginning, is described by these words, “When I passed by thee, and saw thee, I covered thy nakedness, I washed thee and clothed thee.” “To cover the nakedness” signifies to remove the evils of the will and the falsities of the understanding; “to wash” signifies to purify from evils, and “to clothe” signifies to instruct in truths. But what the church became when it turned away from good and truth is described by what follows; “thou didst trust in thy beauty” signifies intelligence from one’s own [ex proprio], and that this gave delight; “committing whoredom” signifies that thus it was imbued with falsities; “committing whoredom with the sons of Egypt, and with the sons of Asshur,” signifies falsifications confirmed by knowledges [scientifica] and by things rational therefrom; “multiplying whoredom even unto Chaldea” signifies even to the profanation of truth. This shows what is signified by “Moreover thy nakedness was revealed through thy whoredoms,” namely, that the church through falsities and falsifications was deprived of all the understanding of truth. “They shall stone thee with stones” signifies that the church will die through falsities; “they shall cut thee in pieces with swords” signifies that the church will utterly die through the falsifications of truth; and “they shall burn up thy houses with fire” signifies that it will wholly perish through infernal loves, “houses” meaning all things with man, and “fire” meaning infernal love. From this it is clear what is contained in these words relating to heaven and the church, and that this can be seen only from the spiritual sense. (That “to wash” signifies to purify from evils and falsities, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3147, 10237, 10240, 10243; that “to clothe” signifies to instruct in truths, n. 1073, 2576, 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216, 9952, 10536; that “beauty” signifies intelligence, n. 3080, 4985, 5199, here intelligence from one’s own [ex proprio]. That “to commit whoredom” means to become imbued with falsities, see above, n. 141; that “Egypt” means the faculty of knowing [scientificum]; and “Asshur” the rational, see just above. That “Chaldea” is the profanation of truth, Arcana Coelestia, n. 1182, 1283, 1295, 1304, 1306-1308, 1321, 1322, 1326; that “to stone with stones” signifies to die through falsities, n. 5156, 7456, 8575, 8799; that “sword” signifies falsity combating against truth and destroying it, n. 2799, 4499, 7102; therefore “to cut in pieces with swords” means to die utterly through falsifications of truth. That “fire” signifies infernal love, n. 1861, 5071, 6314, 6832, 7575, 10747; and that “house” signifies the whole man, and the things which are with him, thus that are of his understanding and will, n. 710, 2231, 2233, 2559, 3128, 3538, 4973, 5023, 6690, 7353, 7848, 7910, 7929, 9150. From this it is clear what is signified by “they shall burn up thy houses with fire.”)
sRef Hos@2 @4 S5′ sRef Hos@2 @3 S5′ sRef Hos@2 @2 S5′ [5] In Hosea:
Strive with your mother, that she may put away her whoredoms and her adulteries; lest I strip her naked, and make her as the wilderness, as a land of dryness, and let her die with thirst; and on her sons I will not have compassion, because they are the sons of whoredoms (Hosea 2:2-4).
Here also the church fallen into falsities and evils is treated of; “the mother with whom they should strive” signifies the church; “whoredoms” and “adulteries” signify falsities and evils therefrom; “to make her as the wilderness, and as a land of dryness,” signifies to be without good and truth; “to let her die with thirst” signifies a total lack of truth; “her sons whom I will not have compassion on” signify all the falsities thereof in general, and they are therefore called “sons of whoredoms.” (That “mother” signifies the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 289, 2691, 2717, 3703, 4257, 5581, 8897; that “wilderness” signifies where there is no good, because no truth, n. 2708, 4736, 7055; “a land of dryness” signifies where there is no truth, because “water” signifies the truth of faith, n. 2702, 3058, 5668, 8568, 10238; that “to cause to die with thirst” signifies to perish from the lack of truth, n. 8568 at the end. That “sons” signify the affections of truth and truths in general, n. 2362, 3963, 6729, 6775, 6779, 9055; thus, in the opposite sense, the affections of falsity and falsities in general. From this it can be seen what is signified by “stripping her naked,” namely, that the church will be without good and truth.)
sRef Ezek@23 @8 S6′ sRef Ezek@23 @4 S6′ sRef Lam@1 @8 S6′ sRef Ezek@23 @10 S6′ sRef Ezek@23 @28 S6′ sRef Ezek@23 @9 S6′ sRef Ezek@23 @29 S6′ [6] In Lamentations:
Jerusalem hath sinned a sin; therefore all that honored her hold her vile, because they have seen her nakedness (Lam. 1:8).
In Ezekiel:
Oholah, which is Samaria, committed whoredom with the Egyptians and with the sons of Asshur; these uncovered her nakedness, they took her sons and daughters, and her they finally slew with the sword; therefore will I give thee into the hand of those whom thou hatest, that they may deal with thee in hatred, and take away all thy labor, and leave thee naked and bare, that the nakedness of thy whoredoms may be uncovered (Ezek. 23:4, 8-10, 18, 28-29).
In this chapter Samaria, which is called “Oholah,” and Jerusalem, which is called “Oholibah,” are treated of, and by both the church is signified. “Samaria,” where the sons of Israel were, signifies the church in which there are not truths but falsities, and “Jerusalem” the church where there are not goods but evils. What is signified by “committing whoredom with the Egyptians, and with the sons of Asshur,” and by “slaying her daughters and sons with the sword,” was explained above. From this it is clear that “leaving her naked and bare” signifies without truth and good.
sRef Isa@3 @17 S7′ [7] In Isaiah:
The Lord will make bald the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and Jehovah will make naked their buttocks (Isa. 3:17).
“The daughters of Zion” signify the celestial church and the things of that church, but here that church perverted. “The crown of their head which shall be made bald” signifies intelligence of which the church shall be deprived; and “the buttocks which shall be made naked” signify the love of evil and falsity.
sRef Nahum@3 @5 S8′ sRef Nahum@3 @1 S8′ sRef Nahum@3 @4 S8′ [8] In Nahum:
Woe to the city of bloods; it is all full of lies and rapine, because of the multitude of her whoredoms. I will uncover thy skirts upon thy faces; and will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy disgrace (Nahum 3:1, 4-5).
“The city of bloods” signifies the doctrine of falsity which offers violence to the good of charity.
sRef Gen@9 @22 S9′ sRef Gen@9 @21 S9′ sRef Hab@2 @15 S9′ sRef Hab@2 @16 S9′ sRef Gen@9 @23 S9′ [9] In Habakkuk:
Woe unto him that maketh his companion drink, also making him drunken; that thou mayest look on their nakednesses; drink thou also, that thy foreskin may be uncovered (Hab. 2:15-16).
“To make a companion drink, and drunken,” signifies to so imbue one with falsities that he does not see the truth; “to look on nakednesses” means so that falsities which are of the understanding and evils which are of the will are seen; “that the foreskin may be uncovered” means so that filthy loves are seen. (That “to drink” is to be instructed in truths, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3069, 3772, 4017, 4018, 8562, 9412; in the contrary sense, therefore, it means to be imbued with falsities. That “to be made drunken” means to become insane from falsities, thus not to see truths, n. 1072; that “the foreskin” signifies corporeal and earthly loves, n. 4462, 7045.) From this it can be seen what is signified by:
Noah’s drinking wine and becoming drunken, so that he lay naked in the midst of his tent, and that Ham laughed at the nakedness of his father; but Shem and Japheth covered his nakedness, and turned away their faces that they might not see the nakedness of their father (Gen. 9:21-23).
(But these things may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia, where they are treated of.)
sRef Isa@47 @2 S10′ sRef Isa@47 @3 S10′ sRef Isa@47 @1 S10′ sRef Lam@4 @21 S10′ [10] In Lamentations:
O daughter of Edom, the cup shall pass over unto thee also; thou shalt be drunken, and shall be made naked (Lam. 4:21).
Here, “being drunken and made naked” signify the like as above. (But who those are who are meant by “Edom,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3322, 8314.) In Isaiah:
Daughter of Babylon and of Chaldea, sit upon the earth. Take the millstone, and grind meal; uncover thy locks, uncover the thigh, pass through the rivers. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy reproach shall be seen (Isa. 47:1-3).
By “the daughter of Babylon and of Chaldea” those are meant who profane the goods and truths of the church. “To grind meal” means to falsify truths; “to uncover the locks and the thigh” means to be deprived of the intelligence of truth and of the will of good; the like is meant by “passing through the rivers,” and “uncovering nakedness.”
sRef Rev@16 @15 S11′ sRef Ex@28 @43 S11′ sRef Ex@28 @42 S11′ sRef Ex@20 @26 S11′ [11] Because “nakedness” signified the deprivation of the understanding of truth and of the will of good, it was commanded:
That Aaron and his sons should not ascend by steps upon the altar, that their nakedness be not discovered thereon (Exod. 20:26);
Also that they should make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness, and that these should be upon them when they went in unto the tent of meeting, and when they came near to the altar, and that otherwise they should bear iniquity and die (Exod. 28:42-43).
From this it is clear what is signified by the words in the following verse of this chapter: “I counsel thee to buy of Me white garments, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not manifest.” Also in the following passages of this book, of Revelation:
Blessed is he that is wakeful and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and his shame be seen (Rev. 16:15).
sRef Isa@58 @6 S12′ sRef Matt@25 @38 S12′ sRef Isa@58 @7 S12′ sRef Ezek@18 @7 S12′ sRef Matt@25 @36 S12′ [12] Moreover, “the naked” in the Word mean those also who are not in truths and thence not in good, being ignorant of truths and yet longing for them. This is the case with those within the church when those who teach are in falsities, and with those outside of the church who do not have the Word and consequently do not know truths and thence know nothing about the Lord. Such are meant in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Is not this the fast that I choose, To break bread to the hungry, and when thou seest the naked that thou cover him? (Isa. 58:6-7).
In Ezekiel:
He giveth his bread to the hungry, and covereth the naked with a garment (Ezek. 18:7);
and in Matthew:
I was naked, and ye clothed Me not (Matt. 25:43).
“To cover with a garment,” and “to clothe,” signify to instruct in truths. (That “garments” are truths, see above, n. 195. That “naked” signifies also the good of innocence, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 165, 8375, 9960; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 179, 180, 280.)
* For “things” the Hebrew has “days.”

sRef Rev@3 @18 S0′ 241. Verse 18. I counsel thee, signifies the means of reformation of those who are in the doctrine of faith alone. This is evident from what now follows, for the reformation of those who are in that doctrine is now treated of; therefore “I counsel thee” implies precepts as to how such must live that they may be reformed and thus saved.

sRef Rev@3 @18 S0′ 242. To buy of Me gold tried by fire, that thou mayest be enriched, signifies that they should acquire for themselves from the Lord genuine good, that they may be able to receive the truths of faith. This is evident from the signification of “buying,” as being to acquire and appropriate to oneself (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4397, 5374, 5397, 5406, 5410, 5426); also from the signification of “gold tried by fire,” as being genuine good, thus good from the Lord (of which presently); also from the signification of “that thou mayest be enriched,” as being to be enabled to receive the truths of faith. This is the signification of being “enriched,” because “riches” and “wealth” signify the knowledges of truth and good, and “the rich” are those who are in intelligence by means of knowledges, here, those who are in faith by means of them, since those who are in the doctrine of faith alone are here treated of. From this it is clear that “to buy of Me gold tried by fire, that thou mayest be enriched,” signifies that they must acquire for themselves genuine good from the Lord so that they may receive the truths of faith.
[2] It shall first be told how this is to be understood. It has often been said before, that there is no truth which is truth in itself unless it be from good, thus no faith that is faith in itself unless it be from charity: for there is no truth that is truth in itself unless there is spiritual life within it, and spiritual life is within it when it is formed out of the good of charity; for truth is the form of good, and good is the esse of truth, thus also its life; and good is from no other source than from the Lord. When there is good from the Lord, the truth that is from the good looks primarily to the Lord and also to the neighbor and his good, for the Lord flows in with good and by it forms truth, which is the truth of faith, and causes man’s spiritual sight to look to him and to the neighbor. (That this is so, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 145, 251, namely, that the Lord looks at angels and men in the forehead, and these look to the Lord through the eyes; for the reason that the forehead corresponds to the good of love, and the eyes to the understanding illustrated thereby, consequently to the truths of faith. Also in the same work, n. 17, 123, 124, 142-144, 510, it is shown that in the spiritual world all are turned to their own loves, and those who have acknowledged the Lord and believed in Him are turned to Him, and thereby have good, and through good, illustration in respect to truths.) From this it can be seen what the genuine good is that is signified by “gold tried by fire,” namely, that it is good from the Lord alone.
[3] As what is written to the angel of this church treats of those who live according to the doctrine of faith alone, and as those who had confirmed themselves in that doctrine, and were on that account called learned in the world, were able to join falsities with truths and make the doctrine appear as if it were true, therefore, it was granted me to talk with some of them in the other life; and as the things that were then said on either side may serve for illustration I will present them. These learned ones, from their belief while in the world, supposed that there might be faith without charity, and that man may be justified by that alone. Their talk was very ingenious; they said that there is faith without charity, because it is prior to charity, and because by it man is in good. “Who,” they said, “is not able to believe that there is a God, that the Word is Divine, and other like truths, which unless believed could not be received and thought of by man?”
From this they concluded that as faith precedes, or is prior to, charity, there can be faith without charity; and if there can be, that it must be saving, since man cannot do good from himself; unless, therefore, that faith were saving all would perish: moreover, without faith there could be no presence of God with man; and without the presence of God evil would reign, and no one would have any good. This, they said, is what is meant by justification by faith alone. But it was shown them that there could not be faith unless there was at the same time charity; and that what they called faith was nothing but the knowledges that are first with every man; for example, that there is a God, that the Word is Divine, and the like, and that these knowledges are not in the man before they are in his will, but are in the entrance to him, which is his memory; but so far as they are in his will so far they are in the man himself, for the will is the man himself; and so far as they are in the will so far they are in his sight, which is faith. The knowledges themselves that precede, and that appear to the natural sight as if believed, do not until then come to be of faith; consequently this seeing the knowledges, that is thought to be of faith, recedes step by step from man as he begins from willing evil to think evil, and also recedes from him after death when man becomes a spirit, if the knowledges have not been rooted in his life, that is, in his will or love.
[4] This may be illustrated by a comparison with the stomachs of birds and beasts of the earth that are called ruminating stomachs. Into these they first collect their food, and afterwards by degrees take it out and eat it, and thus nourish the blood; food thus becomes a part of their life. With man the memory corresponds to these stomachs; and man is endowed with memory instead of these because he is spiritual; into this he first gathers spiritual foods, which are knowledges, and afterwards he takes them out by a sort of ruminating, that is, by thinking and willing, and appropriates them, and thus makes them a part of his life.
From this comparison, although trifling, it can be seen that knowledges, unless implanted in the life by thinking and willing them and then doing them, are like food that remains unconsumed in ruminating stomachs, where it either becomes putrid or is vomited out. Moreover, the circle of man’s life is to know,* to understand, to will, and to do; for man’s spiritual life begins with knowing, passes next to understanding, then to willing, and finally to doing. From this it is clear that so long as knowledges are in the memory they are merely in the entrance to the life, and that they are not fully in man until they are in acts, and the more fully they are in acts the more fully they are in the understanding and will.
[5] It was further shown that the faith of knowledges before it becomes the faith of life is historical faith, the nature of which is well known, namely, that it is believed because another has said it; until this has been made man’s own it is an alien thing, or something with ourself belonging to someone else. Historical faith, moreover, is like a belief in things unknown, for it is said that things must be believed though not understood, yea, that they must not be searched into by the understanding; and yet spiritual faith is such that in it truths themselves are seen and are consequently believed. In heaven no one believes any truth unless he sees it or has seen it; for they say, “Who can believe that a thing is so unless he sees it? It may possibly be false.” And only the evil can believe what is false; for the evil from evil see falsities, but the good from good see truths; and as good is from the Lord, so also seeing truth from good is from the Lord. Angels see truths because the light of heaven, in which they are, is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; all, therefore, even those in the world, who are in that light are able to see truth. (Of the light of heaven, and that it is such, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140.)
[6] It was then shown that charity and faith act as one and enter together into man, thus that man is so far in faith as he is in charity, since faith as to its essence is charity, just as truth as to its essence is good; for good, when it exists in shape or in form is truth; in like manner charity is faith, for good is of charity and truth is of faith; moreover, the one loves the other and conjoins itself to the other, therefore one is not given unless the other be with it. This was illustrated by man’s thought, which is of his understanding, and his affection, which is of his will; to think apart from affection is impossible, for the very essence of thought is affection or love. Man is able, to be sure, to think all things that he knows from the doctrine of the church, but only from a natural affection, which is the affection or love of glory, fame, honor or gain; but such an affection does not make thought to be spiritual; this requires charity, which is spiritual affection itself. When this is conjoined with knowledges there is faith, and then so far as man is in that affection he sees in thought the things that are of his faith, which are called truths, and acknowledges them, because they are from his very spirit, thus from his very spiritual life. This also is what is called illustration; and this is why no one can be illustrated from the Word unless he is in the spiritual affection of truth. Something like illustration there is, indeed, with those who have confirmed themselves in such things as are of the doctrine of faith alone and justification by faith; but that illustration is a fatuous illustration, since falsities as well as truths can be confirmed, like all those heresies that prevail both among the Jews and among Papists. With those who are called naturalists, and who deny God, the Divinity of the Word, and all other things belonging to the church, there is a similar light after confirmations; like that with those who have confirmed themselves in faith alone and justification by faith. (That the light of confirmation is natural, not spiritual, and exists also with the evil, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8780.)
[7] But let us return to the faith that in its essence is charity. That faith is continually perfected by such things as confirm; for from spiritual light more truths are constantly being seen, and all these join themselves to the good of charity, and perfect it. From this man has intelligence and wisdom, which at length become angelic. Moreover, those who are merely in the knowledges of faith, and not in a life according to them, believe that man can easily receive faith, if not in the world yet in another life, saying within themselves, “When I hear and see that a thing is so can I not believe it?” But they are greatly mistaken; for those who have not received spiritual faith in the world can never afterwards receive it, even if they were to hear of it and see it a thousand times; and for the reason that such a faith is not in man, but outside of him. That this is so can be clearly seen from this, that all who come from the world are first received by angels and good spirits, and instructed in every way, yea, many things are shown them to the life and before their very eyes, and yet they do not receive; thus they alienate themselves from angels and good spirits, and join those who are in no faith.
[8] Again, it was also told them, that if faith could be received by merely knowing and thinking it would be received by all,** the evil and the good alike, and thus no one would be damned. That charity, which is spiritual affection, can never be given to anyone unless he knows truths, examines himself by means of them, accepts them, and leads a new life in accordance with them, may be seen above (n. 239). From this it follows that charity is the life of faith, and that there is nothing of life in faith except in the measure of the charity that is in it; and also that in the measure that charity is in faith man is led by the Lord, but in the measure that charity is not in faith man is led by himself; and he who is led by himself and not by the Lord is unable to think of good, still less to will and do good which is good in itself; for from what is man’s own [ex proprio] nothing proceeds except evil; for when a man thinks of good, and wills and does good and*** what is his own [ex propio], it is only for his own sake and for the sake of the world, which are the ends of what he does, and the ends are the loves that lead him; and man cannot be withdrawn from his selfhood [a suo proprio] or elevated unless he looks to the Lord in regard to the things that are of life; by this looking he is conjoined with heaven, and from heaven a spiritual affection is given him by the Lord. When this had been said, it was granted to those with whom I was talking on this subject to be in spiritual light, which light is such that in it truths can be seen as clearly as objects in the world are seen in its light; and then those who were in the doctrine of faith alone and justification by faith could not but affirm that this was true; but as soon as that light was taken away from them, and they were let back into their own light, which was natural, they were unable to see otherwise than that the sight of knowledges is saving faith, and therefore that the falsities that they had made part of their faith were truths. Falsities come to be of the faith when evils are of the life.
sRef Mal@3 @1 S9′ sRef Mal@3 @2 S9′ sRef Mal@3 @3 S9′ [9] But to return to the explanation of the words of this passage, “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried by fire, that thou mayest be enriched,” which signifies that they should acquire for themselves from the Lord genuine good, that they may be able to receive truths. It now remains to be shown that “gold” in the Word signifies the good of love. This can be seen from the following passages. In Malachi:
Behold, I send My angel [messenger] who shall prepare the way before Me; and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple, even the angel [messenger] of the covenant whom ye desire; He shall sit refining and purifying silver, and shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall purge them as gold and silver, that they may bring to Jehovah an offering in righteousness (Mal. 3:1-3).
These things are said of the Lord’s coming. It is said that Jehovah is to send a messenger [an angel] who will prepare the way before Him; and the messenger [angel] meant is John the Baptist, as is known. “Before Me,” or before Jehovah, means before the Lord’s Divine Itself; “the temple to which He is to come” means His Divine Human; this is also called “the messenger [angel] of the covenant,” because through it there is a conjunction of men and angels with the Divine Itself, for covenant means conjunction. “The silver that He shall sit refining and purifying” means truth from good; “the sons of Levi” mean all those who are in the good of charity and in the truths of faith therefrom; it is therefore said, “He shall purge them as gold and silver.” This is said because “gold” signifies good, and “silver” the truth therefrom. “Bringing to Jehovah an offering in righteousness” means worship of the Lord from the good of charity. (That “temple” signifies the Lord’s Divine Human, see above, n. 220; that “covenant” signifies conjunction, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804, 8767, 8778, 9396, 10632; that “silver” signifies truth from good, n. 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658; that “an offering” signifies the good of love and charity, n. 4581, 9992-9994, 10079, 10137; that “righteousness” is predicated of good, n. 2235, 9857.) Therefore “to bring an offering in righteousness” signifies worship from the good of love.
sRef Zech@13 @9 S10′ sRef Zech@13 @8 S10′ sRef Num@31 @22 S10′ sRef Num@31 @23 S10′ [10] In Zechariah:
Two parts in all the land shall be cut off, shall expire, but the third shall be left therein. Yet I will lead the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and I will try them as gold is tried. (Zech. 13:8-9).
“All the land” does not mean all the land, but the whole church; nor does “the third part” mean a third part, but some in the church. “To lead it through the fire, and refine as silver is refined, and to try as gold is tried,” signifies to so purify them from falsities and evils that good and truth may be implanted. (That “earth” [land] in the Word signifies the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 662, 1066, 1068, 1262, 1413, 1607, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577, 6516, 9325, 9643; that “a third part” signifies some, n. 2788.) In these passages there are comparisons of “silver” and “gold” with truth and good; but in the Word all things that serve as comparisons also correspond, and thence signify (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3579, 8989). Because “gold tried by fire” signifies the good of love purified from evils, it was commanded:
That the gold and silver taken from the Midianites should be passed through the fire, and thus be purified (Num. 31:22-23).
[11] That “gold” signifies the good of love and of charity is shown further in the following passages. In Hosea:
Israel hath forsaken good; the enemy pursueth him; they have made their silver and their gold into idols for themselves (Hosea 8:3-4).
“Making their silver and their gold into idols for themselves” signifies that they have turned truth and good into falsities and evils, as is evident from its being said, “Israel hath forsaken good, and the enemy pursueth him;” “the enemy” is falsity from evil, and evil from falsity.
sRef Joel@3 @4 S12′ sRef Joel@3 @6 S12′ sRef Joel@3 @5 S12′ [12] In Joel:
What are ye to Me, O Tyre and Zidon? My silver and My gold ye have taken, and the desirable things of My goods have ye brought into your temples, and the sons of Judah, and the sons of Jerusalem ye have sold to the sons of the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their borders (Joel 3:4-6).
“Tyre and Zidon” mean those within the church who are in the knowledges of truth and good; here those who have perverted these, and applied them to falsities and to the evils of falsities; this is signified by “Ye have taken My silver and My gold, and the desirable things of My goods have ye brought into your temples;” “silver” signifying truth, “gold” good, and “the desirable things of goods” signifying derived truths and goods, which are knowledges from the sense of the letter of the Word; “to bring them into their temples” signifies to turn them into profane worship; that “they sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of the Grecians” means that they changed all the truths of good into the falsities of evil; “removing them far from their borders” means far from truths themselves. (That “Tyre and Zidon” mean those within the church who are in the knowledges of truth and good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1201; that “sons of Judah and sons of Jerusalem” mean all truths of good, because “sons” signify truths, n. 1729, 1733, 2159, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3373, 3704, 7499, 8897, 9807; “Judah” the celestial church, n. 3654, 6364; “Jerusalem” the church where there is genuine doctrine, n. 3654, 9166; that “sons of the Grecians” mean falsities, because “Grecians” signify the nations that are in falsities, see above, n. 50.)
sRef Ezek@28 @13 S13′ sRef Ezek@27 @22 S13′ sRef Ezek@28 @4 S13′ [13] In Ezekiel:
The traders of Sheba and Raamah, by the chief of all spices, and by every precious stone and gold, they gave for thy tradings (27:22).
In the same:
In thy wisdom and thine intelligence thou hadst made to thyself wealth, and hast gotten gold and silver in thy treasures. Thou wast in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, and gold (Ezek. 28:4, 13).
In these two passages also Tyre is treated of, and by it, as was said above, those within the church who are in the knowledges of truth and good are meant. (By “her tradings” those knowledges themselves are meant. “Sheba and Raamah” also mean those who are in these knowledges, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1171, 3240; “spices” signify truths which are pleasing because from good, see n. 4748, 5621, 9474, 9475, 10199, 10254; “precious stones” signify truths, which are beautiful because from good, n. 9863, 9865, 9868, 9873, 9905; “the garden of Eden” signifies intelligence and wisdom therefrom, n. 100, 108, 1588, 2702, 3220.) Now because these things signify the knowledges of truth and of good, and “gold and silver” the goods and truths themselves, and because through these all intelligence and wisdom are acquired, it is said, “In thine intelligence and thy wisdom thou hast gotten gold and silver in thy treasures.”
sRef Lam@4 @1 S14′ sRef Lam@4 @2 S14′ [14] In Lamentations:
How is the gold become dim! How is the most pure gold changed! The stones of holiness are poured out at the head of every street. The sons of Zion are esteemed equal to pure gold; how are they reputed as earthen bottles, the work of the hands of the potter! (Lam. 4:1-2).
Here the vastation of the church is treated of; “the gold that is become dim, and the most pure gold that is changed,” signify the goods of the church; “the stones of holiness that are poured out at the head of every street,” signify the truths therefrom that are falsified; “the sons of Zion, who were esteemed equal to pure gold,” signify the truths of the former church; “earthen bottles, the work of the hands of the potter,” signify evils of life from falsities of doctrine, which are from self-intelligence.
sRef Ezek@16 @11 S15′ sRef Ezek@16 @17 S15′ sRef Ezek@16 @13 S15′ [15] In Ezekiel:
I decked thee with ornaments, and I gave bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy garments of fine linen and silk and broidered work. Thou didst also take the vessels of thine adorning of My gold and My silver, which I had given thee, and madest for thee images with which thou couldst commit whoredom (Ezek. 16:11, 13, 17-18).
Here Jerusalem is treated of, which signifies the church in respect to doctrine (as above). “The ornaments with which she was decked” signify in general all truths from good and intelligence therefrom (Arcana Coelestia, n. 10536, 10540); “bracelets upon the hands” signify in particular, truths from good (Arcana Coelestia, n. 3103, 3105); “the chain upon the neck” signifies the conjunction of interior truths and goods with exterior, or things spiritual with things natural (Arcana Coelestia, n. 5320); “fine linen” signifies genuine truth, and “silk” the same, resplendent from interior good (Arcana Coelestia, n. 5319, 9469); “broidered work” signifies knowledge [scientificum] pertaining to the natural man (n. 9688); “the images with which she committed whoredom” are the fallacies of the senses, that appear as truths to those who are in falsities; “to commit whoredom with them” is to establish falsities by fallacies (that “to commit whoredom” signifies to imbue with falsities, see above, n. 141). From this it is clear that the contents of this chapter describe the church as it was when first established by the Lord, and as it afterwards became.
sRef Isa@13 @18 S16′ sRef Isa@13 @17 S16′ [16] In Isaiah:
Behold, I stir up against them the Medes, who shall not value silver, and shall not delight in gold; their bows shall dash to pieces the young men, their eye shall not spare the sons (Isa. 13:17-18).
The “Medes” mean those who are against the truths and goods of the church; it is therefore said of them, “they shall not value silver nor delight in gold;” “silver” is the truth of the church, and “gold” its good. Their “bows” signify the doctrinals of falsity fighting against truths and goods (Arcana Coelestia, n. 2686, 2709); “the young men whom they shall dash to pieces” signify those who are intelligent from truths (n. 7668); “the sons whom they shall not spare” signify the truths themselves.
sRef Isa@60 @6 S17′ sRef Matt@2 @11 S17′ sRef Isa@60 @9 S17′ [17] In the same:
The troop of camels shall cover thee; they all shall come from Sheba; they shall bring gold and frankincense; and they shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah. The isles hope in Me, and the ships of Tarshish, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them (Isa. 60:6, 9).
Here the coming of the Lord is treated of, and “the troop of camels” means all who are in the knowledges of truth and good (Arcana Coelestia, n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145); “Sheba, from which they shall come,” means where those knowledges themselves are (n. 1171, 3240); “the gold and frankincense which they shall bring” mean goods and truths from good, which are therefore pleasing, “gold” is goods, and “frankincense” truths (n. 9993, 10177, 10296); “the isles which shall hope” mean the nations that are in Divine worship, but more remote from the truths of the church (n. 1158); “the ships of Tarshish” mean the general knowledges of truth and good, which contain many knowledges in particular (n. 1977, 6385); “the sons whom they shall bring from far” mean truths more remote, “sons” meaning truths (as above), and “from far” those more remote (n. 1613, 9487); “their silver and gold with them” signify the knowledges of truth and good with them.
Like things are signified by:
The wise men who came from the East to the place where Christ was born, offering gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matt. 2:11).
They offered these because these signified goods and truths, interior and exterior, which are gifts pleasing to God.
sRef Ps@72 @11 S18′ sRef Ps@72 @15 S18′ sRef Ps@72 @13 S18′ [18] In David:
All kings shall bow themselves before Him; and all nations shall serve Him. He shall save the souls of the needy. And they shall live, and He shall give them of the gold of Sheba (Ps. 72:11, 13, 15).
Here also the coming of the Lord is treated of; by “kings that shall bow themselves before Him,” and “nations that shall serve Him,” all who are in truths from good are meant (that “kings” signify those who are in truths, see above, n. 31; and that “nations” signify those who are in good, see also above, n. 175); “the needy whom He shall save” mean those who are not in the knowledges of good and truth but yet long for them (see also above, n. 238); “the gold of Sheba, of which He shall give them,” means the good of love into which the Lord shall lead them by means of knowledges (what “Sheba” signifies see just above).
sRef Hag@2 @8 S19′ sRef Hag@2 @9 S19′ sRef Hag@2 @7 S19′ [19] In Haggai:
I will stir up all nations, that they may come, the choice of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory. The silver is Mine, and the gold. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former (Hag. 2:7-9).
This also treats of the coming of the Lord; by “nations” those who are in good and in truths therefrom are meant; by “house” the church (Arcana Coelestia, n. 3720); “the glory with which it shall be filled” means Divine truth (n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429). “The silver is Mine, and the gold,” means that truth and good are from the Lord alone.
sRef Zech@14 @14 S20′ sRef Ex@3 @22 S20′ [20] In Zechariah:
The wealth of all nations round about shall be gathered together, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance (Zech. 14:14).
“The wealth of all nations” means knowledges, wheresoever they are, even with the evil; “gold, silver, and garments, in great abundance,” mean goods and truths, spiritual and natural. The like was signified by:
The gold, silver, and garments that the sons of Israel borrowed from the Egyptians, when they went away from them (Exod. 3:22; 11:2, 3; 12:35-36).
Why this was done, and what it involves, may be seen in The Arcana Coelestia (n. 6914, 6917), namely, to represent that the things the evil have shall be taken away from them and given to the good (according to the Lord’s words in Matthew 25:28, 29; and in Luke 19:24, 26); and that they should make to themselves friends by the unrighteous mammon (according to the words of the Lord in Luke 16:9). “The unrighteous mammon” means the knowledges of truth and good with those who do not possess them justly, who are those that do not apply them to life.
sRef Ps@45 @9 S21′ sRef Ps@45 @13 S21′ [21] In David:
Kings’ daughters are among thy precious ones; at Thy right hand stood the queen in the best gold of Ophir. The king’s daughter is all glorious within; her vesture is inwrought with gold (Ps. 45:9, 13).
This treats of the Lord; and “a king’s daughter” means the church that is in the affection of truth, which is described by “kings’ daughters are among His precious ones,” which means the affections of truths themselves; “at His right hand doth stand the queen in the best gold of Ophir” means the Lord’s celestial kingdom, which is in the good of love; “her vesture is inwrought with gold” means that its truths are from good.
sRef Ex@25 @35 S22′ sRef Ex@25 @36 S22′ sRef Ex@25 @32 S22′ sRef Ex@25 @34 S22′ sRef Ex@25 @31 S22′ sRef Ex@25 @38 S22′ sRef Ex@25 @33 S22′ sRef Matt@10 @9 S22′ sRef Ex@25 @23 S22′ sRef Ex@25 @24 S22′ sRef Ex@25 @37 S22′ sRef Ex@25 @38 S22′ [22] In Matthew:
Jesus said to His disciples whom He sent forth to preach the gospel, that they should possess no gold, nor silver, nor brass in their purses (Matt. 10:9);
by this was represented that they should have nothing of good and truth from themselves, but only from the Lord, and that all things would be given them freely. Because “gold” signified the good of love:
The table on which the shewbread was placed was overlaid with gold (Exod. 25:23-24);
Likewise the altar of incense, which was thence called the golden altar (Exod. 30:3);
For the same reason the lampstand was made of pure gold (Exod. 25:31, 38);
Also the cherubim (Exod. 25:18);
And for the same reason the ark was overlaid within and without with gold (Exod. 25:11);
Likewise many things in the temple at Jerusalem.
For the tabernacle, in which were the ark, the cherubim, the table on which was the shewbread, the altar of incense, and the lampstand, represented heaven, and so did the temple; therefore the gold therein signified the good of love, and the silver truth from good.
sRef Dan@5 @2 S23′ [23] As what is most holy in heaven was represented by the gold in the temple:
When Belshazzar drank wine out of the vessels of gold brought out of that temple, and at the same time praised the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone, there appeared written on the wall: Numbered, weighed, divided; and in that night he was slain (Dan. 5:2 seq.);
for thereby was signified the profanation of good.
sRef Deut@7 @26 S24′ sRef Deut@7 @25 S24′ [24] Moreover “gold” in the Word in a contrary sense signifies the evil of self-love, and “silver” the falsity therefrom. As in Moses:
The silver and gold of the nations they shall not covet, for they are abominations, nor bring them into their houses, but they shall be accursed, because they are to be abhorred and abominated (Deut. 7:25-26).
But this signification of “gold” and “silver” shall be spoken of further on.
* For “is to know” the Latin has “and to know.”
** For “received by all” the Latin has “received that by all.”
*** For “and what is his own” the context requires “from what is his own.”

sRef Rev@3 @18 S0′ 243. And white garments, that thou mayest be clothed, signifies genuine truths and intelligence therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “white garments,” as being genuine truths, for garments signify truths (see above, n. 195), and “white” signifies what is genuine, and is predicated of truths (see above, n. 196); also from the signification of “to clothe,” as being to acquire intelligence for oneself therefrom, for by means of genuine truths all intelligence is acquired; for the human understanding is formed to receive truths, therefore it becomes such as the truths are out of which it is formed. It is supposed that understanding is also the ability to reason from thought and to speak from falsities, and to confirm falsities by many arguments; but this is not understanding, it is only a faculty granted to man with the memory to which it is adjoined, and of which it is an activity. Yet by means of this faculty the understanding is born and formed, so far as man receives truths from affection; but genuine truths it is not possible for any man to receive from affection except only from the Lord, since they are from Him; consequently, to receive understanding, or to become intelligent, is not given to any man, except only from the Lord, but it is given to everyone who applies himself to receive (according to what was said above, n. 239). This, therefore, is signified by “I counsel thee to buy of Me white garments, that thou mayest be clothed.”

sRef Rev@3 @18 S0′ 244. That the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, signifies that filthy loves may not appear. This is evident from the signification of “nakedness,” as being the deprivation of truth and good from the understanding, because of the deprivation of them from the will, or the deprivation of the truth which is of faith, because there is no good which is of love (see above, n. 240). And because this deprivation is signified by “nakedness,” “the shame of nakedness” signifies filthy loves, for these appear when they are not removed by the love of good and by the faith of truth therefrom. For man is born into two loves, which are the love of self and the love of the world, therefore by heredity he derives the inclination to love self and the world above all things; these loves are filthy loves, because out of them all evils flow, namely, contempt of others in comparison with oneself, enmity against those who do not favor oneself, hatred, revenge, craftiness, and deceits of every kind. These loves with their evils cannot be removed except by the two loves, which are the love to the Lord and the love towards the neighbor; from these man inclines to love the Lord above all things, and the neighbor as himself. These two loves are pure loves, since they are out of heaven from the Lord. Moreover, from these all goods flow; so far, therefore, as man is in these, so far the filthy loves into which he is born are removed, even until they do not appear; and they are removed by the Lord by means of truths. From this it can be seen that “I counsel thee to buy of Me white garments, that thou mayest be clothed, that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear,” signifies that they should acquire for themselves genuine truths, and from these intelligence from the Lord, that filthy loves may not appear.

sRef Rev@3 @18 S0′ 245. And anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see, signifies that the understanding may be somewhat opened. This is evident from the signification of “eyes,” as being the understanding (see above, n. 152); therefore “to anoint the eyes that thou mayest see” signifies that the understanding may be opened. It is said “to anoint with eye-salve,” because “eye-salve” means an ointment made out of flour mixed with oil, and “flour” signifies the truth of faith, and “oil” the good of love. (That “flour” signifies the truth of faith, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2177, 9995; and that “oil” signifies the good of love, n. 3728, 4582, 4638.) This is so said because the understanding sees nothing of truth unless the will is in good, for truth in the understanding is nothing else than the form of the good that is in the will.

sRef Rev@3 @19 S0′ 246. Verse 19. As many as I love I reprove and chasten, signifies temptations then. This is evident from the signification of “reproving and chastening,” as being to let into temptations, when it is said of those who are acquiring for themselves good, and by means of it are receiving truths, of whom the preceding verse treats. It is said “as many as I love,” which means all those in the doctrine of faith alone who are in good or in charity, and in truths, that is, in faith, therefrom. These are loved by the Lord, because the Lord is present in good, or in charity; and through good or charity is present in truths or faith, and not conversely. It is here said of those who are in the doctrine of faith alone that the Lord “reproves and chastens” them, because it was said above, “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried by fire, and white garments, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou mayest see,” which means that those who are in the doctrine of faith alone should acquire for themselves genuine good and genuine truths, and intelligence therefrom, that filthy loves may not appear, and that the understanding may be somewhat opened.
And when this takes place with those who have been in the doctrine of faith alone, they cannot but be let into temptations; for the principles of falsity in them respecting faith alone and justification by faith cannot be done away with except by means of temptations; and they must be wholly done away with, since they cannot be conjoined with the good of charity, with this truths only are conjoined; therefore truths must be acquired, as has been said. There is, to be sure, a conjunction of truths through their declaring that after man has received faith he is led by God, and is thus in the good of charity; and yet they make this of no account, as contributing nothing to salvation, saying, moreover, that nothing condemns one who is in that faith, neither evil of thought and will nor evil of life; as also that he is not under the law, because the Lord has fulfilled the law for him; and that nothing is regarded except faith; by these things there is disjunction. That they conjoin them, is because otherwise the doctrine would not cohere with the Word, where charity and works are so often mentioned; but this conjunction is not conjunction with those who are in a life according to the doctrine, but with those who are in a life according to the Word.
[2] It is said, “As many as I love I reprove and chasten,” but by this it is meant not that it is the Lord who reproves and chastens, but infernal spirits, who are in principles of like falsity; it is these who chastise, that is, tempt men. God tempts no one, as is well known; this, therefore, must be thus understood, although in the letter it is said of God that He leads into temptation, that He does evil, that He casts into hell, and many like things. From this it is clear that Divine truth in the Word is but little understood except through its spiritual sense, or through doctrine from those who have been in illustration. In respect to temptations, man comes into them when he is let into what is his own [in suum proprium], for then spirits from hell who are in the falsities of his principle and in the evils of his love join themselves to him and hold his thoughts therein; but the Lord holds his thoughts in the truths that are of faith and in the goods that are of charity, and as he then is also in constant thought about salvation and heaven, there thence arises in him interior anxiety of mind and combat, which is called temptation. But those who are not in truths and goods, thus not in any faith from charity, cannot be let into temptations, for there is nothing with them that combats with falsities and evils. From this it is that at this day there are few who are tempted, and that it is little known what spiritual temptation is. (This is more fully explained in the Arcana Coelestia: see extracts therefrom in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 196-201.)

sRef Rev@3 @19 S0′ 247. Be zealous, therefore, and repent, signifies that they must have charity. This is evident from the signification of “being zealous,” as being to act from spiritual affection, for this affection is zeal in the spiritual sense; and as charity is this affection itself, it is said, “be zealous and repent,” which signifies that they must have charity. Moreover, no one is let into spiritual temptation unless he is in spiritual affection, which is called charity; for unless he is in that, no combat arises with falsities and evils, because there is no zeal in behalf of truths and goods. Since by temptation not only are evils subdued and falsities removed, but also truths are implanted in their place, and these are so conjoined with the good of charity as to be one with it, therefore to “be zealous and repent” signifies that they must have charity.

sRef Rev@3 @20 S0′ 248. Verse 20. Behold I stand at the door and knock, signifies the perpetual presence of the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “door or entrance,” as being in the highest sense the Lord in respect to admission into heaven or into the church, and in the internal sense truth from good, which is from Him, since by this man is admitted (see above, n. 208). Since it is here said by the Lord, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock,” not only His perpetual presence is signified, but also His perpetual wish to admit, and He does admit and conjoin Himself with all who receive Him, which is effected by means of truths from good or by means of faith from charity; therefore this follows, “If anyone hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” As the word “door” is used, so the word “knocking” is used, which signifies the Lord’s perpetual wish to conjoin Himself with man, and to communicate to him the blessednesses of heaven. That this is the meaning can be seen from this, that in the Lord is Divine love, and Divine love is wishing to give all its own to others, and wishing that they may receive Him; and as this can be effected only by man’s receiving good and truth, or love and faith, since these are the Divine things that proceed from the Lord and are received (and as these are Divine, the Lord is in them), therefore there is conjunction of the Lord with the angels and with men by means of truths from good or by means of faith from love. The desire to give these things to man and to implant them in him is signified especially by, “I stand at the door and knock.”
[2] There are two things that are in man’s freedom by reason of the perpetual presence of the Lord, and His perpetual desire to conjoin Himself with man. The first thing therefrom in man’s freedom is that he has the means and faculty to think well about the Lord and the neighbor; for everyone is able to think well or ill about the Lord and the neighbor; if he thinks well the door is opened, if ill it is shut. To think well about the Lord and the neighbor is not from man himself and from what is his own [ejus proprio], but from the Lord, who is perpetually present and by His perpetual presence gives man that means and faculty; but to think ill about the Lord and the neighbor is from man himself and from what is his own [ejus proprio]. The other thing which is in man’s freedom by reason of the perpetual presence of the Lord with him, and the Lord’s perpetual desire to conjoin Himself with man, is man’s ability to abstain from evils; and so far as he does abstain the Lord opens the door and enters; for the Lord is unable to open and enter so long as evils are in man’s thought and will, since these block the way and close it up. Moreover, it has been granted to man by the Lord to know the evils of the thought and will, as also the truths by which evils are to be dispersed; for the Word is given wherein these things are disclosed.
[3] From this it can be seen that nothing is lacking that man may be reformed if he wishes to be; for all the means of reformation have been bequeathed to man in his freedom; but it should be well known that this freedom is from the Lord, as was said above, and that the Lord effects reformation thereby, provided man, from the freedom that is given to everyone, receives. There must absolutely be reception on the part of man, which is meant by “If anyone hear My voice and open the door.” It does not matter, if man, because he does not perceive the inflowing, does not know in the beginning that this is from the Lord, provided he afterwards believes from the Word that all the good of love and the truth of faith are from the Lord, for the Lord effects these things, although man does not know it, and this by His perpetual presence, which is signified by “I stand at the door and knock.” In short, it is the Lord’s wish that man of himself should abstain from evil things and do good, if he only believes that the ability to do so is not from man, but from the Lord; for it is the Lord’s will that there be reception on man’s part, and reception is possible only as man acts as of himself, though it is from the Lord. Thus something reciprocal is given with man, and this is his new will. [4] From this it can be seen how mistaken those are who say that man is justified and saved by faith alone, because he cannot do good from himself. What else would this be than letting his hands hang down waiting for immediate influx? He who does this receives nothing at all. They also err who believe that they can make themselves receptive of influx by prayers, adorations, and the externals of worship; these things are of no effect unless man abstains from thinking and doing evils, and by truths from the Word leads himself, as of himself, to things good in respect to life; when man does this he makes himself receptive, and then his prayers, adorations, and externals of worship avail before the Lord. (On this see more in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 521-527.)

sRef Rev@3 @20 S0′ 249. If any one hear My voice, signifies if one attends to the Lord’s precepts. This is evident from the signification of “to hear,” as being to attend, that is, to observe with attention, and to hearken or obey; for the things that enter by the hearing are not only seen by the understanding, but also, if they are in accord with man’s affection, are obeyed; for interior affection joins itself to things heard, but not to things seen. There are therefore two significations of hearing and hearkening in common discourse, namely, to hear anyone or listen, and to hear anyone or hearken to him; the latter means to obey, but the former means to perceive; consequently “hear thou” means to be obedient, and “see thou” means to be intelligent. Such things in common discourse have their origin in the spiritual world, in which man is in respect to his spirit (see above, n. 14 and 108). This is evident also from the signification of “My voice,” or the Lord’s voice, as being the truths of the Word, of doctrine, and of faith therefrom, thus precepts (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 219, 220, 3563, 6971, 8813, 9926).
[2] It is said, if one attends to the Lord’s precepts; which means if one wishes to know truths, and to study them from the Word; this no one can do who is in evils of life, and who has confirmed himself in falsities of doctrine. Those who have confirmed themselves in falsities of doctrine attend to nothing in the Word except what favors the principles of their falsity; other things they either pass by, as if not seen, or pervert and falsify; while those who are in evils of life do not care about truths, and when they hear them do not listen to them. Thus in one way of hearing, which is seeing and perceiving truths, they receive, but not in the other way, which is hearkening to or obeying truths. But those who wish to know truths, and to study them from the Word, are such as are in the spiritual affection of truth; these love truth because it is truth; and those are in that affection who wish to live according to truths from the Word, thus according to the Lord’s commandments. Such are meant by “If anyone hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.”

sRef Matt@7 @21 S0′ sRef Luke@8 @8 S0′ sRef Matt@7 @19 S0′ sRef Luke@8 @15 S0′ sRef Matt@7 @20 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @20 S0′ sRef Matt@7 @22 S0′ sRef Matt@7 @26 S0′ sRef Matt@7 @23 S0′ sRef Matt@7 @27 S0′ sRef Matt@7 @24 S0′ sRef Matt@7 @25 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @9 S0′ 250. And open the door, signifies reception in the heart or the life. This is evident from the signification of “opening the door,” as being to admit, for “door” signifies admission (see above, n. 208); but here “opening the door” signifies reception in the heart or the life, for it follows, “I will come in to him.” It is said, “if he open the door,” as if man opened it, when yet it is the Lord Himself who opens, as was said and shown just above (n. 248). It is so said, however, because it so appears to man, by reason of the freedom given him by the Lord. Moreover, in the sense of the letter of the Word many things are said according to appearances; but those appearances are put off in heaven, where the internal or spiritual sense of the Word is. The sense of the letter of the Word is in many places according to appearances, in order that it may serve as a basis for the spiritual sense; otherwise it would have no basis or foundation. That many things in the Word are said according to appearances can be seen from this, that it is said in the Word that evil is from God, that wrath, anger, and revenge pertain to God, and other like things; when yet God does evil to no one, nor does any anger or revenge pertain to Him; for He is good itself and love itself; but because such is the appearance when man does evil and is punished, it is so said in the sense of the letter; but still in the spiritual sense of the Word the meaning is different. So is it with this “if man open the door.”
[2] It shall moreover be explained what is meant by “opening the door,” when this is said to be done by man, as here. The Lord is always present with good and truth in man, and strives to open his spiritual mind; this is the door which the Lord wishes to open, and to endow man with heavenly love and faith; for He says, “I stand at the door and knock.” But of this endeavor or this perpetual desire of the Lord man has no perception; for he supposes that he does good from himself, and that this endeavor or this wish is in himself. It is sufficient then for man to acknowledge from the doctrine of the church that all good is from God, and nothing thereof from man. This is not perceived by man, in order that there may be reception by man, and by reception appropriation, for otherwise man cannot be reformed.
[3] This shows how much in error those in the doctrine of faith alone are in saying and believing that it is faith and not the good of life that saves, that is, that man is justified by faith alone, thus excluding man’s application to receive. They know that man must examine himself, must see and acknowledge his evils, not only those of his works but also those of thought and intention, and that he must afterwards abstain from them and shun them and lead a new life, which must be a life of good; and that unless he does this there is no forgiveness for him, but damnation. This the doctors and leaders of the church teach when they preach from the Word, and this they teach everyone who comes to the Holy Supper; this they then teach as if from faith; but as soon as they go back and look to their doctrine of justification by faith alone they no longer believe these things, but say that all are led from evil to good by God after they have received faith; and some of them, that they may connect their principles of falsity with truths, say that after they have been justified by faith they are led by God to examine themselves, to confess their sins before God, to abstain from them, and so on. This, however, takes place with no one who believes in justification by faith alone, but it does take place with those who live a life of charity. By that life man is conjoined with heaven, but no man is so by faith alone. He who is conjoined with heaven by a life of charity is led by the Lord to see his evils, both the evils of thought and the evils of will. Man sees evils from good, because evils are contrary to good. But he who believes in salvation by faith alone says in heart, “I have faith, since I believe the things that are said; nothing condemns me; I have been justified;” and one who so believes can in no way be led by the Lord to examine himself and to repent of evils. Thus do they teach truths before the people, who from this believe that living well and believing well are meant by being justified by faith, neither do they look any deeper into the arcana of their doctrine. These are the ones who are saved; but the former are the ones who are condemned. That they are condemned they themselves might see if they were willing, for they believe from doctrine that the goods of life, which are works, contribute nothing to salvation, but faith alone; when yet works are abstaining from evils and living a new life, without which there is condemnation.
[4] That such preachings as are not from the arcana of their doctrine, and also the prayers received in the church teach this, can be seen from what is read before all the people who come to the altar to enjoy the Sacrament of the Supper, which shall be quoted here in the vernacular in which they are written [in English], as follows:
The way and means to be received as worthy partakers of that holy table is, first, to examine your lives and conversations by the rule of God’s commandments; and whereinsoever ye shall perceive yourselves to have offended, either by will, word, or deed, there to bewail your own sinfulness, and to confess yourselves to Almighty God, with full purpose of amendment of life. And if ye shall perceive your offenses to be such as are not only against God but also against your neighbors, then ye shall reconcile yourselves unto them; being ready to make restitution and satisfaction according to the uttermost of your power, for all injuries and wrongs done by you to any other; and being likewise ready to forgive others that have offended you, as ye would have forgiveness of your offenses at God’s hand; for otherwise the receiving of the holy communion doth nothing else but increase your damnation. Therefore if any of you be a blasphemer of God, a hinderer or slanderer of His Word, an adulterer, or be in malice or envy, or in any other grievous crime, repent you of your sins, or else come not to that holy table; lest after the taking of that holy sacrament the devil enter into you, as he entered into Judas, and fill you full of iniquities, and bring you to destruction both of body and soul.
Judge therefore yourselves, that ye be not judged of the Lord; repent ye truly for your sins past; have a lively and steadfast faith in Christ our Savior; amend your lives, and be in perfect charity with all men.
Ye that do truly and earnestly repent of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbors, and intend to live a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in His holy ways, draw near with faith, and take this holy sacrament to your comfort; and make your humble confession to Almighty God.
[5] From this it can now be seen that the doctors and leaders of the church know, and yet do not know, that this way, and not the way of faith apart from this, is the way to heaven; they know when they pray and preach before the people what is here quoted; but they do not know when they teach from their doctrine. The former way they call practical religion, but the latter the Christian religion; the former they believe to be for the simple, but the latter for the wise. But I am able to affirm that those who live according to the doctrine of faith alone and of justification by faith have no spiritual faith at all, and after the life in this world they come into damnation. But those who live according to the doctrine drawn from the above exhortations have spiritual faith, and after the life in the world come into heaven. This also perfectly agrees with the faith received throughout the Christian world, called the Athanasian Faith, in which are these words respecting the Lord:
At whose coming all men shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil into everlasting fire: this is the catholic faith.
sRef Rev@3 @14 S6′ sRef Rev@3 @1 S6′ sRef Rev@22 @12 S6′ sRef Rev@2 @23 S6′ sRef Rev@3 @7 S6′ sRef Jer@32 @19 S6′ sRef Rev@2 @2 S6′ sRef Rev@2 @18 S6′ sRef Luke@6 @46 S6′ sRef Rev@2 @8 S6′ sRef Rev@2 @19 S6′ sRef Rev@2 @13 S6′ sRef Zech@1 @6 S6′ sRef Rev@2 @12 S6′ sRef John@13 @17 S6′ sRef Matt@16 @27 S6′ sRef Rev@3 @15 S6′ sRef Rev@2 @9 S6′ sRef Rev@20 @13 S6′ sRef Matt@5 @19 S6′ sRef Rev@20 @12 S6′ sRef Rev@2 @1 S6′ sRef Rev@14 @13 S6′ sRef John@5 @28 S6′ sRef Hos@4 @9 S6′ sRef John@5 @29 S6′ sRef Matt@13 @23 S6′ sRef Rev@3 @8 S6′ sRef Jer@25 @14 S6′ [6] That these things are in perfect agreement with the Word is evident from the following passages:
The Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then he shall render unto everyone according to his works (Matt. 16:27).
They that have done good shall go forth unto the resurrection of life, but they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:28, 29).
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord; yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; their works do follow them (Rev. 14:13).
I will give unto each one of you according to his works (Rev. 2:23).
I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and books were opened; and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and hell gave up the dead that were in them, and they were judged everyone according to their works (Rev. 20:12, 13).
Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give everyone according to his works (Rev. 22:12).
In what is written to the seven churches it is said to each, “I know thy works.” Thus:
To the angel of the Ephesian church write, These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, I know thy works (Rev. 2:1, 2).
To the angel of the Church of the Smyrneans write, These things saith the First and the Last, I know thy works (Rev. 2:8, 9).
To the angel of the church in Pergamum write, These things saith He that hath the sword, I know thy works (Rev. 2:12, 13).
To the angel of the church in Thyatira write, These things saith the Son of God, I know thy works and charity (Rev. 2:18, 19).
To the angel of the church of Sardis write, These things saith He that hath the seven spirits of God, I know thy works (Rev. 3:1).
To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things saith the Holy, the True, I know thy works (Rev. 3:7, 8).
To the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, I know thy works (Rev. 3:14, 15).
In Jeremiah:
Requite* them according to their work, and according to the doing of their hands (Jer. 25:14).
In the same:
Jehovah, whose eyes are open upon all the ways of men, to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings (Jer. 32:19).
In Hosea:
And I will visit upon him his ways, and render his doings to him (Hos. 4:9).
In Zechariah:
Jehovah according to our ways and according to our doings doeth with us (Zech. 1:6).
So in the following passages.
In John:
If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye have done them (John 13:17).
In Luke:
Why call ye Me lord, and do not the things that I say (Luke 6:46).
In Matthew:
Whosoever doeth and teacheth, he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 5:19).
In the same:
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down, and cast into the fire. Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he that doeth the will of My Father who is in the heavens. Whosoever heareth My words and doeth them, I will liken him unto a prudent man. But whosoever heareth My words and doeth them not, I will liken him unto a foolish man (Matt. 7:19-27).
In the same:
He that was sown into the good earth, this is he that heareth the Word and understandeth, who beareth fruit and bringeth forth (Matt. 13:23).
These are they that were sown into the good earth who hear the Word and receive it, and bear fruit (Mark 4:20).
The seed that fell into the good earth are such as in a simple and good heart hear the Word, hold fast, and bring forth fruit (Luke 8:15).
When the Lord had said these things. He cried, saying, He that hath ears to hear let him hear (Matt. 13:9; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8).
In Matthew:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like unto this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 22:37-40).
“The Law and the Prophets” means the Word in its whole complex.
sRef Matt@25 @36 S7′ sRef John@14 @21 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @37 S7′ sRef John@14 @23 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @34 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @35 S7′ sRef John@21 @22 S7′ sRef Matt@22 @40 S7′ sRef Matt@22 @39 S7′ sRef Matt@22 @38 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @38 S7′ sRef Matt@26 @74 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @39 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @43 S7′ sRef Mark@4 @20 S7′ sRef Matt@26 @71 S7′ sRef Matt@26 @70 S7′ sRef John@14 @24 S7′ sRef Matt@26 @72 S7′ sRef Matt@26 @69 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @31 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @32 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @33 S7′ sRef Matt@26 @34 S7′ sRef John@21 @20 S7′ sRef Matt@26 @73 S7′ sRef John@21 @21 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @46 S7′ sRef Matt@26 @75 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @44 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @42 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @45 S7′ sRef Matt@22 @37 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @40 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @41 S7′ [7] That to love the Lord God is to obey His words or precepts He Himself teaches in John:
He that loveth Me keepeth My words; and My Father will love Him, and We will come unto him and make our abode with him. But he that loveth Me not keepeth not My words (John 14:21, 23-24).
Also in Matthew:
The Lord said to the goats who were on His left hand that they should go away into everlasting fire; and to the sheep who were on His right hand that they should go into eternal life (Matt. 25:31-46).
That “goats” are those who do not do the good things of charity, and “sheep” those who do, is clear from the words there; they both said that they did not know that doing good to the neighbor is doing it to the Lord; but they are taught at the day of judgment, if not before, that to do good is to love the Lord. “The five foolish virgins who had no oil in their lamps” also mean those who are in faith, and not in the good of charity; and “the five prudent virgins who had oil in their lamps” mean those who are in the good of charity also; for “lamp” signifies faith, and “oil” the good of charity:
It is said of them that the prudent virgins were admitted; but the others who said, Lord, Lord, open to us, received the answer, Verily, I say unto you, I know you not (Matt. 25:1-12).
That in the last time of the church there would be no faith in the Lord because no charity, was signified by:
Peter’s denying the Lord thrice before the cock crew (Matt. 26:34, 69-74).
The like is signified by:
The Lord’s saying to Peter, when Peter saw John following the Lord, What is that to thee, Peter? Follow thou Me, John; for Peter had said of John, What of this man? (John 21:21-22).
For “Peter” in a representative sense signifies faith, and “John” the good of charity; and because John signified the good of charity, therefore he reclined on the Lord’s breast (John 21:20).
sRef John@19 @27 S8′ sRef John@19 @26 S8′ [8] That this good is what makes the church is signified by the Lord’s words from the cross to John:
Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by; and He said unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son! And He said to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto himself (John 19:26-27).
“Mother” and “Woman” here mean the church; and “John” the good of charity, and thus these words signify that the church will be where there is the good of charity. (But these things may be seen more fully explained in the passages quoted in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 122; moreover, that there is no faith where there is no charity, see in The small work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-39; and that man after death is such as his life was in the world, and not such as his faith was, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 470-484; also what charity is, and what faith is in its essence, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 84-122.)
[9] From what has now been presented let it be considered whether having faith is anything else than living it; and whether living it is not merely knowing and thinking, but also willing and doing; for faith is not in man when it is only in his knowing and thinking, but when it is also in his willing and doing. Faith in man is the faith of the life, but faith not yet in man is the faith of the memory and of thought therefrom. The faith of the life means believing in God; but believing those things that are from God, and not believing in God, is historical faith, which is not saving. Who that is a true priest and good pastor does not wish that men should live aright; and who does not know that the faith of knowledges, based on what another has said, is not the faith of the life, but historical faith?
[10] Faith of the life is the faith of charity, for charity is life. But even though this be so, still I foresee that those who have confirmed themselves in the doctrine of faith alone and of justification by faith will not recede from it, because they connect falsities with truths; for they teach truths when they teach from the Word, but falsities when they teach from doctrine; and they therefore confound these things by saying that the fruits of faith are the goods of life, and that these follow from faith, and yet that the goods of life contribute nothing to salvation, but that faith alone saves. Thus they both join and separate the two; and when they join the two they teach truths, but only before the people, who do not know that they are inverting things, and that they say these things of necessity, in order that their doctrine may cohere with the Word; but when they separate the two they teach falsities, for they say that faith saves, and not the goods of charity which are works, not knowing then that charity and faith act as one, and that charity is acting well and faith is believing well, and that believing well apart from acting well is impossible; thus that there can be no faith apart from charity; as also that charity is the esse of faith and its soul; consequently faith alone is faith without a soul, thus a dead faith; and as such faith is not faith, so justification by such faith is a thing of naught.
* For “requite” the Hebrew has “I will requite.”

sRef Rev@3 @20 S0′ 251. I will come in to him, signifies conjunction. This is evident from the signification of “coming in,” as being, in reference to the Lord, to be conjoined with Him (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3914, 3918, 6782, 6783). The Lord is conjoined with those who receive Him in heart and life, because the Lord enters or flows in into life; He enters or flows in only with those who are in a life of spiritual love, or in a life of charity; for charity is spiritual love. When that love makes a man’s life, the Lord enters or flows in through it into the truths of faith, and causes man to see, or to know them; from this man has the spiritual affection of truth. It is a great mistake to suppose that the Lord enters or flows in into faith alone or into faith separate from charity with man; in such a faith there is no life, for it is like the breathing of the lungs without the inflow from the heart, which breathing would be only a lifeless movement, for the breathing of the lungs is made alive by the inflow from the heart, as is well known.
This makes clear by what way the Divine proceeding from the Lord is admitted, namely, by the way of the heart, that is, of the love; whether you say the heart or the love, it is the same as the life of the spirit therefrom. Love makes man’s life, as anyone may know and see if he is only willing to give thought to it; for what is a man without love? Is he not a stock? Therefore, as the love is so is the man. Love is willing and doing, for what man loves he wills and does. An idea of the good of charity and of the truth of faith may be formed from the sun’s light and heat. When the light that proceeds from the sun is conjoined with heat, as in spring and summer time, then all things of the earth bud and blossom; but when there is no heat in the light, as in winter time, then all things of the earth become torpid and die. Spiritual light also is the truth of faith, and spiritual heat is the good of charity. From this an idea may be formed of the man of the church; that when faith with him is conjoined to charity he is like a garden and a paradise; but when faith in him is not conjoined to charity he is like a desert, or a land covered with snow.

sRef Rev@3 @20 S0′ sRef Rev@19 @9 S1′ sRef Rev@19 @17 S1′ 252. And will sup with him, and he with Me, signifies communicating to them the felicities of heaven. This is evident from the signification of “supping,” as being to communicate the goods of heaven. “To sup” means to communicate, because “banquets,” “feasts,” “dinners,” and “suppers” in the Word signify consociations by love, and thus a communication of love’s delights, for all delights are of love. These things derive their signification from that of bread and of wine, which signify the good of love, celestial and spiritual; and from that of eating together, which signifies communication and appropriation. This was formerly signified by the paschal supper, and is at this day signified by the holy supper (see above, n. 146; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 210-222). Mention is made of “supping,” because weddings were celebrated at supper time, and weddings signify the conjunction of good and truth, and the consequent communication of delights. It is therefore said in Revelation:
Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9);
and afterwards:
Come and be gathered together unto the supper of the great God (Rev. 19:17).
sRef Luke@14 @21 S2′ sRef Luke@14 @16 S2′ sRef Luke@14 @19 S2′ sRef Luke@14 @22 S2′ sRef Luke@14 @18 S2′ sRef Luke@14 @23 S2′ sRef Luke@14 @17 S2′ sRef Luke@14 @24 S2′ sRef Luke@14 @20 S2′ [2] As suppers signify consociations by love, and consequent communication of delights, therefore the Lord compared the church and heaven to a “supper,” and also to a “wedding;” to a “supper” in Luke:
The master of the house made a great supper, and bade many; but all those that were called excused themselves. Therefore, being angry, he ordered his servant to bring in the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind; saying of those called, that none of them should taste of the supper (Luke 14:16-24).
(Nearly the same is meant by the wedding to which invitations were given in Matthew 22:1-15.) “Supper” here means heaven and the church; “those called who excused themselves” mean the Jews with whom the church then was; for the church specifically is where the Word is, and where the Lord is known through the Word. “The poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind,” mean those who are spiritually such, and who were then outside the church. Heaven and the church are here likened to “a supper” and to “a wedding,” because heaven is the conjunction of angels with the Lord by love, and their consociation among themselves by charity, and the consequent communication of all delights and felicities; the like is true of the church, since the church is the Lord’s heaven on the earth. (That heaven is the conjunction of the angels with the Lord by love, and also their mutual consociation by charity, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13-19, and a consequent communication of all delights and felicities, n. 396-400.)
sRef Luke@13 @29 S3′ sRef Matt@8 @11 S3′ [3] In the Word it is said in many places that in heaven they will “eat together;” and this means in the spiritual sense that they are to enjoy blessedness and felicity; thus “eating together” has here a like significance as “supping.” Thus in Luke:
They shall come from the east and the west, and from the north and the south, and shall recline to eat in the kingdom of God (Luke 13:29).
And in Matthew:
Many shall come from the east and the west, and shall recline to eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 8:11).
Those who are to “come from the east, the west, the north and the south,” are all who are in the good of love, and in the truths of faith therefrom. (That the “four quarters” in the Word have such a signification, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell. n. 141-153: that “Abraham. Isaac, and Jacob,” mean the Lord in respect to the Divine Itself and the Divine Human, Arcana Coelestia, n. 1893, 4615, 6098, 6185, 6276, 6804, 6847; consequently “to recline to eat with them” means to be conjoined with the Lord, and to be consociated one to another by love, and by such conjunction and consociation to enjoy eternal blessedness and felicity, and this from the Lord alone.)
sRef Luke@12 @36 S4′ sRef Luke@12 @35 S4′ sRef Luke@12 @37 S4′ [4] In Luke:
Jesus said, Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning, and be ye yourselves like unto men waiting for their Lord when He shall return from the wedding, that when He cometh and knocketh they may open unto Him. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching; verily I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, and make them to recline to eat, and drawing near, He will minister to them (Luke 12:35 seq.).
“The loins that are to be girded” mean the good of love (Arcana Coelestia, n. 3021, 4280, 9961); “the lamps that are to be burning” signify the truths of faith from the good of love (Arcana Coelestia, n. 9548, 9551, 9783); “girding Himself, making them to recline to eat, and ministering to them,” signifies to bestow upon them every good.
sRef Luke@22 @29 S5′ sRef Luke@22 @28 S5′ sRef Luke@22 @30 S5′ [5] In the same:
Ye are they which have continued with Me in My temptations; I appoint unto you, even as My Father hath appointed unto Me, a kingdom, that ye may eat and drink at My table in the kingdom (Luke 22:28-30).
“To eat and drink at the Lord’s table in the kingdom of God” is to be conjoined to the Lord by love and faith, and to enjoy heavenly blessedness.
sRef Matt@26 @29 S6′ [6] In Matthew:
Jesus said, I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this product of the vine, until that day when I will drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom (Matt. 26:29).
These words were spoken by the Lord after He instituted the Holy Supper; and “the product of the vine” signifies Divine truth from Divine good, and blessedness and felicity therefrom.
sRef Isa@25 @6 S7′ [7] The signification of “feast” is like that of “supper,” in Isaiah:
In this mountain shall Jehovah make unto all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees (Isa. 25:6);
here the coming of the Lord is treated of, and “a feast of fat things” signifies the appropriation and communication of goods, and “a feast of wines on the lees,” or the best wine, the appropriation of truths. (That “fat things” signify the goods of love, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 353, 5943, 10033; and also the delights of love, n. 6409; and that “wine” signifies the good of charity, which in its essence is truth, n. 1071, 1798, 6377.)
sRef Matt@25 @10 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @1 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @8 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @9 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @7 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @12 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @2 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @5 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @4 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @11 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @3 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @6 S8′ [8] The “wedding to which the ten virgins were invited” has a like meaning, of which in Matthew:
The kingdom of the heavens is like unto ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were prudent, and five were foolish. The foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them; but the prudent took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom tarried they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight a cry arose, Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the prudent, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out. But the prudent answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you; go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the wedding, and the door was shut. Afterward came the other virgins, saying, lord, lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say to you, I know you not (Matt. 25:1-12).
This treats of conjunction with the Lord by love and faith; this the “wedding” moreover signifies; “oil” signifies the good of love, and “lamps” the truth of faith. To make clear that in every particular that the Lord spoke there is a spiritual sense, I will lay open the particulars of the spiritual sense of this parable. “The kingdom of the heavens,” to which the ten virgins are likened, means heaven and the church; “the ten virgins” signify all who are of the church (“ten” all, and “virgins” those who are in the affection of spiritual truth and good, which affection constitutes the church), therefore “Zion” and “Jerusalem,” by which the church is signified, are called in the Word “virgins,” as “the virgin Zion,” and “the virgin Jerusalem,” and in Revelation it is said that “virgins follow the Lamb.” “The lamps that they took to go forth to meet the bridegroom” signify the truths of faith; “the bridegroom” means the Lord in respect to conjunction with heaven and the church by love and faith; for “a wedding” is treated of, which signifies that conjunction. “The five prudent virgins” and “the five foolish” signify those of the church who are in faith from love, and those who are in faith apart from love (the same as “the prudent and foolish” in Matthew 7:24, 26). “Midnight, when the cry arose,” signifies the Last Judgment, and in general the end of man’s life, when he will be adjudged either to heaven or to hell; “the foolish virgins then saying to the prudent, Give us of your oil, and the prudent answering that they should go to them who sell,” signifies the state of all after death-that those who have not the good of love in faith, or the truth of faith from the good of love, then wish to acquire it for themselves, but in vain, since such as man’s life has been in the world such he remains. From this it is clear what is signified by “the prudent virgins” going in to the marriage, and that the foolish who said, “Lord, Lord, open to us,” received for answer, “Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” “I know you not” signifies that the Lord was not conjoined to them, since spiritual love conjoins, and not faith without love; for the Lord has His abode with those who are in love, and in faith therefrom, and these He knows because He Himself is there.

sRef Rev@3 @21 S0′ 253. Verse 21. He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit with Me in My throne, signifies that he who is steadfast to the end of life shall be conjoined with heaven where the Lord is. This is evident from the signification of “overcoming,” as being to be steadfast in the spiritual affection of truth even to the end of life (see above, n. 128); but here it means to be steadfast in a state of faith from charity, since charity is here treated of. This is what “overcoming” means; because so long as man lives in the world he is in combat against the evils and the falsities therefrom that are with him; and he who is in combat, and is steadfast in the faith of charity even to the end of life, overcomes; and he who overcomes in the world overcomes to eternity, since man after death is such as his life had been in the world. This is evident also from the signification of “to sit with Me in My throne,” as being to be conjoined with heaven where the Lord is; for “throne” signifies heaven, and to “sit with Me” signifies to be together with the Lord, thus conjoined to Him.
sRef Isa@6 @1 S2′ sRef Ps@103 @19 S2′ sRef Matt@23 @22 S2′ sRef Isa@66 @1 S2′ [2] In the Word the word “throne” is many times used, and in reference to the Lord it signifies in general, heaven, in particular the spiritual heaven, and in the abstract, Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, since this is what makes heaven. For this reason “throne” is also predicated of judgment, since all judgment is effected from truths. That such is the signification of “throne” in the Word can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Jehovah said, The heavens are My throne (Isa. 66:1).
In David:
Jehovah hath established His throne in the heavens (Ps. 103:19).
And in Matthew:
He that sweareth by heaven sweareth by the throne of God and by Him that sitteth thereon (Matt. 23:22).
It is clear that “throne” in these passages signifies heaven; for it is said that “the heavens are His throne,” that “He hath established His throne in the heavens,” and that “he who sweareth by heaven sweareth by the throne of God;” not because Jehovah or the Lord there sits upon a throne, but because His Divine in the heavens is called “throne:” and also appears at times as a throne to those to whom it is given to look into heaven. That the Lord was thus seen is evident in Isaiah:
I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and His train filling the temple (Isa. 6:1).
“His train filling the temple” signifies that Divine truth proceeding filled the ultimate of heaven and the church, for the “Lord’s train” signifies in general Divine truth proceeding, and in particular Divine truth in the extremities of heaven and in the church (see above, n. 220).
sRef Ezek@1 @26 S3′ [3] In Ezekiel:
Above the expanse that was over the head [of the cherubim] there was as the appearance of a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne, and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above (Ezek. 1:26; 10:1).
The “throne” had an appearance like a sapphire stone, because “sapphire” signified Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine good, and therefore spiritual truth pellucid from celestial good (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9407, 9873); thus “throne” here signifies the whole heaven, for heaven is heaven from Divine truth. (What “cherub” signifies, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9277 end, 9509, 9673.)
sRef Rev@22 @1 S4′ sRef Rev@4 @9 S4′ sRef Rev@4 @10 S4′ sRef Rev@4 @4 S4′ sRef Rev@4 @2 S4′ sRef Rev@4 @5 S4′ sRef Rev@4 @3 S4′ sRef Rev@4 @6 S4′ [4] In Revelation:
Behold, a throne set in heaven, and upon the throne One sitting. A rainbow round about the throne, in aspect like an emerald. And out of the throne went forth lightnings and thunders and voices. Before the throne a glassy sea like unto crystal; and round about the throne four animals, full of eyes before and behind (Rev. 4:2-6, 9-10).
That heaven in respect to Divine truths is here described will be seen in the explanation of these words in the following chapter. There is a like meaning in the following from Revelation:
A pure river and bright as crystal went forth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1).
“A pure river and bright as crystal” was seen “going forth out of the throne,” because a “river” as well as “crystal” signifies Divine truth.
sRef Ps@122 @5 S5′ sRef Jer@14 @21 S5′ sRef Luke@1 @32 S5′ sRef Ps@122 @3 S5′ sRef Ps@122 @4 S5′ sRef Mark@12 @2 S5′ sRef Ps@89 @29 S5′ sRef Ps@89 @3 S5′ sRef Isa@9 @6 S5′ sRef Ps@89 @14 S5′ sRef Ps@89 @4 S5′ sRef Isa@9 @7 S5′ sRef Ezek@43 @4 S5′ sRef Ezek@43 @7 S5′ sRef Matt@25 @31 S5′ sRef Jer@3 @17 S5′ [5] “The throne of David” in the Word has a like meaning; since by “David” in the prophetic Word is meant, not David, but the Lord in respect to royalty, which is Divine truth in the spiritual heaven, which is the second heaven. So in Luke:
The angel said to Mary, He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord shall give unto Him the throne of His father David (Luke 1:32).
And in Isaiah:
Unto us a child is born, unto as a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. Of the multiplication of His government and peace there shall be no end; upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to establish it in judgment and in righteousness, from henceforth and even to eternity (Isa. 9:6-7).
It is clear that here is not meant David, and his throne, on which the Lord was to sit; for the Lord’s kingdom was not on earth but in heaven; by “the throne of David,” therefore, heaven in respect to Divine truth is meant (see above, n. 205). The meaning is similar in the Psalm of David, where the Lord speaks of His throne and His kingdom; as in the whole of Psalm 89, in which are also these words:
I have sworn unto David My servant: Thy seed will I establish for ever; and thy throne to generation and generation. Judgment and righteousness are the foundation of thy throne; I will establish his throne as the days of the heavens (Ps. 89:3-4, 14, 29).
That the Lord is here meant by David, see above n. 205). The like is signified by “the throne of glory” where the Lord is spoken of, for “glory” signifies Divine truth. As in Matthew:
When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit on the throne of His glory (Matt. 25:31).
(That “glory” signifies Divine truth in heaven, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429; and above, n. 33.) This shows what is signified by “the throne of glory” in Jeremiah:
Do not disgrace the throne of thy glory (Jer. 14:21; 17:12);
which signifies that Divine truth should not be disgraced. The like is signified by Jerusalem being called “the throne of Jehovah;” for “Jerusalem” signifies the church in respect to doctrine; and doctrine is Divine truth. From this it is clear how these words are to be understood in Jeremiah:
At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of Jehovah, and all the nations shall be gathered unto it (Jer. 3:17).
In David:
Jerusalem is builded; thither the tribes go up; and there are set thrones for judgment, the thrones of the house of David (Ps. 122:3-5).
In Ezekiel:
The glory of Jehovah came into the house by the way of the gate whose face was toward the east. And He said unto me, Son of man, behold the place of My throne, and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel for ever (Ezek. 43:4, 7).
(That “Jerusalem” signifies the church in respect to doctrine, thus Divine truth in the heavens and on the earth, for this makes the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3654, 9166; and above, n. 223.) As all judgment is effected by truths, and judgment in the heavens by Divine truth, “throne” is also mentioned where the Lord in respect to judgment is treated of, as above (Matthew 25:31; and in David, Ps. 122:3-5). Again, in David:
Jehovah, Thou hast executed my judgment; thou sattest on the throne a judge of justice; thou hast rebuked the nations, thou hast destroyed the wicked; Jehovah shall sit for ever; He will prepare His throne for judgment (Ps. 9:4-5, 7).
sRef 1Sam@2 @8 S6′ sRef Ps@9 @4 S6′ sRef Ps@9 @5 S6′ sRef Rev@11 @16 S6′ sRef Matt@19 @28 S6′ sRef Ps@9 @7 S6′ sRef Rev@20 @4 S6′ [6] It is also said in many places in the Word, not only that the Lord is to sit on a throne, but that others also shall sit upon thrones, but still these “thrones” do not mean thrones, but Divine truths. Thus in the first book of Samuel:
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth on high the needy from the dunghill, to make them sit with princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory (1 Sam. 2:8).
In Revelation:
The four and twenty elders who are before the throne of God, sitting upon their thrones (Rev. 11:16).
Again:
I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them (Rev. 20:4).
In Matthew:
Ye who have followed Me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit upon the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:30).
Here “thrones” mean Divine truths, according to which and from which all are to be judged; “twelve” and “twenty-four” signify all things and are predicated of truths; “elders,” and “disciples” also, likewise “tribes,” signify Divine truths. When this is known, what is meant by “thrones” in the above passages can be seen; as also what is meant by “throne” in these words now treated of. “He that overcometh will I give to him to sit with Me in My throne.” (That “twelve” signifies all, and that it is predicated of truths, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913; likewise “twenty-four” because that number is the double of the number twelve, and arises from it by multiplication, n. 5921, 5335, 5708, 7973. That “the elders of Israel” signify all in the church who are in truths from good, n. 6524, 6525, 6890, 7912, 8578, 8585, 9376, 9404; likewise “the Lord’s twelve disciples,” n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397; likewise “the twelve tribes,” n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335, 7836, 7891.)
sRef 1Ki@10 @20 S7′ sRef 1Ki@10 @18 S7′ sRef 1Ki@10 @19 S7′ [7] From this it can be seen what was represented by the throne built by Solomon, thus described in the first book of Kings:
Solomon made a great ebony* throne, and overlaid it with pure gold. There were six steps to the throne; the head of the throne was round; and behind it were hands on either side near the place of the seat, and two lions standing near the hands; and there were twelve lions standing upon the six steps on the one side and on the other; there was not the like made in any kingdom (1 Kings 10:18-20).
Here “ebony”* signifies Divine truth in ultimates; “the head being round,” the corresponding good; “the gold with which it was overlaid” Divine good from which is Divine truth. “The six steps” signify all things from first to last; “the two hands” all power; “lions,” the truths of the church in their power; “twelve,” all things. As “throne,” in reference to the Lord, signifies heaven in respect to all Divine truth, so in a contrary sense it signifies hell in respect to all falsity. (In this contrary sense “throne” is mentioned Rev. 2:13; Isa. 14:9, 13; 47:1; Hag. 2:22; Dan. 7:9; Luke 1:52; and elsewhere.)
* The Latin has “ebony”; the Hebrew is “ivory.”

sRef Rev@3 @21 S0′ 254. As I also have overcome, and sit with My Father in His throne, signifies comparatively as Divine good is united to Divine truth in heaven. This is evident from the signification of “overcoming,” as being in reference to the Lord Himself, to unite Divine good to Divine truth. Because this was effected through temptations and victories, it is said, “as I also have overcome.” (That the Lord united Divine good to Divine truth through temptations admitted into His Human, and then through continued victories, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 201, 293, 302.) “To sit with My Father in His throne” signifies Divine good united to Divine truth in heaven, because “Father,” when said by the Lord, means the Divine good that was in Him from conception, and “Son” the Divine truth, both in heaven, “throne” meaning heaven (see above). This Divine of the Lord in the heavens is called Divine truth, but it is Divine good united to Divine truth. (That this is so, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13, 133, 139, 140.)
sRef John@17 @22 S2′ sRef John@17 @16 S2′ sRef John@20 @21 S2′ sRef John@15 @9 S2′ sRef John@17 @18 S2′ sRef John@17 @26 S2′ sRef John@17 @23 S2′ sRef John@17 @24 S2′ sRef John@15 @10 S2′ [2] There is a comparison made between the men of the church and the Lord Himself, in His saying, “He that overcometh I will give to him to sit with Me in My throne, as I also have overcome and sit with My Father in His throne,” because the Lord’s life in the world was an example according to which the men of the church are to live, as the Lord Himself teaches in John:
I have even unto you an example that ye also should do as I have done to you. If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them (John 13:16, 17).
So in other places the Lord compares Himself with others; for example, in John:
Jesus said, Even as the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you; abide ye in My love, as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love (John 15:9, 10).
In the same:
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. As Thou didst send Me into the world, even so sent I them into the world (John 17:16, 18).
In the same:
As the Father hath sent Me, even so send I you (John 20:21).
In the same:
The glory which Thou hast given Me I have given unto them; that they may be one even as We are one, I in them, Thou in Me. Father, those whom Thou hast given Me, I will that where I am they also may be with Me, that they may behold My glory which Thou hast given Me. I have made known unto them Thy name, and will make it known that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them (John 17:22-24, 26).
The Lord spoke of His conjunction with men in the same way as He spoke of His conjunction with the Father, that is, the conjunction of His Human with the Divine that was in Him, for the reason that the Lord is not conjoined with what is man’s own [proprio], but with His own that is with man. The Lord removes what is man’s own [proprium], and gives of His own, and dwells in that. That this is so is known in the church, as is clear from the customary prayer and exhortation to those who come to the sacrament of the Supper, in which are these words:
If with a true penitent heart and lively faith we receive that holy sacrament (for then we spiritually eat the flesh of Christ, and drink His blood), then we dwell in Christ, and Christ in us; and we are one with Christ, and Christ with us. (See also John 6:56. But these things may be better understood from what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 11, 12.) From this it follows that as the Divine of the Lord received by angels and by men makes heaven and the church with them, they are one with the Lord, as He and the Father are one.
sRef Matt@7 @11 S3′ sRef Matt@7 @21 S3′ sRef Matt@15 @13 S3′ sRef Matt@5 @44 S3′ sRef Matt@5 @45 S3′ sRef Matt@5 @48 S3′ [3] That the meaning of these words of the Lord, that “He sitteth with His Father in His throne,” may be more clearly seen, it must be known that “God’s throne” is heaven (as was shown in the preceding article), and that heaven is heaven from the Divine that proceeds from the Lord, and this Divine is called Divine truth, but is Divine good united to Divine truth (as was said above). The Lord Himself is not in heaven, but is above the heavens, and is seen by those who are in the heavens as a sun. He is seen as a sun because He is Divine love, and Divine love is seen by the angels as solar fire; this is why “sacred fire” in the Word signifies love Divine. From the Lord as a sun light and heat proceed: the light that proceeds, since it is spiritual light, is Divine truth; and the heat, since it is spiritual heat, is Divine good. This, namely, the Divine good, is what is meant by “the Father in the heavens.” (That the Lord is the Sun of Heaven, and that the light and heat therefrom are Divine truth united to Divine good, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125, 126-140; and that Heaven is Heaven from the Divine that proceeds from the Lord, n. 7-12.) From this what is meant in the Word by “the Father in the heavens” and by “Heavenly Father” can be seen. Thus in Matthew:
Do good to your enemies, that ye may be sons of your Father who is in the heavens (Matt. 5:44, 45).
In the same:
Ye shall be perfect, as your Father in the heavens is perfect (Matt 5:48).
In the same:
Ye who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children; how much more shall your Father who is in the heavens give good things to them who ask Him (Matt. 7:11).
In the same:
He that doeth the will of the Father who is in the heavens shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 7:21).
In the same:
Every plant which the heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up (Matt. 15:13).
Also in other places (as in Matt. 5:16; 6:1, 6, 8; 12:50; 16:17; 18:14, 19, 35; Mark 11:25, 26; Luke 11:13).
sRef John@1 @2 S4′ sRef Matt@18 @10 S4′ sRef Matt@23 @9 S4′ sRef John@1 @18 S4′ [4] That “Father” means the Divine good can be seen also from this passage in Matthew:
Despise not one of these little ones; for their angels do always behold the face of My Father who is in the heavens (Matt. 18:10);
that “they behold the face of the Father who is in the heavens” signifies that they receive Divine good from the Lord; that they do not see His face is evident from the Lord’s words in John:
That no one hath ever seen the Father (John 1:18; 5:37; 6:46).
The same can be seen from this passage in Matthew:
Call no man your Father on the earth, for one is your Father who is in the heavens (Matt. 23:9).
It is plain that no one is forbidden to call his father on the earth “father,” nor is this here forbidden by the Lord; but this was said because “Father” means the Divine good, and:
No one is good except the one God (Matt. 19:17).
(The Lord spoke thus because “Father” in the Word of both Testaments means in the spiritual sense good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3703, 5902, 6050, 7833, 7834; and also heaven and the church in respect to good, n. 2691, 2717, 3703, 5581, 8897; and “Father,” when said by the Lord, means the Divine good of His Divine love, n. 2803, 3704, 7499, 8328, 8897.)

sRef Rev@3 @22 S0′ 255. Verse 22. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church, as is evident from what was said and shown above (n. 108).

sRef Rev@3 @22 S0′ 256. It has been said above, that “the seven churches,” which are here written to, mean not seven churches, but all who are of the church, and in an abstract sense all things of the church. That this is so can be seen from this, that “seven” signifies all persons and all things, and that by names things are meant. That the things written to these seven churches mean all who are of the church, or all things of the church, can be seen also from the explanation of all the things written to them. For all things of the church have reference to these four* generals, namely, Doctrine: A life according to doctrine: Faith according to life: these three are treated of in what is written to six of the churches; Doctrine, in what is written to the churches in Ephesus and Smyrna; a life according to doctrine, in what is written to the churches in Thyatira and Sardis; and Faith according to life, in what is written to the churches in Philadelphia and Laodicea; and since doctrine cannot be implanted in the life and come to be of faith unless man combats against the evils and falsities, which he has by heredity, that combat also is treated of in what is written to the church in Pergamos; for there Temptations are treated of, and temptations are combats against evils and falsities. (That temptations are there treated of, see above, n. 130; that doctrine is treated of in what is written to the churches in Ephesus and Smyrna, see above, n. 93, 95, 112; that a life according to doctrine is treated of in what is written to the churches in Thyatira and Sardis, n. 150, 182; and that faith according to life is treated of in what is written to the churches in Philadelphia and Laodicea, n. 203 and 227.) Since what is written to this last church, that in Laodicea, treats of those who are in the doctrine of faith alone, and near the end treats also of the faith of charity, it should be added to what has been said, that love makes heaven, and because it makes heaven it also makes the church; for all the societies of heaven, and they are innumerable, as well as all within each society, are arranged according to the affections of love; so that it is affection or love according to which all things are arranged in the heavens, and not one person has his place according to faith. Spiritual affection or love is charity; it is evident, therefore, that no one can ever enter heaven if he is not in charity.
* The Latin has “four” for “three.”

sRef Lev@16 @12 S0′ sRef Ezek@39 @9 S0′ sRef Lev@16 @15 S0′ sRef Lev@16 @13 S0′ sRef Lev@16 @14 S0′ sRef Ezek@39 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@3 @22 S0′ sRef Ezek@39 @12 S0′ 257. Since in this prophetical book numbers are often mentioned, and no one can know the spiritual sense of the things contained therein unless it is known what the particular numbers signify (for all numbers in the Word, like all names, signify spiritual things), and since the number “seven” is often mentioned among others, I will here show that “seven” signifies all persons and all things, likewise fullness and totality; for that which signifies all persons and all things signifies also fullness and totality, for fullness and totality are predicated of the magnitude of a thing, and all persons and all things are predicated of multitude. That “seven” has such a signification can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
They that dwell in the cities of Israel shall set fire to and burn the arms, and the shield, and the buckler, with the bow and with the arrows, and the hand-staff, and the spear; and they shall make a fire with them seven years. And they shall bury Gog and all his multitude, and they shall cleanse the earth seven months (Ezek. 39:9, 11-12).
Here the desolation of all things in the church is treated of: “those that dwell in the cities of Israel” signify all goods of truth; “to set fire” signifies to consume by evils. “The arms, the shield, the buckler, the bow, the arrows, the hand-staff, the spear,” are all things pertaining to doctrine; “to make a fire with them seven years” means to consume them all and fully by evils. “Gog” signifies those who are in external worship and in no internal worship; “to bury them and cleanse the earth” means to destroy all such, and completely purge the church of them.
[2] In Jeremiah:
The widows shall be multiplied more than the sand of the seas, and I will bring to them upon the mother of the youths the waster at noonday. She that hath borne seven shall languish, she shall breathe out her soul (Jer. 15:8-9).
“The widows,” that shall be multiplied, signify those who are in good and who long for truths, and in a contrary sense, as here, those who are in evil and desire falsities; “the mother of the youths” signifies the church; “the waster at noonday” signifies the vastation of that church, however much it may be in truths from the Word; “she that hath borne seven shall languish, she shall breathe out her soul,” signifies that the church, to which all truths were given because the Word was given to it, is to perish; for “she that hath borne seven” signifies to whom all truths were given. This was particularly said of the Jews.
sRef Lev@26 @28 S3′ sRef Ps@79 @12 S3′ sRef Lev@26 @18 S3′ sRef 1Sam@2 @5 S3′ sRef Lev@26 @24 S3′ sRef Lev@26 @21 S3′ [3] Likewise in the first book of Samuel:
They that were hungry have ceased; the barren hath borne seven, and she that hath many children hath failed (1 Sam. 2:5).
“They that were hungry,” who have ceased, are those who long for the truths and goods of the church; “the barren bearing seven” signifies those who are outside of the church, and are ignorant of truths, because they have not the Word, thus the Gentiles, to whom all things will be given; “she that hath many children failing” signifies those who have, from whom will be taken away. In David:
Render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom (Ps. 79:12).
And in Moses:
That the Jews should be punished seven times for their sins (Lev. 26:18, 21, 24, 28);
“seven times” here signifying fully.
sRef Matt@18 @21 S4′ sRef Luke@17 @4 S4′ sRef Matt@18 @22 S4′ sRef Ps@119 @164 S4′ [4] In Luke:
If thy brother sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times in the day turn again to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him (Luke 17:4).
“To forgive seven times, if he should turn again seven times,” means to forgive as often as he turns, thus every time. But lest it should be understood to mean seven times, the Lord explained his meaning to Peter, who supposed seven times to be meant, in Matthew:
Peter said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Until seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven (Matt. 18:21-22).
“Seventy times seven” means always, without counting.
In David:
Seven times a day do I praise thee for the judgments of righteousness (Ps. 119:164).
“Seven times a day” means always, or at all times.
sRef Ps@12 @6 S5′ [5] In the same:
The sayings of Jehovah are pure sayings, as silver refined in a crucible purified seven times (Ps. 12:6).
“Silver” signifies truth from the Divine; “purified seven times” means wholly and fully pure.
sRef Isa@30 @26 S6′ [6] in Isaiah:
The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days (Isa. 30:26).
“The light of the sun” signifies Divine truth from Divine good; that “this light shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days,” signifies that Divine truth in heaven shall be without any falsity, thus altogether and fully pure.
sRef Matt@12 @45 S7′ [7] In Matthew:
The unclean spirit shall take seven other spirits more evil than himself, and shall dwell there (Matt. 12:45; Luke 11. 26).
Here profanation is treated of, and “the seven unclean spirits” with which the unclean spirit would return, signify all the falsities of evil, thus a complete destruction of good and truth.
sRef Dan@4 @32 S8′ sRef Dan@4 @25 S8′ sRef Dan@4 @16 S8′ [8] The “seven times” that were to pass over the king of Babylon have a like meaning, in Daniel:
His heart shall be changed from man, and a beast’s heart shall be given unto him, while seven times shall pass over him (Dan 4:16, 25, 32).
“The king of Babylon” signifies those who profane the goods and truths of the Word; that “his heart should be changed from man, and a beast’s heart be given him,” means that nothing spiritual, which is the truly human, should remain, but instead there should be the diabolical; “the seven times which were to pass over him” signify profanation, which is the complete destruction of truth and good.
sRef Num@23 @4 S9′ sRef Rev@8 @2 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @91 S9′ sRef Num@23 @3 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @83 S9′ sRef Num@23 @5 S9′ sRef Lev@4 @17 S9′ sRef Lev@4 @16 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @13 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @11 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @12 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @17 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @18 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @16 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @14 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @15 S9′ sRef Lev@16 @18 S9′ sRef Num@23 @7 S9′ sRef Rev@5 @1 S9′ sRef Num@23 @6 S9′ sRef Rev@1 @20 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @10 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @9 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @8 S9′ sRef Ex@29 @37 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @95 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @94 S9′ sRef Matt@15 @35 S9′ sRef Lev@16 @15 S9′ sRef Lev@16 @14 S9′ sRef Lev@16 @19 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @93 S9′ sRef Rev@4 @5 S9′ sRef Matt@15 @34 S9′ sRef Rev@10 @3 S9′ sRef Ex@29 @35 S9′ sRef Num@19 @4 S9′ sRef Rev@15 @1 S9′ sRef Matt@15 @37 S9′ sRef Matt@15 @36 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @96 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @97 S9′ sRef Rev@10 @4 S9′ sRef Matt@15 @38 S9′ sRef Lev@16 @13 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @86 S9′ sRef Ezek@45 @23 S9′ sRef Ex@29 @30 S9′ sRef Rev@3 @1 S9′ sRef Num@23 @2 S9′ sRef Num@23 @1 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @85 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @84 S9′ sRef Lev@8 @33 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @89 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @90 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @92 S9′ sRef Lev@8 @34 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @87 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @88 S9′ sRef Rev@1 @4 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @47 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @69 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @48 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @45 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @70 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @46 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @49 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @50 S9′ sRef Ex@25 @37 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @51 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @44 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @75 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @39 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @74 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @76 S9′ sRef Lev@14 @8 S9′ sRef Lev@14 @7 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @73 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @42 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @43 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @71 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @72 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @40 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @41 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @60 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @65 S9′ sRef Rev@1 @11 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @58 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @59 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @61 S9′ sRef Num@23 @29 S9′ sRef Rev@1 @13 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @64 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @62 S9′ sRef Ex@25 @32 S9′ sRef Num@23 @30 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @57 S9′ sRef Rev@16 @1 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @52 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @68 S9′ sRef Lev@16 @12 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @53 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @54 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @55 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @56 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @67 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @66 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @38 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @21 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @22 S9′ sRef Lev@25 @9 S9′ sRef Lev@25 @8 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @24 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @23 S9′ sRef Lev@14 @27 S9′ sRef Num@23 @16 S9′ sRef Num@23 @15 S9′ sRef Rev@1 @16 S9′ sRef Lev@14 @51 S9′ sRef Lev@14 @38 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @19 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @20 S9′ sRef Num@23 @18 S9′ sRef Num@23 @17 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @63 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @25 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @79 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @33 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @34 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @81 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @80 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @32 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @35 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @36 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @77 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @37 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @78 S9′ sRef Rev@15 @6 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @30 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @29 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @31 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @82 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @27 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @28 S9′ sRef Rev@21 @26 S9′ [9] Because “seven” and “seven times” signified all things and fullness, the following commands were given:
Seven days the hands [of Aaron and his sons] should be filled (Exod. 29:35).
Seven days [the altar] should be sanctified (Exod. 29:37).
Seven days Aaron should be clothed with the garments when he was to be initiated (Exod. 29:30).
For seven days Aaron and his sons were not to go out of the tabernacle when they were to initiated into the priesthood (Lev. 8:33, 34).
Seven times was the altar to be sprinkled for expiation upon its horns (Lev. 16:18, 19).
Seven times was the altar to be sanctified with oil (Lev. 8:11).
Seven times was the blood to be sprinkled towards the veil (Lev. 4:16, 17).
Seven times was the blood to be sprinkled with the fingers eastward, when Aaron went towards the mercy-seat (Lev. 16:12-15).
Seven times was the water of separation to be sprinkled towards the tent (Num. 19:4).
Seven times the blood was to be sprinkled in the cleansing of leprosy (Lev. 14:7, 8, 27, 38, 51).
The lampstand was to have seven lamps (Exod. 25:32, 37; 37:18-25).
For seven days were the feasts to be kept (Exod. 34:18, Lev. 23:-9, 39-44; Deut. 16:3, 4, 8).
For the seven days of the feast there was to be a burnt-offering of seven bullocks, and seven rams daily (Ezek. 45:23).
Balaam built seven altars, and sacrificed seven oxen and seven rams (Num. 23:1-7, 15-18, 29, 30).
They numbered seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, and then they were to cause the trumpet of the jubilee to be sounded in the seventh month (Lev. 25:8, 9).
From the signification of the number “seven” it can be seen what is signified:
By the seven days of creation (Gen. 1);
Also by the fact that four thousand men were satisfied by seven loaves and that seven basketful remained (Matt. 15:34-38; Mark 8:5-9).
From this then it is evident what is signified in Revelation:
By the seven churches (Rev. 1:4, 11);
By the seven golden lampstands, in the midst of which was the Son of man (Rev. 1:13);
By the seven stars in His right hand (Rev. 1:16, 20);
By the seven spirits of God (Rev. 3:1);
By the seven lamps of fire before the throne (Re. 4:5);
By the book sealed with seven seals (Rev. 5:1);
By the seven angels to whom were given seven trumpets (Rev. 8:2);
By the seven thunders which uttered their voices (Re. 10:3, 4);
By the seven angels having the seven last plagues (Re. 16:1, 6);
And by the seven vials full of the seven last plagues (Rev. 16:1; 21:9);
and elsewhere in the Word, where “seven” is mentioned.


Revelation 4

1. After these things I saw, and, behold, a door opened in heaven; and the first voice that I heard, as of a trumpet speaking with me, said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things that must come to pass hereafter.
2. And immediately I was in the spirit; and behold a throne was set in heaven, and upon the throne was One sitting.
3. And He that sat was in aspect like to a jasper stone and a sardius; and a rainbow was round about the throne, in aspect like an emerald.
4. And around the throne were four and twenty thrones, and upon the throne I saw four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments, and they had on their heads golden crowns.
5. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunders and voices; and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which were the seven spirits of God;
6. And in sight of the throne a glassy sea like crystal. And in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four animals, full of eyes before and behind.
7. And the first animal was like a lion; and the second animal like a calf; and the third animal had a face like a man; and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle.
8. And the four animals, each by itself, had six wings around about; and they were full of eyes within; and they had no rest, day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.
9. And when the animals gave the glory and the honor and the thanksgiving to Him that sitteth upon the throne, that liveth unto ages of ages,
10. The four and twenty elders fell down before Him that sitteth upon the throne, and worshiped Him that liveth unto ages of ages, and cast down their crowns before the throne, saying,
11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for Thou hast created all things, and by Thy will they are, and they were created.

258. EXPOSITION.
It was pointed out above (n. 5) that this prophetical book does not treat of the successive states of the Christian Church from its beginning to its end, as has been believed heretofore, but of the state of the church and of heaven in the last times, when there is to be a new heaven and a new earth, that is, when there is to be a new church in the heavens and on the earth, thus when there is to be a judgment. It is said a new church in the heavens, because the church is there as well as on the earth (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 221-227). As this is the subject of this book, the first chapter treats of the Lord who is the Judge; and the second and third chapters treat of those who are of the church and of those who are not of the church, thus of those in the former heaven which was to be done away with, and of those in the new heaven which was to be formed. That the seven churches treated of in the second and third chapters mean all who are in the church, and also all things of the church, see above (n. 256, 257). This fourth chapter now treats of the arrangement of all things, especially in the heavens, before the judgment; therefore a throne was now seen in heaven, and round about four and twenty thrones upon which were four and twenty elders; so also four animals were near the throne, which were cherubim. That these things described the arrangement of all things before the judgment and for judgment will be seen by the examination of this chapter. Be it known, that before any change takes place all things must be prearranged and prepared for the coming event; for all things are foreseen by the Lord, and disposed and provided for according to what is foreseen. A “throne,” therefore, in the midst of heaven means judgment, and “He that sat upon it,” the Lord; the “four and twenty thrones upon which were four and twenty elders,” mean all truths in the complex, by which and according to which is judgment; “the four animals,” which are the cherubim, mean the Lord’s Divine Providence that the former heavens should not suffer injury through the notable change about to take place, and that all things should then be done according to order; that is, that those interiorly evil should be separated from those interiorly good, and the latter be raised up into heaven, but the former cast down into hell.

sRef Rev@4 @1 S0′ 259. Verse 1. After these things I saw, and behold a door opened in heaven; and the first voice that I heard, as of a trumpet speaking with me, said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things that must come to pass hereafter. 1. “After these things I saw,” signifies the understanding illustrated (n. 260); “and behold a door opened in heaven,” signifies the arcana of heaven revealed (n. 260); “and the first voice that I heard,” signifies revelation now of things to come (n. 261); “as of a trumpet speaking with me,” signifies clear and manifest (n. 262); “said, Come up hither” signifies elevation of mind and attention (n. 263); “and I will show thee things that must come to pass hereafter,” signifies instruction about the things that will occur in the last time of the church (n. 264).

sRef Rev@4 @1 S0′ 260. Verse 1. After these things I saw, signifies the understanding illustrated. This is evident from the signification of “to see” as being to understand. “To see” signifies to understand because the sight of the eye corresponds to the sight of the mind, which is understanding. The correspondence is from this, that as the understanding sees spiritual things, so the sight of the eye sees natural things. Spiritual things are truths from good, and natural things are objects in various forms. Truths from good, which are spiritual things, are seen in heaven as distinctly as objects before the eye, yet with much difference; for these truths are seen intellectually, that is, they are perceived; and the nature of this sight or perception cannot be described by human words; it can be apprehended only so far as this, that it has in it consent and confirmation from the inmost that so it is. There are, indeed, confirming reasons in very great abundance, which present themselves to the intellectual sight as a one, and this one is as it were a conclusion from many particulars. These confirming reasons are in the light of heaven, which is Divine truth or Divine wisdom proceeding from the Lord, and which operate in each angel according to his state of reception. This is the spiritual sight of the understanding. Since with angels this sight operates upon the sight of the eyes, and presents the truths of the understanding in correspondent forms that appear in heaven not unlike the forms in the natural world that are called objects, so “to see,” in the sense of the letter of the Word, signifies to understand. (What the appearances in heaven are, and that they correspond to the objects of the interior sight of the angels, see in The work on Heaven and Hell, n. 170-176.)
sRef Isa@42 @18 S2′ sRef Isa@30 @10 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @14 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @13 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @15 S2′ sRef Isa@32 @3 S2′ sRef Isa@42 @20 S2′ sRef Isa@28 @7 S2′ [2] The expression “to see” and not to understand is used in the Word because the Word in its ultimates is natural, and the natural is the basis on which spiritual things have their foundation; consequently if the Word were spiritual in the letter it would have no basis, thus it would be like a house without a foundation. (On this, also see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 303-310.) That in the Word “to see” signifies to understand, is evident from the following passages.
In Isaiah:
Who said to the seers, See not; and to those that have vision, See not for us right things; speak to us smooth things, see illusions (Isa. 30:10).
In the same:
The eyes of them that see shall not be closed, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken (Isa. 32:3).
In the same:
Look, ye blind, that ye may behold, seeing great things ye do not keep them (Isa. 42:18, 20).
In the same:
The priest and the prophet err among the seeing, they stumble in judgment (Isa. 28:7).
And in other places:
Seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not (Matt. 13:13-15; Mark 4:11-12; 8:17-18; Isa. 6:9-10; Ezek. 12:2);
besides very many other instances, that do not need to be quoted, since everyone knows, also from the customary modes of speaking everywhere that “to see” signifies to understand; for it is said “I see that this is so,” or “that it is not so,” meaning “I understand.”

260 1/2. And behold a door opened in heaven, signifies the arcana of heaven revealed. This is evident from the signification of “door,” as meaning admission (of which above, n. 208), here, a looking into, which is admission of the sight; moreover, the sight is admitted into heaven where the sight of the bodily eyes is dimmed, and at the same time the sight of the spirit’s eyes is enlightened. By this sight all things seen by the prophets were seen. A “door opened in heaven” here signifies the arcana of heaven revealed, because at such a time things that are in the heavens appear; and before the prophets the things that are arcana of the church appear; here arcana respecting the things that were to take place upon the time of the Last Judgment, none of which have been revealed as yet, and which could not be revealed until the judgment was accomplished, and then only through some one in the world to whom it was granted by the Lord to see them, and to whom was revealed at the same time the spiritual sense of the Word. For all things written in this prophetic book were written respecting the Last Judgment, but by means of representatives and correspondences; for whatever is said by the Lord and is perceived by angels, in coming down is changed into representatives, and is so made to appear before the eyes of angels in the ultimate heavens and before prophetic men when the eyes of their spirit have been opened. From this it can be seen what is meant by “a door opened in heaven.”

sRef Rev@4 @1 S0′ sRef Ps@29 @6 S1′ sRef Ps@29 @7 S1′ sRef Ps@29 @9 S1′ sRef Ps@29 @8 S1′ sRef Ps@29 @3 S1′ sRef Ps@29 @4 S1′ sRef Ps@29 @5 S1′ 261. And the first voice that I heard, signifies revelation now of things to come. This is evident from the signification of “voice,” as being whatever proceeds from the Lord and is perceived by angels and by men; here especially revelation of things to come, that were to occur before the Last Judgment, about the time of it, and after it, since these are treated of in what now follows. That “the voice of Jehovah” in the Word signifies the Divine proceeding which is Divine truth, from which is all intelligence and wisdom (see Arcana Coelestia n. 219, 220, 375, 3563, 6971, 8813, 9926); this is clear also from the following passages. In David:
The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters, the voice of Jehovah is in power; the voice of Jehovah is with honor. The voice of Jehovah breaketh the cedars. The voice of Jehovah hewing as a flame of fire. The voice of Jehovah maketh the wilderness to shiver. The voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to travail; and in His temple everyone saith, Glory (Ps. 29:3-9).
This Psalm treats of the Divine that proceeds from the Lord, and that is called, in a word, Divine truth. Its effect both with the good and with the evil is described in this passage; from which it is evident what is meant by “the voice of Jehovah.”
sRef John@10 @26 S2′ sRef John@10 @16 S2′ sRef John@10 @3 S2′ sRef John@10 @5 S2′ sRef John@10 @4 S2′ sRef John@10 @2 S2′ sRef John@10 @27 S2′ [2] In John:
He is the Shepherd of the sheep; to Him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear His voice. A stranger they do not follow, for they know not the voice of strangers. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice. But ye are not of My sheep, for My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John 10:2-5, 16, 26-27).

“Sheep” in the Word mean those who are in truths from good, thus who are in faith from charity; “voice” here means not a voice but the Divine proceeding, which is Divine truth. This flows in with those who are in the good of charity, and gives them intelligence, and so far as they are in good gives them wisdom; intelligence is of truth, and wisdom is of truth from good.
sRef Jer@10 @12 S3′ sRef Joel@2 @11 S3′ sRef Jer@10 @13 S3′ sRef Ps@68 @32 S3′ sRef John@5 @25 S3′ sRef Rev@1 @15 S3′ sRef Ps@68 @33 S3′ sRef Ps@29 @3 S3′ sRef Joel@3 @16 S3′ [3] In Jeremiah:
The Maker of the earth, through His intelligence hath He stretched out the heavens, at the voice which He utters there is a multitude of waters in the heavens (Jer. 10:12-13; 51:16).
In David:
The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters. Jehovah upon great waters (Ps. 29:3).
In Revelation:
The voice of the Son of man was as the voice of many waters (Rev. 1:15).
Again:
I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters (Rev. 14:2).
“The voice of Jehovah” and “the voice from heaven” is the Divine proceeding, or Divine truth, from which is all intelligence and wisdom; it is said to have been heard “as the voice of many waters” because “waters” signify Divine truths in ultimates (that this is the signification of “waters,” see above, n. 71).
[4] In David:
Ye kingdoms of the earth, sing psalms unto the Lord. To Him, that rideth upon the heaven of the heaven of old; behold, He will give forth with His voice, a voice of strength (Ps. 68:32-33).
In John:
I say unto you, that the hour is coming when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of man,* and they that hear shall live (John 5:25).
In Joel:
Jehovah shall give forth His voice from Jerusalem, that the heavens and the earth may shake (Joel 3:16).
In the same:
Jehovah hath given forth His voice before His army; for it is numberless that doeth His word (Joel 2:11).
That Divine truth here is “the voice of Jehovah” is evident, as in many other places.
* For “Son of man” the Greek has “Son of God,” as found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 815, 899.

sRef Rev@4 @1 S0′ 262. As of a trumpet speaking with me, signifies clear and manifest. This is evident from the signification of “trumpet,” as being Divine truth manifested and revealed out of heaven (of which above, n. 55). A voice that is heard out of heaven with those who are in the spirit is heard usually as a human voice; but it was heard “as a trumpet speaking” because it was clearly and manifestly perceived by the angels, and what is clearly and manifestly perceived by them falls loudly into the hearing of the spirit; and this was done with John that his attention might be awakened, and thence his sight, lest anything should be obscure to him. This is meant by “the voice of a trumpet” in other places also (Matt. 24:31; Zech. 9:14; Ps. 47:5; Rev. 8:2, 7-8, 13; 9:1, 13-14; 10:7; 18:22; and elsewhere).

sRef Rev@4 @1 S0′ 263. Said, come up hither, signifies elevation of mind and attention. This is evident from the signification of “coming up,” when said of hearing from the Divine, as being elevation of mind (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007). It also means attention, because when the mind is elevated, attention is awakened. For in respect to thought and will, man has interiors and exteriors: the interiors pertain to the internal man, the exteriors to the external man. The interiors, which pertain to the internal man, are in the spiritual world, consequently the things there are spiritual; but the exteriors, which pertain to the external man, are in the natural world, and the things there are natural. As the latter things are exterior and the former interior, therefore “coming up” signifies elevation towards the interiors, or elevation of mind. (But of this elevation, see what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 33, 34, 38, 92, 499, 501; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 36-53.)

sRef Rev@4 @1 S0′ 264. And I will show thee things that must come to pass hereafter, signifies instruction about the things that will occur in the last time of the church. This is evident from the signification of “to show,” as being to instruct vividly (of which presently); and from the signification of “things that must come to pass hereafter,” as being things that are to take place in the last time of the church. This is the signification because in what now follows the state of heaven and the church just before the Last Judgment is treated of, and afterwards the judgment itself: and because the judgment was to take place at the end of the church, therefore these things signify what was to take place at the last time of the church. (That the Last Judgment takes place at the end of the church, and that it has taken place, see in The small work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-39, 45-52.) “I will show thee” signifies vivid instruction about these things, because all the things shown contain these, for they lie hidden in the representatives described in Revelation; but they are manifest before the angels, and also before such men as know the spiritual sense of the Word.

sRef Rev@4 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@4 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@4 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@4 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@4 @6 S0′ 265. Verses 2-6. And immediately I was in the spirit; and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and upon the throne One sitting. And He that sat was in aspect like to a jasper stone and a sardius; and a rainbow was round about the throne in aspect like an emerald. And around the throne were four and twenty thrones, and upon the thrones I saw four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments, and they had on their heads golden crowns. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunders and voices; and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God; and in sight of the throne a glassy sea like crystal. 2. “And immediately I was in the spirit,” signifies a spiritual state when there is revelation (n. 266); “and behold, a throne was set in heaven,” and upon the throne One sitting,” signifies the Lord in respect to the Last Judgment (n. 267). 3. “And He that sat was in aspect like to a jasper stone and a sardius” signifies the Lord’s appearance in respect to Divine truth pellucid by virtue of the Divine good of the Divine love (n. 268); “and a rainbow was round about the throne in aspect like an emerald,” signifies the appearance of Divine truth in the heavens about the Lord (n. 269). 4. “And around the throne were four and twenty thrones, and upon the thrones four and twenty elders sitting,” signifies all truths from good in the higher heavens, arranged by the Lord before judgment (n. 270); “arrayed in white garments,” signifies all truths from good in the lower heavens (n. 271); “and they had on their heads golden crowns,” signifies all truths arranged into order by Divine good, thus also all the former heavens (n. 272). 5. “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunders and voices,” signifies illustration, understanding, and perception of Divine truth in the heavens (n. 273); “and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God,” signifies Divine truth itself united to Divine good, proceeding from the Lord’s Divine love (n. 274). 6. “And in sight of the throne a glassy sea like crystal,” signifies the appearance of Divine truth in ultimates where its generals are, pellucid by virtue of the influx of Divine truth united to Divine good in firsts (n. 275).

sRef Rev@4 @2 S0′ 266. Verse 2. And immediately I was in the spirit, signifies a spiritual state when there is revelation, as is evident from what was said and shown above (n. 53), where it is similarly stated “I was in the spirit.”

sRef John@5 @27 S0′ sRef Rev@4 @2 S0′ sRef Matt@25 @31 S0′ sRef Matt@25 @32 S0′ sRef Matt@25 @33 S0′ sRef John@5 @22 S0′ 267. And behold, a throne was set in heaven, and upon the throne One sitting, signifies the Lord in respect to the Last Judgment. This is evident from the signification of “throne,” which in general means heaven, in particular the spiritual heaven, and abstractly Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; it also signifies judgment, because all are judged by Divine truth; and also all who are in heaven (of which see above, n. 253). “That the One sitting upon the throne” is the Lord is clear; and that judgment belongs to the Lord alone He teaches in Matthew:
When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, He shall sit on the throne of His glory; and before Him shall be gathered all the nations; and He shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats (Matt. 25:31-32).
And in John:
The Father judgeth no one, but hath given all judgment unto the Son; He hath given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of man (John 5:22, 23).
Because no one is judged from Divine good but from Divine truth, therefore it is said “the Father judgeth no one, but the Son, because He is the Son of man;” for “the Father” signifies Divine good, and “the Son of man” Divine truth proceeding. (That “Father” signifies Divine good, see above, n. 254; and that “the Son of man” signifies Divine truth proceeding, see n. 53, 151.) Here “throne” signifies judgment because the arrangement of all things for judgment is treated of in this chapter (see above, n. 258).

sRef Rev@4 @3 S0′ 268. Verse 3. And He that sat was in aspect like to a jasper stone and a sardius, signifies the Lord’s appearance in respect to Divine truth pellucid by virtue of the Divine good of the Divine love. This is evident from the signification of “One sitting upon the throne,” as being the Lord in respect to the Last Judgment (of which just above, n. 267); and from the signification of “in aspect like,” as being appearance; from the signification of “jasper stone,” as being the spiritual love of truth (of which in what follows); and from the signification of a “sardius stone” as being the celestial love of good; thus “a jasper stone and a sardius,” which the Lord appeared like, signify Divine truth pellucid, by virtue of the Divine good of the Divine love.
sRef Rev@21 @18 S2′ [2] That a “jasper” signifies the Divine love of truth, or Divine truth proceeding, is evident from passages in the Word where it is mentioned, as Exodus 28:20; and Ezekiel 28:13; also in Revelation:
The light [luminare] of the holy Jerusalem was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, shining like crystal (Rev. 21:11);
“the light of the holy Jerusalem” signifies the Divine truth of the church shining, “the light” truth itself shining, and “Jerusalem” the church in respect to doctrine; this is likened to “a jasper stone,” because “jasper” has a like signification.
Again:
The building of the wall [of the holy Jerusalem] was of jasper, and the city was pure gold, like unto pure glass (Rev. 21:18).
The “wall” of the holy Jerusalem is said to be “of jasper,” because “wall” signifies Divine truth guarding; and because of this signification of “wall,” the first stone of its foundation is said to be jasper (verse 19), “foundation” signifying the truth upon which the church is founded.
[3] The “sardius” is mentioned because that stone signifies good, here Divine good, because the Lord is described. This is the stone that is called “pyropus” [firestone], and since it shines as by fire, both names signify the translucency of truth from good. (That all precious stones signify the truths from good of heaven and of the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 114, 9863, 9865, 9868, 9873; for this reason twelve precious stones were set in the breastplate of Aaron, which is called the Urim and Thummim, and by them responses were given, and this by their shining forth, and at the same time by a perception as to the thing interrogated or by a living voice, n. 9905.)

sRef Rev@4 @3 S0′ 269. And a rainbow was round about the throne in aspect like an emerald, signifies the appearance of Divine truth in the heavens about the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “a rainbow in aspect like an emerald,” as denoting the appearance of Divine truth in its circumference; for “a rainbow round about the throne” signifies Divine truth round about; “in aspect like” signifies appearance. The appearance was like an emerald, because it had reference to the Last Judgment; for the color of this stone is green, and “green” signifies truth obscured. Divine truth in its brightness appears either of the color of heaven, or in various colors in beautiful order like a rainbow; but when obscured it appears of the color of an emerald. The heaven that was obscured was the heaven called “the former heaven,” on which judgment was to be executed, and which was about to perish (see Rev. 21:1). On this account “a rainbow round about like an emerald” is mentioned. “Rainbow” signifies Divine truth in the heavens in its order and consequently in its beauty, because there are infinite varieties of truth from good in the heavens, and when these are represented by colors, they present the aspect of a most beautiful rainbow. For this reason “a rainbow” was made the sign of the covenant after the flood (Gen. 9:12-17). (That there are infinite varieties in the heavens see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 56, 405, 418, 486; and in The small work on The Last Judgment, n. 13; and in Arcana Coelestia, n. 684, 690, 3744, 5598, 7236, 7833, 7836, 9002; that colors in heaven appear from the light there, and that they are modifications and variegations of the light, n. 1042, 1043, 1053, 1624, 3993, 4530, 4742, 4922; and that the colors appear various according to the varieties of the states of truth from good, and thence of intelligence and wisdom, n. 4530, 4677, 4922, 9466; that rainbows are seen in heaven, and whence and what they are, n. 1042, 1043, 1623-1625.)

sRef Rev@4 @4 S0′ 270. Verse 4. And around the throne were four and twenty thrones, and upon the thrones I saw four and twenty elders sitting, signifies all truths from good in the higher heavens, arranged by the Lord before judgment. This is evident from the signification of “throne” on which was “One sitting,” as being the Lord in respect to the Last Judgment (on which see just above, n. 267; and that “throne” signifies judgment, see n. 253). Also from the signification of “the four and twenty thrones around it, and four and twenty elders on them,” as being all the truths of heaven in the complex, arranged before judgment. “Four and twenty” signifies all, “thrones” judgment, and “elders” those who are in truths from good, and abstractly truths from good. The higher heavens are here meant, because all who are in them are in truths from the good of love, and because the lower heavens are treated of in what immediately follows. (“Twenty-four” signifies all, because that number signifies the like with the number “twelve,” and “twelve” signifies all, and is predicated of truths, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913. The number “twenty-four” signifies the like with the number “twelve,” because it is the double thereof, and the double of a number signifies something similar as the number from which it arises by multiplication, as may be seen, n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973.)
sRef Matt@19 @28 S2′ sRef Rev@20 @4 S2′ [2] The like is signified by “the thrones upon which the twelve apostles were to sit,” of which in Matthew:
Ye who have followed Me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:30);
the “twelve apostles” signifying all truths in the complex. Likewise in the following words in Revelation:
I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them (Rev. 20:4).
“Judgment was given to those who sat upon thrones” signifies that judgment belongs to the Lord alone, for “elders” in the Word signify all who are in truths from good, and abstractly, truths from good by which is judgment. He who supposes that “elders” and “apostles” in the Word mean elders and apostles is much mistaken; in the spiritual sense of the Word no persons are perceived, but things abstractly from persons, for what is spiritual has nothing in common with persons. It is otherwise in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural; in that sense not only are persons mentioned, but the idea of person is implied in many expressions, in order that the Word in its ultimates may be natural, and thus be a basis for the spiritual sense. It is the same with the signification of “elders” as with that of “infants,” “children,” “young men,” “old men,” “virgins,” “women,” and many words of that kind; in the natural sense these are all thought of simply as persons; but in the spiritual sense “infants” mean innocence, “children” charity, “young men” intelligence, “old men” wisdom, “virgins” the affection of truth and good, and “women” the goods of the church; and so in other cases.
The same is true of the natural and spiritual senses of “neighbor;” in the natural sense “neighbor” means any man whatever; but in the spiritual sense the good, truth, sincerity, and justice itself that are in the person. Everyone who reflects can see that this is the neighbor in the spiritual sense; for who loves a person for any other reason? For good and truth make the man, and cause him to be loved, and not the countenance and body.
sRef Isa@24 @23 S3′ [3] But to return to the signification of “elders.” That “elders” signify truths from good can be seen from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned. In Isaiah:
Then the moon shall blush, and the sun be ashamed, and Jehovah of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem; and before His elders shall be glory (Isa. 24:23).
The “moon” and “sun” mean their idolatrous worship and the falsity of faith and the evil of love; “Mount Zion” and “Jerusalem” mean heaven and the church; “the elders” mean truths from good; it is therefore said, “before them shall be glory,” for “glory” signifies Divine truth in heaven (see above n. 33).
sRef Lam@1 @18 S4′ sRef Lam@1 @19 S4′ [4] In Lamentations:
My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity. I have cried to my lovers, they have deceived me; and mine elders expired in the city (Lam. 1:18-19).
Here the vastation of the church is treated of, over which there is lamentation; there is such vastation when there is no longer any spiritual affection of truth, and thence no intelligence in such things as pertain to the church, and when there is then no truth. The “virgins,” that are gone into captivity, mean the spiritual affection of truth, “the young men” intelligence; “captivity” is removal from this affection and intelligence; the “elders,” who expired, mean the truths of the church.
sRef Ezek@9 @6 S5′ [5] In Ezekiel:
Slay to destruction the old man, the young man, and the virgin, and the infant and the women; begin from My sanctuary; therefore they began from the elders who were before the house (Ezek. 9:6).
Here too, the vastation of the church is treated of; an “old man” and “young man” mean wisdom and intelligence; “virgin” means the affection of truth and good; “infant” innocence; “women” the goods of the church; “to slay to destruction” signifies devastation; the “sanctuary,” from which they should begin, is the church in respect to the good of love and the truth of faith, which are “the elders who are before the house.”
sRef Lam@5 @14 S6′ sRef Lam@5 @12 S6′ sRef Ex@24 @11 S6′ sRef Ex@24 @10 S6′ sRef Ex@24 @9 S6′ sRef Ex@24 @12 S6′ [6] In Lamentations:
The faces of the old men were not honored. The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their music (Lam. 5:12, 14).
“Old men” signify the wisdom that is of good; “elders,” the truths that are from good; “young men,” intelligence. That the God of Israel was seen:
Under His feet as a work of sapphire, by Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy elders, and not by the rest (Exod. 24:1, 9-12);
signified that the Lord is seen solely by those who are in good and in truths from good (see the explanation of the passage in The Arcana Coelestia, n. 9403-9411). This is what the seventy elders of Israel represented, and what the “four and twenty elders” sitting upon as many thrones signified; this also is what the “twelve apostles” signify, of whom it is said that “they are to sit
upon thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (That the “twelve apostles” signify all truths from good, Arcana Coelestia, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397; that the “twelve tribes of Israel” have a like signification, n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335; likewise the “elders of Israel,” n. 6524, 6525, 6890, 7912, 8578, 8585, 9376, 9404.)

sRef Rev@4 @4 S0′ 271. Arrayed in white garments, signifies all truths from good in the lower heavens. This is evident from the signification of “white garments,” as being truths that invest, which specifically are true knowledges [scientifica] and cognitions (see above, n. 195, 196, 198); and because the lower heavens are in these truths, they are meant. That “white garments” signify the lower heavens may seem strange to those who know nothing about appearances and representatives in heaven. All in the heavens are clothed according to truths, and lower truths correspond to garments, and because the lower heavens are in these truths, therefore the garments of the angels in the higher heavens also correspond to these. (But this arcanum may be more clearly understood from what is said and shown respecting the Garments in which the Angels are Clothed, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 177-182; likewise from what was represented and signified by the garments of Aaron and his sons, explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 9814, 10068; as also by the garments of the Lord when He was transfigured, n. 9212, 9216.)

sRef Rev@4 @4 S0′ 272. And they had on their heads golden crowns, signifies all truths arranged into order by Divine good, thus also all the former heavens. This is evident from the signification of “four and twenty elders sitting upon four and twenty thrones, arrayed in white garments,” as being all truths of the heavens, thus all the heavens both higher and lower (of which just above, n. 270, 271); also from the signification of a “golden crown,” as being Divine good, from which are truths (of which in what follows). All the truths of heaven and of the church are from Divine good; truths that are not therefrom are not truths. Truths that are not from good are like shells without a kernel, and like a house in which no man dwells, but a wild beast; such are the truths that are called truths of faith apart from the good of charity; the good of charity is good from the Lord, thus Divine good. Now as “the elders upon thrones” signify the truths of the heavens, and “golden crowns” the good from which these are, therefore the elders were seen with crowns. The “crowns of kings” have a like signification; for “kings” in a representative sense signify truths, and “crowns” upon their heads signify the good from which the truths are (that “kings” signify truths may be seen above, n. 31). For this reason the crowns are of gold, for “gold” in like manner signifies good (see above. n. 242).
sRef Ps@132 @18 S2′ sRef Ps@132 @17 S2′ [2] That “crowns” signify good and wisdom therefrom, and that truths are what are crowned, can be seen from the following passages. In David:
I will make the horn to spring forth for David; I will set in order a lamp for Mine anointed; his enemies will I clothe with shame; but upon himself shall his crown blossom (Ps. 132:17-18).
Here “David” and “anointed” mean the Lord (see above, n. 205); “horn” His power; “lamp” is the Divine truth from which is Divine intelligence; “Crown” the Divine good from which is Divine wisdom, and from which is the Lord’s government; and the “enemies,” that shall be clothed with shame, are evils and falsities.
sRef Ps@89 @39 S3′ sRef Ps@89 @38 S3′ [3] In the same:
Thou showest anger with Thine anointed. Thou hast condemned even to the earth his crown (Ps. 89:38-39).
Here also “anointed” stands for the Lord, and “anger” for a state of temptation, in which He was when in combats with the hells. “Anger” and “condemnation” describe the lamentation at that time, as the Lord’s last lamentation on the cross, that He was forsaken; for the cross was the last of His temptations or combats with the hells; and after that last temptation He put on the Divine good of the Divine love, and thus united the Divine Human to the Divine Itself which was in Him.
sRef Isa@28 @5 S4′ [4] In Isaiah:
In that day shall Jehovah of Hosts be for a crown of adornment, and for a diadem of splendor, unto the remnant of His people (Isa. 28:5).
Here “crown of adornment” means wisdom that is of good from the Divine; and “the diadem of splendor” intelligence that is of truth from that good.
sRef Isa@62 @3 S5′ sRef Isa@62 @1 S5′ [5] In the same:
For Zion’s sake will I not be silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp burneth; and thou shalt be a crown of splendor in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal tiara in the hand of thy God (Isa. 62:1, 3).
Here “Zion” and “Jerusalem” mean the church, “Zion” the church which is in good, and “Jerusalem” the church which is in truths from that good; therefore it is called “a crown of splendor in the hand of Jehovah,” and “a royal tiara in the hand of thy God;” a “crown of splendor” is wisdom that is of good, and a “royal tiara” is intelligence that is of truth; and because “crown” signifies wisdom that is of good it is said to be “in the hand of Jehovah;” and because “tiara” signifies intelligence that is of truth it is said to be “in the hand of God;” for “Jehovah” is used where good is treated of, and “God” where truth is treated of (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2586, 2769, 6905).
sRef Jer@13 @18 S6′ [6] In Jeremiah:
Say to the king and to the mistress, Humble yourselves, sit ye; for your headtire is come down, the crown of your splendor (Jer. 13:18);
a “crown of splendor” meaning wisdom that is of good (“splendor” is the Divine truth of the church, Arcana Coelestia, n. 9815).
sRef Lam@5 @16 S7′ sRef Lam@5 @15 S7′ [7] In the same:
The joy of our heart hath ceased; our dance is turned into mourning; the crown of our head hath fallen (Lam. 5:15, 16);
“the crown of the head that hath fallen” means the wisdom which those who are of the church have through Divine truth, which wisdom hath ceased, together with internal blessedness.
sRef Ezek@16 @12 S8′ sRef Job@19 @9 S8′ [8] in Ezekiel:
I put a jewel upon thy nose, and ear-rings on thine ears, and a crown of splendor upon thine head (Ezek. 16:12).
This refers to Jerusalem, which is the church, here the church at its first establishment; “the jewel upon the nose” signifies the perception of good; and “the ear-rings on the ears” the perception of truth and obedience; and the “crown upon the head” signifies wisdom therefrom. In Job:
He hath stripped from me the glory, and taken away the crown of my head (Job 19:9);
“glory” meaning intelligence from Divine truth, and a “crown of the head” the wisdom therefrom.
sRef Rev@6 @2 S9′ [9] in Revelation:
I saw, and behold a white horse; and He that sat on him had a bow, and there was given unto Him a crown; and He went forth conquering and to conquer (Rev. 6:2).
“The white horse and He that sat on him” is the Lord in respect to the Word; “the bow” is the doctrine of truth by which the combat is waged; from which it is clear that “crown,” since it is attributed to the Lord, is the Divine good that He put on even in respect to the human, as a reward of victory.
sRef Rev@14 @14 S10′ [10] Again:
Afterwards I saw, and behold a white cloud; and on the cloud One sat like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle (Rev. 14:14);
a “white cloud” standing for the literal sense of the Word (Arcana Coelestia, n. 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8281, 8781); “the Son of man” meaning the Lord in respect to Divine truth; “the golden crown,” the Divine good from which is Divine truth; and “the sharp sickle,” the dispersion of evil and falsity.
sRef Ex@28 @37 S11′ sRef Ex@28 @36 S11′ [11] That a “crown” is Divine good from which is Divine truth was represented by the plats of gold upon the front of the miter that was upon Aaron, which plate was also called a “crown” and a “coronet;” it is thus described in Exodus:
Thou shalt make a plate of gold, and grave upon it with the engraving of a signet, Holiness to Jehovah; and thou shalt put it on a thread of blue, and it shall be on the miter, over against the face of it (Exod. 28:36, 37).
That this plate was called a “crown of holiness” and a “coronet,” see Exod. 39:30; Lev. 8:9. (But what was specially signified thereby, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9930-9936, where the particulars are explained.)

sRef Rev@4 @5 S0′ 273. Verse 5. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunders and voices, signifies illustration, understanding, and the perception of the Divine truth in the heavens from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “lightnings, thunders, and voices,” as predicated of Divine truth; “lightnings” referring to its illustration, “thunders” to its understanding, and “voices” to the perception of it; that these things are thereby signified will be made clear by passages in the Word where they are mentioned. But let something first be said in respect to the origin of these significations. All things that appear before the eyes of men in the visible heaven, as the sun, the moon, the stars, the air, the ether, light, heat, clouds, mists, showers, and many more, are correspondences; they are correspondences for the reason that all things in the natural world correspond to those in the spiritual world. These are also correspondences in heaven where the angels are, because like things are seen by them but there they are not natural but spiritual (as can be seen from what is shown respecting them in the work on Heaven and Hell, On the Sun and Moon in Heaven, n 116-125; On Light and Heat in Heaven, n. 126-140; and in general, On the Correspondence of Heaven with all Things of the Earth, n. 103-115; and on Appearances in Heaven, n. 170-176), Therefore “lightnings” and “thunders” also are correspondences; and because they are correspondences, they have the like significance as the things have to which they correspond. Their significance in general is Divine truth received and uttered by the highest angels; which, when it descends to the lower angels sometimes appears as lightning, and is heard as thunder with voices. From this it is that “lightning” signifies Divine truth in respect to illustration; “thunder” Divine truth in respect to understanding; and “voices” Divine truth in respect to perception. It is said in respect to the understanding and in respect to the perception, since what enters into the mind through the hearing is both seen and perceived; seen in the understanding, and perceived through communication with the will. (What perception is, strictly, such as the angels in heaven have, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 140.)
sRef Ps@77 @15 S2′ [2] From this then it is that “lightnings” and “thunders” in the Word signify Divine truth in respect to illustration and in respect to the understanding, as can be seen from the following passages. In David:
Thou hast with Thine arm redeemed Thy people. The clouds poured out waters; the skies gave forth a voice; Thine arrows also went forth; the voice of Thy thunder into the world; the lightning lightened the world (Ps. 77:15, 17-18).
Here the establishment of the church is treated of; “the clouds poured out waters” signifies truths from the sense of the letter of the Word; “the skies gave forth a voice” (that is, the higher clouds), signifies truths from the spiritual sense of the Word; “the arrows that went forth” (meaning thunderbolts, from which there is an appearance as of arrows from a bow and which are present when there are thunders and lightnings) signify Divine truths; “the voice of thunder into the world” signifies Divine truth in respect to perception and understanding in the church; and “the lightnings lightened the world” signifies Divine truth in respect to illustration thence; “the world” signifies the church.
sRef Ps@97 @3 S3′ sRef Ps@97 @4 S3′ [3] In the same:
A fire shall go before Jehovah, and burn up His enemies round about; His lightnings shall lighten the world (Ps. 97:3-4).
From these words also it is clear that “lightnings” signify Divine truth in respect to illustration, for it is said “His lightnings shall lighten the world.”
sRef Jer@10 @12 S4′ sRef Jer@10 @13 S4′ [4] In Jeremiah:
The Maker of the earth by His power, He prepareth the world by His wisdom, and by His intelligence stretcheth out the heavens; at the voice that He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He maketh the vapors to go up from the end of the earth, He maketh lightnings for the rain (Jer. 10:12-13; 51:16; Ps. 135:7-8).
Here again the establishment of the church is treated of. That “the voice of thunder” signifies Divine truth in respect to perception and understanding, and “lightnings” Divine truth in respect to illustration, can be seen from its being said, “The Maker of the earth prepareth the world by His wisdom, and by His intelligence stretcheth out the heavens;” and then, “at the voice that He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens,” and “He maketh lightnings for the rain;” “earth” and “world” signifying the church; “waters in the heavens” spiritual truths; “rain” these truths when they descend and become natural; “lightnings” their illustration.
sRef 2Sam@22 @15 S5′ sRef 2Sam@22 @14 S5′ [5] In the second book of Samuel:
Jehovah thundered from heaven, and the Most High gave forth His voice and sent forth His arrows and scattered them, lightning, and discomforted them (2 Sam. 22:14-15).
Thunders are here described by “thundering from heaven” and by “giving forth a voice,” flying thunderbolts by “arrows,” and all these signify Divine truths, and “lightning” their light; and as these vivify and illustrate the good, so they terrify and blind the evil, which is meant by “He sent forth arrows and scattered them, lightning, and discomfited them;” for the evil cannot bear Divine truths, nor any light at all from heaven, therefore they flee away at their presence.
sRef Rev@8 @5 S6′ sRef Rev@14 @2 S6′ sRef Ps@18 @13 S6′ sRef Rev@11 @19 S6′ sRef Ex@19 @16 S6′ sRef Rev@10 @3 S6′ sRef Rev@10 @4 S6′ sRef Ps@81 @7 S6′ sRef Rev@19 @6 S6′ sRef Rev@6 @1 S6′ sRef Ps@144 @6 S6′ sRef Ps@18 @14 S6′ [6] Likewise in David:
Jehovah thundered in the heavens, and the Most High gave forth His voice; and He sent forth His arrows and scattered them, and many lightnings and discomfited them (Ps. 18:13-14).
Lighten forth lightning and scatter them; send forth Thine arrows and discomfit them (Ps. 144:6).
That “thunders” and “lightnings” signify Divine truth in respect to the understanding and illustration is still further evident from the following passages. In David:
In distress thou didst call and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place with thunder (Ps. 81:7).
In Revelation:
I heard one of the four animals saying, as with a voice of thunder, Come and see (Rev. 6:1).
Again:
And the angel took the censer and filled it from the fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth; and there followed thunders and voices and lightnings (Rev. 8:5).
Again:
The angel cried with a great voice, as a lion, and when he cried the seven thunders uttered their voices (Rev. 10:3-4).
Again:
The temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in the temple the ark of the covenant; and there followed lightnings and voices and thunders (Rev. 11:19).
Again:
I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of great thunder (Rev. 14:2).
And again:
I heard the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, as the voice of vehement thunders, saying, Alleluia; for the Lord our God, the Almighty, hath received the kingdom (Rev. 19:6).

Moreover, since “thunders” and “lightnings” signify Divine truths, when Jehovah came down upon Mount Sinai to promulgate these truths:
There were voices and lightnings, and also the voice of a trumpet (Exod. 19:16).
That “the voice of a trumpet” signifies Divine truth in respect to revelation, see above (n. 55, 262);
A voice out of heaven to the Lord was heard as thunder (John 12:28-29).
That James and John were called Boanerges, sons of thunder (Mark 3:14, 17).

sRef Rev@4 @5 S0′ 274. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God, signifies Divine truth itself united to Divine good, proceeding from the Lord’s Divine love. This is evident from the signification of “seven” as being all things in the complex; also from the signification of “lamps burning with fire before the throne,” as being Divine truth united to Divine good proceeding from the Lord’s Divine love; for “lamps” signify truths; therefore “seven lamps” signify all truth in the complex, which is the Divine truth; and “fire” signifies the good of love; and since the lamps were seen “burning before the throne” upon which the Lord was, it is signified that truth is from the Lord. As “the seven spirits of God” signify all truths of heaven and the church from the Lord (see above, n. 183), therefore it is said, “which are the seven spirits of God.” (That “seven” signifies all, see above, n. 256; that “fire” signifies the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 934, 4906, 5215, 6314, 6832, 10055.)
sRef Ps@18 @28 S2′ sRef Ps@119 @105 S2′ sRef Luke@12 @35 S2′ [2] That “lamps” signify truths, which are called the truths of faith, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In David:
Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path (Ps. 119:105).
The Word is called a “lamp” because it is Divine truth. In the same:
Thou makest my lamp to shine; Jehovah God maketh bright my darkness (Ps. 18:28).
“To make a lamp to shine” signifies to enlighten the understanding by Divine truth; and “to make bright the darkness” signifies to disperse the falsities of ignorance by the light of truth. In Luke:
Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps shining (Luke 12:35*).
The “loins” to be girded signify the good of love (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3021, 4280, 4462, 5050-5052, 9961); and “lamps shining” signify the truths of faith from the good of love.
sRef Matt@25 @3 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @6 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @5 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @2 S3′ sRef Jer@25 @10 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @4 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @11 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @12 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @1 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @10 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @7 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @8 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @9 S3′ sRef Matt@6 @23 S3′ sRef Rev@18 @23 S3′ sRef Isa@62 @1 S3′ sRef Matt@6 @22 S3′ [3] In Matthew:
The lamp of the body is the eye; if the eye be good the whole body is light, if the eye be evil the whole body is darkness. If, therefore, the light be darkness, how great is the darkness (Matt. 6:22-23).
The eye is here called “lucerna,” that is, a lighted lamp, because the “eye” signifies the understanding of truth, and therefore the truth of faith; and as the understanding derives its all from the will (for such as the will is, such is the understanding), so the truth of faith derives its all from the good of love; consequently when the understanding of truth is from the good of the will the whole man is spiritual, which is signified by the words, “if the eye be good the whole body is light;” but the contrary is true when the understanding is formed out of the evil of the will; that it is then in mere falsities is signified by the words, “If thine eye be evil the whole body is darkened. If, therefore, the light be darkness, how great is the darkness.” (That “the eye” signifies the understanding, see above, n. 152; and that “darkness” signifies falsities, Arcana Coelestia, n. 1839, 1860, 3340, 4418, 4531, 7688, 7711, 7712.) He who does not know that “eye” signifies the understanding does not apprehend at all the meaning of those words.
[4] In Jeremiah:
I will take away from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of the millstones and the light of the lamp (Jer. 25:10).
“To take away the voice of joy and the voice of gladness” signifies to take away the interior felicity that is from the good of love and the truths of faith; “to take away the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride” signifies to take away all conjunction of good and truth, which makes heaven and the church with man; “to take away the voice of the millstones and the light of the lamp” signifies to take away the doctrine of charity and faith. (What is signified by “millstone” and “grinding,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4335, 7780, 9995, 10303.) Likewise in Revelation:
And the light of a lamp shall shine no more in Babylon; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more there (Rev. 18:23).
In Isaiah:
Her** salvation as a lamp that burneth (Isa. 62:1);
signifying that the truth of faith should be from the good of love. In Matthew:
The kingdom of heaven is like ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. The five foolish took their lamps, but no oil; but the five prudent took oil also. When, therefore, the bridegroom came, the prudent went in to the wedding, but the foolish were not admitted (Matt. 25:1-12).
“Lamps” here signify the truths of faith, and “oil” the good of love. What the rest of this parable signifies may be seen above (n. 252), where the particulars are explained.
* The printed text has vii. However, the Latin is clearly xii. NewSearch footnote.
** For “Her salvation” the Latin has “Your salvation”; but “her” is found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 272, Arcana Coelestia, n. 9930; Apocalypse Revealed, n. 880.

sRef Rev@4 @6 S0′ 275. Verse 6. And in sight of the throne a glassy sea like crystal, signifies the appearance of [Divine] truth in ultimates where its generals are, and its pellucidity by virtue of the influx of Divine truth united to Divine good in firsts. This is evident from the signification of “in sight of the throne,” as being appearance; also from the signification of “glassy,” as being pellucid. It is also said “like crystal,” that pellucidity from the influx of Divine truth united to Divine good in firsts may be described; this is signified by “the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne” (as shown just above, n. 274). In this and what precedes, the state of the whole heaven arranged in order for judgment is described, and its ultimate is meant by “the glassy sea like crystal.” The truth of the ultimate heaven is signified by “a glassy sea” because “sea” signifies the generals of truth, such truth as exists in the ultimates of heaven, and with man in the natural man, which truth is called knowledge [scientificum]. The “sea” signifies such truths because in the sea is the gathering together of waters, and “waters” signify truths (see above, n. 71).
sRef Isa@19 @4 S2′ sRef Isa@19 @5 S2′ [2] That this is the signification of “sea” is evident from many passages in the Word, a number of which I will cite here. In Isaiah:
I will shut up the Egyptians into the land of a hard lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them. Then the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall dry up and become dry (Isa. 19:4-5).
By “the Egyptians” knowledges [scientiae] that are of the natural man are meant; “the hard lord into whose hands they should be shut up” signifies the evil of self-love; “a fierce king” signifies falsity therefrom; “the waters shall fail from the sea” signifies that with all the abundance of knowledges [scientiarum] there still are no truths; and “the river shall dry up and become dry” signifies that there is no doctrine of truth and no intelligence therefrom.
sRef Isa@27 @1 S3′ [3] In the same:
Jehovah will visit with His sword, hard, great, and strong, upon leviathan the stretched out serpent, and leviathan the crooked serpent, and will slay the whales that are in the sea (Isa. 27:1).
This is also said of “Egypt,” by which knowledges [scientiae] that are of the natural man are signified; “leviathan the stretched out serpent” signifies those who reject all things which they do not see with the eyes, thus the merely sensual, who are without faith, because they do not comprehend. “Leviathan the crooked serpent” signifies those who, for the same reason, do not believe, and yet say that they believe. “The sword, hard, and great, and strong, with which they shall be visited,” signifies the extinction of all truth, for “sword” signifies falsity destroying truth. “The whales in the sea,” that shall be slain, signify knowledges [scientifica] in general. (That these are signified by “whales,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7293.)
[4] In the same:
Let the inhabitants of the isle be still; thou merchant of Zidon passing over the sea, they have filled thee. Blush, O Zidon, for the sea hath said, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, and I have not brought forth, and I have not brought up young men, and have not raised up virgins; when the report comes to Egypt they shall be seized with grief, as by the report respecting Tyre (Isa. 23:2-5).
“Zidon” and “Tyre” signify the knowledges of good and truth; therefore it is said “the merchant of Zidon passing over the sea,” “merchant” meaning one who acquires these knowledges for himself and communicates them. That they acquired for themselves thereby nothing of good and truth is signified by “the sea said, I have not travailed and I have not brought forth, I have not brought up young men, and have not raised up virgins;” “to travail and bring forth” is to produce something from knowledges; “young men” mean truths, and “virgins” goods. That the use of cognitions and knowledges (cognitionum et scientiarum) would therefore perish, is signified by “when the report comes to Egypt they shall be seized with grief, as by the report respecting Tyre.”
sRef Ezek@26 @18 S5′ sRef Ezek@26 @15 S5′ sRef Ezek@26 @16 S5′ sRef Ezek@26 @17 S5′ [5] In Ezekiel:
All the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and cast away their robes, and strip off their broidered garments, they shall be clothed with terrors. They shall take up a lamentation over thee, and shall say, How hast thou perished, thou that dwelt by the seas, the renowned city which was strong in the sea; therefore the islands in the sea shall be dismayed at thy outcome (Ezek. 26:15-18).
These things are said of “Tyre,” which signifies the cognitions of truth, the neglect and loss of which are thus described; the “princes of the sea that shall come down from their thrones” signify primary cognitions; that these together with knowledges [scientificis] shall be abandoned is signified by “they shall cast away their robes, and strip off their broidered garments;” “broidered work,” is knowledges [scientificum]; “the city that dwelt by the seas and was strong in the sea” signifies the power of knowing in all abundance (“seas” signify collections); “the islands in the sea” signify nations more remote from truths that long for cognitions, of which it is said “therefore the islands in the sea shall be dismayed at thy outcome.”
sRef Isa@11 @9 S6′ [6] In Isaiah:
They shall not do evil nor corrupt themselves in all the mountain of My holiness; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge [scientifia] of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea (Isa. 11:9).
This treats of a new heaven and a new church, which are meant by “mountain of holiness,” in which “they shall not do evil nor corrupt themselves;” their understanding of truth from the Lord is described by “the earth shall be full of the knowledge [scientia] of Jehovah; “and as waters” signify truths, and the “sea” the fullness of them, it is said, “as the waters cover the sea.”
sRef Isa@50 @2 S7′ [7] In the same:
By My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; their fish shall become putrid because there is no water, and shall die of thirst (Isa 1:2).
“To dry up the sea” signifies an entire lack of the general knowledges of truth; “to make the rivers a wilderness” signifies the deprivation of all truth and of intelligence therefrom; “the fish shall become putrid” signifies that the knowledges [scientifica] pertaining to the natural man shall be without any spiritual life; this takes place when they are applied to confirm falsities in opposition to the truths of the church; “by cause there is no water” signifies because there is no truth; “to die of thirst” signifies the extinction of truth. (That “rivers” signify the things of intelligence, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 108, 2702, 3051; that “wilderness” signifies where there is no good because there is no truth, n. 2708, 4736, 7055; that “fish” signifies the knowledge [scientificum] pertaining to the natural man, n. 40, 991; that “water” signifies truth, n. 2702, 3058, 3424, 5668, 8568; and that “to die of thirst” signifies the absence of spiritual life from lack of truth, n. 8568 at the end.)
sRef Ps@89 @9 S8′ [8] In David:
O Jehovah, Thou rulest in the uprising of the sea; when it raiseth up its waves (Ps. 89:9).
The “sea” here signifies the natural man, because in the natural man are the generals of truth; “the uprising of the sea” signifies its exalting itself against the Divine, denying the things that are of the church; the “waves” which it raiseth up signify falsities.
sRef Ps@24 @2 S9′ [9] In the same:
Jehovah hath founded the world upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers (Ps. 24:2).
The “world” signifies the church; the “seas” knowledges in general which are in the natural man; and “rivers” the truths of faith; upon these two the church has its foundation.
sRef Amos@9 @6 S10′ [10] In Amos:
Jehovah, who buildeth His steps in the heavens, and calleth the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the faces of the earth (Amos 9:6).
“The steps that Jehovah buildeth in the heavens” signify interior truths which are called spiritual; “the waters of the sea” signify exterior truths, which are natural because they are in the natural man; “to pour them out upon the faces of the earth” signifies upon the men of the church, for the “earth” is the church.
sRef Ps@33 @7 S11′ sRef Ps@33 @6 S11′ [11] In David:
By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made; and all the hosts of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap; He giveth the deeps in treasuries (Ps. 33:6-7).
“The word of Jehovah by which the heavens were made,” and “the breath of His mouth by which all the hosts of them were made,” signify Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; “the hosts of the heavens” are all things of love and faith; “the waters of the sea that He gathereth together as an heap” signify the knowledges of truth, and truths in general, which are together in the natural man; “the deeps that He gives in treasuries” signify sensual knowledges [scientifica sensualia], which are the most general and ultimate things of the natural man, and in which at the same time are interior or higher truths, therefore they are called “treasures.”
sRef Ps@104 @5 S12′ sRef Ps@104 @6 S12′ [12] In the same:
Jehovah hath founded the earth upon its bases, that it be not removed for ever and ever. Thou hast covered it with the deep as with a vesture (Ps. 104:5-6).
The “earth” signifies the church; “the bases on which Jehovah hath founded it for ever” are the knowledges of truth and good; “the deep with which He hath covered it as with a vesture” signifies sensual knowledge [scientificum sensuale], which is the ultimate of the natural man, and being the ultimate, it is said that “He covered it as with a vesture.”
sRef Isa@43 @16 S13′ sRef Ps@77 @19 S13′ [13] In the same:
Jehovah, Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path in many waters, yet Thy footsteps have not been known (Ps. 77:19).
In Isaiah:
Thus saith Jehovah, I who have given a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters (Isa. 43:16).
That “sea” here does not mean the sea, nor “waters” the waters, is clear, since it is said that therein “are the way and the path of Jehovah;” therefore by “sea” and by “waters” are meant such things as Jehovah or the Lord is in, which are the knowledges of truth in general from the Word, and the truths therein; “the sea” being such knowledges, and “waters” truths. Knowledges and truths differ in this, that knowledges are of the natural man, and truths of the spiritual man.
sRef Jer@51 @36 S14′ sRef Jer@51 @42 S14′ [14] In Jeremiah:
Behold, I will plead thy cause, and will revenge thy revenging; that I may dry up the sea of Babylon, and make dry her fountain. The sea shall come up upon Babylon, she shall be covered with the multitude of its waves (Jer. 51:36, 42).
By “Babylon” those who profane goods are meant; “the sea of Babylon” means their traditions, which are the adulterations of good from the Word; “the waves” are the falsities from these; their destruction at the Last Judgment is hereby described. sRef Jer@50 @42 S15′ sRef Jer@50 @41 S15′ [15] In the same:
A people coming from the north, and a great nation and many kings shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth. Their voice maketh a tumult like the sea, and they ride upon horses (Jer. 50:41, 42).
“A people coming from the north” are those who are in falsities from evil; “the great nation” means evils; and “many kings” falsities; “the sides of the earth” are the things outside of the church, and those that are not of the church, for the “earth” means the church; “their voice maketh a tumult like the sea” means falsity from the natural man exalting itself against the truth of the church; “the horses upon which they ride” are reasonings from the fallacies of the senses.
sRef Jer@31 @35 S16′ [16] In the same:
Jehovah giveth the sun for light by day, the statutes of the moon and stars for light by night, stirring up the sea so that the waves thereof roar (Jer. 31:35).
“The sun from which is the light of day” signifies the good of celestial love, from which is the perception of truth; “the statutes of the moon and stars, from which is the light of night,” signify truths from spiritual good and from knowledges, by which there is intelligence; “the sea that is stirred up, and the waves that roar,” signify the generals of truth in the natural man, and knowledges [scientifica].
sRef Isa@57 @20 S17′ [17] In Isaiah:
The wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot be quiet, but its waters cast up filth and mire (Isa. 57:20).
“The troubled sea which is like the wicked,” signifies reasonings from falsities; “the waters that cast up filth and mire,” signify the falsities themselves, from which come evils of life and falsities of doctrine.
sRef Ezek@25 @16 S18′ [18] In Ezekiel:
I will stretch out Mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast (Ezek. 25:16).
“The Philistines” signify those who are in the doctrine of faith alone, and “the remnant of the sea coast that shall be destroyed,” signifies all things of truth.
sRef Hos@11 @9 S19′ sRef Hos@11 @10 S19′ sRef Hos@11 @11 S19′ [19] In Hosea:
I will not return to destroy Ephraim. They shall go after Jehovah; and the sons from the sea shall draw near with honor, with honor shall they come as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria (Hos. 11:9-11).
“Ephraim” signifies the church in respect to the understanding of truth; “the sons from the sea, who shall draw near,” signify truths from a common fountain, which is the Word; “a bird out of Egypt” signifies knowledge [scientificum] agreeing; and “a dove out of the land of Assyria” signifies the rational.
sRef Zech@14 @8 S20′ [20] In Zechariah:
In that day living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; part of them to the eastern sea, and part of them to the hinder sea (Zech. 14:8).
“Living waters from Jerusalem” signify truths from a spiritual origin in the church, which are the truths that are received by man when he is illustrated by the Lord while he is reading the Word. “Jerusalem” is the church in respect to doctrine, the “sea” signifies the natural man, into which those things that are in the spiritual man descend; the “eastern sea” signifies the natural man in respect to good; and the “hinder sea” the natural man in respect to truth; and as the natural man is in the generals of truth, “sea” also signifies the general of truth.
[21] He who knows nothing about the spiritual man, and the truths and goods that are therein, may suppose that the truths that are in the natural man, and are called cognitions and knowledges [scientifica] are not merely the generals of truth, but are all there is of truth with man. But let him know that the truths in the spiritual man, from which those are that are in the natural, are incomparably more numerous; but these truths in the spiritual man do not come to the perception of the natural man until he enters the spiritual world, which is after death; for then man puts off the natural and puts on the spiritual. That this is so can be seen from this fact alone, that angels are in intelligence and wisdom ineffable as compared with man, and yet they are from the human race. (That angels are from the human race, see in The small work on The Last Judgment, n. 14-22 and 23-27.)
[22] As the “sea” signifies the generals of truth, therefore the great vessel, which was for general washing, was called “the brazen sea” (1 Kings 7:23-26); for the “washings” represented purifications from falsities and evils, and “waters” signify truths, by which purifications are effected; and as all truths are from good, the containing vessel was made of brass, and was therefore called “the barren sea,” for brass signifies good. Spiritual purification, which is called purification from falsities and evils, is there fully described by the measurements of that vessel, and by the bases thereof, understood in a spiritual sense. From what has been brought forward it can be seen that “sea” signifies the generals of truth or the knowledges of truth together and collectively. But what further is signified by “sea” will be shown in the explanation of what follows, for “sea” is used in various senses (as in Rev. 5:13; 7:1-3; 8:8,9; 10:2, 8; 12:12; 13:1; 14:7; 15:2; 16:3; 18:17, 19, 21; 20:13; 21:1).

sRef Rev@4 @6 S0′ sRef Rev@4 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@4 @7 S0′ 276. Verses 6b, 7, 8. And in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four animals, full of eyes before and behind. And the first animal was like a lion, and the second animal like a calf, and the third animal had a face like a man, and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle. And the four animals, each by itself had six wings round about, and they were full of eyes within, and they had no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come. “And in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four animals, full of eyes before and behind,” signifies the Lord’s guard and providence that the interior heavens be not approached except by the good of love and charity, that lower things depending thereon may be in order (n. 277) 7. “And the first animal was like a lion,” signifies the appearance, in ultimates of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord in respect to power and efficiency (n. 278); “and the second animal like a calf,” signifies the appearance, in ultimates, of Divine good in respect to protection (n. 279); “and the third animal had a face like a man,” signifies the appearance, in ultimates, of the Divine guard and providence in respect to wisdom (n. 280); “and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle,” signifies the appearance, in ultimates, of the Divine guard and providence in respect to intelligence and as to circumspection on every side (n. 281-282.) 8. “And the four animals, each by itself, had six wings round about,” signifies the appearance of the spiritual Divine on all sides about the celestial Divine (n. 283); “and full of eyes within,” signifies the Divine Providence and guard (n. 284); “and they had no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy,” signifies that which is most holy proceeding from the Lord (n. 285); “Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come,” signifies the infinite and eternal (n. 286).

sRef Rev@4 @6 S0′ 277. And in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four animals, full of eyes before and behind, signifies the Lord’s guard and providence that the interior heavens be not approached except by the good of love and charity, that lower things depending thereon may be in the order. This is evident from the signification of “out of the midst of the throne,” as being from the Lord, for the “One sitting upon the throne” was the Lord (see above, n. 268); also from the signification of “around the throne,” as being the interior or higher heavens, for these are most nearly around the Lord; also from the signification of “four animals,” which were cherubim, as being the Divine guard and providence that the interior or higher heavens be not approached except from the good of love and charity (of which in what follows); also from the signification of “eyes,” of which they were full before and behind, as being the Lord’s Divine Providence; for “eyes,” in reference to man, signify the understanding, which is his internal sight; but when “eyes” are predicated of God, they signify the Divine Providence (see above, n. 68, 152). And since “eyes” here signify the Lord’s Divine Providence that the higher heavens be not approached except from the good of love and of charity, therefore these cherubim were seen “full of eyes before and behind.”
On this providence of the Lord, lower things, which are the lower heavens and also the church on earth, depend, that they may be in order, because the influx of the Lord is both immediate from Himself, and also mediate through the higher heavens into the lower heavens and into the church; consequently unless the higher heavens were in order the lower could not be in order. (On this influx see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 277-278.)
sRef Ezek@1 @26 S2′ sRef Ezek@1 @27 S2′ sRef Ezek@1 @22 S2′ sRef Ezek@10 @15 S2′ sRef Ezek@10 @20 S2′ sRef Ezek@1 @10 S2′ sRef Ezek@1 @28 S2′ sRef Ezek@1 @13 S2′ sRef Ezek@1 @6 S2′ sRef Ezek@1 @5 S2′ [2] That by “the four animals” here cherubim are meant is evident in Ezekiel, by whom like things were seen at the river Chebar, which are described by him in chap. 1 and in chap. 10, and in the latter called “cherubim” (Ezek. 10:1-2, 4-9, 14, 16, 18-19), and it is said of them:
The cherubim mounted up; these are the animals that I saw by the river Chebar. These are the animals that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubim (Ezek. 10:15, 20).
These “four animals, that were cherubim,” are thus described by that prophet:
Near the river Chebar appeared the likeness of four animals. This was their aspect: they had the likeness of a man, and each one had four faces, and each one of them had four wings. This was the likeness of their faces: the four of them had the face of a man and the face of a lion on the right side, and the four of them had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four of them had the face of an eagle. Their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of lamps; the same went up and down among the animals, so that the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. Over the heads of the animals was an expanse of the appearance of a wonderful crystal. Above the expanse which was over their head was as it were the appearance of a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man upon it. From the appearance of his loins and downwards I saw as it were an appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about, as the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud; so was the appearance of the brightness of Jehovah round about; this appearance was the likeness of the glory of Jehovah (Ezek. 1:5-6, 10, 13, 22, 26-28).
By these representatives the Divine of the Lord in the higher heavens, and His Providence that they be not approached except from the good of love and charity, are described; and in this description are contained all the things that are mentioned in this chapter of Revelation respecting the arrangement of the heavens, and signified by “the throne on which was One sitting in aspect like a jasper stone and a sardius;” also by the “rainbow round about the throne,” by the “lamps of fire burning before the throne,” and the other things which it is not necessary therefore to explain here singly.
sRef Gen@3 @24 S3′ [3] It shall now be shown merely that “cherubim” in the Word signify the guard and providence of the Lord that the higher heavens be not approached except from the good of love and charity, that lower things may be in order. This is plainly seen by the cherubim placed before the garden of Eden, when man was driven from it, which are thus described in Moses:
When Jehovah God had driven out the man, He made to dwell on the east of Eden the cherubim, and the flame of a sword turning hither and thither, to guard the way of the tree of life (Gen. 3:24).
What is meant by the “man” and “his wife” in these chapters may be seen explained in The Arcana Coelestia, namely, that “man” here means the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial church; and the celestial is distinguished from the spiritual church in this, that the celestial church is in the good of love to the Lord, but the spiritual in the good of charity towards the neighbor (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28). Of the men who constitute these two churches on the earth the two higher heavens are formed. When, therefore, the celestial church, which was the most ancient and primary church on this earth, declined and began to recede from the good of love, it is said that “cherubim were made to dwell on the east of Eden, and the flame of a sword turning hither and thither, to guard the way of the tree of life.” The “east of Eden” signifies where the good of celestial love enters; “the flame of a sword turning hither and thither” signifies truth from that good, protecting; and “the tree of life” signifies the Divine that is from the Lord in the higher heavens, which is the good of love and charity and heavenly joy therefrom. From this it is clear that “cherubim” signify guards that these heavens be not approached except through the good of love and charity; for this reason they are also said “to guard the way of the tree of life.” (That the “east” signifies the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1250, 3708; that “Eden” signifies wisdom therefrom, n. 99, 100; that “sword” signifies truth combating against falsity and dispersing it, thus truth protecting, above, n. 73, 131; that “flame” signifies truth from celestial good, Arcana Coelestia, n. 3222, 6832, 9570; that “the tree of life” signifies the good of love from the Lord and the heavenly joy therefrom, see above, n. 109, 110.)
sRef Ex@25 @20 S4′ sRef Ex@25 @21 S4′ sRef Ex@25 @18 S4′ sRef Ex@25 @19 S4′ sRef Ex@25 @22 S4′ [4] Because of this signification of “cherubim,” two cherubim of solid gold were placed upon the mercy-seat which was upon the ark, thus described in Moses:
Thou shalt make cherubim, of solid gold thou shalt make them, from the two ends of the mercy-seat; out of the mercy-seat thou shalt make the cherubim. And the cherubim shall spread out their wings upwards, covering the mercy-seat with their wings; towards the mercy-seat shall be the faces of the cherubim. And thou shalt put the mercy-seat upon the ark. And there I will meet with thee, and I will speak with thee between the two cherubim (Exod. 25:18-22; 37:7-9).
The “ark” and the “tent” represented the higher heavens; the “ark,” in which was the testimony or law, represented the inmost or third heaven; the “tabernacle,” which was without the veil, the middle or second heaven; the “mercy-seat” the hearing and reception of all things of worship which are from the good of love and charity; the “cherubim” guards; and the “gold,” of which they were made the good of love. From this it is also clear that the “two cherubim” represented guards that the higher heavens be not approached except through the good of love and charity. (That the “tabernacle” in general represented heaven where the Lord is, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9457, 9481, 10545; the “ark” the inmost or third heaven, n. 3478, 9485; the “testimony or law in the ark,” the Lord in respect to the Word, n. 3382, 6752, 7463; the “habitation,” that was without the veil, the middle or second heaven, n. 3478, 9457, 9481, 9485, 9594, 9596, 9632; the “mercy-seat,” the hearing and reception of all things of worship that are from the good of love and charity from the Lord, n. 9506; and “gold” the good of love, n. 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9510, 9874, 9881.)
sRef 1Ki@6 @27 S5′ sRef 1Ki@6 @25 S5′ sRef 1Ki@6 @26 S5′ sRef 1Ki@6 @35 S5′ sRef Ex@26 @31 S5′ sRef 1Ki@6 @28 S5′ sRef 1Ki@6 @29 S5′ sRef 1Ki@6 @24 S5′ sRef Ex@26 @1 S5′ sRef 1Ki@6 @33 S5′ sRef 1Ki@6 @32 S5′ sRef 1Ki@6 @23 S5′ sRef 1Ki@6 @34 S5′ [5] Because “cherubim” signified those guards:
There were cherubim also upon the curtains of the tabernacle and upon the veil (Exod. 26:1, 31).
And for the same reason Solomon made in the oracle of the temple cherubim of olive wood, and set them in the midst of the interior house, and overlaid them with gold, and also carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubim, and also the doors (1 Kings 6:23-29, 32-35).
The “temple” also signified heaven and the church, and its “oracle” the inmost of heaven and the church. The “olive wood,” of which the cherubim were made, signifies the good of love; likewise the “gold” with which they were overlaid. The “walls” on which the cherubim were engraved, signify the ultimates of heaven and of the church, and the “cherubim” thereon signify guards. The “doors,” on which also there were cherubim, signify entrance into heaven and the church. From this it is clear that “cherubim” signified guards that heaven be not approached except through the good of love and charity. And as “cherubim” signified such guards they also signify the Lord’s Divine Providence, for these guards are from the Lord, and are His Divine Providence. (That the “temple” and the “house of God” signify heaven and the church, see above, n. 220; the “oracle” therefore signifies the inmost of these. That “olive wood” signifies the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 886, 3728, 4582, 9780, 9954, 10261; likewise “gold,” see above, n. 242. That “doors” signify approach and admission, see also above, n. 248.)
sRef Ezek@41 @19 S6′ sRef Ezek@41 @20 S6′ sRef Ezek@41 @18 S6′ [6] The new temple is likewise described as ornamented with cherubim, of which in Ezekiel:
There were made cherubim and palm-trees, so that a palm-tree was between a cherub and a cherub; thus it was made for all the house round about, from the ground unto above the door were cherubim and palm-trees made; and the wall of the temple (Ezek. 41:18-20).
“Palm tree” signifies spiritual good which is the good of charity (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8369).
sRef Ezek@28 @13 S7′ sRef Ezek@28 @12 S7′ sRef Ezek@28 @14 S7′ sRef Ezek@28 @15 S7′ [7] Since Divine truth from Divine good is what protects, therefore the king of Tyre is called a “cherub;” for “king” signifies Divine truth, and “Tyre” knowledges; and therefore the “king of Tyre” signifies intelligence, of whom it is thus written in Ezekiel:
Thou, King of Tyre, hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering. Thou cherub, the spreading out of one that protects, I have set thee, on God’s mountain of holiness wast thou; thou hast walked in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways in* the day that thou wast created (Ezek. 28:12-15).
(That “king” signifies Divine truth, see above, n. 31; and “Tyre” knowledges, Arcana Coelestia, n. 1201. That “precious stones” signify the truths and goods of heaven and the church, see n. 9863, 9865, 9868, 9873, 9905, which are called “stones of fire” because “fire” signifies the good of love, see n. 934, 4906, 5215, 6314, 6832.) Because the “king of Tyre” signifies intelligence from Divine truth, and this guards or protects, therefore the king of Tyre is called “a cherub, the spreading out of one that protects.”
sRef Num@7 @89 S8′ [8] Since the higher heavens cannot be approached except through the good of love and charity, that is, cannot be approached through worship and through prayers, except such as proceed from that good, therefore the Lord spoke with Moses and Aaron when they entered the habitation between the two cherubim that were upon the ark (Exod. 25:22). This also is made evident in Moses:
When Moses went into the tent of meeting, he heard the Voice speaking unto him from above the mercy-seat that was upon the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim (Num. 7:89).
Because it is the Divine proceeding from the Lord that provides and guards, therefore it is said of the Lord that:
He sitteth upon the cherubim (Isa. 37:16; Ps. 18:9-10; 80:1; 99:1; 1 Sam. 4:4; 2 Sam. 6:2).
[9] Since the arrangement of all things for judgment is treated of in this chapter, the cherubim also are here treated of, that is, the Lord’s guard and providence that the higher heavens be not approached except through the good of love and charity; for unless this had been done before the judgment, the veriest heavens, in which the true angels are, would have been endangered, because those heavens that were about to perish (see Rev. 21:1) were not in the good of love and charity, but only in some truths. For there were there from the Christian world those who were in the doctrine of faith alone, which some had confirmed by a number of passages from the Word, and thus obtained some conjunction with the ultimate heaven; but this conjunction was broken when the heaven called the former heaven (Rev. 21:1) was dissipated; and it was then ordered by the Lord that hereafter no one shall be conjoined with the heavens unless he be in the good of love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbor. This is what is specifically meant by the things that now follow in this chapter. Whoever, therefore, believes that the heavens can hereafter be approached through the worship and prayers of those who are in faith alone, and not at the same time in the good of charity, is much mistaken. The worship of such is no longer received, nor are their prayers heard, but attention is directed only to their life’s love. Those, therefore, in whom the love of self and the world rules, no matter in what external worship they may have been, are conjoined to the hells, and are also taken there after death, and not previously to any heaven that is to perish, as was the case hitherto.
* For “in the day” the Hebrew has “from the day,” as also found in Arcana Coelestia, n. 114.

sRef Rev@4 @7 S0′ 278. Verse 7. And the first animal was like a lion, signifies the appearance, in ultimates, of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord in respect to power and effect. This is evident from the signification of “lion,” as being Divine truth proceeding from the Lord in respect to power and effect (of which in what follows). It means appearance in ultimates, because the cherubim were seen as animals, and this first one like a lion. It is said in ultimates, because that appearance was before John when he was in the spirit, and he saw all things in ultimates, in which Divine celestial and Divine spiritual things are variously represented, now by gardens and paradises, now by palaces and temples, now by rivers and waters, now by living creatures of various kinds, such as lions, camels, horses, oxen, bullocks, sheep, lambs, doves, eagles, and many others. Like things were seen by the prophets through whom the Word was written, in order that the Word in its ultimates, which are the things contained in the sense of the letter, might consist of such things as exist in the world, which might be representations and correspondences of celestial and spiritual things, and thus might serve as a basis and foundation to the spiritual sense. For this reason also the cherubim (which signify the guard and providence of the Lord that the higher heavens be not approached except from the good of love and charity) were seen by John and also by Ezekiel, in respect to their faces, as animals.
Since it is the Lord who guards and provides, and this through Divine truth and Divine good, thus through His Divine wisdom and intelligence, four animals were seen, which were like a lion, a calf, a man, and an eagle; for thus by “lion” Divine truth in respect to power was represented, by “calf” Divine good in respect to protection, by “man” the Divine wisdom, and by “eagle” the Divine intelligence; which four things are included in the Lord’s Divine Providence in its guarding the higher heavens, that they be not approached except from the good of love and charity.
sRef Gen@49 @9 S2′ [2] That a “lion” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord in respect to power is evident from the passages in the Word in which “lion” is mentioned; as from the following, in Moses:
Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, thou are gone up; he couched, he lay down as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? (Gen. 49:9).
“Judah” here signifies the Lord’s celestial kingdom, where all are in power from the Lord through Divine truth; this power is meant by a “lion’s whelp,” and by an “old lion;” “the prey from which he goeth up” signifies the dispersion of falsities and evils; “to couch” signifies to put oneself into power; “lying down” signifies to be in security from every falsity and evil; therefore it is said, “Who shall rouse him up?” (That “Judah” in the Word signifies the celestial kingdom of the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3654, 3881, 5603, 5782, 6363; that “prey,” in reference to that kingdom and to the Lord, signifies the dispersion of falsities and evils, and the rescue and deliverance from hell, n. 6368, 6442; that “couching” in reference to a lion, signifies to put oneself into power, n. 6369; and that “lying down” signifies a state of security and tranquillity, n. 3696.)
sRef Num@23 @23 S3′ sRef Num@23 @24 S3′ sRef Num@24 @9 S3′ [3] In the same:
At this time it shall be said to Jacob and to Israel, What hath God wrought? Behold the people riseth up as an old lion, and as a young lion doth he lift himself up; he shall not lie down until he eat of what is torn (Num. 23:23, 24).
In the same:
He coucheth, he lieth down as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee (Num. 24:9).
This is said of “Jacob and Israel,” who signify the Lord’s spiritual kingdom; their power is described by an “old lion” and a “young lion” rising, lifting himself up, and couching; the dispersion of falsities and evils is signified by “eating of what is torn,” and a state of security and tranquillity by “he lieth down, who shall rouse him up?” (That “Jacob” and “Israel” in the Word signify the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4286, 4570, 5973, 6426, 8805, 9340; what the Lord’s celestial kingdom is, and what His spiritual kingdom is, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28). That “to couch” is to put oneself into power; that “prey” and “spoil” mean the dispersion of falsities and evils; and that “lying down” means a state of security and tranquillity, when these things are said of a lion, see just above.
sRef Nahum@2 @11 S4′ [4] In Nahum:
Where is the abode of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions? where walked the lion, the old lion, the lion’s whelp, and none maketh them afraid? (Nahum 2:11).
Here also “lions” signify those who are in power through Divine truth; “their abode” signifies where there are such in the church; their “feeding place” signifies the knowledges of truth and good; their “walking and none making them afraid” signifies their state of security from evils and falsities.
sRef Micah@5 @9 S5′ sRef Micah@5 @7 S5′ sRef Micah@5 @8 S5′ [5] In Micah:
The remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples, as dew from Jehovah, as the drops upon the herb. As a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who if he go through shall tread down and tear in pieces so that none delivereth, thine hand shall be lifted up above thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off (Micah 5:7-9).
The “remnant of Jacob” signifies the truths and goods of the church; “dew from Jehovah” signifies spiritual truth; “drops upon the herb” natural truth; “a lion among the beasts of the forest,” and “a young lion among the flocks of sheep,” and “treading down and tearing, and none delivering,” signify power over evils and falsities; because of this signification it is said, “thine hand shall be lifted up above thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off;” for “adversaries” signify evils, and “enemies” falsities (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2851, 8289, 9314, 10481).
sRef Isa@21 @6 S6′ sRef Isa@21 @7 S6′ sRef Isa@21 @8 S6′ sRef Isa@21 @9 S6′ [6] In Isaiah:
The Lord said, Go set a watchman, who may look and announce. And he saw a chariot, a pair of horsemen, an ass chariot, a camel chariot; and he harkened a hearkening; a lion upon a watch-tower called out, O lord, I stand continually in the daytime, and I am set upon my watch all the nights: Babylon is fallen, is fallen (Isa. 21:6-9).
This treats of the coming of the Lord and a new church at that time. “A lion upon a watch-tower” signifies the Lord’s guard and providence; therefore it is said, “I stand continually in the daytime, and I am set upon my watch all the nights.” A “chariot” and a “pair of horsemen” signify the doctrine of truth from the Word; “harkening a harkening” signifies a life according to that doctrine. (That “chariot” signifies the doctrine of truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2761, 2762, 5321, 8029, 8215; that “horseman” signifies the Word in respect to the understanding, see n. 2761, 6401, 6534, 7024, 8146, 8148.)
sRef Isa@31 @4 S7′ [7] In the same:
Like as the lion and the young lion roareth over what he hath torn which* a multitude of shepherds meeteth, so shall Jehovah come down to fight upon Mount Zion and upon the hill thereof (Isa. 31:4).
Here Jehovah is compared to “a roaring lion,” because a “lion” signifies power to lead forth from hell or from evils, and to “roar” signifies defense against evils and falsities; therefore it is said, “so shall Jehovah Zebaoth come down to fight upon Mount Zion and upon the hill thereof,” “Mount Zion and the hill thereof” meaning the celestial church and the spiritual church; and “that which is torn over which the lion and the young lion roar” signifying deliverance from evils, which are from hell.
sRef Ps@104 @22 S8′ sRef Ps@104 @21 S8′ sRef Amos@3 @8 S8′ sRef Rev@10 @3 S8′ sRef Hos@11 @9 S8′ sRef Hos@11 @10 S8′ [8] To “roar” when attributed to a lion, has the same signification in Hosea:
I will not return to destroy Ephraim. They shall go after Jehovah as a lion roareth (Hos. 11:9, 10).
In Amos:
The lion hath roared, who does not fear? The Lord Jehovih hath spoken, who will not prophesy (Amos 3:8).
In Revelation:
The angel cried with a great voice, as a lion roared (Rev. 10:3).
In David:
The lions roaring after their prey and seeking their food from God. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together and lie down in their abodes (Ps. 104:21-22).
These words in David describe the state of the angels of heaven when they are not in a state of intense love and of wisdom therefrom, and when they return into that state; the former state is described by “lions roaring after their prey, and seeking their food from God;” the latter state by “the sun ariseth, they gather themselves together and lie down in their abodes.” By the “lions” the angels of heaven are meant; their “roaring,” means desire; “prey” and “food” mean the good which is of love and the truth which is of wisdom; “the sun arising” means the Lord in respect to love and wisdom therefrom; “gathering themselves together” means returning into a celestial state; and “lying down in their abodes,” a state of tranquility and peace. (Of these two states of the angels in heaven see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 154-161.)
sRef Deut@33 @20 S9′ sRef Rev@5 @5 S9′ [9] Because Jehovah is compared to a lion from Divine truth in respect to power, therefore the Lord is called a “lion” in Revelation:
Behold the lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath overcome (Rev. 5:5).
And because all power is from the Lord through Divine truth, this also is signified by a “lion,” as in Moses:
Of Gad he said, Blessed is he who hath given the breadth to Gad; as a lion he dwelleth, he teareth the arm, yea, the crown of the head (Deut. 33:20).
“Gad” in the highest sense signifies omnipotence, and therefore in the representative sense the power that is of truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3934, 3935); therefore it is said, “Blessed is he who hath given breadth to Gad,” for “breadth” signifies truth (Arcana Coelestia, n. 1613, 3433, 3434, 4482, 9487, 10179; that all power is from Divine truth, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, in the chapter on The Power of the Angels in Heaven, n. 228-233).
sRef 2Sam@1 @23 S10′ [10] Because a “lion” signifies power, therefore in the lamentations of David over Saul and Jonathan it is said:
Saul and Jonathan were lovely, they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions (2 Sam. 50:23). “Saul” here as king, and “Jonathan” as the son of a king, mean truth protecting the church, since the doctrine of truth and good is here treated of, for that lamentation was written “to teach the sons of Judah the bow” (verse 18 there); and “bow” signifies that doctrine (see Arcana Coelestia, 2686, 2709, 6422).
sRef Isa@5 @29 S11′ sRef Isa@5 @28 S11′ sRef Jer@2 @15 S11′ [11] Because “the kings of Judah and Israel” represented the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and because a “throne” represented the judgment, which is effected according to Divine truth, and because “lions” represented power, guard, and protection against falsities and evils, therefore near the two stays of the throne built by Solomon there were two lions, and twelve lions on the six steps on the one side and on the other (1 Kings 10:18-20). From this it can be seen what “lions” in the Word signify when the Lord, heaven, and the church are treated of. “Lions” in the Word signify also the power of falsity from evil by which the church is destroyed and devastated. As in Jeremiah:
The young lions roar against her,** they give forth their voice, they reduce the land to wasteness (Jer. 2:15).
In Isaiah:
A nation whose arrows are sharp, and all his bows bent, the hoofs of his horses are accounted as rock, his roaring like that of a lion, he roareth like a young lion, and he growleth and seizeth the prey (Isa. 5:28-29).
Besides many other places (as in Isa. 11:6; 35:9; Jer. 4:7; 5:6; 12:8; 50:17; 51:38; Ezek. 19:3, 5-6; Hos. 13:7, 8; Joel 1:6-7; Ps. 17:12; 22:13; 57:4; 58:6; 91:13).
* For “which” the Hebrew has “when . . . meeteth him,” as found in Arcana Coelestia, n. 1664.
** For “her” the Hebrew has “him”; cf. Apocalypse Explained, n. 601.

sRef Rev@4 @7 S0′ 279. And the second animal like a calf, signifies the appearance in ultimates of Divine good in respect to protection. This is evident from the signification of a “calf,” or “bullock,” as being the good of the natural man, and specifically his good of innocence and charity; and because it is the good of the natural man it also is the good of the lowest heaven, for this heaven is spiritual natural (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 29-31); and as this good is there, there is a guard or protection that the higher heavens be not approached except through the good of love and charity; this is why one cherub was like a calf. That this appearance was in ultimates, see just above (n. 278). A “calf” or “bullock” signifies the good of the natural man, because animals from the herd signified the affections of good and truth in the external or natural man; and those from the flock signified the affections of good and truth in the internal or spiritual man. Those from the flock were lambs, she-goats, sheep, rams, and he-goats; those from the herd were oxen, bullocks, and calves.
sRef Ezek@1 @7 S2′ [2] That “bullocks” and “calves” signify the good of the natural man is evident from the passages of the Word where they are mentioned. First from the description of the feet of the cherubim in Ezekiel:
Their foot was straight and the sole of their feet like the sole of a calf’s foot, and they sparkled like the appearance of burnished brass (Ezek. 1:7).
Their foot thus appeared “straight” because the cherubim represented the Divine guard of the Lord, and the feet and the soles of the feet represented the same in ultimates or in the spiritual natural heaven and the natural world; for “feet” in general signify the natural; a “straight foot” the natural in respect to good; “the sole of the foot” the ultimate of the natural; “burnished brass” also signifies good in the natural. From this it is clear that good in the natural is signified by a “calf,” and that in this is the ultimate good that guards and protects lest the heavens be approached except through the good of love and charity. (That “feet” signify the natural, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952, 5327, 5328; that that which is to the right signifies good from which is truth, n. 9604, 9736, 10061; therefore a “straight foot” signifies the natural in respect to good. That “palms,” “soles,” and “hoofs,” signify the ultimates in the natural, see n. 4938, 7729; and that “burnished brass” signifies natural good, see above, n. 70.)
sRef Hos@14 @2 S3′ [3] In Hosea:
Return ye to Jehovah; say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, and accept good, and we will pay back the bullocks of our lips (Hos. 14:2).
What it is to “pay back the bullocks of the lips” no one can know unless he knows what “bullocks” and what “lips” signify; they mean evidently confession and thanksgiving from a good heart; but it is thus expressed because “bullocks” signify external good, and “lips” doctrine; therefore “paying back the bullocks of the lips” signifies to confess and give thanks from the goods of doctrine. (That “lips” signify doctrine, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1286, 1288.)
sRef Amos@6 @4 S4′ sRef Amos@6 @3 S4′ [4] In Amos:
Ye cause the habitation of violence to draw near; they lie upon beds of ivory, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall (Amos 5:3, 4).
Here those who have an abundance of the knowledges of good and truth and yet lead an evil life are treated of; “to eat the lambs out of the flock” signifies to imbibe the knowledges of internal good or of the spiritual man; and “to eat the calves out of the midst of the stall” signifies to imbibe the knowledges of external good or of the natural man; and “to cause the habitation of violence to draw near” is to live a life contrary to charity.
sRef Mal@4 @2 S5′ [5] In Malachi:
Unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise and healing in His wings; that ye may go forth, and grow up as fatted calves (Mal. 4:2).
The “Sun of righteousness that shall arise to them that fear the name of Jehovah” signifies the good of love; and “healing in His wings” signifies the truth of faith; therefore “to go forth, and grow up as fatted calves,” signifies the increase of all good, “fatted” and “fat” also signifying good.
sRef Luke@15 @22 S6′ sRef Luke@15 @23 S6′ [6] In Luke:
The father said of the prodigal son who returned penitent in heart, Bring forth the first robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it, that we may eat and be glad (Luke 15:22, 23).
He who is acquainted only with the sense of the letter believes that no deeper meaning is contained in this than appears in that sense, when yet every particular involves heavenly things; as that they should “put on him the first robe,” that they should “put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet,” that they should “bring forth the fatted calf, that they might eat and be merry.” By “the prodigal son” those who are prodigal of spiritual riches, which are the knowledges of truth and good, are meant; “his returning to his father, and his confession that he was not worthy to be called his son,” signifies penitence of heart and humiliation; “the first robe with which he was clothed,” signifies general and primary truths; “the ring on the hand” signifies the conjunction of truth and good in the internal or spiritual man; “the shoes on the feet” signify the same in the external or natural man, and both signify regeneration; “the fatted calf” signifies the good of love and charity; and “to eat and be glad” signifies consociation and heavenly joy.
sRef Jer@34 @20 S7′ sRef Jer@34 @18 S7′ sRef Jer@34 @19 S7′ [7] In Jeremiah:
I will give the men that have transgressed My covenant, who have not established the words of the covenant which they made before Me, that of the calf, which they cut in twain that they might pass between the parts thereof, the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the royal ministers and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf, I will even give them into the hands of their enemies, that their carcass may be for food to the bird of the heavens (Jer. 34:18-20).
What is meant by “the covenant of the calf,” and by “passing between its parts,” no one can know without knowing what a “covenant” signifies, and a “calf,” and its being “cut in twain;” then what is meant by “the princes of Judah and Jerusalem,” by “the royal ministers,” “the priests,” and “the people of the land.” Some heavenly arcanum is evidently meant; and it can be understood when it is known that a “covenant” means conjunction; a “calf” good, a “calf cut in twain” good proceeding from the Lord on the one hand, and good received by man on the other, whence is conjunction; and that “the princes of Judah and of Jerusalem, the royal ministers, the priests, and the people of the land,” mean the goods and truths of the church; and that “to pass between the parts” means to conjoin. When these things are known, the internal sense of these words can be seen, namely, that there was no conjunction by the goods and truths of the church with that nation, but disjunction.
sRef Gen@15 @9 S8′ sRef Gen@15 @18 S8′ sRef Gen@15 @12 S8′ sRef Gen@15 @11 S8′ sRef Gen@15 @10 S8′ [8] Like things are involved in the “covenant of the calf” with Abram, of which in Genesis:
Jehovah said to Abram, Take to thee an heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle dove, and a young pigeon. And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each part over against the other; but the birds divided he not. And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses; and Abram drove them away. And the sun was at its going down, and a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, a terror of great darkness fell upon him. And in that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram (Gen. 15:9-12, 18).
The “terror of great darkness” that fell upon Abram signified the state of the Jewish nation, which was in the greatest darkness in respect to the truths and goods of the church. This state of that nation is what is described in the prophet by “the covenant of the calf which they cut into two parts, between which they passed.” Since a “calf” signifies the good of the natural man and its truth, which is knowledge [scientificum]; and since the natural man and its knowledge [scientificum] is signified by “Egypt,” therefore in the Word Egypt is called a “she-calf,” and a “he-calf;” moreover, when they applied the knowledges [scientifica] of the church to magical and idolatrous purposes they turned the calf into an idol; this was why the sons of Israel made to themselves a he-calf in the wilderness, and worshiped it, and also why they had a calf in Samaria.
sRef Hos@8 @5 S9′ sRef Hos@8 @4 S9′ sRef Jer@46 @21 S9′ sRef Jer@46 @20 S9′ sRef Hos@8 @6 S9′ [9] That Egypt was called a he-calf and a she-calf can be seen in Jeremiah:
A very fair she-calf is Egypt; destruction cometh out of the north, her hirelings in the midst of her are like he-calves of the stall (Jer. 46:20-21).
Respecting the calf that the sons of Israel made to themselves in the wilderness, see Exodus 32; and respecting the “calf of Samaria” (1 Kings 12:28-32), about which is the following in Hosea:
They have made a king, but not by Me; they have made princes, and I knew it not; of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off. Thy calf, O Samaria, hath forsaken thee. For it was from Israel; the workman made it, and it is not God; the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces (Hos. 8:4-6).
This treats of the corrupt explanation of the Word, when the sense of its letter is turned to favor self-love, and the principles of religion derived therefrom. “They have made a king, but not by Me, and they have made princes, and I knew it not,” signifies doctrines from self-intelligence, which in themselves are falsities, but which they make to appear as truths; for “king” signifies truth, and in a contrary sense, falsity; “princes” signify primary truths, or falsities, which are called principles of religion. “To make idols of their silver and their gold” signifies to pervert the truths and goods of the church, and still to worship them as holy, although as they are from self-intelligence they are destitute of life; “silver” is the truth, and “gold” the good, which are from the Lord; “idols” signify worship from doctrine that is from self-intelligence; “the workman made it, and it is not God,” signifies that is from the selfhood [ex proprio], and not from the Divine; “to be broken in pieces” signifies to be dispersed; which makes clear what is signified by the “calf of Samaria.” Because “calves” signified the good of the natural man, calves were also sacrificed (see Exod. 29:11, 12 seq.; Lev. 4:3 seq.; 13 seq.; 8:15 seq.; 9:2; 16:3; 23:18; Num. 8:8 seq.; 15:24; 28:19, 20; Judges 6:25-29; 1 Sam 1:25; 16:2; 1 Kings 18:23-26, 33); for all the animals that were sacrificed signified the goods of the church of various kinds.

sRef Rev@4 @7 S0′ 280. And the third animal had a face like a man, signifies the appearance in ultimates of the Divine guard and providence in respect to wisdom. This is evident from the signification of “the face of a man,” as being the affection of truth, “face” signifying affection, and “man” the recipient of Divine truth; and because man’s rational is from this, “man” signifies wisdom; for man was created that he might be rational and wise; by this he is distinguished from the brute animals; for this reason “man” in the Word signifies wisdom. “Man” signifies both the affection of truth and wisdom, because the affection of truth and wisdom act as one; for he who is in the spiritual affection of truth, that is, who is affected by truth, or who loves truth because it is truth, is conjoined to the Lord, since the Lord is in His own truths, and is His truth with man; from this man has wisdom, and from this it is that man is a man. Some suppose that man is a man by reason of his face and body, and that by these he is distinguished from beasts, but they are in an error; man is a man by reason of his wisdom, consequently so far as anyone is wise so far is he a man. Those, therefore, who are wise, appear in heaven and in the light of heaven as men, with a brightness and beauty according to their wisdom; while those who are not wise-which is true of those who are in no spiritual affection, but merely in natural affection, in which man is when he loves truth not because it is truth but because he thence receives glory, honor, and gain-these in the light of heaven appear not as men but as monsters in various forms (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 70, 72, 73-77, 80; and what wisdom is, and what non-wisdom is, n. 346-356).
sRef Isa@6 @11 S2′ sRef Isa@6 @12 S2′ [2] That “man” in the Word signifies the affection of truth and wisdom therefrom, is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Lord, how long? He said, until cities be devastated that they may be without inhabitant, and the houses that there may be no man in them, and the ground be devastated to a waste. Jehovah shall remove man, and forsaken places shall be multiplied in the midst of the land (Isa. 6:11-12).
These things were not said of the devastation of the earth, that there should no longer be cities and houses therein, or that in these there should be no inhabitant or man, but they were said of the devastation of good and truth in the church; “cities” signifying the truths of doctrine; “inhabitant” the good of doctrine; “houses” the interiors of man which are of his mind; and “man” the spiritual affection of truth and wisdom therefrom. This is signified by “the houses shall be devastated, that there may be no man in them.” The “land” that shall be devastated to a waste signifies the church. From this it is clear what is signified by “removing man,” and by “multiplying the forsaken places in the midst of the land;” “a forsaken place” signifying where there is no good because there is no truth.
sRef Isa@13 @12 S3′ [3] In the same:
I will make a man [virum hominem] more rare than pure gold; and [the son of] man6 than the gold of Ophir (Isa. 13:12).
A [son of] “man” [virum hominem] signifies intelligence, and “man” [hominem] wisdom, and that these were about to be at an end is signified by their being “made rare.” Intelligence is distinguished from wisdom by this, that intelligence is the understanding of truth such as the spiritual man has, and wisdom is the understanding of truth such as the celestial man has, whose understanding is from the will of good. From this it is clear what is here signified by [son of] “man” [virum hominem], and what by “man” [hominem].
sRef Isa@24 @6 S4′ [4] In the same:
The inhabitants of the earth shall be burnt up, and few men shall be left (Isa. 24:6).
The “inhabitants of the earth” signify the goods of the church, and these are said “to be burnt up” when the loves of self and of the world begin to rule; that the spiritual affection of truth and wisdom therefrom will then be at an end is signified by “few men will be left.”
sRef Isa@33 @8 S5′ [5] In the same:
The highways have been laid waste; he that passeth through the way hath ceased; he hath made void the covenant, he hath rejected the cities, he regardeth not man (Isa. 33:8).
This treats of the devastation of the church; “the highways that are laid waste” and “he that passeth through the way who hath ceased” signify that the goods and truths which lead to heaven are no more; “he hath made void the covenant” signifies no conjunction then with the Lord; “he hath rejected the cities” signifies that they spurn doctrine; “he regardeth not man” signifies that he makes no account of wisdom.
sRef Jer@4 @23 S6′ sRef Jer@4 @25 S6′ [6] In Jeremiah:
I saw the earth, when lo, it was void and empty; and towards the heavens, and their light was not. I saw, when lo there was no man, and all the fowl of the heavens were fled away (Jer. 4:23, 25).
This evidently does not mean the earth, that it was void and empty, nor the heavens that there was no light thence nor that there was not a man on the earth, nor that all the fowl of heaven were fled; what is really meant can be seen only from the spiritual sense of the Word. In that sense “earth” signifies the church; that it was “void and empty” signifies that there is no good and truth in the church; the “heavens,” where there is no light, signify the interiors of man’s mind which are the receptacles of the light of heaven; (the “light” that is not there is Divine truth and wisdom therefrom); therefore it is said, “I saw and lo there was no man”; the “fowl of heaven which were fled away” signify the rational and the intellectual.
sRef Jer@31 @27 S7′ [7] In the same:
Behold the days come, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast (Jer. 31:27).
“The house of Israel and the house of Judah” signify the church in respect to truth and in respect to good; “the seed of man and the seed of beast” signify the spiritual affection of truth and the natural affection of truth; for where “man and beast” are mentioned in the Word the spiritual and the natural or the internal and the external, are signified (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7424, 7523, 7872).
sRef Zeph@1 @3 S8′ [8] In Zephaniah:
I will take away man and beast; I will take away the fowl of the heavens and the fishes of the sea; I will cut off man from the surfaces of the earth (Zeph. 1:3).
“To take away man and beast” means to take away the spiritual affection of truth and the natural affection of truth; “to take away the fowl of the heavens and the fishes of the sea” means to take away spiritual truths and natural truths; and “to cut off man from the surfaces of the earth” means to cut off the affection of truth and wisdom.
sRef Ezek@34 @31 S9′ [9] In Ezekiel:
Ye My flock, the flock of My pasture, ye are man; I am your God (Ezek. 34:31).
The “flock of the pasture” signifies spiritual good and truth; the “pasture” is the reception of these from the Lord; it is therefore said, “ye are man, I am your God,” “man” standing for the spiritual affection of truth and wisdom.
sRef Ezek@36 @38 S10′ sRef Ezek@36 @10 S10′ sRef Ezek@36 @9 S10′ sRef Ezek@36 @12 S10′ sRef Ezek@36 @11 S10′ sRef Ezek@36 @13 S10′ sRef Ezek@36 @14 S10′ [10] In the same:
Behold, I am with you, and I will look unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown; then I will multiply man upon you, the whole house of Israel; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded. I will cause man to walk upon you, My people Israel. Thus the Lord Jehovah hath said, Because ye say, Thou hast been a devourer of man and a bereaver of thy peoples, therefore thou shalt devour man no more, and thy sword shall not bereave any more; the desolate cities shall be full of the flock of man (Ezek. 36:9-14, 38).
The restoration of the church is here treated of; “Israel” signifies the spiritual church, or the church that is in spiritual good, which is the good of charity; this church is here called “man” from the spiritual affection of truth that makes the church; therefore it is said, “I will multiply man upon you, the whole house of Israel, and I will cause man to walk upon you, My people Israel.” “The flock of man,” of which “the desolate cities shall be full,” signifies spiritual truths of which the doctrines of the church shall be full; “the sword which shall not bereave any more” signifies that falsity shalt no longer destroy truth.
sRef Ezek@19 @6 S11′ sRef Ezek@19 @2 S11′ sRef Ezek@19 @3 S11′ [11] In the same:
Thy mother is a lioness, she lay down among lions; one of her whelps rose up, it learned to tear the prey, it devoured men (Ezek. 19:2, 3, 8).
“Mother” means the church, here the church perverted; the falsity of evil destroying truth is signified by “the lioness lying down among lions;” “her whelp which learned to tear the prey and devoured men” signifies the primary falsity of their doctrine, which destroyed truths and consumed every affection of them. These things were said of the princes of Israel, by whom primary truths are signified, but here, in a contrary sense, primary falsities.
sRef Jer@49 @33 S12′ [12] In Jeremiah:
Hazor shall become an abode of dragons, a waste even forever; a man [vir] shall not dwell there, nor a son of man [hominis] sojourn in her (Jer. 49:33).
The church that is in falsities and in no truths is here treated of; “Hazor” signifies the knowledges of truth; the knowledges of falsity are signified by “an abode of dragons;” that there is there no truth and no doctrine of truth is signified by “a man [vir] shall not dwell there, nor the son of man [hominis] sojourn in her,” “man” meaning truth, and “the son of man” a doctrine of truth.
sRef Rev@21 @17 S13′ [13] In Revelation:
He measured the wall of the holy Jerusalem, a hundred and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, which is that of an angel (Rev. 21:17).
That this signifies, that “the wall of the holy Jerusalem was a hundred and forty-four cubits, and that this was the measure of a man, which is that of an angel,” no one can understand unless he knows what is signified by “the holy Jerusalem,” by its “wall,” by the number “one hundred and forty-four,” likewise by “man,” and by “angel.” “The holy Jerusalem” signifies the church in respect to doctrine; “wall” signifies truth protecting; the number “one hundred and forty-four” signifies all truths from good in the complex; “man” signifies the reception of these from affection, and “angel” signifies the same; it is therefore said, “the measure of a man, which is that of an angel;” “measure” signifying quality. From this it is clear how these words are to be spiritually understood. (These things may be seen more clearly explained in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 1.)
[14] Because “man” signifies the spiritual affection of truth and wisdom therefrom, “man” also signifies the church, because the church with man is a church from the spiritual affection of truth and wisdom therefrom. This makes clear what is meant by “Man” in the first chapters of Genesis, namely, the church that was the first of this earth and the most ancient; this is what is meant by “Adam,” or “Man.” The establishment of this church is described in the first chapter by the creation of heaven and earth; its intelligence and wisdom by paradise; and its fall by the eating of the tree of knowledge.
[15] But in the highest sense, by “man” is meant the Lord Himself, since from Him are heaven and the church, and the spiritual affection of truth and wisdom with each one of those who constitute heaven and the church; therefore in the highest sense the Lord alone is man; and men in both worlds, spiritual and natural, are men so far as they receive from the Lord truth and good, thus so far as they love truth and live according to it. And from this also it is that the whole angelic heaven appears as one man, and also each society there; and moreover, that the angels appear in a perfect human form. (See further on this in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 59-67, 68-72, 73-77, 87-102.)
aRef Ex@25 @18 S16′ sRef Ezek@1 @26 S16′ aRef Ex@25 @19 S16′ aRef Ex@25 @20 S16′ [16] It was on this account that the four cherubim, which signify the guard and providence of the Lord that the higher heavens be not approached except through the good of love, were seen as men, although they each had four faces; and that the Lord was seen above them as a Man. That the four cherubim were seen as men is evident in Ezekiel:
This was the appearance of the four animals; they had the likeness of a man, but each one had four faces (Ezek. 1:5-6).
Likewise the two cherubim upon the mercy-seat were in face like men. That the Lord was seen above the four cherubim as a man is also stated in the same prophet:
Above the expanse which was over the head of the cherubim was as it were the appearance of a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne, and upon the likeness of the throne a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above (Ezek. 1:26).

sRef Rev@4 @7 S0′ 281. And the fourth animal was like a flying eagle, signifies the appearance in ultimates of the Divine guard and providence in respect to intelligence and as to circumspection on every side. This is evident from the signification of “eagle,” as being intelligence; here Divine intelligence which is that of the Lord’s guard and providence. “Eagle” means intelligence because intelligence is in the light of heaven, and the eagle flies high that he may be there and may look about on every side; this is why this face of the cherub appeared “like a flying eagle;” for “to fly” signifies presence and clear vision or every side, and in reference to the Divine it signifies omnipresence. “Eagle” signifies intelligence for this reason also, that the “birds of heaven” signify in a good sense things intellectual and rational, and the eagle especially, because it not only flies high but also has keen vision. (That “the birds of heaven” signify things intellectual and rational, in both senses, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 745, 776, 866, 988, 991, 3219, 5149, 7441.)
sRef Ezek@17 @8 S2′ sRef Ezek@17 @5 S2′ sRef Ezek@17 @7 S2′ sRef Ezek@17 @6 S2′ sRef Ezek@17 @4 S2′ sRef Ezek@17 @1 S2′ sRef Ezek@17 @2 S2′ sRef Ezek@17 @3 S2′ [2] That “eagle” signifies intelligence is evident from the following passages in the Word. In Ezekiel:
A great eagle, great in wings, long in pinions, full of feathers, which had divers colors [embroidery], came upon Lebanon, and took a twig of cedar; he plucked off the head of its shoots, and carried it into a land of traffic; and set it in the city of spice dealers. He took of the seed of the land, and placed it in a field of sowing; he took it to great waters, and placed it carefully; and it sprouted and became a luxuriant vine of low stature, so that its branches looked to it, and the roots thereof were under it; so it became a vine that produced shoots and sent out boughs. And there was another great eagle, great in wings and full of feathers; and behold, this vine did bend its roots toward it and sent forth its branches toward it to water it from the beds of its plantation; it was planted in a good field by many waters, to make the bough and to bear fruit, that it might be a vine of magnificence (Ezek. 17:1-8).
The establishment of a spiritual church by the Lord is here treated of, and in the internal sense the process of its establishment or of the regeneration of the man of that church from beginning to end is described. By the first eagle the process of regeneration of the natural or external man by means of knowledges [scientifica] and cognitions from the Word is described; and by the other eagle the process of regeneration of the spiritual or internal man by means of truths from good is described; therefore the first eagle signifies the intelligence of the natural man, and the second the intelligence of the spiritual man. Let it be also explained briefly what these particulars signify. The first eagle is said to have been “great in wings, long in pinions, full of feathers,” and this signifies an abundance of the knowledges and cognitions [scientiarum et cognitionum] of truth and good, from which comes the first intelligence, which is the intelligence of the natural man; it is therefore said that “it had divers colors” [embroidery], for by “divers colors” is signified what relates to knowledge and cognition [scientificum et cognitivum] (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9658). “It came upon Lebanon, and took a twig of cedar,” signifies the reception of some knowledges of truth from the doctrine of the church which is from the Word; for “Lebanon” signifies that doctrine, and “the twig of cedar” knowledges. “He plucked off the head of its shoots, and carried it into a land of traffic,” signifies primary knowledges from that doctrine to which knowledges [scientiae] were applied; “the head of the shoots” signifying primary knowledges, and “the land of traffic” the natural man, to which things known belong. “He set it in the city of spice dealers” signifies among truths from good in the natural man; “spices” signifying truths which are agreeable because from good (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4748, 5621, 9474, 9475, 10199, 10254). “He took of the seed of the land, and placed it in the field of sowing; he took it to great waters, and placed it carefully,” signifies multiplication; “the seed of the land” meaning the truth of the church; “the field of sowing,” the good from which it grows; “great waters,” the knowledges of truth and good; “to place carefully,” separation from falsities; “and it sprouted and became a luxuriant vine, so that its branches looked to it [the eagle] and the roots thereof were under it,” signifies the church coming to the birth through the arrangement of the knowledges of truth, and from their application to use. “So it became a vine that produced shoots and sent out boughs,” signifies the beginning of the spiritual church, and the continual increase of truths. (That “vine” is the spiritual church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1069, 6375, 9277.) Thus far the beginning of the church with man, which takes place in the natural or external man, has been described; its establishment which takes place in the spiritual or internal man is now described by the other eagle; because this signifies spiritual intelligence, it said that “the vine did bend its roots toward it, that is, the eagle, and send forth its branches toward it;” for “roots” signify knowledges [scientiae], and “branches” the cognitions of truth and good, which are all applied to the truths which are n the spiritual or internal man; without their spiritual application man does not become wise at all. The multiplication and fructification of truth from good, thus the increase of intelligence, is described by “the vine was planted in a good field, by many waters, to make the bough and to bear fruit, that it might be a vine of magnificence;” “a good field” is the church in respect to the good of charity; “many waters” are the knowledges of good and truth; “to form the bough” is to multiply truths; “to bear fruit” is to bring forth goods, which are uses; “a vine of magnificence” is the spiritual church, both internal and external. (But these things, since they are arcana of regeneration and of the establishment of the church with man, can be better understood from what is brought together in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, from the Arcana Coelestia, On Knowledges [scientiis] and Cognitions, n. 51; and On Regeneration, n. 183.)
sRef Isa@40 @31 S3′ [3] That “eagle” signifies intelligence can also be seen in Isaiah:
They that wait upon Jehovah shall renew the strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles (Isa. 40:31).
“To mount up with wings as eagles” is ascent into the light of heaven, thus into intelligence.
sRef Ps@103 @5 S4′ [4] In David:
Jehovah, who satisfieth thy mouth, so that thou shalt be renewed like an eagle (Ps. 103:5).
“To be renewed like an eagle” is to be renewed in respect to intelligence.
sRef Ex@19 @4 S5′ [5] In Moses:
Ye have seen how I bare you as on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto Myself (Exod. 19:4).
“To bear as on eagles’ wings, and to bring,” also means into intelligence, because into heaven and its light.
sRef Deut@32 @10 S6′ sRef Deut@32 @11 S6′ sRef Deut@32 @12 S6′ [6] In the same:
Jehovah found him in the land of the wilderness. He led him about, He instructed him, He preserved him as the pupil of His eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young; it spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh him, beareth him on her pinions, so Jehovah alone led him (Deut. 32:10-12). This treats of the establishment of the Ancient Church, and the first reformation of those who were of that church; their first state is meant by “the land of the wilderness in which Jehovah found them;” “the land of the wilderness,” is where there is no good because there is no truth; their instruction in truths, guarding them from falsities, and the opening of the interiors of their mind, that they may come into the light of heaven, and thus into the understanding of truth and good, which is intelligence, is described by “the eagle,” its “nest on high,” “it fluttereth over the young, and beareth them on the pinions;” comparison is made with the eagle, because “eagle” signifies intelligence.
sRef 2Sam@1 @23 S7′ [7] In the second book of Samuel:
Saul and Jonathan, swifter than eagles, and stronger than lions (2 Sam. 1:23).
“Saul” as a king, and “Jonathan” as a king’s son, signify the truth of the church; and because intelligence is from truth, and also power, it is said that they were “swifter than eagles, and stronger than lions;” “swiftness” in the Word, in reference to intelligence, signifying the affection of truth. For David wrote his lamentation over Saul and Jonathan “to teach the sons of Judah the bow;” and “the sons of Judah” signify the truths of the church, and the “bow” means the doctrine of truth combating against falsities.
sRef Job@39 @27 S8′ sRef Job@39 @26 S8′ sRef Job@39 @30 S8′ sRef Job@39 @29 S8′ sRef Job@39 @28 S8′ [8] In Job:
By thy intelligence doth the hawk fly, and spread her wings toward the south? At thy command doth the eagle mount up and make high her nest? In the rock she dwelleth and lodgeth; thence she searcheth her food; her eyes behold afar off; and where the slain are there is she (Job 39:26-30.)
Here intelligence is treated of, that no one can procure it from himself or from what is his own [ex proprio]; therefore it is said, “By thy intelligence doth the hawk fly, and spread her wings towards the south?” referring to man’s leading himself into the light of intelligence (signified by the “south”), and here, that this is not possible. Intelligence itself, which is of the spiritual man, is described by “the eagle doth mount up, make high her nest, dwell and lodge in the rock, thence searching her food, and her eyes behold afar off.” That no one has such intelligence from himself is signified by “Doth the eagle do this at thy command?” But that nothing but falsities can come from self-intelligence is signified by “where the slain are there is she;” “the slain” in the Word signify those with whom truths have been extinguished by falsities (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4503).
sRef Luke@17 @37 S9′ [9] From this it can be seen what is signified by the Lord’s words when the disciples asked Him where the Last Judgment would be, in Luke:
The disciples said, Where, Lord? He said unto them, Where the body is, there will the eagles be gathered together (Luke 17:37).
The “body” here means the spiritual world, where all men are together, both the evil and the good; and “eagles” signify those who are in truths, and also those who are in falsities, thus those who are in true intelligence and those who are in false intelligence. False intelligence is from what is man’s own [ex proprio], but true intelligence is from the Lord through the Word.
sRef Jer@4 @13 S10′ [10] The falsities that are from self-intelligence are also described by “eagles” in the following passages in the Word. In Jeremiah:
Behold he ascendeth as the clouds, and his chariot as the storm, his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us, for we are devastated (Jer. 4:13).
The desolation of truth in the church is here treated of, and the “cloud” that ascends signifies falsities; “the chariot which is as the storm” signifies the doctrine of falsity; their avidity for reasoning against truths and destroying them, and pleasure in it, is signified by “their horses are swifter than eagles,” for “swiftness” and “haste” in the Word signify being stirred by affection and lust (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7695, 7866); and “horses” signify the understanding of truth, and in a contrary sense, the understanding of falsity or the reasoning from falsities against truth (Arcana Coelestia, n. 2760-2762, 3217, 5321, 6125, 6400, 6534, 7024, 8146, 8148, 8381); and because “horses” signify this, and “eagles” intelligence, here self-intelligence which is reasoning from falsities, therefore it is said, “their horses are swifter than eagles.”
sRef Lam@4 @19 S11′ sRef Hab@1 @9 S11′ sRef Hab@1 @8 S11′ [11] In Lamentations:
Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens (Lam. 4:19).
And in Habakkuk:
His horses are nimbler than leopards, and are fiercer than the evening wolves, that his horsemen may spread themselves; whence his horsemen come from far, they fly as an eagle that hasteth to eat. He cometh all for violence (Hab. 1:8-9);
here too, “eagle” stands for the reasoning from falsities against truths, which is from self-intelligence.

sRef Rev@4 @7 S0′ 282. Inasmuch as this cherub was like an eagle, and the eagle appeared as flying, it shall he told also what “flying” signifies in the Word. “Flying” signifies circumspection and presence, because a bird when it flies looks all about from on high, and thus by its sight is present everywhere and round about. But when “flying” in the Word is attributed to Jehovah, it signifies omnipresence, because omnipresence is infinite circumspection and infinite presence. This then is why this cherub appeared “like an eagle flying;” for “cherubim” signify in general the Lord’s Providence that the higher heavens be not approached except from the good of love and of charity; and this cherub signifies Divine intelligence (as was shown just above).
sRef 2Sam@22 @11 S2′ sRef Ps@18 @10 S2′ [2] That “flying” in the Word, in reference to the Lord signifies omnipresence, and in reference to men circumspection and presence, can be seen from the following passages. In David:
God rode upon a cherub, He did fly, and was borne upon the wings of the wind (Ps. 18:10; 2 Sam. 22:11).
“He rode upon a cherub” signifies the Divine Providence; “He did fly” signifies omnipresence in the spiritual world; “and was borne upon the wings of the wind” signifies omnipresence in the natural world. These words from David no one can understand except from the spiritual sense.
sRef Isa@31 @5 S3′ [3] In Isaiah:
As birds flying, so will Jehovah of Hosts protect Jerusalem (Isa. 31:5).
Jehovah is said “to protect Jerusalem as birds flying,” for “to protect” signifies the Divine Providence in respect to safe guard; “Jerusalem” signifies the church, and “birds flying,” with which comparison is made, signify circumspection and presence, here, as attributed to the Lord, omnipresence.
sRef Rev@8 @13 S4′ sRef Rev@14 @6 S4′ [4] In Revelation:
I saw and I heard one angel flying, through midheaven, saying with a great voice, Woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth (Rev. 8:13).
In the same:
I saw another angel flying through midheaven, having the eternal gospel to proclaim unto the inhabitants of the earth (Rev. 14:6).
The former angel signifies the damnation of all who are in evils; and the other angel signifies the salvation of all who are in good; “flying” signifies circumspection on every side where they are.
sRef Isa@60 @7 S5′ sRef Isa@60 @8 S5′ [5] In Isaiah:
All the flocks of Arabia shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as doves to the windows? (Isa. 60:7-8).
This treats of the Lord’s coming, and the illustration of the Gentiles at that time; and “the flocks of Arabia that shall be gathered together” signify the knowledges of truth and good; “the rams of Nebaioth that shall minister” signify the truths that guide the life from a spiritual affection; “to fly as a cloud and as doves to the windows” signifies examination and scrutiny of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word; therefore “to fly” signifies circumspection; for “cloud” signifies the sense of the letter of the Word, “doves” the spiritual affection of truth, and “windows” truth in light. That such is the meaning of these words can be seen from the signification of “the flocks of Arabia,” “the rams of Nebaioth,” “cloud,” “doves,” and “windows.”
sRef Ps@55 @5 S6′ sRef Ps@55 @7 S6′ sRef Ps@55 @6 S6′ [6] In David:
Fear and trembling were come upon me. And I said, Who will give me a wing like a dove’s? I will fly away where I may dwell. Lo, I will wander far away; I will lodge in the wilderness (Ps. 55:5-7).
This treats of temptation and of distress then; “fear and trembling” signify such distress; the inquiry into truth then, and circumspection whither to turn oneself, is signified by “Who will give me a wing like a dove’s? I will fly away where I may dwell.” “Wing of a dove” means the affection of spiritual truth; “to fly away where I may dwell” means by that affection to rescue the life from damnation; that as yet there is no hope of deliverance is signified by “Lo, I will wander far away, and will lodge in the wilderness.”
sRef Hos@9 @11 S7′ sRef Hos@9 @12 S7′ [7] In Hosea:
Ephraim, as a bird shall their glory fly away; yea if they have brought up sons, then I will make them bereaved of man (Hos. 9:11, 12).
“Ephraim” signifies the illustrated understanding of those who are of the church; “glory” signifies Divine truth; “to fly away as a bird” signifies the deprivation of it (comparison is made with a bird, because a “bird” signifies the rational and intellectual, as Ephraim does); “if they have brought up sons, then will I make them bereaved of man,” signifies that if nevertheless they have brought forth truths, still they are not at all made wise thereby; for “sons” are truths, and “to make them bereaved of man” is to deprive them of wisdom.
sRef Deut@4 @17 S8′ [8] In Moses:
Ye shall not make to you the form of any beast upon the earth, nor the form of any winged bird that flieth towards heaven (Deut. 4:16, 17). This signifies in the internal sense that man must not acquire for himself wisdom and intelligence from self, or from what is his own [ex proprio], for “beasts that walk upon the earth” signify the affections of good, from which is wisdom, and “birds” signify the affections of truth from which is intelligence. That they should not make to themselves the form of these signifies that the things signified are not to be acquired from man, that is, from what is his own [ex proprio]. It is said, “the winged bird that flieth towards heaven,” because “winged bird” signifies the understanding of spiritual truth, and “to fly towards heaven” signifies the circumspection that belongs to intelligence in things Divine.
sRef Isa@6 @2 S9′ [9] From this it can now be seen what is signified by this cherub’s appearing “like a flying eagle” as also what is signified in Isaiah by:
The seraphim, which* had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly (Isa. 6:2);
namely that the “wings with which be covered his face” signify the affection of spiritual truth; the “wings with which he covered his feet” the affection of natural truth therefrom; and the “wings with which he did fly” circumspection and presence, here omnipresence, because “seraphim” have a like signification as “cherubim,” namely, Divine Providence in respect to guarding.
[10] “To fly” in reference to man signifies circumspection and at the same time presence, because sight is present with the object that it sees; its appearing far away or at a distance is because of the intermediate objects that appear at the same time, and can be measured in respect to space. This can be fully confirmed by the things that exist in the spiritual world. In that world spaces themselves are appearances, arising from the diversity of affections and of thought therefrom; consequently, when any persons or things appear far away, and an angel or spirit desires from intense affection to be with such, or to examine the things that are at a distance, he is at once present there. The like is true of thought, which is man’s internal or spiritual sight. Things previously seen thought sees within itself irrespective of space, thus altogether as present. This is why “flying” is predicated of the understanding and of its intelligence, and why it signifies circumspection and presence.
* For “which” the Hebrew has “each of which” as found in AE 285.

sRef Rev@4 @8 S0′ 283. Verse 8. And the four animals, each by itself, had six wings round about, signifies the appearance of the spiritual Divine on all sides about the celestial Divine. This is evident from the signification of the four animals, which were the cherubim, as being the Lord’s Divine guard and providence that the higher heavens be not approached except from the good of love and of charity; and as this is the significance of the four animals as regards their bodies, they signify also the celestial Divine (of which presently). It is evident also from the signification of “six wings round about,” as meaning the spiritual Divine round about the celestial Divine (of which also presently). The “cherubim” in respect to their bodies signify the celestial Divine, and in respect to their wings the spiritual Divine; because all things that represent heavenly things signify in respect to their bodies what is essential, and in respect to what is about them what is formal. So man also, in respect to his body signifies good in essence, and in respect to the encompassing things good in form. Celestial good is good in essence, and spiritual good is good in form; and this for the reason that the will, in which good resides, is man himself, or the man in essence; while the understanding in which is truth, which is the form of good, is the man thence derived, thus man in form; this good also is round about the other.
[2] But let it be told first what the celestial Divine is, and what the spiritual Divine is. The heavens are divided into two kingdoms, one of which is called the celestial kingdom, and the other the spiritual kingdom. They differ in this, that those in the celestial kingdom are in the good of love to the Lord, and those in the spiritual kingdom are in the good of charity towards the neighbor. Therefore the celestial Divine is the good of love to the Lord, and the spiritual Divine is the good of charity towards the neighbor. Moreover, according to these goods the heavens are arranged; the highest or third heaven consists of those who are in celestial good, or in the good of love to the Lord; and the heaven that succeeds this, and is called the middle or second heaven, consists of those who are in spiritual good, or in the good of charity towards the neighbor; and as celestial good is good in the highest place, and spiritual good is good in the second place, therefore the latter is round about the former; for that which is above is also within, and that which is below is also without, and what is without is round about. This is why in the Word higher things, and things in the midst, signify things interior; and lower things, and things round about, signify things exterior. Now as each good, the celestial and the spiritual, guards, and as the “animals,” that is, the cherubim, in respect to their bodies signify the celestial Divine, and in respect to their wings the spiritual Divine, it is clear that by “the four animals, each by itself, were seen to have six wings round about,” the appearance of the spiritual Divine on all sides round about the celestial Divine is signified. (But a fuller idea of these things can be had from what is said and shown in the work on Heaven and Hell; first, from the chapter where it is shown that The Divine of the Lord makes Heaven, n. 7-12; then from the chapter, The Divine of the Lord in Heaven is Love to Him, and Charity towards the Neighbor, n. 13-19; and lastly, in the chapter, Heaven is divided into two Kingdoms, a Celestial Kingdom and a Spiritual Kingdom, n. 20-28.)
[3] The cherubim were seen as animals because heavenly things are represented in ultimates in various ways, as can be seen from many passages in the Word; as:
That the Holy Spirit appeared as a dove over Jesus when He was baptized (Matt. 3:16-17).
And that the Divine of the Lord appeared as a lamb (Rev. 5:6, 8, 13).
And from this the Lord was also called a Lamb (Rev. 6:1, 16; 7:9-10, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8; 14:1, 4; 17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:22-23, 27).
There were “four cherubim,” and “each had six wings,” because “four” signifies celestial good, and “six” spiritual good; for “four” signifies conjunction, and inmost conjunction with the Lord is through love to Him; but “six” signifies communication, and communication with the Lord is by means of charity towards the neighbor.
sRef Ps@68 @14 S4′ sRef Ps@68 @13 S4′ [4] That “wings” signify the spiritual Divine, which in its essence is truth from good, can be seen from the following passages. In David:
If ye have lain among the ranks, [ye shall have] the wings of a dove overlaid with silver, and her pinions with the yellow of gold; when Thou, Shaddai, dost spread out, kings shall be in it (Ps. 68:13-14).
What it means that “those who lie among the ranks shall have the wings of a dove overlaid with silver, and her pinions with the yellow of gold,” and that “kings shall be in it when Shaddai spreadeth out,” can be understood only from the internal sense; in that sense “to lie among the ranks” signifies to live according to the statutes; “the wings of a dove overlaid with silver” signify spiritual truths; her “pinions with the yellow of gold” signify spiritual good from which are those truths; “Shaddai” signifies a state of temptations; “kings in it” signify truths in that state and after it. “The wings of a dove overlaid with silver” signify spiritual truths, because “wing” signifies the spiritual, “dove” signifies truth from good, and “silver” the truth itself; “pinions overlaid with the yellow of gold” signify spiritual good from which are those truths, because “pinions” and “the yellow of gold” signify spiritual good from which are truths. “When Shaddai spreadeth out” signifies a state of temptations because “God Shaddai” signifies temptations and consolations after them; and as truths from good are implanted in man by temptations it is said, “kings shall be in it,” for “kings” signify truths from good (see above, n. 31).
sRef Ps@18 @10 S5′ [5] In the same:
God rode upon a cherub, He did fly, and was borne upon the wings of the wind (Ps. 18:10).
“God rode upon a cherub” signifies the Lord’s Divine Providence; “He did fly” signifies omnipresence in the spiritual world; “He was borne upon the wings of the wind” signifies omnipresence in the natural world; “wings of the wind” are things spiritual, from which are things natural.
sRef Ps@91 @4 S6′ sRef Ps@63 @7 S6′ sRef Ps@36 @7 S6′ sRef Ps@17 @8 S6′ [6] In the same:
Jehovah covereth thee under His pinion, and under His wings shalt thou trust; truth is a shield and a buckler (Ps. 91:4).
“To cover under the pinion” signifies to guard by Divine truth, which is the spiritual Divine; and “to trust under His wings” signifies under truth known [verum scientificum], which is the spiritual natural Divine; and as both signify truth, and “to cover” signifies guarding by means of it, it is said, “truth is a shield and a buckler.” This makes clear what is signified:
By being hidden under the shadow of God’s wings (Ps. 17:8);
By putting trust under the shadow of His wings (Ps. 36:7; 57:1);
Also by singing under the shadow of His wings (Ps. 63:7).
sRef Ezek@16 @8 S7′ [7] That “wing” in reference to the Lord signifies the spiritual Divine is further evident from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
When I passed by thee, and saw thee, that behold thy time was the time of loves, I spread My wing over thee, and I covered thy nakedness (Ezek. 16:8).
Here Jerusalem is treated of, and by it the church is meant, here its reformation; “the time of loves” signifies the state when it could be reformed; “I spread My wing over thee” signifies spiritual truth by which reformation is effected; “I covered thy nakedness” signifies putting evil out of sight thereby; for the evil that man has by heredity and afterwards from what is his own [ex proprio] is put out of sight, that is, so removed as not to appear, by spiritual truths, which are truths from good.
sRef Ps@104 @3 S8′ sRef Ps@104 @4 S8′ sRef Ps@104 @2 S8′ [8] In David:
Jehovah covereth Himself with light as with a garment; He stretcheth out the heavens like a curtain; He layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters; He maketh the clouds His chariot; He walketh upon the wings of the wind (Ps. 104:2, 3).
The “light with which Jehovah covereth Himself” signifies Divine truth in the heavens; it is called His “garment” because it proceeds from Him as a sun, and is thus outside of Him and about Him. This has a like meaning with the “light” and “the garments” of the Lord, when He was transfigured (Matt. 17:9; Mark 9:3; Luke 9:28-37). “He stretcheth out the heavens like a curtain” signifies filling heaven and them that are therein with Divine truth, and thereby with intelligence; “He layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters” means to fill those who are in the ultimate heaven and in the church with the knowledges of truth and good; “He maketh the clouds His chariot” signifies the doctrine of truth from the literal sense of the Word, “clouds” mean that sense, and “chariot” doctrine; “to walk upon the wings of the wind” signifies the spiritual sense of the Word contained in the literal sense.
sRef Mal@4 @2 S9′ [9] In Malachi:
Unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise, and healing in His wings (Mal. 4:2).
“The Sun of righteousness” signifies the good of love, which is the celestial Divine; and the “wings of Jehovah, in which there is healing,” signify truth from that good, which is the spiritual Divine; “healing” is reformation thereby.
sRef Deut@32 @11 S10′ sRef Deut@32 @12 S10′ [10] In Moses:
As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, beareth them on her wings, so Jehovah doth lead him (Deut. 32:11, 12).
Here comparison is made with an “eagle,” because “eagle” signifies intelligence, and “wing” the spiritual Divine, which is Divine truth, from which is intelligence.
sRef Isa@40 @31 S11′ [11] In Isaiah:
They that wait upon Jehovah renew their strength, they mount up with a wing like eagles (Isa. 40:31).
“To mount up with a wing like eagles” is to ascend into the light of heaven, which is Divine truth or the spiritual Divine from which is intelligence.
sRef Ezek@17 @23 S12′ [12] In Ezekiel:
The mountain of height will I plant it; that it may lift up the bough and bear fruit, and become a magnificent cedar; that under it may dwell every bird of every wing (Ezek. 17:23). “A magnificent cedar” signifies the spiritual church; “every bird of every wing” signifies things intellectual which are from spiritual truths.
From this it can be seen what “the wings of the cherubim,” both here and elsewhere in the Word, signify, namely, the spiritual Divine, which is Divine truth instructing, regenerating, and protecting.
sRef Ezek@1 @6 S13′ sRef Ezek@3 @13 S13′ sRef Ezek@10 @21 S13′ sRef Ezek@1 @24 S13′ sRef Ezek@10 @5 S13′ sRef Ezek@1 @23 S13′ [13] As also in Ezekiel:
Each cherub had four faces: and each had four wings, their wings were erect one toward the other, each had two wings covering their bodies. I heard the sound of the wings like the sound of great waters, as the voice of Shaddai; when they went, the voice of a tumult like the voice of a camp; when they stood they let down their wings. I heard the voice of their wings kissing each the other, and the voice of wheels beside them; the voice of the wings of the cherubim was heard even unto the court without, as the voice of God Shaddai. The likeness of hands was under their wings (Ezek. 1:4, 6, 23-24; 3:12-13; 10:5, 21).
That “wings” here signify the spiritual Divine, which is the Lord’s Divine truth in His celestial kingdom, is evident from the particulars of the description here; that there were “four wings” signifies the spiritual Divine in that kingdom; that “their wings were erect one toward the other,” and “kissed each other” signifies consociation and conjunction from the Lord of all in that kingdom; that “the wings covered their bodies” signifies the spiritual Divine there encompassing the celestial Divine; that “the sound of their wings was heard as the sound of great waters,” and “as the voice of wheels,” and “as the voice of Shaddai,” and that “the voice of the wings was heard even unto the court without” signifies the quality of the spiritual Divine, that is, of Divine truths in the ultimate heaven; for “voice” is predicated of truth; “waters” signify truths and the perception of truths; “wheels” the truths of doctrinals, because a “chariot” signifies doctrine; and “God Shaddai” means truth rebuking in temptations, and afterwards consoling; the “court without” is the ultimate heaven; the “likeness of hands under the wings” signifies the power of Divine truth.
sRef Ex@25 @21 S14′ sRef Ex@25 @20 S14′ sRef Ex@25 @19 S14′ sRef Ex@25 @22 S14′ [14] From this also can be seen what the “wings” of the cherubim, that were over the mercy-seat which was upon the ark, signified, which are thus described in Moses:
Make one cherub from the one end, and the other cherub from the other end; out of the mercy-seat shall ye make the cherubim on the two ends thereof. And the cherubim shall spread out the wings upwards, covering over the mercy-seat with the wings, and their faces shall be a man to his brother; towards the mercy-seat shall be the faces of the cherubim. And thou shalt put the mercy-seat above the ark; and to the ark thou shalt commit the testimony that I shall give thee (Exod. 25:18-21).
Here, too, “cherubim” in like manner signify the Lord’s Providence in respect to guarding, that the highest heaven or the celestial kingdom be not approached except through the good of love from the Lord and to the Lord. The “testimony” or the “law,” in the ark, signifies the Lord Himself; the “ark” the inmost or the highest heaven; the “mercy-seat” the hearing and reception of all things of worship which are from the good of love, and then expiation; the “wings of the cherubim” signify the spiritual Divine in that heaven or in that kingdom; that “the wings were spread out upwards,” and that “they covered the mercy-seat,” and that “their faces were toward the mercy-seat” signify the reception itself and hearing. (But all this can be seen more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 9506-9546.) And as the “wings of the cherubim” and their direction signify Divine truth heard and received by the Lord, therefore it follows in Moses:
And there I will meet with thee, and I will speak with thee from above the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, all things which I will command unto the sons of Israel (Exod. 25:22, and Num. 7:89).
sRef Rev@9 @3 S15′ sRef Rev@9 @9 S15′ [15] As most expressions in the Word have a contrary sense also, so do “wings,” in which sense they signify falsities and reasonings from them; as in Revelation:
Out of the smoke [of the pit of the abyss] went forth locusts. And the voice of their wings was as the voice of chariots of many horses running to war (Rev. 9:2-3, 9).
“Locusts” signify falsities in extremes, and “horses” reasonings from them, and “war” signifies the combat of falsity against truth; it is therefore said, “the voice of the wings of the locusts was as the voice of chariots of many horses running to war.”
sRef Hos@4 @19 S16′ sRef Hos@4 @17 S16′ sRef Hos@4 @18 S16′ [16] In Hosea:
Ephraim is joined to idols. Their wine is gone; in whoring they have committed whoredom. The wind hath bound her up in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices (Hos. 4:17-19).
“Ephraim” signifies the intellectual, such as it is with those within the church who are illustrated when they read the Word; “idols” signify the falsities of doctrine; therefore “Ephraim joined to idols” signifies a perverted intellectual seizing upon falsities; that “their wine is gone” signifies that the truth of the church is gone, “wine” meaning that truth; “in whoring they have committed whoredom” signifies that they have falsified truths, “whoredom” meaning the falsification of truth; “the wind hath bound up in its wings” signifies reasonings from fallacies, from which are falsities. (What fallacies in respect to things spiritual are, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 53.) “Wind in the wings” has a like signification in Zechariah 5:9.

sRef Rev@4 @8 S0′ 284. And they were full of eyes within, signifies Divine Providence and guard. This is evident from the signification of “eyes,” as being, in reference to the Lord, His Divine Providence (see above, n. 68, 152). It signifies also guard, because that also is what is signified by “cherubim.”

sRef Rev@4 @8 S0′ 285. And they had no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, signifies that which is most holy proceeding from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “had no rest day and night;” this, when it is said of the Lord’s Divine Providence and guard, which is signified by “the four cherubim” that appeared as four animals, is universally and perpetually, since the Lord’s Divine Providence and guard rest not and cease not to eternity. This is evident also from the signification of “Holy, holy, holy,” as being that which is most holy proceeding from the Lord, for “holy” thrice named signifies most holy, for this reason, that “three” in the Word signifies what is full, complete, and continuous (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2788, 4495, 7715).
sRef Isa@6 @2 S2′ sRef Isa@6 @1 S2′ sRef Isa@6 @3 S2′ [2] The like is signified by this in Isaiah:
I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His skirts filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, Holy, holy, holy, Jehovah of Hosts; the fullness of all the earth is His glory (Isa. 6:1-3).
The “seraphim” here have a like signification with the “cherubim;” and the throne high and lifted up” signifies the Divine proceeding from which is heaven; “the skirts that filled the temple” signify the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord in the ultimates of heaven and in the church; “the wings with which the seraphim covered their faces and their feet, and with which they did fly,” signify the spiritual Divine in firsts and in lasts and the extension thereof on every side, thus omnipresence; “Holy, holy, holy,” signifies what is most holy; that this is the Divine truth that fills all things is signified by “the fullness of all the earth is His glory. (That “glory” is the Divine truth, see above, n. 33; and that the Lord only is holy, and that “holy” is predicated of the Divine truth that proceeds from Him, see above, n. 204.)

sRef Rev@4 @8 S0′ 286. Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come, signifies the infinite and eternal. This is evident from the signification of “Almighty” as being that He is the infinite (of which presently), and from the signification of “who was, who is, and who is to come,” as being that He is the eternal (see above, n. 23). There are two things that can be predicated only of Jehovah, that is, the Lord, namely, infinity and eternity; infinity of His esse, which is the Divine good of His Divine love; eternity of His existere from that esse, which is the Divine truth of His Divine wisdom. These two are Divine in themselves. Out of these the universe was created; consequently all things in the universe are referable to good and to truth, and good everywhere is the esse of a thing, and truth is the existere therefrom; but these two in all things of the universe are finite. It is therefore here said “Lord God,” for “Lord” signifies the Divine good of the Divine love, and “God” the Divine truth of the Divine wisdom. (That Jehovah in the Word is called “Lord” from Divine good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4973, 9167, 9194; and that He is called “God” from Divine truth, n. 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4287, 4402, 7010, 9167.) From this it is clear that “Almighty” signifies the infinite, and that “Who was, who is, and who is to come,” signifies the eternal.

sRef Rev@4 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@4 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@4 @10 S0′ 287. Verses 9-11. And when the animals gave glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him that sitteth upon the throne, that liveth unto ages of ages, the four and twenty elders fell down before Him that sitteth upon the throne, and worshipped Him that liveth unto ages of ages, and cast off their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for Thou hast created all things, and by Thy will they are, and they were created. 9. “And when the animals gave glory and honor and thanksgiving,” signifies Divine truth and Divine good and glorification (n. 288); “to Him that sitteth upon the throne, that liveth unto ages of ages,” signifies from whom are all things of heaven and of the church and eternal life (n. 289). 10, 11. “The four and twenty elders fell down before Him that sitteth upon the throne,” signifies humiliation, and then acknowledgment by those who are in truth from good, that all things of heaven and the church are from the Lord (n. 290); “and worshiped Him that liveth unto ages of ages,” signifies humiliation and then acknowledgment that from the Lord is eternal life (n. 291); “and cast off their crowns before the throne,” signifies humiliation and then acknowledgment in heart that there is nothing of good from themselves but that everything is from the Lord (n. 292); “saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive the glory, and the honor, and the power,” signifies merit and righteousness belonging to the Lord’s Divine Human, that from it is all Divine truth and Divine good and salvation (n. 293); “for Thou hast created all things,” signifies that from Him are all existence and life, and heaven also for those who receive (n. 294); “and by Thy will they are, and they were created,” signifies that through Divine good they have being, and through Divine truth they have existence (n. 295).

sRef Rev@4 @9 S0′ sRef John@15 @8 S1′ sRef John@15 @7 S1′ 288. Verse 9. And when the animals gave glory and honor and thanksgiving, signifies Divine truth and Divine good and glorification. This is evident from the signification of “glory and honor,” as being, in reference to the Lord, Divine truth and Divine good; “glory” being Divine truth, and “honor” Divine good (of which presently); and from the signification of “thanksgiving,” as being glorification. Let it first be told what is here meant by glorification. Glorification, when it is from the Lord, is a perpetual influx with angels and men of Divine good with Divine truth; and glorification of the Lord among angels and men is reception and acknowledgment in heart that all good and all truth are from the Lord, and thence all intelligence, wisdom, and blessedness; this in the spiritual sense is what “giving thanks” signifies. Moreover, all glorification of the Lord by the angels of heaven and by the men of the church is not from themselves, but flows in from the Lord. Glorification that is from men and not from the Lord is not from the heart, but only from the activity of the memory, and thus from the mouth; and what goes forth from the memory and the mouth only, and not through them from the heart, is not heard in heaven, thus is not received by the Lord, but goes out into the world like any other sonorous words. This glorification is not an acknowledgment in heart that all good and all truth are from the Lord. It is said an acknowledgment in heart, which means from the life of the love; for “heart,” in the Word, signifies love, and love is a life according to the Lord’s precepts; when man is in this life, then there is glorification of the Lord, which is acknowledgment from the heart that all good and truth is from the Lord. This is meant by “being glorified,” in John:
If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, and that ye be My disciples (John 15:7-8).
[2] “The four animals,” which were cherubim, “gave glory and honor and thanksgiving,” because Divine truth and Divine good and glorification, which are signified by glory, honor, and thanksgiving, proceed and flow in from the Lord; for these cherubim signify the Lord in respect to providence and guard (see above, n. 277); and they were “in the midst of the throne, and around the throne” (as is manifest from verse 6), and the Lord was “upon the throne” (verse 2); from which it is clear that these things were from the Lord; but reception and acknowledgment in heart are meant by the words of the verse following, where it is said, that when these things had been heard, “the four and twenty elders fell down before Him that sitteth on the throne, and worshipped Him that liveth unto ages of ages, and cast their crowns before the throne.”
[3] In the Word, “glory and honor” is a frequent expression, and “glory” everywhere signifies truth, and “honor” good. The two are mentioned together because in the particulars of the Word there is a heavenly marriage, which is the conjunction of truth and good. There is this marriage in the particulars of the Word, because the Divine that proceeds from the Lord is Divine truth united to Divine good; and because these together make heaven and also make the church, therefore this marriage is in the particulars of the Word; so also in the particulars of the Word is the Divine from the Lord, and the Lord Himself; this is why the Word is most holy. (That there is such a marriage in the particulars of the Word, see above, n. 238; and Arcana Coelestia, n. 2516, 2712, 3004, 3005, 3009, 4138, 5138, 5194, 5502, 6343, 7022, 7945, 8339, 9263, 9314.)
sRef Ps@96 @5 S4′ sRef Ps@96 @6 S4′ [4] That “glory” signifies Divine truth from the Lord, see above (n. 33); that “honor” signifies Divine good follows from what has been said concerning the heavenly marriage in the particulars of the Word; as can also be seen from the following passages. In David:
Jehovah made the heavens; glory and honor are before Him; strength and splendor are in His sanctuary (Ps. 96:5-6).
By “the heavens” the Divine that proceeds from the Lord is meant, since the heavens are from His Divine; and as the Divine that proceeds and makes the heavens is Divine truth and Divine good, it is said, “glory and honor are before Him;” “sanctuary” means the church; Divine good and Divine truth therein are meant by “strength and splendor.” (That the Divine of the Lord makes the heavens, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 7-12; and that the Divine of the Lord in the heavens is Divine truth and Divine good, n. 7, 13, 133, 137, 139-140.)
sRef Ps@104 @1 S5′ [5] In the same:
O Jehovah God, Thou art very great; Thou hast put on glory and honor (Ps. 104:1).
“To put on glory and honor” signifies, in reference to Jehovah, His girding Himself with Divine truth and Divine good, for these proceed from Him, and thus gird Him, and make the heavens; therefore in the Word they are called “His vesture” and “His covering” (see above, n. 65, 271).
sRef Ps@111 @3 S6′ sRef Ps@111 @2 S6′ [6] In the same:
The works of Jehovah are great. Glory and honor are His work (Ps. 111:2-3).
“The works of Jehovah” mean all things that proceed from Him and are done by Him; and as these are referable to Divine truth and Divine good, it is said, “His work is glory and honor.”
sRef Ps@145 @4 S7′ sRef Ps@145 @12 S7′ sRef Ps@145 @5 S7′ [7] In the same:
Generation to generation shall praise Thy works, and shall declare Thy mighty acts. Upon the honor of the magnificence of Thy glory and the words of Thy wonders will I meditate. And I will make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glory of the honor of His kingdom (Ps. 145:4-5, 12).
“The honor of the magnificence of glory” means Divine good united to Divine truth; and “the glory of the honor” means Divine truth united to Divine good. This is so said because the unition is reciprocal; for Divine good proceeds from the Lord united to Divine truth; but by the angels in heaven and by the men of the church Divine truth is received and is united to Divine good; it is therefore said, “the glory of the honor of His kingdom,” for “His kingdom” means heaven and the church.
sRef Ps@21 @6 S8′ sRef Ps@21 @5 S8′ [8] In the same:
Glory and honor wilt thou lay upon Him; for thou settest Him blessings forever (Ps. 21:5, 6).
These things were said of the Lord, and “glory and honor upon Him” means all Divine truth and Divine good.
sRef Ps@45 @4 S9′ sRef Ps@45 @3 S9′ [9] In the same:
Gird Thy sword upon the thigh, O mighty One in Thy glory and honor. And in Thy honor mount, ride upon the word of truth (Ps. 45:3, 4).
This also is said of the Lord; “to gird the sword upon the thigh” signifies Divine truth combating from Divine good (that this is signified by “sword upon the thigh,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10488); and because the Lord from Divine truth subjugated the hells, and brought the heavens into order, He is said to be “mighty in glory and honor,” and also “in honor mount and ride upon the word of truth;” this signifies to act from Divine good through Divine truth.
sRef Ps@8 @5 S10′ [10] In the same:
Thou hast made Him to be a little less than the angels, but thou hast crowned Him with glory and honor (Ps. 8:5). This also is said of the Lord; His state of humiliation is described by “thou hast made Him to be a little less than the angels,” and His state of glorification by “thou hast crowned Him with glory and honor.” “Glorifying” means uniting the Divine Itself to His Human, and also making His Human Divine.
sRef Isa@35 @2 S11′ sRef Isa@35 @1 S11′ [11] In Isaiah:
Rejoice, ye wilderness and dry place, and let the plain of the desert exult and blossom as the rose, in blossoming let it blossom and exalt; the glory of Lebanon has been given to it, the honor of Carmel and Sharon: they shall see the glory of Jehovah, and the honor of our God (Isa. 35:1, 2).
This treats of the enlightenment of the Gentiles; that ignorance of truth and good is signified by “the wilderness and the dry place;” their joy in consequence of instruction in truths and enlightenment is signified by “rejoicing, exulting, and blossoming;” “the glory of Lebanon given to them” signifies Divine truth; and “the honor of Carmel and Sharon” signifies Divine good which they receive; this is why it is also said “they shall see the glory of Jehovah, and the honor of our God.” sRef Rev@21 @25 S12′ sRef Rev@21 @24 S12′ [12] In Revelation:
The nations that have been saved shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor to it. And the glory and honor of the nations shall be brought into it (Rev. 21:24, 26).
This is said of the New Jerusalem, by which a new church in the heavens and on earth is signified; “nations” there signify all who are in good; and the “kings of the earth” all who are in truths from good; it is said of both that “they shall bring their glory and honor into it,” which means worship from the good of love to the Lord and from the truths of faith which are from the good of charity towards the neighbor.

sRef Ps@68 @26 S0′ sRef Ps@68 @19 S0′ sRef Rev@4 @9 S0′ 289. To Him that sitteth upon the throne, that liveth unto ages of ages, signifies from whom are all things of heaven and of the church and eternal life. This is evident from the signification of “throne,” as being, in reference to the Lord, in general the whole heaven, in particular the spiritual heaven, and abstractly Divine truth proceeding; and as through this the heavens have existence, therefore “throne” here signifies all things of heaven and of the church (see above n. 253); that “He that sitteth upon the throne” is the Lord, see also above (n. 267, 268). This is also evident from the signification of “living unto ages of ages,” as being that eternal life is from Him (see above, n. 84); for “He that liveth” signifies that He alone is life, and therefore that everything of life with angels and men is from Him; and “unto ages of ages” signifies eternity. “Unto ages of ages” signifies eternity because in the world it signifies time throughout its whole extent; but in heaven, where there is not time like that in the world, it signifies eternity; for the sense of the letter of the Word is made up of such things as are in the world, but its spiritual sense is made up of such things as are in heaven; and this in order that the Divine may close into the natural things of the world as into its ultimates, and may rest in them, and subsist upon them; therefore it is said, “ages of ages,” and not eternity.

sRef Rev@4 @10 S0′ 290. Verse 10. The four and twenty elders fell down before Him that sitteth upon the throne, signifies humiliation, and then acknowledgment by those who are in truth from good, that all things of heaven and the church are from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “falling down,” as being humiliation, and then acknowledgment in heart; also from the signification of “four and twenty elders” as being those who are in truths from good (see above, n. 270); also from the signification of “He that sat upon the throne,” as being the Lord from whom are all things of heaven and of the church (see just above, n. 289). This and the following verses of this chapter treat of the reception of Divine truth and Divine good by the angels of heaven, and by the men of the church; while the verse immediately preceding treats of the Lord, that from Him Divine good and Divine truth proceed; this is signified by “the animals gave glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him that sitteth upon the throne and liveth unto ages of ages” (see above, n. 288, 289); but “the elders fell down before Him that sitteth upon the throne, and worshiped Him that liveth unto ages of ages,” signifies reception and acknowledgment; for “to fall down” signifies humiliation, reception, and acknowledgment, and “the four and twenty elders” signify all who are in truth from good, both in the heavens and on earth.
[2] It is to be known that the reception of Divine truth and Divine good, and the acknowledgment in heart that all things of heaven and the church and eternal life are from the Lord, are only with those who are in truth from good; and for the reason that such only are in love and faith; and it is those who are in love and faith that are conjoined to the Lord in soul and heart; into the soul and heart the Lord flows, and not into those things that are merely of the memory and of the speech therefrom; for the memory is merely the entrance to man, and like a court by which entrance is made; it is like the ruminating stomach with birds and beasts, and to that the memory with man also corresponds. Those things are in the man that are in his will and in his understanding therefrom, or what is the same, that are in his faith therefrom. Whether it is said that man is in good and truth: or that he is in love and faith, it is the same, since all good is of love, and all truth is of faith.

sRef Rev@4 @10 S0′ 291. And worshiped Him that liveth unto ages of ages, signifies humiliation, and then acknowledgment that from the Lord is eternal life. This is evident from the signification of “falling down and worshiping,” as being humiliation and then acknowledgment in heart; also from the signification of “Him that liveth unto ages of ages,” as being that from the Lord is eternal life (see just above, n. 289). It is said humiliation, and then acknowledgment in heart, namely, that from the Lord are all good and all truth, and thence all intelligence, wisdom, and blessedness, since this acknowledgment is not given with anyone except in a state of humiliation; for when in humiliation, then man is removed from what is his own [ex suo proprio]; and what is man’s own [proprium] receives and acknowledges nothing of good and truth from the Lord, for what is man’s own [proprium] is nothing but evil, and evil rejects all good and all truth of heaven and the church. From this it can be seen why there must be humiliation, and why “falling down and worshiping” signifies humiliation, and then acknowledgment in heart.

sRef Rev@4 @10 S0′ 292. And cast off their crowns before the throne, signifies humiliation, and then acknowledgment in heart that there is nothing of good from themselves, but that everything is from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “crown,” as being good and wisdom therefrom (see above, n. 272); also from the signification of “to cast off before the throne,” that is to lay down there, as being to acknowledge from humiliation that this is not from oneself but from the Lord alone; for “to cast off” is to renounce from oneself, and “to lay down before the throne” is to acknowledge that it is from the Lord alone. The good here signified by “crowns” is the good of love and of charity; this good flows in from the Lord alone, and is received by the angels of heaven and by the men of the church in the truths that are from the Word. Truths from the Word with angels and men are in their memory; from it the Lord calls them out and conjoins them with good so far as the angel or man is in the spiritual affection of truth, and this affection he has when he lives according to the truths from the Word. Conjunction is effected in the interior or spiritual man, and from that in the exterior or natural man. This conjunction makes the church with man while he lives on the earth, and afterwards makes heaven with him; from which it is clear that without such conjunction no one can be saved; also that there is no conjunction of good and truth unless the man is living the life of love; to live the life of love is to do the Lord’s commandments, for to love is to do, since what man loves that he wills and that he does, but what he does not love that he does not will and therefore does not do.

sRef Rev@4 @11 S0′ 293. Verse 11. Saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive the glory, and the honor, and the power, signifies merit and righteousness belonging to the Lord’s Divine Human, that from it is all Divine truth and Divine good and salvation. This is evident from the signification of “Thou art worthy, O Lord,” as being merit and righteousness belonging to the Lord’s Divine Human (of which presently); also from the signification of “glory and honor,” as being in reference to the Lord’s Divine truth and Divine good which are from Him (see above, n. 288), also from the signification of “power,” as being salvation. “Power” here signifies salvation because all Divine power looks to salvation as an end; for by Divine power man is reformed, and afterwards introduced into heaven, and there withheld from evil and falsity and held in good and truth; and this the Lord only can effect. Those who claim for themselves the power to effect this are wholly ignorant of what salvation is, for they do not know what reformation is, nor what heaven with man is. To claim to oneself the Lord’s power is to claim power over the Lord Himself, which power is called “the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53).
sRef John@1 @12 S2′ sRef Luke@4 @36 S2′ sRef John@15 @5 S2′ sRef Mark@1 @22 S2′ sRef John@17 @2 S2′ [2] That the power predicated of the Lord has regard chiefly to salvation is evident from the following passages. In John:
Jesus said, Father, Thou hast given (to the Son) power over all flesh, that to all whom Thou hast given Him to them He should give eternal life (John 17:2).
In the same:
As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, to them that believe in His name (John 1:12).
In the same:
I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for apart from Me ye cannot do anything (John 15:5).
In Mark:
They were astonished at His doctrine; for He was teaching them as having authority (Mark 1:22).
In Luke:
With authority and power He commands unclean spirits and they go forth (Luke 4:36);
besides other passages. Moreover, the Lord has power over all things because He is God alone; but the salvation of the human race is the principal object of power, since for the sake of that the heavens and the worlds were created; and salvation is the reception of the proceeding Divine.
[3] “Thou art worthy, O Lord,” signifies the merit and righteousness pertaining to the Lord’s Divine Human, because “Thou art worthy” signifies that He had merit. The Lord’s merit is that when He was in the world He subjugated the hells, and brought into order all things in the heavens, and glorified His Human, and this from His own power. By this means He saved all of the human race who believe in Him, that is, who love to do His precepts (John 1:12, 13). Moreover, this merit is called in the Word “righteousness,” (justice) and the Lord in respect to His Divine Human is called from this:
Jehovah our Righteousness (Jer. 23:5-6; 33:15-16).
(Of this merit, or this righteousness of the Lord, see further in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 293, 294; and in the quotations there from Arcana Coelestia, n. 300-306.)

sRef Rev@4 @11 S0′ 294. For Thou hast created all things, signifies that from Him are all existence and life, and heaven also for those who receive. This is evident from the signification of “to create,” as being not only that all things came into existence from the Lord, but also that all life is from Him; and as the spiritual sense of the Word treats only of heaven and the church, therefore “to create” signifies primarily here to reform, thus to give heaven to those who receive, for this is to reform. That the existence of all things is from the Lord, see in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 7-12, and n. 137); and that all life is from the Lord (n. 9; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 278). But here “to create” does not signify natural existence and life, but spiritual existence and life; and this is what is everywhere signified in the Word by “creating;” and for the reason that the existence of heaven and earth is not the end of creation, but a means to the end; the end of creation is that the human race may exist so that from it there may be an angelic heaven; and as this is the end, “to create” signifies to reform, which is to give heaven to those who receive. In the spiritual sense of the Word ends are meant, but in the sense of the letter only the means that involve the ends are spoken of; in this way the spiritual lies hid in the letter of the Word.
sRef Isa@41 @20 S2′ sRef Isa@41 @19 S2′ [2] That “to create” signifies to reform and regenerate men, and thus to establish the church, can be seen from the passages in the Word where this term occurs, as in the following. In Isaiah:
I will give in the wilderness the cedar of Shittah, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; that they may see and know, and consider and understand together, that the hand of Jehovah hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it (Isa. 41:19, 20).
This treats of the establishment of the church among the Gentiles; “wilderness” signifies the absence of good, because of the ignorance of truth, for every good into which man is reformed is given only through truths; “the cedar of shittah” signifies genuine truth; “the myrtle and the oil tree” signify spiritual good and celestial good; whence it is clear what is signified by, “I will give in the wilderness the cedar of shittah, and the myrtle, and the oil tree,” when the Gentiles that are not in the good of heaven and of the church, because in ignorance of the truth, are treated of; “that they may see and know, and consider and understand together,” signifies the knowledges, understanding, perception, and affection, that are of the love of good and truth; from this signification it is clear that “the Holy One of Israel hath created it” signifies reformation, the that “to create” is to reform.
[3] In the same:
Thus said Jehovah thy Creator, O Jacob, and thy Former, O Israel, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine. Bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the earth, everyone that is called by My name; into My glory I have created, I have formed, and I have made him. I am Jehovah your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King (Isa. 43:1, 6, 7, 15).
This also treats of the establishment of a church among the Gentiles; and with reference to their reformation Jehovah is called “Creator” and “Former;” therefore it is said, “I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art Mine.” “Bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the earth,” signifies the Gentiles that are outside of the church, but that receive the truths and goods of the church from the Lord; “from far” and “from the end of the earth” signify those who are outside of the church, “earth (or land)” meaning the church, “sons” those who receive truths, and “daughters” those who receive goods. These are said to be “created, formed, and made into glory,” “glory” meaning the Divine truth that they receive.
sRef Ps@51 @10 S4′ [4] In David:
Create for me a clean heart, O God, and renew a firm spirit in the midst of me (Ps. 51:10).
“To create a clean heart” signifies to reform in respect to the good of love; “to renew a firm spirit in the midst of me” signifies to reform in respect to the truth of faith; for “heart” signifies the good of love, and “spirit” a life according to the Divine truth, which is the faith of truth.
sRef Ps@89 @47 S5′ sRef Ps@89 @49 S5′ [5] In the same:
Wherefore hast Thou created in vain the sons of man? where are Thy former mercies? (Ps. 89:47, 49).
“To create the sons of man” signifies to reform through Divine truth; “the sons of man” are those who are in Divine truths, thus, abstractly, Divine truths.
sRef Ps@102 @15 S6′ sRef Ps@102 @18 S6′ sRef Ps@102 @16 S6′ [6] In the same:
The nations shall fear the name of Jehovah, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory, because Jehovah hath built up Zion. This shall be written for the generation to come; and a people that shall be created shall praise Jah (Ps. 102:15, 16, 18). This treats of reformation; “the nations that shall fear the name of Jehovah” mean those who are in good; and “the kings of the earth” those who are in truths from good; “to build up Zion” signifies to establish the church, “Zion” meaning the church “the people that shall be created and shall praise Jah” signifies all those who are reformed.
sRef Ps@104 @28 S7′ sRef Ps@104 @30 S7′ [7] In the same:
Thou givest to them, they gather; Thou openest Thine hand, they are satisfied with good. Thou sendest forth Thy spirit, they are created; and Thou renewest the faces of the earth (Ps. 104:28, 30).
It is plain here that “to create” means to reform; for “Jehovah giveth to them, they gather,” signifies that they receive the truths that are given by the Lord; “Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good,” signifies that they receive the good that flows in from the Lord; “Thou sendest forth Thy spirit, they are created,” signifies that in respect to the life they are reformed according to Divine truth; “and Thou renewest the faces of the earth” signifies the establishment of the church.
sRef Isa@40 @28 S8′ sRef Isa@40 @26 S8′ [8] In Isaiah:
Lift up your eyes on high, and see; who hath created these? He that bringeth out their host in number, that calleth them all by name: God from eternity; Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, wearieth not (Isa. 40:26, 28).
This also treats of reformation, which is signified by “creating;” “the host that Jehovah doth bring out” signifies all truths and goods; “to call by name” signifies reception according to each one’s quality; “to create the ends of the earth” signifies to establish the church, thus to reform those who are therein.
sRef Ezek@28 @15 S9′ sRef Ezek@28 @13 S9′ [9] In Ezekiel:
Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering; in the day that thou wast created they were prepared. Thou wast perfect in thy ways in* the day that thou wast created, until perversity was found in thee (Ezek. 28:13, 15).
This is said of the king of Tyre, by whom those who are in truths and through truths are in good are signified; of such it is said that they “have been in the garden of God, and that every precious stone was their covering;” “garden of God” signifies intelligence, and the “precious stones” here named signify the knowledges of truth and good; these are called a “covering” because they are in the natural man, and the natural man covers the spiritual; these are said to have “been prepared in the day that they were created,” that is, in the day that they were reformed. This makes clear what is signified by “thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day thou wast created.”
sRef Isa@4 @5 S10′ [10] In Isaiah:
Jehovah will create over every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud by day, and the brightness of a flame of fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a covering (Isa. 4:5).
“Zion” signifies the church in respect to the Word; the internal or spiritual sense of the Word in respect to good is meant by its “dwelling place;” the external or literal sense in respect to truths is meant by “the cloud by day,” and in respect to good by “the brightness of the flame of fire by night.” Because this sense covers and hides the spiritual sense it is called “a covering over all the glory,” “glory” meaning the spiritual sense; these are said to be “created” because they are the truths of heaven and the church.
sRef Mal@2 @10 S11′ [11] In Malachi:
Hath not one God created us? wherefore do we act perfidiously? (Mal. 2:10).
Here “hath created us” signifies hath reformed that they might be a church; therefore it is said, “wherefore do we act perfidiously?”
sRef Isa@42 @5 S12′ [12] In Isaiah:
Thus said God Jehovah, He hath created the heavens, and spreadeth them out; He that stretcheth out the earth; He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein (Isa. 42:5).
“Creating the heavens and spreading them out” and “stretching out the earth” signifies to reform; “the heavens” signify both the heavens and the internals of the church; for the internals of the church are the heavens with the men that are in them; “the earth” signifies the external of the church, which is said to be “spread out” and “stretched out” when truths from good are multiplied. It is plain that reformation by truths is signified, for it is said, “He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.”
sRef Isa@45 @12 S13′ sRef Isa@45 @18 S13′ [13] In the same:
Jehovah, creating the heavens, forming the earth and making it; He hath not created it a void. He formed it to be inhabited (Isa. 45:12, 18).
“The heavens,” “the earth,” and “to create” have a like signification here as in the passage adduced above; “He hath not created it a void” signifies that it is not without truth and good, in which those are that have been reformed; lack of these is a void; “He hath formed it to be inhabited” signifies that they should live according to good and truth and from them, for “to inhabit” signifies to live.
sRef Isa@65 @17 S14′ sRef Isa@65 @18 S14′ [14] In the same:
Behold, I create a new heaven and a new earth. Rejoice and exult for ever in that which I create; behold, I will create Jerusalem an exultation, and her people a joy (Isa. 65:17-18).
“To create a new heaven and a new earth” does not mean a visible heaven and a habitable earth, but a new church, internal and external; “heaven” meaning the internal of the church, and “earth” its external. (What the internal of the church is, and what the external, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 246.) It is therefore said, “Behold, I will create Jerusalem an exultation, and her people a joy;” “Jerusalem” is the church, “exultation” its delight from good, and “joy” its delight from truth.
sRef Gen@1 @2 S15′ sRef Gen@1 @3 S15′ sRef Gen@1 @1 S15′ sRef Gen@1 @27 S15′ [15] “The new heavens and the new earth” in the same prophet (Isa. 66:22), and in Revelation (21:1) have a like signification; also the following in the first chapter of Genesis:
In the beginning Jehovah created heaven and earth. And the earth was void and empty; and darkness was upon the faces of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the faces of the earth.** And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them (Gen. 1:1-3, 27).
This treats of the establishment of the first church on this earth; the reformation of the men of that church in respect to their internal and their external is meant in this chapter by the creation of the heaven and the earth. That previously there was no church, because men were without good and truth, is signified by “the earth was void and empty;” and that they were previously in dense ignorance and also in falsities, is signified by “darkness was upon the faces of the deep;” their first enlightenment is signified by “the spirit of God moved upon the faces of the waters,” and by “God said, Let there be light, and there was light;” “the spirit of God” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and “to move upon the faces of the waters” signifies illustration; the like is signified by “light;” “and there was light” signifies the reception of Divine truth; “God created man into His own image” signifies so that man might be in the love of good and truth, and might correspond to heaven as a likeness of it, since the love of good and truth is “an image of God;” therefore also the angelic heaven is “an image of God;” consequently the angelic heaven in the Lord’s sight is as one man (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 59-102).
“Male and female created He them” signifies that He reformed them in respect to truth and good, “male” means truth, and “female” good. This makes clear that this and the following chapter describe not the creation of heaven and earth, but the new creation or reformation of the men of the first church, and that like things are meant by “the new heaven and the new earth” and their “creation” in the passages cited just above.
sRef John@1 @14 S16′ sRef John@1 @3 S16′ sRef John@1 @10 S16′ sRef John@1 @4 S16′ sRef John@1 @9 S16′ sRef John@1 @5 S16′ sRef John@1 @2 S16′ sRef John@1 @1 S16′ [16] That “creation” in the Word signifies the reformation and establishment of the church, which is effected by means of the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord, is plain from the following. In John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that hath been made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness apprehended it not. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man coming into the world. The world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory (John 1:1-5, 9-10, 14).
“The Word” means here the Lord in respect to Divine truth; that all things were created by Divine truth is meant by “All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that hath been made;” also by “the world was made by Him.” Since “the Word” means the Lord in respect to Divine truth it is said, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men; that it was the true light,” “light” signifying Divine truth, and “life” all intelligence and wisdom from Divine truth; for this constitutes man’s very life, and eternal life also is in accordance therewith. The Lord’s presence with everyone with His Divine truth, from which are life and light, is meant by “the light shineth in the darkness, and lighteth every man coming into the world;” but that those who are in the falsities of evil do not perceive it, thus do not receive it, is meant by “the darkness apprehended it not,” and by “the world knew Him not;” for “darkness” signifies the falsities of evil. It is very plain that it is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human that is here meant by “the Word,” for it is said, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,” “glory” also signifying the Divine truth. (That all things were created by Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, which is here meant by “the Word,” see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 137, 139; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 263.) This also makes clear that “to make” or “to create” here also signifies to make man new, or to reform him; for here, like as in the book of Genesis, “light” is immediately mentioned, which signifies Divine truth proceeding, by which all are reformed (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 49).
* For “in the day” the Hebrew has “from the day,” as found in Arcana Coelestia, n. 114.
** For “earth” the Hebrew has “waters,” as found in Arcana Coelestia, n. 17, etc.

sRef Rev@4 @11 S0′ 295. And by Thy will they are, and they were created, signifies that through Divine good they have being, and through Divine truth they have existence. This is evident from the signification of “will,” as being, in reference to the Lord, the Divine love; also from the signification of “are” [sunt] or “being” [esse], as the good of love, here the Divine good of the Divine love received (of which presently), also from the signification of “they were created,” or “being created,” as being Divine truth also received, thus those reformed by it. “To be created” signifies to have existence, because only those who have been reformed are said to have existence; for in them is life, and they have intelligence and wisdom; while those who are not reformed have no life in them, but spiritual death, neither have they intelligence and wisdom, but insanity and folly, therefore they are not said to have existence. Everything indeed, that appears to any of the senses is said to have existence, but this cannot be said of man spiritually unless he is in good and truth; for man is created that he may be living, intelligent, and wise; consequently when he is dead, insane, and foolish, to that extent he does not exist as a man. There are two things that cause man to be a man, namely, good and truth, both from the Lord; good is the esse of his life, but truth is the existere of life therefrom; for all truth has existence from good, since it is the form and therefore the quality of good; and since good is the esse of life, and truth is the existere of life therefrom, and “to be created” signifies to have existence, it is said, “by Thy will they are, and they were created.” This, then, is the spiritual in these words.
[2] “Will” in reference to the Lord means Divine love; because the Divine Itself, from which are all things, is the Divine love. The Lord, therefore, appears before the angels as a Sun, fiery and flaming, and this for the reason that in the spiritual world love appears as fire, consequently in reference to the Lord, heaven, and the church, “fire” in the Word signifies love. From that sun in the heavens heat and light proceed; and heat there is Divine good proceeding, and light is Divine truth proceeding. (This is more fully shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, On the Sun of Heaven, n. 116-125; and On Heat and Light in Heaven, n. 126-140.) And since the Divine Itself from which are all things is the Divine love, so “will” in reference to the Lord is Divine love, for what love itself wills, that is the good of love; the truth which is said to be of faith is merely a means that good may have existence, and that truth may afterwards exist from good. Will and understanding with man are from this origin, the will is the receptacle of the good of love with man, and the understanding is the receptacle of the truth of faith with him. The understanding is the medium by which the will may be reformed, and by which afterwards the will may appear in form, such as it is by means of the understanding. From this it is clear that the will is the esse of man’s life, and the understanding is the existere of life therefrom. (But this is also more fully shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, where the Will and Understanding are treated of, n. 28-35.)
sRef Matt@7 @21 S3′ sRef John@15 @7 S3′ sRef Matt@18 @14 S3′ sRef Matt@6 @10 S3′ sRef John@9 @31 S3′ [3] Because man’s will is his love, and God’s will is the Divine love, it can be seen what is meant in the spiritual sense by “doing the will of God” and “the will of the Father,” namely, that it is to love God above all things, and the neighbor as oneself. And as to love is to will, so it is also to do; for what a man loves, that he wills, and what he wills he also does. Therefore “doing the will of God” or “of the Father” means doing His commandments, or living according to them from the affection of love or charity. This is what is meant by “the will of God” and “of the Father” in the following passages. In John:
God heareth not sinners; but if anyone worship God and do His will, him He heareth (John 9:31).
In Matthew (that the one who does the will of the Father who is in the heavens shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens):
Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but He that doeth the will of My Father that is in the heavens (Matt. 7:21).
In the same:
Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, as in heaven so upon the earth (Matt. 6:10).
In the same:
It is not the will of the Father that one of these little ones should perish (Matt. 18:14).
“It is not His will that one of these little ones should perish” means evidently love. It is said “the will of the Father,” because “Father” means Divine good. In John:
If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you may ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you (John 15:7).
Whatsoever they will and ask shall be done for those who abide in the Lord and in whom His words abide, because they then will nothing except what the Lord gives them to will, and that is good, and good is from Him.
sRef Isa@60 @10 S4′ [4] The Lord’s will in the Old Testament is called His “good pleasure,” and this likewise means the Divine love; and to do His good pleasure or His will signifies to love God and the neighbor, thus to live according to the commandments of the Lord, since this is to love God and the neighbor, and this comes down from the Lord’s love. For no one can love the Lord and the neighbor except from the Lord; for this is the veriest good for man, and all good is from the Lord. That “good pleasure” has this signification is clear from the following passages. In Isaiah:
In My wrath I smote thee, but in My good pleasure have I had mercy on thee (Isa. 60:10).
“To smite in anger” signifies temptation; “in good pleasure to have mercy” signifies deliverance from love; “to have mercy” is to do good to the needy from love.
sRef Ps@69 @13 S5′ [5] In David:
My prayer is unto thee, O Jehovah, in the time of good pleasure; O God, for the greatness of Thy mercy answer me, in the truth of Thy salvation (Ps. 69:13).
“The time of Jehovah’s good pleasure” signifies acceptance from love; “time,” when said of men, signifies the existing state, but in reference to Jehovah, perpetual existing, thus His love, because this is perpetual. Hearing and help from love through the proceeding Divine which is the Divine truth, is signified by “for the greatness of Thy mercy answer me, in the truth of Thy salvation.”
sRef Isa@49 @8 S6′ [6] In Isaiah:
Jehovah said, In the time of My good pleasure have I answered thee, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee (Isa. 49:8).
Here also “the time of good pleasure,” that is, of will, signifies the Divine love; and “to answer” signifies to bring aid, and to benefit.
sRef Isa@61 @2 S7′ [7] In the same:
To proclaim the year of Jehovah’s good pleasure, to comfort all that mourn (Isa. 61:2).
This is said of the coming of the Lord; and “the year of Jehovah’s good pleasure” signifies the time and state of the men of the church, when from love they are to be succored, therefore it is also said, “to comfort all that mourn.”
sRef Ps@5 @12 S8′ [8] In David:
Thou dost bless the righteous; Thou wilt compass him with Thy good pleasure as with a shield (Ps. 5:12).
Here “good pleasure” stands plainly for the Divine love, from which the Lord protects everyone; protection by the Lord from love is signified by “Thou wilt compass him as with a shield.”
sRef Ps@145 @16 S9′ [9] In the same:
Jehovah openeth the hand and satisfieth every living thing with His good pleasure (Ps. 145:16);
“to open the hand” signifies to gift with good; and “to satisfy every living thing with good pleasure” signifies from love to enrich with Divine truth all who receive life from Him.
sRef Deut@33 @16 S10′ sRef Deut@33 @23 S10′ [10] In Moses:
Of the precious things of the earth and the fullness thereof and the good pleasure of Him that dwelleth in the thorn-bush, let them come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the head of the Nazarite of his brethren. O Naphtali, satisfied with the good pleasure and the blessings of Jehovah (Deut. 33:16, 23).
“Joseph” in the highest sense signifies the Lord in respect to the spiritual Divine; in the internal sense the spiritual kingdom; and in the external, salvation, the fructification of good, and the multiplication of truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417). This makes clear what is signified by Joseph’s having “of the precious things of the earth and the fullness thereof, and the good pleasure of Him that dwelleth in the thornbush;” “the precious things of the earth” are spiritual goods and truths therefrom belonging to the church; “the earth” is the church; the “good pleasure of Him that dwelleth in the thorn-bush” is the Lord’s Divine love of truth; the “thorn-bush” in which the Lord appeared to Moses signifies that Divine love; “the head of Joseph” signifies the wisdom of the internal man; and “the crown of the head of the Nazarite of his brethren” signifies the intelligence and knowledge [scientia] of the external man; “Naphtali” (named from wrestlings) signifies temptations and after them consolation and blessing from the Divine love, which is meant by “satisfied with the good pleasure and the blessing of Jehovah.”
sRef Isa@58 @7 S11′ sRef Isa@58 @5 S11′ [11] In Isaiah:
Wilt thou call this a fast, and the day of Jehovah’s good pleasure? Is it not to break thy bread to the hungry; and when thou seest the naked that thou cover him? (Isa. 58:5, 7).
That “Jehovah’s good pleasure,” in reference to men, signifies to live according to His commandments, which is to love God and the neighbor (as was said above) is evident; for it is said that “His good pleasure is to break the bread to the hungry, and to cover the naked;” “to break bread to the hungry” signifies from love to do good to the neighbor who desires good; and “to cover the naked” signifies to instruct in truths him who desires to be instructed.
sRef Ps@40 @8 S12′ aRef John@15 @14 S12′ sRef Ps@103 @21 S12′ sRef Ps@143 @10 S12′ [12] In David:
I delight in doing Thy good pleasure (that is, Thy will) O my God; and Thy law is in my bowels (Ps. 40: 8).
In the same:
Teach me to do Thy good pleasure; Thy good spirit shall lead me into the land of uprightness (Ps. 143:10).
In the same:
Bless ye Jehovah, all His hosts; ye ministers of His that do His good pleasure (Ps. 103:21).
To “do the good pleasure of Jehovah God” signifies to live according to His commandments; this is His good pleasure or His will, because from Divine love He wills that all should be saved, and by it they are saved. Moreover, in the Hebrew expression “good pleasure” also means will; for whatever is done according to the will is well pleasing, and the Divine love wills nothing else than that love from itself may be with angels and men, and His love is with them when they love to live according to His commandments. That this is to love the Lord He teaches in John 14:15, 21, 23, 24; 15:10, 14; 21:15-17).
sRef John@1 @13 S13′ sRef John@1 @12 S13′ [13] That “will” signifies love in a contrary sense, namely, the love of evil and the love of falsity, is evident in John:
As many as received Jesus, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, to them that believe in His name; who were born, not of bloods nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but from God (John 1:12, 13).
“To believe in the Lord’s name” signifies to live according to the commandments of His teaching; that “the Lord’s name” signifies all things by which He is worshiped, thus all things of love and faith, see above (n. 102, 135). “Not of bloods” signifies not in a life contrary to good and truth; “not of the will of the flesh” signifies not in a love of evil; “not of the will of man” [vir] signifies not in the love of falsity. (That “flesh,” in reference to man, means the voluntary that is man’s own [proprium voluntarium], thus evil, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 148, 149, 780, 999, 3813, 8409, 10283; and that man [vir] means the intellectual that is man’s own [proprium intellectuale], which is falsity, see n. 4823.)

sRef Rev@5 @1 S0′ 296. APOCALYPSE. CHAPTER 5

1. And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne a book written within and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.
2. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3. And no one was able, in heaven nor upon the earth nor under the earth, to open the book, neither to look thereon.
4. And I wept much, that no one was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
5. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
6. And I saw, and behold, in the midst of the throne, and of the four animals, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing as if slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
7. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne.
8. And when He had taken the book, the four animals and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one harps, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
9. And they were singing a new song, saying, Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for Thou wast slain, and didst redeem us to God in Thy blood, out of every tribe and tongue, and people and nation;
10. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign upon the earth.
11. And I saw, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the animals and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands;
12. Saying with a great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and honor, and glory, and blessing.
13. And every created thing that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might, unto the ages of the ages.
14. And the four animals said, Amen; and the four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages.

EXPOSITION.
Verse 1. And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne a book written within and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 1. “And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne,” signifies the Lord in respect to omnipotence and omniscience (n. 297, 298); “a book written within and on the back,” signifies the state of life of all in heaven and on the earth, in general and in particular (n. 299); “sealed up with seven seals,” signifies altogether hidden (n. 300).

sRef Rev@5 @1 S0′ sRef John@5 @22 S1′ sRef John@12 @48 S1′ sRef John@12 @47 S1′ sRef John@5 @27 S1′ 297. Verse 1. And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne, signifies the Lord in respect to omnipotence and omniscience. This is evident from the signification of “right hand,” as being, in reference to the Lord, omnipotence and also omniscience (of which presently); also from the signification of “Him that sat upon the throne,” as being the Lord in respect to Divine good in heaven; for in general “throne” signifies heaven, in particular the spiritual heaven, and abstractly Divine truth proceeding, from which heaven is, and by which judgment is effected (see above, n. 253). By “Him that sat upon the throne,” and also by “the Lamb,” that took the book from Him that sat upon the throne, the Lord is meant, because by “Him that sat upon the throne” the Lord in respect to Divine good is meant, and by “the Lamb” the Lord in respect to Divine truth. There are two things that proceed from the Lord as the sun of heaven, namely, Divine good and Divine truth. Divine good from the Lord is called “the Father in the heavens,” and is here meant by “Him that sat upon the throne;” and Divine truth from the Lord is called “the Son of man,” but here “the Lamb.” And because Divine good judges no one, but Divine truth judges, therefore it is here said that “the Lamb took the book from Him that sat upon the throne.” That Divine good judges no one, but Divine truth judges, is meant by the Lord’s words in John:
The Father doth not judge anyone, but hath given all judgment unto the Son; because He is the Son of man (John 5:22, 27).
“Father” means the Lord in respect to Divine good; “the Son of man,” the Lord in respect to Divine truth. Divine good “doth not judge anyone,” because it explores no one; but Divine truth judges, for it explores everyone. Yet it should be known, that neither does the Lord Himself judge anyone from the Divine truth that proceeds from Him, for this is so united to Divine good that they are one; but the man-spirit judges himself; for it is the Divine truth received by himself that judges him; but because the appearance is that the Lord judges, therefore it is said in the Word that all are judged by the Lord. This the Lord also teaches in John:
Jesus said, If any man hear My words and yet believe not, I judge him not; for I have not come to judge the world but to save the world. He that rejecteth Me and receiveth not My words hath one that judgeth him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day (John 12:47-48).
[2] For in respect to judgment, the case is this: The Lord is present with all, and from Divine Love He wills to save all, and He turns and leads all towards Himself. Those who are in good and in truths therefrom follow, for they apply themselves, but those who are in evil and in falsities therefrom do not follow, but turn backwards from the Lord, and to turn themselves backwards from the Lord is to turn from heaven to hell; for every man-spirit is either his own good and the truth therefrom, or his own evil and the falsity therefrom. He who is a good and the truth therefrom permits himself to be led by the Lord; but he who is an evil and the falsity therefrom does not permit himself to be led; he resists with all his strength and endeavor, for his will is toward his own love; for this love is his breath and life; therefore his desire is toward those who are in a like love of evil. From this it can be seen that the Lord does not judge anyone, but that Divine truth received judges to heaven those who have received Divine truth in the heart, that is, in love; and it judges to hell those who have not received Divine truth in the heart, and who have denied it. Thence it is clear what is meant by the Lord’s saying that “all judgment is given to the Son, because He is the Son of man,” and elsewhere, that “He came not to judge the world but to save the world,” and that the Word which He has spoken is to judge man.”
sRef Matt@25 @31 S3′ sRef Isa@6 @1 S3′ sRef Ezek@1 @26 S3′ [3] These, however, are truths that do not fall into man’s self-intelligence, for they are among the arcana of the wisdom of angels. (But the matter is somewhat elucidated in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 545-551, under the heading, The Lord casts no one into Hell, but the Spirit casts Himself Thither.) That it is the Lord who is meant by “Him that sat upon the throne,” and not another whom some distinguish from the Lord and call “God the Father,” can be seen by anyone from this, that the Divine that the Lord called “Father” was no other than His own Divine; for this took on the Human; consequently it was the Father of the Human; and that this Divine is infinite, eternal, uncreate, omnipotent, God, Lord, and in no way differing from the Divine Itself that some distinguish from Him and call the Father, can be seen from the received faith called Athanasian, where it is also said:
That no one of them is greatest or least, and no one of them first or last, but they are altogether equal; and that as is one, so is the other, infinite, eternal, uncreate, omnipotent, God, Lord; and yet there are not three infinites, but one; not three eternals, but one; not three uncreates, but one; not three omnipotents, but one; not three Gods and Lords, but one.
These things have been said that it may be known that by “Him that sat upon the throne” and “the Lamb,” also in what follows by “God” and “the Lamb,” not two, distinct from each other, are meant; but that by the one, Divine good is meant, and by the other, Divine truth in heaven, both proceeding from the Lord. That the Lord is meant by “Him that sat upon the throne,” is clear also from the particulars of chapter 4 preceding, where the throne and One sitting thereon are treated of (which may be seen explained, n. 258-295); and still further in Matthew:
When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory (Matt. 25:31; 19:28-29).
Also in Ezekiel:
Above the expanse that was over the head of the cherubim was as it were the appearance of a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne; and upon the likeness of the throne a likeness as the appearance of a man sitting upon it (Ezek. 1:26; 10:1).
And in Isaiah:
I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filling the temple (Isa. 6:1).
sRef Rev@22 @1 S4′ sRef Rev@22 @2 S4′ sRef Rev@3 @21 S4′ sRef Rev@5 @6 S4′ [4] Since by “throne” heaven is signified, and by “Him that sat upon the throne” the Lord in respect to His Divine in heaven, it is said above, in chapter 3:
He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit with Me on My throne (Rev. 3:21);
signifying that he shall be in heaven where the Lord is (see above, n. 253); and therefore in what follows in this chapter it is said:
I saw, and behold in the midst of the throne a Lamb standing (Rev. 5:6);
and in chapter 22:
He showed me a river of water of life, going forth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1).
“The throne of God and of the Lamb” means heaven and the Lord there in respect to Divine good and as to Divine truth; “God” meaning the Lord in respect to Divine good; and “the Lamb,” the Lord in respect to Divine truth. A distinction is here made between the two, because there are those that receive the one more than the other. Those that receive Divine truth in good are saved; but those that receive Divine truth (which is the Word) not in good are not saved, since all Divine truth is in good and not elsewhere; consequently those that do not receive it in good reject it and deny it, if not openly yet tacitly, and if not with the mouth yet with the heart; for the heart of such is evil, and evil rejects. To receive Divine truth in good is to receive it in the good of charity; for those who are in that good receive.

sRef Rev@5 @1 S0′ 298. “Right hand,” in reference to the Lord, signifies both omnipotence and omniscience, for the reason that in heaven the south is on the right and the north on the left; and the “south” signifies Divine truth in light, and the “north” Divine truth in shade; and as Divine good has all power through Divine truth, “right hand” in reference to the Lord signifies omnipotence, and as Divine good has all intelligence and wisdom through Divine truth, and to the right in heaven Divine truth is in light (as was said), so “right hand” in reference to the Lord also signifies omniscience. (That in heaven the south is on the right, and there Divine truth is in light, and those who are there are in intelligence and wisdom; and that the north is on the left, and Divine truth there is in shade, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, where The Four Quarters in Heaven are treated of, n. 141-153; that all power is from Divine good through Divine truth, see the same work, where The Power of the Angels of Heaven is treated of, n. 228-233; then that all intelligence and wisdom is also from Divine good through Divine truth, see the same work, where The Wisdom of the Angels of Heaven is treated of, n. 265-275; and the Wise and Simple in Heaven, n. 346-356.)
sRef Ps@89 @13 S2′ sRef Ps@89 @14 S2′ sRef Ps@89 @12 S2′ [2] That “right hand” in reference to the Lord signifies both omnipotence and omniscience, and in reference to men power and wisdom, can be seen from the following passages. In David:
The north and the right hand Thou hast created them; Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in Thy name. Thou hast an arm with might; strong is Thy hand; Thy right hand shall be exalted. Justice and judgment are the support of Thy throne; mercy and truth shall stand together before Thy faces (Ps. 89:12-14).
Here the “right hand” plainly means the south, for it is said, “the north and the right hand Thou hast created,” and the “south” signifies Divine truth in light; thus in the highest sense, which treats of the Lord, it signifies omnipotence and omniscience, which Divine good has through Divine truth (as was said above). Because both omnipotence and omniscience are signified, it is said, “Tabor and Hermon,” “justice and judgment,” “mercy and truth.” By “Tabor and Hermon” those in Divine good and those in Divine truth are signified; by “justice and judgment,” and in a like manner by “mercy and truth,” Divine good and Divine truth are signified; the two together signify in the spiritual sense Divine good through Divine truth. Omnipotence and omniscience, which Divine good has through Divine truth, are signified by “Thou hast an arm with might,” and by “strong is Thy hand; Thy right hand shall be exalted.”
sRef Ps@137 @5 S3′ [3] In the same:
If I shall forget thee, O Jerusalem, let My right hand forget (Ps. 137:5).
“Jerusalem” signifies the church in respect to the doctrine of Divine truth; and the “right hand of Jehovah,” Divine truth in light, since (as was said above) those are at the right hand of the Lord in heaven who are in light and in wisdom from Divine truth; thence it is evident why it is said, “If I shall forget thee, O Jerusalem, let My right hand forget.”
sRef Ps@73 @22 S4′ sRef Ps@73 @24 S4′ sRef Ps@73 @23 S4′ [4] In the same:
Behold, I am brutish, I know not. But I am continually with Thee; Thou hast held my right hand. Thou leadest me in Thy counsel, and afterwards receivest me with glory (Ps. 73:22-24).
Since “right hand,” in reference to man, signifies wisdom from Divine truth, it is said, “I am brutish, I know not. Thou leadest me in Thy counsel, and afterwards receivest me with glory,” “to lead in counsel” meaning to lead by Divine truth, and “to receive with glory” meaning to make blessed with intelligence; “glory” in reference to the Lord signifying Divine truth and Divine wisdom, but in reference to man intelligence therefrom.
sRef Ps@121 @5 S5′ sRef Ps@121 @6 S5′ [5] In the same:
Jehovah is thy keeper; Jehovah is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night (Ps. 121:5, 6).
“To be a shade on the right hand” signifies to be a defense against evil and falsity. “Shade” stands here for a shady place to preserve from hurt, and “right hand” for power and wisdom from Divine truth, which would be hurt by evil and falsity unless the Lord defended. Because this is what is signified it is said, “the sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night,” the “sun” here signifying the love of self and thence all evil, and the “moon” the falsity of evil. (That this is the signification of “sun” and “moon” see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 122, 123; and Arcana Coelestia, n. 2441, 7078, 8487, 9755, 10130, 10189, 10420, 10702.)
sRef Ps@80 @17 S6′ [6] In the same:
Let Thy hand, O Jehovah, be over the man of Thy right hand, over the son of man whom Thou hast made strong for Thyself (Ps. 80:17).
“Let Thy hand, O Jehovah,” means guard by omnipotence and omniscience; “the man of the right hand,” who is guarded, signifies one who is wise; and “the son of man,” one who is intelligent, each through Divine truth.
sRef Ps@45 @3 S7′ sRef Ps@45 @9 S7′ sRef Ps@45 @4 S7′ [7] In the same:
Gird the sword upon the thigh, O mighty One, with Thy splendor and in Thine honor; in Thine honor mount, ride on the Word of truth, of gentleness, and of righteousness; Thy right hand shall teach Thee wonderful things. Kings’ daughters are among Thy precious ones; on Thy right hand shall stand the queen in the best gold of Ophir (Ps. 45:3-4, 9).
These things are said of the Lord. “To gird the sword upon the thigh” signifies Divine truth combating from Divine good; therefore it is said, “O mighty One, with Thy splendor and in Thine honor,” “splendor” signifying Divine truth, and “honor” Divine good (see above, n. 131, 288). It is also said, “in Thine honor mount, ride on the Word of truth,” “in honor to mount” signifying to combat from Divine good, and “to ride upon the Word of truth” signifying to combat from Divine truth, thus from Divine good through Divine truth. The Lord’s omnipotence and omniscience are signified by “Thy right hand shall teach Thee wonderful things;” “kings’ daughters, who are among the precious ones” signify the affections of truth; and “the queen who is on the right hand in the best gold of Ophir” signifies heaven and the church and those therein who are in truths from good; the “right hand” meaning truth in light, and “gold of Ophir” the good of love.
sRef Ps@110 @5 S8′ sRef Ps@110 @1 S8′ [8] In the same:
The saying of Jehovah to my Lord, Sit thou at My right hand until I shall make thine enemies a stool for thy feet. The Lord at thy right hand hath stricken through kings in the day of His anger (Ps. 110:1, 5; Matt. 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42-43).
It is known that these things were said of the Lord; they are a description of the Lord’s combats, in the world against the hells, and their subjugation which was effected from Divine good through Divine truth; “right hand” here signifies Divine truth; it is therefore said “until I shall make thine enemies a stool for thy feet;” “enemies” signifying the hells; “making them a stool for thy feet” signifying to subjugate altogether; “the Lord at thy right hand hath stricken through kings in the day of His anger” has a like signification; “day of anger” being a state of combat, and “kings” those who are in falsities from evil. That the Lord, when He was in the world, put on Divine truth from Divine good, and that He thereby subjugated the hells and disposed all things in heaven into order, see Last Judgment (n. 46); and in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem (n. 293-294, 301, 303).
sRef Matt@26 @63 S9′ sRef Mark@16 @19 S9′ sRef Matt@26 @64 S9′ [9] In the gospels:
Jesus said, Henceforth shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power (Matt. 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69);
and in Mark:
The Lord after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19).
“To sit at the right hand of power,” and “at the right hand of God” signifies the omnipotence and omniscience which the Lord has from Divine good through Divine truth.
sRef Isa@41 @10 S10′ sRef Isa@41 @13 S10′ [10] In Isaiah:
I have strengthened thee, yea, I have helped thee, [yea, I have upheld thee,] by the right hand of My righteousness. I, Jehovah God strengthening thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I help thee (Isa. 41:10, 13).
“I have strengthened thee, yea, I have helped thee” signifies to give power and intelligence by omnipotence and omniscience, which are from Divine good through Divine truth; it is therefore said, “I have upheld thee by the right hand of My righteousness,” “right hand” signifying Divine truth, and “righteousness” Divine good; the power and wisdom that man has by these is signified by “strengthening thy right hand.” Since both, namely, the omnipotence and omniscience which the Lord has from Divine good through Divine truth are here meant, He is called “Jehovah God;” for the Lord is called “Jehovah” from Divine good, and “God” from Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 709, 732, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4287, 4402, 7010, 9167).
sRef Isa@45 @1 S11′ [11] In the same:
Jehovah said to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before Him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open doors before Him, that the gates may not be shut (Isa. 45:1).
“Cyrus” in the representative sense is the Lord. The Lord’s omnipotence and omniscience from Divine good through Divine truth, by which in the world He subjugated all the hells, and thereafter keeps them subjugated forever, is signified by “whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him, and I will loose the loins of kings;” also by “to open doors before him that the gates may not be shut;” “the nations to be subdued before Him” signify the hells in respect to evils; and “the king whose loins He should loose,” signify the hells in respect to falsities; “the doors open before Him, that the gates may not be shut,” signifies that by omniscience all things are manifest to Him, and that by omnipotence He has power to save.
sRef Ps@18 @35 S12′ sRef Ps@118 @16 S12′ sRef Rev@1 @16 S12′ sRef Isa@62 @8 S12′ sRef Ps@118 @15 S12′ sRef Isa@48 @13 S12′ sRef Ps@16 @8 S12′ sRef Ps@48 @10 S12′ [12] “The right hand” signifies the omniscience and omnipotence that the Lord has from Divine good through Divine truth also in the following passages. In David:
Jehovah is always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved (Ps. 16:8).
In the same:
O God, Thy right hand sustaineth me (Ps. 18:35).
In the same:
O God, Thy hand is full of righteousness (Ps. 48:10).
In Isaiah:
My hand hath founded the earth, and My right hand hath spanned the heavens (Isa. 48:13).
In the same:
God hath sworn by His right hand and by the arm of His strength (Isa. 62:8).
In Revelation:
The Son of man, having in His right hand the seven stars (Rev. 1:16).
In David:
The right hand of Jehovah doeth valiantly; the right hand of Jehovah has been exalted (Ps. 118:15-16).
sRef Matt@25 @34 S13′ sRef Matt@25 @33 S13′ sRef Mark@16 @5 S13′ sRef Luke@1 @11 S13′ sRef Mark@16 @6 S13′ [13] As “right hand,” in reference to angels and men, means the wisdom and intelligence that they have from Divine good through Divine truth proceeding from the Lord.
So there appeared to Zechariah the angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense (Luke 1:11);
And an angel was seen in the tomb where the Lord had been, sitting on the right side (Mark 16:5-6);
And for the same reason the sheep are said to have been set on the right hand, and the goats on the left (Matt. 25:33-34 seq.);
“sheep” here being those who are in truths from good, or in the faith of truth from the good of charity; and “goats” being those who are in faith without charity, which faith is called faith alone, and regarded in itself is no faith. sRef Ex@29 @20 S14′ [14] Because of this signification of “right hand” when Aaron and his sons were inaugurated into the priesthood:
Blood was sprinkled upon their right ear and upon their right hand, and upon the great toe of the right foot (Exod. 29:20);
“blood” here signifying Divine truth from Divine good; “the right ear” the ability to perceive truth from good; “the right hand” and “the right foot” understanding and power of truth from good in the internal or spiritual man and in the external or natural man; and “great toe” fullness.
sRef Ps@89 @42 S15′ sRef Ps@144 @11 S15′ sRef Isa@44 @20 S15′ sRef Ps@144 @8 S15′ sRef Rev@13 @16 S15′ [15] As most expressions in the Word have also a contrary sense, so has “right hand,” which in that sense signifies falsity from evil, and its reasoning and combat against truth from good. As in David:
Thou hast exalted the right hand of his adversaries (Ps. 89:42).
Whose mouth speaketh vanity and their right hand is a right hand of a lie (Ps. 144:8, 11).
In Isaiah:
That he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? (Isa. 44:20).
In Revelation:
They who should receive the mark of the beast on the right hand or on the forehead (Rev. 13:16; 14:9).
The “right hand” in reference to evil, signifies falsity, and consequent reasoning and combat against truth, because with those who are in evil and with those who are in good the quarters are opposite; therefore to the right hand of those in evil truths are in dense darkness, but falsities, as it were, in the greatest light. (That in the spiritual world with those who are in evil and with those who are in good the quarters are opposite, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 151-152; and why, n. 122-123.)

sRef Rev@5 @1 S0′ 299. A book written within and on the back, signifies the state of life of all in heaven and on the earth, in general and in particular. This is evident from the signification of “book,” here the “book of life,” as being what the Lord inscribes or implants in the spirit of man, that is, in the heart and soul, or what is the same, in his love and faith (of which see above, n. 199); therefore “the book” here signifies the states of life of all in heaven and on the earth, and “written” signifies what is implanted by the Lord (that to “write” signifies to implant, see also above, n. 222). Also from the signification of “within and on the back,” as being what is in the heart and soul, or in the love and faith; for with man and spirit love is within, because it makes his life; but faith, unless it is in his love, is not within him, but behind or “at the back;” for faith that is faith makes altogether one with the love, since what a man loves is of his faith, but what he does not love is not of his faith. That which one thinks from memory and teaches from doctrine, appears, indeed, to be faith; but if this be loved only from a natural, not from a spiritual love, it is merely the sight of the thought of the external man, which sight counterfeits faith; but such faith, since it is destitute of life, until it is implanted in the internal man and its love, is not in man but behind him, or at his back. Faith implanted in the internal man and its love is believing and loving the truth because it is truth, and not loving it chiefly for the sake of a reputation for learning, and honor or gain therefrom. From this it can be seen what is signified by “written within and on the back.”
[2] What is treated of in this chapter is, that the Lord only, and no one but the Lord, knows the states of life of all in general and of each one in particular. This is representatively depicted by “a book written which no one was able to open and read, neither to look thereon, except the Lamb,” that is, the Lord. No one knows this but the Lord alone, because He is the only God, and because He formed the angelic heaven after His own image, and man after the image of heaven; for this reason He knows all things of heaven in general, and He who knows all things of heaven in general knows also every one in particular; for a man who is in truths from good, as well as an angel, is an image of heaven, since he is a form of heaven. From this it also follows that no one but he who knows the general state of all knows the state of anyone in particular, for the one is inseparably connected with the other. (But as these things cannot be described in a few words, see what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, where they are more distinctly and clearly described, in the following articles: The Divine of the Lord makes Heaven, n. 7-12; Every Angel is a Heaven in the Least Form, n. 51-55; The whole Heaven in the Complex has reference to one Man, n. 59-67; likewise each Society there, n. 68-72; Every Angel, therefore, is in a perfect Human Form, n. 73-77; From the Divine Human of the Lord it is that Heaven in the Whole and in Part has reference to Man, n. 78-86; There is a Correspondence of all Things of Heaven with all Things of Man, n. 87-102; On the Conjunction of Heaven with Mankind, n. 291-302.)
sRef Rev@6 @14 S3′ sRef Isa@34 @4 S3′ sRef Ps@40 @7 S3′ sRef Ezek@2 @10 S3′ sRef Ezek@2 @9 S3′ [3] It is to be observed that here and elsewhere in the Word a “book” is mentioned, meaning thereby a roll [volumen]; for in ancient times they wrote upon parchments, which were rolled up, and the parchment was called a “book” and the “roll of a book,” as can also be seen in the Word; thus in Ezekiel:
I looked, when behold, a hand was put forth unto me; and lo, the roll of a book was therein, written in front and behind (Ezek. 2:9-10).
And in David:
Then said I, Lo, I am come; in the roll of the book it is written of Me (Ps. 40:7).
For this reason it is said in Isaiah:
All the host of the heavens shall waste away, and the heavens shall be rolled up as a scroll (Isa. 34:4).
Likewise in Revelation:
Heaven was removed, as a book that is rolled up (Rev. 6:14).
From this it can be known how the book that John saw was “written within and on the back.”

sRef Rev@5 @1 S0′ 300. Sealed up with seven seals, signifies altogether hidden, namely, the state of life of all in heaven and on the earth. This is evident from the signification of “sealed with seals,” as being to be hidden, for what is contained in a book sealed up with seals no one knows until it is opened and read; also from the signification of “seven,” as being all persons and all things, also what is full and entire (see above, n. 257); thus also altogether, because this means fully and wholly.

sRef Rev@5 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@5 @3 S0′ 301. Verses 2, 3. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no one was able, in heaven nor upon the earth nor under the earth, to open the book, neither to look thereon. 2. “And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice,” signifies the influx of the Lord into heaven (n. 302); “who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?” signifies is there anyone there who is such as to know and perceive the states of life of all (n. 303)? “And no one was able, in heaven nor upon the earth nor under the earth, to open the book, neither to look thereon,” signifies manifestation that no one knows and perceives of himself anything whatever of the state of life of all in general, and of each in particular (n. 304).

sRef Rev@5 @2 S0′ 302. Verse 2. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, signifies exploration by the influx of the Lord into heaven. This is evident from the signification of a “strong angel,” as being heaven (of which presently); also from the signification of “proclaiming with a great voice,” as being exploration by the influx of the Lord, namely, exploration whether anyone is able to know the states of life of all in heaven and on the earth in general and in particular, for this is what is here treated of. This is signified by “proclaiming,” and the influx of the Lord is signified by “a great voice;” for “voice,” in reference to the Lord, signifies every truth of the Word, of doctrine, and of faith from Him; and in reference to heaven and the church, it signifies every thought and affection thence; and since everything true and good that angels in heaven and men in whom the church is, think and are affected by, is from the influx of the Lord, this is what is here signified by “a great voice.” For it is well known, that no one from the love of good can be affected by good, and from the love of truth can think truth, of himself, but that this flows in from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord; and because this is so, “a great voice” signifies the influx of the Lord. (That “voice” in the Word signifies the truth of the Word, of doctrine, and of faith, also everything announced in the Word, see above, n. 261, and Arcana Coelestia, n. 3563, 6971, 8813, 9926; and that it signifies the interior affection of truth and good, and thought therefrom, n. 10454.) A “strong angel” signifies heaven because the whole angelic heaven before the Lord is as one man, or as one angel, likewise each society of heaven; therefore by “angel” in the Word an angel is not meant, but an entire angelic society, as by “Michael,” “Gabriel,” “Raphael.” Here, therefore, “a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice” signifies the influx of the Lord into the whole heaven. That it is into the whole heaven is clear from what follows, for it is said, “And no one was able, in heaven nor upon the earth, neither under the earth, to open the book and to look thereon.” (That “angels” in the Word mean entire societies of heaven, and in the highest sense the Lord in respect to Divine truth proceeding, see above, n. 90, 130, 200; and that The Whole Heaven before the Lord is as One Man, or as One Angel, and also every Society of Heaven, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 59-87.)

sRef Rev@5 @2 S0′ 303. Who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof? signifies, is there anyone there such as to know and to perceive the states of life of all? This is evident from the signification of “Who is worthy?” as being, is there anyone who has merit and righteousness, and who has omniscience, thus whether there is any such? That “worthy,” in reference to the Lord, signifies merit and righteousness, which belong to Him alone, see above (n. 293). And that omniscience is signified is clear from what follows, where it is said, “the Lamb took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne, and opened it;” for “right hand” signifies omniscience and omnipotence (see above, n. 297); it is evident also from the signification of the “book,” as being the states of life of all in general and in particular (of which see just above, n. 299); and also from the signification of “to open the book and to loose the seals thereof,” as being to know and perceive; for when the “book” signifies the states of life of all, “to open and to loose the seals” signifies to know and perceive those states; for knowing and perceiving are predicated of the state of life, but opening and loosening seals relate to a book; thus the words in the internal sense conform to the things signified by the words in the sense of the letter, for they correspond; therefore, “to open” signifies to know, and “to loose the seals” signifies to perceive what is altogether hidden from others (as above, n. 300).

sRef Rev@5 @3 S0′ 304. Verse 3. And no one was able, in heaven nor upon the earth, nor under the earth, to open the book, neither to look thereon, signifies manifestation that no one knows and perceives of himself anything whatever of the state of life of all in general, and of each one in particular. This is evident from the signification of “And no one was able to open the book, neither to look thereon,” as being that no one of himself knows and perceives the states of the life of all in general and of each one in particular (of which see just above, n. 303); also from the signification of “in heaven nor upon the earth nor under the earth,” being that no one anywhere has such knowledge, not even in the slightest degree; for “in heaven, upon the earth, and under the earth,” means the three heavens; and by all who are there heaven in its entire complex is meant. And as heaven is heaven from the Divine truth that flows in from the Lord and is received by the angels, and not at all from any self-intelligence of the angels, for this is no intelligence, so the same words signify that no one has any knowledge or perception whatever from himself. That angels in heaven as well as men in the world have a selfhood [proprium], which regarded in itself is nothing but evil, see in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 592), and as evil receives nothing of intelligence and wisdom, it follows that angels equally with men understand nothing at all of truth from themselves, but solely from the Lord. Angels are such for the reason that all angels are from the human race, and every man retains after death what is his own [suum proprium], and angels are withheld from the evils that pertain to what is their own [proprii eorum] and are kept in goods by the Lord. (That all angels are from the human race, and not one is created such from the beginning, see in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 14-22; and that they are all withheld from evil, and kept in good by the Lord, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 166.)
[2] “In heaven,” “upon the earth,” and “under the earth,” signify the three heavens, because the angels that are in the third or highest heaven dwell upon mountains; and those that are in the second or middle, upon hills; and those that are in the first or lowest, in plains and valleys below these. For in the spiritual world, where the spirits and angels are, it is just as it is in the natural world where men are, that is, there are lands, hills, and mountains; and in appearance the resemblance is such that there is no difference at all; therefore men after death scarcely know otherwise than that they are still living on the earth, and when the privilege is granted them to look into our world, they see nothing dissimilar. Moreover, the angels who are in the lowest heaven call that heaven where the angels of the third heaven dwell, because it is high above them, and where they themselves dwell they call earth; moreover, the third or highest heaven, which is upon the mountains, does not appear, to those who are below or upon that earth, otherwise than as the highest region of the atmosphere covered with a thin bright cloud appears before us, thus as the sky appears to us. From this it can be seen what is here meant, specifically, by “in heaven,” “upon the earth,” and “under the earth.” (But more can be seen on this subject in the work on Heaven and Hell, where Appearances in Heaven are treated of, n. 170-176; and The Habitations and Dwelling Places of Angels, n. 183-189.)
[3] As men have not known that there is a like surface of the earth in both worlds, the natural and the spiritual, therefore they have not perceived otherwise when they have read the Word than that “heaven” and “earth” there mean the heaven visible before our eyes, and the earth inhabited by men; from this arose the belief in the destruction of heaven and earth, and the creation of a new heaven and a new earth at the day of the Last Judgment; when yet “heaven” and “earth” there mean the heaven and the earth where spirits and angels dwell, and in the spiritual sense the church with angels and with men (for there is a church with angels equally as with men, as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 221-227). It is said, in the spiritual sense, for an angel is not an angel, nor is a man a man, from the human form, which both have, but because of heaven and the church with them. This is why “heaven” and “earth,” where angels and men dwell, signify the church; “heaven” the internal church and also the church with angels, and “earth” the external church and also the church with men. But since it can only with difficulty be believed that “earth” in the Word means the church, because it is not yet known that in every particular of the Word there is a spiritual sense, whence a material idea adheres and keeps the thought fixed in the nearest meaning of the expression, I wish to illustrate and confirm it by a number of quotations.
sRef Isa@24 @4 S4′ sRef Isa@24 @20 S4′ sRef Isa@24 @6 S4′ sRef Isa@24 @21 S4′ sRef Isa@24 @5 S4′ sRef Isa@24 @16 S4′ sRef Isa@24 @11 S4′ sRef Isa@24 @3 S4′ sRef Isa@24 @1 S4′ sRef Isa@24 @13 S4′ sRef Isa@24 @18 S4′ sRef Isa@24 @19 S4′ [4] In Isaiah:
Behold, Jehovah maketh the earth empty and maketh it void, and He shall disfigure the faces thereof; in emptying the earth shall be emptied, and in spoiling it shall be spoiled; the habitable earth shall mourn and be confounded; the world shall be confounded; the earth shall be profaned under its inhabitants; therefore a malediction shall devour the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth shall be burnt up, and a man shall be rare. A shout over the wine in the streets; the gladness of the earth shall be banished; it shall be in the midst of the earth as the shaking of an olive tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is ended. From the uttermost part of the earth we have heard songs, Glory to the righteous. The floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth quake; in breaking the earth is broken, in rending the earth is rent asunder, in moving the earth is moved; in tottering the earth shall totter as one drunken; and it shall be moved to and fro as a veil; but it shall be in that day that Jehovah will visit upon the host of the height in the height, and upon the kings of the earth who are upon the earth (Isa. 24:1, 3-6, 11, 13, 16, 18-21).
Here it is very clear that “earth” does not mean the earth, but the church. Let the particulars be run over and considered. One who is in a spiritual idea does not think, when “earth” is mentioned, of the earth itself, but of the people on it and their quality; still more is this true of those who are in heaven; who, since they are spiritual, perceive that the church is meant. Here the church destroyed is treated of; its destruction in respect to the good of love and the truth of faith, which constitute it, is described by “Jehovah maketh the earth empty and maketh it void,” “in emptying the earth shall be emptied, in spoiling it shall be spoiled,” “it shall mourn and be confounded,” “it shall be profaned,” and “a malediction shall devour it;” “the floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of it quake;” “it is broken,” “it is rent asunder,” “it is moved,” “it shall totter as one drunken.” These things can be said neither of the earth, nor of any nation, but only of the church.
sRef Isa@13 @10 S5′ sRef Isa@13 @13 S5′ sRef Isa@13 @9 S5′ sRef Isa@13 @12 S5′ [5] In the same:
Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, to lay the earth waste; and He shall destroy the sinners out of it. For the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof do not cause their light to shine, the sun hath been darkened in its rising, and the moon maketh not bright her light. I will make a man more rare than fine gold; wherefore I will cause the heavens to tremble and the earth shall quake out of its place (Isa. 13:9-10, 12-13).
It is clear from the particulars understood in the spiritual sense, that “earth” here means the church. The end of the church is here treated of, when truth and good, or faith and charity, are no more. For “the stars and constellations that do not cause their light to shine,” signify the knowledges of truth and good; the “sun that has been darkened in its rising,” signifies love; the “moon that maketh not bright her light,” signifies faith; a “man made more rare than fine gold,” signifies intelligence and wisdom: this makes clear what is signified by “Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh to lay the earth waste. I will cause the heavens to tremble and the earth shall quake out of its place;” “the day of Jehovah” is the last end of the church, when there is the judgment; the “earth” is the church. It can be seen that the earth itself does not quake out of its place, but that the church is removed when love and faith are not. “To quake out of its place” signifies to be removed from its former state.
sRef Isa@28 @2 S6′ sRef Isa@28 @22 S6′ [6] In the same:
Behold, the Lord, as a deluge of hail, a storm of slaughter, as a deluge of mighty waters. He shall cast down to the earth with the hand. A consummation and decision I have heard from the Lord Jehovih of hosts upon the whole earth (Isa. 28:2, 22).
This is said of the day of judgment upon those who are of the church. The day of judgment, when the church is at an end is meant by “a consummation and decision I have heard from the Lord Jehovih of Hosts upon the whole earth;” it is therefore said “as a deluge of hail, a storm of slaughter, as a deluge of mighty waters. He shall cast down to the earth with the hand;” by “hail” and “a deluge of it” falsities that destroy the truths of the church are signified; by “slaughter,” and “a storm of it,” evils that destroy the goods of the church are signified; by “mighty waters” falsities of evil are signified. (That a “deluge” or “flood” signifies immersion into evils and falsities, and the consequent destruction of the church) see Arcana Coelestia, n. 660, 705, 739, 756, 790, 5725, 6853; the like is meant by “casting down to the earth,” or a violent rain.
sRef Isa@34 @10 S7′ sRef Isa@34 @9 S7′ [7] In the same:
The land shall become burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be desolate (Isa. 34:9-10).
“Burning pitch” signifies every evil springing from love of self, through which the church entirely perishes and is desolated; it is therefore said, “the land shall become burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be desolate.” Who does not see that such things are not said of the land itself?
sRef Isa@33 @9 S8′ [8] In the same:
The land mourneth and languisheth; Lebanon blusheth, and hath withered away (Isa. 33:9).
Here also the “land” means the church, which is said “to mourn” and “to languish” when falsities begin to be accepted and acknowledged in place of truths; it is therefore said, “Lebanon blusheth and hath withered away;” “Lebanon” signifying the like as “cedar,” namely, the truth of the church.
sRef Jer@4 @24 S9′ sRef Jer@4 @7 S9′ sRef Jer@4 @23 S9′ sRef Jer@4 @28 S9′ [9] In Jeremiah:
The lion is gone up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations hath gone forth from his place to make thy land a waste; thy cities shall be destroyed. I saw the earth, when lo, it was void and empty; and towards the heavens, and lo, they had no light. I saw the mountains, and lo, they quaked and all the hills are overturned. Jehovah said, The whole earth shall be a waste. For this shall the land mourn, and the heavens above be black (Jer. 4:7, 23-24, 27-28).
Here also the vastation of the church is treated of, which takes place when there are no longer truth and good, but falsity and evil in place of them. This vastation is described by “the lion going up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations going forth from his place;” “the lion” and “the destroyer of the nations” signifying falsity and evil, laying waste. The “mountains that quake,” and the “hills that are overturned,” signify love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor. This is the signification of “mountains” and “hills,” because those who are in love to the Lord dwell upon mountains in heaven, and those who are in charity towards the neighbor, upon hills (see what has been said above, also in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 188, and in the notes there, letter, original edition). “The heavens where there was no light, and that were black” signify the interiors of the men of the church, which, when closed by evils and falsities, do not admit light from heaven, but darkness from hell instead. From this it can be seen what is signified by “the lion and the destroyer of the nations making the land a waste;” so likewise by “I saw the earth, and lo, it was void and empty;” also by “the whole earth shall be a waste; for this shall the land mourn,” namely, that the earth is not meant, but the church.
sRef Jer@12 @4 S10′ sRef Jer@12 @13 S10′ sRef Jer@12 @11 S10′ sRef Jer@12 @12 S10′ [10] In the same:
How long shall the land mourn, and the herb of every field [wither]? for the evil of them that dwell therein the beasts shall be carried off, and the fowl. The whole land is made waste because no man layeth it to heart. Wasters are come upon all the bare heights in the wilderness; for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from one end of the land even to the other end of the land. They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns (Jer. 12:4, 11-13).
That the “land” here signifies the church is evident, from its being said that “the land shall mourn, and the herb of every field [wither],” and that “the beasts and the birds shall be carried off for the evil of them that dwell therein, and because no man layeth it to heart.” “The herb of every field” signifies every truth and good of the church, and the “beasts and the fowl” signify the affections of good and truth; and since the church is signified by the “land,” and it is here treated of as being vastated, it is said “wasters are come upon all the bare heights in the wilderness; for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from one end of the land even to the other end of the land. They have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns.” “The bare heights in the wilderness upon which the wasters came” signify the things that are of charity, “wilderness” meaning where there is no good because no truth; “the sword of Jehovah” signifies falsity destroying truth; “from one end of the land to the other end of the land” signifies all things of the church; “to sow wheat and reap thorns” signifies to take from the Word the truths of good and to turn them into the falsities of evil, “wheat” meaning the truths of good, and “thorns” the falsities of evil.
sRef Isa@32 @14 S11′ sRef Isa@32 @13 S11′ [11] In Isaiah:
Upon the ground of my people shall come up the thorn and briar; the palace shall be deserted; the multitude of the city shall be forsaken (Isa. 32:13-14).
The “thorn and briar that shall come up upon the ground” signify falsity and evil; the “palace that shall be deserted” signifies where good dwells; and the “multitude of the city that shall be forsaken” signifies where there are truths; for “city” signifies the doctrine of truth.
sRef Isa@7 @25 S12′ sRef Isa@7 @24 S12′ [12] In the same:
All the land shall be a place of briars and brambles; but as to all the mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe, there shall not come thither the fear of the briar and bramble; but there shall be the sending-forth of the ox and the trampling of the sheep (Isa. 7:24-25).
“Briars and brambles” signify falsity and evil; which makes evident what is signified by “all the land shall be a place of briars and brambles.” “The mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe” signify those who from the love of good do goods, that with them there shall be no falsity and evil, but good, natural as well as spiritual, is signified by “there shall not come thither the fear of the briar and bramble, but there shall be the sending forth of the ox, and the trampling of sheep;” that is, thither shall oxen be sent, and there the sheep shall trample, “ox” signifying natural good, and “sheep” spiritual good.
sRef Ezek@19 @7 S13′ sRef Ezek@19 @3 S13′ sRef Ezek@19 @2 S13′ [13] In Ezekiel:
Thy mother is a lioness; she couched among lions; one of her whelps went up; he desolated the cities; the land and the fullness thereof was made waste by the voice of his roaring (Ezek. 19:2-3, 7).
“Mother” signifies the church; a “lioness” and “lions” signify the power of evil and falsity against good and truth; the “roaring of the lion” signifies the lust of destroying and desolating; the “cities that he desolated” signify doctrine with its truths, which makes evident what is signified by “the land and the fullness thereof was laid waste,” namely, the whole church.
sRef Ezek@12 @20 S14′ sRef Ezek@12 @19 S14′ [14] In the same:
They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment, that the land may be laid waste from the fullness thereof, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein; and the cities that are inhabited shall be desolated, and the land shall be a waste (Ezek. 12:19-20).
Here “the land and the cities that shall be desolated and shall be a waste” have the same signification as above, namely, “the land” signifies the church, and “cities” doctrine with its truths; it is therefore said, “because of the violence of all them that dwell therein.” Since this is what is meant, it is first said that “they shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment,” “bread” and “water” in the Word signifying all the good of love and truth of faith (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9323), and “eating” and “drinking” signifying instruction and appropriation (n. 3168, 3513, 3832, 9412).
sRef Ps@18 @7 S15′ sRef Ps@18 @6 S15′ [15] In David:
I called upon Jehovah, and cried unto my God. Then the earth tottered and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled and tottered when He was wroth (Ps. 18:6-7).
Here the “earth” stands for the church, which is said to “totter and quake” when it is perverted by the falsification of truths; and then “the foundations of the mountains” are said “to tremble and totter,” for the goods of love, which are founded upon the truths of faith, vanish; “mountains” meaning the goods of love (as above), and their “foundations” the truths of faith; which also shows that the “earth” is the church.
sRef Ps@24 @1 S16′ sRef Ps@24 @2 S16′ [16] In the same:
The earth is Jehovah’s and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein; and He hath founded it upon the seas, He hath established it upon the rivers (Ps. 24:1, 2).
The “earth” and the “world” stand for the church, and “fullness” for all things thereof; the “seas upon which He hath founded it,” mean the knowledges of truth in general; the “rivers” doctrinals; because the church is founded on both of these, it is said that “He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.” That this cannot be said of the earth and the world is clear to anyone.
sRef Ps@46 @2 S17′ sRef Ps@46 @3 S17′ sRef Ps@46 @6 S17′ sRef Ps@46 @8 S17′ [17] In the same:
We will not fear, when the earth shall be changed, and when the mountains shall be moved in the heart of the seas, when the waters thereof are in tumult and do foam. The nations are in tumult, the kingdoms are moved, when He giveth forth His voice the earth shall dissolve (Ps. 46:2-3, 6).
The “earth” evidently means the church, since it is said “to be changed” and “to dissolve,” also that “the mountains shall be moved in the heart of the seas, and the waters thereof shall be in tumult,” and “the nations are in tumult and the kingdoms are moved.” “Mountains” signify (as above) the goods of love, which are said “to be moved in the heart of the seas” when the essential knowledges of truth are perverted; “waters” signify the truths of the church, which are said “to foam” when they are falsified; “nations” signify the goods of the church, and in a contrary sense, its evils; and “kingdoms” the truths of the church, and in a contrary sense, its falsities; and also those who are in the one and the other.”
sRef Ps@60 @1 S18′ sRef Ps@60 @2 S18′ [18] In the same:
O God, Thou hast cast us off; Thou hast been angry; bring back rest to us. Thou hast made the earth to quake, Thou hast broken it up; heal the breaches thereof, for it is moved (Ps. 60:1-2).
It can be seen that these things are said of the church, and not of the earth, for it is said, “Thou hast made the earth to quake, Thou hast broken it up; heal the breaches thereof, for it is moved;” and as “the earth” signifies the church, and here the church vastated, it is said, “O God, Thou hast cast us off, Thou hast been angry; bring back rest to us.”
sRef Isa@40 @23 S19′ sRef Ps@75 @2 S19′ sRef Isa@40 @22 S19′ sRef Isa@40 @21 S19′ sRef Ps@75 @3 S19′ [19] In the same:
When I shall receive the set time, I shall judge with uprightness. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof shall be dissolved; I will make firm the pillars of it (Ps. 75:23).
Here, likewise, the “earth” stands for the church, which is said to “dissolve” when the truths by which there is good fail; truths, because they support the church, are called its “pillars,” which God will make firm; it is not the pillars of the earth evidently that are made firm. As the restoration of the church is here described, it is said, “When I shall receive the set time, I shall judge with uprightness.” The truths of the church, here called the “pillars of the earth,” are also called the “bases of the earth” (1 Sam. 2:8); and the “foundations of the earth,” in Isaiah:
Do ye not understand the foundations of the earth? It is He that dwelleth upon the circle of the earth, that bringeth the princes to nothing; and maketh the judges of the earth as emptiness (Isa. 40:21-23).
The “princes who will be brought to nothing,” and the “judges of the earth, whom He will make as emptiness,” signify the things that are from self-intelligence and from one’s own judgment.
sRef Jer@25 @32 S20′ sRef Jer@25 @31 S20′ sRef Jer@25 @33 S20′ [20] In Jeremiah:
A tumult cometh even to the end of the earth. Thus said Jehovah, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth. And the slain of Jehovah shall be in that day from the end of the earth even unto the end thereof (Jer. 25:31-33).
The “end of the earth” and the “sides of the earth” signify where the ultimates of the church are, and where evils and falsities begin; and “from the end of the earth to the end thereof” signifies all things of the church; from this it can be known what is signified by “a tumult shall come to the end of the earth,” and “a great tempest shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth,” also by “the slain of Jehovah in that day shall be from the end of the earth to the end thereof.” The “slain” signify those in whom the truths and goods of the church are extinguished (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4503).
sRef Isa@41 @18 S21′ sRef Isa@41 @5 S21′ [21] In Isaiah:
The isles saw, they feared; the ends of the earth trembled, they drew near, and came. I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into a spring of waters (Isa. 41:5, 18).
The establishment of the church among the Gentiles is thus described; they are signified by the “isles” and the “ends of the earth;” for “isles” and “the ends of the earth” in the Word signify those who are far removed from the truths and goods of the church because they do not have the Word, and consequently, are in ignorance. That a church is to be established with such is signified by “I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into a spring of waters.” That is called a “wilderness” where there is not yet good because there is not yet truth, and for the same reason it is called “dry land;” a “pool of waters” and a “spring of waters” signify good, because they signify truth; for all spiritual good, which is the good of the church, is acquired by means of truths.
sRef Isa@18 @2 S22′ sRef Isa@18 @1 S22′ [22] In the same:
Woe to the land shadowed with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush. Go, ye messengers, to a nation trodden down, whose land the rivers have despoiled (Isa. 18:1-2).
No one knows what is meant by “a land shadowed with wings,” and “a land that the rivers have despoiled,” unless he knows that “land” means the church, and “rivers” falsities; “a land shadowed with wings” is a church that is in thick darkness in respect to Divine truths (that these are signified by “wings,” see above, n. 283); “beyond the rivers of Cush” signifies in respect to the knowledges themselves from the sense of the letter of the Word, which have been falsified; “a nation trodden down, to which the messengers should go, whose land the rivers have despoiled,” signifies those out of the church who are in falsities from ignorance; “rivers” meaning the truths of doctrine, and in a contrary sense falsities; that “the messengers should go to them” signifies that they should be invited to receive the church.
sRef Isa@9 @19 S23′ [23] In the same:
In the fury of Jehovah of Hosts the land is obscured (Isa. 9:19).
A “land obscured” signifies the things of the church in thick darkness, that is, in falsities; for the falsities of evil are said to be in thick darkness, but truths in light.
sRef Isa@6 @12 S24′ [24] In the same:
Jehovah shall remove man, and forsaken places shall be multiplied in the midst of the land (Isa. 6:12);
“man whom Jehovah shall remove,” signifying him who is wise, and abstractly, wisdom (as may be seen above, n. 280); “forsaken places multiplied in the midst of the land” signifying that there shall be no good at all, because no truth; “the midst of the land” meaning where truth is in the highest light; consequently when there is no light there, thick darkness pervades the whole; thus there is nowhere any truth at all.
sRef Isa@11 @4 S25′ [25] In the same:
Jehovah shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He put to death the wicked (Isa. 11:4).
“The rod of Jehovah’s mouth which shall smite the earth,” signifies truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word; “the breath of the lips which shall put to death the wicked,” signifies truth in the spiritual sense of the Word; these truths are said “to smite the earth,” and “to put to death the wicked,” when such are condemned by truths; for by truths everyone is judged and is condemned.
sRef Isa@14 @17 S26′ sRef Isa@14 @9 S26′ sRef Isa@14 @25 S26′ sRef Isa@14 @16 S26′ sRef Isa@14 @21 S26′ sRef Isa@14 @20 S26′ [26] In the same:
The earth is at rest, and is quiet. Hell hath stirred up the Rephaim because of thee, all the powerful of the earth. They that see thee shall say, Is this the man that maketh the earth to tremble, that maketh the kingdoms to quake; that hath made the world as a wilderness and threw down the cities thereof? Thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people. Prepare slaughter for his sons, that they rise not up and possess the land, and the faces of the world be filled with cities. I will break the Assyrian in My land, and upon My mountains I will tread him down (Isa. 14:7, 9, 16-17, 20-21, 25).
These things are said of the king of Babylon, by whom is signified the destruction of truth by the love of ruling over heaven and earth; which love the truths of the Word or of the church are made to serve as means; here their damnation is treated of. The “Rephaim whom hell stirred up,” mean those who are in the direful persuasion of what is false, who are therefore called the powerful of the earth; “to make the earth to tremble,” “to make the kingdoms quake,” “to make the world as a wilderness,” and “to throw down the cities thereof,” signifies to pervert all things of the church; “earth” and “world” mean the church, “kingdoms” the truths that constitute it; and “cities” all things of doctrine. From this it is clear what is signified by, “Thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people.” The “Assyrian who shall be broken in the land and trodden down upon the mountains,” signifies the reasonings from falsities against truths; “to be broken” means to be dispersed, and “to be trodden down” means to be wholly destroyed; “mountains upon which this is done,” signify where the good of love and charity reigns, for there, or with such, all reasoning from falsities is dispersed or destroyed.
sRef Isa@23 @10 S27′ sRef Isa@23 @1 S27′ sRef Isa@23 @17 S27′ sRef Isa@23 @13 S27′ [27] In the same:
Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; from the land of Chittim it shall manifestly come to them. Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish; the girdle is no more. Behold the land of the Chaldean; Assyria hath founded it into heaps. Jehovah will visit Tyre, that she may return to the hire of whoredom and commit whoredom with all the kingdoms of the earth upon the faces of the ground (Isa. 23:1, 10, 13, 17).
Neither ships of Tarshish, nor Tyre, nor the land of Chittim, nor the land of the Chaldeans, nor Assyria, are here meant, as can be seen from the particulars in this chapter; but “the ships of Tarshish” mean the knowledges of truth and good, “Tyre” the like; “the land of Chittim” what is idolatrous; “the land of the Chaldeans” the profanation and destruction of truth, and “Assyria” reasoning from falsities. From this it is clear that, “Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is desolated” signifies that there were no longer any knowledges of truth; “from the land of Chittim it shall manifestly come to them” signifies idolatry therefrom; “the girdle is no more” signifies that there is no longer any coherence of truth with good; “behold the land of the Chaldeans” signifies that thus there is profanation and destruction of truth; “Assyria hath founded it into heaps” signifies that reasonings from falsities have destroyed it; “to return to the hire of whoredom” and “to commit whoredom with all kingdoms upon the faces of the ground” signifies the falsification of all truths of the whole church.
sRef Isa@8 @8 S28′ [28] In the same:
The king of Assyria shall pass on through Judah, he shall overflow and pass through, he shall reach even to the neck; and the flappings of his wings* shall be the fullness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel (Isa. 8:8).
Here, too, “the king of Assyria” signifies the reasoning from falsities against truths; “he shall pass on through Judah, he shall overflow and pass through” signifies that this shall destroy the good of the church (to “overflow” is predicated of falsities, because they are signified by “waters”); “he shall reach even to the neck” signifies that thus there shall be no longer any communication of good and truth; and “the flappings of his wings shall be the fullness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel” signifies that falsities shall be opposed to all the truths of the Lord’s church; “the breadth of the land” signifies the truths of the church (see Heaven and Hell, n. 197), consequently, in a contrary sense, falsities; therefore the “flappings of his wings” signify reasonings from falsities against truths; “fullness” signifies all; thus “the fullness of the breadth of the land” signifies all the truths of the church.
sRef Isa@4 @2 S29′ [29] In the same:
In that day shall the bud of Jehovah be for adornment and glory, and the fruit of the earth for magnificence and splendor to those left of Israel (Isa. 4:2).
The “bud of Jehovah,” that shall be for adornment and glory, signifies the truth of the church; and the “fruit of the earth,” that shall be for magnificence and splendor, signifies the good of the church; “Israel” signifies the spiritual church. Evidently it is the truth and good of the church, and not the bud and the fruit of the earth, that shall be for adornment, glory, magnificence, and splendor. When it is said the truth and good of the church, the truth of faith and the good of love are meant, for all truth is of faith, and all good is of love.
sRef Isa@26 @15 S30′ [30] In the same:
Thou hast added to the nation, O Jehovah; Thou hast been glorified; Thou hast removed all the ends of the earth (Isa. 26:15).
The “nation to which Jehovah has added” signifies those who are in the good of love, whom He has claimed to Himself; “the ends of the earth which He has removed” signify the falsities and evils that infest the church, from which He has purified them.
sRef Isa@33 @17 S31′ [31] In the same:
Thine eyes shall behold the king in his beauty, they shall behold a land of far distances (Isa. 33:17).
“To see the king in his beauty,” means to see genuine truth, which is from the Lord alone; “to behold a land of far distances” signifies to behold the extension of intelligence and wisdom.
sRef Isa@49 @8 S32′ sRef Isa@49 @13 S32′ [32] In the same:
I have given thee for a covenant to the people, to restore the earth. Sing aloud O heavens, and exult O earth, and break forth O mountains with a song (Isa. 49:8, 13).
This treats of the Lord and His coming; the establishment of the church by Him is described by “I have given thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the earth,” to “restore the earth” being to reestablish the church; it is known that the Lord did not restore the earth to the Jewish people, but that He established a church among the Gentiles; the joy in consequence is described by, “Sing aloud O heavens, and exult O earth, and break forth O mountains with a song,” “the heavens” being the heavens where angels are who are in the interior truths of the church, “the earth” the church among men, and “the mountains” those who are in the good of love to the Lord.
sRef Jer@23 @10 S33′ [33] In Jeremiah:
The land is full of adulterers; for because of malediction the land mourneth; the pastures of the wilderness are dried up (Jer. 23:10).
“Adulterers” signify those who adulterate the goods of the church; therefore it is said, “the land is full of adulterers, and because of the malediction the land mourneth;” the “pastures of the wilderness that are dried up” signify no spiritual nourishment in such a church; that is called “wilderness” where there is no truth.
sRef Jer@50 @38 S34′ [34] In the same:
A drought is upon her waters, so that they shall become dry; for it is a land of graven images (Jer. 50:38).
“A drought upon the waters, so that they shall become dry” signifies that there are no more truths, “waters” being truths; “for it is a land of graven images” signifies the church destroyed by falsities which are from self-intelligence, which they call truths, “graven images” signifying those falsities.
sRef Ezek@7 @2 S35′ sRef Ezek@7 @23 S35′ [35] In Ezekiel:
The end hath come upon the four quarters of the earth; the earth is full of the judgment of bloods, and the city is full of violence (Ezek. 7:2, 23).
“The end hath come upon the four quarters of the earth” signifies the last time and the last state of the church, when its end is, the four quarters being all truths and goods of the church, and in a contrary sense, all its falsities and evils, thus all things of the church; “the earth full of the judgment of bloods” signifies that it is filled with evils of every kind, “bloods” being the evils that offer violence to the goods of love and charity and wholly destroy them; “the city full of violence” signifies the doctrine of that church likewise offering violence.
sRef Ezek@32 @8 S36′ [36] In the same:
All the luminaries of light in heaven will I make black over thee, and will set darkness upon thy land (Ezek. 32:8).
“The luminaries of light in the heavens” mean the sun, moon, and stars; the “sun” signifying love, the “moon” faith therefrom, and the “stars” the knowledges of good and truth; from this it is clear what is signified by “I will make them black over thee,” namely, that these no longer exist; thence also it is clear what is signified by “I will set darkness upon thy land,” namely, that there will be falsities in the church,” “darkness” meaning falsities, and “land” the church.
sRef Ezek@36 @9 S37′ sRef Ezek@36 @6 S37′ [37] In the same:
Prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills and to the watercourses and to the valleys, Behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you that ye may be tilled and sown (Ezek. 36:6, 9).
“The land of Israel” means the church; “mountains, hills, watercourses, and valleys” signify all things of the church from the first to the last things thereof, “mountains” are the goods of love to the Lord, “hills” the goods of charity towards the neighbor-these are the first things of the church; “watercourses and valleys” are truths and goods that are the last things of the church. That this is the meaning can be seen from what was said at the beginning of this article, namely, that those in heaven who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell upon mountains, those who are in charity towards the neighbor upon hills, and those who are in goods and truths in the lowest heaven in plains and valleys; “watercourses” are the truths of doctrine there; to implant these is signified by “I will turn unto you that ye may be tilled and sown.”
sRef Hos@2 @23 S38′ sRef Hos@2 @22 S38′ sRef Hos@2 @21 S38′ [38] In Hosea:
In that day I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; and the earth shall hear the corn and the new wine and the oil, and these shall hear Jezreel,** and I will sow her unto me in the earth (Hos. 2:21-23).
Evidently these things are to be understood spiritually, and not naturally according to the sense of the letter, for it is said that “these shall hear Jezreel; and I will sow her unto me in the earth;” therefore the “heavens” mean the heavens where the Lord is; and the “earth” the church where also the Lord is; “corn, new wine, and oil” signify all the things of spiritual nourishment, which are the goods of love and charity and the truths of faith.
sRef Mal@3 @11 S39′ sRef Mal@3 @12 S39′ [39] In Malachi:
He shall not destroy for you the fruit of the ground, neither shall the vine in the field be barren to you; all nations shall proclaim you happy, and ye shall be a land of good pleasure (Mal. 3:11-12).
These things are said of those with whom is the church; and because “the fruit of the ground,” and “the vine in the field” signify the goods and truths of the church (“fruit” goods, and “the vine” its truths), therefore they are called “a land of good pleasure.”
sRef Ps@143 @10 S40′ sRef Ps@143 @11 S40′ [40] In David:
Let thy good spirit lead me into the land of uprightness; vivify me, O Jehovah, for Thy name’s sake (Ps. 143:10-11).
“The land of uprightness” stands for the church in which is the right and the true; and because “the spirit of Jehovah” signifies Divine truth, and everyone receives spiritual life through that, therefore it is said, “Let Thy good spirit lead me,” and “vivify me, O Jehovah.”
sRef Ezek@32 @27 S41′ sRef Ezek@32 @25 S41′ sRef Ps@27 @13 S41′ sRef Ezek@32 @23 S41′ sRef Ezek@32 @24 S41′ sRef Isa@38 @11 S41′ sRef Ezek@32 @26 S41′ [41] As the “earth” signifies the church, and where the church is there is heaven, therefore heaven is called “the land of the living,” and “the land of life;” “the land of the living” in Isaiah:
I said, I shall not see Jah in the land of the living (Isa. 38:11);
and in Ezekiel:
Who caused terror in the land of the living (Ezek. 32:23-27).
“The land of life,” in David:
Unless I had believed to see good in the land of life (Ps. 27:13).
sRef Deut@25 @15 S42′ [42] In Moses:
The stone shall be entire and just, the ephah shall be entire and just, that thy days may be prolonged upon the earth (Deut. 25:15).
“Days to be prolonged upon the earth” does not mean a lengthening of life in the world, but the state of life in the church, thus in heaven; for “to be prolonged” is predicated of good and its increase, and “day” signifies the state of life; and as “a stone entire and just,” which was a weight, and “an ephah entire and just,” which was a measure, signify truth and good and their quality, and both together signify justice, “stone” signifying truth, and “measure” good, and as not to deceive by weight and measure is to be just, therefore such shall have the life of the church and afterwards life in heaven, which is meant by “their days upon the earth shall be prolonged.”
sRef Ex@20 @12 S43′ [43] The like is signified by this precept in the Decalogue:
Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged upon the earth (Exod. 20:12).
Those who honor father and mother have heaven and the happiness there, because in heaven no other father but the Lord is known, for all there have been generated anew from Him; and in heaven by “mother” the church is meant, and in general, the kingdom of the Lord. It is clear that those who worship the Lord and seek his kingdom will have life in heaven, also that many of those who honor father and mother in the world do not live there long.
sRef Matt@5 @5 S44′ [44] In Matthew:
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5).
“Inheriting the earth” signifies not possession of the earth, but possession of heaven and blessedness there; the “meek” mean those who are in the good of charity.
sRef Isa@7 @15 S45′ sRef Isa@7 @14 S45′ sRef Isa@7 @22 S45′ sRef Isa@7 @16 S45′ [45] In Isaiah:
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name God-With-Us: butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to reject the evil and to choose the good; for before the Lad knoweth to reject the evil and to choose the good, the land which thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of its two kings. It shall come to pass in that day, by reason of the abundance of milk they yield, He shall eat butter; for butter and honey shall everyone eat that is left in the midst of the land (Isa. 7:14-16, 21-22).
It is known that these things were said respecting the Lord and His coming; “butter and honey,” which He shall eat, signify the goods of love; “butter” the good of celestial and spiritual love, “honey” the good of natural love; this means that He would appropriate the Divine to Himself even in respect to the Human; “to eat” signifying to appropriate. That “the land shall be forsaken before He knoweth to reject the evil and to choose the good” signifies that when He should be born there would not be anything of the church remaining in the whole world; and because those where the church was, rejected every Divine truth and perverted all things of the Word, and explained it in favor of self, it is said of the land, that is, the church, “which thou abhorrest from the presence of its two kings; “king” signifying the truths of heaven and of the church; “two kings” the truth of the Word in the internal or spiritual sense, and the truth of the Word in the external or natural sense. “Milk” signifies truth through which good comes, and as “butter” signifies the good therefrom, “by reason of the abundance of yielding milk, butter shall everyone eat that is left in the midst of the land” signifies that every truth shall be from good.
sRef Matt@24 @30 S46′ [46] In Matthew:
In the consummation of the age, all the tribes of the earth shall lament (Matt. 24:30).
“The consummation of the age” which is treated of in that chapter, is the last time of the church, when judgment takes place; “all the tribes of the earth” signify all truths and goods of the church, which are said “to lament” when they are no more.
sRef Luke@21 @25 S47′ sRef Luke@21 @35 S47′ sRef Luke@21 @26 S47′ [47] In Luke:
Then shall there be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, the sea and the waves roaring; men expiring for fear and for expectation of the things coming upon the whole earth; for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. That day as a snare shall come upon all that dwell upon the face of the whole earth (Luke 21:25-26, 35).
Here also the last time of the church is treated of, when judgment takes place, and the “earth” and the “world” here mean the church. “The distress of nations upon the earth,” “the fear and expectation of the things coming upon the earth, and upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth” signifies upon those who are in the spiritual world, not upon those who are in the countries in the natural world. (That there are lands in the spiritual world also, see what is said at the beginning of this article; and that the Last Judgment was accomplished there, see Last Judgment.) It has been told before what “sun,” “moon,” and “stars” signify, in which are signs, namely, that “sun” signifies love, “moon” faith therefrom, and “stars” the knowledges of good and truth; the “sea and waves roaring” signify the reasonings and assaults of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word, wrongly and perversely applied. The “powers of the heavens that shall be shaken” signify the Word in the sense of the letter, since this sense is the foundation of the spiritual truths that are in the heavens. (See Heaven and Hell, in the article that treats of the conjunction of heaven with man by the Word, n. 303-310.)
sRef Isa@44 @24 S48′ sRef Isa@44 @23 S48′ [48] In Isaiah:
Sing aloud ye heavens; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth with singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein; for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob. I am Jehovah, that maketh all things; that stretchest forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by Myself (Isa. 44:23-24).
“Sing aloud, ye heavens; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth with singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein” signifies all things of heaven and of the church, both internal and external, all of which have reference to good and to truth. Things internal are signified by “the heavens,” things external by “the lower parts of the earth;” “mountains” mean the good of love, the “forest” means natural truth, and the “trees” therein mean the knowledges of truth. Because such things are signified, it is said, “for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob,” “Jacob” in the Word signifying the external church, and “Israel” the internal church; “to stretch forth the heavens,” and “to spread abroad the earth” signifies the church on all sides, which is spread forth and extended by the multiplication of truth and the fructification of good, with those who are of the church.
sRef Zech@12 @1 S49′ [49] In Zechariah:
Jehovah stretcheth out the heavens, and foundeth the earth, and formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him (Zech. 12:1).
Here, too, in like manner “heavens” and “earth” signify the church everywhere, thus in respect to its interiors and as to its exteriors; therefore it is also said, “He formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him.”
sRef Jer@10 @11 S50′ sRef Jer@10 @13 S50′ sRef Jer@10 @12 S50′ [50] In Jeremiah:
The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from under the heavens. Jehovah maketh the earth by His power, prepareth the world by His wisdom, and stretcheth out the heavens by His intelligence. At the voice which He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the end of the earth (Jer. 10:11-13; 51:15-16).
Because the “heavens” and the “earth” signify the church (as above), it is said, “Jehovah maketh the earth by His power, prepareth the world by His wisdom, and stretcheth out the heavens by His intelligence;” and therefore also it is said, “At the voice which He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the end of the earth;” “the voice that Jehovah giveth forth” signifies Divine truth proceeding from Him; the “multitude of waters in the heavens” signifies truth in abundance, for “waters” signify truths; and “the vapors that He causeth to ascend from the end of the earth” signify the ultimate truths of the church, “vapors” are those truths; and “the end of the earth” is the ultimate of the church; and as “gods” signify the falsities of doctrine and of worship, which destroy the church, it is said, “The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”
sRef Ps@136 @5 S51′ sRef Ps@136 @6 S51′ [51] In David:
Jehovah, who by intelligence maketh the heavens, and spreadeth out the earth above the waters (Ps. 136:5-6).
Because “heaven” and “earth” signify the church, and the church is formed by truths, and the truths of the church constitute intelligence, it is said, “Jehovah maketh the heavens by intelligence, and spreadeth out the earth above the waters,” “waters” meaning the truths of the church.
sRef Isa@42 @5 S52′ [52] In Isaiah:
Thus saith Jehovah God, that createth the heavens, and stretcheth them out, that spreadeth forth the earth and the products thereof, that giveth breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein (Isa. 42:5).
“To create the heavens” and “to spread forth the earth and the products thereof” signifies to form the church and to reform those who are in it, “products” meaning all things of the church; therefore it is said, “that giveth breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.” That “to create” is to reform, see above (n. 294).
sRef Isa@45 @18 S53′ sRef Isa@45 @8 S53′ sRef Isa@45 @12 S53′ sRef Isa@45 @19 S53′ [53] In the same:
Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the [higher] clouds flow down with righteousness; let the earth open, and bring forth the fruit of salvation. I have made the earth, and created man upon it. Thus said Jehovah who created the heavens; God Himself who formeth the earth and maketh it and prepareth it: I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness (Isa. 45:8, 12, 18-19).
“Heavens” and “earth” here plainly mean all things of the church, both its internals and externals; for it is said, “Drop down, ye heavens, and let the [higher] clouds flow down with righteousness; let the earth open, and bring forth the fruit of salvation.” “Heavens” signify the interiors of the church, because the interiors that are of man’s spiritual mind are the heavens with him. (That with the man with whom the church is there is a heaven, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 30-57.) “To create the heavens and to form the earth, and make and prepare it,” signifies to fully establish the church.
sRef Isa@65 @17 S54′ [54] In the same:
Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered (Isa. 65:17).
“To create new heavens and a new earth” signifies to establish a new church in respect to its interiors and exteriors, both in the heavens and on earth (as above).
sRef Isa@66 @22 S55′ sRef Isa@66 @8 S55′ [55] In the same:
Who hath heard a thing like this? shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be begotten at one time? For as the new heavens and the new earth which I am about to make shall stand before Me, so shall your seed and your name stand (Isa. 66:8, 22).
Because the “earth” signifies the church, it is said, “shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be begotten at one time?” “To bring forth,” and “birth,” and “to beget,” and “begetting,” in the Word, signify spiritual birth and begetting, which are of faith and love, thus reformation and regeneration. What the “new heavens” and the “new earth” signify has been told above.
sRef Jer@27 @5 S56′ [56] In Jeremiah:
I have made the earth, man and beast that are upon the faces of the earth, and I give it to him who is right in My eyes (Jer. 27:5).
“Man and beast that are upon the faces of the earth” signify the affections of truth and good in the spiritual and the natural man (see n. 280; and Arcana Coelestia, n. 7424, 7523, 7872); and since these affections with men constitute the church in them it is said, “I have made the earth, man and beast that are upon the faces of the earth, and I give it to him who is right in My eyes.” Everyone knows that God gives the earth not alone to those who are right in His eyes, but also to those who are not right, while the church He gives to those only who are right; “right” signifying truth and its affection.
sRef Matt@24 @35 S57′ sRef Isa@51 @6 S57′ [57] In Isaiah:
The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and the dwellers therein shall die in like manner (Isa. 51:6).
The “heavens that shall vanish away,” and the “earth that shall wax old like a garment” signify the church; this step by step falls, and at length is desolated; but not so the visible heaven and the habitable earth; therefore it is said, “and the dwellers therein shall die in like manner,” “to die” signifying to die spiritually:
The heavens and earth shall pass away (Matt. 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17);
has a like signification.
sRef Rev@7 @3 S58′ sRef Rev@7 @1 S58′ [58] In Revelation:
Four angels standing upon the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow upon the earth (Rev. 7:1).
“The four corners of the earth,” and “the four winds of the earth” signify all truths and goods of the church in the complex; for they have the like signification as the four quarters of heaven (that these have this signification, see Heaven and Hell, on the four quarters in heaven, n. 141-153). To “hold the four winds” signifies that truths and goods do not flow in because they are not received; therefore it is said that “the wind should not blow upon the earth.” “The earth” signifies the church elsewhere in Revelation (as 10:2, 5-6, 8; 12:16; 13:13; 16:2, 14; 20:8-9, 11; 21:1), as well as in many other places in the Word, too numerous to be cited.
sRef Deut@8 @7 S59′ sRef Deut@8 @8 S59′ sRef Deut@8 @10 S59′ sRef Deut@8 @1 S59′ sRef Deut@8 @9 S59′ [59] As the church was signified by the “earth” and especially by the “land of Canaan,” because the church was there, and as the church which was there was a representative church, so all things there were representative, and all that was said to them by the Lord signified the spiritual or interior things of the church, and this even to the land itself and its products; as in these words in Moses:
If thou wilt keep the commandments, Jehovah will lead thee into a good land, into a land of brooks of waters, of fountains, of depths coming forth out of valley and mountain; a land of wheat, of barley, of vine, of fig, of pomegranate; a land of the olive, of oil, of honey; a land where thou shalt eat bread without scarceness; it shall lack nothing; a land where the stones are iron and out of the mountains is digged copper; and thou shalt eat, and shalt be satisfied in this good land (Deut. 8:6-10).
This is a description of all things of the church, both its interiors and its exteriors; but to explain what the particulars signify would be tedious and not to the present purpose.
sRef Lev@26 @4 S60′ sRef Lev@26 @3 S60′ sRef Lev@26 @6 S60′ [60] Because the “land” signifies the church it was among the blessings, that if they lived according to the commandments:
The land would yield its increase, evil beasts would cease out of the land, nor would the sword pass through the land (Lev. 26:3-4, 6).
That “the land would yield its increase” signifies that there would be good and truth in the church; that “evil beasts would cease” signifies that there would not be evil affections and lusts, which destroy the church; that “the sword would not pass through the land” signifies that falsity would not cast out truth.
sRef John@9 @11 S61′ sRef John@9 @7 S61′ sRef John@8 @8 S61′ sRef Lev@25 @2 S61′ sRef John@8 @9 S61′ sRef John@9 @15 S61′ sRef Lev@25 @6 S61′ sRef John@8 @6 S61′ sRef John@8 @4 S61′ sRef John@9 @6 S61′ sRef Lev@25 @1 S61′ sRef John@8 @7 S61′ sRef Lev@18 @28 S61′ sRef Lev@25 @4 S61′ sRef Lev@25 @3 S61′ sRef Lev@18 @26 S61′ sRef Lev@25 @8 S61′ sRef Lev@25 @7 S61′ sRef Lev@25 @5 S61′ [61] Again, as the “land” signifies the church, it was also decreed that:
The seventh year should be a sabbath of the land, and that there should be no labor upon it (Lev. 25:1-8).
It is therefore said also that:
The land was defiled on account of their evils, and would vomit them out because of their abominations (Lev. 18:25-28).
Because the “land” [or ground] signified the church:
The Lord spat on the earth, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man, and said, Go wash thee in the pool of Siloam (John 9:6-7, 11, 15);
So the Lord, when the Scribes and Pharisees questioned Him respecting the woman taken in adultery, stooping down, wrote twice on the earth (John 8:6, 8);
which signified that the church was full of adulteries, that is, full of the adulteration of good and the falsification of truth; therefore the Lord said to them:
He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her; but they went out one by one, beginning from the elders, even unto the last (John 8:7, 9).
sRef Isa@14 @7 S62′ [62] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so has the “earth,” which in that sense signifies the church vastated; it is vastated when the good of love and the truth of faith are no more, but instead thereof evil and falsity; as these damn man, the “earth” in that sense signifies damnation, as in the following places: Isa. 14:12; 21:9; 25:12; 26:19, 21; 29:4; 47:1; 63:6; Lam. 2:2, 10; Ezek. 26:20; 32:24; Num. 16:29-33; 26:10; and elsewhere.
* Photolithograph has “breadth” for “wings,” Apocalypse Revealed n. 861; Arcana Coelestia n. 1613, 4482, 9487 have “wings.”
** “Jezreel” for “Israel;” see n. 375; Arcana Coelestia n. 3580, where we read “Jezreel.”

sRef Rev@5 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@5 @5 S0′ 305. Verses 4, 5. And I wept much, that no one was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, weep not; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 4. “And I wept much, that no one was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon,” signifies grief of heart on account of the disorder and destruction of all things, if no one could know [scire], cognize [cognoscere], and explore all men, and all things pertaining to men (n. 306). 5. “And one of the elders” signifies a society of heaven superior in wisdom to the rest (n. 307); “saith unto me, Weep not,” signifies that there need be no grief on that account (n. 308); “behold, the Lion hath overcome,” signifies that the Lord from His own power subjugated the hells, and reduced all things in the heavens to order (n. 309); “from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David,” signifies by means of Divine good united to Divine truth in His Human (n. 310); “to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof,” signifies that He knows and recognizes all and each, and the most secret things of everyone (n. 311).

sRef Rev@5 @4 S0′ 306. Verse 4. And I wept much, that no one was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon, signifies grief of heart on account of the disorder and destruction of all things, if no one could know, recognize and explore all men, and all things pertaining to men. This is evident from the signification of “weeping,” as being to grieve; therefore “to weep much” means to grieve from the heart, or grief of heart; that this is on account of the disorder and destruction of all things will be seen presently. Also from the signification of “no one was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon,” as being that no one is such as to be able to know the states of life of all in general, and of each in particular (of which see above, n. 303, 304); or, what is the same, that no one is such as to be able to know, recognize, and explore all men, and all things pertaining to men. In regard to grief of heart (which is signified by “I wept much”), on account of the disorder and destruction of all things if no one is such as to be able to know, recognize, and explore all men, and all things pertaining to men, I will briefly explain. That the angelic heaven may exist and subsist all things therein must be in order; for unless heaven were in order it would be dissipated; for the angelic heaven is divided into societies, and the societies are arranged according to the affections of truth and good, and these are manifold and numberless. This arranging depends solely on the infinite wisdom of the One who knows all things, recognizes all things, and explores all things, and thence disposes and arranges all things. This One is the Lord alone; therefore it is said in the Word, that to Him belongeth judgment; and that He has power in the heavens and on the earth; and here that “He took the book and loosed the seals thereof.” Moreover, unless heaven were in order, the world, that is, men on the earth, could not exist and subsist, since the world depends upon heaven and its influx into the spiritual and rational things of men; in a word, all things would perish. (But this may be better comprehended from what is set forth in the work on Heaven and Hell, also in the little work on The Last Judgment, and in fact, from everything there if read with attention.) It is said to know, to recognize, and to explore, because this is signified by “to open the book, to read, and to look thereon;” for the “book” signifies all things with man, spirit, and angel, or all the states of their life in respect to love and faith; therefore “to open the book” signifies to know these things; “to read the book” signifies to recognize them, and “to look upon the book” signifies to explore them.

sRef Rev@5 @5 S0′ 307. Verse 5. And one of the elders, signifies a society of heaven superior in wisdom to the rest. This is evident from the signification of “elders,” as being those who are in truths from good, and abstractly truths from good (of which above, n. 270), thus those who are superior to the rest in intelligence and wisdom; for all intelligence is from good through truths, or through truths from good, and from no other source. “One of the elders” signifies a society of heaven because “an angel” in the Word does not mean one angel, but a whole society (see above, n. 90, 302); in like manner also “one of the elders.” A society superior in wisdom to the rest is meant, because this elder declared that it is the Lord alone who acquired to Himself Divine wisdom in respect to the Human in order that He might know, recognize, and explore everyone, and the states of the life of all in general, and of each one in particular; which things are signified by his saying, “Weep not; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof;” for to know this, namely, that it is the Lord alone who is such, belongs to the wisdom of the angels of heaven; and the angelic societies of the third or inmost heaven know this from perception, that is, by influx from the Lord. The others also know it, yet not by perception but by the illustration of the understanding. The angels of the third or inmost heaven have perception; angels of the second and of the last heaven have illustration of the understanding; the difference is this, that perception is full confirmation by influx from the Lord, but the illustration of the understanding is spiritual sight. This those have who are in charity towards the neighbor and in faith therefrom; but the former, namely, perception, those have who are in love to the Lord (see further what perception is, in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 135-140).

sRef Rev@5 @5 S0′ 308. Saith unto me, Weep not, signifies there need be no grief on that account. This is evident from the signification of “weeping,” as being grief of heart, as above (n. 306), where also the reason for this may be seen.

sRef John@5 @26 S0′ sRef John@14 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@5 @5 S0′ sRef John@14 @11 S0′ sRef John@5 @19 S0′ sRef John@5 @21 S0′ 309. Behold, the Lion hath overcome, signifies that the Lord from His own power subjugated the hells, and reduced all things there and in the heavens to order. This is evident from the signification of “overcoming,” when predicated of the Lord, namely, that when He was in the world He subjugated the hells, and reduced all things there and in the heavens to order, and this by temptations admitted into His Human, and then by continual victories (of which see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 293, 294, 301, 309). This therefore is signified by “overcoming,” when predicated of the Lord; and as the Lord had done these things from His own power, He is called a “Lion;” for “lion” signifies power (see above, n. 278). That the Lord did these things from His own power is known from the Word; but as few are aware of this, I wish to say something respecting it. The Lord did this from the Divine that was in Him from conception; this Divine He had as a man has a soul from his father; and the soul of everyone works by means of the body, for the body is the soul’s obedience. The Divine that was in the Lord from conception was His own Divine, which in the Athanasian Creed is said to be equal to the Divine that is there called “the Father;” for it is said that:
As is the Father so also is the Son, infinite, uncreate, eternal, omnipotent, God, Lord, and that neither of them is greatest or least, nor first or last, but altogether equal.
It is also said that:
The Divine and Human of the Lord are not two, but one person, and that as the soul and body make one man, so the Divine and the Human are one Christ.

From this also those who have faith in Athanasius may know that the Lord did these things from His own power, because from His Divine. From this it can clearly be seen what is meant by what the Lord says in John:
The Father that abideth in Me, He doeth the works. Believe Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me (John 14:10-11).
And elsewhere in the same:
Verily I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, except what He seeth the Father doing; for whatever things He doeth, these also the Son doeth in like manner. As the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will. As the Father hath life in Himself, so also gave He to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:19, 21, 26).
As the Divine, which the Lord calls “the Father,” was His Divine, and not another Divine, it can be seen that whatever He did from the Father, as well as whatever He did from the Human which He calls “the Son,” He did from Himself; and thus that He did all things by His own power, since He did them from what was His.

sRef Rev@5 @5 S0′ sRef Isa@11 @10 S0′ 310. From the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, signifies by means of Divine good united to the Divine truth in His Human. This is evident from the signification of “the tribe of Judah,” as being all goods in the complex, for all the tribes of Israel signified all truths and goods of heaven and the church (of which above, n. 39); and “Judah” or his tribe signified the good of celestial love (of which see also above, n. 119; and Arcana Coelestia, n. 3654, 3881, 5583, 5603, 5782, 6363); therefore in the highest sense, in which the Lord is treated of, “the tribe of Judah” signifies Divine good. It is evident also from the signification of “the Root of David,” as being Divine truth; for by “David” in the Word the Lord in respect to Divine truth is meant (see above, n. 205). Therefore “of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David,” means the Lord in respect to Divine good united to Divine truth in His Human. In the Word in the sense of its letter two expressions are mostly used, one involving good but the other truth; but in its internal or spiritual sense these two are joined into one, and this on account of the marriage of good and truth in every particular of the Word (of which see above, n. 238 at end, 288); the reason is that good and truth in heaven are not two but one, for every truth there is of good. The Lord in respect to the Human is called “the Root of David,” for the reason that all Divine truth is from Him, even as all things exist and subsist from their root; for the same reason also He is called “the Root of Jesse,” in Isaiah:
It shall be in that day that the Root of Jesse, which standeth for a standard of the peoples, the nations shall seek; and His rest shall be glory (Isa. 11:10).
“Jesse” here stands for David, because he was David’s father.

sRef Rev@5 @5 S0′ 311. To open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof, signifies that He knows and recognizes all and each, and the most secret things of everyone. This is evident from what was shown above (n. 299, 303-304), where similar things are mentioned.

sRef Rev@5 @7 S0′ sRef Rev@5 @6 S0′ 312. Verses 6, 7. And I saw, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four animals, and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne. 6. “And I saw, and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four animals, and in the midst of the elders,” signifies in the whole heaven, and especially in the inmost heavens (n. 313); “a Lamb standing,” signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (n. 314); “as if slain,” signifies as yet acknowledged by few (n. 315); “having seven horns,” signifies who has omnipotence (n. 316); “and seven eyes,” signifies and who has omniscience (n. 317); “which are the seven spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth,” signifies that all wisdom and intelligence in heaven and in the church are therefrom (n. 318). 7. “And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne,” signifies that these things are from His Divine Human (n. 319).

sRef Rev@5 @6 S0′ 313. Verse 6. And I saw, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four animals, and in the midst of the elders, signifies in the whole heaven, and especially in the inmost heavens. This is evident from the signification of “in the midst,” as being the inmost, and therefore the whole (of which presently); from the signification of “throne,” as being heaven in the whole complex (of which above, n. 253); from the signification of “the four animals” as being the Lord’s providence and guard that heaven be not approached except through the good of love (of which see above, n. 277); and as that guard is especially in the third or inmost heaven, since all who are there are in the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, that heaven is signified especially by “the four animals” (which will be more clearly seen from what follows in this chapter). It is also evident from the signification of “elders” as being those who are in truths from good (of which also see above n. 270); here, therefore, those who are in the middle or second heaven, since all who are there are in truths from good; for there are these two heavens, the third and second, distinguished from each other by this, that those in the third heaven are in love to the Lord, and those in the second in charity towards the neighbor; those in charity towards the neighbor are in truths from good. From this it can be seen what is especially signified by the “four animals” and the “elders.”
[2] But the “four animals” signify in general all Divine good in the whole heaven, which guards; and the “elders” signify in general all Divine truth proceeding from Divine good in the whole heaven; both guard because they are united; thus “the four animals and the elders,” together, signify Divine good united to Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and therefore the entire angelic heaven, but especially the two inmost heavens. This is so for the reason that angels are not angels from what is their own [ex proprio], but from the Divine good and the Divine truth that they receive; for it is the Divine with them, that is, the Divine received by them, that causes them to be angels, and causes heaven, which is made up of them, to be called heaven (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 2-12, 51-86).
[3] That “the midst” or “in the midst” signifies the inmost, and therefore the whole, can be seen from many passages in the Word; but first let something be said to explain whence it is that because “the midst” signifies the inmost it also signifies the whole. This may be illustrated by comparison with light, with the sun, with the arrangement of all in the heavens, and also of all who are of the church on earth. By comparison with light: Light in the midst propagates itself round about or from the center to circumferences in every direction; and because from the inmost it is propagated and fills the spaces around, thence “in the midst” signifies also the whole. By comparison with the sun: The sun is in the midst because it is the center of its universe; because from it are the heat and light in its system, therefore the sun “in the midst” signifies its presence in every direction, or throughout the whole. By comparison with the arrangement of all in the heavens: There are three heavens, and the inmost of them is the third heaven; this flows into the two lower heavens, and makes them to be one with it by communication which is effected by influx from the inmost. Moreover, in every society of the heavens that which is inmost is also the most perfect; those, therefore, who are round about in that society are in light and intelligence according to their degree of distance from the inmost (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 43, 50, 189). By comparison with those who are in the church on earth: The Lord’s church is spread through the whole world; but its inmost is where the Lord is known and acknowledged, and where the Word is; from that inmost, light and intelligence are propagated to all who are round about and are of the church, but this propagation of light and intelligence is effected in heaven (of which see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 308). From this it can be seen that “the midst” or “in the midst,” as it signifies the inmost, signifies also the whole. This makes clear what is meant by “I saw, and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four animals, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing,” namely, the Lord in respect to His Divine Human, in the whole heaven, and especially in the inmost heavens.
sRef Isa@12 @6 S4′ [4] “The midst” also signifies the inmost, and therefore the whole, in many passages in the Word, as in the following. In Isaiah:
Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee (Isa. 12:6).
“Inhabitant of Zion” signifies the like as “daughter of Zion,” namely, the celestial church, that is the church that is in the good of love to the Lord; “great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee” signifies the Lord, that He is everywhere and throughout the whole there.
sRef Ps@48 @9 S5′ sRef Ps@48 @10 S5′ [5] In David:
We have considered Thy mercy, O God, in the midst of Thy temple. As is Thy name, so is Thy praise unto the ends of the earth (Ps. 48:9-10).
“Temple” signifies the church that is in truths from good which is called a spiritual church; “in the midst of it” is in its inmost, and thence in the whole of it; therefore it is said, “as is Thy name, so is Thy praise unto the ends of the earth,” meaning even to the ultimates of the church, the “earth” is the church.
sRef Ps@74 @12 S6′ [6] In the same:
God is my King of old, working salvations in the midst of the earth (Ps. 74:12);
“working salvations in the midst of the earth” signifying in every direction.
sRef Ps@82 @1 S7′ [7] In the same:
God stood in the congregation of God, in the midst of the gods He will judge (Ps. 82:1).
“The congregation of God” signifies heaven; “in the midst of the gods” signifies with all angels there, thus in the whole heaven; for the angels are called gods from the Divine truth that they receive from the Lord, for “God” in the Word signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth proceeding from Him, and constituting heaven (see above, n. 24, 130, 220, 222, 302).
sRef Ex@23 @20 S8′ sRef Ex@23 @21 S8′ [8] In Moses:
Behold, I send an angel before thee; beware of his face, since My name is in the midst of him (Exod. 23:20-21).
“Angel” here, in the highest sense, means the Lord; “My name in the midst of him,” means that all Divine good and Divine truth are in him (see above, n. 102, 135, 224).
sRef Luke@21 @21 S9′ [9] In Luke:
Jesus said of the last times, Then let them that are in Judea flee on the mountains; and let them that are in the midst of her depart out (Luke 21:21).
This treats of the consummation of the age, by which is meant the last time of the church, when judgment takes place. “Judea” does not mean Judea, but the church; and the “mountains” do not mean mountains, but the good of love to the Lord; and as these things are said respecting the end of the church, it is clear what is signified by “let them that are in Judea flee on the mountains; and let them that are in the midst of her depart out;” namely, that when judgment takes place all those of the church who are in the good of love to the Lord shall be safe.
sRef Isa@19 @24 S10′ sRef Isa@19 @25 S10′ [10] In Isaiah:
In that day shall Israel be third to Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land; whom Jehovah shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance (Isa. 19:24-25).
“Israel” means the spiritual of the church; “Assyria” the rational of the men thereof; and “Egypt” cognitions and knowledges [cognitiones et scientifica]. From this it can be seen what is signified by “Israel shall be the third to Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land,” namely, that everything there shall be spiritual, both the rational and the recognizing and knowing faculty [cognitivum et scientificum]; for when the inmost is spiritual, which is truth from good, then the rational also which is therefrom is spiritual, and likewise the knowing faculty, for both are formed from the inmost, which is truth from good, or the spiritual.
sRef Jer@23 @9 S11′ [11] In Jeremiah:
My heart in the midst of me is broken, all my bones are shattered (Jer. 23:9).
“The heart broken in the midst of me” signifies grief from inmosts to ultimates, that is, through the whole; therefore it is also said, “all my bones are shattered,” “bones” signifying the ultimates.
sRef Isa@24 @13 S12′ [12] In the following passages, also, “in the midst” signifies in the whole, or throughout the whole. In Isaiah:
It shall be in the midst of the earth, in the midst of the peoples, as the beating of an olive-tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is completed (Isa. 24:13).
These things were said of the church vastated in respect to good and to truth, and in which there is nothing but evil and falsity. “In the midst of the earth” means that throughout the whole of the church there is evil; and “in the midst of the peoples” means that throughout the whole of it there is falsity; therefore it is compared to “the beating of an olive-tree,” and to “the gleanings left when the vintage is completed;” “olive” signifying the good of the church, “vintage” the truth thereof, and “beating” and “gleanings” thereof signify vastation.
sRef Ps@64 @6 S13′ [13] In David:
They search out perversities, for the midst of men and the heart are deep (Ps. 64:6).

The “midst of man” means the intellectual where truth should be; and the “heart” the voluntary where good should be; here, both of these perverted, the latter into evil, and the former into falsity.
sRef Jer@9 @6 S14′ sRef Jer@9 @5 S14′ sRef Ps@62 @4 S14′ sRef Ps@36 @1 S14′ sRef Ps@5 @9 S14′ [14] In the same:
There is no certainty in the mouth of anyone; perdition is their midst (Ps. 5:9).
In the same:
They bless with their mouth, but in their midst they curse (Ps. 62:4).
In the same:
The saying of the transgression to the wicked in the midst of my heart is, there is no dread of God before his eyes (Ps. 36:1).
In Jeremiah:
They have taught their tongue to speak a lie: their* dwelling is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know Me (Jer. 9:5-6).
Also in these and in many other passages, “in the midst” signifies in the whole, because in the inmost; for such as the inmost is, such is the whole; since from the inmost all the rest are brought forth and derived, as the body is from its soul; the inmost of everything is also what is called the soul. For example: The inmost of man is his will and understanding therefrom, and such as is the will and the understanding, thence, such is the whole man; so again, the inmost of man is his love and faith therefrom, and such as is his love and the faith, thence such is the whole man.
sRef Matt@6 @22 S15′ sRef Matt@6 @23 S15′ [15] That the whole man is such as his midst or inmost is, is also the meaning of the Lord’s words in Matthew:
The lamp of the body is the eye; if the eye be good the whole body is light; if the eye be evil the whole body is darkened (Matt. 6:22-23).
The “eye” signifies man’s understanding (see above, n. 37, 152), if this is good, that is, if it is made up of truths that are from good, the whole man is such, which is signified by “the whole body is light;” but on the other hand, if the understanding is made up of the falsities of evil, the whole man is such, as is signified by “the whole body is darkened.” The eye is called “good;” but in the Greek the eye is called “single,” and “single,” means that there is unity, and there is unity when truth is from good, or the understanding is from the will. Also, the “right eye” signifies the understanding of good, and the “left eye” the understanding of truth; if these make one, there is a “single eye,” thus a “good eye.”
* Photolithograph has eorum [their]; Apocalypse Explained n. 886 has tuum [thy].

sRef Rev@5 @6 S0′ 314. A Lamb standing, signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human. This is evident from the signification of “lamb,” as being, in reference to the Lord, Himself in respect to the Divine Human. The Lord in respect to the Divine Human is called a “lamb” because a “lamb” signifies the good of innocence, and the good of innocence is the good itself of heaven proceeding from the Lord; and so far as angels receive this good, so far they are angels. This good reigns with angels that are in the third or inmost heaven; for this reason those in that heaven appear as infants before the eyes of other angels. (What the good of innocence is, and that the angels of heaven are in that good, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, in the chapter treating of The State of Innocence of the Angels of Heaven, n. n. 276-283, also n. 285, 288, 341, 382.) It is believed in the world that the Lord is called “a Lamb” for the reason that the continual burnt-offering, or what was offered every day, evening and morning, was from lambs, and especially on the Passover days, when a lamb was also eaten; and that the Lord suffered Himself to be sacrificed. Such a reason for His being so called may do for those in the world who do not think beyond the sense of the letter of the Word; but nothing of this kind is perceived in heaven when the term “lamb” is predicated of the Lord; but when “lamb” is mentioned, or is read in the Word, the angels, because they are all in the spiritual sense of the Word, perceive the good of innocence; and when the Lord is so called, they perceive His Divine Human, and at the same time the good of innocence that is from Him. I know that this will with difficulty be believed, but yet it is true.
sRef Isa@40 @10 S2′ sRef Isa@40 @11 S2′ [2] That “lamb” in the Word signifies the good of innocence, and in reference to the Lord Himself, “lamb” signifies His Divine Human, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Behold, the Lord Jehovih cometh in strength. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs into His arm, and shall carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead the sucklings (Isa. 40:10-11).
This treats of the Lord’s coming; the “flock that He shall feed as a shepherd,” signify those who are in the good of charity; and the “lambs that He shall gather into His arm,” signify those who are in love to Him. It is this love that, viewed in itself, is innocence; therefore all who are in it are in the heaven of innocence, which is the third heaven; and as this love is signified by lambs, it is also said, “He shall gently lead the sucklings.” “Sucklings” and “infants” in the Word mean those who are in innocence (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 277, 280, 329-345).
sRef Isa@11 @6 S3′ sRef Isa@11 @8 S3′ sRef Isa@11 @7 S3′ [3] In the same:
The wolf shall sojourn with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little boy shall lead them; and the heifer and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together; the suckling shall play on the hole of the adder, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk’s den (Isa. 11:6-8).
These things are said of the Lord’s coming and of His kingdom, also of those therein who are in the good of innocence, that they shall have nothing to fear from the hells and the evils therefrom, because they are protected by the Lord. The Lord’s kingdom is here described by innocences of various kinds, and by their opposites from which they shall be protected; a “lamb” means innocence of the inmost degree, its opposite is the “wolf;” a “kid” means innocence of the second degree, the opposite of which is the “leopard;” a “calf” means innocence of the last degree, the opposite of which is the “young lion.” (That “lamb,” “ram,” or “sheep,” and “calf,” signify three degrees of innocence, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10132.) Innocence of the inmost degree is such as belongs to those who are in the third or inmost heaven, and its good is called celestial good; innocence of the second degree is such as belongs to those who are in the second or middle heaven, and its good is called spiritual good; and innocence of the last degree is such as belongs to those who are in the first or the last heaven, and its good is called spiritual-natural good. (That all who are in the heavens are in some good of innocence, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4797.) Because the goods of innocence are described by the animals above named, it is said further “and a little boy shall lead them,” also, “the suckling shall play on the hole of the adder, and the weaned child shall put forth his hand on the basilisk’s den.” These degrees of innocence are signified also by “boy,” “suckling,” and “weaned child.” (That “boy” has this signification, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 430, 5236; that “suckling,” or infant of the first age, and “weaned child,” or infant of the second age, have these significations see n. 3183, 4563, 5608, 6740, 6745.)
sRef Luke@10 @3 S4′ sRef Isa@65 @25 S4′ [4] Because a “lamb” signifies innocence, or those who are innocent, and a “wolf” those who are against innocence, it is said in like manner in another place in the same prophet:
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together; they shall not do evil in the whole mountain of holiness (Isa. 65:25);
“the mountain of holiness” is heaven, especially the inmost heaven. Therefore the Lord said to the seventy whom He sent forth:
I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves (Luke 10:3).
sRef John@21 @17 S5′ sRef John@21 @16 S5′ sRef John@21 @15 S5′ [5] Because “lambs” signify those who are in the love to the Lord, which love is one with innocence, and because “sheep” signify those who are in love towards the neighbor, which love is charity, the Lord said to Peter:
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto Him, Feed My lambs; and afterwards, Feed My sheep (John 21:15-17).
These things were said to Peter, because by “Peter” truth from good, or faith from charity was meant, and truth from good teaches; “to feed” meaning to teach.
sRef Ezek@27 @21 S6′ [6] In Ezekiel:
Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, these were the merchants of thy hand, in lambs, rams, and goats (Ezek. 27:21).
This is said of Tyre, by which those who are in the knowledges of truth and good are meant. “Arabia” and “the princes of Kedar,” who are “the merchants of her hand,” signify those who are in truths and goods from knowledges; “merchants” signify those who communicate and teach these; “lambs, rams, and goats,” signify three degrees of the good of innocence, the same as “lambs, rams, and calves.” (That these signify the three degrees of the good of innocence, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10042, 10132.)
sRef Deut@32 @13 S7′ sRef Deut@32 @14 S7′ [7] In like manner in Moses:
He made him to ride on the high places of the earth, and fed him with the increase of the fields; he made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock; butter of the herd and milk of the flock, with the fat of lambs, of the rams of Bashan, and of goats, with the fat of the kidneys of wheat; and thou drinkest the pure blood of the grape (Deut. 32:13-14).
These things are said of the establishment of the Ancient Church, which was the first church after the flood, and all these things describe its various kinds of good; but as scarcely anyone will understand them without explanation, I will briefly explain them. “To ride on the high places of the earth” signifies that the intelligence of those who were of that church was interior; “He fed him with the increase of the fields” signifies that they were instructed in all truth and good; “He made him to suck honey out of the cliff” signifies that they had natural good by means of truths; “oil out of the flint of the rock” signifies that they had spiritual good also by means of truths; “honey” and “oil” signifying those goods, and “cliff,” “rock,” and “hard rock,” signifying truths; “butter of the herd, and milk of the flock,” signify the internal and the external good of truth; “the fat of lambs, of the rams of Bashan, and of goats,” signifies the goods of innocence of the three degrees (as above); “the fat of the kidneys of wheat” and “the blood of the grape” signify genuine good and genuine truth therefrom.
sRef Isa@34 @6 S8′ [8] In Isaiah:
The sword of Jehovah shall be filled with blood; it shall be made fat with fatness, with the blood of lambs and of he-goats, and with the fat of the kidneys of rams (Isa. 34:6).
Here, too, “lambs, rams, and goats,” signify the three degrees of the good of innocence (of which above); but here their destruction by the falsities of evil is treated of; for “sword” signifies falsity destroying truth and good; the “blood” with which it shall be filled signifies destruction.
sRef John@1 @29 S9′ sRef Rev@12 @11 S9′ sRef Isa@16 @1 S9′ sRef John@1 @36 S9′ sRef Isa@53 @7 S9′ sRef John@1 @37 S9′ sRef Rev@7 @17 S9′ [9] Since a “lamb” signifies innocence, which, viewed in itself, is love to the Lord, a “lamb,” in the highest sense, signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, for in respect to this, the Lord was innocence itself; as may be seen in the following passages. In Isaiah:
He endured persecution and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He is led as a lamb to the slaughter (Isa. 53:7).
Send ye the lamb of the ruler of the land from the cliff toward the wilderness unto the Mount of the daughter of Zion (Isa. 16:1).
In John:
John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. And afterwards, seeing Jesus walking, he said, Behold the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36).
And in Revelation:
The Lamb in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters (Rev. 7:17).
They overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the Word of the testimony (Rev. 12:11);
besides also elsewhere in Revelation (as 13:8; 14:1, 4; 17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:22-23; 22:1, 3).
sRef Ex@12 @20 S10′ sRef Num@29 @2 S10′ sRef Num@28 @27 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @21 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @19 S10′ sRef Lev@12 @8 S10′ sRef Num@29 @3 S10′ sRef Lev@12 @6 S10′ sRef Num@28 @24 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @18 S10′ sRef Num@28 @26 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @23 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @22 S10′ sRef Num@29 @4 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @10 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @11 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @7 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @6 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @5 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @8 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @9 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @16 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @4 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @1 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @17 S10′ sRef Num@29 @5 S10′ sRef Num@29 @6 S10′ sRef Num@29 @7 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @13 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @12 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @3 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @15 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @14 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @2 S10′ sRef Ex@29 @41 S10′ sRef Ex@29 @40 S10′ sRef Ex@29 @43 S10′ sRef Ex@29 @42 S10′ sRef Num@28 @14 S10′ sRef Num@28 @31 S10′ sRef Ex@29 @38 S10′ sRef Ex@29 @39 S10′ sRef Num@28 @15 S10′ sRef Num@28 @16 S10′ sRef Num@28 @9 S10′ sRef Num@28 @10 S10′ sRef Num@28 @30 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @28 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @26 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @25 S10′ sRef Num@28 @12 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @29 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @27 S10′ sRef Num@28 @11 S10′ sRef Num@28 @13 S10′ sRef Num@28 @29 S10′ sRef Num@28 @28 S10′ sRef Ex@12 @24 S10′ sRef Num@29 @1 S10′ [10] Since “burnt-offerings and sacrifices” signified all representative worship from the good of love and from the truths thence, “burnt-offerings” worship from the good of love, and “sacrifices” in a special sense worship from the truths thence, so:
Every day, evening and morning, there was a burnt-offering of lambs (Exod. 29:38-43; Num. 28:1-9);
Every sabbath, of two lambs, besides the continual burnt-offering of them (Num. 28:9-10);
In the beginnings of the months, of seven lambs (Num. 28:11-15);
Likewise on the day of the firstfruits (Num. 28:26 to end);
Likewise in the seventh month, when there was a holy convocation (Num. 29:1-7);
Likewise, namely of seven lambs on each day of the passover, besides two young bullocks, one ram, and one goat (Num. 28:16-24).
The burnt-offering was of “seven lambs” because “seven” signifies all and fullness, and it is predicated of what is holy, and because “burnt-offerings” in general signified worship of the Lord from the good of love, and the good of love to the Lord from the Lord is the good itself of innocence; and “lamb” in the highest sense signified the Lord in respect to the Divine Human. (That “burnt-offerings” signified all worship from the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 923, 6905, 8680, 8936, 10042.) On account of this representation there was also instituted:
The supper of the passover of lambs or kids (Exod. 12:1-29);
for “the feast of the passover” represented the glorification of the Lord’s Human (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10655). Because “infants” signified innocence, it was also commanded that:
After birth, on the day of purification, they should sacrifice a lamb, a young pigeon, or a turtle dove; or, instead of a lamb, two young pigeons or two turtle doves (Lev. 12:6, 8);
“young pigeons” and “turtle doves” signifying the like as “lambs,” namely, innocence.

sRef Rev@5 @6 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @18 S1′ 315. As if slain, signifies as yet acknowledged by few. This is evident from the signification of “slain,” as being, in reference to the Lord, that He has not been acknowledged; here that few have acknowledged His Human to be Divine, for it is said “a Lamb standing as if slain,” a “lamb” signifying the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (as was shown just above, n. 314). The meaning here is similar to what was said of the Lord (chap. 1:18), “and I became dead,” which signifies that He was rejected (see above, n. 83). In the spiritual or internal sense, “slain” does not mean slain in respect to the body, but in respect to the soul; and man is slain in respect to the soul when he is no longer in any good of faith, for he then has no spiritual life, but death instead, which is called spiritual death. But this is not what the term “slain” signifies when applied to the Lord, since the Lord is life itself, and gives spiritual life to everyone; but it signifies either that He is rejected or that He is not acknowledged; for with those who do not acknowledge, and still more with those who deny, He is as nothing. The Lord Himself, to be sure, and also His Divine, is acknowledged in the church, but in respect to the Human as a mere man and not as God; thus it is that His Divine Human is not acknowledged; this, therefore, is what is meant by “a Lamb standing as if slain.” But that the Lord is God also as to the Human, can be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem (n. 280-310), and will be seen at the end of this work, where it will be plainly shown.
[2] Those who think solely from the sense of the letter of the Word, and not at the same time from the doctrine of genuine truth, know no otherwise than that “slain” in the Word means slain in respect to the body; but that it means slain in respect to the soul will be seen from the passages to be quoted presently. For it is acknowledged that the Word in its inmost is spiritual, although in the sense of the letter it is natural; and to be slain spiritually is to perish in respect to the soul, as is the case with those who do not receive the life of heaven, which is called “life eternal,” and also simply “life,” and who thus in place of this have death, which is damnation. And because this is acknowledged, it follows that “to be slain” means in the Word to perish by falsities and evils. But spiritually the Lord is said “to be slain” when the truth from Him is denied and the good from Him is rejected; with these the Lord is also not acknowledged, for he who denies and rejects what is from Him, denies and rejects Him also, for the Lord is with man in his truths and goods.
[3] But here His Divine Human is treated of; that this is not acknowledged as yet, is known. I will state the reasons: One is, that the popish body has transferred to its own primate all Divine power that the Lord has, also that in respect to His Human, and are unwilling to hear that it is Divine, since it is from His Human. The other reason is, that those who are not of that body have made faith alone the sole means of salvation, and not the life of charity; and those who do this are unable to perceive the Lord’s Human as differing from the human of another man; they therefore abide blindly in the doctrine of the Trinity from the creed of Athanasius, and cannot be illustrated.
sRef Isa@14 @19 S4′ sRef Isa@14 @21 S4′ sRef Isa@14 @20 S4′ [4] That “to be slain” in the Word signifies to be slain spiritually, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Thou, like an abominable shoot, the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with the sword: for thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people. Prepare slaughter for His sons (Isa. 14:19-21).
This is said of Babylon, which signifies the profanation of good and truth, and the consequent destruction of the church. It is compared to “the raiment of those that are slain, who are thrust through with the sword,” because “the raiment of those that are slain” signifies abominable falsity, defiling and destroying the things of the church; they are therefore said “to be thrust through with the sword,” because “sword” signifies falsity destroying truth. Therefore it is said, “thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people,” “land” means the church, and “people” those therein who are in truths; to “slay” these is to destroy by falsities. “Prepare slaughter for his sons” signifies that their falsities are to be destroyed, “his sons” meaning falsities.
sRef Jer@25 @33 S5′ [5] In Jeremiah:
The slain of Jehovah shall be at that day from the end of the earth unto the end of the earth (Jer. 25:33).
“The slain of Jehovah from the end of the earth unto the end of the earth” signify those with whom all the truths of the church have been destroyed by falsities; “the slain of Jehovah” signifying those with whom they have been destroyed, and “from the end of the earth unto the end of the earth” signifying all things of the church.
sRef Jer@18 @21 S6′ [6] In the same:
Therefore give their sons to the famine, and make them flow down upon the hands of the sword, that men may become rare,* slain with death, their young men smitten with the sword in war (Jer. 18:21).
“To give the sons to the famine, and to make them flow down upon the hands of the sword,” signifies to extinguish the truths of the church through failure of the knowledges of truth and through falsities, “sons” are truths, “famine” is a failure of knowledges, and “sword” falsity destroying truth; “that men may become rare, slain with death,” signifies that there is no affection of truth or wisdom therefrom, “men” signifying the affection of truth and wisdom therefrom (see above, n. 280); “their young men smitten with the sword in war” signifies because truths have been destroyed by the assaults of falsity, “young men” meaning truths, “sword” falsity destroying, and “war” the assault of falsity.
sRef Ezek@9 @5 S7′ sRef Ezek@9 @6 S7′ [7] In Ezekiel:
Pass ye through Jerusalem, and smite; neither let your eye spare; slay ye to destruction the old man, the young man, and the virgin, and the infant; but come not near against any man upon whom is the sign (Ezek. 9:5-6).
This was said by “the man clothed in linen,” or by the angel, to other angels, and was heard by the prophet. It does not mean that they should pass through Jerusalem, and should smite and slay to destruction old men, young men, virgins, and infants; but “Jerusalem” means the church in respect to doctrine, and it is meant that the church is altogether vastated in respect to all the goods and truths that constitute it; “old man” means wisdom which is of good; “young man” intelligence which is of truth; “virgin” the affection of these; and “infant” every good and truth in its birth, in a special sense the good of innocence, by which all things of the church with man are begotten; “the man [vir] upon whom was the sign and to whom they should not come near,” signifies truth from good. sRef Ezek@23 @47 S8′ [8] In the same:
That they may stone them with a stone, may cleave them with swords, may slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire (Ezek 23:47).
This was said of Samaria and Jerusalem, which are here called Oholah and Oholibah; by which are signified the two churches, namely, the spiritual and the celestial, here those churches devastated by falsities and evils. “To stone with a stone, and to cleave with swords,” signifies the destruction of truth by falsities, for “stoning” signified punishment and death because of violence offered to Divine truth; “cleaving by swords” has a like signification. “To slay sons and daughters” signifies to destroy all truths and goods, “sons” meaning truths and “daughters” goods; and “to burn up the houses with fire” signifies to destroy all things that are of love and charity by the evils of the love of self and the world, “houses” mean man’s interiors, thus the things that are of his love, here that these are destroyed; “fire” meaning love in both senses.
sRef Lam@2 @21 S9′ [9] In Jeremiah:
They have lain on the earth, lad and old man in the streets; my virgins and my young men have fallen by the sword; Thou hast slain in the day of Thine anger, Thou hast not pitied (Lam. 2:21).
Here, too, the church devastated is treated of. “To lie on the earth and in the streets” signifies to be destroyed by evils and falsities; “lad and old man, virgins and young men have fallen by the sword,” signifies here, as above, all goods and truths with intelligence and wisdom; “thou hast slain in the day of Thine anger, Thou hast not pitied,” signifies their extinction, “the day of anger” signifying the last state of the church, when judgment takes place. Slaying, that is, extinguishing these things, is attributed to Jehovah; but it is man himself, the sense of the letter being such as to attribute to Jehovah what belongs to the man himself (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2447, 5798, 6071, 6991, 6997, 7533, 7632, 7643, 7679, 7710, 7877, 7926, 8227, 8282, 8483, 8632, 9010, 9128, 9306, 10431).
sRef Amos@2 @3 S10′ [10] In Amos:
I will cut off the judge out of the midst of Moab, and will slay all the princes thereof with him (Amos. 2:3).
“Moab” in the Word, means those who adulterate the goods of the church; the “judge who will be cut off,” and the “princes who will be slain,” signify the good which is adulterated, and the truths which are thereby falsified, “judge” meaning good, and “prince” truth.
sRef Zech@11 @3 S11′ sRef Zech@11 @4 S11′ sRef Zech@11 @7 S11′ sRef Zech@11 @5 S11′ [11] In Zechariah:
A voice of the howling of the shepherds, that their magnificence is devastated. Thus said Jehovah my God, Feed the sheep of the slaughter, which their possessors slay. I have fed the sheep of the slaughter for your sakes, O miserable of the flock (Zech. 11:3-5, 7).
“The sheep of the slaughter which their possessors slay,” signify those who are in good, and are led astray by the falsities of doctrine; those are called “sheep” who are in the good of charity; “shepherds” are those who teach truths, and by means of these lead to good.
sRef Ps@44 @23 S12′ sRef Ezek@28 @7 S12′ sRef Ps@44 @22 S12′ sRef Ezek@28 @8 S12′ [12] In David:
We are slain every day; we are reckoned as a flock for slaughter. Awake, O Lord, cast us not off always (Ps. 44:22-23).
“We are slain every day” signifies that of ourselves we are constantly falling into falsities, and are being led astray by them, especially in a time when falsities reign; this makes clear what a “flock for slaughter” signifies; that we may be elevated out of falsities by the Lord is signified by “Awake, O Lord, cast us not off always.”
[13] In Ezekiel:
They shall draw forth the swords upon the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall profane thy radiance. They shall bring thee down into the pit, and thou shalt die the death of the slain (Ezek. 28:7-8).
This is said of the prince of Tyre, by whom is signified the intelligence that is from the knowledges of truth, here that intelligence extinguished by falsities. “To draw forth swords upon the beauty of thy wisdom” signifies its extinction by falsities; “to bring down into the pit” signifies immersion in falsities; and “to die the death of the slain” signifies destruction and damnation, the “slain” signifying those with whom all truth is extinguished (Arcana Coelestia, n. 4503, 9262), and “death” signifying damnation.
sRef Isa@27 @7 S14′ [14] In Isaiah:
Hath he smitten him according to the stroke of him that smiteth him? Hath he been slain according to the slaughter of his slain? (Isa. 27:7).
This treats of Jacob and Israel, by whom the church is signified, “Jacob” the external church, and “Israel” the internal. The temptations of those who are of the church are thus described, which are signified by “Hath he smitten him according to the stroke of him that smiteth him?” And that they should not succumb in temptations and thus perish is signified by “Is he slain according to the slaughter of the slain?” “the slaughter of the slain” signifying perdition by falsities.
sRef Isa@30 @25 S15′ [15] “Slaughter” signifies perdition and damnation in other places in the same prophet:
In the day of the great slaughter the towers shall fall (Isa. 30:25).
“The day of the great slaughter” signifies the Last Judgment, when the wicked are condemned and perish, “towers” signifying the doctrines of falsity.
sRef Isa@14 @30 S16′ [16] In the same:
I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant (Isa. 14:30).
This was said respecting Philistia, by which is signified truth without good, or faith without charity. “To kill the root with famine” signifies to perish utterly from having no good, “root” meaning everything from which a thing lives; therefore it is also said, “he shall slay thy remnant,” “remnant” signifying all the remains of the church.
sRef Jer@4 @31 S17′ [17] In Jeremiah:
I have heard the voice of the daughter of Zion; she sobbeth and spreadeth her hands, for my soul is wearied by the slayers (Jer. 4:31).
Thus is described the grief of a church that is falling from truths into falsities. “The daughter of Zion” is the church; “she sobbeth and spreadeth her hands” signifies grief; “for my soul is wearied by the slayers” signifies by falsities that extinguish spiritual life,” “slayers” meaning such falsities.
sRef Isa@26 @21 S18′ sRef Rev@18 @24 S18′ [18] In Isaiah:
Behold, Jehovah going forth out of His place to visit the iniquity of the earth; then shall the earth reveal her bloods, and shall no longer hide her slain (Isa. 26:21).
This is said of the day of visitation or judgment, when the iniquities of all shall be uncovered, which is meant by “then the earth shall reveal her bloods, and shall no longer hide her slain;” the “earth” signifies the church, here the evil men in the church; “bloods” are the evils that have destroyed the goods of the church; and the “slain” the falsities that have destroyed its truths; whether it be said that the “slain” signify falsities or those who are in falsities, it is the same, for they are in the falsities and the falsities in them, and the falsities in them are what destroy. The like is signified by the “slain” elsewhere in Isaiah:
What will ye do in the day of visitation and of devastation? They shall fall beneath the slain (Isa. 10:3-4).
Likewise in Revelation:
In Babylon was found the blood of the prophets and of the saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth (Rev. 18:24).
What is here signified will be seen in what comes after.
sRef Isa@13 @15 S19′ sRef Isa@10 @4 S19′ sRef Isa@13 @11 S19′ sRef Isa@10 @3 S19′ [19] In Isaiah:
I will visit evil upon the world. Everyone that is found shall be thrust through; and everyone gathered together shall fall by the sword (Isa. 13:11, 15).
This also is said of Babylon. That “everyone that is found shall be thrust through” signifies that they shall perish by evil; and that “everyone gathered together shall fall by the sword” signifies that they shall perish by falsity.
sRef Matt@24 @9 S20′ sRef John@16 @2 S20′ sRef John@16 @3 S20′ [20] In Matthew:
In the end of the age they shall deliver you up unto tribulation and shall slay you (Matt. 24:9).
In John:
They shall put you out of the synagogues; yea, the hour cometh that everyone who killeth you will think that he offereth sacred worship to God (John 16:2).
This was said to the disciples; and by “disciples,” in the spiritual representative sense, are meant all truths and goods of the church; whence it is clear what is meant in that sense by “they shall kill them,” namely, that the truths and goods of the church shall then be destroyed.
sRef Mark@13 @12 S21′ [21] In Mark:
In the consummation of the age, brother shall deliver up brother to death, the father the children; children shall rise up against parents, and shall cause them to be put to death (Mark 13:12).
The consummation of the age is the last time of the church, when falsities shall destroy truths and evils shall destroy goods. “Brother,” “father,” and “children,” do not mean here brother, father, and children, but falsity and truth, and good and evil. “Brother shall deliver up brother to death” signifies that falsity shall destroy good; especially that faith alone shall destroy charity, for faith in the Word is called the brother to charity; “the father shall deliver up the children to death” signifies that the good of the church shall perish by the falsities of evil, “father” meaning the good of the church, and “children” the falsities of evil; “children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death,” signifies that the falsities of evil shall assault the goods and truths of the church and destroy them.
sRef Luke@20 @13 S22′ sRef Luke@20 @14 S22′ sRef Luke@20 @12 S22′ sRef Luke@20 @10 S22′ sRef Luke@20 @11 S22′ sRef Luke@20 @15 S22′ sRef Luke@20 @16 S22′ [22] In Luke:
The man who planted a vineyard sent a servant that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard; but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. Again he sent another servant; and beating him also, they sent him away empty. Again he sent a third, and wounding him, they cast him out. Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. But they said, This is the heir; come, let us kill him; and casting him out of the vineyard they killed him (Luke 20:10-16; Mark 12:2-9).
This is said respecting the church instituted among the Jews, and it describes the perversion and falsification by traditions and by applications to self of every truth they had from the Word. All the particulars here contain a spiritual sense; for whatever the Lord spoke, He spoke also spiritually, because from the Divine. The “vineyard which the man planted,” signifies the church that is in truths; the “servants whom he sent thrice,” mean the Word given them through Moses and the prophets; there is mention of three times, because “three” signifies what is full and complete; “their beating them, wounding them, and sending them away empty out of the vineyard,” signifies that they falsified and perverted the truths contained in the Word; “to send away empty out of the vineyard” signifies that they deprived the Word of its goods and truths. “The beloved son” means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, who is therefore called also the Word; “they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him” signifies killing not only the Lord, but also all Divine truth from Him (see also above, n. 83).
sRef Dan@9 @26 S23′ sRef Rev@1 @18 S23′ [23] In Daniel:
After sixty and two weeks the Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself (Dan. 9:26).
“The Messiah” also means the Lord in respect to Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3008, 3009); “He shall be cut off” means not only Himself, but also all Divine truth with that people; “but not for Himself” signifies that with those who are in a new church Divine truth will live again, like as before in the first chapter of Revelation:
I am the Living One, and I became dead; and behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages (Rev. 1:18).
* Photolitograph has “rari;” see n. 386; AR n. 323, also AE, n. 280.

sRef Rev@5 @6 S0′ 316. Having seven horns, signifies who has omnipotence. This is evident from the signification of a “horn,” as being the power of truth against falsity, but in reference to the Lord, as being all power or omnipotence. The Lamb was seen to have horns seven in number, because “seven” signifies all and it is predicated of what is holy (see above, n. 257). A “horn” and “horns” signify power, because the power of horned animals, as of oxen, rams, goats, and others, is in their horns. That “horn” or “horns” signify the power of truth against falsity, and in the highest sense, which treats of the Lord, signify omnipotence, and in a contrary sense the power of falsity against truth, is evident from many passages in the Word; and as it is thus made clear what is signified in the Word by “horns,” so often mentioned in Daniel, and also in Revelation; and as they are still employed in the coronation of kings, I will quote the passages here.
sRef Ezek@29 @21 S2′ [2] In Ezekiel:
In that day I will make a horn to bud forth unto the house of Israel, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; that they may know that I am Jehovah (Ezek. 29:21).
“To make a horn to bud forth unto the house of Israel” signifies truth in abundance; “the house of Israel” is the church; because this is signified by “horn,” and “its budding forth,” it is also said, “and I will give thee the opening of the mouth,” which means the preaching of truth.
sRef 1Sam@2 @1 S3′ sRef 1Sam@2 @10 S3′ [3] In the first book of Samuel:
My horn hath exalted itself in Jehovah; my mouth is enlarged against mine enemies, because I am glad in Thy salvation. He shall give strength unto His king,* and shall exalt the horn of His anointed (1 Sam. 2:1, 10).
This is a prophetical saying of Hannah. “My horn hath exalted itself in Jehovah” signifies that Divine truth filled her, and made her powerful against falsities; and because this is the meaning, it is said, “my mouth is enlarged against mine enemies;” “enlarging the mouth” is preaching truth with power, and “enemies” are the falsities that disperse Divine truth. “He shall give strength unto His king, and shall exalt the horn of His anointed,” signifies the Lord’s omnipotence from Divine good by Divine truth, for “strength” in the Word has reference to the power of good, and “horn” to the power of truth; and “the anointed of Jehovah” is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, which has omnipotence (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3008-3009, 9954).
sRef Ps@148 @14 S4′ [4] In David:
Jehovah hath exalted the horn of His people, the praise for all His saints, for the sons of Israel, a people near unto Him (Ps. 148:14).
“He hath exalted the horn of His people” signifies that He hath filled with Divine truths; therefore it is said: praise for His saints, for the sons of Israel, a people near unto Him,” for those are called “saints” who are in Divine truths, since Divine truth is what is called holy (see above, n. 204). “Israel” is the church that is in truths, “sons of Israel” are truths, “a people” is also predicated of those who are in truths, and a people conjoined with the Lord by truths is said to be “near.”
sRef Ps@89 @8 S5′ sRef Ps@112 @5 S5′ sRef Ps@112 @9 S5′ sRef Ps@89 @17 S5′ [5] In the same:
Jehovah God of Hosts, Thou art the splendor of their strength; and by Thy good pleasure Thou shalt exalt our horn (Ps. 89:8, 17).
Here also “to exalt the horn” signifies to fill with Divine truth, and thereby to give power against falsities; therefore it is said, “Jehovah God of Hosts, Thou art the splendor of their strength,” “splendor” in the Word is predicated also of the church, and of the doctrine of truth therein.
[6] In the same:
The good man is gracious and lendeth. His righteousness standeth forever; his horn shall be exalted with glory (Ps. 112:5, 9).
That “horn” signifies Divine truth is clear from this, that it is said, “his righteousness standeth forever, and his horn shall be exalted with glory;” “righteousness” in the Word is predicated of good, and “horn” therefore of truth; for in every particular of the Word there is a marriage of good and truth; “splendor” also signifies Divine truth.
sRef Hab@3 @4 S7′ [7] In Habakkuk:
The brightness of Jehovah God shall be as the light; He hath horns coming out of His hand; and in them is the hiding of His strength (Hab. 3:4).
Because “horns” signify Divine truth with power, it is said, “the brightness of Jehovah God shall be as the light,” and “in the horns is the hiding of His strength;” “the brightness of Jehovah” and “light” signify Divine truth; and “the hiding of His strength in the horns” signifies the omnipotence of Divine good through Divine truth, for all power of good is through truth, and in Divine truth lies concealed the omnipotence that is of Divine good.
sRef Ps@89 @21 S8′ sRef Ps@89 @24 S8′ sRef Ps@89 @20 S8′ [8] In David:
I have found David My servant; with the oil of holiness have I anointed Him; with whom My hand shall be established; Mine arm also shall make him mighty. My truth and My mercy shall be with him; and in My name shall his horn be exalted (Ps. 82:20-21, 24).
“David” means the Lord in respect to Divine truth (see above, n. 205); and “his horn shall be exalted” means His Divine power, which He has from Divine good through Divine truth; therefore, it is said, “My truth and My mercy shall be with him;” “mercy” in the Word, in the Word, in reference to Jehovah, or the Lord, signifies the Divine good of the Divine love. Because “David” means the Lord in respect to Divine truth proceeding from His Divine Human, He is called “David, my servant,” “servant” meaning, in the Word, not a servant in the usual sense, but whatever serves, and it is predicated of truth because truth serves good for use, here for power.
sRef Ps@132 @17 S9′ [9] In the same:
I will make a horn to bud forth unto David; I will set in order a lamp for Mine anointed (Ps. 132:17).
Here by “David,” and also by “anointed” the Lord in respect to Divine truth is meant, and “making His horn to bud forth” signifies the multiplication of Divine truth in the heavens and on earth by Him; therefore it is also said, “I will set in order a lamp for Mine anointed,” which has a like meaning. That the Lord in respect to Divine truth proceeding from His Divine good, is called a “lamp” see above (n. 62).
sRef Ps@18 @2 S10′ sRef 2Sam@22 @3 S10′ sRef Ps@18 @1 S10′ sRef 2Sam@22 @2 S10′ [10] In the same:
Jehovah my strength, my cliff, my fortress; my God, my rock, in which I confide, my shield and the horn of my salvation (Ps. 18:1-2; 2 Sam. 22:2-3).
“Strength” and “cliff” in reference, as here, to Jehovah or the Lord, signify omnipotence; “fortress” and “rock in which he confides” signify defense; “shield” and “horn of salvation” signify consequent salvation; “strength,” “fortress,” and “shield,” in the Word are predicated of Divine good; “cliff,” “rock,” and “horn” are predicated of Divine truth; therefore these signify omnipotence, defense, and salvation, which Divine good has through Divine truth.
sRef Luke@1 @69 S11′ sRef Luke@1 @68 S11′ sRef Luke@1 @71 S11′ [11] In Luke:
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation in the house of David; that He might save us from our enemies (Luke 1:68-69, 71).
This is a prophecy of Zechariah respecting the Lord and His coming. “A horn of salvation in the house of David” signifies omnipotence to save by Divine truth from Divine good, “horn” is that omnipotence; “the house of David” is the Lord’s church; “the enemies from which He should save” are the falsities of evil, for these are the enemies from which the Lord saves those who receive Him; it is known that there were no other enemies from which the Lord saved those who are here meant by his people.
sRef Micah@4 @13 S12′ [12] In Micah:
Rise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass, that thou mayest beat in pieces many peoples (Micah 4:13).
“Rise and thresh, O daughter of Zion” signifies the dispersion of evil with those who are of the church, “to thresh” is to disperse, and “daughter of Zion” is the church that is in the affection of good; “I will make thy horn iron” signifies Divine truth mighty and powerful; “I will make thy hoofs brass” has a like meaning, “hoofs” meaning truths in ultimates; “that thou mayest beat in pieces many peoples” signifies that thou mayest scatter falsities, for “peoples” are predicated of truths, and in a contrary sense, of falsities.
sRef Zech@1 @21 S13′ sRef Zech@1 @20 S13′ sRef Zech@1 @18 S13′ sRef Zech@1 @19 S13′ [13] In Zechariah:
I saw, and behold four horns, that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. He showed me four smiths, and He said, These horns that have scattered Judah, so that no man lifteth up his head; these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations that lift up the horn against the land of Judah to scatter it (Zech. 1:18-21).
This describes the vastation of the church, and its subsequent restoration. “Judah,” “Israel,” and “Jerusalem,” signify the church and its doctrine; “the horns that scattered them” signify the falsities of evil that have vastated the church; “smiths” signify the like as iron, namely, truth in ultimates, which is mighty and powerful, thus the like as the “horn of iron;” therefore it is said of them, “these have come to cast down the horns of the nations that lift up the horn against the land of Judah,” “the horns of the nations” are the falsities of evil that have vastated the church, and that are to be dispersed that it may be restored.
sRef Lam@2 @3 S14′ sRef Lam@2 @2 S14′ [14] In Lamentations:
The Lord hath thrown in His fury the strongholds of the daughter of Judah; He hath cast them down to the earth; He hath profaned the kingdom and the princes thereof; He hath cut off in the glowing of His anger every horn of Israel (Lam. 2:2-3).
Here the total vastation of the church is treated of. The last time when it was laid waste is signified by the glowing of the Lord’s anger; and its total vastation is described by “He hath thrown down the strongholds of the daughter of Judah, He hath cast them down to the earth. He hath profaned the kingdom and the princes thereof;” “the daughter of Judah” is the church; “her strongholds” are truths from good; “the kingdom and princes” are its truths of doctrine; whence it is clear what is signified by “He hath cut off every horn of Israel,” namely, the cutting off of all the power of truth in the church to resist the falsities of evil.
sRef Dan@7 @20 S15′ sRef Dan@7 @3 S15′ sRef Dan@7 @24 S15′ sRef Dan@7 @23 S15′ sRef Dan@7 @7 S15′ sRef Dan@7 @21 S15′ sRef Dan@7 @8 S15′ [15] In Daniel:
Daniel saw in a dream four beasts coming up out of the sea; the fourth exceedingly strong, having teeth of iron; it devoured and broke in pieces; and it had ten horns: and I gave heed, and behold another little horn came up among them, and three of the former horns were plucked up by the roots before it; in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. I saw that this horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; and that it spoke words against the Most High. As to the ten horns, they are ten kings, and it shall humble three kings (Dan. 7:3, 7-8, 21, 23, 25).
Here evidently “horns” means the falsities that destroy the truths of the church, or the power of falsities against truths; “the beast coming up out of the sea” signifies the love of self out of which spring all evils; here the love of ruling over heaven and earth, to which things holy serve as means; it is such a love that is meant by “Babylon” in Revelation. This beast was seen “coming up out of the sea,” because the “sea” signifies the natural man separated from the spiritual; for the natural man is then of such a character that he desires nothing so much as to have dominion over all, and to confirm that dominion by the sense of the letter of the Word. “The ten horns” signify falsities of every kind, for “ten” means all; therefore it is further said, that “the ten horns are ten kings,” for “kings” signify truths, and in a contrary sense, as here, falsities. “The little horn that came up among them, before which three of the former horns were plucked up by the roots,” signifies the complete perversion of the Word by the application of the sense of its letter to confirm the love of dominion. This horn is called “little,” because it does not appear that the Word is perverted; and what does not appear before the sight of man’s spirit, or before his understanding, is regarded either as nothing, or as little. In the spiritual world such is the appearance of things that are apprehended by a few only. “The three horns that were plucked up by the roots before it,” signify the truths of the Word there that have been thus destroyed by falsifications; these truths are also signified by the “three kings” that were humbled by the horn, “three” not meaning three, but what is full, thus that truths were completely destroyed. As that “horn” signifies the perversion of the Word in respect to the sense of its letter, and as this sense appears before the eyes of men, as if it were to be understood thus and not otherwise, and therefore not to be gainsaid by anyone, it is said of this horn, “that in it there were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things,” “eyes” signify understanding, and “eyes like the eyes of a man” an understanding as if of truth, and “mouth” signifies thought and speech from that understanding. From this it can now be seen what is meant by all and by each of the particulars here mentioned; as by “the beast coming up out of the sea, that had ten horns and teeth of iron, and devoured and broke in pieces;” by “the little horn that came up among them, before which three of the horns were plucked up by the roots, in which were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things;” also by “it made war with the saints and prevailed against them,” and “it spoke words against the Most High;” and “the horns were so many kings.”
sRef Rev@17 @12 S16′ sRef Dan@8 @8 S16′ sRef Dan@8 @9 S16′ sRef Dan@8 @3 S16′ sRef Dan@8 @4 S16′ sRef Rev@13 @1 S16′ sRef Dan@8 @10 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @3 S16′ sRef Dan@8 @25 S16′ sRef Rev@17 @7 S16′ sRef Dan@8 @21 S16′ sRef Dan@8 @7 S16′ sRef Dan@8 @6 S16′ sRef Dan@8 @12 S16′ sRef Dan@8 @11 S16′ sRef Dan@8 @5 S16′ sRef Rev@17 @3 S16′ [16] In the same:
I saw in a vision one ram that had two horns, and the horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher had come up last. It pushed westward, northward, and southward. Then, behold, a he-goat of the goats came from the west over the faces of the whole earth; he had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He ran upon the ram in the wrath of his strength, and he broke his two horns, and he cast him down to the ground and trampled upon him. But the great horn of the he-goat was broken; and in place of it there came up four toward the four winds of the heavens. Presently out of one of them came forth a little horn, which grew exceedingly towards the south, and towards the east, and towards beauty. And it grew even to the host of the heavens; and it cast down some of the host to the earth, and trampled upon them. Yea, even to the prince of the host it magnified itself, and the dwelling place of his sanctuary was cast down, because it cast down truth to the earth (Dan. 8:2-12, 21, 25).
This describes a second thing that lays waste the church, namely, faith alone. The “ram” signifies the good of charity and faith therefrom, and the “he-goat” faith separate from charity, or faith alone, or, what is the same, those who are in these; their “horns” signify truths from good and falsities from evil, combating; truths from good are meant by the horns of the ram, and falsities from evil by the horns of the he-goat. That the “ram had two high horns, one higher than the other, and the higher came up last” signifies the truth of faith from the good of charity; and this was seen according to the influx of good and truth with man and spirit; for all good is received behind, and all truth in front, as the cerebellum is formed to receive the good, which is of the will, and the cerebrum to receive the truth, which is of the understanding; “westward, northward, and southward, toward which the ram pushed” signify the goods and truths that those receive who are in charity and in faith therefrom, by which they disperse evils and falsities; “the he-goat of the goats that came over the faces of the whole earth” signifies faith separate from charity, springing from evil of life; “the he-goat of the goats” is that faith; the “west” evil of life; and “the earth” the church; “he had a conspicuous horn between the eyes” signifies that this is from self-intelligence; “he ran upon the ram in the wrath of his strength, and brake his two horns, and cast him down to the earth, and trampled upon him” signifies the entire destruction of charity and of faith therefrom, for when charity is destroyed faith also is destroyed, for the latter is from the former; “the great horn of the he-goat was broken, and in place of it there came up four toward the four winds of the heavens” signifies all falsities conjoined with evils there from, “horns” signifying the falsities of evil, “four” their conjunction, and “the four winds of the heavens” all, both falsities and evils; “out of one of them came forth a little horn” signifies justification by faith, for this is born of the principle of faith alone; it is said to be “little” because it does not appear as a falsity.
That this horn “grew exceedingly towards the south, and towards the east, and towards beauty, and grew even to the host of the heavens, and cast down some of the host to the earth, and trampled upon them” signifies that it destroyed all the truths and goods of the church; “the south” meaning where truth is in the light, “the east” and “beauty” where good is in clearness through truth, “the host of the heavens” all truths and goods of heaven and the church; “to cast down the host to the earth, and to trample upon them” signifies to destroy utterly; that “even to the prince of the host it magnified itself,” and that “the dwelling place of his sanctuary was cast down” signifies the denial of the Lord’s Divine Human, and the consequent vastation of the church; “the prince of the host” is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, because from that proceed all the truths and goods that constitute the church; “the dwelling place of the sanctuary” is the church where these are; this plainly means the truths destroyed by falsities, for it is said, “it cast down truth to the earth.” That this is the significance of the “ram,” and the “he-goat,” and “their horns,” is clearly manifest from appearances in the spiritual world; for when such as have confirmed themselves in the doctrine of faith alone and of justification by faith, dispute there with those who are in the doctrine of charity and of faith therefrom, there appear to others who stand afar off he-goats, or a he-goat with similar horns, and with like onset and fury against the rams or the ram, and he appears also to tread the stars under his feet. These things have been seen by me also, and at the same time by those standing by, who were thereby confirmed that such things are meant in Daniel; and also that like things are meant by “the sheep on the right hand, and the goats on the left” (Matt. 25:32 to the end), namely, by “sheep” those who are in the good of charity, and by “goats” those who are in faith alone. From these quotations from Daniel it can be seen in some measure what is signified in Revelation by:
The dragon that was seen having ten horns (Rev. 12:3);
The beast that was seen coming up out of the sea, which also had ten horns (Rev. 13:1).
The woman that was seen sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast, that had seven heads and ten horns; respecting which the angel said, The ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings (Rev. 17:3, 7, 12);
but these things will be explained hereafter.
sRef Jer@48 @25 S17′ [17] That the power of falsity against truth is signified by “horn” or “horns” is evident also from the following passages. In Jeremiah:
The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken (Jer. 48:25).
“Moab” signifies those who are in spurious goods, and in falsified truths therefrom, which in themselves are falsities. The destruction of these falsities is signified by “The horn of Moab is cut off,” and the destruction of these evils by “his arm is broken.”
sRef Lam@2 @17 S18′ [18] In Lamentations:
Jehovah hath caused the enemy to be glad over thee; He hath exalted the horn of thine adversaries (Lam. 2:17).
Evil is meant by “enemy,” and the falsities of evil by “adversaries;” “exalting the horn of the adversaries” is falsities prevailing over truths and destroying them.
sRef Ezek@34 @21 S19′ [19] In Ezekiel:
Ye thrust with side and with shoulder, and push all the sick sheep with your horns till ye have scattered them abroad (Ezek. 34:21).
“To thrust with side and with shoulder” is with all strength and endeavor; to “push the sick sheep with horns till ye have scattered them abroad” signifies to destroy by falsities the well-disposed, who are not yet in truths from good, and yet desire to be.
sRef Amos@3 @14 S20′ [20] In Amos:
In the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will visit upon the altars of Bethel, that the horns of the altar may be cut off, and fall to the earth (Amos 3:14).
“The altars of Bethel” signify worship from evil, and “the horns of the altar” signify the falsities of that evil; and that these are to be destroyed is signified by “the horns shall be cut off and fall to the earth.”
sRef Amos@6 @13 S21′ [21] In the same:
They who are glad over a thing of nought; who say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? (Amos 6:13).
“To take horns by our own strength” signifies by the powers of self-intelligence to acquire falsities by which truths will be destroyed.
sRef Ps@75 @10 S22′ sRef Ps@75 @4 S22′ sRef Ps@75 @5 S22′ [22] In David:
I said unto the boastful, Boast not; and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn; Lift not up your horn on high; speak not with a stiff neck. All the horns of the wicked will I cut off; the horns of the righteous shall be exalted (Ps. 75:4-5, 10).
“Lifting up the horn on high” signifies to defend vigorously falsity against truth; therefore it is also said, “speak not with a stiff neck.” “To cut off their horns” signifies to destroy their falsities; and “to exalt the horns of the righteous” signifies to make powerful and strong the truths of good.
sRef Deut@33 @17 S23′ [23] Because “making high and exalting the horns” signifies to fill with truths, and to make them powerful and strong against falsities, therefore those truths are also called “the horns of a unicorn,” because these are high. As in Moses:
The firstborn of his ox, honor is his, and his horns are the horns of a unicorn; with them he shall push the peoples together to the uttermost parts of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Mannaseh (Deut. 33:17).
This is said of Joseph, who in the highest sense represents the Lord in respect to the Divine spiritual, or in respect to Divine truth in heaven; from this “Joseph” signifies also those who are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417). “The firstborn of the ox, honor is his,” signifies the good of spiritual love; “his horns are the horns of a unicorn” signifies truths in their fullness, and in their power therefrom; “to push the peoples to the uttermost parts of the earth” signifies to instruct in truths all who are of the church, and to scatter falsities by means of truths; “the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh” signify the plenty and abundance of truth and of wisdom therefrom and the plenty and abundance of good and of love therefrom; “Ephraim,” in the Word, signifying the intellectual of the church, which is of truth, and “Manasseh” the voluntary of the church which is of good (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267, 6296); and “ten thousands” and “thousands” signifying very many, thus plenty and abundance.
sRef Ps@22 @21 S24′ [24] In David:
Save me from the lion’s mouth; and from the horns of the unicorn hear me (Ps. 22:21);
“lion” signifying falsity vehemently destroying truth; and “horns of unicorns” truths that prevail against falsities.
sRef Ps@92 @10 S25′ [25] In the same:
My horn like the horn of a unicorn (Ps. 92:10);
“like the horn of a unicorn” signifying truth in its fullness and power.
sRef Rev@9 @13 S26′ [26] In Revelation:
And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God (Rev. 9:13).
The altar of incense, which was called also “the golden altar,” was a representative of the hearing and reception of all things of worship that are from love and charity from the Lord, thus a representative of such things of worship as are elevated by the Lord; “the horns of the altar” represented truths proceeding from the good of love; this makes clear why a voice was heard from the four horns of the altar, for it is through truths that good acts and speaks. sRef Ex@30 @10 S27′ sRef Ex@27 @2 S27′ sRef Ex@30 @2 S27′ sRef Ex@30 @3 S27′ [27] Altars had horns for the reason that altars represented the worship of the Lord from the good of love, and all worship that is truly worship is offered from the good of love by truths. That the altar of incense had horns is seen in Moses:
Thou shalt make four horns upon the altar of incense; they shall be from it. And thou shalt overlay them with gold (Exod. 30:2-3, 10; 37:25-26);
and the altar of burnt-offering elsewhere in the same:
Thou shalt make horns upon the four corners of the altar of burnt-offering; its horns shall be from it (Exod. 27:2; 38:2).
That the horns were from the altar itself signified that the truths, which the horns represented, must proceed from the good of love, which the altar itself represented, for all truth is from good. That there were four horns, one at each corner, signified that they were for the four quarters in heaven, by which all things of truth from good are signified.
sRef 1Ki@1 @53 S28′ sRef 1Ki@2 @31 S28′ sRef 1Sam@16 @13 S28′ sRef 1Ki@1 @50 S28′ sRef Lev@4 @34 S28′ sRef Ex@30 @10 S28′ sRef 1Ki@1 @51 S28′ sRef Lev@4 @25 S28′ sRef 1Ki@2 @30 S28′ sRef Lev@4 @30 S28′ sRef 1Ki@2 @29 S28′ sRef 1Ki@2 @28 S28′ sRef 1Sam@16 @1 S28′ [28] Since all expiations and purifications are effected by truths from good, expiation was made upon the horns of the altars:
Upon the horns of the altar of incense (Exod. 30:10; Lev. 4:7);
And upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering (Lev. 4:25, 30, 34; 8:15; 9:9; 16:18).
And as all Divine protection is by truths from good:
Those who committed evils and were in fear of death caught hold of the horns of the altar and were thus protected (1 Kings 1:50, 51, 53).
When those who purposely and willfully committed evil were not so protected (1 Kings 2:28-31).
Moreover, because “horns” signified truths from good, therefore when kings were anointed this was done by oil out of a horn:
That David was so anointed (1 Sam. 16:1, 13); and Solomon (1 Kings 1:39);
the “oil” signifying the good of love. From this signification of horns, which was known to the ancients, it was customary to make horns budding forth and fragrant; from this came the word “cornucopia.”
* Photolithograph has “Uncto,” “anointed;” see n. 684.

sRef Rev@5 @6 S0′ 317. And seven eyes, signifies and who has omniscience. This is evident from the signification of “seven eyes” as being, in reference to the Lord, omniscience; for as “eyes” in reference to man signify the understanding, so in reference to the Lord they signify omniscience. That “eyes” in reference to man signify the understanding, and in reference to the Lord providence, as also Divine wisdom and intelligence, which is omniscience, see above, (n. 152). “Seven eyes” are mentioned, because “seven” signifies all things, and is predicated of what is holy (as above).

sRef Rev@5 @6 S0′ 318. Which are the seven spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth, signifies that all wisdom and intelligence in heaven and in the church are therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “the seven spirits of God,” as being Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (of which above, n. 183); and as they signify Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, they also signify the Divine wisdom or omniscience. It is evident also from the signification of “sent forth into all the earth,” as being that this is the source of all wisdom and intelligence in heaven and in the church. “To be sent forth” signifies to be communicated, and “all the earth” signifies the church both in the heavens and on earth (see above, n. 304). Thence is clear why it is said that “the seven eyes of the Lamb were the seven spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth,” for “seven eyes” signify the omniscience that the Lord has from Divine good through Divine truth. From this are all wisdom and intelligence, because man cannot from himself understand truth and relish good, but only from the Lord; and all wisdom and intelligence are of truth from good. Unless wisdom and intelligence be formed from it, they are not wisdom and intelligence, but folly and insanity, which appear before the ignorant and the evil like wisdom and intelligence, because of their being able to speak and reason from the memory. For what is man’s own [proprium] is nothing but evil and falsity; his own voluntary [proprium ejus voluntarium] is evil, and his own intellectual therefrom [proprium ejus intellectuale] is falsity; whatever therefore is from man’s own [ex proprio] is contrary to wisdom and intelligence; and what is contrary to wisdom is folly, and what is contrary to intelligence is insanity. From this it can be seen that unless man is elevated by the Lord from his selfhood [a suo proprio], which is done when he receives Divine truth not only in the memory but also in the life, it is utterly impossible for him to be wise and intelligent. But this elevation by the Lord from the selfhood [a proprio] is not apparent to man, nor is it perceived by him while he is in the world, but it first becomes apparent when he comes into his spirit, and this takes place when his spirit has been separated from his material body; but even then it is perceived only by those who come into heaven. It is said wisdom and intelligence, because wisdom is of truth from good, for man then relishes good in truth; but intelligence is of truth through which good comes, for then man has not yet a relish for good in truth, but is affected by truth because it is truth. Those who are in the Lord’s celestial kingdom are in wisdom, because they are in truths from good; but those who are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom are in intelligence, because they are in truths through which good comes. (But of those who are in truths through which good comes, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 23; and of those who are in truths from good, n. 24; and of the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28.)

sRef Rev@5 @7 S0′ 319. Verse 7. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne, signifies that these things are from His Divine Human. This is evident from the signification of the “the Lamb,” who took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne, as being the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (see above, n. 314); “the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne” meaning the Lord in respect to omnipotence and omniscience (see also above, n. 297, 298). From this it is that “He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne” signifies that these are from the Divine Human. Omnipotence and omniscience are meant also because this is what is here treated of, as can be seen from the preceding words, that “the Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes;” “the seven horns” signifying omnipotence, and “the seven eyes” omniscience (see just above, n. 316, 317), and “the Lamb” the Divine Human (n. 314). That omnipotence and omniscience belong to the Lord’s Divine Human, can be seen from what has been said and shown above (n. 10, 26, 32, 49, 52, 63, 77, 82, 97, 113-114, 135, 137, 151, 178, 200, 205 end, 209, 254, 297, 309).

sRef Rev@5 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@5 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@5 @10 S0′ 320. Verses 8-10. And when He had taken the book, the four animals and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one harps, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for Thou wast slain, and didst redeem us to God in Thy blood, out of every tribe and tongue, and people and nation. And Thou didst make us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign upon the earth. 8. “And when He had taken the book,” signifies after the acknowledgment that the Lord’s Human is Divine, and has omnipotence and omniscience (n. 321); “the four animals and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb,” signifies the acknowledgment and consequent glorification of the Lord by the angels of the higher heavens (n. 322); “having everyone harps,” signifies confession from spiritual truths (n. 323); “and golden bowls full of incense,” signifies confession from spiritual goods (n. 324); “which are the prayers of the saints,” signifies from which is worship (n. 325). 9. “And they sung a new song” signifies acknowledgment and confession from joy of heart (n. 326); “saying, Worthy art Thou to open the book and to loose the seals thereof,” signifies that the Lord from the Divine Human has omnipotence and omniscience (n. 327) “for Thou wast slain, and didst redeem us to God in Thy blood,” signifies separation of all from the Divine, and conjunction with the Divine by the acknowledgment of the Lord, and by reception of Divine truth from Him (n. 328, 329); “out of every tribe and tongue,” signifies by all who are in truths in respect to doctrine and in respect to life (n. 330); “and people and nation,” signifies who are of the Lord’s spiritual church and of His celestial church (n. 331). 10. “And didst make us unto our God kings and priests,” signifies that from the Lord they are in the truths and goods of the church and of heaven (n. 332); “and we shall reign upon the earth,” signifies the power that belongs to the Lord alone through Divine truth united to Divine good, and power and wisdom therefrom that those have who are of the Lord’s spiritual and celestial kingdoms (n. 333).

sRef Rev@5 @8 S0′ 321. Verse 8. And when He had taken the book, signifies after the acknowledgment that the Lord’s Human is Divine, and has omnipotence and omniscience. This is evident from the series in the internal sense, since this is the subject treated of just before (see n. 316, 319); and in what now follows this is acknowledged, and on this account the Lord is celebrated and glorified; and as this celebration and glorification is a living acknowledgment that the Lord’s Human is Divine, and has omnipotence and omniscience, and this acknowledgment now follows, this is signified by “when He had taken the book.” The glorification of the Lord (in what now follows) takes place in this order: first, by the angels of the higher heavens; then by the angels of the lower heavens; and afterwards by those who are beneath the heavens. The glorification of the Lord by the angels of the higher heavens is contained in verses 8-10; the glorification of the Lord by angels of the lower heavens in verses 11, 12; and the glorification by those who are beneath the heavens in verse 13; but of this more specifically in what follows.

sRef Rev@5 @8 S0′ 322. The four animals and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, signifies the acknowledgment and consequent glorification of the Lord by the angels of the higher heavens. This is evident from the signification of “the four animals and the four and twenty elders,” as being, in general, the whole heaven, but especially the inmost heaven, consequently the angels of the higher heavens (of which see above, n. 313); here especially the angels of those heavens, because in what follows there is glorification by the angels of the lower heavens. Also from the signification of “fell down before the Lamb,” as being acknowledgment from a humble heart. That “to fall down” signifies humiliation, and in that state acknowledgment of heart, see above (n. 290). Acknowledgment of the Lord’s Divine Human is clearly meant, for that is signified by “the Lamb” (see above, n. 314). What the higher heavens are, and what the lower heavens are, shall be told in a few words. There are three heavens: the third or inmost heaven is where the angels are who are in celestial love; the second or middle heaven is where the angels are who are in spiritual love; the first or ultimate heaven is where the angels are who are in spiritual-natural love. The third or inmost heaven is conjoined with the second or middle by intermediate angels, who are called celestial-spiritual and spiritual-celestial angels; these intermediate angels, together with the angels of the third or inmost heaven, constitute the higher heavens; while the remainder of those in the second or middle heaven, together with those who are in the first or outmost heaven, constitute the lower heavens. The “four animals” signify specifically the third or inmost heaven, and the “four and twenty elders” the second or middle heaven that is in conjunction with the third or inmost; thus together they signify the higher heavens. Respecting the intermediate angels, called celestial-spiritual and spiritual-celestial, and the conjunction of the third heaven with the second by these, see Arcana Coelestia (n. 1577, 1824, 2184, 4047, 4286, 4585, 4592, 4594, 6435, 6526, 8787, 8802, 9671).

sRef Rev@5 @8 S0′ 323. Having every one harps, signifies confession from spiritual truths. This is evident from the signification of a “harp,” as being confession from spiritual truths. This is signified by “harps,” because the harp was a stringed instrument, and by such instruments spiritual things, or those that are of truth, are signified, while wind instruments signify celestial things, or those that are of good. Such things are signified by musical instruments because of their sounds, for sound corresponds to the affections; moreover in heaven affections are perceived by sounds; and because there are various affections, and various sounds are produced by musical instruments, therefore these instruments, by correspondence and consequent agreement, signify affections. In general, stringed instruments signify such things as belong to the affections of truth, and wind instruments such as belong to the affections of good; or, what is the same, some instruments belong to the spiritual class, and some to the celestial class. That sounds correspond to the affections has been made evident to me by much experience, so also musical tones; also that angels are affected in accordance with sounds and their variations; but to recite all such experience would occupy too much space. I will mention only, what is a matter of general observation, that discrete sounds excite the affections of truth, that is, those are affected by them who are in the affections of truth; while continuous sounds excite the affections of good, that is, those are affected by them who are in the affections of good. Whether you say the affections of truth or things spiritual, it is the same, or whether you say the affections of good or things celestial, it is the same. (But these things can be better comprehended from what has been related from experience respecting sounds and their correspondence with affections, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 241.)
From this it can now be seen why in the Word, and especially in David, so many kinds of musical instruments are mentioned, as psalteries, harps, flutes, cymbals, timbrels, horns, organs, and others, namely, that it is because of their correspondence with the affections, and at the same time with articulations that are expressions containing things, and flowing from them. sRef Isa@24 @7 S2′ sRef Isa@24 @8 S2′ sRef Isa@24 @9 S2′ [2] That harps especially signify the affections of truth because they excite such affections, consequently that they also signify confession made from spiritual truths with a cheerful heart, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
The new wine shall mourn, the vine shall languish, all the glad of heart shall sigh. The joy of timbrels shall cease, the noise of the merry shall leave off; the joy of the harp shall cease. They shall not drink wine with a song (Isa. 24:7-9).
This treats of the vastation of the spiritual church, that is, of the good and truth thereof. Spiritual good, which is about to cease, is signified by “the new wine shall mourn,” and “the joy of timbrels shall cease;” and that its truth is about to cease is signified by “the vine shall languish,” and “the joy of the harp shall cease;” for “new wine” signifies spiritual good, and its joy is signified by the “timbrel;” and the “vine” signifies spiritual truth, and its joy is signified by the “harp.” Since it is the affection of these that is about to cease, it is said, “all the glad of heart shall sigh,” and “the noise of the merry shall leave off;” “gladness” and “mirth” in the Word signifying spiritual gladness and mirth, all of which are from the affections of truth and good. It is added, “they shall not drink wine with a song,” because “song” signifies the testification of gladness from the affection of truth, and “wine” signifies truth.
sRef Ps@33 @3 S3′ sRef Ps@33 @4 S3′ sRef Ps@33 @2 S3′ [3] In David:
Confess unto Jehovah with the harp; sing psalms unto Him with the psaltery of ten strings. Sing unto Him a new song; play well with a loud noise. For the word of Jehovah is right; and His work is done in truth (Ps. 33:2-4).
As a “harp” signifies confession from spiritual truths, it is said, “confess unto Jehovah with the harp;” “a psaltery of ten strings” signifies the corresponding spiritual good; therefore it is said, “sing psalms unto Him upon a psaltery of ten strings;” and for the same reason also it is said, “for the word of Jehovah is right, and all His work is done in truth;” “the word of Jehovah is right” signifying the truth of good; “His work is done in truth” signifying the good of truth; the truth of good is the truth that proceeds from good, and the good of truth is the good which is produced by truth.
sRef Ps@43 @3 S4′ sRef Ps@43 @4 S4′ [4] In the same:
Send Thy light and Thy truth, let them lead me; let them bring me unto the mountain of holiness, and to Thy tabernacles, that I may confess unto Thee upon the harp, O God, my God (Ps. 43:3-4);
the “harp” evidently signifying confession from spiritual truths, for it is said “I will confess unto Thee with the harp, O God, my God;” and it is also said before, “send Thy light and Thy truth; let them lead me.”
sRef Ps@71 @22 S5′ [5] In the same:
I will confess unto Thee with the instrument of psaltery, even Thy truth, O my God; unto Thee will I sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel (Ps. 71:22).
As the “psaltery” signifies spiritual good, that is, the good of truth, and the “harp” spiritual truth, that is, the truth of good, and confession is made from each, it is said, “I will confess unto Thee with the instrument of psaltery; unto Thee will I sing with the harp.”
sRef Ps@57 @9 S6′ sRef Ps@57 @7 S6′ sRef Ps@57 @8 S6′ [6] In the same:
I will sing, and I will sing psalms. Arouse me,* my glory, arouse me, psaltery and harp. I will confess unto Thee, O Lord, among the nations, I will sing psalms unto Thee among the peoples (Ps. 57:7-9; 108:1-3).
Confession and glorification from the good of truth or from spiritual good, and from truth of good or from spiritual truth, are expressed in these several things, the good of truth by “singing,” “being aroused by the psaltery,” and “confessing among the nations;” and the truth of good by “singing psalms,” “being aroused by the harp,” and “singing psalms among the peoples;” for “nations” in the Word mean those who are in good, and “peoples” those who are in truth; here those in spiritual truth. It is so said because where good is spoken of, in the Word, truth also is spoken of, and this because of the marriage of these in every particular of the Word (see above, n. 238 at end, 288).
sRef Ps@147 @7 S7′ [7] In the same:
Answer unto Jehovah by confession; sing psalms with the harp unto our God (Ps. 147:7).
Here also confession from spiritual good and from spiritual truth is expressed by “answer unto Jehovah by confession,” and “sing psalms with the harp unto our God;” from spiritual good by “answer unto Jehovah;” and from spiritual truth by “sing psalms with the harp unto God;” “Jehovah” being used where good is treated of, and “God” where truth is treated of (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 709, 732, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4287, 4402, 7010, 9167).
sRef Ezek@26 @14 S8′ sRef Ezek@26 @13 S8′ [8] In Ezekiel:
I will cause the noise of the songs to cease; and the voice of thy harps shall be no more heard; I will give thee to the parchedness of the cliff (Ezek. 26:13-14).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of good and truth. Its vastation is described by these words; the vastation in respect to the knowledges of good by “I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease;” and the vastation in respect to the knowledges of truth by “the voice of harps shall be no more heard;” desolation of all truth by “I will give thee to the parchedness of the cliff;” “cliff” signifying truth, and its “parchedness” desolation.
sRef Ps@98 @6 S9′ sRef Ps@98 @5 S9′ sRef Ps@98 @4 S9′ [9] In David:
Make a loud noise unto Jehovah, all the earth; break forth, shout for joy, and sing psalms. Sing psalms unto Jehovah with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and the sound of a cornet, make a loud noise before the King, Jehovah (Ps. 98:4-6).
The various kinds of affections from which the Lord is confessed and glorified are here expressed by various kinds of sounds and instruments; the various kinds of sounds in “making a loud noise,” “breaking forth,” “shouting for joy,” and “singing psalms,” and the various kinds of instruments, by “harps,” “trumpets,” and “cornets;” but to explain the signification of the particulars is not in place here, but only what relates to the harp. “To sing unto Jehovah with the harp, with the harp and the voice of a psalm,” signifies confession from the affection of spiritual good and truth; for every affection, since it is from love, when it falls into sound, produces a sound in accord with itself; consequently from the sound that is in the speech, and in which, as it were, the expressions of speech flow, the affection of the other is heard, and thus becomes known to his companion; this is manifestly so in the spiritual world, where all sounds of speech make manifest the affections.
sRef Ps@92 @3 S10′ sRef Ps@81 @1 S10′ sRef Ps@81 @2 S10′ sRef Ps@81 @3 S10′ sRef Ps@150 @5 S10′ sRef Ps@150 @4 S10′ sRef Ps@150 @3 S10′ sRef Ps@92 @1 S10′ sRef Ps@92 @2 S10′ sRef Ps@149 @2 S10′ sRef Ps@149 @3 S10′ [10] So elsewhere in David, as the following:
Shout for joy unto God our strength; make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob. Lift up the psalm and strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp, with the psaltery. Blow the cornet at the new moon (Ps. 81:1-3).
It is good to confess unto Jehovah, and to sing psalms unto Thy name, O Most High; with an instrument of ten strings, and with the psaltery; and with resounding music on the harp (Ps. 92:1-3).
Let the sons of Zion exult in their King; let them praise His name in the dance; let them sing psalms unto Him with the timbrel and harp (Ps. 149:2-3).
Praise God with the sound of the cornet; praise Him with the psaltery and harp; praise Him with the timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and organ. Praise Him with cymbals of soft sound; praise Him with cymbals of loud sound (Ps. 150:3-5).
sRef 2Sam@6 @5 S11′ [11] Because musical instruments and also dances signify varieties of joy and gladness that spring from the affections, as well as the affections themselves of the mind which their sounds excite, both singly and in combination, therefore:
David and the whole house of Israel played before Jehovah upon wooden instruments of every kind, and upon harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels; and on sistra, and on cymbals (2 Sam. 6:5).
sRef 1Sam@16 @23 S12′ sRef 1Sam@16 @16 S12′ sRef 1Sam@16 @14 S12′ sRef 1Sam@16 @15 S12′ [12] Because the “harp” signifies confession from spiritual truths, and spiritual truths are those by which angels who are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom are affected, and which disperse the falsities of evil, and with these the spirits themselves who are in them, so:
When the evil spirit was upon Saul, David took a harp and played with his hand; and so rest was given to Saul, and the evil spirit departed from him (1 Sam. 16:23).
This was done because kings represented the Lord in respect to the spiritual kingdom, and therefore signified spiritual truths (see above, n. 31); but Saul then represented the falsities that are opposed to these truths; and these were dispersed by the sound of the harp, because the “harp” signified the spiritual affection of truth. This then took place because with the sons of Israel all things were representative and thus significative; it is otherwise at this day. From the passages here quoted it can be seen what the “harp” signifies, also in other places (as Isa. 30:31, 32; Ps. 49:3, 4; 137:1, 2; 1 Sam. 10:5; Rev. 14:2; 18:22; Job 30:31).
sRef Isa@23 @16 S13′ sRef Isa@23 @15 S13′ [13] As most things in the Word have also a contrary meaning, so do musical instruments, in which sense they signify varieties of gladness and joy that spring from the affections of falsity and evil; thus the “harp” signifies the confession of falsity and the consequent exultation over the destruction of truth. As in Isaiah:
At the end of seventy years the song of Tyre shall be even as the song of a harlot; take a harp, walk in the city, thou harlot delivered over to forgetfulness; play elegantly, multiply the song (Isa. 23:15-16).
“Tyre” signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of spiritual truth and good (as was said above), here the church in which these are falsified; “harlot” signifies the falsification of truth (see above, n. 141); and “to take a harp, walk in the city,” “play elegantly, and multiply the song,” signifies the exultation and boasting of falsity over the destruction of truth.
sRef Isa@5 @11 S14′ sRef Isa@5 @12 S14′ [14] In the same:
Woe to them that rise early in the morning that they may follow strong drink; to them that tarry until twilight till the wine inflame them. And the harp and the psaltery and the timbrel and the pipe and wine are at their feasts; but they do not look upon the work of Jehovah, and they see not the working of His hands (Isa. 5:11-12).
Here “harp,” “psaltery,” “timbrel,” “pipe,” and also “wine,” have the contrary meaning, in which they signify exultation and boastings from the falsities of evil. Such is evidently the meaning, for it is said, “Woe to them; they do not look upon the work of Jehovah, and they see not the working of His hands.”
* Photoliograph has “me,” so also AR, n. 276, but AE, n. 326 has “te,” “thee.”

sRef Rev@5 @8 S0′ 324. And golden bowls full of incense, signifies confession from spiritual goods. This is evident from the signification of “golden bowls,” which are also called “censers,” and “incense pans,” as being truths from good; for “bowls,” like all containing vessels, signify truths, and “gold,” of which they were made, signifies good, therefore “golden bowls” are truths from good. (That “vessels” signify truths, because truths serve good as recipient and containing vessels, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3068, 3079, 3316, 3318; also “the vessels of the altars,” “of burnt offering,” and “of incense,” n. 9723, 9724; and that “gold” signifies good, above, n. 242.) It is evident also from the signification of “incense,” as being those things of worship that are done from spiritual good, or from the good of charity, and are therefore gratefully perceived. Such things are signified by “incense,” because all things that are instituted in the Israelitish nation were representative of celestial and spiritual things; so also were the things relating to odor; things of pleasant odor represented pleasant perception, but those of unpleasant odor unpleasant perception. On this account incense was made of fragrant spices, myrrh, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense. Moreover, there is a correspondence between odor and perception, as can be seen from this, that in the spiritual world, where all things perceived by the senses correspond, the perceptive of good and truth is made sensible as fragrance from pleasant odors, and vice versa (respecting this see what is shown from experience, Arcana Coelestia, n. 1514, 1517-1519, 1631, 4626, 4628, 4630, 4631, 5711-5717). From this it is that also in the common language of men, to smell means to perceive; for such expressions, like many others, have come into human discourse from correspondence; for the spirit of man is actually in the spiritual world, although man is not conscious of it. Moreover, the faculty of perception that man has, is what produces in his body the sense of smell, and this too from correspondence. But this is an arcanum that can with difficulty be credited, because it has been hitherto unknown. It is to be noted that this sweet smell or fragrance is produced by the good of love and charity, but by means of truth, not by good itself without truth, still less by means of the truth that is called truth of faith without good; for good without truth has nothing perceptive, neither has truth without good.
[2] “Incense” signifies those things of worship that are done from spiritual good, because spiritual good has its origin and existence from celestial good, which good is the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, and is therefore the very good of heaven, for that good is immediately from the Lord, and the Lord is with angels in that good as in what is His. This is even so far true that whether you say that the Lord is in them and they in the Lord, or that the Lord is with them in that good and they are in the Lord when in that good, it is the same. Spiritual good, which has its origin and existence from celestial good, is the good of charity towards the neighbor; worship from this good is what is signified by “incense.” As all worship of the Lord comes from good, although through truths, and as there are two universal goods that make the heavens and distinguish them into two kingdoms, namely, celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord, and spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbor, therefore with the sons of Israel there were two altars, one for burnt offerings, the other for incense-offerings; the altar of burnt offering signifying worship from the good of celestial love, and the altar of incense worship from the good of spiritual love; thence it is clear what was represented by “incense.”
sRef Ex@30 @4 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @8 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @3 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @10 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @9 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @5 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @7 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @6 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @1 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @2 S3′ [3] That this is so can be seen from passages in the Word where the two are mentioned. As in Moses:
Thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon; and thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and thou shalt put it before the veil that is over the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy-seat. And Aaron shall burn thereon incense of spices every morning, when dressing the lamps he shall burn it, and in making the lamps to ascend between the evenings he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before Jehovah in your generations. Ye shall make no strange incense to ascend thereon, nor burnt-sacrifice, nor meal-offering, nor drink-offering (Exod. 30:1-10).
That this “altar,” and the “burning incense” upon it, signified worship from spiritual good, is evident from its having been placed in the tent of meeting without the veil, where also were the lamps; and the tent signified the Lord’s spiritual kingdom; while that part of the tent that was within the veil signified the Lord’s celestial kingdom, as can be seen from what is shown in Arcana Coelestia (n. 9457, 9481, 9485) respecting the tent, in which was the table for the bread of faces, and in which was the altar of incense and the lampstand, also respecting the ark, in which was the Testimony, and upon which was the mercy-seat (n. 9457, 9481, 9485, 10545). It is there shown that the things that were in the tent without the veil, namely, the lamp stand, the altar of incense, and the table for the bread, signified such things as are of the spiritual kingdom, all of which have reference to spiritual good and its truth. The “table, upon which was the bread of faces,” signified the reception of celestial good in spiritual good (see n. 9527); the “lampstand” with the “lamps” signified the spiritual itself of that kingdom (n. 9548, 9551, 9556, 9561, 9572, 9783); the “altar of incense” signified worship from spiritual good; and because worship from spiritual good was signified by burning incense upon that altar, and the spiritual itself by the “lampstand,” it was commanded that Aaron should burn incense upon it every morning and evening, when he dressed the lamps. (But these things are more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 10176-10213, where these particulars are treated of.)
sRef Lev@16 @13 S4′ sRef Lev@16 @12 S4′ sRef Lev@16 @11 S4′ [4] And because spiritual good has its origin and existence from celestial good (as was said above), not only was that altar placed near the veil that was over the ark, but it was also commanded that when Aaron should make atonement for himself and for his house, he should bring the incense within the veil, which signified the influx, communication, and conjunction of celestial good and spiritual good. Of this it is written in Moses:
When Aaron shall make an atonement for himself and for his house he shall kill the bullock of the sin-offering; and he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before Jehovah, and his hands full of the incense of spices, and he shall bring it within the veil, that he may put the incense upon the fire before Jehovah; and the cloud of the incense shall cover the mercy-seat that is upon the Testimony, that he die not (Lev. 16:11-13).
That “he should take fire from off the altar of burnt-offering,” and “should put incense upon the fire,” signified that spiritual good, which is the good of charity, has existence and proceeds from celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord (that the “fire of the altar” signified that good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4489, 6314, 6832, 9714, and elsewhere). This is why the fire for burning incense was not taken from anywhere else than from the altar of burnt-offering. When Aaron made atonement for himself and his house he was to burn the incense within the veil because Aaron as chief priest represented the Lord in respect to the good of love, and by his functions he represented the things that proceed from that good, all of which relate to spiritual good; spiritual good, unless it is from celestial good, is not good; except for this Aaron’s function could not have been from the Divine, or could not have represented anything of the Divine; and this is why Aaron was threatened with death unless he did as he was commanded.
sRef Lev@10 @2 S5′ sRef Lev@10 @5 S5′ sRef Lev@10 @3 S5′ sRef Lev@10 @1 S5′ sRef Lev@10 @4 S5′ [5] For the same reason also Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, were consumed by fire from heaven because they burnt incense from other fire than the fire of the altar of burnt-offering, which is offering worship from a love other than love to the Lord; respecting which it is thus written in Moses:
Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer and put strange fire therein, and laid incense thereon. Therefore fire went out from before Jehovah and devoured them, and they died, afterwards they were carried without the camp (Lev. 10:1-5).
“They were carried without the camp” signified that their worship was not from heaven, because not from love to the Lord; for “the camp of the sons of Israel” represented heaven and the (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4236, 10038).
sRef Num@16 @12 S6′ sRef Num@16 @4 S6′ sRef Num@16 @5 S6′ sRef Num@16 @18 S6′ sRef Num@16 @11 S6′ sRef Num@16 @21 S6′ sRef Num@16 @17 S6′ sRef Num@16 @15 S6′ sRef Num@16 @6 S6′ sRef Num@16 @8 S6′ sRef Num@16 @9 S6′ sRef Num@16 @14 S6′ sRef Num@16 @7 S6′ sRef Num@16 @10 S6′ sRef Num@16 @19 S6′ sRef Num@16 @13 S6′ sRef Num@16 @22 S6′ sRef Num@16 @20 S6′ sRef Num@16 @16 S6′ sRef Num@16 @32 S6′ sRef Num@16 @31 S6′ sRef Num@16 @29 S6′ sRef Num@16 @30 S6′ sRef Num@16 @37 S6′ sRef Num@16 @38 S6′ sRef Num@16 @35 S6′ sRef Num@16 @33 S6′ sRef Num@16 @34 S6′ sRef Num@16 @24 S6′ sRef Num@16 @25 S6′ sRef Num@16 @26 S6′ sRef Num@16 @3 S6′ sRef Num@16 @2 S6′ sRef Num@16 @23 S6′ sRef Num@16 @27 S6′ sRef Num@16 @28 S6′ sRef Num@16 @1 S6′ [6] Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, with their company, were swallowed up by the earth, although they took fire from the altar and burnt incense, because “their murmuring against Moses and Aaron” signified the profanation of the good of celestial love; for “Moses” and “Aaron” represented the Lord and “to murmur” (that is, to rebel) against the Lord and at the same time to perform holy offices, is profanation; but as they took the fire from the altar, that fire was cast out, and their censers were made into a covering for the altar; respecting which it is thus written in Moses:
Moses said to them that they should take fire and put it into their censers which was also done; but they were swallowed up (Num. 16:1 to the end).
But afterwards it was commanded:
That they should gather up the censers, and scatter the fire hitherwards; and of the censers, which were of brass, they should make broad plates, a covering to the altar, because they had been sanctified (Num. 16:37-38).
The censers had been sanctified by the “fire of the altar,” which signified Divine celestial love.
sRef Lev@24 @7 S7′ [7] Because spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbor, derives its essence and soul from celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord, therefore also “frankincense,” which signifies spiritual good, was put upon the “bread of faces,” which signified celestial good; as can be seen from these words in Moses:
And frankincense shall be put upon the bread of faces which is upon the table in the tent of meeting, that the bread may be for a memorial (Lev. 24:7).
“That the bread may be for a memorial” signifies that the Lord may receive and give heed; for all worship of the Lord which is truly worship comes from celestial good through spiritual good; for spiritual good, which is charity towards the neighbor, is an effect of celestial good, for charity towards the neighbor is the performance of uses, and living a moral life from a heavenly origin (respecting which see Heaven and Hell, n. 390, 484, 529, 530-535; and The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 84-107), this, therefore, is spiritual good; while celestial good is looking to the Lord and acknowledging that every good and truth is from Him, and that from man, or from what is man’s own, there is nothing but evil.
sRef Num@16 @45 S8′ sRef Num@16 @44 S8′ sRef Num@16 @43 S8′ sRef Num@16 @46 S8′ sRef Num@16 @47 S8′ sRef Num@16 @48 S8′ sRef Num@16 @42 S8′ sRef Num@16 @41 S8′ [8] That the incense was to be burned from no other fire than the fire of the altar of burnt-offering, which signified celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord, is also evident from other passages, as in Moses:
When the congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron, and were attacked by the plague, then Aaron took fire from the altar, and put it in a censer, and placed incense on it, and he ran into the midst of them; and the plague was stayed (Num. 16:41, 46-48).
and also in Revelation (8:3-5).
sRef Isa@60 @6 S9′ [9] That “incense” and “frankincense” signify spiritual good, and “burning incense” worship acceptable because of that good, and therefore hearing and reception by the Lord, can be seen from the following. In Isaiah:
A troop of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and of Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and frankincense; and they shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah (Isa. 60:6).
Here the Lord’s coming is treated of; the “troop of camels” and the “dromedaries of Midian and Ephah” signify the knowledges of truth and good in abundance; “all they from Sheba shall come” signifies from the knowledges of genuine truth and good (that “Sheba” signified such knowledges, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1171, 3240); “gold and frankincense,” which they shall bring, signify worship from spiritual good that is from celestial good; “gold” signifying celestial good, and “frankincense” spiritual good. Because worship from these is signified it is said, “and they shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah;” “proclaiming the praises of Jehovah” signifying the proclamation of good tidings respecting the Lord, and worship of Him.
sRef Matt@2 @11 S10′ [10] In Matthew:
The wise men from the east opened their treasures, and offered gifts to the newborn Lord, gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matt. 2:11).
“The wise men from the east” also signified those who are in the knowledges of truth and good; the worship of such from celestial good, spiritual good, and natural good is signified by “they offered gold, frankincense, and myrrh;” for “gold” signifies celestial good, “frankincense” spiritual good, and “myrrh” natural good. That these had such a signification was still known to many in the east, therefore they were also called “sons of the east,” by whom in the Word those who are in the knowledges of truth and good are meant (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3249, 3762), for the knowledge of correspondences had remained among them; therefore that they might testify their joy of heart they offered such things as signified every good from first to last; and this is what was predicted in Isaiah, that they “were to come from Sheba, and bring gold and frankincense, and proclaim the praises of Jehovah” (of which just above).
sRef Mal@1 @11 S11′ [11] In Malachi:
From the rising of the sun even unto its going down My name shall be great among the nations; and in every place incense shall be offered unto My name, and a clean meal offering (Mal. 1:11).
“From the rising of the sun even unto its going down My name shall be great among the nations” signifies that the church and worship of the Lord shall be everywhere with those who are in good; “from the rising of the sun to its going down” signifying every place where there is good; “My name shall be great” signifying the acknowledgment and worship of the Lord; and “nations” signifying those who are in good; “incense shall be offered unto My name, and a clean meal offering” signifies the worship of the Lord from spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbor, and from celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord; worship from spiritual good is signified by “incense offering,” and from celestial good by “meal offering.” (That a “meal offering” signifies that good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4581, 10079, 10137.)
sRef Ps@141 @1 S12′ sRef Isa@43 @23 S12′ sRef Ps@141 @2 S12′ [12] “Incense” and “meal-offering” have a like signification in David:
Give ear unto my voice when I call unto Thee. Let my prayers be accepted as incense before Thee; the lifting up of my hands as the evening meal-offering (Ps. 141:1, 2).
And in Isaiah:
Thou hast brought to Me the small cattle of thy burnt-offerings, and thou hast not honored Me with thy sacrifices. I have not made thee to serve by a meal-offering, nor wearied thee by frankincense (Isa. 43:23).
As all worship of the Lord comes from spiritual good that is from celestial good, therefore the two, “meal-offering” and “frankincense” are mentioned separately in the letter, yet in the internal or spiritual sense they are to be understood conjointly, but the one from the other.
sRef Jer@17 @26 S13′ [13] So in Jeremiah:
They shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the circuits of Jerusalem, bringing burnt-offering and sacrifice, and meal-offering and frankincense (Jer. 17:26).
Here “Judah” and “Jerusalem” do not mean Judah and Jerusalem, but the Lord’s church, which is in the good of love and in the doctrine of charity therefrom; worship from these is signified by “burnt-offering and sacrifice,” also by “meal-offering and frankincense.”
sRef Lev@2 @2 S14′ sRef Lev@2 @1 S14′ [14] Because “meal-offering” signified the good of celestial love, and “frankincense” the good of spiritual love, upon the meal-offering of fine flour were put oil and frankincense, as appears in Moses:
When a soul would offer the offering of a meal-offering unto Jehovah, fine flour shall be his offering, upon which he shall pour oil, and shall put upon it frankincense; and the priest shall take out of it his handful of the fine flour and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof, and he shall burn it for a memorial upon the altar (Lev. 2:1-2).
This meal-offering was instituted because “fine flour” signifies genuine truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9995); and since this truth is from good, namely, from celestial good, and from consequent spiritual good, “oil and frankincense” were put upon it; “oil” signifying the good of celestial love, and “frankincense” the good of spiritual love; in the internal sense, the one from the other. There were also other kinds of meal-offerings that were prepared with oil that had a like signification.
sRef Ezek@16 @18 S15′ sRef Ezek@16 @17 S15′ [15] In Ezekiel:
Thou hast taken the garments of thy embroidery, and hast covered the images of the male, with which thou didst commit whoredom; and didst set My oil and My incense before them (Ezek. 16:18-19).
This is said of Jerusalem, which signifies the church in respect to doctrine, here doctrine altogether perverted. The “images of the male,” which “she covered with the garments of her embroidery, and with which she committed whoredom,” signify the falsities that they made, by perverse interpretations, to appear as truths, thus they signify falsified truths, “garments of embroidery” meaning the knowledges of truth from the Word, and “to commit whoredom” meaning to falsify; to set My oil and My incense before them” signifies to adulterate both the good of celestial love and the good of spiritual love; and these are adulterated when the Word is applied to the loves of self and of the world.
sRef Deut@33 @10 S16′ [16] In Moses:
They shall teach Jacob Thy judgments, and Israel Thy law; they shall put incense in Thy nostrils, and a burnt-offering upon Thine altar (Deut. 33:10).
This is the prophecy of Moses respecting Levi, by whom the priesthood is signified, and because the priesthood was representative of the Lord in respect to the good of love, both celestial and spiritual, therefore it is said, “they shall put incense in Thy nostrils, and a burnt-offering upon Thine altar;” “incense” signifying worship from spiritual good, and “burnt offering upon the altar” worship from celestial good; “in the nostrils” signifying to the perception.
sRef Ps@66 @15 S17′ sRef Ps@66 @13 S17′ [17] In David:
I will go into Thy house with burnt-offerings; I will pay my vows unto Thee. I will offer unto Thee burnt-offerings of fatlings, rams with incense (Ps. 66:13, 15).
“To offer burnt-offerings of fatlings” signifies worship from the good of celestial love; “to offer rams with incense” signifies worship from the good of spiritual love; “incense” and “ram” signifying that good.
sRef Rev@8 @5 S18′ sRef Rev@8 @3 S18′ sRef Rev@8 @4 S18′ [18] In Revelation:
Another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he might offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar that was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up out of the angel’s hand before God. Afterwards the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar and cast it into the earth (Rev. 8:3-5).
What this means will be told in the explanation of these words in what follows; here it need merely be said that “incense” signifies worship from spiritual good, which is the good of charity toward the neighbor. Such worship is signified also by “the prayers of the saints;” it is therefore said “that there was given unto him much incense, that he might offer it with prayers of the saints;” and then that “the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God.” That the “prayers of the saints” signify worship from spiritual good will be seen in the next paragraph, so also what is meant by worship from spiritual good, or from the good of charity.
sRef Isa@65 @3 S19′ [19] In Isaiah:
A people that provoke Me to anger continually before My faces; that sacrifice in gardens, and burn incense upon bricks (Isa. 65:3).
Here “sacrificing” and “burning incense” have the contrary signification, namely, worship from the falsities of doctrine that are from self-intelligence; “gardens” signify intelligence, here self-intelligence, and “bricks” falsities therefrom; “to sacrifice” and “to burn incense” signify worship. (That the ancients held Divine worship in gardens and groves in accordance with the significations of the trees therein, but that this was forbidden among the Israelitish nation, lest they should frame to themselves a worship from the selfhood [ex proprio], see n. 2722, 4552.)
sRef Hos@4 @13 S20′ [20] In Hosea:
They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under the oak, and the poplar, and the terebinth, because the shadow thereof is good, therefore your daughters commit whoredom, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery Hos. 4:13).
This describes worship from the love of self and from the love of the world, and from the falsities of doctrine therefrom; worship from the love of self is meant by “sacrificing upon the tops of the mountains;” worship from the love of the world, by “burning incense upon the hills;” and worship from the falsities of doctrine, by “sacrificing and burning incense under the oak, the poplar, and the terebinth;” the “top of the mountains” signifying celestial love, here the love of self; “hills” spiritual love, here, the love of the world; for the love of self is the contrary of celestial love, and the love of the world is the contrary of spiritual love; “the oak, the poplar, and the terebinth,” signify the lowest goods of truth and truths of good of the natural man, here the evils of falsity and the falsities of its evil; “because the shadow thereof is good” signifies complacence; the falsifications of spiritual good therefrom are signified by “therefore your daughters commit whoredom,” and the adulteration of celestial good by “your daughters-in-law commit adultery.”
sRef Jer@11 @17 S21′ sRef Jer@11 @13 S21′ [21] In Jeremiah:
[According to] the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number [of the streets] of Jerusalem have ye set up altars, altars to burn incense unto Baal (Jer. 11:13, 17).
“Cities” here do not mean cities, nor “gods” gods, nor the “streets of Jerusalem” streets there; but “cities” signify the doctrinals of falsity; “gods” the falsities themselves; and the streets of Jerusalem the falsities of the doctrine of the church. “To set up altars, altars to burn incense unto Baal,” signifies worship from the love of self and from the love of the world (as above). This nation did set up altars and burn incense to Baal; but as all things of their worship were representative, the things that were done according to the statutes were representative of things celestial and spiritual; consequently the things that were done contrary to the statutes were representative of things infernal; therefore by “altars set up to the gods,” and by “incense offered to Baal,” these contrary things are signified.
sRef Jer@1 @16 S22′ [22] In the same:
I will speak with them judgments upon all their evil, in that they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods, and have bowed themselves down to the works of their own hands (Jer. 1:16).
“To burn incense to other gods,” and “to bow themselves down to the works of their own hands,” signifies worship from the falsities that are from self-intelligence; “other gods” meaning falsities, and the “works of their own hands” what is from self-intelligence.
sRef Jer@44 @21 S23′ sRef Jer@44 @25 S23′ sRef Hos@11 @2 S23′ sRef Jer@18 @15 S23′ sRef Jer@11 @12 S23′ sRef Jer@44 @18 S23′ sRef Jer@44 @19 S23′ sRef Jer@44 @17 S23′ sRef Jer@7 @9 S23′ [23] The like is signified by:
Burning incense to gods (Jer. 11:12; 44:3, 5, 8, 15, 18);
Likewise burning incense to graven images (Hos. 11:2);
And burning incense to vanity (Jer. 18:15);
The like as above is signified by burning incense to Baal (Jer. 7:9; Hos. 2:13);
Likewise by burning incense to Melecheth, or the queen of the heavens (Jer. 44:17-19, 21, 25).
“Melecheth of the heavens” signifies falsities in the whole complex.
[24] Moreover, “burning incense” signifies those things of worship that are perceived as grateful, and “incense” signifies spiritual good, because all things that were instituted in the Israelitish nation were representative of things celestial and spiritual; for the church with them was not as the church at this day, which is internal, but it was external; and the externals represented and thus signified the internal things of the church, such as were disclosed by the Lord in the Word of the New Testament; for this reason their church was called a representative church. The externals of that church consisted of such things in the world of nature as corresponded to the affections of good and truth in the spiritual world; consequently when those who were of that church were in externals in respect to worship, those who were in the spiritual world, that is, in heaven, were in the internals, and conjoined themselves with those who were in externals; it was in this way that heaven at that time made one with the men on the earth.
[25] From this it can be seen why there was a table for the bread in the tent of meeting, and why there was a lampstand with lamps, and an altar for incense. For “bread” represented and thence signified the good of love proceeding from the Lord, or celestial good; the “lampstand with lamps” represented and thence signified spiritual good and truth; and “incense” represented and thence signified worship; and because all Divine worship that is perceived as grateful is from spiritual good, therefore that good was signified by “incense.” In order that this gratification might be represented the incense was made from fragrant spices, and this also from correspondence; for fragrant odors correspond to the pleasantnesses and delights that are in the thoughts and perceptions from the joy of spiritual love. For this reason incense corresponded to such things as are received as grateful by the Lord and perceived as grateful by angels. This gratification is solely from spiritual good, or from the good of charity towards the neighbor; for this good is celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord in effect; for celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord, is brought into effect solely through spiritual good, which is the good of charity toward the neighbor; consequently to be in this good and to exercise it is to love and worship the Lord. (What charity toward the neighbor is, and what it is to exercise it, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 84-107.)
sRef Ex@30 @35 S26′ sRef Ex@30 @38 S26′ sRef Ex@30 @37 S26′ sRef Ex@30 @36 S26′ sRef Ex@30 @34 S26′ [26] As the “oil” by which anointings were made signified celestial good or the good of love to the Lord, and “incense” signified spiritual good, or the good of charity towards the neighbor, and as the latter is from the former (as was said above), therefore in Exodus (chapter 30) the preparation of the anointing oil is first treated of, and immediately afterwards the preparation of the incense; the preparation of the anointing oil from verse 23 to 33, and the preparation of the incense from verse 34 to 38. And as the incense-offering is here treated of I will quote what is there commanded regarding the preparation of incense, namely:
Take unto thee fragrant spices, stacte, onycha, and galbanum; fragrant spices and pure frankincense, like quantity with like quantity shall it be. And thou shalt make it an incense, a perfume the work of the perfumer, salted, pure, holy; and thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the Testimony of the Tent of meeting, where I will meet thee; it shall be unto you the holy of holies. And the incense that thou makest ye shall not make in its quality for yourselves; it shall be unto thee holy to Jehovah. The man who shall make like unto it to smell thereof shall be cut off from his peoples (Exod. 30:34-38).
(But what these particulars signify, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10289-10310, where they are explained consecutively.) Here it may be said merely that frankincense was the primary ingredient, and the other three were added for the sake of their odor; therefore it is said of the frankincense, that “a like quantity with a like quantity it shall be,” or as much of one as of the other; in like manner as with the anointing oil, in which the oil of the olive was the primary ingredient, and the other things in it were significative (Exod. 30:23-33). From this it is clear why frankincense has the same signification as incense when compounded, namely spiritual good.
sRef Lev@26 @31 S27′ sRef Hos@14 @6 S27′ sRef Ezek@20 @41 S27′ sRef Lev@26 @27 S27′ [27] As the fragrances pertaining to odor correspond to spiritual pleasantnesses, or to the pleasantnesses arising from spiritual good, so also what is received by the Lord as most grateful is called an:
Odor of rest (Exod. 29:18, 25, 41; Lev. 1:9, 13, 17; 2:2, 9, 12; 3:5; 4:31; 6:15, 21; 8:28; 23:8, 13, 18; Num. 15:3; 28:6, 8, 13; 29:2, 6, 8, 13, 36).
In Ezekiel:
By the odor of rest I will be pleased with you (Ezek. 20:41).
In Moses:
If ye will not walk in My precepts, but will go contrary to Me, I will not smell the odor of your rest (Lev. 26:27, 31).
And in Hosea:
His branches shall spread, and he shall be as the honor of the olive, and his odor as that of Lebanon (Hos. 14:6).
This is said of Israel; “the honor of the olive” signifies celestial good, and “the odor of Lebanon” spiritual good, from its gratefulness. (That “honor” is predicated of celestial good, see above, n. 288; that the “olive” also signifies that good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9277, 10261; that “odor” signifies what is perceived as grateful according to the quality of love and faith, n. 1514-1519, 3577, 4624-4634, 4748, 5621, 10292; that the “odor of rest” signifies the perceptive of peace, n. 925, 10054; what this is see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 284-290.)

sRef Rev@5 @8 S0′ 325. Which are the prayers of the saints, signifies from which is worship. This is evident from the signification of the “prayers of the saints,” as being worship from spiritual good; “prayers,” in the internal sense, mean all things of worship; and “saints” things spiritual; for those who are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom are called in the Word “saints” [or “holy”], and those who are in His celestial kingdom are called “righteous” [or “just”] (see above, n. 204). But in the internal sense of the Word by “saints” are not meant saints [holy men], but things holy, for the term “saints” involves persons, and in the internal sense everything of person is put off, for things solely make that sense (see above, n. 270); and that the angels, because they are spiritual, think abstractly from persons (see also above, n. 99, 100). This is what distinguishes the internal sense of the Word from its external sense, which is the sense of the letter; and as “saints” thus mean things holy, and “holy” in the Word means the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and making His spiritual kingdom (as may be seen above, n. 204), so by “saints” things spiritual are meant, and by the “prayers of the saints” worship from spiritual good. That worship from that good is meant by the “prayers of the saints” is evident from this, that it is said “they had golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints;” and “incense” signifies all things of worship that are from spiritual good (as was shown in the preceding paragraph); from which it follows that the “prayers of the saints” has a like signification.
sRef Ps@141 @5 S2′ sRef Ps@141 @4 S2′ sRef Ps@141 @2 S2′ sRef Ps@141 @3 S2′ sRef Ps@141 @1 S2′ [2] As also in David:
Give ear unto my voice when I call unto Thee. Let my prayers be received as incense before Thee; the lifting up of my hands as the evening meal-offering. Guard the door of my lips; let not my heart decline to evil, to do evil deeds in wickedness with the men who work iniquity; for still my prayers are in their evils (Ps. 141:1-5).
Here also “prayers” are called “incense,” and “the lifting up of the hands” is called a “meal-offering;” and this because “prayers” and “incense” have a similar signification, also “lifting up of the hands” and “meal-offering.” “Incense” signifies spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbor; and “meal-offering” signifies celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord; thus both signifying worship. And as prayers are not from the mouth, but from the heart by the mouth, and all worship that is from the heart is from the good of love and charity, for the heart signifies that, so it is also said, “Guard the door of my lips; let not my heart decline to evil, to do evil deeds in wickedness.” And because David is lamenting that evils still have power against him, he says, “for still my prayers are in their evils.”
sRef Rev@8 @3 S3′ sRef Rev@8 @4 S3′ [3] That “prayers” have a similar meaning as “incense” is evident also from other passages in Revelation:
Another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he might offer it with the prayers of all the saints, upon the golden altar. And the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints went up before God (Rev. 8:3-4).
As “prayers” and “incense” have here similar significance, namely, worship from spiritual good, it is said, “there was given unto him much incense, that he might offer it with the prayers of the saints;” likewise that “the smoke of the incense went up with the prayers of the saints unto God.” What is meant by worship from spiritual good shall first be explained, and afterwards that prayers signify such worship. Worship does not consist in prayers and in external devotion, but in a life of charity; prayers are only its externals, for they proceed from the man through his mouth, consequently men’s prayers are such as they themselves are in respect to life. It matters not that a man bears himself humbly, that he kneels and sighs when he prays; for these are externals, and unless externals proceed from internals they are only gestures and sounds without life. In each thing that a man utters there is affection, and every man, spirit, and angel is his own affection, for their affection is their life; it is the affection itself that speaks, and not the man without it; therefore such as the affection is such is the praying. Spiritual affection is what is called charity towards the neighbor; to be in that affection is true worship; praying is what proceeds. From this it can be seen that the essential of worship is the life of charity, and that its instrumental is gesture and praying; or that the primary of worship is a life of charity, and its secondary is praying. From this it is clear that those who place all Divine worship in oral piety, and not in practical piety, err greatly.
[4] Practical piety is to act in every work and in every duty from sincerity and right, and from justice and equity, and this because it is commanded by the Lord in the Word; for thus man in his every work looks to heaven and to the Lord, and thus is conjoined with Him. But to act sincerely and rightly, justly and equitably, solely from fear of the law, of the loss of fame or of honor and gain, and to think nothing of the Divine law, of the commandments of the Word, and of the Lord, and yet to pray devoutly in the churches, is external piety; however holy this may appear, it is not piety, but it is either hypocrisy, or something put on derived from habit, or a kind of persuasion from a false belief that Divine worship consists merely in this; for such a man does not look to heaven and to the Lord with the heart, but only with the eyes; the heart looking to self and to the world, and the mouth speaking from the habit of the body only and its memory; by this man is conjoined to the world and not to heaven, and to self and not to the Lord. From this it can be seen what piety is, and what Divine worship is, and that practical piety is worship itself. On this see also what is said in the work on Heaven and Hell, (n. 222, 224, 358-360, 528-530); and in Doctrine of the New Jerusalem (n. 123-129), where also are these words:
Piety is to think and speak piously; to spend much time in prayer; to bear oneself humbly at such times; to frequent churches, and listen devoutly to discourses there; to observe the sacrament of the Supper frequently every year, and likewise the other services of worship according to the appointments of the church. But a life of charity is to will well and do well to the neighbor; to act in every work from justice and equity, from good and truth, and also in every duty; in a word, the life of charity consists in performing uses. Divine worship consists primarily in such a life, and secondarily in a life of piety; he, therefore, who separates the one from the other, that is, who lives a life of piety and not at the same time a life of charity, does not worship God. For a life of piety is valuable so far as a life of charity is joined with it; for the life of charity is the primary thing, and such as this is, such is the life of piety (n. 124, 128).
[5] That the Lord insinuates heaven into man’s practical piety, but not into oral or external piety separate therefrom, has been testified to me by much experience. For I have seen many who placed all worship in oral and outward piety, while in their actual life they gave no thought to the Lord’s commandments in the Word, believing that what is sincere and right, just and equitable, must be done not from regard to religion, thus from a spiritual motive, but merely from regard to civil law and also to moral law, that they might appear sincere and just for the sake of reputation, and this for the sake of honor and gain, believing that this would take them into heaven before others. According to their belief, therefore, they were raised up into heaven; but when the angels perceived that they worshiped God with the mouth only, and not with the heart, and that their external piety did not proceed from practical piety, which is of the life, they cast them down; afterwards these became associated with those who were in a life like their own, and were there deprived of their piety and sanctity, since these were interiorly defiled by evils of life. From this also it was made clear, that Divine worship consists primarily in a life of charity and secondarily in external piety.
sRef Matt@6 @8 S6′ sRef Matt@6 @7 S6′ [6] As Divine worship itself consists primarily in the life, and not in prayers, the Lord said, that in praying there should not be much speaking and repetition, in the following words:
In praying, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Do not make yourselves, therefore, like them (Matt. 6:7-8).
Now as Divine worship itself consists primarily in a life of charity, and secondarily in prayers, by “prayers,” in the spiritual sense of the Word, worship from spiritual good, that is, from the life of charity, is meant, for that which is primary is what is meant in the spiritual sense, while the sense of the letter consists of things secondary, which are effects, and which correspond.
sRef Luke@21 @36 S7′ [7] Prayers are mentioned, moreover, in many passages of the Word; but as prayers proceed from the heart, and a man’s heart is such as is his life of love and charity, so “prayers,” in the spiritual sense, mean that life and worship from it, as in the following. In Luke:
Be ye wakeful at every season, praying that ye may be accounted worthy to escape the things that are to come, and so stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:36; Mark 13:33).
“To be wakeful at every season” signifies to procure to oneself spiritual life (see above, n. 187); therefore praying is also mentioned, because “praying” is an effect of that life, or its external, which is of avail so far as it proceeds from the life, for these two are one like soul and body, and like internal and external.
sRef Mark@11 @24 S8′ sRef Mark@11 @25 S8′ [8] In Mark:
Jesus said, All things that ye ask for, praying, believe that ye are to receive, and then it shall be done for you. But when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any (Mark 11:24-25).
Here, also, in the spiritual sense, by “praying,” “asking for,” and “supplicating,” a life of love and charity is meant; for to those who are in a life of love and charity it is given from the Lord what they are to ask; therefore they ask nothing but what is good, and that is done for them; and as faith also is from the Lord, it is said, “believe that ye are to receive;” and as prayers proceed from a life of charity, and are according to it, in order that it may be done according to the prayers, it is said, “When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any.”
sRef Matt@5 @23 S9′ sRef Matt@5 @24 S9′ [9] “When ye stand praying” signifies when in Divine worship, as is clear also from this, that the like as is here said of those who pray is said also of those who offer a gift upon the altar, in Matthew:
If thou offer a gift upon the altar, and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave the gift before the altar, and first be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming offer the gift (Matt. 5:23-24).
“Offering a gift upon the altar” signifies all Divine worship, for the reason that Divine worship with that nation consisted chiefly in offering burnt-offerings and sacrifices, by which therefore all things of worship were signified (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 214, 221). From this it can be seen that “praying,” or “supplicating,” and “offering a gift upon the altar,” have a like meaning, namely, worship from the good of love and charity.
sRef Matt@21 @13 S10′ [10] In the same:
Jesus said, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of robbers (Matt. 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46).
The Lord’s “house” signifies the church, and “prayers” worship therein; and a “den of robbers” the profanation of the church and of worship; and from this contrary sense it is also evident that prayers signify worship from the good of love and charity.
sRef Ps@66 @17 S11′ sRef Ps@66 @19 S11′ sRef Ps@66 @18 S11′ [11] In David:
I cried unto God with my mouth. If I had regarded iniquity in my heart the Lord would not have heard; but God hath heard; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer (Ps. 66:17-19).
Since prayers are such as the man’s heart is, and thus are not prayers of any worship when the heart is evil, it is said, “If I had regarded iniquity in my heart the Lord would not have heard,” which signifies that He would not receive such worship. Man’s “heart” is his love, and man’s love is his very life, consequently a man’s prayers are such as his love is, that is, such as his life is; from which it follows that “prayers” signify the life of his love and charity, or that this life is meant by “prayers” in the spiritual sense.
[12] Many more passages might be cited; but as man does not know that his life and his prayers make one, and therefore does not perceive otherwise than that “prayers” where they are mentioned in the Word mean merely prayers, these passages will be omitted here. Moreover, when man is in a life of charity he is constantly praying, if not with the mouth yet with the heart; for that which is of the love is constantly in the thought, even when man is unconscious of it (according to what is said in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 55-57); from which also it is clear that “praying” in the spiritual sense is worship from love. But those who place piety in prayers and not in the life have no relish for this truth, in fact their thought is contrary to it; such do not even know what practical piety is.

sRef Rev@5 @9 S0′ 326. Verse 9. And they were singing a new song, signifies acknowledgment and confession from joy of heart. This is evident from the signification of a “song,” as meaning acknowledgment and confession from joy of heart, here acknowledgment and confession that the Lord in respect to the Divine Human has all power in the heavens and on earth. Confession respecting this is meant because this is what is here treated of. “To sing a song” signifies confession from joy of heart, because joy of heart, when it is in fullness, expresses itself in song, this it does because when the heart, and in consequence the thought also, is full of joy, it pours itself forth in singing, the joy of the heart itself through the sound of the singing, and the joy of the thought therefrom through the song. The kind of joy of the thought is expressed by the words of the song, which concur and agree with the matter that is in the thought from the heart; the kind of joy of the heart is expressed by the harmony, and the measure of this joy is expressed by the exaltation of the sound and the words in it. All these flow as if spontaneously from the joy itself, and for the reason that the whole heaven is formed according to the affections of good and truth, the highest heaven according to the affections of good, and the middle heaven according to the affections of truth; it is therefore formed also for joys, for every joy is from an affection, or from love; from this it is that in all angelic discourse there is a kind of harmony. (But these things can be more clearly known and concluded by what is said and shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, namely, that the thoughts and affections of angels go forth according to the form of heaven, n. 200-212, and 265-275; therefore that there is a kind of harmony in their speech, n. 242; also that the sound of the speech of angels corresponds to their affections; and the articulations of sound, which are the words, correspond to the ideas of thought, which are from the affection, n. 236, 241; also in Arcana Coelestia, 1648, 1649, 2595, 2596, 3350, 5182, 8115.) From this it is clear that harmony in song, and also the power of musical art to express the various kinds of affections and to adapt itself to its themes, are from the spiritual world, and not from the natural as is believed (see also concerning this in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 241).
[2] For this reason many kinds of musical instruments were used in sacred worship with the Jewish and Israelitish nation, some of which had relation to the affections of celestial good, and some to the affections of spiritual good, and to the joys therefrom, respecting what was to be proclaimed. Stringed instruments had relation to the affections of spiritual good, and wind instruments to the affections of celestial good; to these was added the singing of songs, which gave form to the agreements of things with the sounds of affections. Such were all the psalms of David, therefore they are called psalms, from playing [psallere], and also songs. This makes clear why the four animals and twenty-four elders are said to have had harps, and also to have sung this song.
sRef Isa@12 @1 S3′ sRef Isa@12 @2 S3′ sRef Isa@12 @3 S3′ sRef Isa@12 @6 S3′ sRef Isa@12 @4 S3′ sRef Isa@12 @5 S3′ [3] That “singing” and “singing a song” signify acknowledgment and confession from joy of heart is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:
In that day thou shalt say, I will confess to Jehovah; O God of my salvation, I will trust, I will not dread; for Jah Jehovah is my strength and psalm, He is become my salvation. Then shall ye draw waters from the fountains of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Confess ye to Jehovah, call upon His name, sing psalms unto Jehovah. Break forth and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion, for great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel (Isa. 12:1-6).
This describes confession from joy of heart because of the Lord’s coming and His Divine power to save the human race. Confession is plainly meant, for it is first said, “I will confess to Jehovah,” and again afterwards, “Confess ye to Jehovah.” Confession that the Lord from His Divine power is about to save mankind is described by these words, “O God of my salvation, I will trust, I will not dread, for He is my strength, He is become my salvation. Then ye shall draw waters from the fountains of salvation in that day; great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel;” “in that day” means when the Lord is to come; “the Holy One of Israel” is the Lord; consequent joy, which is the joy of confession, is described by “sing psalms unto Jehovah, break forth and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion;” “inhabitant” and “daughter of Zion” are the church where the Lord is worshiped; “Jah is my psalm” signifies here celebration and glorification of the Lord.
sRef Isa@42 @10 S4′ sRef Isa@42 @11 S4′ [4] In the same:
Sing unto Jehovah a new song, His praise, O end of the earth. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice; let the inhabitants of the cliff sing aloud, let them shout from the top of the mountains (Isa. 42:10-11).
This also treats of the Lord’s coming and the establishment of the church with those who were outside of the church, that is, with those where the Word was not, and the Lord was not before known. “To sing a new song” signifies confession from joy of heart; “sing praise, O end of the earth,” signifies confession of those who are remote from the church, “end of the earth” meaning where that which pertains to the church ceases to be, “earth” meaning the church; “the wilderness and the cities thereof that shall lift up the voice,” signify those with whom there is no good because there is no truth, and yet they desire it; “the inhabitants of the cliff” signify the good of faith pertaining to them; “the top of the mountains” signifies the good of love pertaining to them; “to sing” and “to shout” signify consequent confession from joy of mind and heart.
sRef Isa@51 @3 S5′ [5] In the same:
Jehovah will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her desolations, and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah; joy and gladness will be found therein, confession and the voice of a psalm (Isa. 51:3; 52:8-9).
This also treats of the Lord’s coming and the establishment of the church, which at that time was laid waste or destroyed. “Zion” signifies the church where the Lord is to be worshiped; “her desolations” signify a lack of truth and good from an absence of knowledges; “to make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah” signifies that they shall have truth and good in abundance; “wilderness” is predicated of the absence of good, and “desert” of the absence of truth; “Eden” signifies good in abundance, and the “garden of Jehovah” signifies truth in abundance. As “psalm” and “song” signify confession from joy of heart, it is said, “joy and gladness therein, confession and the voice of a psalm,” “voice of a psalm” meaning song.
sRef Lam@5 @15 S6′ sRef Lam@5 @14 S6′ [6] In Lamentations:
The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from singing; the joy of our heart hath ceased (Lam. 5:14-15).
“The elders have ceased from the gate” signifies that those who are in truths from good, or in an abstract sense truths from good by which there is admission into the church, are no more; “the young men have ceased from singing” signifies that truths themselves are deprived of their spiritual affection, and thence of their joy; and because this is signified it is said, “the joy of our heart hath ceased.”
sRef Ezek@26 @13 S7′ [7] In Ezekiel:
I will cause the tumult of thy songs to cease, and the voice of harps shall be no more heard (Ezek. 26:13).
“The tumult of songs” signifies the joys of confessions; “the voice of harps” signifies gladness from spiritual truths and goods.
sRef Ps@28 @7 S8′ [8] In David:
Jehovah is my strength, and I am helped; my heart triumphs, and with my song will I confess to Him (Ps. 28:7).
Because “song” signifies confession from joy of heart, it is said “my heart triumphs, and with my song will I confess to Him.”
sRef Ps@33 @2 S9′ sRef Ps@33 @3 S9′ sRef Ps@33 @1 S9′ [9] In the same:
Sing aloud, ye righteous in Jehovah. Confess to Jehovah with the harp, sing psalms unto Him with the psaltery of ten strings. Sing unto Him a new song, play well with a loud noise (Ps. 33:1-3).
As joy of heart is both from celestial love and from spiritual love, it is said, “Sing aloud, ye righteous, in Jehovah, confess to Jehovah with the harp; sing psalms to Him with a psaltery of ten strings;” “sing aloud, ye righteous,” is predicated of those who are in celestial love; “Confess on the harp, and sing psalms with the psaltery,” of those who are in spiritual love. That those who are in celestial love are called “righteous” see above (n. 204), and that “harp” and “psaltery” are predicated of those who are in spiritual good (n. 323); and as “singing” means confession from the joy arising from these loves, it is said, “Confess to Jehovah,” “Sing unto Him a new song.” The exaltation of joy from its fullness is signified by “play well with a loud noise.”
sRef Ps@69 @30 S10′ sRef Ps@7 @17 S10′ sRef Ps@105 @1 S10′ sRef Ps@57 @7 S10′ sRef Ps@57 @8 S10′ sRef Ps@42 @4 S10′ sRef Ps@57 @9 S10′ sRef Ps@105 @2 S10′ [10] In the same:
I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him by confession (Ps. 69:30).
In the same:
When I shall have gone with them to the house of God, with the voice of jubilee and confession, the multitude keeping a festival (Ps. 42:4).
In the same:
Confess ye to Jehovah, call upon His name. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him (Ps. 105:1-2; 149:1).
In the same:
I will confess to Jehovah according to His righteousness, and I will sing psalms unto the name of Jehovah most high (Ps. 7:17).
In the same:
My heart is prepared, O God; I will sing, and sing psalms. Awake thee, my glory; awake thee, psaltery and harp. I will confess unto Thee, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing psalms unto Thee among the peoples (Ps. 57:7-9).
Because “to sing a song” signifies confession from joy of heart, in these passages two expressions are used, “to confess and to sing,” “confession and song,” “voice of singing and voice of confession.”
sRef Ps@98 @1 S11′ sRef Ps@96 @12 S11′ sRef Ps@98 @6 S11′ sRef Isa@42 @10 S11′ sRef Ps@98 @7 S11′ sRef Isa@44 @23 S11′ sRef Ps@98 @4 S11′ sRef Ps@98 @5 S11′ sRef Isa@42 @11 S11′ sRef Ps@96 @2 S11′ sRef Ps@149 @2 S11′ sRef Ps@96 @1 S11′ sRef Ps@149 @3 S11′ sRef Ps@96 @11 S11′ sRef Ps@149 @1 S11′ sRef Ps@98 @8 S11′ [11] Where the Lord’s coming is treated of, the expression “a new song” is used, and it is said that earth, sea, field, forest, trees, Lebanon, wilderness, and many other things, should “rejoice” and “exult,” as in the following. In David:
O sing unto Jehovah a new song. Make a loud noise unto Jehovah, all the earth; break forth, shout for joy, and sing psalms with the harp and the voice of a psalm; with trumpets, and with the sound of a cornet, make a loud noise before the King, Jehovah. Let the sea and the fullness thereof thunder; the world and they that dwell therein. Let the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains be joyful together (Ps. 98:1, 4-8).
In the same:
O sing unto Jehovah a new song; sing unto Jehovah, all the earth. Sing unto Jehovah, bless His name; proclaim His salvation from day to day. The Heavens shall be glad, and the earth shall exult; the sea shall be moved, and all the fullness thereof; the field shall triumph, and all that is therein; then shall all the trees of the forest sing aloud (Ps. 96:1-2, 11-12).
In the same:
Sing unto Jehovah a new song, His praise in the assembly of the saints. Let Israel be glad in his makers, the sons of Zion in their King. Let them praise his name in the dance; let them sing psalms unto Him with timbrel and harp (Ps. 149:1-3).
In Isaiah:
Sing unto Jehovah a new song; His praise, O end of the earth. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up the voice (Isa. 42:10-11).
In the same:
Sing, O ye heavens, for Jehovah hath done it; shout for joy, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein; for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and hath shown Himself glorious in Israel (Isa. 44:23; 49:13).
Here the Lord, His coming, and salvation through Him are treated of; and because these things were about to take place it is said, “a new song.” The joy on this account is described not only by “singing,” “singing psalms,” “breaking forth,” “being joyful,” “clapping the hands,” but also by various musical instruments of accordant sounds; also that the rivers, the sea, the field, the forests, the trees therein, Lebanon, the wilderness, the mountains, and many other things, should “rejoice together,” “exult,” “sing,” “shout for joy,” “clap the hands,” and “cry aloud,” together. Like things are predicated of these objects because they signify such things as are of the church, and therefore such things as are with the man of the church; “rivers” the things that are of intelligence; “sea” the things of knowledge [scientiae] that are in agreement with truths and goods; “field” the good of the church; “forests” the truths of the natural man; “trees” knowledges; “Lebanon” spiritual truth and good; “wilderness” a desire for truth that good may be gained, and “mountains” the goods of love. All these things are said “to sing,” “to break forth,” “to shout for joy,” “to cry aloud,” and “to clap the hands,” when they are from heaven, for then heavenly joy is in them, and through them in man; for man is not in heavenly joy unless the things in him, which are truths and goods, are from heaven; from these is joy of heart that is truly joy, and from these is the joy of the man with whom they are. From this it can be seen why the like is said of these things as of man, namely, because joy is in them, and with man through them. Such joy is in every spiritual and celestial good, and therefrom with those with whom these goods are; for heaven flows in with its joy, that is, the Lord through heaven, into the goods and thence into their truths that are from Him in man, and through these into the man, but not into the man who is destitute or devoid of them. These goods and the truths therefrom are what “exult,” “shout for joy,” “break forth,” “sing,” “sing psalms,” that is, are glad because of the influx from heaven, and from these the heart of man is glad also.
sRef Ps@68 @25 S12′ sRef Ps@68 @24 S12′ sRef Ps@150 @5 S12′ sRef Ps@150 @4 S12′ sRef Ps@68 @26 S12′ sRef Ps@47 @7 S12′ sRef Ps@150 @3 S12′ sRef Ps@47 @6 S12′ sRef Ps@47 @1 S12′ sRef Ps@47 @5 S12′ [12] As there are various affections of good and truth, and each expresses itself by an appropriate sound, so in the Word, especially in David, various kinds of instruments are mentioned, which signify corresponding affections. One who knows the internal sense of the Word, and also the sounds of the instruments there named, can know what affection is there signified and described. The angels know this from the mere mention of the instruments when a man is reading the Word, and also from the matter described there in its own words. Thus, for example, in David:
Clap your hands, all ye peoples; shout unto God with the voice of a song. God is gone up with a shout, Jehovah with the voice of a trumpet. Sing psalms unto God, sing psalms unto our King, for God is King of all the earth; sing ye psalms with understanding (Ps. 47:1, 5-7).
They have seen Thy goings, O God, the goings of my God. The singers went before, the minstrels after, in the midst of maidens playing with timbrels (Ps. 68:24, 25).
In the same:
Shout with joy unto God our strength; shout unto the God of Jacob. Lift up a psalm, and strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery. Sound with the trumpet in the new moon (Ps. 81:1-3).
In the same:
Praise God with the sound of the trumpet, with the psaltery and harp, with the timbrel and dance, with stringed instruments and the organ, with cymbals of soft sound, with cymbals of loud sound (Ps. 150:1, 3-5).
All the instruments here mentioned signify affections, each its own, and this from the correspondence of their sound; for the affections are what produce the varieties of sounds with men, consequently from the sounds also the affections are known, as was said above in this article.
[13] I will add to this an arcanum: the angels who constitute in heaven the Lord’s celestial kingdom, when man is reading the Word, draw from his affection alone the internal sense of it, which affection arises from the sound of the words in the original tongue; but the angels who are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom draw the internal sense from the truths that the words contain; therefore the man who is in spiritual affection has from the celestial kingdom joy of heart, and from the spiritual kingdom confession from that joy. The sounds of the musical instruments that are here mentioned elevate the affection, and the truths give form to it. That this is so is well known to those skilled in the art of music. For this reason the Psalms of David are called “psalms,” from psallere [to play]; they are also called “songs” from singing; for they were played and sung with the accompanying sounds of various instruments. That they were called “psalms” by David is known, as most of them are so inscribed. Those that are called songs are the following, Ps. 18:1; 33:1, 3; 45:1; 46:1; 48:1; 65:1; 66:1; 67:1; 68:1; 75:1; 76:1; [83:1;] 87:1; 88:1; 92:1; 96:1; 98:1; 108:1; 120:1; 121:1; 122:1; 123:1; 124:1; 125:1; 126:1; 127:1; 128:1; 129:1; 130:1; 131:1; 132:1; 133:1; 134:1. Many other passages might be cited from the Word respecting singing and song, and it might be shown that they signify confessions from joy of heart, but they are omitted because of their number; those already referred to are sufficient.

sRef Rev@5 @9 S0′ 327. Saying, Worthy art Thou to open* the book and to loose the seals thereof, signifies that the Lord from the Divine Human has omnipotence and omniscience. This is evident from all that precedes; for the subject treated of up to this point is that the Lord from the Divine Human has omnipotence and omniscience, and that judgment, therefore, belongs to Him. That this is meant by “worthy art Thou to open the book and to loose the seals thereof” is clear from the series of the things explained from the beginning of this chapter to the present verse, which I will here present in their order, as follows: “I saw in the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne,” signifies the Lord in respect to omnipotence and omniscience (n. 297); “a book written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals,” signifies the states of the life of all in heaven and on earth altogether hidden (n. 299, 300); “I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof?” signifies exploration whether there is anyone such that he may know and perceive the state of the life of all (n. 302, 303); “no one was able, in heaven nor upon the earth nor under the earth, to open the book,” signifies that no one from himself can do this at all (n. 304); “behold the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof,” signifies the Lord [as able to do this] because from His own power He subjugated the hells and reduced all things in the heavens to order, and this by Divine good united to Divine truth in His Human (n. 309, 310); “I saw a Lamb standing, having seven horns and seven eyes,” signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, that from it He has omnipotence and omniscience (n. 314, 316, 317); “and He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne,” signifies that these things are from His Divine Human (n. 319). From this it is now clear that here “worthy art Thou to take the book and to loose the seals thereof,” signifies that the Lord from the Divine Human has omnipotence and omniscience.
* The photolithograph has “take.”

sRef Rev@5 @9 S0′ 328. For thou wast slain, and didst redeem us to God in Thy blood, signifies the separation of all from the Divine, and the conjunction with the Divine by the acknowledgment of the Lord, and by the reception of Divine truth from Him. This is evident from the signification of “being slain,” as being, in reference to the Lord, the separation of all from the Divine, for “to be slain” signifies in the Word to be spiritually slain, that is, to perish by evils and falsities (see above, n. 315); and because the Lord with such is not, for He is denied, therefore “being slain” signifies, in reference to the Lord, not acknowledged (as above, n. 315) and also denied; and when the Lord is denied He is as it were slain with such as deny, and by the denial they are separated from the Divine; for such as deny the Lord, that is, His Divine, separate themselves altogether from the Divine. For the Lord is the God of the universe, and He is one with the Father, and the Father is in Him and He in the Father, and no one cometh to the Father but by Him, as the Lord Himself teaches; consequently those in the church who do not acknowledge His Divine, and still more those who in heart deny it, are altogether separated from the Divine.
[2] Denying the Divine is here meant by slaying Him with themselves. In the internal sense of the Word the same is meant by “crucifying the Lord” (see above, n. 83, 195); for the Jews, with whom the church then was, denied that he was the Christ, and thereby separated themselves from the Divine and therefore they gave Him up to death, or crucified Him. Moreover, at this day those who deny His Divine do the same; it is therefore frequently said by preachers that those who lead an evil life and blaspheme the Lord crucify Him with themselves. This, therefore, is what is here signified by “Thou wast slain.” This is evident also from the signification of “thou didst redeem us to God in Thy blood,” as being that He conjoined us to the Divine by the acknowledgment of Him, and by the reception of Divine truth from Him; for “to redeem” signifies to liberate from hell, and thereby to appropriate men to Himself, and thus enjoin them to the Divine, as will be seen from the passages in the Word in which “to redeem” and “redemption” are mentioned, which will be quoted below. The “blood of the Lord” signifies Divine truth proceeding from Him; and because man by the reception of Divine truth from the Lord is liberated from hell and conjoined to Him, therefore “Thou didst redeem us to God in Thy blood” signifies conjunction with the Divine by the reception of the Divine truth from the Lord.
[3] That this sense lies hidden in these words no one can see who abides in the mere sense of the letter, for in that sense nothing else can be seen except that “Thou wast slain” means that He was crucified and “Thou didst redeem us in Thy blood” means that He has reconciled us to His Father by the passion of the cross. Because this meaning is the meaning of the letter, and because it has hitherto been unknown that in the particulars of the Word there is an internal sense which is spiritual, from that sense, namely, the sense of the letter, it has been made a doctrine of the church that the Divine Itself which they call the Father cast away from Him the whole human race, and that the Lord by the passion of the cross made reconciliation, and that thus those for whom He intercedes are saved. Who that has any illumination of understanding cannot see that this doctrinal is contrary to the Divine Itself? For the Divine Itself never casts away any man from Him for He loves all, and therefore desires the salvation of all. It is also contrary to the Divine Itself to be reconciled by the shedding of blood, and to be brought back to mercy by beholding the passion of the cross which His own Son sustained, and from this to have mercy, and not from Himself. Although this doctrine is so contrary to the Divine essence, yet to believe this is called essential faith or justifying faith.
[4] Again, who can think from enlightened reason that the sins of the whole world were transferred to the Lord, and that the sins of anyone who merely has that faith are thereby taken away? But although this is the doctrine of those who never think beyond the sense of the letter, yet the angels who are with men have no perception of these things according to that sense, but according to the spiritual sense, for they are spiritual and therefore think spiritually and not naturally. To angels, “redeeming man in His blood” means liberating man from hell, and thus claiming and conjoining man to Himself by the acknowledgment of Him, and by the reception of Divine truth from Him. Moreover, the church may know that this is so; for it may know that no one is conjoined to the Divine by blood, but by the reception of the Divine truth, and the application of it to the life.
[5] Liberation from hell by the Lord was accomplished by His assuming the Human, and through it subjugating the hells, and reducing to order all things in the heavens, which could have been done in no way except by the Human; for the Divine operates from firsts through ultimates, thus from Himself through the things that are from Himself in ultimates, which are in the Human. This is the operation of Divine power in heaven and in the world. (On this see some things above, n. 41; also in Heaven and Hell, n. 315; and in Arcana Coelestia, n. 5897, 6239, 6451, 6465, 8603, 9215, 9216, 9824, 9828, 9836, 10044, 10099, 10329, 10335, 10548.)
Liberation from hell by the Lord was also accomplished by His glorifying His Human, that is, making it Divine; for thus and not otherwise could He hold the hells in subjection forever; and as the subjugation of the hells and the glorification of His Human was accomplished by means of temptations admitted into his Human, His passion of the cross was His last temptation and complete victory. That “He bore the sins of all” signifies that He admitted into Himself all the hells when He was tempted, for from the hells all sins or evils ascend, and enter into man and are in him; therefore the Lord’s “bearing sins” signifies that He admitted the hells into Himself when tempted; and His “taking away sins” means that He subjugated the hells, in order that evils may no more rise up from them, with those who acknowledge the Lord and receive Him, that is, who receive in faith and life the Divine truth proceeding from Him, and who are thus conjoined to the Lord.
It was said that “Thou didst redeem us to God in Thy blood” signifies conjunction with the Divine by the acknowledgment of the Lord, and the reception of Divine truth from Him; and as the church is founded on this, I will state briefly how conjunction is thereby effected.
[6] The primary thing is to acknowledge the Lord, to acknowledge His Divine in the Human, and His omnipotence to save the human race; for by that acknowledgment man is conjoined to the Divine, since there is no Divine except in Him; for the Father is there; for the Father is in Him, and He in the Father, as the Lord Himself teaches; consequently they who look to another Divine near Him, or at His side, as those are wont to do who pray to the Father to have mercy for the sake of the Son, turn aside from the way and worship a Divine elsewhere than in Him. Moreover, they then give no thought to the Divine of the Lord, but only to the Human, when yet these cannot be separated; for the Divine and the Human are not two, but a single person, conjoined like soul and body, according to the doctrine received by the churches from the Athanasian Creed. Therefore to acknowledge the Divine in the Lord’s Human, or the Divine Human, is the primary thing of the church, by which there is conjunction; and because it is the primary it is also the first thing of the church. It is because this is the first thing of the church, that the Lord, when He was in the world, so often said to those whom He healed, “Believest thou that I can do this?” and when they answered that they believed, He said, “Be it done according to thy faith.” This He so often said that they might believe, in the first place, that from His Divine Human He had Divine omnipotence, for without that belief the church could not be begun, and without that belief they could not have been conjoined with the Divine, but must have been separated from it, and thus would not have been able to receive anything good from him.
[7] Afterwards the Lord taught how they were to be saved, namely, by receiving Divine truth from Him; and truth is received when it is applied to the life and implanted in it by doing it; therefore the Lord so often said that they should do His words. From this it can be seen that these two things, namely, believing in the Lord and doing His words, make one, and can by no means be separated; for he who does not do the Lord’s words does not believe in Him; so also he who thinks that he believes in Him and does not do His words does not believe in Him, for the Lord is in His words, that is, in His truths, and by them He gives faith to man. From these few things it can be known that conjunction with the Divine is effected through the acknowledgment of the Lord and the reception of Divine truth from Him. This, therefore, is what is signified by “the Lamb redeeming us to God in His blood.” That “the Lamb” signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, see above (n. 314). (On this more may be seen in Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 293-297, and in the quotations from Arcana Coelestia, n. 300-306, as also at the end of that work, where the Lord is particularly treated of.)
That “blood” signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and “salvation by His blood” signifies by the reception of Divine truth from Him, will be explained in the following article.
sRef Isa@63 @4 S8′ sRef Isa@63 @1 S8′ sRef Isa@63 @9 S8′ [8] That “to redeem” signifies to deliver and to make free, and, in reference to the Lord, to deliver and free from hell, and thus to set apart and conjoin to Himself, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Who is this that cometh from Edom, walking in the multitude of his power? I that speak in righteousness, great to save. For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed hath come. In all their straitness He was in straitness and the angel of His faces saved them; because of His love and His pity He redeemed them; and He took them up and carried them all the days of eternity (Isa. 63:1, 4, 9).
This treats of the Lord and His temptation-combats, by which He subjugated the hells. “Edom from which He cometh” signifies His Human, so also does “the angel of His faces.” His Divine power from which He fought is signified by “walking in the multitude of His power;” the casting down into hell of those who rose up against Him and the elevation of the good into heaven is meant by “righteousness,” thus by these words, “I that speak in righteousness, great to save. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed hath come.” His Divine love from which He did these things is described by “In all their straitness He was in straitness, and the angel of His faces saved them; because of His love and His pity He redeemed them; and He took them up and carried them all the days of eternity.” From this it is clear that “the redeemed” and “those whom He redeemed” signify those whom He rescued from the fury of those who are from hell, and whom he saved.
sRef Isa@43 @1 S9′ [9] In the same:
Thus hath said Jehovah thy Creator, O Jacob, and thy Former, O Israel; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine (Isa. 43:1).
That “to redeem” signifies to free from hell, and to set apart and conjoin to Himself so that they may be His, is clear, for it is said, “I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine;” because this is effected through reformation and regeneration by the Lord, therefore it is said, “Jehovah thy Creator, O Jacob, and thy Former, O Israel.” He is called Creator because “to create” in the Word signifies to regenerate (see above, n. 294). “Jacob” and “Israel” signify those who are of the church, and are in truths from good.
sRef Isa@62 @11 S10′ sRef Isa@62 @12 S10′ [10] In the same:
Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and the wages of His work are before Him. And they shall call them a people of holiness, the redeemed of Jehovah (Isa. 62:11-12).
This also treats of the Lord’s coming, and the establishment of a church by Him. “Daughter of Zion” signifies the church which is in love to the Lord; His coming is meant by “Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and the wages of His work are before Him;” those who are reformed and regenerated by Him are meant by “the redeemed of Jehovah.”
sRef Isa@35 @9 S11′ sRef Isa@35 @10 S11′ [11] These are called the “redeemed” because they have been freed from evils by regeneration, and are set apart by the Lord and are conjoined to Him. In the same:
No lion shall be there, and the ravenous of the wild beasts shall not be found therein; but the redeemed shall go; and the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come to Zion with singing, and the gladness of eternity shall be upon their head (Isa. 35:9-10).
This also treats of the Lord’s coming, and the salvation of those who suffer themselves to be regenerated by the Lord. That with such there shall not be falsity destroying truth nor evil destroying good, is signified by “No lion shall be there, and the ravenous of the wild beasts shall not be found therein;” that such are delivered from evils and freed from falsities is signified by “the redeemed shall go; so shall the ransomed of Jehovah return;” their eternal happiness is signified by “they shall come to Zion with singing, and the gladness of eternity shall be upon their head,” “Zion” meaning the church. What “singing” signifies see just above (n. 326). There are two, words in the original by which “to redeem” is expressed, one signifying deliverance from evils, the other liberation from falsities; these two words are used here; thus it is said, “the redeemed shall go,” and “the ransomed of Jehovah shall return.” (These two words are also used in Hosea 13:14; and in David, Ps. 69:18; 107:2.)
sRef Ps@49 @15 S12′ [12] “To redeem” signifies to deliver from evils and to free from falsities, and also to deliver and free from hell, because all evils and falsities with man arise out of hell; and since the Lord removes these by reformation and regeneration, reformation and regeneration also are signified by “to redeem” or “redemption,” as in the following passages.
sRef Ps@103 @4 S13′ sRef Ps@44 @26 S13′ sRef Hos@13 @14 S13′ sRef Jer@15 @21 S13′ sRef Ps@107 @2 S13′ sRef Jer@15 @20 S13′ sRef Ps@103 @1 S13′ sRef Ps@69 @18 S13′ [13] In David:
Rise up as a help to us, and ransom us for Thy mercy’s sake (Ps. 44:26);
to “ransom” here meaning to free and to reform. In the same:
God hath ransomed my soul from the hand of hell; and He will accept me (Ps. 49:15).
“To ransom from the hand of hell” means to free; “to accept me” means to set apart and to conjoin to Himself, or to make His own, as servants sold and redeemed. In Hosea:
Out of the hand of hell will I ransom them; I will redeem them from death (Hos. 13:14).
“To redeem” meaning to deliver and free from damnation. In David:
Bless Jehovah, O my soul, who hath redeemed thy life from the pit (Ps. 103:1, 4).
“To redeem from the pit” means to free from damnation; “the pit” meaning damnation. In the same:
Draw nigh unto my soul, redeem it, and because of my enemies ransom me (Ps. 69:18).
“To draw nigh to the soul” signifies to conjoin it to Himself; “to redeem it” signifies to deliver from evils; “because of my enemies ransom me” signifies to free from falsities, “enemies” meaning falsities. In the same:
Let the redeemed of Jehovah say, whom He hath redeemed out of the hand of the distressing enemy (Ps. 107:2).
“The redeemed of Jehovah” means those who are delivered from evil; “whom He hath redeemed out of the hand of the distressing enemy” means those whom He has freed from falsities. In Jeremiah:
I am with thee, to save thee and to rescue thee; and I will rescue thee out of the hand of the evil, and I will ransom thee out of the hand of the violent (Jer. 15:20-21).
“To ransom out of the hand of the violent” means to free from falsities that offer violence to the good of charity; the “violent” signifying such falsities, consequently those also who are in them.
sRef Ps@25 @21 S14′ sRef Ps@130 @7 S14′ sRef Ps@130 @8 S14′ sRef Ps@55 @17 S14′ sRef Ps@55 @18 S14′ sRef Ps@71 @23 S14′ sRef Ps@25 @22 S14′ sRef Isa@50 @2 S14′ sRef Ps@71 @22 S14′ [14] In David:
Let Israel hope in Jehovah, for with Jehovah there is mercy, and in Him is much ransom, and He shall ransom Israel out of all his iniquities (Ps. 130:7-8).
“Ransom” means liberation; “Israel” the church; and to reform those who are of the church and free them from falsities is signified by “He shall ransom Israel out of all his iniquities.” In the same:
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I have waited for thee. Ransom Israel, O God, out of all his distresses (Ps. 25:21-22).
“To ransom Israel out of distresses” means here also to free those who are of the church from falsities, which straiten. In Isaiah:
Is My hand shortened, that there is no ransoming? or is there no power in Me to rescue? (Isa. 50:2).
That “ransoming” means liberation is evident, for it is said also, “Is My hand shortened, or is there no power in Me to rescue.” In David:
God shall hear my voice; He shall ransom my soul in peace (Ps. 55:17-18);
“to ransom” here means to free. In the same:
Unto Thee will I sing psalms with the harp, Thou Holy One of Israel. My lips shall praise; and my soul, which Thou hast ransomed (Ps. 71:22-23).
“To ransom the soul” means to free from falsities; for “soul” in the Word signifies the life of faith, and “heart” the life of love; therefore “to ransom the soul” signifies to free from falsities and to give the life of faith.
sRef Ps@31 @5 S15′ sRef Ps@72 @14 S15′ sRef Ps@26 @10 S15′ sRef Ps@26 @11 S15′ sRef Ps@72 @15 S15′ sRef Ps@119 @134 S15′ [15] In the same:
Ransom me from the oppression of man, that I may keep Thy precepts (Ps. 119:134).
“To ransom from the oppression of man” signifies to free from the falsities of evil, for “man” signifies the spiritual affection of truth and wisdom therefrom, and in the contrary sense, as here, the lust of falsity and insanity therefrom; the “oppression of man” signifies the destruction of truth by falsities. In the same:
Into Thine hand I will commend my spirit; Thou hast ransomed me, O Jehovah, God of truth (Ps. 31:5);
“to ransom” means to free from falsities and to reform by means of truths; and because this is signified by “ransom” it is said, “O Jehovah, God of truth.” In the same:
Crime is in the hands of sinners, and their right hand is full of a bribe. But as for me, I walk in mine integrity; ransom me, and be merciful unto me (Ps. 26:10-11);
“to ransom” meaning to free from falsities and to reform. In the same:
He shall redeem their soul from fraud and violence; and precious shall their blood be in His eyes. And he shall live, and to him shall He give of the gold of Sheba; and He shall pray for him continually; all the day shall He bless them (Ps. 72:14-15).
The “needy” are here treated of, by whom those are signified who desire truths from spiritual affection; of these it is said that “He shall redeem their soul from fraud and violence,” which signifies liberation from falsities and evils that destroy the goods of love and the truths of faith; the reception of Divine truth by them is signified by “precious shall their blood be in His eyes;” their reformation is described “he shall live, and to him shall He give of the gold of Sheba; and He shall pray for him continually; all the day shall He bless him;” “the gold of Sheba” is the good of charity; “to pray for him continually” signifies that they shall constantly be withheld from falsities and kept in truths; and “all the day shall He bless him” signifies that they shall constantly be in the good of charity and faith, for this is a Divine benediction; while to withhold from falsities and to keep in truths is “to pray for him continually.”
sRef Isa@52 @4 S16′ sRef Isa@52 @3 S16′ [16] In Isaiah:
Thus said Jehovah, For nought ye have been sold, and not by silver shall ye be redeemed. My people went down into Egypt to sojourn there, but Assyria oppressed them for nought (Isa. 52:3-4).
This treats of the desolation of truths by knowledges and by the reasonings of the natural man from them; for “My people went down into Egypt to sojourn there” signifies the instruction of the natural man in knowledges and cognitions of truth; “Egypt” signifies knowledges and also cognitions, but such as are from the sense of the letter of the Word; and “to sojourn” signifies to be instructed; “Assyria oppressed them for nought” signifies the falsification of knowledges by the reasonings of the natural man; “Assyria” signifying reasonings, and “to oppress for nought” falsifications, for falsities are nought because there is nothing of truth in them. Knowledges are thus falsified when the natural man separate from the spiritual forms conclusions; this is why it is said, “For nought ye have been sold, and not by silver shall ye be redeemed;” “for nought to be sold” signifies from self or from the selfhood to alienate oneself from falsities and renounce them; and “not by silver to be redeemed” signifies that one cannot be delivered by means of truth from the falsities of evil; “silver” signifying truth, and “to be redeemed” signifying to be delivered from the falsities of evil and to be reformed.
sRef Zech@10 @10 S17′ sRef Zech@10 @8 S17′ sRef Zech@10 @9 S17′ [17] In Zechariah:
I will bring them together, because I will ransom them; and then shall they be multiplied; I will sow them among the peoples; and I will bring them back out of the land, and will bring them together out of Assyria; and I will lead them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon (Zech. 10:8-10).
This treats of the restoration of the church, and reformation by means of truth from good; and “I will bring them together, because I will ransom them” signifies the dispersion of falsities and reformation by means of truths; therefore it is said, “they shall be multiplied, and I will sow them among the peoples,” which signifies the multiplication and insemination of truth from good; “to bring them back out of the land of Egypt, and to bring them together out of Assyria” signifies (as above) to withdraw them from the falsifying of truth that they are in by their reasonings from knowledges; “to lead them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon” signifies to the good of the church, which is the good of charity, and to the good and truth of faith; the former is “the land of Gilead” and the latter “Lebanon.”
sRef Ex@15 @13 S18′ sRef Deut@9 @28 S18′ sRef Deut@9 @29 S18′ sRef Deut@9 @26 S18′ sRef Deut@9 @27 S18′ sRef Ex@6 @6 S18′ sRef Micah@6 @4 S18′ [18] From this it can be seen what is signified in the spiritual sense by Jehovah’s “leading the people out of Egypt” and “ransoming them,” as in Moses:
I will rescue you from bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched-out arm, and with great judgments (Exod. 6:6).
I led you out of Egypt with a stretched-out arm, and I ransomed you out of the house of bondmen (Deut. 7:8; 9:26-29; 13:5; 15:15; 24:18).
Thou in Thy mercy hast led Thy people whom Thou hast redeemed; Thou hast guided them in the strength of Thy hand to the habitation of Thy holiness (Exod. 15:13).
And in Micah:
I made thee to go up out of the land of Egypt, and ransomed thee out of the house of bondage (Micah 6:4).
This means in the sense of the letter that they were led by the Divine power out of Egypt, where they had been made bondmen; but in the internal or spiritual sense no such thing is meant, but it means that those who are of the church, that is, those that are reformed by the Lord by means of truths and a life according to them, are delivered and freed from evils and from the falsities thence, for these are the things that make man a bondsman; this is the spiritual sense of these words, and in this sense are the angels when man is in the sense of the letter.
sRef Ex@8 @23 S19′ sRef Matt@16 @26 S19′ sRef Ps@111 @9 S19′ [19] Moreover, by “redemption” the angels understand deliverance from evils and liberation from falsities in the following passages. In Moses:
I will put a ransom between My people and Pharaoh’s people (Exod. 8:23).
In David:
He hath sent a ransom unto His people; He hath commanded His covenant for ever; holy and fearful is His name (Ps. 111:9).
In Matthew:
What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, but shall cause the loss of his soul? or what price shall a man give sufficient for the redemption of his soul? (Matt. 16:26; Mark 8:36-37);
“redemption” here meaning deliverance from damnation.
sRef Isa@49 @7 S20′ sRef Isa@60 @16 S20′ sRef Isa@47 @4 S20′ sRef Isa@49 @26 S20′ sRef Isa@41 @14 S20′ [20] From this it can be seen what the Lord’s redeeming mankind signifies, namely, that He delivered and freed them from hell and from the evils and falsities that continually rise up therefrom and bring man into condemnation, and that He continually delivers them and frees them. This deliverance and liberation was effected by His subjugating the hells; and the continual deliverance and liberation by His glorifying His Human, that is, making it Divine, for thereby He keeps the hells continually subjugated; this, therefore is what is signified by His redeeming man, and by His being called in the Word “Redeemer,” as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Fear not, thou worm of Jacob, and ye mortals of Israel; I am He that helpeth thee, and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel (Isa. 41:14).
Thus said Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One, because of Jehovah who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee (Isa. 49:7).
Our Redeemer is Jehovah of Hosts, His name the Holy One of Israel (Isa. 47:4).
Thus said Jehovah your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel (Isa. 43:14).
That all flesh may know that I Jehovah am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob (Isa. 49:26).
That thou mayest know that I Jehovah am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob (Isa. 60:16).
By the “Holy One of Israel,” and the “Mighty One of Jacob,” who is here called “Redeemer,” is meant the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, and by “Jehovah” is meant His Divine Itself. The Lord in respect to His Divine Human is called “the Holy One of Israel,” and “the Mighty One of Jacob,” and the “Strong One of Jacob,” because “Israel” and “Jacob” signify the church, thus those who are regenerated and reformed, that is, redeemed by the Lord, for these alone are of the church, that is, constitute the church of the Lord.
sRef Luke@1 @33 S21′ sRef Luke@1 @35 S21′ sRef Luke@1 @32 S21′ sRef Luke@1 @31 S21′ sRef Luke@1 @30 S21′ [21] That the Lord’s Divine Human is what is called “the Holy One” is evident in Luke:
The angel said unto Mary, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; therefore the Holy Thing born of thee shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35).
And that the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is “the Strong One of Jacob,” and the “Mighty One of Jacob;” in the same:
The angel said unto Mary, Behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and bring forth a Son. He shall be great, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end (Luke 1:30-33).
“The house of Jacob” evidently means the Lord’s church, not the Jewish nation.
sRef Isa@48 @17 S22′ sRef Matt@20 @28 S22′ sRef Isa@63 @16 S22′ sRef Isa@54 @5 S22′ sRef Jer@50 @34 S22′ sRef Ps@19 @14 S22′ [22] Because the Lord’s Human was equally Divine with His Divine Itself that took on the Human, Jehovah is called “the Redeemer” in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Thus said Jehovah thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, I am Jehovah thy God (Isa. 48:17).
Jehovah of Hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel the God of the whole earth shall He be called (Isa. 54:5).
In David:
O Jehovah, my* Rock and my Redeemer (Ps. 19:14).
In Jeremiah:
Their Redeemer is strong; Jehovah of Hosts is His name (Jer. 50:34).
In Isaiah:
Thou, O Jehovah, art our Father, our Redeemer; from everlasting is Thy** name (Isa. 63:16).
From this it can now be seen how this saying of the Lord is to be understood:
The Son of man came to give His soul a redemption for many (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45);
namely, that they might be delivered and freed from hell; for the passion of the cross was the last combat and complete victory by which He subjugated the hells, and by which He glorified His Human (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 293-297, 300-306).

sRef Rev@5 @9 S0′ sRef Ex@12 @22 S1′ sRef Ex@12 @23 S1′ sRef Ex@12 @13 S1′ sRef Ex@12 @7 S1′ 329. Since it is said, “thou didst redeem us to God in thy blood,” and since this is understood within the church entirely according to the sense of the letter, and not according to any spiritual sense, I will also show that “blood” does not mean blood, or the Lord’s suffering on the cross, but Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and the reception of it by man; thus that “thou didst redeem us in Thy blood” means that He has delivered and freed from hell those who acknowledge Him, and receive Divine truth from Him (as was said above, n. 328). In illustration of this matter I will cite the following. Because all things that were commanded in the Israelitish Church were representative of things celestial and spiritual, and not the least thing was not so, it was also commanded, when the paschal supper was first instituted:
That they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side posts and on the lintel upon the houses wherein they shall eat [the paschal lamb]; and the blood shall be for you for a sign upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, nor shall there be a plague upon you from the destroyer when I shall smite the land of Egypt. And further: Ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and shall touch the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and not a man of you shall go out of the entrance of his house until the morning. And Jehovah will pass through to smite Egypt; and when he shall see the blood upon the lintel and upon the two side posts, Jehovah will pass over the door, and will not suffer the smiter to come into your houses to strike you (Exod. 12:7, 13, 22-23).
He who does not know that there is a spiritual sense in the Word believes that “blood” here signifies the Lord’s blood upon the cross; but this is not at all the meaning in heaven; but to the angels there the paschal supper here described has a like meaning as the holy supper instituted by the Lord, in which, in place of the paschal lamb, there are the bread and the wine; and the Lord then said that the bread was His flesh and the wine was His blood; and everyone knows, or may know, that bread and wine are what nourish the body, bread as food and wine as drink, and that in the Word, which in its bosom is spiritual, these things also must be spiritually understood, “bread” standing for all spiritual food, and “wine” for all spiritual drink.
[2] Spiritual food is all the good that is communicated and given to man by the Lord, and spiritual drink is all the truth that is communicated and given to man by the Lord. These two, namely, good and truth, or love and faith, make man spiritual; it is said, or love and faith, because all good is of love, and all truth is of faith. From this it can be seen that “bread” means the Divine good of the Lord’s Divine love, and in reference to man, this good received by him; also that “wine” means the Divine truth that proceeds from the Divine good of the Lord’s Divine love, and in reference to man, this truth received by him. Since the Lord says that His flesh is bread, and His blood is wine, it can be seen that “the Lord’s flesh” means the Divine good of His Divine love, and “to eat” it means to receive it, and make it one’s own, and thus to be conjoined to the Lord; and that “the Lord’s blood” means the Divine truth that proceeds from the Divine good of His Divine love, and that “drinking” it means to receive that truth and make it one’s own, and thus be conjoined to the Lord.
[3] Again, spiritual nourishment is from the good and truth that proceed from the Lord, as all nourishment of the body is from food and drink; their correspondence also is from this, which is such that where anything of food, or that serves for food, is mentioned in the Word, good is meant, and where anything of drink, or that serves for drink, is mentioned, truth is meant. From this it can be seen that the “blood” from the Paschal Lamb, which the sons of Israel were commanded to put upon the two side posts and upon the lintel of their houses, means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; this, when received in faith and life, protects man against the evils that rise up out of hell; for in His Divine truth the Lord is with man, for this is the Lord’s own with man, yea, it is Himself with man. Who that thinks from sound reason cannot see that the Lord is with a man not in His blood, but in His Divine, which is the good of love and the good of faith received by man. (But what the particulars here signify, namely, “the two side posts” and “the lintel,” “the destroyer” and “smiter,” and “Egypt,” and many other things in this chapter, can be seen in Arcana Coelestia, where they are explained.)
sRef Matt@26 @28 S4′ sRef Matt@26 @26 S4′ sRef Matt@26 @27 S4′ sRef Matt@26 @29 S4′ [4] From what has now been said, without further explanation, the significance of the Lord’s words when He instituted the Holy Supper is evident:
As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, broke, and gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body. And He took the cup, and having given thanks, He gave to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you; for this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. I say unto you that I will not drink henceforth of this product of the vine until that day when I shall drink it with you in the kingdom of God (Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:15-20).
As “wine” means Divine truth nourishing the spiritual life, therefore the Lord says to them, “I say unto you that I will not drink henceforth of this product of the vine until that day when I shall drink it with you new in the kingdom of God,” which shows clearly that something spiritual is meant, for He says that “He is to drink with them,” and “in the kingdom of God,” or in heaven, and also that “He is to eat” with them of the Paschal Lamb there (Luke 22:16).
sRef John@6 @54 S5′ sRef John@6 @56 S5′ sRef John@6 @52 S5′ sRef John@6 @50 S5′ sRef John@6 @51 S5′ sRef John@6 @58 S5′ sRef John@6 @55 S5′ sRef John@6 @53 S5′ sRef John@6 @57 S5′ [5] What has now been said also makes clear what is signified by these words of the Lord:
The bread that I will give is My flesh. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have not life in you. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood abideth in Me, and I in him. This is the bread that cometh down out of heaven (John 6:51-58).
That the Lord’s “flesh” is Divine good, and His “blood” Divine truth, both of them from Him, can be seen from this, that these are what nourish the soul; it is therefore said, “My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink.” And as a man is conjoined to the Lord by Divine good and truth, therefore it is further said, “He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood shall have eternal life, and he abideth in Me and I in him.” The Lord spoke in this way, namely, saying His “flesh” and His “blood,” and not His Divine good and His Divine truth, in order that the sense of the letter of the Word might be made up of such things as correspond to things spiritual, in which the angels are; thus and in no other way could there be, by means of the Word, a conjunction of the men of the church with the angels (see Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 252, 258-262; and Heaven and Hell, n. 303-310).
sRef Ex@24 @10 S6′ sRef Matt@26 @27 S6′ sRef Ex@24 @6 S6′ sRef Ex@24 @7 S6′ sRef Ex@24 @3 S6′ sRef Ex@24 @4 S6′ sRef Ex@24 @5 S6′ sRef Ex@24 @8 S6′ sRef Matt@26 @28 S6′ sRef Ex@24 @9 S6′ [6] Since “blood” signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and conjunction with the Lord is effected by man’s reception of it, therefore blood is called “the blood of the covenant,” for “covenant” signifies conjunction. Blood is called “the blood of the covenant” by the Lord when He instituted the Holy Supper, for He said:
Drink of it, all of you; for this is My blood of the new covenant [or testament] (Matt. 26:27, 28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20).
It is also called “the blood of the covenant” in Moses, where is the following:
Moses came from Mount Sinai, and told the people all the words of Jehovah, and all the judgments. And Moses wrote all the words of Jehovah, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar under the mount. And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered up burnt-offerings, and sacrificed bullocks as peace-offerings unto Jehovah. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the ears of the people; and they said, All that Jehovah hath spoken will we do and hear. And he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant that Jehovah hath concluded with you upon all these words. And they saw the God of Israel, and under His feet as it were a work of sapphire stone, and as the substance of the heavens for purity (Exod. 24:3-11).
That “blood” here signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and received by man, and conjunction therefrom, is evident, for half of it was sprinkled on the altar and half on the people; for the “altar” signified all worship that is from the good of love, and the “people” those who offer worship and receive the good of love by means of truths; for all reception of Divine good is effected by truths made truths of life, and consequent conjunction is by means of the good in such truths. That there is conjunction by means of the good in such truths, that is, by means of truths made truths of life, and that “blood” was a representative thereof, is very clear from the words there, for this was done when Moses descended from Mount Sinai, from which the law was promulgated, and also the statutes and judgments that were to be observed; and it is said that “Moses wrote all these words of Jehovah, and read them in the ears of the people,” who said, “All that Jehovah hath spoken will we do and hear,” which words they said twice (see verses 3 and 7).
[7] Words or truths become truths of life by doing; and as Moses wrote these words, he called them, “The Book of the Covenant,” which signifies that there is conjunction by means of them. The law promulgated by Jehovah from Mount Sinai, and the statutes and judgments that were also commanded at that time, signified all Divine truth, or the Divine truth in its whole complex. This is why they are called “the Book of the Covenant,” and why the ark in which was that book is called “The Ark of the Covenant,” “covenant” signifying conjunction. Because Divine truth, by which there is conjunction, proceeds from the Lord, the Lord appeared to the people “under the feet as it were a work of sapphire stone;” that He so appeared “under the feet” signifying that Divine truth is such in ultimates. Divine truth in ultimates is Divine truth in the sense of the letter of the Word; “work of sapphire stone” signifies the translucence of this sense from Divine truth in the internal or spiritual sense; “the God of Israel” is the Lord. (That “sapphire stone” signifies translucence from internal truths, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9407; and that “the God of Israel” is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, see above, n. 328.) From this it is now clear that a “covenant” or conjunction is effected by means of Divine truth, and that the blood sprinkled on the altar and half of it on the people was a representative of it, since “blood” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and received by man, as was said above. (That “covenant” signifies conjunction, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804, 8767, 8778, 9396, 10632. That the law in a strict sense means the ten commandments of the Decalogue, and in a broad sense, the whole Word, thus all Divine truth, n. 2606, 3382, 6752, 7463, 9417. That from this “Mount Sinai” signifies heaven where the Lord is, from whom is Divine truth, or from whom is the law, both in the strict and the broad sense, n. 8399, 8753, 8793, 8805, 9420; and that the altar was the principal representative of the Lord, and of the worship from the good of love, n. 921, 2777, 2811, 4489, 4541, 8935, 8940, 9388-9389, 9714, 9963-9964, 10123, 10151, 10242, 10245, 10642.)
sRef Ex@29 @21 S8′ sRef Ex@30 @10 S8′ sRef Lev@1 @11 S8′ sRef Lev@1 @5 S8′ sRef Lev@1 @15 S8′ sRef Lev@4 @6 S8′ sRef Lev@4 @17 S8′ sRef Ex@29 @12 S8′ sRef Lev@16 @13 S8′ sRef Lev@4 @7 S8′ sRef Ex@29 @16 S8′ sRef Lev@16 @15 S8′ sRef Lev@16 @14 S8′ sRef Lev@16 @12 S8′ sRef Lev@4 @18 S8′ [8] Since “blood” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and received by man, from which is conjunction, therefore all things that were representative of things Divine proceeding from the Lord which are called celestial and spiritual were inaugurated by oil and by blood, and were then called holy. They were inaugurated by oil and blood that they might be representative, because “oil” signified the Divine good of the Divine love, and “blood” the Divine truth proceeding therefrom, for truth proceeds from good. That inaugurations and sanctifications were made by means of oil will be seen in what follows, where they are treated of in their paragraph. Here let some things in which blood was used be mentioned, as:
When Aaron and his sons were to be sanctified, blood was sprinkled upon the horns of the altar, and round about the altar, and upon Aaron and his sons, and upon their garments (Exod. 29:12, 16, 20-21; Lev. 8:24).
Blood was sprinkled seven times before the veil that was over the ark, and upon the horns of the altar of incense (Lev. 4:6-7, 17-18).
Before Aaron entered within the veil to the mercy-seat, he should sacrifice and burn incense, and should sprinkle the blood with the finger seven times upon the mercy-seat eastward (Lev. 16:12-15).
The blood of the burnt-offering and of the sacrifice should be sprinkled upon the altar, around the altar, and at the base of the altar (Lev. 1:5, 11, 15; 3:2, 8, 13; 4:25, 30, 34; 5:9; 8:15, 24; 17:6; Num. 18:17; Deut. 12:27).
The blood should be sprinkled upon the horns of the altar and thus expiation should be made for the altar (Exod 30:10; Lev. 16:18-19).
Blood from the burnt-offerings and sacrifices was sprinkled and poured out upon the altar, around the altar, or at its base, because the altar with the burnt-offerings and sacrifices upon it represented and thence signified all worship from the good of love and the truths therefrom; and as truths proceed from good, therefore the blood was sprinkled on and poured out around the altar, for “around” signifies proceeding.
[9] (But these things can be better seen from what has been shown respecting burnt offerings and sacrifices in the Arcana Coelestia, as follows: “burnt-offerings” and “sacrifices” signified all things of worship from the good of love, and the truths therefrom, n. 923, 6905, 8680, 8936, 10042. Therefore burnt-offerings and sacrifices were called bread, n. 2165, because “bread” signifies everything that nourishes the spiritual life, n. 2165, 3478, 4976, 5147, 5915, 6118, 8410, 8418, 9323, 10686. Burnt-offerings and sacrifices signified celestial Divine and spiritual Divine things, which are the internals of the church, from which are all things of worship, n. 2180, 2805, 2807, 2830, 3519; with a difference according to the differences of worship, n. 2805, 6905, 8936. Therefore there were many kinds of burnt-offerings and sacrifices, and in them various processes and consisting also of various animals, n. 2830, 9391, 9990. The various things they specially signified can be known from the particulars of the procedure unfolded by the internal sense, n. 10042. The rituals and procedures of the sacrifices contain arcana of heaven, n. 10057. In general they contain the arcana of the glorification of the Lord’s Human, and in a relative sense, the arcana of man’s regeneration and his purification from evils and falsities, n. 9990, 10022, 10042, 10053, 19057. What was signified by the “meal-offerings,” which were bread and cakes, which were also sacrificed, n. 10079; what by the “drink-offering,” which was wine, n. 4581, 10137.)
sRef Ezek@39 @17 S10′ sRef Ezek@39 @29 S10′ sRef Ezek@39 @20 S10′ sRef Ezek@39 @19 S10′ sRef Ezek@39 @21 S10′ sRef Ezek@39 @18 S10′ sRef Ezek@39 @22 S10′ [10] When these things are understood it can be known that “the blood of the sacrifice” in other places also in the Word signifies Divine truth, as in Ezekiel:
Say to the bird of every wing and to the beast of the field, Come together and come; gather yourselves from round about to My sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel; that ye may eat flesh and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth. And ye shall eat fat to satiety, and drink blood to drunkenness, of My sacrifice which I sacrifice for you. And ye shall be satiated at My table with horse, with chariot, with every man of war. So will I give My glory among the nations (Ezek. 39:17-21).
This treats of the restoration of the church; and “Israel” and “Jacob” mean all who are of the church, respecting whom these things therefore are said; “a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel” signifies all things of their worship; “flesh” and “fat” signify the good of love, and “blood” the truth from that good; worship is from these; an abundance of both is described by their “eating flesh and fat to satiety,” and “drinking blood to drunkenness,” and this “of the sacrifice;” it is therefore further said, “Ye shall be satiated at My table with horse, chariot, and every man of war,” for “horse” signifies the understanding of truth, “chariot” doctrine, and the “man of war” truth fighting against falsity and destroying it. Who cannot see that “blood” here does not mean blood, as that they “should drink the blood of the princes of the earth,” and “drink blood even to drunkenness, of the sacrifice?” “The princes of the earth” signify the principal truths of the church; therefore their “blood” signifies spiritual nourishment from those truths. Because such things are signified, therefore it is also said, at the end of this chapter, respecting Israel, by whom the church is signified:
Then will I not hide My faces any more from them; for I will pour out My spirit upon Israel (Ezek. 39:29).
It is said, “Say to the bird of every wing and to the beast of the field,” because “bird of every wing” signifies spiritual truth in the whole complex, and “beast of the field” the affection of good. (That “birds” in the Word signify things spiritual, n. 745, 776, 866, 988, 991, 3219, 5149, 7441; likewise “wings,” n. 8764, 9514; that “beasts” signify affections, and “beasts of the field” the affections of good, n. 2180, 3218, 3519, 5198, 9090, 9280, 10609; and that both birds and beasts were for this reason used in sacrifices, n. 1823, 3519, 7523, 9280.)
sRef Hos@2 @18 S11′ sRef Hos@2 @19 S11′ sRef Hos@2 @20 S11′ [11] In confirmation that the “beast of the field” and “bird” signify such things, I will quote here one passage only from the Word:
In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beast of the field, and with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth; and I will break the bow and the sword and war from the earth. And I will betroth thee unto Me for ever; and I will betroth thee unto Me in justice and in judgment, and in mercy and in compassions, and I will betroth thee unto Me in truth (Hos. 2:18-20).
“To make a covenant with the beast of the field and with the bird of the heavens” signifies with the affections of good and with spiritual truths, for with these the Lord is conjoined to man, since the Lord is in these with man; therefore it is called “a covenant” with them, “covenant” meaning conjunction. That “beasts” signify the affections of good, and “birds” things spiritual, will be fully shown in their paragraphs in what follows.
[12] Because “fat” in sacrifices signified Divine good, and “blood” Divine truth, both from the Lord, and because by both when received by man conjunction was effected, therefore the posterity of Jacob, that is, the Jews and Israelites, were forbidden to eat any fat or any blood (see Lev. 3:17; 7:23-27; 17:11-14; Deut. 12:17, 23-25; 15:23). This was because that nation was not in any good of love, nor in any truth of good, but in the falsities of evil; and “to eat fat and blood” signified with them the mingling of truth from good with the falsity from evil, which is profanation; from which also it can be seen that “blood” signifies Divine truth. (That “fat” or “fatness” in the Word signifies the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 353, 5943, 6409, 10033; and that the Jews and Israelites were solely in things external and not in things internal, and consequently not in spiritual truths and good, but in the falsities of evil; and that all things of their worship were external separated from what is internal, and that still by things external they could represent the internal things of worship, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 248.)
sRef Ex@23 @18 S13′ [13] Because “blood” in the sacrifices signified Divine truth, therefore also:
They were forbidden to sacrifice the blood of the sacrifice upon what was leavened (Exod. 23:18; 34:25);
for “leaven” signifies falsity, and “what was leavened” truth falsified (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2342, 7906, 8051, 9992).
[14] The Lord’s “flesh” signifies the Divine good of the Divine love, and His “blood” signifies the Divine truth proceeding from that good, because there are two things that proceed from the Lord’s Divine Human, namely, Divine good and Divine truth, the latter is His blood, and the former His flesh. That which proceeds is the celestial Divine and the spiritual Divine; and these constitute the heavens in general and in particular. (But this can be seen better from what has been shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, under the following heads. The Divine of the Lord makes Heaven, n. 7-12; the Divine of the Lord in Heaven is Love to Him and Charity towards the Neighbor, n. 13-19; The Whole Heaven, therefore, as a Whole and in Its Parts, answers to One Man, n. 59-77; This is from the Lord’s Divine Human, n 78-87. and further from what is said of The Sun in Heaven, and Light and Heat therefrom, and that Heat is the Divine Good, and Light Divine Truth, both proceeding from the Lord, n. 116-140.) From this it can in some measure be comprehended why the Divine proceeding is meant by the “flesh and blood,” that is, the Divine good by “flesh,” and the Divine truth by “blood.”
sRef Matt@16 @17 S15′ [15] With man also there are two things that constitute his spiritual life, namely the good of love and the truth of faith. With him the will is the receptacle of the good of love, and the understanding is the receptacle of the truth of faith. All things belonging to the mind, that is, belonging to the will and understanding, have a correspondence with all things belonging to the body, consequently the latter are moved at the nod of the former. In general, the correspondence of the will is with the flesh, and the correspondence of the understanding with the blood; consequently the voluntary that is man’s own [proprium voluntarium] is meant in the Word by “flesh,” and the intellectual that is his own [proprium intellectuale] by “blood,” as in Matthew:
Jesus said to Simon, blessed art thou, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee (Matt. 16:17).
These things are mentioned that it may be known that in the Word things voluntary and intellectual, that is, spiritual things, are meant by “flesh and blood” when man is referred to, and things Divine when the Lord is referred to. But these things are for those whose minds can be elevated above natural ideas and can see causes.
sRef John@19 @35 S16′ sRef John@19 @34 S16′ [16] This also is what is signified by the “blood and water” that issued out of the Lord’s breast; which is described as follows in John:
One of the soldiers pierced His side, and straightway there came out blood and water. And he that saw beareth witness, and his witness is true; he knoweth that he saith true things, that ye also may believe (John 19:34-35).
These things were done to signify the Lord’s conjunction with the human race through Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good of His love; “breast” signifies Divine love; “blood and water” signify Divine truth proceeding, “blood” the Divine truth that is for the spiritual man, and “water” the Divine truth that is for the natural man; for all things that are related in the Word respecting the Lord’s passion are also significative (see above, n. 83, 195 at end). And because these things signify His love, and man’s salvation by means of Divine truth proceeding from Him, therefore the evangelist adds, “He that saw beareth witness, and his witness is true; he knoweth that he saith true things, that ye also may believe.”
sRef Zech@9 @9 S17′ sRef Zech@9 @10 S17′ sRef Zech@9 @11 S17′ [17] To what has already been mentioned I will add the following from the Word. In Zechariah:
Exult exceedingly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh. And He shall speak peace unto the Gentiles; and His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the uttermost parts of the earth. As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I will send forth thy bound ones out of the pit wherein is no water (Zech. 9:9-11).
This is said of the Lord, and of the establishment of the church by Him among the nations; “the blood of the covenant” here meaning Divine truth, by means of which there is conjunction of the Lord with those who are to be of His church (as above); it is therefore further said, “I will send forth thy bound ones out of the pit wherein is no water,” for by these the nations that are in falsities from ignorance are signified; “the pit wherein is no water” signifying where there is no truth, and “sending them forth” signifying to free them from falsities. That “water” signifies the truth of the church, see above (n. 71); and that “the bound in the pit” signifies those who are in falsities from ignorance, and yet in a desire to know truths, see Arcana Coelestia (n. 4728, 4744, 5038, 6854, 7950).
sRef Ps@72 @16 S18′ sRef Ps@72 @14 S18′ sRef Ps@72 @15 S18′ sRef Ps@72 @13 S18′ [18] In David:
God shall save the souls of the needy; He shall redeem their soul from fraud and violence; and precious shall their blood be in His eyes. And he shall live, and to him shall He give of the gold of Sheba, and shall pray for him continually; all the day shall He bless him. Upon the top of the mountains his fruit shall be shaken (Ps. 72:13-16);
this treats of the “needy,” by whom those who desire truths from spiritual affection are signified; of these it is said, that “He shall redeem their soul from fraud and violence,” which signifies their liberation from evils and falsities, which destroy the goods of love and the truths of faith. The reception of Divine truth by them as being acceptable and grateful, is signified by “precious shall their blood be in His eyes,” “blood” here meaning Divine truth received. Their reformation is described by “he shall live, and to him shall He give of the gold of Sheba, and shall pray for him continually; all the day shall He bless him;” the “gold of Sheba” meaning the good of charity; “to pray for him continually” signifying that they shall be continually withheld from falsities and kept in truths, and “He shall bless him” signifying that they shall be continually in the good of charity and faith; it is therefore said further, “upon the top of the mountains his fruit shall be shaken;” the “top of the mountains” signifying heaven, from which they have the good of love from the Lord, which is “fruit.”
sRef Gen@49 @10 S19′ sRef Gen@49 @11 S19′ [19] In Moses:
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; who shall bind to the vine his ass’s foal, and to the noble vine the son of his she-ass, whilst he shall wash his vesture in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes (Gen. 49:10-11).
This prophecy treats of the Lord, of whom it is said, “he shall bind to the vine his ass’s foal, and to the noble vine the son of his she-ass,” and “he shall wash his vesture in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes;” “vine” signifying the church, and “wine” and the “blood of grapes” Divine truth. (For what the other things signify, see the explanation of these words in Arcana Coelestia, n. 6371-6377.) The like is meant by the “blood of grapes” in Deuteronomy (32:14); where the ancient church reformed by Divine truth is treated of.
sRef Rev@12 @11 S20′ [20] From what has been shown in this and the preceding article it can be seen by those who acknowledge the spiritual sense of the Word that “Thou didst redeem us to God in Thy blood” means conjunction with the Divine by the acknowledgment of the Lord, and by the reception of Divine truth from Him; also that the like is meant by “blood” in the twelfth chapter of this prophetic book, where it is said:
That Michael and his angels overcame the dragon by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their*** testimony (Rev. 12:11).
It is said, “the blood of the Lamb” and “the word of testimony,” because “the blood of the Lamb” signifies the reception of Divine truth from the Lord, and “the word of testimony” the acknowledgment of His Divine Human.
sRef Ps@105 @29 S21′ sRef Isa@15 @6 S21′ sRef Isa@15 @9 S21′ sRef Ps@105 @28 S21′ sRef Rev@16 @3 S21′ sRef Rev@11 @6 S21′ sRef Rev@16 @4 S21′ [21] That “blood” signifies Divine truth is still further evident from its contrary sense, in which “blood” signifies violence offered to Divine truth by the falsities of evil, and its destruction by these; and as what is signified in the genuine sense is also manifested by these contrary meanings, I will cite some passages in which “blood” and “bloods” have that significance. It is to be known that most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, and that from that sense it can be known what is signified in the genuine sense. The following will serve for illustration. In Revelation:
The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became as the blood of one dead, and every living animal in the sea died. And the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and into the fountains of the waters, and they became blood (Rev. 16:3-4).
And elsewhere:
The two witnesses have power over the waters to turn them into blood (Rev. 11:6).
In Isaiah:
The waters of Nimrim shall be desolations; and the waters of Dimon are full of blood (Isa. 15:6, 9).
In David:
He sent darkness and made it dark. He turned their waters into blood, and made their fish to die (Ps. 105:28-29).
It is clear from these passages what “blood” signifies in the contrary sense; for blood in the genuine sense signifies Divine truth, and with those who receive it truth from good; so in the contrary sense it signifies violence offered to Divine truth, and with those who do that, it signifies falsity from evil. This contrary meaning is clear from its being said that the “waters” of “the sea,” of “rivers,” and of “fountains,” “were turned into blood;” for “waters” signify truths, therefore “blood” here signifies falsities that destroy truths. The “living animal in the sea,” and the “fish,” signify truths known [vera scientifica]; so their “dying” and “being slain” by blood signify such truths also destroyed. (That “waters” signify truths, see above, n. 71; and that “fish” signify truths known [vera scientifica] of the natural man, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 40, 991.)
sRef Rev@6 @12 S22′ sRef Joel@2 @30 S22′ sRef Joel@2 @31 S22′ [22] Again in Revelation:
I saw when He had opened the sixth seal, and behold there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, and the whole moon became blood (Rev. 6:12).
In Joel:
I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth; blood, and fire, and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great day of Jehovah come (Joel 2:30-31).
Here also it is known from the contrary meaning that “blood” signifies violence offered to the Divine truth; for “sun” in the Word signifies the celestial Divine, which is the Divine good, and “moon” signifies the spiritual Divine, which is the Divine truth; it is therefore said that “the moon shall be turned into blood.” (That this is the signification of “moon” see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 118, 119.)
sRef Isa@3 @4 S23′ sRef Isa@33 @15 S23′ sRef Ps@5 @6 S23′ sRef Isa@3 @3 S23′ sRef Isa@4 @4 S23′ sRef Isa@4 @3 S23′ [23] In Isaiah:
He that walketh in righteousness, and speaketh uprightness, that stoppeth his ear lest he hear bloods, and shutteth his eyes lest he see evil (Isa. 33:15);
“to stop the ear lest he hear bloods” meaning evidently not to hear falsities from evil. In David:
Thou wilt destroy those that speak falsehood; the man of blood and deceit Jehovah abhorreth (Ps. 5:6);
“the man of blood and deceit” meaning those who are in falsities from evil; it is therefore said, “Thou wilt destroy those that speak falsehood,” “falsehood” in the Word signifying falsities. In Isaiah:
And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy to Him, everyone that is written unto life in Jerusalem. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have washed away the bloods of Jerusalem out of the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of cleansing [burning] (Isa. 4:3-4).
Because “Jerusalem” signifies the church in respect to doctrine, therefore it is said, “When He shall have washed away its blood out of the midst thereof,” “bloods” signifying the falsities of evil. The “spirit of judgment” signifies Divine truth, and because this purifies it is said, “by the spirit of cleansing” [burning].
sRef Ezek@16 @5 S24′ sRef Ezek@16 @36 S24′ sRef Ezek@16 @38 S24′ sRef Ezek@16 @22 S24′ sRef Ezek@16 @9 S24′ sRef Ezek@16 @6 S24′ [24] In Ezekiel:
In the day wherein thou wast born I passed by beside thee, and I saw thee trodden down in thy bloods, and I said unto thee, In thy bloods, live; yea, I said unto thee, In thy bloods live. I washed thee, and I washed away thy bloods from upon thee, and I anointed thee with oil (Ezek. 16:5-6, 9, 22, 36, 38).
This also treats of Jerusalem, which signifies the church in respect to the doctrine of truth, here first of the falsities of evil in which it was before it was reformed, and afterwards of its reformation; the falsities of evil are signified by its being seen “trodden down in bloods;” and its reformation by “he washed, and washed away the bloods, and anointed with oil;” “to wash” signifying to purify by truths; “to wash away bloods” signifying to remove the falsities of evil; and “to anoint with oil” signifying to endow with the good of love.
sRef Lam@4 @13 S25′ sRef Isa@9 @5 S25′ sRef Lam@4 @14 S25′ [25] In Lamentations:
For the sins of the prophets of Jerusalem, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her. They have wandered blind in the streets, they have been polluted with blood, what they cannot pollute they touch with their garments (Lam. 4:13-14).
“Prophets of Jerusalem” signify those who are to teach the truths of doctrine, and “priests” those who are to lead by truths to good; here mentioned in a contrary sense, since it is said, “for their sins;” “to shed the blood of the just” signifies to falsify truths and adulterate goods; it is therefore said, “they have wandered blind in the streets, they have been polluted with blood, what they cannot pollute they touch with their garments;” “to wander blind in the streets” signifies not to see truths at all, “streets” meaning truths; “polluted with bloods” signifies to be wholly in falsities; “what they cannot pollute they touch with their garments” signifies that what they cannot pervert they nevertheless falsify, “garments” meaning the truths that invest interior things, which truths are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word. In Isaiah:
All uproar shall be whirled about by the earthquake, and the garment is polluted with bloods (Isa. 9:5);
“earthquake” signifying the perversion of the church by the falsification of truth, and the “garment polluted with bloods” the falsification of the sense of the letter of the Word.
sRef Jer@2 @33 S26′ sRef Jer@2 @34 S26′ [26] In Jeremiah:
Thou hast taught evils thy ways; also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the innocents; I found them not in digging through, but upon all these (Jer. 2:33-34).
Here “blood found in the skirts” signifies the like as above by “what they cannot pollute they touch with their garments,” “skirts” are the “garments.” “I found them not in digging through, but upon all these” signifies that they dared not destroy the truths themselves, but that they falsified the truths of the sense of the letter, “skirts” signifying those truths.
sRef Isa@1 @15 S27′ sRef Isa@59 @7 S27′ sRef Isa@59 @3 S27′ [27] In Isaiah:
Your hands are full of bloods (Isa. 1:15).
Your hands are polluted with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue hath meditated perverseness. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity (Isa. 59:3, 7).
“Hands polluted with blood, and fingers with iniquity” signifies that in all things belonging to them there is falsity and the evil of falsity; “hands” and “fingers” signify power, thus all things with them that have power. Because this is the meaning it is also said, “your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue hath meditated perverseness,” “lies” meaning falsities, and “perverseness” the evil of falsity; “their feet make haste to shed innocent blood” signifies their hastening to destroy the good of love and charity; this is signified by “shedding innocent blood.” The good of innocence is that from which is every good and truth of heaven and the church (see Heaven and Hell, n. 276-283). From this it can be seen what is signified in a general sense by “bloods,” in the plural, namely, violence offered both to the truths and the goods of the Word and of the church.
As “shedding innocent blood” signifies to destroy the good of love and of charity, every kind of precaution was taken that innocent blood should not be shed; and if it were shed:
That expiation shall be made for the land (Deut. 19:10, 13; 21:1-9);
for the “land” signifies the church.
sRef Rev@18 @24 S28′ sRef Isa@26 @21 S28′ [28] In Isaiah:
Jehovah goeth forth from His place to visit the iniquity of the earth; then shall the earth reveal her bloods, and shall no more cover her slain (Isa. 26:21).
The “bloods” that the earth shall reveal signify all the falsities and evils that have destroyed the truths and goods of the church, the “earth” being the church where these are; the “slain” signify those that have perished by falsities and evils. (That the “slain” signify those that have perished by falsities and evils, see above, n. 315.) In Revelation:
In Babylon was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth (Rev. 18:24);
“the blood of prophets and of saints” meaning truths and goods extinguished; and the “slain” those who have perished by falsities and evils (as just above). sRef Matt@23 @34 S29′ sRef Matt@23 @30 S29′ sRef Matt@23 @35 S29′ [29] The like is meant by:
The blood of the prophets which was shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just even to the blood of Zachariah, the son of Barachiah, whom they slew between the temple and the altar (Matt. 23:30, 34-35; Luke 11:50-51).
In the spiritual sense, by “Abel” those who are in the good of charity are meant, and, abstractly from person, that good itself; and by “Cain” those who make faith alone the sole means of salvation, and the good of charity of no account, thus rejecting and slaying it; and by “Zachariah” those who are in the truths of doctrine are meant, and abstractly from person the truth itself of doctrine; therefore the “blood” of these two signifies the extinction of all good and truth; “whom they slew between the temple and the altar” signifies in the spiritual sense every kind of rejection of the Lord; for “temple” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and “altar” the Lord in respect to Divine good, and “between them” signifies both together.
(That “Abel” in a representative sense is the good of charity, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 342, 354, 1179, 3325; and that “Cain” is faith alone, separated from charity, n. 340, 347, 1179, 3325. That “prophet” signifies the doctrine of truth, n. 2534, 7269. That “temple” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and “altar” the Lord in respect to Divine good, and in a relative sense the Lord’s kingdom and church in respect to truth and good, n. 2777, 3720, 9714, 10642. That “between” the two signifies where there is a marriage of Divine truth and Divine good, n. 10001, 10025.)
sRef John@1 @13 S30′ sRef John@1 @12 S30′ [30] In the Word it is often said of those condemned to death, that “their bloods should be upon them,” which means, in the spiritual sense, that damnation should be upon them because of the falsities and evils by which they had destroyed the truths and goods of the church; for in general “bloods” signify all the falsities of doctrine, of life, and of worship, by means of which come the evils that destroy the church. These evils are in part enumerated in Ezekiel (18:10-13); these are also signified by “bloods” in John:
As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, to them that believe on His name; who were born, not of bloods nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12, 13).
“The Lord’s name” means all truths and goods by which He is to be worshiped; “bloods” mean all the falsities and evils that destroy; “the will of the flesh” and “the will of man” signify all the evils of love and the falsities of faith, for “flesh” signifies the voluntary that is man’s own [proprium volutarium] from which is every evil, and “man” [vir] signifies the intellectual that is man’s own [proprium intellectuale], from which is every falsity, “will” meaning where these things are; “to be born of God” is to be regenerated by means of the truths of faith, and by means of a life according to them.
* The photolithograph has “our;” see n. 411.
** The photolithograph has “His;” see AR, n. 21.
*** The photolithograph has “His.”

sRef Rev@5 @9 S0′ 330. Out of every tribe and tongue, signifies by all who are in truths in respect to doctrine and in respect to life. This is evident from the signification of “tribe,” as being all truths and goods in the complex (of which see above, n. 39); for these are meant by the twelve tribes, and therefore each tribe signifies something of truth and good, therefore “out of every tribe” signifies out of all who are in any kind of truth and good. It is evident also from the signification of “tongue,” as being the doctrine of life and faith. That “tribes” signify all truths and goods in the complex will be shown more fully below in its own paragraph; likewise that “tongue” signifies the doctrine of life and faith, thus religion. (Here will be presented only what is shown in Arcana Coelestia respecting the signification of “tribes,” namely, that the twelve tribes of Israel represented and thence signified all truths and goods in the complex, n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335; that the twelve apostles of the Lord have a like signification, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 6397; that there were twelve because “twelve” signifies all, n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913. Because the twelve tribes represented and thus signified all the truths and goods in the complex they therefore represented heaven and the church, n. 6337, 6637, 7836, 7891, 7996. That the twelve tribes signify various things according to the order in which they are named, thus in different ways all things of heaven and the church, n. 3862, 3926, 3939, 4603 seq., 6337, 6640, 10335; therefore responses could be given and were given by the Urim and Thummim, where the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were engraven on precious stones, n. 3858, 6335, 6640, 9863, 9865, 9873, 9874, 9905.)

sRef Rev@5 @9 S0′ 331. And people and nation, signifies who are of the Lord’s spiritual church, and of His celestial church. This is evident from the signification of “people” and “nation” in the Word, “people” signifying those who are in spiritual good, thus those who are of the Lord’s spiritual church, and “nation” those who are in celestial good, thus those who are of the Lord’s celestial church. That there are two kingdoms into which the heavens are divided, namely, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom, and that those who are in the good of love to the Lord are in the celestial kingdom, and those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor are in the spiritual kingdom, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, (n. 20-28). These two kingdoms, however, are not only in the heavens but also on the earth, and on the earth they are called the celestial church and the spiritual church. Few know what is signified in the Word specifically by a “people” or “peoples,” and what by a “nation” or “nations.” I will therefore present from the Word some passages where the two are named together, from which it will be clear that “people” and “nations” have distinct significations, for unless they had distinct significations they would not both be named together, as in the following passages.
sRef Isa@25 @8 S2′ sRef Isa@25 @3 S2′ sRef Isa@25 @7 S2′ [2] In Isaiah:
The strong people shall glorify Thee, the city of the formidable nations shall fear Thee. Jehovah will swallow up in this mountain the faces of the covering, that covereth over all peoples, and the veil that is veiled over all nations (Isa. 25:3, 7).
Here a distinction is made between “peoples” and “nations,” because “peoples” signify those who are of the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, and “nations” those who are of His celestial kingdom, thus those who are in spiritual good and those in celestial good. Spiritual good is the good of charity towards the neighbor, thus the good of faith, and celestial good is the good of love to the Lord, and thence the good of mutual love. The truth of this good is what is meant by “the city of formidable nations,” for “city” signifies the doctrine of truth, or the truths of doctrine; “to swallow up the covering over all peoples, and the veil veiled over all nations,” signifies to dispel the shade that has so covered the understanding that the truths are not seen or the goods perceived that pertain to heaven and the church.
sRef Isa@34 @1 S3′ [3] In the same:
Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye peoples; let the earth hear, and the fullness thereof (Isa. 34:1).
Because “nations” signify those who are in the good of love, and “peoples” those who are in the good of charity and in the truths of faith therefrom, it is said of the nations that they should “come near,” and of the peoples that they should “hearken;” to “come near” signifies to be conjoined by love, and to “hearken” signifies to obey and to be instructed; it is therefore said, “let the earth hear, and the fullness thereof,” “earth” signifying the church in respect to good, and “the fullness thereof” truths.
sRef Isa@11 @11 S4′ sRef Isa@49 @22 S4′ sRef Isa@55 @5 S4′ sRef Isa@43 @9 S4′ sRef Isa@11 @10 S4′ sRef Isa@9 @2 S4′ sRef Isa@9 @3 S4′ sRef Isa@43 @8 S4′ sRef Isa@11 @12 S4′ sRef Isa@42 @6 S4′ sRef Isa@55 @4 S4′ [4] In the same:
I Jehovah have called thee in righteousness, and I will hold thine hand and I will give thee for a covenant to the people, for a light of the nations (Isa. 42:6).
In the same:
Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. Let all the nations be brought together, and let the peoples gather together (Isa. 43:8-9).
In the same:
I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a prince and lawgiver to the nations (Isa. 55:4).
In the same:
Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Behold, I will lift up Mine hand towards the nations, and lift up My standard towards the peoples (Isa. 49:22).
In the same:
The peoples that walk in darkness have seen a great light. Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast made great to it gladness (Isa. 9:2-3).
And in the same:
It shall be in that day that the root of Jesse, which standeth for an ensign of the peoples, the nations shall seek. And He shall lift up an ensign for the nations, and shall gather together the outcasts of Israel (Isa. 11:10, 12).
All these things are said of the Lord; and “peoples” and “nations” mean all who are of His church; for all who are of the Lord’s church are either of His celestial kingdom or of His spiritual kingdom; not any except those who are in these two kingdoms can possibly be of the church. Moreover, there are two things that constitute the church, good and truth, both from the Lord; “nations” mean those who are in good, and “peoples” those who are in truth; and, abstractly from persons, “nations” signify the goods of the church, and “peoples” its truths; “peoples” signify the truths of the church because spiritual good, or the good of charity towards the neighbor, in which those are who are meant by “peoples,” in its essence is truth. (See Arcana Coelestia, n. 8042, 10296; why it is so, n. 863, 875, 895, 927, 1023, 1043, 1044, 1555, 2256, 4328, 4493, 5113, 9596; thence what the distinction is between those who are of the celestial kingdom and those who are of the spiritual kingdom, n. 2088, 2669, 2708, 2715, 3235, 3240, 4788, 7068, 8521, 9277, 10295.)
sRef Isa@18 @7 S5′ sRef Isa@18 @2 S5′ [5] In the same:
In that time a present unto Jehovah of Hosts shall be brought; a people distracted and plundered: and a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of Jehovah of Hosts, to Mount Zion (Isa. 18:2, 7).
This treats of the invitation of all to the church; therefore also “people” and “nation” are both mentioned. “Mount Zion” signifies the church, to which they are invited; “a people distracted and plundered” signifies those with whom truths have been taken away, changed, or perverted by those who are in the falsities of doctrine; “a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled,” signifies those with whom goods have been treated in like manner, “rivers” meaning falsities and reasonings therefrom.
sRef Zech@8 @21 S6′ sRef Zech@8 @20 S6′ sRef Zech@8 @22 S6′ [6] In Zechariah:
Yet there shall come peoples, and the inhabitants of great cities, to entreat the faces of Jehovah, and many peoples and numerous nations shall come to seek Jehovah of Hosts in Jerusalem (Zech. 8:20-22).
Here, too, “peoples” and “nations” signify all who are of the Lord’s church; “peoples” those who are of His spiritual church, and “nations” those who are of His celestial church. “Jerusalem,” to which they shall come, is the church.
sRef Ps@57 @7 S7′ sRef Ps@106 @4 S7′ sRef Ps@47 @9 S7′ sRef Ps@47 @8 S7′ sRef Ps@18 @43 S7′ sRef Ps@57 @8 S7′ sRef Ps@67 @2 S7′ sRef Ps@67 @3 S7′ sRef Ps@67 @4 S7′ sRef Ps@106 @5 S7′ sRef Ps@47 @3 S7′ sRef Ps@57 @9 S7′ [7] In David:
Thou wilt set me for the head of the nations; a people I have not known shall serve me (Ps. 18:43).
In the same:
Jehovah will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet. God reigneth over the nations. The willing ones of the peoples are gathered together (Ps. 47:3, 8-9).
In the same:
That [Thy way] may be known on the earth, Thy salvation among all nations. The peoples shall confess Thee, O God: the nations shall be glad and shout for joy; for Thou shalt judge the peoples in uprightness, and shalt lead the nations into the land (Ps. 67:2-4).
Remember me, O Jehovah, in good pleasure towards Thy people; that I may be glad in the joy of Thy nations (Ps. 106:4-5).
I will confess Thee, O Lord, among the nations. I will sing psalms unto Thee among the peoples (Ps. 57:9; 108:3).
In these passages also “peoples” and “nations” are mentioned, by which are meant all who are in truths and goods. Moreover, the very words that are applied to peoples are words that are predicated of truths, and those applied to nations are those that are predicated of goods. That no other are meant by “nations” is evident also from the fact that these things were said by David, who was an enemy of the Canaanitish nations.
sRef Luke@2 @32 S8′ sRef Luke@2 @30 S8′ sRef Deut@32 @8 S8′ sRef Gen@25 @22 S8′ sRef Zeph@2 @9 S8′ sRef Deut@32 @7 S8′ sRef Gen@25 @23 S8′ sRef Luke@2 @31 S8′ [8] In Luke:
Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples; a light for a revelation to the nations (Luke 2:30-32).
In Zephaniah:
The remnant of My people shall spoil them, and the remainder of My nation shall inherit them (Zeph. 2:9).
In Moses:
When her two sons were struggling in her womb, Rebekah went to inquire of Jehovah, and Jehovah said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels (Gen. 25:22-23).
Remember the days of the age, when the Most High gave to the nations an inheritance; when He separated the sons of man he set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel (Deut. 32:7-8).
“The sons of man” have the same signification as “peoples,” namely, those who are in spiritual truths and goods; therefore it is said of them, “when He separated the sons of man He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel;” “the sons of Israel” signifying the spiritual church, and the “number” of them, or of the twelve tribes named from them, signifying all the truths and goods therein (see just above, n. 330); such therefore are called “peoples;” “to separate” them and “to set their bounds” signifies to alienate from falsities and to bestow truths; and “to give an inheritance to the nations” signifies heaven and conjunction with those who are in the good of love.
sRef Dan@7 @14 S9′ [9] In Daniel:
All peoples, nations, and tongues shall worship Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not perish (Dan. 7:14).
This is said of the Lord; and “peoples” and “nations” mean all who are in truths and goods; and “all tongues” mean all of whatever doctrine or religion; for the Lord’s church is universal, since it exists with all who are in the good of life, and who from their doctrine look to heaven, and thereby conjoin themselves to the Lord (of whom see Heaven and Hell, n. 318-328). Because “nations” signify those who are in the good of love, and “peoples” those who are in the good of charity and in the truths of faith therefrom, it is said, “His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom shall not pass away;” “dominion” in the Word is predicated of good, and “kingdom” of truth; for this reason the Lord is called “Lord” from Divine good, and “king” from Divine truth.
There are other passages besides these that might be quoted to prove that “peoples” signify those who are of the spiritual church, and “nations” those who are of the celestial church. So far those only have been presented in which “peoples” and “nations” are mentioned together; to these some shall be added in which “nations” alone are mentioned.
sRef Isa@60 @5 S10′ sRef Isa@26 @15 S10′ sRef Ps@22 @28 S10′ sRef Isa@26 @2 S10′ sRef Isa@62 @2 S10′ sRef Isa@60 @3 S10′ sRef Isa@60 @11 S10′ sRef Ps@22 @27 S10′ [10] In Isaiah:
Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keepeth faithfulness may enter in. Thou hast added to the nation, O Jehovah, Thou hast added to the nation; Thou hast been glorified: Thou hast removed all the ends of the earth (Isa. 26:2, 15).
In David:
All the ends of the earth shall turn unto Jehovah; and all the families of the nations shall worship before Thee. For the kingdom is Jehovah’s; and He it is that ruleth among the nations (Ps. 22:27-28).
In Isaiah:
The nations shall walk to Thy light, and kings to the brightness of Thy rising. Thy heart shall be enlarged, because the multitude of the sea shall turn unto Thee, the army of the nations shall come unto Thee (Isa. 60:3, 5).
All nations shall see Thy righteousness, and all kings Thy glory (Isa. 62:2).
In these passages “nations” and “peoples” are not mentioned together, but still in the last two “nations” and “kings” because “kings” signify the like as “peoples,” namely, those who are in truths (see above, n. 31); and it is because “nations” signify those who are in good, and “Kings” those who are in truths, that it is said of the nations that they “shall see Thy righteousness,” and of the kings that they shall “see Thy glory;” “righteousness” in the Word being predicated of good, and “glory” of truth. (That “righteousness” is predicated in the Word of Divine good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2235, 9857; and “glory” of Divine truth, n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429.)
sRef Ps@33 @10 S11′ sRef Ps@44 @14 S11′ sRef Isa@10 @6 S11′ sRef Isa@10 @5 S11′ sRef Isa@13 @5 S11′ sRef Jer@6 @23 S11′ sRef Isa@33 @3 S11′ sRef Ezek@36 @15 S11′ sRef Isa@13 @4 S11′ sRef Jer@6 @22 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @6 S11′ [11] From the contrary sense it can yet be seen that “peoples” signify those who are in truths, and “nations” those who are in good; for in that sense “peoples” signify those who are in falsities, and “nations” those who are in evils, as in the following. In Isaiah:
O Assyrian, the rod of Mine anger, I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of My wrath will I command him (Isa. 10:5-6).
In the same:
The voice of a multitude in the mountains; the voice of a tumult of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together. They come from a land afar off, from the end of the heavens, even Jehovah with the vessels of His indignation to destroy the whole land (Isa. 13:4-5).
Jehovah that smiteth the peoples with a stroke not curable, that ruleth with anger the nations (Isa. 14:6).
In the same:
At the noise of the tumult let the peoples flee away; and before Thine exaltation let the nations be dispersed (Isa. 33:3).
In Jeremiah:
Behold, a people cometh from the land of the north, and a great nation shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth. They lay hold on the bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy (Jer. 6:22-23).
In Ezekiel:
I will not cause thee to hear any more the calumny of the nations, and the reproach of the peoples thou shalt not bear any more (Ezek. 36:15).
In David:
Thou makest us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples (Ps. 44:14).
In the same:
Jehovah bringeth the counsel of the nations to nought; He overthroweth the thoughts of the peoples (Ps. 33:10).
In these passages “peoples” mean those who are against the truths of the spiritual church, thus in falsities; and “nations” those who are against the goods of the celestial church, thus in evils. This is also the signification of the peoples and nations that were driven out of the land of Canaan. To this let what was said above (n. 175) be added.

sRef Rev@5 @10 S0′ 332. Verse 10. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests, signifies that from the Lord they are in the truths and goods of the church and of heaven, as can be seen from what was shown above (n. 31), where there are like words.

sRef Matt@19 @28 S0′ sRef Rev@5 @10 S0′ 333. And we shall reign upon the earth, signifies the power that belongs to the Lord alone through Divine truth united to Divine good, and power and wisdom therefrom that those have who are of the Lord’s spiritual and celestial kingdoms. This is evident from the signification of “to reign,” as being to be in truths and goods, and thence to be from the Lord in the power to resist the evils and falsities which are from hell; and since truths and goods are from the Lord alone, and truths have all power from good, “to reign” signifies the power that belongs to the Lord alone through Divine truth united to Divine good, and the power therefrom that those have who are in the Lord’s spiritual and celestial kingdoms. He who has no right understanding of the Word in the spiritual sense will suppose that such are to be like kings and priests, and are to reign with the Lord; but in the spiritual sense “kings” mean truths, and “priests” goods, abstractly from persons, that is, the truths and goods that are in persons from the Lord; from which it follows that it is truths from good that are to reign, thus the Lord alone from whom these are. The angels, indeed, are in great power, but not one of them from himself; yea, if anyone in heaven believes that he has power from himself he is instantly deprived of it, and then becomes wholly powerless. It is said in the sense of the letter that these are to reign, because the sense of the letter is personal; when therefore it is said in that sense that they are to be “kings and priests,” it is also said that they are “to reign;” but in the spiritual sense everything of person is put off, and thus everything of dominion belonging to person, and dominion is left to the Lord alone.
[2] These are like those things that the Lord said to His disciples:
That they were to sit upon twelve thrones, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:30);
so also what the Lord said to Peter:
That he had the keys of the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 16:19);
which does not mean that the disciples and Peter were to have that power, but the Lord alone, since in the spiritual sense the “twelve disciples” mean all the truths and goods of the church, which are from the Lord, and “Peter” means truth from good, which is from the Lord. (That “disciples” mean all truths and goods of the church, which are from the Lord, see above, n. 100, 122. That “Peter” signifies truth from good, which is from the Lord, see The last Judgment, n. 57; and above, n. 9, 206, 209. That all power belongs to truth from good, which is from the Lord, thus to the Lord alone, and that angels have power thence, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 228-233.) “We shall reign” also signifies that they have wisdom from the Lord, because “kings and priests” signify truths and goods, and all wisdom is from truths that are from good from the Lord. It is said that they shall reign upon the earth, because the “earth” means the Lord’s church in the heavens and on the earth (see above, n. 304). It is clear, moreover, that “earth” here does not mean the earth, just as it is not meant that they were to be kings and priests. “To reign” signifies to be in truths from good, and thus in power and wisdom from the Lord, because “kingdom” signifies heaven and the church in respect to truths, and “king” truth from good. (That “kingdom” in the Word signifies heaven and the church in respect to truths, see above, n. 48; and “king” truth from good, also above, n. 31. “To reign” has a like signification in chap. 20:4, 6; 22:5.)

sRef Rev@5 @12 S0′ sRef Rev@5 @11 S0′ 334. Verses 11-12. And I saw, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the animals, and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands; saying with a great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive the power and riches and wisdom and honor and glory and blessing. 11. “And I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the animals, and the elders,” signifies the acknowledgment and consequent glorification of the Lord by the angels of the lower heavens (n. 335); “and the number of them was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,” signifies the innumerable who are in truths, and the innumerable who are in goods (n. 336). 12. “Saying with a great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain,” signifies the acknowledgment from the heart that every thing Divine is from the Lord’s Divine Human unacknowledged, and by many denied (n. 337); “to receive the power and riches and wisdom,” signifies that to Him belong omnipotence, omniscience, and Divine Providence (n. 338); “and honor and glory,” signifies that to Him belong Divine good and Divine truth (n. 339); “and blessing,” signifies the acknowledgment and glorification of the Lord on that account, and thanksgiving that from Him is every good and truth, and thence heaven and eternal happiness to those who receive (n. 340).

sRef Rev@5 @11 S0′ 335. Verse 11. And I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the animals, and the elders, signifies the acknowledgment and consequent glorification of the Lord by the angels of the lower heavens. This is evident from what has been said above (n. 322), namely, that they acknowledged and glorified the Lord in this order; first the angels of the higher heavens, then the angels of the lower heavens, and lastly those who are below the heavens; for “the four animals” and “the four and twenty elders” who first glorified signify the angels of the higher heavens (see above, n. 322), but these now mentioned, who were “round about the throne” and “round about the animals and the elders,” mean the angels of the lower heavens; and by “every creature that is in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth and in the sea” (of which see just below, verse 13) those who are below the heavens are meant. That the angels of the lower heavens are here meant is clear also from this, that they are said to be “round about the throne, the animals, and the elders,” and “round about” means in the Word what is in the remote borders, thus what is distant; but where heaven is treated of, it means what is distant in degree of intelligence and wisdom, thus what is below. For the heavens are higher and lower, differing from each other according to the reception of Divine truth and good, thus according to degrees of intelligence and wisdom. (But respecting the degrees according to which the heavens, and consequently the angels who are in them, are distant from each other, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 33, 34, 38, 39, 208, 209, 211, 425.) What is below in accordance with these degrees is what is signified by “round about;” in like manner also, elsewhere in the Word, “round about,” “circuit,” “afar,” “distant,” “uttermost parts,” and the like, have a like signification.

sRef Rev@5 @11 S0′ 336. And the number of them was myriads of myriads and Thousands of thousands, signifies the innumerable who are in truths, and the innumerable who are in goods. This is evident from the signification of “number” as being quantity and quality, quantity in the natural sense, and quality in the spiritual sense, the number employed determining the quantity and quality. But still all numbers in the Word signify something pertaining to the thing, as “two,” “three,” “four,” “five,” “seven,” “ten,” and “twelve,” as has been shown where these are treated of; it is similar with “myriad” and “thousand,” which are here mentioned. The number “seven,” for example, signifies not seven, but all, what is full and whole (see above, n. 257). But what “myriads” and “thousands” signify shall now be said. “Myriads” signify things innumerable, “thousands” the like; but “myriads” are predicated of truths, and “thousands” of goods; this is why “myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands,” signify the innumerable who are in truths, and the innumerable who are in goods.
[2] Those in the lower heavens of whom these things are said, in like manner as those in the higher heavens who were treated of above, are from two kingdoms, namely the spiritual kingdom and the celestial kingdom; those who are of the spiritual kingdom are meant by those who are in truths, while those who are of the celestial kingdom are meant by those who are in goods; the innumerableness of the latter is signified by “thousands of thousands,” and the innumerableness of the former by “myriads of myriads;” but in an abstract sense, which is the true spiritual sense, innumerable truths and innumerable goods are signified. “Myriads” and “thousands” signify things innumerable, because “ten,” and consequently also “a hundred,” “a thousand,” and “ten thousand” signify many; for numbers that are multiples of a similar number have a like signification as the simple numbers of which they are multiples (see n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973). But when innumerable things that are infinitely many are to be expressed, they are called “myriads of myriads,” and “thousands of thousands.”
[3] Moreover when two numbers related by multiplication, one larger and the other smaller, and having a like signification, are mentioned together, as “ten and a hundred,” or “a hundred and a thousand,” then the smaller is predicated of goods, and the larger of truths; and for the reason that each good consists of many truths; for good is formed out of truths, and thence good is produced by truths; on which account the larger number is predicated of truths, and the smaller of goods; in like manner here “myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.” That it is so may be illustrated by this, that a single delight of affection may be presented by many ideas of thought, and be expressed by various things in speech; the delight of affection is what is called good, and the ideas of thought and the various things in the speech that proceed from that delight or good are what are called truths. It is similar with one thing of the will in respect to many things of its understanding, and also with one thing of love in respect to many things that express it. From this it is that “many” and “multitude” in the Word are predicated of truths, and “great” and “greatness” of good, for what is great contains in itself many things. But these things are said for those who can be enlightened by examples, that they may know why it is that “thousands,” the same as “myriads,” signify things innumerable, but that “myriads” are predicated of truths, and “thousands” of goods.
sRef Deut@33 @17 S4′ [4] That these numbers have such significations can be seen from the following passages. In Moses:
In the firstborn of his bullock he hath honor, and his horns are the horns of a unicorn; with them he shall push the peoples together to the uttermost parts of the earth; and these are the myriads of Ephraim, and these are the thousands of Manasseh (Deut. 33:17).
These things are said of Joseph, who in a representative sense signifies the Lord in respect to the spiritual Divine and in respect to His spiritual kingdom (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417); his two sons “Ephraim” and “Manasseh” signify the two constituents of that kingdom, namely, intellectual truth and voluntary good, “Ephraim” intellectual truth, and “Manasseh” voluntary good; it is therefore said “the myriads of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh.” (That “Ephraim” and “Manasseh” have this signification, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3969, 5351, 5353, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267, 6296.) What is here signified by the “firstborn of the bullock,” and by the “horns of the unicorn,” see above (n. 316).
sRef Ps@68 @17 S5′ [5] In David:
The chariots of God are two myriads, thousands of angels of peace; the Lord is in them, Sinai in the sanctuary (Ps. 68:17).
“The chariots of God” signify the truths of doctrine, and “the angels of peace” the goods of doctrine; therefore “myriads” are predicated of the former, and “thousands” of the latter. (That “chariots” signify the truths of doctrine, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2762, 5321, 8215; and that “peace” signifies the inmost of good, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 284-290.) And because the Lord is called “Lord” from good, and “Sinai” signifies heaven where and from which is Divine truth, therefore it is said, “the Lord is in them, Sinai in the sanctuary,” “sanctuary” meaning heaven and the church where Divine truth is. (That the Lord is called “Lord” from Divine good, and “God” from Divine truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4973, 9167, 9194; and that “Sinai” signifies heaven where the Lord is, from whom is Divine truth, that is, from whom is the law, in a strict sense and in a broad sense, n. 8399, 8753, 8793, 8805, 9420.)
sRef Ps@91 @6 S6′ sRef Ps@91 @5 S6′ sRef Ps@91 @7 S6′ [6] In the same:
Thou shalt not fear for the dread of the night; for the arrow that flieth by day; for the pestilence that creepeth in thick darkness; for the death that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and a myriad at thy right hand (Ps. 91:5-7).
This is said of falsities and evils that are not known to be falsities and evils, and of falsities and evils that are known to be such, and yet creep into the thought and into the will, and destroy men. Falsities that are known to be falsities are meant by “the arrow that flieth by day,” and evils that are known to be evils and yet gain entrance are meant by “the death that wasteth at noonday;” and falsities that are not known to be falsities are meant by “the dread of the night;” and evils that are not known to be evils by “the pestilence that creepeth in thick darkness;” the destruction of these evils is signified by “the thousand that shall fall at his side;” and the destruction of the falsities by “the myriad that shall fall at his right hand;” “the side at which they shall fall,” also signifying good, and “the right hand,” the truth of good. “Thousand” is predicated of evils, and “myriad” of falsities, because falsities are the contraries of truths, and evils of goods; and in the Word opposites are expressed by like words and similar numbers.
sRef Ps@144 @13 S7′ [7] In the same:
Our garners are full, yielding from food to food; our flocks are thousands, myriads in our streets (Ps. 144:13).
“Garners” and “food” signify the goods and truths of the church; for spiritual foods are the knowledges of truth and good, by which there is intelligence; like things, but interior, are signified by “flocks;” therefore the goods of the church are meant by “thousands,” and its truths by myriads;” and because truths are meant by “myriads,” it is said, “myriads in our streets,” for the “streets” of a city signify the truths of doctrine. (That “food” signifies both good and truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5410, 5426, 5576, 5582, 5588, 5655, 5915, 6277, 8418, 8562, 9003; consequently also “garners,” which are storehouses for food, have a like signification. That “flocks” signify interior goods and truths, which are called spiritual, see n. 1565, 2566, 3767, 3768, 3772, 3783, 3795, 5913, 6044, 6048, 8937, 10609.)
sRef Micah@6 @7 S8′ [8] In Micah:
Will Jehovah be pleased with thousands of rams, with myriads of rivers of oil? (Micah 6:7).
Because “rams” signify spiritual goods, and “rivers of oil” truths proceeding from good, “myriads” are predicated of the latter, and “thousands” of the former. (That “rams” signify spiritual goods, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2830, 4170.) And as “oil” signifies the good of love, “rivers” of it signify what proceeds from it, namely, truths.
sRef Dan@7 @9 S9′ sRef Dan@7 @10 S9′ [9] In Daniel:
I held till thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit. A stream of fire issued and went forth from before Him; a thousand of thousands ministered unto Him, and a myriad of myriads stood before Him (Dan. 7:9-10).
This treats of the Lord’s coming, and the “thrones that were cast down” signify the falsities of the church which were destroyed; “the Ancient of Days” means the Lord from eternity; “the stream of fire issuing and going forth from before Him” signifies the Divine good of love and Divine truth therefrom; “a stream of fire issuing,” the Divine good of love and the same “going forth,” Divine truth proceeding; because both of these are signified it is said, “a thousand of thousands ministered unto Him, and a myriad of myriads stood before Him,” “thousand” referring to Divine good, and “myriad” to Divine truth; “ministering” also is predicated of good (see above, n. 155), and “standing,” as well as “going forth,” is predicated of truth.
sRef Num@10 @35 S10′ sRef Num@10 @36 S10′ [10] In Moses:
When the ark rested, Moses said, Return, O Jehovah, to the myriads of the thousands of Israel (Num. 10:36).
As the “ark” signified the celestial Divine proceeding from the Lord, because of the law or testimony that was in it, and as “Israel” signified the church in respect to the reception of Divine good and Divine truth, therefore it is said, “the myriads of the thousands of Israel,” which signify truths from good, which are in “Israel,” that is, in the church. But what “a chiliad” or “a thousand” [chilias seu mille] signifies when “ten thousand,” that is, a “myriad,” is not joined with it, will be seen hereafter in its own article; likewise what is signified by “number.”

sRef Rev@5 @12 S0′ 337. Verse 12. Saying with a great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, signifies the acknowledgment from the heart that everything Divine is from the Lord’s Divine Human unacknowledged and by many denied. This is evident from the signification of “saying with a great voice,” as being the acknowledgment from the heart (of which presently); also from the signification of “worthy,” as being, in reference to the Lord, merit and justice (respecting which see above, n. 293, 303); here therefore it signifies that from His own power, thus from merit, He acquired for Himself everything Divine, and so from justice everything Divine is His. That this is meant by “He is worthy,” is evident from what immediately follows, namely, “to receive the power and riches and wisdom and honor and glory and blessing;” which in the complex signifies everything Divine. This is evident also from the signification of “the Lamb,” as being the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (of which also above, n. 314); also from the signification of “was slain,” as meaning unacknowledged and by many denied (of which also above, n. 315, 328). From this it is clear that “Saying with a great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain,” signifies the acknowledgment from the heart that everything Divine is from the Lord’s Divine Human unacknowledged and by many denied. That everything Divine is in the Lord’s Human, and from it, in heaven and on earth, has been shown in many places, and will be seen confirmed at the end of this work. That “saying with a great voice” means the acknowledgment from the heart, here that it means what has now been stated, can be seen from what precedes and what follows, in series; moreover, “voice” signifies all the things that are afterward said, and “a great voice” signifies that these things are from the heart. There are two words that often occur in the Word, namely, “great” and “many,” and “great” is there predicated of good, and “many” of truths (for the reason see just above, n. 336); and as what proceeds from good proceeds from the heart, here “saying with a great voice” signifies the acknowledgment from the heart; moreover, “heart” from correspondence signifies the good of love (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 95, 447; and above, n. 167).

sRef Isa@7 @19 S0′ sRef Rev@5 @12 S0′ 338. To receive the power and riches and wisdom, signifies that to Him belong omnipotence, omniscience, and Divine Providence. This is evident from the signification of “power,” as being, in reference to the Lord, omnipotence; from the signification of “riches,” as being, in reference to the Lord, omniscience; and from the signification of “wisdom,” as being, in reference to the Lord, Divine Providence. This is what is meant, because respecting the Lord nothing can be predicated except what is above all things; when, therefore, it is said that He has power it is meant that He has all power, which is omnipotence; and when it is said that He has riches it is meant that He has all spiritual riches, which signify intelligence and therefore omniscience (that “riches” in the Word signify the knowledges of truth and good and thus intelligence, may be seen above, n. 236); and when it is said that He has “wisdom,” it is meant that He has all wisdom, which is the Divine providence; for true wisdom is to see what is conducive to anyone’s life to eternity, and to determine oneself according to that, which is done when man not only knows these things and perceives them with his understanding, but also wills and does them; but Divine wisdom is to provide these things with man; thus it is Divine Providence. (What Divine Providence is further may be seen in The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 267-279.)

sRef Rev@5 @12 S0′ 339. And honor and glory, signifies that to Him belong Divine good and Divine truth. This is evident from the signification of “honor and glory,” as being, in reference to the Lord, Divine good and Divine truth (of which see above, n. 288).

sRef Rev@5 @12 S0′ 340. And blessing, signifies the acknowledgment and glorification of the Lord on that account, and thanksgiving that from Him is every good and truth, and thence heaven and eternal happiness to those who receive. This is evident from the signification of “blessing,” as being the Lord, when said of the acknowledgment, here the acknowledgment that to Him belong omnipotence, omniscience, providence, Divine good, and Divine truth, which are signified by “Worthy is He to receive the power, riches, wisdom, honor, and glory,” and as being also glorification on that account. Moreover, “blessing,” when said of the Lord, signifies thanksgiving that from Him is every good of love and truth of faith, and thence heaven and eternal happiness to those who receive. Because “blessing” here signifies acknowledgment and glorification on that account, and also thanksgiving, blessing is mentioned in the last place, or as a conclusion by these angels, who were glorifying the Lord. These things are signified by “blessing,” when said of the Lord, because nothing is a blessing except what is given by the Lord, for that alone is blessed because it is Divine and eternal, and contains in itself heaven and eternal happiness; all other things which have not in themselves what is Divine and eternal are not blessings, even though they may be so called (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 269, 270).
sRef Luke@1 @64 S2′ sRef Luke@1 @68 S2′ [2] That “blessing” when it is mentioned in the Word, has this signification, can be seen from the places there when understood in the internal sense. But in the first place, some passages shall be quoted in which “blessed” and “blessing” are said of Jehovah, that is the Lord; also where the expression “to bless God” is used, that it may be seen that these signify the acknowledgment, glorification, and thanksgiving that from Him is every good and truth, and thence heaven and eternal happiness to those who receive. In Luke:
The mouth of Zacharias was opened, and he spoke, blessing God. And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He hath visited and wrought redemption for His people (Luke 1:64, 67-68).
This Zacharias said when, filled with the Spirit, he prophesied of the Lord; and “blessing God,” and “blessed be the Lord God of Israel,” signify the glorification and thanksgiving that He frees and delivers from hell those who receive Him; consequently it is also said, “for He hath visited and wrought redemption for His people Israel;” “redemption” signifying liberation from hell, and “His people” those who are in truths from good, thus those who receive. That “redemption” signifies liberation and deliverance from hell, see above (n. 328); and that “people” signifies those who are in truths from good (n. 331).
sRef Luke@2 @28 S3′ sRef Luke@2 @30 S3′ sRef Luke@2 @31 S3′ [3] In the same:
Simeon took the infant Jesus in his arms, and blessed God: and said, Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples (Luke 2:28-31).
Here “to bless God” evidently means to glorify and give thanks because the Lord was to come into the world, to save all who receive Him; consequently he calls the Lord “the salvation” which his eyes saw, which He prepares for all people. Those are called “His people” who are in truths from good, thus who by means of truths receive Him, as was said above.
sRef Ps@68 @24 S4′ sRef Ps@68 @25 S4′ sRef Ps@68 @26 S4′ [4] In David:
They have seen Thy goings, O God. The singers went before, the minstrels after, in the midst of the maidens playing on timbrels. Bless ye God in the assemblies, the Lord from the fountain of salvation* (Ps. 68:24-26).
“To bless God in the assemblies, the Lord from the fountain of salvation,” signifies to glorify the Lord from spiritual truths, which are truths from good. “Assemblies” in the Word have a similar signification as “people,” namely, those who are in spiritual truths, and abstractly, those truths themselves; and “fountain of salvation” signifies spiritual good, since salvation is by means of that good; spiritual good is the good of charity towards the neighbor, and spiritual truth is the truth of faith from that good. (That “assemblies” in the Word are predicated of spiritual truths, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6355, 7843.) Because “to bless in the assemblies” signifies glorification from spiritual truths, and “to bless from the fountain of salvation” signifies glorification from spiritual good, therefore in the first case the name “God” is used, and in the latter “Lord;” for the name “God” is used in the Word where truths are treated of, and “Jehovah” and “Lord” where good is treated of. It is clear that glorification is what is meant by “to bless,” from its immediately following after these words, “the singers went before, the minstrels after, in the midst of the maidens playing on timbrels,” which signifies glorification from spiritual truths and goods, as may be seen above (n. 323, 326).
sRef Ps@96 @1 S5′ sRef Ps@96 @2 S5′ sRef Ps@96 @3 S5′ [5] In the same:
O sing unto Jehovah a new song; sing unto Jehovah, all the earth. Bless His name; proclaim His salvation from day to day. Tell ye His glory among the nations (Ps. 96:1-3).
“To bless Jehovah” here evidently is to glorify Him and give thanks unto Him; and because all glorification of Him is from spiritual truths and from spiritual good, it is said, “Bless His name, proclaim His salvation from day to day;” “name” having reference to truths, and “salvation” to good. “To sing a song” signifies to glorify from such truths and from such goods (see above, n. 323, 326).
sRef Deut@10 @8 S6′ [6] In Moses:
Jehovah chose the sons of Levi to minister unto Him, and to bless in the name of Jehovah (Deut. 10:8; 21:5).
Because the sons of Levi were appointed for Divine worship, and because all Divine worship is effected from spiritual good and the truths therefrom, it is said that “Jehovah chose them to minister unto Him, and to bless in His name;” “to minister” signifying worship from spiritual good, and “to bless” signifying worship from spiritual truths. That to “minister” has reference to worship from good, see above (n. 155).
sRef Ps@21 @6 S7′ sRef Ps@21 @5 S7′ sRef Ps@21 @1 S7′ sRef Ps@21 @3 S7′ [7] In David:
O Jehovah, Thou hast prevented the King with the blessings of goodness. Thou hast set a crown of fine gold on his head. Glory and honor dost Thou lay upon him. For Thou settest him blessings forever (Ps. 21:3, 5-6).
“The King” here does not mean David, but the Lord, who is called “King” from the spiritual Divine that proceeds from His Divine Human; and because “blessing” signifies the acknowledgment, glorification, and thanksgiving because every good and truth, and thence heaven and eternal happiness, are from Him, it is evident what is signified by “Thou hast prevented the King with the blessings of goodness,” and by “Thou settest him blessings for ever.” “Blessings of goodness” signify truths from good; “a crown of fine gold” signifies the good from which truths are; “honor and glory” signify Divine good and Divine truth. (That “David” in the Word means the Lord, see above, n. 205; likewise “king” in the Psalms, n. 31; that the “crown of kings” signifies Divine good, n. 272; likewise “gold,” n. 242; and that “honor and glory signify Divine good and Divine truth, n. 288.)
sRef Luke@19 @37 S8′ sRef Luke@19 @38 S8′ sRef Matt@23 @39 S8′ sRef Mark@14 @61 S8′ sRef Matt@21 @9 S8′ [8] From this it can be seen what “blessed” signifies when said of the Lord, as in the following passages:
The disciples cried with a great voice, Blessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord (Luke 19:37-38).
The throng cried, Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord (Matt. 21:9; Mark 11:9, 10; John 12:12-13).
Jesus said, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, until ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord (Matt. 23:39; Luke 13:35).
The High Priest asked Jesus, Art Thou then the Christ, the Son of the blessed (Mark 14:61).
“Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord” signifies to be glorified because all Divine truth and Divine good are from Him. The Lord’s “name” signifies everything by which He is worshiped; and as all this has reference to the good of love and the truth of faith, therefore these are signified by the Lord’s “name.” (That the Lord’s “name” signifies everything by which He is worshiped, see above, n. 102, 135, 148, 224; and that the Lord is called “Lord” from Divine good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4973, 9167, 9194.)
sRef Gen@14 @20 S9′ sRef Gen@14 @19 S9′ sRef Gen@14 @18 S9′ [9] In Moses:
Melchizedek blessed Abram, and said, Blessed be Abram to God Most High, the possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand (Gen. 14:18-20).
Here it is said, “Blessed be God Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand,” signifying that to Him belong glorification and thanksgiving on that account. Those therefore who receive Divine good and Divine truth from the Lord, are called:
Blessed (Ps. 37:22; 115:15; Matt. 25:34).
sRef Ps@24 @4 S10′ sRef Ps@24 @5 S10′ [10] That “blessing” has no other meaning, when said of man, than the reception of Divine truth and Divine good, because in them are heaven and eternal happiness, can be seen from the following passages. In David:
The clean in hands and the pure in heart shall receive a blessing from before Jehovah, and righteousness from the God of our salvation (Ps. 24:4-5).
“The clean in hands” signify those that are in truths from faith, and “the pure in heart” those that are in good from love; of such it is said that they “shall receive a blessing from before Jehovah, and righteousness from the God of salvation,” and “receiving a blessing” signifies the reception of Divine truth, and “receiving righteousness” the reception of Divine good. (That “righteousness” is predicated of good, see above, n. 204; and Arcana Coelestia, n. 2235, 9857.)
sRef Num@6 @27 S11′ sRef Num@6 @24 S11′ sRef Num@6 @23 S11′ sRef Num@6 @26 S11′ sRef Num@6 @25 S11′ [11] In Moses:
Thus shall ye bless the sons of Israel, Jehovah bless thee and keep thee; Jehovah make His faces to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; Jehovah lift up His faces upon thee, and give thee peace. Thus shall they put My name upon the sons of Israel; and I will bless them (Num. 6:23-27).
From this, unfolded by means of the internal sense, it is evident what “blessing” as a whole involves-namely, that Jehovah, that is, the Lord, from Divine love flows in with Divine truth and with Divine good with those who receive; the Divine love, from which the Lord flows in, being meant by “the faces of Jehovah;” the Divine truth, with which the Lord flows in, by “Jehovah make His faces to shine upon thee;” and the Divine good, with which He flows in, by “Jehovah lift up His faces upon thee;” the protection from evils and falsities, which would otherwise take away the influx, by “keep thee” and “be gracious unto thee;” heaven and eternal happiness, which the Lord gives by means of His Divine truth and His Divine good, by “give thee communication and conjunction with those who receive, by “thus shall they put My name upon the sons of Israel,” “the name of Jehovah” signifying the Divine proceeding, which is called in general Divine truth and Divine good, and “the sons of Israel” signifying those who are of the church, thus who receive, of whom it is therefore said, “and I will bless them.” This is the internal or spiritual sense of these words, as can be seen from this, that “the faces of Jehovah” signify the Divine love; “to make them to shine” signifies the influx of Divine truth, and “to lift them up” signifies the influx of Divine good.
That these things may be better understood, the ground of these significations shall be told. The Lord appears to the angels in heaven as a sun; for it is His Divine love that so appears; this, therefore, is what is meant by the “face” of Jehovah; the light that proceeds therefrom is Divine truth; this, therefore, is what is meant by “making His faces to shine;” the heat that also proceeds therefrom is Divine good; this, therefore, is what is meant by “lifting up His faces,” for “to lift up” signifies to reveal Himself, which is effected from Divine good by means of Divine truth. (That the Lord appears to the angels in heaven as a sun, and that it is His Divine love that so appears, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125; and that the light therefrom is Divine truth, and the heat therefrom Divine good, n. 126-140. That “peace” signifies the heavenly delight that inmostly affects with blissfulness every good, and that it therefore signifies heaven and eternal happiness, see in the same, n. 284-290; and that “the sons of Israel” signify those who are of the church, consequently the church, Arcana Coelestia, n. 6426, 8805, 9340.)
sRef Ezek@34 @27 S12′ sRef Ezek@34 @26 S12′ [12] In Ezekiel:
I will give them the circuits of My hill as a blessing, and I will send down the rain in its time; there shall be rains of blessing. Then the tree shall yield its fruit, the land shall yield its produce (Ezek. 34:26-27).
He who sees the Word merely in its natural sense believes no other than that “blessing” means such things as are mentioned in that sense, namely, that rain should be given to make fruitful the gardens and fields, and thus the tree should yield its fruit and the land its produce; but it is a spiritual blessing that is meant, for “rain” signifies everything Divine that flows into man from the Lord out of heaven. That truths will produce good, and that good will produce truths, is signified by “the tree shall yield its fruit, and the land its produce,” “land” and also the “garden,” in which there are trees, meaning the church; these and “the circuits of My hill which are to be given as a blessing,” signify the internal and external with the men of the church, “circuit” signifying what is outside or below, and “hill” what is within or above, especially where charity is, for that is within. (That “hill” signifies where there is charity, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6435, 10438.)
sRef Ps@128 @1 S13′ sRef Ps@128 @2 S13′ sRef Ps@128 @4 S13′ sRef Ps@128 @5 S13′ sRef Ps@128 @3 S13′ sRef Ps@128 @6 S13′ [13] In David:
Blessed is everyone that feareth Jehovah, that walketh in His ways. Thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands; blessed art thou, and it is good with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house; thy sons like olive plants around thy tables. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed that feareth Jehovah. Jehovah shall bless thee out of Zion; that thou mayest see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life; peace upon Israel (Ps. 128:1-6).
Here also “to be blessed” does not mean to be blessed naturally, as that one is to eat the labor of his hands, that his wife is to be fruitful, that many sons are to be about his tables, and that this is to be in Zion and in Jerusalem, but it means to be blessed spiritually; for “those that fear Jehovah” mean those who love to do His commandments; it is therefore said, “Blessed is he that feareth Jehovah, that walketh in His ways,” “to walk in His ways” signifying to do His commandments; “the labor of his hands which he shall eat,” signifies the pursuit of the life according to those commandments; “the wife by the sides of the house” signifies the affection of spiritual truth in all things that he thinks and does; therefore it is added, “as a fruitful vine,” for “vine” signifies the spiritual church from the affection of truth; “sons around the tables” signify the truths of good therefrom, “tables” meaning instructions; therefore it is also said, “as olive-plants,” “plants” signifying truths, and “olives” goods; “Zion” signifies heaven whence these things are; and “Jerusalem” doctrine. From this it is clear what is signified by “Jehovah shall bless thee out of Zion, that thou mayest see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life;” “peace upon Israel” signifies all spiritual good in general and in particular, “Israel” meaning the church.
sRef Ps@133 @3 S14′ [14] In the same:
Like the dew of Hermon, that cometh down upon the mountains of Zion; for there hath Jehovah commanded the blessing, life even forever (Ps. 133:3).
This treats of the marriage of good and truth and their fructification and multiplication; both are meant by “the dew of Hermon, that cometh down upon the mountains of Zion,” “the mountains of Zion” signifying where the goods of celestial love are; therefore it is added, “there hath Jehovah commanded the blessing, life even forever.”
sRef Deut@7 @16 S15′ sRef Deut@7 @15 S15′ sRef Deut@7 @14 S15′ sRef Deut@7 @13 S15′ sRef Deut@7 @12 S15′ [15] In Moses:
If ye harken to these judgments, to keep and do them, Jehovah thy God will keep unto thee the covenant and mercy; and He will love thee and bless thee. And He will bless the fruit of thy belly, and the fruit of thy ground, thy corn, and thy new wine, and thine oil, the young of thy kine and of the rams of thy flock. Thou shalt be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be male or female barren among you or among your cattle. And Jehovah will take away from thee every disease, and all the evil sicknesses of Egypt which thou knowest He will not lay upon thee, but will put them upon all that hate thee. And thou shalt consume all the peoples that Jehovah thy God shall deliver to thee; thine eye shall not spare them (Deut. 7:12-16).
Things spiritual, thus spiritual blessings, are meant by all this; these things are what are involved in and signified by the sense of the letter, which is natural, and is for those who are in the natural world, and therefore in natural ideas; consequently from the spiritual sense of the Word what is meant in general and in particular by “being blessed” can be seen. The “fruit of the belly, and the fruit of the ground, the corn, the new wine, and oil, the young of the kine and of the rams of the flock,” mean the multiplications of truth and the fructifications of good, thus spiritual blessings. (What is signified specifically by each can be seen in various places in Arcana Coelestia, and in the explanation of this prophetic book.) “There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your cattle” signifies the multiplication of truth and the fructification of good in the internal and the external man; “and Jehovah will take away every disease, and all the evil sicknesses of Egypt,” signifies the removal of all evils and falsities, “the evil sicknesses of Egypt” meaning falsities arising from evils in the natural man. “Those that hate thee upon whom Jehovah will put these,” are those who are against the truths and goods of the church. The dispersion of the evils and falsities that are against the truths and goods of the church, is signified by “thou shalt consume all the peoples that Jehovah thy God shall deliver to thee;” and continual shunning of them is meant by “thine eye shall not spare them.” That through these things those who do the Lord’s commandments are blessed, is meant by “if ye hearken to these judgments, to keep and do them, Jehovah thy God will keep unto thee the covenant and mercy; He will love thee and bless thee;” “covenant and mercy” is conjunction from love by means of these commandments; conjunction by good is meant by “covenant,” and “He will love thee;” and conjunction by truth therefrom is meant by “mercy” and “He will bless thee.”
sRef Gen@49 @25 S16′ [16] In the same:
He shall bless thee with the blessings of heaven from above, with the blessings of the deep that coucheth below, with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb (Gen. 49:25).
These things are said of Joseph, who here signifies the Lord’s spiritual kingdom; and “the blessings of heaven from above” mean the multiplications of truth from good in the internal or spiritual man; “the blessings of the deep that coucheth below” mean the multiplications of truth from good in the external or natural man; and “the blessings of the breasts and of the womb” signify spiritual and celestial goods.
sRef Joel@2 @14 S17′ [17] In Joel:
Who knoweth? Let him return, and Jehovah God will repent, and He will leave behind Him a blessing, a meal-offering and a drink-offering to Jehovah our God (Joel 2:14).
Because “blessing” signifies spiritual blessing, which in general has reference to good and truth proceeding from the Lord and given to man, therefore it is said, “He will leave behind Him a blessing, a meal-offering and a drink-offering to our God,” “the meal-offering,” which was bread, signifying good, and “the drink-offering,” which was wine, signifying truth, both from the Lord, for it is said, “from our God.”
sRef Isa@19 @23 S18′ sRef Isa@19 @25 S18′ sRef Isa@19 @24 S18′ [18] In Isaiah:
In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt into Assyria, that Assyria may come into Egypt and Egypt into Assyria, that the Egyptians may serve with Assyria. In that day shall Israel be a third to Egypt and to Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land; whom Jehovah shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance (Isa. 19:23-25).
“Israel, Assyria, and Egypt,” signify the three faculties belonging to the men of the church, namely, the spiritual, the rational, and the knowing; “Israel” the spiritual, “Assyria” the rational, and “Egypt” the knowing. Because all man’s rational is formed by means of knowledges [scientifica], and both the rational and knowing faculties are from the spiritual, which is from the Lord out of heaven (for from that source is all understanding of truth and all application of knowledges [scientiarum] to truths), it is said, “there shall be a highway out of Egypt into Assyria, that Assyria may come into Egypt and Egypt into Assyria, and that the Egyptians may serve with Assyria;” and again, “Israel shall be a third to Egypt and to Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land.” The “midst” signifies the inmost from which is the rest, that is, from which is the whole (see above, n. 313); and the “land” is the church where these things are. And as it is the spiritual by which the rational and knowing faculties are applied to genuine truths, Israel is called the “inheritance,” that is, the heir of the house who possesses all things; and Assyria is called “the work of My hands,” because the rational is formed from the spiritual; and Egypt is called “a blessed people,” because in the knowing faculty, as in their ultimate, all things are together. From this also it is clear that “blessing” in the Word means spiritual blessing.
sRef Zech@8 @13 S19′ [19] In Zechariah:
As ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you that you may be a blessing (Zech. 8:13).
These things are said of the devastated church, and of the church to be established by the Lord; “the house of Judah” and “the house of Israel” signifying the church, here in both senses; the church devastated is called “a curse,” because therein are evil and falsity; but the church to be established is called “a blessing” because therein are good and truth.
sRef Ps@3 @8 S20′ [20] In David:
Salvation unto Jehovah, thy blessing upon thy people (Ps. 3:8).
“The blessing of Jehovah upon His people” signifies influx and the reception of good and truth; those are called “the people of Jehovah” who are in spiritual good (see above, n. 331).
sRef Gen@18 @18 S21′ sRef Gen@12 @3 S21′ sRef Gen@12 @2 S21′ [21] In Moses:
I will make thee into a great nation, and I will bless thee, that thou mayest become a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed (Gen. 12:2-3).
In the same:
In him there shall be a blessing for all nations of the earth (Gen. 18:18).
These things are said of Abraham, and “Abraham” means in the highest sense the Lord, and in a relative sense the Lord’s celestial kingdom and the celestial church. From this it is clear what is signified by “I will make thee into a great nation, and I will bless thee, that thou mayest become a blessing,” namely, that therein shall be Divine good and Divine truth; “great nation” being predicated of Divine good (see above, n. 331), and “blessing” of Divine truth; “I will bless them that bless thee [and curse them that curse thee]” signifies that those who receive will have Divine truth, and those who do not receive will have the falsity of evil; “in Thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed,” and “in Him there shall be a blessing for all the nations of the earth” signifies that from the reception of Divine truth and Divine good they will have heaven and eternal happiness; “the families of the earth” signify those who are in truths from good, “families” meaning truths, and “nations” goods; “blessing” signifying that from these they will have heaven and eternal happiness.
sRef Num@24 @9 S22′ sRef Gen@28 @14 S22′ [22] There is a like signification in the blessing of Israel and Jacob:
Blessed be everyone that blesseth thee, and cursed be everyone that curseth thee (Num. 24:9).
Thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and shall break forth towards the west, and towards the east, and towards the north, and towards the south; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed, and in thy seed (Gen. 28:14).
“Israel” and “Jacob” also mean in the highest sense the Lord, and in a relative sense the Lord’s spiritual kingdom and the spiritual church; “Israel” that church internal, “Jacob” that church external. The “seed that shall be as the dust of the earth, and that shall break forth towards the west, the east, the north, and the south” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and received by those who are of that church; the consequent fructification of good is signified by “it shall break forth towards the west and the east,” and the consequent multiplication of truth is signified by “it shall break forth towards the north and the south.” (That these quarters have such significations, see Heaven and Hell, n. 141-153.)
sRef Matt@26 @27 S23′ sRef Matt@26 @26 S23′ [23] That the Lord blessed the bread, wine, and fishes that He gave to the disciples and to the people (Matt. 14:15, 19, 21, 22; 15:32, 36; 26:26, 27; Mark 6:41; 8:6, 7; 14:22, 23; Luke 9:16; 22:19; 24:30), signified communication of His Divine, and thus conjunction with them by means of the goods and truths, which are signified by the “bread and wine,” and also by “the fishes;” “bread and wine” signifying goods and truths in the spiritual man, and “fishes” goods and truths in the natural.
sRef Isa@65 @16 S24′ sRef Isa@65 @15 S24′ [24] In Isaiah:
He shall call His servants by another name; he that blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself by the God of truth; and he that sweareth by the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former distresses shall be forgotten (Isa. 65:15-16).
“To bless oneself” signifies to instruct oneself in Divine truths, and to apply them to life, and “to swear” signifies to instruct oneself in Divine goods and to apply them to life. “To swear” has this signification, because an oath in the internal sense signifies confirmation in oneself and conviction that a thing is so, and this is effected from good by means of truths; from no other ground than good are truths with man confirmed and proved. Here a new church is treated of; and “to call by another name” signifies its quality in respect to truth and good.
sRef Jer@4 @2 S25′ [25] In Jeremiah:
Swear by the living Jehovah, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; the nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall thee glory (Jer. 4:2).
Here “to swear” and “to bless themselves” have a like signification as above, the “nations” that shall bless themselves in Jehovah signifying those who are in good.
sRef Isa@66 @3 S26′ [26] “To bless,” in the contrary sense, signifies to love what is evil and false: and to be imbued with it as in Isaiah:
He that slaughters an ox smiteth a man; he that offereth frankincense, blesseth vanity; they have chosen these things also in their ways (Isa. 66:3).
“To slaughter (or sacrifice) an ox,” and “to smite a man,” signify to worship God in externals, and yet to reject all truth. “To sacrifice an ox” signifies worship from those things that represented natural good, for an “ox” means natural good; “and to smite a man” signifies to reject and deny the truth, “man” in the Word meaning truth; “to offer frankincense” and “to bless vanity” signifies to worship God from such things as represented spiritual good, and yet to love evil and falsity and to be imbued with them, an “offering of frankincense” meaning the worship from spiritual good, and “vanity” the evil and falsity of evil.
* “Salvation.” In AE n. 439, 449, 483 it reads “Israel.”

sRef Rev@5 @13 S0′ 341. Verse 13. And every created thing that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb, be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might unto the ages of the ages. 13. “And every created thing that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying” signifies the acknowledgment and consequent glorification of the Lord by the angels that are in the lowest parts of heaven (n. 342); “Unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine good and Divine truth (n. 343); “blessing” signifies acknowledgment, glorification, and thanksgiving that all good and truth, and thence heaven and eternal happiness, are for those who receive (n. 344); “and the honor and the glory,” signifies that to Him alone belongs every Divine good and Divine truth, and therefore, every good of love and truth of faith, from which is all the wisdom and intelligence that angels and men have (n. 345); “and the might unto the ages of the ages,” signifies that to Him belongs omnipotence to eternity (n. 346).

sRef Rev@5 @13 S0′ 342. Verse 13. And every created thing that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, signifies the acknowledgment and consequent glorification of the Lord by the angels that are in the lowest parts of heaven. This is evident from the signification of “every created thing” as being all who are reformed. That “to be created” signifies to be reformed and regenerated, see above (n. 294); therefore “created thing” signifies what is reformed and regenerated; but in reference to the angels, of whom these things are said, it signifies those who were reformed in the world, that is, created anew, for all such are in heaven. “Created thing” here has a like meaning as “creature” in Mark:
Jesus said to the disciples, Go into all the world, preach ye the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15);
where “every creature” means all who receive the gospel and can be reformed by it; the rest are not meant by “creatures,” because they do not receive, but hear and reject.
sRef Rev@5 @13 S2′ [2] From this the nature of the Word in the sense of the letter can be seen, namely, why the term “creature” is used, and why it is said “every created thing that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are in the sea, and all that are in them.” He who does not know that the sense of the letter is made up of such things as appear before the eyes, and that these signify spiritual things, may easily be led to believe that “every created thing that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are in the sea, and all that are in them,” mean the birds that fly in the sky, the beasts that walk on the earth, and the fishes that are in the sea; and the more because in various other passages in the Word, like things are said of “the birds of heaven,” the “beasts of the earth,” and also of “whales” and “fishes” (as in Ezek. 39:17; Ps. 148:7; Job 12:7, 8; Rev. 19:17; and elsewhere). Still those whose minds can be somewhat elevated above the sense of the letter instantly perceive by interior sight that these things mean the angels and spirits who are in heaven and under heaven, and that it was these whom John heard when he was in the spirit; for it is said, “heard I saying, Unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the might, unto the ages of the ages;” from which it can be seen that “every created thing” therein means the angels that are in the lowest parts of heaven; moreover, this follows from the fact that the preceding verses treat of the angels of the higher heavens and of the angels of the lower heavens, that they acknowledged and glorified the Lord (see above, n. 322, 335).
[3] It shall now be explained who are meant by those “in heaven,” who by those “on the earth and under the earth,” and who by those “in the sea.” All these mean those who are in the ultimates of heaven, those “in heaven” meaning the higher there, those “on the earth and under the earth” the lower there, and those “in the sea” the lowest there. There are three heavens, and each heaven is divided into three degrees; the same is true of the angels who are in them; consequently in each heaven there are higher, middle, and lower angels; these three degrees of the lowest heaven are meant by those “in heaven,” those “on the earth,” and those “in the sea.” (Respecting this division of the heavens and of each heaven, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4938, 9992, 10005, 10017, 10068; and respecting the lowest degree, n. 3293, 3294, 3793, 4570, 5118, 5126, 5497, 5649, 9216; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 29-40.)
It should be known, that in the spiritual world, where spirits and angels are, all things have the same appearance as in the natural world where men are, namely, there are mountains, hills, lands, and seas (see above, n. 304). The angels who are in the third or inmost heaven dwell upon the mountains, those who are in the second or middle heaven dwell upon the hills, and those who are in the first or lowest heaven dwell upon the earth and under the earth, and in the seas. But the seas in which the lowest of that heaven dwell are not like the seas in which the evil dwell; their waters are different. The waters of the seas in which the well-disposed in the lowest heaven dwell are rare and pure; but the waters of the seas in which the evil dwell are gross and impure; thus they are entirely different seas.
[4] These seas I have several times been permitted to see, and also to converse with those who are in them; and it was found that those were there who had been in the world merely sensual, and yet well-disposed; and because they were sensual they were unable to understand what the spiritual is, but only what the natural is; nor could they apprehend the Word and the doctrine of the church from the Word except sensually. All these appear to be as if in a sea; but those who are in it do not seem to themselves to be in a sea, but as it were in an atmosphere like that in which they had lived while in the world; they appear to be in a sea only to those who are above them. At this day there is an immense number there, because so many at this day are sensual. This lowest part of heaven corresponds to the soles of the feet. This is the reason why seas are so often mentioned in the Word, and also fishes therein, “seas” there signifying the generals of truth which belong to the natural man, and “fishes” the sensual knowledges [scientifica sensualia], which are the lowest things of the natural man, consequently such persons, that is, those who are in these knowledges, are signified. (What sensual things and what sensual men are, and that they may be either good or evil, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 50.) From this it can be known what is meant by “every created thing that is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are in the sea, and all that are in them.”
sRef Ps@69 @34 S5′ sRef Ps@148 @7 S5′ sRef Ps@69 @35 S5′ [5] Like things are signified in the following passages by “seas,” and by the things that are in them, which are called “fishes” and “whales.” In David:
Let heaven and earth praise Jehovah, the seas, and every thing that creepeth therein. For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah (Ps. 69:34-35).
It is said also “every thing that creepeth therein,” meaning those who are sensual. “Zion, which God will save,” and “the cities of Judah, which He will build,” mean the celestial church and its doctrine, “Zion” that church, and “cities” the doctrine. There is a like meaning in these words in David:
Praise Jehovah from the earth, ye whales and all deeps (Ps. 148:7); “whales” meaning the same. For this reason Egypt also is called a “whale” (Ezek. 29:3);
for “Egypt” signifies the knowing faculty in the natural man, and “whale” knowing in general.
sRef Ps@8 @7 S6′ sRef Job@12 @9 S6′ sRef Ps@8 @6 S6′ sRef Ps@8 @8 S6′ sRef Job@12 @7 S6′ sRef Job@12 @10 S6′ sRef Job@12 @8 S6′ [6] These things have a like signification also elsewhere in the same:
Thou madest him to rule over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet; the flock and all herds, and also the beasts of the field, the bird of heaven, and the fishes of the sea (Ps. 8:6-8).
This treats of the Lord, and His Divine power over heaven and earth; and “the flocks and the herds, the beasts of the field, the bird of heaven, and the fishes of the sea,” mean the men, spirits, and angels, in respect to spiritual and natural things pertaining to them; and the “fishes of the sea” meaning those who are in the ultimates of heaven (as above). In Job:
Ask, I pray, the beasts, and they shall teach thee, or the birds of heaven, and they shall tell thee, or the shrub of the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not from all these that the hand of Jehovah doeth this? (Job 12:7-10).
sRef Ezek@47 @1 S7′ sRef Ezek@47 @8 S7′ sRef Ezek@47 @10 S7′ sRef Ezek@47 @9 S7′ sRef Ezek@47 @11 S7′ [7] In Ezekiel:
The angel brought me back unto the entrance of the house; where behold, waters went out from under the threshold of the house towards the east. Then he said unto me, These waters go out toward the eastern border, and go down into the plain, and come towards the sea; they are sent forth into the sea that the waters may be healed; whence it cometh to pass that every living soul that creepeth, whithersoever the brooks come, shall live; whence it is that there are exceeding many fish, because these waters come thither, and they are healed, that everything may live whither the brook cometh. According to their kind shall the fish be, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. The miry places thereof and the marshes thereof are not healed; they are given to the salt (Ezek. 47:1, 8-11).
“The waters going out from under the threshold of the house towards the east” signify truths from a celestial origin, “waters” meaning truths, “the east” the good of heavenly love, and “house” heaven and the church; the “plain into which the waters go down,” and “the sea into which they come,” signify the ultimates of heaven and the church, consequently those who are in ultimates (of whom above), namely, those who are only in the knowledges of truth from the outmost sense of the Word, and apprehend those knowledges naturally and sensually. When such are in simple good, they receive the influx of the higher heavens, whence it is that they also receive in their knowledges what is spiritual, and thus some spiritual life. This is meant by “the waters are sent forth into the sea, that the waters may be healed; whence it cometh to pass that every living soul that creepeth, whithersoever the brooks come, shall live;” likewise by these words, “whence it cometh that there are exceeding many fish, because these waters come thither, and they are healed.” But those who are such, and are not good, are meant by these words, “The miry places thereof and the marshes thereof are not healed; they are given to salt;” “to be given to salt” signifying not to receive spiritual life, but to remain in a life merely natural, which, separate from spiritual life, is defiled by falsities and evils, which are “miry places” and “marshes.”
sRef Isa@50 @3 S8′ sRef Isa@50 @2 S8′ [8] Like things are signified by “sea,” and by “fishes of the sea,” in Isaiah:
Behold, at My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers into a wilderness; their fish stinketh because there is no water, and dieth of thirst (Isa. 50:2).
“Rebuke” signifies the desolation of all truth; “sea” signifies where truth is in its outmost; “water” signifies truth from a spiritual origin; “to die for thirst” signifies desolation from lack of that truth; “fishes of the sea” signify those who are in the ultimates of truth, in whom there is no life from a spiritual origin.
sRef Ezek@38 @20 S9′ sRef Ezek@38 @19 S9′ sRef Zeph@1 @3 S9′ sRef Hos@4 @3 S9′ sRef Hos@4 @2 S9′ sRef Zeph@1 @2 S9′ [9] “Fishes of the sea” have a like signification in Ezekiel:
In My zeal, in the fire of My fury I will speak; that the fishes of the sea, and the fowl of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the ground may quake before Me (Ezek. 38:19-20).
In Hosea:
They commit robbery, and bloods touch bloods; therefore the land shall mourn, and everyone that dwelleth therein shall languish; as to the wild beast of the field, and as to the fowl of the heavens, and also the fishes of the sea shall be gathered together (Hos. 4:2-3).
And in Zephaniah:
In taking away I will take away all things from upon the faces of the ground; I will take away man and beast; I will take away the fowl of the heavens, and the fishes of the sea (Zeph. 1:2-3).
“Man and beast” when mentioned together signify the interior and exterior affections of good (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7424, 7523, 7872); and “the fowl of the heavens and the fishes of the sea” signify the affections of truth and the thoughts spiritual and natural, but in the passages here cited, that these are about to perish.
[10] This significance of “sea” and “fishes” comes from the appearance in the spiritual world; all societies there appear surrounded by an atmosphere corresponding to their affections and thoughts; those in the third heaven appear in an atmosphere pure as the ethereal atmosphere; those in the second heaven appear in an atmosphere less pure, like the aerial; while the societies in the lowest part of heaven appear surrounded by an atmosphere, as it were watery; but those in the hells appear surrounded by gross and impure atmospheres, some of them as if in black waters, and others in other ways. It is the affections and the thoughts therefrom that produce these appearances around them; for spheres are exhaled from all, and these spheres are changed into such appearances. (Of these spheres, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2489, 4464, 5179, 7454, 8630.) It is also from the appearance in the spiritual world that those who are in spiritual affection and in thought therefrom are signified by “the birds of heaven,” and those who are in natural affection and in thought therefrom by “fishes;” for both birds and fishes appear there, birds over the lands, and fishes in the seas. The affections and consequent thoughts of those who are there are what so appear; this is known to all who are in that world; and both the birds and the fishes have been many times seen by me: this appearance is from correspondence. From this it can be seen why “seas” signify the generals of truth, and “whales” and “fishes” the affections and thoughts of those who are in the generals of truth. That “seas” signify the generals of truth has been shown above (n. 275).
sRef Ps@135 @6 S11′ [11] The quality of those in the spiritual world who dwell in that watery atmosphere which is meant by “seas,” I will illustrate by a single example. When such read these words in David:
Everything that Jehovah willeth He doeth, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps (Ps. 135:6);
they do not know otherwise than that “heaven” means the heaven that is visible before our eyes, and “earth” the habitable earth, and “seas” and “deeps” the seas and deeps, thus that Jehovah does in these whatsoever He wills; and they cannot be led to believe that “heaven” means the angelic heaven; “earth” those there who are below, and “seas” and “depths” those there who are in the lowest parts. Because these things are spiritual, and above the sense of the letter, they are not willing and are scarcely able to perceive them because they see all things naturally and sensually.
sRef Rev@21 @1 S12′ [12] For this reason, from these words in Revelation:
I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away (Rev. 21:1).
It has been understood heretofore that the visible heaven and the habitable earth were to perish, and that a new heaven and a new earth were to arise. That “heaven” here means the heaven where angels are, and “earth” means the church where men are, and that these are to become new, those who think merely naturally and sensually are not willing to admit, and therefore do not understand; for they do not suffer their mind to be elevated out of the natural light into spiritual light. With such this is difficult, so much so that they can hardly bear that the Word should have any meaning beyond what the letter in its own sense declares and the natural man apprehends. Such persons are not unlike those birds that see and sing in dark places, but in the light of day blink with their eyes and see but little. The good among such are like these birds, and also like flying fishes; but the evil of this class are like night owls and horned owls, which altogether shun the light of day, or like fishes that cannot be elevated into the air without loss of life. The reason is that with the good of this class the internal spiritual man receives some little spiritual influx from heaven, consequently some perception that a thing is so although they do not see it; while with the evil of this class the internal spiritual man is entirely closed up. For everyone has an internal and an external man, or a spiritual and a natural; the internal or spiritual man sees from the light of heaven, but the external or natural man sees from the light of the world.

sRef Rev@5 @13 S0′ 343. Unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, signifies the Lord in respect to Divine good and to Divine truth. This is evident from what has been said and shown above (n. 297), namely, that “throne” signifies heaven; “Him that sitteth upon the throne” Divine good proceeding, and “the Lamb” Divine truth proceeding, both of these filling the heavens and constituting them. Because Divine good proceeding from the Lord as a sun is received by the angels in His celestial kingdom, and Divine truth by the angels in the spiritual kingdom, therefore two are mentioned, namely, “He that sitteth upon the throne” and “the Lamb;” but in the internal sense, the two mean the Divine Proceeding from the Lord’s Divine Human, which is Divine good united to Divine truth, while in the sense of the letter it is distinguished into two for the sake of reception. The Divine that constitutes heaven and gives to angels and men love, faith, wisdom, and intelligence, proceeds not immediately from the Lord’s Divine Itself, but through His Divine Human, and this Divine that proceeds is the Holy Spirit (see above, n. 183).
[2] In this way it is to be understood what the doctrine of the church teaches, that the Son proceeds from the Father, and the Holy Spirit through the Son, also that the Lord’s Divine and His Human are not two, but a single person or one Christ; for the Lord’s Divine is that which assumed the Human, and for that reason He called it His Father; thus He did not call Father another Divine which is at this day worshiped as His Father in place of His own Divine. And the Divine Proceeding is what is called the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Truth, and the Paraclete; since this is the holy of the Spirit, or the holy Divine which the Spirit speaks, and not another Divine, which is worshiped as the third person of the Divinity. That this is so all can understand who are in any light of heaven. And yet it is declared in many places from the doctrine of the Trinity that was given by Athanasius, that the three are one. Let anyone examine himself when he says with the mouth that God is one, whether he does not think of three, when yet there is but one God, and the three names of the Divine are names of the one God. Athanasius, because he did not understand this, believed the three names to be three Gods, though one in essence.
[3] And yet they cannot be said to be one in essence when something is attributed to one and not to another, for thus the essence is divided; consequently a personal name is given to each essence. But they are one essence when the three are names of one person, namely, the Divine Itself, called the Father; the Divine Human, called the Son; and the Divine Proceeding, called the Holy Spirit (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 280-310). These things have been said to show that “He that sitteth upon the throne,” and “the Lamb,” do not mean two but one, namely, the Lord in respect to the Divine Proceeding.

sRef Rev@5 @13 S0′ 344. Blessing, signifies the acknowledgment, glorification, and thanksgiving, that all good and truth, and thence heaven and eternal happiness, are for those who receive, as is evident from what has been said and shown above (n. 340).

sRef Rev@5 @13 S0′ 345. And the honor and the glory, signifies that to Him alone belongs every Divine good and Divine truth, and therefore every good of love and truth of faith that angels and men have. This is evident from the signification of “honor and glory,” as being, when said of the Lord, Divine good and Divine truth (see also above, n. 288). And as “honor and glory” signify, when said of the Lord, Divine good and Divine truth, so when said of man they signify every good of love and truth of faith, from which are all the wisdom and intelligence that angels and men have. These things were said by those who are in the lowest parts of heaven, who know this, although they do not see and perceive it. For all who are of the church know, because it is according to doctrine, that every good and truth is from God; and those who live a good life retain and believe this without investigating how it comes; for this reason these also are in heaven, although in its lowest part. But those who have become spiritual not only know but also see and perceive that this is so; consequently these are in the higher heavens. When such come into the spiritual world they see truths and perceive them in the light of heaven; nor do they admit the rule accepted by many in the world, that the understanding must be under some blind obedience to faith. With those who are in the lowest parts of heaven it is otherwise, because they do not see and perceive; these remain in that rule, but still they are instructed, and when instructed they know truths.

sRef Rev@5 @13 S0′ 346. And the might, unto the ages of the ages, signifies that to Him alone belongs omnipotence to eternity. This is evident from the signification of “might,” as being, in reference to the Lord, omnipotence; and as the Lord has omnipotence from Divine good by means of Divine truth, therefore it is said, “the honor and the glory and the might;” for “honor and glory” signify Divine good and Divine truth. (That Divine good has all power by means of Divine truth, see in the work an Heaven and Hell, n. 231-232, 539; and above, n. 209, 333.) “Might” is here mentioned last, and by the angels of the lowest heaven, because “might,” in reference to the Lord, is predicated of Divine power in its fullness, and it is in its fullness in ultimates. (That the Divine is in its fullness, thus in its power in ultimates, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5897, 6451, 8603, 9828, 9836, 10099, 10548; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 315.)

sRef Rev@5 @14 S0′ 347. Verse 14. And the four animals said, Amen; and the four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages. 14. “And the four animals said, Amen,” signifies confirmation from the Lord out of the inmost heaven (n. 348); “and the four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages,” signifies humiliation and acknowledgment from the heart of all who are in truths from good, that the Lord alone lives, and that from Him alone is eternal life (n. 349).

sRef Rev@5 @14 S0′ 348. Verse 14. And the four animals said, Amen, signifies confirmation from the Lord out of the inmost heaven. This is evident from the signification of the “four animals” or cherubim, as being, in the highest sense, the Lord in respect to providence and because they guard that the Lord be not approached except through the good of love (of which see above, n. 152 at the end, 277); and in a relative sense, the inmost or third heaven (n. 313, 322); also from the signification of “Amen,” as being confirmation from the Divine, and truth (respecting which also see above, n. 34, 238). From this it is clear that “the four animals said, Amen,” signifies confirmation from the Lord out of the inmost heaven. The things that have thus far been said by the angels of the three heavens were confirmed by the Lord, because everything they said was from the Lord, not from themselves; for it was the acknowledgment of His Divine in the Human, a glorification on that account, and a thanksgiving that all good and truth and therefore all wisdom and intelligence are from Him; these things the angels could not say from themselves, but from the Lord by interior dictate or influx; for the angels, like men, cannot from themselves even name the Lord, consequently they cannot from themselves acknowledge and glorify Him; for this reason the things they said were confirmed from the Lord by “Amen,” which signifies the truth of faith, and faith itself. Moreover, it is according to Divine order for the Lord to confirm the truths that an angel or a man speaks as if from himself, though not from himself; these He confirms in their hearts by an assurance not ascending manifestly into their thought, yet by a full acquiescence of mind proceeding from internal affection, which is from peace and its delight. This is the confirmation that it meant in the genuine internal sense by this manifest announcement heard by John.

sRef Rev@5 @14 S0′ 349. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, signifies the humiliation and acknowledgment from the heart of all who are in truths from good, that the Lord alone lives, and that from Him alone is eternal life. This is evident from the signification of “four and twenty elders,” as being all who are in truths from good (of which above, n. 270); from the signification of falling down and worshiping, as being humiliation and acknowledgment from the heart that every good and truth that has life in itself is from the Lord (of which see above, n. 290, 291); and from the signification of “Him that liveth,” as being, when said of the Lord, that He alone lives, and that from Him is eternal life (of which also above, n. 82-84, 186, 289, 291).
[2] Since it is at this day believed in the world that the life that each one has was given and implanted, and is thus one’s own, and does not flow in continuously, I desire to say something respecting it. The opinion that life is in man in such a way as to be his own is merely an appearance that springs from the perpetual presence of the Lord, and from His Divine love, in that He wills to be conjoined to man, to be in him, and to impart to him His life, for such is the Divine love; and because this is perpetual and continuous man supposes that life is in him as his own; yet it is known that there is not a good or a truth in man, but that they come from above, thus that they flow in. It is the same with love and faith; for everything of man’s love is from good, and everything of his faith is from truth; for what a man loves is good to him, and what he believes is truth to him. This makes clear in the first place that no good and no truth, so neither love nor faith, is in man, but that they flow in from the Lord. Life itself is in good and truth, and nowhere else. The receptacle of the good of love with man is the will, and the receptacle of the truth of faith with him is the understanding; and to will good does not belong to man, nor to believe truth. These are the two faculties in which is the whole life of man; outside of these there is no life. This also makes clear that the life of these faculties, and accordingly the life of the whole man, is not in man but flows in. It is also by influx that evil and falsity, or the will and love of evil and the understanding and faith of falsity, are with man; but this influx is from hell. For man is kept in the freedom of choosing, that is, of receiving good and truth from the Lord or of receiving evil and falsity from hell, and man is kept in this for the sake of reformation, for he is kept between heaven and hell, and thence in spiritual equilibrium, which is freedom. Neither is this freedom itself in the man, but it is together with the life that flows in. (On Man’s Freedom and its origin, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 293, 537, 540, 541, 546, 589-596 597-603; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 141-147.)
[3] Those also who are in hell live by the influx of life from the Lord, for good and truth in like manner flow into them; but the good they turn into evil, and the truth into falsity; and this takes place because they have inverted their interior recipient forms by a life of evil, and all influx is varied according to the forms. It is the same as when man’s thought and will act upon members distorted from birth, or upon injured organs of sensation; and as when the light of heaven flows into objects that vary in their colors, and as when the heat of heaven flows into the same, which vary in their odors according to their interior receptive forms. But it should be known that the life itself is not changed and varied, but the life produces an appearance of the recipient form by which and from which the life is transmitted; much as by the same light different persons appear in a mirror each such as he is.
[4] Moreover, all the senses of man, namely, sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, are none of them in man, but are excited and produced from influx; in man there are only the organic recipient forms, in these there is no sense until what is adapted thereto from without flows in. The like is true of the internal organs of sensation which belong to thought and affection and receive influx from the spiritual world, as of the external organs of sensation which receive influx from the natural world. That there is one only fountain of life, and that all life is therefrom and flows in continually, is well known in heaven, and is never called in question by any angel in the higher heavens, for these perceive the influx itself. That all lives are streams, as it were, from the only and perennial fountain of life, has been testified to me also from much experience, and seen in the spiritual world with those who believed that they lived from themselves, and were not willing to believe that they lived from the Lord. When influx into the thought was in some part withheld from these, they lay as if deprived of life, but as soon as the influx reached them, they as it were revived from death; and then the same confessed that the life in them is not theirs, but continually flows into them, and that men, spirits, and angels are only forms receptive of life.
[5] That this is so the wise there conclude from this: that nothing can exist and subsist from itself but only from what is prior to itself, so neither can what is prior exist and subsist from itself but only in successive order from a First; and thus life itself, regarded in itself, is only from Him who alone is Life in Himself. From this, moreover, they know, and from a spiritual idea they also perceive, that every thing, that it may be anything, must be in connection with a First, and that it is, according as it is in this connection.
From this it is clear how foolishly those think who derive the origin of life from nature, and believe that man learns to think by an influx of interior nature and its order, and not from God, who is the very Esse of life, and from whom is all the order of both worlds, the spiritual as well as the natural, in accordance with which life flows in, life eternal with those who can be disposed to receive life according to Divine order, but the opposite life, which is called spiritual death, with those who cannot be so disposed, thus who live contrary to Divine order. The Divine good that proceeds from the Lord is that from which order comes, and the Divine truths are the laws of order (as may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 279).
[6] Everyone should guard against the belief that the Divine life with anyone, even with the evil and in hell, is changed; for, as was said above, the life itself is not changed or varied, but the life produces an appearance of the recipient form, through which and from which the life is transmitted; much as everyone appears in a mirror such as he is through the light, the light remaining unchanged, and simply presenting the form to the sight; and just as the same life presents itself to be perceived according to the form of the bodily organ, thus after one manner in the eye, after another manner in the hearing, and otherwise in the smell, taste, and touch. The belief that life is varied and changed is from an appearance, which is a fallacy like the fallacy from the appearance that influx is physical, when yet influx is spiritual. (But on this subject see further in Heaven and Hell, n. 9; to which may be added what is cited from Arcana Coelestia, respecting the influx of life, in Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 277, 278; and on the Influx of Life with animals, in Arcana Coelestia, n. 5850, 6211; and in Heaven and Hell, n. 39, 108, 110, 435, 567; likewise in Last Judgment, n. 25.)
sRef John@5 @21 S7′ sRef John@5 @26 S7′ [7] These things have been said to make known that there is one only life, and that whatever things live, live from that life. It shall now be shown that the Lord is that Life itself, or that He alone lives, since this is what is signified by “Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages.” That there is one only Divine, and that is not to be divided into three persons according to the faith of Athanasius, can be seen from what has been several times said above, and especially from what will be said particularly on this subject at the end of this work. And as the Lord’s Divine, which is the one only Divine, took on a Human, and made that also Divine, therefore both of these are the Life from which all live. That this is so may be known from the words of the Lord Himself, in the following passages. In John:
As the Father raiseth the dead and maketh them live, so also the Son maketh whom He will to live. As the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:21, 26).
“Father” here means the Lord’s Divine Itself, which took on the Human, for this Divine was in Him from conception, and because He was conceived from this, He called it, and no other, “Father.” The “Son” means the Lord’s Divine Human; that this, in like manner, is life itself, the Lord teaches in express words, saying, “as the Father maketh to live, the Son also maketh whom He will to live;” and “as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself.” “To have life in Himself” is to be Life itself; the others are not life, but they have life from that Life.
sRef John@14 @6 S8′ [8] In the same:
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one cometh unto the Father but through Me (John 14:6).
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” was said of the Lord’s Human; for He also says, “no one comes unto the Father but through Me,” His “Father” being the Divine in Him, which was His own Divine. This makes clear that the Lord also, in respect to His Human, is Life, consequently that His Human also in like manner is Divine.
sRef John@11 @25 S9′ sRef John@11 @26 S9′ [9] In the same:
Jesus said, I am the Resurrection and the Life; he that believeth in Me, though he die yet shall he live. Everyone that liveth and believeth in Me shall not die forever (John 11:25-26).
This, too, the Lord said of His Human; and as He is Life Itself, and all have life from Him, and those who believe in Him have life eternal, therefore He says that He is “the Resurrection and the Life,” and “he that believeth in Me shall not die forever;” “to believe in the Lord” signifies to be conjoined to Him in love and faith, and “not to die” signifies not to die spiritually, that is, not to be damned, for the life of the damned is called “death.”
sRef John@1 @1 S10′ sRef John@1 @4 S10′ sRef John@1 @14 S10′ sRef John@8 @12 S10′ [10] In the same:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us (John 1:1, 4, 14).
It is known that “the Word” means the Lord; His Human is evidently the Word, for it is said, “the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us;” and that His Human was equally Divine with the Divine Itself that took on the Human is evident from this, that a distinction is made between them, and that each is called God, for it is said, “the Word was with God, and God was the Word,” and “in Him was life.” That all live from Him is meant by “the life was the light of men;” “the light of men” is the life of their thought and understanding; for the Divine Proceeding, which is specially meant by “the Word,” appears in heaven as the light which enables angels not only to see, but also to think and understand, and according to its reception to be wise (see Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140). This light proceeding from the Lord is life itself, which not only enlightens the understanding, as the sun of the world does the eye, but also vivifies it according to reception; and when this light is received in the life, it is called “the light of life” in the same:
Jesus said, I am the light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).
sRef John@6 @33 S11′ sRef John@6 @47 S11′ sRef John@6 @51 S11′ sRef John@6 @48 S11′ sRef John@6 @34 S11′ [11] He is also called “the bread of life” in the same:
The bread of God is he that cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world. I am the Bread of life (John 6:33, 35, 47-48, 51).
“The Bread of God” and “the Bread of life” is that from which all have life. Since the life that is called intelligence and wisdom is from the Lord, it follows also that life in general is from Him; for the particular things of life, which make its perfection and which are insinuated into man according to reception, all belong to the general life. This life is perfected to the extent that the evils into which man is born are removed from it.
sRef John@3 @36 S12′ sRef John@15 @5 S12′ sRef John@15 @6 S12′ sRef John@6 @40 S12′ sRef John@6 @47 S12′ sRef John@3 @15 S12′ sRef John@10 @28 S12′ sRef John@3 @14 S12′ sRef John@3 @16 S12′ sRef John@6 @48 S12′ sRef John@10 @27 S12′ [12] That those who are conjoined to the Lord by means of love and faith receive eternal life, that is, the life of heaven, which is salvation, is evident from the following passages. In John:
I am the Vine, and ye are the branches; he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for without Me ye cannot do anything. If a man abide not in Me he is cast forth, and as a branch he withereth (John 15:5-6).
In the same:
Everyone who believeth in Me hath eternal life (John 3:14-16).
In the same:
He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the anger of God abideth on him (John 3:36).
In the same:
Whoever believeth on the Son hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:40, 47-48, 54).
In the same:
The sheep follow Me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall not perish forever (John 10:27-28).
And in the same:
Search the Scriptures, they bear witness of Me: but ye will not come unto Me, that ye may have life (John 5:39-40).
“To believe in God” and “to believe the things that are from God” are mentioned in the Word; and “to believe in God” is the faith that saves, but “to believe the things that are from God” is an historical faith, which without the former does not save, and therefore is not true faith; for “to believe in God” is to know, to will, and to do; but “to believe the things that are from God” is to know, and this is possible without willing and doing. Those who are truly Christians know, will, and do; but those who are not truly Christians only know; but the latter are called by the Lord “foolish,” and the former “prudent” (Matt. 7:24, 26).

Revelation 6

1. And I saw when the Lamb had opened the first of the seals, and I heard one of the four animals saying as with the voice of thunder, Come and see.
2. And I saw, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him had a bow; and there was given to him a crown; and he went forth conquering and that he might conquer.
3. And when he had opened the second seal I heard the second animal saying, Come and see.
4. And there went forth another horse that was red; and to him that sat upon him, to him it was given to take peace from the earth, that they should slay one another; and there was given unto him a great sword.
5. And when he had opened the third seal I heard the third animal saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a black horse; and he that sat upon him had a balance in his hand.
6. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four animals saying, A measure of wheat for a denarius, and three measures of barley for a denarius, and the oil and the wine hurt thou not.
7. And when he had opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth animal saying, Come and see.
8. And I saw, and behold a pale horse, and he that sat upon him his name was Death, and Hell followed with him. And there was given unto them the authority to kill over the fourth part of the earth, with sword and with famine and with death and by the beasts of the earth.
9. And when he had opened the fifth seal I saw under the altar the souls of those slain because of the Word of God and because of the testimony that they held.
10. And they cried out with a great voice saying, How long, O Lord, who art holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on those that dwell on the earth?
11. And there was given to each one of them white robes; and it was said unto them that they should rest yet a little time until their fellow-servants, and their brethren, who were to be killed as they also were, should be fulfilled.
12. And I saw when he had opened the sixth seal, and behold there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.
13. And the stars of heaven fell upon the earth, as a fig-tree casteth her unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.
14. And the heaven withdrew as a book rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15. And the kings of the earth, and the great ones and the rich, and the commanders of thousands, and the mighty, and every servant, and every freeman, hid themselves in the caves, and in the rocks of the mountains.
16. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb.
17. For the great day of His anger is come; and who is able to stand?

sRef Rev@6 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@6 @1 S0′ 350. EXPOSITION.
Verses 1, 2. And I saw when the Lamb had opened the first of the seals, and I heard one of the four animals saying as with the voice of thunder, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him had a bow; and there was given to him a crown; and he went forth conquering and that he might conquer. 1. “And I saw,” signifies manifestation of the states of those who are of the church where the Word is (n. 351); “when the Lamb had opened the first of the seals,” signifies the first manifestation of the Lord (n. 352); “and I heard one of the four animals saying as with a voice of thunder,” signifies out of the inmost heaven from the Lord (n. 353); “Come and see,” signifies attention and perception (n. 354). 2. “And I saw and behold a white horse,” signifies the understanding of truth from the Word (n. 355); “and he that sat upon him had a bow,” signifies the doctrine of charity and faith, by which there is combat against evils and falsities, and by which they are dispersed (n. 356, 357); “and there was given to him a crown,” signifies eternal life, which is the reward of victory (n. 358); “and he went forth conquering and that he might conquer,” signifies the removal of evils and of falsities thence at the end of life, and afterwards to eternity (n. 359).

sRef Rev@6 @1 S0′ 351. Verse 1. And I saw, signifies the manifestation of the states of those who are of the church where the Word is. This is evident from the things that John saw, which are described in this chapter and in what follows, as being the manifestations of the state of those who are in the church, where the Word is: for there is here treated “the opening of the seals of the book” that was in the Lord’s hand, and what was then seen, namely, “four horses, one white, another red, the third black, and the fourth pale,” and afterwards “the souls of those that were slain for the Word of God,” also “an earthquake,” and finally “seven angels who had seven trumpets.” All these things signify the manifestations of the state of those who are of the church, as can be seen from the particulars viewed in the internal sense. It is said, the church where the Word is, because the Lord’s church is in the whole world, but in a special sense where the Word is, and where the Lord is known through the Word. The state of those who are of this church is especially treated of in this prophetic book, here in general, but afterwards particularly. This church is especially treated of because the Lord, and thus the angels of heaven, are present with the men of this earth by means of the Word; for the Word is written by pure correspondences: from this it comes that the Lord and the angels of heaven are present also with those who are around or outside the church, who are called Gentiles [nations] (as can be seen from the things mentioned and shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, on the Conjunction of Heaven with the Man of the Church by Means of the Word n. 114, 303-310; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 244, 246, 255-266).
[2] For the church in the whole world is before the Lord as One Man, for it makes a one with the angelic heaven. (That it is before the Lord as One Man, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 59-102.) In this Man the church where the Word is and where the Lord is known thereby is like the heart and the lungs; with those who are in celestial love the church is like the heart, and with those who are in spiritual love like the lungs; consequently, as all the members, viscera, and organs of the body live from the heart and from the lungs, and from their influx and consequent presence, so all in the whole earth, who constitute the church universal, live from the church where the Word is; for the Lord flows in therefrom with love and with light, and vivifies and enlightens all who are in any spiritual affection for truth, wherever they are. The light of heaven, or the light in which are the angels of heaven who are from this earth, is from the Lord by means of the Word; from this as from a center light is diffused into the circumferences in every direction, thus to those who are there, who, as was said, are the Gentiles that are outside of our church. But this diffusion of light is effected in heaven by the Lord, and what is done in heaven flows also into the minds of men, for the minds of men make one with the minds of spirits and angels. It is for this reason that those are especially treated of in this prophetical book who are of the church where the Word is; then those also are treated of who are of the church where the Word is not, although not proximately, for the arrangement of those who are in the circumferences follows according to the order in which those are who are in the center.

sRef Rev@6 @1 S0′ 352. When the Lamb had opened the first of the seals, signifies the first manifestation from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “to open a seal,” as being to reveal the things hidden which are written within; for when a seal is opened the things enclosed are read, here the hidden things that no one except the Lord alone could know, for they are the states of all in general and in particular. That no one except the Lord alone knows these states is evident from what has been explained above respecting this book and the opening of its seals (n. 199, 222, 299, 327). From this it is clear that “when the Lamb had opened the first of the seals,” signifies the first manifestation from the Lord.

sRef Rev@6 @1 S0′ 353. And I heard one of the four animals saying as with the voice of thunder, signifies out of the inmost heaven from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “the four animals” or cherubim, as being in the highest sense, the Lord’s Divine Providence and guard that there be no approach except through the good of love (of which see above, n. 152, 277); and as being in a relative sense the inmost and third heaven (of which see above, n. 313, 322); also from the signification of “the voice of thunder,” as being the manifestation therefrom. That “lightnings,” “thunders,” and “voices,” in the Word, signify illustration, understanding and perception, see above (n. (273), thence also manifestation. That “thunders” signify the manifestation from the inmost heaven is from correspondence; for the voices that come down out of that heaven even into the hearing of man are heard no otherwise, for they fill the whole cerebrum and extend themselves therefrom towards the hearing, and are there perceived as a sound of thunder. It is otherwise with the voices that come down from the middle heaven; for as these flow in with illustration, they are heard only sonorously like words of speech.
[2] The reason for this is that the things that come down out of the inmost or third heaven enter the will of man, and the will expresses itself in sounds; but the things that come down out of the middle of second heaven enter into the intellect of man, and the intellect expresses itself in articulations of sound; for sounds take form in the understanding, and sounds so formed, which are called articulations of sound, present themselves in the thought through ideas, and in the hearing through words. Those things, therefore, that come down out of the inmost or third heaven correspond to thunder, and those out of the middle or second heaven to lightning; and consequently in the Word “lightnings” and “thunders” signify illustration, understanding, and perception. There is something like this in the case of sounds in the world, which grow with an increase as they come down from heights, as from high mountains into valleys, and also from the clouds towards the earth, from which are thunders; so also the voices out of the third or highest heaven, when they roll on towards the lower parts and at length reach the lowest, in which is human hearing, are heard as thunders, but only by those whose interiors are opened, as John’s were at this time.

sRef Rev@6 @1 S0′ 354. Come and see, signifies attention and perception. This is evident from the signification of “coming” when anything is presented to be seen, as being to give attention; for in a spiritual sense, “to come” means to draw near with the sight, thus to give attention; all attention also is a presence of the sight in the object. It is evident also from the signification of “to see,” as being perception, for “to see” in the Word signifies to understand (see above, n. 11, 260); here it signifies to perceive, because this was out of the inmost heaven, since what comes out of the inmost heaven is perceived, but what comes out of the middle heaven is understood, for the reason that the inmost heaven is in the good of love, but the middle heaven is in the truths therefrom, and all perception is from good, and all understanding is from truths. (On this see above, n. 307; what perception is, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 140.)

sRef Rev@6 @2 S0′ 355. Verse 2. And I saw, and behold a white horse, signifies the understanding of truth from the Word. This is evident from the signification of “horse,” as being the intellect; and from the signification of “white,” which is predicated of truth. (That the “horse” signifies the intellect can be seen from what is quoted and shown in the small work on The White Horse; and that “white” is predicated of truth, see above, n. 196.) It is said that “a white horse” was seen when the Lamb opened the first seal, “a red horse” when He opened the second, “a black horse” when He opened the third, and “a pale horse” when He opened the fourth; and as “horse” signifies the intellect, particularly in relation to the Word, it can be seen thence that the understanding of truth from the Word, and its quality with the men of the church, are here described by “horses.” It is the same whether you say that the understanding of truth is described, or those who are in it are described; for men, spirits, and angels are the subjects in which it resides. From this it can be known what is described in the internal or spiritual sense in this chapter and in those that follow next, namely, the Word in relation to the understanding. This is evident also from the ninth verse of this chapter, where, after these four horses had appeared, and the fifth seal had been opened, it is said, “I saw the souls of them that had been slain for the Word of God;” also from the nineteenth chapter of this book, where it is said that:
The name of Him that sat upon the white horse is called the Word of God (Rev. 19:13).
That “a horse” signifies the intellect, and “a white horse” the understanding of truth from the Word, can be seen shown in the small work cited above, on The White Horse; but as only a few passages were there quoted from the Word, in proof that “horse” signifies the intellect, I will here quote more, that there may be full confirmation; these now follow.
sRef Ezek@39 @21 S2′ sRef Ezek@39 @17 S2′ sRef Ezek@39 @20 S2′ [2] In Ezekiel:
Gather yourselves from the circuit to My sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you. Ye shall be satisfied at My table with horse and with chariot, with the mighty man, and with every man of war. So will I give My glory among the nations (Ezek. 39:17, 20-21).
This treats of the calling together of all to the Lord’s kingdom, and especially of the establishment of the church with the Gentiles; for it describes the spiritual captivity in which the Gentiles were, and their liberation from it. “The sacrifice to be sacrificed” signifies all the worship by which the Lord is worshiped; “to be satiated at My table” signifies with all spiritual food; and as this food is the understanding of truth from the Word and from doctrine from the Word, it is said, “with horse and with chariot,” “horse” signifying the understanding of truth from the Word, and “chariot” signifying the doctrine therefrom. It is also said, “with the mighty man, and with every man of war,” “mighty man” signifying the truth from good that destroys evil, and “man of war” the truth from good that destroys falsity. Unless such things were signified, how could it be said that they should be satiated “with horse and with chariot, with the mighty man, and with every man of war?”
sRef Rev@19 @17 S3′ sRef Rev@19 @18 S3′ [3] Likewise in Revelation:
Gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders of thousands, and the flesh of the strong ones, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them (Rev. 19:17-18).
What precedes this treats of the Word and its spiritual sense; this now is an invitation to learn truths, and to perceive goods; and “the supper of the great God” signifies instruction in truths, and the consequent perception of good from the Lord; and “the flesh of kings,” “of commanders of thousands,” “of the strong ones,” “of horses,” and “of them that sit on them,” signifies truths of every kind which are from good; “flesh” signifying good, “kings” Divine truths in general, “commanders of thousands” the same in particular, “strong ones” natural truths, “horses” intellectual truths, and “those that sit on them” spiritual truths. It must be clear to everyone that this does not mean the flesh of kings, of commanders of thousands, of strong ones, of horses, and of them that sit on them.
sRef Hab@3 @8 S4′ sRef Hab@3 @15 S4′ [4] In Habakkuk:
Was Jehovah displeased with the rivers? was Thine anger against the rivers? was Thy fury against the sea? because Thou ridest upon Thy horses, Thy chariots are salvation, Thou hast trodden down the sea with Thy horses, the mire [or clay] of many waters (Hab. 3:8, 15).
Who does not see that “horses” here do not mean horses? For it is said of Jehovah that “He rideth upon His horses,” and that “He treadeth down the sea with His horses,” and that “His chariots are salvation?” But this is said because “His riding upon horses” signifies that Jehovah, that is, the Lord, is in the understanding of His Word in its spiritual sense; and since the doctrine of truth, which teaches the way of salvation, is from the Word, it is added, “Thy chariots are salvation,” “chariots” signifying doctrine; also “to tread down the sea with horses” signifies that Jehovah, that is, the Lord, is in the understanding of His Word in its natural sense; for “sea” here signifies that sense, and in general all things of the natural man and that are for the natural man; and because Divine truths there are in their ultimate, it is added, “the mire [or clay] of many waters,” “mire” [or “clay”] signifying the ultimate from which and in which are truths, and “waters” signifying truths.
sRef Zech@9 @10 S5′ [5] In Zechariah:
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the bow of war shall be cut off; but He shall speak peace to the nations (Zech. 9:10).
This treats of the Lord’s coming, and of the establishment of the church among the Gentiles. That there would then be nothing of the church remaining with the Jews is described by, “I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war shall be cut off,” which signifies that there would no longer be any truth in doctrine nor any understanding of truth; and thence no combat and resistance against falsity; “Ephraim” signifies the church in relation to the understanding of truth, and “Jerusalem” the church in relation to the doctrine of truth, “the chariot” doctrine itself, and “the horse” the understanding itself, and “the bow of war” combat and resistance against falsity. The establishment of the church among the nations is signified by, “He shall speak peace to the nations,” “nations” signifying all who are in the good of love to the Lord (see above, n. 331), “peace” signifying that good, and thence all things of the church. (That “Ephraim” signifies the church in relation to the understanding of truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6237, 6267, 6296; and that “Jerusalem” signifies the church in relation to doctrine, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 6, and above, n. 223.)
sRef Zech@12 @4 S6′ [6] In the same:
In that day I will smite every horse with astonishment, and the horseman with madness; and I will open mine eye upon the house of Judah, but every horse of the peoples will I smite with blindness (Zech. 12:4).
This treats of the devastation of the former church, and the establishment of the new church. The devastation of the former church is described by “In that day I will smite every horse with astonishment, and the horseman with madness; and every horse of the peoples will I smite with blindness.” It is plain that “horse” here signifies the understanding of truth with the men of the church, and “horseman” the affection of spiritual truth, from which is understanding; else why should it be said that “the horse should be smitten with astonishment, and the horse of the peoples with blindness?” “Astonishment” is predicated of the understanding when it has no perception of good, and “blindness” when it has no perception of truth; “the house of Judah” signifies the church with those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and thence in the doctrine of truth from the Word (see above, n. 119, 211); therefore it is said, “upon it I will open mine eye,” which signifies to illustrate them that they may see truths.
sRef Zech@14 @20 S7′ [7] In the same:
In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness to Jehovah (Zech. 14:20).
This also treats of the Lord’s coming, and the invitation of all to the church; and “the bells of the horses” signify knowledges and cognitions [scientifica et cognitiones] and preachings therefrom which are from the understanding of truth; and as all understanding of truth is from the Lord, and thus the knowledges and preachings themselves, therefore it is said, “there shall be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness to Jehovah.” Because “bells” have this signification:
There were bells of gold upon the skirts of Aaron’s robe round about (Exod. 28:34-35).
sRef Gen@49 @17 S8′ sRef Gen@49 @18 S8′ [8] In Moses:
Dan shall be a serpent upon the way, an asp upon the path, biting the horse’s heels, and its rider shall fall backwards: I wait for Thy salvation, O Jehovah (Gen. 49:17-18).
This is a prophecy of Israel the father, respecting the tribe of Dan, which tribe signifies the ultimates of the church, thus those who are in the ultimates of truth and good, who are called sensual; for there are in the church those who are spiritual and those who are natural, and the natural are interior, middle, and outmost; the outmost are the sensual, who do not elevate their thoughts above the sense of the letter of the Word. These are meant by “Dan;” of what quality they are is described in this prophecy, namely, that “Dan is a serpent upon the way, an asp upon the path, biting the horse’s heels, and its rider shall fall backwards;” “serpent upon the way,” and “asp upon the path” signify the sensual in relation to truth and good; “the horse’s heels” signify the ultimates of the understanding of truth and good; and “the rider,” reasoning from these; and because the sensual viewed in itself does not see truths, since it does not comprehend things spiritual, and therefore slides easily into falsities unless continually withheld from them by the Lord, it is said, “and its rider shall fall backwards: I wait for Thy salvation, O Jehovah.” (That “Dan” signifies the ultimates of the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1710, 6396, 10335; that “serpent” signifies the sensual, which is the ultimate of the understanding, n. 6398, 6949, 8624 end, 10313, and above, n. 70; that “way” signifies truths, n. 627, 2333, 10422, and above, n. 97; and that “the heel” signifies the ultimate natural, or the corporeal natural, n. 259, 4938, seq. What the sensual is, and what sensual men are in both senses, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 50.)
sRef Zech@6 @8 S9′ sRef Zech@6 @15 S9′ sRef Zech@6 @1 S9′ sRef Zech@6 @2 S9′ sRef Zech@6 @3 S9′ sRef Zech@6 @7 S9′ sRef Zech@6 @6 S9′ sRef Zech@6 @5 S9′ sRef Zech@6 @4 S9′ [9] In Zechariah:
I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, when behold, four chariots coming out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of copper. To the first chariot were red horses; to the second chariot black horses; to the third chariot white horses; and to the fourth chariot grisled horses, stout. The angel said, These are the four winds of heaven, going forth from standing by the Lord of the whole earth. The black horses which are therein go forth to the land of the north; and the white went forth after them; and the grisled went forth into the land of the south; and the stout ones went forth and sought to go that they might wander through the earth. And he said, See these that go forth to the land of the north, they have caused my spirit to rest in the land of the north. And they that are afar shall come and shall build in the temple of Jehovah (Zech. 6:1-8, 15).
This prophecy is not understood by anyone unless he knows what “chariots” and “horses” signify, and what “red,” “black,” “white,” “grisled,” and “stout” signify; also what “the land of the north” and “the land of the south” signify. It treats of the church that was to be propagated among those who as yet were not in any light of truth, because they had not the Word; “the north” means the obscurity of the truth they possessed; “the south” the clearness of truth; “horses” mean their understanding; “red,” “black,” “white,” and “grisled” mean its quality in the beginning, and its quality afterwards; “red,” the quality of their understanding in the beginning in relation to good; “black,” the quality of their understanding in the beginning in relation to truth; “white,” the quality of their understanding afterwards in relation to truth; “grisled,” its quality finally in relation to truth and good; and “stout” means its quality in relation to its power to resist evils and falsities. From this it can now be seen what is signified by “the black horses went forth to the land of the north, and the white went forth after them,” and “they have caused my spirit to rest in the land of the north,” namely, that those who from good of life are in the affection of knowing the truths of the church receive and understand, nor are any others illustrated; that such are illustrated and receive is meant by “they have caused my spirit to rest in the land of the north;” “the grisled went forth into land of the south, and the stout to wander through the earth” signifies that those who from the good of life are in the affection of knowing the truths of the church come into the light, and that they resist evils and falsities, and constitute the church. These four kinds of horses, therefore, are called “the four winds of the heavens, going forth from standing by the Lord of the whole earth;” “winds” signifying all Divine truths, and “going forth from standing by the Lord of the whole earth” signifying that all truths proceed from Him. (That “winds” signify all Divine truths, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9642, and Heaven and Hell, n. 141-153; and that “to go forth” signifies to proceed, Arcana Coelestia, n. 5337, 7124, 9303.) “They that are afar, that shall build in the temple of Jehovah” signify those who were previously far away from the truths and goods of the church, who shall draw near to the church. (That such are signified by “those that are afar,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4723, 8918; and that the “temple of Jehovah” signifies the church, n. 3720; moreover, that “the north” signifies the obscurity of truth, and “the south” [auster sive meridies] the clearness of truth, thus also those that are in obscurity and in clearness of truth, see Heaven and Hell, n. 148-151.) What is signified by “red” and by “black,” in both senses, will be seen in the explanations at verses 4 and 5 of this chapter, and what by “white,” see above (n. 196). “The mountains of copper, from between which the chariots and horses went forth,” signify the good of love in the natural man; this is said because the nations here treated of, before they were illustrated, were not in spiritual good but in natural good. (That “mountain” signifies the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 795, 4210, 6435, 8327, 8758, 10438; and “copper” natural good, see above, n. 70.)
sRef Job@39 @17 S10′ sRef Job@39 @18 S10′ [10] In Job:
God hath made her forget wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her intelligence. What time she lifteth up herself on high she laugheth at the horse and its rider (Job 39:17-18).
These things are said of a “bird,” which signifies intelligence from self [proprium], which in itself is no intelligence; for man from self [proprium] sees nothing but falsities and not truths, and intelligence is from truths, and not from falsities; therefore it is said of her, “God hath made her to forget wisdom, neither hath He imparted to her intelligence,” and “when she lifteth up herself on high she laugheth at the horse and its rider,” that is, at the understanding of truth, and at him who is intelligent.
sRef Ps@76 @6 S11′ sRef Ps@76 @5 S11′ [11] In David:
The stout of heart have become a spoil, they have slumbered their sleep. At Thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both chariot and horse have fallen into a deep sleep (Ps. 76:5-6).
The “stout of heart” signify those who are in truths from good; “have become a spoil,” and “have slumbered their sleep,” signify their having fallen from evils into falsities; “the rebuke of the God of Jacob” signifies their state inverted by themselves; and “both chariot and horse have fallen into a deep sleep” signifies that their intellect was lulled to sleep, because it had become merely natural. That “to be awake” signifies to acquire for oneself spiritual life, and “to be asleep” to have natural life without spiritual, see above (n. 187).
sRef Ezek@27 @13 S12′ sRef Ezek@27 @14 S12′ [12] In Ezekiel:
Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they gave to thy traffic the soul of man and vessels of brass. They of Bethogarma gave for thy wares horses, horsemen, and mules (Ezek. 27:13-14).
This treats of Tyre, which signifies the knowledges of truth and good pertaining to the external and the internal church. “Javan, Tubal, and Meshech,” signify those who are in external worship; and “they of Bethogarma,” those who are in internal worship; it is said therefore that these “gave for the wares of Tyre, horses, horsemen, and mules;” and “the others gave the soul of man and vessels of brass;” the “soul of man” signifies the truth of faith in respect to knowledge; “vessels of brass” signify the truths of natural good; and “horses, horsemen, and mules,” signify the understanding of truth and good, “horses” the understanding of truth, “horsemen” intelligence, and “mules” the rational. (That “mule” signifies the rational, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2781, 5741, 9212.) Everyone can see that “the tradings of Tyre,” which are enumerated in this chapter and elsewhere, do not mean tradings with these things, such as vessels of brass, horses, and mules, and many others; but that spiritual tradings are meant, which are effected by means of the knowledges of truth and good; for the Word is Divine, and treats of Divine things, and not of earthly things; therefore it contains spiritual things which pertain to heaven and the church, expressed in the ultimate sense, which is the sense of the letter, by natural things which correspond to them. (That “to trade” and “to be a merchant” signifies in the Word to acquire and to communicate the knowledges of truth and good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2967, 4453; and that “to buy” and “to sell” signify something similar, n. 2967, 4397, 4453, 5371, 5374, 5406, 5410, 5426, 5886, 6143, 7999, 9039.)
sRef Isa@63 @13 S13′ sRef Isa@63 @14 S13′ [13] In Isaiah:
Who led them through the deeps, as a horse in the wilderness they stumbled not; as a beast goeth down into the valley the Spirit of Jehovah led him (Isa. 63:13-14).
This chapter treats of the Lord, and His combat with the hells, and His subjugation of them, but here of the salvation of those who are in love and faith towards Him. These are compared to “a horse in the wilderness,” and to “a beast in the valley,” because “horse” signifies the understanding of truth, and “beast” the affection of good; for all comparisons in the Word are from correspondences.
sRef Rev@19 @13 S14′ sRef Hos@10 @11 S14′ sRef Ps@68 @32 S14′ sRef Isa@19 @1 S14′ sRef Rev@19 @11 S14′ sRef Rev@19 @15 S14′ sRef Ps@45 @3 S14′ sRef Ps@18 @10 S14′ sRef Rev@19 @16 S14′ sRef Isa@58 @14 S14′ sRef Rev@19 @14 S14′ sRef Hab@3 @8 S14′ sRef Deut@32 @13 S14′ sRef Deut@32 @12 S14′ sRef Ps@68 @33 S14′ sRef Ps@45 @4 S14′ sRef Rev@19 @13 S14′ sRef Rev@19 @14 S14′ sRef Ps@68 @4 S14′ sRef Hab@3 @15 S14′ sRef Rev@19 @11 S14′ sRef Rev@19 @12 S14′ sRef Isa@19 @2 S14′ sRef Jer@6 @23 S14′ sRef Jer@6 @22 S14′ [14] In Revelation:
I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called the Word of God. And the armies that are in heaven followed Him upon white horses (Rev. 19:11-16).
“A white horse” evidently signifies the understanding of the Word, likewise “the white horses” upon which those sat who followed; for “He that sat upon” the white horse was the Lord in relation to the Word; for it is said, “and He that sat upon him was called the Word of God;” and in verse 16, “He had upon His vesture and upon His thigh a name written, Lord of lords and King of kings.” The Lord is called the Word, because the Word means Divine truth proceeding from Him. (But these things in Revelation may be seen more fully explained in the small work on The White Horse, n. 1; also why the Lord is called “the Word,” n. 14.) As “chariots” and “horses” signify doctrine from the Word and the understanding of it, and as all doctrine of truth and the understanding of it are out of heaven from the Lord, therefore it is said of Him that “He rides upon the Word,” “upon the clouds,” “upon heaven,” “upon a cherub,” also that “He makes to ride,” as in the following passages. In David:
Gird thy sword upon the thigh, O mighty One, in Thy majesty, and in Thine honor mount, and ride upon the Word of truth and the meekness of righteousness (Ps. 45:3-4).
These things are said of the Lord. In the same:
Sing unto God, sing psalms to His name; extol Him that rideth upon the clouds (Ps. 68:4).
In Isaiah:
Behold, Jehovah rideth upon a cloud, and cometh into Egypt; and the idols of Egypt shall be moved before Him (Isa. 19:1).
In David:
Sing psalms unto the Lord, to Him who rideth upon the heaven of the heaven of old (Ps. 68:32-33).
God rode upon a cherub, He did fly, and was borne upon the wings of the wind (Ps. 18:10).
In Habakkuk:
O Jehovah, Thou dost ride upon Thine horses, Thy chariots are salvation. Thou hast trodden the sea with Thy horses (Hab. 3:8, 15).
In Isaiah:
Then shalt thou delight in Jehovah; and I will make thee ride in the high places of the earth (Isa. 58:14).
In Moses:
Jehovah alone did lead him, and made him ride upon the high places of the earth (Deut. 32:12-13).
And in Hosea:
I will make Ephraim to ride (Hos. 10:11).
In these passages, “to ride” signifies to give intelligence and wisdom, because “chariot” signifies the doctrine of truth, and “horses” the understanding of it.
sRef Isa@66 @20 S15′ sRef 2Ki@6 @17 S15′ sRef 2Ki@13 @14 S15′ sRef 2Ki@2 @12 S15′ sRef 2Ki@2 @11 S15′ [15] In Isaiah:
Then shall they bring all your* brethren out of all nations an offering unto Jehovah upon horses and upon the chariot, and upon covered wagons, upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to the mountain of My holiness, Jerusalem (Isa. 66:20).
This treats of the establishment of a new church by the Lord; it is not meant therefore that they will bring their brethren upon horses, upon the chariot, upon covered wagons, upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to Jerusalem; but it is meant that all who are in good are to be instructed in Divine truths, and having been made intelligent and wise thereby are to be introduced into the church; for “brethren” signify all who are in good; “horses” signify the understanding of truth; “chariot” the doctrine of truth; “covered wagons” the knowledges of truth; “mules” the internal rational, which is spiritual; and “swift beasts” the external rational, which is natural; and “Jerusalem” signifies the church, in which is the doctrine of Divine truth, which is called “the mountain of holiness” from the love of truth. From the signification of “chariots” and “horses” it can be seen why:
Elijah and Elisha were called the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof, and the mountain was seen by the lad of Elisha to be full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha (2 Kings 2:11, 12; 6:17; 13:14);
namely, that both Elijah and Elisha represented the Lord in relation to the Word, and “chariots” signify doctrine from the Word, and “horsemen” intelligence. (That Elijah and Elisha represented the Lord in relation to the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7643, 8029, 9372.)
sRef Ezek@26 @10 S16′ sRef Ezek@26 @7 S16′ sRef Ezek@26 @8 S16′ sRef Ezek@26 @11 S16′ [16] That “chariots” and “horses” signify doctrine and the understanding of it, can be seen, moreover, from their contrary sense, in which “chariots” and “horses” signify the doctrines of falsity, and false knowledges [scientifica] from a perverted intellect; for most things in the Word have a contrary sense, from which it can be seen what the same signify in the genuine sense. That “chariots” and “horses” in that sense have such a signification can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
Behold, I will bring against Tyre the king of Babylon from the north, with horse and with chariot, and with horsemen. He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field. By reason of the abundance of His horses their dust shall cover thee; by reason of the voice of the horseman and of the wheel and of the chariot, thy walls shall quake. With the hoofs of his horses shall he trample all thy streets; he shall slay the people with the sword (Ezek. 26:7-8, 10-11).
“Tyre” signifies the church in relation to the knowledges of truth; and “the king of Babylon” the destruction of truth by falsities and profanation; “the north from which he was to come” signifies the source of all falsity, in particular, hell, out of which falsity arises; “chariot,” “horses,” and “horsemen” signify the doctrine of falsity and reasonings therefrom; “the daughters whom they shall slay in the field with the sword” signify the affections of truth which falsities will destroy, for “daughters” are the affections of truth, “the field is the church where those affections are, “the sword” is the combat of falsity against truth, and “to slay” is to extinguish. This makes clear the signification of “by reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee,” “dust” meaning the evil of falsity; the “walls that shall quake by reason of the voice of the horseman, of the wheel, and of the chariot,” signify protecting truths, which in general are, that there is a God, and that the Word is Divine, and that there is eternal life. These “walls,” or these truths, are said “to quake by reason of the voice of the horseman, of the wheel, and of the chariot,” when they come to be doubted through the falsities of doctrines and reasonings from them; “the hoofs of the horses with which he shall trample all the streets,” signify the outermost things of the natural man, which are called sensual impressions [sensualia], from which are all falsities; the “streets that shall be trampled by them” are the truths of the doctrine of the church, which are wholly destroyed; the “people who shall fall by the sword” signify all who are in truths, and in an abstract sense all truths.
sRef Jer@50 @37 S17′ sRef Jer@50 @36 S17′ sRef Jer@50 @38 S17′ [17] In Jeremiah:
O sword, against the liars, that they may become foolish; O sword, against the mighty, that they may be dismayed; O sword, against her horses and against her chariots; O sword, against her treasures, that they may be despoiled; let there be drought upon her waters that they may be dried up: because it is a land of graven images (Jer. 50:36-38).
“Sword” signifies the combat of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth and consequent vastation; here it signifies vastation; “liars” and “mighty men” signify falsities and reasonings therefrom; the same is signified by “horses” and “chariots;” the “treasures that shall be despoiled” signify all things of doctrine; “the drought upon the waters, that they may be dried up,” signifies the deprivation of truth, “drought” meaning deprivation, and “waters” truths; and as all falsities are from self-intelligence, it is said, “because it is a land of graven images,” “land” here signifying heresy, and “graven images” what is from self-intelligence. (That such is the signification of “graven images,” “molten images,” and “idols,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8869, 8941, 10406, 10503.)
sRef Jer@4 @29 S18′ sRef Jer@4 @27 S18′ sRef Jer@4 @14 S18′ sRef Jer@4 @13 S18′ [18] In the same:
Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots as the storm; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are devastated. Wash thine heart from evil, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thoughts of iniquity lodge in the midst of thee? The whole land shall be a waste. The whole city fleeth for the voice of the horseman and the shooters of the bow; they have entered the thick clouds, and have gone up into the rocks; the whole city is forsaken (Jer. 4:13-14, 27, 29).
This describes the vastation of the church by the falsities of evil; falsities are signified by “clouds;” and the lust of reasoning from falsities against truths by “the horses that are swifter than eagles;” and the doctrinals of falsity by “the chariots that are as the storm;” that consequently everything of the church and everything of its doctrine shall perish, is signified by “the whole land shall be a waste, and the whole city fleeth for the voice of the horseman and the shooters of the bow;” “land” means the church, and “city” its doctrine; “the voice of the horseman and the shooters of the bow” means reasoning from falsities and assault, and “to flee” means to perish. That then mere falsity and the faith of falsity would reign is signified by “they have entered the thick clouds, and have gone up into the rocks,” “clouds” meaning falsities, and “rocks” the faith of falsities. The devastation of the church and of its doctrine is evidently here described, for it is said, “Woe unto us! for we are devastated. How long shall the thoughts of iniquity lodge in the midst of thee? The whole land shall be a waste. The whole city is forsaken.”
[19] In the same:
Behold, a people cometh from the land of the north, and a great nation shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth. Their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses (Jer. 6:22-23; 50:41-42).
Here, too, the devastation of the church by the falsities of evil is described; “the land of the north,” and “the sides of the earth,” are the source of these, “the land of the north” the source of falsities, and “the sides of the earth” the source of evils; for “the north” signifies what is remote from truths, and “the sides of the earth” what is remote from goods; therefore “nation” is predicated of the latter, and “people” of the former, “nation” meaning those who are in evils, and “people” those who are in falsities (see above, n. 331). Their reasoning is signified by “their voice roareth like the sea, and they ride upon horses.”
sRef Ezek@38 @15 S20′ sRef Ezek@38 @16 S20′ [20] In Ezekiel:
Thou shalt come from thy place out of the sides of the north; thou and many peoples with thee, all of them riding upon horses. And thou shalt go up against My people Israel, as clouds to cover the land (Ezek. 38:15-16).
These things are said of Gog, by whom external worship without any internal is signified; “the sides of the north” signify here, as above, what is remote from goods and truths, thus the source of the falsities of evil; and because they reason therefrom and attack the truths of the church and extinguish them it is said, “all of them riding upon horses; and thou shalt go up against My people Israel, as clouds to cover the land;” “to ride upon horses” meaning reasonings, “to go up against the people of Israel,” and “to cover the land,” signifying to attack the truths of the church and to extinguish them; “clouds” are the falsities of evil.
sRef Dan@11 @40 S21′ [21] In Daniel:
At the time of the end, the king of the south shall come into collision with the king of the north. So the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariot, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the lands and shall overflow and pass through (Dan. 11:40).
This chapter treats of the combat of the king of the north with the king of the south; and “the king of the north” means falsity from evil, and “the king of the south” truth from good; so evidently the things mentioned in this chapter are not spoken of any future war between two kings, but of the combats of falsity from evil against truth from good. “The chariot and horsemen with which the king of the north shall rush upon him” are the assaults upon truth by the falsities of evil; the “many ships,” with which also they shall rush upon him, are the knowledges [scientifica] and doctrinals of falsity; the destruction of the church thereby is signified by “he shall come into the lands and shall overflow and pass through.” (That “ships” signify knowledges [scientifica] and doctrinals, in both senses, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1977, 6385; and that “to overflow” signifies immersion in falsities and evils, n. 660, 705, 739, 756, 790, 5725, 6853.)
sRef Hag@2 @22 S22′ sRef Jer@51 @20 S22′ sRef Jer@51 @21 S22′ [22] In Jeremiah:
By thee will I scatter the nations, and by thee will I destroy kingdoms, and by thee will I scatter the horse and its rider, and by thee will I scatter the chariot and him that rideth in it (Jer. 51:20-21).
And in Haggai:
I will overturn the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overturn the chariot and those who ride in it; and the horses and their riders shall come down, a man by the sword of his brother (Hag. 2:22).
This is said of the destruction of falsity and evil, and not of the destruction of any nation or kingdom; for “nations” signify evils, and “kingdoms” (like “peoples”) falsities. For this is prophetical, not historical. This makes clear what “horse” and “rider,” and “chariot and him that rideth in it” signify, namely, that “horse and rider” signify a perverted intellect and reasoning therefrom and “the chariot and him that rideth in it” the doctrine of falsity or heresy, and those who are in it.
sRef Nahum@3 @3 S23′ sRef Nahum@3 @2 S23′ sRef Nahum@3 @4 S23′ sRef Nahum@3 @1 S23′ [23] In Nahum:
Woe to the city of bloods! the whole is filled with lying and rapine; the voice of the whip, and the voice of the rattling of the wheel, and the horse neighing and the chariot leaping, the horseman making to ascend, and the flame of the sword, and the flash of the spear, and a multitude of the slain, and a heap of carcasses, because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the harlot, selling nations by her whoredoms, and families by her sorceries (Nahum 3:1-4).
This treats of the violence offered to Divine truth, and its destruction by the falsities of evil; for this is signified by “the city of bloods,” respecting which what follows is said (see above, n. 329); therefore it is also said, “the whole is filled with lying and rapine,” “lie” meaning falsity, and “rapine” violence offered by falsity; and as “wars” signify spiritual combats, which are the combats of truth against falsity and of falsity against truth, all things pertaining to war, as “whip,” “horse,” “chariot,” “sword,” and “spear,” signify various things pertaining to spiritual warfare; but what each of these in particular signifies need not be explained here, only what “horse,” “horseman,” and “chariot” signify. “The voice of the rattling of the wheel” signifies reasonings from falsities and evils; “the horse neighing and the chariot leaping” signifies the lust of destroying truths, “horse” meaning the intellect perverted, and “chariot” the doctrine of falsity, which destroy; “to neigh” and “to leap” meaning to be moved to destroy by lust and delight, and “horseman making to ascend” meaning assault. It is therefore said, “a multitude of the slain, and a heap of carcasses;” those are called “slain” who perish from falsities, and “carcasses” who perish from evils; therefore it is also said, “because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the harlot, selling the nations by her whoredoms, and families by her sorceries;” “whoredoms” signify the falsifications of truth, “harlot” heresy, “to sell nations” signifies to become estranged from goods, and “to sell families by sorcery” to become estranged from truths, “nations” meaning goods, “families” truths therefrom, and “sorceries” the falsities of evil which estrange.
sRef Hab@1 @10 S24′ sRef Hab@1 @6 S24′ sRef Hab@1 @8 S24′ sRef Hab@1 @9 S24′ [24] In Habakkuk:
I rouse up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, that marcheth into the breadths of the land; her horses are lighter than leopards, and more fierce than the wolves of the evening, so that her horsemen spread themselves; yea, her horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as an eagle that hasteth to eat. She shall come wholly for violence; she shall mock at kings, and rulers shall be a derision unto her (Hab. 1:6, 8-10).
“The Chaldeans” mean those who profane truths and thus vastate the church, therefore they are called “a bitter and hasty nation, that marcheth into the breadths of the land,” “breadths of the land” meaning the truths of the church (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 197). Their lust for and dexterity in perverting truths and destroying them by reasonings from falsities altogether remote from truths are signified by, “her horses are lighter than leopards, and more fierce than the wolves of the evening, so that her horsemen spread themselves; yea, her horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as an eagle that hasteth to eat.” Lust is signified by “her horses are lighter than leopards,” and dexterity by “her horses are more fierce than the wolves of the evening,” and both by “they fly as an eagle.” Because the lust and dexterity are for destroying truths therefore it is said, “she shall come wholly for violence;” their scoffing at truths and goods is signified by “she shall mock at kings, and rulers shall be a derision unto her,” “kings” signifying truths, and “lords” and “rulers” goods.
sRef Ps@147 @10 S25′ sRef Ps@33 @16 S25′ sRef Ps@20 @8 S25′ sRef Ps@33 @17 S25′ sRef Ps@20 @7 S25′ [25] In David:
Some in the chariot, and some in horses; but we will glory in the name of our God (Ps. 20:7).
In the same:
A king is not saved by the multitude of an army; a horse is a lying thing for safety (Ps. 33:16-17).
In the same:
Jehovah delighteth not in the might of a horse; His pleasure is not in the thighs of a man (Ps. 147:10).
“To glory in the chariot and in horses,” and “Jehovah delighteth not in the might of a horse,” signify all things from self-intelligence, from which are nothing but falsities; and “the thighs of a man” signify those things that are from his own will, from which are nothing but evils.
sRef Amos@2 @15 S26′ sRef Amos@2 @16 S26′ [26] In Amos:
He that holdeth the bow shall not stand, nor shall the swift of foot escape, nor shall he that rideth upon the horse cause his soul to escape, but he that is stout of heart shall flee naked in that day (Amos 2:15-16).
This, too, describes self-intelligence and confidence arising from an ability to speak and reason from falsities. “He that holdeth the bow shall not stand,” and “the swift of foot shall not cause himself to escape,” signify that one who knows how to reason readily from the doctrine of falsity and from the knowledge [scientia] and memory of the natural man, shall not on that account be saved; the like is signified by “he that rideth upon the horse shall not cause his soul to escape;” “he that is stout of heart, who shall flee naked in that day,” signifies that he who trusts in his falsities shall be without any truth, “stout of heart” meaning one who trusts in his falsities, and “naked” one who is without any understanding of truth (see above, n. 240).
sRef Isa@30 @16 S27′ sRef Isa@30 @15 S27′ [27] In Isaiah:
The Lord Jehovih, the Holy One of Israel, saith, In quietness and in confidence shall be your might; but ye would not, and said, No, but upon a horse we will flee; therefore ye shall flee; and we will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be made swift (Isa. 30:15-16).
This treats of confidence in the Lord and of confidence in self; confidence in the Lord in these words, “the Lord Jehovih, the Holy One of Israel, said, In quietness and in confidence shall be your might;” and confidence in self in these words, “and ye said, No, but upon a horse we will flee,” and “we will ride upon the swift;” “to flee upon a horse,” and “to ride upon the swift,” signifying to covet and love those things that are of one’s own understanding, and thought and reasoning therefrom. That falsities will then break in and take possession is signified by, “therefore ye shall flee,” and “therefore shall they that pursue you be made swift,” “swiftness” and “haste” signifying what is done from lust, or from love.
sRef Zech@10 @5 S28′ sRef Zech@10 @3 S28′ sRef Zech@10 @4 S28′ [28] In Zechariah:
Jehovah shall set Judah as the horse of His majesty in war; out of him shall be the corner, out of him the nail, and out of him the bow of war. And they shall be as mighty men treading down the mire of the streets; and they shall fight because Jehovah is with them, and they shall make ashamed them that ride upon horses (Zech. 10:3-5).
“The house of Judah” signifies the Lord’s celestial kingdom, that is, the heaven and church that are in love to the Lord; of this it is said that it shall be “as the horse of majesty in war,” which signifies the understanding of Divine truth combating against evils and falsities, which it will destroy, “horse” signifying the understanding, “majesty” Divine truth, and “war” combat against falsities and evils and their destruction. “The corner,” “the nail,” and “the bow of war,” that are “out of Judah,” signify truths, “the corner” truth protecting, “the nail” truth strengthening, and the “bow of war” truth combating from doctrine; “they shall be as mighty men treading down the mire of the streets” signifies the power to disperse and destroy falsities, “mire of the streets” signifying falsities. “They shall make ashamed them that ride upon horses” signifies the annihilation of the reasonings, argumentations, and confirmations that are from man’s own understanding; that this shall be accomplished by the Lord and not by them is meant by, “they shall fight because Jehovah is with them.”
sRef Hos@14 @3 S29′ [29] In Hosea:
Asshur will not save us; we will not ride upon the horse; we will say no more to the work of our hands, Thou art our God (Hos. 14:3).
This also treats of intelligence from self [ex proprio], that it will not save. “Asshur” signifies the rational, here as being from self [ex proprio]; “to ride upon the horse” signifies reasoning of the understanding from self [ex proprio]; and “work of the hands” signifies the selfhood [proprium] itself.
sRef Ezek@23 @23 S30′ sRef Ezek@23 @12 S30′ sRef Ezek@23 @5 S30′ sRef Ezek@23 @6 S30′ [30] In Ezekiel:
Oholah committed whoredom, and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors, clothed in blue, horsemen riding upon horses (Ezek. 23:5-6, 12, 23).
“Oholah,” which here is Samaria, signifies a church in which truths are falsified; “her whoredoms,” which are treated of in this chapter, signify falsifications; “the Assyrians” signify reasonings by which truths are falsified; and because “to ride upon horses” signifies to reason from falsities that are from self-intelligence, it is said, “she doted on the Assyrians, horsemen riding upon horses;” the “blue, in which they were clothed,” signifies falsity appearing as truth, which appearance comes chiefly from applying the sense of the letter of the Word to principles of falsity.
sRef Jer@8 @16 S31′ [31] In Jeremiah:
The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan; at the sound of the neighings of his stout ones the whole land quaked; and they came and devoured the land and its fullness; [the city] and those that dwell therein (Jer. 8:16).
What is meant by “Dan” has been told above in this article, namely, truth in its ultimate; this is the truth in the church that is contained in the sense of the letter of the Word. Those who abide in this alone, and do not read the Word from the doctrine of genuine truth, which should guide and illustrate, may be carried away into all kinds of errors; those who are carried away into errors or falsities are meant here by “Dan;” the consequent confirmation of falsities is meant by “the snorting of his horses;” and the falsifications of truth are meant by “the sound of the neighings of his stout ones;” these are called “stout” from their confidence, because it is from the sense of the letter of the Word, that falsity is truth. That the church in respect to its truths and goods is thereby vastated, is signified by “the whole land quaked;” and “they came and devoured the land and its fullness, and those that dwell therein,” “the land” meaning the church, “its fullness” truths, and “those that dwell therein” goods.
sRef Isa@5 @26 S32′ sRef Isa@5 @28 S32′ [32] In Isaiah:
He hath lifted up an ensign to the nations from far, and hath hissed to him from the end of the earth, and behold the swift one shall come in haste, whose arrows are sharp, and all his bows are bent; the hoofs of his horses are reckoned as rock, and his wheels as a storm (Isa. 5:26, 28).
This, too, treats of those who are in ultimates in regard to the understanding of truth and as to the perception of good. These ultimates are what are called sensual impressions [sensualia], which are the ultimates of the natural man (of which see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 50); from these, when separated from the spiritual man, stream forth all the evils and falsities that are in the church and in its doctrine: evils from this source are signified by “the nations that shall come from far;” and falsities by “him that cometh from the end of the earth;” “far,” and “the end of the earth” signifying those things that are remote from the truths and goods of the church. “The arrows that are sharp,” and “the bows that are bent” signify the falsities of doctrine prepared to destroy truths, and “the hoofs of the horses that are reckoned as rock,” and “his wheels that are as a storm” signify the ultimates of truth, like those in the sense of the letter of the Word, and arguments and confirmations of falsity by means of these; “the hoofs of the horses” mean the ultimates of the understanding, here of the perverted understanding, because separated from the understanding of the spiritual man; and because these ultimates are from the sense of the letter of the Word, it is said, “are reckoned as rock;” while “wheels” mean argumentations and confirmations by means of these, and because these appear strong they are said to be “as a storm.”
sRef Judg@5 @9 S33′ sRef Judg@5 @20 S33′ sRef Judg@5 @22 S33′ sRef Judg@5 @10 S33′ [33] In the book of Judges:
My heart is toward the lawgivers of Israel. Ye that ride on white asses, and sit on middin, and that walk by the way, meditate. The stars from their courses fought with Sisera. Then were the hoofs of the horses bruised; the prancing of his stout ones struck together (Judg. 5:9-10, 20, 22).
These words are contained in the song of Deborah and Barak, which treats of the combat of truth against falsity and its victory; “the lawgivers of Israel” signify the truths of the church; “to ride on white asses” and “to sit on middin” signify the perception of good and the understanding of truth, “white asses” signifying the rational in respect to good, and “middin” the rational in respect to truth; and “to walk by the way and to meditate” signify a life of truth; “the stars from their courses fought with Sisera” signifies the knowledges of truth, and combat from them against falsities of evil; “the feet of the horses that were bruised,” and “the prancing of the horses that struck together” signify the falsities that are from the outmost natural, or the sensual [sensuali], and arguments therefrom that they were destroyed.
sRef Amos@6 @12 S34′ [34] In Amos:
Shall horses run upon the rock? shall one plough with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of justice into wormwood (Amos 6:12).
“Shall horses run upon the rock?” signifies, is there any understanding of truth? “Shall anyone plough with oxen?” signifies, is there any perception of good? This is plainly the meaning, for it follows, “for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of justice into wormwood;” “to turn judgment into gall,” signifies to turn truth into falsity, and “to turn the fruit of justice into wormwood,” signifies to turn good into evil.
sRef Ps@66 @12 S35′ sRef Ps@66 @11 S35′ [35] In David:
Thou hast laid oppression upon our loins. Thou hast caused a man to ride over our head; We entered into the fire and the waters: but Thou hast brought us out into a broad place (Ps. 66:11-12).
This is a description of spiritual captivity and deliverance therefrom. There is spiritual captivity when the mind is so shut up as not to perceive good nor understand truth; there is deliverance from it when the mind is opened; “the oppression upon the loins” signifies that there is no perception of good of love, for “loins” and “thighs” signify the good of love; “to cause a man to ride over our head” signifies that there is no understanding of truth; “man” here signifying intelligence from self [ex proprio], which is no intelligence; and “head” the like. Because this is the signification therefore it is said, “we entered into the fire and the waters,” “into the fire” meaning into the evils that are from the love of self, and “into the waters” meaning into falsities; deliverance therefrom is meant by “but Thou hast brought us out into a broad place,” “broad place” signifying truth (as above).
sRef Isa@31 @1 S36′ sRef Isa@31 @3 S36′ [36] In Isaiah:
Woe to them that go down into Egypt for help, and stay on horses, and trust in the chariot, but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek Jehovah. For Egypt is man and not God, and its horses flesh and not spirit (Isa. 31:1, 3).
“Egypt” in the Word signifies the knowing [faculty] [scientificum] which is in the natural man, and thence also the natural man; and because the natural man, with the knowing [faculty] that is in it, has no understanding, but only thought from the memory, which is a kind of imagination from objects of sight and hearing; and because this is beneath the spiritual, in which nevertheless all the goods and truths of heaven and the church reside, therefore “Egypt” signifies in most passages a falsified knowing [faculty] [scientificum falsum]; for when the spiritual man does not flow in, knowledges in the natural man are turned into mere falsities, and its thoughts into confirmations of falsity and into reasonings from them against truths. From this it can be seen what is signified by “horses of Egypt and its chariots,” namely, that “the horses” signify false knowledges, and “chariots” doctrinals from which there are reasonings against truth. Such, therefore, seek truths from no other source than themselves, for each one’s own [proprium] has its seat in the natural man, and what is not his own has its seat in the spiritual; such persons therefore seize upon falsities instead of truths, and upon evils instead of goods, calling evils goods and falsities truths, and trusting in themselves, because they trust in what is their own. These things are signified by “Woe to them that go down into Egypt, and stay on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong;” “horses” here mean false knowledges; and “chariots” doctrinals therefrom; and “horsemen” reasonings from them against truths; therefore it is also said, “Egypt is man and not God, and his horses flesh and not spirit” signifying that what is in them is merely natural and not spiritual, consequently that there is not in them anything of life; “man” signifying the natural man, and “flesh” what is its own; “God” and “spirit” signifying the Divine spiritual man, and life therefrom; and since they trust in themselves and not in the Lord, it is said, “they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek Jehovah.”
sRef Ex@14 @23 S37′ sRef Deut@17 @15 S37′ sRef Deut@17 @16 S37′ sRef Deut@17 @14 S37′ sRef Ex@14 @25 S37′ sRef Ex@14 @28 S37′ sRef Ex@14 @17 S37′ sRef Ex@14 @27 S37′ [37] From this it can now be seen what is signified by the horses, the chariots, and the armies of Pharaoh, in Moses:
I will be rendered glorious in Pharaoh and in his army and in his horsemen. And the Egyptians pursued the sons of Israel, and Pharaoh’s horses went after them, his chariots and his horsemen, into the midst of the sea. And Jehovah took off the wheel of their chariots, so that they drove them with difficulty. And when Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, the waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen, together with the whole army of Pharaoh (Exod. 14:17-18, 23, 25, 27-28).
And in the same:
Moses and the children of Israel sang this song unto Jehovah. In singing I will sing unto Jehovah, for in exalting He hath exalted Himself; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea, and his chariots and his army (Exod. 15:1, 4, 19, 21).
What the horses and chariots of Pharaoh or Egypt signify has been shown above; his “army” signifies all falsities, in general and in particular; and “sea” signifies damnation and hell, where all are in their own [proprium], because they are in the natural man separated from the spiritual, and thence in all kinds of evils and falsities. The like is signified by “the horses of Egypt,” in these words in Moses:
If thou shalt say,** I will set over me a king, in setting thou shalt set*** over thee a king whom Jehovah thy God shall choose; only he shall not multiply to himself horses, nor shall he bring back the people into Egypt, that he may multiply horses (Deut. 17:14-16).
These things are said of the king, because the Lord in relation to Divine truth is represented by kings, and thence “kings” signify truths from good from the Lord (see above, n. 31). And as truths from good have their seat in the spiritual man, as was said above, and the knowledges [scientifica] that belong to the natural man serve the spiritual man as servants do their lord, it is said, “only he shall not multiply to himself horses, nor shall he bring back the people into Egypt, that he may multiply horses;” which signifies, only let no one from being a spiritual man become natural, and lead himself, and trust in what is his own [proprium] instead of in the Lord, that is, let not the truths of the spiritual man serve the natural, instead of the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man serving the spiritual; for this latter is according to order, but the former contrary to order. “Horses” of Egypt have a like signification elsewhere in the Word (as Jer. 46:4, 9; Ezek. 17:15; 23:20).
* The photolithograph has “his;” see AE n. 175, 405, 433.
** The photolithograph has “they shall say.”
*** The photolithograph has “he shall set.”

sRef Rev@6 @2 S0′ 356. And he that sat on him had a bow, signifies the doctrine of charity and faith from that understanding, by which evils and falsities are combated and dispersed. This is evident from the signification of “he that sat on a white horse,” as meaning the Word (respecting which just above); also from the signification of “bow,” as meaning the doctrine of charity and faith, by which evils and falsities are combated and dispersed. That “bow” signifies this doctrine will be seen in what follows. Here first let something be said respecting doctrine:
1. Without doctrine no one can understand the Word.
2. Without doctrine from the Word no one can fight against evils and falsities, and disperse them.
3. Without doctrine from the Word no one within the church, where the Word is, can become spiritual.
4. Doctrine can be acquired from no other source than from the Word, and by none except those who are in illustration from the Lord.
5. All things of doctrine must be confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word.
In respect to the first, namely, “Without doctrine no one can understand the Word,” it can be seen from this, that the sense of the letter consists of pure correspondences, which contain in themselves things spiritual, thus it consists of such things as are in the world and in its nature. From this it is that the sense of the letter is natural and not spiritual, accommodated, however, to the apprehension of the simple, who do not elevate their ideas above such things as they see before their eyes. From this it is, moreover, that it contains such things as do not appear to be spiritual, although the whole Word inwardly in itself is purely spiritual, because it is Divine. For this reason there are in the sense of the letter many things that cannot serve as doctrine for the church at this day, and many things that can be applied to various and diverse principles, and from this heresies arise; yet there are many things intermingled from which doctrine can be gathered and formed, especially the doctrine of life, which is the doctrine of charity and of faith therefrom. But he who reads the Word from doctrine sees there all things that confirm, as well as many things that lie concealed from the eyes of others; nor does he suffer himself to be drawn away into strange doctrines by those things in the Word that do not seem to agree, and that he does not understand; for all things of doctrine that he sees there are clear to him, and other things are obscure to him. Doctrine, therefore, which consists of genuine truths is as a lamp to those who read the Word; but on the other hand, to those who read the Word without doctrine it is like a lampstand without a light, placed in a dark place, by means of which nothing conducive to salvation can there be seen, known, inquired into, or found; moreover, one who so reads it is liable to be led away into any errors to which the mind is bent by some love, or is drawn by some principle. From this it can be seen that without doctrine no one can understand the Word.
[2] Second, “That without doctrine from the Word no one can fight against evils and falsities, and disperse them,” can be seen from this, that from doctrine truths can be seen in their own light and in their own order, but not from the Word without doctrine. This is clear from what has just been said. But if truths cannot be seen, neither can falsities and evils be seen, for the latter are the opposite of the former; and yet all combat against evils and falsities is from truths, that is, by means of truths from the Lord; consequently he who reads the Word without doctrine may easily be led to fight for falsity against truth and for evil against good, by confirming evils and falsities by a wrong interpretation and application of the sense of the letter of the Word; and as a consequence the man is not reformed; for man is reformed by the dispersion of evils and the falsities of evil, by means of truths applied to the life. This is what is here meant by “the white horse” that was seen, and by “he that sat on him having a bow;” for “a white horse” signifies the understanding of truth from the Word, and “a bow” signifies the doctrine of charity and of faith therefrom by which evils and falsities are combated and dispersed.
[3] Third, “That without doctrine from the Word no one within the church, where the Word is, can become spiritual,” can be seen from what has now been said, namely, that without doctrine the Word is not understood, and that without doctrine from the Word evils and falsities cannot be combated; for man becomes spiritual by means of a life according to Divine truths, which he does not know without doctrine, and by removing evils and falsities, which cannot be done without doctrine, as was said above. Without these two man is not reformed, thus does not become spiritual, but remains natural, and confirms his natural life by the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural, by wrongly interpreting and applying it. It is said, within the church, where the Word is, since those who are out of the church do not have the Word, and therefore know nothing about the Lord; and no one becomes spiritual except from the Lord; and yet all who acknowledge a God and worship Him under the human form, and live in charity according to a religious principle that is in accord with the Word, are prepared by the Lord to receive spiritual life, and do receive it in the other life (on which see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 313-328; and above, n. 107, 195). Man becomes spiritual by regeneration, and regeneration is effected by “water and the spirit,” that is, by means of truths and a life according to them (see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 173-186; that baptism in the Christian world is for a sign and memorial of regeneration, n. 202-209, in the same work).
[4] Fourth, “That doctrine can be acquired from no other source than from the Word, and by none except those who are in illustration from the Lord,” can be seen from this, that the Word is Divine truth itself, and is such that the Lord is in it; for the Lord is in His Divine truth that proceeds from Him; those, therefore, who frame doctrine from any other source than from the Word, do not frame it from Divine truth nor from the Lord. Moreover, in the particulars of the Word there is a spiritual sense, and the angels of heaven are in that sense; consequently there is a conjunction of heaven with the church by means of the Word; those, therefore, who frame doctrine from any other source than the Word do not frame it in conjunction with heaven, from which nevertheless is all illustration. (That the conjunction of heaven with man is by means of the Word, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 303-310.) From this it is evident that doctrine is to be acquired from no other source than the Word, and by none except those who are in illustration from the Lord. They are in illustration from the Lord who love truths because they are truths; and because such as these do them, they are in the Lord and the Lord is in them.
[5] Fifth, “That all things of doctrine must be confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word,” can be seen from this, that Divine truth in the sense of the letter is in its fullness; for that is the ultimate sense, and the spiritual sense is in it; when, therefore, doctrine has been confirmed by that sense the doctrine of the church is also the doctrine of heaven, and there is conjunction by correspondence. Let this be illustrated by this only: when man thinks any truth and confirms it by the sense of the letter, it is perceived in heaven, but not if he does not confirm it; for the sense of the letter is the basis into which spiritual ideas, which are the angels’ ideas, close, much the same as words are the basis into which the meaning of the thought falls and is communicated to another. That this is so might be confirmed by much experience from the spiritual world; but this is not the place to present it.

sRef Rev@6 @2 S0′ sRef Zech@9 @12 S1′ sRef Zech@9 @14 S1′ sRef Zech@9 @10 S1′ sRef Zech@9 @13 S1′ 357. That “a bow” signifies doctrine combating, or doctrine by which one fights against evils and falsities, and that “arrows,” “javelins,” and “darts,” signify the truths of doctrine which fight, can be seen from the following passages. In Zechariah:
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations. Return to the stronghold, ye bound ones of hope; and I will bend Judah for Me, and with a bow I will fill Ephraim, and I will stir up thy sons, O Zion, for Jehovah shall be seen over them, and His arrow shall go forth as lightning; and the Lord Jehovih shall blow with a trumpet, and He shall go in the storms of the south (Zech. 9:10, 12-14).
This treats of the vastation of the Jewish Church and the establishment of a church among the Gentiles. The vastation of the Jewish Church is described by “I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war shall be cut off,” which signifies that there would be no longer any truth in the doctrine nor any understanding of truth, and thus no combat or resistance against falsity, “chariot” signifying the doctrine of truth, “horse” the understanding of truth, “the bow of war” combat from doctrine against falsity; it is said “the bow of war” because doctrine combating is meant. “Ephraim” signifies the church in relation to the understanding of truth, and “Jerusalem” in relation to doctrine. The establishment of the church among the Gentiles is described by these words, “but he shall speak peace to the nations; return to the stronghold, ye bound ones of hope; and I will bend Judah for me, and with the bow I will fill Ephraim, and I will stir up thy sons, O Zion,” which signifies that the church is to be established among those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and in truths therefrom, “peace” signifying that good, “Judah” those who are in that good, and “Ephraim” those who are in the understanding of truth from it; it is therefore said of Ephraim, “with the bow He will fill him,” that is, with the doctrine of truth. Their illustration in truths is described by these words, “His arrow shall go forth as lightning; and the Lord Jehovih shall blow with the trumpet, and He shall go in the storms of the south;” the “arrow that shall go forth as lightning” signifies truth illustrated, thus truth from the good of love; “He shall blow with the trumpet” signifies the clear perception of good; and “the storms of the south” signify the clear understanding of truth, “the south” meaning the light of truth. This treats of the Lord, thus that these things are from the Lord.
sRef Gen@49 @24 S2′ sRef Gen@49 @23 S2′ sRef Gen@49 @22 S2′ [2] In Moses:
The son of a fruitful one is Joseph, the son of a fruitful one by the fountain; the daughters (she walketh upon the wall), they shall embitter him, and shall shoot; and the archers shall hate him; and he shall sit in the firmness of his bow, and the arms of his hands shall be strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob; thence is he the shepherd, the stone of Israel (Gen. 49:22-24).
“Joseph,” in the highest sense, signifies the Lord in relation to the spiritual kingdom. There are two kingdoms of heaven: one called the celestial kingdom, and the other the spiritual kingdom; the celestial kingdom is described in the prophecy respecting Judah, and the spiritual kingdom in this respecting Joseph. Those who are in the Lord’s celestial kingdom are in the good of love to Him, which is called celestial good; and those who are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom are in the good of love to the neighbor, and thence in truths; and it is because all truths proceed from the Lord through the spiritual kingdom that Joseph is called “the son of a fruitful one, the son of a fruitful one by the fountain,” “a fruitful one” signifies spiritual good, which is the good of charity, “son” signifies truth from that good, and “a fountain” signifies the Word; combat against evils and falsities is described by “the daughters shall embitter him, and shoot, and the archers shall hate him,” “daughters” signifying those who are in evils and who wish by falsities to destroy goods; those who assault by evils are signified by “they shall shoot,” and those who assault by the falsities of evil by “the archers” who shall hate him. The Lord’s victory over them is described by these words, “and he shall sit in the firmness of his bow, and the arms of his hands shall be strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob; thence is he the shepherd, the stone of Israel;” “to sit in the firmness of the bow” signifies to be in the doctrine of genuine truth, and “the arms of his hands shall be strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob” signifies the power they have from the Lord, “the arms of the hands” meaning power, and “the Mighty One of Jacob” the Lord, who is also called “the shepherd, the stone of Israel,” from the doctrine of charity and thence of faith which is from Him. (That “Joseph” in the highest sense signifies the Lord in relation to the Divine spiritual, and in the internal sense His spiritual kingdom, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417; and what else he signifies, n. 4286, 4592, 4963, 5086, 5087, 5106, 5249, 5307, 5869, 5877, 6224, 6526.)
sRef 2Sam@1 @18 S3′ sRef 2Sam@1 @22 S3′ sRef 2Sam@1 @17 S3′ [3] In the second book of Samuel:
David lamented over Saul and over Jonathan his son, and wrote, To teach the sons of Judah the bow (2 Sam. 1:17-18).
That lamentation treats of the combat of truth from good against the falsity from evil; for “Saul” as a king here signifies truth from good, for such truth is meant by “king” in the Word (see above, n. 31); and “Jonathan,” as the son of a king, signifies the truth of doctrine; therefore he wrote the lamentation, “To teach the sons of Judah the bow,” which signifies to teach them the doctrine of truth that is from good. The combat of that truth against falsities and evils is described in that lamentation by these words:
Without the blood of the slain, without the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan returned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty (2 Sam 1:22).
“The blood of the slain” signifies the falsities conquered and dispersed; “the fat of the mighty” signifies evils conquered and dispersed. That these are conquered and dispersed by the doctrine of truth that is from good is signified by “the bow of Jonathan returned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty,” “the bow of Jonathan” meaning doctrine, and “the sword of Saul” truth from good.
sRef Ps@18 @34 S4′ [4] In David:
God teacheth my hands war and placeth a bow of brass in mine arms (Ps. 18:34).
“War” here signifies war in a spiritual sense, which is war against evils and falsities; this is the war that God teaches; and “the bow of brass” signifies the doctrine of charity; God places this in the arms, that is, makes it to prevail.
sRef Isa@41 @2 S5′ [5] In Isaiah:
Who hath stirred up one from the sunrise, whom He hath called in righteousness to follow Him, hath given the nations before him, and made him to have dominion over kings, hath given them as the dust to his sword, and as stubble driven by his bow? (Isa. 41:2).
This is said of the Lord and of His dominion over evils and falsities; the “nations that He gave before him,” signify evils; and the “kings over whom He made him to have dominion,” signify falsities; that He disperses evils and falsities as if they were nothing, by His Divine truth and by the doctrine therefrom, is signified by “He gave them as dust to his sword, and as stubble driven by his bow,” “his sword” meaning the Divine truth, and “his bow,” doctrine. That evils and falsities are dispersed as if they were nothing, is signified by “as dust,” and “as driven stubble.” It is said that evils and falsities are thus dispersed, but it is meant that those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom are thus dispersed in the other life.
sRef Zech@10 @3 S6′ sRef Zech@10 @4 S6′ [6] In Zechariah:
Jehovah [of Hosts] shall visit His flock, the house of Judah, and shall set them as the horse of His majesty in war. Out of him shall be the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the bow of war (Zech. 10:3-4).
This may be seen explained in the preceding article which treats of the signification of “the horse;” “the bow of war” signifying truth combating from doctrine.
sRef Hab@3 @9 S7′ sRef Hab@3 @8 S7′ [7] In Habakkuk:
Was Jehovah displeased with the rivers? was Thine anger against the rivers? was Thy fury against the sea, that Thou dost ride upon Thine horses, Thy chariots are salvation? With bareness shall Thy bow be made bare (Hab. 3:8, 9).
This, too, was explained in the preceding article; “Thy bow shall be made bare” signifying that the doctrine of truth shall be laid open.
sRef Isa@21 @16 S8′ sRef Isa@21 @15 S8′ sRef Isa@21 @17 S8′ [8] In Isaiah:
Before the swords shall they flee away, before the drawn sword, and before the bended bow; and for the grievousness of the war all the glory of Kedar shall be consumed, and the remnant of the number of the bow of the mighty of the sons of Kedar shall be few (Isa. 21:15-17).
This treats in the spiritual sense of the knowledges of good as about to perish, and that few will remain; “Kedar,” that is, Arabia, signifies those who are in the knowledges of good, and in an abstract sense such knowledges themselves. That the knowledges of truth are to perish through falsities and the doctrine of falsity, is signified by, “Before the swords shall they flee away, before the drawn sword, and before the bended bow,” “sword” meaning falsity combating and destroying, and “bow,” the doctrine of falsity. That the knowledges of good are to perish is signified by these words, “for the grievousness of the war all the glory of Kedar shall be consumed,” “the grievousness of war” meaning assault, and “all the glory of Kedar shall be consumed” meaning vastation. And that few knowledges are to remain is described by “the remnant of the number of the bow of the mighty of the sons of Kedar shall be few,” “the bow of the mighty” meaning the doctrine of truth from the knowledges that prevail against falsities.
sRef Isa@49 @2 S9′ [9] In the same:
He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; He hath made me a polished arrow; in His quiver hath He hid me (Isa. 49:2).
This also treats of the Lord; and “sharp sword” signifies the truth dispersing falsity; “the polished arrow” truth dispersing evil; and “quiver” the Word: this makes clear what is signified by “He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword,” and “He hath made me a polished arrow, and in His quiver hath He hid me,” namely, that in the Lord and from Him is the Divine truth, by means of which falsities and evils are dispersed, and that in Him and from Him is the Word, where and whence these truths are.
sRef Jer@6 @23 S10′ sRef Ps@127 @3 S10′ sRef Ps@127 @4 S10′ sRef Ps@127 @5 S10′ sRef Jer@6 @22 S10′ [10] In David:
Lo, sons are an heritage of Jehovah; the fruit of the belly is His reward. As arrows in the hands of a mighty one, so are the sons of youth. Happy is the man that hath filled his quiver with them; they shall not be ashamed when they speak with the enemies in the gate (Ps. 127:3-5).
“Sons that are an heritage of Jehovah,” signify truths by which there is intelligence; the “fruit of the belly that is His reward,” signifies the goods, by which there is happiness; “the sons of youth that are as arrows in the hand of a mighty one,” signify the truths of the good of innocence; because nothing evil or false can resist these truths, it is said that they are “as arrows in the hand of a mighty one.” The good of innocence is the good of love to the Lord; because these truths have such power it is said, “Happy is the man that hath filled his quiver with them,” “quiver” here having a like signification as “bow,” namely, the doctrine from the Word; “they shall not be ashamed when they speak with the enemies in the gate” signifies that there shall be no fear because of evils from the hells, “enemies” meaning evils, and “gate” hell (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 428-429, 583-585).
sRef Ps@78 @9 S11′ sRef Ps@78 @10 S11′ [11] In the same:
The sons of Ephraim, who were armed, shooters of the bow, turned about in the day of battle. They kept not the covenant of God (Ps. 78:9-10).
“Ephraim” here, as above, signifies the understanding of truth, and his “sons” the truths themselves; therefore they are also called “shooters of the bow,” that is, fighters against evils and falsities. That they did not resist these because they were not conjoined to the Lord, is here signified by “they turned about in the day of battle, because they did not keep the covenant of God,” “covenant” meaning conjunction, and “not keeping it” meaning not to live according to the truths and goods that conjoin.
sRef Ps@11 @2 S12′ [12] From the passages cited it can be seen that a “bow” signifies the doctrine of truth combating against falsities and evils and dispersing them. That this is the signification of “bow” can be seen further from its contrary sense, in which “bow” signifies the doctrine of falsity fighting against truths and goods and destroying them; and “darts” and “arrows” its falsities themselves. In this sense “bow” is mentioned in the following passages. In David:
Lo, the wicked bend the bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart (Ps. 11:2).
“The wicked bend the bow” signifies that they frame doctrine; “they make ready the arrow upon the string” signifies that they apply into it falsities that appear as truths; “to shoot in darkness at the upright in heart” signifies to deceive those who are in truths from good; “bow” here meaning the doctrine of falsity, “arrow” the falsity itself; “to shoot” meaning to deceive, and “darkness” appearances; for such as these reason from appearances in the world and from fallacies, also by the application of the sense of the letter of the Word.
sRef Ps@37 @14 S13′ sRef Ps@37 @15 S13′ [13] In the same:
The wicked unsheathe the sword, and bend their bow, to cast down the miserable and needy. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken (Ps. 37:14-15).
“Sword” signifies falsity fighting against truth, and “bow” signifies the doctrine of falsity; “to cast down the miserable and the needy” signifies to pervert those who are in ignorance of truth and good; “their sword shall enter into their own heart” signifies that they shall perish by their own falsity; and “their bows shall be broken” signifies that their doctrine of falsity shall be dispersed, which also takes place after their departure from the world; then falsities destroy them, and so far as they have applied truths to falsities their doctrine is dispersed.
sRef Ps@64 @3 S14′ sRef Ps@64 @4 S14′ [14] In the same:
Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and aim their arrow with a bitter word, that they may shoot in secret places at the perfect* (Ps. 64:3-4).
Because “sword” signifies falsity fighting against truth, it is said, “who sharpen their tongue like a sword;” and because “arrow” signifies the falsity of doctrine, it is said, “they aim their arrow with a bitter word” “to shoot in secret places at the perfect” signifies the like as “to shoot in darkness at the upright in heart,” just before, namely, to deceive those who are in truths from good.
sRef Jer@9 @2 S15′ sRef Jer@9 @3 S15′ [15] In Jeremiah:
They are all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous ones, who bend their tongue; their bow is a lie, neither in the truth have they prevailed in the land; for they go forth from evil to evil, neither have they known Me (Jer. 9:2-3).
“Adulterers, an assembly of treacherous ones,” mean those who falsify the knowledges of truth and good, “adulterers” meaning those who falsify the knowledges of truth, and “treacherous ones” those who falsify the knowledges of good; of these it is said that “they bend the tongue,” and that “their bow is a lie,” “bow” meaning the doctrine from which principles of falsity are derived, and “lie” meaning the falsity; it is therefore also said, “neither in the truth have they prevailed in the land,” that is, in the church where genuine truths are; that those who are in a life of evil and do not acknowledge the Lord are such is signified by, “for they go forth from evil to evil, neither have they known Me.”
sRef Jer@50 @9 S16′ sRef Jer@50 @14 S16′ sRef Jer@50 @42 S16′ sRef Jer@50 @29 S16′ [16] In Jeremiah:
Behold, I cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the land of the north; his arrows as of a mighty one, none shall return vain. Set yourselves in array against Babylon round about, all ye that bend the bow, shoot against her, spare not the arrows; make the shooters heard against Babylon, all that bend the bow encamp against her round about; let there be no escape for her (Jer. 50:9, 14, 29, 42; 51:3).
This describes the total devastation of truth with those who are meant by Babylon, who are those that arrogate to themselves Divine power, and who acknowledge the Lord, indeed, but take away from Him all power to save, and who thus profane Divine truths; and as the Lord as far as possible provides that genuine truths be not profaned, these truths are wholly taken away from them, and they are imbued instead with mere falsities. “An assembly of great nations from the land of the north” signifies direful evils rising up out of hell,” “great nations” meaning direful evils and “land of the north” the hell where there is nothing but falsity; “his arrows as of a mighty one, none shall return vain” signifies that thence they shall be imbued with mere falsities thence; “set themselves in array against Babylon round about, all ye that bend the bow, shoot against her, spare not the arrows” signifies devastation in relation to all doctrinals; the total devastation of truth with such is signified by “all that bend the bow encamp against her round about; let there be no escape for her.”
sRef Isa@13 @19 S17′ sRef Isa@13 @18 S17′ sRef Isa@13 @17 S17′ [17] In Isaiah:
I stir up against them the Medes, who will not esteem silver, and in gold they will not delight; whose bows will dash in pieces the young men, and they will have no compassion on the fruit of the womb; so shall Babylon be, as the overturning of God, Sodom and Gomorrah (Isa. 13:17-19).
This also is said of Babylon, and the devastation of all things of the church with those who are meant by Babylon (of which just above). “The Medes” signify those who make nothing of the truths and goods of heaven and the church; therefore it is said of them, “who will not esteem silver, and in gold they will not delight,” “silver” signifying truth, and “gold” good, both of the church; “their bows will dash in pieces the young men, and they will have no compassion on the fruit of the womb” signifies the doctrinals that destroy all truth and all good thence, “young men” signifying truths, and “the fruit of the womb” goods; and because all evil with such is from the love of self, and all falsity is from that evil, and because that evil and that falsity thence are condemned to hell, therefore it is said, “so shall Babylon be, as the overturning of God, Sodom and Gomorrah,” “the overturning of God” signifying damnation to hell, and “Sodom and Gomorrah” signifying the evils from the love of self and the falsities therefrom. (That this is the signification of “Sodom and Gomorrah,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2220, 2246, 2322.)
sRef Isa@7 @24 S18′ sRef Isa@7 @23 S18′ [18] In the same:
In that day every place in which there were a thousand vines for a thousand of silver shall be a place of briers and brambles. With arrow and with bow shall one come thither, because the whole land shall be a place of briers and brambles (Isa. 7:23-24).
The church vastated in relation to every truth and good is thus described; what the church had been before, namely, that genuine truth, which are truths from good, had been there in abundance is described by “in which there were a thousand vines for a thousand of silver,” “a thousand vines” meaning truths from good in abundance, “a thousand of silver” meaning that these are most highly esteemed because they are genuine, “silver” meaning truth, and a “thousand” many, thus in abundance. But what the church became when vastated in respect to every truth and good is described by these words, “With arrow and with bow shall one come thither, because the whole land shall be a place of briers and brambles,” “arrow” meaning falsity destroying truth, and “bow” the doctrine of falsity, “a place of briers” signifying falsity from evil, and “a place of brambles” evil from falsity; “land” means the church.
[19] In Jeremiah:
Behold, a people cometh from the land of the north, and a great nation shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth. They lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no compassion; their voice resoundeth like the sea; and they ride upon horses arrayed as a man for war, against thee, O daughter of Zion (Jer. 6:22-23).
This, too, describes the devastation of the church by the falsities of evil; what “a people from the land of the north” signifies, and “a great nation from the sides of the earth,” also what “their voice resoundeth like the sea,” and “they ride upon horses” signify, was explained in the preceding article; “they lay hold on bow and spear” signifies [that they fight from false doctrine, “bow” signifying] the falsity of doctrine destroying truth, and “spear” the falsity of evil destroying good; “daughter of Zion” meaning the church.
sRef Jer@4 @27 S20′ sRef Jer@4 @29 S20′ [20] In the same:
The whole land is a waste; for the voice of the horseman and of the shooters of the bow the whole city fleeth; they have entered into the clouds, they have ascended into the rocks, the whole city is forsaken, no man dwelling therein (Jer. 4:27, 29).
This, too, can be seen explained in the preceding article. “The voice of the horseman and of the shooters of the bow” signifies the reasonings from falsities, and assaults upon truth; “the shooters of the bow,” that is, those who hold the bow, are those who assault truths from the falsities of doctrine; therefore it is said “the whole city fleeth,” and “the whole city is forsaken,” “city” signifying the doctrine of the church.
sRef Isa@5 @26 S21′ sRef Isa@5 @28 S21′ [21] In Isaiah:
Jehovah hath lifted up an ensign to the nations from far, and behold the swift one shall come in haste, his arrows are sharp, and all his bows bent; the hoofs of his horses are reckoned as rock, and his wheels as a storm (Isa. 5:26, 28).
“His arrows are sharp,” and “his bows bent,” signify the falsities of doctrine prepared to destroy truths. What is signified by “the nations from far” and by “the hoofs of the horses that are reckoned as rock,” and by “the wheels that are like a storm,” may be seen in the article just above (n. 355), where they are explained.
sRef Amos@2 @15 S22′ sRef Amos@2 @16 S22′ sRef Amos@2 @14 S22′ [22] In Amos:
He that holdeth the bow shall not stand, nor shall the swift of foot deliver himself, nor shall he that rideth upon the horse cause his soul to escape, but he that is stout in his heart among the mighty shall flee naked in that day (Amos 2:15-16).
This describes self-intelligence, and thus confidence from an ability to reason from falsities against truths; “he that holdeth the bow shall not stand, nor shall the swift of foot cause himself to escape,” signifies that one who knows how to reason readily and skillfully from doctrine and from the memory that belongs to the natural man, cannot provide for his salvation, nor stand in the day of judgment; the like is signified by “he that rideth upon the horse shall not cause his soul to escape;” “he that is stout in his heart shall flee [naked] in that day” signifies that he who trusts in himself because of an ability to reason from falsities shall then be deprived of all truth; “the stout in heart” meaning him who trusts in himself on that account, and “naked” signifying deprived of all truth.
sRef Ps@7 @13 S23′ sRef Ps@7 @12 S23′ sRef Ps@7 @11 S23′ [23] In David:
God is a righteous judge, a God that is indignant all the day; if he turn not back He will whet His sword, He will bend His bow and make it ready, and hath prepared for him the instruments of death, He maketh His arrows burning (Ps. 7:11-13).
It is here attributed to God that He is indignant with the wicked, that He whets His sword, that He bends and makes ready His bow, prepares instruments of death, and makes His arrows burning; but in the spiritual sense it is meant that man does this in respect to himself. These things are attributed to God in the sense of the letter, because that sense is natural, and is for the natural man who believes that for these reasons God is to be feared; and with him fear works as love works afterwards, when he becomes spiritual. This makes clear what these words signify, namely, that it is the evil man who is indignant with God, that he whets the sword against himself, and bends the bow and makes it ready, he prepares the instruments of death, and makes his arrows burning. “He whetteth the sword” signifies that he acquires for himself falsity, by which he combats against truths; “he bendeth the bow and maketh it ready” signifies that from falsities he frames for himself doctrine opposed to truths; and “he prepares the instruments of death, and maketh his arrows burning” signifies that from infernal love he frames for himself principles of falsity by which he destroys good and its truth.
sRef Lam@2 @4 S24′ [24] In Lamentations:
The Lord hath bent His bow like an enemy; He hath stood with His right hand as an adversary; He hath slain all things desirable to the eyes (Lam. 2:4).
Here, too, like things are attributed to the Lord, for a like reason as above; “He bends His bow like an enemy, and stands with His right hand as an adversary” signifies that the evil man does this in respect to himself, namely, he defends evil against good, and falsity against the truths of good from doctrine that he has framed for himself out of self-intelligence and confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word; for in Lamentations the vastation of all good and all truth with the Jewish nation, from their applying the sense of the letter of the Word in favor of their own loves is treated of; “bow” here meaning the doctrine of falsity therefrom, “enemy” evil, and “adversary” falsity. That in consequence all the understanding of truth and good would perish is signified by “the Lord hath slain all things desirable to the eyes,” “things desirable to the eyes” meaning all things that are of intelligence and wisdom.
sRef Deut@32 @22 S25′ sRef Deut@32 @23 S25′ [25] In Moses:
A fire hath been kindled in Mine anger, and it shall devour the earth and its produce, and shall set in flames the foundations of the mountains. I will empty out evils upon them; I will consume Mine arrows upon them (Deut. 32:22-23).
This is in the song of Moses, which treats of the Israelitish and Jewish nation, and describes what they were in their hearts, namely, that there was nothing of the church with them because there was with them mere falsity from evil; “the earth and its produce, that is to be devoured” signifies the church, and all the truth and good therefrom, “the earth” signifying the church, and “produce” all the truth and good thereof. “The foundations of the mountains, that are to be set in flames” signify truths upon which the goods of love are based, especially the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, since these are the foundations; the “evils that are to be emptied out upon them,” and the “arrows that are to be consumed upon them” signify that they shall be imbued with all evils and falsities. (What that nation was from the beginning, and also what it is at this day, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 248.)
sRef 1Sam@2 @4 S26′ [26] In the first book of Samuel:
The bows of the mighty are broken, but they who had stumbled have girded valor about them (1 Sam. 2:4).
This is the prophecy of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, which treats of the taking away of truth with those who are of the church, because they are in no spiritual affection of truth; also of the reception and illumination of those who are outside of the church, because they are in the spiritual affection of truth. That the doctrines of falsities that are held by those who are of the church are of no account is signified by “the bows of the mighty are broken;” and the reception and illustration of those who are outside of the church are signified by “they who had stumbled have girded valor about them;” those are said to “stumble,” who are pressed by the falsities of ignorance, and “valor” is predicated of power and abundance of truth from good.
sRef Jer@49 @35 S27′ [27] In Jeremiah:
Behold, I break the bow of Elam, the beginning of his might (Jer. 49:35).
“Elam” means the knowledge [scientia] belonging to the natural man, and consequent confidence; his “bow” signifies the knowledge [scientia] from which as from doctrine he fights; and “the beginning of his might” signifies confidence; for knowledge [scientia] is of no avail if it does not serve the rational and the spiritual man. That “Elam” means knowledge belonging to the natural man can be seen from these passages in the Word in which “Elam” is mentioned (as Gen. 10:22; Isa. 21:2; Jer. 25:24-26; 49:34-39; Ezek. 32:24, 25).
sRef Ps@76 @3 S28′ sRef Ps@76 @2 S28′ sRef Ps@46 @9 S28′ [28] In David:
Jehovah maketh wars to cease even to the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear asunder; He burneth up the chariots with fire (Ps. 46:9).
Because “wars” signify spiritual combats, which are here those of falsity against the truth and against the good of the church, it is clear what is signified by “Jehovah will make wars to cease even to the end of the earth,” namely, that from firsts to the ultimates of the truth of the church all combat and disagreement shall cease, “the end of the earth” signifying the ultimates of the church. That there shall be no combat of doctrine against doctrine is signified by “He shall break the bow;” that there shall be no combat from any falsity of evil is signified by “He shall cut the spear asunder;” and that everything of the doctrine of falsity shall be destroyed by “He shall burn up the chariots with fire.”
[29] In the same:
In Salem is the tabernacle of Jehovah, and His abode in Zion. There brake He the strings of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and war (Ps. 76:2-3).
This treats likewise of the cessation of all combat and all disagreement in the Lord’s kingdom; “Salem” where Jehovah’s tabernacle is, and “Zion” where His abode is, signify His spiritual kingdom and His celestial kingdom; “Salem” the spiritual kingdom where genuine truth is, and “Zion” the celestial kingdom where genuine good is and “He shall break the strings of the bow, the shield, the sword, and war” signifies the dissipation of all the combat of the falsities of doctrine against good and truth; “the strings of a bow” meaning the principal things of doctrine.
[30] In Hosea:
In that day will I make a covenant for them with the wild beast of the field and with the fowl of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth; and I will break the bow and the sword and war from the earth, and I will make them to lie down securely (Hos. 2:18).
This treats of the Lord’s coming and His conjunction at that time with all who are in truths from good; “the covenant with the wild beast of the field, with the fowl of the heavens, and with the creeping things of the earth” signifies the conjunction with their affection of good, with the affection of truth, and with the affection of the knowledges of the truth and good of the church that they have; for “the wild beast of the field” signifies the affection of good, “the fowl of the heavens” the affection of truth, and “the creeping thing of the earth” the affection of the knowledges of truth and good. Everyone sees that no wild beast, or fowl, or creeping thing of the earth is here meant; for with these how could there be any covenant? “I will break the bow and the sword and war from the earth” signifies that because of conjunction with the Lord no combat of falsity against truth shall exist, “bow” here meaning doctrine, “sword” falsity, and “war” combat.
sRef Ezek@39 @8 S31′ sRef Ezek@39 @9 S31′ [31] In Ezekiel:
This is the day whereof I have spoken; then the inhabitants of the cities of Israel shall go forth, and they shall set on fire and burn the arms, both the shield and the buckler, with the bow and the arrows, and the hand staff and the spear, and they shall kindle a fire with them seven years (Ezek. 39:8-9).
This treats of “Gog,” which means those who are in external worship and in no internal worship; because such are in opposition to the spiritual affection of truth, which is to love truths because they are truths, they are in falsities in respect to doctrine, and in evils in respect to life; for no one can be reformed, that is, be withdrawn from falsities and evils except by means of truths; for this reason it is said that “the inhabitants of the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall burn the arms, and the shield and the buckler, with the bow and the arrows, and the hand staff and the spear;” “the inhabitants of the cities of Israel” mean those who are in the affection of truth from good, that is, in the spiritual affection of truth, and thence in the doctrine of genuine truth; “to burn up the arms” signifies to extirpate falsities of every kind; the “shield” falsity destroying good; “the buckler” falsity destroying truth; “the bow with the arrows” doctrine with its falsities the “hand staff” and the “spear” signify one’s own power and confidence, such as pertain to those who place the all of the church, and thence of salvation, in external worship; “they shall kindle a fire with them seven years” signifies that these falsities and evils shall be completely destroyed, “seven years” signifying all things, fullness, and completely (see above, n. 257, 300).
* “Perfect” (“integrum”) as below, the photolithograph has “wicked” (“inpium”).

sRef Rev@6 @2 S0′ 358. And a crown was given [unto Him], signifies eternal life which is the reward of victory. This is evident from the signification of “crown,” as being, when spiritual combat is treated of, as here, eternal life which is the reward of victory. That spiritual combat is here treated of is evident from what precedes and follows; in what precedes it is said that “He that sat upon the white horse had a bow,” and “a bow” signifies the doctrine of charity and faith, from which one fights against evils and falsities and disperses them. It is also evident from what follows, in which it is said, “and He went forth conquering and that He might conquer,” by which is signified victory over evils and falsities; therefore “crown” here signifies eternal life, which is the reward of victory.
sRef Rev@2 @10 S2′ [2] “Crown” has a similar signification where temptations are treated of, because temptations are spiritual combats, as in the second chapter of this book, where these words occur:
Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have affliction ten days; be thou faithful even till death, and I will give thee the crown of life (Rev. 2:10).
Here “crown” signifies wisdom and eternal happiness, as may be seen above (n. 126). Wisdom and eternal happiness taken together are eternal life, for the very life of heaven is in wisdom and eternal happiness. The “crown” of the martyrs has a like signification because they were in affliction, and were “faithful even till death,” and were also in temptations and conquered; moreover, after death crowns were given them; but lest they should on that account appropriate honor to themselves, and thus acquire haughtiness, they cast them off from their heads.
sRef 2Sam@1 @5 S3′ sRef 2Sam@1 @6 S3′ sRef 2Sam@1 @8 S3′ sRef 2Sam@1 @7 S3′ sRef 2Sam@1 @9 S3′ sRef 2Sam@1 @10 S3′ [3] Because in the Word “wars” signify wars in a spiritual sense which are combats against evils and falsities, and “kings” signify truths from good which fight against evils and falsities, in ancient times, when men had a knowledge of correspondences and representations, kings in their battles wore a crown upon the head, and a bracelet upon the arm, as can be seen in the second book of Samuel:
The young man, the son of an Amalekite, who told David that Saul and Jonathan were dead, said, I came upon Mount Gilboa, when behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and the chariots and leaders followed hard after him. And he said to me, Come and put me to death. And I stood against him, and put him to death, and I took the crown that was upon his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and I bring them to thee (2 Sam. 1:6, 8-10).
A crown in battle has then a sign of combat, and a bracelet upon the arm was a sign of power, each against evils and falsities. These combats are also signified by battles everywhere in the Word, even in the historical parts. (That “bracelet upon the arm” signifies the power of truth from good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3105. What further “crowns of kings” and “crowns” in general signify, see above, n. 272.)

sRef Rev@6 @2 S0′ 359. And he went forth conquering and that He might conquer, signifies the removal of evils and of falsities thence to the end of life, and afterwards to eternity. This is evident from the signification of “to conquer” in the Word as being to conquer spiritually, which is to subjugate evils and falsities; but as these are not conquered otherwise than that they are taken away by the Lord, “to conquer” signifies the removal of evils and falsities. (That evils and falsities are removed, and not wiped out, or that man is withheld from them, and kept in good and truth by the Lord, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 166; and Arcana Coelestia, n. 865, 868, 887, 894, 929, 1581, 2116, 2406, 4564, 8206, 8393, 8988, 9014, 9333-9338, 9446-9448, 9451, 10057, 10060.) It is said “he went forth conquering and that He might conquer,” and “He went forth conquering” signifies the removal of evils and of falsities thence to the end of life; “and that He might conquer” signifies their removal afterwards to eternity; for he who fights against evils and falsities and conquers them, in the world even to the end of life, conquers them to eternity; for such as man is at the end of his life in consequence of his past life, such he remains to eternity. “To conquer” signifies to conquer spiritually, because the Word is in its bosom spiritual, that is, in its bosom it treats of spiritual things, and not of earthly things; the earthly things that are in the sense of its letter merely serve its spiritual sense as a basis, into which spiritual things close and in which they are. “To conquer [or to overcome]” has a like signification in the following passages.
sRef Rev@2 @11 S2′ sRef Rev@3 @21 S2′ sRef Rev@3 @12 S2′ sRef Rev@2 @26 S2′ sRef Rev@21 @7 S2′ sRef Rev@12 @11 S2′ sRef John@16 @33 S2′ [2] In Revelation:
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God (Rev. 2:7).
He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death (Rev. 2:11).
He that overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end, I will give him power over the nations (Rev. 2:26).
He that overcometh I will make him a pillar in the temple of God (Rev. 3:12).
He that overcometh I will give to him to sit with Me in My throne (Rev. 3:21).
They overcame the dragon through the blood of the Lamb, and through the word of the testimony (Rev. 12:11).
He that overcometh shall possess all things, and I will be to him God, and he shall be to Me a son (Rev. 21:7).
And in John:
Jesus [said] to the disciples, These things I have spoken unto you that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but confide, I have overcome the world (John 16:33).
The Lord’s “overcoming the world” means that He subjugated all the hells; for “the world” here signifies all evils and falsities, which are from hell (as also in John 8:23; 12:31; 14:17, 19, 30; 15:18, 19; 16:8, 11; 17:9, 14, 16).
sRef Isa@63 @3 S3′ sRef Isa@63 @6 S3′ sRef Isa@63 @1 S3′ [3] “To conquer” has a like signification when predicated of the Lord in Isaiah:
Who is this that cometh from Edom, His garments sprinkled from Bozrah? I have trodden the wine-press alone, and of the people not a man was with Me; therefore have I trodden them in Mine anger, and trampled them in My wrath; wherefore their victory is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My raiment. But I have made their victory to descend to the earth (Isa. 63:1, 3, 6).
This treats of the Lord, and His combats against the hells and their subjugation. He Himself in respect to His Divine Human is here meant by Edom, His garments sprinkled from Bozrah,” “His garments” signifying the Word in the letter, for “garments” signify truths investing, and in reference to the Lord they signify Divine truths, consequently the Word, since in it are all Divine truths (see above, n. 195). The Word in the sense of the letter is also meant here by “garments,” because it contains investing truths, for the sense of the letter serves as a garment to the spiritual sense. And as the Word, in respect to that sense, was torn asunder by the Jewish people, and Divine truth was thereby adulterated, it is said, “His garments sprinkled from Bozrah, their victory is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My raiment,” “garments from Bozrah” signify the ultimate of the Word which is the sense of the letter, “their victory upon My garments” signifies the wrong interpretation and application of the truth by those who wrest the sense of the letter to favor their own loves, and the principles thence assumed, as was done by the Jews, and is done also at this day by many; this is meant by “their victory upon My garments.”
That the Lord fought alone is signified by “I have trodden the wine-press alone, and of the people not a man was with Me,” “wine-press” signifying combat from Divine truths against falsities, because in wine-presses the wine is pressed out from grapes, and “wine” signifies Divine truth; therefore “to tread it alone, and of the people not a man was with Me,” signifies alone, with no aid from anyone. That the Lord subjugated the hells is signified by, “I have trodden them in Mine anger, and trampled them in My wrath;” it is said, “I have trodden” and “I have trampled,” because of the reference to the wine-press, and because destruction is signified; it is said, “anger” and “wrath” because the hells are destroyed; and in the sense of the letter this is attributed to the Lord, when nevertheless nothing of anger or wrath pertains to Him, but only to those who are against Him; it is according to appearance that it is so said here and in very many places elsewhere. That such were subjugated and condemned to hell is signified by, “I have made their victory to descend to the earth,” “to the earth” meaning into damnation, thus into hell. (That “earth” also signifies damnation, see above, n. 304.)

sRef Rev@6 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@6 @4 S0′ 360. Verses 3,4. And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second animal saying, Come and see. And there went forth another horse that was red; and to him that sat upon him, to him it was given to take peace from the earth, that they should slay one another; and there was given unto him a great sword. 3. “And when He had opened the second seal,” signifies a manifestation of the succeeding state of those who are of the church, where the Word is (n. 361); “I heard the second animal saying,” signifies out of the inmost heaven from the Lord (n. 362); “Come and see,” signifies attention and perception (n. 363). 4. “And there went forth another horse that was red,” signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to good (n. 364); “and to him that sat upon him, to him it was given to take peace from the earth,” signifies the Word consequently not understood, whence there are dissensions in the church (n. 365); “that they should slay one another,” signifies the falsification and extinction of truths (n. 366); “and there was given unto him a great sword,” signifies by means of falsities (n. 367).

sRef Rev@6 @3 S0′ 361. Verse 3. And when he had opened the second seal, signifies the manifestation of the succeeding state of those who are of the church, where the Word is. This is evident from what was said above (n. 351, 352), namely, that “to open the seal” signifies the manifestation of the state of those who are of the church, and as there were seven seals, and seven openings of the seals, the successive states of those of the church are signified. But these successive states of the church, which are here described, are not apparent to anyone in the world, for they are successive states in respect to an understanding of truth from the Word; these no one sees but the Lord alone. And since all who are in the heavens are there arranged according to the affections of good and of truth, and thence in respect to the perception and understanding of the Word, and since this prophetical book describes the Last Judgment upon those who were in the former heaven, and the arrangement of those who are in the new heaven, therefore these states are here treated of, for thereon depend the things that follow.

sRef Rev@6 @3 S0′ 362. I heard the second animal saying, signifies out of the inmost heaven from the Lord. This is evident from what was said above (n. 353); for by the animals are meant cherubim, and “cherubim,” in the highest sense, signify the Lord in relation to providence and guard that He be not approached except through the good of love; and in a relative sense, the inmost heaven (see above, n. 152, 277, 313, 322). “Cherubim” signify also the inmost heaven because this heaven is in the good of love to the Lord, and the Lord cannot be approached except through the heavens, and into the inmost or third heaven there is nothing admitted that does not savor of the good of that heaven. There were four animals or cherubim, because “four” signifies conjunction into one, and such is the conjunction with those who are there; for the Lord thus conjoins them by means of love to Him from Him. For this reason four were seen. From this also it is clear that the second animal here has a similar significance as the first, and similar as the third and fourth in what follows. (That “four” signifies conjunction, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1686, 8877, 9601, 9674.)

sRef Rev@6 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@6 @3 S0′ 363. Come and see, signifies attention and perception; as is evident from what was said above (n. 354), where the like words occur.

sRef Rev@6 @4 S0′ 364. Verse 4. And there went forth another horse that was red, signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to good. This is evident from the signification of “horse,” as being the intellect (of which above, n. 355). Here because the states of those who are of the church where the Word is are treated of, “horse” signifies the intellect of the men of the church in relation to the Word. It is also evident from the signification of “red” [ruber] or “reddish” [rufus], as being of what nature a thing is in relation to good, so here, of what quality the understanding of the Word is in relation to good. That “reddish” [rufus] here signifies this understanding destroyed in respect to good, can be seen from what immediately follows in this verse, for it is said, “to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, that they should slay one another, and to him was given a great sword,” which signifies a consequent extinction of all truth. Since the horses that John saw were distinguished by colors, for the first appeared “white,” the second “red,” the third “black,” and the fourth “pale,” and colors signify the quality of a thing, let something first be said here about colors.
In the heavens colors of every kind appear, and they draw their origin from the light there; and as that light immensely excels in brightness and splendor the light of the world, so also do the colors there; and as the light there is from the sun of heaven, which is the Lord, and is the Divine Proceeding, and as consequently that light is spiritual, so all colors signify things spiritual. And as the Divine Proceeding is Divine good united to Divine truth, and as Divine good in heaven is presented to view by a flamy light, and Divine truth by a bright white light, so there are two colors that are the fundamentals of all colors there, namely, the red color and the white color; the red color has its origin from the flamy light that goes forth from Divine good, and the white color from the bright white light that goes forth from Divine truth; consequently so far as colors are derived from red they signify good, and so far as they are derived from white they signify truth. (But these things can be seen better from what is told about colors, from experience, in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that most beautiful colors are seen in the heavens, n. 1053, 1624; colors in the heavens are from the light there, and are modifications and variations of light, n. 1042, 1043, 1053, 1624, 3993, 4530, 4742, 4922; thus they are the appearances of truth and good, and signify such things as are of intelligence and wisdom, n. 4530, 4677, 4922, 9466; consequently the precious stones that were of various colors in the breastplate of the ephod, or in the Urim and Thummim, signified all things of truth from good in heaven and in the church, and therefore the breastplate in general signified Divine truth shining forth from the Divine good, n. 9823, 9865, 9868, 9905; and responses were thence given by variegations and resplendences of light, and at the same time by tacit perception, or by a living voice out of heaven, n. 3862, [9905]; colors so far as they are derived from red signify good, and so far as they are from bright white signify truth, n. 9467. Of the Light of Heaven, whence and what it is, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140, 275.)
[2] It is to be known, moreover, that “red” color not only signifies what the quality of a thing is in relation to good, but also what the quality of a thing is in relation to evil; for that color not only exists from the flamy light that is from the sun of heaven, as was said above, but it also exists from something flamy in hell, which is from the fire there, which fire is like a coal fire. Therefore the red in heaven is a wholly different red from the red in hell; the red in heaven is shining and living, while the red in hell is horribly obscure and dead; moreover, the red of heaven gives life, while the red of hell brings death; the reason is that the fire from which red is derived is in its origin love; heavenly fire is from heavenly love, and infernal fire from infernal love; consequently “fire” in the Word signifies love in both senses (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4906, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7575, 10747; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 134, 566-575); therefore the “red” existing thence signifies the quality of the love in both senses. Moreover, this red, that is, the “red” of this horse is, in the original Greek, from a word that means fire. All this, together with the description of this horse in this verse, makes clear why it is that a “red horse” signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to good.
That “horse” signifies something connected with the subject can be clearly seen from this, that horses were seen when “the seals were opened,” and it was said that “they went forth,” for horses could not go forth out of a book, but those things could be manifested which are signified by “horses.” That “horse” signifies the intellect, and “color” its quality, has been made familiar to me from experience; for spirits who were meditating from the understanding upon some subject have several times been seen by me to be riding upon horses, and when I asked them whether they were riding, they said that they were not, but that they stood meditating upon some subject; which made clear that riding upon a horse is an appearance representing the operation of their understanding.
[3] There is also a place called the assembly of the intelligent and wise, to which very many resort for meditation, and when anyone is coming to it horses of various colors and variously caparisoned, and also chariots, with some riding and others sitting in the chariots, appear to him; and then also when they are asked whether they are riding upon horses, or are carried in chariots, they say that they are not, but that they are going along meditating; from this also it was clear what is signified by “horses” and by “chariots.” (But about this see more in the small work on The White Horse.) From this it can now be seen why John saw horses when the seals of the book were opened, and also what they signify. These horses were seen, because all the spiritual things of the Word are presented in the sense of its letter by means of such things as correspond, that is, as represent and thence signify; and this in order that the Divine may be there in ultimates and consequently in fullness, as has been several times said above. sRef Gen@49 @12 S4′ sRef Gen@49 @11 S4′ [4] That “reddish” [rufus] or “red” [ruber] signifies the quality of a thing in relation to good, can be seen also from the following passages in the Word. In Moses:
Who washeth his vesture in wine, and his covering in the blood of the grapes. His eyes are redder than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk (Gen. 49:11-12).
These words are in the prophecy of Israel the father respecting Judah, and “Judah” here means the Lord in relation to the good of love, and in a relative sense the Lord’s celestial kingdom. What the particulars here signify in the spiritual sense may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, where they are explained. Divine wisdom which is from Divine good is signified by “his eyes are redder than wine;” and Divine intelligence which is from Divine truth by “his teeth are whiter than milk.”
sRef Lam@4 @7 S5′ [5] In Lamentations:
The Nazarites were whiter than snow, they were brighter than milk, their bones were more ruddy than pearls (Lam. 4:7).
The Nazarites represented the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (see above, n. 66, 196, at the end), therefore they signified also, in a relative sense, the good of celestial love, because this good immediately proceeds from the Lord’s Divine Human. The representative of this in the church is thus described, the truth of that good is signified by “they were whiter than snow, and brighter than milk,” and the good of truth by “their bones were more ruddy than pearls;” for “bones” signify truths in their ultimate, thus truths in the whole complex, for in ultimates all things are together and in fullness; that these truths are from good, and also are goods, is signified by their being “ruddy.”
sRef Zech@6 @3 S6′ sRef Num@19 @6 S6′ sRef Zech@6 @2 S6′ sRef Num@19 @7 S6′ sRef Num@19 @10 S6′ sRef Ex@26 @14 S6′ sRef Num@19 @8 S6′ sRef Num@19 @9 S6′ sRef Num@19 @5 S6′ sRef Zech@1 @8 S6′ sRef Num@19 @1 S6′ sRef Zech@6 @1 S6′ sRef Num@19 @4 S6′ sRef Num@19 @2 S6′ sRef Num@19 @3 S6′ [6] In Zechariah:
I saw four chariots coming out from between mountains of copper. In the first chariot were red horses; in the second chariot black horses; in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled horses, stout (Zech. 6:1-3).
That here, too, “red horses” signify the quality of the understanding in the beginning in relation to good, “black horses” the quality of the understanding in the beginning in relation to truth, “white horses” the quality of the understanding afterwards in relation to truth, “grisled horses” what is the quality of the understanding afterwards in relation to truth and good, and “stout” what it is consequently in respect to the power to resist falsities and evils, may be seen above (n. 355b), where the signification of “horse” is treated of. Nearly the like is meant in the same prophet by:
The red horse, upon which a man rode, standing among the myrtle-trees (Zech. 1:8).
Because “red” [ruber] or “reddish” [rufus] signifies the quality of a thing in relation to good:
Red rams’ skins were used for a covering over the tent (Exod. 25:5; 26:14; 35:7).
And therefore also:
The water of separation, used in cleansing, was made from a red heifer burned (Num. 19:1-10);
“red heifer” signifying the good of the natural man, and the “water of separation” made from it when burned signifying the truth of the natural man; and this was commanded because all cleansing is effected by means of truths; moreover, the particulars of the process of slaying the heifer, and of preparing the water for cleansing by it, involve spiritual things.
sRef Nahum@2 @4 S7′ sRef Nahum@2 @3 S7′ sRef Isa@1 @18 S7′ [7] Because “red” signifies the quality of a thing in relation to good, those names also and the things that derive their names from this same word in the original tongue signify the good from which they are. The word red in the original is adam, from which is the name Adam, and also the name Edom; from this also man is called adam, the ground adama, and the ruby odam; thus these names and things are from red. “Adam” signifies the Most Ancient Church, a church that was in the good of love; “Man” has a like signification, also “ground” in the spiritual sense when celestial good is treated of. That “Edom” was named from red, see Gen. 25:30; and for this reason it signifies the truth of the good of the natural man. That the ruby is also named from red may be seen in Exod. 28:17; 39:10; Ezek. 28:13; for this reason “ruby” signifies the truth of celestial good. (That “Adam” signifies the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial church, or a church in the good of love to the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 478, 479; that “Man” signifies the church in respect to good, n. 4287, 7424, 7523; that “ground” also has a like signification, n. 566, 10570; that “Edom,” because he was named from red, signifies the truth of good of the natural man, n. 3300, 3322; and that “ruby” signifies the truth of celestial good, n. 9865.) As “red” signifies the quality of a thing in relation to good, so in a contrary sense it signifies the quality of a thing in relation to evil, which is the opposite to good, consequently good destroyed. In this sense “red” is mentioned in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Although your sins have been as scarlet, they shall become white like snow; although they have been red as purple, they shall be as wool (Isa. 1:18).
And in Nahum:
The shield of his mighty ones is made red, the men of valor are in crimson; in a fire of torches are his chariots. The chariots raged in the streets, they ran to and fro in the broad ways; the appearance of them* is like torches (Nahum 2:3-4).
In this sense also the dragon is called red (Rev. 12:3, of which in what follows).
* The photolithograph has “his.”

sRef Rev@6 @4 S0′ 365. And to him that sat upon him, to him it was given to take peace from the earth, signifies the Word consequently not understood, whence there are dissensions in the church. This is evident from the signification of “him that sat upon the red horse,” as being the Word not understood in respect to good; for “he that sat upon the horse,” signifies the Word, as was shown above (n. 355, 356), “horse” signifying the understanding of it (n. 355), and the “red horse” the understanding destroyed in respect to good (n. 364); therefore “he that sat upon the red horse” signifies the Word consequently not understood. It is evident also from the signification of “to take peace,” as being that there are thence dissensions (of which presently); also from the signification of “earth,” as being the church. (That “the earth” signifies the church, see above, n. 29, 304.)
[2] Before it is explained what “peace” signifies, let something be said about dissensions arising in the church when the understanding of the Word is destroyed. By good, the good of love to the Lord and the good of love towards the neighbor are meant, since all good is of love. When these goods do not exist with the man of the church, the Word is not understood; for the conjunction of the Lord and the conjunction of heaven with the man of the church is by means of good; therefore if there is no good with him no illustration can be given; for all illustration when the Word is being read is out of heaven from the Lord; and when there is no illustration the truths that are in the Word are in obscurity, thence dissensions spring up. That the Word is not understood if man is not in good can also be seen from this, that in the particulars of the Word there is a heavenly marriage, that is, a conjunction of good and truth; therefore if good is not present with man when he is reading the Word, truth does not appear, for truth is seen from good, and good by means of truth. (That in the particulars of the Word there is a conjunction of good and truth, see above, n. 238 at the end, 288.)
[3] The state of the case is this: so far as man is in good the Lord flows in and gives the affection of truth, and thus understanding; for the interior human mind is formed entirely in the image of heaven, and the whole heaven is formed according to the affections of good and of truth from good; therefore unless there is good with man, that mind cannot be opened, still less can it be formed for heaven; it is formed by the conjunction of good and truth. From this it can also be seen that unless man is in good, truths have no ground in which to be received, nor any heat by which to grow; for truths with the man who is in good are like seeds in the ground in the time of spring; while truths with the man who is not in good are like seeds in ground bound by frost in the time of winter, when there is no grass, nor flower, nor tree, still less fruit.
[4] In the Word are all truths of heaven and the church, yea, all the secrets of wisdom that the angels of heaven possess; but no one sees these unless he is in the good of love to the Lord and in the good of love towards the neighbor; those who are not, see truths here and there, but do not understand them; they have a perception and idea of them wholly different from that which pertains to these same truths in themselves; although, therefore, they see or know truths, still truths are not truths with them, but falsities; for truths are not truths from their sound or utterance, but from an idea and perception of them. When truths are implanted in good it is different; then truths appear in their own form, for truth is the form of good. From this it may be concluded what the nature of the understanding of the Word is with those who make faith alone the sole means of salvation, and cast behind the back the good of life, or the good of charity. It has been found that those who have confirmed themselves in this, both in doctrine and life, have not even a single right idea of truth; this, moreover, is why they do not know what good is, what charity and love are, what the neighbor is, what heaven and hell are, that they are to live after death as men, nor, indeed, what regeneration is, what baptism is, and many other things; yea, they are in such blindness respecting God Himself that they worship three in thought, and not one except merely with the mouth, not knowing that the Father of the Lord is the Divine in Him, and that the Holy Spirit is the Divine from Him. These things are said to make known that there is no understanding of the Word where there is no good. It is here said that to him that sat upon a red horse, it was given “to take peace from the earth,” because “peace” signifies a peaceful state of the mind [mens] and tranquillity of the disposition [animus] from the conjunction of good and truth; therefore “to take away peace” signifies an unpeaceful and untranquil state from the disjunction of good and truth, which is the cause of internal dissensions; for when good is separated from truth evil takes its place; and evil loves not truth but falsity; because every falsity belongs to evil, as every truth to good; when, therefore, such a person sees a truth in the Word or hears it from another, the evil of his love, and thus of his will, strives against the truth, and then he either rejects or perverts it, or by ideas from the evil so obscures it that at length he sees nothing of truth in the truth, however much it may sound like truth when he utters it. This is the origin of all dissensions, controversies, and heresies in the church. From this it can be seen what is here signified by “to take peace from the earth.”
[5] But what peace is in its first origin is amply shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, where the State of Peace in Heaven is treated of (n. 284-290), namely that in its first origin it is from the Lord; it is in Him from the union of the Divine Itself and the Divine Human, and it is from Him by His conjunction with heaven and the church, and in particular from the conjunction of good and truth in each individual. From this it is that “peace,” in the highest sense, signifies the Lord; in a relative sense, heaven and the church in general, and also heaven and the church in particular in each individual.
sRef John@14 @27 S6′ [6] That these things are signified by “peace” in the Word, can be seen from many passages therein, of which I will present the following by way of confirmation. In John:
Jesus said, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27).
This treats of the Lord’s union with the Father, that is, the union of His Divine Human with the Divine Itself which was in Him from conception, and thence of the Lord’s conjunction with those who are in truths from goods; therefore “peace” means tranquility of mind from that conjunction; and as such are protected by that conjunction from the evils and falsities that are from hell, for the Lord protects those who are conjoined with Him, therefore He says, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” This Divine peace is in man, and as heaven is with it, “peace” here also means heaven and in the highest sense, the Lord. But the peace of the world is from successes in the world, thus from conjunction with the world, and as this is only external and the Lord, and consequently heaven are not in it, it perishes with the life of a man in the world and is turned into what is not peace; therefore the Lord says, “My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth give I unto you.”
sRef John@16 @33 S7′ [7] In the same:
Jesus said, These things I have spoken unto you that in Me ye may have peace. In the world ye have affliction; but have confidence I have overcome the world (John 16:33).
Here, too, “peace” means internal delight from conjunction with the Lord, whence come heaven and eternal joy. “Peace” is here opposed to “affliction,” because “affliction” signifies infestation by evils and falsities, which those have who are in Divine peace so long as they live in the world; for the flesh, which they then bear about them, lusts after the things of the world, from which comes affliction; therefore the Lord says, “that in Me ye may have peace; in the world ye have affliction;” and as the Lord in respect to His Human acquired to Himself power over the hells, thus over the evils and the falsities that with everyone rise up from the hells into the flesh and infest, He says, “have confidence, I have overcome the world.”
sRef Matt@10 @12 S8′ sRef Matt@10 @13 S8′ sRef Matt@10 @14 S8′ sRef Luke@10 @5 S8′ sRef Luke@10 @6 S8′ [8] In Luke:
Jesus said to the seventy whom He sent forth, Into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if a son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it; but if not, it shall return to you again (Luke 10:5-6).
And in Matthew:
Entering into a house salute it. And if the house be worthy let your peace come upon it; but if it be not worthy let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words, as ye go forth out of that house or city shake off the dust of your feet (Matt. 10:12-14).
That they were to say, “Peace be to the house” signifies that they were to learn whether those who were in it would receive the Lord; they were proclaiming the good tidings respecting the Lord, and thence respecting heaven, celestial joy, and eternal life, for all these are signified by “peace;” and those who received are meant by the “sons of peace,” upon whom peace would rest, but if they did not acknowledge the Lord, and consequently did not receive the things pertaining to the Lord, or to peace, that peace would be taken away from them is what is signified by “if the house or city be not worthy let your peace return to you;” that in such case they might suffer no harm from the evils and falsities that were in that house or that city, it was commanded that “going forth, they should shake off the dust of their feet,” which signifies that what is cursed therefrom might not cling to them, for “dust of the feet” signifies what is cursed; for what is ultimate in man, which is the sensual-natural, corresponds to the soles of the feet; and because evil clings to this, so in the case of those who were in the representatives of the church, as most were at that time, they shook off the dust of the feet when the truths of doctrine were not received. For in the spiritual world, when any good person comes to those who are evil, evil flows in from evil and causes some disturbance, but it disturbs only the ultimates that correspond to the soles of the feet; therefore when they turn and go away it appears as if they shook the dust off their feet behind them, which is a sign that they are delivered, and that evil clings to those that are in evil. (That “the soles of the feet” correspond to the lowest natural things, and therefore signify these in the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952; and that “dust, which should be shaken off” signifies what is damned, n. 249, 7418, 7522.)
sRef Luke@19 @41 S9′ sRef Luke@19 @42 S9′ [9] In Luke:
Jesus wept over the city, saying, If thou hadst known, and indeed in this day, the things that belong to thy peace! but now it is hid from thine eyes (Luke 19:41-42).
Those who think of these words and those that follow immediately there, from the sense of the letter only, because they see no other sense, believe that these words were spoken by the Lord respecting the destruction of Jerusalem; but all things that the Lord spoke since they were from the Divine, did not relate to worldly and temporal things, but to heavenly and eternal things; therefore “Jerusalem, over which the Lord wept” signifies here as elsewhere the church, which was then entirely vastated, so that there was no longer any truth and consequently no good, and thus that they were about to perish forever; therefore He says, “if thou hadst known, and indeed in this day, the things that belong to thy peace,” that is, that belong to eternal life and happiness, which are from the Lord alone; for “peace,” as was said, means heaven and heavenly joy through conjunction with the Lord.
sRef Luke@1 @78 S10′ sRef Luke@1 @79 S10′ [10] In the same:
Zacharias prophesying said, The dayspring from on high appeareth to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:67, 78-79).
This was said of the Lord about to come into the world, and of the illustration at that time of those who were out of the church and in ignorance of Divine truth, from not having the Word. The Lord is meant by “the dayspring from on high which appeareth;” and those who are out of the church are meant by “them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death;” and their illustration in Divine truths through the reception of the Lord and conjunction with Him, whence are heaven and eternal happiness is meant by “the way of peace;” “guiding our feet into it” signifies instruction.
sRef Luke@24 @37 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @37 S11′ sRef Luke@24 @36 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @38 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @38 S11′ [11] In the same:
The disciples praised God, saying, Blessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest (Luke 19:37-38).
These things were said by the disciples when the Lord went to Jerusalem, that
He might there, by the passion of the cross, which was His last temptation, wholly unite His Human to His Divine, and might also entirely subjugate the hells; and as all Divine good and truth would then proceed from Him, they say, “Blessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord,” which signified acknowledgment, glorification, and thanksgiving that these things were from Him (see above, n. 340); “peace in heaven and glory in the highest” signifies that the things meant by “peace” are from the union of the Divine Itself and the Divine Human, and that thence angels and men have them by conjunction with the Lord; for when the hells had been subjugated by the Lord, peace was established in heaven, and then those who were there had Divine truth from the Lord, which is “glory in the highest.” (That “glory” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, see above, n. 33, 288, 345.)
As “peace” in the internal sense of the Word signifies the Lord and thence heaven and eternal life, and in particular, the delight of heaven arising from conjunction with the Lord, so the Lord after the resurrection, when He appeared to the disciples, said to them:
Peace be unto you (Luke 24:36, 37; John 20:19, 21, 26).
sRef Ps@29 @11 S12′ sRef Num@6 @24 S12′ sRef Num@6 @26 S12′ sRef Num@6 @25 S12′ [12] Again in Moses:
Jehovah bless thee and keep thee; Jehovah make His faces to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; and Jehovah lift up His faces upon thee, and give thee peace (Num. 6:24-26).
Divine truth, from which is all intelligence and wisdom, with which the Lord flows in, is meant by “Jehovah makes His faces to shine upon thee;” and protection thereby from falsities is meant by “be gracious unto thee;” and the Divine good, from which is all love and charity, with which the Lord flows in, is meant by “Jehovah lift up His faces upon thee;” and protection thereby from evils, and thence heaven and eternal happiness, are meant by “give thee peace;” for when evils and falsities are removed and no longer infest, the Lord flows in with peace, in which and from which is heaven and the delight that fills with bliss the interiors of the mind, thus heavenly joy. (This benediction may also be seen explained above, n. 340.) “Peace” has a like signification in David:
Jehovah will bless His people with peace (Ps. 29:11).
sRef Ps@4 @7 S13′ sRef Ps@4 @8 S13′ sRef Ps@4 @6 S13′ [13] And in the same:
Who will show us good? Jehovah, lift Thou up the light of Thy faces upon us. Thou givest joy in my heart more than at the time when their corn and new wine are increased. In peace I at the same time lie down and sleep; for Thou alone, O Jehovah, dost make me to dwell securely (Ps. 4:6-8);
This describes the peace that those have who are in conjunction with the Lord through the reception of Divine good and Divine truth from Him, and that it is peace in which and from which is heavenly joy. Divine good is meant by “Who will show us good?” and Divine truth by “lift Thou up the light of Thy faces upon us,” “the light of the Lord’s faces” is the Divine light that proceeds from Him as a sun in the angelic heaven, which light is in its essence Divine truth (as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140). Heavenly joy therefrom is meant by “Thou givest joy in the heart;” multiplication of good and truth is meant by “their corn and new wine are increased,” “corn” signifying good, and “new wine” truth. Because peace is in these and from these, it is said, “In peace I at the same time lie down and sleep; for Thou alone, O Jehovah, dost make me to dwell securely,” “peace” signifying the internal delight of heaven, “security” the external delight, and “to lie down and sleep” and “to dwell” signifying to live.
sRef Lev@26 @6 S14′ sRef Lev@26 @3 S14′ [14] In Moses:
If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments and do them, I will give peace in the land, so that ye may lie down securely, and none shall make afraid; and I will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land, and the sword shall not pass through the land (Lev. 26:3, 6).
This describes the source of peace, that is, of heaven and heavenly joy. Peace viewed in itself is not heaven and heavenly joy, but these are in peace and from peace; for peace is like the dawn or like spring-time in the world, which dispose human minds to receive in the heart delights and pleasures from the objects that appear before the eyes, for that is what makes them delightful and pleasant; and because all things of heaven and of heavenly joy are in like manner from Divine peace, these also are meant by “peace.” Since man has heaven from living according to the commandments, for thence he has conjunction with the Lord, therefore it is said, “If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them, I will give peace in the land;” that then they would not be infested by evils and falsities is meant by “they would lie down securely, and none make afraid,” and by “Jehovah will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land, and the sword shall not pass through it,” “the evil wild beast” signifying evil lusts, and “the sword” falsities therefrom; both these destroy good and truth from which is peace; and “land” signifies the church. (That “the evil wild beast” signifies evil lusts, and the destruction of good by them, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4729, 7102, 9335; that “the sword” signifies falsities, and the destruction of truth by them, see above, n. 131; and that “land” signifies the church, see also above, n. 29, 304.) One who does not rise above the sense of the letter of the Word sees in this nothing more than that he who lives according to the statutes and commandments shall live in peace, that is, shall have no adversaries or enemies, and that thus he shall lie down securely; also that no evil wild beasts shall harm him, and that he shall not perish by the sword; but this is not the spiritual of the Word, yet the Word in every particular is spiritual, and this lies concealed in the sense of its letter, which is natural; its spiritual is what has here been explained.
sRef Ps@37 @37 S15′ sRef Ps@37 @11 S15′ [15] In David:
The miserable shall possess the land, and shall be delighted with the multitude of peace. Mark the perfect man, and see the upright, for to that man the latter end is peace (Ps. 37:11, 37).
“The miserable” mean here those who are in temptations in the world; “the multitude of peace with which they shall be delighted” signifies the delights that follow temptations; for after temptations delights are given by the Lord from the conjunction of good and truth that follows temptation, and the consequent conjunction with the Lord. That man has the delight of peace from the conjunction of good and truth is meant by “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for to that man the latter end is peace.” The perfection which is to be marked is predicated in the Word of good, and the uprightness which is to be seen is predicated of truth; the “latter end” means the termination when there is peace.
sRef Ps@72 @7 S16′ sRef Ps@72 @3 S16′ [16] In the same:
The mountains shall bear peace to the people, and the hills in righteousness. In His days shall the righteous flourish, and much peace until the moon be no more (Ps. 72:3, 7).
This treats of the Lord’s coming and His kingdom; the “mountains which shall bear peace to the people,” signify love to the Lord; and the “hills in righteousness” signify charity towards the neighbor. (That this is the signification of “mountains” in the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 795, 6435, 10438, for the reason that those who are in love to the Lord dwell in heaven upon mountains, and those who are in charity towards the neighbor upon hills there, n. 10438; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 188.)
This makes clear that “peace” means heavenly joy which is from the conjunction with the Lord by love; “in His days shall the righteous flourish” signifies one who is in the good of love; therefore it is said, “and much peace;” for as was said above, peace is from no other source than from the Lord, and His conjunction with those who are in the good of love. It is said, “until the moon be no more,” which signifies that truth must not be separated from good, but the two must be so conjoined as to be a one, that is, so that truth also is good; for all truth is of good because it is from good, and therefore in its essence is good; truth is such with those who are in the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, who are here meant by the “righteous.” (That the “sun” signifies the good of love, and the “moon” truth therefrom, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1521-1531, 2495, 4060, 4696, 7083.)
sRef Isa@9 @7 S17′ sRef Isa@9 @6 S17′ [17] In Isaiah:
Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; upon whose shoulder is the government; he shall call His name Wonderful, Counselor, God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. To the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end (Isa. 9:6-7).
These things are said of the Lord’s coming, of whom it is said, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given,” because “child” in the Word signifies good, here Divine good, and “son” truth, here Divine truth. This is said on account of the marriage of good and truth that is in every particular of the Word; and as Divine good and Divine truth are from the Lord, He is called “Prince of Peace,” and it is said, “to the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end;” “government” is predicated of Divine truth, and “peace” of Divine good conjoined to Divine truth, therefore He is called the “Prince of Peace.” (That “Prince” is predicated of truths, and that it signifies the chief truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1482, 2089, 5044, and above, n. 29; and that “peace” is predicated of the conjunction of good and truth, see above in this article.)
[18] But as “peace” is mentioned in many passages of the Word, and the explanation must be adapted to the thing treated of, or to the subject of which it is predicated, and consequently its signification appears various, I will tell briefly what “peace” signifies, that the mind may not be borne hither and thither. Peace is bliss of heart and soul arising from the Lord’s conjunction with heaven and with the church, and this from the conjunction of good and truth with those who are therein; consequently there is no longer combat of evil and falsity against good and truth, or no dissension or war in a spiritual sense; from this is peace, in which all the fructification of good and the multiplication of truth takes place, and thence comes all wisdom and intelligence. And as this peace is from the Lord alone, and from Him with the angels in heaven, and with men in the church, so “peace” in the highest sense means the Lord, and in a relative sense, heaven and the church, and thus good conjoined to truth with those who are there.
[19] From this an idea can be had of the signification of “peace” in the following passages. In David:
Depart from evil and do good; seek peace, and pursue it (Ps. 34:14).
“Peace” stands for all things that belong to heaven and the church, from which is the happiness of eternal life; and as only those who are in good have that peace, it is said, “depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”
sRef Ps@119 @165 S20′ sRef Ps@119 @166 S20′ [20] In the same:
Much peace have they that love thy law; and with them there is no stumbling. I have waited for Thy salvation, O Jehovah, and have done Thy commandments (Ps. 119:165-166).
“Peace” stands for heavenly blessedness, happiness, and delight, and as these are granted only with those that love to do the Lord’s commandments it is said, “Much peace have they who love Thy law.” “I have waited for Thy salvation, O Jehovah, and have done Thy commandments,” “salvation” meaning eternal life; that such are not infested by evils and falsities is signified by “with them there is no stumbling.”
sRef Isa@26 @12 S21′ [21] In Isaiah:
O Jehovah, ordain peace for us, for Thou hast wrought all our works for us (Isa. 26:12).
As peace is from Jehovah alone, that is from the Lord and in doing good from him, it is said, “O Jehovah, ordain peace for us, for Thou hast wrought all our works for us.”
sRef Isa@33 @8 S22′ sRef Isa@33 @7 S22′ [22] In the same:
The angels of peace weep bitterly; the highways are wasted, the one passing through the path hath ceased (Isa. 33:7-8).
As peace is from the Lord, and is in heaven from Him, therefore the angels are here called “angels of peace;” and as those on the earth who are in evils and in falsities therefrom have no peace, therefore it is said that they “weep bitterly,” because “the highways are wasted, the one passing through the path hath ceased;” “highways” and “a path” signifying the goods of life and the truths of faith; therefore “the highways are wasted” signifies that there are no longer goods of life, and “the one passing through the path hath ceased” signifies that there are no longer truths of faith.
sRef Isa@48 @18 S23′ sRef Isa@48 @22 S23′ [23] In the same:
O that thou hadst attended to My commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. There is no peace, saith Jehovah, unto the wicked (Isa. 48:18, 22).
Because those who live according to the Lord’s commandments have peace, and not those who do not so live, therefore it is said, “O that thou hadst attended to My commandments! then had thy peace been as a river; there is no peace unto the wicked,” “peace as a river” signifying in abundance; “righteousness as the waves of the sea” signifying the fructification of good by truths; “righteousness” in the Word is predicated of good, and “sea” of truths.
sRef Isa@54 @13 S24′ sRef Isa@54 @10 S24′ [24] In the same:
The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My mercy shall not depart from with thee, the covenant of My peace shall not be removed. All thy sons shall be taught of Jehovah; and much shall be the peace of thy sons (Isa. 54:10, 13).
This treats of a new heaven and a new church. The former heaven and the former church that were to perish are meant by “the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed;” that those who are in the new heaven and the new church will be in good from the Lord and possess heavenly joy to eternity through conjunction with the Lord is signified by, “My mercy shall not depart from with thee, and the covenant of My peace shall not be removed,” “mercy” signifying good from the Lord, and “the covenant of peace,” heavenly joy from conjunction with the Lord, “covenant” meaning conjunction; “the sons who shall be taught of Jehovah, and who shall have much peace” mean those in the new heaven and in the new church who will be in truths from good from the Lord, that they will have eternal blissfulness and happiness; “sons” in the Word signify those who are in truths from good; and that they are “taught of Jehovah” signifies that they are in truths from good from the Lord; and “much peace” signifies eternal blissfulness and happiness.
sRef Ezek@37 @26 S25′ sRef Ezek@37 @25 S25′ [25] In Ezekiel:
David shall be their prince forever; and I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be a covenant of eternity with them: and I will give them, and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them forever (Ezek. 37:25-26).
This treats of the Lord and of the creation of a new heaven and a new church from him. “David who shall be their prince forever” means the Lord; “to make a covenant of peace with them” signifies heavenly joy and eternal life to those who are conjoined to the Lord; “a covenant of peace” here, as above, meaning heavenly joy and eternal life from conjunction with the Lord; the fructification of good and the multiplication of truth therefrom are signified by “I will give them, and multiply them,” and as heaven and the church are therefrom, it is added “and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them forever,” “sanctuary” meaning heaven and the church.
sRef Mal@2 @5 S26′ sRef Mal@2 @4 S26′ sRef Mal@2 @6 S26′ [26] In Malachi:
That My covenant may be with Levi; My covenant with him was of life and peace. The law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not found in his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness (Mal. 2:4-6).
“Levi” signifies all who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor, and in the highest sense, the Lord Himself, because that good is from Him; here the Lord Himself is meant. “The covenant of life and peace” signifies the union of His Divine with His Divine Human, from which union is all life and peace. That Divine truth is from Him is signified by “the law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not found in his lips;” the unition itself which was effected in the world is meant by “he walked with Me in peace and uprightness.” (That “Levi” in the Word signifies spiritual love or charity, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4497, 4502, 4503; and that by him in the highest sense the Lord is meant, n. 3875, 3877.)
sRef Ezek@34 @27 S27′ sRef Ezek@34 @25 S27′ [27] In Ezekiel:
And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land, that they may dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. Then the tree of the field shall give its fruit, and the land shall give its produce, when I shall have broken the bonds of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those who make them to serve (Ezek. 34:25, 27).
This, too, treats of the Lord’s coming and the establishment of a new church by Him. The conjunction of those who are of the church with the Lord is signified by the “covenant of peace,” which He will then make with them; the consequent protection and security from evils and falsities is signified by, “I will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land, that they may dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods,” “the evil wild beast” signifying evils of every kind, “the wilderness where they shall dwell securely” signifying that the lusts of evil shall not infest, “the woods in which they shall sleep” signifying falsities therefrom which shall not infest. The fructification of good by truths and the multiplication of truth from good are signified by “then the tree shall give its fruit, and the land shall give its produce,” “tree of the field” signifying the knowledges of truth, “fruit” signifying good therefrom, “land” signifying the church in relation to good, thus also the good of the church, and “its produce” signifying the consequent multiplication of truth. That these things shall come to pass with them when the Lord has removed the evils and falsities pertaining to them is signified by “when I shall have broken the bonds of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those who make them to serve;” “the bonds of the yoke” meaning the delights of evil from the love of self and the world, which keep them bound, and “those who make them to serve” meaning falsities, since these make them to serve those evils.
sRef Zech@8 @12 S28′ sRef Zech@8 @16 S28′ sRef Zech@8 @19 S28′ [28] In Zechariah:
A seed of peace shall they be; the vine shall give its fruit, and the land shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. Speak ye the truth a man with his companion; judge the truth and the judgment of peace in your gates; love ye truth and peace (Zech. 8:12, 16, 19).
Those are called “a seed of peace” with whom there is the conjunction of good and truth; and because such are meant by the “seed of peace” therefore it is said, “the vine shall give its fruit, and the land its produce,” “the vine shall give its fruit” signifies that truth shall bring forth good, and “the land shall give its produce” signifies that good shall bring forth truths; for “vine” signifies the church in relation to truths, that is, the truths of the church, and “land” signifies the church in relation to good, or the good of the church, and “produce” signifies the production of truth; “the heavens which shall give their dew” signify the fructification of good and the multiplication of truth. The conjunction of truth and good is further described by “Speak ye the truth a man with his companion; judge the truth and the judgment of peace in your gates; and love ye truth and peace,” “truth” signifying what is true, “the judgment of peace” and “peace” signifying the conjunction of truth with good.
sRef Ps@85 @10 S29′ sRef Ps@85 @8 S29′ [29] In David:
Jehovah will speak peace unto His people and to His saints, that they may not turn again to folly. Mercy and truth* meet together; righteousness and peace do kiss each other (Ps. 85:8, 10).
“Jehovah will speak peace unto His people and to His saints” signifies that He will teach and give conjunction with Himself by the conjunction of good and truth with them, “peace” signifying both these conjunctions, “people” those who are in truths from good, and “saints” those who are in good by means of truths; that such thereafter will have no evil from falsity or falsity from evil is signified by “that they may not turn again to folly.” Both these conjunctions are further described by “mercy and truth meet together, righteousness and peace do kiss each other,” “mercy” here signifying removal from falsities, and the consequent possession of truths, [which makes clear the signification of “mercy and righteousness meet together,”] and “righteousness” signifying the removal from evils and the consequent possession of goods, which makes clear the signification of “righteousness and peace do kiss each other.”
sRef Isa@52 @7 S30′ [30] In Isaiah:
How joyous upon the mountains are the feet of him that proclaimeth good tidings, that maketh peace to be heard; that proclaimeth good tidings of good, that maketh salvation to be heard; that saith unto Zion, Thy King** reigneth (Isa. 52:7).
This is said of the Lord, and “peace” here signifies the Lord Himself, and thus heaven to those who are conjoined to Him; “to proclaim good tidings” signifies to preach these things; and as this conjunction is effected by love it is said, “proclaim good tidings upon the mountains” and “say unto Zion;” “mountains” signifying here, as above, the good of love to the Lord, and “Zion” signifying the church that is in that good, and the Lord is meant by “thy King who reigneth.” Because the conjunction of truth and good from conjunction with the Lord is signified by “peace” therefore it is said, “maketh peace to be heard, proclaimeth good tidings of good, maketh salvation to be heard;” “proclaiming good tidings of good” signifying conjunction with the Lord by good, and “making salvation to be heard” signifying conjunction with Him by truths and by a life according to them, for thereby is salvation.
sRef Isa@53 @5 S31′ [31] In the same:
But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His wound healing was given to us (Isa. 53:5).
This is said of the Lord, of whom this chapter evidently treats, and these words describe the temptations that He underwent in the world that He might subjugate the hells, and reduce all things there and in the heavens into order. These grievous temptations are meant by “He was pierced for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities,” and “the chastisement of our peace was upon Him;” “by His wound healing was given to us” signifies salvation by that means. Therefore “peace” here signifies heaven and eternal life to those who are conjoined with Him; for the human race could by no means be saved if the Lord had not reduced all things in the hells and in the heavens into order, and at the same time glorified His Human, and these were accomplished by temptations admitted into His Human.
sRef Jer@33 @9 S32′ sRef Jer@33 @6 S32′ [32] In Jeremiah:
Behold I will cause to go up unto them cure and healing; and I will heal them, and will reveal unto them an abundance*** of peace and truth. All the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I am about to do unto them; that they may dread and may tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I am about to do unto them (Jer. 33:6, 9).
This also is said of the Lord, that He will deliver from evils and falsities those who are in conjunction with Him. Deliverance from evils and falsities is signified by “I will cause to go up unto them cure and healing, and I will heal them;” for to be healed spiritually is to be delivered from evils and falsities, and as this is done by the Lord by means of truths it is said, “and I will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth;” “the nations of the earth” signify those who are in evils and falsities, of whom it is said that “they shall dread and shall tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I am about to do unto them.”
sRef Ps@55 @18 S33′ [33] In David:
He will redeem my soul in peace, that they come not near to me (Ps. 55:18);
“to redeem my soul in peace” signifies salvation through conjunction with the Lord, and “that they come not near to me” signifies the consequent removal of evils and falsities.
sRef Hag@2 @9 S34′ [34] In Haggai:
The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, for in this place will I give peace (Hag. 2:9).
“The house of God” signifies the church; “the former house” the church that was before the Lord’s coming; and “the latter house” the church that was after His coming; “glory” signifies the Divine truth that was in the one and the other; and “the peace that He will give in this place,” that is, in the church, means all these things that are signified by “peace” (of which above, which see).
sRef Ps@122 @6 S35′ sRef Ps@122 @8 S35′ sRef Ps@122 @9 S35′ sRef Ps@122 @7 S35′ [35] In David:
Ask for the peace of Jerusalem; let them be tranquil that love thee; peace be within thy ramparts, tranquility within thy palaces;**** for the sake of my brethren and companions I will now speak, Peace be within thee; for the sake of the house of Jehovah our God I will seek good for thee (Ps. 122:6-9).
“Jerusalem” does not mean Jerusalem, but the church in relation to doctrine and worship; “peace” means everything of doctrine and worship, for when these are from a heavenly origin, that is, out of heaven from the Lord, then they are from peace and in peace, from which is evident what is meant by “ask for the peace of Jerusalem;” and as those who are in that peace are said to be “tranquil,” it is also said, “let them be tranquil that love thee,” that is, that love the doctrine and worship of the church; “peace be within thy rampart, and tranquillity within thy palaces” signifies in the exterior and in the interior man; for the exterior man with the things that are in it, which are natural knowledges and delights, is like a rampart or fortification to the interior man, since it is without or before it and protects it; and the interior man with the things that are in it, which are spiritual truths and goods, is like a palace or house, since it is within the exterior; therefore the exterior things of a man are signified by “a rampart,” and his interior things by “palaces;” and the like is true also elsewhere in the Word; “for the sake of my brethren and companions” signifies for the sake of those who are in goods and in truths therefrom, and in a sense abstracted from persons it signifies goods and truths. (That these are meant by “brethren” and “companions” in the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10490, and above, n. 47.) “The house of Jehovah our God” signifies the church in which these things are.
sRef Ps@147 @12 S36′ sRef Ps@147 @14 S36′ [36] In the same:
Celebrate Jehovah, O Jerusalem, praise Thy name,***** O Zion who setteth thy border peace, and satisfieth thee with the fat of wheat (Ps. 147:12, 14).
“Jerusalem” and “Zion” mean the church, “Jerusalem” the church in relation to the truths of doctrine, and “Zion” the church in relation to the good of love; “the name of Jehovah, which Zion will celebrate,” signifies everything of worship from the good of love; “who setteth thy border peace,” signifies all things of heaven and the church, for “border” signifies all things of these, since in the “border,” that is, the outmost, are all things in the complex (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 634, 5897, 6239, 6451, 6465, 8603, 9215, 9216, 9824, 9828, 9836, 9905, 10044, 10099, 10329, 10335, 10548). “He satisfieth thee with the fat of wheat” signifies with all the good of love and wisdom (for “fat” signifies the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5943, 6409, 10033, and “wheat” signifies all things that are from the good of love, in particular the truths of heaven and wisdom therefrom, n. 3941, 7605).
sRef Ps@128 @6 S37′ sRef Ps@128 @5 S37′ [37] In the same:
Jehovah shall bless thee out of Zion; that thou mayest see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life; that thou mayest see the sons of thy sons, peace upon Israel (Ps. 128:5-6).
“Zion” and “Jerusalem,” here as above, signify the church in relation to the goods of love and in relation to the truths of doctrine; the words “Jehovah bless thee out of Zion” mean blessing that is from the good of love, for “Zion” signifies the church in relation to the good of love; and as from that good every good and truth of doctrine proceeds and exists, it is said “that thou mayest see the good of Jerusalem, and the sons of thy sons;” “sons of sons” signifying the truths of doctrine and their multiplication to eternity. As all things are from the Lord and through the peace which is from Him, the concluding words are, “that thou mayest see peace upon Israel,” “Israel” meaning those with whom is the church.
sRef Ps@76 @3 S38′ sRef Ps@110 @4 S38′ sRef Jer@13 @19 S38′ sRef Gen@14 @18 S38′ sRef Ps@76 @2 S38′ [38] In the same:
In Salem is the tabernacle of God, and His abode in Zion. There broke He the fiery shafts of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and war (Ps. 76:2-3).
Jerusalem is here called Salem, because “Salem” signifies peace, from which also Jerusalem was named. It was so named because “peace” signifies all those things that have been briefly mentioned above, and which may be referred to. “The tabernacle of God that is in it” signifies the church which is from these things; “His abode in Zion,” signifies the good of love, because in that the Lord dwells, and from it gives truths and makes them bear fruit and multiply; and because “peace” also signifies that there are no longer combats of evil and falsity against good and truth, that is, no dissension or war in a spiritual sense, it is said, “There broke He the fiery shafts of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and war,” which signifies the dissipation of all combat of the falsities of doctrine against good and truth, and in general the dissipation of all dissension. Moreover, from “peace”:
Jerusalem was called Shalomim (Jer. 13:19).
And on that account Melchizedek, who was the priest of God Most High, was king of Salem [peace] (Gen. 14:18);
and by him the Lord was represented; as is evident in David, where it is written:
Thou art a priest forever after the manner of Melchizedek (Ps. 110:4).
sRef Isa@66 @10 S39′ sRef Isa@66 @12 S39′ sRef Isa@66 @11 S39′ [39] In Isaiah:
Be ye glad with Jerusalem, and exult in her, all ye that love her; that ye may suck and be satisfied from the breast of her consolations, that ye may press out and be delighted from the splendor of her glory. Behold, I extend over her peace like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing brook, that ye may suck; ye shall be taken up to her side, and be caressed upon her knees (Isa. 66:10-12).
“Jerusalem,” here as above, means the church in relation to doctrine, or, what is the same, the doctrine of the church; of this it is said, “Be ye glad with Jerusalem, and exult in her, all ye that love her;” and of the doctrine it is said further “that ye may suck and be satisfied from the breast of her consolations, and may press out and be delighted from the splendor of her glory,” “breast of consolations” signifying Divine good, and “splendor of glory,” Divine truth from which is doctrine. That there will be all these in abundance from conjunction with the Lord is signified by, “Behold, I stretch out over her peace like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing brook, that ye may suck;” “peace” signifying conjunction with the Lord, “the glory of the nations” the conjunction of good and truth therefrom, “to suck” influx from the Lord, and “like a river” and “an overflowing brook” abundance. That from this are spiritual love and celestial love, by which conjunction with the Lord is effected, is signified by “ye shall be taken up to her side, and be caressed upon her knees,” “the side” signifying spiritual love, and “knees” celestial love, and “to be taken up and caressed” signifying eternal happiness from conjunction. (That the “breast” signifies spiritual love, and also “the side” or “bosom,” see above, n. 65; that “knees” signify conjugial love, and thence celestial love, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3021, 4280, 5050-5062.) That “glory” signifies Divine truth, and intelligence and wisdom therefrom, may be seen above (n. 33, 288, 345); and that “nations” signify those who are in the good of love, and in a sense abstracted from persons, the goods of love, may also be seen above (n. 175, 331); therefore “the glory of the nations” signifies genuine truth which is from the good of love, thus the conjunction of these.
sRef Isa@32 @18 S40′ sRef Isa@32 @17 S40′ [40] In the same:
The work of Jehovah****** is peace; and the labor of righteousness, quietness and security even forever; that My people may dwell in a habitation of peace, and in tabernacles of securities, and in tranquil resting places (Isa. 32:17-18).
“Peace” is called “the work of Jehovah,” because it is solely from the Lord; and everything that comes forth out of peace from the Lord with those who are in conjunction with the Lord is called “the work of Jehovah;” therefore it is said, “the work of Jehovah is peace.” The “labor of righteousness” signifies good conjoined to truth, in which is peace; for “labor” in the Word is predicated of truth, “righteousness” of good, and “quietness” of the peace therein; “security forever” signifies that thus there will be no infestation or fear from evils and falsities. This makes clear the signification of “that My people may dwell in a habitation of peace, and in tabernacles of securities, and in tranquil resting places,” namely, that they may be in heaven where the Lord is, and in the good of love and of worship therefrom, without infestation from the hells, and thus in the delights of good and the pleasantnesses of truth; “habitation of peace” meaning heaven where the Lord is; “tabernacles of securities” the goods therefrom of love and of worship without infestation by evils and falsities from hell; and “tranquil resting places” the delights of good, and the pleasantnesses of truth. (That “tents” signify the goods of love and of worship, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 414, 1102, 2145, 2152, 3312, 4391, 10545.)
sRef Isa@60 @18 S41′ sRef Isa@60 @17 S41′ [41] In the same:
For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for stones iron; I will also make thy government peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, devastation and breaking within thy borders (Isa. 60:17-18).
This chapter treats of the Lord’s coming and a new heaven and new church at that time; and these words mean that there are to be those who are spiritual, and not natural as before, that is, those who are conjoined with the Lord by the good of love; and that there shall no longer be a separation between the internal or spiritual man and the external or natural. That there are to be those who are spiritual, and not natural as before, is signified by “for brass I will bring gold, for iron silver, and for stones iron;” “brass,” “iron,” and “stones” signifying things natural, and “gold,” “silver,” and “iron” in place thereof, signifying things spiritual; “gold” spiritual good, “silver” the truth of that good, and “iron” spiritual-natural truth. That the Lord is to rule by the good of love is signified by, “I will make thy government peace, and thine exactors righteousness;” “government” signifying kingdom, “peace” the Lord, and “righteousness” good from Him. That there is no longer to be a separation between the spiritual and the natural man is signified by “violence shall no more be heard in thy land, devastation and breaking within thy borders,” “violence” signifying separation, “land” the internal spiritual man, because there the church is, which in general is signified by “land;” “devastation and breaking shall be no more” signifies that there shall no longer be evils and falsities, and “within thy borders” signifies in the natural man, for in the things in the natural man spiritual things are terminated; “devastation and breaking” signify evils and falsities, because evils devastate the natural man, and falsities break it up.
[42] As those have peace who are in the conjunction of good and truth from the Lord, and as evil destroys good, and falsity destroys truth, so do these destroy peace. From this it follows that those who are in evils and falsities have no peace. It appears as if they had peace when they have success in the world, and they even seem to themselves at such times to be in a contented state of mind; but that apparent peace is only in their extremes, while inwardly there is no peace, for they think of honor and gain without limit, and cherish in their minds cunning, deceit, enmities, hatreds, revenge, and many like things, which unknown to themselves, rend and devour the interiors of their minds, and thence also the interiors of their bodies. That this is so with them is clearly seen after death, when they come into their interiors; these delights of their minds are then turned into their contraries (as is evident from what has been shown in Heaven and Hell, n. 485-490).
sRef Ezek@13 @16 S43′ sRef Isa@59 @7 S43′ sRef Jer@25 @37 S43′ sRef Jer@25 @36 S43′ sRef Isa@57 @20 S43′ sRef Lam@3 @17 S43′ sRef Ps@120 @6 S43′ sRef Ps@120 @7 S43′ sRef Isa@59 @8 S43′ sRef Jer@8 @10 S43′ sRef Isa@57 @21 S43′ sRef Ps@38 @3 S43′ sRef Ezek@13 @10 S43′ sRef Lam@3 @15 S43′ sRef Jer@8 @11 S43′ [43] That those have peace who are in good and in truths therefrom, and that those who are in evil and in falsities therefrom have no peace, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
The wicked are like the sea driven along, when it cannot be quiet, but its waters drive along the filth and mud [;there is no peace, saith My God, to the wicked] (Isa. 57:20-21).
In the same:
Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; devastation and breaking are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their courses; they have made crooked their paths for themselves; whosoever treadeth therein doth not know peace (Isa. 59:7-8).
In David:
Too much hath My soul dwelt with the hater of peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war (Ps. 120:6-7).
In Ezekiel:
The prophets seduce My people, saying Peace, when there is no peace; and when one buildeth a wall, lo, they daub it with untempered mortar. The prophets of Israel see a vision of peace, when there is no peace (Ezek. 13:10, 16).
In Jeremiah:
All, from the least unto the greatest, pursue gain; from the prophet even unto the priest everyone doeth a lie. And they heal the breach of the daughter of My people by a word of no weight, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace (Jer. 8:10-11).
A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and a wailing of the powerful of the flock, for Jehovah devastateth their******* pasture, therefore the folds of peace are laid waste because of the glowing of Jehovah’s anger (Jer. 25:36-37).
In David:
There is no soundness in my flesh because of Thine indignation; there is no peace in my bones because of my sin (Ps. 38:3).
In Lamentations:
He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood; and my soul is removed from peace; I forgot good (Lam. 3:15, 17);
besides other passages.
aRef Ex@29 @25 S44′ aRef Ex@29 @18 S44′ aRef Ex@29 @41 S44′ [44] Since peace in its first origin is from the union in the Lord of the Divine Itself and the Divine Human, and is therefore from the Lord in His conjunction with heaven and with the church, and in the conjunction of good and truth with everyone therein, so the sabbath, which was the most holy representative of the church, was so called from rest or peace; and so also the sacrifices which were called “peace-offerings” were commanded (respecting which see Exod. 24:5; 32:6; Lev. 3:3; 4:20, 26, 31, 35; 6:12; 7:11; 14:20, 21, 33; 17:5; 19:5; Num. 6:17; Ezek. 45:15; Amos 5:22, and elsewhere); and therefore Jehovah is said:
To have smelled an odor of rest from the burnt-offering (Exod. 29:18, 25, 41; Lev. 1:9, 13, 17; 2:2, 9; 6:15, 21; 23:12, 13, 18; Num. 15:3, 7, 13; 28:6, 8, 13; 29:2, 6, 8, 13, 36);
“odor of rest” signifying the perception of peace.
* The photolithograph has “justice.”
** “King” in the photolithograph; see AE n. 405, 612; AC n. 3780; AR n. 306, 478.
*** The photolithograph has “healing.”
**** The photolithograph has “gates.”
***** See AE n. 374:12 [printed text has 365; however, that does not make any sense and 374:12 is more likely], and AC n. 2851, in which “God” occurs instead of “name.” The Hebrew is “God.”
****** The photolithograph reads “Jehovah,” as also in AR n. 306. But “justice” occurs in AC n. 3780; HH n. 287.
******* The photolithograph has “his.” See AC n. 2240; AR n. 885.

sRef Rev@6 @4 S0′ 366. That they should slay one another, signifies the falsification or extinction of truths. This is evident from the signification of “slaying,” as meaning the extinction of truths; for “to slay” in the Word signifies to slay spiritually, that is, to slay the spiritual part of a man or his soul, which is to extinguish truths. It also means to falsify, because when truths are falsified they are also extinguished; for falsification produces a different understanding of truths, and truth is true to everyone according to his understanding of it; for the love and principle that rule in man draw and apply all things to themselves, even truths themselves; consequently when the love is evil, or the principle is false, then truths are infected with the evil of the love or the falsity of the principle, and thus are extinguished. This, therefore, is what is here signified by “they should slay one another.” That this takes place when there is no good with man, and especially when there is no good in the doctrine of his church, is evident from the preceding words, where it is said, “When he had opened the second seal there went forth a red horse; and to him that sat upon him it was given to take peace from the earth;” which signifies a second state of the church when the understanding of the Word is destroyed in respect to good, which is the source of dissensions in the church (of which see above, n. 361, 364, 365).
[2] That the understanding of the Word, or what is the same, the understanding of the truth, is destroyed when there is no good with man, that is, when there is no love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor, may be seen above (n. 365); for good with man, or what is the same, love with him, is the fire of his life, and truth with him, or the faith of truth, is the light therefrom; consequently such as the good is, or such as the love is in man, such is truth, or such the faith of truth in him. From this it can be seen that when evil or an evil love is with man there can be no truth or faith of truth with him; for the light that goes forth from such fire is the light that those have who are in hell, which is a fatuous light like the light from burning coals, which light, when light from heaven flows in, is turned into mere thick darkness. Such also is the light that with the evil, when they reason against the things of the church, is called natural light [lumen].
sRef Luke@21 @16 S3′ sRef Matt@10 @21 S3′ [3] That they would falsify and thereby extinguish truths is meant also by the Lord’s words in Matthew:
Jesus said to the disciples, The brother shall deliver up the brother, the father the son; children shall rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death (Matt. 10:21).
And in Luke:
Ye shall be delivered up by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death (Luke 21:16).
“Parents,” “brethren,” “children,” [“kinsfolk,”] and “friends,” do not mean here parents, brethren, children, kinsfolk, friends, nor do “disciples” mean disciples, but the goods and truths of the church, also evils and falsities; it is also meant that evils would extinguish goods and falsities truths. (That such is the signification of these words, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10490.)

sRef Rev@6 @4 S0′ 367. And to him was given a great sword, signifies by means of falsities. This is evident from the signification of “sword” [machaera seu gladius], as being truth fighting against falsity; and in a contrary sense, falsity fighting against truth and the destruction of truth (see above, n. 131); here it means falsity fighting against truth and destroying it; for it is said just before “that they should slay one another,” which signifies the falsification and extinction of truths. In the Word “sword,” “short sword,” and “long sword,” are mentioned; and “sword” signifies spiritual combat in general; “short sword” the combat of truth from good or of falsity from evil; and “long sword” the combat of truth from doctrine against falsity, or of falsity from doctrine against truth; for a “short sword” is for the arm, and the “long sword” is said to go forth out of the mouth (as in Rev. 1:16; 2:12, 16; 19:15, 21).

sRef Rev@6 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@6 @6 S0′ 368. Verses 5-6. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third animal saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold, a black horse; and he that sat upon him had a balance in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four animals saying, A measure of wheat for a denarius, and three measures of barley for a denarius; and the oil and the wine hurt thou not. 5. “And when he had opened the third seal,” signifies prediction respecting the state that next follows with those who are of the church where the Word is (n. 369); “I heard the third animal saying,” signifies out of the inmost heaven from the Lord (n. 370); “Come and see,” signifies attention and perception (n. 371); “and behold, a black horse,” signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to truth (n. 372); “and he that sat upon him had a balance in his hand,” signifies the estimation of truth from the Word in that state of the church (n. 373). 6. “A measure of wheat for a denarius, and three measures of barley for a denarius,” signifies that the genuine good of the church, as well as the genuine truth of the church, is of no account to them (n. 374; “and the oil and the wine hurt thou not” signifies that it is provided that the internal or spiritual sense of the Word should suffer no harm either in respect to good or in respect to truth (n. 375, 376).

sRef Rev@6 @5 S0′ 369. Verse 5. And when he had opened the third seal, signifies prediction respecting the state that next follows with those who are of the church where the Word is. This is evident from what has been said above (n. 351, 352, 361); for this and the following chapter treat of the state of the Christian Church, or the church where the Word is, from its beginning to its end, or from the time of the Lord down to the Last Judgment. For the new church that is called the Christian Church, and that was begun by the Lord when He was in the world, and afterwards propagated, has successively decreased down to this time, which is its last time, in which is the judgment. Predictions respecting these successive states of the church are here brought forth, as from a book, by various representatives; but it is to be known that such predictions were not seen and read in a book when its seals were opened, but were made manifest through the heavens from the Lord before the angels of the inmost heaven; and were represented in the ultimates of heaven by such things as are related in this chapter, namely, by horses of various colors, and afterwards by earthquakes, by the darkenings of the sun and moon, and by the falling of the stars to the earth.
[2] These, however, were appearances before the angels of the ultimate heaven, signifying such things as were heard and perceived in the inmost heaven where there were not such appearances; for whatever is heard, thought, and perceived in the inmost heaven from the Lord, when it descends through the middle heaven to the ultimate, is turned into such appearances. In this way are the arcana of Divine wisdom made known before the angels of the ultimate heaven. Those there who are intelligent perceive these arcana by the correspondences; but the lowest of them do not perceive, but only know that there are arcana therein, nor do they inquire further; John was with these when “in the spirit” or in vision. This has been said to make known how the Word was written, namely, from such things as were seen and heard in the ultimates of heaven, thus by pure correspondences and representatives, in each one of which lie concealed innumerable and ineffable arcana of Divine wisdom.

sRef Rev@6 @5 S0′ 370. I heard the third animal, saying, signifies out of the inmost heaven from the Lord. This is evident from what has been said above (n. 353, 362), where there are like words. The four animals or four cherubim spoke one after another because the things they said correspond by opposites; for the first cherub “was like a lion,” the second “like a calf,” the third “had a face like a man,” and the fourth “was like a flying eagle;” and a “lion” signifies power (see above, n. 278); a “calf” signifies good (n. 279); a “man” wisdom (n. 280); and an “eagle” intelligence (n. 281); consequently when the first animal, which was like a lion, spoke, the first state of those who are of the church is described, that in that state there then was combat from Divine truth (see above, n. 355-359), for “a lion” signifies the power that belongs to Divine truth.
When the second animal, which was like a calf, spoke, the second state of those who are of the church is described, namely, that good was destroyed (see n. 361-367), for a “calf” signifies the good of the church. When the third animal spoke, which had a face like a man, the third state of those who are of the church is described, which was that there was no longer any truth because there was no good, consequently that there was no longer any wisdom, for all wisdom is of truth from good, and wisdom is signified by “man.” And when the fourth animal, which was like a flying eagle, spoke, the fourth state of those who are of the church is described, namely, that they were in evils and in falsities therefrom, thus in no intelligence, for intelligence is signified by “an eagle.” From this it is clear that the four animals spoke in order according to correspondences, but from opposites.

sRef Rev@6 @5 S0′ sRef John@17 @10 S0′ 371. Come and see, signifies attention and perception, as is evident from what was explained above where there are like words (n. 354).

sRef Rev@6 @5 S0′ 372. And behold, a black horse, signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to truth. This is evident from the signification of “horse,” as being the understanding (see above, n. 355); also from the signification of “black,” as being what is not true; thus “a black horse” signifies the understanding destroyed in respect to truth. “Black” signifies what is not true, because “white” signifies what is true. That “white” is predicated of truth and signifies it, may be seen above (n. 196). “White” is predicated of truth and signifies it, because white has its origin in the brightness of light, and “light” signifies truth; and “black” is predicated of what is not true and signifies it, because black has its origin in darkness, that is, from the privation of light; and because darkness exists from the privation of light it signifies the ignorance of truth. That “a black horse” here signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to truth, is evident from the signification of “the red horse” (treated of above), as being the understanding destroyed in respect to good. Moreover, in the church, in process of time, good first perishes and afterwards truth, and at length evil succeeds in place of good, and falsity in place of truth. This last state of the church is meant by “the pale horse” (of which presently).
sRef Micah@3 @6 S2′ [2] That “black” signifies what is not true is evident also from other passages in the Word, where it is mentioned. As in Micah:
It shall be night unto you for vision; and darkness shall arise to you for divination; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall grow black over them (Micah 3:6).
The “prophets” here treated of signify those who are in the truths of doctrine, and in a sense abstracted from persons, the truths of doctrine; that those meant by “prophets” would see evils and would divine falsities is signified by “it shall be night unto you for vision, and darkness shall arise to you for divination;” that they would know neither good nor truth is signified by “the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall grow black over them;” “sun” signifying the good of love, and day” the truth of faith, and “to grow black” signifying not seen or known.
sRef Ezek@32 @7 S3′ sRef Joel@2 @10 S3′ sRef Rev@6 @12 S3′ [3] In Ezekiel:
But when I shall have extinguished thee, I will cover the heavens, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not make her light to shine (Ezek. 32:7).
This is said of Pharaoh king of Egypt, by whom is signified the knowing faculty applied to falsities, which is done when the natural man from things known enters into things spiritual instead of the reverse; because this is contrary to order, falsities are seized upon and confirmed as truths; that then nothing flows in from heaven is signified by “I will cover the heavens;” and that there are then no knowledges of truth is signified by “I will make the stars thereof dark,” “stars” meaning knowledges of truth; that there is consequently no good of love nor truth of faith is signified by “I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not make her light to shine,” “sun” signifying the good of love, and “moon” the truth of faith. (That this is the signification of “sun” and “moon,” see Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125.)
“Sun,” “moon,” and “stars,” have a like signification in Joel:
The earth was moved before him; the heavens trembled; the sun and moon were blackened, and the stars withdrew their shining (Joel 2:10; 3:15).
Likewise in Revelation:
The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood (Rev. 6:12).
What these things signify in particular will be seen in what follows.
sRef Ezek@31 @15 S4′ [4] In Ezekiel:
In the day when he shall go down into hell, and I will cover the abyss over him, and I will withhold the rivers thereof, that the great waters may be held back, and I will make Lebanon black for him, and all the trees of the field shall faint for him (Ezek. 31:15).
This is said of “Assyria,” which is here compared to a cedar. “Assyria” here signifies reasoning about the truths of the church from self-intelligence, and “cedar” the truth of the spiritual church; that by such reasoning all knowledges of truth, and with them all truths that savor of good and have their essence from good, would be destroyed is signified by all these words; the “abyss which is covered over him,” and the “rivers that were withheld,” mean the knowledges of truth and intelligence therefrom, the “abyss” or “sea” signifying the knowing and the cognizing faculties in general that are in the natural man, and “rivers” signifying the things that pertain to intelligence; the “great waters that shall be held back,” signify the truths which savor of good and derive their essence from good, “waters” mean truths, and “great” in the Word is predicated of good.
That “Lebanon was made black over him, and the trees fainted for him,” signifies that there will be no longer any truths of the church, and with its knowledges there will be no perception of truth; for “Lebanon,” in like manner as “cedar,” signifies the church in respect to truths, thus also the truths of the church; and “trees of the field” signify the church in respect to the knowledges of truth, thus also the knowledges of truth of the church, “trees” meaning the knowledges themselves, and “field” the church; from this it is clear that “to make Lebanon black” signifies that there are no longer any truths of the church.
sRef Lam@4 @7 S5′ sRef Lam@4 @8 S5′ [5] In Lamentations:
The Nazarites were whiter than snow, they were brighter than milk. Their form is more dark than blackness; they are not known in the streets (Lam. 4:7-8).
No one can know what this signifies unless he knows what the Nazarites represented. “The Nazarites” represented the Lord in respect to the celestial Divine; and as all the statutes of the church at that time represented such things as belong to heaven and the church, thus to the Lord, for all things of heaven and the church are from the Lord, and as the Nazariteship was the chief representative of the Lord, these words signify that every representative of the Lord had perished. A genuine representative of the Lord is described by “the Nazarites were whiter than snow, and brighter than milk,” which signifies a representative of Divine truth and Divine good in its perfection; for “white” is predicated of truth, in like manner “snow,” and “brightness” of the good of truth, in like manner “milk.” That every representative of Divine truth had perished is described by “their form is darker than blackness, they are not known in the streets,” “form” signifying the quality of truth, “blackness” signifying its no longer appearing, “streets” signifying the truths of doctrine, and “not to be known in them” signifying not to be recognized by genuine truths. What is further signified by “Nazarites” will be told elsewhere.
sRef Jer@4 @27 S6′ sRef Jer@4 @28 S6′ [6] In Jeremiah:
The whole land shall be a waste; but I will not make a consummation. For this shall the land mourn, and the heavens above shall be blackened (Jer. 4:27-28).
“The whole land shall be a waste” signifies that good and truth in the church shall perish, “land” meaning the church; “yet I will not make a consummation” signifies that something of good and truth will still remain; “for this shall the land mourn” signifies the consequent feebleness of the church; “the heavens above shall be blackened” signifies that there will be no influx of good and truth from the Lord through heaven; for the heavens are said to be “blackened” when no affection or perception of truth flows in from the Lord through heaven. Since in the churches before the Lord’s coming, which were representative churches, mourning represented spiritual grief of mind on account of the absence of truth and good, for they mourned when oppressed by an enemy, on the death of a father or mother, and for like things, and oppression by an enemy signified oppression by evils from hell, and father and mother signified the church in respect to good and in respect to truth, because with them these things were represented by mourning, they at such times went in black.
sRef Jer@14 @2 S7′ sRef Jer@8 @21 S7′ sRef Ps@35 @14 S7′ sRef Ps@42 @9 S7′ sRef Ps@38 @6 S7′ sRef Jer@14 @3 S7′ sRef Mal@3 @14 S7′ [7] As in David:
I say unto God my rock, why hast Thou forgotten me? Why shall I go in black because of the oppression of the enemy (Ps. 42:9; 43:2)?
In the same:
I bowed myself in black as bewailing a mother (Ps. 35:14).
In the same:
I was bent, I was bowed down exceedingly; I have gone in black all the day (Ps. 38:6).
In Malachi:
Ye have said, What profit is it that we walk in black before Jehovah? (Mal. 3:14).
In Jeremiah:
For the breach of the daughter of my people I am broken down; I am made black (Jer. 8:21);
“daughter of the people” signifying the church. In Jeremiah:
Judah hath mourned, and her gates have been made to languish, they are made black even to the earth; and the cry of Jerusalem hath gone up; for their nobles sent their little ones for water, they came to the pits and found no waters, their vessels return empty (Jer. 14:2-3).
That “to be made black” signifies spiritual grief of mind because of the absence of truth in the church is evident from the particulars here in the internal sense; for “Judah” signifies the church in respect to the affection of good; and “Jerusalem” the church in respect to the doctrine of truth; “gates” signify admission to the church. That there were no longer any truths is described by “the nobles sent their little ones for water, they came to the pits and found no waters, their vessels return empty,” “waters” signifying truths, and “pits” the things that contain, which are the doctrinals from the Word and the Word itself, and in these truths are no longer seen. From this it can be seen that “black” [nigrum] and “black” [atrum] in the Word signify the absence of truth; and “darkness,” “clouds,” “obscurity,” and many things from which blackness arises have a like signification. As in Joel:
A day of darkness and of thick darkness, a day of cloud and of obscurity (Joel 2:2);
and in other passages.

sRef Rev@6 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@6 @6 S0′ 373. And he that sat upon him had a balance in his hand, signifies the estimation of truth from the Word in that state of the church. This is evident from the signification of “he that sat upon the horse,” as being the Word (see above, n. 355, 356, 365); also from the signification of “balance in his hand,” as being the estimation of truth from the Word; for all measures and weights mentioned in the Word, signify the estimation of the thing treated of in respect to good and in respect to truth, the numbers adjoined determining the estimation in respect to the quality and quantity thereof; as here “a measure of wheat for a denarius, and three measures of barley for a denarius” (of which presently).
There were many measures in the representative church, as the omer, the homer, the ephah, the bath, the hin (about which see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10262); and besides there were balances and scales, by which weighings and balancings were made, and these in a particular sense signified the estimations of anything in respect to truth. For this reason also the weights of the scales were stones, or made of stones, “stones” in the Word signifying truths. That the weights were stones, or made of stone, appears from Lev. 19:36; Deut. 25:13; 2 Sam. 14:26; Isa. 34:11; Zech. 4:10. (That “stones” in the Word signify truths, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 643, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376.) Here, therefore, “a balance in the hand of him that sat upon the black horse” signifies the estimation of truth from the Word.
sRef Rev@19 @13 S2′ [2] It has been shown above that “he that sat upon the horses”-the white, the red, the black, and the pale horse-signifies the Word, and the “horses,” according to their colors, signify the understanding of the Word, “the red horse” the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to good, and “the black horse” the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to truth. But as it is difficult to comprehend that “he that sat upon the horses” signifies the Word, in consequence of the red and the black horses signifying the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to good, and in respect to truth, it shall be explained how it is. The Word in itself is Divine truth, but the understanding of it is according to the state of the man who reads it. A man who is not in good perceives nothing of the good in it, and a man who is not in truths sees nothing of the truth in it; the cause of this, therefore, is not in the Word, but in him who reads it. This makes clear that “he that sat upon the horses” signifies the Word, although the horses themselves signify the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to good and in respect to truth. That “he that sat upon the white horse” signifies the Word is plainly evident in Revelation, where it is said:
The name of the one sitting upon that horse is called the Word of God (Rev. 19:13).
sRef Dan@5 @26 S3′ sRef Dan@5 @24 S3′ sRef Dan@5 @28 S3′ sRef Dan@5 @25 S3′ sRef Dan@5 @27 S3′ [3] That “a balance” or “scales” signify estimation, and also a just arrangement, which is effected by truths, is evident in Daniel:
A writing appeared upon the wall before Belshazzar the king of Babylon when he was drinking out of the vessels of gold and silver belonging to the temple of Jerusalem. Mene, Mene, Tekel, Perezin, that is, numbered, numbered, weighed, divided. This is the interpretation of these words: Mene, God hath numbered thy kingdom and brought it to an end. Tekel, Thou art weighed in the balance and art found wanting. Peres, Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Mede and the Persian (Dan. 5:25-28).
This history describes in the internal sense the profanation of good and truth, which is signified by “Babylon,” for Belshazzar was king in Babylon, and a “king” in the Word signifies the same as the nation or kingdom itself over which he reigns. The profanation of the good and truth of the church is signified by “his drinking out of the vessels of gold and silver belonging to the temple at Jerusalem, and at the same time praising the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone” (verses 3 and 4). “The gold and silver vessels belonging to the temple at Jerusalem,” signify the good and truth of heaven and the church, “gold” meaning good, and “silver” truth; and “praising the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone,” signifies idolatrous worship of every kind, thus external worship without any internal, such as is with those who are meant by Babylon. That there is no church at all with such, because there is nothing of the good and nothing of the truth of the church in them, is signified by the writing from heaven; for “numbered, numbered,” signifies exploration in respect to good and in respect to truth; “weighed in the balance,” signifies estimation in accordance with their quality, and judgment; “divided,” signifies dispersion and expulsion from the good and truth of the church and separation therefrom; and “kingdom” signifies the church; from which it is clear that “weighed in the scale or balance,” signifies estimation in accordance with their quality. (That “to divide” signifies to disperse, to expel, and to separate from good and truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4424, 6360, 6361, 9093.) “Kingdom” means the church, because the Lord’s kingdom is where the church is, therefore those who are of the church are called “sons of the kingdom” (Matt. 8:12; 13:38).
sRef Isa@40 @12 S4′ [4] In Isaiah:
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out the heavens with a span, and embraced the dust of the earth in a measure [of three fingers]; and weighed the mountains in a balance, and the hills in scales? (Isa. 40:12).
These measures describe the just arrangement and estimation of all things in heaven and in the church according to the quality of good and truth. The measures here are, “the hollow of the hand,” “the span of the hand,” “the measure [of three fingers],” “the balance” and “the scales:” “waters” signify truths; “the heavens” interior or spiritual truths and goods; “the dust of the earth” exterior or natural truths and goods, both of heaven and of the church; “mountains” the goods of love; “hills” the goods of charity; and “to weigh” means to estimate and arrange in accordance with their quality. That such is the signification of these words, no one can see except from a knowledge of correspondences.
sRef Lev@19 @36 S5′ sRef Lev@19 @35 S5′ [5] As a just estimation and exploration of good and truth are signified in the Word by “measures,” it was commanded that the measures should be just, with no fraud about them. In Moses:
Ye shall not do perversity in judgment, in measure, in weight, or in dimension. Just balances, just stones, a just ephah, and a just hin shall ye have (Lev. 19:35-36).
So justice, where it means the estimation and exploration of men in accordance with the quality of good and truth in them, is everywhere in the Word expressed by scales and balances of various kinds, and by “ephahs,” “omers,” “homers,” “seas,” “hins” (as in Job 6:2; 31:6); and injustice is expressed by “scales and balances of fraud and deceit” (as in Hosea 12:7; Amos 8:5; Micah 6:11).

sRef Rev@6 @6 S0′ 374. Verse 6. A measure of wheat for a denarius, and three measures of barley for a denarius, signifies that the genuine good of the church, as also the genuine truth of the church, is of no account to them. This is evident from the signification of “measure” [choenix] (which was the Greek measure for wheat and barley), as being the quality of estimation, for “measures” in the Word (as was said in the article above), signify the quality of a thing in respect to good and in respect to truth. It is evident also from the signification of “wheat,” as being the good of the church in general (of which presently); also from the signification of “barley,” as being the truth of that good (of which presently); and from the signification of “a denarius,” the standard of estimation, as being as of no account. Because this was the smallest coin, it signifies the least worth, but here as of no account. The reason for this is that “the red horse” (mentioned above), signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to good, and “the black horse” the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to truth (see above, n. 364, 372); and when the understanding of the Word in respect to good and in respect to truth has been destroyed, then the genuine good and the genuine truth of the church are estimated as of no account. The “denarius” is here taken as the standard of estimation, because some piece of money must be taken that some price may be expressed in the sense of the letter, since it is said that “a balance was in the hand of him that sat upon the horse,” and that “the wheat and the barley were measured;” consequently the smallest coin of all was taken as the standard of the estimation of the price; and as there was no longer any understanding of the Word in respect to good and in respect to truth, a “denarius” in the spiritual sense here signifies as of no account.
[2] It is said, “a measure of wheat and three measures of barley,” because “one” is predicated of good, and “three” of truths; and “one,” when predicated of good, signifies what is perfect, thus also what is genuine; and “three,” when predicated of truths, signifies what is full, thus also what is genuine; consequently “a measure of wheat and three measures of barley” signify the genuine good and the genuine truth of the church. “Wheat” signifies good, and “barley” its truth, because all things belonging to the field signify the things that belong to the church; and things belonging to the field, as crops of various kinds, serve for food; and things for food and for the nourishment of the body signify in the spiritual sense such things as nourish the soul or mind, all of which have relation to the good of love and the truth of faith; thus especially wheat and barley, because bread is made from them. (That foods of every kind signify spiritual food, thus the things of knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom, consequently the good and truth from which these are, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3114, 4459, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5410, 5426, 5576, 5582, 5588, 5655, 5915, 8408, 8562, 9003. Of “bread” in general, see the work on The New Jerusalem, n. 218; that “field” signifies the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2971, 3766, 9139.)
That “wheat” and “barley” have such a signification is from correspondence, as is evident from the things that appear in the spiritual world, where all appearances are correspondences. There plains, fields, crops of various kinds, and also bread appear; from this is the knowledge that they are correspondences, and consequently that they have significations according to correspondences.
sRef Jer@31 @11 S3′ sRef Jer@31 @10 S3′ sRef Jer@31 @12 S3′ [3] That “wheat” and “barley” signify the good and truth of the church, “wheat” its good, and “barley” its truth, can be seen also from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned, as from the following. In Jeremiah:
Jehovah, who hath dispersed Israel, will bring him together and will keep him as a shepherd doth his drove; for Jehovah hath ransomed Jacob, and hath redeemed him out of the hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore shall they come and sing aloud in the height of Zion, and shall flow together unto the good of Jehovah, to the wheat, to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the sons of the flock, and of the herd; and their soul shall become as a watered garden (Jer. 31:10-12).
This treats of the establishment of a new church; “Israel” and “Jacob” signify that church, “Israel” the internal spiritual church, and “Jacob” the external; for every church is internal and external. Its establishment is described by “Jehovah will bring him together and will keep him as a shepherd doth his drove, for He hath ransomed Jacob, and hath redeemed him out of the hand of him that was stronger than he;” “to redeem” signifies to reform (see above, n. 328); “out of the hand of him that was stronger than he” signifies out of evil and falsity, which before had possession; the internal joy or joy of heart arising from celestial good and truths therefrom that such have, is signified by “therefore shall they come and sing aloud in the height of Zion, and shall flow together unto the good of Jehovah, to the wheat, to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the sons of the flock and of the herd,” “to sing in the height of Zion” signifying internal celestial joy, or such as is in the Lord’s celestial kingdom, “to sing aloud” meaning that joy (see above, n. 326), “height” what is internal, and “Zion” the celestial kingdom; “wheat” signifies the good of the natural man, “new wine” its truth; “oil” the good of the spiritual man, “the sons of the flock” spiritual truths, and “the sons of the herd” natural truths; because these are what are signified they are called “the good of Jehovah.” That such have intelligence and wisdom from this source is signified by “their soul shall become as a watered garden,” for “garden” in the Word signifies intelligence, and “watered” continual growth. “Wheat,” “new wine,” “oil,” “the sons of a flock and of the herd,” are plainly not here meant, for it is said, “Jehovah hath ransomed Jacob, and their soul shall become as a watered garden.”
sRef Joel@1 @11 S4′ sRef Joel@1 @12 S4′ sRef Joel@1 @10 S4′ [4] In Joel:
The field was devastated, the ground mourned; for the corn was devastated, the new wine was dried up, the oil languished. The husbandmen were ashamed, the vine-dressers howled for the wheat and for the barley, because the harvest of the field hath perished (Joel 1:10, 11).
This is not said of a field and its barrenness, but of the church and its vastation; therefore “field,” “ground,” “corn,” “new wine,” and “oil” do not mean these things themselves, but “field” and “ground” mean the church, “field” the church in relation to the reception and bringing forth of truth and good, and “ground” the church in respect to the nation that is in it; “corn” means good of every kind in the external man; “new wine” the truth also therein; “oil” the good in the internal man; “the husbandmen that were ashamed,” and “the vine-dressers that howled for the wheat and for the barley” signify those who are of the church, “wheat” and “barley” signifying the good and truth of the church; and “the harvest of the field that thus perished” signifying all worship from good and truth.
sRef Jer@12 @13 S5′ sRef Jer@12 @12 S5′ [5] In Jeremiah:
Upon all the heights in the wilderness the devastators have come; because the sword of Jehovah devoureth from the end of the land even to the end of the land; no flesh hath peace. They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns (Jer. 12:12-13).
This, too is said of the church and its vastation; “the heights in the wilderness upon which the devastators have come” signify that every good of charity has perished through evils and falsities, “heights” in the Word signifying where there is the good of charity, and in an abstract sense that good itself, “wilderness” signifies where there is no good because no truth, and “devastators” signify the evils and falsities through which good and truth perish; “the sword of Jehovah devoureth from the end of the land even to the end of the land” signifies falsity destroying all things of the church, “the sword devouring” meaning falsity destroying, and “from the end of the land even to the end of the land” signifying all things of the church; “no flesh hath peace” signifies that there is no longer internal rest, because of the dominion of evil and falsity; “they have sown wheat and have reaped thorns” signifies that instead of the goods of truth there are the evils of falsity, “wheat” meaning the goods of truth, and “thorns” the evils of falsity.
sRef Jer@41 @1 S6′ sRef Jer@41 @8 S6′ sRef Jer@41 @2 S6′ sRef Jer@41 @7 S6′ sRef Jer@41 @4 S6′ sRef Jer@41 @5 S6′ sRef Jer@41 @3 S6′ sRef Jer@41 @6 S6′ [6] In the same:
Ishmael, who was of the seed of the kingdom, slew Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land, and all the Jews who were with him, and the Chaldeans, also the men from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria; but ten men were found among them who said unto Ishmael, Put us not to death, for we have things hid in the field, wheat and barley, and oil and honey. So he forbare, and put them not to death (Jer. 41:1-8).
These historical statements describe, in the internal sense, the damnation of those who profane holy things; for “Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon appointed over the land,” and “the Jews who were with him,” and “the Chaldeans,” and “the men from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria,” mean those who profane, and in the abstract sense, profanations of every kind, “the king of Babylon” signifying the profanation of good and truth. Their damnation is signified by their being put to death, for “to be put to death” signifies to be slain spiritually (see n. 315); but “the ten men who said to Ishmael, put us not to death for we have things hid in the field, wheat and barley, and oil and honey,” mean those who have not profaned the holy things of the church, because inwardly they have good and truth; for those who profane have nothing of good and truth inwardly, but only outwardly when they speak and preach, while those who do not profane have good and truth inwardly; this is meant by their saying that “they have things hid in the field, wheat, barley, oil, and honey,” “wheat and barley” signifying the goods and truths of the external man, “oil” the good of the internal man, and “honey” the delight thereof; “ten men” signify all who are such, “ten” signifying all persons and all things; that “he forbare and put them not to death” signifies that they were not profane, thus not damned; “Ishmael” represents those who are in the genuine truths of the church, which is also signified by “the seed of the kingdom,” of which he was. Such are the things involved in this history, the histories in the Word equally with the prophecies having an internal sense.
sRef Deut@8 @8 S7′ sRef Deut@8 @7 S7′ [7] In Moses:
Jehovah thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths going forth in valley and mountain; a land of wheat and barley, and of vine, and fig-tree, and pomegranate; a land of oil olive and honey (Deut. 8:7-8).
In the sense of the letter this is a description of the land of Canaan, but in the spiritual sense the Lord’s church is described, since this is meant in that sense by “the land of Canaan;” and all kinds of good and truth pertaining to the church are enumerated. The land is called “a land of brooks of water,” because “brooks of water” signify the doctrinals of truth; “fountains and depths going forth in valley and mountain” signify interior and exterior truths from the Word, “fountains,” interior truths therefrom, and “depths” exterior truths. The latter are said to go forth “out of the valley,” because “a valley” signifies what is lower and exterior, where such truths are; and the former are said “to go forth out of the mountain,” because a “mountain” signifies what is higher and interior, where truths of that kind are; “a land of wheat and barley, and of vine and fig-tree, and pomegranate,” signifies the church in respect to good and truth of every kind, “wheat and barley” signifying good and truth from a celestial origin, “vine and fig-tree” good and truth from a spiritual origin, and “pomegranate” knowledges of good and truth; and “a land of oil olive and honey” signifies the church in respect to the good of love and its enjoyment. One who does not know the spiritual sense of the Word believes no otherwise than that this merely describes the land of Canaan; but in that case the Word would be merely natural, and not spiritual, and yet the Word everywhere is in its bosom spiritual, and it is spiritual when by these words are understood the spiritual things they signify, namely, goods and truths of every kind. (But what “brooks,” “fountains,” “depths,” “valley,” “mountain,” “vine,” “fig-tree,” “pomegranate,” “olive,” “oil” and “honey” signify is shown in Arcana Coelestia, all of which would be too extended to cite here; but many of these things have been shown and will be shown in this explanation of Revelation, and these may be consulted in their places.)
sRef Job@31 @40 S8′ sRef Job@31 @39 S8′ [8] In Job:
If I have eaten the strength (of the earth) without silver, and have made the soul of its [masters] to expire, let the thorn come forth instead of wheat, and the wild vine instead of barley (Job 31:39-40).
“To eat the strength of the earth without silver” signifies to appropriate to oneself the good of the church without the truth, “earth” meaning the church, and “silver” truth; and “to make the soul of its [masters] to expire” signifies thus to empty out the spiritual life; “let the thorn come forth instead of wheat, and the wild vine instead of barley” signifies that evil will be held for good, and falsity for truth, “wheat” meaning good, “thorn” evil, “barley” truth, and “wild vine” falsity; for good can be acquired only by means of truths.
sRef Isa@28 @24 S9′ sRef Isa@28 @25 S9′ sRef Isa@28 @26 S9′ sRef Isa@28 @22 S9′ [9] In Isaiah:
I have heard a consummation and decision from the Lord Jehovih of Hosts upon the whole earth. Will the ploughman plough all day for sowing? will he open and harrow his ground? when he hath made plain the faces thereof doth he not scatter the fennel? and doth he not put in the measured wheat and the appointed barley and the appointed spelt? Thus doth he chasten him for judgment, his God doth instruct him (Isa. 28:22, 24-26).
This in the spiritual sense describes the total destruction of the church with the Jewish and Israelitish nation, and teaches that it is of no avail to learn and know the Word except for the purpose of applying its good and truth to the use of life; from this source and no other is intelligence from the Lord. That the church with that nation was wholly destroyed is meant by “I have heard a consummation and decision from the Lord Jehovih of Hosts upon the whole earth,” “consummation and decision” meaning the complete destruction, and “the whole earth,” the whole church, that is, every thing of it; that it is of no avail to learn and know the Word is signified by “will the ploughman plough all day for sowing? Will he open and harrow his ground?” “to plough for sowing” meaning to learn, and “to harrow the ground” meaning to deposit in the memory. That the good and truth of the Word should be applied to the use of life is signified by “when he hath made plain the faces thereof, doth he not scatter the fennel, and put in the measured wheat and the appointed barley and the appointed spelt?” “When he hath made plain the faces of the ground he scattereth the fennel” signifies when there is preparation by the Word; “the measured wheat and the appointed barley and the appointed spelt” signify the application of good and truth to the use of life, “wheat” meaning good, “barley” truth, and “spelt” knowledges; and that from this source and no other is intelligence from the Lord is signified by “thus doth he chasten for judgment, his God doth instruct him,” “judgment” signifying intelligence, and “his God doth instruct him” signifying that it is from the Lord.
sRef Deut@32 @14 S10′ sRef Deut@32 @13 S10′ [10] In Moses:
Jehovah made him ride upon the high places of the earth, and fed him with the increase of the fields; He made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock; butter of the herd and milk of the flock, with the fat of lambs, and of rams, the sons of Bashan, and of he-goats, with the fat of the kidneys of wheat; and thou drinkest the blood of grapes, unmixed wine (Deut. 32:13-14).
This is said of the Ancient Church established by the Lord after the flood, which was in intelligence and wisdom, because it was in the good of charity and in the faith therefrom. This intelligence and wisdom from the Lord is signified by “Jehovah made him to ride upon the high places of the earth, and fed him with the increase of the fields;” the celestial and spiritual goods that they received through truths are described by “He made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock; butter of the herd and milk of the flock, with the fat of lambs, and of rams, the sons of Bashan, and of he-goats, with the fat of the kidneys of wheat; and thou drinkest the blood of grapes, unmixed wine,” “wheat” signifying here in a general sense all good, and “blood of grapes” and “unmixed wine” all truth therefrom.
sRef Ps@81 @16 S11′ sRef Ps@81 @13 S11′ [11] In David:
O that My people would hearken unto Me, and Israel would walk in My ways! I would feed* them with the fat of wheat; and with honey out of the rock I would satisfy them (Ps. 81:13, 16).
“Fat of wheat,” and “honey out of the rock with which they would be fed and satisfied” signify good of every kind from celestial good and enjoyment thereof from the Lord; for “fat” signifies celestial good, “wheat” good of every kind, “honey” the enjoyment of good, and “rock” the Lord. That those who live according to the Lord’s commandments will possess these things is meant by “O that My people would hearken unto me, and Israel would walk in My ways!” “Ways” in the Word signifying truths and also commandments, and “to walk” signifying to live.
[12] In the same:
Celebrate Jehovah, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. For He strengtheneth the bars of thy gates, He blesseth thy sons in the midst of thee. He maketh thy border peace, and satisfieth thee with the fat of wheat (Ps. 147:12-14).
“Jerusalem” and “Zion” mean the church; “Jerusalem” the church in respect to the truths of doctrine, and “Zion” the church in respect to the goods of love; “He maketh thy border peace” signifies all things of heaven and the church, for “border” signifies all these things; “He satisfieth thee with the fat of wheat” signifies with every good of love and with wisdom, “fat” signifying the good of love, and “wheat” all things from it, which are goods because they are from good; these things being signified, it is said, “the fat of wheat.”
sRef Hos@3 @1 S13′ sRef Hos@3 @2 S13′ [13] In Hosea:
Jehovah said to the prophet, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her companion, and an adulteress, even as the love of Jehovah to the sons of Israel, who regard other gods, and love flagons of grapes. And I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for a homer of barley, and a half homer of barley (Hosea 3:1-2).
This represented what the Jewish and Israelitish church was in respect to doctrine and worship, namely that by vain traditions it had falsified all things of the Word, though worshiping it as holy; “a woman beloved of her companion, and an adulteress whom the prophet should love” signifies such a church, “a woman” signifying the church, and “beloved of her companion and an adulteress” the falsification of truth and the adulteration of good; “even as the love of Jehovah to the sons of Israel, who regard other gods” signifies the falsities of doctrine and the evils of worship; these are signified by “regarding other gods;” “loving flagons of grapes” signifies the Word in the sense of the letter alone, for “wine” signifies the truths of doctrine from the Word, “grapes” its goods from which are truths, and “a flagon” signifies that which contains, thus the ultimate sense of the Word, which is the sense of the letter, and which they apply to their falsities and evils. “He bought her to him for fifteen pieces of silver” signifies for a small price, “fifteen” meaning very little; “a homer of barley” and “half a homer of barley” signifying so little of good and truths as to be scarcely any.
sRef Matt@3 @11 S14′ sRef Matt@3 @12 S14′ [14] In Matthew:
John said of Jesus, He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire; whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor; and will gather the wheat into the garner; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire (Matt. 3:11-12).
“To baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire” signifies to reform the church and to regenerate the man of the church by means of Divine truth and Divine good; “to baptize” signifying to reform and to regenerate, “the Holy Spirit” Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and “fire” the Divine good of His Divine love. “The wheat that He will gather into the garner” signifies good of every kind that is of heavenly origin, which He is to preserve to eternity, thus those who are in good; and “the chaff that He will burn with unquenchable fire” signifies falsity of every kind that is of infernal origin, which He is to destroy, thus those who are in falsity; and because “wheat,” “garner,” and “chaff” are mentioned, “fan” and “floor” are also mentioned, “fan” signifying separation, and “floor” signifying where separation is effected.
sRef Matt@13 @38 S15′ sRef Matt@13 @28 S15′ sRef Matt@13 @39 S15′ sRef Matt@13 @29 S15′ sRef Matt@13 @30 S15′ sRef Matt@13 @24 S15′ sRef Matt@13 @25 S15′ sRef Matt@13 @26 S15′ sRef Matt@13 @27 S15′ [15] In the same:
Jesus said, The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man that sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares, and went away. But when the blade sprang up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. And the servants of the householder coming said unto him, Lord, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares? Then he said unto them, A man, an enemy hath done this. But the servants said, wilt thou then that we going out gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up at the same time the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the season of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn (Matt. 13:24-30).
What these words involve is very clear from the spiritual sense, for the particulars here are correspondences. For when the Lord was in the world, He spoke by pure correspondences, because He spoke from the Divine. Here the Last Judgment is treated of when there must be a separation of the good from the evil, and the good are to come into heaven, and the evil into hell. “The good seed in the field that the man sowed” signifies the truths of the church that are from good, “field” signifying the church where these are, and “sowing” signifying influx and reception, thus also instruction; “the man who sowed” means the Lord through the Word, in which are all the truths of the church; “while men slept his enemy came and sowed tares, and went away,” signifies that with natural men the falsities of evil flow in from hell, and are received; for “to sleep” signifies to live a natural life separated from the spiritual life (see above 187), and “enemy” signifies hell, and “tares” signify the evils of falsity. What the remainder to the end signifies, can be seen from what is presented in the small work on The Last Judgment (n. 70); for it involves arcana that are there explained; here it need only be said that “wheat” signifies the good of truth, and therefore those who are in good through truths; and that “tares” signify the evil of falsity, and therefore those who are in evil through falsities. That these things are said of the Last Judgment is evident from what follows in the same chapter, where it is said:
He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the seed are the sons of the kingdom; the tares are the sons of the evil one; the enemy is the devil; the harvest is the consummation of the age (Matt. 13:37-39).
“The consummation of the age” is the last time of the church when judgment takes place. From these passages quoted from the Word it can be seen that “wheat” signifies the good of the church in general, and “barley” its truth.
* In AC n. 6377 we read “He would feed.”

sRef Rev@6 @6 S0′ 375. And the oil and the wine hurt thou not, signifies that it is provided that the internal or spiritual sense of the Word should suffer no harm either in respect to good or in respect to truth. This is evident from the signification of “oil,” as being the good of love (of which presently); from the signification of “wine,” as being the truth of that good, for every good has its truth, that is, every truth is of good, therefore such as the good is such is the truth; also from the signification of “to hurt,” as being to do injury to these. That the internal or spiritual sense of the Word in respect to good and in respect to truth is what is here signified in particular by “oil and wine” is evident from this, that “wheat and barley” signify good and truth, equally with “oil and wine,” but “wheat and barley” signify the good and truth of the church in general, thus good and truth in the sense of the letter of the Word; for the goods and truths that are in that sense of the Word are goods and truths in general, the sense of the letter enclosing the spiritual sense, and thus spiritual goods and truths; therefore “wheat and barley” signify the goods and truths of the church in general, which are of the sense of the letter of the Word; while “oil and wine” signify the goods and truths of the internal or spiritual sense of the Word. The latter are interior goods and truths, but the former exterior.
sRef Lam@4 @20 S2′ sRef Lam@4 @19 S2′ [2] That there are interior and exterior goods and truths, the former in the spiritual or internal man, the latter in the natural or external, can be seen from what is said and shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, namely, that there are three heavens, and that the inmost or third heaven is in inmost goods and truths, or in those of the third degree; and the middle or second heaven in lower goods and truths, or in those of the second degree; and the ultimate or first heaven is in ultimate goods and truths, that is, in those of the first degree. Ultimate goods and truths or those of the first degree are such as are contained in the sense of the letter of the Word; consequently those who remain in that sense and from it frame doctrine for themselves and live according to such doctrine, are in ultimate goods and truths. These do not see interior things, because they are not purely spiritual, like the angels of the higher heavens, but spiritual-natural; yet they are in heaven, although in the ultimate heaven, since the goods and truths that they have derived from the sense of the letter of the Word, and which are with them, contain in them interior goods and truths belonging to the spiritual sense of the Word, for the two correspond and by correspondence make a one.
[3] For example: He that believes from the sense of the letter of the Word that God is angry, that He condemns and casts into hell those who live ill, although this is in itself not true, since God is never angry, and never condemns man or casts him into hell, yet with those who live well and who so believe because the Word in the letter says so, this is accepted by the Lord as truth, because the truth lies concealed internally within it, and although they themselves do not see it, it is manifest to the interior angels. Take as another example, one who believes that he will enjoy a long life if he loves father and mother, according to the commandment of the Decalogue, if he loves them for this reason, and lives well, he is accepted just the same as if he had believed the truth itself, for he does not know that “father and mother” mean in the highest sense the Lord and His kingdom, “father” the Lord, and “mother” His kingdom, and that “prolongation of days” or “length of life” signifies happiness to eternity. It is the same in a thousand other instances. This has been said that it may be known what is meant by the exterior goods and truths and by the interior goods and truths of the Word, since “wheat and barley” signify exterior goods and truths, that is, those that are of the sense of the letter of the Word; while “oil and wine” signify interior goods and truths, that is, those that are of the spiritual sense of the Word.
[4] “Wheat and barley” signify exterior goods and truths, or the goods and truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, because they are the harvest of the field and do not serve for food until made into bread, and “bread” in the Word signifies interior goods; consequently “wheat and barley” signify such things as these goods are made out of, that is, the goods and truths of the sense of the letter of the Word. But that “oil and wine” signify interior goods, which are the goods of the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, can be seen from their signification in the Word, as will be evident from what follows. It is said that these “must not be hurt,” because they are not to be profaned; for they would be profaned if they were known and were believed and were afterwards denied, or also if the life were contrary to them; and to profane interior goods and truths is to conjoin oneself with heaven and with hell at the same time, which is a total destruction of spiritual life. For not only do such goods and truths as are believed remain, but also the evils and falsities that succeed in their place by denial or by a life contrary to them; thence there is a conjunction of the good and truth that are of heaven with the evils and falsities that are of hell, and the two cannot be separated, but must be torn asunder, and when torn asunder everything of spiritual life is destroyed. In consequence of this, profaners, after death, are not spirits in a human form as others are, but they are mere phantoms, and seem to themselves to fly hither and thither without any thought; and at length they are separated from others and cast down into the lowest hell of all; and as they do not appear in a human form like the other spirits, they are no longer called he or she, but it, that is, not man. (But more may be seen on the profanation of good and truth in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 169, 172.)
[5] Because such a lot awaits those who profane the interior goods and truths of heaven and the church, therefore the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, in which these are contained, was not opened to the Jews, since if it had been opened they would have profaned it; neither was it opened to Christians, since they also if it had been opened would have profaned it; and for this reason it has been hidden from both Jews and Christians that there is any internal or spiritual sense within the sense of the letter of the Word, which is the natural sense; and that they might remain ignorant of it, it was provided that the knowledge of correspondences, which was the chief knowledge of the ancients, should be lost so entirely that it should be unknown what correspondence is, and therefore what the spiritual sense of the Word is. For the Word is written by pure correspondences, therefore without a knowledge of correspondences it could not be known what the internal sense is. This was provided by the Lord lest the genuine goods and truths themselves, in which the higher heavens are, should be profaned.
sRef John@19 @23 S6′ sRef John@19 @24 S6′ [6] But the internal or spiritual sense of the Word is at this day opened, because the Last Judgment has been accomplished, and therefore all things in the heavens and in the hells have been reduced to order, and thus the Lord can provide that no profanations take place. That the internal or spiritual sense of the Word would be opened when the Last Judgment had been accomplished was foretold by the Lord in Revelation (respecting which see in the small work on The White Horse). That the internal or spiritual sense of the Word would then suffer no harm is also signified by the soldiers having divided the Lord’s garments and not the tunic, which was without seam, woven from the top throughout (John 19:23, 24). For the Lord’s “garments” signify the Word; the “garments that were divided” the Word in the letter; the “tunic” the Word in the internal sense; and the “soldiers” those who should fight in behalf of the truths and goods of the church. (That such are signified by the “soldiers,” see above, n. 64 at the end; and that “garments” in the Word signify truths, “clothing” good, and the Lord’s “garments” Divine truth, thus the Word, see also above, n. 64, 195.)
[7] That “oil” signifies the good of love, can be seen especially from the anointings among the sons of Israel, or in their church, which were effected by oil; for by oil all things of the church were inaugurated, and when they had been inaugurated they were called holy, as the altar and its vessels, the tent of meeting and all things therein, likewise those who officiated in the priesthood and their garments, and also the prophets and afterwards the kings. Anyone can see that it is not oil itself that makes holy, but it is that which is signified by “oil,” which is the good of love to the Lord from the Lord; this is signified by “oil;” consequently when persons or things were anointed, from that moment they became representative, for the oil induced a representation of the Lord and of the good of love from Him. For the good of love to the Lord from the Lord is the holy itself of heaven and the church, since through it everything Divine flows in; consequently the things of heaven and the church, which are called things spiritual, are so far holy as they are grounded in this holy.
[8] The reason of the representation of holiness by oil is this: the Lord alone in respect to the Divine Human is the Anointed of Jehovah, for the Divine good itself of the Divine love was in Him from conception, and from that His Human when He was in the world was Divine truth itself, and this He then also made Divine good of the Divine love by uniting it with the Divine Itself in Himself. And as all things that belonged to the church represented things Divine from the Lord, and in the highest sense the Lord Himself (since the church instituted with the sons of Israel was a representative church), so “oil,” which signified the Divine good of the Divine love was employed to induce representations; and afterwards the things or persons that were anointed were regarded as holy, not that there was from this any holiness in them, but the holiness was thereby represented in heaven when they were worshiping. This has been said that it may be known that “oil” signifies the good of love.
[9] But that this may be made clearer, I will explain the particulars in order, namely:
1. In ancient times they anointed with oil the stones set up for statues;
2. Also arms of war, as bucklers and shields;
3. Afterwards, the altar and all its vessels, and the tent of meeting and all things therein;
4. And besides, those who officiated in the priesthood, and their garments;
5. Also the prophets;
6. And finally, the kings, who were therefore called “the anointed.”
7. It was also a custom commonly received to anoint themselves and others with oil, to testify gladness of mind and good will.
8. From this it is evident that “oil” in the Word signifies good; the “oil of holiness,” which was prepared for anointing those things that were to be used in worship in the church, signifying the Divine good of the Divine love; and “oil” in general, good and its enjoyment.
sRef Gen@28 @19 S10′ sRef Gen@28 @18 S10′ sRef Gen@28 @22 S10′ sRef Gen@28 @21 S10′ [10] (1) As to the first point, “that they anointed stones set up for statues,” is evident from the book of Genesis:
Jacob rose up in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a statue, and poured oil on the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel. And he said, If I shall come again to my father’s house in peace, this stone which I have set up for a statue shall be God’s house (Gen. 28:18-22).
Stones were thus anointed because “stones” signified truths, and truths without good have no spiritual life, that is, no life from the Divine; but when the stones were anointed with oil, they represented truths from good, and in the highest sense, Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good of the Lord, who is thence called “the Stone of Israel.” The stones themselves set up were called “statues,” and were accounted holy, and from this arose the use of statues among the ancients, and afterwards in their temples. As this stone then set up by Jacob was representatively sanctified, therefore Jacob called the name of the place Bethel, and said that this stone should be “God’s house,” Bethel meaning “God’s house,” and “God’s house,” signifies the church in respect to good, and in the highest sense the Lord in respect to His Divine Human (John 2:19-22). (The remainder may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia; and further, that statues were set up by the ancients for a sign, for a witness, and for worship, n. 3727; that at first they were holy boundaries, n. 3727; that afterwards they were used in worship, n. 4580; what they signified, n. 4580, 10643. That “stones” signify truths, and “the Stone of Israel” the Lord in respect to Divine truth, n. 643, 1298, 3720, 6426, 8609, 9388, 9389, 10376. That the pouring of oil upon the head of a statue or anointing it, was done to induce the representative of truth from good, and that it might thus be used for worship, n. 3728, 4090.)
sRef 2Sam@1 @21 S11′ sRef Isa@21 @5 S11′ [11] (2) “That they anointed the arms of war, as bucklers and shields,” is evident from Isaiah:
Rise up, ye princes, anoint the shield (Isa. 21:5).
Also in the second book of Samuel:
The shield of the heroes was polluted; the shield of Saul was not anointed with oil (2 Sam. 1:21).
Arms of war were anointed because they signified truths fighting against falsities, and truths from good are what prevail against falsities, but not truths without good; therefore the arms of war represented the truths by which the Lord Himself with man fights against the falsities from evil which are from hell. (That “the arms of war” signify truths fighting against falsities, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1788, 2686, and above, n. 131, 367; and that “wars” in general signify spiritual combats, n. 1664, 2686, 8273, 8295; and “enemies” evils and falsities, and in general the hells, n. 2851, 8289, 9314.)
sRef Ex@30 @26 S12′ sRef Ex@30 @25 S12′ sRef Ex@30 @28 S12′ sRef Ex@30 @27 S12′ sRef Ex@30 @29 S12′ sRef Ex@29 @36 S12′ [12] (3) “That they anointed the altar and all its vessels, and the tent of meeting, and all things therein,” is evident from Moses:
Jehovah said to Moses, Thou shalt anoint the altar, and sanctify it (Exod. 29:36).
In the same:
Thou shalt make the oil of anointing of holiness, wherewith thou shalt anoint the tent of meeting, and the ark of the Testimony, and the table, and all the vessels thereof, and the lampstand and all the vessels thereof, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt-offering, and all the vessels thereof, and the lavers, and the base. Thus shalt thou sanctify them, that they may be holy of holies; whosoever shall touch them shall sanctify himself (Exod. 30:25-29; 40:9-11; Lev. 8:10-12; Num. 7:1).
The altars and the tent of meeting, with all things therein, were anointed that they might represent the Divine and holy things of heaven and the church, consequently the holy things of worship; and these they could not have represented unless they had been inaugurated by something significative of the good of love, for it is through the good of love that the Divine enters, and through it is present; the same is true in worship, without the good of love the Divine neither enters nor is present. (That the altar was the chief representative of the Lord, and thence of worship from the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2777, 2811, 4489, 4541, 8935, 8940, 9388, 9389, 9714; and that the tent with the ark was the chief representative of heaven where the Lord is, n. 9457, 9481, 9485, 9594, 9596, 9632, 9784.)
sRef Lev@8 @12 S13′ sRef Ps@104 @15 S13′ sRef Ex@30 @30 S13′ sRef Ex@40 @15 S13′ sRef Lev@8 @6 S13′ sRef Ex@40 @14 S13′ sRef Ex@40 @13 S13′ sRef Ex@29 @7 S13′ sRef Lev@8 @30 S13′ [13] (4) “That they anointed those who officiated in the priesthood, and their garments,” is evident from Moses:
Take the oil of anointing, and pour it upon the head (of Aaron), and thou shalt anoint him (Exod. 29:7; 30:30).
Put upon Aaron the garment of holiness, and thou shalt anoint him and sanctify him, that he may minister unto Me in the priesthood; and his sons thou shalt anoint as thou didst anoint their father, and it shall be that their anointing shall be to them a priesthood of an age throughout their generations (Exod. 40:13-15).
In the same:
Moses poured of the oil upon Aaron’s head, and anointed him to sanctify him. And afterwards he took of the oil of anointing, and of the blood that was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, upon his garments, upon his sons, and upon his sons’ garments with him, and sanctified Aaron, his garments and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him (Lev. 8:12, 30).
Aaron and his sons were anointed, and their very garments, that they might represent the Lord in respect to the Divine good, and as to Divine truth therefrom; Aaron, the Lord in respect to Divine good, and his sons the Lord in respect to Divine truth therefrom; and, in general, that the priesthood might represent the Lord in respect to His work of salvation. Their garments were anointed (Exod. 29:29) because “garments” represented spiritual things investing. (That Aaron represented the Lord in respect to Divine good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9806; that his sons represented the Lord in respect to Divine truth proceeding from Divine good, n. 9807; that the priesthood in general represented the Lord in respect to His work of salvation, n. 9809; that the garments of Aaron and his sons represented things spiritual, n. 9814, 9942, 9952.)
sRef Lev@7 @35 S14′ sRef Num@18 @17 S14′ sRef Num@18 @9 S14′ sRef Lev@7 @34 S14′ sRef Num@18 @18 S14′ sRef Num@18 @8 S14′ sRef Num@18 @19 S14′ sRef Num@18 @11 S14′ sRef Num@18 @15 S14′ sRef Num@18 @10 S14′ sRef Num@18 @13 S14′ sRef Num@18 @14 S14′ sRef Num@18 @12 S14′ sRef Num@18 @16 S14′ sRef Num@18 @20 S14′ [14] Because inauguration to representation was effected by anointing, and Aaron and his sons represented the Lord and what is from Him, therefore to Aaron and his sons the holy things of the sons of Israel were given, which were gifts given to Jehovah, and were called “heave-offerings;” and it is said that they were “the anointing” or “for the anointing,” that is, were a representation or for a representation of the Lord, and of the Divine things that are from Him, as is evident from these passages in Moses:
The wave-breast and the heave-shoulder have I taken from among the sons of Israel. This is the anointing of Aaron and the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings by fire to Jehovah, which He commanded* to give them in the day that He had anointed them from among the sons of Israel (Lev. 7:34-36).
And elsewhere in the same:
Jehovah spoke unto Aaron, Behold, I have given thee the charge of Mine heave-offerings as to all the hallowed things of the sons of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, for the statute of an age. Every gift of theirs, even to every meal-offering of theirs, even to every sacrifice of sin and guilt of theirs, every wave-offering of the sons of Israel. All the fat of the pure oil, and all the fat of the new wine, and of the corn, the firstfruits of them, which they shall give unto Jehovah, to thee have I given them. Likewise everything devoted in Israel, every opening of the womb, thus every heave-offering of things holy. Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part in the midst of them; I am thy part and thine inheritance in the midst of the sons of Israel (Num. 18:8-20).
From this it is evident that the anointing is a representation, since by anointing they were inaugurated to represent, also that it was signified by it that all inauguration into the holiness of heaven and the church is by means of the good of love which is from the Lord, and that the good of love is the Lord with them; because this is so, it is said that Jehovah is “his part and his inheritance.”
sRef Isa@61 @1 S15′ sRef 1Ki@19 @16 S15′ sRef 1Ki@19 @15 S15′ [15] (5) “That they anointed the prophets also,” is evident from the first book of Kings:
Jehovah said unto Elijah, Anoint Hazael to be king over Syria; and Jehu anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisha anoint to be prophet instead of thee (1 Kings 19:15-16).
And in Isaiah:
The spirit of the Lord Jehovih is upon me; therefore hath Jehovah anointed me to preach good tidings unto the poor (Isa. 61:1).
The prophets were anointed because the prophets represented the Lord in respect to the doctrine of Divine truth, consequently in respect to the Word; for the Word is the doctrine of Divine truth. (That the prophets represented and thence signified doctrine from the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2534, 7269; in particular, Elijah and Elisha, n. 2762, 5247 at the end, 9372.) That it is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human who is here represented, thus that it was He by whom Jehovah anointed, the Lord Himself teaches in Luke (4:18-21).
[16] (6) That they afterwards anointed kings, and that these were called “the anointed of Jehovah,” is evident from many usages in the Word (as 1 Sam. 10:1; 15:1; 16:3, 6, 12; 24:6, 10; 26:9, 11, 16, 23; 2 Sam. 1:16; 2:4, 7; 5:3; 19:22; 1 Kings 1:34, 35; 19:15, 16; 2 Kings 9:3; 11:12; 23:30; Lam. 4:20; Hab. 3:13; Ps. 2:2, 6; 20:6; 28:8; 45:7; 84:9; 89:20, 38, 51; 132:17; and elsewhere). Kings were anointed that they might represent the Lord in relation to judgment from Divine truth; therefore in the Word “kings” signify Divine truths (see above, n. 31). Kings were called “the anointed of Jehovah,” and it was therefore sacrilege to do harm to them, because “anointed of Jehovah” means the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, although, in the sense of the letter the term is applied to the king anointed with oil; for the Lord, when He was in the world, in respect to His Human was the Divine truth itself, and in respect to the very esse of His life, which with man is called the soul from the father, was the Divine good itself of the Divine love; for He was conceived of Jehovah, Jehovah in the Word meaning the Divine good of the Divine love, which is the esse of the life of all; consequently the Lord alone was the Anointed of Jehovah in very essence and in very deed, since there was in Him the Divine good of the Divine love, and the Divine truth proceeding from that good itself in His Human while He was in the world (see above, n. 63, 200, 228, 328; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 293-295, 303-305). Moreover, earthly kings were not “the anointed of Jehovah,” but were so called because they represented the Lord, who alone was “the Anointed of Jehovah,” therefore because they were anointed it was sacrilege to harm the kings of the earth. But the anointing of the kings of the earth was an anointing with oil, while the anointing of the Lord in respect to the Divine Human was accomplished by the Divine good itself of the Divine love; and this is what the “oil” signified and the “anointing” represented. For this reason the Lord was called the Messiah and Christ, Messiah in the Hebrew signifying anointed, and Christ the like in Greek (John 1:41; 4:25).
sRef Luke@4 @19 S17′ sRef Luke@4 @20 S17′ sRef Luke@4 @18 S17′ sRef Isa@61 @1 S17′ sRef Rev@17 @12 S17′ sRef Luke@4 @17 S17′ sRef Dan@9 @25 S17′ sRef Luke@4 @21 S17′ [17] From this it can be seen, that when “the anointed of Jehovah” is mentioned in the Word, in a representative sense the Lord is meant. As in Isaiah:
The spirit of the Lord Jehovih is upon Me; therefore hath Jehovah anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the poor; He hath sent Me to bind up the broken in heart, to proclaim liberty to the captives (Isa. 61:1).
That the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is He whom Jehovah anointed, is evident in Luke, where the Lord openly declares it in these words:
There was delivered to Jesus the book of the prophet Isaiah. And He unrolled the book, and found the place where it was written, The spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the broken in heart, to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to proclaim the accepted year of the Lord. After that, rolling up the book, He gave it to the minister, and sat down. But the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on Him. He began to say unto them, Today hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears (Luke 4:17-21).
In Daniel:
Know therefore, and perceive, that from the going forth of the Word even to the restoration and building of Jerusalem, even to Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks (Dan. 9:25).
“To build Jerusalem” means to establish the church, “Jerusalem” meaning the church; “Messiah the Prince,” that is, the Anointed, means the Lord in respect to the Divine Human.
sRef Dan@9 @24 S18′ [18] In the same:
Seventy weeks are determined to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the holy of holies (Dan. 9:24).
“To seal up vision and prophet” means to conclude and fulfill the things said in the Word respecting the Lord; “anointing the holy of holies” meaning the Lord’s Divine Human, in which was the Divine good of the Divine love, or Jehovah.
sRef Ps@2 @2 S19′ sRef Ps@2 @6 S19′ [19] “The anointed of Jehovah” means the Lord also in the following passages. In David:
The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers took counsel together against Jehovah and against His anointed. I have anointed My king upon Zion, the mountain of My holiness (Ps. 2:2, 6).
“The kings of the earth” are falsities, and the “rulers” are evils from the hells, against which the Lord fought when He was in the world, and which He conquered and subdued; “the anointed of Jehovah” is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human from which He fought; “Zion, the mountain of holiness upon which he is said to have been anointed as a king,” is the celestial kingdom, which is in the good of love; this kingdom is the inmost of heaven and the inmost of the church.
sRef Ps@132 @17 S20′ sRef Ps@89 @26 S20′ sRef Ps@132 @8 S20′ sRef Ps@132 @7 S20′ sRef Ps@89 @20 S20′ sRef Ps@89 @27 S20′ sRef Ps@89 @25 S20′ sRef Ps@132 @6 S20′ sRef Ps@132 @18 S20′ sRef Ps@89 @28 S20′ sRef Ps@89 @19 S20′ sRef Ps@89 @29 S20′ sRef Ps@132 @9 S20′ [20] In the same:
I found David My servant; with the oil of holiness have I anointed him (Ps. 89:20).
“David” here as also elsewhere means the Lord (see above, n. 205); “the oil of holiness with which Jehovah anointed him” means the Divine good of the Divine love; that it is the Lord who is here meant by David is clear from what there precedes and what follows, for it is said:
Thou spoke in vision of thy Holy One, I will set his hand in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall call Me, My Father. Also I will make him the firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. His seed will I establish forever, and his throne as the days of the heavens (Ps. 89:19, 25-27, 29; besides other passages).
Likewise elsewhere in the same:
In Zion will I make the horn of David to bud; I will set in order a lamp for Mine anointed. His enemies will I clothe with shame, but upon himself shall his diadem flourish (Ps. 132:17-18).
That here, too, the Lord is meant by “David” is evident from the preceding verses, where it is said:
We have heard of Him in Ephrathah; we have found Him in the fields of the forest. We will go into His tabernacles; we will bow ourselves down at His footstool. Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness, and Thy saints shall shout for joy; for Thy servant David’s sake turn not back the faces of Thine anointed (Ps. 132:6-10).
From this it can be seen that the Lord in respect to His Divine Human is here meant by David, “the anointed of Jehovah.”
[21] In Jeremiah:
They chased us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness. The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was captured in their pits; of whom we had said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations (Lam. 4:19-20).
Here, also, “the anointed of Jehovah” means the Lord, for this treats of assault upon Divine truth by falsities and evils, which is the signification of “they chased us upon the mountains, and laid wait in the wilderness;” “the breath of the nostrils” means heavenly life itself which is from the Lord (Arcana Coelestia, n. 9818).
sRef 1Sam@26 @9 S22′ sRef 2Sam@19 @21 S22′ sRef 2Sam@1 @16 S22′ sRef 1Sam@24 @10 S22′ sRef 1Sam@24 @6 S22′ [22] From this it can now be known why it was so sacrilegious to do harm to the anointed of Jehovah, as appears from the Word. Thus, in the first book of Samuel:
David said, Jehovah forbid that I should do this word unto my lord, the anointed of Jehovah, and put forth my hand against him, for he is the anointed of Jehovah (1 Sam. 24:6, 10).
So again:
David said to Abishai, Destroy him not; for who shall put forth his hand against the anointed of Jehovah and be guiltless? (1 Sam. 26:9).
In the second book of Samuel:
David said unto him who said that he had slain Saul, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thou hast said, I have put to death the anointed of Jehovah (2 Sam. 1:16).
And again:
Abishai said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the anointed of Jehovah? (2 Sam. 19:21).
That Shimei was therefore slain by command of Solomon (1 Kings 2:36, to the end).
sRef Isa@61 @3 S23′ sRef Ps@45 @7 S23′ sRef Matt@6 @18 S23′ sRef Amos@6 @6 S23′ sRef Matt@6 @17 S23′ sRef Luke@7 @46 S23′ sRef Micah@6 @15 S23′ sRef Deut@28 @40 S23′ sRef Ps@92 @10 S23′ [23] (7) “That it was a commonly received custom to anoint themselves and others with oil, to testify gladness of mind and good will,” is evident from the following passages. In Amos:
Who drink out of bowls of wine, and anoint themselves with the first fruits of oils, but they are not grieved for the breach of Joseph (Amos 6:6).
In Micah:
Thou shalt tread the olive, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil (Micah 6:15);
meaning, thou shalt not be glad. In Moses:
Thou shalt have olive-trees in all thy border, but thou shalt not anoint thee with the oil (Deut. 28:40).
These words have a like signification. In Isaiah:
To give them a tiara instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning (Isa. 61:3).
In David:
Thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows (Ps. 45:7).
In the same:
My horn shalt Thou exalt like that of a unicorn; I shall grow old in fresh oil (Ps. 92:10).
In the same:
Wine gladdeneth the heart of man, to make the face bright with oil (Ps. 104:15).
In Luke:
Jesus said to Simon, I entered into thine house, and My head with oil thou didst not anoint; but this woman hath anointed My feet with ointment (Luke 7:44, 46).
In Matthew:
But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face, that thou appear not unto men to fast (Matt. 6:17-18).
sRef Dan@10 @3 S24′ sRef Dan@10 @2 S24′ sRef Ex@30 @32 S24′ sRef Ex@30 @38 S24′ sRef Ex@30 @33 S24′ [24] “To fast” signifies to mourn, because they fasted when they mourned, and as they then refrained from expressions of gladness, they also then abstained from anointing themselves with oil, as in Daniel:
I Daniel was mourning three weeks; I ate not the bread of desires, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither was I anointed with anointing, until three weeks of days were fulfilled (Dan. 10:2-3).
From this it is clear that it was a custom to anoint themselves and others with oil; not with the “oil of holiness” with which priests, kings, the altar, and the tabernacle were anointed, but with common oil, because this oil signified the gladness and satisfaction that are from the love of good, while “the oil of holiness” signified the Divine good; of this it is said:
Upon the flesh of man shall it not be poured, and in quality thereof ye shall not make any like it; it shall be holy unto you. Whosoever shall prepare any like it, or whosoever shall put any of it upon a stranger, shall be cut off from his people (Exod. 30:32-33, 38).
[25] (8) From this it is evident that “oil” in the Word signifies good; the “oil of holiness,” which was prepared for anointing the things that were used in worship in the church signifying the Divine good of the Divine love, and “oil” in general, good and its enjoyment, as can be seen from other passages in the Word where “oil” is mentioned, as from the following.
sRef Ps@133 @2 S26′ sRef Ps@133 @1 S26′ sRef Ps@133 @3 S26′ [26] In David:
Behold how good and how lovely it is for brethren to dwell together! It is like the good oil upon Aaron’s head, that cometh down upon the beard, Aaron’s beard; that cometh down upon the hem of his garments; like the dew of Hermon that cometh down upon the mountains of Zion; there Jehovah hath commanded the blessing of life even to eternity (Ps. 133:1-3).
What these words signify no one can know unless he knows what is signified by “brethren,” by “the oil upon Aaron’s head,” by “his beard,” and “the hem of his garments,” and by “the dew of Hermon,” and “the mountains of Zion.” “Brethren” here signify good and truth, for these are called “brethren” in the Word; therefore “Behold how good and how lovely it is for brethren to dwell together” signifies that in the conjunction of good and truth is every heavenly good and delight, for every heavenly good and delight is from the conjunction of good and truth. “The oil upon the head that cometh down upon the beard, Aaron’s beard, that cometh down upon the hem of his garments,” signifies that from that conjunction is the good and delight of heaven, from inmosts to ultimates, “head” signifying the inmost, “beard” the ultimate; “to come down upon the hem of his garments” signifies the influx and conjunction of celestial good and spiritual good. (That in the Word good and truth are called “brethren,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 367, 3160, 9806; that “head” signifies the inmost, n. 4938, 4939, 9656, 9913, 9914; “beard” the ultimate, n. 9960; “the hem of the garments” the influx and conjunction of celestial and spiritual good, thus of good and truth, n. 9913, 9914; and this is said of Aaron, because he represented the Lord in respect to Divine good, since every good and every conjunction of good and truth is from Him, n. 9806, 9946, 10017.) “The dew of Hermon” signifies Divine truth, and “the mountains of Zion” signify Divine good; therefore “like the dew of Hermon that cometh down upon the mountains of Zion” signifies the conjunction of truth and good, which is here treated of; and as angels and men have all their spiritual life from that conjunction, it is added, “there Jehovah hath commanded the blessing of life to eternity.” (That “dew” signifies the Divine truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3579, 8455; that “mountains” signify Divine good, and why, n. 795, 4210, 6435, 8327, 8758, 10438, 10608; and that “Zion” signifies the church where the good of love is, n. 2362, 9055 at the end.) From this it is clear what is the nature of the Word in its spiritual sense, notwithstanding its sound in the letter.
sRef Ezek@16 @8 S27′ sRef Ezek@16 @9 S27′ sRef Ezek@16 @10 S27′ sRef Ezek@16 @13 S27′ [27] In Ezekiel:
I entered into a covenant with thee, that thou mightest be Mine; and I washed thee with waters, yea, I washed away thy bloods from upon thee, and I anointed thee with oil; and I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skins. Thou didst eat fine flour, honey, and oil, whence thou didst become exceeding beautiful, and didst prosper even to a kingdom (Ezek. 16:8-10, 13).
These things are said of “Jerusalem,” which signifies the church, therefore these particulars signify the spiritual things pertaining to the church. These things evidently were not said of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, namely, that Jehovah “washed them with waters,” “washed away their bloods” “clothed them with broidered work, and shod them with badgers skins;” but “to wash with waters” signifies to reform and purify by means of truths; “to wash away bloods” signifies to remove the falsities of evil; “to anoint with oil” signifies to gift with the good of love; “to clothe with broidered work,” and “to shoe with badgers’ skins,” signify to instruct in the knowledges of truth and good from the sense of the letter or the ultimate sense of the Word; “to eat fine flour, honey, and oil,” signifies to make truth and good one’s own; “to become beautiful thereby” signifies to become intelligent; “and to prosper even to a kingdom” signifies thus to become a church, “kingdom” meaning the church.
sRef Jer@31 @11 S28′ sRef Jer@31 @12 S28′ [28] In Jeremiah:
Jehovah hath ransomed Jacob. Therefore they shall come and sing aloud in the height of Zion, and shall flow together unto the goodness of Jehovah; to the corn, and to the new wine, and to the fresh oil, and to the sons of the flock and of the herd; and their soul shall become as a watered garden (Jer. 31:11-12);
“new wine and fresh oil” signifying truth and good. (What the remainder signifies see just above, n. 374.)
sRef Joel@2 @24 S29′ sRef Joel@2 @23 S29′ [29] In Joel:
Exult, ye sons of Zion, and be glad in Jehovah your God; for He hath given you the former rain in righteousness, so that the threshing-floors are full of pure grain, the presses overflow with new wine and fresh oil (Joel 2:23-24).
Here, too, “new wine and oil” signify the truth and good of the church, for “sons of Zion,” to whom these things are said, signify those who are of the church; “the former rain in righteousness” signifies Divine truth flowing into good, from which is there conjunction, fructification, and multiplication; and “floors full of pure grain” signify consequent fullness.
sRef Joel@1 @10 S30′ [30] In the same:
The field was devastated, the ground mourned; for the corn was devastated, the new wine was dried up, the fresh oil languisheth (Joel 1:10).
This signifies the devastation of all things of the church which have reference in general to the good of love and the truth of faith; “field,” and also “ground,” mean the church, “field” the church from the reception of truth, and “ground” the church from the perception of good; “corn” means everything of the church, “new wine” truth, and “fresh oil” good.
sRef Isa@5 @2 S31′ sRef Isa@5 @1 S31′ [31] In Isaiah:
I will sing to my beloved a song of my friend. My beloved had a vineyard in a horn of the son of oil, which he fenced, and gathered out the stones, and planted it with a noble vine; and he waited for it that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes (Isa. 5:1-2).
“The vineyard that the beloved had in a horn of the son of oil” signifies the spiritual church which has truths from the good of love, thus most excellent; for “vineyard” signifies the spiritual church, or the church that is in truths from good; its inauguration is meant by “the horn of oil,” for inaugurations were performed by oil out of a horn; and “the son of oil,” means truth from good; “beloved” means the Lord, because He it is who establishes churches, therefore it is said of Him, “which he fenced and gathered out the stones, and planted with a noble vine,” “a noble vine” meaning spiritual truth from the celestial, or truth from the good of love; the “grapes that he waited for that it should bring forth” signify the goods of charity, which are the goods of life; and the “wild grapes that it brought forth” signify the evils that are contrary to the goods of charity, that is, the evils of life.
sRef Hos@2 @23 S32′ sRef Hos@2 @21 S32′ sRef Hos@2 @22 S32′ [32] In Hosea:
In that day, I will listen to the heavens, and they shall listen to the earth; and the earth shall listen to the corn and the new wine and the fresh oil; and these shall listen to Jezreel. And I will sow her unto Me in the earth (Hos. 2:21-23).
This is said of a new church to be established by the Lord; and “to listen to” means to obey and to receive; obedience and reception following and succeeding in order are thus described. That the heavens will receive from the Lord is meant by “I will listen to the heavens;” that the church will receive from the heavens, thus from the Lord through the heavens, is meant by “the heavens shall listen to the earth;” that good and truth will receive from the church is meant by “the earth shall listen to the corn and the new wine and the fresh oil;” “new wine” meaning truth, and “oil” good; and that those who are of the church with whom there are good and truth will receive therefrom is meant by “these shall listen to Jezreel.” Evidently the earth, its corn, new wine, and oil is not meant, but the church with its goods and truths, for it is said, “I will sow Jezreel unto me in the earth.”
sRef Isa@41 @19 S33′ [33] In Isaiah:
I will give in the wilderness the cedar of shittah, and the myrtle and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir, the pine and the box tree (Isa. 41:19).
This is said of the establishment of the church among the Gentiles by the Lord; and “the wilderness” and “the desert” signify where there was before no good because no truth; “the cedar of shittah,” “myrtle,” and “oil tree” signify spiritual and celestial good; and “the fir,” “the pine,” and “the box tree” signify good and truth therefrom in the natural; for every tree in the Word signifies something pertaining to the good and truth of the church; and “the cedar of shittah,” “the myrtle,” and “the oil tree” signify such things of the church as are in the spiritual or internal man; while “the fir,” “the pine,” and “the box tree” signify such things of the church as are in the natural or external man.
sRef Ps@23 @1 S34′ sRef Ps@23 @5 S34′ sRef Ps@23 @2 S34′ [34] In David:
[Jehovah is] my shepherd; I shall not want. He will make me to lie down in pastures of the tender herb; He will lead me to the waters of rest. Thou wilt arrange a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; my head wilt thou make fat with oil; my cup will overflow (Ps. 23:1-2, 5).
This means, in the internal sense, that he who trusts in the Lord is led into all the goods and truths of heaven, and overflows with the enjoyments thereof; “my shepherd” means the Lord; “the pastures of the tender herb” signify the knowledges of truth and good; “the waters of rest” signify the truths of heaven therefrom; “table” signifies spiritual nourishment; “to make fat the head with oil” signifies wisdom which is from good; “my cup will overflow” signifies intelligence which is from truths, “cup” signifying the like as “wine.” “The pastures of the tender herb” and “the waters of rest,” seem to be mentioned as if they were comparisons, because the Lord is called a shepherd, and the flock of the shepherd is led into pastures of herbs and to limpid waters; but still these are correspondences.
sRef Ezek@27 @17 S35′ [35] In Ezekiel:
Judah and the land of Israel were thy traders in the wheats of Minnith and Pannag, and in honey, and oil, and balsam (Ezek. 27:17).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church in relation to the knowledges of truth and good; thus “Tyre” signifies the knowledges of truth and good of the church; and “Judah” and “the land of Israel,” who “were traders” signify the church, “Judah” the church in relation to good, and “the land of Israel” the church in relation to truths from good; and “to trade” signifies to acquire to oneself and to communicate to others. “Wheats of Minnith and Pannag” signify goods and truths in general; and “honey, oil, and balsam,” goods and truths in particular, “honey” and “oil” goods; and “balsam” truths which are grateful from good, for all truths that are from good are perceived in heaven as fragrant, and consequently as grateful; and this is the reason that the oil of anointing was prepared from various fragrant things (respecting which see Exod. 35:22-33); and also the oil for the lamps (respecting which see Exod. 27:20-21).
sRef Deut@32 @13 S36′ [36] In Moses:
Jehovah fed him with the increase of the fields, He made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock (Deut. 32:13).
This treats of the Ancient Church; “to suck oil out of the flint of the rock” means to be imbued with good through the truths of faith; “honey” means natural good and delight; “oil” spiritual good and delight; and “cliff” and “flint of the rock” mean the truth of faith from the Lord. If spiritual things were not meant by these words, what meaning could there be in “sucking honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock”?
sRef Hab@3 @17 S37′ [37] In Habakkuk:
The fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall there be produce in the vines; the labor of the olive shall dissemble, and the fields shall yield no food (Hab. 3:17).
Here fig tree, vine, olive, and fields, are not meant, but heavenly things, to which they correspond. “The fig tree” corresponds to and thence signifies natural good; “the vine” corresponds to spiritual good, which in its essence is truth; the “olive,” as the fruit from which oil is derived, corresponds to the good of love in act; and “fields” correspond to all things of the church; “produce” and “foods” thence signify all things pertaining to spiritual nourishment; from which it is clear what these things signify in their order.
sRef Hos@12 @1 S38′ [38] In Hosea:
Ephraim feedeth on wind; they make a covenant with Assyria and oil is carried down into Egypt (Hos. 12:1).
This has no meaning unless it is known what is meant by “Ephraim,” by “Assyria,” and “Egypt.” Man’s own intellect [intellectuale proprium], which by reasonings from knowledges perverts and adulterates the goods of the church, is here described. “Ephraim” means the intellect, “Assyria” reasoning, and “Egypt” the knowing faculty; therefore “to carry down oil into Egypt” means to pervert the goods of the church by reasonings from knowledges.
sRef Zech@4 @2 S39′ sRef Zech@4 @11 S39′ sRef Zech@4 @14 S39′ sRef Zech@4 @3 S39′ [39] In Zechariah:
I saw a lamp stand of gold; two olive-trees by it, one at the right side of the bowl, and the other at the left side thereof. These are the two sons of oil that stand by the Lord of the whole earth (Zech. 4:2-3, 14).
“Two olive-trees” and “two sons of oil” mean the good of love to the Lord and the good of charity towards the neighbor; the latter at his left hand, the former at his right.
sRef Rev@11 @3 S40′ sRef Rev@11 @4 S40′ [40] Likewise in Revelation:
The two witnesses shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty** days.
These are the two olive-trees, and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth (Rev. 11:3-4);
the “two olive-trees” and “two lampstands” mean these same goods, which are called “the two witnesses” because they are from the Lord; but more respecting these when they are explained.
sRef Matt@25 @4 S41′ sRef Matt@25 @3 S41′ sRef Matt@25 @7 S41′ sRef Matt@25 @2 S41′ sRef Matt@25 @11 S41′ sRef Matt@25 @5 S41′ sRef Matt@25 @8 S41′ sRef Matt@25 @6 S41′ sRef Matt@25 @1 S41′ sRef Matt@25 @10 S41′ sRef Matt@25 @9 S41′ [41] Because “oil” signified the good of love to the Lord, and the good of charity towards the neighbor:
The Lord likened the kingdom of the heavens to ten virgins, of whom five had oil in the lamps, and five had not; therefore the latter were called foolish, and the former prudent (Matt. 25:1-11).
“The ten virgins” signify all who are of the church; and “five” signify some or a part of them, for such is the signification of the numbers “ten” and “five” in the Word; and “virgin” or “daughter” signifies the church; “oil” signifies the good of love to the Lord and the good of charity towards the neighbor; and “lamps” signify the truths that are called the truths of faith. From this the meaning of these words in the spiritual sense can be seen, namely, that the virgins that had no oil in their lamps, and consequently were not admitted into heaven, are those who know truths from the Word, or from the doctrine of the church, and yet are not in the good of love and charity, that is, do not live according to these truths; while the virgins who had oil in their lamps, and were received into heaven, are those who are in the good of love and charity, and thence in truths from the Word or from the doctrine of the church; which makes clear why the latter virgins are called “prudent,” and the former “foolish.”
sRef Luke@10 @35 S42′ sRef Luke@10 @34 S42′ sRef Luke@10 @33 S42′ [42] Because “oil” signified the good of love and charity, and “wine” signified truth:
The Lord says of the Samaritan, who as he journeyed saw in the way a man wounded by thieves, that he poured oil and wine into his wounds, and then set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and told them to care for him (Luke 10:33-35).
In the spiritual sense these things are thus perceived: “the Samaritan” means the Gentiles that were in the good of charity towards the neighbor; “the man wounded by thieves” means those who are infested by those from hell, who are thieves because they injure and destroy man’s spiritual life; the “oil and wine that he poured into his wounds” mean things spiritual that heal man, “oil” good, and “wine” truth; that “he set him on his own beast” signifies that he did this according to his intelligence so far as he was able, “horse,” and likewise “beast of burden” signifying the intellect; that “he brought him to an inn and told them to care for him” signifies to bring to those that are well instructed in the doctrine of the church from the Word, and who are better able to heal him than one who is still in ignorance. Thus are these words understood in heaven, and from them it is evident that the Lord when He was in the world spoke by pure correspondences, thus for the world and for heaven at the same time.
sRef Mark@6 @13 S43′ [43] Because “oil” signified the good of love and charity, and by this those are healed who are spiritually sick, therefore it is said of the Lord’s disciples:
That they anointed many with oil and healed them (Mark 6:13).
(Furthermore, what is specially signified by “the oil prepared for the lamps,” and what by “the oil prepared for anointings” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9778-9789, and n. 10250-10288, where they are explained.) From this it can now be seen that “oil” signifies celestial good and spiritual good, that is, the good of love to the Lord, and the good of charity towards the neighbor; “the oil of anointing” the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, and the “oil for the lamps” the good of charity towards the neighbor from the Lord.
* Photolithograph has “I commanded.”
** Photolithograph has “sixty-six.”

sRef Rev@6 @6 S0′ 376. It has thus far been shown that “oil” signifies celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord; it shall now be shown that “wine” signifies spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbor and the good of faith; and as this good in its essence is truth, it is said in the general explanation that “the oil and the wine hurt not,” which signifies that there must no harm be done to the internal or spiritual sense of the Word in respect either to good or to truth, or what is the same, that there must no harm be done to the goods and truths which are in the internal or spiritual sense of the Word. The good of charity and the good of faith in their essence are truth, because that good is implanted by the Lord in man’s intellectual part by means of the truths that are called the truths of faith, and when man lives according to these truths they become goods; for by means of truths a new will is formed in that part, and whatever proceeds from the will is called good. This will, moreover, is the same as conscience, and conscience is a conscience of truth, for it is formed by truths of every kind from the doctrine of the church, and from the sense of the letter of the Word (but on this subject see further in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 130-138; and the extracts from the Arcana Coelestia, n. 139-141). From this now it is that “wine” signifies truth.
[2] Furthermore, there are goods and truths internal and external; internal goods and truths are signified by “the oil and the wine” that must not be hurt; but external goods and truths are signified by “wheat and barley.” External goods and truths are those that are in the sense of the letter of the Word, while internal goods and truths are those that are in the internal or spiritual sense of the Word; or external goods and truths are such as are in the lower heavens with the angels there, that is, in the ultimates of heaven, while internal goods and truths are such as are in the higher heavens with the angels there, that is, in the third and second heavens. These goods and truths are genuine goods and truths themselves, but the former are truths and goods because they correspond, thus are correspondences; internal goods and truths have immediate communication with the angels of heaven, while external goods and truths have not an immediate but a mediate communication through correspondences. This is why the Jews, because they were only in the sense of the letter and had no knowledge of the signification of things in the spiritual sense, were unable to do harm to the spiritual sense in respect either to good or to truth, and consequently were unable to do harm to genuine goods and truths. So the Christian Church at this day is unable to do harm to the genuine goods and truths which are in the spiritual sense of the Word, for it has been ignorant of that sense, and at the same time ignorant of genuine goods and truths.
[3] The spiritual sense of the Word was not disclosed to Christians, because genuine goods and truths, such as are in the higher heavens, lie concealed in the spiritual sense of the Word; and so long as these goods and truths were unperceived and unknown that sense could not be opened, since these goods and truths could not be seen. In the Christian churches genuine goods and truths have not been perceived and known for the reason that those churches have been divided, in general, into the Papal and the Evangelical; and those in the Papal Church are utterly ignorant of truths, because they do not depend upon the Word, thus upon the Lord who is the Word, that is, Divine truth, but upon the pope, from whose mouth scarcely anything proceeds except what is from the love of ruling, and that love is from hell; therefore with them scarcely a single truth of the church exists; while in the Evangelical churches faith alone has been assumed as the essential means of salvation, and as a consequence the good of love and charity has been rejected as nonessential, and where good is rejected no truth which is truth in itself can exist, since all truth is from good; for the Lord flows into man’s good, and by means of good illustrates him and gives him the light to perceive truths, therefore without that light, which is man’s very spiritual life, there is no truth, however much it may sound like truth because it is from the Word; it is truth falsified by the ideas that are held in respect to it; for from faith separate from charity, or from truths without good, no other result can follow. This is why the spiritual sense of the Word could not be disclosed to the Christian churches, for if it had been disclosed, they would have falsified and perverted it by ideas from fallacies, and thus would have profaned it. This also is why no one will ever hereafter be admitted into the spiritual sense of the Word unless he is in genuine truths from good, and no one can be in genuine truths from good unless in heart he acknowledges the Lord alone as the God of heaven and earth, for from Him is every good and thence every truth. The spiritual sense of the Word is at this day opened, and therewith also genuine truths and goods are disclosed, because the Last Judgment has been accomplished by the Lord, and thus all things in the heavens and in the hells have been reduced to order; and for this reason it can be provided by the Lord that no harm can be done to genuine truths and goods, which are in the spiritual sense of the Word, and this could not have been provided before (see in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 73).
sRef Isa@55 @1 S4′ [4] That “wine” signifies spiritual good, or the good of charity and the good of faith, which in its essence is truth, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Isaiah:
Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no silver; come ye, buy and eat; buy wine and milk without silver and without price (Isa. 55:1).
Anyone can see that this does not mean that wine and milk may be bought without silver, “wine and milk” therefore signify things spiritual, namely, “wine” spiritual good, which in its essence is truth, as was said above, but “milk” the good of that truth. That these are given by the Lord freely to those who are ignorant of truth and good, and yet in a desire for these, is signified by “he that hath no silver, come ye, buy and eat; buy without silver;” “to buy” signifies to acquire for oneself, and “to eat” signifies to make one’s own, which is done by application as from oneself. Those who are ignorant of truth and good, and yet are in a desire for them, are evidently meant, for it is said, “Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,” “to thirst” signifying to desire, and “waters” signifying truths, here the Word where truths are.
sRef Joel@3 @18 S5′ [5] In Joel:
It shall come to pass in that day, the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk; all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters (Joel 3:18).
This treats of the Lord’s coming, and of the new heaven and the new church from Him. It is well known that the mountains in the land of Canaan, or in Judea, did not then drop down sweet wine, nor the hills flow with milk, nor the water-courses of Judah flow with waters more than before, therefore these words must mean something else than new wine, milk, and waters, or than mountains, hills, and water-courses, namely, “that the mountains shall drop down sweet wine” [mustum] or wine [vinum], means that from the good of love to the Lord there shall be genuine truth; “the hills shall flow with milk” means that from the good of charity towards the neighbor there shall be spiritual life; and “all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters” means that from the particulars of the Word there shall be truths. (For “Judah” signifies the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and also the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3881, 6363; therefore “its water-courses” signify the particulars of the Word; that “mountains” signify the good of love to the Lord, n. 795, 4210, 6435, 8327, 8758, 10438, 10608; and “hills” the good of charity towards the neighbor, n. 6435, 10438; and this because in heaven those who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell upon mountains, and those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor dwell upon hills, n. 10438, and Heaven and Hell, n. 188.)
sRef Amos@9 @15 S6′ sRef Amos@9 @14 S6′ sRef Amos@9 @13 S6′ [6] In Amos:
Behold the days come, that the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that draweth forth seed; and the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and all the hills shall dissolve. I will bring back the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities; and they shall inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof, and they shall make gardens and eat the fruit of them. Then will I plant them upon their ground (Amos 9:13-15).
This chapter treats first of the vastation of the church, and then of its restoration by the Lord; and “the people Israel” do not mean that people, but those with whom the church was to be established; and “the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that draweth forth the seed,” signifies that he who receives good and truth shall also perform uses, or bear fruit, thus that with the man of the church the two shall be present at the same time; “the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and all the hills shall dissolve,” signifies, as just above, that from the good of love to the Lord and from the good of charity towards the neighbor there shall be truths in abundance, “sweet wine” here, or “wine,” meaning truth; that “the captivity of the people Israel shall be brought back” signifies the restoration of the church among the Gentiles, for “captivity” means spiritual captivity, in which those are who are remote from goods and truths, and yet in a desire for them (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9164). “The waste cities that they shall build” signify the doctrinals of truth and good from the Word, before destroyed and at that time to be restored; “the vineyards which they shall plant,” and “the wine of which they shall drink,” signify all things of the church from which there is intelligence, “a vineyard” signifies the spiritual church, and therefore “vineyards” signify all things of the church; “wine” signifies the truth of the church in general, and “to drink it” signifies to be instructed and become intelligent, thus intelligence; and “the gardens which they shall make, and the fruit of which they shall eat,” signifies wisdom, “gardens” meaning all things of intelligence, and their “fruit” signifying the goods of life, thus “to eat their fruit” signifies the appropriation of good, thus wisdom, for wisdom comes when truths are committed to the life; and because this is what is meant, therefore it is said of Israel, “I will plant them upon their ground.”
sRef Gen@49 @11 S7′ sRef Gen@49 @12 S7′ [7] In Moses:
He bindeth his foal to the vine, the son of his she-ass unto the noble vine; he washeth his vesture in wine, and his covering in the blood of the grapes. His eyes are red with wine, and his teeth white with milk (Gen. 49:1, 12).
This is in the prophecy of Israel the father respecting Judah, by whom here Judah is not meant, but the Lord in relation to the celestial kingdom; and “wine” and the “blood of grapes” mean the Divine truth. (What the rest signifies, and that “wine” signifies Divine truth, because this has reference to the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6375-6381.)
sRef Gen@27 @27 S8′ sRef Gen@27 @26 S8′ sRef Gen@27 @37 S8′ sRef Gen@27 @25 S8′ sRef Gen@27 @28 S8′ sRef Gen@27 @28 S8′ sRef Gen@27 @27 S8′ [8] In the same:
Jacob brought of his venison to his father Isaac, and he did eat; and he brought him wine, and he drank. And Isaac blessed him, saying, God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatnesses of the earth, and plenty of corn and new wine (Gen. 27:25, 27-28, 37).
Those who do not know that the Word is spiritual in its particulars may suppose that by “Isaac” here is meant Isaac, and by “Jacob” Jacob, and therefore that by “the fatnesses of the earth,” and “the corn and new wine,” no other and deeper things are meant; but “Isaac” here represents the Lord, and “Jacob” the church; thence the “fatnesses of the earth” mean the celestial things that are of the good of love; and “corn and new wine” every good and truth of the church. (But these words may also be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 3570, 3579, 3580.)
sRef Deut@11 @14 S9′ sRef Deut@11 @13 S9′ [9] In the same:
If ye shall harken to My commandments, I will give rain to your land in its time, the former rain and the latter rain; and thou shall gather in thy corn, and thy new wine, and thy fresh oil (Deut. 11:13-14).
These blessings of the earth were promised to the sons of Israel if they would hear and do the commandments of Jehovah, and the blessings followed because with them the church was representative, and the things that were said and commanded by Jehovah corresponded to things spiritual, thus these blessings of the earth to the blessings of heaven. The blessings of heaven, to which the blessings of the earth correspond, all have reference to the things that are of the good of love and the truth of faith; these blessings therefore are signified by “the former rain and the latter rain,” for “rain” in particular signifies Divine truth flowing in out of heaven, from which all things of the church and heaven with man are born, grow, and are brought forth; therefore “the corn, new wine, and oil, which they should gather in,” signify every good and truth of the external and internal man.
sRef Deut@33 @28 S10′ [10] In the same:
Thus Israel dwelt securely, alone by the fountain of Jacob, in a land of corn and new wine; yea, his heavens shall drop down dew (Deut. 33:28).
This was the conclusion of the blessings of the sons of Israel by Moses, which were all prophetical, and every son or every tribe of Israel signified something of the church (as in Gen. 49); and here “Israel” signifies the church itself; and “to dwell securely, alone by the fountain of Jacob,” signifies to live without infestation from evils and falsities, and to be led by the Lord alone through Divine truth, the “fountain of Jacob” meaning Divine truth and the Word; and “to live in a land of corn and new wine” signifies in every good and truth of the church; and “yea, his heavens shall drop down dew,” signifies influx out of heaven.
sRef Deut@32 @14 S11′ sRef Deut@32 @13 S11′ [11] In the same:
He made him ride upon the high places of the earth, and gave him butter of the herd, and milk of the flock, with the fat of lambs, and of rams, the sons of Bashan, and of he-goats, with the fat of the kidneys of wheat; and thou drinkest the blood of the grape, unmixed wine (Deut. 32:13-14).
These things are said of the Ancient Church, which was the church previous to the Israelitish Church, and was in the good of charity and in truths of faith. The goods of every kind, in which it was, are meant by these things, namely, the “butter of the herd,” the “milk of the flock,” “the fat of lambs,” “the fat of rams,” “the fat of goats,” “the fat of the kidneys of wheat;” and spiritual truths are meant by “the blood of the grape” and “unmixed wine.”
sRef Isa@62 @9 S12′ sRef Jer@31 @12 S12′ sRef Isa@62 @8 S12′ sRef Isa@62 @7 S12′ [12] In Jeremiah:
They shall come and sing aloud in the height of Zion, and shall flow together unto the good of Jehovah, to the corn, and to the new wine, and to the fresh oil, and to the sons of the flock and of the herd (Jer. 31:12).
“Corn,” “new wine,” and “fresh oil,” signify goods and truth of every kind (what these mean in particular, see above, n. 374). In Isaiah:
Jehovah hath sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength, Surely I will no longer give thy corn to be food for thine enemies, and the sons of the alien shall not drink thy new wine for which thou hast labored; but they that gather it shall eat it and praise Jehovah, and they that bring it together shall drink it in the courts of holiness (Isa. 62:8-9).
This is said of Jerusalem, which signifies the church in relation to doctrine; therefore “the corn that shall no longer be given as food for the enemies, and the new wine that the sons of the alien shall not drink” signify in general the good and truth of the church, which shall no longer be consumed by evils and falsities; “enemies” here meaning evils, and “the sons of the alien” falsities, and “to eat,” or “to have food given them,” and “to drink,” mean to consume. That goods and truths will remain with those who receive them, and thence make use of them, is signified by “they that gather it shall eat it,” and “they that bring it together shall drink it;” worship from these is signified by “praising Jehovah,” and “drinking in the courts of holiness.”
sRef Isa@16 @10 S13′ [13] In the same:
Gladness is taken away, and exultation from Carmel; and in the vineyards there is no singing aloud, no shouting for joy; the treader treadeth not out the wine in the wine-vats; I have made the vintage-shouting to cease (Isa. 16:10).
This describes the taking away of the heavenly enjoyment that is from good and its truths, because good and truth itself is taken away; the good of the church is meant by “Carmel,” and its truths by “vineyards” and by “treading out the wine in the wine-vats;” the enjoyments thereof that are taken away are meant by “gladness,” “exultation,” “singing aloud,” “shouting,” and “vintage-shouting,” for it was a custom to sing in the vineyards, and in the winepresses when the grape was trodden into wine, that enjoyments from truths, which were signified by “wine,” might be represented.
sRef Jer@48 @32 S14′ sRef Jer@48 @33 S14′ [14] In Jeremiah:
With more than the weeping of Jazer I will weep for thee, O vine of Sibmah; thy shoots are passed over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer; upon thy autumn fruits, and upon thy vintage the devastator is fallen. Whence gladness and exultation is gathered out of Carmel, and out of the land of Moab; and I have caused the wine to cease in the wine-vats; none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting (Jer. 48:32-33).
This also treats of the taking away of the heavenly enjoyment that is from the good of love and the truths thence, for all heavenly enjoyment is in these and from these. Lamentation over it is meant by “weeping” [flere fletum]; deprivation of it is meant by “gladness and exultation is gathered out of Carmel,” likewise by “the devastator falling upon it,” “the wine failing,” and “the shouting being no shouting;” the good that was taken away, for which there was lamentation, is meant by “the autumn fruits;” and the truths of good that were taken away are meant by “the vintage,” and by “the wine in the wine-vats.” That truths were banished, and that they perished through knowledges [scientifica] is meant by “the vine of Sibmah,” and by its “shoots that have gone over the sea, even to the sea of Jazer,” “sea” signifying the knowing faculty [scientificum].
sRef Lam@2 @11 S15′ sRef Lam@2 @12 S15′ [15] In Lamentations:
The infant and the suckling faint in the broad places of the city. They say to their mothers, Where is the corn and the wine? when they faint as one pierced in the broad places of the city, when their soul is poured out upon their mother’s bosom (Lam. 2:11-12).
These words contain a lamentation over the Jewish Church, that every good and truth thereof has perished; and the lamentation is described by “the infant and the suckling who faint in the broad places of the city, and say to their mothers, Where is the corn and the wine?” The “infant and the suckling” signify those who are in the good of innocence, and in an abstract sense, the good of innocence itself; by this good every good of the church is meant, since it is the essential of all its goods (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 276-283, 285, 288, 341, 382). “The broad places of the city” signify the truths of doctrine; “mothers” all things of the church; “corn and wine” all the good and truth of the church in general. It is said that “they faint as one pierced in the broad places of the city, when their soul is poured out upon their mother’s bosom,” because “one pierced” signifies those who perish spiritually from the deprivation of truth, and “soul” signifies spiritual life. (That “the broad places of the city, in which they faint,” signify the truths of doctrine, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2336; and that “the mother, into whose bosom the soul is poured out,” signifies the church, n. 2691, 2717, 3703, 4257, 5581, 8897.)
sRef Zeph@1 @13 S16′ [16] In Zephaniah:
Their wealth shall be for plunder, and their houses for a waste, that they may build houses but not inhabit them, and plant vineyards but not drink the wine thereof (Zeph. 1:13).
The “wealth that shall be for plunder” signifies spiritual wealth, which is the knowledges of good and truth; “the houses that shall be for devastation” signify the things of the church in man; that from these when devastated one profits nothing and receives nothing, even though he listens to them, and sees them in the Word, is signified by “building and not inhabiting, and planting vineyards and not drinking the wine thereof,” “houses” meaning the goods of the church, and “vineyards” with “wine” its truths.
sRef Micah@6 @15 S17′ sRef Hos@9 @2 S17′ sRef Amos@5 @11 S17′ sRef Hos@9 @4 S17′ [17] Like things are meant in Micah:
Thou shalt sow but shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olive but shalt not anoint thee with oil, and the new wine but shall not drink wine (Micah 6:15).
In Amos:
Vineyards of desire shall ye plant, but ye shall not drink the wine of them (Amos 5:11).
And in Hosea:
The threshing-floor and the wine-vat shall not feed them, and the new wine shall dissemble unto them. They shall not pour forth wine to Jehovah, and these shall not be agreeable unto Him (Hos. 9:2, 4).
The “threshing-floor and the wine-vat” signify the same as “corn and wine,” because corn and wine are there collected; that they will not profit by what they hear is signified by “they shall not feed them, and the new wine shall dissemble unto them;” and that thence their worship is not accepted is signified by “they shall not pour forth wine to Jehovah, and these (that is, the offerings) shall not be agreeable unto Him.”
sRef Joel@1 @5 S18′ sRef Joel@1 @11 S18′ sRef Joel@1 @10 S18′ [18] In Joel:
Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine which is cut off from your mouth. The field is devastated, the ground mourned, for the corn was devastated, the new wine was dried up, the fresh oil languisheth; the husbandmen were ashamed; the vine-dressers howled (Joel 1:5, 10-11).
What these words signify in the spiritual sense, may be seen above (n. 374), where they are explained; “wine” and “sweet wine” meaning the truth of the church, and “vine-dressers” those who are in truths and teach them. This treats of a devastated church, in which goods and truths have perished.
sRef Ezek@27 @18 S19′ [19] In Ezekiel:
Damascus was thy trader in the multitude of thy works, in the multitude of all riches, in the wine of Heshbon* and the wool of Zachar (Ezek. 27:18).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church in relation to the knowledges of good and truth; and “Damascus,” which was a city in Syria, signifies the concordant knowing faculty [scientificum]; and the “tradings” referred to in this chapter signify the acquisition and communication and also the use of these. Because “Damascus” signifies the concordant knowing faculty, it is called a “trader in the multitude of all works and riches,” “works” by which uses are effected, signifying the knowledges of good, and “riches” the knowledges of truth; and as the knowledges of truth and good are in the natural man, for therein is everything pertaining to cognition and knowing that is perceptible, therefore it is said “in the wine of Heshbon and the wool of Zachar,” the “wine of Heshbon” signifying natural truth, and the “wool of Zachar” natural good.
sRef Isa@24 @7 S20′ sRef Isa@24 @10 S20′ sRef Isa@24 @6 S20′ sRef Isa@24 @9 S20′ [20] In Isaiah:
A malediction shall devour the earth; the new wine shall mourn, the vine shall languish, all the glad of heart shall sigh. They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. The city of voidness shall be broken down; every house shall be shut, that no one come in (Isa. 24:6-7, 9-10).
These words describe the perversion of the church, which takes place when falsity rules in place of truth, whence there is no longer any good; for man has good by means of truths. “The earth that the malediction will devour” signifies the church, “malediction” meaning its perversion; the “new wine that will mourn,” and the “vine that will languish,” signify all truth of the church, “to mourn” and “to languish” signifying deprivation of it; that there shall no longer be any heavenly enjoyment and blessedness is signified by “all the glad of heart shall sigh, they shall not drink wine with a song;” that they shall turn away from all things that agree with truths is signified by “strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it,” “strong drink” signifying the things that are from truths and agree with them. But that the doctrine of falsity shall be destroyed is signified by “the city of voidness shall be broken down,” “city” meaning doctrine, and “a void” falsity; and that there shall no longer be any good or wisdom with man is signified by “every house shall be shut, that no one come in,” which takes place when there is no truth, but only falsity.
sRef Amos@6 @6 S21′ [21] In Amos:
Who drink out of bowls of wine, and anoint themselves with the firstfruits of the oils; but they are not grieved for the breach of Joseph (Amos 6:6).
This and what precedes in that chapter describes those who are in external worship without internal, such as the Jews were formerly and still are; the “bowls of wine out of which they drink” are the externals of truth from which is worship; and the “firstfruits of the oils with which they anoint themselves” are the externals of good, from which also is worship; “Joseph” signifies the internal of the church or its spiritual; not being affected because this perishes is signified by “they are not grieved for his breach.” (That external worship without internal is no worship, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1094, 1175, 7724; that the Jews were formerly and still are in external worship without internal, n. 1200, 3147, 3479, 8871; that “Joseph” signifies the spiritual church, thus also the spiritual of the church, n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417.)
sRef Zech@10 @6 S22′ sRef Zech@10 @7 S22′ [22] In Zechariah:
I will render the house of Judah mighty and I will save the house of Joseph; on this account they shall be as the mighty Ephraim, and their heart shall be glad as if with wine (Zech. 10:6-7).
“The house of Judah” signifies the Lord’s celestial church, and the “house of Joseph” the Lord’s spiritual church; and “to render mighty their houses” signifies to multiply with them truths from good, for all might is of truth from good; therefore it is said, “they shall be as the mighty Ephraim;” “Ephraim” signifying the understanding of truth from good, which is called mighty from its multiplication; heavenly enjoyment therefrom is signified by “their heart shall be glad as if with wine,” “wine” meaning truth from good from which that enjoyment comes. (That truths have all power from good, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 228-233; and also above, n. 209, 333; that “Judah” in the Word signifies the Lord’s celestial kingdom, Arcana Coelestia, n. 3881, 6363; and “Ephraim” the intellectual of the church, n. 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267, 6296.)
sRef Dan@5 @5 S23′ sRef Dan@5 @3 S23′ sRef Dan@5 @25 S23′ sRef Dan@5 @4 S23′ sRef Dan@5 @21 S23′ sRef Dan@5 @24 S23′ sRef Dan@5 @2 S23′ [23] In Daniel:
Belshazzar king of Babylon, and his magnates, and his wives, and his concubines, drank wine out of vessels of the temple of Jerusalem, and praised the gods of silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone. Therefore there was written on the wall, Numbered, weighed, and divided. And then he [Nebuchadnezzar] was driven out from the sons of man, and his dwelling was with the wild asses (Dan. 5:2-5, 21).
In the internal sense this describes the profanation of good and truth, which also is meant by “Babel” or “Babylon;” for “to drink wine out of the vessels of the temple of Jerusalem” signifies to draw the truths of the church from the Word, “to drink wine” meaning to draw truths, and “the vessels of the temple of Jerusalem” meaning the truths that belong to the doctrine of the church from the Word; and “to praise the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone” signifies worship from the love of self and the world; for these gods signify idolatrous worship of every kind, and profanation; that it was therefore written on the wall, “numbered, weighed, divided” signifies separation from all things of heaven and the church. That afterwards “the king was driven out from the sons of man, and his dwelling was with the wild asses” signifies separation from all truth, and the allotment of his life with the infernals, “sons of man” meaning the truths of the church, “wild asses” those who are in dire falsities like those in the hells, and “dwelling” meaning the allotment of the life.
sRef Joel@3 @3 S24′ [24] In Joel:
They have cast a lot upon My people; for they have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, which they drank (Joel 3:3).
“To cast lots upon the people” signifies to dissipate the truths of the church, “to cast a lot” signifying to dissipate, and “people” signifying the church in relation to truths, thus also the truths of the church; “to give a boy for a harlot” signifies to falsify truth, “boy” meaning the truth of the church, and “harlot” falsity; and “to sell a girl for wine, which they drank” signifies to pervert the good of the church by truth falsified, “girl” meaning the good of the church, and “wine” truth falsified.
sRef Joel@1 @9 S25′ [25] Because “wine” signified the truth of the church that is from good, it was commanded that, with the sacrifices upon the altar, a meal-offering and a drink-offering should be offered, and the meal-offering was bread, and the drink-offering wine; these signified worship of the Lord from the good of love, and from the truths therefrom; for all worship is from these. (On the drink-offerings, the portions of wine with them at the different sacrifices, see Exod. 29:40, 41; Lev. 23:13, 18; Num. 6:1-4, 15, 17; 15:4-7, 10, 24; 28:7-10, 24, 31; 29:6, 11, 16, 19, 22, 25, 27, 28, 31, 34, 38, 39; and besides Gen. 35:14.) This makes clear what is signified in Joel:
The meal-offering and the drink-offering was cut off from the house of Jehovah; the priests, the ministers (of the altar), mourned (Joel 1:9);
namely, that worship from the good of love, and from the truths therefrom, had perished. Who cannot see that the meal-offering and the drink-offering, which were bread and wine, were not pleasing to Jehovah in worship, unless they had signified such things as are of heaven and the church?
sRef Matt@26 @29 S26′ sRef Luke@22 @18 S26′ [26] From this it can now be seen what the bread and wine in the Holy Supper involve, namely, the bread, the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, and the wine, the good of faith, which in its essence is truth. (But on the Holy Supper and the bread and wine of it, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 210-222.) Because “wine” signifies the good of faith, which in its essence is truth, when the Lord instituted the sacrament of the supper, He said:
I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this product of the vine until that day when I will drink it with you new in My Father’s kingdom (Matt. 26:29).
I say unto you, I will not drink of the product of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come (Luke 22:18).
“The product of the vine,” that is, “wine,” which the Lord “would drink with them new in His Father’s kingdom,” or “when the kingdom of God should come,” means that all Divine truth in heaven and the church would then be from His Divine Human; He therefore calls it “new,” and also He calls it “the new testament in his blood” (Luke 22:20); for “the Lord’s blood” has a like signification as “wine” (see above, n. 30, 328, 329). And as everything Divine, since the Lord has risen, proceeds from Him, He says that He will drink it with them when the kingdom of God shall come, and it came when He reduced all things to order in the heavens and in the hells. That the kingdom of God came at the same time with the Lord and that it is from Him can be seen from Matt. 3:2; 4:8; 10:7; 12:28; 16:28; Mark 1:14, 15; 9:1; Luke 1:32, 33; 9:11, 27, 60; 10:11; 16:16; 17:20, 21; 23:42, 51; John 18:36. Now, because “bread” signifies the good of love, and “wine” the good of faith, which in its essence is the truth from that good, and in the highest sense, “bread” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine good, and “wine” the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and because there is a correspondence between spiritual things and natural, (and such a correspondence that when “bread” and “wine” are in man’s thought, the good of love and the good of faith are in the angels’ thoughts), and because all things of heaven and the church have reference to the good of love and the good of faith, therefore the Lord instituted the Holy Supper in order that by means of it there might be a conjunction of the angels of heaven with the men of the church.
sRef Gen@14 @19 S27′ sRef Gen@14 @18 S27′ [27] Because such things are meant by “bread and wine” in heaven, therefore:
Melchizedek, king of Salem, going out to meet Abram, brought out bread and wine; and he was a priest to God Most High. And he blessed Abram (Gen. 14:18-19).
“Melchizedek” here represents the Lord in relation to Divine good and in relation to Divine truth, as priest in relation to Divine good, and as king to Divine truth; therefore he “brought out bread and wine,” “bread” signifying Divine good, and “wine” Divine truth; or when applied to man, “bread” signifying the good of love to the Lord, and “wine” the good of faith, which is from the reception of Divine truth.
sRef Matt@9 @17 S28′ [28] The “wine” spoken of by the Lord in the following passages has a like signification:
They do not put new wine into old wine-skins, else the skins burst, and the wine is spilled; but they put [new] wine into fresh wine-skins, and both are preserved (Matt. 9:17).
And no man having drunk old wine straightway desireth new; for he saith, The old is more useful (Luke 5:39).
This comparison, like all others in the Word, is from correspondences, “wine” signifying truth, “old wine” the truth of the old or Jewish Church, and “wine-skins” things that contain, “old wine-skins” the statutes and judgments of the Jewish Church, and “fresh wine-skins” the precepts and commandments of the Lord. That the statutes and judgments of the Jewish Church, which related especially to sacrifices and representative worship, are not in agreement with the truths of the Christian Church is meant by “they do not put new wine into old wine-skins, else the wine-skins burst and the wine is spilled; but they put [new] wine into fresh wine-skins, and both are preserved together.” That those who have been born and educated in the externals of the Jewish Church cannot be brought immediately into the internals belonging to the Christian Church is signified by “no man having drunk old wine straightway desireth new; for he saith, “The old is more useful.”
sRef John@2 @8 S29′ sRef John@2 @7 S29′ sRef John@2 @9 S29′ sRef John@2 @1 S29′ sRef John@2 @10 S29′ sRef John@2 @2 S29′ sRef John@2 @3 S29′ sRef John@2 @4 S29′ sRef John@2 @6 S29′ sRef John@2 @5 S29′ [29] The same is signified by “the water turned into wine at Cana of Galilee,” thus described in John:
At the wedding in Cana of Galilee, when the wine failed, there were six water-pots of stone set there, according to the cleansing of the Jews. Jesus said, Fill the water-pots; and they filled them to the brim. Then he said unto them Draw out now, and bear unto the ruler of the feast; and they bare it. While the ruler of the feast tasted the water that was made wine, he calleth the bridegroom, and saith unto him, Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when they have had enough, the inferior; thou hast kept the good wine until now (John 2:1-10).
It should be known that all the miracles done by the Lord, as well as all the miracles by Him spoken of in the Old Testament, signified, that is, contained within them, such things as belong to heaven and the church, and that thence His miracles were Divine (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7337, 8364, 9051). So with this miracle; here, as elsewhere in the Word, “a wedding” signifies the church; “in Cana of Galilee” means among the Gentiles; “water” the truth of the external church, such as was the truth of the Jewish Church from the sense of the letter of the Word, and “wine” the truth of the internal church, such as is the truth of the Christian Church; therefore the Lord’s “making the water wine” signifies that of the truths of the external church He will make truths of the internal church by opening the internal things that have lain concealed in them. “The six water-pots of stone, set there according to the cleansing of the Jews,” signify all these truths in the Word, and thence in the Jewish Church and its worship; these were all representative and significative of things Divine in the Lord and from the Lord, which contained things eternal. For this reason there were “six water-pots of stone, set for the cleansing of the Jews;” the number “six” signifies all, and is predicated of truths; “stone” signifies truth, and “the cleansing of the Jews” purification from sins; thus all things of the Jewish Church are signified, since that church regards purification from sins as its all, for so far as anyone is purified from sins, so far he becomes a church. “The ruler of the feast” means those who are in the knowledges of truth; his saying to the bridegroom, “every man setteth on first the good wine; and when men have had enough, the inferior; thou hast kept the good wine until now,” signifies that every church has its beginning in truths from good, but falls away into truths not of good, but that now, at the end of the church, truth from good, or genuine truth, is granted, namely by the Lord.
sRef Luke@10 @34 S30′ sRef Luke@10 @33 S30′ [30] It is because “wine” signifies the truth of the church, and “oil” the good of the church, that the Lord says, in the parable of the man who was wounded by thieves:
That the Samaritan poured oil and wine into his wounds (Luke 10:33-34);
where “the man wounded by thieves” means those who are infested and have their conscience hurt by evil men, who are “robbers;” and “the Samaritan” means the Gentiles that are in the good of charity; therefore “his pouring into his wounds oil and wine” signifies the spiritual things that heal a man thus injured, “oil” meaning the good of love, and “wine” the good of faith, or truth. What the rest signifies, namely, “that he set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and told them to take care of him,” may be seen above (n. 375 sRef Gen@27 @27 S8′ sRef Gen@27 @26 S8′ sRef Gen@27 @37 S8′ sRef Gen@27 @25 S8′ sRef Gen@27 @28 S8′ sRef Gen@27 @28 S8′ sRef Gen@27 @27 S8′ [8]), where they are explained. That “wine” signifies the truth of the church can be seen not only from the passages cited, but also from others in the Word (as Isa. 1:21, 22; 25:6; 36:17; Hos. 7:4, 5, 14; 14:5-7; Amos 2:8; Zech. 9:15, 17; Ps. 104:14-16).
sRef Isa@28 @1 S31′ sRef Isa@28 @3 S31′ sRef Isa@28 @7 S31′ [31] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so, too, has “wine,” and in that sense it signifies truth falsified, and also falsity, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, to the flower of his fading adornment, which is on the head of the valley of the fat ones frenzied with wine; the crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, they shall be trampled under the feet; these go astray through wine, and through strong drink they err; the priest and the prophet go astray through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they err through wine,** they go astray among the seeing, they waver in judgment (Isa. 28:1, 3, 7).
This is said of those who are insane in things spiritual because they believe themselves to be intelligent of themselves, and glory in it; the state of such is here described by pure correspondences; those who are insane in things spiritual or in truths are meant by “the drunkards,” and those who thence believe themselves intelligent by “Ephraim,” and hence glorying in intelligence or learning is meant by the “crown of pride;” for those who are in falsities of doctrine and have confirmed themselves in them, when they are illustrated and see truths, in the other life become like drunkards. The learned who have confirmed themselves in falsities become such, and to confirm oneself in falsities is to confirm from oneself and not from the Lord. This makes clear what is signified by “woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim;” “the flower of the fading adornment that is on the head of the valley of the fat ones frenzied with wine” signifies the truth of the church destroyed even as it is born by the glorying of the self-intelligence that is of the natural man separated from the spiritual, when falsity is seen instead of truth, “the flower of the adornment” meaning truth as it is born declining or perished; “the head of the valley of the fat ones” means the intelligence of the natural man; “frenzied with wine” means those who see falsity in place of truth; “the crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, they shall be trampled under the feet,” signifies that this intelligence shall utterly perish; “these go astray through wine, and through strong drink they err,” signifies through falsities and through such things as are from falsities; “the priest and the prophet go astray through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are gone astray through strong drink,” signifies that such are those who ought to be in the doctrine of good and truth, and in a sense abstracted from persons that such is their doctrine itself; “they go astray among the seeing, they waver in judgment,” signifies that they do not see the truths of intelligence. That these words have such a signification no one can see except from the spiritual sense; without that it could not be known that “crown” and “head” signify intelligence, that “drunkards” signify those who are insane in things spiritual, that “Ephraim” signifies here man’s own understanding, or that which is from himself, that “valley” signifies the lower things of the mind, which are natural and sensual, and that “priest and prophet” signify the doctrine of good and truth.
sRef Isa@29 @10 S32′ sRef Isa@29 @9 S32′ [32] In the same:
Linger ye, wonder, be astounded, and cry out; they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink; for Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed up your eyes; the prophets and your heads, the seers hath He covered (Isa. 29:9-10).
This is said of those who can see nothing of truth when they hear or read it from the Word; those who are such are called “drunken but not with wine,” and “they stagger, but not with strong drink,” “wine” signifying in particular the truth of the spiritual and thus of the rational man, and “strong drink” the truth of the natural man therefrom. Because such are meant it is said, “Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed up your eyes,” “the spirit of deep sleep” meaning no perception, and the “eyes closed up” no understanding. “The prophets and your heads [the seers] hath He covered,” signifies those who are in the doctrine of truth and were wise and intelligent thence; “prophets” signify those who are in the doctrine of truth, and in an abstract sense, doctrine itself, “heads” signify the wise, and in an abstract sense, wisdom, and “seers” signify the intelligent, and in an abstract sense, intelligence. Wonder at such gross stupidity is described by “Linger ye, wonder, be astounded,” and lamentation over it by “cry out.” Such are those who are in a life of evil, and at the same time in the principles of falsity, however learned they are believed to be; for a life of evil shuts out the perception of good by which thought has life and light, and the principles of falsity shut out the understanding of truth, on which account they see from the sensual man only, and not at all from the spiritual.
sRef Isa@56 @11 S33′ sRef Isa@56 @12 S33′ [33] In the same:
The dogs are strong of soul, they know not satiety; and they are shepherds who know not intelligence. Come, I will take wine and we will be drunk with strong drink (Isa. 56:11-12).
This is said of those who care for nothing but worldly and earthly things, which close the internal spiritual man. These, from having no perception of good and no understanding of truth, are called “dogs strong of soul, they know not satiety,” that is, they are unable to receive good, “to know” here signifies to be able, and “satiety” reception of good, for satiety is predicated of food, by which spiritual nourishment is signified. That they have no understanding of truth is meant by “they are shepherds who know not intelligence;” those are called “shepherds” who believe themselves able to instruct others, for “to feed” means to instruct; and because such persons love falsities and things falsified, it is added, “Come, I will take wine, and we will be drunk with strong drink.”
sRef Jer@13 @12 S34′ sRef Jer@13 @13 S34′ [34] In Jeremiah:
Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine. Behold I fill all the inhabitants of this land, and the kings sitting for David upon his throne, and the priests and the prophets, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with drunkenness (Jer. 13:12-13).
Here, too, “wine” signifies falsity, and “every bottle that shall be filled with wine” signifies the mind of man, since the mind is a recipient of truth or of falsity, as a bottle is of wine; “the kings sitting for David upon his throne” signify those who would otherwise be in Divine truths, “priests” those who would be in Divine goods, “prophets,” those who would be in doctrine, “the inhabitants of Jerusalem” all who are of the church; and “the drunkenness with which they shall be filled” signifies insanity in spiritual things.
sRef Jer@23 @10 S35′ sRef Jer@23 @9 S35′ [35] In the same:
I am become like a drunkard, and like a man into whom wine hath passed, because of Jehovah, and because of the words of His Holiness. For the land is full of adulterers (Jer. 23:9-10).
This is a lamentation over the adulteration of good and falsification of truth in the church, which is signified by “the land is full of adulterers;” these are meant by “adulteries,” and the church by “land.” Insanity in spiritual things through reasonings from evils against Divine goods and from falsities against Divine truth is signified by, “I am become like a drunkard, and like a man into whom wine has passed, because of Jehovah, and because of the words of His Holiness;” “to become like a drunkard and like a man into whom wine hath passed” signifies confusion of mind and insanity by reasoning from evils and falsities; “because of Jehovah” signifies because of Divine goods, and “because of the words of his holiness” signifies because of Divine truths.
sRef Gen@19 @34 S36′ sRef Gen@19 @33 S36′ sRef Gen@9 @21 S36′ sRef Gen@19 @32 S36′ sRef Gen@19 @35 S36′ sRef Isa@51 @21 S36′ [36] In Isaiah:
Hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken but not with wine (Isa. 51:21).
The “drunken but not with wine,” mean here those who are in falsities from ignorance of truth. That:
Noah drank of the wine and was drunken, and therefore lay naked in the midst of his tent (Gen. 9:21);
means in the spiritual sense, something entirely different from the meaning in the letter; likewise:
Lot’s being made drunken by his daughters, and their then lying with him (Gen. 19:32-34).
What is meant by the drunkenness of Noah in the spiritual sense may be seen in Arcana Coelestia (n. 1070-1081); and what by the drunkenness of Lot (n. 2465 at the end). “Drunkenness” also elsewhere in the Word signifies insanity in spiritual things, and lapsing into errors (Isa. 19:11, 12, 14; Jer. 25:27; Joel 1:5-7; Jer. 51:7; Lev. 10:8, 9).
sRef Isa@5 @12 S37′ sRef Isa@5 @21 S37′ sRef Isa@5 @22 S37′ sRef Isa@5 @11 S37′ [37] That “wine” in a contrary sense signifies falsity, is also evident from Isaiah:
Woe unto them that rise early in the morning, that follow strong drink; to them that delay until twilight till wine inflames them. But they do not look upon the work of Jehovah, and they see not the working of His hands. Woe to the wise in their own eyes, and the intelligent before their own faces. Woe unto the mighty in drinking wine, and to men of strength to mingle strong drink (Isa. 5:11-12, 21-22).
This is said of those who frame for themselves doctrinals from self-intelligence not from the Lord, or from Him out of the Word, which consequently are mere falsities. “Woe unto them who rise early in the morning, who follow strong drink, to them who delay until twilight till wine inflame them; but they do not look upon the work of Jehovah, and they see not the working of His hands” signifies therefore the perverted states of those who believe that they are illustrated of themselves, whence they are in falsities of doctrine, and care not for the Word, from which they might know goods and truths of life and of doctrine. “To rise early in the morning,” and “to delay until twilight” signifies to be illustrated; and “to follow strong drink,” and “to be inflamed with wine” signifies to hatch out doctrinals of themselves; “not to look upon the work of Jehovah,” and “not to see the working of His hands” signifies not to care for the Word, or the goods of life and the truths of doctrine there disclosed; “the work of Jehovah” is predicated of the goods of life, and “the working of His hands” of the truths of doctrine, both from the Word; because such persons are meant, therefore it is said, “Woe to the wise in their own eyes, and the intelligent before their own faces;” “the wise in their own eyes” signifying those who are wise from their own intelligence, and “the intelligent before their own faces” signifying those who are intelligent from their own affection, “eyes” signifying the understanding, and “face” affection. And “woe unto the mighty in drinking wine, and to men of strength to mingle strong drink,” signifies unto such as aspire after great things, and are ingenious in confirming the falsities that favor the loves of self and their own principles; “the mighty” are those who aspire to great things; “men of strength” those who are ingenious, and seem to themselves to be intelligent; “to drink wine” means to imbibe falsities, and “to mingle strong drink” means to confirm them. Such are all those who are in the love of self, and who seek after the reputation for learning, for such are in what is their own, and cannot be elevated above it; therefore their own thought is in the corporeal sensual, by which no truth is seen, and no spiritual good is perceived. But those who are not in the love of self, and who seek intelligence for the sake of the uses of life, are elevated by the Lord from what is their own into the light of heaven, and though not themselves aware of it, are illustrated.
sRef Hos@4 @18 S38′ sRef Hos@4 @17 S38′ sRef Hos@4 @12 S38′ sRef Hos@4 @11 S38′ [38] In Hosea:
Whoredom and new wine have taken up the heart. My people ask the wood, and their rod answereth them; for the spirit of whoredom hath led them astray, and they have committed whoredom under their God. Ephraim is joined to idols; their wine is gone; in whoring they commit whoredom (Hos. 4:11-12, 17-18).
This treats of those who falsify truths; the falsification of truth is signified by “whoredom,” and the falsity therefrom by “new wine.” This makes clear what is signified by “whoredom and new wine have taken up the heart; the spirit of whoredoms hath seduced them, they have committed whoredom under their God, and the wine hath departed, in whoring they commit whoredom,” namely, that such falsify Divine truths, and consequently have no truth at all, “to commit whoredom under their God” signifies to falsify Divine truths, and “the wine hath departed” signifies that consequently they have no truth at all; “Ephraim, who is joined to idols” signifies those who are in self-intelligence, and the “idols to which he is joined” signify the falsities of religion. “My people ask the wood, and their rod answereth them” signifies that they consult their self-love, and favor it from self-intelligence; for “wood” or an idol of wood, which they ask, signifies self-love, and “the rod that answers” signifies power from what is one’s own, thus intelligence.
sRef Rev@14 @10 S39′ sRef Rev@16 @19 S39′ sRef Rev@14 @8 S39′ sRef Rev@14 @9 S39′ sRef Rev@17 @1 S39′ sRef Rev@17 @2 S39′ sRef Rev@18 @3 S39′ [39] In Revelation:
Babylon is fallen is fallen, the great city, because of the wine of the wrath of her whoredom she hath made all nations to drink. If anyone worshipeth the beast he shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which hath been mingled unmixed in the cup of the anger [of God]; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone (Rev. 14:8-10);
I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed whoredom, and they that dwell in the earth were made drunk from the wine of her whoredom (Rev. 17:1-2).
For of the wine of the wrath of her whoredom have all nations drunk, and the kings of the earth have committed whoredom with her (Rev. 18:3).
“The wine of the anger of God” signifies the falsity of evil, and “the wine of whoredom” signifies truth falsified; what the rest means will appear in the explanation of it, likewise what these words mean in Revelation:
Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the wrath of God’s anger (Rev. 16:19);
“The wine of God’s anger” having the same meaning as “the chalice, or cup, of God’s anger.”
sRef Jer@51 @7 S40′ sRef Ps@75 @8 S40′ [40] In Jeremiah:
Babylon hath been a cup of gold in the hand of Jehovah, making the whole earth drunken; the nations have drunk of her wine, therefore the nations are mad (Jer. 51:7).
And in David:
There is a cup in the hand of Jehovah, and He hath mingled the wine, hath filled it with mixture, and hath poured out; but the lees of it all the wicked of the earth shall suck out and drink (Ps. 75:8).
As the “meal-offering” and the “drink-offering,” which were bread and wine, signify worship from the good of love and the truths of faith, so in a contrary sense, the “meal-offering” and “drink-offering” signify worship from the evils that are of the love of evil, and from the falsities of faith; this was signified by the “meal-offering” and “drink-offering” that were offered to idols and to the gods (Isa. 57:6; 65:11; Jer. 7:18; 44:17-19; Ezek. 20:28; Deut. 32:38; and elsewhere). From the signification of “wine” it can be seen what “vineyard,” “vine,” its “branches,” and “grapes” signify in the Word, namely, that “a vineyard” signifies the spiritual church, that is, the church that is in the truths and goods of doctrine from the Lord, “a vine” the doctrine itself, its “branches” truths from which doctrine is formed, and “the grapes” which are the fruit of vineyards and of vines, the goods of charity and the goods of faith (but of these elsewhere).
* Hebrew has “Helbon.”
** In AC n. 6377 we read “strong drink.”

sRef Rev@6 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@6 @7 S0′ 377. Verses 7-8. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth animal saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a pale horse; and he that sat upon him his name was Death, and hell followed with him. And there was given unto them power over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth. 7. “And when he had opened the fourth seal,” signifies prediction still further manifested (n. 378); “I heard the voice of the fourth animal saying,” signifies out of the inmost heaven from the Lord (n. 379); “Come and see,” signifies attention and perception (n. 380). 8. “And I saw, and behold a pale horse,” signifies the understanding of the Word then become nought in consequence of evils of life and then of falsities therefrom (n. 381); “and he that sat upon him,” signifies the Word (n. 382); “his name was Death, and hell followed with him,” signifies eternal damnation (n. 383); “and there was given unto them power over the fourth part of the earth, to kill,” signifies the loss of every good and thence of every truth from the Word, and in consequence, in the doctrine of their church from the Word (n. 384); “with sword,” signifies by falsity (n. 385); “and with famine,” signifies by the loss, lack, and ignorance of the knowledges of truth and good (n. 386); “and with death,” signifies the consequent extinction of spiritual life (n. 387); “and by the wild beasts of the earth,” signifies the evils of life or lusts and falsities therefrom springing from the love of self and of the world, which devastate all things of the church with man (n. 388).

sRef Rev@6 @7 S0′ 378. Verse 7. And when he had opened the fourth seal, signifies prediction still further manifested; as is evident from what was said and shown above (n. 351, 352, 361).

sRef Rev@6 @7 S0′ 379. I heard the voice of the fourth animal saying, signifies out of the inmost heaven from the Lord; this, too, is evident from what has been said and shown above (n. 353, 362, 370).

sRef Rev@6 @7 S0′ sRef Rev@6 @8 S0′ 380. Come and see, signifies attention and perception, as above (n. 354, 371).

sRef Rev@6 @8 S0′ 381. Verse 8. And I saw, and behold a pale horse, signifies the understanding of the Word then become nought in consequence of evils of life and then of falsities therefrom. This and the following chapter treats of the successive states of the church, that is, of the men of the church in respect to their spiritual life; and their first state is described by “the white horse,” the second by “the red horse,” the third by “the black horse,” and the fourth by “the pale horse.” That “the white horse” signifies the understanding of truth from the Word may be seen above (n. 355); that “the red horse” signifies the understanding of the Word lost in respect to good (n. 364); that “the black horse” signifies the understanding of the Word lost in respect to truth (n. 372); from which it is clear that “the pale horse” signifies the understanding of the Word become nought in consequence of evils of life and of falsities therefrom. For when the understanding of the Word is lost in respect to good and in respect to truth, it follows that the understanding of the Word becomes nought; and for the reason that the evil of life and the falsity therefrom reign. It is said the evil of life and the falsity therefrom, because where there is the evil of life there also is falsity, for these make one in man’s spirit: it is said in man’s spirit, because an evil man equally with a good man can do good and speak truth; but an evil man does this merely from the natural man and thence from the body, while within him, that is, in his spirit, there is no will of good and thus no understanding of truth, therefore neither good nor truth; this is especially evident when such persons become spirits; then, because they are in the spirit, they will nothing but evil and speak nothing but falsity. This is what is here meant by “the pale horse.” That “a horse” signifies the understanding may be seen above (n. 355); here the understanding of the Word, because “he that sat upon the horse” signifies the Word (n. 373).
[2] “Pale” signifies the evil of life and the falsity therefrom, thus “the pale horse” the understanding of the Word become nought in consequence of evils of life and of the falsities therefrom, because paleness indicates and thence signifies the absence of life or deprivation of life, here absence and deprivation of spiritual life, which occurs when there is the evil of life in place of the good of life, and the falsity of faith in place of the truth of faith, for there is then no spiritual life. Spiritual life means the life of heaven, and in the Word this also is called simply “life;” but life not spiritual is such a life as those have who are in hell, and this in the Word is also called “death.” That “the pale horse” signifies spiritual death is evident, too, from the rest of this verse, for it is said, “he that sat upon this horse his name was Death, and Hell followed with him.”
sRef Jer@30 @6 S3′ [3] “Paleness” or “pale” has a like meaning in Jeremiah:
Ask ye, I pray, and see whether a male doth bring forth? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins as one bringing forth, and all faces are turned into paleness? (Jer. 30:6).
No one can know what these words involve unless he knows the signification of “bringing forth,” “male,” “man” [vir], “hands on the loins,” and “faces.” This is said of those who wish to acquire for themselves love and faith from self-intelligence; to acquire these for oneself is signified by “bringing forth;” “male” and “man” signify intelligence, here self-intelligence; “hands on the loins” signifies hatching these out, and “faces” signify love and faith; for angels and spirits have faces such as their love and faith are, for the affection of good, which is love, and the affection of truth, which is faith, manifest themselves in their faces; therefore “whether a male doth bring forth” signifies whether anyone can acquire for himself the good of love and the truth of faith from self-intelligence. “I see every man with his hands on his loins as one about to bring forth” signifies that everyone is striving to hatch these out from what is his own [ex proprio]; and “all faces are turned into paleness” signifies that thence there is no good or truth, but evil and falsity, thus no life, but spiritual death. This is signified by “paleness of the face.” (That “conceptions,” “travailings,” and “births,” in the Word signify spiritual conceptions, travailings, and births which are of love and faith, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3860, 3868, 3915, 3919, 3965, 9325; that the “male” or “masculine” signifies truth, and intelligence therefrom, n. 749, 2046, 4005, 7838; likewise “man” [vir], n. 749, 1007, 3134, 3309, 3459, 9007; that “the face” signifies the interiors of the mind, thus the things of love and faith, n. 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796, 5102, 9306, 9546; that the faces with angels are the forms of their affections, see Heaven and Hell, n. 47, 457, 459, 481, 552, 553.)
sRef Isa@29 @22 S4′ [4] “To wax pale” has a like meaning in Isaiah:
Jacob shall not be ashamed, neither shall his face wax pale (Isa. 29:22).
“Jacob” means those who are of the church, and “his face shall not wax pale” means that such shall not be in evils and falsities, but in goods and truths. “Paleness” signifies privation of spiritual life, which occurs when there is no good and truth, but evil and falsity, because when man is deprived of vital heat he then waxes pale and becomes an image of death, as is the case in extreme terrors, the same as when he dies; but when a man dies spiritually his face either becomes red like a coal fire or pale like that of a corpse; thus the infernals appear in the light of heaven.

sRef Rev@6 @8 S0′ 382. And he that sat upon him, signifies the Word. This is evident from what has been said and shown above (n. 373). Its being said that “his name was Death” does not mean that the Word in itself is death, but only before those who are in evils and falsities therefrom, for such persons see and perceive in the Word nothing of truth and good, thus nothing of spiritual life; consequently before such as these it is according to appearance and perception that his name that sat upon the pale horse is “Death.” For the Word appears to everyone according to his quality, as life to those who are in good and truth, but as death to those who are in evils and falsities. It is similar with the Lord Himself, who is the Word; He too appears to everyone according to his quality; to those who are in goods and truths therefrom He appears as a fire and as light vivifying and recreating, but to those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom He appears as a consuming fire and as thick darkness (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 934 end, 1861 end, 6832, 8814, 8819, 9434, 10551). And for the same reason to those who are in evil and in falsities therefrom the Lord appears to be angry, to punish, to condemn, and to cast into hell, when yet He is never angry, never punishes, or condemns, or casts into hell, but saves so far as man applies himself; for the Lord is good itself and truth itself, He is love itself and mercy itself. The like is true of this passage, where it is said that the name of the one that sat on the pale horse is “Death.” (On this more may be seen cited above, n. 373.)

sRef Rev@6 @8 S0′ 383. His name was Death, and hell followed with him, signifies eternal damnation. This is evident from the signification of “name,” as being the quality of a thing (see above, n. 102, 148), here the quality of the Word with those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom; also from the signification of “death,” as being damnation (of which also see above, n. 186), for spiritual death is nothing else; also from the signification of “hell,” as being evil and falsity therefrom, since in these and from these hell exists. Moreover, “hell” has the same signification as “death,” namely, damnation; but as both are here mentioned, and thus hell is distinguished from death, “hell” signifies eternal damnation, for those who come into hell remain there to eternity; therefore it is also said, “and hell followed with him,” “to follow with him” signifying to abide therein, namely, in damnation to eternity. From this it can be seen that “his name was Death, and hell followed with him” signifies eternal damnation.

sRef Rev@6 @8 S0′ sRef Ps@87 @7 S0′ 384. And there was given unto them power over the fourth part of the earth, to kill, signifies the deprivation of every good and thence of every truth from the Word, and in consequence in the doctrine of their church from the Word. This is evident from the signification of “power,” as being effect, since to be able means to effect; from the signification of “to kill” or “to slay,” as being to deprive of good and truth (of which above, n. 366); from the signification of “fourth part,” as being every good and thence every truth (of which presently); and from the signification of “earth,” as being the church and everything thereof (of which above, n. 29, 304). And as a church is a church from doctrine there, and from life according to it, and as every doctrine of the church must be from the Word, so the doctrine of the church from the Word is at the same time signified. From this it can be seen that “there was given unto them power over the fourth part of the earth to kill” signifies the deprivation of every good and thus of every truth from the Word, and in consequence in the doctrine of the church from the Word. It is said that “power was given unto them,” meaning to evils and to falsities therefrom, and these are signified also by “death and hell.” That those who are in evils and falsities deprive themselves of all the perception of good and the understanding of truth from the Word, and in consequence in the doctrine of their church from the Word, is clearly evident in the case of those who are in falsities of doctrine from evils of life. Such, although they read the Word, either do not see the truths that are in it or they falsify them by applying them to the falsities of their own opinions and to the evils of their own loves; for the sense of the letter of the Word is such that those who are in good see truths in it, and those who are in evil see falsities, for the sense of the letter is according to the apprehension of little children, boys, and the simple, and is therefore according to appearance; but still in that sense truths lie hidden that are not seen by any except those who are in good, those who are in evil not wishing to see them, but they draw all things by perverse interpretations to the evils of their loves and to the falsities of their opinions, as is plainly evident from so many heresies existing within the church, especially the heinous Babylonian heresy, and also from the Jewish heresy.
[2] “A fourth part” signifies every good and thence every truth, because the number “four” signifies the conjunction of good and truth, and therefore “a fourth part” or “a fourth” signifies everything of conjunction. In the Word “a third part” and also “a fourth part” are often mentioned, and those who do not know that all numbers signify things may believe that “a third part” means a third part, and “a fourth part” a fourth part, or that they signify some portion; but “a third part” signifies all truth, and “a fourth part” all good; and as all truth is from good, “a fourth part” signifies all good and the truth therefrom, here the deprivation of these, because it is said “there was given to them power over the fourth part of the earth to kill.” That “three” and thence “a third part” are predicated of truths, will be seen hereafter, where that number is mentioned. But “four” and thence “a fourth part” are predicated of goods and the truths therefrom, because they signify the conjunction of good and truth. This has been made evident to me by much experience from the spiritual world; for when angels spoke there of the conjunction of good and truth, or of love and faith, and their speech was determined into numbers, the number four was exhibited, and sometimes also the number two, or the number eight, or the number sixteen, because these numbers have a like signification, for numbers multiplied or divided by themselves have a like signification as the numbers with which they are multiplied or divided (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973). That angelic speech falls also into numbers, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 263). That “four” signifies the conjunction of good and truth has its origin from the four quarters in heaven, in two of which, namely, in the east and the west, those dwell who are in the good of love, and in the other two, namely, in the south and the north, those who are in truths therefrom (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 141-153). Consequently “the four quarters,” or “the four winds,” signify all good and the truth therefrom, and “four” their conjunction. “A fourth part” signifies everything of conjunction of good and truth, because here “a fourth” constitutes all, and “a fourth” is significative of conjunction; therefore “killing a fourth part” signifies all of conjunction, consequently every good and truth; for where no conjunction of good and truth exists, there they are not; for there can be no good without truth, nor truth without good; they are in their essence one, since truth is of good, and good is of truth (as can be seen from what is said, and the passages cited respecting good and truth in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 11-27).

sRef Rev@6 @8 S0′ 385. With sword, signifies by falsity. This is evident from the signification of “sword,” as being truth fighting against falsity and destroying it; and in a contrary sense falsity fighting against truth and destroying it (of which above, n. 131, 367).

sRef Rev@6 @8 S0′ 386. And with famine, signifies by the deprivation, lack, and ignorance of the knowledges of truth and good. This is evident from the signification of “famine,” as being the deprivation of the knowledges of truth and good, also the lack and ignorance of them. These are signified by “famine” in the Word. This is the signification of “famine” because “food and drink” signify all things that nourish and sustain spiritual life, and these in general are the knowledges of truth and good. The spiritual life itself needs nourishment and support just as much as the natural life does; so it is said to be famished when a man is deprived of these knowledges, or when they fail, or when they are unknown and yet are desired. Moreover, natural foods correspond to spiritual foods, as bread to the good of love, wine to the truths therefrom, and other foods and drinks to particular goods and truths, which have been treated of in several places before, and will be treated of in what follows. It is said that “famine” signifies (1) the deprivation of the knowledges of truth and good, (2) lack, and (3) ignorance of them, since there is deprivation with those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom; lack with those who cannot know them, because they are not in the church or in its doctrine; and ignorance with those who know that there are knowledges, and therefore desire them; these three things are signified by “famine” in the Word, as can be seen from the passages there in which “famine,” “the hungry,” “thirst,” and “the thirsty,” are mentioned.
sRef Isa@9 @20 S2′ sRef Isa@9 @19 S2′ sRef Isa@9 @21 S2′ [2] (1) That “famine” signifies the deprivation of the knowledges of truth and good which exists with those who are in evils and thence in falsities, is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:
In the fury of Jehovah of Hosts is the land obscured, and the people are become as the food of the fire; a man shall not pity his brother. And if he shall cut down on the right hand he shall be hungry, and if he shall eat on the left hand they shall not be satisfied; they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm; Manasseh Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; they together against Judah* (Isa. 9:19-21).
Except from the internal sense no one can understand this, nor can even know what is treated of. This treats of the extinction of good by falsity, and of truth by evil. The perversion of the church through falsity is meant by “in the fury of Jehovah of Hosts is the land obscured;” and the perversion of it through evil is meant by “the people are become as the food of the fire;” “the land obscured” signifies the church where there is no truth, but only falsity; and “the food of the fire” signifies the consumption of the truth by the love of evil, “fire” meaning the love of evil. That falsity destroys good is meant by “a man shall not pity his brother,” “man” [vir] and “brother” signifying truth and good, here “man” signifies falsity, and “brother” good, because it is said that “he shall not pity him.” The consequent deprivation of all good and of all truth, however much it may be sought, is meant by “if he shall cut down on the right hand he shall be hungry, and if he shall eat on the left hand they shall not be satisfied,” “right hand” signifying good from which is truth, and “left hand” truth from good, “to cut down,** and to eat these” signifies to seek, and “to be hungry and not be satisfied” means to be deprived of; that evil extinguishes all truth and falsity all good is meant by “they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm,” “flesh of the arm” meaning the power of good through truth, “man” falsity, and “to eat” to extinguish. That thence all the will of good and the understanding of truth perishes is meant by “Manasseh shall eat Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh.” (That “Manasseh” means the will of good, and “Ephraim” the understanding of truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267, 6296.) That this is with those who are in evils and falsities is meant by “they together against Judah;” for when the will is in good and the understanding in truth these are with Jehovah, since they are both from Him; but when the will is in evil and the understanding in falsity they are against Jehovah.
sRef Isa@14 @30 S3′ sRef Isa@14 @29 S3′ [3] In the same:
Be not glad, O Philistia, all of thee, because the rod that smiteth thee is broken; for from the serpent’s root shall come forth a basilisk, and his fruit shall be a fiery-flying serpent. I will cause thy root to die with famine, and it shall slay thy remnant (Isa. 14:29-30).
Nearly the like is meant by this in the internal sense; but here those are treated of who believe that faith is merely the interior sight of the natural man, and that they are justified and saved by such sight or faith, thus denying that the good of charity has any effect. Such as these are meant by “the Philistines,” and a collection of them by “Philistia” (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3412, 3413, 8093, 8313). That this false principle, which is faith alone or faith separated from charity, destroys every good and truth of the church is meant by “from the serpent’s root shall come forth a basilisk,” the “serpent’s root” meaning that false principle, and “basilisk” the destruction of the good and truth of the church thereby. That reasoning from mere falsities springs from this is meant by “his fruit shall be a fiery-flying serpent,” “fiery-flying serpent” meaning reasoning from falsities. The deprivation of all truth and thence of all good is meant by “I will cause thy root to die with famine, and famine shall slay thy remnant,” meaning all things hatched out of that principle. That such is the meaning has been made evident also by experience itself. Those who in doctrine and in life have confirmed themselves in the principle of faith alone are seen in the spiritual world as basilisks, and their reasonings as fiery-flying serpents.
sRef Isa@44 @12 S4′ sRef Isa@44 @10 S4′ [4] In the same:
Who formeth a god, and casteth a molten image, and it profiteth not? he fashioneth iron with the tongs, and worketh it in the coal, and formeth it with sharp hammers; so he worketh it by the arm of his power; yea, he is hungry until there is no power, neither doth he drink, until he is weary (Isa. 44:10, 12).
This describes the formation of doctrine both from one’s own understanding and from one’s own love. “To form a god” signifies doctrine from one’s own understanding; and “to cast a molten image,” from one’s own love; “he fashioneth the iron with the tongs, and worketh it in the coal” signifies the falsity that he calls truth and the evil that he calls good, “iron” meaning falsity, and “the fire of coal” the evil of one’s own love; “he formeth it with sharp hammers” signifies by ingenious reasonings from falsities so that they may seem to hold together; “so he worketh it by the arm of his power” signifies from what is his own; “yea, he is hungry until there is no power, neither doth he drink, until he is weary” signifies that there is nothing whatever of good or of truth, “to be hungry” signifies the deprivation of good, and “not to drink” the deprivation of truth, “until there is no power,” and “until he is weary” signify till there is nothing of good and nothing of truth left. Who that looks at the Word from the sense of the letter only, can see in this anything but a description of the formation of a molten image? Yet he must see that there is nothing spiritual involved in such a description of the formation of a molten image; also that there is no need of saying that “he is hungry until there is no power, neither doth he drink until he is weary;” nevertheless not only here but elsewhere in many places in the Word, the formation of a religion and of the doctrine of falsity is described by “idols,” “graven images” and “molten images.” (That these signify the falsities of religion, and of doctrine originating from one’s own understanding, and from one’s own love, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8869, 8932, 8941, 9424, 10406, 10503.)
sRef Isa@51 @19 S5′ [5] In the same:
These two things have met thee; who shall be sorry for thee? devastation and a breach, and famine and sword (Isa. 51:19).
Here, too, “famine” means the deprivation of the knowledges of good, even till there is no more good; and “sword” the deprivation of the knowledges of truth, even till there is no more truth; therefore “devastation” and “breach” are mentioned, “devastation” signifying that there is no more good, and “breach” that there is no more truth.
sRef Isa@65 @13 S6′ [6] In the same:
Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Behold, My servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry; My servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty; behold, My servants shall be glad, but ye shall be ashamed (Isa. 65:13).
Here, also, “to be hungry and thirsty” means to be deprived of the good of love and the truths of faith, “to be hungry” to be deprived of the good of love, and “to be thirsty” to be deprived of the truths of faith; “to eat and to drink” signifies communication and appropriation of goods and truths; and “the servants of the Lord Jehovih,” those who receive goods and truths from the Lord; this makes clear what is signified by “Behold, My servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry; My servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty;” that the Lord’s servants shall have eternal happiness, but the others unhappiness is signified by “Behold, My servants shall be glad, but ye shall be ashamed.”
sRef Jer@14 @13 S7′ sRef Jer@14 @16 S7′ sRef Jer@14 @12 S7′ sRef Jer@14 @15 S7′ [7] In Jeremiah:
By the sword, by famine, and by pestilence I consume them; Yet I said, Ah Lord Jehovih! behold the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine. Therefore thus said Jehovah against the prophets prophesying in My name, although I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land. By sword and by famine shall these prophets come to an end; the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, and there shall be no one to bury them (Jer. 14:12-13, 15-16).
“Sword, famine, and pestilence,” signifies the deprivation of truth and of good, and thus of spiritual life through falsities and evils; “sword” signifying the deprivation of truth through falsities, “famine” the deprivation of good through evils, and “pestilence” the deprivation of spiritual life. “Prophets” mean those who teach the truths of doctrine, and in an abstract sense, the doctrinals of truth. This makes clear what is signified by all this, namely, that those who teach the doctrine of falsity and evil shall perish through these things that are signified by “sword and famine;” and that those who receive the doctrine from them are separated from every truth of the church, and are damned, is signified by “they shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, there shall be no one to bury them,” “the streets of Jerusalem” meaning the truths of the church, “to be cast out in them” meaning to be separated from those truths, and “not to be buried” meaning to be damned.
sRef Jer@29 @18 S8′ sRef Jer@24 @10 S8′ sRef Jer@18 @21 S8′ sRef Jer@42 @22 S8′ sRef Matt@24 @8 S8′ sRef Jer@42 @13 S8′ sRef Ezek@5 @12 S8′ sRef Jer@42 @15 S8′ sRef Jer@42 @14 S8′ sRef Jer@42 @18 S8′ sRef Jer@29 @17 S8′ sRef Jer@42 @17 S8′ sRef Jer@42 @16 S8′ sRef Ezek@5 @17 S8′ sRef Matt@24 @7 S8′ sRef Jer@5 @12 S8′ sRef Ezek@7 @15 S8′ sRef Jer@11 @22 S8′ sRef Jer@34 @17 S8′ sRef Ezek@5 @16 S8′ sRef Jer@16 @4 S8′ sRef Ezek@6 @12 S8′ sRef Ezek@5 @11 S8′ sRef Ezek@6 @11 S8′ [8] “Sword, famine, and pestilence,” have a like signification in the following passages, “sword” signifying the deprivation of truth through falsities, “famine” the deprivation of good through evils, and “pestilence” the consequent deprivation of spiritual life. In Jeremiah:
They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, that their carcass may be for food to the fowl of the heavens and to the beast of the earth (Jer. 16:4);
“their carcass may be for food to the fowl of the heavens” signifying damnation by falsities, and “for food to the beast of the earth” damnation by evils. In the same:
They have denied Jehovah when they said, It is not He; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword and famine (Jer. 5:12).
In the same:
Behold I will visit upon them; the young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine (Jer. 11:22).
In the same:
Give their*** sons to the famine, and make them flow down upon the hands of the sword, that their wives may become bereaved and widows, and their men be slain by death, their young men smitten by the sword in war (Jer. 18:21).
In the same:
I will send upon them sword, famine, and pestilence, and will make them like the horrible figs, that cannot be eaten for badness. And I will pursue after them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence (Jer. 29:17-18).
In the same:
I will send against them the sword, famine, and pestilence, until they come to an end from upon the ground that I gave to them and to their fathers (Jer. 24:10).
In the same:
I proclaim to you a liberty, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will give you up for commotion by all the kingdoms of the earth (Jer. 34:17).
In the Gospels:
Nation shall be roused against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be pestilences, and famines, and earthquakes, in diverse places (Matt. 24:17; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11).
In Ezekiel:
Because thou hast defiled My sanctuary, a third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee; and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and a third part I will disperse to every wind. When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, that shall be for destruction, when I shall send them to destroy you; but yet I will increase the famine upon you, until I have broken for you the staff of bread. And I will send upon you famine and the evil wild beast, and I will make thee bereaved; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee (Ezek. 5:11-12, 16-17).
In the same:
The sword without, and pestilence and famine within; he that is in the field shall die by the sword, but he that is in the city famine and pestilence shall devour him (Ezek. 7:15).
In the same:
Because of all the evil abominations, they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. He that is far off shall die by pestilence; he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is preserved shall die by famine (Ezek. 6:11-12).
In Jeremiah:
But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, that ye may not obey the voice of Jehovah your God; saying No, but we will come into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, and shall not hear the sound of the trumpet, and shall not hunger for bread, and there will we dwell: hear ye the word of Jehovah, If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and come to sojourn there, it shall come to pass that the sword that ye fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine about which ye were solicitous shall cleave to you there in Egypt, and there ye shall die. And they shall die there by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; neither shall one of them remain, because of the evil that I will bring upon you.**** And ye shall be for an execration and an astonishment, and for a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more. Now therefore know certainly, that ye shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place whither ye have desired to come to sojourn there (Jer. 42:13-18, 22; 44:12-13, 27).
“Egypt” here signifies the natural, and “to come into Egypt and to sojourn there” signifies to become natural. (That “Egypt” means the knowing faculty [scientificum] that belongs to the natural man, and thus the natural, and “the land of Egypt” means the natural mind, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4967, 5079-5080, 5095, 5160, 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301, 5799, 6015, 6147, 6252, 7353, 7648, 9340, 9391 and that “to sojourn” means to be instructed, and to live, n. 1463, 2025, 3672.) From this it can be seen what is signified in the spiritual sense by “their not going into Egypt, and their dying then by the sword, the famine, and the pestilence,” namely, that if they became merely natural, they would be deprived of all truth and good and spiritual life; for the natural man separate from the spiritual is in falsities and evils, and thus in infernal life. (That the natural man separate from the spiritual is such, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 47-48.) Therefore it is said that if they went into Egypt “they should be for an execration and an astonishment and a reproach, neither would they see this place;” “the place they would not see” meaning the state of the spiritual man, the same as “the land of Canaan.” Like things are signified by the murmurings of the sons of Israel in the wilderness, because they so often desired to return into Egypt; therefore manna was also given to them, which signifies spiritual nourishment (Exod. 16:2-3, 7-9, 22).
sRef Ezek@14 @21 S9′ sRef Ezek@14 @15 S9′ sRef Ezek@14 @13 S9′ [9] In Ezekiel:
When I shall stretch out Mine hand against the house of Israel to break for it the staff of bread, and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast; then I will cause the evil wild beast to pass through the land, and will bereave it, that it may become a desolation; then I will send my four evil judgments upon Jerusalem, sword and famine, and the evil wild beast, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast (Ezek. 14:13, 15, 21).
This describes the vastation of the church; “the house of Israel” and “Jerusalem” meaning the church; “to break the staff of bread” signifies to destroy everything celestial and spiritual by which the church should be nourished, for “bread” involves everything belonging to heaven and the church, or all spiritual nourishment; “to cut off man and beast” signifies every spiritual and natural affection; therefore “the sword, the famine, the evil wild beast, and the pestilence,” signify the destruction of truth by falsity, of good by evil, of the affection of truth and good by the lusts arising from evil loves, and the consequent extinction of spiritual life. These are called “the four evil judgments,” and are also meant by “the sword, famine, death, and the evil wild beast,” in this verse of Revelation. Evidently it is the vastation of the church that is thus described.
[10] The three evils that are signified by “famine, sword, and pestilence” the prophet Gad also announced to David when he had numbered the people (2 Sam. 24:13). No one can know why David was threatened with these because of his numbering the people unless he knows that the people of Israel represented and thence signified the church in respect to all its truths and goods, and that “to number” signifies to know the quality thereof, and afterwards to arrange and dispose them according to it. Because no one but the Lord knows and does this, and because the man who does it deprives himself of all good and truth and of spiritual life, and because David did this representatively, therefore these three evils were offered him, one of which he might choose. Who cannot see that there was nothing wrong in numbering the people, and that the evil on account of which David and the people were punished was hidden interiorly, that is, in the representatives in which the church then was? In the passages that have been cited, “famine” signifies the deprivation of the knowledges of truth and good, and the consequent loss of all truth and good.
sRef Amos@8 @12 S11′ sRef Amos@8 @14 S11′ sRef Amos@8 @11 S11′ sRef Amos@8 @13 S11′ [11] (2) That “famine” signifies also the lack of knowledges with those who cannot know them because they are not in the church or in the doctrine thereof, is evident from the following passages. In Amos:
Behold, the days shall come in which I will send a famine into the land, not a famine for bread, nor a thirst for waters, but for hearing the words of Jehovah; that they may wander from sea to sea, from the north to the sunrise, they may run to and fro seeking the word of Jehovah, and shall not find it. In that day shall the beautiful virgins and the youths faint for thirst (Amos 8:11-13).
This explains what is meant by “famine” and “thirst,” namely, that a famine for bread is not meant, nor a thirst for waters, but for hearing the word of Jehovah, thus that it is a lack of the knowledges of good and truth that is meant; and that these are not in the church or in its doctrine is described by the words, “they shall go from sea to sea, and from the north to the sunrise, seeking the word of Jehovah, and shall not find it,” “from sea to sea” signifying on every side, for the outmost boundaries in the spiritual world, where truths and goods begin and terminate appear like seas; consequently “seas” in the Word signify the cognitions of truth and good, also knowledges [scientifica] in general; “from the north to the sunrise” signifies also on every side where truth and good are, “the north” meaning where truth is in obscurity, and “the sunrise” where good is. Because “famine and thirst” signify a lack of the knowledges of good and truth, therefore it is also said “in that day shall the beautiful virgins and the youths faint for thirst,” “the beautiful virgins” meaning the affections of truth from good, and “youths” the truths themselves that are from good, “the thirst for which they shall faint” meaning the lack of these. (That “virgins” signify the affections of good and truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2362, 3963, 6729, 6775, 6788; and “youths” the truths themselves, and intelligence, n. 7668.)
sRef Isa@5 @13 S12′ [12] In Isaiah:
Therefore My people shall be carried away for the lack of knowledge; and the glory thereof shall be men of famine, and the multitude thereof shall be parched with thirst (Isa. 5:13).
The desolation or destruction of the church from lack of the knowledges of good and truth is signified by, “My people shall be carried away for lack of knowledge.” The Divine truth that constitutes the church is signified by “glory;” that this is not, and consequently good is not, is signified by “the glory thereof shall be men of famine,” “men of famine” meaning those who are in no perception of good, and in no knowledges of truth; and that consequently there is no truth is signified by “the multitude thereof shall be parched with thirst,” “to be parched with thirst” meaning the lack of truth, “multitude” in the Word being predicated of truths.
sRef Isa@8 @21 S13′ sRef Isa@8 @19 S13′ sRef Isa@8 @20 S13′ sRef Isa@8 @22 S13′ [13] In the same:
The people shall seek after their God, the law, and the testimony; for they shall pass through it perplexed and famished; and it shall come to pass that when they shall hunger they shall rage, and shall curse their king and their gods, and shall look upwards; they shall look also to the earth, but behold distress and thick darkness (Isa. 8:19-22).
This treats of those who are in falsities from lack of the knowledges of truth and good, and their indignation on that account; the lack is described by “they shall look upwards, and they shall look also to the earth, but behold distress and thick darkness,” “to look upwards and to look to the earth” means to look everywhere for goods and truths; “but behold distress and thick darkness” means that these are nowhere to be found, but mere falsities only, “thick darkness” meaning dense falsity. Their indignation on this account is meant by “it shall come to pass that when they shall hunger they shall rage, and shall curse their king and their gods,” “to hunger” meaning to desire to know, “king” falsity, “the gods” the falsities of worship therefrom, and “to curse” to detest.
sRef Lam@2 @19 S14′ [14] In Lamentations:
Lift up thy hands to the Lord respecting the soul of thy babes, who have fainted for famine at the head of all the streets (Lam. 2:19).
Lamentation over those who ought to be instructed in the knowledges of good and truth, by which they may have spiritual life, is described by “Lift up thy hands to the Lord respecting the soul of thy babes;” and the lack of these knowledges is described by “who have fainted for famine at the head of all the streets,” “famine” meaning lack, “streets” the truths of doctrine, “to faint at the head of them” meaning that there are no truths.
sRef Lam@5 @10 S15′ sRef Lam@5 @9 S15′ sRef Lam@5 @8 S15′ [15] In the same:
Servants have ruled over us, there is no one to free us out of their hand. We bring in our bread with the peril of our souls because of the sword of the wilderness. Our skins are black like an oven because of the tempests of famine (Lam. 5:8-10).
“Servants that have ruled with no one to free us out of their hand” signify the evils of life and the falsities of doctrine, in general, evil loves and false principles; “we bring in our bread with the peril of our souls because of the sword of the wilderness” signifies that there is no good from which there may be spiritual life itself, because of the falsity everywhere reigning; “bread” means the good from which there may be spiritual life; “sword” falsity destroying; and “the wilderness” where there is no good because no truth; for all good with man is formed by truths, therefore where there are no truths but only falsities there is no good; “our skins are black like an oven because of the tempests of famine” signifies that because of the lack of the knowledges of good and truth the natural man is in its own evil love; “the skin,” from correspondence with the Greatest Man or heaven, signifies the natural man; “to be black like an oven” signifies to be in one’s own evil from falsities; and “tempests of famine” signify a complete lack of the knowledges of good and truth.
sRef Job@5 @20 S16′ sRef Job@5 @17 S16′ sRef Luke@6 @25 S16′ [16] In Luke:
Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger (Luke 6:25).
“The full” in the Word mean those who have the Word, in which are all the knowledges of good and truth; and “to hunger” means to lack these, and also to be deprived of them. In Job:
Blessed is the man whom God hath chastened; therefore reject not the discipline of Schaddai. In famine He shall redeem thee from death; and in war from the hands of the sword (Job 5:17, 20).
This treats of those who are in temptations; temptations are signified by “whom God hath chastened,” and by “the discipline of Schaddai.” “The Almighty (Schaddai)” signifies temptations, deliverance from them, and consolation after them (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1992, 3667, 4572, 5628, 6229). “The famine in which he shall be redeemed” signifies temptation in respect to the perception of good, in which he shall be delivered from evil; “to redeem” meaning to deliver; and “the hand of the sword in war” signifies temptations in respect to the understanding of truth, “war” also meaning temptation or combat against falsities.
sRef Luke@1 @53 S17′ sRef Matt@5 @6 S17′ [17] (3) That “famine” in the Word also signifies ignorance of the knowledges of truth and good, such as are with those who know that there are knowledges and therefore desire them, is evident from the following passages. In Matthew:
Blessed are they that hunger after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Matt. 5:6).
“To hunger after righteousness” signifies to desire good, for in the Word “righteousness” is predicated of good. In Luke:
God hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away (Luke 1:53).
“The hungry” are those who are ignorant of the knowledges of truth and good, and yet desire them; and “the rich” are those who have an abundance of them, but no desire for them. That the former are enriched is signified by “God hath filled them with good things;” and that the latter are deprived of them is signified by “The rich He hath sent away empty.”
sRef Ps@33 @18 S18′ sRef Ps@33 @19 S18′ [18] In David:
Behold, the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear Him, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine (Ps. 33:18-19).
“Those that fear Jehovah” mean those who love to do His commandments; “to deliver the soul from death” signifies from evils and falsities, and thus from damnation; and “to keep them alive in famine” signifies to give spiritual life according to desire. A desire for the knowledges of truth and good is a spiritual affection of truth, which is given only to those who are in the good of life, that is, who do the Lord’s commandments; and these, as has been said, are meant by “those that fear Jehovah.”
sRef Ps@107 @8 S19′ sRef Ps@34 @10 S19′ sRef Ps@107 @9 S19′ sRef Ps@34 @9 S19′ [19] In the same:
Let them confess to Jehovah His mercy, for He satisfieth the longing soul, and the hungry soul He filleth with good (Ps. 107:8-9).
“To satisfy the longing soul, and to fill with good the hungry soul,” applies to those who long for truths and goods, “the longing soul” signifying those who long for truths, and “the hungry soul” those who long for goods. In the same:
There is no want to them that fear Jehovah. The young lions shall lack, and suffer hunger; but they that seek Jehovah shall not want any good (Ps. 34:9-10).
Here, too, “those that fear Jehovah to whom there is no want,” signify those who love to do the Lord’s commandments; and “they that seek Jehovah who shall not want any good,” signify those who in consequence are loved by the Lord, and receive truths and goods from Him. “The young lions that lack and suffer hunger”, signify those who have knowledge and wisdom from themselves, “to lack and suffer hunger” meaning that they have neither truth nor good. (What “lions” in both senses signify, see n. 278.)
sRef Ps@146 @7 S20′ [20] In the same:
Jehovah who executeth judgment for the oppressed; who giveth bread to the hungry; Jehovah, who looseth the bound (Ps. 146:7).
The “oppressed” here mean those who are in falsities from ignorance; such are oppressed by spirits who are in falsities; therefore it is said that “Jehovah executeth judgment for them,” by rescuing them from those that oppress. “The hungry” mean those who desire goods; and as such are nourished by the Lord, it is said “Jehovah giveth bread to the hungry,” “to give bread” meaning to nourish, and spiritual nourishment is knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom. “The bound” mean those who desire truths but are withheld from them by the falsities of doctrine or by ignorance, because they have not the Word; therefore “to loose the bound” means to free from falsities. (That such are called “bound,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5037, 5086, 5096.)
sRef Ps@107 @35 S21′ sRef Ps@107 @36 S21′ sRef Ps@107 @37 S21′ [21] In the same:
Jehovah turneth the wilderness into a pool of waters, and a land of drought into a springing forth of waters. And there He maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city of habitation, and sow fields, and plant vineyards, and make fruit of increase (Ps. 107:35-37).
The meaning of these words is wholly different from the sense of the letter, namely, that those who are ignorant of the knowledges of truth and yet desire to know them shall be enriched and abundantly supplied with them; for “Jehovah turneth the wilderness into a pool of water” signifies that in place of ignorance of truth there shall be abundance of truth, “wilderness” meaning when there is ignorance of truth, and “a pool of waters” abundance of it; “to turn a land of drought into a springing forth of waters” signifies the like in the natural man, for “a land of drought” means where there is ignorance of truth, “the springing forth of waters” is abundance, the natural man is “the springing forth,” and “waters” are truths; “there He maketh the hungry to dwell” signifies those who desire truth, “to dwell” meaning to live, and “the hungry” those who desire; “that they may prepare a city of habitation” signifies that they form for themselves a doctrine of life, “city” meaning doctrine, and “habitation” life; “that they may sow fields and plant vineyards, and make fruit of increase,” signifies to receive truths, to understand them, and to do them; “to sow fields” meaning to be instructed and to receive truths; “to plant vineyards” meaning to receive truths in the understanding, that is, in the spirit, for “vineyards” mean spiritual truths; therefore “to plant” them means to receive them spiritually, that is, to understand them; “to make fruit of increase” means to do them and to receive goods, for “fruits” are the deeds and goods of charity.
sRef Ps@37 @19 S22′ sRef Ps@37 @18 S22′ [22] In the same:
Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect, and He shall be their inheritance forever. They shall not be ashamed in the time of evil; and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied (Ps. 37:18-19).
“The days of the perfect” signify the states of those who are in good and in truths therefrom, or those who are in charity and in faith therefrom. “Jehovah shall be their inheritance forever” signifies that they are His own and are in heaven; “they shall not be ashamed in the time of evil” signifies that they shall conquer when they are tempted by evils; and “in the days of famine they shall be satisfied” signifies that they shall be upheld by truths when they are tempted and infested by falsities, “time of evil” and “days of famine” signifying the states of temptations, and temptations are from evils and falsities.
sRef 1Sam@2 @4 S23′ sRef 1Sam@2 @5 S23′ [23] In the first book of Samuel:
The bows of the mighty are broken, but they who had stumbled have girded strength about them; they that are full have hired themselves for bread; and they that are hungry have ceased; even until the barren hath borne seven, and she that hath many sons hath failed (1 Sam. 2:4-5).
“They that are full have hired themselves for bread, and they that are hungry have ceased,” signify those who wish for and long for goods and truths. The rest may be seen explained above (n. 257 and 357).
sRef Isa@32 @6 S24′ [24] In Isaiah:
For the fool speaketh foolishness, and his heart doeth iniquity, to practice hypocrisy, and to speak error against Jehovah, to make empty the hungry soul, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail (Isa. 32:6).
He is here called “a fool” who is in falsities and evils from the love of self, consequently from self-intelligence. Falsities are meant by the “foolishness” that he speaks; and evils by the “iniquity” that his heart does. The evils that he speaks against goods are meant by “the hypocrisy” that he practices; and the falsities that he speaks against truths, by the “error” that he speaks against Jehovah; “to make empty the hungry soul, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail” means to persuade and destroy those who desire goods and truths, “the hungry soul” meaning those who desire goods, and “he that thirsteth for drink” meaning those who desire truths.
sRef Isa@58 @10 S25′ [25] In the same:
If thou shalt draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, thy light shall arise in darkness and thy thick darkness be as the noonday (Isa. 58:10).
This describes charity towards the neighbor, here towards those who are in ignorance, but at the same time in a desire to know truths, and in grief on account of the falsities that possess them, and signifies that with those who are in such charity falsities are dispersed and truths shine and become radiant. Charity towards those that are in ignorance and at the same time in a desire to know truths is meant by “If thou shalt draw out thy soul to the hungry,” “the hungry” meaning those who desire, and “the soul” is the understanding of truth instructing. This being done to those who are in grief because of the falsities that possess them is meant by “if thou shalt satisfy the afflicted soul;” that ignorance is dispelled and truths shine and become radiant with those who are in such charity is meant by “thy light shall arise in darkness, and thy thick darkness be as the noon day;” “darkness” signifying the ignorance of the spiritual mind, and “thick darkness” the ignorance of the natural mind, “light” truth in light, “noonday” the like. Such illustration those have who from charity or spiritual affection instruct such as are in falsities from ignorance; for such charity is a receptacle of the influx of light or of truth from the Lord.
sRef Isa@58 @7 S26′ sRef Isa@58 @6 S26′ [26] In the same:
Is not this the fast that I choose, to break thy bread to the hungry, and to bring the afflicted outcasts into thy house, when thou shalt see the naked and shalt cover him? (Isa. 58:6-7).
These words have a like meaning, for “to break bread to the hungry” signifies from charity to communicate to and instruct those who are in ignorance and at the same time in a desire to know truths; “to bring the afflicted outcasts into the house” signifies to correct and reform those who are in falsities, and thence in grief, “afflicted outcasts” meaning those who are in grief from falsities; for those who are in falsities stand without, while those who are in truths are in the house, “house” meaning the intellectual mind, into which truths only are admitted, since that mind is opened by means of truths from good. Because this is what is signified it is added, “when thou shalt see the naked and shalt cover him,” the “naked” signifying those that are without truths, and “to cover” signifying to instruct; for “garments” in the Word signify truths investing (see above, n. 195).
sRef John@6 @35 S27′ sRef Isa@49 @10 S27′ [27] In the same:
They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them; for He that hath compassion on them leadeth them forth, even unto the springs of waters shall He guide them (Isa. 49:10).
That “they shall not hunger nor thirst” does not mean that they are not to hunger nor thirst for natural food and drink; and “neither shall the heat nor sun smite them” does not mean that they will not become heated by these; the same is true of their being led unto the springs of waters. Who that thinks about it does not see that something else is here meant? “To hunger and thirst” therefore signifies to hunger and thirst for such things as pertain to eternal life or give that life, and these, in general, have reference to the good of love and the truth of faith, “hunger” to the good of love, and “thirst” to the truth of faith; “heat” and “sun” signify the heat from the principles of falsity and the love of evil, for these take away all spiritual hunger and thirst; “the springs of waters, unto which the Lord will guide them” signify illustration in all truth, “spring” or “fountain” meaning the Word, and also the doctrine from the Word, “waters” truths, and “to guide” in reference to the Lord, meaning to illustrate. From this the significance can be seen of the Lord’s words in John:
I am the bread of life; he that cometh to Me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst (John 6:35).
Here evidently “to hunger” is to come to the Lord, and “to thirst” is to believe on Him; to come to the Lord is to do His commandments.
sRef Matt@25 @34 S28′ [28] This signification of “hungering and thirsting” makes evident also the signification of the Lord’s words in Matthew:
The king said to them on the right hand, I was an hungered, and ye gave me to eat, I was thirsty and ye gave me to drink, I was a sojourner and ye took me in. And he said to them on the left hand, that he was an hungered and they gave him not to eat, and he was thirsty and they gave him not to drink; that he was a sojourner and they took him not in (Matt. 25:34-35, 37, 41-44).
“To hunger and to thirst” signifies to be in ignorance and in spiritual want, and “to give to eat and drink” signifies to instruct and to illustrate from spiritual affection or charity; it is therefore also said, “I was a sojourner and ye took me not in,” “sojourner” signifying those who are out of the church, but who wish to be instructed and to receive the doctrinals of the church and to live according to them (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1463, 4444, 7908, 8007, 8013, 9196).
Furthermore, we read in the Word that the Lord hungered and thirsted, which means that from His Divine love He willed and desired the salvation of the human race.
sRef Mark@11 @14 S29′ sRef Mark@11 @20 S29′ sRef Mark@11 @13 S29′ sRef Mark@11 @12 S29′ [29] That He hungered we read in Mark:
When they were come from Bethany, Jesus hungered; and seeing a fig-tree afar off having leaves, He came, if haply He might find anything thereon; but when He had come to it He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. Therefore He said unto it, No one eat any fruit of thee forever. And the disciples in the morning as they passed by, saw the fig-tree dried up from the roots (Mark 11:12-14, 20; Matt. 21:19-20).
One who does not know that all things of the Word contain a spiritual sense, may believe that the Lord did this to the fig-tree from indignation because He was hungry; but “fig-tree” means here not a fig-tree, but the church in relation to natural good, in particular, the Jewish Church. That there was no natural good in that church, because nothing spiritual, but only some truths from the sense of the letter of the Word, is signified by “Jesus seeing a fig-tree afar off having leaves, came, if haply He might find anything thereon; but when He had come to it He found nothing but leaves,” “leaves” signifying the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word. That with that nation, because they were in dense falsities and in evil loves, nothing whatever of the natural good of the church would ever exist is signified by “Jesus said, No one eat any fruit of thee forever, and the fig-tree was dried up from the roots.” It is also said that “it was not the season for figs,” and this means that the church was not yet begun; that the beginning of a new church is meant by “a fig-tree,” is clear from the Lord’s words (Matt. 24:32, 33; Mark 13:28, 29, and in Luke 21:28-31). From this it can be seen what “hungering” here signifies. (That “a fig-tree” signifies the natural good of the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 217, 4231, 5113; and that “leaves” signify the truths of the natural man, see above, n. 109.)
sRef John@19 @28 S30′ sRef John@19 @29 S30′ sRef John@19 @30 S30′ [30] That the Lord thirsted we read in John:
Jesus, knowing that all things were now finished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled said, I thirst. And there had been placed a vessel full of vinegar; and they filled a sponge and placed it upon hyssop, and put it to His mouth. And when Jesus had received the vinegar He said, It is finished (John 19:28-30).
Those who think of these things only naturally and not spiritually may believe that they involve nothing more than that the Lord thirsted, and that vinegar was then given Him; but it was because all things that the Scriptures said of Him were then finished, and because He came into the world to save mankind that He said, “I thirst,” which means that from Divine love He willed and desired the salvation of the human race; and that “vinegar was given Him” signifies that in the coming church there would be no genuine truth, but truth mixed with falsities, such as there is with those who separate faith from charity or truth from good; this is what “vinegar” signifies; “they placed it upon hyssop” signifies some kind of purification by it, for “hyssop” signifies an external means of purification (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7918). That every particular related in the Word respecting the Lord’s passion involves and signifies Divine celestial and Divine spiritual things, may be seen above (n. 83). From the passages cited above it can be seen what “famine” signifies in the Word. Let them be examined and considered, and it will be seen by those who are in any interior thought that natural famine, hunger, and thirst, can by no means be meant, but spiritual famine, hunger, and thirst.
* The photolithograph has “Jehovah,” as is also found in AE n. 440. Hebrew has “Judah,” which is also found in AC n. 5354.
** Photolithograph has “fall.”
*** Photolithograph has “his.” Hebrew “their (sons,” and “their men”).

sRef Rev@6 @8 S0′ 387. And with death, signifies the consequent extinction of spiritual life. This is evident from the signification of “death,” as being the extinction of spiritual life (see above, n. 78, 186). That this is what “death” here signifies is evident from the series of things in the internal sense; for it is said that “there was given unto them power to kill with sword, with famine, and with death;” and “sword” signifies falsity destroying truth, “famine” the deprivation of the knowledges of truth and good; thence “death” signifies the extinction of spiritual life; for where falsity reigns, and where there are no knowledges of truth and good, there is no spiritual life, for spiritual life is acquired by means of the knowledges of truth and good applied to the uses of life. For man is born into all evil and falsity from evil; he is therefore born also into an entire ignorance of all spiritual knowledges; therefore in order that he may be led away from the evils and consequent falsities into which he is born, and be led into the life of heaven and be saved, he must needs acquire the knowledges of truth and good, by means of which he can be led into spiritual life and become spiritual. From this series of things in the internal sense it is evident that “death” here signifies the extinction of spiritual life; this is meant, too, by spiritual death.

sRef Rev@6 @8 S0′ 388. And by the wild beasts of the earth, signifies the evils of life, which are lusts and falsities therefrom springing from the love of self and of the world, which devastate all things of the church with man. This is evident from the signification of “wild beasts,” as being the lusts and falsities that spring from the love of self and the world; and because these are the evils of life themselves, since an evil life is a life of lusts and falsities, therefore these are here meant by “the wild beasts of the earth;” that this is the signification of “wild beasts” will be seen in what follows. Also from the signification of “the earth,” as being the church (of which see above, n. 29, 304); and as “wild beasts” signify the evils of life, and these devastate the church with man, and “the earth” signifies the church, so the “wild beasts of the earth” signify the evils of life which devastate the church with man. It is said the church with man, because the church is in man; for the church is a church from charity and faith, and these are in man; and if these are not in him, the church is not with him. It is believed that the church is where the Word is, and where the Lord is known; but still the church consists of those only who from the heart acknowledge the Divine of the Lord, and who learn truths from the Lord by the Word and do them; others do not constitute the church. That “the wild beasts of the earth” here signify, in particular, the evils of life can be seen from the series of things in the internal sense. It is said that “there was given unto them power over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth,” “sword” signifying falsity destroying truth, “famine,” the deprivation of the knowledges of truth and good, “death” the extinction of spiritual life; therefore “the wild beasts of the earth” signify the evils of life, since these rule when spiritual life is extinct, for where there is no spiritual life there life is merely natural, and natural life apart from the spiritual is full of lusts from the love of self and the world, thus is infernal; therefore that life is meant by “the evil wild beast.”
[2] Moreover, in respect to the evil life that is signified by “the evil wild beast,” such may be the life as well with those who lead a good moral life, if they have no spiritual life; for such do good and speak truth and practice sincerity and justice but only because of reputation, honor, gain, and the laws, thus for the sake of appearance, that they may emulate those who are spiritual, while inwardly they have no will of good and no thought of truth, and laugh at sincerity and justice, unless for the causes mentioned above; consequently they are infernal within. This is also clearly manifest when such persons become spirits, which takes place immediately after death; then the external bonds mentioned above are taken away from them, and they then rush without restraint into evils of every kind. But it is otherwise with those who have led a good moral life from a spiritual origin. (On this subject see further in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 484, 529-531, 534 and above, n. 182.) This has been said to make known what is meant by an evil life, namely, that it is not the external life that pertains to the body and has reference to the world where men are, which is called the natural world, but is the internal life that pertains to the spirit and has reference to the world where angels are, which is called the spiritual world. For in respect to his body, its gestures and speech, man is in the natural world, but in respect to his spirit, that is, in respect to thought and affection, man is in the spiritual world; in fact, as the bodily sight has extension into the natural world and sweeps about there, so the sight of the spirit, which is thought from affection, has extension into the spiritual world and sweeps about there. That this is so is known to few; and it is therefore supposed that thinking evil and willing evil is of no consequence if only one does not do evil and speak evil; and yet every thought and volition affects the spirit of man and makes up his life after death.
sRef Jer@12 @9 S3′ sRef Jer@12 @10 S3′ sRef Jer@12 @11 S3′ [3] That “evil wild beasts” signify the lusts and the falsities from them springing from the love of self and the world, that devastate all things of the church with man, and in a contrary sense signify also the affections of truth that vivify all things of the church, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Jeremiah:
Go ye, gather together every wild beast of the field; come to eat. Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard; they have trodden down My field, they have made the field of desire a wilderness of solitude (Jer. 12:9-10).
This treats of the vastation of the church in respect to its truths and its goods. Vastation is described by “the shepherds have destroyed the vineyard of the Lord,” and “have trodden His field under foot;” “shepherds” mean those who teach truths, and by means of them lead to good of life; here those who teach falsities and by means of them lead to evil of life; “vineyard” means the church in respect to truths; and “field” the church in respect to good; its vastation is meant by “have destroyed” and “have trodden down,” also by “they have made the field a wilderness of solitude.” And as lusts and falsities springing from the love of self and the world devastate it, it is said, “Go ye, gather together every wild beast of the field; come to eat;” “every wild beast of the field” signifying the falsities and lusts springing from those loves, and “to eat” signifying to devastate and consume. “The wild beast of the field” does not mean evidently the wild beast of the field, for it is said “shepherds have destroyed the vineyard and trodden down the field;” and “shepherds” mean shepherds (pastors) of the church, and not shepherds of the flock.
sRef Ps@80 @13 S4′ [4] In David:
Why doth the boar out of the forest tread under foot [thy vine], and the wild beast of the fields doth feed on it (Ps. 80:13)?
“Vine” here signifies the same as “vineyard” above, namely, the church in respect to truth, which is called the spiritual church; its vastation by the lusts and falsities of the natural man separated from the spiritual is meant by “the boar out of the forest treadeth it under foot; “the boar out of the forest” signifying the evil lusts of the natural man, and “the wild beast of the field” falsities.
sRef Hos@2 @2 S5′ sRef Hos@2 @12 S5′ [5] In Hosea:
I will lay waste her vine and her fig-tree; and I will make them a forest, and the wild beast of the field shall eat them (Hosea 2:12).
“Vine” and “fig-tree” signify the church, “vine” the internal church which is of the spiritual man, and “fig-tree” the external church which is of the natural man; the vastation of both is signified by “I will lay them waste, and make them a forest; and the wild beast of the field shall eat them,” “a forest” signifying the sensual man who is in mere fallacies and in falsities therefrom, and the “wild beast of the field” signifying falsities therefrom and evil lusts; for when the church with man is laid waste, that is, when the truth of the church is no longer believed, then man becomes sensual, believing nothing but what he can see with his eyes and touch with his hands; and such a man gives himself up wholly to the love of self and the love of the world, thus to lusts. That the church is here meant by “the vine” and “fig-tree” is evident from the second verse of the same chapter, where it is said that they should plead with their mother, “for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband,” “mother” and “wife” in the Word signifying the church.
sRef Ex@23 @28 S6′ sRef Ex@23 @29 S6′ [6] In Moses:
By little and little I will drive out the nations, lest the land become a waste, and the wild beast of the field be multiplied against thee (Exod. 23:29-30; Deut. 7:22).
What this signifies can be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 9333-9338), namely, that “nations” signify the evils that man has, even those from inheritance; and that these with man are removed “by little and little,” since if they were removed suddenly, before good is formed in him by truths, falsities would enter which would destroy him. “The wild beasts of the field” signify the falsities springing from the delights of natural loves.
sRef Lev@26 @22 S7′ sRef Lev@26 @6 S7′ sRef Lev@26 @3 S7′ sRef Lev@26 @14 S7′ [7] In the same:
If ye walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and do them, I will give peace in the land, so that ye may lie down securely, and none make afraid; and I will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land, and the sword shall not pass through your land. But if ye do not hearken unto Me and do all My commandments, I will send among you the wild beast of the field, which shall bereave you of your children, and cut off your cattle, and make you few in number, that your ways may be laid waste (Lev. 26:3, 6, 14, 22).
This describes the state of life of those who are in charity, and of those who are not in charity. The life of charity is meant by “walking in the statutes and keeping the commandments and doing them,” for this is charity; the state of their life is described by “peace,” by “they shall lie down securely, and none make them afraid,” which signifies blessedness of heart and soul arising from the conjunction of good and truth, whence there is no longer any combat of evil and falsity against good and truth. It is also described by “I will cause the evil beast to cease out of the land, and the sword shall not pass through it,” which signifies that there will no longer be any lusts or falsities springing from the love of self and the world, “the evil wild beast” signifying the lusts that destroy good affections, and “the sword” signifying the falsities that destroy truths. That those who are not in charity are in a contrary state is described by “if ye do not hearken unto Me and do all My commandments, I will send among you the wild beast of the field, which shall bereave you of your children, and cut off your cattle, and make you few in number, that your ways may be laid waste,” which signifies that by lusts and falsities from them they shall be deprived of every good and truth. The lusts and falsities therefrom that will deprive are signified by “the wild beasts of the field that shall bereave you of your children;” the good affections of which they will be deprived are signified by “the cattle that shall be destroyed,” and the truths themselves therefrom by their “ways” that shall be laid waste, “ways” meaning the truths that lead to good.
sRef Ezek@34 @25 S8′ sRef Ezek@34 @28 S8′ [8] In Ezekiel:
Then I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land, that they may dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the forests. They shall no more be a prey to the nations, and the wild beast of the field shall not devour them; but they shall dwell securely, and none shall make afraid (Ezek. 34:25, 28).
This treats of the Lord’s coming and His kingdom at that time; what is signified in the internal sense, can be seen from the passages just now explained, where many like words occur; the evil wild beast in the land” signifies lusts; and “the wild beast of the field” falsities.
sRef Hos@13 @8 S9′ [9] In Hosea:
I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and I will rend the caul of their heart, and I will devour them like a fierce lion; the wild beast of the field shall cleave them asunder (Hosea 13:8).
This treats of the vastation of good by falsity, “a bear bereaved of her whelps” signifying the power of evil from falsity, and “a fierce lion” the power of falsity from evil, and “the wild beast of the field” lusts and falsities; destruction by these is signified by “the wild beast shall cleave them asunder;” the separation of truth from good by falsity and evil is signified by “rending the caul of their heart.”
sRef Isa@35 @9 S10′ [10] In Isaiah:
No lion shall be there, and the ravenous of the wild beasts shall not go up thither (Isa. 35:9).
This chapter treats of the Lord’s coming, and the state of those who are in His kingdom. “No lion shall be there” signifies that there shall be no falsity destroying truth; “the ravenous of the wild beasts shall not go up thither” signifies that there shall be no lust of destroying; it is said “shall not go up thither,” because this lust is from hell.
sRef Zeph@2 @15 S11′ sRef Zeph@2 @13 S11′ sRef Zeph@2 @14 S11′ [11] In Zephaniah:
Jehovah will stretch out His hand over the north, and will destroy Assyria; that the droves may lie down in the midst of her, every wild beast of the nation; both the pelican and the bittern shall lodge in the chapiters thereof. Such is the city that dwelleth securely, saying in her heart, I, and none other beside me; how is she become a waste, a place for the wild beast to lie down in (Zeph. 2:13-15).
This treats of self-intelligence, which confirms falsities and evils by reasonings from knowledges, and by applying to them things from the sense of the letter of the Word. “The north” signifies the natural and sensual man, and the knowing [faculty] that belongs to it; and “Assyria” signifies reasoning therefrom; and “saying in her heart, I, and none other beside me” signifies self-intelligence. This makes clear what is involved in these particulars, in series, namely, “Jehovah will stretch out His hand over the north, and will destroy Assyria” signifies that He will deprive such a natural man, and its power to understand and reason thence, of all perception of good and understanding of truth; “the droves shall lie down in the midst of her, every wild beast of the nation; both the pelican, and the bittern, shall lodge in the chapiters thereof” signifies that there shall be falsities of evil, and falsities of thought and perception in the knowledges from the Word everywhere therein, “the wild beast of the nation” meaning the falsity of evil, “pelican and bittern” the falsity of thought and perception, and “chapiters” the knowledges from the Word. “Such is the city that dwelleth securely, saying in her heart, I, and none other beside me” signifies that such intelligence trusts in itself and draws only from self, “city” signifying doctrine from such intelligence; “how is she become a waste, a place for the wild beast to lie down in” signifies that it has nothing of truth in it but is full of falsities.
sRef Ezek@31 @2 S12′ sRef Ezek@31 @10 S12′ sRef Ezek@31 @13 S12′ sRef Ezek@31 @12 S12′ sRef Ezek@31 @5 S12′ sRef Ezek@31 @3 S12′ sRef Ezek@31 @1 S12′ [12] In Ezekiel:
Speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude, Asshur was a cedar in Lebanon, he has become high above all the trees of the field; but because he was lifted up in his height, and hath set his top among the thick boughs, therefore strangers shall cut him off, the violent of the nations, and they shall cast him down. Upon his ruin every fowl of the heavens shall dwell, and every wild beast of the field shall be upon his branches (Ezek. 31:2-3, 5, 10, 12-13).
These things have a like signification as those above; “Pharaoh king of Egypt” meaning the like as “the north,” namely, the natural man and the knowing [faculty] that belongs to it; “Asshur” reasoning from it; “he was lifted up in his height, and hath set his top among the thick boughs” signifies glorying in intelligence from reasoning, thus in self-intelligence. From this general idea of the contents it can be seen what the particulars here involve, namely, “Speak unto pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude” signifies what pertains to the natural man, and its knowledges, “pharaoh king of Egypt” meaning the natural man, and “his multitude” the knowing faculty there; “Asshur, a cedar in Lebanon, has become high above all the trees of the field” signifies the rational increasing by knowledges “Asshur” meaning the rational, and “cedar” the intellectual, and “its becoming high above all the trees of the field” signifying immense increase from the knowledges of truth and good; “but because he was lifted up in his height, and hath set his top among the thick boughs” signifies because he gloried in his intelligence, and in the knowledge belonging to the natural man; and this glorying, which is an elation of mind from the love of self is from the selfhood; for the natural man separated from the spiritual exalts itself, because when separated from the spiritual it is in one’s own, and attributes all things to itself and nothing to God; “to set his top” is exalting oneself; and “thick boughs” are the knowledges that belong to the natural man (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2831, 8133).
“Strangers shall cut him off, the violent of the nations, and they shall cast him down” signifies that falsities and evils therefrom shall destroy the rational, “strangers” meaning falsities, and “the violent of the nations” evils therefrom; whence “upon his ruin every fowl of the heavens shall dwell, and every wild beast of the field shall be upon his branches” signifies that then there will be the falsities of thought and the evils of affection;” “fowl” signifying the knowledges both of truth and of falsity, “wild beast” the evils of affection therefrom, and “field” the church, for no other falsities and evils are meant than those that are in the church. (That birds signify thoughts, ideas, and reasonings, in both senses, with a difference according to their genera and species, Arcana Coelestia, n. 776, 778, 866, 988, 991, 3219, 5149, 7441.)
sRef Ezek@29 @5 S13′ [13] In the same:
I will abandon thee in the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers; upon the faces of the field shalt thou fall; thou shalt not be gathered nor brought together; I have given thee for food to the wild beast of the land and to the fowl of heaven (Ezek. 29:5; 32:4).
This, too is said of Pharaoh and the Egyptian, who signify the natural man separate from the spiritual, and this, when separated is in mere falsities and evils, for it is then without the light of heaven, which gives all intelligence; therefore “I will abandon thee in the wilderness” signifies to be without truths and goods; “the fish of his rivers” signify the sensual knowing faculty [scientificum sensuale] (see above, n. 342); “upon the faces of the field shalt thou fall” signifies that for it everything of the church is to perish; “thou shalt not be gathered nor brought together” signifies that good and truth will not be seen, for the spiritual man sees these in the natural, for the natural brings together and gathers knowledges and forms conclusions; “I have given thee for food to the wild beast of the land and the fowl of heaven” signifies here as above, to be about to perish by the falsities of thought and the evils of affection therefrom. Because the natural man separated from the spiritual is carried away into falsities of every kind and becomes hurtful, therefore “Egypt” is to be:
A wild beast of the reed (Ps. 68:30).
sRef Ezek@39 @4 S14′ [14] In Ezekiel:
Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou and all thy hordes, and the peoples that are with thee; I have given thee for food to the bird of prey, the bird of every wing, and to the wild beast of the field (Ezek. 39:4).
This is said of Gog, which signifies external worship separated from internal, which in itself is no worship, for it is the worship of the natural man separated from the spiritual. “Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel” signifies that such have nothing of the good of charity, “mountains of Israel” signifying the goods of charity, and “to fall” there signifying to perish; “thou and all thy hordes, and the people that are with thee,” signifies that such worship, with its doctrinals and falsities, would perish; “I have given thee for food to the bird of prey, the bird of every wing, and to the wild beast of the field,” signifies the extinction of truth and good by falsities of every kind and by evils; the evils that are signified by “the wild beast of the field” are the evils of life, which are the lusts arising from the love of self and the world.
sRef Ps@79 @1 S15′ sRef Ps@79 @2 S15′ [15] In David:
O God, the nations have come into Thine inheritance; the temple of Thy holiness have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem in heaps; the dead body of Thy servants have they given for food to the fowl of the heavens, the flesh of Thy saints to the wild beast of the earth (Ps. 79:1-2).
“Nations” here does not mean nations, but the evils of life and the falsities of doctrine; for God’s “inheritance” signifies the church wherein the Lord is all the good and all the truth, because these are from Him; “to defile the temple of holiness, and to lay Jerusalem in heaps,” signifies to profane worship and to pervert the doctrine of the church, “the temple of holiness” signifying worship, because worship is there, and “Jerusalem” signifying the church in relation to doctrine, thus also the doctrine of the church; “to give the dead body of Thy servants for food to the fowl of the heavens, and the flesh of Thy saints to the wild beast of the earth” signifies to destroy all truths by falsities, and all goods by evils; here, too, “the fowl of the heavens” means thoughts of falsity, and “the wild beast of the earth” the affections of evil therefrom.
sRef Ps@74 @19 S16′ [16] In the same:
Give not the soul of Thy turtle dove unto the wild beast; forget not the life of Thy wretched ones perpetually (Ps. 74:19).
“Turtle dove” signifies spiritual good, so, too, those who are in that good; and “the wild beast” signifies the falsity of evil lusting to destroy, so, too, those who are in the falsity of evil and are eager to destroy; this makes clear what “give not the soul of Thy turtle dove unto the wild beast” signifies. “Wretched ones” mean those who are infested by falsities, and are thence in anxiety, and are waiting for deliverance.
sRef Ezek@34 @5 S17′ sRef Ezek@34 @8 S17′ [17] In Ezekiel:
The sheep were scattered with no shepherd, and became food for every wild beast of the field, and were scattered (Ezek. 34:5, 8).
This signifies that the goods of charity have been destroyed by falsities and utterly consumed by evils of every kind therefrom; “the wild beast of the field” meaning the evils of life springing from the falsities of doctrine; “sheep,” in the Word, mean those who are in the good of charity; but the genuine spiritual sense is a sense abstracted from persons, consequently “sheep” signify the goods of charity; “shepherds” signify those who by truths lead to good, and in an abstract sense, the truths themselves through which there is good; therefore “without a shepherd” signifies that there is no truth through which there is good, and therefore falsity. “To become food” signifies to be consumed, the same as “to be eaten” when wild beasts are spoken of; “the wild beast of the field” signifying the evils from falsities.
sRef Job@5 @20 S18′ sRef Job@5 @17 S18′ sRef Job@5 @22 S18′ [18] In Job:
Blessed is the man whom God chasteneth. In famine He shall ransom thee from death; and in war from the hands of the sword. At devastation and famine thou shalt laugh, and thou shalt not fear the wild beast of the land (Job 5:17, 20, 22).
This treats of temptations; “Blessed is the man whom God chasteneth” signifies one who is tempted; “In famine he shall ransom thee from death” signifies deliverance from evil when tempted through the lack and non-perception of good; “in war from the hands of the sword” signifies deliverance from falsities when tempted through the lack and non-understanding of truth; “war” meaning temptation; “at devastation and famine thou shalt laugh” signifies that to him there shall be no lack of good; and “thou shalt not fear the wild beast of the earth” signifies that no falsity shall be in him.
sRef Ezek@33 @28 S19′ sRef Ezek@33 @27 S19′ [19] In Ezekiel:
Thus shalt thou say unto them, Those who are in the desolate places shall fall by the sword, and him that is upon the faces of the field I will give to the wild beast to be devoured, and they that be in the fortresses and in the caves shall die of the pestilence. For I will make the land a desolation and wasteness (Ezek. 33:27-28).
This treats of the desolation of all the truth and the vastation of all the good in the church, as is also said, “I will make the land a desolation and wasteness,” “land” signifying the church. “Those who are in the desolate places shall fall by the sword” signifies that those who are in knowledges [scientifica] shall perish by falsities, for the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man without light from the spiritual are here meant by desolate places; “him who is upon the faces of the field I will give to the wild beast to be devoured” signifies that those who are in knowledges from the Word shall perish by the evils of falsity, “the faces of the field” meaning the things of the church, here knowledges from the Word, and the “wild beast” the evil of falsity; “they that are in the fortresses and in the caves shall die of the pestilence” signifies those who by the Word and those who by knowledges [scientifica] have confirmed themselves in falsities and evils, that such shall utterly perish by evils and falsities,” “fortresses” meaning confirmations from the Word, and “caves” confirmation from knowledges. That such is the signification of these words, can be seen only from the series in the internal sense, for that sense treats, as has been said, of the total vastation of the church.
sRef Ezek@14 @13 S20′ sRef Ezek@5 @17 S20′ sRef Ezek@14 @15 S20′ sRef Ezek@14 @19 S20′ sRef Ezek@14 @17 S20′ sRef Ezek@14 @21 S20′ [20] In the same:
I will send upon you famine and the evil wild beast, and I* will make thee bereaved; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee: especially will I bring the sword upon thee (Ezek. 5:17).
In the same:
When I shall send famine upon the land, and cut off from it man and beast; when I shall cause the evil wild beast to pass through the land and bereave it, that it may become a waste, so that none pass through because of the wild beast, and when I shall bring the sword, and send the pestilence; thus when I shall send my four evil judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, the famine, the evil wild beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast (Ezek. 14:13, 15, 17, 19, 21).
In the internal sense “to cut off man and beast” signifies to deprive of every affection of good and truth, both internal or spiritual and external or natural. (That this is signified by “man and beast” in the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7424, 7523, 7872. “Famine” signifies the deprivation of the good of love; “sword” the deprivation of the truth of faith, both through falsity; “the evil wild beast” the deprivation of both by the evils of the love of self and of the world; and “pestilence” the consequent loss of spiritual life. These are called here “the four judgments,” because man is judged by them.
[21] From the explanation of these and the preceding passages the meaning of each particular here in the series can be seen. “The evil wild beast” means all ravenous beasts, such as lions, bears, tigers, panthers, wild boars, wolves, dragons, serpents, and many others, which seize and rend asunder good animals, such as lambs, sheep, bullocks, oxen, and the like. That such wild beasts, and in general, “the evil wild beast,” signify lusts springing from the love of self and the world, from which are all the evils of life and the falsities of doctrine, is from correspondence, as can be seen from the appearances in the spiritual world. There all lusts of evil and of falsity appear as wild beasts of various kinds; moreover, those from whom such appearances spring are like wild beasts, for their highest delight is to attack and destroy the good. This delight is an infernal delight, and is inherent in the loves of self and of the world, in which the hells are. From this it can be seen why it is that “the evil wild beast” in general signifies the evils of life, or lusts and the falsities therefrom springing from the loves of self and of the world, which lay waste all things of the church with man.
sRef Gen@3 @20 S22′ [22] Hitherto it has been shown from the Word that “wild beasts” signify evil lusts and falsities, in particular, the lusts of ravaging and destroying goods and truths, thus the spiritual life of man, by means of falsities. It shall now be shown that “wild beasts” in the Word also signify the affections of truth and good, which are contrary to the affections of falsity from evil, which are called lusts. “Wild beasts” signify also in the Word the affections of truth and good, because the word in the original by which they are designated and called signifies life, for in that language a “wild beast” is called chayah, and chayah means life, and the life itself of the spiritual man is in the affection of truth and good; so when “wild beast” is mentioned in the Word in this good sense, it ought rather to be rendered and called animal, which means a living soul. But when “wild beast” is spoken of in this sense, the idea that adheres to the word fera in the Latin must be entirely laid aside, for in that language an idea of what is fierce and ferocious adheres to the word fera, thus an idea of something bad or evil. It is otherwise in the Hebrew tongue, in which fera means life, and in general, a living soul or animal; in this sense chayah or fera cannot be called “beast” [bestia], since frequently in the Word fera and bestia are mentioned together, when fera signifies the affection of truth, and bestia the affection of good. Because fera or chayah in this contrary sense signifies the affection of truth and good, Eve, the wife of Adam, is called Chavah, from that word, as is evident in Moses:
And the Man called his wife’s name Eve [chavah], because she was to be the mother of all chay [that is, living] (Gen. 3:20).
Also “the four animals” that were cherubim, are called from the same word, chayah, in the plural; and because, as was said, the idea of fierce and ferocious adheres to the word fera in the Latin, therefore the translators have used “living creatures” [animalia] for the cherubim which appeared as animals (see Ezek. 1:5, 13-15, 22; 10:15; and elsewhere).
sRef Ps@50 @13 S23′ sRef Ps@50 @14 S23′ sRef Lev@11 @47 S23′ sRef Ps@50 @9 S23′ sRef Lev@17 @13 S23′ sRef Ps@50 @12 S23′ sRef Lev@11 @2 S23′ sRef Ps@50 @10 S23′ sRef Lev@11 @27 S23′ sRef Isa@40 @16 S23′ sRef Ps@50 @11 S23′ [23] Likewise animals that may be eaten, as lambs, sheep, she-goats; rams, kids, he-goats, heifers, oxen, cows, as also animals that are not to be eaten, are called by the common word wild beasts [ferae], and yet they are mild and useful, consequently not wild or ferocious. Thus in Moses:
This is the wild beast that ye shall eat of all the beasts, among all the wild beasts that go on all four, to distinguish between the wild beast that is eaten and the wild beast that is not eaten (Lev. 11:2, 27, 47).
And elsewhere:
He that hunteth a hunting of the wild beast or** of the fowl that is eaten (Lev. 17:13).
Also the animals that were sacrificed, and that have been named above, were termed wild beasts. Thus in Isaiah:
And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, and the wild beast thereof is not sufficient for a burnt-offering (Isa. 40:16).
And in David:
I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he-goats out of thy folds for sacrifice; for every wild beast of the forest is Mine, and the beasts upon the mountains of thousands. I know every fowl of the mountains and the wild beast of My fields is with Me. If I were hungry I would not tell thee, for the world is Mine and the fullness thereof. Sacrifice unto God confession (Ps. 50:9-12, 14).
sRef Ex@23 @11 S24′ sRef Lev@25 @7 S24′ sRef Lev@25 @6 S24′ [24] That “wild beast” signifies the affection of truth and good can be seen further from the following passages. In Moses:
In the seventh year, which is the sabbatical year, thou shalt let the land rest and shalt abandon it; that the needy of thy people may eat it, and what they leave the wild beast of the field may eat (Exod. 23:11).
And in another place:
In the year of the Sabbath, all the produce that is in thy land shall be for food for thy beast and for the wild beast (Lev. 25:7).
Here “beast and wild beast” mean lambs, sheep, she-goats, kids, rams, he-goats, bullocks, oxen, cows, horses, and asses, but not lions, bears, boars, wolves, and the like rapacious wild beasts; so here “wild beasts” mean domestic wild beasts which are useful, which signify the affections of truth and good.
sRef Ps@148 @11 S25′ sRef Ps@148 @10 S25′ sRef Ps@148 @7 S25′ [25] In David:
Praise Jehovah from the earth, ye whales and deeps, the wild beast and every beast, the creeping thing and the bird of wing, kings of the earth and all peoples (Ps. 148:7, 10-11).
These signify goods and truths of every kind with man, from which man worships God; and as man worships God from these, and these are not of man but of the Lord with him, it is meant that these worship God, for no one can worship God rightly from himself, but from God, that is, from the goods and truths that are of God with him. That no one of himself but only from the Lord, is able to name Jesus, is known to some in the church, and is fully known in heaven. “To praise Jehovah” signifies to worship Him; “whales and deeps” signify knowledges and cognitions in general or in the whole complex; “wild beast and every beast” signify the affections of truth and good; “creeping thing and bird of every wing” signify the delight of good and truth of the natural and of the spiritual man; consequently it is also said, “Praise Jehovah, ye kings of the earth and all peoples,” these signifying truths of good of every kind. That such things are signified by these words is evident from their signification in the internal sense, and from the Word in heaven, where the Word is spiritual, because it is for the angels who are spiritual. (That the Word is also in the heavens, and there it is in its internal sense, see Heaven and Hell, n. 259-261.)
sRef Ps@68 @9 S26′ sRef Ps@68 @10 S26′ [26] In the same:
O God, Thou makest the rain of good will to drop down; Thou shalt confirm Thine inheritance when it is weary; Thy wild beasts shall dwell therein (Ps. 68:9-10).
Here too, “wild beast,” or “animal,” stands for those who are in the affections of truth and good, or in an abstract sense, those affections themselves; for “the rain of good will which God makes to drop down,” signifies Divine truth from Divine good; “the inheritance when it is weary which God shall confirm,” signifies the church that is in Divine truth in respect to doctrine and life, “inheritance” meaning the church where these are, which is said “to be weary” from the earnest endeavor to do good; “the wild beasts that shall dwell therein,” that is, in the inheritance or church, signify the affections of truth and good. That nothing else is here meant by “wild beast,” is evident, for no rapacious wild beast, that is, no lust of falsity and evil, can dwell in the inheritance upon which God causes the rain of good will to drop down.
sRef Hos@2 @19 S27′ sRef Hos@2 @18 S27′ [27] In Hosea:
In that day will I make a covenant for them with the wild beast of the field, and with the fowl of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth; and I will break the bow and the sword and war from the earth; and I will make them to lie down securely. And I will betroth Me to thee*** forever (Hos. 2:18-19).
These things are said of a new church from the Lord; and “the wild beast of the field, the fowl of the heavens, and the creeping thing of the earth,” have the same signification as above in David (Ps. 148:7, 10, 11), where they have been explained. “Covenant” signifies conjunction; so “to make a covenant” signifies to be conjoined (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804, 8767, 8778, 9396, 10632). For Jehovah cannot “make a covenant” or be conjoined with the affections of evil and falsity, or with the lusts that are signified by “wild beasts” in the sense first given, nor can He make a covenant with the wild beast, the fowl, and the creeping thing generally, but only with such things as are signified by these. But these things may be seen more fully explained above (n. 357).
sRef Ezek@31 @4 S28′ sRef Ezek@31 @5 S28′ sRef Ezek@31 @6 S28′ sRef Ezek@31 @7 S28′ sRef Ezek@31 @3 S28′ sRef Ezek@31 @9 S28′ sRef Ezek@31 @2 S28′ sRef Ezek@31 @8 S28′ [28] In Ezekiel:
Speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, Behold Asshur, a cedar in Lebanon, beautiful in branch, and with shady foliage, and high in stature. The waters made him to grow great, whence his stature became higher than all the trees of the field; in his branches did all the birds of the heavens build their nests, and under his boughs every wild beast of the field brought forth; and in his shade have dwelt all the great nations; no tree in the garden of God was equal to him in beauty (Ezek. 31:2-9).
“Pharaoh and Egypt” here signify the knowing faculty, [scientificum] that belongs to the natural man; and “Asshur” the rational which the knowing faculty serves; the growth of this through knowledges and cognitions is described by “cedar in Lebanon,” this also signifying the rational; “the waters that made him to grow great” signify truths, and “branches” signify extension, such as pertains to the thought of the rational man. From this it can be seen what is signified by “in his branches did all the birds of the heavens build their nests; under his boughs every wild beast of the field brought forth, and in his shade have dwelt all the great nations,” namely, rational and spiritual truths of every kind, the affections of truth and goods; “the birds of the heavens” signifying the rational and spiritual truths of every kind, “the wild beast” the affections of truth, “to bring forth” signifies to multiply, since every spiritual birth or multiplication is effected by the affections of truth, and “the great nations” signify goods. (That “birds” signify thoughts, and things rational, intellectual, and spiritual, and thus truths, since all things of thought are either truths or falsities, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 745, 776, 866, 988, 991, 3219, 5149, 7441; that “to bring forth” signifies to multiply truths and goods, and that this is spiritual birth, n. 3860, 3868, 9325; that “nations” signify those who are in goods, and thence in an abstract sense, goods, n. 1059, 1159, 1258, 1260, 1416, 1849, 6005; and above, n. 175, 331; that “Pharaoh” and “Egypt” signify the knowing faculty [scientificum] in both senses, good and evil, see n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 5700, 5702, 6015, 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692, 7296, 9340, 9391; and that “Asshur” signifies the rational in both senses, n. 119, 1186.)
sRef Isa@19 @25 S29′ sRef Isa@19 @24 S29′ sRef Isa@19 @23 S29′ [29] That “Egypt” signifies the true knowing faculty [verum scientificum] and “Assyria” the rational, and that the whole of man’s rational has its birth by means of knowledges [scientifica], or that these serve it, as was said above, can be seen from these words in Isaiah:
In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt into Assyria, that Assyria may come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and they shall serve [Jehovah], the Egyptians with Assyria. In that day shall Israel be a third to Egypt and to Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land, whom Jehovah of Hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance (Isa. 19:23-25).
Here “Egypt” signifies the knowing faculty [scientificum], “Assyria” the rational, and “Israel” the spiritual.
sRef Ezek@39 @18 S30′ sRef Ezek@39 @20 S30′ sRef Ezek@39 @21 S30′ sRef Ezek@39 @22 S30′ sRef Ezek@39 @19 S30′ sRef Ezek@39 @17 S30′ [30] From the passages already cited it can be seen what “bird” and “wild beast of the field” signify in Ezekiel:
Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Say to the bird of every wing, and to every wild beast of the field, Assemble yourselves and come; gather yourselves from the circuit to My sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth. And ye shall eat fat to satiety, and drink blood, even to drunkenness, of My sacrifice which I will sacrifice for you. And ye shall be satiated at My table with horse and chariot, with mighty man and with every man of war. So will I give My glory among the nations (Ezek. 39:17-21).
From the particulars here it is evident that this is said of the church to be established by the Lord among the nations; therefore “the bird of every wing, and every wild beast of the field, that are to be assembled and invited to the sacrifice,” signify all who are in the affection of truth and good, for “the flesh that they will eat” signifies the good of love, and “the blood that they will drink,” the truth from that good, and “sacrifice” the worship itself from these. But these things may be seen more fully explained above (n. 329).
[31] Sometimes in the Word, “wild beast” and “beast” are mentioned together, sometimes “wild beast” alone, and “beast” alone; and sometimes “wild beast of the earth” or “wild beast of the field;” and when “wild beast” and “beast” are mentioned together, then the affection or love of falsity and evil is signified, “the wild beast” signifying the affection or love of falsity, and “beast” the affection or love of evil; or in a contrary sense “the wild beast” the affection or love of truth, and “beast” the affection or love of good. But when “wild beast” alone, or “beast” alone is mentioned, then “a wild beast” means the affection of both falsity and evil, and in a contrary sense the affection both of truth and good; while “beast” means the affection of evil and of the falsity therefrom, and in a contrary sense, the affection of good and of the truth therefrom. But what “beast” signifies will be seen below where it is explained. When, however, “the wild beast of the earth” is mentioned, it means a wild beast that devours animals and men; but when “the wild beast of the field” is mentioned, it means a wild beast that eats up the crops; therefore “the wild beast of the earth” signifies such things as destroy the goods of the church, and “the wild beast of the field” such things as destroy the truths of the church; for both “earth” and “field” signify the church, “earth” signifying the church from the nation and people there, and “field” the church from what is sown, or from the reception of seeds.
* Photolithograph has “I will make bereaved” as also AE n. 816;AC n. 5536, 7102; but the Hebrew has “they shall make bereaved.” Which we also find in AC n. 1460, 9335.
** Photolithograph has “and,” Hebrew “or.”
*** Photolithograph has “Me to thee,” which is also found in SS n. 85; LW n. 38; AR n. 688; TCR n. 51; Coronis n. 3; but the Hebrew has “thee to Me,” which is also found in AC n. 329, 650, 701, 946; AC n. 2235, 9182, 9857; HH n. 216; AR n. 567; Dicta. Pr. p. 56).

sRef Rev@6 @8 S0′ 389. Verses 9-11. And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those slain because of the Word of God, and because of the testimony that they held. And they cried out with a great voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And there were given to every one of them white robes; and it was said unto them that they should rest yet a little time, until their fellow-servants, as well as their brethren, who were to be killed, as they also were, should be fulfilled. 9. “And when he had opened the fifth seal,” signifies still further prediction (n. 390); “I saw under the altar,” signifies those who were preserved under heaven (n. 391); “the souls of those slain because of the Word of God, and because of the testimony that they held,” signifies those who were rejected and concealed because of Divine truth and because of their confession of the Lord (n. 392). 10. “And they cried out with a great voice,” signifies their grief of mind (n. 393); “saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” signifies sighings to the Lord, who is Righteousness, respecting the judgment and removal of those who persecute and infest those who acknowledge the Lord, and are in the life of charity (n. 394). 11. “And there were given to every one of them white robes,” signifies Divine truth from the Lord with them, and protection (n. 395); “and it was said unto them they should rest yet a little time,” signifies some further continuance in that state (n. 396); “until their fellow-servants, as well as their brethren, who were to be killed, as they also were, should be fulfilled,” signifies until all things were consummated (n. 397).

390. Verse 9. And when he had opened the fifth seal, signifies still further prediction, as is evident from the signification of “opening a seal of a book” as being to reveal things hidden and to predict things future (of which see above, n. 352, 361, 369, 378).

sRef Rev@6 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@6 @10 S0′ 391. I saw under the altar, signifies those who were preserved under heaven. This is evident from the signification of “to see,” as being to make manifest (see above, n. 351); also from the signification of “altar” as being, in the nearest sense, worship from the good of love to the Lord; in a more interior sense, heaven and the church, which are in that love; and in the inmost sense, the Lord’s Divine Human in relation to the Divine good of the Divine love. “Under the altar” signifies those who were preserved under heaven, because it is said that he “saw under the altar the souls of those slain because of the Word of God, and because of the testimony that they held,” and by these are meant those who were preserved under heaven until the Last Judgment; but as this is not yet known in the world, I will tell how it is. In the small work on The Last Judgement it has been shown that before the Last Judgement took place there was a semblance of heaven which is meant by “the former heaven that passed away” (Rev. 21:1) and that this heaven consisted of those who were in external worship without internal, and who therefore lived an external moral life, although they were merely natural and not spiritual. Those of whom this heaven consisted before the Last Judgment were seen in the spiritual world above the earth, also upon mountains, hills, and rocks, and therefore believed themselves to be in heaven; but those of whom this heaven consisted, because they were in an external moral life only and not at the same time in an internal spiritual life, were cast down; and when these had been cast down, all those who had been preserved by the Lord, and concealed here and there, for the most part in the lower earth, were elevated and transferred to these same places, that is, upon the mountains, hills, and rocks where the others had formerly been, and out of these a new heaven was formed. These who had been preserved and then elevated were from those in the world who had lived a life of charity, and who were in the spiritual affection of truth. The elevation of these into the places of the others I have often witnessed. It is these who are meant by “the souls of those slain seen under the altar,” and because they were guarded by the Lord in the lower earth, and this earth is under heaven, so “I saw under the altar” signifies those who were preserved under heaven. But these are particularly treated of in Revelation 20:4-5, 12-13, where more will be told about them; meanwhile see what is said in the small work on The Last Judgement (n. 65-72) of “the former heaven that passed away,” and “the new heaven” that was formed by the Lord after the Last Judgment. This much will suffice to afford some light for understanding what is said in the two following verses, namely, that they who were under the altar “cried out with a great voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on those that dwell on the earth? And there were given to them white robes; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet a little time, until their fellow-servants, as well as their brethren, who were to be killed, as they also were, should be fulfilled.”
[2] “Under the altar” signifies under heaven, because the “altar,” in the highest sense, signifies the Lord, and in a relative sense, heaven and the church, for the Lord is heaven and the church, since everything of heaven and the church, or everything of love and faith which make heaven and the church with angel and man, are from the Lord, and thence are His; but in a general sense the “altar” signifies all worship of the Lord and especially representative worship, such as there was with the sons of Israel. “The altar” signifies all worship, because “worship” in that church consisted mainly in offering burnt-offerings and sacrifices; for these were offered for every sin and guilt, also from good will to please Jehovah (these were called eucharistic or voluntary sacrifices), also for cleansings of every kind. Moreover, by burnt-offerings and sacrifices inaugurations were also effected into everything holy of the church, as is evident from the sacrifices at the inauguration of Aaron and his sons into the priesthood, the inauguration of the tent of meeting, and afterwards of the temple. And as the worship of Jehovah, that is, of the Lord, consisted chiefly in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, these also were offered daily, namely, every morning and evening, and were called in one word “the continual,” besides a great number at every feast; so in the Word the “continual-offering” signifies all representative worship. From this it can be seen that worship, and particularly the representative worship of that nation, consisted chiefly in burnt-offerings and sacrifices. For this reason the altar upon which these were made, and which contained them, signifies in the Word all worship in general. Worship means not external worship only, but also internal worship; and internal worship comprehends everything of love and everything of faith, thus everything that constitutes the church or, heaven with man, in a word, that causes the Lord to be with him.
Heaven was represented before John by an altar, for this reason also, that the whole Word was written by representatives, and by such representatives as were with the sons of Israel; in order, therefore, that the Word might be similar in both Testaments, the things in this book and that were seen by John, are like those in other parts, that is, an altar of incense was seen, the incense itself with the censers, likewise the tabernacle, the ark, and other like things. But at the present day such things never appear to any angel, or to any man whose sight is opened into heaven. The altar, the ark, and like things do not appear in heaven at the present day, because to the ancients sacrifices were wholly unknown, and after the Lord’s coming they were entirely abolished. Sacrifices were begun by Eber, and were continued afterwards among his posterity, who were called Hebrews, and were tolerated among the sons of Israel who were from Eber, especially because a worship once begun and rooted in the mind is not abolished by the Lord, but is bent to signify what is holy in religion (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1343, 2180, 2818, 10042).
sRef Ps@43 @4 S3′ sRef Ps@43 @3 S3′ [3] That “the altar” signifies, in the highest sense, the Lord’s Divine Human in relation to the Divine good of the Divine love, and that in a relative sense it signifies heaven and the church, and in general all worship, and in particular representative worship, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In David:
O send out Thy light and Thy truth, let them lead me; let them bring me unto the mountain of Thy holiness, and to Thy habitations, that I may come unto the altar of God, unto God (Ps. 43:3-4).
It is clearly evident that “the altar of God” here means the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, for these words treat of the way to heaven and to the Lord there; the way to heaven is meant by “send out Thy light and truth; let them lead me;” “light” meaning the illustration in which truths appear; heaven, into which it leads is meant by “let them bring me unto the mountain of holiness, and to Thy habitations;” “mountain of holiness” meaning heaven where the Lord’s celestial kingdom is, in which the good of love reigns; while those heavens are called “habitations” where the Lord’s spiritual kingdom is, in which truth from that good reigns; and as both are meant it is said, “that I may go unto the altar of God, unto God,” “altar of God” meaning where the Lord is in the good of love, and “God” where the Lord is in truth from that good; for the Lord is called “God,” from Divine truth, and “Jehovah” from Divine good. In the Jewish Church there were two things that, in the highest sense, signified the Lord’s Divine Human, namely, the altar and the temple; the altar, the Divine Human in relation to Divine good; the temple, in relation to Divine truth proceeding from that good. These two signified the Lord in respect to His Divine Human, because all things of worship in that church represented the Divine things that proceed from the Lord, called celestial and spiritual, and the worship itself was chiefly performed upon the altar and in the temple, therefore, these two represented the Lord Himself.
sRef Matt@24 @2 S4′ sRef John@2 @20 S4′ sRef John@2 @22 S4′ sRef John@2 @19 S4′ sRef John@2 @21 S4′ sRef John@2 @18 S4′ [4] That the temple represented His Divine Human He teaches in plain terms in John:
The Jews said, What sign showest Thou that Thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. But He was speaking of the temple of His body (John 2:18-23; also Matt. 26:61; and elsewhere).
When the disciples were showing Him the buildings of the temple, the Lord said:
That there shall not be left stone upon stone that shall not be thrown down (Matt. 24:1-2);
signifying that the Lord was wholly denied among them, on which account also the temple was destroyed from its foundation.
sRef Matt@23 @18 S5′ sRef Matt@23 @17 S5′ sRef Matt@23 @20 S5′ sRef Matt@23 @22 S5′ sRef Matt@23 @21 S5′ sRef Matt@23 @19 S5′ sRef Matt@23 @16 S5′ [5] That “the altar” also signified the Lord’s Divine Human, may be concluded from the Lord’s words in Matthew:
Woe unto you, ye blind guides, for ye say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple it is nothing, but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple he is guilty. Ye fools and blind! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? Also, whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind! Which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? For he that sweareth by the altar sweareth by it and by everything thereon. And he that sweareth by the temple sweareth by it and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that sweareth by heaven sweareth by the throne of God and by him that sitteth thereon (Matt. 23:16-22).
It is here said that the temple sanctifies the gold that is in it, and that the altar sanctifies the gift that is upon it; and thus that the temple and the altar were most holy, and that all sanctification was from them; therefore “the temple” and “altar” signify the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, for from that everything holy of heaven and the church proceeds. If this is not the meaning how could the temple or the altar sanctify anything? Nor can worship itself sanctify, but the Lord alone, who is worshiped, and from whom is the good and truth of worship; for this reason it is said that the gift does not sanctify, but the altar, “the gift” meaning the sacrifices that constituted the worship; and because the Jews did not understand this, but taught otherwise, they were called by the Lord “fools and blind.”
sRef Ex@29 @37 S6′ [6] Because this was signified by the altar, all who touched it were sanctified as is evident in Moses:
Seven days thou shalt sanctify [the altar], that the altar may be the holy of holies; whosoever shall touch the altar shall be sanctified (Exod. 29:37).
“To touch” signifies to communicate, to transfer, and to receive (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10130), here the Divine that proceeds from the Lord; and as this was signified by “touching,” and those who touched were sanctified, it follows that in the highest sense the Lord Himself is signified by the “altar,” for there is nothing holy from any other source. Moreover, all worship is worship of the Lord and from the Lord; and as worship in that church consisted chiefly of burnt-offerings and sacrifices, so the “altar” signified the Divine Itself from which [a quo] and this Divine is the Lord’s Divine Human.
sRef Lev@6 @13 S7′ [7] It was therefore also commanded:
That the fire upon the altar should burn continually, and never be extinguished (Lev. 6:12-13);
also that from that fire the lamps should be lighted in the tent of meeting, and that they were to take from that fire in the censers and burn incense; for “the fire” signified the Divine love which is in the Lord alone (see above, n. 68).
sRef Isa@6 @6 S8′ sRef Isa@6 @7 S8′ [8] Because “the fire of the altar” signifies the Divine love, the prophet Isaiah was sanctified by it:
Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, in whose hand was a burning coal, which he had taken from off the altar, and he touched my mouth, and said, This hath touched thy lips; therefore thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is expiated (Isa. 6:6-7).
What these words signify in their series can be seen when it is known that “the altar” signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, and “the fire” on it the Divine good of his Divine love; that the prophet’s “mouth and lips” signify the doctrine of good and truth; and that “to touch” signifies to communicate; “iniquity which was taken away” signifies falsity, and “sin” evil; for “iniquity” is predicated of the life of falsity, that is, of a life contrary to truths, and “sin” of the life of evil, that is, of a life contrary to good.
sRef Isa@60 @7 S9′ [9] In Isaiah:
All the flocks of Arabia shall be brought together unto Thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto Thee; they shall come up to Mine altar with acceptance; thus will I adorn the house of Mine adornment (Isa. 60:7).
This treats of the Lord’s coming, and this is said of the Lord Himself; “all the flocks of Arabia that are to be brought together,” and “the rams of Nebaioth that are to minister” signify all spiritual goods, external and internal, “flocks” signify external goods, and “rams” internal goods, and “Arabia” and “Nebaioth” things spiritual; “they shall come up to Mine altar with acceptance; thus will I adorn the house of Mine adornment” signifies the Lord’s Divine Human, in which they will be, “altar” signifying His Divine Human in relation to Divine good, and “house of adornment” the same in relation to Divine truth. That the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is here meant is evident from the preceding part of that chapter, where it is said that “Jehovah shall arise upon Thee, and His glory shall be seen upon Thee,” with what follows, which describes the Divine wisdom with which the Lord will be filled in respect to His Human.
[10] As “the altar” signifies in the highest sense the Lord’s Divine Human, “altar” therefore signifies also heaven and the church; for the angelic heaven, viewed in itself, is from the Divine that proceeds from the Lord’s Divine Human; from this it is that the angelic heaven in the whole complex is as one man; wherefore that heaven is called the Greatest Man (see what is said about this in Heaven and Hell, n. 59-86; and about the church, n. 57). And as all worship is from the Lord, for it is the Divine communicated to man from the Lord, in which is the Lord Himself, thence “altar” signifies also in general, everything of worship that proceeds from the good of love; and “temple” the worship that proceeds from truths from that good; for all worship is either from love or from faith, either from good or from truth; worship from the good of love is such as exists in the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and worship from truths from that good, which truths are called the truths of faith, is such as exists in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom (about which see also in the same work, n. 20-28).
sRef Ps@84 @4 S11′ sRef Ps@84 @3 S11′ sRef Ps@84 @1 S11′ sRef Ps@84 @2 S11′ [11] From this it can be seen what is signified by “altar” in the following passages. In David:
How amiable are Thy tabernacles, O Jehovah of Hosts! My soul is eager, yea, it is consumed for the courts of Jehovah; my heart and my flesh sing for joy unto the living God. Yea, the bird hath found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, Thine altars, O Jehovah of Hosts, my King and my God! Blessed are they that dwell in thy house (Ps. 84:1-4).
“Altars” here mean the heavens, for it is said, “How amiable are Thy tabernacles; my soul is eager, yea, it is consumed for the courts of Jehovah,” and afterwards it is said “Thine altars, O Jehovah of hosts;” “tabernacles” mean the higher heavens, and “courts” the lower heavens where is the entrance; these are also called “altars” from worship; and as all worship is from the good of love by means of truths it is said “Thine altars, O Jehovah of Hosts, my King and my God;” for the Lord is called “Jehovah” from Divine good, and “King” and “God” from Divine truth; and because the heavens are meant, it is also said, “Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house,” “the house of Jehovah God” meaning heaven in the whole complex. It is also said, “yea, the bird hath found a house, and the swallow her nest,” because “bird” signifies spiritual truth and “swallow” natural truth, by which there is worship; and as all truth by which there is worship is from the good of love, it is first said, “my heart and my flesh sing for joy unto the living God,” “heart and flesh” signifying the good of love, and “sing for joy” worship from the delight of good.
sRef Rev@11 @1 S12′ sRef Ps@26 @6 S12′ sRef Rev@16 @7 S12′ sRef Ps@26 @7 S12′ [12] Heaven and the church are also meant by “altar” in these passages in Revelation:
There was given me a reed like unto a rod; and the angel stood and said to me, Rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein (Rev. 11:1).
I heard another angel out of the altar saying, Yea, O Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments (Rev.16:7).
In David:
I wash mine hands in innocence, and compass Thine altar, O Jehovah, that I may make the voice of confession to be heard (Ps. 26:6-7).
“To wash the hands in innocence” signifies to be purified from evils and falsities; “to compass Thine altar, O Jehovah” signifies conjunction with the Lord by worship from the good of love; and because this is a worship by means of truths from good, it is added, “that I may make the voice of confession to be heard,” “to make the voice of confession to be heard” meaning worship from truths. “To compass Thine altar, O Jehovah” signifies the conjunction of the Lord by means of worship from the good of love, because “Jehovah” is predicated of the good of love, and “to compass” signifies to embrace with worship, thus to be conjoined.
sRef Isa@19 @18 S13′ sRef Isa@19 @19 S13′ [13] In Isaiah:
In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak with the lips of Canaan, and that swear to Jehovah of Hosts; every one of them shall be called Ir Cheres [the city of Cheres]. In that day there shall be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to Jehovah beside the border thereof (Isa. 19:18-19).
“Egypt” signifies the natural man, and its knowing faculty [scientificum]; “in that day” signifies the Lord’s coming and the state of those who will then be in true knowledges [scientifica] from the Lord; “five cities in the land of Egypt that speak with the lips of Canaan” signify many truths of doctrine which are genuine truths of the church, “five” meaning many, “cities” the truths of doctrine, and “the lips of Canaan” genuine doctrinals of the church; “to swear to Jehovah of Hosts” signifies those that confess the Lord; “Jehovah of Hosts,” mentioned here and in many other passages in the Word, means the Lord in respect to all good and truth; for “Hosts” [Zebaoth] in the original signifies armies, and “armies” signify in the spiritual sense all the goods and truths of heaven and the church (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3448, 7236, 7988, 8019). This, therefore is the meaning of “Jehovah Zebaoth” or “Jehovah of Hosts;” “every one of them shall be called Ir Cheres” signifies the doctrine glittering from spiritual truths in natural, for “Ir” means city, and “city” signifies doctrine; “Cheres” means a glittering like that of the sun; “in that day there shall be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt” signifies that there shall then be worship of the Lord from the good of love by means of true knowledges that are in the natural man; “an altar to Jehovah” signifying the worship of the Lord from the good of love, “in the midst of the land of Egypt” signifying by means of knowledges that are in the natural man, true knowledges meaning also cognitions from the sense of the letter of the Word; “and a pillar to Jehovah besides the border thereof” signifies the worship of the Lord from the truths of faith, “a pillar (statue)” signifying worship from the truths of faith, and “the border of Egypt” signifying the ultimates; the ultimates of the natural man are things of the senses.
sRef Isa@27 @9 S14′ [14] In the same:
When he shall lay all the stones of the altar as chalk stones scattered, the groves and sun statues shall rise no more (Isa. 27:9).
This is said of Jacob and Israel, by whom the church is signified, here the church that is to be destroyed; its destruction in respect to the truths of worship is described by “laying the stones of the altar as chalk stones scattered,” “the stones of the altar” meaning the truths of worship, “as chalk stones scattered” mean as falsities that do not cohere; “the groves and sun statues shall rise no more” signifies that there shall no longer be any worship from spiritual and natural truths, “groves” signifying worship from spiritual truths, and “sun statues” worship from natural truths.
sRef Lam@2 @7 S15′ [15] In Lamentations:
The Lord hath cast off His altar; He hath abhorred His sanctuary; He hath shut up in the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces (Lam. 2:7).
This is a lamentation over the vastation of all things of the church; that the church has been vastated in respect to all goods is signified by “the Lord hath cast off His altar;” that it has been vastated in respect to all truths is signified by “He hath abhorred His sanctuary.” (That “sanctuary” is predicated of the church in respect to truths, see above, n. 204.) That falsities and evils have entered into all things of the church is signified by “He hath shut up in the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces;” “enemy” signifies evil and falsity, “to shut up in his hands” signifies that these have seized and entered, “the walls of palaces” signifies all protecting truths, “palaces” mean the things of doctrine.
sRef Isa@56 @7 S16′ sRef Isa@56 @6 S16′ [16] In Isaiah:
Everyone that keepeth the sabbath, and holdeth to My covenant, them will I bring in upon the mountain of My holiness, and will make them glad in the house of My prayer; their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be well pleasing upon My altar (Isa. 56:6-7).
“Sabbath” signifies the conjunction of the Lord with heaven and the church, thus with those who are therein; so “to keep the sabbath” signifies to be in conjunction with the Lord; and “to hold to his covenant” signifies conjunction by a life according to the Lord’s commandments; “covenant” means conjunction, and a life according to the commandments is what conjoins; for this reason the commandments of the Decalogue were called “a covenant;” “them will I bring in upon the mountain of holiness” signifies that He will endow them with the good of love, “the mountain of holiness” meaning the heaven in which the good of love to the Lord is, consequently also such good of love as there is in that heaven; “I will make them glad in the house of My prayer” signifies that He will endow them with spiritual truths, “the house of prayer,” or the temple, meaning the heaven where spiritual truths are, consequently also such spiritual truths as there are in that heaven; “their burnt-offerings and sacrifices shall be well pleasing upon Mine altar” signifies worship from the good of love grateful from spiritual truths, “burnt-offerings” signifying worship from the good of love, and “sacrifices” worship from truths that are from that good; truths from good are what are called spiritual truths; “upon the altar” signifies in heaven and the church.
sRef Ps@51 @18 S17′ sRef Ps@51 @19 S17′ [17] In David:
Do good in Thy good pleasure unto Zion; build Thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt Thou be delighted with the sacrifices of righteousness, and with whole burnt-offering; then shall they offer up bullocks upon Thine altar (Ps. 51:18-19).
“Zion” means the church that is in the good of love, and “Jerusalem” the church that is in the truths of doctrine; therefore, “to do good in good pleasure unto Zion, and to build the walls of Jerusalem” signifies to restore the church by leading it into the good of love and by instructing it in the truths of doctrine. Worship then from the good of love is signified by “then shalt Thou be delighted with the sacrifices of righteousness and with whole burnt-offering,” “righteousness” is predicated of celestial good, and “whole burnt-offering” signifies love; and worship then from the good of charity is signified by “then shall they offer up bullocks upon Thine altar,” “bullocks” signifying natural good, which is the good of charity.
sRef Ps@118 @28 S18′ sRef Ps@118 @27 S18′ [18] In the same:
God is Jehovah who enlighteneth us; bind the festal-offering with ropes even to the horns of the altar. Thou art my God (Ps. 118:27-28).
“To enlighten” signifies to illustrate in truths; “to bind the festal-offering with ropes even to the horns of the altar” signifies to conjoin all things of worship, “to bind with ropes” meaning to conjoin, “the festal-offering to the horns of the altar” meaning all things of worship, “horns” mean all things because they are the ultimates, and “the festal-offering” and “altar” mean worship. All things of worship are conjoined when externals are conjoined with internals, and goods with truths.
sRef Luke@11 @51 S19′ sRef Luke@11 @50 S19′ [19] In Luke:
The blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world shall be required of this generation; from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zachariah, slain between the altar and the temple (Luke 11:50-51).
This does not mean that the blood of all the prophets from the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel, shall be required of the Jewish nation, for blood is not required from anyone but of him who sheds it; but these words mean that that nation had falsified all truth and adulterated all good; for “the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world” signifies the falsification of all the truth there had ever been in the church; “blood” meaning falsification, “prophets” the truths of doctrine, and “from the foundation of the world,” meaning all that there had ever been in the church; “the foundation of the world” meaning the establishment of the church. “From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zachariah, slain between the altar and the temple,” signifies the adulteration of all good, and the consequent extinction of the worship of the Lord; “the blood of Abel unto Zachariah” means the adulteration of all good; “to be slain between the altar and the temple” means the extinction of all good and all truth in worship, for “altar” signifies worship from good, and “temple” the worship from truth, as has been said above; “between these” means where there is conjunction, and where there is not conjunction there is neither good nor truth. The altar was outside the tent of meeting, and outside the temple; therefore what was done between the two signified communication and conjunction (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10001, 10025; and that “Abel” signifies the good of charity, n. 342, 374, 1179, 3325). It is evident that neither Abel nor Zachariah is meant here in the spiritual sense, since in the Word names signify things.
sRef Matt@5 @23 S20′ sRef Matt@5 @24 S20′ [20] In Matthew:
Jesus said, if thou shalt offer thy gift upon the altar, and shalt there remember that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave the gift before the altar, and go; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming offer thy gift (Matt. 5:23-24).
“To offer a gift upon the altar” means in the spiritual sense to worship God, and to worship God means worship both internal and external, namely, from love and from faith, and thus from the life; this is meant because in the Jewish Church worship consisted chiefly in offering sacrifices or gifts upon the altar, and the chief thing is taken for the whole. From this the meaning of these words of the Lord in the spiritual sense can be seen, namely, that Divine worship consists primarily in charity towards the neighbor, and not in piety without that; “to offer a gift upon the altar” means worship from piety, and “to be reconciled to a brother” means worship from charity, and this is truly worship, and such as this is such is the worship from piety. (On this see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 123-129; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 222, 224, 358-360, 528, 529, 535; and above, n. 325.)
sRef Luke@17 @4 S21′ [21] That “If thou shalt offer thy gift upon the altar” signifies in all worship, is evident from the Lord’s words in Luke 17:4 [Matt. 18:22], where it is said that the brother or neighbor must be forgiven all the time, “seventy times seven” there signifying always.
Because such things are signified by “altar,” the altar was made either of wood or of ground, or of whole stones, upon which iron had not been moved, also it was overlaid with brass. The altar was made of wood, because “wood” signifies good; it was also made of ground because “ground” has a like signification; it was made of whole stones, because such “stones” signified truths formed out of good, or good in form, and it was forbidden to fit these stones by any hammer, axe, or instrument of iron, to signify that nothing of self-intelligence must come near to the formation of it; that it was overlaid with brass signified that it represented good in every part, for “brass” signifies good in externals.
sRef Ex@27 @8 S22′ sRef Ex@27 @1 S22′ sRef Ex@27 @5 S22′ sRef Ex@27 @4 S22′ sRef Ex@20 @25 S22′ sRef Ex@27 @7 S22′ sRef Ex@27 @6 S22′ sRef Ezek@41 @22 S22′ sRef Ex@27 @2 S22′ sRef Ex@20 @24 S22′ sRef Deut@27 @5 S22′ sRef Ex@27 @3 S22′ [22] That the altar was made of wood is evident in Moses:
Thou shalt make the altar of shittim-wood, five cubits long and broad; it shall be foursquare. And thou shalt make horns for it. And thou shalt make for it a grating of network of brass; the board-work shall be hollow (Exod. 27:1-8).
And in Ezekiel:
The altar was of wood, three cubits high, and the length of it two cubits; its corners, the length of it, and the walls of it, were of wood. Then he said unto me, This is the table that is before Jehovah (Ezek. 41:22).
Moreover, the altar was made of wood, and overlaid with brass, for the sake of use, that it might be carried about, and removed from place to place in the wilderness, where the sons of Israel then were; also because “wood” signifies good, and “shittim-wood” good of righteousness, or the good of the Lord’s merit. (That “wood” signifies good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 643, 3720, 8354; and that “shittim-wood” signifies the good of righteousness or of merit, which belongs to the Lord only, n. 9472, 9486, 9528, 9715, 10178.) But that the altar was built also of ground, and if of stones, then of whole stones, and not hewn by any iron instrument, is further evident in Moses:
An altar [of ground] thou shalt make unto Me, that thou mayest sacrifice thereon thy burnt-offerings and thy peace-offering. If thou makest to Me an altar of stones thou shalt not build it of hewn stones, for if thou move a tool upon it thou wilt profane it (Exod. 20:24-25).
If an altar of stones be built, no iron shall be struck upon the stones (Deut. 27:5-6).
sRef Isa@17 @8 S23′ sRef Isa@17 @7 S23′ [23] Thus far it has been shown what “altar” signifies in the genuine sense; from this it is clear what “altar” signifies in the contrary sense, namely, idolatrous worship, or infernal worship, which has place only with those who profess religion, but yet love and thus worship self and the world above all things; and when they do this they love evil and falsity; therefore “the altar,” in reference to such, signifies worship from evil, and “the statues” which they also had, worship from falsity, and therefore also hell. That this is the signification of “altar,” in the contrary sense, is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:
In that day shall a man have respect to his Maker, and his eyes shall look to the Holy One of Israel. And he shall not have respect to altars, the work of his hands, and he shall not look* to that which his fingers have made, or to the groves or the sun-statues (Isa. 17:7-8).
This treats of the establishment of a new church by the Lord; that men shall then be led into the goods of life, and be instructed in the truths of doctrine, is meant by “In that day shall a man have respect to his Maker, and his eyes shall look to the Holy One of Israel.” The Lord is called “Maker” because He leads into the goods of life, for these make man; and He is called “the Holy One of Israel” because He teaches the truths of doctrine; therefore it is added, “a man shall have respect,” and “his eyes shall look;” man is called “man” from the good of life, and “eyes” are predicated of the understanding of truth, thus of the truths of doctrine. That there will then be no worship from self-love, from which are the evils of life, nor from self-intelligence, from which are the falsities of doctrine, is signified by “he shall not have respect to altars, the work of his hands, and he shall not look to that which his fingers have made,” “altars, the work of his hands,” mean worship from self-love, from which are evils of life, and “that which his fingers have made” means worship from self-intelligence, from which are the falsities of doctrine; “groves and sun-statues” signify a religion from falsities and evils therefrom, “groves,” a religious principle from falsities, and “sun-statues” a religious principle from the evils of falsity.
sRef Jer@17 @1 S24′ sRef Jer@17 @2 S24′ [24] In Jeremiah:
The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, with a point of a diamond; it is graven** upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars; as I remember their sons, their altar, and their groves, by the green tree upon the high hills (Jer. 17:1-2).
This declares that the idolatrous worship of the Jewish nation was so deeply rooted that it could not be removed. That it was too deeply rooted to be removed is signified by “the sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, with a point of a diamond, it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of their altars;” deeply-rooted falsity is meant by “it is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond,” and deeply-rooted evil is meant by “it is graven upon the table of the heart, and upon the horns of their altars;” it is said “upon the horns of the altars,” because idolatrous worship is meant. The “sons whom He remembers,” signify the falsities of evil; “the altars” idolatrous worship from evil; “the groves by the green tree” such worship from falsities; “upon the high hills” signifies the adulteration of good and the falsification of truths; for at that time, when all things of worship were representative of celestial and spiritual things, they had worship in groves and upon hills, for the reason that “trees,” of which groves consist, signify the knowledges and perceptions of truth and good, and this according to the kind of trees; and because “hills” signified the goods of charity, and spiritual angels who dwell in the spiritual world upon hills are in such goods, so in ancient times worship was performed upon hills; but this was forbidden to the Jewish and Israelitish nation, lest they should profane the holy things that were represented; for in respect to worship that nation was in externals only, their internal was merely idolatrous. (That trees signify the knowledges and perceptions of truth and good, according to their kind, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2163, 2682, 2722, 2972, 7692; for this reason the ancients worshiped in groves under trees, according to their significations, n. 2722, 4552; why this was forbidden to the Jewish and Israelitish nations, n. 2722; why “hills” signify goods of charity, n. 6435, 10438.)
sRef Hos@10 @2 S25′ sRef Hos@10 @1 S25′ [25] In Hosea:
Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit like unto himself; when his fruit is plentiful he multiplieth altars; when his land is good they make goodly statues. Their heart is smooth, now are they laid waste; he shall demolish their altars, he shall devastate their statues (Hos. 10:1-2);
“Israel” here signifies the church, which is called “an empty vine” when there is no longer any truth; its worship from evils is meant by “the altars which he multiplies;” and worship from falsities is meant by the “statues which he makes goodly;” that this is done so far as these abound is signified by “when his fruit is plentiful” and “when his land is good.” That worship from evils and falsities shall be destroyed is signified by “he shall demolish their altars, and shall devastate their statues.” (That “statues” signify worship from truths, and in a contrary sense, worship from falsities, thus idolatrous worship, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3727, 4580, 10643.)
sRef Ezek@6 @13 S26′ sRef Ezek@6 @4 S26′ sRef Ezek@6 @3 S26′ sRef Ezek@6 @6 S26′ [26] In Ezekiel:
Thus said the Lord Jehovih to the mountains and to the hills, to the water courses and to the valleys, I bring in a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places; and your altar shall be laid waste; your sun images shall be broken; yea, I will make your slain to fall before your idols (Ezek. 6:3, 4, 6, 13).
“The Lord Jehovih said to the mountains, hills, water courses, and valleys,” does not signify to all who dwell there, but to all idolaters, that is, to all who instituted worship upon mountains and hills, and near water-courses and in valleys, which was done because of the representation and consequent signification of these; “to bring a sword upon you, and to destroy the high places, and to lay waste the altars, and to break the sun images” signifies to destroy all things of idolatrous worship by means of falsities and evils, for it is by means of these that idolatrous worship destroys itself; “the sword” signifies falsities destroying, “the high places” idolatrous worship in general, “altars” the same from evil loves, and “sun images” the same from the falsities of doctrine; “to make the slain to fall before the idols” signifies the damnation of those who perish by falsities; “slain” signifying those who perish by falsities, “idols” the falsities of worship in general, and “to fall” to be damned.
sRef Hos@8 @11 S27′ [27] In Hosea:
Ephraim hath multiplied altars for sinning, they have made*** for him altars for sinning (Hos. 8:11).
“Ephraim” signifies the intellect of the church, here the intellect perverted; “to multiply altars for sinning” signifies to pervert worship by means of falsities; and “to make altars for sinning” signifies to pervert worship by means of evils; for in the Word, “to multiply” is predicated of truths, and in a contrary sense of falsities, and “to make” is predicated of good, and in a contrary sense of evil; this is why the two are mentioned, and yet it is not a vain repetition.
sRef Hos@10 @8 S28′ sRef Hos@10 @7 S28′ [28] In the same:
Samaria is discomfited, her king is as foam upon the faces of the waters and the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed; the thorn and the thistle come up on their altars (Hos. 10:7-8).
“Samaria” signified the spiritual church, that is the church in which charity and faith make one; but after it became perverted “Samaria” signified the church in which charity is separated from faith, and in which faith is even declared to be the essential; therefore also it then signified the church in which there is no longer any truth, because there is no good, but in place of good the evil of life, and in place of truth the falsity of doctrine. This is here signified by “Samaria is discomfited;” the falsity of its doctrine is signified by “her king is as foam upon the faces of the waters,” “king” signifying truth, and in a contrary sense, as here, falsity; “foam upon the faces of the waters” signifying what is empty and separated from truths, “waters” meaning truths; “the high places of Aven shall be destroyed” signifies the destruction of principles of falsity and of the reasonings therefrom of those who are in that worship, which viewed in itself is interiorly idolatrous; for those who are in the evil of life and the falsities of doctrine worship themselves and the world; “the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars” signifies that truth falsified and evil therefrom, shall be in all their worship, “altars” meaning all worship.
391h. sRef Amos@3 @14 S29′ [29] In Amos:
In the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will visit upon the altars of Bethel, that the horns of the altar may be hewn down and fall to the earth (Amos 3:14).
“To visit the transgressions of Israel upon him” signifies their last state, in the spiritual sense their state after death, when they are to be judged; it is said “to visit,” instead of to judge, because visitation always precedes judgment; “the altars of Bethel” signify the worship from evil; “the horns of the altar” signify worship from falsities, thus these signify all things of worship; and that these are to be destroyed is signified by “the horns shall be hewn down and fall to the earth.” It is said, “I will visit upon the altars of Bethel,” because Jeroboam separated the Israelites from the Jews, and erected two altars, one in Bethel and the other in Dan; and as “Bethel” and “Dan” signify the ultimates in the church, and the ultimates in the man of the church are called natural-sensual things, or natural-worldly and corporeal, so these are signified by “Bethel,” and “Dan,” the ultimates of good by “Bethel,” and the ultimates of truth by “Dan;” therefore these two altars signify worship in ultimates or in things most external, such as is the worship of those who separate charity from their faith, and acknowledge faith alone to be the means of salvation.
Such persons therefore, think of religion in the natural-sensual; consequently they neither understand nor desire to understand any of the things they say they believe, saying that the understanding must be under obedience to faith. Such as these were represented by the Israelites separated from the Jews, or by Samaria separated from Jerusalem, and the worship of such was represented by the altars in Bethel and Dan; such worship, insofar as it is separated from charity, is no worship, for in it the mouth speaks apart from the understanding and the will, that is, apart from the mind; apart from the understanding, because they say that men ought to believe even though they do not understand; and apart from the will because they put aside deeds or goods of charity.
[30] That such worship is no worship is signified by what is said in the first book of Kings:
When Jeroboam stood by the altar in Bethel, the man of God cried out to him that the altar should be rent, and the ashes poured out; and so it came to pass (1 Kings 12:26 at the end; 13:1-6).
“The altar should be rent and the ashes poured out” signifies that there was no worship whatever. Faith separated from charity was then signified by “Samaria,” because the Jewish kingdom signified the celestial church, that is, the church that is in the good of love, and the Israelitish kingdom signified the spiritual church which is in the truths from that good. This was signified by the Jewish and Israelitish kingdom while they were under one king, or while they were united; but when they were separated, the Israelitish kingdom signified truth separated from good, or what is the same, faith separated from charity. Moreover, worship is signified by “the altar,” because it is signified by the burnt-offerings and sacrifices that were offered upon it, in many other passages too numerous to be cited. And because idolatrous worship was signified by “the altars of the nations,” therefore it was commanded that they should be everywhere destroyed (see Deut. 7:5; 12:3; Judges 2:2; and elsewhere).
[31] This makes clear that altars were in use among all the posterity of Eber, thus among all who were called Hebrews, who for the most part were in the land of Canaan and its immediate neighborhood; likewise in Syria, from which Abraham came. That there were altars in the land of Canaan and its neighborhood is evident from the altars mentioned there as destroyed:
That there were altars in Syria is evident from the account of those built by Balaam, who was from Syria (Num. 23:1).
Also from the altar in Damascus (2 Kings 16:10-15).
Also from the Egyptian abominating the Hebrews on account of their sacrifices (Exod. 8:26);
Even so that they were unwilling to eat bread with them (Gen. 43:32).
The reason of this was that to the Ancient Church, which was a representative church and extended through a great part of the Asiatic world, sacrifices were unknown, and when they were instituted by Eber it looked upon them as abominable, that is, that they should wish to appease God by the slaughter of different animals, thus by blood. Among those who were of the Ancient Church were also the Egyptians; but as they applied representatives to magic that church became extinct among them. They were unwilling to eat bread with the Hebrews, because at that time “dinners” and “suppers” represented and thus signified spiritual consociation, which is consociation and conjunction through those things that pertain to the church; and “bread” signified in general all spiritual food and thus “dining” and “supping” all conjunction.
[32] (That the Ancient Church extended through a great part of the Asiatic world, namely through Assyria, Mesopotamia, Syria, Ethiopia, Arabia, Libya, Egypt, Philistia, even to Tyre and Zidon, through the land of Canaan, on both sides of the Jordan, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1238, 2385; that it was a representative church, n. 519, 521, 2896; respecting the church instituted by Eber, which was called the Hebrew Church, n. 1238, 1341, 1343, 4516, 4517. That sacrifices were first begun by Eber, and were afterwards in use among his posterity, n. 1128, 1343, 2180, 10042. That sacrifices were not commanded, but only permitted, shown from the Word; why they were said to have been commanded, n. 922, 2180, 2818; that it was necessary that altars and sacrifices should be mentioned, and that Divine worship should be signified by them, because the Word was written in that nation, and the historical Word treated of that nation, n. 10453, 10461, 10603-10604.)
* Photolithograph has “they shall not look;” the Hebrew has “he shall not look,” so also, AE n. 585; AC n. 2722.
** Photolithograph has “they have made,” the Hebrew “they are,” as also AC n. 921.
*** Photolithograph has “thy,” but Hebrew has “their,” as also AC n. 6804.

sRef Rev@6 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@6 @11 S0′ 392. The souls of those slain because of the Word of God, and because of the testimony that they held, signifies those who were rejected and concealed because of Divine truth and because of their confession of the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “those slain,” as being those who were rejected by the evil and concealed by the Lord (of whom presently); also from the signification of “the Word of God,” as being Divine truth. What the Lord speaks is called the Word of God, and that is Divine truth. The Word or the Sacred Scripture is nothing else; for in it all Divine truth is contained, but it is only before the angels that the truth itself in its glory is manifest in it, because to them the interior things of the Word, which are spiritual and celestial, become manifest and also constitute their wisdom. “The Word of God,” therefore, signifies in the genuine sense Divine truth, and in the highest sense the Lord Himself who spoke it, for He spoke from Himself, or from His Divine, and what proceeds from Him that also is Himself.
[2] That the Divine proceeding is the Lord may be illustrated by this: About every angel there is a sphere that is called the sphere of his life; this spreads abroad to a great distance from him. This sphere flows out or proceeds from the life of his affection or love; it is therefore an extension outside of him of such life as is in him. This extension is effected by means of the spiritual atmosphere or aura, which is the aura of heaven. By means of that sphere the quality of an angel in respect to affection is perceived at a distance by others; this has been granted me sometimes to perceive. But about the Lord there is a Divine sphere, which near Him appears as a sun, which is His Divine love, and from this that sphere proceeds into the whole heaven and fills it and constitutes the light that is there; this sphere is the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which in its essence is Divine truth. This comparison with angels is made as an illustration, to show that the Divine proceeding from the Lord is the Lord Himself, because it is a proceeding of His love, and the proceeding is Himself outside of Himself. The above is further evident from the signification of “testimony,” as being the confession of the Lord, and the Lord Himself (of which presently).
[3] That “those slain” here mean those who were rejected by evil spirits and concealed by the Lord, or removed from the eyes of others and preserved to the day of the Last Judgment, can be seen from what was said in the article above, also from what follows in the two verses in which they alone are described. In the article above it was said that “the former heaven” that passed away consisted of those who in externals lived a moral life, and yet were merely natural and not spiritual, or who lived a sort of spiritual life merely from the affection or love of fame, honor, glory, and gain, thus for the sake of appearance. Although these were inwardly evil, they, nevertheless, were tolerated, and constituted societies in the higher places in the spiritual world. These societies, taken together, were called a heaven, but “the former heaven” that afterwards passed away. From this it came to pass that all those who were spiritual, that is, who were inwardly as well as outwardly good, not being able to be with these, withdrew from them, either voluntarily or being driven away, and wherever found they were persecuted; on this account they were concealed by the Lord and preserved in their places until the day of judgment, that they might constitute “the new heaven.” These therefore are those that are meant by “the souls of those slain seen under the altar.” This makes clear that “those slain” signify those who were rejected and concealed, for they were hated by the others, because of Divine truth and because of their confession of the Lord; and those who are hated are called “those slain,” because to hate is spiritually to slay. That such are meant by “the souls of those slain,” can be seen further from what follows in the two verses where it is said of them, “And they cried out with a great voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on those that dwell on the earth? And there were given to every one of them white robes; and it was said unto them that they should rest yet a little time, until their fellow-servants, as well as their brethren, who were to be killed, as they also were, should be fulfilled.” That those above described are meant by “those slain,” no one can know but those to whom it has been revealed; for who can know, except by revelation, of whom “the former heaven” (Rev. 21:1) consisted, and of whom “the new heaven” was formed; and that those of whom the new heaven was to be formed, were in the meantime concealed and preserved by the Lord? And unless these things had been revealed to someone, all things contained in Revelation in its internal sense must have remained hidden; for in it such things as were to take place in the spiritual world before the Last Judgment, and while it was going on, and after it are chiefly treated of.
[4] That “testimony” signifies the confession of the Lord, and the Lord Himself, can be seen from the passages in the Word that follow. This signification has its origin from this, that the Word in each and every particular testifies respecting the Lord; for in its inmost sense it treats of the Lord alone, and in its internal sense of the celestial and spiritual things that proceed from the Lord, and in particular the Lord testifies respecting Himself in everyone who is in the life of love and charity; for the Lord flows into their heart and life and teaches them, especially respecting His Divine Human; for He grants to those who are in a life of love to think of God under the human form, and God under the human form is the Lord.
The simple in the Christian world so think, as also the heathen who live in charity according to their religious principle. Both these are astonished when they hear the learned speak of God as not to be perceived in any human form, for they know that thinking thus they could not see any God in thought, and therefore could have little belief in the existence of a God, since the faith which is the faith of charity wishes to comprehend in some way what is believed; for faith is of thought, and to think what is incomprehensible is not to think, but only to have knowledge and to speak from that without any idea. Angels, even the wisest, do not think of God otherwise than as in the human form; it is impossible for them to think otherwise, for the reason that their perceptions flow according to the form of heaven, which is the human form from the Lord’s Divine Human (on which see Heaven and Hell, n. 59-86); and for the reason that the affections from which are their thoughts, are from influx, and influx is from the Lord.
This has been said that it may be known why “testimony” signifies the Lord, namely, because the Lord testifies respecting Himself with all who accept His testimony, and these are such as live a life of love to the Lord, and a life of charity towards the neighbor. These receive His testimony and confess Him, because a life of love and charity opens the interior mind by the influx of light from heaven, for a life of love and charity is the Divine life itself; for the Lord loves everyone, and does good to everyone from love; consequently where that life is received the Lord is present and is conjoined to the man, and thus flows into his higher mind which is called the spiritual mind, and by light from himself opens it.
[5] That “testimony” signifies the Lord, and with man the confession of the Lord from the heart, and in particular, the acknowledgment of the Lord’s Divine in His Human, can be seen from this, that the law which was given on Mount Sinai and written upon two tables, and afterwards placed in the ark, is called the “Testimony;” whence also the ark was called “the ark of the Testimony,” and the tables also were called “the tables of Testimony;” and because this was most holy, the mercy-seat was placed upon the ark, and over the mercy-seat were sculptured two cherubim, between which Jehovah, that is, the Lord, spoke with Moses and Aaron. This makes clear that “the Testimony” signifies the Lord Himself; otherwise the mercy-seat would not have been placed upon the ark, nor would the Lord have spoken with Moses and Aaron between the cherubim which were upon the mercy-seat. Moreover, when Aaron entered within the veil, which he did once every year, he was first sanctified, and afterwards he burnt incense till the smoke of the incense covered the mercy seat; it is said that unless he did this he would have died. From this it is clearly evident that the Testimony that was in the ark, and that was the law given on Mount Sinai and inscribed on two tables of stone, signified the Lord Himself.
sRef Num@17 @4 S6′ sRef Lev@16 @13 S6′ sRef Ex@25 @16 S6′ sRef Ex@40 @20 S6′ [6] That the law is called “the Testimony” is evident in Moses:
Thou shalt put into the ark the Testimony which I shall give thee (Exod. 25:16).
He put the Testimony into the ark (Exod. 40:20).
The mercy-seat that is upon the Testimony (Lev. 16:13).
Lay up the rods of the tribes before the Testimony (Num. 17:4).
That the tables and the ark were therefore called the tables and the ark of the Testimony (Exod. 25:22; 31:7, 18; 32:15).
That the mercy-seat was placed upon it, and over the mercy-seat two sculptured cherubim (Exod. 25:17-22; 26:34).
That the Lord spoke with Moses and with Aaron between the two cherubim (Exod. 25:16, 21-22; Num. 17:4; and elsewhere).
That they sanctified themselves before they entered thither, and that the smoke of the incense covered the mercy-seat lest they should die (Lev. 16:1-34).
sRef John@1 @9 S7′ sRef John@1 @4 S7′ sRef John@1 @14 S7′ sRef John@1 @1 S7′ [7] That “the testimony” signifies the Lord is evident also from this, that what was upon the ark was called the mercy seat [propitiatorium], and the Lord is the propitiator; the ark also, from the testimony in it, was the holy of holies, both in the tabernacle and in the temple, and from this the tabernacle was holy, and also the temple. The tabernacle represented heaven, and also the temple, and heaven is heaven from the Lord’s Divine Human; from this it follows that “testimony” signifies the Lord in respect to His Divine Human. (That “the tent of meeting” represented heaven, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9457, 9481, 9485, 10545; likewise the temple, see above, n. 220; and that heaven is heaven from the Lord’s Divine Human, see Heaven and Hell, n. 59-86.) The law proclaimed from Mount Sinai is called “the Testimony” because that law, in a broad sense, signifies the whole Word, both historical and prophetical, and the Word is the Lord, according to these words in John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word; and the Word was made flesh (John 1:1, 14).
The Word is the Lord because the Word signifies Divine truth, and all Divine truth proceeds from the Lord, for it is the light in heaven, that enlightens the minds of the angels and also the minds of men, and gives them wisdom; this light in its essence is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun (of which light, see Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140); therefore it is afterwards said, “the Word was with God, and God was the Word.” It is also said in John:
In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man coming into the world (John 1:4, 9).
[8] This makes clear that the Lord is meant by “the Testimony;” for the law written on the two tables, which was called the “Testimony,” signifies the Word in the whole complex, and the Lord is the Word. (That “the law” in a broad sense signifies the Word in the whole complex, in a sense less broad the historical Word, and in a strict sense the ten commandments of the Decalogue, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6752.) This law was also called “a Covenant,” and so the tables on which it was inscribed were called “the tables of the Covenant,” and the ark was called “the ark of the Covenant” (see Exod. 34:28; Num. 14:44; Deut. 9:9, 15; Rev. 11:19; and elsewhere); and this because “Covenant” signifies conjunction, and the Word or Divine truth is what conjoins man with the Lord; from no other source is there any conjunction. (That “Covenant” signifies conjunction, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804, 8767, 8778, 9396, 10632.)
This law is called both “a Covenant” and “a Testimony,” because when called “a Covenant” it means the Word by which there is conjunction; and when called “a Testimony” it means the Lord Himself who conjoins; and on man’s part, the confession of the Lord and the acknowledgment of His Divine in His Human, which conjoin. From this it can be seen why the Word is called in the church “a Covenant,” the Word before the Lord’s coming “the Old Covenant,” and that after His coming “the New Covenant;” it is called also “the Old and the New Testament,” but it is to be called “the Testimony.”
sRef Rev@12 @17 S9′ sRef Rev@19 @10 S9′ sRef Rev@12 @11 S9′ [9] That “Testimony” signifies the Lord, and on man’s part the confession of the Lord and the acknowledgment of His Divine in His Human, is evident also from these passages in the Word. In Revelation:
They overcame the dragon by the blood of the Lamb, and by the Word of the testimony. And the dragon was angry, and went away to make war with the remnant of her seed, that keep the commandment of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 12:11, 17).
I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that hold the testimony of Jesus. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10).
“The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” signifies that the confession of the Lord and the acknowledgment of His Divine in His Human is the life of all truth, both in the Word and in doctrine from the Word.
sRef Ps@122 @5 S10′ sRef Ps@122 @3 S10′ sRef Rev@20 @4 S10′ sRef Ps@122 @4 S10′ [10] And elsewhere:
The souls of those slain with the axe for the testimony of Jesus, and for the Word of God, received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand (Rev. 20:4).
These passages will be explained in what follows. In David:
Jerusalem is builded as a city that is conjoined together; and thither the tribes go up, the tribes of Jah, a testimony to Israel, to confess to the name of Jehovah. For there are set thrones for judgment (Ps. 122:3-5).
“Jerusalem” signifies the church in relation to doctrine, which is said to be “builded” when it is established by the Lord; “as a city that is conjoined together” signifies doctrine in which all things are in order, “city” meaning doctrine; “thither the tribes go up, the tribes of Jah,” signifies that in it are all truths and goods in the complex; “a testimony to Israel, to confess to the name of Jehovah,” signifies the confession and acknowledgment of the Lord there; “for there are set thrones for judgment” signifies that Divine truth is there according to which judgment is executed. That this is what “thrones” signify, see above (n. 253).
sRef Ps@78 @5 S11′ [11] In the same:
Jehovah hath set up a testimony in Jacob, and a law in Israel (Ps. 78:5).
“Jacob” and “Israel” signify the church, “Jacob” the external church, and “Israel” the internal church; and “testimony” and “law” signify the Word, “testimony” that in the Word which teaches the goods of life, and “the law” that in it which teaches the truths of doctrine. Because those who are in the external church are in the good of life according to the truths of doctrine, and those who are in the internal church are in the truths of doctrine according to which is the life, so “testimony” is predicated of Jacob, and “the law” of Israel.
sRef Ps@132 @12 S12′ [12] In the same:
If thy sons shall keep My covenant, and the testimony that I shall teach them, their* sons shall sit upon the throne for thee forevermore (Ps. 132:12).
This is said of David, but David here means the Lord; “his sons” mean those who do the Lord’s commandments; of these it is said, “if thy sons shall have kept My covenant and My testimony,” “covenant” meaning the like as “law” above, namely, the truth of doctrine, and “testimony” the like as “testimony” above, namely, the good of life according to the truths of doctrine. Like things are signified by “covenant” and “testimonies” in David (Ps. 25:10).
sRef Ps@19 @8 S13′ sRef Ps@19 @7 S13′ sRef Ps@19 @9 S13′ sRef Ps@119 @1 S13′ sRef Ps@119 @3 S13′ sRef Ps@119 @2 S13′ sRef Ps@119 @7 S13′ sRef Ps@119 @4 S13′ sRef Ps@119 @6 S13′ sRef Ps@119 @5 S13′ [13] “Testimonies” are mentioned in many passages in the Word, together with “law,” “precepts,” “commandments,” “statutes,” and “judgments;” and “testimonies and commandments” there signify such things as teach life, “law and precepts” such as teach doctrine, “statutes and judgments” such as teach rituals, as in the following passages in David:
The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of Jehovah is sure, making wise the simple. The commandments of Jehovah are right, making glad the heart; the precept of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes; the judgments of Jehovah are truth, they are righteous altogether (Ps. 19:7-9).
In the same:
Blessed are the perfect in the way, who walk in the law of Jehovah. Blessed are they that observe His testimonies, that seek after Him with the whole heart. Thou hast enjoined Thy commandments to be strictly kept. O that my ways may be directed to keep Thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all Thy precepts. I will confess to thee in uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned the judgments of Thy righteousness (Ps. 119:1-7; in like manner in verses 12-15, 88-89, 151-156, etc.).
* Photolithograph has “thy,” but Hebrew has “their,” as also AC n. 6804.

sRef Isa@15 @5 S1′ sRef Isa@15 @4 S1′ sRef Isa@15 @8 S1′ 393. Verse 10. And they cried out with a great voice, signifies their grief of mind. This is evident from the signification of “to cry out,” as being vehement grief of mind, for this manifests itself by the sound of crying out in speech; consequently “crying out” in the Word signifies grief. Moreover, every affection, whether of grief or joy, expresses itself by sounds, and ideas of thought by the expressions in the sound. This is why sound in speech manifests both the quality and measure of the affection, and this more clearly in the spiritual world than in the natural world, for the reason that it is not permitted there to show forth any affections other than those that are the mind’s own. In the spiritual world, therefore, anyone who is wise can hear and perceive the affection of another, solely from his speech. (That with spirits and angels sounds belong to affection, and words to the ideas of the thought, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 241, and above, n. 323.) That “to cry out,” and “a crying out,” in the Word, signify grief, is evident from many passages there, of which I will cite this only from Isaiah:
Heshbon cried out, and Elealeh; their voice was heard even to Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab shall shout; his soul shall be ill within him. My heart crieth out over Moab: for a crying out closeth round about the border of Moab, the howling thereof even unto Eglaim (Isa. 15:4, 6, 8).
Because “crying out” signifies grief, it is customary to speak of “crying out unto God,” when the mind is in a state of grief (as in Isa. 19:20; 30:19; 65:19; Jer. 14:2; and elsewhere). That “crying out” in the Word is predicated of various affections, such as interior lamentation, beseeching and supplication from anguish, attestation and indignation, confession, supplication, and also exultation and other states (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2240, 2821, 2841, 4779, 5016, 5018, 5027, 5323, 5365, 5870, 6801, 6802, 6862, 7119, 7142, 7782, 8179, 8353, 9202).

sRef Matt@25 @45 S0′ sRef Matt@25 @40 S0′ 394. Saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood upon them that dwell on the earth? signifies sighings to the Lord, who is justice, respecting the judgment and removal of those who persecute and infest those who openly acknowledge the Lord and are in the life of charity. This is evident from the signification of “crying out and saying, How long, O Lord,” as being to pour out to the Lord sighs from grief, for these are the words of those that groan and sigh and supplicate for justice. Also from the signification of “holy and true,” as being the One who is Justice; for justice when predicated of the Lord, signifies that He does not tolerate such things, and this because He is holy and true. Also from the signification of “to judge and avenge our blood,” as being the judgment and removal of those who persecute and infest those who openly acknowledge the Lord and are in the life of charity. This is the signification of these words because “blood” signifies all violence offered to Divine good and Divine truth, thus to the Lord; consequently violence offered to those who are in the life of charity and faith. To offer violence to these is to offer violence to the Lord Himself, according to the words of the Lord Himself in Matthew:
Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of My least brethren, ye did it unto Me (Matt. 25:40, 45).
That this is signified by “blood” in this sense, may be seen above (n. 329). Also from the signification of “those that dwell on the earth,” as being those who were in “the former heaven” that afterwards passed away, for those dwelt in the spiritual world upon the earth, upon mountains, hills, and rocks, while those who acknowledged the Lord and were in the life of charity abode under the earth, or under heaven, and were there concealed and preserved (see above, n. 391, 392).
[2] From this the meaning of these words in their genuine sense can be seen; but no one can know that such things are meant unless it has been revealed to him. For otherwise who could know who are meant by “the souls of those slain,” and what is meant by “to avenge their blood upon those that dwell on the earth?” One who does not know from revelation who these are must conclude that the martyrs only are meant; when yet these were not the martyrs, but all such as were persecuted and infested by those who were in the former heaven that passed away; for these were such that they thrust out from themselves all who openly acknowledged the Lord and were in the life of charity, because they were interiorly evil (as has been said above, n. 391, 392).
To this I will add the following: All in the spiritual world who are interiorly evil, however moral a life in externals they may have lived in the world, are utterly unable to tolerate anyone who worships the Lord and lives the life of charity; as soon as they see such, they infest and either do them injury or treat them shamefully. I have often wondered at this, and all who do not know about it must wonder, since these same persons, when in the world, tolerated preachings respecting the Lord and also respecting charity, and themselves talked about these things doctrinally, yet when they become spirits they cannot tolerate them. The reason is that this aversion is inherent in their evil in which they are; for in their evil there is hostility, yea, hatred against the Lord, and also against those who are led by the Lord, who are those who are in the life of charity; but this hostility and this hatred lie concealed in their spirit; consequently when they become spirits they are in them; then that antipathy or antagonism inherent in evil comes forth.
[3] Take, for example, those in whom the love of ruling has predominated; it is their delight to rule over others, and if possible over all; this delight is in them after death, nor can it be removed, since every delight is of the love, and the predominant love constitutes the life of everyone, and this life remains to eternity. When these have become spirits, they strive continually, from the delight of their love, to gain dominion over others as they did in the world; and when they are unable to obtain it, they are angry against the Lord; and as they are unable to harm the Lord Himself, they are angry against those who openly acknowledge Him; for the delight of their love is contrary to the delight of heavenly love; this delight is that the Lord may rule, while the other delight is that they themselves may rule; this is why there is inherent in this delight a hatred against the Lord and against all who are led by Him, who are those who are in the life of charity. From this it can be seen why those who openly acknowledged the Lord and lived the life of charity were delivered by the Lord from the violence of such spirits, and were concealed in the lower earth, and there preserved until the judgment. But after the judgment those who had dwelt above the earth, upon the mountains, hills, and rocks there, who were, as said above, interiorly evil, were cast out; and those who had been hidden under the earth, or under heaven, were elevated and allotted an inheritance in the places from which the former were cast out. From this it can now be more fully comprehended what is meant by what is said to them in the next verse, that “they should rest yet a little time, until they should be fulfilled.”

395. Verse 11. And white robes were given to every one of them, signifies Divine truth from the Lord with them, and protection. This is evident from the signification of “a white robe” as being Divine truth from the Lord, for “robe” signifies truth in general, because it is a general covering; and “white” is predicated of truths which are from the Lord; for whiteness pertains to light, and the light proceeding from the Lord as a sun is in its essence Divine truth. That “white robes were given to everyone of them” signifies also protection, will be told further on; but let it first be told why “a white robe” signifies Divine truth from the Lord. All spirits and angels are clothed according to their intelligence, or according to their reception of truth in the life, this constituting intelligence; for the light of their intelligence is formed into garments, and when these are thus formed they do not merely appear as garments, but they also are garments. For all things that exist in the spiritual world, and appear before the eyes of those there, exist from the light and heat that proceed from the Lord as a sun; from that origin have been created and formed not only all things in the spiritual world, but also all things in the natural world; for the natural world exists and subsists by means of the spiritual world from the Lord. From this it can be seen that the appearances that exist in heaven before the angels are altogether real; in like manner also the garments. As spirits and angels are clothed according to intelligence, and all intelligence is of truth, and angelic intelligence is of Divine truth, so they are clothed according to truths; this is why “garments” signify truths; “the garments” that are next to the body, that is, the inner garments, signify interior truths; but the garments that are outside of these and encompass them, signify exterior truths; therefore “a robe,” “a mantle,” and “a cloak,” which are general coverings, signify truths in general, and “a white robe” Divine truth in general, which they have from the Lord. (But see what has been shown respecting The Garments with which Angels are Clothed, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 177-182; and what has been said above about the signification of garments, n. 64-65, 195, 271.)
[2] “There were given to those who were under the altar white robes” signifies also protection by the Lord, because “the white robes” given to them represented the presence about them of the Lord with Divine truth; and by means of Divine truth the Lord protects His own, for He surrounds them with a sphere of light, from which they have white robes; and when encompassed by this sphere they can no longer be infested by evil spirits; for, as said above, they were infested by evil spirits, and were therefore hidden by the Lord. This also takes place with those who are elevated by the Lord into heaven. They are then clothed with white garments, which is an indication that they are in Divine truth, and thus in safety. But respecting those who were clothed in white robes more will be shown in the explanation of the following chapter (Rev. 7:9, 13-17).
sRef Zech@13 @4 S3′ [3] That “robe,” “mantle,” and “cloak” signify Divine truth in general can be seen also from the following passages. In Zechariah:
The prophets shall be ashamed every man of his vision which he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a mantle of hair to dissemble (Zech. 13:4).
“Prophets” signify those who teach truths from the Word, and in an abstract sense, the truths of doctrine from the Word; and because of this signification of “prophets” they were clothed with a mantle of hair, “the mantle of hair” signifying Divine truth in ultimates, which is Divine truth in general, for the ultimate contains all things interior; “hair,” too, signifies the ultimate. This is why:
Elijah, from his mantle, was called a hairy man (2 Kings 1:7-8);
And John the Baptist, who was as Elijah by reason of a like representation, had a garment of camel’s hair (Matt. 3:4).
This makes clear the signification of “the prophets shall not wear a mantle of hair to dissemble,” namely, that they shall not declare truths to be falsities, and falsities to be truths; this is what is signified by “dissembling.”
sRef 1Ki@19 @19 S4′ sRef 2Ki@2 @11 S4′ sRef 2Ki@2 @14 S4′ sRef 2Ki@2 @8 S4′ sRef 2Ki@2 @12 S4′ sRef 2Ki@2 @13 S4′ [4] Because Elijah represented the Lord in relation to the Word, which is the doctrine of truth itself, and Elisha continued the representation, and because “mantle” signified Divine truth in general, which is the Word in ultimates, so the mantle divided the waters of Jordan, according to the following in the books of the Kings:
When Elijah found Elisha he cast his mantle upon him (1 Kings 19:19).
Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters of Jordan, and they were divided hither and thither, and they two passed over on the dry ground (2 Kings 2:8).
Elisha seeing when Elijah was carried up by a whirlwind into heaven, took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; and he took that mantle and smote the waters; and they were divided hither and thither, and he passed over (2 Kings 2:12-14).
“Elijah’s casting his mantle upon Elisha” signified the transference to Elisha of the representation of the Lord in relation to the Word; and that “the mantle fell from Elijah when he was taken away, and was taken up by Elisha,” signified that this representation was then transferred to Elisha, for Elijah and Elisha represented the Lord in relation to the Word, and they were clothed according to what they represented, “the mantle” signifying the Word in which is Divine truth in general, or Divine truth in the whole complex. “The dividing of the waters of Jordan by Elijah’s mantle,” first by Elijah and afterwards by Elisha, signified the power of Divine truth in ultimates; “the waters of Jordan” signifying, moreover, the first truths through which there is introduction into the church, and these first truths are such as are in the ultimates of the Word. From this, too, it can be seen that “a mantle” and “a robe” signify Divine truth in general. (That “Elijah” represented the Lord in relation to the Word, so, too, “Elisha,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2762, 5247. That the ultimate contains the interior things, and thus signifies all things in general, n. 634, 6239, 6465, 9215, 9216, 9828; that thus strength and power are in ultimates, n. 9836; that “Jordan” signifies the entrance into the church, and thus “the waters of Jordan” signify the first truths through which there is entrance, n. 1585, 4255; and that “waters” mean truths, see above, n. 71.) First truths are also ultimate truths, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word, for through these entrance is effected, for these are first learned, and in them are all interior things which constitute the internal sense of the Word.
sRef 1Sam@15 @27 S5′ sRef 1Sam@15 @28 S5′ [5] One who does not know what “robe” or “mantle” signifies, does not know what “cloak” signifies, for a cloak, as well as a mantle, was a general garment, encompassing the tunic or inner garment, therefore it has a like signification. Neither does he know what was signified by Saul’s rending the skirt of Samuel’s cloak; by David’s cutting off the skirt of Saul’s cloak; by Jonathan’s giving David his cloak and garments; and by kings’ daughters being arrayed in cloaks of various colors; neither does he know the meaning of many other passages in which cloaks are mentioned in the Word. Of Saul’s rending the skirt of Samuel’s cloak, we read:
Samuel turned to go away, but he laid hold upon the skirt of his cloak and it was rent. And Samuel said, Jehovah hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to thy companion, who is better than thou (1 Sam. 15:27-28).
The words of Samuel make clear that “the rending of the skirt of the cloak” signified the rending of the kingdom from Saul, for he said after it was done, “Jehovah hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day,” “a king” and “his kingdom” signifying the Divine truth of the church, and “the skirt of a cloak” signifying Divine truth in ultimates, that is, all Divine truth in general; for the kings that were over the sons of Israel represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and their kingdom signified the church in relation to Divine truth; therefore this historical fact signifies that king Saul was such that he could no longer represent the Lord, and that the representation of the church would perish if the kingdom were not rent from him. (That “kings” represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and thus “a kingdom” signified the church in relation to Divine truth, see above, n. 29, 31.)
sRef 1Sam@24 @4 S6′ sRef 1Sam@24 @3 S6′ sRef 1Sam@24 @5 S6′ sRef 1Sam@24 @11 S6′ sRef 1Sam@24 @20 S6′ [6] The same is signified by David’s cutting off the skirt of Saul’s cloak, of which we read:
David entered into the cave where Saul was, and cut off the skirt of his cloak, and when he afterwards showed it to Saul, Saul said, Now I know that thou shalt reign, and the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thy hand (1 Sam. 24:3-5, 11, 20).
This was done by David of Divine Providence, that the like might be represented as above, “the skirt of the cloak,” and “King Saul and his kingdom,” having the like meaning as above.
sRef 1Sam@18 @3 S7′ sRef 1Sam@18 @4 S7′ [7] That Jonathan the son of Saul stripped himself of his cloak and his garments, and gave them to David, of which we read as follows, has a like signification:
Jonathan stripped off the cloak that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, and even his sword and his bow and even to his girdle (1 Sam. 18:4).
This signified that Jonathan, the heir of the kingdom, transferred all his right to David; for all the things that Jonathan gave to David were representative of the kingdom, that is, of the Divine truth of the church, which Saul represented; for as was said above, all the kings who were over the sons of Israel represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and their kingdom represented the church in relation to Divine truth.
sRef 2Sam@13 @18 S8′ [8] Because “cloaks” and “robes” signify Divine truth in general:
The king’s daughters that were virgins were clad in robes of diverse colors (2 Sam. 13:18).
“The king’s daughters that were virgins” signified the affections of truth, and thus the church, as can be seen from a thousand passages in the Word in which “the king’s daughter,” “the daughter of Zion,” “the daughter of Jerusalem,” also “the virgin of Zion,” and “the virgin of Jerusalem” are mentioned; therefore “the king’s daughters” represented also the truths of that affection by their garments, and in general by their robes, which, were therefore, variegated with diverse colors. So also truths from good, or truths from affection, are represented by the garments of the virgins in heaven; which truths are more fully described by:
The garments of the king’s daughter (Ps. 45:9-10, 13-14).
sRef Job@2 @12 S9′ sRef Job@1 @20 S9′ sRef Job@1 @21 S9′ sRef Ezek@26 @16 S9′ [9] As mourning in the Ancient Churches signified spiritual mourning, which is from the deprivation of truth, they represented this in their mourning, then by rending their mantles or cloaks, as is evident in Job:
When Job had lost all things, then he arose, rent his mantle, and said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return (Job 1:20-21).
Job’s three friends, when they saw him, wept and rent their cloaks (Job 2:12).
(That “rending the garments” was a representative of mourning because of truth injured or destroyed, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4763.) And again in Ezekiel:
All the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and shall put away their cloaks and strip off their broidered garments; they shall be clothed with terrors; they shall sit upon the earth (Ezek. 26:16).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, here the church where these are destroyed. That there are no longer any truths through which there can be a church, is signified by “all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones;” “the princes of the sea” meaning true primary knowledges [scientifica]; “to come down from thrones” signifying that these have been destroyed, and consequently that there is no intelligence. The like is signified by “they shall cast away their cloaks and strip off their broidered garments,” “cloaks” meaning truths in general, and “broidered garments” the knowledges of truth; the consequent damnation is signified by “they shall be clothed with terrors; they shall sit upon the earth.”
sRef Micah@2 @8 S10′ [10] In Micah:
My people have set up an enemy for themselves for the sake of a garment; ye strip off the mantle from them that pass by securely, returning from war (Micah 2:8).
These words do not mean that “the sons of Israel have set up an enemy for the sake of a garment, and have stripped off the mantle from those that pass by securely;” but they mean that they held as enemies those who spoke truths, and deprived of all truth those who had lived well and had shaken off falsities, “garment” meaning truth, “mantle” all truth because it means truth in general; “to pass by securely” means to live well; “men returning from war” mean those who have shaken off falsities, “war” meaning the combat of truth against falsity. Who cannot see that this is the spiritual meaning of the Word; and not that the people of Israel held some one as an enemy for the sake of a garment, or stripped off the mantle from those who passed by?
sRef Matt@23 @5 S11′ [11] In Matthew:
The scribes and Pharisees do all their works that they may be seen of men, and make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their robes (Matt. 23:5).
This the scribes and Pharisees did, but it also represented and signified that they talked about, and applied to life and to their traditions many things from the ultimates of the Word, in order that they might appear holy and learned. “Their phylacteries which they make broad,” signify goods in outward form, for “phylacteries” were worn upon the hands, and “hands” signify deeds, because these are done by the hands; “the borders of their robes which they enlarge,” signify external truths; external truths are those that are in the ultimate sense of the letter; “robes” mean truths in general, and “borders” their ultimates. (That “borders of robes” signify such truths, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9917.)
sRef Isa@61 @10 S12′ [12] In Isaiah:
I will rejoice in Jehovah, my soul shall exult in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation; He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness (Isa. 61:10).
“To rejoice in Jehovah” signifies to rejoice in Divine good; “to exult in God” signifies to exult in Divine truth; for the Lord is called “Jehovah” from Divine good, and “God” from Divine truth, and from these is all spiritual joy. “To clothe with the garments of salvation” signifies to instruct and to gift with truths; and “to cover with the robe of righteousness” signifies to fill with every truth from good, “robe” meaning all truth, because it means truth in general, and “righteousness” is predicated of good.
sRef Isa@59 @17 S13′ [13] In the same:
He put on the garments of vengeance, and covered Himself with zeal as with a robe (Isa. 59:17).
This is said of the Lord and of His combat with the hells; for when He was in the world He reduced all things in the hells and in the heavens to order, and this by Divine truth from Divine love. “Garments of vengeance” signify the truths by which, and “zeal as a robe” the Divine love from which this was done; “robe” is mentioned to signify that it was done through Divine truths from Divine love. (But what “the robe of the ephod” signifies, in which Aaron was arrayed, and upon the borders of which were pomegranates and bells, of which in Exodus 28:31-35 and Leviticus 8:7, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9910-9928).

396. And it was said unto them that they should rest yet a little time, signifies some further continuance in that state, as is evident without further explanation; it means in that state, because time signifies state. (That time signifies the state of life, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 162-169.)

397. Until their fellow-servants as well as their brethren, who were to be killed, as they also were, should be fulfilled, signifies until evils were consummated. This is evident from the signification of “until they should be fulfilled,” as being until they were consummated; also from the signification of “their fellow-servants as well as their brethren, who were to be killed, as they also were,” as being evils, for to kill these denotes evil, “fellow-servants” meaning those who are in truths, and “brethren” those who are in goods, and “fellow-servants” and “brethren” together those who are in truths from good; for in the internal sense the two are conjoined into one.
“Consummation” is mentioned in some passages in the Word, likewise “when evils are consummated,” but scarcely anyone at this day knows what this signifies. In three articles above (n. 391, 392, 394) it is said that the former heaven consisted of such as had led a moral life in externals, and yet were internally evil, and that these dwelt in high places in the spiritual world, and therefore thought themselves to be in heaven.
These, because they were interiorly evil, would not tolerate among them those that were interiorly good, and this because their affections and thoughts were discordant, for all consociations in the spiritual world are effected according to agreement of affections and thence of thoughts; for angels and spirits are nothing but affections and thoughts therefrom in a human form; and as those who then were in the high places could not endure the presence of those who were interiorly good, they cast them out from among them, and wherever they saw them, treated them wrongfully and shamefully, consequently the good were delivered by the Lord from this violence and concealed under heaven and preserved; and this was taking place from the time when the Lord was in the world even until this time when the judgment was accomplished; then those who were on high places were cast down, and those who were under heaven were elevated. The evil were tolerated so long on the high places, and the good were detained so long under heaven, in order that both “might be fulfilled,” which means that there might be a sufficient number of the good to form a new heaven, and also that the evil might sink down of themselves into hell; for the Lord casts no one down into hell, but the evil itself which is with evil spirits casts them down (as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 545-550). This takes place when evils are consummated, that is, fulfilled.
sRef Matt@13 @30 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @28 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @37 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @38 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @29 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @40 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @41 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @39 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @27 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @42 S2′ [2] This also is what is meant by the Lord’s words in Matthew:
The servants of the householder coming, said, Didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? whence then are the tares? And they said, Wilt thou therefore that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay, lest in gathering the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them into bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into the barn. So shall it be in the consummation of the age (Matt. 13:27-30, 37-42).
“The consummation of the age” is the last time when judgment takes place; “the time of harvest” is when all things are consummated, that is, are fulfilled; “the tares” mean evils or those in whom evils are, and “the wheat” means goods or those in whom goods are. (But of these see further in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 65-72.) From all this it can in some measure be known why it was said to them “that they should rest yet a little time, until their fellow-servants, as well as their brethren, who were to be killed, as they also were, should be fulfilled;” “to be killed” has here the like signification as “to be slain” above (n. 392), namely, to be rejected by the evil because of Divine truth, and because of their confession of the Lord.
sRef Isa@10 @23 S3′ sRef Zeph@1 @18 S3′ sRef Isa@28 @22 S3′ sRef Dan@9 @27 S3′ sRef Isa@10 @22 S3′ sRef Gen@15 @16 S3′ sRef Gen@18 @21 S3′ [3] When this is known it can be known what is signified by “consummation” and by “iniquity consummated” in the following passages. In Moses:
Jehovah said, I will go down and see whether they have made a consummation, according to the cry that is come unto Me (Gen. 18:20-21).
This is said of Sodom. In the same:
For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet consummated [fulfilled] (Gen. 15:16).
In Isaiah:
A consummation and decision I have heard from the Lord Jehovih of Hosts upon the whole earth (Isa. 28:22).
In the same:
A consummation is determined, righteousness has overflowed. For the Lord Jehovih of Hosts is making a consummation and a decision in the whole earth (Isa. 10:22-23).
In Zephaniah:
In the fire of the zeal of Jehovah of Hosts the whole land shall be devoured; for He shall make a consummation, even a speedy one, with all the inhabitants of the land (Zeph. 1:18).
In Daniel:
At last upon the bird of abominations shall be desolation, and even to the consummation and decision it shall drop upon the devastation (Dan. 9:27);
and elsewhere. “Consummation” and “decision” in these passages signify the last state of the church, a state in which there is no longer any truth because there is no good, or in which there is no longer any faith because there is no charity; and when this is the state of the church, then comes the Last Judgment. The Last Judgment then comes, for the further reason that the human race is the basis or foundation of the angelic heaven, for the conjunction of the angelic heaven with the human race is perpetual, the one subsisting by means of the other; when therefore the basis does not correspond the angelic heaven totters; consequently there must then be a judgment upon those who are in the spiritual world, that all things in the heavens as well as in the hells, may be reduced to order. (That the human race is the basis and foundation of the angelic heaven, and that the conjunction is perpetual, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 291-310.) From this it can be known that “consummation” means the last state of the church, when there is no longer any faith because there is no charity. This state of the church is also called in the Word “vastation” and “desolation,” and by the Lord “the consummation of the age” (Matt. 13:39, 40, 49; 24:3; 28:20).

sRef Rev@6 @12 S0′ sRef Rev@6 @13 S0′ sRef Rev@6 @14 S0′ 398. Verses 12-14. And I saw when he had opened the sixth seal, and behold there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood. And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig-tree casteth her unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 12. “And I saw when he had opened the sixth seal,” signifies still further prediction respecting the state of the church (n. 399); “and behold there was a great earthquake” signifies the state of the church entirely changed (n. 400); “and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood,” signifies that all the good of love was separated, and thence all truth of faith falsified (n. 401). 13. “And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth,” signifies that the knowledges of good and truth perished (n. 402); “as a fig-tree casteth her unripe figs when shaken by a great wind,” signifies which knowledges the natural man has laid waste by reasonings (n. 403). 14. “And the heaven departed as a book rolled up,” signifies that the spiritual man became closed up (n. 404); “and every mountain and island were moved out of their places,” signifies that every good of love and every truth of faith perished (n. 405, 406).

sRef Rev@6 @12 S0′ 399. Verse 12. And I saw when he had opened the sixth seal, signifies still further prediction respecting the state of the church, as is evident from the signification of “opening the seals” of the book which was in the Lord’s hand, as being to reveal things hidden, and to predict things future (of which above, n. 352, 361, 369, 378, 390).

sRef Rev@6 @12 S0′ 400. And behold there was a great earthquake, signifies the state of the church entirely changed. This is evident from the signification of “earthquake,” as being a change of state of the church, “earth” meaning the church, and its “quaking” a change of state. (That “the earth” means the church, see above, n. 304; and that its “quaking” means a change of state, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1273-1275, 1377, 3356.) That this prediction, which is signified by “the sixth seal was opened,” involves a total change in the state of the church, is evident from what has been said before, and from what follows in this chapter. In what precedes it was predicted that the understanding of the Word in relation to good, and afterwards in relation to truth, would perish, and that at length there would be no understanding of the Word in consequence of the evils of life and the falsities of doctrine from them. The destruction of the understanding of the Word in relation to good was signified by “the red horse” that was seen to go forth from the opened seal of the book (of which above, n. 364); the destruction of the understanding of the Word in relation to truth was signified by “the black horse” that was seen (of which above, n. 372); and that in consequence of the evils of life and the falsities of doctrine there was no understanding of the Word was signified by “the pale horse” (of which above, n. 381); from this it follows that the state of the church was altogether changed. This is evident from what precedes; also from what follows, since it is said that “the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth,” with many other things, which signify that there was no longer any good of love nor any truth of faith, nor any knowledges of good and truth; which makes clear that “a great earthquake” here signifies a total change in the state of the church.
sRef Rev@6 @14 S2′ [2] It is evident, moreover, from many passages in the Word, that “an earthquake” signifies a change in the state of the church; and some of these shall be cited in what follows. This signification of “earthquake” is from appearances in the spiritual world. In that world, as well as in the natural world, there are lands, valleys, hills, mountains, and on them societies of spirits and angels dwell. Before the new heaven was formed upon these places, they were seen to undergo remarkable changes; some appeared to sink down, some to be agitated and shaken, and some appeared to be rolled up, as the scroll of a book is rolled up, and to be borne away, and some appeared to shake and tremble as by a great earthquake. Such things were often seen by me before the new heaven was formed, and were always signs of a change there in the state of the church. When there was a quaking and trembling as from an earthquake it was a sign that the state of the church was changed in that place, and the amount of change was made evident from the extent and character of the earth’s motion; and when the state of the church with them was completely changed from good into evil and from truth into falsity, the earth there appeared to be rolled up like the scroll of a book and to be taken away; this is what is meant by the words in verse 14 of this chapter, namely, “and the heaven departed as a book rolled up.” Like things also appeared to John, for when he saw these things he was in the spirit, as he himself says (1:10; 4:2); and he who sees in the spirit sees the things that exist and appear in the spiritual world. This now makes clear that “an earthquake” signifies a change of state of the church, that is, from good into evil, and from truth into falsity.
sRef Joel@2 @10 S3′ [3] That “earthquakes” and “tremblings of the earth” have no other meaning in the Word can be seen from the following passages. In Joel:
The earth trembled before Him, the heavens quaked, the sun and the moon were blackened, and the stars withdrew their brightness (Joel 2:10).
“Earth and heavens” here, as often elsewhere, signify the church; “earth” the external church, and “heavens” the internal church. The external church means the worship from good and truth in the natural man; and the internal church, the good of love and the faith, which is in the spiritual man, from which is worship; for as there is an internal and an external man, or a spiritual and a natural man, so is it with the church, since the church is in man, and is made up of men in whom the church is. A change and perversion of the church is signified by “the earth trembled, and the heavens quaked;” “the sun and the moon were blackened” signifies that there is no good of love or truth of faith, and “the stars withdrew their brightness” signifies that there were no longer any knowledges of truth and good.
sRef Isa@13 @12 S4′ sRef Isa@13 @13 S4′ [4] In Isaiah:
I will make a man [virum hominem] more rare than fine gold; therefore I will make heaven to tremble, and the earth shall quake out of its place, in the fury of Jehovah of Hosts, and in the day of the fury of His anger (Isa. 13:12-13).
“Man” [virum hominem] means intelligence, and “to make him more rare than fine gold” means that there is scarcely any intelligence left, intelligence meaning intelligence from truths, for all intelligence is from truths; “therefore I will make heaven to tremble, and the earth shall quake out of its place,” signifies that the good of love and the truth of faith and worship therefrom in externals are dispersed, “heaven and earth” signifying here, as above, the internal and the external of the church; the internal of the church is the good of love and the good of faith, and its external is worship therefrom; for such as the internal of the man of the church is such is his external, since the external proceeds solely from the internal. Apart from the internal, external worship is inanimate, the voice is without spirit, and the thought from which is the voice, and the will from which is gesture, are without life, for there is nothing spiritual therein from which there is life. What is signified by “the fury of Jehovah, and the glowing of His anger,” will be told in the explanation of verse 17, below.
sRef Isa@24 @20 S5′ sRef Isa@24 @19 S5′ sRef Isa@24 @18 S5′ [5] In the same:
The flood-gates from on high were opened, and the foundations of the earth quaked, in breaking the earth was broken, in shaking the earth was shaken, in staggering the earth staggers as a drunkard, it sways like a hut; and its transgression is heavy upon it; and it shall fall and shall not rise again (Isa. 24:18-20).
This is most evidently said of the church, not of the earth; for who can think that the foundations of the earth have quaked, that the earth has been shaken, that it staggers like a drunkard, that it sways like a hut? But anyone can understand these words when, instead of the earth, the church is thought of. These words evidently signify a change and perversion of the church, for it is said “its transgression is heavy upon it, and it shall fall and shall not rise again;” “the flood-gates that were opened from on high,” also mean an inundation of evil and of falsity.
sRef Ps@18 @6 S6′ sRef Ps@18 @7 S6′ [6] In David:
The earth tottered and quaked; the foundations of the mountains trembled, because He was wroth (Ps. 18:7).
This does not mean that it was the earth and its foundations that tottered and quaked, but the church and the truths upon which it was founded; for “earth” signifies the church, and the “foundations of the mountains” signify the truths on which the church is founded, which are truths from good; “because He was wroth” has the like signification as “the wrath of Jehovah,” in the Word. Its being said that “the earth tottered and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled,” is from appearances in the spiritual world, where such things occur when the state of the church is changed with those who dwell there. Moreover, those who are in truths there dwell at the foot of mountains, for all the dwelling places of the angels are so arranged that those who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell upon mountains, and those who are in truths from that good dwell lower down. When the state of these in respect to truths is changed, their habitations, and thus the foundations of the mountains, tremble. That there are such things in the spiritual world, and that they exist from changes of the state of the church there, no one except he to whom it is revealed can know.
sRef Nahum@1 @6 S7′ sRef Nahum@1 @5 S7′ [7] In Nahum:
The mountains quake before Jehovah, and the hills dissolve, and the earth is burned up before Him, and the world and all that dwelt therein. His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are torn down before Him (Nahum 1:5-6).
“Mountains” signify the church in which there is love to the Lord, and “hills” the church in which there is love towards the neighbor; so, too, “mountains” signify love to the Lord, and “hills” love towards the neighbor, for the reason that angels who are in love to the Lord dwell upon mountains, and those who are in love toward the neighbor dwell upon hills. When in place of love to the Lord love of self reigns, and in place of love towards the neighbor love of the world reigns, then the mountains are said “to quake,” and the hills “to dissolve;” for this occurs in the spiritual world, not with the angels, who are in heaven, but with those spirits that made for themselves a semblance of heaven upon the mountains and hills before the Last Judgment. Because the love of self and the world is meant, it is said that “they dissolve,” and that “the earth is burned up before Him, the world and all that dwell therein,” also that “His wrath is poured out like fire,” for “fire” signifies such loves, and “to dissolve” and “to be burned” signify to perish by them; “the rocks that are torn down,” signify the truths of faith, because those who are in faith, and do good from obedience, although not from charity, dwell in the spiritual world upon rocks.
sRef Job@9 @6 S8′ sRef Jer@10 @10 S8′ [8] In Job:
Jehovah who maketh the earth to tremble out of its place, so that the pillars thereof shake (Job 9:6).
And in Jeremiah:
Jehovah is God in truth, He is the living God, and King of an age; by His rage the earth quaketh, and the nations are not able to abide His indignation (Jer. 10:10).
Here, too, “the earth” signifies the church, but the church in which are falsities, which is said “to quake” when falsities are believed and are called truths. “Nations” signify the evils of falsity; the casting down into hell and destruction of these evils is signified by “the nations are not able to abide His indignation.” Because “the earth” here signifies the church in which are falsities, it is said “God in truth, He is the living God, and the King of an age;” for Jehovah is called “God” and “King” from Divine truth, “a living God” from Divine truth in the heavens, and “King of an age,” from Divine truth on the earth; and as good is also treated of in the Word wherever truth is treated of, because of the heavenly marriage in the particulars of the Word, and so on the other hand, where falsity is treated of, evil is also treated of, mention is made also of “the nations,” by which the evils of falsity are signified. What the evils of falsity that flow from the falsities of doctrine are, may be illustrated as follows: where the doctrine prevails that faith alone and not the good of life saves, also that to one who has faith nothing of evil is imputed, and that a man may be saved by faith alone, even at the end of his life, provided he then believes that the Lord has delivered all from the yoke of the law by His fulfillment of it, and has made atonement by His blood, in that case the evils that a man does in consequence of such a faith are the evils of falsity.
sRef Ezek@38 @19 S9′ sRef Ezek@38 @18 S9′ sRef Ezek@38 @20 S9′ [9] In Ezekiel:
In the day in which Gog shall come upon the ground of Israel, in My anger wrath shall go up, and in My zeal and in the fire of My indignation I will speak: Surely there shall be in this day a great earthquake upon the ground of Israel, that the fishes of the sea, and the fowl of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the ground, and every man who is upon the faces of the ground may quake before Me; and the mountains shall be thrown down and the steps shall fall, and every wall shall fall down to the earth (Ezek. 38:18-20).
“Gog” signifies external worship without internal; “the ground of Israel” signifies the church; this makes clear what is signified by “in that day Gog shall come upon the ground of Israel;” that “then there shall be a great earthquake,” signifies a change of the church, and its overthrow; for external worship derives its all from internal worship, so that the external is just such as the internal is, consequently where there is no internal worship the external worship is not worship but mere gesture and speech; the thought that is present at the time is solely from the natural memory, and the affection is from the body, such as arises from habit before men; “the fishes of the sea, the fowl of the heavens, the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, shall quake” signifies all things of man; for “fishes of the sea” signify natural things in general, and in particular, knowledges there, “the fowl of the heavens” signify in general intellectual things, in particular, thoughts from truths, but here from falsities, “the wild beast of the field” signifies affection and lust for falsity and evil, and the creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” signifies the sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural, with its delights and knowledges; and as these signify all things of man it is said, “and every man who is upon the faces of the ground,” “every man” in the spiritual sense meaning everything of man in respect to intelligence and wisdom; “the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steps shall fall, and every wall shall fall down to the earth” signifies that every good of love and every truth of that good shall perish, and thus every evil and falsity will break in unresisted; “mountains” signifying the goods of love, “steps” the truths therefrom, and “wall” defense; and where there is no defense there every evil and falsity breaks in unresisted. Who does not see that this does not mean that fishes of the sea, the fowl of the heavens, the wild beast of the field, and the creeping thing of the ground are to quake before Jehovah?
sRef Jer@49 @21 S10′ [10] In Jeremiah:
At the sound of the fall of Edom and of the inhabitants of Teman the earth quaked, there is a cry, and the sound of it was heard in the sea of Suph (Jer. 49:21).
Here “Edom and the inhabitants of Teman” are not meant, but the evils and falsities that are opposed to the goods and truths of the celestial kingdom; therefore “at the sound of the fall of Edom and of the inhabitants of Teman the earth quaked” signifies that the church was changed and perished by those evils and falsities; “a cry, and the sound of it was heard in the sea of Suph” signifies their damnation; “the sea of Suph” meaning damnation; “cry” is predicated of the damnation of evil, and “sound” of the damnation of falsity. (That “the sea of Suph” signifies damnation and hell, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8099.)
sRef Ps@60 @1 S11′ sRef Ps@60 @2 S11′ [11] In David:
O God, Thou hast cast us off, Thou hast made a breach in us, Thou hast been angry; restore rest to us. Thou hast made the earth to quake; Thou hast broken it up; heal the breaches thereof, for it is moved (Ps. 60:1, 2).
“Breach” signifies a falling away of the church and the consequent perversion of truth and breaking in of falsity; this therefore is signified by “Thou hast made the earth to quake, Thou hast broken it up,” also by “the earth is moved,” “earth” meaning the church.
sRef Hag@2 @9 S12′ sRef Hag@2 @7 S12′ sRef Hag@2 @6 S12′ [12] In Haggai:
Yet once, it is for a little while, when I make the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land to quake, and then I will make all nations to quake that the choice of all nations may come; and I will fill this house with glory (Hag. 2:6-7).
This is said of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, and the “new temple” there signifies a new church that is to be established by the Lord. This is meant by “Yet once, it is for a little while,” and by “then I will make all nations quake that the choice of all nations may come; and I will fill this house with glory,” “nations” and “the choice of nations” signifying all who are in good (see above, n. 175, 331), “house” signifying the church, and “glory” Divine truth. This new church is further described by “the temple” in that chapter thus:
The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former, for in this place I will give peace (Hag. 2:9).
The judgment in the spiritual world that will precede is described by “I make the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land to quake” “the heavens and the earth” meaning all interior things of the church, and “sea and dry land” all the exterior things of it.
sRef Matt@24 @7 S13′ [13] In the Gospels:
Nation shall be stirred up against nation, kingdom against kingdom; for there shall be pestilences, famines, and earthquakes, in divers places (Matt. 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11).
“Nation shall be stirred up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,” signifies that evil is to fight with evil, and falsity with falsity, “nation” signifying the good of the church, and in a contrary sense its evil, and “kingdom” signifying the truth of the church, and in a contrary sense its falsity; “there shall be pestilences, famines, and earthquakes in divers places,” signifies that there will no longer be any goods and truths, and knowledges of good and truth, and thus that the state of the church is changed, which is meant by “an earthquake.” In these chapters of the Gospels the successive states of the church even to its consummation are foretold, but these are described by pure correspondences. (These are explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3751-3757, 3897-3901, 4056-4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335, 4422-4434.)
sRef Matt@27 @54 S14′ sRef Matt@28 @1 S14′ sRef Matt@28 @2 S14′ sRef Matt@27 @51 S14′ sRef Matt@27 @66 S14′ [14] It is recorded also in the Word that there was an earthquake when the Lord suffered upon the cross, and also when the angel descended and rolled away the stone from the mouth of the sepulcher; and each of these earthquakes signified a change in the state of the church. Of the earthquake that occurred when the Lord suffered it is thus written:
The veil in the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks were rent. The centurion and they that were with him guarding Jesus, seeing the earthquake and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God (Matt. 27:51, 54).
And of the earthquake that occurred when the angel descended and rolled away the stone from the mouth of the sepulcher it is said:
When Mary Magdalene came and the other Mary to see the sepulcher, and behold, there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and coming, rolled away the stone from the mouth, and sat upon it (Matt. 28:1-2).
These earthquakes occurred to indicate that the state of the church was then changed; for the Lord by His last temptation, which He endured in Gethsemane and upon the cross, conquered the hells, and put in order all things there and in the heavens, and also glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine; for this reason “there was an earthquake, and the rocks were rent.” “The veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom” signified that His Human was made Divine; for within the veil was the ark in which was the Testimony, and “the Testimony” signified the Lord in respect to His Divine Human (see above, n. 392). “The veil” signified the external of the church which was with the Jews and Israelites, and that covered their eyes that they might not see the Lord and Divine truth, or the Word in its own light. The “great earthquake” that occurred when the angel descended from heaven and rolled away the stone from the mouth of the sepulcher, has a like signification, namely, that the state of the church was altogether changed; for the Lord then rose again, and in respect to His Human assumed all dominion over heaven and earth, as He Himself says in Matthew (28:18). “The angel rolled away the stone from the mouth and sat upon it” signifies that the Lord removed all the falsity that had shut off access to Him, and that He opened Divine truth, “the stone” signifying the Divine truth which the Jews had falsified by their tradition; for it is said that:
The chief priests and Pharisees sealed the stone with a guard; but that an angel from heaven removed it and sat upon it (Matt. 27:66; 28:2).
The things that have been said respecting these earthquakes, and the veil of the temple, and the stone before the mouth of sepulcher, are but a few, but the things signified by them are many, for each and everything that is written in the Gospels respecting the Lord’s Passion involves arcana and is significative. The earthquakes mentioned elsewhere in Revelation also signify changes of the state of the church (as chap. 11:13; 16:17-19).

sRef Rev@6 @12 S0′ 401. And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, signifies that all the good of love was separated, and thence all the truth of faith falsified. This is evident from the signification of “sun” as being in the highest sense the Lord in respect to Divine love, and thence with man the good of love to the Lord from the Lord (of which presently); also from the signification of “black as sackcloth of hair,” as being separated; “black” is predicated of thick darkness, thus of what does not appear from any light. It is said “as sackcloth of hair,” because it means the sensual of man, which is the lowest of the natural, and is thus round about the interiors, in which it induces thick darkness. Man has two minds, a spiritual and a natural; the spiritual mind thinks and perceives from the light of heaven, but the natural mind thinks and perceives from the light of the world; from the latter, man has a light that is called natural light [lumen]. This natural mind is what is called the natural man, but the spiritual mind is what is called the spiritual man. As the natural mind is below or outside of the spiritual mind it is also round about it, for it enwraps it on every side; therefore it is called “sackcloth of hair” or “hairy;” for when the spiritual mind, which is the higher and interior mind, is closed, then the natural mind, which is the lower and exterior, is in thick darkness in respect to all things of heaven and the church; for all the light that the natural mind has, and that constitutes its intelligence, is from the light of his spiritual mind, and this light is the light of heaven. The sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural, is also in the light of heaven like something hairy; from this it is that “hair” signifies the ultimate of the natural man, which is the sensual (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3301, 5247, 5569-5573). These things have been said that it may be known why it is that “the sun became black as sackcloth of hair.”
[2] The above is evident also from the signification of the “moon” as being spiritual truth, which is called the truth of faith (of which presently); also from the signification of “became as blood,” as being that truth was falsified; for “blood” in the genuine sense signifies Divine truth, and in the contrary sense, violence offered to Divine truth, thus Divine truth falsified (that this is the signification of “blood” in the Word, see above, n. 329); this makes clear what “the moon became as blood” signifies. “The sun” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine love, and thus with man the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, and “the moon” signifies spiritual truth, because the Lord in the heaven of celestial angels appears as a sun, and in the heaven of spiritual angels as a moon. His appearing as a sun is from His Divine love, for Divine love appears as a fire, from which angels in the heavens have their heat; consequently celestial and spiritual “fire” means in the Word, love. The Lord’s appearing as a moon is from the light that is from that sun, for the moon derives her light [lumen] from that sun, and light in heaven is Divine truth, consequently “light” in the Word signifies Divine truth. (But of the Sun and the Moon in the Heavens, and the Heat and Light Therefrom, see what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-140.)
sRef Rev@1 @16 S3′ sRef Matt@17 @1 S3′ sRef Matt@17 @2 S3′ [3] That in the Word “sun” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine love, and with man the good of love to the Lord, and the “moon” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth spiritual, is evident from the following passages. In Matthew:
When Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became as light (Matt. 17:1-2).
Because the Lord was then seen in His Divine, He appeared in respect to His face “as the sun,” and in respect to His garments “as the light,” because the face corresponds to love, and “garments” correspond to truths; and “His face did shine as the sun” because Divine love was in Him, and “His garments became as light” because Divine truth was from Him; for the light in Heaven is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun. (That “the face” in reference to the Lord means love and every good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5585, 9306, 9546, 9888; and that “garments” in reference to the Lord signify Divine truth, see above, n. 64, 195.) In like manner the Lord appears in heaven before the angels when He presents Himself before them, but He then appears out of the sun. He was therefore seen in like manner by John when he was in the spirit, as appears in Revelation, where it is said that:
The face of the Son of man was seen as the sun shineth in his power (Rev. 1:16).
It was evidently the Lord who was seen (see above, n. 63).
sRef Rev@10 @1 S4′ [4] Likewise when the Lord was seen by John as an angel, respecting which we read:
And I saw a strong angel coming down out of heaven, encompassed with a cloud, and a rainbow about his head, and his face was as the sun (Rev. 10:1);
for “angels” in the Word in its spiritual sense do not mean angels, but something Divine from the Lord, since the Divine that appears from them is not theirs, but the Lord’s with them. So, too, the Divine truth they speak, which is full of wisdom, they do not speak from themselves, but from the Lord, for they have been men, and men have all wisdom and intelligence from the Lord. This makes clear that in the Word “angel” means the Lord, who also then appeared as a sun. (That in the Word, “angel” means something Divine from the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1925, 2821, 3039, 4085, 6280, 8192; that this is why in the Word angels are called gods, n. 4295, 4402, 7268, 7873, 8301, 8192.)
sRef Rev@12 @1 S5′ [5] So, too, when the church was represented as a woman, the sun also then appeared around her; which is thus described in Revelation:
A great sign was seen in heaven; a woman encompassed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars (Rev. 12:1).
That “the woman” here signifies the church will be seen in the explanation that will be given in what follows. (That “woman” signifies the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 252, 253, 749, 770.) And because the church is from the Lord she was seen encompassed with the sun. What is signified by “the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars,” will also be shown in that explanation.
sRef 2Sam@23 @4 S6′ sRef 2Sam@23 @3 S6′ [6] It is therefore said by David:
The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me, As the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, a morning without clouds, from the brightness after rain (2 Sam. 23:3-4).
“The God of Israel” and “Rock of Israel” here mean the Lord in relation to the church, and in relation to Divine truth therein, “the God of Israel” in relation to the church, and “Rock of Israel” in relation to Divine truth therein; and as the Lord is the sun of the angelic heaven, and the Divine truth proceeding from Him is the light of that heaven, therefore it is said of the Divine which He spoke, which is Divine truth, that it is “as the light of the morning when the sun riseth;” because this is pure, and proceeds from His Divine love, it is added, “a morning without clouds, from brightness after rain,” for the brightness of the light, or of Divine truth proceeding from Him, is from Divine love; “after rain” signifies after communication and reception, for its brightness is then with angels and men to whom it is communicated and by whom it is received. (That “the Rock of Israel,” and “the Stone of Israel,” mean the Lord in relation to Divine truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6426, 8581, 10580; and that “light” is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun, thus out of His Divine love, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140.)
sRef Matt@13 @43 S7′ sRef Judg@5 @31 S7′ [7] In like manner it is said of those who love Jehovah, in the book of Judges:
Let them that love Him be as the going forth of the sun in his might (Judg. 5:31).
That in the Word “Jehovah” means the Lord in relation to the Divine good of the Divine love may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 1736, 2921, 3035, 5041, 6303, 6281, 8864, 9315, 9373, 10146). Of those who love Him it is said, “as the going forth of the sun in his might,” which signifies the Lord’s Divine love in them. Of such it is also said that “they shall shine as the sun,” in Matthew:
The righteous shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of My* Father (Matt. 13:43).
in the Word those are called “righteous” who love the Lord, that is, from love do His commandments; and in respect to their faces they shine with an effulgence like that of the sun, because the Lord’s Divine love is communicated to them and received by them, whereby the Lord is in their midst, that is, in their interiors, which manifest themselves in the face. (That those who are in good of love to the Lord are called “righteous,” see above, n. 204.)
sRef Ps@89 @36 S8′ sRef Ps@89 @37 S8′ [8] In David:
His seed shall be to eternity, and His throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established as the moon to eternity, and as a faithful witness in the clouds (Ps. 89:36-37).
This is said of the Lord, and of His heaven and church, for by “David,” who is here treated of in the sense of the letter, is meant the Lord (see above, n. 205); “his seed which shall be to eternity” signifies Divine truth, and also those who receive it; “his throne as the sun before Me” signifies the heaven and church of the Lord, which are in celestial good, which is the good of love; “the throne established as the moon to eternity” signifies the heaven and the church that are in spiritual good, which is Divine truth; “a faithful witness in the clouds” signifies the Word in the sense of the letter, which is called “a witness” because it witnesses, “clouds” meaning the sense of the letter of the Word.
sRef Ps@72 @17 S9′ sRef Ps@72 @7 S9′ sRef Ps@72 @5 S9′ [9] In the same:
They shall fear Thee with the sun and before the moon, a generation of generations. In His days shall the righteous flourish; and much peace till the moon be no more. His name shall be to eternity; before the sun shall He have the name of Son; and all nations shall be blessed in Him (Ps. 72:5, 7, 17).
This, too, is said of the Lord, for this whole Psalm treats of Him; and as the Lord appears in heaven to those who are in His celestial kingdom as a sun, and to those who are in His spiritual kingdom as a moon, it is said “they shall fear Thee with the sun and before the moon, a generation of generations;” “in that day the righteous shall flourish, and much peace till the moon be no more,” signifies that those who are in love to the Lord will be in truths from that good, for with those who are in the celestial kingdom, that is, in love to the Lord, truths are implanted; those are called “righteous” who are in the good of love, and “peace” is predicated of that good. But that it may be known how this is to be understood, “till the moon be no more,” it shall be told. The light proceeding from the Lord as a sun differs from the light proceeding from the Lord as a moon in the heavens, as the light of the sun in the world by day differs from the light of the moon in the world by night; the intelligence of those who are in the light of the sun of heaven differs in like manner from the intelligence of those who are in the light of the moon there; wherefore those who are in the light of the sun there are in pure Divine truth; but those who are in the light of the moon there are not in pure Divine truth, for they are in many falsities, which they have derived from the sense of the letter of the Word not understood, and yet these falsities appear to them as truths. From this it can be seen that “till the moon be no more” signifies till there no longer exists with them falsity appearing as truth, but pure truth which makes one with the good of love. It must be known however, that the falsities of those who are in the light of the moon in the heavens are falsities in which there is no evil, and that such falsities, therefore, are accepted by the Lord as if they were truths (respecting these falsities, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 21). This, therefore, is what is signified by “till the moon be no more,” that is, with those who are meant by “the righteous in whom there is much peace.” But in the highest sense, by these words the Lord in relation to His Divine Human, that this shall be the Divine good of the Divine love, is meant, therefore it is also added, “before the sun He shall have the name of Son,” “Son” meaning the Lord’s Divine Human. And as “nations” mean all who are in good, or who receive the good of love from the Lord, it is said, “and all nations shall be blessed in Him.” (That “nations” signify those who are in good, and “peoples” those who are in truths, may be seen above, n. 331.)
sRef Isa@30 @25 S10′ sRef Isa@30 @26 S10′ [10] In Isaiah:
There shall be upon every high mountain and upon every lofty hill streams, rivulets of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall. And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days (Isa. 30:25-26).
This is said of the Last Judgment, which is meant by “the day of great slaughter, when the towers shall fall,” “the towers that shall fall” meaning those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom, in particular, those who are in the love of ruling by means of the holy things of the church (see in the work on The Last Judgment, n. 56, 58). That to those who are in love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbor it shall then be given to understand truths, is signified by “there shall be upon every high mountain and upon every lofty hill streams, rivulets of waters.” Those “upon a high mountain” mean those who are in the good of love to the Lord, “high mountain” signifying that good; those “upon the lofty hill” mean those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor, “hill” signifying that good; “streams, rivulets of water” signify intelligence from truths. That there shall then be truth in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, as before there was truth in the celestial kingdom, and that the truth in the celestial kingdom shall then become the good of love is meant by “the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days;” for “light” means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, “the light of the moon” Divine truth in the spiritual kingdom, and “the light of the sun” Divine truth in the celestial kingdom; “sevenfold” signifies full and perfect, and truth is full and perfect when it becomes good, or good in form. It can be seen that this means, not the sun and moon on the earth, but the sun and moon in the heavens. It is to be known that when a last judgment is being effected the Lord appears in the heavens in much greater effulgence and splendor than at other times, and this because the angels there must be more powerfully defended; for lower things, with which the exteriors of the angels have communication, are then in a state of disturbance. Therefore, as the Last Judgment is here treated of, it is said, “the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days;” and therefore it is also said that “there shall be streams, rivulets of waters, upon every high mountain, and upon every lofty hill,” which signifies abundant intelligence with those who are upon the higher mountains and higher hills, for on the lower mountains and hills is where the judgment then takes place. (That the Lord appears to those who are in His celestial kingdom as a sun, and to those who are in his spiritual kingdom as a moon, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125; and that the light from these is Divine truth, n. 127-140.)
sRef Isa@60 @20 S11′ sRef Isa@60 @19 S11′ sRef Isa@60 @20 S11′ [11] In the same:
Thy sun shall no more go down, and thy moon shall not withdraw; for Jehovah shall be unto thee for a light of eternity, and the days of thy mourning shall be fulfilled (Isa. 60:20).
This treats of the Lord, and of the new heaven and new earth, that is, of the church to be established by Him. That to those in that church the good of love to the Lord and the good of charity towards the neighbor should not perish is meant by “thy sun shall no more go down, and thy moon shall not withdraw;” for to those who are in the good of love to the Lord He appears as a sun, and to those who are in truths from the good of charity towards the neighbor He appears as a moon; so “thy sun” signifies the good of love to the Lord, and “thy moon” the good of charity, which, in its essence, is truth from good. That they shall continue to eternity in truths from the good of love, and in truths from the good of charity is meant by “Jehovah shall be unto thee for a light of eternity, and the days of thy mourning shall be fulfilled,” “the light of eternity” is predicated of those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and “fulfilling the days of mourning” of those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor, or in truths from good; for with those who were of the ancient churches, “mourning” represented grief on account of the loss or destruction of truth and good; “fulfilled” signifies ended, thus that they shall be in truths from good. From this the signification of “the sun became as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood,” can be seen, namely, that the good of love to the Lord was separated, and thus truth was falsified.
sRef Isa@13 @9 S12′ sRef Isa@13 @10 S12′ sRef Isa@13 @11 S12′ [12] Nearly the same is signified in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Behold the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel with indignation and the glow of anger, to lay the earth waste; and He shall destroy its sinners out of it. For the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof do not shine with their light; the sun is darkened in its rising, and the moon maketh not her light to be bright. I will visit evil upon the world, and upon the wicked their iniquity (Isa. 13:9-11).
“The day of Jehovah, cruel with indignation and the glow of anger,” signifies the day of the Last Judgment; “the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof do not shine with their light, the sun is darkened in its rising, and the moon maketh not her light to be bright,” signifies that the knowledges of good and truth have perished, as well as the good of love to the Lord, and the good of charity towards the neighbor, and thence the truth that is called the truth of faith; for “stars” signify the knowledges of good, “constellations” the knowledges of truth, “the sun” the good of love to the Lord, and “the moon” the good of charity towards the neighbor, which, in its essence, is truth from good, and is called the truth of faith. The sun is said “to be darkened in its rising,” and the moon “not to make her light to be bright;” not that the sun and moon in the angelic heavens are darkened, for the sun there is always in its effulgence, and the moon in its splendor; but before those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom, goods and truths are thus obscured; it is therefore according to the appearance that it is so said, for those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom turn themselves away from the good of love and charity, consequently from the Lord, and then they will nothing but evil and think nothing but falsity, and those who will and think no other, see nothing but thick darkness and darkness in such things as pertain to heaven and the church. Because such are meant by those with whom “the sun is darkened, and the moon maketh not her light to be bright,” it is said, “to lay the earth waste, and He shall destroy its sinners out of it,” and afterwards, “I will visit evil upon the world, and upon the wicked their iniquity,” “earth” and “world” signifying the church, “laying it waste” signifying that there is no longer any good, and “visiting evil upon the world, and upon the wicked their iniquity,” signifying the Last Judgment. sRef Ezek@32 @8 S13′ sRef Ezek@32 @7 S13′ [13] In Ezekiel:
When I shall extinguish thee I will cover the heavens and make the stars thereof black; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not make her light to shine; all the luminaries of light in the heavens will I make black over thee, and I will give darkness upon thy land (Ezek. 32:7-8).
This is said of Pharaoh king of Egypt, by whom is here signified the natural man separate from the spiritual; which when it is separated is wholly in thick darkness and in darkness in regard to all things of heaven and the church, and so far as it is separated denies them; for the natural man sees nothing in such things from itself, but only through the spiritual man from the Lord, since the natural man is in the heat and light of the world, while the spiritual man is in the heat and light of heaven. From this it is clear what is meant by the particulars here, namely, “When I extinguish thee I will cover the heavens” signifies the interiors, which are in the light of heaven; “I will make the stars thereof black” signifies the knowledges of good and truth; “I will cover the sun with a cloud” signifies the good of love to the Lord; “the moon shall not make her light to shine” signifies the good of charity towards the neighbor and the truth of faith therefrom; “all the luminaries of light will I make black over thee” signifies all truths; and “I will give darkness upon thy land” signifies falsities.
sRef Joel@3 @15 S14′ sRef Rev@8 @12 S14′ sRef Joel@3 @14 S14′ sRef Joel@2 @10 S14′ sRef Rev@9 @2 S14′ sRef Matt@24 @29 S14′ sRef Joel@2 @31 S14′ sRef Joel@2 @1 S14′ sRef Joel@2 @2 S14′ [14] In Joel:
The day of Jehovah cometh. A day of darkness and of thick darkness, a day of cloud and obscurity. Before Him the earth trembleth, the sun and the moon were black, and the stars withdrew their brightness (Joel 2:1-2, 10).
In the same:
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh (Joel 2:31).
In the same:
The day of Jehovah is near in the valley cut off. The sun and the moon were made black, and the stars withdrew their brightness (Joel 3:14-15).
In the Gospels:
Immediately after the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven (Matt. 24:29; Mark 13:24-25).
In Revelation:
The fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; and the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for the third part of it, and the night likewise (Rev. 8:12).
In another place:
Out of the pit of the abyss there went up a smoke as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun was darkened and the air by the smoke (Rev. 9:2).
It is clear from what has been said above, that in these passages “the sun and moon made black and darkened” means that there was no longer any good or any truth; therefore they are not further explained.
sRef Luke@23 @45 S15′ sRef Luke@23 @44 S15′ [15] Because such things are signified by “the sun darkened,” therefore the sun was darkened when the Lord was upon the cross, because He was entirely rejected by the church that then was with the Jews, who were consequently in dense darkness, or in falsities. This is thus described in Luke:
At the sixth hour darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour, for the sun was darkened (Luke 23:44-45).
This was done as a sign and token that the Lord was denied, and that thence there was no good nor truth with those who were of the church; for with them all signs from the heavens represented and signified such things as are of the church, because the church with them was a representative church, or consisted of such things in externals as represented and thus signified the internal things of the church. That “darkness came over all the land” signified that with those who were of the church there was nothing except the falsities of evil, “all the land” meaning all the church, and “darkness” signifying falsities; that it continued for three hours, namely, “from the sixth to the ninth hour,” signifies that there remained mere falsity, and no truth whatever, for “three” signifies full, whole, and entirely, and “six” and “nine” signify all things in the complex, here falsities and evils; and because there were falsities and evils with them, from the Lord’s having been denied, therefore it is said, “and darkness came, and the sun was darkened;” “the sun” that was obscured, meaning the Lord, who is said to be “obscured” when falsities so prevail in the church that He is not acknowledged, and evils so prevail that He is crucified. (That each and every thing related in the Word concerning the Lord’s passion is significative may be seen above, n. 64, 83, 195c at the end.)
sRef Amos@8 @9 S16′ sRef Micah@3 @6 S16′ sRef Micah@3 @5 S16′ [16] In Micah:
Jehovah said against the prophets that cause the people to err, It shall be night unto you for vision; and darkness shall be to you for divination; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall grow black over them (Micah 3:5-6).
What these words signify in the spiritual sense, may be seen above (n. 372), where they are explained. In Amos:
It shall come to pass in that day, that I will cause the sun to set at noon, and I will darken the earth in a day of light (Amos 8:9).
This signifies that in the church, where the Word is from which it might be known what is good and true, there is nevertheless nothing but evil and falsity. “To cause the sun to set,” and “to darken the earth” signify the evil of life, and the falsity of doctrine in the church; for “the rising of the sun” signifies the good of love, which is the good of the life, and “the setting of the sun” signifies the evil of love, which is the evil of the life; and “the darkening of the earth” signifies the consequent falsity of doctrine, “darkness” signifying falsities, and “the earth” the church; “at noon,” and “in the day of light” signify when there might be the knowledges of good and truth, because they have the Word, “noon” signifying where there are the knowledges of good, and the “day of light” where there are the knowledges of truth. Such knowledges as are from the Word are meant, because it is the church where the Word is that is here treated of.
sRef Hab@3 @11 S17′ sRef Hab@3 @10 S17′ [17] In Habakkuk:
The mountains were moved; the overflowing of waters passed by. Sun and moon stood in their habitation; Thine arrows go forth in light, the lightning of Thy spear in brightness (Hab. 3:10-11).
This chapter treats of the Lord’s coming and of the Last Judgment then accomplished by Him; “the mountains were moved, the overflowing of waters passed by” signifies that those who were in the love of self and the world were cast out by the falsities of evil into which they were let; “mountains” signifying the loves of self and the world, and “the overflowing of waters” to be let into falsities from those loves, “waters” meaning falsities, and “overflowing” to be let into them. That by those in that state genuine truths and goods are not seen, but instead of these, fatuous truths and goods, which in themselves are falsities and evils is signified by, “Thine arrows go forth in light, the lightning of Thy spear in brightness;” “arrows” or “lightnings” signifying fatuous truths, which in themselves are falsities, and “the lightning of the spear” signifying fatuous goods which in themselves are the evils of falsity. Moreover, such signs appear in the spiritual world, in the case of those who are in falsities from the loves of self and the world, when the Last Judgment takes place, and these are cast out.
sRef Josh@10 @13 S18′ sRef Josh@10 @12 S18′ [18] As in this prophecy it is said, “Sun and moon stood in their habitation,” the significance of the sun’s resting in Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Aijalon shall also be explained, which is thus described in Joshua:
Then spoke Joshua to Jehovah, and he said in the eyes of Israel, Sun, rest thou in Gibeon; and thou, moon, in the valley of Aijalon; and the sun rested, and the moon stayed, until the nation was avenged upon its enemies. Is not this written upon the book of the Upright? And the sun stood in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day (Jos. 10:12-13).
That the sun is said to have stood in Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Aijalon, signifies that the church was altogether vastated in respect to all good and truth, for a battle was then going on against the king of Jerusalem and the kings of the Amorites; and “the king of Jerusalem” signifies the truth of the church wholly vastated by falsities, and “the kings of the Amorites” signify the good of the church vastated by evils; therefore those kings were smitten with hailstones, which signify the dire falsities of evil. It is said that the sun and the moon stood in their place, that is, before the sons of Israel, that they might see their enemies; but this, although it is told as history is a prophecy, as is evident from its being said, “Is not this written upon the book of the Upright?” which was a prophetical book from which this was taken; so it was from the same book that it was said, “Until the nation was avenged upon its enemies,” and not, “Until the sons of Israel were avenged upon their enemies,” the term “nation” being used prophetically. This is evident also from the fact that if this miracle had occurred altogether in this way, the whole nature of the world would have been inverted, which is not the case with the other miracles in the Word. That it might be known, therefore, that this was said prophetically, it is added, “Is not this written upon the book of the Upright?” And yet it is not to be doubted, that there was given to them a light out of heaven, a light in Gibeon like that of the sun, and a light in the valley of Aijalon like that of the moon.
sRef Jer@15 @9 S19′ [19] In Jeremiah:
She that hath borne seven shall languish, she shall breathe out her soul; her sun shall go down while it is yet day, it shall be ashamed and blush; and the remnant of them will I give to the sword before their enemies (Jer. 15:9).
“She that hath borne seven shall languish, she shall breathe out her soul,” signifies that the church to which the Word is given and through it all truths, is about to perish; “to bear seven” meaning to be gifted with all the truths of the church (as in the first book of Samuel, 2:5, see above, n. 257). “Her sun shall go down while it is yet day” signifies that the good of the church is about to perish, although the church has the Word, and might through the Word be in light; “it, namely, the sun, shall be ashamed and blush” signifies because good and truth are not received, but evil and falsity (as is evident also from the next quotation from Isaiah); “the remnant of them will I give to the sword before their enemies” signifies that all the remaining good and truth will perish through the falsity from evil; “remnant” meaning all that remains; “to be given to the sword” meaning to perish on account of falsities; “enemies” meaning evils.
sRef Isa@24 @23 S20′ sRef Isa@24 @21 S20′ [20] In Isaiah:
Jehovah will visit upon the host of the height in the height, and upon the Kings of the earth who are upon the earth. Then the moon shall blush, and the sun be ashamed (Isa. 24:21, 23).
“To visit” signifies to destroy, because visitation precedes judgment, when those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom are destroyed; “the host of the height in the height” signifies all evils that are from the love of self, “host” signifying all evils; “the kings of the earth” falsities of every kind, and “the earth” the church. This makes clear the signification of “Jehovah will visit upon the host of the height in the height, and upon the kings of the earth who are upon the earth.” It is said “upon the host of the height in the height” because those who are in the love of self seek in the spiritual world high places; “then the moon shall blush, and the sun be ashamed,” signifies that there is no longer any reception of Divine truth and Divine good, “moon” and “sun” signifying the truth of faith and the good of love, and these are said “to blush and be ashamed” when they are no longer received, but falsity and evil are received in their place.
sRef Ps@136 @9 S21′ sRef Ps@136 @11 S21′ sRef Ps@136 @5 S21′ sRef Ps@136 @8 S21′ sRef Ps@136 @7 S21′ sRef Ps@136 @6 S21′ sRef Ps@136 @10 S21′ [21] In David:
Jehovah, who hath made the heavens by His intelligence, who hath spread out the earth upon the waters; who hath made great luminaries, the sun for rule by day, the moon and stars for rule by night: Who hath smitten Egypt in their firstborn, and hath brought out Israel from the midst of them (Ps. 136:5-11).
He who knows nothing of the spiritual sense of the Word must suppose that there is nothing involved in these words except what appears in the sense of the letter; and yet every particular involves such things as pertain to angelic wisdom, which are all celestial Divine and spiritual Divine things. This describes the new creation, or regeneration of the men of the church, of whom the church consists; “the heavens” which Jehovah hath made by His intelligence, signify the internal things of the men of the church, which, in one expression, are called the spiritual man, where intelligence has its seat, and where their heaven is; “the earth” which He hath spread out upon the waters, signifies the external of the church, which in one expression, is called the natural man; this is said to be “spread out upon the waters” because there the truths are by which man is regenerated, “waters” meaning truths; “the great luminaries, the sun, moon, and stars,” signify the good of love, truth from that good, and the knowledges of good and truth, “the sun,” the good of love, “the moon” truth from that good, and “the stars” the knowledges of good and truth. The sun is said to have been made “for rule by day,” because “day” signifies the light of the spiritual man, for the spiritual man has illustration and perception from the good of love; the moon and the stars are said to have been made “for rule by night,” because “night” signifies the light of the natural man, and its light, as compared with the light of the spiritual man, is like the light of night from the moon and the stars as compared with the light of day from the sun. Because this treats of the regeneration of the men of the church it follows, “who hath smitten Egypt in their firstborn, and hath brought out Israel from the midst of them;” “Egypt” signifying the natural man, such as it is by birth, namely, in mere falsities from evil; “their firstborn” mean primary things; the destruction of these while man is being regenerated is meant by “who hath smitten Egypt in their firstborn;” “Israel” signifies the spiritual man; and “to bring him out from the midst of them” signifies to open the spiritual man, and thus to regenerate; for the Lord regenerates the man of the church by dispersing the falsities from evils that are in the natural man, and by opening the spiritual man, and this is effected by the Lord by means of spiritual light, which is Divine truth.
sRef Jer@31 @35 S22′ sRef Gen@1 @16 S22′ [22] Like things are signified by these words in Genesis:
God made two great luminaries; the great luminary to rule by day, and the lesser luminary to rule by night, and the stars (Gen. 1:16).
For that chapter treats of the new creation, or the regeneration of the men of whom the Most Ancient Church consisted, and this is described in the sense of the letter, by the creation of heaven and earth. Like things are signified, too, by these words in Jeremiah:
Thus said the Lord Jehovih** who giveth the sun for light by day, the statutes of the moon and stars for light by night (Jer. 31:35).
“The statutes of the moon and stars” signify all things that are done in the natural man according to the laws of order.
sRef Ps@148 @3 S23′ sRef Ps@148 @2 S23′ sRef Ps@148 @4 S23′ [23] In David:
Praise ye Jehovah, all His angels; praise ye Him, all His hosts; praise ye Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all ye stars of light; praise Him, ye heavens of heavens (Ps. 148:2-4).
“To praise Jehovah” signifies to worship Him; “angels” signify those who are in Divine truths from the good of love, for such are angels; “all the hosts” signify goods and truths in the whole complex; “sun and moon” signify the good of love and the truth from that good; “the stars of light” signify the knowledges of truth from good; “the heavens of heavens” signify goods and truths both internal and external; and as man worships the Lord from those things that are with him from the Lord, thus from the goods and truths that are with him, and as man is a man from these, therefore it is said to them, namely, to the sun, moon, and stars, which signify goods and truths, that they “shall praise,” that is, worship, Jehovah. Who does not know that the sun, moon, and stars do not praise, that is, worship?
sRef Deut@33 @13 S24′ sRef Deut@33 @14 S24′ [24] In Moses:
Of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be His land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that lieth beneath, and for the precious things of the increase of the sun, and for the precious things of the produce of the months (Deut. 33:13, 14).
This is said in the blessing of the sons of Israel by Moses; and because “Joseph” means the spiritual-celestial, who are those that are highest in the spiritual kingdom, and thus most closely communicate with those who are in the Lord’s celestial kingdom, “His land” signifies that spiritual kingdom, likewise the church that consists of such; “the precious things of heaven, the dew, and the deep also that lieth beneath” signify things spiritual-celestial in the internal and the external man; “the precious things of the increase of the sun, and the precious things of the produce of the months,” signify all things that proceed from the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and all things that proceed from His spiritual kingdom, thus the goods and truths therefrom, “the sun” signifying the good of love to the Lord from the Lord which is the good that those have who are in the Lord’s celestial kingdom, “its increase” signifying all things that proceed from it; “the produce of the months” signifies all things that proceed from the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, “months” here signifying the like as “the moon,” namely, truths from good, for the same word is used for both in the original. But this that has been said must seem obscure to one who knows nothing about the two kingdoms of heaven, the celestial and the spiritual, and about their conjunction by intermediates. (But respecting these kingdoms and the intermediates, see what is said in Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28.)
sRef Isa@54 @12 S25′ [25] In Isaiah:
I will make thy suns a ruby, and thy gates of stones of carbuncles, and all thy border of stones of desire (Isa. 54:12).
This is said of the nations outside of the church, from whom a new church was to be established by the Lord. “I will make thy suns a ruby” signifies that goods will be brilliant from the fire of love, “suns” here meaning the goods of love, and “the ruby” meaning a brilliance as from fire; “I will make thy gates of stones of carbuncles” signifies that truths will be resplendent from good, “gates” meaning introductory truths, in particular the doctrines that are from good, for all truths of doctrine that are genuine proceed from good, and are of good; and “stones of carbuncles” signify their brightness from good; in fact, all precious stones signify truths from good, and their color, brightness, and fire indicate the quality of the truth from good. “I will make all their border of stones of desire” signifies that true knowledges, which belong to the natural man, will be pleasant and enjoyable from good; for “border” has the same meaning as “foundation,” and this means the natural man, for in the things in it the goods and truths of the spiritual man are terminated, and “stones of desire” mean truths pleasant and enjoyable from good; by these are meant the goods and truths of the Word which those who constitute the new church will have, and which will be such. That the “sun” signifies the good of love is evident, too, from their being called “suns,” in the plural.
sRef Job@31 @25 S26′ sRef Job@31 @27 S26′ sRef Job@31 @26 S26′ [26] In Job:
Was I glad because my means were great, and because my hand had found much? did I behold the light that it shone, and the moon that it walked in brightness? and hath my heart secretly misled itself, and my hand kissed my mouth? (Job 31:25-28).
These words mean in the spiritual sense that he had not acquired for himself intelligence from what was his own [ex proprio], and had taken no merit to himself for his intelligence, and had not gloried in it; for “Was I glad because my means were great, and because my hand had found much?” signifies, had he gloried over having intelligence, and having acquired it for himself from what was his own “means” signify the knowledges of good and truth, by which intelligence is gained; “and because my hand had found much” signifies to have acquired from what is one’s own; “did I behold the light that it shone, and the moon that it walked in brightness” signifies to have spiritual truths, which constitute intelligence, “light” and the “moon” signifying spiritual truths; “hath my heart secretly misled itself, and my hand kissed my mouth?” signifies, have I therefore gloried inwardly, and have I claimed them to myself?
sRef Matt@5 @45 S27′ [27] In Matthew:
That ye may be sons of your Father who is in the heavens; who maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust (Matt. 5:45).
This treats of charity towards the neighbor, as is evident from what there precedes and follows, and, in particular of the Jews, who accounted the Gentiles as enemies, and their own people as friends. That they ought to love the Gentiles the same as their own people the Lord makes clear by this comparison; but as all comparisons in the Word are from correspondences, and from that are significative, as other things are that are not said comparatively, so it is with this comparison; and “the Father in the heavens maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” signifies that the Lord flows in from heaven with the Divine good of love and with Divine truth, with those who are outside of the Jewish church as much as with those who are within it, “sun” also here signifying the good of love, and “rain” the Divine truth. “The evil and the unjust” signify in the internal sense those who were of the Jewish Church, since they did not receive; and “the good and the just” signify those who were outside of that church and did receive. In general, all the evil and the good, and the just and the unjust, are here meant, for the Lord flows in with good and truth equally with all, but all do not receive equally.
sRef Mal@1 @11 S28′ sRef Isa@59 @19 S28′ sRef Ps@113 @3 S28′ sRef Isa@41 @25 S28′ sRef Ps@50 @1 S28′ sRef Isa@45 @6 S28′ [28] Because “the sun” signifies the Lord in relation to Divine love, He is called “the Sun of righteousness (in Malachi 4:2); and “a Sun and Shield” (in David, Psalm 84:11). Because “the sun” signifies the good of love to the Lord with man, “from the rising of the sun unto its going down” signifies all who are in the good of love to the Lord, from the first to the last; “from the rising of the sun” meaning from the first, and “unto the going down of the sun” meaning to the last, as in the following passages. In Malachi:
From the rising of the sun even unto its going down is My name great among the nations (Mal. 1:11).
In David:
From the rising of the sun unto its going down the name of Jehovah is to be praised (Ps. 113:3).
In the same:
God, Jehovah God speaketh, and shall call the earth from the rising of the sun unto its going down (Ps. 50:1).
In Isaiah:
That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from its going down, that there is none beside Me (Isa. 45:6).
In the same:
From the going down of the sun shall they fear the name of Jehovah, and His glory from the rising of the sun (Isa. 59:19).
I shall raise up one that shall come from the north, and from the rising of the sun one who shall call upon My name (Isa. 41:25).
“From the rising of the sun unto its going down” signifies all, from the first to the last, who are in the good of love to the Lord, because all in heaven dwell according to quarters. Those who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell from the east to the west; those who dwell in the east are those who are in a clear good of love, and those who dwell in the west are those who are in an obscure good of love. This is why “from the rising of the sun unto its going down” signifies all, from the first to the last, who are in the good of love. The words in Isaiah, “I will raise up one that will come from the north and from the rising of the sun” signify those who are outside of the church, and those who are inside of it; for “the north” signifies the obscurity of truth, thus those who are outside of the church, because they are in obscurity in regard to truths from not having the Word, and thence not knowing anything about the Lord; and “the rising of the sun” signifies those who are within the church, because they have the Word, in which the Lord is always present, and so in His rising. (That “the east” or “the rising of the sun,” and “the west” or “the setting of the sun,” mean the good of love in clearness and the good of love in obscurity, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 141, 148-150; and that “the north” means truth in obscurity, in the same chapter, n. 148-150; for the Four Quarters in the Spiritual World are there treated of.)
Again, “the setting of the sun” signifies the state of the church when it is in ignorance, which is its first state; and “the rising of the sun” signifies its state when it is in light. “The setting of the sun” also signifies the state of the church when it is in evils and falsities therefrom; and “the rising of the sun” when it is in goods and in truths therefrom.
sRef Deut@16 @6 S29′ [29] The first state of the church, when it is still in ignorance, is signified by the commencement of the passover in the evening when the sun was set, according to these words of Moses:
Thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, when the sun shall have set in the stated time of thy going forth out of Egypt (Deut. 16:6).
For “the feast of the passover” signified the celebration of the Lord on account of deliverance from damnation, which is effected by regeneration; and in the highest sense a remembrance of the glorification of the Lord’s Human, because deliverance is from that (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7093, 7867, 9286-9292, 10655). And because the first state of regeneration is a state of ignorance, the beginning of that feast was “at even, when the sun had set.” Again, that state is signified by “the going forth of the sons of Israel out of Egypt,” for in Egypt they were in a servile state, and thus in a state of ignorance; therefore it is said, “in the stated time of the going forth out of Egypt.”
sRef Gen@15 @12 S30′ sRef Gen@15 @17 S30′ [30] The last state of the church, when the church is in falsities and evils, for this state is its last, is signified by “the setting of the sun” in Moses:
When the sun was about setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, a horror and great darkness fell upon him. At length, when the sun had set, and it had become dark, behold, a furnace of smoke, and a torch of fire that passed through between these pieces (Gen. 15:12, 17).
These things are said of the posterity of Abram from Jacob, that is, of the Israelitish and Jewish nation; and “when the sun was about setting,” and “at length, when the sun had set,” signify the last state of the church in that nation, that they were in mere falsities and evils; “great darkness” and “a furnace of smoke,” signify falsities from evil; and “a torch of fire” signifies the dire love of self, from which came their evils and falsities.
[31] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so have “sun” and “moon” and in that sense “sun” signifies the love of self, and “moon,” the falsities therefrom. “Sun and moon” have this signification because those who are in natural thought only, and not in spiritual thought, do not think beyond nature; therefore when they see that from these two luminaries, or from their light and heat, all things arise and, as it were, live upon the earth, they suppose that these luminaries rule the universe; above this they do not raise their thoughts. This all do who are in the love of self and in the evils and falsities therefrom, for such are merely natural and sensual men, and the merely natural and sensual man does not think beyond nature, for what he does not see and touch he believes to be nothing.
With the ancients, all things of the church consisted of the representatives of spiritual things in natural; with them therefore, “the sun” signified the Lord in relation to Divine good, and “the moon” the Lord in relation to Divine truth, consequently in worship they turned their faces to the rising of the sun; and those among them who were in the love of self, and were therefore merely natural and sensual, began to worship as their highest gods the sun and the moon that they saw with their eyes; but because those alone did this, or persuaded others to do it, who were in the love of self and in the evils and falsities therefrom, therefore “the sun” signifies the love of self, and “the moon” the falsity therefrom. This becomes still more evident in the case of spirits in the other life who in the world had been such; these turn the face away from the Lord, and turn it towards something there that is dark and in thick darkness, which is in the place of the sun and moon of the world, over against the sun and moon of the angelic heaven (on which more may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 122, 123). By persons like this the worship of the sun and moon was instituted in ancient times, when all Divine worship was representative; but at this day, when representatives have ceased, the worship of the sun and moon does not exist in the Christian world, but in its place the worship of self, which exists with those in whom the love of ruling predominates. This makes clear the signification of “sun and moon” in the contrary sense.
sRef Jer@43 @10 S32′ sRef Jer@43 @13 S32′ sRef Jer@8 @2 S32′ sRef Ezek@8 @16 S32′ sRef 2Ki@23 @5 S32′ sRef Jer@43 @11 S32′ sRef 2Ki@23 @11 S32′ sRef Jer@8 @1 S32′ [32] That in ancient times the sun and moon were worshiped is evident from the fact that the Gentiles dedicated shrines to them, which are spoken of in many histories. That the Egyptians as well as the Jews and Israelites worshiped the sun and moon is evident from the Word. That the Egyptians did, see in Jeremiah:
The King of Babylon shall come, and shall smite the land of Egypt, and shall break in pieces the pillars of the house of the sun in the land of Egypt (Jer. 43:11, 13).
That the Jews and Israelites did, see in Ezekiel:
I held their faces towards the east; and the same bowed themselves towards the rising of the sun (Ezek. 8:16).
This treats of the abominations of Jerusalem. In the second book of Kings:
Josiah*** the King put down the idolatrous priests, them that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, to the moon, and to the stars, and to all of the hosts of the heavens. He furthermore took away the horses that the Kings of Judah had set up to the sun at the entering in of the house of Jehovah, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire (2 Kings 23:5, 11).
In Jeremiah:
They shall bring out the bones of the Kings of Judah, the bones of his princes, and the bones of his priests, and the bones of his prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and they shall spread them to the sun and the moon and all the host of the heavens, which they have loved, and which they have served (Jer. 8:1-2);
and also Jer. 44:17-19, 25; Deut. 4:19; 17:3, 5.
sRef Num@25 @4 S33′ sRef Num@25 @1 S33′ sRef Num@25 @3 S33′ sRef Num@25 @2 S33′ [33] Because “Moab” in the Word signifies those who are in a life of falsity from the love of self, and their worship signifies the worship of self, therefore when the Israelitish people drew near to the worship of the Moabitish people, it was commanded that the chiefs of the people should be hung up before the sun; respecting which it is thus written in Moses:
The daughters of Moab called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. Especially did Israel join himself unto Baalpeor; therefore Jehovah said unto Moses, Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up before the sun (Num. 25:1-4).
“Moab” signifies those who are in a life of falsity from the love of self, and who consequently adulterate the goods of the church (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2468, 8315).
sRef Ps@121 @6 S34′ sRef Rev@16 @8 S34′ sRef Rev@7 @16 S34′ sRef Ps@121 @7 S34′ [34] From this it is also clear that the sun of the world signifies the love of self. Because the love of self lets man down into what is his own [proprium] and holds him there, for it looks continually to self, and man’s own is nothing but evil, and from evil comes every falsity, therefore “the heat of the sun” signifies adulterated truth, which in its essence is the falsity of evil. This is signified by “the heat of the sun” in the following passages. In Revelation:
The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given unto him to scorch men with fire (Rev. 16:8).
And elsewhere:
They shall hunger no more, neither shall the sun fall on them, nor any heat (Rev. 7:16).
In David:
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. Jehovah shall keep thee from all evil, He shall keep thy soul (Ps. 121:6, 7).
The “sun” here means the love of self, and the “moon” the falsity therefrom; because from that love is all evil, and from evil all falsity, therefore it is said, “Jehovah shall keep thee from all evil, and He shall keep thy soul,” “soul” signifying the life of truth.
sRef Matt@13 @5 S35′ sRef Matt@13 @6 S35′ [35] In Matthew:
Other seeds fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth; and when the sun was risen they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away (Matt. 13:5-6; Mark 4:5-6).
“Seeds” signify the truths from the Word, that is, the truths man receives from the Lord, for it is afterwards said, that it is “the Son of man that soweth.” “Rocky places” signify a historical faith, which is another’s faith in oneself, which is believing a thing to be true, not because one sees it in himself, but because another in whom he has confidence has said it. “Earth” signifies spiritual good, because this receives truths as soil does seeds; “the sun’s rising” signifies the love of self; and “to be scorched” and “to wither away” signify to be adulterated and to perish. This makes clear what is signified by these words of the Lord in series, namely, that the truths that are implanted from infancy from the Word or from preaching, when man begins to think from himself, are adulterated and perish by lusts from the love of self. All things in the Word are, indeed, truths, but they are adulterated by the ideas of thought concerning them, and by the way they are applied, consequently with such persons truths are not truths except in respect to the mere utterance of them. This is so because all the life of truth is from spiritual good, and spiritual good has its seat in the higher or interior mind, which is called the spiritual mind. This mind cannot be opened with those who are in the love of self, for in everything they look to self. If they lift their eyes to heaven, still the thought of their spirit is held in the consideration of self; consequently from the fire of its own glory it incites the external and corporeal sensual things which have been taught from childhood, to the imitation of such affections as belong to the spiritual man.
sRef Jonah@4 @3 S36′ sRef Jonah@4 @1 S36′ sRef Jonah@4 @8 S36′ sRef Jonah@4 @6 S36′ sRef Jonah@4 @9 S36′ sRef Jonah@4 @7 S36′ sRef Jonah@4 @5 S36′ sRef Jonah@4 @11 S36′ sRef Jonah@4 @10 S36′ [36] It is written in Jonah that “the gourd that came up over him withered, and that the sun beat upon his head, so that he fell sick.” As this cannot be understood without explanation by the internal sense, it shall be explained in a few words. It is thus told in Jonah:
Jehovah prepared a gourd that came up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head to deliver him from his evil, and Jonah was glad over the gourd. And God prepared a worm, when the dawn came up the following day, and it smote the gourd that it dried up. And it came to pass when the sun arose that God prepared a scorching east wind; and the sun smote upon the head of Jonah, and he fell sick so that he asked that his soul might die. Then God said to Jonah, is it well for thee to be angry over the gourd? He said, It is well for me to be angry, even unto death. Jehovah said, Thou wouldest spare the gourd, for which thou hast not labored, nor didst thou make it grow up, because thou didst become the son of the night**** and the son of night perisheth; shall not I spare Nineveh, the great city, in which are more than twelve myriads***** of men? (Jonah 4:6-11).
This is a description of the genius of the Jewish nation, that they are in the love of self and in falsities therefrom. Jonah was of that nation, and therefore also was sent to Nineveh; for the Jewish nation had the Word, and was therefore able to teach those who were outside of the church and who are called Gentiles; these are signified by “Nineveh.” Because the Jewish nation was, above others, in the love of self and in the falsities from that love, they did not wish well to any but themselves, thus not to the Gentiles, but these they hated. Because that nation was such, and Jonah represented it, he was very angry that Jehovah should spare Nineveh, for it is said:
Jonah was ill with a great illness, so that he was angry, and from the illness of anger he said, Take, O Jehovah, my soul from me, for my death is better than my life (Jonah 4:1, 3).
This evil in that nation is signified by the gourd which the worm smote so that it dried up. “The sun that smote upon the head of Jonah” signifies the love of self which was in that nation; and “the scorching east wind” the falsity therefrom; and “the worm that smote the gourd” signifies the destruction of this evil and the falsity thence. That this is the signification of “the gourd” is evident from its being said in this description that Jonah at first “was glad over the gourd,” and after the gourd had been smitten by the worm and had dried up that “he was angry over it, even unto death,” and also from its being said that “he had pity over the gourd.” That the Jewish nation, because it was in such a love and in such falsity therefrom was liable to damnation is meant by these words to Jonah, “thou didst not cause it to grow up, because thou didst become a son of night,****** and a son of night perisheth.” (That such was the Jewish nation, see Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 248.)
[37] The love of self is signified here and in the preceding passages, because “the sun” in the genuine spiritual sense signifies love to the Lord, and the love of self is the opposite of this love.
Moreover, the Lord’s Divine love, which is present with everyone, is turned into the love of self with the evil; for everything that flows in is changed in the recipient subject into what agrees with its own nature; as the pure heat of the sun is turned into an offensive smell in subjects of such a nature, and the pure light of the sun into hideous colors in objects of such reception; this is why “the sun that smote upon the head of Jonah” signifies the love of self that is in him; likewise “the sun that was risen” by which the seeds were scorched upon the rocky places, mentioned in Matthew.
sRef Rev@21 @23 S38′ [38] In Revelation:
The city New Jerusalem hath no need of the sun and moon to shine in it, for the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof (Rev. 21:23; 22:5).
“The sun” here, of which the city New Jerusalem shall have no need, signifies natural love, which, viewed in itself is the love of self and the world; and “the moon” signifies natural light, for natural light, viewed in itself is from natural love, and the quality of the light is according to the quality of the love; while spiritual love and spiritual light are signified by “the glory of God shall lighten it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof.”
[39] That such is the sense of these words is very evident from the following from Isaiah:
The sun shall be no more a light to thee by day, and for brightness the moon shall not give light unto thee; but Jehovah shall be unto thee for a light of eternity, and thy God for thine adornment. Thy sun shall no more go down, and thy moon shall not withdraw; for Jehovah shall be unto thee for a light of eternity, and the days of thy mourning shall be fulfilled (Isa. 60:19-20).
In the first part of this passage “the sun and moon” have the same meaning as above in Revelation, namely, “the sun” signifies merely natural love, and “the moon” natural light therefrom; but in the latter part of the passage “the sun and moon” mean the sun and moon of the angelic heaven, and that sun signifies the Lord’s Divine love, and the moon Divine truth, as was explained above. For it is first said, “the sun shall be no more a light to thee by day, and for brightness the moon shall not give light unto thee;” and afterwards it is said, “thy sun shall no more go down, and thy moon shall not withdraw.” From all this it is now evident what “sun and moon” signify in both senses.
* Photolithograph has “my,” as also AC n. 612; HH n. 348; but Greek has “their,” as also AC n. 9192.
** Photolithograph has “Lord Jehovih,” but the Hebrew and other passages have simply “Jehovah,” cf. AE n. 527, 610, 768.
*** Photolithograph has “Chiskias;” the king in 2 Kings 23 is “Josiah.”
**** Photolithograph has “because thou didst become the son of death, and the son of death perished;” the Hebrew has, “which was the son of a night and perished a son of the night.”
***** Photolithograph has “thousands;” the Hebrew has “myriads.”
****** Cf. 887.

sRef Rev@6 @13 S0′ 402. Verse 13. And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, signifies that the knowledges of good and truth perished. This is evident from the signification of “stars” as being the knowledges of good and truth (see above, n. 72); also from the signification of “falling unto the earth,” as being to perish; for when stars fall to the earth they perish. The same is signified by:
The stars shall fall from heaven (Matt. 24:29; and Mark 13:25).
Anyone can see that “stars” here do not mean stars, for these cannot fall from heaven, for they are fixed or established in their place, and cannot fall to the earth, because they are larger than the earth; consequently by them are signified such things as belong to heavenly light, and give light, which are the knowledges of good and truth. Moreover, stars appear in the angelic heaven, but they are appearances from the knowledges of good and truth, therefore they appear about those who are in such knowledges, especially when they turn them over in the mind, and are desirous of knowing them.

sRef Rev@6 @13 S0′ 403. As a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when shaken by a great wind, signifies which knowledges the natural man has laid waste by its reasonings. This is evident from the signification of “fig-tree,” as being the natural man (of which presently); from the signification of “her unripe figs” as being the things that are in the natural man, which especially are the knowledges implanted in the natural man from infancy, and that are not yet mature, having been merely heard and thence accepted; also from the signification of “shaken by a great wind,” as being, which the natural man has laid waste by reasonings. “To be shaken by a great wind” here signifies the reasonings from the falsities of evil, for “great” in the Word is predicated of good and of evil, “wind” of truth and of falsity, and “to be shaken thereby,” of reasoning therefrom. Such is the signification of these words, although they are used comparatively, because in the Word all comparisons, like the rest, are significative, for they are equally correspondences. With respect to these things, the case is this: every man is born natural from his parents, but becomes spiritual from the Lord, which is called to be born anew or to be regenerated; and because he is born natural, therefore the knowledges that he imbibes from infancy, before he becomes spiritual, are implanted in his natural memory; but as he advances in years and begins to consider rationally the knowledges of good and truth that he has imbibed from the Word or from preaching, if he is then leading an evil life he eagerly adopts and is imbued with the falsities that are opposite and contrary to these knowledges, and then, because he is endowed with ability to reason, he reasons from falsities against the knowledges of his infancy and childhood, in consequence of which these are cast out, and falsities take their place; this, therefore, is what is signified by “the stars shall fall to the earth as a fig-tree casteth her unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.”
[2] That “the fig-tree” signifies the natural man is from correspondence; for in heaven gardens and paradises are seen, where there are trees of every kind, and each tree signifies something of the Divine that is communicated to angels by the Lord. In general, “the olive” signifies the celestial, which is of the good of love; “the vine” the spiritual, which is of truth from that good; and “the fig-tree,” the natural, which is derived from the spiritual or the celestial. And as these trees have this signification they also signify the angel or man in whom such things exist. But in a general sense they signify a whole society, because every society in the heavens is so formed as to present the image of a single man. In the spiritual sense, however, these trees signify the church, “the olive” the celestial church, “the vine” the spiritual church, and “the fig-tree” the natural church, which is the external church corresponding to the internal. From this it can be seen why “the fig-tree” is said to signify the natural man, that is, the natural with man.
sRef Isa@34 @4 S3′ [3] That “the fig tree” signifies this, and, in general, the external church is evident also from other passages in the Word, where it is mentioned, as from the following. In Isaiah:
All the host of the heavens shall waste away, and the heavens shall be rolled up as a book; and all their* host shall fall down as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as that which falleth from the fig-tree (Isa. 34:4).
This is said of the day of the Last Judgment, which was to come, and which also did come; for the Last Judgment foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament was accomplished by the Lord when He was in the world; and as the things then done were like those done in the Last Judgment that is foretold in Revelation, and has at this day been accomplished by the Lord, so nearly the same things are said; as in the prophet Isaiah, that “all the host of the heavens shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as that which falleth from the fig-tree,” likewise that “the heavens shall be rolled up as a scroll;” and in Revelation, that “the stars shall fall unto the earth, as a fig-tree casteth her unripe figs,” and that “the heaven shall depart as a book rolled up.” “All the host of the heavens shall waste away” signifies that all goods and truths that are of love and faith are corrupted, “the host of the heavens” meaning all goods and truths that are of love and faith; for the sun, moon, and stars, by which these are signified, are called “the host of the heavens.” “The heavens shall be rolled up as a book” signifies their dispersion; “all the host shall fall down as the leaf from the vine, and as that which falleth from the fig tree” signifies a laying waste from the falsities of evil.
sRef Jer@8 @13 S4′ [4] In Jeremiah:
In consuming I will consume them; there shall be no grapes on the vine nor figs on the fig-tree, and the leaf shall wither (Jer. 8:13).
“No grapes on the vine” signifies that there is no spiritual good, for “the vine” signifies the spiritual man, and “the grape,” as being its fruit, signifies the good of that man, which is called spiritual good; “nor figs on the fig-tree” signifies that there is no natural good, for “the fig-tree” signifies the natural man, and “the fruit of the fig tree” signifies the good of that man which is called natural good. Evidently “the vine” does not mean a vine, nor “the fig-tree” a fig-tree, for it is said, “In consuming I will consume them, there shall be no grapes on the vine nor figs on the fig-tree,” for they would not be consumed on that account. Moreover, the vastation of the church is what is treated of, as is clearly evident from what there precedes and follows.
sRef Hos@2 @2 S5′ sRef Hos@2 @11 S5′ sRef Hos@2 @12 S5′ [5] In Hosea:
I will make all her joy to cease, her feast, her new moon, her sabbath. And I will lay waste her vine and her fig-tree, whereof she hath said, These are my meretricious hire; and I will make them a forest, and the wild beast of the field shall eat them (Hos. 2:11-12).
This treats of the churches and of the falsification of truth therein. That the church is treated of is evident from the second verse of this chapter, where it is said, “Plead with your mother; for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband,” “mother” and “wife” meaning the church. Moreover, the holy things of the church, from which worship is performed, and the worship itself, are signified by “the feast, the new moon, and the sabbath,” which shall cease; therefore “I will lay waste her vine and her fig-tree” signifies that both spiritual good and natural good are to perish. That “they will be made a forest, and the wild beast of the field shall eat them” signifies that both will be merely natural, and that the spiritual will be consumed by falsities and lusts; “forest” signifying the merely natural, and “wild beast of the field” falsities and lusts. And as falsities in the church are especially falsified truths, and these are treated of in this chapter, it is said, “whereof she hath said, These are my meretricious hire,” “meretricious hire” signifying falsification.
sRef Joel@1 @7 S6′ sRef Joel@1 @6 S6′ sRef Joel@1 @12 S6′ [6] In Joel:
A nation shall come up upon My land, vigorous and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it hath the cheek-teeth of an immense** lion. It hath made My vine a waste. and My fig-tree foam; [in stripping it hath stripped it, and cast it away;] the branches thereof are made white. The vine is dried up and the fig-tree languisheth; the pomegranate-tree, the palm-tree also, and the apple-tree, all the trees of the field are dried up (Joel 1:6-7, 12).
This whole chapter treats of the devastated church; and “the nation that comes up upon the land, vigorous and without number, having the teeth of a lion, and the cheek-teeth of an immense lion,” does not signify any such nation, but direful evil and falsity therefrom; “the land upon which it comes up” signifies the church; “the teeth of a lion” signify the falsities of such evil; and because these destroy all the goods and truths of the church, they are called “the teeth of the lion and the great cheek-teeth of a lion,” “lion” signifying [falsity] which destroys. Therefore “it hath made My vine a waste, and My fig-tree foam,” signifies that the church internal and external is thereby vastated, “vine” signifying the internal church, and “fig-tree” the external, “foam” signifying where there is inwardly no truth; “in stripping it hath stripped it, and cast it away” signifies that there is no longer any good or truth that is not destroyed, “to strip,” that is, of fruits and leaves, means of goods and truths, and “to cast away” means to destroy entirely; “the branches thereof are made white” signifies that there is no longer anything spiritual; “the pomegranate, the palm, and the apple, and all the trees of the field, that are dried up” signify the kinds of goods and truths of the church, and its knowledges, which are consummated by evils and falsities, “the trees of the field” signifying in general the knowledges of good and truth.
sRef Joel@2 @22 S7′ [7] In the same:
Fear not, ye beasts of My fields; for the habitations of the wilderness are full of herbs, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig-tree and the vine shall yield their strength (Joel 2:22).
This treats of the establishment of the church, therefore “the beasts of the field” do not mean beasts of the field, but the affections of good in the natural man, consequently those in whom are such affections. Who does not see that it cannot be beasts to whom it is said, “Fear not, ye beasts of my fields?” “The habitations of the desert are made full of herbs” signifies that with such there will be knowledges of truth where there were none before, “the habitations of the wilderness” meaning the interiors of the mind of those in whom these did not exist before, “full of herbs” signifying the increase and multiplication of these; “for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine shall yield their strength” signifies that they have natural good and spiritual good, “strength” here meaning the production of fruit.
sRef Amos@4 @9 S8′ [8] In Amos:
Your many gardens and your vineyards, and your fig-trees and your olive-trees, the palmer worm hath devoured; yet have ye not returned unto me (Amos 4:9).
“Gardens” signify all things of the church that constitute intelligence and wisdom; “vineyards” spiritual goods and truths; “fig-trees” natural goods and truths; “olive-trees” celestial goods and truths; “the palmer worm” means the falsity that destroys; “the fig-tree,” “the vine,” and “the olive” properly signify the church and the man of the church; but as the church is a church and man is a man from goods and truths, so these also are signified by those trees, goods by their fruits, and truths by their branches and leaves.
sRef Hag@2 @19 S9′ sRef Hag@2 @18 S9′ [9] In Haggai:
Set your heart from this day and onwards. Is not the seed yet in the barn, even to the vine and fig-tree, and the pomegranate and the olive-tree? (Hag. 2:18-19).
These words in the spiritual sense mean that there are goods and truths yet remaining; all goods and truths from first to last are meant by “the vine, the fig-tree, the pomegranate, and the olive-tree,” “the vine” meaning spiritual good and truth; “the fig-tree” natural good and truth; “the pomegranate” in general that which belongs to knowing and perceiving, and in particular, the knowledges and perceptions of good and truth; and “the olive-tree” the perception of celestial good and truth; “the barn” signifies where all these are, either the church or the man in whom the church is, or the mind of the man which is the subject.
sRef Hab@3 @17 S10′ [10] In Habakkuk:
The fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall there be produce on the vines; the labor of the olive shall dissemble, and the fields shall yield no food (Hab. 3:17).
“The fig-tree shall not blossom” signifies that there shall be no natural good; “neither shall there be produce on the vines” signifies that there shall be no spiritual good; “the labor of the olive shall dissemble” signifies that there shall be no celestial good; “the fields shall yield no food” signifies that there shall be no spiritual nourishment.
sRef Deut@8 @8 S11′ sRef Num@13 @23 S11′ sRef Deut@8 @7 S11′ [11] In Moses:
Jehovah God bringeth thee to a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths going forth in valley and mountain; a land of wheat and barley, and of vine and fig-tree and pomegranate; a land of oil-olive and honey (Deut. 8:7-8).
“The good land” to which they shall be led means the land of Canaan, which signifies the church; here, therefore, “vine,” “fig-tree,” “pomegranate,” and “olive,” have a like signification as above. (The remainder may be seen explained before, n. 374.)
Because “the land of Canaan” signifies the church, and “the vine,” “the fig-tree,” and “the pomegranate,” signify the internal and external things of the church, so it came to pass that the explorers of that land brought away such things from it, respecting which it is thus written in Moses:
The explorers of the land of Canaan came to the brook Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, which they bare upon a pole between two; and also of the pomegranates and of the figs (Num. 13:23).
sRef 1Ki@4 @25 S12′ sRef Micah@4 @1 S12′ sRef Zech@3 @10 S12′ sRef Micah@4 @3 S12′ sRef Micah@4 @2 S12′ sRef Micah@4 @4 S12′ sRef Zech@3 @9 S12′ sRef Micah@4 @3 S12′ [12] Because “the vine” and “the fig-tree” signify such things, it is said in the Word of those who are in the goods and truths of the church, and thus in safety from evils and falsities, that “they shall sit securely under their own vine and under their own fig-tree, and none shall make afraid.” Thus in the first book of Kings:
Judah and Israel dwelt in security, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon (1 Kings 4:25).
In Zechariah:
I will remove the iniquity of this land in one day. In that day ye shall cry every man to his companion, to the vine and to the fig-tree (Zech. 3:9-10).
And in Micah:
In the end of the days it shall be that the mountain of the house of Jehovah shall be established as the head of the mountains; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; and none shall make afraid (Micah 4:1, 3-4).
These things are said respecting the Lord’s kingdom, which is with those in the heavens and on the earth who are in love to Him. The Lord’s kingdom is signified by “the mountain of Jehovah, which is established as the head of the mountains,” for “the mountain of Jehovah” signifies the Lord’s kingdom constituted of those who are in love to Him; and as these dwell above the others in the heavens, it is said that this mountain “shall be established as the head of the mountains” (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 188). And as such have truths inscribed on their hearts, and therefore do not dispute about them, it is said that “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more,” which signifies that in that kingdom there shall be no disputation about truths (see in the same work, n. 25, 26, 270, 271). That through the truths and goods in which they are, they shall be safe from evils and falsities is signified by “they shall sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and none shall make afraid.”
sRef Jer@5 @17 S13′ sRef Jer@5 @15 S13′ [13] In Jeremiah:
Lo, I will bring upon you a nation from afar, which shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread; and it shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters; it shall eat up thy flock and thy herd; it shall eat up thy vine and thy fig tree (Jer. 5:15, 17).
“A nation from afar” signifies the evil opposed to celestial good, “from afar” signifying apart and remote from, also opposed to, goods and truths; “which shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread” signifies that it will destroy all truths and goods by which there is spiritual nourishment; “which shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters” signifies all the spiritual affections of truth and good; “which shall eat up thy flock and thy herd” signifies truths and goods internal and external; “which shall eat up thy vine and thy fig tree” signifies thus the internal and the external of the church.
sRef Hos@9 @10 S14′ [14] In Hosea:
I found*** Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first-ripe in the fig-tree in its first season (Hos. 9:10).
“Israel” and “the fathers” do not mean here the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, but those who were of the Ancient Church, because they were in good (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6050, 6075, 6846, 6876, 6884, 7649, 8055); because these were in good, but at the beginning in ignorance of truth, through which, however, good comes, it is said, “I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as a fig-tree in its first season,” “grapes” signifying spiritual good, “wilderness” signifying ignorance of truth, and “the first-ripe in the fig-tree” signifying natural good from spiritual good in infancy.
sRef Luke@21 @29 S15′ sRef Luke@21 @31 S15′ sRef Luke@21 @30 S15′ sRef Luke@21 @28 S15′ [15] In Luke:
When these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads. And He spoke a parable: Behold the fig-tree and all the trees; when now they shall have shot forth ye see and shall know of your own selves that summer is now near. So ye also, when ye shall see these things coming to pass know that the kingdom of God is nigh (Luke 21:28-31; Matt. 24:32; Mark 13:28-29).
This treats of the consummation of the age, which is the Last Judgment, and the signs which precede are enumerated, which are meant by “when all these things begin to come to pass;” that a new church is then to begin, which in its beginning will be external, is signified by “Behold the fig-tree and all the trees, when they have shot forth.” This parable or similitude was related because “the fig-tree” signifies the external church, and “trees” signify the knowledges of truth and good; “the kingdom of God,” which then is near, signifies the new church of the Lord; for at the time of the Last Judgment the old church perishes and a new one begins.
sRef Luke@6 @44 S16′ [16] In Luke:
Every tree is known by its own fruit; for from thorns men do not gather figs, nor from a bramble bush gather they the grape (Luke 6:44; Matt. 7:16);
as “fruit” signifies the good of life, and the good of life is external good from internal, or natural good from spiritual, and as from this good man is known, so the Lord says, “Every tree is known by its own fruit; from thorns men do not gather figs, nor from a bramble-bush gather they the grape,” “fig” here meaning the good of the external or natural man, and “the grape” the good of the internal or spiritual man; “thorns” and “bramble-bush” mean the evils opposed to these goods.
sRef 2Ki@20 @7 S17′ sRef Isa@38 @21 S17′ [17] Because the kings of Judah and Israel represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and Divine truth with man endures distress and labors as it were, when the life is not according to it and when it is not made the good of life, but when it is made the good of life it lives, so this was signified by the following:
By command of Jehovah they brought to Hezekiah king of Judah, when he was sick, a lump of figs, and placed it as a plaster upon his boil, and so he lived (2 Kings 20:7; Isa. 38:21).
From this it can be seen that “the fig-tree” in the genuine sense, signifies the natural man in respect to good and truth, the fig itself as a tree the natural man, the fig as a fruit the good of the natural man, and its leaf the truth of that good.
sRef Jer@24 @2 S18′ sRef Jer@24 @1 S18′ sRef Jer@24 @8 S18′ sRef Jer@24 @9 S18′ sRef Jer@24 @5 S18′ sRef Jer@24 @7 S18′ sRef Jer@24 @3 S18′ sRef Jer@24 @6 S18′ sRef Jer@24 @10 S18′ sRef Jer@24 @4 S18′ [18] But that “the fig-tree” in the contrary sense signifies the natural man in respect to evil and falsity, the fig as a tree the natural man itself, the figs of it as fruit, the evil of that natural man, and its leaf the falsity of that evil, is evident from the following passages. In Jeremiah:
Jehovah showed me, and behold, two baskets of figs set before the temple of Jehovah, one basket of very good figs, as of fig-trees bearing the firstfruits; and the other basket of very bad figs, that could not be eaten for badness. Jehovah said, As the good figs, so will I recognize those carried away of Judah into the land of the Chaldeans for good; and I will set Mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them back upon this land; and I will build them, and I will plant them. And as the bad figs, so will I give them that are left in this land to commotion, and to evil to all nations; and I will send among them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, that they may be consumed (Jer. 24:1-10);
“the captivity of the Jews in the land of the Chaldeans” means the like as the spiritual captivity or removal of the good from the evil in the spiritual world, according to what has been said above (n. 391, 392, 394, 397), namely that those who were inwardly evil, and yet were able to maintain a moral life externally like a spiritual life, remained upon the earth in the spiritual world, and made habitations for themselves there upon the higher places; while those who were inwardly good were removed from them, and concealed by the Lord in the lower earth; this was what was represented by the carrying away of the Jews into the land of the Chaldeans, and by the continuance of the rest of them in the land; therefore it is said concerning those who suffered themselves to be carried away into the land of the Chaldeans, “I recognize those carried away of Judah into the land of the Chaldeans for good; and I will set Mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them back upon this land; and I will build them, and I will plant them;” while of those that remained it is said “I will give them that are left in this land to commotion, and to evil to all nations; and I will send among them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, that they may be consumed.” That this is what was represented is evident also from this, that the temple of Solomon was destroyed before they were carried away, and a new one was built when they returned; “temple” signifying Divine worship, and “a new temple” worship restored.
sRef Jer@29 @16 S19′ sRef Jer@29 @17 S19′ [19] From this it can be seen what is signified by “the two baskets of figs set before the temple of Jehovah, in one of which were very good figs, as of fig-trees bearing the firstfruits, and in the other very bad figs, that could not be eaten for badness,” namely, that those who are inwardly good, of whom a new heaven is to be formed, are meant by “the basket of good figs;” and those who are inwardly evil, who are to be cast down into hell, are meant by “the basket of bad figs;” wherefore it is said of the latter that “they could not be eaten for badness,” signifying that such are inwardly evil, while of the former it is said that they were “as fig-trees bearing the firstfruits,” signifying that such are inwardly good, so that a new heaven may be formed out of them; for “the fig,” as a fruit, signifies the good of life both in its internal and its external form, and in the contrary sense it signifies the good of life merely in its external form, which is the evil of life, because inwardly it is evil, every external deriving all its quality from its internal, as it is an effect of it. With such, evil appears in externals as good, because they feign good for the sake of the evil that is within, in order to obtain some end, to which the seeming good serves as a means. The like is said of those who remained in the land of Canaan elsewhere in the same prophet:
Thus said Jehovah concerning the king, and all the people that dwell in this city that are not gone forth with you into captivity: Behold, I will send against them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten for badness (Jer. 29:16-17).
sRef Luke@13 @7 S20′ sRef Luke@13 @6 S20′ sRef Luke@13 @8 S20′ sRef Luke@13 @9 S20′ [20] That “the fig,” as a tree, in the contrary sense signifies a merely natural man, and a church constituted of such, or those with whom there is no natural good because there is no good within is evident in Luke:
Jesus spoke this parable: A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard; he therefore came seeking fruit thereon, but found none. He said unto the vine dresser, Behold, three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, but find none; cut it down, why also doth it make the land unfruitful? But he answering said, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it and dung it, if indeed it will bear fruit; but if not, after that thou shalt cut it down (Luke 13:6-9).
“The vineyard in which was the fig-tree” signifies the church, which contains also such as are in externals; for in the Lord’s church there is both an internal and an external; the internal of the church is charity and the faith therefrom, while the external of the church is the good of life. The works of charity and faith, which are the good of life, belong to the natural man, while charity itself and faith therefrom belong to the spiritual man, therefore “a vineyard” signifies the internal of the church, and “a fig-tree” its external. With the Jewish nation there was only the external of the church, since it was in external representative worship; therefore “a fig tree” means the church with that nation; but because they were in external worship and in no internal, being inwardly evil, and external worship without internal is no worship, and with the evil is evil worship, therefore with them there was nothing of natural good. It is therefore said that “for three years he found no fruit on the fig-tree, and that he told the vine dresser to cut it down,” which signifies that from beginning to end there was no natural good with that nation, “three years” signifying a whole period, or the time from beginning to end, and “the fruit of the fig tree” signifying natural good; by natural good is meant spiritual-natural good, or good in the natural from the spiritual. And because a church composed of such as are not in natural good, as was the Jewish nation, is not a church, it is also said “why also doth it make the land unfruitful?” “land” meaning the church; “the vine dresser saying that it should still be left, and he would dig about it” signifies that they would remain, and that they would hereafter be instructed by the Christians, in the midst of whom they would be; but no answer being made to this means that the fig tree would still produce no fruit, that is, that no good proceeding from anything spiritual would be done by the Jewish nation.
sRef Matt@21 @18 S21′ sRef Matt@21 @19 S21′ [21] This is the signification of “the fig-tree that withered away” when the Lord found no fruit on it, in Matthew:
In the morning Jesus returning into the city, hungered. And seeing a fig-tree by the way, He came to it, but found nothing thereon but leaves, therefore He said unto it, Let nothing grow on thee henceforward forever; therefore from that time the fig-tree withered away (Matt. 21:18, 19; Mark 11:12-14).
Here, too, “the fig-tree” means the church with the Jewish nation. That with that nation there was no natural good, but only truth falsified, which in itself is falsity, is signified by “the Lord came to the fig-tree, but found nothing thereon but leaves,” “the fruit” which He did not find signifying natural good such as was described above, and “the leaf” signifying truth falsified, which in itself is falsity, for in the Word “leaf” signifies truth, but the leaf of a tree that is without fruit signifies falsity, and with that nation truth falsified, because they had the Word in which truths are, but which they falsified by application to themselves, which was the source of their traditions. That no natural good from a spiritual origin, which is called spiritual-natural good, would be done by that nation is signified by the words that the Lord spoke respecting it, “Let nothing grow on thee henceforward forever; therefore from that time it withered away;” “to wither away” signifying that there was no longer any good or any truth. The Lord saw the fig-tree and said this when He was returning into the city, and hungered, because “the city of Jerusalem” signifies the church, and “hungering,” in reference to the Lord, signifies to desire good in the church (as may be seen above, n, 386). One who does not know the signification of “fig-tree,” and that this fig-tree meant the church with that nation, thinks no otherwise than the Lord did this from indignation because He was hungry; but it was not done for that reason, but that it might be signified that such was the quality of the Jewish nation; for all the Lord’s miracles involve and signify such things as belong to heaven and the church, whence those miracles were Divine (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7337, 8364, 9051 at the end).
[22] A perverted church, or the man of the church perverted in respect to his natural or external man is also signified by the fig-tree in David:
He gave them hail for their rain, a fire of flames in their land; and He smote their vine and their fig-tree; He brake the tree of their border (Ps. 105:32-33).
This was said of Egypt, which signifies the natural man that is in falsities and evils; and “vine,” “fig tree,” and “the tree of the border” signify all things of the church, “vine” the internal or spiritual things thereof, “fig-tree” the external or natural things thereof, and “the tree of the border” everything pertaining to knowing and perceiving, “the border” signifying the ultimate in which the interior things close, and in which they are together, and “trees” signifying knowledges and perceptions. Because all these things were perverted and therefore damned, it is said that they were “smitten and broken,” which signifies destruction and damnation; that this was done by the falsities of evil which are from the love of the world is signified by “hail for their rain, a fire of flames in their land,” “rain as hail” signifying the falsities of evil, and “the fire of flames” the love of the world.
sRef Nahum@3 @12 S23′ [23] In Nahum:
All thy fortresses shall be like fig-trees with the first-ripe figs, if they be shaken they fall upon the mouth of the eater (Nahum 3:12).
This is said of “the city of bloods,” which signifies doctrine in which truths are falsified and goods adulterated. This is compared to “fig-trees with the first-ripe figs, if they be shaken they fall upon the mouth of the eater,” and this signifies that the goods therein are not goods, however much they may appear to be goods; and that such are not received, or if received are received only in the memory and not in the heart. That “if they be shaken they fall” signifies that they are not goods although they appear to be goods, because they are “the first-ripe figs;” and their falling “upon the mouth of the eater” signifies that they are not received even in the memory. That “the mouth of the eater” signifies non-reception is evident from appearances in the spiritual world; for those who commit anything to memory appear to receive it with the mouth; so “to fall upon the mouth” signifies not to receive even in the memory but only to hear, and also if they do receive, that it is only in the memory and not in the heart. “Fig-trees with their first-ripe figs” may also mean genuine goods, of which the like is true as of those who are in the falsities of evil.
* Photolithograph has “its host;” the Hebrew “their host;” the latter is found in AE n. 573.
** Photolithograph has “immense teeth,” but AC n. 556 and AC n. 9052 have “immense lion” with Hebrew.
*** Photolithograph has “I saw;” Hebrew has “I found;” this is also found in the explanation AE n. 403, as well as AE n. 918, and in AC n. 217, 1971, 5117.

sRef Isa@34 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@6 @14 S0′ 404. Verse 14. And the heaven departed as a book rolled up, signifies that the spiritual man became closed up. This is evident from the signification of “heaven,” as being the church in general and in particular; for the church is the heaven of the Lord on the earth; moreover, the church makes one with heaven by conjunction; therefore when “heaven and earth” are mentioned in the Word, the church internal and external is meant, for the internal of the men of the church is heaven with them, and their external is the world with them; and as “heaven and earth” signify the church internal and external so they signify the internal and external man, or the spiritual and the natural man; for as man in whom is the good of love and of faith is a church, so the church, in general exists from the men in whom the church is. This makes clear why it is that “heaven” here means the internal or spiritual man. It is said “the spiritual man,” by which is meant the spiritual mind, which is the higher or interior mind of man, while the lower or exterior mind is called the natural man. The above is evident also from the signification of “departed as a book rolled up,” as meaning that it became closed up; for the spiritual mind, which is, as was said, the higher or interior mind with man, is opened by truths applied to life, thus by goods, but it is closed up by falsities applied to life, thus by evils; and the closing up is as the rolling up of the scroll of a book. That this is so was made very clear by the appearances in the spiritual world when the Last Judgment was accomplished; for the mountains and the hills there then appeared sometimes to be rolled up as the scroll of a book is rolled up, and those that were upon them were then rolled down into hell. The cause of this appearance was this: that the interiors of their minds, through which somewhat of light from heaven had before flowed in, were then closed up. What takes place in general with many, takes place with everyone in particular of a like character, for in the spiritual world such as the general is, such is the particular (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 73). By “book” is meant a scroll, because in ancient times there were no types and thus no books like those at the present day, but there were scrolls of parchments; so “books” in Revelation mean scrolls, and “heaven departed as a book rolled up” means as a scroll rolled up; the same as in Isaiah:
All the host of the heavens shall waste away, and the heavens shall be rolled up as a book (Isa. 34:4).

sRef Rev@6 @14 S0′ 405. And every mountain and island were moved out of their places, signifies that every good of love and every truth of faith perished. This is evident from the signification of “a mountain,” as being the good of love to the Lord (of which presently); from the signification of “island” as being the truth of faith (of which in the next article); and from the signification of “to be moved out of their places,” as being to be taken away and to perish, since the good of love and the truth of faith are meant, for when these are moved out of their places, then evils and falsities take their place, and through evils and falsities goods and truths perish. “Mountain” signifies the good of love, because in heaven those who are in the good of love to the Lord, dwell upon mountains, and those who are in charity towards the neighbor dwell upon hills; or, what is the same, those who are of the Lord’s celestial kingdom dwell upon mountains, and those who are of His spiritual kingdom dwell upon hills; and the celestial kingdom is distinguished from the spiritual kingdom in this, that those who are of the celestial kingdom are in love to the Lord, and those who are of the spiritual kingdom are in charity towards the neighbor (but of the latter and the former, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28). This is why “mountain” signifies the good of love to the Lord.
[2] The good of love to the Lord is meant in an abstract sense by “mountain,” because all things in the internal sense of the Word are spiritual, and spiritual things must be understood in a sense abstracted from persons and places; consequently, because angels are spiritual they think and speak abstractedly from these, and thereby have intelligence and wisdom; for the idea of persons and places limits the thought, since it confines it to persons and places, and thus limits it. This idea of thought is proper to the natural, while the idea abstracted from persons and places extends itself into heaven in every direction, and is no otherwise limited than the sight of the eye is limited when it looks up into the sky without intervening objects; such an idea is proper to the spiritual. This is why “a mountain” in the spiritual sense of the Word signifies the good of love. It is similar with the signification of “the earth,” as being the church; for thought abstracted from places, and from nations and peoples upon the earth, is thought respecting the church there or with these; this, therefore, is signified by “earth” in the Word. It is similar with the other things that are mentioned in the natural sense of the Word, as with hills, rocks, valleys, rivers, seas, cities, houses, gardens, woods, and other things.
sRef Amos@4 @12 S3′ sRef Amos@4 @13 S3′ [3] That “mountain” signifies the love to the Lord, and thus all good that is from that, which is called celestial good, and in the contrary sense signifies the love of self, and thus all the evil that is from that, is evident from the following passages in the Word. In Amos:
Dispose thyself towards thy God, O Israel; for lo, He is the Former of the mountains, and the Creator of the spirit, and declareth unto man what is his thought (Amos 4:12-13).
God is here called “the Former of the mountains” because “mountains” signify the goods of love, and “the Creator of the spirit” because “spirit” signifies life from such goods; and because through these He gives intelligence to man it is added, “and declareth unto man what is his thought,” for the intelligence that man has is of his thought, which flows in from the Lord through the good of love into his life, so “to declare” here means to flow in.
sRef Ps@65 @6 S4′ [4] In David:
God who maketh firm the mountains by His power; He is girded with might (Ps. 65:6).
Here, too, “mountains” signify the goods of love; these the “Lord maketh firm” in heaven and in the church through His Divine truth, which has all power; therefore it is said “He maketh firm the mountains by His power; He is girded with might.” In the Word “God’s power” signifies Divine truth; and “might” in reference to the Lord signifies all might or omnipotence. (That all power is in the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 228-233; and above, n. 209, 333; and that might in reference to the Lord is omnipotence, see above, n. 338.)
sRef Ps@121 @2 S5′ [5] In the same:
I lift up mine eyes to the mountains, whence cometh help (Ps. 121:1).
“Mountains” here mean the heavens; and as in the heavens those who are in the goods of love and of charity dwell upon the mountains and hills, as was said above, and the Lord is in these goods, “to lift up the eyes to the mountains” also means to the Lord, from whom is all help. When “mountains,” in the plural, are mentioned, both mountains and hills are meant, consequently both the good of love to the Lord and the good of charity towards the neighbor.
sRef Isa@30 @25 S6′ [6] In Isaiah:
There shall be upon every high mountain and upon every lofty hill streams, rivulets of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall (Isa. 30:25).
The Last Judgment, which is here treated of, is meant by “the day of great slaughter, when the towers shall fall,” “great slaughter” meaning the destruction of the evil, “the towers which shall fall,” the falsities of doctrine that are from the love of self and the world. That this is what “towers” signify is from appearances in the spiritual world, for those who seek to rule by such things as pertain to the church build towers for themselves in high places (see in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 56, 58). That such then as are in love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbor are raised up into heaven and imbued with intelligence and wisdom, is meant by “there shall be upon every high mountain and upon every lofty hill streams, rivulets of waters;” “the high mountain” signifying where those are who are in love to the Lord, and “lofty hill” where those are who are in charity towards the neighbor; “streams” wisdom, and “rivulets of waters” intelligence, for “waters” mean truths, from which are intelligence and wisdom.
sRef Joel@3 @18 S7′ [7] In Joel:
It shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters (Joel 3:18).
This treats of the Lord’s coming and of the new heaven and the new earth at that time; “the mountains shall drop down sweet wine” means that all truth shall be from the good of love to the Lord; “the hills shall flow with milk” means that there shall be spiritual life from the good of charity towards the neighbor; and “all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters” means that there shall be truths from the particulars of the Word, through which there is intelligence. (But these things may be seen more fully explained above, n. 376.)
sRef Nahum@1 @15 S8′ sRef Isa@52 @7 S8′ sRef Isa@40 @9 S8′ [8] In Nahum:
Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that proclaimeth good tidings, [that publisheth] peace (Nahum 1:15).
In Isaiah:
How joyous [upon the mountains] are the feet of him that proclaimeth good tidings, that maketh peace to be heard; that saith unto Zion, Thy king* reigneth (Isa. 52:7).
In the same:
O Zion, that proclaimest good tidings, go up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that proclaimest good tidings, lift up thy voice with power (Isa. 40:9).
This is said of the Lord’s coming, and of the salvation at that time of those who are in the good of love to Him, and thence in truths of doctrine from the Word; and as the salvation of these is treated of, it is said, “Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that publisheth peace,” and “O Zion, that proclaimest good tidings, go up into the high mountain,” “to publish peace,” signifying to preach the Lord’s coming, for “peace” in the highest sense signifies the Lord, and in the internal sense every good and truth that is from the Lord (see above, n. 365); and “O Zion, that proclaimest good tidings,” means the church that is in the good of love to the Lord; and “O Jerusalem, that proclaimest good tidings,” the church that is thence in truths of doctrine from the Word.
sRef Isa@49 @13 S9′ sRef Isa@49 @11 S9′ [9] In Isaiah:
I will make all My mountains for a way, and My highways shall be exalted. Sing aloud O heavens, and exult O earth, and break forth with singing aloud O mountains; for Jehovah hath comforted His people (Isa. 49:11, 13).
“Mountains,” in the plural, mean both mountains and hills, thus both the good of love and the good of charity. “Mountains and hills shall be made for a way, and highways shall be exalted” signifies that those who are in these goods shall be in genuine truths; “to be made for a way” signifying to be in truths, and “highways being exalted” signifying to be in genuine truths; for “ways and highways” signify truths, which are said to be exalted by good, and the truths that are from good are genuine truths. Their joy of heart on this account is signified by “Sing aloud O heavens, exult O earth,” internal joy by “Sing aloud O heavens,” and external joy by “exult O earth.” Confessions from joy originating in the good of love are signified by “break forth with singing aloud O mountains;” that this is on account of reformation and regeneration is signified by “for Jehovah hath comforted his people.” Evidently mountains in the world are not here meant; for why should mountains be made for a way, and highways be exalted, and mountains resound with singing aloud?
sRef Isa@44 @23 S10′ [10] In the same:
Sing aloud ye heavens, shout ye lower parts of the earth, break forth with singing aloud, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein; for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and hath shown Himself glorious in Israel (Isa. 44:23).
“Sing aloud ye heavens, shout ye lower parts of the earth, break forth with singing aloud ye mountains,” has a like signification as just above; but here “mountains” signify the goods of charity; therefore it is also said, “O forest and every tree therein,” for “a forest” means the external or natural man in respect to all things thereof, and “every tree” means the cognizing and knowing faculty therein; the reformation of these is signified by “Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and hath shown Himself glorious in Israel;” “Jacob and Israel” meaning the church external and internal; thus the external and internal with those in whom the church is.
sRef Isa@55 @12 S11′ sRef Ps@148 @9 S11′ [11] In the same:
The mountains and hills shall break forth with singing aloud, and all the trees of the field shall clap the hand (Isa. 55:12).
In David:
Praise Jehovah, mountains and hills, tree of fruit, and all cedars (Ps. 148:7, 9).
This describes the joy of heart from the good of love and charity; and “mountains,” “hills,” “trees,” and “cedars,” are said “to break forth with singing aloud,” “to clap the hand,” and “to praise,” because these signify the goods and truths that cause joys in man; for man does not rejoice from himself, but from the goods and truths that are with him; these rejoice because they make joy for man.
sRef Isa@42 @11 S12′ [12] In Isaiah:
The wilderness and its cities shall lift up their voice, and the villages that Arabia doth inhabit; the inhabitants of the cliff shall sing aloud, they shall shout from the top of the mountains (Isa. 42:11).
“The wilderness” signifies the obscurity of truth; “its cities” signify doctrinals; “villages” the natural cognitions and knowledges; “Arabia” the natural man, for “an Arabian in the wilderness” means the natural man; “the inhabitants of the cliff” signify the goods of faith, or those who are in the goods of faith; “the top of the mountains” signifies the good of love to the Lord. This makes clear what the particulars signify in their order, namely, confession and joyful worship from the good of love in such things as are mentioned; for “to shout from the top of the mountains” means to worship from the good of love.
sRef Ps@68 @16 S13′ sRef Ps@68 @15 S13′ [13] In David:
A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan; why leap ye, ye mountains, ye hills of the mountain? God desireth to dwell in it; yea, Jehovah will inhabit it perpetually (Ps. 68:15-16).
“The mountain of Bashan” signifies voluntary good, such as exists in those who are in the externals of the church; for Bashan was a region beyond Jordan, which was given as an inheritance to the half tribe of Manasseh, as may be seen in Joshua (13:29-32); and “Manasseh” signifies the voluntary good of the external or natural man. This voluntary good is the same as the good of love in the external man, for all good of love is of the will, and all truth therefrom is of the understanding; therefore “Ephraim,” his brother, signifies the intellectual truth of that good. Because “the mountain of Bashan” signifies that good, “the hills” of that mountain signify goods in act. Because it is the will that acts-for every activity of the mind and body is from the will, as everything active of thought and speech is from the understanding, therefore the joy arising from the good of love is described and meant by “skipping” and “leaping;” this makes clear what is signified by “a mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan; why leap ye, ye mountains, ye hills of the mountain?” Because the Lord dwells with man in his voluntary good, from which are goods in act, it is said, “God desireth to dwell in it; yea, Jehovah will inhabit it perpetually.”
sRef Ps@114 @3 S14′ sRef Ps@114 @4 S14′ sRef Ps@114 @8 S14′ sRef Ps@114 @2 S14′ sRef Ps@114 @5 S14′ sRef Ps@114 @7 S14′ sRef Ps@114 @6 S14′ [14] In the same:
Judah became the sanctuary of Jehovah. The sea saw it and fled; the Jordan turned itself back. The mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the sons of the flock. What hast thou O sea, that thou fleest? O Jordan, that thou turnest back? ye mountains, that ye leap like rams; ye hills, like sons of the flock? Before the Lord thou art in travail, O earth, before the God of Jacob; who turned the rock into a pool of waters, the flint into a fountain of waters (Ps. 114:2-8).
This describes the departure of the sons of Israel out of Egypt; and yet without explanation by the internal sense no one can know what this signifies, as that “the mountains then leaped like rams, and the hills like the sons of the flock,” likewise what is meant by “the sea saw it and fled, and the Jordan turned itself back.” It shall therefore be explained. The establishment of the church, or the regeneration of the men of the church, is here meant in the internal sense, for the church that was to be established is signified by the sons of Israel, its establishment by their departure, the shaking off of evils by the passage through the sea Suph, which is said “to have fled,” and the introduction into the church by the crossing of the Jordan, which is said to have “turned itself back.” But for the particulars: “Judah became a sanctuary, and Israel a domain,” signifies that the good of love to the Lord is the very holiness of heaven and the church, and that truth from that good is that by which there is government; for “Judah” signifies celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord; “sanctuary” the very holiness of heaven and the church; “Israel” spiritual good, which is truth from that good, by which there is government, for all government pertaining to the Lord is a government of Divine truth proceeding from Divine good; “the sea saw it and fled, Jordan turned itself back,” signifies that when the evils and falsities which are in the natural man had been shaken off, true knowledges [scientifica] and cognitions [cognitiones] of truth and good took their place; “the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the sons of the flock,” signifies that celestial good, which is the good of love, and spiritual good, which is truth from that good, produce good or come into effect from joy; “mountains” signifying the good of love, “hills” the goods of charity, which in their essence are truths from that good; and “to leap,” because it is predicated of these, signifies to produce good from joy. It is said “like rams,” and “like the sons of the flock,” because “rams” signify the goods of charity, and “the sons of the flock” truths therefrom. The establishment of the church from these, that is, the regeneration of the men of the church, is signified by, “before the Lord thou art in travail, O earth, before the God of Jacob; who turned the rock into a pool of waters, and the flint into a fountain of waters;” “earth” meaning the church; and this is said “to be in travail” when it is established or when the man of the church is born anew; it is said “before the Lord” and “before the God of Jacob,” because where the good of love is treated of in the Word the Lord is called “the Lord;” and when goods in act are treated of He is called “the God of Jacob.” Regeneration by truths from goods is signified by “He turned the rock into a pool of waters, and the flint into a fountain of waters;” “pool of waters” signifying the knowledges of truth, and “fountain of waters” the Word from which these are, and “rock” the natural man in respect to truth before reformation, and “flint” the natural man in respect to good before reformation.
sRef Ps@80 @10 S15′ sRef Ps@80 @8 S15′ [15] In the same:
Thou hast caused a vine to journey out of Egypt; Thou hast driven out the nations and planted it. The mountains were covered by its shadow, and the cedars of God by its branches (Ps. 80:8, 10).
“A vine out of Egypt” signifies the spiritual church which has its beginning with man by means of knowledges and cognitions in the natural man, “vine” meaning the spiritual church, and “Egypt” the knowing faculty [scientificum] which is in the natural man; “thou hast driven out the nations, and planted it,” signifies that when evils had been cast out therefrom the church was established; “nations” meaning evils, and “to plant a vine” meaning to establish the spiritual church; “the mountains were covered by its shadow, and the cedars of God by its branches,” signifies that the whole church is from spiritual goods and truths; “mountains” meaning spiritual goods, and “the cedars of God” spiritual truths. Evidently the bringing forth of the sons of Israel out of Egypt and their introduction into the land of Canaan, from which the nations were expelled, is what is meant by these words; and yet the same words, in the internal sense, mean such things as have been explained; nor was anything else represented and signified by the introduction of the sons of Israel into the land of Canaan, and by the expulsion of the nations from it; for all the historical parts of the Word, as well as its prophetical parts, involve spiritual things.
sRef Isa@65 @9 S16′ sRef Isa@7 @25 S16′ [16] In Isaiah:
As to all mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe, there shall not come thither the fear of briar and bramble; but there shall be the sending forth of the ox and the trampling of the sheep (Isa. 7:25).
“The mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe” mean those who do what is good from a love of good. (What the remainder signifies see above, n. 304, where it is explained.) In the same:
I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains, that My chosen may possess it and My servants dwell there (Isa. 65:9).
“Jacob” and “Judah” signify the church, “Jacob” the external church, which is in the knowledges of good and truth, and “Judah” the [internal] church which is in the good of love to the Lord; therefore “a seed out of Jacob” signifies the knowledges of good and truth, and thus such as are in these; and “the mountains whose inheritor shall be out of Judah,” signify the good of love to the Lord, and thence such as are in it; “the chosen who shall possess the mountain,” signify those who are in good, and “the servants” those who are in truths from good.
sRef Jer@16 @16 S17′ sRef Jer@16 @15 S17′ [17] In Jeremiah:
I will bring the sons of Israel back upon their land. Behold, I will send to many fishers, who shall fish them; and I will send to many hunters, who shall hunt them from upon every mountain and from upon every hill and out of the holes of the cliffs (Jer. 16:15-16).
This treats of the establishment of a new church, which was represented and signified by the bringing back of the Jews from the captivity out of the land of Babylon into the land of Canaan. He who does not know what is signified by “fishing and hunting,” by “mountain,” “hill,” and “holes of the cliffs,” can gather nothing from these words that he can comprehend. That a church was to be established from those who are in natural good and in spiritual good is meant by “I will send fishers who shall fish them, and hunters who shall hunt them.” To gather together those who are in natural good is meant by “sending fishers who shall fish them;” and to gather together those who are in spiritual good is meant by “sending hunters who shall hunt them;” because such are meant it is added, “from upon every mountain and from upon every hill, and out of the holes of the cliffs,” those “upon a mountain” meaning those who are in the good of love, “those upon a hill” those who are in the good of charity; “and those out of the holes of the cliffs” those who are in obscurities respecting truth.
sRef Ezek@36 @8 S18′ [18] In Ezekiel:
Ye mountains of Israel, ye shall give forth your branch, and bear your fruit to My people Israel, when they draw near to come (Ezek. 36:8).
“The mountains of Israel” signify the goods of charity; that from these are the truths of faith and the goods of life, is signified by “ye shall give forth your branch, and bear your fruit;” “branch” meaning the truth of faith, and “fruit” the good of life.
sRef Amos@9 @14 S19′ sRef Amos@9 @13 S19′ [19] In Amos:
Behold, the days come, that the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall dissolve; for I will bring back the captivity of My people (Amos 9:13-14).
What these words signify may be seen above (n. 376), where they are explained. “The mountains” are said “to drop sweet wine,” and “the hills to dissolve,” because “mountains” signify the good of love to the Lord, and “hills” the good of charity towards the neighbor, and “sweet wine” truths; therefore these words signify that from these two goods they shall have truths in abundance, for the bringing back of the people from captivity, about which this is said, signifies the establishment of a new church.
sRef Ps@36 @6 S20′ [20] In David:
Jehovah, Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God; Thy judgments like a great deep (Ps. 36:6).
Because “righteousness,” in the Word, is predicated of good, and “judgment” of truth, it is said that “the righteousness of Jehovah is like the mountains of God, and His judgments like a great deep;” “the mountains of God” signifying the good of charity, and “the deep” truths in general, which are called the truths of faith. (That “righteousness” is predicated of good, and “judgment” of truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2235, 9857.)
sRef Ps@104 @13 S21′ sRef Ps@104 @7 S21′ sRef Ps@104 @10 S21′ sRef Ps@104 @9 S21′ sRef Ps@104 @8 S21′ sRef Ps@104 @6 S21′ sRef Ps@104 @5 S21′ [21] In the same:
Jehovah hath founded the earth upon its bases; Thou hast covered it with the deep as with a vesture; the waters stand above the mountains. At Thy rebuke they flee; at the voice of Thy thunder they hurried away. The mountains arise, the valleys sink down unto the place which Thou hast founded for them. Thou hast set a bound, they pass it not; they return not again to cover the earth. He sendeth forth springs into the brooks, they flow between the mountains. He watereth the mountains from His upper chambers; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Thy works (Ps. 104:5-10, 13).
This, understood in the spiritual sense, describes the process of regeneration, or of the formation of the church with man; and “He hath founded the earth upon its bases,” signifies the church with man with its boundaries and closings; “Thou hast covered it with the deep as with a vesture,” signifies with knowledges [scientifica] in the natural man, by which knowledges the interiors of the natural man, where the spiritual things of the church have their seat, are encompassed; “the deep” signifying knowledges in general, and “vesture” the true knowledges encircling and investing; “the waters stand above the mountains” signifies the falsities above the delights of the natural loves, which delights are in themselves evils; “mountains” meaning the evils of those loves, and “waters” falsities therefrom; “at Thy rebuke they flee, at the voice of Thy thunder they hurry away” signifies that falsities are dispersed by truths, and evils by goods from heaven; “the mountains arise, and the valleys sink down unto the place which Thou hast founded for them” signifies that in place of natural loves and of evils therefrom there are inserted heavenly loves and goods from them, and in place of falsities general truths are let down; “Thou hast set a bound, they pass it not, they return not again to cover the earth” signifies that falsities and evils are kept without, separated from truths and goods, and held within bounds that they may not flow in again and destroy; “He sendeth forth springs into the brooks, they flow between the mountains” signifies that the Lord, out of the truths of the Word, gives intelligence, all things of which are from the good of celestial love; “springs” signifying the truths of the Word, “springs sent into brooks” the intelligence therefrom, and their “flowing between the mountains” that they are from the goods of celestial love, “mountains” meaning such goods. “He watereth the mountains from His upper chambers” signifies that all goods are by means of truths from heaven; “to water” is predicated of truths, because “waters” mean truths; “mountains” mean the goods of love; and “upper chambers” the heavens from which these are; “the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Thy works” signifies that from the Divine operation the church continually increases with man; “the fruit of works” meaning, in reference to the Lord, the Divine operation, and “the earth” the church in man, the formation of which is here treated of; and the church is said “to be satisfied” by continual increase. These are the arcana that are hid in these words; but who can see them unless he knows them from the internal sense, and unless he is in knowledges, in this case, unless he is in knowledge respecting the internal and external man, and the goods and truths that constitute the church in these?
sRef Zech@6 @1 S22′ [22] In Zechariah:
I lifted up mine eyes and saw, when behold, four chariots coming out from between the mountains; and the mountains were mountains of copper (Zech. 6:1).
A new church to be established among the Gentiles is treated of in this chapter, for a new temple is treated of, which signifies a new church. “Chariots coming out from between the mountains” signify doctrine, which is to be formed out of good by means of truths, “chariots” signifying doctrinals, “mountains” the goods of love, and “between mountains” truths from goods; for “valleys,” which are between mountains, signify lower truths, which are the truths of the natural man. That it may be known, that “mountains” here signify the goods of the natural man, it is said, “and the mountains were mountains of copper,” “copper” signifying the good of the natural man.
sRef Zech@14 @5 S23′ sRef Zech@14 @4 S23′ sRef Zech@14 @3 S23′ sRef Zech@14 @6 S23′ sRef Zech@14 @7 S23′ sRef Zech@14 @5 S23′ [23] In Zechariah:
Jehovah shall go forth and fight against the nations; His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, before the faces of Jerusalem from the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be cloven asunder, a part thereof toward the east and toward the sea with a great valley, and a part of the mountain shall withdraw toward the north, and a part of it toward the south. Then shall ye flee through the valley of My mountains; and the valley of the mountains shall reach towards Azal (Zech. 14:3-5).
This is said of the Last Judgment, which was accomplished by the Lord when He was in the world; for when the Lord was in the world He reduced all things to order in the heavens and in the hells, therefore He then wrought a judgment upon the evil and upon the good. This judgment is what is meant in the word of the Old Testament by “the day of indignation,” “of anger,” “of wrath,” “of the vengeance of Jehovah,” and by “the year of retributions” (on this judgment see the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 46). That the Lord’s coming and the judgment that then took place are treated of in this chapter, is evident from these words in it:
Then Jehovah my God shall come, all the holy ones with Thee. And there shall be in that day no light, brightness, nor flashing; and it shall be one day that shall be known to Jehovah, not day nor night; for about the time of evening there shall be light (Zech. 14:5-7).
“The time of evening” means the last time of the church, when judgment takes place; then it is “evening” to the evil, but “light” to the good. As soon as these things are known, it becomes plain, through the spiritual sense, what the particulars here signify, namely, “Jehovah shall go forth and fight against the nations” signifies the Last Judgment upon the evil, “to go forth and fight” means to execute judgment, and “nations” the evil; “His feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives, before the faces of Jerusalem from the east” signifies that this is effected from the Divine love by means of Divine truths proceeding from His Divine good; “the Mount of Olives” signifying, in reference to the Lord, the Divine love, “Jerusalem,” the church in respect to truths, and therefore the Divine truths of the church, and “the east” the Divine good; “the Mount of Olives shall be cloven asunder, a part thereof toward the east and toward the sea, with a great valley” signifies the separation of those who are in good from those who are in evil; for “the Mount of Olives,” as was said, means the Divine love; “the east” means where those are who are in Divine good, and “the sea” where those are who are in evil, for in the western quarter of the spiritual world is a sea which separates; “a part of the mountain shall withdraw toward the north, and part of it toward the south” signifies the separation of those who are in the falsities of evil from those who are in the truths of good; “the north” meaning where those are who are in the falsities of evil, since they are in darkness, and “the south” where those are who are in the truths of good, since they are in light; “then shall ye flee through the valley of my mountains” signifies that then those who are in truths from good shall be rescued, “to flee” signifying to be rescued, “the valley of the mountains” signifying where those are who are in the knowledges of truth, and thus in truths from good, for those who are in the knowledges of truth dwell in valleys, and those who are in good upon the mountains; “and the valley of the mountains shall reach even unto Azal” signifies separation from the falsities of evil, “Azal” signifying separation and liberation.
sRef Luke@21 @37 S24′ [24] Because “the Mount of Olives,” which was before Jerusalem eastward, signified the Divine love, and “Jerusalem from the east” Divine truth proceeding from Divine good, as was said above, the Lord was accustomed to stay on that mount, as is evident in Luke:
Jesus during the days was teaching in the temple; but at night He went out and lodged in the mount that is called the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37; 22:39; John 8:1).
It was here, too, that He spoke with His disciples about His coming and the consummation of the age, that is, about the Last Judgment (Matt. 24:3 seq.; Mark 13:3 seq.). It was from here, also, that He went to Jerusalem and suffered (Matt. 21:1; 26:30; Mark 11:1; 14:26; Luke 19:29, 37; 21:37; 22:39); signifying thereby that He did all things from the Divine love, for “the Mount of Olives” signified that love; for whatever the Lord did in the world was representative, and whatever He spoke was significative. The Lord when in the world was in representatives and significatives, in order that He might be in the ultimates of heaven and the church, and at the same time in their firsts, and thus might rule and dispose ultimates from firsts, and thus all intermediates from firsts through ultimates; representatives and significatives are in ultimates.
sRef Matt@17 @1 S25′ sRef Ex@19 @20 S25′ [25] Because “a mountain” signified the good of love and in reference to the Lord, the Divine good of the Divine love, from which good Divine truth proceeds, so Jehovah, that is, the Lord, descended upon Mount Sinai and promulgated the law. For it is said that:
He came down upon that mount, to the top of the mount (Exod. 19:20; 24:16-17);
And that He promulgated the law there (Exod. 20).
Therefore also Divine truth from Divine good is signified in the Word by “Sinai,” and also by “the law” there promulgated. So too:
The Lord took Peter, James, and John into a high mountain, when He was transfigured (Matt. 17:1; Mark 9:2).
and when He was transfigured He appeared in Divine truth from Divine good, for “His face which was as the sun” represented the Divine good, and “His raiment which was as the light” the Divine truth; and “Moses and Elias,” who appeared, signified the Word, which is Divine truth from the Divine good.
sRef Obad@1 @17 S26′ sRef Obad@1 @16 S26′ sRef Joel@2 @1 S26′ sRef Isa@66 @20 S26′ sRef Dan@9 @16 S26′ sRef Isa@27 @13 S26′ sRef Micah@4 @1 S26′ sRef Micah@4 @2 S26′ sRef Ezek@20 @40 S26′ sRef Isa@57 @13 S26′ sRef Isa@2 @2 S26′ sRef Isa@2 @3 S26′ sRef Rev@14 @1 S26′ sRef Isa@16 @1 S26′ [26] Since “a mountain” signified the good of love, and in the highest sense, the Divine good, and from the Divine good Divine truth proceeds, so Mount Zion was built up above Jerusalem, and in the Word “Mount Zion” signifies the church that is in the good of love to the Lord, and “Jerusalem” the church that is in truths from that good, or the church in respect to doctrine. For the same reason Jerusalem is called “the mountain of holiness,” also “the hill;” for “the mountain of holiness,” likewise “hill” signify spiritual good, which in its essence is truth from good, as can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
It shall come to pass in the latter end of days that the mountain of Jehovah shall be on the head of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; whence all nations shall flow unto it; and many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob (Isa. 2:2-3).
In the same:
In that day a great trumpet shall be blown, and the perishing in the land of Assyria shall come, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and they shall bow down to Jehovah in the mountain of holiness at Jerusalem (Isa. 27:13).
In Joel:
Blow ye the trumpet in** Zion, and cry aloud in the mountain of holiness (Joel 2:1).
In Daniel:
Let thine anger and Thy wrath be turned back from Thy city Jerusalem, the mountain of Thy Holiness (Dan. 9:16).
In Isaiah:
They shall bring all your brethren out of all nations unto Jehovah, unto the mountain of My holiness, Jerusalem (Isa. 66:20).
He that putteth His trust in Me shall have the land for a heritage, and shall possess as an inheritance the mountain of My holiness (Isa. 57:13).
In Ezekiel:
In the mountain of My holiness, in the mountain of the height of Israel, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve Me (Ezek. 20:40).
In Micah:
In the latter end of days it shall be that the mountain of the house of Jehovah shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and the peoples shall flow unto it (Micah 4:1).
Besides many passages elsewhere in which “the mountain of holiness,” “Mount Zion,” and “the mountain of Jehovah” are mentioned:
The mountain of holiness (Isa. 11:9; 56:7; 65:11, 25; Jer. 31:23; Ezek. 28:14; Dan. 9:20; 11:45; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Obad. verse 16; Zeph. 3:11; Zech. 8:3; Ps. 15:1; 43:3).
And Mount Zion (Isa. 4:5; 8:18; 10:12; 18:7; 24:23; 29:8; 31:4; 37:32; Joel 3:5; Obad. verses 17, 21; Micah 4:7; Lam. 5:18; Ps. 48:11; 74:2; 78:68; 125:1).
Because “Mount Zion” signified Divine good and the church in respect to Divine good, it is said in Isaiah:
Send ye [the lamb of] the ruler of the land from the cliff towards the wilderness unto the mountain of the daughter of Zion (16:1).
And in Revelation:
A lamb standing upon the Mount Zion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand (Rev. 14:1).
sRef Ps@48 @2 S27′ sRef Ezek@40 @2 S27′ sRef Ps@48 @3 S27′ sRef Ps@48 @1 S27′ [27] From this it can also be seen why the New Jerusalem, in which was a temple, was seen by Ezekiel built upon a high mountain, respecting which it is thus written:
In the visions of God I was brought unto the land of Israel; he set me down upon a very high mountain, whereon was as it were the building of a city on the south (Ezek. 40:2).
Respecting this, much is said in the chapters that follow. In David:
Great is Jehovah, and to be praised exceedingly in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness; beautiful in situation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces as a refuge (Ps. 48:1-3).
This describes the worship of the Lord from truths that are from good. The worship of Him from spiritual truths and goods and the consequent pleasure of the soul is signified by “Great is Jehovah, and to be praised exceedingly in the city of our God, in the mountain of His Holiness, beautiful for situation;” worship is meant by “to be great,” and “to be praised exceedingly;” spiritual truth that is from spiritual good by “in the city of our God, the mountain of His Holiness;” and the consequent pleasure of the soul by “beautiful for situation;” the worship of the Lord from celestial goods and truths is described by “the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great king;” worship from celestial good is meant by “the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion;” and truths from that good by “on the sides of the north, the city of the great King;” “the sides of the north” meaning truths from celestial good, and “the city of the great King” the doctrine of truth therefrom. That truths are inscribed on those who are in celestial good is signified by “God is known in her palaces.” “The sides of the north” signify truths from celestial good, because those who are in the Lord’s celestial kingdom dwell in the east in heaven; and those who are in truths from that good, towards the north there.
sRef Isa@14 @13 S28′ [28] In Isaiah:
O Lucifer, thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into the heavens; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit on the mount of the meeting, on the sides of the north (Isa. 14:13).
“Lucifer” means Babylon, as is evident from what precedes and follows in this chapter; its love of ruling over heaven and the church is described by “I will ascend into the heavens, and will exalt my throne above the stars of God;” which means a striving for dominion over those heavens that constitute the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, for truths and the knowledges of truth appear to such as stars; “I will sit on the mount of meeting, on the sides of the north” signifies a striving for dominion over the heavens that constitute the Lord’s celestial kingdom, “the mount of meeting” and “the sides of the north” meaning the goods and truths there (as above). The fact that Mount Zion and Jerusalem were built as far as possible according to the form of heaven makes clear what the words cited above from David signify, “Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great king;” and the words from Isaiah, “The mount of meeting on the sides of the north.”
sRef Isa@37 @24 S29′ [29] In Isaiah:
Sennacherib the king of Assyria said, By the multitude of my chariots I will come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; where I will cut down the height of its cedars, the choice of its fir trees (Isa. 37:24).
This describes, in the internal sense, the haughtiness of those who wish to destroy the goods and truths of the church by reasonings from falsities; “the king of Assyria” signifies the rational perverted; “the multitude of his chariots” signifies reasonings from the falsities of doctrine; “to come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and to cut down the height of its cedars, and the choice of its fir trees” signifies the endeavor to destroy the goods and truths of the church, both internal and external; “mountains” meaning the goods of the church, “the sides of Lebanon” meaning where goods are conjoined with truths, “Lebanon” the spiritual church, “cedars” its internal truths which are from good, and “fir trees” its external truths, also from good. This is the meaning of these words in the spiritual sense, consequently in heaven.
sRef Ps@147 @8 S30′ [30] “Mountain” and “mountains” signify the goods of love and of charity in the following passages also. In David:
Jehovah who covereth the heavens with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to spring forth upon the mountains (Ps. 147:8).
“The clouds,” with which Jehovah covers the heavens, signify external truths, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word; for the truths in that sense are called in the Word “clouds,” while the truths in the internal sense are called “glory;” “the heavens” mean internal truths, because those who are in the heavens are in them; “the rain which he prepares for the earth” signifies influx of truth, “the earth” meaning the church, and thus those there who receive truth, for the church consists of such; “the mountains on which He makes grass to spring forth” signify the goods of love, and thence those who are in the goods of love, “grass” signifying the spiritual nourishment that such have; for grass for beasts is meant, and “beasts” signify the affections of good of the natural man.
sRef Deut@33 @15 S31′ sRef Deut@33 @14 S31′ sRef Deut@33 @13 S31′ [31] In Moses:
Of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be the land [of Joseph] for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that lieth beneath, for the firstfruits of the mountains of the east, and for the precious things of the hills of an age (Deut. 33:13-15).
This is the blessing of Joseph, or of the tribe named from Joseph by Moses; and this blessing was pronounced upon Joseph because “Joseph” signifies the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, and the heaven there that most nearly communicates with the Lord’s celestial kingdom; “the land of Joseph” means that heaven, and also the church that consists of those who will be in that heaven; “the precious things of heaven, the dew, and the deep that lieth beneath” signify Divine-spiritual and spiritual-natural things from a celestial origin, “the precious things of heaven” Divine-spiritual things, “the dew” spiritual things communicating, and “the deep that lieth beneath” spiritual-natural things; “the firstfruits of the mountains of the east, and the precious things of the hills of an age” signify genuine goods, both of the love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor, “the mountains of the east” meaning the goods of love to the Lord, “the firstfruits” genuine goods, and “the hills of an age” the goods of charity towards the neighbor. Those who are ignorant of what is represented by “Joseph” and “his tribe,” and also by “dew,” “the deep that lieth beneath,” “the mountains of the east,” and “the hills of an age,” can know scarcely anything of what such words involve, and, in general, can know scarcely anything of the significance of what is said by Moses in this whole chapter respecting the tribes of Israel, and of what is said by Israel the father in Genesis 49.
sRef Matt@5 @14 S32′ [32] In Matthew:
Ye are the light of the world; a city*** that is set on a mountain cannot be hid (Matt. 5:14).
This was said to the disciples, by whom the church which is in truths from good is meant; therefore it is said, “Ye are the light of the world,” “the light of the world” meaning the truth of the church. That it is not the truth unless it is from good is signified by “a city that is set on a mountain cannot be hid,” “a city on a mountain” meaning truth from good.
sRef Matt@18 @12 S33′ [33] In the same:
If any man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, will he not leave the ninety and nine in the mountains, and going seek that which is gone astray? (Matt. 18:12).
It is said, “will he not leave the ninety and nine in the mountains?” for “sheep in the mountains” signify those who are in the good of love and charity; but “the one that is gone astray” signifies one who is not in that good, because he is in falsities from ignorance; for where falsity is, there good is not, because good is of truth.
sRef Mark@13 @14 S34′ sRef Mark@13 @15 S34′ [34] In the Gospels:
When ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, then let them that are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let him that is on the roof not go down into the house (Mark 13:14-15; Matt. 24:15-17; Luke 21:21).
In those chapters the Lord describes the successive vastation of the church, but it is described by pure correspondences. “When ye shall see the abomination of desolation” signifies when the disciples, that is, those who are in truths from good, perceive the church to be devastated, which takes place when there is no longer any truth because there is no good, or no faith because there is no charity; “then let them that are in Judea flee to the mountains” signifies that those who are of the Lord’s church are to remain in the good of love, “Judea” signifying the Lord’s church, and “mountains” the goods of love; “to flee to them” means to remain in those goods; “let him that is on the roof not go down into the house” signifies that he that is in genuine truths should remain in them, “house” signifying a man in respect to all the interior things which belong to his mind, and “the roof of the house” signifying therefore the intelligence that is from genuine truths, thus also the genuine truths through which there is intelligence. Unless the particulars of what the Lord said in these chapters of the Gospels are illustrated by the spiritual sense, scarcely anything that is contained there can be known, thus when it is said “let him that is on the roof not go down into the house;” or in another place, “let not him that is in the field return back to take his garments;” and many other things.
sRef Isa@2 @12 S35′ sRef Isa@2 @14 S35′ [35] Thus far it has been shown that “mountains” signify in the Word the goods of love; but as most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so do “mountains,” which in that sense signify the evils of the love, or the evils that spring forth from the loves of self and the world. Mountains are mentioned in this sense in the following passages in the Word. In Isaiah:
The day of Jehovah of Hosts shall come upon everyone that is proud and exalted, and upon all the exalted mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up (Isa. 2:12, 14).
“The day of Jehovah of Hosts” means the Last Judgment, when the evil were cast down from the mountains and hills which they occupied in the spiritual world, as was said in the beginning of this article. It is because such before the Last Judgment dwelt upon mountains and hills, that “mountains and hills” mean the loves and the evils therefrom in which they were, “mountains” the evils of the love of self, and “hills” the evils of the love of the world. It is to be known that all who are in the love of self, especially those who are in the love of ruling, when they come into the spiritual world, are in the greatest eagerness to raise themselves into high places; this desire is inherent in that love; and this is why “to be of a high or elated mind” and “to aspire to high things” have become expressions in common use. The reason itself that there is this eagerness in the love of ruling is that they wish to make themselves gods, and God is in things highest. That “mountains and hills” signify these loves, and thence the evils of these loves, is clear from its being said, “a day of Jehovah of Hosts shall come upon everyone that is proud and exalted, and upon all the exalted mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up;” what else could be meant by “coming upon the mountains and hills?”
sRef Isa@40 @3 S36′ sRef Isa@40 @4 S36′ [36] In the same:
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make level a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low (Isa. 40:3-4).
This, too, treats of the Lord’s coming and of the Last Judgment at that time; and “the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, and a highway for our God,” signifies that they should prepare themselves to receive the Lord; “wilderness” signifying where there is no good because there is no truth, thus where there is as yet no church; “every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low” signifies that all who are humble in heart, that is, all who are in goods and truths, are received, for such as are received by the Lord are raised up to heaven; while “every mountain and hill shall be made low” signifies that all who are elated in mind, that is, who are in the love of self and the world, shall be put down.
sRef Ezek@33 @28 S37′ [37] In Ezekiel:
For I will make the land a desolation and wasteness, that the pride of strength may cease; and the mountains of Israel have been laid waste, that none may pass through (Ezek. 33:28).
This describes the desolation and vastation of the spiritual church, which the Israelites represented; for the Jews represented the Lord’s celestial kingdom, or the celestial church, while the Israelites represented the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, or the spiritual church. Its “desolation and vastation” signifies the last state of the spiritual church, which was when there was no longer any truth because there was no good, or, when there was no faith because no charity; “desolation” is predicated of truth which is of faith, and “vastation” of good which is of charity. Boasting and elation of mind from falsities that they call truths, is signified by “the pride of strength,” “strength” and “power” having reference to truths from good, because all strength and all power belong to such truths; here, however, they have reference to falsities, because of the boasting and elation of mind. That there was no longer any good of charity and faith is signified by “the mountains of Israel have been laid waste;” that there was no good whatever, but only evil, is signified by “that none may pass through.”
sRef Ezek@6 @2 S38′ sRef Ezek@6 @3 S38′ [38] In the same:
Son of man, set thy faces toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovih; Thus said the Lord Jehovih to the mountains and to the hills, to the water-courses and to the valleys: Behold I bring the sword upon you (Ezek. 6:2-3).
Here, too, “mountains of Israel” signify the evils that proceed from the love of self and of the world, which exist with those who are in the spiritual church, when they no longer have any good of life, but only evil of life and the falsity of doctrine therefrom; “mountains,” “hills,” “water-courses,” and “valleys,” signify all things of the church, both interior or spiritual and exterior or natural, “mountains and hills” signifying things interior or spiritual, “water-courses and valleys” things exterior or natural; that these will perish through falsities is signified by “Behold I will bring the sword upon you,” “sword” meaning the destruction of falsity by truths, and in a contrary sense, as here, the destruction of truth by falsities.
sRef Ezek@38 @20 S39′ sRef Ezek@38 @18 S39′ sRef Ezek@38 @21 S39′ [39] In the same:
In the day in which God shall come upon the ground of Israel, the fishes of the sea, and the fowl of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the ground, and every man who is upon the faces of the ground, shall quake before Me, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steps shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the earth; then I will call for the sword against him unto all My mountains (Ezek. 38:18, 20-21).
What all this signifies see above (400), where it is explained, namely, what is signified by “God,” by “the fishes of the sea,” “the fowl of the heavens,” “the wild beast of the field,” “the creeping thing that creepeth upon the ground;” also that “the mountains of Israel” signify the goods of spiritual love, but here, the evils of love that are opposed to those goods.
sRef Micah@6 @2 S40′ sRef Micah@6 @1 S40′ [40] In Micah:
Arise, strive thou with the mountains, that the hills may hear thy**** voice. Hear, O ye mountains, the strife of Jehovah, and ye strong foundations of the earth; for Jehovah hath a strife with His people, and He reproveth Israel (Micah 6:1, 2).
This, too, was said of the spiritual church, which was represented by the Israelites when separated from the Jews; and “mountains” mean the goods of charity, and “hills” the goods of faith; but here, the evils and falsities that are the opposites of these goods; therefore, it is said, “strive thou with the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice;” “the strong foundations of the earth” mean the principles of falsity in that church, “the earth” meaning the church, and “foundations” the principles upon which the other things are founded. It is said, “with His people,” “with Israel,” because “people” means those who are in truths, or those who are in falsities; and “Israel” those who are in goods, or those who are in evils.
sRef Nahum@1 @6 S41′ sRef Jer@51 @25 S41′ sRef Nahum@1 @5 S41′ [41] In Jeremiah:
Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, destroying the whole earth; and I will stretch out the hand against thee, and roll thee down from the cliffs, and will make thee a mountain of burning (Jer. 51:25).
This was said of Babylon, by which those who are in the falsities of evil and in the evils of falsity from the love of self are meant, for such misuse the holy things of the church as a means of ruling; it is from that love and the falsities and evils therefrom that Babylon is called “a destroying mountain, destroying the whole earth,” “the earth” meaning the church. The destruction and damnation of such by the falsities of evil is signified by “I will roll thee down from the cliffs,” “cliffs” meaning where the truths of faith are, here, where the falsities of evil are; while the destruction and damnation of such by the evils of falsity is signified by “I will make thee a mountain of burning,” “burning” having reference to the love of self, because “fire” signifies that love (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 566-573). This makes clear that “mountains” signify the evils of the love of self and the world, since Babylon is called “a destroying mountain,” and is to be made “a mountain of burning.” In Nahum:
The mountains quake before Him, and the hills dissolve, and the whole earth is burned up before Him. Who can stand before His rebuking (Nahum 1:5-6).
What this, in series, signifies, may be seen above (n. 400), where the particulars are explained; showing that “mountains and hills” here mean the evils of the love of self and the world.
sRef Micah@1 @4 S42′ sRef Micah@1 @3 S42′ sRef Micah@1 @5 S42′ [42] In Micah:
Jehovah going forth out of His place cometh down and treadeth upon the high places of the earth. Therefore the mountains are melted under Him, and the valleys are cleft, as wax before the fire, as waters poured down a descent; on account of the transgressions of Jacob is all this, and on account of the sins of the house of Israel (Micah 1:3-5).
This, too, was said of the Last Judgment, and of those who then made for themselves a semblance of heaven upon the mountains and hills (who have been treated of above, in several places). The Last Judgment is meant by “Jehovah going forth out of His place, He cometh down and treadeth upon the high places of the earth,” “upon the high places of the earth” signifying upon those who were in the high places, that is, upon whom judgment was executed, for in the spiritual world, just as in the natural world, there are lands, mountains, hills, and valleys. The destruction of those who are upon the mountains and in the valleys, who are such as are in evils from the love of self and the world and in the falsities therefrom, is signified by “the mountains are melted under Him, and the valleys are cleft, as wax before the fire, as waters poured down a descent,” “mountains” signifying the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and “valleys” the falsities therefrom; of these evils of the loves of self and of the world that are signified by “mountains” it is said that they are melted “as wax before the fire,” since “fire” signifies those loves; and of the falsities that are signified by “valleys” it is said “as waters poured down a descent,” since “waters” signify falsities. This was evidently because of evils and falsities, for it is said, “on account of the transgressions of Jacob is all this, and on account of the sins of the house of Israel.”
sRef Jer@4 @24 S43′ sRef Jer@4 @25 S43′ sRef Jer@4 @23 S43′ sRef Isa@63 @19 S43′ sRef Isa@64 @1 S43′ [43] In Jeremiah:
I saw the earth, and lo, it is void and empty; and towards the heavens, and they have no light. I saw the mountains, and lo, they quake, and all the hills are overturned. I saw, and lo, there is no man, and every fowl of heaven hath fled away (Jer. 4:23-25).
“The quaking of the mountains” signifies the destruction of those who are in the evils of the love of self, and “the overturning of the hills,” the destruction of those who are in the evils of the love of the world, and in falsities. (The remainder may be seen explained above, n. 280, 304). In Isaiah:
O Jehovah, that Thou wouldst rend the heavens, that Thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might flow down before Thee (Isa. 64:1).
These words have a similar signification as those in Micah (1:3-5) which have been explained above.
sRef Ps@144 @5 S44′ sRef Ps@144 @6 S44′ [44] In David:
Bow Thy heavens, O Jehovah, and come down; touch the mountains that they may smoke. Flash forth the lightning and scatter them (Ps. 144:5-6).
“To bow the heavens and come down,” means the like as “to rend the heavens and come down,” “to go forth out of His place, and to come down and tread upon the high places of the earth,” quoted above, namely, to visit and judge; “to touch the mountains that they may smoke” signifies to destroy by His presence those who are in the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and in falsities therefrom; “to smoke” signifies to be let into the evils of these loves and into their falsities, for “fire” signifies these loves, and “smoke” their falsities; “flash forth the lightning and scatter them” signifies the Divine truth by which they are dispersed, for it is by the presence of Divine truth that evils and falsities are disclosed, and from the collision then there are appearances like lightnings.
sRef Ps@18 @7 S45′ sRef Ps@46 @2 S45′ sRef Ps@46 @3 S45′ sRef Deut@32 @22 S45′ sRef Ps@46 @1 S45′ [45] In Moses:
A fire hath been kindled in Mine anger, and shall burn even unto the lowest hell, and it shall devour the earth and its produce, and shall set in flames the foundations of the mountains (Deut. 32:22).
It is said that “a fire hath been kindled in Jehovah’s anger, which shall burn even unto the lowest hell,” although Jehovah has no fire of anger, much less one that burns to the lowest hell; for Jehovah, that is the Lord, is angry with no one, and does evil to no one, neither does He cast anyone into hell, as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 545-550); but it is so said in the sense of the letter of the Word, because it so appears to an evil man, and also to a simple man, for the Word in the letter is according to appearance, because according to the apprehension of natural men. But as angels, who are spiritual, see the truths themselves of the Word, not apparently according to the apprehension of man, but spiritually, therefore with the angels the sense of such expressions is inverted, and this is the internal or spiritual sense, that is, that the infernal love with man is such a fire, and burns even to the lowest hell; and as that fire, that is, that love, destroys all things of the church with man, from the very foundation, therefore it is said that “it shall devour the earth and its produce, and shall set in flames the foundations of the mountains,” “the earth” meaning the church, “its produce” everything of the church, “the foundations of the mountains” the truths upon which the goods of love are founded, and these are said “to be set in flames” by the fire of the love of self and the world. In David:
Then the earth tottered and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled and tottered because He was wroth (Ps. 18:7).
The meaning here is similar, but for an explanation of the particulars see above, n. 400. In the same:
God is a refuge for us. Therefore will we not fear when the earth shall be changed, and when the mountains are moved in the heart of the seas; the waters thereof shall be in tumult, they shall foam, the mountains shall quake in the uprising thereof (Ps. 46:1-3).
This, too, may be seen explained above (n. 304), where it may be seen what is signified by “the mountains are moved in the heart of the seas,” and “the mountains shall quake in the uprising,” namely, that the evils of the loves of self and of the world will cause distress according to their increase.
sRef Isa@34 @2 S46′ sRef Isa@34 @3 S46′ [46] In Isaiah:
The anger of Jehovah is against all nations, and His wrath upon all their host; He hath devoted them, He hath given them to the slaughter, that their slain may be cast forth; and the stink of their carcasses shall come up, and the mountains shall be melted by their blood (Isa. 34:2-3).
This is said of the Last Judgment; and “the anger of Jehovah is against all nations, and His wrath upon all their host” signifies the destruction and damnation of all who are in evils and their falsities from purpose and from the heart; “nations” signifying these evils, and “host” all falsities therefrom. That such are to be damned and that they will perish is signified by “He hath devoted them, and hath given them to the slaughter.” The damnation of those who will perish through falsities is signified by “their slain shall be cast forth;” those are said in the Word “to have been slain” who have perished through falsities; and “to be cast forth” signifies to be damned. The damnation of those who would perish by evils is signified by “the stink of their carcasses shall come up;” those are called in the Word “carcasses” who have perished by evils, and “stink” signifies their damnation; “the mountains shall be melted by their blood” signifies that evils of the loves with such are full of falsities, “mountains” meaning the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and “blood” falsity.
sRef Isa@42 @15 S47′ [47] In the same:
I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools (Isa. 42:15).
“To make waste mountains and hills” signifies to destroy all the good of love to the Lord and towards the neighbor; “to dry up every herb” signifies the consequent destruction of all truths, “herb” signifying truths springing from good; “to make the rivers islands, and to dry up the pools” signifies to annihilate all the understanding and perception of truth, “rivers” signifying intelligence which is of truth, “islands” where there is no intelligence, “pools” the perception of truth. The understanding of truth is from the light of truth, but the perception of truth is from the heat or love of truth.
sRef Isa@41 @16 S48′ sRef Isa@41 @15 S48′ [48] In the same:
Behold, O Jacob, I have made thee into a new threshing instrument having sharp teeth, that thou mayest thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt disperse them, that the wind may carry them away and the tempest scatter them (Isa. 41:15-16).
“Jacob” means the external church in respect to good and truth, and thence external good and truth, which are good and truth from the sense of the letter of the Word. Those who are of the external church are in such good and truth. These are compared to “a new threshing instrument having sharp teeth,” because a threshing instrument beats out wheat, barley, and other grain from the ears, and these signify the goods and truths of the church (see above, n. 374-375); here therefore because evils and falsities are what are to be crushed and broken up it is said “a threshing instrument having sharp teeth, that thou mayest thresh the mountains and beat them small, and make the hills as chaff,” which signifies the destruction of the evils arising from the love of self and the world, and of the falsities therefrom; and it is added “thou shalt disperse them, that the wind may carry them away and the tempest scatter them,” which signifies that they shall be of no account; both “wind” and “tempest” are mentioned because both evils and falsities are meant, “wind” having reference to truths, and in the contrary sense to falsities, and “tempest” to the evils of falsity.
sRef Isa@54 @10 S49′ [49] In the same:
The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but My mercy shall not depart from with thee (Isa. 54:10).
“The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed,” does not mean that the mountains and hills that are on the earth are to depart and be removed, but those who are in evil loves and in falsities therefrom, for this chapter treats of the nations from which a new church is to be formed, therefore “mountains and hills” mean, in particular, those of the former church, consequently the Jews with whom were mere evils of falsity and falsities of evil, because they were in the loves of self and of the world.
sRef Jer@9 @10 S50′ [50] In Jeremiah:
For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are laid waste so that no man passeth through (Jer. 9:10).
“The mountains” for which there is weeping and wailing, mean evils of every kind springing forth from the two loves just mentioned; and “the habitations of the wilderness” signify falsities therefrom, for “wilderness” signifies where there is no good because there is no truth, and “habitations” where falsities are; so here the “habitations of the wilderness” mean the falsities from the evils above described; that there is no good and truth whatever is meant by “they are laid waste so that no man passeth through.” Where vastation is treated of in the Word, it is customary to say, “so that no man passeth through,” and it signifies that there is no longer any truth, and consequently no intelligence. It is evident that it is not mountains and habitations of the wilderness for which there is weeping and wailing.
sRef Ezek@34 @6 S51′ sRef Jer@50 @6 S51′ [51] In the same:
My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have caused them to err, the mountains have turned away; they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place (Jer. 50:6).
In Ezekiel:
My sheep go astray on all the mountains and upon every exalted hill; and My sheep were scattered upon all the faces of the earth, and there is none that enquireth or seeketh (Ezek. 34:6).
That “the sheep have gone from mountain to hill,” and that “they go astray on all the mountains and upon every exalted hill” signifies that they seek goods and truths, but do not find them, but that evils and falsities are seized upon instead. “The mountains have turned away” signifies that instead of goods there are evils.
sRef Jer@13 @16 S52′ [52] In Jeremiah:
Give glory to Jehovah your***** God, before He cause darkness and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight (Jer. 13:16).
This signifies that Divine truth must be acknowledged, that falsities and evils therefrom may not break in from the natural man; “to give glory to God” signifies to acknowledge the Divine truth, “glory” in the Word signifying Divine truth, and to acknowledge it and live according to it is the glory which the Lord desires, and which is to be given to Him; “before He cause darkness” signifies lest falsities take possession, “darkness” meaning falsities; “and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight” signifies lest evils therefrom out of the natural man take possession, “the mountains of twilight” meaning the evils of falsity, for “mountains” mean evils, and it is “twilight” when truth is not seen, but falsity instead, and “feet” signify the natural man, for all evils and the falsities therefrom are in the natural man, because that man by inheritance is moved to love himself more than God, and the world more than heaven, and to love the evils adhering to those loves from parents. These evils and the falsities therefrom are not removed except by means of Divine truth and a life according to it; by these means the higher or interior mind of man, which sees from the light of heaven, is opened, and by this light the Lord disperses the evils and the falsities therefrom that are in the natural mind. (That “feet” signify the natural man, see above, n. 65, 69; and Arcana Coelestia, n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952.)
sRef Mark@11 @23 S53′ sRef Mark@11 @26 S53′ sRef Mark@11 @25 S53′ sRef Mark@11 @24 S53′ sRef Mark@11 @22 S53′ [53] In the Gospels:
Jesus saith unto the disciples, Have the faith of God; verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto [this] mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, what he hath said shall be done for him (Mark 11:22-23; Matt. 17:20).
One who is ignorant of the arcana of heaven and of the spiritual sense of the Word, might believe that the Lord said this, not of saving faith, but of another faith that is called historical and miraculous; but the Lord said this of saving faith, which faith makes one with charity and is wholly from the Lord, therefore the Lord calls this faith “the faith of God;” and because it is by this faith, which is the faith of charity from Him, that the Lord removes all evils flowing from the loves of self and of the world and casts them into hell from which they came, so He says, “Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, what he hath said shall he done;” for “mountain” signifies the evils of those loves, and “sea” signifies hell; therefore “to say to a mountain, Be thou taken up,” signifies the removal of those evils, and “to be cast into the sea” signifies to be cast into the hell from which they came. Because of this signification of “mountain” and “sea,” this came to be a common expression with the ancients when the power of faith was the subject of discourse; not that that power can cast the mountains on the earth into the sea, but it can cast out the evils that are from hell.
Moreover, the mountains in the spiritual world upon which the evil dwell are often overturned and cast down by faith from the Lord; for when the evils with such are cast down, the mountains upon which they dwell are also cast down, as has been several times said before; and this has often been seen by me. That no other faith than the faith of charity from the Lord is here meant is evident from what follows in the Lord’s discourse in Mark, where it is said:
Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever that praying ye ask for, believe that ye are to receive, and it shall be done for you. But when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any, that your Father also who is in the heavens may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye shall not forgive, neither will your Father who is in the heavens forgive your trespasses (Mark 11:24-26).
This makes evident that “the faith of God,” of which the Lord here speaks, is the faith of charity, that is, the faith that makes one with charity, and is therefore wholly from the Lord. Moreover, the Lord said these things to the disciples when they supposed that they could do miracles from their own faith, thus from themselves; nevertheless such things are done by faith from the Lord, thus by the Lord (as is also evident from Matthew 17:19, 20, where like things are said).
sRef Jer@3 @6 S54′ sRef Hos@4 @13 S54′ sRef Isa@57 @7 S54′ sRef Deut@12 @2 S54′ [54] Because “mountains” signified the goods of celestial love, and “hills” the goods of spiritual love, the ancients, with whom the church was representative, had their Divine worship upon mountains and hills, and Zion was upon a mountain, and Jerusalem on mountainous places below it. But that the Jews and Israelites, who were given to idolatry, might not turn Divine worship into idolatrous worship, it was commanded them that they should have their worship in Jerusalem only, and not elsewhere; but because they were idolaters at heart they were not content to have their worship in Jerusalem, but after a custom of the nations derived from the ancients they everywhere held worship upon mountains and hills, and sacrificed and burnt incense thereon; and because this was idolatrous with them, worship from evils and falsities was signified by their worship upon other mountains and hills; as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Upon a mountain high and lifted up hast thou set thy bed; thither also wentest thou up to sacrifice sacrifices (Isa. 57:7).
In Hosea:
They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills (Hos. 4:13).
In Jeremiah:
Backsliding Israel is gone away upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and thou hast played the harlot (Jer. 3:6).
“To play the harlot” signifies to falsify worship; that this was idolatrous, is evident from these words in Moses:
Ye shall destroy the places wherein the nations served their gods, upon the mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree (Deut. 12:2).
In these passages, therefore, worship upon mountains and hills signifies worship from evils and falsities. From this, also, it came that the nations in Greece placed Helicon on a high mountain, and Parnassus on a hill below it, and believed that their gods and goddesses dwelt there; this was derived from the ancients in Asia, and especially those in the land of Canaan, who were not far away, with whom all worship consisted of representatives.
sRef Matt@4 @8 S55′ [55] It is said in the Gospels:
The devil took Jesus up into a high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and tempted Him there (Matt. 4:8; Luke 4:5).
This signifies that the devil tempted the Lord through the love of self, for this is what “the high mountain” signifies; for the three temptations described in these passages signify and involve all the temptations that the Lord endured when He was in the world; for the Lord, by temptations admitted into Himself from the hells and by victories then, reduced all things in the hells to order, and also glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine. All the Lord’s temptations were described so briefly, since He has revealed them in no other way; but yet they are fully described in the internal sense of the Word. (Respecting the Lord’s temptations see what is cited in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 201, 293, 302.)
* Hebrew has “God,” which we find in AC n. 8331; in his own copy of TCR he corrected the reading (n. 303) of “King” in the margin to “God.” The reading “King” is found in AE n. 365, 612; also AR n. 306, 478; AC n. 3780.
** Photolithograph has “out of;” Hebrew “in,” which we also find in AE n. 502; AR n. 397.
*** Photolithograph has “light;” the Greek has “city,” which is also found in AE n. 223; AR n. 194.
**** Photolithograph has “my;” for Hebrew “thy,” which we also find in the text as quoted before.
***** Photolithograph has “our” twice; Hebrew has “your,” which is also found in AE n. 526.

sRef Rev@6 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @20 S0′ 406. Thus far it has been shown what “mountain” signifies; it remains to be shown what “island” signifies, for it is said, “Every mountain and island were moved out of their places;” and elsewhere:
Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found (Rev. 16:20).
“Islands” in the Word do not mean islands nor those who dwell upon islands, but the natural man in respect to the truths that are in it is meant, and thus, in an abstract sense, the truths of the natural man are signified. The truths of the natural man are true knowledges [scientifica], which are under the intuition of the rational man, and the cognitions of truth which are under the intuition of the spiritual man; the cognitions of truth are such as the natural man knows from the Word, while true knowledges [scientifica] are such as the natural man sees from the rational, and by which he is accustomed to confirm the truths of the church. There are with man two minds, one higher or interior, which is called the spiritual mind; and the other lower or exterior, which is called the natural mind. The natural mind is first opened and cultivated with men, because this most nearly stands forth in the world; and afterwards the spiritual mind is opened and cultivated, but only to the extent that man receives in the life the cognitions of truth from the Word, or from doctrine from the Word; consequently with those who do not apply knowledges to the life it is not opened. But when the spiritual mind is opened the light of heaven flows in through that mind into the natural mind and enlightens it, whereby the natural mind becomes spiritual-natural; for the spiritual mind then sees in the natural almost as a man sees his face in a mirror, and acknowledges the things that are in agreement with itself. But when the spiritual mind is not opened, as is the case with those who do not apply to their life the cognitions of truth and good that are in the Word, there is nevertheless formed in man a mind in the interior part of the natural; but this mind consists of mere falsities and evils; because the spiritual mind, by which the light of heaven is let into the natural by a direct way is not opened; but [light is let in] only through chinks round about; from this a man has the faculty to think, reason, and speak, and also the faculty to understand truths, but not the faculty to love them, or to do them from affection. For the faculty to love truths because they are truths is given only through an influx of the light of heaven through the spiritual mind; for the light of heaven through the spiritual mind is conjoined with the heat of heaven, which is love, which is comparatively like the light of the world in the time of spring; but the light of heaven flowing only through chinks into the natural is a light separated from the heat of heaven which is love, and this light is comparatively like the light of the world in the time of winter. This makes clear that a man in whom the spiritual mind is opened is like a garden and a paradise; but a man in whom the spiritual mind is not opened is like a wilderness, and like land covered with snow. Because the mind makes the man (the mind consisting of understanding and will) it is the same whether you say the mind or the man, thus whether you say the spiritual and natural mind or the spiritual and natural man.
The natural mind or natural man, in respect to its truths and its falsities, is signified by “islands” in the Word, in respect to truths with those in whom the spiritual mind is opened, and in respect to falsities with those in whom the spiritual mind is closed.
sRef Ezek@26 @15 S2′ sRef Ezek@26 @18 S2′ sRef Ezek@26 @16 S2′ [2] That these are signified by “islands” can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Ezekiel:
Thus said the Lord Jehovih to Tyre: Shall not the islands quake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded shall groan, when the slaughter shall be accomplished in the midst of thee? And all the princes of the sea shall come down from* their thrones. The islands shall tremble in the day of thy fall, and the islands that are in the sea shall be affrighted at thy departure. All the inhabitants of the islands were astonished at thee, and their kings shuddered shuddering, their faces were troubled (26:15-16, 18; 27:35).
These two chapters treat of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, and in an abstract sense the knowledges of truth and good. In the first place the intelligence and wisdom of the men of the church through the knowledges of truth and good from the Word is treated of, and afterwards the church vastated in respect to these. The church vastated in respect to these, or where the knowledges of truth and good have perished is described by what is said by the prophet in these verses; the vastation of the knowledges of truth and good by “when the wounded shall groan, and when the slaughter shall be accomplished in the midst of thee,” “the wounded” meaning those in whom truths are extinguished, and “slaughter” meaning the very extinction of truth and good.
That all knowledges that man from his infancy has imbibed from the Word, also all true knowledges by which he has confirmed them, are then disturbed, moved out of their place, and recede is signified by “the islands shall tremble, and all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones,” also by “the islands shall tremble in the day of thy fall, and the islands that are in the sea shall be affrighted,” “islands” meaning these cognitions and knowledges in the natural man; “the princes of the sea” primary things therein, “sea” signifying the natural man and all things therein in general. That all goods of truth of the natural man, because of the vastation of the knowledges of truth, shall be changed as to their state is signified by “all the inhabitants of the islands were astonished at thee, and their kings shuddered, their faces were troubled;” “the inhabitants of the islands” mean the goods of truth of the natural man, for “to inhabit,” in the Word, signifies to live, and “inhabitants” the goods of life; “kings” mean all truths from good; “faces” signify the interiors and the affections; “to be astonished,” “affrighted,” and “troubled” signify to be entirely changed as to state. This makes clear what these things involve in the internal sense, namely, that all cognitions of truth and good and the confirming knowledges that man from infancy has imbibed from the Word and from teachers, will change their places and their state in the natural man and perish out of sight when falsities enter.
sRef Isa@20 @6 S3′ sRef Isa@20 @4 S3′ sRef Isa@20 @5 S3′ [3] In Isaiah:
The king of Assyria shall lead the captivity of Egypt and the crowd of Cush that is to be carried away; then shall they be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their expectation, and because of Egypt their adornment; and the inhabitant of this island shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from before the king of Assyria; and how shall we escape? (Isa. 20:4-6).
No one can perceive anything about the church in these words, but only something obscurely historical, which is not known to have occurred, as that the king of Assyria will lead away Egypt and Cush into captivity, and that the dwellers of some island would grieve in heart over it; yet, here as elsewhere, some matter of the church is treated of, and this matter becomes manifest when it is known that “the king of Assyria” signifies the rational perverted, and thence the reasoning from false knowledges which favor the delight of natural loves, over which the natural man grieves because it is perverted thereby; for “the king of Assyria shall lead the captivity of Egypt and the crowd of Cush that is to be carried away” signifies that the perverted rational will claim to itself the knowledges of the natural man, and will confirm itself by these and by its delights, which these favor, “the king of Assyria” meaning the rational perverted, “to lead the captivity” and “to carry away the crowd” meaning to claim for itself and to confirm itself by reasonings, “Egypt” meaning the knowing faculty of the natural man, and “Cush” the delight which it favors.
That the goods of truth of the natural man grieve on this account, or that the natural man, in which are the goods of truth, grieves is signified by all the things that follow, namely, that “they shall be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their expectation, and because of Egypt their adornment; and the inhabitant of the island shall say in that day,” and what follows; “the inhabitant of the island” meaning the good of truth, of the natural man, or the natural man in whom is the good of truth, “inhabitant” signifying good, and “island” truth, both in the natural man (as above). That there is such a sense in these words can hardly be believed, and yet it is there.
sRef Isa@24 @14 S4′ sRef Isa@24 @15 S4′ [4] In the same:
These shall lift up their voice, they shall shout for joy; for the majesty of Jehovah they shall cry aloud from the sea; therefore glorify Jehovah in Urim, the name of [Jehovah] the God of Israel in the islands of the sea (Isa. 24:14-15).
This chapter treats of the vastation of the church, and in these verses of the establishment of a new church among the gentiles; the joy of these is described by “they shall lift up their voice, they shall shout for joy; for the majesty of Jehovah they shall cry aloud from the sea,” or from the west; “the sea” when it means the west signifying the natural, for the reason that those who dwell in the western quarter in the spiritual world are in natural good, while those who dwell in the eastern quarter are in celestial good; and as the Gentiles of whom the church was constituted were in natural good it is said “glorify Jehovah in Urim, the name of the God of Israel in the islands of the sea,” which signifies that they were to worship the Lord from the goods and truths in the natural man, for “Urim” means a fire and a hearth, and these signify the good of love of the natural man; “the islands of the sea” signify the knowledges of truth and good, which are the truths of the natural man; and “to glorify” signifies to worship and adore; “Jehovah” and “God of Israel” mean the Lord, who is called “Jehovah” where good is treated of, and “the God of Israel” where truth is treated of; it is therefore said “glorify Jehovah in Urim,” that is, from good, “and the name of the God of Israel in the islands of the sea,” that is, from truths. This makes clear that “islands of the sea” signify the truths of the natural man.
sRef Isa@42 @12 S5′ sRef Isa@42 @11 S5′ sRef Isa@42 @10 S5′ sRef Isa@42 @4 S5′ [5] In the same:
He shall not quench nor break till He have set judgment in the earth; and the islands shall hope in His law. Sing unto Jehovah a new song, His praise, the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, its fullness, ye islands and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and its cities extol, the villages that Arabia doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of the cliff sing aloud, let them cry aloud from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare His praise in the islands (Isa. 42:4, 10-12).
This, too, treats of the Lord and of a new church to be established by Him, and “islands” mean those who are merely in truths from the natural man, and are therefore as yet remote from true worship; so, “till He have set judgment in the earth, and the islands shall hope in His law,” signifies until He shall have given intelligence to those who are of the church, and the knowledges of truth to those who are more remote from the church; “to set judgment” meaning to give intelligence; “to hope in the law” meaning to give the knowledges of truth, for “the earth” signifies those who are of the church, and in an abstract sense the church itself in respect to intelligence from spiritual truths, and “the islands” signify those who are remote from the church, and in an abstract sense the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, or the church in respect to the truths of the natural man that correspond to spiritual truths; “sing unto Jehovah a new song, His praise, the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and its fullness, ye islands and the inhabitants thereof,” signifies the worship of the Lord by those who are remote from the church, and in an abstract sense, the worship of the natural man from truths and goods; “to sing a song” and “to praise” signify worship from a glad mind; “the end of the earth” signifies those who are in the ultimates of the church, and in an abstract sense its ultimates; “the sea and its fullness” signify the natural man and all things therein; “islands and inhabitants” signify the truths and goods of the natural man, “islands” its truths, and “inhabitants” its goods (as above). What is signified by “let the wilderness and its cities extol, and the villages that Arabia doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of the cliff sing aloud, let them cry aloud from the top of the mountains,” see above (n. 405), where this is explained; “let them give glory unto Jehovah, and let the islands declare His praise,” signifies worship from internals and externals; “to give glory” meaning worship from internals, and “to declare praise” worship from externals, for externals declare, and “islands” mean the truths of the natural man from which is worship.
sRef Isa@51 @5 S6′ sRef Isa@51 @4 S6′ [6] In the same:
Attend unto Me, My people, and give ears unto Me, O My nation; for the law shall go forth from Me, and I will arouse My judgment for a light of the peoples. My righteousness is near, My salvation is gone forth, and Mine arms shall judge the peoples; the islands shall hope in Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust (Isa. 51:4-5).
This is said of the Lord; “Attend unto Me, My people, and give ears unto Me, O My nation,” signifies all who are of the church who are in truths and goods, “people” meaning those who are in truths and “nation” those who are in goods. It is said “attend” and “give ears,” in the plural, because all are meant; “the law shall go forth from Me, and I will arouse My judgment for a light of the peoples,” signifies that from Him are Divine good and Divine truth, from which is illustration; “law” signifying the Divine good of the Word, and “judgment” the Divine truth of the Word, “for a light of the people” signifying illustration; “My righteousness is near, My salvation is gone forth,” signifies the judgment, when those who are in the good of love and in truths therefrom are saved, “righteousness” having reference to the salvation of those who are in good at the day of judgment, and “salvation” of those who are in truths; “Mine arms shall judge the peoples” signifies judgment upon those of the church who are in falsities, “peoples” here having the contrary sense; “the islands shall hope in Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust,” signifies the approach of those to the church who are remote from the truths of the church, and their trust in the Lord; “the islands” signifying those who are remote from the truths of the church because they are in natural light and not yet in spiritual light from the Word, and “to trust on His arm” signifies trust in the Lord who has all power, “arm” in reference to the Lord meaning omnipotence.
sRef Isa@49 @1 S7′ [7] In the same:
Hear, O islands, and attend ye peoples from afar (Isa. 49:1).
“The islands” stand for those who are in truths, and “the peoples from afar” for those who are in goods, and in an abstract sense, truths and goods, both in the natural man; “from afar” is predicated of the goods that are in the natural man, while “near” is predicated of the goods that are in the spiritual man. “Peoples” here signify goods, because in the original a different word is used from that which signifies truths; for this word is also applied to nations, whereby goods are signified (as is evident from the same word in Genesis 25:23).
sRef Jer@31 @10 S8′ [8] In Jeremiah:
Hear the word of Jehovah, ye nations, and declare it in the islands afar off (Jer. 31:10).
“Nations” stand for those who are in goods, and in an abstract sense for goods; and “islands” for those who are in truths, and in an abstract sense, for truths in the natural man; “afar off” signifies remote from the truths of the church, which are spiritual (that “afar off” has this signification, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8918). But these words in a purely spiritual sense, signify that the internal man shall teach the external, or the spiritual the whole natural man, the truths of the Word, for it is this that “the nations declare in the islands afar off;” but this pure sense, which is for angels, is with difficulty perceived by men, for it is with difficulty that men can think abstractedly from persons and places, for the reason that the thought of men is natural, and natural thought differs from spiritual thought in this, that it is tied down to places and persons and is consequently more limited than the spiritual. And this is why many things that have been explained will perhaps with difficulty fall into the ideas of the thought of those who keep the sight of the mind fixed on the sense of the words.
sRef Ps@72 @10 S9′ [9] In David:
The kings of Tarshish and of the islands shall bring an offering; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer a gift (Ps. 72:10).
This is said of the Lord, and “to bring and offer a gift” means to worship; and “kings of Tarshish and of the islands” mean the interior and exterior truths of the natural man, “the kings of Tarshish” its interior truths, and “islands” its exterior truths; “the kings of Sheba and Seba” mean the interior and exterior goods of the natural man, “Sheba” its interior goods, and “Seba” its exterior goods. By the truths of the natural man the knowledges of truth are meant, and by the goods of the natural man the knowledges of good are meant. (That these are meant by “Sheba and Seba,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1171, 3240; and that the interior truths of the natural man are meant by “Tarshish,” see just below.) And because these are meant, those who are in the knowledges of truth and good are also meant.
sRef Isa@60 @9 S10′ sRef Isa@60 @8 S10′ [10] In Isaiah:
Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as doves to their windows? Because the islands shall trust in Me, and the ships of Tarshish in the beginning, to bring thy sons from far (Isa. 60:8-9).
This, too, is said of the Lord, and it signifies that those will receive and acknowledge Him who are in simple truth and good, who are such as perceive the truths of the Word in a natural way, that is, according to the sense of the letter, and do them, “the islands” signifying those who perceive the Word in a natural way, that is, according to the sense of the letter, “the ships of Tarshish in the beginning” meaning the goods that they bring forth and do, for “Tarshish” signifies the natural man in respect to knowledges, and “Tarshish in the beginning” the natural man in respect to the knowledges of good, because Tarshish abounded in gold and silver, and these the ships brought away thence (1 Kings 10:22); at first, gold, which signifies good; and as truths are from good it is also said “to bring thy sons from far.” And as “islands” and “ships of Tarshish” signify the knowledges of truth and good of the natural man, it is said, “Who are these that fly as a cloud and as doves to their windows?” “cloud” signifying the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, “doves” the goods therein, and “windows” truths from good in light. (That “ships” signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1977, 6385; and that “windows” signify truths in light, and therefore the intellectual, n. 655, 658, 3391.)
sRef Isa@23 @5 S11′ sRef Isa@23 @2 S11′ sRef Isa@23 @4 S11′ sRef Isa@23 @1 S11′ sRef Isa@23 @3 S11′ sRef Isa@23 @6 S11′ [11] In the same:
Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for Tyre is laid waste, so that there is no house, nor doth anyone enter; from the land of Kittim it shall plainly come to them. The inhabitants of the island are still, the merchant of Zidon passeth over the sea, they have filled thee. Be ashamed, O Zidon, for the sea saith, the stronghold of the sea, I have not travailed, neither brought forth; I have not trained up young men, I have not brought up virgins. When the report comes from Egypt they shall be in travail, as at the report respecting Tyre. Pass ye over into Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the island (Isa. 23:1-2, 4-6).
This describes the desolation of truth in the church; for “the ships of Tarshish” signify the knowledges of good from the Word, and “Tyre” the knowledges of truth therefrom. That there is no good because there are no truths is signified by “howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, so that there is no house, nor doth anyone enter,” that falsities then enter until there are no longer any goods of truth and truths of good in the natural man, is signified by “from the land of Kittim it shall plainly come to them; the inhabitants of the island are still, the merchant of Zidon passeth over the sea, they have filled thee;” “the land of Kittim” signifies falsities; “the inhabitants of the island” signify the goods of truth in the natural man (as above); “the merchant of Zidon” signifies the knowledges from the Word; “passeth over the sea” signifies which are in the natural man; “they have filled thee” (that is, the ships of Tarshish) signifies, they have enriched thee by them. The vastation of truth and good in the natural man is further described by “Be ashamed, O Zidon, for the sea said, the stronghold of the sea, I have not travailed, neither brought forth; I have not trained up young men, I have not brought up virgins;” “Zidon,” as well as “Tyre,” signifies the knowledges of truth and good in the church; “the sea, the stronghold of the sea,” signifies the whole natural man; “I have not travailed, neither brought forth,” signifies that there is nothing of the church conceived or generated; “young men” signify the affections of truth, and “virgins” the affections of good. This took place because cognitions from the Word and confirming knowledges [scientifica] were applied to falsities and evils which is signified by “when the report comes from Egypt they shall be in travail, as at the report respecting Tyre;” “Egypt” signifying knowledges [scientifica]; “Tyre,” the cognitions from the Word, here those vastated by the falsities and evils to which they have been applied; and as there is lamentation on this account it is said “they shall be in travail.” That all good in the natural man and all truth there would thus perish is signified by “pass ye over into Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the island;” “Tarshish” signifying interior goods and truths in the natural man; “the inhabitants of the island” signifying exterior goods and truths therein (as above), “to howl” signifying grief on account of vastation.
sRef Jer@25 @17 S12′ sRef Jer@25 @22 S12′ [12] In Jeremiah:
I took the cup out of Jehovah’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom Jehovah sent me, all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the island which is in the crossing (beyond) the sea (Jer. 25:17, 22).
Many nations are enumerated in this chapter that are not cited here, all of which signify the goods and truths of the church in general and in particular that are vastated; and “the kings of Tyre and Zidon” signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word in the natural man; for all the knowledges of truth and good, so far as they are knowledges, are in the natural man; they become truths and goods when men live according to them, because it is by means of the life that they are received in the spiritual man; “the kings of the island which is in the crossing beyond the sea” signify the knowledges of truth in the ultimate of the natural man, which is called the natural-sensual, because through this there is a crossing into the interiors of the natural man, “sea” signifying the natural man in general (see above, n. 275, 342). The vastation of these things is meant by “the cup of Jehovah which the prophet made the nations to drink.”
sRef Jer@47 @4 S13′ [13] In the same:
Because of the day that cometh to devastate all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Zidon every residue that helpeth; for Jehovah devastates the Philistines, the remnant of the island of Caphtor (Jer. 47:4).
“The Philistines” mean those who are in faith alone, or in faith separate from charity, therefore they are also called “the uncircumcised,” which signifies that they have no charity (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2049, 3412, 3413, 8093, 8313); “to cut off from Tyre and Zidon every residue that helpeth” signifies that they have no knowledge of truth and good; “the residue that helpeth” signifying that they are no longer concordant; “the remnant of the island of Caphtor” has a like signification.
sRef Jer@2 @10 S14′ sRef Jer@2 @12 S14′ [14] In the same:
Pass over into the islands of the Kittim and see; send into Arabia and consider well, and see whether there hath been such a thing, whether a nation hath changed gods (Jer. 2:10-11).
“To pass over and to send into the islands of the Kittim and into Arabia” does not signify to send to those places, but to all who live naturally in truths and goods according to their religious principle; “the islands of the Kittim” meaning where those are who live naturally in truths, and “Arabia” where those are who live naturally in goods, that is, according to their religious principle; “the Kittim” and “Arabia” signify such persons and things; for all who do not have the Word or any revelation from heaven, and live according to their religious principle, live naturally; for to live spiritually is to live solely in accordance with truths and goods from the Word and from revelation out of heaven.
sRef Zeph@2 @11 S15′ sRef Zeph@2 @12 S15′ [15] In Zephaniah:
Jehovah will be fearful upon them; for He will make lean all the gods of the earth,** that they may worship Him, every man from his place, all the islands of the nations, ye Kushites also, slain by my sword shall they be (Zeph. 2:11-12).
This, in the internal sense, signifies that the falsities of evil will be dispersed, and truths and goods given to those who are in falsities indeed, but not in the falsities of evil; “the gods of the nations that He will make lean” signify the falsities of evil, “gods” signifying falsities, “nations” evils, and “to make lean” to remove evils from falsities; “the islands of the nations” and “the Kushites” signify those who are in falsities indeed, but not in the falsities of evil; and in an abstract sense they signify falsities, but not falsities of evil; and as falsities not of evil are in the natural man, therefore “the islands of the nations” signify the natural man in respect to such falsities, or in respect to falsities in the natural man; these falsities are signified by “slain by my sword.” (Respecting the falsities of evil, and the falsities not of evil, see Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 21.)
sRef Ps@72 @9 S16′ sRef Ps@72 @8 S16′ [16] In David:
He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river even unto the uttermost parts of the earth. The islands shall bow low before Him; and His enemies shall lick the dust (Ps. 72:8-9).
This is said respecting the Lord; and “to have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river even unto the uttermost parts of the earth,” means His dominion over all things of heaven and the church; for the boundaries in the spiritual world are seas, and the intermediate regions are lands, where there are habitations for angels and spirits; therefore “from sea to sea” signifies all things of heaven, and because all things of heaven, it signifies also all things of the church; for the goods of love and the truths therefrom are what constitute both heaven and also the church, so “from sea to sea” signifies also all things of the church.
All things of heaven and of the church are signified by “from the river even unto the uttermost parts of the earth;” but this signifies all things of heaven and of the church in respect to truths, while “from sea to sea” signifies all things of heaven and of the church in respect to goods; for in the spiritual world the seas are the boundaries of the land east and west, and in the lands from the east to the west those dwell who are in the good of love; while “the river” means the first boundary, and “the uttermost parts of the earth” the last boundaries from south to north, where those dwell who are in truths from good; these boundaries were represented in respect to the land of Canaan by the rivers Jordan and Euphrates. Because the places that are about the last boundaries are meant by “islands,” these signify truths in last things; and these, although they are not truths, are accepted as truths; for genuine truths are diminished from the midst towards the borders, since those who are about the borders are in natural light, and not so much in spiritual light. “Enemies” signify evils, of whom it is said that they “shall lick the dust,” that is, that they are damned.
sRef Ps@97 @1 S17′ [17] In the same:
Jehovah reigneth; the earth shall exult; many islands shall be glad (Ps. 97:1).
This signifies that the church where the Word is and the church where the Word is not, consequently those who are in spiritual truths and those who are in truths not spiritual, shall rejoice on account of the Lord’s kingdom. “The earth” signifies the church where the Word is, and “the islands” the church where the Word is not, consequently those who are far away from spiritual truths; for the truths of the Word only are spiritual, whereas those who are outside the church, as they do not have the truths of the Word, have only natural truths; this is why they are called “islands.”
sRef Gen@10 @4 S18′ sRef Gen@10 @5 S18′ sRef Isa@66 @18 S18′ sRef Isa@66 @19 S18′ [18] By “islands” in the Word certain islands of the sea are not meant, but places in the spiritual world inhabited by those who have a natural knowledge of cognitions that in some measure agree with the cognitions of truth and good that are in the Word; and these places sometimes appear there as islands in a sea; so in an abstract sense “islands” signify the truths of the natural man. This is so called from a sea in which there are islands, for “the sea” signifies the generals of truth, or the truths of the natural man in general. This is the signification of “islands” in Genesis:
The sons of Javan were Elisha and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these were the islands of the nations separated in their lands; everyone after his tongue, after their families, in their nations (Gen. 10:4-5).
And in Isaiah:
He will come to gather all nations and tongues that they may come and see My glory; and I will set a sign among them, and I will send those of them that escape unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the islands afar off, that have not heard My fame, neither have seen My glory; and they shall declare My glory among the nations (Isa. 66:18-19; likewise 11:10-11).
sRef Isa@42 @16 S19′ sRef Isa@59 @18 S19′ sRef Isa@42 @15 S19′ sRef Isa@41 @5 S19′ sRef Isa@41 @1 S19′ sRef Isa@40 @15 S19′ sRef Isa@42 @15 S19′ sRef Ezek@39 @6 S19′ [19] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so have islands; and in this sense “islands” signify the falsities opposed to the truths in the natural man. In this sense “islands” are mentioned in the following passages. In Isaiah:
I will make waste mountains and hills and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools (Isa. 42:15-16).
This may be seen explained in the preceding article, n. 405. In Ezekiel:
I will send a fire upon Magog, and upon the secure inhabitants of the islands (Ezek. 39:6).
In Isaiah:
[He will repay] wrath to His adversaries, retribution to His enemies; to the islands He will repay retribution (Isa. 59:18).
Behold, the nations are as a drop from a bucket, and are reckoned as the dust of the balance; behold, He taketh up the islands as a very little thing (Isa. 40:15).
“Nations” here stand for evils, and “the islands” for falsities. In the same:
Keep silence, O islands; let the peoples renew power; let them draw near, then let them speak; let us come near together for judgment. The islands saw and feared; the ends of the earth trembled (Isa. 41:1, 5).
* Photolithograph has “upon their thrones;” the Hebrew “from their thrones,” as is also given in the following explanation.
** Photolithograph has “of the nations;” Hebrew “of the earth,” as also found in AE n. 50; AC n. 1158.

sRef Rev@6 @14 S0′ 407. Verses 15-17. And the kings of the earth, and the great ones, and the rich, and the commanders of thousands, and the mighty, and every servant, and every freeman, hid themselves in caves, and in the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb. For the great day of His anger is come, and who is able to stand? 15. “And the kings of the earth, and the great ones, and the rich, and the commanders of thousands, and the mighty,” signifies all internal goods and truths, and all external goods and truths, by means of which there are wisdom and intelligence (n. 408); “and every servant and every freeman” signifies the natural man and the spiritual man (n. 409); “hid themselves in caves, and in the rocks of the mountains,” signifies truths and goods destroyed by evils of life, and by falsities therefrom (n. 410). 16. “And they said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us,” signifies to be covered over by evils and by falsities therefrom (n. 411); “and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb,” signifies lest they should suffer direful things from the influx of Divine good united to Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (n. 412). 17. “For the great day of His anger is come,” signifies the Last Judgment upon the evil (n. 413); “and who is able to stand?” signifies who shall live and bear it? (n. 414).

sRef Rev@6 @15 S0′ 408. Verse 15. And the kings of the earth, and the great ones, and the rich, and the commanders of thousands, and the mighty, signify all internal goods and truths, and all external goods and truths, by means of which there are wisdom and intelligence. This is evident from the signification of “kings,” as being truths from good in their whole complex (of which above, n. 31); from the signification of “great ones, and the rich,” as being internal goods and truths (of which presently); from the signification of “commanders of thousands and the mighty” as being external goods and truths; “commanders of thousands” meaning such goods, and “the mighty” such truths (of which also presently). It is added, “by means of which there are wisdom and intelligence,” because from internal goods and truths, which are spiritual goods and truths, there is wisdom, and from external goods and truths, which are natural goods and truths from spiritual, there is intelligence. Wisdom differs from intelligence in this, that wisdom is from the light of heaven, and intelligence from the light of the world enlightened by the light of heaven; this is why wisdom is predicated of spiritual goods and truths, and intelligence of natural goods and truths; for spiritual goods and truths are from the light of heaven, because the spiritual mind or the internal mind is in the light of heaven; and natural goods and truths are from the light of the world, because the natural or external mind is in the light of the world; but so far as this mind receives the light of heaven through the spiritual mind, so far it is in intelligence. He who believes that intelligence is from the light of the world only, which is called natural light, is much deceived. Intelligence means seeing from oneself truths and goods, whether civil, moral, or spiritual, while seeing them from another is not intelligence but knowledge [scientia]. Yet that it may be known how these things are to be understood, see what is said in a preceding article (n. 406), namely, that man has two minds, the one spiritual or internal, the other natural or external, and that the spiritual or internal mind is opened with those who apply the goods and truths of the Word to the life, while in those who do not apply the goods and truths of the Word to the life, that mind is not opened, but only the natural or external mind; such are thence called natural men, but the former spiritual.
To this let it be added, that so far as the spiritual or internal mind is opened, spiritual light, which is the light of heaven, flows in through it from the Lord into the natural or external mind, and enlightens that mind and gives intelligence. The goods and truths that constitute the spiritual or internal mind are meant by “the great ones and the rich,” goods by “the great ones,” and truths by “the rich;” and the goods and truths that constitute the natural or external mind are meant by “the commanders of thousands and the mighty,” these goods by “the commanders of thousands,” and these truths by “the mighty.” This makes clear that these words, in the internal sense, include all things that are with man; for the extinction of all these is treated of in what follows. All things with man as well as all things in the universe have reference to good and truth; it is from these and according to these that man has all wisdom and intelligence.
[2] He who looks only to the sense of the letter cannot see otherwise than that kings and the chief men in their kingdoms are here meant, and that so many are mentioned in order to exalt that sense; but in the Word no word is meaningless, for the Divine is in all things and in everything of the Word. So these must mean things Divine, which are of heaven and the church, and which are called, in general, celestial and spiritual, and from these the Word is Divine, celestial, and spiritual. Moreover, the Word was given that by it there may be conjunction of heaven with the church, or of the angels of heaven with the men of the church (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n, 303-310); and such conjunction would not be possible if nothing else were meant by these words than what stands forth in the sense of the letter, namely, that the kings of the earth, the great ones, the rich, the commanders of thousands, and the mighty, as also every servant and every freeman, were to hide themselves in caves and in the rocks of the mountains, for these are natural things; but when spiritual things are at the same time understood by these there is conjunction. In no other way could angels be conjoined with men, for the angels are spiritual because they are in the spiritual world and thus both think spiritually and speak spiritually; while men are natural, because they are in the natural world, and thence think naturally and speak naturally. This is said to make known that “the kings of the earth, the great ones, the rich, the commanders of thousands, and the mighty,” signify also things spiritual. That these mean spiritual things, namely, “the great ones and the rich” internal goods and truths, and “the commanders of thousands and the mighty” external goods and truths, can be seen from their signification where they are mentioned in the Word.
[3] “Great ones” in the Word signify internal goods which are the goods of the internal or spiritual man, because “great” and “greatness” in the Word are predicated of good, and “many” and “multitude” of truth (see above, n. 336, 337). Internal goods are signified by “great ones,” because these four, namely, “great ones,” “the rich,” “the commanders of thousands” and “the mighty” signify all the goods and truths that are with man, thus the goods and truths both of the internal or spiritual man and of the external or natural man; “the great ones and the rich” meaning the goods and truths of the internal or spiritual man, and “the commanders of thousands and the mighty” the goods and truths of the external or natural man; so it is added, “every servant and every freeman,” “servant” signifying the external of man, which is called the natural man, and “freeman” the internal of man, which is called the spiritual man. Like things are signified by “great ones” elsewhere in the Word (namely in Jeremiah 5:5; in Nahum 3:10; and in Jonah 3:7).
That “the rich” signify internal truths, which are spiritual truths or those who are in such truths, is evident from what has been shown above (n. 118, 236). That “the commanders of thousands” signify external goods, which are the goods of the natural man, has also been shown above (n. 336); it is therefore unnecessary to say more respecting these. But that “the mighty” signify external truths, or truths of the natural man, is evident from many passages in the Word, where “the mighty” and “the strong,” likewise “power” and “strength” are mentioned; this is because truths from good, and indeed truths that are in the natural man, have all power. Truths from good are what have all power, because good does not act of itself, but by truths, for good forms itself in truths, and clothes itself with them, as the soul does with the body, and so acts; it acts by truths in the natural man, because there all interior things are together, and in their fullness. (That truths from good, or good by means of truths, has all power may be seen above, n. 209, 333; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 231, 232, 539; and that all power is in ultimates, because the Divine is there in its fullness, see above, n. 346; and Arcana Coelestia, n. 9836, 10044.) From this it can be seen that “the mighty” mean external truths, or truths of the natural man.

sRef Rev@6 @15 S0′ 409. And every servant, and every freeman, signifies the natural man and the spiritual man. This is evident from the signification of “servant,” as meaning the natural man (of which presently); and from the signification of “freeman,” as meaning the spiritual man. The spiritual man is meant by “freeman” and the natural man by “servant” because the spiritual man is led by the Lord from heaven, and to be led by the Lord is freedom; while the natural man obeys and serves the spiritual, for it executes what the spiritual man wills and thinks. “Servant” is mentioned in many passages in the Word; and one who does not know that in these “servant” means what does service and effects the things the spiritual man wills and thinks, might suppose that “servant” there means one who is in servitude, thus he might understand it in its ordinary sense, but it will be plain from the passages in the Word that will presently be cited that it means what does service and effects. When “servant” is mentioned in the Word in this sense, the natural man is meant by it, which is “a servant” in the same sense as the body is a servant to its soul.
As what does service and effects is meant by “servant,” so “servant” is predicated not only of the natural man in its relation to the spiritual, but also of men who perform service for others and of the angels who execute God’s commands, yea, of the Lord Himself as to His Divine Human when He was in the world; it is also predicated of truths from good, because good acts and produces effects by means of truths, and truths perform the service to good which good wills and loves, and so forth. Moreover, “servant” is predicated of the natural man with regard to obedience and effect, although with the regenerate the natural man is just as free as the spiritual, for they act as one, like principal and instrumental; and yet the natural man, in relation to the spiritual, is called “a servant,” because, as was said, the natural man is of service to the spiritual in producing effects. But with those with whom the spiritual man is closed and the natural man only open, the whole man in a general sense is a servant, although in appearance it is like a freeman; for the exterior natural man is subservient to the evils and falsities which the interior wills and thinks, and is thus led by hell, and to be led by hell is to be altogether a servant, and after death such a man also becomes altogether a servant and vile slave in hell; for after death the delights of everyone’s life are changed into things that correspond, and the delights of evil are changed into servitude and into loathsome things (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 485-490). In this sense also “servant” is mentioned in the Word. But here it shall be shown especially that “servant” means what is of service and what effects, and this in every respect.
sRef Isa@42 @1 S2′ sRef Isa@53 @11 S2′ sRef Isa@42 @19 S2′ [2] That “servant” means what is of service and effects is plainly evident from this, that the Lord in relation to His Divine Human is called “servant” and “minister,” as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Behold My servant, on whom I lean, My chosen, in whom My soul is well pleased; I have given My spirit upon Him. [He shall bring forth judgment to the nations]. Who is blind but My servant? or deaf as My angel that I send? Who is blind as He that is perfect, and blind as My* servant? (Isa. 42:1, 19).
This is said of the Lord, who is treated of in the whole of this chapter, and the Lord in respect to His Divine Human is here called “a servant,” because He served his Father by doing His will, as He frequently declares; and this means that He reduced to order all things in the spiritual world, and at the same time taught men the way to heaven. Therefore by “My servant on whom I lean,” and by “My chosen, in whom My soul is well pleased,” the Divine Human is meant; and this is called “a servant” from the Divine truth by which it produced effects, and “chosen” from the Divine good. That it was by means of the Divine truth which belonged to Him that the Lord produced effects is meant by “I have given My spirit upon Him, He shall bring forth judgment to the nations;” “the spirit of Jehovah” meaning the Divine truth, and “to bring forth judgment to the nations” meaning to instruct. He is called “blind” and “deaf” because the Lord is as if He did not see and perceive the sins of men, for He leads men gently, bending and not breaking, thus leading away from evils, and leading to good; therefore He does not chastise and punish, like one who sees and perceives. This is meant by “who is blind but My servant? or deaf as My angel?” He is called “blind” and hence “a servant” from the Divine truth, and “deaf” and hence “an angel” from the Divine good; for “blindness” has reference to the understanding and thence to the perception, and “deafness” to the perception and thence to the will; it is therefore here meant that He as it were does not see, although He possesses the Divine truth from which He understands all things, and that He does not will according to what He perceives, although He has the Divine good, from which He is able to effect all things.
[3] In the same:
He shall see out of the labor of His soul, He shall be satisfied; by His knowledge My just servant shall justify many, in that He hath borne their iniquities (Isa. 53:11).
This, too is said of the Lord, of whom the whole chapter evidently treats, and indeed of His Divine Human. His combats with the hells and His subjugation of them are signified by “the labor of His soul,” and “He hath borne their iniquities;” “bearing their iniquities” means not that He transferred them unto Himself, but that He admitted into Himself evils from the hells that He might subdue them; this therefore is what is meant by “bearing iniquities.” The consequent salvation of those who are in spiritual faith, which is the faith of charity, is meant by the words, “by His knowledge My just servant shall justify many;” “knowledge” signifying Divine truth, and thence Divine wisdom and intelligence, and “many” signifying all who receive; for “many” in the Word is predicated of truths, but “great” of good, therefore “many” means all who are in truths from good from the Lord.
It is said that “He shall justify” these, because “to justify” signifies to save by Divine good, and from Divine good He is also called “just.” Because the Lord accomplished and effected these things by His Divine Human, He is called “the servant of Jehovah;” this makes clear that Jehovah calls His Divine Human “His servant,” because of its serving and effecting.
sRef Luke@12 @37 S4′ sRef Isa@43 @10 S4′ [4] In the same:
Behold My servant shall act prudently, He shall be exalted, and lifted up, and made exceeding high (Isa. 52:13).
This, too is said of the Lord, whose Divine Human is called “a servant,” for the same reason as was mentioned just above; the glorification of His Human is meant by “He shall be exalted, and lifted up, and made exceeding high.” In the same:
Ye are My witnesses, and My servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe Me (Isa. 43:10).
Here, too, “servant” means the Lord in respect to His Divine Human. That the Lord Himself calls Himself “a minister” from serving is clear in the Gospels:
Whosoever will become great among you must be your minister, and whosoever will be first must be your servant, as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister (Matt. 20:25-28; Mark 10:42-44; Luke 22:27).
This may be seen explained in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 218). And in Luke:
Blessed are the servants whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching; verily I say unto you, that He will gird Himself, and make them to recline to meat, and drawing near He will minister to them (Luke 12:37).
sRef Isa@49 @3 S5′ sRef Ps@89 @3 S5′ sRef Ps@89 @4 S5′ sRef Ps@89 @20 S5′ sRef Isa@49 @6 S5′ sRef Ezek@37 @24 S5′ sRef Ps@78 @71 S5′ sRef Ezek@34 @24 S5′ sRef Ps@78 @72 S5′ sRef Ps@78 @70 S5′ sRef Isa@37 @35 S5′ [5] Since “David” in the Word means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and Divine truth serves, so David also, where the Lord is meant by him, is in many places called “a servant,” as in Ezekiel:
I Jehovah will be their God, and My servant David a prince in the midst of them (Ezek. 34:24).
In the same:
My servant David shall be king over them, that they all may have one shepherd (Ezek. 37:24).
This was said of David after his times, when he was never again to be raised up to be a prince in the midst of them, or a king over them. In Isaiah:
For I will defend this city to save it for Mine own sake, and for My servant David’s sake (Isa. 37:35).
In David:
I** have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to David My servant, even to eternity will I establish thy seed. I have found David My servant; with the oil of My holiness have I anointed him (Ps. 89:3-4, 20).
The whole of this Psalm treats of the Lord, who is here meant by “David.” In the same:
He chose David His servant; from following the ewes giving suck He brought him to feed Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance; and he fed them in the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the intelligence of his hands (Ps. 78:70-72);
and elsewhere. That the Lord in respect to Divine truth is meant by “David” in the Word, may be seen above (n. 205), and in the passages there cited. The Lord is also called “a servant” in the Word where He is meant by “Israel.” As in Isaiah:
Thou art My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be made glorious. It is a light thing that thou shouldst be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to lead back the preserved of Israel; but I have given thee for a light to the nations, that thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth (Isa. 49:3, 6).
(That in the highest sense the Lord is meant by “Israel,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4286; and that “the Stone of Israel,” means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, n. 6426.)
sRef Ps@119 @23 S6′ sRef Ps@119 @48 S6′ sRef Isa@41 @8 S6′ sRef Ps@86 @16 S6′ sRef Dan@9 @10 S6′ sRef Isa@52 @13 S6′ sRef Ps@119 @65 S6′ sRef Ps@119 @124 S6′ sRef Amos@3 @7 S6′ sRef Isa@44 @2 S6′ sRef Isa@44 @1 S6′ sRef Mal@4 @4 S6′ sRef Ps@119 @176 S6′ sRef Isa@65 @9 S6′ sRef Jer@25 @9 S6′ sRef Jer@25 @4 S6′ sRef Ps@119 @135 S6′ sRef Ps@119 @17 S6′ sRef Ps@119 @18 S6′ sRef Ps@86 @4 S6′ sRef Ps@86 @2 S6′ sRef Ps@119 @125 S6′ sRef Ps@119 @16 S6′ [6] Since the Lord in respect to Divine truth is called in the Word “a servant” from serving, so those who are in Divine truth from the Lord and thereby serve others are there called “servants,” as the prophets are in these passages. In Jeremiah:
Jehovah sent unto you all His servants the prophets (Jer. 25:4).
In Amos:
He hath revealed His secret unto His servants the prophets (Amos 3. 7).
In Daniel:
He hath set [His laws] before us*** by the hand of His servants the prophets (Dan. 9:10).
So too:
Moses is called The servant of Jehovah (Mal. 4:4).
And also Isaiah, in his prophecy (Isa. 20:3; 50:10).
For “prophets” in the Word signify the doctrine of Divine truth, thus Divine truth in respect to doctrine (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2534, 7269). So again, David calls himself “a servant of Jehovah,” as in the following passages:
I rejoice in Thy statutes; I do not forget Thy word. [Deal well with Thy servant.] Thy servant doth meditate in Thy statutes. Thou hast done good to Thy servant, O Jehovah, according to Thy word. Deal with Thy servant according to Thy mercy, and teach me Thy statutes. I am Thy servant, cause me to discern, that I may know Thy testimonies. Make Thy faces to shine upon Thy servant, and teach Me Thy statutes. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Thy servant (Ps. 119:16-17, 23, 65, 124-125, 135, 176).
In the same:
Keep my soul, for I am holy; save Thy servant, for I trust**** in Thee. Gladden the soul of Thy servant; for unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up My soul. Give strength unto Thy servant, and save the son of Thy handmaid (Ps. 86:2, 4, 16; and elsewhere, as Ps. 27:9; 31:16; 35:27; 116:16; Luke 1:69).
Since the Lord in respect to Divine truth is meant by “David” in the above cited passages, and thus “David,” in like manner as the prophets, means Divine truth, so “servant” in these passages also means in the spiritual sense, what is of service. One who is ignorant of the spiritual sense of the Word might believe that not only David but also others who are spoken of in the Word, called themselves “servants,” for the reason that all are servants of God; but still wherever “servants” are mentioned in the Word, what is of service and effect is meant in the spiritual sense. For this reason too:
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is called the servant of Jehovah (Jer. 25:9; 43:10).
But in a particular sense, “servant” and “servants” in the Word mean those who receive Divine truth and who teach it, since Divine truth is what serves, and by means of it Divine good produces effects. For this reason “servants” and “chosen” are frequently mentioned together, “servants” meaning those who receive Divine truth and who teach, and “chosen” those who receive Divine good and who lead, as in Isaiah:
I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains; that My chosen may possess it, and My servants may dwell there (Isa. 65:9).
In the same:
Thou, Israel, art My servant, and Jacob, whom I have chosen (Isa. 41:8).
In the same:
Hear, O Jacob, My servant; Israel, whom I have chosen. Fear not, O Jacob, My servant, and thou Jeshurun, whom I have chosen (Isa. 44:1-2).
(That those are called “chosen” who are in the life of charity, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3755 near the end, 3900.)
sRef Luke@16 @13 S7′ [7] Now as “servants” have reference in the Word to what is of service and effects, consequently to such as serve and produce effects, therefore the natural man is called “a servant,” since this serves the spiritual in effecting what it wills; and for this reason the spiritual man is also called “a freeman” and “master.” This, too, is meant by “servant” and “master” in Luke:
No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will prefer the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Luke 16:13).
This must be understood as referring, not to servants in the world, for such can serve two masters, and yet not hate and despise one of them, but to servants in a spiritual sense, who are such as desire to love the Lord and themselves equally, or heaven and the world equally. These are like those who wish to look with one eye upwards, and with the other downwards, that is, with one eye to heaven, and with the other to hell, and thus to hang between the two; and yet there must be a predominance of one of these loves over the other; and where there is a predominance, that which opposes will be hated and despised when it offers opposition. For the love of self and of the world is the opposite of love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor. For this reason, those who are in the heavenly love would rather die or be deprived of honors and wealth in the world than be drawn away by them from the Lord and from heaven; for this they regard as the all, because it is eternal, but the former as relatively nothing, because it comes to an end with life in the world. On the other hand, however, those who love themselves and the world above all things, regard the Lord and heaven as relatively of no account, and even deny them, and so far as they see that they are opposed to self and the world they hate them; this becomes clearly manifest with all such in the other life. With those who love the Lord and heaven above all things, the internal or spiritual man is open, and the external or natural man serves it; then the latter is a servant because it serves, and the former is a master because it exercises its will; but with those who love themselves and the world above all things, the internal or spiritual man is closed, and the external or natural man is open; and when the latter is open and the former closed, the man loves the one master, namely, himself and the world, and hates the other, namely, the Lord and heaven. To this I am able to bear witness from experience; for all who have lived for self and the world, and not, as they ought, for God and heaven, in the other life hate the Lord and persecute those who are His, however in the world they may have talked about heaven and also about the Lord. From this it can be seen how impossible it is to serve two masters. That these words of the Lord must be understood spiritually is clear from the Lord’s own words; for He says, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
sRef Matt@10 @24 S8′ sRef Matt@10 @25 S8′ [8] In Matthew:
The disciple is not above his teacher, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord (Matt. 10:24, 26).
This in the most general sense means that man must not make himself equal to the Lord, and that it is sufficient for him that all that he has he has from the Lord, and then the disciple is as the Teacher, and the servant as the Lord, for then the Lord is in him, and causes him to will good and to think truth. The term “disciple” is used in reference to good and “servant” in reference to truth. It is similar in a particular sense, namely, with each individual who is led by the Lord, the external or natural man with him is “a disciple” and “a servant,” and the internal and spiritual man is “a teacher” and “a lord.” When the external or natural man serves the internal or spiritual by obeying and carrying into effect, then it also is “as its teacher” and “as its lord,” for they act as one, as is said of the principal cause and the instrumental, that they act as one cause. This particular sense coincides with the most general in this, that when the spiritual and natural man act as one, the Lord Himself acts, for the spiritual man does nothing of itself, but what it does comes solely from the Lord; so far, indeed, as the spiritual man has been opened (for this opens into heaven), so far man acts not of himself but from the Lord; this spiritual man is the spiritual man in its proper sense.
sRef John@8 @33 S9′ sRef John@8 @34 S9′ sRef John@8 @36 S9′ sRef John@8 @35 S9′ sRef John@8 @32 S9′ [9] In John:
Ye shall know the truth; the truth maketh you free. The Jews answered, We are Abraham’s seed, and have never yet been in bondage to any man; how sayest Thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, everyone that committeth sin is a servant of sin. The servant abideth not in the house forever; the Son abideth forever. If the Son therefore make you free ye shall be free indeed (John 8:32-36).
This means that to be led by the Lord is freedom, and to be led by hell is slavery; “the truth that makes free” means Divine truth which is from the Lord, for he who receives this in doctrine and in life is free, because he is made spiritual and is led by the Lord; therefore it is also added, “the Son abideth in the house forever; if the Son make you free ye shall be free indeed,” “Son” meaning the Lord, and also truth (see above, n. 63, 151, 166), and “to abide in the house” meaning to abide in heaven. That to be led by hell is slavery is taught by these words, “everyone that committeth sin is a servant of sin,” “sin” is hell because it is from hell.
sRef John@15 @15 S10′ sRef John@15 @16 S10′ sRef John@15 @14 S10′ [10] That to receive Divine truth from the Lord in doctrine and in life is to, be free the Lord teaches also in John:
Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you. No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; I rather call you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and appointed you that ye may go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit may abide (John 15:14-16).
“Friends” here mean the free, “friends” being contrasted with “servants.” That those who receive the Divine truth in doctrine and life from the Lord are not “servants,” but are “friends” or freemen, is taught by these words, “if ye do whatsoever I command you, no longer do I call you servants, but friends;” likewise by these words, “all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known unto you, that ye may go and bring forth fruit;” “to command” and “to make known” pertain to doctrine, and “to bring forth fruit” pertains to life. That these are from the Lord is thus taught, “ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and appointed you.” Something nearly similar was represented by the Hebrew servants who were sent away free in the seventh year and in the year of Jubilee (who are treated of in Exod. 21:2, 3; Lev. 25:39-41; Deut. 15:12 seq.; Jer. 34:9 seq. Concerning these see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8973- 9005.)
From what has been thus far set forth it can be seen that those are called “servants” in the Word who serve and bring into effect, and that therefore “servant” means the natural man, because this serves its spiritual man by bringing into effect what it wills and thinks; also that those are called “freemen” who act from the love of truth and good, thus who act from the Lord, from whom is the love of truth and good. Moreover, “servants” in the Word mean also those who are led by self and the world, and thence by evils and falsities, consequently who are led by the natural man and not at the same time by the spiritual. But respecting these servants, the Lord willing, it shall be told elsewhere.
* Photolithograph has “My,” but Hebrew has “of Jehovah,” as also found in AC n. 2159.
** Photolithograph has “He hath made,” but Hebrew has “I have made,” as also in AE n. 205, 608, 684, 701, etc.
*** Photolithograph has “you;” for Hebrew “us.”
**** Photolithograph has “for I trust;” Hebrew “that trusteth.”

sRef Rev@6 @15 S0′ 410. Hid themselves in caves and in the rocks of the mountains, signifies truths and goods destroyed by evils of life and falsities therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “hiding themselves,” as meaning that they were lost, namely, internal and external goods and truths, or those in the natural and in the spiritual man, which are signified by “the kings of the earth,” “the great ones,” “the rich,” “the commanders of thousands,” “the mighty,” and by “every servant and every freeman,” as has been shown above. From this it follows that “they hid themselves” signifies that these were lost, the things lost being also in a hidden place. It is evident also from the signification of “caves,” as meaning evils of life (of which presently); and from the signification of “the rocks of the mountains,” as meaning the falsities therefrom; for “rocks” signify the truths of faith, and in the contrary sense the falsities of faith, here the falsities from evils, for “mountains” signify evils springing from the loves of self and of the world (as was shown just above, n. 405). But on the signification of “rocks” see in the article immediately following; here the signification of “caves” will be treated of.
[2] It was said above that in the spiritual world there are mountains, hills, rocks, valleys, and lands, as on our globe, and that angels and spirits dwell on them; but yet in the spiritual world they have a different appearance; upon the mountains those dwell who are in the greatest light, below these on the same mountain those dwell who are in less light, and beneath these those who are in still less, and in the lowest parts those dwell who are in darkness and thick darkness as compared to the light the higher ones have; accordingly the heavens are in the higher part of the mountains, and the hells are in the lowest parts, thus the expanses of the mountains succeed each other as strata. This is so in order that the lower may be governed by the Lord through the higher; for the Lord flows in immediately from Himself into all things of the spiritual world, and mediately through the higher heavens into the lower, and through these into the hells. The reason for this arrangement is that all may be held in connection by influx; such a coordinate and subordinate arrangement exists through the whole spiritual world. Into the hells, which are under the mountains and in the rocks, entrances lie open either in the lowest parts of their sides or through caverns from the valleys; and the entrances in the lower parts of the sides appear like entrances into caves where there are wild beasts, altogether dark; these are opened when infernal spirits are let in, but are shut when they have been let in. These entrances are called in the Word “the gates of hell.” But among the rocks these entrances appear like clefts in a cliff, and in some places like holes with various openings. The darkness in these gates or doors appears densely dark to good spirits and angels, but as if luminous to evil spirits; the reason is that there is no light of heaven there, but a fatuous lumen, which is natural lumen apart from the spiritual. The light of those there is not like the light [luminosum] of the world in the daytime, but like the nocturnal light that is suitable for owls, moles, birds of night, and bats, which see nothing in the light of day, and therefore the light of day is thick darkness to them, while the darkness of the night is their light. Their sight is such because it is formed of falsities and evils, which in themselves are darkness and thick darkness; for this reason “darkness” in the Word signifies falsities of every kind, and “thick darkness” the falsities of evil. From this it can be seen what is signified by “they hid themselves in caves,” that is, in evils of life, the goods in them having been destroyed. Evils of life are signified by “caves” for the same reason that “mountains” signify the goods of life, namely, because those who are in them are such; for the spiritual sense is concerned solely with evils or with goods regarded apart from places and persons, that is, with the kinds of evils or goods in the places and in the persons, as has also been several times said above.
sRef Isa@2 @11 S3′ sRef Isa@2 @15 S3′ sRef Isa@2 @14 S3′ sRef Isa@2 @10 S3′ sRef Isa@2 @12 S3′ sRef Isa@2 @16 S3′ sRef Isa@2 @20 S3′ sRef Isa@2 @21 S3′ sRef Isa@2 @17 S3′ sRef Isa@2 @13 S3′ sRef Isa@2 @18 S3′ sRef Isa@2 @19 S3′ [3] From this it can be seen what is signified in the Word by “caves,” “caverns,” “hollows,” “holes,” “clefts,” and “chinks of rocks and mountains,” in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for the dread of Jehovah and for the glory of His magnificence. For there shall be a day of Jehovah of Hosts upon everyone that is proud and exalted, and upon everyone that is lifted up, and that is brought low; and upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are exalted and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, and upon all the exalted mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, and upon every lofty tower, and upon every fenced wall, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all images of desire; that the haughtiness of man [hominis] may be bowed down, and the loftiness of men [virorum] be brought low, and Jehovah alone be exalted in that day. And the idols shall go away into smoke. And they shall enter into the caves of the rocks, and into the clefts of the dust, for dread of Jehovah and for the glory of His magnificence when He shall arise to terrify the earth. In that day a man shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold which they made for themselves to bow down to the moles and to the bats, to go into the rents of the rocks and into the clefts of the cliffs (Isa. 2:10-21).
No one can understand all these things except from the internal sense, and unless he knows what the appearance of things is in the spiritual world; for without the internal sense who can know what is meant by “there shall be a day of Jehovah upon the cedars of Lebanon and the oaks of Bashan, upon mountains and hills, upon the tower and the wall, upon the ships of Tarshish and the images of desire;” and what is meant by “bowing down to moles and bats?” And unless the appearance of things in the spiritual world is known, who can know what is meant by “their entering into the rock and hiding themselves in the dust,” “entering into the caves of the rocks and into the clefts of the dust,” also “into the rents of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs?” But from the internal sense it is known that all these things describe the state of those who are in the love of self and of the world, and thus in evils and falsities at the time of the Last Judgment.
It is therefore said “there shall be a day of Jehovah upon everyone that is proud and exalted, and upon everyone that is lifted up and that is brought low;” “day of Jehovah” meaning the Last Judgment; “everyone that is proud and exalted” meaning those who are in the love of self and the world, and “everyone that is lifted up and that is brought low” meaning those who are in the love of self-intelligence. This is further described by “there shall be a day of Jehovah upon all the cedars that are exalted and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, and upon all the exalted mountains and hills that are lifted up, upon every lofty tower and fenced wall, and upon all the ships of Tarshish and the images of desire;” “the cedars of Lebanon” and “the oaks of Bashan” signify the pride of self-intelligence, “the cedars of Lebanon,” interior pride, and “the oaks of Bashan” exterior pride; “mountains and hills” signify the loves of self and of the world, and the evils and falsities springing from them (as was shown above, n. 405); “tower” and “wall” signify the falsities of doctrine confirmed, “the ships of Tarshish” and “the images of desire” signify the knowledges and perceptions of falsity from evil; their worship from evils and falsities is signified by “the idols which they made for themselves, to bow down to the moles and the bats;” worship from such things as are from self-intelligence is signified by “the idols which they made for themselves to bow down unto;” the evils and falsities of doctrine from which such worship springs are signified by “moles and bats,” because these have sight in the dark and shun the light; judgment upon such is described by “they shall enter into the caves of the rocks and into the clefts of the dust,” also “into the rents of the rocks and into the clefts of the cliffs;” “to enter into the caves of the rocks and into the clefts of the dust” signifies the damnation of those who are in evils and falsities from the loves of self and of the world, and from the pride of self-intelligence; for the hells of such appear as caves in rocks, and the entrances into them as rents in rocks and clefts in cliffs; “rocks” and “cliffs” signifying the falsities of faith and doctrine, and “dust” signifying what is damned.
sRef Jer@49 @16 S4′ [4] In Jeremiah:
Thy horror hath deceived thee, the presumption of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the holes of the cliff, that holdest the height of the hill; if thou shouldst make thy nest as high as the eagle, thence would I cast thee down (Jer. 49:16).
This is said of Esau and Edom; and “Esau” here signifies the love of self and the evil therefrom destroying the church, and “Edom” the pride of self-intelligence and the falsity therefrom destroying the church. That the love of self and such pride are meant is evident from its being said “the presumption of thine heart hath deceived thee; if thou shouldst make thy nest as high as the eagle, thence would I cast thee down.” Those who are in falsities from self-intelligence dwell in rocks below, and the ways of approach to them appear like holes therein. These have also been seen by me. Within, however, there are rooms hollowed out and arched chambers where they sit in their fantasies. But before they are cast into these they are seen on mountains and hills, for they raise themselves into high places by fantasies, and as they are not in truths they think they are there bodily, and yet bodily they are in the caves of the rocks; this, therefore, is what is meant by “dwelling in the holes of the rocks, and holding the height of the hill.” This makes clear the nature of the Word, namely, that in many places it conforms to the aspects and appearances in the spiritual world, which are unknown to man but known to spirits and angels; from which it is evident that the Word is written for them also.
sRef Obad@1 @3 S5′ sRef Job@30 @6 S5′ sRef Obad@1 @4 S5′ [5] In Obadiah:
The presumption of thy heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the cliff, in the height of thy seat; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the earth? Though thou shalt mount on high like the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, I will bring thee down from thence (Obad. 3-4).
This, too, is said of Edom, who signifies here the pride of learning which is from self-intelligence, and falsity therefrom destroying the church. As almost similar things are said here as above, so the signification is similar; “the clefts of the rock” signify the falsities of faith and of doctrine, because those dwell there who are in such falsities; these are compared to an eagle because the eagle from its lofty flights signifies the pride of self-intelligence; so, too, “a nest for habitation” is mentioned, and “to set it among the stars” signifies in the heights where those dwell who are in the knowledges of truth, for the knowledges of truth are signified by “stars.” In Job:
To dwell in the clefts of the valleys, in the holes of the earth, and in the rocks (Job 30:6).
Here, too, “clefts of the valleys,” “holes of the earth,” and “rocks” signify the falsities of evil, for the falsities of evil are here treated of.
sRef Isa@7 @18 S6′ sRef Isa@7 @19 S6′ [6] In Isaiah:
It shall come to pass in that day, Jehovah shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria, which shall come and shall rest, all of them, in the brooks of desolations, and in the clefts of the cliffs, and in all thickets, and in all courses (Isa. 7:18-19).
This describes the church laid waste by knowledges [scientifica] falsely applied, and by reasonings therefrom, by which the very knowledges of truth from the Word are perverted; “the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt” signifies the falsity in the outermost parts of the natural man; the outermost parts of the natural man are what are called sensual things, for the natural man is interior, middle, and exterior; the interior communicates with the spiritual man through the rational, the exterior with the world through the bodily senses, and the middle conjoins the two; the exterior is what is called the sensual, because it depends upon the bodily senses, and draws therefrom what belongs to it. The falsities that are in this and from it are signified by “the flies in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt;” but “the bee in the land of Assyria” signifies false reasonings therefrom, for “Assyria” signifies the rational, and “Egypt” the knowing faculty of the natural man; and because the rational derives all it has from the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man, its reasonings are signified by “bees,” for as bees suck out and derive their store from flowers, so the rational does from the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man. Here, however, “bees” signify false reasonings, because the rational gathers what belongs to it from knowledges [scientifica] falsely applied. It is from correspondences that these are likened to flies and bees; for in the spiritual world flying things of various kinds appear, but they are appearances from the ideas of the thoughts of spirits, and the noxious flying things among them are flies and bees of such a kind; “the flies in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt” have their correspondence from their springing out of the filth of rivers. It is said “which shall come and shall rest in the brooks of desolations and in the clefts of the cliffs,” which signifies that the falsities of knowledges [scientifica] and of reasonings therefrom have their seats where there are no truths and where there is the faith of falsity, “the brooks of desolations” meaning where there are no truths, and “the clefts of the cliffs” where there is the faith of falsity; “in all thickets and in all courses” signifies that the knowledges and perceptions of truth are falsified by such things; “thickets” meaning the knowledges of truth, and “courses” the perceptions, and these are falsified by the above-mentioned falsities when they flow in. No one can see and know that these arcana are contained in these words except from the internal sense, and at the same time from the spiritual world.
sRef Isa@32 @14 S7′ [7] In the same:
The palace shall be abandoned, the multitude of the city forsaken, the height and the watch-tower shall be over the caves even forever, a joy of wild asses and a pasture for droves (Isa. 32:14).
This describes the total vastation of the church, where there is no longer any good of life or truth of doctrine; yet no one can know what is involved in it unless he knows the state of things in the spiritual world, and at the same time the internal sense. The devastation of the whole church is meant by “the palace shall be abandoned, and the multitude of the city forsaken;” “palace” signifying the whole church in respect to truths from good, and “abandoned” where there is no good because there is no truth; therefore “the palace shall be abandoned” signifies the church devastated; “the multitude of the city” signifies all truths of doctrine, for “city” means doctrine, and “multitude” is predicated of truths, which are said to be “forsaken” when they cease to be; “the height and the watch-tower shall be over the caves even forever” signifies that a church shall no longer exist with them, because there is nothing but the evil of life and the falsity of doctrine; “caves” signifying such things because such persons dwell in caves, as was said above; and because such persons dwell in deep places in the spiritual world, and are covered over by heights and watch-towers, thus hidden from those who abide on the lands there, therefore it is said not only that “the height and the watch-tower shall be over the caves,” but also that they shall be “a joy of wild asses and a pasture for droves.” Moreover, in that world there are many hells in deep places wholly hidden by the lands, rocks, and hills above, or by the heights and watch-towers, where there is grass like a pasture for flocks; for which reason these hells are unknown to those who dwell there upon the land. “A joy of wild asses” signifies also the affection or love of falsities; and “a pasture for droves” the nourishing of evils from falsities; and both of these signify the devastation of truth by falsities. From this it can be seen what an arcanum lies hidden in these words.
sRef Jer@7 @11 S8′ sRef Matt@21 @13 S8′ [8] In Jeremiah:
Is this house, upon which My name is named, become a den of robbers? (Jer. 7:11).
“A den of robbers” signifies the evil of life from the falsities of doctrine; and “the house upon which My name is named” signifies the church where there is worship from the goods of life by truths of doctrine; “house” meaning the church, and “the name of Jehovah” everything by which He is worshiped, thus good and truth, truth of doctrine and good of life. The church where there is evil of life from falsities of doctrine is called “a den of robbers” because “den” signifies that evil, and those are called “robbers” who steal truths from the Word and pervert them, and apply them to falsities and evils, and thus extinguish them. All this makes clear what is meant by the Lord’s words in the Gospels:
It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayers; but ye have made it a den of robbers (Matt. 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46).
“House” here, in the universal sense, signifies the church; and because worship was performed in the temple at Jerusalem, it is called “a house of prayers.” (That the temple signifies the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3720; that “prayers” signify worship, see above, n. 325; that “to be called” has a similar signification as “to name My name upon them,” see above, Arcana Coelestia, n. 3421.)
sRef Isa@11 @8 S9′ [9] In Isaiah:
The suckling shall play on the hole of the adder, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk’s den (Isa. 11:8).
Neither can this be understood unless, from the things that appear in the spiritual world, it is known what is meant by “the hole of the adder” and by “the basilisk’s den.” It was said above that the entrances to the hells appear like holes in the rocks and like gaps opening into caves, such as wild beasts in the forests have; those who dwell in these, when they are looked at in the light of heaven appear like monsters of various kinds and like wild beasts. Those who are in the hells where those dwell who act craftily against innocence appear like adders, and those who act craftily against the good of love appear like basilisks; and as “suckling” or “sucking infant” signifies the good of innocence it is said “the suckling shall play on the hole of the adder;” and as “a weaned child,” or an infant that has stopped sucking, signifies the good of love, it, is said, “and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk’s den,” and this signifies that those who are in the good of innocence and in the good of love to the Lord have no fear whatever of evils and falsities which are from hell, because they are protected by the Lord. (That “infants,” in the Word, and also “sucklings,” signify the good of innocence, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 430, 3183; and what “adders” and other poisonous serpents signify, n. 9013.)
sRef Jer@13 @4 S10′ sRef Jer@13 @5 S10′ sRef Jer@13 @7 S10′ sRef Jer@13 @6 S10′ [10] In Jeremiah:
Take the girdle that thou hast bought for thyself, which is upon thy loins, and arise and go to Euphrates, and hide it in a cleft of the cliff. This he also did; and afterwards at the end of many days he went there and took it again, and behold the girdle was marred and was not profitable for anything (Jer. 13:4-7).
This represented the quality of the Jewish Church, namely, that it was destitute of all the good of life and the truth of doctrine. For “the girdle” upon the loins of the prophet signified the conjunction of the Lord with the church by means of the Word; “Euphrates” signifies everything of the church in respect to good, here in respect to evil; and “the cliff” everything of the church in respect to truth, here in respect to falsity, for it is said “a cleft of the cliff;” that “the girdle was marred so as not to be profitable for anything” signified that there was no conjunction whatever of the church with the Lord, consequently that there was no church.
sRef Judg@6 @2 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @36 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @35 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @37 S11′ sRef Judg@6 @1 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @38 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @34 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @30 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @31 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @33 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @32 S11′ [11] “Cave” has a like significance in the histories of the Word as in the prophesies of the Word; for the histories of the Word, the same as the prophesies of the Word, contain an internal sense. Thus it is related of Lot, that after the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah:
He dwelt in a cave of the mountain with his two daughters, who made him drunk and lay with him; whence were born Moab and Ammon (Gen. 19:30-33).
The representation and signification of this occurrence is similar to that of Moab and Ammon in the Word, for “Moab” signifies the adulteration of the good of the church, and “Ammon” the falsification of the truth of the church (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2468, 8315); and “adulteries” and “whoredoms” signify in general the adulterations of good and the falsifications of truth (see above, n. 141, 161); and the various kinds of adulteries and whoredoms (such as are enumerated in Leviticus 18:6-30), signify the various kinds of adulterations and falsifications of good and truth; and this is why Lot is here said to have “dwelt in a cave;” such an abomination being signified here by “the cave of the mountain.” In the book of Judges it is said:
That the sons of Israel did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and therefore were given into the hand of Midian; and because of Midian they made for themselves caves in the mountains and dens and strongholds (Judg. 6:1-2).
The “evil” which the sons of Israel did means the perversion of good and truth, as can be seen from what follows there, and also from the signification of “Midian” (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3242), on account of whom they made for themselves caves in the mountains and dens; for the sons of Israel were possessed by the evil signified by “Midian;” “because of Midian” signifying on account of that evil. It was similar when the sons of Israel fled on account of the Philistines (1 Sam. 13:6).

sRef Rev@6 @16 S0′ 411. Verse 16. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, signifies to be covered over by evils and by falsities therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “mountains,” as being the evils that flow from the loves of self and of the world (of which above, n. 405); also from the signification of “rocks,” as being the falsities from evil (of which below); also from the signification of “fall on us,” as being to be covered by them. These things, too, are to be illustrated by such things as occur in the spiritual world when the Last Judgment takes place; for they are said respecting the Last Judgment, as is evident from the following verse, where it is said, “For the great day of His anger is come, and who is able to stand?” that “day” meaning the time and state of the Last Judgment. The state of the wicked then is such that from the mountains and rocks upon which they have made their habitations they cast themselves down into the hells, more or less deeply according to the atrocity of the evils and falsities with them; and this they themselves do, because they cannot endure Divine good and Divine truth, the higher heavens then being opened, from which the light of heaven flows in, which is Divine truth united to Divine good, by which light their pretended goods and truths are constricted, and these being constricted their evils and falsities are loosened; and as evils and falsities cannot endure the light of heaven, for they are pained and tortured by it, these spirits cast themselves from the mountains and rocks into the hells, more or less deeply according to the quality of their evil and falsity; some into gaps and caves, and some into holes and rocks, which then stand open before them; but as soon as they have cast themselves in, the openings are closed up. In this way the casting out of evil spirits from the mountains and hills which they have occupied is effected (see above, n. 391, 392, 394); and when they are in the caves and among the rocks the pains and torments they suffered from the influx of the light of heaven cease; for they find rest in their evils and in the falsities therefrom, because these had been their delights; for the delights of his life remain with everyone after death, and the delights of life are the delights of their loves, for every delight of life is from love.
sRef Luke@23 @30 S2′ sRef Hos@10 @8 S2′ [2] From this the signification of their “calling to the mountains and the rocks to fall on them” can be seen; likewise what is signified in Hosea:
They shall say to the mountains, Cover us, and to the hills, Fall on us (Hos. 10:8).
And in Luke:
Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us, and to the hills, Hide us (Luke 23:30).
This, too, treats of the Last Judgment. The light of heaven, which is Divine truth united to Divine good, by the influx and presence of which the evil who cast themselves down are pained and tormented, is meant by the words immediately following in this verse; “hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb;” it is said “the anger O the Lamb” because they are in torment; but their torment is not from that, but from the evils of their loves and from the falsities of their faith; and because these evils and falsities have formed all the interiors of their mind (for each one’s mind is formed by his love and its faith, even so as to be a likeness of these in form), and because the interiors of the mind of those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom are turned away in a contrary direction, or to a quarter opposite to Divine goods and truths, therefore when Divine truth flows in and endeavors to reverse the action of the interiors of their mind, and thereby to lead them into heaven (for this is what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord does everywhere where it flows in), and they are unwilling to abandon the delights of their loves, they suffer anguish and torment; but these cease when they come into the hells where like delights or like loves prevail.
sRef Ps@141 @6 S3′ [3] Having shown above (n. 405) what “mountains and hills” signify, it shall now be shown what “rocks” signify, namely, that they signify truth from spiritual good, also the truth and good of faith, but in the contrary sense the falsity of faith. This signification of “rocks” is also from appearances in the spiritual world; for rocks and crags are seen there as mountains and hills are seen, as was shown above, and upon the rocks there those dwell who are in truths from spiritual good, and who are in the truth and good of faith. The difference between the mountains and hills, and the rocks and crags, is that the former are of soil, and the latter of stone, and “soil” corresponds to and thus signifies the good of love, and “stone” corresponds to and thus signifies the truth of faith. And as most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so do “rocks,” and in that sense they signify the falsity of faith, and this also from correspondence; for those who are in the falsities of faith dwell there within the rocks in caverns.
sRef Dan@2 @34 S4′ sRef Dan@2 @35 S4′ sRef Dan@2 @43 S4′ [4] That “rock” signifies truth from good and the truth of faith, and in the highest sense the Lord in respect to these, is evident from the following passages. In Daniel:
Thou sawest* till that a stone was cut out, not by hands, and it smote the image upon his feet, that were iron and clay. And the stone that smote the image became a great rock and filled the whole earth (Dan. 2:34-35).
This was said of the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. “The stone that became a great rock” means the Lord, as is evident from the particulars there. But first let the signification of what precedes be told; “the head of the image” which was gold, signifies the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial church, or a church in which the good of love to the Lord reigned; this good is signified in the Word by “gold,” and also by “the head;” “the breast” and “the arms” which were silver, signify the Ancient Church, which succeeded the Most Ancient, and this church was a spiritual church, or a church in which the good of charity towards the neighbor, and truth from that good, reigned; this truth and good are signified by “silver,” and also by “the breast” and “the arms;” “the belly and the thighs which were brass” signify the church that succeeded the ancient spiritual church and which may be called spiritual-natural; in this church the good of faith and the truth from that good reigned; this good is signified in the Word by “brass,” and also by “the belly” and “the thighs;” but “the legs and the feet, which were part iron and part clay,” signify the Israelitish and Jewish Church, which was an external church without any internal, and which therefore had no truth and good, but truth falsified which in itself is falsity, and good adulterated which in itself is evil; therefore it is said respecting it in this chapter:
Whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of man; but they shall not cohere one with the other, even as iron doth not mingle with clay (Dan 2:43).
“Iron” signifies natural truth, and “miry clay” natural good; “the feet and legs” have a like meaning; but here “clay” signifies good adulterated, and “iron” such truth as there is in the external sense of the Word; for “the seed of man” means the Word where there are goods and truths, the adulterations and falsifications of which are described by “iron mixed with clay, which do not cohere one with the other.” (That there have been four churches, one after another, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 247, 248.) “The stone” that smote the image means Divine truth from the Lord; that “it became a great rock and filled the whole earth” signifies that the Lord by Divine truth is to rule over heaven and the church; “the earth” here meaning the church and also heaven; therefore it is added that this kingdom “shall stand forever” (verse 44), “kingdom” also signifying the church and heaven, for there is the kingdom of God. That Divine truth is here meant by “stone,” and the Lord in respect to Divine truth by “rock,” is evident from the signification of “stone” in the Word when predicated of the Lord (as in Gen. 49:24; Ps. 118:22, 23; Isa. 28:16; Matt. 21:42, 44; Mark 12:10, 11; Luke 20:17, 18). Whether you say the Lord or Divine truth it is the same, since all Divine truth is from Him, and thence He is in it; and it is from this that the Lord is called “the Word,” for the Word is Divine truth. (That “stone” in the highest sense signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and thence in a lower sense truth from good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 643, 1298, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376.)
sRef Ex@17 @6 S5′ sRef Ps@78 @20 S5′ sRef Ex@17 @5 S5′ sRef Ps@114 @8 S5′ sRef Num@20 @9 S5′ sRef Num@20 @8 S5′ sRef Num@20 @10 S5′ sRef Num@20 @12 S5′ sRef Num@20 @11 S5′ sRef Ps@78 @15 S5′ sRef Ps@78 @35 S5′ sRef Ps@105 @41 S5′ sRef Ps@114 @7 S5′ sRef Isa@48 @21 S5′ sRef Ps@78 @16 S5′ [5] That “rock” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, is plain from:
The rock in Horeb from which waters were given to the Israelitish people (Exod. 17:5-6);
and that it was commanded:
That Moses and Aaron should speak unto the cliff, and thus should sanctify Jehovah in the eyes of the sons of Israel; but that Moses smote it with a staff two times, therefore it was declared to Moses and Aaron that they should not bring the people into the land of Canaan (Num. 20:8-13).
It is known in the church that this “rock” signified the Lord; but it is not known that it had this signification because “rock” in the Word signifies the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord; this was why Moses and Aaron were commanded to speak to it, and thus to sanctify Jehovah in the eyes of the sons of Israel. Also “the waters” that flowed forth signify Divine truth; and “the people drinking of them” signifies to nourish spiritually, which is done by instructing and teaching. (That “waters” signify truths, see above, n. 71; and that “to drink,” and “to be given to drink,” signify to be instructed and to be taught, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3069, 3772, 4017, 4018, 8562, 9412.) The like is signified by “rock” in Isaiah:
They shall not thirst; He will lead them in desolate places; He will cause the waters to flow out of the rock for them, when He cleaveth the rock that the waters may issue (Isa. 48:21).
In David:
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and made them to drink of the great depths; and He brought streams out of the cliff; and they remembered that God was their Rock, and the most high God their Redeemer (Ps. 78:15-16, 20, 35).
In the same:
He opened the rock that the waters might issue out; they flowed in the dry places, a river (Ps. 105:41).
In the same:
Before the Lord thou art in travail, O earth, before the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool of waters, the flint into a fountain of waters (Ps. 114:7-8).
That “rock” in these passages signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, or what is the same, Divine truth from the Lord, is evident from what has been said above, also from the fact that these two passages in David treat of the redemption and the regeneration of the men of the church, and this is effected by means of Divine truth from the Lord. Redemption is treated of in these words, “they remembered that God was their Rock, and the most high God their Redeemer;” regeneration in these words, “Before the Lord thou art in travail, O earth;” “to be in travail” when predicated of the church, signifying to be reformed and regenerated.
sRef Isa@51 @1 S6′ [6] In Isaiah:
Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek Jehovah; look unto the rock out of which ye were hewn, and to the digging out of the pit out of which ye were digged (Isa. 51:1).
The “rock” means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and the “pit” signifies the Word, as also in other places; “to be hewn out of the rock” and “to be digged out of the pit,” signify to be regenerated by Divine truths and Divine goods, thus by truths from good from the Lord; for “stones,” that are cut out of a rock, signify truths from the Lord; and “soil,” that is dug out of a pit, signifies good from the Lord, therefore it is called “the digging out of the pit.”
sRef Deut@32 @31 S7′ sRef Deut@32 @18 S7′ sRef Deut@32 @13 S7′ sRef Deut@32 @30 S7′ sRef Deut@32 @4 S7′ sRef Deut@32 @3 S7′ [7] In Moses:
Give ye greatness unto our God; the rock, whose work is perfect, and all His ways are judgment. He made him to ride on the high places of the earth, and feedeth him with the increase of the fields; He maketh him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock. The rock that begat thee hast thou given to forgetfulness, and hast forgotten God thy Former. Is it not because their rock hath sold them, and Jehovah hath shut them up? For their rock is not as our rock, neither are our enemies judges (Deut. 32:3-4, 13, 18, 30-31).
This is said of the Ancient Church, which was a church that was in truths from good; therefore truths from good are described by various things that correspond, as “He made him to ride on the high places of the earth, He fed him with the increase of the fields; He made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock.” Intelligence in the spiritual things of this church is signified by “He made him to ride on the high places of the earth;” “to ride” signifying to understand; “the high places of the earth” meaning the spiritual things of the church; spiritual nourishment therefrom is signified by “He fed him with the increase of the fields;” “to feed” meaning to nourish, and “the increase of the fields” meaning all things of the church. That they had natural good and spiritual good through Divine truth from the Lord is signified by “He made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock;” “honey” meaning natural good, “oil” spiritual good; “cliff” external Divine truth from the Lord which is for the natural man, and “flint of the rock” internal Divine truth from the Lord which is for the spiritual man. The Jewish Church, which was not in any Divine truth, is next treated of, and respecting this it is said, “the rock that begat thee hast thou given to forgetfulness, and hast forgotten God thy Former,” which signifies that the Lord, and thence Divine truth, by which the church is reformed, were rejected; “rock” meaning the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and “that begat thee,” and “God the Former” signifying to be reformed by the Lord by means of Divine truth. That they were altogether deprived of truth and good is signified by “their rock hath sold them, and Jehovah hath shut them up,” “rock” having reference to truth, and “Jehovah” to good; “to sell” and “to shut up” means to be deprived of. That they would be in falsity from evil is signified by “their rock is not as our rock, neither are our enemies judges” “their rock” meaning falsity, “our enemies” evils, “not judges” signifying not truths and goods. From this it can be seen that “rock” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and in the contrary sense, falsity.
sRef 2Sam@23 @2 S8′ sRef 2Sam@23 @3 S8′ [8] In the second book of Samuel:
The spirit of Jehovah spoke in me, and His speech was upon my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke [to me]. He that ruleth over the righteous man, that ruleth over the fear of God (2 Sam. 23:2-3).
“Rock” here manifestly stands for the Lord, for in the Word “the God of Israel” means the Lord; therefore it is said “the spirit of Jehovah spoke in me, and His speech was upon my tongue,” also “the God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me.” The “spirit of Jehovah” and “His speech” signify Divine truth, and the Lord is called “the God of Israel” from worship, and “the Rock of Israel” from Divine truth, from which is worship. Because it is the Lord who is meant, it is said that “the Rock of Israel spoke.” His dominion over those who are in good and those who are in truth is signified by “He that ruleth over the righteous man, that ruleth over him that hath the fear of God;” righteousness” is predicated of good, and “fear of God” of truth; for this Psalm of David treats of the Lord, which makes clear that the Lord is meant by “the God of Israel,” and “the Rock of Israel.” sRef 2Sam@22 @47 S9′ sRef Ps@81 @13 S9′ sRef Ps@81 @16 S9′ sRef 2Sam@22 @3 S9′ sRef 2Sam@22 @2 S9′ sRef Ps@18 @46 S9′ sRef Ps@18 @31 S9′ sRef Ps@18 @2 S9′ [9] In David:
O that My people may hearken unto Me, that Israel might walk in My ways! I would feed** them with the fat of wheat; and with honey out of the rock I would satisfy them (Ps. 81:13, 16).
Here, too, “rock” means the Lord in respect to Divine truth (as may be seen above, n. 374, where this is explained). In the same:
Who is God save Jehovah, or who is a Rock besides my*** God? Jehovah liveth: and blessed be my Rock; and the God of my salvation shall be exalted (Ps. 18:2, 31, 46; 2 Sam. 22:2-3, 32, 47).
It is said, “Who is God save Jehovah, and who is a Rock besides my God?” because where Divine good is treated of the Lord is called “Jehovah,” and where Divine truth is treated of he is called “God,” and also “Rock,” as here; so afterwards, “Jehovah liveth, and blessed be my Rock;” “the God of my salvation shall be exalted” signifies that He must be worshiped by means of truths from good, from which is salvation; “to be exalted,” in reference to God is predicated of worship from good by means of truths.
sRef Ps@19 @14 S10′ sRef Ps@28 @1 S10′ sRef Ps@42 @9 S10′ sRef Ps@89 @27 S10′ sRef Isa@26 @4 S10′ sRef Isa@44 @8 S10′ sRef Ps@89 @26 S10′ sRef Hab@1 @12 S10′ sRef Ps@92 @15 S10′ sRef Isa@30 @29 S10′ sRef Ps@95 @2 S10′ sRef Ps@95 @1 S10′ sRef 1Sam@2 @2 S10′ [10] In the same:
Let the sayings of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be well pleasing before Thee, O Jehovah, my Rock and my Redeemer (Ps. 19:14).
“Jehovah the Rock” has a like signification as “Jehovah God,” namely, the Lord in respect to Divine good and Divine truth; and He is called “Redeemer” from regeneration, which is effected by Divine truth; “sayings of the mouth” signify the understanding of truth, and “the meditation of the heart” the perception of good. In the same:
I say unto God my Rock, Why hast Thou forgotten me? (Ps. 42:9).
“God the Rock” means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, here in respect to defense. In the same:
Unto Thee do I call, O Jehovah my Rock; be not silent from me; lest Thou be silent from me (Ps. 28:1).
Here, too, “Jehovah” and “Rock” are mentioned, because “Jehovah” means the Lord in respect to Divine good, and “Rock” the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and as both are meant it is twice said, “be not silent from me,” “lest Thou be silent from me;” one having reference to Divine good, the other to Divine truth, for in the Word there is a heavenly marriage in every particular, which is the marriage of good and truth. In Habakkuk:
O Jehovah, Thou hast placed him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast founded him for correction (Hab. 1:12).
In Isaiah:
Trust ye in Jehovah forevermore; for in Jah Jehovah is the Rock of Eternity (Isa. 26:4).
Ye shall have a song as of the night of celebrating the feast; and gladness of heart as of one going with a pipe to come into the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel (Isa. 30:29).
Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no Rock, I know not any (Isa. 44:8).
In David:
We will make a joyful noise unto the Rock of our salvation; we will come before His faces with confession (Ps. 95:1-2).
In the first book of Samuel:
There is none holy as Jehovah; and there is no Rock like our God (1 Sam. 2:2).
In David:
Upright is Jehovah my Rock (Ps. 92:15).
He shall call me, Thou art my Father, my God, the Rock of my salvation. I also will make Him the firstborn, high above the kings of the earth (Ps. 89:26-27).
sRef Matt@7 @24 S11′ sRef Matt@7 @25 S11′ [11] In these passages, “rock” means Divine truth from the Lord and the Lord Himself, as well as in other passages. As in the gospels:
Everyone that heareth My words and doeth them, I will liken him to a prudent man, who built his house upon a rock; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, yet it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock (Matt. 7:24-25; Luke 6:48).
“The house founded upon a rock” means the church and the man of the church who has founded his doctrine and life upon the Divine truth, which is from the Lord, thus upon those things that are in the Word, consequently one who is in truths from good from the Lord. It is said, “who is in truths from good,” because Divine truth is not received by anyone who is not in good. To be in good is to be in the good of life, which is charity; therefore it is said “he that heareth My words and doeth them;” “doing the Lord’s words” is the good of life, for truth, when a man does it, becomes good because it then enters the will and love, and whatever becomes of the will and love is called good. Temptations, in which such a man of the church does not fall but conquers, are signified by “the rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew, and beat upon the house, and yet it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock;” for in the Word “floods of waters” and “rains,” and also “tempests of wind,” signify temptations. This, to be sure, is a comparison, but it should be known that all comparisons in the Word are as much according to correspondences as are the things not said comparatively (see above, n. 69; and Arcana Coelestia, n. 3579, 8989).
This makes plainly evident that “rock” in the Word signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, or Divine truth from the Lord.
sRef Matt@16 @15 S12′ sRef Matt@16 @19 S12′ sRef Matt@16 @18 S12′ sRef Matt@16 @17 S12′ sRef Matt@16 @16 S12′ [12] From this it can be seen what is signified by the Lord’s words to Peter, in Matthew:
Jesus said to the disciples, But who say ye that I am? Simon Peter answered, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answering said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon son of Jonah; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father who is in the heavens. I say unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, that whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens (Matt. 16:15-19).
“Peter” here does not mean Peter, but Divine truth from the Lord (as in the passages cited above) for all the Lord’s disciples together represented the church; and each one of them some constituent of the church; “Peter” the truth of the church, “James” its good, and “John” good in act, that is, works; the rest of the disciples represented the truths and goods that are derived from these, just as the twelve tribes of Israel. That this is so will be seen in what follows, where the tribes and the disciples are treated of. This is why these three disciples are mentioned in the Word more than the others.
sRef John@1 @42 S13′ [13] The Lord addressed these words to Peter because he then confessed, saying, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” which in the spiritual sense signifies that He is the Divine truth; this is signified by “Christ,” also by “the Son of God.” (That this is signified by “Christ” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3004, 3005, 3009; and by “the Son of God” above, n. 63, 151, 166.) By virtue of this confession “Peter” represented Divine truth from the Lord in the church, and for this reason he was called “a rock” [petra], and it is said “thou art a rock [petra], upon this rock [petra] I will build My church,” which signifies upon Divine truth from the Lord, or what is the same, upon truths from good, for upon these the church is built. That Peter might represent this in the church he was called by the Lord “a rock [petra].” as is evident in John:
Jesus looking upon him said unto him, Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah; thou shalt be called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, a rock [petra] (John 1:42).
Cephas in the Syriac language means a rock, and so Peter in that version is everywhere called “Cephas;” moreover, the same word in the Hebrew means a rock (as is evident in Jer. 4:29; and Job 30:6, where “rocks” are mentioned in the plural number); but Peter is not called a rock [petra] in the Greek and Latin because the name was bestowed upon him as a personal name.
sRef John@14 @8 S14′ sRef John@14 @10 S14′ sRef John@14 @11 S14′ sRef John@14 @9 S14′ sRef John@10 @30 S14′ sRef John@10 @38 S14′ sRef John@14 @7 S14′ [14] The Lord said “Simon son of Jonah” and afterwards he was called “a rock,” because “Simon son of Jonah” signifies truth from good, or faith from charity; and as truth from good or faith from charity is granted only to those who are in Divine truth from the Lord, and Peter then confessed [the Lord], so he is called “a rock,” not himself as a person, but that Divine truth which was from the Lord with him in his confession. That this was from the Lord is meant by the Lord’s words, “flesh and blood has not revealed it unto thee, but My Father who is in the heavens;” “the Father in the heavens” meaning the Divine in the Lord, since the Father was in Him, and He in the Father and they were one (John 14:7-11; 10:30, 38). That “Simon” signifies truth in the will, see in the following chapter; and that “dove,” which is what “Jonah” means, signifies spiritual good, see Arcana Coelestia (n. 870, 1826, 1827); consequently “Simon son of Jonah” signifies the truth of good or truth from good. Because the hells have no power against Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, or against any man in whom there is Divine truth from the Lord, therefore the Lord says that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
sRef Matt@18 @18 S15′ sRef Mark@11 @24 S15′ [15] The Lord further said, “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens,” which signifies that all things are possible to those who are in truths from good from the Lord, in full agreement with these words:
All things whatsoever ye ask for, praying, believe that ye are to receive, then shall it be done unto you (Mark 11:24; Matt. 7:8; Luke 11:9).
How these words are to be understood see above (n. 405i), namely, that to ask from the faith of charity is to ask not from self but from the Lord, for whatever anyone asks not from self but from the Lord he receives. That such is the signification of these words, “whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens,” is clear from the Lord’s words to the disciples and to all who are in truths from good from the Lord, in Matthew:
Verily I say unto you, What things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens (Matt. 18:18).
sRef Matt@18 @20 S16′ sRef Matt@18 @19 S16′ [16] These words were spoken to all, thus not to Peter only, as the Lord immediately declares in that chapter in these words:
I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth in My name respecting anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by My Father, who is in the heavens. For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them (Matt. 18:19-20).
“The Lord’s name” means everything by which He is worshiped; and as He is worshiped by means of truth from good, which is from Him, so this is meant by “His name.” (That this is what is meant by the “Lord’s name,” see above, n. 102, 135.) So “every thing they shall ask on earth shall be done for them in the heavens” has a similar signification as “whatsoever ye shall bind and shall loose on earth shall be bound and shall be loosed in the heavens,” for the Lord explains the former words by the latter. One who knows the spiritual sense of the Word can know also why it is said “if two agree,” and afterwards, “where there are two or three,” namely, because “two” is predicated of good, and “three” of truth, consequently “two and three” of all who are in truths from good. (That Divine truth from the Lord has all power in the heavens and on earth, see above, n. 209, 333; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 230-231, 539; and Arcana Coelestia, n. 3091, 3563, 6344, 6423, 6948, 8200, 8304, 9643, 10019, 10182. “Two” is predicated of good because it signifies conjunction by love, n. 1686, 5194, 8423; “three” is predicated of truths because it signifies all truths in the complex, in like manner as “twelve,” n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913; therefore when “two” and “three” are mentioned in the spiritual world, two and three, are not meant, but all who are in truths from good. That “Peter” signifies truth from good, which is from the Lord, see in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 57.)
sRef Isa@22 @16 S17′ [17] Thus far it has been shown what “rock” signifies in this sense; it shall now be shown what “rock” signifies in the contrary sense. In the contrary sense “rock” signifies infernal falsity that is trusted in; as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Hewing out**** thy sepulcher in the height, graving for himself a habitation in the cliff (Isa. 22:16).
This chapter treats of “the valley of vision,” which signifies the falsity of doctrine confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word; the love of falsity is signified by “the sepulcher in the height,” and the belief of falsity by “the habitation in the cliff;” their making such things for themselves is signified by “hewing out” and “graving for themselves.”
sRef Isa@31 @7 S18′ sRef Isa@31 @8 S18′ sRef Isa@31 @9 S18′ [18] In the same:
In that day they shall reject every man the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold which your hands make for you; then shall Asshur fall by the sword not of a man [vir], and the sword not of a man [homo] shall devour him: and his cliff shall pass away for awe, and his princes shall be dismayed at the banner (Isa. 31:7-9).
This treats of judgment upon those who from self-intelligence believe themselves to be wise in Divine things. Such are those who are in the love of self and the world, and who seek after a reputation for learning for the sake of self; these, because they are unable to see truths, seize on falsities and proclaim them as truths. The falsities that favor their principles and their loves are signified by “the idols of silver and the idols of gold;” that these are from self-intelligence is signified by “which your hands have made for you;” that they will perish by their own falsities is signified by “then shall Asshur fall by the sword not of a man [vir], and the sword not of a man [homo] shall devour him;” “Asshur” meaning the rational perverted, and thence those who are in falsities from self-intelligence; “to fall and to be devoured by the sword” meaning to perish. This was represented also by the king of Assyria in that he was slain by his own sons (Isa. 37:38); “his sons” there signifying his own falsities by which he perished; “his cliff, which shall pass away for awe,” signifies all falsity in general, in which such have trusted; and “the princes, who shall be dismayed at the banner,” signify the primary falsities; it is said “at the banner,” because such falsities are dispersed not by any combat with truths, but by a mere sign of combat, which a banner is. I have seen such cast down from the rocks upon which they were by the waving of an ensign.
sRef Jer@4 @29 S19′ [19] In Jeremiah:
The whole city fleeth before the voice of the horseman and the shooter of the bow; they entered the clouds and went up into the rocks, the whole city is forsaken, not a man [vir] dwelleth therein (Jer. 4:29).
This describes the church desolated in respect to truths. The desolation of all the truth of doctrine by false reasonings and false doctrinals therefrom is signified by “the whole city fleeth before the voice of the horseman and of the shooter of the bow;” “the voice of the horseman” signifying false reasonings, and “the voice of the shooter of the bow” false doctrinals; “the whole city fleeth” signifies the desolation of all the truth of doctrine, “city” meaning doctrine. That no truth is acknowledged, but falsity alone, is signified by “they entered the clouds and went up into the rocks;” “to enter the clouds” signifying into the non-acknowledgment of truth, and “to go up into the rocks” signifying into mere falsity.
sRef Ezek@24 @7 S20′ sRef Matt@13 @5 S20′ sRef Matt@13 @6 S20′ sRef Ezek@26 @14 S20′ sRef Ezek@26 @4 S20′ sRef Ezek@24 @8 S20′ sRef Ezek@26 @3 S20′ [20] I have also seen rocks that consisted of stones heaped together, with no level place where verdure grew as elsewhere upon rocks; upon these were spirits who while they lived in the world as men had been in faith separate from charity, which is called faith alone, and had confirmed themselves therein both in doctrine and in life. This is what is meant by “the dryness of the rock,” in Ezekiel:
She set***** it upon the dryness of the cliff; she poured it not upon the earth that dust might cover it (Ezek. 24:7).
And in the same:
I will cause many nations to come up against thee; and they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and throw down her towers; and I will purge her dust from her, and make her the dryness of a cliff (Ezek. 26:3-4, 14).
“Dust” in these two passages means the soil, which signifies the good of the church. When there is no soil on the rocks, but the rocks are dry, that is, consist of mere heaps of stones, as was said above, it is a sign that there is no good, and where there is no good there is mere falsity; so this is what is signified by “the dryness of a cliff,” and “she poured it not upon the earth, that the dust might cover it,” and “I will purge her dust from her.” This makes evident what is signified by the Lord’s words in the Gospels:
Other seed fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much soil; and straightway they sprang up because they had no depth of earth; and they dried up (Matt. 13:5-6; Mark 4:5-6; Luke 8:6).
This may be seen explained above (n. 401).
[21] Most of those in the spiritual world who have their light from the moon there, dwell upon rocks. Those who are spiritual-natural dwell upon rocks that are covered with a thin surface of soil, where consequently there are level places, verdure, and shrubberies, but not such as are upon the mountains and hills where those dwell who receive light from the sun of heaven; while those who are not spiritual-natural, but merely natural, are not at this day upon the rocks, but in caverns in the rocks there; and those who are in falsities from evil, dwell among heaps of stones there; all these things are correspondences.
sRef Jer@51 @25 S22′ [22] In Jeremiah:
Behold, I am against thee, O mountain destroying the whole earth; and I will stretch out Mine hand against thee and roll thee down from the cliffs, and will make thee a mountain of burning (Jer. 51:25).
This is said of Babylon, whose damnation through falsities is signified by “I will roll thee down from the cliffs,” and whose damnation through evils is signified by “I will make thee a mountain of burning” (but this may be seen more fully explained above, n. 405).
sRef Jer@48 @28 S23′ [23] In the same:
O ye inhabitants of Moab, forsake the cities and dwell in the cliff, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the passages of the mouth of the pit (Jer. 48:28).
This is said of Moab, which signifies the adulteration of good and truth, and thus those who pervert the good and truth of the Word. “Forsake the cities” signifies to leave the truths of doctrine; “dwell in the cliff” signifies in falsities and the doctrine of falsities; “be like the dove that maketh her nest in the passages of the mouth of the pit” signifies looking at truth from without and not from within, for “a pit” signifies the Word where truths are; “to make a nest in the passages of its mouth” means outside of it and not within, “to make a nest” having the same signification as to dwell, namely, to live a life; but “to build a nest” is predicated of a bird, and “to dwell” of man. What it is to regard the Word from without and not from within may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 10549-10551), namely, to look at it not from doctrine but from the mere letter; and in consequence of this men wander in every direction whither the disposition, thought, and affection may lead; they are sure of nothing, whence come the perpetual adulterations that are signified by “Moab.” This is the case with those who study the Word for the sake of glory and honor; because such regard themselves in everything when studying the Word, they remain outside of the Word; while those who love truth and good from the Word are within the Word, for they look at it not from self, but from the Lord. This makes clear what is signified by “O ye inhabitants of Moab, forsake the cities and dwell in the cliff, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the passages of the mouth of the pit.”
sRef Jer@23 @29 S24′ [24] In the same:
Is not My word like as fire? and like a hammer that scattereth the cliff? (Jer. 23:29.)
The Word is said to be “like a fire and like a hammer” because “fire” signifies the good of love, and “hammer” the truth of faith, for “the hammer” has a similar signification as “iron,” and “iron” signifies truth in ultimates, and the truth of faith. Both are mentioned, namely, “fire” and “hammer,” and accordingly good and truth, because of the marriage of good and truth in every particular of the Word. “The cliff that is scattered” signifies the falsity in the whole complex and the doctrine of falsity; and these are scattered or destroyed, when man with whom they exist is judged.
sRef Nahum@1 @6 S25′ [25] In Nahum:
Who shall stand before His indignation? or who shall stand up in the glowing of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks shall be overturned before Him (Nahum 1:6).
That the “indignation,” “wrath,” and “anger” of Jehovah signify the Last Judgment, and the state of damnation of those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom will be seen in the following articles. The damnation of evils is signified by “His wrath, which is poured out like fire;” and the damnation of falsities from evils by “His anger,” and “the rocks shall be overturned before Him;” “fire” also signifying the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and “rocks” the falsities therefrom, and “to be overturned” signifies to perish. Moreover, the rocks, upon which are those who are in the principles of falsity and thus in falsities of every kind, are visibly overturned, and those who are upon them are thus cast down into hell; but this occurs in the spiritual world, where all have their dwelling places according to the quality of their interiors to which their externals correspond.
sRef Isa@57 @5 S26′ sRef Isa@57 @4 S26′ [26] In Isaiah:
Ye that have heated yourselves with gods under every green tree, that slaughter the children in the brooks under the shelves of the cliffs (Isa. 57:5).
What is meant by “heating oneself with gods under every green tree, and slaughtering the children in the brooks under the shelves of the cliffs,” no one can know except from the internal sense. In that sense “to heat oneself with gods under every green tree” signifies to worship God from every falsity that occurs; “to heat oneself with gods” means ardent worship, and “every green tree” means every falsity that occurs, for “tree” signifies knowledges and perceptions, here the knowledges and perceptions of falsity; and “to slaughter the children in the brooks, under the shelves of the cliffs” signifies to extinguish truths by falsities from self-intelligence; “children” meaning truths, “brooks” self-intelligence, “shelves of the cliffs” falsities; “under the shelves of these” signifies from the sensual, in which there is the ultimate natural light, for those who are in that light only stand under precipitous rocks and do not see any truth, and if it is told them they do not perceive it. In such a position I also have seen them in the spiritual world. This makes evident that “to slaughter the children” means not to slay children, but to extinguish truths.
sRef Ps@137 @9 S27′ [27] So in David:
Happy is he who shall seize and shatter thy babes against the cliff (Ps. 137:9).
“Babes” mean here not babes but falsities springing up; for Babylon is here treated of, which signifies the falsities of evil destroying the truths of good of the church; the destruction of these is signified by “shattering them against the cliff;” “cliff” meaning the ruling falsity of evil, and “to shatter” meaning to destroy. He who abides in the mere sense of the letter of the Word and does not think beyond it, can easily be led to believe that he is called “happy” who does this with the babes of his enemies, when yet that would be an enormous crime; but he is called “happy” who disperses the falsities of evil springing up in the church, which are here signified by “the babes of Babylon.”
sRef Jer@18 @14 S28′ sRef Jer@18 @13 S28′ sRef Jer@18 @15 S28′ [28] In Jeremiah:
Who hath heard such a thing as this? The virgin of Israel hath done a horrible thing. Shall the snow of Lebanon from the rock leave My fields? Shall the strange cold waters flowing down be snatched away? My people have forgotten Me, they have burned incense to vanity (Jer. 18:13-15).
“The virgin of Israel” means here and elsewhere the spiritual church, for this the Israelites represented; “the horrible thing that they did” means that they turned the goods of the church into evils, and the truths of the church into falsities, and from these evils and falsities worshiped Jehovah. The evils from which is such worship are signified by “My people have forgotten Me,” for he who forgets God is in evils; and the falsities from which is such worship are signified by “they have burned incense to vanity,” “vanity” meaning falsity, and “to burn incense” worship; “shall the snow of Lebanon from the rock leave My fields?” signifies, have they not the truths of the church from the Word? “rock” here signifies the Word, because it signifies Divine truth (as above); “the snow of Lebanon” signifies the truths of the church therefrom. Here “snow” has a similar signification as water, namely, truths, but “snow” signifies cold truths, because a cold church is here treated of. “Lebanon” means the church from which these are, and “fields” mean all goods and truths of the church; “the strange cold waters flowing down,” signify the falsities in which there is no good; “strange waters” meaning falsities, and “cold” meaning in which there is no good, for truths have all their heat from the good of love.
sRef Jer@21 @13 S29′ [29] In the same:
Behold, I am against thee, thou inhabitant of the valley, thou rock of the plain; that say, Who shall descend against us, and who shall enter into our abodes? (Jer. 21:13).
“The inhabitant of the valley” and “the rock of the plain” signify those who are in the ultimates of the Word, and do not permit themselves to be illustrated from the interior; and such do not see truths, but falsities instead; for all the light of truth, because it is out of heaven from the Lord, comes from the interior and descends. Such are meant by “the inhabitant of the valley” and “the rock of the plain;” “valley” and “plain” meaning the ultimates of the Word in which they are; and “inhabitant” and “rock” signifying falsities, “inhabitant” the falsity of life, and “rock” the falsity of doctrine. The belief in falsity and evil in which such are firmly fixed, believing falsity and evil to be truths and goods, is signified by their saying, “Who shall descend against us, and who shall enter into our abodes?”
sRef Job@14 @18 S30′ sRef Isa@2 @10 S30′ [30] In Isaiah:
Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for the dread of Jehovah (Isa. 2:10).
“To enter into the rock” means into falsity, and “to hide themselves in the dust” means in evil. This treats of the Last Judgment, when those who are in the falsities of evil and in the evils of falsity cast themselves into the hells which are in the rocks and under the lands in the spiritual world. (But these things may be seen more fully brought out and explained in the preceding article.) In Job:
The mountain falling passeth away, and the rock is removed out of its place (Job 14:18).
“Mountain” signifies the love of evil; and “rock” the belief of falsity; and “to melt away” and “be removed out of its place” signifies to perish.
sRef Job@30 @6 S31′ [31] In David:
Let their judges be cast down by the sides of the cliff (Ps. 141:6).
“Judges” signify those who are in falsities, and in an abstract sense, the falsities of thought and of doctrine. “Judges” in the Word have a similar signification as “judgments,” and “judgments” signify the truths from which judgments are formed and in the contrary sense falsities. Because those who are in falsities dwell in the spiritual world in cliffs it is said, “let them be cast down by the sides of the cliff,” which signifies that they should be let into their falsities and dwell in the hells corresponding to their falsities. In Job:
To dwell in the cleft of the valleys, in holes of the earth, and in the rocks (Job 30:6).
This treats of those who are in the hells, because they are in evils and in falsities therefrom; the hells of those who are in evils in respect to life are under valleys and in caves there; and the hells of those who are in falsities from evil are in rocks. This makes clear what is signified by “dwelling in the cleft of the valleys, in holes of the earth, and in rocks.” (But respecting the caverns and caves in which those dwell who are in the hells, and the clefts and holes by which these are entered, see the article just preceding, n. 410.)
[32] These things have been adduced to make known that “rock” in the contrary sense signifies falsity in general; and this signification of “rock” is from correspondence, as can be seen from the appearances and phenomena in the spiritual world, where all dwell according to the correspondences of the interiors of their mind and life. Consequently those who are in wisdom and intelligence, because they are in love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbor, and thence in the spiritual affection of truth, dwell upon mountains and hills of earth, where there are paradises, gardens, rose-beds, and lawns; but those who are in the belief in the doctrinals of their church and in some degree of charity, dwell upon rocks where there are level places upon which are some groves and some trees and grassy places; while those who have been in faith alone, as it is called, in respect to doctrine and life, and thence in falsities of faith and evils of life, dwell within the rocks, in caverns and cells there.
sRef Isa@5 @28 S33′ sRef Job@19 @24 S33′ sRef Jer@5 @3 S33′ sRef Ezek@3 @9 S33′ [33] This signification of “rock” is from the correspondence spoken of. But there is a signification of “rock” from its hardness, as in the following passages. In Jeremiah:
They have made their faces harder than a rock (Jer. 5:3).
In Ezekiel:
As an adamant stronger than rock have I made thy forehead; fear not (Ezek. 3:9).
In Job:
They shall be graven with an iron pen and with lead in the rock forevermore (Job 19:24).
In Isaiah:
The hoofs of the horses are accounted as rock (Isa. 5:28).
Hardness is expressed by “rock” from the correspondence of rock with truth from good, for truth from good has all power, as has been said above; but when truth acts against falsity from evil then good is blunted, and truth then remaining acts with hardness, according to the above words in Ezekiel, “As an adamant stronger than rock have I made thy forehead.” Truth without good is also hard, but still is easily broken. But what has been here adduced respecting rocks will be more fully elucidated by what will be said hereafter respecting the signification of stones.
* Photolithograph has “for I trust;” Hebrew “that trusteth.”
** Photolithograph has “thou wast seen;” for Chaldean “thou sawest,” which is also found in App. 2.
*** Photolithograph has “I would feed,” but Hebrew has “He would feed.” The former reading is also found in AE n. 374, 619; AC n. 5620, 5943; the latter in AC n. 3941, 8581.
**** Photolithograph has “my;” Hebrew has “our,” which is also found in AC n. 4402
***** Photolithograph has “I set;” the Hebrew “she set.”

sRef Rev@6 @16 S0′ 412. And hide us from the face of Him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb, signifies lest they should suffer direful things from the influx of Divine good united to the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “hide us,” when it is said by those in whom the goods and truths of the church are destroyed by evils of life and falsities therefrom, as being lest they should suffer direful things (of which presently); also from the signification of “from the face of Him that sitteth upon the throne,” as being the Lord in respect to Divine good in heaven; that “face,” in reference to the Lord, means the Divine love, from which is Divine good in heaven, will be evident from the passages in the Word that will be cited presently; and that “He that sitteth upon the throne” means the Lord in respect to Divine good in heaven may be seen above (n. 297, 343). Also from the signification of “the anger of the Lamb,” as being the casting into hell by the influx of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord.
That “the anger of Jehovah” or of the Lord signifies this, can be seen from passages in the Word to be cited in the following article. Moreover it may be seen above (n. 297, 343) that the Lord alone is meant by “Him that sitteth upon the throne,” and by “the Lamb;” the Lord in respect to Divine good by “Him that sitteth upon the throne,” and the Lord in respect to Divine truth by “the Lamb.” The expression “the anger of the Lamb” does not mean that the Lord (who is meant by “Him that sitteth upon the throne” and by “the Lamb”) is angry, for He is Divine good itself, and that cannot be angry, for anger has nothing to do with good itself; but it is so expressed in the sense of the letter of the Word, for reasons explained elsewhere; let it be merely shown here that “the face” of Jehovah, or of the Lord, signifies the Divine love, and thence Divine good in heaven and in the church; and in the contrary sense “to set His face against anyone,” and “to hide or conceal His face,” has a similar meaning as “wrath” and “anger;” also that “the face,” in reference to man, means in both senses the interiors that belong to his mind and affection.
sRef Ps@31 @16 S2′ [2] That “the face,” in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, signifies the Divine love and the Divine good therefrom is evident from the following passages. In David:
Make Thy faces to shine upon Thy servant; save me because of Thy mercy (Ps. 31:16).
“To make the faces to shine” signifies to enlighten in Divine truth from Divine love; this is signified by “making the faces to shine,” because Divine truth, which proceeds from the Lord as a sun in the angelic heaven, gives all the light there, and also enlightens the minds of the angels and fills them with wisdom; consequently the Lord’s face, in a proper sense, is the sun of the angelic heaven; for the Lord appears to the angels of the interior heavens as a sun, and this from His Divine love, for love in the heavens when presented before the eyes appears as fire, but the Divine love as a sun. From that sun both heat and light proceed, that heat is Divine good, and that light is Divine truth. From this it can be seen that “Make Thy faces to shine upon Thy servant” signifies to enlighten with Divine truth from Divine good; therefore it is also added, “save me because of Thy mercy;” mercy is of the Divine good. (But of the sun in the angelic heaven, and the heat and light from it, see in the work on Heaven and Hell; of The Sun there, n. 116-125; and of The Heat and Light from it, n. 126-140.)
sRef Ps@80 @3 S3′ sRef Ps@89 @15 S3′ sRef Ps@4 @6 S3′ sRef Ps@67 @1 S3′ sRef Ps@80 @19 S3′ sRef Ps@80 @7 S3′ [3] In the same:
Many say, Who will show us good? Jehovah, lift up the light of Thy faces upon us (Ps. 4:6).
In the same:
They shall walk, O Jehovah, in the light of Thy faces (Ps. 89:15).
In the same:
Turn us back, O God, and cause Thy faces to shine, that we may be saved (Ps. 80:3, 7, 19).
And in the same:
God be merciful unto us and bless us, and cause His faces to shine upon Us (Ps. 67:1).
“The light of the faces” of Jehovah or of the Lord means Divine truth from Divine love (as above) and intelligence and wisdom therefrom, for both angels and men have all their intelligence and wisdom from Divine truth, or the Divine light in the heavens, therefore “make Thy faces to shine upon us,” “lift up the light of Thy faces upon us,” and “cause Thy faces to shine,” in the above passages signify to enlighten in Divine truth, and to bestow intelligence and wisdom.
sRef Num@6 @26 S4′ sRef Num@6 @24 S4′ sRef Num@6 @25 S4′ [4] The like is signified in the blessing of the sons of Israel in Moses:
Jehovah bless thee and keep thee; Jehovah make His faces to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee; Jehovah lift up His faces upon thee and give thee peace (Num. 6:24-26).
“To make the faces to shine and to be gracious” signifies to enlighten in Divine truth, and to bestow intelligence and wisdom; and “to lift up the faces and give peace” signifies to fill with Divine good and to bestow love. Both are necessary to make man wise, for everyone that is in the spiritual world is enlightened by the light that is from the Lord as a sun, and yet those only become intelligent and wise who are at the same time in love, because the good that is of love is what receives truth; for they are conjoined because they agree and love one another. Only such, therefore, as have love see the sun in heaven, the rest see merely the light. “To be gracious,” which is said of making the faces to shine, is predicated in the Word of truth; and “peace,” which is said of lifting up the faces, is predicated of good.
sRef Matt@17 @2 S5′ sRef Rev@1 @16 S5′ [5] Since the Lord’s Divine love is seen as a sun in heaven, from which is the light there, so:
When the Lord was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became as the light (Matt. 17:2).
Also when He was seen by John:
His face did shine as the sun in his power (Rev. 1:16).
“The garments which became as the light” signify Divine truth, for “garments” in the Word signify truth, and this because all angels are clothed by the Lord according to their reception of Divine truth; and their garments are moreover from the light of heaven, and are shining and brilliant therefrom, and the light of heaven, as was said, is Divine truth. This makes clear why the Lord’s garments when He was transfigured “became as the light.” (But on these things more may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 177-182; also above, n. 64, 195, 271, 395.)
sRef Rev@22 @4 S6′ sRef Matt@18 @10 S6′ sRef Rev@22 @3 S6′ [6] In Matthew:
Jesus said of the child whom He had placed in the midst of the disciples, See that ye despise not one of these little ones; I say unto you, that their angels in the heavens do always behold the face of My Father who is in the heavens (Matt. 18:10).
It is said “their angels behold,” because with every man there are spirits and angels, and the spirits and angels are such as the man is. With infant children there are angels from the inmost heaven; these see the Lord as a sun, for they are in love to Him and in innocence; this is meant in the nearest sense by “their angels behold the face of My Father;” “the face of the Father” meaning the Divine love which was in the Lord, consequently the essential Divine which is Jehovah; for the Father was in Him, and He in the Father, and they were one, as He Himself teaches. But these same words in the purely spiritual sense signify that the Lord in respect to His Divine good is in the good of innocence, for this is signified by “infant child” in the spiritual sense, and “the face of the Father” signifies the Lord’s Divine good. Of “the servants of the Lord,” by whom are meant those who are in Divine truths because they are in the good of love and charity, the same is said in Revelation:
The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in the New Jerusalem; and His servants shall do Him service; and they shall see His face* (Rev. 22:3-4).
But on this see the explanation in the following.
sRef Isa@63 @9 S7′ [7] In Isaiah:
In all their distress He was distressed, and the angel of His faces saved them; because of His love and His pity He redeemed them; and He carried them and lifted them up all the days of eternity (Isa. 63:9).
This treats of the Lord, who is called “the angel of the faces” of Jehovah from Divine truth which is from His Divine love; for “angel” in the Word signifies Divine truth; this is why the angels are called “gods” (see above, n. 130, 200, 302); and “the faces of Jehovah” mean the Divine love which is in the Lord, therefore it is also said, “because of His love and His pity He redeemed them; and He carried them and lifted them up all the days of eternity;” all this is of the Divine love. The Lord in respect to His Human was Divine truth, and from this He combated with the hells, and by it subjugated them; for this reason He is called “an angel,” that is, in respect to His Divine Human. This chapter evidently treats of the Lord, and of His combats with the hells and of their subjugation.
sRef Ps@31 @20 S8′ [8] In David:
Thou hidest them** in the hiding place of Thy faces from the elations of man; Thou concealest them in Thy covert from the strife of tongues (Ps. 31:20).
“To hide them in the hiding place of Thy faces” means in the Divine good that does not appear before others; and “to conceal in Thy covert” means in the Divine truth; “the elations of man” and “the strife of tongues” mean the evils of falsity and the falsities of evil; for “elations” are predicated of evils because they are of self-love, and “man” signifies truth and falsity; “the strife of tongues” means the falsity of evil. (What the evil of falsity and the falsity of evil are, see Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 21.)
sRef Ps@90 @8 S9′ [9] In the same:
Thou hast set our iniquities before Thee, and our hidden things in the light of Thy faces (Ps. 90:8).
“The light of Thy faces” means the light of heaven from the Lord as the sun there. Because this light is Divine truth itself, from which is all intelligence and wisdom, whatever comes into this light has its quality exhibited as in clear day; for this reason when the evil come into this light they appear just as they are, deformed and monstrous according to the evils concealed with them. This makes clear what is meant by “Thou hast set our iniquities before Thee, and our hidden things in the light of Thy faces.”
sRef Jer@3 @9 S10′ sRef Ex@25 @30 S10′ [10] In Jeremiah:
Proclaim these words towards the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel; I will not cause My faces to fall upon you, for I am merciful (Jer. 3:12).
Here, too, “My faces” signify the Divine love, and every good that is of love; and “not causing the faces to fall” signifies not to let it be lowered or cease, for when the countenance falls then it ceases to look, which makes clear what is signified by “I will not cause My faces to fall upon you,” so it is also said, “for I am merciful,” mercy being the Divine love towards the miserable. “Proclaim towards the north” signifies towards those who are in falsities and in evils therefrom; so it is also said, “Return, thou backsliding Israel.” “The north” signifies such, because those who are in falsities and in evils therefrom dwell in the northern quarter in the spiritual world. (Of falsities and the evils therefrom, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 21.) The bread upon the table in the tabernacle was called “the bread of faces,” and the table itself “the table of faces” (Exod. 25:30; Num. 4:7), because “the bread” there, the same as “the faces of Jehovah” signified the Divine good of the Divine love (see Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 212-213, 218).
sRef Isa@1 @12 S11′ sRef Ps@42 @2 S11′ sRef Mal@1 @9 S11′ sRef Ps@42 @5 S11′ sRef Zech@8 @21 S11′ sRef Ps@95 @2 S11′ sRef Isa@1 @11 S11′ sRef Zech@8 @22 S11′ sRef Ps@95 @1 S11′ sRef Ps@27 @8 S11′ [11] Because “the faces of Jehovah,” or of the Lord, signify the Divine good united to Divine truth going out and proceeding from His Divine love, therefore also “the faces of Jehovah” signify the interiors of the church, of the Word, and of worship, for Divine good is in the interior of these; the exteriors of the church, of the Word, and of worship are only the effects and works therefrom. The interiors of the church, of the Word, and of worship are signified by “seeing,” “seeking,” and “entreating the faces of Jehovah.” In Isaiah:
What is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? when ye shall come to see the faces of Jehovah? (Isa. 1:11-12.)
In Zechariah:
The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, In going let us go to entreat the faces of Jehovah, and to seek Jehovah of Hosts; thus many peoples and numerous nations shall come to seek Jehovah of Hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the faces of Jehovah (Zech. 8:21-22).
In David:
My heart said unto thee, Seek ye my faces; Thy faces, O Jehovah, I do seek (Ps. 27:8).
We will make a joyful noise unto the Rock of our salvation; we will come before His faces with confession (Ps. 95:1, 2).
In Malachi:
Entreat the faces of God that He may be gracious unto us (Mal. 1:9).
In David:
My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when shall I come to appear before the faces of God? Hope thou in God, for I shall yet confess to Him; His faces are salvations (Ps. 42:2, 5).
In these passages, “faces of Jehovah,” “of God,” or “of the Lord,” mean the interiors of the church, of the Word, and of worship, because Divine good and Divine truth, thus the Lord Himself, are in these interiors, and from them in externals; but are not in externals, namely, of the church, of the Word, and of worship apart from these.
sRef Ex@23 @15 S12′ sRef Ex@33 @15 S12′ sRef Ex@33 @14 S12′ [12] As it was the duty of all who went to Jerusalem to the feasts to carry with them such things as pertained to worship, and all worship is from the interiors which are of the heart and faith, and these interiors are signified by the gifts offered to the Lord, so it was commanded that everyone should offer some gift, which is meant by:
They shall not see My faces empty (Exod. 23:15).
The interiors of the church, of the Word, and of worship, are also signified by these words in Moses:
Jehovah spoke unto Moses, My faces shall go until I shall give thee rest. Then Moses said, If Thy faces go not make us not go up hence (Exod. 33:14-15).
This was said to Moses, because with that nation the Word was to be written, and also in the historical parts of the Word that nation was to be treated of, for with that nation a church was to be instituted which would be a representative church consisting of external things that corresponded to things internal; on this account it was said, “My faces shall go.” (Respecting this see further in Arcana Coelestia, n. 10567, 10568, where it is explained.)
sRef Ex@33 @22 S13′ sRef Ex@33 @23 S13′ sRef Ex@33 @21 S13′ sRef Ex@33 @18 S13′ sRef Ex@33 @20 S13′ sRef Ex@33 @19 S13′ [13] But because that nation was only in the externals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, and not at all in the internals, therefore it was not granted to Moses to see the Lord’s face, but only His back, according to these words in Moses:
Moses said, I pray Thee show me Thy glory; to whom He said, I will make all My good to pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; thou canst not see My faces, for man shall not see Me and live. I will put thee in a hole of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand until I shall have passed by; and when I shall take away My hand thou shalt see My hinder parts, but My faces shall not be seen (Exod. 33:18-23).
Here Moses represented that nation, what was its quality in respect to the understanding of the Word, and thence in respect to the church and worship, namely, that it was in externals only without internals. These externals were represented and signified by “the hinder parts” of Jehovah which were seen by Moses, and the internals by the front parts and “the face.” That the internals that are in the externals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, were not seen and could not be seen by that nation, was represented and signified by Moses being placed in the hole of a rock, and by his being covered with the hand of Jehovah while He passed by. (But this has been more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 10573-10584.)
[14] Furthermore, since “the faces of Jehovah” or the Lord mean the internals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, they mean especially the externals in which are internals; since internals make themselves to be seen in externals, as the internals of man do in his face and features. But the Jewish nation was such that it looked to externals only, and to internals not at all; and to look at externals and not at the same time at internals, or at externals without internals, is like looking at the image of a man that is without life; but to look at externals and at the same time at internals, or at externals from internals, is like looking at a living man; this therefore is, in the proper sense, “to see the face of Jehovah,” or “to entreat His faces,” in the passages cited above.
sRef Deut@5 @24 S15′ sRef Gen@32 @30 S15′ sRef Judg@6 @23 S15′ sRef Judg@6 @22 S15′ sRef Ex@33 @11 S15′ sRef Deut@34 @10 S15′ [15] Since the internals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, appear in the externals, or present themselves to be seen in externals, comparatively as the internals of man do in the face, it is evident what is signified in the internal sense by “seeing Jehovah” or the Lord “face to face,” in the following passages. In Moses:
I have seen God face to face, and yet my soul is delivered (Gen. 32:30).
Jacob said this after he had wrestled with God, who appeared to him as an angel. In the book of Judges:
Gideon said, I have seen the angel of Jehovah face to face. And Jehovah said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not, thou shalt not die (Judg. 6:22-23).
So, too, with Manoah and his wife (Judg. 13:21-23).
And respecting the Israelitish people:
Jehovah spoke with you face to face from the mount, out of the midst of the fire (Deut. 5:4).
Respecting which it is further said:
Jehovah hath made [us] to see His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire; we have seen this day that God doth talk to man and he remaineth alive (Deut. 5:24).
And respecting Moses:
Jehovah spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh to his companion (Exod. 33:11; Deut. 34:10).
sRef Ex@33 @20 S16′ [16] But it should be known that no man, nor even any angel, can see the Lord’s face, since it is Divine love, and no one can sustain the Divine love such as it is in itself; for to see the Lord’s face would be like letting the eye into the very fire of the sun, whence it would instantly perish. Such also is the Lord’s Divine love viewed in itself; therefore to those in the interior heavens the Lord appears as a sun, and that sun is encompassed by many radiant circles, which are envelopments one after another, in order that the Divine love may proceed to the angels in heaven tempered and moderated, and thus the angels may sustain it; the Lord therefore appears as a sun to the angels of the higher heavens only, while to the angels of the lower heavens He appears merely as light, and to the rest as a moon. Nevertheless, in heaven the Lord appears to the angels, but under an angelic form; for He fills an angel with His aspect, and thus with His presence from afar, and this He does in various places, but everywhere in accommodation to the good of love and of faith with those to whom He appears. Thus the Lord was seen by Gideon, and by Manoah and his wife, also by Moses, and the Israelitish people. This, therefore, is what is meant by “seeing Jehovah face to face,” and by “seeing Jehovah and not dying.” It is clearly evident that the face itself in respect to the interiors which are of His Divine love was not seen, for it was said to Moses:
That no one can see Jehovah’s face and live (Exod. 33:20).
Yet it is said that “they saw Jehovah face to face;” which shows clearly that “seeing the faces of Jehovah” in the passages cited above signifies seeing Him in the interiors of the Word, of the church, and of worship, which nevertheless is seeing Him in externals from internals. That the Jewish nation was in the externals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, apart from internals, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem (n. 248; what the external is apart from the internal, and what the external is in which is the internal, see n. 47).
sRef Matt@26 @67 S17′ [17] That the Jewish nation was such, was also represented and signified by:
Their covering the Lord’s face, striking it, and spitting in it (Matt. 26:67; Mark 14:65; Luke 22:64);
for all things related in the Word respecting the Lord’s passion represent and signify arcana of heaven and the church, and in particular the quality of the Jews in respect to the Word, the church, and worship. (That this is so, see above, n. 64, 83, 195c.)
sRef Isa@8 @17 S18′ sRef Deut@31 @17 S18′ sRef Deut@31 @18 S18′ sRef Jer@33 @5 S18′ sRef Micah@3 @4 S18′ sRef Ps@104 @29 S18′ sRef Ezek@7 @22 S18′ sRef Ps@88 @14 S18′ sRef Ps@13 @1 S18′ sRef Lam@4 @16 S18′ sRef Ezek@39 @28 S18′ sRef Ezek@39 @29 S18′ sRef Ps@69 @17 S18′ sRef Ezek@39 @23 S18′ sRef Isa@59 @2 S18′ sRef Ps@30 @7 S18′ sRef Ps@27 @8 S18′ sRef Ps@27 @9 S18′ sRef Deut@32 @20 S18′ sRef Ps@102 @1 S18′ sRef Ps@143 @7 S18′ sRef Ps@102 @2 S18′ sRef Ps@44 @24 S18′ sRef Ps@22 @24 S18′ [18] It can be known from what has been thus far explained, what “the face” of Jehovah or the Lord signifies, namely, the Divine love, and all good in heaven and in the church therefrom; and from this it can be known what is signified by “hiding” or “concealing the faces,” in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, namely, that it is to leave man in what is his own [proprium] and thus in the evils and falsities that spring forth from what is his own [proprium]; for man viewed in himself is nothing but evil and falsity therefrom, and that he may be in good he is withheld from these by the Lord, which is effected by being elevated out of what is his own [proprium]. From this it can be seen that “hiding and concealing the faces,” in reference to the Lord, signifies to leave in evils and falsities; as in the following passages. In Jeremiah:
For all their evil I have covered My faces from this city (Jer. 33:5).
In Isaiah:
Your sins have hid God’s faces from you, that He hath not heard (Isa. 59:2).
In Ezekiel:
My faces will I turn away from them, that they may profane My secret, and that the violent may enter into it and profane it (Ezek. 7:22).
The nations shall know that for their iniquity the sons of Israel were carried away; and therefore will I hide My faces from them (Ezek. 39:23).
In Lamentations:
The face of Jehovah hath divided them; He will no more regard them (Lam. 4:16).
In Micah:
Jehovah will hide His faces from them, even as they have made their works evil (Micah 3:4).
In David:
Thou didst hide Thy faces, I was troubled (Ps. 30:7).
Wherefore hidest Thou Thy faces, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression? (Ps. 44:24).
Thou hidest Thy faces, they are affrighted; Thou gatherest in their spirit, they expire, and return to their dust (Ps. 104:29).
In Moses:
My anger shall glow against the people in that day, and I will forsake them, and will hide My faces from them. In hiding I will hide My faces in that day because of all the evil which they have done (Deut. 31:17-18).
I will hide My faces from them; they are a generation of perversions (Deut. 32:20).
In Isaiah:
I will tarry for Jehovah, although He hideth His faces from the house of Jacob (Isa. 8:17).
In David:
How long wilt Thou forget me, O Jehovah? how long wilt Thou hide Thy faces from me? (Ps. 13:1).
Hide not Thy faces from me; put not Thy servant away in anger (Ps. 27:9).
Hide not Thy faces from Thy servant, for I am in distress; hasten, answer me (Ps. 69:17).
O Jehovah why casteth Thou off my soul? Why hidest Thou Thy faces from me? (Ps. 88:14).
Hide not Thy faces from me in the day of my distress (Ps. 102:2).
Answer me, O Jehovah; hide not Thy faces from me, lest I become like them that go down into the pit (Ps. 143:7).
In Ezekiel:
When I shall have brought together the sons of Israel upon their own ground, then will I not hide My faces any more from them, for I will pour out My spirit upon the sons of Israel (Ezek. 39:28-29).
In David:
He hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of Israel; neither hath He hid His faces from him; but when he cried aloud unto Him He heard (Ps. 22:24).
[19] In these passages it is said that Jehovah, that is, the Lord, conceals and hides His faces on account of iniquities and sins, and He is entreated not to conceal or hide them, and yet He never conceals or hides, that is, His Divine good and His Divine truth; for the Lord is Divine love itself and mercy itself, and desires the salvation of all; therefore He is present with all and with each one, even with those who are in iniquities and sins, and by this presence He gives them the freedom to receive Him, that is, truth and good from Him, consequently they also do receive if from freedom they desire to. Reception must be from freedom, in order that goods and truths may abide with man, and be with him as his own; for what a man does from freedom he does from affection, for all freedom is of affection, and affection is man’s will; therefore what is received in freedom, or from man’s affection, enters his will and endures. It then endures because the will is the man himself and in the will his life primarily resides, but secondarily in the thought or the understanding. This therefore is why man ought to receive Divine good and Divine truth, with which the Lord is always present.
sRef Ezek@14 @7 S20′ sRef Lev@17 @10 S20′ sRef Isa@59 @2 S20′ sRef Ezek@15 @7 S20′ sRef Ezek@14 @8 S20′ sRef Rev@3 @20 S20′ sRef Jer@21 @10 S20′ sRef Jer@5 @3 S20′ sRef Jer@32 @33 S20′ sRef Jer@44 @11 S20′ sRef Jer@7 @24 S20′ sRef Jer@18 @17 S20′ [20] This is what is meant by:
Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him (Rev. 3:20).
But when man from freedom chooses evil he shuts the door to himself, and thus does not let in the good and truth that are from the Lord; consequently the Lord then appears to be absent. It is from this appearance that it is said that Jehovah conceals and hides His faces, although He does not conceal and hide. Moreover man as to his spirit then turns away from the Lord, and consequently does not perceive the good or see the truth, which are from the Lord; this is why it appears as if the Lord did not see him; and yet the Lord sees each and every thing pertaining to man. It is from this appearance also that the Lord is said to conceal and hide His faces, and also is said to set [ponere et dare] His faces against them, also that He regards them with the back of the neck and not with the faces, as in the following passages. In Jeremiah:
I have set My faces against this city for evil, and not for good (Jer. 21:10).
In the same:
I set My faces against you for evil, to cut off all Judah (Jer. 44:11).
In Ezekiel:
I will set My faces against that man, and I will lay him waste, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people (Ezek. 14:8).
In the same:
I will set My faces against them; let them go forth from the fire and the fire shall devour them, when I shall have set My faces against them (Ezek. 15:7).
In Moses:
He that shall eat any blood, I will set My faces against that soul, and I will cut him off (Lev. 17:10).
In Jeremiah:
As the east wind will I scatter them before the enemy; with the back of the neck, and not with the face, will I regard them (Jer. 18:17).
That it is man who sets his face against the Lord and who turns himself away from the Lord, whence evil comes to him, is evident also from the Word. As in Jeremiah:
They have turned unto Me the back of the neck, and not the faces (Jer. 32:33).
In the same:
They have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return (Jer. 5:3).
In the same:
They have gone away in their own counsels, in the hardening of their evil heart, and they have become turned backwards and not forwards (Jer. 7:24).
And in Isaiah:
Your sins have hid God’s faces from you (Isa. 59:2).
sRef Ex@23 @21 S21′ sRef Ex@23 @20 S21′ sRef Isa@64 @3 S21′ sRef Rev@20 @11 S21′ sRef Ps@34 @16 S21′ sRef Ezek@20 @35 S21′ sRef Ps@80 @17 S21′ sRef Ps@80 @16 S21′ sRef Num@10 @35 S21′ [21] That the evil turn away their face from the Lord does not mean that they do it with the face of the body, but with the face of their spirit. Man can turn his face whatever way he pleases, since he is in a state of freedom to turn himself either towards heaven or towards hell, and moreover a man’s face is taught to deceive for the sake of the appearance before the world; but when man becomes a spirit, which he does immediately after death, then he who had lived in evils turns the face altogether away from the Lord (as can be seen from what has been said and shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 17, 123, 142, 144, 145, 151, 153, 251, 272, 511, 552, 561). This is what is meant by “they have turned unto Me the back of the neck, and not the face,” and “they have become turned backwards and not forwards.” And because such then come into the evil of punishment and hell, those who have turned themselves away suppose that this is from the Lord, and that He regards them with a stern countenance, and casts them down into hell, and punishes them just as an angry man would do, when yet the Lord regards no one in any other way than from love and mercy. It is from that appearance that these things are said in the Word. In Isaiah:
When Thou shalt do fearful things that we look not for, the mountains shall flow down before Thee (Isa. 64:3).
In David:
It is burned with fire, it is cut down; they have perished at the rebuke of Thy faces (Ps. 80:16).
In the same:
The faces of Jehovah are against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth (Ps. 34:16).
In Moses:
Behold I send an angel before thee. Take ye heed of his faces; for he will not bear your transgression (Exod. 23:20-21).
In Ezekiel:
I will lead you into the wilderness of the peoples, and I will have judgment with you face to face (Ezek. 20:35).
In Moses:
When the ark set forward, Moses said, Arise O Jehovah, let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thy faces (Num. 10:35).
In Revelation:
I saw a throne high and great, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away (Rev. 20:11).
sRef Isa@30 @11 S22′ [22] These things are said respecting the signification of the face in reference to Jehovah or the Lord. The face in reference to man signifies his disposition and affection, and consequently the interiors which belong to his mind, and this because the disposition and affections, or the interiors that belong to man’s mind, present themselves to be seen in the face; this is why the face is said to be an index of the mind; the face also is an effigy of the interiors of man, for it represents them, and his countenance corresponds to them. That “faces” in reference to man signify affections of various kinds, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
They say, Turn aside out of the way, decline out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from our faces (Isa. 30:11).
“Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from our faces” signifies to cause the Lord to cease from the thought and affection, thus everything of the church, “the Holy one of Israel” meaning the Lord; to withdraw from the truth and good of the church, which is from the Lord and in which is the Lord, is signified by “Turn aside out of the way, decline out of the path,” “way” and “path” meaning the truth and good of the church.
sRef Lam@4 @16 S23′ sRef Lam@5 @12 S23′ [23] In Lamentations:
They have not accepted the faces of the priests, and they were not gracious unto the faces of the old (Lam. 4:16).
Again:
Princes were hanged up by their hand; the faces of the old were not honored (Lam. 5:12).
“Not to accept the faces of the priests” signifies to value as nothing the goods of the church, which are of love and faith; for “the priests” represented the Lord in respect to Divine good, and thus signified the good of the church, and “faces” signify all things thereof that have reference to love and faith. “Not to honor the faces of the old” signifies to account as nothing all things of wisdom, “the old” signifying wisdom, and “faces” all things thereof, because they signify interior things; “the princes hanged up by their hand” signify that all intelligence was rejected, “princes” meaning the primary truths from which there is intelligence.
sRef Deut@16 @19 S24′ sRef Gen@32 @20 S24′ [24] In Moses:
Jacob said respecting Esau, I will appease his faces with the present that goeth before me, and afterwards I will see his faces; peradventure he will accept my faces (Gen. 32:19-20).
“To appease his faces,” signifies to captivate his mind; “afterwards to see his faces” signifies to know what the disposition is; “peradventure he will accept my faces” signifies, peradventure he will receive me with a kindly disposition; “to accept the faces” meaning to have good will towards anyone from affection. In the same:
Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shall not regard faces, neither take a gift (Deut. 16:19).
“Not to regard faces” signifies not to have the mind better disposed towards superiors, the rich, and friends, than towards inferiors, the poor, and enemies, because what is just and right is to be regarded without respect to person.
sRef Isa@3 @15 S25′ sRef Mal@2 @9 S25′ [25] In Malachi:
I have made you contemptible and lowly unto all the people, according as ye keep not My ways, and accept faces in the law (Mal. 2:9).
“Accepting faces in the law” has a similar signification as “regarding faces in judgment,” quoted above, namely, to have the mind better disposed towards, and to show more favor to superiors, the rich, and friends, than to inferiors, the poor, and enemies. In Isaiah:
What mean ye? Ye crush the people, and grind the faces of the poor (Isa. 3:15).
“To grind the faces of the poor” signifies to destroy the affections of knowing truths with those who are in ignorance of truth and yet wish to be instructed; “to grind” signifying to destroy, “faces” signifying the affections of knowing truths, and “the poor” those who are in ignorance of truth but wish to be instructed, for these are the spiritually poor.
sRef Ps@45 @12 S26′ sRef Ps@45 @13 S26′ [26] In David:
The daughter of Tyre shall bring an offering; the rich of the people shall entreat thy faces. The king’s daughter is all glorious within; her vesture is inwrought with gold (Ps. 45:12-13).
“The king’s daughter” signifies the spiritual affection of truth; “the daughter of Tyre” signifies the affection of the knowledges of truth and good; to be enriched with these is signified by “bringing an offering;” “the rich of the people” signify the intelligent, and in an abstract sense, the understanding of truth and good; to be gifted with these is signified by “entreating his faces;” for all things of intelligence dwell in the spiritual affection of truth, which therefore is signified by his “faces.” (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 195.)
sRef Ps@42 @11 S27′ [27] In the same:
Yet do I confess*** Him, the salvations of my faces, my God (Ps. 42:11; 43:5).
“The salvations of my faces” signify all things that are within, thus those that are of the mind and the affections, accordingly those that are of love and faith; because these are what save they are called “salvations.” Evil affections, which are lusts, are expressed by the same term, “faces,” because they appear in the face, for the face is the external or natural form of the interiors, which are of the disposition and mind; and in the spiritual world these make one, for there it is not permitted to put on other faces than those that are from the affections, thus that correspond to the interiors which are of their mind. This is why the angels of heaven are radiant and lovely in face, while infernal spirits are dusky and misshapen in face.
sRef Isa@13 @8 S28′ [28] This, too is evidently the meaning of “faces” in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Throes and pangs seize them, they travail like a woman bringing forth; they are amazed every man at his companion; their faces are faces of flames (Isa. 13:8).
This treats of the Last Judgment, when the evil are let into their interiors. The interiors of those who are in the love of self and the world, and thence in hatreds and revenges, are meant by “their faces are faces of flames;” and such also do they appear. Their torments from the influx of Divine good and Divine truth are signified by “throes and pangs seize them, they are in travail like a woman bringing forth.” Their torments are likened to the throes and pangs of women bringing forth for the same reason that the comparison is used in Genesis 3:16; for evils and falsities are then conjoined; and when this is the case “pangs seize” when Divine good and truth flow in.
sRef Ezek@20 @47 S29′ [29] In Ezekiel:
Say to the forest of the south, The flame of the grievous flame shall not be quenched, wherefore all faces from the south even to the north shall be burned therein (Ezek. 20:47).
“The forest of the south” means falsity within the church, consequently those there who are in falsities; the church is signified by “the south” because it can be in the light of truth from the Word; and falsity from evil is signified by “forest;” the vastation and destruction of the church by the love of falsity from evil is signified by “the flame of the grievous flame, by which all faces shall be burned;” “all faces” meaning all the interiors of the men of the church in respect to the affections of truth and good, and the thoughts therefrom; “from the south even to the north” signifies all things of the church from first to last, or interior and exterior; “the south” meaning the interior or first things of the church, and “the north” the exterior or last things of the church; this is the signification of “the south” and “the north” because those who are in the light of truth from the Lord are in the southern quarter in the spiritual world; while in the hells under them are those who are in natural lumen by means of which they have confirmed themselves in falsities; and in the northern quarter are those who are in obscurity of truth from the Lord, and in the hells under them are those who are in falsities, but not in any natural lumen whereby they have confirmed their falsities.
sRef Joel@2 @6 S30′ [30] In Joel:
Before him the peoples tremble; all faces have gathered blackness (Joel 2:6).
This treats of evils and falsities devastating the church, and of the judgment upon those who are in them; those who are in falsities are signified by “the peoples who tremble;” their interiors which are in the falsities of evil are signified by “the faces that have gathered blackness;” “faces” meaning the interiors, and “blackness” the falsity of evil. The infernals who are in falsities from evil appear black in the light of heaven.
sRef Dan@8 @23 S31′ [31] In Daniel:
In the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king hard in faces shall rise up (Dan. 8:23).
This was said of the four horns of the he-goat, by which are there meant four kingdoms, but “kingdoms” there do not mean kingdoms but the states of the church, for “a he-goat of the goats” means faith separated from charity, which is called faith alone; “the latter end of their kingdom” signifies the end of the church, when there is no faith because there is no charity; “when the transgressors are come to the full” signifies when there are no longer truth and good, but evil and falsity; these words signify the like as “when iniquity is consummated and fulfilled” (respecting which see above, n. 397). “A king hard in faces” signifies no truth but only falsity in their interiors; “king” signifying truth, and in the contrary sense falsity; “faces” the interiors, and “hard in faces” the interiors without good; for where there is no good, truth is hard, while truth from good is mild, because living; and truth without good even becomes falsity in their interiors or thought, since they do not think about it spiritually but materially, because they think from things corporeal and worldly, and thus from the fallacies of the senses.
sRef Ezek@2 @4 S32′ [32] In Ezekiel:
Sons hard in their faces, and hardened in heart (Ezek. 2:4).
“Sons hard in their faces” signify those who are in truths without good, and in an abstract sense truths without good, which in themselves are falsities (as has been said above); and “hardened in heart” signifies those who do not admit good, and who are therefore in evil, for where good cannot enter evil enters; “the heart” signifies also in the Word the good of love, and “a hardened heart” signifies the same as “a stony heart,” namely, where the good of love is not admitted; but “a heart of flesh” signifies where it is admitted.
sRef Isa@3 @9 S33′ sRef Isa@3 @8 S33′ [33] In Isaiah:
Their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, to rebel against the eyes of His glory; the hardness of their faces answereth against them (Isa. 3:8-9).
“Their tongue and their doings which are against Jehovah” signify thought and affection; “the tongue” thought, because the tongue utters what man thinks, and “doings” affection, because man does what is of his affection; these “are against Jehovah, and rebel against the eyes of His glory” when they are against Divine good and against Divine truth; for “Jehovah” in the Word means the Lord in respect to Divine good proceeding from His Divine love, and “His glory” means Divine truth; to be against this is signified by “rebelling against the eyes of His glory;” “the hardness of their faces which answers against them” signifies to refuse Divine truth and Divine good, and not to admit them into their thoughts and affections, which are their interiors.
sRef Ezek@3 @8 S34′ [34] In Ezekiel:
Behold I have made thy faces hard against their faces, and thy forehead hard against their forehead (Ezek. 3:8).
This was said to the prophet, by whom is signified the doctrine of truth and good combating against falsities and evils; therefore “his faces made hard against their faces” signifies the rejection of falsities by truths, and “his forehead hardened against their forehead” signifies the rejection of evil by good; for “faces” signify the affections of truth, or the affections of falsity, and “forehead” signifies the affection of good or the affection of evil. The affection of truth and good is hardened and becomes outwardly hard from zeal, when it is combating against falsity and evil, otherwise it could not repulse them; but it is not so inwardly. From this it can be seen how these words must be understood. Since “faces” signify man’s interiors, or the things that are of his thought and affection, the same word in the Hebrew that means “face” means what is interior.
[35] (In these explanations various things have been said respecting “faces” which cannot be easily understood, perhaps, without further exposition; I will therefore add what has been said and shown respecting faces in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that the face is formed to a correspondence with man’s interiors, n. 4791-4805, 5695; on the correspondence of the face and countenance with the affections of the mind, n. 1568, 2988, 2989, 3631, 4796, 4797, 4800, 5165, 5168, 9306; consequently the interiors shine forth from the face, n. 3527, 4066, 4796; with the ancients the face made one with the interiors, n. 3573, 4326, 5695; it also makes one with the interiors with the angels in heaven, and with sincere men in the world, n. 4796, 4797, 4799, 5695, 8250; in the other life the faces of all become such as their interiors are, n. 4798, 5695; experiences respecting changes of the face there according to the interiors, n. 4796, 6604; on the influx of the interiors of the mind, or of the understanding and will into the face and its muscles, n. 3631, 4800; with flatterers, dissemblers, hypocrites, and the deceitful, the face does not act as one with the interiors, n. 4799, 8250; with such the face is taught to feign sincerity, honesty, and piety, n. 4326; how influx from the brains into the face became changed in process of time, and with it the face itself in respect to its correspondence with the interiors, n. 4326, 8250; the natural of man is like an interior face to the spiritual mind and its sight, n. 5165, 5168. See also what has been said and shown respecting faces in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 46-48, 142-144, 457-459, 553.)
* Photolithograph has “faces;” the Greek has “face,” which is also found in AE n. 148; AR 938; but the former reading is found in AC n. 9936, 10579.
** Photolithograph has “us,” but this is rectified in the explanation.
*** Photolithograph has “trust;” Hebrew has “confess.” IB, IV n. 107, 767 have the latter translation.

sRef Matt@13 @12 S0′ sRef Rev@6 @17 S0′ 413. Verse 17. For the great day of His anger is come, signifies the Last Judgment upon the evil. This is evident from the following passages from the Word. The Last Judgment, which is signified by “the great day,” is upon the evil and also upon the good; the judgment upon the evil is called “a day of indignation,” “of wrath,” “of anger,” and “of vengeance,” while the judgment upon the good is called “the time of the Lord’s coming,” “the year of His good pleasure,” “the year of the redeemed,” “the year of salvation.” Everyone, whether evil or good, is judged immediately after death, when he enters the spiritual world, where he is to live to eternity, for man is then immediately marked out either for heaven or for hell; he that is marked out for heaven is connected with some heavenly society into which he will afterwards come, and he that is marked out for hell is connected with the infernal society into which he will afterwards come. There is, however, an interval of time before they go thither, chiefly for the purpose of preparation; for the good, that the evils that adhere to them from the body in the world may be wiped away; and for the evil, that the goods that adhere to them outwardly from teachers and from religion may be taken away; according to the Lord’s words in Matthew:
Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, that he may have more abundantly; whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath (Matt. 13:32; 25:29).
This delay occurs for this reason also, that the affections, which are of many kinds, may be so arranged and reduced to the ruling love that the man-spirit may become wholly his own love. Yet many of them, both evil and good, were reserved for the Last Judgment; but only such of the evil as from habit acquired in the world had been able to lead a moral life in externals, and such of the good as from ignorance and from their religion had been imbued with falsities; but the rest, when their time had been fulfilled, were separated from these, the good were elevated into heaven, and the evil were cast into hell, and this before the Last Judgment.
[2] The Last Judgment is called “the great day of the anger of God” because to the evil who are cast down into hell it appears as if it were God who did this from anger and wrath, for the destruction that then comes upon them comes from above, and also from the east where the Lord is as a sun, and they are then in terrors, griefs, and also in torments. But the Lord has no anger whatever, for He is love and mercy itself and good itself; and pure love and good itself cannot be angry; for this is contrary to its essence. But it so appears for this reason: when the last state is reached, which is when evils on the earth and at the same time then in the spiritual world have so increased that the supremacy inclines to their side, and thereby the equilibrium between heaven and hell is perishing, and this perishing, the heavens where the angels dwell begin to labor, then the Lord from the sun directs His energy, that is His love, to protecting the angels and restoring the state which labors and begins to totter; and by this energy and power Divine truth united to Divine good, which in its essence is Divine love, penetrates through the heavens to the places below, where the evil have associated themselves together; and because they cannot endure such influx and presence of the Divine love they begin to tremble, and to be in anguish and torment; for thereby the goods and truths which they have learned to feign by speech and action merely in externals, are dispersed, and their internals, which are nothing but evils and falsities, are opened; and as these are in direct opposition to the goods and truths that flow in from within, although they have made evils and falsities their life, they experience such tremor, anguish and torment, that they can no longer maintain themselves, therefore they flee away and cast themselves into the hells which are under the mountains and rocks, where they can be in evils and in the falsities of their evils. This in particular is signified by the words explained above, “They said to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb.”
[3] From this it can be seen why the words “the anger of the Lamb” are used, and why the Last Judgment is called “the great day of His anger,” although it is the Divine love that is meant, the operation of which viewed in itself is to save all, for it is a will to save, thus not anger at all, but love. The like is true when an evil spirit who can feign himself an angel of light ascends into heaven. When he comes thither, as he cannot endure the Divine good and the Divine truth that are there, he begins to feel anguish and torment to the extent even that he casts himself down with all his might, nor does he rest until he is in the hell corresponding to his evil.
It is from this appearance, and because when they do evils they are punished, that indignation, anger, wrath, and even fury and vengeance, are so often in the Word attributed to Jehovah, that is, the Lord; but a presentation of all the passages where these are attributed to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord, is here omitted because there are so many of them, and a few only will be cited, in which the Last Judgment is called “the day of the indignation,” “of the anger,” “of the wrath,” and “of the vengeance” of Jehovah and God, as in the following.
sRef Isa@13 @9 S4′ sRef Isa@13 @13 S4′ [4] In Isaiah:
Behold the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel and of indignation and of the glowing of anger, to lay the land waste, and He shall destroy its sinners out of it. I will make heaven to tremble, the land shall quake out of its place, in the indignation of Jehovah of Hosts, and in the day of the glowing of His anger (Isa. 13:9, 13).
“A day cruel and of the glowing of Jehovah’s anger” means the Last Judgment; and because it is evil that glows, and falsity that is angry, it is called “a day of the glowing of anger.” “The land that shall be laid waste, and that shall quake out of its place,” means the land that is in the spiritual world, for there are lands there the same as on our globe; and those lands, while the Last Judgment is going on, are “laid waste” and “quake out of their place,” for the mountains and hills are then overturned, and the valleys sink down into marshes, and the face of all things there is changed. Nevertheless, “land” in the spiritual sense means the church everywhere, for in the spiritual world the face of the land is similar to the state of the church with those who dwell upon the land there, consequently when the church perishes the land also perishes, for they make one; and then in place of the former land a new one comes into existence; but these changes are unknown to us on our earth. Nevertheless they must be made known, in order that it may be understood what is meant by “the land shall be laid waste, and shall quake out of its place.”
sRef Lam@2 @1 S5′ sRef Lam@2 @22 S5′ sRef Zeph@2 @3 S5′ sRef Zeph@2 @2 S5′ [5] In Zephaniah:
When the glowing of the anger of Jehovah hath not yet come upon you; when the day of the anger of Jehovah hath not yet come upon you, it may be ye shall be hid in the day of Jehovah’s anger (Zeph. 2:2-3).
Here, too, “the glowing of anger” and “the day of Jehovah’s anger” mean the Last Judgment. In Lamentations:
He doth not remember the footstool of His feet in the day of His anger (Lam. 2:1).
“The footstool of Jehovah’s feet” means the worship of the Lord in the natural world, for the reason that the whole heaven, together with the church in the world, is before the Lord a semblance of one man (as may be seen in Heaven and Hell, n. 78-86), the inmost heaven constituting the head, the other heavens the breast and legs, and the church on earth the feet; consequently the feet signify also the natural; moreover, the heavens rest upon the church which is with mankind as a man does upon his feet (as can be seen from what is shown in the same work, n. 87-102, also 291-302). Since the Last Judgment comes when there is no longer any faith because there is no charity, thus when the church is at an end, it is evident what is meant by “He doth not remember the footstool of His feet in the day of His anger.” And elsewhere:
There was none that escaped nor any residue in the day of Jehovah’s anger; those whom I brought up and nourished hath mine enemy consumed (Lam. 2:22).
“The day of Jehovah’s anger” is the Last Judgment; that there is then no longer any good of love nor any truth of faith in the church, but evil and falsity is signified by “there was none that escaped nor any residue; those whom I brought up and nourished hath mine enemy consumed;” “there was none that escaped nor any residue” signifying that there was no good nor truth; “whom I brought up and nourished” meaning those who are of the church, who have all spiritual food or the knowledge of good and truth from the Word; “the enemy that consumed them” meaning evil and falsity.
sRef Isa@61 @2 S6′ sRef Rev@11 @18 S6′ sRef Isa@63 @6 S6′ sRef Isa@61 @1 S6′ sRef Isa@63 @4 S6′ [6] In Revelation:
Thine anger came, the time of judging the dead, and of giving the reward to Thy servants, and to those that fear Thy name, and of destroying them that destroy the earth (Rev. 11:18).
This makes clear that “anger” or “the day of anger” means the Last Judgment, for it is said “Thine anger came, the time of judging the dead.” In Isaiah:
The day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed hath come. I have trodden down the peoples in Mine anger, and made them drunk in My wrath (Isa. 63:4, 6).
This treats of the combats of the Lord, by which He subjugated the hells, thus of a Last Judgment which was accomplished by Him when He was in the world; for by combats, which were temptations admitted into Himself, He subjugated the hells and wrought a Last Judgment. It is this judgment that is meant by “the day of Jehovah’s anger and wrath” in the Word of the Old Testament; but the Last Judgment, which has at the present time been accomplished is meant by “the day of His anger” in Revelation. (That a Last Judgment was performed by the Lord when He was in the world, see Last Judgment, n. 46.) The subjugation of the hells is here signified by “I have trodden them down in Mine anger, and have made them drunk in My wrath;” “the year of the redeemed” signifies the judgment upon the good who are saved.
sRef Isa@34 @8 S7′ [7] In the same:
The spirit of the Lord Jehovih is upon me, to proclaim the year of Jehovah’s good pleasure, and the day of vengeance for our God; to comfort all that mourn (Isa. 61:1, 2).
The day of vengeance of Jehovah, the year of retributions for the controversy of Zion (Isa. 34:8).
“The day of vengeance of Jehovah,” like “the day of His anger and wrath,” signifies the Last Judgment. This is because vengeance is attributed to Jehovah or the Lord for the same reason anger and wrath are-namely, from the appearance that those who have denied the Divine and have been hostile in heart and mind to the goods and truths of the church, consequently hostile to the Lord who is the source of these, are cast down into hell (as are all who live wickedly). And because these are treated as enemies, vengeance, like anger, is attributed to the Lord (see above). “The year of retributions” signifies the like as “the day of vengeance,” but it is predicated of falsities, while “the day of vengeance” is predicated of evils; “the controversy of Zion” signifies the rejection of the truth and good of the church; “Zion” meaning the church. In other places also, the time of the Last Judgment is called “the day of Jehovah,” “the day of visitation,” “the day of slaughter,” and “the day of the coming”:
The day of the Lord’s coming (Mal. 3:2; Matt. 24:3, 27, 37, 39).

sRef Luke@21 @36 S0′ sRef Ps@82 @1 S0′ sRef Mal@3 @2 S0′ sRef Isa@3 @13 S0′ sRef Joel@2 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@6 @17 S0′ sRef Luke@1 @19 S0′ 414. And who is able to stand? signifies, who shall sustain and live? This is evident from the signification of standing, when it is before the Lord, as meaning to sustain and live, here, not able to sustain it and live; for, as was said above, the evil, from the influx and consequent presence of the Lord, that is, of Divine good and Divine truth going out and proceeding from Him with power and might, come not only into the tremors from fear, but also into torments from interior conflict, consequently unless they flee away and cast themselves down they cannot live, for from fear and torment death as it were befalls them, for the presence of the Divine brings death to the evil as it brings life to the good. From this their state it is then said, “Who is able to stand?” As also in Malachi:
Who sustaineth the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He shall appear (Mal. 3:2)?
In Nahum:
Who shall stand before His indignation; and who shall stand up in the glow of His anger (Nahum 1:6)?
And in Joel:
The day of Jehovah is great and very terrible; and who shall sustain it? (Joel 2:11).
Moreover, “to stand,” like walking and sitting, in the Word signifies to be and to live; and “to stand,” has a similar meaning with to stand firm and stand still. As in Luke:
The angel answered Zachariah, I am Gabriel, that standeth before God (Luke 1:19).
And in the same:
Be wakeful at every season, that ye may be accounted worthy to stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:36).
And elsewhere. And as “to stand” also signifies to be, it is said of Jehovah, in Isaiah:
Jehovah hath stood up to plead, and standeth to judge (Isa. 3:13).
And in David:
God stood in the congregation of God; He shall judge in the midst of the gods (Ps. 82:1).
But why “to stand” signifies to be shall be told elsewhere.

sRef Rev@7 @1 S0′ 415. APOCALYPSE. CHAPTER 7.

1. After these things I saw four angels standing upon the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow upon the earth, nor upon the sea, nor upon any tree.
2. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried with a great voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea;
3. Saying, Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.
4. And I heard the number of those sealed; a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed out of every tribe [of the sons]* of Israel.
5. Of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand sealed.
6. Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand sealed.
7. Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand sealed.
8. Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand sealed.
9. After these things I saw, and behold a great multitude, which no one could number, out of every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palms in their hands.
10. And crying with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God, who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11. And all the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four animals, and they fell before the throne upon their faces, and worshiped God.
12. Saying, Amen: the blessing and the glory and the wisdom and the thanksgiving and the honor and the power and the strength unto our God unto the ages of the ages; amen.
13. And one of the elders answered, saying to me, These clothed with the white robes, who are they, and whence came they?
14. And I said unto him, Lord, thou knowest. And he said unto me, These are they who come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes and have made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb.
15. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell over them.
16. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun fall on them, nor any heat.
17. For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall guide them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.

EXPOSITION

Verse 1. And after these things I saw four angels standing upon the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow upon the earth, nor upon the sea, nor upon any tree. 1. “And after these things I saw,” signifies a new perception as to the state of heaven before the Last Judgment (n. 416); “four angels standing upon the four corners of the earth,” signifies the Divine proceeding from the Lord in the whole spiritual world (n. 417); “holding the four winds of the earth,” signifies moderation of its influx (n. 418); “that the wind should not blow,” signifies that the good be not injured, and the evil be not cast out before the day (n. 419); “upon the earth nor upon the sea nor upon any tree,” signifies everywhere in the spiritual world, even to its ultimates, with those who have some perception (n. 420).
* “Of the sons” is lacking in the Latin here, also in the edition of Schmidius as used by Swedenborg; but it is found in all Greek MSS. It is also omitted in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 3272, 3858, 4592, etc, and in SS 11, but found in AE n. 39.

sRef Rev@7 @1 S0′ 416. Verse 1. And after these things I saw, signifies a new perception as to the state of heaven before the Last Judgment. This is evident from what follows in this chapter, which treats of the separation of the good from the evil; for before the Last Judgment occurs the good are separated from the evil by the Lord, and are led away; and because this is involved in the things that were seen, so all this is here signified by “after these things I saw.”

sRef Rev@7 @1 S0′ 417. Four angels standing upon the four corners of the earth, signifies the Divine proceeding from the Lord in the whole spiritual world. This is evident from the signification of “angels,” as being the Divine proceeding from the Lord (see above, n. 130, 200, 302); and from the signification of “the four corners of the earth,” as being the whole spiritual world; for “the four corners” signify the spiritual world because there are lands there as well as on our globe; for there, as here, there are mountains, hills, rocks, plains, valleys, and other things, as has been several times said above; and as the Last Judgment on all in the spiritual world is treated of in Revelation, and here the separation of the good from the evil there, therefore “the earth” means that world. “The earth” signifies the church, as has been frequently said before, because the face of the earth in the spiritual world is exactly like the face of the church with the spirits and angels there; the face of the earth is most beautiful where the angels of the higher heavens dwell, and also beautiful where the angels of the lower heavens dwell, but unbeautiful where evil spirits dwell; for where the angels dwell there are paradises, gardens, flower beds, palaces, and all things in heavenly form and harmony, from which enjoyments flow and inmostly delight the mind; but with the evil spirits all places are marshy, or stony, or barren, and they dwell in huts of a vile appearance, and also in caverns and caves.
[2] This has been said to make known that “the earth,” in the nearest sense, means the spiritual world; nor could any other earth appear to John, since it was seen by him when he was in the spirit; and when man is in the spirit he sees nothing on our globe, but only what is in the spiritual world. This is why John saw four angels, and these were standing upon the four corners of that earth. There were four angels seen, because these standing “on four corners” signify the Divine proceeding from the Lord in the whole spiritual world, for the four quarters, namely, the eastern, western, southern, and northern, constitute the whole of that world, for that world is thus divided; and those who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell in the eastern quarter, likewise in the western, the former in clear because interior good of love, the latter in obscure because exterior good of love; those who are in the clear light of truth dwell in the southern quarter, and those who are in the obscure light of truth in the northern. (But on these quarters see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 141-153, where they are treated of.) And because all things have reference to the good of love and to the truth from that good, or in general to good and truth, therefore these four quarters also mean all things of heaven and the church. These quarters are meant also in the Word by “the four winds,” and here by “the four corners.” It is evident, therefore, that the angels were not seen standing on the four corners of the earth, but in the four quarters. The quarters are called “the four corners” because “corners” signify the outermost parts, and the outermost parts signify all things, because they include all.
sRef Num@35 @5 S3′ sRef Ex@26 @18 S3′ sRef Ex@26 @20 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @2 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @17 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @23 S3′ sRef Rev@20 @8 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @5 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @4 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @3 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @6 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @8 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @7 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @24 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @28 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @27 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @16 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @34 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @33 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @25 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @1 S3′ sRef Ezek@48 @26 S3′ [3] That “corners” signify quarters is evident from the passages in the Word, where quarters are designated as “corners,” as in the following. In Moses:
Thou shalt make for the tabernacle twenty boards for the south corner southward. And for the second side of the tabernacle, towards the north corner, twenty boards (Exod. 26:18, 20; 27:9, 11; 36:21, 23, 25).
“For the south corner” means for the southern quarter; and “towards the north corner” means towards the northern quarter, for there were twenty boards for each side. So in Ezekiel:
Next the border of Dan, from the east corner even to the west corner, Asher one. And thence next the border of Asher, from the east corner even unto the corner towards the west (48:1-8).
In the same:
These shall be the measures: the north corner four thousand and five hundred, and the south corner the same, and from the east corner the same, and the west corner the same, next the border to the east corner towards the west (48:16, 17, 23-28, 33, 34; also 47:17-20).
In Moses:
Ye shall measure without the city the corner towards the east two thousand cubits, and the south corner the same, and the west corner and the north corner the same (Num. 35:5).
Also in Joshua (15:5; 18:12, 14, 15, 20). Here the east, south, west, and north corners mean the sides towards the east, south, west, and north quarters. This makes clear that the “four angels standing upon the four corners of the earth” mean not upon its four corners, but in its four quarters. So elsewhere in Revelation:
Satan shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth (20:8).
[4] “Four corners” are mentioned, and not four quarters, because “corners” also signify all things, since they are outermost parts, for the outermost parts comprehend all things from the center to the last circumferences, for they are the last borders. This is why four horns were placed on the four corners of the altar, and upon them the blood was poured, and thus expiation was made for the whole altar (as is evident from Exod. 27:2; 29:12; 30:2, 3, 10; 38:2; Lev. 4:7, 18, 25, 30, 34; 16:18, 19; Ezek. 41:22; 43:20).
sRef Lev@19 @9 S5′ sRef Lev@19 @27 S5′ sRef Lev@21 @5 S5′ [5] That “corners” signify all things because the outermost parts (for the reason stated above, that the outermost parts include and comprehend all things) is clearly evident from some of the statutes given to the sons of Israel, as:
That they should not round or shave the corner of their head (Lev. 19:27).
That they should not shave off the corner of their beard (Lev. 19:27; 21:5).
And that they should not wholly finish the corners of their field when they reaped (Lev. 19:9; 23:22).
Why such statutes were given them cannot be known unless it is known what is signified by “the hair of the head,” by “the beard,” by “the field,” and also by “the corner;” “the hair of the head,” and “the beard” signify the ultimate of man’s life, which is called the corporeal sensual; and “field” signifies the church, and “reaping” the truth of doctrine. By these statutes, therefore, it was represented that the ultimates must be preserved because they signify all things; for unless there are outermost things, the middle things are not kept together, but are dispersed, comparatively as the interior parts of man would be dispersed if he were not encompassed by skins. It is similar in everything, thus in what is signified by “the hair of the head,” by “the beard,” and by “the harvest of the field.” (That “the hair of the head” signifies the outermost of man’s life, which is called the corporeal sensual, may be seen above, n. 66; and that “the beard” has a like signification, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9960; that the outermosts or ultimates signify all things in the complex, thus the whole, n. 10044, 10329, 10335.) And as “a field” signified the church, and “harvest” its truths, so “not to finish wholly the corners of thy field when thou reapest” signifies the conservation of all things that are signified by “the harvest of the field.”
sRef Deut@32 @26 S6′ [6] That “corners” signify all things because they signify outermost things can be seen also from the following passages. In Moses:
I will hurl them into the extreme corners; I will make the remembrance of them to cease from man (Deut. 32:26).
“To hurl into the extreme corners” signifies to be deprived of all good and truth; it is therefore added, “I will make the remembrance of them to cease from a man,” which signifies that they would no longer have anything of spiritual life, which comes to pass when man is merely in the ultimates of life, called the corporeal sensual, in which alone most of those are who acquire nothing of spiritual life; for such then become not unlike the beasts, for this is the kind of life beasts have, but with this difference, that as man is born a man he is able to speak and to reason, but this he does from the fallacies of the senses, or of the outermost things of nature, of the world, and of the body; this is what is meant here by “being hurled into the extreme corners.”
sRef Jer@49 @32 S7′ [7] In Jeremiah:
Their camels shall be for a prey, and the multitude of their cattle for a spoil; and I will disperse them unto every wind among the cut off of the corner; and from all the passages thereof I will bring calamity (49:32).
This is said of the devastation of Arabia and Hazor by the king of Babylon; and “Arabia” and “Hazor” signify the knowledges of good and truth, and “the king of Babylon” signifies evil and falsity laying waste. The vastation of all confirming knowledges (scientifica), and cognitions of good and truth is signified by “their camels shall be for a prey, and the multitude of their cattle for a spoil;” “camels” meaning confirming knowledges (scientifica), and “cattle” the cognitions of good and truth. Vastation in respect to all things of good and truth, so that there is nothing left, is signified by “I will disperse them unto every wind, among the cut off of the corner;” “the cut off of the corner” meaning the outermost parts where there is no longer any good and truth. That evils and falsities will then break in on every side is signified by “from all the passages thereof I will bring calamity;” for in the spiritual world where the evil are, on every side ways from the hells are open, and evils and their falsities break in through these; and all who are in like evils and falsities go through these ways and consociate themselves with the evil there. This has been said to make known what is signified by “from all the passages I will bring calamity;” “to be for a prey and a spoil,” and “to disperse and to bring calamity” signify devastation.
sRef Jer@9 @26 S8′ sRef Jer@9 @25 S8′ [8] In the same:
Behold, the days come in which I will visit upon everyone that is circumcised in the foreskin; Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the sons of Ammon, and Moab, and all the cut off of the corner that dwell in the wilderness; for all nations are uncircumcised, and the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart (Jer. 9:25, 26).
Here “the cut off of the corner” signify those who are in the ultimates of the church separate from the interiors, which are spiritual, thus those who are only in things sensual, which are the ultimates of the natural man. (Respecting those who are merely sensual, who and of what quality they are see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 50.) These are signified by “the cut off of the corner,” because “corners” signify the quarters of the spiritual world, and the quarters of the spiritual world signify all the goods and truths of heaven and the church, as has been said previously. The habitations of spirits and angels in that world succeed in such an order that those who are in the highest wisdom and intelligence are in the midst, and from the midst even to the last circumferences those in less and less degree; and these diminutions are in exact accord with the distances from the midst; in the ultimates are those who are in no wisdom or intelligence, and outside of these are those who are in evils and falsities therefrom. These are the ones meant by “the cut off of the corner;” and as these are desert places, they are said “to dwell in the wilderness.” (On these diminutions in the spiritual world, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 43, 50, 189.) The same are meant by “the uncircumcised nations” and “the house of Israel uncircumcised in heart;” “the uncircumcised” signifying those who are without love and charity, thus without good, and therefore in the loves of self and of the world; and those who are in these loves are in the ultimates of the natural man wholly separate from things spiritual; therefore they are “the cut off of the corner that dwell in the wilderness;” “Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, and Moab,” mean all who, through these loves, have separated from themselves the goods and truths of the church, consequently are outside of these, and thus are “the cut off of the corner”:
The cut off of the corners (Jer. 25:23);
have a similar signification.
sRef Num@24 @17 S9′ [9] In Moses:
There shall arise a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall arise out of Israel, which shall break in pieces the corners of Moab (Num. 24:17).
“The corners of Moab” mean all things that are signified by “Moab;” and “Moab” signifies those who are in the ultimates of the Word, of the church, and of worship; and in the contrary sense those who adulterate these by turning themselves towards self, and having regard to their own honor in every particular of these; therefore “the corners of Moab” mean adulterations of the Word, and thence of the church and of worship, such as are with those of that character:
The corner of Moab (Jer. 48:45);
has a similar signification.
sRef Zeph@1 @16 S10′ sRef Zeph@3 @6 S10′ [10] In Zephaniah:
A day of the trumpet and alarm upon the fenced cities and upon the high corners (1:16).
“A day of the trumpet and alarm” signifies spiritual combat, which is against falsities and evils; “fenced cities” signify false doctrinals that have been confirmed; and “high corners” signify those things that favor their loves. This makes clear what is signified by “a day of the trumpet and alarm upon the fenced cities and upon the high corners.” In the same:
I will cut off the nations; their corners shall be laid waste; I will make desolate their streets that none may pass by; and I will lay waste their cities so that there is no inhabitant (Zeph. 3:6).
The destruction of all the goods of the church is signified by “I will cut off the nations, and their corners shall be laid waste;” “nations” meaning the goods of the church, and “corners” all things of it, because its outermost parts (as above). The destruction of the truths of doctrine is signified by “I will make desolate their streets and I will lay waste their cities;” “streets” meaning truths, and “cities” doctrinals; total destruction even until there is no truth and good left is signified by “that none pass by, and there is no inhabitant;” for “to pass by” in the Word is predicated of truths, and “to dwell” of goods. sRef Judg@20 @1 S11′ sRef Judg@20 @2 S11′ [11] In the book of Judges:
All the sons of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba. And the corners of all the people, all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God (20:1, 2).
“The corners of all the people presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God” signifies all on every side, or from every quarter, as is clearly evident from its being said that “all the sons of Israel and all the tribes of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled from Dan to Beersheba;” but in the spiritual sense, “the corners of all the people” signify all the truths and goods of the church; so, too, “all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba,” signify all these from the last to the first, and “the assembly of the people of God” signifies consideration of the things of the church; for in the histories of the Word, as well as in the prophecies, there is everywhere a spiritual sense; therefore in the historical sense “corners” signify quarters, such as are in the spiritual world; but in the spiritual sense they signify all the truths and goods of the church, for the reason given above.
sRef Jer@51 @26 S12′ sRef Ps@118 @22 S12′ sRef Zech@10 @4 S12′ sRef Isa@28 @16 S12′ [12] From this what is signified by “corner stone” in the following passages becomes evident. In Isaiah:
I will lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a proved stone, a precious corner stone, of a foundation that is founded (28:16).
In Jeremiah:
They shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone of foundations (51:26).
In Zechariah:
Out of Judah the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the bow of war (10:4).
In David:
The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner (Ps. 118:22; see also Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10, 11; Luke 20:17, 18).
“The stone of the corner” signifies all Divine truth upon which heaven and the church are founded, thus every foundation; and as the foundation is the ultimate upon which a house or temple rests, therefore it signifies all things. Because “the stone of the corner” signifies all things upon which the church is founded it is said “I will lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a proved stone, a precious cornerstone, of a foundation that is founded;” and it is called also “a stone for a corner” and “a stone of foundations;” and because “the stone of the corner” signifies all Divine truth upon which the church is founded, it also signifies the Lord in respect to His Divine Human; because all Divine truth proceeds from that; “the builders” (or architects) who rejected that stone, as is read in the Gospels, are those who are of the church, here of the Jewish Church, which rejected the Lord, and with Him all Divine truth; for with them there was nothing but vain traditions drawn from the sense of the letter of the Word in which the truths themselves of the Word were falsified and its goods adulterated. (That ultimates signify all things, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 634, 5897, 6239, 6451, 6465, 9216, 9824, 9828, 9836, 9905, 10044, 10099, 10329, 10335, 10548.)

sRef Rev@7 @1 S0′ 418. Holding the four winds of the earth, signifies the moderation of its influx. This is evident from the signification of “the four winds of the earth” as being everything Divine in heaven (of which presently); also from the signification of “holding them,” as being to moderate its influx. But what is meant by moderating the influx of the Divine in heaven no one can know unless it is revealed to him, nor consequently can it be known what is signified by “holding the four winds of the earth.” Without revelation, who would not think that “winds” here mean winds held back by angels, since it also follows “that the wind should not blow upon the earth, nor upon the sea, nor upon any tree.” But “the winds of the earth,” here as elsewhere in the Word signify everything Divine that is from the Lord in heaven, in particular, Divine truth, and because Divine truth flows from the Lord as a sun into the whole heaven, and from that into the whole earth, so “holding the winds” signifies to moderate influx. But that these things may be more clearly understood, it shall be told how it is with respect to that influx. The Lord is the sun of the angelic heaven; from Him as a sun all light and all heat there proceed. The light that proceeds is in its essence Divine truth, because it is spiritual light; and the heat that proceeds is in its essence Divine good, because it is spiritual heat. From the Lord as a sun these flow out into all the heavens accommodated to reception by the angels there, thus sometimes more moderately, sometimes more intensely. When they flow out more moderately the good are separated from the evil, but when more intensely the evil are cast out. When, therefore, the Last Judgment is at hand the Lord first flows in moderately, in order that the good may be separated from the evil. Because this separation is what is treated of in this chapter, the “holding of the four winds of the earth” is first mentioned, which signifies the moderation of the influx of Divine good and Divine truth from the Lord. It is evident from what follows in this chapter that this refers to the separation of the good from the evil, for it is said, “Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor any tree, till we shall have sealed the servants of God on their foreheads” (verse 3); and afterwards, to the end of the chapter, “those sealed,” that is, the good separated from the evil are treated of. But respecting this separation more will be said in what follows, likewise respecting the casting out of the evil into the hells, which takes place afterwards.
[2] “The four winds” signify all the Divine proceeding, because “the winds of heaven” signify the quarters of heaven, for the whole heaven is divided into four quarters, namely, east, west, south, and north. Into two quarters, the east and the west, the Lord flows with Divine good more powerfully than with Divine truth; and into two quarters, the south and the north, with Divine truth more powerfully than with Divine good; consequently those who are in the latter are more in wisdom and intelligence, and those in the former more in love and charity; and as the whole heaven is divided into four quarters, and those quarters are meant by “the four winds,” therefore “the four winds” signify all the Divine proceeding. They are called “the four winds of the earth,” because “the earth” means all the earth in the spiritual world, but in the spiritual sense “the earth” signifies heaven and the church (respecting which see the preceding article).
sRef Ezek@37 @10 S3′ sRef Ezek@37 @9 S3′ [3] From this the meaning of “the four winds” in other passages of the Word can be seen, as in Ezekiel:
The Lord Jehovih said unto me, Prophesy about the spirit, prophesy, and say to the spirit, Thus the Lord Jehovih hath said, Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe into these slain that they may live. And when I had prophesied the spirit came, and they revived (37:9, 10).
This is said of “the dry bones” seen by the prophet, by which the sons of Israel are meant (as is evident from verse 11 there); and this vision describes the reformation and establishment of a new church from those who have not before had any spiritual life. “The dry bones” are those who have nothing of spiritual life; the spiritual life given them by the Lord, from which the church is in them, is described by these words; “the spirit” about which the prophet prophesied, and by which they were revived, signifies spiritual life, which is a life according to the truths of the Word. “Come from the four winds, O spirit,” signifies from the Divine of the Lord in heaven; “the four winds” meaning the four quarters in heaven, and the four quarters are everything Divine there (as has been said above). In the sense of the letter, “spirit” here means the breath (spiritus) of respiration, which is wind; it is therefore said that it should “come and breathe into these slain;” but the breath of respiration signifies as well the spiritual life, as will appear from what follows. “The slain” have a similar signification as “dry bones,” namely, those who have no spiritual life.
sRef Zech@6 @5 S4′ sRef Zech@6 @1 S4′ [4] In Zechariah:
There were seen four chariots coming out from between two mountains of copper, to which there were horses; and the angel said, These are the four winds of the heavens, going forth from standing by the Lord of the whole earth (5:1, 5).
This treats of the church which is to be extended among those who have not yet been in any light of truth of the church, because they have not had the Word. What “the four chariots” and “the four horses,” and the many things respecting them signify, may be seen above (n. 355), and what “the mountains of copper” signify, also above (n. 364, 405), where they are explained. Here “the four winds” signify every Divine proceeding, or the Divine good and Divine truth that constitute the church; it is therefore said “the winds of the heavens going forth from standing by the Lord of the whole earth;” “to go forth from standing by Him” signifying to proceed. “Chariots” and “horses” are called winds because “chariots” signify the doctrinals of good and truth, and “horses” an understanding of them, and both of these proceed from the Divine of the Lord.
sRef Matt@24 @31 S5′ [5] In the Gospels:
The Son of man shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other end (Matt. 24:31; Mark 13:27).
All the successive states of the church, even to its end, when the Last Judgment takes place, are here predicted by the Lord; and “the angels with a great sound of a trumpet” signifies proclaiming the good tidings respecting the Lord; and “gathering together the elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other end,” signifies the establishment of a new church; “the elect” mean those who are in the good of love and of faith; “the four winds” mean all states of good and truth; “from one end of the heavens to the other end” means the internals and the externals of the church. (This may be seen more clearly explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 4060.)
sRef Dan@8 @8 S6′ [6] In Daniel:
The he-goat made himself very great; but when he was strong the great horn was broken, and there came up in appearance four in its place towards the four winds of the heavens (8:8).
What is meant by “the he-goat” and “ram” in this chapter may be seen above (n. 316), namely, that “he-goat” signifies faith separate from charity, and therefore those who expect to be saved because they know the doctrinals and truth of the Word, and who give no thought to a life according to them; “horns” signify truths, and in the contrary sense, as here, falsities; “the great horn” signifies the ruling falsity, which is, that salvation comes merely through knowing and thus believing; “the great horn was broken, and there came up four in its place toward the four winds of heaven,” signifies that out of the one principle, faith alone, many falsities conjoined with evils arise; “the great horn” signifying the ruling falsity, which is, that faith alone saves; “broken” signifying its division into many falsities arising therefrom; “four in its place” signifying the conjunction of these with evils; “toward the four winds of the heavens,” signifying in respect to each and all things of falsity and evil, for “the four winds of heaven” signify every good and truth of heaven and the church and their conjunction, but in the contrary sense every evil and falsity and their conjunction. “The four winds of the heavens” signify also every evil and falsity, because in the four quarters in the spiritual world not only those who are in the good of love and in truths therefrom dwell, but also those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom; for the hells are in the same quarters, but deep beneath the heavens, for the most part in caverns, caves, and vaults (respecting which see above, n. 410).
sRef Jer@49 @36 S7′ [7] In this same sense “the winds of the heavens” are mentioned in Jeremiah:
Upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four ends of the heavens, and I will disperse him toward all those winds, that there may be no nation to which the outcasts of Elam shall not come (49:36).
Here “Elam” signifies those who are in the knowledges that are called the knowledges of faith, but not at the same time in any charity; “the four winds from the four ends of the heavens” signify falsities conjoined with evils; and “to disperse him toward all those winds” signifies into falsities of evil of every kind; “that there may be no nation to which the outcasts of Elam shall not come” signifies that there may be no evil to which falsity cannot be adapted, “nation” meaning evil, for knowledges alone without a life of charity bring forth innumerable falsities of evil.
sRef Rev@7 @3 S8′ sRef Dan@7 @2 S8′ sRef Dan@7 @3 S8′ [8] In Daniel:
I was seeing in my vision when it was night, and behold, the four winds of the heavens rushed upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea (7:2, 3).
Here, too, “the four winds” signify falsities conjoined with evils, “the great sea” signifies hell from which they are, and “the four beasts” signify evils of every kind: but on this more in what follows. “The four winds” have a similar signification in Daniel (11:4); also in Zechariah (2:6, 7). That “the four winds” signify the four quarters is clearly evident in Ezekiel (42:16-19), where the measure of the house according to the four winds, that is, the four quarters, is treated of; and there the quarter is named by the same word in the Hebrew by which wind and spirit are named. But more will be seen concerning winds in the article that now follows.

sRef Rev@7 @1 S0′ 419. That the wind should not blow, signifies that the good be not injured, and the evil be not cast out before the day. This is evident from the signification of “wind,” as meaning the Divine proceeding, which is Divine good united to Divine truth; therefore “that the wind should not blow” signifies that the influx might be moderate and gentle; “the wind not blowing upon the earth” signifies that the good may not be injured, and the evil cast out before the day, because the separations of the good from the evil and the casting out of the evil in the spiritual world are effected by various degrees of moderation and intensity of the Divine proceeding from the Lord as a sun. When this flows in moderately the good are separated from the evil, and when it flows in intensely the evil are cast out; and for the following reasons: when the Divine from the Lord flows in moderately there is everywhere tranquillity and serenity, wherein all appear such as they are in respect to the state of their good, for all then stand forth in light; consequently those who are in good from a spiritual origin are then separated from those who are in good merely from a natural origin; for the Lord looks upon those who are in spiritual good and leads them, and thus separates them. Those who are in good from a spiritual origin are those referred to in what follows where they are said “to be sealed on their foreheads,” for they are spiritual, and are angels of heaven; but those who are merely in good from a natural origin are not good because they are not spiritual, for the good appearing with them is evil, because it has regard to self and the world as an end. Such do good in external form with reference to their own glory, honor, and gain, and not with reference to the neighbor’s good, consequently they do good only that they may be seen of men. Those who are merely natural are those who are “not sealed,” and who are afterwards rejected. But when the Divine from the Lord flows in intensely, the goods with the evils are dispersed, because these goods are in themselves not goods but evils, and evils do not endure the influx of the Divine. This causes the externals in such to be closed up, and when these are closed up the interiors are opened, in which there is nothing except evils and falsities therefrom; and this brings them into pain, anguish, and torment, on account of which they cast themselves down into the hells, where there are evils and falsities like their own.
[2] When the influx of the Divine is intensified, which occurs when the evil are to be cast out, then lower down in the spiritual world a wind springs up that blows strongly like a storm or tempest; this wind is what is called in the Word “the east wind” (of which presently). The casting down of the evil is described also in the Word by violent and impetuous winds, by storms, and by tempests. “The wind of Jehovah” has a similar signification as “the spirit of Jehovah,” for the wind of respiration is meant, which is also called spirit (or breath). On this account in the Hebrew and many other languages spirit is expressed by the same word as wind. This is why the greater part of mankind have no other idea of spirit and of spirits than of wind like the wind of respiration; and from this have come the notions in the learned world also that spirits and angels are like wind in which there is merely a vital principle of thought; and this is the reason also that so few of these allow themselves to be persuaded that spirits and angels are men, endowed with body, face, and organs of sensation, like men on the earth. “Wind” and “spirit,” in reference to man, signify the life of truth, or a life according to the truths or precepts of the Lord, because respiration, which pertains to the lungs, corresponds to that life, while the heart and its motion corresponds to the life of good. For there are two lives, which should make one in man, the life of truth and the life of good; the life of truth is the life of man’s understanding, while the life of good is the life of his will; for truths have their seat in the understanding because these constitute the understanding, while goods have their seat in the will because these constitute the will. “Soul and heart,” in the Word, when mentioned together, have a similar significance.
sRef Ezek@37 @8 S3′ sRef Ezek@37 @14 S3′ sRef Ezek@37 @9 S3′ [3] From this it can be seen what is meant by “the wind” and “the spirit of Jehovah,” namely, the Divine truth, and by “the four winds,” Divine truth united to Divine good. Since wind means the wind or breath of respiration, and it signifies Divine truth and spiritual life with those who receive it, so this wind is called also “the breath of the nostrils of Jehovah,” and also “the breath of His mouth,” and “breathing;” as can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
And I saw, and upon the dry bones, sinews and flesh came up, and skin covered them above, yet there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy about the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit, Thus the Lord Jehovih hath said, Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live (37:8, 9).
What is here signified by “the dry bones” was told in the preceding article, namely, those who have no spiritual life, or no life through Divine truth. The breathing in of this life by the Lord is signified by “Prophesy about the spirit, and say to the spirit, Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” Here “spirit” evidently means the breath of respiration, for there were sinews, flesh, and skin, but as yet no breathing; therefore it is said, “Say to the spirit, Breathe upon them.” From this it can be seen that this “spirit” or “wind” signifies spiritual life. That common breathing was not meant is evident from its being said that “these dry bones were the house of Israel,” meaning that the house of Israel was without spiritual life; and from its being said of them afterwards, “I will put My spirit in you, that ye may live, and I will place you in your own land that ye may live” (5:14); which signifies that they are to be regenerated that a church may be made of them. Regeneration is effected by a life according to Divine truth, from which is spiritual life; and “to bring them back to the land” signifies that they may become a church, the land of Canaan signifying the church.
sRef Gen@2 @7 S4′ [4] In Moses:
Jehovah God breathed into his nostrils* the soul of lives, and man became a living soul (Gen. 2:7).
Here, too, in the sense of the letter, the wind of breathing is meant, as it is said He “breathed into his nostrils;” but spiritual life, which is the life of intelligence and wisdom through Divine truth, is evidently meant, since it is said that He breathed into him “the soul of lives,” and that thus man became “a living soul;” “the soul of lives” and “a living soul” meaning spiritual life; for man without that soul is called a dead man, although in respect to the body and the senses he is alive. This, too, makes evident that “soul,” “spirit,” and “wind” in the Word mean spiritual life.
sRef John@20 @21 S5′ sRef John@20 @22 S5′ [5] In John:
Jesus said to the disciples, Peace be unto you; as the Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. And when He had said this He breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit (20:21, 22).
The Lord “breathed on them, and said to them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit,” signifies the like, as Jehovah “breathed into Adam’s nostrils the soul of lives” namely, spiritual life; for the Holy Spirit signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, from which is spiritual life. That they should teach Divine truth from the Lord is signified by “as the Father hath sent Me, even so send I you;” for the Lord when He was in the world was Divine truth itself, which He taught from His Divine good which was in Him from conception. This Divine is what the Lord here and in other places calls “the Father;” and because when He went out of the world He united Divine truth to Divine good that in Him they might be one, and because thenceforth Divine truth proceeds from Him He said, “as the Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.”
That the wind of respiration signifies spiritual life comes from correspondence (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3883-3896). The quality of all in the spiritual world is known from their respiration merely. Those who are in the life of the respiration of heaven are among the angels; but those who are not in that respiration, if they come into heaven, are unable to breathe there, and are therefore in anguish like that of suffocation (respecting which see also Arcana Coelestia, n. 1119, 3887, 3889, 3892, 3893). From this correspondence the term, “inspiration” is derived, and the prophets are called “inspired,” and the Word is said to be “Divinely inspired.”
sRef John@3 @5 S6′ sRef John@3 @7 S6′ sRef John@3 @8 S6′ [6] From all this it can be seen what is signified by the Lord’s words in John:
Except one be born of the water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it willeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh and whither it goeth; so is everyone that is born of the spirit (3:5, 7, 8).
“To be born again” means to be regenerated; and as man is regenerated by a life according to Divine truth, and all Divine truth through which man is regenerated proceeds from the Lord, and flows into him he knows not when, so it is said, “The wind bloweth where it willeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh and whither it goeth,” thus is described the life of man’s spirit, which he has by regeneration, “wind” meaning the Divine truth through which he has that life. So long as he is in the world man is utterly ignorant of how Divine truth flows in from the Lord, for he then thinks from the natural man, and merely perceives a something that flows in from the spiritual man into the natural; this therefore is what is meant by “thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh and whither it goeth.” The “water” of which man is born signifies truth from the Word, and the “spirit” a life according to it. (That “water” signifies truth, see above, n. 71.)
sRef Lam@4 @20 S7′ [7] In Lamentations:
The breath [spiritus] of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits; of whom we had said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations (Lam. 4:20).
“The anointed of Jehovah” here means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, for “the anointed of Jehovah” has a similar signification as a king. (That a “king” signifies in the highest sense the Lord in respect to Divine truth, see above, n. 31; and “the anointed of Jehovah” the same, n. 375.) This is why it is said “the breath of our nostrils, of whom we had said, Under his shadow we shall live;” for “the spirit and breath of the nostrils” signifies in the highest sense Divine truth, as has been said above. That Divine truth perished through falsities of evil is signified by “was taken in their pits;” “pits” meaning the falsities of evil.
sRef Lam@3 @56 S8′ sRef Gen@7 @22 S8′ [8] Again in Lamentations:
Jehovah Thou hast heard my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry (3:56).
“To hide the ear at the breathing and at the cry” signifies at worship, confession, and prayers, which are from truths and from goods; for all worship, confession, and prayer must be from truths and goods; to be heard they must be from both; if they are from truths alone they are not heard, because there is no life in them; the life of truth is from good. “Breathing” is here predicated of truths, and “cry” of goods (that “cry” is predicated of goods will be seen elsewhere).
sRef Ps@135 @17 S9′ [9] In Moses:
Everything that had in its nostrils the breath of the spirit of lives, of all that was on the dry land, died (Gen. 7:22).
What these words signify in the sense of the letter everyone can see, namely, that all things upon the earth were destroyed by the flood, thus all men then living, except Noah and his sons; but what these words signify in the spiritual sense may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 805, 806, where they are explained), namely, that “the breath of the spirit of lives in the nostrils” means spiritual life, which those had who were of the Most Ancient Church; for “the flood” signifies the end of that church and the Last Judgment, which took place when everything of the church was extinct. In David:
They have ears but they hear not; neither is there any breath [ventus] in their mouth (Ps. 135:17);
“no breath in their mouth” signifying that there was no truth in the thought, for “mouth” signifies thought.
sRef Ps@18 @15 S10′ sRef Job@4 @9 S10′ sRef Jer@14 @5 S10′ sRef Isa@30 @33 S10′ sRef Ex@15 @8 S10′ sRef Jer@14 @6 S10′ sRef Job@4 @8 S10′ sRef Ex@15 @10 S10′ [10] In Jeremiah:
The wild asses pant for breath like whales; their eyes were consumed because there was no herb (14:6).
“To pant for breath like whales” signifies that there is no truth to be imbibed; “because there was no herb” means because there is no truth in the church. As the evil are cast down by a more powerful influx of Divine truth and good proceeding from the Lord as a sun, as has been said above, so the casting down of those who are in the falsities of evil is described also by “the breath of the nostrils of Jehovah.” As in Isaiah:
Topheth is prepared of old; the pile thereof is fire and much wood made ready; the breath of Jehovah like a brook of brimstone doth kindle them (30:33).
In David:
The channels of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were disclosed, at the rebuke of Jehovah, at the blast of the breath of Thy nostrils (Ps. 18:15).
In Moses:
By the breath of Thy nostrils the waters were heaped up; Thou didst blow with Thy wind, the sea covered them (Exod. 15:8, 10).
And in Job:
Plotters of iniquity, by the blast of God they perish, by the breath of His nostrils are they consumed (4:8, 9).
In all these passages “the blast,” “the breath,” and “the breathing of the nostrils of Jehovah” means the Divine proceeding, which disperses and casts down the evil when it flows in intensely and strongly; but respecting this influx more will be said in what follows, where “tempests,” “storms,” and “the east wind” are treated of.
sRef Ps@104 @4 S11′ sRef Ps@104 @3 S11′ [11] Again, that “the wind of the earth” also signifies the Divine proceeding is also from correspondence with the winds in the spiritual world; for there exist winds in the spiritual world also, and these arise from the determining of Divine influx, and arise in the lower parts of the earth there. In the heavens rarely any other than gentle winds are perceived; but with those who dwell lower down, upon the lands, winds are frequent, for they grow stronger as they descend; their direction is from the quarters into which the Divine inflows, especially from the north. Because the winds there are from a spiritual origin they also signify spiritual things, in general Divine truth, from which they exist. As in David:
Jehovah layeth the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He maketh the clouds His chariot; He walketh upon the wings of the wind; He maketh His angels winds, His ministers a flaming fire (Ps. 104:3, 4).
“Waters,” “clouds,” and “wings of the wind,” signify Divine truth in ultimates, such as is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word; because this is in ultimates, it is said “He layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters, He maketh the clouds His chariot, He walketh upon the wings of the wind;” “waters” meaning truths in ultimates, likewise “clouds,” and “the wings of the wind” and “chariots” meaning the truth of doctrine; “He maketh His angels winds, and His ministers a flaming fire,” signifies that He makes them to be receptions of Divine truth and Divine good; “angels” mean those who are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, and because such are recipients of Divine truth it is said “He maketh them winds;” while “ministers” mean those who are in the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and as these are recipients of the Divine good it is said “He maketh them a flaming fire;” “a flaming fire” signifying the good of love and the truth therefrom. (That those who are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom are recipients of Divine truth, and those who are in the celestial kingdom recipients of Divine good, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28; that angels are called “angels” from reception of Divine truth, see above, n. 130, 412; and that ministers are called “ministers” from the reception of Divine good, see also above, n. 155; and that “fire” signifies the good of love, n. 68.)
sRef Ps@18 @9 S12′ sRef Ps@18 @10 S12′ [12] In the same:
Jehovah bowed the heavens, He came down, and thick darkness was under His feet; and He rode upon a cherub, He did fly, and was borne upon the wings of the wind (Ps. 18:9, 10).
Jehovah “bowed the heavens, He came down,” signifies visitation, which precedes the Last Judgment; “thick darkness under His feet” signifies the falsities of evil in lower things; “He rode upon a cherub, He did fly, and was borne upon the wings of the wind,” signifies omnipresence with the Divine, “the wings of the wind” meaning Divine truth in ultimates (as above).
sRef Ps@135 @7 S13′ sRef Jer@10 @13 S13′ sRef Jer@10 @12 S13′ [13] In Jeremiah:
The Maker of the earth by His power, He prepareth the world by His wisdom, by His intelligence He stretcheth out the heavens; at the voice that He uttereth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He maketh the vapors to go up from the end of the earth; He maketh lightnings for the rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries (10:12, 13; 51:15, 16).
And in David:
He maketh the vapors to go up from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings for the rain; and He bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries (Ps. 135:7).
This describes in the spiritual sense the reformation of man and the establishment of the church. Because of that reformation and establishment the Lord is called “the Maker of the earth,” and elsewhere “the Former” and “Creator;” “earth” meaning the church. The Divine good, by which reformation is effected, is signified by “He prepareth the world by His wisdom;” “world” means the church, and is predicated of good. The Divine truth, which is also a means, is signified by “at the voice that He uttereth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens;” “the voice that He uttereth” signifying the influx of Divine truth, and “the multitude of waters in the heavens” reception; “waters” meaning truths. Ultimate truths, which are the knowledges from the sense of the letter of the Word, are signified by “the vapors from the ends of the earth;” spiritual truths therefrom are signified by “lightnings for the rain,” “lightnings” called from the light of heaven, and “rain” from influx; thus reformation through Divine truth from the Lord is signified by “He bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries.” This is the meaning of all these things in the heavens.
[14] In David:
He casteth forth His hail like morsels; who can stand before His cold? He sendeth His word, He melteth them; He maketh His wind to blow, the waters flow. He declareth His word unto Jacob, His statutes and His judgments unto Israel (Ps. 147:17-19).
This, too, is a description of reformation, but in respect to the natural man. Here knowledges and cognitions which are in man before reformation are signified by “hail like morsels; who can stand before His cold?”-for man before reformation is utterly frigid, and that coldness is also plainly felt when the Divine flows in out of heaven; and as such coldnesses are dissipated by the reception of Divine good and Divine truth, thus by reformation, it is said, “He sendeth His word, He melteth them; He maketh His wind to blow, the waters flow;” “word” signifying Divine good united to Divine truth, “wind” Divine truth, and “the waters flow,” the reception of truth; and this being the signification of these words it is added, “He declareth His word unto Jacob, His statutes and judgments unto Israel;” “Jacob” and “Israel” signifying the church, “Jacob” the church that is in good, and “Israel” the church that is in truths; “statutes and judgments” mean external and internal truths which are from good.
sRef Ps@148 @8 S15′ sRef Ps@148 @7 S15′ [15] In the same:
Praise Jehovah, fire and hail, snow and vapor; stormy wind doing His word (Ps. 148:7, 8).
“Fire and hail, snow and vapor, and wind,” evidently signify something different from these, for why should it be said of such things in the Divine Word that “they praised Jehovah?” But “fire and hail, and snow and vapors” signify the delights of the loves of the natural man, and its knowledges and cognitions; for these are “fire and hail, and snow and vapor” before man is reformed and made spiritual, the sphere of life of such when it flows out from them, presenting in the spiritual world appearances like these; and the worship of the Lord from these things is signified by their “praising Jehovah,” “to praise” meaning to worship; “stormy wind” signifies Divine truth in respect to reception; it is therefore said “stormy wind doing His word;” “doing His word” signifying to receive into life the things of doctrine.
sRef Jer@5 @13 S16′ sRef Isa@41 @29 S16′ [16] As all things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so has “wind,” and in that sense it signifies falsity, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Behold they are all iniquity, their works are nothing; their molten images are wind and a void (41:29).
“Wind and a void” mean the falsities of evil and the evils of falsity; “wind” meaning the falsities of evil, and “a void” the evils of falsity; for where there is a void and emptiness, that is, absence of good and truth, there are evil and falsity; “wind” signifies where there are falsities, as is evident from its being said “they are all iniquity, their works are nothing;” also from its being said “their molten images are wind and a void,” for “molten images” signify such things as man hatches out of self-intelligence, and these are all falsities and evils. In Jeremiah:
And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them (5:13).
“Prophets” signify those who teach truths, and in an abstract sense the truths of doctrine, here the falsities of doctrine; falsities are signified by “wind;” therefore it is added, “the word is not in them,” “word” signifying Divine truth.
sRef Jer@22 @22 S17′ sRef Jer@13 @24 S17′ [17] In the same:
I will scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness (Jer. 13:24).
“The wind of the wilderness” signifies where there is no truth, and therefore falsity, for “wilderness” in the Word signifies where there is no good because there is no truth. In the same:
The wind shall feed all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity (Jer. 22:22).
“Shepherds” in the Word signify those who teach the good of life and lead to it, which is done by means of truths; but here “shepherds” mean those who do not teach the good of life, still less lead to it, because they are in falsities; this is meant by “the wind shall feed all thy shepherds;” “wind” meaning the falsity which they seize upon and love; “the lovers” who shall go into captivity, signify the delights of the loves of self and the world, and thence the delights of the evil; “lovers” meaning such delights, and “captivity” detention in the hells.
sRef Hos@12 @1 S18′ [18] In Hosea:
Ephraim feedeth on wind, and pursueth the east wind; every day he multiplieth lying and devastation, and they make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried down into Egypt (12:1).
“Ephraim” signifies the intellectual of the church; “Assyria” reasoning, and “Egypt” the knowing faculty (scientificum); therefore “Ephraim feedeth on wind, and pursueth the east wind,” signifies that the intelligent in the church imbue themselves with falsities which altogether disperse truths; “wind” meaning falsity, and “east wind” falsity drying up and dispersing truths. Because of this signification of “wind” and “east wind” it is added, “every day he multiplieth lying and devastation;” “lying” meaning falsity, and “devastation” the dispersion of truth; “they make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried down into Egypt,” signifies that by reasonings from knowledges (scientifica) falsely applied they pervert the truths and goods of the church; “to make a covenant with Assyria” signifying to reason from falsities and to destroy truths, and “to carry down oil into Egypt” signifying to destroy the good of the church by knowledges [scientifica]; for he who is in principles of falsity applies to them the knowledges [scientifica] he has imbibed from childhood, since his understanding sees nothing else. For the understanding is formed either of truths or of falsities; if of truths, man sees truths, if of falsities he sees falsities; he sees them in the natural man, in the memory of which knowledges [scientifica] have their seat; and from these he selects such as favor his principles, and those that do not favor them he either perverts or rejects.
sRef Jer@49 @32 S19′ sRef Zech@5 @9 S19′ sRef Hos@4 @17 S19′ sRef Hos@4 @19 S19′ sRef Hos@4 @18 S19′ [19] In the same:
Ephraim is joined to idols. Their wine is gone; in whoring they have committed whoredom; they are given up to love; her shields give disgrace. The wind hath bound her up in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices (Hos. 4:17-19).
“Ephraim” signifies the church in respect to the understanding of truth; here that it has no understanding of truth but of falsity; the falsities of the church are signified by “idols;” which makes clear what is signified by “Ephraim is joined to idols;” “the wind in its wings” signifies reasoning from fallacies, from which are falsities. (What the rest signifies see above, n. 283, and 376, where it is explained.)
Wind in the wings (Zech. v. 9);
has a similar meaning. In Jeremiah:
Their camels shall be for prey, and the multitude of their cattle for a spoil; and I will disperse them to every wind, them that are the cut off of the corner (49:32).
“To disperse them to every wind” signifies into every falsity and evil when truths and goods are destroyed. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 417.)
sRef Ezek@5 @2 S20′ sRef Ezek@5 @12 S20′ [20] In Ezekiel:
A third part thou shalt disperse to the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them (5:2, 12).
This is said of the hairs of the head and of the beard, which the prophet, by command, shaved off with a razor; and those hairs signify the ultimate of truth in the church, for the whole heaven and the whole church are before the Lord as one man; whence all things of heaven and of the church correspond to all things of man, both to those without man and to those within him (on which correspondence, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 87-102); therefore the hairs of the head and of the beard, as they are the ultimate things of man, correspond to the ultimates of truth and good. The ultimates of truth and good are such as are the ultimate truths of the sense of the letter of the Word. That these ultimates were perverted, falsified, and adulterated by the Jews is signified by what is here said of the hairs of the prophet’s head and beard. “A third part thereof he should disperse unto every wind” signifies the destruction of all truth; and because when truth is destroyed mere falsities are seized on, it is added, “I will draw out a sword after them;” “sword” signifying the destruction of truth by falsity (see above, n. 131). Unless this signification of “hairs” is known, who could understand what is involved in the command to the prophet that “he should shave off the hairs of his head and of his beard, and a third part he should burn in the midst of the city, a third part he should smite with a sword round about it, and a third part he should disperse unto every wind, and that a sword should be drawn out after them”?
sRef Ezek@12 @14 S21′ sRef Ezek@5 @6 S21′ sRef Matt@7 @25 S21′ sRef Ezek@5 @5 S21′ [21] That this signifies the falsification of truth by the Jews is clearly evident from what follows in the same chapter, where among other things it is said:
This is Jerusalem; she hath altered My judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and My statutes more than the lands that are round about her (Ezek. 5:5, 6).
In the same:
All his bands I will disperse unto every wind; and I will draw out the sword after them (12:14).
This has a similar signification. In Matthew:
The rain descended and the winds blew and beat upon that house, yet it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock (7:24, 25, 27).
“The rain descended and the winds blew” signifies temptations, and consequently falsities rushing in; for spiritual temptations are nothing else than infestations of the mind by falsities and evils, so here, too, “winds” signify falsities. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 411.)
sRef Isa@29 @6 S22′ sRef Ezek@13 @13 S22′ sRef Amos@1 @14 S22′ sRef Ps@83 @15 S22′ sRef Ps@83 @13 S22′ sRef Ps@55 @8 S22′ sRef Jer@25 @32 S22′ sRef Jer@23 @19 S22′ sRef Isa@41 @16 S22′ sRef Ps@50 @3 S22′ sRef Zech@9 @14 S22′ sRef Hos@8 @7 S22′ sRef Ps@11 @6 S22′ sRef Nahum@1 @3 S22′ [22] It has been said above, that in the spiritual world, as in the natural world, strong winds and tempests spring up; but the tempests in the spiritual world spring from the influx of the Divine into the parts below, where those are who are in evils and falsities; as that influx descends from the heavens towards the lands that lie below, it becomes more dense and appears like clouds, and with the evil, dense and dark according to the quantity and quality of the evil. These clouds are appearances of falsity from evil, arising from the spheres of their life; for round about every spirit and angel there is a sphere of life. When from the Lord as a sun the Divine is sent forth powerfully and flows into these dense and dark clouds, a tempest arises which is perceived by spirits there in like manner as tempests on the earth are perceived by men. It has at different times been granted me to perceive these tempests and also the east wind by which the evil were dispersed and cast into the hells, when the Last Judgment was in progress. From this it can be seen what “tempests,” “storms,” and “violent winds” signify in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Thou shalt disperse them, that the wind may carry them away and the tempest scatter them (41:16).
In Jeremiah:
Behold,** the tempest of Jehovah has gone forth in wrath, a whirling tempest; it shall hurl itself upon the head of the wicked (23:19; 30:23).
In David:
I will speed my escape from the rushing wind, from the tempest (Ps. 55:8).
In the same:
O my God, pursue them with Thy tempest, and affright them with Thy storm (Ps. 83:13, 15).
In Ezekiel:
I will make a wind of tempests to break through in My wrath, and in Mine anger there shall be an overflowing rain, for a consummation (13:13).
In Jeremiah:
Evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth (25:32).
In Isaiah:
Thou shalt be visited of Jehovah of Hosts with tempest, storm and with the flame of a devouring fire (29:6).
In Amos:
I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with a tempest in the day of storm (1:14).
In Nahum:
Jehovah hath His way in the storm and in the tempest (1:3).
In Zechariah:
The Lord Jehovih shall blow with the trumpet, and shall go with tempests of the south (9:14).
In David:
Upon the wicked a wind of storm, the portion of the cup of the wicked (Ps. 11:6).
In the same:
Our God shall come, and shall not be silent; about Him the tempest shall blow violently (Ps. 50:3).
In Hosea:
They sow the wind, therefore they shall reap the whirlwind (8:7).
In these passages “tempest” and “storm” signify the dispersion of falsities and evils, because those who are in the falsities of evil are cast down into hell by a tempestuous wind.
sRef Ps@107 @25 S23′ sRef Ps@107 @29 S23′ sRef Ps@107 @23 S23′ [23] In David:
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do work in many waters. And He spake, and maketh the wind of the tempest to stand, and He raised up its waves on high. He made the tempest to stand still, that their waves might be hushed (Ps. 107:23, 25, 29).
This treats of temptations and of the deliverance from them. “The wind of the tempest,” and thus “the waves of the sea lifted up,” signify temptations; and as spiritual temptations come through falsities breaking into the thoughts, which is the source of remorse of conscience and grief of mind and spirit, these are signified by “the wind of the tempest stood, and He raised up its waves on high;” deliverance from them is signified by “He made the tempest to stand still, that the waves might be hushed.”
sRef Mark@4 @37 S24′ sRef Luke@8 @24 S24′ sRef Mark@4 @38 S24′ sRef Mark@4 @39 S24′ sRef Luke@8 @23 S24′ [24] The same is signified by these words in Mark:
There arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was now filling. But Jesus was in the stern, slumbering on a pillow; and they awake Him, and say unto Him, Carest Thou not that we perish? And He awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Be still, be dumb. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm (4:37-39).
And in Luke:
As they sailed Jesus fell asleep; and there came down a storm of wind on the lake, and they were filling*** [with water], and were in danger; and coming to Him they awoke Him, saying, Master, Master, we perish. And having awakened, He rebuked the wind and the raging of the sea; and they ceased, and there was a calm (8:23, 24).
This miracle of the Lord, like all the rest, involves arcana of heaven and interior things of the church. The difference between Divine miracles and those not Divine is that Divine miracles also signify Divine things, because the Divine is in them, while miracles not Divine signify nothing, because there is nothing of the Divine within them; and moreover, in the description of the Divine miracles in the Word, and in every particular thereof, there is a spiritual sense. This miracle involves spiritual temptations; “a great storm of wind, so that the waves beat into the boat, and it was filling,” signifies such temptations; and that when they were in extreme fear, “Jesus awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Be still, be dumb; and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm,” signifies deliverance from temptations. Moreover, every single word here contains a spiritual sense; but this is not the place to unfold it particularly, but only to note that the “storm” and “tempest of wind” signify temptations, for these are irruptions of falsities, or inundations of the mind by falsities. This, too, is plain from the rebuke of the wind and the waves, and from the words of the Lord to the sea, “Be still, be dumb,” as if He were speaking to those things or those persons that induce temptations.
[25] Furthermore, the winds that spring up in the spiritual world appear to arise there from different quarters, some from the south, some from the north, and some from the east; those from the south disperse truths with such as are in falsities, and those from the east disperse goods with such as are in evils. The winds disperse these because the winds spring from a powerful and strong influx of the Divine through the heavens into the parts below, and where the influx enters it fills truths and goods, that is, it fills the minds and spirits of those who are in truths and goods with the Divine; therefore those, the interiors of whose mind and spirit consist merely of falsities and evils, while exteriorly truths are mixed with falsities and goods are mixed with evils, cannot endure such influx from the Divine, consequently they withdraw into their falsities and evils which they love, and reject the truths and goods, which they do not love except for the sake of self and appearance.
sRef Jonah@4 @8 S26′ sRef Ezek@19 @12 S26′ sRef Ezek@17 @10 S26′ sRef Hos@13 @15 S26′ [26] This makes clear what effect is there produced by the wind coming from the east, which is called “the east wind,” namely, that with the evil it disperses all the goods and truths which they presented in external form before the world, and all the truths which they talked about for the sake of appearances. This is why withering and drying up are ascribed to that wind, “withered” signifying where there is no good, and “dried up” where there is no truth, as can be seen from passages in the Word where that wind is mentioned. As in Ezekiel:
Behold the vine planted, when the east wind shall touch it, in drying up shall it not dry up? (17:10).
In the same:
The vine was plucked up in Mine anger, she was cast down to the earth, and the east wind withered her fruit; and the rods of her strength were broken and withered (19:12).
In Hosea:
Ephraim, fierce among his brethren; an east wind shall come, the wind of Jehovah coming up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up; he shall plunder the treasure of every vessel of desire (13:15).
In Jonah:
And it came to pass when the sun arose that God prepared a scorching east wind (4:8).
sRef Ezek@27 @26 S27′ sRef Jer@18 @17 S27′ sRef Ps@48 @7 S27′ [27] Moreover, the east wind also destroys all things where the evil are, their lands, their habitations, and their treasures (as may be seen in the little work on The Last Judgment, n. 61); it destroys because the lands, habitations, and treasures in the spiritual world are correspondences; therefore when these perish the things that correspond also perish; on this account, when a land in that world on which the evil dwell is destroyed there rises up the aspect of a new land for the good. Because there is such a force in the east wind in the spiritual world, so for the sake of the correspondence:
An east wind was brought by which the waters of the Red Sea were dried up (Exod. 14:21);
And that brought on the locusts (10:13);
It is called a hard wind (Isa. 27:8);
A wind that broke the ships of Tarshish (Ps. 48:7);
A wind that broke Tyre in the heart of the seas (Ezek. 27:26);
And that scattered enemies (Jer. 18:17).
* Photolithograph has “soul,” for “nostrils.” Elsewhere Swedenborg has “nostrils,” as in AC n. 94, 3623, 8286, etc.
** Photolithograph has “out of,” Hebrew “behold.”
*** Photolithograph has “it was filling.”

sRef Rev@7 @1 S0′ 420. Upon the earth, nor upon the sea, nor upon any tree, signifies everywhere in the spiritual world, even to its ultimates, in those who have any perception. This is evident from the signification of “the earth,” as being the whole spiritual world, consequently all angels and spirits there. This is the signification of “the earth” in the general and nearest sense, because in the spiritual world, the same as on our globe, there are lands, mountains, hills, plains, valleys, and also seas (respecting which see above, n. 304, 342, 413). It is evident also from the signification of the “sea,” as being the ultimates of the earth in the spiritual world, because the last boundaries or limits there are seas (respecting which see above, n. 342); also from the signification of “tree,” as being perception and also knowledge (of which presently). This being the signification of “earth,” “sea,” and “tree,” the three joined together in one idea signify all things in the spiritual world even to its ultimates in those who have any perception. A “tree” in general signifies perception and knowledge, because a “garden” signifies intelligence, and all intelligence is according to knowledges and a perception of them; this is why each kind of tree signifies something pertaining to knowledge [scientia] and intelligence. Because a “tree” signifies in general perception and knowledge, it also signifies the interiors of the mind with man, and also the whole man; for a man is such as are the interiors that belong to his mind, and these are such as is the perception from knowledges. (That a “tree” signifies the interiors that belong to the mind, and also man himself, see above, n. 109, 110; that a “tree” signifies perception and knowledge, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 103, 2163, 2682, 2722, 2972, 7692; that the ancients had Divine worship in groves under trees, according to their significations, n. 2722, 4552; that this was prohibited with the Jewish nation, and why, n. 2722; that “paradises” and “gardens” signify intelligence, n. 100, 108, 3220; also in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 176; and above, n. 110.)

sRef Rev@7 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@7 @3 S0′ 421. Verses 2, 3. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried with a great voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea; Saying, Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. 2. “And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun,” signifies the Divine love going forth from the Lord (n. 422); “having the seal of the living God,” signifies the Divine will (n. 423); “and he cried with a great voice,” signifies Divine command (n. 424); “to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,” signifies as yet preventing the influx from becoming intense (n. 425). 3. “Saying, Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees,” signifies lest the good perish with the evil wherever they are (n. 426); “till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads,” signifies that those who are in truths from good are first to be separated (n. 427).

sRef Rev@7 @2 S0′ 422. Verse 2. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, signifies the Divine love going forth from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “angel,” as being something Divine proceeding from the Lord; for “angel” in the Word means, in the nearest sense, an entire angelic society, but in a general sense “angel” signifies everyone who receives Divine truth in doctrine and life; while in the highest sense “angel” signifies something Divine proceeding from the Lord, and in particular Divine truth (respecting these significations of an angel see above, n. 90, 130, 200, 302, 307); here, therefore, “the angel ascending from the rising of the sun” signifies the Divine proceeding from the Lord’s love; “the rising of the sun” or the “east” signifying the Lord’s Divine love, and “to ascend therefrom” signifying to go forth and proceed; so here “the angel ascending from the rising of the sun” signifies the Divine love going forth from the Lord. The things that follow are also of the Divine love, namely, that the good be not harmed. “The rising of the sun” signifies the Lord’s Divine love, because the Lord is the sun in the angelic heaven, and the Lord appears as a sun from His Divine love; where the Lord appears as a sun, there in heaven is the east, and as the sun is constantly there it is also constantly in its rising.
[2] In the spiritual world there are four quarters, namely, east, west, south, and north; and these quarters are all determined by the sun, which is the Lord; where this sun is, there is the east, opposite to it is the west, to the right the south, and to the left the north. In the eastern quarter angels who are in love to the Lord dwell, because they are under the nearest auspices of the Lord, for the Lord most nearly and directly flows into them from Divine love, and this is why “the rising of the sun” and the “east” signify in the Word the Lord’s Divine love. (That the Lord appears in the angelic heaven as a sun, and that it is the Lord’s Divine love that thus appears, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125; consequently that the “sun” signifies in the Word the Divine love, see above, n. 401; that all the quarters in the spiritual world are determined from the east, where the Lord is as a sun, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 141; therefore that those who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell in the eastern quarter, n. 148, 149.)
[3] The quarters, namely, the east, west, south, and north, are frequently mentioned in the Word, and he who knows nothing about the spiritual sense of the Word believes that this means the quarters of our solar world, and thus supposes that no arcana of heaven and the church are involved therein; and yet the quarters mentioned in the Word mean the quarters in the spiritual world; which are altogether different from the quarters in our world; for there all angels and spirits have their dwelling places in the quarters according to the quality of their good and truth; those who are in the good of love to the Lord dwelling there in the east and the west, and those who are in truths from that good dwelling in the south and north. They dwell in this manner because the Lord there is the sun, and from Him as the sun are all heat and light, or all good and truth. The heat there, which is spiritual heat or the good of love, inflows directly from the east into the west, and decreases according to reception by the angels, consequently according to the distances, for in the spiritual world all distance from the Lord is in the measure of the reception of good and truth from Him. This is why those who are in interior and thence in clear good of love dwell there in the east, and those who are in exterior and thence obscure good of love dwell in the west. The light, too, which is spiritual light, or Divine truth, flows directly from the east into the west; it also flows into either side, but with the difference, that the Divine truth that flows from the east into the west is in its essence the good of love, while that which flows into either side is in its essence truth from that good; consequently those who dwell in the south and in the north, which are the quarters at the sides, are in the light of truth; those in the south in the clear light of truth, and those in the north in an obscure light of truth; the light of truth is intelligence and wisdom. (But respecting these quarters more may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 141-153.) These, therefore, are the quarters meant in the Word where quarters are mentioned, and they also signify such Divine things as exist in those quarters; namely, the “east” the good of love in clearness, the “west” the good of love in obscurity, the “south” truth from that good in clearness, and the “north” truth from that good in obscurity.
[4] Furthermore, there are quarters in the spiritual world which differ from those just mentioned, and are removed from them about thirty degrees; these are under the auspices of the Lord as a moon; for the Lord appears as a sun to those who are in love to Him, but as a moon to those who are in charity towards the neighbor and in faith therefrom (respecting this appearance, see also in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 118, 119, 122). In the eastern and western quarters there dwell those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor; and in the southern and northern quarters those who are in truths from that good, which are called the truths of faith. These quarters are also sometimes meant in the Word, where these truths and this good are treated of.
sRef Isa@43 @6 S5′ sRef Ps@107 @3 S5′ sRef Gen@28 @14 S5′ sRef Isa@43 @5 S5′ sRef Luke@13 @29 S5′ [5] From this it can be seen that one who knows nothing about the quarters of heaven, which have here been mentioned, cannot know the spiritual things of the Word in the passages where the quarters are mentioned, as in the following. In Isaiah:
I will bring in thy seed from the sunrise and bring thee together from the west; I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Hold not back; bring in My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the earth (43:5, 6).
This treats of Jacob and Israel, and one who does not know that these quarters mean the spiritual things mentioned above, may believe the meaning to be that the sons of Israel and Jacob are to be gathered from every side; but “Jacob” and “Israel” mean the church, which consists of those who are in the good of love and in truths from that good, and their “seed” means all who are of that church. “I will bring in thy seed from the sunrise, and will bring thee together from the west,” means that those who are in the good of love are to be brought in and gathered together; and “I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Hold not back,” means that those who are in truths from that good are to be brought in and gathered together. That all who are in these truths and goods, even to those who are in ultimates shall be brought together, is signified by “bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the earth;” “sons” meaning those who are in truths, and “daughters” those who are in goods; “from far,” and “from the end of the earth,” signifying those who are in the ultimate truths and goods of the church. These quarters have a like signification in the following passages. In David:
Jehovah will gather the redeemed out of the lands, from the sunrise and from the west, from the north and from the sea (Ps. 107:3).
In Moses:
Jehovah said to Jacob in a dream, Thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and shall spread itself towards the west and towards the east, and towards the north and towards the south (Gen. 28:14).
In Luke:
They shall come from the sunrise and from the west, and from the north and from the south, and shall recline in the kingdom of God (13:29).
sRef Zech@8 @7 S6′ sRef Isa@45 @6 S6′ sRef Ps@113 @3 S6′ sRef Mal@1 @11 S6′ sRef Matt@8 @11 S6′ sRef Ps@50 @1 S6′ sRef Isa@59 @19 S6′ [6] In many passages the words “from east to west,” and not at the same time “from north and south,” are mentioned, by which all who are in the good of love to the Lord and in the good of charity towards the neighbor are meant. Moreover, these quarters involve the two others, because all who are in good are also in truths, for good and truth everywhere act as one; these, therefore, are meant where “from east to west” is mentioned. In Matthew:
Many shall come from the east and even from the west, and shall recline at meat with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of the heavens (8:11).
In the passage above cited from Luke (13:29), it is said of those reclining at meat in the kingdom of the heavens that “they shall come from the east and the west, from the north and from the south;” here it is said only “from the east and from the west,” because by these two quarters are meant the other two at the same time as has been said. The same is true of the following passages. In Malachi:
From the rising of the sun unto its going down My name is great among the nations (1:11).
In David:
From the rising of the sun unto its going down the name of Jehovah is to be praised* (Ps. 113:3).
In Isaiah:
From the going down of the sun they shall fear the name of Jehovah, and His glory from the rising of the sun (59:19).
In the same:
That they may know from the rising of the sun and from its going down that there is none beside Me (45:6).
In David:
God, Jehovah God, speaketh, and shall call the earth from the rising of the sun unto its going down (Ps. 50:1).
In Zechariah:
Behold, I save My people from the land of the sunrise and from the land of the going down of the sun (8:7).
In these passages, “from the rising” and “from the going down” signify all who are in the goods and truths of heaven and of the church. Like things are signified by the quarters:
With reference to which the temple was measured (Ezek. 42).
And with reference to which the land was to be given for an inheritance (Ezek. 47:13, et seq.).
And should be distributed among the twelve tribes of Israel (Ezek. 48).
Also with reference to which the sons of Israel were to measure the camp (Num. 2).
And with reference to which they should go forward (Num. 10).
And with reference to which the gates of the new city would be placed (Ezek. 40; Rev. 21:13; and the same elsewhere).
[7] The temple was to be measured with reference to the quarters (in Ezekiel), and the land was distributed with reference to the quarters (in Ezekiel and also in Joshua), likewise the sons of Israel encamped in reference to the quarters and went forward in the same order, for the reason that all things in the spiritual world are arranged in reference to the quarters, both in general and also in particular. In general, all angels and spirits have their dwelling places in accordance with the states of good and truth with them in corresponding quarters, as was said above; the same is true in particular; for in all assemblies, those who are present are allotted places in quarters that correspond to the states of their life; in like manner they are seated in their temples there, and in like manner also dwell in their houses: in a word, each and every thing there is arranged in accordance with the quarters of heaven; for the form of heaven is the same in every particular as it is in general. This makes evident what is signified by the arrangements in reference to quarters in the Word, also by the quarters in reference to which the tabernacle was built, and in reference to which the temple also was built by Solomon; besides other things.
sRef Ezek@43 @3 S8′ sRef Ezek@43 @2 S8′ sRef Ezek@43 @5 S8′ sRef Ezek@43 @1 S8′ sRef Ezek@43 @4 S8′ [8] So much in respect to quarters in general. That the “east” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine love, and thus the Lord with those who receive the good of love to Him, can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
He brought me to the gate of the temple that looketh toward the east; and behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and His voice was like the voice of many waters; and the earth was enlightened by His glory. And the glory of Jehovah came into the house by the way of the gate whose face is toward the east. Then the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of Jehovah filled the house (43:1, 2, 4, 5).
This treats of the building of a new temple, which signifies a new church to be established by the Lord; and because introduction is effected through the good of love to the Lord and through the truth from that good, there was seen “a gate that looked towards the east, and the God of Israel coming from the way of the east;” “gate” signifying introduction and entrance; “the God of Israel” meaning the Lord; the “east” the good of love from Him to Him, and “glory” the truth from that good; for the Lord enters into heaven and so into the church from His Divine love, which in the heavens appears as a sun (as was said above); from this is all Divine good there as well as all Divine truth. That there was seen “the glory of Jehovah entering into the house by the way of the gate whose face is towards the east,” and that “the glory of Jehovah filled the house,” have a like signification; “house” or “temple” signifying heaven and the church. “Glory” in the Word signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; “the glory of the God of Israel” Divine truth illustrating those who are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, and “the glory of Jehovah” Divine truth illustrating those who are in the Lord’s celestial kingdom. Divine truth is called “glory” because it is the light of heaven, and from that light come all the splendor, magnificence, and glory there, for in the heavens whatever appears before the eyes is from that light; it is therefore added, “the earth was enlightened by His glory,” “the earth” meaning the church. The influx of this light towards the lower parts on every side is signified by “His voice was like the voice of many waters; “voice” signifying influx, and “waters” truths.
sRef Ezek@44 @1 S9′ sRef Ezek@46 @1 S9′ sRef Ezek@44 @2 S9′ [9] In the same:
Afterwards He brought me back by the way of the gate of the outer sanctuary that looketh towards the east; and it was shut. But Jehovah the God of Israel shall enter in by it (Ezek. 44:1, 2).
In the same:
The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six days of work; but on the day of the Sabbath it shall be opened (46:1).
Here, too, “the gate that looketh towards the east” signifies the introduction by the Lord into heaven and into the church through the good of love proceeding from Him; this therefore is meant by “the east;” and that this is done by the Lord is signified by “Jehovah the God of Israel shall enter by that gate;” that introduction is effected by worship of the Lord from that good is signified by “the gate shall be opened on the day of the Sabbath;” and that when there is no worship from that good introduction is not effected is signified by “that gate shall be shut the six days of work.”
sRef Ezek@10 @19 S10′ [10] In the same:
And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and he stood at the entrance of the gate of the house of Jehovah on the east; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above (Ezek. 10:19).
“The cherubim” signify the Lord in respect to Divine Providence, and in respect to protection that there be no approach except through the good of love (see above, n. 152 at the end, 277); and as the Lord is signified by “the cherubim,” and from the Lord as a sun, where the east is, all good of love and all truth from that good proceed, so “the cherubim were seen to stand at the entrance of the gate of the house of Jehovah on the east, and the glory of the God of Israel over them above;” “the house of Jehovah,” “the east,” and “the glory of the God of Israel,” having a similar signification here as above.
sRef Isa@41 @2 S11′ [11] In Isaiah:
Who hath stirred up one from the sunrise, whom He hath called in righteousness to His train, He hath given the nations before him and made him to rule over kings? (41:2).
This treats of the Lord, who is said to have been “stirred up from the sunrise” because He was conceived from the Divine Itself, which in its essence is Divine love; it is from this that the Lord is the sun of the angelic heaven; “to call in righteousness” signifies to restore heaven and the church; for “the righteousness of the Lord” signifies in the Word that from His own power He saved the human race, and this was done by reducing all things in the heavens and hells to order. (See above, n. 293; what the rest signifies was explained above, n. 357.)
sRef 2Sam@23 @4 S12′ sRef 2Sam@23 @3 S12′ sRef 2Sam@23 @2 S12′ [12] In the second book of Samuel:
The spirit of Jehovah spake in me, the God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, As the light of the morning when the sun riseth, a morning without clouds; from the brightness after rain cometh grass out of the earth (23:2-4).
“The God of Israel” and “the Rock of Israel” mean the Lord, and because He is the sun of the angelic heaven, and because all Divine truth which illustrates angels and men, and gives intelligence and works reformation, proceeds from Him as a sun and flows in, so it is said “as the light in the morning when the sun riseth, a morning without clouds; from the brightness after rain cometh grass out of the earth;” “the light in the morning when the sun riseth” signifying Divine truth from the Lord as a sun; “a morning without clouds” signifying the purity of that truth; “rain” its influx, and “grass out of the earth” the consequent intelligence and reformation; for these are signified by “grass” because grass springs out of the earth by the action of the sun of the world after rain, and intelligence is from the Lord as a sun through the influx of Divine truth.
sRef Isa@60 @3 S13′ sRef Isa@60 @2 S13′ [13] In Isaiah:
Jehovah shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the nations shall walk to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising (60:2, 3).
This is said of the Lord; and the Divine in Him is meant by “Jehovah shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee;” the Divine good of the Divine love is meant by “Jehovah shall arise upon thee,” and Divine truth from that good by “His glory shall be seen upon thee;” “nations” signify those who are in good, and “kings” those who are in truths from good; of the former it is said “they shall walk to thy light,” which signifies a life according to Divine truth; and of the latter, “they shall walk to the brightness of thy rising,” which signifies a life of intelligence from Divine good; “to walk” signifying to live; “light” Divine truth, and “the brightness of rising” Divine truth from Divine good, whence is intelligence.
sRef Ezek@11 @23 S14′ sRef Ezek@11 @22 S14′ [14] In Ezekiel:
Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. And the glory of Jehovah went up over the midst of the city, and stood over the mountain on the east of the city (11:22, 23).
“The cherubim” signify the Lord in respect to Divine Providence and protection, and “the glory of the God of Israel” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (as above). And because Divine truth, which is light, proceeds from the Lord as a sun in the angelic heaven, “the glory of Jehovah was seen to go up over the midst of the city, and to stand over the mountain on the east of the city,” for Jerusalem is the city that is meant, and it signifies the church in respect to doctrine; and because the doctrine of the church is from Divine truth, the glory of Jehovah was seen “to go up over the midst of the city,” and because all Divine truth proceeds from the Lord as a sun, and there the east is, the glory was seen “to stand over the mountain on the east of the city;” the mountain on the east of the city was the Mount of Olives. That “the Mount of Olives” signifies the Lord’s Divine love, and on that account the Lord was accustomed to tarry on that mountain, may be seen above (n. 405); and that the Mount of Olives was before Jerusalem on the east may be seen in Zechariah (14:4).
sRef Ezek@47 @12 S15′ sRef Ezek@47 @1 S15′ sRef Ezek@47 @9 S15′ sRef Ezek@47 @2 S15′ sRef Ezek@47 @8 S15′ [15] In Ezekiel:
He brought me back to the entrance of the house; where behold, waters going out from under the threshold of the house towards the east, the front of the house being east, and the waters coming down from under, from the right side of the house, at the south of the altar. And he brought me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me round by the outer way to the outer gate, by the way that looketh eastward; and behold, waters running from the right side. He said to me, These waters go forth toward the eastern boundary, and go down into the plain, and come towards the sea, being sent forth into the sea that the waters may be healed; whence it cometh to pass that every living soul that creeps, whithersoever the brooks come, liveth; whence there is exceeding much fish. And by the brook upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, cometh up every tree for food, whose leaf falleth not, nor does its fruit come to an end (47:1, 2, 8, 9, 12).
This describes a new church to be established by the Lord in the heavens and on the earth, when everything Divine shall proceed from the Lord’s Divine Human; for before the Lord’s coming the Divine proceeded from His Divine that He calls “the Father,” but after the church had become vastated, this did not reach to the ultimates. Here “house” signifies the church, its “gate” entrance and introduction, the “east” the Lord where His Divine love appears as a sun, and “the waters going out” Divine truth proceeding from that sun. The “plain” and the “sea” signify the ultimates of the church, that is, where those are who are in ultimate truths and goods, to whom the Divine did not reach before, because they are natural and sensual, and but little spiritual. That “the waters of the sea were healed by the flowing in of the brook from the east” signifies that after the Lord’s coming even these had life from the Divine; “exceeding much fish” signifies the abundance of cognitions and knowledges, which in such also acquire spiritual life; the fructification of good and the multiplication of truth are signified by “on the bank of the brook every tree for food cometh up, whose leaf falleth not off, and its fruit does not come to an end.” From this it can be seen what the particulars here signify in series, and that “the east,” from which they all are, signifies the Lord and His Divine love.
sRef Zech@14 @8 S16′ [16] The like is signified in Zechariah:
And it shall come to pass in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; part of them to the eastern sea (14:8).
This, too, treats of the Lord. “In that day” signifies His coming, and the “eastern sea” signifies the last limit toward the east in the spiritual world, at which there was no reception of Divine truth before the Lord’s coming, but where there was reception when Divine truth proceeded from His Divine Human. That the ultimates in the spiritual world are like seas may be seen above (n. 342); and that there are dry places and wastes there may be seen in Joel (2:20).
sRef Num@2 @3 S17′ sRef Lev@16 @15 S17′ sRef Lev@16 @14 S17′ sRef Num@3 @38 S17′ [17] Because in heaven, where the angels are, the Lord appears as a sun, and is there the east:
So Aaron, when he made expiation for himself and his house, sprinkled of the blood of the bullock before the mercy-seat eastward (Lev. 16:14, 15);
So Moses and Aaron and his sons pitched their camp before the Tent of the meeting towards the east (Num. 3:38);
Also the tribe of Judah (Num. 2:3).
“Moses, Aaron and his sons,” and “the tribe of Judah,” represented the Lord in respect to Divine good and Divine truth proceeding from Divine love; for this reason their camp was towards the east. So, too, the ancients in their adorations turned their faces to the rising of the sun; and so built their temples that the front parts, where the adytum was, should look towards the east, which from the old custom is still done at the present day. Moreover, the whole angelic heaven is turned to the Lord as a sun, thus constantly to the east; furthermore, all the interiors of the angels in the heavens are turned in that direction, and for this reason the angels of heaven turn their faces to the Lord. (Respecting this turning see many things worthy of mention in the work Heaven and Hell, n. 17, 123, 142-144, 272.)
sRef Matt@24 @27 S18′ sRef Judg@5 @31 S18′ [18] Because the Lord is the east it is said in Matthew:
As the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west, so shall the coming of the Son of man be (24:27).
Since “the rising of the sun” signifies in reference to men the good of love, proceeding from the Lord as a sun, received by them, it is said in the book of Judges:
Let all Thine enemies perish, O Jehovah; but let them that love Him be as the rising of the sun in his might (5:31).
This is in the prophetic song of Deborah and Barak; and of those who love Jehovah, who are those that are in the good of love to the Lord, it is said, “Let them be as the rising of the sun in his might.”
sRef Deut@33 @15 S19′ [19] In Moses:
Joseph shall have of the firstfruits of the mountains of the east, and of the precious things of the hills of an age (Deut. 33:15).
“Joseph” in the representative sense signifies the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, therefore it is said of him that he shall have “of the firstfruits of the mountains of the east, and of the precious things of the hills of an age;” “the firstfruits of the mountains of the east” signify the genuine goods of love to the Lord, and thence of charity towards the neighbor; “the mountains of the east” meaning the good of love to the Lord, and “firstfruits” genuine and primary goods; “the hills of an age” mean the goods of charity towards the neighbor; when these are genuine they are called “precious things.” (The rest of the blessing of Joseph may be seen explained above, n. 405.)
sRef Matt@2 @2 S20′ sRef Matt@2 @9 S20′ sRef Matt@2 @1 S20′ sRef Num@24 @17 S20′ [20] In ancient times there was a church in many kingdoms of Asia, as in the land of Canaan, in Syria and Assyria, in Arabia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Chaldea, in Tyre and Sidon, and elsewhere; but the church with them was a representative church, for in all the particulars of their worship, and in every one of their statutes, spiritual and celestial things, which are the internals of the church, were represented, and in the highest sense the Lord Himself was represented. These representatives in worship and statutes remained with many even to the Lord’s coming, and thence there was a knowledge of His coming; as can be seen from the predictions of Balaam, who was from Syria, and who prophesied of the Lord in these words:
I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not nigh; there shall arise a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel (Num. 24:17).
That this knowledge was afterwards preserved is evident from this, that certain wise men from the east, when the Lord was born saw a star from the east, which they followed, which is thus described in Matthew:
In the days of Herod the king wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him; and lo, the star which they saw in the east went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was (2:1, 2, 9).
The star appeared to those from the east because the Lord is the east; and because they had knowledge respecting the Lord’s coming from representatives that were with them, the star appeared and went before them, first to Jerusalem, which represented the church itself in respect to doctrine and in respect to the Word, and from there to the place where the infant Lord lay. Moreover, a “star” signifies the knowledges of good and truth, and in the highest sense the knowledge respecting the Lord. (That “stars” signify in the Word the knowledges of good and truth, see above, n. 72, 179, 402.) And because the Orientals had such knowledges they were called “sons of the east.” That those from Arabia were so called is evident in Jeremiah (49:28). Also “sons of the east” signify in the Word the knowledges of good and truth; “Kedar,” that is, Arabia, has a similar signification. That Job was one of the sons of the east is evident from Job (1:3).
[21] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so does “the east,” and in that sense it signifies the love of self, because this love is the opposite of love to the Lord. In this sense the east is mentioned in Ezekiel (8:16), and in Isaiah (2:6). That “the east” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine love, and thus the good of love to Him, can be more fully seen from what was shown above respecting the sun and the morning (respecting the sun, n. 401; and the morning, n. 176); for where the sun is in the angelic heaven there is the east; and as the morning is where the sun rises, and there the sun is always in its rising and never setting, so “morning” has a like signification.
* Photolithograph has “great,” but we find “to be praised” in AE n. 401, and AR n. 809.

sRef Rev@7 @2 S0′ 423. Having the seal of the living God, signifies the Divine will. This is evident from the signification of “having the seal” of anyone, as meaning to have command, for a command is confirmed by a seal; therefore “to have the seal of the living God” means to have Divine command. Here Divine command means the Divine will, because “the angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal,” signifies Divine love proceeding from the Lord; and whatever goes forth from Divine love is the Divine will. There are also Divine commands that are not from the Divine will, but from sufferance and permission, many of which were given to the sons of Israel, as that it was permitted them to take several wives, and to give bills of divorcement, with other like things. These commands were from permission, given because of the hardness of their hearts (as is evident from the Lord’s words in Matthew 19:8; and Mark 10:4, 5); but the commands that are immediately from the Divine love are all of the Divine will; therefore it is said, “the seal of the living God;” for the Lord is called “the living God” from the Divine love, for love is man’s very life, and the Divine love is the source of the life of all.

sRef Rev@7 @2 S0′ 424. And he cried with a great voice, signifies Divine command. This is evident from the signification of “a great voice,” when from the Lord, as meaning Divine command. The command itself, uttered by the voice, also follows, namely, that “the four angels hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till the servants of God were sealed on their foreheads.” It is said “a great voice” and “he cried,” because “great” and also “crying” are predicated in the Word of the good of love (that “great” is predicated of the good of love, and “many” of truths from good, see above, n. 336, 337; and “crying” of the affections that are of love, see above, n. 393); here, therefore, as this command was from the Divine love and from the Divine will, it is said, “he cried with a great voice.”

sRef Rev@7 @2 S0′ 425. To the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, signifies preventing as yet the influx from becoming intense. This is evident from what was said above, where the separation of the good from the evil by a moderate or gentle influx was treated of (respecting which influx see above, n. 413, 418, 419), namely, that by a moderate and gentle influx the good are separated from the evil, and by an intense and powerful influx the evil are cast down; and as what now follows treats first of the separation of the good from the evil, and this separation is effected by a moderate influx, these words signify preventing the influx as yet from becoming intense; for “the four angels upon the four corners of the earth holding back the four winds of the earth” signify the Divine proceeding from the Lord, and its influx into the whole spiritual world (see above, n. 417, 418); and “the earth and the sea” signify everywhere, even to its ultimates (n. 420).

sRef Rev@7 @3 S0′ 426. Verse 3. Saying, hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, signifies lest the good perish with the evil wherever they are. This is evident from the signification of “hurt not,” as being lest they perish (of which presently); also from the signification of “the earth, the sea, and the trees,” as being everywhere in the spiritual world, even to its ultimates, with those who have any perception (see above, n. 420), consequently the good with the evil, wherever they are. That this is the meaning of these words is evident from the series of things in the spiritual sense; for what now follows treats of the separation of the good from the evil, and this separation is signified by “the sealing of the servants of God on their foreheads,” and by the “twelve thousand out of every tribe,” and by those who were seen “clothed in white robes,” for this chapter treats of all these. By both the latter and the former the good are meant who are to be separated from the evil before the evil are cast down into hell. And as the separation of the good from the evil and the casting out of the evil into hell is effected by Divine influx from the Lord as a sun, the separation of the good from the evil by a gentle and moderate influx, and the casting down of the evil into hell by a strong and intense influx (as may be seen above, n. 413, 418, 419), so these three verses treat of the former influx by which the good are separated from the evil, while the good who are separated are treated of in the rest of the chapter even to the end.
[2] But something shall first be said on this point, that unless the good were separated from the evil before the evil were cast down into hell, the good would perish with the evil. For the good who are not yet raised up into heaven, but are to be raised up after the evil have been cast out, have a very close communication with the evil through the external worship of the evil. For (as was said above, and also in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 59, 70) the evil, who were allowed to remain till the Last Judgment, were in external worship but in no internal worship, for they made a show and simulation of the holy things of the church with the mouth and gestures, but not from the soul and heart; and by means of this external worship they maintained communication also with those who were inwardly good. Because of this communication the evil could not be cast down until the good had been separated from them, for if they had been left together, the good with whom the evil had been conjoined by external worship would have been hurt, that is, would have perished, for the evil would have drawn them away with themselves.
sRef Matt@13 @39 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @37 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @40 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @38 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @24 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @29 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @30 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @25 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @28 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @27 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @26 S3′ [3] This, too, is foretold by the Lord in Matthew:
The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man that sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept his enemy came and sowed tares [among the wheat], and went away. But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. But the servants of the householder coming said unto him, Lord, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, A foe hath done this. But the servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we going gather them up? But he said, Nay, lest haply while ye gather up the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn (13:24-30).
“The man that sowed” means the Lord; the “field” means the spiritual world and the church, in which there are both good and evil; the “good seed” and the “wheat” mean the good, and the “tares” mean the evil; that they could not be separated until the time of the Last Judgment, because of the conjunction described above, is meant by the answer to the servants who wished to gather up the tares before, meaning to separate the evil from the good, namely, “lest haply while ye gather up the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them; let both grow together until the harvest,” the “harvest” meaning the last judgment. That this is the signification the Lord Himself teaches in the same chapter where He says:
He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the [good] seed are the sons of the kingdom; the tares are the sons of the evil one; the harvest is the consummation of the age. As then the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be in the consummation of the age (13:37-40).
This makes evident that “the householder that sowed the good seed” means the Lord, who here calls Himself “the Son of man;” and that “the field is the world” means the spiritual world and the church, in which there are both good and evil. It is clear that this means the spiritual world from its being said “The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man that sowed good seed in his field;” “the kingdom of the heavens” meaning the spiritual world and the church; it is clear from this also, that this is said of the Last Judgment, and the Last Judgment is accomplished not in our world but in the spiritual world, as can be seen in the little work on the Last Judgment. This latter passage makes evident also that the “good seed” and the “wheat” mean the good, who are here called “the sons of the kingdom;” and that the “tares” mean the evil, who are called “the sons of the evil one;” also that the “harvest,” when the separation is to be effected, means the time of the Last Judgment, for it is said “the harvest is the consummation of the age.” (“The consummation of the age” means the time of the Last Judgment, as may be seen above, n. 397.) That “then the tares shall be gathered into bundles to be burned, and the wheat be gathered into the barn,” signifies that the evil, according to the genera and species of the evil that is with them, are to be gathered up and cast into hell; this takes place with the evil when they are cast out, and is meant by “gathering into bundles;” that the good are to be preserved is meant by “gathering the wheat into the barn,” the “barn” meaning where the good are collected.
From this it can be seen that a complete separation of the good from the evil takes place at the time of the Last Judgment, and that it cannot take place before because of the conjunction described above, and that otherwise the good would perish with the evil; for it is said “lest haply while ye gather up the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them;” and it is further said “let both grow together until the harvest,” that is, until the consummation of the age. Now, because the separation of the good from the evil is effected by a gentle and moderate influx of the Divine proceeding from the Lord, while the casting out of the evil into hell is effected by a powerful and intense influx of the Divine, it can be seen how all the particulars contained in the first three verses of this chapter are to be understood, when it is known from the spiritual sense what is signified by the “winds” that were to be held back, that earth, sea, and tree be not hurt until the servants of God had been sealed on their foreheads.
[4] A few words shall be said about how this separation is effected. When the good are separated from the evil, which is done by the Lord by means of a moderate influx of His Divine, and by a looking into those things that are of spiritual affection with angels and spirits, then the Lord causes those who are interiorly and thence also exteriorly good, to turn themselves to Him, and thus to turn themselves away from the evil, and when they so turn themselves they become invisible to the evil; for this is a common thing in the spiritual world, that when anyone turns himself away from another he becomes invisible to him. When this is done the evil are separated from the good, and at the same time from the sanctity that they had simulated in externals; and thus they look towards hell, into which they are presently cast. (Concerning this turning about more may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 17, 123, 142, 144, 145, 151, 153, 251, 255, 272, 510, 548, 561; that the evil who were able to continue in external worship, or in external piety and sanctity, although not in any internal, were allowed to remain till the Last Judgment, and no longer, and why, may be seen in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 59 and 70.)

sRef Rev@9 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@7 @3 S0′ 427. Till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads, signifies that those who are in truths from good are first to be separated. This is evident from the signification of “to seal,” as being to distinguish and separate (of which presently); also from the signification of “the servants of God,” as being those who are in truths from good (of which see above, n. 6); also from the signification of “forehead,” as being the good of love. It is from correspondence that “forehead” means the good of love; for all things pertaining to man in the whole body, whether within or without, correspond to heaven, for the universal heaven in the sight of the Lord is as one Man, so arranged as to correspond to each and all the things in man. The whole face, where the organs of sight, smell, hearing, and taste, are situated, corresponds to the affections and the thoughts therefrom in general, the eyes corresponding to the understanding, the nose to perception, the ears to hearkening and obedience, and the taste to the desire to know and be wise; but the forehead corresponds to the good of love, from which all these are, for it forms the highest part of the face, and directly encloses the front and primary part of the brain, which is the seat of man’s intellect. This is why the Lord looks upon angels in the forehead, and the angels look to the Lord through the eyes; this is so because the forehead corresponds to the love, from which the Lord looks upon them, and the eyes correspond to the understanding from which they look to the Lord; for the Lord grants Himself to be seen through the influx of love into their understanding. (Respecting this see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 145, 151; and that The Universal Heaven in its Whole Complex answers to One Man, n. 68-86; and that There is thence a Correspondence of all Things of Heaven with all Things of Man, n. 87-102.) This makes clear the signification of “being sealed on the forehead,” namely, to be in the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, and thereby to be distinguished and separated from those who are not in that love; for the Lord looks upon such in the forehead, and fills them with the good of love, from which they look to the Lord by thought from affection. The rest cannot be looked upon by the Lord in the forehead, for they turn away from Him and turn themselves to the opposite love, by which they are filled and attracted. (That everyone in the spiritual world, and man as well in respect to his spirit, turns the face to the ruling love, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 17, 123, 142-144, 153, 552.)
sRef Ezek@9 @6 S2′ sRef Ezek@9 @5 S2′ sRef Ezek@9 @4 S2′ [2] “To be sealed” means not to be sealed, but to be reduced to such a state that their quality may be recognized, and that they may thus be conjoined with those who are in a like state and separated from those who are in a dissimilar state. This is signified by “to be sealed,” and by a “sign” in the following passages. In Ezekiel:
Jehovah said to the man clothed in linen, Pass through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and mark a sign upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and groan over all the abominations done in the midst thereof. And pass ye through the city after him and smite; let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity; but come not near against any man upon whom is the sign (9:4, 6).
This also treats of the separation of the good from the evil; and “to mark on the forehead” has a similar signification as in this passage in Revelation, namely, to be distinguished and separated from the evil and to be conjoined to the good; the casting out and damnation of the evil are treated of afterwards. Those who are in good are described by those “that sigh and groan over all the abominations done in the midst of the city Jerusalem;” “those that sigh and groan over abominations” mean those who are not in evils and in falsities therefrom, “sighing and groaning over them” signifying aversion and grief because of them, “Jerusalem” meaning the church, and “city” the doctrine. Afterwards that they should “pass through the city after him and smite, and the eye should not spare,” describes the casting out and damnation of the evil; “to smite and kill” signifying damnation, for spiritual death, which is damnation, is signified in the Word by natural death.
sRef Isa@66 @19 S3′ sRef Isa@66 @18 S3′ [3] In Isaiah:
He shall come for bringing together all nations and tongues, that they may come and see My glory. And I will set a sign upon them (66:18, 19).
This is said of the Lord, and of a new church to be established by Him, and thus of a new heaven and a new earth (as is evident from verse 22 of that chapter). “Bringing together all nations and tongues” has a similar signification, as:
Gathering together the elect from the four winds (Matt. 24:31);
“to gather together” signifies to receive to Himself those who are His own; “nations” signify those who are in good, and “tongues” those who are in a life according to doctrine; “to come and see the glory of the Lord” signifies to be illustrated by Divine truth, and thus to enjoy heavenly joy; for “the glory of the Lord” signifies Divine truth, and illustration and joy from it; “to set a sign upon them” signifies to distinguish and separate them from the evil and conjoin them to the good.
sRef Gen@4 @15 S4′ [4] It is written of Cain:
That Jehovah set a sign upon him that no one might slay him (Gen. 4:15).
He who does not know this arcanum of the Word that the persons named in its histories mean in the spiritual sense things, or that every person there mentioned represents and thence signifies something of the church and of heaven, can know nothing beyond the historical things of the letter, in which nothing more of the Divine appears than in other histories; and yet there is in the Word, both prophetical and historical, and in each and all things of it, something Divine that does not appear in the letter except to those who are in the spiritual sense and who know it. The spiritual arcanum in the history of Cain and Abel is this: “Abel” represents the good of charity, and “Cain” the truth of faith, and that good and that truth are called in the Word “brethren;” and the truth of faith is called “the firstborn” because the truths that are afterwards to become truths of faith are first acquired and stored up in the memory, that from it, as from a storehouse, good may draw what it may conjoin to itself and make the truths to be truths of faith. For truth does not become of faith until man wills it and does it; but so far as man does this the Lord conjoins him to Himself and to heaven, and from love flows in with good, and through good into the truths that the man has acquired from childhood, and conjoins them to good and makes them to be truths of faith; before this they are nothing but the cognitions and knowledges, in which as yet man has no other faith than such as he has in things heard from another, from which he can withdraw if he afterwards thinks differently; therefore this faith is not his own but that of another in him; and yet if a man’s faith is to remain with him after death it must be his own faith; and it becomes his own when he sees, wills, and does what he believes, for it then enters into the man and forms his spirit, and comes to be of his affection and thought; for man’s spirit in its essence is nothing but his affection and thought.
[5] That which is of the affection is called good, and that which is of the thought therefrom is called truth; and man believes nothing to be true except what is of his affection, but of the interior affection that pertains to his spirit; consequently that which a man thinks from interior affection is his faith, and whatever other things he holds in his memory, whether he has drawn them from the Word or from the doctrine of the church, by reading or from preachings, or from his own understanding, are not faith, however much he thinks that they are, and it is at present said and believed that they are. This first-begotten and primary thing is what “Cain” represents and signifies in this history, for Cain was the first-begotten. When this, and not willing and doing the truth, that is, living according to it, is believed to be the faith that saves man, then there springs up a pernicious heresy that faith alone saves, whatever the life may be, and that there may be faith apart from the life; and yet this is not faith, but mere knowledge residing outside of man in his memory, and not within him in the life. If this is called faith it is historical faith, which is having in oneself another’s faith, and such a faith does not receive life until the man sees that what he has thus imbibed is true, and this he first sees when he wills and does it. When that heresy prevails, charity, which is the good of life, is destroyed, and at length rejected as not essential to salvation. This was represented by Cain’s slaying his brother Abel; for faith and charity, or the truth of faith and the good of charity, are called in the Word “brethren,” as was said above.
[6] That “Jehovah set a sign upon Cain lest he should be slain” signifies that He distinguished him from others and preserved him, because saving faith cannot be given unless historical faith precedes, and this is knowing from others the things of the church and heaven; in a word, it is a knowledge of such things as faith afterwards consists of; for unless man from infancy imbibed truths from the Word, or from the doctrine of the church, or from preachings, he would be empty, and into an empty man no operation could fall, and no influx out of heaven from the Lord could come, for the Lord operates and flows in through good into truths with man, and conjoins these, and thus makes charity and faith to be one. From this can be seen the signification of “Jehovah set a sign upon Cain that no one might slay him, and that whosoever should slay him vengeance should be taken on him sevenfold.” Moreover, those who are in mere historical faith, that is, in a knowledge of such things as constitute faith, who are the persons or which is the faith meant by “Cain,” these are preserved also because they can teach truths from the Word to others, which they do from memory.
sRef Ex@28 @36 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @37 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @38 S7′ [7] Because the “forehead” corresponds to the good of love, and therefore the Lord from Divine love looks upon angels and men in the forehead, as was said above, it was commanded that a plate of pure gold, upon which was written “Holiness to Jehovah,” should be placed upon the miter of Aaron on the forehead, concerning which it is thus written in Moses:
Thou shalt make a plate, pure gold, and grave upon it with the engravings of a signet, Holiness to Jehovah. And thou shalt put it on a thread of blue; over against the faces of the miter it shall be, that it may be upon Aaron’s forehead, and may be constantly on his forehead, that they may have acceptance before Jehovah (Exod. 28:36-38).
For Aaron as high priest represented the Lord in relation to the good of Divine love, therefore his garments represented such things as proceed from that love; the miter represented intelligence and wisdom; and the front part of it love, from which are intelligence and wisdom; therefore the plate of pure gold, upon which was engraved “Holiness to Jehovah,” was placed upon a thread of blue; “pure gold” of which the plate was made signifies the good of celestial love; the “blue” of which the thread was made, on which was the plate, signifies the good of spiritual love (spiritual love is the love of truth); “the engraving of a signet” signifies endurance to eternity; “Holiness to Jehovah” signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human from which proceeds all the holiness of heaven and the church; these were upon the front of the miter which was upon Aaron’s head, because the “miter” signifies the like as the head, namely Divine wisdom, and the “forehead” the Divine good of love. (That Aaron represented the Lord in relation to the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia, 9806, 9946, 10017; that “blue” signifies the love of truth, n. 9466, 9687, 9833; and the “miter” signifies intelligence and wisdom, n. 9827.)
sRef Deut@6 @5 S8′ sRef Deut@6 @8 S8′ [8] Because the “forehead” signifies the good of love, the sons of Israel were commanded to bind the commandment respecting love to Jehovah upon their foreheads, as is taught in Moses:
Thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And thou shalt bind these words for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be for frontlets before thine eyes (Deut. 6:5, 8; 11:18; Exod. 13:9, 16).
It is said “they shall be for frontlets before the eyes,” as a representation that the Lord looks upon angels and men in the forehead, because from Divine love, and grants to angels and men to look at Him from intelligence and wisdom, for the “eyes” signify the understanding, and all man’s understanding is from the good of his love and according to that which he receives from the Lord. That they bound these words upon the hand also represented ultimate things, because the hands are the ultimates of the powers of man’s soul; therefore “upon the forehead and upon the hand” signifies in things first and last, and “first and last” signifies all things (as may be seen above, n. 417). This commandment was so bound because “on it hang the law and the prophets,” that is, the whole Word, consequently all things of heaven and the church:
That on this commandment hang the law and the prophets the Lord teaches (Matt. 22:35-38, 40).
This also makes clear why kings, in former times and also at present, when crowned, were anointed with oil upon the forehead and upon the hand, and what this signifies; for kings formerly represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and because this is received in the good of love that flows in from the Lord, therefore they were anointed upon the forehead and upon the hand, the “oil” also with which they were anointed signifying the good of love. This is why kings in the Word signify those who are in truths from good, and in an abstract sense truths from good (see above, n. 31). From this it can be seen what “a seal upon the forehead” means, as also elsewhere in Revelation (9:4; 14:1; 22:3, 4).
sRef Ezek@3 @7 S9′ sRef Ezek@3 @8 S9′ sRef Isa@48 @4 S9′ sRef Jer@3 @3 S9′ [9] But on the contrary, the “forehead” signifies that which is opposite to the good of love, namely, the evil of love, and thus what is hard, obstinate, shameless, and infernal. It signifies what is hard in Isaiah:
Thou art hard, for thy neck is a sinew of iron, and thy forehead brass (48:4).
It signifies what is stubborn in Ezekiel:
The house of Israel will not hearken unto Me; for the whole house of Israel are stubborn in forehead and hard in heart (3:7, 8).
It signifies what is shameless in Jeremiah:
The forehead of a harlot remained to thee, thou didst refuse to be ashamed (3:3).
It signifies what is infernal in Revelation (13:16; 14:9-11; 16:2; 17:5; 19:20; 20:4); for as the good of love is heavenly, and thence mild, patient, and modest, so the evil opposite to that good is infernal, hard, stubborn, and shameless.

sRef Rev@7 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @5 S0′ 428. Verse 4. And I heard the number of those sealed: a hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel. 4. “And I heard the number of those sealed,” signifies the quality of those who are in good who are separated from the evil (n. 429); “a hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel,” signifies all who are in truths from good, and thence in the Lord’s church (n. 430).

sRef Rev@7 @4 S0′ 429. Verse 4. And I heard the number of those sealed, signifies the quality of those who are in good who are separated from the evil. This is evident from the signification of “number,” as being the quality of the thing treated of (of which presently); also from the signification of “those sealed,” as being those who are in good, distinguished and separated from others (of which just above, n. 427). “Number” and “measure” are mentioned in many passages in the Word, and it is believed that these mean simply number and measure; but “number” and “measure” in the spiritual sense mean the quality of the thing treated of. The quality itself is determined by the numbers expressed, as here by the “hundred and forty-four thousand,” and afterwards the “twelve thousand” out of every tribe. What is signified by these numbers will be told in the following article. Number signifies the quality of the thing treated of for the reason that the Word is spiritual, and therefore each and every thing that it contains is spiritual, and spiritual things are not numbered or measured, but still they fall into numbers and measures when they come down out of the spiritual world or out of heaven where the angels are into the natural world or upon the earth where men are; and likewise in the Word, when they come down out of its spiritual sense in which the angels are into the natural sense in which men are; the natural sense of the Word is the sense of its letter. This is why there are numbers in that sense, and why the numbers there signify things spiritual, or such as pertain to heaven and the church. That the spiritual things of heaven, such as the angels think and speak about, also fall into numbers, has often been shown to me. When they spoke with each other, what they said was determined into pure numbers, which were seen upon paper; and they afterwards said that this was what they had said determined into numbers, and that these numbers in series contained everything they had said; I was also taught what they signified and how they were to be understood; this will be spoken of frequently in what follows. (But respecting writings in pure numbers out of heaven, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 263; that all numbers in the Word signify the things of heaven and the church, see above, n. 203, 336.)

sRef Rev@7 @4 S0′ 430. A hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel, signifies all who are in truths from good, and thence in the Lord’s church. This is evident from the signification of “a hundred and forty-four thousand,” as being all things, and as being said of those who are in truths from good (of which presently); also from the signification of “the tribes of Israel,” as being those who are in truths from good, and thence who are in the Lord’s church, “tribes” signifying truths from good, and “Israel” the church. That this is the signification of “the tribe of Israel” will be seen in the following article. “A hundred and forty-four thousand” signifies all things and all persons, and is predicated of truths from good, because that number arises out of the number twelve, and “twelve” signifies all things and all persons, and is predicated of truths from good; for greater numbers, and those made up of smaller numbers, have a similar signification as the smaller and simple numbers from which they arise by multiplication (on which see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973). Thus “a hundred and forty-four” and “a hundred and forty-four thousand” have a similar significance as “twelve,” for a hundred and forty-four arises out of twelve multiplied into itself, and a hundred and forty-four thousand out of twelve thousand multiplied into twelve.
[2] There are simple numbers that are more significative than others, and from which the greater numbers derive their significations, namely, the numbers two, three, five, and seven; “two” signifies union, and is predicated of good; “three” signifies fullness, and is predicated of truths; “five” signifies much and something; and “seven” signifies holiness. From the number two the numbers 4, 8, 16, 400, 800, 1,600, 4,000, 8,000, and 16,000 arise; and these numbers have a similar signification as two, because they arise from that simple number multiplied into itself, and multiplied by ten. From the number three the numbers 6, 12, 24, 72, 144, 1,440, and 144,000 arise; and these numbers have a similar signification as three, because they arise from this simple number by multiplication. From the number five the numbers 10, 50, 100, 1,000, 10,000, and 100,000 arise, and these numbers have a similar signification as five, because* they arise from it by multiplication. From the number seven the numbers 14, 70, 700, 7,000, and 70,000 arise, and these numbers have a similar signification as seven, because they arise from it. As the number “three” signifies fullness, and fullness implies all, the number twelve derives from this its signification of all things and all persons; and it is predicated of truths from good because it arises out of three multiplied into four, and three is predicated of truths, and four of good, as was said above.
sRef Rev@14 @4 S3′ sRef Rev@14 @1 S3′ sRef Rev@14 @3 S3′ [3] One who does not know that “twelve” signifies all things, and that the numbers that are multiples of it have a like signification, and who does not know that each tribe signifies some universal and essential constituent of the church, can have no other idea than that simply twelve thousand of every tribe of Israel were sealed, and consequently were received or are to be received into heaven; nevertheless the “twelve thousand” here do not mean twelve thousand, nor do the “tribes” here enumerated mean the tribes of Israel; but “twelve thousand” means all, and “the tribes of Israel” those who are in truths from good,** and thus all, wherever on the earth they may be, who constitute the church of the Lord. That this is the signification, everyone who thinks intelligently can perceive; for where now are these tribes, and where were they when this was written by John? Have they not been scattered through a great part of the globe, and excepting the tribe of Judah, it is not known to anyone where they are? And yet it is said that they are to be sealed, that they may be introduced by the Lord into heaven and be with Him (as appears in Rev. 14:1, 3, 4). Furthermore, it is known that eleven of the tribes here mentioned were banished from the land of Canaan on account of their idolatries and other abominations; and so too has the whole Jewish nation, the quality of which may be seen in the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine (n. 248). From this it can be seen that “twelve thousand” does not mean twelve thousand, nor do “tribes” mean the tribes of Israel, but they mean all who are in truths from good, thus all who are of the Lord’s church. This will become still clearer from the significations of each tribe in the spiritual sense; for each tribe signifies some universal or essential of the church, in which those are who are of the church.
Moreover, the universal of each has relation to truths from good, and truths are manifold; for all who are in the heavens differ from each other in respect to good, and thence also in respect to truth, since every truth that has life in man or angel is from good and in accordance with good. Furthermore, all who are of the Lord’s church are in truths from good, while those who are in truths and not in good are not of the church; for, as was just said, every truth that has life in man or angel is from good. (On this see above, n. 6, 59, 136, 242, 286, 292; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 11-27. That goods and truths therefrom are of infinite variety, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 56, 71, 405, 418, 486, 588; and in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 13; also Arcana Coelestia, n. 684, 690, 3241, 3267, 3470, 3519, 3744-3746, 3804, 3986, 4067, 4149, 4263, 5598, 6917, 7236, 7833, 7836, 9002.) Goods and the truths from them are of infinite variety, because every angel and every man in whom is the church is his own good and his own truth therefrom; so, too, the universal heaven is arranged according to the affections that are of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor, and of faith therefrom, and all good is of these affections.
sRef Rev@21 @17 S4′ [4] The number “a hundred and forty-four thousand,” or the number twelve thousand multiplied into twelve*** signifies all truths from good, in respect to their genera and species in the whole complex, as can be seen from the meaning of the number “one hundred and forty-four,” which is twelve multiplied into twelve, in the following passages in Revelation, where the city New Jerusalem is described by measures expressed in numbers. Of the measure of its wall it is said:
He measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel (Rev. 21:17).
“The city Jerusalem” here signifies a new church to be established by the Lord, and its doctrine; therefore all things that are mentioned, as the “wall,” the “gates,” and the “foundations,” mean such things as belong to the church, consequently spiritual things; and as the church and its doctrine are here described in the sense of the letter by “the city Jerusalem,” and a city can be measured, therefore the spiritual things of that church are designated by measures expressed in numbers, and its wall by the number “one hundred and forty-four,” or by twelve multiplied into twelve, which number signifies truths from good in the whole complex; for a “wall” signifies truths defending against falsities and evils. That such is the signification of this number is clearly evident from its being said that the measure of a “hundred and forty-four cubits” is “the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.” What this involves cannot be known unless it is known that measure, in the spiritual sense, has a similar signification as number, namely, the quality of the thing treated of; and that “man” signifies the reception of truth from spiritual affection, that is, from good, and intelligence therefrom; “angel” having a similar signification, since a man is an angel when he is in truths from good, and also becomes an angel after death. The number “a hundred and forty-four thousand” has a similar signification; for larger and smaller numbers, if from a similar origin, have a like signification, the larger number being made use of when the multitude is greater, or when many kinds together are included, as “a hundred and forty-four thousand,” which includes all kinds of truth from good, which are signified by “twelve thousand**** sealed out of every tribe;” and as the measure of the wall, which is said to be “a hundred and forty-four cubits,” which includes both the gates and the foundations, which are twelve in number.
sRef Rev@21 @19 S5′ sRef Rev@21 @20 S5′ sRef Rev@21 @21 S5′ [5] So respecting the gates and the foundations it is said:
The New Jerusalem had a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and upon the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. And the wall had twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And the foundations consisted of twelve kinds of precious stones (Rev. 21:12, 14, 19-21).
When it is known that “the New Jerusalem” means a new church, who will not perceive that the number “twelve” so often employed, means the chief and primary constituent of the church? And the chief and primary constituent of the church is truth from good, for everything of the church is from that, for truth is of its doctrine, and good is of a life according to doctrine. But the signification of “gates” and of “foundations” will be told when that chapter is explained.
sRef Rev@21 @16 S6′ [6] Because the number “twelve” signifies all things, and is predicated of truths from good, and “the New Jerusalem” signifies a new church, therefore the measurement of the city itself is indicated by a multiple of a like number, in these words:
The city lieth foursquare, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth; and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand stadia. The length and the breadth and the height are equal (Rev. 21:16).
What is signified by “length, breadth, and height” in the spiritual sense will also be told below in the explanation; “the city” means in that sense the doctrine of the church, and “twelve thousand stadia” all its truths from good.
sRef Rev@22 @2 S7′ [7] Again the number “twelve” is used here in reference to the fruits of the trees about the river, in these words:
In the midst of its street and of the river, on this side and on that, was there the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit every month (Rev. 22:2).
Since “the streets of the city” signify the truths of doctrine; “the river going forth thence” intelligence; “the tree of life” the perception of truth from good from the Lord, and “fruits” the good from which are truths, it is clear that “twelve” signifies truths from good, through which is intelligence, and of which the church is constituted.
[8] As a representative church was to be instituted among the sons of Jacob, it was provided by the Lord that he should have twelve sons (Gen. 29:32-35; 30:1-25; 35:22-26), that thus all together might represent all things of the church, and each one his part; and this is why twelve tribes sprang from them (Gen. 49:28), and these signify all things of the church, and each tribe signifies some essential of the church; so in what now follows it is said “twelve thousand were sealed out of every tribe,” and these signify all who are in that essential of the church, or all who are in that kind of truth from good, since truth from good is what forms the church with all, for truth is of doctrine, and good is of the life, as was said above. (What truth from good is and what the nature of it is, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 24.)
sRef Ex@24 @4 S9′ sRef Deut@1 @23 S9′ sRef Num@1 @44 S9′ sRef Lev@24 @5 S9′ sRef Lev@24 @6 S9′ sRef Num@7 @84 S9′ sRef Num@7 @87 S9′ [9] As the twelve tribes named from the twelve sons of Jacob represented the church, and all things belonging to it, the number “twelve,” on account of such signification, was employed in various connections:
As that the princes of Israel were twelve in number (Num. 1:44).
That these twelve princes brought to the dedication of the altar twelve chargers of silver, twelve bowls of silver, twelve spoons of gold, twelve bullocks, twelve rams, twelve lambs, and twelve goats (7:84, 87).
Each one of these things that they brought signifies such things as have reference to truths from good. So too:
Twelve men were sent to explore the land of Canaan (Deut. 1:23);
for “the land of Canaan” signifies the church. So too:
There were twelve precious stones in the breastplate of judgment, or the Urim and Thummim (Exod. 28:21; 39:14);
“precious stones” signifying truths from good. So again:
There were twelve cakes of bread placed in two rows upon the table, which were called the bread of faces (Lev. 24:5, 6);
“bread” signifying the good of love, and the “table” its reception, thus also truth in general, since truth is what receives good. Again:
Moses built an altar below Mount Sinai, and erected twelve pillars for the twelve tribes***** of Israel (Exod. 24:4);
for an “altar” signifies the good of the church, and “pillars” its truths, thence “the altar and twelve pillars” together signify all truths from good by which the church exists.
sRef Josh@4 @20 S10′ sRef Josh@4 @7 S10′ sRef 1Ki@18 @32 S10′ sRef 1Ki@18 @31 S10′ sRef Josh@4 @4 S10′ sRef Josh@4 @9 S10′ sRef Josh@4 @3 S10′ sRef Josh@4 @6 S10′ sRef Josh@4 @8 S10′ sRef Josh@4 @5 S10′ sRef Josh@4 @2 S10′ sRef Josh@4 @1 S10′ [10] Again:
Twelve men carried twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan which were set up in Gilgal, that they might be for a memorial to the sons of Israel. And also twelve stones were set up in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests that bare the ark stood (Josh. 4:1-9, 20);
“Jordan” in the Word signifying the introduction into the church, and “stones” therefrom and in its midst, the truths of the church through which introduction is effected.
sRef Num@31 @6 S11′ sRef Num@31 @49 S11′ sRef Luke@16 @9 S11′ sRef Num@31 @5 S11′ sRef Ex@3 @22 S11′ [11] So again:
Elijah took twelve stones, and built an altar (1 Kings 18:31, 32);
“altar” signifying the good of the church, and “stones” its truths.
Moses sent twelve thousand of the sons of Israel, with Phinehas as commander, against Midian, and they returned with great spoil, with not a man missing (Num. 31:5, 6, 49).
For “Midian” signifies those who are in the knowledges of truth, but not in a life according to them, therefore “twelve thousand” were sent against them. The “great spoil” taken from them, has a similar signification as the “raiment, silver, and gold,” which the sons of Israel took from the Egyptians (Exod. 3:22; 12:35, 36), and a similar signification as the “unrighteous mammon” of which they should make to themselves friends (Luke 16:9), namely, the knowledges of truth therefrom, which they hold as doctrine and not in the life.
sRef 1Ki@10 @19 S12′ sRef 1Ki@10 @18 S12′ sRef 1Ki@7 @25 S12′ sRef 1Ki@7 @44 S12′ sRef 1Ki@10 @20 S12′ [12] So again:
Solomon placed upon twelve oxen the brazen sea that he made (1 Kings 7:25, 44);
“the brazen sea” signifying truth from good, the “water” in it, truth, and the “brass” out of which it was made, good; and “twelve oxen” signify all goods and all truths therefrom which serve as a foundation. Therefore also:
Solomon made a throne of ivory with six steps to it, and twelve lions standing upon the steps on the one side and on the other (1 Kings 10:18-20).
“The throne of Solomon” signified judgment, which is effected by truths from good, and it represented Divine truth from Divine good; “lions” signifying the truths of heaven and of the church in their power, and “twelve” all (see above, n. 253).
sRef Gen@17 @20 S13′ sRef Rev@12 @1 S13′ sRef 1Ki@19 @19 S13′ [13] Of Ishmael it is said:
That he should be blessed and multiplied, and that twelve princes should be born from him (Gen. 17:20; 25:16);
for the reason that “Ishmael” signified the external church with all its truths from good. Of Elisha it is said:
That Elijah found him plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he among the twelve; and that he cast his mantle upon him (1 Kings 19:19).
This was done and said because Elijah and Elisha represented the Lord in respect to the Word, in which are all truths from good; consequently when this representation was transferred from Elijah to Elisha, which was signified by his casting his mantle upon him, Elisha was seen “plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he among the twelve,” which signifies the formation of the church by means of truths from good out of the Word (see above, n. 395). It is said below that:
There was seen a woman encompassed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars (Rev. 12:1).
This was seen because a “woman” signifies the church and “stars” the knowledges of truth: a “crown” the good of these knowledges, and the “head” intelligence.
sRef Luke@22 @30 S14′ sRef Matt@19 @28 S14′ sRef Rev@21 @12 S14′ sRef Rev@21 @14 S14′ [14] The Lord’s twelve apostles had a similar representation as the twelve tribes of Israel; namely, they collectively represented the church, and each one of them some essential of the church, and for this reason there were twelve of them.
From this it can be seen why it is and what it signifies that the New Jerusalem (which signifies the church and its doctrine) is said:
To have twelve gates, and upon the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon which are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; and that the wall had twelve foundations, and on these the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Rev. 21:12, 14);
the “twelve angels,” the “twelve tribes,” and the “twelve apostles” here meaning not angels, tribes, and apostles, but all the things of the church. Likewise it is said that:
The apostles are to sit upon twelve thrones, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:30);
which does not mean that the apostles are to sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel, but that the Lord alone is to judge all by Divine truth from Divine good (see above, n. 9, 206, 253, 270, 297, 333).
sRef Matt@14 @18 S15′ sRef Matt@14 @17 S15′ sRef Matt@14 @16 S15′ sRef Matt@14 @19 S15′ sRef Matt@14 @15 S15′ sRef Matt@14 @20 S15′ sRef Matt@14 @21 S15′ [15] He who does not know that “twelve” signifies all things cannot know the arcanum that is signified by:
The twelve baskets of fragments that remained from the five loaves and two fishes with which the Lord fed five thousand men besides women and children (Matt. 14:5-2; Mark 6:37-44; Luke 9:12-17; John 6:9-13).
Each particular here, with the numbers themselves, is significative; “the five thousand men besides women and children,” signify all who are of the church that are in truths from good; the “men” signifying those who are in truths, and the “women and children” those who are in good; “loaves” the goods and “fishes” the truths of the natural man; “eating” spiritual nourishment from the Lord; the “twelve baskets of fragments” the knowledges of truth and good therefrom in all abundance and fullness.
sRef Luke@2 @43 S16′ sRef Rev@14 @3 S16′ sRef Rev@14 @4 S16′ sRef Luke@2 @46 S16′ sRef John@11 @9 S16′ sRef Luke@2 @49 S16′ sRef Rev@14 @1 S16′ sRef Matt@26 @53 S16′ sRef Luke@2 @42 S16′ [16] Because “twelve” signifies all things, and is predicated of truths from good, which constitute the church:
When the Lord was twelve years old He left father and mother and remained in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them and asking them questions (Luke 2:42, 46);
by which is meant the initiation and introduction of His Human into all things of heaven and the church; therefore when He was found He said:
Wist ye not that I must be in the things that are My Father’s? (verse 49).
Because “twelve” signifies all things, and is predicated of truths from good, the Lord said:
Are there not twelve hours of the day? If a man walk in the day he stumbleth not (John 11:9);
“day” signifying illustration in truths from good, and the “twelve hours of the day” all things of truth from good, and “to walk” signifying to live; these words, therefore, in the spiritual sense signify that one who is living in any kind of truth from good is in illustration, and does not stray into falsities. Because “twelve” signifies all things, the Lord said:
Thinkest thou that I cannot now beseech My Father and He will cause to stand by Me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matt. 26:53).
“Twelve legions of angels” meaning the whole heaven, and “more than these” signifying Divine omnipotence.
[17] From this it can now be seen what is signified by “a hundred and forty-four thousand out of every tribe,” namely, all who are in truths from good; and “twelve thousand out of each tribe” all who are in that kind of truth from good which is signified by the tribe named; consequently, that twelve thousand are not meant, nor those who are of the tribes of Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. Furthermore, it is to be known that all these, or “the hundred and forty-four thousand,” mean those who were taken up into heaven before the Last Judgment; but those afterward mentioned, from verse 9 to the end of this chapter, mean those that were preserved by the Lord until the Last Judgment, and were then first taken up into heaven (respecting whom see above, n. 391, 392, 394, 397); for those who were in truths from good were all received into heaven before the judgment; but those who were in good, and not as yet in truths, were preserved, and in the meantime instructed and prepared for heaven. These are to be further treated of hereafter. Those who were taken up into heaven before the judgment are meant by those of whom it is said in chapter 14 of Revelation:
A Lamb was standing on the Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having the Father’s name written on their foreheads (verse 1).
Of these it is said that:
No one could learn the song save the hundred and forty-four thousand bought from the earth. These are they who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins, bought from among men, the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb (verses 3, 4); and the same are meant by those who are “of the first resurrection;” and the others are meant by those who were “of the second resurrection” (Rev. 20:4-6).
* Photolithograph has “which” for “because.”
** Photolithograph has “in” for “from.”
*** Photolithograph has “itself” for “twelve.”
**** Photolithograph has “twelve” for “twelve thousand.”
***** Photolithograph has “sons” for “tribes.” The latter is found in AC n. 9389.

sRef Rev@7 @4 S0′ 431. It has been shown thus far that “twelve” signifies all things, and that it is predicated of truths from good; it shall now be shown that “the twelve tribes” signify all things of the church, and each tribe some universal and essential of the church. Because a representative church was to be instituted with the sons of Jacob it was provided by the Lord that his sons should be twelve in number, and that significative names should be given to them, and the twelve tribes from these, known by the same names, should signify all things of the church which they represented, and each tribe some universal essential of it. What, then, each tribe signified and represented will be told in what follows. As all things of the church have relation to truths from good, so “the twelve tribes” signify truths from good in the whole complex. They were called “tribes” because the two words in the original or Hebrew tongue rendered “tribe” mean a scepter and a rod; and a “scepter” signifies Divine truth in relation to government, and a “rod” Divine truth in relation to power.
sRef Num@17 @7 S2′ sRef Num@17 @6 S2′ sRef Num@17 @4 S2′ sRef Num@17 @2 S2′ sRef Num@17 @8 S2′ sRef Num@17 @5 S2′ sRef Num@17 @3 S2′ [2] Because of this derivation and signification, when the people murmured against Moses and Aaron on account of the government and power exercised over them, it was also commanded that:
The princes of all the tribes should lay up their rods in the Tent of meeting, and in the midst of them the rod of Levi with the name of Aaron written upon it, and this blossomed with almonds (Num. 17:3-8).
For “rods,” as has been said, have a similar meaning as “tribes,” and “the rod of Levi, on which was written the name of Aaron,” has a similar signification as “the tribe of Levi” and as “Aaron” as high priest, namely, the good of charity towards the neighbor and the good of love to the Lord; “tribe of Levi” signifying the good of charity, and “Aaron the priest” the good of love; consequently this rod was placed in the midst and blossomed with almonds; to be placed “in the midst” signifying that all things are from it (see above, n. 313), and “almonds” signifying the goods of life.
sRef Ex@28 @21 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @15 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @17 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @16 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @20 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @25 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @26 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @24 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @29 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @18 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @28 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @30 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @19 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @22 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @23 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @27 S3′ [3] Because “the twelve tribes” signified all things of the church, or truths from good in the whole complex:
A breastplate was made for Aaron, which was called the Urim and Thummim, composed of twelve precious stones, on which were the names of the twelve tribes, or of the twelve sons of Israel (Exod. 28:15-30; 39:8-21, 29).
It is known that through this answers were given from heaven, but from what origin has not heretofore been revealed; it shall therefore be told. All light in the angelic heaven proceeds from the Lord as a sun; therefore that light in its essence is Divine truth, from which the angels have all their intelligence and wisdom, and men also in spiritual things. This light in heaven is modified into various colors, in accordance with the truths from good that are received; for this reason colors, from correspondence, signify in the Word truths from good; and consequently answers were given by means of a resplendence from the colors of the stones in the Urim and Thummim, and then at the same time either by a living voice or by a silent perception corresponding to the resplendence. This makes clear that “the twelve tribes,” whose names were engraved on the stones, have a like signification. (But on this see what is said and shown in Arcana Coelestia, namely, that colors in heaven are from the light there, and that they are modifications and variegations of light in accordance with reception, n. 1042, 1043, 1053, 1624, 3993, 4530, 4742, 4922; thus that they are the appearances of truth from good, and signify such things as belong to intelligence and wisdom, n. 4530, 4677, 4922, 9466; that so far as colors are derived from red they signify good, and so far as they are from white they signify truth, n. 9467; that “stones” in general signify truths, n. 643, 1298, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376; that “precious stones” signify truths from good; thus “the twelve precious stones” all truths from good in the church and in heaven, n. 9863, 9865, 9868, 9873, 9905; that “the breastplate of judgment” which was upon the ephod, and was called the Urim and Thummim, signifies in general truth shining forth from Divine good, n. 9823; that “Urim” means a shining fire, and “Thummim” resplendence in the angelic tongue, but integrity in the Hebrew tongue, n. 9905; that therefore “Urim and Thummim” signifies from correspondence the resplendence of Divine truth from Divine good in ultimates, n. 9905; that answers were there given by variegations of light from the precious stones, and at the same time then by a living voice or by silent perception, n. 3862; that the names of the twelve tribes were engraved thereon, because they signified all Divine truths of heaven and the church, n. 3858, 6335, 6640, 9863, 9865, 9873, 9874, 9905; besides further particulars, n. 9863, 9864, 9866, 9891, 9895.)
sRef Ex@28 @11 S4′ sRef Ex@28 @10 S4′ sRef Ex@28 @9 S4′ sRef Ex@28 @12 S4′ sRef Ex@28 @14 S4′ sRef Ex@28 @13 S4′ [4] Because truths from good, or good through truths, has all power, so:
The names of the twelve tribes were engraved upon the two onyx stones, six names upon each, and they were placed on the two shoulders of the ephod which Aaron wore (Exod. 28:9-14; 39:6, 7).
This signified the power of Divine truth from Divine good, and thus the power that those have who receive Divine truth in the good of love; for the “onyx stones” signified truths from the good of love, the “shoulders” power, and “the twelve tribes” all who are in truths from good. (That Divine truth from Divine good, has all power, and that from it those who receive it have power, may be seen above, n. 209, 333, and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 228-233; that “shoulders” signify power of every kind, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4931-4937, 9836.)
sRef Matt@24 @30 S5′ sRef Rev@1 @7 S5′ [5] That “tribes” signify all things of the church can be seen from the following passages. In Matthew:
Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man; and then shall all the tribes of the earth lament; and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory (24:30).
And in Revelation:
Behold He cometh with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth shall lament over Him (1:7).
This signifies that at the end of the church the Lord is to reveal Himself in the Word by means of the internal sense, and that all who are in truths from good will recognize Him, and that even those who are in falsities from evil will see Him (see above, n. 37-39); that “all the tribes of the earth shall lament” signifies that all truths from good will perish, and falsities from evil will take their place; “the tribes of the earth” meaning all who are of the church, and also all things of the church.
sRef Matt@19 @28 S6′ sRef Luke@22 @30 S6′ [6] In Matthew:
Jesus said to the disciples, Verily I say unto you, that ye who have followed Me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His glory ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (19:28).
And in Luke:
Ye shall eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and shall sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (22:30).
This no one can understand unless he knows from the spiritual sense what is meant by “apostles,” by “thrones,” and by “the tribes of Israel.” Who cannot see that the apostles are not to judge, but the Lord alone? For every man is judged according to his life, and no one except the Lord knows the lives of all, the apostles not knowing even the life of a single person. But in the spiritual sense, “the twelve apostles” signify all truths from good; “to sit upon thrones” signifies judgment, and “the twelve tribes of Israel” signify all who are of the church; these words signify, therefore, that the Lord is to judge all from Divine truth, and according to the reception of it in good.
sRef Rev@21 @14 S7′ sRef Rev@21 @12 S7′ [7] This signification of “apostles” and of the “tribes of Israel” is clearly seen in these words in Revelation:
The New Jerusalem had a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and above the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. And the wall had twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve apostles of the lamb (21:12, 14).
“The New Jerusalem” does not mean any new Jerusalem, nor do its “wall and gates” mean a wall and gates, nor do “the twelve tribes and apostles” mean twelve tribes and apostles. Something wholly different is signified by each one of these things, as is evident merely from this, that “the New Jerusalem” means a new church in respect to doctrine; therefore “angels,” “tribes,” and “apostles” signify such things as belong to that new church, all of which have relation to truth and to good and to their conjunction, consequently to truths from good. (But these things will be seen explained in what follows, but they are briefly explained in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 1.)
sRef Ps@122 @3 S8′ sRef Ps@122 @4 S8′ [8] In David:
Jerusalem is builded as a city that is conjoined together; thither the tribes go up, the tribes of Jah, a testimony to Israel, to make confession to the name of Jehovah (Ps. 122:3, 4).
Here, too, “Jerusalem” signifies the church in respect to doctrine, which is said to be “builded as a city that is conjoined together,” when all things of its doctrine are accordant and unanimous, and when the Lord and love to Him from Him are mutually regarded as the beginning and the end. It is said to be “builded as a city,” because a “city” signifies doctrine; the truths of doctrine which thus look to the Lord are signified by “the tribes, the tribes of Jah;” “tribes” signifying truths, and “tribes of Jah” truths from good that are from the Lord; worship therefrom is signified by “making confession to the name of Jehovah.”
[9] Because “Israel” signifies the church that is in truths from good, Israel is called in the Word:
The tribes of inheritance (Isa. 63:17; Jer. 10:16; 51:19; Ps. 74:2).
And as “Egypt” signifies true knowledges (scientifica) which are in the natural man, and upon these are founded truths from good, which are the truths of the spiritual man, Egypt is called:
The cornerstone of the tribes (Isa. 19:13);
the “cornerstone” signifying the foundation (see above, n. 417). And as “the land of Canaan” signifies the church, and “the twelve tribes” all things of the church, and each tribe some universal and essential of the church, that land was divided among the tribes (Num. 26:5-56; 34:17-28; Josh. 15, et seq.). This, too, is clearly evident in Ezekiel, where a new land is treated of, which signifies a new church to be established by the Lord; and it is foretold and described how it is to be distributed for an inheritance according to the twelve tribes of Israel (47:13, 20); and these tribes are enumerated by name (48:1 to end). Evidently it is not there meant that the twelve tribes of Israel are to inherit the land, or any one tribe there named; for eleven of the tribes were scattered, and mingled with the nations everywhere, and yet it is told what portion of the land the tribe of Dan was to inherit, what Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, Judah, Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad; from which it is plain that the “land” there means the church, and “the twelve tribes” all things of the church, and each tribe some universal essential of the church. It is similar with the twelve tribes enumerated in this chapter of Revelation, that “twelve thousand were sealed out of each tribe,” and were saved. That “twelve thousand” here signifies all persons and all things may be seen in the preceding article; but what universal essential of the church is signified by each tribe will be told in what follows.
sRef Deut@32 @8 S10′ sRef Deut@32 @7 S10′ [10] Of the church among the ancients, which preceded the Israelitish church, nearly the same is said in Moses:
Remember the days of eternity, consider the years of generation and generation; ask thy father and he will tell thee; thy elders, and they will say it unto thee; when the Most High gave to the nations an inheritance, when He separated the sons of man, He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel (Deut. 32:7, 8).
This was said of the churches that preceded the church instituted among the sons of Israel. (Respecting these see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 247.) The Most Ancient Church, which was before the flood, and was a celestial church, or a church that was in the good of love to the Lord, is meant by “the days of eternity, when the Most High gave to the nations an inheritance, when He separated the sons of man,” “nations” signifying those who are in the good of love (see above, n. 331), and “the sons of man” those who are in truths from good (see also above, n. 63, 151). The Ancient Church, which was after the flood, and was a spiritual church, is meant by “the years of generation and generation, when the Most High set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel;” “peoples” signifying those who are in spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbor (see above, n. 331); and “the number of the sons of Israel” having a like signification as “the twelve tribes” according to which the inheritances were given (as above in Ezekiel).
[11] Here two arcana respecting the twelve tribes shall be mentioned:
(1) Their arrangements represented the arrangements of the angelic societies in the heavens; and for this reason they represented all things of the church, for heaven and the church act as one.
(2) The representation of heaven and of the church is determined according to the order in which the tribes are named; and the first name or the first tribe is the guide that determines the things that follow, and accordingly the things of heaven and of the church, with variations.
(1) The arrangements of the twelve tribes of Israel represented the arrangements of the angelic societies in the heavens, and therefore heaven itself, since heaven consists of angelic societies, as can be seen from this, that each tribe represented and thence signified some universal essential of the church, and the twelve tribes taken together represented all things of the church, and the church that was instituted among the sons of Israel was a representative church; consequently the whole nation divided into twelve tribes, represented the church in the whole complex and therefore also heaven; for the same goods and the same truths that make the church make heaven also, or the same that make heaven make the church also (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 57).
sRef Num@2 @19 S12′ sRef Num@2 @18 S12′ sRef Num@2 @20 S12′ sRef Num@2 @22 S12′ sRef Num@2 @21 S12′ sRef Num@2 @14 S12′ sRef Num@2 @13 S12′ sRef Num@2 @15 S12′ sRef Num@2 @17 S12′ sRef Num@2 @16 S12′ sRef Num@2 @23 S12′ sRef Num@2 @30 S12′ sRef Num@2 @29 S12′ sRef Num@2 @31 S12′ sRef Num@2 @34 S12′ sRef Num@2 @32 S12′ sRef Num@2 @25 S12′ sRef Num@2 @24 S12′ sRef Num@2 @26 S12′ sRef Num@2 @28 S12′ sRef Num@2 @27 S12′ sRef Num@2 @12 S12′ sRef Num@2 @3 S12′ sRef Num@2 @4 S12′ sRef Num@2 @5 S12′ sRef Num@2 @33 S12′ sRef Num@2 @1 S12′ sRef Num@2 @2 S12′ sRef Num@2 @9 S12′ sRef Num@2 @10 S12′ sRef Num@2 @11 S12′ sRef Num@2 @6 S12′ sRef Num@2 @7 S12′ sRef Num@2 @8 S12′ [12] The arrangements of the twelve tribes of Israel according to the arrangements of the angelic societies of heaven, consequently according to the form of heaven, are represented in their encampments, as described in Moses, namely:
To the east the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun were encamped; and to the south the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad; to the west the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin; to the north the tribes of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali; and the tribe of Levi in the midst of the camp; and in the same order they went forward (Num. 2:1 to the end).
Anyone that knows who and of what quality those are in heaven who dwell in the eastern quarter, and who and of what quality those are who dwell in the southern, western, and northern quarters, and that knows also who and what those are who are signified by each tribe, is able to know the arcanum involved in the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun encamping to the east, the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad encamping to the south, and so on. For the sake of illustration, only the encampment on the east, of the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun will now be explained. “The tribe of Judah” signifies the good of love to the Lord, “the tribe of Issachar” the truth of that good, and “the tribe of Zebulun” the marriage of good and truth, which is also called the celestial marriage; so, too, those who dwell in the eastern quarter of heaven are all in the good of love to the Lord and in truths from that good, and thence in the celestial marriage. The other tribes must be viewed in a similar way. (That all in heaven have dwelling places in the four quarters according to their quality, and that the quarters there are not like the quarters in our solar world, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 141-153.)
sRef Num@24 @1 S13′ sRef Num@24 @2 S13′ sRef Num@24 @3 S13′ sRef Num@24 @4 S13′ [13] It was because the encampments of the sons of Israel represented the arrangements of the angelic societies in heaven, that when Balaam saw their encampments he in the spirit saw heaven, as it were, and prophesied and blessed them, respecting which it is said in Moses:
Balaam set his face towards the wilderness, and when he lifted up his eyes, he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the spirit of God was upon him. And he took up his prophetic enunciation, and said, How good are thy tents, O Jacob, thy habitations, O Israel! As valleys are they planted, as gardens by the river (Num. 24:1-4, et seq.).
Evidently Balaam then saw the encampments of the sons of Israel according to tribes arranged as above described, for it is said that he “set his face toward the wilderness, and saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes;” and because he then saw in them the order of heaven, the spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied and said, “How good are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy habitations, O Israel!” “tents and habitations” signifying such dwelling places as are in the heavens; “tents” the habitations of those who are in the good of love, and “habitations” the dwelling places of those who are in truths from that good. The fructifications of good and the multiplications of truth and the consequent intelligence and wisdom are signified by “as valleys are they planted, as gardens by the river;” for every good, and thus every truth flows in according to the form of heaven (as can be seen from what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, On the Form of Heaven, according to Which are the Consociations and Communications There, n. 200-212).
[14] (2) The representation of heaven and the church is determined according to the order in which the tribes are named, and the first name or the first tribe is the guide that determines all things that follow, and accordingly all things of heaven and of the church, with variations. This arcanum can hardly be comprehended by anyone unless he is in spiritual thought, nevertheless it shall be briefly explained. If, for example, the tribe of Judah is the first tribe that is named, as this tribe signifies the good of love, then from the good of love as the beginning, the significations of the other tribes that follow are determined, and this with variations according to the order in which they are named; for each tribe signifies some universal of the church, and the universal admits into itself specific variations, thus some specific variation derived from the first from which it descends; so in this case, all things in the series derive their specific spiritual sense from the good of love, which is signified by the tribe of Judah. So if the tribe of Reuben, which signifies truth in the light and the understanding of truth, is named first, from this the other tribes that follow derive their significations, agreeing and coinciding with the universal which each signifies. It is comparatively as with colors, that are seen tinged by the primary color which diffuses itself into the other colors and varies their appearance.
[15] When this is understood it can be seen how it was that answers were given in respect to any matter through the Urim and Thummim, for there was a shining forth through the precious stones from the origin of color out of that stone under which was the name of some tribe, from which the determination began. Moreover, the colors of these stones corresponded to the universals signified by the tribes inscribed on them. When anyone knows this, and knows also what the universal is that each tribe signifies, if he is in spiritual illustration he can in some measure perceive what the tribes signify in their sequence, as they are named in the Word; as what they signify in the sequence in which the sons of Jacob were born, in which the order is as follows:
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin (Gen. 29; 30; 35:18);
what they signify in the sequence given in their journeying into Egypt, in which they are named in the following order:
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad, Asher, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali (Gen. 46:9-21);
what they signify in the sequence in which they received the blessing of Israel their father, where they are named in the following order:
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, Benjamin (Gen. 49);
differently when they were blessed by Moses, in the following order:
Reuben, Judah, Levi, Benjamin, Joseph, Ephraim, Manasseh, Zebulun, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, Asher (Deut. 33);
where Simeon and Issachar are omitted, and Ephraim and Manasseh substituted in their place; also what is signified by these tribes in the sequence in other passages (as in Gen. 35:23-26; Num. 1:5-16; 7:1 to end; 13:4-15; 26:5-56; 34:17-28; Deut. 27:12, 13; Josh. 15-19; Ezek. 48:1 to end). (That the twelve tribes have different significations according to the order in which they are named, and thus signify all the things of heaven with variations, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3862, 3926, 3939, 4603, et seq., 6337, 6640, 10335.) It shall be told in what follows what they signify in the sequence in which they are named in this chapter of Revelation, where they are named in the following order: Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin; and Dan and Ephraim are left out or not named.

sRef Rev@7 @5 S0′ 432. Verse 5. Of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand sealed. 5. “Of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand sealed,” signifies love to the Lord, and that all who are in that love are in heaven, and come into heaven (n. 433); “of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand sealed,” signifies the light of truth from that good, and that all who are in that light are in heaven and come into heaven (n. 434); “of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand sealed,” signifies the consequent good of life (n. 435, 436).

sRef Rev@7 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @3 S1′ sRef Rev@14 @4 S1′ sRef Rev@14 @1 S1′ 433. Verse 5. Of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand sealed, signifies love to the Lord, and that all who are in that love are in heaven, and come into heaven. This is evident from the representation and consequent signification of “Judah” and his tribe, as being love to the Lord (of which presently); also from the signification of “twelve thousand,” as being all persons and all things (of which see above, n. 430), here all who are in that love; also from the signification of the “sealed,” as being those who are distinguished and separated from such as are in evil; in other words, those who are in good (of which also see above, n. 427). It follows that those who are in heaven and who come into heaven are meant, for these “were sealed in their foreheads,” that is, separated from the evil; for these are the ones of whom it is said:
A Lamb was standing on the Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having the Father’s name written on their foreheads. These are they who were not defiled with women; for they are virgins, bought from among men, the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb (Rev. 14:1, 3, 4).
“The Mount Zion” signifies the heaven in which there is love to the Lord; for all those signified by “the twelve thousand out of each tribe,” or by “the hundred and forty-four thousand sealed on their foreheads,” are such as acknowledge the Lord and love Him; and for this reason the first tribe named is the tribe of Judah, which tribe signifies love to the Lord; for (as was said above, n. 431) the representation of heaven is determined by the order in which the tribes are named, and the first name, or the tribe first named, is that from which are derived the determinations and significations of those that follow, with variations.
sRef John@14 @20 S2′ sRef John@14 @21 S2′ sRef John@14 @24 S2′ sRef John@14 @23 S2′ [2] Furthermore, no one is admitted into heaven except by the Lord, for the universal heaven is His, consequently no one is in heaven, or comes to it, unless he acknowledges the Lord and loves Him. To love the Lord is not to love Him in respect to person but to live according to His commandments, as the Lord also teaches in plain words in John:
In that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you. He that hath My commandments and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me. If anyone loveth Me he will keep My words; and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him and make Our abode with him. He that loveth Me not keepeth not My words (14:20, 21, 23, 24).
Those love the Lord who do and keep His commandments and His words, because His commandments and words signify Divine truths, and all Divine truth proceeds from Him, and that which proceeds from Him is Himself; when, therefore, a man is in that truth in respect to his life the Lord is in him and he in the Lord; this is why it is said “ye in Me and I in you,” and “We will come and make Our abode with him;” this, therefore, is loving Him. To love means also to be conjoined, for love is spiritual conjunction, and conjunction is effected by the reception of Divine truth in doctrine and in life.
sRef John@1 @14 S3′ sRef John@1 @1 S3′ [3] Before showing from the Word that “Judah,” or the tribe named from Judah, signifies love to the Lord, it shall be told what “Judah” signifies in each sense in the Word. In the highest sense “Judah” signifies the Lord in respect to celestial love; in the internal sense the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and the Word; and in the external sense doctrine from the Word belonging to the celestial kingdom. Because in the highest sense the Lord in respect to celestial love is signified, and in the internal sense the celestial kingdom, love to the Lord also is signified, for that is the reciprocal love in man, and reigns in the Lord’s celestial kingdom. There are two kingdoms into which the universal heaven is divided, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom; the celestial kingdom consists of those who are in love to the Lord, and the spiritual kingdom of those who are in love towards the neighbor; from this can be seen what is meant by celestial love and by spiritual love (on these kingdoms, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28). These two kingdoms the Jews and Israelites represented, the Jews the celestial kingdom and the Israelites the spiritual kingdom. Again, “Judah” signifies the Word because the Lord is the Word, and He took on the Human in that tribe that He might be the Word in respect even to the Human, as it is said in John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (1:1, 14).
“The Word” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth proceeding from His Divine love; consequently those who love the Divine truth that is in the Word by doing it are in the Lord’s love.
sRef Gen@49 @8 S4′ sRef Gen@49 @9 S4′ sRef Gen@49 @11 S4′ sRef Gen@49 @12 S4′ sRef Gen@49 @10 S4′ [4] That “Judah” signifies the Lord in respect to celestial love, and thus love to the Lord, and also the Word, can be seen from the following passages. In Moses:
Thou art Judah, thy brethren shall praise thee; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s sons shall bow down to thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, art thou gone up; he stooped down, he crouched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not be removed from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and the obedience of the peoples shall be to him. He shall bind his young ass to the vine, and the son of his she-ass to the noble vine; he washeth his vesture in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes; his eyes shall be red from wine, and his teeth white from milk (Gen. 49:8-12).
Here by “Judah” in the spiritual sense the Lord’s celestial kingdom and the Lord Himself in respect to celestial love are described. Celestial love is the Lord’s love received in the celestial kingdom, and spiritual love is the Lord’s love received in the spiritual kingdom. The signification of these words is as follows: “Thy brethren shall praise thee” signifies that the celestial church is eminent above all others; for “the brethren,” or the tribes named from Jacob’s sons, who were Judah’s brethren, signify the church; “thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies” signifies that the infernal and devilish crew shall be thrust out and held back, “enemies” meaning those who are from hell; “thy father’s sons shall bow down to thee” signifies the submission of all truths of the church, “to bow down” meaning to submit themselves, and “his father’s sons” all truths of the church; for in those who are in love to the Lord, and thence in the celestial kingdom, all truths of the church are implanted; “Judah is a lion’s whelp” signifies innocence with innate powers; for love to the Lord, viewed in itself, is innocence, and this is signified by “whelp,” and its innate powers are signified by a “lion;” “from the prey, my son, thou art gone up,” signifies the deliverance of many from hell; “he stooped down, he crouched as a lion, and as an old lion,” signifies the good of love and truth therefrom in its power; for “to stoop down,” in reference to a lion, means to put himself into power; “who shall rouse him up?” signifies that this good is safe wherever it is, and that it cannot be moved by the hells.
“The scepter shall not be removed from Judah” signifies that power shall not depart from the good of celestial love; “nor a lawgiver from between his feet” signifies, nor shall the truths of the Word disappear from its ultimate sense; “until Shiloh come” signifies the Lord’s coming and the tranquillity of peace at that time; “the obedience of the peoples shall be to him” signifies truths from Him, and conjunction thereby; “he shall bind his young ass to the vine” signifies the external church and its truths from the Lord; “and the son of his she-ass to the noble vine” signifies the internal church and its truths from the Lord; “he washeth his vesture in wine” signifies the Lord’s external or natural Human, which is Divine truth from His Divine love; “and his covering in the blood of grapes,” signifies the Lord’s internal or rational Human, which is Divine good from His Divine love; “his eyes shall be red from wine” signifies that the internal or rational Human is nothing but good; “and his teeth white from milk” signifies that the external or natural Human is nothing but the good of truth. Thus from each particular in this description it can be seen that “Judah” does not mean Judah, but that it is some preeminently heavenly thing that is thus described. (But the particulars may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 6363-6381.)
sRef Ezek@37 @24 S5′ sRef Ezek@37 @22 S5′ sRef Ezek@37 @21 S5′ sRef Ezek@37 @17 S5′ sRef Ezek@37 @19 S5′ sRef Ezek@37 @16 S5′ sRef Ezek@37 @26 S5′ sRef Ezek@37 @27 S5′ sRef Ezek@37 @25 S5′ [5] In Ezekiel:
Thou son of man, take thee one stick and write upon it, For Judah and for the sons of Israel his fellows; then take another stick and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and of all the house of Israel; and then join them for thee one with another into one stick, that they both may be one in thy* hand. I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim and of the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will bring upon it with the stick of Judah, and I will make them one stick. I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations whither they are gone, and will bring them together from round about, and will bring them upon their own land; and will make them into one nation upon the land in the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be to them all for a king, and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms anymore at all. My servant David shall be king over them, that they all may have one shepherd; and they shall walk in My judgments and keep My statutes, and do them. Then shall they** dwell upon the land that I have given unto Jacob My servant, wherein your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell upon it, they and their sons and their sons’ sons to eternity; and David My servant shall be their prince to eternity. And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be a covenant of eternity with them; and I will give them, and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in the midst of them forever. So shall My tabernacle be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people (Ezek. 37:16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24-27).
What this signifies no one can know unless he knows what “Judah” and “Israel,” and “Joseph” and “Ephraim” signify. Evidently Judah and Israel are not meant, nor Joseph and Ephraim; for it is said that the tribes of Israel scattered among the nations should be gathered together and brought into the land of Canaan, and that David should be their king and prince, and that they were to dwell with him forever. Who does not know that the tribes of Israel could not be gathered, and that David could no more be king over them? Let it be known, then, what is signified in the spiritual sense by “Judah,” by “the sons of Israel,” by “Joseph” and “Ephraim,” and further what by “David,” and by “the land of Canaan.” “Judah,” in the spiritual sense, signifies the Lord’s celestial kingdom; “the sons of Israel” the Lord’s spiritual kingdom; “Joseph” and “Ephraim,” and “the scattered tribes of Israel that are to be gathered together,” mean those who are below these kingdoms, being neither celestial nor spiritual but natural, and yet are in the good of life according to their religious principle.
sRef John@10 @16 S6′ [6] These are meant also by the Lord in John:
Other sheep also I have, which are not of this fold; them also must I bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd (10:16);
for these were not in heaven before the Lord’s coming, but were introduced by Him after He had glorified His Human, and for the reason that until then the Divine proceeding could not extend to them. When this is known, and when it is known that “David” means the Lord in respect to Divine truth proceeding from His Divine Human, it can be known what the particulars here mean in series. These things were written upon two sticks, and the two sticks were joined into one stick, because a “stick” (or wood) signifies the good of life, and all conjunction in heaven is effected by means of good and according to it. (That “wood” signifies the good of life see Arcana Coelestia, n. 643, 2784, 3720, 8354.)
sRef Isa@11 @12 S7′ sRef Isa@11 @14 S7′ sRef Isa@11 @13 S7′ [7] In Isaiah:
Then the Lord shall lift up an ensign for the nations, and shall gather together the outcasts of Israel, and shall bring together the scattered of Judah from the four wings of the earth. Then the envy of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not distress Ephraim; but they shall fly on the shoulder of the Philistines towards the sea (11:12-14).
This is said of the salvation of the Gentiles, which are also signified by “the outcasts of Israel” and “the scattered of Judah,” for it is said that “the Lord shall lift up an ensign for the nations;” “the outcasts of Israel” mean those who are not in truths, but still are in the desire to learn them; and “the scattered of Judah” mean those who are in the good of life, and thereby in love to the Lord; for those who love to do good love the Lord; for the Lord is in such good, since it is from Him. “Ephraim” means the intellectual, here in agreement with the good of love; and that these shall not be at variance with each other is meant by “the envy of Ephraim shall depart;” “Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not distress Ephraim.” That they shall be separated from those who are in faith separate from charity is signified by “they shall fly on the shoulder of the Philistines towards the sea;” “the philistines towards the sea” meaning those who separate faith from charity, that is from the good of life; “the sea” meaning the ultimate of heaven where it comes to an end; and “to fly on the shoulder” meaning to reject, and thus to separate themselves.
sRef Zech@9 @13 S8′ sRef Zech@9 @9 S8′ [8] In Zechariah:
Exult, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He is just and faithful.*** I will bend Judah for Me, I will fill the bow with Ephraim, and I will stir up thy sons, O Zion (9:9, 13).
This treats of the Lord’s coming and the establishment of the church by Him with those who are in the good of love and in the truths of doctrine therefrom. “The daughter of Zion” and “the daughter of Jerusalem” signify the church with such; “thy King who cometh, just and faithful,” is the Lord, from whom are the good of love and the truth of doctrine; “I will bend Judah for Me, I will fill the bow with Ephraim,” signifies that the church is to be established with such as are in the good of love to the Lord, and in the truths of doctrine therefrom; “Judah” here meaning those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and “Ephraim” the truths of doctrine, for “Ephraim” signifies the intellectual of the church, and “bow” the doctrine of truth (that “bow” signifies doctrine see above, n. 357, where this is also explained); such as these are “sons of Zion.” Evidently the Jewish nation is not here meant by “Judah,” nor Ephraim by “Ephraim;” for the Lord’s church was not established with the Jewish nation, for it was not received by that nation, and the tribe of Ephraim did not then exist.
sRef Zech@10 @6 S9′ sRef Zech@10 @4 S9′ sRef Zech@10 @3 S9′ sRef Zech@10 @7 S9′ [9] In the same:
Jehovah of Hosts shall visit His drove, the house of Judah, and shall set them as the horse of His glory in war. Out of him shall be the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the bow of war. And I will render the house of Judah mighty, and I will save the house of Joseph, and will make them to dwell. Hence they shall be as the mighty Ephraim, and their heart shall be glad as if with wine (Zech. 10:3, 4, 6, 7).
Here, too, “the house of Judah” means the Lord’s celestial kingdom, which consists of those who are in love to Him, and “Ephraim” means those who are in the truths of doctrine from that love; for all who are in the Lord’s celestial kingdom are in the truths of doctrine, since such have truths, as it were, implanted in and inscribed upon their hearts (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 25, 26. The rest may be seen explained above, n. 355, 376).
sRef Zech@2 @12 S10′ sRef Zech@2 @10 S10′ sRef Zech@2 @11 S10′ [10] In the same:
Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for lo I come that I may dwell in the midst of thee. Then many nations shall conjoin themselves to Jehovah in that day, and shall be to Me for a people. Jehovah shall make Judah an heritage for Himself, His part, in the land of holiness, and shall again choose Jerusalem (Zech. 2:10-12).
Very evidently “Judah” here does not mean the Jewish nation, nor does “Jerusalem” mean Jerusalem; for the Lord’s coming is here treated of, at which time that nation had wholly receded, and afterwards Jerusalem was destroyed; and yet it is said that “Jehovah shall make Judah an heritage for Himself, and His part in the land of holiness, and shall again choose Jerusalem;” therefore “Judah” means those who are in love to the Lord, and “Jerusalem” the church with such in respect to doctrine.
sRef Nahum@1 @15 S11′ [11] In Nahum:
Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that proclaimeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! Celebrate thy feasts, O Judah, render thy vows; for Belial shall never more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off (1:15).
This, too, is said of the Lord; His coming is meant by “Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that proclaimeth good tidings, that publisheth peace!” “To celebrate feasts” and “to render vows” signify to rejoice in His coming and then to worship Him; “Belial shall never more pass through Judah, he is utterly cut off,” signifies that evil shall be no more with them because they are in the Lord. This could not be said of the Jewish nation, but may be said of those who are in love to the Lord; which makes clear that such are meant by “Judah.”
sRef Mal@3 @1 S12′ sRef Mal@3 @4 S12′ [12] In Malachi:
Behold I send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me; and the Lord shall suddenly come to His temple. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be agreeable unto Jehovah, according to the days of an age, and according to the former years (3:1, 4).
It is known in the church that this is said of the Lord’s coming, and that “the messenger who shall prepare the way before Him” means John the Baptist. “The offering of Judah and Jerusalem shall be agreeable unto Jehovah” signifies that then there will be acceptable worship from the good of love to the Lord, “the offering of Judah” signifying such worship; it is evident that the worship of the Jewish nation and of Jerusalem was not acceptable, for they did not acknowledge the Lord, but utterly rejected Him; “according to the days of an age, and according to former years,” signifies according to the worship in the ancient churches; the Most Ancient Church, that was before the flood, and was in love to the Lord, is signified by “the days of an age,” or of eternity, and the Ancient Church, that was after the flood, and was a spiritual church, is signified by “former years.”
sRef Joel@3 @18 S13′ sRef Joel@3 @19 S13′ sRef Joel@3 @20 S13′ [13] In Joel:
It shall come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drop down must, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall go forth out of the house of Jehovah, and shall water the brook of Shittim. Egypt shall be a waste, and Edom shall be a waste wilderness, because of the violence to the sons of Judah, whose innocent blood they have shed in their land. But Judah shall sit to eternity, and Jerusalem to generation and generation (3:18-20).
Here, too, the Lord’s coming and a new heaven and a new earth at that time are treated of. “The mountains shall drop down must” signifies that all truth will be from the good of love (that “mountains” signify the good of love see above, n. 405; and that “wine” and “must” signify truth see also above, n. 376). “The hills shall flow with milk” signifies that spiritual life will be from the good of charity towards the neighbor; and “all the watercourses of Judah shall flow with waters” signifies that from the particulars of the Word there will be truths, through which there will be intelligence; “a fountain shall go forth out of the house of Jehovah, and shall water the brook of Shittim,” signifies that out of heaven from the Lord there will be truth of doctrine that will illustrate those who are in cognitions and knowledges; “Egypt shall be a waste, and Edom shall be a waste wilderness” signifies that false principles, and the evils of the love of self, both from the natural man, will be destroyed; “because of the violence to the sons of Judah, whose innocent blood they have shed in their land,” signifies because of the truths of the Word falsified and its goods adulterated, which they have corrupted and destroyed; “Judah shall sit to eternity, and Jerusalem to generation and generation,” signifies that the Word and the doctrine of genuine truth therefrom will remain to eternity with those who are in love to the Lord. This makes clear that “Judah” does not here mean Judah, nor “Jerusalem” Jerusalem.
sRef Joel@3 @5 S14′ sRef Joel@3 @4 S14′ sRef Joel@3 @6 S14′ [14] In the same:
O Tyre and Zidon, and all the boundaries of the Philistines, I will quickly return a recompense upon your head; because ye have taken My silver and My gold, and the desirable things of My goods ye have brought into your temples; and the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem ye have sold to the sons of the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their boundaries (Joel 3:4-6).
By “Tyre and Zidon” and by “the Philistines” are understood those who have falsified the truths and goods of the Word; “my silver and my gold” signify these truths and goods, and “to bring them into their temples” signifies to falsify and profane them; “to sell the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of the Grecians” signifies to pervert and falsify all the truths and goods of the Word; “the sons of Judah” meaning the goods of the Word, “the sons of Jerusalem” its truths, and “the sons of the Grecians” falsities; “to remove them far from their boundaries” signifies far from the truths themselves. One who does not know the spiritual sense of the Word might believe that those who were in Tyre and Zidon and in Philistia sold the sons of Judah and Jerusalem to the Grecians; but this is a prophecy in which the nations which are named signify the things of the church.
sRef Jer@3 @18 S15′ [15] In Jeremiah:
In those days the house of Judah shall go unto**** the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north unto the land that I gave for an inheritance unto your fathers (3:18).
This, too, treats of the Lord’s coming and of a new church from Him. His coming is meant by “in those days,” and a new church by “the house of Judah and the house of Israel,” a church from those who are in love to the Lord by “the house of Judah,” and a church from those who are in charity towards the neighbor, which is called a spiritual church, by “the house of Israel.” “They shall come together out of the land of the north unto the land that I gave for an inheritance unto your fathers” signifies that they shall come out of ignorance and falsities, in which they then were, into knowledges and the light of truth of the church; “the land of the north” signifying a state of ignorance and of the falsity of religion and “the land given for an inheritance to their fathers” a church that is in knowledges and the light of truth. These things were said of the nations from whom a new church is to be established. It is well known that the house of Judah and the house of Israel did not then come out of the land of the north, namely at the time when the Lord was in the world; for the Jews were then in the land of Canaan, and the Israelites were dispersed.
sRef Jer@23 @5 S16′ sRef Jer@23 @6 S16′ [16] In the same:
Behold the days come when I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as King, and shall prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the land. In His days shall Judah be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is His name which they shall call Him, Jehovah our Righteousness (Jer. 23:5, 6; 33:15, 16).
This is plainly said of the Lord; He is “the Branch of David,” He “shall reign as a King, and He shall be called Jehovah our Righteousness.” “In His days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely,” signifies that those will be saved who are in love to Him and in charity towards the neighbor (as above). It is evident that Judah was not saved, and that Israel was not recalled, and could not be recalled so as to dwell safely, that is, without infestation from evils and falsities.
sRef Jer@50 @20 S17′ sRef Jer@50 @19 S17′ [17] In the same:
I will bring Israel again to his habitation, that he may feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon Mount Ephraim and in Gilead. In those days and in that time the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found (Jer. 50:19, 20).
This, too, is said of the establishment by the Lord of a church among the Gentiles that are meant by “Israel,” who is said to be brought back to his habitation, and “Judah” whose sins are not to be found. That these are to be led by the Lord and instructed in the good of charity is meant by “they shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and upon Mount Ephraim and in Gilead.”
sRef Zech@12 @4 S18′ sRef Zech@12 @7 S18′ sRef Zech@12 @6 S18′ [18] In Zechariah:
In that day I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness; and I will open Mine eye upon the house of Judah. In that day will I make the leaders of Judah like a furnace of fire among wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf, that they may devour all the peoples round about, on the right and on the left, that Jerusalem may yet dwell in her own place, even in Jerusalem. Jehovah shall save the tents of Judah first (12:4, 6, 7).
This treats of the devastation of the former church and of the establishment of a new church by the Lord; the devastation of the former church is described by “In that day I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness,” for “horse” signifies the understanding of truth with man, and “the rider” intelligence (see above, n. 355); “the house of Judah” signifies the church with those who are in the good of love to the Lord; of this it is said that the Lord “will open His eye upon it.” That evils from hell and also falsities will be dispersed by such and with such, is signified by “In that day will I make the leaders of Judah like a furnace of fire among wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf, that they may devour all the peoples round about, on the right and on the left.” That that church will be safe from the infestation of evils and falsities is signified by “Jerusalem shall dwell in her own place, even in Jerusalem;” and that the Lord will wholly save those who are in love to Him is signified by “Jehovah shall save the tents of Judah first.”
sRef Isa@2 @1 S19′ sRef Isa@2 @2 S19′ sRef Isa@2 @3 S19′ [19] In Isaiah:
The word of Jehovah respecting Judah and Jerusalem: It shall come to pass in the latter end of days that the mountain of Jehovah shall be firm on the top of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it, and many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will instruct us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths (2:1-3).
This, too, is said of a new church to be established by the Lord; “the mountain of Jehovah that will then be firm on the top of the mountains” means Zion, and signifies the celestial church, and love to the Lord, which those have who are of that church. That this is the primary thing of the church, and that it is to increase and gain strength, is signified by “it shall be on the top of the mountains, and be lifted up above the hills;” that those who are in good will acknowledge the Lord and will draw near to the church is signified by “all nations shall flow unto that mountain,” “nations” signifying those who are in celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord, and “peoples” those who are in spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbor; of these latter it is said, “many peoples shall go and say, Come ye and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob.” (That “nations” signify those who are in celestial good, and “peoples” those who are in spiritual good, see above, n. 331.)
sRef Isa@44 @25 S20′ sRef Isa@44 @24 S20′ sRef Isa@44 @26 S20′ [20] In the same:
Jehovah thy Redeemer, and thy Former from the womb, that establisheth the word of His servant, and performeth the counsel of His messengers, saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited, and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the waste places thereof (Isa. 44:24, 26).
This, too, treats of the Lord’s coming, who is “Jehovah thy Redeemer, and thy Former from the womb;” He is called “Redeemer” because He delivered from hell; and “the Former from the womb” because He regenerates man. A prediction by the prophets respecting Him and respecting the salvation of man is meant by “that establisheth the word of His servant, and performeth the counsel of His messengers;” that those who are of His church will be saved, and will be instructed in the truths of celestial doctrine is meant by “saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited, and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built;” “Jerusalem” meaning the church, and “the cities of Judah” the truths of celestial doctrine. That the falsities that destroy the church shall be shaken off is meant by “I will raise up the waste places thereof.” It is not said by the Lord that Jerusalem would be inhabited and the cities of Judah built, but that Jerusalem would be destroyed, which was done as is well known.
sRef Isa@65 @9 S21′ [21] In the same:
And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an Inheri-tor of My mountains; that My chosen may possess it, and My servants dwell there (Isa. 65:9).
Here “Jacob” and “Judah” do not mean a people from Jacob and a nation from Judah, but a church to be established by the Lord; “Jacob” means the church that is in the good of life, and “Judah” the church that is the good of love to the Lord; thus “Jacob” an external church, and “Judah” an internal church. “Seed” means charity and faith, and “mountains” the goods of love. Those who are in charity are called “chosen,” and those who are in truths from the good of love are called “servants,” therefore it is said “that My chosen may possess it, and My servants dwell there.”
sRef Ezek@27 @17 S22′ [22] In Ezekiel:
Judah and the land of Israel were thy traders; they traded in thy market with wheats of Minnith and Pannag, and with honey and oil, and balsam (27:17).
This was said of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, and thus “Tyre” signifies the knowledges of truth and good belonging to the church; its merchandise and tradings are here treated of, which describe how these knowledges are acquired, here such of them as are acquired from Judah and the land of Israel; and as “Judah” signifies the good of love, and “Israel” the truths from that good, its tradings are said to be with “wheats of Minnith and Pannag, and in honey, and oil, and balsam,” because “wheats of Minnith and Pannag” signify truths and goods of the church of all kinds, “honey” signifies the good of love in the natural man, “oil” the good of love in the spiritual man, and “balsam” truths that are grateful from good (see above, n. 375, where this is more fully explained). From the merchandise mentioned in this chapter, when understood in the spiritual sense, what is signified by the different nations there mentioned becomes very evident, thus what is meant by “Judah” and by “Israel,” for the merchandise indicates the spiritual meaning.
[23] That “Judah” does not mean the Jewish nation can be seen in Ezekiel 48, which treats of a new land that was to be distributed among the twelve tribes of Israel, and these tribes are there named, and what part of the land each one was to possess; and much is there said about the tribe of Judah, and that “the sanctuary should be in the midst of it” (verses 8-22); which makes clear that the tribes there mentioned do not mean those tribes, for eleven of them had been scattered, and had become Gentiles, from whom they could not be distinguished, for they had been carried away into perpetual exile. It is evident also that the land there mentioned does not mean a land, but a church, and consequently the tribes there mentioned mean such things as pertain to the church, and “Judah” there means the celestial church, or the church that is in love to the Lord, in which therefore, is the sanctuary.
sRef Ps@114 @2 S24′ [24] The like is meant by “Judah” and “Israel” in David:
Judah became His sanctuary, and Israel His domain (Ps. 114:2).
“Sanctuary” signifies in the highest sense the Lord Himself, and in a relative sense the worship of Him from the good of love; “Israel” signifies the truth of the church from that good; and because truths from good, that is, good by means of truths, have all power, therefore it is said “Israel became His domain.” Because “Judah” signifies the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and “Israel” the Lord’s spiritual kingdom (as was said above), and the celestial kingdom is what constitutes the priesthood of the Lord in heaven, and the spiritual kingdom the royalty of the Lord (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 24, 226), so in the Word the Lord is called a “King,” and in the Gospels:
King of the Jews (Matt. 2:2; John 18:33, 37; 19:19);
and the Lord as “King of the Jews” means the Lord in respect to Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good of His Divine love; therefore “kings” in the Word signify truths that are from good (see above, n. 31).
sRef Jer@31 @31 S25′ sRef Jer@31 @34 S25′ sRef Jer@31 @27 S25′ sRef Jer@31 @33 S25′ [25] In Jeremiah:
Behold the days come that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of the beast; and in which I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, I will give My law in the midst of them, and will write it upon their heart; and I will be to them for God, and they shall be to Me for a people (31:27, 31, 33, 34).
Here, too, “the days to come” mean the Lord’s coming; therefore it is not meant that a new covenant would then be made with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, but with a new church to be established by the Lord, which is meant by “the house of Israel and the house of Judah,” in the midst of whom the law should be given, and should be written on the heart. Everyone knows that this was not done with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, for they utterly rejected the covenant with the Lord and likewise do so to this day. “Covenant” signifies conjunction with the Lord through love to Him, from which conjunction there is given the law or Divine truth in them, both in their doctrine and in their life, and this is the law in the midst and written***** on the heart. “To sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast” signifies to reform those who are of the new church through truths and goods that are of intelligence and affection, “seed” meaning truth, “man” intelligence, and “beast” the good of affection. That this is the signification of “beast” will be shown in what follows.
sRef Zech@8 @22 S26′ sRef Zech@8 @23 S26′ [26] In Zechariah:
Many peoples and numerous nations shall come to seek Jehovah of Hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the faces of Jehovah. In those days,****** ten men out of all the tongues of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of a man that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you (8:22, 23).
One who does not know that a “Jew” means such as are in love to the Lord and in the truths of doctrine therefrom can easily be led to believe that these things are said of the Jews, and of bringing them into the land of Canaan, and that all others who desire to be saved will then take hold of the skirt of their raiment, praying to be allowed to go with them. But when it is known that this is not said of any introduction into the land of Canaan, to Jerusalem there, and that a “Jew” does not mean those who are of that nation, but that “Jerusalem” means a new church to be established by the Lord, and a “Jew” everyone who is in the good of love to the Lord, and “the skirt of a Jew” means truth from that good, then the signification of all things in this chapter and of these words in particular can be known, for this treats of the calling together of the nations and their drawing near to the church, and a “Jew” means those who acknowledge and love the Lord, and “to take hold of his skirt” signifies a longing to know truth from the Lord, and “ten men out of all the tongues of the nations” mean all, of whatever religion, “ten men” signifying all, and “tongues of the nations” their religious principles.
[27] From this it can be seen how far from the truth those have wandered, who believe that at the end of time the Jews will be converted to the Lord and brought back into the land of Canaan. These believe that “land,” “Jerusalem,” “Israel,” and “Judah” mean in the Word the land of Canaan, the city of Jerusalem, the Israelitish people, and the Jewish nation. Those who have hitherto so believed are excusable, because they have known nothing of the spiritual sense of the Word, and therefore have not known that the “land” signifies the church, “Jerusalem” the church in respect to doctrine, “Israel” those who are of the spiritual church, and “Judah” those who are of the celestial church; also that where bringing them into the land of Canaan is treated of in the prophets, bringing the faithful into heaven and into the church is meant. This also took place when the Lord came into the world, for then all those who had lived in the good of charity and had worshiped God under a human form were brought into heaven; these had been preserved under heaven until the Lord came, and when He had glorified His Human they were brought in. These are the ones meant in many passages in the prophetic Word that treat of the captivity of the sons of Israel and Judah, and their being brought back into their land. In these passages those also are meant who were to be brought into the church, and thence into heaven from the earth after the Lord came, not only where the Christian religion is received but everywhere else. Both of these classes are meant in many passages where Israel, Judah and Jerusalem are mentioned, and their being brought into the land is treated of (as in the following: Isa. 10:21, 22; 11:11, 12; 43:5, 6; 49:10-26; 56:8; 60:4; 61:1-5, 9; Jer. 3:12-20; 16:15, 16; 23:7, 8; 30:2-11; 31:1-14, 23-40; 33:6-18; Ezek. 16:60-62; 20:40-42; 34:11-16; 37:21-28; 39:21-29; Hos. 3:5; Joel 2:18-27; 2:32; Amos 9:12-15; and elsewhere).
sRef Isa@66 @22 S28′ sRef Isa@66 @20 S28′ [28] The two following may be taken as examples of passages whereby the Jews have persuaded themselves, and also Christians have come to believe, that the Jewish nation is to return into the land of Canaan, and be saved before others. In Isaiah:
Then shall they bring all your brethren out of all nations, an offering unto Jehovah, upon horses, and upon the chariot, and upon covered wagons, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to the mountain of My holiness, Jerusalem. As the new heavens and the new earth which I am about to make shall stand before Me, so shall your seed and your name stand (66:20, 22).
(What this signifies see above, n. 355, 405, where they are explained.) “The new heaven and the new earth” mean the heaven and the church formed of those who were to be saved by the Lord, when He had glorified His Human, as was said above.
sRef Isa@49 @23 S29′ sRef Isa@49 @22 S29′ [29] In the same:
I will lift up My hand towards the nations, and elevate My ensign to the peoples, that they may bring thy sons in the bosom, and carry thy daughters upon the shoulder. Kings shall be thy nourishers, and princesses thy sucklers; with the face to the earth shall they bow down to thee, and lick the dust of thy feet (Isa. 49:22, 23).
This whole chapter treats of the coming of the Lord and the salvation of those who receive Him, as is clearly evident from verses 6-9 in that chapter; consequently it does not treat of the salvation of the Jews, much less of their restoration to the land of Canaan. That the Jewish nation is not meant in the above passages can be seen from the fact that it was the worst nation and at heart idolatrous, and that it was brought back into the land of Canaan not because of any goodness or righteousness of heart, but because of the promise made to their fathers; also that they had no truths and goods of the church, but only falsities and evils, and that for this reason they were rejected and driven out of the land of Canaan; as can be seen from all those passages in the Word in which that nation is described.
sRef Jer@2 @28 S30′ sRef Jer@11 @13 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @27 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @28 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @26 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @24 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @35 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @29 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @33 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @34 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @32 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @30 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @31 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @23 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @21 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @25 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @22 S30′ sRef Deut@32 @20 S30′ [30] Of what quality that nation was, and what it was to become, namely, that it was the very worst, is described by Moses in his song in these words:
I will hide My face from them, I will see what their posterity will be; for they are******* a generation of perversions, sons in whom is no faithfulness. I have said, I will hurl them into the extreme corners, I will make the remembrance of them to cease from man. For they are a nation lost of counsel, neither is there any intelligence in them. Their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are of bitternesses. Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel gall of asps. Is this not******** laid up in store with Me, sealed up among My treasures? Mine is vengeance and requital (Deut. 32:20-35).
This describes what the nature of the church is with the Jews, namely that it is in dire falsities from evil. What the church is with them is meant by “their vine is of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah,” “vine” signifying the church. The falsities from evil that they possess are meant by “their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are of bitternesses, their wine is the poison of dragons and the cruel gall of asps;” “grapes” signify the goods of the church, but “grapes of gall” and “clusters of bitternesses” signify evils from dire falsities; their falsities themselves are meant by “their wine is the poison of dragons and the cruel gall of asps;” “wine” signifies truth from the Word, but “the poison of dragons” and “the gall of asps” signify the monstrous falsity that springs from the falsified truths of the Word. In like manner is that nation described in other parts of the Word (as in Deuteronomy, in the book of Judges, and in the prophets, as in Jer. 5:20-31; 7:8-34; 9:2-26; 11:6-17; 13:9-27; 19:1-15; 32:30-35; 44:2-24). That this nation was at heart idolatrous is evident from the passages cited, and from many others, as in Jeremiah:
According to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye********* set up altars to burn incense unto Baal (2:28; 11:13).
sRef Deut@9 @5 S31′ sRef Deut@9 @6 S31′ [31] That they were not brought into the land of Canaan on account of any goodness or righteousness of heart, but on account of the promise made to their fathers, see in Moses:
Not for thy righteousness nor for the uprightness of thy heart dost thou come to possess the land, but to establish the word that Jehovah sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Know therefore, that Jehovah thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people (Deut. 9:5, 6).
sRef John@8 @44 S32′ [32] That they had no truths and goods of the church, but only falsities and evils is evident from the Word, where their whoredoms and adulteries are treated of (in Jer. 3:1 to the end; Ezek. 23:1 to the end). “Whoredoms and adulteries” mean in the Word falsifications of truth and adulterations of good (see above, n. 141, 161); consequently the Lord says that they are:
An adulterous generation (Matt. 12:39; Mark 8:38);
Also that they are full of hypocrisy, iniquity, and uncleanness (Matt. 23:27, 28);
Also that they have falsified the Word by their traditions (Matt. 15:1-6; Mark 7:1-14).
And in plain words in John:
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie he speaketh from his own, for he is a liar and the father thereof (8:44).
“A lie” means falsity from evil; “the devil” the extinction of all good; “a murderer” the extinction of all truth; “father” means both those who are from hell and those who lived from that generation back to the earliest times; “to speak from his own” means to speak from what is innate.
sRef Isa@3 @1 S33′ sRef Isa@3 @8 S33′ sRef Isa@3 @2 S33′ [33] That thus everything of the church with them was destroyed, and they were therefore rejected, is evident from Isaiah:
The Lord Jehovih of Hosts doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread and the whole stay********** of water, the mighty one and the man of war, the judge and the prophet, and the diviner and the old man. For Jerusalem hath stumbled, and Judah hath fallen; because their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah to rebel against the eyes of His glory (3:1, 2, 8).
“To take away the whole stay of bread and the whole stay of water” signifies to take away all the good of love, and the truth of faith by which there is spiritual life; “bread” meaning the good of love, and “water” the truth of faith, and “stay” and “staff” powers, and from these are all things of spiritual life; “to take away the mighty one and the man of war” signifies to take away all resistance to evils and falsities; “to take away the judge and the prophet” signifies all good and truth of doctrine; “to take away the diviner and the old man” signifies all intelligence and wisdom; “their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, to rebel against the eyes of His glory” signifies that everything of their doctrine and of their life is utterly opposed to Divine truth; “tongue” meaning doctrine, “doings” life, and “the eyes of Jehovah’s glory” the Divine truth; “to rebel” means to be opposed to it.
sRef Isa@5 @4 S34′ sRef Isa@5 @3 S34′ sRef Isa@5 @5 S34′ sRef Isa@5 @6 S34′ [34] In the same:
What could have been done more to My vineyard? Judge between Me and My vineyard. What could have been done more to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Therefore I expected that it would bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes. Now I will make known to you what I will do to My vineyard; in taking away its hedge that it may be eaten up, in breaking down its wall that it may be trampled down, I will lay it waste, that there may come up the brier and the bramble; I will even command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it (Isa. 5:3-6).
The “vineyard” here means the church with that nation; “I expected that it would bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes,” signifies that with that nation in place of the goods of truth of the church there were the evils of falsity; “to take away its hedge that it may be eaten up, to break down the wall that it may be trampled down,” signifies the destruction of the church in respect to goods and truths, so that evils and falsities rush in, which are “the brier and the bramble” that should come up; “I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it” signifies that with them there is no more any reception of truth and good through the Word out of heaven.
[35] The destruction of the church with that nation is also treated of in Isaiah (7:17-19, and following verses), in Jeremiah (1:15), and in many other passages. For this reason that nation was driven out of the land of Canaan, first the Israelitish nation and afterwards the Jewish nation; and this because the land of Canaan signifies the heavenly Canaan, which is heaven and the church. The quality of each of these nations is fully described in the internal sense in Exodus 32 and 33, where the golden calf that they made for themselves is treated of, on account of which Jehovah wished to consume them, and to raise up from Moses another generation (all of which may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 10393- 10512, and n. 10523-10557).
[36] What the quality of the Jewish nation was is described also in the internal sense of Genesis 38, which treats of their origin, which was from a Canaanitish woman, and from whoredom with a daughter-in-law; for there were three stocks of that nation, one from the Canaanitish woman whom Judah took to himself for a wife, and two from Tamar his daughter-in-law, with whom he lay as with a harlot (for the explanation of which see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4813-4930).
[37] What the quality of that nation was is also described by what is said of Judas Iscariot, for he represented the Jewish nation in respect to the church. For the Lord’s twelve disciples represented the church of the Lord in general, and each one of them some universal essential of it, and Judas Iscariot represented it such as it was with the Jews. (Besides the above, see what has been written respecting that nation in Arcana Coelestia, as follows: a representative church was instituted with the Jewish nation, but in that nation itself there was no church, n. 4899, 4912, 6304.) Consequently in respect to the nation itself, there was a representative of a church, but not a church, n. 4281, 4288, 4311, 4500, 6304, 7048, 9320, 10396, 10526, 10531, 10698. The Israelitish and Jewish nation was not chosen, but was accepted to represent a church, because of the persistency with which their fathers and Moses urged it, n. 4290, 4293, 7051, 7439, 10430, 10535, 10632. Their worship was merely external, without any internal worship, n. 1200, 3147, 3479, 8871. They knew not at all the internals of worship, nor did they wish to know, n. 301-303, 3479, 4429, 4433, 4680, 4844, 4847, 10396, 10401, 10407, 10694, 10701, 10707. How they regard the internal things of worship, of the church, and of the Word, n. 4865. Their interiors, which are of thought and affection, were filthy, full of the loves of self and the world, and of avarice, n. 3480, 9962, 10454-10457, 10462-10466, 10575. Therefore the internals of the church were not disclosed to them, because they would have profaned them, n. 2520, 3398, 3479, 4289. The Word was altogether closed to them, and is yet, n. 3769. They see the Word from without, and not from within, n. 10549-10551. Consequently when they were in worship their internal was closed, n. 8788, 8806, 9320, 9377, 9380, 9962, 10396, 10401, 10407, 10492, 10498, 10500, 10575, 10629, 10694. Still that nation excelled all others in the ability to keep up a holy external, although the internal was closed, n. 4293, 4311, 4903, 9373, 9377, 9380. Their state at that time, n. 4311. They were preserved for the sake of the Word in the original tongue, and because they could be kept in such a state, n. 3479. Their holy external was miraculously raised up into heaven by the Lord, and in this way the interiors of worship, of the church, and of the Word, were there perceived, n. 3480, 4307, 4311, 6304, 8588, 10493, 10499, 10500, 10602. That this might be done they were forced by external means to observe strictly the rituals and statutes in external form, n. 3147, 4281, 10149. Because of their ability to be in a holy external, without the internal, they were able to represent the holy things of heaven and the church, n. 3479, 3881, 4208, 6306, 6589, 9377, 10430, 10500, 10570. Yet they themselves were not affected by the holy things, n. 3479. It does not matter of what quality the person is who represents, since representation has respect to the thing, not to the person, n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806.
That nation was worse than other nations, their quality described from the Word of both Testaments, n. 4314, 4316, 4317, 4444, 4503, 4750, 4751, 4815, 4820, 4832, 5057, 5998, 7248, 8819, 9320, 10454-10457, 10462-10466. The tribe of Judah sank into worse evil than the other tribes, n. 4815. How cruelly from delight they treated the nations, n. 5057, 7248, 9320. That nation was idolatrous in heart, and worshiped other gods more than others, n. 3732, 4208, 4444, 4825, 5998, 6877, 7401, 8301, 8871, 8882. Their worship viewed in regard to the nation itself, was also idolatrous, being external, without any internal, n. 4281, 4825, 8871, 8882. They worshipped Jehovah only in name, n. 6877, 10559-10561, 10566; and solely because of miracles, n. 4299. Those are mistaken who believe that the Jews are to be converted at the end of the church, and brought back into the land of Canaan, n. 4847, 7051, 8301. Many passages cited from the Word concerning this, which must however be understood according to the internal sense, thus not according to the letter, n. 7051. The Word in respect to the external sense was changed because of that nation, but not in respect to the internal sense, n. 10453, 10461, 10603, 10604. Jehovah appeared to them from Mount Sinai according to their quality, in a consuming fire, in a dense cloud, and in smoke as of a furnace, n. 1861, 6832, 8814, 8819, 9434. The Lord appears to everyone according to his quality, as a vivifying and recreating fire to those who are in good, and as a consuming fire to those who are in evil, n. 934, 1861, 6832, 8814, 8819, 9434, 10551. One origin of this nation was from a Canaanite woman, and the other two from whoredom with a daughter-in-law, n. 1167, 4818, 4820, 4825, 4874, 4899, 4913. These origins signified what their conjunction with the church was, namely, that it was like that with a Canaanite woman and by whoredom with a daughter-in-law, n. 4868, 4874, 4899, 4911, 4913. Of their state in another life, n. 939, 940, 5057. Because that nation, although it was such, represented the church, and the Word was written with that nation and respecting it, therefore Divine celestial things were signified by their names, as by Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Ephraim, Joseph, and the rest; “Judah” in the internal sense signifying the Lord in respect to celestial love, and His celestial kingdom, n. 3654, 3881, 5583, 5603, 5782, 6363. The prophesy of Israel respecting Judah (Gen. 49:8-12), in which the Lord is treated of, explained, n. 6362-6381. The tribe of Judah, and Judea, signify the celestial church, n. 3654, 6364. The twelve tribes represented and thus signified all things of love and faith in the complex, n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335; consequently also heaven and the church, n. 6337, 6637, 7836, 7891. Their signification is according to the order in which they are named, n. 3862, 3926, 3939, 4603, et seq., 6337, 6640. The twelve tribes were divided into two kingdoms, that the Jews might represent the celestial kingdom, and the Israelites the spiritual kingdom, n. 8770, 9320. “The seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” signifies the goods and truths of the church, n. 3373, 10445.
* Photolithograph has “my,” as also elsewhere in Swedenborg, but Hebrew has “thy.”
** Photolithograph has “I,” but Hebrew has “they,” which we also find in AC n. 9594.
*** This is the Photolithograph, the Hebrew is “saved” or “saving.” The latter translation is found in AE n. 31, 850, and “saved” in AC n. 2781, Lord n. 6.
**** Photolithograph has “and the house of Israel shall go;” the Hebrew has “shall go unto the house of Israel,” which is also found in Lord n. 4 and AC n. 3654.
***** Photolithograph for “written” has “I will write.”
****** Photolithograph has “in that day;” the Hebrew “those days” is found in AE n. 455, 675, etc.
******* Photolithograph has “it is,” the Hebrew “they are” is found in AE n. 412; AC n. 4317, 7051.
******** Photolithograph has “all this is,” the Hebrew “is it not” is found in AC n. 7051, 9320.
********* Photolithograph has “hast thou,” the Hebrew “have ye” is found in AE n. 324, 652.
********** Photolithograph has “staff,” but see AE n. 727.

sRef Rev@7 @5 S0′ 434. Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand sealed, signifies the light of truth from that love, and that all who are in that light are in heaven and come into heaven. This is evident from the signification of “the tribe of Reuben,” as being those who are in the light of truth (of which presently); from the signification of “twelve thousand,” as being all things and all persons (of which above, n. 430), here all who are in the light of truth from the good of love to the Lord, which love is signified by “the tribe of Judah” (as was just shown above, n. 433); also from the signification of “the sealed,” as being those who are in heaven and who come into heaven (of which also above, n. 427, 433). It has been said before, that the twelve tribes of Israel represented and thence signify in the Word all things of the church, that each tribe signifies some universal essential of the church, and that “Judah” signifies love to the Lord; but that “Reuben” signifies light from that love will be seen in what follows.
[2] “Reuben,” and thence the tribe named from him, signifies in the highest sense the Lord in respect to foresight or foreknowledge; in the internal sense spiritual faith and the understanding of truth; and in the external sense, sight; and as “Reuben” in the internal sense signifies faith and understanding he also signifies the light of truth, for faith exists from the light of truth, and the understanding is illustrated by it; for where there is the light of truth there is understanding and there is faith.
[3] “Reuben,” or the tribe of Reuben, has the same signification as “Peter” the apostle; for the twelve apostles in a similar manner as the twelve tribes of Israel, represented all things of the church, and each apostle some universal essential of the church; and as Peter had a similar representation with Reuben, therefore was he the first of the apostles, as Reuben was the first of the sons of Jacob. (That “Peter” signifies truth in the light, and faith, see above, n. 9, 411.)
[4] Reuben was the first of the sons of Jacob, and thence the tribe called from him is named in the first place in most passages of the Word, because he was the firstborn; and “firstborn” in the Word signifies truth from good, or what is the same thing, truth in light, and thus faith from charity. For truth and what is of faith appears to man to be first, for it enters by the hearing into the memory and is called forth therefrom into the thought; and that which a man thinks he sees and perceives by interior sight, and that which is first in sight and perception is first, but merely in appearance, not actually. Actually, good is the firstborn, or the first constituent of the church, since truth exists from good, for good forms itself in truths, and by means of truths presents itself to be seen, therefore truth is good in form. This is why truth is said to be from good and faith from charity, for that which is from anything is that thing imaged forth; and [truth] viewed in itself is good formed and born; such therefore is the meaning of “firstborn” in the spiritual sense of the Word. Moreover, with infants the good of innocence is what is first imparted by the Lord, and it is from this that man first becomes a man; and because good is of love, and man does not reflect about his love but about his thought from the memory, and because good has no quality until it is formed into truths, and without quality nothing is perceived, so it is not known that good is first, and is the firstborn; for it is good that is first conceived from the Lord with man, and it is brought forth through truths, in which good is in its own form and effigy.
[5] It is to be noted, furthermore, that the truths that man in his infancy and childhood imbibes from the Word and from doctrine therefrom, and from preaching, although they appear as truths, still they are not truths with him, they are only like shells without kernels, or like the form of the body or of the face without soul and life. These do not become truths until they are received in the will, for thus they are first received by the man and begin to live with him; for the will is the man himself, and all good is of the will, and all truth of the understanding therefrom. From this it can be seen why the tribe of Judah, which signifies the good of love to the Lord, is here named in the first place, and then the tribe of Reuben, which signifies truth in light from that good.
[6] It should be known that all light in which truth is seen is from the light of heaven which is from the Lord; the light of heaven is from the Divine good of the Lord’s Divine love; the light of heaven is Divine good in form. In heaven these two are one, and are received by the angels as one, and should be received by man as one that he may have communion with the angels. (But these things may be seen more fully explained in the Arcana Coelestia, as follows: When man is regenerating, truth is in the first place and good in the second, not actually but apparently, but when he is regenerated, good is in the first place and truth in the second actually and perceptibly, n. 3324, 3325, 3330, 3336, 3494, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4243, 4245, 4247, 4337, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930, 4977, 5351, 6256, 6269, 6273, 8516, 10110; thus good is the first and the last of regeneration, n. 9337. Since truth appears to be in the first place and good in the second when man is regenerating, or what is the same, when he is becoming a church, because of this appearance it was a matter of controversy among the ancients whether the truth of faith or the good of charity is the firstborn of the church, n. 367, 2435. The good of charity is the firstborn of the church actually, and the truth of faith only apparently, n. 3325, 3494, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930, 8042, 8080. And the “firstborn” in the Word signifies the first constituent of the church, which has priority and superiority, n. 3325. For this reason the Lord is called “the Firstborn,” because in Him and from Him is all the good of love, of charity, and of faith, n. 3325.)
sRef Gen@29 @32 S7′ [7] As truth is apparently in the first place, so Reuben was the firstborn, and was named from sight, as is evident in Moses:
Leah conceived and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, Jehovah hath seen my affliction; for now my man will love me (Gen. 29:32).
Although these are historical facts, they nevertheless contain a spiritual sense; for every and each thing that is in the Word is from the spiritual world, because it is from the Lord; when these [spiritual] things are let down out of heaven into the natural world they are clothed with a correspondent natural sense, such as the sense of the letter of the Word is; therefore the nativities of the sons of Jacob signify spiritual nativities, which describe how good and truth are born in man when the Lord is regenerating him. This is why spiritual conception and birth are signified by “Leah conceived and bare a “she called his name Reuben” signifies its quality; “she said, because Jehovah hath seen” signifies in the highest sense foresight, in the internal sense faith, in the interior sense the understanding, and in the external sense sight, here faith from the Lord; “mine affliction” signifies the state of attaining to good; “for now my man will love me” signifies that the good of truth is therefrom. (But this may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 3860-3866.)
In the original language Reuben signifies sight, and in the spiritual sense “sight” signifies the understanding of truth and faith, in the highest sense Divine foresight (as can be seen from what is shown respecting the signification of seeing and sight in the Arcana Coelestia, as follows: “sight” in the highest sense, which has reference to the Lord, signifies foresight, n. 2807, 2837, 2839, 3686, 3854, 3863, 10428; “sight” in the internal sense signifies faith, because spiritual sight is sight from faith, and the things that pertain to faith are the objects of sight in the spiritual world, n. 897, 2325, 2807, 3863, 3869, 5400, 10705; also “to see” signifies to understand and perceive truth, n. 2150, 2325, 2807, 3764, 3863, 3869, 10705; the internal sight is the understanding, and this sees through the eyes of the body; and the sight of the understanding is from the light of heaven, n. 1524, 3138, 3167, 4408, 5114, 6608, 8707, 9128, 9399, 10569).
sRef Gen@30 @15 S8′ sRef Gen@30 @18 S8′ sRef Gen@30 @17 S8′ sRef Gen@30 @16 S8′ sRef Gen@30 @14 S8′ [8] That “Reuben” signifies truth from good, or faith from charity, is evident also from the “mandrakes” that he found in the field and gave to his mother, respecting which it is thus written in Moses:
Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto Leah his mother. And Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray, of thy son’s mandrakes. And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken away my man? and wilt thou take away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee tonight for thy son’s mandrakes. And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou shalt come in unto me; because hiring I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. And she conceived, and bare Jacob a son, Issachar (Gen. 30:14-18).
One who does not know what is signified by “mandrakes,” also what was represented by “Reuben,” “Jacob,” “Leah,” and “Rachel,” must be wholly ignorant of why such things occurred, and why they have been recorded in the Word; but it can be seen that there is something Divine in them that is not apparent in the sense of the letter, because they are in the Word, and in it each and everything is Divine. The spiritual sense of these things makes evident the Divine that is contained in them; in that sense “mandrakes” signify the marriage of good and truth; “Reuben” represents truth from good; “Jacob” the church in respect to truth; “Leah” and “Rachel” the church in respect to good, but “Leah” the external church, and “Rachel” the internal church; therefore the “mandrakes” found by Reuben signify the conjugial [conjugiale] of truth with good; and as that conjugial is between truth and good in the internal or spiritual man, which constitutes the internal church, and yet that truth is first given in the external or natural man, which constitutes the external church, therefore the mandrakes were found by Reuben, who represented truth from good, and were first given to Leah his mother, who represented the external church, but still Leah afterwards gave them to Rachel, who represented the internal church, that Leah might be permitted to lie with Jacob. (But this may be seen more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 3940-3952.)
sRef Gen@37 @21 S9′ sRef Gen@37 @30 S9′ sRef Gen@37 @29 S9′ sRef Gen@37 @22 S9′ [9] Because “Reuben” represented truth from good, or faith from charity:
It was he who exhorted his brethren not to kill Joseph, wishing to deliver him out of their hand; and was greatly grieved when Joseph was not found in the pit (Gen. 37:21, 22, 29, 30).
(This may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 4731-4738, and n. 4751-4766.)
sRef Num@2 @11 S10′ sRef Num@2 @10 S10′ sRef Num@2 @14 S10′ sRef Num@2 @13 S10′ sRef Num@2 @12 S10′ sRef Num@2 @15 S10′ sRef Num@2 @16 S10′ [10] Because “Reuben” or his tribe signified truth from good, or faith from charity:
The camp of that tribe in the wilderness was to the south, and the camp to the south was called the camp of Reuben (Num. 2:10-16);
for the encampments of the tribes of Israel represented the arrangements of the angelic societies in heaven, and the angelic societies have their dwelling places in quarters according to their states in respect to good and truth (see above, n. 422), and in the southern quarter there those dwell who are in the light of truth from good; and because the tribe of Reuben represented truth from good or truth in light, it encamped on the south.
[11] Because truth from good, which the tribe of Reuben represented, is in the natural man, to the tribe of Reuben an inheritance beyond Jordan was given (see Num. 32:1 to the end; Deut. 3:12-20; Josh. 13:1 to the end; 18:7); for by “the land of Canaan” the church was represented and thus signified in the Word, that region of it beyond Jordan signifying the external church, the region on this side, Jordan the internal church, and the river Jordan the boundary between them; and it is truth from good, or faith from charity that constitutes the church, truth from good in the natural man constituting the external church; and because the tribe of Reuben represented this constituent of the church, therefore to that tribe an inheritance beyond Jordan was given. Why inheritances beyond Jordan were given also to the tribe of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh will be told in what follows.
sRef Josh@22 @25 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @23 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @24 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @34 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @30 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @27 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @26 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @33 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @28 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @31 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @32 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @22 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @15 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @9 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @17 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @16 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @10 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @11 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @12 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @14 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @13 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @18 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @21 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @20 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @29 S12′ sRef Josh@22 @19 S12′ [12] The conjunction of these two churches, namely, the external and the internal, which is like the conjunction of the natural and the spiritual man, was represented, and in the spiritual sense is described by:
The altar that the sons of Reuben, of Gad, and of Manasseh built beside the Jordan, about which there was a strife between these tribes and the other tribes; but it was said that the altar should be for a witness that although they dwelt beyond Jordan, they nevertheless served Jehovah in common with the rest; therefore they called that altar a witness between us that Jehovah is God (Josh. 22:9 to end).
For “the Jordan” signified the medium between the external and the internal of the church; “the land of Canaan on this side Jordan” signifying the internal church, and “the land beyond Jordan” the external, and this also was represented by the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, which had their inheritances there; while that altar signified the common worship of the two churches, and thus conjunction thereby.
sRef Judg@5 @15 S13′ sRef Judg@5 @17 S13′ sRef Judg@5 @16 S13′ [13] That “Reuben” signifies truth in the natural man is evident also from the prophecy of Deborah and Barak in the book of Judges:
In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of the heart. Why did you stay among the campfires to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart. Gilead dwelt* beyond the Jordan (5:15-17).
This no one can understand unless he knows what the prophecy treats of, and what is signified by the “districts,” “Reuben,” “the campfires,” “the whistling for the flocks,” and “Gilead.” This treats of the church among the sons of Israel in a state of vastation; and “the districts of Reuben” signify both all truths and all goods that are in the natural man; “the campfires” signify cognitions and knowledges there; “the whistling for the flocks” signify the perceptions and thoughts thereof; and “Gilead” signifies the natural man. When this is known, what these things mean in the spiritual sense becomes evident, namely, that when the church is destroyed the natural man with the things in it is separated from the spiritual man, whereas it ought to be conjoined to it; and when it is conjoined, there are truths there from good, by which truths there is a combat against the falsities from evil, for the natural man must combat against them from the spiritual man. “The statutes of the heart” and “the searchings of the heart” signify the truths from good, which are in the natural man from the spiritual man, “heart” signifying the good of love, and “the statutes and searchings of the heart” all things that are determined and arranged in the natural man from good in the spiritual man. This is said respecting Reuben because his tribe dwelt beyond Jordan in Gilead; and it was not conjoined with Deborah and Barak when they fought against Sisera, but only Issachar and Zebulun, “Sisera” in the spiritual sense meaning the falsity from evil destroying the church.
sRef Deut@33 @6 S14′ [14] “Reuben” signifies the light of truth, and the understanding of the Word therefrom, in Moses:
Let Reuben live and not die; yet his men shall be a number (Deut. 33:6).
Here “Reuben” means the understanding of the Word illustrated by light from heaven; and because there are a few who receive such illustration it is said of Reuben, “Yet his men shall be a number,” “number” signifying fewness and a few.
[15] That “Reuben” signifies truth from good, or faith from charity, is evident also from the contrary sense, in which he is also mentioned. In that sense “Reuben” signifies truth separate from good, or faith separate from charity; and truth without good is not truth except merely in respect to expression and sound, for it is merely a matter of knowledge, having its seat in the memory of the natural man, thus only in the entrance to man, and not within him in his life. The memory of the natural man is merely an entrance to him, and what is in it does not become truth in him until he wills it and does it; then it first enters and receives life; not till then does the light from heaven flow in and illustrate. It is similar with faith separate from charity, for truth is of faith, and good is of charity.
sRef Gen@35 @22 S16′ [16] That “Reuben” in the contrary sense signifies faith separate from charity can be seen from his adultery with Bilhah his father’s concubine, which is thus described in Moses:
It came to pass while Israel dwelt in the land Ephrath Bethlehem, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard (Gen. 35:22).
“Ephrath Bethlehem” signifies the spiritual church, which is in truths from good, or in faith from charity; Reuben’s adultery signifies the rejection of the good of charity from the truths of faith, for truth is profaned when it is not conjoined with its own good, which is the good of charity, since it is then conjoined with the love of self and the world, which is adulteration. All adulteries (of which many kinds are enumerated in Lev. 18:6-23) correspond to the adulterations of good and truth. That the adultery committed by Reuben corresponds to faith separate from charity has been made known and testified to me by things heard and seen in the spiritual world, where such a sphere of adultery is perceived to go forth from those who have separated charity from faith in doctrine and life.
sRef Gen@49 @3 S17′ sRef Gen@49 @4 S17′ [17] Because this too was signified by “Reuben,” the birthright was taken away from him by his father and given to Joseph and his sons. That it was taken from Reuben is evident from these words of his father:
Reuben my firstborn, thou art my power and the beginning of my might, excelling in eminence and excelling in strength. Light as water, thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed, then profanedst thou it; he went up to my couch (Gen. 49:3, 4).
“Reuben my firstborn” signifies faith, which is apparently in the first place, or truth born of good; “thou art my power and the beginning of my might” signifies that thereby good has its potency and truth has its first potency; “excelling in eminence and excelling in strength” signifies that from this is glory and power; “light as water” signifies that it is not so with faith separate from charity; “thou shalt not excel” signifies that such faith has neither glory nor power, “because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed” signifies because the truth of faith separated from the good of charity has a filthy conjunction; “then profanedst thou it” signifies conjunction with the love of self and the world and with evil therefrom, which is a profane conjunction; “he went up to my couch” signifies the contamination of spiritual good in the natural. (This is fully explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 6341-6350.)
sRef 1Chr@5 @2 S18′ sRef Gen@48 @5 S18′ sRef 1Chr@5 @1 S18′ [18] That the birthright was therefore given to the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, is meant by these words of Israel the father to Joseph:
Now thy two sons born unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came into Egypt, they are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine (Gen. 48:5).
And in the first book of Chronicles:
Reuben was the firstborn; but because he defiled his father’s bed his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel (5:1, 2).
For “Ephraim” in the Word has a similar signification with “Reuben,” namely, the understanding of truth, and truth in the light. It is said “Ephraim and Manasseh shall be the sons of Israel, even as Reuben and Simeon,” because “Reuben” signifies the understanding of truth, and “Simeon” the will of truth, similar with “Ephraim” and “Manasseh.” From this it can now be seen what universal essential of the church is signified in the Word by “Reuben.”
* Photolithograph has “thou dwellest,” “dwelling” is found in AC n. 4117, 4255.

sRef Rev@7 @5 S0′ 435. Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand sealed, signifies the good of life therefrom. This is evident from the representation of “the tribe of Gad,” as being the good of life (of which presently); also from the signification of “twelve thousand sealed,” as being that all such are in heaven and come into heaven (as explained in the two preceding articles). Before showing from the Word what in the church was represented by “Gad” and by the tribe named from him, something shall be said respecting what is meant by the good of life, which is here signified by “the tribe of Gad.” There is the good of life from a celestial origin, from a spiritual origin, and from a natural origin. The good of life from a celestial origin is the good of life that comes from the good of love to the Lord through truths from that good; the good of life is an effect of these. Such good of life is what is here signified by “the tribe of Gad;” therefore it is called “the good of life therefrom,” namely, from the good of love to the Lord, which is signified by “the tribe of Judah,” through truths from that good, which are signified by “the tribe of Reuben.” The good of life from a spiritual origin is the good of life that comes from good of charity towards the neighbor through truths from that good; this good of life is meant by “Manasseh.”
[2] For the twelve tribes of Israel are here divided into four classes, and there are three tribes in each class, and the three in series signify such things as from beginning to end, or from first to last, fully constitute that universal essential of the church that is signified by the first tribe. The three tribes first named, that is, the tribes of Judah, Reuben, and Gad, signify those things that fully constitute celestial good; but the three following tribes, namely, the tribes of Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh, signify those that fully constitute spiritual good. So it is with the tribes that follow.
[3] Moreover, there are three things which fully constitute and form each universal essential, namely, the good of love, the truth from that good, and the good of life therefrom. The good of life is the effect of the other two; for unless there is a third that is brought forth, the two former can have no existence, that is, unless there is the good of life, the good of love and truth from that good can have no existence. These three are like the final cause, the effecting cause, and the effect. The good of love is the final cause, truth from that good is the effecting cause or that through which good is brought into effect, and the good of life is the effect in which the prior causes have existence; and these have no existence unless there is an effect in which they may exist and subsist. Again, these three are like the pulse of the heart, the respiration of the lungs, and the action of the body; these make a one: for if the body does not act, or does not let itself be put in action, as is the case when man dies, the other two cease. It is the same with the good of love, the truth from that good, and the good of life. The good of love is like the heart, and is also meant by “heart” in the Word; truth from that good is like the lungs, and is also meant by “breath” and “soul” in the Word; and the good of life is like the body in which the others act and live. Three like things are in everything that has existence, and when the three exist together there is full formation.
[4] What is signified by “Gad,” or “the tribe of Gad,” in every sense shall first be explained. In the highest sense “Gad” signifies the Lord in respect to omnipotence and omniscience; in the internal sense the good of truth; and in the external sense works therefrom, which are the good of life. “Gad” signifies such things because in each and every thing of the Word there is an inmost, an internal, and an external sense. In the inmost sense is the Lord alone for it treats of Him, of His glorifying His Human, arranging the heavens in order, subjugating the hells, and establishing the church from Himself; therefore in the inmost sense each tribe signifies the Lord in respect to some attribute and work of His; while in the internal sense heaven and the church are treated of, and doctrine is taught. But the Word in the external sense is such as it is in the sense of the letter. There are three senses in the Word, because there are three heavens; the inmost or celestial sense is for the inmost or third heaven, the internal or spiritual sense is for the middle or second heaven, and the external or spiritual-natural sense is for the first or lowest heaven.
[5] In this passage of Revelation, where the twelve tribes are mentioned, “the tribe of Gad” signifies the good of life, because it follows in order after Judah and Reuben, and “Judah” signifies the good of love, “Reuben” the truth from that good, consequently “Gad” signifies the good of life; for the good of life has existence from the good of love, through truths from that good, the good of life following as the third in order, being the effect of the two former as was said above.
Because the good of life is the good of the natural man, therefore an inheritance was given to the tribe of Gad* beyond Jordan, together with the tribe of Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh; for the land that was beyond Jordan signified the external church (as was shown in the article above), and the things that go forth from the natural man belong to the external church. The church itself regarded in itself is in the internal or spiritual man; but the external church is in the external or natural man, yet these must act as a one, like cause and effect.
sRef Num@32 @16 S6′ sRef Num@32 @11 S6′ sRef Num@32 @17 S6′ sRef Num@32 @1 S6′ sRef Num@32 @2 S6′ sRef Num@32 @22 S6′ sRef Num@32 @12 S6′ sRef Num@32 @21 S6′ sRef Num@32 @15 S6′ sRef Num@32 @14 S6′ sRef Num@32 @18 S6′ sRef Num@32 @5 S6′ sRef Num@32 @19 S6′ sRef Num@32 @8 S6′ sRef Num@32 @23 S6′ sRef Num@32 @7 S6′ sRef Num@32 @20 S6′ sRef Num@32 @3 S6′ sRef Num@32 @10 S6′ sRef Num@32 @4 S6′ sRef Num@32 @9 S6′ sRef Num@32 @6 S6′ sRef Num@32 @38 S6′ sRef Num@34 @14 S6′ sRef Num@32 @37 S6′ sRef Num@32 @30 S6′ sRef Num@32 @40 S6′ sRef Num@32 @39 S6′ sRef Num@32 @35 S6′ sRef Num@32 @33 S6′ sRef Num@32 @34 S6′ sRef Num@32 @31 S6′ sRef Num@32 @32 S6′ sRef Num@32 @36 S6′ sRef Josh@13 @25 S6′ sRef Josh@13 @24 S6′ sRef Num@32 @25 S6′ sRef Num@32 @13 S6′ sRef Num@32 @24 S6′ sRef Josh@13 @26 S6′ sRef Num@32 @28 S6′ sRef Num@32 @41 S6′ sRef Num@32 @29 S6′ sRef Num@32 @26 S6′ sRef Num@32 @27 S6′ sRef Num@32 @42 S6′ sRef Deut@3 @17 S6′ sRef Deut@3 @16 S6′ [6] That an inheritance beyond Jordan was given to the tribe of Gad is evident in Moses:
To Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh an inheritance was given beyond Jordan, which was a place for cattle; and it was given with the condition that they should cross over, armed, with the rest, to take possession of the land of Canaan (Num. 32:1 to the end; 34:14).
Unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave Gilead even unto the brook of Arnon within the brook and the border, and even unto the brook Jabbok, the border of the sons of Ammon; the plain also, and Jordan, and the border from Chinnereth even unto the sea, the plain, the salt sea, under the springs of Pisgah toward sunrise (Deut. 3:16, 17).
And in Joshua:
Moses gave to the sons of Gad that Jazer should be their border, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the sons of Ammon, even unto Aroer that is before the faces of Rabbah; and from Heshbon unto Ramath of Mispeh, and Betonim (13:24-28).
The signification of “Gad” can be seen not only from the passages in the Word where Gad is mentioned, but also from the lands given to that tribe for an inheritance, where these also are mentioned in the Word, as Heshbon, Jazer, Rabbah, Ramath of Mispeh, the brook of Arnon, Chinnereth, the springs of Pisgah, and many other places. What these lands signify in the spiritual sense no one can know unless he knows the signification of “the tribe of Reuben, of Gad, and of the half tribe of Manasseh,” to whom these lands were given for a possession; for they signify such things as are signified by those tribes in a wide and in a restricted sense.
sRef Jer@49 @1 S7′ sRef Jer@49 @3 S7′ sRef Jer@49 @2 S7′ [7] As in Jeremiah:
Against the sons of Ammon: Hath Israel no sons? Hath he no heir? Why then hath their king inherited Gad, and his people dwelt in the cities thereof? Therefore behold, the days come in which I will cause an alarm of war to be heard against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon; and it shall become a heap of desolation, and her daughters shall be burned with fire, and Israel shall be heir unto them that were his heirs. Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is devastated; cry out, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird ye with sackcloth; lament, and wander about among the walls, for their king shall go into exile, and his priests and his princes together (49:1-3).
Unless one knows what is signified by “Gad” and by “Israel,” he cannot know what is here signified by “the sons of Ammon,” by “Heshbon,” and by “Rabbah;” for Rabbah, Heshbon, and half of the land of Ammon were given to the tribe of Gad for an inheritance; therefore those lands signify such things in particular as are signified in general by Gad; for it is said “Why then hath the king of the sons of Ammon inherited Gad, and his people dwelt in the cities thereof?” For all names of lands, of regions, of cities, of rivers, and of peoples, in the Word signify the things of the church. “Gad” here signifies the good of life according to the truths of doctrine; “Israel” the church in respect to truth; “the sons of Ammon” signify the falsifications of truth; “Heshbon” signifies the fructification of truth in the natural man; “the daughters of Rabbah” signify the affections of truth in the natural man, and “Ai” the doctrine of truth. When these things are known, the spiritual sense of these words follows in this series: “Against the sons of Ammon” signifies against the falsifications of truth; “hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir?” signifies, are there in the church no knowledges of truth and good? “Israel” meaning the church, “his sons” truths, and “heir” the good of truth; “why then hath their king inherited Gad, and his people dwelt in the cities thereof?” signifies, why hath truth falsified destroyed the good of life, and also perverted the doctrinals according to which is life? “Behold, the days come, in which I will cause an alarm of war to be heard against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and it shall become a heap of desolation,” signifies the destruction of that doctrine, that is, of truth falsified, and the destruction of those who are in it; “and her daughters shall be burned with fire,” signifies that the affections of that doctrine shall become lusts of evil; “and Israel shall be heir unto them that were his heirs,” signifies that the church in respect to goods is to perish; “howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is devastated,” signifies that there is no longer any fructification of truth from good, because the doctrine of truth is destroyed; “cry out, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird ye with sackcloth, lament,” signifies that there are no longer any affections of truth; “and wander about among the walls,” signifies thought and life from falsities; “for their king hath gone into exile,” signifies because truth is no more; “and his priests and his princes together,” signifies that both goods and the truths of good are no more. This makes clear that “the lands of the inheritance of Gad” signify similar things in particular as “Gad” does in general, and that the significations of the lands mentioned in the Word can be known from the signification of the tribes to which they were given for inheritance. The lands that it is said would be given for an inheritance to the tribe of Gad, in Ezekiel (48:27), mean something else; evidently the tribe of Gad is not meant, but such a constituent of the church as is signified by “Gad,” for there was then no tribe of Gad, nor will there be.
sRef Deut@33 @20 S8′ sRef Deut@33 @21 S8′ [8] That “Gad” signifies the good of life from the truths of doctrine is evident from the blessing of that tribe by Moses:
To Gad he said, Blessed is he who hath given breadth to Gad; as a lion he dwelleth, and he teareth the arm, yea, the crown of the head, and he seeth the firstfruits for himself; for there is the portion of the hidden lawgiver; whence came the heads of the people; he hath executed the righteousness of Jehovah, and judgments** with Israel (Deut. 33:20, 21).
Here the good of life according to truths from the Word, and the influx of heaven into that good are described by “Gad;” the influx of truth from the Lord into that good is signified by “Blessed is he who hath given breadth to Gad;” “breadth” signifying truth, “Gad” the good of life, and “Blessed” the Lord. To be safe from falsities is signified by “as a lion he dwelleth;” to be nourished by truths external and internal is signified by “he teareth the arm, yea, the crown of the head,” for “the arm” and “the crown of the head” in sacrifices have this signification; that these truths are from things primary is signified by “he seeth the firstfruits for himself;” truths Divine that lie hidden therein are signified by “for there is the portion of the hidden lawgiver;” intelligence therefrom is signified by “whence came the heads of the people;” good works therefrom are signified by “he hath executed the righteousness of Jehovah;” and truths of the church therefrom are signified by “His judgments with Israel.”
sRef Gen@49 @19 S9′ sRef Gen@30 @10 S9′ sRef Gen@30 @11 S9′ sRef Isa@65 @11 S9′ [9] “Gad” signifies the good of life because he was named from the Hebrew word for “troop” (Gen. 30:10, 11), “gad” in the Hebrew meaning troop, and “troop” in the spiritual sense signifies works; and the good of life consists in doing the goods which are works (respecting which see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3934). In the blessing given by Israel his father it is thus said in Moses:
Gad, a troop shall ravage him; and he shall ravage the heel (Gen. 49:19).
What “Gad” here signifies may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia (n. 6403-6406); also (in n. 6405) what is signified by these words in Isaiah:
Ye are they that forsake Jehovah, that forget the mountain of My holiness, that arrange a table for Gad, and fill a drink-offering for Meni (65:11).
* Photolithograph has “Dan” for “Gad.”
** Photolithograph has “judgment;” but in explanation below with the Hebrew “judgments.”

sRef Rev@7 @5 S0′ 436. From this it can now be seen what the three tribes first named, “Judah, Reuben, and Gad,” signify in particular, as also what the three signify in the complex; for the names of persons and places in the Word signify things, not only each by itself signifying its own thing, but in the complex they signify the thing in series. The thing in series that is signified by these three names, “Judah, Reuben, and Gad,” is that all who are in love to the Lord, and from that in truths, and through truths in the good of life, are in the inmost or third heaven; for such have the three degrees of life opened; the inmost degree is where love to the Lord has its seat, the middle degree is where truths from that good have their seat, and the ultimate degree is where the good of life has its seat. In every man there are three degrees of life; in those who are in the third heaven the inmost degree is open, for this is opened immediately from the Lord with those who are in love to Him, for through love there is conjunction and thus reception; because of this they are in all truths, which they see in themselves, and by means of these they are in the good of life. (That there are three degrees of life in every angel may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 33, 34; that the third degree is opened with those who are in the third heaven, n. 208, 209; what the quality of the angels of the third heaven is, n. 24-26, 267, 270, 271.)

sRef Rev@7 @6 S0′ 437. Verse 6. Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand sealed. 6. “Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand sealed,” signifies charity towards the neighbor, and that all who are in it are in heaven and come into heaven (n. 438), “of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand sealed,” signifies regeneration and temptation (n. 439); “of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand sealed,” signifies the goods of life therefrom (n. 440). And that all these are in the second heaven, and come into that heaven (n. 441).

sRef Rev@7 @6 S0′ 438. Verse 6. Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand sealed, signifies charity towards the neighbor, and that all who are in it are in heaven and come into heaven. This is evident from the signification of “the tribe of Asher,” as being the spiritual affection which is charity (of which presently); and from the signification of “twelve thousand sealed,” as being those who are in heaven and who come into heaven (as above, n. 433). That “the tribe of Asher” signifies love towards the neighbor, which is called charity, will be made clear from what follows, and is also clear from this, that the twelve tribes taken together represented heaven and the church, and therefore signify these in the Word, and that each tribe represented, and thence signifies, some universal essential that is a constituent of heaven and the church. Heaven and the church are constituted, in general, of three universal essentials, namely, love to the Lord, charity towards the neighbor, and the obedience of faith; love to the Lord is signified by the first three tribes, Judah, Reuben, and Gad (as was shown above); charity towards the neighbor is signified by these three tribes, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh; while the obedience of faith is signified by the three tribes next named, Simeon, Levi, and Issachar; the conjunction of all of these with the Lord is signified by the last three tribes, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. This, in brief, is the signification of all these tribes named in this order, for their signification is determined by the order in which they are named (as has been said and shown above, n. 431, 435, 436).
[2] Furthermore, the “sealed” mean those who have been separated from the evil and received into heaven; and the first three tribes mean those who have been received into the highest or third heaven, in which all are in love to the Lord; the three tribes next named, which are now under consideration, mean those who have been received into the middle or second heaven, in which all are in charity towards the neighbor; while the three tribes that next follow mean those who have been received into the lowest or first heaven, where those are who are in the obedience that is called the obedience of faith; and the last three tribes mean the reception of all these into the three heavens by the Lord; for there are three heavens, distinguished from one another according to the degrees of the good of love. From all this it can first be seen that this second class of tribes, that is, the three tribes, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh, mean those who are in charity towards the neighbor; “the tribe of Asher” meaning charity towards the neighbor; “Naphtali” the regeneration of those who are in that charity, and “Manasseh” their good of life.
[3] But what “Asher” signifies in the Lord’s kingdom, that is, in the church, shall first be told. “Asher” signifies the blessedness of spiritual affections, and thence spiritual affection itself; and as spiritual affection is what is called love towards the neighbor or charity, so “Asher” here signifies charity; consequently the “twelve thousand” of that tribe here signify all who are in charity, and are thus in the second or middle heaven. That Asher was so called from what is blessed or from blessedness is evident both from the meaning of the word in Hebrew and also from what was said of him by Leah the wife of Jacob, when he was born, which is the following:
Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, bare Jacob a second son. And Leah said, In my blessedness, for the daughters will call me blessed; and she called his name Asher (Gen. 30:12, 13).
“The daughters who should call her blessed” signify the spiritual affections of truth, which constitute the church, from which is every internal blessedness that is heavenly, in which blessedness those are who are in charity towards the neighbor, for charity towards the neighbor is the spiritual affection of truth (as was just said above); and the spiritual affection of truth is to love truth in its essence, that is, to love truth because it is truth; moreover, the neighbor, in the spiritual sense, is nothing else than good and truth, and charity is love for this (as can be seen from what is said and shown in the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, on Love towards the Neighbor, which is called Charity, n. 84-107. The rest of the passage may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 3936-3939).
sRef Gen@30 @12 S4′ sRef Gen@49 @20 S4′ sRef Gen@30 @13 S4′ [4] That “Asher” signified blessedness which is of love and charity is further evident from the blessing of Asher by Israel his father:
From Asher his bread is fat, and he shall yield the delicacies of a king (Gen. 49:20).
“From Asher” signifies from celestial and spiritual affections, which are those of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor; “his bread is fat,” signifies delight from good; “and he shall yield the delicacies of a king” signifies pleasure from truth. (This is further explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 6408-6410.)
sRef Deut@33 @25 S5′ sRef Deut@33 @24 S5′ [5] “Asher” has a similar significance in Moses’ blessing, namely, the delight of the affection of truth from the Word; the blessing is this:
Of Asher he said, Blessed above sons be Asher; let him be acceptable unto his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil; thy shoe is iron and brass; and as the days so thy fame (Deut. 33:24, 25).
Moses’ blessing of the sons of Israel contains arcana respecting the Word; and “Asher,” who is the one last mentioned there signifies the spiritual affection of truth from the Word; therefore it is said, “Blessed above sons be Asher, let him be acceptable to his brethren,” “sons” signifying truths, and “brethren” the church from truths; and “blessed” and “acceptable” are predicated of the affection of truths. The good of love, from which are the truths of the Word in the sense of the letter, is signified by “dipping his foot in oil;” “foot” signifies truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, and “oil” signifies the good of love. That the ultimate of the Word is natural truth and good is signified by “thy shoe is iron and brass;” natural truth is signified by “iron,” and natural good by “brass,” and the ultimate by “shoe.” That the Word is to endure to eternity is signified by “as the days so thy fame.” (That “iron” signifies natural truth, see above, n. 176; that “brass” signifies natural good, n. 70; and that “shoe” signifies the ultimate of the natural, which is the sensual, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1748, 2162, 6844.)
sRef Num@2 @28 S6′ sRef Num@2 @29 S6′ sRef Num@2 @30 S6′ sRef Num@2 @31 S6′ sRef Num@2 @26 S6′ sRef Num@2 @25 S6′ sRef Num@2 @27 S6′ [6] Because “Asher” signifies the delight of affections, such as those have who are in truths from the sense of the letter:
That tribe encamped, together with the tribe of Dan and the tribe of Naphtali, to the north (Num. 2:25-31).
The encampments of the sons of Israel in the wilderness represented the arrangements of the angelic societies in the heavens (see above, n. 431), and there to the north are the dwelling places of those who, from the good of charity, are in the affection of spiritual knowledges.
sRef Ezek@48 @34 S7′ sRef Ezek@48 @35 S7′ [7] That “Asher” signifies spiritual blessedness, which is blessedness from love and charity, can be seen in Ezekiel, where the new land and the new city are treated of, and that land is distributed as an inheritance among all the tribes of Israel; and to the city twelve gates are assigned, one for each tribe. The inheritance of Asher is there described in chapter 48:1-3, and the gates in these words:
The corner towards the sea four thousand and five hundred;* the gates of the city three; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. Round about eighteen thousand; and the name of the city from that day, Jehovah-is-there (verses 34, 35).
The “land” that was to be distributed for an inheritance signifies the church; the “sons of Israel” among whom it was to be distributed, signify all truths from good in the complex that belong to the church; the “city” signifies the doctrine of truth from good of love, therefore it is called Jehovah shammah, or “Jehovah-is-there;” the “gates” signify introductory truths, which are doctrinals; the number “four thousand and five hundred” signifies all truths from good, and “eighteen thousand” all the truths of doctrine encompassing and defending. This makes clear not only that each and all things there mentioned, even to the numbers, signify the things of the church, but also that no tribe of Israel is there meant, each tribe named standing for some universal essential of the church. It is evident, moreover, that “Asher” here signifies the spiritual affection of truth, which makes one with charity towards the neighbor. (That “Asher” signifies eternity in the highest sense, in the internal sense the felicity of life from blessedness of affections that are of love and charity, and in the external sense natural delight therefrom, see in Arcana Coelestia, n. 3938, 3939, 6408.)
* Photolithograph has “five hundred and four thousand” for “four thousand and five hundred.”

sRef Rev@7 @6 S0′ sRef Gen@30 @7 S1′ sRef Gen@30 @8 S1′ 439. Of the tribe Naphtali twelve thousand sealed, signifies regeneration and temptation. This is evident from what is represented and thence signified by “Naphtali” and his tribe, as meaning temptation and the state after it; and as temptations occur for the sake of regeneration, regeneration too is signified by “Naphtali.” (That those who are regenerated undergo temptations see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 187-201.) That “Naphtali” and thence the tribe named from him, signify temptation and the state after it, and accordingly regeneration, can be seen from the words of Rachel, when Bilhah her handmaid bare him, which are these:
And Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid, conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. And Rachel said, With wrestlings of God have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed; and she called his name Naphtali (Gen. 30:7, 8).
“Wrestlings of God” signify spiritual temptations; and as Rachel represented the internal church, which is spiritual, and Leah the external church, which is natural, Rachel’s wrestling with her sister and prevailing signifies evidently the combat between the spiritual and the natural, since every temptation is a combat between the spiritual man and the natural; for the spiritual man loves and wills the things that are of heaven, since it is in heaven, while the natural man loves and wills the things that are of the world, since it is in the world; consequently the desires of the two are opposite, which gives rise to collision and combat, and this is called temptation.
sRef Gen@49 @21 S2′ [2] That “Naphtali” signifies temptation and the state after it, and thence regeneration, is further evident from the following passages. From the blessing he received from his father Israel:
Naphtali is a hind let loose; giving sayings of elegance (Gen. 49:21).
“Naphtali” here signifies the state after temptation, which state is full of joy from affection, that the spiritual and the natural, and good and truth, have been conjoined, for these are conjoined by temptations; “a hind let loose” signifies the freedom of the natural affection; “giving sayings of elegance,” signifies gladness of mind. (This is more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 6412-6414.)
sRef Deut@33 @23 S3′ [3] Again, from the blessing he received from Moses:
And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with the good pleasure and full of the blessing of Jehovah; possess thou the west and the south (Deut. 33:23).
This, too, describes the state after temptation, in which man is filled with every good of love and with truths therefrom; for after temptations he is filled with joy, and good bears fruit, and truth is multiplied with him; to be filled with the good of love is meant by “satisfied with the good pleasure of Jehovah;” and to be filled with truths therefrom is signified by “full of the blessing of Jehovah;” the consequent affection of truth and illustration are signified by “possess thou the west and the south,” the affection of truth is signified by “the west,” and illustration by “the south.” It is said “possess thou the west and the south,” because those who are raised up into heaven after having been instructed are carried through the west to the south, that is, through the affection of truth into the light of truth.
sRef Judg@5 @18 S4′ [4] “Naphtali” has a similar signification in the song of Deborah and Barak, in the book of Judges:
Zebulun, a people that devoted their soul to death, and Naphtali upon the heights of the field (5:18).
These were the two tribes that fought against Sisera, the captain of the host of Jabin, king of Canaan, and conquered him, the other ten tribes remaining quiet; and this represented the spiritual combat against the evils that infest the church; as is evident also from the prophetic song of Deborah and Barak, of which this is the subject. Only the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali fought, because “Zebulun” signifies the conjunction of good and truth which constitutes the church, and “Naphtali” the combat against the evils and falsities that infest it and that resist the conjunction of good and truth, consequently the two signify reformation and regeneration; “the heights of the field” signify the interiors of the church, from which combat is maintained. Again “Zebulun and Naphtali” together also signify reformation and regeneration by means of temptations (in Isaiah 8:22; 9:1, 2; also in Matthew 4:12-16).
sRef Ps@68 @30 S5′ sRef Ps@68 @29 S5′ sRef Ps@68 @31 S5′ sRef Ps@68 @25 S5′ sRef Ps@68 @26 S5′ sRef Ps@68 @24 S5′ sRef Ps@68 @28 S5′ sRef Ps@68 @27 S5′ [5] In the highest sense however “Zebulun and Naphtali” signify the uniting of the Divine and the Human in the Lord, for the highest sense treats solely of the Lord, in general of the glorification of His Human, and the subjugation of the hells, and the arranging of the heavens by Him. In this sense Zebulun and Naphtali are mentioned in David:
They have seen Thy goings, O God; the goings of my God, my King in the midst of the sanctuary. The singers went before, the minstrels after, in the midst of the maidens playing on timbrels. Bless ye God in the assemblies, the Lord from the fountain of Israel. There little Benjamin is set over them, the princes of Judah their company, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. Thy God hath commanded thy strength; put on strength, O God; this Thou hast wrought for us out of Thy temple at Jerusalem; kings shall bring oblations to Thee. Rebuke the wild beast of the reed, the congregation of the mighty among the calves of the peoples; trampling upon the plates of silver, He hath scattered the peoples, they desire combats. Those that are fat shall come out of Egypt. Ethiopia shall hasten her hands unto God (Ps. 68:24-31).
This treats in the spiritual sense of the coming of the Lord, of the glorification of His Human, of the subjugation of the hells, and the consequent salvation. Celebration of the Lord because of His coming is described in these words: “They have seen Thy goings, O God, the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary. The singers went before, the minstrels after, in the midst of the maidens playing on timbrels. Bless ye God in the assemblies, the Lord from the fountain of Israel.” (What the particulars here signify see explained above, n. 340.) The innocence of the Lord, by which He wrought and accomplished all things, is signified by “there little Benjamin is set over them;” Divine truth from Divine good is signified by “the princes of Judah their company;” His glorification, or the uniting of the Divine and Human by His own power, is signified by “the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali;” that from this the Lord’s Human has Divine power is signified by “thy God hath commanded thy strength; put on strength, O God; this Thou hast wrought for us out of Thy temple at Jerusalem,” “temple” meaning here the Lord’s Divine Human, and “Jerusalem” the church for which He did this. The subjugation of the hells is signified by “rebuke the wild beast of the reed, the congregation of the mighty, among the calves of the peoples; trampling upon the plates of silver, He hath scattered the peoples, they desire combats;” “the wild beast of the reed and the congregation of the mighty” mean the knowing faculty of the natural man perverting the truths and goods of the church; “the calves of the people” mean the goods of the church; “the plates of silver” mean the truths of the church; “He hath scattered the people, they desire combats,” signifies to pervert truths and reason against them.
[6] The subjugation of the hells means the subjugation of the natural man; for evils from hell are in the natural man, for in it, too, are the delights of the love of self and of the world and the knowledges [scientifica] that confirm these delights; and when these delights are regarded as ends and become dominant they are against the goods and truths of the church. That when the natural man has been subjugated it supplies accordant knowledges [scientifica)], and also cognitions of truth and good, is signified by “those that are fat shall come out of Egypt, Ethiopia shall hasten her hands unto God.” “Egypt” meaning the natural man in respect to knowledges [scientifica], and “Ethiopia” the natural man in respect to cognitions of good and truth. From these few instances the signification of “Naphtali” and his tribe in the Word can be seen, namely, that it signifies in the highest sense the Lord’s own power, by which He subjugated the hells and glorified His Human, in the internal sense temptation and the states after temptation, and in the external sense resistance by the natural man; therefore “Naphtali” signifies also reformation and regeneration, because these are results of temptations.

sRef Rev@7 @6 S0′ 440. Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand sealed, signifies the goods of life therefrom. This is evident from the representation and consequent signification of “the tribe of Manasseh,” as meaning the voluntary [principle] of the church, and the good of life therefrom. It means the good of life because the good of life makes one with the voluntary of the church or of the man of the church, since that which a man wills he does when he can, for doing is nothing but the will acting, as can be seen from the fact that doing stops when the will stops, and doing goes on as long as there is a will; that which the will of a regenerated man does is called the good of life. For this reason, as the voluntary of the church is signified by “Manasseh” and his tribe, so the good of life is also signified. Moreover, the good of life is the outcome of charity towards the neighbor after regeneration, which is signified by “Asher and Naphtali,” like an effect from its cause; for they who are in charity towards the neighbor are regenerated by the Lord, and those who are regenerated are in the good of life, since they act from charity, and all action from charity is good of life.
sRef Gen@41 @51 S2′ sRef Gen@41 @52 S2′ sRef Gen@41 @50 S2′ [2] There are two things that constitute the church, namely, the truth of doctrine and the good of life; both of these must be in a man that he may be a man of the church. “Ephraim and Manasseh” represented and thence signify in the Word these two, “Ephraim” the truth of doctrine, and “Manasseh” the good of life. The truth of doctrine is also called the intellectual of the church, and the good of life is called its voluntary; for truth is of the understanding, and good is of the will; for this reason also “Ephraim and Manasseh” signify the intellectual and the voluntary of the church, “Ephraim” its intellectual, and “Manasseh” its voluntary. That these might be represented and thence signified by “Ephraim and Manasseh” they were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt; for “Joseph” signifies the celestial-spiritual, or the spiritual kingdom itself that is adjoined to the celestial kingdom, and “the land of Egypt” signifies the natural; consequently “Manasseh” signifies the good of the will in the natural born of the celestial-spiritual, and “Ephraim” signifies truth of the understanding in the natural, also born from the same. The nativity of these is thus described in Moses:
And unto Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath the daughter of Potiphera priest of On bare unto him. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, For God hath made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house. And the name of the second called he Ephraim, For God hath made me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction (Gen. 41:50-52).
The meaning of these words in the spiritual sense can be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 5347-5356), namely, that the name of the firstborn, “Manasseh,” means the new voluntary in the natural and what is its quality; and the name of the second, “Ephraim,” means the new intellectual in the natural, and what is its quality; or what is the same, “Manasseh” means the good of the new natural man, and “Ephraim” its truth (see n. 5351, 5354).
sRef Gen@48 @6 S3′ sRef Gen@48 @5 S3′ [3] That this is the signification of “Manasseh and Ephraim” can be seen from the fact that they were adopted by Jacob as “Reuben and Simeon,” which is thus described in Moses:
And Jacob said unto Joseph, Now thy two sons, born unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came unto thee into Egypt, they are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine. They shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance (Gen. 48:3, 5, 6).
As “Reuben” signifies truth in the understanding, which is the truth of doctrine, and “Simeon” truth in the will, which is the good of life, therefore Jacob says that “Ephraim and Manasseh should be to him as Reuben and Simeon;” consequently “Ephraim” signifies intellectual truth, and “Manasseh” voluntary good. (But this may be seen more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 6234-6241.)
sRef Isa@9 @19 S4′ sRef Isa@9 @20 S4′ sRef Isa@9 @21 S4′ sRef Deut@33 @17 S4′ sRef Gen@48 @15 S4′ sRef Gen@48 @16 S4′ [4] The same can be seen from the blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh by Jacob, then Israel, as follows:
Israel blessed Joseph, and said, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me from then unto this day, the Angel that hath redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them shall my name be called, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth (Gen. 48:15-16).
That here, too, “Ephraim” means intellectual truth, and “Manasseh” voluntary good, both in the natural, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 6274-6285). And again, in the blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh by Moses, as follows:
Respecting Joseph, In the firstborn of his ox he hath honor, and his horns are the horns of a unicorn; with them he shall push the peoples together to the ends of the earth; and these are the myriads of Ephraim and these the thousands of Manasseh (Deut. 33:17).
This may be seen explained above (n. 316 and 336).
That “Ephraim” signifies the understanding of truth, and “Manasseh” the will of good, both in the natural, can be seen also from the following passages. In Isaiah:
In the fury of Jehovah of Hosts is the land darkened, and the people are become as fuel of the fire; a man shall not pity his brother; and if he shall cut down on the right hand he shall still be hungry, and if he shall eat on the left hand they shall not be satisfied; they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm, Manasseh Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh, they together against Judah* (9:19-21).
“Manasseh shall eat Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,” here signifies that every good and truth of the church is to perish, the good through falsity, and the truth through evil, as may be seen above (n. 386, where the particulars are explained).
sRef Ps@60 @7 S5′ sRef Ps@108 @8 S5′ [5] In David:
Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine, and Ephraim is the strength of My head; Judah is My lawgiver (Ps. 60:7; 108:8).
“Manasseh” here signifies the good of the church, “Ephraim” its truth, and “Gilead” the natural; and since truth from good in the natural has Divine power it is said, “Ephraim is the strength of My head.” Divine power is through truth from good in the natural, because the natural is the ultimate into which things interior flow, which are spiritual and celestial, and where they are together and subsist; consequently where they are in fullness, and in this and from this is all Divine operation. For this reason the sense of the letter of the Word, because it is natural, has in it Divine power (respecting which see above, n. 346, and Arcana Coelestia, n. 9836); from this it can be seen why Ephraim is said to be “the strength of Jehovah’s head;” Judah is said to be “His lawgiver” because “Judah” signifies internal Divine truth, or the Word in the spiritual sense, and “lawgiver” and “law” have a similar signification.
sRef Ps@80 @1 S6′ sRef Ps@80 @2 S6′ [6] In the same:
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; Thou that sittest upon the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh stir up Thy might and come for salvation to us (Ps. 80:1, 2).
From the spiritual sense it is clear that these words contain a supplication to the Lord to instruct those who are of the church, and to lead them by truths to good, thus to heaven. The Lord is called “the Shepherd of Israel” because He instructs and leads; it is therefore said, “Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock,” “Joseph” meaning those of the church who are in truths from good; “Thou that sittest upon the cherubim” signifies the Lord above the heavens, whence He sends forth the light that illustrates minds, therefore it is said “shine forth.” That the light of truth may penetrate even to those who are in natural truth and good, thus to the lowest in the church, is signified by “before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh stir up Thy might;” “Ephraim” meaning those who are in natural truth; natural truth is such truth as the truth of the Word is in the sense of the letter; “Manasseh” means those who are in natural good, which is the delight of doing good and learning truth; “Benjamin” means the conjunctive of truth and good, or the conjoining medium in the natural; “to stir up might” means the penetration of light even to that; “come for salvation to us” means that such may be saved.
[7] Because all the good that the natural man has flows in from the Lord through the spiritual, and without that influx there can be no good in the natural, and because “Manasseh” represented and thus signified good in the natural man from a spiritual origin, therefore to that tribe an inheritance was given both beyond or without Jordan and on this side or within Jordan, that is, to half the tribe beyond or without Jordan, and to the other half on this side or within Jordan (see Num. 32:33, 39, 40; Deut. 3:13; Josh. 13:29-31; 17:5-13, 16-18). The land beyond or without Jordan represented and signified the external church, which is with men in the natural man; but the land on this side or within Jordan represented and signified the internal church, which is with men in the spiritual man (on which see above, n. 434). Again, it is good that constitutes the church, and this good flows in immediately out of the spiritual man into the natural, and without this influx the church is not with man; and this is the reason that to the tribe of Manasseh, by which the good of the church was signified, was given an inheritance both within and without Jordan. That spiritual good flows into natural good immediately, but into natural truth mediately, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 3314, 3573, 3576, 3616, 3969, 3995, 4563); thus that there is a parallelism between spiritual good and natural good, but not between spiritual truth and natural truth (n. 1831, 1832, 3514, 3564). That “Manasseh” signifies the good of the church, or the good of life, which is the same as the good of the will, can be seen from the representation and consequent signification of “Ephraim,” as being the truth of the church, or the truth of doctrine, which is the same as the truth of the understanding; for these were brethren, and good and truth are called brethren in the Word. (That “Ephraim” signifies the truth of doctrine, and thus the intellectual of the church, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 5354, where many passages from the Word in which Ephraim is mentioned are cited and explained; see also n. 3969, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267, 6296.)
* Photolithograph has “Jehovah;” we find the Hebrew “Judah” in AC n. 5354.

sRef Rev@7 @6 S0′ 441. It has been shown that “the tribe of Asher” signifies charity towards the neighbor, which is the spiritual internal itself of those who are in the second or middle heaven, and that “the tribe of Manasseh” signifies the good of life, which is the spiritual external that flows from their spiritual internal; while temptation, which is signified by “the tribe of Naphtali,” is the uniting medium, for the internal and external are united by means of temptations. This makes clear what these three tribes involve in their order. It is to be known, that there must be with man and with angel, that they may be in heaven, both an internal and an external in accord with each other. It is impossible for anyone to be in only one of these and be in heaven; that is, in the internal only or in the external only; for the internal is like the soul, and the external like the body; the soul can effect nothing except by means of the body, nor can the body effect anything except from the soul; so the internal, unless the external corresponds or is correspondently concordant, lies powerless and as it were lifeless, for there must be an external in* and through which the internal must work, as the soul works in and through its body; likewise the external, unless there is an internal corresponding to it, lies as if dead, for there must be an internal from which the external must work. This has been said to make known that “Asher” signifies the internal, and “Manasseh” the corresponding external; as also above, “Judah” signifies the internal, and “Gad” the corresponding external.** It is similar in everything; therefore in man there is an internal and an external, an internal called his spiritual, and an external called his natural, one conjoining itself with the other by correspondences; therefore of what quality the one is such is the other, and everything that does not make one with the other by correspondences is dissipated and perishes.
* Photolithograph has “out of” for “in.”
** Photolithograph has “internal.”

sRef Rev@7 @7 S0′ 442. Verse 7. Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand sealed. 7. “Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand sealed,” signifies obedience, and that all who are in obedience are in heaven and come into heaven (n. 443); “of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand sealed,” signifies good works (n. 444); “of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand sealed,” signifies faith and salvation (n. 445).

sRef Rev@7 @7 S0′ 443. Verse 7. Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand sealed, signifies obedience, and that all who are in obedience are in heaven, and come into heaven. This is evident, from the representation and consequent signification of “the tribe of Simeon,” as being obedience (of which presently); and from the signification of “twelve thousand sealed,” as being all who are in heaven and who come into heaven (of which above). The tribes of Simeon, Levi, and Issachar, which are now mentioned, and which constitute the third class of the sealed, signify those who are in the first or lowest heaven, and who come into that heaven. For, as was said above, all who are in heaven, and who come into heaven are here treated of; and as there are, three heavens, the third or inmost, the second or middle, and the first or lowest, those who are in the third, in the second, and in the first are separately treated of. Those who are in the third or inmost heaven and who come into that heaven are signified by “Judah, Reuben, and Gad,” these constituting the first class of those sealed; those who are in the second or middle heaven and who come into that heaven are signified by “Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh,” these, therefore, constituting the second class of those sealed; but those who are in the first or lowest heaven and who come into that heaven are signified by “Simeon, Levi, and Issachar,” these constituting the third class of those sealed.
[2] Those belonging to this first or lowest heaven are all obedient in doing the truths and goods that are commanded in the Word or in the doctrine of the church in which they were born, or that they have heard from some master or religious teacher, from whom they have heard that this or that is true and good, and ought to be done. Most of these are not in truths themselves, but in falsities from ignorance, nevertheless these falsities are accepted by the Lord as truths because they have the good of life for their end, and by this the evils that usually cling to falsities are removed (respecting these falsities, and those who are in them, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 21). Such, then, are in the lowest or first heaven. But in the second or middle heaven are all such as are in the spiritual affection of knowing and understanding truth and good, and in the affection of doing it; while in the third or inmost heaven are all such as are in love; but these two classes have already been spoken of above.
sRef Gen@29 @33 S3′ [3] “Simeon” and his tribe signify those who are in obedience, because Simeon, the father of the tribe, was named from the word that means “to hear,” and “to hear” signifies to obey. This can be seen from the words of Leah his mother when she bare him, which are these:
And Leah conceived again and bare a son, and said, Because Jehovah hath heard that I was hated He hath therefore given me this one also; and she called his name Simeon (Gen. 29:33).
(For explanation of these words see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3867-3872; and that “to hear” signifies to obey there, n. 2542, 3869, 4653-4660, 5017, 5471, 5475, 7216, 8361, 8990, 9311, 9397, 9926, 10061; and above, n. 14, 108, 249.) Because “Simeon” signifies obedience he also signifies faith, for faith becomes faith in man when he obeys and does the commandments; before this is done the knowledge of such things as man has drawn from the Word, from the doctrine of the church and from preaching, appears as faith, but this is not faith until man does these things; until then it is merely a matter of thought from the memory, in which there is nothing of the will, consequently nothing of the man, for the will is the man himself; it is therefore when a man does this, that is, obeys, that it enters the will, thus the man himself and becomes faith.
[4] This faith, which is obedience, is signified also by Peter, when he is called “Simon;” and the faith that is the affection of truth is signified by Peter when he is called “Simon son of Jonah” (as in Matt. 16:17-19, et seq.; Mark 1:16-18, 36; 14:37, 38; Luke 5:3-11; 7:40-43; 22:31-33, et seq.; 24:34; John 1:40-42; 21:15-21). Because “Simeon” in the Hebrew signifies hearing and hearkening, and thence obedience, as was said above, and “the son of Jonah” signifies truth from good, but “Peter” truth itself, Peter is called by the Lord sometimes “Peter,” sometimes “Simon Peter,” and sometimes “Simon son of Jonah.” That these names have such a signification anyone can see from Peter’s having been called by the Lord now “Peter,” now “Simon,” now “son of Jonah,” which was not done without cause or meaning. What was said to him at the time makes clear what is meant; thus when he confessed that the Lord was the Son of God, and in consequence the keys of the kingdom of the heavens were given to him, he is called “Simon son of Jonah” (Matt. 16:17, et seq.) and is also called a rock (petra), as the Lord Himself often is in the Prophets. Again, he is called “Simon son of Jonah” when the Lord said to him, “Lovest thou Me,” and he answered, “I love Thee;” but when he presently turned himself away from the Lord and was indignant because John, who signifies the good of charity, was following Jesus, he is called “Peter” (John 21:15-21), “Peter” here signifying truth without good, or faith separate from charity.
[5] From this it can be seen that “Simon,” when Peter is so named, has a similar signification as “Simeon” the son of Jacob, namely, obedience, the faith of charity, the affection of truth, and in general, truth from good; for in the Hebrew Simon means hearing, hearkening, and obedience, and Jonah in the Hebrew means a dove, which signifies in the spiritual sense the good of charity; and “the son of Jonah” signifies the truth of that good, or the faith of charity; while “rock” [petra], from which he is named Peter, signifies truth and faith, and in the contrary sense, falsity and absence of faith (see above, n. 411).
sRef Gen@49 @5 S6′ sRef Gen@49 @6 S6′ sRef Gen@49 @7 S6′ [6] That “Simeon” the son of Jacob, with the tribe named from him, signifies obedience, and truth in the will, and thence faith, can also be seen from the contrary sense, in which he signifies non-obedience, and falsity in the will, and thus faith separate from the will, which is no faith; for most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, in which they signify the opposite things. It is in this sense that Simeon is mentioned by Israel his father in the prophecy respecting his sons, where it is said:
Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of violence are their swords; into their secret let not my soul come; in their assembly let not my glory be united. For in their anger they slew a man, and in their good pleasure* they houghed an ox. Accursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their fury, for it is hard. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel (Gen. 49:5-7).
“Simeon and Levi are brethren” signifies faith separate from charity; “instruments of violence are their swords” signifies that their doctrinals serve to destroy the works of charity, thus charity itself; “into their secret let not my soul come” signifies that spiritual good does not wish to know the evils of their will; “in their assembly let not my glory be united” signifies that spiritual truth does not wish to know the falsities of their thoughts; “for in their anger they slew a man” signifies that they have wholly turned themselves away from truths, and in their aversion have extinguished faith; “and in their good pleasure they houghed an ox” signifies that from their depraved will they have wholly disabled external good which is of charity; “accursed be their anger, for it is fierce” signifies a grievous aversion from good, and consequent damnation; “and their fury, for it is hard” signifies aversion from truth that is from good; “I will divide them in Jacob” signifies that this faith is to be exterminated from the external church; “and scatter them in Israel” signifies from the internal church also. (For fuller explanation of this see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6351-6361.)
[7] The first three sons, Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, were rejected and condemned by their father Israel because that prophecy describes the establishment of the church, and the church is not established by faith separate from charity, but by truth and good from the Lord; for the church, even at that time, had fallen into the error that merely knowing the Word, and saying that it is holy, is the essential of the church, and not life or charity, and that the God of heaven and earth is some other than the Lord. For this reason in that prophecy the three sons born first, Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, were rejected, because “Reuben” there signifies faith alone, “Simeon” faith without charity, and “Levi” the absence of the good of charity; consequently these three in the series signify no church; for when faith alone is assumed as the essential of salvation, charity is immediately rejected and regarded as nonessential and of no value in respect to salvation; and because these three things were signified by these three sons, therefore they were rejected by Israel their father, who signified the church. Moreover, each of these three destroyed the representative of the church, Reuben:
By lying with Bilhah, the maidservant and concubine of his father (Gen. 35:22).
and Simeon and Levi:
By slaying Hamor, his son Shechem, and the whole city, which was the nation descended from Hamor, for no other reason than that Shechem loved their sister Dinah (Gen. 34:1 to the end).
This deed signifies in the spiritual sense that these two sons of Jacob, in other words, that constituent of the church which they represented, extinguished the truth and good of the Ancient Church, which church yet survived in the nation of Hamor; for this deed signifies in the spiritual sense that every truth and good of the church is extinguished by faith separated from charity. This, therefore, is what is meant in particular by the words of Israel, “into their secret let not my soul come; in their assembly let not my glory be united; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their good pleasure they houghed an ox;” for “man” [vir] signifies in the Word truth and intelligence, and “ox” moral and natural good. (For fuller explanation of this see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4426-4522.)
[8] And for this reason Simeon was passed by in the blessing of Moses (Deut. 33), and instead of him Ephraim and Manasseh are mentioned, by whom the truth and good of the church are signified. But although Simeon and Levi were such, yet elsewhere they signify the faith of charity and charity, “Simeon” the faith of charity, and “Levi” charity. Yea, the tribe of Levi was appointed to the priesthood; for it matters not of what quality the person is who represents, provided he is in external worship according to the laws and statutes; for representation does not regard the person, but only the thing, and nothing is required in the person except the external of worship. (On this see Arcana Coelestia, n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3670, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4309, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806, 9229.) For this reason “the tribe of Simeon” in this passage of Revelation and elsewhere in the Word signifies obedience, the faith of charity, the affection of truth, and in general, truth from good, as has been said above. (That “Simeon” and his tribe, when mentioned in a good sense, signify in the highest sense providence, in the internal sense faith in the will, in the interior sense obedience, and in the external sense hearing, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 3869.)
* Photolithograph has “wrath,” the Hebrew “good pleasure” is found on p. 1117, and in AC.

sRef Rev@7 @7 S0′ 444. Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand sealed, signifies good works. This is evident from the representation and consequent signification of “Levi” and his tribe, as being spiritual love, which is called charity towards the neighbor. “The tribe of Levi” here signifies good works because spiritual love or charity consists in doing things that are good, and these are good works. Charity, itself, viewed in itself, is the affection of truth and good, and where that affection is, there is a life according to truths and goods, for there is no affection without a life according to the truths and goods for which there is affection. If such affection is thought to be possible and to be present, it is a natural not a spiritual affection. These two kinds of affection differ in this, that natural affection has self and the world for an end; thus the truths and goods by which it is affected are loved* for the sake of reputation, that honors and wealth may be acquired, and then a life according to the doctrinals that have been learned is put on merely from self for the sake of appearance, which is thus a feigned life and inwardly hypocritical; while spiritual affection has the Lord, heaven, and eternal life for an end, and has regard to these in truths and goods; thus it loves truths and goods spiritually. When this affection is with man he loves to think and to will these truths and goods, and consequently to live according to them. To live according to truths and goods is what is meant in the Word by “doing,” and the life itself is meant by “deeds” and “works” which are so often mentioned in the Word; these, therefore, are what were represented and signified by “Levi” and his tribe in the church with the Jews.
[2] Because this affection is the very essential of the church, the tribe of Levi was assigned to the priesthood; this, too, is why Levi’s staff in the tent of meeting blossomed with almonds; and this is why no inheritance was given to that tribe as to the other tribes, but among them all. It is known that the tribe of Levi was appointed to the priesthood; for not only was Aaron made high priest, but also his sons after him, and all the Levites were made ministers to them. That Moses and Aaron were of the tribe of Levi may be seen in Exod. 6:20; Num. 18:2; and that the Levites were made ministers to Aaron and his sons, in Moses:
The tribe of Levi was taken for the priesthood, to keep the charge of the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to serve the service of the tabernacle. And the Levites were given to Aaron, and accepted in place of all the firstborn; and further respecting their ministries and functions (Num. 3:1 to the end).
sRef Num@3 @35 S3′ sRef Num@3 @38 S3′ sRef Num@3 @36 S3′ sRef Num@3 @37 S3′ sRef Num@3 @29 S3′ sRef Num@3 @30 S3′ sRef Num@3 @28 S3′ sRef Num@3 @26 S3′ sRef Num@3 @27 S3′ sRef Num@3 @33 S3′ sRef Num@3 @34 S3′ sRef Num@3 @8 S3′ sRef Num@3 @31 S3′ sRef Num@3 @39 S3′ sRef Num@3 @46 S3′ sRef Num@3 @45 S3′ sRef Num@3 @44 S3′ sRef Num@3 @47 S3′ sRef Num@3 @50 S3′ sRef Num@3 @51 S3′ sRef Num@3 @48 S3′ sRef Num@3 @49 S3′ sRef Num@3 @40 S3′ sRef Num@3 @43 S3′ sRef Num@3 @42 S3′ sRef Num@3 @41 S3′ sRef Num@3 @9 S3′ sRef Num@3 @7 S3′ sRef Num@3 @11 S3′ sRef Num@3 @32 S3′ sRef Num@3 @10 S3′ sRef Num@3 @6 S3′ sRef Num@3 @2 S3′ sRef Num@3 @1 S3′ sRef Num@3 @5 S3′ sRef Num@3 @4 S3′ sRef Num@3 @3 S3′ sRef Num@3 @12 S3′ sRef Num@3 @18 S3′ sRef Num@3 @19 S3′ sRef Num@3 @17 S3′ sRef Num@3 @15 S3′ sRef Num@3 @16 S3′ sRef Num@3 @20 S3′ sRef Num@3 @24 S3′ sRef Num@3 @25 S3′ sRef Num@3 @23 S3′ sRef Num@3 @21 S3′ sRef Num@3 @22 S3′ sRef Num@3 @14 S3′ sRef Num@3 @13 S3′ [3] The priesthood was given to this tribe because it represented and thence signified love and charity. Love and charity are the spiritual affection of good and truth; since affection is predicated of love in its continuity, for affection is the continuation of love. This, too, is what the priesthood and its ministry signify in the Word, for this affection is the essential of the church, for where it is there the church is, and where it is not there the church is not; for the affection of good and truth is the very spiritual life of man, and when man is affected by good and truth he is in good and truth in respect to his life, and his thought itself is nothing but affection in a different form, for whatever a man thinks he derives from affection; no one can think without affection. This is why the tribe of Levi was appointed to the priesthood. The like is said of the Levites in Ezekiel, where a new land, a new city, and a new temple are treated of (40:46; 43:19; 44:15; 48:11, 12).
sRef Num@17 @2 S4′ sRef Num@17 @3 S4′ sRef Num@17 @8 S4′ sRef Num@17 @9 S4′ sRef Num@17 @11 S4′ sRef Num@17 @10 S4′ sRef Num@17 @5 S4′ sRef Num@17 @4 S4′ sRef Num@17 @7 S4′ sRef Num@17 @6 S4′ [4] Because the tribe of Levi represented and thence signified charity in act, thus the goods of charity, which are good works, therefore:
The rod of Levi, upon which was written the name of Aaron, when placed in the tent of meeting before the testimony, blossomed with almonds (Num. 17:2-11);
“almonds” signifying the goods of charity, since by these all things of the church flourish in man, for when the goods of charity are with man there are also intelligence and faith, for man is then in the affection of understanding what he knows from the Word, and in the will to do according to what he knows. Because the good of charity must be in all things of the church that the church may be in them, and because the affection itself of good and truth, which is charity, is what gives understanding and instruction to all, so not only was the tribe of Levi appointed to the priesthood, but there was no lot and inheritance granted to that tribe like that granted to the other tribes, but was among them all (as is evident in Moses, Num. 35:1 to the end; and in Josh. 21:1 to the end). So it is said in Moses:
Therefore no part or inheritance with his brethren fell to Levi; Jehovah Himself is his inheritance (Deut. 10:9).
sRef Deut@21 @5 S5′ sRef Deut@10 @9 S5′ [5] And because (as has been said) every man acquires knowledge (scientia), intelligence, and wisdom, according to the affection of good and truth that is in him, it is said in Moses:
Jehovah God hath chosen the sons of Levi to minister unto Him and to bless in His name, and according to their mouth shall be every controversy and every stroke (Deut. 21:5).
This signifies in the spiritual sense that the affection of good and truth, which is charity, ministers to the Lord, and teaches those things that are of the church and worship, and discerns between falsities and truths, and between evils and goods; for “the sons of Levi” signify in the spiritual sense the affection of good and truth, which is charity. From this it can be seen that the tribe of Levi was chosen for the priesthood, and an inheritance was given to it among all the tribes, not because that tribe was better than the others, but because it represented charity in act, and good works, which are the effects of all good and truth in man.
sRef Jer@33 @17 S6′ sRef Jer@33 @15 S6′ sRef Jer@33 @22 S6′ sRef Jer@33 @20 S6′ sRef Jer@33 @18 S6′ sRef Jer@33 @16 S6′ sRef Jer@33 @21 S6′ [6] That “the tribe of Levi” signifies in the Word the goods of charity, which are good works, can be seen also from the following passages. In Jeremiah:
In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous shoot to sprout up unto David; and He shall do judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem** shall dwell safely; and this is the name whereby He shall be called, Jehovah our righteousness. There shall not be cut off from David a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, and from the priests the Levites there shall not be cut off a man from before My faces to offer up the burnt-offering and to burn the meal-offering, and to do sacrifice all the days. If ye shall have rendered void My covenant of the day and My covenant of the night, My covenant also with David My servant shall become void that he shall not have a son to reign, and with the Levites, the priests My ministers. As the host of the heavens is not numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured,*** so will I multiply the seed of David My servant and the Levites My ministers (33:15-18, 20-22).
This treats of the coming of the Lord, who is “the shoot of David,” and who shall be called “Jehovah our Righteousness.” “Judah shall then be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely,” signifies that then those who are in love to the Lord shall be saved; “Israel shall dwell safely” signifying that those who are in charity towards the neighbor shall not be infested by evils and falsities; “there shall not be cut off from David a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel” signifies that Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is then to reign perpetually in the church, “the throne of the house of Israel” meaning the church wherein Divine truth reigns; “and from the priests the Levites there shall not be cut off a man from before My faces to offer up the burnt-offering and to burn the meal-offering, and to do sacrifice” signifies that then there shall be worship perpetually from the good of love and charity, and from the truths of faith; “Levites” signifying those who are in such worship; “burnt-offering” the worship from the good of love, “meal-offering” worship from the good of charity towards the neighbor; and “sacrifice” worship from the truths of faith.
[7] “If ye shall have rendered void My covenant of the day and My covenant of the night,” signifies if they did not observe the two things, love and faith, that effect conjunction with the Lord; “covenant” meaning conjunction; “covenant of the day” conjunction by love, and “covenant of the night” conjunction by faith; “My covenant also with David My servant shall become void, that he shall not have a son to reign, and with the Levites the priests, My ministers,” signifies that they shall then have neither Divine truth nor Divine good; “Levites, priests, ministers,” are such as are in the good of love to the Lord and in worship therefrom; “as the host of the heavens is not numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured,” signifies the knowledges of truth and good in the spiritual and in the natural man; “host of the heavens” meaning such knowledges in the spiritual man, and “sand of the sea” meaning such knowledges in the natural man; “so will I multiply the seed of David My servant, and the Levites My ministers,” signifies the multiplication of Divine truth, and the fructification of Divine good in those who have conjunction with the Lord; here as elsewhere “the Levites, the priests,” signify those who are in the good of love and charity, and in an abstract sense, that good itself.
sRef Mal@3 @1 S8′ sRef Mal@3 @4 S8′ sRef Mal@3 @2 S8′ sRef Mal@3 @3 S8′ [8] In Malachi:
Behold I send My messenger, and He shall prepare the way before Me; and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple, even the angel of the covenant, whom ye desire. For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap; and He shall sit refining and purifying silver, and shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall purge them as gold and silver, that they may bring to Jehovah an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be sweet unto Jehovah; according to the days of an age and according to former years (3:1-4).
What this signifies in the spiritual sense may be seen explained above (n. 242 and**** 433); and that “the sons of Levi” here mean all who are in the good of charity, and thence in the good of faith. This treats of the Lord who was to come; His Divine Human is what is meant by “His temple” to which Jehovah the Lord was to come; that He will purify those who are in the good of charity, and thence in the good of faith, is meant by “He shall purify and purge the sons of Levi.” Evidently the sons of Levi are not meant, for it is said that “He shall then purify and purge them,” and that “the offering of Judah and Jerusalem shall then be sweet unto Jehovah,” and it is known that the Lord did not purify and purge the Levites, and that the offering of Judah and Jerusalem was not sweet to the Lord, for they were utterly opposed to the Lord, and worship by sacrifices and offerings was then abrogated. For “Judah” here means all who are in the good of love to the Lord, and “Jerusalem” the church that is in the truths of doctrine (see above, n. 433).
sRef Deut@33 @9 S9′ sRef Deut@33 @10 S9′ sRef Deut@33 @8 S9′ sRef Deut@33 @11 S9′ [9] In Moses:
Moses said of Levi, Thy Thummim and Thy Urim for Thy holy man, whom thou didst tempt in Massah, with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; who said to his father and to his mother, I have not seen him;***** and his brethren he did not recognize, and his sons he did not know; they shall keep Thy word and they shall observe Thy covenant. They shall teach Jacob Thy judgments, and Israel Thy law; they shall put incense in Thy nostrils, and whole burnt offering upon Thine altar, and accept the work of his hands; smite through the loins of them that rise against him and of them that hate him, that they rise not again (Deut. 33:8-11).
This is in the blessing of the sons of Israel by Moses, which treats of the Word, because this is signified in the representative sense by “Moses;” and “Urim and Thummin” signify the Divine truth shining forth from Divine good, thus the Word; and “Levi” here means the spiritual affection of truth; the “holy man whom they tempted in Massah and at the waters of Meribah” means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, for the “rock” at which that temptation took place signifies the Lord, and the “waters” from it signify Divine truths; “the father and mother to whom he said I have not seen you” signify the Israelitish church, which did not acknowledge the Lord; the church is called “father” from good, and “mother” from truth; “his brethren whom he did not recognize, and his sons whom he did not know,” mean the goods and truths of the church, which were not with them, “brethren” meaning goods, and “sons” truths.
sRef Matt@13 @45 S10′ sRef Matt@13 @46 S10′ [10] But as “the sons of Levi” signify the goods and truths of the church, and in general the spiritual affection of truth and good, it is said of them “they shall keep Thy Word, they shall observe Thy covenant; they shall teach Jacob Thy judgments, and Israel Thy law,” which signifies that those who are in the spiritual affection of truth do the Word and teach the goods and truths of the church, for the spiritual affection of truth is what does and teaches, since it is into that affection that the Lord flows, doing the good with man and teaching the truth with him; “the Word” here means Divine truth, and “to keep it” means to do it; “covenant” means conjunction thereby with the Lord; “judgments” mean the truths of doctrine from the Word; the “law” means the good of truth; “Jacob and Israel” mean the church; “to put incense in the nostrils” signifies worship from the truths of doctrine, and “to put whole burnt offering upon the altar” signifies worship from the good of love. The dispersion of falsities by truth is signified by “smiting through the loins of them that rise against him;” and the dispersion of evils by “smiting through the loins of them that hate him, that they rise not again.” This is said of Levi, because Divine truth, which is the Word, can only be with those who are in the spiritual affection of truth. The spiritual affection of truth consists in loving the truth itself, and esteeming it above every good of the world, because through it man has eternal life, and the only means by which eternal life is implanted in man are truths, consequently the Word, for through the Word the Lord teaches truths. The spiritual affection of truth, which is to love truths above every good of the world, is thus described by the Lord in Matthew:
The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man that is a merchant seeking beautiful pearls; who, when he had found one pearl of great price, going away, sold all that he had and bought it (13:45-46);
“pearl” signifying truth. (That man has eternal life from no other source than through truths from good, which is from the Lord, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 24 at the end.)
sRef Gen@29 @34 S11′ [11] That “Levi” signifies love and charity is evident from the words of his mother Leah when she bare him, which are these:
Leah conceived again and bare a son, and said, Now this time will my husband (vir) cleave unto me, because I have borne him three sons; therefore she called his name Levi (Gen. 29:34).
“She conceived again and bare a son” signifies spiritual conception and birth; “and said, Now this time will my husband (vir) cleave unto me,” signifies spiritual love, that is charity, by which conjunction is effected; “because I have borne him three sons” signifies what is successive; “therefore she called his name Levi” signifies conjunction by love, and its quality. (For a further explanation of this see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3873-3877.) “Levi” means a cleaving, and “to cleave” signifies conjunction by spiritual love. The three sons of Leah born in succession, “Reuben, Simeon, and Levi” signify in series the first and chief essentials of the church, namely, truth in the understanding, truth in the will, and truth in act; the same as the three disciples of the Lord, “Peter, James, and John,” “Peter” signifying truth in the understanding, “James” truth in the will, and “John” truth in act, which is the good of life or the good of charity. In the original tongue Levi means a cleaving, which signifies conjunction through love and charity. (That this is the signification of “cleaving,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3875.)
sRef Mal@2 @4 S12′ sRef Mal@2 @6 S12′ sRef Mal@2 @5 S12′ sRef Mal@2 @8 S12′ sRef Mal@2 @7 S12′ [12] That “Levi” in the highest sense signifies the Lord in relation to love and mercy, is evident in Malachi:
That ye may know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that My covenant may be with Levi. My covenant with him was of life and peace; which I gave to him in fear, that he might fear Me, therefore because of My name he was dismayed. The law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not found in his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and did turn many away from iniquity. The priest’s lips, they shall seek the law from his mouth, for he is the messenger of Jehovah of Hosts. But ye have turned aside out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble in the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi (2:4-8).
Here “Levi” in the highest sense means the Lord in respect to His Divine Human, for it is said of Levi, that “the law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not found in his lips,” and that “the priest’s lips they shall seek the law from his mouth, for he is the messenger of Jehovah of Hosts;” therefore “the covenant of Levi” means conjunction with the Lord through love and charity; “the covenant of life and peace” signifies that conjunction; “fear,” which is also predicated of Him, signifies love. “The priest’s lips they shall seek the law from his mouth” signifies that all truth of doctrine is from the Lord, and is with such as are in love to Him. He is called “the messenger of Jehovah” because of the Divine truth that the Lord teaches in the Word and through the Word; “they turned aside out of the way and caused many to stumble in the law, they corrupted the covenant of Levi,” signifies that the church that was among the Israelites perverted the truths of the Word and the goods of life therefrom, and thus destroyed conjunction with the Lord; “way” signifying the truths of doctrine, “law” its goods, and the “covenant of Levi” conjunction with the Lord. From this what is signified in the representative sense by Levi and his tribe can be seen, namely, the good of charity, which is the good of life, also the spiritual affection of good and truth, and in the highest sense, the Lord in relation to spiritual love.
sRef Gen@49 @5 S13′ sRef Gen@49 @6 S13′ sRef Gen@49 @7 S13′ [13] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so has “Levi” and his tribe; and in this sense “Levi” signifies the evil of falsity, which is the opposite of the good of charity; also life apart from charity, consequently no charity towards the neighbor. This is signified by “Levi” in the prophecy of Israel the father respecting his sons:
Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of violence are their swords; into their secret let not my soul come; unto their assembly let not my glory be united; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their good pleasure they houghed an ox. Accursed be their anger, for it is strong, and their fury, for it is hard. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel (Gen. 49:5-7).
For the explanation of this see the article above (n. 443), where “Simeon” is treated of.
sRef Luke@10 @36 S14′ sRef Luke@10 @32 S14′ sRef Luke@10 @29 S14′ sRef Luke@10 @30 S14′ sRef Luke@10 @34 S14′ sRef Luke@10 @35 S14′ sRef Luke@10 @33 S14′ sRef Luke@10 @37 S14′ sRef Luke@10 @31 S14′ [14] Again, the “Levite” in the Lord’s parable of the man wounded by robbers has this contrary signification; and that parable shall here be explained, because it treats of charity towards the neighbor, and because the Lord there spoke from beginning to end by correspondences, which have heretofore been unknown. In Luke:
The lawyer wishing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? And Jesus continuing said, A certain man was going down from Jerusalem into Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and smote him, and departed leaving him half dead. And by chance a certain priest was going down that way; and seeing him he passed by. And in like manner a Levite, when he was at the place, came and saw and passed by. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to him; and when he saw him he was moved with compassion, and coming near he bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and then setting him on his own beast he led him to an inn and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed he took out two denaries and gave them to the host, and said to him, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come back again I will repay thee. Which now of these three seems to thee to have been a neighbor unto him that fell among the robbers? He said, He that showed mercy unto him. And Jesus said unto him, Go, and do thou likewise (Luke 10:29-37).
This treats of charity towards the neighbor, and of good works by which charity is in its effect and in its fullness.
“Jerusalem” here signifies the church where there is true doctrine, and “Jericho” the church where there are knowledges of truth and good; so the “priest” signifies those who have no love to the Lord, and the “Levite” those who have no charity towards the neighbor, such as those were who were in Jerusalem at that time; but the “Samaritan” signifies the nations that were in the good of charity; the “man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho” signifies those who wished to be instructed in the truths and knowledges of the church; the “robbers among whom he fell” signify those in the perverted church, such as the Jewish church was at that time; “they stripped him and smote him, and left him half dead,” signifies that they deprived him of truths and imbued him with falsities, and thus doing injury to spiritual life to such a degree that scarcely any spiritual life remains; “to strip” signifying in the Word to deprive of truths, “to smite” signifying to injure the mind and spiritual life by falsities, and “to be half dead” signifying to be almost destitute of that life; “to be moved with compassion” signifies mercy and charity from within, mercy and charity also forming a one; “to bind up the wounds and to pour in oil and wine” signifies providing a remedy against the falsities that have injured his life, by instructing him in the good of love and the truth of faith, “oil” in the Word signifying the good of love, and “wine” the good and truth of faith; “to set him on his own beast” signifies according to his understanding so far as he was able, “horse” (in like manner as beast), signifying the understanding; “to lead him to an inn and to take care of him” signifies to lead him to those who are better instructed in the knowledges of good and truth, an “inn” being a place where foods and drinks are bought, which signify the knowledges of good and truth, thence spiritual nourishment which is communicated by instruction; “he gave to the host two denaries, and said to him, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come back again I will repay thee,” signifies all things of charity in the measure of his ability and capacity. From this it can now be seen what “Levi,” “his tribe,” and “the Levites” signify in each sense. (More respecting what is represented and thence signified by “Levi,” and the tribe named from him, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 3875-3877, 4497, 4502, 4503, 6352, 10017.)
* Photolithograph has “it is.”
** Photolithograph has “Israel,” the Hebrew has “Jerusalem.”
*** Photolithograph has “numbered.”
**** Photolithograph has “to.”
***** Photolithograph has “you.”

sRef Rev@7 @7 S0′ 445. Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand sealed, signifies faith and salvation. This is evident from the representation and consequent signification of “Issachar” and his tribe, as being that which makes heaven and salvation with man, for “Issachar” in the original means reward, and love and faith are what make heaven and salvation with man, consequently both are signified by “the tribe of Issachar.” “Reward” is frequently spoken of in the Word, as “that reward is to be received,” and by it is understood eternal life, salvation, and by many, heavenly joy; and in the nearest sense this is the signification of “reward.” If a man is living according to the Lord’s commandments, it is permissible for him to think of eternal life, salvation, and heavenly joy; but it is not permissible for him to keep his mind intent upon reward, for if he does so he has reward as an end, and easily falls into the thought that by his life he deserves heaven and salvation, and this thought causes him to have regard to self in every particular, and such regard to self removes him from heaven; for so far as man looks to self in what he does, he does not look to heaven. Because of this, “reward” signifies in the Word that in which heaven and salvation are, that is, in general, love and faith, and thence intelligence and wisdom, for in these are salvation and heaven, and consequently heavenly joy, so far as man does not think about reward. From this the signification of “Issachar” and his tribe can be seen.
[2] Here faith is signified, because “the tribe of Simeon” signifies obedience, and “the tribe of Levi” signifies good works, and they who are in good works from obedience are in faith; while such as are in the goods of life from the spiritual affection of truth and good are in charity, and they who are in the goods of life from celestial affection are in love to the Lord. This, too, is the way in which angels are distinguished in the heavens: those who are in the goods of life from a celestial affection are in the inmost or third heaven; those who are in the goods of life from a spiritual affection are in the middle or second heaven; and those who are in good works from obedience are in the lowest or first heaven, and these also are said to have faith, for the things they hear from the sense of the letter of the Word and from preachers they believe according to their apprehension, but they neither see nor perceive whether they are true, therefore their thought about what is to be believed is called faith; for that is properly called faith which is believed without intellectual sight and perception as to its being so, consequently such persons can believe falsity equally with truth. But when what is believed is seen and perceived this is not called faith, but apperception and perception; for the understanding illustrated by the Lord sees, and the will is affected, and action flows from the two.
[3] “Issachar” and his tribe here signify faith, because these three tribes, from each of which were twelve thousand sealed, mean all who are in the lowest or first heaven; and they who are in that heaven are said to be in good works from obedience, and in faith. Moreover, many of these call faith alone the essential of salvation, and yet do not separate faith from good works, for they say that faith is bestowed upon them by the Lord because they are in good works, and that if they were not in good works faith would not be given. But those who separate faith from good works, and declare it to be the sole means of salvation, and that they are saved by it howsoever they live, confirming this by their life, such are not in the lowest heaven but are in hell.
sRef Gen@49 @14 S4′ sRef Gen@49 @15 S4′ [4] Those who have regard to reward on account of the good works they do, and thus place merit in works, are meant by “Issachar” in the prophecy of Israel respecting his sons:
Issachar is a bony ass couching down between the burdens. And he shall see rest that it is good, and the land that it is pleasant; and he shall bow his shoulder to bear burdens, [and shall be one who serves for hire] (Gen. 49:14, 15).
Here “Issachar” signifies reward or recompense on account of works; “a bony ass” signifies the lowest servitude; “couching down between the burdens” signifies life among works; “and he shall see rest that it is good” signifies works of good without recompense full of felicity; “and the land that it is pleasant” signifies that those who are in the Lord’s kingdom are in such felicity; “and he shall bow his shoulder to bear burdens” signifies that they, nevertheless, labor in every work; “and shall be one who serves for hire” signifies with a view to merit. (For further explanation of this see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6387-6394.)
sRef Deut@33 @18 S5′ sRef Deut@33 @19 S5′ [5] But those who do not place merit in the good works they perform, by having regard for reward, but place heaven and the felicity of eternal life in thinking and willing well, and thence in acting well, and are in the spiritual affection of truth and good, which is with those who are in the heavenly marriage, that is, in the marriage of good and truth; such are meant by these words in Moses:
Of Zebulun he said, Be glad, Zebulun, in thy going out; and Issachar in thy tents. They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall sacrifice sacrifices of righteousness; for they shall suck the abundance of the seas, and the hidden things of the secret things of the sand (Deut. 33:18, 19).
This is said of those who are in the marriage of good and truth, that is, in truths in respect to the understanding and thought, and in goods in respect to the will and affection. “Zebulun” signifies that marriage, and “Issachar” the affection of truth and good; “to be glad in thy going out” signifies to have delight in all genuine truths and goods, “going out” signifying all things, because it signifies the ultimate, the effect, and the conclusion; “to be glad in the tents” signifies in all worship; “to call the peoples unto the mountain” signifies, because such are in heaven, where there is the good of love; “to sacrifice the sacrifices of righteousness” signifies worship from truths that are from good; “to suck the abundance of the sea” signifies to imbibe the truths of doctrine from the Word, and thus intelligence; and “to suck the hidden things of the secret things of the sand” signifies the spiritual things that lie concealed in the sense of the letter of the Word.
sRef Num@2 @5 S6′ sRef Num@2 @6 S6′ sRef Num@2 @7 S6′ sRef Num@2 @8 S6′ sRef Num@2 @3 S6′ sRef Num@2 @4 S6′ sRef Num@2 @9 S6′ sRef Num@2 @10 S6′ [6] Because “the tribes of Judah, of Issachar, and of Zebulun,” signified the heaven where the good of love is, “the tribe of Judah” that good itself, “the tribe of Issachar” its affection, and “Zebulun” its conjunction with truths:
These three tribes pitched to the east of the tent of meeting (Num. 2:3-9);
for in heaven those dwell to the east who are in the good of love and thus in the affection of good and truth, and in the marriage or conjunction of these, that is, in truths in respect to doctrine and in goods in respect to life.

sRef Rev@7 @8 S0′ 446. Verse 8. Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand sealed. 8. “Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand sealed,” signifies the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the third heaven (n. 447); “of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand sealed,” signifies the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the second heaven (n. 448); “of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand sealed,” signifies the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the lowest heaven (n. 449).

sRef Rev@7 @8 S0′ 447. Verse. 8. Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand sealed, signifies the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the third heaven. This is evident from the representation and consequent signification of “Zebulun” and the tribe named from him, as meaning the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the third heaven; because “Zebulun” in the Hebrew means cohabitation, and cohabitation signifies in the spiritual sense conjunction, such as exists with those who love each other. Here “Zebulun” signifies the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the third heaven, because the nine preceding tribes signify all those who are in the heavens and who come into the heavens; and there are three heavens, the inmost, the middle, and the lowest, and no one comes into heaven except those whom the Lord conjoins to Himself; therefore the three tribes last mentioned signify conjunction with the Lord, “the tribe of Zebulun” the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the third heaven, “the tribe of Joseph” the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the second heaven, and “the tribe of Benjamin” the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the lowest heaven.
sRef Gen@30 @19 S2′ sRef Gen@30 @20 S2′ [2] “Zebulun” signifies in the highest sense the union of the Divine Itself and the Divine Human in the Lord, in the internal sense the Lord’s conjunction with heaven and the church; and in particular, the conjunction of good and truth therein, for by this conjunction the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the three heavens and in the church is effected; for with such the Lord flows in with the good of love and charity, and conjoins that good to the truths that are with them, and thereby conjoins man and angel to Himself. This is what is signified by “cohabitation,” which is the meaning of “Zebulun.” That this is the meaning of “Zebulun” can be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 3960, 3961), where the words of Leah his mother when he was born are explained, which are as follows:
And Leah conceived, and bare a sixth son to Jacob. And Leah said, God hath endowed me with a good dowry; this time will my husband cohabit with me, because I have borne him six sons; and she called his name Zebulun (Gen. 30:19, 20).
sRef Gen@49 @13 S3′ [3] From this signification of “Zebulun” what is signified by him in the following passages can be seen. As in the prophecy of Israel respecting his sons:
Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the seas; and he shall dwell at a haven of ships; and his side shall be unto Zidon (Gen. 49:13).
Here “Zebulun” signifies the conjunction of good and truth, which is called the heavenly marriage; “to dwell at a haven of the sea” signifies the conjunction of things spiritual with natural truths, “seas” meaning knowledges (scientifica), which are natural truths; “to dwell at a haven of ships” signifies the spiritual conjunction with doctrinals from the Word, “ships” meaning doctrinals and knowledges of all kinds; “his side shall be unto Zidon” signifies extension to the knowledges of good and truth from the celestial kingdom. (For further explanation of this see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6382-6386.)
sRef Judg@5 @19 S4′ sRef Judg@5 @18 S4′ sRef Judg@5 @20 S4′ sRef Judg@5 @14 S4′ [4] The like is meant in the prophecy of Moses respecting the sons of Israel:
Of Zebulun he said, Be glad, Zebulun; in thy going out, and Issachar in thy tents. They shall call the peoples unto the mountain; there they shall sacrifice sacrifices of righteousness; for they shall suck the abundance of the seas, and the hidden things of the secret things of the sand (Deut. 33:18, 19).
Here, too, “Zebulun” signifies the marriage of good and truth, as may be seen in the preceding article (n. 445), where the prophecy is explained. So again in the prophecy of Deborah and Barak in the book of Judges:
Out of Machir shall come down lawgivers, and out of Zebulun they that draw the staff of the scribe. Zebulun was a people that devoted the soul to death, and Naphtali upon the heights of the field. The kings came, they fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of silver. They fought from heaven; the stars from their courses fought with Sisera (5:14, 18-20).
This prophecy treats of the combat of truth from good against falsity from evil; “the king of Canaan” who reigned in Hazor, and “Sisera” the captain of his army who fought against Barak and Deborah, signify the falsity of evil, and “Barak and Deborah” the truth of good; and as “the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun” signify combat from truth that is from good, “the tribe of Naphtali” combat, and “the tribe of Zebulun” the conjunction of good and truth, therefore these two tribes only, and not the other tribes, were taken to fight (see Judges 4:6). That this was what this combat signified can be seen from the prophecy uttered by Barak and Deborah, which treats in the spiritual sense of the victory of truth from good over falsity from evil, and of the purification and reformation of the church. So here “Out of Machir shall come down lawgivers” signifies that the truths of good shall flow forth from the good of life, for “Machir” has a like signification as “Manasseh,” because Machir was the son of Manasseh (Gen. 50:23; Josh. 13:31); and “lawgivers” signify those who are in the truths of good, and in an abstract sense the truths of good; “and out of Zebulun they that draw the staff of the scribe” signifies intelligence from the conjunction of truth and good, “Zebulun” signifying here, as above, the conjunction of truth and good, and the “staff of the scribe” intelligence. “Zebulun was a people that devoted the soul to death, and Naphtali upon the heights of the field,” signifies combat in the natural man by means of truths from the spiritual man and from its influx and conjunction, “the heights of the field” signifying the interior things that are of the spiritual man, from which the natural man combats; “the kings came, they fought, then fought the kings of Canaan” signifies the falsities of evil against which is combat; “in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo” signifies those falsities and of what quality they are; “they took no gain of silver” signifies that they took and carried away nothing of truth from good, “silver” meaning truth from good; “they fought from heaven, the stars from their courses fought with Sisera” signifies combat by means of the knowledges of truth and good, which are from the Lord through heaven, “stars” meaning such knowledges, and “courses” truths.
sRef Matt@4 @16 S5′ sRef Matt@4 @17 S5′ sRef Matt@4 @15 S5′ sRef Matt@4 @14 S5′ sRef Matt@4 @13 S5′ sRef Deut@33 @18 S5′ sRef Deut@33 @19 S5′ [5] Again, “Zebulun and Naphtali” signify the conjunction of truth and good through combat against falsities and evils, and consequent reformation. In Matthew:
Jesus leaving Nazareth, came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the nations; the people sitting in darkness saw a great light; and to those sitting in the region and shadow of death to them did light spring up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent ye, for the kingdom of the heavens hath come nigh (4:13-17; Isa. 9:1, 2).
In Isaiah this was evidently said respecting the Lord, for it is said “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet;” therefore “the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and Galilee of the nations,” signify the establishment of the church with the Gentiles that are in the good of life and that receive truths and are thus in the conjunction of good and truth, and in combat against evils and falsities. That this means the establishment of the church and the reformation of such nations is evident also from its being said “beyond Jordan, Galilee of the nations,” and also “the people sitting in darkness saw a great light, and to those sitting in the region and shadow of death did light spring up.”
sRef Num@2 @8 S6′ sRef Num@2 @7 S6′ sRef Num@2 @10 S6′ sRef Num@2 @9 S6′ sRef Num@2 @5 S6′ sRef Num@2 @6 S6′ sRef Num@2 @3 S6′ sRef Num@2 @4 S6′ [6] “Zebulun and Naphtali” signify in the highest sense the union of the Divine Itself and the Lord’s Divine Human by means of temptations admitted into Himself, and victories gained by His own power; as in David, Ps. 68:27-29 (which may be seen explained above, n. 439). Because of this signification of “Zebulun”:
The tribe of Judah, together with the tribe of Issachar and the tribe of Zebulun, pitched to the east about the tent of meeting (Num. 2:3-10);
for the encampments of the sons of Israel about the tent of meeting represent and thence signify the arrangements of the angelic societies in heaven; and to the east in heaven are those who are in conjunction with the Lord through love to Him; for “the tribe of Judah” represented love to the Lord, and “the tribe of Zebulun” conjunction with Him.

sRef Rev@7 @8 S0′ 448. Of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand sealed, signifies the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the second heaven. This is evident from the representation and consequent signification of “Joseph” and his tribe, as being the spiritual of the Lord’s kingdom and church; here “Joseph” signifies the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the second heaven, because “Joseph” signifies the spiritual kingdom of the Lord, and this kingdom constitutes the second heaven. For there are two kingdoms of which heaven consists, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom; the celestial kingdom consisting of those who are in the third or inmost heaven, and the spiritual kingdom of those who are in the second or middle heaven. The conjunction with the Lord of those who are in this heaven is signified by “Joseph,” because “Joseph” signifies this heaven and because this fourth class of the tribes treats of the conjunction with the Lord of all who are in the heavens and who come into the heavens, and this conjunction is signified by “the tribe of Zebulun,” the first tribe of this class; for the first tribe of each class and series indicates the subject treated of in what follows, and the tribes that follow continue the same subject in general; here, therefore, conjunction. This is why “the tribe of Zebulun” signifies the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the third heaven, “the tribe of Joseph” the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the second heaven, and “the tribe of Benjamin” the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the first heaven.
sRef Gen@37 @9 S2′ [2] That “Joseph” in the Word represented and thence signifies the Lord in relation to the Divine spiritual, and in a relative sense the spiritual kingdom, can be seen from all that is related and told of him in the Word, both in the histories and prophecies. In the historical Word it is said of Joseph:
That he dreamed a dream that eleven sheaves came round about his sheaf, and bowed themselves down to it; also that the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed themselves down to him (Gen. 37:4-11).
This means in the nearest sense that his brethren and parents were to come into Egypt and there do homage to him as the lord of the land; but in the spiritual sense it signifies that the church which was represented by Jacob and his sons would submit itself to the Lord; for “Joseph,” as was said, represents the Lord in relation to the Divine spiritual, and in a relative sense the Lord’s spiritual kingdom in heaven and on earth. The Lord’s spiritual kingdom on earth is the spiritual church; this church is what is meant in the internal sense by Jacob and his sons when they were in Egypt.
[3] Afterwards by “Joseph” the establishment of a church that was to be represented by the sons of Israel is described; and this also is why Joseph was carried down into Egypt, and obtained dominion over the whole land, and invited thither his father and brethren, and supported them; and so long as he was lord of the land, the land of Egypt represented the spiritual church in the natural, and Jacob and his sons the spiritual church; but the representation of the spiritual church in the natural by Egypt was ended when Moses was born and he began to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. (These things, as they are many and various, are explained in the Arcana Coelestia.)
[4] The representation of the Lord in relation to the Divine spiritual, and thence the representation of the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, is contained in these words in Moses (which may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 5306-5329):
And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Shall we find one like this man, in whom the spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as, God hath made thee to know all this, there is no one so intelligent and wise as thou; thou shalt be over my house, and upon thy mouth shall all my people kiss; only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from upon his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen, and put a necklace of gold upon his neck; and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had, and they cried out before him, Bow the knee; and he set him over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, besides thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt (Gen. 41:38-44).
[5] Since it is said that “Joseph” in the highest sense represents the Lord in relation to the Divine spiritual, it shall first be told what is meant by the Lord’s Divine spiritual. Heaven is divided into two kingdoms, one of which is called the celestial kingdom, and the other the spiritual kingdom. The Divine Itself proceeding from the Lord makes heaven, and the Divine proceeding from the Lord is Divine good united to Divine truth. All those in heaven who receive more of Divine good than of Divine truth constitute the Lord’s celestial kingdom, while all who receive more of Divine truth than of Divine good constitute the Lord’s spiritual kingdom; therefore the Divine of the Lord that is received by the angels in the Lord’s celestial kingdom is called the Divine celestial, and the Divine of the Lord that is received by the angels in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom is called the Divine spiritual. But it is to be known that the Divine proceeding from the Lord is so called from its reception, and that there are not two Divines, a celestial and a spiritual proceeding; for the Divine good, which from reception is called the Divine celestial, and the Divine truth, which from reception is called the Divine spiritual, proceed so united as to be not two but one. (These things may be seen more fully explained in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28 where The Two Kingdoms into which the Three Heavens are Divided are treated of; also n. 13, 133, 139, which treat of the Divine proceeding, which is the Divine good united to Divine truth, and that they are two only in the recipients.)
sRef Gen@49 @23 S6′ sRef Gen@49 @26 S6′ sRef Gen@49 @24 S6′ sRef Gen@49 @22 S6′ sRef Gen@49 @25 S6′ [6] That the Lord in relation to the Divine spiritual and thence the spiritual kingdom is signified by “Joseph” can be seen also from the following passages. In the blessing of the sons of Israel by their father:
The son of a fruitful one is Joseph, the son of a fruitful one by a fountain; the daughters (she walketh upon a wall), and they shall embitter him and shall shoot at him, the archers shall hate him; and he shall sit in the strength of his bow, and the arms of his hands shall be strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob; thence is he the shepherd, the stone of Israel; from the God of thy father, and He shall help thee; and with Shaddai, and He shall bless thee with blessings of heaven from above, with the blessings of the deep that lieth below, with blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of thy father shall prevail over the blessings of my progenitors, even to the desire of the hills of an age; they shall be for the head of Joseph, and for the crown of the head of the Nazirite of his brethren (Gen. 49:22-26).
“The son of a fruitful one is Joseph” signifies the Lord’s spiritual kingdom and spiritual church, and in the highest sense the Lord in relation to the Divine spiritual; “the son of a fruitful one by a fountain” signifies the fructification by truths from the Word, the “son of a fruitful one” meaning the fructification by truths, and “fountain” the Word; “the daughters (she walketh upon a wall)” signifies to combat by truths that are from good against the falsities that are from evil, a “wall” meaning truth defending; “they shall embitter him” signifies resistance by falsities; “and shall shoot at him” signifies that they will fight from falsities; “and the archers shall hate him” signifies with every hostility from the falsities of doctrine; “darts” and “arrows,” and thence “the throwers of darts” and “archers,” signifying combat from truths against the falsities of doctrine, but here from the falsities of doctrine against truths; “and he shall sit in the strength of his bow” signifies to be kept safe by the truths of doctrine combating against falsities, “bow” meaning doctrine; “and the arms of his hands shall be strengthened” signifies the potency of the powers of combating; “by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob” signifies by the omnipotence of the Lord’s Divine Human; “thence is he the shepherd, the stone of Israel,” signifies that all spiritual good and truth in the kingdom is therefrom; “from the God of thy father” signifies that he was the God of the ancient church; “and with Shaddai” signifies the Lord as Benefactor after temptations; “and He shall bless thee with the blessings of heaven from above” signifies with goods and truths from within; “with blessings of the deep that lieth below” signifies with the knowledges of truth and good and with corroborating knowledges [scientifica] from without; “with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb” signifies the spiritual affections of these and conjunction; “the blessings of thy father shall prevail above the blessings of my progenitors” signifies that the church that is signified by “Joseph” is from spiritual truth and good; “even to the desire of the hills of an age” signifies from mutual celestial love; “they shall be for the head of Joseph” signifies these things in respect to interiors; “and for the crown of the head of the Nazirite of his brethren” signifies also in respect to exteriors. (For further explanation of this see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6416-6438.)
sRef Deut@33 @15 S7′ sRef Deut@33 @17 S7′ sRef Deut@33 @14 S7′ sRef Deut@33 @13 S7′ sRef Deut@33 @16 S7′ [7] In the blessing of the sons of Israel by Moses:
Of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that lieth beneath, and for the precious things of the increase of the sun, and for the precious things of the produce of the months, and for the firstfruits of the mountains of the east, and for the precious things of the hills of an age, and for the precious things of the earth and of the fullness thereof; and the good pleasure of him that dwelleth in the bush; they shall come to the head of Joseph, and to the crown of the head of the Nazirite of his brethren (Deut. 33:13-16).

This describes the Lord’s spiritual church with those who are in the doctrine of truth from the Word, and in a life in accordance with it, “the land of Joseph” signifying that church; “to be blessed for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that lieth beneath,” signifies from Divine truths from the Word in the spiritual man, and from the influx of the spiritual man into the natural; “the precious things of heaven” meaning Divine spiritual truths or truths in the spiritual man; “dew” signifying influx therefrom, and “the deep lying beneath” signifying the natural man in which are the knowledges of truth and good for perception, and confirming knowledges; “for the precious things of the increase of the sun, and for the precious things of the produce of the months,” signifies from the truths flowing forth from the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and from the truths flowing forth from the Lord’s spiritual kingdom; “the precious things of the sun” meaning truths from the celestial kingdom; “the precious things of the months” truths from the spiritual kingdom, and “increase” and “produce” the things that flow forth; “for the firstfruits of the mountains of the east and for the precious things of the hills of an age,” signifies genuine truths such as were in the Most Ancient Church, and such as were in the ancient church, “the mountains of the east” signify the Most Ancient Church which was in love to the Lord; that church is described by “the mountains of the east” because “mountain” signifies love, and the “east” the Lord; “the hills of an age” signify the Ancient Church, which was in charity towards the neighbor; that church is described by “the hills of an age” because “hills” signify charity towards the neighbor. (That such is the signification of “mountains” and “hills,” see above, n. 405.) “And for the precious things of the earth and of the fullness thereof” signifies the external spiritual church, which is with those who live according to the knowledges of truth and good; the “earth” meaning that church, and “fullness” the knowledges in the external man; “and the good pleasure of him that dwelleth in the bush,” signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine spiritual, that all these things are from Him; “they shall come to the head of Joseph, and to the crown of the head of the Nazirite of his brethren” signifies in respect both to interiors and to exteriors (as above).
sRef Zech@10 @7 S8′ sRef Zech@10 @6 S8′ [8] In Zechariah:
And I will make the house of Judah mighty, and I will save the house of Joseph; and they shall be as the mighty Ephraim, and their heart shall be glad as if with wine (10:6, 7).
“The house of Judah” here means the church that is in love to the Lord, which is called the celestial church; and “Joseph” means the church that is in the good of charity and in the truths of faith, which is called the spiritual church; because the truths of that church have power from good, it is said, “they shall be as the mighty Ephraim,” for “Ephraim” signifies truth from good in the natural man, which truth has power; the joy of such from truths is signified by “their heart shall be glad as if with wine,” “wine” signifying truth from good.
sRef Ezek@37 @16 S9′ sRef Ezek@37 @17 S9′ sRef Ezek@37 @22 S9′ sRef Ezek@37 @19 S9′ [9] In Ezekiel:
Jehovah said, Son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions; then take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and of all the house of Israel; and then join them for thee one to another into one stick, that the two may be one in thy* hand. I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and of the tribes of Israel his companions, and I will add them upon the stick of Judah, and will make them into one stick, and they shall be one in My hand. And I will make them into one nation in the land, in the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be for a king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms anymore at all (Ezek. 37:16-22).
Here, too, “Judah” signifies the celestial church which is in the good of love, and “Joseph” and “Ephraim” signify the spiritual church which is in the good of charity and in the truths of faith. That these two churches will be one church with the Lord, as good and truth are one, is meant by “I will make them into one stick, and they shall be one in My hand. And I will make them into one nation in the land; and one king shall be for a king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms anymore.” (But this also may be seen explained above, n. 433.)
sRef Ps@77 @15 S10′ [10] In David:
O God, Thou hast with Thine arm redeemed Thy people, the sons of Jacob and of Joseph (Ps. 77:15).
“The sons of Jacob and of Joseph” mean those who are in the good of life according to their religious principles; for “Jacob” means in the Word the external church which is with those who are in the good of life; and “Joseph” here means Manasseh and Ephraim, for it is said “Thou hast redeemed the sons of Joseph,” by whom those are meant who are in good and truth in respect to the external man, thus in respect to life. (That Manasseh and Ephraim, the “sons of Joseph,” have this signification, see above, n. 440.) “To redeem them with His arm,” signifies to save them by omnipotence, for those who had been such were saved by the Lord through His coming into the world, and could not have been saved otherwise.
sRef Obad@1 @18 S11′ sRef Obad@1 @17 S11′ sRef Obad@1 @8 S11′ [11] In Obadiah:
In Mount Zion there shall be escape, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall be heir to their inheritances; and the house of Jacob shall become a fire and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, that they may kindle them and devour them, that there be no residue of the house of Esau (verses 17, 18).
“Esau and his house” mean those who believe themselves to be intelligent and wise not from the Lord but from self; for in the eighth verse of this chapter it is said “I will destroy the wise out of Edom, and the intelligent out of the mount of Esau,” meaning those who from the letter of the Word have confirmed themselves in such things as favor their own loves. “The house of Jacob and the house of Joseph” mean such as are in the good of life according to the truths of doctrine, “the house of Jacob” meaning those who are in the good of life, and “the house of Joseph” those who are in the truths of doctrine; “Mount Zion,” where there will be escape and holiness, signifies love to the Lord, from whom is salvation and from whom is Divine truth; “the house of Jacob shall be heir to the inheritances of the house and mountain of Esau,” and “the house of Jacob shall be to him a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame,” signifies that in place of those meant by “Esau” those will succeed who are in the good of life according to the truths of doctrine. In the spiritual world this so occurs, that those who have been in pride from self-intelligence, and have confirmed themselves from the Word in such things as favor the loves of self and the world, occupy certain tracts and mountains, and make for themselves a semblance of heaven, believing that heaven belongs to them more than to others; but when the time has been fulfilled they are cast out of their places, and those succeed them who are in the good of life according to the truths of doctrine from the Lord. (See respecting this in the small work on The Last Judgment.) This makes clear what is signified in the internal sense by “the house of Jacob shall be heir to their inheritances, and shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble.”
sRef Ps@81 @4 S12′ sRef Ps@81 @2 S12′ sRef Ps@81 @5 S12′ sRef Amos@6 @5 S12′ sRef Ps@81 @3 S12′ sRef Amos@6 @6 S12′ [12] In Amos:
Who play upon the psaltery, and devise for themselves instruments of music like David; who drink out of bowls of wine, and anoint themselves with the firstfruits of the oils, but are not grieved over the breach of Joseph (6:5, 6).
This treats of those who counterfeit good affections in externals, and bring together for confirmation many things from the Word, and yet are interiorly evil. To counterfeit good affections in externals is signified by “playing upon the psaltery, devising for themselves instruments of music, and anointing themselves with the firstfruits of the oils;” to bring forth many things from the Word for the sake of appearance is signified by “drinking out of bowls of wine;” that they have no regard for the truths of doctrine of the church, even though the church should perish by falsities, is signified by “they are not grieved over the breach of Joseph,” “Joseph” meaning the spiritual church, which is with those who are in the truths of doctrine.
sRef Ps@80 @1 S13′ sRef Ps@80 @2 S13′ [13] In David:
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; Thou that sittest upon the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh stir up Thy might, and come for salvation to us (Ps. 80:1, 2).
Here, too, “Joseph” signifies the spiritual church, which is with those who are in truths from good, that is, in the truths of doctrine also as to life. What “Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,” here mean may be seen above (n. 440).
sRef Amos@5 @4 S14′ sRef Amos@5 @15 S14′ sRef Amos@5 @6 S14′ [14] In Amos:
Thus said Jehovah unto the house of Israel, Seek ye Me, and ye shall live; lest He fall like fire upon** the house of Joseph, and He shall devour and there shall be none to quench. Hate evil, and love good, and place judgment in the gate; it may be that Jehovah the God of Hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph (5:4, 6, 15).
“The house of Israel” signifies the spiritual church, and “the house of Joseph” that church in respect to the truths of doctrine. That truths of doctrine will perish unless they are in the affection of truth and good and a life according to them, is meant by “lest He fall like fire upon the house of Joseph;” and “Jehovah will be gracious to his remnant” means that He will preserve with them the remaining truths of doctrine, provided they live according to the goods and truths from the Word, which is meant by “hate evil and love good, and place judgment in the gate.”
sRef Ex@1 @8 S15′ [15] In David:
Lift up a psalm, and strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery. Sound with the trumpet in the new moon, in the fixed time at the day of our feast. For this was a statute of Israel. He appointed a testimony for Joseph, in His going out against the land of Egypt; I heard a lip that I knew not (Ps. 81:2-5).
To “lift up a psalm, to strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery,” signifies confession from spiritual and celestial truths and the delights of the affection of truth and good (see above, n. 323, 326); “sound with the trumpet in the new moon, in the fixed time for the day of our feast,” signifies worship from the delight of these affections; “for this was a statute for Israel, and He appointed a testimony for Joseph,” signifies that these things were for the new church instituted among the sons of Israel which was in the truths of doctrine; “in His going out against the land of Egypt; I heard a lip that I knew not” signifies when the old church was destroyed, which had come to be in falsities of doctrine, “a lip that I knew not” signifying falsities of doctrine; for “Egypt,” when Joseph was lord there, represented the church that is in the cognitions of truth and good, and in confirming knowledges (scientiae); but when the sons of Israel began to be hated and ill-treated, “Egypt” represented the church destroyed, in which are mere falsities, for it is said that:
There arose a new king over the Egyptians who knew not Joseph (Exod. 1:8);
and consequently the Egyptians with Pharaoh, who pursued the sons of Israel, were drowned in the Red Sea.
sRef Ps@105 @20 S16′ sRef Ps@105 @19 S16′ sRef Ps@105 @18 S16′ sRef Ps@105 @17 S16′ sRef John@17 @10 S16′ sRef Matt@28 @18 S16′ sRef Ps@105 @21 S16′ sRef Ps@105 @23 S16′ sRef Ps@105 @22 S16′ [16] That “Joseph” means in the highest sense the Lord in respect to the Divine spiritual, is evident also in David:
Joseph was sold for a servant; his foot they hurt with a fetter, his soul came into the iron; until the time that his word came, and the saying of Jehovah explored him. Then the king sent and loosed him; the ruler of the nations let him go free. He set him as a lord to his house and ruler over all his possessions, to bind his princes according to his will, and that he might instruct his elders. Then Israel came into Egypt, and Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham (Ps. 105:17-23).
How the Lord was received when He came into the world, and how He was tempted and then became Lord of heaven and earth, and subjugated the hells, reduced the heavens to order and established the church is described by the story of Joseph; how He was received and tempted is described by “he was sold for a servant, his foot they hurt with a fetter, and his soul came into iron;” “he was sold for a servant” signifying that the Lord was held in low esteem; “his foot they hurt with a fetter” signifying that He was as it were bound and in prison because there was no longer any natural good; “his soul came into the iron” signifying that it was so because there was no longer any natural truth but only falsity. The Lord’s conquering the hells through Divine truth from*** His Divine is described by “until the time that his word came, and the saying of Jehovah explored him;” “his word” signifying Divine truth, and “the saying of Jehovah” Divine good from which is Divine truth. That the Lord thus acquired power over all things of heaven and earth for His Human from His Divine is described by “the king sent and loosed him, the ruler of the nations let him go free; he set him as a lord to his house, and ruler over all his possession;” the “king who sent,” and the “ruler of the nations who let him go free,” signifying Divine truth and Divine good which were in Him and from Him, “king” Divine truth, and “ruler” Divine good; for the Lord is called “King” in the Word from Divine truth, and “Lord” and “Ruler” from Divine good.
The “house over which he was set” signifies heaven and the church in respect to good, and “possession” heaven and the church in respect to truth. This has a similar signification as the words of the Lord Himself, that all things of the Father are His and all His are the Father’s; and that all power over heaven and earth was given to Him (John 17:10; Matt. 28:18). That the Lord from His Divine withholds the heavens from falsities and keeps them in truths, and thus gives them intelligence and wisdom, is described by “he bound the princes according to his will, and that he might instruct his elders,” “princes” signifying those who are in truths, and “elders” those who are in intelligence and wisdom. That the Lord then established the church on the earth is meant by “then Israel came into Egypt;” “Israel” signifying the church, for the establishment of the church by the Lord was represented by the sons of Israel coming into Egypt, as also by the Lord’s being carried into Egypt when He was an infant (Matt. 2:14, 15; Hos. 11:1). That all things of the church then perished is meant by “Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham;” “Jacob” signifying the church with all who are in the good of life, and “the land of Ham” signifying the church destroyed.
[17] Here and elsewhere in the Word “Israel and Jacob” do not mean the sons of Israel and the posterity of Jacob, but all those with whom is the church, wherever they were and wherever they are; as “Judah” in the Word does not mean the Jewish nation, but the church consisting of such as are in love to the Lord (of which above, n. 433). For with the sons of Israel or the posterity of Jacob there was no church, but the church was merely represented; therefore they signify all who are of the church, and this not only in the prophecies of the Word but also in its histories, as has been shown in what precedes. So, too, “Joseph” and his tribe do not mean Joseph and his tribe, but in the highest sense the Lord in respect to the Divine spiritual, and thence in a relative sense the Lord’s spiritual kingdom in the heavens and on the earths, likewise the things that constitute that kingdom, which are the truths of doctrine.
sRef Ezek@47 @13 S18′ [18] In Ezekiel there is a description of a new spiritual church to be established by the Lord, and this church with its doctrine is meant by “the new city, the new temple, and the new earth,” therefore it is said:
This is the border unto which ye shall inherit the land, according to the twelve tribes of Israel, to Joseph cords [portions] (47:13).
“Joseph” signifies the spiritual church, and “cords” signify conjunction, and preaching from that tribe to the rest, and from the rest to it; and “the twelve tribes of Israel” signify all things of that church.
* Photolithograph has “my,” the Hebrew “thy.”
** Photolithograph has “devour,” the Hebrew “fall upon” (invadat) is found in AC n. 3969.
*** Photolithograph has “and.”

sRef Rev@7 @8 S0′ 449. Of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand sealed, signifies the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the lowest heaven. This is evident from the representation of “Benjamin” and the tribe named from him, as being the spiritual-celestial in the natural man, as “Joseph” represents it in the spiritual. The spiritual-celestial is truth conjoined to good; for truth regarded in itself is spiritual, and good is celestial; therefore by “Benjamin” and his tribe the conjunction of truth and good in the natural is signified, and thus here the conjunction with the Lord of those who are in the lowest heaven; for in the lowest heaven are those who are in natural good and truth from the spiritual and the celestial. Those who are in the lowest heaven are either spiritual-natural or celestial-natural; the spiritual-natural there belong to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, and the celestial-natural to His celestial kingdom, therefore the spiritual-natural communicate with the second heaven where all are spiritual, while the celestial-natural communicate with the third heaven where all are celestial (as was said in the article above).
[2] From all this the signification in the Word of “Joseph” and of “Benjamin,” who were brothers, can be seen. As “Benjamin” signifies truth conjoined to good in the natural man, and thus truth conjoined to good in those who are in the lowest heaven, so he was born to Jacob last, and was called by him “son of the right hand,” (Benjamin, in the original, means son of the right hand); also he was born in Bethlehem, and that city signifies truth conjoined to good in the natural. (That he was born in Bethlehem, see Gen. 35:16-19.) He was born the last because the natural, consisting of truth conjoined to good, is the ultimate of the church with man. For with man there are three degrees of life, the inmost, the middle, and the ultimate; in the inmost degree are those who are in the inmost or third heaven, in the middle degree are those who are in the middle or second heaven, and in the ultimate degree are those who are in the lowest or first heaven; so those who are in the inmost degree are called celestial, those who are in the middle are called spiritual, and those who are in the ultimate degree are called either spiritual-natural, or celestial-natural, and the conjunction of these in the ultimate degree is signified by “Benjamin.” (Respecting these three degrees of life in man and angel, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 33, 34, 38, 39, 208, 209, 211, 435.) This now is why Benjamin was born the last of the sons of Jacob.
[3] He was called “the son of the right hand” because “son” signifies truth, and “right hand” signifies the power of truth from good, and in the spiritual world truth that is from good in the natural man has all power. All the power the spiritual man has is in this, because the effecting cause is in the spiritual man, and the effect is in the natural, and all the power of the effecting cause puts itself forth through the effect. (That all the power of the spiritual man is in the natural, and through the natural, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9836.) For this reason he was called “Benjamin,” that is, “the son of the right hand.” And as “Bethlehem” has a like signification, namely, truth conjoined to good in the natural man, David too was born there, and also anointed as king (1 Sam. 16:1-14; 17:12); for David as king represented the Lord in respect to truth from good, and this, too, is signified by “king” (as may be seen above, n. 29, 31, 205). For the same reason the Lord was born in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:1, 5, 6) because He was born a king, and truth conjoined to good was with Him from birth. For every infant is born natural, and the natural, because it is next to the external senses and the world, is first opened, and this with all men is ignorant of truth and desirous of evil; but in the Lord alone the natural had a desire for good and a longing for truth; for the ruling affection in man, which is his soul, is from the father; and with the Lord, the affection or soul from the Father was the Divine Itself, which is the Divine good of the Divine love.
sRef Josh@18 @24 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @25 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @23 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @22 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @21 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @11 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @27 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @26 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @15 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @13 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @28 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @12 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @14 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @17 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @20 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @19 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @16 S4′ sRef Josh@18 @18 S4′ [4] Because “Benjamin” and his tribe signify truth conjoined to good in the natural man:
His lot in the land of Canaan was between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph; Jerusalem also, where the Jebusites then were, fell to that tribe for an inheritance (Josh. 18:11-28);
so that the sons of Benjamin dwelt there with the Jews, who afterwards occupied that city. The tribe of Benjamin had its lot among the sons of Joseph, because that tribe represented and thence signified the conjunction of good and truth; for “Judah” signifies the good of the church, and “Joseph” the truth of the church. Jerusalem fell to that tribe because “Jerusalem” signified the church in respect to doctrine and worship, and all doctrine of the church is the doctrine of truth conjoined to good, and all worship is effected according to doctrine through the natural man; for, as was said above, worship is an effect from the effecting cause which is in the spiritual man.
sRef Jer@17 @26 S5′ [5] From this the signification of “Benjamin” in the following passages can be seen. In Jeremiah:
In hallowing the sabbath they shall come from the cities of Judah and from the circuits of Jerusalem and from the land of Benjamin, and from the lowland and from the mountain and from the south, bringing burnt-offering and sacrifice and meal-offering and frankincense (17:26).
This was done for hallowing the sabbath because the “sabbath” signifies the union of the Divine and the Divine Human in the Lord, and in a relative sense the conjunction of His Divine Human with heaven and with the church, and in general the conjunction of good and truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8495, 8510, 10356, 10367, 10370, 10374, 10668, 10730). “The cities of Judah, the circuits of Jerusalem, and the land of Benjamin,” signify truths conjoined to good in the natural man; “the cities of Judah” the truths of good; “the circuits of Jerusalem” the truths of doctrine in the natural man, and “the land of Benjamin” their conjunction; for “cities” signify truths, “Judah” the good of the church, “Jerusalem” the doctrine of truth, “circuits” such things as are round about or below, which are the truths of good in the natural man, and “the land of Benjamin” the church in respect to the conjunction of these in the natural man; “from the lowland, from the mountain, and from the south,” signifies good and truth in the natural man from a celestial origin and from a spiritual origin; “lowland” signifying good and truth in the natural man, because in lowlands, that is, below the mountains and hills, those dwell who are in the lowest heaven, and are called celestial-natural and spiritual-natural, as was said above; “mountains” signifying those who are in celestial good, and “south” those who are in spiritual good, and thence in the light of truth; “to bring burnt-offering and sacrifice, and meal-offering and frankincense,” signifies worship from celestial good and from spiritual good in the natural man; “burnt-offering” signifying worship from celestial good; “sacrifice” worship from spiritual good; “meal-offering and frankincense” good and the truth of good in the natural man. Such is the signification of these words. Why else should it be said that in hallowing the sabbath they should come “from the cities of Judah, from the circuits of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, the mountain, and the south,” and why not from the whole land of Canaan?
sRef Jer@33 @13 S6′ [6] Because all these particulars signify such things as belong to heaven and the church, like things are also mentioned elsewhere in the same Prophet:
In the cities of the mountain, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the circuits of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that numbereth them (Jer. 33:13).
They shall buy fields with silver, and this by writing in a book, and by causing witnesses to witness, in the land of Benjamin, and in the circuits of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountain, and in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the south, for I will turn back their captivity (Jer. 32:8, 44).
In these passages “the land of Benjamin, the circuits of Jerusalem, the cities of Judah, the mountain, the lowland, and the south,” have a similar signification as above; thus “Benjamin” signifies the conjunction of truth and good in the natural man, and accordingly the conjunction of truth and good with those who are in the lowest heaven.
sRef Jer@6 @1 S7′ [7] In the same:
Gather yourselves, ye sons of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem, and sounding sound the trumpet, and upon the house of the vineyard kindle a conflagration, for evil looketh forth from the north, and a great breaking up (Jer. 6:1).
In the spiritual sense this treats of the devastation of the church in respect to truth and good, because it is against Zion and Jerusalem, for “Zion” signifies the good of the church, and “Jerusalem” its truth; and as “the sons of Benjamin” signify the conjunction of good and truth, they are told “to gather themselves out of the midst of Jerusalem, to sound the trumpet, and upon the house of the vineyard to kindle a conflagration;” “to sound the trumpet” signifying combat against that church from truths that are from good; “house of the vineyard” that church itself, and “to kindle a conflagration” its destruction by evil loves; the “north from which the evil looks forth” signifies the falsity of evil, and “a great breaking up” signifies the dispersion of good and truth.
sRef Ps@80 @1 S8′ sRef Ps@80 @2 S8′ [8] In David:
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; Thou that sittest upon the cherubim shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up Thy might, and come for salvation to us (Ps. 80:1, 2).
“Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,” do not mean Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, but those who are in natural truth and good, and with whom there is a conjunction of these (see above, n. 440, where this is explained).
sRef Ps@68 @26 S9′ sRef Ps@68 @27 S9′ [9] In the same:
Bless ye God in the assemblies, the Lord from the fountain of Israel. There little Benjamin is over them, the princes of Judah, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali (Ps. 68:26, 27).
Here Benjamin, the princes of Judah, of Zebulun, and of Naphtali, are not meant, but those things of the church that are signified by these tribes; and “little Benjamin” here signifies the innocence of the natural man; the innocence of the natural man is in the conjunction of good and truth there. (This too may be seen explained above, n. 439.)
sRef Deut@33 @12 S10′ [10] In the blessing of the sons of Israel by Moses:
Of Benjamin he said, The beloved of Jehovah, he shall dwell safely by him. He shall cover him all the day, and he shall dwell between His shoulders (Deut. 33:12).
“Benjamin” here signifies the Word in the ultimate sense, which is natural; for in this blessing by Moses the Word is described, and each tribe signifies something of it; and as the ultimate sense of the Word, which is natural, has in it a marriage of good and truth, as has been shown in many places, therefore Benjamin is called “the beloved of Jehovah,” and it is said “he shall dwell safely by him, and He shall cover him all the day, and he shall dwell between His shoulders,” “to dwell between the shoulders” meaning in safety and in power.
[11] The signification of “Benjamin” in the prophecy of Israel the father respecting his son (Gen. 49:27) has been explained in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 6439-6444). In that prophecy, Benjamin is the last one treated of, because he signifies the ultimate of the church and of heaven; the ultimate is the natural, in which truth is conjoined to good.
sRef Num@2 @20 S12′ sRef Num@2 @24 S12′ sRef Num@2 @21 S12′ sRef Num@2 @23 S12′ sRef Num@2 @22 S12′ sRef Num@2 @18 S12′ sRef Num@2 @19 S12′ [12] Because this is the signification of “Benjamin”:
The tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin pitched in the wilderness about the tent of meeting, on the west side (Num. 2:18-24);
and these three tribes signify all who are in natural truth and good, and in the conjunction of these, “Ephraim” signifying truth in the natural man, “Manasseh” good there (as has been shown above), and “Benjamin” the conjunction of these. These tribes pitched on the west side, because in heaven those dwell at the west and at the north who are in the obscurity of good and in the obscurity of truth, thus who are in natural good and truth; but those dwell at the east and at the south in heaven who are in clearness of good and truth. (Respecting this see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 141-153.)
[13] From this it can now be seen what “Benjamin” signifies in the Word, namely, the conjunction of good and truth in the natural man, and its conjunction through good with the spiritual; for all good that is good in the natural man flows in from the spiritual man, that is, through the spiritual man from the Lord. Without such influx there is no good in the natural man; therefore “Benjamin” signifies also the conjunction of the spiritual man with the natural, and “Joseph” the conjunction of the celestial man with the spiritual.

sRef Rev@7 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@7 @9 S0′ 450. Among these twelve tribes, out of each of which twelve thousand are said to have been sealed, the tribe of Dan is not mentioned, but in its stead the tribe of Manasseh. The tribe of Dan is not mentioned because that tribe represented and signified such as are treated of in what now follows in this chapter, whom John thus describes, “After these things I saw, and behold a great multitude which no one could number, out of every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palms in their hands” (verse 9 et seq.). For these are such as were not in the very truths of heaven and the church, but in the good of life according to the doctrinals of their religion, and these were for the most part not genuine truths but falsities, and yet these falsities were accepted by the Lord as truths, because such were in the good of life, and on account of this the falsities of their religion were not tainted with evil, but inclined to good. The others were taken in place of the tribe of Dan because the tribe of Dan was the last of the tribes, and therefore signified, in the Lord’s kingdom, the ultimates in which those are who are in the good of life and of faith according to their religion in which there are no genuine truths. (Respecting the tribe of Dan see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1710, 3920, 3923, 6396, 10335.)

sRef Rev@7 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@7 @9 S0′ 451. Verses 9, 10. After these things I saw, and behold a great multitude which no one could number, out of every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palms in their hands. And crying out with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 9. “After these things I saw, and behold a great multitude,” signifies all those who are in the good of life according to their religion, in which there are no genuine truths (n. 452); “which no one could number,” signifies that the Lord alone knows of what kind and how much of good and truth there is in them (n. 453); “out of every nation and all tribes,” signifies all who are in good in respect to life according to the doctrinals of their religion (n. 454); “and peoples and tongues,” signifies all who are in falsities from ignorance and from various religions (n. 455); “standing before the throne and before the Lamb,” signifies such in the Lord’s kingdom (n. 456); “clothed in white robes,” signifies that they are then in truths and protected against falsities (n. 457); “and palms in their hands,” signifies and in good of life according to truths (n. 458). 10. “And crying out with a great voice,” signifies adoration from the good of truth and from consequent joy of heart (n. 459); “saying, Salvation unto our God who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb,” signifies confession that eternal life is from the Lord alone (n. 460).

sRef Rev@7 @9 S0′ 452. Verse 9. After these things I saw, and behold a great multitude, signifies all those who are in the good of life according to their religion, in which there are no genuine truths, as is evident from this, that “the twelve thousand sealed” out of each tribe meant those who are of the church in which there are genuine truths; for “the twelve tribes of Israel” mean those who are in genuine goods and truths, and in an abstract sense all goods and truths of the church; therefore these now treated of mean those who are in the good of life according to their religion, in which nevertheless there are no genuine truths. That this is the meaning of “a great multitude” can be seen also from what follows in this chapter, where it is said, “These are they who come out of the great tribulation” (verse 14), which means out of temptations, for those who are in the good of life according to their religion, in which there are no genuine truths, in the other life undergo temptations, by which the falsities of their religion are scattered, and genuine truths implanted in their place (on this more will be said in what follows). From this it can be seen who are meant by “a great multitude” (which is treated of in what follows to the end of the chapter). It is to be known that no one, either within the church where the Word is or outside of that church, is damned who lives a good life according to his religion, for it is not the fault of such that they are ignorant of genuine truths. Moreover, as the good of life holds deep within it the affection of knowing truths, when such come into the other life they easily receive truths and drink them in. It is altogether different with those who have lived an evil life and have made light of religion. (Those who are not in genuine truths, and thus are in falsities from ignorance, and yet in the good of life, have been treated of above, n. 107, 195, 356; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, where the peoples and nations outside of the church who are in heaven are treated of. Also in the Arcana Coelestia, as follows: There may be falsities of religion that agree with good, and falsities that disagree, n. 9258, 9259; falsities of religion, if they do not disagree with good, produce evil only with those who are in evil, n. 8311, 8318; falsities of religion are not imputed to those who are in good, but only to those who are in evil, n. 8051, 8149; truths not genuine, and also falsities, may be consociated with genuine truths with those who are in good, but not with those who are in evil, n. 3470, 3471, 4551, 4552, 7344, 8149, 9298; falsities and truths are consociated by appearances from the sense of the letter of the Word, n. 7344; falsities are made truthlike by good and become soft when they are applied to good and lead to good, and evil is removed, n. 8149; falsities of religion with those who are in good are received by the Lord as truths, n. 4736, 8149; a good that derives its quality from a falsity of religion is accepted by the Lord if there be ignorance, and if there be in it innocence and a good end, n. 7887; the truths that are with man are appearances of truth and good, tinctured with fallacies, and yet the Lord adapts them to genuine truths in the man who lives in good, n. 2053; there are falsities in which there is good with those who are outside of the church and thence in ignorance of truth, also with those within the church where there are falsities of doctrine, n. 2589-2604, 2861, 2863, 3263, 3778, 4189, 4190, 4197, 6700, 9256.)

sRef Rev@7 @9 S0′ 453. Which no one could number, signifies that the Lord alone knows of what quality and how much of good and truth there is in them. This is evident from the signification of “number,” as meaning what is the quality of a thing, so “to number” means to know the quality of a thing, here, the quality of the good and truth with those now treated of. It also signifies that the Lord alone knows this, as is meant by “which no one could number;” for no man and no angel knows the quality of good and truth with another in every series and connection, but only something of it that is apparent in externals; and yet every quality is of infinite extension, for it joins and associates itself with innumerable things that lie concealed within, and that abide without, and that spread out in every direction. All this no one sees but the Lord alone; therefore it is the Lord alone by whom all are arranged and disposed according to their quality, for He sees the quality of everyone, thus what his nature is and what will happen to him to eternity, since the Lord’s sight which is called omniscience, foresight, and providence, is eternal. This is why no one except the Lord alone knows the quality of good and truth with anyone. It may seem strange that “to number” signifies to know the quality of good and truth, for one reading these words and remaining in the meaning of the letter can have no other thought than that it means simply that the multitude was too great to be numbered; yet in the spiritual sense “number” signifies quality, and thus “to number” signifies to know the quality, and to arrange and dispose according to it.
sRef 2Sam@24 @12 S2′ sRef 2Sam@24 @15 S2′ sRef 2Sam@24 @13 S2′ sRef 2Sam@24 @7 S2′ sRef 2Sam@24 @14 S2′ sRef 2Sam@24 @8 S2′ sRef 2Sam@24 @1 S2′ sRef 2Sam@24 @10 S2′ sRef 2Sam@24 @4 S2′ sRef 2Sam@24 @5 S2′ sRef 2Sam@24 @6 S2′ sRef 2Sam@24 @11 S2′ sRef 2Sam@24 @9 S2′ sRef 2Sam@24 @3 S2′ sRef 2Sam@24 @2 S2′ [2] Because of this signification of numbering a punishment was inflicted upon David for numbering the people, which is thus described in the second book of Samuel:
Again the anger of Jehovah glowed against Israel, and He incited David against them saying, Go, number Israel and Judah. And the king said to Joab, Go now to and fro through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people. Joab dissuaded him, but the king’s word prevailed. And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people; and David said, I have sinned exceedingly in that I have done; but now let, O Jehovah, I beseech thee, the iniquity of Thy servant pass away, for I have done very foolishly. So the prophet Gad was sent to David, announcing to him three punishments, and of these David chose the pestilence, of which seventy thousand died (24:1 to the end).
Who does not know that there is no iniquity in numbering a people? Yet here the iniquity was so great that David, on account of it, was threatened with three punishments from which he was to choose one, and of the pestilence which he chose seventy thousand died. But there was a reason for this, namely, that “Israel and Judah” represented, and thence signified, the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens and on the earth, and “to number” signified to know their quality, and to arrange and dispose accordingly, and that this belongs to the Lord alone; which shows that “to number” in the Word has this signification.
sRef Ex@30 @12 S3′ [3] “To number” has a like meaning in Moses:
When thou takest up the sum of the sons of Israel as to the numbering of them, then shall they give every man an expiation for his soul unto Jehovah in numbering them, that there be no plague among them in numbering them (Exod. 30:12).
Here, also, “to number” signifies to know their quality, or the quality of the church with them, and to arrange and dispose according to it; and because this belongs to the Lord alone, it is said, “everyone shall give an expiation for his soul unto Jehovah in numbering them, that there be no plague among them in numbering them.” (For a further explanation of this see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10216-10232.)
sRef Dan@5 @26 S4′ sRef Isa@38 @10 S4′ sRef Dan@5 @5 S4′ sRef Dan@5 @25 S4′ sRef Dan@5 @2 S4′ [4] In Daniel:
Because Belshazzar drank wine out of the vessels of gold and of silver from the temple at Jerusalem, a hand went forth and wrote on the wall, Numbered, thou art numbered, weighed, and divided. God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it (5:2, 5, 25, 26).
“Numbered, numbered,” signifies here to be seen and explored as to the quality of good and truth; and “hath numbered the kingdom” signifies hath arranged and disposed. (What the rest signifies see above, n. 373.)
[5] In like manner in Isaiah:
By the relinquishment of my days I shall go to the gates of hell [of the grave]; I am numbered, the remainder of my years (38:10).
These are the words of Hezekiah the king when he was sick, and “to be numbered” signifies to be explored and concluded. “To number” and “to be numbered” have a different signification in the spiritual sense of the Word from that which they have in the letter or its natural sense, as is evident from the fact that with angels in heaven, numbers and measures have no place in their spiritual idea, that is, they do not think from numbering or measuring, but from the quality of a thing; but this thought of theirs falls into numbers and measures when it comes down therefrom into the natural sphere; and yet the Word is written equally for angels as for men, consequently angels, in numbers and numbering in the Word, perceive the quality of the thing treated of, while men understand numbers and numbering. This can still further be seen from this, that every number in the Word signifies somewhat of thing or state (of which see above, n. 203, 336, 429, 430).
sRef Isa@13 @4 S6′ [6] As numbering is mentioned in some passages of the Word, and it signifies to know the quality of a thing, and to arrange and to dispose according to it, I will also cite these passages in confirmation. In Isaiah:
A voice of a tumult of the kingdoms of nations gathered together; Jehovah of Hosts numbering the host for war (13:4).
The “kingdoms of nations gathered together” of which there was a tumult, do not mean nations gathered from kingdoms, for this passage is prophetical and not historical; but “kingdoms of nations gathered together” signifies the falsities of evils that have been made to cohere, and “their tumult” signifies their threats and eagerness to fight against truths; for “kingdoms” are predicated of truths, and in the contrary sense of falsities, while “nations” signify goods, and in the contrary sense evils (see above, n. 175, 331); and “tumult” is predicated of the eagerness for fighting, here against truths; “Jehovah of Hosts numbering the host” signifies the arrangement of truths from good by the Lord against the falsities from evil; the Lord is called in the Word “Jehovah of Hosts,” from truths and goods fighting against falsities and evils, for “zebaoth” means hosts, and “hosts” signify the truths and goods of heaven and the church; and “to number” signifies to arrange these, and “war” signifies spiritual combat.
sRef Isa@40 @26 S7′ [7] In the same:
Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath created these things, who hath led out their host in number, who calleth them all by name (Isa. 40:26).
The “host of the heavens” means in the literal sense, the sun, moon, and stars, for these are called in the Word “the host of Jehovah,” but in the spiritual sense “host” signifies all the goods and truths of heaven and the church in the complex, for the “sun” signifies the good of love, the “moon” the good of faith, and the “stars” signify the knowledges of good and truth; this makes clear the signification of “Lift up your eyes and see who hath created these things.” “To create,” when predicated of goods and truths, signifies to form them with man, and to regenerate him; “to lead out the host in number” signifies to arrange truths and goods according to the quality of those with whom they are; “who calleth them all by name” signifies who knows the quality of all and disposes accordingly, for “name” in the Word signifies the quality of a thing or state.
sRef John@10 @3 S8′ sRef Ps@147 @4 S8′ [8] So, too, in John:
The sheep hear His voice, and He calleth His own sheep by name and leadeth them out (10:3);
where the same expressions, “to lead out” and “to call by name” are used as above in Isaiah, and they have a similar signification. (That “name” signifies the quality of a thing or state, see above, n. 102, 135, 148.) In David:
Jehovah counteth the number of the stars; He called them all by their names (Ps. 147:4).
“To count the number of the stars, and to call them all by their names,” signifies to know all truths and goods, and to dispose them according to their quality in heaven and the church. For what other reason could it be said of Jehovah that “He numbers the stars, and calls them by their names”?
sRef Jer@33 @13 S9′ [9] In Jeremiah:
In the cities of the mountain, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the circuits of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again by the hands of him that numbereth them (33:13).
What “mountain,” “lowland,” “the south,” “the land of Benjamin,” “the circuits of Jerusalem,” and “the cities of Judah,” signify in the spiritual sense may be seen just above (n. 449, where they are explained). “The flocks shall pass by the hands of him that numbereth them” signifies that there will be interior goods and truths in the church according to their order and quality, for “flocks” signify interior goods and truths; “flocks” meaning lambs, sheep, she-goats, rams, and kids, and these signify interior goods and truths, which are spiritual goods and truths, while “herds,” which consist of calves, bullocks, cows, and oxen, signify exterior goods and truths, which are natural truths and goods. (That this is so see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1565, 2566, 5913, 6048, 8937, 10609.)
sRef Ps@48 @12 S10′ sRef Ps@48 @13 S10′ sRef Ps@48 @11 S10′ [10] In David:
Mount Zion shall be glad, the daughters of Judah shall exult, because of Thy judgments. Encompass Zion and encircle her; number her towers, set your heart to the bulwarks, mark ye well her palaces; that ye may tell the generation following (Ps. 48:11-13).
“Mount Zion which shall be glad,” signifies the celestial church, in which are those who are in love to the Lord; “the daughters of Judah who shall exult,” signify the affections of good and truth which those have who are of that church; “because of Thy judgments” signifies because of Divine truths which they have from the Lord; “encompass Zion and encircle her” signifies to embrace the things belonging to that church from love; “to number her towers” signifies to give thought to the higher or interior truths of that church, “to number” meaning to see and give thought to their quality, and “towers” meaning the higher or interior truths; “set your heart to the bulwarks” signifies to love the exterior truths that defend that church against falsities; “mark ye well her palaces” signifies to perceive the goods of truth, for “houses” mean goods, and “palaces” the more noble goods of truth; “that ye may tell the generation following” signifies their permanence to eternity.
sRef Isa@33 @15 S11′ sRef Isa@33 @19 S11′ sRef Isa@33 @17 S11′ sRef Isa@33 @18 S11′ [11] In Isaiah:
He that walketh in righteousness and speaketh uprightness, thine eyes* shall see the king in his beauty; they shall behold the land of wide extent. Thy heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the weigher? where is he that counteth the towers? Thou wilt not see an obstinate people, a people of depths of lip (33:15, 17-19).
“To walk in righteousness and to speak uprightness” signifies to live in the good of love and charity, and to think and perceive truths; for “to walk” signifies to live, “righteousness” is predicated of good, and “uprightness” is truth; “thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty” signifies that they shall attain to wisdom, “king” signifying truth from good, and “beauty” its wisdom, for in wisdom Divine truth is in its beautiful form; “they shall behold the land of wide extent” signifies the extension of wisdom into heaven, “land” signifying the church, and also heaven, and “wide extent” extension there; “thy heart shall meditate terror; where is the scribe? where is the weigher? where is he that counteth the towers?” signifies remembrance of the state of the church, when there is no intelligence, no wisdom, and when interior truths are falsified; “terror” meaning that state, “scribe” intelligence, “weigher” wisdom, “towers” interior truths; to destroy the quality of these by falsifications is here signified by “numbering them;” “thou wilt not see an obstinate people” signifies not seeing those who are in the falsities of evil, or in an abstract sense those falsities themselves; “a people of depths of lip” signifies falsities of doctrine confirmed until they appear as truths, “lip” signifying the truths of doctrine, here falsity that will not be seen.
[12] “To number” signifies also evil arrangement, consequently destruction by falsifications, as is evident in the same:
Ye have seen the breaches of the house of David that they are many; and ye have brought together the waters of the lower pool. And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, that ye might tear down the houses to fortify the wall (Isa. 22:9, 10).
“The house of David” means the church in respect to the truths of doctrine; and “its breaches” signify falsities breaking in; “to bring together the waters of the lower pool” signifies to collect many things from the sense of the letter of the Word and from the natural man; the “pools in Jerusalem” signified such truths as are in the exterior and interior senses of the Word; “the waters of the higher pool” such truths as are in the interior sense of the Word, and “the waters of the lower pool” such as are in the exterior sense of the Word, that is, the sense of the letter, for “waters” mean truths, and the “pools” in Jerusalem have a similar signification as the “lakes” and “seas” outside of Jerusalem, namely, a collection of truths; “to number the houses of Jerusalem” signifies to falsify the goods of truth, “the houses of Jerusalem” signifying the goods of truth of the church, and “to number” signifying wrong apprehension and evil arrangement, which is to interpret falsely or to falsify; “that ye might tear down the houses to fortify the wall” signifies to destroy these goods in order to build up a doctrine consisting of mere falsities, “wall” meaning the truth of doctrine defending, here truth falsified, because without good.
sRef Isa@22 @9 S13′ sRef Isa@22 @10 S13′ sRef Job@14 @16 S13′ sRef Ps@90 @12 S13′ sRef Luke@12 @7 S13′ sRef Job@31 @4 S13′ [13] These things make evident what is signified by “numbering days, steps, and hairs,” as in the following passages. In David:
To number our days (Ps. 90:12).
In Job:
Dost Thou not number** my steps? (16:16).
Doth He not see my ways and number all my steps? (31:4).
In Luke:
The hairs of your head are all numbered (12:7).
Here “to number” signifies to know the quality from least to greatest, and to arrange and dispose according to it, that is, to provide. What “days,” “steps,” and “hairs,” signify has been told and shown elsewhere.
* Photolithograph as “he,” the Hebrew “thine eyes;” see AE n. 152, 304; AC n. 3863.
** Photolithograph has “thou numberest.”

sRef Rev@7 @9 S0′ 454. Out of every nation and all tribes, signifies all who are in good in respect to life according to the doctrinals of their religion. This is evident from the signification of “nation,” as being those who are in the good (on which see above, n. 175, 331), here those who are in the good of life; also from the signification of “tribes,” as being the goods and truths of the church in the whole complex (on which see also above, n. 431). But here, as those who are in the good of life according to their religion are treated of, “tribes” signify the doctrinals of religion that such believe to be truths and goods, and this is what is meant by “tribes” in the Word when such are treated of; while “the tribes of Israel,” which were treated of above mean all who are in the genuine truths and goods of the church, and in an abstract sense those truths and goods. So here, “out of every nation and all tribes” signifies all who are in good in respect to life according to the doctrinals of their religion.

sRef Rev@7 @9 S0′ 455. And peoples and tongues, signifies all who are in falsities from ignorance and from various religions. This is evident from the signification of “peoples,” as being those who are in the truths of doctrine, and in a contrary sense those who are in the falsities of doctrine (of which above, n. 175); but here, those who are in the falsities of doctrine from ignorance; for here are treated of those who are saved, although from the doctrine of their religion they have been in falsities. All those who are in the good of life in accordance with the dogmas of their religion, which they have believed to be true although they are not true, are saved, for falsity is not imputed to anyone who lives well according to the dogmas of his religion, because it is not his fault that he is ignorant of truths. For the good of life in accordance with a religion contains within itself the affection of knowing truths, and these truths are learned and accepted when such persons come into the other life, for every affection remains with man after death, and especially the affection of knowing truths, because this is a spiritual affection; and when man becomes a spirit, he is his affection; consequently the truths that are then desired are imbibed and thus received deeply in the heart. (That when a man lives well falsities of religion are accepted by the Lord as truths, see above, n. 452.) The above is evident from the signification of “tongues,” as meaning their confessions from religion, for “tongues” mean speech, and “speech” signifies confession and religion, because the tongue utters and confesses the things that pertain to religion.
[2] There is frequent mention in the Word of the “lip,” the “mouth,” and the “tongue;” and the “lip” signifies doctrine, the “mouth” thought, and the “tongue” confession. “Lip,” “mouth,” and “tongue,” have this signification because these are the externals of man, by means of which things internal find expression, and it is things internal that are signified in the internal or spiritual sense. For the Word in the letter consists of external things that are manifest before the eyes and are perceived by the senses, therefore the Word in the letter is natural, and this in order that the Divine truth that it contains may be there in what is ultimate and thus in fullness. But these external things, which are natural, include in themselves things internal that are spiritual, and these therefore are the things that are signified.
sRef Isa@66 @18 S3′ [3] That “tongues” signify confessions from religion, and according to the dogmas of religion, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
The time shall come for bringing together all nations and tongues, that they may come and see My glory (66:18).
This is said of the Lord’s coming; “nations and tongues” signify all who are in the good of life according to their religions; “tongues” signify religions from confessions; it is therefore said “that they may come and see My glory,” “glory” signifying Divine truth, by which the church exists.
sRef Dan@7 @14 S4′ sRef Rev@1 @7 S4′ sRef Dan@7 @13 S4′ [4] In Daniel:
Behold, with the clouds of the heavens one like the Son of man. And there was given Him dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, tongues, and nations might worship Him (7:13, 14).
“The Son of man who was to come in the clouds of the heavens,” evidently means the Lord, and “the clouds of the heavens” mean the Word in the letter, in which it is said that the Lord is to come, for the Word treats of Him, and in the inmost sense of Him alone. Therefore it is said “Son of man,” because the Lord is called “the Son of man” from Divine truth, which is the Word. But respecting this see more above (n. 36) where these words are explained:
Behold, He cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see Him (Rev. 1:7).
The Lord’s power from Divine good is meant by “dominion,” and from Divine truth by “glory,” and heaven and the church are meant by “kingdom.” “Peoples, tongues, and nations,” signify all those who are in doctrine and in a life according to their religions; those who are in doctrine are called “peoples,” those who are in life “nations,” and “tongues” mean religions.
sRef Zech@8 @23 S5′ [5] In Zechariah:
In those days ten men out of all tongues of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of a man that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you (8:23).
The spiritual sense of these words may be seen above (n. 433); namely, that a “Jew” means those who are in love to the Lord and in the truths of doctrine from Him; and that “all tongues of the nations” mean those who are of various religions.
sRef Rev@17 @15 S6′ sRef Gen@10 @31 S6′ sRef Rev@11 @9 S6′ sRef Rev@13 @7 S6′ sRef Rev@14 @6 S6′ sRef Gen@10 @5 S6′ sRef Rev@10 @11 S6′ [6] “Tongues” have a like signification in the following passages. In Moses:
From these were the islands of the nations separated in their lands, every man according to his tongue, according to their families, in their nations. The habitations of the sons of Shem, according to their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations (Gen. 10:5, 31).
In Revelation:
Thou must prophesy again over many peoples and nations and tongues and kings (10:11).
Again:
And they of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations shall see their bodies three days and a half (11:9).
Again:
And it was given unto the beast to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and there was given him power over every tribe and tongue and nation (13:7).
Again:
I saw an angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to proclaim unto those that dwell on the earth, and unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people (14:6).
And again:
The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues (17:15).
“Waters” here signify the truths of the Word, for “waters” in the Word signify truths, and in the contrary sense falsities; therefore here “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues,” mean those who are in truths falsified, which in themselves are falsities, and are consequently in evils of life.
sRef Luke@16 @24 S7′ [7] In Luke:
The rich man said to Abraham, Have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and may cool my tongue, for I am tortured in this flame (16:24).
In this parable, as in others, the Lord spake by correspondences, as can be seen by this, that the “rich man” does not mean the rich, nor does “Abraham” mean Abraham, nor by “the water with which Lazarus might cool the tongue” are water and tongue meant, nor does the “flame” mean flame, for in hell no one is tortured by flames; but a “rich man” means those who are of the church where the Word is, from which they have spiritual riches, which are truths of doctrine; so the “rich man” here means the Jews, with whom was the Word at that time; “Abraham” means the Lord; the “water into which Lazarus might dip the tip of his finger” signifies truth from the Word; and “tongue” signifies a thirst and eagerness to pervert the truths that are in the Word; and the “flame” the punishment of that eagerness, which is various and manifold. This makes evident what these things signify in the series, and that “to cool the tongue with water” signifies to allay the thirst and the eagerness to pervert truths, and to confirm falsities thereby. Who cannot see that it does not mean that Lazarus should dip the tip of his finger in water to cool the tongue?
sRef Zech@14 @12 S8′ [8] In Zechariah:
This shall be the plague wherewith Jehovah will strike all the peoples that shall fight against Jerusalem; his flesh shall waste away as he stands upon his feet, and his eyes shall waste away in their sockets and his tongue shall waste away in his mouth (14:12).
This is said of those who endeavor to destroy the truths of doctrine by means of falsities; and this is signified by “fighting against Jerusalem,” “Jerusalem” signifying the church in respect to doctrine, and thence the truths of the doctrine of the church; “the flesh shall waste away” signifies that all good of love and of life will perish, for this is what “flesh” signifies; “standing upon his feet” means upon bones without flesh, which signifies that they will be wholly corporeal-natural, “feet” signifying the things that belong to the natural man, here its lowest things; “his eyes shall waste away in their sockets” signifies that all the understanding of truth will perish, “eyes” signifying the understanding; “his tongue shall waste away in his mouth” signifies that all the perception of truth and all the affection of good will perish; “tongue” signifying also the perception of truth and the affection of good, the perception of truth from its speaking, and the affection of good from its power of tasting, for “taste” signifies appetite, desire, and affection.
sRef Judg@7 @7 S9′ sRef Judg@7 @6 S9′ sRef Judg@7 @5 S9′ [9] In the book of Judges:
Jehovah said unto Gideon, Everyone that lappeth the waters with his tongue as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; and everyone that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped in their hand were three hundred men; and these were led against Midian and smote him (7:5-7).
“Midian” here means those who do not care for truth, because they are merely natural and external; therefore Midian was smitten by those who “lapped the waters in the hand with the tongue like a dog;” these mean such as have an appetite for truths, thus they who from some natural affection seek to know truths, a “dog” signifying appetite and eagerness, “waters” truths, and “lapping them with the tongue” to have an appetite for and eagerly seek. So it was by these that Midian was smitten. Anyone can see that such things would not have been commanded unless they had been significative.
sRef Ps@31 @20 S10′ [10] In David:
Thou hidest them in the hiding place of Thy faces from the pride of man; Thou concealest them in a pavilion from the strife of tongues (Ps. 31:20).
“A hiding place of faces in which Jehovah hides them,” signifies the Divine good of the Divine love, for “the face of Jehovah” signifies the good of love, and “the hiding place” signifies inwardly in man; “the pride of man” signifies the pride of self-intelligence; the “pavilion in which He hides them” signifies Divine truth; and “the strife of tongues” signifies the falsity of religion from which they reason against truths. This makes clear what these things signify in series.
sRef Jer@5 @15 S11′ sRef Jer@5 @16 S11′ sRef Jer@5 @17 S11′ [11] In Jeremiah:
Lo, I will bring upon you a nation, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not know nor shall thou understand what they speak. It shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread (5:15, 17).
This does not mean that a nation of an unknown tongue or of an unintelligible speech should be brought; but an evil nation of an utterly different religion is meant, whose dogmas they shall not know nor understand the reasonings therefrom; and in an abstract sense the falsities of evil which are altogether contrary to the truths of good are signified; for “nation” in an abstract sense means evil, and “tongue” here means the falsity of religion, and “to speak” means to reason therefrom; therefore it is added, “it shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread,” for “harvest” signifies truths by which there is good, “bread” the good therefrom, and “to eat up” to consume and deprive.
sRef Ezek@3 @6 S12′ sRef Ezek@3 @5 S12′ [12] In Ezekiel:
Thou art not sent to a people of deep lip and heavy of tongue, but to the house of Israel; not to great peoples of deep lip and heavy of tongue, whose words thou shalt not hear. If I should send thee to them, will they not hearken unto thee? (3:5, 6).
“Peoples of deep lip and heavy of tongue, whose words are not heard,” signify those who are in an unintelligible doctrine, and thus in an abstruse religion, whose dogmas cannot be comprehended, “lip” signifying doctrine, “tongue” religion, and “words” its dogmas; therefore these peoples mean the nations that do not have the Word, by which Jehovah, that is, the Lord, is known. That these will receive Divine truths when they are instructed is signified by “these would hearken if he should be sent unto them.”
sRef Isa@33 @19 S13′ [13] In Isaiah:
Thou wilt not see an obstinate people, a people of depths of lip that thou canst not hear; barbarous in tongue, without intelligence (33:19).
“A people of depths of lip and barbarous in tongue” has a similar signification here as “peoples of deep lip and heavy of tongue” above. Evidently a people with a speech that cannot be understood is not meant; for it is added, “barbarous in tongue, without intelligence,” for there may be intelligence in the tongue or speech of such, but not in their religion.
sRef Isa@45 @23 S14′ [14] In the same:
I have sworn that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear (Isa. 45:23).
This is said of the coming of the Lord; and “every knee shall bow” signifies that all who are in natural good from spiritual good will worship Him, the “knee” signifying the conjunction of natural good with spiritual. This shows that bending the knees signifies acknowledgment, thanksgiving, and adoration from spiritual good and delight in the natural; “every tongue shall swear” signifies that all will confess the Lord who are in good from religion, “to swear” signifying to confess, and “tongue” religion according to which one lives.
sRef Ps@71 @24 S15′ sRef Ps@35 @28 S15′ [15] In David:
And my tongue shall meditate of Thy righteousness and of Thy praise all the day (Ps. 35:28).
Here, too, “tongue” signifies confession from the doctrine of the church, for it is said “to meditate of;” “righteousness” is predicated of the good of the church, and “praise” of its truth, as also elsewhere in the Word. So again in the same:
My tongue shall meditate of Thy righteousness all the day (Ps. 71:24).
sRef Ps@140 @9 S16′ sRef Ps@140 @10 S16′ sRef Ps@140 @11 S16′ [16] In the same:
With gall the wicked compass me, the mischief of their lips doth cover them; burning coals overwhelm them; with fire let them be cast into pits, that they rise not again; a man of tongue shall not be established in the earth (Ps. 140:9-11).
“Gall” signifies truth falsified, which in itself is falsity; “the mischief of their lips” signifies the falsity of doctrine therefrom, for “lips” signify doctrine; “burning coal by which they are overwhelmed,” and the “fire with which they are to be cast into pits,” signify the pride from self-intelligence and the love of self, through which they fall into mere falsities, “burning coals” signifying the pride of self-intelligence, “fire” the love of self, and “pits” falsities. Moreover all falsities of doctrine in the church and all falsifications of the Word spring from the pride of self-intelligence and from the love of self. This makes evident what is signified by “a man of tongue shall not be established in the earth,” namely, a false religion.
sRef Ps@57 @4 S17′ [17] In the same:
My soul, I lie in the midst of lions, the sons of man are set on fire, their teeth are spear and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword (Ps. 57:4).
“Lions” signify those who plunder the church of truths, and thus destroy it; the “sons of man who are set on fire,” signify those who are in the truths of the church, and in an abstract sense the truths themselves, which are said to be “set on fire” by the pride of self-intelligence, whence come falsities; “their teeth are spear and arrows” signifies reasonings from external sensuals and thus from the fallacies and falsities of religion, by which truths are destroyed, “teeth” signifying the ultimates of man’s life, which are external sensual things, and here reasoning from these, and “tongue” signifying the falsities of religion; therefore it is said “their tongue a sharp sword,” “sword” signifying the destruction of truth by falsities.
[18] In Job:
Wilt thou draw out leviathan with a fish-hook, and overwhelm his tongue with a cord? (12:1)
In this and the preceding chapter the Behemoth and the leviathan are treated of, and both signify the natural man, the “Behemoth” the natural man in respect to goods which are called the delights of natural love, and the “leviathan” the natural man in respect to truths which are called knowledges and cognitions, from which is natural light. These are both described by pure correspondences according to the ancient style. That reasoning from the light of nature by means of knowledges [scientifica] can be restrained by God only, is described in that chapter and the subsequent one by the “leviathan,” and also by these words, “Wilt thou draw out leviathan with a fish-hook, and overwhelm his tongue with a cord?;” “tongue” signifying reasoning from knowledges [scientifica]. That the “leviathan” signifies the natural man as regards knowledges [scientifica] can be seen from other passages where it is mentioned (as Isaiah 27:1; Psalm 74:14; Psalm 104:26). Also from the fact that the “whale,” by which the leviathan is meant, signifies the natural man in regard to knowledges [scientifica].
sRef Isa@32 @4 S19′ sRef Isa@35 @6 S19′ [19] In Isaiah:
The heart of the hasty shall have intelligence for knowing, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be swift to speak (32:4).
The “hasty” mean those who readily seize upon and believe whatever is said, thus also falsities; of such it is said that “they shall be intelligent and know,” that is, receive truths; “stammerers” mean those who are hardly able to apprehend the truths of the church; that they will confess them from affection is meant by “their tongue shall be swift to speak,” “swiftness” is predicated of affection.
[20] In the same:
Then shall the lame leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing aloud; for waters shall break out in the wilderness, and brooks in the plain of the desert (Isa. 35:6).
This is said of the coming of the Lord; the “lame” signifies those who are in good but not genuine good, because they are in ignorance of truth through which good comes; “to leap as a hart” signifies to have joy from the perception of truth; the “dumb” signifies those who on account of ignorance of truth are unable to confess the Lord and the genuine truths of the church; “he shall sing” signifies joy from the understanding of truth; “waters shall break out in the wilderness” signifies that truths shall be opened where they were not before; and “brooks in the plain of the desert” signify intelligence there, for “waters” signify truths, and “brooks” intelligence.
sRef Mark@7 @33 S21′ sRef Mark@7 @34 S21′ sRef Mark@7 @35 S21′ [21] This makes clear what is signified in the spiritual sense by “the deaf man that had an impediment in his speech” whom the Lord healed, which is thus described in Mark:
Jesus took aside the deaf man who had an impediment in his speech, and put His fingers into his ears, and spitting, touched his tongue; and looking up into heaven, He said to him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened; and straightway his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he spake aright (7:32-35).
The Lord’s miracles, because they are Divine, all involved and signified such things as pertain to heaven and the church, therefore they were healings of the diseases which signified the various healings of the spiritual life, as may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 7337, 8364, 9031). The “deaf man” signifies those who are without the understanding of truth, and thence in no obedience; “his difficulty in speaking” signifies the difficulty of such in confessing the Lord and the truth of the church; the “ears” opened by the Lord signify the perception of truth and obedience; and the “tongue” whose bond was loosed by the Lord signifies the confession of the Lord and of the truths of the church.
sRef Acts@2 @4 S22′ sRef Mark@16 @17 S22′ sRef Acts@2 @3 S22′ [22] Again, that the apostles and others after the Lord’s resurrection spoke with new tongues signifies also the confession of the Lord and of the truths of the new church. This is thus referred to in Mark:
Jesus said, These signs shall follow them that believe; in My name shall they cast out demons, and they shall speak with new tongues (16:17).
“To cast out demons” signifies to remove and reject the falsities of evil; and “to speak with new tongues” signifies to confess the Lord and the truths of the church from Him. So:
To the apostles there appeared divided tongues like as of fire, which sat on them. And being filled with the Holy Spirit they began to speak with other tongues (Acts 2:3, 4).
The “fire” signified the love of truth, and “filled with the Holy Spirit” signified the reception of Divine truth from the Lord; and “new tongues” signified confessions from the love of truth or zeal; for, as was said above, all Divine miracles, consequently all miracles mentioned in the Word, involved and signified things spiritual and celestial, that is, such things that pertain to heaven and the church: by this Divine miracles are distinguished from miracles not Divine. It is unnecessary to quote more passages from the Word to show that “tongues” do not mean speech in the ordinary sense, but confessions from the truths of the church, and in the contrary sense confessions from the falsities of any religion.

sRef Rev@7 @9 S0′ 456. Standing before the throne and before the Lamb, signifies those in the Lord’s kingdom. This is evident from the signification of “throne,” as being, in reference to the Lord, heaven and the church (of which above, n. 253). That “the Lamb” means the Lord in relation to the Divine Human may also be seen above (n. 314); consequently “standing before the throne and before the Lamb” signifies that they are in the Lord’s kingdom. The Lord’s kingdom is heaven and the church, where the Lord is worshiped, and where the Divine in His Human is acknowledged; all who acknowledge this in heart are in heaven and come into heaven; it is said those who acknowledge this in heart, since no one can acknowledge it unless he is in the good of life, and thence in the truths of doctrine. On the earth many can say this with the mouth, but yet they cannot acknowledge it in heart unless they live well; while after the life in the world only those who are in heaven and are coming into heaven can even say this with the mouth, still less acknowledge it. But more respecting this elsewhere.

sRef Rev@7 @9 S0′ 457. Clothed in white robes, signifies that they are then in truths and protected against falsities. This is evident from the signification of “white robes,” as being the reception of Divine truth, and protection against falsities (of which above, n. 395).

sRef Rev@7 @9 S0′ 458. And palms in their hands, signifies in the good of life according to truths. This is evident from the signification of a “palm,” as being the good of truth, that is, spiritual good (of which presently); also from the signification of “hands” as being power, and thus all ability in man (of which above, n. 72, 79); therefore that “palms were in their hands” signifies that the good of truth was in them, or that they were in good of truth. The good of truth, when it is with anyone, is the good of life, for truth becomes good by a life according to it; before that truth is not good in anyone. For when truth is merely in the memory and in thought therefrom it is not good, but it becomes good when it comes into the will and thence into act; for it is the will that transforms truth into good. This is shown by the fact that whatever a man wills he calls good, and whatever he thinks he calls truth. Man’s interior will, which is the will of his spirit, is the receptacle of his love, for that which a man loves from his spirit he wills, and that which he thence wills he does; therefore the truth that is of his will is also of his love, and that which is of his love he calls good. This makes evident how good is formed in man by means of truths, and that every good that is good in man is the good of life. It is believed that there is good of thought also, although not of the will, since man can have in thought that this or that is good; but yet this is not good, but truth; the thought that there is such a thing as good is a truth; and knowing and thus thinking that a thing is good is regarded as a truth; but when that truth in the thought is so loved as to be willed, and from being willed is done, then, since it belongs to the love, it becomes good.
[2] This may be illustrated by the following example. There were spirits who in the life of the body had believed charity, and not faith alone, to be the essential of the church, and thus essential to salvation; nevertheless they had not lived the life of charity, for this was merely their thought and conclusion. But they were told that merely thinking, and from thought believing, that charity saves, and not willing and acting accordingly, is similar to believing that faith alone saves; therefore they were cast out. This makes evident that merely thinking good, and not willing and doing it, does not constitute good with anyone. The like would be true if a man should gain a knowledge of truths and goods themselves, and from mere thought should bear witness to them, without giving them life by willing and doing them. This has been said to make known that the good of truth, that is, spiritual good, when it is in anyone, is the good of life; and it is this that is signified by “palms in their hands.”
sRef 1Ki@6 @32 S3′ sRef 1Ki@6 @29 S3′ [3] Because “palms” signify spiritual good, therefore in the temple built by Solomon there were, besides other things, palms sculptured on the walls, as described in the first book of Kings:
Solomon carved all the walls of the house round about with openings of cherubim and palm-trees and openings of flowers, within and without. Likewise upon the two doors (6:29, 32).
“The walls of the house” signify the ultimates of heaven and the church, which are effects that go forth from things interior, and the “doors” signify the entrance into heaven and the church; the “cherubim” upon them signify celestial good, which is the good of the inmost heaven; the “palms” spiritual good, which is the good of the second heaven; and “the flowers” spiritual-natural good, which is the good of the lowest heaven: thus these three signify the goods of the three heavens in their order. But in the highest sense, the “cherubim” signify the Lord’s Divine Providence, and also guard; “palms” the Lord’s Divine wisdom; and “flowers” His Divine intelligence; for Divine good united to Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, is received in the third or inmost heaven as Divine Providence, in the second or middle heaven as Divine wisdom; and in the first or lowest heaven as Divine intelligence.
sRef Ezek@41 @19 S4′ sRef Ezek@41 @18 S4′ sRef Ezek@41 @26 S4′ sRef Lev@23 @39 S4′ sRef Ezek@41 @20 S4′ sRef Lev@23 @40 S4′ sRef Ezek@41 @25 S4′ [4] The “cherubim and palms” in the “new temple” have a similar significance in Ezekiel:
In the new temple there were made cherubim and palm-trees, so that a palm-tree was between a cherub and a cherub; and the cherub had two faces; from the ground unto above the door. Cherubim and palm-trees were made on the walls and on the folding doors (41:18-20, 25, 26).
The “new temple” here signifies a new church to be established by the Lord when He came into the world; for this description of a new city, a new temple, and a new earth, signifies all things of a new church, and thence of a new heaven, and these are described by pure correspondences.
Because “the feast of tabernacles” signified the implantation of good by means of truths, it was commanded:
That they should then take the fruit of the tree of honor, leaves of palm-trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and should be glad before Jehovah seven days (Lev. 23:39, 40).
“The fruit of the tree of honor” signifies celestial good, “palm-trees” spiritual good, that is, the good of truth, “boughs of thick trees” scientific truth with its good, and “willows of the brook” the lowest truths and goods of the natural man, which belong to external sensual things; thus these four signify all goods and truths in their order, from first to last in man.
sRef John@12 @12 S5′ sRef John@12 @13 S5′ [5] Because “palms” signify spiritual good, and from spiritual good is all joy of the heart, for spiritual good is the affection itself or the love of spiritual truth, therefore formerly by “palms in their hands” men testified their joy of heart, and also that they were acting from good. This is the signification of the following:
Many who came to the feast when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm-trees, and went forth to meet Him, and cried out, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel (John 12:12, 13).
sRef Ps@92 @12 S6′ sRef Ps@92 @13 S6′ [6] The “palm” signifies also spiritual good, or the good of truth, in the following passages. In David:
The righteous shall flourish as the palm-tree; he shall grow as the cedar in Lebanon. They that are planted in the house of Jehovah shall grow up in the courts of our God (Ps. 92:12, 13).
“The righteous” signifies those who are in good, for by the “righteous” in the Word those who are in the good of love are meant, and by the “holy” those who are in truths from that good (see above, n. 204); consequently it is said of the “righteous” that “he shall flourish as the palm-tree, and grow as the cedar in Lebanon,” for the fructification of good with him is meant by “he shall flourish as the palm-tree,” and the multiplication of truth by “he shall grow as the cedar in Lebanon;” the “palm” signifying spiritual good, the “cedar” the truth of that good, and “Lebanon” the spiritual church. The “house of Jehovah in which they are planted,” and “the courts in which they shall grow up,” signify heaven and the church, “the house of Jehovah” the internal church, and “the courts” the external church; planting is effected in the interiors of man, where the good of love and of charity resides, and growing up takes place in the exteriors of man, where the good of life resides.
sRef Joel@1 @12 S7′ [7] In Joel:
The vine is withered, and the fig-tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm-tree also, and the apple-tree, all the trees of the field are dried up; joy is dried up from the sons of man (1:12).
This describes the desolating of truth and good in the church, and thence of all joy of heart, that is, of all spiritual joy; for the “vine” signifies the spiritual good and truth of the church, the “fig-tree” the natural good and truth therefrom, and the “pomegranate” sensual truth and good, which is the ultimate of the natural; “palm” signifies joy of heart, from spiritual good, and “apple” the same from natural good derived from spiritual good; the “trees of the field that are dried up,” signify the perceptions of good and the knowledges of truth, that there are none; and because spiritual joy and natural joy therefrom are signified by the “palm-tree” and the “apple-tree,” it is added, “joy is dried up from the sons of man;” “sons of man” meaning in the Word those who are in truths from good, and “joy” signifying spiritual joy, which is solely from good through truths. Who cannot see that vine, fig-tree, pomegranate, palm-tree, apple-tree, and the trees of the field are not here meant? Why should it be said in the Word and of what consequence is it to the church to say that these trees are withered and dried up?
sRef Jer@10 @5 S8′ sRef Jer@10 @3 S8′ sRef Jer@10 @4 S8′ [8] In Jeremiah:
One cutteth wood out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the axe. He doth deck it with silver and with gold; he doth fasten them with nails and with hammers, that it move not; they are firm like a palm-tree (x. 3-5).
This describes natural good separate from spiritual, which is good from one’s own (proprium), but this regarded in itself is not good, but the delight of cupidity chiefly from the love of self and the world, which is felt as a good. How man so forms this in himself as to give it the appearance of good, and to induce a persuasion that it is good, is described by “One cutteth wood out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the axe;” “wood” signifying good, here such good; “forest” the natural, here the natural separate from the spiritual; “the work of the hands of the workman with the axe” signifies what is from one’s own [proprium] and from self-intelligence; the confirmation of this by means of truths and goods from the Word, which are thereby falsified, is described by “he doth deck it with silver and with gold,” “silver” meaning truth, and “gold” good from the Word; making these to cohere by confirmations from one’s own [proprium] is described by “he doth fasten them with nails and with hammers, that it move not;” their thus appearing as good formed by truths is signified by “they are firm like a palm-tree.”
sRef Ex@15 @27 S9′ [9] In Moses:
They came to Elim, where were twelve fountains of waters and seventy palm-trees; and they encamped there by the waters (Exod. 15:27; Num. 33:9).
This history also contains a spiritual sense, for there is a spiritual sense in all the histories of the Word. Here “they came to Elim” signifies a state of illustration and affection, thus consolation after temptation; “twelve fountains of water” signify that they then had truths in all abundance; “seventy palm-trees” signify that they had goods of truths likewise; “and they encamped by the waters” signifies the arrangement of truth by good after temptation (this may be seen further explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 8366-8370).
sRef Deut@34 @3 S10′ sRef Judg@3 @13 S10′ sRef Luke@10 @30 S10′ sRef Judg@1 @16 S10′ [10] Because “Jericho” signifies the good of truth:
That city was called the city of palm trees (Deut. 34:3; Judg. 1:16; 3:13);
for all names of places and cities in the Word signify such things as pertain to heaven and the church, which are called spiritual; and “Jericho” signifies the good of truth. Because of this signification of “Jericho,” the Lord in the parable of the Samaritan said:
That he was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho (Luke 10:30);
which signifies by means of truths to good; for “Jerusalem” signifies the truth of doctrine, and “Jericho” the good of truth, which is the good of life, and this he exercised towards the man wounded by robbers.
sRef Josh@5 @13 S11′ sRef Josh@5 @15 S11′ [11] Again, because of this signification of Jericho:
When Joshua was by Jericho he saw a man standing with a drawn sword in his hand, who said to Joshua, Put off thy shoe from off thy foot in the place whereon thou standest, for it is holy. And Joshua did so (Josh. 5:13, 15).
So, too, when the sons of Israel had taken Jericho by carrying the ark round about it, the silver and the gold and the vessels of brass and of iron which they found there they put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah (Josh. 6:24). From the above it is evident why Jericho was called “the city of palm-trees.”
sRef Josh@6 @24 S12′ [12] Furthermore, in the spiritual world, in the paradises where the angels are who are in spiritual good or in the good of truth, palm-trees are seen in great abundance, from which also it is clear that the “palm-tree” signifies the good of truth; for all things that appear in that world are representatives of the state of life and of the affections, thus of the good and truth with angels.

sRef Rev@7 @10 S0′ 459. Verse 10. And crying with a great voice, signifies adoration from the good of truth and from consequent joy of heart. This is evident from the signification of “crying with a great voice,” as being adoration from the good of truth and from consequent joy of heart; for “to cry” signifies interior affection since crying is an effect of such affection; for when man is in interior affection, and from that comes into confession, he cries out; it is from this that “crying” signifies in the Word all spiritual affection, whether of joy or of grief, or some other affection (see above, n. 393, 424). Here adoration from the good of truth is signified, as is evident from what precedes and what follows; from what precedes because it is said “palms in their hands,” which signifies the good of truth in such (as has been shown just above); and from what follows because they cried out, “Salvation unto our God who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb; and the angels, the elders, and the four animals, fell down before the throne and worshiped God.” Furthermore, all adoration of the Lord, which is confession, is from the good of truth, that is, from good through truths. “A great voice” also signifies truth from good; “voice” signifies truth, and “great” is predicated of good. (That “voice” signifies truth may be seen above, n. 261; and that “great” and “greatness” are predicated of good see also above, n. 336, 337, 424).

sRef Rev@7 @10 S0′ 460. Saying, Salvation unto our God who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, signifies confession that eternal life is from the Lord alone. This is evident from the signification of “saying,” as being to confess, for the confession follows; also from the signification of “unto Him who sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb,” as being the Lord in relation to Divine good and in relation to Divine truth; that the “one sitting upon the throne” means the Lord in relation to Divine good, and “the Lamb” the Lord in relation to Divine truth may be seen above (n. 134, 253, 297, 314). It is evident also from the signification of “salvation” as being eternal life, for eternal life means in the Word eternal salvation.
sRef Isa@25 @9 S2′ sRef Ps@14 @7 S2′ sRef Isa@49 @6 S2′ sRef Luke@2 @30 S2′ sRef Isa@62 @11 S2′ sRef Luke@2 @31 S2′ sRef Isa@46 @13 S2′ [2] “Salvation unto Him,” signifies that salvation is from Him, since He is salvation; for everything of salvation and of eternal life is from the Lord and is with man and angel; for all the good of love and all the truth of faith with man are the Lord’s with him, and not the man’s; for it is the Divine proceeding, which is the Lord in heaven with the angels and in the church with men, and from the good of love and the truth of faith come salvation and eternal life; so when it is said that salvation is the Lord’s, and that the Lord Himself is salvation, it is clear how this is to be understood, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him that He may save us; this is Jehovah; we have waited for Him; let us exult and be glad in His salvation (25:9).
In the same:
My salvation shall not delay; and I will give salvation in Zion, My splendor in Israel (46:13).
In the same:
I have given Thee for a light to the nations, that Thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth (49:6).
In the same:
Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy salvation cometh (62:11).
In David:
Jehovah shall give out of* Zion the salvation of Israel, when He shall bring back the captivity of His people (Ps. 14:7; 53:6).
This is said of the Lord, who is here called salvation, from the act of saving, and for the reason that He is salvation with man, for so far as the Lord is with man so far man has salvation. So in Luke:
Simeon said, Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples (2:30, 31).
Again, this is why the Lord was called “Jesus,” for Jesus means salvation.
sRef Rev@7 @12 S3′ sRef Rev@7 @11 S3′ sRef Rev@7 @17 S3′ sRef Rev@5 @6 S3′ [3] It is said, “who sitteth upon the throne, and the Lamb,” both of these meaning the Lord, “who sitteth upon the throne,” meaning the Lord in relation to Divine good, and “the Lamb” meaning the Lord in relation to Divine truth, both from His Divine Human (as has been shown above in the passages cited). Wherefore, elsewhere, the Lamb alone upon the throne is mentioned, as in Revelation (5:6), “Behold in the midst of the throne a Lamb standing,” also (7:17), “The Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them;” also in this chapter, the Lamb alone is called God (verses 11, 12), “They fell down before the throne, and worshiped God, saying, Strength unto our God.” The meaning here is similar as when the Lord speaks of “the Father” and “the Son” as if they were two, when yet by “the Father” He meant the Divine in Itself, and by “the Son” His Human from that Divine; this He again clearly teaches when He says that the Father is in Him and He in the Father and that He and the Father are one. The meaning is similar in these words, “who sitteth upon the throne, and the Lamb.” (That also “the Lamb” means the Lord’s Divine Human, and in a relative sense the good of innocence, see above, n. 314.)
* Photolithograph has “in Zion,” the Hebrew “out of Zion” is found in AE n. 811.

sRef Rev@7 @12 S0′ sRef Rev@7 @11 S0′ 461. Verses 11, 12. And all the angels stood around the throne, and the elders and the four animals, and they fell before the throne upon their faces, and worshiped God. Saying, Amen: the blessing, and the glory, and the wisdom, and the thanksgiving, and the honor, and the power, and the strength, be unto our God unto ages of ages: Amen. 11. “And all the angels stood around the throne, and the elders and the four animals,” signifies the conjunction of the Lord with the universal heaven (n. 462); “and they fell before the throne upon their faces, and worshiped God,” signifies thanksgiving from a humble heart that so many have been saved (n. 463). 12. “Saying, Amen,” signifies the Lord in relation to Divine truth from Divine good (n. 464); “the blessing, and the glory, and the wisdom,” signifies that these are from Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord (n. 465); “and the thanksgiving, and the honor,” signifies that these are from the Divine good that proceeds from the Lord (n. 466); “and the power, and the strength,” signifies omnipotence from Divine good through Divine truth (n. 467); “be unto our God unto the ages of ages,” signifies the Lord to eternity (n. 468); “Amen,” signifies confirmation from the Divine (n. 469).

sRef Rev@7 @11 S0′ 462. Verse 11. And all the angels stood around the throne, and the elders, and the four animals, signifies the conjunction of the Lord with the universal heaven. This is evident from the signification of “standing around the throne,” as being conjunction with the Lord; for “who sitteth upon the throne, and the Lamb,” means the Lord alone (as was said just above, n. 460), and “to stand around” signifies conjunction; for in the spiritual world those with whom there is conjunction appear to be present, and those with whom there is no conjunction appear to be absent; also from the signification of “the angels, the elders, and the four animals,” as being those who are in the three heavens, thus who are in the universal heaven, “the angels” meaning those who are in the first or lowest heaven, “the elders” those who are in the second or middle heaven, and “the four animals” those who are in the third or inmost heaven. That “the four and twenty elders” and “the four animals” mean in general the higher heavens, and in particular “the elders” mean those who are in the second or middle heaven, and “the four animals” those who are in the third or inmost heaven, may be seen above (n. 313, 322, 362); from which it follows, that “the angels” here mean the lower heavens. All indeed who are in the heavens are called angels, but those who are in the higher heavens, since they are in greater intelligence and wisdom than the rest, are here called “elders,” and are meant by “the four animals,” so also they stood nearest around the throne, as was seen by John above. It is to be known that John saw a large number of angels, together with “four and twenty elders” and “the cherubim (or four animals),” and not all that are in the heavens, that is, the universal heaven; for this was a prophetic vision, which is such that the things seen are significative; here the few that were seen signified the entire or universal heaven, as “the four and twenty elders” signified the second or middle heaven, and the “four animals,” the third or inmost heaven.

sRef Rev@7 @11 S0′ 463. And they fell before the throne upon their faces, and worshiped God, signifies thanksgiving from a humble heart that so many have been saved by the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “falling upon the face and worshiping,” as being here to give thanks from a humble heart; for “falling upon the face” signifies humiliation of heart, since to fall upon the face corresponds to such humiliation; for all the acts of the body so correspond to the affections of the mind that the two make one by correspondences; thus to fall upon the face before God in worship makes one by correspondence with humiliation of the heart. From this it became a custom with the ancients, and it still continues with many nations, to fall upon the very face in worship; while in the Christian world at present it is the custom simply to fall upon the knees. That “worshiping” signifies thanksgiving that so many have been saved is evident from what precedes and follows; for the salvation of those who have lived in good according to their religions, although they have not had genuine truths, is here treated of; thanksgiving on this account by the universal heaven is what now follows. It is said “they fell upon their faces and worshiped God;” “to fall upon the face” is a testification of humiliation of heart from the good of love, and “to worship God” is a testification of humiliation of heart by truths from that good.

sRef Rev@7 @12 S0′ 464. Verse 12. Saying, Amen, signifies the Lord in relation to Divine truth from Divine good. This is evident from the signification of “Amen,” as being truth; and because the Lord is truth itself (as He teaches in John 14:6), “Amen” in the highest sense signifies the Lord in relation to Divine truth; here this is signified by “Amen” because it is spoken by the angels of the three heavens to the Lord. “Amen” here stands at the beginning of what is said and also at the end to signify that the Lord in relation to Divine truth from Divine good is in things first and in ultimates, or that the Lord Himself is the First and the Last; for Divine truth united to Divine good is the Lord in the heavens, for this is the Divine proceeding from which are all things of heaven, and heaven itself (as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13, 126-140, 275. That to be in things first and in ultimates signifies to be in all things, may be seen above, n. 41, 417, and in Arcana Coelestia, n. 10044, 10329, 10335; and that “Amen” signifies the Lord in relation to Divine truth, see above, n. 228).

sRef John@17 @10 S0′ sRef John@15 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@7 @12 S0′ 465. The blessing, and the glory, and the wisdom, signifies that these are from Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord in the three heavens. This is evident from the signification of “blessing,” as meaning the reception of Divine truth and the fructification from it, whence are felicity and eternal life. (That this is the meaning of “blessing” in the Word, see above, n. 340.) It is evident also from the signification of “glory,” as being the reception of Divine truth in things interior (see above, n. 34, 288, 345); also from the signification of “wisdom” as being the reception of Divine truth in things inmost, for from this is wisdom. These three, “blessing, glory, and wisdom,” are mentioned, because these things are said by the angels of the three heavens (see above, n. 462); and the reception of Divine truth in the lowest or first heaven is called “blessing,” the reception of Divine truth in the middle or second heaven is called “glory,” and the reception of Divine truth in the inmost or third heaven is called “wisdom.” The saying, “The blessing, and the glory, and the wisdom, be unto God unto the ages of ages,” signifies that these are in the heavens from Him, for “blessing, glory, and wisdom,” are said to be “unto God” when they are with those who are in the heavens, for with them are Divine blessing, Divine glory, and Divine wisdom. This the Lord plainly teaches in John:
Herein is My Father glorified, that ye may bear much fruit, and may become My disciples (15:8).
And again:
Father, all Mine are Thine, and all Thine are Mine, and I am glorified in them (17:10).
This is like what is said above, “salvation be unto God” (see above, n. 460). Wherefore it was a custom with the ancients to say, “Blessed be God,” and “Blessing be to God,” likewise, “Glory and wisdom be to God,” by which they did not mean that to Him be blessing, glory, and wisdom, since it is from Him that all blessing, glory, and wisdom come; but they meant that these are from Him with all men. They spoke in this way that the things they had received they might ascribe to God only, and nothing to themselves, and because, speaking thus, they spoke from the Divine, and not from themselves.

sRef Rev@7 @12 S0′ 466. And the thanksgiving, and the honor, signifies that this is from the Divine good that proceeds from the Lord in the three heavens. This is evident from this, that as “blessing, glory, and wisdom,” are predicated of the reception of Divine truth, so “thanksgiving and honor” are predicated of the reception of Divine good; for there are two things that proceed from the Lord, from which are all things in the heavens and on earth, namely, Divine truth and Divine good. Divine truth is the source of all intelligence and wisdom with angels and men, and Divine good is the source of all charity and love with them. These two united proceed from the Lord, so as to be one in their very origin; but with angels and men who receive them they are two, for the reason that there are two receptacles of life with them, which are called the understanding and the will. The understanding is the receptacle of Divine truth, and the will the receptacle of Divine good, or what is the same, the understanding is the receptacle of wisdom from the Lord, and the will is the receptacle of love from the Lord. But so far as these two, Divine truth and Divine good, and thus the understanding and the will, are one with angels and men, so far are they in conjunction with the Lord; but so far as these are not one, angels and men are not in conjunction.
[2] As the Word was given to men in order that by it there may be conjunction of the Lord with angels and with men, therefore in every part of it truth is conjoined to good, and good to truth, since in the Word, especially in the prophecies, there are two expressions, one of them referring to Divine truth, and the other to Divine good; but this conjunction in the Word is seen only by the angels in heaven, and by those on earth to whom it is granted to see the spiritual sense. For there are expressions that have reference to truth, and expressions that have reference to good; so where there are two expressions that have nearly the same meaning, one is significative of such things as belong to truth, and the other of such things as belong to good. There is this union in the Word because the Word is Divine, and from the Divine Divine truth united to Divine good proceeds. (Respecting this union or this marriage of good and truth in the Word, which has been heretofore unknown on earth, see above, n. 238, 288; and in Arcana Coelestia, n. 683, 793, 801, 2516, 2712, 3004, 3005, 3009, 4158, 5138, 5194, 5502, 6343, 7022, 7945, 8339, 9263, 9314.) These things have been said to make known that “blessing, glory, and wisdom,” are predicated of truths from the Divine (as was shown above, n. 465); and that “thanksgiving and honor” are predicated of goods from the Divine. That in the Word “glory” is predicated of truth, and “honor” of good, may be seen above, (n. 288, 345), where it is shown by various passages from the Word. “Thanksgiving” also is here predicated of good, for “blessing” is mentioned above, and blessing is expressed by the mouth by means of truths, while thanksgiving comes from the heart out of good.

sRef Rev@7 @12 S0′ 467. And the power, and the strength, signifies omnipotence from Divine good through Divine truth. This is evident from the signification of “power and strength,” when predicated of the Lord, as being omnipotence; but “power” is predicated of Divine truth, and “strength” of Divine good; thus both “power and strength” signify omnipotence through Divine truth from Divine good. (That “power” [potestas] when predicated of the Lord, means omnipotence, see above, n. 338; and that truths have all power [potentia] from good, or good has all power by means of truths, and that the Lord has omnipotence from Divine good by means of Divine truth, see also above, n. 209, 333; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 228-233.) For the sake of the marriage of good and truth in every particular of the Word, mention is made of both “power” and “strength,” otherwise to mention one of them would have been sufficient; this is true also of many other passages.

sRef Ps@103 @17 S0′ sRef Ps@90 @2 S0′ sRef Isa@45 @17 S0′ sRef Isa@26 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@10 @6 S0′ sRef Isa@51 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@11 @15 S0′ sRef Dan@7 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@7 @12 S0′ sRef Rev@5 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@5 @13 S0′ sRef Isa@51 @6 S0′ 468. Be unto our God unto the ages of ages, signifies unto the Lord to eternity; for “our God” means “He who sitteth upon the throne, and the Lamb,” and these two mean the Lord alone; “who sitteth upon the throne” meaning the Lord in relation to Divine good, and “the Lamb,” the Lord in relation to Divine truth (as was said and shown above, n. 460); and “unto the ages of ages” in reference to the Lord signifies eternity. The expression “unto the ages of ages” is used, and not “to eternity,” because “ages of ages” is a natural expression, but “to eternity” a spiritual expression, and the sense of the letter of the Word is natural, while the internal sense is spiritual, and the latter is contained within the former. It is the same elsewhere in the Word. Thus in Daniel:
To the Son of man there was given dominion, and glory, and a Kingdom; His dominion is a dominion of an age, which shall not pass away (7:14).
In Isaiah:
Trust ye in Jehovah, for in Jah Jehovah is the rock of ages (26:4).
In the same:
Israel hath been saved by Jehovah with a salvation of ages; ye shall not be ashamed to the everlasting ages (45:17).
My salvation shall be for an age, and My righteousness shall not be broken. My righteousness shall be for an age, and My salvation for generation and generations (51:6, 8).
In David:
Before the mountains were brought forth, and before the earth and the world were formed, even from age to age, thou art God (Ps. 90:2).
The mercy of Jehovah is from age to age upon them that fear Him (Ps. 103:17).
In Revelation:
To Him be the might unto the ages of the ages. Behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages (1:6, 18).
Again:
Unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the strength, unto the ages of the ages; and they worshiped Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages (5:13, 14).
Again:
And sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, who created heaven (10:6).
And again:
The kingdoms of the world are become our Lord’s and His Christ’s; and He shall reign unto the ages of the ages (11:15).
And many other passages. Moreover, “age” in the Word signifies the time from antiquity, as well as time even to the end; it also has a similar signification as world; but these significations of “age” will be treated of elsewhere.

sRef Rev@7 @12 S0′ 469. Amen, signifies confirmation from the Divine, as is evident from the signification of “amen,” as meaning truth, and thence Divine truth, from the Lord (see above, n. 464), but here confirmation from the Divine, because it is the close of the angels’ worship; confirmation from the Divine means that this is Divine truth, and thus that it is so. When anyone speaks Divine truth from the heart the Lord confirms it; confirmation cannot come from any other source. This is the signification of “amen” at the end of prayer. (That “amen” means confirmation from the Divine may be seen above, n. 34.)

sRef Rev@7 @16 S0′ sRef Rev@7 @15 S0′ sRef Rev@7 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@7 @17 S0′ sRef Rev@7 @13 S0′ 470. Verses 13-17. And one of the elders answered, saying to me, These clothed with the white robes, who are they, and whence came they? And I said unto him, Lord, thou knowest. And he said unto me, These are they who come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and have made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell over them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun fall on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall guide them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes. 13. “And one of the elders answered, saying to me,” signifies influx out of heaven from the Lord, and perception therefrom (n. 471); “These clothed with the white robes, who are they [and whence came they]?” signifies respecting those who are now in truths, and in the protection of the Lord, of what quality they are and of what they have been (n. 472). 14. “And I said unto him, Lord, thou knowest,” signifies that the Lord alone knows this (n. 473). “And he said unto me, These are they who come out of the great tribulation,” signifies information that these are they that have been in temptations (n. 474); “and have washed their robes,” signifies the removal of falsities by means of temptations (n. 475); “and have made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb,” signifies the implantation of Divine truth from the Lord (n. 476). 15. “Therefore are they before the throne of God,” signifies that for this reason they are conjoined to the Lord (n. 477); “and they serve Him day and night in His temple,” signifies that they are constantly held in truths in heaven (n. 478); “and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell over them,” signifies the influx of Divine good into truths with them (n. 479). 16. “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore,” signifies that good and truth shall not fail them, nor consequent felicity (n. 480); “neither shall the sun fall on them, nor any heat,” signifies that evil and falsity from lusts shall not come to them (n. 481). 17. “For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them,” signifies that the Lord will instruct them out of heaven (n. 482); “and shall guide them unto living fountains of waters,” signifies in Divine truths (n. 483); “and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes,” signifies a state of blessedness from the affection of truth, after falsities have been removed by temptations (n. 484).

sRef Rev@7 @13 S0′ 471. Verse 13. And one of the elders answered, saying to me, signifies influx out of heaven from the Lord, and perception therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “answering and saying,” when predicated of the “elders,” who signify heaven where the Lord is, as being influx and perception, “to answer” meaning influx, and “to say” perception; also from the signification of the “elders,” as being those who are in the second or middle heaven, where those are who are in intelligence, and through whom answers come (of which above, n. 462); and because all influx is from the Lord alone, although through the angels, these words signify influx and perception out of heaven from the Lord. That there is such a meaning in these words may seem strange; but in no other way are these words perceived in heaven. This seems strange because this is said as if it were historical, and historical things conceal the spiritual sense more than those purely prophetical; but all the historical parts of the Word also contain a spiritual meaning, and still more those that are historical-prophetical, which are such as appeared to and were said to the prophets when they were in the vision of the spirit; for all such things are representative and significative; as for instance, “the four and twenty elders” and “four animals” seen by John; this is historical-prophetical, representing and signifying the angels of the higher heavens, as has been shown above; so it follows that “one of the elders speaking to him” was likewise significative, signifying influx and perception out of heaven from the Lord.
sRef Ps@120 @1 S2′ sRef Ps@34 @4 S2′ sRef Ps@13 @3 S2′ sRef Isa@49 @8 S2′ sRef Ps@20 @9 S2′ sRef Ps@4 @1 S2′ sRef Ps@91 @15 S2′ [2] “He answered” does not signify here to answer in the ordinary sense, as can be seen from its being said when there is no question, for to answer implies a question; so here it has reference to thought respecting those who were seen in white robes. Moreover, the expression “to answer” frequently occurs in the Word, and it signifies, in reference to the Lord, influx, inspiration, perception, and information, likewise mercy and aid, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
In the time of My good pleasure have I answered thee, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee (49:8).
In David:
Save me, O Jehovah; let the king answer us in the day when we call (Ps. 20:9).
In the same:
Answer me when I shall call, O God of my righteousness (Ps. 4:1).
In the same:
Look, answer me, O Jehovah, my God (Ps. 13:3).
In the same:
I call upon Thee, for Thou wilt answer me, O God (Ps. 17:6).
In the same:
I sought Jehovah and He answered me (Ps. 34:4).
In the same:
He calleth* upon Me and I will answer him (Ps. 91:15).
In the same:
In my distress I cried out unto Jehovah, and He answered me (Ps. 120:1);
and elsewhere. In these and other passages, “to answer” means not to answer but to flow into the thought, to give perception, and to give help from compassion; from this it is that “answers,” in reference to the Lord, signify perceptions from influx. It is to be noted that whatever comes from the Lord into the perception is called influx.
* Photolithograph has “call thou,” the Hebrew “he calleth.”

sRef Rev@7 @13 S0′ 472. These clothed with the white robes, who are they, and whence came they? signifies respecting those who are now in truths and in the protection of the Lord, of what quality they are and of what they have been. This is evident from the signification of “clothed with the white robes,” as being those who are now in truths and in the protection of the Lord (of which above, n. 395, 457); also from the signification of “who are these, and whence came they?” as being of what quality they are and of what they have been. “Who are they and whence came they?” signifies of what quality they are and what they have been, because angels in the spiritual world, when they see and meet others, never inquire who they are and whence they come, but of what quality they are; so this is the spiritual idea signified by these words. Angels inquire only respecting the quality of those they see, because the dwelling places of all in the spiritual world are in accordance with the quality of the affections with them, also because asking “who they are” involves person, and “whence they came” involves place; and in the spiritual thought and consequent spiritual speech of the angels there is no idea of person and of place, but in their stead an idea of the thing and of the state in respect to quality; so, too, everyone there is given a name from his quality. (That angels think abstractedly from person and from place, and that their wisdom is from that, see above, n. 99, 100, 270, 325.) From this it can be seen that “Who are they and whence came they?” signifies in the spiritual sense, of what quality they are and of what they have been; their quality is also described in what follows.

sRef Rev@7 @14 S0′ 473. Verse 14. And I said unto him, Lord, thou knowest, signifies that the Lord alone knows this. This is evident from what has been said above (n. 471); namely, that by “one of the elders” who answered, and to whom it is now said “Lord, thou knowest,” is meant out of heaven from the Lord; for whatever in the Word is said to men by angels, is not said by the angels but by the Lord through them, for this reason here and there in the Word the angels that speak are called Jehovah; and for this reason the Word, even where it was spoken by angels, is Divine; for no one of himself, not even an angel, can speak such things as are Divine which are in the Word, nor in fact any truth which is in itself Divine; this the Lord only can do through the angels. This makes clear that “Lord, thou knowest,” signifies that the Lord alone knows it.

sRef Rev@7 @14 S0′ 474. And he said unto me, These are they who come out of the great tribulation, signifies information that these are they that have been in temptations. This is evident from the signification of “he said to me,” as being information; also from the signification of “great tribulation” (or affliction) as being temptations (of which presently). Here something shall first be said about temptations which those in the spiritual world undergo who are in falsities from ignorance, and who are here treated of. In the spiritual world, those only undergo temptations who had lived well in the world according to their religion, in which there were falsities of doctrine which they believed; for by means of temptations falsities are shaken off and truths are implanted, and thus they are prepared for heaven; for all who are to come into heaven must be in truths; therefore so long as they are in falsities they cannot come into heaven. The reason is that Divine truth proceeding from the Lord makes heaven, and makes the life of the angels there; consequently as falsities are the opposites of truths, and opposites destroy, these must first be removed, and they can be removed only by means of temptations. (That temptations perform this use, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 187-201, where temptations are treated of.) Such after their life in the body are let into temptations in the spiritual world because they could not be tempted while in the world on account of the falsities of their religion which reigned. Everywhere it is to be noted, that all who are let into temptations are saved; while the evil, who are in falsities from evil, are not tempted, for truths cannot be implanted in them; their evils of life stand in the way; but from these their truths are taken away, and thus they remain in mere falsities, and then they are plunged into hell, to a depth according to the quality of evil from which is falsity. In a word, those who are to come into heaven are vastated in respect to falsities, while those who are to come into hell are vastated in respect to truths; that is, from those who are to come into heaven falsities are taken away, and from those who are to come into hell, truths are taken away; for no one with falsities can enter heaven, and no one with truths can enter hell, since truths from good make heaven, and falsities from evil make hell. The temptations which those undergo with whom falsities are to be scattered are treated of in many passages in the Word, especially in David, and are called “afflictions,” “tribulations,” and “vastations;” but there is no need to cite these passages here, because it can be known without them that “tribulations” and “afflictions,” when predicated of the good, mean in the spiritual sense temptations.

sRef Rev@7 @14 S0′ 475. And have washed their robes, signifies the removal of falsities by means of temptations. This is evident from the signification of “to wash,” as being to purify from falsities and evils, consequently to remove them; for the evils and falsities that are with man, spirit, and angel, are not taken away, but are removed, and when they have been removed the appearance is that they have been taken away (respecting this see in The Doctrine of The New Jerusalem, n. 166, 170) thence “to wash” signifies to remove falsities, and thus to purify. Also from the signification of “robes,” as being protecting truths in general (of which above, n. 395); but “robes” here, before they have been washed and made white, signify falsities from which they have [not yet] been purified; for those who are in falsities from ignorance appear in the spiritual world at first in dusky garments of diverse colors, and while they are in temptations in filthy garments; but when they come out of temptations they appear in white robes, glistening according to their purification from falsities. Each one in the other life appears in garments according to the truths and according to the falsities that are with him;* this is why “garments” signify truths, and in the contrary sense falsities (see above, n. 195, 271). From this the signification of “they have washed their robes and have made them white” can be seen.
sRef 1Ki@7 @23 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @29 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @32 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @28 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @35 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @36 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @33 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @34 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @37 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @30 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @39 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @38 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @31 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @25 S2′ sRef Ex@30 @20 S2′ sRef Ex@30 @18 S2′ sRef Ex@30 @19 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @24 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @27 S2′ sRef 1Ki@7 @26 S2′ [2] In ancient times, when all the externals of the church were representative and significative of things spiritual and celestial, washings were made use of, and they represented purifications from falsities and evils; “washings” had this signification because “waters” signified truths, and “filth” falsities and evils, and all purification from falsities and evils is effected by truths (that “waters” signify truths see above, n. 71). This is why washings were instituted with the sons of Israel by command; for with them there was a representative church, all things of which were significative of things spiritual, and “washings” signified purifications from falsities and evils, and thence regeneration. For this purpose:
A laver of brass was placed at the entrance of the tent of meeting (Exod. 30:18-20);
Also lavers of brass were placed outside of the temple, one great laver which was called the sea of brass, and ten smaller ones (1 Kings 7:23-39).
sRef Ex@29 @4 S3′ [3] Because of this signification of “washings,” when Aaron and his sons were consecrated to the priesthood:
Moses was commanded to wash them with water at the entrance of the tent, and thus to sanctify them (Exod. 29:4; 40:12; Lev. 8:6);
for the priests represented the Lord in relation to Divine good, as kings represented Him in relation to Divine truth, consequently the priests represented also the Divine holiness which is pure without blemish. Aaron and his sons were inducted into this representation by the washing by Moses; therefore it is said that “thus they should be sanctified,” although no sanctity was conferred upon them by the washing.
sRef Ex@30 @21 S4′ sRef Ex@30 @20 S4′ sRef Ex@30 @18 S4′ sRef Ex@30 @19 S4′ [4] It was therefore also commanded that:
Aaron and his sons should wash their hands and feet before entering into the tent of meeting, and before they came near to the altar to minister; and it is said that they were to do this that they die not; and that it should be to them a statute of an age (Exod. 30:18-21; 40:30, 31).
Also that Aaron should wash his flesh before he put on the garments of ministry (Lev. 16:4, 24).
“Washing the hands and feet” signified the purification of the natural man, and “washing the flesh” the purification of the spiritual man. It was therefore commanded also:
That the Levites should be sanctified by being sprinkled with the water of expiation, and by causing a razor to pass over their flesh, and that they should wash their garments (Num. 8:6, 7).
This was done to the Levites because they ministered in the external things of the church under Aaron and his sons, and the purification of the external things of the church was represented by the sprinkling of the water of expiation, by shaving the hairs of the flesh, and by washing the garments.
sRef Lev@15 @11 S5′ sRef Lev@15 @10 S5′ sRef Lev@15 @9 S5′ sRef Lev@15 @6 S5′ sRef Lev@15 @12 S5′ sRef Lev@15 @5 S5′ sRef Lev@15 @7 S5′ sRef Lev@15 @8 S5′ sRef Lev@17 @15 S5′ sRef Lev@14 @9 S5′ sRef Lev@17 @16 S5′ sRef Lev@15 @13 S5′ sRef Lev@14 @8 S5′ sRef Lev@11 @32 S5′ [5] Furthermore, all who were made unclean by touching unclean things also washed themselves and their garments, and were said to be made clean thereby, as:
Those who ate of the dead body of a clean beast, or of what was torn (Lev. 17:15, 16).
One who touched the bed of one who had an issue, or sat upon the vessel that he sat on, or who touched his flesh (Lev. 15:4-12).
It was also commanded that the leper, after his cleansing, should wash his garments, shave off his hair, and wash himself with water (Lev. 14:8, 9).
Also that such vessels as had become unclean by the touch of the unclean, should be passed through water (Lev. 11:32; besides other statutes).
He is much mistaken who supposes that those who washed their flesh or hands and feet, or garments, were cleansed and sanctified, that is, purified from their sins; for sins are not washed away or taken away by water as filth is, but they are washed away, that is, removed, by means of truths and a life according to them, and this alone was what was represented by the washings; for “waters” signify truths, and truths when there is life according to them, purify the man.
sRef Matt@15 @11 S6′ sRef Matt@15 @1 S6′ sRef Matt@15 @2 S6′ sRef Matt@23 @26 S6′ sRef Matt@23 @25 S6′ sRef Matt@15 @18 S6′ sRef Matt@15 @17 S6′ sRef Matt@15 @20 S6′ sRef Matt@15 @19 S6′ [6] That these external things contribute nothing to purification from evils and falsities, is clearly taught by the Lord in Matthew:
Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter that the outside of them may become clean also (23:25, 26).
Like things were taught by the Lord when the Jews and Pharisees rebuked His disciples for not washing their hands before eating, for He taught:
That by this a man is not rendered unclean, but by every evil that goeth forth from the heart (Matt. 15:1, 2, 19, 20; Mark 7:1-23; Luke 11:38, 39).
From this it can be seen that the Jews by their washings were never sanctified and cleansed from their spiritual defilements, which are the evils going forth from the heart, since these evils reside within; and in the world they have nothing in common with the filth that adheres to the body. It is said that “the inside of the cup and platter must be cleansed that the outside may become clean also;” for the outside with man cannot be cleansed until the inside is cleansed, for the outside is cleansed by means of the inside. “The cup and platter” signify the interiors and exteriors of man, which receive truth and good, for the cup is what contains wine, and the platter is what contains food, and “wine” signifies truth, and “food” has a similar signification as “bread,” namely, good. This makes clear the signification in the spiritual sense of “cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside may become clean also.”
sRef John@13 @10 S7′ [7] What the Lord says here has a similar meaning as His washing the feet of the disciples, respecting which He thus said to Peter, in John:
He that hath bathed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is wholly clean (13:10).
“He that hath bathed” signifies one who is inwardly clean; and “needeth not save to wash his feet” signifies that then he must be cleansed outwardly, for “the feet” signify the external or natural man (see above, n. 69). More may be seen respecting this arcanum in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 179, 181; and in Arcana Coelestia, where the following are made clear: For a man to be purified, both the internal or spiritual and the external or natural must be purified, and the external by means of the internal, n. 3868, 3870, 3872, 3876, 3877, 3882. The internal man is purified before the external, because the internal is in the light of heaven, and the external in the light of the world, n. 3321, 3325, 3469, 3493, 4353, 8746, 9325. The external or natural man is purified by the Lord through the internal or spiritual, n. 3286, 3288, 3321. A man is not purified until the external or natural man is also purified, n. 8742-8747, 9043, 9046, 9061, 9325, 9334. If the natural man is not purified the spiritual man is closed up, n. 6299; and in respect to the truths and goods of faith and love, it is as it were blind, n. 3493, 3969). The internal man is purified by knowing, understanding, and thinking the truths of the Word, and the external man by willing and doing them. This makes clear how the Lord’s words to Peter must be understood, “He that hath bathed needeth not save to wash his feet;” likewise how the Lord’s words to the Pharisees must be understood, “cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside may become clean also.”
sRef John@3 @5 S8′ [8] That the internal man is purified by truths which are of faith, and the external by a life according to them, is meant also by these words of the Lord:
Except one be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5).
“Water” signifying the truths of faith, and “spirit” a life according to them.
sRef Ezek@16 @9 S9′ [9] From this it can now be seen what “washing” signifies in the following passages. In Ezekiel:
I washed thee with waters; yea, I rinsed away thy bloods from upon thee, and I anointed thee with oil (16:9).
This was said of Jerusalem, by which the church is signified; its purification from falsities and from evils is signified by “I washed thee with waters; yea, I rinsed away thy bloods from upon thee,” “to wash with waters” signifying to purify the church by truths, and “to rinse away the bloods” signifying purification from falsities and evils. To imbue the church with the good of love is signified by “I anointed thee with oil,” “oil” meaning the good of love.
sRef Isa@4 @4 S10′ [10] In Isaiah:
When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have washed away the bloods of Jerusalem out of the midst thereof, in the spirit of judgment, and in the spirit of cleansing (4:4).
“To wash away the filth of the daughters of Zion” signifies to purify the affections of those who are of a celestial church from the evils of love of self, “filth” meaning the evil of the love of self,” “daughters” the affection, and “Zion” the church that is in love to the Lord, which is therefore called a celestial church; “to wash away the bloods of Jerusalem” signifies to purify the same affections from the falsities of evil, “bloods” meaning the falsities of evil; “in the spirit of judgment and in the spirit of cleansing” signifies by means of the understanding of truth and the affection of truth, “spirit” meaning the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, “the spirit of judgment” the understanding of truth therefrom, and “the spirit of cleansing” the spiritual affection of truth, for that is what cleanses.
sRef Job@9 @31 S11′ sRef Job@9 @30 S11′ [11] In Job:
If I shall wash myself in waters of snow, and cleanse my hands with soap, yet wilt thou plunge me into the pit, and mine own garments shall abhor me (9:30, 31).
This means that if one attempts to purify himself by his own efforts, although by means of truths and goods that are or that appear to be genuine, he will yet lead himself into falsities; “to wash oneself” means to purify oneself; “waters of snow” mean truths that are or that appear to be genuine; “soap” means the good from which they come, and “the pit” falsity. That from this come truths falsified is meant by “mine own garments shall abhor me;” “garments” meaning truths, which are said “to abhor one” when they are falsified, and this is done when man from self-intelligence speculates and draws conclusions.
sRef Gen@49 @11 S12′ [12] In Moses:
He washed his vesture in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes (Gen. 49:11).
This is said of Judah, by whom is here meant the Lord in relation to Divine truth; that He altogether purified this in His Human, when He was in the world, is signified by “he washed his vesture in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes,” “vesture” and “covering” signifying His Human, and “wine” and “the blood of grapes” Divine truth. (This may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 6377, 6378.)
sRef Isa@1 @16 S13′ [13] That “to wash” signifies to purify from falsities and evils is clearly evident in Isaiah:
Wash you, make you pure; put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil (1:16).
Because “to wash” signifies to put away falsities and evils, it is added, “put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil.”
sRef Jer@4 @14 S14′ sRef Ps@51 @7 S14′ sRef Ps@51 @2 S14′ [14] In Jeremiah:
Wash thine heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall the thoughts of thine iniquity lodge in the midst of thee? (4:14).
This has a similar signification. In David:
Wash me from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow (Ps. 51:2, 7).
Here “to wash” plainly means to purify from falsities and evils, for it is said, “Wash me from iniquity, and cleanse me from sin,” and afterwards, “Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow;” “to wash from iniquity” means from falsities, and “from sin” means from evils, for “iniquity” is predicated of falsities, and “sin” of evils; and because the water of expiation was prepared from hyssop, it is said, “Thou shalt purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean.”
sRef Jer@2 @22 S15′ [15] In Jeremiah:
Although thou shalt wash thee with niter and take thee** much soap, thine iniquity shall still retain its spots before Me (2:22).
Here, too, it is clear that washings only represented and thence signified spiritual washings, which are purifications from falsities and evils, for it is said, “Although thou shalt wash thee with niter, and take thee much soap, thine iniquity shall still retain its spots.”
sRef Ps@73 @13 S16′ sRef Matt@27 @24 S16′ sRef Ps@73 @14 S16′ [16] Thus also in David:
In vain have I cleansed my heart, and washed my hands in innocence. All the day have I been plagued, and in the mornings was my reproof (Ps. 73:13, 14).
“To wash the hands in innocence” means to bear witness that one is innocent and pure from evils and falsities; for washing the hands was a testification of innocence; as can be seen also from the fact that:
Pilate washed his hands and said, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person (Matt. 27:24).
sRef John@9 @11 S17′ sRef John@9 @15 S17′ sRef John@9 @6 S17′ sRef John@9 @7 S17′ [17] Because “washings” signified purifications from falsities and evils, and “one blind” signified those who do not see truths, and are therefore in falsities:
The Lord told the blind man whose eyes He anointed with clay made with spittle, to wash himself in the pool of Siloam, and when he had washed himself he came seeing (John 9:6, 7, 11, 15).
The “blind man” here represented those who can see nothing of truth because they are sensual, and see only those things that appear before the external senses, from which come fallacies instead of truths, and to the confirmation of these they apply the sense of the letter of the Word; “the clay made of spittle” signifies sensual truth, such as the Word contains for such persons; “the waters of the lake or pool of Siloam” signify the truths of the Word, for all things, even to the waters in Jerusalem were significative; and “to wash” signifies to purify from fallacies, which in themselves are falsities. From this it can be seen what these things signify in series; for all the miracles and works of the Lord when He was in the world signified Divine celestial and Divine spiritual things, that is, such things as pertain to heaven and the church, and this because they were Divine, and the Divine always operates in ultimates from first things, and thus in fullness; ultimates are such as appear before the eyes in the world. This is why the Lord spoke and the Word was written by means of such things in nature as correspond.
sRef 2Ki@5 @14 S18′ sRef 2Ki@5 @10 S18′ [18] It is similar with the miracle performed on Naaman the leper by command of Elisha, which is thus described in the second book of Kings:
Naaman of Syria, being affected with leprosy, was commanded by a messenger from Elisha to wash himself seven times in the Jordan, and his flesh would come again and he would be clean. At length Naaman went down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan; and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little lad, and he was clean (5:10, 14).
“Naaman a leper of Syria” represented and signified those who falsify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, for “leprosy” signifies falsifications, and “Syria” the knowledges of truth and good. “The waters of Jordan” signified the truths that introduce into the church, which are the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, for the river Jordan was the first boundary across which the land of Canaan was entered, and “the land of Canaan” signified the church; this is why “the waters of Jordan” signified introductory truths, which are the first knowledges of truth and good from the Word. Because of this signification of “the waters of Jordan,” Naaman was commanded to wash himself in them seven times, which signified purification from falsified truths; “seven times” signifies fully, and is predicated of things holy, such as truths Divine are. Because “seven times” has this signification, it is said that “his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little lad,” the flesh coming again signifying spiritual life, such as those have who are regenerated through Divine truths.
[19] Because “the waters of Jordan” signified the truths that introduce into the church, which are the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, and “washing” therein signified purification from falsities, and consequent reformation and regeneration by the Lord, therefore baptism was instituted, which was first performed in Jordan by John (Matt. 3:11-16; Mark 1:4-13). This rite signified initiation into the knowledges from the Word respecting the Lord, His coming, and salvation by Him; and as man is reformed and regenerated by the Lord by means of truths from the Word, baptism was commanded by the Lord (Matt. 28:19); for it is by means of truths from the Word that man is reformed and regenerated, and it is the Lord who reforms and regenerates. (Respecting this more may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 202-209.)
sRef Luke@3 @16 S20′ sRef John@1 @33 S20′ [20] It was said by John:
That he baptized with water; but that the Lord would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Luke 3:16; John 1:33).
This means that John only inaugurated them into knowledges from the Word respecting the Lord, and thus prepared them to receive Him, but that the Lord Himself regenerates man by means of Divine truth and Divine good proceeding from Him; for John represented the like as Elijah, namely, the Word; “the waters” with which John baptized signified introductory truths, which are knowledges from the Word respecting the Lord; “the Holy Spirit” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; and “fire” signifies Divine good proceeding from Him; and “baptism” signifies regeneration by the Lord by means of Divine truths from the Word.
[21] Washings were instituted in the ancient churches, and afterwards baptisms in their place, which nevertheless are only representative and significative rites, in order that heaven might be conjoined with the human race, and in particular with the man of the church; for heaven is conjoined to man when man is in ultimates, that is, in such things as are in the world in regard to his natural man, while he is in such things as are in heaven in regard to his spiritual man; in no other way is conjunction possible. This is why baptism was instituted; also the holy supper; likewise why the Word was written by means of such things as are in the world, while there is in it a spiritual sense, containing such things as are in heaven, that is, that the sense of the letter of the Word is natural, while in it there is a spiritual sense. (That by means of this sense the Word conjoins the angels of heaven with the men of the church, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 303-310; and in the small work on The White Horse from beginning to end. That the holy supper likewise conjoins, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 210-222, and the same is true of baptism.) But he is much mistaken who believes that baptism contributes anything to a man’s salvation unless he is at the same time in the truths of the church and in a life according to them; for baptism is an external thing, which without an internal contributes nothing to salvation, but it does contribute when the external is conjoined to an internal. The internal of baptism is, that by means of truths from the Word and a life according to them, falsities and evils may be removed by the Lord, and thus man be regenerated, as the Lord teaches (Matt. 23:26, 27), as explained above in this article.
* Photolithograph has “them.”
** Photolithograph has “he take thee.”

sRef Rev@7 @14 S0′ 476. And have made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb, signifies the implantation of Divine truth from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “making robes white,” as meaning to put off falsities and to put on truths, for “white” and “to be made white,” are predicated of truths, and these are signified by “robes.” (That “white” and “to be made white,” are predicated of truths, see above, n. 196; and that “robes” signify truths in general see above, n. 395.) It is said “made their robes white,” because the garments of those who are in falsities appear in the spiritual world dusky and also spotted, and the garments of those who are in temptations appear filthy; but as soon as they emerge from temptations, as they have then been imbued with Divine truths, white and shining garments without spots appear upon them, as was mentioned just above. This is why “they have made their robes white” signifies that they have put off falsities and put on truths. The above is evident also from the signification of “the blood of the Lamb” as being Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (of which above, n. 329); and because in temptations falsities are shaken off, and truths are implanted, so in general, “they have made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb” signifies the implantation of Divine truth from the Lord. In the sense of the letter of the Word, “the blood of the Lamb” means the passion of the cross, but in the internal or spiritual sense it means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; for it is by this that man is purified from falsities and evils, that is, his garments are made white. The passion of the cross was the Lord’s last temptation, by which He fully subjugated the hells, and glorified His Human; and when this was accomplished and completed, the Lord sent the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, by which is meant Divine truth proceeding from His glorified Human, as the Lord teaches in John (7:39) and elsewhere. It is by means of Divine truth, when it is received, that man is reformed and regenerated by the Lord and saved, and not by the shedding of blood on the cross. (On this more may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 293, 294, and in the extracts there from the Arcana Coelestia.) This can be seen from this also, that the garments of angels appear glistening from what is white and bright, not from faith in and thought about the blood of the Lord on the cross, but from Divine truth with them from the Lord; for, as was said above, their garments are all in accord with the truths with them; nor is any angel permitted to think of the Lord’s passion, but only of His glorification, and of the reception by Him of the Divine.

sRef Rev@7 @17 S0′ sRef Rev@7 @15 S0′ 477. Verse 15. Therefore are they before, the throne of God, signifies that for this reason they are conjoined to the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “are before the throne of God,” as being to be conjoined to the Lord. (That conjunction with the Lord is signified by “standing around the throne of God,” may be seen above, n. 462; and the like is signified by “are before the throne of God.”) “Before the throne of God” means before the Lord, for the Lord was upon the throne, as is said in verse 17 following, “The Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them.”

sRef Rev@7 @15 S0′ 478. And they serve Him day and night in His temple, signifies that they are constantly held in truths in heaven. This is evident from the signification of “serving,” which is said of those who are in truths (of which presently); also from the signification of “day and night,” as being constantly and in every state (of which also presently); also from the signification of “the temple” of God, as being heaven where Divine truth reigns (of which above, n. 220, 391); therefore these words signify that they are constantly held in truths in heaven. This is the signification, because this treats of those who had been during their life in the world in falsities from ignorance, as was shown above; and those who are in falsities from ignorance and yet in good of life according to their religion cannot be saved before the falsities in them have been withdrawn and truths have been implanted in their place; and truths are implanted by means of temptations. When, therefore, these come out of temptations the falsities still remain, although they have been withdrawn by means of truths; for nothing evil and false can be wholly wiped away from man, spirit, or angel, but only withdrawn; for the Lord withholds them from their evils and falsities and holds them in good and truth; and when this is done they seem to themselves to be without evils and falsities. For this reason, unless those who had been in falsities from ignorance in the world were constantly held in truths by the Lord, they would fall back into falsities. This, therefore, is what is meant by “they serve Him day and night in His temple,” “temple” also signifying heaven where truths reign.
[2] Their having been in the good of life according to their religion saves them, indeed, but it does not save so long as they are in falsities, therefore after their life in the world the falsities in them are withdrawn. They cannot be saved before, because good derives its essence from truths; for good is the esse of truth, and truth is the form of good, therefore according to the quality of the truths is the good. From this it is clear that even though one lives well he cannot come into heaven until he is in truths. On this account there are places of instruction for those who are to come into heaven, because no one can come thither until he has been instructed (of this instruction and the places of instruction for those who are to come into heaven, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 512-520).
[3] It is said “they serve Him day and night in His temple,” but this does not mean that they are continually in a temple, or continually in worship and prayers, for this is not done in the heavens. Everyone there, as in the world, is in his vocation and employment, and on occasion, as in the world, in the temple; and yet they are said “to serve God day and night in the temple” when they are constantly in truths; for thus inwardly they constantly serve Him. For every good spirit and angel is his own truth and his own good, for they are the affections of truth and good. Affection or love constitutes the life of everyone; consequently those who are in the affection of truth constantly serve the Lord, even when they are in their vocations, business, and employments, for the affection that is within reigns continually and serves. Moreover, this is the service the Lord desires, but not being constantly in temples and in worship. To be in temples in worship there, and not in truths, is not serving the Lord, but serving the Lord is to be in truths, and to act sincerely and justly in everything; for then the principles of truth, sincerity, and justice, that are with man, serve the Lord. Again, through these, but not through worship alone, a man after his life in the world can be in heaven, for worship without these, consequently without truths, is empty worship, into which no influx enters. In the Word mention is made of “serving” and “ministering,” also of “servants” and “ministers,” and those who are in truths are said to be “servants of the Lord,” and “to serve Him,” while those who are in good are said to be “ministers of the Lord,” and “to minister to Him.” (That those are called “servants” in the Word who are in truths, may be seen above, n. 6; and that those are called “ministers” who are in good, n. 155.)

sRef Rev@7 @15 S0′ 479. And He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell over them, signifies the influx of Divine good into the truths with them. This is evident from the signification of “He that sitteth on the throne,” as being the Lord in relation to Divine good (of which above, n. 297, 343, 460); also from the signification of “dwelling over them,” as being to flow in with good into their truths; for “to dwell” is predicated in the Word of good, thus “dwellers” signify those who are in good; so when “to dwell” is predicated of the Lord, as here, “to dwell over them” signifies the influx of Divine good; this is into truths, because the truths in such are what have just been treated of, also because all who are in the heavens are held in truths by the influx into truths of Divine good from the Lord; for it is only into truths that Divine good can flow, because truths are from good, for they are forms of good; this is why it is necessary for man to be in good, since by it the Lord flows into the truths corresponding to the good.
He is much mistaken who supposes that the Lord flows immediately into truths with man. (This influx is treated of in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, the influx of the Lord is into the good with man, and through the good into the truths that are with him, but not the reverse, n. 5482, 5649, 6027, 8685, 8701, 10153; influx is through good into truths of every kind, but especially into genuine truths, n. 2531, 2554; in good there is a faculty of receiving truths, n. 8321; there is no influx of the Lord into truths separate from good, n. 1831, 1832, 3514, 3564.) From this it can now be seen how the things contained in this and the preceding verses cohere, namely, that those in whom truths from the Lord are implanted by means of temptations, are constantly held in truths by the influx into them of Divine good. (That “to dwell” is predicated in the Word of good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2268, 2451, 2712, 3613, 8269, 8309, 10153; and that “the dwelling place of the Lord” means heaven and the church in respect to good, consequently the good of heaven and the church, and in reference to man the good with him, n. 8269, 8309.)

sRef Rev@7 @16 S0′ 480. Verse 16. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore, signifies that good and truth shall not fail them, nor consequent felicity. This is evident from the signification of “to hunger,” as being the lack of good, therefore here “they shall not hunger,” means that there will be no lack of good; also from the signification of “to thirst,” as being the lack of truth, therefore here “they shall not thirst” means that there shall be no lack of truth. These same words signify also felicity, because all the felicity and blessedness that angels have in heaven are from and according to the good and truth they receive from the Lord, that is, according to the reception of these. That all heavenly felicity, or all heavenly joy, is in the affection of good and truth, consequently in the marriage of good and truth, in which the angels are, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 395-414). “They shall not hunger” signifies that good shall not fail them, because “bread” signifies the good of love, and “to hunger” is predicated of bread and of food. “They shall not thirst” signifies that truth shall not fail them, because “water” and “wine” signify truth, and “to thirst” is predicated of water and of wine. This is why “to hunger” and “to thirst” are frequently mentioned in the Word, by which are meant not natural hunger and thirst but spiritual hunger and thirst, which are the deprivation, lack, and ignorance of the knowledges of truth and good, together with a desire for them. That this is the signification in the Word of “hungering and thirsting,” or of “hunger and thirst,” may be seen above, (n. 386), where many passages respecting hunger and thirst are cited and explained.

sRef Rev@7 @16 S0′ 481. Neither shall the sun fall on them, nor any heat, signifies that evil and falsity from lusts shall not come to them. This is evident from the signification of “the sun,” as meaning the Lord in relation to Divine love, and with men, spirits, and angels, the good of love to the Lord from the Lord; and as meaning in the contrary sense as here the love of self and evil therefrom out of lusts (of which above, n. 401; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125); also from the signification of “heat,” as meaning falsity from that evil, and therefore falsity from lusts; for when man is in heat, that is, when he burns with heat, he craves drink that his heat may be allayed, for he is thirsty; and “to have drink” and “to drink” signifies to imbibe truths, and in the contrary sense, to imbibe falsities, because “water” and “wine,” which are for drink, signify truths.
sRef Jer@17 @7 S2′ sRef Jer@17 @8 S2′ [2] That “heat” signifies falsity from lust or lust for falsity can be seen from the following passages. In Jeremiah:
Blessed is the man that trusteth in Jehovah; and he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, that sendeth out his roots by the river; he shall not see when heat cometh, but his leaf shall be green; therefore he shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall he cease from bearing fruit (17:7, 8).
A man who suffers himself to be led by the Lord is compared to a tree and its growth and fructification, because a “tree” signifies in the Word the knowledge and perception of truth and good, consequently the man in whom these are; “a tree planted by the waters” means a man with whom there are truths from the Lord, “waters” meaning truths; “that sendeth out his roots by the river” signifies the extension of intelligence from the spiritual man into the natural; this is said because a “river” signifies intelligence, and because “roots” are sent forth from the spiritual man into the natural; “he shall not see when heat cometh” signifies not to be affected by the lust of falsity; “but his leaf shall be green” signifies knowledges made alive by truths; “therefore he shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall he cease from bearing fruit” signifies that in a state when there is no truth and no good, there shall be no fear of the loss and deprivation of these, but that even then truths conjoined to good shall be fruitful, “year of drought” signifying a state of loss and deprivation of truth. This is said because with spirits and angels there are alternations of state (respecting which alternations see in the work Heaven and Hell, n. 154-161).
sRef Isa@25 @4 S3′ sRef Isa@25 @5 S3′ [3] In Isaiah:
For Thou art become a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the inundation, a shadow from the heat; for the blast of the violent ones is as an inundation against a wall, as a drought in a dry place; the tumult of strangers shalt Thou humble, the heat by the shadow of a cloud, the branch of the violent ones shall he repress (25:4, 5).
“The poor and needy” signify those who are in the lack of good from the ignorance of truth, and yet have a desire for these; “inundation” and “heat” have reference to evils and falsities that rise up and flow in from the selfhood [proprium] and also from others who are in evil; “the blast of the violent ones” signifies things contrary to the goods and truths of the church; those are called “violent” who endeavor to destroy goods and truths, and “their blast” signifies eagerness to destroy; “the tumult of strangers shalt thou humble” signifies that the Lord will allay and remove the irruption of falsities from evil, “tumult” signifying irruption, “strangers” the falsities from evil, and “to humble” to allay and remove; “he shall repress the heat by the shadow of a cloud” signifies to defend from the lust of falsity, “heat” meaning the lust of falsity, and “the shadow of a cloud” defense from it, for the shadow of a cloud tempers the heat of the sun, and allays its fervor.
sRef Jer@36 @30 S4′ [4] In Jeremiah:
His dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost (36:30).
This was said of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, after he had burned the scroll written by Jeremiah, which act signifies that the truths of the church will perish by a lust for falsities and a consequent aversion from truths. The kings of Judah represented and thence signified in the Word truths from good, and this king the truth of the church about to perish; “the scroll that he burned” signifies the Word, which is said to be burned when it is falsified and adulterated, and this is done by the lust of falsity from evil; “the dead body” signifies the man of the church without spiritual life, which is had by means of truths from the Word; when this life is extinct, only falsities are desired and truths are avoided, and in consequence man becomes dead, and in the spiritual sense “a dead body.” The lust for falsities is signified by “the heat in the day,” and aversion from the truths by “the frost in the night;” for when the light of heaven, which in its essence is Divine truth, flows in, those who are in falsities from evil become cold with an intensity corresponding to the warmth of the falsity from evil.
sRef Jer@51 @39 S5′ [5] In the same:
When they are heated I will set their banquets and I will make them drunken, that they may triumph, that they may sleep the sleep of an age and not awake (Jer. 51:39).
This is said of Babylon, which signifies the profanation of good and truth. “When they are heated” signifies the warmth and lust of falsifying truths and adulterating goods; “to set their banquets, to make drunken, and to triumph,” signifies to be insane from falsifications to the last degree, “their banquets” signifying the adulterations of good and truth, “drunkenness and rejoicing” insanities in the highest or last degree; “to sleep the sleep of an age and not to awake” signifies not to have perception of truths to eternity.
sRef Hos@7 @7 S6′ [6] In Hosea:
They are all hot as an oven, and devour their judges; all their kings are fallen; not one among them calleth unto Me (7:7).
“To be hot as an oven” signifies their lusting after falsity from the love of it; “they devour judges, and all their kings are fallen” signifies the destruction of all intelligence when the truths that constitute it are lost, “judges” signifying the intelligent, and in an abstract sense the things that belong to intelligence, and “kings” signifying truths; “not one among them calleth unto Me” signifies that no one cares for truths from the Divine.
sRef Job@24 @19 S7′ sRef Job@24 @18 S7′ [7] In Job:
He beholdeth not the way of the vineyards; drought and heat shall seize upon the waters of snow (24:18, 19).
“Not to behold the way of the vineyards” signifies to make the truths of the church of no account; “drought and heat shall seize upon the waters of snow” signifies that the lack of truth, and the consequent lust for falsity will destroy all genuine truths, “the waters of snow” meaning genuine truths.
sRef Isa@49 @9 S8′ sRef Isa@49 @10 S8′ [8] In Isaiah:
He shall say to the bound, Go forth, to them that are in darkness, Reveal yourselves. They shall feed upon the ways, and in all the bare hills shall be their pasture. They shall not hunger nor thirst neither shall the heat or the sun smite them; for He that hath compassion on them shall guide them, even unto springs of waters shall He lead them (49:9, 10).
What the particulars signify need not be explained, for they are similar to those in Revelation now being explained, where it is said “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore, neither shall the sun fall on them nor any heat smite them; for the Lamb shall feed them and shall guide them unto living fountains of waters.” In Revelation, in like manner as in the prophet, these things are said of the Lord; “the bound, to whom He shall say, Go forth, and those who are in darkness, to whom He shall say, Reveal yourselves,” signify the nations that had lived in good according to their religion, and yet were in falsities from ignorance; these are called “bound” when in temptations; and “darkness” means falsities from ignorance. “The heat shall not smite them” signifies that falsity from lust shall not affect them.
sRef Rev@16 @8 S9′ sRef Rev@16 @9 S9′ [9] In Revelation:
The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given unto him to scorch men with fire; and men were heated with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God (16:8, 9).
These words will be explained hereafter in their proper place. As “the sun” signifies Divine love, so also “heat” signifies an ardent desire for truth, as in Isaiah 18:4; and Zechariah 8:2, where “heat” is attributed to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord. In many passages “anger” and “wrath” are predicated of God, “anger” signifying zeal for good, and “wrath” zeal for truth; for wrath and heat in the original language come from the same word.

sRef Rev@7 @17 S0′ sRef Rev@10 @10 S0′ 482. Verse 17. For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, signifies that the Lord will instruct them out of heaven. This is evident from the signification of “the Lamb,” as being the Lord in relation to Divine truth (of which see above, n. 297, 343, 464); also from the signification of “throne,” as being heaven (of which also above, n. 253); “in the midst of the throne” signifies in the universal heaven, for “in the midst” signifies in each and every thing, that is, in the whole (see above, n. 213); also from the signification of “to feed” as being to instruct (of which presently). This makes evident that “the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them” signifies that the Lord will instruct them out of heaven. It is here said, “the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them,” and above, “He who sitteth on the throne shall dwell over them” which makes it very clear that it is the Lord who is meant both by “He who sitteth on the throne,” and by “the Lamb in the midst of the throne,” but “He who sitteth on the throne” means the Lord in relation to Divine good, and “the Lamb in the midst of the throne” means the Lord in relation to Divine truth; for “to dwell,” which is said of Him that sitteth upon the throne, is predicated of good (see above, n. 470); and “to feed,” which is said of the Lamb, is predicated of truths; for “to feed” signifies to instruct in truths.
[2] In the Word of the Old Testament mention is frequently made of “Jehovah” and “God,” also of “Jehovah” and “the Holy One of Israel,” and both mean the Lord alone, “Jehovah” the Lord in relation to Divine good, and “God” and “the Holy One of Israel” the Lord in relation to Divine truth; it is thus said because of the marriage of Divine good and Divine truth in every particular of the Word. That “to feed” signifies to instruct can be seen without further explanation, since it is a custom derived from the Word to call those who teach “pastors” (or feeders), and those who are instructed “a flock;” but why they are so called is not yet known, and shall therefore be told. In heaven where all things that appear before the eyes are representative, representing under a natural appearance the spiritual things that angels think and by which they are affected; thus are their thoughts and affections presented before their eyes in such forms as exist in the world, that is, in forms similar to natural things, and this by virtue of the correspondence that is established by the Lord between spiritual things and natural. (This correspondence has been treated of in many places; also in the work Heaven and Hell, n. 87-102, and 103-115.) It is from this correspondence that in heaven flocks of sheep, lambs, and goats appear feeding in green pastures, and also in gardens; and these appearances spring from the thoughts of those who are in the goods and truths of the church, and who from these think intelligently and wisely. It is from this that mention is so often made in the Word of “flock,” “pasture,” as also of “feeding,” and “feeder” (or shepherd); for the Word in the letter consists of such things as appear in heaven before the eyes, and these signify correspondent spiritual things.
sRef Ps@78 @70 S3′ sRef Isa@40 @11 S3′ sRef Ezek@34 @13 S3′ sRef Jer@23 @2 S3′ sRef Ps@23 @1 S3′ sRef Zeph@3 @13 S3′ sRef Joel@1 @18 S3′ sRef Jer@23 @10 S3′ sRef Ezek@34 @11 S3′ sRef Ps@23 @2 S3′ sRef Isa@30 @23 S3′ sRef Jer@50 @19 S3′ sRef Ps@78 @72 S3′ sRef Ps@78 @71 S3′ sRef Isa@49 @9 S3′ sRef Ps@100 @3 S3′ sRef Ezek@34 @14 S3′ sRef Micah@7 @14 S3′ sRef Micah@5 @4 S3′ sRef Hos@13 @5 S3′ sRef John@21 @15 S3′ sRef Hos@13 @6 S3′ sRef John@21 @16 S3′ sRef Micah@5 @2 S3′ sRef John@21 @17 S3′ [3] As it is known in the church that “to feed” signifies to instruct, “pasture” instruction, and “shepherd” an instructor, a few passages only in which “feeding” and “pasture” are mentioned shall be quoted without further explanation. In Isaiah:
In that day shall thy cattle feed in a broad meadow (30:23).
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs into His arm, and shall gently lead them that give suck (40:11).
He shall say to the bound, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Reveal yourselves. They shall feed upon the ways, and in all the bare hills shall be their pasture (49:9).
In Jeremiah:
Against the shepherds that feed My people, ye have scattered My flock. Because of cursing the land mourneth; the pastures of the desert are dried up (23:2, 10).
He shall feed Israel on Carmel and Bashan (50:19).
In Ezekiel:
I will seek My flock and I will search them out. I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the land. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the mountains of the height of Israel shall their sheepcote be; there shall they lie down in a good sheepcote, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel (34:11, 13, 14).
In Hosea:
I did know thee* in the wilderness, in a land of drought; where they had pasture (13:5, 6).
In Joel:
The droves of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; and the droves of sheep are made desolate (1:18).
In Micah:
Out of Bethlehem of Ephrathah shall go forth one who shall stand and feed in the strength of Jehovah (5:2, 4).
Feed Thy people with Thy rod, the flock of Thine heritage; they shall feed in Bashan and Gilead (7:14).
In Zephaniah:
The remnants of Israel shall feed and lie down (3:13).
In David:
Jehovah is my Shepherd, I shall not want; He will make me to lie down in pastures of herbage (Ps. 23:1, 2).
The Lord chose David; from following the ewes giving suck He brought him to feed Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance; and he fed them in the integrity of his heart (Ps. 78:70-72).
Jehovah hath made us His people, and the flock of His pasture [keri]. Therefore we are His people and the flock of His pasture (Ps. 100:3).
In John:
Jesus said to Peter, Lovest thou Me? He said that he loved Him. He said unto him, Feed My lambs. He said a second time, Feed My sheep. Again He said a third time, Feed My sheep (21:15-17).
Also in many other passages, in which “to feed” signifies to instruct in truths, and “pasture” truths in which they are instructed.
* Photolithograph has “them,” but cf. AE n. 780; AC n. 6078.

sRef Rev@7 @17 S0′ sRef Isa@41 @17 S1′ sRef Isa@41 @18 S1′ 483. And shall guide them unto living fountains of waters, signifies in Divine truths. This is evident from the signification of “living fountains of waters,” as being Divine truths, “living” signifying living from the Divine, “fountain” the Word, and “waters” truths therefrom. “Living waters” are often mentioned in the Word, and by them are meant truths that come from the Lord and are received. These are living, because the Lord is Life itself, as He Himself teaches, and that which comes from Life itself is living; while that which comes from man is dead. That the Lord may give life to truths, He flows into them through good, and good makes alive. The Lord also flows in out of the higher or interior parts, and opens the spiritual mind, and imparts to it the affection of truth; and the spiritual affection of truth is the very life of heaven with man. This life is what the Lord insinuates into man by means of truths. This makes clear what is meant here by “living fountains of waters,” and by “living waters” in the following passages.
[2] In Isaiah:
When the poor and needy seek water and there is none, their tongue faileth for thirst. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains will I place in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into springs of waters (41:17, 18).
This treats of the saving of the nations by the Lord, who are called “poor and needy” from the lack and ignorance of truth; their desire to learn truths from those who are in the church, where there were no truths, is described by “they seek waters and there are none, and their tongue faileth for thirst,” “water,” meaning truth, and “thirst” the desire for truth. That the Lord will instruct them is signified by “I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains will I place in the midst of the valleys;” “to open rivers” meaning to give intelligence, “on the bare heights” meaning in the interior man, “in the midst of the valleys” in the exterior man, and “to place fountains” to instruct in truths; “to make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into springs of waters” signifies abundance of truth with those who before were in the lack and ignorance thereof, “wilderness” meaning where there is no good because there is no truth, and “dry land” where there is no truth and thence no good; a “pool of waters” and “fountains of waters” signify abundance of the knowledges of truth. This makes clear that “waters,” “fountains,” “springs,” “rivers,” and “pools of water,” are not here meant, but the knowledges of truth and intelligence therefrom, whence comes salvation.
sRef Isa@35 @4 S3′ sRef Isa@35 @7 S3′ [3] In the same:
Behold your God will come for vengeance, and will save you. Then the dry place shall become a pool, and the thirsty place springs of water (Isa. 35:4, 7).
This, too, is said of the instruction of the nations in truths, and their reformation by the Lord when He should come into the world; and “the dry place shall became a pool, and the thirsty place springs of waters,” has a similar signification as “the wilderness shall become a pool (or collection) of waters, and the dry land springs of waters,” in the passage above.
sRef Jer@31 @9 S4′ sRef Isa@49 @10 S4′ [4] In Jeremiah:
They shall come with weeping and with supplication will I lead them; I will make them go unto the brooks* of waters in the way of right, they shall not stumble in it (31:9).
This, too, treats of reception of the Lord by the Gentiles; that He would instruct them in genuine truths is signified by “He will lead them unto brooks of waters in the way of right, they shall not stumble in it.” In Isaiah:
They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat or the sun smite them; for He that hath compassion on them shall guide them, and unto fountains of waters shall He lead them (49:10).
This also is said of the instruction of the Gentiles by the Lord; instruction in truths is meant by “unto fountains of waters shall He lead them.” (What “to hunger” and “to thirst” signify see above, n. 480; also what “heat” and “sun” signify, n. 481.)
sRef Joel@3 @18 S5′ [5] In Joel:
It shall come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drop down must, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall go forth out of the house of Jehovah and shall water the brook of Shittim (3:18).
What is signified by “the mountains shall drop down must, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters,” may be seen explained above (n. 433); and that “a fountain shall go forth out of the house of Jehovah and shall water the brook of Shittim” signifies that there shall be truth out of heaven from the Lord illustrating the knowledges and cognitions that are in the natural man.
sRef Ps@114 @7 S6′ sRef Ps@114 @8 S6′ [6] In David:
Before Thee thou art in travail, O earth, before the God of Jacob; who turned the rock into a pool of waters, the flint into a fountain of waters (Ps. 114:7, 8).
“Pool of waters” and “fountain of waters” here mean truths in abundance, by means of which is the church; for “thou art in travail, O earth,” signifies the commencement of the church, which is said “to be in travail” when truths are brought forth therein, “the earth” meaning the church.
sRef Ps@104 @10 S7′ sRef Ps@104 @11 S7′ sRef Ps@104 @12 S7′ [7] In the same:
Jehovah sendeth forth springs into the brooks; they go between the mountains. They give drink to the wild beast of the fields; the wild asses quench their thirst. By them the fowl of the heavens dwell (Ps. 104:10-12).
“To send forth springs into the brooks” signifies to give intelligence by means of truths from the Word; “they go between the mountains” signifies that truths will be from the good of love; “the springs” meaning truths from the Word, “the brooks” the things that are of intelligence, and “mountains” the good of love. The instruction of those who are in the good of the church is signified by “they give drink to the wild beast of the fields;” the instruction of those in the church who desire truths is signified by “the wild asses quench their thirst;” that the understanding is thus perfected is signified by “the fowl shall dwell by them.” “The wild beast of the fields” mean in the spiritual sense the Gentiles that are in the good of life, “the wild asses” natural truth, “thirst” the desire for truths, and “the fowl of the heavens” thoughts from the understanding.
sRef Jer@2 @13 S8′ [8] In the highest sense, a “fountain” means the Lord in relation to Divine truth or Divine truth from the Lord, consequently the Word, as can be seen from the following passages. In Jeremiah:
My people hath done two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no waters (2:13).
Here Jehovah, that is, the Lord, calls Himself “the fountain of living waters,” which signifies the Word, or Divine truth, consequently the Lord Himself, who is the Word; for it is said, “they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters.” “To hew out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no waters,” signifies to frame for themselves doctrinals from self-intelligence, in which there are no truths, “cisterns” meaning doctrinals, “broken cisterns” doctrinals that do not hold together, “that hold no waters” signifies in which there are no truths. Such are the doctrinals that are not from the Word, that is, from the Lord through the Word (for the Lord teaches through the Word), but are from self-intelligence; that these are not from the Lord through the Word is meant by “they have forsaken the fountain of living waters.”
sRef Jer@17 @13 S9′ [9] In the same:
All that forsake Thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from Me shall be written on the earth, because they have forsaken the fountain of living waters, Jehovah (Jer. 17:13).
Here in like manner Jehovah, that is, the Lord, calls Himself “the fountain of living waters” from the Divine truth, which is from Him; “to be written on the earth” signifies to be damned (see above, n. 222).
sRef Ps@36 @8 S10′ sRef Ps@36 @9 S10′ [10] In David:
They shall be filled with the fatness of Thy house; and Thou makest them drink of the brook of Thy delights; for with Thee is the fountain of life, in Thy light shall we see light (36:8, 9).
“Fatness” signifies the good of love, and “the brook of delights” truth from that good; “to make to drink” means to teach; “with Thee is the fountain of life” signifies that with the Lord and from Him is Divine truth; because that is what is signified by “the fountain of life” it is added, “in Thy light shall we see light,” for “the light of the Lord” means Divine truth.
sRef Zech@13 @2 S11′ sRef Zech@13 @1 S11′ [11] In Zechariah:
In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for impurity. And in that day I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land; and I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land (13:1, 2).
This also treats of the Lord’s coming. That those who are in the Lord’s kingdom will then understand the Word, that is, the Divine truth therein, is signified by “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,” “a fountain” signifying the Word, “the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem” the Lord’s spiritual kingdom. The Lord’s spiritual kingdom is with those in the heavens and on the earth who are in Divine truths; “for sin and for impurity” signifies the removal of evils and falsities by means of truths from the Word. Because the Word or the Divine truth therein is meant by a “fountain” it is said, “In that day I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land;” “idols” signifying a false religion, “prophets” false doctrine, and “the unclean spirit” evils flowing from the falsities of doctrine; for when a man lives according to the falsities of religion and doctrine he becomes an unclean spirit.
sRef John@4 @10 S12′ sRef John@4 @16 S12′ sRef John@4 @17 S12′ sRef John@4 @18 S12′ sRef John@4 @9 S12′ sRef John@4 @12 S12′ sRef John@4 @13 S12′ sRef John@4 @11 S12′ sRef John@4 @15 S12′ sRef John@4 @14 S12′ sRef John@4 @7 S12′ sRef John@4 @5 S12′ sRef John@4 @20 S12′ sRef John@4 @6 S12′ sRef John@4 @8 S12′ sRef John@4 @19 S12′ [12] That Divine truth from the Lord is meant by a “fountain” the Lord Himself teaches in plain words in John:
When the Lord sat by Jacob’s fountain in the field of Samaria, He said to the woman of Samaria, Everyone that drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but whosoever shall drink of the water that I shall give him shall not thirst forever; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water springing up unto everlasting life (4:5-20).
It is clear that the “water” that the Lord gives does not mean water, but Divine truth; for it is said that in drinking of the water the woman of Samaria came to draw, one thirsts again, but not of the water that the Lord gives. That “that water shall become in him a fountain of water springing up unto everlasting life” means that in that truth is life. That there is life in truths when the Lord gives them may be seen in this article above. The Lord said these things to the woman of Samaria, when He sat by Jacob’s fountain, because by the “Samaritans” the Lord meant the Gentiles that were to receive Divine truths from Him; and by the “woman of Samaria” a church constituted of such; and by “Jacob’s fountain” Divine truth from Himself, that is, the Word.
sRef Gen@49 @22 S13′ sRef Ps@87 @7 S13′ sRef Ps@68 @26 S13′ sRef Isa@12 @3 S13′ sRef Deut@33 @28 S13′ sRef Rev@21 @6 S13′ [13] In Moses:
Thus Israel dwelt securely alone by the fountain of Jacob (Deut. 33:28).
This is in the prophecy of Moses respecting the sons of Israel, in the conclusion of that prophecy. Because “Israel” here signifies the church that is in Divine truths from the Word, therefore it is said “by the fountain of Jacob,” which means the Word; so, too, the Lord in relation to the Word, for He is the Word because He is Divine truth, as He Himself teaches in John (1:1-3, 14). This is said at the end of that prophecy, because in that prophecy the Word is treated of. “Fountain” has a similar meaning in the prophecy of Israel the father respecting Joseph:
The son of a fruitful one is Joseph, the son of a fruitful one by the fountain (Gen. 49:22).
“Fountain” here means the fountain of Jacob, for the field that contained that fountain was given to Joseph by his father (John 4:5, 6). What is signified by “Joseph the son of a fruitful one, the son of a fruitful one by the fountain,” may be seen above (n. 448). A “fountain” also means the Word, and “fountains” mean Divine truths from the Word, in David:
Bless ye God in the congregations, the Lord from the fountain of Israel (Ps. 68:26).
In Revelation:
I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely (21:6).
In Isaiah:
Then with gladness shall ye draw waters out of the fountains of salvation (12:3).
In David:
All my fountains are in Thee, Jehovah (Ps. 87:7).
sRef Jer@51 @36 S14′ [14] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so have “fountain” and “fountains,” and in that sense they signify the doctrine of falsities, and falsities of doctrine. Thus in Jeremiah:
I will dry up her sea and make her fountain dry (51:36).
This is said of Babylon; and her “sea” signifies falsities in one complex, and “fountain” the doctrine of falsity.
sRef Hos@13 @15 S15′ [15] In Hosea:
An east wind shall come, the wind of Jehovah, coming up from the wilderness; and his fountain shall become dry, and his spring shall be dried up (13:15).
This is said of Ephraim, and by him is here meant a perverted understanding of the Word which confirms falsities by means of the Word; its destruction is signified by “his fountain shall become dry, and his spring shall be dried up by the east wind, the wind of Jehovah from the wilderness;” “his fountain” meaning the doctrine of falsity thence, “spring” its falsity, and “the east wind from the wilderness” its destruction by fallacies that are from external sensual things; for external sensual things, when they are not illustrated from things internal, destroy man’s understanding, because all fallacies are from that source.
sRef Ps@74 @15 S16′ sRef Ps@74 @14 S16′ sRef Ps@74 @13 S16′ [16] In David:
Thou hast broken up the sea by Thy strength; Thou hast broken the heads of the whales in the waters. Thou hast crushed in the heads of leviathan, and hast given him to be food to the people, for the Ziim. Thou didst cleave fountains and brooks; Thou hast dried up the rivers of strength (Ps. 74:13-15).
Here, too, “fountains” and “brooks” signify false doctrine, which is from self-intelligence; “the rivers of strength” are confirmed principles of falsity therefrom; “the whales” and “leviathan” signify knowledges [scientifica] belonging to the sensual and natural man, from which is all falsity when the spiritual man is closed over them. The sensual and natural man are the seat of what is man’s own [proprium], therefore conclusions drawn from those alone are conclusions from one’s own [proprium] or from self-intelligence; for the Divine flows in through the spiritual man into the natural, and not into the natural when the spiritual is closed over it, but the spiritual man is opened by means of truths and a life according to them. The “people, the Ziim to whom leviathan is to be given for food,” signify those who are in infernal falsities.
* Photolithograph has “fountains,” the Hebrew “brooks.”

sRef Rev@7 @17 S0′ 484. And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, signifies a state of blessedness from the affection of truth, after falsities have been removed by temptations. This is evident from the signification of “wiping away tears from the eyes,” as being to take away grief of mind on account of falsities and from falsities; and as blessedness through truths from good follows when that grief ceases after the temptations that have been endured, so this too is signified; for angels have all their blessedness through truths from good, or through the spiritual affection of truth; the spiritual affection of truth is from good, and good constitutes it. This is the source of all blessedness with angels, because Divine truth proceeding from the Lord constitutes heaven in general and in particular, therefore those who are in Divine truths are in the life of heaven, consequently in eternal blessedness.
sRef Isa@25 @8 S2′ [2] A “tear from the eyes” signifies grief of mind on account of falsities and from falsities, because the “eye” signifies the understanding of truth; a “tear” therefore signifies grief because there is no understanding of truth, consequently because of falsities. “Tear” has a similar signification in Isaiah:
He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord Jehovih will wipe away tears from off all faces (25:8).
This signifies that the Lord by His coming will remove evils and falsities with those who live from Him, so that there will be no grief of mind on account of them and from them; “death” signifies evil, because spiritual death is from it; and “tear” is predicated of falsity.
[3] It is to be noted, that both “shedding tears” and “weeping” signify grief on account of falsities and from falsities, but “shedding tears” grief of mind, and “weeping” grief of heart on account of falsities. Grief of mind is grief of the thought and understanding, which pertain to truth, and grief of heart is grief of the affection or will, which pertain to good; and as there is everywhere in the Word a marriage of truth and good, both “weeping” and “tears” are mentioned in the Word when grief is expressed on account of falsities of doctrine or of religion. That “weeping” means grief of heart can be seen from the fact that “weeping” bursts forth from the heart and breaks out into lamentations through the mouth; and that “shedding tears” is grief of mind can be seen from this, that it issues forth from the thought through the eyes. In both weeping and in the shedding of tears water comes forth which is bitter and astringent, and this occurs through an influx into man’s grief from the spiritual world, where bitter water corresponds to the lack of truth because of falsities, and to consequent grief; therefore those who are in truths grieve on account of falsities. From this it can be seen why it is that in the Word, where “tears” are mentioned “weeping” also is mentioned, namely, that it is on account of the marriage of good and truth in every particular of the Word.
sRef Jer@31 @16 S4′ sRef Isa@16 @9 S4′ sRef Jer@9 @18 S4′ sRef Mal@2 @13 S4′ sRef Jer@9 @1 S4′ sRef Lam@1 @2 S4′ sRef Jer@13 @17 S4′ sRef Ps@126 @6 S4′ sRef Ps@126 @5 S4′ sRef Ps@6 @6 S4′ [4] I will only adduce the following passages in evidence of this. In Isaiah:
I will weep with weeping for Jazer, the vine of Sibmah; I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh (16:9).
In Jeremiah:
In secret places my soul shall weep, and mine eyes shall run down with tears (13:17).
In the same:
Who will give mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I may weep day and night (9:1).
In Lamentations:
In weeping she will weep in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks (1:2).
In Malachi:
Covering the altar of Jehovah with tears, with weeping, and with sighing (2:13).
In David:
They that sow with tears and he that weeping beareth the casting of seed (Ps. 126:5, 6).
In Jeremiah:
Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears (31:16).
In the same:
Let the mourning-women make haste and take up a lamentation over us, that our eyes may flow down with tears (9:18).
Here we have “lamentation” in place of weeping, because it is the voice of weeping. In David:
I am weary with my sighing, all the night do I bathe my bed; with my tears I make my couch to melt (Ps. 6:6).
Here “to bathe the bed” means by weeping, which is of the mouth, because it is said of sighing; while “to drench the couch,” which has a like meaning, has reference to tears. These passages have been cited that from them also it may be known that two like expressions in the Word, especially in the Prophets, are not vain repetitions, but that one has reference to good, and the other to truth.


Revelation 8

1. And when he opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven as it were for half an hour.
2. And I saw the seven angels who stood before God; and there were given unto them seven trumpets.
3. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there were given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne.
4. And the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints ascended out of the angel’s hand before God.
5. And the angel took the censer, and filled it from the fire of the altar, and cast it unto the earth; and there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
6. And the seven angels having the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
7. And the first angel sounded, and there was hail and fire mingled with blood; and they were cast unto the earth; and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
8. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea; and the third part of the sea became blood.
9. And there died the third part of the creatures in the sea having souls; and the third part of the ships was destroyed.
10. And the third angel sounded, and there fell from heaven a great star, burning as a lamp; and it fell upon a third part of the rivers and upon the fountains of the waters.
11. And the name of the star is called Wormwood; and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were bitter.
12. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, that the day shone not for the third part of it, and the night likewise.
13. And I saw, and I heard one angel flying in midheaven, saying with a great voice, Woe, woe, woe, to those that dwell on the earth, from the remaining voices of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound.

sRef Rev@8 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@8 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@8 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@8 @1 S0′ 485. EXPOSITION.
Verses 1-4. And when he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven as it were for half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stood before God; and there were given unto them seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne. And the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints ascended out of the angel’s hand before God. 1. “And when he opened the seventh seal,” signifies prediction respecting the last state of the church (n. 486); “there was silence in heaven,” signifies astonishment that the church is such and that its end is at hand (n. 487); “as it were for half an hour,” signifies a time corresponding to, or the delay before, the preparation of all things for undergoing the changes that follow (n. 488). 2. “And I saw the seven angels who stood before God,” signifies all the heavens more interiorly and more closely conjoined to the Lord (n. 489); “and there were given unto them seven trumpets,” signifies influx from them, and consequent changes of state and separations (n. 489). 3. “And another angel came and stood at the altar,” signifies the conjunction of heaven with the Lord through celestial good (n. 490); “having a golden censer,” signifies the conjunction of that good with spiritual good, and thus the conjunction of the higher heavens (n. 491); “and there was given unto him much incense,” signifies truths in abundance (n. 492); “that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne,” signifies the conjunction [of the heavens] with those who must be separated from the evil and saved (n. 493). 4. “And the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints ascended out of the angel’s hand before God,” signifies the conjunction of all with the Lord (n. 494).

sRef Rev@8 @1 S0′ 486. Verse 1. And when he opened the seventh seal, signifies the prediction respecting the last state of the church. This is evident from the signification of “opening a seal,” as being to foretell and manifest the successive states of the church (as above, n. 352, 361, 369, 378, 390, 399); also from the signification of “seventh,” as being what is full and consummated (of which above, n. 257, 299), thence also the last, for what is full and consummated is also the last. It is the last state of the church when there is no truth because there is no good, or what is the same, when there is no faith because there is no charity (that then is the last state of the church see in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-39); what took place in this state is predicted in what now follows.
[2] That which took place and is here predicted, occurred in the spiritual world before the judgment; for the state of the church in the spiritual world was then similar to that in the natural world, but under another appearance. In the spiritual world there are societies, distinguished according to the affections of good and truth and their varieties, and each one after death comes into one of these according to his affection. It is not so in the natural world. Because of these distinctions in the spiritual world, the church appears there such as it is on the earth, and the church in the two worlds also makes a one by correspondences. When it was the last state of the church in the spiritual world, all the things that are foretold in what now follows were accomplished; some of these shall be related in the following pages, because they were seen.

sRef Rev@8 @1 S0′ 487. There was silence in heaven, signifies astonishment that the church is such and that its end is at hand. This is evident from what follows, which describes the destruction of the church and the damnation of all in whom there was no church; that is, in whom there was no conjunction of truth and good or of faith and charity; for this conjunction makes the church in everyone. As these things, when the seventh seal was opened, were perceived in heaven, and therefore engaged the minds of angels, there was astonishment, and from astonishment silence. “Silence” has many significations; in general it signifies all things that cause it, and among these it is especially induced by astonishment.

sRef Rev@8 @1 S0′ 488. As it were for half an hour, signifies a time corresponding to, or the delay before, the preparation of all things for undergoing the changes that follow. It is said “half an hour” because a “half” signifies as much as is correspondent and as much as is sufficient, and an “hour” signifies a delay. “Hour” is frequently mentioned in the Word, by which duration greater or less is meant, but the period of a certain hour is not thought of; and when a number is added, as when it is said the first, the second, the sixth, the tenth, or the twelfth hour, the duration of state is signified, and then also the quality of state according to the signification of the number added. (Of the signification of “hour” see above, n. 194; and that “half” signifies as much as is correspondent, and as much as is sufficient, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10255.)

sRef Rev@8 @2 S0′ 489. Verse 2. And I saw the seven angels who stood before God, signifies the heavens more interiorly and more closely conjoined to the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “seven angels,” as meaning all the heavens; “seven” signifying all persons and all things (see above, n. 257, 299), and “angels” signifying the heavens (see also above, n. 90, 302, 307); also from the signification of “standing before God,” as being to be conjoined to the Lord (of which see above, n. 462, 477). Why “the seven angels who stood before God” signify that now all the heavens were more interiorly and more closely conjoined to the Lord, will be explained in the following article.
[2] And there were given unto them seven trumpets, signifies influx from them, and consequent changes of state and separations. This is evident from the signification of “trumpet” or “horn,” as meaning Divine truth that is to be revealed, and is revealed clearly and plainly (of which see above, n. 55, 262), here the influx of Divine good and truth through the heavens from the Lord, for through that influx all changes and separations are effected, which are treated of in what follows; for each time an angel sounded a trumpet, a change is described and a separation was effected; therefore “sounding a trumpet” in what follows, signifies influx.
[3] That all changes of state and separations of the evil from the good, and of the good from the evil, that occurred before the judgment and during the judgment, were effected by an interior influx, more intense or more moderate, of divine good and truth from the Lord out of heaven, has been said and shown above (n. 413, 418, 419, 426); also how it was done, and the kind of effect that followed; this is signified by “the angel filled the censer with the fire of the altar, and cast it unto the earth” (verse 5), and afterwards that “the angels sounded.” As this was done by the Lord through the heavens, therefore the Lord first conjoined the heavens to Himself more interiorly and closely, for otherwise the heavens also would have been endangered; therefore this is signified by “the seven angels stood before God,” “to stand before God” meaning to be conjoined to Him; and when they are conjoined to Him more interiorly and closely, those in whom there is no spiritual good are separated; for it is spiritual good only that conjoins, and not any external or natural good that does not derive its essence, and its existence, from spiritual good. [4] This separation of the evil from the good when the Lord conjoins the angels to Himself more interiorly and closely by a strong influx into their spiritual good, and through this into the interiors of the evil, may be comprehended by those who are in some measure of intelligence; for through such influx the interiors in the evil also who have only feigned goodness in externals are opened, and when their interiors are opened the evils and falsities that lie inwardly concealed are manifested; this is done because they have no spiritual good; and external good without spiritual good is only apparent good, in itself feigned and hypocritical. That it is such is not evident until the interiors are uncovered and laid open. Spiritual good is formed with man by the Lord by means of truths and a life according to them; but external good, separate from internal spiritual good, is formed by a moral life having for its end self and the world, or honors, gain, and the enjoyments of the flesh; and if these alone are considered, Divine truths are regarded as of no account except as means of acquiring reputation; and this has as its sole end the external things above mentioned. (Of internal and external good with the good, and of these with the evil, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 36-53.) These things have been mentioned in advance in order that what follows may be understood. (See also what has been said and shown on this subject in the places cited above, n. 413, 418, 419, 426.)

sRef Rev@8 @3 S0′ 490. Verse 3. And another angel came and stood at the altar, signifies the conjunction of heaven with the Lord through celestial good. This is evident from the signification of an “angel,” as being heaven (of which presently); also from the signification of “altar,” as being the good of love to the Lord (of which also presently). An “angel” signifies the angelic heaven because the things seen by John were representative; and as heaven could not be presented to his view, therefore instead of the heavens angels were seen; as also above, “seven angels who stood before God” (n. 488); so also “four and twenty elders and four animals” which represented the heavens (above, n. 313, 332, 362, 462); so here, “the angel who stood at the altar.” The angels seen by John represented heaven, because the whole heaven before the Lord is as one angel-man, likewise each society of heaven; also because the angel derives his angelic form, which is the human form, from the universal heaven. (Respecting this see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 51-58, 59-67, 68-72, 73-77, 78-86, where this arcanum is fully unfolded.) For this reason when an angel appears representatively, he represents either the society of heaven from which he is, or many societies together, or the universal heaven in respect to that in heaven and the church that is treated of. That “angels” in the Word signify entire societies in heaven, and also the whole heaven, may be seen above (n. 90, 302, 307). This angel “who stood at the altar” signifies the inmost or third heaven, because the “altar” signifies the good of love to the Lord, and all who are in the inmost or third heaven are in that good.
[2] An altar was seen in heaven not because any altar exists there such as the Israelitish nation had; but as that altar is frequently mentioned in the Word, and it signifies the good of love to the Lord and worship from that good, so an altar was seen by John, by whom the Word was also written, in order that the Word may be everywhere consistent with itself. For a similar reason he saw a golden altar, which was for the offering of incense, also a censer and incense, which are also presently mentioned; as also the ark of the Covenant (chap. 11:19). For many representatives appear in heaven to those who stand below, which nevertheless do not actually exist there, but are only representative forms of such things as the angels there are thinking from the influx of the Lord; consequently they are all significative of Divine things; as for instance, animals appeared which were cherubim, also a book sealed with seven seals, and at the opening of the first four seals there went forth horses, besides other like things mentioned elsewhere. So here also an altar, a censer, and incense appeared, which were exhibited before John’s sight because these are mentioned in the Word and there signify things Divine, and because the Word in Revelation was to be written by means of similar things. There were two altars in use with the Israelitish nation, one called “the altar of burnt-offering,” the other “the altar of incense,” and because this one was overlaid with gold it was called “the golden altar.” The altar of burnt-offering was a representative of the Lord and of the worship of Him from celestial good; and the altar of incense was a representative of the Lord and of the worship of Him from spiritual good. Celestial good is the good of love to the Lord, and spiritual good is the good of charity towards the neighbor. But what altars represented and signified in general and in particular, may be seen above (n. 391).

sRef Rev@8 @3 S0′ 491. Having a golden censer, signifies the conjunction of celestial good with spiritual good, and thus the conjunction of the higher heavens. This is evident from the signification of a “censer,” as being worship from spiritual good, for such worship was represented by incense from the censers (see above, n. 324). “Having a golden censer” signifies the conjunction of celestial good with spiritual good, because the angel standing at the altar had a censer, and the “altar” signifies worship from celestial good, and “a golden censer” spiritual good from celestial good, “gold” signifying celestial good. The censers that were in use with the Jewish and Israelitish nation were of brass; and the offerings of incense from those censers represented worship from spiritual good, and conjunction at the same time with natural good, for “brass” signifies natural good; so here “a golden censer” signifies the conjunction of celestial good with spiritual good. It also signifies the conjunction of the two higher heavens, because the good of the inmost heaven is celestial good, and the good of the middle heaven is spiritual good; when therefore the conjunction of these goods is mentioned, the conjunction of the heavens is also meant, because the good is what constitutes the heaven. Celestial good is the good of love to the Lord, and it constitutes the highest or inmost heaven; and spiritual good is the good of love towards the neighbor, and it constitutes the heaven next below, which is called the second or middle heaven.
sRef Isa@43 @23 S2′ [2] “Frankincense” in the Word signifies spiritual good, the same as the censer that contained it (where the containant is taken for the content), as can be seen in the following passages. In Isaiah:
I have not made thee to serve by a meal-offering, nor wearied thee by frankincense (43:23).
“A meal-offering and frankincense” are mentioned, because the “meal-offering,” which was made of fine flour and was therefore bread, signifies celestial good, consequently “frankincense” signifies spiritual good. Both are mentioned because in every part of the Word there is a marriage of good and truth, that is, where it treats of good it also treats of truth, and spiritual good in its essence is truth; this shows that “frankincense” means spiritual good, or the truth of celestial good. This can be seen further from other passages in which “meal-offering” and “frankincense” are mentioned together. Thus in Isaiah:
Causing the meal-offering to ascend, offering frankincense (66:3).
sRef Lev@2 @15 S3′ sRef Isa@66 @3 S3′ sRef Jer@17 @26 S3′ sRef Mal@1 @11 S3′ sRef Ps@141 @2 S3′ sRef Lev@2 @2 S3′ sRef Lev@2 @1 S3′ [3] In Jeremiah:
They shall offer the whole burnt-offering and the sacrifice, the meal-offering and frankincense (17:26).
“Burnt-offering” also signifies worship from the good of celestial love, and “sacrifice” worship from the good of spiritual love; these two goods are signified also by “meal-offering and frankincense.” The like is true of “meal-offering and incense-offering,” for the incense-offering was chiefly of frankincense. In Malachi:
In every place incense is offered to My name, and a clean meal-offering (1:11).
In David:
My prayers are accepted as incense before Thee; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening meal-offering (Ps. 141:2).
Therefore:
Oil was poured upon the meal-offering, and frankincense put on it (Lev. 2:1, 2, 15).
This was done that the meal-offering might represent the conjunction of celestial good and spiritual good, for “oil” signified celestial good, and “frankincense” spiritual good.
sRef Lev@24 @7 S4′ [4] So again:
Frankincense was put upon the bread of faces in the tabernacle (Lev. 24:7);
and this was done on account of the conjunction of the two kinds of good, for the “bread” signified celestial good, and “frankincense” spiritual good; so when the frankincense was put upon the bread the conjunction of the two goods was represented. For the sake of representing the conjunction of celestial good and spiritual good, a table for the bread was placed in the tabernacle, and on the other side an altar for incense offerings was placed.
sRef Ezek@16 @18 S5′ sRef Matt@2 @11 S5′ sRef Isa@60 @6 S5′ [5] Where “meal-offering and frankincense” are not mentioned, “oil and frankincense” are mentioned, and “gold and frankincense,” since “oil” and “gold,” in like manner as “meal-offering,” signify celestial good. “Oil and incense” are mentioned in Ezekiel:
Thou hast taken my oil and my incense and hast set them before them (16:18).
“Gold and frankincense” are mentioned in Isaiah:
All they from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and frankincense, and they shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah (60:6).
And in Matthew:
The wise men from the east who came to the newborn Christ opened their treasures, and offered unto Him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh (2:11);
“gold” signifying celestial good, “frankincense” spiritual good, and “myrrh” natural good therefrom, thus the three goods of the three heavens. This makes evident the signification of the angel that was seen at the altar having a golden censer, for the “altar” was representative of celestial good, and the censer was representative of spiritual good, and the two together were representative of the conjunction of celestial good with spiritual good, or what is the same, of the conjunction of the higher heavens, or of the heaven where celestial angels are with the heaven where the spiritual angels are.

sRef Rev@8 @3 S0′ 492. And there was given unto him much incense, signifies truths in abundance. This is evident from the signification of “incense,” as being the truths of spiritual good; also from the signification of “much,” as being an abundance of truths, for “multitude” is predicated in the Word of truths, and “magnitude” of good. “Incense” signifies truths, because the offerings of incense represented worship from spiritual good, and “frankincense” signified that good, as was shown in the article above; therefore “incense-offerings” of frankincense represented what proceeds from that good, and truths are what proceed from that good; for truths are what that good, that is, what man from that good, thinks and speaks. Moreover, spiritual good is formed in man by means of truths; for truth becomes spiritual good with man when he lives according to it (see above, n. 458); thus spiritual good is in its essence truth (see also above, n. 376). But offerings of incense and their signification have been further treated of above (n. 324), which see.

sRef Rev@8 @3 S0′ 493. That he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne, signifies the conjunction of the heavens with those who are to be separated from the evil and saved. This is evident from the signification of “offering incense with prayers,” as being to conjoin the good of the higher heavens by means of truths with those who are in worship from spiritual good (of which presently); also from the signification of “all the saints,” as being those who are in good by means of truths, thus who are in spiritual good; that these are called “saints” may be seen above (n. 204); again, from the signification of “the golden altar,” as being the heaven where there is spiritual good, for the altar upon which incense was offered was called “the golden altar;” again, from the signification of “before the throne,” as being conjunction with heaven, “to be before the throne” signifies that conjunction, as may be seen above (n. 462, 477, 489).
[2] That these words signify the conjunction of the heavens with those who are to be separated from the evil and saved, can be seen from the series of things in the internal sense, and from the connection of what goes before with what is now said and with what follows, and also from the signification of the words in the internal sense. For this and the following chapters treat of the last state of the church, or its state when its end has come and the judgment is at hand; but before this state is described, the separation of those who were to be saved is treated of, who are all such as are meant by “those sealed on their foreheads,” and by “those clothed in white robes” who were treated of in the preceding chapter. Because these were at that time associated in societies with those who were to be damned, in this chapter the means by which they were separated and saved are described, namely, that the higher heavens were first closely conjoined with the Lord by Divine influx into celestial good, and through that into spiritual good, and afterwards by Divine influx through these goods, conjoined into one, into the lower regions where those who were to be saved and those who were to be damned were together in societies. This influx of the Lord out of the higher heavens was received by those who in the world had lived in good, for that good continued with them, therefore by means of that good they were conjoined to the higher heavens, and thus separated from those who were unable to receive the influx, because they had not lived in good but in evil while they were in the world.
sRef Matt@24 @40 S3′ sRef Matt@24 @41 S3′ [3] This also is what is meant by the Lord’s words in the Gospels:
Then shall two men be in the field, one shall be taken, the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding, one shall be taken, the other shall be left (Matt. 24:40, 41; Luke 17:34-36).
This is the series of things in the internal sense, and the connection of those that precede with what is now said and with what follows (respecting which see more above, n. 413, 418, 419, 426, 489). From this it can now be seen what the spiritual sense is of these words, “that he should offer the incense with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne,” namely, the conjunction of the higher heavens with those who were to be separated from the evil and saved. The “prayers” with which the incense was to be offered do not mean prayers, but truths from good, by means of which prayers are offered; for truths with man are what pray, and man is continually in such prayers when he lives according to truths. (That “prayers” mean in the Word truths from good which are with man, and not prayers of the mouth, may be seen above, n. 325.)

sRef Rev@8 @4 S0′ sRef Deut@33 @10 S0′ 494. Verse 4. And the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints ascended out of the angel’s hand before God, signifies the conjunction of all with the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “the smoke of the incense” as being the truths of spiritual good (of which presently); also from the signification of “the prayers of the saints,” as being truths from good with those who were to be separated from the evil and saved (of which above, n. 493); also from the signification of this “angel” as being heaven (as above, n. 490); therefore “out of the hand of the angel” means by means of heaven; also from the signification of “before God,” as being to be conjoined with the Lord (see above, n. 462, 477, 488); therefore “the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints ascended out of the angel’s hand before God” signifies the conjunction of all with the Lord effected by means of heaven. “The smoke of the incense” signifies truths from spiritual good, because “frankincense,” from which the smoke came, signified spiritual good, and the “fire” with which the frankincense was kindled signified celestial good; thence the “smoke” ascending therefrom signifies truth from good, for all truth proceeds from good. This is why “smoke” became representative; “the smoke of the incense,” which was agreeable from its fragrance and sweet odor, was a representative of truth from good; for “fragrance and sweet odor” signify what is agreeable and acceptable (see above, n. 324). “Smoke” has a similar signification in Moses:
The sons of Levi put smoke in Thy nostrils, and a whole burnt-offering upon Thine altar (Deut. 33:10).
“The sons of Levi” mean those who are in truths of spiritual good; these truths are signified by “smoke,” and celestial good is signified by “the whole burnt-offering.” The smoke of incense is also called “a cloud of incense” (Ezek. 8:11). Thence also “smoke” in the contrary sense signifies falsity from evil (in Isa. 34:10; Joel 2:30; Nah. 2:13; Ps. 18:8; 37:20), because the fire that makes such smoke signifies the evil of love.

sRef Rev@8 @6 S0′ sRef Rev@8 @5 S0′ 495. Verses 5, 6. And the angel took the censer, and filled it from the fire of the altar, and cast it unto the earth; and there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels having the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. 5. “And the angel took the censer, and filled it from the fire of the altar,” signifies the conjunction of celestial love and spiritual love (n. 496); “and cast it unto the earth,” signifies influx into the lower parts, where those were who were to be separated and removed (n. 497); “and there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings,” signifies reasoning from the disturbance of the affections and of the thoughts therefrom, respecting good and evil and respecting truth and falsity (n. 498); “and an earthquake,” signifies changes of state of the church (n. 499). 6. “And the seven angels having the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound,” signifies changes in their order to arise from the influx out of heaven (n. 500).

sRef Rev@8 @5 S0′ 496. Verse 5. And the angel took the censer and filled it from the fire of the altar, signifies the conjunction of celestial love and spiritual love. This is evident from the signification of a “censer,” as being spiritual good (of which above, n. 491), and therefore also spiritual love, since all good is of love; also from the signification of “the fire of the altar,” as being celestial love, for “fire” signifies in the Word love in both senses, namely, celestial love and infernal love. “The fire of the altar” signifies celestial love, because the altar of burnt-offering, upon which was the fire, was the chief representative of the worship of the Lord from that love (see above, n. 490); and because this love of the Lord is perpetual, therefore it was appointed that a fire should burn continually upon the altar, and that they should take of that fire in the censers for burning incense, which was done to represent the conjunction of celestial love with spiritual love.
sRef Lev@6 @13 S2′ sRef Lev@6 @12 S2′ [2] That a fire should burn continually upon the altar is evident from Moses:
And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning, and shall not be put out; and the priest shall kindle wood on it every morning, and shall arrange on it the burnt-offering and he shall burn on it the fats of the peace-offerings. The fire shall be kept burning continually upon the altar, it shall not be quenched (Lev. 6:12, 13).
This represented that the Lord’s Divine love is unceasing and eternal.
sRef Lev@16 @13 S3′ sRef Lev@16 @12 S3′ [3] That they should take from the fire of the altar in the censers for burning incense see also in Moses:
Aaron shall take burning coals of fire from off the altar before Jehovah in a censer; and he shall put the incense upon the fire before Jehovah (Lev. 16:12, 13).
And that Aaron took fire from off the altar, and put incense on it, by which expiation was made for the people (Num. 16:46, 47).
This represented that all propitiation and expiation were from the Lord’s Divine love, as also that everything that has that love in it is heard and received by the Lord; and the rising of the smoke of the incense represented also hearing and reception.
sRef Lev@10 @2 S4′ sRef Lev@10 @1 S4′ [4] And because Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and their company, took fire from the altar and burned incense, and thence their censers were sanctified:
It was commanded that after they had been swallowed up by the earth, their censers, which were of brass, should be gathered up, and the fire be scattered yonder, and the censers be beaten into plates for covering the altar (Num. 16:36-39).
This also represented the holiness of the Lord’s Divine love. And as incense-offerings were holy from the fire of the altar, so incense-offerings with strange fire were profane, therefore:
Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, were consumed by fire from heaven, because they offered incense with strange fire (Lev. 10:1, 2).
Incense offering from strange fire represented worship from love other than Divine, and worship from any other love is profane.
[5] These passages have been cited to make known that “the fire of the altar” signifies the Lord’s Divine love, which love in heaven is called Divine celestial love and Divine spiritual love; Divine celestial love is in the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and Divine spiritual love is in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom. For there are two kingdoms, into which all the heavens are divided, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom; Divine celestial love constitutes the celestial kingdom, and Divine spiritual love the spiritual kingdom. (That all the heavens are divided into these two kingdoms, see in the work on Heaven end Hell n. 20-28; and that these two loves constitute these two kingdoms, or all the heavens, n. 13-19.) But it must be noted that the Lord’s Divine love in the heavens is called celestial and spiritual from its reception by the angels, and not from its being divided in itself; also that spiritual love springs from celestial love as an effect from its effecting cause, and as truth from good; for the good of spiritual love is in its essence the truth of the good of celestial love. For this reason these two kingdoms are conjoined with each other and are one in the Lord’s sight. But this has been said for those who love to search into interior things. That “fire” signifies love in both senses will be seen confirmed from the Word in what follows.

sRef Rev@8 @5 S0′ 497. And cast it unto the earth, signifies influx into the lower parts where those were who were to be separated and removed. This is evident from the signification of “casting down the censer filled with the fire of the altar,” as being the influx of Divine love out of the heavens (of which presently); also from the signification of “the earth,” as being the lower parts, where those were who were to be separated and removed from each other. For in the spiritual world there are lands, hills, and mountains, and these lands, hills, and mountains are inhabited: on the hills and mountains the angels dwell, and these are the heavens; and upon the lands which are below the hills and mountains those who were to be separated from each other dwell; so “lands” (earths) here signify the lower parts. (That the face of things in the spiritual world is similar in this respect as upon our globe is shown in many passages in the work on Heaven and Hell; also in the small work on The Last Judgment; as well as frequently in the above explanations.) From this it can be seen that “he cast the censer filled with the fire of the altar unto the earth” signifies the influx of the Divine love out of the heavens into the lower parts, where those were who were to be separated and removed. For there were societies below upon the lands there, in which the good and the evil were together, and these had to be separated from each other before the Last Judgment could take place; for from the time of the Lord until the time of the Last Judgment, all who could live an external moral life, and thus imitate a spiritual life in appearance were tolerated. (That these were tolerated even until the judgment, and why, see in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 59, 69, 70; and that “the former heaven” which was destroyed was formed out of these, n. 65-72.) And in the same societies, or “in the former heaven,” there were also the simple good, some associated with the others there, and some elsewhere, but conjoined with the others by a holy and pious external; and yet it was necessary that the good should be separated from the evil before the judgment, in order that the good might be elevated into heaven and the evil be cast into hell; and as this separation was effected by the influx of Divine good and truth out of the heavens into those lower parts where they all were, thence it can be seen that “He cast down the censer filled with the fire of the altar” signifies this influx into the lower parts. (Respecting the operation of this influx with the good and its operation with the evil see above, n. 413, 418, 419, 426, 489, 493.)

sRef Rev@8 @5 S0′ 498. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings, signifies reasonings from the disturbance of the affections and of the thoughts therefrom respecting good and evil and respecting truth and falsity. This is evident from the signification of “voices,” as being reasonings (of which presently); also from the signification of “thunders and lightnings,” as being conflicts and disturbances of the affections and the thoughts therefrom respecting good and evil and truth and falsity. The cause of such conflicts and disturbances is the closing of the externals with the evil by influx out of the heavens, and the opening of the internals, the externals being that which simulated goods and truths, while the internals thought evil and falsity; when therefore their externals were closed and their internals were opened, there arose a conflict and disturbance of the affections and thoughts respecting good and evil and truth and falsity, and consequent reasonings. Such things are heard in the spiritual world as the voices of a multitude, murmuring, grating, menacing, and combating; and at a distance, where the voices are not heard, they are heard and seen as thunders and lightnings; as thunders from the conflict of the affections, and as lightnings from the conflict of the thoughts therefrom. As these things arise from the flowing down of Divine good and truth out of the higher heavens into the lower parts, therefore the voices, thunders, and lightnings, when heard and seen by the good, signify Divine truth in respect to perception and illustration (on the signification of these, see n. 273, 353); but it is otherwise when these are heard and seen by the evil.

sRef Rev@8 @5 S0′ 499. And an earthquake, signifies changes of state of the church. This is evident from the signification of “earthquakes,” as meaning changes of state of the church (of which above, n. 400). In the same place it is shown that in the spiritual world the lands quake, and the hills and mountains are shaken, when the state of the church there is changed for the worse and evil and falsity begin to rule. Earthquakes occur in the spiritual world for the reason that all the lands there are from a spiritual origin, and are changed with the changing of the church with those there. Where the church is flourishing the country is beautiful, and full of paradises, flower gardens, and lawns; but where the church is perverted, it is unbeautiful, and full of deserts and rocks; and the change is in exact accord with the decline of the church from good and truth into evil and falsity; but this takes place only in the lower parts (on this see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 156, and elsewhere). Such being the origin of the lands there it can be seen that earthquakes occur there from changes in the state of the church.

sRef Rev@8 @6 S0′ 500. Verse 6. And the seven angels having the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound, signifies changes in their order to arise from the influx out of heaven. This is evident from the signification of “the seven angels who stood before God,” as being the heavens conjoined to the Lord more interiorly and closely (of which above, n. 488); also from the signification of “sounding the trumpets,” as being influx, and the consequent changes of state and separations (of which see also above, n. 489); and because what now follows treats in order of the changes of state arising from influxes out of heaven, this is signified by “the seven angels having the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.”

sRef Rev@8 @7 S0′ 501. Verse 7. And the first angel sounded, and there was hail and fire mingled with blood; and they were cast unto the earth; and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. 7. “And the first angel sounded,” signifies influx out of heaven, and in consequence the first change (n. 502); “and there was hail and fire mingled with blood,” signifies the destroying infernal falsity and evil, mingled with the truths and goods of the Word, to which violence was offered (n. 503, 504); “and they were cast unto the earth,” signifies progression towards the lower parts (n. 505); “and the third part of the trees was burnt up,” signifies that the perceptions and knowledges of truth and good were destroyed by cupidities arising from evil loves (n. 506); “and all green grass was burnt up,” signifies that all true knowledge [scientificum] was destroyed by the cupidities of the same loves (n. 507).

sRef Rev@8 @7 S0′ 502. Verse 7. And the first angel sounded, signifies influx out of heaven, and in consequence the first change. This is evident from the signification of “sounding a trumpet,” as being the influx of Divine truth out of heaven; and as the first change resulting therefrom is now described, this also is what is signified. “To sound a trumpet” signifies the influx of Divine truth out of heaven, because when Divine truth flows down out of heaven it is sometimes heard in the spiritual world as the sound of a horn or as the blast of a trumpet, and also to those who stand below there appear as it were angels having trumpets; but these are representations and appearances, such as exist below the heavens, for it is Divine truth descending or flowing down out of heaven towards the lower parts that is thus represented. This is why “to sound a trumpet” signifies the flowing down of Divine truth out of heaven.
[2] When this flowing down is strong it produces one effect with the good and another with the evil. With the good it illustrates the understanding, joins them more closely with heaven, and thence gladdens and vivifies their minds; but with the evil it disturbs the understanding, separates them from heaven, joins them more closely with hell, induces terror in their minds, and finally brings spiritual death. This makes clear that “sounding a trumpet” signifies, in its effect, the revelation and manifestation of Divine truth (see above, n. 55, 262); and in the contrary sense the deprivation of truth and desolation. Since it is here said that the angels sounded seven times, it is necessary to show from the Word what “to sound” signifies, and thence why it is said “the angel sounded.”
sRef Ex@19 @16 S3′ sRef Ex@19 @20 S3′ sRef Ex@19 @19 S3′ sRef Ex@19 @21 S3′ sRef Ex@19 @18 S3′ sRef Ex@19 @17 S3′ [3] That “to sound trumpets” and “horns” signifies revelation and manifestation of Divine truth, is evident from the sound of a trumpet that was heard when Jehovah descended upon Mount Sinai and promulgated the Law, which is thus described in Moses:
And it came to pass on the third day when it was becoming morning, that there were voices and lightnings, and a heavy cloud upon the mount (Sinai), and the voice of a horn exceeding strong; and all the people that were in the camp trembled; when Jehovah descended upon it in fire. And the voice of the horn went on and became exceeding strong. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Go down, testify to the people lest they break through unto Jehovah to see, and many of them fall (Exod. 19:16-25).
The “Law” that was then promulgated signifies Divine truth; the “voice of a horn” represented its flowing down out of heaven and its manifestation; “the voice of the horn going on and becoming exceeding strong” represented the increase of this influx in approaching the lower parts, for it is said that “the people stood in the lower parts of the mount;” that “the people trembled exceedingly,” and were admonished “not to approach nearer to the mountain lest they perish,” signifies the effect of the flowing down of Divine truth with such as the sons of Jacob were. That interiorly they were utterly evil is evident from their worship of the calf after a month of days; moreover, if they had not stood afar off they would have perished, consequently they were in terror of death.
sRef Num@10 @10 S4′ sRef Num@10 @4 S4′ sRef Num@10 @8 S4′ sRef Num@10 @9 S4′ sRef Num@10 @6 S4′ sRef Num@10 @1 S4′ sRef Num@10 @5 S4′ sRef Num@10 @7 S4′ sRef Num@10 @3 S4′ sRef Num@10 @2 S4′ [4] “To sound horns” and “trumpets” represented and thus signified Divine truth coming down and flowing in out of heaven, as can be seen from the institution and use of trumpets among the sons of Israel. For it was commanded:
That trumpets should be made of silver, and that the sons of Aaron should sound them for convocations, for journeyings, on days of gladness, on feast days, in the beginnings of months, over sacrifices, for a memorial, and for battle (Num. 10:1-10).
They were made of silver, because “silver” signifies truth from good, thus Divine truth. (That “silver” has this signification, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658.) The “sons of Aaron sounded them,” because Aaron himself as chief priest represented the Lord in relation to Divine good, and his sons the Lord in relation to Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9806, 9807, 9966, 10017). They were sounded for convocations and journeyings, because Divine truth is what calls together, gathers together, teaches the way, and leads. They were sounded on days of gladness, at feasts, in the beginnings of months, and over sacrifices, because Divine truth coming down out of heaven produces gladness and the holiness of worship. They were sounded for wars and for battle to signify that with the evil, who are the “enemies” in the Word, Divine truth flowing down out of heaven produces the terror of death, puts to flight, and disperses; in this sense, and because of this effect, it is here said that “the seven angels sounded” in their order.
sRef Matt@24 @31 S5′ [5] Because it was commanded that they should sound trumpets for convocations, it is said by the Lord in Malachi:
He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other end (24:31).
Here “angels with a great sound of a trumpet” signify the Divine truth that is to be revealed when the age is consummated, that is, when the church shall come to an end.
sRef Isa@27 @13 S6′ [6] In Isaiah:
In that day a great horn shall sound, and those perishing in the land of Assyria shall come, and the outcasts from the land of Egypt, and shall bow down to Jehovah in the mountain of holiness, at Jerusalem (27:13).
This is said of the Lord’s coming; a convocation to the church and salvation by the Lord are signified by “In that day a great horn shall sound, and those perishing in the land of Assyria shall come, and the outcasts from the land of Egypt;” “to sound a horn” signifies Divine truth calling together and saving; “those perishing in the land of Assyria” mean those who are deceived by false reasonings, and “the outcasts from the land of Egypt” those who are deceived by knowledges (scientifica), thus the Gentiles that were in falsities from ignorance of the truth; that these shall worship the Lord from love and in truth is signified by “they shall bow down to Jehovah in the mountain of holiness, at Jerusalem;” “mountain of holiness” signifying the church in respect to the good of love, consequently also the good of love of the church, and “Jerusalem” signifying the church in respect to the truth of doctrine, consequently the truth of doctrine of the church. From this it is evident that “to sound with a horn” signifies Divine truth coming down out of heaven.
sRef Zeph@3 @14 S7′ sRef Job@38 @7 S7′ sRef Ps@98 @6 S7′ sRef Ps@98 @5 S7′ [7] Because Divine truth coming down from the Lord through the heavens makes the hearts glad and infuses the holiness of worship, and therefore trumpets were sounded on days of gladness and at the feasts, therefore it is said in David:
Sing unto Jehovah with the harp; with the harp and the voice of a psalm, with trumpets and the sound of a horn sound before the King Jehovah (Ps. 98:5, 6).
In Zephaniah:
Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout (sound), O Israel; be glad and exult with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem (3:14).
This is said of the establishment of the church by the Lord; “trumpets,” “sound of the horn,” and “sounding,” signify joy on account of Divine truth coming down out of heaven. In Job:
When the morning stars sang, and all the sons of God shouted [sounded] (38:7).
This is said of the state of the church in its beginning; and “stars” signify the knowledges of truth and good, and “the sons of God” Divine truths; the joy of these, that is, of men because of these, is signified by their “singing and sounding.”
sRef Isa@42 @13 S8′ sRef Joel@2 @2 S8′ sRef Joel@2 @1 S8′ sRef Ps@89 @15 S8′ sRef Ps@150 @3 S8′ [8] In David:
Praise God with the sound of the horn (Ps. 150:3).
In the same:
Blessed is that people who know the trumpet sound; they shall walk, O Jehovah, in the light of Thy face (Ps. 89:15).
“The sound of the horn” signifies Divine truth making the heart glad, therefore it is also said, “in the light of Thy face,” which signifies Divine truth. That “the voices of the horn” and “sounds of trumpets” signify Divine truth coming down out of heaven, and terrifying the evil and dispersing them, as here in Revelation “the trumpets” with which the seven angels sounded, is evident in Isaiah:
Jehovah shall go forth as a hero,* He shall stir up zeal like a man of war, He shall shout [sound] and shall cry out, He shall prevail over His enemies (42:13);
“enemies” meaning the evil. In Joel:
Blow ye with the horn in Zion, and sound in the mountain of My holiness; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of Jehovah cometh, a day of darkness and of thick darkness (2:1, 2).
“The day of Jehovah” is the coming of the Lord, when also the Last Judgment takes place on the evil.
sRef Zech@9 @14 S9′ [9] In Zechariah:
Jehovah shall be seen over them, and His arrow shall go forth as lightning; and the Lord Jehovih shall blow the horn, and shall go with the tempests of the south (9:14).
This, too, refers to the Lord’s coming, when the evil are to perish; “to blow the horn” signifies to disperse by means of Divine truth; “the arrow shall go forth as lightning” signifies truth dispersing and destroying. “To blow the horn” has the same signification in Jer. 51:27; Hos. 5:8-9.
[10] Because the evil, where they are gathered together in the spiritual world, are deprived by the influx of Divine good and Divine truth of the truths and goods they have simulated in externals, and are let into their evils and falsities which they have inwardly cherished, and are thus separated from the good and cast down into the hells, and because when this takes place there are heard by those at a distance as it were horns and trumpets sounding, as has been said above repeatedly, so with the horns of Israel it was on this account commanded that they should sound with the trumpets for battle; and we read that this was done by Phinehas and by Gideon, in their combats against the Midianites and also at the taking of Jericho. It is said of Phinehas in Moses:
That Moses sent twelve thousand men armed, a thousand from each tribe, with the vessels of holiness and the trumpets, in the hand of Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, against Midian; and they slew all the males and their kings (Num. 31:1-8).
sRef Judg@7 @19 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @5 S11′ sRef Judg@7 @18 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @6 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @2 S11′ sRef Judg@7 @17 S11′ sRef Judg@7 @16 S11′ sRef Judg@7 @20 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @4 S11′ sRef Num@31 @7 S11′ sRef Num@31 @6 S11′ sRef Num@31 @8 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @3 S11′ sRef Judg@7 @21 S11′ sRef Judg@7 @22 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @16 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @15 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @14 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @17 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @20 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @19 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @18 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @13 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @8 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @1 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @7 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @9 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @12 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @11 S11′ sRef Josh@6 @10 S11′ sRef Num@31 @3 S11′ sRef Num@31 @2 S11′ sRef Num@31 @1 S11′ sRef Num@31 @5 S11′ sRef Num@31 @4 S11′ [11] Of Gideon it is said in the book of Judges:
That he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and put a horn in the hand of everyone, and empty pitchers and torches in the midst of the pitchers; and he said, When I blow the horn, I and all that are with me, blow ye also the horn about the whole camp. And when they blew the horns Jehovah set the sword of a man against his companion and against the whole camp, and the Midianites fled (Judg. 7:16-22).
And of Jericho when it was taken, in Joshua:
It was commanded that seven priests should bear seven jubilee horns before the ark, and should go round the city six days, once each day, and on the seventh day they should go round the city seven times, and blow the horns; and when the people in Jericho heard the voice of the horn and the shoutings of the people, the wall of the city fell down under itself, and the people went up into the city and took it (6:1-20).
These things represented the overcoming of the evil in the spiritual world, which is effected by Divine truth out of heaven, which is heard there when it flows down as a horn sounding, as was said above. All the miracles related in the Word were representative and thence significative of things Divine in the heavens; therefore the effect of the sound of horns against enemies on earth was like the effect against the evil in the spiritual world; for in the Word “enemies” represented and thence signified the evil, “the Midianites” those who are in the falsities of evil, and the city “Jericho” here the falsification of the knowledges of truth.
sRef Jer@50 @15 S12′ [12] From this the signification can be seen of the following in Jeremiah:
Sound against Babylon round about; she hath given her hand; her foundations are fallen, her walls are torn down (50:15).
And in Zephaniah:
A day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and of thick darkness, a day of cloud and of gloominess, a day of the horn and of sounding upon the fenced cities, and upon the high corners (1:15, 16).
From this it can now be seen what is signified by “the seven angels sounded the trumpets,” and that such effects result therefrom as are here described; and thus that “to sound trumpets” signifies influx of Divine truth out of heaven, and the changes thence arising; for this and the following chapters of Revelation treat of the state of the church in the spiritual world before the judgment, and of the dispersion and casting into hell of the evil.
* Photolithograph has “lion,” the Hebrew “hero;” so also AE n. 734;AC n. 1664, 5323, 8273, etc.

sRef Rev@8 @7 S0′ 503. And there was hail and fire mingled with blood, signifies the destroying infernal falsity and evil mingled with the truths and goods of the Word, to which violence was offered. This is evident from the signification of “hail,” as being the destroying infernal falsity (of which presently); from the signification of “fire” as being the destroying infernal evil (of which also presently); and from the signification of “blood,” as being the Divine truth, here that to which violence was offered, consequently Divine truth falsified, because it is said “hail and fire mingled with blood.” That “blood” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and received by man, and in the contrary sense its destruction by the falsities of evil, and thus violence offered to it, may be seen above (n. 329).
[2] This signification of “hail and fire,” as being destroying falsity and evil, is also from the appearances in the spiritual world when Divine truth flows down there out of heaven and flows into the sphere where those are who are in falsities from evil and who are eager to destroy the truths and goods of the church; to those who stand afar off there is then an appearance of a shower of hail and fire, a shower of hail in consequence of their falsities, and a shower of fire from their evils. The reason of this appearance is that when Divine truth flows into the sphere where falsities and evils are, it is changed into something similar to what is in that sphere; for all influx is changed in the recipient subject according to its quality, as with the light of the sun in black subjects, and the heat of the sun in putrid subjects. So it is with Divine truth (which is the light of heaven) and Divine good (which is the heat of heaven) in evil subjects, which are spirits who are in falsities from evil; thence is this appearance. From this it is that “hail and fire” have these significations in the Word; for the sense of the letter of the Word comes for the most part from appearances in the spiritual world.
sRef Ex@9 @27 S3′ sRef Ex@9 @28 S3′ sRef Ex@9 @29 S3′ sRef Ex@9 @30 S3′ sRef Ex@9 @21 S3′ sRef Ex@9 @32 S3′ sRef Ex@9 @31 S3′ sRef Ex@9 @26 S3′ sRef Ex@9 @20 S3′ sRef Ex@9 @19 S3′ sRef Ex@9 @18 S3′ sRef Ex@9 @22 S3′ sRef Ex@9 @25 S3′ sRef Ex@9 @24 S3′ sRef Ex@9 @23 S3′ [3] That “hail” signifies infernal falsity destroying the truth of the church is evident elsewhere in the Word, where the destruction of truth is described by “hail;” as in Egypt, when Pharaoh would not let the people of Israel go, which is thus described in Moses:
Moses said to Pharaoh that he would cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as had not been in Egypt. There shall be hail upon man and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field in the land of Egypt. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven; and Jehovah sent voices and hail, and the fire ran along the earth; and Jehovah caused hail to rain upon the land of Egypt; and there was hail, and fire with it, raining in the midst of the very grievous hail. And the hail smote all that was in the field, from man even to beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and broke down every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail. And the flax and the barley were smitten; for the barley was a ripening ear, and the flax was a stalk. But the wheat and the spelt were not smitten, for these were covered (Exod. 9:18-35).
“The hail in Egypt” has a similar signification as the “hail” here in Revelation; for this reason many like things are said; as that “the hail and the fire ran together,” and “the hail smote the herb of the field, and broke down the trees.” Many like things are here mentioned, because the plagues of Egypt and the plagues of Revelation that came when the seven angels sounded have a similar signification; for the “Egyptians” signify merely natural men, the “sons of Israel” spiritual men, the “plagues of Egypt” the changes that precede the Last Judgment, the same as here in Revelation; for the drowning of Pharaoh and the Egyptians in the Red Sea represented the Last Judgment and damnation. This makes clear that here, too, “hail and fire” signify falsities and evils destroying the church. (But those things may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 7553-7619.)
sRef Ps@78 @49 S4′ sRef Ps@78 @48 S4′ sRef Ps@78 @47 S4′ [4] So “hail” and “coals” (or fire) have a like signification in David:
He smote their vine with hail, and their sycamore trees with a grievous hail; and He shut up their beast to the hail, and their herds to the coals. He sent among them the fierceness of His anger, an incursion of evil angels (Ps. 78:47-49).
Because “hail” signifies falsity destroying the truths of the church it is said “He smote their vine with hail, and their sycamore trees with a grievous hail,” for “vine” signifies the spiritual truth of the church, and “sycamores” its natural truth; and as “coals” signifies the love of evil and its ardor for destroying the goods of the church, it is said, “He shut up their beast to the hail, and their herds to the coals,” “beast” and “herds” signifying the evil affections or cupidities that arise from evil love, and “coals” the cupidity and ardor for destroying; “an incursion of evil angels” signifies the falsity of evil from hell.
sRef Ps@105 @33 S5′ sRef Ps@105 @32 S5′ [5] In the same:
He gave them hail for their rain, a fire of flames in their land; and He smote their vine and their fig tree, and broke down the tree of their border (Ps. 105:32, 33).
This, too, is said of the “hail of Egypt” which signifies infernal falsity destroying the truths of the church; and the “vine” and the “fig tree” here also signify similar things as the “vine” and the “sycamore trees” above, namely, the “vine” spiritual truth, and the “fig tree” natural truth, each belonging to the church; and “tree” signifies the perceptions and knowledges of truth and good.
sRef Josh@10 @11 S6′ [6] “Hail” has a similar signification in Joshua, when Joshua fought against the five kings of the Amorites, of which it is said:
It came to pass when the kings fled before Israel, and they were in the going down to Beth-horon, that Jehovah cast down great hailstones from heaven upon them unto Azekah; and more died from the hailstones than the sons of Israel slew with the sword (10:11).
As the histories of the Word, the same as the prophecies, are representative and contain an internal sense, therefore also does this that is related of the five kings of the Amorites and the battle of the sons of Israel with them; for the “nations” that were driven out of the land of Canaan signified the evil who are to be cast out of the Lord’s kingdom, and the “sons of Israel” signified those to whom it would be granted to possess the kingdom, for the “land of Canaan” signified heaven and the church, thus the Lord’s kingdom; thence the “five kings of the Amorites” signified those who are in the falsities of evil and who wish to destroy the truths of the good of the church; this is why they were slain by “hailstones out of heaven,” that is, were destroyed and perished by their own falsities of evil; for the evil themselves perish in consequence of their evils and falsities, with which they wish to destroy the truths and goods of the church.
sRef Ps@18 @12 S7′ sRef Ps@18 @13 S7′ sRef Ps@18 @14 S7′ [7] In David:
At the brightness before Him His clouds passed, with hail and coals of fire. Jehovah thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice, hail and coals of fire. And He sent forth His arrows and scattered them, and many lightnings and discomfited them (Ps. 18:12-14).
Here “hail and fire” have a similar signification as the “hail and fire” in this passage in Revelation, namely, falsities and evils destroying the truths and goods of the church. It is said that such things are from Jehovah, because Divine truth coming down out of heaven is changed with the evil into infernal falsities, as has been said above; and from this change there spring forth many appearances such as the fall of hail and fire; and yet these things are not out of heaven from the Lord, but from those who are in the falsities of evil, who turn the influx of Divine truth and good into the falsity of evil. It has been granted me to perceive these changes, when Divine truth flowed down out of heaven into some hell. On the way it was successively turned into the falsity of evil, like that which was with them; just as it is with the sun’s heat when it falls into dung heaps, or the sun’s light when it falls into subjects that turn its rays into horrid colors; or when the sun’s light and heat produce in fetid marshy lands noxious plants that nourish serpents, while in good lands they produce trees and grasses that nourish men and useful beasts. The cause that such effects are produced in putrid land is not the light and heat of the sun, but the lands themselves which are such, and yet these effects may be ascribed to the sun’s fire and heat. From this it can be seen what the origin is of the appearances of hail and fire in the spiritual world, and why it is said that “Jehovah causes them to rain,” when yet there is nothing from Jehovah but what is good; and when Jehovah, that is, the Lord, renders the influx powerful, it is not that He may destroy the evil but that He may rescue and protect the good, for He thus conjoins the good to Himself more closely and interiorly, and thus they are separated from the evil, and the evil perish; for if the evil were not separated the good would perish and the angelic heaven would fall to ruin.
sRef Isa@30 @30 S8′ sRef Ezek@38 @22 S8′ sRef Isa@28 @1 S8′ sRef Isa@28 @2 S8′ sRef Rev@16 @21 S8′ sRef Rev@11 @19 S8′ sRef Isa@28 @17 S8′ sRef Isa@32 @19 S8′ [8] “Hail” and “the rain of hail” have a similar signification in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim. Behold, the Lord strong and mighty, as an inundation of hail, as a tempest of slaughter (28:1, 2).
In the same:
The hail shall overthrow the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place (28:17).
In the same:
Then Jehovah shall cause His glorious voice to be heard, and shall cause His resting arm to be seen in the indignation of anger, and in the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering and inundation, and with hailstones (30:30).
In the same:
It shall hail until the forest shall sink down and the city be laid low in lowliness (32:19).
In Ezekiel:
And I will plead with Gog with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him an overflowing rain, and hailstones, fire and brimstone (38:22).
In Revelation:
Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of the Covenant; and there were lightnings and voices and thunders and an earthquake and great hail (11:19).
And again:
And a great hail as of a talent-weight cometh down out of heaven upon men; and the men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for the plague thereof was exceeding great (16:21).
sRef Ezek@13 @11 S9′ [9] So those who are in falsities of evil are called “hailstones” in Ezekiel:
Say unto them that daub on what is unfit, that it shall fall; there shall come an overflowing rain, in which ye, O great hailstones, shall fall (13:11).
Here “them that daub on what is unfit” signify those who confirm falsities to make them appear outwardly as truths; such are called “hailstones” because they thus destroy truths; the dispersion of such falsities is signified by “an overflowing rain.”
sRef Job@38 @24 S10′ sRef Job@38 @22 S10′ sRef Job@38 @23 S10′ [10] In Job:
Hast thou come to the treasuries of the snow, and hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail, which I keep back against the time of battle and war, which is the way in which light is diffused? (38:22-24).
Job is asked by Jehovah about many things, whether he knows them, and the things he is asked about signify such things as belong to heaven and the church; and “Hast thou come to the treasuries of the snow, and hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail?” signifies whether he knows why truth is taken away and is destroyed by the falsities of evil, which in the spiritual world appears like a fall of snow and hail out of the sky there. That there are such appearances when the evil are to be dispersed is signified by “which I keep back against the time of battle and war;” thence it is added, “which is the way in which light is diffused?” This signifies the process by which truth is insinuated, “light” meaning truth.
[11] “Hail” signifies the falsity of evil, and “a storm of hail” the destruction of truth, because hail in itself is cold and cannot bear the heat of heaven, and “coldness” signifies the deprivation of the good of love; the good of love is the heat in the angelic heaven (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140). Another reason for this meaning is that “stones” in the Word signify truth, and in the contrary sense falsities, and great hail appears to be made up of stones cast down out of heaven, which destroy the crops and herbs of the field, as well as the smaller animals as stones would, and this is why they are called “hailstones.” (That “stones” signify in the Word truths, and in the contrary sense falsities, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 643, 1298, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376.)

sRef Rev@8 @7 S0′ 504. It has been shown thus far what “hail” signifies; it remains to show what “fire” signifies. “Fire” signifies in the Word the good of celestial love, and “flame” the good of spiritual love; but in the contrary sense “fire” signifies the evil arising from the love of self, and “flame” the evil arising from the love of the world. It is to be noted, that all goods whatsoever derive their existence from celestial love and from spiritual love, and that all evils whatsoever derive their existence from the love of self and the love of the world; and as “fire” signifies in the Word love in both senses, so it signifies every good and every evil that springs from either of these loves. Because “fire” is predicated in the Word both of heaven and of hell, and it has not been known heretofore that “fire” signifies love, some passages shall be cited from the Word to show in clear light that in a good sense “fire” means heavenly love, and in a bad sense infernal love.
sRef Ezek@1 @5 S2′ sRef Ezek@1 @4 S2′ sRef Ezek@1 @26 S2′ sRef Ezek@1 @27 S2′ sRef Ezek@1 @13 S2′ [2] That “fire” signifies in the Word heavenly love is evident first from the signification of “the fire of the altar,” as meaning heavenly love, or love to the Lord (see above, n. 496); and that “fire” not of the altar has a similar signification can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
I saw, and behold a wind of a tempest came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself in itself and a brightness round about it, and as it were the appearance of a living coal in the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst of it a likeness of four animals. The appearance of the animals was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps; the same went between the animals, so that the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. Above the firmament that was over their head was the likeness of a throne, upon which was the appearance of a man. And I saw as it were the appearance of a living coal, as the appearance of fire within it round about, from the appearance of his loins and upward; and from the appearance of his loins and downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about (1:4, 5, 13, 26, 27; 8:2).
“The cherubim” that were seen as animals mean the Lord in respect to Divine Providence and guard that He be not approached except through the good of love; and as this guard itself is in the heavens, and especially in the inmost or third heaven, this heaven is also signified by “the cherubim” (see above, n. 152, 277, 313, 322, 362, 462); and as they especially signify the third heaven, and the Lord is above the heavens, so the Lord was seen “upon a throne above the cherubim.” So, too, the “fire that appeared in the midst of the cherubim, that had brightness round about, and out of which went forth lightning;” also “about the throne and from the loins of Him that sat on the throne, upwards and downwards,” signifies evidently Divine celestial love; for the Lord is Himself Divine love, and whatever proceeds from the Lord proceeds from His Divine love; this therefore is the “fire that had brightness round about it.”
sRef Dan@7 @13 S3′ sRef Dan@7 @9 S3′ sRef Dan@7 @10 S3′ [3] Likewise in Daniel:
He came to the Ancient of Days; His vesture is like white snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne is a flame of fire, His wheels a glowing fire; a stream of fire issues and goes forth from Him (7:9, 10, 13).
“The Ancient of Days” also means the Lord; here “the Son of man” means the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and “the Ancient of Days” the Lord in relation to Divine good or Divine love, and He is called “the Ancient of Days” from that most ancient time when there was a celestial church, which was in love to the Lord. That church and the heaven of those who were from it are meant by “the throne which was like a flame of fire;” but “the wheels which were like a glowing fire” signify the doctrine of celestial love: the Divine love itself proceeding from the Lord is signified by “the fire issuing and going forth from before Him.”
sRef Rev@1 @13 S4′ sRef Dan@10 @6 S4′ sRef Rev@1 @14 S4′ sRef Rev@1 @15 S4′ sRef Rev@1 @16 S4′ sRef Dan@10 @5 S4′ sRef Rev@2 @18 S4′ [4] It is also related by Daniel that he saw:
A man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with gold of Uphaz; His body was also like a tharshish-stone, and His face as the appearance of lightning, and His eyes as torches of fire, and His arms and His feet like the splendor of brass (Dan. 10:5, 6).
That it was the Lord who was thus seen by Daniel is evident from Revelation, where He was represented before John in nearly the same way, of whom it is said:
In the midst of the seven lampstands one like unto the Son of man, girt about at the paps with a golden girdle; and His head and hairs white as white wool, as snow; and His eyes as a flame of fire; and His feet like unto burnished brass, as if made glowing in a furnace. His appearance was like the sun (1:13-16; 2:18).
From this similarity of the description of “the Son of man” seen by John in the midst of the seven lampstands, and of “the man clothed in linen” and “the Ancient of Days” seen by Daniel, it was evidently the Lord whom they both saw. “His face appeared as lightning and His eyes as a flame of fire” to signify the Lord’s Divine love; for with man the face is a representative image of the affection of his love, and especially the eyes, for from these the love shines forth, from which they sparkle as from fire.
sRef Ex@3 @2 S5′ sRef Ex@19 @18 S5′ sRef Rev@19 @12 S5′ [5] Also of the One sitting on the white horse it is said:
His eyes were as a flame of fire (Rev. 19:12).
Evidently it was the Lord in respect to the Word who was there represented as sitting upon a white horse, for it is said that He who sat on the white horse is called “the Word of God,” and that He is “King of kings, and Lord of lords.” Because “fire” signifies the Divine love:
The Lord was seen by Moses on Mount Horeb in fire in a bush (Exod. 3:1-3).
So, too, the Lord was seen “in fire” by Moses and all the Israelitish people when He came down upon Mount Sinai, which is thus described in Moses:
And Mount Sinai was altogether on smoke because Jehovah descended upon it in fire, so that the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace (Exod. 19:18; Deut. 4:36).
Here, too, the “fire” that was seen represented the Divine love.
sRef Lev@24 @4 S6′ sRef Lev@24 @3 S6′ sRef Lev@24 @2 S6′ sRef Rev@4 @5 S6′ [6] Because “fire” signifies in the highest sense the Lord’s Divine love, it was commanded that fire should burn continually on the altar, and that they should take of that fire for the incense-offerings. It was on this account that the Greeks and Romans had a perpetual fire among their religious observances, of which the vestal virgins had charge. That they worshiped fire as holy was derived from the ancient churches that were in Asia, all things of which worship were representative. Because “fire” signifies in the highest sense the Divine love, a lampstand was placed in the Tent of meeting, on which were seven lamps that burned continually, which is thus described in Moses:
Command the sons of Israel that they bring unto thee pure oil of the olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to go up continually. Aaron shall order it from evening to morning before Jehovah continually. He shall order the lamps upon the pure lampstand before Jehovah continually (Lev. 24:2-4. Respecting this lampstand itself see Exod. 25:31 to the end; 37:17-24; 40:24, 25; Num. 8:2-4).
The like is signified by the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne of God (Rev. 4:5).
But “the fire of the altar” signified Divine celestial love, and “the fire of the lampstand,” which was a flame, signified Divine spiritual love. From this it is that the “oil,” too, which produced the fire of the flame in the lamps of the lampstand, signifies the Divine love; also the “oil” that the five prudent virgins had in their lamps, and that the five foolish virgins did not have (Matt. 25:1-12).
sRef Matt@3 @11 S7′ [7] Again “fire” signifies the Lord’s Divine love, in the Gospels:
John said, I baptize you with water, but Jesus shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16).
“Baptizing with the Holy Spirit and with fire” signifies the regeneration of man by means of the Divine truth and the Divine good of love from the Lord, the “Holy Spirit” meaning the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and “fire” the Divine love from which it springs.
sRef Isa@31 @9 S8′ [8] The like that is signified by “fire” is also signified by “a place for fire” in Isaiah:
Jehovah who hath His place for fire in Zion, and His oven in Jerusalem (31:9).
It is said “who hath His place for fire in Zion” because “Zion” signifies the church in which is celestial love; and “His oven in Jerusalem” because “Jerusalem” signifies the church in which is the truth of doctrine; celestial love is comparatively “a place for fire,” and truth of doctrine is like an “oven” in which bread is prepared.
sRef Lev@9 @24 S9′ sRef Judg@6 @21 S9′ sRef Ex@12 @10 S9′ sRef Ex@12 @8 S9′ sRef Ex@12 @9 S9′ sRef 1Ki@18 @38 S9′ [9] Because the good of love is signified by “fire,” and worship from the good of love was represented by “whole burnt-offerings,” sometimes fire was sent down out of heaven and consumed the whole burnt-offering; as when a whole burnt-offering was made for the expiation of the people, which is thus described in Moses:
When the offering was made, fire went forth from before Jehovah and devoured upon the altar the whole burnt-offering and the fat; and all the people saw it, and shouted aloud and fell on their faces (Lev. 9:24).
It is also said:
That fire from heaven devoured the whole burnt-offering of Elijah, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the waters that were round about in the trench (1 Kings 18:38).
This “fire” too, signified Divine love, and thence the acceptance of worship from the good of love:
Likewise the fire that went up out of the rock, and devoured the flesh and the unleavened cakes that Gideon brought to the angel of God (Judg. 6:21).
Again, Divine love was signified by the command:
That the lamb should be roasted with fire, and not sodden with water, and that what remained until the morning should be burnt up with fire (Exod. 12:8-10).
(For the explanation of these verses see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7852-7861.)
sRef Ex@13 @22 S10′ sRef Ex@13 @21 S10′ [10] Again the Lord’s Divine love was signified by the fire in which the Lord went before the sons of Israel in the wilderness, when they were journeying; also by the fire over the Tent of meeting during the night, which is thus described in Moses:
Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them in the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light; neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night departed from before the people (Exod. 13:21, 22; Num. 9:15-23; Deut. 1:33).
The cloud of Jehovah was upon the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the eyes of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys (Exod. 40:38; Ps. 105:32, 39).
The “cloud appearing by day, and the fire by night,” represented the Lord’s protection of heaven and the church; for “the tabernacle” represented heaven and the church, “cloud and fire” protection; for “the day when there was the cloud” signifies Divine truth in light, and the “night” signifies Divine truth in shade. Lest they might be hurt by too much light they were guarded by a cloud, and from being hurt by too much shade they were guarded by a shining fire.
sRef Isa@4 @6 S11′ sRef Isa@4 @5 S11′ [11] That such was represented thereby can be seen in Isaiah:
Jehovah will create over every dwelling place of Mount Zion and over her convocations a cloud by day and a smoke and the brightness of a flame of fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a covering. And there shall be a covert for a shade in the daytime from the heat, and for a shelter and hiding place from inundation and from rain (4:5, 6).
“The dwelling place of Mount Zion” signifies the good of the celestial church, and “her convocations” signify the truths of that good; protection lest it be hurt by too much light and by too much shade is signified by “a cloud by day,” and by “a smoke and the brightness of a flame of fire by night;” therefore it is said “over all the glory shall be a covering,” and that “there shall be a covert for a shade in the daytime from the heat.” Lest falsities should break in because of too much light or too much shade is signified by “it shall be for a shelter and a hiding place from the inundation and from rain,” “inundation and rain” meaning a breaking in of falsities.
sRef 2Ki@6 @17 S12′ sRef 2Ki@2 @11 S12′ sRef Zech@2 @5 S12′ [12] In Zechariah:
I will be unto Jerusalem a wall of fire round about, and in glory I will be in the midst of her (2:5).
“A wall of fire” signifies defense by Divine love, for this the hells cannot assault; “glory in the midst of her” is Divine truth therefrom in light on every side. Because “fire” signifies the Divine love, the whole burnt-offerings were called:
Offerings made by fire to Jehovah, and offerings made by fire for an odor of rest to Jehovah (Exod. 29:18; Lev. 1:9, 13, 17; 2:2, 9, 10, 11; 3:5, 16; 4:35; 5:12; 7:30; 21:6; Num. 28:2; Deut. 18:1); this signifying that they were adopted in order to represent worship from the good of love, “whole burnt-offerings” representing that worship, because in them the entire animals were burned in the fire and consumed.
[13] Because the Word is Divine truth itself united to Divine good, for everywhere in it there is a marriage of good and truth, therefore:
Elijah was seen to ascend up into heaven by a chariot of fire and horses of fire (2 Kings 2:11).
For the same reason the mountain was seen to be full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha (2 Kings 6:17).
For Elijah and Elisha represented the Lord in relation to the Word; therefore the “chariot” signified doctrine from the Word, and “the horses” the understanding of the Word.
sRef Ps@104 @4 S14′ [14] Again, that “fire” signifies love is evident in David:
Jehovah maketh His angels spirits, His ministers a flaming fire (Ps. 104:4).
That “He maketh angels spirits” signifies that He makes them recipients of Divine truths, consequently Divine truths; and that “He makes His ministers a flaming fire” signifies that He makes them recipients of Divine good, consequently Divine goods. (That “angels” mean in the Word the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and in a relative sense, recipients of Divine truth from the Lord, see above, n. 130, 200, 302; and that “ministers” signify recipients of the Divine good which is of Divine love, see also above, n. 155.) From this it is clear that “a flaming fire” signifies the good of love. “Fire” signifies love, because the Lord from Divine love appears in the angelic heaven as a sun, from which sun heat and light proceed; and in the heavens heat from the Lord as a sun is the Divine good of love, and light from the Lord as a sun is the Divine truth; this is why “fire” signifies in the Word the good of love, and “light” truth from good. (That the Lord from Divine love appears in the angelic heaven as a sun may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125; and that light from that sun is Divine truth, and heat from that sun is Divine good, n. 126-140; also n. 567, 568.) It is from the correspondence between fire and love that in ordinary language, in speaking of the affections that belong to love, the expressions “to grow hot,” “to burn,” “to glow,” “to boil,” “to be on fire,” and others of like meaning are used. Moreover, man grows warm from love of any kind, according to its degree.
[15] So far respecting the signification of “fire” in the Word, when it is attributed to the Lord, or when it is predicated of heaven and the church. But when “fire” is predicated in the Word of the evil and of the hells, it signifies the love of self and of the world, and thence every evil affection and cupidity that torments the wicked after death in the hells. “Fire” has this contrary signification for the reason that Divine love, when it comes down out of heaven and falls into the societies where the evil are, is changed into a love contrary to the Divine love, and thus into various heats of cupidity and of lusts, and so into evils of every kind, and also into torments, because evils carry with them the punishments of evil. From this change of the Divine love into infernal love with the evil, the hells where the love of self and the world and hatreds and revenge prevail, appear to be as if on fire, both within and round about, although the infernal crew that is in them perceive nothing fiery. Indeed, from these loves the crew that is in such hells appear with faces inflamed and reddened as from fire.
sRef Ex@40 @38 S16′ sRef Isa@9 @5 S16′ sRef Isa@9 @19 S16′ sRef Isa@33 @12 S16′ sRef Isa@9 @18 S16′ sRef Isa@33 @11 S16′ sRef Isa@33 @14 S16′ [16] This, therefore, is the signification of “fire” in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Wickedness shall burn as a fire; it shall devour the briars and brambles, and shall kindle the thickets of the forest, that they may roll upward in the elation of smoke. And the people are become as food of the fire; a man shall not pity his brother (9:18, 19).
In the same:
The whole people shall be for the burning, food for fire (9:5).
Ye Assyrians, conceive chaff, bring forth stubble; your spirit, fire shall devour you. So shall the peoples be burnt for lime; thorns cut down which are kindled with fire. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire; who among us shall sojourn with the burnings of eternity (33:11, 12, 14).
“The Assyrians” mean those who from falsities and fallacies reason against the truths and goods of the church from self-intelligence, thus from self-love; these are here described.
sRef Rev@14 @9 S17′ sRef Rev@14 @10 S17′ sRef Isa@47 @14 S17′ sRef Luke@17 @30 S17′ sRef Luke@17 @29 S17′ sRef Matt@25 @41 S17′ sRef Luke@16 @24 S17′ sRef Matt@13 @42 S17′ sRef Isa@50 @11 S17′ sRef Matt@13 @41 S17′ sRef Matt@13 @50 S17′ sRef Isa@34 @10 S17′ sRef Isa@34 @8 S17′ sRef Isa@34 @9 S17′ sRef Ps@140 @10 S17′ sRef Rev@19 @20 S17′ sRef Rev@20 @10 S17′ sRef Rev@20 @14 S17′ sRef Rev@21 @8 S17′ sRef Ezek@21 @31 S17′ sRef Ezek@21 @32 S17′ sRef Ps@21 @9 S17′ sRef Matt@3 @12 S17′ sRef Matt@3 @10 S17′ sRef Isa@66 @24 S17′ sRef Rev@20 @15 S17′ [17] In the same:
In the day of Jehovah’s vengeance, the brooks of the land shall be turned into pitch, and its dust into brimstone, and the land shall become burning pitch; it shall not be quenched night or day, the smoke thereof shall go up forever (Isa. 34:8-10).
They have become as stubble; the fire hath burnt them; they shall deliver not their soul from the hand of the flame (47:14).
Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks; go into the place of your fire, and into the sparks that ye have kindled (50:11).
Their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched (66:24).
In Ezekiel:
I will give thee into the hand of burning men; thou shalt be for food for fire (21:31, 32).
In David:
Thou shalt make them as an oven of fire in the time of Thine anger, and fire shall devour them (Ps. 21:9).
Burning coals shall overwhelm the wicked; fire shall cast them into pits, they shall not rise again (Ps. 140:10).
In Matthew:
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire. He will cleanse His floor, and gather His wheat into the garners, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire (3:10, 12; Luke 3:9, 17).
As the tares are burned with fire, so shall it be in the consummation of the age (13:40).
The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire (13:41, 42, 50).
He said to them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (25:41).
Whosoever shall say to his brother, Thou fool, shall be subject to the hell of fire (5:22; 18:8, 9; Mark 9:45, 47).
In Luke:
The rich man in hell said, Father Abraham, send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame (16:24).
When Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them; after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed (17:29, 30).
In Revelation:
If anyone worship the beast he shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone (14:9, 10).
The beast and the false prophet were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone (19:20).
The devil was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone (20:10).
Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire; and if anyone was not found written in the book of life he was cast into the lake of fire (20:14, 15).
The unfaithful, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone (21:8).
In these passages, “fire” signifies all cupidity belonging to the love of evil, and its punishment, which is torment. To this may be added what is presented in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 566-575), where it is shown what is meant by “infernal fire” and by “the gnashing of teeth.”
[18] In the article above, in which “hail” was treated of, it was said that the Divine, when it comes down out of heaven into the lower sphere where the evil are, presents an effect which is the opposite of its effect in heaven itself; that is, in heaven it vivifies and conjoins, but in the lower parts where the evil are it produces death and disjunction. This is because the Divine influx out of heaven opens, in the good, the spiritual mind, and fits it to receive; but in the evil, who have no spiritual mind, it opens the interiors of their natural mind, where evils and falsities reside, and from this they then have an aversion to every good of heaven, and hatred for truths, and a lust for every crime, and in consequence they are separated from the good, and then damned. This influx with the good, of which we are now speaking, appears in the heavens as a fire vivifying, recreating, and conjoining; but below with the evil, it appears as a devouring and wasting fire.
[19] It is because of this effect of the Divine love flowing down out of heaven, that in the Word anger and wrath are so often attributed to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord, anger from fire, and wrath from the heat of fire; there is also the expression “the fire of His anger,” and that “He is a consuming fire,” with many other like expressions, which do not mean that the fire proceeding from the Lord is such, for in its origin it is Divine love, but that it becomes such with the evil, who by reason of its flowing into them become angry and wrathful. That this is so can be seen from the fire that appeared on Mount Sinai, when the Lord descended upon it and promulgated the law; this fire, although in its origin it was Divine love and the source of Divine truth, appeared to the Israelitish people as a consuming fire, before which they trembled greatly. (Exod. 19:18; 20:18; Deut. 4:11, 12, 15, 33, 36; 5:5, 22-26); this was because the Israelitish people had no spiritual internal but only a natural internal, which swarmed with evils and falsities of every kind, and the appearance of the Lord to everyone is according to his quality. (That the sons of Jacob were such, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem. 248.)
sRef Isa@30 @30 S20′ sRef Deut@4 @24 S20′ sRef Isa@66 @16 S20′ sRef Ezek@15 @4 S20′ sRef Ps@18 @13 S20′ sRef Ps@18 @12 S20′ sRef Ezek@15 @6 S20′ sRef Isa@66 @15 S20′ sRef Ezek@15 @7 S20′ sRef Ezek@15 @8 S20′ sRef Ps@11 @6 S20′ sRef Isa@29 @6 S20′ sRef Ps@50 @3 S20′ sRef Ps@18 @8 S20′ [20] This is why Jehovah, that is the Lord, is called in the Word “a consuming fire,” as in the following passages:
Jehovah God is a consuming fire (Deut. 4:24).
In Isaiah:
Behold, Jehovah will come in fire and His chariots like a storm, in flames of fire. For in fire Jehovah will plead, and in His sword with all flesh; and the slain of Jehovah shall be multiplied (66:15, 16).
In the same:
Thou shalt be visited with a flame of devouring fire (29:6).
In the same:
In the indignation of the anger of Jehovah, and in a flame of a devouring fire, in scattering, and inundation, and hailstones (30:30).
In David:
There went up a smoke out of His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it. At the brightness that was before Him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire. Jehovah thundered out of the heavens, and the Most High gave forth His voice, hail and coals of fire (Ps. 18:8, 12, 13).
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence; a fire shall devour before Him (Ps. 50:3).
In the same:
Jehovah shall rain upon the wicked snares, fire, and brimstone (Ps. 11:6).
In Ezekiel:
I will set My faces against them, that although they go out from the fire yet the fire shall devour them. And I will make the land a waste, because they have committed trespasses (15:4, 6-8).
In Moses:
A fire has been kindled in Mine anger, and shall burn even unto the lowest hell, and it shall devour the earth and its produce, and shall set on fire the foundations of the mountains (Deut. 32:22).
Such things appear in the spiritual world when Divine good and truth come down out of heaven towards the lower parts where the evil are who are to be separated from the good and dispersed; and these things are said because of these appearances there. And as the fire that comes down out of heaven, which in its origin is Divine love, becomes, when it is received by the evil there, a consuming fire, in the Word such fire is predicated of Jehovah. Infernal fire has no other source than the change of the Divine love into evil loves, and into direful cupidities of doing evil and inflicting injury.
sRef Ex@14 @27 S21′ sRef Ex@14 @24 S21′ sRef Ex@14 @26 S21′ sRef Num@11 @3 S21′ sRef Ex@14 @25 S21′ sRef Num@11 @2 S21′ sRef Gen@19 @24 S21′ sRef Num@11 @1 S21′ [21] This was represented also by:
The fire that fell from heaven and consumed Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24);
And the fire that consumed Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, because they offered incense with strange fire (Lev. 10:1, et seq.).
“Incense offered with strange fire” signifies worship from other love than love to the Lord. Also by:
The fire that consumed the uttermost part of the camp of the sons of Israel, because of their lusts (Num. 11:1-3).
The same was represented by:
The Egyptians that perished in the Red Sea when Jehovah looked out from the pillar of fire and of cloud towards their camp (Exod. 14:24-27).
That this fire was in its origin the Divine love, shining before the sons of Israel in their journeyings and over the tabernacle in the nighttime, has been shown above in this article; and yet Jehovah’s looking out from it threw the camps of the Egyptians into utter disorder and destroyed them.
sRef Deut@32 @22 S22′ sRef Isa@10 @17 S22′ sRef Rev@20 @9 S22′ [22] It is shown in Revelation that fire appeared descending from heaven to consume the evil in the spiritual world, and was seen there by John, for he says that:
Fire came down out of heaven, and consumed Gog and Magog and their crew (20:9; Ezek. 38:22).
“To consume” signifies here to disperse and to cast into hell. So again it is said in Isaiah:
The light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame, and it shall burn and consume his briers and brambles in one day (10:17).
“Briers and brambles” signify the evils and falsities of the doctrine of the church; the destruction of these by Divine truth descending out of heaven is signified by “the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame.”
sRef Isa@26 @11 S23′ [23] Because “fire” in the contrary sense, or in respect to the evil, properly signifies the love of self, and “flame” the love of the world, so also “fire” signifies every evil, as enmity, hatred, revenge, and many others, for all evils swarm forth from these two origins (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 75); consequently “fire” signifies also the destruction of man in respect to spiritual life, and thus damnation and hell. All these things are signified by “fire” because love is signified by “fire,” as can be seen still further from the following passages. In Isaiah:
The peoples shall behold, and be ashamed* of the hatred; yea, fire shall devour thine enemies (26:11).
The destruction of the evil, who are here meant by “peoples” and “enemies,” is described by “hatred” and “fire.”
sRef Isa@43 @2 S24′ [24] In the same:
When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee, and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee; when thou goest through the fire thou shall not be scorched, neither shall the flame burn thee (Isa. 43:2).
“To pass through waters and through rivers and not be overflowed” signifies that falsities and reasonings from falsities against truths shall not enter and corrupt, “waters” here meaning falsities, and “rivers” reasonings from falsities against truths; “to go through the fire and not be scorched, and not to have the flame burn” signifies that evils and the cupidities arising from them shall do no harm, “fire” signifying evils, and “flame” the cupidities therefrom.
sRef Isa@64 @11 S25′ [25] In the same:
The house of our holiness and our splendor, where our fathers praised Thee, is burned up with fire; and all our desirable things are laid waste (Isa. 64:11).
“The house of holiness and splendor” signifies the celestial and the spiritual church, “the house of holiness” the celestial church, and “splendor” the spiritual church; “where our fathers praised Thee” signifies the worship of the Ancient Church, “to praise” signifying to worship, and “fathers” those who were of the Ancient Church; “to be burned up with fire” signifies that all the goods of that church were turned into evils by which the goods were consumed and destroyed; “and all our desirable things are laid waste” signifies that all truths also were consumed, “desirable things” signifying in the Word the truths of the church.
sRef Isa@1 @31 S26′ sRef Isa@1 @30 S26′ [26] In the same:
Ye shall be as an oak casting its leaves, and as a garden that hath no waters. And the strong one shall be as tow, and his work as a spark, that they may both burn together and no one quench them (Isa. 1:30, 31).
An “oak” signifies the natural man, and “leaves” knowledges and cognitions of truth therein; “garden” signifies the rational man; so “ye shall be as an oak casting its leaves, and as a garden that hath no waters,” signifies that there shall no longer be any true knowledge or rational truth. “The strong one” and “his work” signifies what is hatched out from self-intelligence; he who trusts in himself and his own intelligence is often called “strong” in the Word, for he regards himself and his work that he brings forth as strong; and as man’s own [proprium] drinks in every evil and falsity and thereby destroys every good and truth, it is said, “the strong shall be as tow, and his work as a spark, and they shall both burn together;” “to be burned” signifying to perish by the falsities of evil.
sRef Ezek@19 @14 S27′ sRef Ezek@19 @10 S27′ sRef Ezek@19 @12 S27′ sRef Ezek@19 @13 S27′ [27] In Ezekiel:
Thy mother is like a vine. Now she is planted in the wilderness, in a land of drought and thirst; fire hath gone out from the rod of her branches, it hath devoured them and her fruit (19:10, 12-14).
“The mother who was like a vine” signifies the Ancient Church, which was in the good of life and in the truths therefrom; “now she is planted in the wilderness in a land of drought and thirst,” signifies that the church is now destitute of goods and truths, “a land of drought” meaning the church where there is no good, and “a land of thirst” where there is no truth; “fire hath gone out from the rod of her branches, it hath devoured them and her fruit,” signifies that the evil of falsity has destroyed every truth and good, “fire” means evil, “the rod of the branches” the falsity of doctrine in which is evil, and “to devour them and her fruit” means to destroy truth and good; the evil of falsity is the evil that is from the falsity of doctrine.
sRef Zech@9 @4 S28′ [28] In Zechariah:
The Lord will impoverish Tyre, and smite her wealth in the sea; and she shall be devoured by fire (9:4).
“Tyre” signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, thus “Tyre” signifies the knowledges of truth and good that belong to the church; its devastation by falsities and evils is signified by “the Lord shall smite her wealth in the sea, and she shall be devoured by fire.”
[29] In David:
Enemies have set Thy sanctuary on fire, they have profaned the tabernacle of Thy name even to the earth; they have burned all God’s festal places to the earth. There is no more any prophet, neither is there with us anyone that knoweth (Ps. 74:7-9).
That cupidities arising from evil loves have destroyed the truths and goods of the church is signified by “enemies have set the sanctuary on fire, and have profaned the tabernacle of the name of Jehovah;” that they utterly destroyed all things of Divine worship is signified by “they have burned all God’s festal places to the earth;” that there was no longer any doctrine of truth or understanding of truth is signified by “there is no more any prophet, neither is there with us anyone that knoweth.”
sRef Deut@13 @14 S30′ sRef Deut@13 @13 S30′ sRef Deut@13 @15 S30′ sRef Deut@13 @16 S30′ [30] In Moses:
If men of Belial should impel the inhabitants of a city to serve other gods they should all be smitten with the edge of the swords, and the city with all its spoil should be burned with fire (Deut. 13:14-17).
This signifies in the spiritual sense that a doctrine from which is worship that acknowledges any other god than the Lord must be destroyed, because in such doctrine there is nothing but falsities from evil cupidities. This is signified in the spiritual sense by these words, because a “city” in the Word signifies doctrine, and “to serve other gods” signifies to acknowledge and worship some other god than the Lord; “sword” signifies the destruction of truth by falsity, and “fire” the destruction of good by evil.
sRef Luke@12 @52 S31′ sRef Luke@12 @49 S31′ sRef Luke@12 @51 S31′ sRef Luke@12 @53 S31′ [31] In Luke:
The Lord said that He came to send fire on the earth; and what would He if it were already kindled? (12:49);
which signifies hostilities and combats between good and evil, and between truth and falsity; for before the Lord came into the world there were in the church nothing but falsities and evils, consequently there was no combat between these and truths and goods; but when truths and goods had been unveiled by the Lord, then it was possible for combats to exist, and without combats between these there can be no reformation; this therefore is what is meant by the Lord’s “willing that fire be already kindled.” That this is the meaning of these words can be seen from those that follow:
That He had come to give division; for from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided; the father shall be divided against the son and the son against the father, the mother against the daughter and the daughter against the mother (Luke verses 51-53).
“The father against the son and the son against the father” means evil against truth and truth against evil; and “the mother against the daughter and the daughter against the mother” means the cupidity of falsity against the affection of truth, and the affection of truth against the cupidity of falsity; “in one house” means with one man.
sRef Ezek@20 @31 S32′ sRef Jer@49 @2 S32′ sRef Jer@7 @31 S32′ [32] As “sons” signify in the Word the truths of the church, and “daughters” its goods, it can be seen what is signified by “burning sons and daughters” in Jeremiah:
They have built the high places of Topheth, in the valley of Hinnom, for burning their sons and their daughters (7:31).
I will cause an alarm of war to be heard against Rabbah of Ammon; and her daughters shall be burned with fire (49:2).
And in Ezekiel:
When ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire (20:31).
“To burn sons and daughters with fire” signifies to destroy the truths and goods of the church by evil cupidities or by evil loves; whether or not such abominations were committed, yet they signify the destruction of the truth and good of the church by filthy abominable lusts, which are confirmed by falsities.
[33] From this the signification of “hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast unto the earth, so that a third part of the trees was burnt up,” can now be seen, namely, influx out of heaven, and thence the first change before the Last Judgment; but what “tree” and “green grass” signify will be told in what follows. Like things are also said in the description of the plagues in Egypt that preceded their final destruction, which was the drowning in the Red Sea, namely:
That hail in which ran fire rained on the land of Egypt, by which every herb of the field was smitten, and every tree of the field was broken down (Exod. 9:18-35).
sRef Joel@2 @3 S34′ sRef Ex@9 @23 S34′ sRef Ex@9 @22 S34′ sRef Ex@9 @25 S34′ sRef Ex@9 @24 S34′ sRef Joel@2 @30 S34′ sRef Joel@2 @31 S34′ sRef Ex@9 @21 S34′ sRef Ex@9 @20 S34′ sRef Ex@9 @30 S34′ sRef Ex@9 @18 S34′ sRef Ex@9 @32 S34′ sRef Ex@9 @31 S34′ sRef Ex@9 @27 S34′ sRef Ex@9 @26 S34′ sRef Ex@9 @29 S34′ sRef Ex@9 @28 S34′ sRef Joel@2 @2 S34′ sRef Joel@1 @19 S34′ sRef Joel@1 @20 S34′ sRef Ex@9 @19 S34′ sRef Joel@2 @1 S34′ [34] That like things are to occur before “the day of Jehovah,” which is the Last Judgment, is predicted in the Prophets. In Joel:
The day of Jehovah, a day of darkness and of thick darkness; a fire devoureth before it, and after it a flame burneth (2:1-3).
In the same:
And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and fearful day of Jehovah cometh (2:30, 31).
In the same:
The fire hath devoured the habitations of the desert, and the flame hath set in flames all the trees of the field (1:19, 20).
In Ezekiel:
Say to the forest of the south, Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee; the flame of the grievous flame shall not be quenched; wherefore all the faces from the south even to the north shall be burned therein (20:46, 47).
“The forest of the south” signifies a church that can be in the light of truth from the Word, but that is now in knowledges alone without spiritual light; “the trees that the fire will devour” signify such knowledges; that evil cupidities will deprive such knowledges of all spiritual life, and that there will be no longer any truth in clearness, nor even a remnant of it in obscurity, is signified by “all the faces (of the land) from the south to the north shall be burned therein.” Now that the signification of “fire” in both senses is known, the signification in the Word of “to become warm,” “to be inflamed,” “to glow,” “to boil up,” “to be burned,” “to be burnt up,” also of “warmth,” “flame,” “glow,” “burning,” “conflagration,” “place for fire,” “coals,” and the like, can be seen.
* Photolithograph has “pine away.”

sRef Rev@8 @7 S0′ 505. And they were cast unto the earth, signifies progression towards the lower parts, where the evil were. This is evident from the signification of “being cast unto the earth,” namely, “hail and fire mingled with blood,” which was effected by “the first angel sounding,” as being to advance towards the lower parts, where the evil were consociated, with whom also there were some of the good. This signifies progression towards the lower parts, because the changes and desolations that are signified by “the third part of the trees and all the green grass were burnt up,” were effected progressively towards the lower parts where the evil were, as has been said above. “The earth” means here the lower parts, because these things were seen by John when he was in the spirit, that is, when he was in the spiritual world; for man’s spirit, when it has its sight opened, sees the things that are in the spiritual world and in that world there are mountains, hills, and valleys, and upon the mountains and hills there are the angelic heavens, but in the valleys below are those who have not yet been taken up into heaven; on these, therefore, there were now the evil mixed with the good; wherefore these valleys that were below the mountains and hills are here meant by “the earth” (or land); so “to be cast unto the earth” means out of the heavens towards the lower parts. But when mountains, hills, and valleys taken together are called “the earth,” then “the earth” signifies the church there.

sRef Rev@8 @7 S0′ 506. And the third part of the trees was burnt up, signifies that the perceptions and knowledges of truth and good were destroyed by cupidities arising from evil loves. This is evident from the signification of “a third part,” when predicated of truths, as meaning all (of which presently); also from the signification of “trees,” as being the interiors of man that belong to his mind (of which above, n. 109), and thus the perceptions of truths and goods, and the knowledges of them (see above, n. 420); also from the signification of “to be burnt up,” as being to be destroyed by cupidities arising from evil loves, of which just above (n. 504), where it was shown that these cupidities are signified by “fire,” therefore “to be burnt up” means to be destroyed by these.
sRef Rev@8 @11 S2′ sRef Rev@8 @10 S2′ sRef Rev@8 @12 S2′ sRef Rev@8 @8 S2′ [2] “The third part” signifies all, and thus “the third part of the trees” signifies every perception of truths and goods, and thence every knowledge of them, because the number “three” signifies fullness, the whole, and all, and is predicated of truths; so “the third part” has the like meaning, for “a third” means the same as “three;” moreover, numbers multiplied into themselves and divided by themselves have a similar signification as the integral numbers from which they are derived (see above, n. 430). That “the third part” signifies all and is predicated of truths see also above (n. 384). “The third part” has a similar signification in the following passages:
The third part of the sea became blood (verse 8);
The third part of the creatures that were in the sea died (verse 9);
A burning star fell upon the third part of the rivers (verse 10);
The third part of the waters became wormwood (verse 11);
The third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars (verse 12; likewise 9:15, 18; 12:4).
[3] This describes how all perception of truth and good, and thence the knowledge of them, were first destroyed by the loves of self and the world and the cupidities and pleasures arising therefrom. The perception and knowledge of spiritual truth and good are destroyed by these loves and the cupidities arising therefrom, because these loves are the corporeal and merely natural loves into which man is born and unless these are subdued and ruled by spiritual loves, which are out of heaven from the Lord, they extinguish every perception and thence every knowledge of the truths and goods of heaven and the church; for these loves regarded in themselves are diametrically opposite to the spiritual loves. From this it can be seen that when the church lapses it comes first from an internal spiritual state into a natural state, that consists of loving self and the world above all things; thence then it is in thick darkness in respect to all things of heaven and the church, however much light it may have in respect to the things of the world.
[4] When the perception of spiritual truths and goods perishes, the knowledge of them also perishes, for although man knows them and speaks of them from the Word or from doctrine, still he does not know them when he does not perceive them. The perception of a thing makes the knowledge of it. Knowledge without perception is not living, but dead, and is a knowledge of the mere sense of the words, and not of the thing itself. Such are the knowledges of truth and good from the Word and from the doctrine of the church that those have with whom the loves of self and the world are dominant; however skilled such may be in cleverly and artfully speaking and preaching about them, yet they are mere shells, which seem before the vulgar to have kernels within, and yet they are empty.

sRef Rev@8 @7 S0′ 507. And all green grass was burnt up, signifies that all true knowledge [scientificum] was destroyed by the cupidities of the same loves. This is evident from the signification of “grass,” as being knowledge [scientificum] (of which presently); also from the signification of “green,” as being truth and living from truth, because as green grass serves as food for animals, so true knowledge serves for spiritual nourishment for man; for whatever is produced in fields, in gardens, and in plains, and serves for nourishment either for man or beast, has a correspondence with such things as serve for the nourishment of the spirit and mind, and such nourishment is called spiritual nourishment. Like things appear in the spiritual world, from the correspondence of spiritual things with natural things; and as the Word in the letter is natural, and is written by correspondences, it is here said that “the third part of the trees and all green grass were burnt up,” which means in the spiritual sense that all perception and knowledge of truth and good, as well as all true knowledge [scientificum] are destroyed, by these two corporeal, terrestrial, and merely natural loves.
[2] By true knowledge [scientifica] is meant all knowledge by which spiritual truth is confirmed, and which has life from spiritual good. For by knowledges [scientifica] a man may become wise or he may become insane. A man becomes wise by knowledges when he uses them to confirm the truths and goods of the church, which are spiritual truths and goods; and he becomes insane by knowledges when he uses them to invalidate and refute the truths and goods of the church. When they are used to confirm the truths and goods of the church they are called true knowledges, as also living knowledges; but when they are used to invalidate and refute the truths and goods of the church they are called false knowledges, and also dead knowledges. Knowledges [scientiae] are only means to uses, and they are such as the uses are that spring from them. They are living knowledges when man by means of them acquires for himself intelligence and wisdom. All intelligence and wisdom is from truths that are from heaven; such intelligence and wisdom, because it is from heaven, that is, from the Lord through heaven, is living, because it is the very spiritual life of man; but from falsities there can be no intelligence and wisdom, and if it is supposed to exist in anyone, yet it is dead, because it is from hell.
[3] This has been said to make known that “green grass” signifies true knowledge [scientificum], which is living, but “grass burnt up” signifies false knowledge, which is dead. When truth and good, which come from heaven, find no receptacle in the cognitions and knowledges with man, but evils and falsities which are from hell are received, then knowledges [scientifica] are not living but dead, and correspond to grass withered and burnt up. It is similar with man himself, for a man is such a man as the cognitions and knowledges are alive in him; for from living knowledges [scientiae] he has intelligence, but from knowledges not living he has no intelligence; and if they are dead in consequence of the confirmation of falsities by them there is insanity and folly.
sRef Isa@37 @27 S4′ sRef Ps@103 @15 S4′ sRef Isa@40 @7 S4′ sRef Ps@37 @2 S4′ sRef Isa@40 @8 S4′ sRef Ps@129 @6 S4′ sRef Isa@40 @6 S4′ sRef Isa@40 @5 S4′ [4] Such a man, from correspondence, is compared in the Word to “grass,” and is also called “grass” in the following passages. In Isaiah:
The inhabitants have become as the herb of the field, as the greenness of the tender herb, as the grass of the housetops and as a field scorched before it is grown up (37:27; 2 Kings 19:26).
In David:
The wicked are cut down in haste as the grass, and wither as the greenness of the herb (Ps. 37:2).
In the same:
As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field so he flourisheth (Ps. 103:15).
In the same:
The haters of Zion shall be as the grass of the housetops, which withereth before it is plucked up (Ps. 129:6).
In Isaiah:
The glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and they shall see. The voice said, Cry; and he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all its holiness is as the flower of the field; the grass hath dried up and the flower hath fallen off because the breath of Jehovah hath blown upon it. Surely the people is grass. The grass hath dried up, the flower hath fallen off; but the Word of our God shall stand up forever (40:5-8).
This is said of the Lord’s coming, and of the revelation of Divine truth from Him at that time, which is meant by “the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and they shall see.” That there will then be no true knowledge [scientificum] and no spiritual truth with men, is signified by “all flesh is grass, all its holiness is as the flower of the field; the grass hath dried up, the flower hath fallen off,” “grass” meaning true knowledge, and “the flower of the field” spiritual truth. That man is such is meant by “all flesh is grass,” and by “surely the people is grass; the grass is dried up;” “all flesh” meaning every man, and “people” those who are in truths, here those who are in falsities.
sRef Isa@51 @12 S5′ sRef Isa@44 @4 S5′ sRef Isa@44 @3 S5′ [5] In the same:
I am He that comforteth you; who art thou, that thou fearest man that dieth, and a son of man that is given for grass? (Isa. 51:12).
These words signify that all things are from the Lord, and nothing from self-wisdom and self-intelligence. “Man” means man in respect to wisdom, and the “son of man” the same in respect to intelligence; that this latter is mere knowledge [scientifia] is meant by “is given for grass.”
[6] In the same:
I will pour out My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring; and they shall spring up in the midst of the grass (Isa. 44:3, 4).
The “spirit of Jehovah” signifies the Divine truth, and “blessing” signifies its multiplication and fructification; intelligence thence through true knowledges (scientifica) is signified by “springing up in the midst of the grass.”
sRef Deut@32 @2 S7′ sRef Ps@147 @9 S7′ sRef Ps@147 @8 S7′ sRef Ps@104 @14 S7′ sRef Ps@104 @15 S7′ [7] In David:
Jehovah who causeth the grass to spring forth for the beast, and herb for the service of man (Ps. 104:14).
In the same:
Jehovah who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to spring forth upon the mountains, who giveth to the beast his food (Ps. 147:8, 9).
In Moses:
My doctrine shall flow down as the rain, My Word shall drop as the dew, as the mist on the grass, and as the drops on the herb (Deut. 32:2).
In these passages “grass” signifies true knowledge [scientificum], and “the herb of the field” spiritual truth; for “the herb of the field” means what springs up in a field at first, that is, when it has just been plowed, therefore it is called “herb for the service of man.” It is said “grass for the beast,” and “as food for the beast,” because “beast” signifies in the Word the affection of the natural man, and to this, true knowledge is for food and nourishment.
sRef Job@40 @15 S8′ [8] In Job:
Behold the Behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox (40:15).
“Behemoth” has the same meaning as “beast” in the Word, namely, the natural affections that belong to man, therefore it is said, “behold, the Behemoth, which I have made with thee.” His spiritual pasture is true knowledge; this is meant by “he eateth grass as an ox.”
[9] That “green” signifies what is living can be seen without further explanation; for any vegetable subject while it is growing, that is, while it lives as it were, is green, but when it is no longer growing, or is as it were dying, its greenness perishes; therefore “green” or “to be green” signifies living or to be living; as can be seen also from the following passages (Jer. 11:16; 17:8; Ezek. 17:24; 20:47; Hos. 14:8; Ps. 37:35; 52:8; 92:10) and elsewhere.

sRef Rev@8 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@8 @9 S0′ 508. Verses 8, 9. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea; and the third part of the sea became blood. And there died the third part of the creatures in the sea having souls; and the third part of the ships was destroyed. 8. “And the second angel sounded” signifies influx out of heaven, and the second consequent change with the evil (n. 509); “and as it were a great mountain burning with fire,” signifies the love of self and of self-intelligence therefrom (n. 510); “was cast into the sea,” signifies into the natural man (n. 511); “and the third part of the sea became blood,” signifies that in consequence everything therein became falsity of evil (n. 512). 9. “And there died the third part of the creatures in the sea having souls,” signifies that in consequence every living knowledge [scientificum] in the natural man perished (n. 513); “and the third part of the ships was destroyed,” signifies that all knowledge of truth and good from the Word and from doctrines from the Word also perished (n. 514).

sRef Rev@8 @8 S0′ 509. Verse 8. And the second angel sounded, signifies influx out of heaven, and the second consequent change with the evil, as is evident from what has been said and shown above (n. 502).

sRef Rev@8 @8 S0′ 510. And as it were a great mountain burning with fire, signifies the love of self, and of self-intelligence therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “a mountain burning with fire,” as being the love of self and the love of self-intelligence therefrom. This love is signified by such a mountain, because a “mountain” in the Word signifies love in both senses, namely heavenly love and infernal love (see above, n. 405); likewise “fire” (see also above, n. 504); and here the evil who are to be separated from the good and cast into hell are treated of, and with such every truth is turned by that love into falsity. This effect, arising from “casting that mountain into the sea,” is described in what follows; for “that mountain cast into the sea, so that the third part of the sea became blood,” signifies that everything in the natural man became falsity of evil. From this it can be seen that “a great mountain burning with fire” signifies the love of self and the love of self-intelligence therefrom. All self-intelligence is from the love of self.
[2] “Mountain” means love in both senses, because the angels of the third heaven, who are in celestial love, dwell upon mountains in the spiritual world; so when a “mountain” is mentioned, that heaven is meant, and according to the ideas of angelic thought, which are abstracted from persons and places, that which constitutes heaven is meant, that is, celestial love. But in the contrary sense “mountain” signifies the love of self, because they who are in the love of self have a constant desire to go up mountains, to make themselves equal to those who are in the third heaven. Because they dwell upon this in their fancy, it is also the object of their endeavor when they are out of the hells; this is why a “mountain” in the contrary sense signifies the love of self. In a word, those who are in the love of self are always aspiring after high things, so after death, when all the states of the love are changed into things correspondent, in their fancy they mount aloft, believing themselves, while in the fancy, to be upon high mountains, and yet bodily they are in the hells. This is why those who are of Babylon, who are in such love of self as to wish to rule not only over all the earth but also over the heavens, are called “mountains,” and are said “to sit upon a mountain” and “to ascend above the heights of the cloud.” As in Jeremiah:
Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, destroying the whole earth; and I will stretch out My hand against thee, to roll thee down from the rocks and make thee a mountain of burning (51:25).
In Isaiah:
Thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend into the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit on the mount of the congregation; I will ascend above the heights of the cloud; I will become like the Most High: yet thou shalt be cast down to hell (14:13-15).
This is said of Babylon.

sRef Rev@8 @8 S0′ 511. Was cast into the sea, signifies into the natural man. This is evident from the signification of the “sea,” as being the knowledge [scientificum] in general which is in the natural man, consequently the natural man in respect to its knowledge there (see above n. 270, 342). This is the signification of “sea,” because “water” signifies truth, and truth in the natural man is called knowledge [scientificum]; but truth itself is in itself spiritual, and in the spiritual man makes one with the affection of truth, for it is a form of affection there; consequently so far as this affection with its form is therefrom in the knowledges that are in the natural man, so far the knowledges contain in themselves truths, and are true knowledges; for the knowledges of the natural man, viewed in themselves, are not truths, but only containing vessels of truth, therefore “vessels” in the Word signify knowledges.
[2] That the “sea” signifies the natural man can be seen from passages in the Word cited above (n. 275, 342), which makes clear that the “sea” in reference to its water signifies knowledge [scientificum] in general, while the “sea” in reference to its waves signifies disputation and reasoning, which are maintained by knowledges; and as both knowledges and reasoning are in the natural man, therefore the “sea” signifies the natural man itself. But the state of the natural man is wholly in accordance with the affection of man’s love. When spiritual affection, that is, affection of good and truth for the sake of good and truth, is dominant in man, and when this affection flows in through the spiritual into the natural man, then the natural man is a spiritual-natural man, for it is subordinate and subject to the spiritual, and as they thus act as a one, both are in heaven. But so long as a merely natural affection is dominant in man, there is in the natural man no truth, but everything therein is knowledge [scientificum] not true, it is dead knowledge and false knowledge, for the reason that the knowledges therein then conjoin themselves with affections merely natural, all of which spring from the loves of self and of the world, while truths themselves, because in themselves they are spiritual, conjoin themselves only with spiritual affections, as has been said above. When truths conjoin themselves with affections merely natural, they are no longer truths but falsities, for affection merely natural falsifies truths. Conjunctions of truth with affections merely natural correspond to whoredoms and adulteries of various kinds, and in the spiritual sense are meant in the Word by various kinds of whoredoms and adulteries. There are conjunctions of the truths of the Word with the love of self and the world that correspond to these.
[3] That the “sea” signifies the natural man with the things that are in it is also from correspondence; for in the spiritual world seas appear in various places, especially about the outmost boundaries where spiritual societies or heaven itself ends. There are seas there because in the boundaries of heaven and beyond them those dwell who have been merely natural men, and these appear there in deep places, where they have their abodes; the natural men there, however, are not evil, but the evil natural men are in the hells. The seas there seen also make evident what those are who are in them, especially from the color of the waters, as verging towards darkness or clearness; if towards darkness those therein are sensual spirits, who are the lowest natural, and if towards clearness those therein are the interior natural. But the waters of the seas that are over the hells are dense, black, and sometimes ruddy; and the infernal crew therein appear like snakes and serpents, and like such monsters as are in seas.

sRef Rev@8 @8 S0′ 512. And the third part of the sea became blood, signifies that in consequence everything therein became the falsity of evil. This is evident from the signification of the “third part,” as being all (see above, n. 506); also from the signification of the “sea,” as being the natural man (see just above, n. 511); therefore “the third part of the sea” signifies the whole natural man and everything therein; also from the signification of “blood,” as being falsity of evil (see also above, n. 329). From this the spiritual sense of this verse can be seen, namely, that “the great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea, and the third part of the sea became blood,” signifies that the love of self, when it enters into and occupies the natural man, turns every knowledge [scientificum] into the falsity of evil.
[2] The love of self is a love purely corporeal, springing from the rising up and fermenting of worn out parts and the titillation caused by these inwardly in the body; in consequence of which the perceptive faculty of the mind, which requires a pure atmosphere, not only becomes dull and gross, but even perishes. That this is the origin of the love of self can be seen from its correspondence with human dung; for those who have been corroded by this love, when they come into the other life love above all things stercoraceous filth, and its stench is grateful to them, which proves that the effluvium therefrom pleasantly affects the sensory of their smell, as it had before affected the general sensory, which is extended by interior cuticles in every direction. From this alone it can be seen that the love of self is more gross and foully corporeal than any other love, and consequently that it takes away all spiritual perception, which is a perception of the truth and good of heaven and the church. Moreover, it shuts up the spiritual mind and fixes its seat entirely in the natural and sensual man, which communicates most closely with the body and has no communication with heaven. From this again it comes to pass that all those in whom the love of self is dominant are sensual, and do not see the things that belong to heaven and the church except in the densest darkness; and furthermore they reject and deny these whenever they are alone and are thinking with themselves. From this the signification of “the third part of the sea became blood, in consequence of the great mountain burning with fire that was cast into it,” can now be seen.

sRef Rev@8 @9 S0′ 513. Verse 9. And there died the third part of the creatures in the sea having souls, signifies that in consequence every living knowledge [scientificum] in the natural man perished. This is evident from the signification of “dying,” as being to perish spiritually, that is, in respect to the life of heaven; also from the signification of the “third part,” as being all (see above, n. 506); also from the signification of the “creatures in the sea” (or fishes), as being knowledges [scientifica] (of which presently); also from the signification of “having souls,” as being to be alive; consequently “there died the third part of the creatures in the sea having souls” signifies that in consequence every living knowledge perished. A living knowledge means a knowledge that derives life from spiritual affection; for that affection gives life to truths, and thus gives life to knowledges, for knowledges are containants of spiritual truths (see above, n. 506, 507, 511).
sRef Isa@50 @2 S2′ [2] “The creatures of the sea” (or fishes) signify knowledges, because the “sea” signifies the natural man, and thus “fishes in the sea” signify the knowledges themselves that are in the natural man. This signification of “fishes” also is from correspondence, for the spirits that are not in spiritual truths, but only in natural truths, which are knowledges, appear in the spiritual world in seas, and when viewed by those who are above, as fishes; for the thoughts that spring from the knowledges with such present that appearance. For all the ideas of the thought of angels and spirits are turned into various representatives outside of them; when turned into such things as are of the vegetable kingdom they are turned into trees and shrubs of various kinds; and when into such things as are of the animal kingdom they are turned into land animals and flying things of various kinds; when the ideas of the angels of heaven are turned into land animals they are turned into lambs, sheep, goats, bullocks, horses, mules, and other like animals; but when into flying things they are turned into turtle doves, pigeons, and various kinds of beautiful birds. But the ideas of thought of those who are natural and who think from mere knowledges are turned into the forms of fishes. Consequently in the seas various kinds of fishes appear, and this it has often been granted me to see.
[3] It is from this that in the Word “fishes” signify knowledges, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
At My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers into a wilderness; their fish shall rot because there is no water, and shall die of thirst (50:2).
“The rebuke of Jehovah” means the ruin of the church, which takes place when there is no knowledge of truth and good, that is, no living knowledge, because there is no perception; “dry up the sea” signifies to deprive the natural man of true knowledges [scientifica], and thus of natural life from the spiritual; “to make the rivers into a wilderness” signifies a similar deprivation in the rational man whence there is no intelligence; “their fish shall rot because there is no water, and shall die of thirst,” signifies that there is no longer any living knowledge [scientificum], because there is no truth, “fish” meaning knowledge, “water” truth, and “to rot” meaning to perish in respect to spiritual life.
sRef Ex@7 @18 S4′ sRef Ex@7 @20 S4′ sRef Ex@7 @19 S4′ sRef Ex@7 @17 S4′ sRef Ex@7 @22 S4′ sRef Ex@7 @24 S4′ sRef Ex@7 @25 S4′ sRef Ex@7 @21 S4′ sRef Ps@105 @29 S4′ sRef Ex@7 @23 S4′ [4] The like that is here said of the sea, that “a third part of it became blood, and thence the third part of the creatures in it died,” is said also of Egypt, that its river and all its waters became blood, and consequently the fish died, in Moses:
Moses said to Pharaoh that the waters of the river should be turned into blood, and that consequently the fish should die, and the river should stink, and that the Egyptians would loathe to drink the waters of the river; and this was also done in respect to all the water in Egypt (Exod. 7:17-25).
It is said of this in David:
He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish (Ps. 105:29).
The like was done in Egypt, because “Egypt” signifies the natural man in respect to its knowledge [scientificum], or the knowledge belonging to the natural man; “the river of Egypt” signifies intelligence acquired by means of knowledges; “the river becoming blood” signifies intelligence from mere falsities; “the fish dying” signifies that true knowledges were destroyed by falsities, for knowledges live by truths but are destroyed by falsities, for the reason that all spiritual truth is living, and from it is all the life, or as it were the soul, in the knowledges; therefore without spiritual truth knowledge is dead.
sRef Ezek@29 @5 S5′ sRef Ezek@29 @3 S5′ sRef Ezek@29 @4 S5′ [5] In Ezekiel:
I am against thee, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great whale that lieth in the midst of his rivers, that hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made myself. Therefore I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, that all the fish of thy rivers may stick unto thy scales. And I will abandon thee in the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers (29:3-5).
“Pharaoh” has a similar signification as “Egypt,” for the king and the people have a similar signification, namely, the natural man and knowledge therein; therefore he is called “a great whale;” “whale (or sea-monster)” signifying knowledge in general; therefore it is said that “he shall be drawn out of the river,” and that then “the fish shall stick to his scales,” which signifies that all intelligence is to perish, and that knowledge (scientia) which will take its place will be in the sensual man without life. In the sensual man, which is the lowest natural, standing out nearest to the world, there are fallacies and falsities therefrom, and this is signified by “the fish sticking to the scales” of the whale. That the natural man and the knowledge therein will be without life from any intelligence is signified by “I will abandon thee in the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers.” That such things would come to pass because the natural man attributes all intelligence to itself, is signified by “that hath said, My river is mine own, I have made myself,” “river” meaning intelligence.
sRef Num@11 @31 S6′ sRef Num@11 @34 S6′ sRef Num@11 @6 S6′ sRef Num@11 @33 S6′ sRef Num@11 @5 S6′ [6] In Moses:
The sons of Israel said in the wilderness, We remember the fish that we did eat in Egypt freely, and the cucumbers and the melons, and the leeks and the onions and the garlic; now our soul is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes. Afterwards there went forth a wind from Jehovah, and snatched quails from the sea, and let them fall over the camp. But because of this lust Jehovah smote the people with a very great plague; consequently the name of that place was called the Graves of Lust (Num. 11:5, 6, 31, 33, 34).
This signified that the sons of Israel were averse from things spiritual and hungered after natural things; indeed, they were not spiritual but merely natural, only representing a spiritual church by external things. That they were averse from spiritual things is signified by “our soul is dried up, there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes,” “manna” signifying spiritual food, which is knowledge (scientia), intelligence, and wisdom. That they hungered after natural things is signified by “their lusting after the fish in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic,” all which signify such things as belong to the lowest natural, that is, the sensual-corporeal man; and because they rejected things spiritual, and coveted merely natural things instead, “they were smitten with a great plague, and the name given to the place was the Graves of Lust.”
sRef Ezek@47 @1 S7′ sRef Ezek@47 @9 S7′ sRef Ezek@47 @8 S7′ sRef Ezek@47 @10 S7′ sRef Ezek@47 @11 S7′ [7] In Ezekiel:
He said to me, These waters go forth toward the eastern boundary, and go down into the plain and come towards the sea, being sent forth into the sea that the waters may be healed; whence it comes to pass that every living soul that creeps, whithersoever the brooks come, shall live; whence there is exceeding much fish. Therefore it shall come to pass that the fishers shall stand upon it from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim; with the spreading of nets are they there; their fish shall be according to their kind, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. But the miry places and the marshes thereof which are not healed shall be given to salt (47:8-11).
This treats of the house of God, which signifies heaven and the church; and “the waters that go forth out of the house of God towards the east” signify Divine truth reforming and regenerating; the “plain” and the “sea” into which the waters go down, signify the ultimate things of heaven and the church, which with the men of the church are the things that belong to the natural and sensual man, the “plain” signifying the interior things thereof, and the “sea” the exterior things thereof; that both cognitions from the Word and confirming knowledges receive spiritual life through this Divine truth is signified by “the waters of the sea are healed thereby,” and by “every soul that creepeth shall live,” and by “there shall be exceeding much fish;” that there are in consequence true and living knowledges of every kind is signified by “their fish shall be according to their kind, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.” Those who are reformed, and thence become intelligent, are meant by “the fishers from En-gedi even to En-eglaim.” Those who cannot be reformed because they are in the falsities of evil are signified by “the miry places and marshes that are not healed, but are given to salt.” Everyone can see that this does not mean that fishes are multiplied by the waters going forth out of the house of God, but that “fishes” mean such things in man as can be reformed, since “the house of God” means heaven and the church, and the “waters going forth therefrom” mean Divine truth reforming.
sRef Job@12 @8 S8′ sRef Hos@4 @1 S8′ sRef Ezek@38 @20 S8′ sRef Ezek@38 @19 S8′ sRef Job@12 @9 S8′ sRef Ezek@38 @18 S8′ sRef Hos@4 @3 S8′ sRef Job@12 @7 S8′ sRef Zeph@1 @3 S8′ [8] In the Word here and there mention is made of “the beast of the earth,” “the fowl of heaven,” and “the fish of the sea,” and he who does not know that the “beast of the earth” (or of the field) means man’s voluntary faculty, “the fowl of heaven” his intellectual faculty, and “the fish of the sea” his knowing faculty, cannot know at all the meaning of these passages, as in the following. In Hosea:
Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. Therefore the land shall mourn, and everyone that dwelleth therein shall languish, among the beasts of the field, and among the fowl of the heavens; and also the fishes of the sea shall be gathered up (4:1, 3).
In Zephaniah:
I will consume man and beast, I will consume the fowl of the heavens, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked (1:3).
In Ezekiel:
In the day that Gog shall come upon the land of Israel, there shall be a great earthquake over the land of Israel, and the fishes of the sea, and the fowl of the heavens, and the beast of the field, shall quake before Me (38:18-20).
In Job:
Ask the beasts and they shall teach thee, or the fowl of heaven and they shall tell thee, or the shrub of the earth and it shall teach thee, and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who doth not know by all these things that the hand of Jehovah doeth this? (12:7-9).
In these passages “the beast of the field” means man’s voluntary faculty, “the fowl of heaven” his intellectual faculty, and “the fish of the sea” his knowing faculty; otherwise how could it be said “the beasts shall teach thee, the fowl of heaven shall tell thee, and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee, that the hand of Jehovah doeth this”? Also it is said, “Who doth not know by all these things?”
sRef Ps@8 @7 S9′ sRef Ps@8 @8 S9′ sRef Ps@8 @6 S9′ [9] Likewise in David:
Thou madest him to rule over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet, the flock and all herds, the beasts of the fields, the fowl of heaven, and the fish of the sea, whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas (Ps. 8:6-8).
This is said of the Lord and His dominion. That He has dominion over angels in the heavens and over men on the earth is known from the Word, for He says that unto Him “all power in heaven and in earth has been given” (Matt. 28:18); but that dominion was given to Him over animals, fowl, and fishes, is not a matter of sufficient importance to be mentioned in the Word, where each and every thing has reference to heaven and the church. It is therefore evident that “flock and herds, the beasts of the fields, the fowl of heaven, and the fish of the sea,” mean such things as belong to heaven with angels and to the church with man, “the flock and the herds” signifying, in general, things spiritual and natural, the “flock” things spiritual, and “herds” things natural that are with man, or that belong to the spiritual mind and to the natural mind with him. “The beasts of the fields” signify things voluntary, which belong to the affections; “the fowl of heaven” signify things intellectual, which belong to the thoughts; and “the fishes of the sea” signify knowledges (scientifica) which belong to the natural man.
sRef Gen@1 @28 S10′ sRef Gen@1 @26 S10′ [10] Like things are signified by these words in the first chapter of Genesis:
And God said, We will make man in Our image, after Our likeness; that he may have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of heaven, and over every animal that creepeth upon the earth (verses 26, 28).
This chapter treats in the internal spiritual sense of the establishment of the Most Ancient Church, thus of the new creation or regeneration of the men of that church. That it was given to them to perceive all things of their affection which belong to the will, and to see all things of their thought which belong to the understanding, and to so rule over them as not to wander away into the lusts of evil and into falsities, is meant by “that he may have dominion over the fish of the sea, and the fowl of heaven, and every animal of the earth;” and man has dominion over these things when the Lord has dominion over man, for man of himself does not have dominion over anything in himself. “The fish of the sea, the fowl of heaven, and the beast of the field,” have this signification because of their correspondence. The correspondences of the interior things of man with these things stand forth so as to be clearly seen in the spiritual world; for there beasts of every kind, and birds, and fishes in the seas, are seen, which nevertheless are nothing else than the ideas of thought that flow forth from affections, and these are presented under such forms because they are correspondences.
sRef Isa@19 @8 S11′ [11] Because “fishes” signify the knowledges and cognitions belonging to the natural man that serve the spiritual man as means for becoming wise, so “fishers” mean in the Word those who are merely in knowledges, also those who are acquiring knowledges for themselves, also those who teach others and by means of knowledges reform them. The works of such are meant by “the casting and spreading of nets,” as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
The fishers shall moan, and all they that cast the hook into the river shall mourn, and they that spread the net upon the faces of the waters shall languish (19:8).
“The fishers that cast the hook into the river and they that spread the net” mean those who wish to acquire for themselves knowledges and through these intelligence, here that they are unable to do this because there are no knowledges of truth anywhere.
sRef Jer@16 @15 S12′ sRef Jer@16 @16 S12′ [12] In Jeremiah:
I will bring back the sons of Israel again upon their land; I will send to many fishers who shall fish them; then I will send to many hunters, who shall hunt them from upon every mountain and from upon every hill, and out of the clefts of the cliffs (16:15, 16).
“To send to fishers who shall fish them, and to hunters who shall hunt them,” means to call together and establish the church with those who are in natural good and in spiritual good, as may be seen above (n. 405).
sRef Hab@1 @15 S13′ sRef Hab@1 @17 S13′ sRef Hab@1 @14 S13′ [13] In Habakkuk:
Wherefore dost Thou make man as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping thing that hath no ruler? Let him draw up all with the hook, and gather him into his net. Shall he therefore empty his net, and not pity to slay the nations continually? (1:14, 15, 17).
This was said of the Chaldean nation wasting and destroying the church; and the Chaldean nation signifies the profanation of truth, and the vastation of the church. “To make men as the fishes of the sea, and as the creeping thing that hath no ruler,” signifies to make man so natural that his knowledges (scientifica) are devoid of spiritual truth, and his delights are devoid of spiritual good; for in the natural man there are knowledges by which come thoughts, and delights by which come affections; and if the spiritual is not dominant over these, both thoughts and affections are wandering, and thus man is destitute of the intelligence that should lead and rule. That then every falsity and every evil has power to draw them over to their side, and thus wholly destroy them, is signified by “Let him draw out all with the hook, and gather into his net, and afterwards slay,” “to draw out” meaning out of truth and good, “into his net” meaning into falsity and evil, and “to slay” meaning to destroy.
sRef Amos@4 @2 S14′ [14] In Amos:
The days will come in which they shall draw you out with hooks, and your posterity with fish hooks (4:2).
This signifies leading away and alienating from truths by means of acute reasonings from falsities and fallacies; it is said of those who abound in knowledges because they have the Word and the prophets; such are here meant by “the kine of Bashan in the mountain of Samaria.”
sRef Matt@4 @18 S15′ sRef Luke@5 @3 S15′ sRef Matt@4 @19 S15′ sRef Luke@5 @5 S15′ sRef Luke@5 @6 S15′ sRef Luke@5 @8 S15′ sRef Luke@5 @7 S15′ sRef Luke@5 @10 S15′ sRef Luke@5 @4 S15′ sRef Luke@5 @9 S15′ [15] From this the meaning of “fishermen,” “fishes” and “nets,” so often mentioned in the New Testament, can be seen, as in the following passages:
Jesus saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And He said unto them, Come ye after Me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matt. 4:18, 19: Mark 1:16, 17).
Jesus entered into Simon’s boat and was teaching the multitude. After that He told Simon to let out his nets for a draught, and they inclosed a great multitude of fishes, so that the boats were filled, and in danger of sinking. And amazement seized them all, because of the draught of fishes; and He said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men (Luke 5:3-10).
In this also there is a spiritual sense, like that in the rest of the Word; the Lord’s choosing these fishermen and saying that “they should become fishers of men,” signified that they should gather to the church; “the nets which they let out, and in which they inclosed a great multitude of fishes, so that the ships were in danger of sinking,” signified the reformation of the church through them, for “fishes” here signify the knowledges of truth and good by means of which reformation is effected, likewise the multitude of men who are to be reformed.
sRef John@21 @13 S16′ sRef John@21 @8 S16′ sRef John@21 @10 S16′ sRef John@21 @11 S16′ sRef John@21 @9 S16′ sRef John@21 @6 S16′ sRef John@21 @4 S16′ sRef John@21 @5 S16′ sRef John@21 @7 S16′ sRef John@21 @3 S16′ sRef John@21 @12 S16′ sRef John@21 @2 S16′ [16] The draught of fishes by the disciples after the Lord’s resurrection has a like signification; it is thus described in John:
When Jesus manifested Himself to the disciples, who were fishing, He told them to cast the net on the right side of the boat. And they took so many that they were not able to draw the net for the multitude of fishes. When they descended upon the land they saw a fire built, and a little fish lying thereon, and bread. And Jesus gave them the bread, and the little fish likewise (21:2-13).
The Lord manifested Himself while they were fishing, because “to fish” signified to teach the knowledges of truth and good, and thus to reform. His commanding them “to cast the net on the right side of the boat” signified that all things should be from the good of love and charity, “the right side” signifying that good from which all things should come, for so far as knowledges are derived from good, so far they live and are multiplied. They said that “they had labored all the night and had taken nothing,” which signified that from self or from one’s own (proprium) nothing comes, but that all things are from the Lord; and the like was signified by the “fire” on which was the little fish, and by the “bread;” for the “bread” signified the Lord and the good of love from Him, and “the fish on the fire” the knowledge of truth from good, the “fish” the knowledge of truth, and the “fire” good. At that time there were no spiritual men, because the church was wholly vastated, but all were natural, and their reformation was represented by this fishing, and also by the fish on the fire. He who believes that the fish on the fire and the bread that were given to the disciples to eat were not significative of something higher is very much mistaken, for the least things done by the Lord and said by Him were significative of Divine celestial things, which become evident only through the spiritual sense. That this “fire of coals” and “fire” mean the good of love, and that “bread” means the Lord in relation to that good, has been shown above; and that a “fish” means the knowledge of truth and the knowing faculty of the natural man is clear from what has been said and shown in this article.
sRef Matt@13 @47 S17′ sRef Matt@13 @48 S17′ sRef Matt@13 @49 S17′ [17] It is also said by the Lord that:
The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a net cast into the sea bringing together every kind of fish, which when it was full they drew upon the beach, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be in the consummation of the age (Matt. 13:47-49).
The separation of the good and the evil is here likened to “a net cast into the sea bringing together every kind of fish,” for the reason that “fishes” signify natural men in respect to knowledges and cognitions, and in “the consummation of the age,” or at the time of the Last Judgment, such are separated from one another; for there are good natural men and bad natural men; and the separation of these in the spiritual world has the appearance of a net or drag-net cast into the sea, bringing together the fish, and drawing them to the shore, and this appearance is also from correspondence. This is why the Lord likens the kingdom of the heavens to “a net bringing together the fish.” That the separation of the good from the evil presents this appearance it has been granted me to see.
sRef Luke@24 @38 S18′ sRef Luke@24 @40 S18′ sRef Matt@17 @24 S18′ sRef Luke@24 @42 S18′ sRef Luke@24 @43 S18′ sRef Matt@17 @25 S18′ sRef Luke@24 @41 S18′ sRef Luke@24 @39 S18′ sRef Matt@17 @26 S18′ sRef Matt@17 @27 S18′ [18] That natural men are signified by “fish” is clear from this miracle of the Lord:
Those who received the half-shekel came. Jesus said to Simon, The kings of the earth, from whom do they receive tribute or toll? from their sons or from strangers? Peter said unto Him, From strangers. Jesus said unto him, Therefore are the sons free. But lest we cause them to stumble, go thou to the sea and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up, and open its mouth and thou shalt find a shekel; that take and give unto them for Me and thee (Matt. 17:24-27).
“To pay tribute and toll,” signified to be subject and to serve, therefore tribute was imposed on strangers, who were not of the sons of Israel, as is evident from the histories of the Word. “The sons of Israel,” with whom was the church, signified the spiritual, and “strangers” the natural; and what is natural is subject to what is spiritual and serves it, for the spiritual man is like a lord, and the natural man like a servant; and as the natural are servants, and are therefore meant by those who pay tribute, so it was brought about that neither the Lord nor Peter, but the “fish,” which signified the natural man, should furnish the tribute.
[19] The Lord’s glorification of His Human, even to its ultimate, which is called natural and sensual, is signified by the following:
Jesus, having appeared to the disciples, said, See My hands and My feet, that it is I myself; feel of Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye behold Me having. And He showed them the hands and feet. And He said unto them, Have ye here anything to eat? They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and of a honeycomb. And He took it and did eat before them (Luke 24:38-43).
That the Lord glorified His Human even to its ultimate, which is called the natural and sensual, He made manifest by showing the hands and feet, and by the disciples feeling them, and by His saying that “a spirit hath not flesh and bones as He had;” and by His eating of the broiled fish and honeycomb. “Hands and feet” signify the ultimates of man, likewise “flesh and bones;” and “broiled fish” signifies the natural in respect to truth from good, and “honey” the natural in respect to the good from which is truth. Because these corresponded to the natural man, and thence signified it, they were eaten in the presence of the disciples; for a “fish,” as has been shown in this article, signifies from correspondence the natural in respect to knowing [scientificum]; wherefore also “a fish” signifies in the Word knowledge and the knowing faculty [scientificum et cognitivum] which belong to the natural man, and a “broiled fish” signifies knowledge that is from natural good; but with the Lord it signifies the Divine natural in respect to truth from good (that “honey” signifies natural good may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 5620, 6857, 10137, 10530). One who does not know that in each particular of the Word there is a spiritual sense, and that the sense of the letter, which is the natural sense, consists of correspondences with things spiritual, cannot know this arcanum, namely, why the Lord ate of the broiled fish and honeycomb in the presence of His disciples, nor why, as here, He gave broiled fish and bread to His disciples; and yet each and every thing that the Lord said and did was Divine, and these Divine things lie hidden in each thing written in the Word.
[20] From this the signification of “there died the third part of the creatures in the sea having souls” can now be seen, namely, that every living knowledge in the natural man perished; or, what is the same, that the natural man in respect to knowledges therein died. The natural man is said to be dead when it is not made alive from the spiritual man, that is, by influx out of heaven from the Lord through the spiritual man, for the Lord flows in through the spiritual man into the natural. When, therefore, no truth of heaven is any longer acknowledged, and no good of heaven affects man, the spiritual mind, which is called the spiritual man, is closed up, and the natural mind receives mere falsities from evil, and falsities from evil are spiritually dead, since truths from good are what are spiritually alive.
sRef Mark@16 @15 S21′ sRef Rev@5 @13 S21′ [21] It is said “the third part of the creatures,” because “creatures” and “animals” signified in the Word the affections and thoughts therefrom in man; consequently they mean men themselves in respect to affections and thoughts. Such is the signification of “creatures” in Mark:
Jesus said to the disciples, Going into all the world, preach ye the Gospel to every creature (16:15).
Also above in Revelation:
And every creature that is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and those that are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the strength, unto the ages of the ages (5:13).
It is evident that here “every creature” means both angels and men, for it is said that “he heard them saying.” (See above, n. 342-346, where this is explained.)

sRef Rev@8 @9 S0′ 514. And the third part of the ships was destroyed, signifies that also all the knowledges from the Word, and from doctrines from the Word perished. This is evident from the signification of “the third part,” as being everything, here all, because it is predicated of the knowledges of truth and good; also from the signification of “ships,” as being the knowledges of truth and good, also doctrinals. “Ships” have this signification because they carry riches over the sea for traffic, and “riches” signify in the Word the knowledges of truth and good, which also are doctrinals. “Ships,” in a strict sense, as being containing vessels, signify the Word and doctrine from the Word, because the Word and doctrine therefrom contain the knowledges of truth and good, as ships contain riches; and “trading,” which is chiefly done by ships, signifies acquiring knowledges for oneself and communicating them to others. But when the contents rather than the contained are meant, “ships” signify the knowledges from the Word and from doctrine from the Word.
sRef Ezek@27 @4 S2′ sRef Ezek@27 @25 S2′ sRef Ezek@27 @6 S2′ sRef Ezek@27 @5 S2′ sRef Ezek@27 @9 S2′ sRef Ezek@27 @8 S2′ [2] This signification of “ships” is evident from the passages where they are mentioned in the Word. Thus in Ezekiel:
O Tyre, thy borders are in the heart of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty. They have built for thee all thy planks of fir-trees from Senir; they have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for thee. Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; they have made thy benches of ivory, a daughter of steps from the isles of Kittim. The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy rowers; thy wise men, O Tyre, that were in thee, they were thy ship-masters. The elders of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee caulking thy breaches; all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to trade in thy merchandise. The ships of Tarshish served as carriers for thy wares. Thou wast filled and glorified exceedingly in the heart of the seas (27:4-6, 8, 9, 25).
In this chapter Tyre is treated of; and as “Tyre” signifies the knowledges of truth and good, therefore her trading is treated of, and the various wares by which she was enriched. For “her trading with various wares by which she was enriched” signifies the acquisition of such knowledges and spiritual opulence there from; therefore a ship is here described with all its furniture, its planks, oars, mast, its pilots, rowers, mariners, and in the preceding and following verses, its wares. But it would take too much space to explain here what all these particulars signify in the spiritual sense; it is enough to say that it is evident from this that a “ship” signifies doctrine from the Word, and that its “planks,” “oars,” and “mast” signify the various things of which doctrine consists; also that those who teach, lead, and rule, are meant by “pilot” “ship-masters,” “rowers,” and “mariners,” and the doctrinals themselves by its “wares,” and the acquisition of spiritual wealth and spiritual riches, which are the knowledges of truth and good, through which wisdom is gained, by “trading.” It is therefore said, “thy wise men, O Tyre, were in thee, they were thy ship-masters.”
sRef Ezek@28 @5 S3′ sRef Ezek@28 @3 S3′ sRef Ezek@28 @4 S3′ [3] Again in the following chapter, which also treats of Tyre:
Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee; in thy wisdom and in thine understanding thou hast made to thyself wealth, and hast made gold and silver in thy treasures; by the abundance of thy wisdom in thy trading thou hast increased to thyself wealth (Ezek. 28:3-5).
From these passages it is clear that “Tyre” and her “tradings” mean the knowledges of truth and good through which wisdom is gained; what other reason could there be for saying so much about her wares and her merchandise if spiritual things were not meant? (That “Tyre” means the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, consequently the knowledges of truth and good that belong to the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1201.)
sRef Ezek@27 @30 S4′ sRef Ezek@27 @29 S4′ sRef Ezek@27 @28 S4′ [4] The vastation of the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good is treated of in the same chapter, and is described in these words:
At the voice of the cry of thy ship-masters the suburbs shall quake. And all that hold the oar shall come down from their ship, all the ship masters of the sea, and shall cry out bitterly over thee (27:18-30).
“Ship-masters” signify those who are wise by means of knowledges from the Word; “those that hold the oar” signify those who are intelligent; the vastation of wisdom and intelligence is signified by “the voice of the cry of the ship-masters,” and by “those who hold the oar shall come down from the ships.”
sRef Isa@23 @14 S5′ sRef Isa@23 @2 S5′ sRef Isa@23 @1 S5′ [5] That “ships” in the Word mean the knowledges of truth and good and also doctrinals from the Word, when the cargo is meant by the “ship,” that is, the contents for the containant, is further evident from these passages. In Isaiah:
Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is devastated. The inhabitants of the island are still, the merchant of Zidon passing over the sea, they have filled thee. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for your stronghold is devastated (23:1, 2, 14).
“The ships of Tarshish” mean doctrinals from the Word, for those ships carried gold and silver, which signify goods and truths and the knowledges of these from the Word; and as “Tyre” signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, here the church vastated, therefore it is said, “Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is devastated;” “the inhabitants of the island” mean those who are in the goods of life according to their doctrinals; “the merchants of Zidon” signify those who are in truths from the Word, of whom it is said, “they have filled thee;” “your stronghold” signifies doctrine from the Word defending; and “it is devastated” signifies that there is no perception of it and thence no truth; for the same doctrinals from the Word apart from spiritual perception are not truths, for they are falsified by incorrect ideas respecting them.
sRef Isa@60 @9 S6′ [6] In the same:
The isles shall trust in Me, and the ships of Tarshish in the beginning, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them (60:9).
“The ships of Tarshish in the beginning” mean the knowledges of truth and good, such as those who are reformed have in the beginning, as may be seen above (n. 406), where this is explained. For the ships of Tarshish in the beginning brought gold and silver in great abundance, which signified the goods of life and the truths of doctrine.
sRef 1Ki@9 @28 S7′ sRef 1Ki@9 @26 S7′ sRef 1Ki@9 @27 S7′ sRef 1Ki@10 @22 S7′ sRef 1Ki@22 @48 S7′ sRef 1Ki@10 @23 S7′ [7] Of the ships of Tarshish it is said in the first book of Kings:
Solomon made a ship in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Sea Suph, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. They came to Ophir and took gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to King Solomon (9:26-28).
And again:
The king had at sea a ship of Tarshish with the ship of Hiram; once in three years came the ship of Tarshish, bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks (10:22).
and again in the same book:
King Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold; but they went not, for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber (22:48).
Although these are historical facts they contain a spiritual sense as well as the prophecies; “the ships made in Ezion-geber, at the shore of the Sea Suph in the land of Edom,” signified the knowledges of the natural man, for these contain in themselves, and as it were carry, spiritual wealth, as ships carry worldly wealth; for “the Sea Suph” and “the land of Edom,” where Ezion-geber was, were the outmost border of the land of Canaan, and the “outmost borders of the land of Canaan” signify the ultimates of the church, which are knowledges (scientiae), including the cognitions [cognitiones] of truth and good. “Gold and silver” signify the goods and truths of the internal church; “ivory, apes, and peacocks,” signify the truths and goods of the external church; knowledges (scientia) here meaning such knowledges as the ancients had, namely, the knowledges of correspondences, of representations, and of influxes, and respecting heaven and hell, which especially included and were serviceable to the cognitions of truth and good of the church; “Hiram” signifies the nations that are out of the church with whom also there are cognitions of good and truth; and that the “ships” under king Jehoshaphat “were broken” signifies the devastation of the church in respect to its truths and goods.
sRef Ps@48 @7 S8′ [8] From these considerations it can be seen what is signified in particular by “the ships of Tarshish” in the preceding passages, and also in David:
By the east wind Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish (Ps. 48:7);
“the east wind” signifying devastation and desolation; for the wind that comes from the east in the spiritual world overturns from their foundations the abodes of the evil, and they, with the treasures upon which they had set their hearts, are cast out into the hells (respecting this wind, see in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 61). “The ships of Tarshish” here signify false doctrines.
sRef Isa@2 @17 S9′ sRef Isa@2 @14 S9′ sRef Isa@2 @16 S9′ sRef Isa@2 @12 S9′ sRef Isa@2 @15 S9′ sRef Isa@2 @13 S9′ [9] Also in Isaiah:
The day of Jehovah of Hosts upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are exalted and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, and upon all the exalted mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, and upon every lofty tower, and upon every fenced wall, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all images of desire, that the haughtiness of man [homo] may bow down, and the exaltation of men [viri] be brought low, and Jehovah alone be exalted in that day (2:12-17).
“The day of Jehovah” means the Lord’s coming, when The Last Judgment was accomplished by Him. (That a Last Judgment was accomplished by the Lord when He was in the world may be seen in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 46.) Those within the church upon whom the judgment was wrought are here recounted; “the cedars of Lebanon exalted and lifted up” signifying those who are boastful from self-intelligence, and “the oaks of Bashan” those who are boastful from knowledge [scientia], for “cedars” in the Word are predicated of the rational man, and “oaks” of the natural man, and intelligence belongs to the rational man, and knowledge to the natural man. “The exalted mountains and hills lifted up” signify those who are in the love of self and in the love of the world (see above, n. 405); “lofty tower” and “fenced wall” signify confirmed principles of falsity, and thus also such as are in them; “the ships of Tarshish and the images of desire” signify the false doctrine favoring the delights of earthly loves. The destruction of the arrogance that springs from self-intelligence and knowledge is meant by “that the haughtiness of man [homo] may bow down, and the exaltation of men [viri] be brought low;” that all intelligence and knowledge are from the Lord is signified by “that Jehovah alone may be exalted in that day.” It is believed that knowledge is from man; but so far as knowledge is serviceable to intelligence, in which is the perception of truth, it is from the Lord alone.
sRef Isa@33 @21 S10′ [10] In Isaiah:
In Zion and in Jerusalem will the glorious Jehovah be unto us a place of rivers, of streams, of breadth of spaces; no ship of oar shall go therein, and no magnificent ship shall pass through it (33:21).
“Zion and Jerusalem” mean the Lord’s church, “Zion” the church where the good of love rules, and “Jerusalem” the church where the truth of doctrine rules. Jehovah is called “glorious” (or magnificent) when men of the church are such as to be recipients of Divine good and truth from the Lord; and Zion and Jerusalem are called “a place of rivers, of streams, and of breadth of spaces,” when all their wisdom and intelligence, and good and truth, are from the Lord, “rivers” signifying wisdom, “streams” intelligence, and “breadth of spaces” truths from good in multitude and extension; “no ship of oar shall go therein, and no magnificent ship shall pass through it,” signifies that in the church there shall be no intelligence and wisdom from one’s own [proprium]; “a ship of oar” meaning intelligence from one’s own [proprium], because it is moved by men by means of oars, and a “magnificent ship” wisdom from one’s own [proprium], because man is boastful and proud by reason of that wisdom; for when a ship is passing through and crossing the sea, thus bearing its cargo on its course, it signifies intelligence and wisdom. Here evidently no ship is meant, for this is said of Zion and Jerusalem.
sRef Ps@104 @25 S11′ sRef Ps@104 @24 S11′ sRef Ps@104 @26 S11′ sRef Ps@104 @27 S11′ [11] In David:
How many are Thy works, O Jehovah; this sea great and wide in spaces, wherein is the creeping thing without number, small animals with the great. There go the ships; there is leviathan, which Thou hast formed to play therein. All these wait upon Thee, that Thou mayest give them their food in its time (Ps. 104:24-27).
Here the sea is not meant, nor creeping things, nor animals, nor leviathan (or a whale), nor ship, but such things as are with the men of the church, for these are what “wait upon Jehovah.” “The sea great and wide” signifies the external or natural man, which receives goods and truths as knowledge, “great” is predicated of the good therein, and “wide” of truth therein. “Creeping things” signify living knowledges [scientifica]; “animals great and small” the knowledges of good and truth of all kinds higher and lower, also in general and in particular (as in the preceding article, n. 513). “Ships” mean doctrinals, the “leviathan” (or whale) all things of the natural man in the complex; this is said “to play in the sea” because of the delight of knowing and thus of becoming wise. Since man by virtue of these things is actuated by a desire to know and understand, it is said, “All these wait upon Thee, that Thou mayest give them their food in its time,” “to wait upon” signifying to desire, and “food” knowledge and intelligence; for man does not desire these from himself, but from those things that are with him from the Lord; consequently these are what desire with man, although it appears as if man desired from himself.
sRef Ps@107 @24 S12′ sRef Ps@107 @23 S12′ [12] In the same:
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do work in many waters; these see the deeds of Jehovah and His wonders in the deep (107:23, 24).
“They that go down to the sea in ships, that do work in many waters,” signify those who intensely study the doctrine of truth from the Word; “these see the deeds of Jehovah and His wonders in the deep,” signifies that they understand the truths and goods of heaven and the church, and the hidden things thereof, “the deeds of Jehovah” meaning all things of the Word that perfect man, all which have reference to truth and good, and “the wonders in the deep” meaning the hidden things of intelligence and wisdom.
[13] In Isaiah:
Thus saith Jehovah your* Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, For your sakes I have sent to Babylon, and I will cast down all the bars, and the Chaldeans, in whose ships there is a cry (43:14).
This treats of the deliverance of the faithful from the oppression of those who lay waste the church; those who lay waste the church are meant by “Babylon,” and they lay it waste by withholding all from the knowledges of truth and good, affirming that they alone know and must be believed, and yet they know nothing of truth; thus they keep others with themselves in dense ignorance, and turn them away from the worship of the Lord, that they themselves may be worshiped. “To cast down their bars” signifies their principles of falsity and the falsities devastating truths, “bars” meaning the principles of falsity, and “the Chaldeans” those who devastate by falsities; for “Babylon” means those who destroy goods by means of evils, and the “Chaldeans” those who destroy truths by means of falsities. “In whose ships there is a cry” signifies the destruction of their doctrinals.
sRef Dan@11 @40 S14′ sRef Rev@18 @19 S14′ sRef Rev@18 @17 S14′ [14] This destruction is further described by “ships” in Revelation:
For in one hour so great riches was made desolate. And every ship master, and everyone concerned with the ships, and the sailors, and all who trade by sea, stood afar off, and cast dust upon their heads, and cried out weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city Babylon, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea, by reason of her preciousness; for in one hour has she been made desolate (18:17, 19).
This passage will be explained further on. In Daniel:
And at the time of the end shall the king of the south come into collision with him; and the king of the north shall rush upon him like a tempest, with chariot and with horsemen and with many ships; and he shall enter into the land and shall overflow and pass through (11:40).
“The time of the end” signifies the last time of the church, when there is no truth because there is no good; “the king of the south” means truth in light, which is truth from good; “the king of the north” means no truth because there is no good, consequently falsity, for where there is no truth there is falsity, since man then turns himself away from heaven to the world, and from the Lord to self; and when nothing flows in out of heaven from the Lord, nothing flows in from the world and from self except falsity from evil. The combats between good from truth and falsity from evil in the last times of the church are described in this chapter by the combats between the king of the south and the king of the north; that falsities will then rush in and destroy truths is meant by “the king of the north shall rush upon the king of the south with chariot, with horsemen, and with many ships,” “chariot” meaning the doctrine of falsity, “horsemen” the reasonings therefrom, and “ships” the falsities and falsifications of truth of every kind; that “he shall enter into the land, and overflow and pass through,” signifies that falsities will destroy all things of the church, both exterior and interior.
sRef Deut@28 @68 S15′ [15] In Moses:
And Jehovah shall bring thee back into Egypt in ships, by the way whereof I said unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again; where ye shall be sold unto your enemies for menservants and for maidservants and there shall be no buyer (Deut. 28:68).
This treats of the desolation of the church in respect to truth, when the life is not according to the Lord’s precepts in the Word; “the sons of Israel,” to whom this was said, represented and thence signified the church where the Word is, and truths of doctrine therefrom, thus spiritual men; but the “Egyptians” signified merely natural men. “Jehovah shall bring them back into Egypt in ships” signifies that they will be merely natural in consequence of doctrinals of falsity, “ships” meaning doctrinals of falsity; “by the way whereof I said unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again,” signifies from being a spiritual man into being a merely natural man, for the man of the church from being a natural man becomes spiritual; but when he does not live according to the commandments from the Word, from being a spiritual man he becomes merely natural; “where ye shall be sold unto your enemies for menservants and maidservants,” signifies that falsities and evils shall become dominant; “and there shall be no buyer” signifies to become utterly vile.
sRef Job@9 @25 S16′ sRef Job@9 @26 S16′ [16] In Job:
My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away; they see no good; they pass by with the ships of desire, as the eagle flieth to its food (9:25, 26).
“Ships of desire, with which the days pass by,” signify the natural affections and delights of every kind, which are merely of the world and of the body; and because these are more eagerly desired and imbibed than spiritual things, it is said, “as the eagle flieth to its food.”
sRef Gen@49 @13 S17′ [17] In Moses:
Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the seas, and he shall dwell at the haven of ships, and his side shall be unto Zidon (Gen. 49:13).
“Zebulun” signifies the conjunction of good and truth; “he shall dwell at the haven of the seas” signifies the life of truth; “and he shall dwell at the haven of ships” signifies according to doctrinals from the Word; “and his side shall be unto Zidon” signifies the extension on the one part to knowledges of good. (But this may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 6382-6386.)
sRef Num@24 @24 S18′ [18] In the same:
When there shall be ships from the place of the Kittim, and they shall afflict Asshur and shall afflict Eber, and he also even to him that is perishing (Num. 24:24).
This is from the prophecy of Balaam. “Ships from the place of the Kittim” signify the knowledges of truth and good, which those had who were of the Ancient Church; “Asshur, whom they shall afflict,” signifies reasonings from falsities; and “Eber, whom also they shall afflict,” signifies the externals of worship, such as existed among the sons of Jacob; their vastation in respect to truth and good is signified by “he also even to him that is perishing.”
sRef Judg@5 @17 S19′ [19] In the book of Judges:
Gilead, why dwellest thou in the crossing of Jordan? And why will Dan fear ships? (5:17).
“Gilead” has a similar meaning with “Manasseh,” and “Manasseh” signifies the good of the natural man; and because the tribe of Manasseh did not fight in company with Deborah and Barak against the enemies, it is said, “Gilead, why dwellest thou in the passage of Jordan?” which signifies, why livest thou in externals only, which are of the natural man? The external of the church was signified by the regions beyond Jordan, and its internal by the regions on this side Jordan. The external of the church is with those who are more natural than spiritual. And because the tribe of Dan was not joined with Deborah and Barak in the battle with the enemies it is said, “why will Dan fear ships?” signifying, why does not one reject falsities and the doctrinals of falsity?
sRef Matt@13 @2 S20′ sRef Matt@13 @1 S20′ sRef Luke@5 @2 S20′ sRef Luke@5 @1 S20′ sRef Luke@5 @3 S20′ [20] As all things in the Old Testament contain in themselves a spiritual sense, so do all things in the New Testament which are in the Gospels and in Revelation. Moreover, all the Lord’s words and doings and miracles signify Divine celestial things, because the Lord spoke from the Divine, and did His works and miracles from the Divine, therefore from things first through things last, and thus in fullness. From this it can be seen that the Lord’s teaching from boats was significative; also that it was significative that He chose certain of His disciples from boats while they were fishing; and that He walked upon the sea to the boat in which the disciples were, and thence calmed the wind.
Respecting the Lord’s teaching from a boat it is said in the Gospels:
Jesus sat by the seaside. And there were gathered unto Him great multitudes, so that He entered into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the beach. And He spake to them many things in parables (Matt. 13:1, 2, et seq.; Mark 4:1, 2, et seq.).
Jesus, standing by the shore of Gennesaret, saw two boats standing by the lake. Then He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down, and taught the throng out of the ship (Luke 5:1-9).
In all these particulars also, that “He sat by the seaside” and “on the shore of Gennesaret,” then “that He entered into Simon’s boat, and taught the throng therefrom,” there is a spiritual sense. This was done because the “sea” and the “lake of Gennesaret” signify, in reference to the Lord, the knowledges of good and truth in the whole complex, and “Simon’s boat” signifies the doctrinals of faith; so “His teaching from a boat” signifies that it was from doctrine.
sRef John@6 @19 S21′ sRef John@6 @20 S21′ sRef John@6 @21 S21′ sRef John@6 @18 S21′ sRef John@6 @17 S21′ sRef John@6 @16 S21′ sRef Matt@14 @30 S21′ sRef Matt@14 @25 S21′ sRef Matt@14 @27 S21′ sRef Matt@14 @29 S21′ sRef Matt@14 @24 S21′ sRef Matt@14 @28 S21′ sRef Matt@14 @32 S21′ sRef Matt@14 @33 S21′ sRef Matt@14 @26 S21′ sRef Matt@14 @31 S21′ [21] Respecting the Lord’s walking on the sea to the boat in which the disciples were, it is said in the Gospels:
The boat containing the Lord’s disciples was in the midst of the sea, tossed by the wind. In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came unto them, walking on the sea. And Peter said, Bid me come unto Thee upon the water. And He said, Come. Therefore Peter, going down, walked upon the water to come to Jesus. But beginning to sink, he was afraid. Jesus stretching forth His hand, took hold of him, and said, O man of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the boat the wind ceased. And they that were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God (Matt. 14:24-33; Mark 6:48-52).
And again:
When evening came His disciples went down unto the sea; and when they had entered into a boat they went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, but Jesus was not come to them. And the sea was moved by a great wind that blew. When they had gone on about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they beheld Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the boat; and they were afraid. But He said, It is I; be not afraid. Then they were willing to receive Jesus into the boat; and immediately the boat was at the land whither they were going (John 6:16-21, et seq.).
Here, too, the particulars signify Divine spiritual things, which nevertheless do not appear in the letter; as the sea, the Lord’s walking upon it, the fourth watch in which He came to the disciples, and the ship, His entering into it, and from it restraining the wind and the waves of the sea, and other things besides. But there is no need singly to explain here the spiritual things signified; let it be said only that the “sea” signifies the ultimate of heaven and the church, since there are seas in the outmost borders of the heavens; the Lord’s walking upon the sea signifies the Lord’s presence and His influx even into these, and consequent life from the Divine to those who are in the ultimates of heaven; their life from the Divine was represented by the Lord’s walking upon the sea; and their obscure and wavering faith was represented by Peter’s walking upon the sea and beginning to sink, but being saved when the Lord took hold of him, “to walk” signifying in the Word to live. This was done “in the fourth watch” to signify the first state of the church, when it is daybreak and morning is at hand, for then good begins to act through truth, and then the Lord comes; that the sea in the meanwhile was moved by the wind, and that the Lord restrained it, signifies the natural state of life that precedes, which is an unpeaceful and as it were tempestuous state; but with the state that is nearest to morning, which is the first state of the church with man, because the Lord is then present in the good of love, there comes tranquillity of mind.
sRef Matt@8 @25 S22′ sRef Matt@8 @23 S22′ sRef Matt@8 @24 S22′ sRef Matt@8 @26 S22′ [22] The like is signified by the Lord’s calming the wind and the waves of the sea, as described in the Gospels:
When Jesus had entered into a boat His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great commotion in the sea, so that the boat was covered by the waves; but He was asleep. Therefore the disciples, coming to Him awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us; we perish. Then He arose and rebuked the wind; and there was a great calm (Matt. 8:23-26; Mark 4:36-40; Luke 8:23, 24).
This represented the state of men of the church when they are in what is natural and not yet in what is spiritual, in which state the natural affections, which are various cupidities springing from the loves of self and the world, rise up and produce various commotions of the mind. In this state the Lord appears as it were absent; this apparent absence is signified by His being asleep; but when they come out of a natural into a spiritual state these commotions cease, and there comes tranquillity of mind; for the Lord calms the tempestuous commotions of the natural man when the spiritual mind is opened, and through it the Lord flows into the natural. Since the affections that are of the love of self and of the world, and the consequent thoughts and reasonings, are from hell, for they are lusts of every kind that rise up therefrom into the natural man, these, too, are signified by “the wind and the waves of the sea,” and hell itself is signified by the “sea” in the spiritual sense.
[23] This can be seen, too, from its being said that “the Lord rebuked the wind,” as also in Mark:
Jesus awoke and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Be quiet, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm (4:39).
This could not have been said to the wind and to the sea unless hell had been meant thereby, from which arise the tempestuous emotions of the mind from various cupidities. That the hells also are signified by “seas” may be seen above (n. 342).
* Photolithograph has “our” the Hebrew “your,” as also AR n. 786; AC n. 1368, 6385; Lord n. 34, 38, 40.

sRef Rev@8 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@8 @10 S0′ 515. Verses 10, 11. And the third angel sounded, and there fell from heaven a great star burning as a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers and upon the fountains of the waters. And the name of the star is called Wormwood; and the third part of the waters became wormwood, and many men died of the waters because they were made bitter. 10. “And the third angel sounded,” signifies influx out of heaven, and the consequent third change with the evil (n. 516); “and there fell from heaven a great star burning as a lamp,” signifies the truth of the Word falsified by self-love (n. 517); “and it fell upon the third part of the rivers and upon the fountains of the waters,” signifies that consequently all the understanding of truth perished, and thereby the doctrine of the church (n. 518). 11. “And the name of the star is called Wormwood,” signifies truth mixed with the falsity of evil (n. 519); “and the third part [of the waters] became wormwood,” signifies that every truth became such in the understanding and in doctrine (n. 520); “and many men died of the waters,” signifies that all who were such were destroyed by the falsities into which the truths of the Word were changed (n. 521); “because they were made bitter,” signifies because the truths of the Word were falsified (n. 522).

sRef Rev@8 @10 S0′ 516. Verse 10. And the third angel sounded, signifies influx out of heaven, and the consequent third change with the evil, as is evident from what has been said and shown above (n. 502).

sRef Rev@8 @10 S0′ 517. And there fell from heaven a great star burning as a lamp, signifies the truth of the Word falsified by self-love. This is evident from the signification of “stars,” as being the knowledges of truth and good, likewise the truths and goods of knowledges from the Word (see above, n. 72, 402); also from the signification of “burning as a lamp,” as being to be falsified by self-love; “to burn” is predicated of self-love because this love is signified by “fire” (see above, n. 504), and a “lamp” signifies the truth of the Word, of doctrine, and of faith (see also above, n. 274). From this it can be seen that “there fell from heaven a great star burning as a lamp” signifies the truth of the Word falsified by self-love.
[2] It is to be noted that all those who are in the love of self, if they study the Word, falsify its truths, for the reason that all truth is out of heaven from the Lord, and nothing of it from what is man’s own [proprium], and those who are in the love of self are immersed in what is their own [proprium], and from that they obtain every idea of thought respecting the truths of the Word. In consequence of this they falsify these truths, not in respect to the sense of the letter of the Word, but in respect to the understanding of the truth that is in it; for to understand words otherwise than according to their true sense is to falsify them.
[3] There are two states of man’s thoughts, one when from the Lord he is in thought respecting truths, the other when from himself. When from the Lord he is in thought respecting truths his mind is elevated even into the light of heaven, from which he has illustration and right perception of truth; but when from himself he is in thought respecting truths, his mind falls into the light of the world; and that light, in respect to things spiritual, or the things of heaven and the church, is thick darkness, in which man sees only such things as shine from the fire or the love of self and of the world, and these in themselves are falsities that are opposites of truths.

sRef Rev@8 @10 S0′ 518. And it fell upon the third part of the rivers and upon the fountains of the waters, signifies that consequently all understanding of truth perished and thereby the doctrine of the church. This is evident from the signification of “falling” from heaven, as being, in reference to stars, to perish (of which presently); also from the signification of “the third part,” as being everything (of which above, n. 506), here all, because it is said of the understanding of truth and of doctrine, which are signified by “rivers” and “fountains of waters;” also from the signification of “rivers,” as being the understanding of truth (of which presently); and from the signification of “fountains of waters,” as being the Word and doctrine from the Word, thus “fountains” mean the truths of the Word and doctrinals (of which above, n. 483).
[2] When “to fall” is predicated of stars, which mean the knowledges of truth and good from the Word (as above), it signifies to perish, because when Divine truth in the spiritual world falls out of heaven to the earth there, where the evil are, it is turned into falsity, and when Divine truth becomes falsity it perishes. This is signified also by:
The stars shall fall from heaven (Matt. 24:29; Mark 13:25);
namely, that in the last time of the church the knowledges of truth and good will perish. That when Divine truth in the spiritual world falls out of heaven to the earth there, where the evil are, it is changed into falsity and thus perishes, may be seen above (n. 413, 418, 419, 489); for Divine truth is changed into falsity of the same character as the evil belonging to those into whom it flows. This becomes evident from the following experience: It has been granted me to observe carefully how Divine truth was changed into falsity while it was passing down deep into hell, and it was perceived that it was changed successively as it flowed down, at length even into what was most false.
sRef Matt@24 @29 S3′ [3] “Rivers” signify the understanding of truth, likewise intelligence, because “waters” signify truths, and the understanding is the receptacle and complex of truths, as a river is of waters, and because thought from the understanding, which is intelligence, is like a stream of truth. From the same origin, namely, from the signification of “waters” as being truths, a “fountain” signifies the Word and the doctrine of truth, and “pools,” “lakes,” and “seas,” signify the knowledges of truth in the complex. That “waters” signify truths, and “living waters” truths from the Lord, may be seen above (n. 71, 483); and also in the following passages in this article.
sRef Isa@35 @6 S4′ [4] That “rivers” and “streams” signify the understanding of truth and intelligence can be seen from the Word where “rivers” and “streams” are mentioned. Thus in Isaiah:
Then shall the lame leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing; for waters shall break out in the wilderness, and brooks in the plain of the desert (35:6).
This is said of the Lord, also of the reformation of the Gentiles, and of the establishment of the church among them. “The lame who shall leap as a hart” signifies one who is not in genuine good because he is not in the knowledges of truth and good; “the tongue of the dumb which shall sing” signifies confession of the Lord by those who are in ignorance of the truth; “waters shall break out in the wilderness” signifies that there shall be truths where there were none before; “and brooks in the plain of the desert” signifies that there shall be intelligence where there was none before, “wilderness” meaning where there is no truth, and “plain of the desert” where there is no intelligence; “waters” mean truths, and “brooks” intelligence.
sRef Isa@41 @18 S5′ [5] In the same:
I will open rivers on the heights, and fountains will I place in the midst of the valleys, I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into springs of waters (Isa. 41:18).
This is said of the salvation of the Gentiles by the Lord; “to open rivers on the heights” means to bestow interior intelligence; and “to place fountains in the midst of valleys” means to instruct the external man in truths. (The rest may be seen explained in n. 483.)
sRef Isa@43 @20 S6′ sRef Isa@43 @19 S6′ [6] In the same:
Behold I am doing a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even place a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild beast of the field shall honor Me, the dragons and the daughters of the owl; because I will give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen (Isa. 43:19, 20).
This treats of the Lord and of a new church to be established by Him, which is meant by “Behold I am doing a new thing; now it shall spring forth;” “to place a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” signifies that there shall be truth and the understanding of truth where there were none before, “way” meaning truth leading to heaven, and “rivers” understanding; “to give drink to the people” signifies to instruct those who desire it; “the wild beast of the field, the dragons, and the daughters of the owl” signify those who know truths and goods merely from memory, and do not understand and perceive them; these speak about truth with no idea of truth, depending solely upon others.
sRef Isa@44 @3 S7′ [7] In the same:
I will pour out waters upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour out My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring (Isa. 44:3).
“To pour out waters upon him that is thirsty” signifies to instruct in truths those who are in the affection of truth; “to pour streams upon the dry land” signifies to give intelligence to those who are in a desire for truth from good; the like is signified by “pouring out the spirit and the blessing;” for God’s “spirit” signifies Divine truth, and “blessing” its multiplication and fructification, thus intelligence. Who does not see that here and above, waters and streams, wilderness and desert, are not meant, but such things as pertain to the church? Therefore it is here added, “I will pour out My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring.”
sRef Deut@8 @7 S8′ [8] In Moses:
For Jehovah leadeth thee to a land of brooks of water, of fountains, of depths flowing forth in valley and mountain (Deut. 8:7).
The land of Canaan, to which Jehovah was to lead them, signifies the church, therefore “brooks of water, fountains, and depths flowing forth in valley and mountain,” signify such things as belong to the church; “brooks of water” signifying the understanding of truth, “fountains” doctrinals from the Word, and “depths flowing forth in valley and mountain” the knowledges of truth and good in the natural and in the spiritual man.
sRef Isa@33 @21 S9′ sRef Isa@33 @20 S9′ [9] In Isaiah:
Look upon Zion and Jerusalem, where the glorious Jehovah will be with us a place of rivers, of streams, of breadth of spaces; no ship of oar shall go therein, and no magnificent ship shall pass through it (33:20, 21).
Here, too, “a place of rivers and streams” signifies wisdom and intelligence (the signification of the rest is explained above, n. 514).
sRef Joel@3 @18 S10′ [10] In Joel:
In that day the mountains shall drop down must, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the watercourses of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall go forth out of the house of Jehovah and shall water the brook of Shittim (3:18).
(This also has been explained above, n. 433, 483.) “The fountain that shall go forth out of the house of Jehovah” signifies the truth of doctrine out of heaven from the Lord; and “the brook of Shittim that it shall water,” signifies the illustration of the understanding.
sRef Ezek@47 @4 S11′ sRef Ezek@47 @8 S11′ sRef Ezek@47 @5 S11′ sRef Ezek@47 @3 S11′ sRef Ezek@47 @10 S11′ sRef Ezek@47 @1 S11′ sRef Ezek@47 @2 S11′ sRef Ezek@47 @9 S11′ sRef Ezek@47 @7 S11′ sRef Ezek@47 @6 S11′ sRef Ezek@47 @12 S11′ sRef Ezek@47 @11 S11′ [11] In Ezekiel:
The waters issued out from under the threshold of the house of God towards the east. The man led me and brought me back upon the bank of the river. When I returned, behold upon the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other. He said, Every living soul that creepeth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live; whence there are exceeding many fish, because these waters come thither and are healed, that everything may live whither the river cometh. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, cometh up every tree for food, whose leaf falleth not, neither is the fruit thereof consumed; it is renewed in its months, because its waters flow out of the sanctuary (47:1-12).
This, too, has been explained above (n. 422, 513), which makes evident that “the waters flowing out of the house of God towards the east” signify Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and flowing in with those who are in the good of love; and that “the river, upon the bank of which was every tree for food, and by the waters of which every soul that creepeth lived, whence there were many fish,” signifies intelligence from the reception of Divine truth, from which all things with man, his affections and perceptions, as well as his cognitions and knowledges and the thoughts therefrom acquire spiritual life.
sRef Jer@17 @8 S12′ sRef Jer@17 @7 S12′ [12] In Jeremiah:
Blessed is the man that trusteth in Jehovah; He shall be like a tree planted by the waters and that sendeth forth his roots by the stream, and he shall not see when the heat shall come, his leaf shall be green (17:7, 8).
“The tree planted by the waters” means a man with whom there are truths from the Lord; “he sendeth forth his roots by the stream” means the extension of intelligence from the spiritual man into the natural. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 481.)
Where trees and gardens are treated of in the Word, waters and rivers to water them are also mentioned, for the reason that “trees” signify perceptions and knowledges, and “waters” and “rivers” truths and understanding therefrom; for without the understanding of truths man is like a garden where there is no water, whose trees wither away.
sRef Num@24 @7 S13′ sRef Num@24 @6 S13′ [13] As in Moses:
As the valleys are they planted, as gardens by the river, as lign aloes which Jehovah hath planted, and as cedar-trees beside the waters (Num. 24:6).
This is said of the sons of Israel, by whom the church is signified which was then to be planted. This church is compared to valleys which are planted, and to a garden by the river, because “valleys” signify the intelligence of the natural man, and a “garden” the intelligence of the spiritual man, and it is compared to lign aloes and cedar-trees, because “lign aloes” signify the things of the natural man, and “cedar-trees” the things of the rational man; since these all live from the influx of Divine truth from the Lord they are said to be planted “by the river and beside the waters,” which signifies Divine truth flowing in, from which is intelligence.
sRef Gen@2 @10 S14′ [14] As “the garden in Eden” or “paradise” means the wisdom and intelligence that the most ancient people had who lived before the flood, so where their wisdom is described, the influx of Divine truth, and of intelligence thence, is also described in these words:
A river went forth from Eden to water the garden, and from thence it was parted and was in four heads (Gen. 2:10, et seq.). “A river from Eden” signifies wisdom from love, which is Eden; “to water the garden” means to bestow intelligence; intelligence is described by the four rivers there treated of. (This may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 107-121.)
sRef Ezek@31 @3 S15′ sRef Ezek@31 @4 S15′ [15] In Ezekiel:
Asshur, a cedar in Lebanon. The waters made it grow, the abyss made it high, so that with its rivers it went round about its plant, and sent out its conduits unto all the trees of the field (31:3, 4).
“Asshur” signifies the rational man, or the rational of man, likewise “the cedar in Lebanon;” and because the genuine rational is perfected by the knowledges of truth and good it is said that “the waters made it grow, and the abyss made it high,” “waters” meaning truths, and “the abyss” the knowledges of truth in the natural man; the increase of intelligence is signified by “with its rivers it went round about its plant;” and the multiplication of the knowledges of truth by “it sent out its conduits unto all the trees of the field.”
sRef Ps@80 @8 S16′ sRef Ps@80 @11 S16′ [16] In David:
Thou hast caused a vine to go forth out of Egypt. Thou hast sent out its boughs unto the sea, and its shoots unto the river (Ps. 80:8, 11).
“A vine out of Egypt” means the sons of Israel, who are called a “vine” because they represented the spiritual church, which is what “vine” signifies in the Word; their tarrying in Egypt represented their first initiation into the things of the church, for “Egypt” signified the knowledges [scientifica] subservient to the things of the church when, therefore, “the vine” signifies the church, and “Egypt” the knowledge serving it, it is evident what is signified in the spiritual sense by “Thou hast caused a vine to go forth out of Egypt.” The extension of the intelligence of the church even to things known and things rational is signified by “Thou hast sent out its boughs unto the sea, and its shoots unto the river;” “to send out boughs and shoots” meaning multiplication and extension, the “sea” knowledge []scientificum]; and the “river,” which here is the Euphrates, the rational. The extension of the church and the multiplication of its truths and of intelligence therefrom are described by the extension of the land of Canaan to the Sea Suph, to the sea of the Philistines, and to the river Euphrates.
sRef Ex@23 @31 S17′ [17] In Moses:
And I will set thy border from the Sea Suph even to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness even to the river (Exod. 23:31).
“The borders of the land of Canaan” signify the ultimates of the church, which are true knowledges [scientifica vera], cognitions of truth and good from the Word, and things rational. “The Sea Suph” signifies true knowledge; “the sea of the Philistines,” where Tyre and Sidon were, signifies the knowledges of truth and good from the sense of the letter of the Word; and “the river Euphrates” signifies the rational; for knowledges [scientifica] serve the cognitions of truth and good from the Word, and both these serve the rational, and the rational serves intelligence, which is given by means of spiritual truths joined to spiritual good.
sRef Ps@89 @25 S18′ sRef Zech@9 @10 S18′ [18] The like that is here said of the church and its extension is said of the Lord’s power over all things of heaven and the church, in David:
I will set his hand in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers (Ps. 89:25).
This is said of David, by whom is here meant the Lord; the Lord’s power, even to the ultimates of heaven and the church, thus over the whole heaven, and over everything of the church, is signified by “setting the hand in the sea, and the right hand in the rivers,” “hand” and “right hand” signify power, and the “sea” and “rivers” the ultimates of heaven and the church. The ultimates of heaven are seas and rivers, as has been several times said above. These were represented by the two seas and by the two rivers that formed the boundaries of the land of Canaan. The two seas were the sea of Egypt and the sea of the Philistines, where were Tyre and Sidon; and the two rivers were the Euphrates and the Jordan. But the Jordan was the boundary between the interior land of Canaan and the exterior; in the exterior were the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. Likewise in Zechariah:
His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth (9:10).
This, too, is said of the Lord, and has a like meaning; His dominion even to the ultimates of heaven and the church means over all things of heaven and the church, for the ultimates are the boundaries.
sRef Ps@93 @4 S19′ sRef Ps@93 @3 S19′ sRef Ps@93 @2 S19′ [19] In David:
Thy throne is established from then; Thou art from everlasting. The rivers have lifted up, O Jehovah, the rivers have lifted up their voice; the rivers have lifted up their roaring. More than the voices of many glorious waters, more than the waves of the sea, Jehovah is glorious (Ps. 93:2-4).
This, too, is said of the Lord; His dominion from eternity to eternity over heaven and earth is signified by “Thy throne is established from then; Thou art from everlasting.” The glorification of the Lord because of His coming and because of the consequent salvation of mankind is signified by “the rivers have lifted up their voice (and their roaring);” for “rivers,” here three times mentioned, signify all things of man’s intelligence, both in the internal and in the external man. Divine truth from the Lord, through which there is power and through which there is salvation, is signified by “more than the voices of many glorious waters, more than the waves of the sea,” “waters” meaning truths, and “the voices of many glorious waters” Divine truths.
sRef Ps@98 @7 S20′ sRef Ps@98 @8 S20′ [20] The glorification and celebration of the Lord from joy of heart are thus described elsewhere in David:
Let the sea and the fullness thereof give forth a sound, the world and they that dwell therein. Let the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains sing aloud together (Ps. 98:7, 8).
The glorification of the Lord by the universal heaven is signified by these words. The glorification from its ultimates is signified by “Let the sea and the fullness thereof give forth a sound;” the glorification from the whole heaven is signified by “let the world and they that dwell therein give forth a sound,” “the world” signifying the universal heaven in respect to its truths, and “they that dwell therein” signifying the universal heaven in respect to its goods; for “inhabitants” signify in the Word those who are in the goods of heaven and the church, and thus the goods of such. The glorification of the Lord by the truths of intelligence and by the goods of love, is signified by “let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing aloud together,” “rivers” meaning the truths of intelligence, and “mountains” the goods of love.
sRef Ps@78 @16 S21′ sRef Ps@105 @41 S21′ sRef Ps@78 @15 S21′ sRef Ps@78 @20 S21′ [21] Divine truth from the Lord, the reception of which is the source of intelligence, is signified by “the waters from the rock in Horeb” (Exod. 17:6), thus spoken of in David:
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and made them to drink out of the great abysses, and He brought flowing waters out of the rock, and made the waters to run down like rivers. He smote the rock, so that the waters gushed out and the brooks overflowed (Ps. 78:15, 16, 20).
And again:
He opened the rock that the waters might flow; the rivers ran in the dry places (Ps. 105:41).
The “rock” here means the Lord; and the “waters that flowed out therefrom” mean Divine truth from Him; and the “rivers” signify intelligence and wisdom therefrom; “to drink of the great abysses” signifies to imbibe and perceive the arcana of wisdom.
sRef John@7 @37 S22′ sRef John@7 @38 S22′ sRef John@7 @39 S22′ [22] In John:
Jesus said, If anyone thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. He that cometh unto Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. This saith He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him were to receive (7:37-39).
“To come to the Lord and drink” signifies to receive from Him the truths of doctrine and belief therein; that spiritual intelligence is therefrom is signified by “out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water,” “living water” being Divine truth which is from the Lord alone, “rivers” the things belonging to intelligence, and the “belly” thought from memory, for to this the belly corresponds; and as “rivers of living water” signify intelligence through Divine truth from the Lord it is added, “this saith He of the spirit which they that believe on Him were to receive,” “the spirit that they were to receive from the Lord,” meaning Divine truth and intelligence therefrom; so, too, the Lord called the spirit that they received “the spirit of truth” (John 14:16-18; 16:7-15).
sRef Ps@24 @2 S23′ [23] In David:
Jehovah hath founded the world upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers (Ps. 24:2).
The “world” signifies heaven and the church in the whole complex, the “seas” signify cognitions and knowledges which are the ultimates of the church, and in particular, the cognitions of truth and good, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word; “rivers” signify introduction through knowledges into heavenly intelligence. This makes clear the meaning of these words in the spiritual sense, namely, that the interior things of heaven and the church, which are called celestial and spiritual, are founded upon the cognitions of truth and good which are in the sense of the letter of the Word rationally understood. It is said, “He hath founded the world upon the seas and established it upon the rivers,” because there are seas and rivers in the boundaries of heaven, represented by the Sea Suph, the sea of the Philistines, the river Euphrates, and the river Jordan, which were the boundaries of the land of Canaan; and because what is ultimate means in the Word what is lowest, it is said that Jehovah “founded” and “established” upon these. Evidently the earth is not founded upon seas and rivers.
sRef Ps@110 @5 S24′ sRef Ps@110 @7 S24′ sRef Ps@110 @6 S24′ [24] In the same:
The Lord at thy right hand hath stricken through kings in the day of His anger, He hath judged among the nations, He hath filled with dead bodies, He hath stricken through the head over many a land. He drinketh out of the brook in the way; therefore shall He exalt the head (Ps. 110:5-7).
This is said of the Lord, and of His combat against falsities and evils from the hells, and of their subjugation. “Kings” mean falsities from hell, and “nations” evils therefrom. The Lord’s Divine power is meant by “the Lord at the right hand;” “He hath stricken through them in the day of His anger, He hath judged among the nations, and He hath filled with dead bodies,” signifies the subjugation and destruction of evils and falsities from the hells; “the head that He hath stricken through in many a land,” means the love of self, which is the source of all evils and falsities; “to strike through in many a land” signifies total destruction and damnation; “the brook out of which the head drinketh,” and because of which “it shall be exalted,” signifies the Word in the letter, “to drink out of it” meaning to learn something from it, and “to lift up the head” meaning to resist for a time; for all those who are in falsities from evil cannot be cast down into hell until the things that they know from the Word are taken away from them, since all things of the Word communicate with heaven, by which communication they exalt the head; but when these are taken away they are cast down into hell. This is the meaning of these words, which no one can see except by means of the spiritual sense and a knowledge of the quality of the Word.
sRef Hab@3 @8 S25′ [25] In Habakkuk:
Was Jehovah displeased with the rivers? Was Thine anger against the rivers? Was Thy wrath against the sea? Because Thou ridest upon Thy horses, Thy chariots are salvation (3:8).
This is a supplication that the church may be guarded and not perish; the “rivers” and the “sea” signify all things of the church, because they are its ultimates (as above); “to ride upon horses,” in reference to Jehovah, that is, the Lord, signifies the Divine wisdom which is in the Word; and “chariots” signify doctrinals therefrom.
sRef Ps@46 @3 S26′ sRef Ps@46 @4 S26′ sRef Ps@46 @2 S26′ sRef Ps@46 @5 S26′ [26] In David:
We will not fear when the earth shall be changed, and when the mountains shall be moved from* the heart of the seas; the waters thereof shall be in tumult, shall be made turbid, the mountains shall quake in the pride thereof. There is a river the streams whereof shall make glad the holy city of God, the dwelling places of the Most High; God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved (Ps. 46:2-5).
This involves in the spiritual sense, that although the church and all things thereof perish, still the Word and the Divine truth it contains shall not perish; for the “earth” signifies the church; “mountains” signify the goods of love; “waters” truths; and “to be changed,” “to be moved,” “to be in tumult” “to be made turbid” and “to quake” signify the states of these when they perish, and falsities and evils enter in their place, consequently the states of the church when it is vastated in respect to goods and desolated in respect to truths (see above, n. 304, 405, where this is more completely explained). That the Word or Divine truth for the church is not to perish is signified by “There is a river the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God; she shall not be changed;” “river” signifying here the like as “fountain,” namely, the Word, because “streams” are predicated of it, by which are signified truths; the “city of God” signifies the church in respect to doctrine; “to make glad” signifies influx and reception from joy of heart, and “not to be changed” signifies not to perish in any respect.
sRef Isa@19 @7 S27′ sRef Isa@19 @6 S27′ sRef Isa@19 @5 S27′ [27] In Isaiah:
Then the waters shall fail in** the sea, and the river shall dry up and become dry, and the rivers shall recede; the rivers of Egypt shall be minished and dried up, the reed and flag shall wither; the paper reeds by the stream near the mouth of the stream, and all seed of the stream shall become dry, be driven away, and be no more (19:5-7).
This is said of Egypt, which signifies the knowing faculty [scientificum] of the natural man, and its “stream” the cognition and apperception of truth, and in the contrary sense the apperception of falsity; that these are to perish is signified by “the stream shall dry up and become dry;” that thus there would be no longer truths, not even natural and sensual truths, which are the lowest, is signified by “the reed and flag shall wither, the paper reeds by the stream, and all the seed of the stream shall become dry, be driven away, and be no more.”
sRef Isa@37 @25 S28′ [28] In the same:
I have digged and have drunk waters; and with the sole of my steps have I dried up all the streams of Egypt (Isa. 37:25).
These are the words of Senacherib, the king of Assyria, by whom the perverted rational destroying all knowledge and apperception of truth is signified; this is signified by his “drying up with the sole of his steps all the streams of Egypt.” The “streams of Egypt” signify knowledges and apperceptions of truth, because “Egypt” signifies the natural man in respect to knowledges (scientifica), and cognition and apperception belong to the natural man, as intelligence does to the spiritual man.
sRef Ezek@30 @11 S29′ sRef Ezek@30 @12 S29′ [29] In Ezekiel:
They shall draw out their swords against Egypt, to fill the land with the slain. Then will I make the rivers dry land, and will sell the land into the hand of evil ones; and I will make the land waste, and the fullness thereof, by the hand of strangers (30:11, 12).
“Egypt” signifies the knowing faculty [scientificum] of the natural man serving the intelligence of the rational and spiritual man. The destruction of true knowledges [scientifica] by falsities is signified by “They shall draw out their swords against Egypt,” “swords” signifying falsities destroying truths; the “slain” signify those who are destroyed by falsities; “to make the rivers dry land” signifies that there shall no longer be any cognition or apperception of truth; “to sell the land into the hand of evil ones and to make it waste by the hand of strangers,” signifies to destroy by evils and by falsities, “strangers” signifying falsities.
sRef Zech@10 @11 S30′ [30] In Zechariah:
All the depths of the river shall be dried up, and the pride of Assyria shall be cast down, and the staff of Egypt shall depart away (10:11).
“All the depths of the river (namely, the Euphrates) shall be dried up” signifies that all the acute reasonings from self-intelligence shall perish; the “pride of Assyria” signifies the self-intelligence of the perverted rational; “the staff of Egypt shall depart away” signifies that the knowledges [scientifica] that serve such reasonings shall be of no avail.
sRef Isa@42 @15 S31′ [31] In Isaiah:
I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herb; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools (42:15).
“I will lay waste mountains and hills” signifies that the goods of love and charity will perish; “and dry up all their herb” signifies that the truths that are from those goods will perish; “I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools,” signifies that intelligence and knowledge of truth will perish.
sRef Job@14 @10 S32′ sRef Nahum@1 @4 S32′ sRef Job@14 @11 S32′ sRef Isa@50 @2 S32′ sRef Ps@107 @33 S32′ [32] In the same:
Behold, at My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers into a wilderness; their fish shall rot because there is no water, and shall die (Isa. 50:2).
(See above, n. 342, where this is explained.) In Nahum:
He rebuketh the sea and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers (1:4).
In David:
Jehovah maketh rivers into a wilderness, and water springs into dry ground (Ps. 107:33).
In Job:
A man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? The waters depart from the sea, and the river drieth up and becometh dry (14:10, 11).
sRef Isa@18 @2 S33′ sRef Isa@43 @2 S33′ [33] It has been shown thus far that “rivers” signify the understanding of truth and intelligence. In the contrary sense “rivers” signify the understanding of falsity and reasoning from self-intelligence which is in favor of falsities and opposes truths, as is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:
He shall send ambassadors by the sea to a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled (18:2).
“Rivers” here signify the falsities of self-intelligence that destroy. (What the rest signifies see explained above, n. 304, 331.) In the same:
When thou shalt pass through the waters I will be with thee; and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee (Isa. 43:2).
“To pass through waters and through rivers and not be overflowed” signifies that falsities and reasonings from falsities against truths shall not corrupt.
sRef Jer@47 @2 S34′ [34] In Jeremiah:
Behold waters rising up out of the north, which like*** an overflowing stream shall overflow the land and its fullness (47:2).
“Waters out of the north” signify the falsities of doctrine from self-intelligence; these are compared to “a stream overflowing the land,” because a “stream” signifies reasoning from falsities, the “land” the church, and “its overflow by a stream” its destruction by falsities.
sRef Ps@124 @5 S35′ sRef Ps@124 @4 S35′ sRef Ps@124 @2 S35′ [35] In David:
Unless Jehovah were for us when man rises up against us, then the waters had overflowed us, the river had gone over our soul; then the waters of the proud had gone over our soul (Ps. 124:2, 4, 5).
The “waters of the proud” here mentioned, signify falsities favoring the love of self and confirming it, also the falsities of doctrine from self-intelligence; the “river” signifies reasoning from falsities against truths; this makes clear what is meant by “Unless Jehovah were for us, when man rises up against us,” namely, when man from himself, from self-love, and from self-intelligence, rises up and endeavors to destroy the truths of the church; for this treats of Israel, by whom the church is signified; the “waters that had overflowed them,” and the “rivers that had gone over their soul,” signify falsities and reasonings from falsities, and the consequent destruction of the spiritual life that man has through truths and through a life according to them; “waters” signify falsities, “rivers” reasonings from them, and “overflowing and going over the soul” signifies the destruction of spiritual life.
sRef Isa@8 @7 S36′ sRef Isa@8 @8 S36′ [36] In Isaiah:
Behold, the Lord will make to go up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory; and he shall go up over all his channels, and shall go over all his banks; and he shall go through Judah, and shall overflow (8:7, 8).
“Assyria” and its king signify in the Word the rational, here the rational perverted; so “his river” which was the Euphrates, means reasoning, and “the waters of the river” mean falsities confirmed by reasonings; these therefore are signified by “the waters of the river, strong and many,” which are called “strong” from cupidity, and “many” from falsity; the abundance of falsities from evil destroying the truths of the good of the church is signified by “the waters of the river shall go up over all his channels, and over all his banks,” also “he shall go through Judah, and shall overflow,” “Judah” signifying the church where the Word is.
sRef Jer@2 @18 S37′ [37] In Jeremiah:
What hast thou to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? Or what hast thou to do with the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river? (2:18).
The “waters of Sihor,” or of Egypt, signify false knowledges, or knowledges confirming falsities, and “the waters of the river” signify false reasonings from these, thus such as are from self-intelligence; that such falsities and reasonings must not be imbibed is what these words signify.
sRef Jer@46 @8 S38′ sRef Matt@7 @27 S38′ sRef Matt@7 @25 S38′ sRef Jer@46 @6 S38′ sRef Jer@46 @7 S38′ sRef Luke@6 @48 S38′ sRef Ps@18 @4 S38′ sRef Jonah@2 @3 S38′ [38] In the same:
Towards the north, by the bank of the river Euphrates, have they stumbled and fallen. Who is this that cometh up like a stream, whose waters are tossed like the streams? Egypt cometh up like a stream, and his waters are tossed like streams; for he saith, I will come up, I will cover the earth, I will destroy the city and those that dwell in it (Jer. 46:6-8).
This signifies the destruction of the church and of its truths by false reasonings from confirming knowledges [scientifica]; the “north” signifies those in whom and from whom there is falsity, the “river Euphrates” false reasonings, “Egypt” confirming knowledges, the “waters that are tossed” falsities themselves, and “to come up, to cover the earth, to destroy the city and those that dwell in it,” signifies the destruction of the church and of its doctrine, the “earth” meaning the church, the “city” doctrine of truth, and “those that dwell in it” its goods. Like things are signified by the Nile, “the river of Egypt,” and by the Euphrates, “the river of Assyria,” elsewhere in the Word (as in Isa. 7:18, 19; 11:15, 16; Ezek. 29:3-5, 10; 31:15; 32:2; Ps. 74:14, 15; 78:44; Exod. 7:17-21); also by “the rivers of Babylon” (Ps. 137:1). As all spiritual temptations come through falsities that break into the thoughts and infest the interior mind, thus through reasonings from falsities, so temptations are signified by the inundations of waters and by the irruptions of rivers and torrents. As in Jonah:
Thou hadst cast me into the depths, even into the heart of the seas; and the river was round about me; all Thy waves and Thy billows passed over me (2:3).
In David:
The cords of death compassed me, and the brooks of Belial terrified me (Ps. 18:4).
In Matthew:
And the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; yet it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock (7:25, 27).
In Luke:
When a flood arose, the stream dashed against that house and could not shake it; for it had been founded upon a rock (6:48, 49).
* Latin “from,” the Hebrew has “in,” which we also find in AE n. 394, 405, 538, etc.
** Latin “in,” Hebrew “out of,” as we also find in AE n. 275; AC n. 28, 2588, 9755.
*** Latin “like,” Hebrew “become,” as we also find in AE n. 223; AC n. 705, 2240, 6297.

sRef Rev@8 @11 S0′ 519. Verse 11. And the name of the star is called Wormwood, signifies truth mixed with the falsity of evil. This is evident from the signification of “name,” as meaning what the state is, and what the thing is (see above, n. 148); from the signification of “star,” here “a great star burning as a lamp,” as being the truth of the Word falsified by self-love; and from the signification of “wormwood,” as being truth mixed with the falsity of evil. This is signified by “wormwood” because of its bitterness, and bitterness springs from what is sweet mixed with the opposite unsweet; therefore “bitterness” like that of wormwood and gall means in the spiritual sense truth mixed with the falsity that is the opposite of truth, which is the falsity of evil; for savor and taste signify the affection of knowing and of becoming wise, therefore what is savory signifies the delightfulness and pleasantness of wisdom; and “delicacies,” because they are savory, signify the truths of wisdom. (That this is from correspondence see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3502, 3536, 3589, 4791-4805.) That “wormwood” and “gall” from their bitterness, signify truth mixed with the falsity of evil is evident also from what follows in this verse; for it is said that “many men died of the waters because they were made bitter,” which signifies that through truths falsified all such perished in respect to spiritual life; for truths are what make the spiritual life, while falsities of evil extinguish it; and when truths are mixed with falsities of evil they are no longer true but falsified; and truths falsified are in themselves falsities.
sRef Matt@27 @34 S2′ sRef Matt@27 @38 S2′ sRef John@19 @30 S2′ sRef John@19 @28 S2′ sRef John@19 @29 S2′ [2] Such falsities were with the Jewish nation; but among the upright Gentiles they were falsities of another kind; these falsities are signified by the “vinegar,” but the former by “the gall and wine mingled with myrrh,” in the Gospels:
When they were come unto a place called Golgotha, they gave Jesus vinegar mingled with gall; but when He had tasted He would not drink. When He had been crucified, one of them running and taking a sponge and filling it with vinegar, and putting it on a reed gave Him to drink (Matt. 27:33, 34, 48; Mark 15:23, 36).
After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now finished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled said, I thirst. And there had been placed a vessel full of vinegar; and they filled a sponge and placed it upon hyssop and put it to His mouth. And when He had received the vinegar He said, It is finished (John 19:28-30).
Each and every thing that is related in the Gospels respecting the Lord’s passion, signifies in the spiritual sense, the state of the church at that time in relation to the Lord and the Word; for the Lord was the Word because He was Divine truth; and as the Jews had treated the Word, or Divine truth, so they treated the Lord (respecting which see above, n. 64, 195). Their giving to the Lord “vinegar mingled with gall,” which was also called “wine mingled with myrrh,” signified the quality of the Divine truth from the Word with the Jewish nation, namely, that it was mingled with the falsity of evil, and thus altogether falsified and adulterated, therefore He would not drink it. But that afterwards “they gave the Lord vinegar in a sponge and placed it upon hyssop” signified the kind of falsity there was among the upright Gentiles, which was falsity from ignorance of the truth, in which there was something good and useful; because this falsity is accepted by the Lord He drank this vinegar; the “hyssop” upon which they placed it signifies the purification of the falsity; that the Lord said “I thirst,” signifies Divine spiritual thirst, which is for Divine truth and good in the church, by which the human race is saved. (Respecting the falsity of evil, what it was with the Jewish nation, and the falsity of ignorance in which there is good, what this was with the upright Gentiles, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 21.)
sRef Ps@69 @22 S3′ sRef Ps@69 @21 S3′ sRef Ps@69 @23 S3′ [3] “Gall” and “vinegar” have a like signification in David:
They gave me gall for My food; and in my thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink. Let their table before them become a snare; and for retributions let there be a lure. Let their eyes be darkened that they see not; and make their loins continually to falter (Ps. 69:21-23).
Here “gall,” “vinegar,” and “thirst,” have a similar signification as above, since this is said of the Lord; the “table that shall be to them for a snare,” signifies going astray in respect to every truth of doctrine from the Word, for “table” has reference to all spiritual food, and spiritual food is everything of doctrine from the Word; the “eyes that will be darkened that they see not,” signify the understanding of truth; the “loins that will be made to falter,” signify the will of good, and its marriage with the understanding of truth; “loins” have the same signification in other parts of the Word.
sRef Lam@3 @18 S4′ sRef Lam@3 @19 S4′ sRef Lam@3 @15 S4′ [4] In Lamentations:
He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. Therefore I said, My victory hath perished, and my hope from Jehovah. Remember my misery and my lament, the wormwood and the hemlock (3:15, 18, 19).
This, too, is said of the Lord. That the Lord found nothing but falsities and falsified truths in the church that then existed among the Jews is signified by “He hath filled me with bitterness, and hath made me drunken with wormwood,” “wormwood” meaning the falsity of evil mixed with truths, thus what is falsified; the Lord’s combat with the hells, and His hopelessness of ever bringing back the Jewish nation to a reception and acknowledgment of truths is signified by “My victory hath perished, and my hope from Jehovah; remember my misery and my lament, the wormwood and the hemlock;” for the spirits who are in the falsities of evil and yet in truths from the sense of the letter of the Word make longer resistance before they are subjugated and cast down into hell, and for the reason that through truths they have communication with heaven, and this communication and consequent conjunction must be broken and removed before they are cast down; this involves despair as to victory, such as the Lord experienced upon the cross when He said “I thirst,” and they gave Him vinegar.
sRef Jer@8 @14 S5′ sRef Jer@9 @15 S5′ sRef Jer@23 @15 S5′ sRef Jer@9 @16 S5′ [5] In Jeremiah:
Jehovah our God hath cut us off and hath given us waters of gall to drink (8:14).
In the same:
Behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood, and make them to drink waters of gall; and I will scatter them among the nations; and I will send the sword after them until I shall have consumed them (9:15, 16).
In the same:
Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink waters of gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem hypocrisy hath gone forth into all the land (23:15).
This, too, is said of the Jewish nation, which in a thousand ways perverted the Word, falsified its truth, and adulterated its good; “wormwood” signifies the evil of falsity, and “waters of gall” the falsity of evil, both mixed with the truths and goods of the Word. That from themselves and from their heart they were in evils and falsities from evils is signified by “Jehovah will feed them with wormwood, and make them to drink waters of gall;” for evil and falsity are attributed to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord, as in many passages elsewhere, and yet they are of man himself; the reasons for this have often been given above. “The hypocrisy that went forth from the prophets of Jerusalem” signifies such mingling of falsity and truth, for they spoke truths while they taught falsities; they spoke truths when they spoke from the Word, and they taught falsities when they taught from themselves and their doctrine; their destruction by the evils of falsity and by the falsities of evil is signified by “I will scatter them among the nations, and I will send the sword after them;” “to scatter among the nations” signifying to destroy by the evils of falsity, and “to send the sword after them” signifying to destroy by the falsities of evil. (That “nations” signify evils see above, n. 175, 331; and that “sword” signifies the combat of truth against falsity, and the combat of falsity against truth, and its destruction, see also above, n. 131, 367.)
sRef Amos@6 @12 S6′ sRef Amos@6 @11 S6′ sRef Amos@5 @7 S6′ [6] In Amos:
Behold, Jehovah will smite the great house with gaps and the little house with clefts. Shall horses run upon the rock? Shall one plow with oxen? For ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood (6:11, 12).
In the same:
They turn judgment into wormwood, and thrust down righteousness to the earth (5:7).
“Jehovah will smite the great house with gaps, and the little house with clefts,” signifies much perversion and falsification of truth with the learned, and some with the unlearned, a “great house” signifying a learned man, and a “little house” an unlearned man; “gaps” signify truths destroyed by falsities, and “clefts” the same, but in a less degree; that the understanding of truth and the will of good are not possible where there is the falsity of evil, is signified by “Shall horses run upon the rock? Shall one plow with oxen?;” “horses running” meaning the understanding of truth, and “plowing with oxen” the will of good. That this is because truths were falsified and the goods of the Word were adulterated is signified by, “For ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,” “judgment” signifying the truth of the Word, and “the fruit of righteousness” its good.
sRef Deut@32 @33 S7′ sRef Deut@32 @32 S7′ [7] That the quality of the sons of Jacob, who were called Israelites and Jews, was such, is plainly declared by Moses in his song, in which they are described in these words:
Their vine is of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of gall, they have clusters of bitterness. Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel gall of asps (Deut. 32:32, 33).
“Vine” signifies the church, and this is said to be “of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah” because “Sodom” signifies all evils springing from the love of self, and “Gomorrah” all the falsities of those evils; “grapes” signify the goods of the church, and “clusters” the truths of the church. That instead of the goods of the church they had the worst evils and falsities mingled with truths is signified by “their grapes are grapes of gall, they have clusters of bitterness;” “wine” signifies the truth and good of faith; that this with them was external, in which was evil from the interior, is signified by “their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel gall of asps.” (That the sons of Jacob were such, although there was a church among them, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 248.)
sRef Deut@29 @18 S8′ [8] That “gall” and “wormwood” signify evil and falsity mingled with good and truth, is further evident from these words in Moses:
Lest there be among you man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart looketh back this day from with Jehovah our God, to go to serve the gods of the nations; lest there be among you a root bearing gall and wormwood (Deut. 29:18).
Here, too, “gall” and “wormwood” signify the mingling of good and truth with evil and falsity, which is done when other gods are worshiped with the heart, and Jehovah only with the lips; then the external sounds like good and appears like truth, but the internal is evil and falsity; and when the interiors are evils and falsities, and the exteriors are goods and truths, there is a mingling of the two, and then the good becomes gall, and the truth becomes wormwood. It is similar when man in his heart hates the neighbor and denies the truths of the church, and yet outwardly avows charity towards the neighbor and professes the truths of the church; there is then in him “a root bearing gall and wormwood,” for he lets in evils and falsities from the interior, and mixes them with the goods and truths that he displays in the externals.
sRef Job@20 @15 S9′ sRef Job@20 @12 S9′ sRef Job@20 @16 S9′ sRef Job@20 @14 S9′ sRef Job@20 @13 S9′ [9] In Job:
Though evil shall have been sweet in his mouth, though he shall have hidden it under his tongue; though he shall have spared it and not forsaken it but shall keep it within his mouth, his bread in his bowels shall be changed, it shall be the gall of asps in the midst of him; he hath swallowed riches and he shall vomit them up again, God shall cast them out of his belly. He shall suck the poison of asps, the viper’s tongue shall slay him (20:12-16).
Thus is described the hypocrisy from which man speaks things holy and stimulates good affections, while inwardly he denies and blasphemes. What is within is described by “he hides evil under his tongue, and keeps it within his mouth.” That consequently good is infected with evil and is cast out, is signified by “his bread in his bowels shall be changed, it shall be the gall of asps in the midst;” “bread” meaning the good of love, “in the bowels” is inwardly, and “the gall of asps” means good mingled with evil. That truth also is cast out by falsity is signified by “he hath swallowed riches and he shall vomit them up again, God shall cast them out of his belly;” this falsity is meant by “the poison of asps.”
[10] It is to be known that good and evil, and the truth of good and the falsity of evil, are mingled when evil and falsity are in man’s spirit while good and truth are in the deeds and speech of his body. But what is in the spirit of man, that is, what is interior, acts into that which belongs to the body or what is exterior; for it flows in and causes the exterior, which appears to be good and true, nevertheless to be bitter like gall and wormwood, although before men it seems to be sweet. And because the good and truth of their mouth and speech are such, therefore when man after death becomes a spirit the good is separated from the evil and the falsity from the truth, and good and truth are taken away, and thus the spirit becomes his own evil and falsity. But it must be known that this mingling of good and evil and of truth and falsity is not the profanation of good and truth; profanation occurs only with those who have first received truth and good in heart and faith, and afterwards in heart and faith deny them.

sRef Rev@8 @11 S0′ 520. And the third part [of the waters] became wormwood, signifies that every truth in the understanding and in doctrine became such. This is evident from the signification of “the third part,” as being all, here every truth in the understanding and in doctrine, because it is predicated of “the rivers” and “the fountains of waters,” which signify the understanding of truth, and doctrine from the Word (that “the third part” signifies all, see above, n. 506); also from the signification of “wormwood,” as being truth mixed with the falsity of evil (as was explained in the preceding article). This makes evident that “the third part became wormwood” signifies that every truth in the understanding and in doctrine was mixed with the falsity of evil. Truth is mixed with the falsity of evil when evils of life, which are adulteries, whoredoms, murders, hatreds of various kinds, enmities, injustices for the sake of gain, artful and clandestine thefts and robberies, cunning, deceit, and other like evils are confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word, so, too, when falsities of religion are upheld by such means by those who are in the love of self, and thus in the pride of self-intelligence. Truths are then mixed with the falsities of evil, because all things of the Word are truths, but when they are applied and wrested to confirm evils of life and false principles of religion, the truths of the Word are mingled with the falsities of evil, and in this way truths themselves come to be no longer truths, but truths falsified, and these in themselves are falsities. The truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, that they may remain truths, must be applied to the confirmation of goods of life and true principles of religion; if they are drawn aside and diverted from this application as their end they are no longer truths, since there is no perception of truth in them. The perception of truth comes from good, not from evil.
[2] For in every part of the Word there is a marriage of good and truth; consequently if good is not in the truths of the Word, as they are perceived, truths are without their consort, and may be applied to any evil cupidities and to any false principles whatsoever, and thus become the falsities of evil. In this way the truths of the Word are falsified by all those who from self-love are in the pride of self-intelligence; for inwardly, evils of every kind from love of self, and thence falsities of every kind from the pride of self-intelligence, have rule, while outwardly, in speech and in preaching, there are truths from the Word which sound like truths to those who are in simple good, but within with the one speaking or preaching these swarm with falsities of every kind. With such the truth of the Word is like a vessel pure and shining, in which are filthy waters that are not seen through the vessel by those who are in simple good, but are plainly seen by the angels of heaven.

sRef Rev@8 @11 S0′ 521. And many men died of the waters, signifies that all who were such were destroyed by the falsities into which the truths of the Word were changed. This is evident from the signification of “many” in the Word, as being all who are such; also from the signification of “to die” as being to perish in respect to spiritual life and to be damned (of which above, n. 78, 186, 383, 487). Also from the signification of “waters,” as being falsities, here falsities of evil, because “they became wormwood.” For all spiritual life, which in the Word is called “life,” and “eternal life,” man has by means of truths, and all spiritual death, which is damnation, man has by means of the falsities of evil; especially the falsities of evil into which he changes the truths of the Word. This makes clear the meaning of “many men died of the waters that became wormwood.”

sRef Rev@8 @11 S0′ 522. Because they were made bitter, signifies because the truths of the Word were falsified. This is evident from the signification of “the waters in the rivers and in the fountains,” as being the truths of the understanding and the truths of doctrine (of which above, n. 518); also from the signification of “bitter” and “bitterness,” as being what is falsified by the mingling of truth with the falsities of evil; for “bitter” here means the bitter of wormwood, and “wormwood” by reason of its bitterness signifies truth mixed with the falsity of evil, thus truth falsified (of which above, n. 519). “Bitter” signifies in the Word what is undelightful, but one kind of undelightfulness is signified by the bitter from wormwood, another by the bitter from gall, another by the bitter of hemlock, another by the bitter from unripe fruit, another by the bitter that is neither from herbs nor fruit; this bitter signifies grief of mind and anxiety from various causes.
sRef Num@5 @21 S2′ sRef Num@5 @23 S2′ sRef Rev@10 @10 S2′ sRef Rev@10 @9 S2′ sRef Num@5 @20 S2′ sRef Num@5 @22 S2′ sRef Num@5 @19 S2′ sRef Num@5 @29 S2′ sRef Isa@24 @7 S2′ sRef Num@5 @27 S2′ sRef Num@5 @28 S2′ sRef Ex@12 @8 S2′ sRef Num@5 @25 S2′ sRef Num@5 @24 S2′ sRef Isa@24 @9 S2′ sRef Num@5 @26 S2′ sRef Num@5 @15 S2′ sRef Ex@15 @25 S2′ sRef Num@5 @18 S2′ sRef Num@5 @17 S2′ sRef Num@5 @16 S2′ sRef Ex@15 @24 S2′ sRef Num@9 @11 S2′ sRef Num@5 @14 S2′ sRef Ex@15 @23 S2′ sRef Num@5 @12 S2′ sRef Num@5 @13 S2′ [2] This makes evident the signification of “bitterness” in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Woe unto the mighty in drinking wine, and unto men of strength in mingling strong drink (5:20, 22).
In the same:
The new wine shall mourn, the vine shall languish, all the glad of heart shall sigh. They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it (24:7, 9).
In Moses:
That the waters in Marah, which they were not able to drink because of their bitterness, were healed by the wood that was cast into them (Exod. 15:23-25);
That at the time of the Passover they ate unleavened bread with bitter herbs (Exod. 12:8; Num. 9:11).
In the same:
That the waters of the curse should be given to a wife accused by her husband of adultery, and if she was guilty these waters would become bitternesses in her, and her belly would swell and her thigh would fall in (Num. 5:12-29).
In Revelation:
The little book that the prophet ate by command was in his mouth sweet like honey, but the belly was made bitter by it (10:9, 10).
So in other passages. But here, where it is said that “many men died of the waters because they were made bitter,” the bitter of wormwood is meant, and the signification of this bitterness has been explained just before.

sRef Rev@8 @12 S0′ 523. Verse 12. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; and the third part of them was darkened, that the day should not shine for the third part of it, and the night likewise. 12. “And the fourth angel sounded,” signifies influx out of heaven, and the fourth consequent change (n. 524); “and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars,” signifies that all good of love, all good and truth of faith, and all knowledge of good and truth, perished (n. 525); “and the third part of them was darkened,” signifies that all these were changed into falsities of evil and into evils of falsity (n. 526); “that the day should not shine for the third part of it, and the night likewise,” signifies that the spiritual light of truth and the natural light of truth were completely extinguished (n. 527).

sRef Rev@8 @12 S0′ 524. Verse 12. And the fourth angel sounded, signifies influx out of heaven, and the fourth consequent change (see above, n. 502, and what follows).

sRef Rev@8 @12 S0′ 525. And the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, signifies that all good of love, all good and truth of faith, and all knowledge of good and truth, perished. This is evident from the signification of “the third part,” as being all (see above, n. 506); from the signification of the “sun,” as being the good of love from the Lord; from the signification of the “moon,” as being the good and truth of faith from the Lord (see above, n. 401); from the signification of “stars,” as being the knowledges of good and truth, also from the Lord (see above, n. 72, 402); and from the signification of “to be smitten,” in reference to the goods of love and faith, and the knowledges of good and truth, as being to perish. This makes evident that “the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars,” signifies that all good of love, all good and truth of faith, and all knowledge of good and truth perished. By “the sun, moon, and stars,” are not meant here the sun, moon, and stars that appear before the eyes of men in our solar world, but the sun, moon, and stars that appear before the eyes of angels in the spiritual world; for the Lord appears there as a sun before those who are in the good of love to Him from Him, and as a moon before those who are in the good and truth of faith; and this is why the “sun” signifies the good of love, and the “moon” the good and truth of faith. Evidently it was that sun, that moon, and those stars that appeared to John, since he was in the spirit when he saw them. (That the Lord appears as a sun and as a moon in the angelic heavens may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125.) It is from appearance that these are said to have been smitten, for when the good of love and the good and truth of faith are no longer with man, the appearance to him is that they no longer exist, and that they have perished; and the Word in the sense of the letter is written according to appearances.

sRef Rev@8 @12 S0′ 526. And the third part of them was darkened, signifies that all these were changed into the falsities of evil and into the evils of falsity. This is evident from the signification of “darkness,” as being falsities, and thus “to be darkened” means to be changed into falsities. It means a change both into the falsities of evil and into the evils of falsity, because it is said that “the third part of the sun was darkened, the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars,” and the “sun” signifies the good of love, the “moon” the good and truth of faith, and the “stars” the knowledges of good and truth; therefore “the third part of the sun was darkened” signifies that the good of love was changed into evil and into falsity from evil, which is the falsity of evil; for good is changed into evil and into falsity therefrom, but the truth of faith, which is signified by the “moon,” is changed into falsity and into evil therefrom, which is the evil of falsity. The evil of falsity is the falsity of doctrine out of which comes evil of life, and the falsity of evil is the evil of life out of which comes the falsity of doctrine.
[2] Darkness signifies falsity because light signifies truth, and falsity is the opposite of truth as darkness is of light; moreover, when the light of life, which is the Divine truth, is not with man, the shadow of death is with him, which is falsity; for man from what is his own (proprium) is in every evil and in falsity from the evil, and he is removed from these only by means of the truths of the church; consequently where there are no truths there are the falsities of evil. (That it is only by means of truths that man is removed from evils, is purified, and is reformed, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 24.)
sRef Joel@2 @31 S3′ [3] That “darkness” signifies in the Word falsities of various kinds can be seen from the following passages. In Joel:
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh (2:31).
“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,” has a similar signification as “the third part of the sun and the third part of the moon were darkened,” namely, that at the end of the church there will be the falsity of evil in the place of the good of love, and evil of falsity in the place of truth of faith.
sRef Ezek@32 @8 S4′ sRef Joel@2 @2 S4′ sRef Joel@2 @1 S4′ sRef Isa@13 @10 S4′ sRef Ezek@32 @7 S4′ sRef Joel@2 @10 S4′ sRef Joel@3 @15 S4′ sRef Matt@24 @29 S4′ sRef Joel@3 @14 S4′ [4] Elsewhere in the Word where the darkening of the sun and moon is spoken of there is a like meaning, as in Isaiah:
For the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof shall not make their light to shine; the sun shall be darkened in its rising, and the moon shall not make bright her light (13:10; 24:21, 23).
In Ezekiel:
When I shall extinguish thee I will cover the heavens and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not make her light to shine; all luminaries of light in the heavens will I make dark over thee, and I will set darkness upon thy land (32:7, 8).
In Joel:
The day of Jehovah is near in the valley of decision; the sun and the moon have been darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their brightness (3:14, 15).
In the same:
The day of Jehovah cometh, a day of darkness and of thick darkness, a day of cloud and obscurity. Before Him the earth trembled, the sun and the moon were darkened, and the stars withdrew their brightness (2:1-2, 10).
In the Gospels:
Immediately after the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven (Matt. 24:29; Mark 13:24, 25).
This is said of the last time of the church, when there is no longer any spiritual good or truth, or the good and truth of heaven and the church, but evil and falsity. That the goods and truths of the church, which are called the goods of love and the truths of faith are changed into evils and falsities, is signified by “the sun and moon shall be obscured and darkened, and the stars shall not give their light;” the Last Judgment that then follows is meant by “the day of Jehovah great and terrible;” and as this comes when the church is in darkness and in thick darkness, that day is also called “a day of darkness and thick darkness,” and also “a day of cloud and obscurity,” as also in the following passages.
sRef Amos@5 @18 S5′ sRef Isa@8 @22 S5′ sRef Zeph@1 @14 S5′ sRef Zeph@1 @15 S5′ sRef Isa@5 @30 S5′ sRef Isa@60 @2 S5′ sRef Amos@5 @20 S5′ sRef Jer@13 @16 S5′ [5] In Amos:
Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah. What to you is the day of Jehovah? It is darkness, and not light. Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light? Even thick darkness, and no brightness to it? (5:18, 20).
In Zephaniah:
The day of Jehovah, a day of wasteness and devastation, a day of darkness and thick darkness, a day of clouds and of gloominess (1:14, 15).
In Isaiah:
In that day he shall look upon the land, which behold is darkness and distress, and the light shall grow dark in its ruins (5:30).
In the same:
He shall look unto the earth, and behold distress and darkness dimmed with straitness and driven with thick darkness (8:22).
In the same:
Behold, darkness covereth the earth, and thick darkness the peoples (60:2).
In Jeremiah:
Give glory to Jehovah your God before He causeth darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight; then shall ye look for light, but He will turn it into the shadow of death, He will make it thick darkness (13:16).
This is said of the last time of the church, when the Lord is to come into the world, and judgment is to be accomplished; because there will then be no longer any good of love or truth of faith, but the evil of falsity and the falsity of evil, that day is called “a day of darkness and of thick darkness.”
sRef Matt@27 @45 S6′ [6] The same is signified by:
The darkness that came over all the land from the sixth hour to the ninth hour when the Lord was crucified (Matt. 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-49).
“The darkness over all the land” represented that in the whole church there was nothing but evil and falsity therefrom, and falsity and evil therefrom; moreover, the three hours signify what is full and complete; for each and all things related in the Gospels respecting the Lord’s passion have stored up in them arcana of heaven, and signify Divine celestial things, which can be laid open only by means of the internal spiritual sense.
sRef Isa@5 @20 S7′ [7] That “darkness” signifies falsity is further evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness (5:20).
“To put darkness for light and light for darkness” signifies to call falsity truth and truth falsity; it is clear that “darkness” means falsity and “light” truth, for good and evil are first spoken of, therefore what follows must be respecting truth and falsity.
sRef John@3 @19 S8′ [8] In John:
This is the judgment, that the Light hath come into the world, and men have loved the darkness rather than the light, because their works were evil (3:19).
The Lord here calls Himself the Light because He was the Divine truth itself when in the world; therefore “the Light” signifies the Lord in relation to Divine truth, also Divine truth from the Lord; and as darkness is opposed to light, “the darkness that men loved rather than the light” signifies infernal falsity, which is the falsity of evil. That the falsity of evil is here signified by “darkness” is evident from its being said, “because their works were evil.” The falsity of evil springs from evil works, or the evils of life; for as good joins to itself truth, so evil joins to itself falsity; for the one belongs to the other.
sRef John@8 @12 S9′ sRef John@1 @5 S9′ sRef John@1 @4 S9′ sRef John@12 @46 S9′ sRef John@12 @35 S9′ [9] “Light” and “darkness” have a similar signification in the following passages in John:
In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. And the light appeareth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not (1:4, 5).
In the same:
Jesus said, I am the Light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life (8:12).
In the same:
Jesus said, Walk while ye have the Light, that darkness overtake you not; for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. I have come a Light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me may not abide in darkness (12:35, 46).
In these passages “darkness” signifies infernal falsity; for the “light” to which darkness is opposed, signifies Divine truth. “Light” signifies Divine truth because light in the heavens is in its essence Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-140). Now as Divine truth is the light in the heavens, it follows that the falsity of evil, which is the falsity in the hells, is darkness. This darkness is not indeed darkness to those who are in the hells, for they see one another; but the light by which they see is like the lumen from burning coal, and this lumen, when the light of heaven flows into it, becomes mere darkness. For this reason also the caverns and dens in which they are appear to those in heaven like gloomy caves.
sRef Ps@143 @3 S10′ sRef Matt@8 @12 S10′ [10] From this it can be seen why “darkness” signifies the falsities of evil, and why the Lord says:
That those who are in hell are to be cast into outer darkness (Matt. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30).
In David:
The enemy pursueth my soul; he hath crushed my life down to the earth; he hath made me to sit in darkness, like the dead of the world (Ps. 143:3).
“The enemy who pursueth his soul” signifies in the spiritual sense evil; consequently “to make me to sit in darkness” signifies falsities.
sRef Isa@59 @9 S11′ [11] In Isaiah:
Judgment is far from us, and righteousness doth not overtake us; we wait for light, but behold darkness; for brightness, but we walk in thick darkness (59:9).
“Judgment is far from us” signifies that there is no understanding of truth; “righteousness doth not overtake us” signifies that there is no good of life; “we wait for light, but behold darkness,” signifies waiting for truth, but behold falsity; “for brightness, but we walk in thick darkness,” signifies waiting for goods through truths, but behold a life of falsity from evils; for “brightness” signifies the goods of truth, because “light” signifies truth, and truth is bright from good; “thick darkness” signifies the falsities of evil, and “to walk” signifies to live.
sRef Luke@22 @53 S12′ [12] In Luke:
But this is your hour and the power of darkness (22:53).
The Lord said this to the chief priests, the captains of the temple, and the elders, who seized Him by the aid of Judas. The power to do this wickedness the Lord calls “the power of darkness,” because they were in the falsities of evil, in falsities respecting the Lord and in evils against Him; here also “darkness” means hell, because such falsities of evil are there.
sRef Luke@11 @34 S13′ sRef Luke@11 @36 S13′ sRef Luke@11 @35 S13′ [13] In the same:
The lamp of the body is the eye; when therefore thine eye is pure thy whole body also shall be light; but when the eye is evil thy body also shall be dark. Take heed, therefore, that the light that is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be light, having no part dark, the whole shall be light, as when a lamp by its flashing doth give thee light (Luke 11:34-36; Matt. 6:22, 23).
The “eye” here signifies the understanding, and the “pure (or single) eye” the understanding of truth from good; but the “evil eye” signifies the understanding of falsity from evil; the “body” that is either light or dark, means the whole man. From this the signification of these words in series can be concluded, namely, that the whole man is such as is his understanding from the will; for every man is his truth and his good, because he is his love or affection; therefore he is throughout wholly such as he is in respect to his understanding from his will; for all truth is of the understanding, and all good is of the will; for the body is a mere obedience, since it is the effect of an effecting cause, and the effecting cause is the understanding from the will; therefore such as is the quality of the one such is that of the other, for the effect has its all from its effecting cause. That heed must be taken that truth once perceived in the understanding and received into the will be not turned into falsity, which is done from evil, is meant by “take heed, therefore, that the light that is in thee be not darkness,” for from this falsities become worse; therefore in Matthew, in the passages just referred to, it is said:
If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is the darkness! (verse 23).
sRef Ex@10 @22 S14′ sRef Ex@10 @21 S14′ sRef Isa@47 @5 S14′ sRef Ex@10 @23 S14′ [14] “Darkness” signifies the falsities of evil also in Isaiah:
Sit thou silent and enter into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for they shall no longer call thee the mistress of kingdoms (47:5).
“The daughter of the Chaldeans” signifies the falsification of truth, therefore “darkness” signifies the falsities of evil, since evil falsifies truth:
The thick darkness of darkness that was over all the land of Egypt for three days, while in the dwellings of the sons of Israel there was light (Exod. 10:21-23);
signifies also the falsity of evil. Likewise the “darkness” in Genesis (15:17), and in many other passages.
sRef Luke@1 @78 S15′ sRef Isa@9 @2 S15′ sRef Luke@1 @79 S15′ sRef Matt@4 @16 S15′ sRef Isa@42 @16 S15′ sRef Isa@58 @10 S15′ sRef Isa@49 @9 S15′ sRef Isa@29 @18 S15′ sRef Micah@7 @8 S15′ [15] It has been shown thus far that “darkness” signifies in the Word the falsities of evil. “Darkness” signifies also falsities not of evil, such as were the falsities of religion among the upright Gentiles, which falsities were with them because of their ignorance of the truth; that these falsities were also called “darkness” is evident from the following passages:
This people walking in darkness have seen a great light; those dwelling in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light become bright (Isa. 9:2).
In Matthew:
A people sitting in darkness saw a great light; and to those sitting in the region and shadow of death a light hath arisen (4:16).
In Luke:
The dayspring from on high appeared to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death (1:78, 79).
In Isaiah:
If thou shalt draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, thy light shall arise in the darkness, and thy thick darkness be as the noonday (58:10).
In the same:
He shall say to the bound, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Be revealed (49:9).
In the same:
In that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of thick darkness and in* darkness (29:18).
In the same:
And I will lead the blind in a way that they have not known. I will make darkness into light before them, and crooked things into straightness (42:16).
In Micah:
When I sit in darkness Jehovah shall be a Light unto me (7:8).
In these passages “darkness” signifies the falsities of ignorance, such as existed, and as exist at this day among the upright Gentiles. These falsities are altogether distinct from the falsities of evil, which have evil stored up in them because they are from evil, while the former have good stored up in them because they have good as an end. Those, therefore, who are in these falsities can be instructed in truths, and they also when instructed receive truths in the heart, for the reason that good, which is in their falsities, loves truth, and also conjoins itself to truth when it is heard. It is otherwise with the falsities of evil; these are averse to all truth and cast it off because it is truth, and thus is not in agreement with evil.
[16] Again, “darkness” signifies in the Word mere ignorance from lack of truth (as in David, Ps. 18:29; 139:11, 12). “Darkness” signifies also natural lumen, for this in comparison with spiritual light is like darkness; therefore also when angels look down into man’s natural lumen, such as is in man’s natural cognition, they regard it as darkness, and the things that are in it as in darkness; this light is signified by “darkness” in Genesis (1:2-5). And as the sense of the letter of the Word is natural, that sense also is called in the Word “a cloud,” and also “darkness,” in comparison with the internal spiritual sense, which is the light of heaven, and is called “glory.”
* Latin “in,” Hebrew “out of,” which we also find in AE n. 152, 239; AC n. 212, 897, 2393.

sRef Rev@8 @12 S0′ 527. That the day should not shine for the third part of it, and the night likewise, signifies that the spiritual light of truth and the natural light of truth were completely extinguished. This is evident from the signification of “day,” as being spiritual light, and from the signification of “night,” as being natural light. This is the signification, since it was said above that “the third part of the sun, the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, were darkened;” and “day” means the light of the sun, and “night” the light of the moon and stars, since the sun gives light during the day, and the moon and the stars give light at night. In the first place, let something be said respecting light from the sun, which is called the light of the day, and respecting light from the moon and the stars, which is called “the light of the night.”
[2] By light from the sun, which is called “the light of the day” and by “day,” spiritual light is meant, such as the angels have who see the Lord as a sun; and by light from the moon and stars, which is called “the light of the night” and by “night,” natural light is meant, such as the angels have who behold the Lord as a moon. (That the Lord appears to the angels both as a sun and as a moon, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, 116-125.) Those heavens behold the Lord as a sun that are in the spiritual affection of truth, that is, that love truth because it is truth. Because this is spiritual, therefore the light that is from the Lord as a sun is spiritual. But those heavens behold the Lord as a moon that are in the natural affection of truth, that is, that love truth that they may be learned and may instruct others. These love truth because of its usefulness to themselves, and not for the truth’s own sake; therefore they are in a light that proceeds from the Lord as a moon. This light differs from the light that goes forth from the Lord as a sun, as the light of day from the sun differs from the light of night from the moon and stars in our world; and in like manner as the lights differ with them do truths differ, since Divine truth proceeding from the Lord produces all light in the heavens (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140).
[3] Those, therefore, who are in spiritual light are in genuine truths, and also when they hear truths that they had not before known, they immediately acknowledge them and see that they are truths. It is otherwise with those who are in natural light. When such hear truths they receive them, not because they see or perceive them, but because they are told them by men of reputation in whom they have confidence; the faith, therefore, of most of such is from others, and yet they are in a life according to faith. Into these heavens all come who have lived well, although they have been in falsities of doctrine; nevertheless the falsities are there continually purified, until at length they appear as truths. This makes evident what is signified by “that the day should not shine for the third part of it, and the night likewise.” (That “the third part” signifies all, fullness, and wholly, see above, n. 506.)
sRef Gen@1 @14 S4′ sRef Gen@1 @15 S4′ sRef Gen@1 @17 S4′ sRef Gen@1 @5 S4′ sRef Gen@1 @3 S4′ sRef Gen@1 @4 S4′ sRef Gen@1 @16 S4′ sRef Gen@1 @19 S4′ sRef Gen@1 @18 S4′ [4] “Day and night” here have a similar signification as “day and night” in the first chapter of Genesis, where it is said:
God said, Let there be light; and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good; and God divided between the light and the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day (1:3-5).
And afterwards:
And God said, Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens, to divide between the day and the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years. And God made two great luminaries; the great luminary to rule by day, and the lesser luminary to rule by night, and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth, and to rule by day and by night, and to divide between the light and the darkness. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day (1:14-19).
The “light” that came the first day signifies the Divine light, that in itself and in its essence is Divine truth, thus spiritual light that enlightens the understanding. This chapter in the internal sense treats of the establishment of a church by the Lord with the most ancient people; and as the first thing is to have the understanding enlightened, for until that is enlightened by the Lord there is no reformation, thus no church with man, therefore first of all light is spoken of, or it is said that “light” was made on the first day. That “God saw the light that it was good” signifies that illustration and reception with them were good. But “darkness” signifies the lumen that is in the natural man, which is called natural lumen, because this lumen in comparison with spiritual light is like darkness, consequently this is meant by “darkness.” For every man has a lower or exterior mind, and a higher or interior mind; the lower or exterior mind is the natural mind, which is called the natural man, while the higher or interior mind is the spiritual mind, and is called the spiritual man. The mind is called a man, for the reason that man is man because of his mind. These two minds, the higher and the lower, are altogether distinct; by the lower mind man is in the natural world, together with the men there, but by the higher mind he is in the spiritual world with the angels there.
These two minds are so distinct that while man is living in the world he does not know what is going on in himself in his higher mind; and when he becomes a spirit, as he does immediately after death, he does not know what is going on in his lower mind; therefore it is said “God divided between the light and the darkness, and He called the light day, and the darkness night.” This makes evident that “day” signifies spiritual light, and “darkness” natural light. Because all the heavens are so divided that those who are in spiritual light are in light from the Lord as a sun, and those who are in spiritual-natural light are in light from the Lord as a moon (as was just said in this article), it is said, “Let there be two luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to divide between the day and the night, and to rule by day and by night, and to divide between the light and the darkness.” From this, therefore, it is evident that “day” here means spiritual light, and “night” natural light, which in heaven is called spiritual-natural light.
sRef Jer@33 @25 S5′ sRef Jer@33 @21 S5′ sRef Jer@33 @26 S5′ sRef Jer@33 @20 S5′ sRef Ps@74 @16 S5′ sRef Jer@31 @35 S5′ sRef Ps@136 @7 S5′ sRef Ps@136 @6 S5′ sRef Ps@136 @8 S5′ sRef Ps@136 @5 S5′ sRef Ps@136 @9 S5′ [5] Day and night have a similar signification in the following passages. In David:
Jehovah who hath made the heavens by His intelligence, who hath spread out the earth above the waters; who hath made great luminaries, the sun for rule by day, the moon and stars for rule by night (Ps. 136:5-9).
In Jeremiah:
Jehovah giveth the sun for the light of the day, and the statutes of the moon and stars for the light of the night (31:35).
In David:
Jehovah, the day is Thine, the night also is Thine; Thou hast prepared the light and the sun (Ps. 74:16).
In Jeremiah:
If ye have rendered void My covenant of the day and My covenant of the night, that there be no day and night in their time, My covenant also with David My servant shall become void, that he shall not have a son to reign upon his throne, and with the Levites the priests, My ministers. If I shall not have set* My covenant of day and night, the statutes of heaven and earth, then I reject also the seed of Jacob and David (33:20, 21, 25, 26).
“The covenants of the day and of the night” mean all the statutes of the church prescribed unto the sons of Israel in the Word, by which they had conjunction with heaven and through heaven with the Lord. These are called “the covenant of the day and of the night,” because they are for heaven and also for the church, the spiritual things that are represented and signified are for heaven, and the natural things that represent and signify are for the church; therefore “the covenants of the day and of the night” are here called “the statutes of heaven and earth,” and “the covenant of the night” is called “the statutes of the moon and stars;” “to render void” signifies not to keep. That unless these are kept there could be no conjunction with the Lord through Divine truth or through Divine good is signified by “My covenant with David shall become void, that he shall not have a son to reign upon his throne, and with the Levites the priests, My ministers,” “the covenant with David” meaning conjunction with the Lord through Divine truth; “no son upon his throne” signifying no reception of Divine truth by anyone, and “the covenant with the Levites the priests, My ministers,” meaning conjunction with the Lord through Divine good.
sRef Ps@139 @12 S6′ sRef Ps@139 @11 S6′ sRef Isa@30 @26 S6′ [6] In David:
If I shall say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me, even the night shall be light for me. Even the darkness shall not make darkness before Thee; but the night shall be light as the day; as the darkness so shall be the light (Ps. 139:11, 12).
This signifies that the natural man as well as the spiritual is enlightened by the Lord. Natural light is signified by “darkness” and “night,” and spiritual light by “light” and “day.” “The night shall be light as the day, and as the darkness so shall be the light,” has the same signification as in Isaiah:
The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun (30:26).
These things have been cited to make known that spiritual light is signified by “the day should not shine for the third part of it,” and natural light by “the night likewise;” thus that these expressions have a similar signification as “light from the sun and light from the moon.”
* Latin “shall have set,” Hebrew “shall not have set,” which we also find in AE n. 610, 768; AC n. 37; AR n. 414.

sRef Rev@8 @13 S0′ 528. Verse 13. And I saw, and I heard one angel flying in midheaven, saying with a great voice, Woe, woe, woe, to those that dwell on the earth, from the remaining voices of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound. 13. “And I saw, and I heard one angel flying in midheaven,” signifies the Lord enlightening all in the heavens respecting the state of the church at its end (n. 529); “saying with a great voice,” signifies manifestation (n. 530); “Woe, woe, woe, to those that dwell on the earth, from the remaining voices of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound,” signifies grievous lamentation over the changes of state of the church, on account of the aversion from good and truth, and consequent damnation (n. 531, 532).

sRef Rev@8 @13 S0′ 529. Verse 13. And I saw, and I heard one angel flying in midheaven, signifies the Lord enlightening all in the heavens respecting the state of the church at its end. This is evident from the signification of “to see and to hear,” as being to open the understanding to perceive (of which presently); and from the signification of “angel,” as being the Lord. That “angels” in the Word mean Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, thus the Lord Himself in relation to Divine truth, may be seen above (n. 130, 200, 302), here the Lord manifesting what the church is to be in the last times in respect to the reception of Divine truth. Also from the signification of “to fly,” as being to enlighten and give understanding (of which presently); also from the signification of “in midheaven,” as being in the whole heaven, or all who are in the heavens (that “in the midst” signifies in the whole and thus all, see above, n. 213). From this it can be seen that “I saw, and I heard one angel flying in midheaven,” signifies the enlightenment of all who are in the heavens respecting the state of the church at its end. Enlightenment respecting the state of the church at its end is meant, because this is what is treated of in what follows. “To see and to hear” signifies to open the understanding to perceive, because “to see” signifies to understand, and “to hear” to perceive (that “to see” signifies to understand, see above, n. 260; and that “to hear” signifies to perceive, also above n. 14, 108).
sRef 2Sam@22 @11 S2′ sRef Ps@18 @10 S2′ [2] “To fly” signifies, in reference to the Lord, to enlighten, because “to fly” is said of the understanding, and of the extension of its vision round about, therefore in reference to the Lord, “to fly” signifies the enlightenment of the understanding. That in reference to the Lord, “to fly” signifies omnipresence, may be seen above (n. 282); consequently it signifies also enlightenment, for where the Lord is present there is enlightenment. “To fly” has the same signification in David:
God rode upon a cherub, He did fly, and was borne upon the wings of the wind (Ps. 18:10; 2 Sam. 22:11).
A “cherub” signifies the inmost heaven, “to ride” signifies to give understanding and to enlighten; “to fly” and “to be borne upon the wings of the wind” have a like meaning; but “to ride” here signifies to give understanding to and to enlighten here the inmost heaven, which is signified by a “cherub;” “to fly” also signifies to give understanding to and to enlighten the middle heaven; while “to be borne upon the wings of the wind” signifies to give understanding to and to enlighten the ultimate heaven. (That “to ride” signifies to give understanding, see above, n. 355, 364; and that a “cherub,” signifies the inmost heaven, n. 313, 322, 362, 462.) “To fly” signifies to enlighten the middle heaven, because that heaven is the spiritual heaven, and spiritual things in the Word are signified by various birds, and by their wings and flights. “To be borne upon the wings of the wind” signifies to enlighten the ultimate heaven, because “wings” are for flight, and here signify enlightenment, and “wind” signifies the spiritual of that heaven; thus all this describes the omnipresence of the Lord in the heavens, thence also the enlightenment of the understanding; for as was said above, where the Lord is present there is enlightenment.

sRef Rev@8 @13 S0′ 530. Saying with a great voice, signifies manifestation. This is evident from the signification of “saying with a great voice,” as being manifestation, here respecting the coming state of the church near its end, which is foretold in what follows. It is said “a great voice” because it has reference to the Lord and to the universal heaven (as has been said just above).

sRef Rev@8 @13 S0′ 531. Woe, woe, woe, to those that dwell on the earth, from the remaining voices of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound, signifies grievous lamentation over the changes of state of the church at its end, on account of the aversion from good and truth, and consequent damnation. This is evident from the signification of “woe,” as being lamentation over the aversion from good and truth, and consequent damnation; and as “woe” is said three times, grievous lamentation is meant (of which presently); also from the signification of “those that dwell on the earth,” as being those who are of the church (the “earth” means the church, as may be seen above, n. 29, 304, 417); also from the signification of “the voices of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound,” as being the changes of state of the church; for “the angels sounding the trumpets” signify changes from influx out of heaven (see above, n. 502). That “three” signifies what is complete even to the end will be seen in the following article. From this it can be seen that “Woe, woe, woe, to those that dwell on the earth, from the voices of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound,” signifies grievous lamentation over the changes of state of the church at its end, on account of the aversion from good and truth, and consequent damnation.
sRef Rev@9 @12 S2′ sRef Rev@11 @14 S2′ sRef Luke@17 @1 S2′ sRef Luke@22 @22 S2′ [2] That “woe” signifies lamentation over calamity, danger, hardship, destruction can be seen from passages in the Word where it occurs; but here it means lamentation over the aversion from good and truth, and consequent damnation, because this is what is treated of in what follows; and as the aversion from good and truth becomes successively more grievous in the church even to its end, it is said three times, each one standing for the successively increasing grievousness of the evil. This can be seen from the following, where it is said:
The first woe is past; behold there come yet two woes hereafter (Rev. 9:12).
And afterwards:
The second woe is past, behold the third woe cometh quickly (Rev. 11:14).
sRef Isa@5 @22 S3′ sRef Isa@5 @18 S3′ sRef Isa@29 @1 S3′ sRef Isa@5 @20 S3′ sRef Isa@5 @21 S3′ sRef Matt@23 @15 S3′ sRef Matt@23 @14 S3′ sRef Matt@23 @23 S3′ sRef Matt@23 @16 S3′ sRef Isa@5 @11 S3′ sRef Isa@5 @8 S3′ sRef Matt@23 @13 S3′ sRef Isa@29 @15 S3′ sRef Matt@23 @29 S3′ sRef Matt@23 @25 S3′ sRef Matt@23 @27 S3′ [3] That “woe” signifies in the Word lamentation over various occurrences, especially over the evils that devastate the church, can be seen from many passages therein. As in Matthew:
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (23:13, 14, 16, 23, 25, 27, 29).
In Luke:
Woe unto that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! (22:22).
In the same:
Woe unto him through whom occasions for stumbling come! (17:1).
In Isaiah:
Woe unto them that join house to house! (5:8).
Woe unto them that rise early in the morning that they may follow strong drink! (5:11).
Woe unto them that draw iniquity! (5:18).
Woe unto them that call evil good! (5:20).
Woe unto the wise in their own eyes! (5:21).
Woe unto the mighty in drinking wine! (5:22).
(See in many other passages, as in Isa. 3:11; 10:1; 17:12; 18:1; 29:1, 15; 30:1; 31:1; 33:1; 45:9, 10, etc.; Jer. 22:13; Ezek. 13:3; Rev. 18:16, 19).

sRef Rev@8 @13 S0′ 532. As all numbers in the Word signify things and states, and the composite numbers derive their signification from the simple numbers of which they are composed, and the simple numbers are chiefly two, three, five, and seven, it is important to show what these numbers signify in the word, and here what “three” signifies because it is said, “Woe, woe, woe, from the voices of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!” (That all numbers in the Word signify somewhat of thing and state may be seen above, n. 203, 429; and that the greater and composite numbers have a similar signification as the simple numbers from which they arise by multiplication, and that the simple numbers are two, three, five, and seven, may also be seen above, n. 430.)
sRef Isa@16 @14 S2′ [2] That “three” signifies in the Word what is full and complete, and thence an entire period, greater or less, from beginning to end, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Within three years, as the years of an hireling, the glory of Moab shall grow vile with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and not strong (16:14).
“Moab” means those who are in falsities from evil; “his glory” and “his great multitude” mean such falsities; the “three years within which his glory shall grow vile” signify what is complete and finished; therefore it is said, “then the remnant shall be very small,” which signifies that it shall be no more; “three years” are mentioned, by which is meant what is finished, thus from beginning to end. It is to be known that “three years” has a similar signification as “three months,” “three weeks,” “three days,” and “three hours,” since in the spiritual sense, times signify states, and “three times,” whether greater or less, a full state.
sRef Isa@20 @3 S3′ sRef Isa@20 @4 S3′ [3] In the same:
Like as my servant Isaiah hath gone naked and barefoot three years, a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Cush, so shall the king of Assyria lead the captivity of Egypt and the crowd of Cush that is to be carried away, boys and old men, naked and barefoot (Isa. 20:3, 4).
By “Egypt” and “Cush,” Egypt and Cush are not meant, but “Egypt” means the external or natural in respect to knowledge, and “Cush” the external or natural in respect to worship, and when this natural has no internal spiritual, it also has no truth or good, for all the truth and all the good belonging to the natural or external man is from influx through the spiritual man from the Lord; and when the natural or external man has no truth or good it is like, in respect to the things in it, a man “naked and barefoot.” That there will then be only reasonings from falsities, and that these will destroy, is signified by “the king of Assyria shall lead the captivity of Egypt and the crowd of Cush that is to be carried away, naked and barefoot.” That all innocence and all wisdom will perish is signified by “the boys and old men whom the king of Assyria shall lead away;” their total and complete destruction was represented by the prophet’s going “three years naked and barefoot,” “three years” signifying an entire period from beginning to end, consequently total destruction.
[4] In Hosea:
Jehovah after two days will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up (6:2).
“To revive after two days, and to raise up on the third day,” signifies to reform and restore the church; “on the third day” signifying full reformation and restoration, therefore it is said that then “He will raise up.” Evidently neither two days nor the third day is meant.
sRef Num@19 @21 S5′ sRef Mark@12 @6 S5′ sRef Mark@12 @5 S5′ sRef Num@19 @20 S5′ sRef Num@19 @11 S5′ sRef Mark@12 @4 S5′ sRef Num@19 @22 S5′ sRef Josh@1 @11 S5′ sRef Ex@19 @18 S5′ sRef Lev@7 @17 S5′ sRef Lev@7 @16 S5′ sRef 1Ki@18 @34 S5′ sRef Num@19 @16 S5′ sRef Mark@15 @25 S5′ sRef Luke@13 @33 S5′ sRef Num@19 @14 S5′ sRef Num@19 @15 S5′ sRef Dan@10 @3 S5′ sRef Num@19 @18 S5′ sRef Dan@10 @4 S5′ sRef Dan@10 @2 S5′ sRef Josh@3 @2 S5′ sRef Num@19 @17 S5′ sRef Num@19 @12 S5′ sRef Ex@10 @23 S5′ sRef Ex@10 @22 S5′ sRef Num@19 @19 S5′ sRef 1Ki@17 @21 S5′ sRef Num@19 @13 S5′ sRef Luke@13 @32 S5′ sRef Lev@7 @18 S5′ sRef Matt@13 @33 S5′ sRef Lev@19 @24 S5′ sRef Lev@19 @25 S5′ sRef Matt@28 @1 S5′ sRef 1Sam@3 @2 S5′ sRef Lev@19 @23 S5′ sRef Deut@26 @12 S5′ sRef Matt@27 @45 S5′ sRef 1Sam@3 @8 S5′ sRef John@21 @17 S5′ sRef Matt@27 @50 S5′ sRef 2Sam@24 @11 S5′ sRef Ex@3 @18 S5′ sRef Matt@12 @40 S5′ sRef 1Sam@3 @7 S5′ sRef 1Sam@3 @6 S5′ sRef 1Sam@3 @5 S5′ sRef 1Sam@3 @3 S5′ sRef Ex@19 @1 S5′ sRef 2Sam@24 @12 S5′ sRef 2Sam@24 @13 S5′ sRef 1Sam@3 @4 S5′ sRef 1Sam@20 @12 S5′ sRef Matt@26 @61 S5′ sRef Num@31 @23 S5′ sRef Num@31 @24 S5′ sRef Matt@26 @69 S5′ sRef Num@31 @22 S5′ sRef Num@31 @21 S5′ sRef Jonah@1 @17 S5′ sRef 1Sam@20 @19 S5′ sRef Matt@16 @21 S5′ sRef Matt@26 @34 S5′ sRef Ex@19 @11 S5′ sRef 1Sam@20 @5 S5′ sRef Ex@19 @16 S5′ sRef 1Sam@3 @1 S5′ sRef Ex@19 @15 S5′ sRef Num@31 @20 S5′ sRef Matt@26 @71 S5′ sRef John@21 @15 S5′ sRef John@21 @16 S5′ sRef 1Sam@20 @41 S5′ sRef Matt@26 @70 S5′ sRef Matt@26 @72 S5′ sRef Matt@26 @74 S5′ sRef Matt@26 @75 S5′ sRef Matt@26 @73 S5′ sRef Num@31 @19 S5′ sRef 1Sam@20 @35 S5′ sRef 1Sam@20 @20 S5′ sRef 1Sam@20 @36 S5′ [5] As the number three signified what is complete even to the end, that number was adopted and employed in the representative church, whenever something complete was to be represented, as can be seen from these things in the Word:
They were to go a journey of three days and sacrifice (Exod. 3:18; 5:3).
In the third month after going out from Egypt they came to Mount Sinai (Exod. 19:1).
They were commanded to be ready against the third day, for on the third day Jehovah would come down upon Mount Sinai (Exod. 19:11, 15, 16, 18).
For three days there was darkness in the land of Egypt (Exod. 10:22, 23).
For three years the fruits of the trees planted in the land of Canaan should be uncircumcised (Lev. 19:23-25).
No part of the flesh of the sacrifice should be left to the third day (Lev. 7:16-18; 19:6, 7).
The water of separation should be sprinkled upon the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day (Num. 19:11-22).
They who touched any slain should be purified on the third day and on the seventh day (Num. 31:19-25).
Joshua commanded the people that within three days they should pass over Jordan (Josh. 1:11; 3:2).
Jehovah called Samuel three times, and three times Samuel ran to Eli; and the third time Eli perceived that Jehovah had called Samuel (1 Sam. 3:1-8).
Jonathan said to David that he should hide himself in a field unto the third evening, and afterwards Jonathan should shoot three arrows to the side of the stone, and after that David bowed himself three times to the earth before Jonathan (1 Sam. 20:5, 12, 19, 20, 35, 36, 41).
Three things were offered to David, of which he should choose one, that a famine of seven years should come, or that he should flee three months before his foes, or that a pestilence should be in the land three days (2 Sam. 24:11-13).
Elijah measured himself upon the son of the widow three times (1 Kings 17:21).
Elijah told them to pour water upon the burnt offering and upon the wood three times, and they poured it three times (1 Kings 18:34).
Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights (Jon. 1:17; Matt. 12:40).
Daniel was mourning three weeks (Dan. 10:2-4).
The third year was the year of tithing (Deut. 26:12).
The Lord said of the man who planted a vineyard, that he sent his servants three times, and afterwards his son (Mark 12:2, 4-6; Luke 20:12, 13).
The Lord said to Peter that before the cock crowed twice he would deny Him thrice (Matt. 26:34, 69 to the end; Luke 22:34, 57-61; John 13:38).
The Lord said three times to Peter, Lovest thou Me, and Feed My lambs and My sheep; and the third time Peter was grieved (John 21:15-17).
The Lord said that the kingdom of the heavens is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened (Matt. 13:33; Luke 13:21).
The Lord said, I perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I am perfected* (Luke 13:32, 33).
The Lord said that He would be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights (Matt. 12:40).
He said that He would be raised up the third day (Matt. 16:21; 17:22, 23; 20:18, 19; Luke 18:32, 33; 24:46).
He said that he would destroy the temple of God, and build it in three days (Matt. 26:61; 27:40; John 2:19, 20).
Jesus in Gethsemane prayed three times (Matt. 26:39, 42, 44).
Jesus was crucified at the third hour (Mark 15:25).
Then there was darkness over all the land three hours, from the sixth hour to the ninth, when He said, It is finished, and expired (Matt. 27:45; Mark 15:33, 37; John 19:30).
The Lord rose again on the third day (Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1).
[6] From this it can be seen that the number “three” signifies what is finished or complete to the end, consequently an entire period, greater or less, from beginning to end. From this simple number many composite numbers derive their significations, as 6, 9, 12, 60, 72, which, from three, signify all truths and goods in the complex; in like manner the numbers 30, 300, 3000; for, as said above in this article, the composite numbers derive their significations from the simple numbers of which they are composed. Moreover, it is to be known that in the Word the number “three” is predicated of truths, and “two” and “four” of goods; for the reason that “two” and “four” signify conjunction, while “three” signifies fullness, and spiritual conjunction is love, and all good is of love; while spiritual fullness is formed by truths. One who does not know that all numbers in the Word are significative, when the numbers “two and three” or “three and four” are mentioned in the Word, has no other thought or belief than that two or three, or a few, are meant, instead of all who are in good and truth, as in the following passages.
sRef Isa@17 @6 S7′ [7] In Isaiah:
There shall be left in it gleanings, as in the shaking of an olive-tree, two three berries in the top of the bough, four five in the branches of the fruitful one (17:6).
This treats of the vastation of the church, and is said of the few remaining who are in good and truth; comparison is made with the shaking of an olive-tree, because an “olive-tree” signifies the church in respect to the good of love, and “branches” the truths therefrom; “two three” signifies the few that are in good and in truths therefrom, “two” meaning good, and “three” truths; and “four five” signifies the few who are in good, “four” meaning those who are good, and “five” a few. Because “four five” signifies the few who are in good, it is said, “four five in the branches of the fruitful one,” “a fruitful olive” signifying those in the church who are in good in respect to life. Because of this signification of these numbers, therefore it is said “two three,” “four five,” and not two and three, four and five.
sRef Amos@4 @8 S8′ [8] In Amos:
Two three cities wandered unto one city to drink waters, yet they were not satisfied (4:8).
This treats of the lack of truth at the end of the church, when those who desire truth from spiritual affection will not find any truth in the doctrines, wherever they may search, and therefore it is said, “two three cities wandered unto one city to drink waters, yet they were not satisfied;” “two three cities” signifying those who are in the affection of truth from good, “city” signifying the truth of doctrine; “to draw waters” signifies to learn truths; “to wander” signifies to search; and “not to be satisfied” signifies not to find truth which in itself is truth; it is said “two three cities,” because “two three” signifies those who are in good and in truths therefrom.
sRef Zech@13 @8 S9′ sRef Zech@13 @9 S9′ [9] In Zechariah:
It shall come to pass in all the land, two parts therein shall be cut off, shall expire, but the third shall remain therein. Yet I will lead the third part through the fire, and will prove them (13:8, 9).
This, in like manner, treats of the vastation of the church in respect to good; that every good will perish is meant by “in all the land two parts therein shall be cut off and shall expire,” “in all the land” meaning in all the church, and “two parts” signifying every good. That something of truth would remain, but scarcely any genuine truth, is signified by “the third part shall be left therein; yet I will lead the third part through the fire and will prove them,” “the third part” signifying the remaining truths; these must be proved whether they be genuine, which is signified by “they shall be led through the fire;” “to prove by fire” means by affection which is of love; if truth is not in accord with this it is not genuine truth, “fire” in the Word signifying love. When the good of love perishes in the church, truth becomes not truth, because all truth derives its essence from good.
sRef Matt@18 @20 S10′ [10] This makes evident what is signified by the Lord’s words in Matthew:
Where two and three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them (18:20).
Here two and three are not meant, but those who are in good and in truths therefrom; neither does the Lord’s “name” mean His name, but all the good of love and truth of faith by which He is worshiped (see above, n. 102, 135).
sRef Luke@12 @0 S11′ sRef Luke@12 @52 S11′ sRef Luke@12 @53 S11′ [11] This makes clear what is signified by the Lord’s words in Luke:
From henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three (12:52).
This means that after the Lord’s coming, when He has become known, and the interiors of the Word have been revealed by Him and with Him, both in the church in general and in the man of the church in particular, there will be dissension between good and truth and between truth and good; this is meant by “there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three;” “house” meaning the church in general, and in particular with the man of the church, “three” meaning truths, and “two” goods; its being said that “five shall be divided” signifies that there will be such dissension with those who are reformed, consequently it is added:
The father shall be divided against the son and the son against the father, the mother against the daughter and the daughter against the mother (12:53).
“Father” signifies the good of the church, “son” the truth of the church, “mother” the truth of the church, and “daughter” the good of the church. Who cannot see that the numbers five, two, and three, would not have been used here unless they had been significative? In the Word, when “two” and “three” follow, “five” signifies all such; but when “ten” or “twenty” precedes or follows, “five” signifies some and few.
sRef Amos@1 @11 S12′ sRef Amos@1 @9 S12′ sRef Amos@1 @3 S12′ sRef Amos@1 @13 S12′ sRef Amos@1 @6 S12′ sRef Ex@20 @5 S12′ sRef Deut@24 @16 S12′ sRef Num@14 @18 S12′ sRef Ezek@18 @20 S12′ [12] Like things are meant in the commandment of the Decalogue by:
The third and fourth generation (or sons, thirds and fourths) upon whom God is to visit the iniquity of the parents (Exod. 20:5; Num. 14:18; Deut. 5:9, 10).
“The third and fourth generation” signifies all who are in falsities from evil, “the third generation” those who are in the falsities of evil and “the fourth generation” those who are in the evils of falsity; “three” in the contrary sense signifying falsities, and “four” evils. Who does not see that it would be contrary to the Divine justice to visit the iniquity of the parents upon the sons even to the third and fourth generation? For the Lord teaches:
The soul that sinneth, it shall die; the son shall not bear the iniquity of the parent, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him (Ezek. 18:20; Deut. 24:16; 2 Kings 14:6).
This makes evident that “the third and fourth generation” does not mean the third and fourth generation, but that which these numbers signify. Like things are signified by “three and four transgressions” in Amos (1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6). From this it can be seen how great arcana lie hidden in the Word merely in its numbers, which no one can know without the internal spiritual sense.
* Latin “consumed,” Greek “perfected.”

Revelation 9

1. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth; and there was given unto him the key of the pit of the abyss.
2. And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke* of a great furnace; and the sun was darkened, and the air, by the smoke of the pit.
3. And out of the smoke there went forth locusts on the earth; and there was given unto them power as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4. And it was said to them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but the men only that have not the seal of God on their foreheads.
5. And it was given to them that they should not kill them, but that they should torment them five months; and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when it striketh a man.
6. And in those days shall men seek death and shall not find it; and they shall long to die and death shall flee from them.
7. And the likenesses of the locusts were like unto horses prepared for battle; and upon their heads as it were crowns like gold, and their faces as men’s faces.
8. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as those of lions.
9. And they had breastplates as iron breastplates; and the voice of their wings was as the voice of chariots of many horses running into battle.
10. And they had tails like scorpions, and stings were in their tails; and their power was to hurt men five months.
11. And they had over them a king, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew Abaddon, and in Greek he hath the name Apollyon.
12. One woe is past; behold there come yet two woes after this.
13. And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God.
14. Saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, Loose the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates.
15. And the four angels were loosed that had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, that they should kill the third part of men.
16. And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two myriads of myriads; and I heard the number of them.
17. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those that sat on them, having breastplates fiery and hyacinthine and brimstone-like; and the heads of the horses as the beads of lions; and out of their mouths proceeded fire and smoke and brimstone.
18. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire and by the smoke and by the brimstone that proceeded out of their mouths.
19. For their power was in their mouth, for their tails were like serpents and had heads, and with them do they hurt.
20. And the rest of men who were not killed in these plagues, and repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not adore demons and idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.
21. And repented not of their murders nor of their enchantments nor of their whoredoms nor of their thefts.
* Latin “pit,” Greek “smoke,” as we find just above, as also in AE n. 539.

sRef Rev@9 @1 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @2 S0′ 533. EXPOSITION.
Verses 1, 2. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth; and there was given unto him the key of the pit of the abyss. And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun was darkened and the air by the smoke of the pit. 1. “And the fifth angel sounded” signifies influx out of heaven manifesting the state of the church, that it was wholly changed (n. 534); “and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth,” signifies the knowledges of truth falsified, and thus turned into falsities (n. 535); “and there was given unto him the key of the pit of the abyss,” signifies communication and conjunction with the hells (n. 536). 2. “And he opened the pit of the abyss,” signifies communication and conjunction with the hells, where and from which are such falsities (n. 537, 538); “and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace,” signifies dense falsities therefrom out of the evils of earthly and corporeal loves (n. 539, 540); “and the sun was darkened and the air by the smoke of the pit,” signifies that the light of truth from the Lord was made thick darkness by infernal falsities (n. 541).

sRef Rev@9 @1 S0′ 534. Verse 1. And the fifth angel sounded, signifies influx out of heaven manifesting the state of the church, that it was wholly changed. This is evident from the signification of “sounding with a trumpet,” as being influx out of heaven, and a change of the state of the church (of which above, n. 502); here that the state of the church was wholly changed, since it was said just above respecting these last three times the angels sounded, “Woe, woe, woe, to those that dwell on the earth, from the remaining voices* of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound.” The change described in what now follows is that all truth was destroyed, and that the falsity that took its place opened the hells, from which falsities flow forth.
* Latin “times,” Greek “voices,’ as in all other passages.

sRef Rev@9 @1 S0′ 535. And I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth, signifies the knowledges of truth falsified, and thus turned into falsities. This is evident from the signification of “stars,” as being the knowledges of good and truth (of which above, n. 72, 402); and from the signification of “gliding” and “falling from heaven,” as being to perish; and the knowledges of truth perish when denied and when falsified, here when falsified; for this book does not treat of those who deny truths, but of those who falsify them. For those who deny truths are not among those who are in “the former heaven,” and who are cast down therefrom into hell at the day of the Last Judgment, for such are cast down thither immediately after death. But in this book those who, for various reasons, falsify truths are treated of, for such made for themselves a heaven that was afterwards destroyed. Those falsify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word who acknowledge the Word but apply it to favor their loves and to favor principles that are from self-intelligence, thus they turn the truths of the Word into falsities, and thus the knowledges of good and truth with them perish. From this it can be seen that “a star from heaven fallen unto the earth” signifies that the knowledges of truth are falsified, and thus turned into falsities (see above, n. 517).
sRef Rev@12 @4 S2′ sRef Rev@12 @8 S2′ sRef Luke@10 @18 S2′ sRef Matt@24 @29 S2′ sRef Dan@8 @10 S2′ sRef Rev@12 @9 S2′ sRef Rev@6 @13 S2′ [2] “To fall down” or “to fall from heaven unto the earth” signifies to perish, that is, to have no longer any place in heaven but to be cast down therefrom and conjoined with hell, as is evident from what follows, where it is said “there was given unto him the key of the pit of the abyss, and he opened it,” “the pit of the abyss” signifying the hell where and from which are the falsities of evil. “To fall from heaven unto the earth” has a similar signification above in Revelation:
And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth (6:13).
The dragon with his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth (12:4).
In Daniel:
The horn of the he-goat waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the ground and trampled upon them (8:10).
In Matthew:
Immediately after the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the stars shall fall from heaven (24:29).
The like is signified by the Lord’s words in Luke:
Jesus said, I held Satan as lightning falling from heaven (10:18).
“Satan” means every falsity that destroys truth, for the hells where and from which are such falsities are called “Satan,” while the hells where and from which are the evils that destroy goods, are called the “devil,” therefore “Satan as lightning falling from heaven” means that every falsity that destroyed the truth of the Word was cast down out of heaven. So in Revelation:
The great dragon was cast down to the earth, and his angels with him, and their place was not found anymore in heaven (12:8, 9).
From this it can be seen that “to glide down,” “to fall” and “to be cast down out of heaven to the earth” signify to have place no more in heaven, but in hell, thus to perish, the “earth” here also signifying what is cursed (as was shown above at the end of n. 304).
[3] Because heaven is conjoined with man by means of the Word, those who falsify the truths of the Word by interpretations to confirm evils of life avert themselves from heaven and turn themselves to hell. For heaven is in the spiritual sense of the Word, and man is in its natural sense; consequently heaven is conjoined with the world by means of the Word. For this reason the Word is also called a “covenant” and a covenant is a conjunction. This is why those who apply the Word to evils of life and to the false principles that are from self-intelligence cannot be conjoined with heaven; and those who are not conjoined with heaven are conjoined with hell; for man must be either in heaven or in hell; it is not permitted him to hang between the two. But those who apply the Word to such falsities as do not disagree with the good of life, such as exist with the upright Gentiles that do not have the Word and with the simple in the church who believe in the Lord and lead a good life, because from their falsities they look to good, have such falsities applied by the Lord to good, and are turned towards heaven; for the essential thing in heaven is the good of life, which is the same as the good of love to the Lord and the good of charity towards the neighbor; for in heaven everyone has perception of truth, intelligence, and wisdom, in accordance with that good. This makes clear what is meant by falsifying the truth from the Word, which is here signified by “a star from heaven fallen unto the earth.”

sRef Rev@9 @1 S0′ 536. And there was given unto him the key of the pit of the abyss, signifies communication and conjunction with the hells. This is evident from the signification of “key,” which is opening (of which presently); and from the signification of “the pit of the abyss,” as meaning the hells where and from which are the falsities of evil (of which in the following articles). It is said that the key of the pit of the abyss was given to “the star from heaven fallen unto the earth,” because the “star” signifies the knowledges of truth from the Word falsified by application to evils and falsities therefrom; and the evils of falsity and the falsities of evil that are with man open the hells where there are like evils and falsities. But what is meant by opening the hells will also be explained in the following article, for immediately it is said, “and he opened the pit of the abyss.”
[2] It is from the appearance in the spiritual world that a “key” signifies opening; in that world there are houses and chambers, there are doors through which there is entrance, and locks and keys by which they are opened, and every one of these things signifies such things as are with man. The house itself corresponds to the interiors of his disposition and mind; likewise the chambers; and the doors correspond to the communication between the interior things of the mind and disposition; and a “key” corresponds to the admission and opening from one part into another; in a word, each particular thing in a house in which angels and spirits dwell corresponds to the particular things within them. Few of the spirits know this, because few know anything about correspondences, for being in them they do not reflect upon them. It is the same as it is with men in the world; few of whom know what their affections and thoughts are, because being in them they thence do not reflect upon them, and yet they are innumerable, as can be seen from the results of mental analysis set forth by many of the learned, all which are operations of the mind. This makes clear why a “key” is mentioned, and that it signifies admission and opening.
sRef Rev@20 @2 S3′ sRef Rev@3 @7 S3′ sRef Luke@11 @52 S3′ sRef Rev@20 @1 S3′ sRef Rev@1 @18 S3′ [3] So elsewhere in the Word, as in Matthew:
Jesus said to Peter, I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens (16:19).
(This may be seen explained above, n. 206.) Also in Isaiah (22:20, 22), where the like is said of Eliakim (this, too, is explained above, n. 206). Also in Revelation:
I have the keys of hell and of death (1:18).
(Respecting this see above, n. 86.) Again:
These things saith the Holy, the True, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth and no one shutteth, and shutteth and no one openeth (Rev. 3:7).
(See above, n. 205, 206.) And again:
I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain upon his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, and bound him a thousand years (20:1, 2).
(This will be explained hereafter.) And in Luke:
Woe unto you lawyers! For* ye take away the keys of heaven;** ye enter not in yourselves, and those entering in ye hinder (11:52).
Those were called “lawyers” who searched the Scriptures and taught how their contents must be understood; and as it is by means of the Sacred Scripture or the Word that there is communication and consequent conjunction with heaven, as was said in the article just above, and as truths are what open the communication, and the goods of truth are what constitute conjunction, while truths falsified, which in themselves are the falsities of evil, are what cause disjunction, so they are said “to take away the keys of heaven,” that is, that they are able by means of truths to open communication with heaven to those whom they teach; but because they perverted the Word by applications to their loves and to false principles therefrom, therefore it is said, “Ye enter not in yourselves, and those entering in ye hinder.” From this it can be seen that “the key that opened the pit” signifies communication and conjunction with the hells by means of the falsities into which the truths of the Word are turned by those who falsify them by applying them to the evils of life and to the false principles derived therefrom.
* Latin “who,” Greek “for.”
** Latin “heaven,” Greek “knowledge.”

sRef Rev@9 @2 S0′ 537. Verse 2. And he opened the pit of the abyss, signifies communication and conjunction with the hells where and from which are such falsities. This is evident from the signification of “to open” as here being to communicate and conjoin (of which presently); and from the signification of “the pit of the abyss” as being the hell where and from which are such falsities. These are called in the Word “pits [or wells] of the abyss” because a “pit” [or well] signifies the Word in the sense of the letter and the truth of doctrine therefrom, but in the contrary sense the Word falsified and the falsity of doctrine therefrom; and the “abyss” (or depth of the sea) signifies hell. This signifies the hell where those are who have falsified the truths of the Word by applying its truths to the evils of life, because such hells appear to those who are above like seas, and those who are in them appear to be in their depths. These seas or hells I have also seen, and also those who are in their depths; but those who spoke with me therefrom declared that they were not in waters, but on dry ground. This shows that the waters of these seas are appearances corresponding to the falsities in which those are who are in them. The waters of these seas are grosser and denser according to the falsifications, and the depths also differ in accordance with the evils that have been falsified.
[2] What “abyss” signifies in the Word will be told below. “To open the pit of the abyss” signifies communication and conjunction with such hells, because the hells are not opened except when evil spirits enter, which takes place when they have fulfilled their time in the world of spirits; for it is not allowed to any evil spirit to go out from hell when he has been once cast into it; if he goes out he nevertheless immediately falls back into it. But every man is conjoined with spirits who are in the world of spirits, who are such as he himself is; consequently a man who falsifies the Word by applying it to evils of life and to falsities confirming those evils, is conjoined with like spirits, and by them with the hells that are in like falsities. Every man after death becomes a spirit, and he then becomes at once attached either with infernal or with heavenly societies, according to his life in the world; and all spirits, before they are cast down into hell or raised up into heaven, are first in the world of spirits, and they are then with men who are living in the world, evil spirits with the evil, and good spirits with the good. Through these man has communication and conjunction either with the hells or with the heavens. This makes clear that “to open the pit” does not signify to open hell, but to have communication, and by communication conjunction with hell. From everyone of the hells falsities of evil exhale in great abundance, and in these falsities are the spirits who are in the world of spirits, and at the same time the men who are in like falsities in our world. No spirit or man can be anywhere else than where the love of his life is, for that which a man loves, that he wills, that he thinks, and that he breathes. (What the world of spirits is, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 421-431, et seq.)
sRef Num@21 @16 S3′ sRef Num@21 @17 S3′ sRef Num@21 @18 S3′ [3] A “pit” [or well] signifies the Word and the truth of doctrine, and in the contrary sense the Word falsified and the falsity of doctrine therefrom, because “pits” contain waters, and “waters” signify truths, and in the contrary sense falsities (as shown above, n. 71, 483, 518). That a “pit” [or well] has these two meanings can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Moses:
They journeyed to Beer; this is the well whereof Jehovah said unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give it* waters. Then Israel sang this song, Come up, O well; answer ye from it; the princes digged the well, the willing ones of the people delved it, through the lawgiver, with their staves (Num. 21:16-18).
That this “well” signifies the truth of doctrine from the Word is evident from the song that Israel sang respecting it: “Come up, O well, answer ye from it,” signifies that doctrine from the Word should teach truth and that they should receive it, “Come up, O well,” signifying the calling forth of truth, and “answer ye from it” reception and instruction; “the princes digged the well, the willing ones of the people delved it, through the lawgiver, with their staves,” signifies that those who are in truths and in the goods of truths are enlightened by the Lord, and from Him by means of the Word search out and collect doctrine; “princes” signifying those who are in truths; “the willing ones of the people” those who are in the goods of truth; “to dig” to search out and gather up; “lawgiver” the Lord in respect to the Word and the doctrine from the Word, and “staves” the potency and powers of the mind, here from the Lord by means of the Word, because it is said, “by the lawgiver.” This makes clear what “well” here signifies. “Israel sang a song” respecting it, because “Beer,” in the original, means a well, and in the spiritual sense “a well” signifies the Word, and doctrine from the Word; likewise “Beersheba,” which is often mentioned in the historical parts of the Word.
sRef John@4 @15 S4′ sRef John@4 @10 S4′ sRef John@4 @8 S4′ sRef John@4 @13 S4′ sRef John@4 @12 S4′ sRef John@4 @11 S4′ sRef John@4 @14 S4′ sRef John@4 @9 S4′ sRef John@4 @6 S4′ sRef John@4 @7 S4′ [4] The same is meant by:
Jacob’s well, at which the Lord sat and spoke with the Samaritan woman, and said, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, thou wouldest ask water of Him, and He would give thee living water; and this should become a fountain of water springing up unto everlasting life (John 4:6-15).
The Lord spoke with the Samaritan woman at that well, because “the Samaritan woman” meant the church to be established with the Gentiles, and “the Samaritans” who are also mentioned in other passages, mean the Gentiles that were to receive doctrine from the Lord and respecting the Lord. This “well” signifies doctrine from the Word, the “water” the truth of doctrine, and “the Lord sitting at that well” the Word or Divine truth. That salvation is from the Lord by means of Divine truth from the Word is signified by “the water which He would give should become a fountain of water springing up unto everlasting life.”
sRef Gen@26 @22 S5′ sRef Gen@26 @21 S5′ sRef Gen@26 @25 S5′ sRef Isa@51 @14 S5′ sRef Gen@26 @19 S5′ sRef Gen@26 @18 S5′ sRef Gen@26 @32 S5′ sRef Gen@26 @20 S5′ sRef Gen@26 @15 S5′ sRef Gen@21 @25 S5′ [5] Something similar to what is signified by “the well of Jacob” is signified also by:
The wells that the servants of Abraham and the servants of Isaac dug, respecting which they strove with the servants of Abimelech (Gen. 21:25; 26:15, 18-22, 25, 32).
The wells that the servants of Abraham and the servants of Isaac dug signify the truths of doctrine, because by “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” in the Word, the Lord is meant; but “Abimelech” king of Gerar, or of the Philistines, means those who place salvation in truths alone without the good of life, as those do at the present day who are in faith alone. And as every truth is from good, or everything of faith from charity, and as those who separate and exclude good from truth, or charity from faith, possess no genuine truth of doctrine, but every truth of the Word with them is like the meaning of the mere words with no perception of the thing, thus like a shell without a kernel, so they dispute about the truths of faith; this was represented and signified by the strifes of the servants of Abimelech with the servants of Abraham and of Isaac respecting the wells. There is an internal spiritual sense in the historical parts as well as in the prophetical parts of the Word, as can be seen from the Arcana Coelestia, where the histories that are contained in Genesis and Exodus are explained in respect to the internal spiritual sense; so, too, what is said about the wells of Abraham and Isaac, as may be seen. Why else should there be historical statements respecting wells in the Word?
sRef Luke@14 @5 S6′ [6] In Luke:
Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a well; and will not straightway draw him out on a Sabbath day? (14:5).
This was a statute with the Israelitish and Jewish nation, because of the spiritual sense contained in it; for all the statutes, judgments, and commandments given to the sons of Israel signified spiritual things belonging to heaven and to the church; so this statute signified that if anyone falls into falsity or into evil, he must be led out of it by means of the truth that is taught from the Lord on the Sabbath day. The “well” here means falsity and the evil of falsity; “an ass and an ox” signify the truth and good of the natural man; “to fall into a well” signifies into falsity and into the evil of falsity; “to be drawn out on a Sabbath day” signifies to be instructed and thus led out of these; for “the Sabbath day” signifies here the Lord in relation to instruction and doctrine, therefore He calls Himself “Lord of the Sabbath.” (That an “ass” signifies the truth of the natural man, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2781, 5741; and that an “ox” signifies the good of the natural man, n. 2180, 2566, 9134.)
sRef Matt@15 @14 S7′ sRef Ex@21 @34 S7′ sRef Ex@21 @33 S7′ [7] Nearly the same spiritual sense is contained in these words in Moses:
When a man shall open a pit, or when a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall into it, the owner of the pit shall requite and shall return silver unto the owner** of it; and the dead beast shall be his (Exod. 21:33, 34).
“When a man shall open a pit” signifies when one shall proclaim any falsity that he has; or “when a man shall dig a pit” signifies when he shall frame or hatch out a falsity; “and an ox or an ass fall therein” signifies the perversion of good and truth in the natural belonging to another; “the owner of the pit shall requite” signifies that he from whom is the falsity shall make amend; “and return silver to the owner of it” signifies by means of truth with him whose truth and good in the natural has been perverted; “and the dead beast shall be his” signifies that the evil or the falsity shall remain with him (but this may be seen more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 9084-9089). Here “pit” has the same signification as well.
[8] So in Matthew:
Blind leaders of the blind. When the blind leads the blind, both fall into the pit (15:14; Luke 6:39).
This the Lord said to the scribes and Pharisees, who understood nothing of truth, although they had the Word, in which are all Divine truths; and because they taught falsities and their falsities were also believed by the people, they are called “blind leaders of the blind;” those are called in the Word “blind” who do not understand truth; and because “pit” signifies falsity, it is said that “they both fall into it.”
sRef Ps@69 @15 S9′ sRef Ps@69 @14 S9′ [9] In David:
Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink; let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the depths of waters. Let not the billows of waters overwhelm me, neither let the abyss swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me (Ps. 69:14, 15).
Here very evidently the “pit” signifies the hell where and from which are falsities, for it is said, “let not the pit shut her mouth upon me,” that is, let not the hell from which are falsities, or falsities from hell, wholly possess me, that I may not escape; “deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink,” means out of the evil of falsity, lest I perish; “let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the depths of waters,” signifies to be delivered from evils and falsities that are from the hells, “them that hate” meaning evils therefrom, and “depths of waters” falsities therefrom; “neither let the abyss swallow me up” signifies, let not the hell where are the falsities of evil, or the falsities of evil from hell, do this.
sRef Ps@55 @23 S10′ [10] In the same:
They make their mouth smooth as butter, and when one’s heart draweth near, his words are softer than oil, yet are they drawn swords. But Thou, O God, wilt cast them down into the well of the pit (Ps. 55:21, 23).
This is said of those who simulate good affections when they utter falsities by which they lead astray; “to make the mouth smooth as butter” signifies a simulation of good by means of affections, “butter” signifying the good of external affection. “Their words are softer than oil” has a like signification, “oil” meaning the good of internal affection; “yet are they drawn swords” signifies, and yet they are falsities destroying good and truth, “drawn swords” meaning falsities destroying; “but Thou, O God, wilt cast them down into the well of the pit,” signifies into the hell where there are destructive falsities of that kind.
sRef Jer@14 @3 S11′ [11] As “pits” have nearly the same signification in the Word as “wells,” for they are like wells, I will also quote some passages respecting them. In Jeremiah:
Their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters; they came to the pits, they found no waters; they returned with their vessels empty (14:3).
“Nobles” mean those who lead and teach others, “little ones” those who are led and taught, and “waters” truths; this makes evident what is signified by “Their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters;” “the pits in which there were no waters” signify doctrinals in which there are no truths; this makes evident what is signified by “they came to the pits, they found no waters;” that they had no knowledge [scientia] or understanding of truth is signified by “they returned with their vessels empty,” “vessels” signifying in the Word things recipient of truth, and thus things of knowledge and understanding.
sRef Zech@9 @11 S12′ [12] In Zechariah:
By the blood of thy covenant I will send forth the bound out of the pit wherein is no water (9:11).
This is said of the deliverance of the faithful by the Lord, who were detained in the lower earth until His coming; and also of the enlightenment of the Gentiles who were in falsities from ignorance. “The blood of thy covenant” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, thus the Word, which is called a covenant because it is the means of conjunction, “covenant” signifying conjunction. “The bound in the pit in which there is no water” mean those who are in falsities from ignorance, “pit” here meaning doctrine not of truth, and also the lower earth where those who were in falsities from ignorance were detained until the Lord came, “wherein is no water” means where there is no truth; they are called “bound” because they could not be delivered from falsities except by the Lord.
sRef Jer@2 @13 S13′ [13] In Jeremiah:
My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew out for themselves pits, broken pits, that cannot hold waters (2:13).
“To hew out pits, broken pits, that hold no waters,” signifies to hatch out doctrinals from self-intelligence, which are false because they are from man’s own (proprium), for man’s own is nothing but evil, and because it is evil, falsity is brought forth from it, for evil can bring forth nothing but falsity. (But this may be seen explained above, n. 483.)
sRef Jer@2 @6 S14′ [14] In the same:
Jehovah, who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of the desert and the pit, in a land of drought and of dense shade, through a land that no man [vir] passed through, and where no man [homo] dwelt (Jer. 2:6).
It has been shown in the Arcana Coelestia, where Exodus is explained, that “the wilderness in which the sons of Israel were led,” represented and signified the first state of the church that is to be established with those who are in mere ignorance of good and truth; and as that state was represented and signified by their wanderings in the wilderness, it is said that “Jehovah led them in a land of the desert and the pit, in a land of drought and of dense shade;” “a land of the desert and of drought” means here, as elsewhere in the Word, a state of non-perception of good, and “a land of the pit and of dense shade” means a state of ignorance of truth, and thus of falsity; “that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt,” signifies where there is no understanding of truth nor perception of good, “man” [vir] in the Word meaning the understanding of truth, and “man” [homo] the perception of good, and the absence of both meaning no church either in respect to truth or to good.
[15] In Isaiah:
He that leadeth forth shall hasten that it may be opened, that he may not die in the pit, and that his bread fail not (51:14).
This is said of the Lord. His coming is meant by “he that leadeth forth shall hasten;” deliverance from the falsities of ignorance is signified by “that he die not in the pit,” thus “pit” here has a similar signification as “the pit in which were the bound,” above; that spiritual instruction and nourishment shall not fail is signified by “that his bread fail not,” for “bread” means all spiritual food, and spiritual food means instruction in truths and goods, from which come intelligence and wisdom.
sRef Ezek@28 @7 S16′ sRef Ezek@28 @8 S16′ [16] In Ezekiel:
Behold, I bring strangers upon thee, the violent of the nations; and they shall draw their swords upon the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall profane thy radiance; they shall bring thee down into the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the heart of the seas (28:7, 8).
This is said of the prince of Tyre, by whom are meant those who hatch out falsities from self-intelligence, which destroy the knowledges of truth and good; their destruction by their own falsities is signified by “Behold, I bring strangers upon thee, the violent of the nations,” “strangers” signifying the falsities that destroy truths, and “the violent of the nations” the evils that destroy goods; that such will be destroyed by their falsities that are from self-intelligence is signified by “they shall draw their swords upon the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall profane thy radiance,” “swords” meaning falsities destroying truths; “they shall bring thee down into the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the heart of the seas,” [signifies their immersion in falsities and destruction and damnation by falsities from hell,]*** “pit,” in like manner as “well,” signifying infernal falsity; “them that are slain” those who perish by falsities, and “the heart of the seas,” in like manner as “abyss,” the hell where and from which are such falsities.
sRef Jer@38 @11 S17′ sRef Jer@38 @6 S17′ sRef Jer@38 @13 S17′ sRef Jer@38 @10 S17′ sRef Jer@38 @9 S17′ sRef Jer@38 @7 S17′ sRef Jer@38 @8 S17′ sRef Jer@38 @12 S17′ [17] The “pit:”
Into which they let down Jeremiah the prophet, and out of which Ebed-melech and the men with him drew Jeremiah by means of old cast off and old worn out things (Jer. 38:6-13);
signifies the truth of doctrine falsified, the “prophet” signifying the truth of doctrine, and “to let down into the pit” signifying to be falsified; the “old castoff and old worn out things by which he was drawn out” signify the vindication and restitution of the truth of doctrine by means of such goods and truths of the sense of the letter of the Word as had not been perceived and understood, and therefore had been neglected and rejected; this is the signification of these old things; why otherwise would it be mentioned in the Divine Word that the prophet was drawn out by means of such things? From these few passages it can be seen what “well” and “pit” signify in the Word, namely, the Word and the truth of doctrine, and in the contrary sense the Word falsified and the falsity of doctrine therefrom. In some passages “well” and “pit” have a similar signification as “fountain,” respecting the signification of which in both senses see above (n. 483).
* Latin “it,” Hebrew “them,” as we also find in AC n. 2702, 2781.
** Latin “the owner,” Hebrew “to the owner,” as we also find in AC n. 9064, 9088.
*** The words in brackets are supplied essentially from AE n. 315.

sRef Rev@9 @2 S0′ 538. The “abyss” signifies the hells where and from which are falsities, because those hells where the falsities of evil have rule appear like seas, in the depths of which is the infernal crew, which is in the falsities of evil. These hells appear like seas because falsities continually flow out from them, and falsities appear like waters; this is why “waters” in the Word also signify falsities. Moreover, from the waters themselves the quality of the falsity there is known, for falsities are of many kinds, as many as there are evils. Falsities that are from grievous evils appear over those hells like dense and black waters, and falsities from the evil of the love of self like ruddy waters, the density and color making evident the kind of falsity. It must be remembered that in the spiritual world truths also appear like waters, but like limpid and pure waters. This is because there are three degrees of man’s life, as there are three heavens. Those in whom the third degree is opened are in an atmosphere pure like ether; those who are in the third or inmost heaven are in such an atmosphere; those in whom only the second degree is opened are in an atmosphere as it were aerial; those who are in the second or middle heaven are in such an atmosphere: but those in whom the first degree only is opened are in a kind of watery, rare, and pure atmosphere; those who are in the first or ultimate heaven are in such an atmosphere. This is because interior perceptions and thoughts, as being more perfect, correspond to a purity of atmosphere like that in which they are, for they pour themselves forth from every angel and still more from every angelic society, and present a corresponding sphere, which sphere is manifested in a purity like that of the perceptions and thoughts of the angels, that is, of their intelligence and wisdom. This sphere appears, as has been said, like an atmosphere, like an ethereal atmosphere in the inmost heaven, like an aerial atmosphere in the middle heaven, and like a rare watery atmosphere in the ultimate heaven. This makes evident that a kind of watery atmosphere corresponds to natural thought and perception, but a rare watery atmosphere corresponds to spiritual-natural thought and perception in which are the angels of the ultimate heaven; but a dense watery atmosphere, approaching either to black or ruddy, corresponds to natural thought in which there is nothing spiritual, and natural thought in which there is nothing spiritual those have who are in the hells where falsities prevail, for all who are there are merely natural and sensual. (That man has three degrees of life, like the three heavens, and that they differ in purity, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 33, 34, 208, 209, 211.) This makes evident why such hells are called in the Word “seas” and “abysses,” “seas” because they appear like seas, and “abysses” from their depth.
sRef Ex@15 @8 S2′ sRef Ex@15 @4 S2′ sRef Ex@15 @5 S2′ [2] That “seas,” “depths,” and “abysses” signify the hells where and from which are the falsities of evil, can be seen in the following passages of the Word. In Moses:
Pharaoh’s chariots and his army hath He cast into the sea. The abysses have covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone. From the wind of Thy nostrils the waters were piled up, the floods stood upright as a heap, and the abysses were congealed in the heart of the sea (Exod. 15:4, 5, 8).
This is from the song of Moses respecting Pharaoh and his army after they were drowned in the Sea Suph. “Pharaoh and his army” signifying those who are in falsities from evil, and the “Sea Suph” the hell where those falsities are; from which it is evident that “the abysses covered them” signifies that the hells covered them. (What the rest signifies in the spiritual sense, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8272-8279, and 8286-8289, where it is explained.)
sRef Isa@51 @10 S3′ sRef Ps@106 @9 S3′ sRef Ps@106 @11 S3′ sRef Isa@63 @13 S3′ sRef Isa@63 @12 S3′ sRef Isa@51 @15 S3′ [3] These things have a like signification in David:
He rebuked the Sea Suph that it might be dried up, and He led them through the abysses as in the wilderness. The waters covered his* adversaries (Ps. 106:9, 11).
In Isaiah:
Art Thou not He who dried up the sea, the waters of the great abyss; who made the depths of the sea for a way that the redeemed might pass over? (51:10, 15).
Who divided the waters before them, who led them through the abysses like a horse in the wilderness; they stumbled not (63:12, 13).
The “sons of Israel” before whom the Sea Suph was dried up, and through which, when dried up, they passed safely, mean all who are in truths from good, whom the Lord protects, lest the falsities of evil that continually rise up from the hells should harm them; this is the meaning of “He dried up the sea, the waters of the great abyss,” and of “He made its depths for way that the redeemed might pass over,” also of “He led them through the abysses;” for falsities that are exhaled from the hells, consequently the hells, continually surround man (for it is the same whether you say falsities from the hells, or the hells), but the Lord continually disperses them with those who are in truths from good from Him; so this is what is signified by “drying up the sea,” and “leading them through the abysses.” Those who are in truths from good from the Lord are meant by the “redeemed.”
sRef Isa@44 @26 S4′ sRef Isa@44 @27 S4′ [4] “To dry up the abyss” and “to make dry the rivers” have the same signification in Isaiah:
Jehovah saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the waste places thereof; saying to the abyss, Be dry; and I will make dry thy rivers (44:26, 27).
“Jerusalem” signifies the Lord’s church, and “the cities of Judah” signify the goods and truths of doctrine; the restoration of the church and of doctrine is signified by “to be inhabited” and “to be built;” the dispersion of evils and falsities that are from the hells and protection from them, are signified by “drying up the abyss and making dry the rivers” (as above).
sRef Zech@10 @11 S5′ [5] The same is signified in Zechariah:
Israel shall pass through the sea of distress, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the river shall be dried up; and the pride of Assyria shall be cast down, and the staff of Egypt shall depart (10:11).
That those who are protected by the Lord in truths from good shall live, although falsities from the hells encompass them, is signified by “Israel shall pass through the sea and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the river shall be dried up,” for “Israel” means those who are in truths from good; the “sea” signifies hell and all falsity therefrom; the “waves of the sea” signify reasonings from falsities against truths; “to dry up all the depths of the river” signifies to disperse all the falsities of evil, even the deeper, the “river Nile” signifying false knowledge [scientificum]; therefore it follows “the pride of Assyria shall be cast down, and the staff of Egypt shall depart,” “Assyria” signifying reasoning from falsities against truths, and “Egypt” knowledge applied to confirm falsities; “the pride of Assyria which shall be cast down” signifies self-intelligence from which comes reasoning; and “the staff of Egypt which shall depart” signifies the power that is added to reasoning by knowledges that are applied for confirmation.
sRef Ezek@31 @15 S6′ [6] In Ezekiel:
In the day when he shall go down into hell, I will cause to mourn, I will cover the abyss over him (31:15).
This is said of Pharaoh and Assyria; and “Pharaoh” has a similar signification as “Egypt,” namely, knowledge destroying the truth of the church by application to falsities, and “Assyria” signifies reasoning from falsities; that those who are such are cast down into hell, where such falsities and reasonings from falsities are, is signified by “he shall go down into hell, and shall be covered with the abyss;” from which it is evident that the “abyss” means the hell where and from which are the falsities of evil.
sRef Micah@7 @19 S7′ [7] In Micah:
God will turn back, He will have compassion upon us, He will subdue our iniquities, and He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (7:19).
Because “the depths of the sea,” the same as “abysses,” mean the hells where and from which are evils and falsities, it is said, “He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
sRef Ezek@26 @19 S8′ sRef Ezek@26 @20 S8′ [8] In Ezekiel:
When I shall make thee a desolate city like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall make the abyss to come up against thee, and many waters shall cover thee; then will I make thee to go down with them that go down into the pit, to the people of an age, and I will make thee to dwell in the land of the lower parts, in the desolations from an age, with them that go down into the pit, that thou have no habitation (26:19, 20).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, or in respect to the truths of the natural man, for the truths of the natural man are the knowledges of truth and good; this treats of the vastation of the church in respect to these; to make Tyre “a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited,” signifies its doctrine without truths, and like the doctrines that are without good, for the truths of doctrine without good are not truths, since all truths are of good; “to make the abyss to come up against Tyre, that many waters may cover her,” signifies immersion in falsities from hell in great abundance, the “abyss” meaning hell, and “many waters” falsities in great abundance; “with them that go down into the pit, to the people of an age,” signifies to those in hell who were there from the most ancient church just before the flood; these are called “the people of an age, because they were from ancient time, and were, above others, in direful falsities. This shows what is signified by “making to dwell in the land of the lower parts, in the desolations from an age, with them that go down into the pit, that thou have no habitation,” “to have no habitation” signifying here not to be in any truths, because not in good, for such do not dwell in houses but in pits.
sRef Zech@9 @4 S9′ [9] Like things are signified in Zechariah:
Behold, Jehovah** will impoverish Tyre, and smite her wealth in the sea; and she herself shall be devoured by fire (9:4).
“To smite her wealth in the sea” signifies to cast falsities into hell, “the sea” meaning the hell in which are the falsities of evil, and “wealth” meaning the falsities themselves.
sRef Ezek@27 @27 S10′ sRef Ezek@27 @26 S10′ [10] In Ezekiel:
Those that despise thee have brought thee into many waters; the east wind hath broken thee in the heart of the seas. Thy riches, thy tradings, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, they that caulked thy chinks, and they who trade thy trading, and all thy men of war that are in thee, and in all thine assembly which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of thy fall (27:26, 27).
This treats of Tyre, and is said of her ships, which signify the knowledges of good and truth, or the truths of the natural man that they acquire and trade in, but here they mean falsities; “the heart of the seas in which the east wind hath broken her, and into which they shall fall in the day of her fall,” has a similar signification as the “abyss,” namely, the hell from which are the falsities of doctrine; “the east wind” meaning influx out of heaven, and the “day of her fall” the Last Judgment. “Riches” signify falsities; “tradings and merchandise” the acquisition and communication of falsities; “mariners” signify those who minister, and “pilots” the religious leaders who lead and teach; “men of war” those who defend, and “the assembly” false doctrinals.
sRef Jonah@2 @5 S11′ sRef Jonah@2 @3 S11′ sRef Jonah@2 @2 S11′ sRef Jonah@2 @6 S11′ [11] In Jonah:
Out of the belly of hell have I cried; Thou hast heard my voice. Thou hadst cast me into the depth, even into the heart of the seas; and the river was round about me; all Thy billows and Thy waves passed over me. The waters enclosed me about even to the soul; the abyss encompassed me round about, the sedge was wrapped about my head. I went down to the cuttings off of the mountains; the bars of the earth are upon me forever; yet Thou hast made my life to come up out of the pit (2:2, 3, 5, 6). The Lord teaches in Matthew (12:39, 40; 16:4; Luke 11:29, 30), that Jonah’s being in the whale three days and three nights represented that the Lord would thus be in the heart of the earth; and these words of Jonah describe the Lord’s direful temptations. And because it is by the overflow of evils and falsities that come up out of hell, and as it were overwhelm, that temptations exist, it is said that “out of the belly of hell he cried,” and that “he was cast into the depth, even into the heart of the seas,” which signifies hell; “the river and the waters that enclosed him,” and “the billows and waves that passed over,” signify the evils and falsities from hell; “the abyss that encompassed round about,” signifies the hells where and from which are the falsities; “the cuttings off of the mountains to which he went down,” signify the hells where and from which are evils; that the Lord was as it were bound by these is signified by “the sedge wrapped about the head,” and “the bars of the earth that were upon him,” “wrapped by sedge” signifying to be bound as it were by falsities, and “the bars of the earth” signifying to be bound as it were by evils; victory over these from His own power is signified by “yet hast Thou made my life to come up out of the pit.” It is said, “Thou hast made to come up,” but in reference to the Lord this means that He made Himself to come up by His Divine, that is, by His own power.
sRef Ps@42 @7 S12′ sRef Ps@69 @15 S12′ sRef Ps@69 @2 S12′ sRef Ps@69 @1 S12′ sRef Ps@69 @14 S12′ sRef Ps@88 @6 S12′ sRef Ps@71 @20 S12′ sRef Ps@88 @5 S12′ sRef Ps@88 @4 S12′ [12] The following passages in David have a like signification:
Abyss calleth unto abyss at the voice of Thy waterspouts; all Thy breakers and Thy waves have passed over me (Ps. 42:7).
The waters are come even to my soul. I have sunk in mire of depths, there is no standing; I have come into depths of waters, and the billow overwhelms me. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink; let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the depths of waters. Let not the flood of waters overwhelm me, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me (Ps. 69:1, 2, 14, 15).
In the same:
Return, quicken me; return and make me to come up out of the depths of the earth (Ps. 71:20).
In the same:
I have been counted with them that go down into the pit; neglected among the dead, like the slain that lie down in the grave, whom Thou rememberest no more; and from Thy hand they are cut off. Thou hast laid me in the pit of the lower parts, in dark places, in the depths (Ps. 88:4-6).
These passages in David describe the Lord’s temptations when He was in the world, by which He subjugated the hells and glorified His Human; “waves” and “billows” signify evils and falsities; and “abysses” and “depths of the sea,” likewise “the pit” signify the hells where and from which are evils and falsities; for as was said above, temptations are like immersions in the hells and obsessions by evils and falsities. This is signified by the lamentations in David in many places, and also in the Prophets; for in the spiritual sense of the Word there is much that treats of the Lord’s temptations by which He subjugated the hells and arranged all things in order in the heavens and in the hells, and by which He glorified His Human; these things are especially meant in Luke (24:44) by the things predicted “in the Prophets and in the Psalms of David,” respecting the Lord, and fulfilled by Him.
sRef Luke@8 @33 S13′ sRef Matt@18 @6 S13′ sRef Jer@51 @42 S13′ sRef Ps@77 @16 S13′ sRef Amos@7 @4 S13′ sRef Rev@17 @8 S13′ sRef Job@38 @17 S13′ sRef Job@38 @16 S13′ sRef Job@28 @14 S13′ sRef Gen@8 @2 S13′ sRef Gen@7 @11 S13′ sRef Rev@11 @7 S13′ sRef Jer@49 @30 S13′ sRef Job@28 @13 S13′ sRef Job@28 @12 S13′ sRef Jer@49 @8 S13′ sRef Rev@20 @3 S13′ sRef Rev@20 @1 S13′ sRef Luke@8 @32 S13′ sRef Luke@8 @31 S13′ sRef Ps@46 @2 S13′ sRef Ps@46 @3 S13′ [13] “The abyss” and “the sea” and “its depths” also signify the hells in the following passages. In Jeremiah:
Flee ye, they have turned themselves away, they have cast themselves down into the deep, the inhabitants of Dedan, and of Hazor (49:8, 30).
In the same:
The sea has come up upon Babylon; she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof (51:42).
In Amos:
The Lord Jehovih hath made me to see; and behold, the Lord Jehovih calleth to devour*** by fire; it hath devoured the great abyss (7:4).
In David:
The waters saw Thee, O God, the waters saw Thee, they were afraid; the abysses also trembled (Ps. 77:16).
In the same:
We will not fear when the earth shall be changed, and when the mountains shall be moved in the heart of the sea; the waters thereof shall be in tumult, shall be made turbid (Ps. 46:2, 3).
In Moses:
On the same day were all the fountains of the great abyss broken up, and the floodgates of heaven were opened (Gen. 7:11).
And again:
The fountains also of the abyss and the flood gates of heaven were stopped (Gen. 8:2).
In Job:
Where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of intelligence? Man knoweth not the price thereof. The abyss saith, It is not in me; and the sea saith, It is not with me (28:12-14).
In the same:
Hast thou entered into the weepings of the sea, and hast thou walked in search of the abyss? Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee, and hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death? (38:16, 17).
In the Gospels:
Whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe in Me to stumble, it is profitable for him that an ass-millstone be hanged about his neck, and that he be sunk in the depths of the sea (Matt. 18:6; Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2).
The demons that had possession of the man besought Jesus that He would not command them to depart into the abyss, therefore He suffered them to enter into the swine (Luke 8:31, 33; Matt. 8:31, 32).
And in the following passages of Revelation:
The beast that came up out of the abyss and made war (11:7).
The beast that thou sawest was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss (17:8).
I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain upon his hand. And he bound the dragon a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss (20:1-3).
In these passages, also, “the abyss” and “the depth of the sea” signify the hell where and from which are the falsities of evil; for the reason that the evil spirits who are there, and who while they lived as men in the world were in the falsities of evil, seem to dwell as it were in the bottom of the seas, and this the more deeply according to the grievousness of the evil from which was their falsity.
[14] As “abysses” signify the hells, where and from which are falsities, so “abysses” signify also the ultimates of heaven, where and from which are the knowledges of truth, which are the truths of the natural man. This is because the ultimates of heaven appear to be in waters, but such as are limpid and clear; for, as was said above, the atmosphere of the highest heaven is like an ethereal atmosphere, that of the middle heaven like an aerial atmosphere, and that of the lowest heaven like a watery atmosphere; this is like a watery atmosphere because the truths with those who are in it are truths of the natural man, and the atmosphere of the natural man is as it were watery. This is what gives rise to the appearances of rivers, lakes, and seas, in the spiritual world; consequently “seas” signify also cognitions and knowledges [cognitiones et scientifica] in general, or in the whole complex (see above, n. 275, 342).
sRef Ps@104 @6 S15′ sRef Ps@148 @7 S15′ sRef Ps@33 @6 S15′ sRef Ps@33 @7 S15′ sRef Gen@49 @25 S15′ sRef Ps@36 @6 S15′ sRef Deut@8 @7 S15′ [15] “Abysses” also have a like signification in the following passages. In Moses:
Jehovah thy God bringeth thee to a good land, a land of rivers of waters, of fountains and abysses going forth from valley and mountain (Deut. 8:7).
(This may be seen explained above, n. 518.) In the same:
God will bless Joseph with the blessings of heaven from above, with the blessings of the abyss that coucheth below (Gen. 49:25; Deut. 33:13).
(This, too, is explained above, n. 448.) In David:
By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made; and all the hosts**** of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathered the waters of the sea together as a heap; He giveth the abysses in storehouses (Ps. 33:6, 7).
(See above, n. 275, where this is explained.) In the same:
Thou hast covered the earth with the abyss as with a garment (Ps. 104:6).
(See above, n. 275.) In the same:
Praise Jehovah from the earth, ye whales and all abysses (Ps. 148:7).
“Abysses” in these passages signify the ultimates of heaven, in which are spiritual-natural angels. In Ezekiel:
The waters made thee***** to grow, the abyss made it high (31:4).
(See also above, n. 518.)
sRef Ezek@31 @4 S16′ sRef Ps@78 @15 S16′ [16] Furthermore “abysses” signify Divine truths in abundance and the arcana of Divine wisdom. Thus in David:
He clave the rock in the desert, and made them to drink out of great abysses (Ps. 78:15).
In the same:
Jehovah, Thy righteousness is like a great abyss (Ps. 36:6; also elsewhere).
* Latin “his,” Hebrew “their,” as we also find in AC n. 756.
** Latin “Jehovah,” Hebrew “Lord,” as we also find in AE n. 236, 504; AC n. 10227.
*** Latin “devour,” Hebrew “contend.”
**** Latin “all the hosts, Hebrew “all the host,” as we also find in AE n. 275, 573; AC n. 97, 2702.
***** Latin “thee,” Hebrew “it,” as we also find in AE n. 518; AC n. 108, 2588, 2702.

sRef Rev@9 @2 S0′ 539. And there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace, signifies dense falsities therefrom out of the evils of earthly and corporeal loves. This is evident from the signification of “smoke,” as being the falsity of evil (of which presently); from the signification of “the pit of the abyss,” as being the hell where those are who have falsified the Word (respecting which see above, n. 537); and from the signification of “a great furnace,” as being the evils of earthly and corporeal loves out of which such falsities break forth (of which in the following article). “Smoke” signifies the falsity of evil, because it proceeds from fire, and “fire” signifies the loves of self and the world and thence all evils; consequently the hells that are in falsities from the evils of those loves, and still more the hells where those are who have falsified the Word by adapting it to favor those loves, appear in a fire like that of a great furnace, from which a dense smoke mingled with fire goes up. I have also seen those hells, and it was evident that it was the loves with those who were in them that presented the appearance of such a fire, and the falsities flowing forth from those loves that presented the appearance of the fiery smoke. But there is no such appearance to those who are therein, for they are in these loves and in the falsities therefrom, their life is in them, and it is by these that they are tormented in many ways, and not by such fire and smoke as are in our natural world. (This can be seen better in the chapter in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 566-575, which treats of Infernal Fire and the Gnashing of Teeth.)
sRef Gen@19 @28 S2′ [2] That “smoke” signifies the dense falsity that flows forth from evil can be seen from the following passages. In Moses:
Abraham looked upon the faces of Sodom and Gomorrah, and upon all the faces of the land of the plain, and he saw, and lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace (Gen. 19:28).
“Sodom and Gomorrah” in the spiritual sense mean those who are altogether in the loves of self; therefore the smoke that Abraham saw rising from their land after the burning, signifies the dense falsity pertaining to those who are altogether in the love of self; for those who love themselves supremely are in the thickest darkness in respect to things spiritual and celestial, for they are merely natural and sensual, and are wholly separated from heaven; and then they not only deny Divine things, but they think out falsities by which to destroy them. These falsities are what are signified by the “smoke” seen rising from Sodom and Gomorrah.
sRef Gen@15 @17 S3′ [3] In the same:
And the sun went down, and there was dense darkness, and behold a furnace of smoke, and a torch of fire that passed through between those pieces (Gen. 15:17).
This was said of Abraham’s posterity from Jacob, as can be seen from what precedes in that chapter; “the sun went down” signifies the last time, when consummation takes place; “and there was dense darkness” signifies when evil takes the place of good and falsity the place of truth; “behold a furnace of smoke” signifies the densest falsity from evils; “a torch of fire” signifies the heat of cupidities; “it passed through between the pieces” signifies that these separated them from the Lord. (But this may be seen more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 1858-1862.)
sRef Ex@19 @17 S4′ sRef Ex@19 @18 S4′ sRef Ex@20 @19 S4′ sRef Ex@20 @18 S4′ [4] In the same:
Moses made the people to go forth from the camp to meet God; and they stood in the lower parts of the mount. And Mount Sinai smoked, the whole of it, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked exceedingly (Exod. 19:17, 18);
And all the people saw the voices and the torches, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and the people saw, and they were moved and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us and we will hear, but let not God speak with us lest we die (Exod. 20:18, 19).
This represented the quality of that people; for Jehovah, that is, the Lord, appears to everyone according to his quality; to those who are in truths from good He appears as a serene light, but to those who are in falsities from evil as smoke from fire. And because that people was in earthly and corporeal loves, and in falsities of evil therefrom, the Lord appeared to them from Mount Sinai as a devouring fire, and as the smoke of a furnace. (That the sons of Jacob were such has been shown in many places in the Arcana Coelestia, as may be seen from what is brought together in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 248; and that the Lord appears to everyone according to his quality, as a vivifying and recreating fire to those who are in good, and as a consuming fire to those who are in evil, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 934, 1861, 6832, 8814, 8819, 9434, 10551; what the other particulars in the passages cited signify may be seen in the same work where the book of Exodus is explained.)
sRef 2Sam@22 @9 S5′ sRef 2Sam@22 @8 S5′ sRef Ps@18 @9 S5′ sRef Ps@18 @8 S5′ sRef Ps@18 @7 S5′ [5] “Smoke and fire” have a like signification in David:
Because He was wroth there went up a smoke out of His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth devoured, coals burned from Him; He bowed heaven also and came down; and gross darkness was under His feet (Ps. 18:7-9; 2 Sam. 22:8, 9).
This does not mean that smoke and a devouring fire went up from Jehovah, for there is no anger in Him; but it is so said because the Lord so appears to those who are in falsities and evils, for they regard Him from their falsities and evils.
sRef Ps@104 @32 S6′ sRef Ps@144 @5 S6′ sRef Isa@14 @31 S6′ [6] The like is signified by the following in the same:
He looketh on the earth and it trembleth; He toucheth the mountains and they smoke (Ps. 104:32).
In the same:
Bow Thy heavens, O Jehovah, and come down; touch the mountains, that they may smoke (Ps. 144:5).
In Isaiah:
Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou whole Philistia art dissolved; for from the north cometh a smoke (14:31).
“Gate” signifies truth introducing into the church, “city” doctrine, “Philistia” faith; therefore “Howl, O gate, cry, O city, thou whole Philistia art dissolved,” signifies the vastation of the church in respect to the truth of doctrine, and thence in respect to faith. The “north” signifies the hell where and from which are the falsities of doctrine and the falsities of faith, and “smoke” such falsities; therefore “from the north cometh smoke” signifies devastating falsity out of the hells.
sRef Nahum@2 @13 S7′ [7] In Nahum:
Behold, I will burn her chariot with smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions (2:13).
This, too, treats of the devastation of the church; and “to burn a chariot with smoke” signifies to pervert all truths of doctrine into falsities, “smoke” meaning falsities, and “chariot” doctrine; and “the sword shall devour thy young lions” signifies that falsities will destroy the chief truths of the church, “young lions” meaning the chief and protecting truths of the church, and “sword” meaning falsity destroying truth.
sRef Joel@2 @30 S8′ [8] In Joel:
I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth; blood and fire and columns of smoke (2:30).
This is said of the Last Judgment; and “blood, fire, and columns of smoke,” signify the truth of the Word falsified, its good adulterated, and mere falsities resulting therefrom, “blood” meaning the truth of the Word falsified, “fire” its good adulterated, and “columns of smoke” mere and dense falsities therefrom.
sRef Ps@37 @20 S9′ [9] In David:
The wicked shall perish, and the enemies of Jehovah as the glory of lambs shall be consumed, in smoke shall they be consumed (Ps. 37:20).
“The wicked and the enemies of Jehovah shall be consumed in smoke” signifies that they shall be destroyed by the falsities of evil; those are called “wicked” who are in falsities, and “enemies” who are in evils, and “smoke” means the falsity of evil.
sRef Ps@68 @2 S10′ [10] In the same:
As smoke is driven away Thou wilt drive away; as wax melteth before the fire the wicked shall perish before God (Ps. 68:2).
The destruction of the wicked is compared to smoke driven away by the wind, and to wax that melts before the fire, because “smoke” signifies falsities, and “fire” evils.
sRef Isa@51 @6 S11′ [11] In Isaiah:
The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment (51:6).
“Smoke” here signifies falsity, by which those who were in the former heaven would be destroyed; and “the garment waxing old” signifies truth destroyed by the falsities of evil. Comparison is made with smoke vanishing away, and with a garment waxing old, because comparisons in the Word are also correspondences, and in like manner significative.
sRef Hos@13 @3 S12′ sRef Hos@13 @2 S12′ [12] In Hosea:
They sin more and more, and make them a molten image of their silver, idols in their understanding, all of it the work of the artificers; therefore they shall be as a morning cloud, and as the dew falling early and going away, it is driven by a whirlwind out of the threshing-floor, and like smoke out of a chimney (13:2, 3).
This describes the doctrinals that are from self-intelligence, in which are the evils of falsity and the falsities of evil. Such doctrinals are signified by “molten images of silver,” and by “idols;” their “silver” signifies what is from self-intelligence, and the “work of the artificers” that intelligence; it is therefore added “in their understanding they have made them idols, all of it the work of the artificers.” That such doctrinals, being falsities, would pass away, is signified by “they shall pass away like smoke out of a chimney.” It is also said “as a morning cloud, and as the dew falling early, and as [chaff] out of the threshing-floor,” because the church in its beginning is like a morning cloud, like dew falling early, and like corn in the threshing-floor, by which are signified the truths of good and the goods of truths, which nevertheless successively pass away and are changed into the falsities of evil and into the evils of falsity.
sRef Rev@9 @17 S13′ sRef Rev@9 @18 S13′ sRef Rev@14 @10 S13′ sRef Rev@14 @11 S13′ sRef Rev@19 @3 S13′ [13] “Smoke” also signifies falsity in other passages in Revelation, as in the following:
Out of the mouth of the horses went forth fire and smoke and brimstone; and by these was the third part of men slain, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone (9:17, 18).
The smoke of their torment goeth up unto the ages of the ages (14:11).
And again:
The smoke of Babylon goeth up unto the ages of the ages (19:3).
sRef Isa@6 @4 S14′ sRef Rev@15 @8 S14′ sRef Rev@8 @4 S14′ sRef Isa@4 @5 S14′ [14] Because “fire” signifies love in both senses, both celestial love and infernal love, and therefore “smoke” signifies that which flows forth from love-falsity, which is from infernal love, and truth, which is from heavenly love-therefore “smoke” signifies in a good sense holy truth. This is what “smoke from the fire of the incense-offerings” signifies, as may be seen above (n. 494), as also in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Jehovah will create over every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and over her convocations, a cloud by day and a smoke and the brightness of a flame of fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a veiling (4:5).
(This may be seen explained above, n. 294, 504.) In the same:
The posts of the thresholds were moved at the voice of the crying seraphim, and the house was filled with smoke (Isa. 6:4).
In Revelation:
The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power (15:8).
And again:
The smoke of the incense-offerings with the prayers of the saints ascended out of the angel’s hand before God (8:4).

sRef Rev@9 @2 S0′ 540. Since it is said that “there went up a smoke out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace,” and it has so far been shown that “smoke” signifies dense falsity, it is important also to show that a “furnace” signifies the evils of earthly and corporeal loves, and thus that “smoke as the smoke of a great furnace” signifies dense falsities from those loves. It is also from appearances in the spiritual world that a “furnace” signifies such loves; for when the hells in which those loves prevail are looked into, they appear like furnaces glowing with fire; and over them smoke appears, such as goes up from furnaces and is seen in conflagrations. From this it is that “furnaces” signify in the Word either the hells, or a company of men, or the man himself, in whom such loves and cupidities reign, or what is the same, where the evils that flow forth from these prevail.
sRef Matt@13 @41 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @50 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @49 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @42 S2′ [2] Such is the signification of “furnaces” [fornaces et camini] and “ovens” [furni et clibani] in the following passages. In Matthew:
The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity; and shall send them into the furnace of fire. In the consummation of the age the angels shall come forth, and shall sever the wicked from the midst of the righteous, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth (13:41, 42, 49, 50).
Evidently here “a furnace (caminus seu fornax) of fire,” means the hells; “the consummation of the age” is the last time of the church, when judgment takes place. That the evil must then be separated from the good and be cast into hell is signified by “the angels shall gather all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity,” and “they shall sever the wicked from the midst of the righteous, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire.” Hell is called “the furnace of fire,” because it appears to be on fire from the loves of self and of the world. That “infernal fire” signifies torment from these loves may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 566-575).
sRef Mal@4 @1 S3′ [3] In Malachi:
Behold, the day cometh burning as an oven, in which all that sin presumptuously, and every worker of wickedness shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall set them on fire (4:1).
This, too, was said of the last time of the church, and the Last Judgment at that time; both these are signified by “the day that cometh.” The “oven” means the hell where those are who confirm themselves in falsities by doctrine, and confirm themselves in evils from earthly and corporeal loves by their life; that such on account of their own loves will perish is meant by “all who sin presumptuously, and every worker of wickedness shall be stubble, and the oven shall set them on fire,” “all who sin presumptuously” meaning those who by doctrine confirm themselves in falsities, and “the worker of wickedness” those who by life confirm themselves in evil.
sRef Hos@7 @6 S4′ sRef Hos@7 @5 S4′ sRef Hos@7 @8 S4′ sRef Hos@7 @7 S4′ sRef Hos@7 @4 S4′ sRef Hos@7 @3 S4′ [4] In Hosea:
By their evil they make glad the king, and by their lies the princes. They are all adulterers, like an oven kindled by the baker; the raiser ceaseth from kneading the dough until it be fermented. For they have turned their mind like an oven while they lie in wait; their baker sleepeth all the night, in the morning he burneth as a fire of flame. They are all hot as an oven, and they will devour their judges; all their kings will fall; not one among them calleth unto Me. Ephraim is a cake not turned (7:3-8).
In the spiritual sense this describes the sons of Jacob, that from the love of self and of the world they turned every good into evil, and thence every truth into falsity; “the king whom they make glad by wickedness,” signifies all falsity from evil, for a “king” signifies truth from good, and in the contrary sense falsity from evil; and the “princes whom they make glad by lies” signify the chief falsities. That from their loves they perverted goods and truths is signified by “they are all adulterers, like an oven kindled by the baker,” “to adulterate” signifying to pervert good and thence truth; this is compared to “an oven kindled by the baker,” because they bring together falsities favoring their loves as into a mass of dough; and because evils and falsities are not separated from the goods and truths which are from the sense of the letter of the Word, but they cling together, it is said, “the raiser ceaseth from kneading the dough until it be fermented,” “fermentation” signifying separation, here that they are not separated, since it is said, “he ceaseth from kneading the dough until it be fermented.” The like is signified by “Ephraim is a cake not turned,” “Ephraim” meaning the understanding of truth. That consequently there will be nothing but the evils of those loves that falsities favor is signified by, “the baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning he burneth as a fire of flame, they are all hot as an oven.” Such are compared to a “baker” and an “oven,” because they form doctrine out of falsities as a baker makes loaves and cakes in an oven. That they thus destroy all goods and truths that they have from the Word is signified by, “they will devour their judges, and all their kings will fall,” “judges” signifying the goods of truth, and “kings” the truths themselves; that such is the result because they wish to be wise of themselves and not from the Lord, is signified by “not one among them that called unto Me.” That these words have some such meaning can be seen merely from common intuition, but that the particulars signify and describe such things, that is, that “kings,” “princes,” “judges,” and “adulterers,” also an “oven” and a “baker” mean what has just been said, can be seen only from the internal sense. Moreover, those who bring together truths or falsities so that they cohere appear in the spiritual world as bakers kneading dough, with an oven also near them.
sRef Lam@5 @10 S5′ [5] In Lamentations:
Our skins are black like an oven because of the tempests of famine (5:10).
This is a lamentation over the loss of truth and inundation of falsity; “famine” signifies a loss and lack of truth (see above, n. 386); and “a tempest of famine,” complete lack, and also an inundation of falsities, for where there are no truths there will be falsities; “tempests” have a similar signification in the Word as inundation. “Our skins are black like an oven” signifies that the natural man is without the light of truth, and thence in the darkness of falsity; here, too, an “oven” signifies the framing of doctrine out of falsities and not out of truths (but see above, n. 386, where this is more fully explained).
sRef Ezek@22 @21 S6′ sRef Ezek@22 @20 S6′ sRef Ezek@22 @19 S6′ sRef Ezek@22 @22 S6′ sRef Ezek@22 @18 S6′ [6] In Ezekiel:
The house of Israel has become as dross unto Me; all of them are brass and tin and iron and lead in the midst of a furnace; they have become the dross of silver. Behold, I gather you into the midst of Jerusalem, a gathering of silver and brass and iron and lead and tin will I gather you, into the midst of the furnace, to blow fire upon it to melt it; so will I bring you together in Mine anger and in My wrath, and I will leave you there and melt you. Like a casting of silver in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof (22:18-22).

This describes the false doctrinals which the Jews and Israelites brought together from the sense of the letter of the Word, which they adapted merely to themselves and to their loves; these are called the “dross of silver,” because “silver” signifies the truth of the Word, and “dross” nothing of truth, or what is abstracted from truth, which is rejected. The things of the sense of the letter of the Word are signified by “brass, tin, iron, and lead,” because these signify the goods and truths of the natural man; and the things of the Word that are contained in the sense of its letter are for the natural man. And because from this sense they framed their false doctrinals, which were traditions, it is said “they shall be melted together;” and because they were adapted to their loves, which were loves of self and of the world, it is said that “He would gather them into the midst of the furnace, to blow fire upon it to melt it,” “fire” signifying those loves. And because their doctrinals are meant, it is said that “He would gather them into the midst of Jerusalem,” “Jerusalem” signifying the church in respect to doctrine, thus also the doctrine of the church.
sRef Gen@15 @17 S7′ [7] In Moses:
The sun went down and it was dense darkness, and behold an oven of smoke and a torch of fire that passed through between the pieces (Gen. 15:17).
Falsities of evil and evils of falsity, swarming out of the filthy loves of the Jewish and Israelitish nation, are here meant by “an oven of smoke,” and “a torch of fire that passed through between the pieces,” as can be seen in the article above. For Abraham was eager that his posterity should rule over the whole land of Canaan, and because the Lord foresaw that the church would be instituted in that nation, He made a covenant with Abraham. Nevertheless what they were to be is predicted in this that was seen.
sRef Nahum@3 @15 S8′ sRef Nahum@3 @14 S8′ [8] In Nahum:
Draw thee waters for the siege, strengthen thy fortresses; go into the mire, and tread the pitch, repair the brick kiln [fornax]. There shall the fire devour thee, the sword shall cut thee off (3:14, 15).
This describes the destruction of truth by the falsities of evil; the “waters for the siege” mean the falsities by which they endeavor to destroy truths; “to strengthen the fortresses” signifies to fortify falsities by such things as appear like truths; “to go into the mire and tread the pitch” signifies to make them appear to cling together, “pitch” meaning falsity from evil conjoining; “to repair the brick kiln” signifies to repair the doctrine framed out of falsified truths and fictions, “bricks” signifying the falsities that are fabricated and do not cohere with truths; “fire shall devour thee” signifies that they will be destroyed by the evils of their loves, and “the sword shall cut thee off” signifies that they will be destroyed by falsities.
sRef Jer@43 @11 S9′ sRef Jer@43 @10 S9′ sRef Jer@43 @12 S9′ sRef Jer@43 @9 S9′ [9] In Jeremiah:
Take great stones in thy hand, and hide them in the brick kiln which is near the entrance of Pharaoh’s house. I will take the king of Babylon, and I will set his throne upon these stones that thou hast hid,* and he shall come and smite the land of Egypt; and I will kindle a fire in the houses [of the gods] of Egypt; and finally he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd arrayeth himself in his garment (43:9-12).
This represented the profanation of truth by reasonings from knowledges falsely applied. “The great stones hidden in the brick kiln” signify the truths of the Word falsified by fictions that are from self-intelligence, “stones” meaning the truths of the Word, and “brick kiln” the doctrine framed out of fictions; “the house of Pharaoh” signifies the natural man in respect to knowledges there; “entrance” means sensual knowledge, through which there is entrance into the natural man; it is by this that falsifications are made; “the king of Babylon” signifies the profanation of truth; “He will set his throne upon these stones, and will smite Egypt, and kindle a fire in the houses thereof,” signifies that through the knowledges of the natural man all the truths of doctrine will be perverted and profaned. That he will subject to himself the natural man in respect to all things therein, which is done by confirmations of falsities from knowledges, is signified by “he will array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd arrayeth himself in his garment.” That thus all things of the natural man will be destroyed by the evils of earthly and corporeal loves is signified by “I will kindle a fire in the houses of Egypt.”
sRef Jer@11 @4 S10′ sRef Ps@81 @6 S10′ sRef 1Ki@8 @51 S10′ sRef Deut@4 @20 S10′ [10] Because “Egypt” signifies the natural man in respect to knowledge there, and a “furnace of iron” has a similar signification, therefore Egypt in the Word is called “a furnace of iron.” As in Jeremiah:
In the day that I brought you** forth out of Egypt, out of the furnace of iron (11:4).
In Moses:
He hath brought them*** forth out of the furnace of iron, out of Egypt (Deut. 4:20).
In the first book of Kings:
Which He brought forth**** out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron (8:51).
In David:
I removed the shoulder of Israel from the burden of Egypt; his hands have passed away from the furnace (Ps. 81:6).
The natural man in respect to knowledge is signified by the “furnace of iron,” “furnace” meaning the natural man, and “iron” knowledge, here false knowledge, because it is said that “they were brought out;” for the natural man, unless he is led by the spiritual man, is in falsities and evils, because he has no light from heaven, for light from heaven flows in through the spiritual man into the natural, and enlightens, teaches, and leads; it is the direct opposite when the natural man does not think and act under the auspices of the spiritual man; then also he is in bondage, for he thinks and acts from falsities and evils that are from hell; this is what is signified when it is said that “they were brought out of the house of bondage” when they were brought out of Egypt. For all freedom of thinking and acting is from the spiritual man, because the spiritual man thinks and wills out of heaven from the Lord, and to be led of the Lord is freedom. From this it can be seen why Egypt is called “a furnace of iron,” and “a house of bondage;” this bondage is signified also by “I removed the shoulder of Israel from the burden of Egypt.” (That “iron” signifies knowledge [scientificum] belonging to the natural man, may be seen above, n. 176.)
sRef Rev@1 @15 S11′ sRef Lev@2 @7 S11′ sRef Lev@2 @5 S11′ sRef Isa@31 @9 S11′ sRef Lev@2 @4 S11′ [11] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so does “oven.” As in Isaiah:
Saith Jehovah, who has His hearth in Zion, and His oven in Jerusalem (31:9).
“Hearth” signifies the good of love, and “oven” truth from that good, thus the truth of doctrine; “Zion and Jerusalem” have a like signification, “Zion” signifying the church in respect to the good of love, and “Jerusalem” the church in respect to truth of doctrine. “Oven” has a similar meaning in Moses, where it is said:
That the meal-offering must be prepared either in an oven, or in a plate, or in a frying pan (Lev. 2:4, 5, 7).
(This is explained in the Arcana Coelestia.) “Furnace” has a similar meaning above in Revelation:
The feet of the Son of man were like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace (1:15).
Of which above, n. 69.
* Latin has “thou hast hid,” Hebrew “I have hid,” so also in AC n. 7519.
** Latin has “you,” Hebrew “them.”
*** Latin “them,” Hebrew “you.”
**** Latin “He brought forth,” Hebrew “Thou hast brought forth.”

sRef Ps@36 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @2 S0′ 541. And the sun was darkened, and the air, by the smoke of the pit, signifies that the light of truth from the Lord was made thick darkness by infernal falsities. This is evident from the signification of “the sun and the air darkened,” as being the light of truth from the Lord being made thick darkness (of which presently) and from the signification of “by the smoke of the pit,” as being by dense falsities from hell, thus by infernal falsities. (That “smoke” signifies dense falsities, and “the pit of the abyss” the hells where and from which are falsities, see above, n. 536-539.) “The sun and the air darkened” signifies that the light of truth from the Lord was made thick darkness, for the Lord in the angelic heaven is a sun, and Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun produces all the light there, and illuminates both the sight and the understanding of angels; when therefore that sun is darkened there, the light of truth, which is from the Lord, is made thick darkness; it is darkened by falsities from hell. All denial of the Divine and of Divine things by those who are merely natural comes from falsities of evil making the light of heaven thick darkness; for such look at Divine things in thick darkness, and therefore they see them as thick darkness, and in consequence deny them. Moreover, the light of heaven when it flows in with those who are in the falsities of evil actually becomes in the spiritual world thick darkness. From this it is that the evil not only do not see or understand spiritual things, that is, the things that belong to heaven and the church, but in heart they deny them. (That the Lord appears in the angelic heaven as a sun, and that Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun produces all the light of heaven, thus all the intelligence and wisdom the angels have, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125, and 126-140.) It is said also that the “air” was darkened, meaning the light of truth, for the air gives light from the sun. “Skies” [aetheres] have a similar signification in David:
Thy mercy O Jehovah, is in the heavens; and Thy truth is even unto the skies (Ps. 36:5; 57:10; 108:4).
“Mercy” signifies the Divine good of Divine love, and “truth” Divine truth; and as Divine truth is the light of heaven, as has just been said, it is said, “Thy truth is even unto the skies;” thus “skies” in the plural signify Divine light even to the highest heaven, where it is in the highest degree. (“Skies” have a similar signification in Ps. 77:17; Ps. 78:23, 24.)

sRef Rev@9 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @12 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @7 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @6 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @10 S0′ 542. Verses 3-12. And out of the smoke there went forth locusts on the earth; and there was given unto them power as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was said to them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but the men only that have not the seal of God on their foreheads. And it was given to them that they should not kill them, but that they should torment them five months; and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when it striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death and shall not find it, and they shall long to die and death shall flee from them. And the likenesses of the locusts were like unto horses prepared for battle; and upon their heads as it were crowns like gold, and their faces as men’s faces. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as those of lions. And they had breastplates as iron breastplates; and the voice of their wings was as the voice of chariots of many horses running into battle. And they had tails like scorpions, and stings were in their tails; and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had over them a king, the angel of the abyss, his name in Hebrew Abaddon, and in Greek he hath the name Apollyon. One woe is past; behold there come yet two woes after this.
3. “And out of the smoke there went forth locusts on the earth,” signifies that from infernal falsities they became corporeal sensual in the church (n. 543); “and there was given unto them power as the scorpions of the earth have power,” signifies their ability to persuade, and its effect and power (n. 544). 4. “And it was said to them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree,” signifies that they should do no harm to any true and living knowledge [scientificum] from the sense of the letter of the Word, nor to any knowledge of truth and good therein (n. 545); “but the men only that have not the seal of God on their foreheads” signifies but only to the understanding of truth and the perception of good in those who are not in truths from good from the Lord (n. 546). 5. “And it was given* to them that they should not kill them,” signifies that they should not be deprived of the faculty to understand truth and perceive good (n. 547); “but that they should torment them five months,” signifies that the understanding would be darkened and drawn away by the falsities of evil from seeing truth so long as they are in that state (n. 548); “and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when it striketh a man,” signifies that the darkening and drawing away from seeing the truth is caused by the persuasion with which the mind is infatuated (n. 549). 6. “And in those days shall men seek death and shall not find it,” signifies that they then wish to destroy the faculty to understand truth, but are not able (n. 550); “and they shall long to die and death shall flee from them,” signifies that they wish to destroy the faculty to perceive good, which is of spiritual life, but in vain (n. 551).
7. “And the likenesses of the locusts were like unto horses prepared for battle,” signifies that when man has become sensual he reasons like one who reasons from the understanding of truth (n. 552); “and upon their heads as it were crowns like gold,” signifies that they seem to themselves when they reason as if they were wise and victorious (n. 553); “and their faces as men’s faces,” signifies that they seem to themselves as it were spiritual affections for truth (n. 554). 8. “And they had hair as the hair of women,” signifies that they seem to themselves to be as it were affections of natural** truth (n. 555); “and their teeth were as those of lions,” signifies that the sensual things which are the ultimates of the intellectual life seem to them to have power over all things (n. 556). 9. “And they had breastplates as iron breastplates,” signifies the persuasions with which they gird themselves for combats, against which the truths of the rational spiritual man prevail not (n. 557); “and the voice of their wings was as the voice of chariots of many horses running into battle,” signifies reasonings as if from the truths of doctrine from the Word which are understood, for which they must fight ardently (n. 558). 10. “And they had tails like scorpions,” signifies sensual knowledges [scientifica] that are persuasive (n. 559); “and stings were in their tails,” signifies craftiness in deceiving by means of them (n. 560); “and their power was to hurt the men five months,” signifies that while in that state they induce a stupor in the understanding of truth and in the perception of good (n. 561). 11. “And they had over them a king, the angel of the abyss,” signifies that they received influx from the hell where those are who are in the falsities of evil and are merely sensual (n. 562); “his name in Hebrew Abaddon, and in Greek he hath the name Apollyon,” signifies its quality, that it is destructive of all truth and good (n. 563). 12. “One woe is past; behold, there come yet two woes after this,” signifies one lamentation over the devastation of the church, and that a lamentation over its further devastation follows (n. 564).
* Latin has “and,” Greek has “given,” as also below, AE n. 547, at the end.
** Latin has “of natural truth,” but see below, AE n. 555.

sRef Rev@9 @3 S0′ 543. Verse 3. And out of the smoke there went forth locusts upon the earth, signifies that from infernal falsities they became corporeal-sensual in the church. This is evident from the signification of “smoke,” as being infernal falsity (see above, n. 539). Infernal falsity is what is here signified by “smoke,” because it has just been said that this smoke “went up out of the pit of the abyss,” and “the pit of the abyss” signifies the hell where and from which are the falsities of evil that falsify the truths of the Word. The above is evident also from the signification of “locusts,” as being man’s ultimate sensual, which is in the falsity of evil (of which presently); also from the signification of “to go forth upon the earth,” as being upon the church, for the “earth” signifies the church; moreover, the things contained in Revelation are predictions respecting the church and its state.
[2] That “locusts” signify man’s ultimate sensual which is in the falsity of evil, can be seen from each and all the particulars related in this chapter to verse 12, in the explanation of which it is shown that “locusts” have no other meaning. But here it shall first be told what is meant by man’s ultimate sensual. It does not mean the sensual of sight, of hearing, of smell, of taste, and of touch, for these things are proper to the body, but the ultimate of thought and affection, which is the first to be opened with infants, and which is such that they think of nothing else and are affected by no other objects than what make one with the senses just named. For infants learn to think by means of the senses, and to be affected by objects that are in accord with the things that are pleasing to the senses; consequently the first internal that is opened with them is the sensual that is called man’s ultimate sensual, or the corporeal-sensual. But afterwards, as the infant grows older and becomes a boy, a more interior sensual is opened, from which he thinks naturally, and is also affected naturally. Later, in youth and early manhood, a still more interior sensual is opened, from which he thinks rationally, and if he is in the good of charity and faith, he thinks spiritually, and is also affected rationally and spiritually. This thought and affection is what is called the rational and spiritual man, while the former is called the natural man, and the first the sensual man.
[3] With every man the interiors that are of his thought and affection are opened successively, and this by a continuous influx out of heaven from the Lord. By this influx the sensual that most nearly adheres to the body is first formed, and from this man becomes sensual; afterwards the natural from which he becomes natural; and after this the rational and with it the spiritual, from which he becomes a rational and spiritual man; but this he becomes only so far as he thinks about God and about the Divine things that are from God, and this is formed and perfected so far as he is affected by these things, that is, so far as he wills and lives according to them. If he does not do this the spiritual man is opened in a general way, but is not formed, still less perfected. By the general opening of his spiritual man, man has the faculty of thinking, and from thought of speaking rationally; this is the general effect of the influx of heaven with every man. This makes clear that man’s thoughts and affections may be spiritual, or natural, or also sensual; and that spiritual thoughts and affections are with those who think from God respecting God and Divine things; while there are only natural thoughts and affections with those who do not think from God respecting God and Divine things, but think only from themselves or from the world respecting themselves or the world. But it should be known that to think from self or from the world is to think not from these but from hell; for whoever does not think from God thinks from hell; no one can think from both at the same time. But those who deny God, and thence the Divine things of heaven and the church, and confirm themselves against these, all become sensual men more or less, according to confirmations; when they are thinking about spiritual things they think falsities only, and are affected by evils; and if they think any truths, whether spiritual, moral, or civil, it is only from the knowledge (scientia) of such things as are in the memory; and they see nothing beyond the nearest causes which they also are able to prove; and if they are affected by goods, it is only from a delight for the sake of self or the world, thus from a cupidity belonging to the love of self or the love of the world. The thought of the sensual man is what is called material thought, and its affection is what is called corporeal affection, which is cupidity.
[4] Furthermore, it is to be known that all the evils that man derives from his parents, which are called hereditary evils, have their seat in his natural and sensual man, but not in the spiritual; consequently the natural man, and especially the sensual man, is the opposite of the spiritual. For the spiritual man from infancy is closed, and is opened and formed only by Divine truths received by the understanding and will; and so far in extent and quality as the spiritual man is opened and formed, the evils of the natural and sensual man are removed, and goods are implanted in place of them. As all evils have their seat in the natural and sensual man it follows that falsities do also, because all falsities are of evil; for when man lusts and wills from evil he thinks and speaks from falsity. For the evil of the will, when it so forms itself in thought that it is manifest to others or to oneself as to its quality, is called falsity; thus falsity is the form of evil, as truth is the form of good. From this it can be seen who and of what quality the man is who is called a sensual man; also that a man becomes sensual when he follows out in act the evils into which he is born, and adds more to them from himself. So far as he does this and confirms himself in these evils, so far the spiritual man is kept closed; and when it is closed the natural and sensual man denies the Divine things that belong to heaven and the church, and acknowledges such things only as belong to the world and nature; and indeed, the sensual man is then so blind as to believe nothing but what he sees with his eyes and touches with his hands. Such are many of the learned, however intelligent and wise they may be thought to be from their ability of speaking from the knowledges [scientia] that are in the memory, and this apparently as the rational man speaks, since the spiritual mind is opened with them, as it is in every man in a general way, as has been said above.
[5] Because in what now follows in this chapter the locust is much treated of, and by it the sensual, which is the ultimate or extreme of the natural man, is signified, it is important that what the sensual is and what its quality is should be fully known, and thus who and what the sensual man is. I will therefore present here what is said and shown respecting it in the Arcana Coelestia, as follows: The sensual is the ultimate of man’s life, adhering to and inhering in his corporeal, n. 5077, 5767, 9212, 9216, 9331, 9730. He is called a sensual man who judges all things from the senses of the body, and who believes nothing but what he can see with his eyes and touch with his hands, saying that this is something, and rejecting everything else, n. 5094, 7693. Such a man thinks in what is ultimate, and not interiorly from any spiritual light, n. 5089, 5094, 6564, 7693.
The interiors of his mind, which sees from the light of heaven, are closed, so that he sees there nothing of the truth of heaven and the church, n. 6564, 6844, 6845. In a word, he is in a gross natural light, and thus perceives nothing that is from the light of heaven, n. 6201, 6310, 6564, 6844, 6845, 6598, 6612, 6614, 6622, 6624. Thence interiorly he is against the things of heaven and the church, n. 6201, 6317, 6844, 6845, 6948, 6949. The learned who have confirmed themselves against the truths of the church are sensual, n. 6316. Sensual men reason acutely and readily, because their thought is so near their speech as to be almost in it, and because they place all intelligence in speaking merely from the memory, n. 195, 196, 5700, 10236. But they reason from the fallacies of the senses, by which the common herd are captivated, n. 5084, 6948, 6949, 7693. Sensual men are more crafty and malicious than others, n. 7693, 10236. The covetous, adulterers, the voluptuous, and the deceitful, are especially sensual, n. 6310. Their interiors are foul and filthy, n. 6201. Through their interiors they communicate with the hells, n. 6311. Those who are in the hells are sensual, and this in proportion to the depth of their hells, n. 4623, 6311. The sphere of infernal spirits conjoins itself with the sensual of man from behind, n. 6312. Those who reasoned from the sensual, and thence against the genuine truths of faith, were called by the ancients “serpents of the tree of knowledge [scientia],” n. 195, 196, 197, 6398, 6949, 10313. The sensual of man and the sensual man are further described, n. 10236; and the extension of the sensual principle in man, n. 9731. Sensual things ought to be in the last place and not in the first, and with a wise and intelligent man they are in the last place, and are subject to things interior, but with an unwise man they are in the first place, and are dominant, and these are such as are properly called sensual, n. 5077, 5125, 5128, 7645. If sensual things are in the last place, through them a way is opened to the understanding, and truths are disengaged by a kind of extraction, n. 5580. These sensual things of man stand next to the world, and admit the things that flow from the world, and as it were sift them, n. 9726.
Through these the external or natural man communicates with the world, and through rational things with heaven, n. 4009. Sensual things thus supply such things as are serviceable to the interiors belonging to the mind, n. 5077, 5081. There are sensual things that minister to the intellectual part, and others that minister to the will part, n. 5077. Unless the thought is elevated from sensual things, man has but little wisdom, n. 5089. A wise man thinks above the sensual, n. 5089, 5094. When a man’s thought is elevated above sensual things he comes into a clearer light, and at length into heavenly light, n. 6183, 6313, 6315, 9407, 9730, 9922. Elevation above sensual things and withdrawal from them were known to the ancients, n. 6313. Man in his spirit is able to see things that are in the spiritual world if he can be withdrawn from the sensual things which are from the body and be elevated into the light of heaven by the Lord, n. 4622. The reason is that it is not the body that thinks, but the spirit of man in the body, and so far as man thinks in the body so far he thinks grossly and obscurely, thus in darkness, but so far as he does not think in the body he thinks clearly and in light, n. 4622, 6614, 6622. The ultimate of the understanding is sensual knowledge, and the ultimate of the will is sensual delight, concerning which see n. 9996. The difference between the sensual things that man has in common with the beasts and those not in common with them, n. 10236. There are sensual persons not evil because their interiors are not shut in the manner above referred to; the state of such in the other life, n. 6311.
sRef Ex@10 @14 S6′ sRef Ex@10 @13 S6′ sRef Ex@10 @4 S6′ sRef Ex@10 @6 S6′ sRef Ex@10 @15 S6′ [6] That the “locust” signifies nothing else but this sensual of man that has now been described can be seen also from other passages in the Word where the locust is mentioned. As in Moses:
Moses stretched forth his staff over the land of Egypt, and Jehovah brought along an east wind all the day, and all the night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locust. And the locust went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the border of Egypt, very grievous; before it there was no such locust, nor after it shall there be such. And they covered the surface of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left remaining; so that there remained not any green thing in the tree or in the herb of the field, in all Egypt. And the locust filled the house of Pharaoh, and the house of all his servants, and the house of all the Egyptians (Exod. 10:13-15, 6).
All the miracles in Egypt, like all other miracles recorded in the Word, involve and signify spiritual things pertaining to heaven and the church, thus the Egyptian plagues signify spiritual plagues; this plague of the locusts signifies the destruction of the whole natural man by the breaking in of evil and falsity from the sensual; “Egypt” signifies the natural man in respect to knowledge [scientificum] and to what is pleasurable in it, and “the locust” the falsity and evil of the sensual man laying waste the natural man, that is, driving out from it or destroying there all the truth and good of the church; it is therefore said, “and the locust went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all its border,” “the land of Egypt” signifying the natural with the men of the church, and “its border” the sensual with them, for the sensual is the ultimate or most external of the natural, consequently its border; the “locust” means falsity and evil there. Because the falsity and the evil of the sensual man are the most grievous, for they are corporeal and earthly, it is said that the locust was “very grievous, and that before it there was no such locust, nor after it shall there be such;” and this for the reason that the Egyptians had a knowledge of correspondences, and from that a knowledge of the spiritual things which belong to heaven; but these they turned into magic. Because the falsity and the evil of the sensual man, when they break into the natural man, entirely lay it waste by destroying every truth and every good therein, it is said that “the locust covered the whole surface of the earth so that the land was darkened, and did eat every herb of the land,* and all the fruit of the tree,” “the land of Egypt” meaning the natural with the men of the church, “the herb of the land” the truth there, and “the fruit of the tree” the good there. “The locust filling the house of Pharaoh, and of his servants, and of all the Egyptians,” has a similar meaning, for “the house of Pharaoh, of his servants, and of all the Egyptians,” signifies the natural mind in its whole extent, “house” in the Word signifying the interiors of man which belong to his mind and disposition, here the things of his natural mind.
[7] It is said that here “the locust going up over all the land of Egypt” signifies the breaking in of falsity and evil out of the sensual man into the natural; and yet the natural man is interior and the sensual exterior, and there is no breaking in or influx from the exterior into the interior, but only from the interior into the exterior. It should be known, therefore, that the breaking in or influx of the sensual man into the natural means the blocking up of the natural man until it becomes like the sensual, whereby evil and falsity become more widely extended, and the natural and the sensual become alike corporeal and earthly. In other cases, man learns from infancy to separate the sensual man from the natural, by speaking truth and doing good, even while his thoughts from the sensual man are false, and his will is evil; and this he continues to do until they are entirely separated, which is done when man is reformed and regenerated by the Lord. But if these are not separated man can think and will no otherwise than insanely, and thus speak** and act insanely.
sRef Ps@78 @46 S8′ sRef Ps@105 @35 S8′ sRef Ps@78 @45 S8′ sRef Ps@105 @34 S8′ [8] Because the “locust” here signifies the sensual in respect to falsity and evil, or, what is the same, the falsity and evil of the sensual man, the “locust” and the “caterpillar” have the same signification in David:
He sent among them a swarm that devoured them, and the frog that destroyed them. He also gave their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labor unto the locust (Ps. 78:45, 46).
And in the same:
He spake, and the locust came, and the caterpillar without number, which did eat up every herb in the land, and did eat up the fruit of their land (Ps. 105:34, 35).
But here the “locust” signifies the falsity of the sensual man, and the “caterpillar” its evil, or the falsity and evil in the sensual man and from it. The latter is signified by “caterpillar,” and the former by “locust,” because the caterpillar is also a locust, as is evident from this fact that this was said by David respecting the locusts in Egypt, and yet in Moses the locust only is mentioned, and not the caterpillar.
sRef Joel@2 @25 S9′ sRef Joel@2 @24 S9′ sRef Joel@1 @5 S9′ sRef Joel@1 @4 S9′ [9] The “locust” and the “caterpillar” have a similar signification in Joel:
That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten. Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine which has been cut off from your mouth (1:4, 5).
And elsewhere in the same:
The floors shall be full of pure grain, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. And I will recompense to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, My great army which I sent among you (2:24, 25).
Evidently these noxious little animals signify falsities and evils devastating or consuming truths and goods with the man of the church, since it is said that “all drinkers of wine should howl because of the new wine which is cut off from your mouth,” “wine” and “new wine” signifying the truth of the church; likewise because it is said that “the floors shall be full of grain, and the presses shall overflow with new wine and oil,” the “floor” signifying the doctrine of the church, “grain” and “oil” its goods, and “new wine” its truths.
sRef Nahum@3 @15 S10′ sRef Nahum@3 @17 S10′ sRef Nahum@3 @16 S10′ [10] So in Nahum:
The fire shall devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall devour thee like the caterpillar; make thyself many as the caterpillar; make thyself many as the locust. Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of the heavens; the caterpillar spreadeth itself abroad and flieth away. Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy commanders as the locust of locusts, which encamp in the walls in the day of cold; when the sun ariseth they fly away, and their place is not known where they are (3:15-17).
This is said of “the city of bloods,” which signifies doctrine fabricated out of falsified truths, thus out of falsities; the destruction of those who are in a faith and life according to that doctrine is signified by “the fire shall devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off,” “the fire that shall devour” signifying evil destroying good, and “the sword” falsity destroying truth; and because evil and falsity from the sensual man are meant it is said, “the caterpillar shall devour thee; make thyself many as the caterpillar; make thyself many as the locust; thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of the heavens.” Multiplication like that of the caterpillar and of the locust is mentioned because falsifications of the Word are made in the greatest abundance by those who are sensual, thus by the sensual man, for the sensual man is signified here by the “caterpillar and locust” as has been said above. The sensual man falsifies the Word more than others, because the ultimate sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, is for the natural and sensual man, while the interior sense is for the spiritual man; consequently when man is not a spiritual man, but is natural and sensual, and is in evil and in falsities therefrom, he does not see the truths and goods in the Word, but applies its ultimate sense to confirm his falsities and evils. “Merchants” signify those who falsify and who communicate and who offer for sale. “Thy crowned are as the locust, and thy commanders as the locust of locusts,” signifies that the primary and chief things of doctrine, that is, “a city of bloods,” are the falsities of evil, and from these again come the falsities of evil; “which sit in the walls in the day of cold” signifies in the truths of the Word that do not appear to be truths, because they have become falsified, and are from evil, “walls” meaning truths that do not appear because they are falsified, and “the day of cold” meaning a state of the love of evil; “the sun ariseth, they fly away, and their place is not known where they are,” signifies that they consume every truth and good, so that there is nothing left. “Multiplying as the locust” has a similar signification in Jeremiah 46:20, 22, 23; also in the book of Judges 6:5; 7:12.
sRef Deut@28 @38 S11′ [11] The “locust” signifies also falsity in the most external things, or the densest falsity, in Moses:
Thou shalt carry out much seed into the field, but shall gather but little; for the locust shall consume it (Deut. 28:38);

which is one of the curses if they did not keep and do the commandments of Jehovah. “The seed of the field” means the truth of the Word, and the “locust” dense falsity from the sensual man that consumes and destroys it. “Locust” has a similar signification in Amos 7:1, 2; Isaiah 33:3, 4; and in David Ps. 109:22, 23.
sRef Isa@40 @22 S12′ [12] Because the sensual of man is the ultimate and lowest of the life of man’s thought and affection (as has been said above) and because the lowest, when viewed by those who are in a higher or more eminent place, is little, for this reason it is compared to locusts. As in Isaiah:
Jehovah who dwelleth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as locusts (40:22).
This signifies that men in respect to intelligence are in things lowest, and the Lord in things highest.
sRef Num@13 @33 S13′ [13] In like manner, men viewed by those who are in the persuasion of their superiority over others are compared to locusts, in Moses:
The spies of the land of Canaan said, We saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak which come of the Nephilim; and we were in our own eyes as locusts, and so we were in their eyes (Num. 13:33).
The “Nephilim” and the “Anakim” signify in the Word those who are in the strongest persuasion of their being more eminent and wise than others; and in the abstract sense they signify direful persuasions (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 311, 567, 581, 1268, 1270, 1271, 1673, 3686, 7686). That the spies appeared to these and also to themselves like locusts, is in agreement with the appearances in the spiritual world, for there, when those who are in a persuasion of their own superiority look at others, they see them as little and vile, and these then also appear such to themselves.
sRef Matt@3 @4 S14′ [14] As the “locust” signifies the sensual, which is the ultimate of the life of man’s thought, or the ultimate in which the understanding closes, and upon which it rests, so this ultimate is like a base and foundation upon which interior or higher things stand, which belong to man’s understanding and will, likewise the interior and higher things in the Word that are called spiritual and celestial. And as all things, to continue and to subsist, must have a foundation, so the sense of the letter of the Word, which is its ultimate and base, is natural and sensual; and this in a good sense, and, consequently, its truth and good, are meant by the “locust.” This is why John the Baptist ate locusts, and why the sons of Israel were allowed to eat them. Of John the Baptist it is said:
That he had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey (Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:6).
John the Baptist was so clothed because like Elijah he represented the Word; and by “his raiment of camel’s hair, and leathern girdle, and eating locusts and wild honey,” he represented the ultimate sense of the Word, which, as was said, is sensual-natural, because it is for the sensual-natural man. “Raiment” signifies truth clothing good; “camel’s hair” the ultimate of the natural man, which is the sensual; the “locusts and wild honey” also signify that ultimate or the sensual as regards appropriation; the “locust” the sensual in respect to truth, “wild honey” the sensual in respect to good, and “eating” appropriation. It is to be known that in ancient times, when the churches were representative churches, all who were in ministries were clothed and also ate according to what they represented.
sRef Lev@11 @22 S15′ sRef Lev@11 @21 S15′ sRef Lev@11 @20 S15′ [15] That the sons of Israel were permitted to eat locusts is evident from these words in Moses:
Every winged thing that creeps, that walks on four feet, shall be an abomination unto you, but that which walks upon four, which has legs above its feet to leap withal upon the earth, ye shall eat; and among these the locust is mentioned (Lev. 11:20-22).
To eat locusts was permitted on account of their having legs above the feet to leap with, because “legs” signify natural good conjoined to spiritual good, and “feet” natural truth from that good; and every truth that is from good ought to be appropriated and conjoined to man, but not truth that is not from good, for such truth is conjoined with some evil; therefore it is said that “every winged thing that creeps, that walks upon four, that had no legs above its feet, shall be an abomination.” It is said also “to leap upon the earth,” because “leaping,” in reference to flying things, signifies to live, the same as “walking” in reference to the animals of the earth; and spiritual living comes from truths that are from good, which are signified by “leaping with the feet, above which are legs;” but spiritual dying comes from truths conjoined to evil, which is signified by “walking upon four feet, above which are no legs;” therefore to eat such is said to be “an abomination.”
sRef Job@39 @20 S16′ sRef Job@39 @19 S16′ [16] As a “horse” signifies the intellectual, and a “locust” the sensual, which is the ultimate of the intellectual, and the intellect lives when it is in its ultimate, the ancients spoke of horses as leaping and jumping like locusts. Thus in Job:
Dost thou give the horse might? Dost thou clothe his neck with shaking? Dost thou make him to leap as a locust? The glory of his nostril is terror (39:19, 20).
The understanding is here described by a horse, namely, that like a horse it is mighty, it shakes and curves the neck, and leaps as it goes; and as the ultimate of the understanding is the sensual, and this is signified by the “locust,” and the life of the understanding in this ultimate is signified by “jumping and leaping as it goes,” therefore the horse is said “to leap as a locust.” The most ancient books, among which is Job, were written by pure correspondences; for a knowledge [scientia] of correspondences was then the knowledge of knowledges; and those writers were held in highest esteem who were able to compose books abounding in the most numerous and significant correspondences. Such is the book of Job; but the spiritual sense therein collected from correspondences does not treat of the holy things of heaven and the church, as the spiritual sense in the Prophets does; consequently that book is not among the books of the Word; but yet passages are quoted from it on account of the correspondences of which it is full.
* Latin “land,” the Hebrew in the passage quoted has “field.”
** Latin is “will.”

sRef Rev@9 @3 S0′ 544. And there was given unto them power as the scorpions of the earth have power, signifies their ability to persuade, and its effect and might. This is evident from the signification of a “scorpion,” as being an infatuating and suffocating persuasiveness (of which presently); and from the signification of “power,” as being might and effect, here the might of the sensual man from his persuasiveness, and the effect which is infatuating and suffocating. Just what and of what quality this persuasiveness is which is signified by a “scorpion” scarcely anyone in the world yet knows, because it is the persuasiveness of the spirit of the sensual man, which he has when he becomes a spirit, but does not have while he is living as a man in the world. The reason is that a man in the world rarely speaks out what his spirit thinks and inmostly loves, for he is taught from infancy to utter such things as pertain to civil and moral life, and even such as pertain to the spiritual life, although his spirit, which thinks and wills inwardly, is differently inclined. So long as man’s spirit remains in the body it makes a show of such things before the world, because in no other way can it captivate minds so that his spirit may accomplish the ends it aims at, which are chiefly honors and gain, and name and reputation on account of them.
This is why it is unknown in the world just what and of what quality this infatuating and suffocating persuasiveness is that is signified by a “scorpion;” and yet with the spirits in whom it is, it is such as to infuse itself into the mind and disposition of another, and to benumb and almost extinguish his rational and intellectual faculties, making it impossible for him to know otherwise than that what is spoken is truth, although it be most false. Those who are in such persuasiveness do not speak from any reason, but from blind faith without reason, because they speak from the lowest sensual, and in this there is no reason, but only a persuasive faith from such things as ascend from the body and flow in from the world, inspired by the fire of self-love; it is this fire that breathes into, draws out, and pours into another. Consequently those are more especially in this persuasiveness who have imbued themselves with falsities from the love of self, and believe themselves to be wiser than others. This persuasiveness is said to be infatuating because it induces a stupor in the understanding, and is called suffocating because it takes away the free breathing of another; for everyone breathes in harmony with the thought of his mind. But inasmuch as this persuasiveness is most noxious and pernicious, including a kind of swoon on the mind of another, so that he can see nothing rationally, spirits are strictly forbidden to make use of it; and those who do make use of it are separated from the others, and are either punished or sent down into hell; for in the spiritual world everyone is allowed to confirm the opinions of his mind, whether they be true or false, by things rational and intellectual, but not by any persuasive fascination. (More respecting this persuasiveness may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia: as, That those who are constrained by it are inwardly bound, n. 5095. Those who make use of it shut up the rational of others, and as it were suffocate them, n. 3895, 5128. The Nephilim, Anakim, and Rephaim, mentioned in the Word, were, more than others, in direful persuasions of falsity, n. 581, 1268, 1270, 1271, 1673, 7686. These, before the Lord’s coming, infested all in the other life through their direful persuasions, and almost extinguished their spiritual life, n. 7686. They were cast into hell by the Lord when He was in the world, and that hell still appears under a kind of misty crag, and those who draw near it fall into a swoon, n. 311, 581, 1268, 1270, 7686; my own experience with some of the devils from that hell who were permitted to flow into me, n. 1268-1271. How hurtful the persuasion of falsity is, n. 794, 806. There are many kinds of the persuasions of falsity, n. 1673, 1675 at the end.) This deadly persuasiveness is signified by a “scorpion,” because a scorpion when it stings a man induces* a like swooning of the mind and thence death, if there is no cure.
sRef Luke@10 @19 S2′ sRef Luke@10 @18 S2′ [2] Murderous persuasions are signified by “scorpions” also in the following passages. In Luke:
Jesus said to the seventy whom He sent out, I held Satan as lightning falling from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; that nothing may by any means hurt you (10:18, 19).
Evidently “serpents and scorpions” do not mean here serpents and scorpions, for the Lord says that “He saw Satan as lightning falling from heaven,” and that He “gives them authority over all the power of the enemy;” therefore “serpents and scorpions” signify in the internal sense the crew of Satan, who were in craftiness and direful persuasiveness of falsity, by which men after death are spiritually murdered, unless they are defended by the Lord. The antediluvians, who were called the “Nephilim,” were in such persuasiveness more than others, and unless the Lord when He was in the world had subjugated them and cast them into hell and had closed it up, no mortal could have been saved; for they were infesting and almost murdering whomsoever they met in the spiritual world. That the Lord delivered the spiritual world from these and like spirits is meant by His “seeing Satan falling from heaven,” and by His giving to those who are in truths from good from Him “authority to tread on serpents and scorpions.”
sRef Ezek@2 @4 S3′ sRef Ezek@2 @6 S3′ [3] This direful persuasiveness is also signified by “scorpions” in Ezekiel:
Son of man, be not afraid of them nor of their words, though the stubborn and thorny be with thee, and thou dwellest among scorpions; be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their faces. They are hard of face, and obdurate in heart (2:6, 4).
“To dwell among scorpions” means among those who have persuaded themselves, and strongly persuade others, of falsities, and who do not admit any truth; therefore they are called “stubborn and thorny,” also “hard of face and obdurate in heart.” Moreover, in those who are in a strong persuasion of falsity the interiors which belong to the rational mind are closed up, consequently they think and speak from the lowest sensual only, and when this sensual is enkindled by the fire of self-love it is hard and obdurate, and also hardens and makes obdurate the interiors of others whom it addresses. For in the spiritual world there is a communication of minds, that is, of the thoughts and affections; and from those who are in such persuasiveness there is a pouring in, from which come the effects above mentioned.
sRef Deut@8 @15 S4′ [4] In Moses:
Jehovah God, who led thee through the great and fearful wilderness, of the serpent, the fiery serpent, and the scorpion (Deut. 8:15).
The journeys and wanderings of the sons of Israel forty years in the wilderness represented and signified the temptations of the faithful, and as these come from the injections and persuasions of falsities by evil spirits, they were said to have been led “through a fearful wilderness, of the serpent, the fiery serpent, and the scorpion.” Moreover, “serpents” in general signify the lowest sensual of man, and the various species of serpents the various states of that sensual in respect to evils and falsities; for sensual men are more crafty and malicious than others, and themselves believe, and induce others to believe, that they excel in genius, intellect, and judgment; but I can assert that they have nothing of understanding or judgment, but that they are as stupid in such things as are the essentials of faith and life as they are clever in scheming evils and persuading to falsities; and cunning, as is well known, is not wisdom, for wisdom is of truth from good, while cunning is of falsity from evil; and falsity from evil destroys truth from good, because they are opposites, and what is opposite destroys.
* Latin is “may induce.”

sRef Rev@9 @4 S0′ 545. Verse 4. And it was said to them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, signifies that they should do no harm to any true and living knowledge [scientificum] from the sense of the letter of the Word, nor to any cognitions of truth and good therein. This is evident from the signification of “not to hurt,” as being not to do harm to; from the signification of “grass,” as being true knowledge [scientificum]; and from the signification of “green thing,” as being living knowledge [scientificum] (of which see above, n. 507); and as every true and living knowledge is from the Word, “not to hurt the grass of the earth nor any green thing” signifies not to do harm to true and living knowledge from the Word. It is evident also from the signification of “trees,” as being the cognitions of truth and good, also from the Word (see above, n. 109, 420).
[2] Knowledges [scientifica] from the Word mean all things of the sense of its letter there in which doctrine does not appear, while cognitions of truth and good mean all things of the sense of the letter of the Word in which and from which is doctrine. That harm should not be done to any true and living knowledge [scientificum], nor to the cognitions of truth and good from the Word, means that the sensual man by his persuasiveness must not pervert any meaning of the letter of the Word by denying it to be true; for if he does this all is lost with him, for there is then no hope of his reformation, nor has he any faculty of understanding the truth of the church. For he who denies that the Word is Divine in the entire sense of the letter, breaks off his connection with heaven, because it is through the Word that man has conjunction with heaven (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 303-310).
[3] This describes what the state of the man of the church is when it is near its end, namely, that from internal or spiritual he becomes external and sensual; but yet lest he should wholly perish the Lord provides and takes care that he does not do injury to anything in the sense of the letter of the Word by denying it to be true and living, that is, Divine, although by means of the sense of the letter he confirms his falsities and evils; for so long as he does not deny the Divine in the Word he still reads it or listens to it, and is thereby in some conjunction with heaven. This makes clear that these words signify that this much of the church will still remain; but what follows, namely, that they should hurt “those men only that have not the seal of God on their foreheads” signifies that this ultimate sensual should do harm only to the understanding of truth with those who are not in truths from good from the Lord.

sRef Rev@9 @4 S0′ 546. But the men only that have not the seal of God on their foreheads, signifies but only to the understanding of truth and the perception of good in those who are not in truths from good from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “man,” as being the affection of truth, and intelligence and wisdom therefrom (see above, n. 280), here the understanding of truth and the perception of good (of which presently); also from the signification of “having the seal of God on their foreheads,” as being to be in truths from good from the Lord (see above, n. 427).
[2] “Man” signifies the understanding of truth and the perception of good, because it is by virtue of these that man is man, therefore when “man” is mentioned in the Word it means in the spiritual sense that by virtue of which man is man, for this is his spiritual [part]. Man has two faculties of which his whole life is made up, namely, understanding and will; therefore such as is the quality of his understanding and will such is the man. If he has the understanding of truth and the will of good he is truly a man, for truth and good are from the Lord, and it is from the Lord alone that man is man (as can be seen from what has been shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 59-102). But if he has not the understanding of truth and the will of good, but falsity in the place of truth and evil in the place of good, he is still called a man, yet he is not a man except from this alone, that he has the faculty of understanding truth and perceiving good (of which in the following article). From this it can be seen that in the Word by “men” such things as constitute them men are meant, and here the understanding of truth and the perception of good.
[3] That the understanding of truth and the perception of good are here meant by “men” can be seen from its being said that the locusts might “hurt men,” but not “the grass of the earth, nor the green thing, nor the trees;” and a “locust” signifies the ultimate of man’s life which is called the sensual; and when this, while man is reading or listening to the Word, is in the persuasion of falsity, it still does not hurt or do harm to anything of the Word in the sense of its letter, for this sense is for the sensual-natural man; he believes it, although he applies it to confirm his falsities; but it does hurt and do harm to the understanding of truth and the perception of good; for the sensual man is unable to raise his thought above the sense of the letter of the Word, and if he tries to do so he either falls into falsity or his persuasive faith respecting the Word perishes. From this it can now be known what is meant by these words, that the locusts should “not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but those men only that have not the seal of God on their foreheads.”

sRef Rev@9 @5 S0′ 547. Verse 5. And it was given* to them that they should not kill them, signifies that they should not be deprived of the faculty of understanding truth and perceiving good. This is evident from the signification of “men,” as being the understanding of truth and the perception of good (see above, n. 546); and from the signification of “killing them,” as being to destroy as regards the spiritual life (of which above, n. 315); but here to deprive of the faculty of understanding truth and perceiving good. This is the signification of “killing men,” because every man is born into the faculty to understand truth and perceive good; for this faculty is the spiritual itself by which every man is distinguished from the beasts. This faculty man never destroys, for if he should destroy it he would be no longer a man but a beast. It appears as if the sensual man who is in the falsities of evil had destroyed it, because he neither understands truth nor perceives good when reading the Word or hearing it from others, but yet he has not destroyed the faculty itself to understand and perceive, but only the understanding of truth and the perception of good, so long as he is in the falsities in which he has confirmed himself from evil; for then he is averse to listen to truth, and this appears like an inability to understand it; but if the persuasion of falsity which obstructs is removed, he then understands and perceives that truth is truth and that good is good, just as a spiritual-rational man does.
[2] That this is so it has been given me to know by much experience; for there were many of the infernal crew who had confirmed themselves in falsities against truths and in evils against goods, who thence had become such that they were not willing to hear anything of truth, still less to understand it; and respecting these, therefore, others entertained the opinion that they were unable to understand truth; but the same spirits, when the persuasion of falsity was removed from them, came into the same power and faculty to understand truth as those had who were in the understanding of truth and the perception of good; but immediately upon their falling back into their former state they again appeared to be unable to understand truth, and indeed, were exceedingly indignant at having understood, declaring then that still it was not truth. For it is affection which belongs to the will that makes all the understanding there is with man; from affection is the life itself of the understanding. Consider whether anyone thinks without affection, and whether affection is not the life itself of thought, consequently the life of the understanding. We say an affection and mean the affection that is of love, or love in its continuity. This makes clear that man can indeed destroy the understanding of truth and the perception of good, which is done by means of the falsities of evil; and yet he does not on that account destroy the faculty to understand truth and perceive good; if he did he would no longer be a man, for the human itself consists in that faculty; from this it is that man lives after death, and appears then as a man; for with that faculty the Divine is conjoined. For this reason although a man in respect to his two lives, which are the life of his understanding and the life of his will, may have turned away from the Divine, yet by his ability to understand truth and to perceive good he has conjunction with the Divine, and consequently lives to eternity. From this it can now be seen that “it was given to the locusts that they should not kill men” signifies that still they should not be deprived of the faculty to understand truth and perceive good.
* Latin has “said,” but in the end of the number it is “given,” with the Greek.

sRef Rev@9 @5 S0′ 548. But that they should torment them five months, signifies that the understanding would be darkened and drawn away by the falsities of evil from seeing truth, so long as they were in that state. This is evident from the signification of “to torment,” as being to have the understanding darkened and withdrawn from seeing truth (of which presently); also from the signification of “five months,” as being so long as they are in that state. “To torment” here signifies to have the understanding darkened and drawn away from seeing truth, because this is said of the locusts and their power to hurt like scorpions, and “locusts” mean the ultimate of man’s life, which is called the sensual, and the power to hurt like scorpions signifies a persuasiveness that can take away from the understanding the light of truth and induce infernal darkness; therefore it now follows that “their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when it striketh a man,” for a “scorpion” signifies such persuasiveness (see above, n. 544). This is said “to torment,” because it is said above that “the locusts should hurt men, but should not kill them;” and that which hurts but does not kill, torments; and the persuasiveness also, which is of the sensual man that is in the falsities of evil, hurts the understanding by darkening it and drawing it away from seeing truth, although it does not deprive it of the faculty to understand and perceive; and because it is compared with the pain from a scorpion “when it striketh a man,” it is said “to torment.”
[2] “Five months” signify so long as men are in that state, because a “month” signifies a state, and “five” signifies somewhat, and thus so long as “months” signify states, because all times in the Word, as “ages,” “years,” “weeks,” “days,” and “hours,” signify the states of life (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 162-169), so likewise “months.” That “five” signifies somewhat can be seen from the passages in the Word where that number occurs; for the numbers ten, one hundred, one thousand, signify much and all, therefore “five” signifies somewhat; for the numbers that signify much arise from the number five, which signifies somewhat, and composite and derived numbers take their signification from the simple numbers of which by multiplication they are composed, and from which they are derived (see above, n. 429, 430). “Five” also signifies so long as, because it is said “five months,” and “months” here signify a state of duration. This signification of “five months” seems remote, because so long as man lives in the world he is in natural thought, and natural thought derives its ideas from spaces and times and also from numbers and measures; for these are proper to nature, because all things in nature are determined by them; while spiritual thought is without any determinate idea of space, time, number, and measure. For this reason it seems remote and strange to a man in the world, that “five months” should signify so long as that state, that is, a state of the persuasion of falsity continues, for so long the understanding is darkened and drawn away from seeing truth; but when the persuasion of falsity is removed man comes into the faculty to see truth if he wishes to see it, for every man has this faculty.
sRef Matt@25 @2 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @1 S3′ [3] That “five” signifies in the Word somewhat and some, likewise all such, and like things, can be seen from the following passages. In Matthew:
Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like ten virgins, five of whom were prudent, and five foolish (25:1, 2).
The Lord compared the kingdom of the heavens to ten virgins, because “the kingdom of the heavens” signifies the church, as does a “virgin;” and “ten virgins” signify all who are of the church; it is said that “five were prudent and five foolish,” because “five” signifies some of them, or all who are such on the one part. That a “virgin” signifies the church can be seen from many passages in the Word where mention is made of “the virgin of Zion,” “the virgin of Jerusalem,” “the virgin of Israel,” by whom the church is signified.
sRef Luke@19 @15 S4′ sRef Luke@19 @17 S4′ sRef Luke@19 @19 S4′ sRef Luke@19 @18 S4′ sRef Luke@19 @13 S4′ sRef Luke@19 @14 S4′ sRef Luke@19 @16 S4′ [4] “Ten” and “five” have a like signification in the Lord’s parable of the nobleman who gave to his servants pounds to trade with:
And one from a pound gained ten pounds; and another from a pound gained five pounds; and they were therefore to have authority over so many cities (Luke 19:13-20).
The numbers “ten” and “five” are mentioned by the Lord, because “ten” signifies much, and “five” somewhat; while “their trading” signifies gaining or purchasing heavenly intelligence; and “authority over cities” signifies intelligence and wisdom, for “city” in the Word signifies doctrine, and “to have authority over it” signifies to be intelligent and wise; and “over ten cities” signifies much, and “over five” some.
sRef Luke@14 @19 S5′ sRef Luke@16 @28 S5′ sRef Luke@16 @27 S5′ [5] Again, some and all who are such, are signified by “five” in the Lord’s parable of the rich man and Lazarus:
That the rich man told Abraham that he had five brethren, and asked that Lazarus might be sent to them (Luke 16:27, 28).
The rich man said that he had “five brethren” because “five” signifies all who are such. Likewise in the Lord’s parable of those who were invited to the great supper:
That one excused himself because he had bought five yoke of oxen, and must go to prove them (Luke 14:19).
“Oxen” signify in the Word natural affections, and “five yoke of oxen” signify all those affections or desires that lead away from heaven; heaven and the church in regard to spiritual nourishment or instruction are signified by “the great supper” to which they were invited. Who cannot see that the number “five” in these four parables involves an arcanum, since it was employed by the Lord?
sRef Isa@19 @19 S6′ sRef Isa@19 @18 S6′ [6] Likewise in Isaiah:
In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak with the lips of Canaan, and that swear to Jehovah of Hosts. In that day there shall be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt (19:18, 19).
“In that day” signifies the Lord’s coming; and “five cities in the land of Egypt speaking with the lips of Canaan” signifies that then some who are natural will become spiritual, and will acknowledge the truths of genuine doctrine, and will worship the Lord from the good of charity (this may be seen particularly explained above, n. 223). So here it is said “five cities,” to mean some at that time, and also some truths of doctrine.
sRef Ex@22 @1 S7′ sRef Luke@12 @52 S7′ sRef Isa@17 @6 S7′ [7] In the same:
There shall be left in it gleanings, as in the shaking of an olive-tree, two three berries in the top of the bough, four five in the branches of the fruitful one (Isa. 17:6).
And in Luke:
Jesus said, From henceforth there shall be five in one house divided three against two, and two against three (12:52).
That in these passages “five” signifies some, and all who are such, may be seen above (n. 532), where these passages are explained. There was a law given with the sons of Israel:
That whoever had stolen an ox, and had either killed it or sold it, should pay back five oxen (Exod. 22:1).
Here an “ox” means in the spiritual sense the good of the natural man; “to pay back five oxen for an ox” signifies that one should make sufficient amends for what he had perverted and extinguished; “to steal” means to take away, “to kill” to extinguish, and “to sell” to pervert.
sRef Gen@41 @34 S8′ sRef 2Sam@2 @23 S8′ [8] “The fifth part” also signifies as much as is sufficient, in Leviticus 5:16; 6:5; 22:14; 27:13, 15, 19, 27, 31; Numbers 5:6-8. Likewise:
The fifth part that Pharaoh took from the land of Egypt during the seven years of plenty (Gen. 41:34; 47:24).
Likewise:
At the fifth [rib] at which Abner smote Asahel with the hinder end of his spear (2 Sam. 2:23);
“at the fifth” signifying as much as was sufficient for death; for the same number that signifies somewhat, and all on the one part, signifies also as much as is sufficient, when it is predicated of quantity, and so long as, when it is predicated of time.
sRef Matt@14 @15 S9′ sRef Isa@30 @17 S9′ sRef Matt@14 @17 S9′ sRef Luke@9 @13 S9′ sRef Matt@14 @21 S9′ sRef Matt@14 @20 S9′ sRef Luke@9 @15 S9′ sRef Luke@9 @16 S9′ sRef Luke@9 @14 S9′ sRef Matt@14 @16 S9′ sRef Matt@14 @19 S9′ sRef Matt@14 @18 S9′ sRef Mark@6 @39 S9′ sRef Mark@6 @40 S9′ sRef Mark@6 @41 S9′ sRef Mark@6 @43 S9′ sRef John@6 @9 S9′ sRef Mark@6 @38 S9′ sRef John@6 @11 S9′ sRef John@6 @12 S9′ sRef Mark@6 @42 S9′ sRef John@6 @10 S9′ sRef John@6 @13 S9′ sRef Lev@26 @8 S9′ [9] As this number signifies somewhat, and all of one part, so it signifies also a little and a few whenever a great quantity that is also designated by numbers follows or precedes; for then all of one part is relatively a few. Thus in Isaiah:
One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee (30:17).
And in Moses:
Among the curses it was said that five should chase an hundred, and an hundred, ten thousand (Lev. 26:8).
And in the Gospels:
That the Lord fed five thousand men with five loaves and two fishes (Matt. 14:15-22; Mark 6:38-43; Luke 9:13-16; John 6:9-13).
That they then took up “twelve baskets of fragments” signifies fullness, thus full instruction and full blessing.
sRef Ex@26 @3 S10′ sRef Luke@12 @7 S10′ sRef Luke@12 @6 S10′ sRef Ex@26 @1 S10′ [10] Again, “five” signifies few in Luke:
Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Fear not, therefore, ye are better than many sparrows (Luke 12:6, 7).
It is said “five sparrows” because fewness and what is of little value in comparison with men are meant, for it is afterwards said, “Ye are better than many sparrows.” Anyone can see that this number would not have been mentioned so often by the Lord unless it had been significative. Because “five” signifies all of one part, it was commanded:
That over the tabernacle they should make ten curtains, and the five curtains should be coupled together one to another, and the other five curtains should be coupled one to another (Exod. 26:1, 3).
That “ten” signifies all in the whole complex, and “five” all of one and of the other part, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 9595, 9604).

sRef Rev@9 @5 S0′ 549. And their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when it striketh a man, signifies that the darkening and drawing away from seeing the truth is caused by the persuasion with which the mind is infatuated. This is evident from the signification of “torment,” as being the darkening of the mind and drawing it away from seeing truth (see just above, n. 548); also from the signification of a “scorpion,” as being persuasiveness infatuating and suffocating (concerning which see also above, n. 544). “Their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he striketh a man” signifies, therefore, that the darkening and drawing away from seeing truth is caused by the persuasion with which the mind is infatuated. Of the persuasiveness that infatuates and as it were suffocates, of what quality it is and whence it is, has been told above (n. 544). This persuasiveness is said to be infatuating, because it takes away the use of reason, even to the extent that the reason or the rational mind sees nothing except that which is said by the one who has this persuasiveness; for it at once calls up everything that agrees, and obscures everything that disagrees; and in consequence the mind is infatuated by being darkened and drawn away from seeing the truth. This persuasiveness is said to be suffocating because it deprives the understanding of the faculty to think freely and to extend its sight in every direction, as every rational man does, and when this is the case breathing becomes difficult; for everything of voluntary breathing is derived from the understanding, and consequently it adapts itself to the thought of the understanding, just as everything of the motion of the heart is derived from the will, and adapts itself to the affection of the will. That the breathing of the lungs corresponds to the understanding and its thought, and the motion of the heart to the will and its affection, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 1119, 3883-3896, 9281). That a strong persuasiveness has not only the power of infatuating but also of suffocating has been given me to know by real experience.

sRef Rev@9 @6 S0′ 550. Verse 6. And in those days shall the men seek death, and shall not find it, signifies that they then wish to destroy the faculty to understand truth, but still are not able. This is evident from the signification of “in those days,” as being then, namely, when the man of the church from internal becomes external, or from rational becomes sensual; also from the signification of “to seek death,” as being a wish to destroy the faculty to understand truth (of which presently); also from the signification of “not to find it,” as being not to be able to destroy. That “to seek death” here signifies a wish to destroy the faculty to understand truth, is evident from what precedes, because it is consequent upon it; for it was said that “the locusts should hurt the men only that have not the seal of God on their foreheads,” and afterwards, that “it was given to them that they should not kill them, but that they should torment them,” which signifies that they should do harm to the understanding of truth and the perception of good in those only who are not in truths from good from the Lord, but yet that these should not be deprived of the faculty to understand truth and perceive good (as may be seen above, n. 546, 547). From this it now follows, that the “death” which they seek and which they desire signifies the deprivation of the faculty to understand truth and perceive good, for the destruction of these is the destruction of the life properly human; for man would then be no longer a man but a beast, as has been said above; evidently then it is the loss of this life that is signified by “death.” Such wish to destroy the two faculties of the truly human life, because sensual men, from the persuasion of the falsities of evil in which they are, have no wish to understand truth or perceive good, for they find delight in their falsities of evil, and thus in thinking from the enjoyment of falsity, and willing from the enjoyment of evil, and consequently they turn themselves away from truth and good because these are the opposites; by these some are made sad, some are made sick, and some reject them with anger, each according to the quality and amount of falsity of which he has persuaded himself; in a word,* such a sensual man does not admit reasons from the understanding against the falsities of evil in which he is, thus he has no wish to understand and become rational, although he can become so because he is a man. This, therefore, is what is signified by “they shall seek death and shall not find it.”
* Latin has “persuaded himself from the Word.”

sRef Rev@9 @6 S0′ 551. And they shall long to die, and death shall flee from them, signifies that they wish to destroy the faculty to perceive good, which is of spiritual life, but in vain. This is evident from the signification of “to die,” as being here to destroy the faculty to perceive good (of which presently); also from the signification of “death shall flee from them,” as being that they are unable to destroy, thus that they wish in vain. Here “to die” signifies to destroy the faculty to perceive good, but above “to die” signifies to destroy the faculty to understand truth, because every man has two lives, the life of the understanding, and the life of the will; the life of the understanding is the faculty to understand truth, and the life of the will is the faculty to perceive good; thence “death” means the loss of the one or the other. In the first instance “death” signifies the loss of the faculty to understand truth, and in the second instance the deprivation of the faculty to perceive good, because in what precedes both these lives are treated of, and in the Word, where truth is treated of, good also is treated of, because of the marriage of good and truth in every particular of the Word (on which see above, n. 238, 288, 484). This makes evident that “death” here signifies the deprivation of the faculty to perceive good. This is why two expressions nearly alike are made use of, and why “to seek death” is predicated of what belongs to the understanding, and “to long for death” of what belongs to the will; and because the spiritual life proper to man consists of these faculties, so their wish to destroy spiritual life is also signified. Moreover, the faculty to perceive good, like the faculty to understand truth, is given to every man, for truth loves good and good loves truth; these, therefore, constantly wish to be conjoined, and they are conjoined like the will and the understanding, or like affection and thought. When they are conjoined then the understanding thinks truth from the affection of thinking it, and then the understanding also sees the truth and the will perceives it. To perceive truth from the affection of the will is to perceive good, for truth is changed into good when man wills it or is affected by it, that is, when he loves it; and for this reason everything that is loved is called good.

sRef Rev@9 @7 S0′ 552. Verse 7. And the likenesses of the locusts were like unto horses prepared for battle, signifies that when man has become sensual he reasons as if from the understanding of truth. This is evident from the signification of the “locusts” as being the men of the church who have become sensual through falsities that are from evil (of which above, n. 543); also from the signification of “horses prepared for battle,” as being reasonings, here as if from the understanding of truth, because it is said that they were “like unto” them. (That “horses” signify the understanding, see above, n. 355, 364; and all understanding is of truth.) And because “battle” signifies in the Word spiritual combat, which is a combat of falsity against truth and of truth against falsity, therefore “horses prepared for battle” signify reasonings, here as if from the understanding of truth, for it is by reasonings that spiritual combats are waged. What now follows, even to verse 12, treats of the sensual man who is in falsities from evil, what is his quality in respect to understanding and will; and he is described by “locusts” and their various appearances; for in the spiritual world all man’s affections and thoughts therefrom are represented by various beasts of the earth and by birds, and these are presented to view in such forms as correspond; and the beasts, there represented in accordance with the affections of the spirits from which they are, appear like the beasts in our world, but sometimes with successive change and variety, approaching to forms composed of other beasts, besides also having their heads and bodies clothed and decorated with various insignia. Such have frequently been seen by me; and the qualities of their affections and inclinations were thus made manifest to me. Because affections and thoughts therefrom are represented in the spiritual world by beasts and birds, so “beasts and birds” have a similar signification in the Word.
[2] It has been shown above (n. 543) that sensual men, who are in falsities from evil, are represented and thence signified by “locusts;” of what quality such men are is here described by the various forms and various insignia of the locusts; as that they were “like unto horses prepared for battle;” that “upon their heads were as it were crowns like gold;” that “their faces were as men’s faces;” that “they had hair as the hair of women,” and “teeth as those of lions;” that they had “breast-plates;” and many other things, all of which are representatives such as exist in the spiritual world corresponding to the falsities from evil, and to the persuasiveness of the sensual man; yet no one can know what these mean without a knowledge of correspondences, neither of the quality of the sensual man, nor of his persuasiveness. The sensual man, who is in falsities from evil, reasons as if from an understanding of truth, because he is in the persuasion that falsity is truth and that evil is good; and so long as he is in that persuasion he can see nothing rationally and intellectually; but whatever he has persuaded himself of, he believes to be a matter of the highest reason and most eminent understanding; for the rational and intellectual in him is closed up, and thus he is in a persuasive belief respecting the things he thinks and speaks. That the sensual man reasons acutely and readily, because his thought is so near his speech as to be almost in it, and because he places all intelligence in discoursing merely from the memory, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 195, 196, 5700, 10236).

sRef Rev@9 @7 S0′ 553. And upon their heads as it were crowns like gold, signifies that they seem to themselves, when they reason, as if they were wise and victorious. This is evident from the signification of “head” as being wisdom and intelligence (of which presently); and from the signification of “a crown of gold,” as being a reward of victory (of which above, n. 358). “A crown like gold,” signifies the reward of victory, because kings in ancient times, when they were in combats with their enemies wore crowns of gold upon their heads, besides various insignia that then belonged to kings. This was because kings represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and Divine truth combats from Divine good; so this was represented by “a crown of gold,” and wisdom and intelligence itself by the head upon which was the crown. This is why the martyrs had crowns, for they fought from Divine truth against the falsities from evil that are from hell, and came off victors, because they fought even unto death, which they did not fear. From this it can be seen that “upon their heads as it were crowns like gold” signifies that those who are sensual men seem to themselves, from the persuasion of the falsity in which they are, to be wise and victorious.
[2] As the locusts are described in respect to their heads, their faces, their breasts upon which were breast plates, and as to their tails, and hair, and teeth, it is important to know what their heads signify, and afterwards what the other things signify. The “head” signifies in the Word wisdom and intelligence, because these have their seat in the head; but when those who are in no wisdom or intelligence because they are in falsities from evil are treated of, the “head” signifies folly and insanity, because falsities and evils are therein and therefrom. So here, where those who are sensual and in the persuasion of falsity are treated of, the “head” properly signifies folly and insanity, for such see falsities as truths and evils as goods, for they constantly see what they see from fallacies. Of such, therefore, it is said that “upon their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces as men’s faces,” and other things follow, all of which were appearances from the fantasy with them, therefore it is said “as it were” crowns, and “like” gold, which shows that these appearances were not real but fallacious. For in the heavens all appearances that exist are real, because they are correspondences; for the interiors belonging to the affections and thoughts therefrom of the angels, when they pass to the sight of their eyes, are clothed in such forms as are manifest in the heavens; they are called appearances because they are visible, and they are said to be correspondences and are real because they spring from creation. But it is otherwise with the appearances in some of the hells, where those are who are in the persuasions of falsity from evil; from these persuasions fantastic visions spring, in which there is inwardly nothing real, and for this reason they also vanish if a single ray from the light of heaven flows in. Such are the appearances that are here described in reference to the “locusts.” (But of appearances in the spiritual world, both those that are real and those that are not real, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 170-176; and above, in the explanation, n. 369, 395.)

sRef Rev@9 @7 S0′ 554. And their faces as men’s faces, signifies that they seem to themselves to be spiritual affections of truth. This is evident from the signification of “faces,” as being the interiors of the mind and affection (of which above, n. 412); and from the signification of “man,” as being the spiritual affection of truth, and thus intelligence and wisdom (of which above, n. 280); and as the face is a type of man’s interiors, “faces” have the same signification as the men themselves, namely, the affections of truth, but here that they seem to themselves to be affections of truth, and thus intelligent and wise, because it is said of the locusts that their faces appeared “as men’s faces.”
[2] The locusts appeared with such a face because of the strong persuasiveness in which sensual men are who are in falsities from evil, and who are signified by “locusts;” the persuasiveness itself presents such an appearance, but only before themselves and before such others as are also in falsities from evil, but not before the angels of heaven; and for the reason that angels are in the light of heaven, and whatever they see they see from that light, and the light of heaven, being Divine truth, dissipates everything fantastic that comes from persuasiveness. Sensual men appear thus to themselves because sensual men persuade themselves that they are more in truths from good than others are, although they are in falsities from evil; for they are unable to look inwardly from heaven at anything, but only outwardly from the world; those who see from the world alone see only from a delusive light, from which they suppose themselves to be more intelligent and wiser than others, not knowing what intelligence and wisdom are, or what they are from. From this persuasive faith is their belief that they are in the spiritual affection of truth; this therefore is signified by “the faces of the locusts seemed to be as men’s faces.”
[3] But this must be illustrated by experience in the spiritual world. All who are in the heavens are men in respect both to the face and to the rest of the body, for they are in the spiritual affection of truth, and the spiritual affection of truth is itself a man in form, because that affection is from the Lord, who alone is Man, and because from Him the universal heaven conspires to the human form; consequently angels are forms of their affections, and these also are apparent in their faces. (But these things are fully explained in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 59-102.) But those who are in hell, where all are external and sensual, because they are in falsities from evil, while they also appear to themselves in respect to the face to be men, so appear only amongst their own; but when they are looked at in the light of heaven they appear like monsters of direful face, and sometimes in place of the face only something hairy, or with a horrible grate-like set of teeth, and sometimes lurid like something dead, in which there is nothing living and human; for such are the forms of hatred, revenge, and cruelty, wherein is spiritual death, because they are in opposition to the life that is from the Lord. That among themselves they appear with a face like men is from fantasy and consequent persuasion. (But respecting these appearances see also in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 553.)

sRef Rev@9 @8 S0′ 555. Verse 8. And they had hair as the hair of women, signifies that they seem to themselves to be also natural affections of truth. This is evident from the signification of “hair,” as being the things of the natural man, and in particular the true knowledges [scientifica] there (of which above, n. 66); and from the signification of “women,” as being affections (of which presently). “Hair” signifies the things of the natural man because the “head” signifies the things of the spiritual man, and all things of the natural man invest all things of the spiritual man, as the hair invests the head; the head also corresponds to things spiritual, and the hair to things natural, thence also that is what they signify. It is from this correspondence that angels are seen with beautiful hair, and from the orderly arrangement, grace, and gloss of their locks it may be known how the natural man in them corresponds with the spiritual. Now as “women” signify affections, it can be seen that “they had hair as the hair of women” signifies that they seem to themselves to be natural affections of truth. That this is what is signified is evident also from the series; for “faces as men’s faces” signify the appearance as if they were spiritual affections of truth; thence now it follows that “hair as the hair of women” signifies there seeming to be natural affection of truth; it is said immediately, too, of their teeth, that they were “as lion’s teeth,” and these signify the ultimates of the natural man in respect to knowledge and power. In the prophetic Word the terms “woman,” and also “daughter” and “virgin” often occur; but it has heretofore been unknown what they signify. It is very evident that a woman, a daughter, or a virgin is not meant, since where these are mentioned the church is treated of; but what they signify can be seen from the connection of the subjects treated of in the spiritual sense.
sRef Jer@44 @7 S2′ sRef Ezek@9 @6 S2′ sRef Lam@5 @12 S2′ sRef Lam@5 @11 S2′ sRef Jer@51 @22 S2′ [2] That “woman” signifies the church as regards the affection of truth, thus the affection of the truth of the church, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Jeremiah:
Wherefore commit ye evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, babe, and suckling, out of Jerusalem?* (44:7).
In the same:
I will scatter man and woman; I will scatter the old man and the lad; I will scatter the young man and the virgin (51:22).
In Ezekiel:
Slay to destruction the old man and the young man and the virgin and the infant and the women (9:6).
In Lamentations:
They ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah; princes were hanged up by their hand; the faces of elders were not honored (5:11, 12).
In these passages “man and woman,” “old man and babe,” “youth and virgin,” do not mean man, woman, old man, babe, youth, and virgin, but all things of the church; “man and woman” signify truth and its affection, “old man and babe” wisdom and innocence, “youth and virgin” the understanding of truth and the affection for good. That such is the signification is made evident from this that these chapters treat of the church and its desolation in respect to truth and good; therefore these terms signify such things as belong to the church. For the Word is inwardly spiritual, because it is Divine; but if man and woman, old man and babe, youth and virgin meant such persons, the Word would not be spiritual but natural; but it becomes spiritual when “man and woman” mean the church in respect to truth and its affection, “old man and babe” the church in respect to wisdom and innocence, and “young man and virgin” the church in respect to intelligence and its affection. Moreover, man is man because the church is in him, and where the church is, there is heaven. When, therefore, man as “old,” “young,” an “infant,” a “male,” also “woman” and “virgin” are mentioned, that with them pertaining to the church that corresponds in age, sex, inclination, affection, intelligence, and wisdom, is meant.
sRef Isa@4 @2 S3′ sRef Isa@3 @25 S3′ sRef Isa@4 @1 S3′ [3] That “woman” signifies the church in respect to the affection of truth, or the affection of the truth of the church, can be seen also from these words in Isaiah:
Then seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, We will eat our own bread, and we will clothe ourselves with our own raiment; only let thy name be called upon us; gather thou up our reproach (4:1).
This treats of the end of the church, when there is no longer any truth, for these words precede:
Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy strength in the war (3:25);
which signify that the understanding of truth will be destroyed by falsities, so that there will be no more resistance in combats; and it is added:
In that day shall the shoot of Jehovah be for splendor and glory (4:2);
which signifies that truth will spring up anew in the church; for this is said of the Lord’s coming. “Seven women shall take hold of one man” signifies that truth will be desired and sought from affection but will not be found; “man” signifying truth, “women” affections or longings for truth, and “seven” holiness. That instruction in genuine truths, and thus spiritual nourishment would not be found, is signified by saying “we will eat our own bread, and we will clothe ourselves with our own raiment;” “bread” signifying instruction and spiritual nourishment, and “raiment” truth clothing good; that truth only can be applied and by application conjoined is signified by “only let thy name be called upon us;” and as all esteem is from the spiritual affection of truth and conjunction therefrom, and otherwise there is no esteem, it is said, “gather thou up or take away our reproach.”
sRef Jer@31 @21 S4′ sRef Jer@31 @22 S4′ [4] In Jeremiah:
Return, O virgin of Israel, return to thy cities. How long wilt thou go about? For Jehovah hath created a new thing in the earth; a woman shall compass a man (31:21, 22).
This treats of the spiritual captivity in which the church was before the Lord’s coming. The church is said to be in spiritual captivity when there is no truth, and yet truth is desired; in such captivity were the Gentiles with whom the church was established. “Return, O virgin of Israel, return to thy cities,” signifies that they shall return to the truths of doctrine; “virgin of Israel” being the church, and “her cities” the truths of doctrine. “For Jehovah hath created a new thing in the earth, a woman shall compass a man,” signifies that a new church is to be established in which truth will be conjoined to its affection; “to create a new thing in the earth” meaning to establish that new thing; “woman” being the church in respect to the affection of truth, “man” truth, and “to compass” to be conjoined.
sRef Isa@54 @6 S5′ sRef Isa@54 @7 S5′ [5] In Isaiah:
As a woman forsaken and afflicted in spirit Jehovah hath called thee, and a woman of youth when rejected, said thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great compassions will I gather thee (54:6, 7).
Here, too, “a woman forsaken and afflicted in spirit” means the church that is not in truths and yet is in the affection or longing for them, “woman” meaning the church, which is said to be “forsaken” when it is not in truths, and to be “afflicted in spirit” when in grief from the affection or longing for truths. “A woman of youth” means the Ancient Church, which was in truths from affection; and “one rejected” means the Jewish church, which was not in truths from any spiritual affection; that the church is to be established by the Lord, and delivered from spiritual captivity, is meant by “for a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great compassions will I gather thee.”
sRef Jer@9 @21 S6′ sRef Jer@9 @20 S6′ [6] In Jeremiah:
Hear the word of Jehovah, O ye women, and let your ear perceive the word of His mouth, that ye may teach your sons** wailing, and a woman her companion lamentation. For death hath come up through the windows, it hath come into our palaces, to cut off the babe from the street, the young man from the broad ways (9:20, 21).
It was said to women that they should hear and perceive, because “women” signify the church from the affection and reception of truth; “sons whom the women should teach wailing,” and the “companion whom a woman should teach lamentation,” signify all who are of the church, “sons” signifying those who are in the truths of the church, “companion” they who are in the good of the church; “wailing and lamentation” signify because of the church vastated in respect to truths and goods; “death hath come up through the windows, it hath come into our palaces” signifies infernal falsity entering into the understanding, and thence into all things of thought and affection, “windows” signifying the understanding, and “palaces” all things of the thought and affection; “to cut off the babe from the street, and the young man from the broad ways,” signifies the vastation of nascent truth and of truth born; the “babe in the street” meaning nascent truth, and “the young man in the broad ways” truth born.
sRef Ezek@23 @3 S7′ sRef Ezek@23 @2 S7′ sRef Ezek@23 @4 S7′ [7] In Ezekiel:
Two women, the daughters of one mother, who committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth; the name of the elder was Oholah, and the name of her sister Oholibah; and they bare sons and daughter. Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah (23:2-4).
As “Samaria,” the metropolis of the Israelites, signifies in the Word the spiritual church, and “Jerusalem,” the metropolis of the Jews, the celestial church, each in respect to doctrine; so these are called “women;” and as these two churches act as one, they are called “daughters of one mother,” “mother” also signifying the church, as do “Oholah and Oholibah,” that is, “the tent or habitation of God,” for this signifies heaven where Divine truth and Divine good are, and so, too, the church, for the church is the Lord’s heaven on earth; “their committing whoredom in Egypt in their youth” signifies that they were then in no truths but in falsities, for in Egypt they had not the Word; that was given to them afterwards through Moses and the prophets, and it was thus that the church was instituted among them. “To commit whoredom in Egypt” signifies to falsify truths by knowledges of the natural man, and to falsify truths there means to turn holy things into magic, as the Egyptians did; “the sons and daughters whom they bore” signify the falsities and evils of the church.
sRef Micah@2 @9 S8′ sRef Micah@2 @8 S8′ [8] In Micah:
Ye draw off the robe from them that pass by securely, returning from war. The women of my people ye drive out from the house of their delights (2:8, 9).
“To draw off the robe from them that pass by securely, returning from war,” signifies to deprive of truths all who are in truths, and who have fought against falsities; “who pass by securely” signifies all who are in truths; “returning from war” those who have been in temptations, and who have fought against falsities. “To drive out the women of my people from the house of their delights” signifies to destroy the affections of truth, and thus the pleasantnesses and felicities of heaven, “the women of my people” meaning the affections of truth, and “house of delights” the pleasantnesses and felicities of heaven, for these are the affections of good and truth.
sRef Zech@14 @2 S9′ [9] In Zechariah:
I will gather all nations to Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be captured and the house*** plundered, and the women shall be ravished (14:2).
“All nations” signify evils and falsities of every kind; “Jerusalem” signifies the church, “city” doctrine, “house” everything holy of the church, “women” the affections of truth, and “their being ravished” that truths will be perverted, and that thus the affections of truth will perish.
sRef Zech@12 @13 S10′ sRef Zech@12 @14 S10′ sRef Zech@12 @11 S10′ sRef Zech@12 @12 S10′ [10] In the same:
In that day shall the lamentation in Jerusalem increase, and the land shall lament and every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their women apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their women apart; the family of the house of Levi apart, and their women apart; the family of the house of Simeon apart, and their women apart; all the families that are left, every family apart, and their women apart (Zech. 12:11-14).
What “David” and his house, likewise what “Levi,” and “Simeon,” and their houses signify, has been shown in the explanations above, namely, that “David” signifies Divine truth, “Nathan” the doctrine of truth, “Levi” the good of charity, and “Simeon” truth and good in respect to perception and obedience. It is said “the families shall lament apart, and their women apart,” because “families” signify the truths of the church, and “women” the affections of truth; and these “lament apart” when truth laments because there is no affection of it, and affection laments because it has no truth. This is said of the lamentation over each and all things of the church because they are vastated and destroyed; for each and all things of the church are signified by “all the families that are left,” which mean the tribes. That “the twelve tribes” signify all things of the church in the complex may be seen above (n. 430, 431). “Jerusalem” signifies the church and its doctrine.
sRef Matt@24 @41 S11′ sRef Matt@24 @40 S11′ [11] In Matthew:
Then shall two be in the field, one shall be taken and the other left. Two shall be grinding at the mill, one shall be taken and the other left (24:40, 41).
By the first two are meant men, and women by the last two; and “men” signify those who are in truths, and “women” those who are in good from the affection of truth; here, however, “men” mean those who are in falsities, and “women” those who are in evils from the affection of falsity, for it is said that “one shall be taken and the other shall be left;” meaning that those shall be saved who are in truths from affection, and those shall be condemned who are in evils from affection. “Field” signifies the church; “to grind” signifies to acquire for themselves truths of doctrine from the Word; those who apply these truths to good are signified by those who “shall be taken,” and those who apply them to evil are signified by those who “shall be left.” (But this may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 4334, 4335.)
sRef Lev@26 @26 S12′ [12] In Moses:
I will break for you the staff of bread, that ten women may bake your bread in one oven, and they shall bring back your bread by weight; and ye shall eat and not be satisfied (Lev. 26:26).
This means, in the spiritual sense, that truth from good, which is spiritual nourishment, shall fail, “bread” signifying all spiritual food by which the man of the church is nourished, and “women” those of the church who are in the affection of truth. “Ten women shall bake bread in one oven” signifies that the truth which may be conjoined to good will be sought for but very little will be found; for “to bake” signifies to prepare and conjoin that it may serve for the use of life; “to bring back the bread by weight” signifies that it is scarce; and “to eat and not be satisfied” signifies because truth from good is so scanty and scarce as to yield hardly any nourishment to the soul.
sRef Deut@22 @5 S13′ sRef Gen@5 @2 S13′ sRef Gen@1 @27 S13′ [13] In Moses:
A man’s garment shall not be upon a woman, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment; for whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah thy God (Deut. 22:5).
“Man and his garment” signifies truth, and “woman and her garment” signifies the affection of truth. These in every man are as distinct as understanding and will are, or as thought which is of the understanding, and affection which is of the will are; and unless they were distinct, the sexes would be confounded, and there would be no marriage, for in marriage man is the truth which is of the thought, and woman is affection.
That man and woman were both so created that they may be two and yet one, is evident from the book of Genesis in which it is said of the creation of the two:
And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him;**** male and female created He them (Gen. 1:27; 5:2).
sRef Gen@2 @23 S14′ sRef Gen@2 @24 S14′ [14] And afterwards:
The man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; for this she shall be called wife, because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh (Gen. 2:23, 24; Mark 10:6-9).
Man here means the church in general and in particular. The church in particular is the man of the church, or the man in whom the church is. “God created man in His own image” signifies in the image of heaven; for “God,” that is, Elohim, in the plural, signifies the Divine proceeding that makes heaven, and the man who is a church is a heaven in the least form, for he corresponds to all things of heaven (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 7-12, 51-58). “Male” signifies here, as above, the truth which is of the understanding, and “female” the good which is of the will; the wife is said to be “bone of man’s bones, and flesh of his flesh,” to signify that good, which is the wife, is from truth, which is the man, “bone” signifying truth before it is vivified, that is, conjoined to good, such as is the truth of the memory with man; and because all good is formed from truths it is said, “because she was taken out of man.” That “the man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave unto his wife” signifies that truth must be of good, and that thus both must become one good; this is signified by “they shall be one flesh,” “flesh” signifying good, and also a human being. But the things here said cannot enter the understanding of man, except with few, unless it is known that the first two chapters of Genesis treat of the new creation, that is, of the regeneration of the men of the church, the first chapter of their regeneration, the second of their intelligence and wisdom; and “male and female,” or “man and wife,” mean in the spiritual sense the conjunction of truth and good, which is called the heavenly marriage, into which marriage man comes when he is regenerated and becomes a church; and man has been regenerated and has become a church when he is in good and in truths therefrom, which is meant by “the man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be as one flesh.” (But a still clearer idea of these things may be had from what is said in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, On Good and Truth, n. 11-19; On the Will and Understanding, n. 28-33; On Regeneration, n. 173-182; also respecting the good from which are truths, n. 24.)
sRef Num@31 @18 S15′ sRef Num@31 @17 S15′ sRef Num@31 @16 S15′ [15] Because “man and woman” signify the conjunction of truth and good:
When Moses saw that the sons of Israel took to themselves the female captives of the Midianites, their enemies, he said that they should kill every woman that had known man by lying with a male; but that they should keep alive the women that had not known man (Num. 31:17, 18).
These things were commanded because a “woman not conjoined to a man” signified the church in respect to the affection for truth or for conjunction with truth; but “a woman conjoined to a man of Midian” signified good adulterated; for the Midianites represented, and thence signified, truth that is not truth because it is not from good, thus is falsity. This was why the women who had known man were to be killed, but those who had not known man were to be kept alive. “The women of Midian” signified the defilement of good by falsities, and thus good adulterated and profaned, which is filthy adultery, as is evident from what is related respecting “the whoredom of the sons of Israel with the women of the Midianites” (Num. 25).
sRef Rev@12 @1 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @2 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @5 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @6 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @16 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @15 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @13 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @7 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @8 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @12 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @11 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @17 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @3 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @4 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @10 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @18 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @14 S16′ sRef Deut@21 @12 S16′ sRef Deut@21 @11 S16′ sRef Deut@21 @13 S16′ sRef Rev@12 @9 S16′ [16] Whoever does not know that “woman” signifies the spiritual affection of truth, also that the evils and falsities that everyone has are in the natural man, and none of them in the spiritual man, cannot know what is signified by the following respecting a woman captive in Moses:
If thou shalt see in captivity a woman beautiful in form of the enemy, and hast a desire unto her for a wife, thou shalt bring her into the midst of thy house; where she shall shave her head and pare her nails; then she shall put away the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall weep for her father and her mother a month of days, and after that thou shalt go in unto her and know her, and she shall be thy wife (Deut. 21:11-13).
A “woman” signifies the church in respect to the spiritual affection of truth, or the spiritual affection of truth which a man of the church has, but “a woman captive beautiful in form” signifies the religious principles with the Gentiles in whom is a longing or affection for truth; that “she is to be brought into the midst of the house, and there is to shave her head, pare her nails, and afterwards put away the raiment of her captivity” signifies that she should be led into the interior or spiritual things of the church, and by means of them reject the evils and falsities of the natural and sensual man; “the midst of the house” signifies things interior which are spiritual; “the hair of the head which must be shaved” signifies the falsities and evils of the natural man; “the nails which must be pared,” signify the falsities and evils of the sensual man; and “the raiment of captivity” signifies the falsity of religion in which one who from affection longs for truth is held as it were captive; all these, therefore, must be rejected because they are in the natural and sensual man, as has been said above; that she shall “weep for her father and her mother a month of days” signifies that the evils and falsities of one’s religion must be consigned to oblivion; “after that the man should go in unto her and know her, and she should be his wife,” signifies that thus truth, which is the “man,” can be conjoined with its affection, which is the “wife.” Why this statute was given no one can know unless he knows from the spiritual sense what is signified by “a woman taken captive from the enemy,” by “the midst or inmost of the house,” by “hair,” “nails,” and “the raiment of captivity,” and unless he knows something about the conjunction of truth and good, for on this conjunction all the precepts in the Word concerning marriages are founded. The church in respect to the affection of truth is signified also by:
The woman encompassed with the sun, and in labor, before whom the dragon stood when she should bring forth a man child; and who afterwards fled into the wilderness (Rev. 12:1, et seq.).
Here the “woman” signifies the church, and the “man child” whom she brought forth, the doctrine of truth, as will be seen in the explanation further on.
sRef Jer@7 @17 S17′ sRef Jer@7 @18 S17′ [17] As “woman” signifies the church in respect to the affection of truth from good, or the affection of truth from good of the man of the church, so in the contrary sense a “woman” signifies the cupidity of falsity from evil; for most things in the Word have also an opposite signification. A “woman” (and women) signify this in the following passages. In Jeremiah:
Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The sons gather wood and the fathers kindle the fire and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the queen of the heavens, and also to pour out libations unto other gods (7:17, 18)
What this prophecy involves cannot be known unless it is known what “the cities of Judah,” “the streets of Jerusalem,” what the “sons,” “fathers,” and “women” signify, also what “gathering wood,” “kindling a fire,” “kneading the dough,” “cakes,” “the queen of the heavens,” and “libations” signify. But when it is known what these signify, and the signification is taken in place of the things named, there results therefrom the spiritual meaning that is involved in this prophecy. “The cities of Judah” signify the doctrinals of the church; “the streets of Jerusalem” the truths of these, but here falsities; “sons” mean those who are in the truths of doctrine, but here those who are in falsities, who are said “to gather wood” when they acquire for themselves falsities from evils; “fathers” mean those who are in the goods of the church, but here those who are in evils, who are said “to kindle a fire” when from the love of evil they favor and excite evils; “women” mean the affections of truth from good, but here the cupidities of falsity from evil; these are said “to knead the dough” when from falsities and according to them they frame doctrine; “to make cakes to the queen of the heavens” signifies to worship infernal evils of every kind, “to make cakes” meaning to worship from evils, and “the queen of the heavens” meaning all evils in the complex, for “the queen of the heavens” has a similar signification as “the host of the heavens;” “to pour out libations unto other gods” signifies to worship from falsities, “other gods” meaning infernal falsities; for “God” signifies, in a good sense, Divine truth proceeding, but “other gods” signify infernal falsities, which are falsities from evil.
sRef Isa@3 @12 S18′ [18] In Isaiah:
As for My people, babes are their oppressors, and women rule over it.***** O My people, thy leaders cause thee to err, and have blotted out the way of thy paths (3:12).
“Oppressors,” “babes,” and “women,” signify those who violate, are ignorant of, and pervert truths, “oppressors” meaning those who violate truths; “babes” those who are ignorant of them, and “women” the cupidities that pervert them; “leaders that cause thee to err” signify those who teach; “to blot out the way of thy paths” signifies that the truth which leads is not known.
sRef Isa@27 @11 S19′ [19] In the same:
When the harvest withereth, breaking in pieces, the women coming shall set it on fire; for this is a people of no intelligence (Isa. 27:11).
This is said of the church vastated; “the harvest withering” signifies the truths of good destroyed by evil loves; “the women who set it on fire” signify the cupidities of falsity which altogether consume.
sRef Isa@32 @9 S20′ sRef Isa@32 @10 S20′ [20] In the same:
Rise up, ye women that are at ease, hear my voice; ye confident sons****** give ear to my speech; the vintage shall be consumed, the ingathering shall not come (Isa. 32:9, 10).
“Women that are at ease” signify the cupidities of those who are wholly unconcerned about the vastation of the church; “the confident sons” signify the falsities of those who trust in self-intelligence; “women and sons” signify all in the church who are such, whether men or women; “the vintage that shall be consumed, and the ingathering that shall not come” signify that there shall no longer be any truth of the church, for “vintage” has a similar signification as “wine,” namely, the truth of the church; and this makes evident what is signified by its “ingathering.”
sRef Ezek@18 @6 S21′ sRef Ezek@18 @5 S21′ [21] In Ezekiel:
But if a man be just, and hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled the wife of his companion, neither come near to a menstruous woman (18:5, 6).
“The just man” is described as one “who hath not eaten upon the mountains,” which signifies whose worship is not from infernal loves, for this is the signification of “sacrificing upon mountains,” and “eating of the sacrifices;” “who hath not lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel” signifies whose worship is not from the falsities of doctrine, for “idols” signify the falsities of doctrine, and “the house of Israel” means the perverted church in which such falsities are; “who hath not defiled the wife of his companion” signifies who does not adulterate the good of the church and of the Word; “who cometh not near to a menstruous woman” signifies who does not defile truths by the cupidities of falsity.
sRef Lam@4 @10 S22′ [22] In Lamentations:
The hands of the compassionate women have sodden their own children that they might become food for them, in the breach of the daughter of My people (4:10).
This signifies the destruction by falsities of the truth and good of doctrine from the Word, and the appropriation of the falsities, with the consequent vastation of the church. “The compassionate women” signify the affections of falsity as if it were truth; “their having sodden children” signifies to destroy by falsities the truths and goods of doctrine from the Word; “to become food for them” signifies to appropriate falsities; and “the breach of the daughter of my people” signifies the vastation of the church. “Women” signify also evil cupidities in Revelation (14:4; 17:3, of which in the explanation further on).
* Latin has “Jerusalem,” the Hebrew “Judah,” as we also find in AC n. 430, 3183, 5608.
** Latin has “sons,” Hebrew “daughters.”
*** Latin has “house,” Hebrew “houses.”
**** Latin has “them,” Hebrew “him,” which is also found in AE n. 725; AC n. 53; CL n. 132.
***** Latin has “it,” Hebrew “them.”
****** Latin has “sons,” Hebrew “daughters,” as we find in AE n. 919;AC n. 6432.

sRef Rev@9 @8 S0′ 556. And their teeth were as those of lions, signifies that sensual things, which are the ultimates of the intellectual life, seem to them to have power over all things. This is evident from the signification of “teeth,” as being the sensual things which are the ultimates of the natural life in respect to the understanding (of which presently); and from the signification of “lions,” as being the truths of the church in respect to power, but here falsities destroying truths, thus also these in respect to power (of which above, n. 278). Here falsities are meant, because “locusts” signify the corporeal-sensual who are in the falsities of evil. These seem to themselves to have understanding, and thereby power over all things, because that persuasiveness which has been treated of above has its seat in the sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural life; for this sensual, or the sensual man, is in self-confidence, and in the belief that he is wiser than all others, for he is unable to weigh and explore himself, because he does not think interiorly; and when he has persuaded himself of this, then such confidence and belief are in all things that he speaks. And because his speech takes its tone from these, it fascinates and infatuates the minds of others, for the tone of confidence and belief produces such an effect; and this is especially manifest in the spiritual world, where man speaks from his spirit; for the affection of self-confidence and of the consequent belief that a thing is so is in man’s spirit, and a man’s spirit speaks from his affection. In the natural world it is different. There man’s spirit discourses by means of the body, and for the sake of the world brings forth such things as are not of the affection of his spirit, which he rarely exhibits, that its character may not be known. For this reason it is unknown in the world that there is such an infatuating and suffocating persuasiveness as exists in the spirit of the sensual man, who believes himself to be wiser than others. From this it can be seen why “their teeth were as those of lions” signifies that sensual men seem to themselves to have understanding, and thereby power over all things. That “teeth” signify sensual things, which are the ultimates of the natural life in respect to knowledge [scientia] can be seen from the correspondence of “teeth,” as described in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 575), and in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 5565-5568).
sRef Ps@57 @4 S2′ [2] That “teeth” have this signification can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In David:
My soul, I lie in the midst of lions; their teeth are spear and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword (Ps. 57:4).
“Lions” signify those who by means of falsities destroy the truths of the church; “their teeth which are spear and arrows” signify the knowledges that are applied to confirm falsities and evils, and thus to destroy the truths and goods of the church; “their tongue a sharp sword” signifies crafty reasonings from falsities, which are called “a sharp sword” because a “sword” signifies falsity destroying truth.
sRef Ps@58 @6 S3′ [3] In the same:
O God, break off their teeth in their mouth; remove* the jaw teeth of the young lions (Ps. 58:6).
“Teeth in their mouth” signify the knowledges from which they produce falsities; “the jaw teeth of the young lions,” signify the truths of the Word falsified, which in themselves are falsities, and which are especially effective in destroying the truths of the church.
sRef Joel@1 @7 S4′ sRef Joel@1 @6 S4′ [4] In Joel:
A nation cometh up upon my land, vigorous and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it hath the jaw teeth of an immense lion. It maketh** my vine to a waste, and my fig tree to froth (1:6, 7).
“A nation that cometh up upon the land” signifies evil devastating the church, “nation” meaning evil, and “land” the church; “vigorous and without number” signifies powerful and manifold; “vigorous” is predicated of the power of evil, and “without number” of the power of falsity; “its teeth are the teeth of a lion” signifying destroying falsities; “the jaw teeth of an immense lion” signify truths falsified; “it reduceth the vine to a waste, and the fig tree to froth,” signifies the destruction of spiritual and natural truths; spiritual truths are those of the spiritual sense of the Word, and natural truths those of the sense of its letter (see also above, n. 403, where this is explained). The “teeth of lions” in these passages have a similar signification as “teeth as those of lions” here in Revelation. “Teeth” properly signify such things as are merely in the memory and are brought forth therefrom, for the things that are in the memory of the sensual man correspond to bones and teeth.
sRef Dan@7 @5 S5′ sRef Dan@7 @7 S5′ [5] In Daniel:
There came up out of the sea a second beast like to a bear; three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and they said unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this there came up a fourth beast, dreadful, and terrible, and exceedingly strong, and it had great teeth of iron; it devoured and crushed, and trampled the remnant with its feet (Dan. 7:5, 7).
“A beast from the sea” means the love of dominion, to which holy things serve as means, and the “four beasts” signify its successive increase; this “second beast like to a bear” signifies the second state, when such dominion is confirmed by means of the Word; those who do this appear in the spiritual world like bears. “Three ribs in the mouth between the teeth” signify all things of the Word which they apply, and which they understand merely according to the letter, “three ribs” meaning all things of the Word, “in the mouth” meaning, which they apply in teaching; “between the teeth” meaning which they understand merely according to the letter, that is, as the sensual man does; “they said unto it, Arise, devour much flesh,” signifies that they applied many things and thereby destroyed the genuine sense of the Word; “the fourth beast that came up out of the sea, dreadful, and terrible, and exceedingly strong,” signifies the fourth and last state, when by holy things as means they established for themselves dominion over heaven and earth; because this state is profane and powerful it is called “dreadful, and terrible, and exceedingly strong;” “it had great teeth of iron” signifies falsities from the sensual man hard against the truths and goods of the church; “it devoured and crushed” signifies that it perverted and destroyed; “and trampled the remnant with its feet” signifies that what they could not pervert and destroy they defiled and blotted out by the evils of natural and corporeal loves. (The rest respecting these beasts may be seen explained above, n. 316.)
sRef Deut@32 @24 S6′ [6] In Moses:
The tooth of beasts I will send upon them, with the poison of the creeping things of the earth (Deut. 32:24).
This evil, among others, was denounced upon the Israelitish and Jewish people if they did not keep and do the statutes and commandments; “the tooth of beasts” signifies falsities from evils of every kind, and “the poison of the creeping things of the earth” signifies the things that destroy and utterly extinguish spiritual life; “beasts” signify in the Word such things as belong to the natural man, and “the creeping things of the earth” the things belonging to the sensual man; both these when separated from the spiritual man are mere falsities from evils, because they are merely such things as belong to the body to which they adhere, and as belong to the world to which they stand nearest; and from the body and the world all thick darkness in spiritual things arises.
sRef Ps@3 @7 S7′ [7] In David:
Arise, O Jehovah; save me, O my God; for Thou smitest all mine enemies upon the cheek; Thou breakest the teeth of the wicked (Ps. 3:7).
“To smite the enemies upon the cheek” signifies to destroy interior falsities with those who are opposed to the goods and truths of the church; such persons and their falsities of evil are meant in the Word by “enemies;” “to break the teeth of the wicked” signifies to destroy exterior falsities, which are such as are based on the fallacies of the senses and are confirmed by them.
sRef Matt@7 @12 S8′ sRef Matt@5 @42 S8′ sRef Matt@5 @41 S8′ sRef Matt@5 @40 S8′ sRef Matt@5 @38 S8′ sRef Matt@5 @39 S8′ [8] As the expressions in David, “to smite the cheek” and “to break the teeth” signify the destruction of interior and exterior falsities, it can be seen what is meant by “smiting on the cheek” in Matthew:
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth; but I say unto you, Resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek turn to him the other also. And if any man wisheth to sue thee at the law and to take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also; and whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two. Give to everyone that asketh thee, and from him that wisheth to borrow of thee turn not thou away (5:38-42).
That these words are not to be understood according to the letter is evident to everyone; for who is bound by Christian love to turn the left cheek to him who smites the right, or to give the cloak to him who would take away the coat? In a word, who is there to whom it is not allowable to resist evil? But as all things that the Lord said were in themselves Divine-celestial, it can be seen that these words, as well as the others which the Lord spoke, contain a heavenly sense. The sons of Israel had this law that they should give “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” (Exod. 21:23, 24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21), because they were external men, and thus were only in the representatives of heavenly things, and not in heavenly things themselves, thence not in charity, in mercy, in patience, nor in any spiritual good; consequently they were under the law of retaliation; for the heavenly law and thence the Christian law is that which the Lord taught in the Gospels:
All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye to them; this is the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 7:12; Luke 6:31).
Because this is the law in heaven, and from heaven in the church, therefore every evil carries with it a corresponding punishment, which is called the punishment of evil, and is in the evil as if joined with it; and from this springs the punishment of retaliation which was prescribed for the sons of Israel, because they were external and not internal men. Internal men, as the angels of heaven are, do not wish the retaliation of evil for evil, but from heavenly charity they forgive freely; for they know that the Lord protects from the evil all who are in good, and that He protects according to the good with them, and that He would not protect if on account of the evil done to them they should burn with enmity, hatred, and revenge, for these drive away protection.
[9] These things, therefore, are involved in what the Lord here said; but their signification shall be given in order: “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” signifies that so far as anyone takes away from another the understanding of truth and the sense of truth, so far are they taken away from him, the “eye” signifying the understanding of truth, and “tooth” the sense of truth, for a “tooth” means truth or falsity such as the sensual man has. That one who is in Christian good will permit an evil person to take these away as far as he can, is described by what the Lord says in reply on the same subject. “Resist not him that is in evil” signifies that there should be no fighting back of retaliation; for angels do not fight with the evil, much less do they return evil for evil, but they allow it to be done, since they are protected by the Lord, and therefore no evil from hell can do them harm. “Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek turn to him the other also” signifies if anyone wishes to do harm to the perception and understanding of interior truth, it may be allowed to the extent of the effort; “the cheek” signifies the perception and understanding of interior truth, the “right cheek” affection for it and consequent perception of it, and the “left cheek” understanding of it, and as the “cheek” is mentioned, so is “smiting,” which means doing harm to; for all things pertaining to the mouth, as the throat, the mouth itself, the lips, the cheeks, the teeth, signify such things as belong to the perception and understanding of truth, because they correspond to them, therefore by these objects in the sense of the letter of the Word, which consists of pure correspondences, these things are expressed; “if any man wisheth to sue thee at the law and to take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also,” signifies if anyone wishes to take away truth interiorly with thee, it may be allowed him to take away also exterior truth, “coat” signifying interior truth, and “cloak” exterior truth. This also is what angels do when they are with the evil, for the evil can take away nothing of good and truth from angels, but they can from those who on that account burn with enmity, hatred, and revenge, for these evils avert and repel protection by the Lord; “whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two,” signifies whoever wishes to lead away from truth to falsity and from good to evil, since he cannot do it, may be left unopposed, a “mile” having a similar signification as a “way,” namely, that which leads away or leads; “give to everyone that asketh thee” signifies that it is to be permitted; “and from him that wisheth to borrow of thee turn thou not away” signifies that if anyone wishes to be instructed he may be instructed, for the evil desire this that they may pervert and take away, and yet they cannot. This is the spiritual sense of these words, in which are stored up the hidden things that have now been said, which are especially for the angels; who perceive the Word only according to its spiritual sense; they are also for men in the world who are in good, when the evil are trying to lead them astray. That the opposition of the evil to those whom the Lord protects is such it has been granted me to know by much experience; for they have continually striven in every way and with all their might to take away from me truths and goods, but in vain. From what has been presented it can also in some degree be seen that a “tooth” signifies truth or falsity in the sensual, which is the ultimate of the intellectual life with man; that this is the signification of “tooth” is evident from the Lord’s reply, in which the perception and understanding of truth are treated of, which the evil strive to take away from the good.
sRef Jer@31 @30 S10′ sRef Jer@31 @29 S10′ [10] That this is the signification of “teeth” can be seen further from the following passages. In Jeremiah:
In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the teeth of the sons are set on edge. But every man shall die in his own iniquity; every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge (31:29, 30; Ezek. 18:2-4).
This involves evidently that the sons and descendants shall not incur punishment on account of the evils of parents, but everyone on account of his own evil; “to eat the sour grape” signifies to appropriate to oneself the falsity of evil, for a “sour grape,” which is a bitter and bad grape, signifies the falsity of evil, and “to eat” signifies to appropriate to oneself; and “the teeth set on edge” signifies to be in the falsity of evil therefrom, for “teeth” here as above signify falsities in ultimates or in the sensual man, in which the evils of parents, which are called hereditary evils, especially lie hidden in children, and “to be set on edge” signifies the appropriation of falsity from evil; for a man is not punished on account of hereditary evils but on account of his own and so far as he makes hereditary evils actual in himself; therefore it is said that “everyone shall die in his own iniquity; and every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.”
sRef Job@19 @19 S11′ sRef Job@19 @20 S11′ [11] In Job:
All men abhor me; my bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh; I have escaped with the skin of my teeth (19:19, 20).
In the sense of the letter this means that he became thus lank and lean; but in the spiritual sense it signifies that temptations so suppressed the interiors of his mind that he became sensual, and thought only in things most external, and yet that he thought truths and not falsities; this is signified by “I have escaped with the skin of my teeth,” “teeth” without skin signifying falsities, but with skin not falsities, since they are still in some degree clothed.
sRef Amos@4 @6 S12′ [12] In Amos:
I have given to you emptiness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places (4:6).
“Emptiness of teeth in the cities” stands for a scarcity of truth in doctrines, and “want of bread in all places” for scarcity of good from doctrines in the life.
sRef Zech@9 @7 S13′ [13] In Zechariah:
I will take away his bloods out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth (9:7).
This is said of Tyre and Sidon, which signify the knowledges of truth and good, here these falsified; “bloods out of the mouth” signify the falsifications of the knowledges of truths; and “the abominations from between the teeth” signify the adulterations of the knowledges of good; the knowledges of good are also truths, for to know goods is from the understanding, and the understanding is of truth.
sRef Ps@124 @4 S14′ sRef Ps@124 @5 S14′ sRef Ps@124 @6 S14′ [14] In David:
The waters had overwhelmed us, the presumptuous waters had passed over our soul. Blessed be Jehovah, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth (Ps. 124:4-6).
The “waters that had overwhelmed” signify falsities that flow in, and as it were overwhelm man when he is in temptations; therefore it is said, “Blessed be Jehovah, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth,” that is, to the hells that destroy truths by falsities, thus to destructive falsities.
sRef Job@29 @17 S15′ [15] In Job:
I brake the jaw teeth of the wicked, and plucked the prey out of his teeth (29:17).
This Job says of himself. “I brake the jaw teeth of the wicked” signifies that he fought against falsities and conquered them, “jaw teeth” signifying knowledges [scientifica] from the sense of the letter of the Word, adapted to confirm the falsities by which truths are destroyed; and “I plucked the prey out of his teeth” signifies that he delivered others from falsities by instructing them.
sRef Mark@9 @25 S16′ sRef Lam@2 @16 S16′ sRef Job@16 @9 S16′ sRef Mark@9 @18 S16′ sRef Ps@37 @12 S16′ sRef Mark@9 @17 S16′ sRef Micah@3 @5 S16′ sRef Ps@35 @15 S16′ sRef Ps@35 @16 S16′ sRef Ps@112 @10 S16′ [16] Because the “teeth” signify falsities in things most external, “gnashing of teeth” signifies to fight with vehemence and anger from falsities against truths, in the following passages. In Job:
He teareth me in his wrath, and hateth me; mine enemy gnasheth upon me with his teeth, he sharpeneth his eyes against me (16:9).
In David:
The halt whom I know not gather themselves together against me, they rend, nor are they silent. They gnash upon me with their teeth (Ps. 35:15, 16).
In the same:
The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth (Ps. 37:12).
In the same:
The wicked shall see and be provoked; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt*** away (Ps. 112:10).
In Micah:
Against the prophets that lead the people astray, that bite with their teeth (3:5).
In Lamentations:
All thine enemies opened their mouth against thee, O daughter of Jerusalem, they hissed and gnashed the teeth (2:16).
In Mark:
One said to Jesus, I have brought unto thee my son, who hath an evil**** spirit; and wheresoever it taketh him it teareth him; and he foameth and grindeth his teeth, and pineth away; and I spake to Thy disciples that they should cast it out, but they were not able. And Jesus said unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I command thee come out of him, and enter no more into him (9:17, 18, 25).
One who is ignorant of the spiritual sense of the Word might suppose that they are said “to gnash the teeth” merely because they were angry and intent on evil, since men then press the teeth together; but they are said “to gnash the teeth” because the endeavor to destroy and the act of destroying truths by means of falsities are meant by it; this is said in the Word because “teeth” signify falsities in things most external, and “gnashing” signifies vehemence in fighting for them; this effort and act are also from correspondence.
[17] Moreover, such was the deaf and dumb spirit that the Lord cast out; for all spirits are from the human race; this spirit was from that kind of men who had vehemently fought for falsities against truths; consequently the one obsessed by him “foamed and gnashed his teeth.” He is called by the Lord “deaf and dumb” because he was unwilling to perceive and understand the truth, for such are signified by “the deaf and the dumb.” And because this spirit was determined and obstinate against truths, and had confirmed himself in falsities, the disciples were not able to cast him out, for the falsities for which he had fought they were not yet able to dispel because they had not yet reached the proper state, and it was for this also that the disciples were rebuked by the Lord. That this spirit was such, and the one obsessed by him was not such, is signified by “the spirit tearing him,” and the obsessed “pining away;” and the Lord’s commanding the spirit “to enter no more into him.”
sRef Luke@13 @28 S18′ [18] All this makes clear what is signified by:
Gnashing of teeth (Matt. 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28).
“Gnashing of teeth” in the hells means continual disputation and combat of falsities with each other and against truths, and thus of those who are in falsities, joined with contempt of others, enmity, jeering, derision, blaspheming, and these also burst forth into attempts to tear each other in pieces, for everyone fights for his own falsity from love of self, of learning, and of fame. These disputations and contests are heard outside of these hells as gnashings of teeth, and are also turned into gnashings of teeth when truths flow in thither out of heaven. (But more on this subject may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 575.)
[19] Because with the evil the teeth correspond to the falsities they have in the ultimates of their intellectual life, which are called corporeal-sensual, therefore the spirits who are such appear deformed in the face, the greater part of which is made up of the teeth standing widely apart like gratings, and in a broad grin, and this because such gaping of teeth corresponds to the love and eagerness for fighting for falsities against truths.
[20] Because the teeth correspond to the ultimates of man’s intellectual life, which are called sensual, and these when separated from the truths of the interior understanding, which are called spiritual, are in the falsities of evil, but the same when not separated correspond to the truths of good in the sensual, so “teeth” in the Word signify also ultimate truths (as in Job 19:19, 20; Amos 4:6, which may be seen explained above).
sRef Gen@49 @12 S21′ [21] And because the Lord glorified His entire Human, that is, made it Divine, therefore it is said of Him in Moses:
His eyes shall be red with wine, and His teeth white with milk (Gen. 49:12).
“Eyes red with wine” signifies that His intellectual was Divine truth from Divine good; and “teeth white with milk” signifies that His sensual was likewise Divine truth from Divine good; for “Shiloh” here (verse 10) means the Lord.
[22] Because “teeth” correspond to the ultimates of the intellectual life, which are called sensual, good spirits and angels have teeth the same as men, but with them the teeth correspond to truths in the ultimate sensual, for with them the sensual is not separated from the truths of the interior understanding which are called spiritual.
* Latin has “remove,” the Hebrew “tear out.”
** Latin has “maketh,” the Hebrew “made,” as also found in AE n. 403; AC n. 5113, 9052.
*** Latin has “melteth,” Hebrew “shall melt.”
**** Latin has “evil,” Greek “mute,” as in AE n. 815.

sRef Rev@9 @9 S0′ 557. Verse 9. And they had breastplates as iron breastplates, signifies the persuasions with which they gird themselves for combats, against which the truths of the rational-spiritual man prevail not. This is evident from the signification of “breastplates” (or coats of mail), as being defenses against evils and falsities in combats, but here defenses of evils and falsities against goods and truths, because this treats of those who are in the falsities of evil in opposition to truths. Here “breastplates” signify persuasions, because sensual men who are in the falsities of evil, who are here described, do not fight against truths from reason, for they do not see truths, but falsities only, and are therefore in the persuasion that falsities are truths, consequently they fight solely from the persuasion of falsity, and with them this persuasion is such that the truths brought forth by the spiritual-rational man are of no avail, for they are repelled as a sword is from a breastplate or coat of mail. So “breastplates as iron breastplates” signify persuasions against which truths are of no avail. That the persuasiveness with such is so infatuating and suffocating that the spiritual-rational is of no avail against it may be seen above (n. 544, 549, 556). Moreover, breastplates or coats of mail, cover that part of the body called the breast or thorax, and this signifies the spiritual affection of truth; also all affection is contained in the sound which comes forth from the breast with the speech. But those who are here signified by “locusts,” who are such sensual men as are in falsities, have no other affection than that of the love of self, and because that affection is full of self-confidence and full of the persuasion that their falsity is truth, and because that affection is in the sound which comes forth from the breast with the speech, so the locusts appeared in “breastplates which were as iron breastplates.” Moreover, “iron” signifies truth in ultimates, and likewise falsity there, and at the same time what is hard; and the persuasiveness that they have causes the falsity to be so hard that the truths opposed to it rebound, as if they were of no account or avail. Because the persuasion of sensual men who are in falsities from self-confidence is such, and with spirits is so powerful that it suffocates and extinguishes the rational of other spirits with whom they converse in the world of spirits, it is severely prohibited, and those who make use of it are sent among spirits where they are distressed even to swooning by other spirits by means of still stronger persuasions, and this until they desist.
sRef Jer@46 @4 S2′ [2] Because breastplates or coats of mail were in use in wars, and to put them on signified to gird oneself for war and thus to fight, therefore in the Word those who were girt for fighting are said to have put on coats of mail. Thus in Jeremiah:
Harness the horses, and go up, ye horsemen; and stand ye forth in helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the coats of mail (46:4).
These words do not mean the combat of one army against another, but the combat of the spiritual-rational man against the natural man who, from knowledges [scientifica] falsely applied, fights against truths and goods. For this is said of the army of Pharaoh king of Egypt, whom the king of Babylon smote, and “Pharaoh king of Egypt” means such a natural man, and “the king of Babylon,” near the Euphrates, means the spiritual-rational man, therefore “Harness the horses, go up, ye horsemen, and stand ye forth in helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the coats of mail,” signifies such things as relate to the combat of the spiritual-rational man against the natural man who is in falsities; “horses” mean the things of the understanding, “chariots to which they were harnessed” the things of doctrine, “horsemen” the intelligent, “helmets” the things of reason, “spears” truths combating, and “coats of mail” force and strength in fighting and resisting. A “coat of mail” has this meaning because it girds the breast, and from the breast through the arms is all the strength in fighting and resisting.
sRef Isa@59 @17 S3′ sRef Jer@51 @3 S3′ [3] In the same:
Against Babylon let him bend, let him that bendeth bend his bow; against her he shall lift himself up in his coat of mail (Jer. 51:3).
Here, too, “coat of mail” stands for the power to fight and resist. In Isaiah:
He put on righteousness as a coat of mail, and the helmet of salvation upon His head (Isa. 59:17).
This treats of the Lord, and of the subjugation of the hells by Him; and “righteousness as a coat of mail” signifies the zeal for rescuing the faithful from hell and the Divine love of saving the human race; and as it was from the zeal of Divine love and power therefrom that the Lord fought and conquered, so righteousness is called a “coat of mail;” while the “helmet of salvation” signifies Divine truth from Divine good, by means of which is salvation, for a “helmet” has a similar signification as the head, because it is worn on the head; that the “head” in reference to the Lord signifies Divine truth and Divine wisdom will be seen in what follows.

sRef Rev@9 @9 S0′ 558. And the voice of their wings was as the voice of the chariots of many horses running to battle, signifies reasonings seemingly from the truths of doctrine from the Word that are understood, and for which they must fight ardently. This is evident from the signification of “the voice of wings,” as being reasonings (of which presently); also from the signification of “the voice of chariots,” as being the doctrinals or truths of doctrine from the Word (of which also presently); also from the signification of “horses,” as meaning the understanding of the Word (of which above, n. 355, 364, 372, 373, 381, 382); also from the signification of “running to battle,” as being the ardor in fighting, for “battle” signifies spiritual combat, and “to run” ardor for it. From this it can be seen that “the voice of their wings was as the voice of the chariots of many horses running to battle” signifies reasonings seemingly from the truths of the doctrine from the Word that are understood, and for which they must fight ardently. That this may be understood, it needs to be said that spiritual combats, which are combats for truths against falsities, are maintained from the Word, and are confirmed by a series of arguments and conclusions, whereby the enlightened mind is fully convinced; this therefore is what is signified by “the voice of their wings was as the voice of the chariots of many horses running to battle.” The reasonings of the sensual man from falsities and in behalf of falsities appear quite similar in external form to the reasonings of the spiritual man, but in the internal form they are wholly unlike; for they have no series of arguments and conclusions, but merely persuasions from sensual knowledges [scientifica] with which the mind is infatuated but not convinced; of what quality these knowledges are will be told in the following article. (That “wings” signify spiritual truths, and therefore “the voice of wings” signifies discussions from them, consequently reasonings, and in the highest sense the Divine spiritual, which is Divine truth, may be seen above, n. 283; that “chariots” signify doctrinals or truths of doctrine, was shown above, n. 355, in treating of the signification of “horse,” as meaning the understanding, and where the Word is treated of, as being the understanding of the Word.)

sRef Rev@9 @10 S0′ 559. Verse 10. And they had tails like scorpions, signifies sensual knowledges [scientifica] that are persuasive. This is evident from the signification of “tails,” as meaning sensual knowledges [scientifica] (of which presently); and from the signification of “scorpions,” as being an infatuating and suffocating persuasiveness (of which see above, n. 544); therefore “tails like scorpions” signify sensual knowledges which are persuasive. “Tails” signify sensual knowledges because the tails that protrude outwardly from animals of the earth are the continuations of the spinal cord, which is called the spinal marrow, and this is a continuation of the brain, and the “brain” in like manner as the “head,” signifies intelligence and wisdom, because intelligence and wisdom in their beginnings have their seat there; and as tails are the ultimates of the brain they signify sensual knowledges, since these are the ultimates of intelligence and wisdom.
[2] Sensual knowledges are such knowledges as enter from the world through the five bodily senses, and thence viewed in themselves are more material, corporeal, and worldly than those that are interior. All who are in the love of self and have confirmed themselves against Divine and spiritual things are sensual men, and when they are left to themselves and think in their spirit, they think about Divine and spiritual things from sensual knowledges, and consequently they reject Divine and spiritual things as not to be believed, because they do not see them with their eyes or touch them with their hands; and they apply their knowledges, which they have made sensual and material, to the destruction of these. For example, men who are learned in this kind of knowledge, who are skilled in physics, anatomy, botany, and other branches of human learning, when they see the wonderful things in the animal and vegetable kingdoms say in their hearts that all these things are from nature, and not from the Divine, and this because they believe in nothing that they do not see with their eyes and touch with their hands; for they are unable to elevate their minds upward so as to see these things from the light of heaven, for that light is thick darkness to them; but they detain their minds in earthly things, much the same as the animals of the earth do, with which indeed they compare themselves. In a word, with such all knowledges [scientiae] are made sensual; for such as the man himself is, such are all things of his understanding and will; if the man is spiritual all things become spiritual; if he is merely natural all things become natural and not spiritual; if the man is sensual all things become sensual, and this however learned and erudite he may seem to the world to be. But as every man has the faculty to understand truths and perceive goods, such men are able from that faculty to talk about these things like those who are spiritual-rational, although in respect to their spirit they are sensual; for when such men speak before others they do not speak from the spirit but from the bodily memory.
[3] All this has been said to make known what sensual knowledges are. These are what especially persuade, or are especially persuasive, because they are the ultimates of the understanding; for into these as into its ultimates the understanding closes, and these captivate the common people because they are appearances drawn from such things as they see in the world with their eyes; and so long as the thought clings to these it is impossible to dispose the mind to think interiorly or above them until they are put away; for the interior things of the mind all close into ultimates and rest upon them, as a house upon its foundation; consequently these are especially persuasive, but only with those whose minds cannot be elevated above sensual things; and the mind is elevated above them with those who are in the light of heaven from the Lord, for the light of heaven dissipates them. For this reason spiritual men rarely think from things sensual, for they think from things rational and intellectual; but sensual men, who have confirmed themselves in falsities against Divine and spiritual things, when they are left to themselves think only from sensual things.
sRef Isa@9 @14 S4′ sRef Isa@9 @15 S4′ [4] That “tails” signify sensual knowledges [scientifica] can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush. The old man and the honorable, he is the head; but the prophet, the teacher of lies, he is the tail (9:14, 15).
This means that all intelligence and wisdom and all knowledge [scientia] of truth will perish; the “head” signifies intelligence and wisdom, wherefore it is said “the old man and the honorable, he is the head,” for the “old man” signifies the understanding of truth, and the “honorable” the wisdom of good; but the “tail” signifies sensual knowledge [scientificum], which is the ultimate of intelligence and wisdom; when this is not joined to spiritual intelligence it becomes false knowledge, or knowledge applied to confirm falsities, which is sensual knowledge, like that of the sensual man who sees nothing from the understanding. This is why “the prophet who teacheth lies” is called the “tail,” a “prophet” signifying the doctrine of truth, and thence the knowledge of truth, but here doctrine and the knowledge of falsity, for a “lie” signifies falsity, and the “teacher of a lie” one who teaches falsity by applying knowledges from the sense of the letter of the Word to confirm falsities.
sRef Isa@19 @15 S5′ [5] In the same:
Neither shall there be for Egypt any work that may make head or tail, branch or rush (Isa. 19:15).
“Egypt” signifies knowledge [scientia] both of spiritual and of natural things; “no work for it that may make head or tail” signifies that it has no spiritual things, neither natural things by which spiritual things are confirmed, the “head” signifies here the cognitions of spiritual things which are means of intelligence, and the “tail” natural knowledges [scientifica] which are serviceable to things spiritual for intelligence; “branch and rush” have a similar signification, “branch” being spiritual truth, and “rush” sensual knowledge, which is ultimate truth; for if what is prior and what is posterior, or what is first and what is last, do not make one in man, he has no “head and tail.”
sRef Deut@28 @13 S6′ [6] In Moses:
Thus Jehovah shall make thee as the head, and not as the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath, if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of thy God (Deut. 28:13).
“To make as the head” means to make spiritual and intelligent, and thus to elevate out of the light of the world into the light of heaven; and “to make as the tail” means to make sensual and foolish, so as not to look to heaven but only to the world; therefore it is said “and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath,” “to be above” meaning to be elevated by the Lord so as to look to heaven, and “to be beneath” meaning not to be elevated by the Lord, but by self, and man by self looks only to the world. For man’s interiors which belong to his thought and affection are elevated to heaven by the Lord when man is in the good of life and thence in the truths of doctrine; but when he is in the evil of life and thence in falsities, his lower things look downward, thus only to his body and to such things as are in the world, and thus to hell. Thus man puts off his truly human nature and puts on a beastly nature, for beasts look downward and to such things only as are met with in the world and upon the earth. Elevation into the light of heaven by the Lord is an actual elevation of man’s interiors to the Lord; and a depression or casting down to such things as are below and outside the eyes is an actual depression and casting down of the interiors, and when this takes place, all the thought of the spirit is immersed in the ultimate sensual.
sRef Deut@28 @43 S7′ sRef Deut@28 @44 S7′ [7] In Moses:
The sojourner who is in the midst of thee shall ascend above thee higher and higher, but thou shalt come down lower and lower. He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him; he shall be as the head, and thou shalt be as the tail (Deut. 28:43, 44).
This must have a like meaning; “to be as the head” signifying to be spiritual and intelligent, and “to be as the tail” to be sensual and stupid; therefore it is added “he shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him,” which signifies that he shall teach thee truths, but thou shalt not teach him.
sRef Isa@7 @4 S8′ [8] In Isaiah:
Say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither let thine heart be soft because of the two tails of smoking firebrands, for the glowing anger of Rezin and Syria, and of the son of Remaliah (7:4).
“Rezin and Syria” signify the perverted rational, and “the son of Remaliah,” king of Israel, who is also called “Ephraim,” signifies the perverted intellectual; it is the intellectual in respect to the Word that is signified by “the king of Israel” and “Ephraim;” and it is the rational in respect to the knowledges [scientiae] that confirm that is signified by “Rezin and Syria,” for a man in order to have an understanding of the Word must have a rational, and when these two are perverted they look only downward to the earth, and outward to the world, as sensual men do who are in the falsities of evil; therefore they are called “tails.” A “smoking firebrand” signifies the lust of falsity and consequent wrath against the truths and goods of the church.
sRef Rev@12 @4 S9′ sRef Ex@4 @4 S9′ sRef Ex@4 @3 S9′ sRef Rev@9 @19 S9′ sRef Lev@3 @9 S9′ [9] In Moses:
Jehovah said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand and take hold of the tail of the serpent. And he put forth his hand and took hold of it, and it became a staff in his hand (Exod. 4:4).
That here, too, “tail” means the sensual which is the ultimate of the natural may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 6951-6955). Because “tails” signify the ultimates of intelligence and wisdom, which are sensual knowledges [scientifica], and because all the processes attending the sacrifices signified Divine celestial and spiritual things, therefore:
It was commanded that they should take away the tail hard by the backbone, and should sacrifice it with the other parts there mentioned (Lev. 3:9; 8:25; 9:19; Exod. 29:22).
(That the burnt-offerings and sacrifices signified Divine celestial and spiritual things, which are the internals of the church, of which worship consists, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2180, 2805, 2807, 3830, 3519, 6905, 8936.) Because “tails” signify sensual knowledges [scientifica], and when these knowledges are separated from things interior which are spiritual, and in consequence do not with things interior look inward and upward but look outward and downward, they signify falsities confirmed by knowledges. Therefore also in what follows in Revelation, where falsities from that origin are treated of, it is said:
That the tails of the horses seen in vision were like unto serpents, and that they had heads with which they did hurt (9:19).
And afterwards:
That the dragon with his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth (Rev. 12:3, 4);
which things may be seen explained below.

sRef Rev@9 @10 S0′ 560. And stings were in their tails, signifies craftiness in deceiving by means of them. This is evident from the signification of “stings,” as being craftiness and shrewdness in persuading as to falsities; it follows therefore that they had in them the power to hurt men, for one who deceives craftily and shrewdly is especially harmful. The stings were “in their tails,” because they deceive by means of knowledges [scientifica] sensually perceived, knowledges both from the Word and from the world, which are what human learning consists of; they deceive by knowledges from the Word by explaining it sensually according to the letter, and not according to its interior sense; they deceive by knowledges from the world by using them for confirmation. It is to be known that sensual men are more crafty and shrewd than others, and thus in acutely deceiving; for as spiritual men possess intelligence and prudence, so those who are sensual and in falsities possess malice and craftiness, for all malice has its seat in evil, as all intelligence has its seat in good.
[2] It is believed in the world that those who are crafty and shrewd are also prudent and intelligent; but craftiness and malice are not prudence and intelligence, but viewed in themselves are insanity and folly; for such remove themselves from eternal happiness and cast themselves into eternal misery, and this is not the part of the prudent and intelligent but of the insane and foolish. Moreover, with such all things of heavenly and angelic wisdom are in dense darkness, and where that wisdom is thick darkness there is folly. That sensual men are crafty and shrewd can be seen from those who are in the hells, where all are merely natural and sensual; it can hardly be believed by anyone how much craftiness and shrewdness these possess (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 576-581, where the malice and wicked devices of the infernal spirits are treated of).
[3] That “stings” signify craftiness can be seen without confirmation from the Word, for in common discourse the craftiness in speech by which men are deceived are called sharp points, and the talk itself is called sharp. But “stings” signify particularly interior falsities, which are such as cannot be dispelled, because they are from the knowledges and fallacies of the senses. That such falsities are signified by “stings” (or sharp points) can be seen from representatives in the spiritual world, where interior falsities are represented in various ways by sharp things, like the points of swords, the points of arrows, and things pointed in various forms, and this when they are intended to hurt; for this reason it is also forbidden there to exhibit such things to view, for spirits when they see them become furious to inflict injury.
sRef Amos@4 @2 S4′ [4] These falsities are signified by “sharp instruments” in Amos:
Behold the days will come upon you in which they will draw you out with barbs, and your posterity with fishhooks (4:2).
“To draw out with barbs” signifies to lead away from truths by knowledges [scientifica] from the Word and from the world falsely applied; and “to draw out with fishhooks” signifies to lead away from truths by the fallacies of the senses, from which the sensual man reasons.
sRef Num@33 @55 S5′ [5] And in Moses:
If ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those whom ye let remain of them shall be thorns in your eyes and pricks in your sides (Num. 33:55).
The “inhabitants of the land whom they were to drive out,” signify the evils and falsities of religion and of doctrine; for these were signified in an abstract sense by the nations of the land of Canaan. Therefore “they shall be thorns in your eyes” signifies the harm that will be done by malignant falsities to the truths of the church, and “pricks in your sides” signify the harm that will be done by malignant falsities to the goods of the church, “eyes” signifying in the Word the understanding of truth, and “sides” the things of charity, consequently goods.

sRef Rev@9 @10 S0′ 561. And their power was to hurt men five months, signifies that while in that state they induced a stupor on the understanding of truth and on the perception of good. This is evident from the signification of “to hurt,” as being to do harm, here to induce a stupor (of which presently); also from the signification of “men,” as being those who have an understanding of truth and a perception of good, and in an abstract sense the understanding of truth and the perception of good, because from these man is a man (see above, n. 546); also from the signification of “five months,” as being while in that state (see above, n. 548). “To hurt” signifies here to induce a stupor, because it is said above that “their tails were like scorpions,” and “scorpions” signify a persuasiveness that infatuates and suffocates, and thus also induces a stupor; for this persuasiveness, as has been said above, is such with spirits as to stupefy the rational and intellectual, and thus to induce a stupor.

sRef Rev@9 @11 S0′ 562. Verse 11. And they had over them a king, the angel of the abyss, signifies that they received influx from the hell where those are who are in the falsities of evil and are merely sensual. This is evident from the signification of a “king,” as being truth from good, and in the contrary sense, as here, falsity from evil (see above, n. 31); and from the signification of “the angel of the abyss,” as being the hell in which there are the falsities of evil; for “angel” here does not mean a single angel, but the hell in which such are. That an “angel” means in the Word entire angelic societies which are in like good, may be seen above (n. 90, 302, 307); therefore also an “angel” in the contrary sense signifies the infernal societies which are in like evil. The hells where those are who are in the falsities of evil and who are merely sensual are here meant, because the angel is called “the angel of the abyss,” the “abyss” meaning the hell where such are (see above, n. 538), also because this is said of the “locusts,” which signify men who have become merely sensual through infernal falsities (see above, n. 543). “To have this angel as a king over them” signifies to receive influx from hell, because all evils and all falsities therefrom are from hell, and because all who are in evils and in falsities therefrom are ruled and led by the hells, therefore hell is to such as a king who rules over them, and to whom they yield obedience; and because this, while they are living in the world, is effected by influx, and efflux from hell is what leads; thence “to have a king over them” signifies to receive influx.

sRef Rev@9 @11 S0′ 563. His name in the Hebrew Abaddon, and in the Greek he hath the name Apollyon, signifies the quality of that influx, that it is destructive of all truth and good. This is evident from the signification of “name”* as meaning the quality of a state and of a thing (see above, n. 148); also from the meaning of Abaddon in the Hebrew, which is destruction; Apollyon has the like meaning in the Greek; consequently the destruction of truth and good is meant, because these are treated of. The sensual of man, which is the ultimate of his intellectual life, is destructive of all spiritual truth and good, which is the truth and good of the church, because that sensual stands nearest to the world and clings most closely to the body; and from both these it has affections and consequent thoughts, which viewed in themselves are diametrically contrary to spiritual affections and the consequent thoughts, which are from heaven. For man from that sensual loves himself and the world above all things, and so far as these loves are dominant, so far evils and falsities from them are dominant, for evils and falsities swarm forth and flow out from these loves as from their origins. In such loves are all who have become merely sensual through evils of life and falsities therefrom.
This anyone can see from the faculty to understand that everyone possesses; for if that which stands nearest to the world and clings most closely to the body is dominant it follows that the world itself and the body itself, with all their pleasures and lusts, which are called pleasures “of the eye and of the flesh,” will be dominant, and that man in order that he may come into spiritual affections and thoughts therefrom must be entirely withdrawn and elevated from these sensual things. This withdrawing and elevation are effected by the Lord alone, so far as man suffers himself, of the Lord, to be led to the Lord, and thus to heaven, by the laws of order which are the truths and goods of the church. When this takes place, as often as man is in a spiritual state he withdraws from this ultimate sensual and is kept elevated above it; and this also for the reason that this sensual in men is altogether corrupted, for in it is what is one’s own (proprium) into which everyone is born, which in itself is nothing but evil. From this it can be seen why this sensual is called destruction, that is, “Abaddon” and “Apollyon.”
[2] It is to be known, that there are three degrees of life with every man, an inmost, a middle, and an ultimate; and that man becomes more perfect, that is, wiser, as he becomes more interior, because he thus comes so much the more interiorly into the light of heaven; also that man becomes more imperfect, that is, less wise, as he becomes more exterior, because he thus draws so much nearer to the light of the world and so much farther away from the light of heaven. From this it can be seen what is the quality of the merely sensual man who sees nothing from the light of heaven but solely from the light of the world, namely, that all things belonging to the world are to him in light and splendor, and all things belonging to heaven are in darkness and thick darkness; and when these are in darkness and in thick darkness, and the former in light and splendor, it follows that the only fire of life or the only love that incites and leads is the love of self, and the consequent love of all evils, and that the only light of life that touches and instructs the sight of the thought is that which favors the evils that are loved, and such are the falsities of evil. From this it can be seen of what quality the merely sensual man is, which is treated of thus far in this chapter.
* Latin has “man,” the Greek and the Latin just before has “name.”

sRef Rev@9 @12 S0′ 564. Verse 12. One woe is past, behold there come yet two woes after this, signifies one lamentation over the devastation of the church, and that a lamentation over its further devastation follows. This is evident from the signification of “woe,” as being a lamentation over the evils and the falsities therefrom that devastate the church (see above, n. 531).

sRef Rev@9 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @18 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @19 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @17 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @13 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @15 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @16 S0′ 565. Verses 13-19. And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, Loose the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, that had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, that they should kill the third part of men. And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two myriads of myriads; and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those that sat on them, having breastplates fiery and hyacinthine and brimstone-like; and the heads of the horses as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceeded fire, and smoke, and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, that proceeded out of their mouths. For their power was in their mouth; for their tails were like serpents, and had heads, and with them do they hurt. 13. “And the sixth angel sounded,” signifies influx out of heaven manifesting the state of the church at its end, that it is utterly perverted (n. 566); “and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,” signifies revelation from the Lord out of the spiritual heaven (n. 567). 14. “Saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet,” signifies respecting the perverted state of the church at its very end (n. 568); “Loose the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates,” signifies reasonings from the fallacies pertaining to the sensual man, not before received (n. 569); 15. “And the four angels were loosed,” signifies license to reason from fallacies (n. 570); “that had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year,” signifies continually in the state (n. 571); “that they should kill the third part of men,” signifies of depriving themselves of all understanding of truth, and thus of spiritual life (n. 572). 16. “And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two myriads of myriads,” signifies that the falsities of evil, from which and in favor of which they reason, that conspire against truths of good, are innumerable (n. 573); “and I heard the number of them,” signifies their quality perceived (n. 574). 17. “And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those that sat on them,” signifies the falsifications of the Word by reasonings from fallacies (n. 575); “having breastplates fiery and hyacinthine and brimstone-like,” signifies reasonings combating from the cupidities of the love of self and of the love of the world and from falsities therefrom (n. 576); “and the heads of the horses as the heads of lions,” signifies knowledge [scientia] and thought therefrom destructive of truth (n. 577); “and out of their mouths proceeded fire, and smoke, and brimstone,” signifies thoughts and consequent reasonings springing from the love of evil, from the love of falsity, and from the lust of destroying truths and goods by falsities of evil (n. 578). 18. “By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, that proceeded out of their mouths,” signifies that all the understanding of truth and the spiritual life therefrom were extinguished by them (n. 579). 19. “For their power was in their mouth,” signifies sensual thoughts and reasonings therefrom that have most power with them (n. 580); “for their tails were like serpents, and had heads,” signifies that from sensual knowledges [scientifica] which are fallacies, they reason craftily (n. 581); “and with them do they hurt,” signifies that they thus pervert the truths and goods of the church (n. 582).

sRef Rev@9 @13 S0′ 566. Verse 13. And the sixth angel sounded, signifies influx out of heaven manifesting the state of the church at its end, that it is utterly perverted. This is evident from the signification of “sounding a trumpet” as being influx out of heaven, from which changes are effected in the lower parts, which manifest what the state of the church is (see above, n. 502); here what it is at its end, because it is the “sixth angel” that sounded; for the successive changes of the state of the church are described by the seven angels that sounded trumpets, and here its change near its end is described by the sixth angel sounding, for the end itself, which is when the Last Judgment is at hand, is described by the sounding of the seventh angel; and because at its end the state of the church is utterly perverted, this too is signified by these words.

sRef Rev@9 @13 S0′ 567. And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, signifies revelation from the Lord out of the spiritual heaven. This is evident from the signification of “to hear a voice,” as being revelation, because what was revealed by this voice follows; also from the signification of “the golden altar which is before God,” as being the Divine spiritual (of which presently); also from the signification of “its four horns,” as being the Divine spiritual in its ultimates; for the horns were in the ultimates of both altars, both the altar of burnt-offering and the altar of incense which is the golden altar; and as the horns were the ultimates of these altars they signified the Divine in respect to power, for all power is in ultimates; from this it is that “the horns of the altars” signified the Divine in relation to omnipotence (respecting which signification see above, n. 316). That “the altar of burnt-offering” signifies the Divine celestial, which is Divine good, may be seen above (n. 391, 490, 496); while the “altar of incense” (or the golden altar) represented and thence signified the Divine spiritual, which is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, as is evident from its description, which will be found below.
[2] It shall first be told here why the voice was heard “from the four horns of the altar.” The “horns” that projected and stood out at the ultimate parts of the above-named altars signified all things belonging to them in respect to power, as can be seen from what has been shown above (n. 346, 417), and also from what has been said and shown respecting ultimates in the Arcana Coelestia, as that interiors flow in successively into externals, even into things extreme or ultimate, and that there they exist and subsist (n. 634, 6239, 6465, 9215, 9216); that they not only flow in successively, but also form in the ultimate what is simultaneous, in what order (n. 5897, 6451, 8603, 10099); that thus strength and power are in ultimates (n. 9836); and that thence responses and revelations were given in ultimates (n. 9905, 10548). Since responses and revelations were made from ultimates, it is evident why “the voice was heard from the four horns of the golden altar,” namely, because the “golden altar” signifies the Divine spiritual, which is Divine truth which reveals, and because the “horns” signify its ultimates, through which revelation is made. The “golden altar” upon which incense was offered signifies the Divine spiritual, which is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, because the “incense” that was offered upon the altar signified worship from spiritual good, and the hearing and acceptance of it by the Lord (see above, n. 324, 491, 492, 494).
sRef Ex@30 @1 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @7 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @4 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @8 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @2 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @6 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @10 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @9 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @5 S3′ sRef Ex@30 @3 S3′ [3] That “the altar of incense” signified the Divine spiritual, and that “offering incense” upon it signified worship from spiritual good, and the grateful hearing and acceptance of such worship by the Lord, is evident from the construction of that altar, every particular in which represented and signified these things. Its construction is thus described in Moses:
Thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon; of shittim wood shalt thou make it. A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be; and two cubits shall be the height of it; its horns shall be from it. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, its roof, and its walls round about, and its horns; and thou shall make for it a rim of gold round about. And two rings shalt thou make for it from under its rim, upon the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make them; and they shall be for places for the staves with which to bear it. And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put it before the veil that is over the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy-seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with thee. And Aaron shall burn thereon incense of spices in the morning; in the morning, when dressing the lamps he shall burn it; and when Aaron maketh the lamps to ascend between the evenings he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before Jehovah in your generations. Ye shall make no strange incense to ascend upon it, nor burnt-sacrifice, nor meal-offering; nor shall ye pour drink-offering upon it. And Aaron shall make expiation upon the horns of it once in the year of the blood of the expiations of sin; once in the year shall he make expiation upon it in your generations: this is the holy of holies unto Jehovah (Exod. 30:1-10).
That these particulars respecting that altar signify in the internal sense worship from spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbor, as also the grateful hearing and acceptance by the Lord, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 10176-10213), where they are explained in series.

sRef Rev@9 @14 S0′ 568. Verse 14. Saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, signifies respecting the perverted state of the church at its very end. This is evident from the signification of “saying,” as being those things that have been revealed from heaven, and that now follow; and from the signification of “the sixth angel who had the trumpet,” as being respecting the perverted state of the church at its very end. (That these things are signified by “the sixth angel sounding,” can be seen from what has been said above, n. 566.)

sRef Rev@9 @14 S0′ 569. Loose the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates, signifies the reasonings from fallacies pertaining to the sensual man, not before accepted. This is evident from the signification of “the angels at the river Euphrates,” as being reasonings from the fallacies pertaining to the sensual man (of which presently); and because reasonings from such fallacies were not before accepted in the church these angels are said to be “bound” at that river, and they are said to be “four” because of the conjunction of falsity with evil, for this number signifies in the Word the conjunction of good and truth, and in the contrary sense, as here, the conjunction of evil and falsity (see above, n. 283, 384, 532). What precedes treats of the sensual man who is in the falsities of evil, and of the effect of the persuasions in which the sensual man is; therefore what now follows treats of the reasonings from the sensual. And because the sensual reasons only from such things as stand forth before the senses in the world, whenever it reasons respecting spiritual things, that is, the things of heaven and of the church, it reasons from fallacies, which are called the fallacies of the senses; therefore it is said here reasonings from the fallacies pertaining to the sensual man. But respecting these fallacies and reasoning from them more will be said in what follows.
[2] Here the state of the church at its very end is treated of, which is the state when the men of the church, having become sensual, reason from the fallacies of the senses; and when they reason from these respecting the things of heaven and the church they believe nothing at all because they understand nothing. It is known in the church that the natural man does not perceive the things of heaven unless the Lord flows in and enlightens, which influx is through the spiritual man; much less does the sensual man perceive these, for the sensual is the ultimate natural, to which the things of heaven, which are called spiritual things, are altogether in thick darkness. Genuine reasonings respecting spiritual things spring from the influx of heaven into the spiritual man, and thence through the rational into the knowledges and cognitions which are in the natural man, by means of which the spiritual man confirms himself. This way of reasoning respecting spiritual things is according to order. But reasonings about spiritual things that come from the natural man, and still more those that come from the sensual man, are entirely contrary to order; for the natural man cannot flow into the spiritual man and see anything there from itself, still less can the sensual man, since there is no physical influx; but the spiritual man can flow into the natural and from that into the sensual, since there is spiritual influx. (But on this see further in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 51, 277, 278.)
[3] From this what is meant by the things that now follow can be seen, namely, that at the very end of the church man speaks and reasons respecting spiritual things, or the things of heaven and the church, from the corporeal-sensual and thus from the fallacies of the senses; although therefore man then speaks in favor of Divine things he does not think in favor of them; for a man is able to speak in one way from the body while thinking in another way in his spirit; and while the spirit which thinks from the corporeal-sensual is unable to think in any other way than against Divine things, nevertheless from the corporeal-sensual it is able to speak in favor of them, and this especially for the reason that Divine things are to him the means of acquiring honor and gain. Every man has two memories, a natural memory and a spiritual memory, and he is able to think from either, from the natural memory when he is speaking with men in the world, but from the spiritual memory when he is speaking from the spirit; but man rarely speaks from the spirit with another, from the spirit he speaks only with himself, which is thinking. They who are sensual men are unable to speak with themselves from their spirit, or to think, in any other way than in favor of nature, consequently in favor of things corporeal and worldly, for the sensual man thinks from the sensual, and not from the spiritual; indeed, he is wholly ignorant of what the spiritual is, because he has closed the spiritual mind in himself, into which heaven flows with its light.
[4] But let us go on to explain these words, that “a voice was heard from the horns of the golden altar, saying to the sixth angel that he should loose the four angels bound at the river Euphrates.” “The river Euphrates” signifies the rational, and thence also reasoning; this is the signification of this river because it divided Assyria from the land of Canaan, and “Assyria” or “Asshur” signifies the rational, and “the land of Canaan” the spiritual. There were three rivers, besides the sea, that were boundaries of the land of Canaan, namely, the river of Egypt, the river Euphrates, and the river Jordan. “The river of Egypt” signified the knowledge [scientia] of the natural man; “the river Euphrates” signified the rational which is in man from knowledges and cognitions; and “the river Jordan” signifies entrance into the internal or spiritual church; for “the regions beyond Jordan,” where the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh had their inheritances allotted them, signified the external or natural church, and because that river was between those regions and the land of Canaan, and through it was the passage from one to the other, it signified entrance from the external church, which is natural, into the internal church which is spiritual. It was for this reason that baptism was there instituted, for baptism represented the regeneration of man, whereby the natural man is introduced into the church and becomes spiritual.
[5] This explains what these three rivers signify in the Word. All those places also outside of the land of Canaan signified such things as belong to the natural man, while those within the land of Canaan signified such things as belong to the spiritual man, thus the things of heaven and the church. Therefore the two rivers, “the river of Egypt” (or the Nile), and “the river of Assyria” (or the Euphrates), signified the terminations of the church, and also the introductions into the church. Moreover, cognitions and knowledges which are signified by “the river of Egypt,” are what introduce, for without cognitions and knowledges no one can be introduced into the church nor perceive the things that belong to the church; for the spiritual man sees its spiritual things in knowledges [scientiae] by means of the rational, as man sees himself in a mirror, and recognizes himself in them, that is, its truths and goods, and moreover confirms its spiritual things by means of cognitions and knowledges, both those known from the Word and those known from the world.
[6] But “the river of Assyria” (or the Euphrates) signifies the rational, because man by the rational is introduced into the church. By the rational is meant the thought of the natural man from cognitions and knowledges, for a man who is imbued with knowledges [scientiae] is able to see things in series, that is, from first and mediate things to see the last, which is called the conclusion, and can therefore analytically arrange, turn over, separate, conjoin, and at length conclude things, even to a further end, and at length to the final end; which is the use that he loves. This, then, is the rational which is given to every man according to uses, which are the ends that he loves. Since everyone’s rational comes into accord with the uses of his love, therefore it is the interior thought of the natural man from the influx of the light of heaven; and as man through rational thought is introduced into spiritual thought and becomes a church, so that river signifies the natural* which introduces.
[7] It is one thing to be rational, and another to be spiritual; every spiritual man is also rational, but the rational man is not always spiritual, since the rational is in the natural man, that is, is its thought, while the spiritual is above the rational, and through the rational passes into the natural, into the cognitions and knowledges of its memory.
[8] But it is to be known that the rational does not introduce anyone into the spiritual, but it is only said to do so because such is the appearance; for the spiritual flows into the natural through the rational as a medium, and in this way it introduces. For the spiritual is the inflowing Divine, since it is the light of heaven, which is the Divine truth proceeding, and this light through the higher mind, which is called the spiritual mind, flows into the lower mind, which is called the natural mind, and conjoins this to itself, and through that conjunction causes the natural mind to make one with the spiritual; thus introduction is effected. Since it is contrary to Divine order for man to enter through his rational into the spiritual, therefore in the spiritual world there are angel guards to prevent this from taking place. This makes evident the signification of “the four angels bound at the river Euphrates,” and afterwards the signification of “loosing” them. “The angels bound at the river Euphrates” signify the guard against man’s natural entering into the spiritual things of heaven and the church, for thence would result nothing but errors and heresies, and at length denial.
[9] Moreover, in the spiritual world there are ways that lead to hell and ways that lead to heaven; also ways that lead from spiritual things to natural and thus to sensual things; and in those ways there are also guards lest anyone should go in the opposite direction, for thus he would fall into heresies and errors, as has just been said. These guards are set by the Lord at the beginning of the establishment of a church, and are also maintained, lest the man of the church from his own reason or his own understanding should invade the Divine things of the Word and thence of the church. But at the end, when the men of the church are no longer spiritual but are natural, and many are merely sensual, and thus there is no way open with the man of the church from the spiritual man into the natural, then these guards are removed and the ways are opened, and in these opened ways they advance in a contrary order, which is done by reasonings from fallacies. Thus** it is that the man of the church speaks in favor of Divine things with the mouth, while in heart he thinks against them, that is, he is in favor of Divine things from the body and against them from the spirit; for reasoning respecting Divine things from the natural and sensual man has this effect. From this then the signification of “the four angels bound at the river Euphrates,” and their being “loosed” can now be seen.
sRef Gen@15 @18 S10′ [10] That “the river Euphrates” signifies the rational, through which there is a way from the spiritual man into the natural, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Moses:
Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed I will give this land, from the river of Egypt even to the great river, the river Euphrates (Gen. 15:18).
In the sense of the letter this describes the extension of the land of Canaan, but in the internal sense it describes the extension of the church from its first boundary to its last; its first boundary is the knowing faculty [scientificum] which is of the natural man, the other boundary is the rational which is of the thought; the first, namely, the knowing faculty, which is of the natural man, is signified by “the river of Egypt,” the Nile; while the rational, which is of the thought, is signified by “the river of Assyria,” the Euphrates; to these two the spiritual church, which is signified by “the land of Canaan,” extends itself, so too does the spiritual mind which is with the man of the church. Both these, the knowing faculty and the rational, are in the natural man, the one limit of which is the knowing and cognitive faculty, and the other is the intuitive and thinking faculty, and into these limits the spiritual man flows when it flows into the natural man; the conjunction of the Lord with the church by means of these is signified by the “covenant” that Jehovah made with Abram. Such is the signification of these words in the internal sense, while in the highest sense, they mean the union of the Divine Essence with the Lord’s Human; according to this sense these words are explained in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 1863-1866).
sRef Zech@9 @10 S11′ [11] In Zechariah:
His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth (9:10; also in Ps. 72:8).
This was said of the Lord and of His dominion over heaven and earth; and the “dominion from sea even to sea” signifies the extension of natural things, and “the dominion from the river even to the ends of the earth” signifies the extension of rational and spiritual things (see also above, n. 518).
sRef Josh@1 @4 S12′ sRef Deut@1 @7 S12′ sRef Deut@1 @8 S12′ sRef Deut@11 @24 S12′ [12] In Moses:
The land of the Canaanites and Lebanon, even to the great river, the river Euphrates, behold I have given the land before you; go in and possess it by inheritance (Deut. 1:7, 8).
In the same:
Every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates even unto the hinder sea shall your border be (Deut. 11:24).
And in Joshua:
From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even to the great river, the river Euphrates, the whole land of the Hittites, and even to the great sea, the going down of the sun, shall be your border (1:4).
In these passages the extension of the church from one limit to the other is described; one of its limits, which is the cognitive and knowing faculty, is signified by “Lebanon” and “the sea;” and the other limit, which is the intuitive and thinking faculty, is signified by “the river Euphrates;” the extension of the land of Canaan means the extension of the church, for in the Word “the land of Canaan” signifies the church. “River” is twice mentioned, namely, “the great river, the river Euphrates,” because “the great river” signifies the influx of spiritual things into rational, and “the river Euphrates” the influx of rational things into natural, thus the two signify the influx of spiritual things through the rational into natural things.
sRef Micah@7 @12 S13′ [13] In Micah:
This is the day in which they shall even come to thee from Assyria, and to the cities of Egypt, and thence from Egypt even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain (7:12).
This describes the establishment of the church by the Lord among the Gentiles, “this day” signifying the Lord’s coming; the extension of the church among them from one limit to the other is signified by “they shall come from Assyria to the cities of Egypt and from Egypt to the river;” the extension of truth from one limit to the other is signified by “from sea to sea,” and the extension of good by “from mountain to mountain.”
sRef Ps@80 @11 S14′ sRef Ps@80 @8 S14′ sRef Gen@2 @14 S14′ [14] In David:
Thou hast caused a vine to go forth out of Egypt; Thou didst drive out the nations and didst plant it. Thou hast sent out its boughs even unto the sea, and its shoots unto the river (Ps. 80:8, 11).
The “vine that God caused to go forth out of Egypt” means the sons of Israel, and signifies the church, for a “vine” signifies the spiritual church, and this was signified also by “the sons of Israel;” and because the church is called a “vine,” it is said, “Thou didst plant it, Thou hast sent out its boughs even unto the sea, and its shoots unto the river,” which describes the extension of the spiritual things of the church, the “sea” meaning one of its limits, and the “river,” by which is meant the Euphrates, the other. The Euphrates:
As the fourth river that went out of Eden (Gen. 2:14);
also signifies the rational, for “the garden of Eden” (or Paradise) signifies wisdom. The signification of the other three rivers may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 107-121).
[15] As “the river Euphrates” signifies the rational, so in the contrary sense it signifies reasoning; reasoning here means thinking and arguing from fallacies and falsities, while the rational means thinking and arguing from knowledges (scientiae) and from truths; for the rational is cultivated always by knowledges, and is formed by truths, therefore one who is led by truths or whom truths lead, is called a rational man; but a man who is not rational has the ability to reason, for by various reasonings he is able to confirm falsities, and also to induce the simple to believe them, which is done mainly by means of the fallacies of the senses (of which below).
sRef Jer@2 @18 S16′ [16] Such reasoning is signified by “the river Euphrates” in the following passages. In Jeremiah:
What hast thou to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? And what hast thou to do with the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river? (2:18)
This signifies that spiritual things must not be searched into by means of the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man, nor by means of reasonings therefrom, but by the means of the Word, thus out of heaven from the Lord; for those who are in spiritual affection, and in spiritual thought therefrom, see the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man and reasonings therefrom as below them, but from these no one can see spiritual things; from above one can look down on lower things on every side, but not the reverse. To search into spiritual things by means of the knowledges of the natural man is signified by “What hast thou to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor?” and by means of reasonings therefrom is signified by “what hast thou to do with the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?” “Egypt and its river” signify the knowledges of the natural man, and “Assyria and its river” signify the reasonings from them.
sRef Isa@7 @20 S17′ [17] In Isaiah:
In that day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired in the crossings of the river, by means of the King of Assyria, the head and the hairs of the feet, and shall also consume the beard (7:20).
This treats of the state of the church at its end, when the Lord is about to come; that reasonings from falsities will then deprive the men of the church of all spiritual wisdom and intelligence is described by these words. The reasonings by which this is done are signified by “the king of Assyria, in the crossings of the river,” namely, the Euphrates. The deprivation of spiritual wisdom and of spiritual intelligence therefrom is signified by “the hairs of the head and of the feet shall be shaven with a razor that is hired, and the beard shall be consumed;” for “hairs” signify natural things upon which spiritual things operate and into which they close; therefore “hairs” signify in the Word the ultimates of wisdom and intelligence, “the hair of the head” signifying the ultimates of wisdom, the “beard” the ultimates of intelligence, and “the hair of the feet” the ultimates of knowledge [scientia]. When these ultimates are not, there are no prior things, as when there is no base for the column, nor foundation for the house. Those who have deprived themselves of intelligence by means of reasonings from fallacies and from falsities appear bald in the spiritual world (see above, n. 66).
sRef Jer@46 @10 S18′ sRef Jer@46 @2 S18′ sRef Jer@46 @6 S18′ sRef Isa@8 @7 S18′ sRef Isa@8 @8 S18′ [18] In the same:
Behold the Lord hath made to go up upon them the waters of the river strong and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory; and he shall go up over all his channels, and shall go over all his banks; he shall go through Judah, he shall overflow and pass over (Isa. 8:7, 8).
These words signify that each and every thing of the Word is to be falsified in the church by means of reasonings from fallacies and falsities; “the waters of the river strong and many, the king of Assyria,” signifies reasonings from mere fallacies and falsities; “he shall go up over all his channels and over all his banks” signifies that by these each and every thing of the Word will be falsified; “Judah, which he will overflow and pass over,” signifies the church where the Word is, and thus the Word.
[19] In Jeremiah:
Against the army of Pharaoh king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates which Nebuchadnezzar smote. Towards the north by the bank of the river Euphrates they stumbled and fell (46:2, 6, 10).
This signifies the destruction of the church, and of its truths by false reasonings from knowledges [scientifica]; “the river Euphrates” signifies false reasonings; “Egypt and its army” confirming knowledges [scientifica]; “the north where they stumbled and fell,” signifies the source of these falsities. (On this see above, n. 518.)
sRef Jer@13 @11 S20′ sRef Jer@13 @2 S20′ sRef Jer@13 @1 S20′ sRef Jer@13 @3 S20′ sRef Jer@13 @6 S20′ sRef Jer@13 @7 S20′ sRef Jer@13 @4 S20′ sRef Jer@13 @5 S20′ [20] In the same:
Jehovah told the prophet to buy a linen girdle, and to put it upon the loins, but not to draw it through water; and then to go to the Euphrates, and hide the girdle there in a hole of the rock. And he went and hid it by the Euphrates. Afterwards, at the end of many days, Jehovah said, Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence. And he went and took it, and behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing. Thus as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I made to cleave unto Me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, that they might be unto Me for a name, and for a praise, and for a splendor; but they would not hearken (Jer. 13:1-7, 11).
This represented of what quality the Israelitish and Jewish Church was and what it became; the “linen girdle which the prophet put upon his loins” signifies the conjunction of the church with the Lord by means of the Word; for the “prophet” signifies doctrine from the Word, and the “girdle upon the prophet’s loins” signifies conjunction. Falsifications of the Word by evils of life and falsities of doctrine, and thence reasonings that favor these, are signified by “the girdle was marred in the hole of the rock by the Euphrates.” For by means of the Word there is conjunction of the Lord with the church, and when the Word is perverted by reasonings that favor evils and falsities there is no longer any conjunction, and this also is what is meant by “the girdle was profitable for nothing.” That this was done by the Jews is evident from the Word both of the Old and New Testaments. From the Word of the New Testament it is evident that they perverted all things written in the Word respecting the Lord, and all the essentials of the church, and that they falsified these by their traditions.
sRef Jer@51 @64 S21′ sRef Jer@51 @63 S21′ [21] In the same:
When thou hast made an end of reading this book thou shalt bind a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates; and thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise again (Jer. 51:63, 64).
The prophet’s “book” which he read, means in particular the Word that was in that book, but in general the whole Word; “he cast it into the midst of the Euphrates” signifies that in process of time the Word was falsified through reasonings that favor evils by those who are meant by “Babylon,” who are such as adulterate the Word.
sRef Isa@11 @15 S22′ sRef Isa@11 @16 S22′ sRef Rev@16 @12 S22′ [22] In Isaiah:
And Jehovah shall make utterly accursed the tongue of the sea of Egypt; and with the vehemence of His wind shall He shake His hand over the river Euphrates, and shall smite it into seven brooks, to make a way with shoes. Then there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people which shall be left from Assyria; like as there was to Israel when he came up out of the land of Egypt (11:15, 16).
This signifies that before those who are in truths from good from the Lord, that is, who are of the church, all falsities and reasonings from them shall be dispersed, and that they shall pass safely as it were through the midst of them; this is so in the spiritual world with those whom the Lord protects. This has a similar meaning as “the drying up of the Sea Suph before the sons of Israel.” Those who will pass through under the Lord’s protection are signified by “the remnant of the people which shall be left from Assyria,” “those left from Assyria” signifying those who have not perished by reasonings from falsities. The following in Revelation has a similar signification:
And the sixth angel poured out of his bowl upon the river Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings who are from the rising of the sun might be made ready (16:12).
This will be more fully explained below in its place.
[23] From this it can now be seen that “the river Euphrates” signifies the rational by means of which the spiritual mind enters into the natural, and that in the contrary sense it signifies reasoning from fallacies and from falsities. But it is to be known that reasonings are in a like degree as the thoughts are, since they descend from the thoughts; thus there are reasonings from the spiritual man which might better be called conclusions from reasons and from truths; there are reasonings from the natural man, and there are reasonings from the sensual man. Reasonings from the spiritual man are rational, and therefore might better be called conclusions from reasons and from truths, because they are from the interior and from the light of heaven; but reasonings from the natural man respecting spiritual things are not rational, however rational they may be in things moral and civil, which are evident before the eyes, because they are from natural light alone; but reasonings from the sensual man respecting spiritual things are irrational, because they are from fallacies and thus from ideas that are false; these are the reasonings here treated of in Revelation.
* Latin has “natural,” though the “rational” seems to be intended.
** Latin has “but thus.”

sRef Rev@9 @15 S0′ 570. Verse 15. And the four angels were loosed, signifies license to reason from fallacies. This is evident from the signification of “the four angels bound at the river Euphrates,” as being reasonings from fallacies which are of the sensual man, not accepted before (see above n. 569); from this it follows that “they were loosed” signifies license to reason now from fallacies. This license was now granted because the sensual man only reasons from such things as he sees in the world with his eyes, while the things that are within and above these he declares cannot be, since he does not see them; this is why the things that belong to heaven and the church, because they are above his thoughts, he either denies or does not believe, but ascribes all things to nature. Thus the sensual man thinks by himself or in his spirit, but otherwise before the world, for before the world he speaks from his memory, even about spiritual things from the Word or from the doctrine of the church; and what he says has a similar sound as when a spiritual man says it. Such is the state of men of the church at its end; and although they fit together words which they speak or preach seemingly from a spiritual origin, they nevertheless flow from the ultimate sensual in which their spirit is, and this when left to itself reasons against them, because it reasons from fallacies, consequently from falsities.

sRef Rev@9 @15 S0′ 571. That had been prepared for the hour, and day, and month, and year, signifies continually in the state. This is evident from the signification of “being prepared for the hour and day and month and year,” as being to be continually in the state, that is, of depriving themselves of all understanding of truth, and thence of spiritual life, which is signified by what follows, namely, “that they should kill the third part of men;” for “hours,” “days,” “months,” and “years,” signify in the Word the states of life in particular and in general, therefore “to be prepared for” these periods signifies to be continually in that state. “Hours,” “days,” “months,” and “years,” do not mean hours, days, months, and years, because in the spiritual world times are not divided into such intervals, for the sun from which the angelic heaven has its light and its heat is not carried around as the sun in the natural world is apparently, therefore it does not cause years, months, days, or hours; but times in the spiritual world, although they succeed each other as times do in the natural world, are distinguished by the states of life. (What these are may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, under the head, The Sun in Heaven, n. 116-125; Changes of the State of the Angels in Heaven, n. 154-161; Time in Heaven, n. 162-169.) From this it can he seen that the angels “had been prepared for the hour, day, month, and year,” signifies to be continually in the state that is treated of in what follows. That an “hour,” signifies state, so also a “day,” a “month,” and a “year,” in like manner, is evident from the passages in the Word in which they are mentioned, but to quote those passages here would be too lengthy. (This, however, can be seen from what is shown respecting Time in the work on Heaven and Hell; also Arcana Coelestia, that “times” do not signify in the Word times, but states of life, n. 2788, 2837, 3254, 3356, 4814, 4901, 4916, 7218, 8070, 10133, 10605.) “Times” signify states for the reason that in the spiritual world there are no stated times of the day called morning, noon, evening, and night, nor stated times of the year called spring, summer, autumn, and winter; nor are there changes of light and shade, of heat and cold, as in our world, but instead of these there are changes of state in respect to love and faith; and from these no idea can be had of the intervals into which our times are divided, although times have progression there as in the natural world (as to this see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1274, 1382, 3356, 4882, 6110, 7218). And as the sun of the angelic heaven, which is the Lord, is continually in its rising, and makes no revolutions as the sun of our world apparently does, but there are instead merely changes of state with the angels and spirits according to their reception of the good of love and the truth of faith, therefore times correspond to changes of state and signify them (Arcana Coelestia, n. 4901, 7381). Therefore angels and spirits think apart from any idea of time, which man cannot do (Arcana Coelestia, n. 3404).

sRef Rev@9 @15 S0′ 572. That they should kill the third part of men, signifies of depriving themselves of all understanding of truth, and thus of spiritual life. This is evident from the signification of “to kill,” as being to deprive of spiritual life (see above, n. 547); and from the signification of “men,” as being the understanding of truth (see also above, n. 546, 547); “the third part,” in reference to truths, means all (see above, n. 506); so here “to kill the third part of men” signifies the deprivation of all understanding of truth. It means to deprive themselves, because those who become sensual through evils of life and falsities of doctrine deprive* themselves, by reasonings from fallacies, of the understanding of truth, but not others, except such as are sensual. They thus deprive themselves of spiritual life, because man has spiritual life through his understanding, for he becomes a spiritual man in the measure in which his understanding is opened and permits itself to be enlightened by means of truths. But it is by means of truths from good that the understanding is opened, not by means of truths without good; for man thinks truth so far as he lives in the good of love and charity. Truth indeed is the form of good, and all good with man is of his will, and all truth is of his understanding; therefore the good of the will presents its form in the understanding, and the form itself is thought from the understanding which is from the will.
* Latin has “may deprive.”

sRef Rev@9 @16 S0′ 573. Verse 16. And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two myriads of myriads, signifies that the falsities of evil from which and in favor of which they reason and which conspire against the truths of good, are innumerable. This is evident from the signification of “armies,” as meaning the falsities of evil (of which presently); and from the signification of “horsemen,” as being the reasonings therefrom, for “horses” signify the understanding of truth, and in the contrary sense the understanding perverted and destroyed (see above, n. 355, 364, 372, 373, 381, 382); so “horsemen” in this sense signify the reasonings from falsities, since reasonings from falsities are from the understanding perverted and destroyed, for truths constitute the understanding, but falsities destroy it. The above is evident also from the signification of “two myriads of myriads,” as being innumerable falsities conspiring against truths of good (that “myriads” signify things innumerable, and are predicated of truths, see above, n. 336), and it is said “two myriads of myriads” because this signifies things innumerable that are conjoined and conspire; for the number “two” signifies conjunction, concord, and conspiracy (see above, n. 283, 384). It means against the truths of good, because what follows treats of the destruction of truths by the armies of such horsemen. From this it can be seen that “the number of the armies of the horsemen was two myriads of myriads” signifies that the falsities of evil from which and in favor of which they reason, and which conspire against the truths of good, are innumerable.
[2] “Armies” (or hosts) are frequently mentioned in the Word, and the Lord is called “Jehovah of Hosts or Zebaoth,” and “armies” there signify truths from good fighting against the falsities from evil, and in the contrary sense falsities from evil fighting against truths from good. Such is the signification of “armies” in the Word, because “wars” in the Word, both in the histories and prophecies, signify, in the internal sense spiritual wars, which are waged against hell and against the diabolical crew there, and such wars have relation to truths and goods opposing falsities and evils; this is why “armies” signify all truths from good, and in the contrary sense all falsities from evil. That “armies” signify all truths from good is evident from the sun, moon, stars, and also the angels, being called “the armies of Jehovah,” because they signify all truths from good in the complex; also from the sons of Israel being called “armies,” because they signified the truths and goods of the church. And as all truths and goods are from the Lord, and the Lord alone fights for all in heaven and for all in the church against the falsities and evils which are from hell, so He is called “Jehovah Zebaoth,” that is, “Jehovah of Hosts.”
sRef Isa@40 @26 S3′ sRef Isa@45 @12 S3′ sRef Ps@148 @2 S3′ sRef Jer@33 @22 S3′ sRef Gen@2 @1 S3′ sRef Ps@33 @6 S3′ sRef Isa@34 @4 S3′ sRef Ps@148 @3 S3′ [3] That the sun, the moon, and the stars, are called “hosts” is evident from the following passages. In Moses:
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them (Gen. 2:1).
In David:
By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth (Ps. 33:6).
In the same:
Praise ye Jehovah, all His angels; praise ye Him, all His hosts; praise ye Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all ye stars of light (Ps. 148:2, 3).
In Isaiah:
And all the host of the heavens shall waste away, and the heavens shall be rolled up as a scroll; and all their hosts shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as that which falleth from the fig-tree (34:4).
I have made the earth, and created man upon it; My hands have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded (45:12).
In the same:
Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath created these, who leadeth out their host in number, who calleth them all by name (40:26).
In Jeremiah:
As the host of the heavens is not numbered, and the sand of the sea is not measured (33:22).
In these passages, the sun, moon, and stars, are called a “host” because the “sun” signifies the good of love, the “moon,” truth from good, and the “stars” the knowledges of truth and good, consequently they signify goods and truths in the whole complex, and these are called a “host” because they resist evils and falsities, and perpetually conquer them as enemies.
sRef Dan@8 @11 S4′ sRef Dan@8 @12 S4′ sRef Dan@8 @13 S4′ sRef Dan@8 @14 S4′ sRef Dan@8 @10 S4′ [4] In Daniel:
One horn of the he-goat waxed great even to the host of the heavens; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the earth, and trampled upon them. Yea, it magnified itself even to the Prince of the Host; and the continual offering was taken away from him, and the dwelling place of his sanctuary was cast down. And the host was given to the continual offering for transgression, because it cast down the truth to the earth. Then one holy one said, How long shall be the vision, the continual offering, and the wasting transgression, that the holy place and the host be given to be trodden down? And he said, Even to the evening, the morning (Dan. 8:10-14).
What is here signified by the “he-goat,” “his horns,” and this “horn that waxed great even to the host of the heavens,” may be seen above (n. 316, 336, 535). “The host of the heavens, some of which it cast down to the earth,” means the truths and goods of heaven; for the last state of the church, when the truths and goods of heaven are esteemed as of no account, and rejected, is here treated of, and this is signified by “treading them down;” therefore it is added, “it cast down truth to the earth.” “The Prince of the Host” means the Lord, who is also called “Jehovah God Zebaoth” (or of Hosts). That all worship from the good of love and from the truths of faith would perish is signified by “the continual offering was taken away from him, and the dwelling place of his sanctuary was cast down.” That this would come to pass in the end of the church, when the Lord would come into the world, is signified by “even to the evening, the morning,” “evening” signifying the last time of the old church, and “morning” the first time of the new church.
sRef Rev@19 @19 S5′ sRef 1Ki@22 @19 S5′ sRef Joel@2 @11 S5′ sRef 1Ki@22 @20 S5′ sRef Ps@103 @21 S5′ sRef Rev@19 @14 S5′ sRef Zech@9 @8 S5′ [5] That the angels are called “hosts” is evident from the following passages. In Joel:
Jehovah uttered His voice before His host; for His camp was very great (2:11).
In Zechariah:
I will set a camp for my house from my host, because of him that passeth away and of him that returneth, that no exactor may again pass through over them (9:8).
In David:
Bless ye Jehovah, all ye His hosts, ye ministers of His that do His will (Ps. 103:21).
In the first book of Kings:
Micaiah the prophet said to the king, I saw Jehovah sitting on His throne, and the whole host of the heavens standing beside Him on His right hand and on His left. And one said in this manner, and another said in that manner (22:19, 20).
In Revelation:
His hosts in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean (19:14).
And again:
I saw the beast and the kings of the earth, and their hosts gathered together to make war with Him that sat on the white horse, and with His hosts (19:19).
The angels gathered together, or a company of them, is called “a host,” because “the angels,” the same as “hosts” signify Divine truths and goods, because they are recipients of these from the Lord (about which see above, n. 130, 200, 302).
sRef Num@2 @3 S6′ sRef Num@4 @30 S6′ sRef Num@4 @39 S6′ sRef Ex@12 @41 S6′ sRef Ex@7 @4 S6′ sRef Num@1 @3 S6′ sRef Num@4 @3 S6′ sRef Num@2 @9 S6′ sRef Ex@6 @26 S6′ sRef Num@4 @23 S6′ sRef Num@2 @24 S6′ [6] For the same reason the sons of Israel, because they signify the truths and goods of the church, are called “hosts,” as in the following passages. In Moses:
Jehovah said, Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their hosts (Exod. 6:26).
In the same:
I will bring forth My host, My people, the sons of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments (Exod. 7:4; 12:17).
In the same:
It came to pass on that very day that all the hosts of Jehovah went forth from the land of Egypt (Exod. 12:41).
In the same:
Thou shalt number all that go forth into the host (Num. 1:3, et seq.).
They were to pitch about the Tent of meeting, and were also to go forth according to their hosts (Num. 2:3, 9, 16, 24).
The Levites were to be taken to perform the warfare, to do the work in the Tent of meeting (Num. 4:3, 23, 30, 39).
The sons of Israel were called the “hosts of Jehovah” because they represented the church, and signified all its truths and goods (as can be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 5414, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833, 5879, 5951, 6637, 6862, 6868, 7035, 7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7223, 7957, 8234, 8805, 9340). They were called “hosts,” in the plural, because each tribe was called a “host,” as can be seen in Moses, when it was commanded him to number them all according to their hosts, and they were numbered according to their tribes (Num. 1, 3, et seq.); likewise when the camp was pitched about the Tent of meeting according to the tribes, it is said “according to their hosts” (Num. 2:3, 9, et seq.). The tribes were called “hosts” because the twelve tribes taken together represented all the truths and goods of the church, and each tribe some universal essential of the church (see above, n. 431).
sRef Isa@29 @6 S7′ [7] From this it can be seen that the truths and goods of heaven and the church are meant in the Word by “hosts;” which makes clear why it is that Jehovah is called in the Word “Jehovah Zebaoth,” and “Jehovah God Zebaoth,” that is, “of hosts” (as in Isa. 1:9, 24; 2:12; 3:1, 15; 5:7, 9, 16, 24; 6:3, 5; 8:13, 18; 14:22, 23, 24, 27; 17:3; 25:6; 28:5, 22, 29; 29:6; 31:4, 5; 37:16; Jer. 5:14; 38:17; 44:7; Amos 5:16; Hag. 1:9, 14; 2:4, 8, 23; Zech. 1:3; Mal. 2:12, and various other places).
sRef Jer@19 @13 S8′ sRef Jer@8 @2 S8′ sRef Deut@4 @19 S8′ sRef Zeph@1 @5 S8′ [8] From this it is now evident that “hosts” signify the truths and goods of heaven and the church in the whole complex; and as most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so do “hosts,” and in that sense they signify falsities and evils in their whole complex, as in the following passages in Jeremiah:
Upon the roofs of the houses they have burned incense unto all the host of the heavens, and have poured out drink-offerings unto other gods (19:13).
In Zephaniah:
They worship upon the roofs the host of the heavens (1:5).
In Moses:
Lest thou bow thyself down to and serve the sun and the moon and the stars, and all the host of the heavens (Deut. 4:19; 17:3).
In Jeremiah:
They shall spread out the bones taken from the graves before the sun and the moon and all the host of the heavens, whom they have loved and whom they have served (8:2).
Here “the host of the heavens” means the sun, moon, and stars, because these signify all goods and truths in the complex, but here all evils and falsities in the complex; for the “sun” in the contrary sense, as here, signifies all the evil flowing from the love of self, the “moon” the falsity of faith, and the “stars” falsities in general (that the “sun, moon, and stars,” in the natural world, when they are worshiped instead of the sun and moon of the angelic heaven, signify direful evils and falsities, may be seen in the work Heaven and Hell, n. 122, 123; as also above, n. 401, 402, 525); and because truths from good fight against the falsities from evil, and reversely the falsities from evil fight against the truths from good, they are called “hosts;” for there is continual combat; evils and falsities continually exhale from the hells, and endeavor to destroy the truths from good that are in heaven and from heaven, and these continually resist. For everywhere in the spiritual world there is an equilibrium between heaven and hell; and where there is an equilibrium, there two forces continually act against each other; one acts and the other reacts, and continual action and reaction is continual combat; but equilibrium is provided by the Lord (on this see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 589-596, and n. 597-603). And as there is such continual combat between Heaven and Hell, therefore as all things of heaven are called “hosts,” so are all things of hell; all things of heaven have reference to goods and truths, and all things of hell to evils and falsities.
sRef Isa@34 @2 S9′ [9] This then is why “hosts” in the following passages signify the falsities of evil. In Isaiah:
The anger of Jehovah is against all nations, and His wrath against all their host; He hath devoted them, He hath given them to the slaughter (34:2).
“Nations” signify evils, and “host” the falsities from evil; their total destruction is signified by “He hath devoted and hath given to the slaughter.”
sRef Isa@13 @4 S10′ [10] In the same:
The voice of the multitude in the mountains like as of a great people; the voice of a tumult of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together; Jehovah of Hosts leadeth the host (Isa. 13:4).
“The voice of a multitude in the mountains” signifies falsities from evils, “the multitude” meaning falsities, and “the mountains” evils; “like as of a great people” signifies appearing to be truth from good, “like as” meaning appearance, “people” those who are in truths, thus truths, and “great” is predicated of good; “the voice of a tumult of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together” signifies discord in the church arising from evils and falsities therefrom, “the voice of a tumult” signifying discord, “kingdoms” the churches in respect to truths and as to falsities, and “nations gathered together” in respect to evils and falsities therefrom conspiring against the truths and goods of the church; “Jehovah of Hosts leadeth the host” signifies that the Lord does this, for this is attributed to the Lord, as is evident from the next verse, the fifth, where it is said, “Jehovah cometh with the weapons of His anger to destroy the whole land.” This is attributed to the Lord just as evil, the punishment of evil, and the destruction of the church are attributed to Him elsewhere, because such is the appearance, and the sense of the letter of the Word is in accordance with appearances; but in the spiritual sense this means that the man of the church himself does this.
sRef Jer@51 @3 S11′ sRef Ex@14 @28 S11′ [11] In Jeremiah:
Spare ye not her young men; give to the curse all her host (51:3).
This is said of Babylon; and “Spare not her young men” signifies the destruction of confirmed falsities; “give to the curse all her host” signifies the total destruction of falsities from the evils that are in her, thus the destruction of Babylon. The falsities from evil are signified also by:
The army of the Chaldeans, and the army of Pharaoh (Jer. 37:7, 10, 11, et seq.);
and in Moses:
The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, with the whole army of Pharaoh (Exod. 14:28; 15:4).
(This may be seen explained above, n. 355; and in Arcana Coelestia, n. 8230, 8275.)
sRef Dan@11 @15 S12′ sRef Dan@11 @25 S12′ sRef Dan@11 @13 S12′ [12] In Daniel:
The king of the north shall return and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and at the end of the times of the years he shall come with a great army and with great riches. And he shall stir up his powers and his heart against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall engage in battle with an exceeding great and mighty army, but he shall not stand (11:13, 25).
This chapter treats of the war between the king of the north and the king of the south, and “the king of the north” means those within the church who are in the falsities of evil, and “the king of the south” those who are in the truths of good; collision and combat at the end of the church are described in the spiritual sense by their war; therefore “the army of the king of the north” means falsities of every kind, and “the army of the king of the south” truths of every kind.
sRef Luke@21 @20 S13′ [13] In Luke:
When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her devastation is nigh (21:20).
In this chapter the Lord speaks of the consummation of the age, which means the last time of the church; “Jerusalem” means the church in respect to doctrine; and “compassed with armies” means the church taken possession of by falsities; that then comes its destruction, and presently the Last Judgment, is signified by “then her devastation is nigh.” It is believed that this was said of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, but from the particulars of the chapter it is clear that it treats of the destruction of the church at its end; as also does Matthew, chap. 24 from the first verse to the last (all things of which are explained in the Arcana Coelestia). But this does not preclude the application of the sense of the letter of these words to the destruction of Jerusalem, that destruction representing and thence signifying the destruction of the church at its end; this is confirmed by all the particulars in the chapter regarded in the spiritual sense.
sRef Ps@44 @9 S14′ sRef Ps@44 @10 S14′ [14] In David:
God hath cast us off and confounded us; He hath not gone forth in our armies. He hath made us to turn back from the adversary (Ps. 44:9, 10).
“God hath not gone forth in our armies” signifies that He did not defend them, because they were in the falsities of evil, for “armies” mean the falsities of evil; therefore it is also said “He hath cast us off and confounded us, and hath made us to turn back from the adversary,” “the adversary” meaning evil which is from hell.
sRef Joel@2 @25 S15′ [15] In Joel:
I will recompense to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker-worm and the caterpillar and the palmer-worm, My great army which I sent among you (2:25).
That an “army” signifies falsities and evils of every kind is plainly evident, since these noxious little animals, “the locust, the cankerworm, the caterpillar, and the palmerworm,” signify falsities and evils that devastate or consume the truths and goods of the church (see above, n. 543, where this passage is explained, and it is shown that the “locust and caterpillar” signify the falsities [and evils] of the sensual man.) This makes clear what “army” signifies in the Word in both senses. “Army” has the same signification in the histories of the Word, for these contain a spiritual sense as well as the prophecies, but it shines forth from them less clearly, because the mind, when intent on the historical meaning, cannot easily be raised above the worldly things in the history and see the spiritual things that are stored up in them.

sRef Rev@9 @16 S0′ 574. And I heard the number of them, signifies their quality perceived. This is evident from the signification of “to hear,” as being to perceive (see above, n. 14, 529); also from the signification of “number,” as being the quality of the thing treated of (see above, n. 429); here the quality of the falsities of evil conspiring against the truths of good, from which falsities and in favor of which are the reasonings of the sensual man, which are signified by “the number of the armies of the horsemen” (of which just above). But the quality of these is further described in the next verse in these words, “And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those that sat on them, having breast-plates fiery, and hyacinthine, and brimstone-like; and the heads of the horses as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceeded fire, and smoke, and brimstone.” These words describe the quality here signified by “number.” Something of number may seem to be meant here by “number,” but in the spiritual world there are no numbers, for spaces and times there are not measured and determined by numbers as in the natural world, therefore all numbers in the Word signify things, and the number itself signifies the quality of the thing (see above, n. 203, 336, 429, 430; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 263).

sRef Rev@9 @17 S0′ 575. Verse 17. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those that sat on them, signifies the falsifications of the Word by reasonings from fallacies. This is evident from the signification of “horses,” as being the understanding of the Word (see above, n. 355, 364, 372, 373, 381, 382); here its falsifications, because it is said that “he saw the horses in vision” (of which presently); also from the signification of “those that sat on them,” as being those who understand the Word (respecting which see the passages above cited), but here it means reasonings from fallacies respecting the meaning of the Word, because the sensual man and its reasoning from fallacies are treated of (see above, n. 569), and because it is said that he saw them “in vision,” and not as before “in the spirit;” to see “in vision” signifying here to see from fallacies.
[2] Visions, which and from which a man or the spirit of man sees, are of a twofold kind; there are real visions and visions that are not real; real visions are visions of such things as really appear in the spiritual world, corresponding altogether with the thoughts and affections of angels, consequently they are real correspondences. Such were the visions that the prophets had who prophesied truths; such also were the visions that appeared to John, and that are described throughout Revelation. But visions that are not real have the same appearance in the external form as real visions, but not in the internal form; they are produced by spirits by means of phantasies. Such visions those prophets had who prophesied vain things or lies. All such visions, because they are not real are fallacies, and thus they also signify fallacies. And as “the horses and those that sat on them” were seen by John in such visions, they signify reasonings from fallacies, and thence falsifications of the Word.
[3] As the prophets, by whom the Word was written, had real visions, and others who were also called prophets had visions that were not real, but their visions were vain and are called “lies,” it is important that it should be known what visions are. All things that really appear in the spiritual world are correspondences, for they correspond to the interiors of angels, which are the things of their minds, that is, of their affection and of their thought therefrom, and therefore such things are signified by them. For the spiritual, which is of the affection and the consequent thought of the angels, clothes itself with such forms as appear in the three kingdoms of the natural world, the animal, the vegetable, and the mineral, and all these forms are correspondences, such as appeared to the prophets, and which signify the things to which they corresponded. But in the spiritual world there can be appearances also that are not correspondences; and these are produced by spirits, especially evil spirits, by means of phantasies, for by means of phantasies such spirits can present to the view palaces, and houses full of decorations, also decorated garments; they can also induce upon themselves beautiful faces, and other like appearances; but as soon as the phantasy ceases all these things vanish, because they are external in which there is nothing internal. As such visions are from phantasies they signify fallacies because they deceive the senses and fallaciously present to view things like real things. Because such fallacies are here signified, it is said, “I saw horses in vision.” As reasonings from fallacies are here treated of, what fallacies are is to be told.
[4] There are many fallacies in natural, in civil, in moral, and in spiritual affairs; but as fallacies in spiritual things are the fallacies here meant, I wish to show by some examples what and of what nature fallacies in spiritual things are. The sensual man is in fallacies, because all the ideas of his thought are from the world and enter through the bodily senses; from these, therefore, he thinks and draws conclusions respecting spiritual things. Moreover, the sensual man does not know what the spiritual is, and believes that there can be nothing above nature, or if there is, that it is natural and material. He cannot at all comprehend that anything can exist in the spiritual world like the objects in the natural world, that is, that there can appear there paradises, shrubberies, flower beds, grass plots, palaces, houses. Sensual men declare that such things are phantasies, although they know that like things were seen by the prophets when they were in the spirit. They do not believe that such things exist in the spiritual world, because they suppose anything that cannot be seen with the eyes or perceived by some sense of the body is a nonentity.
[5] Those who judge from fallacies cannot at all apprehend that man after death has a complete human form, and that angels have that form; they deny therefore that men after death are human forms; they say that they are something breathlike, without eyes, ears, or mouth, consequently without sight, hearing, or speech, flitting about in the air, and waiting for the resurrection of the body, that they may see, hear, and speak. This they say and believe because they think from the fallacies of the bodily senses. They who reason and draw conclusions from the fallacies of the senses attribute all things to nature, and scarcely anything to the Divine; if they attribute creation to the Divine, they imagine, nevertheless, that all things were transferred into nature, and that all the effects that appear flow from nature alone, and nothing from the spiritual world; as when they see the wonderful things that pertain to silk-worms, butterflies, bees, the wonderful things in the generation of all animals from eggs, and innumerable other like things, they imagine nature to be the sole artificer of these things, and are unable to think at all about the spiritual world and its influx into the natural, and about the existence and subsistence of such wonderful things as being from that source; and yet the truth is that the Divine flows in continually through the spiritual world into the natural, and produces such things, and that nature was created to serve for the clothing of these things that proceed and flow in from the spiritual world. But to specify all the fallacies in respect to spiritual things pertaining to the sensual man of the church, would be too lengthy; some of them may be seen mentioned in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem (n. 53).

sRef Rev@9 @17 S0′ 576. Having breastplates fiery, hyacinthine, and brimstone-like, signifies reasonings combating from the cupidities of the love of self and of the world, and from the falsities therefrom. This is evident from the signification of breastplates, as being armor for war, and in particular, defenses in combats (of which above, n. 557); also from the signification of “fire or fiery,” as being the cupidity of the love of self, and thence of all evil (see above, n. 504); also from the signification of “hyacinth or hyacinthine,” as being the cupidity of the love of the world and thus of all falsity (of which presently); and from the signification of “brimstone or brimstone-like,” as being the lust of destroying the goods and truths of the church by falsities of evil (see below, n. 578), here meaning falsity burning from these two loves. From this it can be seen that “breastplates fiery, hyacinthine, and brimstone-like,” signify reasonings combating from the cupidities of the loves of self and of the world, and from the falsities from those loves.
[2] In regard to “hyacinthine,” it signifies in the spiritual sense the heavenly love of truth, but in the contrary sense the diabolical love of falsity, and also love of the world; as can be seen from its being of the color of heaven, and that color signifies truth from a heavenly origin, so in the contrary sense, falsity from a diabolical origin. In the spiritual world the choicest colors appear; and these have their origin in good and truth; for colors there are modifications of heavenly light, thus of the intelligence and wisdom, that are with the angels in heaven. This is why hyacinthine, purple, and scarlet double-dyed were interwoven in the curtains of the tabernacle and in the garments of Aaron; for the tabernacle represented the heaven of the Lord, and the garments of Aaron the Divine truth of heaven and the church, and those things of which the tabernacle was constructed, and of which the garments of Aaron were woven, represented celestial and spiritual things, which are of Divine good and Divine truth.
sRef Num@4 @8 S3′ sRef Num@4 @6 S3′ sRef Num@4 @7 S3′ sRef Ex@26 @4 S3′ sRef Num@4 @12 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @6 S3′ sRef Ex@26 @31 S3′ sRef Num@4 @11 S3′ sRef Ex@27 @16 S3′ sRef Ex@26 @36 S3′ sRef Num@4 @9 S3′ sRef Ex@28 @15 S3′ [3] Thus:
The veil before the ark was of hyacinthine, purple, and scarlet double-dyed, and fine twined linen (see Exod. 26:31).
Likewise the screen for the door of the tent (verse 36).
And the screen for the entrance of the court (Exod. 27:16).
The loops on the edge of the curtain of the tent were hyacinthine (Exod. 26:4);
The ephod was of gold, hyacinthine, purple, and scarlet double-dyed interwoven (Exod. 28:6);
And also the breastplate of judgment (verse 15);
When the camp set forward in the wilderness, Aaron and his sons spread a cloth of hyacinthine over the ark, over the table of faces, over the lampstand and the lamps, over the golden altar, and over all the vessels of ministry (Num. 4:6, 7, 9, 11, 12).
This is because Divine truth proceeding from Divine love, which is signified by “the cloth of hyacinthine,” embraces and protects all the holy things of heaven and the church, which the things covered represent.
sRef Num@15 @38 S4′ sRef Num@15 @39 S4′ [4] Because “hyacinthine” signified the celestial love of truth, it was commanded:
That the sons of Israel should make for themselves a fringe in the borders of their garments, and should put on it a cord of hyacinthine, that in looking upon it they might remember all the commandments of Jehovah and do them (Num. 15:38, 39).
Here “the cord of hyacinthine” stands evidently for the remembrance of the commandments of Jehovah; the commandments of Jehovah are the essential truths of heaven and the church, and these are remembered only by such as are in a celestial love of truth.
sRef Ezek@27 @7 S5′ sRef Ezek@27 @24 S5′ [5] That “hyacinthine” signifies the love of truth can be seen from the following in Ezekiel:
Fine linen in broidered work from Egypt was thy spreading forth, to be for thy ensign; hyacinthine and purple from the isles of Elishah was thy covering. These were thy traffickers with choice wares, with bales of hyacinthine and broidered work, and with treasures of precious garments (27:7, 24).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth; so, too, it signifies the knowledges of truth belonging to the church, and her “merchandise and tradings” mentioned in this chapter describe the acquisition of intelligence by means of such knowledges; “broidered work from Egypt” signifies the knowledge [scientia] of such things as are of the church; and because this has a lower place, and is thus round about or without, it is called “a spreading forth,” and is said to be “for an ensign.” “Hyacinthine and purple from the isles of Elishah” signify the spiritual affection of truth and good; therefore these are said to be “for a covering,” a “covering” signifying truth. “Bales of hyacinthine and broidered work” signify all truths, spiritual and natural, and these together with the knowledges from the Word are meant by “the treasures of precious garments.”
sRef Ezek@23 @2 S6′ sRef Ezek@23 @4 S6′ sRef Ezek@23 @3 S6′ sRef Ezek@23 @6 S6′ sRef Ezek@23 @5 S6′ [6] As “hyacinthine” signifies the heavenly love of truth, so in the contrary sense it signifies the diabolical love of falsity; and in that sense also “hyacinthine” is mentioned in the Word. Thus in Ezekiel:
Two women, the daughters of one mother, committed whoredom in Egypt in their youth. Oholah which is Samaria, and Oholibah which is Jerusalem. And Oholah committed whoredom while under me, and she doted on her lovers, the Assyrians her neighbors, which were clothed in hyacinthine, governors and rulers, all of them young men of desire, horsemen riding upon horses (23:2-6).
Here “Samaria” and “Jerusalem” signify the church, “Samaria” the spiritual church, and “Jerusalem” the celestial church, which are called “Oholah” and “Oholibah” because these names mean a “tent,” and a “tent” signifies the church in respect to worship; “woman” also in the Word signifies the church; “they committed whoredom in Egypt” signifies the falsification of the truths of the church by the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man; “she doted on the Assyrians” signifies the falsification by reasonings from those knowledges [scientifica]; “Asshur and Assyria” signify reasonings; they are said to be “clothed in hyacinthine” by reason of fallacies and falsities, which in external form appear to be truths because they are from the sense of the letter of the Word wrongly applied. And because of this same appearance they are also called “governors and rulers, young men of desire, riding upon horses,” for those who reason from self-intelligence appear to themselves and to others of like character to be intelligent and wise, and the things they speak to be truths of intelligence and goods of wisdom, when yet they are falsities which they love because they are from what is their own [proprium]; “governors and rulers” signify principal truths, and “those riding upon horses” signify the intelligent.
sRef Jer@10 @9 S7′ [7] In Jeremiah:
Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman and of the hands of the refiner; their garments* are hyacinthine and purple; all are the work of the wise (10:9).
This treats of the idols of the house of Israel, which signify doctrinals that are false, because they are from self-intelligence; therefore they are called “the work of the workman and of the hands of the refiner, and all the work of the wise,” and this because these doctrinals appear to them to be truths and goods; “silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz,” signifies what appears in external form to be truth and good, because from the sense of the letter of the Word. From this it can be seen that “hyacinthine” signifies the love of what is false because it is from self [proprium] or from self-intelligence. “Hyacinthine” also signifies the love of the world, because the love of the world corresponds to the love of falsity, as the love of self, which is signified by “fire,” corresponds to the love of evil; for all evil is from the love of self, and all falsity is from the love of the world which has its origin in the love of self; for spiritual evil, which is meant by the love of the world, is in its essence falsity, as spiritual good is in its essence truth (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 15).
* Latin has “raiments,” the Hebrew “raiment,” as found in AE n. 585, 587, 1186.

sRef Rev@9 @17 S0′ 577. And the heads of the horses as the heads of lions, signifies knowledge (scientia) and thought therefrom destructive of truth. This is evident from the signification of “the heads of horses,” as being knowledge [scientia] and thought therefrom (of which presently); and from the signification of “the heads of lions,” as being the consequent destruction of truth. “The heads of lions” signify here the destruction of truth, because a “lion” in the highest sense signifies Divine truth in respect to power, and in the contrary sense falsity destroying truth, consequently the destruction of truth, and “the head of a lion” signifies the powers of the mind through which it destroys, which are reasonings from falsities. (That a “lion” signifies Divine truth in respect to power, and in the contrary sense falsity destroying truth, may be seen above, n. 278.) The “heads of horses” signify knowledge [scientia] and thought therefrom, because “head” signifies intelligence, and “the horse” the understanding; and as the sensual man and here his reasoning from falsities are treated of, and the sensual man who reasons from falsities has no intelligence, but only knowledge [scientia] and thought therefrom, therefore these are here signified by “the heads of the horses.” (That those who are in falsities have no intelligence, but instead of intelligence only knowledge, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 33.)
[2] The “head” signifies intelligence, because the understanding and the will of man have their seat in the interiors of his head; consequently in the front part of the head, which is the face, are the senses of sight, hearing, smell, and taste, into which the understanding and the will flow from the interior and vivify them, and also cause them to enjoy their sensations; this is why the “head” signifies in the Word intelligence. But as those only who receive influx from heaven are intelligent, for all intelligence and wisdom flow in out of heaven from the Lord, it follows that they who are in the falsities of evil have no intelligence; for in them the higher and spiritual mind is closed, and only the lower mind, which is called the natural mind, is opened; and when the higher mind is closed the lower receives nothing of truth and good, consequently no intelligence from heaven, but only from the world. Such, therefore, in place of intelligence have mere knowledge [scientia] and thought from it, and from this proceeds reasoning, and by means of it the confirmation of falsity and evil against truth and good.
sRef Ezek@16 @12 S3′ [3] That the “head” signifies in the Word intelligence and wisdom, and in the contrary sense knowledge [scientia] and fatuous thought therefrom, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Ezekiel:
I put a jewel upon thy nose, and ear-rings in thine ears, and a crown of adorning upon thy head (16:12).
This is said of Jerusalem, which signifies the church, here such as it was in the beginning; “a jewel upon the nose” signifies the perception of truth from good; “the ear-rings in the ears” signify hearkening and obedience, and “a crown upon the head” signifies wisdom; for intelligence, which is from Divine truth, becomes wisdom from the good of love, and this is signified by “a crown of gold.”
sRef Rev@12 @1 S4′ sRef Matt@27 @30 S4′ sRef Matt@27 @29 S4′ [4] In Revelation:
A woman encompassed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars (12:1).
The “head” upon which was a crown of twelve stars, signifies intelligence, as will be seen in the explanation hereafter.
That the Jews placed a crown of thorns upon the Lord’s head, and that they smote His head (Matt. 27:29, 30; Mark 15:17, 19; John 19:2);
signifies that they treated with such contumely Divine truth itself and Divine wisdom; for they falsified the Word, which is Divine truth and in which is Divine wisdom, and adulterated it by their traditions and by applying it to themselves; thus they desired a king who would exalt them over all in the whole earth. And as the Lord’s kingdom was not earthly but heavenly, they perverted everything that was said respecting Him in the Word, and mocked at what was foretold of Him. This is what was represented by “their placing a crown of thorns upon His head, and smiting His head.”
sRef Dan@2 @33 S5′ sRef Ps@66 @12 S5′ sRef Ps@66 @11 S5′ sRef Dan@2 @32 S5′ [5] Where the statue of Nebuchadnezzar seen in a dream is described, it is said in Daniel:
Its head was of pure gold, its breast and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of brass, its legs of iron, its feet part of iron and part of clay (2:32, 33).
That statue represented the successive states of the church; “the head of gold” represented and signified the Most Ancient Church, which was in celestial wisdom, and thus in intelligence above the churches that followed; this wisdom and its intelligence are meant by the “head of gold.” That the other parts of that statue signified the states of subsequent churches may be seen above (176, 411). In David:
Thou hast brought us into the net; thou hast laid oppressions* upon our loins. Thou hast caused man to ride over our head (Ps. 66:11, 12).
“To cause man to ride over our head” signifies that there is no intelligence (see above, n. 355, where this is more fully explained).
sRef Deut@1 @13 S6′ sRef Gen@49 @26 S6′ [6] In Moses:
These blessings shall come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the head of the Nazirite of his brethren (Gen. 49:26; Deut. 33:13-16).
That “blessings shall come upon the head of Joseph” signifies that all the things that had just been mentioned, that are blessings of heaven, should take place in the interiors of his mind, which are the lives of the understanding and will, for these are the interiors of the mind. That they shall come upon “the crown of the head of the Nazirite of his brethren” signifies that they should also take place in the exteriors of his natural mind, for the “Naziriteship” signifies the exteriors of the natural mind, since it means the hairs, or the hair of the head. (But these words may be seen further explained above, n. 448; and in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 6437, 6438.) In the same:
Take you wise men and intelligent, and I will put them as your heads (Deut. 1:13).
It is said “as your heads” because wisdom and intelligence, in which they should excel all others, are meant; therefore it is said, “Take you wise men and intelligent.”
sRef Isa@29 @10 S7′ [7] In Isaiah:
Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes, the prophets; and your heads, the seers, hath He covered (29:10).
“Prophets” signify those who teach truths and are intelligent, and in an abstract sense, the doctrine of truth and intelligence; therefore it is said, “Jehovah hath closed your eyes, the prophets, and your heads, the seers,” where the prophets are called “eyes,” and the seers “heads,” because “eyes” signify the understanding of truth in respect to doctrine, and “seers” like as “heads” signify intelligence.
sRef Isa@9 @14 S8′ sRef Isa@19 @15 S8′ sRef Isa@9 @15 S8′ sRef Isa@7 @20 S8′ [8] In the same:
Jehovah will cut off from Israel** head and tail, branch and rush. The old man and the honorable will make the head, and the prophet, the teacher of lies the tail (Isa. 9:14, 15).
In the same:
Neither shall there be for Egypt any work which will make the head or tail, branch or rush (19:15).
“He will cut off from Israel head and tail,” and “neither shall there be for Egypt head or tail,” signify that all the intelligence and knowledge [scientia] of truth they have shall perish (as may be seen above, n. 559, where these passages are more fully explained). In the same:
In that day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired in the crossings of the river, by the King of Assyria, the head and the hairs of the feet; and shall also consume the beard (Isa. 7:20).
That this signifies that reasonings from falsities will deprive the men of the church of all wisdom and spiritual intelligence, may be seen above (n. 569), where this is explained in particular; it is said “in the crossings of the river,” because “the river Euphrates” signifies the reasonings from falsities, therefore here attack by these upon the truths of the church which are destroyed by reasoning from falsities.
sRef Ezek@5 @2 S9′ sRef Ezek@5 @1 S9′ [9] In Ezekiel:
Son of man, take thee a sharp sword, a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass over*** the head and over the beard; a third part thou shalt burn with fire, a third part thou shalt smite with the sword, and a third part thou shalt disperse in the wind (5:1, 2).
Here also “to cause a razor to pass over the head” signifies to deprive of all intelligence of truth; for the reason that intelligence perishes when there are no ultimates of intelligence, which are signified by “the hairs of the head, which should be shaved with a razor by causing it to pass over the head;” for when ultimates are taken away it is as when the base is taken away from a column, or the foundation from a house. This is why it was unlawful in the Jewish Church, which was a representative church, to shave the hairs of the head and induce baldness, in like manner the beard; so also those who are without intelligence appear bald in the spiritual world.
sRef Ezek@7 @18 S10′ sRef Lev@10 @6 S10′ sRef Lev@21 @5 S10′ sRef Ezek@29 @18 S10′ sRef Isa@15 @2 S10′ [10] From all this the signification of “a bald head” and “baldness” in the following passages can be seen. In Isaiah:
On all their heads is baldness, every beard is cut off (15:2);
in other words, there is no intelligence. In Ezekiel:
Shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all heads (7:18).
In the same:
Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled (29:18).
These words have a similar meaning. So Aaron and his sons were forbidden to shave their heads and the corner of the beard, of which it is said in Moses:
That Aaron and his sons shall not shave their heads nor rend their clothes, lest they die, and lest Jehovah be angry in consequence with the whole congregation (Lev. 10:5).
And in the same:
That the sons of Aaron should not make baldness upon their head, nor shave the corner of the beard (21:6).
The “beard” signifies the ultimate of the rational man, and “not shaving the beard” signifies not to be deprived of the rational, by taking away its ultimate; for, as was said above, when the ultimate is taken away the interior also perishes. What is meant by:
When a woman taken captive from the enemy is desired for a wife she must shave her head and pare her nails (Deut. 21:11, 12);
may be seen explained above (n. 555).
sRef Deut@21 @12 S11′ sRef Jer@2 @37 S11′ sRef Ezek@27 @30 S11′ sRef Deut@21 @11 S11′ sRef Jer@2 @36 S11′ sRef Jer@14 @4 S11′ sRef Lam@2 @10 S11′ sRef 2Sam@13 @19 S11′ sRef Jer@14 @3 S11′ [11] Because shame was represented by the hands upon the head, it is said in Jeremiah:
Thou shalt be ashamed of Egypt also, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria. From her also thou shalt go forth with thy hands upon thy head (2:36, 37).
And in the same:
They were ashamed and put to confusion and covered their heads (14:3, 4).
Because this was a representative of shame:
Tamar, after she had been ravished by her brother Amnon, put her hand on her head, and went weeping**** and crying (2 Sam. 13:19).
To “put the hand upon the head” signified that no intelligence remained. Also grief for sin in having acted insanely and foolishly was represented by sprinkling dust upon the head, and by bowing the head down even to the earth; and by this cursing also was signified. As in Ezekiel:
They shall cast up dust upon thy head, they shall roll thee in ashes (27:30).
In Lamentations:
The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the earth, they keep silence; they have cast up dust upon their head; they have girded themselves with sackcloth; the virgins of Jerusalem have made their head to hang down to the ground (2:10).
sRef Ps@68 @21 S12′ sRef Gen@3 @15 S12′ sRef Ps@110 @5 S12′ sRef Ps@110 @6 S12′ sRef Ezek@9 @10 S12′ sRef Rev@12 @3 S12′ sRef Ps@110 @7 S12′ [12] But in the contrary sense the “head” signifies the craftiness that those have who are in the love of ruling. This is meant by the “head” in Moses:
The seed of the woman shall trample upon the head of the serpent, and the serpent shall hurt the heel (Gen. 3:15).
In David:
The Lord at thy right hand hath stricken through kings in the day of His anger; He hath judged among the nations; He hath filled with dead bodies; He hath stricken through the head over many a land; He shall drink out of the brook in the way; therefore shall He exalt the head (Ps. 110:5-7).
(This passage may be seen explained above, n. 518.) In the same:
God shall strike through the head of His enemies, the hairy scalp of such as go on in guilt (Ps. 68:21).
That the craftiness by which they purpose and contrive evil against others returns upon themselves is signified by:
Bringing their way upon their own head (Ezek. 9:10; 11:21; 16:43; 17:19; 22:31; Joel 3:4, 7).
What is signified in Revelation by:
The seven heads upon which were seven diadems (12:3; 13:1, 3; 17:3, 7, 9);
will be seen hereafter. Moreover, the “head,” as what is highest and primary in man, has also many other meanings; as the peak of a mountain, the top of anything, what is primary, the beginning of a way, of a street, of a month, and the like.
* Latin has “oppressions,” the Hebrew “oppression,” as found in AE n. 355.
** Latin has “Abraham,” the passage quoted just before has “Israel,” as in AE n. 559, 624.
*** Latin has “through,” the passage, as cited before, has “over,” with the Hebrew.
**** Latin has “weeping,” the Hebrew “going.”

sRef Rev@9 @17 S0′ 578. Out of their mouths went out fire, and smoke, and brimstone, signifies thoughts and consequent reasonings springing from the love of evil and from the love of falsity, and from the lust for destroying truths and goods by the falsities of evil. This is evident from the signification of the “mouth,” as being thought and consequent reasoning (respecting which see in the explanation of verse 19); from the signification of “fire,” as being the love of self and the love of evil therefrom (see above, n. 504, 539); from the signification of “smoke,” as being the dense falsity springing from the love of evil (see also above, n. 494, 539); and from the signification of “brimstone,” as being the lust of destroying the truths and goods of the church by the falsities of evil.
sRef Luke@17 @29 S2′ sRef Gen@19 @24 S2′ sRef Luke@17 @30 S2′ [2] That this is the signification of “brimstone” can be seen from passages of the Word where it is mentioned. Thus in Moses:
Jehovah made brimstone and fire to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24).
In Luke:
In the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. After the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed (17:29, 30).
Those who were in Sodom and Gomorrah mean those who are in the falsities of evil from the love of self; and since the falsities of evil from that love destroyed them, it rained brimstone and fire, “brimstone” because of the lust of destroying the church by the falsities of evil, and “fire” because that lust burst forth from the love of self. That it should be thus “when the Son of man should be revealed,” signifies that then, too, falsities of evil from the love of self will destroy the church. Such rain appears in the spiritual world when the evil who are in falsities from that love are cast down into hell.
sRef Deut@29 @23 S3′ sRef Deut@29 @22 S3′ [3] In Moses:
What shall your sons say, and the alien, when they shall see the plagues of that land, and its sicknesses. The whole land is brimstone and salt, and a conflagration; it is not sown, it doth not spring up, nor doth any herb grow upon it, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim (Deut. 29:22, 23).
These were the curses with which the sons of Israel were threatened if they did not keep the commandments and statutes, and if they worshiped other gods; and because the church is thus laid waste and destroyed by the falsities of evil and the evils of falsity it is said that “the whole land is then brimstone, and salt, and conflagration,” the “land” signifying the church; and “it will not be sown, nor spring up, nor any herb grow upon it,” signifies that no longer will any truth from good be received or brought forth.
sRef Isa@30 @33 S4′ [4] In Isaiah:
Topheth is prepared of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he shall go down into a deep and wide place; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of Jehovah like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it (30:33).
“Topheth” signifies the hell in which the direful and cruel love of destroying all the truths and goods of the church reigns, especially the cruel lust for destroying the goods of innocence; that this direful hell is from the falsities of evil is signified by “he shall go down into a deep and wide place;” the “king for whom it is prepared” signifies infernal falsity itself; “the pile thereof is fire and wood,” signifies evils of every kind belonging to that love; and because that hell burns with a lust for destroying, it is said, “the breath of Jehovah like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it;” for there, as soon as they hear from anyone the truths of the church and perceive its goods, they are inflamed with a frenzy for destroying and extinguishing them.
sRef Isa@34 @10 S5′ sRef Isa@34 @9 S5′ sRef Isa@34 @8 S5′ [5] In Isaiah:
The day of Jehovah’s vengeance, and the year of retribution for the controversy of Zion, and the brooks thereof shall be turned into pitch, and its dust into brimstone, and its land shall become burning pitch; it shall not be quenched night or day, the smoke thereof shall go up forever (34:8-10).
“The day of Jehovah’s vengeance, and the year of retribution for the controversy of Zion” signifies the Lord’s coming, and the Last Judgment then accomplished by Him; “the brooks shall be turned into pitch, and the dust into brimstone,” signifies the hell into which those are cast, who are in the falsities of evil, and in the evils of falsity; the evil of infernal love and its punishment are signified by “the burning pitch shall not be quenched night or day;” and the direful falsity from that evil is signified by “the smoke shall go up forever.”
sRef Ezek@38 @22 S6′ [6] In Ezekiel:
And I will plead with Gog with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him an overflowing rain and hailstones, fire and brimstone (38:22).
By “Gog” is meant those who place all worship in a holy and pious external, and not in what is internal, and yet the quality of external worship is the same as the quality of its internal. It is said, “Jehovah shall rain upon them an overflowing rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstone,” which signifies falsities and evils destroying all the truths and goods of the church; “fire and brimstone” mean the evils of falsity and the falsities of evil, both of which are diabolical.
sRef Ps@11 @6 S7′ sRef Job@18 @15 S7′ [7] In David:
Jehovah shall rain upon the wicked snares, fire, and brimstone; and a wind of storms shall be the portion of their cup (Ps. 11:6).
This signifies that the wicked will be destroyed by their own evils of falsity and their own falsities of evil, which will destroy with them all truths of the church; “snares, fire, and brimstone,” mean the evils of falsity and the falsities of evil; “the wind of storms which shall be the portion of their cup,” signifies the destruction of all truth. Evidently it is not meant that Jehovah will rain fire and brimstone upon the wicked, for it is also said that “He will rain snares” upon them; therefore “fire and brimstone” signify such things as totally destroy the truths and goods of the church.
sRef Rev@19 @20 S8′ sRef Rev@14 @9 S8′ sRef Rev@14 @10 S8′ sRef Rev@21 @8 S8′ sRef Rev@20 @10 S8′ [8] Likewise in Job:
Brimstone shall be scattered upon the habitation of the wicked one (18:15).
“Brimstone” means such falsity of evil as destroys everything of the church with man; this is falsity from the evil of the love of self, such as those were in who dwelt in Sodom and Gomorrah, respecting which is said:
That it overthrew not only the cities and inhabitants, but also the plain and that which springeth up in the field (Gen. 19:25);
“that which springeth up in the field” signifies the truths of the church springing up. “Fire and brimstone” have a like signification in the following passages in Revelation:
If anyone worship the beast and his image he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone (14:9, 10).
The beast and the false prophet were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone (19:20).
The devil was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where are the beast and the false prophet (20:10).
The murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone (21:8).

sRef Rev@9 @18 S0′ 579. Verse 18. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, going out of their mouths, signifies that all the understanding of truth, and the spiritual life therefrom, were extinguished by them. This is evident from the signification of “the third part of men,” as being all intelligence, or the understanding of truth, and as spiritual life is from this, that also is involved; from the signification of “to be killed,” as being to be extinguished, for when the understanding of truth is extinguished man is spiritually killed (see above, n. 315); the “third part,” in reference to truths, means all (see above, n. 506); and “man” means the understanding of truth and the perception of good (n. 280, 546); also from the signification of “fire, smoke, and brimstone going out of their mouths,” as being the thoughts and reasonings therefrom springing from the love of evil, from the love of falsity, and from the lust of destroying truths and goods by the falsities of evil (see above, n. 578). From this the signification of these words can be seen. This is said of the horses seen in vision, namely, that “out of their mouths went out fire, smoke, and brimstone;” and as the “horses” seen in vision signify the falsifications of the Word by reasonings from fallacies, it is evident that “fire, smoke, and brimstone,” signify the things that cause falsification, which are the loves of evil and falsity, and the lusts for destroying the truths and goods of the church. This is effected by the thoughts and by reasonings from fallacies about the sense and understanding of the Word. For when a man thinks from mere fallacies he thinks solely from such things as stand forth at first sight in the sense of the letter, and not from any interior literal sense; consequently he forms the most gross and harsh ideas respecting every doctrine he derives from the Word, as that God is angry, that He punishes, casts men into hell, tempts them, that He repents, and many like things; moreover, he thinks corporeally and materially, and not at all spiritually, about everything he reads in the Word; for this reason his thought is merely sensual, and when it is merely sensual it is solely from the love of self and of the world, and when it is from these it is solely from evils and falsities. When such a man, therefore, is left to himself and thinks from his spirit, he thinks from the affection of these loves, which he conjoins to the things that are in the Word; and when the Divine things of the Word are conjoined to such loves all things therein are adulterated and falsified, for the Divine things of the Word can never be conjoined to anything but celestial love, or with spiritual affection; if conjoined to any other love or any other affection, the higher mind, which is called the spiritual mind, is closed, and the lower mind only, which is called the natural mind, is opened; yea, with those who conjoin the truths of the Word to the affection of the love of self, the natural mind also is closed, and only the ultimate of this mind is opened, which is called the sensual, which clings most closely to the body, and stands forth nearest to the world. Thus does man’s spirit become corporeal, and then it can have no lot with the angels, who are spiritual.

sRef Rev@9 @19 S0′ 580. Verse 19. For their power was in their mouth, signifies sensual thoughts and reasonings therefrom that have most power with them. This is evident from the signification of “their power,” as being to have power, here to have most power; and from the signification of the “mouth,” as being the sensual thought and reasonings therefrom. For the “mouth” and the things belonging to the mouth signify the things of the understanding and of thought and speech therefrom, for these correspond to the mouth. For all the organs that are included in the one term “mouth,” as the larynx, the glottis, the throat, the tongue, the mouth, the lips, are organs that serve the understanding for utterance and for speech, and this is why the “mouth” signifies the thought and reasoning therefrom. But as man’s thought is interior and exterior, that is spiritual, natural, and sensual, so the “mouth” signifies such thought as pertains to the man treated of, here sensual thought, because it is the man who is made sensual by falsities of evil who is treated of; sensual thought is the lowest thought of all, and is material and corporeal; in such thought are all who are in evils with respect to life, and in consequent falsities in respect to doctrine, however learned and accomplished they may be believed to be, and whatever ability they may have to fit together their falsities in a beautiful order, and to embellish them with elegant and eloquent discourse.
sRef Matt@15 @11 S2′ sRef Matt@15 @19 S2′ sRef Matt@15 @17 S2′ sRef Ps@37 @30 S2′ sRef Luke@21 @15 S2′ sRef Matt@15 @18 S2′ [2] That the “mouth” from correspondence, thus in the spiritual sense, signifies thought, but in the natural sense utterance, can be seen from the following passages. In David:
The mouth of the righteous meditateth wisdom (Ps. 37:30).
The “mouth” here signifies thought from affection, for man from that meditates wisdom, but not from the mouth and its speech. In Luke:
Jesus said, I will give you a mouth and wisdom which they will not be able to oppose (21:15).
Here the mouth evidently stands for speech from the understanding, thus for the thought from which man speaks. In Matthew:
Not that which entereth into the mouth maketh the man unclean, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this maketh the man unclean. Whatsoever goeth into the mouth passeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught. But the things that proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart. Out of the heart go forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies (15:11, 17-19).
“That which entereth into the mouth” means in the literal sense food of every kind, which, after its use in the body, goes out through the belly into the draught; but in the spiritual sense, “that which entereth into the mouth” signifies all things that enter into the thought from the memory, and also from the world, and these also correspond to food; while the things that enter into the thought, and not also into the will, do not render a man unclean; for the memory, and thought therefrom, are to man only as a way of entrance to him, since the will is the man himself. The things that merely enter the thought and go no further are cast out as it were through the belly into the draught, “the belly” signifying from correspondence the world of spirits, from which thoughts flow in with man, and the “draught” signifying hell.
[3] It must be known that man cannot be purified from evils and the consequent falsities, unless the unclean things that are in him come forth as far as into the thought, and are there seen, recognized, discerned, and put away. This makes evident that “that which entereth into the mouth” signifies in the spiritual sense what enters into the thought from the memory and from the world; while “that which cometh out of the mouth” signifies in the spiritual sense thought from the will or from love; for the “heart,” from which thought goes forth into the mouth and from the mouth, signifies man’s will and love; and as the love and will constitute the whole man, for the man is such as his love is, so the things that go forth therefrom into the mouth and out of the mouth are what make the man unclean. That these are evils of every kind is evident from the things enumerated. Such is the meaning of these words of the Lord in the heavens. (That the “heart” signifies the will and love see above, n. 167.)
sRef Isa@6 @7 S4′ sRef Isa@6 @6 S4′ [4] In Isaiah:
Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, in whose hand was a burning coal from the altar; and he touched my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; therefore thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin is expiated (6:6, 7).
“One of the seraphim touching the mouth and lips of the prophet with a burning coal from the altar” signifies his interior purification, which is that of the understanding and will, and thus inauguration into the gift of teaching; “the burning coal from the altar” signifies the Divine love, from which is all purification, and “the mouth and lips” signify thought and affection, or what is the same, the understanding and the will; when these are purified man is withdrawn from iniquity and sin; consequently it is said, “therefore thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin is expiated.” Anyone can see that iniquity is not taken away by a burning coal applied to the mouth and lips. (That the things belonging to the mouth correspond to things intellectual, because from them the voice and speech proceed, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 8068, 9384. That “from the mouth and from the heart” means from the understanding and from the will, n. 3313, 8068.)

sRef Rev@9 @19 S0′ 581. For their tails were like serpents, and had heads, signifies that from sensual knowledges [scientifica] which are fallacies, they reason craftily. This is evident from the signification of “tails,” here, the tails of horses, as being knowledges [scientifica] which are called sensual because they are the ultimates of the understanding (see above, n. 559); from the signification of “serpent,” as being the craftiness of the sensual man (of which presently); and from the signification of “having heads,” as meaning to reason by means of such knowledges; for the “head” signifies intelligence, therefore “to have a head” signifies to be intelligent. To reason by means of such knowledges is meant, because the “head,” in reference to the sensual man, signifies knowledge [scientia] and fatuous thought therefrom (see above, n. 577), and accordingly also reasonings by means of sensual knowledges. From this it can be seen that “the tails of the horses were like serpents, and had heads,” signifies that from sensual knowledges which are fallacies they reason craftily. These are called fallacies because sensual knowledges become fallacies when man reasons from them concerning spiritual things; as for example, that dignities and wealth are real blessings; that glory, such as belongs to the great in the world, is that in which heavenly blessedness consists; and that the Lord desires adoration from man for His own glory, and other like things; these are fallacies when applied to things spiritual, since the sensual man thinks in this way, and cannot know otherwise because he is not endowed with intelligence.
sRef Gen@3 @1 S2′ [2] That “serpents” signify in the Word the sensual man in respect to craftiness and in respect to prudence, can be seen from the following passages. In Moses:
The serpent was more crafty than any wild beast of the field which Jehovah God had made (Gen. 3:1).
“Serpent” here does not mean a serpent, but the sensual man, and in a general sense the sensual itself, which is the ultimate of the human understanding; “the man and his wife” signify the Most Ancient Church, which fell away when the men of that church began to reason from sensual knowledges [scientifica] respecting Divine things, which is signified by “eating of the tree of knowledge;” their craftiness in reasoning respecting Divine things from the sensual is described by the reasoning of the serpent with Adam’s wife, by which they were deceived. The serpent is said to have been “more crafty than any wild beast of the field,” because it is poisonous and its bite is therefore deadly, and because it hides itself in lurking places. “Poison” signifies craft and deceit, and therefore the “bite” of the serpent signifies deadly hurt; and the lurking places from which it bites, and in which it conceals itself, signify craftiness.
[3] It is to be known that all beasts signify affections such as are in man, and “serpents” signify the affections of the sensual man, for the reason that they creep on the belly upon the ground as does the sensual of man, for this is in the lowest place, and creeps as it were upon the ground beneath all the other faculties. Moreover, sensual men in the spiritual world dwell in the lower parts, and cannot be elevated towards the higher parts, since they are in externals, and from these they judge and form conclusions respecting everything. Again, the evil who are in the hells are mostly sensual, and many of them crafty; when, therefore, they are looked at from the light of heaven they appear like serpents of various kinds; and this is why the devil is called a “serpent.” The infernals are also crafty because evil conceals in itself all craftiness and malice, as good does all prudence and wisdom. (On this see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 576-581, where The Malice and Wicked Arts of Infernal Spirits are treated of.)
sRef Job@20 @16 S4′ sRef Rev@12 @14 S4′ sRef Rev@12 @15 S4′ sRef Ps@140 @3 S4′ sRef Ps@58 @4 S4′ sRef Rev@12 @9 S4′ sRef Isa@59 @5 S4′ [4] This, then, is why the devil or hell is called “a serpent” in the following passages. In Revelation:
The dragon, the old serpent, the devil and Satan, which seduceth the whole world (12:9, 14, 15; 20:2).
In David:
They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; adder’s poison is under their lips (Ps. 40:3);
which signifies their crafty and delusive deception. In the same:
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent (Ps. 58:4).
In Job:
He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper’s tongue shall slay him (20:16)
And in Isaiah:
They hatched adder’s eggs, and wove spider’s webs; he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and when one is crushed there breaketh out a viper (59:5).
This is said of evil men, who by deceit and craft seduce others in spiritual things; the hidden evils to which they allure by their craftiness are signified by “adder’s eggs, which they are said to hatch;” their deceitful falsities are signified by “the spider’s webs which they weave;” the deadly hurt when they are received is signified by “he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and when one is crushed there breaketh out a viper.”
sRef Isa@11 @8 S5′ [5] Because the Pharisees were such they are called by the Lord:
Serpents, a generation of vipers (Matt. 23:33).
That the craftiness and malice of such can do no harm to those whom the Lord protects is signified by the following in Isaiah:
The suckling shall play on the hole of the adder, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk’s den (11:8).
The “suckling” and the “weaned child” signify those who are in the good of innocence, that is, those who are in love to the Lord; and “the hole of the adder” and the “basilisk’s den” mean the hells in which are deceitful and crafty spirits, and the entrances into these appear like gloomy holes, and within they are like dens.
sRef Luke@10 @19 S6′ sRef Mark@16 @18 S6′ [6] That the craft and malice of infernal spirits can do no harm to those whom the Lord protects is signified also by these words of the Lord:
That the disciples would have power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19).
Also that they would have power to take up serpents, and to drink any deadly thing, and it would not hurt them (Mark 16:18).
“To tread on serpents” signifies to despise and make light of the deceits, craft, and wicked arts of the infernal crew; therefore it is added, “and over all the power of the enemy;” “the enemy” is that crew, and “his power” its craftiness.
sRef Deut@8 @15 S7′ [7] The malice and craftiness of infernal spirits, who, taken together, are called “the devil” and “Satan,” are also meant by “serpents” in the following passages. In Moses:
Jehovah God led thee through the great and fearful wilderness of the serpent, the fiery serpent, and the scorpion (Deut. 8:15).
The journeyings of the sons of Israel in the wilderness represented and thence signified the temptations of the faithful; the infestations at such times from the hells by evil spirits and genii are signified by “serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions.”
sRef Isa@27 @1 S8′ sRef Isa@14 @29 S8′ sRef Amos@9 @3 S8′ sRef Jer@8 @17 S8′ sRef Jer@46 @23 S8′ sRef Jer@46 @22 S8′ [8] In Isaiah:
Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of thee, because the rod that smiteth thee is broken; for from the serpent’s root shall come forth a basilisk, whose fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent (14:29).
“Philistia” signifies faith separate from charity; the misleading of many by the sophistries by which that faith is confirmed is signified by “from the serpent’s root shall come forth a basilisk, whose fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.” In Jeremiah:
Behold I send among you serpents, basilisks, against which there shall be no charm, and they shall bite you (8:17).
The voice thereof shall go like that of a serpent (46:22).
In Amos:
Although they hide themselves* before My eyes in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent to bite them (9:3).
Craftiness is signified also in Isaiah by:
Leviathan the crooked serpent (27:1).
sRef Matt@10 @16 S9′ [9] That “serpents” signify craftiness, and also the prudence with sensual men, is evident from the words of the Lord in Matthew:
Be ye prudent as serpents and simple as doves (10:16).
Those who are in good are called “prudent,” and those who are in evil are called “crafty,” for prudence is of truth from good, and craftiness is of falsity from evil; and as this was said to those who were in good, “serpents” here mean prudence.
sRef Gen@3 @14 S10′ sRef Micah@7 @17 S10′ sRef Isa@65 @25 S10′ [10] Because the craftiness of the evil is diabolical those who are in it are said “to eat the dust.” In Moses:
It was said to the serpent, Be thou accursed above all beasts, and above all the wild beasts of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life (Gen. 3:14).
In Isaiah:
Dust shall be the serpent’s bread (65:25).
And in Micah:
They shall lick the dust like a serpent (7:17);
“dust” signifying what is damned, and “to go upon the belly” signifying the sensual, which is the ultimate of life in man; and as this is the ultimate of life, it is in no intelligence or wisdom, but in craftiness and cunning, which are contrary to intelligence and wisdom.
sRef Gen@49 @17 S11′ [11] In Moses:
Dan shall be a serpent upon the way, an arrow serpent on the path, biting the horse’s heels, and his rider** shall fall backwards (Gen. 49:17).
What this prophecy respecting Dan signifies no one can know unless he knows what is signified by a “horse” and its “heels,” also by a “serpent;” a “horse” signifies the understanding of truth, and a “rider” intelligence; a “serpent” signifies the sensual, which is the ultimate of the intellectual life; “the heels of a horse” signify truths in ultimates, which are sensual knowledges; that the sensual by means of reasonings from fallacies, does harm to and leads astray the understanding is signified by “the serpent biteth the horse’s heels and his rider shall fall backwards.” This is said of Dan, because the tribe named from him was the last of the tribes, and thence signified the last things (ultimates) of truth and good, consequently the ultimates of the church (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1710, 3923, 6396, 10335, where this prophecy is explained).
sRef Luke@24 @40 S12′ sRef Num@21 @7 S12′ sRef Num@21 @8 S12′ sRef Num@21 @5 S12′ sRef Luke@24 @39 S12′ sRef Num@21 @6 S12′ sRef Num@21 @9 S12′ sRef Ex@4 @3 S12′ sRef John@3 @15 S12′ sRef John@3 @14 S12′ sRef Ex@4 @4 S12′ [12] The sensual, which is the ultimate of the intellectual life, is signified also by:
The stretched serpent (Isa. 27:1; Job 26:13);
also by:
The serpent into which the rod of Moses was changed (Exod. 4:3, 4; 7:9-12).
(See Arcana Coelestia, n. 6949, 7293.) Again, sensual things which are the ultimates of man’s life are signified by:
The fiery serpents sent among the people who wished to return to Egypt (Num. 21:6);
while the healing of the bite of such serpents by the Lord’s Divine sensual is signified by:
The brazen serpent set upon a standard, by looking upon which they revived (Num. 21:5-9).
The expression, the Lord’s Divine sensual, is used, because the Lord when He was in the world glorified, that is, made Divine, His whole Human even to its ultimates, as can be seen from the fact that He left nothing in the sepulcher, and that He said to the disciples:
That He hath bones and flesh, which a spirit doth not have (Luke 24:39, 40).
The ultimate sensual, which was also glorified or made Divine by the Lord, is signified by that “brazen serpent” set upon a standard, respecting which the Lord Himself thus spake in John:
As Moses lifted up the serpent, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have eternal life (3:14, 15).
The Lord was represented before the Israelitish and Jewish people by such a sign, because they were merely sensual, and the sensual man in looking to the Lord is unable to elevate his thought beyond and above the sensual; for everyone looks to the Lord according to the elevation of his understanding, the spiritual man looking to the Divine rational, and so on. This makes evident that “the brazen serpent” signifies also the sensual, but the glorified or Divine sensual of the Lord.
* Latin has “thou hide thyself,” the Hebrew “they hide themselves.”
** Latin has “horse,” the Hebrew “rider,” as in AC n. 259, 1984, 2761, 6395, 6401.

sRef Rev@9 @19 S0′ 582. And with them do they hurt, signifies that thus they pervert the truths and goods of the church. This is evident from the signification of “to hurt,” as being to pervert the truths and goods of the church by means of crafty reasonings from sensual knowledges [scientifica] or fallacies; for the “horses” in the vision, about whose tails this is said, signify the falsifications of the Word by reasonings from fallacies (see above, n. 575). From the way these horses appeared to John, what the representative appearances in heaven are can be seen, namely, that affections there, when represented by animals, are presented in the forms of such animals as appear in our world, and yet everywhere with variety in respect to their parts, especially the face, the particulars of which from correspondence signify various things of the affection so represented; as here there were seen “horses, whose heads were as the heads of lions, and their tails like serpents, and had heads,” and those who sat upon the horses had “breastplates, fiery, hyacinthine and brimstone-like.”
[2] Animals of various forms appear daily in the spiritual world, and also I have often seen them; and by a knowledge of correspondences, it is there known what the particulars signify. For all the affections that flow from the minds of angels are imaged before their eyes by animals of all kinds that exist on the earth, in the air, or in the sea; likewise by the subjects of all things that are in the vegetable kingdom of the earth, and by the subjects of all things that are in the mineral kingdom of the earth. This is why such things in our world have been made representative of celestial and spiritual things. Such representatives exist in the spiritual world, because in that world there are spiritual things interior and exterior; interior spiritual things are all such as belong to affection, and to thought therefrom, or to the understanding of truth and the wisdom of good; and exterior spiritual things are so created by the Lord as to clothe or invest interior spiritual things; and when these are clothed and invested, there come into existence such forms as are in the natural world, and thus into these forms interior spiritual things finally close, and in them have their ultimate existence.

sRef Rev@9 @20 S0′ sRef Rev@9 @21 S0′ 583. Verses 20, 21. And the rest of the men who were not killed in these plagues, and repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not adore demons, and idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and repented not of their murders, nor of their enchantments, nor of their whoredoms, nor of their thefts. 20. “And the rest of the men who were not killed in these plagues,” signifies who did not perish by the cupidities above mentioned (n. 584); “and repented not of the works of their hands,” signifies who did not actually turn themselves away from such things as are from self [proprium] (n. 585); “that they should not adore demons,” signifies that they should not worship their own cupidities (n. 586); “and idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood,” signifies the false doctrinals that are from self-intelligence, and that favor the bodily and worldly loves and the principles derived therefrom (n. 587); “which can neither see nor hear nor walk,” signifies in which and from which there is nothing of the understanding of truth or the perception of good, and thus nothing of spiritual life (n. 588). 21. “And repented not of their murders,” signifies who have not actually turned themselves away from extinguishing the things that pertain to the understanding of truth, the will of good, and spiritual life therefrom (n. 589); “nor of their enchantments, nor of their whoredoms,” signifies nor from perverting good and falsifying truth (n. 590); “nor of their thefts,” signifies nor from taking away the knowledges of truth and good, and thus the means of acquiring for themselves spiritual life (n. 591).

sRef Rev@9 @20 S0′ 584. Verse 20. And the rest of the men who were not killed in these plagues, signifies who did not perish by the cupidities above mentioned. This is evident from the signification of “the rest of the men who were not killed,” as being all those who did not perish. “To be killed” signifies in the Word to be killed spiritually, which is to perish in eternal death (see above, n. 547, 572). Also from the signification of “these plagues,” as being the cupidities above mentioned, namely, those signified by “fire, smoke, and brimstone going out of the mouth of the horses,” which signify the cupidities that arise from the love of evil and the love of falsity, also the lusts of destroying the truths and goods of the church by the falsities of evil (as may be seen above, n. 578). These are called “plagues,” because “plagues” signify in the Word such things as destroy the spiritual life, consequently the church in men, and which therefore induce death understood in the spiritual sense. These in brief have reference to the cupidities springing from the loves of self and of the world; for these loves are the roots from which evils and falsities of every genus and species spring up and grow.
sRef Rev@15 @6 S2′ sRef Rev@11 @6 S2′ sRef Rev@18 @8 S2′ sRef Rev@15 @8 S2′ sRef Rev@15 @1 S2′ sRef Rev@16 @21 S2′ [2] Such also is the signification of “plagues” in the following passages in Revelation:
The two witnesses have power over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague as often as they will (11:6).
Again:
Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for the plague thereof was exceeding great (16:21).
Again:
In one day shall the plagues of Babylon come, death and mourning and famine (18:8).
And again:
I saw seven angels having the seven last plagues, through which is to be finished the wrath of God (15:1, 6, 8). That “plagues” mean such things as induce upon man spiritual death, consequently that wholly destroy and devastate the church with men in particular and thus in general, will be seen in the explanation of the passages that follow, where “plagues” are mentioned, and especially where “the seven last plagues” are treated of.
sRef Jer@49 @17 S3′ sRef Jer@50 @13 S3′ sRef Deut@28 @8 S3′ sRef Isa@30 @26 S3′ sRef Jer@30 @12 S3′ sRef Jer@30 @17 S3′ sRef Deut@28 @59 S3′ sRef Jer@30 @14 S3′ sRef Deut@28 @61 S3′ [3] “Plagues” have a like meaning in the following passages in the prophets. In Isaiah:
The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, in the day that Jehovah shall bind up the breach of His people, and shall heal the wound of their plague (30:26).
In Jeremiah:
It is desperate for thy bruise, thy plague is sore. I have smitten thee with the plague of an enemy. I will make health to ascend upon thee; I will heal thee of thy plague (30:12, 14, 17).
In the same:
Everyone that passeth by Edom shall hiss at all the plagues thereof (49:17).
In the same:
Everyone that passeth by Babylon shall hiss at all her plagues (50:13).
In Moses:
If they will* not take heed to do all the words of the law, Jehovah will make thy plagues wonderful, great plagues and lasting, and evil and lasting diseases. Also every disease and every plague which is not written in the book of this law will Jehovah secretly send upon thee until thou be destroyed (Deut. 28:58, 59, 61).
“Plagues” here signify spiritual plagues, which destroy the soul, not the body, and which are enumerated in this chapter of Deuteronomy (verses 20-68).
sRef Zech@14 @12 S4′ sRef Zech@14 @15 S4′ [4] What “plagues” signify in the spiritual sense is described by correspondences in Zechariah:
This shall be the plague wherewith Jehovah will plague all the peoples that shall wage war against Jerusalem; his flesh shall waste away as he standeth upon his feet, and his eyes shall waste away in their sockets, and his tongue shall waste away in his mouth. So shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, of the ass, and of every beast that shall be in those camps, as this plague (14:12, 15).
This is said of those who endeavor to destroy the truths of the church by falsities; “Jerusalem” signifies the church in respect to the truths of doctrine, and “to wage war against it” means to endeavor to destroy these truths by falsities. That “one’s flesh shall waste away as he standeth upon his feet” signifies that with those who attempt this, all the will of good will perish, and that they will thus become merely corporeal-natural, for “flesh” signifies the will and its good or evil; “feet” signify the things of the natural man, therefore “to stand upon the feet” signifies to live from such things only; “his eyes shall waste away in their sockets” signifies that all understanding of truth will perish, “eyes” signifying that understanding; “his tongue shall waste away in his mouth” signifies that all perception of truth and affection of good will perish. (This prophecy is explained above, n. 455.) Almost the same things are signified by “the plagues of the horse, the mule, the camel, the ass, and every beast,” for the “plague” of these signifies the loss of all understanding of truth, as well spiritual as natural; and “the plague of the beast” signifies the loss of all affection for good.
sRef Luke@10 @30 S5′ sRef Luke@7 @21 S5′ [5] In Luke:
In the same hour in which John sent unto Him, Jesus cured many of diseases and plagues of evil spirits; and on many that were blind He bestowed sight (Luke 7:21).
“The plagues of evil spirits” mean the obsessions and calamitous conditions then inflicted upon men by evil spirits, all of which however signify correspondent spiritual states; for all the healings of diseases performed by the Lord signified spiritual healings, and from this the miracles of the Lord were Divine; as this, that “on many that were blind He bestowed sight,” which signified that to those who were in ignorance of truth He gave the understanding of the truths of doctrine:
The wounds [plagas] that the robbers inflicted on the man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho (Luke 10:30);
also signifies spiritual wounds, which were the falsities and evils infused into sojourners and Gentiles by the scribes and Pharisees. (See above, n. 444, where this parable is explained in its spiritual sense.)
* Latin has “they will,” the Hebrew “thou whilt,” as also in AE n. 696; AC n. 2826, 6752.

sRef Rev@9 @20 S0′ 585. And repented not of the works of their hands, signifies who did not actually turn themselves away from such things as are from self [proprium]. This is evident from the signification of “to repent,” as being to turn oneself away actually from evil (of which presently) and from the signification of “the works of their hands,” as being such things as man thinks, wills, and does, from self [proprium]. That this is the signification of “the works of their hands,” will appear from the passages in the Word that follow, also from this, that works are things of the will, and of the understanding therefrom, or of love and of faith therefrom (see above, n. 98); also that “hands” signify power, and “their hands” self-power, thus whatever with man comes forth from self.
[2] In respect to man’s self it is to be known that it is nothing but evil and falsity therefrom; the voluntary self [proprium voluntarium] is evil, and the intellectual self therefrom [proprium intellectuale] is falsity. This self man derives mainly from parents, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers, in a long series back, so that at length the hereditary, which is his self, is nothing but evil gradually heaped up and condensed. For every man is born into two diabolical loves, the love of self and the love of the world, from which loves all evils and all falsities therefrom pour forth as from their own fountains; and as man is born into these loves he is also born into evils of every kind (respecting which more may be seen in the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 65-83).
[3] Because man, in respect to his self is such, means have been given by the Divine mercy of the Lord, by which man can be withdrawn from his self; these means are given in the Word; and when man cooperates with these means, that is, when he thinks and speaks, wills and acts, from the Divine Word, he is kept by the Lord in things Divine, and is thus withheld from self; and when this continues there is formed with man by the Lord as it were a new self, both voluntary and intellectual, which is wholly separated from man’s self; thus man becomes as it were created anew, and this is what is called his reformation and regeneration by truths from the Word, and by a life according to them. (Respecting this see also the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, in the article on Remission of Sins, n. 159-172; and on Regeneration, n. 173-186.) To repent is to actually turn oneself away from evils, because every man is such as his life is, and the life of man consists mainly in willing and consequent doing; and from this it follows that repentance which is merely of the thought and of the lips, and not at the same time of the will and of action therefrom, is not repentance, for then the life remains the same afterwards as it was before. This makes evident that to repent is to actually turn oneself away from evils, and to enter upon a new life (on this see the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 159-172).
sRef Jer@25 @7 S4′ sRef Jer@25 @6 S4′ sRef Jer@25 @14 S4′ [4] That “the works of the hands” signify such things as man thinks, wills, and does from self, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Jeremiah:
Provoke Me not to anger by the work of your hands, that I may not do evil to you; yet ye have not hearkened unto Me, that ye might provoke Me to anger by the work of your hands, for evil to you. Many nations and great kings shall make them to serve; that I may recompense them according to their work and according to the doing of their hands (25:6, 7, 14).
“The work and doing of the hands” means in the nearest sense their molten images and idols; but in the spiritual sense the “work of the hands” signifies all the evil and falsity that are from self-love and self-intelligence. “Molten images and idols” which are called “the work of the hands” have a like signification, as will be seen in what follows, where the signification of “idols” is given. As man’s self [proprium] is nothing but evil, thus is opposed to the Divine, it is said, “Provoke Me not to anger by the work of your hands, that I may not do evil to you;” “to provoke God to anger” signifies to be opposed to Him, which is the source of evil to man; and because all evils and falsities are from man’s self [proprium], it is said, “Many nations and great kings make them to serve,” which signifies that evils from which are falsities, and falsities from which are evils, will take possession of them; “many nations” meaning evils from which are falsities, and “great kings” falsities from which are evils.
sRef Jer@44 @8 S5′ sRef Jer@32 @30 S5′ [5] In the same:
The sons of Israel have provoked Me to anger by the work of their hands (Jer. 32:30).
And in the same:
Ye provoke Me to anger by the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt (44:8).
“The works of their hands” mean here in the spiritual sense worship from falsities of doctrine which are from self-intelligence; such worship is signified by “burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt;” for “to burn incense” signifies worship; “other gods” signify falsities of doctrine, and the “land of Egypt” signifies the natural in which man’s self [proprium] has its seat, and thus whence self-intelligence comes. Thus is this Word understood in heaven.
sRef Jer@1 @16 S6′ [6] In the same:
I will speak with them My judgments upon all their wickedness, that they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods, and have bowed themselves down to the works of their own hands (Jer. 1:16).
Here also “to burn incense to other gods” signifies worship from the falsities of doctrine, and “to bow themselves down to the works of their own hands” signifies worship from such things as are from self-intelligence; that this is from self [proprium] and not from the Divine is signified by “that they have forsaken Me.”
sRef Isa@17 @7 S7′ sRef Isa@17 @8 S7′ [7] In Isaiah:
In that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall see the Holy One of Israel, and he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he shall not see that which his fingers have made (17:7, 8).
This is said of the Lord’s coming and of a new church at that time. “The Maker to whom a man shall then look” means the Lord in relation to Divine good, and “the Holy One of Israel whom his eyes shall see” means the Lord in relation to Divine truth. The “altars, which are the work of hands, and which the fingers have made, to which a man shall not look,” signify worship from evils and the consequent falsities of doctrine that are from self-intelligence. So these words mean that everything of doctrine will be from the Lord and not from man’s self [proprium], which is the case when man is in the spiritual affection of truth, that is, when he loves truth itself because it is truth, and not for the most part because it gives him reputation and a name.
sRef Isa@37 @19 S8′ [8] In the same:
Jehovah gave the gods of the kings of Assyria to the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of man’s hands, wood and stone (Isa. 37:19).
“The gods of the kings of Assyria” signify the reasonings from falsities and evils, which are in accord with man’s self [proprium]; wherefore they are called “the work of man’s hands;” “wood and stone,” that is, idols of wood and stone, signify the evils and falsities of religion and of doctrine that are from self [proprium].
sRef Isa@31 @8 S9′ sRef Isa@31 @7 S9′ [9] In the same:
In that day they shall reject everyone the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold, which your hands have made for you, a sin; and then shall the Assyrian fall (Isa. 31:7, 8).
This describes the establishment of the church; and the “idols of silver and the idols of gold, which in that day they shall reject” signify the falsities and evils of religion and of worship which they call truths and goods; and because the falsities and evils of religion and of worship are from self-intelligence it is said, “which your hands have made for you;” that there shall then be no reasonings from such things is signified by “then shall the Assyrian fall.”
sRef Jer@10 @9 S10′ [10] In Jeremiah:
Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman and of the hands of the refiner; his* garment is hyacinthine and purple; they are all the work of the wise (10:9).
This describes the falsity and evil of religion and of worship which are confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word. “Silver spread into plates from Tarshish” signifies the truths of the Word in that sense; and “gold from Uphaz” signifies the good of the Word in that sense; and because those falsities and evils are from self-intelligence they are called “the work of the workman and of the hands of the refiner;” the truth of good also and the good of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word, by which the falsities of evil and the evils of falsity, which are from self-intelligence, are confirmed and as it were invested, are signified by “his garment is hyacinthine and purple, they are all the work of the wise.”
sRef Josh@8 @30 S11′ sRef Ex@20 @25 S11′ sRef Josh@8 @31 S11′ sRef 1Ki@6 @7 S11′ [11] Moreover, the work of the workman, the artificer, and the mechanic,” signifies in the Word whatever of doctrine, religion, and worship is from self-intelligence. This is why the altar, and also the temple, were built, by command, of whole stones, and not hewn by any workman or artificer. Respecting the altar it is thus said in Moses:
If thou makest to Me an altar of stones thou shalt not build it of hewn stones, for if thou move a tool upon it thou wilt profane it (Exod. 20:25).
And in Joshua:
Joshua built an altar unto the God of Israel in Mount Ebal, an altar of whole stones, on which no one had moved iron (8:30, 31).
And respecting the temple, in the first book of Kings:
The temple at Jerusalem was built of stone, whole as it was brought; for there was neither hammer, nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was building (6:7).
The altar, and afterwards the temple, were the chief representatives of the Lord in relation to Divine good and Divine truth, therefore “the stones of which they were built” signified the truths of doctrine, of religion and of worship; “stones” signifying in the Word truths. That nothing of self-intelligence must approach the truths of doctrine and thus worship, and consequently be in it, was represented by the stones of which the temple and the altar were built, being whole, and not hewn; for such is the signification of “the work of the workman and of the artificer;” “tool,” also “hammer” and “axe” and “iron,” in general, signify truth in its ultimate, and such truth is falsified chiefly by man’s self, for this truth is the same as the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word.
sRef Isa@64 @8 S12′ sRef Ps@138 @8 S12′ sRef Isa@45 @11 S12′ sRef Isa@60 @21 S12′ sRef Ps@111 @7 S12′ sRef Isa@45 @9 S12′ [12] Thus much respecting the signification of “the works of man’s hands;” but where “works of the hands” are attributed in the Word to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord, they signify the reformed or regenerated man, also the church, and in particular the doctrine of truth and good of the church. This is the signification of “the works of the hands” in the following passages. In David:
The works of the hands of Jehovah are verity and judgment (Ps. 111:7).
In the same:
Jehovah will perfect for me; O Jehovah, Thy mercy is forever; neglect not the works of Thine own hands (Ps. 138:8).
In Isaiah:
Thy people shall be all righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the shoot of My plants, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified (60:21).
In the same:
O Jehovah, Thou art our Father; we are the clay and Thou our Potter; and we all are the work of Thy hands (64:8).
In the same:
Woe unto him that striveth with his Former! A potsherd with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to its potter, What makest thou? or thy work, Hath he no hands? Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and thy** Former, They have asked Me signs respecting My sons, and respecting the work of My hands they command Me (45:9, 11).
That here “Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, the Former,” means the Lord, is evident from what follows in verse 13; and “the work of His hands” means a man regenerated by Him, thus the man of the church.
sRef Isa@19 @25 S13′ sRef Deut@33 @11 S13′ [13] In the same:
Jehovah of Hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance (Isa. 19:25).
“Egypt” here signifies the natural, “Assyria” the rational, and “Israel” the spiritual; and “Assyria” is called “the work of Jehovah’s hands” because the rational is what is reformed in man, for it is the rational that receives truths and goods, and from this the natural; the spiritual is what regenerates, that is, the Lord by spiritual influx; in a word, the rational is the medium between the spiritual and the natural, and the spiritual, which regenerates, flows in through the rational into the natural, and thus the natural is regenerated. In Moses:
Bless, O Jehovah, his strength, and accept the work of his hands (Deut. 33:11).
This is said of Levi, who signifies the good of charity, and in the highest sense the Lord in respect to that good; reformation by means of it is meant by “the work of his hands.”
* Latin has “his,” the Hebrew “their,” as also found in AE n. 587; AC n. 1551, 9466.
** Latin has “thy,” the Hebrew “his,” as also found in AE n. 706; AC n. 88, 878.

sRef Rev@9 @20 S0′ 586. That they should not adore demons, signifies that they should not worship their own cupidities. This is evident from the signification of “to adore,” as being to worship, and from the signification of “demons,” as being evil cupidities. “Demons” are evil cupidities because by demons infernal spirits are meant, and all spirits that are in the hells are nothing but evil cupidities; for all spirits that are in the hells, as well as all angels in the heavens, are from the human race; and every man after death becomes such as his life has been in the world, consequently such as his affection has been; therefore after death man is wholly his affection, a good man the affection of good and truth, and an evil man the affection of evil and falsity. Moreover, every man after death thinks, wills, speaks, and acts in accordance with his affection. The affection of evil and falsity is what is called cupidity, and is what is signified by “demon.”
[2] But what is meant by “worshiping demons” shall also be told briefly. Every man is associated with spirits; without association and conjunction with them no one can live; and the spirits with man are such as his affections or cupidities are; therefore when man in his worship does not look to the Lord or to the neighbor, but looks to himself and to the world, that is, when he worships God for the sole end of being carried to honors, and of gaining wealth, or of being able to do injury to others, then he worships demons; for then the Lord is not present in his worship, but infernal spirits are present, who are closely associated with him. These spirits are so insane as to believe that they are gods, and that they are to be worshiped; for every spirit, as well as every man, who is in the love of self, is eager to be worshiped as a god; consequently this insane cupidity continues with men after death, when they become demon-spirits; and this is what is signified by “adoring demons.”
sRef Lev@17 @7 S3′ sRef Lev@17 @6 S3′ sRef Deut@32 @16 S3′ sRef Deut@32 @17 S3′ [3] This worship is meant also by “sacrificing to demons.” In Moses:
They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations they made Him angry. They sacrificed to demons that were not God, to gods that they knew not (Deut. 32:16, 17).
The sons of Israel shall sacrifice at the entrance of the tent, and they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices unto demons, after whom they go whoring (Lev. 17:7).
The sacrifices that were offered at the entrance of the tent represented the worship of the Lord, because the altar, and also the tabernacle, represented heaven where the Lord is present; but the sacrifices that were offered elsewhere represented worship where the Lord is not present, thus the worship of demons; this was because all things at that time were representative.
sRef Ps@106 @37 S4′ [4] In David:
They sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto demons (Ps. 106:37).
This was altogether infernal; but in the spiritual sense “to sacrifice sons and daughters” signified to pervert and destroy the truths and goods of the church by evil cupidities; “sons” signifying the truths of the church, and “daughters” its goods.
sRef Isa@13 @21 S5′ sRef Isa@34 @14 S5′ [5] In Isaiah:
The tziim shall encounter the ijim, and the demon of the wood shall meet his fellow, the night-monster shall also settle there and find for itself rest (34:14).
This treats of the total devastation of the church by corporeal and merely natural lusts, from which flow forth falsities and evils of every kind; such lusts are signified by “the tziim and the ijim,” also by “the night-monster, and the demon of the wood” (or satyr).
sRef Rev@18 @2 S6′ [6] So elsewhere in the same:
The tziim shall sing* there, and their houses shall be full of ochim, and the daughters of the owl shall dwell there, and the demons of the wood shall dance there (Isa. 13:21).
This is said of Babylon; that there are such corporeal and purely natural lusts with those who are meant by Babylon, and that these constitute the life of their mind is signified by “their houses shall be full of such things,” and “they shall dwell and dance there.” “House” signifies the mind or disposition of man, with the things therein; “daughters of the owl” signify falsities, and “demons of the wood” (or satyrs) cupidities merely corporeal. Like things are said of Babylon in Revelation:
Babylon is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird (18:2).
The demons cast out by the Lord, by which many were then obsessed, signify falsities of every kind by which the church was infested, and from which it was delivered by the Lord (as in Matt. 8:16, 28; 9:32, 33; 10:8; 12:22; 15:22; Mark 1:32-34; Luke 4:33-38, 41; 8:2, 26-40; 9:1, 37-44, 49, 50; 13:32; and elsewhere).
* Latin has “sing,” the Hebrew “lie,” as also in AE n. 1029; AR n. 548, 757.

sRef Rev@9 @20 S0′ 587. And idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, signifies false doctrinals that are from self-intelligence, that favor the loves of the body and of the world, and principles derived therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “idols,” as being the falsities of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, which are from self-intelligence. But what “idols of gold, of silver, of brass, of stone, and of wood,” signify in particular can be seen from the signification of “gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood;” “gold” signifies spiritual good, “silver” spiritual truth, “brass” natural good, “stone” natural truth, and “wood” sensual good. All these goods and truths enter into genuine doctrine, because such doctrine is both from the spiritual and from the natural sense of the Word. When a false doctrinal is confirmed by the spiritual things of the Word it becomes an idol of gold and an idol of silver; but when it is confirmed by the natural things of the Word, such as belong to the sense of its letter, it becomes an idol of brass and stone; and when it is confirmed by the mere sense of the letter it becomes an idol of wood; for both the interior or spiritual and the exterior or natural senses of the Word can be applied to confirm falsities, as can be seen from innumerable heresies which are all confirmed thereby.
[2] Falsities become confirmed when the genuine sense of the Word is not understood, and for the reason that self-loves and the principles derived therefrom are dominant, and when these are dominant man sees nothing from the light of heaven, but whatever he sees is from the light of the world separated from the light of heaven; and when the light of the world is separated from the light of heaven there is thick darkness in things spiritual. It is to be known that the sons of Israel took from Egypt and also from the nations round about the foul custom of worshiping idols; and as they were merely external men they also had that worship implanted in them from natural inclination, as can be seen from the idolatries of so many of the kings of Judah and Israel related in the Word, and also from Solomon himself who was the wisest of them; but still these idols which they made for themselves and worshiped, when they are mentioned in the Word, signify in the spiritual sense false doctrinals from self-intelligence, from which and according to which is worship.
[3] This signification of idols, too, has its cause from the spiritual world; there evil spirits who have framed for themselves falsities of doctrine are seen fashioning idols and marking them in various ways until they appear to be in a human form; they also make selections from various representatives and fit them together so as to cohere, and thus counterfeit that form in externals. It has been permitted me to witness the formation of such idols by leaders of the church, who have persuaded themselves that falsities are truths; and as they excelled in ingenuity they knew how to join the particulars together assiduously, and afterwards to clothe them. Such an idol I have seen made by the English, by which they represented that faith alone is the essential of salvation, and that it produces the goods of charity without any cooperation from man. Idols are formed in the spiritual world by those who are in falsities of doctrine that are from self-intelligence, because Divine truths, from which is the genuine doctrine of the church, induce upon angels the human form; for this reason also angels signify in the Word Divine truths; and for this reason falsities of doctrine that are confirmed from the Word are presented as idols in the human form; truths of the Word that are falsified and that are used as confirmations induce that form, but because the truths are falsified an idol is presented that has no life.
sRef Isa@40 @19 S4′ sRef Isa@40 @20 S4′ [4] That “idols, graven images, and molten images,” signify the falsities of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Isaiah:
The artificer casteth a graven image, and the refiner spreadeth it over with gold and casteth chains of silver. He that is too impoverished for an oblation chooseth wood that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a wise artificer to prepare a graven image that shall not be moved (40:19, 20).
This describes how doctrine is fused and welded together by means of falsities, thus by means of such things as are from self-intelligence, for these are all falsities. The “artificer,” the “refiner,” and the “wise artificer,” whom he seeketh unto him, mean one who fashions and forms such a doctrine. “To spread it over with gold” signifies that it may appear in the external form as good; “to cast chains of silver” signifies that falsities may fit together and appear as truths; “to choose wood that doth not rot, and to prepare a graven image that shall not be moved,” signifies that the doctrine may be acknowledged and not seem to be false.
sRef Jer@10 @14 S5′ sRef John@6 @63 S5′ sRef Jer@10 @15 S5′ [5] In Jeremiah:
Every man has become foolish by knowledge; every refiner is put to shame by the graven image; for his molten image is a lie, and there is no breath in them; they are vanity, and a work of errors; in the time of their visitation they shall perish (10:14, 15; 51:17, 18).
Because a “graven image” signifies the falsity of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, therefore it is said, “every man has become foolish by knowledge, and every refiner is put to shame by the graven image;” the “knowledge by which man becomes foolish” signifies self-intelligence, wherefore falsity therefrom is signified by “the graven image;” such falsity is also meant by “the molten image is a lie, vanity, and a work of errors.” That there is no spiritual life in falsities, or in the things that are from self-intelligence, is meant by “there is no breath in them;” for life is solely in Divine truths, that is, in truths that are from the Lord, as He teaches:
The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life (John 6:63).
sRef Jer@10 @10 S6′ sRef Jer@10 @4 S6′ sRef Jer@10 @8 S6′ sRef Jer@10 @9 S6′ sRef Jer@10 @5 S6′ sRef Jer@10 @3 S6′ [6] In Jeremiah:
He hath cut wood out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the axe. He doth deck it with silver and with gold; he doth fasten them with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are rigid like a palm-tree, but they speak not; they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. They are both brutish and foolish; the wood is a teaching of vanities. Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman and of the hands of the refiner; their garment is hyacinthine and purple; they are all the work of the wise. But Jehovah is the God of truth, He is the living God, and the King of an age (10:3-5, 8-10).
That the “graven image” here means the falsity of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, fashioned and formed by the ingenious by means of self-intelligence, is evident from the particulars of this description when viewed in the spiritual sense. The self-intelligence by means of which it is cut out and formed is meant by “the work of the hands with the axe,” and by “the work of the workman and of the hands of the refiner,” and by “the work of the wise.” That “the work of the hands of the workman and artificer” signifies what is from self-intelligence has been shown in the preceding article; the falsities that are from it are signified by “they are both brutish and foolish, the wood is a teaching of vanities;” that these have no life is signified by “they are rigid like a palm-tree, they speak not, they cannot go;” “to speak” and “to go” signify to live, and to live means to live spiritually. Confirmations from the Word are signified by “silver spread into plates brought from Tarshish,” and by “gold from Uphaz,” also by “hyacinthine and purple” which was their garment; “silver from Tarshish” signifies the truth of the Word, and “gold from Uphaz” the good of the Word, both falsified; “hyacinthine and purple” have a similar meaning. That every truth of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, is from Jehovah, that is, from the Lord, is meant by “Jehovah is the God of truth, the living God, the King of an age;” for the Lord is called “God” from Divine truth, and also “living,” and “King.”
sRef Isa@44 @16 S7′ sRef Isa@44 @15 S7′ sRef Isa@44 @14 S7′ sRef Isa@44 @13 S7′ sRef Isa@44 @12 S7′ sRef Isa@44 @10 S7′ sRef Isa@44 @19 S7′ sRef Isa@44 @11 S7′ sRef Isa@44 @20 S7′ sRef Isa@44 @17 S7′ sRef Isa@44 @18 S7′ sRef Isa@44 @9 S7′ [7] In Isaiah:
They that form a graven image are all of them vanity, and their most desirable things do not profit; and they are witnesses to themselves that they see not, and know not. For all his fellows shall be ashamed, and the workmen themselves. He fashioneth iron with the tongs, and worketh it in the coal, and strengthens* it with sharp hammers, so he worketh it by the arm of his strength; yea, he is hungry until he hath no power, neither doth he drink water until he is exhausted. He fashioneth wood, he stretcheth out the line, and describeth it with a rule; he maketh it in its angles, and shapeth it by a circle, that he may make it in the form of a man, according to the beauty of man, to dwell in the house. To cut out for himself cedars, or he hath taken the box-tree or the oak; although it be for a man to burn, and he taketh of them to be warm, and also kindleth it to bake bread, yet he maketh a god and boweth himself down, he maketh of it a graven image and adoreth it. They know not nor discern, for they have forgotten so that their eyes do not see, and their hearts do not understand. And none taketh it into his heart, there is no knowledge or intelligence, neither doth he say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? (44:9-20).
This whole description of a “graven image” means the formation of doctrine from self-intelligence, and the particulars of the description signify the particulars of such formation. Why otherwise should there be in the Divine Word so extended a description of the mere formation of a graven image? That there is nothing but what is false, because it is from self-intelligence, is meant by “They that form a graven image are all of them vanity, and their most desirable things do not profit;” also by “they have no knowledge nor intelligence, neither doth he say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?” The self-intelligence out of which the falsity of doctrine is formed is described by “He fashioneth iron with the tongs, and worketh it in the coal by the arm of his power;” “to fashion iron with the tongs, and to work it in the coal,” signifies to hammer out falsities that favor self-loves; to join falsities with falsities by means of fallacies that make them seem to be truths, is described by “he stretched out the line, and describeth it with a rule, he maketh it in its angles, he defineth it by a circle, that he may make it in the form of a man, according to the beauty of man, to dwell in the house;” “the form of a man” signifies an appearance of truth, and “the beauty of man,” an appearance of intelligence therefrom, and “to dwell in the house” signifies an appearance of spiritual life therefrom. That from this there is no life of intelligence or of the perception of truth and good is signified by “They know not nor understand, their eyes do not see, and their hearts do not understand.” It would be too lengthy to explain what each single thing signifies in particular in this description; it is only necessary that everyone shall be able to see that there is something signified more interior and wise than the mere formation of a graven image. Let it be known that in this description heavenly wisdom which is ineffable lies hidden, and that the angels are in this wisdom when these things are read by man, although the man thinks of nothing but a graven image and its formation; for there are here as many correspondences and as many arcana of wisdom therefrom as there are words.
sRef Hab@2 @18 S8′ sRef Hab@2 @19 S8′ sRef Hab@2 @20 S8′ [8] In Habakkuk:
What profiteth the graven image? For the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image and the instructor of a lie? For the former of its lie trustest in it, since he maketh dumb gods. Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the silent stone, Be watchful, it shall instruct! Behold, it is fixed with gold and silver, and there is no breath in the midst of it. But Jehovah is in the temple of His holiness (2:18-20).
As a “graven image” means the falsity of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, in which there is nothing of spiritual life because it is from self-intelligence, it is said “What profiteth the graven image? For the maker thereof hath given it; the molten image and the instructor of a lie? in which the former of the lie trustest;” a “lie” signifying falsity, and “the instructor and former of a lie” signifying him who frames it; that there is no intelligence or life in it or from it is signified by “he maketh dumb gods, and there is no breath in the midst of it;” that every truth of doctrine, of the church, and of worship, is from the Lord alone is signified by “Jehovah is in the temple of His holiness;” “temple of holiness” meaning heaven, where and from which is Divine truth.
sRef Ps@115 @5 S9′ sRef Ps@115 @4 S9′ [9] In David:
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of the hands of man. They have a mouth but they speak not, eyes have they but they see not (Ps. 115:4, 5; 135:15, 16).
“Their idols are silver and gold” signifies external worship without internal, confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word not understood, and also by the fallacies of the senses; “the work of the hands of man” signifies what is from self-intelligence (that “the work of the hands” means what is from self-intelligence, see in the preceding article). “They have a mouth but they speak not, eyes have they but they see not,” signifies that from these there is no thought nor any understanding of truth.
sRef Isa@2 @20 S10′ sRef Isa@2 @18 S10′ sRef Jer@50 @38 S10′ sRef Jer@50 @39 S10′ [10] From self-intelligence nothing but falsity comes, because man’s self [proprium] is nothing but evil, for it favors his own love and his own intelligence; such, therefore, do not seek truths for the sake of truths, but only for the sake of reputation, renown, glory, and gain, and when these are dominant heaven cannot flow in with its light and open the sight and enlighten, consequently they see like owls, moles, and bats, in the dark, according to these words in Isaiah:
In that day a man shall cast away the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold, which they made for themselves to bow down to the moles and to the bats (2:18, 20).
In Jeremiah:
A drought is upon her waters and they have become dry; for this is a land of graven images, and they boast of horrible things. Therefore the tziim and the ijim shall dwell there, and the daughters of the owl shall dwell therein (50:38, 39).
“A drought upon her waters” signifies that there is no truth; “the tziim and the ijim” signify infernal falsities and evils, and “the daughters of the owl” signify the affections of falsity. This is said of the land of Chaldea, and of Babylon, which signify the profanations of truth and good by falsities that favor evils, which such frame for themselves for the sake of dominion.
sRef Hos@13 @2 S11′ [11] In Hosea:
They have made for themselves a molten image of their silver, idols in their intelligence, all of them the work of the artificers; those that sacrifice man kiss the calves (13:2).
Because a “molten image” signifies a doctrinal from self-intelligence it is said, “They have made a molten image of their silver, idols in their intelligence, all of them the work of the artificers;” and because by means of it they destroy spiritual life and put on what is merely natural, it is said, “those that sacrifice man kiss the calves,” “to sacrifice man” signifying to destroy spiritual life, and “to kiss the calves” signifying to become merely natural.
sRef Jer@8 @19 S12′ sRef Isa@41 @29 S12′ [12] In Isaiah:
Behold they are all an iniquity, their works are nothing; their molten images are wind and emptiness (41:29).
Evils of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, are signified by “they are all an iniquity, their works are nothing,” and falsities by “their molten images are wind and emptiness;” “wind and emptiness” are predicated in the Word of falsities from self. In Jeremiah:
Why have they provoked Me to anger with their graven images and with the vanities of aliens? (8:19).
“Vanities of aliens” also signify the falsities of religion, like as “graven images,” therefore it is said, “with their graven images, with the vanities of aliens.”
sRef Ezek@14 @6 S13′ sRef Ezek@14 @5 S13′ sRef Ezek@14 @4 S13′ sRef Ezek@14 @3 S13′ [13] In Ezekiel:
Every man of the house of Israel who shall make idols to ascend upon his heart, and shall put the stumbling block of iniquity before his faces, shall yet come to the prophet; shall I, Jehovah, answer him who cometh with a multitude of his idols? (14:4).
Here, too, “idols” stand for the falsities of doctrine which are from self-intelligence; to accept these falsities and to acknowledge them is signified by “making idols to ascend upon his heart;” and to be affected by them and live according to them is signified by “putting the stumbling block of iniquity before his faces;” that to such the Lord cannot reveal the genuine truths of doctrine so long as they are in these falsities is signified by “if he shall come to the prophet, shall I, Jehovah, answer him who cometh with a multitude of his idols?” A “prophet” means one who teaches truths, and in the abstract sense the doctrine of genuine truth which is from the Lord; and “a multitude of idols” signifies falsities in abundance, for from one falsity assumed as a principle, falsities flow forth in abundance, together with falsities in a series from their connection; this is why they are called “idols,” in the plural, and “a multitude of idols.”
sRef Ezek@36 @25 S14′ [14] In the same:
I will sprinkle clean waters upon you that ye may be cleansed from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols will I cleanse you (Ezek. 36:25).
Because “idols” signify falsities of doctrine it is said, “I will sprinkle clean waters upon you;” “clean waters” signifying genuine truths, and “to sprinkle them upon them” signifies to purify from falsities; these falsities are also called “uncleannesses,” because they are falsities from evil, and falsities producing evil.
sRef Micah@1 @7 S15′ sRef Micah@1 @6 S15′ [15] In Micah:
I will make Samaria into a heap of the field, and I will make its stones to flow down into the valley, and I will open its foundations. Then all her graven images shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hire of her whoredom shall be burned up with fire, and all their idols will I lay waste; for she hath gathered them from the hire of a harlot, therefore to the hire of a harlot shall they return (1:6, 7).
“Samaria when it became idolatrous” represented the church devastated in respect to the truths of doctrine and the goods of life, or destroyed by the falsities of doctrine and by the evils of life; devastation in respect to all the truths of the church is signified by “it shall be made into a heap of the field, and its stones shall flow down into the valley, and its foundations shall be opened;” “the field” meaning the church; “the heap of the field” its devastation; “the stones” the truths of the church, and “foundations” the natural truths upon which the church is founded; the complete devastation of these is signified by “the stones shall flow down into the valley, and the foundations shall be opened;” the destruction of the church by the falsities of doctrine is signified by “her graven images shall be beaten to pieces, and her idols laid waste;” “the hire of whoredom which shall be burned up with the fire,” signifies the falsification of truth by applications to favor the loves of self and of the world.
sRef Isa@31 @7 S16′ sRef Isa@42 @17 S16′ sRef Deut@27 @15 S16′ sRef Isa@30 @22 S16′ sRef Ezek@6 @4 S16′ sRef Isa@48 @5 S16′ sRef Lev@26 @30 S16′ sRef Ezek@6 @5 S16′ sRef Micah@5 @13 S16′ sRef Isa@10 @11 S16′ sRef Isa@21 @8 S16′ sRef Isa@10 @10 S16′ sRef Isa@21 @9 S16′ sRef Deut@7 @25 S16′ [16] “Graven images,” “molten images,” and “idols,” have a similar signification in the following passages. In Isaiah:
As My hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols and their graven images of Jerusalem and Samaria, shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? (10:10, 11).
Ye shall judge unclean the covering of the graven images of thy silver, and the plating of the molten images of thy gold; thou shalt disperse them as a menstruous thing; thou shalt call it dung (30:22).
In that day a man shall cast away the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold, which your hands have made for you a sin (31:7).
Lest thou say, Mine idol hath done these things, and my graven image, and my molten image hath commanded them (48:5).
They shall be turned backward, they shall be ashamed with shame, that trust in a graven image, that say to a molten image, Ye are our gods (42:17).
A lion upon a watchtower said Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the earth (21:8, 9).
In Ezekiel:
Your altars shall be destroyed, and your sun images shall be broken; and I will make your slain to fall before your idols. And I will lay the carcasses of the sons of Israel before their idols (6:4, 5).
In Micah:
In that day I will cut off thy graven images and thy statues out of the midst of thee; that thou mayest no longer worship the work of thy hands (5:10, 13).
In Moses:
And I will cast your bodies upon the bodies of your idols, and My soul shall abhor you (Lev. 26:30).
The graven images of their gods shall ye burn up with fire; thou shalt not covet the silver or gold that is on them to take it unto thee, for it is an abomination to thy God (Deut. 7:25).
Cursed be he who shall make a graven and a molten image, an abomination unto Jehovah, the work of the hands of the artificer, and shall put it in a secret place (Deut. 27:15).
sRef Dan@5 @4 S17′ sRef Dan@5 @5 S17′ sRef Dan@5 @3 S17′ sRef Dan@5 @2 S17′ [17] “Idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood,” have a similar signification as:
The gods of gold, of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone, that king Belshazzar praised when he drank wine with his nobles and wives out of the vessels of gold and silver that were brought from the temple of Jerusalem; on account of which the handwriting appeared on the wall, and the king [Nebuchadnezzar]** was himself driven out from man, and became like a beast (Dan. 5:1, et seq.).
“The vessels of gold and silver of the temple of Jerusalem” signified the holy goods and truths of the church; “the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone, which the king of Babylon then praised,” have a similar meaning as “idols” of the same, and these signify the evils and falsities of doctrine and of worship; “to praise” signifying to worship; “to drink out of the vessels of the temple of Jerusalem and at the same time to praise or worship those gods” signifies the profanation of good and truth by evils and falsities in worship; and because by profanation everything spiritual in man is destroyed, and man without the spiritual is not a man, so Nebuchadnezzar was driven away from man and became like a beast.
sRef Deut@4 @16 S18′ sRef Deut@4 @17 S18′ sRef Deut@4 @18 S18′ [18] Because an external without an internal must not be worshiped, but only an external from an internal, thus the internal in the external, it was forbidden to make any graven image in the likeness of anything living on the earth, in Moses:
Ye shall not make you a graven image, the shape of any similitude, the figure of male or female, the figure of any beast that is on the earth, the figure of any winged bird that flieth under heaven, the figure of anything that creepeth on the ground, the figure of any fish that is in the waters under the earth (Deut. 4:16-18; 5:8).
This was prohibited because the Jewish nation, more than all other nations, was in externals without internals, and thus in the worship of all the external things that the nations called holy; and to worship external things other than those that represented heavenly things, which were the altar, the sacrifice upon it, the Tent of meeting, and the temple, was idolatrous. The Jewish worship of these, indeed, was also an idolatrous worship, but inasmuch as the church with them was a representative church their worship was accepted for the sake of the representation, although it did not affect them in respect to their soul, as can be seen from the various things shown respecting that nation in Arcana Coelestia (see what is collected in the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 248). And as the worship of an external anywhere else than where it was commanded, which was beside the tent in the desert and beside the temple and in the temple in Jerusalem, was the worship of the representative itself without any intuition of the thing represented, thus a worship of what is merely earthly apart from anything heavenly, therefore this was forbidden them, even to the extent that they should not make for themselves any graven images of such things; for the nature of that nation was such that as soon as they saw them made they worshiped them.
[19] That the idolatrous nations worshiped the images, not only of men but also of various beasts, birds, and creeping things, came from its having been handed down from the ancients that these objects signified things celestial and spiritual; as that “beasts” signified affections; “birds” the thoughts therefrom; and “creeping things” and “fishes” the same in the sensual-natural man. From this it came that when those who were in external worship without any internal heard that the holy things of heaven and the church were signified by these objects, they began to worship them; as the Egyptians, and from them the sons of Israel in the wilderness and afterwards in Samaria, worshiped calves, because “calves” with the ancients signified the good affections of the natural man.
* Latin has “strengthens,” the Hebrew “formeth,” as also found in AE n. 386; AC n. 8941, 9424.
** Latin has “the king,” i.e., Belshazzar, the Chaldee has “Nebuchadnezzar.

sRef Rev@9 @20 S0′ 588. Which can neither see nor hear nor walk, signifies in which and from which there is nothing of the understanding of truth or the perception of good, and thus nothing of spiritual life. This is evident from the signification of “to see,” as being to understand truth (see above, n. 11, 260, 529); also from the signification of “to hear,” as being to perceive and obey (see also above, n. 14, 249), and as being to have understanding to perceive (n. 529); also from the signification of “to walk,” as being to live spiritually, and in reference to the Lord that it is life itself (see above, n. 97). From this it is clear that “not to see, to hear, or to walk,” signifies that there is no understanding of truth, no perception of good, and thence no spiritual life; these are not in idols or from them, for “idols” signify the falsities of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, and such things are not in falsities, but in truths that are from good; in truths and from them is all understanding, all perception from the will of good, and consequently spiritual life. It is said “consequently,” because spiritual life consists in the understanding of truth and in perception from the will of good; for truths are in the light of heaven, and this so much that the truths themselves give light in heaven, and this because the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord makes all light in the spiritual world, and that light gives all intelligence and wisdom to angels.
Now as truths themselves are of the light it follows that falsities are of no light, for they extinguish light, consequently falsities are called in the Word “darkness” (see above, n. 526); and as they are darkness, they are the shadow of spiritual death. But it is to be known that the falsities of evil constitute such darkness, not falsities that are not from evil. “To hear” signifies perception from the will of good, and thence obedience, because speech enters the ear at the same time with the sound, and the truths uttered enter the understanding and thence the thought, while sounds enter the will and thence the affection. That in the spiritual world sounds present and produce the affection which is of the will, and the words of the sound the thought which is of the understanding, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 236, 241), and above (n. 323). From this it can be seen why “to hear” and “to hearken” also signify to obey, and the “ear” and “hearing” obedience.

sRef Rev@9 @21 S0′ 589. Verse 21. And repented not of their murders, signifies who have not actually turned themselves away from extinguishing the things that pertain to the understanding of truth, the will of good, and spiritual life therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “repenting,” as being actually turning oneself away (as above, n. 584); and from the signification of “murders,” as being the extinction of the understanding of truth, of the will of good, and of spiritual life therefrom; for “man” signifies the understanding of truth, and wisdom (see above, n. 280, 546, 547); and “to kill” signifies to extinguish spiritual life by the falsities of evil (see above, n. 315, 547, 572). That “murder or manslaughter” signifies the extinction of spiritual life can be seen without proof passages from the Word, from this, that the particulars here must be understood spiritually, and “to kill” spiritually is to extinguish spiritual life, which is done by the falsities of evil.
sRef John@8 @44 S2′ [2] This is why the devil is called “a murderer from the beginning” by the Lord, in John:
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie he speaketh from his own, for he is a liar and the father thereof (8:44).
This means the Jewish nation itself, which through its idolatries and traditions extinguished spiritual life by the falsities of evil; “the father thereof” means their fathers; because they extinguished spiritual life by the falsities of evils it is said, “there is no truth in him; when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh from his own, for he is a liar, and “the father thereof,” a “lie” signifying in the Word the falsity of evil.
sRef Rev@22 @15 S3′ sRef Isa@14 @19 S3′ sRef Isa@14 @20 S3′ [3] “Murders” and a “lie” have a similar signification in the following words in Revelation:
Without shall stand the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the whoremongers, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and everyone that loveth and maketh a lie (22:15).
Because those who are meant by “Babylon” extinguish all Divine truths by the falsities of evil, Babylon is called:
An abominable shoot, a garment of those that are slain, of those thrust through with the sword; for thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people (Isa. 14:19, 20).
This is said of Babylon. Those are said to be “thrust through with the sword” who have been destroyed by the falsities of evil; “to destroy the land” signifies to destroy the church; and “to slay the people” signifies to extinguish the truths of the church.

sRef Rev@9 @21 S0′ 590. Nor of their enchantments, nor of their whoredoms, signifies nor from perverting good and falsifying truth. This is evident from the signification of “enchantments,” as being the perversions of good (of which presently); and from the signification of “whoredoms,” as being falsifications of truth (see above, n. 141, 161). That “enchantments” signify in the spiritual sense the perversions of good can be seen from this, that they are mentioned in connection with “whoredoms,” and “whoredoms” signify the falsifications of truth; and wherever in the Word truth is treated of, good is also treated of, because of the Divine celestial marriage in every particular of it. Moreover, it is “repenting of murders, enchantments, and whoredoms,” that is spoken of, and “murders” signify the extinction of the affection of good which is of the will, and of the perception of truth which is of the understanding (see above, n. 589); and the affection of good which is of the will is extinguished when the good of the Word is perverted, while the perception of truth which is of the understanding is extinguished when the truth of the Word is falsified; this also makes evident what is here signified by “enchantments.”
[2] In ancient times there were many kinds of infernal arts, called magic, which were in use; some of these are enumerated in the Word (as in Deut. 18:9-11); among these were also “enchantments,” by which they induced affections and pleasures that another could not resist; this was done by sounds or muttered words, which they brought forth or muttered; and these by analogous correspondences had communication with another’s will and excited his affection, and fascinated him into willing, thinking, and acting in a particular way. Such enchantments the prophets also were skilled in and employed, and by them they excited good affections, hearkening, and obedience; and these enchantments are mentioned in a good sense in the Word in Isaiah 3:1-3, 20; 26:16; Jeremiah 8:17; and in David, Psalm 58:4-5. But as the evil excited evil affections by such utterances and mutterings, and thus enchantments became magical, they are also enumerated among the magical arts and severely forbidden (Deut. 18:9-11; Isa. 47:9, 12; Rev. 18:23; 22:15. Also in reference to Balaam and Jezebel).

sRef Rev@9 @21 S0′ 591. Nor of their thefts, signifies nor from taking away the knowledges of truth and good, and thus the means of acquiring for themselves spiritual life. This is evident from the signification of “theft” and of “stealing,” as meaning to take away from anyone the knowledges of good and truth, which are to serve as means for acquiring for himself spiritual life (see above, n. 193). “Theft” and “stealing” have this meaning because “wealth,” “raiment,” “utensils,” and other things that thieves take away, signify the knowledges of truth and good; therefore spiritual theft, or theft in the spiritual sense, is the taking away of these, as natural theft, or theft in the natural sense, is the taking away of the former. That this is the signification of “theft” can be seen from this, that the extinction of spiritual life in others is what is particularly treated of in this verse, and spiritual life is extinguished by the perversions of good and the falsifications of truth, also by the deprivations of the knowledges of truth and good, by means of which spiritual life is acquired; and all of these are signified by “murders, enchantments, whoredoms, and thefts,” as has been shown already.


Revelation 10

1. And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven encompassed with a cloud, and the rainbow above his head, and his face as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.
2. And he had in his hand a little book opened; and he set his right foot upon the sea, and the left upon the earth.
3. And he cried out with a great voice, as a lion roareth; and when he cried out seven thunders spake their voices.
4. And when the seven thunders had spoken their voices I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up the things which the seven thunders spake, and write them not.
5. And the angel whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven.
6. And he sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, who created heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein, that time shall be no more.
7. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God shall also be finished, as He hath declared the good tidings to His servants the prophets.
8. And the voice which I heard from heaven spake again with me, and said, Go take the little book that is open in the hand of the angel that standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
9. And I went unto the angel, saying unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take and eat it up; and it shall make bitter thy belly, but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey.
10. And I took the little book out of the hand of the angel and ate it up; and it was in my mouth like honey, sweet. And when I had eaten it my belly was made bitter.
11. And he said to me, Thou must again prophesy upon peoples and nations and tongues and many kings.

sRef Rev@10 @1 S0′ 592. EXPOSITION.
Verse 1. And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven encompassed with a cloud, and the rainbow above his head, and his face as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. 1. “And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven,” signifies the Lord as to the Word, here in relation to its ultimate sense, which is called the sense of the letter (n. 593); “encompassed with a cloud,” signifies the ultimate of the Word (n. 594); “and the rainbow above his head,” signifies the interior things of the Word (n. 595); “and his face as the sun,” signifies the Lord’s Divine love, from which is all Divine truth, which in heaven and in the church is the Word (n. 596); “and his feet as pillars of fire,” signifies Divine truth, or the Word in ultimates, sustaining interior things therein, and also full of the good of love (n. 597).

sRef Rev@10 @1 S0′ 593. Verse 1. And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, signifies the Lord as to the Word, here as to its ultimate sense, which is called the sense of the letter. This is evident from the signification of a “strong angel,” as being the Lord as to the Word (of which presently); it means as to the Word in its ultimate sense, which is called the sense of the letter, because it is from that sense that the Lord is called “strong,” for all the strength and all the power of Divine truth exist and consist in its ultimate, consequently in the sense of the letter of the Word (of which also presently).
[2] Because it is the sense of the letter of the Word that is meant, therefore it is said that the angel was seen “coming down out of heaven.” The like is said of the Word, which is the Divine truth; this comes down from the Lord through the heavens into the world, consequently it is adapted to the wisdom of the angels who are in the three heavens, and is also adapted to men who are in the natural world. For this reason the Word in its first origin of all is wholly Divine, afterward celestial, then spiritual, and lastly natural; it is celestial for the angels of the inmost or third heaven, who are called celestial angels, it is spiritual for the angels of the second or middle heaven who are called spiritual angels, and it is celestial-natural and spiritual-natural for the angels of the ultimate or first heaven who are called celestial-natural and spiritual-natural angels, and it is natural for men in the world; for so long as men live in a material body they think and speak naturally. This then is why the Word is with the angels of each heaven, but with a difference according to the degrees of their wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge [scientia]; and although it differs in its sense in each heaven, still it is the same Word, because it is the Divine itself, which is in the Word from the Lord that becomes Divine celestial when it comes down to the inmost or third heaven, and becomes Divine spiritual when it comes down therefrom to the middle or second heaven, and becomes Divine celestial-natural or spiritual-natural when it comes down from that heaven to the ultimate or first heaven, and when it comes down therefrom into the world becomes a Divine natural Word, such as it is with us in the letter. These successive derivations of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord Himself exist by virtue of correspondences, established from creation itself, between things higher and lower, respecting which, the Lord willing, more will be said hereafter.
[3] All strength and all power are in the ultimates of Divine truth, thus in the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of the letter, because this sense is the containant of all the interior senses, that is, of the spiritual and celestial (spoken of above); and as it is the containant it is also the base, and in the base lies strength itself. For if higher things do not rest upon their base they fall and are scattered. So would it be if the spiritual and celestial things of the Word did not rest upon its natural or literal sense, for this not only sustains the interior senses, but also contains them, consequently the Word or Divine truth is not only in its power, but also in its fullness in this sense. (But on this subject more may be seen above; namely, that strength is in the ultimate, because the Divine is there in its fullness, n. 346, 567. That interior things flow in successively into exteriors, even into the most external or ultimate, and that they coexist there, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 634, 6239, 6465, 9215, 9216; that they not only flow in successively, but also form in their ultimate what is simultaneous, in what order, n. 5897, 6451, 8603, 10099. That therefore there is strength and power in ultimates, n. 9836; that therefore responses and revelations were given in ultimates, n. 9905, 10548; that therefore the ultimate is more holy than the interiors, n. 9824.) From this, too, it follows that everything of doctrine of the church ought to be formed and confirmed from the literal sense of the Word, and that also doctrine has its power from that (see above, n. 356). This is why the “angel coming down out of heaven” is said to be “strong.” That “angel” in the Word means in the highest sense the Lord, in a relative sense every recipient of Divine truth from the Lord, and in an abstract sense Divine truth itself, may be seen above (n. 130, 302); here, therefore, “angel” means the Lord as to the Word, because the Word is Divine truth itself. That the Lord Himself is here meant by “angel” can be seen from a like representation of the Lord Himself as to face and feet in the first chapter of this book, where it is said of the Son of man, who is the Lord:
That His face shone as the sun in his power, and that His feet were like unto burnished brass glowing in a furnace (verses 15, 16).

sRef Rev@10 @1 S0′ 594. Encompassed with a cloud, signifies the ultimate of the Word. This is evident from the signification of “encompassed,” as being by what is outside of one, for that which is round about is also without, for it is more remote in the circumference; so here it means the ultimate. Also from the signification of a “cloud,” as being Divine truth in ultimates, consequently the Word in the sense of the letter. This signification of “cloud” is evident from appearances in the spiritual world; also from the Word wherever “clouds” are mentioned. From appearances in the spiritual world, as follows: the universal angelic heaven consists solely of the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord; the reception of this constitutes angels. In the highest heaven this truth appears like a pure aura which is called ether; in the next lower heaven as less pure, almost like the atmosphere that is called air; in the lowest heaven it appears like something thinly aqueous over which is a vapor like a cloud; such is the appearance of Divine truth according to degrees in its descent. There is a like appearance when angels of the higher heavens speak about Divine truths; what they say is then presented to the view of those who are in the lowest heaven under the appearance of a cloud that floats hither and thither; the more intelligent of them know from its movement and brightness and form what the angels of the higher heavens are speaking about with each other. This makes evident why a “cloud” signifies Divine truth in ultimates. As most things in the Word were taken from the appearances in the spiritual world, and thence have a like significance as they have there, so is it with “clouds.”
sRef Matt@17 @5 S2′ sRef Matt@17 @3 S2′ sRef Matt@17 @2 S2′ sRef Matt@17 @4 S2′ sRef Luke@9 @34 S2′ sRef Matt@17 @1 S2′ sRef Luke@9 @35 S2′ [2] That a “cloud” signifies in the Word the sense of the letter, which is Divine truth in ultimates, can be seen from the following passages. In the Gospels:
Jesus took Peter, James, and John into a high mountain; and He was transfigured before them; and His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became as the light. And behold, there appeared Moses and Elijah speaking with Him. While Peter was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him (Matt. 17:1-10; Mark 9:1-11).
And in Luke:
While Peter thus spake there came a cloud and overshadowed them; hence they feared as they entered into the cloud. But there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son; hear ye Him (9:34, 35).
In this transfiguration the Lord represented Divine truth, which is the Word; for the Lord, when He was in the world, made His Human Divine truth, and when He went out of the world He made His Human Divine good by uniting it with the Divine Itself, that was in Him from conception. (That the Lord made His Human Divine truth when He was in the world, and afterwards Divine good, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 303-306; and that the Lord is the Word, n. 263.) Consequently the particular things that were seen when He was transfigured signify the proceeding of Divine truth from the Lord’s Divine good. The Divine good of Divine love which was in Him, and from which He had Divine truth in His Human, was represented by “His face did shine as the sun;” for the “face” represents the interiors, since these shine forth through the face; and the “sun” signifies the Divine love (see above, n. 401, 412). The Divine truth was represented by the “garments” which became as the light; “garments” in the Word signify truths, and “the Lord’s garments” Divine truth (see also above, n. 64, 271, 395); this is why they appeared “as the light;” for Divine truth makes the light in the angelic heaven, and is therefore signified by “light” in the Word (respecting which see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140). Because it was the Word, which is Divine truth, that was represented, therefore “there appeared Moses and Elijah speaking with Him;” “Moses and Elijah” signifying the Word; “Moses” the historical Word, and “Elijah” the prophetical Word. The Word in the letter was represented by the “cloud that overshadowed the disciples, and into which they entered;” for the “disciples” represented in the Word the church, which at that time and afterwards was only in truths from the sense of the letter; and because, as has been said in the article above, revelations and responses are made by Divine truth in ultimates, and because this truth is such as is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, it came to pass that “a voice was heard out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him,” meaning that He is Divine truth, or the Word.
sRef Dan@7 @13 S3′ sRef Rev@14 @14 S3′ sRef Matt@24 @30 S3′ sRef Rev@1 @7 S3′ [3] He who does not know that a “cloud” in the spiritual sense of the Word means the Word in the letter, cannot know what arcanum is involved in this:
That in the consummation of the age they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory (Matt. 24:30; Mark 13:26; 14:61, 62; Luke 21:27).
And in Revelation:
Behold, Jesus Christ cometh with the clouds and every eye shall see Him (1:7).
And again:
I saw, and behold a white cloud, and on the cloud One sat like unto the Son of man (14:14).
And in Daniel:
I was seeing in the night visions, and behold, there was coming with the clouds of the heavens one like the Son of man (7:13).
He who is ignorant that “the clouds of heaven” signify the truths of the Word in the sense of the letter, cannot know otherwise than that in the consummation of the age, that is, in the end of the church, the Lord is to come in the clouds of heaven, and manifest Himself to the world; but it is well known that since the Word was given, the Lord manifests Himself through that only, for the Word, which is Divine truth, is the Lord Himself in heaven and in the church. From this it can now be seen that the manifestation here predicted signifies His manifestation in the Word; and His manifestation in the Word was effected through His opening and revealing the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, for in that sense is the Divine truth itself, such as it is in heaven, and the Divine truth in heaven is the Lord Himself there. This makes clear that “the Lord’s coming in the clouds of heaven with glory” signifies the revelation of Him in the sense of the letter of the Word from its spiritual sense. “The clouds of heaven” signify the things belonging to the sense of the letter, and “glory” signifies those belonging to the spiritual sense (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 1), also the revelation itself of the spiritual sense (in the small work on The White Horse); “Son of man” also signifies the Lord in relation to Divine truth (as may be seen above, n. 63, 151).
sRef Isa@19 @1 S4′ [4] That a “cloud” signifies Divine truth in ultimates, consequently the Word in the sense of the letter, can be seen further from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Behold, Jehovah rideth upon a light cloud, and cometh into Egypt, and the idols of Egypt are moved before Him, and the heart of the Egyptian melteth in the midst of him (19:1).
“Egypt” here does not mean Egypt, but the natural man when separated from the spiritual, which is then in falsities and evils, and through these perverts all the truths and goods of the church; that the natural man is destroyed by these falsities and evils when truth from good flows in from the Lord is described by these words of the prophet understood in the internal sense. Jehovah is said “to ride upon a light cloud” to signify that the Lord enlightens the understanding with truths; “to ride” in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, signifying to enlighten the understanding, and “a light cloud” signifying truth; that then “the idols of Egypt are moved, and the heart of the Egyptian melteth,” signifies that the evils and falsities of the natural man, separated from the spiritual, then destroy the natural man; “idols” meaning falsities, the “heart” evils, and “Egypt” the natural man.
sRef Deut@33 @26 S5′ sRef Deut@33 @27 S5′ [5] In Moses:
There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth in heaven and in His magnificence upon the clouds, the abode of the God of antiquity, and underneath are the arms of the world (Deut. 33:26, 27).
Here, too, “riding in heaven upon the clouds” signifies to enlighten the understanding by the influx of spiritual truth into natural truth, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word. Because Divine truth in the heavens is spiritual, and Divine truth on the earth is natural, and the latter is enlightened by the former, therefore it is said, “and in His magnificence upon the clouds;” “the abode of the God of antiquity” means Divine truth with the angels, and “the arms of the world,” mean Divine truths with men; the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word are what are meant by “the arms of the world,” for that sense is the very strength of Divine truth, “arms” signifying strength. (That the strength of Divine truth is in the sense of the letter can be seen in the article just above.)
sRef Ps@18 @10 S6′ sRef Ps@18 @11 S6′ sRef Ps@18 @12 S6′ [6] In David:
God rode upon a cherub and did fly, and was borne upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His hiding place; His tent round about Him the darkness of waters, the clouds of the heavens. At the brightness before Him the clouds passed (Ps. 18:10-12).
This, too, describes the enlightenment of the Word, and thus of the church; enlightenment by the influx of Divine truth from the heavens is signified by “God rode upon a cherub and did fly;” Divine truth in ultimates which is enlightened is signified by “the wings of the wind,” “the darkness of waters,” and “the clouds of the heavens,” these signifying the various degrees of the understanding receiving enlightenment; that the obscurities of the ultimate sense are thereby dissipated is meant by “at the brightness before Him the clouds passed.”
sRef Ezek@10 @3 S7′ sRef Ps@68 @4 S7′ sRef Ezek@10 @4 S7′ [7] In the same:
Sing unto God, praise His name; extol Him that rideth upon the clouds (Ps. 68:4).
Here, too, “Him that rideth upon the clouds” means the Lord as to enlightenment; “clouds” meaning truths in ultimates, which are enlightened, and these are enlightened by the influx of light, which is Divine truth, from the spiritual world or heaven.
sRef Nahum@1 @3 S8′ [8] In Nahum:
Jehovah hath His way in the storm and in the tempest, and the clouds are the dust of His feet (1:3).
Truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, is called “clouds, the dust of the feet of Jehovah,” because it is the natural and lowest truth, into which Divine truth in heaven, which is spiritual, closes, and upon which it subsists. Divine truth in ultimates, because it is but little understood unless there is enlightenment from heaven, is a subject of discussion and controversy, and this is meant by “storm and tempest in which Jehovah hath His way,” spiritual “storm and tempest” meaning discussion concerning the genuine sense, which nevertheless, with those who desire truth, the Lord enlightens by means of influx.
sRef Ps@89 @37 S9′ sRef Ps@89 @36 S9′ [9] In David:
His seed shall be to eternity, and His throne as the sun before Thee.* It shall be established as the moon to eternity, and as a faithful witness in the clouds (Ps. 89:36, 37).
This is said of the Lord, and the “seed that shall be to eternity” signifies Divine truth which is from Him. The “throne that shall be as the sun and as the moon” signifies heaven and the church as to the good of love and as to the truth of faith; “throne” signifying heaven and the church; “as the sun” in respect to the good of love, and “as the moon” in respect to the truth of faith. “A faithful witness in the clouds” signifies that He is Divine truth, for “witness” in reference to the Lord, signifies that which proceeds from Him, and as that is His, it witnesses respecting Him.
sRef Ps@104 @3 S10′ [10] In the same:
Jehovah layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters; He maketh the cloud** His chariot; He walketh upon the wings of the wind (Ps. 104:3).
These few words describe heaven and the church, and at the same time doctrine from the Word. “He layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters” signifies that the Lord forms the heavens and the church from Divine truths; “waters” signify Divine truths; “Jehovah’s chambers” signify the heavens and the church, and “to lay beams” signifies to form. “He maketh the clouds His chariot” signifies doctrine from ultimate Divine truths; “clouds” meaning ultimate Divine truths, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word, and a “chariot” doctrine; this is said because every doctrine of the church is to be formed from and confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word. “He walketh upon the wings of the wind” signifies the life which doctrine has from spiritual influx; “to walk” signifying to live, and in reference to the Lord life itself; “the wings of the wind” mean the spiritual things of the Word. (That “waters” signify truths, see above, n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538.)
sRef Isa@5 @6 S11′ [11] In Isaiah:
I will lay waste My vineyard, I will even command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it (5:6).
This means that the church shall have no understanding of Divine truth or of the Word; “vineyard” signifying the church, “clouds” the Word in the letter, and “their raining no rain,” that there shall be no understanding of Divine truth from the Word.
sRef Ps@147 @8 S12′ [12] In David:
Jehovah who covereth the heavens with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains (Ps. 147:8).
“To cover the heavens with clouds” signifies to defend and preserve the spiritual things of the Word which are in the heavens, by means of natural truths such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word; “who prepareth rain for the earth” signifies instruction therefrom for the church; “who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains” signifies nourishment thereby for those who are in the good of love.
sRef Judg@5 @4 S13′ sRef Isa@45 @8 S13′ [13] The like is signified by the following words in Isaiah:
Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds stream down with righteousness; let the earth open and bring forth the fruit of salvation (45:8).
And in Judges:
Jehovah, when Thou didst go forth out of Seir, when Thou didst march out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, yea, the clouds dropped waters (5:4).
“To go forth out of Seir, and to march out of the field of Edom,” signifies, in reference to Jehovah, the enlightenment of the Gentiles by the Lord when He assumed the Human; “the earth trembling” signifies the state of the church then changed; “the heavens dropped, and the clouds dropped waters,” signifies instruction, influx, and perception of Divine truth; “to drop” signifying instruction and influx; “waters” truths; “the heavens” the interior things of truth, and “clouds,” the exterior, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word.
sRef Job@26 @9 S14′ sRef Ps@77 @17 S14′ sRef Job@26 @8 S14′ [14] In David:
The clouds poured out waters; the skies gave forth a voice, and Thine arrows went forth (Ps. 77:17).
“The clouds poured out waters” signifies that there are genuine truths from the sense of the letter of the Word; “the skies gave forth a voice” signifies influx from the heavens; “Thine arrows went forth” signifies Divine truths therefrom. In Job:
God bindeth up the waters in His clouds, and the cloud is not rent under them. He spreadeth His cloud upon His throne (26:8, 9).
Here, too, “clouds” stand for truths ultimate in order, and because these contain in themselves and enclose spiritual truths that they may not be dispersed, this is described and signified by “God bindeth up the waters in His clouds, and the cloud is not rent;” because exterior truths, which are called natural, also encompass and enclose interior truths, which are called spiritual, and are proper to the angels of the heavens, this is described and signified by “He spreadeth His cloud upon His throne.”
sRef Isa@4 @5 S15′ sRef Isa@18 @4 S15′ [15] In Isaiah:
Jehovah said, I will be quiet, and I will behold in My dwelling place like clear heat upon light, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (18:4);
a “cloud of dew” signifying truth bringing forth fruit from good. In the same:
Jehovah will create over every dwelling place of Mount Zion and upon her convocations a cloud by day, and a smoke and the brightness of a flame of fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a covering (Isa. 4:5).
“The dwelling place of Mount Zion” signifies the good of the celestial church, and “her convocations” signify the truths of that good; protection lest it should be hurt by too much light or too much shade is signified by “a cloud by day and a smoke, and the brightness of a flame of fire by night,” and as every spiritual good and truth is preserved from harm by natural good and truth, it is said that “upon all the glory shall be a covering,” “glory” meaning spiritual good and truth.
sRef Ex@33 @10 S16′ sRef Ex@33 @9 S16′ sRef Ex@14 @21 S16′ sRef Ex@14 @20 S16′ sRef Ex@19 @9 S16′ sRef Ex@14 @19 S16′ sRef Ex@24 @17 S16′ sRef Ex@24 @18 S16′ sRef Ex@24 @16 S16′ sRef Ps@105 @38 S16′ sRef Ex@24 @15 S16′ sRef Ps@78 @14 S16′ sRef Ex@19 @16 S16′ sRef Ex@34 @5 S16′ sRef Ex@19 @18 S16′ sRef Ex@13 @21 S16′ sRef Ps@105 @39 S16′ [16] The same is signified by:
The cloud that was upon the tabernacle by day, and the fire by night (Exod. 40:36-38; Num. 9:15-17 to the end; 10:11, 12, 34; 14:14; Deut. 1:33).
Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire (Exod. 13:21).
The pillar of the cloud stood between the camp of the sons of Israel and the camp of the Egyptians (Exod. 14:19-21).
In David:
God led them in the daytime in a cloud, and all the night in the light of fire (Ps. 78:14).
And elsewhere in the same:
Egypt was glad when they went forth, for the dread of them had fallen upon them. He spread out a cloud for a covering, and fire to make light the night (Ps. 105:38, 39).
“There was a cloud upon the tabernacle by day, and a fire by night,” because the “tabernacle” represented heaven and the church, the “cloud” the Lord’s presence through Divine truth, and the “fire” His presence through Divine good, which is called the good of faith, each ultimate in order; therefore they were as coverings over the tabernacle; for this reason it is said in the passages cited above from Isaiah and David, “over all the glory shall be a covering,” and “He spread out a cloud for a covering.”
The like is signified by:
The cloud that covered Mount Horeb, into which cloud Moses entered (Exod. 24:15-18).
And the like by:
The cloud in which Jehovah came down upon Mount Sinai (Exod. 19:16, 18; 34:5).
And the like by:
The pillar of cloud that stood at the door of Moses’ tent (Exod. 33:9, 10).
sRef Job@37 @15 S17′ sRef Ezek@1 @4 S17′ [17] So again of the “cloud” in Ezekiel:
I looked, and behold a wind of a tempest came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself in itself, and a brightness round about it (1:4).
And in the same:
The cherubim stood on the right side of the house when the man entered in; and the cloud filled the inner court; and the glory of Jehovah mounted up from above the cherub upon the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of Jehovah’s glory (10:3, 4).
The “cherubim” signify the Lord in respect to guarding, that there be no approach except through the good of love; so, too, the “cherubim” signify the heavens, in particular the inmost or third heaven, because the angels who are there receive Divine truth in the good of love, therefore it is Divine truth, which is in its essence the good of love, that guards. This Divine truth, as it comes down out of the inmost heaven into the lower heavens, and at length into the world where men are, from being pure becomes thus by degrees more dense, consequently in the lowest degree it appears like a cloud; this is why it signifies Divine truth accommodated to the apprehension of the angels who are in the lowest heaven, who are spiritual-natural, and finally to the apprehension of men in the natural world. Moreover, as Divine truth in this degree is similar to the Divine truth in the sense of the letter of the Word, “cloud” signifies the Word as to the sense of the letter. It was this Divine truth that filled the court like a cloud, and at length the house, at the right side of which stood the cherubim; and as this Divine truth is inwardly the spiritual that shines from heavenly light, therefore it is called “glory,” and it is said that “the court was full of the brightness of Jehovah’s glory.” Also in Job:
When God maketh the light of His cloud to be bright (37:15).
sRef Ps@148 @4 S18′ sRef Jer@51 @9 S18′ sRef Ps@68 @34 S18′ sRef Isa@14 @14 S18′ sRef Gen@1 @7 S18′ [18] Because the higher heavens appear before the eyes of those who are in the lower heavens as covered by a light and bright cloud (for the reason that the lower angels are unable to see the higher or interior Divine otherwise than in accordance with their own quality), therefore also Divine truth in the higher heavens, or what is the same thing, the higher heavens themselves, are meant in some passages in the Word by “clouds;” for whether you say Divine truth or the heavens it is the same, since the heavens are heavens from Divine truth, and the angels there are angels from the reception of Divine truth. It is in this sense that “clouds” are mentioned in Isaiah:
Lucifer, thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend above the heights of the cloud; I will become like the Most High (14:13, 14).
In Jeremiah:
Forsake Babylon, and let us go everyone into his own land; for her judgment hath reached even unto the heavens, and it hath lifted up itself even to the clouds (51:9).
And in David:
Give ye strength unto God; His excellency is over Israel, and His strength is above the clouds (Ps. 68:34).
The same is here signified by “clouds” as:
By the waters above the expanse (Gen. 1:7).
And by the waters above the heavens (Ps. 148:4);
for clouds consist of water. That “waters” signify Divine truths may be seen above (n. 71, 483, 518).
sRef Ezek@34 @12 S19′ sRef Deut@5 @22 S19′ sRef Deut@5 @26 S19′ sRef Ezek@30 @18 S19′ sRef Deut@5 @25 S19′ sRef Deut@5 @23 S19′ sRef Deut@5 @24 S19′ sRef Ezek@38 @9 S19′ sRef Joel@2 @2 S19′ [19] As there are clouds that are lighter and brighter, also clouds that are denser and blacker, and lighter and brighter clouds appear beneath the heavens, but dense and black clouds are seen about many of the hells, it is evident that “clouds” in the contrary sense signify the falsities of evil which are contrary to truths from good, as in the following passages. In Ezekiel:
Egypt a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity (30:18).
He shall ascend like a cloud to cover the land (38:9).
Sheep scattered in the day of cloud and thick darkness (34:12).
So the Last Judgment, when those who are in the falsities of evil are to perish, is called:
A day of cloud and of obscurity (Joel 2:2; Zeph. 1:15).
The like is signified by:
The clouds and thick darkness that appeared to the sons of Israel when the law was given from Mount Sinai (Deut. 4:11, 12, 15; 5:22-26);
for although Jehovah, that is, the Lord, came down upon that mountain in a bright cloud, yet it appeared before the eyes of the people, who were in the falsities of evil, as a thick dark cloud (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1861, 6832, 8814, 8819, 9434, 10551).
* Latin has “Thee,” the Hebrew “Me,” as found also in AE n. 205, 401, 684, 768.
** Latin has “cloud,” the Hebrew “clouds,” as found in AE n. 26, 283, 319.

sRef Rev@10 @1 S0′ 595. And the rainbow above his head, signifies the interior things of the Word. This is evident from the signification of the “rainbow,” as being Divine truth such as the Word is in the spiritual sense (of which presently); and from the signification of “above the head,” as being what is interior; for “above” and “higher” signify within and interior, as can be seen from this, that in heaven when interior is said higher is meant; for the heavens of the angels who are interior or interiorly wise appear also above the heavens of the angels who are more external or externally wise. For this reason the three heavens are distinguished from one another by their height, the inmost or third heaven appearing above the middle or second heaven, and this above the ultimate or first.
[2] “Higher” signifies interior, because when higher and lower things are together, that is, form what is simultaneous, as in the head of man, they exist together in such an order that those things that had in successive order existed above are placed within, and those that had in successive order existed below are placed without. This is why higher things signify interior things, and lower things signify exterior things. This may be illustrated to the comprehension by the idea of a surface, in the center of which are things purer, and in the circumferences things grosser; things higher and lower form such a surface when they are let down into one and make what is simultaneous. From this it can also be seen, what is signified by the “angel,” spoken of just above, “encompassed with a cloud,” since for the same reason and from the same idea, “to be encompassed” means by what is without and below.
[3] A “rainbow” signifies interior Divine truth, such as the Word is in the spiritual sense, because the light of heaven, like as the light of the world, according to its incidence upon objects and its modification in them, presents variegations of color and also rainbows; these it has also sometimes been granted me to see in the angelic heaven (as may be seen described in Arcana Coelestia, n. 1623-1625). But the rainbows that appear in the angelic heaven differ from the rainbows that appear in the world, in that the rainbows of heaven are from a spiritual origin, while the rainbows of the world are from a natural origin; for the rainbows of heaven are from the light that arises from the Lord as a sun, and as that sun is in its essence the Lord’s Divine love, and the light therefrom is Divine truth, the variegations of light which are presented as rainbows are variegations of intelligence and wisdom with the angels. From this it is that rainbows there signify the form and beauty of spiritual Divine truth. But the rainbows of the world are from a natural origin, namely, from the sun of the world and its light; therefore they are merely modifications and consequent variegations of light by waters that fall from a cloud. And because there are like appearances of color in the spiritual world as in the natural world, and because these correspond, therefore the rainbows of the world have a similar signification as the rainbows of heaven, namely, spiritual Divine truths in their form and beauty; these truths are such as those of the Word in the spiritual sense.
sRef Ezek@1 @26 S4′ sRef Ezek@1 @27 S4′ sRef Ezek@1 @28 S4′ [4] “Rainbows” have a similar signification in Ezekiel:
Above the expanse that was over the head* of the cherubim was the appearance of a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as of the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as it were the appearance of a living coal like the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins and upward; but from the appearance of his loins even downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about, as the appearance of a rainbow that is in the cloud in the day of rain so was the appearance of the glory round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Jehovah (Ezek. 26-28).
As the “cherubim” signify providence and guard that the Lord be not approached except through the good of love, there appeared a throne, and upon the throne the appearance of a man; “throne” signifying the universal heaven, and the “man upon the throne,” the Lord Himself; “the appearance of a living coal, like the appearance of fire from the appearance of his loins and upward,” signifies celestial Divine love, which reigns in the higher heavens, for the higher heavens are represented by the upper part of the body, from the loins upward, to which they correspond, for these heavens constitute that part in the Greatest Man, which is heaven; “fire like a living coal” signifies that love, so do the “loins,” for the “loins” correspond to the marriage of good and truth, which those have who are in the higher heavens; this is why heaven is called a “marriage,” and the Lord is called the “bridegroom” and “husband,” and heaven and the church the “bride” and “wife.” “From his loins downward he appeared like the brightness of fire which was like a rainbow” signifies the spiritual Divine love, which reigns in the lower heavens, for the region of the body from the loins down to the soles of the feet corresponds to that love; and because that love proceeds from celestial Divine love it is called “fire and its brightness;” Divine truth from the Divine good of love is what is bright and presents the appearance of a rainbow. This makes evident also that the translucence of spiritual Divine truth through natural Divine truth is what produces that appearance in the heavens, and consequently that is what it signifies (as was said above; but this can be more clearly understood from what is said on Heaven in the work on Heaven and Hell; that from the Lord’s Divine Human it represents One Man, n. 59-86; on the Correspondence of all Things of Heaven with all Things of Man, n. 87-102; and in the Arcana Coelestia, on the correspondence of the loins, n. 3021, 4280, 4462, 5050-5062).
sRef Gen@9 @15 S5′ sRef Gen@9 @16 S5′ sRef Gen@9 @17 S5′ sRef Gen@9 @14 S5′ sRef Gen@9 @12 S5′ sRef Gen@9 @13 S5′ [5] “The bow in the cloud” or the rainbow, has a similar signification in the book of Genesis:
God said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant which I give between Me and you and every living soul that is with you, unto the generations of an age. I have given My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. And it shall be in clouding Myself with a cloud over the earth that the bow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living soul in all flesh; and the waters shall no more be for a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I see it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living soul in all flesh that is upon the earth (9:12-17).
Unless it is known that there is a spiritual sense in every particular of the Word it may be supposed that the bow in the cloud, which is called a rainbow, appears for a sign that the earth shall no more be destroyed by a flood, and yet that bow exists from causes in nature, and is produced mediately when rays of light from the sun pass through the watery particles of rain from a cloud, which shows that like bows or rainbows existed before the flood. For this reason, in consequence of the correspondence between spiritual and natural things, such rainbows as are seen from the earth by men mean such rainbows as are seen by angels in the spiritual world, all of which arise from the light of heaven and its modification in the spiritual-natural sphere there, and thus from spiritual Divine truth, and its translucence in natural Divine truth; for all light in heaven is spiritual, and in its essence is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. From this it can be seen that “the bow in the cloud or rainbow” signifies spiritual Divine truth translucent through natural Divine truth, and there is such a translucence with those who are being reformed and regenerated by the Lord by means of Divine truth and a life according to it. In the heavens also this very translucence appears as a rainbow. “The sign of a covenant” signifies the Lord’s presence and conjunction with such, for “covenant” signifies conjunction. This sign was given because the “flood,” by which the human race was then destroyed, signifies the direful falsities of evil, from which the posterity of the Most Ancient Church perished. The restoration and the establishment of a new church, called the Ancient Church, by Divine truth conjoined to spiritual good, which in its essence is charity, are what rainbows representatively manifest in heaven and thence signify in the world. (But as these words involve more arcana than can be explained briefly, see for a detailed explanation of them Arcana Coelestia, n. 1031-1059.)
* Latin has “expanse,” the Hebrew “the head,” as is also found in AE n. 253, 280, 297.

sRef Rev@10 @1 S0′ 596. And his face as the sun, signifies the Lord’s Divine love, from which is all Divine truth, which in heaven and in the church is the Word. This is evident from the signification of “face,” as being in reference to the Lord the Divine love, the Divine mercy, and every good (of which above, n. 74, 412); and from the signification of the “sun,” which also means in reference to the Lord the Divine love (of which above, n. 401, 525, 527); and as all light in the angelic heaven proceeds from the Lord, as a sun, and light there is Divine truth, it means also from which is all Divine truth; and because the Word includes all Divine truth, and the same Word that is in the world is also in heaven, and because “the strong angel coming down out of heaven” means the Lord as to the Word (as may be seen above, n. 593), therefore it is said, the Divine truth which in heaven and in the church is the Word. (That the same Word that is in the world is also in heaven, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 259, 261, 303-310.)

sRef Matt@22 @39 S0′ sRef Matt@22 @38 S0′ sRef Matt@22 @37 S0′ sRef Rev@10 @1 S0′ sRef Matt@22 @40 S0′ 597. And his feet as pillars of fire, signifies Divine truth, or the Word in ultimates, which is natural, sustaining interior things there, and full of the good of love. This is evident from the signification of “feet,” as being in reference to the Lord the Divine good of natural Divine love, which is the ultimate in Divine order (see above, n. 65, 69); from the signification of “pillars,” as being lower truths which sustain the higher (see above, n. 219); and from the signification of “fire,” as being in reference to the Lord the Divine love (see also above, n. 68, 496, 504). From this it can be seen that “the feet of the angel seen as pillars of fire” signify Divine truth or the Word in ultimates, which, as the natural sustaining interior things, is full of the good of love. Divine truth in ultimates means the Word in the sense of the letter; and because this sense is natural, and the natural is the ultimate of Divine order, therefore this is what sustains spiritual and celestial Divine truth, exactly as pillars sustain a house or feet sustain the body; for without the natural sense of the Word its interiors, which are spiritual and celestial, would fall apart, like a house when its pillars are removed. Each and all things, therefore, that are in the natural or ultimate sense of the Word are perpetual correspondences, that is, they correspond to the spiritual and celestial things that are in the heavens, and thus also they signify them. From this it can in some measure be seen how natural Divine truth, which is the Word in the world, sustains spiritual and celestial Divine truth, which is Divine truth in heaven, as pillars sustain a house. This makes clear also why the feet of the angel were seen as “pillars of fire.” Moreover, that the Word in its ultimate or natural sense is full of the good of love can be seen from these words of the Lord:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and in all thy soul and in all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang the whole law and the prophets (Matt. 22:37-40).
“The law and the prophets” mean the Word in all things and in every particular; consequently these words mean that each and all things in the Word hang upon the good of love to the Lord, and the good of charity toward the neighbor.

sRef Rev@10 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@10 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@10 @4 S0′ 598. Verses 2-4. And he had in his hand a little book opened, and he set his right foot upon the sea, and the left upon the earth. And he cried out with a great voice, as a lion roareth; and when he cried out the seven thunders spoke their voices. And when the seven thunders had spoken their voices I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up the things which the seven thunders spoke, and write them not. 2. “And he had in his hand a little book opened,” signifies the Word laid open (n. 599); “and he set his right foot upon the sea, and the left upon the earth,” signifies the sense of the letter, which is natural, in which are all things of heaven and the church (n. 600). 3. “And he cried out with a great voice, as a lion roareth,” signifies the testification of grievous distress on account of the desolation of Divine truth in the church (n. 601); “and when he cried out the seven thunders spake their voices,” signifies instruction from heaven, and perception respecting the last state of the church (n. 602). 4. “And when the seven thunders had spoken their voices I was about to write,” signifies that he wished to disclose that state (n. 603); “and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up the things which the seven thunders spake, and write them not,” signifies command by the Lord that these things should be reserved, and not yet be disclosed (n. 604).

sRef Rev@10 @2 S0′ 599. Verse 2. And he had in his hand a little book opened, signifies the Word laid open. This is evident from the signification of “a little book opened,” as being the Word laid open. It can be seen that this is what is meant by “the little book opened,” since “the strong angel coming down out of heaven, who had in his hand a little book,” represented the Lord as to the Word, and in fact, as to its ultimate sense, which is called the sense of the letter (see above, n. 593); and because the Word was laid open both to angels and men it is said “a little book opened.”

sRef Rev@10 @2 S0′ 600. And he set his right foot upon the sea, and the left upon the earth, signifies the sense of the letter, which is natural, in which are all things of heaven and the church. This is evident from the signification of “feet,” as being in reference to the angel, by whom is meant the Lord in relation to the Word, the Divine truth in ultimates, or the Word in the natural sense, which is the sense of the letter (see above, n. 65, 69). “Feet” in a general sense signify natural things, because man from the head to the soles of the feet corresponds to heaven, which in its whole complex represents one man, the head corresponding to the inmost or third heaven, the angels of which are celestial, the breast down to the loins corresponding to the middle or second heaven, the angels of which are called spiritual, and the feet corresponding to the ultimate or first heaven, the angels of which are celestial-natural and spiritual-natural; and the soles of the feet corresponding to the world, in which everything is natural. This makes clear why the “feet” signify natural things (see more on this correspondence in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 59-86, and 87-102).
[2] From this it is now evident why “the feet of the angel,” who here represented the Lord as to the Word, signify the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter. The above is evident also from the signification of “the right foot upon the sea and the left upon the earth,” as being all things of heaven and the church; for the “right”* signifies all things of good which is the source of truth, and the “left” all things of truth from good; and “the sea and the earth” signify all things of heaven and the church exterior and interior, the “sea” exterior things, and the “earth” interior things. And as all things of heaven and the church have relation to good and truth, also to things exterior and things interior, therefore these words signify in general all things of heaven and the church. The angel was seen to stand “upon the sea and upon the earth,” because there is a similar appearance of things in the spiritual world as in the natural world; that is, in the spiritual world as in the natural world there are seas and lands, seas round about and lands between them (see above, n. 275, 342, 538). This shows why “sea and earth” signify all things of heaven and also of the church.
[3] As “right and left” are mentioned in many passages in the Word, and in some places “right” alone, or “left” alone, I will explain in a few words what is signified by each of them, and by the two together. This can be known from the quarters in the spiritual world, where the south is to the right, and the north to the left, and the east in front, and the west behind. An angel perpetually faces the Lord as a sun, therefore before him is the Lord as the east, and behind him the Lord as the west, and at his right hand is the south, and at his left hand the north. It is from this way of facing that the “right” signifies truth in light, and the “left” truth in shade; or what is the same, that the “right” signifies spiritual good which is truth in light, and the “left” signifies spiritual truth which is truth in shade; so, too, the “right” signifies good which is a source of truth, and the “left” truth from good. Such is the signification of all the right and left parts of the body, and also of the head; as the right and left eye, the right and left hand, the right and left foot, and so on, the proper signification of each member or part being preserved. From these few statements it can be known what “right” and “left” signify, in general and in particular, in the Word of both the New and the Old Testaments, as in the following passages.
sRef Matt@6 @4 S4′ sRef Matt@6 @3 S4′ [4] In Matthew:
When thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what the right hand doeth, that thine alms may be in secret (Matt. 6:3, 4).
This signifies that good is to be done from good and for the sake of good, and not on account of self and the world for the sake of appearance; “alms” mean every good work; and “let not the left hand know what the right hand doeth” signifies that good must be done from good itself, and not without good, since that would not be good. The “right hand” signifies good which is a source of truth, and the “left hand” truth from good, as has been said above; these act as one in those who are in the good of love and charity, but not as one in those who have regard to self and the world in the goods they do; therefore the “left hand” means here to know and to act without good. “That thine alms may be in secret” signifies that it may not be for the sake of appearance.
sRef Matt@25 @41 S5′ sRef Matt@25 @34 S5′ sRef Matt@25 @33 S5′ [5] In the same:
And the King shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left; and He shall say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess as inheritance the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And He shall say unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:33, 34, 41).
He who does not know what is signified in the proper sense by “sheep” and what by “goats,” might suppose that “sheep” mean all who are good, and “goats” all who are evil; but in the proper sense “sheep” mean those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor, and thence in faith, and “goats” mean those who are in faith separated from charity; thus all upon whom the judgment in the last time of the church will come; for all who were in the good of love to the Lord, and thence in the good of charity and faith, had been taken up into heaven before the Last Judgment; while all who were in no good of charity, and in no faith therefrom, consequently all who were inwardly and at the same time outwardly evil, had been cast down into hell before the Last Judgment; but those who were inwardly good and not equally so outwardly, also those who were inwardly evil but outwardly in good, were all left until the Last Judgment, when those who were inwardly good were taken up into heaven, and those who were inwardly evil were cast into hell (respecting this see what has been said from things seen and heard, in the little work on The Last Judgment). From this it can be seen that “goats” mean those who have been in faith separated from charity; as for instance:
The he-goat in Daniel (8:5-25), and in Ezekiel (34:17).
This makes evident that the “right hand,” where the “sheep” are, means the good of charity and of faith therefrom, and the “left hand,” where the “goats” are, means faith separated from charity. It was said to the sheep that they should “possess as inheritance the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world,” because in the heavens at the right is the south, where all those are who are in truths from good; for in the southern part the Divine proceeding itself is such as is meant by “the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world.” So, too, they are called “the blessed of My Father,” the “Father” meaning the Divine good, from which are all things of heaven. But respecting the “goats,” that are on the left hand, it is not said “prepared from the foundation of the world,” but “the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels,” because the evil prepare their hell for themselves. They are called “cursed” because by the “cursed” in the Word are meant all who turn themselves away from the Lord, for such reject the charity and faith of the church. What the “eternal fire” signifies may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 566-575).
sRef Matt@27 @38 S6′ [6] The “two robbers who were crucified one of them on the right hand and the other on the left hand of the Lord” (Matt. 27:38; Mark 15:27; Luke 23:39-43), have a similar signification as the “sheep” and the “goats;” therefore to the one who acknowledged the Lord it was said that he should be with Him in paradise.
sRef John@21 @6 S7′ [7] In John:
Jesus said to the disciples who were fishing, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, then ye shall find. They cast, therefore, and they were no longer able to draw it for the multitude of fishes (21:6).
Since “fishing” signifies in the Word the instruction and conversion of men who are in external or natural good, in which good were most of the Gentiles at that time, “fish” signifying the things of the natural man, and “boat” doctrine from the Word; therefore “the right side of the boat” signifies the good of life. This makes clear the signification of what the Lord said, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” namely, that they should teach the good of life. That they would thus convert the Gentiles to the church is signified by their finding in such abundance that “they were not able to draw the net for the multitude of fishes.” Anyone can see that the Lord would not have commanded them “to cast the net on the right side of the ship” unless the “right side” had been significative.
sRef Matt@5 @30 S8′ sRef Matt@5 @29 S8′ aRef Matt@5 @28 S8′ [8] In Matthew:
If thy right eye hath caused thee to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from thee. And if thy right hand hath caused thee to stumble, cut it off and cast it from thee (5:29, 30).
That by the “right eye” and the “right hand” the Lord did not mean the right eye and the right hand, anyone can see from its being said that the eye “must be plucked out” and the hand “must be cut off” if they cause to stumble; but as the “eye” signifies in the spiritual sense everything belonging to the understanding and to thought therefrom, and the “right hand” everything belonging to the will and to affection therefrom, it is evident that “if the right eye hath caused thee to stumble it must be plucked out” signifies that if one thinks evil the evil must be rejected from the thought; also “if the right hand hath caused thee to stumble it must be cut off” signifies that if evil is willed the evil of the will must be cast out. For the eye itself cannot cause to stumble, nor can the right hand, but the thought of the understanding and the affection of the will, to which they correspond, can. It is said the “right eye” and the “right hand,” and not the left eye and the left hand, because the “right” signifies good, and in the contrary sense evil, while the “left” hand signifies truth, and in the contrary sense falsity, and all cause of stumbling comes from evil, not from falsity, unless the falsity is the falsity of evil. That these things are said of the internal man, whose part it is to think and to will, and not of the external, whose part it is to see and to act, is evident also from the words that immediately precede respecting the “woman of another,” that merely looking upon her from lust is committing adultery.
sRef Matt@20 @22 S9′ sRef Matt@20 @23 S9′ [9] In the Gospels:
The mother of the sons of Zebedee asked Jesus that one of her sons should sit on the right hand and the other on the left in His kingdom. Jesus said, Ye know not what ye ask; to sit on My right hand and on My left hand is not Mine to give except to those to whom it is given by the Father (Matt. 20:20-23; Mark 10:35-40).
“The mother of the sons of Zebedee,” James and John, asked this, because by “mother” the church is meant; by “James” charity, and by “John” the good of charity in act; these two, or those who are in them, are at the right hand and the left of the Lord in heaven; to the right there is the south, and to the left is the north, and in the south are those who are in the light of truth from clear good, and in the north are those who are in the light of truth from obscure good. The Divine itself proceeding from the Lord as a sun produces such a Divine sphere in those quarters; for this reason none can possibly dwell there except those who are in those truths from good; this is the signification of “to sit on the right hand and on the left hand of the Lord is for those only to whom it has been given, or for whom it has been prepared by the Father;” “the Father” meaning the Divine good of the Divine love, from which is heaven and everything of heaven; so these words of the Lord mean that to sit on His right hand and on His left in the heavens is given by the Lord to those for whom it has been prepared from the foundation of the world to have an inheritance allotted to them in the south and in the north.
sRef Ps@89 @11 S10′ sRef Ps@89 @12 S10′ [10] That the “right hand” means the south in the heavens is clearly evident in David:
The heavens are Thine, and the earth is Thine; the world and the fullness thereof, Thou hast founded them; the north and the right hand Thou hast created (Ps. 89:11, 12).
“Heaven and earth” means the higher and lower heavens, likewise the internal and external church; the “world and the fullness thereof” means the heavens and the church in general as to good and truth; the “world” heaven and the church as to good, and the “fullness thereof” heaven and the church as to truth; and as these principles, or those who are in them, are in the north and in the south, and the south is at the Lord’s right hand, it is said “the north and the right hand;” and as Divine truth united to Divine good in those quarters is such from the foundation of the world, as has been said above, it is said, “Thou hast founded” and “Thou hast created.”
sRef Isa@30 @21 S11′ sRef Isa@30 @20 S11′ [11] In Isaiah:
The Lord hath given you the bread of distress and the waters of oppression; but thine instructors shall not be made to fly away anymore, and thine eyes shall look again to thine instructors; and thine ears shall hear the word saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye shall go to the right and when ye shall go to the left (Isa. 30:20, 21).
This treats of those who are in temptations, and who, by means of temptations and after temptations, accept and receive instruction in the truths of doctrine; temptations themselves are signified by “the bread of distress and the waters of oppression,” “bread of distress” signifying temptations in respect to the good of love, and “waters of oppression” temptations in respect to the truths of faith; for temptations are of two kinds, namely, in respect to the good which is of love, and in respect to the truth which is of faith; “bread” signifying the good of love, and “waters” the truths of faith, and “distress” and “oppression” states of temptation. Instruction in the truths of doctrine is signified by “thine eyes shall look again to thine instructors,” “eyes” signifying the understanding and faith, and “instructors” doctrine. The good of life according to the truths of doctrine is signified by “thine ears shall hear the word,” “ears” signifying obedience, and because obedience is of the life, so “to hear the word” signifies a life according to the truths of doctrine. Instruction and obedience are further described by “saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye shall go to the right hand and when ye shall go to the left;” “way” signifies truth leading, truth leading to the south in heaven is meant by “going to the right,” and truth leading to the north there by “going to the left.”
sRef Isa@54 @2 S12′ sRef Isa@54 @3 S12′ [12] In the same:
Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; hinder not; make long thy cords, and make firm thy stakes; for on the right hand and on the left thou shalt break forth; and thy seed shall inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited (Isa. 54:2, 3).
This treats of the establishment of the church among the Gentiles; and “Enlarge the place of thy tent” signifies the increase of the church in respect to the worship from good; “to stretch forth the curtains of the habitations” signifies the increase of the church in respect to the truths of doctrine; “to make long the cords” signifies the extension of these truths; “to make firm the stakes” signifies confirmation from the Word; “to break forth on the right hand and on the left” signifies enlargement in respect to the good of charity and the truth of faith; “on the right” meaning in respect to the good of charity, and “on the left” in respect to the truth of faith from that good; “the seed which shall inherit the nations” signifies truth through which are goods; “seed” meaning truth, and “nations” goods; “the desolate cities which the nations shall make to be inhabited,” signify the truths from goods of life; “the desolate cities” meaning the truths of doctrine where there were no truths before; “nations” meaning the goods of life from which are truths, and “to inhabit” meaning to live.
sRef Isa@9 @19 S13′ sRef Isa@9 @20 S13′ sRef Isa@9 @21 S13′ [13] In the same:
In the wrath of Jehovah of Hosts the land has been obscured, and the people have become as the fuel of the fire; they shall not spare a man his brother; and if he shall cut down** on the right hand he shall still be hungry, and if he shall eat on the left hand they shall not be satisfied; they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm (Isa. 9:19-21).
This describes the extinction of good by falsity, and of truth by evil; the extinction of all good and truth, however it is sought for, is signified by “if he shall cut down on the right hand he shall still be hungry, and if he shall eat on the left hand they shall not be satisfied;” “the right hand” meaning good from which is truth; “the left hand” truth from good; “to cut down and to eat of these” means to search for; “to be hungry and not to be satisfied” means not to be found, or if found, still not received. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 386.)
sRef Ezek@1 @10 S14′ [14] In Ezekiel:
This was the likeness of the faces of the cherubim, the four had the face of a man and the face of a lion on the right side, and the face of an ox on the left side; the four also had the face of an eagle (1:10).
What is signified by the “cherubim” and by their “faces” which were like the faces of a man, of a lion, of an ox, and of an eagle, may be seen above (n. 277-281). The faces of the man and of the lion were seen “on the right side” because “man” signifies Divine truth in light and intelligence, and a “lion” Divine truth in power therefrom, such as it is in heaven in the south; and the face of the ox was seen “on the left side,” to signify the good of truth in obscurity, for an “ox” signifies the good of the natural man, which is in obscurity in those who in heaven dwell to the north.
sRef Zech@12 @6 S15′ [15] In Zechariah:
In that day will I make the leaders of Judah like a furnace of fire among wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf, that they may devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left, that Jerusalem may yet dwell in her own place in Jerusalem (12:6).
This treats of the establishment of a celestial church, or of a church that will be in the good of love to the Lord; that church is meant by “the house of Judah.” Her “leaders” mean the goods with the truths of that church; the dispersion of evils and falsities by these is signified by “they shall be made like a furnace of fire among wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf,” and by “they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left;” the evils that will be dispersed by that church are signified by “like a furnace among the wood, and like a torch in a sheaf;” and the falsities that will also be dispersed are signified by “all the peoples round about, whom they shall devour or consume;” that this church will be safe from the infestation of evils and falsities, and will live in the good of life according to the truths of doctrine, is signified by “Jerusalem shall yet dwell in her own place in Jerusalem;” “to be dwelt in” is predicated of the good of life, and “Jerusalem” signifies the church in respect to the truths of doctrine.
sRef Ezek@21 @15 S16′ sRef Ezek@21 @16 S16′ [16] In Ezekiel:
I will set the point of the sword against all their gates, it is made into lightning, it is sharpened for slaughter. Gather thee together, turn to the right, set thyself in array, turn to the left, whithersoever thy faces are set (21:15, 16).
This describes the destruction of truth by direful falsities; “a sword” signifies such falsities destroying truth, and the direfulness and enormity of that falsity is described by “a sword made into lightning, and sharpened for slaughter;” that those who are in such falsity have nothing of good or truth, with however much zeal they may search for it, is signified by “Gather thee together, turn to the right, set thyself in array, turn to the left, whithersoever thy faces are set.”
sRef Zech@11 @17 S17′ [17] In Zechariah:
Woe to the shepherd of naught forsaking the flock! A sword is upon his arm, and upon the eye of his right side; his arm in withering shall wither, and the eye of his right side in growing dim shall grow dim (11:17).
“A shepherd of naught forsaking the flock” means those who do not teach truth and by it lead to the good of life, and who do not care whether it is truth or falsity that they teach; “a sword upon his arm” signifies falsity destroying every good of the will, and “a sword upon the eye of his right side” signifies falsity destroying every truth of the understanding; that they will be deprived of all good and truth is signified by “his arm in withering shall wither, and the eye of his right side in growing dim shall grow dim.” (This may be seen further explained, n. 131, 152.)
sRef Ex@29 @20 S18′ [18] As the right region of the body and the members of the right region signify good through which is truth, so when Aaron and his sons were consecrated to the priesthood it was commanded:
That the blood of the ram should be taken and should be put upon the tip of their right ear, upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot (Exod. 29:20).
This was commanded because “blood” signified Divine truth, by means of which is the good of love, for this good was represented by “Aaron,” and truth by his “sons;” and because all consecration for representing the Divine good of love is effected by Divine truth, “blood was put upon the tip of the right ear, upon the thumb of the right hand, and upon the great toe of the right foot.” The “tip of the right ear” signifies obedience from perception; the “thumb of the right hand” signifies good in the will; and the “great toe of the right foot” signifies good in act.
sRef Lev@14 @17 S19′ sRef Lev@14 @16 S19′ sRef Lev@14 @27 S19′ sRef Lev@14 @28 S19′ sRef Lev@14 @25 S19′ sRef Lev@14 @26 S19′ sRef Lev@14 @15 S19′ sRef Lev@14 @24 S19′ sRef Lev@14 @14 S19′ [19] Because a “leper” signifies good consumed by falsities, the way in which such an evil is to be cured by Divine means is described by the process of the cleansing of the leper, understood in the spiritual sense, from which I will cite only this:
That the priest should take of the blood of the guilt-offering and should put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot; and the priest should take oil from the log and pour it upon the palm of his left hand; and the priest should dip his left*** finger in the oil that is in his left palm, and should sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before Jehovah (Lev. 14:14-17, 24-28).
Here “the tip of the right ear,” “the thumb of the right hand,” and “the great toe of the right foot,” have a similar signification as above; so has the “blood,” namely, Divine truth, for this is what purifies man from the falsities that have consumed the goods in him; and when he is purified from these, good can be produced by means of truths, and the man be thus healed of leprosy. From all this it can be seen that “the right and the left” signify the good from which is truth and the truth that is from good (as has been said above). For what other purpose would the blood have been put upon the right part of those members, and the oil be taken from the left palm, and sprinkled with the left finger?
sRef Ezek@4 @4 S20′ [20] Likewise:
The prophet Ezekiel was commanded to lie upon his left side, and to have laid upon him the iniquities of the house of Israel (Ezek. 4:4).
For a “prophet” signifies one who teaches, and in an abstract sense the doctrine of the church; the “left side” signifies the doctrine of truth from good, and it is through truths from good that man is purified from his iniquities.
sRef 1Ki@7 @39 S21′ [21] Solomon set the lavers:
Five beside the shoulder of the house on the right, and five beside the shoulder of the house on its left; but he set the brazen sea by the right shoulder of the house eastward from the region of the south (1 Kings 7:39);
for the reason that the “house or temple” represented heaven and the church; the “lavers” the purifications from falsities and evils, and thus the preparations for entering into heaven and the church; “the right shoulder of the house” signified the south in the heavens, where Divine truth is in its light, and “the left shoulder” signified the north, where Divine truth is in its shade. Thus these “ten lavers” signified all things of purification and all who are purified, and “the five on one shoulder and the five on the other” signified those, or that kind of men, with whom Divine truth is in the light and with whom it is in the shade; “ten” signifying all things and all persons, and “five” one part or one kind. The brazen sea represented general purifying. This was placed by “the right shoulder of the house eastward from the region of the south,” because purifying Divine truth proceeds from the Lord’s Divine love; for the east is where the Lord appears as a sun; Divine truth, which is the light of heaven from that sun, in the south is in its clearness and sunshine; this is why the general purificator was placed “eastward from the region of the south.” These arcana of the Word cannot be known in the world until the quarters in heaven are understood, which differ from the quarters in the world. (Respecting the Quarters in Heaven, see what has been said, from things seen and heard, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 141-153.)
sRef Deut@17 @11 S22′ sRef Gen@24 @49 S22′ sRef Deut@17 @20 S22′ sRef Num@20 @17 S22′ sRef Gen@13 @9 S22′ sRef Deut@2 @27 S22′ [22] Since everyone in the spiritual world enters and walks in ways that lead to those who are in a like ruling love, and everyone is free to go any way he wishes, thus into and by any way that his love leads him, and these ways to the right or to the left tend to one love or another, thus to the love that has become ingrafted, so “right and left” signifies pleasantly, freely, and of choice. Thus in the book of Genesis:
Abraham said to Lot, Separate thyself; if to the left I will go to the right, if to the right I will go to the left (13:9).
And Abraham’s servant said to Laban when he asked for Rebecca as a wife for Isaac:
Tell me, that I may look to the right or the left (24:49).
Not to recede or to turn to the right hand or to the left, signifies also to go in no other way than that in which the Lord Himself leads, and in which the good and truth of heaven and the church lead, thus not to go astray, as:
That they should not turn aside from the word of the priest, the Levite, and of the judge, nor from the precepts in the Word, to the right hand or to the left (Deut. 17:11, 20; 28:14; Josh. 1:7; 2 Sam. 14:19).
And that the sons of Israel should not turn aside to the right hand or to the left, but should go by the king’s highway when they passed through the land of Edom (Num. 20:17).
And when they passed through the land of King Sihon (Deut. 2:27).
Moreover, “the right hand” signifies full power, and in relation to the Lord, Divine omnipotence (as may be seen above, n. 298).
* Latin has “for the right and the left.”
** Latin has “fall,” the text as quoted just above has “cut down.”
*** Latin has “left,” the Hebrew “right,” as is also found in AC n. 7430, 10061.

sRef Rev@10 @3 S0′ 601. Verse 3. And cried out with a great voice, as a lion roareth, signifies the testification of grievous distress on account of the desolation of Divine truth in the church. This is evident from the signification of “crying out with a great voice,” as being the testification of grievous distress (of which presently); and from the signification of “as a lion roareth,” as being on account of the desolation of Divine truth in the church; for a “lion” signifies Divine truth in its power (see above, n. 278), and “to roar” signifies the result of distress because of the desolation of truth.
sRef Rev@10 @6 S2′ sRef Rev@10 @5 S2′ [2] That this is the signification of “crying out with a great voice, as a lion roareth,” can be seen from what follows in this chapter, where the desolation of Divine truth in the church is treated of; for “a strong angel coming down out of heaven” means the Lord in relation to the Word, which is Divine truth, of whom it is said afterwards that “the angel lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, that there shall be time no longer,” which signifies that there shall be no longer any understanding of Divine truth, and thence no state of the church.
sRef Rev@10 @7 S3′ [3] And afterwards it is said, “In the days of the voice of the seventh angel the mystery of God shall be finished,” which signifies the Last Judgment that was to come when there should be no faith in Divine truth because there would be no good of charity. From this it can be seen that “He cried out with a great voice, as a lion roareth,” signifies the testification of grievous distress on account of the desolation of Divine truth in the church.
[4] Moreover, a “lion” is often mentioned in the Word; and in the highest sense a “lion” signifies the Lord in relation to Divine truth, likewise heaven and the church in respect to Divine truth from the Lord; and from this a “lion” signifies Divine truth in respect to power (see above, n. 278). This makes evident what “to roar” or “the roaring of a lion” signifies, namely, an ardent affection for defending heaven and the church, and thus for saving the angels of heaven and the men of the church, which is done by destroying the falsities of evil by means of Divine truth and its power; but in the contrary sense “to roar” or “the roaring of a lion” signifies an ardent desire to destroy and devastate the church, which is done by destroying Divine truth by means of the falsities of evil. Such is the signification of a “lion’s roaring,” because when a lion is hungry and seeks its prey, and also when it is enraged with anger against its enemy, it is its habit to roar.
sRef Isa@31 @4 S5′ [5] That this is the signification of “to roar” and “roaring” in the Word can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Thus Jehovah said unto me, Like as the lion, and the young lion roareth over his prey, when a multitude of shepherds goeth out against him, and he is not dismayed at their voice nor affected by their tumult, so shall Jehovah of Hosts come down to wage war upon Mount Zion and upon the hill thereof (31:4).
Jehovah is compared to a lion roaring, because a “lion” signifies the Lord in relation to Divine truth and its power, and “to roar” signifies the eagerness to defend the church against evils and falsities; therefore it is said, “so shall Jehovah of Hosts come down to wage war upon Mount Zion, and upon the hill thereof,” “Mount Zion” meaning the celestial church, and “the hill thereof” (or Jerusalem) the spiritual church; the “prey over which the lion roareth” signifies deliverance from hell.
sRef Joel@3 @16 S6′ [6] In Joel:
Jehovah shall roar out of Zion, and shall give forth His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shall quake; but Jehovah shall be a shelter for His people, and a stronghold for the sons of Israel (3:16).
The protection of the faithful by the Lord by means of Divine truth is described by “Jehovah shall roar out of Zion, and shall give forth His voice from Jerusalem;” the vehement power of Divine truth, and consequent terror, are described by “the heavens and the earth shall quake;” and salvation and protection by “Jehovah shall be a shelter for His people, and a stronghold for the sons of Israel;” “the people of Jehovah” and “the sons of Israel” being the faithful who are of the church.
sRef Hos@11 @9 S7′ sRef Hos@11 @10 S7′ sRef Hos@11 @11 S7′ [7] In Hosea:
I will not return to destroy Ephraim. They shall go after Jehovah; He shall roar like a lion, for He shall roar, and sons from the sea shall draw near with honor, with honor shall they come as the bird out of Egypt and as the dove out of the land of Assyria; and I will make them to dwell upon their houses (11:9-11).
“Ephraim” signifies the church in respect to the understanding of truth, concerning which therefore what follows is said. “To go after Jehovah” signifies to worship the Lord and to live from Him; “He shall roar like a lion, for He shall roar,” signifies the protection of such by the Divine truth; “the sons from the sea shall draw near with honor,” signifies that those who are in natural good shall draw near to the church; “with honor shall they come as a bird out of Egypt,” signifies their natural thought from true knowledges [scientifica]; the “bird” meaning thought, and “Egypt” knowledge, which is natural truth; “and as the dove out of the land of Assyria,” signifies that they shall have rational good and truth, a “dove” meaning rational good, and “the land of Assyria” the church in respect to rational truth; for in man there are both natural and rational good and truth; the natural is lower or exterior, looking to the world, the rational is higher or interior, conjoining the natural with the spiritual; the natural is meant by “Egypt,” the rational by “Assyria,” and the spiritual by “Israel.” “To make them to dwell upon their houses” signifies life from the will of good and from the understanding of truth; the human mind, which consists of these, is meant by a “house,” and “to dwell” signifies to live.
sRef Amos@3 @8 S8′ sRef Amos@3 @7 S8′ [8] In Amos:
The Lord Jehovih will not do* a word unless He shall reveal His secret unto His servants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord Jehovih hath spoken, who will not prophesy? (3:7, 8).
“The Lord Jehovih will not do a word unless He hath revealed His secret to His servants the prophets” signifies that the Lord opens the interior things of the Word and of doctrine to those who are in truths from good; “to reveal a secret,” signifies to enlighten and to open the interior things of the Word; “His servants the prophets” signify those who are in the truths of doctrine and who receive; “the lion hath roared, who will not fear?” signifies a powerful revelation and manifestation of Divine truth; “the Lord Jehovih hath spoken, who will not prophesy?” signifies its reception and manifestation. The Lord is called “Lord Jehovih” when good is treated of.
sRef Zech@11 @3 S9′ [9] In Zechariah:
The voice of the howling of the shepherds that their magnificence is devastated; the voice of the roaring of the young lions that the pride of Jordan is devastated (11:3).
“The voice of the howling of the shepherds that their magnificence is devastated” signifies the grief of those who teach, because the good of the church has perished; those are called “shepherds” who teach truth and by truth lead to the good of life, and “magnificence” means the good of the church; “the voice of the roaring of the young lions that the pride of Jordan is devastated” signifies grief, because of the desolation of Divine truth in the church. Those are called “lions” who are in Divine truths; “roaring” signifies grief; “the pride of Jordan, which is devastated,” signifies the church in respect to Divine truth which introduces.
sRef Job@37 @5 S10′ sRef Job@37 @4 S10′ [10] In Job:
God roareth with His voice; He thundereth with the voice of His majesty; nor yet doth He overthrow when His voice is heard; God thundereth marvelously with His voice (37:4, 5).
“To roar” and “to thunder with the voice” signify the power and efficacy of Divine truth or the Word.
sRef Jer@51 @39 S11′ sRef Jer@51 @38 S11′ sRef Jer@51 @37 S11′ [11] In the passages that have been cited, “to roar” signifies in a broad sense the ardent affection of protecting heaven and the church, or the angels of heaven and the men of the church, which is done by destroying the falsities of evil by means of Divine truth and its power. But in the contrary sense, “to roar” signifies an eager cupidity for ruining and destroying the church, which is done by destroying Divine truth by means of the falsities of evil. In this sense “to roar” is used in the following passages. In Jeremiah:
Babylon shall become heaps, the abode of dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing. They shall roar together like lions; they shall growl like lions’ whelps; when they are heated I will set** their feasts, and I will make them drunken that they may exult and may sleep the sleep of an age and not awake (51:37-39).
The destruction of Babylon so that there may be in it no truth or good, is signified by “Babylon shall become heaps, the abode of dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing.” “Babylon” signifies those who abuse holy things for the sake of dominion; their eager cupidity for destroying Divine truth by means of the falsities of evil is signified by “they shall roar together like lions, they shall growl like lions’ whelps.” The eagerness of those who unite in doing this crime is signified by “when they are heated I will set their feasts;” that such will become insane from the falsities of evil is signified by “I will make them drunken that they may exult.” That they will never understand anything of truth, and therefore will not see life, is signified by “that they may sleep the sleep of an age and not awake.”
sRef Jer@2 @14 S12′ sRef Jer@2 @15 S12′ [12] In the same:
Is Israel a servant? Is he one born of the house? Why has he become a prey? The young lions roar against him, they give forth their voice, they reduce his land to a waste; his cities are burned, even so that there is no inhabitant (Jer. 2:14, 15).
“Is Israel a servant? Is he one born of the house?” signifies the church that had been in truths and goods, but is so no longer. “Israel” signifies the church; a “servant” those who are in truths, and “one born of the house,” those who are in goods; “why has he become a prey?” signifies its devastation; “the young lions roar against him, they give forth their voice” signifies the desolation of Divine truth in the church by the falsities of evil; “they reduce his land to a waste” signifies the destruction of the church itself by evils; “his cities are burned even so that there is no inhabitant” signifies the destruction of the doctrinals also of the church by evils, so that there is no good of the church left.
sRef Ezek@19 @7 S13′ sRef Ezek@19 @3 S13′ [13] In Ezekiel:
One of the whelps of the lioness grew up, it became a young lion, and it learned to tear the prey; it devoured men. It ravished widows and devastated their cities, and the land was devastated*** and the fullness thereof by the voice of his roaring (19:3, 7).
This is said of the Jewish Church, which is here meant by “the mother of lions.” A “young lion” signifies the falsity of evil in eagerness to destroy the truth of the church; “to tear the prey” signifies the destruction of the truth and good of the church. “It devoured men, it ravished widows, and devastated cities,” signifies the destruction of all the understanding of truth and of good desiring truth, likewise of doctrinals; “men” signifying the understanding of truth, “widows” good desiring truth, and “cities” doctrinals; “the land was laid waste and the fullness thereof by the voice of his roaring” signifies the devastation of the church and the extinction of all truth from the Word by the falsity of evil, “land” meaning the church, “fullness” its truths from the Word, and “the voice of roaring” the falsity of evil destroying.
sRef Jer@25 @30 S14′ sRef Jer@25 @29 S14′ sRef Jer@25 @31 S14′ [14] In Jeremiah:
I call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the land. Therefore say unto them, Jehovah shall roar from on high, and give forth His voice from the abode of His holiness; in roaring He shall roar against their habitations; a tumult cometh even to the end of the earth; for Jehovah hath a controversy against the nations. He shall enter judgment with all flesh, He shall give the wicked to the sword (25:29-31).
The vastation of the church is attributed to Jehovah, although men are the cause of it. “I call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the land” signifies falsity destroying every truth in the universal church. “Jehovah shall roar from on high, and give forth His voice from the abode of His holiness,” signifies the testification of grief in heaven on account of the vastation of Divine truth. “In roaring He shall roar against their habitations” signifies great grief and lamentation over all things of the church; “a tumult cometh even to the end of the earth” signifies the disturbance of all things of the church from first to last; “for Jehovah hath a controversy against the nations, He shall enter judgment with all flesh,” signifies visitation and judgment upon all who are in evils; “He shall give the wicked to the sword” signifies their destruction by falsities.
sRef Amos@1 @2 S15′ [15] In Amos:
Jehovah shall roar from Zion, and give forth His voice from Jerusalem; that the habitations of the shepherds may mourn, and the head of Carmel dry up (1:2).
“Roaring from Zion” signifies grievous distress, and “the voice from Jerusalem” lamentation; “the mourning of the habitations of the shepherds, and the drying up of the head of Carmel,” signifies because of the vastation of all the goods and truths of the church; “the habitations of shepherds” signifying all the goods of the church; “the head of Carmel” all its truths, and “mourning” and “drying up” vastation. “The head of Carmel” signifies the truths of the church, because in Carmel there were vineyards, and “wine” signifies the truth of the church.
sRef Isa@5 @30 S16′ sRef Isa@5 @25 S16′ sRef Isa@5 @26 S16′ sRef Isa@5 @27 S16′ sRef Isa@5 @28 S16′ sRef Isa@5 @29 S16′ [16] In Isaiah:
The anger of Jehovah is kindled against His people. He hath lifted up an ensign to the nations from far, and hath hissed to him from the end of the earth. His roaring is like that of a lion, He roareth like young lions; He growleth and seizeth the prey, he shall snatch and none shall deliver, and he growleth against him like the growling of the sea; and if He shall look unto the earth, behold darkness and distress, and the light is darkened in the ruins thereof (5:25-30).
Here, too, “the roaring like that of a lion, and like that of young lions,” signifies grief and lamentation over the vastation of Divine truth in the church by the falsities of evil. “He seizeth the prey and none shall deliver” signifies the deliverance and salvation of those who are in truths from good. The vastation itself is described by “behold darkness, distress, and the light is darkened in the ruins thereof;” “darkness” meaning falsities; “distress” evil; “the darkening of the light” the disappearance of Divine truth, and “ruins” total overthrow.
sRef Ps@32 @3 S17′ sRef Ps@74 @4 S17′ sRef Ps@74 @3 S17′ sRef Job@3 @24 S17′ sRef Ps@38 @8 S17′ [17] In David:
The enemy hath destroyed all things in the sanctuary; the adversaries have roared in the midst of thy feast (Ps. 74:3, 4).
“The enemy” signifies evil from hell; “the sanctuary” the church, and “feast” worship. This makes clear what is signified by these words in series. That roaring signifies grievous lamentation from grief of heart can be seen from these passages. In David:
When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day (Ps. 32:3).
In the same:
I am weakened and crushed exceedingly; I have roared by reason of the roaring of my heart (Ps. 38:3).
And in Job:
My sighing cometh before bread, and my roarings are poured out like the waters (3:24).
* Latin has “does,” the Hebrew, as cited just before, has “will do.”
** Latin has “little,” the Hebrew “set,” as is also found in AE n. 187, 481.
*** Latin has “devastated,” in AC n. 304, and AC n. 9348 we have “desolated.”

sRef Rev@10 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@10 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@10 @7 S0′ 602. And when he cried out the seven thunders spake their voices, signifies instruction from heaven and perception respecting the last state of the church. This is evident from the signification of “speaking the voices,” as being to instruct, here from heaven, because it is said “the seven thunders spake;” also from the signification of “the seven thunders,” as being Divine truth in respect to understanding and perception (see above, n. 273). The thunders are said to be “seven,” because “seven” signifies all things and fullness, and is used when things holy are treated of (see above, n. 20, 24, 257, 300). It was the last state of the church about which John was instructed from heaven by voices like thunder, since that state is treated of in this chapter, as is evident from the words that follow: “In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God shall also be finished; as He hath declared the good tidings to His servants the prophets” (verse 7); and that teaching shall go on in the church until that state, which is the end, shall come, is meant by the last words of this chapter, “Thou must prophesy again over many peoples and nations and tongues and kings” (verse 11). From this it can be seen that “the seven thunders spake their voices” signifies instruction from heaven and perception respecting the last state of the church.

sRef Rev@10 @4 S0′ 603. Verse 4. And when the seven thunders had spoken their voices I was about to write, signifies that he wished to disclose that state. This is evident from the signification of “when the seven thunders had spoken their voices,” as being instruction from heaven and perception respecting the last state of the church (see just above, n. 602); and from the signification of “I was about to write,” as meaning to wish to disclose, “to write” evidently meaning to disclose.

sRef Rev@10 @4 S0′ 604. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up the things which the seven thunders spake, and write them not, signifies command by the Lord that these things should be reserved and not yet be disclosed. This is evident from the signification of “to hear a voice from heaven,” as being a command by the Lord, which is, “write them not;” also from the signification of “to seal up the things which the seven thunders spake,” as being that these things in which he was instructed, and which he perceived respecting the last state of the church, were to be kept secret and reserved; also from the signification of “write them not,” as being that they must not yet be disclosed (see just above, n. 603). That “to seal up” means to keep secret and to reserve until another time can be seen from what follows in this book; for what follows treats of the middle state of the church, which intervenes between the sounding of the sixth and of the seventh angel, that is, between next to the last state of the church and the last, therefore the things that are to take place in the last state are what must be reserved and not yet disclosed.

sRef Rev@10 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@10 @7 S0′ sRef Rev@10 @6 S0′ 605. Verses 5-7. And the angel whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven. And he sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, who created heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein, that time shall be no more. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God shall also be finished, as He hath declared the good tidings to His servants the prophets. 5. “And the angel whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth,” signifies the Lord, to whom all things of heaven and the church are subject (n. 606); “lifted up his hand to heaven,” signifies bearing witness before angels respecting the state of the church (n. 607). 6. “And he sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages,” signifies the verity from His Divine (n. 608); “who created heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein,” signifies the Lord in respect to all things of heaven and the church, interior and exterior (n. 609); “that time shall be no more,” signifies that there shall be no longer any understanding of Divine truth, nor any state of the church therefrom (n. 610). 7. “But in the days [of the voice] of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound,” signifies the last state of the church and revelation at that time of Divine truth (n. 611); “the mystery of God shall also be finished, as He hath declared the good tidings to His servants the prophets,” signifies prediction in the Word respecting the Lord’s coming, to be fulfilled when the end of the church is at hand (n. 612).

sRef Rev@10 @5 S0′ sRef Lam@2 @1 S0′ sRef Isa@60 @13 S1′ sRef Isa@66 @1 S1′ sRef Ps@132 @7 S1′ sRef Ps@8 @6 S1′ 606. Verse 5. And the angel whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth, signifies the Lord, to whom all things of heaven and the church are subject. This is evident from the signification of “the angel coming down from heaven,” as being the Lord (see above, n. 593); and from the signification of “standing upon the sea and upon the earth,” as being to whom all things of heaven and the church are subject (see also above, n. 600), since “standing upon them” signifies that they are subject to Him. Thus in David:
Thou madest Him to have dominion over the works* of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under His feet (Ps. 8:6).
This is said of the Lord; His dominion over all things of heaven and the church is meant by “all things are put under His feet.” And in Isaiah:
I will make the place of My feet honorable (60:13).
“The place of the Lord’s feet” in a general sense means all things of heaven and the church, since the Lord as a sun is above the heavens; but in a particular sense “the place of His feet” signifies the church, for the Lord’s church is with men in the natural world, and the natural is the lowest, into which the Divine closes, and upon which it as it were subsists. This is why the church on the earth is also called “the footstool of the Lord,” as in the same:
The earth is My footstool (Isa. 66:1; Matt. 5:35).
Also in Lamentations:
He hath cast down from the heavens unto the earth the splendor of Israel, and doth not remember His footstool (2:1).
And in David:
We will come into His tabernacles, we will bow down at His footstool (Ps. 132:7).
This is said of the Lord, and “His footstool” signifies the church on the earth.
[2] From this it can be seen that “to stand upon the sea and upon the earth” signifies in reference to the Lord that all things of heaven and the church are subject to Him. But “sea and earth upon which He set His feet,” signify in particular the lowest heaven and the church on earth, as has just been said; for the higher parts of the body belonging to an angel signify the higher heavens, because they correspond to them; for the inmost heaven corresponds to the head, and the middle heaven to the breast down to the loins, and the ultimate heaven to the feet, but the church on the earth to the soles of the feet, consequently the church is meant by “His footstool.” From this correspondence it can be concluded what the “angel (by whom is meant the Lord) standing upon the sea and upon the earth” represented in general and in particular, namely, that He represented the universal heaven; for the Lord is heaven, and His Divine Human forms heaven to an image of itself. This is why the whole heaven is in the sight of the Lord as one man, and corresponds to all things of man, therefore heaven also is called the Greatest Man. (Respecting this see what is said in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 59-102.)
* Latin has “all,” Hebrew “works,” as is also found in AC n. 342, 513, 650, 1100.

sRef Rev@10 @5 S0′ 607. And lifted up his hand to heaven, signifies bearing witness before the angels respecting the state of the church. This is evident from the signification of “to lift up the hand to heaven,” as being bearing witness before the angels; that it means respecting the state of the church is evident from what follows. That bearing witness before the angels is what is here signified by “lifting up the hand to heaven” may be concluded from this, that bearing witness is expressed by raising the hands to heaven; also from this, that “he sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages that time shall be no more,” as immediately follows, and “to swear” is an expression of bearing witness, and the “time that shall be no more” means the state of the church.

sRef Rev@10 @6 S0′ 608. Verse 6. And he sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, signifies the verity from His own Divine. This is evident from the signification of “to swear,” as being a strong assertion and confirmation, and in reference to the Lord the verity (of which presently); also from the signification of “Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages,” as being the Divine from eternity, which alone lives, and which is the source of life to all in the universe, both angels and men. (That this is signified by “Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages” may be seen above, n. 289, 291, 349.) That “to swear” signifies asseveration and confirmation, but here verity (since it is the Lord that is meant by the angel that swears), can be seen from this, that “to swear” means to asseverate and confirm that a thing is so, and when done by the Lord means Divine verity; for oaths are made only by those who are not interiorly in truth itself, that is, by those who are not interior but only exterior men; consequently they are never made by angels, still less by the Lord; but He is said in the Word to swear, and the Israelites were allowed to swear by God, because they were only exterior men, and because the asseveration and confirmation of the internal man, when it comes into the external, falls into the form of an oath. In the Israelitish Church all things were external, representing and signifying things internal. The Word in the sense of the letter is similar. From this it can be seen that “the angel sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages” cannot mean that he thus sware, but that he said in himself that this is verity, and that when this came down into the natural sphere it was changed, according to correspondences, into the form of an oath.
sRef Isa@62 @8 S2′ sRef Amos@8 @7 S2′ sRef Jer@44 @26 S2′ sRef Amos@4 @2 S2′ sRef Jer@51 @14 S2′ [2] Now as “to swear” is only an external corresponding to the confirmation that belongs to the mind of the internal man, and is therefore significative of that, so in the Word of the Old Testament it is said to be lawful to swear by God, yea, that God Himself is said to swear. That this signifies confirmation, asseveration and simply verity, or that it is true, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Jehovah hath sworn by His right hand and by the arm of His strength (62:8).
In Jeremiah:
Jehovah of Hosts hath sworn by His soul (51:14; Amos 6:8).
In Amos:
The Lord Jehovih hath sworn by His holiness (4:2).
In the same:
Jehovah hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob (8:7).
In Jeremiah:
Behold, I have sworn by My great name (44:26).
Jehovah is said “to have sworn by His right hand,” “by His soul,” “by His holiness,” and “by His name,” to signify by Divine verity; for “the right hand of Jehovah,” “the arm of His strength,” “His holiness,” “His name,” and “His soul,” mean the Lord in relation to Divine truth, thus Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; the like is meant by “the excellency of Jacob,” for “the mighty One of Jacob” means the Lord in relation to Divine truth.
sRef Ps@132 @11 S3′ sRef Isa@45 @23 S3′ sRef Jer@22 @5 S3′ [3] That “to swear,” in reference to Jehovah, signifies confirmation by Himself, that is, from His Divine, is evident in Isaiah:
By Myself have I sworn, the word has gone forth from My mouth, and shall not be recalled (45:23).
In Jeremiah:
By Myself I have sworn that this house shall become a desolation (22:5).
Because “to swear” in reference to Jehovah signifies Divine verity it is said in David:
Jehovah hath sworn truth unto David, He turneth* not from it (Ps. 132:11).
sRef Isa@14 @24 S4′ sRef Luke@1 @72 S4′ sRef Ps@105 @8 S4′ sRef Ps@89 @35 S4′ sRef Isa@54 @9 S4′ sRef Ps@89 @49 S4′ sRef Ps@89 @3 S4′ sRef Ps@95 @11 S4′ sRef Luke@1 @73 S4′ sRef Deut@1 @35 S4′ sRef Ps@105 @9 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @8 S4′ sRef Jer@11 @5 S4′ sRef Ps@110 @4 S4′ [4] Jehovah God, or the Lord, never swears, for to swear is not becoming to God Himself, or the Divine verity; but when God, or the Divine verity, wills to have anything confirmed before men, then that confirmation in its descent into the natural sphere falls into the form or formula of an oath, such as is used in the world. This shows why it is said in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is the natural sense, that God swears, although He never swears. This, then, is the signification of “to swear” in reference to Jehovah or the Lord in the preceding passages, and also in the following. In Isaiah:
Jehovah of Hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass (14:24).
In David:
I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn unto David My servant. Lord, Thou hast sworn unto David in verity (Ps. 89:3, 35, 49).
In the same:
Jehovah hath sworn and will not repent (Ps. 110:4).
In Ezekiel:
I have sworn unto thee, and have entered into a covenant with thee, that thou mightest become Mine (16:8).
In David:
Unto whom I have sworn in Mine anger (Ps. 95:11).
In Isaiah:
I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more pass over the earth (54:9).
In Luke:
To remember His holy covenant, the oath which He sware to Abraham our father (1:72, 73).
In David:
He hath remembered His covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath with Isaac (Ps. 105:8, 9).
In Jeremiah:
That I may establish the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers (11:5; 32:22).
In Moses:
The land which I have sworn to give unto your fathers (Deut. 1:35; 10:11; 11:9, 21; 26:3, 15; 31:20; 34:4).
sRef Dan@12 @7 S5′ [5] From this it can be seen what is meant by “the angel lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages,” as it is likewise said in Daniel:
And I heard the man clothed in linen, that he held up his right hand and his left hand unto the heavens, and sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages (12:7);
as meaning to bear witness before the angels respecting the state of the church, that what follows is Divine verity.
sRef Isa@65 @16 S6′ sRef Ps@63 @11 S6′ sRef Jer@12 @16 S6′ sRef Jer@4 @2 S6′ sRef Isa@19 @18 S6′ sRef Deut@6 @13 S6′ [6] Because the church that was instituted with the sons of Israel was a representative church, in which all things that were commanded were natural things representing and signifying spiritual things, the sons of Israel, with whom that church existed, were permitted to swear by Jehovah, and by His name, likewise by the holy things of the church; and this represented and thus signified internal confirmation, and also verity, as can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
He that blesseth himself in the earth let him bless himself in the God of truth, and he that sweareth in the earth let him swear in the God of truth (65:16).
In Jeremiah:
Swear by the living Jehovah, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness (4:2).
In Moses:
Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God, Him shalt thou serve, and shalt swear in His name (Deut. 6:13; 10:20).
In Isaiah:
In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that swear to Jehovah of Hosts (19:18).
In Jeremiah:
If in learning they will learn the ways of My people, to swear by My name, Jehovah liveth! (12:16).
In David:
Everyone that sweareth by God shall glory, but the mouth of them that speak a lie shall be stopped (Ps. 63:11).
“To swear by God” here signifies to speak the truth, for it is added, “the mouth of them that speak a lie shall be stopped.” (That they swore by God see also Gen. 21:23, 24, 31; Josh. 2:12; 9:20; Judg. 21:7; 1 Kings 1:17.)
sRef Jer@5 @2 S7′ sRef Zeph@1 @6 S7′ sRef Zeph@1 @4 S7′ sRef Mal@3 @5 S7′ sRef Isa@48 @1 S7′ sRef Deut@5 @11 S7′ sRef Hos@4 @15 S7′ sRef Ps@24 @4 S7′ sRef Zeph@1 @5 S7′ sRef Jer@5 @1 S7′ sRef Zech@8 @17 S7′ sRef Jer@5 @7 S7′ [7] As the ancients were allowed to swear by Jehovah God, it follows that it was an enormous evil to swear falsely or to swear to a lie, as is evident from these passages. In Malachi:
I will be a witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against those that swear to a lie (3:5).
In Moses:
Thou shalt not swear to a lie by My name, so that thou profane the name of thy God; also, Thou shalt not take the name of thy God in vain (Lev. 19:12; Deut. 5:11; Exod. 20:7; Zech. 5:4).
In Jeremiah:
Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see whether there be any who say, By the living Jehovah; surely they swear by a lie. Thy sons have destroyed** Me, and sworn by one not God (5:1, 2, 7).
In Hosea:
Israel, ye shall not swear, Jehovah liveth (4:15).
In Zephaniah:
I will cut off them that swear by Jehovah, and that swear by their king, and them that are turned back from following Jehovah (1:4-6).
In Zechariah:
Love not the oath of a lie (8:17).
In Isaiah:
Hear ye, O house of Jacob, who swear by the name of Jehovah, not in truth nor in righteousness (48:1).
In David:
The clean in hands and the pure in heart doth not lift up his soul unto vanity, nor swear with deceit (Ps. 24:4).
[8] From this it can be seen that the ancients, who were in the representatives and the significatives of the church, were permitted to swear by Jehovah God in order to bear witness to the truth, and by that oath it was signified that they thought what is true and willed what is good. Especially was this granted to the sons of Jacob, because they were wholly external and natural men, and not internal and spiritual; and merely external or natural men wish to have the truth confirmed and witnessed to by oaths; but internal or spiritual men do not wish this; indeed, they turn away from oaths and shudder at them, especially those in which God and the holy things of heaven and the church are appealed to, and are content with saying and with having it said that a thing is true, or that it is so.
sRef Matt@5 @34 S9′ sRef Matt@5 @33 S9′ sRef Matt@5 @36 S9′ sRef Matt@5 @35 S9′ [9] As swearing does not belong to the internal or spiritual man, and as the Lord, when He came into the world, taught men to be internal or spiritual, and to that end abrogated the externals of the church, and opened its internals, therefore He forbade swearing by God and by the holy things of heaven and the church. This is evident from these words of the Lord in Matthew:
Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not swear [falsely], but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oath; but I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God; neither by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; neither by Jerusalem, for it is a city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black (5:33-37).
Here the holy things by which one must not swear are mentioned, namely, “heaven,” “earth,” “Jerusalem,” and the “head;” and “heaven” means the angelic heaven, wherefore it is called “the throne of God” (that “the throne of God” means that heaven, see above, n. 253, 462, 477); “the earth” means the church (see above, n. 29, 304, 413, 417), which is called therefore “the footstool of God’s feet” (that “the footstool of God’s feet” also means the church, see above, n. 606); “Jerusalem” means the doctrine of the church, wherefore it is called “the city of the great king” (that “city” means doctrine, see above, n. 223); and the “head” means intelligence therefrom (see above, n. 553, 577), therefore it is said “thou canst not make one hair white or black,” which signifies that man of himself can understand nothing.
sRef Matt@23 @21 S10′ sRef Matt@23 @20 S10′ sRef Matt@23 @17 S10′ sRef Matt@23 @18 S10′ sRef Matt@23 @22 S10′ sRef Matt@23 @16 S10′ sRef Matt@23 @19 S10′ [10] Again, in the same:
Woe unto you, ye blind guides, for ye say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind; for whether is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And whosoever shall swear by the altar it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it he is a debtor. Ye fools and blind; whether is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? But whosoever sweareth by the altar sweareth by it and by everything thereon. And whosoever sweareth by the temple sweareth by it and by Him that dwelleth therein. And he that sweareth by heaven sweareth by the throne of God and by Him that sitteth thereon (Matt. 23:16-22).
One must not swear “by the temple and by the altar,” because to swear by these was to swear by the Lord, by heaven, and by the church; for the “temple” in the highest sense means the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and in a relative sense heaven and the church in respect to truth, likewise all worship from Divine truth (see above, n. 220); and the “altar” signifies the Lord in relation to Divine good, and in a relative sense heaven and the church in respect to that good, likewise all worship from Divine good (see above, n. 391); and because by the Lord all Divine things that proceed from Him are meant, for He is in them and they are His, so he who swears by Him swears by all things that are His; likewise he who swears by heaven and by the church, swears by all the holy things that belong to heaven and the church, for heaven is the complex and containant of these things; so, in like manner, is the church; therefore it is said that the temple is greater than the gold of the temple, because the temple sanctifies the gold, and that the altar is greater than the gift which is upon it, because the altar sanctifies the gift.
* Latin has “turneth,” the Hebrew “turn back,” which is found in AC n 2842.
** Latin has “destroyed,” the Hebrew “forsaken.”

sRef Rev@10 @6 S0′ 609. Who created heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein, signifies the Lord in respect to all things of heaven and the church, interior and exterior. This is evident from the signification of “to create,” as being not only to cause to be, but also to be perpetually, by holding it together and sustaining it by the Divine proceeding; for the heavens have had existence and perpetually have existence, that is, subsist by means of the Lord’s Divine, which is called the Divine truth united to Divine good. This received by angels makes heaven. Thence it is that when heaven is mentioned the Lord is meant, because heaven, where the angels are, is heaven from the Lord, that is from the Divine proceeding from Him. This, therefore, is what is signified here by “to create.” (That “to create,” in reference to the church and to men of the church, means to create anew, that is, to regenerate, may be seen above, n. 294.) The above is evident also from the signification of “heaven, earth, and sea, and the things that are in them,” as being all things of heaven and the church, interior and exterior. “Heaven, earth, and sea,” signify here in particular the higher and the lower heavens, since in the spiritual world the face of things is similar as in the natural world, that is, there are mountains, lands, and seas; the mountains there are the higher heavens, because the angels of those heavens dwell upon mountains, and the land and sea are the lower heavens, for the angels of these heavens dwell below the mountains upon the lands, and as it were in seas (see above, n. 594). Thence it is that the angel who spoke these things was seen “standing upon the earth and the sea.” “The earth and the sea and the things that are in them” signify also all things of the church, both interior and exterior, because there are in the church things interior and exterior, as there are in the heavens things higher and lower, and the former correspond to the latter. (That “the sea and the earth,” signify the church in respect to its exteriors and interiors, may be seen above, n. 600.) According to the sense of the letter, “heaven, earth, and sea,” mean the visible heaven, the habitable earth, and the navigable sea, and “the things therein” mean birds, beasts, and fishes; but that this is not the meaning of these words is evident from this, that John was “in the spirit” when he saw the angel “standing upon the sea and upon the earth;” and what is seen “in the spirit” is seen not in the natural world but in the spiritual world, where also, as has been said just above, there are earths and seas, and angels and spirits in them. But respecting the appearance of the seas in that world, and those who are in them, see above (n. 342).

sRef Rev@10 @6 S0′ 610. That time shall be no more, signifies that there shall be no longer any understanding of Divine truth, nor any state of the church therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “time,” as being here the state of man in respect to the understanding of the Word, and thus the state of the church, because both the one and the other are treated of in this chapter. “Time” signifies state, because times in the spiritual world are determined and distinguished only by particular and general states of life. This is because the sun in that world, which is the Lord, does not move, but remains in the same place in heaven, and that place is the east; that sun does not there revolve through the heavens as the sun in the natural world appears to do. By the apparent revolution of the sun of the natural world times in general and in particular are determined, and thus have existence; in general, the year and its four seasons, called spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Moreover, these four seasons of the year are the four natural states of the natural world corresponding to the same number of states in the spiritual world, which are its general spiritual states. In particular, within these general states in the natural world, there are determined and fixed times, called months and weeks, but especially days, and days are divided into four natural states, which are called morning, noon, evening, and night, corresponding to which there are four states in the spiritual world. In the spiritual world, because the sun, as has been said, does not revolve through the heavens but remains constant and fixed in its east, there are no years, months, weeks, days, or hours, consequently there are no determinations by times, but only determinations by states of life, general and particular. Therefore it is not known there what time is, but only what state is, for the determination of a thing is what gives the idea of it, and according to the idea is the thing named. This, then, is the reason that it is not known in the spiritual world what times are, although they succeed each other there the same as in the natural world, but instead of times there are states and their changes; this is the reason also that times, when mentioned in the Word, signify states. (But respecting time and times in the spiritual world, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 162-169; and on the Changes of States of the angels, n. 154-161. [Note from the Margin:] Notice where it is said, “it shall be when there shall be neither day nor night” [Jer. 33:20; Zech. 14:7].) [2] Since “time” means the things pertaining to time in the natural world, as those pertaining to the year and the day (those of the year are seedtime and harvest, and those of the day are morning and evening), by these things pertaining to time states of the church are described in the Word, “seedtime” describing and signifying the establishment of the church; “harvest” its fruit bearing; “morning” its first time, and “noon to evening” its progression. These natural states (or conditions) also correspond to spiritual states, which are states of heaven and the church. As concerns the church, the church in general passes through these states, so does each man of the church in particular. Moreover, each man of the church from his earliest age is also inaugurated into these states, but when the church is at its end he can no more be inaugurated, for he does not receive Divine truth, but either rejects or perverts it, therefore he has neither seedtime nor harvest, that is, no establishment and no fruit bearing, nor has he morning or evening, that is, neither beginning nor progression. These states are meant and signified by “times” in the Word; and as in the end of the church these states cease with men of the church, therefore it is here said that “time shall be no more;” and this signifies that there shall be no further understanding of Divine truth or the Word, consequently not any state of the church.
sRef Ezek@7 @7 S3′ sRef Ezek@7 @6 S3′ sRef Ezek@7 @5 S3′ [3] The like is signified by “time” in Ezekiel:
The evil, behold one evil cometh; the end is come, the end is come, it hath awakened upon thee. Behold, the morning is come upon thee, O inhabitant of the land, the time is come (7:5-7).
This, too, was said of the state of the church. The end of the former church is first described, and the establishment of a new church afterwards, the end of the former church by this, “One evil, behold the evil cometh; the end is come, the end is come;” the establishment of a new church by this, “Behold, the morning is come upon thee, O inhabitant of the land, the time is come,” “morning” signifying the state of a new or commencing church, and “time” its progressive state; accordingly the meaning is similar as that of “seedtime and harvest” and “morning and evening,” mentioned above, consequently it means the state of the church in respect to the understanding of truth and the will of good.
[4] In Daniel:
The fourth beast shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, for he shall think to change times and the right; and they shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time (Dan. 7:25).
“The fourth beast” means the evil that was about to vastate the church completely; falsities destroying the truths of the church are meant by “the words that he shall speak against the Most High,” and by “the saints of the Most High whom he will wear out,” “the saints of the Most High” signifying in the abstract sense Divine truths. That the truths of the Word and its goods will then be turned into falsities and evils is signified by “he shall change the times and the right,” “times” meaning the states of the church in respect to the understanding of truth. The duration of that state in relation to the end of the church is signified by “for a time and times and half a time,” which means a full state of vastation.
sRef Dan@12 @7 S5′ sRef Rev@12 @14 S5′ [5] So, too, in the following words in Daniel:
And I heard the man clothed in linen, that he lifted up his right hand and his left hand unto the heavens, and sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages that it shall be for a fixed time of fixed times, and a half, when they are to make an end of dispersing the people of holiness, all these things shall be finished (12:7).
“Time” here signifies state; and “time, times and a half” signifies a full state of vastation; therefore it is said, “when they are to make a full end of dispersing the people of holiness,” “the people of holiness” meaning those of the church who are in Divine truths; or in an abstract sense Divine truths. With a similar meaning it is said in Revelation:
That the woman should be nourished in the wilderness for a time and times and half a time (12:14).
sRef Jer@31 @36 S6′ sRef Jer@33 @25 S6′ sRef Jer@33 @26 S6′ sRef Ps@74 @17 S6′ sRef Ps@74 @16 S6′ sRef Jer@31 @35 S6′ sRef Gen@8 @22 S6′ [6] As by “time” things pertaining to time are meant, such as spring, summer, autumn, and winter, these signifying the states of one who is to be regenerated, or is regenerated, also the things pertaining to these times, such as seedtime and harvest, these signifying the state of the church in respect to the implantation of truth and the fructification of good therefrom, and as like things are signified by the times of the day, which are morning, noon, evening, and night, so these times have this signification in the following passages. In Genesis:
During all the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease (8:22).
This may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia (n. 930-937). In David:
The day is Thine, the night also is Thine; thou hast prepared the light and the sun. Thou hast set all the borders of the earth; summer and winter hast Thou formed (Ps. 74:16, 17).
In Jeremiah:
Jehovah giveth the sun for a light of the day, and the statutes of the moon and stars for a light of the night. If these statutes shall depart from before Me, the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me all the days (31:35, 36).
In the same:
Jehovah said, If I shall not have set My covenant of day and night, the statutes of heaven and earth, I will reject also the seed of Jacob and of David* My servant (33:25, 26).
“The statutes of the sun, moon, and stars,” also “the covenant of day and night,” and “the statutes of heaven and earth,” have a similar signification as “times,” since “times” exist from those statutes. That “seedtime and harvest, summer and winter,” also “day and night,” have a similar signification as “times” has been said above.
sRef Gen@1 @15 S7′ sRef Gen@1 @18 S7′ sRef Gen@1 @14 S7′ sRef Gen@1 @19 S7′ sRef Gen@1 @17 S7′ sRef Gen@1 @16 S7′ [7] It follows that “times” have the same signification in these words in Genesis:
God said, Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens, to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and for years (1:14-19).
The two “luminaries,” the sun and moon, signify love and faith; for that chapter treats in the spiritual sense of the new creation, or the regeneration of the man of the church, and the things said respecting the sun and moon signify the things that chiefly regenerate man and make the church; therefore these words and those that follow describe the process by which regeneration is effected, and afterwards it describes their states. This makes evident what is signified by “time shall be no more.”
* Latin has “Israel,” Hebrew “David,” as found in AE n. 527, 768.

sRef Rev@10 @7 S0′ 611. Verse 7. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, signifies the last state of the church, and revelation at that time of Divine truth. This is evident from the signification of “the days of the voice of the seventh angel,” as being the last state of the church; for as the progressive changes of the state of the church are described by the sounding of the seven angels, so “the voice of the seventh angel” signifies the last state; also from the signification of “when he is about to sound,” as being the revelation at that time of Divine truth. That “to sound a trumpet or horn” signifies the influx of Divine truth and revelation of it, may be seen above (n. 502); here the revelation of it is signified, as is evident from the rest of this verse, where it is said “the mystery of God shall also be finished, as He hath declared the good tidings to His servants the prophets,” which signifies that the prediction respecting the Lord’s coming shall then be fulfilled. With the Lord’s coming there is also a revelation of Divine truth.

sRef Rev@10 @7 S0′ 612. The mystery of God shall also be finished, as He hath declared the good tidings to His servants the prophets, signifies prediction in the Word respecting the Lord’s coming, to be fulfilled when the end of the church is at hand. This is evident from the signification of “to be finished,” as being to be fulfilled; also from the signification of “the mystery of God as He hath declared the good tidings,” as being the Lord’s coming (of which presently); also from the signification of “His servants the prophets,” as being the truths of doctrine, here the Word. That those are called “servants of the Lord” who are in truths from good, may be seen above (n. 6, 409); and that those are called “prophets” who teach doctrine, and in the abstract sense “prophets” mean doctrines, will be further shown below. The Word also is meant, because the Word is the doctrine of Divine truth, and because the Word was written through the prophets; also because everything of doctrine must be from the Word. From this it now follows that “the mystery of God shall be finished, as He hath declared the good tidings to His servants the prophets,” signifies the prediction in the Word respecting the Lord’s coming, to be fulfilled when the end of the church is at hand. That this is the signification of these words is evident from what just precedes and from what follows. In what just precedes it is said that this shall be “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel,” which means that this shall be when the end of the church is at hand. In what follows, after the seventh angel had sounded it is said “The kingdoms of the world are become our Lord’s and His Christ’s;” and afterwards, that “the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His Covenant” (11:15-19). The same is evident from this, that when the end of the church is at hand the Word is opened and a new church established. This is meant also by the Lord’s coming, for the Lord is the Word, wherefore when the Word is opened the Lord appears. That the Word was opened when the Lord came into the world is known; that it has now also been opened by the revelation of its spiritual sense can be seen from the little work on The White Horse, and in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 1); and that now is the end of the church, in the little work on The Last Judgment (n. 33-39, 45-52, et seq.).
sRef Dan@8 @14 S2′ sRef Ezek@7 @5 S2′ sRef Ezek@7 @6 S2′ sRef Ezek@7 @7 S2′ sRef Zech@14 @7 S2′ sRef Dan@8 @26 S2′ [2] The end of the church is meant also by “evening,” and the Lord’s coming by “morning” in Daniel:
Unto evening and morning two thousand three hundred (8:14, 26).
“Evening” signifies the end of a former church, and “morning” the Lord’s coming and the beginning of a new church. “Morning” has a similar signification in Ezekiel:
Behold an evil cometh, the end is come, the end is come; it hath awaked upon thee; behold it is come, the morning is come upon thee, O inhabitant of the land, the time is come (7:5-7).
Here, too, the “end” signifies the end of the church, and “morning” the Lord’s coming and the beginning of a new church. So, too, in Zechariah:
It shall be one day that shall be known to Jehovah, not day nor night; for about the time of evening it shall be light (14:7).
“One day that shall be known to Jehovah” means the Lord’s coming, “the time of evening” the end of the church, when all Divine truth has been obscured and falsified; and “light” signifies Divine truth made manifest. This new light, or this morning which shall appear in the end of the church, is here meant also by “the mystery of God that shall be consummated, as He hath declared the good tidings to His servants the prophets.”
sRef Isa@40 @11 S3′ sRef Isa@40 @10 S3′ sRef Isa@40 @9 S3′ [3] In the Word, “to proclaim good tidings” and “good tidings” are frequently mentioned, and this signifies the Lord’s coming, as can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
O Zion, proclaimer of good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, proclaimer of good tidings, lift up thy voice with power; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God; behold, the Lord Jehovih cometh in strength, and His arm shall rule for Him; He shall feed His flock like a shepherd (Isa. 40:9-11).
It is very clear that this is said of the Lord’s coming; and this is why Zion and Jerusalem are called “proclaimers of good tidings.” “Zion” means all who are of the celestial church, who are those that are in love to the Lord, therefore it is said, “get thee up into the high mountain,” “high mountain” signifying that love (see above, n. 405). “Jerusalem” means all who are of the spiritual church, who are those that are in the doctrine of genuine truth, therefore it is said, “lift up thy voice with power;” which signifies confession from genuine truths. “The cities of Judah,” to which it is said, “Your God, the Lord Jehovih, cometh in strength,” signify doctrinals from the Word, “cities” signifying doctrinals, and “Judah” the Word. Evidently Zion and Jerusalem are called “proclaimers of good tidings,” for the reason that “good tidings” mean the coming of the Lord, for it is said, “Behold your God, behold the Lord Jehovih cometh in strength.” That He will effect judgment, and will protect those who acknowledge Him, is signified by “His arm shall rule for Him, He shall feed His flock like a shepherd.”
sRef Isa@52 @8 S4′ sRef Isa@52 @7 S4′ [4] In the same:
How joyous upon the mountains are the feet of him that proclaimeth good tidings, that maketh peace to be heard, that proclaimeth good tidings of good, that maketh salvation to be heard; that saith unto Zion, Thy king* shall reign, when he shall see eye to eye that Jehovah returneth to Zion (Isa. 52:7, 8).
This, too, is said of the Lord’s coming, who is evidently meant by “thy king shall reign, when he shall see eye to eye that Jehovah returneth to Zion,” likewise in what follows in that chapter; this is why it is said “proclaim good tidings.” (The rest of the verse may be seen explained above, n. 365.) In Nahum:
Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that proclaimeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; celebrate thy feasts, O Judah (1:15).
sRef Isa@61 @2 S5′ sRef Isa@61 @1 S5′ sRef Matt@11 @5 S5′ [5] In Isaiah:
The spirit of the Lord Jehovih is upon me, therefore Jehovah hath anointed me to proclaim good tidings unto the poor; He hath sent me to bind up the broken in heart, to preach liberty to the captives, to the bound, to the blind; to proclaim the year of Jehovah’s good pleasure and the day of vengeance for our God; to comfort all that mourn (61:1, 2).
That this was said of the Lord and His coming is evident in Matthew (5:3, et seq.) and in Luke (4:16-22). The coming itself is meant by “the year of Jehovah’s good pleasure and the day of vengeance for our God.” “The poor to whom the Lord will proclaim good tidings,” also “the captives,” “the bound” and “the blind,” mean the Gentiles who are said to be such because they have been ignorant of truth from not having had the Word. The Gentiles are also meant in Matthew by:
The poor hear the gospel (11:5).
In David:
Sing unto Jehovah, bless His name; proclaim the good tidings of His salvation from day to day; for Jehovah cometh, for He cometh to judge the earth; He shall judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in His truth (Ps. 96:2, 13).
sRef Matt@24 @14 S6′ sRef Ps@96 @13 S6′ sRef Rev@14 @6 S6′ sRef Rev@14 @7 S6′ sRef Ps@96 @2 S6′ [6] The acknowledgment and celebration of the Lord with joy of heart because of His coming is signified by “Sing unto Jehovah, bless His name; proclaim the good tidings of His salvation from day to day.” The coming itself is described by “Jehovah cometh;” and as He comes when the Last Judgment is at hand it is said “He cometh to judge the earth; He shall judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in truth,” “the earth” meaning the church, “the world” those in the church who are in the good of charity, and “the peoples” those who are in truths therefrom. That the Lord comes when the Last Judgment is at hand has been said above, for the evil will then be separated from the good, or the goats from the sheep, and the evil will be judged to hell, and the good to heaven; this also is signified by the words of Isaiah, just above, “to proclaim the day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all that mourn.” This is why, where the Last Judgment is treated of, “proclaiming good tidings” is also mentioned, as also in the following in Revelation:
And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having the everlasting gospel to proclaim unto those that dwell on the earth, and unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people, saying with a great voice, Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come (14:6, 7).
That when the end of the church is at hand the good tidings of the Lord’s coming will be proclaimed, is predicted also by the Lord Himself in the Gospels:
These good tidings of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all the nations; and then shall the end come (Matt. 25:14; Mark 13:8-10).
sRef Luke@2 @11 S7′ sRef Luke@3 @16 S7′ sRef Luke@3 @18 S7′ sRef Luke@3 @17 S7′ sRef Luke@2 @10 S7′ sRef Luke@1 @19 S7′ [7] That the Lord’s coming is meant by “proclaiming good tidings” and by “good tidings” can be seen also from the following passages. In Luke:
The angel said to Zacharias, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to proclaim to thee these good things (1:19).
In the same:
The angel said to the shepherds, Be not afraid, behold I proclaim to you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For there is born to you this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (2:10, 11).
In the same:
That John proclaimed to the people the good tidings respecting Jesus (3:16-18);
Jesus said, The law and the prophets are proclaimed until John (16:16).
And elsewhere:
That the Lord Himself and His disciples also proclaimed the good tidings of the kingdom of God (Matt. 4:23; 9:35; Mark 1:15; Luke 7:22; 8:1; 9:1, 2, 6).
“The kingdom of God” means a new heaven and a new church from the Lord.
sRef Mark@8 @35 S8′ sRef Mark@16 @15 S8′ [8] Because “to proclaim good tidings” signifies to announce the Lord’s coming, “the good tidings” in the highest sense signify the Lord Himself in relation to His coming, in relation to judgment, and to the salvation of the faithful, in these passages in Mark:
Jesus said, Whosoever shall wish to save his soul shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his soul for My sake and the Gospel’s shall save it (8:35; 10:29, 30).
Jesus said to His disciples, Going into all the world, preach ye the Gospel to every creature (16:15).
* Latin has “King,” the Hebrew “God,” as found also in AC n. 8331.

sRef Rev@10 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@10 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@10 @8 S0′ 613. Verses 8-10. And the voice which I heard from heaven again spake with me, and said, Go, take the little book that is open in the hand of the angel that standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, saying unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take and eat it up; and it shall make bitter thy belly, but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the hand of the angel and ate it up; and it was in my mouth like honey, sweet. And when I had eaten it my belly was made bitter. 8. “And the voice which I heard from heaven again spake with me, and said,” signifies exploration of the men of the church as to what understanding of the Word yet remained with them (n. 614); “Go, take the little book that is open in the hand of the angel that standeth upon the sea and upon the earth,” signifies the Word laid open by the Lord to heaven and the church (n. 615). 9. “And I went unto the angel, saying unto him, Give me the little book,” signifies the faculty to perceive from the Lord of what quality the Word is (n. 616); “And he said unto me, Take and eat it up,” signifies that he should read, perceive, and explore the Word, of what quality it is within and of what it is without (n. 617); “and it shall make bitter thy belly” signifies that inwardly it was undelightful because adulterated (n. 618); “but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey” signifies that outwardly it was delightful (n. 619). 10. “And I took the little book out of the hand of the angel, and ate it up,” signifies exploration (n. 620); “and it was in my mouth like honey, sweet,” signifies that the Word in respect to its external or in respect to the sense of its letter was still perceived to be delightful, but only for the reason that it served to confirm the principles of falsity arising from love of self and of the world (n. 621); “and when I had eaten it my belly was made bitter,” signifies that it was perceived and ascertained that the Word was inwardly undelightful, because of the adulterated truth of the sense of its letter (n. 622).

sRef Rev@10 @8 S0′ 614. Verse 8. And the voice which I heard from heaven again spake with me, and said, signifies exploration of the men of the church as to what understanding of the Word yet remained with them. This is evident from the things that precede and those that follow in this chapter; for “the voice from heaven that spake with him and said” involves these things. Those that precede treat of the understanding of Divine truth or of the Word, as can be seen from verses 2-4, where the “voice” with which the strong angel coming down from heaven cried out, and “the voices of the seven thunders” signify a manifestation of what the state of the church is in regard to the understanding of the Word (see above, n. 601-604). The things that follow treat of the understanding of the Word yet remaining with the men of the church; for “the little book that the angel had in his hand” signifies the Word, and “eating it up” signifies exploration, and that “it was sweet in the mouth and bitter in the belly” signifies that in the sense of the letter the Word was delightful, but in the internal sense, in which are the truths themselves, it was undelightful. This will further appear from what follows. As these are the things treated of and yet to be treated of, it is clear that “the voice that he heard from heaven again speaking and saying” signifies the exploration of the men of the church as to what understanding of the Word yet remained with them.
[2] It is to be known that the understanding of the Word perishes in the church by degrees, as the man of the church from internal becomes external; and from internal he becomes external as he falls away from charity, consequently as he falls away from the life of faith. When the man of the church is such he may, indeed, take delight in reading the Word, but yet he takes no delight in the truth itself, which belongs to the interior sense of the Word; for it is the life itself of faith, which is charity, that produces the affection of interior truth and makes it delightful. Therefore the Word as to the sense of the letter may be loved, but for the reason that it can be drawn over to confirm the falsities arising from the love of self and of the world, for such is the Word in the letter. From this it comes that in the end of the church there is scarcely any understanding of truth. Truths from the Word are indeed then spoken with the mouth, but yet there is no idea of truth. It has been granted me to test whether this is so in the case of many in the spiritual world, and it was found that although, so far as they had spoken from the Word they had spoken truths, yet they had no understanding of them; thus they were like empty vessels and like tinkling bells, speaking only from such things as they drew forth from the memory, and not at all from any perception of the understanding. When man is such he cannot inwardly possess anything celestial or spiritual, but only what is natural, from the body and the world, and when this is separated from what is celestial and spiritual it is infernal. From this it can be seen what is meant in what follows by the little book given to John to eat being in his mouth sweet as honey, but that his belly was made bitter from it.

sRef Rev@10 @8 S0′ 615. Go, take the little book that is open in the hand of the angel who standeth upon the sea and upon the earth, signifies the Word manifested by the Lord to heaven and the church. This is evident from the signification of “the little book that is open,” as being the Word manifested (see above, n. 599); also from the signification of the “angel who had the little book in his hand,” as being the Lord in relation to the Word (see above, n. 593); also from the signification of “sea and earth,” as being heaven and the church (see above, n. 600); and also from the signification of “standing upon them,” as being that all things in them are subject to the Lord (see above, n. 606). From this it can be seen that “the little book that is open in the hand of the angel who standeth upon the sea and upon the earth” signifies the Word manifested by the Lord to heaven and the church. The signification of “taking it and eating it up” will be shown in what follows.

sRef Rev@10 @9 S0′ 616. Verse 9. And I went unto the angel, saying, Give me the little book, signifies the faculty to perceive from the Lord of what quality the Word is. This is evident from the signification of “going to the angel and saying, Give me the little book,” as being in the nearest sense to obey the command, because he was told to go and take it; but in a more remote sense, which also is the interior sense, these words mean the faculty to perceive from the Lord of what quality the Word is. It is granted by the Lord to every man to perceive this, but yet no one does perceive it unless he wishes as of himself to perceive it. This ability to reciprocate, man must have in order to receive the faculty to perceive the Word; unless a man wishes and does this as of himself no such faculty can be appropriated to him; since, in order that appropriation may be effected, there must be an active and a reactive; the active is from the Lord, so is the reactive, but the latter appears to be from man; for the Lord Himself gives this reactive, and thence it is from the Lord and not from man; but as man does not know otherwise than that he lives from himself, and consequently that he thinks and wills from himself, so he must needs do this as if it were from what is proper to his own life; and when he so acts, it is then first implanted in him, and conjoined and appropriated to him.
[2] He who believes that Divine verities and goodnesses flow into man apart from such an ability to react or reciprocate, is much deceived, for this would be to let the hands hang down, and to wait for immediate influx; as those think who wholly separate faith from charity, and who say that the goods of charity, which are the goods of life, flow in without any cooperation of man’s will, when yet the Lord teaches that He continually stands at the door and knocks, and that man must open the door, and that He enters in to him who opens (Rev. 3:20). In brief, action and reaction constitute all conjunction, and in action and mere passiveness there is no conjunction; for when the agent or active flows into the mere patient or passive, it passes through and is dissipated, for the passive yields and retires; but when the agent or active flows into a passive that is also a reactive, then they join together and the two remain conjoined. Thus it is with the influx of Divine good and Divine truth into man’s will or love; for this reason when the Divine flows into the understanding alone it passes through and is dissipated, but when it flows into the will, where what is man’s own (proprium) resides, it remains conjoined. From this it can be seen what is involved in its being said, first, “Go, take the little book that is open in the hand of the angel who standeth upon the sea and upon the earth,” and then that he “went unto the angel, saying, Give me the little book,” and the angel then said, “Take and eat it up,” thus the ability to react or reciprocate is described. And from this then it is that these words signify the faculty to receive and perceive from the Lord of what quality the Word is. The reception of the Divine influx is described in like manner elsewhere in the Word.

sRef Rev@10 @9 S0′ 617. And he said unto me, Take and eat it up, signifies that he should read, perceive, and explore the Word, of what quality it is within and what it is without. This is evident from the signification of “he said unto me, Take the little book,” as being the faculty given to perceive of what quality the Word is, that is, what the understanding of the Word now is in the church (see the preceding article, n. 616); and from the signification of “to eat up” (or devour), as being to conjoin and appropriate to oneself, and as the Word is conjoined to man by reading and perception, here “to eat up” or “to devour” signifies to read and perceive. “To eat up” here signifies also to explore, because it is added that “the little book made his belly bitter,” and was perceived to be “in his mouth sweet as honey,” and by this it was ascertained what the Word, as regards its understanding, is within and without; what it is within is signified by “the belly and its bitterness,” and what it is without by the “mouth” in which it was perceived to be sweet as honey. From this it can be seen that “he said unto me, Take and eat it up,” signifies that he should read, perceive, and explore the Word, of what quality it is within and of what it is without.
[2] “To eat” and “to drink” are often mentioned in the Word, and those who have no knowledge of the spiritual sense can have no other idea than that natural eating and drinking are thereby meant; but “to eat” and “to drink” signify to nourish oneself spiritually, consequently to appropriate to oneself good and truth, “to eat” signifying to appropriate to oneself good, and “to drink” to appropriate to oneself truth. Anyone who believes that the Word is also spiritual may know that “to eat” and “to drink,” likewise “bread,” “food,” “wine,” and “drink” mean spiritual nourishment; if they did not mean this the Word would be merely natural and not at the same time spiritual, thus merely for the natural man and not for the spiritual man, much less for angels. That “bread,” “food,” “wine,” and “drink” mean in the spiritual sense the nourishment of the mind, has been frequently shown above; also that the Word is spiritual throughout, although in the sense of the letter it is natural. To be nourished spiritually is to be instructed and imbued, consequently to know, to understand, and to be wise. Unless a man enjoys this nourishment together with the nourishment of the body, he is not a man but a beast; and this is why those who place all delight in feastings and banquetings and daily indulge their palates are dull in spiritual things, however they may be able to reason respecting the things of the world and of the body; therefore after death they live a life that is beastly rather than human, for instead of intelligence and wisdom they have insanity and folly. This has been said to make known that here “to devour or eat up the little book” signifies to read, to perceive, and to explore the Word, for “the little book” that was in the hand of the angel coming down from heaven means the Word, as has been said above. Moreover, one cannot eat or devour a book naturally, thus not the Word; and this, too, makes clearly evident that “to eat” here signifies to be spiritually nourished.
sRef Jer@15 @16 S3′ sRef Matt@4 @4 S3′ sRef John@6 @27 S3′ sRef John@4 @31 S3′ sRef John@4 @33 S3′ sRef John@4 @34 S3′ sRef John@4 @32 S3′ [3] That “to eat” and “to drink” signify in the Word to eat and drink spiritually, which is to be instructed, and by instruction and living to imbue oneself with good and truth and to appropriate this, consequently intelligence and wisdom, can be seen from the following passages. In Jeremiah:
Thy words shall be found, that I may eat them, and Thy Word be to me for joy and for the gladness of my heart (15:16).
Here “to eat” manifestly stands for spiritual eating, which is to know, to perceive, and to appropriate to oneself, for it is said, “that I may eat Thy words, and Thy Word be to me for joy and for the gladness of my heart;” the “words of God” signify His precepts or Divine truths. This is similar to what the Lord said to the tempter:
That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:3, 4; Luke 4:4; Deut. 8:3).
Again:
Work not for the food that perisheth, but for the food that abideth unto eternal life (John 6:27).
So, too, with the words of the Lord to the disciples:
The disciples said, Rabbi, eat. But He said, I have food to eat that ye know not. The disciples said one to another, Hath anyone brought Him aught to eat? Jesus said unto them, My food is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to accomplish His work (John 4:31-34).
sRef Matt@14 @16 S4′ sRef Matt@14 @17 S4′ sRef Matt@14 @18 S4′ sRef Matt@14 @20 S4′ sRef Matt@14 @21 S4′ sRef Matt@14 @19 S4′ sRef Matt@15 @32 S4′ sRef Matt@14 @15 S4′ [4] From this, too, it is evident that “to eat” signifies in the spiritual sense to receive in the will and to do, from which is conjunction; for the Lord by doing the Divine will conjoined the Divine that was in Him with His Human, and thus appropriated the Divine to His Human. To this may be referred:
The Lord’s feeding the five thousand men, besides women and children, with five loaves and two fishes, and when they had eaten and were filled they took up twelve baskets of fragments (Matt. 14:15-22; John 6:5, 13, 23).
Also His feeding four thousand men from seven loaves and a few fishes (Matt. 15:32, et seq.).
This miracle was done because previously the Lord had been teaching them, and they had received and appropriated to themselves His doctrine; this is what they ate spiritually; therefore natural eating followed, that is, flowed in out of heaven with them as the manna did with the sons of Israel, unknown to them; for when the Lord wills, spiritual food which also is real food but only for spirits and angels, is changed into natural food, just as it was turned into manna every morning.
sRef Luke@22 @29 S5′ sRef Luke@14 @16 S5′ sRef Luke@22 @30 S5′ sRef Luke@14 @18 S5′ sRef Luke@14 @17 S5′ sRef Luke@14 @19 S5′ sRef Luke@14 @23 S5′ sRef Luke@14 @20 S5′ sRef Luke@14 @21 S5′ sRef Luke@14 @15 S5′ sRef Luke@14 @22 S5′ sRef Luke@14 @24 S5′ [5] The like is signified by “eating bread in the kingdom of God” in Luke:
I appoint unto you a kingdom that ye may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom (22:27, 29, 30).
Here also “to eat” and “to drink” signify to eat and drink spiritually, therefore “to eat” there signifies to receive, to perceive; and to appropriate to oneself the good of heaven from the Lord, and “to drink” signifies to receive, to perceive, and to appropriate to oneself the truth of that good; for “to eat” is predicated of good because “bread” signifies the good of love, and “to drink” is predicated of truth because “water” and “wine” signify the truth of that good. The like is signified elsewhere in Luke:
Blessed is he that eateth bread in the kingdom of God (14:15).
This is why the Lord there likened the kingdom of God:
To a great supper, to which those invited did not come, and to which only those came who were brought in from the streets (verses 16-24).
sRef Ps@128 @2 S6′ sRef Isa@1 @19 S6′ sRef Ps@128 @1 S6′ [6] Spiritual eating, by which the soul is nourished, is also signified by “eating” in the following passages. In Isaiah:
If ye will be willing and obedient ye shall eat good (1:19).
“To eat good” signifies spiritual good, therefore it is said, “If ye will be willing and obedient,” that is, if ye will do; for spiritual food is given, conjoined, and appropriated to man by his willing and his doing therefrom. In David:
Blessed is everyone that feareth Jehovah, that walketh in His ways. Thou shalt eat the labor of thy hands; blessed art thou, and it is good with thee (Ps. 128:1, 2).
“To eat the labor of his hands” signifies the celestial good that man receives from the Lord by a life according to Divine truths, and acquires as it were by his own labor and zeal, therefore it is said that he shall eat “who feareth Jehovah and walketh in His ways,” and it is added “Blessed art thou, and it is good with thee.”
sRef Isa@3 @10 S7′ sRef Ezek@16 @13 S7′ [7] In Isaiah:
Say to the righteous that it is good, for they shall eat the fruit of their works (3:10).
“To eat the fruit of their works” has a similar signification as “eating the labor of their hands,” mentioned above.
In Ezekiel:
Thou didst eat fine flour, honey, and oil; whence thou didst become exceeding beautiful, and didst prosper even to a kingdom (16:13).
This was said of Jerusalem, which signifies the church, here the Ancient Church, which was in truths and in spiritual good, and at the same time in natural good; “fine flour” signifies truth, “honey” natural good, or the good of the external man; and “oil” spiritual good, or the good of the internal man; the reception, perception, and appropriation of these goods is signified by “eating fine flour, honey, and oil;” that from these the church became intelligent is signified by “whence thou didst become exceedingly beautiful,” “beauty” signifying intelligence; that from these it became a church is signified by “thou didst prosper even to a kingdom,” “kingdom” signifying the church.
sRef Isa@7 @14 S8′ sRef Isa@7 @15 S8′ sRef Isa@7 @16 S8′ [8] In Isaiah:
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name God with us; butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to reject the evil and to choose the good. For before the boy knoweth to reject the evil and to choose the good the land which thou abhorrest shall be forsaken from before its two kings (7:14-16).
It is evident that the “Son” whom the virgin shall conceive and bear, and whose name shall be called “God with us,” is the Lord in respect to His Human; the appropriation, in respect to the Human, of spiritual and natural Divine good is meant by “butter and honey shall He eat,” spiritual Divine good by “butter,” natural Divine good by “honey,” and appropriation by “eating;” and because so far as it is known how to reject evil and to choose good, so far spiritual and natural Divine good is appropriated, therefore it is said, “that He may know to reject the evil and to choose the good.” That the church was deserted and vastated in respect to all good and truth by knowledges falsely applied, and by reasonings therefrom, is signified by “the land which thou abhorrest shall be forsaken from before its two kings,” “land” signifying the church; the desertion and devastation of it are meant by “it shall be forsaken and abhorred;” and “the two kings,” who are the king of Egypt and the king of Assyria, signify knowledges wrongly applied, and reasonings therefrom, “the king of Egypt” such knowledges, and “the king of Assyria” reasonings therefrom. That these kings are meant is evident from what follows in verses 17 and 18, where Egypt and Assyria are mentioned; moreover, these things also are what chiefly devastate the church. That the Lord came into the world when there was no longer any truth and good in the church, thus when there was nothing of the church remaining, has been said several times above.
sRef Isa@7 @22 S9′ [9] In the same prophet:
It shall come to pass by reason of the abundance of milk that one shall eat butter; for butter and honey shall everyone eat that remains in the land (Isa. 7:22).
This is said of a new church to be established by the Lord; and “butter and honey” signify spiritual good and natural good, and “to eat” signifies to appropriate (as above); “milk” signifies the spiritual from the celestial, from which these goods are.
sRef Isa@55 @2 S10′ sRef Isa@55 @1 S10′ [10] In the same:
Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no silver; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without silver and without price. Wherefore do ye weigh silver for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? In hearkening hearken unto Me,* and eat good, that your soul may delight itself in fatness (Isa. 55:1, 2).
It is very clear that “to eat” signifies here to appropriate to oneself from the Lord, for it is said, “Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no silver; come ye, buy and eat,” which signifies that everyone who desires truth, and who had not truth before, may acquire and appropriate it from the Lord; “one that thirsts” signifies one who desires, “water” truth, “silver” the truth of good, here one who has no truth of good is meant; “to come” means to come to the Lord, “to buy” means to acquire for oneself, and “to eat” to appropriate. “Come ye, buy wine and milk without silver and without price,” signifies that spiritual Divine truth and natural Divine truth may be acquired without self-intelligence, “wine” signifying spiritual Divine truth, and “milk” spiritual-natural Divine truth. “Wherefore do ye weigh silver for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not?” signifies that it is useless to endeavor to acquire from what is one’s own [proprium] the good of love and that which nourishes the soul; “silver” as well as “labor” means here truth from what is one’s own [proprium], or from self-intelligence, “bread” means the good of love, and “that which satisfies” that which nourishes the soul, here that which does not nourish; “In hearkening hearken unto Me” signifies that these things are from the Lord alone; “and eat ye good, that your soul may delight itself in fatness,” signifies that they may appropriate to themselves celestial good, from which is every enjoyment of life, “to delight in fatness” signifying to have enjoyment from good, and “soul” signifying life.
sRef Lev@26 @10 S11′ sRef Deut@11 @15 S11′ sRef Isa@23 @18 S11′ sRef Lev@26 @5 S11′ [11] In the same:
The merchandise of Tyre shall be for them that dwell before Jehovah, to eat to satiety and for a covering with what is ancient (Isa. 23:18).
“The merchandise of Tyre” signifies the knowledges of good and truth of every kind; “to dwell before Jehovah” signifies to live from the Lord; “to eat to satiety” signifies to receive, perceive, and appropriate to oneself knowledges of good sufficient for nourishing the soul; “for a covering with what is ancient” signifies to be imbued with knowledges of genuine truth; for “to cover” is predicated of truths, because “garments” signify truths clothing good, and “ancient” is predicated of what is genuine, since there were genuine truths with the ancients. The signification is similar in Moses:
That they should eat to the full, and should eat the old store long kept (Lev. 26:5, 10).
In the same:
That they should eat and be full in the good land (Deut. 11:15).
Then also that they should eat and not be satisfied (Lev. 26:26).
sRef Lev@26 @26 S12′ sRef Isa@65 @22 S12′ sRef Jer@29 @28 S12′ sRef Isa@65 @21 S12′ sRef Jer@29 @5 S12′ [12] In Isaiah:
They shall build houses and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build that another may inhabit, they shall not plant that another may eat (65:21, 22).
Everyone knows what is signified by these words in the sense of the letter; but as the Word in its bosom is spiritual, spiritual things also are meant, that is, such things as belong to heaven and the church, for these are spiritual things. “To build houses and to inhabit them” signifies to fill the interiors of the mind with the goods of heaven and the church, and thereby to enjoy celestial life, “houses” signifying the interiors of the mind, and “to inhabit” celestial life therefrom. “To plant vineyards and to eat the fruit of them” signifies to enrich themselves with spiritual truths, and to appropriate to themselves goods therefrom; “vineyards” mean spiritual truths, “fruits” goods therefrom; and “to eat” to receive, perceive, and appropriate to themselves, for every good is appropriated to man by means of truths, that is, by a life according to them. This that has been said makes evident what is signified by “they shall not build that another may inhabit, they shall not plant that another may eat,” “another” signifying falsity and evil destroying truth and good; for when truths and goods perish with man falsities and evils enter. In Jeremiah:
Build ye houses and inhabit them, and plant gardens and eat the fruit of them (29:5, 28).
These words have a similar meaning as those just explained.
sRef Deut@6 @10 S13′ sRef Deut@6 @11 S13′ [13] In Moses:
That there shall be given in the land great and good cities which they builded not, houses full of every good thing which they did not fill, cisterns hewed out which they did not hew, vineyards and olive gardens which they did not plant; they shall eat to satiety (Deut. 6:10, 11).
The natural man understands these things only according to the sense of the letter, but if the particulars contained no spiritual meaning the Word would be merely natural and not spiritual, and thus it might be believed that merely worldly opulence and abundance are promised to those who live according to the Divine commandments. “But what would it profit a man if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” In other words, what would it profit a man to be given houses full of every good thing, likewise cisterns, and to have vineyards and olive gardens given him from which he might eat to satiety? But these riches enumerated are worldly riches by which are meant spiritual riches, from which man has eternal life. The “great and good cities to be given” signify doctrinals from genuine goods and truths; “houses full of every good thing” signify the interiors of the mind full of love and wisdom; “cisterns hewn” signify the interiors of the natural mind full of the knowledges of good and truth; “vineyards and olive gardens” signify all things of the church, both its truths and its goods, “vineyards” meaning the church in respect to truths, and “olive gardens” the church in respect to goods, since “wine” signifies truth, and “oil” good; “to eat to satiety” signifies full reception, perception, and appropriation.
sRef Isa@58 @14 S14′ [14] In Isaiah:
He shall delight in Jehovah; and I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob (58:14).
“To make to ride upon the high places of the earth” signifies to give an understanding of higher or interior truth respecting the things of the church and of heaven; and “to feed with the heritage of Jacob” signifies to bestow all things of heaven and the church; for “the heritage of Jacob” means the land of Canaan, and that land signifies the church, and in a higher sense heaven.
sRef Gen@2 @16 S15′ sRef Rev@2 @7 S15′ sRef Gen@2 @17 S15′ [15] As “to eat” signifies to appropriate to oneself, it can be seen what is signified by:
Eating of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise (Rev. 2:7);
namely, to appropriate to oneself celestial life; also what is signified by “eating of the tree of knowledge” in Genesis:
Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden eating thou shalt eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, of this thou shalt not eat, for in the day that thou shalt eat of it dying thou shalt die (2:16, 17).
The “tree of the knowledge (scientia) of good and evil” signifies the knowledge of natural things, through which it is not permitted to enter into the celestial and spiritual things which belong to heaven and the church, thus to enter from the natural man into the spiritual, which is the inverse way, and therefore does not lead to wisdom, but destroys it. “Adam and his wife” mean the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial church. Because the men of that church were in love to the Lord they had Divine truths inscribed on them, and thence they knew from influx the corresponding things in the natural man, which are called knowledges [scientifica]; in a word, there was with them spiritual influx, that is, influx from the spiritual mind into the natural, and thus into the things that are in it, and what these were they saw by correspondence as in a mirror.
[16] With them spiritual things were entirely distinct from natural things; spiritual things had their seat in their spiritual mind, and natural things in their natural mind, and thus they did not immerse what is spiritual in their natural mind, as spiritual-natural men are wont to do. For this reason, if they had consigned spiritual things to the natural memory, and had appropriated them to themselves in that way, that which was implanted with them would have perished, and they would have begun to reason about spiritual things from the natural man, and thus to form conclusions, which celestial men never do. This, moreover, would have been wishing to be wise from self-intelligence, and not from Divine intelligence, as before, and by this they would have extinguished all their celestial life, and they would have entertained natural ideas even about spiritual things. This, therefore, is what is signified by their “not eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” and if they did eat, “dying they should die.” The like is true of those who are in the Lord’s celestial kingdom as of these most ancient people meant by “Adam.” If these were to imbue the natural man and its memory with knowledges of spiritual truth and good, and should wish to be wise from these, they would become stupid, while yet they are the wisest of all in heaven. (On this more may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28, where the Two Kingdoms, Celestial and Spiritual, into which Heaven is in general distinguished, are treated of.)
sRef Ps@41 @9 S17′ [17] In David:
He that did eat of My bread hath lifted up his heel against Me (Ps. 41:9).
This is said of the Jews, who had Divine truths because they had the Word, as can be seen in John (13:18), where these words are applied to the Jews; therefore “to eat the Lord’s bread” signifies the appropriation of Divine truth, but here a communication of it, for the Jews could not appropriate it. “Bread” signifies the Word, from which is spiritual nutrition. “To lift up the heel against Him” signifies to pervert the sense of the letter of the Word even to denial of the Lord, and the falsification of every truth. For the Divine truth is presented in image as a man; this is why heaven in its whole complex is called the Greatest Man, and corresponds to all things of man; for heaven is formed according to the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; and as the Word is the Divine truth, this, too, before the Lord is in image like a Divine Man; for this reason its ultimate sense, which is the mere sense of the letter, corresponds to the heel. The perversion of the Word, or of the Divine truth, by applying the sense of the letter to falsities, such as were the traditions of the Jews, is signified by “lifting up the heel against the Lord.” The whole heaven is in image like a man, and thence corresponds to all things of man, and heaven is such because it was created and formed by the Lord by means of the Divine truth proceeding from Him, which is the Word by which all things were made (John 1:1-3), as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 59-102, and n. 200-212).
sRef Luke@13 @27 S18′ sRef Luke@13 @26 S18′ [18] In Luke:
They shall begin to say, We did eat before Thee and drink before Thee, and Thou didst teach in our streets. But He shall say, I know you not whence ye are; depart, ye workers of iniquity (13:26, 27).
Their saying, when presented for judgment, that they “ate and drank before the Lord,” signifies that they had read the Word and drawn from it the knowledges of good and truth, supposing that this would save them; therefore it follows, “Thou didst teach in our streets,” which signified that they had been instructed in truths from the Word, thus by the Lord. But that reading the Word and being instructed from it is of no avail for salvation, without at the same time a life according to it, is signified by the answer, “He shall say, I know you not whence ye are; depart from Me, ye workers of iniquity;” for it is of no avail for salvation to enrich the memory from the Word and from the doctrinals of the church, unless they are committed to life.
sRef Matt@25 @34 S19′ [19] In Matthew:
The king said to them on his right hand, I was an hungered and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty and ye gave me to drink. And to those on the left hand, I was an hungered and ye gave me not to eat; I was thirsty and ye gave me not to drink (25:34, 35, 41, 42).
By these words also spiritual hunger and thirst and spiritual eating and drinking are signified; spiritual hunger and thirst are the affection and desire for good and truth, and spiritual eating and drinking are instruction, reception, and appropriation. It is said here that the Lord hungered and thirsted, because from His Divine love He desires the salvation of all; and it is said that men gave Him to eat and to drink; which is done when from affection they receive and perceive good and truth from the Lord, and by means of the life appropriate them to themselves. The like may be said of a man who from his heart loves to instruct man and desires his salvation; therefore it is charity, or the spiritual affection of truth, that is described by these words and those that follow.
sRef John@6 @54 S20′ sRef John@6 @55 S20′ sRef John@6 @51 S20′ sRef John@6 @50 S20′ sRef John@6 @53 S20′ sRef John@6 @52 S20′ sRef John@6 @49 S20′ sRef John@6 @56 S20′ sRef John@6 @57 S20′ sRef John@6 @58 S20′ [20] From what has been said it can now be seen what is signified in the spiritual sense by eating bread and drinking wine in the Holy Supper, Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; where it is also said, that the bread is the Lord’s body, and the wine is His blood. There “bread” signifies the good of love, and “wine” truth from that good, which is the good of faith, and “flesh and blood,” have a similar signification, also “eating” signifies appropriation and conjunction with the Lord, as can be seen from what is said and shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem (n. 210-222). That such is the signification of “bread and wine,” and “body and blood,” also of “eating,” becomes still more evident from the Lord’s words in John:
Your** fathers did eat the manna in the wilderness, and they are dead. This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven; if anyone shall eat of this bread he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Verily I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood ye have not life in you. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood abideth in Me and I in him. This is that bread that came down out of heaven. He that eateth of this bread shall live forever (John 6:49-58).
Anyone who has the ability to think interiorly can see that neither flesh nor blood nor bread nor wine, are here meant, but the Divine proceeding from the Lord; for it is the Divine proceeding, which is Divine good and Divine truth, that gives eternal life to man, and causes the Lord to abide in man, and man in the Lord; for the Lord is in man in His own Divine and not in what is man’s own [proprium], for this is nothing but evil; and the Lord is in man, and man in the Lord, when the Divine proceeding is appropriated to man by a right reception. The appropriation itself is signified by “eating,” the Divine good proceeding, by “flesh” and “bread,” and the Divine truth proceeding, by “blood” and “wine.” It was similar in the sacrifices, in which the “flesh” and the “meal-offering,” which was bread, signified the good of love, and the “blood” and “wine,” which were the drink-offering, signified truth from that good, both from the Lord. Since “flesh” and “bread” signify the Divine good proceeding, and “blood” and “wine,” the Divine truth proceeding, “flesh” and “bread” mean the Lord Himself in relation to Divine good, and “blood” and “wine,” the Lord Himself in relation to Divine truth. The Lord Himself is meant by these, because the Divine proceeding is the Lord Himself in heaven and in the church; therefore the Lord says of Himself, “This is the bread that cometh down out of heaven;” also “He that eateth and drinketh these abideth in Me, and I in him.”
sRef Luke@24 @31 S21′ sRef Luke@24 @30 S21′ [21] Because “bread” signifies the Lord in relation to Divine good, and “to eat it” signifies appropriation and conjunction:
When the Lord manifested Himself to the disciples after His death, when He brake bread and gave to them, their eyes were opened and they knew Him (Luke 24:30, 31).
This, too, shows that “to eat bread” given by the Lord signifies conjunction with Him. Enlightened by this the disciples knew Him; for “eyes” in the Word correspond to the understanding and thence signify it, and this is what is enlightened; and thence “their eyes were opened.” “To break bread” signifies in the Word to communicate one’s good to another.
sRef Mark@2 @16 S22′ sRef Mark@2 @15 S22′ [22] The Lord ate with publicans and sinners:
At which the Jews murmured and were offended (Mark 2:15, 16; Luke 5:29, 32; 7:33-35);
because the Gentiles that are meant by “publicans and sinners” received the Lord, imbibed His precepts, and lived according to them, and by this means the Lord appropriated to them the goods of heaven, and this is signified in the spiritual sense by “eating with them.”
sRef Ex@24 @9 S23′ sRef Ex@24 @7 S23′ sRef Ex@24 @6 S23′ sRef Ex@24 @8 S23′ sRef Ex@24 @10 S23′ sRef Ex@24 @11 S23′ sRef Num@18 @11 S23′ sRef Deut@12 @27 S23′ sRef Num@18 @10 S23′ sRef Num@18 @19 S23′ sRef Lev@24 @9 S23′ sRef Lev@24 @8 S23′ sRef Lev@7 @21 S23′ sRef Lev@7 @20 S23′ sRef Lev@22 @12 S23′ sRef Lev@22 @12 S23′ sRef Lev@22 @13 S23′ sRef Lev@24 @5 S23′ sRef Lev@24 @6 S23′ sRef Lev@24 @7 S23′ sRef Lev@22 @11 S23′ sRef Lev@22 @10 S23′ sRef Lev@7 @19 S23′ sRef Num@18 @13 S23′ [23] Because “to eat” signifies to be appropriated, it was granted to the sons of Israel to eat of the sanctified things or of the sacrifices, for the “sacrifices” signified Divine celestial and spiritual things, and thus “eating” of them signified their appropriation. Because the appropriation of holy things was signified by such “eating,” various laws were given, prescribing who should eat and where they should eat and of what sacrifices, thus:
What Aaron and his sons should receive and eat of the sacrifices (Exod. 29:31-33; Lev. 6:16-18; 7:6, 7; 8:31-33; 10:13-15);
That they should eat the shew-bread in the holy place (Lev. 24:5-9);
That the daughter of a priest married to a stranger should not eat of the holy things, but that the daughter of a priest being a widow or divorced, who had no child, but was returned to the house of her father, might eat (Lev. 22:12, 13);
Who of the people might eat (Num. 18:10, 11, 13, 19);
That a stranger, a sojourner, a hired servant of a priest, should not eat of them, but that one bought with silver might eat (Lev. 22:10-12);
That one who was unclean must not eat (Lev. 7:19-21; 21:16 to the end; 22:2-8);
That they should eat no part of the burnt-offerings, but of the eucharistic sacrifices they should eat and be glad before Jehovah (Deut. 12:27; 27:7).
In these and many other statutes and laws respecting the eating of things sanctified are contained arcana respecting the appropriation of Divine good and Divine truth, and thus of conjunction with the Lord; but this is not the place to unfold the particulars, only let it be known from the passages cited, that “to eat” signifies to be appropriated and conjoined. So again:
When the sons of Israel were joined to the Lord by the blood of the covenant, and when Moses had read the book of the law before them, and they presently saw the God of Israel, it is said that they did eat and drink (Exod. 24:6-11).
sRef Ezek@39 @17 S24′ sRef Ezek@39 @18 S24′ sRef Ezek@39 @19 S24′ sRef Ezek@39 @22 S24′ sRef Ezek@39 @20 S24′ sRef Ezek@39 @21 S24′ [24] That “to eat flesh and drink blood” signifies the appropriation of spiritual good and truth, can be seen in Ezekiel:
Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Gather yourselves from every side to My sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth. And ye shall eat fat to satiety, and drink blood even to drunkenness, of My sacrifice which I sacrifice for you. Ye shall be satiated at My table with horse and with chariot, with the mighty man and with every man of war. So will I give My glory among the nations (39:17-21).
This treats of the calling together of all to the Lord’s kingdom, and in particular the establishment of the church with the Gentiles, for it is said, “so will I give My glory among the nations.” “To eat flesh and drink blood” means to appropriate to oneself Divine good and Divine truth, “flesh” signifying the good of love, and “blood” the truth of that good; “the mighty” (or oxen) signify the affections of good, “the princes of the earth” the affections of truth. The full fruition of these is signified by “eating fat to satiety, and drinking blood to drunkenness,” “fat” signifying interior goods, and “blood” interior truths, which were disclosed by the Lord when He came into the world, and were appropriated by those who received Him.
sRef Rev@19 @18 S25′ [25] Before the Lord’s coming into the world, to eat fat and drink blood was forbidden, because the sons of Israel were in externals only, for they were natural-sensual men, and not at all in things internal or spiritual, consequently if they had been permitted to eat fat and blood, which signifies the appropriation of interior goods and truths, they would have profaned them, therefore “eating fat and blood” signified profanation. “To be satiated at the Lord’s table with horse and with chariot, with the mighty man and with every man of war” has a similar signification; “horse” signifying the understanding of the Word; “chariot,” the doctrine from the Word; “the mighty man and the man of war,” good and truth fighting against evil and falsity and destroying them, and “the mountains of Israel upon which they should eat,” the spiritual church in which the good of charity is the essential. All this makes very clear that “to eat” signifies to appropriate to oneself, and that “flesh,” “blood,” “mighty man,” “princes of the earth,” “horse,” “chariot,” and “man of war,” signify the spiritual things that are to be appropriated, and by no means natural things, for to eat such things naturally would be abominable and diabolical. Similar things are signified by:
Eating the flesh of kings, of commanders of thousands, of horses, and of them that sit upon them, free and bond (Rev. 19:18).
sRef Isa@22 @12 S26′ sRef Isa@22 @13 S26′ [26] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so have “to eat” and “to drink;” and in that sense they signify to appropriate evil and falsity, and thus to be conjoined to hell; as can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
In that day will the Lord Jehovih call to weeping and to lamentation, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth; and behold, gladness and joy in slaying an ox and slaughtering a sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine; let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die (22:12, 13).
The devastation of the church and lamentation over it are signified by “to be called in that day to weeping, lamentation, baldness, and girding with sackcloth;” lamentation over the destruction of truth is signified by “weeping,” over the destruction of good by “lamentation,” over the destruction of all affection of good by “baldness,” and over the destruction of the affection of truth by “sackcloth;” “to slay an ox and to slaughter a sheep” signifies to extinguish natural good and spiritual good; “to eat flesh and drink wine” signifies to appropriate evil and falsity, “flesh” here signifying evil, “wine,” the falsity of evil, and “to eat and drink” these, to appropriate to oneself.
sRef Ezek@4 @12 S27′ sRef Ezek@4 @11 S27′ sRef Ezek@4 @10 S27′ sRef Ezek@4 @13 S27′ sRef Ezek@4 @15 S27′ sRef Ezek@4 @16 S27′ sRef Ezek@4 @14 S27′ sRef Ezek@4 @17 S27′ [27] In Ezekiel:
The prophet was told to eat food by weight and with care, and to drink water by measure and with astonishment; and that he should eat a cake of barley made with dung; and that thus shall the sons of Israel eat their bread unclean among the nations whither they shall be thrust out, and they shall be in want of bread and water, and be made desolate, a man and his brother, and shall waste away for their iniquity (4:10-17).
These words in the prophet represented the adulteration of Divine truth, or of the Word, with the Jewish nation; “the cake of barley made with dung” signifies such adulteration, “a cake of barley” meaning natural good and truth, such as the Word is in the sense of the letter, and “dung,” infernal evil; therefore it is said, “thus shall the sons of Israel eat their bread unclean,” “bread unclean” meaning good defiled with evil, that is, adulterated. That “they would be in want of bread and water among the nations whither they should be driven” signifies that they would no more have good and truth because of being in evils and falsities, “nations” signifying evils and falsities, and “to be thrust out thither,” to be delivered up to these; “man and brother” who shall be made desolate, signify faith and charity, “man” signifying the truth of faith, and “brother,” the good of charity, and “to be made desolate,” the complete extinction of both. This being the signification of “eating bread and drinking water” it is said that “they shall waste away for their iniquity;” “to waste away” is predicated of spiritual life, when it is perishing.
[28] As “beasts” signify affections, some beasts good affections and others evil affections, there were laws established for the sons of Israel, with whom the church was representative, as to what beasts should be eaten and what should not be eaten (Lev. 11); and these signified what beasts represented good affections that should be appropriated, and what beasts evil affections that should not be appropriated, since good affections render a man clean, while evil affections render him unclean. All things in that chapter relating to particular beasts and birds, and to their hoofs, feet, and cud, by which the clean are distinguished from the unclean, are significative.
sRef Isa@9 @20 S29′ sRef Isa@9 @21 S29′ [29] In Isaiah:
If he shall cut down*** on the right hand he shall still be hungry, and if he shall eat on the left hand they shall not be satisfied; they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm; Manasseh Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh (9:20, 21).
This describes the extinction of good by falsity and of truth by evil; the extinction of all good and truth, however it is sought for, is signified by “if he shall cut down on the right hand he shall still be hungry, and if he shall eat on the left hand they shall not be satisfied;” “to cut down and to eat” on the right and left means to search for, “to be hungry and not be satisfied” means not to be found, or if found to have no ability to receive; “they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm” signifies that falsity shall consume good, and evil truth, in the natural man; “Manasseh Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,” signifies that the will of evil shall consume the understanding of truth, and the understanding of falsity shall consume the will of good. (But this may be seen explained above, n. 386, 600.)
sRef Ezek@5 @10 S30′ sRef Lev@26 @29 S30′ [30] The consumption of all truth and good is signified by:
Their eating the flesh of their sons and daughters (Lev. 26:29).
Also by:
The fathers shall eat the sons, and the sons shall eat the fathers (Ezek. 5:10).
“Fathers” signify the goods of the church, and in the contrary sense its evils; “sons” signify the truths of the church, and in the contrary sense its falsities; “daughters,” the affections of truth and good, and in the contrary sense the desires for falsity and evil; the consumption and extinction of these one by another are signified by their “eating one another.” This makes evident that these things must be understood otherwise than according to the sense of the letter.
sRef Matt@24 @38 S31′ sRef Matt@24 @37 S31′ sRef Matt@24 @39 S31′ [31] In Matthew:
In the consummation of the age it shall be as it was before the flood, eating and drinking, contracting marriage, and giving in marriage (24:38; Luke 17:26-28).
“To eat and drink, to contract marriage, and give in marriage” does not mean here to eat and drink, nor to contract marriage, and give in marriage, but “to eat” means to appropriate evil, “to drink” to appropriate falsity, “to contract marriage and give in marriage,” to conjoin falsity with evil, and evil with falsity; for this treats of the state of the church when the Last Judgment is at hand; for this is signified by “the consummation of the age.” Evidently the good as well as the evil will then be eating and drinking, for there is nothing evil in eating and drinking, and this they also did before the flood, and it was not on this account that they perished, but because they appropriated to themselves evil and falsity, and conjoined these in themselves; this, therefore, is what is here signified by “eating and drinking, and by contracting in marriage and giving in marriage.”
sRef Luke@21 @34 S32′ sRef Luke@12 @19 S32′ sRef Luke@12 @45 S32′ [32] In Luke:
The rich man said to his soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thy rest, eat, drink (12:19).
If that servant shall say in his heart, The Lord delayeth to come; and shall begin to beat the servants, to eat, to drink, and to be drunken (12:45).
So, too, by surfeiting and drunkenness, in the same:
Jesus said, Take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with surfeiting and drunkenness (Luke 21:34).
It seems as if “eating and drinking” and “surfeiting” in these passages mean such luxury and intemperance as those indulge in who follow appetite only; this is indeed the natural literal sense of these words; but in their spiritual sense they mean the appropriation of evil and falsity, as can be seen from the passages cited above, where this is signified by “eating and drinking,” also from this, that the Word in the letter is natural, but interiorly is spiritual; the spiritual sense is for the angels, and the natural for men.
[33] Besides these many other passages might be cited from the Word, testifying and confirming that “to eat” signifies to receive, perceive, and appropriate to oneself such things as nourish the soul; for “to eat” spiritually is simply to imbue the mind with its own food, which is to wish to know, understand, and become wise in such things as pertain to eternal life. That this is the signification of “to eat” can be seen also from the signification of “bread” and “food,” as also of “famine” and “hunger,” and of “wine” and “water,” which have been treated of above in their proper places. Since “to eat” means to perceive the quality of a thing, and this is perceived by its taste, it is from correspondence that in human language taste [sapor] and to have a taste [sapere] are predicated of the perception of a thing, and from this comes wisdom [sapientia].
* Latin has “from Me,” the Hebrew “unto Me,” as also found in the explanation below.
** Latin has “Our,” the Greek “Your,” as also found in AE n. 899; AC n. 680, 8464.
*** Latin has “fall,” the text as quoted just above has “cut down.”

sRef Rev@10 @9 S0′ 618. And it shall make bitter thy belly, signifies that inwardly it was undelightful, because outwardly it was adulterated. This is evident from the signification of “to be bitter” or “bitterness,” as meaning undelightful because of adulterated truth (of which presently); and from the signification of the “belly,” as meaning what is interior. The “belly” means what is interior, because after this it is said that “in the mouth it was as honey, sweet,” and the “mouth” means what is exterior, for what is taken in by the mouth is chewed and passed down into the belly, thus going from the exterior to the interior and entering into the viscera of man; but as to the signification of “belly” it shall be told presently. “Bitter” (or bitterness) signifies what is undelightful because of adulterated truth, and therefore “to make bitter” signifies to render undelightful, because what is sweet becomes bitter and thus undelightful by a mixture with something offensive; from this comes the bitterness of wormwood, gall, and myrrh. Now as “sweet” signifies what is delightful from the good of truth and the truth of good, so “bitter” signifies what is undelightful because of adulterated truth. What is undelightful thence is not perceived and felt as bitter by anyone in the natural world, but by the spirit and angel in the spiritual world; for every adulterated good of truth, when it is changed with them into taste, is clearly perceived as bitter. For spirits and angels equally with men have taste, but the taste of spirits and angels flows forth from a spiritual source, but that of men from a natural source; the taste of bitterness with spirits is from the adulterated truth of good, but with men it is from a mixture of what is sweet with what is offensive. John’s sensation of bitterness was also from a spiritual origin, for he was in the spirit, otherwise he could not have eaten the little book. Adulterated truth means the truth of good applied to evil and mixed with its falsity, and this is done when the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word are applied to filthy loves, and are thus mixed with evils. This undelightfulness is what is here signified by the bitterness of the belly.
[2] It shall also be told briefly what is meant by what is interior in the Word, that is, the interiors of the Word. The interiors of the Word are the things contained in its internal or spiritual sense; these truths are genuine truths; to these the exterior truths of the Word correspond, which are the truths in the external or natural sense, called the sense of the letter and the literal sense. When the exterior things of the Word, or the truths in the sense of the letter or the literal sense of the Word, are falsified and adulterated, then the interior truths of the Word are falsified and adulterated; for this reason, when a man applies the Word in the sense of the letter to the evils of earthly loves, it becomes undelightful to angels, who are in the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, and this undelightfulness is like that of bitterness. From this it can be seen that “the little book would make bitter, and did make bitter, the belly,” signifies that the Word was inwardly undelightful. This undelightfulness thus far spoken of is spiritual undelightfulness; but there is also a spiritual-natural undelightfulness that is also meant by this “bitterness,” which is that the truth of doctrine inwardly gathered from the sense of the letter of the Word and called its literal sense, is undelightful to those who are in falsities of evil; for this relates to the understanding of the Word by the men of the church at its end, when they are for the most part in falsities from evil; and to such the falsities of evil, confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word, are delightful,* but truths confirmed from the literal sense of the Word are undelightful. This, too, is signified by “the little book made bitter the belly, but in the mouth was like honey, sweet.”
[3] That “bitter” signifies the truth of good adulterated can also be seen from the Word where “bitter” is mentioned, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe unto the mighty to drink wine, and to the men of strength to mingle strong drink (5:20, 22).
Evidently good and truth adulterated are here signified by “bitter,” for it is said, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness,” which signifies the adulteration of good and the falsification of truth; for good is adulterated when “good is called evil and when evil is called good,” and truth is falsified when “darkness is put for light and light for darkness,” “darkness” meaning falsities, and “light” truths. This makes clear that like things are signified by “putting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter,” also by “Woe unto the mighty to drink wine, and to the men of strength to mingle strong drink;” “the mighty to drink wine” signify those who adulterate the truth of the Word, and “the men of strength to mingle strong drink” signify those who falsify it, “wine” and “strong drink” meaning the truths of the Word, and “the mighty” and “men of strength” those who excel in ingenuity and skill in adulterating these.
sRef Isa@24 @7 S4′ sRef Isa@24 @9 S4′ [4] In the same:
The new wine shall mourn, the vine shall languish, all the glad in heart shall sigh. They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it (Isa. 24:7, 9).
“The new wine that shall mourn,” and “the vine that shall languish,” signify the truth of the Word and of the church which has been lost, “new wine” signifying the truth of the Word, and the “vine” the truth of the doctrine of the church; “all the glad in heart shall sigh, and they shall not drink wine with a song,” signifies that internal blessedness of mind and felicity of heart will perish because of the loss of the truth of spiritual good; “strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it,” signifies the truth of good made undelightful by its falsification and adulteration.
sRef Ex@15 @23 S5′ sRef Ex@15 @25 S5′ sRef Ex@15 @24 S5′ [5] In Moses:
The waters in Marah, that they were unable to drink because of the bitterness, were healed by the wood that was cast into them (Exod. 15:23-25).
“The waters in Marah, that they were unable to drink because of their bitterness,” represented truths adulterated, “waters” signifying truths, and “bitterness” adulteration. “Healing them by wood cast into them” represented the good of love and of life dispelling falsity and opening truth, and thus restoring it; for all truth is adulterated by the evil of life and of love, consequently it is opened and restored by the good of love and of life, because all truth is of good, and the good of love is like a fire, from which truth appears in light.
sRef 2Ki@4 @40 S6′ sRef 2Ki@4 @39 S6′ sRef 2Ki@4 @38 S6′ sRef 2Ki@4 @41 S6′ [6] The like is signified by:
The pottage into which the sons of the prophets cast the wild gourds or the bitter wild grapes, and which Elisha healed by casting in meal (2 Kings 4:38-41).
“The pottage into which they cast the bitter gourds” signifies the Word falsified; and the “meal” that was cast in, by which it was healed, signifies truth from good; for the truth that is from good dissipates the falsities from which is falsification.
sRef Deut@32 @32 S7′ [7] Because the sons of Jacob perverted all the truths of the Word, and by applying them to themselves and to earthly loves falsified and adulterated them, it is said of them in the song of Moses:
That their vine is of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah, and their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are of bitternesses (Deut. 32:32).
A “vine” signifies the church in respect to truth, consequently also the truth of the church; and “the grapes” signify the goods therefrom, which are the goods of charity, and “clusters”, the goods of faith; from which it is evident that “clusters of bitternesses” signify the goods of faith adulterated.
sRef Num@5 @16 S8′ sRef Num@5 @17 S8′ sRef Num@5 @14 S8′ sRef Num@5 @13 S8′ sRef Num@5 @15 S8′ sRef Num@5 @12 S8′ sRef Num@5 @26 S8′ sRef Num@5 @25 S8′ sRef Num@5 @24 S8′ sRef Num@5 @29 S8′ sRef Num@5 @28 S8′ sRef Num@5 @27 S8′ sRef Num@5 @23 S8′ sRef Num@5 @20 S8′ sRef Num@5 @19 S8′ sRef Num@5 @21 S8′ sRef Num@5 @18 S8′ sRef Num@5 @22 S8′ [8] In the same:
That the waters of the curse should be given to the wife accused by her husband of adultery, and if she was** guilty the waters would become bitternesses in her, and the belly would swell and the thigh fall away (Num. 5:12-29).
The marriage of man and wife signifies the marriage of truth and good, for love truly conjugial descends from that spiritual marriage; therefore “adultery” signifies the conjunction of falsity and evil, and this was why “if she was guilty the waters became bitternesses,” which signifies the adulteration of good; and as the “belly” signified conjugial love, in like manner as the womb, and also the thigh, so “the belly swelled and the thigh fell away,” which signifies in the spiritual sense that the conjugial or conjugial love itself, spiritual and natural, had perished; “the womb” or “belly” signifying spiritual conjugial love, and the “thigh” natural conjugial love. From this it can be seen that “bitter” and “bitterness” signify in general the falsification and adulteration of truth and good, and that the various kinds of these are signified by “gall,” “wormwood,” “myrrh,” “wild grapes,” “wild gourds,” and many others.
* Latin has “undelightful,” the context calls for “delightful.”
** Latin has “they were,” the Hebrew “she was,” cf. AC n. 3021.

sRef Rev@10 @9 S0′ 619. But in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey, signifies outwardly delightful. This is evident from the signification of “mouth,” as being what is exterior; for this treats of the little book and eating it up, and “the little book” signifies the Word, and “eating it up” signifies perception and exploration; thence “the mouth,” which first receives, means the external of the Word. It is evident also from the signification of “sweet as honey,” as being the delight of natural good. The external of the Word was “sweet as honey,” that is, thus delightful, because the external of the Word is such that it can be applied to any love whatever, or to any principle derived therefrom; and these can be confirmed by it. The external of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, is such because many things in it are written in accordance with the appearances presented to the natural man, and many appearances, when not interiorly understood, are fallacies, like the fallacies of the senses. Those, therefore, who love to live for the body and for the world, by means of these appearances draw over the external of the Word to confirm evils of life and falsities of faith.
[2] This was done especially by the sons of Jacob, who applied all things of the Word to themselves, and from the sense of the letter they held the belief, and also maintain it to this day, that they were chosen in preference to others, and therefore were a holy nation; that their Jerusalem, the temple there, the ark, the altar, the sacrifices, with innumerable other things, were holy of themselves; they did not know, and did not wish to know, that the holiness of all those things proceeded solely from this, that they represented things Divine proceeding from the Lord that are called celestial and spiritual, and are the holy things of heaven and the church, and that to think that these are holy of themselves, and not because of the Divine things they represent, would be to falsify and adulterate the Word by applying it to themselves and to their own loves. It was similar with their belief respecting the Messiah, that he would be king of the world, and would raise them above all other nations and peoples throughout the globe; not to mention other things which they gathered from the mere sense of the letter of the Word, which to them were sweet as honey in the mouth. This is why the things in the spiritual sense of the Word are undelightful, for in that sense are the truths themselves which are not according to appearances; as that the Jewish nation itself was not holy, but worse than every other nation, consequently that it was not chosen; that the city of Jerusalem merely signifies the Lord’s church and doctrine respecting Him and the holy things of heaven and the church; and that the temple, the ark, the altar, and the sacrifices represented the Lord and the holy things that proceed from Him, and that for this and no other reason were they holy. These are truths that are stored up inwardly in the sense of the letter of the Word, that is, in its internal spiritual sense; and these truths they deny, because, as was said, they have falsified and adulterated the Word in the sense of the letter; and these things therefore are undelightful to them, like foods that are bitter in the belly.
sRef Ezek@3 @1 S3′ sRef Ezek@2 @10 S3′ sRef Ezek@3 @3 S3′ sRef Ezek@3 @2 S3′ sRef Ezek@3 @4 S3′ sRef Ezek@2 @8 S3′ sRef Ezek@2 @9 S3′ [3] It is said that the little book was “in the mouth sweet as honey,” because “honey” signifies the delight of natural good; that “honey” signifies that delight can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
It was said to the prophet, Open wide thy mouth and eat that I give thee. And I saw and behold, a hand was put forth unto me, and lo, the roll of a book was therein; and when he had spread it before me it was written in front and behind, and written thereon were dirges, moaning, and woe. Then he said unto me, Son of man, eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. Then he said unto me, Feed thy belly and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee; and when I ate it, it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. And he said, Go to the house of Israel and speak my words unto them (2:8-10; 3:1-4).
These things involve things altogether similar to those in Revelation. The command to the prophet Ezekiel “to eat the roll of the book” involves something similar as the command to John “to eat the little book,” namely, to explore how the Divine truth which is in the Word is yet received, perceived, and appropriated by those who are of the church; for the prophet Ezekiel and John represent the doctrine of truth and the Word, therefore the exploration was made with them. It was made by eating a book, because “to eat” signifies to perceive and thus to appropriate, as has been shown above; and when this has been ascertained, namely, how the Word was still perceived, it is said to the prophet Ezekiel that “he should go to the house of Israel and speak to them the words of God;” also to the prophet John that “he must prophesy,” that is, still teach the Word in the church; and this because the book was perceived to be “in his mouth sweet as honey,” that is, because the Word in the sense of the letter is still delightful, but for the reason that this sense can be applied to any principles of falsity and to any loves of evil, and can thus serve them in confirming the delights of the natural life separated from the delights of the spiritual life; and when these are separated they become mere delights of the loves of the body and of the world whence are principles of falsity from fallacies.
sRef Isa@7 @14 S4′ sRef Isa@7 @15 S4′ [4] In Isaiah:
A virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name God-with-us. Butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to reject the evil and to choose the good (7:14, 15).
That this was said of the Lord is proved in Matthew (1:23). Anyone can see that “butter and honey” do not mean here butter and honey, but something Divine corresponding to them, for it is added, “that He may know to reject the evil and to choose the good,” and that is not known by eating butter and honey; but “butter” signifies the delight of spiritual good, and “honey” the delight of natural good, consequently the two signify the Lord’s Divine spiritual and Divine natural, and thus His Human, interior and exterior. That the Lord’s Human is meant can be seen from its being said that “a virgin shall conceive and bear a son;” and that it is Divine from its being said, “and shall call His name God-with-us,” “to call a name” signifying the quality of a thing, here what the Divine is, for He was to be called “God-with-us.”
sRef Isa@7 @22 S5′ [5] “Butter and honey” also signify the delight of spiritual and natural good in these words in the same chapter:
Butter and honey shall everyone eat that remains in the land (verse 22).
“That remains” mean those that are inwardly and also outwardly good from the Lord, consequently who receive the good proceeding from the Lord in truths; the blessedness therefrom of the internal or spiritual man, and also of the external or natural man, is signified by “butter and honey.”
sRef Job@20 @17 S6′ sRef Job@20 @16 S6′ [6] In Job:
He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper’s tongue shall slay him. He shall not see the streams, the flowings of the brooks of honey and butter (20:16, 17).
This is said of hypocrites who talk well and smoothly about God, about the neighbor, and about heaven and the church, and yet think altogether otherwise; and because they cunningly contrive by these means to captivate minds, although in heart they cherish what is infernal, it is said, “He shall suck the poison of asps, the viper’s tongue shall slay him.” That such have no delight in natural good or spiritual good is meant by “He shall not see the streams, the flowings of the brooks of honey and butter,” “streams” meaning the things of intelligence, and “the flowings of the brooks of honey and butter,” the things therefrom that are of affection and love, which are the very delights of heavenly life. Every delight of life that abides to eternity is a delight of spiritual good and truth, and from that a delight of natural good and truth; but hypocritical delight is a natural delight separate from spiritual delight, and this delight is turned in the other life into what is direfully infernal. Evidently “butter and honey” do not mean here butter and honey, for where, in the world, can there be found “flowings of brooks of honey and butter”?
sRef Ex@3 @17 S7′ sRef Ex@3 @8 S7′ [7] “Milk and honey” have a similar signification as “butter and honey;” and as “milk” signifies the delight of spiritual good, and “honey” the delight of natural good, and these delights are with those who are of the Lord’s church, therefore the land of Canaan, which signifies the church, was called:
A land flowing with milk and honey (Exod. 3:8, 17; Lev. 20:24; Num. 13:27; 14:8; Deut. 6:3; 11:9; 26:9, 15; 27:3; 31:20; Josh. 5:6; Jer. 11:5; 32:22; Ezek. 20:6).
That in the Word “the land of Canaan” means the church has been shown above (n. 29, 304, 431); and the church is with those only who are in spiritual good and at the same time in natural good; in such the church is formed by the Lord; for the church is in man and not outside of him, consequently is not with those with whom these goods are not. These goods with their delights are signified by “milk and honey.”
sRef 1Sam@14 @29 S8′ sRef 1Sam@14 @27 S8′ sRef 1Sam@14 @26 S8′ sRef 1Sam@14 @25 S8′ [8] There was also much honey in the land of Canaan at that time, because at that time the church of the Lord was there, as can be seen from the first book of Samuel, where it is said:
That they came into the forest, where there was honey upon the face of the ground, and there was a stream of honey, and Jonathan’s eyes were opened by tasting the honey (14:25-27, 29).
“Jonathan’s eyes were opened by tasting the honey” because “honey” corresponds to natural good and its delight, and this good gives intelligence and enlightens, from which Jonathan knew that he had done evil; as we read in Isaiah, “He shall eat butter and honey, that he may know to reject the evil and to choose the good.” For at that time correspondences exhibited their effects outwardly, since all things of the Israelitish Church consisted of correspondences, which represented and signified things celestial and spiritual.
sRef Deut@32 @13 S9′ [9] Again, “oil and honey” have a similar signification as “butter and honey” in the following passages. In Moses:
He made him to ride on the high places of the earth, and fed him with the produce of the fields; he made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock (Deut. 32:13).
This is in the song of Moses, which treats of the church in its beginning, and afterward in its progress, and finally in its end. Those that constituted the Ancient Church are described by these words, not those however who constituted the Israelitish Church, for these were evil from the beginning even to the end, as can be seen from their fathers in Egypt, and afterwards in the wilderness; but the Ancient Church, the men of which are meant by “their fathers,” was that which the Lord “made to ride on the high places of the earth, and fed with the produce of the fields.” That to these the good of natural love and the good of spiritual love with their delights were given by means of truths, from which they had their intelligence and according to which they lived, is signified by “he made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock,” “honey” signifying the delight of natural love, “oil,” the delight of spiritual love, and “the cliff” and “the flint of the rock,” truth from the Lord. (That “oil” signifies the good of love and charity, may be seen above, n. 375; and that “cliffs” and “rocks” signify truth from the Lord, n. 411, 443.)
sRef Ps@81 @16 S10′ [10] In David:
I fed* them with the fat of wheat, and with honey out of the rock I satisfied them (Ps. 81:16).
“The fat of wheat” signifies the delight of spiritual good, and “honey out of the rock,” the delight of natural good through truths from the Lord (as above). It is to be known that natural good is not good unless there is also spiritual good; for all good flows in through the spiritual man or mind into the natural man or mind, and so far as the natural man or mind receives the good of the spiritual man or mind so far man receives good; that there may be good there must be both, or the two sides, consequently natural good separated from spiritual good is in itself evil, although by man it is still perceived as good. Since there must be both, it is said in the passages cited and yet to be cited, “butter and honey,” “milk and honey;” “fat and honey,” as also “oil and honey;” and “butter,” “milk,” “fat,” and “oil” signify the good of spiritual love, and “honey” the good of natural love, together with their delights.
sRef Ezek@16 @19 S11′ sRef Ezek@16 @13 S11′ [11] In Ezekiel:
Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver, and thy garments were fine linen and silk and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, honey, and oil, whence thou didst become exceeding beautiful, and didst prosper even to a kingdom. But my bread which I gave thee, and the fine flour and oil and honey with which I fed thee, thou didst set before idols as an odor of rest (16:13, 19).
This is said about Jerusalem, which signifies the church, first the Ancient Church, and afterwards the Israelitish Church. Of the Ancient Church it is said “she was decked with gold and silver,” which signifies the love of good and truth that the men of that Church had; “the garments of fine linen, silk, and broidered work,” signify the knowledges of celestial, spiritual, and natural truth, “fine linen” signifying truth from a celestial origin, “silk” truth from a spiritual origin, and “broidered work” truth from a natural origin, which is called knowledge [scientificum]. “She ate fine flour, honey and oil,” signifies the perception of natural and spiritual truth and good, and their appropriation, “to eat” signifying to be appropriated, “fine flour” truth, “honey” natural good, and “oil” spiritual good, which were appropriated to them by a life according to the truths above mentioned. “She became exceeding beautiful and prospered even to a kingdom” signifies to become intelligent and wise so as to constitute a church, “beauty” signifying intelligence and wisdom, and a “kingdom” the church. But of the Israelitish Church, which was merely in externals without internals, whence the men of that church were idolatrous, it is said that “they set the fine flour, honey, and oil before the images of a male, or idols, as an odor of rest,” that is, they perverted the truths and goods of the church into falsities and evils, and thus profaned them.
sRef Ezek@27 @17 S12′ [12] In the same:
Judah and the land of Israel were thy merchants in the wheats of Minnith and Pannag, and honey and oil and balsam they gave for thy merchandise (Ezek. 27:17).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good; so, too, “Tyre” signifies the knowledges of truth and good themselves belonging to the church; “oil and honey” have a similar signification as above. What is meant here in the spiritual sense by “Judah and the land of Israel,” by “the wheats of Minnith and Pannag,” and by “balsam,” also by “the merchandise of Tyre,” may be seen explained above (n. 433).
sRef Deut@8 @8 S13′ sRef Deut@8 @7 S13′ [13] In Moses:
A land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths going forth from the valley and mountain; a land of wheat and barley, and of vine and fig-tree and pomegranate; and of olive oil and honey (Deut. 8:7, 8).
This is said of the land of Canaan, which means the church which is in celestial, spiritual, and natural good, and in truths therefrom; but the contents of this verse are explained above (n. 374, 403), showing that “oil and honey” here signify the good of love in the internal or spiritual man and in the external or natural man.
sRef Ps@119 @102 S14′ sRef Ps@19 @9 S14′ sRef Ps@19 @10 S14′ sRef Ps@119 @103 S14′ [14] In David:
The judgments of Jehovah are truth, they are righteous altogether; more desirable than gold and than much fine gold; and sweeter than honey and the dropping of honeycombs (Ps. 19:9, 10).
In the same:
I have not departed from Thy judgment; for Thou hast instructed me. How sweet are Thy words to my palate, more than honey to my mouth (Ps. 119:102, 103).
“Judgments” signify the truths and goods of worship, therefore it is said “the judgments of Jehovah are truth, they are righteous altogether;” “righteous” signifies the good of life and worship therefrom; and as good is also signified by “gold” and “fine gold,” it is said that “they are more desirable than gold and than much fine gold,” “gold” meaning celestial good, “fine gold” spiritual good, and “desirable” means what belongs to affection and love. Since the goods by which a man is affected are delightful it is said that they are “sweeter than honey and the dropping of honeycombs,” and that “the words of Jehovah are sweet to the palate, more than honey to the mouth,” “sweet” signifying what is delightful, “honey” natural good, and “the dropping of honeycombs” natural truth. And because “honey” means natural good, and the “mouth” signifies what is external, it is said “more than honey to my mouth,” as in Revelation, that “the little book was sweet as honey in the mouth.”
sRef Luke@24 @41 S15′ sRef Luke@24 @39 S15′ sRef Luke@24 @43 S15′ sRef Luke@24 @42 S15′ [15] In Luke:
Jesus said to the disciples, who believed that they saw a spirit, See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; feel of Me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see Me having. Then He said to them, Have ye here anything to eat? And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and of a honeycomb. And He took it and did eat it before them (Luke 24:39, 41-43).
From the series of these words regarded in the spiritual sense it is very evident that “honeycomb” and “honey” signify natural good, for the Lord disclosed to His disciples that He had glorified or made Divine His whole Human, even to its natural and sensual; this is signified by “hands and feet” and by “flesh and bones,” which they saw and felt, “hands and feet” signifying the ultimate of man which is called the natural, “flesh” its good, and “bones” its truth; for all things that are in the human body correspond to spiritual things, the “flesh” corresponding to the good of the natural man, and the “bones” to its truths. (On this correspondence, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 87-102.) And this the Lord confirmed by eating before the disciples of the broiled fish and honeycomb; “the broiled fish” signifying the truth of good of the natural and sensual man, and “the honeycomb,” the good of the truth of the same. The Lord, therefore, by letting them feel of Him, showed and confirmed that His whole Human, even to its ultimates, was glorified, that is, made Divine; and this He showed, too, by the eating, in that “He ate before them a piece of broiled fish and of a honeycomb.”
sRef Matt@3 @4 S16′ [16] As “honey” signifies the good of the natural man, so also:
John the Baptist had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey (Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:6).
For John the Baptist represented something similar as Elijah; wherefore it is also said that “Elijah should come,” by whom John is meant. Elijah represented the Lord in relation to the Word, or the Word from the Lord; John had a similar representation; and as the Word teaches that the Messiah or the Lord was about to come, John was sent before to preach respecting the Lord’s coming, according to the predictions in the Word. And as John represented the Word, therefore he represented the ultimates of the Word, which are natural, by his raiment and also by his food, namely, by his raiment of camel’s hair and the leathern girdle about his loins; “camel’s hair” signifying the ultimates of the natural man, such as are the exterior things of the Word, and “the leathern girdle about the loins,” the external bond and connection of these with the interior things of the Word, which are spiritual. “Locust and wild honey” have a like signification, “locust” signifying the truth of the natural man, and “wild honey” its good. It is the same whether you say the truth and good of the natural man or natural truth and good, such as the Word is in its ultimate sense, which is called the sense of the letter or the natural sense, for this was what John represented by his raiment and food.
sRef Lev@2 @11 S17′ [17] That:
No leaven and no honey were to be offered in the offerings made by fire to Jehovah (Lev. 2:11);
because “leaven” signifies the falsity of the natural man, and “honey” the delight of good of the natural man, and in the contrary sense the delight of its evil; this is also like leaven when it is mixed with such things as signify things interiorly holy, for natural delight draws its own from the delights of the love of self and of the world; and as the Israelitish nation was in such delights more than other nations, therefore they were forbidden to use honey in their sacrifices. (On the signification of “honey,” as meaning the delight of the good of the natural man, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5650, 6857, 8056, 10137, 10530.)
sRef Judg@14 @8 S18′ [18] That:
When Samson had rent the young lion he found in its carcass a swarm of bees and honey, when he was about to take a wife from the Philistine nation (Judges 14:8);
signified the dissipation of faith separated from charity, which the Philistine nation represented; for this reason the Philistines were called “uncircumcised,” and this term signified that they were without spiritual love and charity and only in natural love, which is the love of self and of the world. Because such a faith destroys the good of charity it was represented by a young lion that attacked Samson with intent to tear him in pieces, but as Samson was a Nazirite, and by his Naziriteship represented the Lord in respect to His ultimate natural, he rent the lion, and afterwards found in its carcass “a swarm of bees and honey,” and this signifies that when such faith has been dissipated, the good of charity succeeds in its place. The other things related of Samson in the book of Judges have a like signification; for there is nothing written in the Word that does not represent and signify such things as belong to heaven and the church, and these can be known only by a knowledge of correspondences, and thus from the spiritual sense of the Word.
* Latin has “I fed,” but “I would feed” is found in AC n. 5943; AR n. 314.

sRef Rev@10 @10 S0′ 620. Verse 10. And I took the little book out of the hand of the angel, and ate it up, signifies exploration. This is evident from the things that precede, namely, that “the little book” means the Word, “the angel” the Lord in relation to the Word, and “to devour or to eat it” means to receive, perceive, and appropriate to oneself, consequently to explore, here of what quality the understanding of the Word still is in the church. Exploration is effected by means of a thing’s being perceived and the way in which it is perceived; it was effected with the prophet John, because a “prophet” signifies the doctrine of the church, and in a universal sense, the Word.

sRef Rev@14 @20 S0′ sRef Rev@10 @10 S0′ 621. And it was in my mouth as honey, sweet, signifies that the Word, in respect to its external, or in respect to its sense of the letter, was still perceived as the delight of good, but as delight only for the reason that it served to confirm the principles of falsity, and the loves of evil, that is, the principles arising from the love of self and of the world, all of which are falsities. That the Word, which is meant by “the little book,” was perceived on this account to be “sweet as honey,” may be seen in what has been shown above.

sRef Rev@14 @20 S0′ sRef Rev@10 @10 S0′ 622. And when I had eaten it my belly was made bitter, signifies that it was perceived and ascertained that the Word was inwardly undelightful because of the adulterated truth of the sense of its letter. This is evident from the explanations above (n. 617, 618), where there are like words. The “belly” here signifies the interiors of the Word, which are called spiritual, because exploration was represented by “devouring or eating up the little book,” which means the Word, and by its taste, which means perception; therefore the first perception is signified by the taste in the mouth, where the little book was “sweet as honey.” The first perception of the Word is such as is the perception of the sense of its letter, that is, as the Word is outwardly. The other perception however is signified by its taste when it has come into the belly, which is said to be made bitter by it. This other perception of the Word is such as the perception of its spiritual sense is, that is, as the Word is inwardly. Consequently, as the “mouth” signifies what is exterior, so here the “belly” signifies what is interior, because inwardly received and ascertained. The “belly” signifies interior things because the belly stores up the food inwardly, and “food” signifies everything that nourishes the soul; also because the belly, like the bowels, is within or in the midst of the body; for this reason the “belly,” and also the “bowels,” signify in the Word interior things.
sRef Ezek@3 @3 S2′ [2] That the “belly,” and the “bowels” signify interior things can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
Son of man, feed thy belly and fill thy bowels with this roll (3:1, 3).
This has a similar signification as what is now being explained in Revelation, that “he took and ate up the little book,” for the “roll” has a similar signification as “the little book,” namely, the Word, and “to feed the belly and fill the bowels with the roll” signifies to explore how the Word is understood in the church, which is done by the reading and perception of it.
sRef Ps@17 @14 S3′ [3] In David:
Fill their belly with Thy treasure; the sons are fed to the full, and what remains to them they leave to their babes (Ps. 17:14).
“Treasure” signifies the truth of the Word, “belly” the interior understanding, so “to fill their belly with treasure” signifies to instruct their interior understanding in the truths of the Word; that thence those who are affected by truths are fully instructed is signified by “the sons are fed to the full,” “sons” signifying those who are in the affection of truth; and the sons’ “babes,” truths in their birth; of such it is said that “what remains to them they leave to their babes.” It is here said the interior understanding, for man has an exterior understanding and an interior understanding; the exterior understanding is of the natural mind, and the interior understanding is of the spiritual mind; the interior understanding is signified by the “belly.”
sRef John@7 @38 S4′ sRef John@7 @37 S4′ sRef John@7 @39 S4′ [4] In John:
Jesus said, If anyone thirst let him come unto Me and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. This He said of the Spirit which they that believe on Him were to receive (7:37-39).
Thus the Lord describes Divine truth inwardly perceived by those who are in the spiritual affection of truth; such are meant by “those who thirst and come to the Lord and drink;” that such shall have an understanding of Divine truth is signified by “out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water,” “rivers out of the belly” meaning interior understanding or intelligence, and “living water,” Divine truth from the Lord; and as “the Holy Spirit” means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, it is added “this He said of the Spirit which they that believe on Him were to receive.”
sRef Mark@7 @21 S5′ sRef Mark@7 @18 S5′ sRef Mark@7 @19 S5′ sRef Mark@7 @20 S5′ [5] In Mark:
Whatsoever from without goeth into the man cannot render him unclean, because it goeth not into his heart but into the belly; and is cast out into the draught purging all foods. But that which goeth forth out of the man, that rendereth the man unclean; for from within out of the heart of men it goeth forth (7:18-21; Matt. 15:17-20).
These words must be thus understood, that all things, whether falsities or evils, that from things seen or things heard flow into the thought of the understanding and not into the affection of its will, do not affect or infect the man, since the thought of a man’s understanding, so far as it does not proceed from the affection of his will, is not in the man but outside of him, therefore it is not appropriated to him; it is similar with truth and good. This the Lord teaches by correspondences when He says that “that which enters through the mouth into the belly does not render a man unclean, because it does not enter into the heart, for that which enters into the belly is cast out into the draught;” which means that whatever enters into the thought of man’s understanding from without or from the outside, whether from objects of sight or from objects of speech or from objects of the memory, does not render him unclean, but so far as it is not of his affection or will it is separated and cast out, as what is taken into the belly is cast out into the draught. These spiritual things the Lord explained by natural things, since the foods that are taken into the mouth and thus pass into the belly signify such things as man takes in spiritually and with which he nourishes his soul; this is why the “belly” corresponds to the thought of the understanding and signifies it. That the “heart” signifies the affection of man’s will has been shown above; also that only that which is made a part of a man’s affection or will is appropriated to him. Evidently spiritual, not natural, things are here meant, for the Lord says that “out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, whoredoms, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies.” Since the falsities and evils that enter from without into the thoughts enter from the hells, and if not received by man with the will’s affection are cast back into the hells, it is said that “they are cast out into the draught,” for the “draught” signifies hell; and for the reason that in the hells all things are unclean, and those who are there have been cast out of heaven, which is like a man in form, and is therefore called the Greatest Man and also corresponds to all things of man, while the hells correspond to what is cast out of the belly of the Greatest Man or heaven; this is why hell is meant in the spiritual sense by the “draught.” The “belly” is said “to purge all foods,” because the “belly” signifies the thought of the understanding, as has been said above, and “foods” signify all spiritual nourishments, and the thought of the understanding is what separates unclean things from what are clean, and thus purges.
sRef Jer@51 @34 S6′ [6] In Jeremiah:
Jehovah God hath said, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon hath confounded Me, he hath placed Me as an empty vessel, he hath swallowed Me up as a whale, he hath filled his belly with My delicacies, he hath thrust Me out (51:34).
“Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon” signifies the profanation of Divine truth; and as those who profane it drink it in more than others and apply it to filthy loves, especially to the love of rule, even to the transference to themselves of all Divine power, this is signified by “he hath swallowed me up as a whale, he hath filled his belly with my delicacies,” “whale” signifying the lowest natural, in which those are who are in the love of self, and “delicacies” meaning the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, so “to fill the belly with them” signifies to drink in and to profane them.
sRef Ps@31 @9 S7′ [7] In David:
Be gracious unto me, O Jehovah, for I am in distress; mine eye wasteth away with vexation, my soul and my belly (Ps. 31:9).
“Eye, soul, and belly,” here signify the understanding and exterior and interior thought of truth therefrom; thus the “belly” signifies the interiors of the understanding, which are said “to waste away with vexation” when they are destroyed by falsities.
sRef Lev@11 @42 S8′ sRef Ps@44 @25 S8′ sRef Gen@3 @14 S8′ [8] In the same:
Our soul is bowed down to the dust, our belly cleaveth unto the earth (Ps. 44:25).
Here, too, “soul” and “belly” signify in the spiritual sense the thought of the understanding; and “bowed down to the dust,” and “cleaving to the earth,” signify to be imbued with falsities, for “dust” and “earth” signify what is infernal and damned. What is infernal and damned is signified also by “going upon the belly” and “eating dust,” as was said to the serpent:
Be thou cursed above all beasts, and above all the wild beasts of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life (Gen. 3:14).
For this reason also:
It was strictly forbidden to eat anything that goeth upon the belly, for it was an abomination (Lev. 11:42).
“Dust” and “the cleaving of the belly to the earth” signify falsity infernal and damned, because in the spiritual world the hells are under the lands, and through the lands there, falsities of evil are exhaled from the hells; also because the “belly” signifies from correspondence the interiors of the understanding and of thought, and these, if they cleave to the earths there, are infected and imbued with the falsities of evil. For this reason, in the spiritual world no one lies with the belly upon the ground; and indeed, to walk there with the feet upon the ground means to touch and drink in what is exhaled from the hells with the corporeal natural, which corresponds to the soles of the feet; and this natural has no communication with the thoughts of the understanding, except in those who are in evils in respect to life and in falsities in respect to doctrine.
sRef Ps@5 @9 S9′ sRef Jer@4 @14 S9′ sRef Hab@3 @16 S9′ sRef Job@32 @19 S9′ sRef Jonah@2 @2 S9′ sRef Jonah@1 @17 S9′ sRef Job@15 @35 S9′ sRef Job@32 @18 S9′ sRef Ps@64 @6 S9′ [9] In Job:
The belly prepareth deceit (15:35).
And again:
I am filled with words, the spirit of my belly causes anguish for me; and my belly, like wine, is not opened (32:18, 19);
which means inability to open the thoughts of one’s understanding. In Jeremiah:
O Jerusalem, wash thy heart from evil, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thoughts of thy iniquity lodge in thy belly? (4:14).
Here thoughts are plainly attributed to the belly, for it is said, “How long shall thoughts of iniquity lodge in thy belly?” and evil is attributed to the heart, because the heart corresponds to the will, in which evil has its seat. In David:
There is no certainty in the mouth of anyone; perditions are their belly; their throat is an open sepulcher; they flatter with their tongue (Ps. 5:9).
Here “perditions,” that is, evil thoughts, are attributed to “the belly.” In the same:
The belly of man and the heart are deep (Ps. 64:6).
Here “the belly of man” signifies the thoughts of falsity, and “the heart” the affections of evil; the latter belong to the will, the former to the understanding. In Habakkuk:
My belly trembled, my lips quivered at the voice (3:16).
“My belly trembled” signifies grief of thought, therefore it is added, “my lips quivered at the voice,” which signifies a consequent stammering of the speech:
The bowels of the whale in which Jonah was three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17);
signifies the hells where there are most direful falsities, with which he was encompassed, consequently grievous temptations, as can be seen from the prophecy of Jonah in the next chapter, where it is also said:
Out of the belly of hell have I cried, and Thou hast heard my voice (2:2).
sRef Ps@103 @1 S10′ sRef Ps@40 @8 S10′ sRef Ezek@7 @19 S10′ sRef Isa@16 @11 S10′ [10] The “bowels” have a similar signification as the “belly,” as can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
My bowels are moved like a harp for Moab, and My inward part for Kir-heres (16:11).
In David:
Bless Jehovah, O my soul, and all my bowels the name of His holiness (Ps. 103:1).
In the same:
I have desired to do Thy will, O my God, and Thy law is in my bowels (Ps. 40:8).
In Ezekiel:
Their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah’s anger; they shall not satisfy their soul, neither fill their bowels (7:19).
“Their silver and gold” signify falsities and evils of a religion that is from self-intelligence and self-will; that from these there is no spiritual nourishment, or intelligence and affection of good, is signified by “they shall not satisfy their soul, neither fill their bowels.” Because the “bowels” signify the interiors of the thought, and these are what are affected by grief, such grief is described in the Word by “being moved in the bowels” (as Isa. 63:15; Jer. 31:20; Lam. 1:20; Matt. 9:36; Mark 6:34; 8:2; Luke 1:78; 7:12, 13; 10:33, 34; 15:20).
sRef Deut@7 @13 S11′ sRef Ps@127 @3 S11′ sRef Job@19 @17 S11′ sRef Hos@9 @16 S11′ sRef Hos@9 @11 S11′ sRef Isa@13 @18 S11′ [11] As the “belly” signifies the interiors of the thought or of the understanding, so “the fruit of the belly” signifies in the spiritual sense the goods of the understanding, and “sons” its truths. Thus in David:
Lo, sons are the heritage of Jehovah, and the fruit of the belly is His reward (Ps. 127:3).
In Isaiah:
They shall have no compassion on the fruit of the belly, their eye shall not spare the sons (13:18).
And in Job:
Pitying I mourn for the son of my belly (19:17).
In Moses:
He will bless the fruit of the belly and the fruit of the ground (Deut. 7:13).
In Hosea:
Even when they have brought forth I will slay the desires of their belly (9:11, 16).
“The fruit of the belly” and “the desires of the belly” signify in the sense of the letter, natural offspring, but in the spiritual sense spiritual offspring, which is knowledge [scientia], intelligence, and wisdom, for man is reborn into these when he is regenerated; this is why “births,” “sons,” “daughters,” and other terms pertaining to nativity signify such things as pertain to spiritual nativity, that is, regeneration; for angels, who perceive the Word spiritually, know of no other births or “fruits of the belly.”
sRef Isa@48 @18 S12′ sRef Ps@58 @3 S12′ sRef Isa@48 @19 S12′ sRef Ps@139 @13 S12′ sRef Ps@22 @10 S12′ [12] For the same reason “womb” and “belly” have this signification in the following passages. In Isaiah:
O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments! Thy seed would have been as the sand, and the issue of thy bowels like the grains thereof (48:18, 19).
In David:
I was cast upon Thee; from my mother’s belly Thou art my God (Ps. 22:10).
In the same:
Thou dost possess my reins; Thou hast covered me in my mother’s belly (Ps. 139:13).
In the same:
The wicked are estranged from the womb; they err from the belly, speaking falsehood (Ps. 58:3).
So elsewhere.
[13] The “belly” or “bowels” signify the interiors of the thought or of the understanding, because there are two lives with man, the life of the understanding and the life of the will; to these two fountains of life all things of the body correspond; consequently under their direction all things of the body are acted upon and act, even to the extent that any part of the body that does not suffer itself to be put in action by the understanding and the will has no life. For this reason the universal body is subject to the control of these two lives, for all things in the body that are moved, and so far as they are moved by the respiration of the lungs, are subject to the control of the life of the understanding; and all things in the body that are brought into action, and so far as they are brought into action by the pulsation of the heart, are subject to the control of the life of the will. This is why “soul” and “heart” are often mentioned in the Word, and why the “soul” signifies the life of the understanding, also the life of faith, for the soul is predicated of respiration; and why the “heart” signifies the life of the will, also the life of the love. For the same reason “the belly and bowels” are predicated of thought, which is of the understanding, and the “heart” is predicated of affection, which is of the will.

sRef Rev@14 @20 S0′ sRef Rev@10 @11 S0′ 623. Verse 11. And he said to me, Thou must again prophesy upon peoples and nations and tongues and many kings. 11. “And he said to me, Thou must again prophesy,” signifies Divine command to still teach the Word (n. 624); “upon peoples and nations and tongues and many kings,” signifies with all who are in truths and goods in respect to life, and at the same time in goods and truths in respect to doctrine, consequently to teach the Word in respect to the goods of life and the truths of doctrine (n. 625).

sRef Rev@10 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @20 S0′ 624. Verse 11. And he said to me, Thou must again prophesy, signifies Divine command to still teach the Word. This is evident from the signification of “saying,” when the angel speaks, by whom in this chapter the Lord in relation to the Word is represented, as being command, for what the Lord says is a command; also from the signification of “to prophesy,” as being to teach the Word (of which presently). It is said he must still teach the Word, because such understanding of the Word as still remained in the church was explored, and it was found that the Word was delightful in respect to the sense of the letter, for this is signified by “the little book was in the mouth sweet as honey,” “the little book” meaning the Word. It was commanded to still teach the Word in the church, because its end was not yet come. The end of the church is described by “the sounding of the seventh angel;” but here the state of the church next before the end is described by “the sounding of the sixth angel;” this state of the church is here treated of. Before the end, the Word when taught is still delightful to some, but not so in the last state of the church or its end, for then the Lord opens the interior things of the Word, which are undelightful, as has been said above in treating of the eating up of the little book and its making the belly bitter.
[2] Why the Word must still be taught although its interior truths are undelightful, and why the Last Judgment does not come until the consummation, that is, when there is no longer any good or truth remaining with the men of the church, is wholly unknown in the world, although known in heaven. The reason is that there are two classes of men upon whom judgment is effected; one class consists of the well-disposed, and the other of those who are not well-disposed. The well-disposed are the angels in the ultimate heaven, most of whom are simple, because they have not cultivated the understanding by interior truths, but only by exterior truths from the sense of the letter of the Word, according to which they have lived; for this reason their spiritual mind, which is the interior mind, was not indeed, closed, but neither has it been opened, as it is with those who have received interior truths in doctrine and in life; this is why they have become simple in respect to spiritual things, and are called well-disposed. But the ill-disposed are those who have lived outwardly as Christians but inwardly have admitted evils of every kind into the thought and into the will, so that while in the external form they appeared to be angels, in internal form they were devils. When such come into the other life they come into association for the most part with the well-disposed, that is, with the simple good who are in the ultimate heaven; for exterior things consociate, and the simple good are such that what appears in external form to be good they believe to be good, their thought not penetrating farther. These ill-disposed must be separated from the well-disposed before the Last Judgment comes, and also afterward and they can only be separated successively. This is why before the time of the Last Judgment the Word must still be taught, although interiorly, that is, in respect to its interiors, it is undelightful; and as these interior things are undelightful they do not receive them, but only such things from the sense of the letter of the Word as favor their loves and the principles derived from them, on account of which the Word in respect to the sense of the letter is delightful to them. It is therefore by means of these interior things that the well-disposed are separated from the ill-disposed.
sRef Matt@13 @28 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @41 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @27 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @38 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @39 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @40 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @37 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @29 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @42 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @30 S3′ [3] That for this reason the time is extended after the Last Judgment before the new church is fully established, is an arcanum from heaven which at this day cannot enter the understanding except with a few; yet this is what the Lord teaches in Matthew:
The servants of the householder coming said unto him, Didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Whence then are these tares? And they said, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them. Let both, therefore, grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into the barn. He that hath sowed the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the kingdom; the harvest is the consummation of the age. As then the tares are gathered up and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the consummation of this age (13:27-30, 37-43).
“The consummation of the age” signifies the last time of the church; that until then the well-disposed are not to be separated from the ill-disposed, because they are consociated by outward things, is signified by “lest while ye gather up the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them.” (On this see the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 70.)
sRef Matt@7 @22 S4′ sRef Matt@7 @23 S4′ [4] “To prophesy” signifies to teach the Word, because a “prophet” means in the highest sense the Lord in relation to the Word, and in a relative sense one who teaches the Word, but in an abstract sense the Word itself, and also doctrine from the Word. This a “prophet” signifies, therefore “to prophesy” signifies to teach the Word and doctrine from the Word. That such is the signification of “to prophesy” and “prophet” can be seen from passages in the Word where these are mentioned, understood in the spiritual sense, as in the following. In Matthew:
Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied by Thy name, and by Thy name cast out demons, and in Thy name done many mighty works? But then will I profess unto them, I know you not; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity (7:22, 23).
This treats of salvation, that one is saved not by knowing the Word and teaching it, but by doing it; for just before, it is said that those only will enter the kingdom of the heavens who do the will of God (verse 21); and just after, that he who hears the Lord’s words and does them is a prudent man, but he who hears and does not is a foolish man (verses 24-27). This makes clear what these words mean, namely, that worship of the Lord by prayers and by words of the mouth only is meant by “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord;” and to teach the Word and doctrinals from the Word is meant by “have we not prophesied by Thy name?;” “name” signifying according to doctrine from the Word, and “to prophesy” to teach; “to cast out demons” signifies to deliver from falsities of religion, “demons” meaning the falsities of religion; “to do many mighty works” signifies to convert many. But because these works were done not for the Lord’s sake, nor for the sake of truth and good and the salvation of souls, but for the sake of self and the world, thus only that they might appear in outward form, so in reference to themselves it was not good but evil that was done; this is meant by the Lord’s saying “I know you not, ye that work iniquity.” Doing such things does not appear to be working iniquity, and yet everything that a man does for the sake of self and of the world is iniquity, since there is in it no love of the Lord and of the neighbor, but only the love of self and the world; and his own love awaits everyone after death.
sRef Matt@24 @24 S5′ sRef Matt@24 @11 S5′ [5] In the same:
In the consummation of the age many false prophets shall arise and shall lead many astray. There shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect (Matt. 24:11, 24; Mark 13:22).
“False prophets” and “false Christs and false prophets” do not mean prophets in the common acceptation of the word, but mean all those who pervert the Word and teach falsities; such are also “false Christs,” since “Christ” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truths, so “false Christs” signify Divine truths falsified. “To show great signs and wonders” signifies the efficacy and power of falsities through confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word, and it is by this that signs and wonders are produced in the spiritual world; for the sense of the letter of the Word, however falsified, has power; respecting which wonderful things might be related. “The elect” signify those who are in spiritual good, that is, who are in the good of charity.
sRef Matt@10 @42 S6′ sRef Matt@10 @41 S6′ [6] In the same:
He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. Yea, whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall not lose his reward (Matt. 10:41, 42).
This no one can understand unless he knows what is signified by “prophet,” “righteous man,” “disciple,” and “little ones,” also by “receiving them in their name.” “Prophet” in an abstract sense signifies the truth of doctrine, “disciple” the good of doctrine, “a righteous man” the good of life, and “to receive them in their name” signifies to receive these things from the love of them; thus, “to receive a prophet in the name of a prophet” signifies to love the truth of doctrine because it is truth, or to receive truth for its own sake; “to receive a righteous man in the name of a righteous man” signifies to love good and to do it because it is good, thus to receive it from the Lord from love or the affection of the heart; for he who loves truth and good for their own sakes loves them from themselves, thus from the Lord from whom they proceed, and as he does not love them for the sake of self and the world, he loves them spiritually, and all spiritual love continues with man after death and gives eternal life. “To receive a reward” signifies to carry with oneself that love, and thus to receive the blessedness of heaven; “to give to drink to one of the little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple” signifies to love innocence from innocence, and from it to love good and truth from the Word and to teach them; “to give to drink a cup of cold water,” signifies to love and teach from a little innocence, “little ones” signifying the innocent, and in an abstract sense innocence itself; “to give to drink a cup of cold water” signifies to teach from a little innocence, and “a disciple” the good of doctrine from the Lord; “to give water to little ones to drink” signifies to teach truth from spiritual innocence, and also to teach truths to the innocent. This is the spiritual interpretation of these words, and unless this is known who can know what is meant by “receiving a prophet and a righteous man in the name of a prophet and righteous man” and that “they shall receive the reward of a prophet and a righteous man”? “Reward” signifies love with its delights enduring to eternity.
sRef Matt@13 @17 S7′ [7] In the same:
Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see the things which ye see but have not seen them, and to hear the things which ye hear but have not heard them (Matt. 13:17).
“Prophets and righteous men” mean in the spiritual sense all who are in the truths of doctrine and in the good of life according to truths; and “to see and hear” signifies to understand and perceive, here interior truths proceeding from the Lord, for when man understands and perceives these and also does them, he is reformed. Interior truths proceeding from the Lord are meant, because the Lord, when He was in the world, disclosed such truths. In the sense of the letter this means to see and hear the Lord, but as the Lord is the Divine truth itself in heaven and in the church, and as in consequence all Divine truths are from the Lord, and the Lord Himself taught them, and continually teaches them by means of the Word, so “to see and hear the Lord” signifies to understand and perceive these.
sRef Joel@2 @28 S8′ [8] In Joel:
I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh; that your sons and your daughters may prophesy, your old men dream dreams, and your young men see visions (2:28).
This is said of the Lord’s coming, and of the perception of Divine truth by those who receive the Lord and believe in Him; the “spirit” that will be poured out upon all flesh signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, for this is meant in the Word by the Holy Spirit; “to prophesy” signifies to understand and teach the truths of doctrine; “to dream dreams” signifies to receive revelation; and “to see visions” signifies to perceive revelation; “sons and daughters” signify those who are in the spiritual affection of truth and good; “old men” signify those who are in wisdom, and “young men,” those who are in intelligence.
sRef Amos@3 @7 S9′ sRef Amos@3 @8 S9′ sRef Rev@19 @10 S9′ sRef Rev@11 @18 S9′ sRef Rev@11 @3 S9′ sRef Rev@18 @20 S9′ [9] In Amos:
The Lord Jehovih doeth not a word without revealing His secret unto His servants the prophets. The lion roareth, who will not fear? The Lord Jehovih hath spoken, who will not prophesy? (3:7, 8).
Here also “to prophesy” signifies to receive Divine truth and to teach it (but this may be seen explained above, n. 601).
“To prophesy” and “prophets” have a similar signification in the following passages in Revelation:
I will give unto My two prophets to prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth (11:3).
Again:
The time of judging the dead, and of giving the reward to His* servants the prophets (11:18).
Again:
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (19:10).
Again:
Be glad, O heaven, ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath judged your judgment (18:20).
That here “prophets” mean those who are in the truths of doctrine, and in an abstract sense the truths of doctrine, and “to prophesy” means to receive and teach these, especially to teach about the Lord Himself, will be seen hereafter.
sRef Amos@7 @17 S10′ sRef Amos@7 @16 S10′ sRef Amos@7 @15 S10′ sRef Amos@7 @14 S10′ [10] In Amos:
Amos said to Amaziah, Jehovah took me from following the flock and said, Go, prophesy against My people Israel: and thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not against the house of Isaac. Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line (7:14-17).
“To prophesy against Israel, and to drop against the house of Isaac,” signifies to refute those of the church who are in the falsities of evil, “to prophesy” signifying to teach and refute, and “Israel” and “the house of Isaac” signifying the church. Because the falsities of evil are what must be refuted, this is said to Amaziah, who represented the perverted church; “his wife shall be a harlot” signifies the falsification and adulteration of the Word; “his sons and daughters shall fall by the sword” signifies that the truths and goods of the church will be destroyed by the falsities of evil; and “the land shall be divided by line” signifies that the church and everything belonging to it will be scattered.
[11] In Hosea:
By a prophet Jehovah caused Israel to come up out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he guarded. Ephraim hath provoked to anger with bitterness; therefore he shall leave his bloods upon him (12:13, 14).
By the “prophet” here in the nearest sense Moses is meant, by whom Israel was led out of Egypt and afterwards guarded; but in the spiritual sense “prophet” means the Lord in relation to the Word, and “Israel” all those of the church who are in truths from good, and “Egypt” the natural man, which separated from the spiritual man is damned. Therefore “By a prophet Jehovah caused Israel to come up out of Egypt” signifies that the Lord leads out of damnation those who are in truths from good by means of the Divine truth, which is the Word, and guards them by means of it. “Ephraim hath provoked to anger with bitterness” signifies that they perverted the Word as to the understanding of it, “Ephraim” signifying the understanding of the Word, and “bitterness” perversions and falsities therefrom, from which is what is undelightful; “therefore he shall leave his bloods upon him” signifies damnation on account of the adulteration of the truth that is in the Word.
sRef Hos@9 @8 S12′ sRef Hos@9 @7 S12′ [12] In the same:
The days of visitation are come, the days of retribution are come; Israel, the foolish prophet, and the man insane of spirit, shall know it; this because of the multitude of iniquity and great hatred. Ephraim is a watchman with my God; but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God (Hos. 9:7, 8).
The “days of visitation and retribution” signify the days of the Last Judgment, when the evil suffer punishment, and this is retribution, which is always preceded by visitation; “Israel,” “prophet,” and “the man of spirit,” do not mean Israel, prophet, and the man of spirit, but all those of the church who are in the falsities of evil and in the evils of falsity, and who teach these and confirm them by the sense of the letter of the Word. The falsities of evil are signified by “the multitude of iniquity,” and the evils of falsity by “great hatred;” “Ephraim who is a watchman with God” signifies the understanding of the Word, and this is why he is called “a watchman with God;” but as those who are in the falsities of evil and in the evils of falsity pervert the understanding of the Word, and thus craftily lead astray, it is said “the prophet is the snare of a fowler, and hatred in the house of God.”
sRef Ezek@13 @9 S13′ sRef Ezek@13 @2 S13′ sRef Ezek@13 @3 S13′ [13] In Ezekiel:
Prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou to the prophets out of their own heart, Hear ye the word of Jehovah; Thus saith the Lord Jehovih, Woe unto the foolish prophets that go away after their own spirit, and after that which they have not seen! And My hand shall be against the prophets that behold vanity, and that divine falsehood (13:2, 3, 9).
By “prophets” here and elsewhere in the Word are meant in the nearest sense such prophets as those were in the Old Testament through whom the Lord spoke; but in the spiritual sense those prophets are not meant, but all whom the Lord leads; with these also the Lord flows in and reveals to them the secrets of the Word, whether they teach or not; such, therefore, are signified by “prophets” in the spiritual sense. But “the prophets that prophesy out of their own heart, and go away after their own spirit, and who behold vanity and divine falsehood,” mean all who are not taught and led by the Lord but by themselves, consequently they have insanity in place of intelligence, and folly in place of wisdom, for they have the love of self in place of the love to God, and the love of the world in place of the love to the neighbor, and from these loves falsities continually pour forth. From this it can be seen what these words signify in series.
sRef Micah@3 @6 S14′ [14] In Micah:
It shall be night unto you for vision, and darkness shall arise to you for divination; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall grow black over them (3:6).
“It shall be night unto you for vision” signifies that there shall be the understanding of falsity instead of the understanding of truth; “darkness for divination” signifies falsities instead of revealed truths; “the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day grow black over them,” signifies that light shall no more flow in from the Lord out of heaven and enlighten, but thick darkness from the hells which shall darken the understanding.
[15] In many passages “prophets” are mentioned, and no one has had any other idea respecting them than that the prophets of the Old Testament, through whom the Lord spoke unto the people, and through whom He dictated the Word, are meant; but as the Word has a spiritual sense in each and every particular of it, therefore in that sense “prophets” mean all whom the Lord teaches, thus all who are in the spiritual affection of truth, that is, who love truth, because it is truth, for the Lord teaches these, and flows into their understanding and enlightens; and this is more true of these than of the prophets of the Old Testament, for they did not have their understanding enlightened, but the words they were to say or write they received merely by hearing, and did not even understand their interior sense, still less their spiritual sense. From this it can be seen that “prophets” mean in the spiritual sense all who are wise from the Lord; and this whether they teach or do not teach. And as every truly spiritual meaning is abstracted from the idea of persons, places, and times, so the “prophet” also signifies in the highest sense the Lord in relation to the Word, and as to doctrine from the Word, and likewise the Word and doctrine; and in the contrary sense “prophets” signify the perversions and falsifications of the Word and the falsities of doctrine. As this is what “prophets” signify in both senses, I will cite a few passages only in which prophets are mentioned, and in which they mean all who receive and teach the Word and doctrine, and in a sense separate from persons the Word and doctrine, and in the contrary sense those who pervert the Word and teach falsities of doctrine, and in an abstract sense the perversion of the Word and falsities of doctrine.
sRef Isa@9 @14 S16′ sRef Jer@28 @9 S16′ sRef Jer@23 @16 S16′ sRef Jer@5 @12 S16′ sRef Jer@5 @13 S16′ sRef Jer@28 @8 S16′ sRef Jer@23 @15 S16′ sRef Isa@9 @15 S16′ sRef Matt@23 @34 S16′ sRef Matt@23 @36 S16′ sRef Matt@23 @35 S16′ sRef Matt@23 @33 S16′ sRef Matt@23 @31 S16′ sRef Matt@23 @32 S16′ sRef Matt@23 @29 S16′ sRef Matt@23 @30 S16′ sRef Jer@7 @25 S16′ sRef Matt@23 @37 S16′ sRef Isa@29 @10 S16′ [16] In Isaiah:
Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail; the old man and the honored of face he is the head; but the prophet, the teacher of a lie, he is the tail (9:14, 15).
In the same:
Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes; your prophets and your heads, the seers, hath He covered (29:10).
In Jeremiah:
They have denied Jehovah when they said, It is not He, neither shall evil come upon us, neither shall we see sword and famine. But the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them (5:12, 13).
In the same:
I have sent unto them all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them (7:25).
Thus said Jehovah of Hosts against the prophets, Behold I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink waters of gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem is hypocrisy gone forth into all the land. Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you; they make you vain; they speak the vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of Jehovah (23:15, 16).
In the same:
The prophets that have been before me and before thee of an age prophesied over many lands and over great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. The prophet who prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass that prophet shall be known that God sent him (28:8, 9).
In Matthew:
Woe unto you, hypocrites and Pharisees, because ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, and adorn the tombs of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye witness against yourselves that ye are the sons of them that slew the prophets. I send unto you prophets and wise men and scribes; and some of them shall ye kill and crucify; that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous even to the blood of Zachariah, son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee (23:29-37; Luke 11:47-51).
In these passages it seems as if “prophets” mean merely the prophets through whom Jehovah, that is, the Lord, spoke, consequently that by “slaying the prophets” the Lord simply meant their slaughter. But the Lord meant at the same time the slaughter and extinction of Divine truth that comes from the falsification and adulteration of the Word; for by a person and his function the thing itself which the person did and said is meant in the spiritual sense; thus a “prophet” means Divine truth or the Word and doctrine therefrom; therefore as the function of a person and the person are in effect one, so the thing itself that the prophet teaches is meant by “prophet.” “To shed blood” also means to adulterate the truths of the Word; and as the Jewish nation was such it is said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee,” these words meaning in the spiritual sense that such extinguish all Divine truth which they have from the Word.
sRef Ezek@7 @27 S17′ sRef Jer@4 @9 S17′ sRef Ezek@7 @26 S17′ sRef Luke@13 @33 S17′ sRef Jer@18 @18 S17′ [17] Because a “prophet” means Divine truth, which is the Word, and which is in the church from the Word, and this cannot be extinguished except by those who have the Divine truth of the Word, therefore the Lord said:
That it was not fitting for a prophet to perish out of Jerusalem (Luke 13:33).
“Jerusalem” meaning the church in respect to the doctrine of truth.
In the Word “priest and prophet” are also often mentioned, and “priest” means there one who leads men to live according to Divine truth, and “prophet” one who teaches it. In this sense “priest and prophet” are mentioned in the following passages. In Jeremiah:
The law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the Word from the prophet (18:18).
In that day the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall be amazed (4:9).
In Ezekiel:
They shall seek a vision from the prophet; but the law hath perished from the priest, and counsel from the elders. The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with astonishment (7:26, 27).
“Vision from the prophet” means the understanding of the Word; “law from the priest” the precepts of life; “counsel from the elders” wisdom therefrom. “King” and “princes” mean intelligence through truths from good; such is the spiritual meaning of these words.
sRef Zeph@3 @4 S18′ sRef Jer@23 @33 S18′ sRef Jer@5 @31 S18′ sRef Isa@28 @7 S18′ sRef Jer@2 @26 S18′ sRef Jer@2 @8 S18′ sRef Jer@23 @34 S18′ sRef Jer@8 @10 S18′ sRef Jer@5 @30 S18′ [18] In Isaiah:
The priest and the prophet err through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are gone astray through strong drink; they err among the seeing, they stumble in judgment (28:7).
In Jeremiah:
An astonishing and horrible thing has come to pass in the land; the prophets have prophesied a lie, and the priests bear rule by their hands; and my people love to have it so (5:30, 31).
From the prophet even unto the priest everyone doeth a lie (8:10).
When a prophet or a priest shall ask thee, saying, What is the prophetic saying of Jehovah? say unto them, I have abandoned you, and the prophet, and the priest (23:33, 34).
In Zephaniah:
Her prophets are very light, men of treacheries; their priests profane what is holy; they violently wrest the law (3:4).
In Jeremiah:
The priests said not, Where is Jehovah? and they that handle the law have not acknowledged Me, and the prophets have prophesied by Baal, and have walked after those that do not profit. The houses of Israel are ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets (2:8, 26);
not to mention many other passages where “prophets and priests” are mentioned together, and thereby “priests” are meant those who teach life, and lead to good, and by “prophets” those who teach truths which lead; but in an abstract sense “priests” and “the priesthood” mean the good of love, consequently the good of life, and “prophets” the truth of doctrine, consequently the truth that leads to the good of life; in a word, “prophets” must teach, and “priests” lead.
sRef Zech@13 @4 S19′ sRef Zech@13 @2 S19′ sRef Zech@13 @3 S19′ sRef Zech@13 @5 S19′ [19] In Zechariah:
In that day I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, that they may no more be remembered; and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land; and it shall come to pass that when any man shall prophesy anymore, his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through. It shall come to pass in that day that the prophets shall be ashamed every man of his vision when they have prophesied, neither shall they wear a tunic of hair to dissemble; and he shall say, I am no prophet, I am a man that tilleth the ground, for a man sold me from boyhood (13:2-5).
This is said of the Lord’s coming into the world, and of the abolition of representative worship and of the falsities with which the doctrine of the church then abounded; for the Jewish nation, with which the church was, placed all worship in externals, and nothing in internals, that is, nothing in charity and faith, which are internal, but in sacrifices, and in such things as are external, consequently their worship and doctrine consisted of mere falsities, and the nation itself, viewed in itself, was idolatrous. The abolition of such things by the Lord is described by these words of the prophet; therefore “I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, that they may no more be remembered,” signifies the abolition of idolatrous worship, that is, of worship merely external without any internal; “I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land” signifies the abolition of the falsities of doctrine; “when they have prophesied anymore, his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live,” signifies that the church to be instituted by the Lord, which shall be an internal church, shall completely extinguish the falsities of doctrine, if anyone shall teach them; “to prophesy” signifying to teach the falsities of doctrine, “father and mother,” the church in respect to good and in respect to truth, “father,” the church in respect to good, and “mother,” the church in respect to truth, and “thou shalt not live” signifying to extinguish. The same is meant by “his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through.” The abolition of the falsities of doctrine is meant also by “the prophets shall be ashamed, every man of his vision, neither shall they wear a tunic of hair to dissemble,” “prophets” and “their vision” here also meaning the falsities of doctrine, and “to wear a tunic of hair to dissemble” signifying to pervert the external things of the Word such as are in the sense of its letter, for “tunic of hair” with the prophets represented the ultimate sense of the Word, the same as “the raiment of camel’s hair” of John the Baptist. His saying “I am a man that tilleth the ground, for a man sold me from boyhood,” signifies that this is the case with those of the Jewish Church, which was merely external, not internal, because of their being born in it, and consequently devoted to it.
sRef Dan@9 @24 S20′ [20] In Daniel:
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy city of holiness, to finish the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to expiate iniquity, and to bring in the righteousness of the ages, and to seal up the vision and the prophet, and to anoint the holy of holies (9:24).
This is said of the Lord’s coming, when iniquity is consummated, or when there shall be no longer any good or truth remaining in the church. “Upon the people and upon the city of holiness” signifies upon the church and its doctrine, which are then wholly vastated and extinguished. “To finish the transgression and to seal up sins” signifies when all in the church are in the falsities of doctrine and in evils in respect to life, for, as has been shown at the beginning of this article, the Lord’s coming and the Last Judgment therewith do not take place until there is no longer any truth of doctrine or good of life remaining in the church, and this for the reason there mentioned, that the well-disposed may be separated from the ill-disposed. “To bring in the righteousness of the ages” signifies the Last Judgment, when everyone will be rewarded according to his deeds; “to seal up the vision and the prophet” signifies the end of the former church and the beginning of the new, or the end of the external church, which was representative of things spiritual, and the beginning of the internal, which is a spiritual church, “vision and the prophet” meaning the falsities of doctrine; and these same words signify also that the Lord will fulfill all things that are predicted of Him in the Word; “to anoint the holy of holies” signifies the glorification of the Lord’s Human by union with the Divine Itself; it signifies also that all worship afterwards must be from love to Him.
sRef Ex@7 @1 S21′ [21] In Moses:
Jehovah said unto Moses, I have set thee a god to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet (Exod. 7:1).
The Lord said to Moses, “I have set thee a god to Pharaoh,” because Moses represented the Law, by which is meant the Divine truth, and this too is signified by “God” in the spiritual sense; for Moses received from the Lord’s mouth the words that he was to say to Pharaoh, and he who receives these is called a “god;” this is why angels are called “gods,” and thence also signify Divine truths. That Aaron was “his prophet” signifies that he taught the truth received by Moses and declared it to Pharaoh, for a “prophet,” as has been said above, signifies one that teaches truth, and in an abstract sense the doctrine of truth. (But this may be seen more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 7268, 7269.)
sRef Mal@4 @5 S22′ sRef Matt@17 @3 S22′ sRef Matt@17 @4 S22′ sRef Mal@4 @6 S22′ [22] This is why the prophets of the Old Testament represented the Lord in relation to the doctrine of Divine truth, and the chief of them represented the Lord in relation to the Word itself, from which comes the doctrine of Divine truth, as Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist; and as the Lord is the Word, that is Divine truth, He Himself in the highest sense is called a “Prophet.” As Moses, Elijah, and John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word:
Moses and Elijah appeared speaking with the Lord when He was transfigured (Matt. 17:3, 4; Mark 9:4, 5; Luke 9:30).
There “Moses and Elijah” mean the Word both historical and prophetical, “Moses” the historical Word, and “Elijah” the prophetical, and for the reason that when the Lord was transfigured He presented Himself in the form in which the Divine truth is in heaven. That Elijah represented the Lord as to the Word is evident from the miracles done by Him, all of which signified such things as belong to Divine truth or the Word; and as John the Baptist in like manner represented the Lord as to the Word he was called “Elijah,” as can be seen in Malachi:
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh; and He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the sons, and the heart of the sons to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse (4:5, 6).
And it is openly declared:
That John was Elijah (Matt. 11:14; 17:10-12; Mark 9:11-13);
not that he was Elijah, but he represented something similar to that which Elijah represented, that is, the Word; and as the Word teaches that the Lord was to come into the world, and because, moreover, in each and all particulars in the inmost sense the Word treats of Him, therefore:
John was sent before Him to teach them that the Lord was to come (as may be seen Matt. 11:9, 10; Luke 1:76; 7:26).
sRef Num@12 @8 S23′ sRef Num@12 @4 S23′ sRef Deut@18 @18 S23′ sRef Deut@18 @19 S23′ sRef Deut@18 @17 S23′ sRef Deut@18 @15 S23′ sRef Deut@18 @16 S23′ sRef Num@12 @5 S23′ sRef Num@12 @1 S23′ sRef Num@12 @6 S23′ sRef Num@12 @7 S23′ sRef Num@12 @2 S23′ sRef Num@12 @3 S23′ [23] From this it can now be seen why the Lord is called a “Prophet,” namely, because He was the Word, that is, Divine truth itself (as is evident from John 1:1, 2, 14). That the Lord is called a “Prophet” because He was the Word can be seen also in Moses:
Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken. I will put My words in his mouth, that he may speak unto you all that I shall command him. The man who will not hearken unto My words which he shall speak in My name, of him I will require it (Deut. 18:15-19).
It is said that “Jehovah was to raise up a prophet like Moses,” because Moses represented the Lord in relation to the Law, that is, the Word, as has been said above; therefore it is also said of Moses:
That Jehovah spake with him mouth to mouth, and not as with other prophets, by visions, dreams, and dark sayings (Num. 12:1-8).
By this also the representation of the Lord by Moses is described; for the Lord from Jehovah, that is, from the very Divine that was in Him from conception, spoke with Himself; this is meant by “I will put My words in his mouth, that he may speak unto you all that I shall command him;” and this, too, was represented with Moses by “Jehovah spake with him mouth to mouth, and not as with other prophets.” Again this is why:
The Lord is called a Prophet (Matt. 21:11; Luke 7:16; John 7:40, 41; 9:17).
* Latin has “his,” the Greek “thy,” as found in AR n. 340.

sRef Rev@10 @11 S0′ 625. Upon peoples, and nations, and tongues, and many kings, signifies with all who are in truths and goods in respect to life, and at the same time in goods and truths in respect to doctrine according to each one’s religion, consequently to teach the Word in respect to the goods of life and the truths of doctrine. This is evident from the signification of “peoples and nations,” as being those who are of the spiritual church and those who are of the celestial church; those who are of the spiritual church are called in the Word “peoples,” but those who are of the celestial church are called “nations.” Those who are of the spiritual church, who are called “peoples,” are they who are in truths in respect to doctrine and life; and they who are of the celestial church, who are called “nations,” are they who are in the good of love to the Lord, and thus in good in respect to life. (But on this signification of “peoples and nations” in the Word, see above, n. 175, 331.) Also from the signification of “tongues and many kings,” as being those who are in goods and truths in respect to life and doctrine, but according to each one’s religion; for “tongues” signify the goods of truth and confession of these according to each one’s religion (see above, n. 330, 455); and “kings” signify truths that are from good, and “many kings” various truths from good, but according to each one’s religion. (That “kings” signify truths from good, see above, n. 31, 553.)
[2] “Many kings” signify various truths that are from good, because the peoples and nations outside of the church were for the most part in falsities as to doctrine, and yet because they lived a life of love to God and of charity towards the neighbor the falsities of their religion were accepted by the Lord as truths, for the reason that there was inwardly in their falsities the good of love, and the good of love gives its quality to every truth, and in this case it gives its quality to the falsity that such accept as truth; and moreover, the good that lies concealed within causes such when they come into the other life to perceive genuine truths and accept them. Again there are truths that are only appearances of truth, like those truths that are in the sense of the letter of the Word; these appearances of truth are accepted by the Lord as genuine truths when there is in them the good of love to the Lord and the good of charity towards the neighbor; and with such in the other life the good that lies hidden within dissipates the appearances, and makes bare the spiritual truths which are genuine truths. From this it can be seen what is here meant by “many kings.” (But respecting the falsities in which there is good that exist among the Gentiles, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 21.)
[3] From what has been said and shown in this and the preceding article, it can be seen that “he must again prophesy upon peoples, and nations, and tongues, and many kings” signifies that the Word must still be taught to those who are in goods and truths in respect to doctrine, and thence are in life; but as it is said “upon peoples, nations, tongues, and kings,” these words signify also that the Word must be taught in respect to the goods of life and the truths of doctrine, for these two are what the Word in its whole complex contains.
[4] This is the sense of these words abstracted from persons, which is the truly spiritual sense. The sense of the letter in most places has regard to persons, and mentions persons, but the truly spiritual sense is without any regard whatever to persons. For angels who are in the spiritual sense of the Word have no idea of person or of place in any particular of what they think or speak, for the idea of person or of place limits and confines the thoughts, and thereby renders them natural; it is otherwise when the idea is abstracted from persons and places. It is from this that angels have intelligence and wisdom, and that thence angelic intelligence and wisdom are ineffable. While man lives in the world he is in natural thought, and natural thought derives its ideas from persons, places, times, and material things, and if these should be taken away from man, his thought which comes to perception would perish, for without these he comprehends nothing; but angelic thought is apart from ideas drawn from persons, places, times, and material things; and this is why angelic thought and speech are ineffable, and to man also incomprehensible.
[5] And yet a man who has lived in the world a life of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor comes, after his departure from the world, into that ineffable intelligence and wisdom; for his interior mind, which is the very mind of his spirit, is then opened, and then the man, when he becomes an angel, thinks and speaks from that mind, and consequently thinks and speaks such things as he could not utter or comprehend in the world. Such a spiritual mind, which is like the angelic mind, every man has; but because man while in the world speaks, sees, hears, and feels, by means of a material body, that mind lies hidden within the natural mind, or lives above it; and what man thinks in that mind he is wholly ignorant of; for the thought of that mind then flows into the natural mind, and there limits, bounds, and so presents itself as to be seen and perceived. So long as man is in the body in the world, he does not know that he has within him this mind, and in it possesses angelic intelligence and wisdom, because, as has been said, all things that abide there flow into the natural mind, and thus become natural according to correspondences. This has been said to make known what the Word is in the spiritual sense, which sense is wholly abstracted from persons and places, that is, from such things as derive their quality from the material things of the body and the world.

sRef Rev@11 @1 S0′ sRef Rev@11 @2 S0′ 626. APOCALYPSE. CHAPTER 11.

1. And there was given to me a reed like a staff; and the angel stood near, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2. And the court which is without the temple cast out, and measure it not, for it is given to the nations, and the holy city shall they trample down forty-two months.
3. And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.
4. These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands standing before the God of the earth.
5. And if anyone will hurt them, fire shall go forth out of their mouth and shall devour their enemies; and if anyone will hurt them, thus must he be killed.
6. These have power to shut heaven, that the rain rain not in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague as often as they will.
7. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them and overcome them and kill them.
8. And their bodies shall be upon the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
9. And they of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations shall see their bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their bodies to be placed in sepulchers.
10. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them and shall be glad, and shall send gifts one to another, because those two prophets tormented them that dwell upon the earth.
11. And after the three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon them that beheld them.
12. And they heard a great voice out of heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they went up into heaven in the cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
13. And in that hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and there were killed in the earthquake names of men seven thousand; and the rest became afraid, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14. The second woe is past; behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
15. And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of the world are become our Lord’s and His Christ’s, and He shall reign unto the ages of the ages.
16. And the twenty-four elders who sit before God upon their thrones fell upon their faces and worshiped God,
17. Saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who is, and who was, and who is to come, because Thou hast taken Thy great power and entered upon the kingdom.
18. And the nations were angered, and Thy anger is come, and the time of the dead to be judged, and to give the reward to Thy servants, the prophets and the saints, and to them that fear Thy name, the small and the great, and to destroy them that destroy the earth.
19. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His covenant; and there were lightnings and voices and thunders and an earthquake and great hail.

EXPOSITION

Verses 1, 2. And there was given to me a reed like a staff; and the angel stood near saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. And the court which is without the temple cast out, and measure it not, for it is given to the nations; and the holy city shall they trample down forty-two months. 1. “And there was given to me a reed like a staff,” signifies the mode of visitation, that is, of exploring the quality of the church in respect to truth and to good (n. 627); “and the angel stood near saying,” signifies the Lord’s will and command (n. 628); “Rise, measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein,” signifies that he should explore the church, what is its quality in respect to the reception of Divine truth and Divine good, and thence in respect to the worship of the Lord (n. 629). 2. “And the court which is without the temple cast out, and measure it not,” signifies that the external of the Word, and thence of the church and of worship, is not to be explored (n. 630); “for it is given to the nations,” signifies since it has been perverted by evils of life and falsities of doctrine (n. 631); “and the holy city shall they trample down,” signifies that they will destroy all the doctrine of truth and good from the Word (n. 632); “forty-two months,” signifies even to the end of the old church and the beginning of the new (n. 633).

sRef Rev@11 @1 S0′ 627. Verse 1. And there was given to me a reed like a staff, signifies the mode of visitation, that is, of exploring the quality of the church in respect to truth and to good. This is evident from the signification of a “reed,” as being that by which the quality is explored, for “to measure” signifies to explore, and a “measure” signifies the quality of a thing; therefore, the “reed,” by which he measured the temple and the altar, as now follows, that is, the “measuring reed,” signifies the mode of exploring the quality. It means the mode of exploring what the quality of the church is in respect to truth and good, because it says afterwards that “he measured the temple and the altar, and them that worship therein,” which signifies the church in respect to truth and good, and thus in respect to worship.
[2] Moreover, a “reed” signifies visitation, because visitation is an exploration of the quality of the men of the church, and because a visitation precedes the Last Judgment, which will be treated of hereafter. What is the nature of that visitation or exploration can be seen from the visitation upon Sodom, that in the first place angels were sent there, and through them visitation or exploration was made of what quality they were in respect to their reception, that is, what was their quality in respect to the reception of Divine truth and Divine good, for these angels represented the Lord in respect to the Divine proceeding; and when it was found that all in Sodom except Lot were unwilling to receive them but wished to do them harm, then their destruction came, which means their last judgment.
[3] The measuring was effected by a reed, because a “reed or cane” signifies Divine truth in the ultimate of order, and a “staff,” which the reed was like, signifies power; and by means of truth in the ultimate of order and its power all visitation or exploration is effected; for in the ultimate all truths, even from their firsts, form what is simultaneous, that is, coexist; therefore all things effected by the Divine, are effected from firsts by means of ultimates, therefore here visitation or exploration is so effected, and such truth is signified by a “reed or cane.”
sRef Ezek@40 @3 S4′ sRef Ezek@40 @11 S4′ sRef Ezek@40 @13 S4′ sRef Ezek@40 @8 S4′ sRef Ezek@40 @5 S4′ sRef Ezek@40 @6 S4′ sRef Rev@21 @16 S4′ sRef Rev@21 @15 S4′ sRef Ezek@40 @17 S4′ [4] So in the following passages. In Revelation:
One of the seven angels had a golden reed, with which he measured the city Jerusalem and its gates and its wall; and he measured the city with a reed unto twelve thousand stadia (Rev. 21:15, 16).
And in Ezekiel:
In the hand of the angel there was a line of flax and a measuring reed, and the reed was of six cubits, and with it he measured the length, the breadth and the height of the building, of the gate, of the porch, of the court, of the temple, and many other things (Ezek. 40:3, 5, 6, 8, 11, 13, 17, et seq.; 41:1-5, 13, 14, 22; 42:1 to the end).
Here, too, the “measuring reed” means the mode of exploring the church in respect to truth and good, as can be seen from this, that the angel measured every particular of the temple as to length, breadth, and height; and “length” signifies good, “breadth” truth, and “height” the degrees of good and truth from the highest or inmost to the lowest or ultimate. (On this signification of “length and breadth,” see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 197.) That a “reed” signifies truth in ultimates whereby explorations are effected, is evident also from this, that there was also a “line of flax” in the hand of the angel, “a line of flax” signifying truth; also from this, that “the reed was of six cubits,” “six” having a similar signification as “three,” namely, truths in the whole complex (see above, n. 384, 532). That “to measure” signifies to explore the quality of a thing will be seen in the following article.
[5] By ultimate truth, or truth in the ultimate of order, is meant sensual truth, such as the truth in the sense of the letter of the Word is to those who are merely sensual. Divine truth in its descent proceeds according to degrees, from the highest or inmost to the lowest or ultimate. Divine truth in the highest degree is such as is the Divine that proceeds most nearly from the Lord, thus such as is the Divine truth above the heavens; and as this is infinite, it cannot come to the perception of any angel. But Divine truth of the first degree is that which comes to the perception of the angels of the inmost or third heaven, and is called celestial Divine truth; from this is the wisdom of those angels. Divine truth of the second degree is that which comes to the perception of the angels of the middle or second heaven, and constitutes their wisdom and intelligence, and is called spiritual Divine truth. Divine truth of the third degree is that which comes to the perception of angels of the lowest or first heaven, and constitutes their intelligence and knowledge [scientia], and is called celestial-natural and spiritual-natural Divine truth. But Divine truth of the fourth degree is that which comes to the perception of the men of the church who are living in the world, and constitutes their intelligence and knowledge [scientia]; this is called natural Divine truth, and its lowest is called sensual Divine truth.
sRef Isa@46 @6 S6′ [6] These Divine truths are in the Word in the order of their degrees, and Divine truth in the lowest degree, or in the ultimate of order, is such as is the Divine truth in the sense of the letter of the Word, for children and for the very simple, who are sensual. This Divine truth is what is signified by a “reed or cane.” And as explorations with all are effected by this lowest Divine truth, as was said above, so measurings and weighings in the representative churches were made by means of reeds or canes, which signify such Divine truth. It has just been shown that measurings were made by reeds; that weighings were also thus made can be seen in Isaiah:
They weighed silver with a reed (Isa. 46:6).
sRef Isa@42 @3 S7′ [7] Because a “reed” signifies truth in ultimates, such as is for the simple and children, who are not spiritual but natural-sensual, it is also said in Isaiah:
A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, and He will bring forth truth into judgment (Isa. 42:3).
This treats of the Lord; and “a bruised reed He will not break” signifies that He will not hurt sensual Divine truth with the simple and with children; “smoking flax He will not quench” signifies that He will not destroy the Divine truth that is beginning to live from a very little good of love with the simple and with children, “flax” signifying truth, and “smoking” signifies its being alive from some little love; and because both, that is, the “reed and flax” signify truth, it is said that the Lord “will bring forth truth into judgment,” which means that He will bring forth with them intelligence, “judgment” signifying intelligence.
sRef Isa@35 @7 S8′ [8] A “reed” signifies also sensual truth which is the lowest, such as exists with natural men, even with the evil. In the same:
The dry place shall become a pool, and there shall be grass instead of the reed and rush (Isa. 35:7).
This refers to the establishment of the church by the Lord; and that those will then have intelligence through spiritual Divine truth who before had none is signified by “the dry place shall become a pool;” and that those will then have knowledge through natural Divine truth who before had only sensual truth, is signified by “there shall be grass instead of the reed and rush,” “grass” signifying knowledge from a spiritual origin, or by which spiritual truth is confirmed, while “reed and rush” signify knowledge from a sensual origin, or by which the fallacies of the senses are confirmed. This knowledge, regarded in itself, is only the lowest natural knowledge, which may be called material and corporeal, in which there is little or nothing of life.
sRef Isa@19 @6 S9′ [9] In the same:
The streams shall recede, the rivers of Egypt shall be minished and dried up, the reed and flag shall wither (Isa. 19:6).
In the spiritual sense these words mean that all the understanding of Divine truth will perish; “the streams shall recede” signifies that all things of spiritual intelligence will depart; “the rivers of Egypt shall be minished and dried up” signifies that all things of natural intelligence will perish; “the reed and the flag shall wither” signifies that lowest truth, which is called sensual truth, and which is mere knowledge, will vanish; “streams and rivers” signifying the things of intelligence; “Egypt” the natural; “reed and flag” sensual truth or knowledge, and “to recede,” “to be minished,” “to be dried up,” and “to wither,” signifying to perish and disappear.
sRef Isa@36 @6 S10′ [10] In the same:
Thou hast trusted on the staff of this bruised reed, on Egypt, upon which when a man leaneth it goeth into his hand and pierceth it; so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust on him (Isa. 36:6).
“Egypt” signifies the natural man separated from the spiritual, and its knowledge; when this is separated from the intelligence of the spiritual man it is fatuous, and is applied to confirm evils of every kind, consequently it is a false knowledge. This is what is called “a staff of a bruised reed,” “reed,” as was said, being truth in the ultimate of order, which is sensual knowledge; “bruised” signifies what is broken and not cohering with any interior truth to give it consistency; “staff” means the resulting power to perceive and also to reason about truths. This, therefore, is the meaning of “upon which when a man leaneth it goeth into his hand and pierceth it;” “to lean upon that staff” means to trust in one’s own power to perceive truths and reason about them from what is one’s own [proprium]; “to enter into the hand and pierce it” signifies to destroy all intellectual power, and to see mere falsities instead of truths and to seize upon them; “so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust on him” signifies that such is the natural man when separated from the spiritual, in respect to its knowledges and intelligence therefrom, and reasoning from that intelligence.
sRef Job@31 @23 S11′ sRef Job@31 @24 S11′ sRef Job@31 @22 S11′ [11] In Job:
Let my shoulder blade fall from the shoulder, and mine arm be broken therefrom by a reed; for the dread of the destruction of God is upon me, and by reason of His majesty I can do nothing. Have I made gold my hope, and said to pure gold, Thou art my confidence? (Job 31:22-24)
This, too, treats of the confidence of self-intelligence, and in the spiritual sense these words describe that from this nothing of truth is seen, but only what is false, which does not cohere with any truth; non-coherence is signified by “let my shoulder blade fall from the shoulder, and mine arm be broken therefrom by a reed,” “shoulder blade,” “shoulder,” and “arm” signifying power, here the power to understand and perceive truth; “to fall from the shoulder,” and “to be broken by a reed” signifies to be separated from the spiritual power to perceive truth, and in consequence to be deceived by the sensual-corporeal man, and to perish by falsity, “reed” meaning truth in the ultimate of order, which is called sensual knowledge, which becomes mere falsity when it is of the natural man alone separated from the spiritual; “the dread of the destruction of God” signifies the loss of all understanding of truth; “by reason of His majesty to be able to do nothing” signifies that nothing of the understanding and perception of truth is from what is man’s own [proprium], but all from God; “to make gold a hope, and to say to pure gold, Thou art my confidence,” signifies that he confided not in himself, by believing anything of good to be from himself.
sRef Ezek@29 @6 S12′ sRef Ezek@29 @7 S12′ [12] In Ezekiel:
That all the inhabitants of Egypt may know that I am Jehovah, because they have been a staff of a reed to the house of Israel; when they laid hold of thee with the hand thou wast bruised, and thou didst pierce through every shoulder for them; and when they leaned upon thee thou wast broken, and didst make all their loins to stand (Ezek. 29:6, 7).
Here similar things are said of Egypt as above, and here, too, “Egypt” signifies the natural man separated from the spiritual, and its knowledge, which when applied to evils is merely false. This is said of those in the church who trust in self-intelligence; “the sons of Israel” signify those who are of the church; their trust is signified by “a staff of a reed;” that all their ability to perceive truth thus perished is signified by “when they laid hold of thee with the hand thou wast bruised, and didst pierce through every shoulder for them,” “shoulder” signifying the power or ability to understand truth; the loss of this is signified by “when they leaned upon thee thou wast broken.” That thus every good of love and charity was destroyed and dissipated is signified by “thou didst make all their loins to stand,” “loins” signifying the marriage of truth and good, so here that truth was not conjoined to good; truth conjoined to good constitutes the good of love and charity, since all the good of love and charity is formed by truths.
sRef Ps@68 @31 S13′ sRef Ps@68 @30 S13′ [13] In David:
Rebuke the wild beast of the reed or cane, the congregation of the mighty, among the calves of the peoples; trampling upon the plates of silver, he hath scattered the peoples, he desireth wars; those that are fat shall come out of Egypt, Ethiopia shall hasten her gift* unto God (Ps. 68:30, 31).
This treats of the Lord’s kingdom. To beware of false knowledge [scientificum], that is, of falsely applied knowledge from the natural man separated from the spiritual, is meant by “Rebuke the wild beast of the reed, cane or rod;” inasmuch as such knowledges, because they are from the fallacies of the senses, strongly persuade, they are called “the congregation of the mighty;” “the calves of the people” mean the goods of the church in the natural man; “plates of silver” are the truths of the church; “to tread upon” and “to scatter” mean to disperse and dissipate, which is done by those who are natural and sensual, and who think naturally and sensually, and not at the same time spiritually, thus who think from the natural and sensual man separated from the spiritual; this man is meant by “the wild beast of the reed” or “cane;” “to desire wars” signifies reasonings against truths; “those that are fat out of Egypt and Ethiopia” are those who have a knowledge [scientia] of spiritual things, and who are in the cognitions of truth and good, who will draw near to the Lord’s kingdom because they are in light from the spiritual man.
sRef 1Ki@14 @15 S14′ [14] In the first book of Kings:
Jehovah shall smite Israel as a reed noddeth in the waters, and he shall pluck away Israel from off the good land (1 Kings 14:15).
The vastation of the church among the sons of Israel is compared to “the nodding of a reed or cane in the waters,” because a “reed” or cane signifies the truth of the sensual man, which is the lowest, and when this truth is separated from the light of the spiritual man it becomes falsity. For the sensual man derives all that it has from things appearing in the world; consequently reasonings from these respecting spiritual things are mere fallacies, and from fallacies come falsities. (What the fallacies of the senses are in spiritual things, and that falsities are from them, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 53; also above in the explanation of Revelation, n. 575; and that sensual knowledges [scientifica] are mere fallacies when the sensual man reasons from them, above, n. 569, 581; also what the sensual is, and the quality of the sensual man, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 50.)
sRef Matt@27 @48 S15′ sRef Matt@27 @29 S15′ sRef Matt@27 @30 S15′ [15] In the Gospels:
They placed a reed in the Lord’s right hand, and afterwards they took the reed and smote His head with it (Matt. 27:29, 30; Mark 15:19);
also:
They put a sponge upon a reed and gave Him vinegar to drink (Matt. 27:48; Mark 15:36).
Those who do not know the spiritual sense of the Word may believe that these and the many other things related of the Lord’s passion involve nothing more than common modes of mockery; as that “they set a crown of thorns upon His head;” that “they parted His garments among them, but not the tunic;” that “they bent the knee before Him” for the sake of mocking Him; and also here, that “they placed a reed in His right hand, and afterwards smote His head with it;” and again, that “they filled a sponge with vinegar, or myrrhed wine, and set it upon a reed, and gave Him to drink.” But let it be known that all things that are related of the Lord’s passion signify the mocking at Divine truth, and thus the falsification and adulteration of the Word; since the Lord, when He was in the world, was the Divine truth itself, which in the church is the Word; and because the Lord was then the Divine truth, He permitted the Jews to treat Him altogether as they were treating the Divine truth or the Word by falsifying and adulterating it. For they applied all things of the Word to their own loves, and derided every truth that disagreed with their loves, as they did the Messiah Himself, because He did not, according to their explanation and religion, become king over the whole world, and exalt them into glory above all peoples and nations. (That all things related of the Lord’s passion signify such things, see above, n. 64, 83, 195 at the end.) But that “they placed a reed in the Lord’s hand and afterwards smote His head with it” signifies that they falsified Divine truth or the Word, and made an utter mockery of the understanding of truth and of Divine wisdom, a “reed” signifying falsity in what is most external (as above), and “to smite the head” signifying to reject and mock at the understanding of truth and Divine wisdom, which is what “the head of the Lord” signifies; and in “giving the Lord vinegar to drink,” which signifies what is falsified, they placed a sponge filled with it on a “reed,” which signifies falsity in what is most external, which is falsity sustaining.
* The Hebrew has “hands,” also found in AE 439, 654; A 1164.

sRef Rev@11 @1 S0′ 628. And the angel stood near, saying, signifies the Lord’s will and command. This is evident from the signification of “to stand near,” as being here will (of which presently); also from the signification of “angel,” as being the Lord in respect to the Word (see above, n. 593); also from the signification of “saying,” as being, when the Lord speaks, command; for what the Lord says is to be done, or that anyone should do it, is a command. “The angel stood near” means here the Lord’s will, because in the spiritual world the thought, with the purpose, and will to see another, to speak with him, and to give him a command, causes the other to be present, that is, to stand near; for in that world there are no distances that are constant and thence measurable, as in the natural world; but likeness of affection and of thought thence causes presence, and unlikeness of these causes absence; this is the origin of all distances in that world. This comes from the universal principle that the Lord is present with all according to their love to Him and according to their love towards the neighbor and thoughts from these. From this universal principle all distances, that is, all presence and absence among angels and spirits, exist; therefore when anyone desires to speak with another, that is, thinks about him from a purpose or wish to speak with him, that one immediately becomes present, or he is present with that one. (That this is so can be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 191-199, where Space in Heaven is treated of.) From this it can now be seen why the Lord’s will is signified by “the angel stood near,” for “to stand near” means to be present.

sRef Rev@11 @1 S0′ 629. Rise, measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein, signifies that he should explore the church, what is its quality in respect to the reception of Divine truth and Divine good, and thence in respect to the worship of the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “to measure,” as being to explore what the quality of a thing is (of which presently); from the signification of “temple,” as being in the highest sense the Lord’s Divine Human in relation to Divine truth, and in a relative sense heaven and the church in respect to Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (of which above, n. 220); from the signification of “altar,” as being in the highest sense the Lord’s Divine Human in relation to divine good, and in a relative sense heaven and the church in respect to Divine good proceeding from the Lord (of which also above, n. 391, 490, 496); and from the signification of “them that worship,” as being worship. “They that worship” signifies the worship of the Lord, because worship consists in the adoration of the Lord, and because in the spiritual sense nothing of person is meant, but only the thing abstracted from persons (of which see above, n. 99, 100, 270, 325, 625); this is why “they that worship” signifies adoration and worship. From this it can be seen that “Rise, measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein,” signifies to explore the church, what is its quality in respect to the reception of Divine truth and Divine good proceeding from the Lord, and thence in respect to worship.
[2] Evidently “to measure” in the spiritual sense does not mean to measure, for it was commanded to measure not only the temple and the altar, but also them that worship therein; therefore “to measure the temple and the altar” must involve that which is signified by their measures, thus that which is signified by the “length,” the “breadth,” and the “height,” for the expression “to measure them that worship in the temple,” cannot be used unless “to measure” signifies to explore the quality of the persons or of the thing.
sRef Ezek@40 @13 S3′ sRef Ezek@41 @14 S3′ sRef Ezek@41 @3 S3′ sRef Ezek@40 @8 S3′ sRef Ezek@40 @11 S3′ sRef Ezek@41 @4 S3′ sRef Ezek@41 @13 S3′ sRef Ezek@43 @13 S3′ sRef Ezek@40 @17 S3′ sRef Ezek@41 @5 S3′ sRef Ezek@41 @2 S3′ sRef Ezek@40 @5 S3′ sRef Ezek@41 @22 S3′ sRef Ezek@40 @3 S3′ sRef Ezek@41 @1 S3′ sRef Ezek@40 @6 S3′ [3] That “to measure” signifies to explore the quality of a thing, and to designate it, can be seen from the passages in the Word where “to measure” and “measures” are mentioned, as in the following in Ezekiel:
The man that had the line of flax and the measuring reed in his hand measured the building, likewise the threshold of the gate, the porch of the gate in the house, the porch of the gate from the house, the door of the gate, the gate from the roof of the bedchamber, and many other things which he measured as to breadth, length, and height (Ezek. 40:3, 5, 6, 8, 11, 13, 17, et seq.);
and afterwards:
He measured the temple, the lintel over the door, the wall of the house, and the house itself, as to breadth and length (Ezek. 41:1-5, 13, 14, 22);
again:
He measured the inner court, and the things of that court (Ezek. 42);
finally:
He measured the altar and the things of the altar (Ezek 43:13, et seq.).
Moreover, the measures were designated in numbers, that is, how many reeds, how many cubits, and how many palms; which shows that “to measure” these does not mean to measure but to designate the quality of the thing, and this is designated by the several things measured, namely, the “building,” the “gate,” the “porch,” the “temple,” the “upper lintel,” the “wall,” the “court,” and the “altar.” “The building, the house, and the temple,” signify the church; “the door and the gate” signify truth that introduces; and “the porch and court” signify all things that are without the church and yet look to it, and these are all things with the man of the church that are in his natural man; for the church itself with man is in the internal or spiritual man or mind, thus inwardly with him; while all things that are in the external or natural man or mind, thus that reside without, correspond to the things that are of the church itself, which, as was said, are in the internal or spiritual man or mind. These external things are what are signified by the “porch” without the house, and by “the court.” What the qualities of these things were to be is here designated by measures and numbers; for these chapters treat of the Lord’s church that was to come, and that is called the internal church, and this is thus described. Anyone can see that such measurements would be of no account unless each measurement signified something; but what each signifies can be seen from the signification of the thing measured, and its quality from the signification of the measure as expressed in number.
[4] There are only three things that are measured, namely, breadth, length, and height; and “breadth” signifies the truth of the church, “length” the good of the church, and “height” both of these as to degrees; the degrees of truth and good are the quality of truth and good as interior or higher and as exterior or lower. Such is the signification of these three dimensions, because breadth is predicated of heaven from south to north, and length from east to west, and height from the third heaven which is in things highest to the first heaven which is in things lowest. And as those in heaven who dwell from south to north are in the truths of doctrine, so “breadth” signifies the truth of heaven or of the church; and as those who dwell in heaven from east to west are in the good of love, so “length” signifies the good of heaven or of the church; and as those who dwell in the third heaven, who are the most wise, are in things highest, while those who dwell in the first heaven, who are relatively simple, are in things lowest, so “height” signifies wisdom and intelligence as to their degrees. These things therefore are what are designated by measurements in general.
sRef Ezek@43 @11 S5′ sRef Ezek@43 @10 S5′ [5] In the same:
Son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities, and may measure the form when they have been ashamed of all things that they have done; the form of the house and the arrangement thereof, and the goings out thereof and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, also teach them all the statutes thereof, and all the arrangements thereof, and all the laws thereof, and write them before their eyes, that they may keep all the form thereof and all the statutes thereof, and do them (Ezek. 43:10, 11).
That “to measure the temple” or “house” signifies to investigate and explore what is the quality of the church in respect to truth and good, can be seen from its being said “that they may measure the form of the house, the goings out and the comings in thereof;” also “that they may keep all the form thereof;” which cannot mean the form of the temple merely in respect to form, but in respect to those things that are signified by the temple; for it is added “that they may be ashamed of their iniquities that they have done,” which signifies shame for departing from the laws and statutes of the church; therefore it is added, “that he may teach them all the statutes thereof, all the descriptions,* and all the laws thereof;” which shows that the “temple” signifies the church with its truths and goods, for these are the things that are to be kept, and this is signified by “keeping all the form of the house” or “temple.” The “temple” signifies in the Word the church in respect to truth, and “the house of God” the church in respect to good; for the temple was of stone, but the house of God in ancient times was of wood; and “stones” signify truths, and “wood” signifies good.
sRef Zech@2 @2 S6′ sRef Zech@2 @1 S6′ sRef Zech@2 @4 S6′ [6] In Zechariah:
I lifted up mine eyes and saw, and behold a man in whose hand was a measuring line; and I said, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see how great is the breadth thereof, and how great is the length thereof; and he said Jerusalem shall inhabit the suburbs by reason of the multitude of men and beasts in the midst of it (Zech. 2:1, 2, 4).
This is said of the Lord’s coming and of the establishment of a New Church by Him, as can be seen from verses 10 and 11 of the same chapter. “Jerusalem” signifies that New Church, and “to measure” it signifies to explore and thus to know what and how great it will be; “breadth” signifies the truth of its doctrine, and “length” the good of its love (as just above); therefore it is said “To measure Jerusalem, to see how great is the breadth thereof, and how great is the length thereof.” Evidently “Jerusalem” here means the church, and not the city Jerusalem, for about the time of the Lord’s coming Jerusalem was not so great and such as is here described, that is, that “Jerusalem should inhabit the suburbs by reason of the multitude of men and beasts in the midst of it;” but this means the multitude of the nations that will be added to the church, “Jerusalem, in the midst of it,” signifying the church consisting of those who will receive interiorly the Divine proceeding from the Lord, and “suburbs” the church consisting of those who will receive it exteriorly. For the church of the Lord is internal and external; in the internal church are those who are in intelligence and wisdom, and thus in the higher heavens, but in the external church are those who are in knowledges and cognitions of truth and good from the Word, and in no interior intelligence and wisdom, and who are therefore in the lower heavens; the former are called spiritual, the latter spiritual-natural, and the spiritual are meant by those who are “in the midst of Jerusalem,” and the spiritual-natural by those who are “in the suburbs.” “Men and beasts” mean those who are in intelligence and thence in the good of life, “men” those who are in intelligence, and “beasts” those who are in the natural affection of good, and thus in the good of life.
[7] Like things are signified by these words in Revelation:
The angel who talked with me had a golden reed, to measure the city the New Jerusalem, the gates thereof and the wall thereof; and he measured the wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel (Rev. 21:15, 17).
Here, too, “the New Jerusalem” means a New Church, and the “city” its doctrine, “its wall” signifies Divine truth defending, the number “one hundred and forty-four” signifies all truths and goods in the complex; this number is said to be “the measure of a man, that is, of an angel,” which could not be said unless “measure” signified quality. But this will be explained in its proper place hereafter.
sRef Ezek@47 @7 S8′ sRef Ezek@47 @5 S8′ sRef Ezek@47 @3 S8′ sRef Ezek@47 @4 S8′ sRef Ezek@47 @9 S8′ [8] In Ezekiel:
When the man went out toward the east, in whose hand was the line, he measured a thousand by the cubit, then he made me to pass through the waters, the waters were to the ankles; again he measured a thousand and made me to pass through the waters, waters to the knees; and he measured a thousand and made me to pass through the waters, waters to the loins; again he measured a thousand, it was a river that I could not pass through because the waters were high, waters of swimming, a river that was not passed through. And behold, on the bank of the river were many trees on this side and on that side; and every living soul that creepeth, and whithersoever the river cometh, shall live; whence there is much fish (Ezek. 47:3-5, 7, 9).
This describes how intelligence, which those have who are of the church, increases by the reception of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is signified by “the waters issuing from under the threshold of the house towards the east, and going down from the right side of the house from the south of the altar,” as is said in verse 1 of this chapter; the “east” signifies love to the Lord, since the east in heaven is where the Lord appears as a sun; and thence the “right side” is where Divine truth is received in the greatest light, and that side is called the south; therefore it is added “from the south of the altar.” How intelligence increases by the reception of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is described by the “waters” which the prophet passed through, which first reached “to the ankles,” afterwards “to the knees,” then “to the loins,” and at length were so high that they “could not be passed through;” “the waters to the ankles” signify such intelligence as the sensual and natural man has, for “ankles” signify what is sensual and natural; “the waters to the knees” signify such intelligence as the spiritual-natural man has, for “knees” signify what is spiritual-natural; “the waters to the loins” signify such intelligence as the spiritual man has, for the “loins” signify the marriage of truth and good, which is spiritual; “the waters that could not be passed through” signify celestial intelligence, which is called wisdom, such as the celestial man or an angel of the third heaven has; and because this is ineffable, it is said to be “a river that could not be passed through,” and because it is far above the natural man, these waters are called “waters of swimming.”
The “river” which is from these waters signifies intelligence and wisdom; the cognitions of truth and good and also perceptions are signified by “many trees on the bank of the river on this side and on that side,” “trees” signifying cognitions and perceptions; life therefrom to all things in the natural man, both cognitions and knowledges, is signified by “every living soul that creepeth shall live,” and by “there shall be much fish,” “the soul that creepeth” and “the fish” signifying the things that are in the natural man, which are called cognitions from the Word, also natural knowledges [scientiae] whereby spiritual things are confirmed, and “to live” signifying the influx of the Lord into these cognitions and knowledges through the spiritual man and his intelligence. (That “waters” signify the truths of doctrine from the Word, through which comes intelligence, see above, n. 71, 483, 518.)
sRef Hab@3 @6 S9′ [9] In Habakkuk:
He stood and measured the earth; He saw and drove asunder the nations; for the mountains of eternity were scattered, the hills of the age did bow, His goings are of an age (Hab. 3:6).
This is said of visitation and the Last Judgment by the Lord when He should come into the world. “He stood and measured the earth” means exploring at that time of what quality the church is, “to measure” signifying to explore, and “the earth” the church; “He saw and drove asunder the nations” signifies the casting down into hell of all who are in evils and in falsities therefrom, “to drive asunder” signifying to cast into hell, and “nations” those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom; “the mountains of eternity were scattered” signifies that the celestial church, such as was with the most ancient people, who were in love to the Lord, had perished, “the mountains of eternity” signifying that church and that love; “the hills of the age did bow” signifies that the spiritual church perished, such as was with the ancient people after the flood, who were in love towards the neighbor, “the hills of the age” signifying that church and that love; “His goings are of an age” signifies according to the state of the church at that time, which was a perverted state.
sRef Isa@40 @12 S10′ sRef Isa@40 @10 S10′ [10] In Isaiah:
Behold the Lord Jehovih cometh in strength, and His arm shall rule for Him. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out the heavens with a span, and embraced the dust of the earth in a measure [trientali], and weighed the mountains in a scale, and the hills in a balance? (Isa. 40:10, 12)
This, too, is said of the Lord and of Divine truth, from which are heaven and the church, and from which is wisdom. The Lord’s coming, and the arrangement of all things in the heavens by Him from His own power at that time, is signified by “Behold the Lord Jehovih cometh in strength, and His arm shall rule for Him,” “His arm that shall rule” signifying His own power. The arrangement of all things in the heavens by His own power by means of Divine truth, is signified by “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out the heavens with a span, and embraced the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in a scale, and the hills in a balance?” “To measure waters” signifies to define Divine truths; “to mete out the heavens with a span” signifies thence to arrange the heavens; “to embrace the dust of the earth in a measure” signifies to arrange lower things; “the hollow of the hand,” “the span,” and “the measure” have a similar signification as “measures” and also the “hand,” namely, the quality of a thing and one’s own power; “to weigh the mountains in a scale and the hills in a balance” signifies to subordinate and equilibrate all things, “scale and balance” signifying right equilibration, and “mountains and hills” the higher heavens, “mountains” meaning those heavens which are in love to the Lord, and “hills” those which are in charity towards the neighbor (as above).
sRef Job@38 @4 S11′ sRef Job@38 @6 S11′ sRef Job@38 @5 S11′ [11] In Job:
Where wast thou when I founded the earth? Declare, if thou knowest understanding. Who determined the measures thereof? if thou knowest; and who stretched out the line upon it? upon what are its bases sunk? who laid the cornerstone thereof? (Job 38:4-6)
The “earth” here means the church; “to found it” and “to determine its measures” signify to establish it and to define its quality, “measure” meaning the quality of a thing; “to stretch out the line upon it” signifies to maintain it in its quality; “upon what are its bases sunk? and who laid the cornerstone thereof?” signifies to found it upon those things that are in the natural man, the “cornerstone” meaning the truth of the natural man, which is called true knowledge, upon which the truth of the spiritual man or spiritual truth is founded.
sRef Jer@31 @36 S12′ sRef Jer@31 @37 S12′ [12] In Jeremiah:
If these statutes shall depart from before Me, the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me all the days. If the heavens shall be measured upwards, and the foundations be searched out downwards, I also will reject all the seed of Israel because of all that they have done (Jer. 31:36, 37).
“Statutes” signify here all the things of the church that were commanded to the sons of Israel, thus all things of worship; if they do not keep these there will be no church among them, is what is signified by “If these statutes shall depart from before Me the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me all the days,” “Israel” signifying the church, and “the seed of Israel” the truth of the church; and that although a new heaven and a New Church will come into existence, yet there will be nothing of heaven and the church with that nation, is signified by “If the heavens shall be measured upwards, and the foundations shall be searched out downwards, I also will reject all the seed of Israel because of all that they have done.”
sRef Matt@7 @1 S13′ sRef Luke@6 @38 S13′ sRef Luke@6 @37 S13′ sRef Rev@21 @17 S13′ sRef Mark@4 @25 S13′ sRef Mark@4 @24 S13′ sRef Matt@7 @2 S13′ [13] “To mete” and “to measure” signifies to define and determine what a thing is, also to explore it, because “measure” signifies what a thing is, or quality. That this is the signification of “measure” can be seen from the following passages. In Revelation:
The angel measured the wall of the city New Jerusalem, a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel (Rev. 21:17).
It is clearly evident that here “measure” signifies the quality of the thing that is meant by “the wall of the city New Jerusalem;” for what else could be meant by “the measure of the wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, being the measure of a man, that is, of an angel”? In Matthew:
Judge not that ye be not condemned** for with what judgment ye judge ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye measure it shall be measured to you (Matt. 7:1, 2).
In Luke:
Judge not that ye be not judged; condemn not that ye be not condemned; remit and it shall be remitted to you; give and it shall be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall they give into your bosom; for with what measure ye measure they shall measure to you again (Luke 6:37, 38).
This may be seen explained in the work Heaven and Hell (n. 349). And in Mark:
With what measure ye measure it shall be measured to you again; and to you that hear, more shall be added. Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath (Mark 4:24, 25).
[14] Thus charity towards the neighbor, or the spiritual affection of truth and good, is described, namely, that in the measure and after the manner that anyone is in such charity or in such affection in the world, so he comes into it after death. That we should not think evil of good and truth is meant by the words, “Judge not that ye be not judged, and condemn not that ye be not condemned;” to think evil of what is evil and false is permitted to everyone, but not of good and truth, for these in the spiritual sense are the neighbor. Because it is charity toward the neighbor that is meant it is added, “Remit and it shall be remitted to you, give and it shall be given unto you.” That the spiritual affection, which is called charity, will continue after death according to its measure and quality, is meant by “With what measure ye measure it shall be measured to you again;” and that this measure and quality will be infilled to eternity is meant by “to you that hear a measure shall be added,” also by “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall be given into your bosom,” “measure” here meaning the measure and quality of affection or charity, which will be increased to eternity within or according to its degree in the world (see as above in the work Heaven and Hell, n. 349).
That this will come to pass with those who practice charity is meant by “to you that hear more shall be added,” “those that hear” signifying those who obey and do. That “to love the neighbor” is to love what is true and good, likewise what is sincere and just, may be seen in the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine (n. 84-106). That no other thought or judgment is here meant than concerning the spiritual life of another can be seen from this, that it is permissible to everyone to think about the moral and civil life of another, and to judge of it; without such thought and judgment concerning others no civil society could subsist; therefore “not to judge and condemn” signifies not to think evil of the neighbor spiritually understood, that is, of his faith and love, which belong to man’s spiritual life, for these lie concealed in his interiors, and therefore are unknown to anyone except the Lord alone.
sRef John@3 @34 S15′ [15] In John:
He whom the Father hath sent speaketh the words of God, for not by measure hath God given the spirit unto Him (John 3:24).
The “spirit” that God giveth signifies Divine truth, and intelligence and wisdom therefrom; “not by measure” signifies above every measure and quality of men, therefore infinitely, for the infinity that belongs to the Lord is without measure or quality, for measure and quality are properties of the finite, since measure and quality determine what is finite and set limits to it, but what is without limit is infinite. From this it follows that “measure” also here signifies quality, since “not by measure” signifies not predicating what a thing is, or its quality.
sRef Ps@39 @4 S16′ sRef Ps@39 @5 S16′ [16] In David:
Make known to me, Jehovah, my end, and the measure of my days what it is, that I may know how transitory I am; behold Thou hast given my days as handbreadths, and my time is as nothing before Thee (Ps. 39:4, 5).
It appears as if by these words times of life only are meant, the limit of which he wishes to know, and that these times pass away quickly; but in the spiritual sense times are not meant, but states of life instead; so “Make known to me, Jehovah, my end, the measure of my days what it is,” signifies that he might know the state of his life and its quality, thus what kind of life he would continue in. “Behold Thou hast given my days as handbreadths” signifies that it is of very little consequence what the state of one’s life is; “and my time is as nothing before Thee” signifies that the state of one’s life is of no value; for “time and day” signify states of life in respect to truth and good, and thence in respect to intelligence and wisdom; so it is here meant that all these, so far as they are from oneself, are of no value. That there is such a meaning in these words cannot be seen by those who think only naturally, because natural thought cannot be separated from the idea of time. But spiritual thought, like that of angels, has nothing in common with time or space or with person.
sRef Lev@19 @35 S17′ sRef Lev@19 @36 S17′ sRef Deut@25 @13 S17′ sRef Ezek@45 @10 S17′ sRef Deut@25 @15 S17′ sRef Isa@45 @14 S17′ sRef Deut@25 @14 S17′ [17] As “measures” signify the quality of a thing, it is clear what is signified:
By the house of measures (Jer. 22:14);
By the portion of measures (Jer. 13:25);
Also by men of measures (Isa. 45:14);
where “measures” signify quality in the whole complex. In Moses:
Ye shall not act perversely in judgment, in measure, in weight, or in dimension; balances of justice, stones of justice, an ephah of justice, and a hin of justice, shall ye have (Lev. 19:35, 36).
In the same:
Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers stones, great and small; thou shalt not have in thy house divers ephahs, great and small; a perfect and a just stone shalt thou have, a perfect and a just ephah shalt thou have (Deut. 25:13-15).
And in Ezekiel:
Ye shall have balances of justice, and an ephah of justice, and a bath of justice (Ezek. 45:10).
That these measures and these weights signify the estimation of a thing according to the quality of truth and good may be seen above (n. 373).
* Ezekiel 43:10, 11 has “arrangements.” Schmidius has “descriptiones.”
** The Greek has “judged,” as also found in TCR 226; SS 51.

sRef Rev@11 @2 S0′ 630. Verse 2. And the court which is without the temple cast out, and measure it not, signifies that the external of the Word, and thence of the church and worship, is not to be explored. This is evident from the signification of the “court,” as being the external of the Word, and thence of the church and of worship. The “court” has this signification because the “temple” signifies heaven and the church in respect to Divine truth, as was said in the article above; therefore the “court” which was “outside the temple or in front of the temple” signifies the first or lowest heaven. For the “temple,” regarded in itself, signifies the higher heavens; that is, the “adytum,” where the ark of the covenant was, signified the inmost or third heaven, and “the temple outside of the adytum” signified the middle or second heaven; therefore the “court” signified the lowest or first heaven; and what signifies heaven signifies also the church, for the church is the Lord’s heaven on the earth; and what signifies the church, signifies also the Word and worship, for the Word is the Divine truth, from which are heaven and the church, and worship is according to Divine truth, which is the Word. From this it is that the “court” signifies the external or ultimate of heaven and the church, and also the external or ultimate of the Word and of worship.
[2] The Word and worship are altogether as heaven and the church are; for as there are three heavens, so in the Word there are three distinct senses: the inmost sense, which is called the celestial sense, is for the inmost or third heaven; the middle sense, which is called the spiritual sense, is for the middle or second heaven; and the ultimate sense, which is called the celestial-natural and spiritual-natural sense, is for the lowest or first heaven. These three senses, besides the natural which is for the world, are in the Word and in all its particulars; and as the three heavens have the Word and each heaven is in its own sense of the Word, and from this is their heaven and also their worship, it follows that what signifies heaven signifies also the Word and worship. This is why the “court” signifies the external of the Word, and thence the external of the church and of worship.
[3] Moreover, it is to be known that the temple had two courts, one without the temple, and the other within, and “the court without the temple” signifies the entrance itself into heaven and into the church, in which are those who are being introduced into heaven; while “the court within the temple” represented the lowest heaven. It is similar with the church, also with the Word and with worship; for “the court without the temple” signifies the external of the Word, that is, the Word such as it is in the natural sense, which is for the world, by which man is introduced into its spiritual sense, in which the angels of heaven are. But what is properly signified by each court, the inner and the outer, will be told in what follows. Also, why it is here said that “the court without the temple is to be cast out, and not measured,” will be told in the following article, where it is told what is signified by “it is given to the nations.”
sRef Ex@27 @12 S4′ sRef Ex@27 @16 S4′ sRef Ex@27 @17 S4′ sRef Ex@27 @13 S4′ sRef Ex@27 @15 S4′ sRef Ex@27 @11 S4′ sRef Ex@27 @18 S4′ sRef Ex@27 @14 S4′ sRef Ex@27 @10 S4′ sRef Ex@27 @9 S4′ [4] From this it can now in some measure be seen what is signified in the Word by “court” and by “courts” in the following passages. In Moses:
Thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle at the corner of the south towards the south, hangings for the courts; twenty pillars, twenty bases, the hooks of the pillars and the fillets of silver, the gate of the court with the veil; its length a hundred cubits from the south to the north, and its breadth fifty from the east to the west (Exod. 27:9-18).
This court was the court of the Tent of meeting, which likewise represented and signified the lowest or first heaven; for “the Tent of meeting” represented heaven; its inmost, where the ark was, over which was the mercy seat, represented the inmost or third heaven; the law in the ark, the Lord Himself as to Divine truth or the Word; and the tent without the veil, where was the table for the loaves, the altar of incense, and the lamp stand, represented the middle or second heaven; and the court, the lowest or first heaven. (That the three heavens were represented by that tent may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 3478, 9457, 9481, 9485; but what is signified in particular by the court, and by all things pertaining to it, may be seen, n. 9741-9775.)
sRef Lev@6 @16 S5′ sRef 1Ki@6 @36 S5′ sRef Lev@6 @26 S5′ sRef 1Ki@6 @3 S5′ [5] As the court represented the lowest heaven, and thence also the external of the church, of the Word, and of worship:
The residue of the meal offerings and of the sacrifices for sin were eaten by Aaron and his sons in the court (Lev. 6:16, 26).
“Eating in the court” these sanctified things signified appropriating to oneself the goods of the church that were signified by the meal offerings and these sacrifices; and all appropriation of holy things is effected by ultimates, for except through ultimates there can be no appropriation of interior holy things.
[6] But the courts of the temple are thus described in the first book of Kings:
Solomon made a court before the front of the house of the temple. And afterwards he built the inner court, three layers of hewn stones and a row of hewn cedar (1 Kings 6:3, 36).
The temple in like manner represented heaven and the church; the adytum, where the ark was, represented the inmost or third heaven, also the church with those who are in inmosts, which is called the celestial church; the temple outside the adytum represented the middle or second heaven, also the church with those who are in the middle, which is called the internal spiritual church; the inner court represented the lowest or first heaven, also the church with those who are in ultimates, which is called the internal-natural church; while the outer court represented the entrance into heaven.
sRef John@2 @22 S7′ sRef John@2 @19 S7′ sRef John@2 @20 S7′ sRef John@2 @21 S7′ sRef Matt@24 @2 S7′ sRef John@2 @18 S7′ [7] And as the temple in the highest sense signified the Lord in relation to the Divine Human, so also in relation to Divine truth, thence the temple also signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, consequently the Word, for that is the Divine truth in the church. That the Lord’s Divine Human is signified by the temple is evident from the Lord’s words where He says:
Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up; and He spake of the temple of His body (John 2:18-23).
That the “temple” signifies the church is evident from these words of the Lord:
That there shall not be left of the temple stone upon stone that shall not be thrown down (Matt. 24:1, 2; Luke 21:5-7).
These words mean that every Divine truth, consequently everything of the church, is to perish; for the end of the church, which is called the consummation of the age, is here treated of.
sRef Ezek@40 @18 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @19 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @22 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @23 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @24 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @25 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @20 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @17 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @21 S8′ sRef Jer@36 @10 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @26 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @31 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @29 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @30 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @31 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @44 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @34 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @27 S8′ sRef Ezek@40 @28 S8′ [8] That there were two courts built, an inner and an outer, and there little chambers, porticos, or piazzas, and many other things, can be seen from the description of them in Ezekiel:
The angel brought me to the outer court, where, behold, there were chambers and a pavement made for the court round about, thirty chambers upon the pavement, which he measured as to the length and the breadth; and he also measured the bedchambers, the portico, the gate, everything as to length and breadth (Ezek. 40:17-22, 31, 34, et seq.; 42:1-14).
And of the inner court it is said in the same:
That he measured the inner court, the gates thereof towards the north, the east, and the south; the portico, the steps with the ascents, the bedchambers, the chambers of the singers, the upper lintels (Ezek. 40:23-31, 44, et seq.).
And in Jeremiah:
In the chamber of Gemaliah* the scribe, in the upper court, at the entrance of the gate of the new house (Jer. 36:10).
In the prophet Ezekiel, from chap. 40 to chap. 48, a new city, a new temple, and a new earth, are treated of, which signify a New Church that was to be established by the Lord; and the “chambers,” the “bedchambers,” the “porticos,” and the rest, signify such things as belong to the church, its doctrine and worship; and their dimensions signify their quality (as was said and shown in the article above). But this is not the place to explain what is signified by the particulars; only that “courts” signify the external things of heaven and of the church, and thence the externals of the Word and of worship. That the externals of these are signified by the “courts” is evident from this alone, that the “temple” in general signifies heaven and the church, therefore the three divisions of the temple, namely, the courts, the temple itself, and the adytum, signify the three heavens according to their degrees. (Of what nature the three heavens are according to their degrees, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 29-40.)
sRef Ezek@43 @7 S9′ sRef Ezek@43 @4 S9′ sRef Ezek@43 @6 S9′ sRef Ezek@43 @5 S9′ [9] That “the temple and the courts” signify heaven and the church can be seen more fully from these words in Ezekiel:
The spirit raised me up and brought me into the inner court of the temple, when behold, the glory of Jehovah filled the house; and I heard one speaking unto me out of the house, saying, Son of man, the place of My throne, and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel forever (Ezek. 43:4-7).
That these “courts” signify the lowest heaven, or the external of the church, can be seen from its being said that “he was brought into the court, and thence saw the house filled with the glory of Jehovah,” “the glory of Jehovah” signifying Divine truth, which constitutes heaven and the church; also afterwards, that that house was “the place of the throne of Jehovah, and the place of the soles of His feet, where He will dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel forever.” That “the throne of Jehovah” means heaven may be seen above (n. 253, 297, 343, 460, 462, 477, 482); and that “the place of the soles of the feet of Jehovah” means the church, see also above (n. 606); the “sons of Israel” mean all who are of the Lord’s church, consequently “to dwell with them forever” signifies the unceasing presence of the Lord with them.
sRef Ezek@10 @3 S10′ sRef Ezek@10 @4 S10′ sRef Ezek@10 @5 S10′ [10] In the same:
The glory of Jehovah lifted itself up from above the cherub over the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud. And the cloud filled the inner court. And the court was full of the brightness of the glory of Jehovah; and the voice of the wings of the cherubim was heard even to the outer court (Ezek. 10:3, 4, 5).
The “cherubim” seen by the prophet represented the Lord in relation to providence and guard that He be not approached except through good of love; consequently the “cherubim” signify the higher heavens, particularly the inmost heaven, for this guard is there (see above n. 277, 313, 322, 362, 370, 462); therefore the “house that was filled with the cloud” signifies heaven and the church; the “inner court,” which the cloud also filled, signifies the lowest heaven; and the “outer court,” as far as which the voice of the wings of the cherubs was heard, signifies the entrance into heaven, which is specifically in the natural world, and afterwards in the world of spirits. For through the church in the world, and afterwards through the world of spirits, man enters into heaven. (What the world of spirits is, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 421-431 seq.) But the “cloud” and “the brightness of the glory of Jehovah” signify the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord.
sRef Ps@65 @4 S11′ [11] From this it can now be seen what is signified by “courts” in the following passages. In David:
Blessed is he whom thou choosest and causest to approach, he shall dwell in Thy courts; we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, with the holiness of Thy temple (Ps. 65:4).
This signifies that those who are in charity, or in spiritual affection, will live in heaven, and there will be in intelligence and wisdom from Divine truth and Divine good; “the chosen” (or he whom thou choosest) signifies those who are in love towards the neighbor or in charity; “causest to approach” signifies spiritual affection or love, for so far as man is in that love or that affection, so far he is with the Lord, for everyone approaches Him according to that love; “to dwell in courts” signifies to live in heaven, “to dwell” meaning to live, and “courts” meaning heaven; “to be satisfied with the goodness of the house” signifies to be in wisdom from Divine good; and “to be satisfied with the holiness of the temple” signifies to be in intelligence from Divine truth, and from both to enjoy heavenly joy; “the house of God” signifies heaven and the church in respect to Divine good, and the “temple” heaven and the church in respect to Divine truth, and “holiness” is predicated of spiritual good, which is truth.
sRef Ps@92 @12 S12′ sRef Ps@92 @13 S12′ sRef Ps@135 @1 S12′ sRef Ps@116 @19 S12′ sRef Ps@100 @4 S12′ sRef Ps@116 @14 S12′ sRef Ps@116 @18 S12′ sRef Ps@84 @10 S12′ sRef Ps@96 @8 S12′ sRef Ps@135 @2 S12′ sRef Ps@84 @2 S12′ sRef Ps@84 @1 S12′ [12] In the same:
A day in Thy courts is better than thousands, I have chosen to stand at the door in the house of my God (Ps. 84:10).
“Courts” here signify the first or lowest heaven, through which there is entrance into the higher heavens; therefore it is added, “I have chosen to stand at the door in the house of my God.” In the same:
Give to Jehovah the glory of His name, bring an offering, and come into His courts (Ps. 96:8).
In the same:
Praise ye the name of Jehovah, praise, O ye servants of Jehovah, who stand in the house of Jehovah, in the courts of the house of our God (Ps. 135:1, 2).
In the same:
How amiable are Thy dwellings, O Jehovah of Hosts; my soul hath desired, yea is consumed for the courts of Jehovah (Ps. 84:1, 2).
In the same:
Come into His gates with confession, into His courts with praise, confess ye unto Him, bless His name (Ps. 100:4).
In the same:
I will pay my vows unto Jehovah before all His people, in the courts of the house of Jehovah, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem (Ps. 116:14, 18, 19).
In the same:
The righteous shall flourish as the palm tree, he shall grow as a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of Jehovah they shall spring forth in the courts of our God (Ps. 92:12, 13).
That in these passages “courts” mean heaven, in particular the lowest heaven and the church, can be seen without explanation.
sRef Isa@62 @9 S13′ [13] Likewise in the following passages. In Isaiah:
They shall gather the corn and the new wine, they shall eat and shall praise Jehovah, and they that shall bring it together shall drink in the courts of My holiness (Isa. 62:9).
“They shall gather the corn and the new wine” signifies instruction in the goods and truths of doctrine and of the church; “they shall eat and shall praise Jehovah” signifies appropriation and the worship of the Lord; “they that shall bring it together shall drink in the courts of My holiness” signifies the enjoyment of Divine truth, and the consequent happiness in the heavens.
sRef Joel@2 @17 S14′ [14] In Joel:
Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the court and the altar, and let them say, Spare Thy people, O Jehovah (Joel 2:17);
“weeping between the court and the altar” signifies lamentation over the vastation of Divine truth and Divine good in the church; for the “court” has a similar signification as the “temple,” namely, the church in respect to Divine truth, and the “altar” signifies the church in respect to Divine good; therefore “between the court and the altar” signifies the marriage of good and truth, which constitutes heaven and the church; and “to weep” signifies lamentation over its vastation. “Courts” also elsewhere in the Word signify the ultimates of heaven, also the externals of the church, of the Word, and of worship (as in Isa. 1:12; Zech. 3:7).
* The Hebrew has “Gemariah.”

sRef Rev@11 @2 S0′ sRef Matt@23 @10 S0′ sRef Matt@23 @8 S0′ sRef Matt@23 @9 S0′ aRef Matt@6 @13 S1′ 631. For it is given to the nations, signifies since it has been perverted by evils of life and falsities of doctrine. This is evident from the signification of “the nations,” as being those who are in evils in respect to life and thence in falsities in respect to doctrine, and in the abstract sense evils of life and falsities of doctrine. (That evils and falsities are signified by “nations” see above, n. 175, 331, 625.) The external of the Word and thence of the church and of worship is perverted by evils of life and falsities of doctrine, because the external of the Word, which is called the sense of its letter, is written according to appearances in the world, because it is for children and the simple-minded, who have no perception of anything contrary to appearances, therefore as these advance in age they are introduced by the sense of the letter, in which are appearances of truth, into interior truths, and thus appearances are put off by degrees, and in their place interior truths are implanted. This may be illustrated by numberless examples; as that we should pray to God not to lead us into temptations; this is said because it appears as if God so leads, and yet God leads no one into temptations; again, it is said that God is angry, punishes, casts into hell, brings evil upon the wicked, and many other like things, and yet God is never angry, never punishes or casts into hell, nor does He at all do evil to anyone, but the wrongdoer himself does this to himself by his evils, for in evils themselves are the evils of punishment. These things are nevertheless said in many passages in the Word, because it so appears. As another example, it is said that:
No one should call his father, Father; nor his master, Master (Matt. 23:8-10).
Yet they ought to be so called; but this is said because the “Father” means the Lord, who creates and begets us anew, and because He alone teaches and instructs; so when man is in a spiritual idea he will think of the Lord alone as the Father and Master; but it is otherwise when man is in a natural idea. Moreover, in the spiritual world or in heaven, no one knows any other father, teacher, or master than the Lord, because from Him is spiritual life. So in other instances.
[2] From this it can be seen that the external of the Word, and thence the external of the church and of worship, consists of apparent truths, therefore those who are in evils in respect to life apply it to favor their own loves and the principles conceived therefrom. This is why it is said that the “court,” which signifies the external of the Word, “is given to the nations,” and afterwards that “they shall trample down the holy city.” This comes to pass in the end of the church, when men are so far worldly, natural, and corporeal that they are wholly unable to see interior truths, which are called spiritual truths; and from this it follows that they then wholly pervert the external of the Word, which is the sense of its letter. Such perversion of the sense of the letter of the Word took place also with the Jews at the end of the church with them, which is meant in the spiritual sense by:
The soldiers dividing the garments of the Lord, but not the tunic (John 19:23, 24),
which signifies that those who were of the church perverted all things of the Word in respect to the sense of its letter, but not the Word in respect to the spiritual sense, because this they did not know. (That this is what these things mean in the spiritual sense may be seen above, n. 64.) It is similar in the church at this day, because this is its end; for at this day the Word is not explained according to spiritual truths, but according to the appearances of the sense of the letter, which are applied to confirm both evils of life and falsities of doctrine; and because interior truths, which are spiritual truths, are unknown and are not received, it follows that the sense of the letter of the Word is perverted by evils of the will and falsities of thought therefrom. This, therefore, is what is meant by “the court is given to the nations.”

sRef Rev@11 @2 S0′ 632. And the holy city shall they trample down, signifies that they will destroy all the doctrine of good and truth from the Word. This is evident from the signification of “the holy city,” as being the doctrine of truth and good from the Word; in the sense of the letter “the holy city” means Jerusalem, which in the Word here and there is called “the holy city;” but “Jerusalem” means the church, and a “city” the doctrine of the church; that a “city” [civitas or urbs] signifies doctrine, see above (n. 223); therefore “the holy city” signifies the doctrine of Divine truth, for Divine truth is what is called “holy” in the Word (n. 204). This is evident also from the signification of “trampling down,” as being to destroy altogether, in particular by means of things sensual and natural, consequently by means of fallacies, which are called the fallacies of the senses, from which when not explained mere falsities spring; such things are signified by “trampling down,” because trampling is done by the soles of the feet, and “the soles of the feet” signify the external sensual things of man, and “feet” his natural things. That this signification of “soles” and of “feet” is from correspondence, see above (n. 65, 606; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 96).
[2] It is said that “the nations shall trample down the holy city,” because this follows after the words, “The court which is without the temple cast out, for it is given to the nations,” and the “court” signifies the external of the Word, of the church, and of worship, and the external of the Word is what is perverted, and thus adulterated and falsified, by the nations, that is, by those who are in evils and falsities. For, as was said in the preceding article, the external of the Word, which is called the sense of its letter, is for children and the simple-minded, and is therefore written according to appearances, thus for those who are sensual and natural; for infants are first sensual, afterwards natural, and when they advance in age they become spiritual. But when a man does not become spiritual, as is the case with all who live in evil, he does not understand the Word spiritually, but only naturally and sensually, and he who so understands the Word perverts it, and explains it according to the falsities of his religion and according to the evils of his life. This is why it is said that “they shall trample it down.” Moreover, those who deny and despise the truths of heaven and the church appear in the spiritual world to trample them under the soles of the feet, and this, as was said above, because the external sensual of man corresponds to the soles of the feet, which are what trample down. It is said that the external sensual of man does this, but it is the sensual of those only who are merely sensual, who are such as deny the truths of heaven and the church, and who also believe nothing except what they can see with their eyes and touch with their hands.
sRef Luke@21 @24 S3′ [3] “To trample down” is predicated of such in the following passages also. In Luke:
They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem shall finally be trampled down by the nations, until the times of the nations shall be fulfilled (Luke 21:24).
This has a similar signification as the passage in Revelation here explained, that “the court is given to the nations, and the holy city shall they trample down forty-two months;” for “they shall fall by the edge of the sword” signifies that they shall perish by falsities; “they shall be led captive among all nations” signifies that evils will make a prey of the goods and truths of the church; “Jerusalem shall be trampled down” signifies the destruction of the church in respect to doctrine; for “Jerusalem” signifies the church in respect to doctrine; “its being trampled down by the nations” signifies the total destruction of the church by evils of life and falsities of doctrine; “until the time of the nations shall be fulfilled” signifies until evil is consummated (see above, n. 624); this consummation is also signified by the “forty-two months.” This, too, like what is said in Revelation, was said by the Lord respecting the time just preceding the Last Judgment.
sRef Ezek@34 @19 S4′ sRef Ezek@34 @18 S4′ [4] In Ezekiel:
Is this a small thing to you? Ye feed upon the good pasture, and trample down with your feet the remainder of your pastures; ye drink the sediment of the waters, ye stir up the remainder with your feet; and thus my flock feeds upon what ye have trampled down with your feet, and drink that which is stirred up by your feet (Ezek. 34:18, 19).
“Good pasture” signifies all that which spiritually nourishes, especially the Word and the knowledges of truth and good therefrom; “to feed upon it and to trample down the remainder with the feet” signifies to so do away with it that it does not appear, and to so destroy it that it is not, and this is done by reasonings from the corporeal-sensual, and from the natural man separated from the spiritual. This therefore is what is meant by “trampling down with the feet;” “the sediment of the waters” signify truths defiled by falsities, for “waters” mean truths, and “to drink thereof” signifies to learn and to receive; “to stir up the remainder of the waters with the feet” signifies to bring nevertheless into confusion by reasonings from the natural man the truths that are not defiled by falsities, “feet” signifying the natural things in man. From this what is signified by “my flock shall drink what is trampled down by the feet, and what is stirred up by the feet,” can be seen.
sRef Dan@8 @9 S5′ sRef Dan@8 @7 S5′ sRef Dan@8 @10 S5′ [5] In Daniel:
The he-goat cast the ram to the earth and trampled him down, nor was there anyone to deliver the ram out of his hand; afterwards one horn waxed great from a little one; even to the host of the heavens, and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the earth and trampled them down (Dan. 8:7, 9, 10).
The “he-goat” here signifies faith separated from charity, and the “ram” signifies faith conjoined to charity, thus charity, the same as the “he-goats and sheep” in Matthew 25:31-46; “the one horn that waxed great from a little one” signifies justification by faith alone; “the host of the heavens” signifies all truths and goods of heaven and the church, and the “stars” signify the knowledges of good and truth; therefore “to trample down the ram” and also “the host of the heavens” signifies to destroy charity utterly, and with it all the truths and goods of heaven and the church, and this by the corporeal-sensual; for they who are in faith separated from charity, that is, who believe that they are saved by faith alone whatever their life may be, become corporeal-sensual, and are consequently in falsities in respect to all things of the Word and of the church; for they have no perception of the Word otherwise than according to the ultimate sense of its letter, seeing nothing interiorly in it; and even if they speak truths from the Word they nevertheless perceive them falsely; therefore this is what is signified by “the he-goat cast down to the earth some of the host of the heavens and some of the stars, and trampled them down.” That charity towards the neighbor, that is, the good of life, is in like manner destroyed, is meant by “the he-goat cast the ram to the earth and trampled him down;” for they who are in faith separated from charity, who are meant by the “he-goat,” make faith the essential and charity the nonessential, therefore they live for the body and the world, and are solicitous about themselves only, and not at all about the neighbor; and those who do this cast charity (which is meant by the “ram,”) to the earth and trample it down.
sRef Luke@8 @5 S6′ [6] In Luke:
Some seed fell upon the way and was trampled down, or the fowls of heaven devoured it (Luke 8:5).
“Seed” signifies Divine truth, or the truth of the Word; “to fall upon the way and be trampled down” signifies to be received only by the corporeal-sensual, and not interiorly; for that which is received in the spirit and in the heart is meant by “the seed that fell into the good earth.” “The fowls of heaven that devoured it” signify falsities, for all evils and falsities therefrom have their seat in the corporeal-sensual, consequently unless a man becomes spiritual, and thinks from what is spiritual, he thinks nothing but falsities from evil. (What the corporeal-sensual is, and what sensual men are, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 50; also above, n. 342, 543, 550, 552, 554, 556, 559, 563, 569, 570, 580.)
sRef Isa@5 @5 S7′ [7] In Isaiah:
I will make known to you what I will do to My vineyard; in taking away its hedge that it may be eaten up, and in breaking down its wall that it may be trampled down (Isa. 5:5).
“Vineyard” here signifies the Lord’s church, which is called a spiritual church; “to take away its hedge, and break down its wall,” signifies to falsify and thus destroy the truths that defend the church; “the hedge and the wall about the vineyard” have a similar signification as “the wall and the bulwarks about Jerusalem;” “to eat up and trample down the vineyard” signifies to lay waste the church, so that no truth and good can spring up, and thus to destroy it.
sRef Isa@63 @18 S8′ sRef Jer@12 @10 S8′ [8] In Jeremiah:
Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard, they have trampled down My field, they have made the field of desire a wilderness of solitude (Jer. 12:10).
Here, too, the “vineyard,” like “field,” signifies the Lord’s church; “to destroy,” “to trample down,” and “to make a wilderness of solitude” signifies to so destroy that nothing of the good and truth of the church remains. In Isaiah:
Our enemies have trampled down our* sanctuary (Isa. 63:18).
“Enemies” signify the evils of life; “to trample down the sanctuary” signifies to destroy the truths of doctrine from the Word, and this also by means of the corporeal-sensual, for all who are in evils of life are corporeal-sensual.
sRef Ps@7 @5 S9′ [9] In David:
The enemy pursueth my soul and overtaketh it, and trampleth down my life to the earth, and maketh my glory to dwell in the dust (Ps. 7:5).
Here, too, “enemy” signifies evil, in general the devil, that is, hell, from which evil comes; and “to trample down the life to the earth and make glory to dwell in the dust” signifies to destroy by means of the corporeal-sensual all truths of heaven and the church; for these constitute spiritual life, and are signified by “glory;” “dust,” too, is predicated of the corporeal-sensual, and this is also meant by “walking upon the belly and eating dust,” as is here and there said of the serpent.
sRef Ps@60 @12 S10′ sRef Zech@10 @5 S10′ sRef Isa@28 @3 S10′ sRef Micah@7 @10 S10′ sRef Isa@10 @6 S10′ sRef Mal@4 @3 S10′ sRef Ps@44 @5 S10′ sRef Isa@63 @6 S10′ [10] “To trample down” has a similar signification in the following passages. In Isaiah:
I will make the hypocritical nation to be trampled down like the clay of the streets (Isa. 10:6).
In Micah:
The enemy of Jehovah shall be for a trampling down like the mire of the streets (Mic. 7:10).
In Zechariah:
They shall be as the mighty ones trampling down the mire of the streets in the war, and they shall fight because Jehovah is with them, and they shall make ashamed them that ride upon horses (Zech. 10:5).
In Malachi:
Then thou shalt** trample down the wicked, and they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet, in the day that I am making (Mal. 4:3).
In Isaiah:
The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, they shall be trampled down under the feet (Isa. 28:3).
In the same:
I have trampled down the peoples in My anger, and made them drunk in My wrath, and I have made their victory to descend to the earth (Isa. 63:6).
In David:
Through Thee will we push down our adversaries; in Thy name will we trample them down that rise up against us (Ps. 44:5).
In the same:
God will trample down our adversaries (Ps. 60:12; 108:13).
“To trample down” in these passages also signifies to destroy, which is done by those who are corporeal-sensual, for those who are such “trample down” all things of heaven and the church, for they are in what is lowest, and their thoughts cannot be elevated by the Lord, for they themselves let them down to the earth, and there they lick the dust. Such are all those that deny the Divine. For all the evils that a man has from birth have their seat in his natural and in his corporeal-sensual; consequently unless he suffers himself to be elevated out of them by the Lord, which is effected by Divine means, which are the truths and goods of faith and love, or by the truths and goods of doctrine and life, he remains in his evils, which are implanted in his natural and in his corporeal-sensual, and then he tramples down the celestial and spiritual things belonging to heaven and the church.
sRef Luke@10 @19 S11′ sRef Ps@91 @13 S11′ [11] “To tread upon the lion, the adder, serpents, and scorpions,” means not only to destroy the evils and falsities that are signified by these, but also not to be hurt by them; this is meant in David:
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder, the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample down (Ps. 91:13).
In Luke:
Behold I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, that nothing may by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19).
This is so said in the Word because those who are in the hells appear before the eyes of good spirits and angels sometimes in the forms of various beasts and serpents, according to the kind of evil and of falsity therefrom in which they are; their thoughts themselves, when they go forth from the intention of their will, present such appearances. Exhalations from their evils and falsities continually breathe forth through the lands that are over these hells, or by which these hells are covered; so that to walk upon such places is dangerous to those who are only natural, and still more to those who are corporeal-sensual; for an exhalation arises therefrom, and a contagion affects those who walk there. But those who are led by the Lord may safely tread upon that earth without infection or infestation, because the interiors that are of their mind, or of their thought and affection, are elevated by the Lord above their corporeal-sensual, which corresponds to the soles of the feet. This makes clear what is meant, in a strict sense, by “treading upon the lion, the adder, the serpents, and the scorpions without being hurt by them,” also why it is so said in the Word. But what is signified by a “lion” and by “serpents and scorpions” has been told and shown elsewhere.
* The Hebrew has “thy,” as also fund in AC 9479.
** The Hebrew has “ye shall trample.”

sRef Rev@11 @2 S0′ 633. Forty-two months, signifies even to the end of the old church and the beginning of the new. This is evident from the signification of “months,” as being states, here the states of the church; for “times,” whether hours or days or months or years or ages, signify states, and such states are designated by the numbers by which such times are determined, as here by the number “forty-two” (that this is so, see above, n. 571, 610). This is evident also from the signification of “forty-two” as being the end of the former church and the beginning of the new; this is the signification of that number, because it means six weeks, and “six weeks” has a similar signification as the “six days” of one week, namely, a state of combat and labor, and thus the end when the church is altogether vastated, or when evil is consummated; and “the seventh week” which then follows signifies the beginning of a New Church; for the number “forty-two” arises from the multiplication of six into seven, six times seven making forty-two, therefore “forty-two” has a similar signification as “six weeks,” and “six weeks” something similar to the “six days” of one week, namely, a state of combat and labor, as was said, and also a full state, here the full consummation of good and truth, that is, the full vastation of the church.
sRef Ezek@29 @12 S2′ sRef Ezek@29 @13 S2′ sRef Ezek@29 @14 S2′ sRef Ezek@29 @11 S2′ [2] In the Word mention is sometimes made of “forty,” sometimes days, sometimes months, sometimes years, and that number signifies either the full vastation of the church, or a complete temptation. That this state is signified by the numbers “forty” and “forty-two,” can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
Egypt shall not be inhabited forty years; I will make Egypt a solitude in the midst of the lands that are desolate, and her cities in the midst of the cities that are laid waste, they shall be a solitude forty years; and I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and will disperse them into the lands. At the end of forty years I will bring together Egypt from the peoples, whither they were scattered, and will bring back the captivity of Egypt (Ezek. 29:11-14).
“Egypt” signifies the church in respect to true knowledges [scientifica], upon which doctrine is based. True knowledges at that time were the knowledges of correspondences and representations, upon which the doctrine of their church was based. But because the Egyptians turned these knowledges into magic, and thus perverted the church, its vastation is described, which is meant by “forty years;” this, therefore, is the signification of “Egypt shall not be inhabited forty years, and her cities shall be a solitude forty years.” That “Egypt must be scattered among the nations and dispersed into the lands” signifies that evils and falsities will altogether occupy that church and pervert all its knowledges [scientifica]. This makes clear that “forty years” signifies a state of full vastation of the church, or even to its end, when there will be no more good or truth remaining. But the beginning of a New Church, which is signified by “the end of forty years,” is meant by these words, “at the end of forty years I will bring together Egypt from the peoples whither they were scattered, and will bring back the captivity of Egypt.”
sRef Ezek@4 @7 S3′ sRef Ezek@4 @17 S3′ sRef Ezek@4 @6 S3′ [3] In the same prophecy:
That the prophet should lie on his right side forty days, and lay siege to Jerusalem, which shall want bread and water, and be desolated, a man and his brother, and pine away for its iniquity (Ezek. 4:6, 7, 17);
has a similar signification. The full vastation of the church is also here signified by that number; “Jerusalem” signifies the church; “to lay siege to it” signifies to distress the church by evils and falsities; “to want bread and water” signifies to be vastated in respect to the good of love and the truth of doctrine; “to be desolated, a man and his brother, and to pine away for iniquity,” has a similar signification, for “man and his brother” mean truth and charity, and “to pine away” means to die out.
sRef Gen@7 @4 S4′ sRef Gen@8 @13 S4′ sRef Gen@7 @12 S4′ sRef Gen@8 @6 S4′ [4] The “forty days” of the flood have a similar signification in Genesis:
For yet seven days I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy all substance that I have made from upon the faces of the earth. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights, then after seven days he sent forth a dove, which did not return unto him (Gen. 7:4, 12; 8:6, 12).
The “flood” signifies the devastation of the old or most ancient church, likewise the last judgment upon those who were of that church; “the rain of forty days” signifies the ruin of that church by the falsities of evil; but the beginning of a New Church is signified by the drying up of the earth after those forty days, and by its sprouting up anew; the “dove” that he sent out signifies the good of charity, which was the essential of that church. (But respecting these things see Arcana Coelestia, where they are explained.)
sRef Deut@25 @3 S5′ [5] The law in Moses:
That the wicked man might be smitten with forty stripes, and no more lest thy brother seem vile in thine eyes (Deut. 25:3);
originated in this signification of the number “forty.” Full punishment as well as vastation is described by “forty,” since punishment is equally the consummation of evil; and as reformation follows after punishment, it is said that he should not be smitten with more stripes, “lest thy brother seem vile in thine eyes;” for “forty” signifies the end of evil, and also the beginning of good, therefore if he were smitten with more than forty stripes the beginning of good, or reformation, would not be signified.
sRef Gen@15 @13 S6′ [6] The vastation of the church with the sons of Jacob by a servitude of four hundred years in Egypt is signified by the words of Jehovah to Abraham:
Know that thy seed shall be a sojourner in a land not theirs, where they shall subject them to servitude four hundred years (Gen. 15:13).
“Four hundred” has a similar signification as “forty,” just as one “thousand” has a similar signification as one “hundred,” and one “hundred” as “ten.”
sRef Matt@4 @1 S7′ sRef Matt@4 @2 S7′ sRef Num@32 @13 S7′ sRef Deut@2 @7 S7′ sRef Deut@8 @2 S7′ sRef Deut@8 @3 S7′ sRef Amos@2 @10 S7′ sRef Ps@95 @10 S7′ sRef Ps@95 @9 S7′ sRef Num@14 @33 S7′ sRef Num@14 @34 S7′ sRef Ex@24 @18 S7′ sRef Deut@8 @16 S7′ [7] The vastation of the church and also full temptation are signified by the tarrying of the sons of Israel forty years in the wilderness, which is thus spoken of in the following passages:
Your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your whoredoms even till your carcasses are consumed* in the wilderness (Num. 14:33, 34).
He made them to wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the eyes of Jehovah was consumed (Num. 32:13).
Jehovah hath known thy walking through the great wilderness these forty years, Jehovah thy God hath been with thee that thou lackedst nothing (Deut. 2:7).
Thou shalt remember all the way which Jehovah thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, that He might afflict thee and tempt thee; He fed thee with manna; to afflict thee, to tempt thee, and to do thee good at the last (Deut. 8:2, 3, 15, 16).
Your fathers tempted Me, they proved Me; forty years I loathed this generation, and I said, It is a people that do err in heart, and they have not known My ways (Ps. 95:9, 10).
I have made you to come up out of the land of Egypt, and I have led you in the wilderness forty years to possess the land of the Amorites (Amos 2:10).
From what has been cited it is clear that “forty years” signifies not only the vastation of the church with the sons of Israel, but also full temptation; also “the end of those years” signifies the beginning of a New Church. The vastation of the church is described by these words, that “they should be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and should bear whoredoms, even till their carcasses should be consumed; also by these, “until all this generation that had done evil in the eyes of Jehovah was consumed;” also by these, “I loathed this generation, and I said, It is a people that do err in heart, and they have not known My ways.” But the temptation that is also signified by “forty years” is described by these words, “Jehovah thy God hath been with thee these forty years, that thou lackedst nothing;” also by these, “Jehovah led thee forty years in the wilderness, that He might afflict thee and tempt thee; and He fed thee with manna;” also by these, “He led thee in the wilderness to tempt thee, and to do thee good at the last.” The beginning of a New Church, after the end of the forty years, is described by their introduction into the land of Canaan, which took place after these forty years; and this is also meant by these words, “to do thee good at the last;” so also by these, “I have led you in the wilderness forty years to possess the land of the Amorites.”
[8] Full temptation is signified also by:
Moses was upon Mount Sinai forty days and forty nights, during which he ate no bread and drank no water (Exod. 24:18; 34:28; Deut. 9:9, 11, 18, 25).
In like manner that Jesus was in the wilderness, tempted by the devil, and fasted there forty days (Matt. 4:1, 2; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:1).
From this it can be seen that the number “forty” in the Word signifies full vastation and consummation, that is, when all the good of the church is vastated and the evil is consummated; also that the same number signifies full temptation, and also the establishment of the church anew, or reformation. From this it can be known what is signified by “the forty-two months during which the nations trampled down the holy city,” likewise by the following in Revelation:
That there was given to the beast coming up out of the sea a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and there was given to him authority forty-two months (Rev. 13:1, 5).
Let no one, therefore, believe that “forty-two months” mean months, or that any time designated by numbers is meant here and in what follows.
* The Latin has “consummantur;” AC 9437 has “consumta fuerit.”

sRef Rev@11 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@11 @3 S0′ 634. Verses 3, 4. And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 3. “And I will give unto my two witnesses,” signifies the good of love and charity, and the truth of doctrine and faith, both from the Lord (n. 635); “and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days,” signifies that they shall teach, and what shall be taught, even to the end of the old church and the beginning of the new (n. 636); “clothed in sackcloth,” signifies in mourning because of the non-reception of Divine good and Divine truth (n. 637). 4. “These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands,” signifies celestial good and spiritual good, or the good of love and the truth of that good (n. 638); “standing before the God of the earth” signifies which are the Divine things proceeding from the Lord, and are His in heaven and in the church (n. 639).

sRef Rev@11 @3 S0′ 635. Verse 3. And I will give unto my two witnesses, signifies the good of love and charity and the truth of doctrine and faith, both from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “witnesses,” as being those who in heart and faith acknowledge and confess the Lord, His Divine in His Human, and His proceeding Divine; for this is what essentially bears witness respecting the Lord, that is, acknowledges, and from acknowledgment confesses Him. (Respecting the signification of “witness” and “bearing witness,” see above, n. 10, 27, 228, 392.) “The two witnesses” here signify the good of love and charity, and the truth of doctrine and faith, for it follows that “the two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands;” “the two olive trees” signify the good of love to God and the good of charity towards the neighbor; and “the two lampstands” signify the truth of doctrine and the truth of faith (on the signification of these more presently).
[2] These goods and truths are meant by the “witnesses,” because they, that is, all who are in them, acknowledge and confess the Lord, for it is the Divine proceeding that is called the Divine good and the Divine truth, whence is the good of love to God and the good of charity towards the neighbor, and the truth of doctrine and the truth of faith thence, which bear witness concerning Him; from which it follows that those who are in these likewise bear witness concerning the Lord, that is, acknowledge and confess Him. For it is the Divine that bears witness concerning the Divine, and not man from himself; consequently the Lord is in the good of love, and in the truth of doctrine therefrom, that are in man, and it is these that bear witness.
sRef John@5 @39 S3′ sRef John@8 @18 S3′ [3] As all acknowledgment and confession of the Lord, and principally the acknowledgment and confession of the Divine in His Human, is from the Lord Himself, and as “to bear witness” signifies to acknowledge and confess this, therefore “to bear witness” stands for acknowledgment and confession in the Lord’s own words respecting Himself in the following passages. In John:
Search the Scriptures, for they are they which bear witness of Me (John 5:39).
The Sacred Scriptures or the Word is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and the Divine proceeding is the Lord Himself in heaven and in the church; so when it is said that “the Scriptures bear witness of Him” it is meant that the Lord Himself bears witness respecting Himself. In the same:
I am He that beareth witness of Myself, and the Father that sent Me beareth witness of Me (John 8:18).
Here it is openly declared that the Lord Himself, or the Divine in Him, bears witness of Him.
sRef John@15 @26 S4′ sRef John@15 @27 S4′ sRef John@18 @37 S4′ [4] In the same:
Jesus said, When the Paraclete is come, the spirit of truth, he shall bear witness of Me (John 15:26, 27).
“The Paraclete, the spirit of truth,” means the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which is the Divine truth. In the same:
Jesus said to Pilate, Thou sayest it, because I am King; for this have I come into the world, that I might give testimony to the truth (John 18:37).
“To give testimony to the truth” signifies to cause the Divine truth proceeding from Him to bear witness of Him; moreover, this Divine truth is signified in the Word by “king.” These passages are cited to make known that “to bear witness” means to acknowledge and confess the Lord, and that this is from Him; consequently “to bear witness” means the good of love and charity and the truth of doctrine and faith, since these are from the Lord and are His in man.

sRef Rev@11 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@11 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@11 @9 S1′ 636. And they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, signifies that they shall teach, and what shall be taught, even to the end of the old church and the beginning of the new. This is evident from the signification of “to prophesy,” as being to teach (see above, n. 624); here both to teach and to be taught, for this is said of “the two witnesses,” which signify the good of love and charity and the truth of doctrine and faith, for these with man are what teach and what also are taught; for those who are in the goods of love and in the truths of doctrine teach, and the goods of love and the truths of doctrine are what are taught by them. It is evident also from the signification of “a thousand two hundred and sixty days,” as being even to the end of the old church and the beginning of the new, for “a thousand two hundred and sixty days” have a similar signification as “three and a half,” since a thousand two hundred and sixty days make three years and a half, computing three hundred and sixty days to the year, and “three and a half” signifies the end of a former state and the beginning of a new one, here the end of the former church and the beginning of the new one, for this refers here to the last time of the church. Because this is the signification of this number, it is said in the ninth verse of this chapter:
They shall see their bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer them to be placed in sepulchers;
and afterwards in the eleventh verse:
And after three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them.
In these passages “three days and a half” signify the end of the old church, when no good of love or truth of doctrine whatever will be received; and also the beginning of a New Church when they will be received. The end of the former church is signified by “the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall kill these witnesses,” and the beginning of the New Church is signified by “the spirit of life from God entered into them.” The number “a thousand two hundred and sixty” has a similar signification as “three and a half,” because in the Word “ages,” “years,” “months,” “weeks,” “days,” and “hours,” have a like signification, for these mean merely times, and times in general and in particular, or times greater or less, equally signify states, for a greater or less time designated by numbers does not change the signification of the thing (as shown above, n. 571, 633). The same number of days has a like signification in the next chapter of Revelation:
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared by God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and sixty days (Rev. 12:6).
The “woman” here means the church; the “wilderness,” where she should be nourished, signifies where there is no reception of good and truth; and “after the passing of those days” signifies a new state of the church.

sRef Rev@11 @3 S0′ 637. Clothed in sackcloth, signifies in mourning because of the non-reception of Divine good and Divine truth. This is evident from the signification of “clothed in sackcloth,” as being mourning because of the vastation and desolation of Divine good and Divine truth, here because of their non-reception; for the witnesses were seen clothed in sackcloth, and they signify the Divine good, from which is every good of love and charity, and the Divine truth, from which is every truth of doctrine and faith; these appear to be in mourning when they are not received, but in joy when they are received.
sRef Rev@6 @12 S2′ [2] Likewise it is said of the sun and moon, which also signify the good of love and the truth of faith, that:
The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood (Rev. 6:12),
which signifies that every good of love was separated, and every truth of faith falsified (see above, n. 401); not that the sun in the angelic heaven, which is the Lord, ever becomes black, but that it so appears to those who receive no light from it.
[3] In ancient times, when the externals of the church consisted of mere correspondences and thence of representatives of things spiritual, mourning was represented by many things that are significative; as by sitting and lying on the ground, rolling themselves in the dust, by putting ashes on the head, rending the garments, and putting on sackcloth. “Rending the garments and putting on sackcloth” signified mourning because of the desolation of truth and good in the church, and because of the nonreception of them; for “garments” in general signified the truths of the church (see above, n. 64, 65, 195, 271, 395, 475, 476); therefore “rending the garments” signified grief because the truths of the church are hurt and as it were rent asunder by falsities; and “to be clothed in sackcloth” signifies mourning because of the deprivation of good and truth, and the consequent vastation of the church.
sRef 2Ki@19 @2 S4′ sRef 2Ki@19 @1 S4′ [4] For this reason:
When Hezekiah the king heard the words of Tartan the captain of the king of Assyria, he rent his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth, and came to the house of Jehovah; and he sent Eliakim who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah (2 Kings 19:1, 2; Isa. 37:1, 2).
This was done because the “king of Assyria” here signifies the perverted rational, or the rational that perverts the truths and goods of the church and destroys them by falsities; all the words of Tartan the captain of the king of Assyria, involve such things; and because the desolation and vastation of the church was seen to be imminent, to exhibit mourning and grief on this account they rent their garments and covered themselves with sackcloth.
sRef 2Ki@6 @30 S5′ [5] Likewise:
When Benhadad the king of Syria besieged Samaria, and there came a great famine, the king rent his clothes, and as he passed by upon the wall the people saw that, behold, sackcloth was upon his flesh within (2 Kings 6:30).
This has a similar signification as above, namely, the imminent desolation and devastation of the church; for this reason the king rent his garments and had sackcloth upon his flesh, which was a representative sign of mourning and grief.
sRef Jonah@3 @7 S6′ sRef Jonah@3 @6 S6′ sRef Gen@37 @34 S6′ sRef 1Ki@21 @27 S6′ sRef 2Sam@3 @31 S6′ sRef Dan@9 @3 S6′ sRef Jonah@3 @8 S6′ sRef Jonah@3 @5 S6′ [6] Mourning for like reasons is signified also by the following:
Jacob, when he believed that Joseph was torn to pieces, rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days (Gen. 37:34).
So when Ahab, by the advice of Jezebel his wife, had taken away the vineyard of Naboth, and had heard the hard words of the prophet respecting that matter, he rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, yea, he lay in sackcloth, and went softly (1 Kings 21:27).
The king of Nineveh also, when he heard the words of Jonah, arose up from his throne, and laid his robe from him and covered him with sackcloth, and sat upon ashes, and proclaimed a fast, and that man and beast should be covered with sackcloth (Jonah 3:5, 6, 8).
So also Daniel set his face to the Lord God, to seek by supplication and prayer in fasting, sackcloth, and ashes (Dan. 9:3).
When Abner was slain, David said to Joab and to all the people that were with him, that they should rend their clothes and gird them with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner; and David himself walked behind the bier (2 Sam. 3:31).
This makes clear that in the Jewish and Israelitish church mourning was represented by “rending the clothes and being clothed in sackcloth;” and this because grief of mind and mourning of heart, which were interior things, were represented at that time by external things, which because of their correspondences with spiritual things were significative.
sRef Isa@22 @12 S7′ [7] That the representation of mourning by sackcloth signified especially mourning because of the desolation of truth and vastation of good in the church, and also, in particular, repentance, with mourning of heart on account of evils, can be seen further from the following passages. In Isaiah:
In that day will the Lord Jehovih of hosts call to weeping and to lamenting, and to baldness, and to girding on sackcloth (Isa. 22:12).
This chapter treats of the vastation of the church in respect to Divine truth; its mourning is described by “baldness” and by “putting on sackcloth.”
sRef Jer@4 @8 S8′ sRef Jer@4 @7 S8′ [8] In Jeremiah:
The lion is gone up from the thicket, and the destroyer of nations journeyeth; he hath gone forth out of his place to make the land a waste; thy cities shall be destroyed, that there shall be no inhabitant; for this gird ye with sackcloth, lament, howl (Jer. 4:7, 8).
“The lion from the thicket” signifies the falsity of evil destroying the truths of the church; and “the destroyer of nations” signifies the evil of falsity destroying the good of the church; the “land that they will make a waste” signifies the church, and the “cities that shall be destroyed” signify the truths of doctrine; “to gird with sackcloth” signifies mourning on this account, therefore it is added “lament and howl.”
sRef Jer@6 @26 S9′ [9] In the same:
O daughter of My people, gird thee with sackcloth and roll thee in ashes; make thee mourning for an only one, a lamentation of bitterness, for the waster shall suddenly come upon us (Jer. 6:26).
“Daughter of the people” means the church; “to gird herself with sackcloth and roll herself in ashes” signifies mourning because of the destruction of the good and truth of the church; the destruction of these or the vastation of the church is meant by “the waster shall suddenly come.” Evidently grievous mourning and grief because of the destruction of good and truth is signified by “gird thee with sackcloth and roll thee in ashes,” for it is added “make thee mourning for an only one, a lamentation of bitterness.”
sRef Jer@49 @3 S10′ [10] In the same:
Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is devastated; cry out, ye daughters of Rabbah; gird ye with sackcloth, lament, and wander among the walls; for their king is gone into exile, his priests and princes together (Jer. 49:3).
This is said of the sons of Ammon, who signify such as are in natural good and falsify the truths of the church; those who are such in the church are meant by “the daughters of Rabbah;” mourning because of the destruction of truth by falsifications is signified by “Gird ye with sackcloth, lament, wander among the walls,” “walls” signifying truths falsified; that the truth of the church perished in consequence is signified by “their king is gone into exile,” “king” signifying the truth of the church, and “to go into exile” signifying to be destroyed. That the goods of the church and all truths therefrom likewise perished, is signified by “priests and princes together,” “priests” signifying the goods of the church, and “princes” the truths therefrom.
sRef Lam@2 @10 S11′ [11] In Lamentations:
The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the earth, they keep silence, they have cast up dust upon their head, they have girded themselves with sackcloth; the virgins of Jerusalem bend their head down to the earth (Lam. 2:10).
“To sit upon the earth,” “to keep silence,” “to cast up dust upon the head,” and “to make the head to bend down to the earth,” were all signs representative of mourning and grief because of the vastation of the church by evils and falsities. “The elders of the daughter of Zion” signify those that are wise and intelligent in the church, and in an abstract sense wisdom and intelligence; “daughters of Zion and the virgins of Jerusalem” signify those in the church who are in the affection of good and truth, and in an abstract sense these affections themselves.
sRef Ezek@27 @31 S12′ [12] In Ezekiel:
The shipmasters shall make themselves bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep over thee in bitterness of soul, with bitter lamentation (Ezek. 27:31).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, and therefore also the knowledges of truth and good which belong to the church; here mourning on account of the destruction of these is described. “Shipmasters” signify all who bring and communicate these knowledges; “to make bald” signifies mourning on account of the destruction of all things of intelligence; “to gird with sackcloth” signifies mourning because the ability to know truth is also destroyed. Because mourning is what is described, it is added, “they shall weep over thee in bitterness of soul, with bitter lamentation.”
sRef Matt@11 @21 S13′ [13] In the Gospels:
Woe unto thee Chorazin, woe unto thee Bethsaida, for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which have been done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes (Matt. 11:21; Luke 10:13).
“To repent in sackcloth and ashes” means to grieve and mourn because of the nonreception of Divine truth, and because of the falsities and evils that obstruct.
sRef Joel@1 @8 S14′ sRef Joel@1 @13 S14′ [14] In Joel:
Howl as a virgin girded with sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth; gird ye and lament, ye priests; howl, ye ministers of the altar; come, pass the night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God, for the meal offering and the drink offering are withholden from the house of your God (Joel 1:8, 13).
Here “to be girded with sackcloth” and “to pass the night in sackcloth” signify mourning because the good and truth of the church are destroyed, for the “meal offering” signifies the good of the church, and the “drink offering” its truth.
sRef Amos@8 @10 S15′ [15] In Amos:
I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head, and I will make it as a mourning for an only one, and its latter end as a bitter day (Amos 8:10).
“Sackcloth upon the loins” signifies mourning because the good of love is destroyed, for this is signified by the “loins;” and “baldness upon the head” signifies mourning because the understanding of truth is destroyed.
sRef Isa@15 @3 S16′ sRef Isa@15 @2 S16′ sRef Jer@48 @37 S16′ sRef Jer@48 @38 S16′ [16] In Isaiah:
Upon all the heads of Moab is baldness, every beard shaven; in its streets they have girded themselves with sackcloth; upon its roofs and in its streets he shall howl, flowing down in weeping (Isa. 15:2, 3).
In Jeremiah:
Every head baldness, and every beard shaven; upon all hands gashes, and upon the loins sackcloth; upon all the roofs of Moab and in its streets mourning everywhere (Jer. 48:37, 38).
“Moab” signifies those who are in natural good and who adulterate the goods of the church; that such have no understanding of truth or knowledge of truth is signified by “upon all the heads of Moab baldness, and every beard shaven,” also by “upon its roofs and in its streets he shall howl” and “there shall be mourning;” “upon all hands gashes” signifies things falsified; mourning because of these things is signified by “to gird with sackcloth,” and “to howl,” and “to flow down in weeping.”
sRef Isa@3 @24 S17′ sRef Isa@3 @25 S17′ [17] In Isaiah:
It shall come to pass in place of spices there shall be rottenness, and in place of a girdle tatters, and in place of braided work baldness, and in place of a robe a girding of sackcloth, in place of beauty burning; thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy might in the war (Isa. 3:24, 25).
This is said of “the daughters of Zion,” by whom the church in respect to the affections of celestial good is signified, therefore “the daughters of Zion” signify the affections of good that belong to the celestial church. The loss and dissipation of these through the pride of self-intelligence is here described by the various things with which these daughters adorn themselves; the change of these affections into opposite and unbeautiful affections is signified by “in place of spices there shall be rottenness, in place of a girdle tatters, in place of braided work baldness, in place of a robe a girding of sackcloth, and in place of beauty burning;” “rottenness” signifies the vital perishing; “in place of a girdle tatters” signifies the dissipation of perceptions of truth instead of their union; “in place of braided work baldness” signifies imbecility instead of knowledge [scientia]; “in place of beauty burning” signifies foolishness instead of intelligence, “burning” signifying insanity from the pride of self-intelligence, which is foolishness, and “beauty” signifying intelligence. That the truths of the understanding will perish by falsities, even till there is no resistance against evils, is signified by “thy men shall fall by the sword and thy might in the war,” “sword” meaning falsity destroying the truth.
sRef Job@16 @15 S18′ sRef Ps@30 @11 S18′ sRef Ezek@7 @17 S18′ sRef Ps@35 @13 S18′ sRef Isa@50 @3 S18′ sRef Ezek@7 @18 S18′ sRef Job@16 @16 S18′ sRef Ps@69 @10 S18′ sRef Ps@69 @11 S18′ [18] “Sackcloth” has a similar meaning in the following passages. In Ezekiel:
All hands are relaxed, all knees go into waters, whence they shall gird themselves with sackcloth, and terror shall cover them, and upon all faces shall be shame, and upon all heads baldness (Ezek. 7:17, 18).
In David:
I, when they were sick, made sackcloth my vesture, I afflicted my soul with hunger (Ps. 35:13).
When I wept in the fast of my soul it became to me a reproach; when I made sackcloth my garment I became a byword to them (Ps. 69:10, 11).
In Job:
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and have put my horn in the dust; my face has been soiled by weeping (Job 16:15, 16).
In Isaiah:
I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering (Isa. 50:3).
And in David:
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing, thou hast loosed my sackcloth and hast girded me with joy (Ps. 30:11).
In these passages, too, “sackcloth” signifies mourning; and “to gird sackcloth over the body instead of the vesture” signifies mourning because of the destruction of the truth of the church; and “to gird sackcloth upon the loins and upon the flesh” signifies mourning because of the destruction of the good of the church; for “the vesture” signifies the truth of the church, and “loins and flesh” signify the good of the church.
sRef Isa@58 @7 S19′ sRef Isa@58 @6 S19′ sRef Joel@2 @12 S19′ sRef Joel@2 @13 S19′ sRef Isa@58 @5 S19′ [19] That “girding with sackcloth” was merely representative and thus significative of mourning and repentance, but was not in itself mourning and repentance, is evident in Isaiah:
Is such the fast that I shall choose, the day for a man to afflict his soul, to bow down his head as a rush, and to lie down in sackcloth and ashes; wilt thou call this a fast, and the day of Jehovah’s good pleasure? Is not this the fast that I choose, to loose the bonds of wickedness, to break thy bread to the hungry, and to bring the afflicted exiles to the home, and when thou seest the naked that thou cover him? (Isa. 58:5-7)
And in Joel:
Turn ye back unto me with your whole heart, and in fasting and in weeping and in lamentation, and rend your heart and not your garments (Joel 2:12, 13).

sRef Rev@11 @4 S0′ 638. Verse 4. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands, signifies the good of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor, and the truth of doctrine and of faith from which are heaven and the church. This is evident from the signification of an “olive yard,” “olive tree,” and “olive,” as being, in a broad sense, the Lord’s celestial kingdom and thus the celestial church; which is distinguished from other churches in this, that those from whom that church exists are in love to the Lord and in love towards the neighbor. This is why “olive tree” and “olive” signify each of these loves, that is, the good of each love. (That “olive tree” and “olive” signify that church, or those goods of the church, will be seen in what follows.) This is evident also from the signification of a “lampstand,” as being in a broad sense the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, and thus the spiritual church, and as the chief thing of that church is truth of doctrine and truth of faith, so these also are signified by the “lampstands.” (That this is the meaning of a “lamp stand” in the spiritual sense, see above, n. 62.)
[2] It is said that “the two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands” (which yet are four), because “two” signifies conjunction and thence a one. For there are two things that make a one, namely, good and truth; good is not good except it be from truth, and truth is not truth except it be from good; consequently it is only when these two make a one that they have being and existence. This conjunction into one is called the heavenly marriage, and heaven and the church are from that marriage. It is similar with the celestial good, which is signified by “the two olive trees,” and with the spiritual good, which is signified by “the two lampstands.” For the good in the Lord’s celestial kingdom is the good of love to the Lord, and the truth of that good is called the good of love towards a brother and companion; while the good in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom is the good of charity towards the neighbor, and the truth of that good is called the good of faith. But a just idea of these things can scarcely be had unless it is known what celestial good is, and what spiritual good is, and what the difference between them is. This makes clear why it is that “the two witnesses” are called “two olive trees and two lampstands.” (That “two” signifies conjunction into one, or the heavenly marriage, see above, n. 532, at the end.)
[3] An “olive tree” signifies the celestial church, because “trees” in general signify perceptions and knowledges, and every church is a church from the knowledges of truth and good, and according to their perception; and “oil” signifies the good of love (see above, n. 375); so an “olive yard” and “olive tree” signify the church in which that good reigns. There are three trees that especially signify the church, namely, the “olive tree,” the “vine,” and the “fig tree,” the “olive tree” signifying the celestial church, “the vine” the spiritual church, and the “fig tree” the external, celestial and spiritual church.
[4] That such is the signification of “the two olive trees and the two lampstands” anyone can see and conclude from this, that they are called “witnesses,” and thus are what bear witness of the Lord, that is, acknowledge and confess Him; also from what is said of them in what follows, that “the beast killed them,” and afterwards that “the spirit of life from God entered into them,” which could not be said of olive trees and lampstands, unless these signified such things as are from the Lord with the angels of heaven and with the men of the church, and bear witness of the Lord, that is, cause angels and men to bear witness of Him. For angels and men cannot from themselves bear witness of the Lord, but the good and truth that are with them from the Lord do this, that is, the Lord Himself from His good and truth with them.
[5] In many passages in the Word gardens and forests, also olive yards and vineyards and also trees of many kinds, as the olive tree, the vine, the fig tree, the cedar, the poplar, and the oak are mentioned; but no one has known heretofore that each of these signifies something spiritual belonging to heaven and the church, except that a “vineyard” signifies the church; but not only does a “vineyard” signify the church but also an “olive yard,” and a “forest of cedar” or “Lebanon,” and even trees, such as the “olive tree,” the “vine,” the “fig tree,” the “cedar;” and it is because these signify the church and the spiritual things belonging thereto that they are so often mentioned in the Word.
[6] In respect to gardens and forests: “gardens or paradises” signify in particular the intelligence and wisdom which the men of the church have; and “forests or groves” signify the intelligence of the natural man, which regarded in itself is knowledge serviceable to the intelligence of the spiritual man; but an “olive yard” and “vineyard” signify the church, “olive yard” the celestial church, or the church that is in the good of love to the Lord, and “vineyard” the spiritual church, or the church that is in the good of charity towards the neighbor, and thence in the truths of faith. The “olive” and “vine” have a like signification; and this because “oil” signifies the good of love to the Lord, and “wine” the good of charity towards the neighbor and the good of faith; while a “fig tree” signifies the church both celestial and spiritual, but external. These things have these significations from representatives in the spiritual world, and thus from correspondence; for in the inmost heaven, where the Lord’s celestial kingdom is, and where love to the Lord reigns, the paradises and forests consist of olive yards and fig trees; but in the second heaven they consist of vineyards and many kinds of fruit bearing trees; in like manner in the lowest heaven, but with the difference that in this heaven the trees are not so noble. Such things exist in the heavens, because they correspond to the wisdom, intelligence, love, charity, and faith of the angels who are in those heavens. From this it can now be seen why “the witnesses” are called “olive trees,” namely, because “olive trees” mean all who constitute the Lord’s celestial church, that is, who are in the good of love to the Lord, and in the good of love towards a brother and companion.
sRef Zech@4 @11 S7′ sRef Zech@4 @14 S7′ sRef Zech@4 @3 S7′ sRef Zech@4 @12 S7′ [7] That such is the signification in the Word of “olive yards,” “olive trees,” and “olives,” can be seen from the following passages. In Zechariah:
Two olive trees near the lampstand, one on the right side of the bowl and the other near its left side; and two olive berries; these are the two sons of the olive tree standing by the Lord of the whole earth (Zech. 4:3, 11, 12, 14).
This treats of the foundation of the house or temple by Zerubbabel; and the “house” or “temple” signifies the church, therefore a “lampstand” was seen by the prophet, and “near it two olive trees,” almost the same as what was seen by John here in Revelation; and the “two olive trees” and “olive berries” signify celestial goods, which are the goods of love to the Lord and of love towards a brother and companion; the former good is signified by “the olive tree seen at the right side of the bowl,” and the latter by “the olive tree seen near the left side.” The truths of this good are meant by “the sons of the olive tree standing by the Lord of the whole earth,” “to stand by Him” signifying to be and to exist from Him.
sRef 1Ki@6 @24 S8′ sRef 1Ki@6 @32 S8′ sRef 1Ki@6 @27 S8′ sRef 1Ki@6 @28 S8′ sRef 1Ki@6 @23 S8′ sRef 1Ki@6 @26 S8′ sRef 1Ki@6 @33 S8′ sRef 1Ki@6 @31 S8′ sRef 1Ki@6 @25 S8′ sRef 1Ki@6 @29 S8′ sRef 1Ki@6 @30 S8′ [8] Because these goods are signified by “olive trees”:
The cherubim in the midst of the house or temple were made of olive wood, likewise the doors to the adytum, and the door posts (1 Kings 6:23-33).
For the “cherubim,” as well as the doors and posts to the adytum of the temple, signified the guard that there be no approach to the Lord except through the good of love; the “adytum” signified where the Lord is, and “olive wood” the good of love, because “the olive yard,” “the olive tree,” and “the olive” signify the celestial things that are of love.
sRef Ex@30 @24 S9′ sRef Ex@30 @23 S9′ [9] Because “the olive yard” and “the olive tree” signified a church that is in love to the Lord:
The oil of holiness with which all the holy things of the church were anointed was made of olive oil and spices mixed with it (Exod. 30:23, 24).
For all things of the church are holy Divine things just so far as they are derived from love to the Lord; therefore by means of that oil a representation of the Lord and of heaven and the church was established. (See an explanation of these things in Arcana Coelestia.)
sRef Ex@27 @20 S10′ [10] For the same reason:
Pure olive oil was beaten for the light in the Tent of meeting, which was lighted up every evening (Exod. 27:20; Lev. 24:2).
That “light” or the “lamp stand” there signified the Lord’s spiritual church, and the “fire” kindled in the lamps signified spiritual love, which is love towards the neighbor; the “pure olive oil beaten” from which was the fire has a similar signification (respecting which see Arcana Coelestia on that passage).
sRef Hos@14 @6 S11′ sRef Hos@14 @5 S11′ [11] That “olive tree” and “olive” signify the good of love is evident also from the following passages. In Hosea:
I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall blossom as the lily, and he shall infix his roots as Lebanon; his branches shall spread; and his honor shall be as that of the olive, and his odor as that of Lebanon (Hos. 14:5, 6).
This is said of the spiritual church, which is signified by “Israel;” “to be to him as the dew” signifies the existence and spiritual new birth of that church; the first state of its new birth or regeneration is signified by “he shall blossom as the lily,” “lily” signifying the blossoming that precedes the fruit; the second state of regeneration is signified by “he shall infix his roots,” which state is its existence in the natural, for there the roots are fixed; the third state is signified by “his branches shall spread,” which signifies the multiplication of knowledges and of cognitions; the fifth* state, which is the state of fruit bearing, is signified by “his honor shall be as that of the olive,” the “olive” signifying the good of love, of which “honor” is predicated (that “honor” is predicated of the good of love, see above, n. 288, 345); and the sixth** state, which is the state of intelligence and wisdom, is signified by “his odor as that of Lebanon,” “odor” signifying perception, and “Lebanon” rationality, from which are intelligence and wisdom.
sRef Ps@52 @8 S12′ [12] In David:
I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God for an age and forever (Ps. 52:8).
It is said “like a green olive tree in the house of God,” because a “green olive tree” signifies the good of love springing up by means of the truth of the Word; and the “house of God” signifies the church.
sRef Ps@128 @4 S13′ sRef Ps@128 @3 S13′ [13] In the same:
Thy wife shall be as the fruitful vine on the sides of thy house; thy sons like olive plants around thy tables; thus shall the man be blessed that feareth Jehovah (Ps. 128:3, 4).
In the natural sense, which is the sense of the letter, this refers to a wife and sons, and the enjoyments arising from marriage and prolification, but in the internal sense, which is the sense of the spirit of the Word, “wife” signifies the affection of truth, and “sons” the truths themselves springing therefrom; for every truth in which there is life is born from the affection of truth; and because a “wife” signifies that affection she is compared to a fruitful vine, since a “vine” signifies the church, and a “fruitful vine” the church in respect to the affection of truth. A “house” signifies the spiritual mind, and its “sides” signify all things in the natural man; “sons” signify the truths that are born from that spiritual affection, and these are compared to “olive plants,” because through truths the goods of love and charity, which are olive trees, are brought forth; “around the tables” signifies the enjoyments arising from spiritual appropriation and nourishment.
sRef Deut@6 @10 S14′ sRef Deut@6 @11 S14′ [14] In Moses:
It shall be when Jehovah thy God hath brought thee into the land, He shall give thee great and good cities which thou buildedst not, and houses full of every good thing which thou filledst not, and cisterns hewn out which thou hewedst not, vineyards and olive yards which thou plantedst not (Deut. 6:10, 11).
The meaning of these words in the spiritual sense is altogether different from their meaning in the historical sense; for in the spiritual sense “the land of Canaan,” into which they were to be brought, signifies the church; therefore “cities,” “houses,” “cisterns,” “vineyards,” and “olive yards” signify such things as belong to the church; “great and good cities” signify the doctrinals, which teach the goods of love and charity; “houses full of every good thing” signify all things of wisdom; “cisterns hewn out” signify all things of intelligence in the natural man, which are cognitions and knowledges; “vineyards and olive yards” signify all things of the church in respect to truths and goods.
sRef Gen@8 @11 S15′ sRef Gen@8 @10 S15′ [15] It is related of Noah:
That he sent forth a dove out of the ark, which returned to him about the time of evening, bearing in its mouth the leaf of an olive plucked off, so that he knew that the waters were abated (Gen. 8:10, 11).
This describes in the spiritual sense the regeneration of the man of the church, signified by “Noah and his sons;” here the “dove” sent out a second time signifies the second successive state, which is the state when, falsities having been removed, spiritual good begins to spring forth through truths; for a “leaf” signifies truth, and “olive” the good springing forth therefrom, and “waters” signify falsities. (This may be seen more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 870-892.)
sRef Matt@24 @3 S16′ sRef Zech@14 @4 S16′ sRef Matt@21 @1 S16′ sRef Luke@21 @37 S16′ [16] In Zechariah:
His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before the faces of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be cloven asunder, a part thereof toward the east and toward the sea with a valley exceeding great, and a part of the mountain shall withdraw toward the north, and a part of it toward the south (Zech. 14:4).
What this signifies has been explained above (n. 405), where it was shown that “the Mount of Olives” signifies the Divine love. For the Mount of Olives was on the east of Jerusalem, and “Jerusalem” signifies the church in respect to doctrine; and every church and every truth of doctrine is illuminated and receives light from the Lord in the east; and the east in heaven is where the Lord appears as a sun; and as the “sun” signifies the Divine love, so the “east” and “the Mount of Olives,” which was on the east of Jerusalem, have the same signification. Because that mountain, as has been said, signified the Lord’s Divine love, the Lord was accustomed to stay on it, as in the Gospels:
That Jesus every day was teaching in the temple, and every night He went out and lodged in the mount that is called the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37; 22:39; John 8:1);
That upon that mountain He spoke with His disciples about the Last Judgment (Matt. 24:3, et seq.; Mark 13:3, et seq.);
And that He went therefrom to Jerusalem and suffered; besides many other things (Matt. 21:1; 26:30; Mark 11:1; 14:26; Luke 19:29, 37; 21:37; 22:39; John 8:1).
All these things took place because “the Mount of Olives” signified the Divine love; and things significative, because they were representative of heaven and the church, were what at that time conjoined the Lord with heaven and the world. Moreover, the angels of the inmost or third heaven dwell in the east upon mountains, where olive trees abound more than all other trees.
sRef Jer@11 @16 S17′ sRef Jer@11 @17 S17′ [17] In Jeremiah:
Jehovah called thy name a green olive tree, beautiful with fruit of form; at the voice of a great tumult He hath kindled a fire upon it, and they have broken its branches; for Jehovah of Hosts, who planted thee, hath spoken evil against thee, because of the wickedness of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah (Jer. 11:16, 17).
Here the house of Judah and Israel is called “a green olive tree, beautiful with fruit of form,” because “the olive tree” and its “fruit” signify the good of love, and “green” and “beautiful in form” signify the truth of that good, from which comes intelligence; for “the house of Judah” signifies the church in respect to the good of love, and “the house of Israel” the church in respect to the truth of that good; “to call its name” signifies its quality; the destruction and vastation of that church by the love of evil is described by “Jehovah hath kindled a fire upon it, and hath broken its branches,” “fire” signifying the love of evil, and “branches” truths, which are said “to be broken” when they perish by reason of that love. This is attributed to Jehovah because of the appearance that all evil of punishment*** seems to be from God, because He is omnipotent and does not avert it; for it is not known that to avert the evil of punishment would be contrary to order, for if it were averted evil would increase until there would be no good remaining.
sRef Isa@24 @13 S18′ [18] In Isaiah:
So shall it be in the midst of the land, in the midst of the peoples, as the beating of an olive tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is done (Isa. 24:13).
This, too, is said of the vastation of the church in respect to celestial good, and in respect to spiritual good; celestial good is the good of love to the Lord, and spiritual good is in its essence truth from that good; celestial good is signified by the “olive tree,” and spiritual good which is the truth from celestial good is signified by the “vintage;” vastation is signified by the “beating” and “gleanings” after the consummation.
sRef Deut@28 @40 S19′ sRef Deut@28 @39 S19′ [19] In Moses:
Thou shalt plant vineyards and cultivate them, but the wine thou shalt not drink, for the worm shall devour it; thou shalt have olive trees in all thy border, but thou shalt not anoint thee with the oil, because thy olive shall be shaken off (Deut. 28:39, 40).
A “vineyard” signifies the spiritual church, and an “olive tree” the celestial church, so a “vineyard” signifies also the truth of the church, and an “olive tree” its good; therefore “to plant a vineyard and cultivate it and not drink the wine” signifies that although the church is established and truths of doctrine are taught, still truths will neither affect nor perfect, “wine” signifying the truth of doctrine; “for the worm shall devour it” signifies that falsities will destroy; “thou shalt have olive trees in all thy border” signifies that there will be the goods of love from the Lord through the Word and preachings from the Word throughout the church; “not to anoint with oil” signifies no enjoyment, nevertheless, of any good, or any joy therefrom; “thy olive shall be shaken off” signifies that that good will perish. This has reference to the curse if they should worship other gods, and should not keep the statutes and judgments.
sRef Amos@4 @9 S20′ sRef Micah@6 @15 S20′ [20] In Micah:
Thou shalt tread the olive but shalt not anoint thee with oil, and the new wine but thou shalt not drink wine (Mic. 6:15).
In Amos:
I have smitten with blasting and mildew your many gardens and your vineyards; and the palmerworm hath devoured your fig trees and your olive trees; yet have ye not returned unto Me (Amos 4:9).
“Gardens” signify such things as belong to spiritual intelligence; “blasting and mildew” signify evil and falsity in what is most external, or from the corporeal-sensual; “vineyards” signify the spiritual or interior truths of the church; “fig trees” exterior goods and truths, which are also called moral; but “olive trees” the goods of the church; and the “palmerworm” signifies falsity destroying good.
sRef Hab@3 @17 S21′ [21] In Habakkuk:
The fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall there be produce on the vines, the labor of the olive yard shall dissemble, and the field shall yield no food (Hab. 3:17).
Here, too, the “fig tree” signifies the externals of the church, “vines” its internals; the “olive yard” its goods; and the “field” the church itself with man.
sRef 1Sam@8 @14 S22′ [22] In the first book of Samuel:
The king shall take your fields and your vineyards and your olive yards, and shall give them to his servants (1 Sam. 8:14).
Here, too, “fields,” “vineyards,” and “olive yards” have the same signification. The right of the king is here treated of, by which is meant and described the dominion of the natural man over the spiritual, namely, that it will destroy all the truths and goods of the church, and make them serve the natural man, and thus evils and falsities.
sRef Judg@9 @15 S23′ sRef Judg@9 @14 S23′ sRef Judg@9 @13 S23′ sRef Judg@9 @9 S23′ sRef Judg@9 @8 S23′ sRef Judg@9 @7 S23′ sRef Judg@9 @10 S23′ sRef Judg@9 @12 S23′ sRef Judg@9 @11 S23′ [23] In the book of Judges:
Jotham said unto the citizens of Shechem, who had made Abimelech king, The trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Shall I make my fatness to cease, which God and men honor in me, and go to move myself over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Shall I make my sweetness to cease, and my good produce; and go to move myself over the trees? And the trees said unto the vine, Come thou, reign over us. But the vine said unto them, Shall I cause my new wine to cease, that maketh glad God and men, and go to move myself over the trees? And all the trees said unto the thorn bush, Come thou, reign over us. And the thorn bush said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me for a king over you, come and put your trust in my shadow, but if not, let anger**** go out from the thorn bush and devour the cedars of Lebanon (Judg. 9:7-15).
These words of Jotham signify that the citizens of Shechem were not willing to have celestial good, which is the “olive tree,” nor the truth of that good, which is the “vine,” nor moral good, that is, external celestial and spiritual good, which is the “fig tree,” to reign over them, but the evil of falsity, which appeared to them as good, which is the “thorn bush;” the fire from this is the evil of lust; the “cedars of Lebanon” are things rational which are from truths. From the passages quoted above it can be seen that in most places the olive tree and the vineyard are mentioned together, which is done because of the marriage of good and truth in every particular of the Word; for “olive tree” and “oil” signify the good of the church, and “vineyard” and “wine” the truth of that good. (That “oil” signifies the good of love, and the delight of heaven therefrom, may be seen above, n. 375; and that “wine” signifies the good of charity and truth of faith, n. 376.)
* The Latin has “fifth” for “fourth.”
** The Latin has “sixth” for “fifth.”
*** The Latin has “almost” for “of punishment;” “paene” for “poenae.”
**** The Hebrew has “fire,” as is also found in AC 9277.

sRef Rev@11 @4 S0′ sRef Matt@28 @18 S0′ 639. Standing before the God of the earth, signifies which are the Divine things proceeding from the Lord, and are His in heaven and in the church. This is evident from the signification of “the God of the earth,” as being the Lord, who is the God of heaven and earth, and particularly the God of the church in heaven and in the world; for in the Word “the earth” signifies the church, and the church is both in heaven and in the world. “The earth” means heaven and also the church there, because there are lands in the spiritual world, like as in the natural world, and in external appearance they are altogether similar in that world as in this; this is why “the God of the earth” means the God of heaven and earth, and particularly the God of the church in heaven and in the world. That the Lord is the God of heaven and earth He Himself teaches in Matthew:
Jesus said, All power hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18).
The above is evident also from the signification of “standing before Him,” as meaning the being [esse] from Him, and thus what is His in heaven and in the church.
[2] In the Word it is here and there said of angels and of the men of the church that “they stand before God,” also that “they walk before Him,” and in the spiritual sense “to stand before God” signifies being from Him, and “to walk before God” signifies to live according to being [esse] from Him; for all the being [esse] of heaven and the world proceeds from the Lord; for it is the Divine proceeding that has created and formed all things of heaven and the world; this Divine proceeding is called “the Word” in John 1:1-3; and “the Word” there is the Divine proceeding, which is called Divine truth, from which all things were made and created. Because this extends itself in every direction about the Lord as a sun, it is properly said “to stand before Him,” for it looks to the Lord as its common center, from every quarter and from every boundary. This is, in its essence, the Lord in heaven, for it is the Divine proceeding, and that which proceeds is of Him from whom it proceeds, and indeed is Himself; just as the heat and light that proceed from the sun are of the sun. For this reason all angels, who are recipients of this Divine proceeding, which is called Divine truth, turn themselves to the Lord, and thus are continually in His presence; for, as was said, the Divine proceeding looks to the Lord as its center from which it is and to which it looks; so also do the angels, who are the recipients of Divine truths, and are as it were Divine truths in form. This is why angels are said “to stand before the Lord,” for “to stand” is properly predicated of Divine truth, because this stands about the Lord as a sun.
sRef Isa@3 @13 S3′ sRef Luke@21 @36 S3′ sRef Jer@35 @19 S3′ sRef Zech@4 @12 S3′ sRef Luke@1 @19 S3′ sRef Zech@4 @14 S3′ sRef Ps@45 @9 S3′ sRef Rev@8 @2 S3′ sRef Ps@82 @1 S3′ sRef Rev@7 @11 S3′ sRef 1Ki@22 @19 S3′ [3] “To stand before God” signifies to be in Divine truth, and thus with the Lord, also in the following passages. In Luke:
The angel said, I am Gabriel, that standeth before God (Luke 1:19).
In the first book of Kings:
I saw Jehovah sitting on His throne, and all the hosts of the heavens standing beside Him on His right hand and on His left (1 Kings 22:19).
In Jeremiah:
There shall not be cut off from Jonadab a man to stand before Me all the days (Jer. 35:19).
In David:
On my right hand standeth the queen in the best gold of Ophir (Ps. 45:9).
In Luke:
Be ye wakeful at every season, that ye may be accounted worthy to stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:36).
In Revelation:
The great day of His anger is come, and who is able to stand? (Rev. 6:17)
All the angels stood around the throne, and the elders and the four animals (Rev. 7:11).
I saw the seven angels who stood before God (Rev. 8:2).
In Zechariah:
The two olive trees and two berries of olives, which are the two sons of the olive tree standing beside the Lord of the whole earth (Zech. 4:11, 12, 14).
And in other places. It is also said of the Lord Himself that “He stood to judge,” because it is said of the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which is called the Divine truth, for judgment is from it. Thus it is said in Isaiah:
Jehovah hath stood up to plead, and standeth to judge (Isa. 3:13).
And in David:
God stood in the congregation of God, in the midst of the gods He will judge (Ps. 82:1.)
“The congregation of God,” and the “gods” in the midst of whom Jehovah stood, mean the angels, by whom in the spiritual sense Divine truths are signified; and because the Lord in heaven is the Divine truth He is here said “to stand.” This makes clear that “to stand before the God of the earth” signifies the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which is His in heaven and in the church; that this, and those who are in this, are meant can be seen also from this, “to stand before the God of the earth” is predicated of “the two olive trees” and “the two lampstands,” and these signify good and truth, and thus the Divine proceeding. (See also in the preceding article, n. 638.)

sRef Rev@11 @6 S0′ sRef Rev@11 @5 S0′ 640. Verses 5, 6. And if anyone will hurt them, fire shall go forth out of their mouth and shall devour their enemies; and if anyone will hurt them, thus must he be killed. These have power to shut heaven that it rain no rain in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague as often as they will. 5. “And if anyone will hurt them,” signifies protection of these by the Lord that they be not hurt in any way (n. 641); “fire shall go forth out of their mouth and shall devour their enemies,” signifies that those who would do them harm fall into the evils and falsities which are from hell, and these destroy them (n. 642); “and if anyone will hurt them, thus must he be killed,” signifies that according to their endeavor to inflict evil they perish (n. 643). 6. “These have power to shut heaven that it rain no rain in the days of their prophecy,” signifies that those who reject the goods and truths of heaven and the church, that proceed from the Lord, receive no influx out of heaven (n. 644); “and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood,” signifies that truths with such are turned into the falsities of evil (n. 645); “and to smite the earth with every plague,” signifies that the church with such is destroyed by the lusts of evil (n. 646); “as often as they will,” signifies as often as a man assaults the goods of love and the truths of doctrine that bear witness of the Lord and from which man acknowledges and confesses the Lord, that he may inflict evil upon them (n. 647).

sRef Rev@11 @5 S0′ 641. Verse 5. And if anyone will hurt them, signifies protection of these by the Lord, that they be not hurt in any way. This is evident from what follows; for it is said, “if anyone will hurt them, fire, shall go forth out of their mouth and shall devour their enemies;” also “if anyone will hurt them, thus must he be killed.” From these words and those that further follow it is evident that “if anyone will hurt them” signifies protection by the Lord that they be not hurt in any way. This is said of “the two witnesses,” which signify the doctrine of the good of love to the Lord and of the good of charity towards the neighbor, which is the doctrine of life, which the doctrine of faith is to serve; and these doctrines will be preached at the time of the end of the church.
[2] What the words that follow in these two verses involve has been told above, but since they are among things unknown it shall be told again. When the end of a church is at hand, then the interior things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, are revealed and taught. This is done that the good may be separated from the evil; there is a separation because the interior things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, which are celestial and spiritual, are received by the good, but are rejected by the evil. Moreover, the interior things of the Word, which are revealed at the end of the church, are serviceable for doctrine and life to the New Church that is also then established. That this is so is evident from this, that when the end of the Jewish Church was at hand the Lord Himself opened and taught the interior things of the Word, and especially revealed those things in the Word that had been foretold of Himself; and when these had been opened and revealed the externals of the church were abrogated, which consisted chiefly of sacrifices and rituals and statutes which shadowed forth the Lord, and represented and thence signified the interior things of the church which He was revealing. That this would be done was predicted in various passages in the prophets.
[3] The like has been done at the present time; for it has now pleased the Lord to reveal many arcana of heaven, especially the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, which has heretofore been wholly unknown, and with that He has taught the genuine truths of doctrine. This revelation is meant by “the coming of the Lord” in Matthew 24:3, 30, 37. A revelation is necessary at the end of the church in order, as has been said, that by means of it the good may become separated from the evil, and a New Church established, and this not only in the natural world where men are, but also in the spiritual world where spirits and angels are; for in both worlds there is a church, and revelation takes place in both, and thereby separation, as also the establishment of a New Church. From this it can be seen that these words signify protection by the Lord that they be not hurt.
[4] As regards the successive states of the churches on our globe, they have evidently been similar to the successive states of a man who is being reformed and regenerated, namely, that to become a spiritual man, he is first conceived, next is born, then grows up, and is afterwards led on further and further into intelligence and wisdom. The church, from the most ancient times to the end of the Jewish Church, progressed like a man who is conceived, born, and grows up, and is then instructed and taught; but the successive states of the church after the end of the Jewish Church, or from the time of the Lord even to the present day, have been like a man increasing in intelligence and wisdom, or becoming regenerate. For this end the interior things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, were revealed by the Lord when He was in the world; and now again, things still more interior are revealed; and in the measure that things interior are revealed can man become wiser; for to become interior is to become wiser, and to become wiser is to become interior.

sRef Rev@11 @5 S0′ 642. Fire shall go forth out of their mouth and shall devour their enemies, signifies that those who would do them harm fall into evils and falsities which are from hell, and these destroy them. This is evident from the signification of “fire,” as being love in both senses, here the love of self and of the world, and thus the love of evil and falsity of every kind (of which above, n. 68, 504, 539). From this it follows that “fire shall go forth out of their mouth” signifies that those who desire to hurt them or do them harm fall into evils and falsities of every kind, which are from hell. Also from the signification of “devouring their enemies,” as being that such will be destroyed by the falsities of evil; for “enemies” in the Word signify the falsities of evil, and “adversaries” evils, and the love of evil and falsity is what destroys.
[2] It is said that “fire shall go forth out of their mouth;” but this is said according to appearance, and it is according to this that it is also said that “fire and a flame go forth out of the mouth of God,” and that “anger and wrath go forth from His nostril,” and yet nothing of the fire of anger and wrath goes forth from Him, for He is good itself, love itself, and mercy itself, from which nothing of fire, of anger, or of wrath, can go forth, yet it is so said, because it so appears. It so appears, because when an evil and infernal spirit assails anything Divine with intent of hurting it, as when he blasphemes the Lord or the Word, or any good and truth of doctrine, or any good spirit or angel whom the Lord protects, that evil spirit immediately deprives himself of the Lord’s protection; for every spirit, the evil as well as the good, is under the Lord’s protection, and when that is taken away, he falls into evils and falsities of every kind which are from hell, and at the same time he falls into the hands of those that are from hell, who are called punishers, and these then punish and torment him according to the evil that he has done or has attempted to do. From this it can be seen that the Lord does no evil to such, but that the evil spirit himself brings evil upon himself, that is, the evil itself which is in him does it.
[3] This makes clear the meaning of the words, “If anyone desires to hurt the two witnesses, fire shall go forth out of their mouth and shall devour them;” the two witnesses are the good of love and charity, and the truth of doctrine and faith; and these are Divine, because they are from the Lord with angel and man; the meaning is, not that fire will go forth from these, but from the evil itself, which endeavors to do them harm, as has just been said; and that this is to be understood in a similar way as when it was said that fire, anger, and wrath go forth from Jehovah. (But these things are more fully set forth in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 545-550, under the head, The Lord Casts no one down into Hell, but the Spirit Casts himself down.)

sRef Rev@11 @5 S0′ 643. And if anyone will hurt them, thus must he be killed, signifies that according to their endeavor to inflict evil they perish. This is evident from the signification of “will hurt,” as being the endeavor to inflict evil, for to will is to endeavor; also from the signification of “to be killed,” as being to perish, here in respect to spiritual life, which is destroyed solely by the evils and the falsities of evil, for such are the cause of spiritual death (see above, n. 315, 589). It is here again said “If any will hurt them,” because it is meant that everyone perishes according to his wish or endeavor to inflict evil, for it is the will that makes the life of everyone. Everyone perishes according to his wish to hurt “the two witnesses,” who are the “two olive trees and the two lampstands,” that is, the good of love and charity, and the truth of doctrine and faith, because he is in the opposite will, and the will that is opposite to the good of love and the truth of doctrine is hell in the measure of such opposition; consequently “thus must he be killed,” that is, perish, so far as he desires to hurt them. Moreover, every man and spirit is under the Lord’s protection, the evil as well as the good; and to him who is under the Lord’s protection no evil can happen: for it is the Lord’s will that no one should perish or be punished. But so far as anyone is under the Lord’s protection he abstains from doing evil, but so far as he does not abstain he removes himself from the Lord’s protection, and so far as he so removes himself he is hurt by the evil spirits who are from hell; for infernal spirits have an unceasing desire to do evil to others; and so far as any are outside of the Lord’s Divine protection, that is, so far as they do evil, they come into the power of those who do evil to them by inflicting punishment and depriving them of such things as belong to spiritual life. In a word, so far as anyone desires to hurt the goods of love and the truths of doctrine he is “devoured by fire and is killed,” that is, he is possessed by evils and the falsities of evil, and so far he spiritually dies, and this comes to pass not from the Divine but from the evil itself that he does.

sRef Rev@11 @6 S0′ sRef Rev@19 @10 S1′ 644. Verse 6. These have power to shut heaven that it rain no rain in the days of their prophecy, signifies that those who reject the goods and truths of heaven and the church that proceed from the Lord, receive no influx out of heaven. This is evident from the signification of “shutting heaven,” as being lest any influx out of heaven be received (of which presently); also from the signification of “rain,” as being truth fertilizing, which is truth from which there is good that flows down out of heaven (of which also presently); also from the signification of “their prophecy,” as being prediction respecting the Lord and His coming, and respecting the good of love to Him and the truths of faith in Him. This revelation and the proclamation of this revelation at the end of the church is what is chiefly meant by “the days of the prophecy of the two witnesses.” It is the Lord that is chiefly proclaimed at the end of the church by “the two witnesses,” because “the two witnesses,” which are the good of love to the Lord and the truth of faith in Him, are what chiefly bear witness of Him, therefore it is afterwards said that:
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10).
[2] “To shut heaven” means to prevent the reception of any influx out of heaven, because it is added, “that it rain no rain,” which signifies influx of Divine truth out of heaven. For it is well known that every good of love and every truth of faith flows in out of heaven, that is, from the Lord through heaven, with man, and that it flows in continually; from which it follows that neither the good of love nor the truth of faith is in anywise man’s, but is the Lord’s with him. These both flow insofar as evil and falsity do not obstruct; it is these that shut heaven so that there is no influx; for evil and good, and falsity and truth, are opposites, consequently where the one is the other cannot be; for evil with man prevents the entrance of good, and falsity the entrance of truth; while good causes evil to be removed, and truth falsity; for these are opposites, as heaven and hell are opposites; therefore the one acts against the other with an unceasing endeavor to destroy, and the one that prevails destroys the other.
[3] Moreover, there are in every man two minds, an interior which is called the spiritual mind, and another, the exterior which is called the natural mind. The spiritual mind is created for the reception of light from heaven, but the natural mind for the reception of light from the world. The spiritual mind, therefore, which is man’s interior mind, is heaven with him, and the natural mind, which is man’s exterior mind, is the world with him. The interior mind, which is heaven with man, is opened so far as man acknowledges the Divine of the Lord, and man so far acknowledges this as he is in the good of love and charity and in the truths of doctrine and faith. But this interior mind, which is heaven with man, is unopened so far as man does not acknowledge the Divine of the Lord, and does not live the life of love and faith; and that mind is shut so far as man is in evils and in falsities therefrom; and when it is shut then the natural mind with man becomes a hell; for in the natural mind are evil and its falsity, consequently when the spiritual mind which is heaven with man is shut, the natural mind which is hell rules. From this it can be seen what is meant by “heaven is shut that it rain no rain.”
[4] It is said that the two witnesses have power “to shut heaven,” but still these do not shut it, but the evil and falsity shut it that rule with the men of the church at its end. This is said of “the two witnesses,” as was said above that “fire shall go forth out of their mouth and shall devour their enemies,” and yet no fire goes forth from them and devours (as has been said in the two articles above). “That it rain no rain” signifies no influx of Divine truth out of heaven, because “water,” which makes rain, signifies the truth of the Word, and the truth of doctrine and faith therefrom (see above, n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538); and as rain water descends out of the clouds in heaven, so “to rain rain” signifies the influx of Divine truth from the Lord in heaven, and as rain fertilizes the earth, so “rain” signifies Divine truth fertilizing and making fruitful the church, for which reason “rain” signifies also spiritual blessing.
sRef Deut@32 @2 S5′ [5] That “rain” in the Word does not mean rain, but the inflowing Divine, which causes intelligence and wisdom, and also the good of love and the truth of faith in man, to grow and become fruitful, and that “to rain” signifies influx can be seen from the following passages. In Moses:
My doctrine shall flow down as the rain, My word shall distill as the dew, as the drops on the grass, and as the showers on the herb (Deut. 32:2).
Doctrine is here compared to rain, because “rain” signifies the Divine truth proceeding, from which is everything of doctrine; for all comparisons in the Word are also from correspondences. Because “rain” signifies the Divine truth flowing down it is said, “My doctrine shall flow down as the rain.” “Dew” signifies good, and since “word” has the same signification, therefore it is said, “My word shall distill as the dew.” So intelligence and wisdom therefrom are signified by “the drops on the grass,” and by “the showers on the herbs,” for as the grass and herb of the field grow from the waters of the rain and dew, so do intelligence and wisdom by the influx of Divine truth from the Lord. This is first said by Moses, because in this chapter he is speaking of the twelve tribes of Israel, which signify in the spiritual sense all truths and goods of the church, and thus doctrine in the whole complex.
sRef Deut@11 @11 S6′ sRef Deut@11 @16 S6′ sRef Deut@11 @14 S6′ sRef Deut@11 @17 S6′ [6] In the same:
The land which ye shall pass over to possess it is a land of mountains and valleys, of the rain of heaven it drinketh waters. And I will give the rain of your land in its time, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy new wine, and thine oil. But if ye shall serve other gods, and shall not walk in my statutes, the anger of Jehovah shall glow against you; He will shut heaven that there be no rain, and the land shall not yield her produce (Deut. 11:11, 14, 16, 17).
This describes the land of Canaan and its fruitfulness; but as that land means in the spiritual sense the church, it follows that all things of this description signify such things as belong to the church, as “mountains,” “valleys,” “corn,” “new wine,” “oil,” “produce,” and “rain.” “A land of mountains and valleys” signifies the higher and lower, or internal and external things of the church; the internal things of the church are with the internal man, which is also called the spiritual man, and the external things of the church are with the external man, which is called the natural man; that both these are such as to receive the influx of Divine truth is signified by “of the rain of heaven it drinketh waters.” That Divine truth inflows in both states, that is, when the man of the church is in his spiritual state and when he is in his natural state, is signified by “the rain given in its time, the former rain and the latter rain;” for the man of the church is by turns in a spiritual state and in a natural state, and the influx and reception of Divine truth in a spiritual state is meant by “the former or morning rain,” and in a natural state by “the latter or evening rain;” spiritual and celestial good and truth which the man of the church has therefrom is meant by the “corn,” “new wine,” and “oil,” which they shall gather in; that the falsities of doctrine and of worship will prevent the influx and reception of Divine truth, and in consequence, the increase of spiritual life, is signified by “if ye shall serve other gods there shall be no rain, and the land will not yield her produce,” “other gods” signifying the falsities of doctrine and of worship.
sRef Lev@26 @4 S7′ sRef Lev@26 @3 S7′ [7] In the same:
If ye walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and do them, the land shall yield its produce, and the tree of the field shall yield its fruit (Lev. 26:3, 4).
Here “the rain that shall be given in its time, and the produce of the land,” have a similar signification as above; and as the church was at that time an external church, representative of interior spiritual things, so when they walked in the statutes, and kept the commandments and did them, it came about that they had rain in its time, and the earth yielded its produce, and the tree of the field its fruit; and yet the rain and the produce thence were representative and significative, “rain” represented the Divine flowing in, “the produce,” the truth of doctrine and the understanding of truth, and “the fruit of the tree,” the good of love and the will of good.
[8] This can be seen from its being said:
That the rain was withheld, and consequently there was a famine in the land of Israel for three years and a half, under Ahab, because they served other gods and killed the prophets (1 Kings 17 and 18; Luke 4:25).
This was a representative, and thus a significative, that no Divine truth flowing in out of heaven could be received because of the falsities of evil, which were signified by “other gods” and by “Baal,” whom they worshiped. “Killing the prophets” signified also the destruction of the Divine, for a “prophet” signifies in the Word the doctrine of truth from the Word.
sRef Isa@5 @6 S9′ sRef Matt@5 @45 S9′ [9] In Isaiah:
I will lay waste My vineyard; it shall not be pruned nor hoed, that the briar and the bramble may come up; and I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it (Isa. 5:6).
Here, too, it is said of Jehovah that He layeth waste His vineyard, “and commandeth the clouds that they rain no rain upon it;” and yet this is not done by Jehovah, that is, the Lord, for He always flows in both with the evil and with the good, which is meant by His “sending His rain upon the just and upon the unjust” (Matt. 5:45); but the cause is with the man of the church, that he does not receive any influx of Divine truth, for the man who does not receive closes up with himself the interiors of his mind, which receive; and when these are shut the inflowing Divine is rejected. The “vineyard” which is laid waste signifies the church; “it is not pruned nor hoed” signifies no ability to be cultivated and so prepared to receive; “the briar and bramble” which shall come up signify the falsities of evil; “to command the clouds that they rain no rain” signifies that no influx of Divine truth from heaven is received.
sRef Amos@4 @8 S10′ sRef Amos@4 @7 S10′ sRef Jer@5 @25 S10′ sRef Ezek@22 @25 S10′ sRef Jer@5 @24 S10′ sRef Jer@3 @3 S10′ sRef Zech@14 @17 S10′ sRef Ezek@22 @24 S10′ [10] In Jeremiah:
The showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and still the forehead of a harlot woman remained to thee, thou didst refuse to be ashamed (Jer. 3:3).
They said not in their heart, Come, let us fear Jehovah our God; that giveth the rain, and the former and the latter rain in its time. He keepeth unto us the weeks, the stated times of harvest; your iniquities make these things to turn away (Jer. 5:24, 25).
In Amos:
I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest, so that I might cause it to rain upon one city, and not cause it to rain upon another city; one field received the rain, but the field upon which it did not rain dried up; therefore two, three cities wandered unto one city to drink waters, yet they were not satisfied; nevertheless ye have not returned unto Me (Amos 4:7, 8).
In Ezekiel:
Son of man, say, thou art a land that is not cleansed, that hath no rain in the day of anger; there is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst of her (Ezek. 22:24, 25).
In Zechariah:
Whosoever of the families of the land shall not go up to Jerusalem to worship Jehovah of Hosts, upon them there shall be no rain (Zech. 14:17).
In these passages also “rain” signifies the reception of the influx of Divine truth, which is the source of spiritual intelligence; and that there is “no rain” signifies that no such intelligence is given by any influx because of the evils and falsities that refuse to receive and that reject it.
sRef Jer@14 @4 S11′ sRef Jer@14 @3 S11′ [11] In Jeremiah:
The nobles sent their little ones for water; they came to the pits and found no waters, because the land was broken, for there had been no rain upon the earth; the husbandmen were ashamed, they covered up the head (Jer. 14:3, 4).
“Nobles” mean those who teach and lead, and “little ones” those who are taught and led; “waters” signify the truths of doctrine; “pits in which there are no waters” signify doctrinals in which there are no truths; “there had been no rain upon the earth” signifies that no influx of Divine truth is received by reason of the falsities in the church; “the husbandmen were ashamed and covered up the head” signifies those who teach, and their grief.
sRef Isa@30 @23 S12′ [12] In Isaiah:
Then Jehovah shall give rain to thy seed with which thou sowest the land; and the bread of the increase of the land, and it shall be fat and rich; thy cattle shall feed in that day in a broad meadow (Isa. 30:23).
This would be when the Lord should come. The influx of Divine truth proceeding from Him is signified by “the rain” which the Lord will then give to the seed, “rain” meaning Divine influx, and “seed” the truth of the Word; “to sow the land” signifies to plant and form the church in oneself; “the bread of the increase which Jehovah will give” signifies the good of love and charity, which is produced by the truths of the Word vivified by Divine influx; “fat and rich” signifies full of the good of love and truths therefrom, for “fat” is predicated of good, and “rich” of truths; “the cattle shall feed in that day in a broad meadow” signifies the extension and multiplication of good and truth by Divine influx, and consequent spiritual nourishment, “cattle” meaning the goods and truths in man, “that day” the Lord’s coming, and “a broad meadow” the Word, through which is Divine influx and spiritual nourishment; “breadth” is predicated of the extension and multiplication of truth.
sRef Isa@55 @10 S13′ sRef Isa@55 @11 S13′ [13] In the same:
As the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither but irrigateth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth and to bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me empty, but it shall do what I will, and it shall prosper in that to which I sent it (Isa. 55:10, 11).
Here “the Word” which goeth forth out of the mouth of God is compared to the rain and snow from heaven, because “the Word” means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, which with us flows in through the Word; “rain and snow coming down out of heaven” have a similar meaning, “rain” signifying spiritual truth, which has been appropriated to man, and “snow” natural truth, which is like snow when it is in the memory only; but it is made spiritual by love, as snow is made rain water by heat. “To irrigate the earth and to make it to bring forth and to bud” signifies to vivify the church that it may bring forth the truth of doctrine and of faith, and the good of love and of charity; the truth of doctrine and of faith is signified by “the seed that it gives to the sower,” and the good of love and of charity by “the bread that it gives to the eater;” “it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall do what I will,” signifies that it shall be received, and that by it man shall be led to look to the Lord.
sRef Ezek@34 @26 S14′ sRef Ezek@34 @27 S14′ [14] In Ezekiel:
I will give them and the circuits of My hill a blessing, and I will send down the rain in its time, they shall be rains of blessing; then the tree of the field shall give its fruit, and the land shall give its produce (Ezek. 34:26, 27).
“The circuits of the hill of Jehovah” mean all who are in the truths of doctrine and thence in the good of charity; “to send down the rain in its time” signifies the influx of Divine truth adapted to the affection and will of the one receiving; and as the fructification of good and the multiplication of truth are therefrom, they are called “the rains of blessing,” and it is said that “the tree of the field shall give its fruit, and the land shall give its produce;” “the tree of the field” and “the land” signifying the church and the man of the church, and “the fruit of the tree of the field” the fructification of good, and “the produce of the earth” the multiplication of its truth.
sRef Joel@2 @24 S15′ sRef Joel@2 @23 S15′ [15] In Joel:
Rejoice, ye sons of Zion, and be glad in Jehovah your God, for He shall give you the former rain in righteousness, yea, He shall cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, in the first, that the floors may be full of pure grain, and the vats overflow with new wine and oil (Joel 2:23, 24).
“The sons of Zion” signify those who are in genuine truths through which they have the good of love, for “Zion” signifies the celestial church which is in the good of love to the Lord through genuine truths. That the Lord with such flows in with the good of love, and from that good into truths, is signified by “He shall give them the former rain in righteousness;” “righteousness” is predicated in the Word of the good of love, and “the righteous” mean those who are in that good (see above, n. 204). That the Lord continually flows into truths with the good of love is signified by “He shall cause to come down the former rain and the latter rain, in the first;” that from this they have the good of love towards a brother and companion is signified by “their floors are full of pure grain;” and that from this they have the truth and the good of love to the Lord is signified by “the vats overflow with new wine and oil.” Those who are of the Lord’s celestial church have the good of love towards a brother and companion; and this love, with those who are of the Lord’s spiritual church, is called charity towards the neighbor.
sRef Zech@10 @1 S16′ [16] In Zechariah:
Ask of Jehovah the rain in its time;* Jehovah will make mists and will give to them the shower of rain, to a man the herb in the field (Zech. 10:1).
Here, too, “rain” signifies the influx of Divine truth from the Lord, from which man has spiritual intelligence; “the shower of rain” signifies Divine truth flowing in abundantly, and “to give the herb in the field” signifies the knowledge of truth and good from the Word and intelligence therefrom.
sRef Ps@65 @10 S17′ sRef Ps@65 @9 S17′ [17] In David:
Thou dost visit the earth and gladden it, thou greatly enrichest it; the stream of God is full of waters, thou preparest their grain, and so thou dost establish it. Water its furrows; settle its ridges; dissolve it with showers; bless its budding (Ps. 65:9, 10).
The “earth” signifies here the church; “the stream full of waters” signifies the doctrine full of truths; “to water its furrows, to settle its ridges, and to dissolve it with showers” signifies to fill with the knowledges of good and truth; “to prepare grain” signifies everything that nourishes the soul; therefore it is added, “so thou dost establish the earth,” that is, the church; “to bless the budding” signifies to produce continually anew and to cause truths to spring forth.
sRef Ps@68 @9 S18′ sRef Ps@72 @7 S18′ sRef Ps@72 @6 S18′ sRef Job@29 @22 S18′ sRef Job@29 @23 S18′ [18] In the same:
O God, thou makest the rain of good will to drop down (Ps. 68:9).
In the same:
He shall come down like rain upon the herb of the meadow, like drops in the fissure of the earth; in his days shall the righteous flourish (Ps. 72:6, 7).
In these passages “rain” does not mean rain, but the influx of Divine truth with man, from which he has spiritual life. In Job:
My word they will not repeat, and my speech will drop upon them, and they will wait for me as for the rain, and they will open their mouth for the latter rain (Job 29:22, 23).
Evidently “rain” here means truth spoken by anyone, and flowing into another, for “word,” “speech,” and “opening the mouth” signify truth going forth from anyone by speech; this is why it is called “rain,” and “latter rain,” and is said “to drop,” which here means to speak.
sRef Jer@10 @13 S19′ sRef Jer@10 @12 S19′ [19] In Jeremiah:
The Maker of the earth by His power prepareth the world, by His wisdom and by His understanding He stretcheth out the heavens; at the voice that He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and He maketh the vapors to go up from the end of the earth; He maketh lightnings for the showers, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries (Jer. 10:12, 13; 51:16; Ps. 135:7).
“The world which the Maker of the earth prepares by His power” signifies the church in the whole globe, “power” signifying the potency of Divine truth; “the heavens which He stretcheth out by wisdom and understanding” signify the church in the heavens corresponding to the church on earth, “wisdom and understanding” signifying the Divine proceeding, from which angels and men have the wisdom of good and the understanding of truth, and “to stretch out” signifying the formation and extension of the heavens in general, and the extension of understanding and wisdom with everyone who receives; “at the voice that He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens” signifies that from the Divine proceeding there are spiritual truths in immeasurable abundance, “voice” signifying the Divine proceeding, “waters” truths, and “multitude” abundance; “He maketh the vapors to go up from the end of the earth” signifies truths in ultimates, such as the truths of the Word are in the sense of the letter, in which are spiritual truths, “the end of the earth” signifying the ultimates of the church, “vapors” truths for those who are in ultimates, and “to make them to go up” meaning to give spiritual truths from ultimates because they are in ultimates, for spiritual truths are what especially make the church fruitful; “He maketh lightning for the showers” signifies enlightenment from influx of Divine truth with them; “and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries” signifies spiritual things in the Word from heaven.
sRef Luke@12 @53 S20′ sRef Luke@12 @54 S20′ sRef Luke@12 @55 S20′ sRef Luke@12 @52 S20′ sRef Luke@12 @51 S20′ sRef Luke@12 @56 S20′ [20] In Luke:
When ye see a cloud rising in the west straightway it is said, There cometh a shower, and so it cometh to pass; and when ye see the south wind blowing it is said, There will be a scorching heat, and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye know how to discern the face of the earth and of heaven, how is it that ye do not discern this time? (Luke 12:54-56)
By this comparison the Lord teaches that they see earthly things but not heavenly things; and the comparison itself, like all other comparisons in the Word, is derived from correspondences; for “a cloud rising in the west” signifies the Lord’s coming at the end of the church predicted in the Word, “cloud” signifying the Word in the letter, “rising” the Lord’s coming, and the “west” the end of the church; “straightway it is said, There cometh a shower” signifies that then there will be an influx of Divine truth; “and when ye see the south wind blowing” signifies the proclamation of His coming; “it is said, There will be a scorching heat” signifies that then there will be an influx of Divine good. The same words signify also contentions and combats of truth from good with falsities from evil, “shower and scorching heat” signifying also such contentions and combats; for this comparison follows the words of the Lord:
That He came not to give peace on the earth, but division, and that the father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father, the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother (Luke 12:51-53);
and these words signify such contention and combat; that “shower” also has this signification may be seen below. Because this comparison, regarded in its spiritual sense, implies the coming of the Lord, and because from blindness induced by falsities they did not acknowledge Him, although they might have known Him from the Word, it therefore follows:
Ye hypocrites, ye know how to discern the face of the earth and of heaven, but ye do not discern this time (verse 56);
that is, the time of His coming, and the conflict of the falsity of evil with the truth of good that then took place.
sRef Hos@6 @3 S21′ [21] In Hosea:
Let us know, and let us follow on to know Jehovah; His going forth is prepared as the clouds; and He shall come to us as the rain, as the latter rain that irrigateth the earth (Hos. 6:3).
This is said of the Lord and His coming; and as all Divine truth proceeds from Him, from which angels and men have life and salvation, it is said “He shall come to us as the rain, as the latter rain that irrigateth the earth,” “to irrigate the earth” signifying to render fertile the church, which is said to be rendered fertile when truths are multiplied and thence intelligence increases, and when goods are made fruitful, and thence celestial love increases.
sRef 2Sam@23 @3 S22′ sRef 2Sam@23 @4 S22′ [22] In the second book of Samuel:
The rock of Israel spake to me; as the light of morning the sun riseth, of a morning without clouds; from the brightness after rain there is grass out of the earth (2 Sam. 23:3, 4).
This is said of the Lord, who from the Divine truth that proceeds from Him is called “the Rock of Israel.” That Divine truth proceeds from His Divine good is meant by “as the light of the morning the sun riseth.” There is a comparison with light because “light” signifies the Divine truth proceeding, and with the morning because “morning” signifies the Divine good, and with the rising sun because “rising” and the “sun” signify the Divine love; that these are without obscurity is signified by “the light of a morning without clouds;” the enlightenment of the man of the church by the reception and after the reception of Divine truth from the Lord’s Divine good is signified by “from the brightness after rain,” “brightness” signifying enlightenment, and “rain” influx and consequent reception. That those who are of the church have therefrom knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom, is signified by “the grass out of the earth,” “grass,” like “pasture,” signifying spiritual nourishment, and thence knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom, which are spiritual food, and the “earth” signifying the church and the man of the church.
sRef Matt@5 @44 S23′ sRef Matt@5 @45 S23′ [23] In Matthew:
Love your enemies, bless** them that curse you, bless them that hate you, and pray for them that hurt and persecute you; that ye may be sons of your Father who is in the heavens; who maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust (Matt. 5:44, 45).
Here first charity towards the neighbor, which is to wish good and do good even to enemies, is described by “loving them, blessing them, and praying for them,” for genuine charity regards only the good of another. Here “to love” signifies charity, “to bless” instruction, and “to pray” intercession, and for the reason that inwardly in charity there is the end to do good. That this is the Divine itself with man, such as it is with regenerate men, is signified by “that ye may be sons of your Father in the heavens,” “Father in the heavens” means the Divine proceeding, for all who receive this are called “sons of the Father,” that is, of the Lord; “the sun that He maketh to rise on the evil and on the good” signifies the Divine good flowing in; and “the rain that He sendeth on the just and on the unjust” signifies the Divine truth flowing in; for the Divine proceeding which is “the Father in the heavens,” flows in with the evil equally as with the good, but the reception of it must be on man’s part, yet not on man’s part as from man, but as if from man, for the ability to receive is given to man continually, and it also flows in to the extent that man removes the evils that oppose, and does this also from the ability that is continually given, the ability itself appearing to be man’s, although it is of the Lord.
sRef Matt@7 @27 S24′ sRef Matt@7 @26 S24′ sRef Matt@7 @25 S24′ sRef Matt@7 @24 S24′ [24] From this it can now be seen that “rain” signifies in the Word the influx of the Divine truth from the Lord, from which man has spiritual life, and this because “waters,” of which rain consists, signify the truth of doctrine and the truth of faith. But as “waters,” in the contrary sense, signify the falsities of doctrine and of faith, so “showers of rain” or “a shower,” as well as “inundations of waters” and a “flood,” signify not only falsities destroying truths, but also temptations in which man either yields or conquers. This is the signification of shower [imber] in Matthew:
Everyone that heareth My words and doeth them I will liken to a prudent man who built his house upon a rock; and the shower descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, yet it fell not. But everyone that heareth My words and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the shower descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it (Matt. 7:24-27).
Here “shower” and “rivers” mean temptations, in which man conquers or in which he yields; “waters” mean the falsities that usually inflow in temptations; and “rivers,” which here are inundations of water from a shower, signify temptations; “the winds that blow and beat” signify the thoughts that arise therefrom, for temptations arise through the breaking in of falsities injected by evil spirits into the thoughts. The “house” they beat upon signifies man, strictly his mind, which consists of understanding or thought and of will or affection; he that receives the words of the Lord, that is, Divine truths, in one part of the mind only, which is that of the thought or understanding, and not at the same time in the other part, which is that of the affection or will, yields in temptations, and falls into grievous falsities, which are the falsities of evil; therefore it is said, “great was the fall of it;” but he who receives Divine truths in both parts, that is, both in the understanding and in the will, conquers in temptations. The “rock” upon which that house is founded signifies the Lord as to Divine truth, or Divine truth received by the soul and heart, that is, by faith and love, in other words, by the understanding and will; while the “sand” signifies Divine truth received only in the memory, and somewhat therefrom in the thought, and thus in a scattered and disconnected way, because intermixed with falsities, and falsified by notions. This makes clear what is meant by “hearing the words and not doing them.” That this is the sense of these words can be seen more clearly from what precedes them.
sRef Ezek@13 @13 S25′ sRef Ezek@13 @11 S25′ sRef Ezek@13 @14 S25′ [25] An “overflowing rain” or “shower” signifies an inundation of falsities also in Ezekiel:
Say unto them that daub on what is unfit that it shall fall, because an overflowing rain, because*** ye, O hailstones, shall fall, and a wind of tempests shall break through. Thus said the Lord Jehovih, I will make a wind of tempest to break through in My wrath, and an overflowing rain in Mine anger, and hailstones in wrath for a consummation, and I will throw down the wall that ye have daubed with what is unfit (Ezek. 13:11, 13, 14).
“Daubing with what is unfit” signifies the confirmation of falsity by fallacies, whereby falsity appears as truth; “hailstones” signify truths without good, thus without any spiritual life, which are all inwardly falsities, for ideas that are dead cause them to be merely shells, and like pictures in which there is nothing living; such truths merely known belong to the natural man, into which nothing from the spiritual flows. “The overflowing rain and the wind of tempests” signify falsities rushing in copiously, and things imaginary, and disputes about truths, which make it impossible for anything of truth to be seen, and which thus destroy man.
sRef Ezek@38 @22 S26′ [26] In the same:
I will plead with Gog with pestilence and with blood, and I will rain an overflowing rain and hailstones, fire and brimstone, upon him and upon his troops, and upon the many people who are with him (Ezek. 38:22).
“Gog” means such as are in external worship without any internal worship; and as such worship consists of what are like shells, the kernels of which are either rotten or have been eaten out by worms, these things are called “overflowing rain and hailstones,” which signify falsities rushing in copiously and things imaginary which destroy man. The evils of falsity and the falsities of evil are signified by “fire and brimstone.”
[27] The “flood of waters,” of which it is said:
That it overflowed the whole earth and destroyed all except Noah and his sons (Gen. 7, 8),
also signifies the flood of falsities by which the Most Ancient Church was finally destroyed; “Noah and his sons” signify a New Church, which is to be called the Ancient Church, and the establishment of that church after the Most Ancient Church had been devastated. (But the particulars of the description in these chapters of the flood and of the salvation of the family of Noah, may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia. That “waters” signify truths, and in the contrary sense, falsities, may be seen above, n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538; and that “the overflowings of waters” signify the overflowings of falsities and temptations, see also above, n. 518.)
* The Hebrew has “the time, the latter rain,” as found in AC 7571.
** The Greek has “do good,” as found in AC 2371, 3605, etc.
*** In AE 503 we find “by which.”

sRef Rev@11 @6 S0′ 645. And they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, signifies that truths with such are turned into falsities from evil. This is evident from the signification of “having power” when “the olive trees and lampstands” are referred to, as signifying the goods of love and the truths of doctrine; not that these themselves have such power, namely, to turn truths into falsities, since this is contrary to their nature, which is to turn falsities into truths, for good acts with them and not evil, and yet they appear to have this power and appear to do this, because this occurs when they are hurt; but it is the evil that is from hell, or hell from which all evil comes, that “turns waters into blood,” that is, truths into falsities from evil. The above is evident also from the signification of “waters,” as being truths (of which above, n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538); also from the signification of “blood,” as being the truth of the Word, and thence of doctrine from the Word, and in the contrary sense falsity, in particular the truth of the Word falsified, for “to shed blood” signifies to do violence to charity, and also to Divine truth which is in the Word. (But as to the signification of “blood” in both senses, see above, n. 329.)

sRef Rev@11 @6 S0′ 646. And to smite the earth with every plague, signifies that the church with such is destroyed by the lusts of evil. This is evident from the signification of “earth,” as being the church (of which often above); also from the signification of “plague,” as being such things as destroy the spiritual life and thus the church, which in brief have reference to the lusts of the love of self and the world, thus to the lusts of evil (see also above, n. 584); therefore “to turn waters into blood” signifies that goods are turned into evils, and thence truths into falsities with those who wish to hurt and do harm to the “two witnesses,” that is, to the goods and truths of heaven and the church which are what acknowledge and confess the Lord.
[2] That this is done anyone can see and conclude from this, that every good of love and truth of faith is from the Lord, and that those who do not acknowledge and confess the Lord are unable to receive any good of love or truth of faith; for by non-acknowledgment and denial they shut heaven to themselves, that is, they reject all the influx of good and truth from heaven, or through heaven from the Lord; consequently they are in what is their own [suum proprium], which regarded in itself is nothing but evil and falsity therefrom; and for this reason, because they think and will from what is their own [proprium], that is, from self, they are unable to think or to will anything that does not flow forth from the love of self and the love of the world, and from the lusts of those loves, thus are unable to think or will anything whatever that is from love to the Lord or from love towards the neighbor; and those who will and think from the loves of self and of the world and their lusts only are unable to will anything but evils or think anything but falsities. That this is so can be seen and concluded by anyone who knows that all good and truth is from the Lord, and all evil and falsity is from what is man’s own [proprium].
[3] It is to be known that, so far as man acknowledges the Lord and lives according to His commandments, he is elevated above what is his own [proprium]; which elevation is out of the light of the world into the light of heaven. So long as man lives in the world he does not know that he is raised up above what is his own [proprium], because he does not feel it, and yet there is an elevation or as it were a drawing of man’s interior understanding and interior will towards the Lord, and thus a turning of man’s face in respect to his spirit towards the Lord. After death this is made clear to the good man, for then there is a constant turning of his face to the Lord, and as it were a drawing towards Him as to a common center (of this turning see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 17, 123, 142-145, 253, 272, 552, 561).
[4] But since it is according to Divine order that where there is a drawing there must be an impelling force, for without this there can be no drawing, so it is according to Divine order that there be with man an impelling force; and although this is from the Lord, yet it appears as if it were from man, and the appearance causes it to be as if it were man’s. This impelling force as if from man, corresponding to the drawing that is from the Lord, is acknowledgment, thus reception from acknowledgment and confession of the Lord and from a life according to His commandments. There must be this on man’s part and from his life’s freedom, and yet man must acknowledge that even this is from the Lord, although from the obscurity of perception in which man is he has no other feeling than that it is as if from himself. These things are said to make known that a man who denies the Lord cannot be in anything but evils and in falsities therefrom, because he cannot be drawn away from what is his own [proprium], that is, be elevated above it; neither can he be influenced by any drawing from the Lord, and consequent turning of the interiors of his mind towards the Lord.

sRef Rev@11 @6 S0′ 647. As often as they will, signifies as often as a man assaults the goods of love and the truths of doctrine that bear witness of the Lord, and from which man acknowledges and confesses the Lord, that he may inflict evil upon them. This is evident from the signification of “as often as they will,” when it is said of “the two witnesses” (by whom are meant those who acknowledge and confess the Lord), for these do not will and do the evils that have been mentioned heretofore, but the evil inflict these evils upon themselves when they assault the goods and truths that proceed from the Lord that they may inflict injury upon them. In the sense of the letter of the Word it is indeed said of Jehovah God, that is, the Lord, that He is angry, and wrathful, that He is furious against the good,* and that He does evil to them, yea, that He wills to do so; and yet the Lord is never angry or wrathful, nor does He will or do evil to anyone; for into every man the Lord flows in from good with good, and from truth with truths from good; for He wills to bring all to Himself and to save them. This makes clear that “as often as the witnesses will” does not mean as often as they will, but as often as the evil will, that is, from willing do evil, in other words, assault the goods and truths of heaven and the church that are from the Lord that they may inflict injury upon them.
[2] That the Lord, and thus the good of love and the truth of faith that are of the Lord with man and angel, will no evil to anyone can be seen from this, that the Lord God is not the cause of evil with anyone, and he who is not the cause of evil is not the cause of punishment, but the evil itself that is with man is the cause. In the spiritual world where heaven and hell are, all things are so arranged that the Lord never casts anyone down into hell, but the evil spirit casts himself down (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 545-550); and this because the Lord is not the cause of evil, and he who is not the cause of evil cannot be the cause of any effect that springs from evil. From this it is clear that the contents of this verse, namely, that the two witnesses “have power to shut heaven that it rain no rain,” and that “they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague as often as they will,” are not to be understood according to the sense of the letter, but according to the spiritual sense, which is, that those who do evil to the “two witnesses” bring such things upon themselves; for so far as anyone does evil to them so far he shuts heaven against himself, and turns truths with himself into falsities, and destroys himself by the lusts of evil.
* The Latin has good for evil.

sRef Rev@11 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@11 @7 S0′ 648. Verses 7, 8. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. And their bodies shall be upon the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 7. “And when they shall have finished their testimony,” signifies in the end of the church, when the Divine of the Lord is no longer acknowledged, and thence there is no longer any good of love or truth of doctrine (n. 649); “the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them,” signifies assault from infernal love (n. 650); “and shall overcome them and kill them” signifies the consequent destruction of every good and truth of the church (n. 651). 8. “And their bodies shall be upon the street of the great city,” signifies their extinction by the evils and falsities of doctrine (n. 652); “which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt,” signifies through the evils of the love of self, and the falsities therefrom (n. 653, 654); “where also our Lord was crucified,” signifies by which, namely, by evils and falsities therefrom springing from infernal love, the Lord was rejected and condemned (n. 655).

sRef Rev@11 @7 S0′ 649. Verse 7. And when they shall have finished their testimony, signifies in the end of the church, when the Divine of the Lord is no longer acknowledged, and thence there is no longer any good of love or truth of doctrine. This is evident from the signification of “testimony,” as being the acknowledgment of the Divine in the Lord, and thence of the good of love and truth of doctrine (of which presently), and from the signification of “to finish it,” as being to bring to an end; and as this comes to an end at the end of the church; “to finish” here signifies the end of the church; and as there is then no longer any acknowledgment of the Divine in the Lord, there is therefore no good of love or truth of doctrine.
sRef Rev@19 @10 S2′ [2] That this is the signification of “testimony,” can be seen from what has been thus far said about “the two witnesses,” namely, that by them the good of love and charity and the truth of doctrine and faith are meant, because these are what especially testify concerning the Lord, for they are from the Lord, and are His with man; therefore “their testimony” signifies preaching concerning these. That “testimony” here signifies the acknowledgment of the Divine in the Lord is evident from what follows in Revelation:
That the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10).
For unless a man acknowledges this from the heart, and believes it from spiritual faith, he can have no ability to receive the good of love or the truth of doctrine.
[3] At the end of the church indeed the Lord is preached, and from doctrine a Divine is also attributed to Him like the Divine of the Father; yet scarcely anyone thinks of His Divine, for the reason that they place it above or outside of His Human; therefore they do not look to the Lord when they look to His Divine, but to the Father as to another, and yet the Divine that is called the Father is in the Lord, as He Himself teaches in John 10:30, 38; 14:7. For this reason men think of the Lord in the same way as they think of a common man, and from that thought their faith flows, however much they may say with the lips that they believe in His Divine. Let anyone explore, if he can, the idea of his thought about the Lord, whether it be not such. But when it is such man cannot be conjoined to the Lord by faith and love, nor through conjunction receive any good of love or truth of faith. This, then, is why there is at the end of the church no acknowledgment of the Lord, that is, of the Divine in the Lord and from the Lord. It is believed that there is an acknowledgment of the Divine of the Lord, because such is the doctrine of the church; but so long as His Divine is separated from His Human, His Divine is yet not acknowledged interiorly but only exteriorly, and to acknowledge exteriorly is to acknowledge with the mouth only and not with the heart, or in speech only and not in faith.
[4] That this is so can be seen from Christians in the other life, where the thoughts of the heart are manifested. When they are permitted to speak from doctrine and from what they have heard from preaching they attribute a Divine to the Lord, and call it their belief; but when their interior thought and faith are explored they have no other idea of the Lord than as of a common man who has no Divine. It is man’s interior thought that is the source of his faith; and as such is the thought and consequent faith of man’s spirit, there is plainly no acknowledgment of the Divine in the Lord and from the Lord in the Christian world at the end of the church. In other words, there is an external acknowledgment of the Divine of the Lord, but no internal, and an external acknowledgment is of the natural man alone, while internal acknowledgment is of his very spirit; and after death the external acknowledgment is put to sleep, while the internal is the acknowledgment of his spirit. From this it can in some measure be seen how what follows is to be understood, namely, “the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall overcome and kill the two witnesses,” and their “bodies shall be seen upon the street of the city that is called Sodom and Egypt,” and afterwards that “the spirit of life entered into them.”

sRef Rev@11 @7 S0′ 650. The beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, signifies assault from infernal love. This is evident from the signification of “beast,” as being the affection of the natural man in both senses (of which presently); also from the signification of “the abyss,” as being hell (of which above, n. 538); also from the signification of “to make war,” as being to assault, for by “wars,” in the Word, such wars as are in our world are not meant, but such as are in the spiritual world, all of which are combats of falsities from evil against truths from good; that such is the signification of “wars” in the Word will appear in what follows, where wars are again mentioned. From this it can be seen that “the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them,” that is, the witnesses, signifies that infernal love from the falsities of evil shall assault the truths of good.
[2] It has been shown before that a “beast” signifies a love or affection of the natural man; let something now be said about assault. Infernal love is especially the love of self, for the love of self is the love of what is man’s own [proprium], and what is man’s own is nothing but evil; consequently so far as a man is in that love he is against the Lord, and thus against the good of love and charity, and against the truth of doctrine and faith, thus against these “two witnesses;” for this reason, the hells where the love of self reigns are more direful and malignant than others, and are directly opposed to the Lord, and thence unceasingly assault the goods of love and faith, because these are from the Lord alone, and are the Lord with man and angel. That these hells are more direful than the others can be seen from this, that they continually breathe forth the destruction of those who confess the Divine of the Lord, therefore of those who are in the good of love and the good of faith in the Lord from the Lord.
[3] These hells are more malignant than the rest because so far as man is in the love of self, and at the same time in the love of self-intelligence, his natural lumen is in a kind of brightness, as it were, for the love of self is like a fire that kindles that lumen; it is from this that men can ingeniously think and reason against the Divine and against all things of heaven and the church. I have sometimes been astonished when I have listened to such, and have thought that they above all others were capable of being led to receive faith, but I perceived that this was impossible, for so far as they were enlightened in corporeal, worldly, and natural things they were in thick darkness in respect to celestial and spiritual things. This thick darkness was seen to be exceedingly dusky, with something fiery intermixed. This I could confirm by much experience, if this were the place for describing experiences. The love of self is what is here meant in particular by “the beast coming up out of the abyss,” which made war with the two witnesses and killed them.
[4] That a “beast” signifies the love and affection of the natural man in both senses can be seen from very many passages in the Word; and this has heretofore been unknown, and as it may seem strange that “beasts” should signify the love or affection of the natural man, it is necessary to confirm this from the Word. Natural affections are signified by “beasts” because these affections are altogether similar to the affections of beasts, consequently a man who* is not imbued with spiritual affections through the goods and truths of heaven differs little from beasts. For man has above the beasts the superadded faculty to think and thence to will spiritually, which gives him the eminent faculty to see and perceive abstract things; but if this spiritual faculty is not vivified by the knowledges of truth and good, and afterwards by faith and the life of faith, he is no better than the beasts, except merely that by virtue of that higher faculty he is able to think and speak.
[5] Because the affections of the natural man are signified by “beasts,” when those affections are presented to be seen in the spiritual world in forms like those animals, they appear altogether as the forms of various beasts; as for instance, lambs, sheep, she-goats, kids, he-goats, young cattle, oxen, cows; also as camels, horses, mules, asses; and also as bears, tigers, leopards, lions; likewise as dogs and serpents of various kinds. But such things are only appearances of the affections that are with spirits; and when these are made apparent it is also known there not only that the appearances are from these affections, but also from whom they are; but as soon as the affections with such cease, these appearances also cease. From this it can also be seen why “beasts” are so often mentioned in the Word.
sRef Ps@8 @8 S6′ sRef Ps@8 @6 S6′ sRef Ps@8 @7 S6′ [6] But let us proceed to the confirmations from the Word. In David:
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands. Thou hast put all things under His feet, the flock and herds, yea, the beasts of the fields, the bird of heaven, and the fishes of the sea (Ps. 8:6-8).
This whole psalm treats of the Lord and His dominion over all things of heaven and the church; the things of heaven and the church are meant here and elsewhere in the Word by “the works of the hands of Jehovah;” and as it is over these things that the Lord has dominion, and as spiritual things in the Word are expressed by natural things, for the Word in its bosom is spiritual, so by “flock,” “herds,” “the beasts of the field,” “the birds of heaven,” and “the fishes of the sea,” these are not meant, but the spiritual things of heaven and the church. “Flock and herds” signify spiritual things and natural things that are from a spiritual origin, a “flock,” that is, lambs, kids, she-goats, sheep, and rams, signifying spiritual things, and “herds,” which are bullocks, oxen, cows, and camels, natural things from spiritual things; “beasts of the field” signify the affections of the natural man, “birds of the heavens” thoughts therefrom, and “fishes of the sea,” the knowledges [scientifica] of the sensual-natural man. Except for this meaning, why should the Lord’s dominion over these be described?
sRef Ps@68 @10 S7′ sRef Ps@68 @9 S7′ [7] In the same:
O God, Thou makest the rain of good will to drop down; Thou shalt strengthen Thine inheritance when it is weary; Thy wild beast (Thy congregation) shall dwell in it (Ps. 68:9, 10).
Here evidently “wild beast” stands for a people that receives the influx of Divine truth from the Lord, for of God’s “inheritance,” which signifies the church, it is said, “Thy wild beast (Thy congregation) shall dwell in it;” “the rain of good will” signifies the influx of Divine truth from Divine clemency.
sRef Ps@104 @10 S8′ sRef Ps@104 @14 S8′ sRef Ps@104 @11 S8′ sRef Ps@104 @12 S8′ sRef Ps@104 @25 S8′ sRef Ps@104 @20 S8′ [8] In the same:
Jehovah, who sendeth forth springs into the brooks; they run between the mountains, they give drink to every wild beast; the wild asses quench their thirst, by them the bird of the heavens dwells, from among the boughs they give forth their voice; who causeth the grass to spring forth for the beast, and the herb for the service of man, that he may bring forth bread out of the earth. Thou appointest the darkness that there may be night, in which every wild beast of the forest goeth forth. The sea great and wide in spaces, wherein is the creeping thing without number, the wild beasts, the small with the great (Ps. 104:10-12, 14, 20, 25).
This, too, is said of the Lord, and these words describe the establishment of the church among the nations; therefore “wild beasts,” “beasts,” and “birds” signify such things as are with the man of the church.
[9] It is to be known that in many passages sometimes it is said “beast,” and sometimes “wild beast,” also that the term “wild beast” is not to be understood as it is commonly understood, for in the Hebrew “wild beast” [fera] is derived from a word that means life, therefore in some passages “animal” would be a better rendering than “wild beast,” as can be seen from this, that the four animals that were seen as cherubim and that signify Divine Providence and protection in Ezekiel (chaps. 1, 10) are called “animals” [ferae]; likewise the cherubim are meant by “the four animals about the throne” which are described by John in Revelation. Nevertheless, in the Word “beast” and “wild beast” are carefully distinguished, “beasts” signifying the affections of the natural man that belong to man’s will, and “wild beasts” the affections of the natural man that belong to man’s understanding. As in the Hebrew “wild beast” is derived from a word that means life, Eve the wife of Adam had her name from the same word. This is said that it may be known what “wild beast” and “beast” signify in the proper sense.
[10] What is signified by “Jehovah sendeth forth springs into the brooks, to run between the mountains, and give drink to every wild beast of the fields, the wild asses quench their thirst, and by them the bird of the heavens dwells,” has been explained above (n. 483). “Jehovah causeth the grass to spring forth for the beast, and the herb for the service of man, that he may bring forth bread out of the earth,” signifies the instruction and nourishment of the natural and spiritual man by truths from the Word, that he may have thereby the good of love and charity; “grass” signifies the truth of the natural man, which is true knowledge (see above, n. 507); “beast” signifies affection for it which wishes to be instructed and spiritually nourished; “herb” signifies the truth of the spiritual man; “man” signifies intelligence therefrom and “bread” signifies the good of love and charity, which is nourished by truths. As “darkness” and “night” signify the lumen of the natural man, which compared to the light of the spiritual man is like night, “the wild beast of the forest” signifies the affection of knowledges, “the sea great and wide in spaces” the natural itself, “the creeping thing without number” knowledge therein, and “the wild beasts great and small” the various affections, it is evident what is signified by “Thou appointest the darkness that there may be night, in which every wild beast of the forest goeth forth; the sea great and wide in its spaces, wherein is the creeping thing without number, wild beasts the small with the great.”
sRef Ps@107 @38 S11′ sRef Ps@107 @37 S11′ sRef Ps@107 @39 S11′ [11] In the same:
They shall sow fields and plant vineyards, and make fruit of increase, and He shall bless them so that they may be multiplied exceedingly; and He shall not diminish their beast; yet are they diminished and bowed down because of the vehemence of wickedness and grief (Ps. 107:37-39).
This entire psalm treats of the Lord’s coming and of redemption by Him; that they will then have truths, by which the church will be implanted in them, is signified by “They shall sow fields and plant vineyards;” that in consequence they will have the goods of the church, and thence truths will increase, is signified by “shall make fruit of increase,” and by “Jehovah shall bless them so that they shall be multiplied exceedingly;” that then every good affection of the natural man will remain with them is signified by “He shall not diminish their beast;” that otherwise these affections would not be destroyed by evils is signified by “they are diminished and bowed down because of the vehemence of wickedness and grief.”
sRef Gen@7 @3 S12′ sRef Ps@148 @7 S12′ sRef Ps@148 @10 S12′ sRef Gen@7 @1 S12′ sRef Gen@7 @2 S12′ sRef Gen@7 @4 S12′ sRef Gen@7 @7 S12′ sRef Gen@7 @9 S12′ sRef Gen@7 @6 S12′ sRef Gen@7 @8 S12′ sRef Gen@7 @5 S12′ [12] In the same:
Praise Jehovah, ye whales and all deeps, wild beast and every beast, creeping thing and every bird of wing (Ps. 148:7, 10).
In this psalm very many things in the world that have no life, but that shall praise Jehovah, are enumerated, as “fire,” “hail,” “snow,” “vapor,” “the wind of tempest,” “mountains,” “hills,” “trees,” “fruits,” “cedars,” as also here, “wild beasts,” “beasts,” “creeping things,” and “birds,” which nevertheless cannot praise Jehovah. Who cannot see that the enumeration of such things in the Divine Word would be wholly unmeaning unless they signified something with man that can praise, that is, worship Jehovah? From a knowledge of correspondences it is known that “whales” signify the knowledges of the natural man in general, “deeps” and “seas” the natural itself where the knowledges are, “wild beast” and “beasts,” the affections of the natural man as well those which belong to his understanding as those of his will, “the creeping things” the sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural man, and “birds of wing” the thinking faculty therefrom.
sRef Ps@147 @8 S13′ sRef Ps@147 @9 S13′ [13] In the same:
Jehovah who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to spring forth upon the mountains, who giveth to the beast his food, to the sons of the raven which call (Ps. 147:8, 9).
These particulars too, signify the spiritual things belonging to heaven and the church. Why else should the Word (which is given solely to teach man the way to heaven, by teaching him the truths of faith and the goods of love), speak of Jehovah as “preparing rain for the earth, making grass to spring forth upon the mountains, giving to the beast his food, and to the sons of the raven which call upon Him?” These things, however, are worthy of the Divine Word, when by “rain” the influx of Divine truth is meant, by “mountains” the good of love, by “making grass to spring forth” the instruction of the natural man by the knowledges from the Word, by “beasts” the affections of the natural man, which desire to be thus nourished. “To give food” signifies nourishment; and since “the sons of the raven” signify natural men who are in an obscure lumen from fallacies respecting Divine truths, as were many of the nations, it is said “He giveth to the sons of the raven which call,” for such can call upon Jehovah, but not the sons of a raven.
sRef Ps@50 @10 S14′ sRef Ps@50 @11 S14′ [14] In the same:
Every wild beast of the forest is Mine, the beasts upon a thousand mountains. I know every bird of the mountains, and the wild beast of My fields is with Me (Ps. 50:10, 11).
This is said of sacrifices, that the Lord does not delight in them, but in the confession of heart and calling upon Him; yet “the wild beast of the forest,” “the beasts upon the mountains,” and “the bird of the mountains,” and “the wild beast of the fields,” have a similar signification as above, namely, things pertaining to the man of the church.
sRef Ps@36 @6 S15′ [15] In the same:
Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God, Thy judgments are a great deep; O Jehovah, Thou preservest man and beast (Ps. 36:6).
“Man and beast” signify interior affection, which is spiritual, from which is intelligence, and exterior affection, which is natural, from which is knowledge [scientia] corresponding to intelligence.
sRef Ezek@14 @13 S16′ sRef Jer@33 @10 S16′ sRef Ezek@14 @19 S16′ sRef Zeph@1 @2 S16′ sRef Zeph@1 @3 S16′ sRef Zech@2 @4 S16′ sRef Ezek@32 @13 S16′ sRef Ezek@25 @13 S16′ sRef Zech@2 @3 S16′ sRef Jer@33 @11 S16′ sRef Jer@33 @12 S16′ sRef Jer@32 @43 S16′ sRef Jer@7 @20 S16′ sRef Zech@8 @10 S16′ sRef Ezek@36 @11 S16′ sRef Zech@8 @9 S16′ sRef Ezek@14 @17 S16′ sRef Jer@21 @6 S16′ sRef Jer@50 @3 S16′ sRef Jer@31 @27 S16′ sRef Jer@27 @5 S16′ [16] “Man and beast” have a like signification in the following passages. In Jeremiah:
The God of Israel said, I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the faces of the earth, by My great power (Jer. 27:5; 36:29).
In the same:
Behold the days shall come in which I will sow the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast (Jer. 31:27).
In the same:
Yet again in this place, concerning which ye say, It is devastated so that there is no man nor beast, and in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are devastated, so that there is no man, and no inhabitant, and no beast, there shall be heard the voice of joy and the voice of gladness (Jer. 33:10-12).
In the same:
The whole land shall be a desolation, so that there shall not be man or beast (Jer. 32:43).
In the same:
I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall die of a great pestilence (Jer. 21:6).
In the same:
A nation from the north cometh up against Babylon; this shall make her land a desolation, so that none shall dwell therein; from man even to beast they are dispersed, they have gone away (Jer. 50:3).
In the same:
My anger and My wrath is poured out upon this place, upon man and upon beast (Jer. 7:20).
In Ezekiel:
When the land shall sin against Me, I will break its staff of bread and I will send into it famine, and I will cut off from it man and beast (Ezek. 14:13, 17, 19).
In the same:
I will stretch out My hand over Edom and will cut off from it man and beast (Ezek. 25:13).
In the same:
I will destroy every beast of Egypt over many waters, so that the foot of man shall trouble them no more, nor shall the hoof of beast trouble them (Ezek. 32:13).
In the same:
I will multiply upon you man and beast, that they may increase and be fruitful (Ezek. 36:11).
In Zephaniah:
In consuming I will consume all things from upon the faces of the land. I will consume man and beast, I will consume the bird of the heavens and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling-blocks with the wicked, and I will cut off man from the faces of the earth (Zeph. 1:2, 3).
In Zechariah:
The angel who came to measure Jerusalem said, Run, speak, saying, Jerusalem shall inhabit the suburbs, by reason of the multitude of man and of the beast in the midst of it (Zech. 2:3, 4).
Let your hands be strong, for the temple shall be built; for before those days there was no price for man nor any price for beast, for to him that went out and to him that came in there was no peace from the enemy (Zech. 8:9, 10).
[17] In these passages “man and beast”** signifies what is interior or spiritual, and “beast” what is exterior or natural; and therefore “man” signifies the spiritual affection of truth, from which is all intelligence, and “beast” the natural affection corresponding to the spiritual. What is exterior or natural is signified by “beast,” because man, in respect to his external or natural man is nothing but a beast; for he enjoys like desires and also pleasures, appetites and senses, so that in these respects man is entirely similar to the beast; therefore the natural man may be called the animal man. But what is internal or spiritual is signified by “man,” because it is in respect to his internal or spiritual that man is man; this enjoys the affections of good and truth such as are with the angels of heaven, also because by means of this with him man rules his natural or animal man, which is a beast.
sRef Gen@1 @25 S18′ sRef Gen@1 @30 S18′ sRef Gen@1 @29 S18′ sRef Gen@1 @31 S18′ sRef Gen@1 @24 S18′ sRef Gen@1 @28 S18′ sRef Gen@1 @27 S18′ sRef Gen@1 @26 S18′ [18] Because the spiritual man and the natural man are signified by “man and beast” in the history of creation (Gen. 1), it is related that the beasts and also man were created on the same day, namely, the sixth; and afterwards, that to man was given dominion over the beasts. Of the creation of the beasts and man on the same day, and of man’s dominion over the beasts, we thus read in Genesis:
God said, Let the earth bring forth the living soul according to its kind, and what moveth itself, and the wild beast of the earth according to its kind; and it was so. And God made the wild beast of the earth according to its kind, and the beast according to its kind, and everything that creepeth upon the ground according to its kind. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and they shall have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and over the bird of the heavens, and over the beast, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. And there was evening and there was morning, the third*** day (Gen. 1:24-31).
In the spiritual sense of this chapter, by “the creation of heaven and earth” the new creation or regeneration of the man of the Most Ancient Church is described; for this reason “beast” here signifies the external or natural man, and “man” the internal spiritual, and “dominion over the beasts” here means the dominion of the spiritual man over the natural.
sRef Gen@2 @19 S19′ sRef Gen@2 @20 S19′ [19] That it was granted to the man of that church to know all the affections of the natural man, in order that he might have dominion over them, is signified by these words in Genesis:
Out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens, and brought unto the man, to see what he would call it; and whatsoever man called it, the living soul, that was its name; and the man called the names to every beast, and to the bird of the heavens, and to every wild beast of the field (Gen. 2:19, 20).
“To call the name” signifies in the spiritual sense to know the quality of a thing, or what it is, so here to know the qualities of all the affections, desires, pleasures, appetites, also the thoughts and inclinations of the natural man, and how they agree and correspond to the affections and perceptions of the spiritual man. For it was granted to the spiritual man from creation to see all things of the natural man, and at the same time to perceive its agreement or disagreement with the spiritual, in order that he might rule the natural and accept such things as agree and reject those that disagree, and thus might become spiritual even as to effects, which are wrought by means of the natural man. (But this may be seen more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 142-146.)
sRef Gen@7 @8 S20′ sRef Gen@7 @7 S20′ sRef Gen@7 @4 S20′ sRef Gen@7 @3 S20′ sRef Gen@7 @6 S20′ sRef Gen@7 @1 S20′ sRef Gen@7 @5 S20′ sRef Gen@7 @9 S20′ sRef Gen@7 @2 S20′ [20] Because “man” in the Word signifies properly the internal or spiritual man, and “beast” the external or natural man, by command of God all beasts and birds were brought into the ark with Noah; of which it is thus written in Genesis:
Jehovah said to Noah, Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee seven and seven, male and female; and of the beast that is not clean two, male and female. And he took of the beast that was clean, and of the beast not clean, and of the bird, and of everything that creepeth upon the earth; two and two entered unto Noah into the ark, male and female (Gen. 7:1-9).
“Noah’s flood” describes in the spiritual sense the destruction of the Most Ancient Church, and also the Last Judgment upon the men of that church; and by “Noah and his sons” in the same sense, the church that followed is meant and described, which is called the Ancient Church. From this it follows that the “beasts” brought into the ark with Noah mean the affections of the natural man, corresponding to spiritual affection, which the men of that church had (but these things may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia).
sRef Jonah@3 @7 S21′ sRef Jonah@3 @8 S21′ sRef Ex@9 @25 S21′ sRef Num@18 @15 S21′ sRef Ex@9 @23 S21′ sRef Ex@9 @24 S21′ sRef Ex@12 @12 S21′ sRef Ex@9 @22 S21′ [21] Since “man” signifies the internal spiritual man, and “beast” signifies the external or natural, and “Egypt” signifies the natural man separated from the spiritual, which has altogether perished and is no longer a man but a beast, so where the destruction of Egypt is treated of it is related that:
Jehovah made hail to rain with which fire was mingled, and smote everything that was in the fields, from man even to beast (Exod. 9:22-25).
(See respecting this also in Arcana Coelestia.) For the purpose of representing and thus signifying the same thing it is also written that:
Jehovah smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from man even to beast (Exod. 12:12, 29).
But on the other hand, the sons of Israel, by whom the church was represented, were commanded:
To sacrifice to Jehovah all the firstborn of man and of beast (Num. 18:15).
Because such things were represented and thus signified by “man and beast,” from a holy rite received in the Ancient Church:
The king of Nineveh proclaimed a fast, and commanded that neither man nor beast should taste or drink anything, and that man and beast should be covered with sackcloth (Jonah 3:7, 8).
sRef Deut@4 @17 S22′ sRef Deut@4 @18 S22′ [22] Because “beasts” signify the affections in both senses it was forbidden to make the figure of any beast; of which it is thus written in Moses:
Ye shall not make to you the figure of any beast that is on the earth, the figure of any winged bird that flieth under heaven, the figure of anything that creepeth on the ground, the figure of any fish that is in the waters under the earth (Deut. 4:17, 18).
This was because the posterity of Jacob, who were called, because of the representation of the church with them, “the sons of Israel,” were in externals without an internal, that is, were for the most part merely natural; if, therefore, they had made to themselves the figure of any beast or bird, which signified the affections and the like, they would have made idols for themselves, and would have worshiped them. This, too, was why the Egyptians, who had more knowledge of representatives than any other people, made for themselves figures of beasts, as of calves, serpents, and many other kinds; yet at first not with reference to worship, but on account of their signification; but their posterity, who from internal became external, and thus merely natural, did not look upon these as representative and significative, but as holy things of the church, and thus they offered to them idolatrous worship. It was for this reason that the posterity of Jacob, who were altogether external men, and thence in heart idolatrous, were forbidden to make to themselves any figure of these things.
[23] As for example: they worshiped calves in Egypt, and afterwards in the wilderness, because a “calf” signifies the first affections of the natural man, together with its good of innocence. The Gentiles here and there worshiped serpents because a “serpent” signifies the sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural man and its prudence, and so with the rest.

[24] Because “beasts” signified the various things of the natural man it was also sometimes commanded when cities or regions were given to the curse that the beasts also should be slaughtered, for the reason that “the beasts” represented the evil and profane things with the men who were given to the curse. Because all kinds of beasts signify the various things pertaining to the men of the church, laws were enacted respecting beasts, which ones might be eaten and which might not be eaten (Lev. 11). Those that might be eaten signified goods, and those that might not be eaten signified evils; for the church at that time was a representative church, and therefore every particular prescribed for them was representative and significative, especially the beasts; of this we thus read in Moses:
Ye shall distinguish between the clean beast and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean, that ye may not make your souls abominable by beast or by bird; and ye shall be holy unto Me (Lev. 20:25, 26).
sRef Lev@20 @26 S25′ sRef Lev@20 @25 S25′ [25] From this it can now be seen why sacrifices of beasts of various kinds were permitted, as of lambs, sheep, kids, goats, bullocks, oxen, also of pigeons and turtledoves; namely, because they signified things spiritual, and things natural from a spiritual origin; as “lambs” innocence, “sheep” charity, “bullocks and oxen” the affections of the natural man corresponding to the affections of the spiritual man. It was on this account that the beasts for the sacrifices varied according to the reasons for which they were offered; this would not have been unless each particular sacrifice of beasts had signified something belonging to the church.
sRef Ezek@31 @2 S26′ sRef Ezek@31 @3 S26′ sRef Ezek@31 @13 S26′ sRef Ezek@31 @6 S26′ sRef Ezek@31 @12 S26′ sRef Ezek@31 @10 S26′ sRef Ezek@31 @5 S26′ sRef Ezek@31 @7 S26′ [26] As the man of the church at the present day can hardly be led to believe that “beasts” and “wild beasts” signify in the Word the affections of good and truth which belong to the man of the church, and this because it seems so strange that anything belonging to beasts should signify anything belonging to man, I will here cite more passages from the Word in the way of confirmation. In Ezekiel:
Speak unto the king of Egypt and to his multitude, Whom art thou like in thy stature? Behold Asshur, a cedar in Lebanon, beautiful in branch and with shady foliage; his stature was higher than all the trees of the field, and his branches were multiplied because of many waters; in his branches all the birds of the heavens built their nests; and under his branches every wild beast of the field has brought forth, and in his shade have dwelt all great nations; he was beautiful in his greatness. But because thou art lifted up in height he should be cut down; upon his ruin every bird of the heavens shall dwell, and every wild beast of the field shall be upon his branches (Ezek. 31:2, 3, 5-7, 10, 12, 13).
“The king of Egypt and his multitude” signify the natural man with the knowledges therein; “Asshur, the cedar in Lebanon,” signifies the rational which is formed by knowledges on the one part and by the influx of spiritual truth on the other; “beautiful in branch and with shady foliage” signifies intelligence through rational truths by means of knowledges.
[27] “His stature was higher than all the trees of the field” signifies elevation even to the interior rational which is from the spiritual; “branches multiplied because of many waters” signify abundance through spiritual truths which are from the cognitions of truth from the Word; “the fowl of the heavens that built their nests in his branches” signify spiritual thoughts in things rational, for the rational is the medium between the internal spiritual man and the external natural; “every wild beast of the field that brought forth under his branches” signifies the affections of knowledges rationally perceived.
[28] “The great nations” that dwelt in his shade signify the goods of the affections in the natural man; “beautiful in greatness” signifies intelligence; while “the bird of the heavens and the wild beast of the field that shall dwell upon his ruin and in his branches” signify the falsities of thoughts, and the evils of desires which one has because he is “lifted up in height,” that is, has become proud from the love of self-intelligence. Thoughts of truth and affections for it are signified evidently by “birds of the heavens and the wild beasts of the field,” for it is said that “great nations dwelt in his shade.”
sRef Dan@4 @12 S29′ sRef Dan@4 @15 S29′ sRef Dan@4 @13 S29′ sRef Dan@4 @16 S29′ sRef Dan@4 @11 S29′ sRef Dan@4 @14 S29′ sRef Dan@4 @10 S29′ [29] In Daniel:
Behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great; it reached even to heaven, and the sight thereof unto the end of the earth; the leaf thereof was fair, and the flower thereof much, and in it was food for all; the beast of the field had shadow under it, and the birds of heaven dwelt in its branches; and all flesh was nourished from it. A watcher and holy one came down from heaven, crying, Hew down the tree and cut off his branches, shake off his leaf, scatter his flower; let the beast flee from under him, and the birds from his branches; but leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, with the herbage of the field; and let him be wet with the dew of the heavens, and let his portion be with the beast in the grass of the earth; they shall change his heart from man’s and the heart of a beast shall be given to him (Dan. 4:10-16).
This was the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and it describes the establishment of the celestial church and its increase even to its culmination, and afterwards its overthrow because of its domination even over the holy things of the church, and its claiming to itself a right over heaven.
[30] “The tree in the midst of the earth” signifies that church; its “height” signifies the extension of perception and thus of wisdom; “its sight unto the end of the earth” signifies its extension even to the ultimates of the church; “the leaf thereof was fair, and the flower thereof much,” signifies the knowledges and affections of truth and good, and intelligence therefrom; “in it was food for all” signifies heavenly nourishment which is from good and from truths thence; “the beast of the field had shadow under it, and the birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches,” signifies the affections of good and the consequent thoughts and perceptions of truth; and as these pertain to spiritual food it is said that “all flesh was nourished from it.”
[31] But because of its domination, from the love of self, over the holy things of heaven and the church, which the Babylonians at length claimed control of, a description of its overthrow follows: “A watcher and holy one came down from heaven, crying, Hew down the tree and cut off his branches, shake off the leaf, scatter the flower; let the beast flee from under him and the birds from his branches;” for the love of self and the consequent elation of mind increases with such even to their claiming a right over the holy things of the church, yea, over heaven itself; and when this is done everything of the church perishes, even all perception and the knowledge of good and truth; for the internal of the mind where the spiritual resides is closed up, and the external where the natural resides has dominion, and thus man becomes sensual, until he differs but little from the beasts.
sRef Dan@4 @32 S32′ sRef Dan@4 @31 S32′ sRef Dan@4 @30 S32′ [32] The “stump of the roots which should be left in the earth” signifies the Word, only the letter of which is understood, and which is merely something known, held in the memory and going forth therefrom into speech; “bands of iron and brass” signify the interior truths and goods closed up and held bound in ultimates, “iron” meaning truth in ultimates, and “brass” good in ultimates, and these when separated from the interiors are falsities and evils. And as the man of the church then becomes almost like a beast in respect to the understanding and to the will, since the evils of the affections and the falsities of the thoughts have rule, it is said that “his portion shall be with the beast in the grass of the earth, and his heart shall be changed from man’s, and the heart of a beast shall be given him.” That this change and inversion took place on account of their claiming the right over the holy things of the church, and at length over heaven, is evident from verses 30-32 of this chapter, where are these words:
The king said, Is not this the great Babylon which I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the glory of mine honor? While the word was in the king’s mouth there fell a voice from the heavens, saying, The kingdom shall pass away from thee, and they shall drive thee from man, and thy dwelling shall be with the beast of the field; they shall make thee to eat the herb as oxen, until thou dost know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of man, and giveth it to whomsoever He will.
sRef Dan@2 @38 S33′ sRef Dan@2 @37 S33′ [33] That “Nebuchadnezzar,” as king of Babylon, signifies in the beginning a celestial church and its increase even to the pinnacle of wisdom, is evident also from Daniel, where treating of the statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar in a dream it is said:
The God of the heavens hath given into thine hand the sons of man, the beast of the field, and the bird of the heavens, and hath made thee to rule over all; thou art the head of the statue which is of gold (Dan. 2:37, 38).
“The head of the statue, which was of gold,” signifies the celestial church, which is the first of all. That church is signified by “the king of Babylon” at first, because the church that finally becomes Babylon or Babylonia begins with the worship of the Lord and from love to Him, and there then prevails with it a zeal for extending and perfecting the church by means of the holy goods and truths of heaven, but this from a motive as yet hidden, namely, a love of exercising dominion, which however breaks forth only by degrees. But more will be said about this when Babylon is treated of.
sRef Hos@2 @18 S34′ sRef Hos@2 @19 S34′ [34] In Hosea:
In that day will I make a covenant for them with the wild beast of the field and with the bird of the heavens and with the creeping thing of the earth, and I will break the bow and the sword and the war from the earth, and I will make them to lie down securely; and I will betroth thee to Me forever (Hos. 2:18, 19).
This is said of the establishment of a New Church by the Lord, which is here treated of. Evidently Jehovah, that is, the Lord, will then make a covenant, not with the wild beast of the field, the bird of the heavens, and the creeping thing of the earth, but with the men in whom the church will be established. These things, therefore, signify such things as are with man, namely, the “wild beast of the field” the affection of the knowledges of truth, the “bird of the heavens” rational thought from what is spiritual, the “creeping thing of the earth” the knowledge [scientificum] of the natural man, in particular sensual knowledge. That He will then “break the bow and the sword from the earth” signifies that He will destroy the falsities that fight against the truths of doctrine; and that there will be no longer any contention between truths and falsities and goods and evils is signified by “I will betroth thee to Me forever.”
sRef Isa@43 @20 S35′ [35] In Isaiah:
The wild beast of the field shall honor Me, the dragons and the daughters of the owl; because I will give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen (Isa. 43:20).
Evidently “the wild beast of the field,” “the dragons,” and “the daughters of the owl,” do not mean here a wild beast of the field, dragons and owls, for these cannot honor Jehovah. That the men of the church are meant is clear from what follows, since it is said, “to give drink to My people, My chosen.” “The wild beast of the field” signifies therefore the affections of the knowledges of truth, “dragons” natural ideas, and “daughters of the owl” sensual affections; for the sensual is affected by truths and sees them in the darkness as owls see objects at night.
[36] This being the signification, it is evident that the Gentiles with whom a New Church was to be established are meant, for before they were reformed these were in such obscure affection and natural thought. “To give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” signifies to imbue with truths and thence with intelligence those who before were in ignorance, “waters” meaning truths, “rivers” intelligence, and “wilderness and desert” ignorance; “to give drink to the people of Jehovah and to His chosen” signifies to instruct those who are in the truths of faith and in the good of charity; those who are in the truths of faith are called “people,” and those who are in the good of charity are called “chosen.”
sRef Joel@1 @18 S37′ sRef Joel@1 @20 S37′ sRef Joel@1 @16 S37′ [37] In Joel:
Is not the food cut off before our eyes from the house of our God, gladness and joy? The beast groaneth, the droves of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; also the droves of the flock are made desolate. The beast of the field panteth after thee, because the channels of waters are dried up, and fire hath devoured the habitations of the wilderness (Joel 1:16, 18, 20).
This describes the state of the church when there are no longer in it any truths of doctrine or good of life. “The food cut off from the house of God” signifies spiritual nourishment, which is from truths that are from good, “the house of God” signifying the church; “the beast groaneth, the droves of cattle are perplexed” signifies the lack of the affections of truth and thence of knowledges in the natural man, and grief on that account, “droves of cattle” signifying the things of the natural man in the whole complex.
[38] That there is “no pasture” signifies no instruction; “the droves of the flock are made desolate” signifies the lack of spiritual truth and good which are of faith and charity; “the beast of the field panteth after thee” signifies the grief of those who are in natural affection, and consequently in a longing for the knowledges of truth and good; “the channels of waters are dried up” signifies the truths of doctrine dissipated by natural love; “fire hath devoured the habitations of the wilderness” signifies that love and thence the destruction of the knowledges of truth, “the habitations of the wilderness” meaning the things of the understanding and the will in such a man, which would otherwise receive the truths and goods of the church.
sRef Joel@2 @21 S39′ sRef Joel@2 @22 S39′ sRef Joel@2 @23 S39′ [39] In the same:
Fear,**** O earth, rejoice and be glad, for Jehovah hath done great things; fear not, ye beasts of My fields, for the habitations of the wilderness are made full of herbs, for the tree shall bear her fruit, the fig tree and the vine shall yield their strength. Sons of Zion, rejoice and be glad in Jehovah (Joel 2:21-23).
This is said of the establishment of the church by the Lord; and the “earth which will fear, but rejoice and be glad” signifies the church and its delight; its establishment by the Lord is signified by “Jehovah hath done great things;” therefore “the beasts of His fields” mean those who are in the affections of good and long for instruction from the Word, “beasts” meaning those who are in the affections of good belonging to the natural man, and “fields” the doctrinals from the Word.
[40] “The habitations of the wilderness are made full of herbs” signifies that there will be the knowledges of truth and good with those with whom there were none before; “the tree shall bear her fruit” signifies the bringing forth of the good of life through these knowledges, for a “tree” signifies the man of the church, and in particular a mind imbued with knowledges, and “fruit” signifies the good of life; “the fig tree and the vine shall yield their strength” signifies the bringing forth of the effect from natural good and spiritual good together. Because “beasts of the fields,” “tree,” “fig tree,” and “vine,” signify such things as are with the man of the church it is said, “Sons of Zion, rejoice and be glad in Jehovah,” “sons of Zion” meaning those who are of the celestial church, while “to rejoice” is predicated of the delight of good; and “to be glad” of the pleasantness of truth.
sRef Ezek@38 @19 S41′ sRef Ezek@38 @18 S41′ sRef Ezek@38 @20 S41′ [41] In Ezekiel:
In that day Gog shall come upon the land of Israel; and then shall be a great earthquake upon the land of Israel; and the fishes of the sea, and the bird of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man who is upon the faces of the earth, shall tremble before Me (Ezek. 38:18-20).
“Gog” signifies external holiness without internal holiness, thus those who are in such holiness; an “earthquake” signifies a change of the state of the church; “the fishes of the sea, and the bird of the heavens, the wild beast of the field, the creeping thing of the earth, and every man, shall tremble” signifies that all things of man, in respect to what belongs to the church with him, shall be changed; “the fishes of the sea” meaning the knowledges, “the birds of the heavens” thoughts therefrom, “the wild beasts of the field” the affections therefrom, “the creeping thing of the earth” the thoughts and affections in the corporeal-sensual, and “man” all these from first to last. Why otherwise should these be said to tremble before Jehovah?
sRef Zech@14 @13 S42′ sRef Zech@14 @14 S42′ sRef Zech@14 @15 S42′ sRef Zech@14 @16 S42′ [42] In Zechariah:
There shall be in that day a great tumult, Judah shall fight against Jerusalem and so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of every beast that shall be in those camps; afterwards everyone remaining shall go up to Jerusalem (Zech. 14:13-15).
This describes the last state of the old church, and the beginning of the new. The last state of the old church is described by “a great tumult, when Judah shall fight against Jerusalem,” which means the change at that time, and the fight of the love of evil against the truths of the doctrine of the church; “the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, of the ass, and of every beast” signify such things as hurt and destroy the church and the spiritual life of the men of the church, “horses, mules, camels, and asses” signifying the things of their understanding and of their will, thus the things of their knowledges and affections. But what is signified in particular by “horse, mule, camel, and ass,” has been told elsewhere; here it is stated merely that “beast” signifies the affection of the natural man, and “the plague of beast” the hurting and destroying of that affection.
sRef Jer@12 @4 S43′ [43] In Jeremiah:
How long shall the land mourn, and the herb of every field dry up? For the wickedness of them that rule***** therein the beasts and the bird shall be consumed (Jer. 12:4).
The “land” means the church; “the herb of the field” signifies the truth of the church that has sprung up and that is springing up; “to mourn and to dry up” signifies to perish and to be dissipated by lusts; “the beasts and the bird that shall be consumed” signify the affections of good and the thoughts of truth therefrom. The result is that these will perish by reason of the evils in the church; therefore it is said, “for the wickedness of them that dwell in the land.”
sRef Isa@18 @6 S44′ [44] In Isaiah:
The bird of the mountains and the beast of the earth shall be left together;****** but the bird shall loathe it, and every beast of the earth shall despise it (Isa. 18:6).
This is said of “the land shadowed with wings,” by which the church is meant which, because of the obscurity it is in, catches at imaginary things for spiritual truths, and thus from ignorance comes into a denial of these truths. “Bird and beast” signify here the thoughts of truth and the affections of good, both rational and natural, which are said “to loathe and despise.” Evidently it is not the bird and every beast that will loathe and despise, but the affections of good and the thoughts of truth, that is, those who are in these.
sRef Hos@4 @2 S45′ sRef Hos@4 @3 S45′ [45] In Hosea:
They commit robbery, bloods touch bloods, and everyone that dwelleth therein shall languish, even to the wild beast of the field and the bird of the heavens, yea, the fishes of the sea shall be gathered up (Hos. 4:2, 3).
Here again “the wild beast of the field,” “the bird of the heavens,” and “the fishes of the sea,” have a similar signification as above.
sRef Ezek@39 @21 S46′ sRef Ezek@39 @18 S46′ sRef Ezek@39 @17 S46′ sRef Ezek@39 @19 S46′ sRef Ezek@39 @22 S46′ sRef Ezek@39 @20 S46′ [46] In Ezekiel:
Thou son of man, say to every bird of every wing, and to every wild beast of the field, Gather yourselves together and come, gather yourselves from every side to My sacrifice that I sacrifice for you, a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh and drink blood; ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, rams, lambs, and kids,******* the bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan; ye shall eat fat to satiety, and drink blood to drunkenness, of My sacrifice which I sacrifice for you; and ye shall be satiated at My table with horse and chariot, with the mighty, and with every man of war; so will I give My glory among the nations (Ezek. 39:17-21).
This is said of the calling together of the Gentiles to the church, and the reception by them of the truth of doctrine in the good of love, which is the good of life, and of their consequent intelligence in spiritual things. Therefore “the bird of every wing and every wild beast of the field” which shall be gathered from every side to the great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, mean all in whatever state they may be in respect to the perception of truth and the affection of good, “the bird of every wing” meaning all in whatever kind of perception of truth they may be, and “every wild beast of the field” all in whatever kind of affection of good they may be; “to gather together from every side” signifies those outside the church from every quarter.
[47] “The great sacrifice” signifies the worship of the Lord from faith and love, for that is what “sacrifices” in general represented; and “the mountains of Israel” signify the goods of spiritual love. “To eat flesh and drink blood” signifies to appropriate to oneself the good of love and the truth of that good; “to eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth” signifies such appropriation, “the mighty” (or oxen) signifying the affections of the natural man, and “the princes of the earth” the chief truths of the church; “rams, lambs, kids,******* bullocks, fatlings of Bashan” signify all things of innocence, love, charity, and good, “the fatlings of Bashan” meaning the goods of the natural man from a spiritual origin.
[48] From this it is clear what is signified by “eating flesh to satiety, and drinking blood to drunkenness,” namely, to be filled with every good of love and truth of faith; “to be satiated at the table of the Lord with horse and chariot, with the mighty, and with every man of war” signifies to be fully instructed from the Word, “horse” signifying the understanding of truth, “chariot” the doctrine of truth, “the mighty and the man of war” the truth of good fighting against the falsity of evil, and destroying it. Because this is said of the calling together of the Gentiles to the church of the Lord, it is added, “so will I give my glory among the nations,” “glory” signifying the Divine truth in light.
sRef Isa@56 @9 S49′ sRef Isa@56 @8 S49′ [49] That such is the signification of “bird of every wing and beast of the field” can be seen from passages before explained, also from these words in Isaiah:
The saying of the Lord Jehovih, who gathereth the outcasts of Israel, I will yet gather them to his gathered ones; every wild beast of My fields, come ye to devour, every wild beast in the forest (Isa. 56:8, 9).
“The outcasts of Israel,” whom the Lord will gather, signify all in the church who are in truths from good separated from those therein who are in falsities from evil; these are meant also by “the wild beasts of the fields of the Lord Jehovih,” “fields” signifying the church in reference to the implantation of the truth of doctrine; but the Gentiles that are without the church are signified by “the wild beast in the forest,” the “forest” signifying the natural and sensual man, and “the wild beast” its knowledge [scientia] and obscure intelligence therefrom. This evidently is the signification of “the wild beast of the field” and “the wild beast in the forest,” for it is said, “Come ye to devour, every wild beast of My fields and every wild beast in the forest,” “to devour” signifying instruction and appropriation.
[50] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so also have “beast” and “wild beast,” in which sense “beasts” signify evil affections, which are the cupidities of adulterating and destroying the goods of the church, and “wild beasts” the cupidities of falsifying and thus destroying the truths of the church.
sRef Ezek@34 @28 S51′ sRef Ezek@34 @23 S51′ sRef Ezek@34 @25 S51′ [51] In this sense “beasts” and “wild beasts” are mentioned in the following passages. In Ezekiel:
I will raise up over them one shepherd, who shall feed them, My servant David; he shall be to them for a shepherd; then I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land, that they may dwell trustingly in the wilderness and sleep in the forest; they shall be no more a prey to the nations, and the wild beast of the earth shall not devour them, but they shall dwell trustingly, and none shall make afraid (Ezek. 34:23, 25, 28).
This is said of the Lord’s coming and of the blessed state of heaven and of those of the church who will come into the new heaven. “The servant David, the shepherd whom Jehovah will raise up,” means the Lord, who is called a “servant” from serving and ministering, that is, performing uses (see above, n. 409); “to make with them a covenant of peace” signifies conjunction with the Lord through the Divine things proceeding from Him, which are the goods of love and the truths of doctrine from the Word, thus through the Word; “to cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land” signifies that evil cupidities and lusts will no more invade and destroy them.
[52] “To dwell trustingly in the wilderness and to sleep in the forests” signifies that they will be safe from infestation by cupidities and lusts, although they are in them and among them, “wilderness” and “forest” meaning where such things and such persons are (these having a similar meaning as in Isa. 11:7-9). Because the man of the church is destroyed by the cupidities of evil and falsity it is said “they shall no more be a prey to the nations, and the evil wild beast shall not devour them,” “nations” signifying the cupidities of evil, and “wild beasts of the earth” the cupidities of falsity.
sRef Jer@12 @8 S53′ sRef Jer@12 @9 S53′ sRef Jer@12 @10 S53′ [53] In Jeremiah:
Mine heritage is become as a lion in the forest, she hath given forth her voice against Me, therefore I have hated her; the bird Zabuah is Mine heritage, about it is the bird; gather together every wild beast of the field, come ye to devour; many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard (Jer. 12:8-10).
This is said of the vastation of the church by the falsities of evil. “Heritage” signifies the church; “the lion out of the forest which hath given forth his voice against God” signifies the falsity of evil in the whole complex; “the bird Zabuah” signifies reasonings from falsities; “the wild beast of the field which shall be gathered to devour” signifies the cupidities of destroying the truths of the church by falsities; and because the church that is so destroyed is meant it is said, “many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard,” “vineyard” signifying the spiritual church, or the church in reference to the affection of truth; and as a “vineyard” signifies the church it follows that “a wild beast of the field” signifies the cupidity of falsifying and thus destroying the truths of the church.
sRef Isa@35 @9 S54′ [54] In Isaiah:
No lion shall be there, the ravenous of the wild beast shall not go up thereon, it shall not be found there (Isa. 35:9).
This treats of the Lord’s coming and of His kingdom in the heavens and on the earths; and the “lion” and “the ravenous of the wild beasts” have a similar signification as above. It must be clear to everyone that “wild beast” here does not mean a wild beast.
sRef Hos@13 @8 S55′ [55] In Hosea:
I will encounter them as a bear that is bereaved, and I will rend the caul of their heart, and I will devour them like a huge lion; the wild beast of the field shall tear them (Hos. 13:8).
Here again, “lion” and “the wild beast of the field” have a similar signification as above.
sRef Zeph@2 @13 S56′ sRef Zeph@2 @15 S56′ sRef Zeph@2 @14 S56′ [56] In Zephaniah:
Jehovah will stretch out His hand over the north and will destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a waste, a dry place like the wilderness; and the droves shall lie down in the midst of her, every wild beast of the nation; both the pelican and the bittern shall lodge nightly in her chapiters; a voice shall sing in the window, a drought shall be in the threshold, because the cedar thereof shall be made bare; such is the rejoicing city that dwelleth securely, saying in her heart, I and none other besides me. How is she become a waste, a place for the wild beast to lie down in; everyone that passeth over her hisseth and moveth his hand (Zeph. 2:13-15).
This describes the vastation of the church by the falsities of doctrine which are from self-intelligence. The “north over which Jehovah will stretch out His hand” signifies the church that is in falsities; “Assyria which Jehovah will destroy” signifies the reasonings from falsities; “Nineveh which He shall make a waste, a dry place like the wilderness” signifies the falsities of doctrine; “droves,” “the wild beast of the nation,” the “pelican,” and the “bittern,” signify the affections of falsities, and falsities themselves interior and exterior.
[57] The “chapiters in which these shall rest” signify the knowledges of truth from the Word falsified; “the voice in the window” signifies the proclamation of falsity; “the drought in the threshold” signifies the total desolation of truth; the “cedar which is made bare” signifies the rational destroyed; “the rejoicing city dwelling securely” signifies the doctrine of falsity, with which they are delighted and in which they rest; “saying in her heart, I and none other besides me” signifies the pride of self-intelligence; “the place for the wild beast to lie down in” signifies the state of the church vastated in respect to truths; “everyone that passeth over her hisseth and moveth his hand” signifies contempt for such and rejection of them by those who are in truths and goods of doctrine.
sRef Lev@26 @6 S58′ [58] In Moses:
I will give peace in the land, so that ye may lie down securely and none make afraid, and I will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land, and the sword shall not pass through your land (Lev. 26:6).
“Peace in the land, so that they may lie down securely and none make afraid” signifies protection by trust in the Lord from the breaking in of falsity into the church; “to cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land” signifies freedom from the affection and cupidity of falsity; and “the sword shall not pass through the land” signifies that falsity shall no longer destroy truth.
sRef Ex@23 @29 S59′ sRef Ex@23 @28 S59′ sRef Ex@23 @30 S59′ [59] In the same:
I will send the hornet before thee, and it shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, the Hittite before thee; I will not drive him out from before thee in one year, lest the land be a solitude, and the wild beast of the field be multiplied upon thee; by little and little will I drive him out from before thee, until thou be fruitful and inherit the land (Exod. 23:28-30.)
“I will send the hornet before thee” signifies the dread of those who are in falsities from evil; “and it shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite” signifies the flight of falsities that are from evils; “I will not drive him out from before thee in one year” signifies a hasty flight or removal of these; “lest the land be desolate” signifies lest there be a lack of spiritual life or but little of it; “and the wild beast of the field be multiplied upon thee” signifies a flowing in of falsities from the delights of the love of self and of the world; “by little and little will I drive him out from before thee” signifies removal by degrees according to order; “until thou be fruitful” signifies according to the increase of good; “and inherit the land” signifies when one is in good and is regenerated. (But these things may be seen further explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 9331-9338.)
sRef Deut@7 @22 S60′ [60] There is a like signification in these words in Moses:
Jehovah God will drive out these nations from before thee by little and little; thou canst not destroy them at once, lest the wild beast of the field be multiplied against thee (Deut. 7:22).
The “nations” driven out and to be driven out of the land of Canaan by the sons of Israel signify evils and falsities of every kind, “the land of Canaan” signifying the church, and “the sons of Israel” the men of the church; therefore “the wild beast of the field” which would be multiplied against them signify the cupidities of falsity from evil; for a man who is reformed and regenerated to the extent that the church may be in him is reformed and regenerated by little and little; for he is conceived anew, is born, and is educated, and this is done so far as the evils and their falsities that are in him from birth and hereditarily are removed, which is not effected in a moment, but through a considerable course of life. This makes clear what is signified in the spiritual sense by “the nations shall not be driven out in one year, but by little and little, lest the wild beast of the field be multiplied against thee;” for if evils and the falsities thence were removed all at once man would have scarcely any life, since the life into which he is born is a life of evil and consequent falsity from cupidities, which are removed only so far as goods and truths enter, for by these they are removed.
sRef Jer@34 @20 S61′ sRef Hos@2 @12 S61′ sRef Ezek@32 @4 S61′ sRef Ezek@29 @5 S61′ sRef Ps@80 @13 S61′ sRef Ezek@39 @4 S61′ sRef Ps@79 @2 S61′ sRef Jer@16 @4 S61′ sRef Ezek@34 @5 S61′ sRef Ezek@34 @8 S61′ sRef Ezek@33 @27 S61′ sRef Ezek@5 @17 S61′ [61] Because “wild beast” signifies******** in the spiritual sense the cupidities of falsity from evil, and “birds” signify thoughts and reasonings from them, and because through these the man of the church spiritually perishes, so here and there in the Word, where the vastation of the church is treated of, it is said that “they were given to the wild beasts and the birds to be devoured,” as in the following passages. In David:
The boar in the forest treadeth under foot the vine, and the wild beast of the fields doth feed on it (Ps. 80:13).
In Hosea:
I will lay waste her vine and her fig tree, and I will make them a forest, and the wild beast of the field shall devour them (Hos. 2:12).
In Ezekiel:
I will send upon you famine and the evil wild beast, and they shall make thee bereaved (Ezek. 5:17).
This is said of Jerusalem, by which the church is meant. In the same:
I will give him to the wild beast to be devoured (Ezek. 33:27).
In the same:
The sheep were scattered, without a shepherd, and were for food for every wild beast of the field (Ezek. 34:5, 8).
In the same:
I have given thee for food to the wild beast of the land and to the bird of the heavens (Ezek. 29:5).
In the same:
I will cast thee forth upon the faces of the field, and I will cause every bird of the heavens to dwell upon thee, and with thee I will satisfy the wild beast of all the earth (Ezek. 32:4).
In Jeremiah:
Their carcass shall be for food to the bird of the heavens and to the beast of the earth (Jer. 16:4; 19:7; 34:20).
In Ezekiel:
I have given thee for food to the swift bird of every wing, and to the wild beast of the field (Ezek. 39:4).
In David:
The dead body of Thy servant have they given to the bird of the heavens, the flesh of Thy saint to the wild beast of the earth (Ps. 79:2).
In Jeremiah:
I will visit upon them with four kinds, with the sword to kill, and with dogs to drag about, and with birds of the heavens and with the beasts of the earth to devour and to destroy (Jer. 15:3).
sRef Jer@15 @3 S62′ [62] In these passages, “wild beasts and birds” signify falsities from the cupidity of evil and from reasoning. And as the “nations” in the land of Canaan signify the evils and falsities of religion and of worship, the sons of Jacob did not bury the dead bodies of the nations which they slew in war, but left them to be devoured by birds and wild beasts; but this was not by Divine command, but from the inborn cruelty of that people, thus by permission, in order that such things might be represented.
sRef Ps@74 @18 S63′ sRef Ps@74 @19 S63′ [63] In David:
The enemy hath reproached Jehovah, and a foolish people hath contemned Thy name. Give not the soul of Thy turtledove unto the beast; forget not the life of Thine afflicted ones perpetually (Ps. 74:18, 19).
The “enemy” who reproached Jehovah signifies hell and evil therefrom; the “foolish people” who contemned His name signify the falsities which are opposed to the truths of doctrine; those who are in truths are called a “people,” and in the contrary sense those who are in falsities, and these are a “foolish people;” the “name of Jehovah” signifies every truth of doctrine and of the church; “give not the soul of Thy turtledove to the beast” signifies not to give spiritual good to those who are in the cupidities of evil; “the life of Thine afflicted ones” signifies spiritual life oppressed by evils and falsities.
sRef Hab@2 @17 S64′ [64] In Habakkuk:
The violence of Lebanon hath covered thee, and the devastation of the beasts shall dismay them, because of the blood of men and the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein (Hab. 2:17).
The “violence of Lebanon” signifies the violence done to the truths perceived by the rational man from the Word, for “Lebanon” signifies the church in respect to the perception of truth from the rational man; “the devastation of the beasts” which shall dismay them signifies the destruction of truths by the cupidities of evil; “bloods” signify the violence offered to the truths of the Word by evils; and “violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein” signifies violence done to the truths and goods of the church and to its doctrine from the Word by falsities.
sRef Deut@32 @24 S65′ [65] In Moses:
The tooth of beasts I will send upon them, with the poison of the creeping things of the earth (Deut. 32:24).
“The tooth of beasts” signifies the sensual in respect to the cupidities of evil, for “tooth” corresponds to the ultimate of man’s life, which is the sensual; “the poison of the creeping things of the earth” signifies the falsities therefrom, which cunningly pervert truths by means of the fallacies of the sensual man.
sRef Ezek@8 @10 S66′ [66] In Ezekiel:
When I went in and I saw an abomination, and behold every form of creeping thing and of beast, and all the idols of the house of Israel painted upon the wall round about (Ezek. 8:10).
These and many other things that were shown to the prophet signify the direful cupidities and falsities in which the Israelites were, because they were in externals and not at all in internals; and those who were such turned all representatives into things idolatrous; this was the source of their idolatries and also of the idolatries of many other nations; and then the “beasts and creeping things,” images of which they made for themselves because these signified the affections of good and of prudence, became the representatives of the direful cupidities of evil and falsity. This is what takes place when the natural man separated from the spiritual looks upon things holy; this is why these are called the “idols of the house of Israel.” “The wall round about” upon which they were seen painted signifies the interiors everywhere in the natural man, for the “roof” signifies the inmost, the “floor” or “pavement” the outmost, the “walls” the interiors, and the “house” the man himself in respect to the things of his mind. The natural man is interior and exterior, and the interior natural is where the filthy things of man reside and these the exterior does not divulge but puts on the semblance of things good, just, and sincere.
sRef Isa@46 @1 S67′ [67] As “wild beasts” and “beasts” signify the goods of the understanding and the goods of the will which are of the affections, and as the ancients who knew correspondences made representative and significative figures of these, which at first they did not worship, but their posterity, who from internal became merely external, worshiped them as divine in themselves, so wild beasts and beasts became idols. This is evident in Isaiah:
Bel bowed down, Nebo stooped, their idols are to the wild beast and to the beast (Isa. 46:1).
In Isaiah there is a prophecy respecting:
The beasts of the south (Isa. 30:6, et seq.);
which signify the adulterations of good and the falsifications of truth, from which arise evils and falsities of every kind with those of the church who are merely in externals; they are called “the beasts of the south” because they are with those who have the Word, from which they are able to be in the light of truth from the Word, and this is the “south.”
sRef Dan@7 @6 S68′ sRef Dan@7 @3 S68′ sRef Dan@7 @2 S68′ sRef Dan@7 @4 S68′ sRef Dan@7 @5 S68′ sRef Dan@7 @7 S68′ [68] In Daniel:
He saw in vision, when it was night, four beasts coming up out of the sea; the first was like a lion but had eagle’s wings, the second like a bear, the third like a leopard which had four wings, and the fourth was dreadful and terrible (Dan. 7:2-7).
“The beast out of the sea” here signifies the love of dominion, which the holy things of the Word and the church are made to serve as means; and “the four beasts” signify the gradual increase of the love of dominion, therefore the last beast is called “dreadful and terrible.” (But this may be seen explained in part above, n. 316, 556.)
[69] Nearly the like things are signified in Revelation by:
The beast coming up out of the sea (Rev. 13:1-10);
The beast coming up out of the earth (Rev. 13:11-18);
The scarlet beast (Rev. 17:3);
The beast out of the abyss (Rev. 17:8).
(Respecting these beasts more is said in Rev. 19:19, 20, and 20:10.)
But what cupidities of evil and falsity each beast signifies will be seen below, where these beasts are treated of.
sRef Mark@1 @12 S70′ sRef Mark@1 @13 S70′ [70] From this it will now appear what is meant by these words in Mark:
The spirit urging Jesus caused Him to go into the wilderness, and He was in the wilderness forty days; and He was with the beasts, and angels ministered unto Him (Mark 1:12, 13).
The Lord’s being in the wilderness forty days represented the duration of all those most direful temptations which He, above all others in the whole world, endured and withstood; for “forty days” signify the entire period and duration of temptations, thus not that He was tempted at that time only, but from childhood even to the end of His life in the world; His last temptation was in Gethsemane. For by temptations He subjugated all the hells and also glorified His Human (but respecting the Lord’s temptations see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 302). Because temptations arise through evil spirits and genii who are from hell, thus through the hells, from which evils and falsities and their cupidities and lusts arise, so the “beasts” here, with which the Lord was, do not mean beasts, but the hells and the evils that rise out of them; and the “angels” who ministered unto Him do not mean angels, but Divine truths, through which from His own power He overcame and subjugated the hells. (That “angels” signify in the Word Divine truth, see above, n. 130, 200, 302, 593.)
* The Latin for “who” has “because;” “quia” for “qui.”
** The Latin “et bestiam,” “and beast,” seems here superfluous.
*** The Hebrew here has “sixth,” as found in AC 60.
**** The Hebrew has “not” which is here omitted.
***** The Hebrew has “dwell” as also in the explanation which follows.
****** the Hebrew has “they shall be left to the bird. . . and to the beast,” as found in AE 1100.
******* The Hebrew has “he-goats,” as found in AC 4735.
******** The photolithograph has “removes” for signifies.

sRef Rev@11 @7 S0′ 651. And shall overcome them and kill them, signifies the consequent destruction of every good and truth of the church. This is evident from the signification of “to overcome and kill the two witnesses,” as being to destroy the things signified by “the two witnesses,” which are the good of love and charity and the truth of doctrine and faith. That these will be destroyed by the affections of the natural man separated from the affections of the spiritual man, which are evil cupidities of every kind arising from infernal loves, is signified by “the beast that cometh up out of the abyss;” and that it was foretold that this would come to pass at the end of the church, when the Last Judgment takes place, has been said above. “To kill” signifies in the Word to kill spiritually, which means here to destroy the good of love and the truth of doctrine, as may be seen above (n. 315).

sRef Rev@11 @8 S0′ 652. Verse 8. And their bodies shall be upon the street of the great city, signifies their extinction by the evils and falsities of doctrine. This is evident from the signification of “bodies” as being that the good of love and the truth of doctrine signified by “the two witnesses” have been extinguished; for “to be killed” signifies to be extinguished, here spiritually, because it refers to those who have wholly destroyed these things in themselves. In like manner the Lord is said “to have been slain” and “to be dead,” to signify that the Divine proceeding from Him, which is Divine good and Divine truth, has been rejected, that is, the Lord has been slain and is dead with those by whom that has been rejected (see above, n. 83). This is evident also from the signification of “the street of the great city,” as being the truth and good of doctrine, and in the contrary sense the falsity and evil of doctrine; for “street” signifies truth leading, and in the contrary sense falsity leading (of which presently); and “city” signifies doctrine (of which above, n. 223). It is said “great city,” because “great” is predicated of good, and in the contrary sense of evil, as “many” is predicated of truth, and in the contrary sense of falsity (see above, n. 223, 336, 337). This now makes clear that “the bodies of the two witnesses upon the street of the great city” signifies the extinction of the good of love and charity and of the truth of doctrine and faith by the falsities and evils of doctrine. As the evils and falsities of doctrine are signified, it is next said “which great city is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt,” “Sodom” signifying the evils of the love, and “Egypt” the falsities therefrom, each pertaining to doctrine, by which the church at its end is destroyed (concerning which in the following articles).
[2] “Street” signifies the truth of doctrine, and in the contrary sense the falsity of doctrine, because in the spiritual sense a “way” signifies truth leading to good, and in the contrary sense falsity leading to evil (see above, n. 97); and streets are ways in a city, and as a “city” signifies doctrine, so a “street” signifies the truth and the falsity of doctrine. Moreover, in the spiritual world there are cities, and streets in them, as in the cities of the world; and what each one is in respect to the affection of truth and intelligence therefrom is known there merely from the place where he dwells and from the streets in which he walks. Those who are in a clear perception of truth dwell in the southern quarter of the city and also walk there; those who are in a clear affection of the good of love dwell in the eastern quarter and also walk there; those who are in an obscure affection of the good of love dwell in the western quarter and also walk there; and those who are in an obscure perception of truth dwell in the northern quarter and also walk there. But in the cities where those live who are in the persuasion of falsity from evil the reverse is true. This makes clear why it is that a “street” signifies truth or falsity leading.
sRef Jer@5 @1 S3′ [3] That “streets” have this signification can be seen from the following passages. In Jeremiah:
Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see, I pray, and know, and seek in the open places thereof if ye can find a man that doeth judgment, that seeketh truth; then will I pardon her (Jer. 5:1).
Because “the streets of Jerusalem and the open places thereof” signify the truths of doctrine, according to the states of affection and perception of those who are of the church, and because “Jerusalem” signifies the church in respect to doctrine it is said, “Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see and know, and seek in the open places thereof;” and because “judgment” is predicated of truths, since all judgment comes from laws and precepts, which are truths, and because “truth” signifies the truth of doctrine and of faith it is said, “if ye can find a man that doeth judgment and that seeketh truth.”
The “open places” mean particularly the corners of the city, thus the quarters where the dwelling places are; and as each one in the cities in the spiritual world has his dwelling place in accordance with his affection of good and his perception of truth, clear or obscure, therefore “open places” signify truths and goods according to each one’s affection and perception.
sRef Isa@59 @14 S4′ [4] In Isaiah:
Judgment hath been rejected backward, and justice hath stood afar off; for truth hath stumbled in the street, and rectitude cannot enter (Isa. 59:14).
“Judgment and justice” signify in the Word truth and good; that these no longer exist is signified by “judgment hath been rejected backward, and justice has stood afar off;” that they have wandered away from the truths of doctrine, and consequently there is no truth in the life, which is the good of life, is signified by “truth hath stumbled in the street, and rectitude cannot enter,” for all good of life is acquired by means of the truths of doctrine, for it is by them that a man learns how he ought to live. Because “street” signifies where truth leads, it is said “truth hath stumbled in the street.”
sRef Nahum@2 @4 S5′ [5] In Nahum:
The chariots raged in the street, they ran to and fro in the open places (Nah. 2:4).
Because “chariots” signify the doctrinals of truth, and “streets” and “open places” what is in accord with each one’s affection and perception, as above, it is said “the chariots raged in the streets, they ran to and fro in the open places,” “to rage” signifying to call falsities truths, and “to run to and fro” signifying to wander off.
sRef Judg@5 @6 S6′ sRef Judg@5 @7 S6′ [6] In the book of Judges:
In the days of Jael the ways ceased, they that go in footpaths went in crooked paths, they ceased, the open places ceased in Israel (Judg. 5:6, 7).
This is in the Song of Deborah and Barak, which treats of the desolation of truth in the church, and afterwards of its restoration; the desolation is described by “the ways ceased, they that go in footpaths went in crooked paths, they ceased, the open places ceased in Israel;” “ways and paths” having the same signification as “streets and open places,” namely, truths of doctrine leading, and “to go in crooked ways” signifies to wander away from truths.
sRef Isa@24 @11 S7′ sRef Isa@24 @10 S7′ [7] In Isaiah:
The city of emptiness shall be broken down, every house shall be shut that no one may enter; a cry over the wine in the streets; every joy shall be mixed, the gladness of the earth shall be banished (Isa. 24:10, 11).
“The city of emptiness” signifies doctrine in which there is falsity and no truth; “house” signifies the good of the will and thus of the life; thence is evident what is signified by “the city of emptiness shall be broken down, every house shall be shut that no one may enter;” “a cry over the wine in the streets” signifies lamentation on account of the lack of truth and the mingling of truth with falsity, “wine” signifying the truth of the church from the Word; therefore it is said “in the streets,” because “street” too signifies truth, and where truth is sought. “Joy and gladness” are mentioned, because “joy” is predicated of the delight that is from the affection of good, and “gladness” of the delight that is from the affection of truth; that these delights will cease is signified by “every joy shall be mixed, the gladness of the earth shall be banished,” the earth signifying the church.
sRef Jer@49 @25 S8′ sRef Jer@49 @26 S8′ [8] In Jeremiah:
How is the city of glory forsaken, the city of my joy! Therefore her young men shall fall in the streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off (Jer. 49:25, 26; 50:30).
“The city of glory” signifies the doctrine of Divine truth, and “the city of joy” signifies the delight from the affection of good and truth therein; “young men” signify those who are made intelligent by means of truths; and that the understanding of truth would perish is signified by “the young men shall fall in the streets;” “men of war” signify truths combating against falsities; that there will be no defense of truth against falsities is signified by “all the men of war shall be cut off.”
sRef Ezek@11 @6 S9′ [9] In Ezekiel:
You have multiplied your slain in this city, so that you have filled the streets thereof with the slain (Ezek. 11:6).
The “slain” mean in the Word those who are destroyed by falsities; for the “sword,” by which they are slain, signifies falsity destroying truth; “city” signifies here, as above, the doctrine of truth; thence appears what is signified by “the slain in the city;” “to fill the streets with the slain” signifies to lay waste the truth by falsities.
sRef Lam@4 @8 S10′ sRef Lam@4 @5 S10′ sRef Lam@4 @18 S10′ sRef Lam@4 @14 S10′ [10] In Lamentations:
They that did eat delicacies are laid waste in the streets; and they that were brought up in crimson have embraced dunghills. The form of the Nazirites is darker than blackness, they are not recognized in the streets. They have wandered about blind in the streets, they are polluted with blood. They have hunted our steps so that we cannot go in the streets (Lam. 4:5, 8, 14, 18).
Here, too, “streets” signify the truths of doctrine leading to the good of life, or truths according to which one must live. This treats of the church where the Word is, and its devastation in respect to truths; therefore “they that did eat delicacies are laid waste in the streets” signifies that those who have imbibed genuine truths from the Word have no longer any truths, “delicacies” meaning genuine truths from the Word; “they that were brought up in crimson have embraced dunghills” signifies that those who had imbibed genuine goods from the Word have nothing but the falsities of evil, “crimson” signifying the genuine good of the Word, in particular the celestial love of truth, and “dunghills” signifying the falsities of evil; “the form of the Nazirites is darker than blackness, they are not recognized in the streets,” signifies that Divine truth is in such obscurity that it is apparent to no one; “the Nazirites” represent the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and therefore signify Divine truth from the Lord; “they have wandered about blind in the streets, they are polluted with blood,” signifies that the truths of the Word are no longer seen because they have been falsified, “the blind” signifying those who do not see truths. “They have hunted our steps, so that we cannot go in the streets,” signifies leading astray, so that it is not known how to live, “to hunt the steps” signifying to lead astray by falsities, and “to go” signifying to live, therefore “to go in the streets” signifies to live according to truths.
sRef Zeph@3 @6 S11′ [11] In Zephaniah:
I will cut off the nations, their corners shall be laid waste; I will make desolate their streets, that none may pass through; their cities shall be laid waste, that there may be no man nor inhabitant (Zeph. 3:6).
The “nations that shall be cut off,” signify the goods of the church; the “corners that shall be laid waste” signify the truths and goods of the church in the whole complex (that this is the signification of “corners” see above, n. 417); the “streets that shall be made desolate, that no one may pass through,” signify the truths of doctrine; for the “cities that shall be laid waste, that there may be no man nor inhabitant,” signify doctrinals, “man” and “inhabitants” meaning in the Word in the spiritual sense all who are in truths and goods, thus in an abstract sense, truths and goods.
sRef Zech@8 @4 S12′ sRef Zech@8 @3 S12′ sRef Zech@8 @5 S12′ [12] In Zechariah:
I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, whence Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth. There shall yet old men and women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and the streets shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof (Zech. 8:3-5).
This is said of the Lord’s coming, and of the New Church to be established by Him; “Zion” means the church in respect to the good of love, and “Jerusalem” the church in respect to the truths of doctrine, therefore Jerusalem is called “the city of truth;” “the old men and women who shall dwell in the streets of Jerusalem” mean those that are intelligent and wise through the truths of doctrine; “the boys and girls playing in the streets, of whom the streets of the city shall be full,” signify the affections of truth and good and their delights, in which those shall abound who live in the truths of doctrine.
sRef Jer@11 @13 S13′ [13] In Jeremiah:
According to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to shame, altars to burn incense to Baal (Jer. 11:13).
“According to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah,” signifies that there were as many falsities as doctrinals, “cities” signifying doctrinals, and “gods” falsities of religion; “according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to shame” signifies that there were as many kinds of worship as there were falsities of doctrine, “streets” here signifying the falsities of doctrine, and “altars” worship; worship from falsities is what is meant, because the altars meant were altars of incense, for it is said, “altars to burn incense to Baal,” and “incense” signifies spiritual good, which in its essence is truth from good, and in the contrary sense falsity from evil.
(That this is the signification of “incense” and its “altar,” see above, n. 324, 491, 492, 567.)
sRef Jer@7 @17 S14′ sRef Jer@7 @18 S14′ sRef Jer@7 @34 S14′ [14] In the same:
Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The sons gather wood and the fathers kindle the fire, the women knead dough to make cakes to the queen of the heavens, and to pour out drink-offerings to other gods; I will make to cease in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness (Jer. 7:17, 18, 34).
What these words signify in the spiritual sense may be seen fully explained above (n. 555); also that “the cities of Judah” signify the doctrinals of the church, and “the streets of Jerusalem” its truths of doctrine.
sRef Jer@44 @9 S15′ [15] In the same:
Have ye forgotten the evils which they did in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? (Jer. 44:9)
“The land of Judah” signifies the church in respect to good, but here in respect to evil; and “the streets of Jerusalem” signify the truths of doctrine, but here its falsities of doctrine.
sRef Ezek@26 @12 S16′ sRef Ezek@26 @11 S16′ [16] In Ezekiel:
With the hoofs of his horses Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon shall trample down all thy streets; he shall slay thy people with the sword, and he shall bring down the pillars of strength to the earth; they shall make a spoil of thy wealth (Ezek. 26:11, 12).
“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon” signifies the profanation of truth and its consequent destruction; “to trample down all thy streets with the hoofs of his horses” signifies that all the truths of the church will be destroyed by the fallacies of the sensual man; “he shall slay the people with the sword” signifies that truths will be destroyed by falsities; that thus also all worship from truths will be destroyed is signified by “he shall bring down the pillars of strength to the earth,” for “pillars” signify holy worship from truths, and because all power is of truth from good they are called “pillars of strength;” that knowledges of truth will also be destroyed is signified by “they shall make a spoil of thy wealth.” (That “wealth” and “riches” mean the knowledges of truth, see above, n. 236.)
sRef Ezek@16 @31 S17′ sRef Ezek@16 @25 S17′ sRef Ezek@16 @24 S17′ [17] In the same:
Thou hast built thee an eminent place and hast made thee an exalted place in every street, upon every head of the way thou hast made thee thy eminent place, and thou hast made thy beauty abominable (Ezek. 16:24, 25, 31).
“Eminent place” and “exalted place” with the ancients signified heaven; from this came the practice of sacrificing upon high mountains, or in place of these upon places built up high, therefore worship from evils and from the falsities of doctrine is signified by “making an eminent and an exalted place in every street, and upon every head of the way;” and as that worship became idolatrous it is said that “they made their beauty abominable,” “beauty” meaning truth and intelligence therefrom; for everyone in the spiritual world is beautiful according to truths from good, and intelligence therefrom.
sRef Amos@5 @16 S18′ [18] In Amos:
Lamentations shall be in all the streets, and they shall say in all the open places, Alas, alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning (Amos 5:16).
“Lamentations shall be in all the streets, and they shall say in all the open places, Alas, alas!” signifies grief because truth and good are everywhere laid waste; “and they shall call the husbandman to mourning” signifies the grief of the men of the church on this account, “husbandman” signifying the man of the church, because a “field” signifies the church in respect to the implantation of truth.
sRef Ps@144 @14 S19′ sRef Ps@144 @13 S19′ [19] In David:
Our garners are full, affording food on food; our flocks are thousands and ten thousands in our streets; our oxen are laden, there is no breach nor fleeing away, nor outcry in our open places (Ps. 144:13, 14).
“Garners which are full of food” signify the doctrinals from the Word, thus the Word itself, wherein are all truths of doctrine which furnish instruction and spiritual nourishment; “flocks are thousands and ten thousands in the streets” signifies spiritual goods and truths, “thousands of flocks” goods, and “ten thousands” truths; “oxen laden” signify natural goods and their affections; “no breach” signifies their coherence; “no fleeing away” signifies no loss of any of these; “no outcry in the open places” signifies no lamentation anywhere over the lack of these.
sRef Job@5 @10 S20′ [20] In Job:
God, who giveth rain upon the faces of the earth, and who sendeth waters upon the faces of the streets (Job 5:10).
“To give rain upon the faces of the earth” signifies the influx of Divine truth into all things with those who are of the church; and “to send waters upon the faces of the streets” signifies Divine influx into the truths of doctrine, that man may be rendered spiritual thereby.
sRef Isa@15 @3 S21′ [21] In Isaiah:
In its streets they have girded themselves with sackcloth, upon its roofs and in its streets he shall howl, flowing down in weeping (Isa. 15:3).
This is said of the city Ar in the land of Moab, which signifies the doctrine of those who are in truths from the natural man; grief over their falsities of doctrine, from the first to the last, is signified by “they have girded themselves with sackcloth, upon its roofs and in its streets he shall howl,” “roofs” meaning interior things, and “streets” exterior things with such. In Jeremiah:
Upon all the roofs of Moab and in its streets, lamentation everywhere (Jer. 48:38).
The signification here is similar, as above.
sRef Dan@9 @25 S22′ sRef Jer@48 @38 S22′ [22] In Daniel:
Know and perceive that from the going forth of the Word even to the restoration and building of Jerusalem, even to Messiah the prince; after sixty and two weeks it shall be restored and built, street and ditch, but in straitness of times (Dan. 9:25).
He who knows not the spiritual sense of the Word may think that by “Jerusalem” here Jerusalem is meant, and that it is to be restored and built; also that “the street and ditch” which it is said will be restored and built mean a street and ditch of that city; but “Jerusalem” means the church that is to be established by the Lord, and “street and ditch” mean the truth of doctrine; “street” truth, and “ditch” doctrine. What is there signified by the number of weeks is not to be explained in this place.
sRef Rev@22 @2 S23′ sRef Rev@22 @1 S23′ [23] This makes evident that “the street of the New Jerusalem” has a like signification in the following passages in Revelation:
The twelve gates were twelve pearls and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass (Rev. 21:21).
And afterwards:
He showed me a pure river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb; in the midst of the street thereof and of the river on either side was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits (Rev. 22:1, 2).
But these passages will be explained hereafter.
sRef Isa@51 @20 S24′ [24] In Isaiah:
Thy sons have fainted, they lay at the head of all the streets, as an antelope in a net (Isa. 51:20).
This, too, is said of Jerusalem, that is, the church vastated in respect to doctrine, “sons” meaning those who are in the truths of doctrine; “to faint and to lie at the head of all the streets” signifies to be deprived of all truth, “head or beginning of the streets” signifying entrance to truth, thus all truth.
sRef Lam@2 @11 S25′ sRef Lam@2 @19 S25′ [25] In Lamentations:
The infant and the suckling faint in the streets of the city. Lift up thy hands to the Lord respecting the souls of thine infants, who have fainted from famine at the head of all the streets (Lam. 2:11, 19).
“Infant and suckling” signify innocence, and also the goods and truths that are first born and made alive by knowledges from the Word with men who are regenerating, and which, being the first, are faultless and blameless; entire lack of these is signified by “they have fainted in the streets of the city, and at the head of all the streets;” it is said “from famine,” because “famine” signifies loss, lack, and ignorance of knowledges, and at the same time desire for them (see above, n. 386).
sRef Nahum@3 @10 S26′ [26] In Nahum:
Her infants were dashed in pieces at the head of all the streets, and over her honorable ones they cast a lot, and all her great ones were bound with chains (Nah. 3:10).
Here also “infants” mean the truths that are firstborn and vivified, and “to be dashed in pieces at the head of all the streets” signifies to be scattered and to perish; “honorable ones” signify the goods of love; “to cast a lot over them” signifies dispersion of these; “great ones” signify the truths of good; and “to be bound with chains” signifies to be tied by falsities so that truth cannot come forth. This is said of “the city of bloods” which signifies the doctrine in which the truths of the Word are falsified.
sRef Jer@9 @21 S27′ [27] In Jeremiah:
Death cometh up through our windows, it cometh into our palaces, to cut off the infant from the street, the young men from the open places (Jer. 9:21).
“Death” means here spiritual death, which takes place when falsity is believed to be truth and truth to be falsity, and the life is in accordance therewith; “windows” signify the thoughts from the understanding, “palaces” the interior and thus the more sublime things of the human mind; this makes clear what is signified by “death cometh up through the windows and cometh into our palaces;” “infant” signifies here as above the truths that are firstborn through knowledges from the Word; “young men” signify truths acquired, from which comes intelligence; and “streets and open places” signify the truths of doctrine and the truths of life which lead to intelligence and wisdom; this makes clear what is signified by “cutting off the infant from the street, the young men from the open places.”
sRef Jer@6 @11 S28′ [28] In the same:
I am full of the anger of Jehovah, I am weary with holding in; pour out upon the infant in the street, and upon the assembly of young men; for even the man with the woman shall be taken, the old man with him that is full of days (Jer. 6:11).
Here “the infant in the street” and “the young men” have a similar signification as above; “man [vir] and woman” signify truth conjoined to good and intelligence therefrom; and “old man” and “one full of days” signify wisdom.
sRef Luke@10 @10 S29′ sRef Micah@7 @10 S29′ sRef Isa@5 @25 S29′ sRef Ps@18 @42 S29′ sRef Luke@10 @11 S29′ sRef Isa@10 @6 S29′ [29] As “street” signifies the truth of doctrine leading, and in the contrary sense falsity, “the clay of the streets,” “the mire,” and “dung” signify the falsity of the love of evil, in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Their carcass has become as the dung of the streets (Isa. 5:25).
He shall make him to be trodden down like the clay of the streets (Isa. 10:6).

In Micah:
She shall be trodden down like the mire of the streets (Mic. 7:10).
In David:
I will beat them small as the dust before the faces of the wind, I will spread them out as the mire of the streets (Ps. 18:42).
All this, too, is from the appearances in the spiritual world; in the cities there in which falsities from evil reign the streets appear full of dung, mire and clay. This makes evident what is signified by:
The Lord’s commanding the seventy whom He sent out to preach the Gospel, Into whatever city ye enter and they receive you not, go out into the streets thereof and say, Even the dust of your city that cleaveth unto us do we shake off from us* (Luke 10:10, 11).
sRef Matt@6 @5 S30′ sRef Matt@6 @2 S30′ sRef Luke@13 @27 S30′ sRef 2Sam@1 @20 S30′ sRef Luke@13 @26 S30′ [30] Because “the streets of a city” signify the truths of doctrine, according to which one should live, it was customary to teach and to pray in the streets. Thus in the second book of Samuel:
Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice (2 Sam. 1:20).
In Matthew:
When thou doest alms sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the open places that they may have glory of men. And when thou prayest thou shalt not be as the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets where they may be seen of men (Matt. 6:2, 5).
And in Luke:
Then shall ye begin to say, We did eat before Thee and drink, and Thou didst teach in our streets; but He shall say, I tell you I know you not whence ye are (Luke 13:26, 27).
sRef Luke@14 @21 S31′ [31] Furthermore, from the signification of “street,” as meaning the truth of doctrine, it is also evident why the Lord said in the parable that:
The master of the house commanded his servants to go out quickly into the streets and open places of the city and bring in the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind (Luke 14:21).
“The poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind,” do not mean such in a natural sense, but such in a spiritual sense, that is, such as had not the Word, and were therefore in ignorance of truth and in lack of good, but still desired truths by means of which they might obtain good; such were the Gentiles with whom the church of the Lord was afterwards established.
sRef Deut@13 @13 S32′ sRef Deut@13 @16 S32′ sRef Gen@19 @2 S32′ sRef Deut@13 @15 S32′ [32] Because “the street of a city” signified either truth or falsity teaching and leading, therefore:
The angels that came to Sodom said that they would lodge all night in the street (Gen. 19:2).
And for the same reason it was commanded that:
If the sons of Israel observed that those in any city served other gods they should smite the inhabitants of the city with the sword, utterly destroying the city, and they should bring all the spoil of it into the midst of the street, and burn the city and all the spoil with fire (Deut. 13:14, 16, 17).
“Other gods” signify the falsities of worship, “the sword” the destruction of falsities by truths; “spoil” the falsification of truth; and “fire” the punishment of the love of evil and its destruction.
[33] From these passages cited from the Word it can be seen what is signified by “the bodies of the two witnesses were cast forth upon the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt,” and afterwards that “they were not suffered to be placed in sepulchers;” for it was a custom with the Jewish and Israelitish nation to cast out the slain that were enemies into the ways and streets, and not to bury them, as a sign of their hatred of such; but still this represented that by such enemies infernal evils and falsities that could not be raised again to life were meant, that is, those who were in infernal evils and falsities.
sRef Jer@14 @15 S34′ sRef Jer@14 @16 S34′ [34] This is evident in Jeremiah:
The prophets prophesy, saying, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; by sword and by famine shall these prophets be consumed, and the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out into the streets of Jerusalem, and there shall be no one to bury them (Jer. 14:15, 16).
A “prophet” means the doctrine of truth, here the doctrine of falsity, because they prophesied falsities; and as “streets” signified where falsities are, it is said that “they were to be cast out into the streets of Jerusalem.”
* The Greek has “against you.”

sRef Rev@11 @8 S0′ 653. Which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, signifies through the evils of the love of self and the falsities therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “Sodom,” as being the love of self and evils of every kind therefrom (of which presently); also from the signification of “Egypt,” as being the natural man separated from the spiritual, and falsity of evil of every kind therefrom (of which also presently). Evidently “Sodom and Egypt” mean Jerusalem, and thus the church, in which the goods of love are adulterated and the truths of doctrine are falsified, for it is next said “where also our Lord was crucified;” for the evils of the love of self and the falsities of doctrine are what crucify the Lord, therefore He was crucified by the Jews, because they were in those evils and falsities; but of this more hereafter.
[2] First let it be shown here that “Sodom” signifies in the Word the love of self, and thence every evil; for evils of every kind flow forth from the love of self; since he who loves himself only loves what is his own [proprium], and therefore immerses all things of his will and his understanding in what is his own [proprium], even so that it is impossible for him to be elevated from it to heaven and to the Lord; consequently he sees nothing from the light of heaven, but solely from the light of the world, which light, separated from the light of heaven, is mere darkness in spiritual things, which are the things of heaven and the church; and for this reason also the more a man loves himself the more he despises, yea, denies spiritual things. In consequence also of this the internal spiritual mind, by which man is in the light of heaven, is closed up, and this causes the man to be merely natural, and the merely natural man is inclined to evils of every kind. For the evils into which man is born have their seat in the natural man, and these are removed from him only to the extent in which his interior mind, which receives the light of heaven, is opened; moreover, what is man’s own [proprium] has its seat in the natural man, and what is man’s own [proprium] is nothing but evil.
sRef Ezek@16 @50 S3′ sRef Ezek@16 @47 S3′ sRef Ezek@16 @48 S3′ sRef Ezek@16 @46 S3′ sRef Ezek@16 @49 S3′ [3] That “Sodom” therefore signifies the love of self, and thus evils of every kind, can be seen from the passages in the Word where “Sodom” is mentioned; as in the following. In Ezekiel:
Thy elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters dwelling at thy left hand; but thy younger sister, dwelling at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters; thou hast corrupted thyself more than they in all thy ways; Sodom thy sister hath not done, she and her daughters, as thou hast done and thy daughters. Behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom, pride, satiety of bread, and tranquillity of quiet was hers and her daughters, and she strengthened not the hand of the afflicted and needy; therefore they became lofty, and committed abomination before Me (Ezek. 16:46-50).
This treats of the abominations of Jerusalem, which were chiefly that they adulterated the goods and truths of the Word and of the church; “Samaria,” where the Israelites were, signifies the spiritual church, in which spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbor, is the essential; but “Jerusalem,” where the Jews were, signifies the celestial church, in which celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord, is the essential. For there are two kingdoms into which heaven and thence the church is divided, the spiritual kingdom and the celestial kingdom (respecting these kingdoms see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28). These kingdoms were represented by the Israelites whose metropolis was Samaria, and by the Jews whose metropolis was Jerusalem.
[4] Spiritual good, which is the good of charity toward the neighbor, is the opposite of infernal evil, which is the evil of the love of the world; and celestial good is the opposite of diabolical evil, which is the evil of the love of self. From the love of self flow forth evils of all kinds, and much worse than those from love of the world (see the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 65-83). This is why more direful and abominable things are related of Jerusalem than of Samaria; and this is why Jerusalem is not only called “Sodom,” but it is said that she did worse things than Sodom, as it is here said “Sodom hath not done as thou hast done and thy daughters.” That the evil of the love of self was the evil of Sodom, is thus declared, “This was the iniquity of Sodom, pride, satiety of bread, tranquillity of quiet, and she strengthened not the hand of the afflicted and needy,” “pride” meaning the love of self, “satiety of bread,” the contempt of all good and truth of heaven and the church, even to loathing of them, “tranquillity of quiet,” security and no anxiety on account of any evil; and “not strengthening the hands of the afflicted and needy” signifies unmercifulness. Because the love of self was the love of Sodom it is said that her daughters “became lofty and committed abomination before Jehovah,” the “daughters” that became lofty signifying the cupidities of that love, and the “abomination before Jehovah” signifying every evil against the Divine Itself.
sRef Jer@50 @35 S5′ sRef Jer@50 @40 S5′ [5] Because the “Chaldeans” signify the profanation and adulteration of the truth of doctrine from the Word, and “the inhabitants of Babylon” the profanation and adulteration of the good of love, therefore the overthrow of these is also compared to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. In Jeremiah:
A sword against the Chaldeans, and against the inhabitants of Babylon, according to God’s overthrowing Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring cities thereof, not a man shall dwell there, nor shall a son of man sojourn therein (Jer. 50:35, 40).
And in Isaiah:
So shall Babylon, the ornament of kingdoms, the splendor of the magnificence of the Chaldeans, be as God’s overthrowing Sodom and Gomorrah (Isa. 13:19).
“Sodom” signifies the evil of the love of self, and “Gomorrah” the falsity of that love; and as the love of self does not acknowledge any truth of the church, it is said, “not a man shall dwell there, nor shall a son of man sojourn therein,” “man” signifying intelligence, and “son of man,” the truth of the church.
sRef Jer@49 @18 S6′ sRef Jer@49 @17 S6′ sRef Zeph@2 @9 S6′ [6] Because “Edom” signifies the natural man, who is in falsities from the love of self, and therefore adulterates the goods of the church, her vastation is compared to the overthrowing of Sodom and Gomorrah. In Jeremiah:
Edom shall be a desolation, as the overthrowing of Sodom and Gomorrah, no man [vir] shall dwell there, neither shall a son of man sojourn therein (Jer. 49:17, 18).
In Zephaniah:
Moab shall be as Sodom, and the sons of Ammon as Gomorrah, a place abandoned to nettles, and a pit of salt, a waste forever (Zeph. 2:9).
“Moab,” as has been said, means the natural man, who from the love of self adulterates the goods of the church, and “the sons of Ammon” mean those who falsify the truths of the church; and as thence is the devastation of all good and truth it is said, “a place abandoned to nettles, and a pit of salt, a waste forever;” the devastation of all good is signified by “a place of nettles,” and the devastation of all truth, by “a pit of salt;” like things are signified by “Sodom and Gomorrah.”
sRef Isa@3 @9 S7′ sRef Isa@3 @8 S7′ sRef Isa@1 @10 S7′ [7] Because “Judah” signifies celestial love, which is love to the Lord, from which is all good, and in the contrary sense diabolical love, which is the love of self, from which is all evil, the devastation of the church, which is signified by “Judah and Jerusalem,” is also compared to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. In Isaiah:
Jerusalem hath stumbled, and Judah hath fallen; the hardening of their faces doth witness against them, and their sin is as Sodom’s (Isa. 3:8, 9).
Hear the word of Jehovah, ye princes of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah (Isa. 1:10). “The Word of Jehovah” means Divine good, and “the law of God” Divine truth, for where good is treated of the name “Jehovah” is used, but where truth is treated of the name “God” is used; and as Divine good, to those who are in the love of self, is evil, it is said “their sin is as Sodom’s,” and “hear the Word of Jehovah, ye princes of Sodom;” and as Divine truth to those who are in the evil of the love of self is falsity, it is said, “give ear to the law of God, ye people of Gomorrah.”
sRef Deut@32 @32 S8′ sRef Lam@4 @5 S8′ sRef Lam@4 @6 S8′ [8] In Moses:
Their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and their grapes are of the field of Gomorrah, grapes of gall, their clusters are of bitterness (Deut. 32:32).
This is said of the direful falsities that exist with the posterity of Jacob, springing from the evils of the love of self. But this is explained above (n. 519). In Lamentations:
They that did eat delicacies are laid waste in the streets, they that were brought up in crimson have embraced dunghills; the iniquity of My people is become greater than the sin of Sodom, that was overturned as in a moment (Lam. 4:5, 6).
This is said of those who are of the Lord’s celestial kingdom and church when they are changed into the opposite, for it is celestial love that is turned into the love of self, which is a diabolical love; of those who have been so changed the above is said. What is signified by “eating delicacies,” “brought up in crimson,” “laid waste in the streets,” and “embracing dung-hills,” has been explained in the article above (n. 652). It is said that their iniquity “is become greater than the sin of Sodom,” because they had the Word, from which they could know the truths and goods of heaven and the church, or of doctrine and life, and adulterated them, and this the inhabitants of Sodom could not do; for he who knows the will of the Lord and does it not, sins more than he who does not know it. Moreover, all those with whom the love of self is dominant despise the holy things of heaven and the church, and deny the Divine of the Lord; and to confirm the evils flowing forth from that love they either adulterate the Word or reject it as a writing that is holy only from having been so accepted. Those, therefore, who do this from the love of self are compared to Sodom and Gomorrah.
sRef Matt@11 @24 S9′ sRef Matt@10 @15 S9′ sRef Matt@11 @23 S9′ sRef Matt@10 @14 S9′ [9] That those who are taught by the Lord respecting the truths and goods of the church, and yet reject and deny them, do worse than those in Sodom, is evident from the Lord’s words respecting Capernaum, in Matthew:
Thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down unto hell; for if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in thee it would have remained until this day; I say unto thee* that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee* (Matt. 11:23, 24).
For the Lord after He left Nazareth abode in Capernaum (Matt. 4:13).
And there did miracles (Matt. 8:5-14; John 4:46 to the end).
Like things were said by the Lord of the cities in which the disciples preached His coming or the Gospel and were not received. As in these words in Matthew:
Whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words, when ye go forth out of that house or city shake off the dust of your feet; verily I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city (Matt. 10:14, 15; Mark 6:11; Luke 10:10-12).
For no one rejects the holy things of the church and denies the Divine of the Lord more interiorly than those do who are in the love of self; those who are in the love of the world and in the evils therefrom may reject the holy things of the church, but not so interiorly, that is, from the confirmation of the heart.
sRef Jer@23 @14 S10′ [10] Like things are said of the prophets and the people who adulterate the truths and goods of the Word to confirm evils and falsities. In Jeremiah:
In the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible stubbornness, in adulterating and walking in a lie, while they have strengthened the hands of the evil that no man doth return from his wickedness; they are become to Me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah (Jer. 23:14).
By “prophets” here those are meant who teach the truths and goods of doctrine, and in an abstract sense, which is the genuine spiritual sense, doctrine from the Word is meant, thus also the Word in respect to doctrine, therefore “a horrible stubbornness” signifies confirmation of heart against the truths and goods of the Word; “to adulterate and walk in a lie” signifies to pervert the goods and truths of the Word; “to adulterate” signifies to pervert the goods of the Word by evils and falsities, a “lie” means falsity, and “to walk in a lie” means to live in falsities. “To strengthen the hands of the evil” signifies to confirm evils and thence their power over goods; and “no man doth return from his wickedness” signifies to persist in the evils and falsities of doctrine; therefore it is said “they are become as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah,” “as Sodom” signifying to be in evils springing from the love of self, and “the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah” signifying an evil life from the falsities of doctrine.
sRef Gen@19 @5 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @7 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @8 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @6 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @4 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @24 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @9 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @25 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @11 S11′ sRef Gen@19 @10 S11′ [11] The evil that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah is described as follows in Moses:
That they wished to offer violence to the angels, and were therefore smitten with blindness, so that they could not find the door where the angels were; and that therefore Jehovah caused brimstone and fire to rain upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and overthrew those cities and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which sprang up from the ground (Gen. 19:1-28).
“Their wishing to offer violence to the angels” means to Divine good and Divine truth, for these are signified by “angels;” the “blindness” with which they were smitten so that they could not find the door signified the complete rejection and denial of the Divine and of the holy things of heaven and the church, even so far as to be unable to see and acknowledge anything of heaven or the church, which is signified by “not finding the door” where the angels were; “brimstone” signifies the lust of destroying the goods and truths of the church by falsities, and “fire” signifies the love of self and every evil that destroys, here the destruction of goods and truths.
sRef Luke@17 @29 S12′ sRef Luke@17 @28 S12′ sRef Luke@17 @30 S12′ [12] That “Sodom and Gomorrah” mean all evils and falsities flowing forth from the love of self has been told me from heaven; for when they who are in evils from that love perish, which occurred at the time of the last judgment, there was an appearance of brimstone and fire raining down from heaven; this I also witnessed. That this would occur at the time of the Last Judgment was also predicted by the Lord in Luke:
Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot, on the day that he went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all; after the same manner shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed (Luke 17:28-30).
sRef Deut@29 @23 S13′ [13] Because those who from the love of self confirm themselves by means of falsities in evils against the truths and goods of heaven and the church, completely root out with themselves every truth of doctrine and of the Word and every good of spiritual and celestial love, there takes place in them a total vastation, which is thus described in Moses:
The whole land shall be brimstone and salt, a burning; it shall not be sown, neither shall it spring forth, nor shall any herb come up thereon, according to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Admah and Zeboiim (Deut. 29:23).
“Brimstone” signifies the vastation of all good by lusts from evils; “salt” signifies the vastation of all truth by falsities from those lusts; “the burning of the whole land” signifies the devastation of the church by the love of self; “it shall not be sown, neither spring forth, nor shall any herb come up thereon,” signifies that there will be no capacity whatever to receive the truth of the church, “herb” signifying the truth of the church when it first springs forth. And because such is the devastation of good and truth from the love of self it is said, “like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Admah and Zeboiim,” “Admah and Zeboiim” signifying the knowledges of evil and falsity. That such things are to occur at the time of the Last Judgment is what is signified by “in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”
* The Greek has “you.”

sRef Rev@11 @8 S0′ 654. That “Egypt” here signifies the natural man separated from the spiritual, and thence falsities flowing forth from the evils of the love of self, consequently from the pride of self-intelligence, shall now be explained. For when the natural of man is separated from his spiritual, which is effected chiefly by the love of self, then from the evils of that love falsities flow forth, for every falsity is from an evil, for the falsity is the protector of the evil, and the evil of the will takes form in the understanding by means of the ideas of the thought, and these ideas are called falsities. And as the falsities that flow forth from the evils of the love of self have in them pride, for man then thinks from what is his own [proprium], therefore “Egypt” here signifies also the pride of self-intelligence.
[2] But as “Egypt” signifies the natural man in both senses, that is, both when it is conjoined to the spiritual man and when it is separated from it, thus both in a good sense and in a bad sense, so the various things belonging to the natural man, which have reference in general to cognitions and knowledges, are signified by “Egypt.” For the truths and falsities of the natural man are called cognitions and knowledges; but when the truths themselves have acquired life, which is effected by a life of faith, which is charity, they belong to his spiritual man. These with their affections and pleasantnesses do not appear to man’s manifest sense and sight, as the cognitions and knowledges of the natural man do, for the reason that so long as a man lives in the world he thinks naturally and speaks naturally, and this a man sensibly feels and perceives by a kind of sight that belongs to his understanding. But his spiritual thought, which is conjoined to the affection of truth or of falsity, is not apparent until man has put off the natural body and put on the spiritual body, which takes place after his death, or his departure from this world and his entrance into the spiritual world; then he thinks spiritually and speaks spiritually, and not naturally as before. This takes place with every man, whether he be merely natural or also spiritual; and even with the merely natural man after death thought is spiritual, but gross and without the understanding of truth or the affection of good; for it consists of correspondent ideas, which appear to be material, and yet they are not material. But the Lord willing, more shall be said elsewhere of the spiritual thought and the speech therefrom of men in the spiritual world who are merely natural.
[3] “Egypt” signifies in the Word the natural man in both senses, good and bad, consequently everything that properly belongs to the natural man, because in Egypt knowledges [scientiae] were cultivated, especially the knowledge of correspondences and representations, at the time when churches were representative. But because they made for themselves images according to correspondences, and because when from being internal they became altogether external they began to worship them with holy rites and thereby made them their idols, therefore they turned the representatives of things spiritual and celestial into things idolatrous and also into things magical, therefore in the Word “Egypt” came to signify in a bad sense, which is the contrary of the former sense, the false knowledge [scientificum] of the natural man, and also what is idolatrous and magical.
[4] That such is the signification of “Egypt” can be seen from very many passages in the Word; but before we proceed to confirm this it should be known that in every man there is both an internal that sees from the light of heaven, and that is called the internal-spiritual man or the internal-spiritual mind, and an external that sees from the light of the world, and that is called the external-natural man or the external-natural mind. With every man of the church the internal must be conjoined to the external, or the internal-spiritual man to the external-natural man; and when these are conjoined the spiritual man, because it is in the light of heaven, has dominion over the natural man which is in the light of the world, and rules it as a master rules a servant, and teaches it as a teacher teaches a pupil. It is from this conjunction that a man is a man of the church and an angel. But when the natural man is not conjoined to the spiritual and subject to it, as is especially the case when the spiritual man is closed up (and it is closed up with those who deny the Divine things of the Word and of the church, for they then see nothing from the light of heaven), then the natural man is blind in respect to spiritual things, and by his rational perverts all the truths of the church, and by his ideas of them turns them with himself into falsities. This subject, namely, the conjunction of the spiritual man with the natural, and the separation of the natural man from the spiritual, is treated of in many places in the Word, especially where it treats of Egypt, since “Egypt” signifies the natural man both when conjoined to the spiritual man and when separated from it. And when the natural man separated from the spiritual is treated of there is condemnation and rejection of Egypt.
[5] Because “Egypt” signifies in a broad sense the natural man, it also signifies true knowledge [scientificum] and false knowledge, for the truths and falsities that are in the natural man are called knowledges [scientifica]. And because true and false knowledges are signified by “Egypt,” faith also is signified by it, since faith is of truth and truth is of faith; for this reason also faith conjoined to charity is signified by “Egypt” in a good sense, and faith separated from charity in an evil sense; for faith is conjoined to charity when the spiritual man is conjoined to the natural, and then “Egypt” signifies true knowledges; but faith is separated from charity when the natural man is separated from the spiritual, and then “Egypt” signifies false knowledge. For when the natural man is separated from the spiritual, man has no truths, and if he draws truths from the Word or from the doctrine of the church, yet he falsifies them by the ideas of his thought; therefore with such a man of the church every truth becomes a falsity.
[6] Thus much on the signification of “Egypt” in the Word. In the first place, it shall be shown from the Word that “Egypt” signifies the natural man conjoined to the spiritual, or knowledge made living by the influx of spiritual light, or what is similar, faith conjoined to charity, which is in itself faith. Afterwards it shall be shown that “Egypt” signifies in the contrary sense the natural man separated from the spiritual, or knowledge not made living by any influx of spiritual life, or what is similar, faith separated from charity, which in itself is not faith. That “Egypt” signifies the natural man conjoined to the spiritual, also knowledge made alive by the influx of spiritual light, which in itself is true knowledge or the truth of the natural man, and what is similar, faith conjoined to charity, which in itself is faith, can be seen from the following passages.
sRef Isa@19 @18 S7′ sRef Isa@19 @21 S7′ sRef Isa@19 @22 S7′ sRef Isa@19 @19 S7′ sRef Isa@19 @20 S7′ sRef Isa@19 @25 S7′ sRef Isa@19 @23 S7′ sRef Isa@19 @24 S7′ [7] In Isaiah:
In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak with the lip of Canaan, and that swear to Jehovah of Hosts; every one of them shall be called the city of Cheres. In that day there shall be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to Jehovah beside the border thereof. They shall cry unto Jehovah because of oppressions, and He shall send them a Savior and Prince. Then shall Jehovah become known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know Jehovah in that day, and shall offer the sacrifice and meal-offering. So Jehovah shall smite Egypt, smiting and healing; therefore they shall turn themselves to Jehovah, and He shall be entreated of them and shall heal them. In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt into Assyria, that Assyria may come into Egypt and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians may serve with Assyria; in that day Israel shall be a third to Egypt and to Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land that Jehovah of Hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance (Isa. 19:18-25).
Here “Egypt” stands for the natural man conjoined to the spiritual, thus for the nations and peoples that were outside of the church; and as these were not in truths they were natural men, but when they heard the Gospel they acknowledged the Lord, and when they had been instructed thereby in the truths of doctrine they received faith. The Lord’s coming is meant by “in that day,” which is here five times mentioned. “In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak with the lip of Canaan” signifies that there shall be with them many doctrinals that are in accord with the truths of the doctrine of the church itself, “five” meaning many, “cities” doctrinals, “the land of Egypt” a church of such nations, and “the lip of Canaan” the truths of doctrine of the church; “every one of them shall be called the city of Cheres” signifies the doctrine of the good of charity in every one, “city” signifying doctrine, and “Cheres,” which in the Hebrew means the sun and its beams, signifying the good of charity and faith therefrom.
[8] “In that day there shall be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to Jehovah at the border thereof” signifies the worship of the Lord at that time from the goods of charity and from the truths of faith therefrom in all things of the natural man; “an altar to Jehovah” signifying worship from the good of charity, “pillar” the worship from truths of faith, “in the midst of the land of Egypt” everywhere and in all things of the natural man, and “border” true knowledge.
[9] “They shall cry unto Jehovah because of oppressions, and He shall send them a Savior and Prince” signifies their grief because of a lack of spiritual truth and of spiritual good therefrom, and the coming of the Lord, from whom they will receive these; “to cry” signifying grief, “oppressions” signifying the lack of spiritual truth and of spiritual good therefrom, and “Savior and Prince” the Lord, who is called “Savior” from the good of love, and “Prince” from the truths of faith; “then Jehovah shall become known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know Jehovah in that day” signifies the acknowledgment of the Lord and of His Divine; “and shall offer a sacrifice and meal offering” signifies the worship of the Lord according to His precepts from the Word, thus from the truths of doctrine and from the good of love; “so Jehovah shall smite Egypt, smiting and healing; therefore they shall turn themselves to Jehovah, and He shall be entreated of them and shall heal them” signifies temptations and thus conversion, and being healed of falsities by truths.
[10] “In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt into Assyria, that Assyria may come into Egypt and Egypt into Assyria” signifies that then the rational shall be opened to them by true knowledges, so that man may look at knowledges that belong to the natural man rationally, and thus intelligently, “Egypt” meaning the knowledge of the natural man, and “Assyria” the rational; “in that day Israel shall be a third to Egypt and to Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land” signifies influx into both from spiritual light; “Israel” meaning the spiritual man which has light from heaven, “Egypt,” the natural man which has light from the world, and “Assyria,” the rational man which is between, and which receives light from the spiritual and transmits it to the natural, which it enlightens; “that Jehovah shall bless” signifies influx from the Lord; “saying, Blessed be Egypt My people” signifies the natural man enlightened; “and Assyria the work of My hands” signifies the rational man that is rational not from self but from the Lord; “and Israel Mine inheritance” signifies the spiritual man, which is called “an inheritance” because everything spiritual is of the Lord, for it is His Divine proceeding, from which is heaven and the church. Without the spiritual sense who could understand these prophecies?
sRef Micah@7 @12 S11′ [11] In Micah:
This is the day in which they shall come unto thee even from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and thus from Egypt even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain (Mic. 7:12).
This is said of the establishment of the church by the Lord with the Gentiles, and these words describe the extension of that church from one end to the other. One end of the land of Canaan was the river Euphrates and the other was the river of Egypt. The extension of truth from one end to the other is signified by “from sea to sea,” and the extension of good from one end to the other by “from mountain to mountain.”
sRef Gen@15 @18 S12′ sRef 1Ki@4 @21 S12′ [12] That the land of Canaan, which signifies the church, extended from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates, the river of Assyria, appears in Moses:
In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, To thy seed I will give this land, from the river of Egypt even to the great river, the river Euphrates (Gen. 15:18).
And in the first book of Kings:
Solomon was ruler over all kingdoms from the river Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, and even to the lands of Egypt (1 Kings 4:21).
For the church, which in itself is spiritual, has its boundaries in the natural man, that is, in its rational and knowing faculties, for the rational is in the interior natural man, for it is its understanding; in it also is the knowing faculty; and the rational is born by means of knowledges, for in these it sees its conclusions as in a mirror, and confirms itself by them, but yet from the spiritual; without this man has no rational, nor has he any true knowing faculty, but in place of the rational he has an ability to reason, and in place of a true knowing faculty he has a false knowing faculty; so these two constitute the boundaries of the spiritual church, which is signified by “the land of Canaan.”
sRef Ezek@31 @6 S13′ sRef Ezek@31 @2 S13′ sRef Ezek@31 @3 S13′ sRef Ezek@31 @8 S13′ sRef Ezek@31 @9 S13′ sRef Ezek@31 @7 S13′ sRef Gen@13 @10 S13′ sRef Ezek@31 @1 S13′ sRef Ezek@31 @5 S13′ sRef Ezek@31 @4 S13′ [13] In Ezekiel:
Son of man, say unto Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude, Whom art thou like in thy greatness? Behold Asshur, a cedar in Lebanon, beautiful in branch and with shady boughs, and lofty in stature, and its top was among the interwoven boughs; the waters made it grow, the deep made it exalted, so that with its rivers it went about the plant and sent out conduits unto all the trees of the field, whence its stature became lofty, and its branches became long, because of the many waters which it sent out. In its branches all the birds of the heavens built their nests, and under its branches every beast of the field has brought forth, and in its shade dwelt all great nations; it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches, for its root was by many waters. The cedars in the garden of God have not hidden it; the fir trees were not equal to its branches, nor was any tree in the garden of God equal to it in its beauty; they have made it beautiful by the multitude of its branches, and all the trees of Eden which are in the garden of God envied it (Ezek. 31:2-9).
It is because “Pharaoh king of Egypt” signifies the understanding of the natural man, which is born and formed out of true knowledges rationally seen, that he is here called “Asshur,” which signified the rational, and is described by a cedar and its height, and the length and multitude of its branches, and this is because the “cedar” signifies in the Word the rational. (But most of this passage may be seen explained above, n. 650.)
Because the rational is such in respect to the intellectual, and the natural is such in respect to true knowledges it is said that “the cedars in the garden of God did not hide it, and the fir trees were not equal to its branches, nor was any tree in the garden of God equal to it in beauty;” “the garden of God” signifying the intelligence which the man of the church has who is in genuine truths, “the cedar,” his rational which is from a spiritual origin, “the fir tree,” the perceptive faculty of the natural man, “beauty,” the affection of truth and the consequent intelligence; “they have made it beautiful by the multitude of branches” signifies the abundance of true knowledges rationally perceived; “all the trees of Eden which are in the garden of God envied it” signifies perceptions of truth from celestial good, whence is wisdom, “trees” where the celestial man is treated of signifying perceptions, and where the spiritual man is treated of cognitions, and “Eden in the garden of God” signifying the wisdom which is from the good of love. That Pharaoh and Egypt are here meant and described by “Asshur” and the “cedar” can be seen also from the last verse of this chapter, where it is said, “This is Pharaoh and all his multitude.” As all the intelligence and wisdom of the spiritual man closes into the natural mind, and there renders itself visible, so in the passage above cited Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is compared to “a cedar in the garden of God,” since “Pharaoh” signifies the intellectual which is in the natural man, born and formed out of true knowledges; consequently it is the land of Egypt that is meant by “the garden of God,” like as in Moses:
Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that the whole of it was well watered like the garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt in coming to Zoar (Gen. 13:10).
sRef 2Ki@19 @24 S14′ sRef 2Ki@19 @23 S14′ [14] The natural man in respect to its understanding, as described above in Ezekiel, is also described by Sennacherib, the chief captain of the king of Assyria, but by his blasphemies, as follows:
By the hand of thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, where I will cut down the stature of the cedars thereof, the choice of the fir trees thereof, and I will come to the lodging place of his end, the wood of his cultivated field. I have digged and drunk strange waters, and I will dry up with the sole of my footsteps all the rivers of Egypt (2 Kings 19:23, 24).
Similar things are signified here as in the passage cited above, namely, the rational things of the men of the church formed out of true knowledges, and enlightened from the Divine spiritual, and yet the king of Assyria (signifying here a perverted rational) wished to destroy these, for he made war upon Hezekiah, king of Judah; but because he blasphemed these, and threatened to destroy all things of the church from first to last, which church is formed with man in his rational and his natural from the spiritual, therefore in that night a hundred and eighty-five thousand were smitten in his camp by the angel of Jehovah (verse 35). Here the “multitude of chariots” of the king of Assyria signifies the falsities of doctrine; “the height of the mountains, the sides of Lebanon,” which he wished to ascend, signify all the goods and truths of the church, which he wished to destroy; “the stature of the cedars and the choice of the fir trees” which he wished to cut down signify rational and natural truths in respect to perception; “the wood of the cultivated field” signifies knowledges; “the rivers of Egypt which he would dry up with the sole of his footsteps” signify the knowledge of the natural man from a spiritual origin, which he would annihilate and blot out by means of his sensual, “the sole of the footsteps” of the king of Assyria meaning the sensual and reasoning therefrom, which is from mere fallacies, and “the rivers of Egypt” meaning the intelligence of the natural man from knowledges that are from a spiritual origin, when these are applied to confirm the truths of the church, which are spiritual.
sRef Gen@12 @10 S15′ [15] Every man with whom the church is to be implanted must first be instructed in knowledges, for unless the natural man is instructed by means of knowledges, which are also various experiences from worldly things and associations, a man cannot become rational; and if he does not become rational he cannot become spiritual; for the rational of man is conjoined on one side to the spiritual, that is, to heaven, and on the other side to the natural, that is, to the world. For this reason, and because a church was to be instituted with the sons of Israel therefore the natural man with them was first to be instructed, that is, in truths naturally and also scientifically understood. And in order that this might be represented and signified it came to pass that Abraham, whose posterity was to represent the church, and who was himself the head of it:
Sojourned in Egypt with his wife, and abode there for a time (Gen. 12:10, et seq.);
and afterwards:
Jacob with his sons, who were then called the sons of Israel, went down by command into Egypt, and dwelt in Goshen, which was the best of the lands of Egypt, and there remained a long time (Gen. 46, et seq.)
This was done because man must be instructed in truths scientifically and naturally before he is instructed spiritually.
[16] For every man by truths scientifically and naturally understood acquires for himself a rational into which the spiritual can flow in and operate; for through the rational which belongs to his understanding man receives the light of heaven, which is spiritual light, and through the rational enlightened by the spiritual he surveys cognitions and knowledges, selecting from them such as are in accord with the genuine truths and goods of heaven and the church, which are spiritual, and rejecting those that are not; thus it is that man lays the foundation of the church in himself. This is why it is said of Abraham and Jacob that it was because of the famine in the land of Canaan that they went down into Egypt to sojourn there; it was “because of the famine,” since “famine” signifies a lack of the knowledges (cognitiones) of good and truth, together with a desire for them, and “to sojourn” in the Word signifies to be instructed.
sRef Ps@80 @9 S17′ sRef Ps@80 @11 S17′ sRef Ps@80 @8 S17′ [17] This makes evident what is meant by these words in David:
Thou hast caused a vine to go forth out of Egypt, thou hast driven out the nations and planted it, thou hast cleared a place before it, and hast caused its roots to be inrooted so that it filled the land; thou hast sent out its shoots unto the sea and its branches to the river (Ps. 80:8, 9, 11).
“A vine out of Egypt” signifies the church, which was represented by the sons of Israel; “to drive out the nations” signifies to drive out the evils of the natural man, which are driven out by means of truths; “to plant it, to clear a place before it, and to cause its roots to be inrooted” signifies instruction according to order, that is, first to imbue with cognitions and knowledges, then to be as in the wilderness and be tempted, and afterwards to be brought into the land of Canaan, that is, into the church; these things are signified in their order by “Thou hast planted it, thou hast cleared a place before it, thou hast caused its roots to be inrooted, so that it filled the earth;” “to send out its shoots unto the sea” signifies the increase of intelligence and the extension even to the ultimates of the good and truth of the church; and “to send out branches unto the river” signifies unto the rational. (That the “river,” namely, the Euphrates, signifies the rational, see above, n. 569.)
sRef Hos@11 @1 S18′ [18] In Hosea:
When Israel was a child then I loved him, and called My son out of Egypt (Hos. 11:1).
“Israel” signifies in the spiritual sense the church, and in the highest sense the Lord, who as He is the all of heaven is also the all of the church. And as the sons of Israel were to represent the church, and it was according to Divine order that they should first be instructed in such things as would be serviceable to the rational and through this to the spiritual, they first sojourned in Egypt, and afterwards were led into the wilderness that they might undergo temptations, and that through these the natural man might be subdued; for man does not become rational until empty and false knowledges [scientifica] are removed, and the natural man is thus purified, which is effected mainly by temptations.
[19] Because “Israel” in the highest sense means the Lord, the Lord Himself when He was an infant was carried down into Egypt, according to these words in Matthew:
An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, take the child and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell thee. And he arose and took the child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, Out of Egypt have I called My son (Matt. 2:13-15).
This, again, signifies the first instruction of the Lord, for the Lord was instructed like another man, but by virtue of His Divine He received all things more intelligently and wisely than others. But this departure into Egypt was merely a representation of instruction; for as all the representatives of the Jewish and Israelitish church looked to Him, so He also represented them in Himself and completely observed them, thus fulfilling all things of the law. Since representatives were the ultimates of heaven and the church, and all prior things, which are things rational, spiritual, and celestial, enter into ultimates and are in them, so through these the Lord was in ultimates; and as all strength is in ultimates, so it was from firsts through ultimates that He subjugated all the hells, and reduced to order all things in the heavens. This is why the whole life of the Lord in the world was representative, even also all things related in the Gospels respecting His passion, which represented the quality of the church then in its contrariety to the Divine and to all the goods and truths of heaven and the church.
sRef Isa@45 @14 S20′ [20] This makes evident what is meant by “Egypt,” where the church to be established by the Lord is treated of in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Thus said Jehovah, The labor of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall pass over unto Thee, and they shall be Thine; they shall go after Thee, in bonds shall they pass over; so they shall bow themselves down towards Thee, they shall pray towards Thee; only in Thee is God, and there is no God beside (Isa. 45:14).
This is said of the Lord, of whom this whole chapter treats. “The labor of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush and of the Sabeans” signifies the delight of natural love from the acquisition of the knowledges of truth and good; the knowledges themselves are signified by the “Sabeans,” who are called “men of stature” from good, for “stature” (length) signifies good and its quality, and “breadth” truth and its quality; that such will come to the church and acknowledge and worship the Lord is signified by “they shall pass over unto Thee, they shall be Thine, they shall bow themselves down towards Thee;” that the natural man with them will serve the spiritual, and thus the Lord, is signified by “in bonds shall they pass over,” for those are said “to come in bonds” in whom the cupidities pertaining to the natural man are restrained; that they will acknowledge the Lord alone to be God is meant by “they shall pray towards Him; only in Him is God, and there is no God beside.”
sRef Dan@11 @43 S21′ sRef Ps@68 @31 S21′ sRef Ps@68 @32 S21′ [21] In David:
Those that are fat shall come out of Egypt, Cush shall hasten her hands unto God; sing to God, O ye kingdoms of the earth, sing psalms unto the Lord (Ps. 68:31, 32).
“Those that are fat out of Egypt” signify the Gentiles who are in the affection of knowing truths, and “Cush” signifies those who imbibe truths from the delight of the natural man; that “Cush” has this signification can be seen from other passages in the Word where Cush is mentioned (as in Gen. 2:13; Zeph. 3:5, 9, 10; Dan. 11:43); that the nations will receive the truths and goods of heaven and the church from the Lord is signified by “the kingdoms of the earth shall sing to God and shall sing psalms unto the Lord.”
sRef Hos@11 @11 S22′ [22] In Hosea:
With honor shall they come, as a bird out of Egypt and as a dove from the land of Assyria, and I will make them to dwell upon their houses (Hos. 11:11).
This, too, is said of the Lord as about to establish a church with the Gentiles; it is said “as a bird out of Egypt,” because a “bird” signifies thoughts from true knowledges; and it is said “as a dove from the land of Assyria,” because a “dove” signifies rational good from spiritual good, “Assyria” signifying the rational itself; “to make them to dwell upon their houses” signifies the interiors of a mind formed by truths from good, and thus those who are safe from the infestation of the falsities of evil.
sRef Isa@27 @12 S23′ sRef Isa@27 @13 S23′ [23] In Isaiah:
It shall come to pass in that day that Jehovah shall beat out from the ear of grain of the river even unto the brook of Egypt; and ye shall be collected one to another, O sons of Israel; moreover it shall come to pass in that day that the great horn shall sound, and the perishing in the land of Assyria shall come, and the outcasts from* the land of Egypt, and shall bow down to Jehovah in the mountain of holiness, in Jerusalem (Isa. 27:12, 13).
“In that day” signifies the coming of the Lord; “from the ear of grain of the river even unto the brook of Egypt, which Jehovah shall beat out,” signifies all rational truth and true knowledge that will be serviceable to the spiritual; it is said the “ear of grain” because that is what contains the grain, which signifies the truth and good that is serviceable to the spiritual man for nourishment. To be called by the Lord to the church is signified by “in that day the great horn shall sound;” that those will come to the church who would otherwise have perished through reasonings from knowledges applied to confirm falsities is signified by “the perishing in the land of Assyria shall come, and the outcasts from* the land of Egypt;” that they will worship the Lord, and that out of them a church will arise, is signified by “they shall bow down to Jehovah in the mountain of holiness, in Jerusalem,” “the mountain of holiness” signifying the church in respect to the good of life, and “Jerusalem” the church in respect to the truth of doctrine. These things are said of the sons of Israel who were made captives in Assyria and in Egypt; but “the sons of Israel” here and elsewhere mean the Gentiles who were to constitute the church, and “their captivity” in Assyria and in Egypt signifies the spiritual captivity
which a man is in from the falsities of religion.
sRef Zech@10 @10 S24′ sRef Zech@10 @11 S24′ [24] In Zechariah:
I will bring them back out of the land of Egypt, and I will gather them together out of Assyria, and I will lead them to the land of Gilead and Lebanon. He shall pass through the sea of distress, but he shall smite the waves in the sea, and the pride of Asshur shall be cast down, and the staff of Egypt depart away (Zech. 10:10, 11).
This, too, treats of the restoration of the church by the Lord. “To bring back out of the land of Egypt, and to gather together out of Assyria” has a similar signification as above in Isaiah where the explanation is given; “the land of Gilead and Lebanon” signifies the goods and truths of the church in the natural man; “he shall pass through the sea of distress, but shall smite the waves in the sea, and the pride of Asshur shall be cast down, and the staff of Egypt depart away” signifies that the evils and falsities of the natural man and the reasonings from knowledges [scientifica] that confirm them shall be dispersed; “to pass through the sea of distress” signifying temptations, the “waves” falsities and evils, “the pride of Asshur” signifies reasonings from the pride of self-intelligence, and “the staff of Egypt” knowledge confirming.
sRef Ezek@29 @15 S25′ sRef Ezek@29 @13 S25′ sRef Ezek@29 @14 S25′ sRef Ezek@29 @16 S25′ [25] In Ezekiel:
At the end of forty years I will gather Egypt together from the peoples whither they were scattered, and I will bring them back into the land of Pathros, upon the land of their traffic, that they may be there a lowly kingdom, that thou lift not thyself up anymore over the nations; and I will diminish them that they have not dominion among the nations (Ezek. 29:13-16).
“Egypt” here signifies the church with those who are in a moral life from natural light, the temptations that such must endure that the natural man may not rule over the spiritual is signified by “forty years;” the knowledges by which they have confirmed falsities are signified by “Egypt” which Jehovah “will gather together from the peoples whither they were scattered;” their enlightenment by the knowledges of truth is signified by “I will bring them back upon the land of Pathros,” which is called “the land of their traffic” from the knowledges that such will acquire for themselves, for “to traffic” signifies to acquire and communicate knowledges; that the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man shall not be puffed up, and in their elation do evil to the truths and goods of the church and rule over them, is signified by “they shall be a lowly kingdom, that thou lift not thyself up anymore over the nations, and I will diminish them that they may not have dominion over the nations;” the “nations” first mentioned signify the truths of the church, and the “nations” last mentioned its goods.
sRef Zech@14 @18 S26′ sRef Zech@14 @17 S26′ sRef Zech@14 @16 S26′ [26] In Zechariah:
Everyone remaining of all the nations that came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the king, Jehovah of Hosts, and to celebrate the feast of tabernacles; whoso goeth not up, upon them there shall be no rain; and if the family of Egypt go not up and come not, neither be with them, there shall be the plague with which Jehovah will smite the nations (Zech. 14:16-18).
This also treats of the Lord’s coming, and of the establishment of a church by Him. “The king, Jehovah of Hosts,” whom they shall worship, means the Lord; “the feast of tabernacles” signifies the implantation of good by means of truths; that those who do not come to His church will have no influx of truth and good from the Lord is signified by “whoso goeth not up, upon them there shall be no rain;” that such as are in natural light from mere knowledges [scientifica], and in whom good cannot be implanted by means of truths, will be in evils and falsities of every kind, is signified by “if the family of Egypt go not up there shall be the plague with which Jehovah will smite the nations.”
sRef Isa@43 @3 S27′ sRef Isa@43 @4 S27′ [27] In Isaiah:
I am Jehovah thy God, the Holy one of Israel, thy Savior; I have given Egypt as thy expiation, Cush and Seba in place of thee; I will give a man in place of thee, and a people for thy soul (Isa. 43:3, 4).
This, again, is said of the Lord and the redemption of those who acknowledge Him and from affection receive truths from Him; redemption is meant by “expiation” and “in place of thee” and “for thy soul;” the natural affection of knowing truths that is from spiritual affection is signified by “Egypt,” “Cush,” and “Seba;” a “man” signifies their intelligence therefrom, and a “people” a church from them.
sRef Isa@19 @13 S28′ sRef Isa@19 @11 S28′ [28] Since “Egypt” signifies the natural man, and all the intelligence of the spiritual man has its limit and foundation in the natural man and in his cognitions and knowledges, so without these man is not intelligent and wise and not even rational, for the spiritual man must act as one with the natural man, as cause with effect, and it acts as one by correspondences; this is why in ancient times, when there was a representative church also in Egypt:
The king of Egypt, or Pharaoh, was called the son of the wise, and the son of the kings of olden time (Isa. 19:11);
also Egypt was called the cornerstone of the tribes (verse 13), for the “tribes” signify all the truths and goods of the church in the complex, and the “cornerstone” signifies their foundation.
sRef Dan@11 @43 S29′ sRef 1Ki@4 @30 S29′ sRef Dan@11 @42 S29′ [29] Therefore also it is said of Solomon, by whom the Lord in relation to His celestial kingdom and His spiritual kingdom was represented,
That his wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the sons of the East and all the wisdom of the Egyptians (1 Kings 4:30),
“the sons of the East” meaning all who at that time were in the knowledges [cognitiones] of truth and good, and through these were made wise, and the “Egyptians” all who were learned in knowledges [scientiae], especially in the knowledge of correspondences, and were consequently intelligent. This is why the knowledges [scientiae] of the Egyptians are called “the hidden things of gold and silver” and “desirable things” in Daniel:
The king of the north shall put forth his hands over the lands, and the land of Egypt shall not escape, for he shall rule over the hidden things of gold and silver, and over all the desirable things of Egypt (Dan. 11:42, 43).
sRef Ex@12 @36 S30′ sRef Ex@12 @35 S30′ [30] For this reason again the sons of Israel, when they went out of Egypt, were commanded:
To borrow of the Egyptians vessels of gold and vessels of silver, and raiment, which they took away out of Egypt (Exod. 12:35, 36).
“Vessels of gold and silver” and “raiment” signify the knowledges and cognitions of truth and good which were taken away from Egypt, because the Egyptians applied them to confirm evils and falsities, and turned them into things idolatrous and magical; consequently when the Egyptians were deprived of them and thus became merely natural they were shortly afterwards drowned in the Sea Suph. This represented the lot of those who abuse knowledges [scientiae] to confirm evils and falsities; for after death they are deprived of all knowledge [cognitio] of truth and good, and when these have been taken away they are cast down into hell, and this was represented by the drowning of the Egyptians in the Sea Suph.
sRef Ezek@27 @7 S31′ [31] Because Egypt signifies knowledge [scientia], from which man has intelligence, where Tyre is treated of it is said that:
Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was thy sail, which was to thee for a sign (Ezek. 27:7).
“Tyre” signifies the knowledges of truth, and “fine linen with broidered work from Egypt” signifies knowledge [scientificum] from spiritual truth, “broidered work” meaning knowledge, and “fine linen” spiritual truth; a “sail” and a “sign” signify manifestation, for spiritual truths are made manifest by means of knowledges [scientiae], for it is through these that they appear to the sight and perception of the natural man.
[32] Because all knowledges [scientifica] that are serviceable to the spiritual man for the confirming of truths are from the Lord, that is, all application of them to confirm the truths and goods of heaven and the church so:
Joseph was carried down into Egypt, and was there made ruler over the whole land (Gen. 41).
For “Joseph” in the highest sense means the Lord in relation to the Divine spiritual, and thence also the truth of doctrine, which is based upon the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man (as has been said above, n. 448); and as the natural man, or the natural of man, must be subordinate to the spiritual, that it may be serviceable in confirming and executing the decisions of the spiritual man, therefore Joseph, that this dominion might be represented, was made ruler over Egypt, and under his direction Egypt had crops or corn in abundance, so that the neighboring countries were supplied therefrom, even the land of Canaan itself.
sRef 1Ki@3 @1 S33′ sRef 1Ki@7 @8 S33′ [33] Because Solomon represented the Lord in relation to both the celestial and the spiritual kingdoms, and as all who are of both these kingdoms are in intelligence and wisdom through the knowledges [cognitiones] of truth and good and knowledges [scientifica] that confirm these, therefore:
Solomon took the daughter of Pharaoh to wife, and brought her into the city of David (1 Kings 3:1);
And afterwards he built for the daughter of Pharaoh a house beside the porch (1 Kings 7:8);
By this also was represented that knowledge [scientia], upon which all intelligence and wisdom is based, is signified by “Egypt” in a good sense. And as every man of the church has a spiritual, a rational, and a natural, therefore Solomon built three houses, the house of God or the temple to stand for the spiritual, the house of the forest of Lebanon for the rational (for a “cedar” and thence “Lebanon” signifies the rational), and the house of the daughter of Pharaoh for the natural. These arcana are not apparent in the historical sense of the Word, but still they lie concealed in its spiritual sense.
[34] Thus far the signification of “Egypt” in a good sense has been explained; now it follows that also the signification of “Egypt” in an evil or contrary sense shall be explained. In that sense “Egypt” signifies the natural man separated from the spiritual, or true knowledge [verum scientificum] separated from spiritual good, which in itself is falsity; or what is the same, faith separated from charity, which in itself is not faith. For man is born natural, and at first acquires knowledges [scientifica] from his teacher and parent, as also from the reading of books, and at the same time from his life in the world; and unless man becomes spiritual, that is, is born anew, the knowledges [scientifica] that he has acquired he applies to justify the appetites and pleasures of the natural man, in a word, its loves, which are all contrary to Divine order; and this natural man is what is signified by “Egypt” in the contrary sense, as can be seen from the following passages.
sRef Ezek@31 @11 S35′ sRef Ezek@31 @18 S35′ sRef Ezek@31 @14 S35′ sRef Ezek@31 @17 S35′ sRef Ezek@31 @15 S35′ sRef Ezek@31 @16 S35′ sRef Ezek@31 @12 S35′ sRef Ezek@31 @13 S35′ sRef Ezek@31 @10 S35′ [35] In Ezekiel:
Because Pharaoh is lofty in stature, and hath set his top among the interwoven boughs, and his heart is exalted in his loftiness, I will give him into the hand of the strong one of the nations; according to his wickedness I have driven him out, therefore strangers shall cut him off, the violent of the nations, and they shall cast him down; upon the mountains and the valleys are his branches fallen; whence all peoples of the earth have gone down from his shadow and have deserted him; upon his ruin every bird of the heavens shall dwell, and every wild beast of the field shall be upon his branches; all shall be delivered up to death, unto the lower earth, in the midst of the sons of man, unto them that go down into the pit. In the day when he shall go down into hell I will cover the abyss for him, and I will restrain the rivers thereof, that the great waters may be held back; and I will make Lebanon black for him, and all the trees of the field shall faint for him. To whom art thou thus become like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? when thou shalt be brought down with the trees of Eden into the lower earth, and shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with them that are slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh, and all his multitude (Ezek. 31:10-18).
“Pharaoh” has a similar signification as “Egypt,” namely, the natural man in respect to knowledge [scientia] and intelligence therefrom. The pride of self-intelligence from knowledge is meant by “he is lofty in stature, and hath set his top among the interwoven boughs, and his heart is exalted in his loftiness;” “the interwoven boughs” signify the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man. That knowledges were applied to justify the cupidities of evil and falsity is signified by “I will give him into the hand of the strong one of the nations,” “the strong one of the nations” signifying the falsity of evil. That the falsities of evil will destroy him is signified by “strangers shall cut him off, the violent of the nations shall cast him down.”
[36] That all true knowledges and rational truths were scattered by evils and falsities is signified by “upon the mountains and the valleys are his branches fallen;” that all truths of the church were driven away is signified by “all the peoples of the earth have gone down from his shadow and have deserted him;” that the thoughts and affections of falsity have taken their place is signified by “upon his ruin every bird of the heavens shall dwell, and every wild beast of the field shall be upon his branches;” that all things have become damned and infernal is signified by “all shall be delivered up to death, unto the lower earth, in the midst of the sons of man, unto them that go down into the pit,” “sons of man” meaning those who are in self-intelligence, and “pit” meaning where those are who are in the falsities of doctrine; preventing the entrance of any true knowledges or rational truths is signified by “I will cover the abyss for him, and I will restrain the rivers thereof;” also of spiritual truths is signified by “that the great waters may be held back;” that he shall have no rational is signified by “I will make Lebanon black for him.”
[37] That he shall have no knowledges of truth pertaining to the church is signified by “all the trees of the field shall faint for him;” that he shall no longer have any understanding of truth or any perception of the knowledges of good, because of the pride of self-intelligence, is signified by “to whom art thou become like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden?” because the knowledges of good have been wholly perverted by the application to evil is signified by “when thou shalt be brought down with the trees of Eden into the lower earth,” the “trees of Eden” meaning the knowledges of good from the Word, which the natural man has perverted and falsified; that they shall be among those in hell who, by a faith separated from a life of charity have extinguished in themselves all truth, is signified by “when thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain by the sword,” “slain by the sword” meaning in the Word those who have extinguished truths in themselves by means of falsities. That all these things are said of the natural man deprived of light from the spiritual man is signified by “this is Pharaoh and all his multitude,” “Pharaoh” meaning the natural man, and “his multitude” all knowledges therein.
sRef Ezek@30 @15 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @14 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @16 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @10 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @18 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @13 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @17 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @11 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @12 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @2 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @1 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @22 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @3 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @25 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @26 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @23 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @24 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @21 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @7 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @6 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @9 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @8 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @19 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @20 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @5 S38′ sRef Ezek@30 @4 S38′ [38] In the same:
Son of man, prophesy and say, Howl ye! alas the day! a day of cloud, it shall be the time of the nations, in which a sword shall come into Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be overthrown; and they that uphold Egypt shall fall, and the pride of her strength shall come down, from the tower of Seveneh they shall fall in it by the sword; then shall they be desolate in the midst of the lands that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are desolate; that they may know that I am Jehovah, when I have set a fire in Egypt that all her helpers may be broken. I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, he and his people with him, the violent of the nations, who shall be brought in to destroy the land; and they shall draw out their sword against Egypt, to fill the land with the slain. Then will I make the rivers dry, and will sell the land into the hand of evil ones, and I will make the land a waste and the fullness thereof, by the hand of strangers; there shall no more be a prince out of the land of Egypt. I will set a fire in Egypt, and I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and I will disperse them into the lands (Ezek. 30:1 to end).
This is an abstract of this chapter; it is a lamentation over the vastation of the church by falsities that favor the evils from the natural man; for all evils and all falsities therefrom that pervert and destroy the truths and goods of the church flow forth from the natural man separated from the spiritual. Lamentation over that vastation is signified by “howl ye! alas the day! a day of cloud, it shall be the time of the nations,” “a day of cloud” meaning the state of the church from truths not understood, consequently from falsities; “the time of the nations” the state of the church from evils; that falsity will destroy the entire natural man and all things therein by application to evils, is signified by “a sword shall come into Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be overthrown.”
[39] That there will be no confirmations and corroborations of truth by the knowledges of the natural man is signified by “they that uphold Egypt shall fall, and the pride of her strength shall come down,” that falsities will destroy the understanding of truth is signified by “from the tower of Seveneh they shall fall in it by the sword;” that all things of the church and all things of the doctrine of the church will perish is signified by “then shall they be desolate in the midst of the lands that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are desolate;” the evil cupidities from the natural man are signified by the “fire” that Jehovah will set in Egypt; that there will no longer be any confirmations of truth from the natural man is signified by “that all her helpers may be broken;” that the cupidities of the love of self and the falsities therefrom will devastate is signified by “the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, he and his people.”
[40] That thus the church will be devastated by the falsities of evil that will do violence to the goods of charity and the truths of faith is signified by “the violent of the nations shall be brought in to destroy the land, and shall draw their sword against Egypt, to fill the land with the slain;” that thus truth is not understood is signified by “I will make the rivers dry;” since instead of good there is evil, and instead of truth falsity in the church, is signified by “I will sell the land into the hand of evil ones, and I will make the land a waste and the fullness thereof by the hand of strangers;” that there will be no truth as head, and consequently no truth of life from the Lord, is signified by “there shall no more be a prince out of the land of Egypt;” that nothing but evils from the love of self will occupy the natural man is signified by “I will set a fire in Egypt, and I will scatter Egypt among the nations;” that thus all things of the church will be dissipated is signified by “I will disperse them into the lands.”
sRef Isa@30 @6 S41′ sRef Isa@30 @7 S41′ [41] In Isaiah:
The prophecy of the beasts of the south, In a land of distress and of anguish; the young lion and the old lion are before them, the viper and the fiery flying serpent; they carry their wealth upon the shoulder of asses, and their treasures upon the back of camels, unto a people that they shall not profit; and Egypt, a vanity and emptiness, shall be their help (Isa. 30:6, 7).
“Beasts of the south” signify the cupidities that are from the natural man extinguishing the light which the man of the church should have from the Word; “a land of distress and of anguish” signifies a church where there will be no good of charity nor truth of faith; “the young lion and the old lion” that are before them signify the power of the falsity that destroys the truth and good of the church; “the viper and fiery flying serpent” signify the sensual craftily and subtly reasoning; “they carry their wealth upon the shoulder of asses, and their treasures upon the back of camels” signifies the knowledges of the sensual and natural man, from which they draw all conclusions, “wealth” and “treasures” meaning the knowledges [cognitiones] of truth and good from the Word, but here false knowledges [scientifica] because from self-intelligence; “asses” mean the things of the sensual man, and “camels” the things of the natural; “Egypt, which is a vanity and emptiness,” signifies both the sensual and the natural, which regarded in themselves are without good and without truths.
sRef Isa@31 @1 S42′ sRef Isa@31 @3 S42′ [42] In the same:
Woe to them that go down into Egypt for help, and stay on horses, and trust in the chariot because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very mighty, but they have no respect unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek after Jehovah. For Egypt is man and not God, and his horses are flesh and not spirit (Isa. 31:1, 3).
This describes the state of those who wish to be wise in the things of heaven and the church from themselves, thus from self-intelligence and not from the Lord; and as such are merely natural, and thus take everything from the fallacies of the senses, and from knowledges wrongly applied, and pervert and falsify the truths and goods of the church, therefore it is said of them, “Woe to them that go down into Egypt for help, and have no respect unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek after Jehovah;” fanciful things from the fallacies of the senses are signified by “the horses of Egypt” on which they stay; the falsities of doctrine confirmed by knowledges in great abundance are signified by “they trust in the chariot because they are many;” and reasonings therefrom with which they assault truths are signified by the “horsemen” in whom they trust because they are very mighty; that the natural man has no understanding of Divine things from himself is signified by “Egypt is man and not God;” that his intelligence is from what is his own, in which there is no life, is signified by “his horses are flesh and not spirit,” “the horses of Egypt” meaning fanciful things, which in themselves are dead because they are fallacies; “flesh” means what is man’s own, and “spirit” life from the Lord.
654h. sRef Jer@46 @11 S43′ sRef Jer@46 @10 S43′ sRef Jer@46 @2 S43′ sRef Jer@46 @7 S43′ sRef Jer@46 @9 S43′ sRef Jer@46 @8 S43′ [43] In Jeremiah:
Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon smote. Who is this that cometh up like a stream, whose waters are tossed like the rivers? Egypt cometh up like a stream, and his waters are tossed like rivers; for he saith, I will come up, I will cover the earth, I will destroy the city and those that dwell in it. Go up ye horses, and rage ye chariots, and go forth ye mighty ones. The sword shall devour and be satiate, and shall be made drunk with their blood. Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt; in vain hast thou multiplied medicines, there is no cure for thee (Jer. 46:2, 7-11, and also 14-26).
It is clear from these particulars, when viewed in the spiritual sense, that “Egypt” here signifies the natural man with its knowledges [scientifica] when it is separated from the spiritual, which is effected by the pride of self-intelligence, which destroys the truths and goods of the church by reasonings from knowledges [scientifica]. For “the army of the king of Egypt which was by the river Euphrates” signifies knowledges [scientifica] falsely applied and reasonings from them; “which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon smote” signifies the destruction of these by the pride of self-intelligence; “Who is this that cometh up like a stream, whose waters are tossed like the rivers?” signifies self-intelligence and its falsities endeavoring to destroy the truths of the church; “Egypt cometh up like a stream, and his waters are tossed like rivers” signifies the natural man reasoning from himself, or from what is his own [proprium], against the truths of the church; “for he said, I will come up, I will cover the earth, I will destroy the city and those that dwell in it,” signifies the effort and desire to destroy the church and the truths and goods of its doctrine; “go up ye horses, and rage ye chariots, and go forth ye mighty ones,” signifies by fanciful things from fallacies, and by the falsities of doctrine confirmed by knowledges [scientifica] which makes them appear to themselves to be strong.
[44] “The sword shall devour and shall be satiate, and shall be made drunk with their blood,” signifies the entire destruction of the natural man by falsities and falsifications of truth; “go up to Gilead, and take balm, O daughter of Egypt,” signifies the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, and reasoning and protection therefrom; for “Gilead” signifies reasoning from the sense of the letter of the Word by which falsities are confirmed, since Gilead was not far from the Euphrates, and wax, balm, and myrrh were from it, and it became the inheritance of the sons of Manasseh and the half tribe of Gad (Gen. 31:21; 37:25; Num. 32:29; Josh. 13:25). Thence “Gilead” signifies, besides other things, reasonings from the sense of the letter of the Word; “balm” signifies the application to falsity and thence the confirmation of falsity, and “the daughter of Egypt” the affection of falsity which belongs to such a church. “In vain hast thou multiplied medicines, there is no cure for thee,” signifies that such things, however great their abundance, afford no help, since truths themselves are thereby falsified.
sRef Ex@14 @27 S45′ sRef Ex@15 @19 S45′ sRef Ex@14 @28 S45′ sRef Ex@15 @21 S45′ sRef Ex@14 @25 S45′ sRef Ex@14 @24 S45′ sRef Ex@14 @26 S45′ sRef Ex@14 @23 S45′ [45] In Moses:
The Egyptians pursued the sons of Israel, and came after them, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen, into the midst of the sea. But Jehovah looking forth unto the camp of the Egyptians, discomfited them, and took off the wheel of their chariots; and the waters returned and covered the chariots and horsemen, with the whole army of Pharaoh (Exod. 14:23-25, 28; 15:19, 21).
“The horses of Pharaoh” signify fanciful things, since they are fallacies, which are knowledges from a perverted understanding applied to confirm falsities; “his chariots” signify the doctrinals of falsity, and “horsemen” the reasonings therefrom; “the wheel of the chariots” signifies the ability to reason. (But these things are explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 8208-8219, 8332-8335, 8343.)
sRef Deut@17 @15 S46′ sRef Deut@17 @17 S46′ sRef Deut@17 @16 S46′ [46] Because of this signification of “the horses of Egypt” it was commanded through Moses, that:
If the people desire a king, a king should be set over them whom Jehovah God should choose out of the midst of the sons of Israel; a man that is an alien who is not thy brother shall not be set over them. Only he shall not multiply to himself horses, nor shall he bring back the people into Egypt that he may multiply horses; for Jehovah hath said to you, You shall not return by this way anymore; neither shall he multiply to himself wives, that his heart turn not away; neither shall he multiply exceedingly to himself silver and gold (Deut. 17:15-17).
What these directions to a king signify no one can see who does not know what is signified in the spiritual sense by a “king,” by the “sons of Israel,” by “Egypt and its horses,” also by “wives,” and by “silver and gold.” A “king” signifies truth from good; “Egypt” the natural man; “his horses” knowledges; “wives” the affections of truth and good; and “silver and gold” the truths and goods of the church, and in the contrary sense its falsities and evils; and as a “king” signifies truth from good, and the “sons of Israel” the church from those who are in truths from good, it is said that “if the people desire, a king shall be set over them whom Jehovah God shall choose out of the midst of the sons of Israel; a man that is an alien who is not thy brother shall not be set over them,” “a man that is an alien who is not a brother” signifying a religious principle not agreeing, as also falsity in which there is no good.
[47] As “Egypt” signifies the natural man, and “horses” false knowledges, which are fanciful, therefore it is said “only he shall not multiply to himself horses, nor shall he bring back the people into Egypt that he may multiply horses.” As “wives” signify the affections of truth and good, which become the affections of evil and falsity when one man has several wives, it is said “neither shall he multiply to himself wives that his heart turn not away.” And as “silver and gold” signify the truths and goods of the church, but here falsities and evils, when they are regarded only from the natural man, it is said, “neither shall he multiply exceedingly to himself silver and gold.” But to come nearer to the point, these words prescribe that truth shall not rule over good, as is done when the natural man rules over the spiritual; that this must not be done is signified by “he shall not bring back the people into Egypt that he may thereby multiply horses, nor take many wives,” for “wife and husband” signify the affection of good corresponding to the affection of truth, which correspondence exists in the marriage of a man with one wife, but not with many. Other like things are prescribed in the law of the king (1 Sam. 8:10-18). Because Solomon not only procured for himself horses from Egypt, but also multiplied wives, and heaped up silver and gold, he became an idolater, and after his death the kingdom was divided.
sRef Isa@19 @5 S48′ sRef Isa@19 @2 S48′ sRef Isa@19 @1 S48′ sRef Isa@19 @7 S48′ sRef Isa@19 @13 S48′ sRef Isa@19 @14 S48′ sRef Isa@19 @8 S48′ sRef Isa@19 @6 S48′ sRef Isa@19 @3 S48′ sRef Isa@19 @12 S48′ sRef Isa@19 @10 S48′ sRef Isa@19 @11 S48′ sRef Isa@19 @9 S48′ sRef Isa@19 @4 S48′ sRef Isa@19 @15 S48′ [48] In Isaiah:
The prophecy concerning Egypt: Jehovah rideth upon a light cloud, and cometh into Egypt; therefore the idols of Egypt shall be in commotion before Him, and the heart of the Egyptian shall melt in the midst of him. I will shut up Egypt in the hand of a hard lord, and a strong king shall rule over them. Then the waters shall fail in the sea, and the river shall dry up and become dry, and the streams shall recede, and the rivers of Egypt shall be dried up, the reed and the flag shall wither. Therefore the fishers shall moan, and all they that cast the hook into the streams shall mourn, and they that spread the net upon the faces of the waters shall languish. Moreover, they that make the flax of silks, and the weavers of curtains, shall be ashamed. How say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of the kings of olden time? Where now are thy wise men? Let them tell; come now, and they shall know what Jehovah hath counseled respecting Egypt. The princes of Zoan have become fools, the princes of Noph are carried away, and they have seduced Egypt, the cornerstone of her tribes; there shall be no work for Egypt that may make head or tail, branch or rush (Isa. 19:1-17).
From all this also regarded in its spiritual sense it can be seen that “Egypt” signifies the natural of man separated from his spiritual; and man becomes merely natural when in his life he has regard to himself and to the world and not to the Lord; thence he is in the pride of self-intelligence, which is common with the learned, and this perverts the rational in them, and closes up the spiritual mind. That it may be known that the natural man is signified by “Egypt,” self-intelligence by “its river,” and falsities by “the waters of the river of Egypt,” I will explain in series the summary of this chapter here cited. “Jehovah rideth upon a light cloud, and cometh into Egypt,” signifies the visitation of the natural man from Divine truth spiritual-natural, for visitation is examination into the quality of a man, and examination takes place by means of Divine truth; a “light cloud” signifies Divine truth spiritual-natural, from which it becomes evident what is the quality of a man in respect to his natural; “therefore the idols of Egypt shall be in commotion before Him, and the heart of the Egyptian shall melt in the midst of him,” signifies a collection and crowd of falsities in the natural man from which is its worship, and its terror because of visitation.
[49] “I will shut up Egypt in the hand of a hard lord, and a strong king shall rule over them,” signifies that the evil of falsity and the falsity of evil will reign therein, “a hard lord” meaning the evil of falsity, and “a strong king” the falsity of evil; “then the waters shall fail in the sea, and the river shall dry up and become dry,” signifies that there will be no truths in the natural man, nor any intelligence therefrom; “and the streams shall recede and the rivers of Egypt shall be dried up” signifies that it will turn itself from truths to falsities, and as intelligence will be, in consequence, without truths from the light of the spiritual man, it will become dead; “the reed and the flag shall wither,” signifies that all perception of truth and good from the sense of the letter of the Word, which the sensual man would otherwise have, will vanish; “therefore the fishers shall moan and all they that cast the hook into the stream shall mourn, and they that spread the net upon the faces of the waters shall languish,” signifies that those who teach and instruct will labor in vain to reform the natural man by truths from the Word, “fishers” and “they that spread the net upon the faces of the waters” signifying those that teach and instruct natural men from the Word, in particular from the sense of its letter; “fish” signifies the cognitions therefrom, and “to mourn and to languish” signifies to labor.
[50] “They that make the flax of silks, and the weavers of curtains, shall be ashamed,” signifies those who teach spiritual truths in a natural manner, “the flax of silks” meaning spiritual truth, “curtains” natural truths from a spiritual origin, and “to make” and “to weave” these meaning to teach; “how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of the kings of olden time? Where now are thy wise men?” signifies that the wisdom and intelligence of the natural man from the spiritual have perished, for the natural man is formed to receive intelligence and wisdom from the spiritual man, and this takes place when they both act as one, like cause and effect; “the princes of Zoan have become fools, the princes of Noph are carried away,” signifies that the truths of wisdom and intelligence from spiritual light in the natural man are turned into the falsities of insanity; Zoan and Noph were in the land of Egypt, and signified the enlightenment of the natural man from spiritual light; “and they have seduced Egypt, the cornerstone of the tribes” signifies that the natural man has been perverted, on which, nevertheless, all the truths and the goods of the church have their foundation; “there shall be no work for Egypt that may make head and tail, branch and rush” signifies that they no longer have any intelligence or knowledge of truth, consequently no truth either spiritual or natural.
sRef Ezek@29 @10 S51′ sRef Ezek@29 @12 S51′ sRef Ezek@29 @11 S51′ sRef Ezek@29 @9 S51′ sRef Ezek@29 @1 S51′ sRef Ezek@29 @2 S51′ sRef Ezek@29 @4 S51′ sRef Ezek@29 @5 S51′ sRef Ezek@29 @3 S51′ sRef Ezek@29 @7 S51′ sRef Ezek@29 @6 S51′ sRef Ezek@29 @8 S51′ [51] In Ezekiel:
Son of man, set thy faces against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt; speak and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovih, Behold I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great whale, that lieth in the midst of his rivers, that hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself; therefore I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales; and I will abandon thee in the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers; upon the faces of the field thou shalt fall, thou shalt not be gathered nor brought together; I have given thee for food to the wild beast of the land and to the bird of heaven, that all the inhabitants of Egypt may know that I am Jehovah, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel; when they laid hold of thee by the hand thou wast broken and didst pierce every shoulder for them, and when they leaned upon thee thou wast broken, and didst make all their loins to be at a stand. Behold I will bring against thee the sword, and I will cut off from thee man and beast, that the land of Egypt may become a solitude and a waste; because he hath said, The river is mine, and I made it, therefore I am against thee and against thy rivers, and I will give the land of Egypt unto desolations, from the tower of Seveneh even to the border of Cush, and her cities shall be a solitude forty years (Ezek. 29:2-12).
This, too, is a description of the natural man deprived of all truth and good by conceit from knowledge and the consequent self-intelligence. Because “Pharaoh king of Egypt” signifies the knowledge of the natural man and self-intelligence therefrom, it is said, “Behold I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great whale that lieth in the midst of his rivers,” “great whale” signifying the knowledge of the natural man in general, here false knowledge, and “river” signifying self-intelligence; “who saith, The river is mine, and I have made it myself,” signifies intelligence from self and not from the Lord; thus the words involve the conceit of self-intelligence; “therefore I will put a hook in thy jaws” signifies false speaking, for which it will be chastised; “and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales” signifies the false knowledges of the lowest kind which are from the fallacies of the senses, “fish” meaning knowledges, and “scales” the fallacies of the senses, which are knowledges of the lowest kind.
[52] “And I will abandon in the wilderness thee and all the fish of thy rivers,” signifies to be stripped of truths and of all knowledges from which is intelligence; “upon the faces of the field thou shalt fall, thou shalt not be gathered nor brought together,” signifies a religious principle without coherence and that cannot be re-established; “I have given thee for food to the wild beast of the land and to the bird of heaven” signifies to be consumed by the affections and thoughts of falsity; “that all the inhabitants of Egypt may know that I am Jehovah” signifies that it may be known and believed that all truth and good, even in the natural man, are from the Lord; “because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel” signifies confidence in the knowledges of the sensual man, which are fallacies with men of the church (that “a staff of reed” signifies such confidence, see above, n. 627); “when they laid hold of thee by the hand thou wast broken, and didst pierce every shoulder for them” signifies that through faith in these all the power of truth is destroyed; “and when they leaned upon thee thou wast broken, and didst make all their loins to be at a stand,” signifies that through confidence in these the faculty to receive the good of love is destroyed.
[53] “Behold I will bring against thee the sword, and I will cut off from thee man and beast,” signifies that falsity will destroy all the understanding of truth and the affection of good in the natural man; “that the land of Egypt may become a solitude and a waste” signifies that in consequence the natural man is without any truth and good; “because he hath said, The river is mine, and I made it,” signifies because of the conceit of self-intelligence; “and I will give the land of Egypt unto desolation from the tower of Seveneh unto the border of Cush” signifies the destruction of the church from first things to last in the natural man; “her cities shall be a solitude forty years” signifies doctrinals from mere falsities until there is no truth left, “forty years” signifying the entire period of vastation of the church, and also the entire duration of temptations.
sRef Ps@68 @30 S54′ sRef 2Ki@18 @21 S54′ [54] In the second book of Kings:
Thou hast trusted thyself upon the staff of a bruised reed, upon Egypt, upon which if a man lean it entereth into his hand and pierceth it; so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him (2 Kings 18:21).
“Staff of a reed” and “to lean upon it” have a similar signification as just above. Therefore Egypt is called in David:
The wild beast of the reed, the congregation of the strong, which scattereth the peoples (Ps. 68:30).
“The wild beast of the reed” signifies the affection or cupidity of falsity from the knowledges [scientifica] of the sensual man, which are fallacies; these are called “the congregation of the strong,” because they strongly persuade; and because these disperse the truths of the church it is said, “which scattereth the peoples.”
sRef Hos@7 @16 S55′ sRef Hos@7 @11 S55′ sRef Hos@7 @13 S55′ [55] In Hosea:
Ephraim shall be like a silly dove, without heart. They have called Egypt, they have gone away to Assyria; woe unto them, for they have wandered away from Me; devastation to them, for they have transgressed against Me; their princes shall fall by the sword, for the indignation of their tongue; this is their derision in the land of Egypt (Hos. 7:11, 13, 16).
This treats of the pride of Israel, by which is signified the conceit of self-intelligence in such things as belong to the church. That “Egypt” signifies the natural man and its knowledge, is evident from this, that “Ephraim,” who is much treated of in this prophet, signifies the understanding of the church and its truth of doctrine in the natural (that this is the signification of “Ephraim” see above, n. 440); so “Ephraim shall be like a silly dove, without heart,” signifies that now there will be no understanding, because there is no truth and no affection of truth and good; “they have called Egypt and have gone away to Assyria” signifies their confiding in the knowledges of the natural man and in reasonings therefrom, which deceive; “woe unto them, for they have wandered away from Me,” signifies aversion from the truths which are from the Word; “devastation to them, for they have transgressed against Me,” signifies the loss of all truth because of their falling away; “their princes shall fall by the sword” signifies that the leading truths will be destroyed by falsities; “for the indignation of their tongue; this is their derision in the land of Egypt,” signifies the vituperation of doctrine by the natural man, and contempt for it.
sRef Hos@9 @1 S56′ sRef Hos@9 @6 S56′ sRef Hos@9 @3 S56′ [56] In the same:
Israel, thou hast gone a-whoring from thy God; they shall not dwell in the land of Jehovah, and Ephraim shall return unto Egypt, and they shall eat what is unclean in Assyria; lo, they are gone away because of devastation; Egypt shall gather them together, Moph shall bury them; as to the desirable things of their silver the thistle shall possess them; thorns shall be in their tents (Hos. 9:1, 3, 6).
The whole of this chapter treats of the understanding of the Word destroyed, which is here signified by “Ephraim.” “Israel gone a-whoring from his God” signifies the truth of the Word falsified; “they shall not dwell in the land of Jehovah” signifies that they shall have no life of good, like that in heaven; “and Ephraim shall return unto Egypt” signifies the understanding of truth destroyed, whence they become natural; “and they shall eat what is unclean in Assyria” signifies the rational swarming with falsities of evil; “lo, they are gone away because of devastation,” signifies a turning away from the Lord through the falsification of truth; “Egypt shall gather them together,” signifies that they have become merely natural; “Moph shall bury them” signifies spiritual death through the application of the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word to the falsities of evil; “the desirable things of their silver” signify the knowledges of truth; “the thistle shall possess them” signifies that evil shall pervert them; “thorns shall be in their tents” signifies the falsity of evil in worship.
sRef Hos@11 @5 S57′ [57] In the same:
Israel shall not return to Egypt, the Assyrian he is their** king (Hos. 11:5).
“Israel shall not return to Egypt” signifies that when the man of the church has become spiritual he must not become natural; “the Assyrian he is their king” signifies that reasonings from falsities will then rule. The man of the church from being spiritual becomes natural when he separates faith from charity, that is, believes the Word but does not live according to its commands; so also when he claims to himself intelligence and does not attribute it to the Lord; from this is the conceit whereby man becomes natural. For man is first natural, afterwards he becomes rational, and lastly spiritual. When man is natural he is in Egypt, when he becomes rational, he is in Assyria, and when he becomes spiritual he is in the land of Canaan, thus in the church.
sRef Hos@12 @1 S58′ [58] In the same:
Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind; every day he multiplieth falsehood and devastation; and they make a covenant with the Assyrian, and oil is conveyed down into Egypt (Hos. 12:1).
“Ephraim” signifies the church in which the understanding of truth is destroyed; “to feed on wind” signifies to imbibe falsity; “the east wind which he followeth after” signifies the drying up and dispersion of truth; that “oil is conveyed down into Egypt” signifies that the good of love is perverted by the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man. (But see further explanation of this above, n. 419.)
sRef Isa@30 @1 S59′ sRef Isa@30 @3 S59′ sRef Isa@30 @2 S59′ [59] In Isaiah:
Woe to the refractory sons, that make counsel but not of Me, and that make a molten image but not by My spirit, that they may add sin to sin; that go to descend into Egypt, but have not asked at My mouth; and to confide in the shadow of Egypt. Therefore the strength of Pharaoh shall become to you a shame, and confidence in the shadow of Egypt a confusion (Isa. 30:1-3).
“Woe to the refractory” signifies lamentation over the damnation of those who turn themselves away; “that make counsel but not of Me” signifies thoughts and conclusions respecting the things of heaven from self and not from the Lord; and “that make a molten image, but not by My spirit,” signifies worship from infernal falsity and not from Divine truth; “that go to descend into Egypt, but have not asked at My mouth,” signifies from the selfhood [proprium] of the natural man, and not from the Word; “and to confide in the shadow of Egypt” signifies confiding and having faith in such things as are suggested by the natural man, which has no heavenly light. “Therefore the strength of Pharaoh shall become a shame, and confidence in the shadow of Egypt a confusion,” signifies no ability to resist evils from self-intelligence, nor from the knowledge [scientia] of the natural man, “shame and confusion” signifying the state of such, when they are reputed vile because of evils.
sRef Jer@2 @18 S60′ sRef Jer@2 @36 S60′ sRef Jer@2 @17 S60′ [60] In Jeremiah:
Thou hast forsaken Jehovah thy God, at the time when He led thee in the way. What hast thou to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Shihor; and what hast thou to do with the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river? Why goest thou off actively to change thy way? Thou shalt be ashamed of Egypt also as thou wast ashamed of Assyria (Jer. 2:17, 18, 36).
This, too, treats of the man of the church who by the falsities of doctrine and the evils of life therefrom becomes external and merely natural. “Thou hast forsaken Jehovah at the time when He led thee in the way” signifies a turning away from being reformed by the Lord by means of truths that lead; “what hast thou to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Shihor?” signifies instruction solely from the natural man, from which there are mere falsities; “what hast thou to do with the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?” signifies reasonings from the natural man from which are the falsities of faith; “why goest thou off actively to change thy way?” signifies strong opposition to being so reformed as to become spiritual; “thou shalt be ashamed of Egypt also as thou wast ashamed of Assyria” signifies that it is a perverse and vile state to be led by the natural man and by reasonings therefrom, because this is to be led by falsities and evils from the selfhood [proprium].
sRef Lam@5 @2 S61′ sRef Lam@5 @6 S61′ sRef Lam@5 @4 S61′ sRef Lam@5 @8 S61′ [61] In Lamentation:
Our inheritance has been turned away unto strangers, our houses unto aliens. We have drunken our waters for silver; our wood cometh for a price. We have given the hand to Egypt, to Assyria, that we may be satisfied with bread. Servants rule over us, there is no one to set us free from their hands (Lam. 5:2, 4, 6, 8).
“Our inheritance has been turned away unto strangers” signifies the truths of the church converted into falsities; “our houses unto aliens” signifies the goods of the church turned into evils; “we have drunken our waters for silver” signifies instruction only from ourselves, which is the source of mere falsities; “our wood cometh for a price” signifies instruction only from ourselves, which is the source of mere evils. Because man is instructed and reformed freely by the Lord, that is, “without silver and without price” (Isa. 55:1), therefore to drink “for silver” and to procure wood and gain warmth “for a price,” signifies solely from ourselves; and as to be instructed solely from ourselves is to be instructed by the natural man and its knowledges [scientifica] and conclusions therefrom, therefore it is said “we have given the hand to Egypt, to Assyria, that we may be satisfied with bread,” “Egypt” signifying the natural man, which is the source of falsities, and “Assyria” the natural man reasoning from falsities, whence are evils; and as the things belonging to the natural man are relatively things of service, since the natural man was created to serve the spiritual, therefore when the natural rules over the spiritual, servants have dominion, and this is what is meant by “servants rule over us, there is no one to set us free from their hands.
sRef Jer@42 @14 S62′ sRef Jer@42 @16 S62′ sRef Jer@42 @15 S62′ sRef Jer@42 @17 S62′ sRef Jer@42 @18 S62′ sRef Jer@42 @13 S62′ [62] In Jeremiah:
If ye say, We will not dwell in this land, saying, No, but we will come into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, and shall not hear the sound of the trumpet and shall not hunger for bread, and there will we dwell. But if ye set your faces to enter into Egypt, and come to sojourn there, it shall be that the sword which ye fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and there ye shall die; and it shall be with all the men who set their faces to come into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, none of them shall be a residue nor escape; and ye shall be for a curse, an astonishment, and an execration and a reproach, and ye shall see this place no more (Jer. 42:13-18 et seq.).
We frequently read, in both the historical and the prophetical parts of the Word, that the Israelitish people burned with a desire to return into Egypt, and that this was forbidden them, and they were threatened with plagues and punishments if they did so; but the reason for this has heretofore been known to no one. The reason was that the sons of Israel were to represent a church from its first rise to its end; and the church is first formed with man by knowledges and cognitions in the natural man, for by these the natural man is first cultivated; for every man is born natural, therefore the natural must first be cultivated in order that it may finally serve as a basis for man’s intelligence and wisdom. Afterwards by means of knowledges and cognitions which are implanted in the natural man, an intellectual is formed, that man may become rational. But in order that a man from being rational may become spiritual he must needs endure temptations, for by these the rational is so subdued, as not to call forth from the natural such things as favor the lusts, and destroy the rational. Finally when man has in this way been made rational he then is made spiritual, for the rational is the medium between the spiritual and the natural, consequently the spiritual flows into the rational, and through this into the natural.
[63] In a word, a man must first enrich the memory with knowledges [scientiae], afterwards by these his understanding must be cultivated, and finally the will. The memory belongs to the natural man, the understanding to the rational, and the will to the spiritual. This is the way of man’s reformation and regeneration. This is why the sons of Israel were first led into Egypt, afterwards into the wilderness to undergo temptations, and finally into the land of Canaan, for as has been said, they were to represent the church from its first rise to its last end. Their abiding and sojourning in Egypt represented the instruction of the natural man; their wanderings forty years in the wilderness represented the temptations by which the rational man is formed; and the land of Canaan, into which they were finally brought, represented the church, which regarded in itself is spiritual.
[64] But they who are not willing to be reformed and regenerated stop at the first stage, and remain natural; and this is why the sons of Israel, who were not willing, so often desired to return to Egypt (which desire of theirs is frequently mentioned in the book of Exodus); for they were natural, and were scarcely capable of becoming spiritual, and yet they were to represent those things that belong to the spiritual church; for this reason they were led into Egypt, and afterwards into the wilderness, and finally into the land of Canaan, thus representing the rise, progress, and final establishment of the church with man. This makes clear why the sons of Israel were so strongly forbidden to return into Egypt; for by so doing they would have represented that from being spiritual men they had become natural, and when a spiritual man becomes natural he no longer sees any truths and does not perceive any goods, but falls into falsities and evils of every kind.
[65] But to return to the explanation of the above words. “If ye say, We will not dwell in this land, saying, No, but we will go into the land of Egypt,” signifies the aversion from a spiritual state, in which they are who are of the church, and a longing for a natural state and for the things that pertain to the natural man; “where we shall see no war and shall not hear the sound of the trumpet, and shall not hunger for bread,” signifies that there will then be no infestation from falsities and evils, and no temptations, “war” signifying infestation and combat by falsities and evils, and “not to hunger for bread” signifying not to desire good, which is the state of those who are in falsities and evils, and thus of those who are merely natural; such are not infested by evils and falsities because they are in them, and know nothing about truths and goods; “and there will we dwell” signifies a natural life.
[66] “But if ye set your faces to enter into Egypt, and come to sojourn there,” signifies if from their love they long for a natural life; “it shall be that the sword which ye fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt” signifies falsities destroying truths, “and the famine whereof ye were afraid shall cleave to you there in Egypt” signifies a lack of the knowledges of truth and good; “and there shall ye die” signifies the consequent desolation of the church and damnation; “and all the men who set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence,” signifies the like as before, “pestilence” signifying the vastation of all good and truth; “none of them shall be a residue or escape” signifies that nothing whatever of truth and good will survive; “and ye shall be for a curse, an astonishment, an execration, and a reproach,” signifies all things belonging to damnation; “and ye shall see this place no more” signifies that nothing of the church shall be in them any longer.
sRef Ezek@23 @24 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @5 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @17 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @27 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @25 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @26 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @6 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @18 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @8 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @7 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @33 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @3 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @9 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @28 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @20 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @13 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @23 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @2 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @14 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @11 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @12 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @15 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @10 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @22 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @29 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @21 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @32 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @4 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @16 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @31 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @19 S67′ sRef Ezek@23 @30 S67′ [67] In Ezekiel:
There were two women, the daughters of one mother, who committed whoredom in Egypt; their names were Oholah the elder, which is Samaria, and Oholibah, which is Jerusalem. Oholah committed whoredom while subject to Me, and loved the Assyrians her neighbors, and bestowed her whoredoms upon the choice of all the sons of Asshur. Yet she forsook not her whoredoms from Egypt, for they lay with her in her youth. Therefore I gave her into the hand of her lovers, the sons of Asshur. They disclosed her nakedness, they took her sons and her daughters, and her they finally slew with the sword. Her sister Oholibah saw, and corrupted her love more than she, and her whoredoms above the whoredoms of her sister; she doted upon the sons of Asshur. For she increased her whoredoms, when indeed she saw men painted upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans painted with vermilion, all having the semblance of captains, the likeness of the sons of Babylon, of the Chaldeans. And the sons of Babylon came to her to the bed of loves, and they defiled her with their whoredom. She multiplied her whoredoms when she remembered the days of her youth, in which she committed whoredom in the land of Egypt. She doted upon their concubines, because their flesh was the flesh of asses, and their issue the issue of horses. Thus didst thou commend the crime of thy youth, when thou didst adorn thy breasts from Egypt. Therefore, Oholibah, I will stir up thy lovers against thee, the sons of Babylon, and all the Chaldeans, and all the Assyrians with them. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy posterity shall be devoured by fire. They shall strip thee of thy garments, and shall take away the jewels of thine adorning. Thus will I make thy crime to cease from thee, and thy whoredom from the land of Egypt, that thou lift not up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt anymore. Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and grief, with the cup of wasting and desolation (Ezek. 23:2-33, and further to the end).
To make clear that “Egypt” signifies the natural man, here the natural separated from the spiritual, and “Asshur” the rational, here reasoning from things belonging to the natural man, I will give a summary explanation of the above. “There were two women, the daughters of one mother, who committed whoredom in Egypt,” signifies the falsifications of truth and good, and as the sons of Jacob were merely natural men, they imbibed “the idolatries of the Egyptians,” which signifies that they falsified all the truths of the church; “their names were Oholah the elder, which is Samaria, and Oholibah which is Jerusalem,” signifies both the spiritual and the celestial church, which were represented by the posterity of Jacob, the Israelites who were in Samaria representing the spiritual church, and the Jews in Jerusalem the celestial church, both from the same mother, which is Divine truth.
[68] “Oholah committed whoredom while subject to Me” signifies the falsification of Divine truth which is in the Word; “and loved the Assyrians her neighbors, and bestowed her whoredoms upon the choice of all the sons of Asshur,” signifies confirmations by many reasonings; “yet she left not her whoredoms from Egypt, for they lay with her in her youth,” signifies that they still followed after their idolatries; “therefore I gave her into the hand of her lovers, the sons of Asshur,” signifies reasonings confirming idolatries; “they disclosed her nakedness, they took her sons and her daughters, and her they finally slew with the sword,” signifies the deprivation of all truth and good and the consequent extinction of the church with them, “nakedness” meaning deprivation, “sons and daughters” truths and goods, and “Oholah”** the church; “her sister Oholibah saw, and corrupted her love more than she, and her whoredoms above the whoredoms of her sister,” signifies the devastation of the celestial church represented by the Jewish nation in Jerusalem, which is said “to have corrupted her love more than her sister,” when it perverted and adulterated the goods of the Word, and thence of doctrine; for it is a greater sin to corrupt or pervert the goods of the church than its truths.
[69] “She doted upon the sons of Asshur” signifies that this was done by reasonings against truths and goods; “she increased her whoredoms, when she saw men painted upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans painted with vermilion” signifies fancies from the fallacies of the senses, which are of the sensual man, and arguings therefrom, from which are falsifications; “all having the semblance of captains, the likeness of the sons of Babylon, of the Chaldeans” signifies the appearance that they are pre-eminent truths, to be preferred above the others; “and the sons of Babylon came to her, and they defiled her with their whoredom” signifies the conjunction with the falsities of evil from the love of self; “she multiplied her whoredoms when she remembered the days of her youth, in which she committed whoredom in the land of Egypt,” signifies the confirmation of their idolatries and of the falsities of evil which have been imbibed from the natural man, and thus increase of their falsifications; “she doted upon their concubines, because their flesh was the flesh of asses, and their issue the issue of horses,” signifies the cupidities of love for these, because from their voluntary selfhood, and thence from their intellectual selfhood, “the flesh of asses” meaning the voluntary selfhood, and the “issue of horses” the intellectual selfhood therefrom which pervert all things.
[70] “Thus didst thou favor the crime of thy youth, when thou didst adorn thy breasts from Egypt,” signifies the love of falsity implanted from the earliest age, and enjoyment therefrom; “therefore, Oholibah, I will stir up thy lovers against thee, the sons of Babylon, and all the Chaldeans, and the Assyrians with them,” signifies the destruction of the church by evils from the love of self, and by falsities from the conceit of self-intelligence, in which there is a deadly hatred against the goods and truths of doctrine. “They shall take thy sons and thy daughters” signifies the truths and goods of the church, which they will destroy; “and thy posterity shall be devoured by fire” signifies that the remaining things therefrom will perish through earthly loves; “they shall strip thee of thy garments, and shall take away the jewels of thine adorning” signifies the deprivation of all intelligence and knowledge [scientia], which are the glory of the church; “thus will I make thy crime to cease from thee, and thy whoredom from the land of Egypt,” signifies that thus truths can no longer be falsified; “that thou lift not up thine eyes upon them, nor remember Egypt anymore,” signifies when there is no longer any understanding of truth or knowledge [scientia] of truth; “thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and grief” signifies insanity in things spiritual, and aversion to them; “with the cup of wasting and desolation” signifies the falsities of evil which wholly devastate and desolate all the goods and truths of the church.
sRef Ezek@16 @28 S71′ sRef Ezek@16 @29 S71′ sRef Ezek@16 @26 S71′ [71] In the same:
Thou hast committed whoredom with the sons of Egypt thy neighbors, great of flesh, and hast multiplied thy whoredom; and thou hast committed whoredom with the sons of Asshur, and there was no satiety to thee. And thou hast multiplied thy whoredom even to Chaldea, the land of thy traffic, and even then wast thou not satisfied (Ezek. 16:26, 28, 29).
This is said of the abominations of Jerusalem, which signifies the church in respect to doctrine; and “whoredoms” signify the falsifications of the truth of doctrine and of the Word; therefore “thou hast committed whoredom with the sons of Egypt thy neighbors, great of flesh,” signifies falsifications by the natural man, in which are all evils and falsities, “flesh” signifying what is man’s own [proprium], which has its seat in the natural man, and in itself is nothing but evil and falsity therefrom; “and thou hast committed whoredom with the sons of Asshur” signifies falsifications by means of reasonings; “and there was no satiety to thee” signifies the cupidity for falsifying truths without limit; “and thou hast multiplied thy whoredoms even to Chaldea, the land of thy traffic,” signifies the falsifications from the sensual man, where are mere fallacies, from which man wholly rejects and denies truths, and even blasphemes them; “the land of traffic” signifies where all falsities are procured, and the sensual is the fountain of all evils and all falsities therefrom. Moreover, man is born at first sensual, afterwards he becomes natural, then rational, and at length spiritual, and he who falsifies the truths of the church becomes again natural, and at length sensual. “And yet thou wast not satisfied” signifies an immense cupidity for destroying the truths of the church.
sRef Joel@3 @19 S72′ [72] In Joel:
Egypt shall be a waste, and Edom a waste wilderness, because of the violence to the sons of Judah, whose innocent blood they have shed in their land (Joel 3:19).
“Egypt shall be a waste” signifies that the natural man will be without truths, and thus in mere falsities; “and Edom a waste wilderness” signifies that the natural man will be without goods and thence in mere evils; “because of the violence to the sons of Judah, whose innocent blood they have shed,” signifies because they have offered violence to the truths and goods of the Word, which they have perverted.
sRef 1Ki@14 @26 S73′ sRef 1Ki@14 @25 S73′ sRef 2Ki@24 @0 S73′ [73] Like things are involved in the wars between the sons of Israel and the Egyptians; also in the wars between the sons of Israel and the Assyrians; as also between the Assyrians and Egyptians, as in 2 Kings 23:29 to the end; 24; Isa. 10:3-5; and also in the first book of Kings:
That under king Rehoboam the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took the treasures of the house of Jehovah and the treasures of the house of the king; and took the shields which Solomon had made, and many other things (1 Kings 14:25, 26).
For in all the historical parts of the Word, as well as in its prophetical parts, there is a spiritual sense; since all the historical occurrences in the Word are representative of spiritual and celestial things that belong to heaven and the church, and the words there are significative; thus that “the king of Egypt took the treasures of the house of Jehovah and of the house of the king” and the rest, represented the devastation of the church in respect to the cognitions of good and truth through knowledges [scientifica] wrongly applied, which are in the natural man.
[74] What the quality of the natural man is when it is subject to the spiritual, and what it is when it is separated from it, is fully described in Exodus in the internal sense. What the quality of the natural man is when it is subject to the spiritual and thus conjoined to it, is described in the story of Joseph, and of the sons of Israel called thither by Joseph and their dwelling in the land of Goshen, which was the best of the lands of Egypt. The story of Joseph describes the dominion of the Lord over the natural man, for “Joseph” means in the spiritual sense the Lord, and “Egypt” the natural man, and “the sons of Israel” the spiritual man. But afterwards what the quality of the natural man is when separated from the spiritual is described by Pharaoh’s making the sons of Israel to serve grievously; and its subsequent vastation in respect to all the truths and goods of the church is described by the miracles wrought in Egypt, which were so many plagues; and its final destruction is described by the drowning of Pharaoh and all his host in the Sea Suph.
[75] The miracles by which the vastation of the natural man separated from the spiritual is described in the spiritual sense, were these:
The staff of Aaron was turned into a serpent; the waters in the river were turned into blood, so that the fish died, and the river stank (Exod. 7);
From the rivers and pools frogs were brought up upon the land of Egypt; the dust of the earth was turned into lice; swarms of noxious flying insects were sent into the house of Pharaoh, of his servants, and into all the land of Egypt (Exod. 8);
Boils broke forth with blains upon man and upon beast; a rain of grievous hail mingled with fire rained upon the land of Egypt (Exod. 9);
Locusts were sent upon the land, which devoured the herb and all the fruit of the tree; a thick darkness came over all the land of Egypt (Exod. 10);
All the firstborn in the land of Egypt died (Exod. 11);
Finally when the sons of Israel had borrowed of them and thus spoiled them of their vessels of gold and silver, and raiment (which signify the knowledges of good and truth) (Exod. 12:35, 36);
The Egyptians were drowned in the Sea Suph (which signifies hell) (Exod. 14:28).
All this describes how the natural man is vastated, which takes place when he casts away from himself all the truths and goods of the church, and imbibes falsities and evils, until there is no longer any truth or good of the church remaining. (But all these things as to the spiritual sense may be seen explained at length in the Arcana Coelestia, where Exodus is unfolded.) From this it can be seen what is signified by:
The plagues and diseases of Egypt (Deut. 7:15; 28:60);
Also what by:
Being drowned by the river of Egypt (Amos 8:8; 9:5).
Also why it is that Egypt is called:
A land of bondage (Micah 6:4);
Likewise the land of Ham (Ps. 105:23);
And a furnace of iron (Deut. 4:20; 1 Kings 8:51).
All this has reference to Egypt, from which it manifestly appears that “Egypt” signifies the natural man in both senses.
* The Hebrew has “in,” as found in AE 405 and AC 2588.
** The Hebrew has “the king thereof,” as found in AC 2799.
*** The Latin has “Oholibah.”

sRef Rev@11 @8 S0′ 655. Where also our Lord was crucified, signifies by which, namely, by the evils and the falsities therefrom springing from infernal love, He was rejected and condemned. This is evident from this, that evils themselves and their falsities springing from infernal love are what reject and condemn the Lord. These evils and the falsities thence are signified by “Sodom and Egypt,” therefore it is said of the city Jerusalem that it is thus “called spiritually,” for “to be called spiritually Sodom and Egypt” signifies evil itself, and the falsity therefrom.
[2] The hells are divided into two kingdoms, over against the two kingdoms in the heavens; the kingdom over against the celestial kingdom is at the back, and those who are in it are called genii; this kingdom is what is meant in the Word by “devil;” but the kingdom that is over against the spiritual kingdom is in front, and those who are in it are called evil spirits; this kingdom is what is meant in the Word by “Satan.” These hells, or these two kingdoms into which the hells are divided, are meant by “Sodom and Egypt.” Whether it is said evils and the falsities therefrom, or these hells, it is the same, since from these all evils and all falsities therefrom ascend.
[3] That the Jews who were at Jerusalem crucified the Lord means that He was crucified by the evils and falsities therefrom which they loved; for all things recorded in the Word respecting the Lord’s passion represented the perverted state of the church with that nation. For although they accounted the Word holy, yet by their traditions they perverted all things therein until there was no longer any Divine good or truth remaining with them, and when Divine good and Divine truth, which are in the Word, no longer remain, evils and falsities from infernal love succeed in their place, and these are what crucify the Lord. (That such things are signified by the Lord’s passion may be seen above, n. 83, 195, 627. That the Lord is said “to be slain” signifies that he was rejected and denied, see above, n. 328; and that the Jews were such, see above, n. 122, 433, 619; and in the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 248.)
[4] As it is here said “where our Lord was crucified,” it shall be told what “crucifixion” (or hanging upon wood) signified with the Jews. They had two modes of capital punishment, crucifixion and stoning; and “crucifixion” signified a condemnation and curse because of the destruction of good in the church, and “stoning” signified a condemnation and curse because of the destruction of truth in the church. “Crucifixion” signified a condemnation and curse because of the destruction of good in the church, for the reason that “wood,” upon which they were hung, signified good, and in the contrary sense evil, both pertaining to the will; and “stoning” signified a condemnation and curse because of the destruction of truth in the church, for the reason that “the stone,” with which they were stoned, signified truth, and in the contrary sense falsity, both pertaining to the understanding; for all things instituted with the Israelitish and Jewish nation were representative, and thence significative. (That “wood” signifies good, and in the contrary sense evil, and that a “stone” signifies truth, and in the contrary sense falsity, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 643, 3720, 8354.) But as it has not been known heretofore why the Jews and Israelites had the punishment of the cross and the punishment of stoning, and it is important that it should be known, I will cite some confirmations from the Word to show that these two punishments were representative.
sRef Deut@21 @23 S5′ sRef Deut@21 @20 S5′ sRef Deut@21 @21 S5′ sRef Deut@21 @22 S5′ sRef Deut@21 @18 S5′ [5] That “hanging upon wood” or “crucifixion” was inflicted because of the destruction of good in the church, and that it thus represented the evil of infernal love, whence arises a condemnation and curse, can be seen from the following passages. In Moses:
If there be a stubborn and rebellious son, obeying not the voice of his father or mother, all the men of the city shall stone him with stones that he may die. And if there be in a man a crime and judgment of death, and he be put to death, thou shalt hang him upon wood; his carcass shall not remain overnight upon the wood, but burying thou shalt bury him the same day; for he that is hanged is a curse of God, and thou shalt not defile thy land (Deut. 21:18, 20-23).
“Not obeying the voice of father or mother” signifies in the spiritual sense to live contrary to the precepts and truths of the church, therefore the penalty for it was stoning; “the men of the city who were to stone him” signify those who are in the doctrine of the church, “city” signifying doctrine. “If there be in a man a crime, a judgment of death, thou shalt hang him upon wood” signifies if one has done evil against the good of the Word and of the church; because this was a capital crime he was to be hung upon wood, for in the Word “wood” signifies good, and in the contrary sense evil; “his carcass shall not remain overnight upon the wood, but thou shalt bury him the same day,” signifies lest there be a representative of eternal damnation; “thou shalt not defile thy land” signifies that this would be a cause of offense to the church.
sRef Lam@5 @13 S6′ sRef Lam@5 @10 S6′ sRef Lam@5 @12 S6′ sRef Lam@5 @11 S6′ [6] In Lamentations:
Our skins are become black like an oven because of the tempests of famine; they ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah; their princes were hanged up by the hand, the faces of the elders are not honored, the young men they have led away to grind, and the boys stumble under the wood (Lam. 5:10-13).
“Zion” means the celestial church, which is in the good of love to the Lord, which church the Jewish nation represented; “the virgins in the cities of Judah” signify the affections of truth from the good of love; “their princes were hanged up by the hand” signifies that truths from good were destroyed by falsities from evil; “the faces of the elders that were not honored” signify the goods of wisdom; “the young men who were led away to grind” signify the truths from good, “to grind” signifying to acquire falsities and to confirm them from the Word; “the boys stumble under the wood” signifies newborn goods perishing through evils.
sRef Gen@40 @20 S7′ sRef Gen@40 @22 S7′ sRef Gen@40 @21 S7′ sRef Gen@40 @19 S7′ sRef Num@25 @1 S7′ sRef Num@25 @4 S7′ sRef Num@25 @2 S7′ sRef Num@25 @3 S7′ [7] A “baker” as also “bread” signifies the good of love, and a “butler” as also “wine,” the truth of doctrine, therefore:
The baker was hanged on account of his crime against king Pharaoh (Gen. 40:19-22; 41:13).
This may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 5139-5169). Because “Moab” means those who adulterate the goods of the church, and “Baal-peor” signifies the adulteration of good, it came to pass that:
All the chiefs of the people were hung up before the sun, because the people committed whoredom with the daughters of Moab and bowed themselves down to their gods, and joined themselves to Baal-peor (Num. 25:1-4).
“To commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab” signifies to adulterate the goods of the church; and “to be hung up before the sun” signifies a condemnation and curse because of the destruction of the good of the church.
sRef Josh@10 @27 S8′ sRef Josh@8 @29 S8′ sRef Josh@8 @27 S8′ sRef Josh@10 @26 S8′ sRef Josh@8 @26 S8′ sRef Josh@8 @28 S8′ [8] Because “Ai” signifies the knowledges of good, and in the contrary sense the confirmations of evil:
The king of Ai was hanged on wood, and afterwards thrown down at the entrance of the gate of the city, and the city itself was burned (Josh. 8:26-29).
And because “the five kings of the Amorites” signified evils and falsities therefrom destroying the goods and truths of the church,
Those kings were hanged by Joshua, and afterwards cast into the cave of Makkedah (Josh. 10:26, 27);
“the cave of Makkedah” signifying direful falsity from evil.
sRef Matt@23 @34 S9′ [9] Again, “to be hung upon wood or to be crucified” signifies the punishment of evil that destroys the good of the church, in Matthew:
Jesus said, I send unto you prophets, wise men, and scribes; and some of them shall ye kill, crucify, and scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city (Matt. 23:34).
All things the Lord spoke He spoke from the Divine, but the Divine things from which he spoke fell into the ideas of natural thought and consequent expressions according to correspondences, like these here and elsewhere in the Gospels; and as all the words have a spiritual sense, so in that sense prophets, wise men, and scribes, are not here meant, but instead of them the truth and good of doctrine and of the Word; for spiritual thought and speech therefrom, like that of angels, is without the idea of person; so a “prophet” signifies the truth of doctrine, “wise men” the good of doctrine, and “scribes” the Word from which is doctrine; from this it follows that “to kill” has reference to the truth of the doctrine of the church, which is meant by a “prophet;” “to crucify” has reference to the good of doctrine, which is meant by “a wise man,” and “to scourge” has reference to the Word, which is meant by a “scribe;” thus “to kill” signifies to extinguish, “to crucify” to destroy, and “to scourge” to pervert. That they will wander from one falsity of doctrine into another is signified by “persecuting them from city to city,” “city” signifying doctrine. This is the spiritual sense of these words.
sRef Matt@20 @19 S10′ sRef Matt@20 @18 S10′ [10] In the same:
Jesus said to the disciples that He must suffer at Jerusalem, and that the Son of man shall be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they shall condemn Him, and deliver Him up to the Gentiles to be mocked, to be scourged, and to be crucified; and the third day He shall rise again (Matt. 20:18, 19; Mark 10:32-34).
The spiritual sense of these words is that Divine truth, in the church where mere falsities of doctrine and evils of life reign, shall be blasphemed, its truth shall be perverted, and its good destroyed. “The Son of man” signifies Divine truth, which is the Word, and “Jerusalem” signifies the church where mere falsities and evils reign; “the chief priests and scribes” signify the adulterations of good and the falsifications of truth, both from infernal love; “to condemn Him and deliver Him to the Gentiles” signifies to assign Divine truth and Divine good to hell and to deliver them to the evils and falsities that are from hell, the “Gentiles” signifying the evils that are from hell and that destroy the goods of the church; “to be mocked, to be scourged, and to be crucified,” signifies to blaspheme, falsify and pervert the truth, and to adulterate and destroy the good of the church and of the Word (as above); “and the third day He shall rise again” signifies the complete glorification of the Lord’s Human.
sRef Isa@53 @11 S11′ [11] From this it can be seen what is signified in the spiritual sense by the Lord’s crucifixion, also what is signified by the various mockings then connected with it, as that “they put a crown of thorns on His head,” that “they smote Him with a reed,” and also that “they spat in His face,” with many other things related in the Gospels, this signifying that the Jewish nation treated Divine truth and good itself, which was the Lord, in a like heinous manner; for the Lord suffered the heinous state of that church to be represented in Himself; and this was also signified by:
His bearing their iniquities (Isa. 53:11).
For it was a common thing for a prophet to take upon himself a representation of the heinous things of the church; thus the prophet Isaiah was commanded to go naked and barefoot three years, to represent the church as destitute of good and truth (Isa. 20:3, 4); the prophet Ezekiel, bound in cords, laid siege to a tile on which Jerusalem was depicted, and ate a cake of barley made with the dung of an ox, to represent that the truth and good of the church was thus besieged by falsities and polluted by evils (Ezek. 4:1-13); the prophet Hosea was commanded to take a harlot to himself for a woman, and children of whoredoms, to represent what the quality of the church was at that time (Hos. 1:1-11); with other like things. That this was “bearing the iniquities of the house of Israel” or the church is plainly declared in Ezekiel 4:5, 6. From this it can be seen that all things recorded concerning the passion of the Lord were representative of the state of the church at that time with the Jewish nation.
[12] Thus much respecting the punishment of “hanging upon wood or crucifixion.” This is not the place to confirm from the Word that the other punishment, which was “stoning,” signified a condemnation and curse because of the destroyed truth of the church, but it can be seen from the passages where “stoning” is mentioned (as in Exod. 21:28-33; Lev. 24:10-17, 23; Num. 15:32-37; Deut. 13:10; 17:5-7; 22:20, 21, 24; Ezek. 16:39-41; 23:45-47; Matt. 23:37; Luke 13:34; 20:6; John 8:7; 10:31, 32; and elsewhere).

sRef Rev@11 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@11 @9 S0′ 656. Verses 9, 10. And they of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations shall see their bodies three days and a half and shall not suffer their bodies to be placed in sepulchers. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them and shall be glad, and shall send gifts one to another, because those two prophets tormented them that dwell upon the earth. 9. “And they of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations shall see,” signifies with all who are in the falsities and evils of religion, of doctrine, and of life (n. 657); “their bodies three days and a half,” signifies the complete extinction of Divine truth and of Divine good (n. 658); “and shall not suffer their bodies to be placed in sepulchers,” signifies the rejection and damnation of such (n. 659). 10. “And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them and shall be glad,” signifies the delights of infernal love with those who are opposed to the goods and truths of the church (n. 660); “and shall send gifts one to another,” signifies their consociation (n. 661); “because those two prophets tormented them that dwell upon the earth,” signifies the anxiety of heart in the devastated church on account of these (n. 662).

sRef Rev@11 @9 S0′ 657. Verse 9. And they of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations shall see, signifies with all who are in the falsities and evils of religion, of doctrine, and of life. This is evident from the signification of “to see,” as being to know, to perceive, and to understand; also from the signification of “peoples and tribes” as being those who are in the falsities of doctrine and religion; “peoples” in the Word mean all who are in truths or in falsities, whether they are of the church or of some religion out of the church (see n. 175, 331, 625); and “tribes” mean in the Word all who are in truths or in falsities of doctrine, for “tribes” signify all truths and falsities of doctrine (see above, n. 330, 430, 431, 454). From this it can be seen that “peoples and tribes” signify all who are in the truths or falsities of religion and of doctrine, here those who are in falsities, because it is said, “they shall see the bodies of the witnesses three days and a half, and shall not suffer them to be placed in sepulchers.” This is evident also from the signification of “tongues and nations,” as being those who are in the evils of doctrine and of life, for “tongues” signify the goods or evils of doctrine, and thence of religion (see above, n. 330, 455, 625); and “nations” signify the goods or evils of life (see also above, n. 175, 331, 625); from which it can be seen that “tongues and nations” signify all who are in the goods or the evils of doctrine and of life, here those who are in the evils, since it is said of them that “they shall see the bodies of the witnesses upon the street of the great city, and shall not suffer them to be placed in sepulchers.”

sRef Rev@11 @9 S0′ 658. Their bodies three days and a half, signifies the complete extinction of Divine truth and of Divine good.* This is evident from the signification of “bodies” (that is, of the “witnesses”), as being those who have extinguished with themselves all Divine truth and Divine good; for “the two witnesses,” whom they killed, signify the goods of love and charity and the truths of doctrine and faith (see above, n. 228, 635); consequently “their bodies when killed” signify that these have been extinguished; but because the good of love and charity and the truth of doctrine and faith can be extinguished only with those who are in falsities of doctrine and in evils of life, these are meant, since others do not see that the goods of love and the truths of doctrine are extinguished; for everyone sees the things that are of the Lord, and thus of heaven and the church, according to what his state is, since from that he sees; consequently he can see no otherwise than in accord with what that is. Thus he who denies the Lord and His Divine in heaven and in the church sees them not, because he sees from the negative; therefore such a one does not see the witnesses alive, but their bodies as carcasses, that is, the goods of love and the truths of doctrine as no truths and goods, consequently as extinguished. The above is evident also from the signification of “three days and a half,” as meaning what is complete, here complete extinction.
[2] “Three and a half” means completeness, because “three” signifies an entire period or duration from beginning to end, consequently where the church is treated of, as here, “three and a half” signifies even to the end, and at the same time to a new beginning of it; therefore it is added “after three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them and they stood upon their feet,” which signifies the beginning of a New Church after the end of the old. For at the end of the church all the good of love and the truth of doctrine is extinguished, but then there is a resuscitation, which is effected with those with whom a New Church is established by the Lord, and this is signified by “the spirit of life” that entered into them. “Three days and a half” signifies a complete or full state for this reason also, that this number has a similar signification as the number “seven,” for it is half of it, and a number halved, or a number doubled, has a similar signification as the number that is halved or doubled; and the number “seven” signifies all, likewise what is full and complete, and is predicated of what is holy pertaining to heaven and the church. Respecting the signification of this number see above (n. 20, 24, 257, 300). That the greater numbers that are composed of smaller ones have a similar signification as the simple numbers from which they arise by multiplication, may be also seen above (n. 430); and that “three” signifies an entire period greater or less from beginning to end (above, n. 532).
* ( [MARGINAL NOTE:] 3 1/2: 1 Kings 17; 18; Luke 4:25.)

sRef Rev@11 @9 S0′ 659. And shall not suffer [their bodies] to be placed in sepulchers, signifies the rejection and damnation of such. This is evident from the signification of “not to be placed in sepulchers or not to be buried,” as being eternal damnation; for “to be buried” signifies in the Word awakening into life and resurrection, because when a man dies and is buried he is awakened or rises again into eternal life. For after death a man continues to live equally as in the world, but he lays aside the earthly or material body, which served him for use in the natural world, and continues his life in a spiritual body. Burial, therefore, is only the rejection, as it were, of the exuviae that he carried about in the natural world. Burial signifies awakening into eternal life or resurrection, because the angels do not know what the death of a man is nor what his burial is, since with them there is no death and therefore no burial, but they perceive all things spiritually; when, therefore, the death of a man is mentioned in the Word, instead of death they perceive his passing over from one world into another; and where burial is mentioned they perceive his resurrection into life. It follows from this that “not to be buried” signifies resurrection not into life, but into damnation, which means spiritual death. Every man, indeed, after his departure out of the world is awakened and rises again, but some to life and some to damnation, and as “to be buried” signifies resurrection to life, so “not to be buried” signifies damnation, but here of those who reject the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, which are signified by “the two witnesses;” consequently “not to be placed in sepulchers” (or not to be buried) does not mean damnation except in the idea of those who condemn such goods and truths. Therefore what “sepulchers” signify in the Word, as also “to be buried” and “not to be buried,” can be seen from the following passages.
sRef Isa@65 @3 S2′ sRef Isa@65 @4 S2′ [2] That “sepulchers,” because of the dead bodies and bones in them, signify things unclean, and thus things infernal, can be seen from many passages in the Word. As in Isaiah:
A people that provoke Me to anger continually before My faces; that burn incense upon bricks, that sit in sepulchers and lodge in waste places, that eat swine’s flesh (Isa. 65:3, 4).
“To provoke Jehovah to anger before His faces” signifies to sin against the truths and goods of the Word, and to fall away from the worship therein commanded, “the faces of Jehovah” meaning the things revealed in the Word; “to burn incense upon bricks” signifies worship from falsities of doctrine, “bricks” meaning the falsities of doctrine, and “to burn incense” meaning worship from them; “to sit in sepulchers” signifies to be in filthy loves; “to lodge in waste places” signifies to remain and to live in falsities, “waste places” meaning where there are no truths; “to eat swine’s flesh” signifies to make infernal evils one’s own.
sRef Num@19 @16 S3′ sRef Num@19 @18 S3′ [3] In Moses:
Whosoever shall touch one upon the surface of the field that is slain by a sword, or a dead body, or the bone of a man, or a sepulcher, shall be unclean seven days, and afterwards he shall be purified (Num. 19:16, 18).
“To touch” signifies in the Word to communicate; therefore that falsities and evils be not communicated and thus appropriated it was forbidden to touch things unclean, here “one slain by a sword,” a “dead body,” “the bone of a man,” or a “sepulcher;” since “one slain by a sword” signifies one who has been destroyed by falsities, and has thence been condemned to hell; and a “dead body” signifies one who has been destroyed by evils; “the bone of a man” signifies infernal falsity, and a “sepulcher” infernal evil.
sRef Ezek@32 @24 S4′ sRef Ezek@32 @23 S4′ sRef Ezek@32 @20 S4′ sRef Ezek@32 @22 S4′ sRef Ezek@32 @18 S4′ [4] In Ezekiel:
Wail over the multitude of Egypt, and cast her down with them that go down into the pit. They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword. Asshur is there and all his assembly, his sepulchers are round about him, all the slain who have fallen by the sword, to whom sepulchers were given in the sides of the pit, and his assembly is round about his sepulcher. Elam and all his multitude is round about his sepulcher, all the uncircumcised slain by the sword (Ezek. 32:18, 20, 22-24).
“The multitude of Egypt” signifies the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man, which are dead because they do not come down and take form as effects, conclusions, and confirmations, from the truths of the spiritual man; “Asshur” signifies reasonings from such knowledges; therefore “Wail over the multitude of Egypt, and cast her down with them that go down into the pit,” signifies grief because of the damnation of those who are in these knowledges, the “pit” signifying the hell where such dead knowledges have rule, that is, knowledges separated from truths, because employed to confirm falsities of doctrine and evils of life; “those slain by the sword,” here as above, signify those who are condemned to the hells on account of falsities; “Asshur is there and all his assembly” signifies reasonings from those falsities; the “sepulchers” that are round about Asshur and in the sides of the pit, where Elam is, and “all the uncircumcised slain by the sword” signify the hells where these falsities are, that is, those who are in such falsities.
[5] It is to be known that falsities and evils of every kind correspond to unclean and loathsome things in the natural world, and the more direful falsities and evils to things pertaining to dead bodies and to fetid excrementitious things, and the milder falsities and evils to things pertaining to swamps; consequently the dwelling-places in the hells of those who are in such falsities and evils appear like pits and sepulchers; and if you will believe it, such evil genii and spirits also have their abode in the sepulchers, privies, and swamps that are in our world, although they do not know it; this is so because they correspond, and the things that correspond conjoin. The same conclusion may be drawn from this, that to those who have been assassins and poisoners, and to those who have perceived delight in violating women, there is nothing more delightful than the odor of a corpse; and to those who have been eaten up with the love of ruling, and to those who have taken delight in adulteries, and no delight in marriages, there is nothing more delightful than the odor of excrement; and to those who have confirmed themselves in falsities, and have extinguished in themselves the affection of truth, there is nothing more delightful than the odor of a swamp and of urinous places. This is why the hells in which they dwell appear according to the corresponding delights, some like pits and some like sepulchers.
sRef Matt@8 @28 S6′ [6] From this it appears why it was:
That those that were obsessed by demons were in sepulchers and came out therefrom (Matt. 8:28 seq.; Mark 5:2, 3, 5; Luke 8:27);
namely, because those that were obsessed while they lived in the world were in falsities from evil, or in knowledges from the Word, which they made dead by employing them to confirm evils and also to destroy the genuine truths of the church, especially the truths respecting the Lord, the Word, and the life after death; these dead knowledges are called in the Word “traditions.” This is why those that were obsessed by such, when they had become demons:
Were in sepulchers, and the demons themselves were afterwards cast out into swine, that cast themselves headlong into the sea (Matt. 8:31-33).
They were “cast into swine” [because while they lived in the world they had been in sordid avarice],* and this is what “swine” correspond to and thence signify; they “cast themselves headlong into the sea” because the “sea” here signifies hell.
sRef Ps@88 @5 S7′ sRef Ps@88 @4 S7′ sRef Ps@88 @6 S7′ sRef Ps@88 @11 S7′ [7] In David:
I have been reckoned with them that go down into the pit. I am become as a man that hath no strength; neglected among the dead, like the slain that lie in the sepulcher, whom Thou rememberest no more, and who are cut off from Thy hand. Thou hast laid me in the pit of the lower parts, in dark places, in the depths. Shall Thy mercy be declared in the sepulcher, Thy truth in destruction? (Ps. 88:4-6, 11)
This treats of temptations, in the highest sense of the Lord’s temptations; this describes of what nature these were, namely, that He seemed to Himself to be in hell among the damned, so fierce and enormous were the temptations the Lord endured; therefore “I have been reckoned with them that go down into the pit” signifies that He seemed to Himself to be in hell, “the pit” meaning hell; “I am become as a man that hath no strength” signifies that He then seemed to Himself to be without power, for temptations plunge a man into falsities and evils, in which there is no power; “neglected among the dead” signifies among those who have nothing of truth and good, and who are therefore rejected; “as the slain that lie down in the sepulcher” signifies like those who are in falsities from evil, “the slain” signifying those who perish by falsities, and “the sepulcher” hell, because those that are in hell are spiritually dead; “whom Thou rememberest no more, and who are cut off from Thy hand,” signifies who are deprived of all truth and good; “Thou hast laid me in the pit of the lower parts” signifies in the places of hell where such are; “in dark places” signifies as it were in falsities; “in the depths” signifies as it were in evils.
[8] There is now added a prayer from grief that he may be delivered from temptations, and for this among other reasons, “Shall Thy mercy be declared in the sepulcher, and Thy truth in destruction?” which signifies that in hell, where and from which are evils and falsities, Divine good and Divine truth cannot be proclaimed, “mercy” meaning the Divine good of the Divine love, and “truth” the Divine truth of the Divine wisdom, “sepulcher” meaning the hell where and from which are evils, and “destruction” the hell where and from which are falsities. From this it appears that “sepulcher” means hell, because they who are in hell are spiritually dead.
sRef Isa@53 @9 S9′ [9] In Isaiah:
That He might give the wicked to their sepulcher, and the rich in their deaths (Isa. 53:9).
This also is said of the Lord, of whom the whole of this chapter treats, but here of His victories over the hells. “The wicked given to the sepulcher” mean the evil who will be cast down into hell; here “sepulcher” plainly stands for hell, which is called a sepulcher because of the spiritually dead who are in it; “the rich given in their deaths” mean those of the church who are in falsities from evils, who are called “rich” by reason of the knowledges of truth and good which they have from the Word; falsities from evil are signified by “deaths,” because those who are in them are spiritually dead.
sRef Matt@23 @27 S10′ sRef Ps@5 @9 S10′ [10] Those who think evil about God and the neighbor but speak well, and those who think insanely about truths of faith and goods of love but speak sanely, such inwardly are sepulchers whited without, according to these words of the Lord:
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of the bones of the dead and of all uncleanness (Matt. 23:27, 29; Luke 11:47, 48).
[11] And in David:
There is nothing right in the mouth of anyone, their midst is perditions; their throat is an open sepulcher, they flatter with their tongue (Ps. 5:9).
“In the mouth” signifies outwardly, the “midst” inwardly; that there is hell within is signified by “their throat is an open sepulcher;” and that outwardly there is hypocrisy and seeming sanity is signified by “they flatter with their tongue.” These and other passages in the Word make evident what “sepulcher” signifies.
[12] So when those who are in falsities from evil are treated of, by “their sepulcher” the hell from which and in which there is such falsity is meant; but when those who are in truths from good are treated of, “sepulcher” means the removal and rejection of falsity from evil, and “burial” means awakening and resurrection into life, as also regeneration. For with a man who is in truths from good, falsity from evil is removed and rejected into hell, and the man himself, in respect to his interiors, which belong to his spirit, rises again and enters into the life of truth from good, which is the spiritual life. In this sense “burial” is to be understood in the following passages.
sRef John@5 @28 S13′ sRef John@5 @29 S13′ [13] In John:
Marvel not, for the hour cometh in which all that are in the sepulchers shall hear the voice of the Son of man, and shall come forth; they that have done goods unto the resurrection of life, but they that have done evils unto the resurrection of judgment (John 5:28, 29).
This does not mean that those who are in sepulchers or tombs shall hear the voice of the Lord and come forth, for all after death, equally as in this world, live as men, with the difference only that after death they live in a spiritual body, and not in a material body; therefore “to go forth out of the sepulchers” signifies out of the material body; and this going forth first takes place with everyone immediately after death, and afterwards when the Last Judgment is wrought, for at that time the exteriors are removed and the interiors are opened with all with whom this had not previously been done; then those whose interiors are heavenly are raised up unto life, but those with whom the interiors are infernal are raised up unto death, and this is what is signified by “they that have done goods shall go forth unto the resurrection of life, but they that have done evils unto the resurrection of judgment.”
sRef Ezek@37 @11 S14′ sRef Ezek@37 @13 S14′ sRef Ezek@37 @12 S14′ sRef Ezek@37 @14 S14′ [14] That this is meant by “going forth out of the tombs or out of the sepulchers” is still more evidently manifest in Ezekiel:
Behold I will open your sepulchers and will cause you to come up out of your sepulchers, O My people, and will bring you upon the land of Israel, that ye may know that I am Jehovah, when I shall have opened your sepulchers and have caused you to come up out of your sepulchers, O My people, and have given My Spirit in you that ye may live, and have placed you upon your own land (Ezek. 37:12-14).
This treats of the dry bones seen by the prophet upon the faces of the valley; upon these sinews appeared to be stretched and flesh came up, and skin covered them; and when the Spirit of God came into them they lived again and stood upon their feet. That by these bones the whole house of Israel was meant is openly declared in these words:
Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold they say, Our bones are dried up, our hope is perished; as for us we are cut off (Ezek. 37:11).
This house was likened to “dry bones” because they were in falsities and evils, which have no life because of their non-correspondence with heaven in respect to sinews, flesh, and skin, for “bones” signify truths in the ultimate of order, upon which spiritual truths are based, and “dry bones” signify falsities from evil; this makes clear that “to open the sepulchers and to cause the people to come up out of the sepulchers” signifies to raise up out of falsities from evil, thus from the dead, and to impart truths from good, thus life, which life is “the Spirit of God,” from which they lived again; this is what is meant, therefore, by “causing the people to come up out of the sepulchers.” The church that is to be formed out of these is signified by “the land of Israel” upon which they shall be placed.
sRef Matt@27 @53 S15′ sRef Matt@27 @52 S15′ [15] It is related in Matthew:
That after the passion of the Lord the tombs were opened, and many bodies of those that slept coming out of their tombs went into the holy city, and appeared to many (Matt. 27:52, 53).
That “the tombs were opened, and many bodies of them that slept appeared,” has a similar signification as above in Ezekiel, where it is said that “Jehovah was to open the sepulchers and cause them to come up out of the sepulchers,” namely, the regeneration and resurrection of the faithful unto life; not that the bodies themselves that lay in the tombs rose again, but that there was this appearance, that regeneration and resurrection to life from the Lord might be signified. Furthermore, these same words mean those who in the Word are said “to be bound in the pit,” whom the Lord delivered when He had finished the whole work of redemption. For many of the faithful could not be saved until the Lord had come into the world and subjugated the hells; in the meanwhile they were detained in the places called “pits” until the Lord came, but were delivered by the Lord immediately after His coming. These pits were represented also by the “tombs” that were opened, and those who were in them by those that “slept,” who after the Lord’s resurrection, as it is said, “appeared to many in the holy city;” “the holy city” was Zion and Jerusalem, but by them heaven is meant, to which they were raised up by the Lord, for both Zion and Jerusalem were profane rather than holy. This makes evident what that miracle and that appearance represented and signified.
sRef Gen@50 @26 S16′ sRef Gen@50 @24 S16′ sRef Gen@50 @25 S16′ [16] Since “the land of Canaan” signifies both the church and heaven, and “burial” signifies resurrection into life, so:
Abraham bought of Ephron a field in which was the cave of Machpelah which was before Mamre (Gen. 23);
And there Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with their wives, were buried (Gen. 23; 25:9, 10; 35:29; 49; 50).
The particulars related concerning that cave, namely, that it was “in the field of Ephron, which was before Mamre,” and many others, were significative of resurrection unto life (as may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia). For this reason Joseph also commanded:
That his bones should be brought up into the land of Canaan (Gen. 50:24-26);
And this was done (Exod. 13:19; Josh. 24:32);
and for the reason that “the land of Canaan,” as has been said, signified the heavenly Canaan, which is heaven. Because of the representation of resurrection into heaven by burial:
David and the kings after him were buried in Zion (1 Kings 2:10; 11:43; 14:17, 18; 15:8, 24; 22:50; 2 Kings 8:24; 12:21; 14:20; 15:7, 38; 16:20).
This was because “Zion” signified the celestial church and heaven, where the Lord is.
sRef Gen@35 @29 S17′ sRef Gen@49 @33 S17′ sRef Gen@15 @15 S17′ sRef 2Ki@22 @20 S17′ sRef Gen@25 @8 S17′ [17] That “burial” signifies resurrection can also be seen from this, that the dead are frequently said to have been “gathered to their fathers,” and “to their peoples;” “to their fathers” in Genesis:
Jehovah said to Abraham, Thou shalt come to thy fathers in peace, and shalt be buried in a good old age (Gen. 15:15).
And in the second book of Kings:
Jehovah said of Josiah, king of Judah, Behold I gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy sepulcher in peace (2 Kings 22:20).
Also “to their people” in Genesis:
Abraham expired and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his peoples (Gen. 25:8);
Isaac expired and died, and was gathered to his peoples, an old man and full of days (Gen. 35:29);
Jacob expired and was gathered to his peoples (Gen. 49:33).
“To their fathers” and “to their peoples” mean to their own, that is, to their like in the other life, for everyone after death comes to his like with whom he is to live forever. It cannot mean that they were gathered to their fathers and to their peoples in the sepulcher, for it is also said of Abraham when he died, that he “was gathered to his fathers” and that he was “gathered to his peoples,” yet he was buried in a new tomb, where none of his fathers or of his peoples were before him, except Sarah his wife.
sRef Job@5 @25 S18′ sRef Job@5 @24 S18′ sRef Job@5 @26 S18′ [18] In Job:
Thou shalt know that thy tent is peace, and thy children as the herb of the land, thou shalt come in old age unto the sepulcher like the coming up of a heap of corn in its season (Job 5:24-26).
A “tent” signifies in the Word the holiness of worship and the good of love, because Divine worship in most ancient times was performed in tents; and because their worship was from the good of celestial love, a “tent” signifies also that good; and since there is genuine peace in celestial good therefore it is said, “Thou shalt know that thy tent is peace.” Truths from that good and their increase are signified by “the children which shall be as the herb of the land,” for “sons” and “children” and likewise “the herb of the land” signify truths from good; that when wisdom has been imbibed one shall come into heaven is signified by “thou shalt come in old age into the sepulcher,” “old age” signifying wisdom, and “to come into the sepulcher” or “to be buried” signifying resurrection; and as this is the meaning it is added, “like the coming up of a heap of corn in its season.”
sRef Matt@26 @12 S19′ sRef Matt@26 @13 S19′ sRef Matt@26 @7 S19′ [19] From these few passages it may appear that “sepulchers,” by reason of the dead bodies and inanimate bones therein, signify things infernal, but that “burial” signifies the rejection of these and consequently resurrection; for when a man rejects or puts off his material body he puts on a spiritual body, with which he rises again. For this reason the very death of man signifies in the spiritual sense the continuation of his life, but in an evil sense it signifies damnation, which is spiritual death. As in respect to man “burial” signifies resurrection and also regeneration, therefore in respect to the Lord it signified the glorification of His Human; for the Lord glorified, that is, made Divine, His entire Human, consequently on the third day He rose again with the Human glorified, that is, made Divine. Unless this had been done, no man could have risen again to life; for man has resurrection unto life solely from the Lord, and indeed from His having united the Divine with His Human, and from this union, or strictly speaking, glorification, man has salvation; this is involved in:
What the Lord said of the woman who poured balsamic ointment upon His head, that she did it unto His burial (Matt. 26:7, 12; Mark 14:8; John 12:7);
for “anointing” signifies that glorification; because from it man has salvation it is said of this woman:
Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her (Matt. 26:13).
This, too, was represented by:
The man that was cast into the sepulcher of Elisha, who revived when he touched his bones (2 Kings 13:20, 21).
For “Elisha” represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and this constitutes the life of heaven into which man is raised up.
sRef Isa@14 @20 S20′ sRef Isa@14 @19 S20′ [20] Since “to be buried” and “burial” signify both resuscitation into life and regeneration; so “not to be buried” and “to be dragged out of the tombs” signifies no resurrection to heaven nor regeneration, but resurrection to hell, and accordingly damnation, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Thou art cast out of thy sepulcher like an abominable shoot, the vesture of those that are slain, of those thrust through with the sword, that go down to the stones of the pit, like a carcass trodden down; thou shalt not be united with them in the sepulcher, for thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people; the seed of the wicked shall not be named forever (Isa. 14:19, 20).
This is said of the king of Babylon, by whom the profanation of Divine truth is signified; therefore “thou art cast out of thy sepulcher” signifies damnation to hell; “like an abominable shoot, the vesture of those that are slain, of those thrust through with the sword,” signifies the falsification of truth and its profanation; “an abominable shoot” means truth falsified, and “the vesture of those that are slain, of those thrust through with the sword,” means truth adulterated and utterly destroyed by direful falsities; “that go down to the stones of the pit, like a carcass trodden down,” signifies to the hell where the falsities of evil are, “a carcass trodden down” signifying an infernal spirit, with whom everything is spiritually dead because of the total destruction of good; “thou shalt not be united with them in the sepulcher” signifies no consociation with those who rise again to life, for “to be in the sepulcher or to be buried” signifies that resurrection, and on the other hand, “to be cast out of the sepulcher” signifies damnation; “thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people,” signifies that the church and those therein who are in truths from good have been destroyed by the falsities of evil; “the seed of the wicked shall not be named forever” signifies eternal dissociation and separation.
sRef Jer@16 @3 S21′ sRef Jer@16 @4 S21′ [21] In Jeremiah:
Jehovah hath said concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that shall bear them, and concerning their fathers that shall beget them in this land, They shall die of grievous deaths, that they may not be lamented, neither buried; they shall be for dung upon the faces of the earth, or they shall be consumed by the sword or by famine, that their carcass may be for food to the birds of the heavens and to the beast of the earth (Jer. 16:3, 4).
This is said of the church vastated in respect to all good and truth; “sons and daughters, and mothers and fathers” do not mean in the spiritual sense sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, but the truths and goods of the church both exterior and interior, “sons and daughters” meaning exterior truths and goods, “mothers and fathers” interior truths and goods; these are called “mothers and fathers” because they beget and bring forth the exterior; “they shall die of grievous deaths, that they may not be lamented, neither buried,” signifies condemnation to hell because of direful falsities; “they shall be for dung upon the faces of the earth” signifies infernal filth which is the evil that defiles the good and truth of the church; “to be consumed by the sword or by famine” signifies to be destroyed by falsities and evils; “that their carcass may be for food to the birds of the heavens and to the beast of the earth” signifies consumed and to be yet further consumed by the cupidities of the love of falsity and evil.
sRef Jer@25 @31 S22′ sRef Jer@25 @33 S22′ [22] In the same:
A tumult cometh even to the end of the earth, for Jehovah hath a controversy against the nations; He shall enter judgment with all flesh, He shall give the wicked to the sword; the slain of Jehovah shall be in that day from the end of the earth even unto the end of the earth, they shall not be lamented nor gathered nor buried, they shall be as dung upon the faces of the earth (Jer. 25:31, 33).
This describes the devastation of the church at its end when the Last Judgment takes place. “A tumult even to the end of the earth, for Jehovah hath a controversy against the nations,” signifies the dismay of all who are of the church when they are visited and their evils are disclosed, the “earth” meaning the church, “nations” those who are in evils, and in an abstract sense evils, and “the controversy of Jehovah” against them visitation and disclosure.
“He shall enter judgment with all flesh” signifies the universal judgment that takes place at the end of the church; “He shall give the wicked to the sword” signifies that the unfaithful will perish by their falsities; “the slain of Jehovah shall be in that day from the end of the earth even unto the end of the earth” signifies those who perish by falsities of every kind, the “slain of Jehovah” meaning those who perish by falsities, and “from the end of the earth even unto the end of the earth” meaning from first things to last of the church, thus falsities of every kind; “they shall not be lamented nor gathered nor buried” signifies that there will be no more any restoration and salvation, but condemnation, “lamentation” signifying grief because such is the state of man, and “no lamentation” signifying no grief because man is such that there is no restoration; “they shall be for dung upon the faces of the earth” signifies mere falsity and evil with no reception of life from heaven; for if a man receives no life through the truths of faith and the goods of charity he is wholly dead, since he is in mere falsities of evil and evils of falsity, and such are “a carcass and dung upon the faces of the earth.”
sRef Jer@8 @2 S23′ sRef Jer@8 @1 S23′ sRef Jer@14 @16 S23′ [23] In the same:
Against prophets that prophesy a lie in the name of Jehovah: The people to whom they prophesy shall be cast in the streets of Jerusalem, because of famine and the sword, and there shall be none to bury them, themselves, their wives, and their sons and their daughters (Jer. 14:15, 16).
Here, too, “not to be buried” means not to rise again to life but to damnation (the rest may be seen explained above, n. 652). In the same:
In that time they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah and the bones of his princes, and the bones of his priests and the bones of his prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, from their sepulchers, and they shall spread them to the sun and the moon and all the host of the heavens, which they have loved and which they have served, and after which they have walked, and which they have sought and to which they have bowed themselves down; they shall not be gathered nor be buried, they shall be as dung upon the faces of the land (Jer. 8:1, 2).
“To bring out the bones from the sepulchers” signifies to separate from the peoples, that is from communion with those who are in heaven, to cast out among the damned without, as takes place when the evil enter the societies of the good, and afterwards when discovered are cast out; for those that are buried are said “to be gathered to their peoples” as above of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; therefore “to be brought out of the sepulchers” means to be cast out from them. All who are of the church as well as all things of the church are signified by the “kings, princes, priests, prophets, and inhabitants of Jerusalem,” “kings” signifying the truths themselves of the church in the whole complex, “princes” the chief truths, “priests” the goods of doctrine, “prophets” the truths of doctrine, and “the inhabitants of Jerusalem” all things of the church depending thereon.
sRef 2Ki@23 @16 S24′ sRef 2Ki@9 @10 S24′ sRef Jer@22 @19 S24′ [24] Here the “bones of those that are to be brought out” signify the falsities and evils which have nothing in common with truths and goods; “to spread them out to the sun, the moon, and all the host of the heavens,” signifies to give them over to diabolic loves, and thus to evils and falsities which are from hell; for the “sun” signifies love in both senses, the “moon” faith in both senses derived from that love, and “the host of the heavens” falsities and evils of every kind; so here “to spread out the bones” to these means to wholly give them over to such things, that they may be nothing but loves and cupidities of evil and falsity; “which they have loved, which they have served, after which they have walked, which they have sought and to which they have bowed themselves down,” signifies an exterior and interior affection and proneness for such things, and worship therefrom; “they shall not be gathered nor be buried” signifies that they are never to return to the societies of heaven, but will remain with those who are in hell; “they shall be as dung upon the faces of the land” signifies what is dead and unclean, such as is cast out and trodden down.
From this may appear what is signified by the following:
That Josiah the king took the bones out of the sepulchers and burned them upon the altar (2 Kings 23:16);
That the dogs in the field ate Jezebel, and there was none to bury her (2 Kings 9:10);
That Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah,** king of Judah, was buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem (Jer. 22:19).
sRef Jer@19 @12 S25′ sRef Jer@7 @33 S25′ sRef Jer@7 @32 S25′ sRef Jer@19 @11 S25′ [25] “To be buried in Topheth,” and “in the valley of Hinnom” has a like signification in Jeremiah:
Behold the days come that it shall no more be said Topheth, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter; and they shall bury in Topheth till there is no place, and the carcass of this people shall be for food to the bird of the heavens and to the beast of the earth, and none shall frighten them away (Jer. 7:32, 33);
and in the same:
I will break this people and this city as the vessel of a potter is broken, which cannot be repaired anymore; and they shall bury in Topheth, because there will be no place for burying, and I will make this city as Topheth (Jer. 19:11, 12).
“Topheth” and “the valley of Hinnom” signify the hells, “Topheth” the hell at the back, which is called “the devil,” and the “valley of Hinnom” the hell in front, which is called “Satan;” for in the city of Jerusalem and outside of it all places corresponded to places in the spiritual world; for in that world the dwelling places are according to Divine order; in the middle are those who are in the greatest light or wisdom, in the borders those who are in the least, to the east and west those who are in love, to the south and north those who are in intelligence; such is the arrangement of the whole heaven, and such it is in every society there, such in every city, and likewise also in every house, and this because the lesser forms in the heavens are all likenesses of the greatest form; and as “Jerusalem” signified heaven and the church in respect to doctrine, therefore also the places there were representative according to their quarters and distances from the temple and from Zion. This is why “Topheth” and “the valley of Hinnom,” being most unclean and abominably idolatrous places, represented and thence signified the hells. Thence it appears what “burying in Topheth” and “in the valley of Hinnom” signifies.
* The words enclosed in brackets are from Hindmarsh’s edition of 1786.
** The Latin has “Joshua” for “Josiah.”

sRef Rev@11 @10 S0′ 660. Verse 10. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them and shall be glad, signifies delights from infernal love with those who are opposed to the goods and truths of the church. This is evident from the signification of “they that dwell upon the earth,” as being those who are in the church, here those therein who are in evils and in falsities therefrom, thus who are opposed to its goods and truths; also from the signification of “rejoicing and being glad,” as being here the delight of infernal love; for all joy and all gladness is of love, since everyone rejoices and is glad when his love is favored, and when he pursues and obtains what he loves; in a word, all the joy of man proceeds from his love and all the sadness and grief of mind from antagonism to his love.
[2] It is said “rejoice and be glad” because of the marriage of good and truth; for “joy” is predicated of good because it relates to love, for it belongs especially to the heart and will, and “gladness” is predicated of truth, because it relates to the love of truth, for it belongs especially to the mind and its thought; therefore we speak of “joy of heart” and “gladness of mind.” Everywhere in the Word there are two expressions, one of which has reference to good and the other to truth, and this because it is the conjunction of good and truth that makes both heaven and the church; therefore both heaven and the church are compared to a marriage, for the reason that the Lord is called “Bridegroom” and “Husband,” and heaven and the church are called “bride” and “wife.” Everyone, therefore, who is not in that marriage is not an angel of heaven nor a man of the church; and the reason is that there is no good with anyone unless it is formed by truths, nor is there truth with anyone unless it is made living by good; for every truth is a form of good, and all good is the being [esse] of truth, and as one is not possible without the other it follows that there must needs be a marriage of good and truth with the man of the church as well as with an angel of heaven. Moreover, all intelligence and wisdom are from that marriage, for from it truths and goods are continually born, by which the understanding and will are formed.
sRef Isa@51 @3 S3′ sRef Ps@40 @16 S3′ sRef Isa@35 @10 S3′ sRef Joel@1 @16 S3′ sRef Isa@22 @13 S3′ sRef Ps@90 @14 S3′ sRef Zech@8 @19 S3′ sRef Ps@68 @3 S3′ sRef Ps@90 @15 S3′ sRef Lam@4 @21 S3′ sRef Isa@66 @10 S3′ sRef Ps@96 @11 S3′ [3] This has been said that it may be known why “to rejoice” and “to be glad” are both mentioned, namely, because “to rejoice” is predicated of good and its love or affection, and “to be glad” is predicated of truth and its love or affection. This is the case in many other passages in the Word, as in the following:
The heavens shall be glad and the earth shall rejoice (Ps. 96:11).
Let all that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee (Ps. 40:16; 70:4).
The righteous shall be glad and exult before God, and shall rejoice in gladness (Ps. 68:3).
That we may rejoice all our days, make us glad according to the days in which Thou hast afflicted us (Ps. 90:14, 15).
Be glad in Jerusalem and exult in her, all ye that love her, rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn over her (Isa. 66:10).
Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom (Lam. 4:21).
Behold joy and gladness, slaying the ox (Isa. 22:13).
They shall obtain joy and gladness, sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Isa. 35:10; 51:11).
Joy and gladness shall be found in Zion, confession and the voice of singing (Isa. 51:3).
They shall make* me to hear joy and gladness (Ps. 51:8).
Joy and gladness are cut off from the house of our God (Joel 1:16).
The fast of the tenth month shall be to the house of Judah for joy and for gladness (Zech. 8:19).
The voice of joy and the voice of gladness, and the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride (Jer. 7:34; 25:10; 33:11).
sRef Jer@7 @34 S4′ sRef Joel@2 @23 S4′ sRef Ps@48 @11 S4′ sRef Joel@2 @21 S4′ sRef Zeph@3 @14 S4′ sRef Luke@1 @14 S4′ sRef Ps@118 @24 S4′ sRef Isa@65 @18 S4′ sRef Ps@5 @11 S4′ sRef Isa@16 @10 S4′ sRef Isa@25 @9 S4′ sRef Ps@14 @7 S4′ sRef Ps@31 @7 S4′ sRef Ps@32 @11 S4′ sRef Ps@53 @6 S4′ [4] In place of joy exultation is also mentioned, because exultation, like joy, is predicated of good, because it relates to love, to the heart, and to the will; as in the following passages:
Jacob shall exult, Israel shall be glad (Ps. 14:7; 53:6).
I exult and am glad in Thy kindness (Ps. 31:7).
Be glad in Jehovah, and exult, ye righteous (Ps. 32:11).
Mount Zion shall be glad, and the daughters of Judah shall exult (Ps. 48:11).
Let all that trust in Thee be glad, and let them that love Thy name exult in Thee (Ps. 5:11).
This is the day that Jehovah hath made, let us exult and be glad in it (Ps. 118:24).
Let us exult and be glad in His salvation (Isa. 25:9).
Be ye glad and exult forever in the things which I create (Isa. 65:18).
Exult and be glad that Jehovah hath magnified in doing (Joel 2:21).
Exult, ye sons of Zion, and be glad in Jehovah your God (Joel 2:23; Hab. 3:18).
Be glad and exult with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem (Zeph. 3:14).
Gladness and exultation are taken away from Carmel (Isa. 16:10; Jer. 48:33).
The angel said unto Zacharias, Thou shalt have gladness and exultation, and many shall rejoice at His birth (Luke 1:14).

In all these passages, “exultation” signifies delight from love and from the affection of good, and “gladness” signifies pleasure from the love and affection of truth.
* The Hebrew has “Thou shalt make,” as also found in AC 3812, 8339.

sRef Rev@11 @10 S0′ 661. And shall send gifts one to another, signifies their consociation. This is evident from the signification of “to send gifts,” as being to be consociated by love and friendship through good will; for gifts from such an affection and disposition bring together both the well-disposed as well as the ill-disposed; here those are meant who are opposed to the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, which are signified by “the two witnesses” who were killed and cast forth into the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt. It is to be known that to the ill-disposed and wicked nothing is more delightful than to destroy the goods of love and the truths of doctrine wherever they are, and to do evil to those with whom these are; for such burn with hatred against these; consequently from the hell where such are there continually breathes forth a deadly hatred against celestial love and spiritual faith, and therefore against heaven, and especially against the Lord Himself; and as often as they are permitted to do evil they are in the delight of their heart. Such is the brutal nature of those who are in hell.
This, therefore, is what is meant by “they shall rejoice over them and shall be glad.” Moreover, the wicked enter into friendships and consociate themselves for doing harm to the well disposed; they are consociated by the delight of hatred, which is the delight of their love; this makes them appear as if friends in heart, when yet they are enemies. This, therefore, is the signification of “shall send gifts one to another.”
sRef Ex@23 @15 S2′ sRef Ps@72 @10 S2′ sRef Isa@18 @7 S2′ sRef Matt@2 @11 S2′ [2] Because gifts captivate the mind and consociate, it was a custom in ancient times to give gifts to the priest and the prophet, as also to the prince and the king, when they were approached (1 Sam. 9:7, 8); and it was also a statute:
That they should not appear empty (that is, without a gift) before Jehovah, but in their feasts everyone should bring a gift according as he had been blessed (Exod. 23:15; 34:20; Deut. 16:16, 17).
So too:
The wise men from the east brought gifts to the Lord just born, gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matt. 2:11);
according to the prediction in David (Ps. 72:10). So again:
The oblations upon the altar, which were sacrifices, and also the meal offerings and drink-offerings, were called gifts (Isa. 18:7; 57:6; 66:20; Zeph. 3:10; Matt. 5:23, 24; and elsewhere);
and this because external gifts signified internal or spiritual gifts, namely, such as go forth from the heart, and thence are of the affection and faith; and as by these conjunction is effected, in the spiritual sense “gifts” in reference to God signify conjunction, and in reference to men consociation.

sRef Rev@11 @10 S0′ 662. Because those two prophets tormented them that dwell upon the earth, signifies anxiety of heart in the devastated church on account of these. This is evident from the signification of “the two witnesses,” who are here called “two prophets,” as being the goods and truths of doctrine; also from the signification of “tormenting,” as being anxiety of heart; also from the signification of “them that dwell upon the earth,” as being those who live in the church, here in the devastated church. Therefore these words signify the anxiety of heart from the goods of love and the truths of doctrine with those who are of the devastated church; for here the end of the church is treated of, when the loves of self and of the world, and their lusts and the evils and falsities of those lusts, have rule. Then men are tormented by the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, because inwardly or in their hearts they hate them, howsoever they may profess them with their lips; and when anything that is hated enters there is inward torment; and yet such a man of the church does not know, so long as he lives in the world, that he has so great hate for these two witnesses, and that he is inwardly tormented by them, for the reason that he does not know the state of his interior thought and affection, but only the state of his exterior thought and affection, which falls immediately into speech. But when he comes into the spiritual world his exterior thought and affection are laid asleep, and the interior are opened, and then he feels so great a repugnance from hatred against the goods of love and the truths of doctrine that he cannot endure hearing them. When, therefore, such a man enters any angelic society where spiritual love and faith rule he is grievously tormented, which is a sign of interior repugnance from hatred against love and faith. This makes clear what is signified by “those two prophets tormented them that dwell upon the earth.” “Them that dwell upon the earth” mean those in the church who are in good in respect to life, but here those who are in evil, for such are interiorly tormented by the goods of love and the truths of doctrine. That “to dwell” signifies to live, and thus life, can be seen from passages in the Word, where “to dwell” is mentioned (Isa. 9:2; 13:20; 37:16; Jer. 2:6, 15; 51:13; Dan. 2:22; 4:9; Ezek. 31:6; Hos. 9:2, 3; Ps. 23:6; 27:4; 80:1; 101:7; Zeph. 3:6; and elsewhere).

sRef Rev@11 @12 S0′ sRef Rev@11 @11 S0′ 663. Verses 11, 12. And after the three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon them that beheld them. And they heard a great voice out of heaven saying unto them, Come up hither! And they went up into heaven in the cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 11. “And after the three days and a half,” signifies when it is finished, thus the end of the old church and the beginning of the New Church (n. 664); “the spirit of life from God entered into them,” signifies enlightenment and the reception of the influx of Divine truth from the Lord with some for the beginning of the New Church (n. 665); “and they stood upon their feet,” signifies a new life such as the regenerated man of the church has (n. 666); “and great fear fell upon them that beheld them,” signifies a state of anxiety with those who did not receive and acknowledge (n. 667). 12. “And they heard a great voice out of heaven saying unto them,” signifies the Lord’s Divine providence (n. 668); “Come up hither,” signifies separation and consequent protection (n. 669); “and they went up into heaven in the cloud,” signifies separation in respect to things internal, and their protection (n. 670); “and their enemies beheld them,” signifies knowledge and acknowledgment with those who are interiorly opposed to the goods and truths of the Word and of the church (n. 671).

sRef Rev@11 @11 S0′ 664. Verse 11. And after the three days and a half, signifies when it is finished, thus the end of the old church and the beginning of the New Church. This is evident from the signification of “the three days and a half,” as being fullness and completion as to the end of the old church, when there is the beginning of the New Church (see above, n. 658). It is said “after the three days and a half” because in the Word “days” signify states, here the last state of the church; for in the Word all times, as “hours,” “days,” “weeks,” “months,” “years,” “ages,” signify states, as here the last state of the church, when there is no longer any good of love or truth of faith left. Because “days” signify states, and the establishment of the Most Ancient Church is treated of in the first chapter of Genesis, and it becomes established successively from one state to another, it is there said:
That there was evening and there was morning the first day, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, and the sixth days, even to the seventh, when it was finished (Gen. 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31; 2:2);
and the “days” there do not mean days, but the successive states of the regeneration of men at that time, and the consequent establishment of the church with them. So also elsewhere in the Word.

sRef Rev@11 @11 S0′ 665. The spirit of life from God entered into them, signifies enlightenment and the reception of Divine truth from the Lord with some for the beginning of the New Church. This is evident from the signification of “the spirit of life from God,” as being the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (of which presently); also from the signification of “entering into them,” namely, into the “witnesses” that were slain and cast forth, as being enlightenment and reception of influx, namely, of Divine truth, which is signified by “the spirit of life;” it means also with some for establishing the New Church, as is evident from the following verse, where it is said that “they went up into heaven in the cloud,” thus it is meant with some, for “the two witnesses” signify the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, also they mean those with whom these goods and truths are, for all such are “witnesses.”
[2] When the end of the church is at hand then it is provided by the Lord that a New Church shall succeed, for without a church in which is the Word and in which the Lord is known, the world cannot subsist; for without the Word, and thence the knowledge and acknowledgment of the Lord, heaven cannot be conjoined to the human race, nor therefore can the Divine proceeding from the Lord flow in with new life; and without conjunction with heaven and through that with the Lord, man would not be a man, but a beast. This is why a New Church is always provided by the Lord when an old church comes to its end. Why the beginning only of the New Church and not yet its establishment is meant, shall be told in the explanation of the following verse.
sRef Ezek@37 @10 S3′ sRef Ezek@37 @9 S3′ [3] That “the spirit of life from God” or “the Spirit of God,” and “the Holy Spirit,” mean the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which is called the Divine truth, from which is all wisdom and intelligence, has been said and shown above (n. 24, 183, 318). This Divine proceeding is what enlightens man and flows into him when he is being reformed and regenerated, thus when the church is commencing and being established with him, as can be plainly seen from the passages quoted above from the Word (n. 183), also from this in Ezekiel:
Jehovah said unto me, Prophesy about the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say unto the wind, Thus the Lord Jehovih hath said, Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe into these slain, that they may live. And when I had prophesied the spirit entered into them, and they revived and stood upon their feet, a very great army (Ezek. 37:9, 10).
[4] This treats of “the dry bones” seen by the prophet upon the face of the valley, which signify the house of Israel, as is plainly declared in verse 11 of that chapter. “The house of Israel” signifies the church, and that house or church is here compared to “dry bones” because it had no good of love or truth of doctrine. The establishment of a New Church by the inbreathing of a new life, or by regeneration, is described by the “sinews, flesh, and skin,” with which the bones were clothed and encompassed, and especially by the “spirit” that entered into them, and from which they lived; the “spirit” in them here signifies also the reception of the influx of Divine truth and consequent spiritual life. The prophet said to the wind, “Come from the four winds, O spirit,” because “the four winds” signify the four quarters in the spiritual world, and the four quarters there signify the goods of love and the truths of doctrine in the whole complex. (On the signification of these see above, n. 417, 418, 419, 422, and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 141-150.)

sRef Rev@11 @11 S0′ 666. And they stood upon their feet, signifies a new life, such as the regenerate man of the church has. This is evident from the signification of “standing,” as meaning to be and to live, and also to sustain (see above, n. 414); also from the signification of “feet,” as being the natural, which is the ultimate of Divine order, and the base upon which prior or higher things rest, and upon which they subsist (see above, n. 69, 600, 606); so “to stand upon the feet” signifies life in fullness, because in the ultimate. A new life is signified because the “witnesses” who are here treated of were killed and lived again. “To stand upon the feet” here means such life as the regenerate man of the church has, because this is said of “the two witnesses,” by whom all who are in the goods of love through the truths of doctrine are meant, who are such as have been regenerated; also because when the natural, which is signified by the “feet,” has been regenerated, the whole man has life such as the regenerated man has.
sRef John@13 @10 S2′ [2] This the Lord teaches in John:
Jesus said to Peter, He that hath bathed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is all clean (John 13:10).
“To wash” signifies to be purified from evils and falsities, which is to be regenerated, therefore “he that hath bathed” signifies he that has been purified, that is, regenerated in respect to the spiritual, which is the good of love and the truth of doctrine; these must first be received in the memory and understanding, that is, must be known and acknowledged. “Needeth not save to wash his feet” signifies that the natural or external man must then be purified or regenerated, which is done by a life according to the precepts of love and faith, that is, according to the goods and truths of doctrine from the Word. As this is done the man himself is purified or regenerated; for to live according to the goods and truths of doctrine from the Word is to will them and thence to do them, which is the same as to be affected by them and to love them; for what comes to be of the will comes to be of the affection and love, and therefore of the man himself; for the will is the very man, since a man is his own love and his own affection. This is why it is said that then “the whole man is clean.”
sRef Ezek@3 @23 S3′ sRef Ezek@3 @24 S3′ sRef Ezek@37 @10 S3′ sRef Ezek@2 @1 S3′ sRef Ezek@2 @2 S3′ [3] From this it is clear why “to stand upon the feet” means such life as a regenerate man has. Therefore of “the dry bones” seen by the prophet on the face of the valley, when they had been covered with sinews, flesh, and skin, it is said:
When I had prophesied about the spirit, the spirit entered into them, and they revived and stood upon their feet (Ezek. 37:10).
Here also “to stand upon the feet” signifies a new life, such as the regenerate man has; for “the dry bones” to which the house of Israel is likened signify the state of the church with them, namely, that it had no goods of love or truths of doctrine; and “being clothed with sinews, flesh, and skin” signifies regeneration; and “the spirit that entered in” signifies a new life through the influx and reception of Divine truth; therefore it is then said that “they revived and stood upon their feet.”
sRef Ps@40 @2 S4′ sRef Ps@31 @8 S4′ [4] “To stand upon the feet” has the same signification elsewhere in the same prophet:
A voice speaking to me said, Son of man, stand upon thy feet that I may speak to thee; then the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and stood me upon my feet, and I heard him that spake to me (Ezek. 2:1, 2).
And again:
I fell upon my face, but the spirit entered into me and raised me upon my feet (Ezek. 3:23, 24).
This was done because “to stand upon the feet” signifies life itself when it is in its fullness; and life is in its fullness when the natural lives from the spiritual. For the ultimate of man’s life is in his natural; this ultimate is like a base to man’s interior and higher parts; for these close into the ultimate and subsist in it, consequently unless life is in the ultimate it is not full, and thus not perfect. Moreover, all things interior or higher exist together in the ultimate as in their simultaneous. For this reason such as the ultimate is such are the interior or higher parts, for these adapt themselves to the ultimate because it receives them.
sRef Ps@121 @3 S5′ [5] “To stand upon the feet” has a similar signification in David:
Thou hast made my feet to stand in a broad place (Ps. 31:8).
“A broad place” signifies the truth of doctrine from the Word, therefore “to make my feet to stand in a broad place” signifies to cause one to live according to Divine truths. Again, in the same:
He made me come up out of the pit of devastation, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock (Ps. 40:2).
“The pit of devastation” signifies the falsity of doctrine, and “the miry clay” the evil of life; and “to set the feet upon a rock” has a similar signification as above, “to make the feet to stand in a broad place,” for “rock” signifies the truth of doctrine from the Word, and in the highest sense, the Lord in relation to Divine truth. Thence it is clear what is signified in the spiritual sense by:
Jehovah will not suffer my* foot to totter (Ps. 121:3);
namely, that he will not suffer the natural to go astray from truths; for so far as the natural goes astray, so far the interiors which belong to the understanding and will, also go astray.
* The Hebrew has “thy.”

sRef Rev@11 @11 S0′ 667. And great fear fell upon them that beheld them, signifies a state of anxiety with those who did not receive and acknowledge. This is evident from the signification of “great fear,” as being a state of anxiety, for “fear” signifies in the Word various changes of state of man’s interiors, so here, a state of anxiety; also from the signification of “upon them that beheld them,” as being in those who could not endure the presence of the witnesses, and who therefore killed them and cast them out, and who therefore had grief of mind and anxiety of heart when they saw them alive, consequently it means with those that have not received and acknowledged the good of love and the truth of doctrine. This describes the state of those who are opposed to the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, at the end of the old and the beginning of the New Church; such then come into anxiety from the presence of those who receive love to the Lord and faith in Him, of whom the New Church is constituted; but this takes place in the spiritual world, not in the natural world; for in the spiritual world there is a communication of affections; and spiritual affection, which belongs to love to the Lord and faith in Him, and which then has a beginning with some, smites the evil with such anxiety. This, therefore, is what is meant by “great fear fell upon them that beheld them.”

sRef Rev@11 @12 S0′ sRef Isa@1 @21 S0′ sRef Isa@1 @22 S0′ 668. Verse 12. And they heard a great voice out of heaven, saying unto them, signifies the Lord’s Divine Providence. This is evident from the signification of “a great voice out of heaven,” as being the Lord’s Divine Providence. “A voice out of heaven” signifies all that proceeds from the Lord, which in general is called Divine truth, and with us in the world is called the Word; thus in particular every precept and command in the Word is meant; this is called “a voice out of heaven” because it descended and is continually descending from the Lord through heaven with those who read the Word from the spiritual affection of truth. The Lord’s Divine Providence is here signified by “a voice out of heaven,” because the subject treated of is the state of heaven and the state of the church at its end, when the Lord provides against any sudden change that would do harm to those who are to be separated, some of whom are to come into heaven and some to be cast into hell. Therefore it now follows that the two witnesses by command “went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them,” and this that there might be a separation, lest the successive progress of affairs according to order might be disturbed by their presence with the evil and the consequent communication (of which above). This arcanum, however, cannot be described in a few words, but in what follows it will be elucidated as far as possible.

sRef Rev@11 @12 S0′ 669. Come up hither, signifies separation and consequent protection. This is evident from the signification of “going up into heaven” when said of the witnesses, by whom the goods of love and the truths of doctrine are signified, as being to be separated from those that have no goods of love and truths of doctrine, thus to be separated from the evil. And as the reason for separation is that these, namely, the good of love and the truth of doctrine, may not be harmed by the evil, therefore “come up hither” signifies also protection. For if the good of love and the truth of doctrine were communicated to the evil they would receive them in an outward way, but would do them harm by inwardly denying and mocking them. Thence it would come to pass that the evil would be conjoined with the simple well-disposed, who are unable to perceive that the interiors of such are evil. These simple well-disposed constitute the lowest heaven; therefore if this separation were not effected, harm would be done to those who are in that heaven by their being conjoined with the externals of the evil (but on this see further in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 70). This is what is involved in the command to the two witnesses “to go up into heaven,” and by this also protection is signified.

sRef Rev@11 @12 S0′ 670. And they went up into heaven in the cloud, signifies separation in respect to things internal, and their protection. This is evident from the signification of “going up into heaven,” in reference to the two witnesses, as being separation from the evil, that is, from those who are in the falsities of doctrine from evils of life, and also protection (see preceding article, n. 669); also from the signification of “the cloud,” as being the ultimate of Divine truth, or the external of the Word, which is called the sense of its letter (of which above, n. 36, 594). Many of the evil also are in this external, for all who lead an evil life think in themselves in opposition to the goods and truths of the Word, of doctrine, and of the church, although they may be in the externals of these, and for this reason, that from the life they are in the love of evil, and love draws to its own side the interiors of the mind, thus the thoughts of its spirit, consequently when such are left to think alone by themselves they wholly deny those things that they confess with their lips before the world. It is this external, which is also with the impious and the evil, that is here meant by “the cloud.” For this reason, by “they went up into heaven in the cloud,” separation in respect to internals is meant, but not in respect to externals. Separation in respect to internals is meant, and not in respect to externals, because the internals of the two witnesses were spiritual and celestial, while the internals of the evil were infernal and diabolical; and internals that are celestial and spiritual are actually in heaven; therefore they are said to have “gone up thither,” in order that as to internals they might be separated from the evil, that their internals might not be harmed.
[2] A few words shall be said to make known what in particular is involved in “the going up into heaven of the two witnesses that were slain and lived again.” At the end of the church, when there is no faith because there is no charity, the interior things of the Word which are to serve the New Church for doctrine and life are disclosed. This was done by the Lord Himself, when the end of the Jewish Church was at hand; for the Lord Himself then came into the world and opened the interiors of the Word, especially those relating to Himself, love to Him and love towards the neighbor, and faith in Him, which before lay hidden in the interiors of the Word, since they were in its representatives, and thence in the particular things of the church and of worship. These truths, therefore, that were disclosed by the Lord were interior truths, and in themselves spiritual; and these afterwards served the New Church for doctrine and life, as has been said just above. These truths, however, were not immediately received, nor until after a considerable lapse of time, as is well known from ecclesiastical history; and for the reason that they could not be received until all things in the spiritual world had been reduced to order; for as the spiritual world is conjoined to the natural world with men, so unless that world had been first reduced to order, men in the natural world could not have understood or perceived the goods of love and the truths of doctrine; this is why so long a time intervened before the Christian Church was universally established in the European world; for all effects that exist in the natural world derive their origin from causes in the spiritual world, especially those that relate to the things of the church. These things have been said to make known what is signified in particular by the command to the two witnesses “to go up into heaven,” namely, that no harm be done by the evil to the goods of love and the truths of doctrine that are disclosed in the last time of the church.
sRef Gen@5 @24 S3′ [3] It was similar when the Most Ancient Church, which was before the flood, came to its end, for then the representatives of celestial things, which existed among the most ancient people, were gathered up into one body by those who were called “Enoch,” and were preserved for the use of the New Church after the flood; and this was called a representative church, because its laws and statutes, and in general its worship, consisted of representatives, or of such things in the natural world as corresponded to spiritual things in the spiritual world. The like was done with these, that is, they were separated from the evil by being taken into heaven and thus protected, and this till the old church came to its end, when a New Church was to be established. This is described by these words in Genesis:
And Enoch walked with God and he was no more, for God took him (Gen. 5:24).
That such is the signification of “Enoch, and his walking before God, and being taken by God” may be seen in Arcana Coelestia (n. 518-523), where this is explained.
sRef Rev@12 @5 S4′ [4] The like is done at the present day. This church, which is called Christian, has at this day come to its end, therefore the arcana of heaven and the church have now been revealed by the Lord, to serve as the doctrine of life and faith for the New Church, which is meant by “the New Jerusalem” in Revelation. This doctrine, too, has been taken up into heaven lest harm be done to it by the evil before the establishment of the New Church. Such, therefore, is the signification of this respecting the two witnesses, that “they went up into heaven;” also of what follows in the next chapter, where it treats of “the woman about to bring forth a child,” before whom stood the dragon:
That the child was caught up to God and to His throne (Rev. 12:5).
What is there meant in particular by the “woman” and the “child” will be told in the explanation of the next chapter. From this it can now be seen what arcanum is involved in what is here said of the two witnesses that by command “they went up into heaven in the cloud.”

sRef Rev@11 @12 S0′ 671. And their enemies beheld them, signifies the knowledge and acknowledgment with those who are interiorly opposed to the goods and truths of the Word and of the church. This is evident from the signification of “to behold,” as being to understand, consequently to know and to acknowledge (of which above, n. 11, 37, 260, 354, 529); also from the signification of “enemies,” as being those who are opposed to the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, consequently those who are in evils and falsities, for these are meant in the Word in its spiritual sense by “enemies and adversaries.” Thence it is clear that “their enemies beheld them” signifies the knowledge and acknowledgment with those who are against “the two witnesses,” that is, against the goods of love and the truths of doctrine.
sRef Ps@27 @12 S2′ sRef Ps@27 @13 S2′ [2] The arcanum here involved is this: “Enemies” here mean those who are inwardly opposed to the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, but still not outwardly; for such with the mouth act like friends, but in heart they are enemies; therefore before the world they profess a belief in goods and truths, but in their spirit, in which they are when they meditate alone with themselves, they reject them. These are the “enemies who behold,” for when such are in corporeal-natural thought, in which they are whenever they are in company with others, they see, that is, know and acknowledge, goods and truths. But when they are in their spiritual-natural thought, in which they are whenever they are alone and are thinking about matters of belief, they do not acknowledge. This is why it is said that “these two witnesses went up into heaven in the cloud;” for the “cloud” signifies the external of the Word, of the church, and of worship, which they see and from which they see. That the “cloud” here signifies this external may be seen in the article just above.
sRef Isa@26 @10 S3′ sRef Isa@26 @11 S3′ sRef Ps@3 @1 S3′ sRef Ps@3 @2 S3′ sRef Ps@17 @7 S3′ sRef Ps@17 @9 S3′ sRef Ps@17 @8 S3′ [3] In a multitude of passages in the Word, “adversaries” and “enemies” are mentioned, and by them evils and falsities are meant, evils by “adversaries,” and falsities by “enemies;” for the Word in its bosom is spiritual, therefore in that sense no other than spiritual adversaries and enemies can be meant by “adversaries and enemies.” That this is so can be seen from the following passages. In David:
Jehovah, how are my adversaries multiplied, many are they that rise up against me, that say of my soul, There is no salvation for him in God (Ps. 3:1, 2).
In the same:
Make wonderful Thy mercy, O Thou Savior of them that confide in Thee from them that rise up against me,* keep me by Thy right hand from the wicked who are against my soul, who compass me about (Ps. 17:7-9).
In the same:
Give me not up to the desire of my adversaries, for witnesses of a lie are risen up against me, who puff out violence; unless I had believed to see good in the land of life (Ps. 27:12, 13).
In the same-
Deliver me from my adversaries, O my God, set me on high from them that rise against me, deliver me from the workers of iniquity; behold they lie in wait for my soul (Ps. 59:1-3).
In Isaiah:
The wicked man acteth perversely in the land of uprightness; but Jehovah, Thy hand is exalted, fire shall devour Thine enemies (Isa. 26:10, 11);
besides many other passages in the prophetic Word, where “adversaries and enemies” are mentioned, and also in the historic Word, where “adversaries,” “wars,” and “battles” are treated of. For as “war” signifies spiritual war, which is between truths and falsities, and thence weapons of war, such as “spears,” “bows,” “arrows,” and “swords,” signify such things as belong to spiritual warfare, so also do “adversaries and enemies.” (That “wars” in the Word have this signification, also weapons of war, such as “bows,” “arrows,” and “swords,” has here and there been shown in the preceding pages.)
* The Hebrew has “that raise themselves up.”

sRef Rev@11 @13 S0′ 672. Verse 13. And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and there were killed in the earthquake names of men seven thousand; and the rest became afraid, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 13. “And in that hour,” signifies during that state (n. 673); “there was a great earthquake,” signifies a notable change of state of the interiors with those who are of the church (n. 674); “and the tenth part of the city fell,” signifies that no truths of doctrine any longer existed with those who remained (n. 675); “and there were killed in the earthquake names of men seven thousand,” signifies that in that change of state all truths of good also perished with them, and thus all things of heaven and the church (n. 676); “and the rest became afraid,” signifies the commotion of mind and turning away of those who were to some extent spiritual (n. 677); “and gave glory to the God of heaven,” signifies that they acknowledged and worshipped the Lord (n. 678).

sRef Rev@11 @13 S0′ 673. Verse 13. And in that hour, signifies during that state. This is evident from the signification of “hour,” as being state, so here that state when “the two witnesses went up into heaven, and their enemies beheld them.” “Hour” signifies state, because in the Word times and all expressions pertaining to time, like “hours,” “days,” “weeks,” “months,” “years,” “ages,” as also “morning,” “noon,” “evening,” “night,” likewise “spring,” “summer,” “autumn,” and “winter,” signify states of life. (That times have this signification has been illustrated and shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 162-169, where Time in Heaven is treated of; also above, n. 571, 610, 664; and that “hour” signifies any duration of state, greater or less, thus time and state, see above, n. 194; and that the number adjoined defines what is the quality of the state, n. 488.)

sRef Rev@11 @13 S0′ 674. There was a great earthquake, signifies a notable change of state of the interiors with those who are of the church. This is evident from the signification of “a great earthquake,” as being a notable change of the state of the church; for the “earth” signifies the church, “quaking” change of state, and “great” what is notable. (That an “earthquake” signifies in the Word a change of state of the church, see above, n. 400, 499.)
sRef Matt@24 @40 S2′ sRef Matt@24 @41 S2′ [2] The change of state in respect to the truths and goods of the church evidently sprang from causes that are described in the preceding verse, that is, because the two witnesses that had been killed and restored to life went up by command into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them. Thence it may be seen that the cause of this was the separation of the good from the evil, as has been shown in the preceding articles, where the going up of the two witnesses is explained. But this cannot be presented to the understanding unless it first be told how things are in the spiritual world; for the things described in this verse, namely, that “there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and there were killed in the earthquake names of men seven thousand, and the rest became afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven,” are things that take place, and in fact have already taken place at the time when the Last Judgement was at hand, but in the spiritual world, and not in the natural world; for when the good there are to be separated from the evil, and the good are to be protected from being harmed by the evil, then the good are taken away from the societies and the evil are left, according to the Lord’s words in Matthew:
Two [men] shall be in the field, one shall be taken, the other shall be left; two [women] shall be grinding, one shall be taken, the other shall be left (Matt. 24:40, 41).
This may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 4334, 4335). When the good are taken away there occurs in the societies in which the good and evil had been together, a notable change in respect to the things that pertain to the church.
[3] But the cause of this change shall be further disclosed. In the spiritual world there is a communication of all affections, and sometimes of thoughts; and within each society there is a general communication, extending itself from the middle of the society in every direction even to the boundaries, much as light spreads forth from a center to the circumferences. The variations and changes of the affections that arise from this communication and its extension spring from an influx of the affections from other societies, either above or at the sides, also from the newcomers that enter the society, and also from a few or many being taken away from the society.
[4] The societies upon which the Last Judgment came consisted both of the good and of the evil, but of such evil as were interiorly but not exteriorly opposed to the goods of love and the truths of doctrine; for exteriorly these were able to act rightly and justly and to speak piously and truly, not however for the sake of the right, of justice, of piety, and of truth, but from habit acquired in the world, for the sake of fame, glory, honor, gain, and the various delights of the natural loves, also on account of the laws and their penalties. For this reason, although they were interiorly evil, yet they could be together with those who were both exteriorly and interiorly good. When, therefore, the good were to be separated from those who merely appeared good in external form, their external good vanished, and their internal evil appeared; for they were held in that external good by communication with those within the same society who were not only exteriorly but also interiorly good, as has been said above. So when external good was taken away from the evil their interiors were opened; and these were full of mere evil and filthy things, which made evident of what quality they were in themselves. Such, then, is what is meant in particular by “the two witnesses going up by command into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beholding them;” and here that “in that hour there was a great earthquake,” namely, that when that state came a notable change took place in respect to those things that pertain to the church.

sRef Rev@11 @13 S0′ 675. And the tenth part of the city fell, signifies that no truths of doctrine any longer existed with those who remained. This is evident from the signification of “ten,” as being all persons and all things, also many persons and many things, and of “the tenth part,” as being all and much (of which presently); also from the signification of “city,” as being doctrine and also the truth of doctrine, for a doctrine, that it may be a doctrine of the church, must consist of truths from the Word (that a “city” signifies doctrine see above, n. 223). It is evident also from the signification of “to fall,” as being to be separated, consequently to have no existence; to be separated and to have no existence is predicated of truths of doctrine when “to fall” is predicated of a city.
[2] For every particular thing has allotted to it its analogous and proper expression, according to the correspondence of the subject in the natural sense with the subject in the spiritual sense; and here the subject in the natural sense is a city, while the subject in the spiritual sense is the truth of doctrine. That no truths existed with those that remained follows from what has been said in the preceding article, namely, that when the good are taken away from a society in which the good and the evil have been together, and are carried up into heaven, no truths of doctrine any longer remain with the evil, because they are then deprived of their communication with the good which enabled them as to the external to be as it were in truths, and thence to speak about truths from doctrine.
[3] For in the spiritual world there is a communication of the affections and thence of the thoughts, and from such communication one is held by another, thus all in the same society mutually, in a like affection and accordingly in a like good; thus are the evil also held by the good. But these evil were such as were able in external form to put on an appearance of sanctity, of piety, of intelligence, of zeal for the church and its doctrine, also in the life an appearance of being just and sincere from the heart, and yet interiorly in themselves they possessed nothing of such good. Such were the evil, with whom there could no longer exist any truths of doctrine, after the good were taken away, who are meant by “the two witnesses” that went up by command into heaven.
[4] It is to be known that there were in the spiritual world many societies formed of such, and that these societies taken together are meant by “the first heaven” which passed away (Rev. 21:1). (Respecting these societies or that heaven, many things are related in the small work on The Last Judgment.) In these societies were such evil persons as have been described, and the good associated with them; and so long as these were conjoined in one society the evil appeared in externals like the good; but when they had been separated, then the external good in them, which was only simulated and hypocritical, was separated, and their interiors were laid open, which were infernal, filled with mere evils and falsities therefrom. Such a separation and such a consequent state existed in the spiritual world a little before the Last Judgment; this, therefore, is the state that is here described; for the last time of the church, when the universal judgment is at hand, is here treated of.
sRef Luke@19 @15 S5′ sRef Deut@4 @13 S5′ sRef Luke@19 @16 S5′ sRef Luke@19 @17 S5′ sRef Luke@19 @18 S5′ sRef Luke@19 @19 S5′ sRef Luke@19 @21 S5′ sRef Luke@19 @20 S5′ [5] That “ten” signifies all persons and all things, also many persons and many things, can be seen from the passages in the Word where that number occurs. As in Moses:
Jehovah hath commanded unto you His covenant which He covenanted* you to do, the ten words which He wrote upon two tables of stone (Deut. 4:13).
And again:
Jehovah wrote upon the tables according to the former writing, the ten words which Jehovah spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire (Deut. 10:4).
There were “ten words” or “ten commandments” constituting the Decalogue, because “ten” signifies all things, therefore “the ten words” mean the law in its whole complex.
sRef Matt@25 @2 S6′ sRef Matt@25 @1 S6′ [6] As “ten” signifies all persons:
The Lord compared the kingdom of the heavens to ten virgins having lamps with which to go forth to meet the bridegroom, of whom five were prudent and five foolish (Matt. 25:1, 2, et seq.). “The ten virgins” to whom the kingdom of the heavens is likened signify all who are of the church, for “ten” signifies all, and “virgins” the church; but “five” signifies some, or some part, for some of the church were prudent and some foolish. Such is the signification of the number “five” in the Word. “Lamps” signify the knowledges of truth and good, here from the Word, also the truths of doctrine and of faith; “oil” signifies the good of love and of charity; the “bridegroom” means the Lord, and the “wedding” means heaven and the church, which are called a “wedding” from the marriage of good and truth; and as where there is not this marriage there is neither heaven nor the church, therefore those are called “foolish” who know the truths of faith and have no good of love, while those who have the good of love are called “prudent;” for, as has been said, “lamps” here mean the truths of faith, and “oil” the good of love. “Virgins” signify the church, because “virgin” and “daughter” in the Word signify the affection of good and truth, and it is because of that affection that the church is a church. This is why “the virgin and daughter of Zion,” “the virgin and daughter of Jerusalem,” “the virgin and daughter of Israel” and “of Judah,” are mentioned in so many passages, these everywhere meaning the church.
sRef Luke@19 @13 S7′ sRef Luke@19 @12 S7′ sRef Luke@19 @24 S7′ [7] As “ten” signifies all as also many:
The Lord said of the nobleman who went into a far country, that he called his ten servants and gave them ten pounds [minas] to trade with; and after they had traded, one said that his pound had gained ten pounds; to him he said, Thou shalt have authority over ten cities; and the second said, Thy pound hath made five pounds; to him he said, Be thou over five cities; and of the third, who laid up his pound in a napkin, and did not trade, he said, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds (Luke 19:12-14, 16-20, 24).
Here, too, the numbers “ten” and “five” are employed because “ten” signifies all persons and all things, and “five” some persons and some things. “The ten servants” whom the nobleman going into a far country called to him, mean all who are in the world, and in particular, all who are of the church; for the “nobleman” means the Lord, and “going into a far country” means the Lord’s departure out of the world and His then seeming to be absent; “the ten pounds that he gave to the ten servants to trade with” signify all the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, with the ability to perceive them; for a “pound” [mina], which was silver and was money, signifies the knowledges of truth and the ability to perceive; and “to trade” signifies by means of these to acquire intelligence and wisdom; those who acquire much are meant by the servant who from a pound gained ten pounds; and those who acquire some are meant by him who from a pound gained five pounds; the “cities which are said to be given them” signify the truths of doctrine, and “to possess them” signifies intelligence and wisdom, and life and happiness therefrom. Thence it is clear what is signified by “ten cities” and by “five cities.” As those who acquire nothing of intelligence are like the “foolish virgins” (of whom just above), and as these possess truths in the memory only and not in the life, after their departure from this world they are deprived of truths, while those who possess truths both in the memory and in the life enrich themselves in intelligence to eternity, so it is said that “they should take away the pound from him who gained nothing with it, and should give it to him who had ten pounds.”
sRef Matt@25 @21 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @14 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @20 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @15 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @22 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @19 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @16 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @17 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @18 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @23 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @28 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @27 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @30 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @29 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @24 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @25 S8′ sRef Matt@25 @26 S8′ [8] It is similar with those:
To whom talents were given, to one five, to another two, and to a third one; the first of whom from his five talents gained another five; and the second from two talents gained other two; and the third laid away his talent in the earth, of whom the Lord said, Take from him that hath not traded and gained, and give to him that hath ten talents, for unto everyone that hath shall be given that he may abound, and from him that hath not even that which he hath shall be taken away (Matt. 25:14-30).
Here, too, “five” and “ten” also signify something and much; thus, that the first from some knowledges of truth and good acquired much wisdom. It is taken away from him who has acquired nothing of intelligence and is given to him who has much, because when man after death becomes a spirit he carries with him all things, and every single thing that he has drawn from the Word and from the doctrine of the church. But those who through these have acquired nothing of intelligence are interiorly evil, and therefore misuse the truths and goods of heaven and the church, which they possess in the memory only, in exercising dominion over the simple good who are in the lowest heaven, and in doing evil to them. This is why these truths and goods are taken away from them and are given to those who have many, since these do not misuse them, but from them perform uses.
sRef Matt@25 @21 S9′ sRef Matt@25 @23 S9′ [9] Those who do not acquire spiritual intelligence in the world through the knowledges of truth and good from the Word are evil, as can be seen from this, that all are born into evils of every kind, and these evils are removed only by means of Divine truths from the Word, that is, by applying truths to uses, and thus receiving them in the life. So to those who have gained it is said:
Good and faithful servants, ye have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things; enter ye into the joy of your Lord (verses 21, 23);
and to him who had gained nothing:
Cast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth (verse 30).
sRef Luke@15 @8 S10′ [10] Because “ten” signifies all and much, therefore that number is used by the Lord also in other passages, where all and much must be understood. As in Luke:
Of the woman having ten drachmas, if she lose one, doth she not light a candle and sweep the house and seek carefully till she find it? (Luke 15:8)
“Ten” here signifies much. This is said of a “woman,” and that “she would light a candle and sweep the house” because of the spiritual sense in every particular of the Word. In that sense a “woman” signifies the church in respect to the affection of truth, thus also the affection of truth itself which belongs to the church; the “drachma” signifies truth; “to lose the drachma” signifies to lose one of the truths or the knowledges of truth; “to light a candle” signifies self-examination from affection; “to sweep the house” signifies to traverse the whole mind and to examine every particular where the truth lies hidden. This is the spiritual sense of these words. “A hundred” has the same signification as “ten,” namely, much; therefore a similar parable speaks of:
A hundred sheep, if one is lost (Matt. 18:12, 13; Luke 15:3-7).
sRef Isa@5 @10 S11′ sRef Isa@5 @9 S11′ [11] “Ten” signifies all and much also in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Many houses great and fair** shall become a waste without inhabitant; for ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath (Isa. 5:9, 10).
This is said of the desolation of truth with those who are of the church. “Many houses which shall become a waste” signify the men of the church, and in particular, such in respect to truths from good; “great and fair,” that is, houses, signifies the affection of good and the understanding of truth, for “great” is predicated of good and its affection, and “fair” is predicated of truth and its intelligence; “ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath” signifies that in all things of the church with man there is scarcely any truth from good, for a “bath” has also a similar signification as wine, namely, truth from good; therefore “ten acres of vineyard” signify all things of the church with man.
sRef Lev@26 @26 S12′ sRef Lev@26 @23 S12′ [12] In Moses:
If ye will go contrary to Me I will break for you the staff of bread, that ten women may bake your bread in one oven, and I will bring back your bread by weight (Lev. 26:23, 26).
“To break the staff of bread” signifies to deprive of spiritual food, and thus of spiritual nourishment, for “bread” means everything that nourishes the soul, and in particular the good of love; therefore “ten women shall bake your bread in one oven” signifies that in all things of the church with man there is so little of good and truth as to be scarcely anything; “ten women” signify all things of the church; “bread” signifies good and truth that nourish the soul; and “oven” signifies where spiritual food is prepared, thus the man with whom it is; “to bring back the bread by weight” signifies the lack and want of such things as spiritually nourish.
sRef Zech@8 @22 S13′ sRef Zech@8 @23 S13′ [13] In Zechariah:
Many peoples and numerous nations shall come to seek Jehovah of Hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the faces of Jehovah. In those days ten men out of all the tongues of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of a man, a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you (Zech. 8:22, 23).
This is said of the calling together of the Gentiles and their admission to the church by the Lord; and “ten men out of all tongues” signify all from whatever religion, namely those “who come to seek Jehovah of Hosts in Jerusalem,” that is, who wish to be admitted to the church and to confess the Lord, therefore “ten men” mean all such, and “the tongues of the nations” mean their religious principles. But this with the rest of the passage may be seen explained above (n. 433), where it is shown that “Jerusalem” does not mean Jerusalem, nor “Jew” any Jew.
sRef Amos@6 @8 S14′ sRef Amos@6 @9 S14′ [14] In Amos:
Jehovah said, I hate the pride of Jacob and his palaces; therefore I will shut up the city and the fullness thereof; if there remain ten men in one house they shall die (Amos 6:8, 9).
“The pride of Jacob and his palaces which Jehovah hates,” signify the love of falsity and belief in it with those who are of the church, “pride” meaning the love of falsity, and “palaces” the falsities themselves, which are called “palaces” because they belong to the proud, and because the falsities of such are embellished in external form so as to appear magnificent, although they are most vile, like huts full of rubbish and filth; “to shut up the city and the fullness thereof” signifies to condemn the doctrine, because it is full of the falsities of evil, and is possessed by them, “city” meaning doctrine, and “fullness” the falsities of evil; therefore “if there remain ten men in one house they shall die” signifies that all the truths of good with everyone shall perish, “ten men” meaning all truths, “house” man in respect to good, and “to die” to perish.
sRef Zech@5 @2 S15′ sRef Zech@5 @3 S15′ [15] In Zechariah:
The prophet saw a flying roll, the length thereof twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits; this is the malediction that goeth forth over the faces of the whole land (Zech. 5:2, 3).
“The flying roll,” which meant “the malediction that goeth forth over the faces of the whole land,” was twenty cubits in length and ten in breadth because “twenty” and “ten” signify all, here all good changed into evil and all truth into falsity; “twenty” is predicated of good and everything of it, and “ten” of truth and everything of it; moreover, “length” also signifies good, and “breadth” truth (see above, n. 355, 627, 629, and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 197).
sRef Job@19 @3 S16′ sRef Num@14 @21 S16′ sRef Dan@1 @19 S16′ sRef Num@14 @23 S16′ sRef Dan@1 @20 S16′ sRef Num@14 @22 S16′ [16] As “ten” signifies all things and many things, so “ten times” signifies so many times and always, in the following passages. In Daniel:
Among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah;*** in every word of the wisdom of intelligence which the king sought of them, he found them ten times better than all the astrologers and diviners that were in all his kingdom (Dan. 1:19, 20).
In Moses:
All the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, and who have tempted Me these ten times, they shall not see the land (Num. 14:21-23).
And in Job:
Ten times ye have dishonored Me, ye are not ashamed, ye harden yourselves (Job 19:3).
“Ten times” in these passages signifies at all times or always, and so many times.
sRef Rev@13 @1 S17′ sRef Rev@17 @3 S17′ sRef Rev@17 @7 S17′ sRef Dan@7 @7 S17′ sRef Dan@7 @24 S17′ sRef Rev@12 @3 S17′ sRef Dan@7 @20 S17′ [17] In Daniel and in Revelation horns are attributed to the beasts, to some ten, to some seven, and to some three, and the “horns” of these beasts signify the power of falsity against truth, and of evil against good, and “ten horns,” the highest power. In Daniel:
The fourth beast coming up out of the sea had ten horns; as to the ten horns out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise (Dan. 7:7, 20, 24).
“The ten horns” of the beast here signify the highest power of falsity against truth; “ten kings” signify falsities in the whole complex, and “kingdom” signifies that church perverted. In Revelation:
The dragon had seven heads and ten horns, and upon the heads seven diadems (Rev. 12:3).
Again:
The beast coming up out of the sea had seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten diadems (Rev. 13:1).
And again:
The woman sitting upon the scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, had seven heads and ten horns; the ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings which have not yet received a kingdom; yet they shall receive power as kings one hour with the beast (Rev. 17:3, 7, 12).
What is signified there in particular will be seen in the explanations further on.
sRef Deut@14 @22 S18′ [18] As “ten” signifies all persons and all things, it follows that “the tenth part” signifies everything. It is from this that “tenths” and “tithings” derived their origin, and these signified that everything was holy and blessed when the tenth part of the threshing floor and of the wine press, or of the corn and wine, was given to the Levites; likewise for the Levites when the tenth part was again tithed and given to Aaron. Of these it is thus written in the Word:
Tithing thou shalt tithe all the increase of thy seed that is brought forth in the field year by year (Deut. 14:22).
Say unto the Levites, that the tenths must be given to them for an inheritance, and that they must offer up a heave offering of them to Jehovah, a tenth of the tenths, and this from the corn of the threshing floor and from the fullness of the wine vat; and the tenth of the tenth they must give to Aaron the priest (Num. 18:24-28).
sRef Gen@14 @19 S19′ sRef Gen@14 @18 S19′ sRef Gen@14 @20 S19′ sRef Mal@3 @10 S19′ sRef Num@18 @24 S19′ sRef Num@18 @28 S19′ sRef Gen@28 @22 S19′ sRef Gen@28 @21 S19′ sRef Num@18 @27 S19′ sRef Num@18 @25 S19′ sRef Num@18 @26 S19′ [19] That the “tenth” signified a blessing in all things, thus that everything was holy and blessed, is evident in Malachi:
Bring ye all the tithes to the house of treasure, that there may be food in My house; then prove ye Me in this, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing until there be no room for more (Mal. 3:10).
“To open the windows and pour out a blessing” signifies the inflowing Divine from which is intelligence and life eternal; the like as is signified by “rain” above (n. 644); and this also is properly meant by the “blessing” that would be given if the tithes were brought; so “tithes” here signify that everything was thus blest. That all things might be blest that Abraham took from his enemies, it is said:
That he gave to Melchizedek, who was king in Salem and at the same time priest to God Most High, tithes of all (Gen. 14:18, 19).
Jacob likewise promised and vowed:
That if he returned in peace unto his father’s house everything that Jehovah gave him tithing should be tithed (Gen. 28:21, 22).
From these passages, as well as others, it can be seen what is signified in the Word by “ten” and “the tenth part.”
[20] The reason that “ten” signifies all things is derived from heaven itself; for heaven in the whole and every part answers to a man, and is therefore called the Greatest Man. All the forces of life of this Greatest Man or heaven close in the two hands and the two feet, and the hands close in ten fingers, and the feet in ten toes; for this reason, all things of man in respect to power and support are lastly gathered into ten fingers and toes, so these signify all things of man; moreover, ultimates signify in the Word all.
* The Hebrew has “He declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded,” as found in AC 1288, 6804, 9396.
** The Hebrew here has “good,” as also found in AC 1488.
*** The Latin here has “Ananiah.”

sRef Rev@11 @13 S0′ 676. And there were killed in the earthquake names of men seven thousand, signifies that in that change of state all truths of good with them perished, and thus all things of heaven and the church. This is evident from the signification of “to be killed,” as being to be killed spiritually, which is to perish by evils and falsities (see above, n. 315, 547, 572, 589); also from the signification of “earthquake,” as being a change of state of the interiors with those who are of the church (see above, n. 674); also from the signification of “the names of men,” as being the truths of good and the consequent understanding of truth (of which presently); and from the signification of “seven thousand,” as being all things of heaven and the church, for “seven” signifies all things, and is predicated of the holy things of heaven and the church (of the signification of this number see above, n. 257); and its signification is retained when it is multiplied by ten, or one hundred, or one thousand, for these numbers signify all things. From this it can be seen that “there were killed in the earthquake names of men seven thousand” signifies that in that change of state all truths of good perished, and thus all things of heaven and the church.
[2] That “the names of men” signify the truths of good and the consequent understanding of truth can be seen from the signification of “name,” as being the quality of a thing or state with man; and from the signification of “man,” as being intelligence, thus also the understanding of truth. “Name” signifies the quality of a thing or state with man because in the spiritual world there are no names of persons as in the natural world. In the spiritual world all are named according to the quality of their life, thus with a difference within societies and out of them. Within the societies the quality of each one’s state of life is constant, for each one there dwells in a quarter and also at a distance from the center according to the quality of his affection and of his intelligence; therefore his name is in accord with this quality. When, therefore, the name of anyone in a society is heard his quality is also recognized. This is why “name” signifies in the spiritual sense the quality of a thing and of a state of life. But outside of societies this naming according to one’s state of life is not constant; for before a man-spirit enters into any society he passes through many states in order that he may put off the things that disagree with his ruling love and put on such as agree with it, and yet everyone is named according to the state in which he is, and also according to the idea and perception of what his state is. That names in the spiritual world are uttered spiritually may be seen above (n. 102); therefore “name” signifies in the Word what the state of the life is (n. 148). So, too, “the name of Jehovah” and “the name of the Lord” signify all things by which He is worshipped, thus all things of love and faith (n. 102, 135); and “man” signifies in the Word the spiritual affection of truth, and thence the understanding of truth (n. 280, 546). From this it is clear what “the names of men” signify.
[3] Why the truths of good and thus the understanding from them were destroyed by the notable change of state which was signified by “a great earthquake” has been told in the preceding article, namely, that at the end of the church, when the Last Judgment is at hand, those who are spiritually good are taken away from those who are only naturally good; and when this is done, then also from the latter all truths of good and consequently all understanding of truth are also taken away; for with the natural, who are destitute of anything spiritual, truths and goods reside in their externals, but falsities and evils in their internals; therefore when the good with whom they had communication as to externals are taken away the externals also are taken away and the internals are disclosed, and these, as has been said, are filled with mere falsities of evil. This is why these words signify that all truths of good and all understanding of truth perished with those who remained.

sRef Matt@17 @7 S0′ sRef Matt@17 @6 S0′ sRef Matt@17 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@11 @13 S0′ 677. And the rest became afraid, signifies the disturbance of mind and turning away of those who were to some extent spiritual. This is evident from the signification of “the rest,” as being those who had not been merely external and natural, but also to some extent internal and spiritual (of which presently); also from the signification of “to become afraid,” as being to be disturbed in mind and to be turned away from those who have been merely natural, and thus in mere falsities and evils.
[2] That “to become afraid” signifies such disturbance and turning away will be seen below. In the first place, let something be said about those who are meant by “the rest that became afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven,” as being not merely natural, but also to some extent spiritual. For when from those who are merely natural the truths of good that resided in their externals are taken away, they are not disturbed by the influx of falsities and evils from hell, still less do they turn away; for their proper thought and will, which has been interiorly concealed with them, consists of mere falsities and evils therefrom and of evils and falsities therefrom; and when they are in these they are enraged against truths and goods, and thence are eager to destroy them. This is why the evil, when they are no longer in externals, are not afraid of evils and falsities, or even of hell, for these belong to their love, consequently to the delights of their life. But it is not so with those who are also spiritual; these are disturbed in mind and become afraid when they are infested by evils and falsities, which takes place when they are among the evil; for they fear the loss of their spiritual life, respecting which they are disturbed in mind and are alarmed, and supplicate the Lord for aid, and turn themselves away from the evil.
[3] When societies in the spiritual world are purified, which takes place whenever those who are evil, especially hypocrites, have insinuated themselves into them, and mingled themselves with the good there (the signs of whose presence are an obscuration of the understanding, a loss of the perception of good, a dullness of the affection of truth, and the like), then influx is let in from hell, at which the evil rejoice, but the good are disturbed in mind, and turn themselves away; thus there is a separation, and those who become afraid and turn themselves away are preserved, while the rest are cast out. Thence it is clear why it is that it is said that some “became afraid,” and why this signifies the disturbance of mind and turning away of those who are to some extent spiritual.
[4] In the Word “to become afraid,” “to be dismayed,” and like expressions are often used in reference both to the good and to the evil, and “terror” and “dismay” signify a state of the mind disturbed and changed by an imminent or visible danger to the life; but this is one thing with the good and another with the evil; with the good it is a disturbance of mind and a change of state from imminent and visible danger to the soul, but with the evil it is from imminent and visible danger to the life of the body. This is because the good regard the life of the soul and not so much the life of the body as the chief and final thing, while the evil regard the life of the body and not so much the life of the soul as the chief and final thing; in fact, the evil do not in heart believe in that life, and such as do believe still love only the things that are of the body, such as the appetites and pleasures of various kinds. But with the good the reverse is true.
sRef Ps@55 @4 S5′ sRef Ps@55 @5 S5′ [5] To make clear that “to become afraid,” “to be dismayed,” “to dread,” and the like, signify to be disturbed in mind from a change of state of the interiors, I will cite some passages from the Word by way of confirmation. In David:
My heart is agitated in the midst of me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me; fear and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath covered me (Ps. 55:4, 5).
This is said of temptations, in which evils and falsities break in from hell and inspire terror in regard to damnation; for as has been said above, the good become afraid and tremble on account of imminent dangers to the soul, thus from the invasion of evils into the thoughts and intentions of the will. Thus there are various disturbances of mind that in particular are signified by “agitation of heart,” “terrors of death,” “fear,” “trembling,” and “horror,” which are here mentioned according to the order of their succession.
sRef Isa@41 @5 S6′ [6] In Isaiah:
The islands came* and feared, the ends of the earth were agitated, they drew near and came (Isa. 41:5).
This is said of the Lord’s coming; and “the islands and ends of the earth” mean the Gentiles that are remote from the truths of the church; and their “fear and agitation” signify disturbances of mind from fear of being destroyed.
sRef Ezek@7 @18 S7′ sRef Ezek@7 @17 S7′ sRef Ezek@7 @19 S7′ [7] In Ezekiel:
All hands are relaxed, and all knees go into waters, whence they shall gird themselves with sackcloth, terror shall cover them, and upon all faces there shall be shame; they shall cast their silver into the streets, and their gold shall be an abomination (Ezek. 7:17-19).
This, too, treats of the Lord’s coming, and these things are said of it; the various disturbances of the mind from grief on account of evils and from joy on account of goods are described by various expressions of fear and grief, as that “the hands are relaxed,” “the knees go into waters,” “terror shall cover them,” and “upon all faces shall be shame,” which signify not only various disturbances of mind and changes of state of the life, but also turnings from falsities and evils; for the falsities that they will reject are signified by the “silver that they shall cast into the streets,” and the evils by “the gold that shall be an abomination;” “all knees shall go into waters” signifies grief on account of the loss of the good of love, and joy that it is now recovered, “knees” signifying the love of good, and “to go into waters” signifying to weep.
sRef Luke@1 @12 S8′ sRef Mark@16 @8 S8′ sRef Luke@7 @16 S8′ sRef Luke@1 @13 S8′ sRef Luke@2 @9 S8′ sRef Luke@2 @10 S8′ sRef Matt@28 @10 S8′ sRef Luke@5 @26 S8′ sRef Mark@16 @5 S8′ sRef Rev@11 @13 S8′ sRef Luke@1 @29 S8′ sRef Luke@1 @30 S8′ sRef Matt@28 @8 S8′ sRef Luke@9 @34 S8′ sRef Luke@24 @22 S8′ [8] The holy tremor that seizes upon, agitates, and convulses the inner parts of the head, when the Divine flows in and fills them is called “fear,” “terror,” “dread,” as can be seen from the following passages. In Luke:
When Zacharias saw the angel he was troubled, and fear fell upon him; the angel therefore said to him, Fear not, Zacharias (Luke 1:12, 13).
Likewise when the virgin Mary saw the angel (Luke 1:29, 30).
When the angel of the Lord stood by the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, they were afraid with a great fear; but the angel said to them, Be not afraid; behold, I proclaim unto you good tidings of great joy, which is** to all the people (Luke 2:9, 10).
When Jesus was transfigured and was seen in glory, it is said that Peter, James, and John feared when they entered into the cloud (Luke 9:34).
And when they heard the voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, they fell upon their faces and feared exceedingly; but Jesus drawing near touched them, saying, Arise, be not afraid (Matt. 17:5-7; Mark 9:6).
When the Lord healed the palsied man, it is said that fear took hold on all, and they glorified God; and they were filled with fear, saying, We have seen wonderful things today (Luke 5:26).
And when the Lord raised to life the dead young man of Nain, it is said that fear took hold on all, and they praised God (Luke 7:16).
So here in Revelation it is said that “they became afraid, and gave glory to the God of heaven.” Furthermore:
When the women entered into the tomb they saw an angel sitting at the right side, clothed in a white robe; and they were terrified (Mark 16:5, 6).
And when the women departed from the tomb they were seized with fear, trembling, and amazement, and at the same time with great joy; and they told no one, for they were afraid; therefore Jesus said to them, Fear not; tell the brethren (Matt. 28:8, 10; Mark 16:8).
The two disciples going to Emmaus said to Jesus, Certain women terrified us (Luke 24:22).
From these passages it can be concluded that “terror” and “alarm” mean in the Word various disturbances of mind arising from the influx of such things as cause amazement, connected also with joy.
sRef Jer@30 @10 S9′ sRef Jer@30 @9 S9′ sRef Isa@17 @14 S9′ sRef Zeph@3 @13 S9′ [9] Again, “terror” signifies in the spiritual sense terror on account of evils and falsities that are from hell, for these terrify the spiritual man, because they are the opposites of the goods and truths, which the spiritual man loves and the loss of which he fears. In this sense “terror” is mentioned in many passages of the Word. Thus in Isaiah:
About the time of evening behold terror; before the morning it is not (Isa. 17:14).
“Evening” signifies the last time of the church, when there are mere evils and falsities; these are called “terror” because they are hell. But the “morning” signifies the first time of the church, when there are no evils and falsities, therefore it is said, “before the morning the terror is not.”
[10] In Jeremiah:
Fear thou not, my servant Jacob, and be not terrified, O Israel, for behold, I save thee from afar; Jacob shall be tranquil and quiet, none shall make him afraid (30:9, 10).
And in Zephaniah:
The remnant of Israel shall feed and be at rest, none making them afraid (Zeph. 3:13).
“Jacob” and “Israel” mean those in the church who are in goods and truths; and “none terrifying and making afraid” signifies that nothing of evil and falsity from hell shall infest them. It is similar in many other passages. But what is signified by “fearing God” in the spiritual sense will be told in the explanation of the eighteenth verse of this chapter.

sRef Matt@28 @18 S0′ sRef Matt@11 @27 S0′ sRef Rev@11 @13 S0′ sRef John@3 @35 S1′ sRef John@17 @2 S1′ 678. And gave glory to the God of heaven, signifies that they acknowledged and worshipped the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “giving glory” or of “glorifying,” as being to acknowledge and worship (of which presently); also from the signification of “the God of heaven,” as being the Lord. That the Lord is the God of heaven He Himself made clear when He was in the world and when He departed out of the world. When He was in the world He said in John:
The Father hath given all things into the hand of the Son (John 3:35).
The Father hath given to the Son power over all flesh (John 17:2).
And in Matthew:
All things have been delivered unto Me by the Father (Matt. 11:27).
And when He departed out of the world He said to the disciples:
All power hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18).
From this it is clear that the Lord is the God of heaven.
sRef John@17 @10 S2′ sRef John@17 @8 S2′ sRef John@15 @8 S2′ [2] “To give glory” means to acknowledge and worship the Lord, because “to give glory” signifies that to Him alone glory belongs because He is the God of heaven and earth, and at the same time to acknowledge that all things of the church are from Him, thus all salvation and eternal life. From this it follows that “to give glory” and “to glorify,” in reference to God, mean to worship and to adore Him. In reference to the Lord, “glory” properly signifies in the Word the Divine truth proceeding from Him, for the reason that this Divine truth is the light of heaven, and from that light angels and men have not only all their intelligence and wisdom, but also all their happiness, and besides this, all magnificence in the heavens, which is ineffable; these, therefore, are what are properly signified by “the glory of God;” and because Divine truth is glory it follows that “the glory of the Lord” means to enlighten angels and men, and to bestow intelligence and wisdom, and to bless with felicities and delights, and also to make magnificent all things in the heavens, and that this glory is not from the love of glory, but from love towards the human race. This is why the Lord says in John:
Herein is My Father glorified that ye may bear much fruit, and may become My disciples (John 15:8);
again:
The words which Thou hast given Me I have given unto them, and I am glorified in them (John 17:8, 10).
[3] That this is the glory of the Lord can be seen from this, that the light of heaven, from which is all wisdom, beauty, and magnificence in the heavens, proceeds from the Lord as a sun, and it is the Lord’s Divine love that appears to the angels as a sun. From this it is clear that the light of heaven, which in its essence is Divine truth and Divine wisdom, is the Divine love proceeding; and as love desires nothing else than to give that which is its own to another, thus to fill others with blessedness, what will not the Divine love do? Nevertheless, the Lord cannot give His glory to anyone and fill him with wisdom and blessedness unless he acknowledges and worships the Lord, for it is by this that man conjoins himself to the Lord by love and faith; for in order that acknowledgment and worship may be acknowledgment and worship, it must be from love and faith; and without conjunction by means of these no good can flow in from the Lord, because it is not received. All this makes clear that “to give glory to the God of heaven” means to acknowledge and worship the Lord.
[4] That “glory” signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and that the Lord’s glory with man is the reception of Divine truth, may be seen above (n. 33, 345). That the Lord’s glorification is from the Lord Himself, and that with men and angels it is the reception and acknowledgment that every good and truth and everything of salvation and life is from the Lord, may also be seen above (n. 288).
* The Hebrew has “saw,” as we also find in AE 304.
** The Greek has “shall be,” as found in AE 601.

sRef Rev@11 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@11 @15 S0′ 679. Verses 14, 15. The second woe is past; behold the third woe cometh quickly. And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of the world are become our Lord’s and His Christ’s, and He shall reign unto the ages of the ages. 14. “The second woe is past; behold the third woe cometh quickly,” signifies a lamentation over the final vastation of the church now certainly at hand (n. 680). 15. “And the seventh angel sounded,” signifies the influx of Divine truth through the heavens from the Lord, and the consequent final changes (n. 681); “and there were great voices in heaven” signifies enlightenment and joy in the higher heavens (n. 682); “saying, The kingdoms of the world are become our Lord’s and His Christ’s,” signifies all things in the heavens and on earth subject to the Lord, when the evil have been separated from the good, and the Divine good and the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord are clearly received (n. 683, 684); “and He shall reign unto the ages of the ages,” signifies His dominion by means of the Divine truth to eternity (n. 685).

sRef Rev@11 @14 S0′ 680. Verse 14. The second woe is past; behold the third woe cometh quickly, signifies a lamentation over the final vastation of the church, now certainly at hand. This is evident from the signification of “woe” as being lamentation over various things, especially over such things as devastate the church (of which above, n. 531). And as “three” signifies what is complete, therefore the “third woe” signifies the final lamentation, when the devastation is full. That “three” signifies what is complete, and thus the end, may be seen above (n. 435, 506, 532). This is evident also from the signification of “coming quickly,” as being certainly, at hand, and coming to pass; that “quickly” signifies certainty may be seen also above (n. 7, 216). What this third woe that was to come quickly involves, can be seen from what follows, namely, that it involves the final state of the church, when there is no longer any truth or good, and the state of separation at that time of the evil from the good, and of the good from the evil, and at length the Last Judgement, which is effected by a full separation, and then the casting down of the evil into hell, and the elevation of the good into heaven.

sRef Rev@11 @15 S0′ 681. Verse 15. And the seventh angel sounded, signifies the influx of Divine truth through the heavens from the Lord, and the consequent final changes. This is evident from the signification of “sounding,” in reference to an angel, as being the influx of Divine truth from the Lord, and a consequent change in the lower places, where the evil are (see above, n. 489, 502). This is the reason of this signification of “to sound,” because “trumpet” and “horn” signify Divine truth about to be revealed or that has been revealed (see above, n. 55, 262). The “sounding of the seventh angel” means the final change caused by the influx of Divine truth from the Lord, because the number “seven” signifies what is full and final (see above, n. 20, 24, 257, 300, 486). As the changes in the lower places where the evil are, which are effected by a stronger or milder influx of Divine truth through the heavens from the Lord, thus by various kinds of influx, have been fully treated of above (n. 413, 418, 419, 426, 489, 493), it is unnecessary to say anything further about them. That the separation of the evil from the good, and the casting down of the evil into hell, and many other changes were effected by these various kinds of influx can be seen in the places indicated. From this now it is evident what is signified by “the seven angels sounding.”

sRef Rev@11 @15 S0′ 682. And there were great voices in the heavens, signifies enlightenment and joy in the higher heavens. This is evident from the signification of “great voices in the heavens,” as being enlightenment, wisdom, and joy in the higher heavens; for “voices” have various significations in the Word, as Divine truth, revelation, the Word itself with us, also every precept and command of the Word; these are signified by “voices from heaven,” but “voices in heaven” signify the enlightenment from which angels have wisdom and consequent joy; for when angels are in enlightenment they are also in wisdom, and they then have “great voices,” by which they express the arcana of wisdom; and there is consequent joy, because the joy of angels is from wisdom; this, too, is why the voices are called “great,” for “great” is predicated of the affection of good and truth, which is the source of joy in the heavens. The higher heavens are meant because through them and from them influxes descend into the lower parts, and by these the evil, who have been conjoined in externals to those in the lower heavens, are separated. So long as this conjunction continued there could be no enlightenment or joy, but so far as the separation was effected there was enlightenment and joy. Thence it is that the higher heavens are meant; since there is such a connection between higher things and lower things, in the spiritual world, that so far as lower things are in order, the higher are also. For lower things there are like the lower parts of a house and its foundations; so far, therefore, as these are unimpaired the higher parts are stable, secure, and complete, not swaying or tottering or gaping open. Or they are like the exterior things in man, as the organs of sight, taste, hearing, and touch, in that so far as these are unharmed their interiors see, taste, and hear clearly, and the touch is sensitive; for it is the interior things which sensate in the exterior, and the exterior sensate nothing of themselves. It is similar in the heavens; the higher heavens close into and rest upon the lower, and there is therefore between them an unbroken bond like that between things prior and posterior, or between causes and effects; if the effect does not altogether correspond to its cause, that is, if it does not have formed in itself everything that is in the effecting cause, which relates to the forces and the endeavor to act, the cause is weakened and acts imperfectly, for all things of the cause are inscribed on the effect, therefore it is the cause alone that acts, and no effect separate from a cause. It is similar with the heavens higher and lower; causes are in the higher heavens, and effects corresponding to the causes present themselves in the lower heavens. This has been said that it may be known why “great voices in heaven” signify enlightenment, which is the source of wisdom and joy in the higher heavens when the lower heavens are purified, that is, when the evil are separated from the good and removed.

sRef Rev@11 @15 S0′ 683. Saying, The kingdoms of the world are become our Lord’s and His Christ’s, signifies all things in the heavens and on earth subject to the Lord, when the evil have been separated from the good, and that then the Divine good and Divine truth proceeding from the Lord are clearly received. This is evident from the signification of “the kingdoms of the world when they have become the Lord’s,” as being that the Divine proceeding from the Lord is received in love and faith (of which presently); also from the signification of “the Lord and His Christ,” as being the Lord in relation to the Divine good of the Divine love, and in relation to the Divine truth proceeding from that love. That the Lord is called “Lord” from Divine good, and “Christ” from Divine truth, will be seen below.
[2] That “the kingdom of the Lord” means the reception of Divine good and Divine truth, thus with those who receive, can be seen from this, that with the angels of heaven and with the men of the church the Lord reigns through that which proceeds from Him, which is commonly called Divine good and Divine truth, likewise justice and judgment, also love and faith. It is through these that the Lord reigns, consequently these are strictly the Lord’s kingdom with those who receive them; for when these reign with angels and men then the Lord Himself reigns, for the things that proceed from Him are Himself. The Lord in heaven is no other than the Divine proceeding.
[3] The Lord indeed not only rules those that receive Divine celestial and spiritual things from Him, but also those that do not receive, as all who are in hell; still it cannot be said that the Lord’s kingdom is in hell, since those there are altogether unwilling to be ruled by the Divine that proceeds and according to the laws of its order; they even deny the Lord and turn themselves away from Him; yet the Lord does rule them, not like subjects and citizens of His kingdom, but like those who are refractory and rebellious, holding them in bonds that they may not do evil to one another, and especially to those who belong to His kingdom.
sRef Matt@6 @10 S4′ [4] That the Lord’s kingdom is that which proceeds from Him and is received can be seen from passages in the Word where “the kingdom of God” is mentioned, as in the Lord’s Prayer:
Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, as in heaven so also upon the earth (Matt. 6:10).
“Kingdom” evidently means here the reception of Divine good and Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and in which the Lord is with the angels of heaven and the men of the church, for it is added, “Thy will be done, as in heaven so also upon the earth,” and the will of God is done when these are received in heart and soul, that is, in love and faith.
sRef Matt@6 @33 S5′ [5] And elsewhere:
Seek ye first the kingdom of the heavens* and His righteousness and all things shall be added to you (Matt. 6:33).
“The kingdom of the heavens” means in the spiritual sense Divine truth, and “righteousness” Divine good, therefore it is said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of the heavens and His righteousness.” But in the highest sense “the kingdom of the heavens” means the Lord, since He is the all of His kingdom, and in the same sense “righteousness” signifies the Lord’s merit. And as a man who is ruled by the Lord desires and loves only such things as are of the Lord, he is, unknown to himself, forever led to felicities; and this is why it is said that “all things shall be added to him,” meaning that all things that tend to his salvation shall come to pass according to his desire.
sRef Matt@13 @38 S6′ [6] Since heaven is heaven from the reception of Divine truth from the Lord, likewise the church, so in a general sense heaven and the church are meant by “the kingdom of God” and “the kingdom of the heavens;” therefore those who receive Divine truth are called by the Lord “sons of the kingdom,” in Matthew:
The field is the world, the seed are the sons of the kingdom, the tares are the sons of the evil one (Matt. 13:38).
It is evident that those who receive Divine truth are meant by “the sons of the kingdom,” for it is said, “the seed are the sons of the kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the evil one,” “seed” meaning Divine truth, and “tares” infernal falsity; such are called “sons” because in the spiritual sense of the Word “sons” signify truths, and in the contrary sense falsities (see above, n. 166).
[7] Moreover, “the kingdom of God” signifies the church in respect to truths from good, and also heaven (as may be seen above, n. 48); and “the kingdom of God” with man signifies to be in truths from good from the Lord, thus in wisdom, and consequently in the power to resist falsities and evils, therefore “to reign” belongs to the Lord alone (see also above, n. 333).
* The Greek has “God,” as found also in AC (first sentence = motto); 5449; HH 64.

sRef Rev@11 @15 S0′ 684. It is said the “kingdoms of the world are become our Lord’s and His Christ’s,” and this signifies that Divine good and Divine truth are received when the evil are separated from the good and are cast into hell; for then both the higher and the lower heavens can be in enlightenment and thus in the perception of good and truth; and this could not be effected so long as the evil were conjoined with the good, because the interiors of the angels, who are in the lower heavens, could not then be opened, but only the exteriors, and the Lord does not reign in spirits and men in externals separate from internals, but in internals, and from internals in externals; for this reason, until the interiors of the angels of the lowest heaven, which are spiritual and celestial, were opened, that heaven did not become the kingdom of the Lord as it did after the separation of the evil from them.
[2] It is said that “the kingdoms of the world are become our Lord’s and His Christ’s,” and “Lord” here has the same meaning as “Jehovah” in the Old Testament, and “Father” in the New, namely, the Lord in respect to the Divine Itself and in respect to Divine good; while “Christ” has the same meaning as “God” in the Old Testament, and “the Son of God” in the New, namely the Lord in respect to the Divine Human and also in respect to Divine truth, for “Christ” has a like meaning as “Anointed,” “Messiah,” and “King;” and “Anointed,” “Messiah,” and “King” mean the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and also in respect to the Divine Human when He was in the world, for the Lord in respect to His Human was then Divine truth. So “the Anointed of Jehovah” has a similar meaning, for the Divine Itself which is called “Jehovah” and “Father,” and in its essence was the Divine good of Divine love, anointed the Divine Human, which is called “the Son of God,” and which in its essence while it was in the world was Divine truth; for “anointing” signified that the Lord’s Divine Human proceeded from His Divine Itself, and consequently the Divine truth from His Divine good.
[3] From this it is clear that the Lord alone in relation to the Divine Human was essentially “the Anointed of Jehovah,” while kings and priests were called “the anointed of Jehovah” representatively; for the “oil” with which the anointing was performed signified the Divine good of the Divine love. Now as it was Divine truth with the Lord that was anointed by the Divine good, so “Christ,” and likewise “the Messiah” and “Anointed,” and also “King,” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good of the Lord’s Divine love. That this is so can be seen from passages in the Word where “Christ,” “Messiah,” and “Anointed” are mentioned.
sRef John@1 @41 S4′ sRef John@4 @25 S4′ sRef John@1 @49 S4′ sRef John@1 @45 S4′ [4] That “Christ” is the Messiah, or Anointed, is evident in John:
Andrew findeth his brother Simon and said to him, We have found the Messiah, which is, when interpreted, Christ (John 1:41).
And in the same:
The woman of Samaria said, I know that Messiah cometh, who is called Christ (John 4:25).
This shows that the Lord is called “Christ” because He was the Messiah whose coming was foretold in the Word of the Old Testament; for the word for Anointed is “Christ” in the Greek, and “Messiah” in the Hebrew, and a king is one anointed. This is why the Lord is called “King of Israel,” and “King of the Jews,” which also He acknowledged before Pilate, wherefore it was inscribed upon the cross:
The king of the Jews (Matt. 27:11, 29, 37, 41; Luke 23:1-4, 35-40).
Also in John:
Nathaniel said, Thou art the Son of God, the King of Israel (John 1:48).
[5] As “Anointed,” “Christ,” “Messiah,” and “King,” are synonymous terms, so also “Son of God;” and each one of these names signifies in the spiritual sense Divine truth (that this is the signification of “king” may be seen above, n. 31, 553, 625); and “Son of God” also has the same meaning, because in the Word “sons” signify truths, and thus “the Son of God” signifies Divine truth. That “sons” signify truths may be seen above (n. 166). “Christ” and “Messiah” have a like signification.
sRef Matt@23 @8 S6′ [6] That “Christ” signifies Divine truth is evident in Matthew:
Be not ye called Rabbi, one is your teacher, Christ (Matt. 23:8).
“Rabbi” and “teacher” signify one that teaches truth, thus in an abstract sense the doctrine of truth, and in the highest sense Divine truth, which is Christ. That the Lord alone is Divine truth is meant by “Be not ye called Rabbi, one is your teacher, Christ.”
sRef Matt@24 @23 S7′ sRef Matt@24 @4 S7′ sRef Matt@24 @24 S7′ sRef Matt@24 @5 S7′ [7] In the same:
See that no one lead you astray; for many shall come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and shall lead many astray. If anyone shall say to you, Lo, here is the Christ, or there, believe it not; for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets (Matt. 24:4, 5, 23, 24; Mark 13:21-23).
This must not be understood as meaning that there will arise those who will call themselves the Christ or Christs, but those who will falsify the Word, and declare that this or that is Divine truth when it is not; those who confirm falsities by the Word are meant by “false Christs,” and those who hatch out falsities of doctrine by “false prophets.” For these two chapters treat of the successive vastation of the church, thus of the falsification of the Word, and lastly of the profanation of truth thence. (But this may be seen further explained in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 3353-3356, and n. 3897-3901.)
[8] And as “Son of God” also signifies Divine truth, as has just been said, He is sometimes called:
The Christ, the Son of God (as in Matt. 26:63; Mark 14:61; Luke 4:41; 22:66 to the end; John 6:69; 11:26, 27; 20:31).
In a word, when the Lord was in the world He was called “Christ,” “Messiah,” “Anointed,” and “King,” because in Him alone was the Divine good of Divine love, from which Divine truth proceeds, and this was represented by “anointing;” for the “oil” with which anointing was performed signified the Divine good of Divine love, and the “king,” who was anointed, represented Divine truth. This is why kings, when they had been anointed, represented the Lord, and were called “the anointed of Jehovah;” yet it was the Lord alone in relation to His Divine Human that was “the Anointed of Jehovah,” since the Divine good of Divine love was in Him, and this was Jehovah and the Father from whom the Lord had the being [esse] of life. For it is well known that He was conceived of Jehovah, thus it was from the Divine good of Divine love, which was in Him from conception, that the Lord in relation to His Human was Divine truth so long as He was in the world. This shows that the Lord alone was “the Anointed of Jehovah” essentially, and that kings were called “the anointed of Jehovah” representatively. Thence now it is that the Lord in relation to His Divine Human was called “Messiah” and “Christ,” that is, “Anointed.”
sRef Isa@61 @1 S9′ sRef Isa@61 @2 S9′ [9] This can also be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
The spirit of the Lord Jehovih is upon Me, therefore Jehovah hath anointed Me to proclaim good tidings unto the poor, He hath sent Me to bind up the broken in heart, to preach liberty to the captives, to the bound, to the blind, to proclaim the year of Jehovah’s good pleasure, and the day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all that mourn (Isa. 61:1, 2).
This is plainly said of the Lord. The meaning is that the Lord Jehovih anointed His Divine Human “to proclaim good tidings unto the poor, and sent it to bind up the broken in heart,” and so on, for all this the Lord accomplished from His Human (but the particulars may be seen explained above, n. 183, 375 [5], 612).
sRef Ps@2 @8 S10′ sRef Ps@2 @2 S10′ sRef Ps@2 @6 S10′ sRef Ps@2 @7 S10′ sRef Ps@2 @12 S10′ sRef Ps@2 @1 S10′ [10] In David:
Why have the nations become tumultuous, and why have the peoples meditated vanity? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers took counsel together against Jehovah and against His Anointed. I have anointed My king upon Zion, the mountain of My holiness. I will declare the statute, Jehovah said unto me, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee; ask of Me and I will give the nations for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and ye perish in the way, for His anger will shortly burn forth; blessed are all they that put their trust in Him (Ps. 2:1, 2, 6-8, 12).
Evidently “the Anointed of Jehovah” means here the Lord in relation to the Divine Human, for it is said, “Jehovah said unto Me, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee; kiss the Son lest ye perish; blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.” In the sense of the letter this indeed is said of David, but in the Word “David” means the Lord in relation to Divine truth, or as a King (see above, n. 205). It is evident also that the Lord’s coming and finally the Last Judgment by Him, and afterwards His sovereignty over all things of the world, are here treated of.
[11] The spiritual things that lie hidden and are signified in the particulars of this passage are as follows: “The nations have become tumultuous and the peoples have meditated vanity,” signifies the state of the church and of the former heaven that was to pass away, “nations” meaning those who are in evils, and “peoples” those who are in falsities (see above, n. 175, 331, 625); “the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers took counsel together, against Jehovah and against His Anointed,” signifies the falsities of the church and its evils, as being utterly opposed to the Divine good and the Divine truth, and thus to the Lord, “the kings of the earth” meaning the falsities of the church, and the “rulers” its evils, “Jehovah” meaning the Lord in relation to the Divine itself, thus in relation to Divine good, and the “Anointed” the Lord in relation to the Divine Human, thus as to Divine truth.
[12] “I have anointed My king upon Zion, the mountain of My holiness,” signifies the Lord’s Human in relation to Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good of His Divine love, and thus His sovereignty over all things of heaven and the church, “Zion” and “the mountain of holiness” meaning heaven and the church; and thus all things of heaven and the church; “I will declare the statute” signifies an arcanum of the Divine providence and will; “Jehovah said unto Me, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee,” signifies the Lord as the Anointed, Messiah, Christ, and King, thus in relation to His Human conceived and afterwards born of the Divine Itself, that is, Jehovah; “this day” signifies what is decreed from eternity and looks therefrom to the conjunction and union accomplished in time.
[13] “Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession,” signifies His kingdom and dominion over all things of heaven and the church, which shall be His; “kiss the Son” signifies conjunction with the Lord by love, “to kiss” signifying conjunction by love; “lest He be angry, and ye perish in the way,” signifies lest evils assault you and you be condemned, for “to be angry” when predicated of the Lord, signifies the turning away of men from Him, thus their anger and not the Lord’s; and evils are what turn away, and then are angry; “for His anger will shortly burn forth” signifies the Last Judgment, and the casting down of the evil into hell; “blessed are all they that trust in Him” signifies salvation by love to the Lord and faith in Him.
sRef Ps@45 @4 S14′ sRef Ps@45 @2 S14′ sRef Ps@45 @5 S14′ sRef Ps@45 @3 S14′ sRef Ps@45 @8 S14′ sRef Ps@45 @6 S14′ sRef Ps@45 @7 S14′ sRef Ps@45 @9 S14′ [14] In the same:
Thou art fairer than the sons of men, grace is poured upon thy lips. Gird about thy sword upon the thigh, O Mighty One, in thy majesty and thy honor; and in thy honor mount, ride upon the word of truth and of meekness of righteousness, and thy right hand shall teach thee in wonderful things; thine arrows are sharp, the peoples shall fall under thee, enemies of the king from the heart. Thy throne, O God, is for an age and for eternity; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Thy kingdom; thou hast loved righteousness and hated evil; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of joy above thy fellows, with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, all thy garments. Kings’ daughters are among thy precious ones; on thy right hand standeth the queen in the best gold of Ophir (Ps. 45:2-9).
It is clear from all the particulars in this psalm that this is said of the Lord, and consequently that He it is of whom it is said “God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of joy, with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, and all thy garments.” What this signifies can be seen from the series as follows, namely, that He has Divine wisdom and that from Him is the doctrine of Divine truth, is signified by “thou art fairer than the sons of men, grace is poured upon thy lips,” “fair” signifies wisdom, “the sons of men” signify those who are intelligent in Divine truths, and “lips” signify doctrinals.
[15] The Lord’s omnipotence from Divine truth proceeding from Divine good, and the consequent destruction of falsities and evils and the subjugation of the hells, is signified by “gird about the sword upon the thigh, O Mighty One, in majesty and in honor, and in thy honor mount, ride upon the word of truth; thy right hand shall teach thee in wonderful things, thine arrows are sharp, the peoples shall fall under thee, enemies of the king from the heart;” “sword” signifies truth combating against falsity and destroying it; “chariot,” like as “the word of truth,” signifies the doctrine of truth; “to ride” signifies to instruct and combat; “right hand” signifies omnipotence; “arrows” signify truths combating; “peoples” those who are in the falsities of evil; and “enemies of the king” those who are opposed to truths, thus the hells.
[16] That the kingdom and dominion would thus be His to eternity is signified by “Thy throne, O God, is for an age and for eternity; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Thy kingdom,” “scepter of uprightness” meaning Divine truth which has power and sovereignty. That as He delivered the good from damnation by destroying the evil, therefore the Divine itself united itself to His Human, is signified by “thou hast loved righteousness and hated evil, therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of joy above thy fellows,” “to love righteousness and to hate evil” signifying to deliver the good from damnation by destroying the evil, “to anoint with the oil of joy” signifying to unite Himself by victories in temptations, “God, thy God,” signifying the reciprocal uniting of the Human with the Divine, and of the Divine with the Human.
aRef Ex@30 @24 S17′ aRef Ex@30 @23 S17′ [17] Divine truths united to Divine goods are signified by “He hath anointed with myrrh, and aloes, and cassia all thy garments,” “myrrh” signifying good of the lowest degree, “aloes” good of the second degree, and “cassia” good of the third degree, like as these three spices when mixed with olive oil, out of which the “oil of holiness” for anointing was made (Exod. 30:23, 24); and that “oil” signified the Divine good of the Divine love, and the “garments” that were anointed signified Divine truths.
[18] That those who are of His kingdom have the spiritual affection of truth is signified by “kings’ daughters are among thy precious ones,” “kings’ daughters” meaning the spiritual affections of truth, which are called “precious” when truths are genuine. That heaven and the church are under His protection and are conjoined to Him, because they are in love to Him from Him, is signified by “on thy right hand standeth the queen in the best gold of Ophir,” “queen” signifying heaven and the church, “at the right hand” signifying under the Lord’s protection from conjunction with Him, and “the best gold of Ophir” the good of love to the Lord.
sRef Ps@89 @36 S19′ sRef Ps@89 @35 S19′ sRef Ps@89 @26 S19′ sRef Ps@89 @37 S19′ sRef Ps@89 @28 S19′ sRef Ps@89 @29 S19′ sRef Ps@89 @27 S19′ sRef Ps@89 @4 S19′ sRef Ps@89 @19 S19′ sRef Ps@89 @20 S19′ sRef Ps@89 @23 S19′ sRef Ps@89 @25 S19′ sRef Ps@89 @21 S19′ sRef Ps@89 @3 S19′ [19] In the same:
I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to David My servant, even to eternity will I establish thy seed, and will build up thy throne to generation and generation. Thou hast spoken in vision to thy holy one, and hast said, I have laid help upon one that is mighty, I have exalted one chosen out of the people; I have found David My servant, with the oil of My holiness have I anointed him, with whom My hand shall be established; Mine arm also shall strengthen him. I will beat in pieces his adversaries before him, and will strike down them that hate him. I will set his hand in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers; he shall call me, Thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation; I will also make him the firstborn, high above the kings of the earth; and My covenant shall be steadfast for him; and I will set his seed forever, and his throne as the days of the heavens. Once have I sworn by My holiness, I will not deal falsely with David, his seed shall be to eternity, and his throne as the sun before Me, it shall be established as the moon to eternity, a faithful witness in the clouds (Ps. 89:3, 4, 19-21, 23, 25-29, 35-37).
That by “David” here David is not meant, but the Lord as to His kingship, which is the Divine spiritual, and is called the Divine truth, is very evident from what is here said of David, namely, that “his seed and throne shall be as the days of the heavens, and as the sun and the moon to eternity,” that “he shall set the hand in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers,” and that “he shall call Jehovah his Father, and shall be the firstborn, high above the kings of the earth,” with other things that could not be said of David, his sons and his throne. That “David” in the Word means the Lord may be seen above (n. 205).
[20] But to proceed to particulars. “I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to David My servant,” signifies the union of the Lord’s Divine with the Human, “to make a covenant” signifying to be united, and “to swear” to confirm the union; “chosen” is predicated of good, and “servant” of truth. “Even to eternity will I establish thy seed, and will build up thy throne to generation and generation,” signifies Divine truth, and heaven and the church from Him, “seed” meaning Divine truth and those who receive it, and “throne” heaven and the church.
[21] “Thou hast spoken in vision to thy holy one” signifies a prophetic arcanum respecting the Lord; “I have laid help upon one that is mighty, I have exalted one chosen out of the people,” signifies Divine truth whereby Divine good operates all things, which is called “help upon one that is mighty,” and elsewhere “the right hand of Jehovah;” Divine majesty and consequent power is signified by “the exalting of one chosen out of the people;” “I have found David My servant, with the oil of holiness have I anointed him,” signifies the Lord in relation to the Divine Human and union with the Divine Itself, which union is called in the Word of the New Testament glorification, and is meant by “being anointed with the oil of holiness,” for “the oil of holiness” signifies the Divine good of Divine love, and “to be anointed” signifies to be united to Divine truth, which was of the Lord’s Human in the world.
[22] “With whom My hand shall be established, Mine arm also shall strengthen him,” signifies omnipotence therefrom, “hand” signifying the omnipotence of truth from good, and “arm” the omnipotence of good by means of truth; “I will beat in pieces his adversaries before him, and will strike down them that hate him,” signifies combat with victory against falsities and evils, thus against the hells; “I will set His hand in the sea, and His right hand in the rivers,” signifies the extension of His dominion and sovereignty over all things of heaven and the church, for “seas and rivers” mean the ultimates of heaven, and ultimates signify all things.
[23] “He shall call Me, Thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my Salvation,” signifies the Divine Human which is the Son of God, who was conceived from Him, and afterwards born; and as the Lord’s Human had therefrom Divine truth and Divine power He is also called “God” and “Rock of Salvation;” “I will also make him the firstborn, high above the kings of the earth,” signifies that He is above every good and truth of heaven and the church, because goods and truths therein are from Him; “and My covenant shall be steadfast for him” signifies eternal union; “I will set his seed forever, and his throne as the days of the heavens,” has the same signification here as above, “days of the heavens” meaning the states of the entire heaven, which are from His Divine.
[24] “Once have I sworn by My holiness, I will not deal falsely with David,” signifies eternal confirmation, because from the Divine, respecting the Lord and the union of His Human with the Divine Itself; “His seed shall be to eternity, and his throne as the sun before Me, it shall be established as the moon to eternity,” has a like signification as above, where “seed” and “throne” are mentioned; it is said “as the sun and moon,” because eternity in respect to Divine good is predicated of the “sun,” and in respect to Divine truth of the “moon,” for these are signified by “sun and moon;” “a faithful witness in the clouds” signifies the acknowledgment and confession from the Word of the Divine in the Lord’s Human; that this is “a witness in the clouds” may be seen above (n. 10, 27, 228, 392, 649).
sRef Ps@132 @1 S25′ sRef Ps@132 @5 S25′ sRef Ps@132 @6 S25′ sRef Ps@132 @17 S25′ sRef Ps@132 @3 S25′ sRef Ps@132 @7 S25′ sRef Ps@132 @10 S25′ sRef Ps@132 @18 S25′ sRef Ps@132 @8 S25′ sRef Ps@132 @9 S25′ sRef Ps@132 @2 S25′ [25] In the same:
O Jehovah, remember David, all his labor; who sware unto Jehovah, and vowed unto the Mighty One of Jacob, Surely I will not enter within the tent of my house, nor go up upon the couch of my bed, until I find out a place for Jehovah, habitations for the Mighty One of Jacob. Lo, we have heard of Him in Ephrathah, we have found Him in the fields of the forest. We will go into His habitations, we will bow ourselves down at His footstool. Arise, O Jehovah, to Thy rest, Thou and the ark of Thy strength. Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Thy saints shout for joy; for Thy servant David’s sake turn not back the face of Thine anointed. In Zion will I make the horn of David to bud; I will set in order a lamp for Mine anointed; his adversaries will I clothe with shame, but upon himself shall his crown flourish (Ps. 132:1-3, 5-10, 17, 18).
Here, too, “David” and “Anointed or Christ” do not mean David, but the Lord in relation to the Divine Human, for it is said that “His habitations,” that is, of the Mighty One of Jacob, “are found in Ephrathah,” which is Bethlehem, and that they “would bow themselves down at His footstool;” but that this is so will be more evident in the explanation of the particulars in their order.
[26] “Who sware unto Jehovah, and vowed unto the Mighty One of Jacob,” signifies irrevocable affirmation before the Lord, who is called “Jehovah” from the Divine in things first, and “Mighty One of Jacob” from the Divine in ultimates, in which is Divine power in its fullness; “surely I will not enter within the tent of my house, nor go upon the couch of my bed,” signifies not to enter into and know the things that are of the church and its doctrine, “tent of the house” signifying the holy things of the church, and “the couch of a bed” its doctrine; “until I find out a place for Jehovah, habitations for the Mighty One of Jacob,” signifies until I shall know about the Lord’s coming, and the arcana of the union of His Human with the Divine; these in the highest sense are “a place for Jehovah” and “habitations” of the Lord’s Divine Human.
[27] “Lo, we have heard of Him at Ephrathah, we have found Him in the fields of the forest,” signifies both in the spiritual sense of the Word and in the natural, for “Ephrathah” and “Bethlehem” signify the spiritual-natural of the Word, and “fields of the forest” the natural of the Word, for there the Lord is found; “we will go into His habitations, we will bow ourselves down at His footstool,” signifies that there He is found, for He is the Word; “His habitations” here mean the things of the spiritual sense of the Word, and thus the heavens, for these are in the spiritual sense of the Word, and “His footstool” means the things of the natural sense of the Word, and therefore the church, since in the church are Divine truths in their ultimates, which serve as a footstool for the spiritual things of the Word and of the heavens, thus for the Lord Himself who dwells therein.
[28] “Arise, O Jehovah, to Thy rest, Thou and the ark of Thy strength,” signifies the union of the Divine itself with the Human in the Lord, and consequent peace to all in heaven and in the church, “Jehovah’s rest” meaning that union, and “the ark of His strength” heaven and the church; “let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Thy saints shout for joy,” signifies worship from love for those who are in celestial good, and worship from charity for those who are in spiritual good, “priests” meaning those who are in the Lord’s celestial kingdom, while those who are in His spiritual kingdom are called “saints.”
[29] “For Thy servant David’s sake turn not away the face of Thine anointed” signifies that they may be enkindled by love and enlightened by the light of truth, when Divine truth has been united with Divine good in the Lord, thus the Divine Itself with the Human and the Human with the Divine, for “David” as a “servant” signifies the Lord’s Human in relation to Divine truth, and “the anointed” signifies the same united to Divine good, and “his face” signifies Divine love and enlightenment therefrom; “in Zion will I make the horn of David to bud” signifies the power of Divine truth from Him in heaven and in the church; “I will set in order a lamp for Mine anointed” signifies enlightenment of Divine truth from the union of the Divine and Human in the Lord, “lamp” meaning Divine truth in respect to enlightenment. “His adversaries will I clothe with shame” signifies the subjugation of the hells and the dispersion of the evils thence; “but upon himself shall his crown flourish” signifies perpetual and eternal victory over them.
[30] From the passages here cited from the Word it can be seen that the Lord is called “the Anointed,” that is, the Messiah or the Christ, from the union of Divine good with Divine truth in His Human, for the Lord’s Human from that union is meant by “the Anointed of Jehovah.”
sRef 1Sam@2 @10 S31′ [31] Likewise in the first book of Samuel:
Jehovah will judge the ends of the earth, and will give strength unto His King and exalt the horn of His Anointed (1 Sam. 2:10).
This is a part of the prophetic song of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, before there was any king or anointed over Israel, therefore “King” and “Anointed” here mean the Lord, to whom “is given strength” and whose “horn is exalted” when the Divine is united to the Human, “strength” signifying the power of good over evil, and “horn” the power of truth over falsity, and truth is said “to be exalted” when it becomes interior, and in the same degree becomes more powerful.
sRef Lam@4 @20 S32′ [32] “The anointed” has a similar meaning in Lamentations:
The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits, of whom we had said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations (Lam. 4:20).
“The anointed of Jehovah” here means in the sense of the letter a king who was made captive, but in the spiritual sense it means the Lord, therefore it is said, “the breath of our nostrils,” that is, the life of the perception of good and truth; “taken in the pits” signifies rejected by those who are in the falsities of evil, “pits” meaning the falsities of doctrine; “to live under his shadow” signifies to be under the Lord’s protection against the falsities of evil, which are meant by “nations.”
sRef John@14 @11 S33′ sRef John@14 @7 S33′ sRef John@14 @8 S33′ sRef John@10 @30 S33′ sRef John@14 @10 S33′ sRef John@14 @9 S33′ sRef Num@18 @8 S33′ sRef John@10 @38 S33′ [33] Since “the Anointed,” “Messiah,” or “Christ” signifies the Lord in relation to the Divine Human, thus in relation to Divine good united to Divine truth, so “anointing” signifies that union, respecting which the Lord says:
I am in the Father and the Father In Me; believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me (John 14:7-11);
and elsewhere:
The Father and I are one; know ye and believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me (John 10:30, 38).
And because this was represented by the anointing of Aaron and his sons, therefore:
The holy things of the sons of Israel which belonged to Jehovah Himself were given to Aaron and His sons for the anointing (Num. 18:8).
These holy things belonging to Jehovah which were given to Aaron and his sons are enumerated from verses 9 to 19 of that chapter. But see what has been said before, n. 375, respecting “anointings,” namely, that the Lord alone, in relation to the Divine Human, was “the Anointed of Jehovah” because in Him was the Divine good of the Divine love, which was signified by “oil,” and that all others anointed with oil were only representatives of Him. This has been said of “the Anointed of Jehovah,” since “the Anointed of Jehovah” is the Christ, that it may be known that by “the Lord and His Christ” in this passage of Revelation two are not meant but one, that is, that they are one, as are “the Anointed of Jehovah” and “the Lord’s Christ” in Luke 2:26.
sRef Dan@9 @26 S34′ sRef Dan@9 @27 S34′ sRef Dan@9 @24 S34′ sRef Dan@9 @25 S34′ [34] Since the Lord is here treated of, to show why He was called “the Christ,” that is, Messiah or Anointed, it is important to explain what is said of the Messiah in Daniel:
Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy city of holiness, to consummate the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to expiate iniquity, and to bring in the righteousness of the ages, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Holy of Holies. Know, therefore, and perceive that from the going forth of the Word even to the restoration and building of Jerusalem, even to Messiah the prince, shall be seven weeks. After sixty and two weeks it shall be restored and built with street and moat, but in straitness of times. But after sixty and two weeks the Messiah shall be cut off, yet not for Himself. Then the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, so that its end shall be with an inundation, and even unto the end of the war desolations are determined. Yet He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and meal-offering to cease. At last upon the bird of abominations shall be desolation, and even to the consummation and decision it shall drop upon the devastation (Dan. 9:24-27).
The meaning of these words has been investigated and explained by many of the learned, but in the literal sense only, and not as yet in the spiritual sense, for that sense has been hitherto unknown in the Christian world. In that sense these words have the following signification: “Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people” signifies the time and state of the church that then existed with the Jews, even to its end, “seven” and “seventy” signifying fullness from beginning to end, and “people” those who were then of the church; “and upon thy city of holiness” signifies the time and state of the end of the church in respect to the doctrine of truth from the Word, “city” signifying the doctrine of truth, and “the city of holiness” Divine truth, which is the Word.
[35] “To consummate the transgression and to seal up the sins and to expiate iniquity” signifies when there are nothing but falsities and evils in the church, thus when iniquity is fulfilled and consummated; for until this is done the end does not come, for reasons given in the small work on The Last Judgment; for if the end should come before, the simple good, who are conjoined as to externals with those who imitate and hypocritically make a show of truths and goods in externals, would be destroyed; therefore it is added “to bring in the righteousness of the ages,” which signifies to save those who are in the good of faith and charity; “and to seal up vision and prophecy” signifies to fulfill all things contained in the Word; “to anoint the Holy of Holies” signifies to unite the Divine itself with the Human in the Lord, for this is “the Holy of Holies.”
[36] “Know, therefore, and perceive from the going forth of the Word,” signifies from the end of the Word of the Old Testament, since that was fulfilled in the Lord, for all things of the Word of the Old Testament treat in the highest sense of the Lord and of the glorification of His Human, and thus of His dominion over all things of heaven and the world; “even to the restoration and building of Jerusalem” signifies when a New Church was to be established, “Jerusalem” signifying that church, and “to build” to establish anew; “even to Messiah the Prince” signifies even to the Lord and Divine truth in Him and from Him, for the Lord is called “Messiah” from the Divine Human, and “Prince” from Divine truth; “seven weeks” signify a full time and state.
[37] “After sixty and two weeks it shall be restored and built with street and moat” signifies the full time and state after His coming until the church with its truths and doctrine is established, “sixty” signifying a full time and state as to the implantation of truth, like as the number “three” or “six,” and “two” signifying the same for the implantation of good, thus the “sixty and two” together signify the marriage of truth with a little good; “street” signifies the truth of doctrine, and “moat” doctrine. (What “street” signifies see above, n. 652; and “moat” or “pit,” n. 537.) “But in straitness of times” signifies hardly and with difficulty, because with the Gentiles that have little perception of spiritual truth.
[38] “But after the sixty and two weeks” signifies after a full time and state of the church now established in respect to truth and to good; “the Messiah shall be cut off” signifies that they fall away from the Lord, which took place chiefly with the Babylonians, by their transferring the Lord’s Divine power to the popes, and thus by not acknowledging the Divine in His Human; “yet not for Himself” signifies that yet the power is His and the Divine is His.
[39] “Then the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” signifies that thus doctrine and the church will be destroyed by falsities, “city” signifying doctrine, “sanctuary” the church, and “the prince that shall come” the reigning falsity; “so that its end shall be with an inundation, and even unto the end of the war desolations are determined,” signifies the falsification of truth, even until there is no combat between truth and falsity; “an inundation” signifying the falsification of truth, “war” the combat between truth and falsity, and “desolation” the last state of the church, when there is no longer any truth, but mere falsity.
[40] “Yet He shall confirm a covenant for one week” signifies the time of the Reformation when the Word is again read and the Lord acknowledged, that is, the Divine in His Human; this acknowledgment, and conjunction therefrom with the Lord by means of the Word, is signified by “covenant,” and the time of the Reformation by “one week;” “but in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the meal offering to cease” signifies that still interiorly with the Reformed there will be no truth and good in worship; “sacrifice” signifying worship from truths, and “meal offering” worship from goods, “the midst of the week” signifying not the midst of that time but the inmost of the state of the Reformed, for “midst” signifies inmost, and “week” a state of the church; there was no truth and good interiorly in worship after the Reformation, because they adopted faith as the essential of the church, and separated it from charity, and when faith is separated from charity then there is no truth or good in the inmost of worship, for the inmost of worship is the good of charity, and from that the truth of faith proceeds.
[41] “At last upon the bird of abominations shall be desolation” signifies the extinction of all truth by the separation of faith from charity, “the bird of abominations” signifying faith alone, thus faith separated from charity, for “a bird” signifies thought respecting the truths of the Word and the understanding of them, and this becomes “a bird of abominations” when there is no spiritual affection of truth, which enlightens truth and teaches it, but only a natural affection, which is for the sake of reputation, glory, honor, and gain, and as this affection is infernal it is abominable, since from it there are mere falsities; “and even to the consummation and decision it shall drop upon the devastation” signifies its last state, when there is no longer anything of truth or of faith, and when the Last Judgment takes place.
sRef Matt@24 @15 S42′ sRef Luke@2 @26 S42′ [42] That these last things in Daniel were predictions respecting the end of the Christian church is evident from the Lord’s words in Matthew:
When ye shall see the abomination of desolation foretold by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, let him who readeth understand (Matt. 24:15).
For that chapter treats of the consummation of the age, thus of the successive vastation of the Christian church, therefore the devastation of that church is meant by these words in Daniel. (But what they signify in the spiritual sense has been explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 3652.) From this it can now be seen what is signified by “the kingdoms of the world are become the Lord’s and His Christ’s,” also what is signified by “the Lord’s Christ” (or the Christ of the Lord), in Luke:
A promise was made to Simeon by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord (Luke 2:26).

sRef Rev@11 @15 S0′ 685. And he shall reign unto the ages of the ages, signifies His dominion by means of Divine truth to eternity. This is evident from the signification of “to reign,” as being in reference to the Lord to have dominion by means of Divine truth (of which presently); also from the signification of “unto the ages of the ages,” as being to eternity. “Unto the ages of the ages” means to eternity because the sense of the letter of the Word is natural, and to it the spiritual sense corresponds. The natural sense of the Word consists of such things as are in nature, which in general have reference to times and spaces and to places and persons, and “the ages of the ages” belong to times to which eternity corresponds in the spiritual sense. It is similar with “generation of generations,” where the propagation of faith and charity in the church is treated of.
[2] “To reign” signifies in reference to the Lord to have dominion by means of Divine truth, because dominion is predicated of good, and to reign of truth, for the Lord is called “Lord” [Dominus] from Divine good, and “king” from Divine truth. This is why here and there in the Word, both terms, dominion and kingdom, or to have dominion and to reign, are used, as in the following passages. In Micah:
Thou, O hill of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall come and shall return the former dominion, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem (Mic. 4:8).
Because “the daughter of Zion” signifies the celestial church, the essential of which is the good of love, “dominion” is predicated of it, while “kingdom” is predicated of “the daughter of Jerusalem” because that signifies the spiritual church, the essential of which is the truth of doctrine.
sRef Micah@4 @8 S3′ [3] In David:
Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all the ages, and thy dominion to every generation and generation (Ps. 145:13).
In Daniel:
To the Son of man there was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom. His dominion is a dominion of an age, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed (Dan. 7:14).
In the same-
The kingdom and the dominion and the majesty of kingdoms shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High (Dan. 7:27).
In these passages “dominion” is predicated of good, because from good the Lord is called “Lord,” and “kingdom” is predicated of truth, because from truth the Lord is called “King,” as in Revelation:
He who sat upon the white horse had on His garment and on His thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16).
“King of kings” is said to be the name “on the garment,” and “Lord of lords” the name “on the thigh,” for “garment” signifies truth, here Divine truth, since the Lord is meant, and “thigh” signifies good, here the Divine good of the Divine love. The like is true as applied to men, in David:
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers consulted together (Ps. 2:2).
From this it can be seen what is signified in particular by “reigning unto the ages of the ages.” That “kingdom” signifies heaven and the church in respect to the truth of doctrine may be seen above (n. 48); therefore “to reign” belongs to the Lord alone, and when it is said of men it means to be in truths from good from the Lord, and to have power therefrom to resist the falsities from evil (n. 333).

sRef Rev@11 @16 S0′ sRef Rev@11 @17 S0′ 686. Verses 16, 17. And the twenty-four elders who sit before God upon their thrones fell upon their faces and worshipped God, saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who is, who was, and who is to come, because Thou hast taken Thy great power and entered upon the kingdom. 16. “And the twenty-four elders who sit before God upon their thrones,” signifies the higher heavens in light and power from the Lord to separate the evil from the good before the day of the Last Judgment which is to come shortly (n. 687); “fell upon their faces and worshipped God,” signifies the adoration of the Lord with them from a most humble heart (n. 688). 17. “Saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty,” signifies the acknowledgment that all being, living, and ability are from the Lord (n. 689); “who is, and who was, and who is to come,” signifies from Him who is the all in all things of heaven and the church from eternity to eternity (n. 690); “because Thou hast taken Thy great power and entered upon the kingdom,” signifies the establishment of the new heaven and the New Church, when the former heaven and church are destroyed (n. 691).

sRef Rev@11 @16 S0′ 687. Verse 16. And the twenty-four elders who sit before God upon their thrones, signifies the higher heavens in light and power from the Lord to separate the evil from the good before the day of the Last Judgment which is to come shortly. This is evident from the signification of “the twenty-four elders,” as being the higher heaven (see above, n. 322, 362, 462); and also from the signification of “to sit upon thrones,” that it is to be in the work of judging, for “thrones” signify the heavens, and “to sit upon thrones” signifies to judge. Since the angels of heaven do not judge, but the Lord alone, and since the Lord arranges those heavens by His influx and presence for effecting judgment therefrom upon those who have been gathered together below the heavens, therefore these words signify that the higher heavens are in light and power from the Lord, to separate the evil from the good before the day of the Last Judgment.
[2] That this is the internal sense of these words is evident from what follows in this chapter, also from what has been said above on this subject. From what follows in this chapter it is evident that the higher heavens are in light and power from the Lord, for this is why “they fell upon their faces and worshipped the Lord, and gave thanks that He had taken His great power and entered upon the kingdom,” and afterwards “the temple was opened in heaven, and there was seen in the temple the ark of the covenant,” this signifying the light there, and the former signifying the power there, from the Lord alone. It is also clear that it means to separate the evil from the good before the day of the Last Judgment, for it is said that “the nations were angered, and Thy anger is come, and the time of the dead to be judged;” and afterwards that “there were lightnings and voices and thunders and an earthquake and great hail,” which signifies the separation of the evil from the good, and is a sign of the presence of the Last Judgment. As these are the things treated of, and as “the twenty-four elders sitting before God upon the thrones” mean the higher heavens arranged for effecting therefrom the Last Judgment, it follows that all this is what is involved in these words.
[3] From what has been said above upon this subject, it is evident that the higher heavens before the Last Judgment were brought into a state of light and power, that there might be effected influx from them into the lower parts, whereby the evil might be separated from the good and the evil finally cast down into hell (see above, n. 411, 413, 418, 419, 426, 493, 497, 674, 675, 676).
[4] That a “throne” signifies heaven in general, and in particular the heavens where the Lord’s spiritual kingdom is, and in an abstract sense Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and that it is predicated of judgment, may also be seen above (n. 253, 297, 343, 460, 482), where it is also shown that although it is said that the twenty-four elders “sat upon thrones,” likewise that “the apostles would sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel,” and also that “angels would come with the Lord to judgment,” yet it is the Lord alone who will judge, for “the twenty-four elders,” “the twelve apostles,” and the “angels,” mean all the truths of the church, and in brief, the Divine truth from which is judgment. And as by these Divine truth is meant, and all Divine truth proceeds from the Lord, therefore judgment belongs to the Lord alone. Who cannot see that to judge myriads of myriads, each one according to the state of his love and faith both in his internal and in his external man, would be impossible for any angel, and would be possible only for the Lord from the Divine that is in Him and that proceeds from Him; also that to judge all in the heavens and in the earths belongs to infinite wisdom and infinite power, not the least part of which falls to finite beings such as the angels are, and such as the elders of Israel and the apostles of the Lord were? These taken together would not be able to judge even a single man or a single spirit. For he who is to judge must see every state of the man who is to be judged from infancy to the end of his life in the world, and afterward what the state of his life is to be to eternity. For in every view and in each and every particular of judgment, there must be what is eternal and infinite, and that is in the Divine alone, and from the Divine alone, because it is infinite and eternal.
[5] The expressions “to walk before God,” “to stand before God,” and as here “to sit before God,” are used in the Word; what “to stand before God” signifies may be seen above (n. 414); and what “to walk before God” signifies (n. 97). What “to sit before God” signifies, as here in reference to “the twenty-four elders,” can be seen from passages in the Word where the expression “to sit” occurs. For in the spiritual world all things that pertain to man’s movement or rest signify the things pertaining to his life, because they proceed from his life. Walking and journeying pertain to man’s movements, and thence signify progression of life, or progression of the thought from an intention of the will; but standing and sitting pertain to man’s rest, and thence signify the being [esse] of life, from which is its existence [existere]; thus they signify making to live. Therefore “to sit upon thrones,” in reference to judgment, signifies to be in the function of judging, thence also to judge; from which comes the expression “to sit in judgment,” which means to execute judgment. So “to sit upon a throne,” when concerning a kingdom, signifies to be a king or to reign.
sRef Ps@1 @1 S6′ [6] What further is signified by “to sit” in the spiritual sense, can be seen from the following passages. In David:
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, and standeth not in the ways of sinners, and sitteth not in the seat of scoffers (Ps. 1:1).
Here the expressions “to walk,” “to stand,” and “to sit,” are used as following one another, for “to walk” pertains to the life of thought from intention, “to stand” to the life of the intention from the will, and “to sit” to the life of the will, thus it is life’s being [esse]. Moreover, “counsel,” of which “walking” is predicated, has respect to thought, “way,” of which “standing” is predicated, has respect to the intention, and “to sit in a seat” has respect to the will, which is the being [esse] of man’s life.
sRef Ps@29 @10 S7′ sRef Matt@19 @28 S7′ sRef Ps@47 @8 S7′ sRef Ps@9 @7 S7′ sRef Matt@25 @31 S7′ sRef Judg@20 @26 S7′ sRef Judg@21 @2 S7′ [7] As Jehovah, that is, the Lord, is the very being [esse] of everyone’s life, therefore He is said “to sit.” In David:
Jehovah shall sit to eternity (Ps. 9:7).
In the same:
Jehovah sitteth at the flood, and sitteth a King to eternity (Ps. 29:10).
In the same:
God reigneth over the nations; God sitteth upon the throne of His holiness (Ps. 47:8).
In Matthew:
When the Son of man shall come in His glory; and all His holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory (Matt. 25:31).
“To sit upon the throne of His glory” signifies to be in His Divine truth, from which is judgment. So again in the same:
When the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His glory ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:30).
Since “angels,” as well as “the twelve apostles” and “the twelve tribes of Israel,” signify all the truths of the church, and in the highest sense, Divine truth, therefore “to sit upon thrones” means not that they themselves will sit, but the Lord as to Divine truth, from which is judgment; and “to judge the twelve tribes of Israel” signifies to judge all according to the truths of their church. From this it is clear that “to sit upon a throne,” in reference to the Lord, signifies one who judges, thus to judge. It is called “a throne of glory,” because “glory” signifies Divine truth (see above, n. 33, 288, 345, 678).
sRef Mark@12 @36 S8′ [8] In the Gospels:
David said in the book of Psalms, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies the footstool of Thy feet (Luke 20:42, 43; Mark 12:36; Ps. 110:1).
“The Lord said to my Lord” signifies the Divine Itself, which is called the Father, to the Divine Human, which is the Son; “Sit Thou at My right hand” signifies Divine power, or omnipotence through Divine truth; “until I make Thine enemies the footstool of Thy feet” signifies until the hells are overcome and subjugated, and the evil are cast into them, “enemies” being the hells, and thus the evil, and “footstool of the feet” signifies the lowest region under the heavens, beneath which are the hells; for while the Lord was in the world He was the Divine truth, which is omnipotent, and by means of which He conquered and subdued the hells.
sRef Matt@26 @63 S9′ sRef Matt@26 @64 S9′ [9] In the same:
Jesus said, Henceforth shall ye see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven (Matt. 26:63, 64; Mark 14:61, 62; Luke 22:69).
“To sit at the right hand of power” signifies the Lord’s Divine omnipotence over the heavens and over the earths, after He had subjugated the hells and glorified His Human; “to come upon the clouds of heaven” signifies by means of Divine truth in the heavens; for after the Lord united His Human to the Divine Itself, then Divine truth proceeds from Him, and He Himself with angels and with men is in Divine truth, because He is in the Word, which is Divine truth, in which and from which is Divine omnipotence.
sRef Mark@16 @19 S10′ [10] And again:
The Lord, after He had spoken with them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19).
“To sit at the right hand of God” has a like signification, namely, His Divine omnipotence by means of Divine truth. From this it is evident that “to sit” means to be, and “to sit at the right hand” means to be omnipotent. As “to sit” signifies to be, so “to sit upon a throne” signifies to be a king and to reign (Exod. 11:5; Deut. 17:18; 1 Kings 1:13, 17, 20; Jer. 17:25; 22:2, 30; and elsewhere). Likewise:
To sit at the right hand and at the left (Matt. 20:21, 23; Mark 10:37, 40).
sRef Isa@47 @5 S11′ sRef Isa@47 @1 S11′ sRef Isa@47 @8 S11′ [11] In Isaiah:
Come down and sit upon the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the earth, there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans. Sit thou in silence and enter into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for they shall no longer call thee the mistress of kingdoms. Hear this, thou voluptuous one, that sittest securely, saying, I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know bereavement (Isa. 47:1, 5, 8).
This treats of the profanation of good and truth; for “daughter of Babylon” signifies the profanation of good, and “daughter of the Chaldeans” the profanation of truth; both for the reason that Divine goods and truths, which are in the Word and from the Word, are employed as means of gaining dominion; whence those who are “Babylonians and Chaldeans” regard themselves, that is, their own dominion, as ends, and the holy things of the church from the Word as means; thus they do not look to the Lord and His dominion, nor the neighbor and love towards the neighbor as the end. “Come down and sit upon the dust and on the earth” signifies to be in evils, and thence in damnation. “Sit thou in silence and enter into darkness” signifies to be in falsities, and thence in damnation. “To sit securely” signifies to be confident that their dominion will endure, and that they will not perish; “not to sit as a widow, and not to know bereavement,” signifies to have no lack of followers, dependents, and worshipers; “there is no throne for thee, O daughter of the Chaldeans, they shall no longer call thee the mistress of kingdoms,” signifies that they shall no longer have dominion, because of their overthrow and damnation in the day of the Last Judgment (of which this chapter also treats).
sRef Isa@14 @13 S12′ [12] In the same:
Thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend into the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of meeting, on the sides of the north (Isa. 14:13).
This, too, is said of Babylon, which is here called “Lucifer,” and of the lust of its profane love of ruling over all things of heaven. But what is meant in particular by “exalting the throne above the stars of God, and sitting on the mount of meeting and on the sides of the north,” will be told in what follows, where Babylon will be treated of; here also “to sit” signifies to be, and has respect to dominion.
[13] In Ezekiel:
All the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, they shall sit upon the earth (Ezek. 26:16).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth, but here of the church vastated, in which these knowledges are then falsified; therefore “all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones” signifies that the knowledges of truth shall reign no more with the men of that church, for all sovereignty belongs to Divine truth; “to come down from thrones” signifies from governing, and thus to cease to rule, and “princes of the sea” mean the knowledges of truth, and those who are in them. “They shall sit upon the earth” signifies that they will be in falsifications, thus in falsities; “upon thrones” signifies to be in the truths of heaven, but “to sit upon the earth” signifies to be in falsities, since under the lands in the spiritual world are the hells, from which evils and falsities are continually exhaling.
sRef Jer@15 @17 S14′ sRef Ps@26 @4 S14′ sRef Luke@1 @79 S14′ sRef Ps@139 @1 S14′ sRef Ps@139 @2 S14′ sRef Isa@42 @7 S14′ sRef Luke@21 @35 S14′ [14] “To sit” has a like signification in the following passages. In Luke:
Who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death (Luke 1:79).
In Isaiah:
To open the blind eyes, to lead him that is bound out of prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house (Isa. 42:7).
In Jeremiah:
I sat not in the council of mockers, and I rejoiced; I sat solitary because of Thy hand, for thou hast filled me with indignation (Jer. 15:17).
In David:
I have not sat with men of vanity, nor have I gone in with the hidden (Ps. 26:4).
In Luke:
That day shall come as a snare upon all that sit upon the face of the whole earth (Luke 21:35).
Since “to sit” signifies to be, and also to continue in one state and pertains to the will, it is said in David:
O Jehovah, Thou hast searched me and known me; Thou knowest my sitting and my rising, Thou understandest my thought afar off (Ps. 139:1, 2).
“To know his sitting” has reference to the being [esse] of one’s life, which is the will, “rising” has reference to intention therefrom; and as thought follows from the intention of the will it is added, “Thou understandest my thought afar off.”
sRef Micah@5 @4 S15′ [15] In Micah:
Then shall he stand and feed in the name* of Jehovah; and they shall sit, for now shall he increase unto the ends of the earth (Mic. 5:4).
This is said of the Lord and of the doctrine of Divine truth from Him, which is meant by “Then shall he stand and feed in the name of Jehovah;” that men of the church will be in that doctrine is signified by “they shall sit;” and that the doctrine of Divine truth will endure to eternity is signified by “he shall increase unto the ends of the earth.”
sRef Isa@52 @2 S16′ [16] Likewise in Isaiah:
Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion (Isa. 52:2).
This is said of the establishment of a New Church by the Lord; that church with its doctrine is here signified by “Jerusalem” and “the daughter of Zion;” to reject falsities and evils and to be in truths and goods is signified by “shaking herself from the dust, arising, and sitting,” also by “loose the bands of the neck, O captive daughter of Zion,” “bands of the neck” signifying falsities that prevent the entrance of truths.
sRef Matt@28 @2 S17′ [17] That “to sit” is an expression significative of the being and permanence of state of a thing and of life, can be seen from those passages in the Word where the expressions “to sit before Jehovah,” “to stand before Him,” and “to sit** before Him” are used. “To sit before Jehovah” means to be with Him, thus to will and to act from Him; “to stand before Him” means to have regard for and to understand what He wills; and “to walk before Him” means to live according to His precepts, thus from Him. As such things are involved in “to sit,” therefore the corresponding word in Hebrew means to remain and to dwell.
sRef John@20 @13 S18′ sRef John@20 @12 S18′ [18] Because of this signification of “to sit”:
An angel of the Lord was seen sitting upon the stone which he had rolled away from the entrance to the tomb (Matt. 28:2).
also:
Angels were seen in the tomb, sitting one at the head, and the other at the feet (John 20:12; Mark 16:5).
These things seen were representative of the Lord’s glorification, and of introduction into heaven by Him; for the “stone” that was placed before the sepulcher, and that was rolled away by the angel, signifies Divine truth, thus the Word, which was closed up by the Jews, but opened by the Lord. (That “stone” signifies truth, and in the highest sense, Divine truth, may be seen above, n. 417,*** and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 534.) And as a “sepulcher,” and preeminently the sepulcher where the Lord was, signifies in the spiritual sense resurrection and also regeneration, and “angels” signify in the Word Divine truth, therefore angels were seen sitting one at the head and the other at the feet; “the angel at the head” signifying Divine truth in things first, and “the angel at the feet” Divine truth in ultimates, both proceeding from the Lord; and when Divine truth is received regeneration is effected, and there is resurrection. (That “to be buried,” “burial,” and “sepulcher,” signify regeneration and resurrection, may be seen above, n. 659; and that “angels” signify in the highest sense the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and in a relative sense the recipients of Divine truth, and thus in an abstract sense, Divine truths from the Lord, see above, n. 130, 200, 302.) Again, the expression “they sat before Jehovah” is used when there was great joy; they were also said “to sit” when there was great mourning, and for the reason that “to sit” has reference to the being [esse] of man, which belongs to his will and love. (That they wept and sat before Jehovah see Judg. 20:26; 21:2.)
* The Hebrew has “strength,” as also found in AE 482; AC 5201, 9422.
** The Latin has here “sit,” probably for “walk,” as this is found immediately below.
*** The Latin for “above, n. 417,” etc., has “Heaven and hell, 417,534.”

sRef Rev@11 @16 S0′ 688. Fell upon their faces and worshipped God, signifies the adoration of the Lord with them from a most humble heart. This is evident from the signification of “to fall upon the face,” as being the deepest humiliation of heart, for it is a gesture of the body corresponding to humiliation of heart, thus a gesture that is representative of the humiliation of the whole man. Worship of God at such a time is what flows forth from such a heart, which varies according to the matter that engages the mind.
[2] To fall upon the face before God is a gesture representative of deepest humiliation, because the face is the form of man’s affections and thus of the interiors that pertain to his mind and disposition, for the affections shine forth in the face as in their type, and this is why the face is called an index and image of the mind. When, therefore, a man acknowledges that all things in him are turned away from God, and are consequently damned, and that thus he is neither able nor dares to look to God, who is essential Holiness, and if he should look to Him from such a self he would spiritually die, then from such thought and acknowledgment man falls upon the face to the earth; and because what is man’s own [proprium] is thus removed, he is then filled by the Lord and so raised up as to be able to look to Him.
[3] They are said to have “worshipped God,” for the reason that “God” means in the Word the Divine proceeding which is called the Divine truth. And as this Divine is truth with the angels, for they are the recipients of it and it constitutes their wisdom, so in the Word angels are called “gods,” and signify Divine truths. Moreover, in the Hebrew, God is called “Elohim,” in the plural, therefore “God” means in the Word the Divine that is with the angels of heaven and the men of the church, which is the Divine proceeding. And as the higher heavens were now in enlightenment and power, because of the separation of the evil from the good in the lower parts, and because of the Last Judgment which was to come shortly, therefore they are said “to worship God,” from which it is evident that the Lord was then with them; for from a more intense and powerful influx of the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord they had enlightenment and power.

sRef Rev@11 @17 S0′ 689. Verse 17. Saying, we give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, signifies the acknowledgment that all being, living, and ability are from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “saying and giving thanks,” as being to acknowledge, since “to fall upon the face and to worship,” and then “to give thanks,” can have no other signification than to acknowledge, here the omnipotence of the Lord. Also from the signification of “the Lord God,” as being the Lord in respect to Divine good and Divine truth; for where Divine good is meant in the Word the names “Lord” and “Jehovah” are used, and where Divine truth is meant the name “God” is used, therefore “the Lord God” and “Jehovah God” mean the Lord in respect to Divine good and Divine truth. Moreover, “Jehovah” in the Old Testament, is called “Lord” in the New. It is also evident from the signification of “Almighty,” as being to be, to live, and to have ability of Himself, and also that the being, life, and ability of angels and men are from Him. (That this is meant by omnipotence, may be seen above, n. 43; also that Divine omnipotence means what is infinite, n. 286.)
[2] In respect to Divine omnipotence: it does not involve any power to act contrary to order, but it involves all power to act according to order, for all order is from the Lord; from this it follows that no one has any power to act according to order except from Him from whom is order; and this shows that it is of the Divine omnipotence to lead man according to order, and this every moment from the beginning of his life even to eternity, and this it does according to the laws of order, which are innumerable, and the number of which cannot be expressed; and yet this can be done only so far as man suffers himself to be led, that is, so far as he is willing not to be led by himself; for so far as he wishes to be led by himself he is brought into opposition to order. Because it is of the Divine omnipotence to lead one who wishes to be led according to order, and thus to lead no one contrary to order, therefore it is not of the Divine omnipotence to lead anyone to heaven who wishes to lead himself, since it is a law of order that what a man does he shall do from reason and from freedom, because that which is received by the reason and done from freedom remains with man, and is appropriated to him as his own, but not that which is not received by the reason and done from freedom. Thence it is clear that it is not of the Divine omnipotence to save those who are not willing to be led according to order, for to be led according to order is to be led according to the laws of order, and the laws of order are the precepts of doctrine and life from the Word; it is therefore of the Divine omnipotence to lead a man who is willing to be led according to these every moment and continually to eternity. For every minute there are infinite things to be seen, to be removed, and to be insinuated, that man may be withheld from evils and held in goods, and this continually in connection according to order. It is also of the Divine omnipotence to protect men from the hells, so far as this can be done without injury to freedom and reason; for all the hells are as nothing against the Lord’s Divine power; without this power of the Lord it is impossible for any man to be saved. (But more respecting omnipotence may be seen above, n. 43.)

sRef Rev@11 @17 S0′ 690. Who is, and who was, and who is to come, signifies from Him who is the all in all things of heaven and the church from eternity to eternity, as is evident from the explanation of the same words above (n. 23, 41, 42).

sRef Rev@11 @17 S0′ 691. Because Thou hast taken Thy great power and entered upon the kingdom, signifies the establishment of the new heaven and the New Church, when the former heaven and church are destroyed. This is evident from the signification of “to take His great power and to enter upon the kingdom,” as being that when the former heaven and former church are destroyed the new heaven and the New Church will be established; this is what is meant by “taking great power and entering upon the kingdom,” because the Lord then has omnipotence and the kingdom; for then His will is done, since the angels of heaven and the men of the church then suffer themselves to be led by Him, and He thus rules all according to order from Himself, by keeping them in Divine goods and truths, which proceed from Him, and withholding them from evils and falsities, which are from hell, and this cannot be done until the evil have been separated from the good and the evil have been cast down into hell, and a new heaven has been made from the good. This is brought into actuality by the Last Judgment, which is treated of in what follows.
[2] That the Lord then has power and sovereignty can be illustrated by a comparison with the sun of the world; so long as the winter continues the sun has no power or sovereignty on the earth, because its heat is not received, for it is extinguished by the cold of the air and of the earth; but when spring is at hand the sun has power and sovereignty, for its heat is then received, and also its light, because it is joined with the heat, and from these the whole earth blossoms. It is similar with the Lord’s power and sovereignty, which come when the evil have been separated from the good and cast down into hell; for the evil are colds like those of winter, and they extinguish the spiritual heat of the sun, which is love, and bring to naught the power and sovereignty of the Lord, although viewed in Himself He is perpetually in the like omnipotence, yet He is not so in subjects until the new heaven and the New Church come into existence.

sRef Rev@11 @18 S0′ 692. Verse 18. And the nations were angered; and Thy anger is come, and the time of the dead to be judged, and to give the reward to Thy* servants, the prophets and the saints, and to them that fear Thy name, the small and the great, and to destroy them that destroy the earth. 18. “And the nations were angered,” signifies the contempt, enmity, and hatred of the evil against the Lord, and against the Divine things that are from Him, which are the holy things of heaven and the church (n. 693); “and Thy anger is come, and the time of the dead to be judged,” signifies the Last Judgment upon those who inwardly possess with themselves nothing of good and truth (n. 694); “and to give reward to His servants, the prophets and the saints,” signifies heaven to those who are in the truths of doctrine and in a life according to them (n. 695); “and to them that fear Thy name, the small and the great,” signifies and to all of whatever religion who worship the Lord (n. 696); “and to destroy them that destroy the earth,” signifies hell to those who destroy the church (n. 697).
* Swedenborg in his heading corrected “His” into “Thy,” but left it uncorrected immediately below and in AE 695.

sRef Rev@11 @18 S0′ 693. Verse 18. And the nations were angered, signifies the contempt, enmity, and hatred of the evil against the Lord and against the Divine things that are from Him, which are the holy things of heaven and the church. This is evident from the signification of “nations,” as being those who are in the goods of the church, and in a contrary sense those who are in evils, here those who are in evils, since it is said that “they were angered.” (That “nations” signify those who are in goods and those who are in evils, and in an abstract sense the goods and evils of the church, and that “peoples” signify those who are in truths and those who are in falsities, and in an abstract sense the truths and falsities of the church, may be seen above, n. 175, 331, 625.) Also from the signification of “to be angered,” as being, in reference to the evil, who are signified by “nations,” to be in contempt, enmity, and hatred against the Lord and against the Divine things that are from Him, which are the holy things of heaven and the church.
[2] These and other like things are signified by “to be angered,” because everyone burns with wrath and is angered when his love and the delight of his love are assaulted, this being the cause of all wrath and anger; also for the reason that the love of everyone is his life, consequently to hurt the love is to hurt the life, and this being hurt causes commotion of mind, and thence anger and wrath. It is similar with the good when their love is assaulted, but with the difference that they have, not wrath or anger, but zeal. This zeal indeed is called anger in the Word, but still it is not anger; it is called anger because it appears in external form like anger, but inwardly it is nothing but charity, goodness, and clemency; consequently zeal does not, like anger, continue after the one towards whom it was kindled repents and turns away from evil. Anger with the evil is different; for it inwardly conceals in itself hatred and revenge, which the evil love, therefore it persists and is rarely extinguished. This is why anger belongs to those who are in the loves of self and of the world, for they are in evils of every kind; while zeal belongs to those who are in love to the Lord and in love towards the neighbor. Therefore zeal looks to the salvation of man, but anger to his damnation; this also is in the purpose of the evil who are angered, but salvation is in the purpose of the good who are zealous.
[3] “The nations were angered” signifies here the contempt, enmity, and hatred of the evil against the Lord and against the Divine things that are from Him, thus against the holy things of heaven and the church, because at the end of the church, a little before the Last Judgment, which is here treated of, there is a change of state with those who were in the former heaven and former earth, which is effected by the separation of the good from the evil; and when this has been effected the externals of the evil, by and from which they uttered what is true and did what is good from pretense and hypocrisy, are closed up, and the internals which in them are infernal are opened, and when these have been opened contempt, hostility, and hatred openly break forth with contumelies against the Lord and against the holy things of heaven and the church; for with them these things have lain stored up and covered over by the loves of self and the world; and these loves are such that they can do good and speak truths for the sake of self and of the world, because the holy things of heaven and the church serve them as means to ends, which are reputation, glory, honor, and gain, in a word, self and the world, and the means are loved for the sake of the ends. But since with such the end, which is of man’s love and thus of his intention and will, is corporeal and worldly, and consequently infernal, therefore the goods and truths that belong to heaven and the church with them do not abide in their internals, but only in their externals, because in these are evils and falsities. The goods and truths of heaven penetrate into the internals only with such as make the holy things of heaven and the church their ends, that is, make them to be of their love, and thence of their intention and will; when these are made ends, then the spiritual mind is opened, and through this man is led by the Lord. But it is the exact opposite when the goods and truths of heaven and the church are not made ends, but means; for, as has just been said, ends belong to the ruling love of man, and when this is love of self it is also love of his own [proprium], and this regarded in itself is nothing but evil, and so far as man acts from it he acts from hell, and thus against the Divine.
[4] Furthermore, it is to be known that in all evil there is anger against the Lord and against the holy things of the church. That this is so has been made clearly evident to me from the hells, in which all are in evils, and from which are all evils; for there when they merely hear the Lord named they become inflamed with vehement anger, not only against Him but also against all who confess Him. Thence it is that hell is the diametrical opposite of heaven, and is in the perpetual effort to destroy heaven, and to extinguish the Divine things therein, which are the goods of love and the truths of faith. This shows why evils are angry with goods, and falsities of evil with truths; this is why “anger” in the Word signifies evil in the whole complex.
sRef Luke@21 @23 S5′ [5] It is similar in the following passages. In Luke:
Jesus said, Woe to them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days; for there shall be great distress upon the land, and anger with the people (Luke 21:23).
This is said of the consummation of the age, which is the last time of the church. That then good and truth cannot be received is signified by “Woe to them that are with child and to them that give suck.” The rejection of good because of the evil that will then rule in the church, and of truth because of falsity, is signified by “for there shall be great distress upon the land, and anger with the people,” “distress” here means the ruling evil, and “anger” the ruling falsity from evil, for at the end of the church the evil are distressed by good and angered by truth.
sRef Isa@45 @24 S6′ [6] In Isaiah:
Only in Jehovah is righteousness and strength; unto Him shall they come, and all that were incensed against Him shall be ashamed (Isa. 45:24).
“All that were incensed against Jehovah shall be ashamed” signifies that all who are in evils and falsities will desist from them, “to be incensed against Jehovah” signifying to be in falsities from evil.
sRef Gen@49 @5 S7′ sRef Gen@49 @6 S7′ sRef Gen@49 @7 S7′ [7] In Moses:
Simeon and Levi are brethren; In their anger they slew a man, and in their good pleasure they hocked an ox; cursed be their anger for it is fierce, and their wrath for it is hard; I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel (Gen. 49:5-7).
“Reuben, Simeon, and Levi” signify faith, charity, and the works of charity; but here “Reuben” signifies faith separated from charity, from which comes neither charity nor any work of charity; for these three cohere together; such as the faith is such is the charity, and such as the charity is such are the works of charity; thus they are inseparable, each one belongs to the other, and is as the other. Because Reuben, on account of his adultery with the handmaid, his father’s concubine, was accursed, Simeon and Levi also were rejected; their rejection is signified by “I have divided them in Jacob and scattered them in Israel.” Now because faith, which was represented by “Reuben,” was not to be accepted as the first principle of the church, but spiritual good, which is truth in the understanding and will, therefore Joseph was accepted as the firstborn of the church in the place of Reuben, for “Joseph” represented spiritual good, which in its essence is truth in the understanding and will. Thence it may be clear what is signified by “the anger of Simeon and Levi that it was fierce, and their wrath that it was hard,” namely, the turning away from good and truth, thus evil and falsity in the whole complex; for when charity departs from faith there is no more any good nor any truth. (But these things may be seen explained more copiously in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 6351-6361.)
sRef Matt@5 @22 S8′ sRef Matt@5 @21 S8′ [8] In Matthew:
Jesus said, It was said to them of old, Whosoever shall kill shall be liable to the judgment; but I say unto you, Whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be liable to the judgment (Matt. 5:21, 22).
“To be angry with his brother without cause” here also signifies enmity and hatred against good and truth; those also that have such enmity and such hatred do kill continually in mind, intention and will, and would kill actually if it were permitted, that is, if they were not hindered by the laws and the consequent fear of punishment and loss of life or of reputation, honor, or gain; for what a man cherishes in his mind, that he does when it is permissible. “He who is angry with his brother without cause is liable to the judgment,” the same as he who kills, because “to be angry” signifies to think, to intend, and to will evil to another, and all evil of the will is in the life of man’s spirit and returns after death, and this is why he is then “liable to the judgment,” for what belongs to the intention and will is judged like deeds. But it is unnecessary to cite more passages to show what “anger” and “wrath” signify in the case of those who are in evil, for it is self-evident that every evil conceals in itself anger against good, since it wills to extinguish the good, and even to kill him in whom good is, if not as to the body, still they do as to the soul, and this certainly comes from anger and is accompanied by anger.

sRef Rev@11 @18 S0′ 694. And Thy anger is come, and the time of the dead to be judged, signifies the Last Judgment upon those who inwardly possess with themselves nothing of good and truth. This is evident from the signification of “anger” as being, in reference to the Lord, the Last Judgment (of which above, n. 413). This is evidently the signification of “anger” here, for it is added, “and the time of the dead to be judged.” Also from the signification of “the dead,” as being those who inwardly possess with themselves nothing of good and truth. Such are called “dead” because the essential life of man is his spiritual life, for it is through this that he is a man and is distinguished from beasts, which have only natural life. In man the natural life without the spiritual life is dead, since it has not in itself heaven, which is called “life” and “eternal life,” but has hell, which is spiritually called “death.” In the Word, the “dead” mean those who live a natural life only, and not at the same time a spiritual life (as may be seen above, n. 78); also “death,” in reference to man, means a lack of the faculty of understanding truth and perceiving good (see above, n. 550); and this lack exists when the internal spiritual man has not been formed, for this is formed by means of truths from good. In that internal man the ability to understand truth and perceive good has its seat, for that man is in heaven and in its light, and he who is in the light of heaven is a living man. But when the natural man only has been formed, and not at the same time the spiritual, there is no faculty of understanding and perceiving the truths and goods of heaven and the church, because that man has no light from heaven. For this reason such a man is called “dead.” That those who inwardly possess with themselves nothing of good and truth are here meant by “the dead who are to be judged,” can be seen from what has been said before about the separation of the evil from the good before the Last Judgment, and that the evil, when they have been separated, come into their interiors, which swarm with mere evils and falsities; from which it is clear that inwardly they were dead, although in external form they appeared to be living.

sRef Rev@11 @18 S0′ 695. And to give reward to His* servants, the prophets and the saints, signifies heaven to those who are in the truths of doctrine and in a life according to them. This is evident from the signification of “giving reward,” as being salvation, and thus heaven; also from the signification of “His servants the prophets,” as being those who are in the truths of doctrine, for those are called “servants of the Lord” who are in truths, because truths are serviceable for bringing forth, confirming, and preserving good, and whatever serves good serves the Lord, since every good is from the Lord. Those are called “prophets” who teach doctrine, thus in an abstract sense they signify doctrine. (That those are called “servants of God” who are in truths see above, n. 6, 409; and “prophets” who teach doctrine, and in an abstract sense doctrines, n. 624.) The above is evident also from the signification of “saints” as being those who are in the truths of doctrine from the Word and in a life according to them (see above, n. 204). From this it is clear that “to give reward to His servants, the prophets and saints,” signifies heaven to those who are in the truths of doctrine and in a life according to them.
[2] That “reward” signifies salvation, and thus heaven, can be seen without amplification and explanation; but as few know what is properly meant by “reward” it shall be told. “Reward” means properly that delight, blessedness, and happiness that is in the love or affection of good and truth. This love or affection has in itself all joy of heart, which is called heavenly joy, and also heaven; and for the reason that the Lord is in that love or affection, and with the Lord is heaven; consequently such joy, or such delight, blessedness, and happiness, is what is properly meant by the “reward” that those will receive who do good and speak truth from the love or affection of good and truth, thus from the Lord, and in no wise from themselves; and as they do this from the Lord and not from themselves it is not a reward of merit but a reward of grace. This shows that whoever knows what heavenly joy is also knows what reward is. (What heavenly joy is in its essence can be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 395-414.) This, therefore, is what is meant by the “reward” that those have who are in truths from good. But the “reward” that those have who are in falsities from evil is joy or delight, good fortune, and happiness in the world, but hell after their departure out of the world.
sRef Rev@22 @12 S3′ sRef Isa@40 @10 S3′ sRef Isa@62 @11 S3′ [3] From these few words the signification of “reward” in the following passages can be seen. In Isaiah:
Behold the Lord Jehovih cometh in strength; behold His reward is with Him, and the wages of His work are with** Him (Isa. 40:10).
In the same:
Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy salvation cometh, and the wages of His work are with*** Him (Isa. 62:11).
And in Revelation:
Behold I come quickly, and My reward is with Me to give to each one as his work shall be (Rev. 22:12).
“Behold the Lord Jehovih cometh in strength,” and “Behold thy salvation cometh,” and “Behold He cometh quickly,” signify the first and second coming of the Lord. “His reward is with Him” signifies heaven and all things belonging to it, as above, since where the Lord is, there heaven is, for heaven is not heaven from the angels there, but from the Lord with the angels. That heaven will be received in the measure of the love and affection of good and truth from the Lord is meant by “the wages of His work are before Him,” and by “He will give to each one as his work shall be.” No other work is meant by the “work” for which heaven is given as a reward than work from the love or affection of good and truth, for from that must be every work with man from which is heaven. For a work derives its all from love or affection, just as the effect derives its all from the effecting cause, therefore such as the love or affection is, such is the work. Thence it may be clear what is meant by “the work according to which it shall be given to everyone,” and what is meant by “the wages of work.”
sRef Isa@61 @8 S4′ [4] Likewise in Isaiah:
I Jehovah love judgment, I will give the reward of their work in truth, and will make with them a covenant of eternity (Isa. 61:8).
The “judgment that Jehovah loves” signifies truth in faith, in affection, and in act, for man has judgment from truth, both when he thinks and desires truth, and when he speaks truth and acts according to it; and as this is what is signified by “judgment,” therefore it is said “I will give the reward of their work in truth,” that is, heaven according to the faith of truth and the affection of it in act; and as from this is conjunction with the Lord, from whom reward comes, therefore it is added, “I will make with them a covenant of eternity,” “covenant” signifying in the Word conjunction by love, and “a covenant of eternity” conjunction by the love of good and truth, for that love conjoins, since it is of the Lord Himself and proceeds from Him.
sRef Matt@6 @1 S5′ sRef Matt@6 @6 S5′ sRef Matt@6 @4 S5′ sRef Matt@6 @5 S5′ sRef Matt@6 @2 S5′ sRef Matt@6 @3 S5′ [5] That loving good and truth for the sake of good and truth is reward, for the reason that the Lord and heaven are in that love, can also be seen from the following passages. In Matthew:
Do not ye your alms before men; to be seen by them, for otherwise ye have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens. When thou doest alms sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men; verily I say to you they have their reward. But thou, when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth, that thine alms may be in secret; then thy Father who seeth in secret will reward thee openly. And when thou prayest thou shalt not be as the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men; verily I say unto you, they have their reward; but when thou prayest enter into thy chamber, and shutting thy door pray to thy Father who is in secret; then thy Father who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly (Matt. 6:1-6).
“Alms” in the most general sense signifies every good that man wills and does, and “to pray” signifies in the same sense every truth that man thinks and speaks. Those who do these two things “to be seen,” that is, that they may be manifest, do good and speak truth for the sake of self and the world, that is, for the sake of glory, which is the delight of self-love that the world affords. Because delight in glory is the reward of such it is said “they have their reward;” but this delight in glory, which in the world seems to them like heaven, is changed after death into hell. But those who do good and speak truth, not for the sake of self and the world but for the sake of good itself and truth itself, are meant by those who “do alms in secret,” and who “pray in secret,” for they act and pray from love or affection, thus from the Lord; this, therefore, is loving good and truth for the sake of good and truth; and of such it is said that “the Father in the heavens will reward them openly.” Thus “reward” is to be in goods and truths from love or affection, which is the same as being in them from the Lord, since in these is heaven and every blessedness and happiness of heaven.
sRef Luke@14 @14 S6′ sRef Luke@14 @13 S6′ sRef Luke@14 @12 S6′ [6] In Luke:
When thou makest a dinner or a supper call not the rich, lest haply they should call thee in turn; and a recompense be made to thee; but call the poor; then shalt thou be blessed, for they have not wherewith to recompense thee; for it shall be recompensed thee in the resurrection of the dead (Luke 14:12-14).
“To make a dinner and a supper and to call to them” has a similar signification as giving to eat and drink, or bread and wine, namely, doing good to the neighbor, and teaching truth, and being thus consociated in love; so those who do this for the purpose of being recompensed do it not for the sake of good and truth, thus not from the Lord, but for the sake of self and the world, thus from hell; while those who do this not for the purpose of being recompensed, do it for its own sake, that is, for the sake of good and truth, and those who do it for the sake of good and truth do it from good and truth, thus from the Lord, from whom are good and truth with man. The heavenly blessedness that is in such deeds and thence from them is “reward” and is meant by “it shall be recompensed thee in the resurrection of the dead.”
sRef Luke@6 @35 S7′ [7] In the same:
Rather love your enemies, and do good and lend, hoping for nothing again; then shall your reward be much, and ye shall be sons of the Most High (Luke 6:35).
This has a similar signification as the previous passage, namely, that good is not to be done for the sake of recompense, that is, for the sake of self and the world, thus not for the sake of reputation, glory, honor, and gain, but for the Lord’s sake, that is, for the sake of good itself and truth itself which are with such from the Lord, thus in which the Lord is. “To love enemies and do good to them” means here, in the nearest sense, to love the Gentiles and do good to them, which is to be done by teaching them truth and leading them by it to good; for the Jewish nation called their own people brethren and friends, but the Gentiles they called adversaries and enemies. “To lend” signifies to communicate goods and truths of doctrine from the Word; “to hope for nothing again” signifies, not for the sake of anything of self and of the world, but for the sake of good and truth; “then shall your reward be much” signifies that then they shall have heaven with its blessedness and delights; “and ye shall be sons of the Most High” signifies because they do these things not from self but from the Lord; for he who does good and teaches truth from the Lord is the Lord’s son, but not he who does good from self, which is what everyone does who looks to honor and gain as his end.
sRef Matt@10 @42 S8′ sRef Matt@10 @41 S8′ [8] In Matthew:
He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold [water] only in the name of a disciple, he shall not lose his reward (Matt. 10:41, 42).
How these words of the Lord are to be understood no one can see except from their internal or spiritual sense; for who can know what is meant by “receiving a prophet’s reward” and “a righteous man’s reward,” and by “receiving a prophet and a righteous man in the name of a prophet and a righteous man;” also what is meant by the “reward” that he will receive who “shall give to drink unto one of the little ones a cup of cold [water] only, in the name of a disciple”? Without the internal spiritual sense, who can see that these words mean that everyone shall receive heaven and its joy in the measure of his affection of truth and good, and in the measure of his obedience?
[9] This meaning becomes evident when it is seen that “prophet” means the truth of doctrine, “righteous man” the good of love, and “disciple” the truth and good of the Word and of the church, and that “in their name” means for the sake of these, and according to their quality with those who do and teach them; also that “reward” means heaven, as has been said above, namely, that everyone has heaven in the measure of his affection of truth and good, and according to its quality and quantity; for on these affections all things of heaven are inscribed, since no one can have these affections except from the Lord, for it is the Divine proceeding from the Lord in which and from which is heaven.
[10] “To give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold [water] only in the name of a disciple” means to do good and teach truth from obedience, for “water” signifies the truth in affection, and “cold [water]” truth in obedience, for obedience alone is a natural, not a spiritual, affection, and is therefore comparatively cold; and a “disciple” in whose name or for whose sake it is “given to drink” signifies the truth and good of the Word and of the church. (That “a prophet” signifies the truth of doctrine can be seen above, n. 624; that “a righteous man” signifies the good of love, n. 204; that a “disciple” signifies the truth and good of the Word and of the church, n. 100, 122; and that “name” signifies the quality of a thing and**** state, n. 102, 135, 148, 676.)
sRef Mark@9 @41 S11′ [11] In Mark:
Whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in My name, because ye are Christ’s, verily I say unto you he shall not lose his reward (Mark 9:41).
This also means that those shall receive the delight of heaven who from affection hear, receive, and teach the truth because truth and the affection of it are from the Lord, thus for the Lord’s sake, and accordingly for the truth’s sake, since “because ye are Christ’s” signifies for the sake of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. (That “Christ” means the Lord in regard to Divine truth, and thus Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, may be seen above, n. 684, 685.)
sRef Zech@8 @12 S12′ sRef Zech@8 @10 S12′ sRef Zech@8 @9 S12′ [12] In Zechariah:
The foundation of the house of Jehovah of Hosts hath been laid, the temple, that it may be built; for before these days there was no reward of man, nor reward of beast, and to him that went out and to him that came in there was no peace from the adversary. Now the seed of peace, the vine shall give its fruit, and the land shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew (Zech. 8:9, 10, 12).
This was said of the New Church to be established by the Lord when the old had been laid waste; the New Church that is to be established is signified by “the house of Jehovah of Hosts” whose foundations have been laid, and by “the temple” that was to be built, “the house of Jehovah” signifying the church in respect to good, and “the temple” the church in respect to truth (see above, n. 220). That before this, no one had any spiritual affection of truth and good or any natural affection of truth and good is signified by “before these days there was no reward of man, nor reward of beast;” “man” signifying the spiritual affection of truth, and “beast” the natural affection of good, and “reward” heaven, which those have who are in the affections of truth and good. (That “man” signifies the spiritual affection of truth, and consequent intelligence, may be seen above, n. 280, 546, 547; and that “beast” signifies the natural affection, n. 650.)
[13] “To him that went out and to him that came in there was no peace from the adversary” signifies that heretofore they had been infested by hell in every state of life; “to go out and come in” signifying the state of life from beginning to end, “there was no peace” signifying infestation by evils and falsities therefrom, and “adversary” signifying hell, the source of evils and falsities. “The seed of peace” signifies the truth of heaven and the church, which is from the Lord; this is called “the seed of peace” because it defends from the hells and gives security. “The vine shall give fruit and the land produce” signifies that the spiritual affection of truth shall bring forth the good of charity, and the natural affection of good and truth shall bring forth the works of charity; “vine” signifying the church in respect to the spiritual affection of truth, “land” the church in respect to the natural affection of truth, “fruit” the good of charity, and “produce” the works of that good. “The heavens shall give dew” signifies that these things are from influx through heaven from the Lord.
sRef John@4 @36 S14′ sRef John@4 @35 S14′ [14] In John:
Lift up your eyes and behold the fields, that they are white already for harvest; and he that reapeth receiveth reward and gathereth fruit unto life eternal, that he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together (John 4:35, 36).
This, too, is said of a New Church from the Lord. That it is at hand is signified by “the fields that are white already for harvest;” those of that church who are in the spiritual affection of truth, and thence in heaven, are meant by “he that reapeth receiveth reward and gathereth fruit unto life eternal;” and the Lord Himself, from whom is that affection of truth, and heaven, is meant by “he that soweth may rejoice together with him that reapeth.”
sRef Jer@31 @17 S15′ sRef Jer@31 @15 S15′ sRef Jer@31 @16 S15′ [15] In Jeremiah:
Rachel weeping for her sons, she refuseth to be comforted for her sons because they are not. But refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears, for there is reward for thy labor, for they shall return from the land of the enemy; and there is hope for thy latter end, for thy sons shall return to their own border (Jer. 31:15-17; Matt. 2:18).
This refers to the infant boys put to death in Bethlehem by command of Herod, as is evident from the passage cited in Matthew; but what this signifies has not heretofore been known. The signification is that when the Lord came into the world there was no spiritual truth remaining; for “Rachel” represented the internal spiritual church, and “Leah” the external natural church, “Bethlehem” the spiritual, and “the boys put to death” truth from that origin. That there was no spiritual truth any longer remaining is signified by “Rachel weeping for her sons, she refuseth to be comforted for her sons, because they are not.”
[16] That henceforth there will be no grief on that account, because the Lord has been born, from whom there will be a New Church that will be in truths from spiritual affection, is signified by “refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears, for there is reward for thy labor,” “His reward” signifying heaven for those who will be of that church from the spiritual affection of truth, and “labor” signifying the Lord’s combats against the hells and the subjugation of the hells that a New Church may be established. That the New Church will be established in the place of the one that perished is signified by “they shall return from the land of the enemy, and there is hope for the latter end,” also by “thy sons shall return to their own border;” “to return from the land of the enemy” signifying to be brought out of hell; “hope for the latter end” signifying the end of the former church and the beginning of the new, and “the sons shall return to their own border” signifying that spiritual truths will exist with those who will be of that New Church.
sRef Isa@49 @4 S17′ [17] In Isaiah:
I said, I have labored in vain, I have consumed my strength in emptiness and vanity; yet surely my judgment is with Jehovah, and the reward of my work with my God (Isa. 49:4).
This, again, is said of the establishment of the New Church by the Lord. That it could not be established with the Jewish nation, because truths could not be received by that nation with any spiritual affection, is meant by “I said, I have labored in vain, I have consumed my strength in emptiness and vanity;” that still a spiritual church is being provided by the Lord, namely, among the Gentiles, is signified by “my judgment is with Jehovah, and the reward of my work is with my God;” “reward” here signifying the church that is in the spiritual affection of truth; and “labor and work” signifying the Lord’s combat against the hells and their subjugation, by which the Lord restored the equilibrium between heaven and hell, in which man is able to receive truth and to become spiritual. (On this equilibrium see in the work Heaven and Hell, n. 589-603, and in the small work Last Judgment, n. 33, 34, 73, 74.)
sRef Ps@127 @4 S18′ sRef Ps@127 @3 S18′ sRef Ps@127 @5 S18′ [18] In David:
Behold, sons are a heritage of Jehovah, the fruit of the womb is a reward; as darts in the hand of the mighty so are the sons of youth; happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them, they shall not be ashamed when they shall speak with enemies in the gate (Ps. 127:3-5).
What is here signified by “sons,” “fruit of the womb,” “darts,” “quiver,” and “enemies in the gate,” may be seen above (n. 357); and that “reward” here also signifies the happiness that those have who are in heaven.
sRef Matt@5 @11 S19′ sRef Matt@5 @12 S19′ [19] In the Gospels:
Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and say every evil word against you falsely for Christ’s sake, rejoice and exult, for much is your reward in the heavens; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you (Matt. 5:11, 12; Luke 6:22, 23).
This is said of those who fight and conquer in temptations induced by evils, that is, by hell; temptations are signified by “reviling,” “persecuting,” and “saying an evil word falsely for Christ’s sake,” for temptations are assaults and infestations of truth and good by falsities and evils; “Christ” means Divine truth from the Lord which is assaulted and on account of which they are infested. “Rejoice and exult, for much is your reward in the heavens,” signifies heaven with its joy which those have who are in the spiritual affection of truth, for such only fight and conquer, since the Lord resists and conquers for the man in the combats of temptations, and He is in that affection; “for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you” signifies that previously the truths of doctrine with those who were in the spiritual affection of truth had in like manner been assaulted, for “prophets” in a sense abstracted from persons signify truths from the Word or from the Lord. From what has thus far been cited from the Word it can be seen that “reward” signifies heaven in respect to its blessedness, happiness, and delight, which those have who are in the spiritual affection of truth and good, and that the reward is that affection itself; for it is the same whether you say heaven or that affection, for heaven is in that affection and from it.
sRef Lev@19 @13 S20′ sRef Deut@24 @14 S20′ sRef Ex@12 @45 S20′ sRef Deut@24 @15 S20′ sRef Lev@22 @10 S20′ sRef Mal@3 @5 S20′ sRef Ex@12 @43 S20′ [20] But those who speak truth and do good not from spiritual affection but from merely natural affection, and who think continually of heaven as a reward, were represented in the Israelitish church by “hired servants,” respecting whom there were in that church many statutes, as:
That hired servants should not eat of the Passover (Exod. 12:43, 45);
That they should not eat of the holy things (Lev. 22:10);
That the wages of a hired servant should not abide with anyone during the night until the morning (Lev. 19:13);
That they should not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, either of thy brethren or of the sojourner that is in thy land and in thy gates; in his day thou shalt give him his hire, so that the sun may not go down upon it, lest he cry against thee unto Jehovah, and it be in thee a sin (Deut. 24:14, 15).
In Malachi:
I will be against the oppressors of the hired servant in his wages, of the widow, and of the fatherless, and against them that turn aside the sojourner and fear not Me (Mal. 3:5);
and elsewhere. Hired servants were forbidden to eat of the Passover and of things sanctified because they represented those that are natural and not spiritual, and the spiritual are of the church, but not so the natural. To look to heaven as a reward on account of the good that is done is natural, for the natural considers good to be from itself, thus heaven to be a reward; and this makes good meritorious. But it is otherwise with the spiritual, which acknowledges good as being not from itself but from the Lord, and thus heaven to be not from any merit but from mercy. Nevertheless, as those signified by “hired servants” still do good, although not from a spiritual affection but from a natural affection, which is obedience, and then think of heaven as a reward, they are mentioned with the “poor,” the “needy,” the “sojourners,” the “fatherless,” and the “widows,” because they are in spiritual poverty; for genuine truths are obscure to them, because light from heaven does not flow in through their spiritual man into the natural; this is why they are classed with those mentioned above, and it is commanded that “their reward shall be given them before the going down of the sun.” Moreover, such are in the lowest regions of the heavens, where they are servants, and are rewarded according to their works (see many things further in the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 150-158).
sRef John@10 @12 S21′ sRef Jer@46 @20 S21′ sRef Jer@46 @21 S21′ sRef John@10 @11 S21′ sRef John@10 @13 S21′ [21] But hired servants who do not think of reward in heaven but of reward in the world, thus who do good for the sake of gain, whether it be honors or wealth, thus who do good from the love of honor or wealth, thus, for the sake of self and the world, are infernal-natural. Such “hired servants” are meant in John:
I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd layeth down his soul for the sheep. But a hired servant seeth the wolf and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, because he is a hired servant (John 10:11-13).
And in Jeremiah:
A very fair she-calf is Egypt; destruction cometh out of the north; her hired servants are like fattened calves, for they also are turned, they flee together, they stood not, for the day of their calamity is come upon them (Jer. 46:20, 21);
and elsewhere (Isa. 16:14; 21:16).
sRef Ps@109 @18 S22′ sRef Ps@109 @20 S22′ [22] Because in the Word “reward” signifies heaven, which those have who are in the spiritual love of truth and good, so in the contrary sense “reward” signifies hell, which those have who are in the love of falsity and evil. Such is the signification of “reward” in David:
He shall clothe himself with cursing as with his garment and it entereth into the midst of him as waters, and as oil among his bones. This is the reward of mine adversaries from Jehovah, and of them that speak evil against my soul (Ps. 109:18, 20).
By this in the spiritual sense the Lord is meant, for where David speaks of himself in the Psalms, in that sense the Lord is meant, David as a king representing the Lord, and thus signifying Him in relation to the Divine-spiritual, which is the Lord’s royalty. “The reward of the Lord’s adversaries, and of them that speak evil against His soul,” is described as a hell from the love of falsity and evil, by this, that “he shall clothe himself with cursing as with his garment” and “it hath entered into the midst of him as waters, and as oil among his bones,” these two expressions describing hell as received in externals and in internals, “to clothe himself with cursing as with a garment” describing the hell that is received in externals, and “cursing entering into the midst of him as waters, and as oil among his bones,” describing the hell that is received in internals. It is said “as waters,” and “as oil,” because “waters” signify the falsities of faith, and “oil” the evils of the love, so the two expressions mean the love or affection of falsity and evil, which is hell, as can be seen also from this, that love imbibes all things that are in harmony with it, just as a sponge imbibes water and oil; for the love of evil is nourished by falsities, and the love of falsity is nourished by evils, and love being such, it is said that “cursing enters into the midst of him as waters, and as oil among his bones.”
sRef Hos@9 @1 S23′ sRef Hos@9 @2 S23′ [23] Since in the contrary sense “reward” signifies hell in respect to the affection of falsity from evil, therefore the falsification of truth is here and there called in the Word “the reward of whoredom.” As in Hosea:
Be not glad, O Israel, unto exultation like the nations,***** for thou hast committed whoredom from under thy God; thou hast loved the reward of whoredom upon all corn-floors; the floor and the wine-vat shall not feed them****** (Hos. 9:1, 2).
“To commit whoredom from under God” signifies to falsify the truths of the Word, and to apply the holy things of the church to idolatries; “to love the reward of whoredom” signifies the delight of falsifying and of falsity and of idolatry from infernal love; “upon all corn-floors” signifies all things of the Word and of doctrine from the Word, for “corn,” of which bread is made, signifies all things that nourish spiritually, and “floor” signifies where these are gathered together, that is, the Word; “the floor and the wine-vat shall not feed them” signifies not to draw from the Word the good things of charity and love, that is, the things that will nourish the soul, for the “floor” here means the Word in respect to the goods of charity and the “wine-vat” the Word in respect to goods of love, the “vat” here meaning oil, for which as well as for wine there were vats; “and the new wine shall dissemble unto her” signifies that neither shall there be any truth of good; for “new wine,” the same as “wine,” signifies truth from the good of charity and love.
sRef Micah@1 @8 S24′ sRef Micah@1 @7 S24′ [24] In Micah:
All the graven images of Samaria shall be beaten in pieces, and all the rewards of her whoredom shall be burned up with fire, and all their idols will I lay waste; for she hath brought them together from the reward of whoredom, therefore to the reward of whoredom shall they return; for this I will lament and howl, I will go stripped and naked (Mic. 1:7, 8).
“Samaria” means the spiritual church in respect to the truths of doctrine, here in respect to the falsities of doctrine; for their “graven images” signify things falsified, which are from self-intelligence; “the rewards of her whoredom that shall be burned up with fire” signify the falsifications of truth from a love of falsity from evil and the consequent infernal delight; and as that love is from hell it is said that “they shall be burned up with fire,” “fire” signifying love in both senses; “and all their idols will I lay waste” signifies the falsities that must be destroyed; “for she hath brought them together from the reward of whoredom” signifies from the love of falsity that is from evil and from the consequent infernal delight; “therefore to the reward of whoredom shall they return” signifies that all things of that church will be truths falsified, because they are thence; “for this I will lament and howl” signifies the grief of the angels of heaven and of the men of the church in whom the church is, and thus with them with whom the Lord is; “I will go stripped and naked” signifies mourning because of the vastation of all truth and good. That “graven images” and “idols” signify doctrinals from self-intelligence favoring the loves of self and of the world and the principles derived therefrom, thus the falsities of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, may be seen above (n. 587, 654).
sRef Ezek@16 @32 S25′ sRef Ezek@16 @31 S25′ sRef Ezek@16 @33 S25′ sRef Ezek@16 @34 S25′ [25] In Ezekiel:
Thou hast built thy eminent place at the head of every way, and thy exalted place in every street; and hast not been as a harlot to glory in reward; the adulterous woman received strangers instead of her husband; they give reward to all harlots, but thou hast given thy rewards to all thy lovers, and hast given them presents that they might come unto thee from every side in thy whoredoms. Thus the contrary is in thee from women in thy whoredoms, that they went not after thee to commit whoredom in giving a reward, and no reward has been given to thee, therefore thou hast been contrary (Ezek. 16:31-34).
This chapter treats of the abominations of Jerusalem, that is, of the abominable things of the Jewish Church, in that it not only perverted and adulterated the goods of the Word, but also received falsities of religion and of worship from the idolatrous nations, and thereby adulterated the truths and goods of the Word, and confirmed these adulterations. What “building an eminent place at the head of every way, and making an exalted place in every street” signifies may be seen above (n. 652). That “adulteries and whoredoms” signify in the Word the adulterations and falsifications of the truth and good of the church may be seen above (n. 141, 511); therefore “not to have been as a harlot to glory in reward” signifies not to have so falsified the truths of the Word from the delight of affection; “the adulterous woman received strangers instead of her husband” signifies the truths and goods of the Word perverted by the falsities of other nations; “they give reward to all harlots, but thou hast given thy rewards to all thy lovers and hast given them presents,” signifies that they loved the falsities of religion and of the worship of other nations; a “reward or gift of whoredom” meaning the love of falsifying by means of the falsities of others; “that they might come unto thee from every side in thy whoredoms” signifies that falsities were searched for from every direction, whereby truth was falsified; “thus the contrary is in thee from women in thy whoredoms, that they went not after thee to commit whoredom in giving a reward, and no reward has been given to thee, therefore thou hast been contrary,” signifies the delight of the love and affection of falsifying the truths of their church by the falsities of other religions, and of confirming such falsities, “the reward or gift of whoredoms” meaning the delight of the love and affection towards the falsities of other religions.
[26] From that which has been stated, what is meant spiritually by “reward” in both senses can now be seen; for that which affects with delight and joy is spiritual reward. For example, there are riches, possessions, honors, and gifts, by which a man is rewarded for well-doing; these are not “reward,” spiritually understood, but the delights and joys which spring from these; much more is this true of the heavenly reward that the man of the church who lives well will have, which is the spiritual affection of truth, and intelligence and wisdom therefrom, which is the source of blessedness and happiness. Moreover, in heaven there is opulence and magnificence which results from the heavenly love as its correspondent, but yet in heaven it is not opulence and magnificence that are regarded as reward, but the spiritual from which they are. This, too, is what is meant by “the price of a work,” and by “reward,” which is in the Lord and from the Lord (Isa. 40:10; 61:8; 62:11; Luke 6:35; 14:12-14; and elsewhere).
* Swedenborg in the heading corrected “His” into “Thy,” but left it uncorrected immediately below and in AE 695.
** The Hebrew has “beore,” as found below in the explanation, and also in AC 1793.
*** The Latin has “is” for “and.”
**** The Latin has “For if” for “For so.”
***** The Hebrew has “peoples.”
****** The photolithograph omits “And the new wine shall dissemble unto her,” but explains it in the text.

sRef Rev@11 @18 S0′ 696. And to them that fear Thy name, the small and the great, signifies and to all of whatever religion who worship the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “fearing the name” of the Lord God, as being to worship the Lord (of which presently); also from the signification of “the small and the great,” as being of whatever religion; for “the small” mean those who have but little knowledge of the truths and goods of the church, and “the great” those who know much, thus those who worship the Lord little and much; for in the measure that a man knows the truths of faith and lives according to them does he worship the Lord, for worship is not from man but from the truths from good that are with man, since these are from the Lord, and the Lord is in them. “They that fear Thy name, the small and the great,” mean all of whatever religion who worship the Lord, because just before “the servants, the prophets and the saints,” are mentioned, meaning all within the church who are in the truths of doctrine and in a life according to them; therefore “they that fear Thy name, the small and the great,” mean all without the church who worship the Lord according to their religion, for those who are in the worship of the Lord, and live in any faith and charity, according to their religious principle, also fear God’s name. In fact, this verse treats of the Last Judgment upon all, both the evil and the good; and the Last Judgment is executed upon all, both those within the church and those outside of it; and then all are saved who fear God and live in mutual love, in uprightness of heart and in sincerity from a religious principle, for all such, by an intuitive faith in God and by a life of charity, are consociated as to their souls with the angels of heaven, and are thus conjoined to the Lord and saved. For after death everyone comes to his own in the spiritual world, with whom he was closely consociated as to his spirit while he was living in the natural world.
[2] “The small and the great” signify less or more, that is, those who worship the Lord less or more, thus who are less or more in truths from good, because the spiritual sense of the Word is abstracted from all regard to persons, contemplating the thing nakedly; and the expression “the small and the great” has regard to person, for it means men who worship God; for this reason instead of these less and more are meant in the spiritual sense, thus those who worship less or more from genuine truths and goods. It is similar with “the servants, the prophets and the saints,” just above, by whom in the spiritual sense prophets and saints are not meant, but, apart from persons, the truths of doctrine and a life according to them. But while these are meant, all who are in the truths of doctrine and a life according to them are also included, for such truths and life are in subjects which are angels and men; but in such case to think of angels and men only is natural, while to think of the truths of doctrine and life, which make angels and men, is spiritual. Thence it may be clear how the spiritual sense in which the angels are, differs from the natural sense in which men are, namely, that in every particular that a man thinks there inheres something of person, space, time and matter, while angels think things abstractly from all these. Thence it is that the speech of angels is incomprehensible to man, because it is from the intuition of the thing, and thus from a wisdom abstracted from things that are proper to the natural world, and therefore comparatively undetermined to such things.
sRef Matt@18 @20 S3′ sRef Matt@18 @19 S3′ [3] “To fear Thy name” signifies to worship the Lord, because “to fear” signifies to worship, and “Thy name” signifies the Lord. In a preceding verse it is said that the twenty-four elders gave thanks to the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come;” wherefore “to fear Thy name” means to worship the Lord. In the Word both of the Old and New Testaments, “the name of Jehovah,” “the name of the Lord,” “the name of God,” and “the name of Jesus Christ” are mentioned, and “name” here means all things whereby He is worshipped, thus all things of love and faith, and in the highest sense the Lord Himself is meant, because where He is, there also are all things of love and faith. That such is the signification of “the name of Jehovah,” “the Lord God,” and “Jesus Christ,” may be seen above (n. 102, 135, 224), and is also evident from these words of the Lord:
If two of you shall agree on earth In My name respecting anything that they shall ask it shall be done for them by My Father who is in the heavens. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them (Matt. 18:19, 20).
Here “to agree in the Lord’s name” and “to be gathered together in His name” means not in mere name, but in those things that belong to the Lord, which are the truths of faith and the goods of love by which He is worshipped.
[4] “To fear,” in reference to the Lord, signifies to worship and reverence, because in worship and in all things of worship there is a holy and reverential fear, which is that the Lord is to be honored and in no way injured; for it is as with children towards parents and parents towards children, with wives towards husbands and husbands towards wives, also as with friends towards friends, in whom there is a fear of injuring and also respect; such a fear with respect is in all love and in all friendship, so that love and friendship without such a fear and respect is like food not salted, which is insipid. This is why “to fear the Lord” means to worship Him from such love.
[5] It is said that “to fear Thy name” signifies to worship the Lord, and yet “those who fear Him” mean here all those who are outside of the church, to whom the Lord is unknown, because they do not have the Word; nevertheless, all such as in respect to God have an idea of the Human are still accepted by the Lord, for God under the Human form is the Lord; but all, whether within or without the church, who do not think of God as Man, when they come into their own spiritual life, which takes place after their departure out of this world, are not accepted by the Lord, because they have no determinate idea of God, but only an indeterminate idea, which is no idea at all, or if it be any is nevertheless dissipated. This is why all who come from the earths into the spiritual world are first explored, as to what idea of God they have had and have brought with them. If they have no idea of Him as Man they are sent to places of instruction, where they are taught that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and that when they think of God they must think of the Lord, and that otherwise there can be no conjunction with God, and thus no consociation with angels. Then all who have lived a life of charity receive instruction and worship the Lord. But all those who say that they have had faith, but have not been in the life of faith, which is charity, do not accept instruction; consequently they are separated and sent away into places below the heavens, some into the hells, some into the earth that is called in the Word “the lower earth,” where they suffer hard things. Still the Gentiles who have made the laws of religion laws of life receive the doctrine respecting the Lord more readily than Christians, and this especially because they had no other idea of God than that of the Divine Man. This has been said that it may be known why it is that “to fear Thy name” means to worship the Lord.
[6] In many passages in the Word the expression “to fear Jehovah God” is used, and this means to worship Him; therefore it shall be told in a few words what worship in particular is meant by “fearing God.” All worship of Jehovah God must be from the good of love by means of truths. Worship that is from the good of love alone is not worship, neither is worship that is from truths alone, without the good of love, worship; there must be both, since the good of love is the essential of worship, but good has its existence and form by means of truths, therefore all worship must be from good by means of truths. For this reason, in many passages in the Word where the expression “to fear Jehovah God” is used it is added, “to keep and to do His words and commandments;” consequently in these places “to fear” signifies worship by means of truths, and “to keep and do” signifies worship from the good of love, for doing is of the will, thus of the love and of good, but “fearing” is of the understanding, thus of faith and of truth, since every truth that is of faith belongs properly to the understanding, and every good that is of love belongs properly to the will. From this it can be seen that “the fear of Jehovah God” is predicated of worship by means of the truths of doctrine, which are also called truths of faith. Such worship is meant by “the fear of Jehovah God,” because Divine truth causes fear in that it condemns the evil to hell; but Divine good does not, since so far as it is received through truths by man and angel it takes away condemnation. Thence it may be seen that so far as man is in the good of love there is fear of God; also that dread and terror disappear and become a holy fear attended with reverence so far as man is in the good of love and in truths therefrom, that is, so far as there is good in his truths. From this it follows that fear in worship varies with each one according to the state of his life; and also that the sanctity attended with reverence that there is in fear with those that are in good, varies also according to the reception of good in the will and according to the reception of truth in the understanding, that is, according to the reception of good in the heart and the reception of truth in the soul.
sRef Deut@10 @12 S7′ [7] But what has now been said can be seen more clearly from the following passages in the Word. In Moses:
What doth Jehovah thy God ask of thee but to fear Jehovah thy God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve Jehovah thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul? (Deut. 10:12, 20)
The expressions “to fear Jehovah God,” “to walk in His ways,” “to love Him,” and “to serve Him,” are here used, and by all these worship by truths from good is described; worship by truths is meant by “fearing Jehovah God” and by “serving Him,” and worship from good by “walking in His ways” and by “loving Him;” therefore it is also said “with the whole heart and with the whole soul,” “heart” signifying the good of love and charity that belongs to the will, and “soul” the truth of doctrine and faith that belongs to the understanding; for “heart” corresponds to the good of love, and in man to his will, and “soul” corresponds to the truth of faith, and in man to his understanding, for soul [anima] means the breathing or respiration of man, which is also called his spirit. (That “soul” signifies in the Word the life of faith, and “heart” the life of love, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 2930, 9050, 9281.)
sRef Deut@13 @4 S8′ [8] In the same:
Ye shall go after Jehovah your God and ye shall fear Him, that ye may keep His commandments and hear His voice and serve Him and cleave unto Him (Deut. 13:4).
“To go after Jehovah God, to keep His commandments, and to cleave unto Him,” signifies the good of life, thus the good of love from which is worship; and “to fear Jehovah God, to hear His voice, and to serve Him,” signifies the truths of doctrine, thus the truths of faith by means of which is worship. As all worship of the Lord must be by means of truths from good, and not by means of truths without good, nor by means of good without truths, therefore in every particular of the Word there is a marriage of good and truth, as in the passages already cited, and also in the following. (On the marriage of good and truth, in the particulars of the Word, see above, n. 238 at the end, 288, 660.)
sRef Deut@10 @20 S9′ [9] In the same:
Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God, Him shalt thou serve, and to Him shalt thou cleave, and in His name shalt thou swear (Deut. 10:20).
Here also “to fear Jehovah God and to serve Him,” has reference to the truths of worship, and “to cleave unto Jehovah God and to swear in His name” has reference to the good of worship; for “to cleave to” is a word of the good of love, since one who loves cleaves to; “to swear in the name of Jehovah” in like manner, since the doing of something is confirmed by it. “To serve” has reference to the truths of worship, because in the Word “servants” mean those who are in truths, and for the reason that truths serve good (see above, n. 6, 409).
sRef Deut@6 @2 S10′ sRef Deut@6 @13 S10′ sRef Deut@6 @24 S10′ sRef Deut@6 @14 S10′ [10] In the same:
That thou mayest fear Jehovah thy God, to keep all his statutes and His commandments. Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God and Him shalt thou serve, and shalt swear in His name. Ye shall not go after other gods. Jehovah hath commanded us to do all these statutes to fear Jehovah our God (Deut. 6:2, 13, 14, 24).
Here, too, in like manner worship by means of truths from good, or by means of faith from love is described; “to fear Jehovah God and to serve Him” means worship by means of the truths of faith; and “to keep and do His statutes and commandments, and to swear in the name of Jehovah,” means worship from the good of love; for to keep and do statutes and commandments is the good of life, which is the same as the good of love, since he lives that loves; “to swear in the name of Jehovah” has a like meaning, for “to swear” means to confirm by life. It has already been said above that “to fear Jehovah and to serve Him” means worship according to the truths of doctrine. For there are two things that constitute worship, namely, doctrine and life; doctrine without life does not constitute it, neither does life without doctrine.
sRef Deut@8 @6 S11′ sRef Deut@28 @58 S11′ sRef Deut@5 @29 S11′ sRef Deut@31 @12 S11′ sRef Deut@17 @18 S11′ sRef Deut@17 @19 S11′ [11] The like is taught in the following passages. In Deuteronomy:
Assemble the people that they may hear, and that they may learn and fear Jehovah your God, and may observe to do all the words of the law (Deut. 31:12).
In the same:
If thou wilt not observe to do all the precepts of this law, to fear this glorious and venerable name, Jehovah thy God (Deut. 28:58).
In the same:
The king shall write for himself a copy of the law, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, whereby he may learn to fear Jehovah his God, to keep all the words of the law, and the statutes to do them (Deut. 17:18, 19).
Thou shalt keep the commandments of Jehovah thy God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him (Deut. 8:6).
In the same:
Who will give that they may have a heart to fear Me, and to keep all My commandments all the days (Deut. 5:29).
In these passages where is mentioned “fearing Jehovah God” there is adjoined “keeping and doing the commandments of the law,” also “walking in His ways,” for the reason, as has been said, that all internal spiritual worship of God, which consists in the good of life, must be according to the truths of doctrine, because these must teach. Worship according to the truths of doctrine is signified by “fearing Jehovah,” and worship from the good of life by “keeping His commandments and walking in his ways,” “to walk in the ways of Jehovah” meaning to live according to the truths of doctrine; and as worship according to the truths of doctrine is meant by “fearing Jehovah,” therefore it is said that the fear of Jehovah must be learned from the law. But let it be known that “the fear of Jehovah” means the internal spiritual worship that must be in external natural worship, for internal spiritual worship is thinking and understanding truths, thus thinking in a reverent and holy way about God, which is “fearing Him,” and external natural worship is doing truths, that is, keeping the commandments and words of the law.
sRef Ps@86 @11 S12′ [12] In David:
Teach me Thy way, O Jehovah, teach it* in truth, unite my heart to the fear of Thy name (Ps. 86:11).
“To teach the way” signifies to teach the truth according to which man must live; therefore it is said “teach it in truth.” That the good of love must be conjoined with the truths of faith is signified by “unite my heart to the fear of Thy name,” “heart” signifying the love, “fear” the holiness of faith, and these must be “united,” that is, be together in worship.
sRef Ps@112 @1 S13′ sRef Ps@128 @1 S13′ [13] In the same:
Blessed is everyone that feareth Jehovah, that walketh in His ways (Ps. 128:1).
Here again, “to fear Jehovah” means to think in a reverent and holy way about God, and “to walk in His ways” means to live according to the Divine truths; it is by means of these two that there is worship. But in external worship, which is living according to Divine truths, there must be internal worship, which is fearing Jehovah; and this is why it is said that “he that feareth Jehovah walketh in His ways.” In the same:
Blessed is the man that feareth Jehovah, that delighteth exceedingly in His commandments (Ps. 112:1).
The signification of this is similar as above; for “to delight exceedingly in Jehovah’s commandments” is to love them, thus to will and to do them.
sRef Jer@44 @10 S14′ [14] In Jeremiah:
They feared not, neither did they go in My law and in My statutes (Jer. 44:10).
“Not fearing” stands for not thinking about God from the truths of the Word, thus not thinking in a holy and reverent way; “not to go in God’s law and in His statutes,” stands for not living according to them, “commandments” meaning the laws of internal worship, and “statutes” the laws of external worship.
sRef Mal@1 @6 S15′ [15] In Malachi:
If I be a Father, where is My honor? If I be a Lord, where is the fear of Me? (Mal. 1:6)
The terms “honor” and “fear” are used because “honor” is predicated of the worship from good, and “fear” of the worship by means of truths (that “honor” is predicated of good may be seen above, n. 288, 345); therefore “honor” is also predicated of Father, and “fear” of Lord, for Jehovah is called “Father” from Divine good, and “Lord” here from Divine truth.
sRef Mal@2 @5 S16′ [16] In the same:
My covenant was with Levi of life and of peace, which I gave him with fear, and he feared Me (Mal. 2:5).
“Levi” means here the Lord in relation to the Divine Human, and “the covenant of life and peace” signifies the union of His Divine with Himself, and “fear” and “to fear” signify holy truth, with which there is union.
sRef Isa@11 @3 S17′ sRef Isa@11 @2 S17′ [17] In Isaiah:
The spirit of Jehovah resteth upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and intelligence, the spirit of counsel and of might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah, whence his offering of incense shall be in the fear of Jehovah (Isa. 11:2, 3).
This, too, is said of the Lord, and these words describe Divine truth, in which and from which is all wisdom and all intelligence. The Divine truth that was in the Lord when He was in the world, and that since the glorification of His Human proceeds from Him, is meant by “the spirit of Jehovah that rested upon Him;” that thence He has Divine wisdom and Divine power from that source is meant by “the spirit of wisdom and intelligence; and the spirit of council and of might;” that He has omniscience and essential holiness in worship from that source is meant by “the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah;” and as “fear” signifies the holiness of worship from Divine truth it is added “whence His offering of incense shall be in the fear of Jehovah,” “to offer incense” signifying worship from the Divine spiritual, which is Divine truth. (That this is what “offering incense” signifies see above, n. 324, 491, 492, 494, 567.) It is said “the spirit of wisdom, intelligence, knowledge, and fear,” for “spirit” means the Divine proceeding, “the spirit of wisdom” the celestial Divine, which is the Divine proceeding as received by the angels of the kingdom of the inmost or third heaven, “the spirit of intelligence” the spiritual Divine which is the Divine proceeding as received by the angels of the middle or second heaven, “the spirit of knowledge” the natural Divine, which is the Divine proceeding as received by the angels of the lowest or first heaven, and “the spirit of the fear of Jehovah” all holiness of worship from the celestial, spiritual, and natural Divine.
sRef Jer@32 @39 S18′ sRef Jer@32 @40 S18′ [18] In Jeremiah:
I will give them one heart and one way, to fear Me all the days for good to them; and I will make with them the covenant of an age; and My fear will I give into their heart that they may not depart from with Me (Jer. 32:39, 40).
“I will give them one heart and one way to fear Me” signifies one will and one understanding to worship the Lord, “heart” signifying the good of the will, “way” the truth of the understanding which leads, and “fear” holy worship therefrom. “I will make with them the covenant of an age, and My fear will I give into their heart,” signifies conjunction through the good of love and through the truth of that good in worship, “covenant” meaning conjunction, and “fear in the heart” the holiness of worship from truth in the good of love; “that they may not depart from with Me” signifies for the sake of conjunction. Because conjunction with the Lord is effected by means of truths from good, and not by means of truth without good, nor by means of good without truths, both are here mentioned.
sRef Ps@147 @11 S19′ sRef Rev@14 @7 S19′ sRef Ps@33 @8 S19′ sRef Ps@115 @10 S19′ sRef Ps@115 @11 S19′ sRef Ps@33 @18 S19′ [19] In David:
O house of Aaron trust ye in Jehovah, ye that fear Jehovah trust in Jehovah (Ps. 115:10, 11).
“House of Aaron” signifies all who are in the good of love, and “those that fear Jehovah” signify all who are in truth from that good. In Revelation:
The angel who had the eternal Gospel said, Fear ye God and give Him glory, worship Him (Rev. 14:7).
“To fear God and to give Him glory” signifies to worship the Lord from holy truths; and “to worship Him” signifies from the good of love. In David:
Let all the earth fear Jehovah; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. Behold, the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear Him, that wait for His mercy (Ps. 33:8, 18).
The good pleasure of Jehovah is in them that fear Him, in them that wait for His mercy (Ps. 147:11).
Because “the fear of Jehovah” signifies the reception of Divine truth, and “mercy” the reception of Divine good, it is said that “the eye” and “the good pleasure of Jehovah are upon them that fear Him, that wait for His mercy.”
sRef Isa@25 @3 S20′ [20] In Isaiah:
The strong people shall honor Thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear Thee (Isa. 25:3).
Here again, worship from good is signified by “to honor,” for “honor” is predicated of the good of love; and worship from truths is signified by “fearing the Lord,” as has been said above. “The strong people” signifies men of the church who are in truths from good, wherefrom is all power; “the city of the terrible nations” signifies those who are in truths of doctrine, and through these in the good of love; and as all spiritual power is therefrom they are called “terrible nations.” These words, too, show clearly that there is a marriage of good and truth in every particular of the Word; for “to honor” is predicated of good, “to fear” of truth, both in worship; the term “people” is used of those who are in truths, and through these in good, but the term “nations” of those who are in good, and from good in truths; and as all power in the spiritual world is from the conjunction of good and truth, the people are called “strong,” and the nations are called “terrible.”
sRef Isa@50 @10 S21′ sRef Ps@55 @19 S21′ sRef Isa@29 @13 S21′ sRef Jer@33 @9 S21′ sRef Luke@1 @50 S21′ sRef Ps@34 @9 S21′ sRef Ps@22 @23 S21′ sRef Ps@111 @10 S21′ sRef Ps@34 @7 S21′ [21] “The fear of Jehovah” signifies worship in which there is holiness through truths, in the following passages also. In Isaiah:
The heart of the people hath departed far from Me, and their fear toward Me hath become a commandment taught of men (Isa. 29:13).
In the same
Who among you feareth Jehovah, heareth the voice of His servant? He that walketh in darkness, and hath no brightness, that trusteth In the name of Jehovah, and leaneth upon his God (Isa. 50:10).
In Jeremiah:
They shall hear every good that I do unto them, that they may dread and tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I am about to do unto them (Jer. 33:9).
In David:
The angel of Jehovah encampeth about them that fear Him to deliver them. Fear Jehovah, ye His saints, for there is no want to them that fear Him (Ps. 34:7, 9).
In the same:
Who have no changes, neither fear they God (Ps. 55:19).
In the same:
The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all they that do them [His commandments] (Ps. 111:10).
Because “fear” has respect to Divine truth, from which is holiness in worship and wisdom and intelligence, therefore it is said, “the fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom, a good understanding, that is intelligence, have all they that do them [His commandments].” In the same:
They that fear Jehovah shall praise Him, all the seed of Jacob shall honor Him, and all the seed of Israel shall fear Him (Ps. 22:23).
In Luke:
The mercy of God is unto generation of generations to them that fear Him (Luke 1:50).
sRef Luke@18 @4 S22′ sRef Luke@18 @2 S22′ sRef Ex@34 @10 S22′ sRef Lev@19 @30 S22′ sRef Gen@28 @17 S22′ [22] That “to fear Jehovah God” involves and thence signifies to have a sense of holiness and reverence and accordingly to worship with holiness and reverence, can be seen from these passages. In Moses:
Ye shall keep My Sabbaths, and My sanctuary ye shall fear; ye shall reverence (Lev. 19:30; 26:2).
In the same:
A work of Jehovah, how is that to be feared [reverenced] which I will do (Exod. 34:10).
In the same:
And Jacob feared and said, How to be feared [reverenced] is this place; this is none other than the house of God, and the gate of heaven (Gen. 28:17).
That in reference to the Divine and the holiness of heaven and the church, “to fear” signifies to revere and to hold in reverence, is evident from these passages, also from this, that the same word in the Hebrew that means “to fear” means also to revere and to venerate. This is evident, too, from those words in Luke:
There was a judge in a certain city who feared not God and reverenced not man. And he said within himself, Although I fear not God and reverence not man . . . (Luke 18:2, 4).
It is said “to fear God” and “to reverence man” because fearing means reverencing in a higher degree.
sRef Matt@10 @28 S23′ [23] In Matthew:
Jesus said, Fear not them who are able to kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in Gehenna (Matt. 10:28; Luke 12:4, 5, 7).
Here, however, “to fear” signifies to have a fear of dying spiritually, thence a natural fear, which is fearfulness and dread; but spiritual fear is a holy fear that abides within every spiritual love variously according to the quality and quantity of the love. In such a fear is the spiritual man, and he knows that the Lord does not do evil to anyone, much less does He destroy anyone as to body and soul in Gehenna, but that He does good to all and desires to raise up everyone as to body and soul into heaven to Himself. This is why the fear of the spiritual man is a holy fear lest by the evil of life and the falsity of doctrine man should turn away, and thus do harm to that Divine love in himself. But natural fear is a fearfulness, dread, and terror of dangers and punishments, and thus of hell; this fear abides within every corporeal love, also variously according to the quality and quantity of the love. The natural man who has such fear does not know otherwise than that the Lord does evil to the evil, condemns them, casts them into hell, and punishes them, and on this account such persons are in fear and dread of the Lord. In this fear were most of the Jewish and Israelitish nation, because they were natural men; and this is why they are so often said in the Word “to be afraid of” and “to tremble before Jehovah,” and also “to be in fear and trembling;” and for the same reason it is said of the sons of Israel that they were “sore afraid” when the Divine law or Divine truth was promulgated from Mount Sinai (Exod. 20:18-20; Deut. 5:23-25).
sRef Jer@30 @9 S24′ sRef Jer@30 @10 S24′ sRef Luke@12 @32 S24′ sRef Gen@31 @42 S24′ sRef Gen@31 @53 S24′ sRef Isa@43 @1 S24′ sRef Isa@8 @13 S24′ [24] This fear is what is meant in part by:
The dread of Isaac by which Jacob sware to Laban (Gen. 31:42, 53);
for “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” mean in the Word the Lord, “Abraham,” the Lord in respect to the celestial Divine, “Isaac,” in respect to the spiritual Divine, and “Jacob,” in respect to the natural Divine; the spiritual Divine which “Isaac” signifies is the Divine truth, which terrifies the natural man, and as “Laban” was a natural man, so Jacob sware to him “by the dread or terror of Isaac.” Nearly the same fear is meant in Isaiah:
Ye shall sanctify Jehovah of Hosts, for He is your fear and your dread (Isa. 8:13).
Here the term “fear” has reference to the spiritual man, and “dread” to the natural man. That the spiritual man may not be in such fear as the natural man is in, it is said “Fear not.” In Isaiah:
Jacob and Israel, Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, calling thee by thy name, thou art Mine (Isa. 43:1).
In Luke:
Fear not, little flock; for it hath pleased your Father to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32).
And in Jeremiah:
Fear not, O Jacob, My servant, and be not dismayed, O Israel, for I will save thee from afar; Jacob shall be tranquil and quiet, none shall make him afraid (Jer. 30:9, 10).
And in many other passages. Moreover, that “fear,” “terror,” “consternation,” and the like, signify various commotions of the disposition and changes of state of the mind, may be seen above (n. 667, 677).
* The Hebrew has “that I may walk” for “teach it.”

sRef Rev@11 @18 S0′ 697. And to destroy them that are destroying the earth, signifies hell to those who destroy the church. This is evident from the signification of “to destroy,” as being, in reference to those that destroy the church, damnation and hell; for as “to give the reward to His servants, the prophets and the saints,” signifies salvation and heaven to those who are in truths from good, that is, who constitute the church, so “to destroy” the earth signifies damnation and hell. Also from the signification of the “earth,” as meaning the church (of which above, n. 29, 304, 413, 417); therefore “to destroy the earth” signifies to destroy the church. That in the Word the “earth” means the church has been shown frequently above, also in the Arcana Coelestia. There are many reasons why in the Word the “earth” signifies the church; that is, when no land in particular is mentioned, as the land of Egypt, of Edom, of Moab, of Assyria, of Chaldea, of Babylon, and others, the “earth” (or land) means the land of Canaan, and that land, to those who are in spiritual thought, does not suggest the idea of a land which is earthly, not heavenly, but the idea of the quality of the nation there in respect to the church. So again, when the church, or religion, or worship, is in one’s thought, and from this lands are mentioned, the land is not thought of, but the quality of the nation of the land in respect to the church, religion, or worship. For this reason when a man in reading the Word mentions a land, the angels, who are spiritual, think of the church; and what the angels think is the spiritual sense of the Word; for the spiritual sense of the Word is for the angels, and also for those men who are spiritual. For the Word in the letter is natural, and yet inwardly or in its bosom it is spiritual; and whenever the natural is withdrawn the spiritual that is within or in its bosom is disclosed.
[2] Moreover, there are lands in the spiritual world, that is, in the world where spirits and angels are, equally as in the natural world where men are, and these lands are altogether alike in external appearance; there are there plains, valleys, mountains, hills, and there are rivers, and seas, and also fields, meadows, forests, gardens, and paradises; and those lands are in appearance beautiful in exact accord with the state of the church with those who dwell upon them, and they undergo changes in accord with the changes of the church with the inhabitants; in a word, there is a full correspondence of the lands there with the reception of the good of love and the truth of faith with those who dwell there. It is for this reason also that “land” in the Word signifies the church, for in that world according to the quality of the land is the quality of the church there, and correspondence is what makes it be so. In that world the land itself makes one with the church, as a correspondent with its own thing to which it corresponds, just as an effect does with its effecting cause, as the eye with its sight, as speech with its understanding, as action with the will, as the expression of the face with the affection of the thought, in a word, as the instrumental with its principal, of which it is said that they make one thing; so in the spiritual world the quality of the land makes one with that of the church. From this it is clear why in the Word “land (or earth)” signifies the church, and “to destroy the earth” signifies here to destroy the church.
sRef Isa@14 @20 S3′ sRef Isa@14 @17 S3′ sRef Isa@14 @16 S3′ [3] So also in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Is this the man that maketh the earth to tremble, that maketh the kingdoms to quake, that made the world a wilderness, and threw down the cities thereof? Thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people (Isa. 14:16, 17, 20.)
This is said of Lucifer, by whom Babylon is here meant, as is evident from what here precedes and follows; and “the earth that he maketh to tremble and that he destroyed” signifies the church; the “kingdoms that he maketh to quake” signify the churches into which the general church is divided; the “world that he made a wilderness” signifies the church in general; the “cities that he threw down” signify its truths of doctrine; and the “people that he slew” signify the men of the church whose spiritual life he destroyed.
sRef Jer@51 @25 S4′ [4] In Jeremiah:
Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, destroying the whole earth (Jer. 51:25).
This, too, is said of Babylon, which is called a destroying mountain, because a “mountain” signifies the love of ruling, here over heaven and earth, which the goods and truths of the church are made to serve as means; therefore “to destroy the whole earth” signifies to destroy the church.
sRef Dan@7 @23 S5′ sRef Gen@9 @11 S5′ [5] In Daniel:
The fourth beast coming up out of the sea shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down and break it in pieces (Dan. 7:23).
This beast, too, signifies the love of ruling over the whole heaven and the whole earth, which love those have who are of Babylon (see above, n. 316, 556); therefore “to devour,” “to tread down,” and “to break in pieces the earth,” signifies to destroy the church utterly. Who does not see that no beast is to come up out of the sea and devour and tread down and break in pieces the whole earth, but that it is some evil and diabolical love that will do thus to the church? In Moses:
There shall not be anymore a flood to destroy the earth (Gen. 9:11).
Here again “the earth” also signifies the church that was destroyed by the antediluvians, but was not again to be destroyed.
sRef Isa@24 @18 S6′ sRef Isa@24 @3 S6′ sRef Isa@24 @4 S6′ sRef Isa@24 @5 S6′ sRef Isa@24 @6 S6′ sRef Isa@24 @20 S6′ sRef Isa@24 @19 S6′ sRef Isa@24 @1 S6′ [6] In Isaiah:
Jehovah maketh the earth void and maketh it empty, and He shall overturn the faces thereof. In emptying the earth shall be emptied, and In spoiling it shall be spoiled; the habitable earth shall mourn, shall be confounded; the world shall languish, shall be confounded; the earth itself shall be profaned because they have transgressed the laws, overstepped the statute, made void the covenant of eternity, therefore a malediction shall devour the earth. The floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth quake; in breaking the earth is broken, in moving the earth is moved, in staggering the earth shall stagger as a drunkard, and it shall be moved to and fro as a balance (Isa. 24:1, 3-6, 18-20).
Anyone can see that “the earth” here does not mean the earth, but the church. This is said of the church, because the earths (or lands) in the spiritual world, upon which angels and spirits dwell, undergo such changes as are here described according to the changes of state of the church with those who dwell there; they are even moved accordingly. It is said that “Jehovah maketh the earth void and maketh it empty,” also that “in emptying it shall be emptied, and in spoiling it shall be spoiled,” because the lands there, when the church is laid waste with those who dwell upon them, altogether change their appearance; the paradises, flower gardens, lawns, and the like, with which they before flourished disappear, and things that are unpleasant, such as sandy and rocky places, and plains full of brambles and briars, and like things corresponding to the falsities and evils that have devastated the church, spring up in their place. The devastation of the church in respect to the good of love and charity is signified by “making the earth void,” and its desolation in respect to the truths of doctrine and faith is signified by “making it empty and spoiling it,” and the change itself by “overturning its faces.” “The habitable earth shall mourn, shall be confounded, the world shall languish, shall be confounded, a malediction shall devour the earth,” signifies that nothing shall there grow and flourish, but that it shall become barren and filled with useless things, on account of which the earth is said “to mourn, to languish, and to be devoured with a malediction.” Because this takes place when those that dwell there have no longer any regard for the holy things of the church, it is said, “because they have transgressed the laws, overstepped the statute, made void the covenant of eternity.” Because there the lands are sometimes overflowed, sometimes shaken, and also here and there gape and open towards the hell that lies below and that lifts itself up, and this takes place according to the quality and quantity of the falsities and evils that are loved, and the consequent falsification and denial of the goods and truths of the church, therefore it is said that “the floodgates from on high shall be opened, the foundations of the earth shall quake, the earth shall be broken, and shall stagger like a drunkard,” and these things actually take place in the spiritual world, when the state of the church there is changed into a contrary state. From this it can be seen why “the earth” here and elsewhere in the Word, means the church.

sRef Rev@11 @19 S0′ 698. Verse 19. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His Covenant; and there were lightnings and voices and thunders and an earthquake and great hail. 19. “And the temple of God was opened in heaven,” signifies the appearing of the new heaven and the New Church where there is worship of the Lord (n. 699); “and there was seen in His temple the ark of His Covenant,” signifies Divine truth, by which there is conjunction with the Lord (n. 700, 701); “and there were lightnings, voices, and thunders,” signifies that then in the lower parts, where the evil are, there were conflicts and disturbances of the thoughts and reasonings from evil and falsity respecting good and truth (n. 702); “and an earthquake,” signifies a change of state in respect to the things of heaven and the church with them (n. 703); “and great hail,” signifies infernal falsity destroying the truths and goods of the church (n. 704).

sRef Rev@11 @19 S0′ 699. Verse 19. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, signifies the appearing of the new heaven and the New Church, where there is worship of the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “temple” as being heaven and the church, here the new heaven and the New Church; the appearing of these is signified by “the temple was opened.” (That “temple” signifies in the highest sense the Lord in relation to His Divine Human and Divine truth proceeding from Him, and in a relative sense heaven and the church, may be seen above, n. 220, 391, 630.)
The “temple” signifies here the new heaven and the New Church where there is worship of the Lord, because this chapter treats of the changes of state that precede the Last Judgment, namely, the separation of the evil from the good, and their removal from the places where they had been previously. When this is done, the new heaven and the New Church appear to those who are in the higher heavens. These could not appear so long as the good were conjoined with the evil, because their interiors were closed that they might not be harmed by the evil with whom they had communication in respect to externals. But when the evil had been separated and removed, then the interiors with the good, which were in themselves heavenly, were opened, and when these had been opened, heaven and the church lay open; for so far as the interiors which are heavenly and celestial are opened, what heaven is in relation to the church with those who have heaven and the church in them, becomes manifest.
sRef Rev@21 @22 S2′ [2] From self-intelligence no one can know that these things are so, for they are arcana of heaven, that must be learned from revelation. For who can know how the Last Judgment was accomplished, or what changes in the spiritual world preceded it and what followed it? But that these things might be known they have been manifested to me, wherefore it is permitted me to describe them here from revelation. It is said, the new heaven and the New Church, where there is worship of the Lord, because in the new heaven and the New Church the Lord alone is worshipped; for there the Divine is not distinguished into three persons, but into a Trine in one person. (Respecting this Trinity see what has been said in the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 250-310). This also is what is meant in Revelation where the New Jerusalem is treated of:
I saw heaven* and no temple therein, for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof (Rev. 21:22).
“The Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb” mean the Lord in relation to the Divine Itself and the Divine Human. It is here said that no temple was seen, because “temple” signifies in the highest sense, the Lord in relation to Divine truth and worship (see above, n. 220, 391, 630), also because “the New Jerusalem” means the church in respect to doctrine, or the doctrine of the New Jerusalem. Nevertheless there are temples in heaven, in which the Lord is preached and Divine truth is taught.
* The photolithograph has “Caelum,” “Heaven;” the Latin Editor has “Ceterum,” “as for the rest” or “otherwise.”

sRef Rev@11 @19 S0′ 700. And there was seen in his temple the ark of His Covenant, signifies Divine truth, by which there is conjunction with the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “the ark of the Covenant,” as being Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (of which presently). “The ark of the Covenant” was seen, because “the temple” appeared, and the ark was in the midst of the temple at Jerusalem, and in it were placed the two tables of the law, which signify in a universal sense Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, thus the Lord Himself, who is Divine truth in the heavens; for which reason the Lord is called the Word, in John 1:1, 2, 14. This is the signification of “the ark,” because the Tent of meeting represented the three heavens, its court the lowest or first heaven; the tent itself as far as the veil, wherein were the tables for the loaves, the altar of incense, and the lampstand, represented the middle or second heaven; and the ark, which was within the veil, upon which was the mercy-seat with the cherubim, represented the inmost or third heaven; and the law itself which was in the ark, represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth or the Word; and because there is conjunction with the Lord by means of the Word, that ark was called “the ark of the Covenant,” “covenant” signifying conjunction. (That the tent or tabernacle represented the form of heaven, and, together with the court, represented the three heavens, and that the holy of holies, which was the inmost, where the ark was, within which were the tables of the law, represented the third or inmost heaven, and that the law or testimony represented the Lord Himself, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 3478, 9457, 9481, 9485. And that in the highest sense “the tabernacle,” the same as “the temple,” signifies the Lord, and in a relative sense heaven and the church, and thence the holiness of worship, n. 9457, 9481, 10242, 10245, 10304, 10545. That in the Word “covenant” signifies conjunction, and that all things of the church, both internal and external, are signs of the covenant, and that they are called covenant because conjunction is effected by means of them, n. 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 2037, 6804, 8767, 8778, 9396, 9416, 10632. Consequently that the law promulgated on Mount Sinai was called a “covenant,” and the ark containing the law “the ark of the Covenant,” n. 6804, 9416.)
sRef Ex@25 @8 S2′ sRef Ex@26 @31 S2′ sRef Ex@25 @20 S2′ sRef Ex@25 @17 S2′ sRef Ex@25 @9 S2′ sRef Ex@25 @21 S2′ sRef Ex@26 @34 S2′ sRef Ex@25 @22 S2′ sRef Ex@25 @18 S2′ sRef Ex@25 @19 S2′ sRef Ex@25 @16 S2′ sRef Ex@25 @14 S2′ sRef Ex@25 @11 S2′ sRef Ex@25 @10 S2′ sRef Ex@25 @13 S2′ sRef Ex@26 @32 S2′ sRef Ex@25 @12 S2′ sRef Ex@26 @33 S2′ sRef Ex@25 @15 S2′ [2] That the ark with the covenant or testimony inclosed, signifies the Lord in respect to the celestial Divine which is Divine truth in the inmost or third heaven, can be seen from what is said of the ark in the Word. As in Moses:
They shall make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in the midst of them, according to all that I have shown thee, the form of the habitation. First, they shall make an ark of shittim wood; and thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it; and thou shalt make for it a border of gold; four rings of gold for the staves. And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony that I will give thee. And thou shalt make a mercy-seat of pure gold; and thou shalt make two cherubim of gold, solid shalt thou make them out of the mercy-seat that the cherubim may spread out their wings, and cover the mercy-seat with their wings; and their faces shall be towards the mercy-seat. And thou shalt put the testimony into the ark; and there I will meet with thee, and I will speak with thee from above the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the Testimony, of all things which I shall command thee unto the sons of Israel (Exod. 25:8-22).
Thou shalt make a veil of hyacinthine and purple, and scarlet double dyed, and fine twined linen, with cherubim. Thou shalt put it upon four pillars of shittim overlaid with gold; and thou shalt place the veil under the clasps; and thou shalt bring in thither within the veil the ark of the Testimony; so that the veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and the holy of holies; and thou shalt put the veil before the ark in the holy of holies (Exod. 26:31-34).
It was said above that the tent where there were the ark, the lampstand, the table for the loaves, and the altar for incense, together with the court, represented the three heavens, and that the place within the veil where the ark was that contained the law or testimony, represented the third heaven. That place represented that heaven, because the law was there, and the “law” means the Lord in relation to Divine truth or the Word, for this in a broad sense is what that “law” signifies, and it is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord that forms the heavens. This is received in the greatest purity by the angels of the third heaven, because they are in conjunction with the Lord through love to Him, since all angels in that heaven are in love to the Lord; consequently they see Divine truth in themselves, like something implanted, although it flows in continually from the Lord. For this reason that heaven more than the other heavens which are below it, is said to be in the Lord, because it is in the Divine that proceeds from Him.
[3] It was that heaven that was represented by the ark that contained the law, that is, the Lord. This is why the ark was overlaid with gold within and without, and the mercy-seat was over the ark, and over the mercy-seat and out of it were the two cherubim which were of pure gold; for gold signifies from correspondence the good of love, in which are the angels of the third heaven. The “mercy-seat” signified the hearing and reception of all things of the worship that is from the good of love from the Lord; and the “cherubim” signified the Lord’s providence and guard that He be not approached except through the good of love. That heaven with its angels is a guard against anything being elevated to the Lord Himself except what proceeds from the good of love to Him and from Him. For all worship of God passes through the heavens even to the Lord, and is purified in the way, until it is elevated to the third heaven, and there it reaches* the Lord and is received by Him; everything else, being impure, is removed on the way. This is why cherubim of gold were placed over the mercy-seat, which was over the ark; also why that place was called a sanctuary, and also the holy of holies, and was divided from the outer part of the tabernacle by the veil.
sRef Ex@25 @40 S4′ sRef Ex@25 @8 S4′ sRef Ex@25 @9 S4′ [4] That the tent with the court represented the three heavens is evident also from this, that all things instituted among the sons of Israel were representatives of heavenly things; for the church itself was a representative church; thus especially the tabernacle with the altar was the most holy thing of worship; for worship was celebrated upon the altar by burnt-offerings and sacrifices, and in the tabernacle by incense offerings, and by the lamps that were lighted every day, and by the loaves that were placed in order daily upon the table. All these represented all worship in heaven and in the church, and the tent itself with the ark represented the heavens themselves. For this reason that tabernacle was called “the dwelling place of Jehovah God,” as heaven itself is called. That the heavens were represented by the tabernacle is evident also from this, that the form of it was shown to Moses by the Lord upon Mount Sinai, and what is shown in form by the Lord must represent either heaven or the things belonging to heaven. That the form of the tabernacle was shown to Moses upon Mount Sinai, can be seen from what was said to Moses:
Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell In the midst of them, according to all that I have shown thee, the form of the habitation. [And afterwards:] See and make them in their form which thou wast made to see in the mount (Exod. 25:8, 9, 40).
That is why it is called “a sanctuary,” and it is said “that I may dwell in the midst of them.” In respect to the ark in particular, that is, what it signifies, also “the mercy-seat over it,” and “the cherubim over the mercy-seat,” as also “the border of gold round about the ark,” and also “the four rings for the staves,” also “the veil,” “the clasps,” and the other things, all this may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 9484- 9577, 9670-9680).
sRef 1Ki@8 @9 S5′ sRef Deut@10 @5 S5′ sRef Deut@31 @25 S5′ sRef Ex@25 @16 S5′ sRef Deut@31 @24 S5′ sRef Deut@31 @26 S5′ [5] The holiness itself of the whole tabernacle was from the testimony, that is, from the two tables of stone on which the law was written, because “the law” signified the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and thus in relation to the Word, for that is Divine truth. That the Lord is the Word is evident from what is said in John:
The Word was with God, and God was the Word, and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:1, 2, 14).
That the law, which is called both “the testimony” and “the covenant,” was placed in the ark, likewise the book written by Moses, can be seen from these words in Moses:
Thou shalt put into the ark the testimony that I shall give thee (Exod. 25:16; 40:20).
I put the tables of the law in the ark that I had made, that they might be there, even as Jehovah commanded me (Deut. 10:5).
And of the book of the law written by Moses:
When Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law upon the book, even when he had finished them, Moses commanded the Levites that bare the ark to take the book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the Covenant, that it might be there for a witness (Deut. 31:24-26).
This shows that there was nothing inside of the ark except the two tables of stone on which the law was written, and that the book of Moses was by the side of it. That there was nothing in the ark except the two tables of the covenant is evident from the first book of Kings:
There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, the covenant which Jehovah made with the sons of Israel (1 Kings 8:9).
That the book of Moses which was laid by the side of the ark was afterwards taken out and preserved in the temple is shown by the fact:
That Hilkiah the high priest found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah and gave it to Shaphan, who told it unto the king, and read it before the king (2 Kings 22:8-11).
sRef Ex@25 @22 S6′ sRef Ex@25 @21 S6′ sRef 2Ki@22 @10 S6′ sRef 2Ki@22 @9 S6′ sRef 2Ki@22 @8 S6′ sRef 2Ki@22 @11 S6′ sRef Num@7 @89 S6′ [6] That the ark represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and consequently signified Divine truth from the Lord, thus the Word, is shown by the fact that from it the Lord spoke with Moses, for it is said:
Thou shalt put the testimony into the ark; and there I will meet thee, and I will speak with thee from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the Testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the sons of Israel (Exod. 25:21, 22);
and elsewhere:
When Moses went into the Tent of meeting to speak with Him he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from above the mercy-seat that was upon the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spake unto him (Num. 7:89).
The Lord spoke to Moses therefrom because the law was there, and that law signifies in a broad sense the Lord in relation to the Word, and from the Word the Lord speaks with man; it was “from above the mercy-seat between the two cherubim,” because “the mercy-seat” signifies the removal of falsities that are from evil loves, and at the same time reception and hearing, and “the cherubim” signify a guard that there be no approach except through the good of love.
sRef Num@10 @34 S7′ sRef Num@10 @31 S7′ sRef Num@10 @33 S7′ sRef Num@10 @36 S7′ sRef Num@10 @32 S7′ sRef Num@10 @35 S7′ [7] Because the Lord in heaven and in the church is Divine truth or the Word, which is meant by the law inclosed in the ark, and because the Lord is present in the law or the Word, so where the ark was, there was Jehovah or the Lord, as can be seen from these words in Moses:
Moses said to Jehovah,** Leave us not, I pray; forasmuch as thou knowest how we must encamp in the wilderness, therefore thou wilt be to us instead of eyes; and it shall be when thou shalt go with us, yea, it shall be that the good that Jehovah shall do unto us, the same good we will do unto thee. And they journeyed from the mount of Jehovah a way of three days, and the ark of the Covenant of Jehovah journeyed before them a way of three days to search out a resting place for them; and the cloud of Jehovah was over them by day, when they journeyed from the camp. When the ark journeyed Moses said, Arise, O Jehovah, let Thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee from before Thy faces; and when it rested he said, Return, O Jehovah, to the myriads of the thousands of Israel (Num. 10:31-36).
It is clear from these particulars that Jehovah or the Lord is here meant by “the ark” because of His presence in the law that was in the ark, thus because of His presence in the Word. Since the Lord is here meant by the law, and thus by the ark, “Moses said, Arise, O Jehovah, that Thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee from before Thy faces; and when it rested he said, Return, O Jehovah, to the myriads of the thousands of Israel.” But still more interior things are involved in these words, namely, that the Lord by His Divine truth leads men and defends them against falsities and evils, which are from hell, especially in temptations, which are signified in particular by the journeyings of the sons of Israel in the wilderness forty years. That the Lord leads men continually by His Divine truth is signified by “the ark of the Covenant of Jehovah journeyed before them a way of three days to search out a resting place for them,” “the ark of Jehovah” meaning the Lord in relation to Divine truth, “journeying a way of three days” meaning His auspices and leading from beginning to end, and “searching out” signifying salvation, which is the end.
[8] Moreover, protection from falsities and evils which are from hell is signified by “the cloud of Jehovah over them by day,” as well as by the words of Moses when the ark journeyed, “Arise, O Jehovah, let Thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee from before Thy faces;” “the cloud of Jehovah by day” signifies also protection by Divine truth in ultimates, such as the Word is in the sense of the letter, for by such truth the Lord can be approached even by the evil, and by it He defends the interior things of the Word, which are celestial and spiritual. (That this sense of the Word is signified by a “cloud” may be seen above, n. 594.) “Enemies” and “them that hate” signify falsities and evils that are from hell, “enemies” falsities, and “them that hate” evils, thus they signify the hells in respect to falsities and evils. Truths from good, which are implanted in man after temptations, are signified by “when the ark rested Moses said, Return, O Jehovah, to the myriads of the thousands of Israel;” “the resting of the ark” signifies the state after temptations, when evils and falsities have been removed; “to return” signifies the Lord’s presence at that time, for in temptations the Lord appears to be absent; “the myriads of the thousands of Israel” signify the truths from good implanted, which constitute the church. (That “myriads” are predicated of truths, and “thousands” of goods, see above, n. 336.)
sRef Ps@132 @6 S9′ sRef Ps@132 @9 S9′ sRef Ps@132 @7 S9′ sRef Ps@132 @8 S9′ [9] There is a like significance in these words in David:
Lo, we have heard of Him in Ephrathah, we have found Him in the fields of the forest; we will come into His habitations, we will bow ourselves down at His footstool. Arise, O Jehovah, to Thy resting place, Thou and the ark of Thy strength. Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness and let Thy saints shout for joy (Ps. 132:6-9).
Evidently this Psalm treats of the Lord, who is here meant by “David,” as can be seen from its being said, “We have found Him in Ephrathah and in the fields of the forest,” also that “they bowed themselves down at His footstool;” “Ephrathah” meaning Bethlehem where the Lord was born, and signifying the Word in respect to its natural sense, while “Bethlehem” signifies the Word in respect to its spiritual sense; and there He chose to be born because the Lord is the Word; “the fields of the forest” signify the things of the natural sense of the Word, thus of the sense of the letter; while “His habitations” signify the spiritual sense of the Word, also heaven, since heaven is in that sense. The “footstool” to which they shall bow themselves down signifies the natural sense of the Word, and thence also the church on earth, since the church is in that sense. (That the “footstool” of the Lord means the church on earth, see above, n. 606.)
[10] The “resting place” to which Jehovah should arise signifies the union of the Divine and the Human in the Lord, and His conjunction with heaven and the church; and because the Lord, and also those who are in heaven and in the church, have rest and peace when He has subjugated the hells and has brought all things there and in the heavens into order, it is said, “Arise, Thou and the ark of Thy strength,” “Thou” meaning the Lord Himself, and “the ark of Thy strength” Divine truth proceeding from Him, for through this the Lord has Divine power. The “priests who shall be clothed with righteousness” and the “saints who shall shout for joy,” have a similar signification as “the thousands and myriads of Israel,” “priests” meaning those who are in good, and “saints” those who are in truths, thus in an abstract sense the goods and truths of heaven and the church. (That “priests” in an abstract sense signify the goods of the church may be seen above, n. 31 at the end, and that “saints” in that sense signify the truths of the church, n. 204, 325.) More about this Psalm may be seen above (n. 684).
sRef Josh@3 @17 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @16 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @14 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @15 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @3 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @4 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @2 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @5 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @8 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @9 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @7 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @1 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @12 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @13 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @10 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @11 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @14 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @4 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @7 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @8 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @13 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @9 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @3 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @2 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @5 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @6 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @18 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @19 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @16 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @15 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @17 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @20 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @11 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @12 S11′ sRef Josh@3 @6 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @10 S11′ sRef Josh@4 @1 S11′ [11] Because the ark, from the law that was in it, signified the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and the Lord has omnipotence from Divine good through Divine truth, therefore by means of the ark miracles were wrought. Thus by means of it the waters of Jordan were divided, so that the sons of Israel passed over on dry ground; the wall of the city of Jericho was overthrown; Dagon, the god of the Ashdodites, fell down before it; the Ashdodites, the Gittites, the Ekronites, and the Bethshemites, were smitten with plagues on account of it; Uzzah died because he touched it; Obed-edom, into whose house it was brought, was blessed. As these historical facts involve arcana that can be opened only by the spiritual sense I also will explain them, that it may be known what the ark signifies in a strict sense and in a broad sense. First, respecting the division of the waters of Jordan that the sons of Israel might pass through on dry ground, in Joshua:
Joshua and all the sons of Israel came to Jordan; and at the end of three days Joshua commanded, saying, When ye shall see the ark of the Covenant of Jehovah, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, ye shall journey from your place and shall go after it; yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits; ye shall not draw near unto it. And the priests lifted up the ark of the Covenant and went before the people. And Joshua said, When ye shall come to the brink of the waters of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. And he said unto the people, Behold, the ark of the Covenant of the Lord of the whole earth passing over before you into Jordan; and take ye twelve men of the tribes of Israel; and when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah the Lord of the whole earth shall rest in the waters of Jordan, the waters of Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above shall stand in one heap. And it came to pass when the priests came unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bear the ark were dipped in the brink of the waters, and Jordan was full, as it was wont to be all the days of harvest, the waters that came down from above stood in one heap, stretching out very far from the city Adam; and those that came down upon the sea of the plain, the sea of salt, were completely cut off, so that the people could pass over towards Jericho. And the priests stood on the dry ground in the midst of Jordan; and all the people passed over on dry ground. Afterwards Jehovah said unto Joshua, Take to you twelve men, one of a tribe; and lift up out of the midst of Jordan, from where the priests’ feet stood, twelve stones, which ye shall bring over with you, and leave in the place where ye pass the night. And the sons of Israel did so; and they lifted up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, according to the numbers of the tribes of Israel, and they carried them over unto the place where they passed the night. Then after that all the people had finished passing over, the ark of Jehovah passed over, and the priests. And it came to pass when the priests were come up and the soles of their feet were plucked out, the waters of Jordan returned into their place. And the twelve stones which they took out of Jordan did Joshua set up in Gilgal (Josh. 3:1-17; 4:1-20).
All the historicals of the Word, as well as its prophetical parts, contain a spiritual sense that treats, not of the sons of Israel and of nations and peoples, but of the church and its establishment and progress, for this is the spiritual of the Word, while the history is the natural that contains the spiritual. Therefore also all the miracles described in the Word, as the miracles done in Egypt and afterwards in the land of Canaan, involve such things as belong to heaven and the church, and for this reason also these miracles are Divine.
[12] The miracle described above signifies the introduction of the faithful into the church, and through the church into heaven. “The sons of Israel” mean here in the spiritual sense the faithful, who after enduring temptations, which are signified by their wanderings in the wilderness, are brought into the church; for “the land of Canaan,” into which the sons of Israel were brought, signifies the church, and “Jordan” signifies the first entrance into it; and “the waters of Jordan” signify truths that introduce into it, which are such as those of the literal sense of the Word, for those are what first introduce. But here “Jordan” and its waters signify the falsities of evil which conduct towards hell, since the land of Canaan was then filled with idolatrous nations, which signify evils and falsities of every kind, which constitute hell; for this reason these were to be driven out, that there might be a place for establishing the church. Because “the waters of Jordan” then signified the falsities of evil, they were parted and removed, to give a passage to the sons of Israel, who were to represent the church.
[13] Now as the Lord alone removes and scatters the falsities of evil that are from hell, and by His Divine truths introduces the faithful into the church and into heaven, and as the ark and the law inclosed in it represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, it was commanded that the ark should go before the people and thus lead them. This is why it came to pass that as soon as the priests bearing the ark dipped their feet in the waters of Jordan those waters were divided and went down, and the people passed over on dry land, and after this was done the waters returned. Then these same waters signified truths that introduce; for Jordan was the first boundary of the land of Canaan, and that land, when the sons of Israel had entered into it, represented the church, and that river introduction into it.
sRef Ps@33 @6 S14′ [14] As the waters of Jordan signified truths that introduce they were commanded to take up out of the midst of it twelve stones, and carry them over to the first place where they passed the night, and this because “stones” signify truths, and “twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of Israel” signified the truths of the church. Joshua set up those stones in Gilgal to the east of Jericho, because “Gilgal” signified the doctrine of natural truth, which is serviceable for introduction into the church. From these few things it is clear what things of heaven and the church were represented by this miracle, also that the “ark,” because of the law in it, signified the Lord in relation to Divine truth, therefore it is called “the ark of the Covenant of the Lord of the whole earth,” as meaning conjunction with the Lord through Divine truth, since conjunction, which is signified by “covenant,” is effected through Divine truth, and that is what constitutes heaven and the church, which are signified in particular by “the whole earth;” in fact, through Divine truth all things were made and created, according to the Lord’s words (in John 1:1-3, 10; and in David, Ps. 33:6), “the Word” there meaning Divine truth.
sRef Josh@6 @24 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @25 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @8 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @2 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @5 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @6 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @26 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @3 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @4 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @19 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @18 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @20 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @11 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @21 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @15 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @1 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @16 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @10 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @9 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @23 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @17 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @7 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @12 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @14 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @22 S15′ sRef Josh@6 @13 S15′ [15] The second miracle done by means of the ark was the overthrow of the wall of Jericho, which is thus described in Joshua:
The city of Jericho was shut up; and Jehovah said unto Joshua, I have given into thy hand Jericho and the king thereof, and the mighty in valor. Ye shall compass the city, all the men of war, once a day for six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of jubilee before the ark; but the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall sound with the trumpets, and then the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city shall fall down from beneath itself; and the people shall go up. Then Joshua made them go round the city once the first day, as it had been said; after which circuit they returned into the camp, and passed the night in the camp; in like manner the day after. And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of jubilee before the ark of Jehovah went on, going, and sounded the trumpets, before whom went the men of war, and the rear marching after the ark, going and sounding the trumpets. And so they did six days; and the seventh day they compassed the city seven times; and the seventh time the people shouted. And when the people heard this, then the wall of the city fell down beneath itself, and the people went up into the city, and gave to the curse all things which were in the city, from man even to woman, and from the boy to the old man. And they burned up the city with fire, and all things that were in it; only the silver and gold, and the vessels of brass and iron they put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah. And Joshua adjured them, saying, Cursed be the man before Jehovah that shall rise up and build this city; with his firstborn he shall lay the foundations of it, and with the youngest he shall set up its folding doors (Josh. 6:1-26).
No one can know the Divine meaning contained in this miracle, unless he knows what is signified by “the city of Jericho” in the land of Canaan, which was burned up, by “its wall” which fell, by the “inhabitants” who were given to the curse, by “the gold and silver, and the vessels of brass and iron,” that were put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah, also by “sounding the trumpets and shouting,” and by “compassing it six days, and seven times on the seventh day.” The “city of Jericho” signifies instruction in the knowledges of good and truth, by which man is introduced into the church; for Jericho was a city not far from the Jordan, and that river signified introduction into the church (as has been said above). For all places in the land of Canaan were significative of things celestial and spiritual belonging to the church, and this from the most ancient times; and as the sons of Israel were to represent the church, and among them the Word was written, in which those places were to be mentioned signifying such things as are of heaven and the church, therefore the sons of Israel were introduced into it, and their introduction was signified by “the river Jordan,” and their instruction by “Jericho.” And as “Jericho” signified instruction it signified also the good of life, because unless one is in the good of life he cannot be instructed in the truths of doctrine. But when the land of Canaan was held by idolatrous nations the signification of the places and cities in that land was changed into the opposite, Jericho then signifying the profanation of truth and good. From this it follows that the “city” itself signified the doctrine of falsity and evil, which perverted and profaned the truths and goods of the church, its “wall” signifying falsities of evil defending that doctrine, and the “inhabitants” those who are profane; and as all profaneness is from infernal love after the acknowledgment of truth and good, therefore the city was burned with fire, the inhabitants given to the curse, and its wall fell down, “fire” signifying infernal love, “curse” a total blotting out, and “the falling down of the wall” exposure to every evil and falsity.
[16] The sounding of the trumpets by the priests signified the proclamation of Divine truth from Divine good; the shouting and acclamation of the people signified consent and confirmation; compassing the city signified a survey of falsity and evil and their dispersion by the influx of Divine truth from the Lord; this influx was signified by carrying the ark about it. The priests were seven in number, and the city was compassed seven days, and seven times on the seventh day, to signify what is holy, and the holy proclamation of Divine truth, “seven” signifying holiness, and in the contrary sense profaneness, and as there was holiness on the one part and profaneness on the other, there were seven priests with seven trumpets, and the city was compassed seven times.
[17] The gold, the silver, and the vessels of brass and iron, were put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah, because these signified the knowledges of spiritual and natural truth and good, “gold and silver” the knowledges of spiritual truth and good, and “the vessels of brass and iron” knowledges of natural truth and good, which with those who profane are changed into direful falsities and evils; but as they continue to be knowledges, although applied to evils, they are serviceable to use with the good by application to what is good, and therefore these things were put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah. This also is what is meant by the “pounds” [minae] that were taken away from the evil and given to the good; likewise by the “unrighteous mammon;” also by “the gold, silver, and raiment,” that the sons of Israel took away from the Egyptians and afterwards devoted to the tabernacle; and also by “the gold and silver” that David gathered from the spoils of enemies, and left to Solomon for building the temple.
[18] That he who rebuilt Jericho would be cursed, and that “he would lay the foundation of it with his firstborn, and set up its folding-doors with his youngest,” signified the profanation of Divine truth from its first to its last, if instruction in it should be represented elsewhere than in Jerusalem, by which the church was signified in respect to the doctrine of truth and good, and in respect to instruction from the Word. That this profanation took place under King Ahab by Hiel the Bethelite is recorded in 1 Kings 16:34; and Ahab is said to have done evil in the eyes of Jehovah above all the kings of Israel (verses 30, 33). From this miracle done by means of the ark it can be seen that the ark, because of the law in it, represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and thence signified the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord.
sRef 1Sam@4 @5 S19′ sRef 1Sam@5 @1 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @13 S19′ sRef 1Sam@4 @9 S19′ sRef 1Sam@4 @10 S19′ sRef 1Sam@4 @8 S19′ sRef 1Sam@4 @4 S19′ sRef 1Sam@4 @7 S19′ sRef 1Sam@4 @6 S19′ sRef 1Sam@4 @11 S19′ sRef 1Sam@4 @1 S19′ sRef 1Sam@4 @3 S19′ sRef 1Sam@4 @2 S19′ sRef 1Sam@5 @2 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @10 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @9 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @12 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @11 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @8 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @6 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @5 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @7 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @21 S19′ sRef 1Sam@7 @3 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @18 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @17 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @20 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @19 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @16 S19′ sRef 1Sam@7 @1 S19′ sRef 1Sam@7 @2 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @15 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @14 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @2 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @3 S19′ sRef 1Sam@5 @8 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @1 S19′ sRef 1Sam@5 @12 S19′ sRef 1Sam@5 @11 S19′ sRef 1Sam@5 @10 S19′ sRef 1Sam@5 @3 S19′ sRef 1Sam@5 @4 S19′ sRef 1Sam@5 @9 S19′ sRef 1Sam@6 @4 S19′ sRef 1Sam@5 @7 S19′ sRef 1Sam@5 @6 S19′ sRef 1Sam@5 @5 S19′ [19] The third miracle, that Dagon, the god of the Ashdodites, fell down before the ark, and the Ashdodites, Gittites, Ekronites, and Bethshemites were smitten with plagues because of it, is thus described in the first book of Samuel:
Israel went out against the Philistines to war. And Israel was beaten before the Philistines about four thousand men. Therefore the elders said, Let us take unto us out of Shiloh the ark of the Covenant of Jehovah, and let it come into the midst of us, and deliver us out of the hand of the enemy. And they brought from thence the ark of the Covenant of Jehovah of Hosts sitting above the cherubim, and with the ark the two sons of Eli. And it came to pass when the ark came to the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout; the Philistines heard, and knew that the ark of Jehovah was come to the camp, and they feared for themselves, saying, God is come to the camp; woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hands of these mighty gods? These are the gods that smote the Egyptians with every plague. But be strong and be men, O ye Philistines, that ye may not serve the Hebrews. And the Philistines fought, and Israel was beaten with a great slaughter, about thirty thousand footmen; and the ark of God was taken, and both the sons of Eli died. And the Philistines took the ark, and brought it down to Ashdod, into the house of Dagon, and they set it beside Dagon. When they of Ashdod rose in the morning, behold, Dagon lay upon his faces on the earth before the ark of Jehovah; and they put back Dagon again. But when they arose in the morning, Dagon lay upon his faces on the earth before the ark, and both the head of Dagon and the two palms of his hands lay cut off upon the threshold. And the hand of Jehovah was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and He smote them with emerods, Ashdod and the borders thereof. Then the men of Ashdod said, The ark of Israel shall not abide with us. Therefore the lords of the Philistines said, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried over unto Gath. And they carried it over unto Gath. But the hand of Jehovah was against the city, and smote the men of the city from the least to the greatest, and emerods brake out upon them. So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But the Ekronites cried out that they should be slain. And the men that died not were smitten with emerods. Therefore the lords said that they would send back the ark into its place. When the ark had remained in the field of the Philistines seven months, the Philistines called the priests and diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of Jehovah; how shall we send it back to its place? And they said, Send it not empty, but send it back with a guilt-offering, then shall ye be healed, namely, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, five emerods of gold and five mice of gold, for one plague is upon you all and upon your lords; ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice, that have laid waste the land; and make a new cart, and two milch kine upon which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring back their calves from them to the house, and put the ark of Jehovah upon the cart, and the vessels of gold put into a coffer at the side thereof; and see if it goeth up the way of the border to Bethshemesh. And they did so. Then the kine went straightway upon the way to Bethshemesh in the one highway, and they lowed; and the lords of the Philistines went after them. And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone. Then they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine for a burnt-offering to Jehovah. And the Levites set down the ark of Jehovah, and the coffer in which were the vessels of gold, upon that great stone; and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt-offerings, and sacrificed sacrifices to Jehovah. But the Bethshemites were smitten because they saw the ark of Jehovah, about fifty thousand and seventy men. But the men of Kiriath-jearim caused the ark of Jehovah to come up, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in Gibeah, and it remained there twenty years. Then Samuel said, If with the whole heart ye will return to Jehovah, put ye away the gods of the alien and Ashtaroth, and prepare your heart towards Jehovah, and serve Him only, then will He deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines (1 Sam. 4:1-11; 5:1-12; 6:1-21; 7:1-3).
What is signified by all this-that the ark was taken by the Philistines, and the Philistines were smitten with emerods on account of the ark in Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron, also that mice laid waste their land, and that so many died there and in Bethshemesh-cannot be known unless it is known what the Philistines, and in particular the Ashdodites, Gittites, Ekronites, and Bethshemites, represented and thence signified; also what is signified by “emerods” and by “mice,” and by “the golden images” of these, and besides by the “new cart” and “the milch kine.” Evidently these are representatives of such things as belong to the church, for otherwise why should the Philistines have been smitten with such plagues, and the ark have been so brought back?
[20] The Philistines represented, and thence signified, those who make no account of the good of love and charity, and thus no account of the good of life; placing everything of religion in knowledge and cognition; therefore they were like those at the present day who make faith alone, that is, faith separated from charity, the essential of the church and the essential of salvation. This is why they were called “the uncircumcised,” for to be uncircumcised signifies to be destitute of spiritual love, thus of good; and because they had reference to those within the church they were not spiritual, but merely natural, since he who makes no account of the good of charity and of life becomes merely natural, and even sensual, loving only worldly things, and is unable to understand any truths spiritually, and the truths he apprehends naturally he either falsifies or defiles. Such are they who are meant in the Word by the “Philistines.” Thence it is evident why the Philistines so frequently fought with the sons of Israel, and that sometimes the Philistines conquered, and sometimes the sons of Israel. The Philistines conquered when the sons of Israel departed from the statutes and precepts in not doing them; but when the sons of Israel lived according to these they conquered. To live according to the precepts and statutes was their good of love and good of life. At this time the sons of Israel were conquered by the Philistines because they had departed from the worship of Jehovah to the worship of other gods, especially to the worship of Ashtaroth, as can be seen from what Samuel said to them (1 Sam. 7:3). For the same reason also the ark had been taken by the Philistines.
[21] When it is known that the Philistines represented and thence signified those who make no account of the good of love, charity, and life, it can be known why because of the ark they were smitten with emerods and died in consequence; also why mice laid waste the land; for “emerods” signify truth defiled by such evil of life as is with those who are destitute of good; since “blood” signifies truth, and the corrupted blood from emerods truth defiled; and the hinder part, where the emerods were, signifies natural love, which with those not spiritual is the love of the world, while “mice” signify the falsities of the sensual man, which eat up and consume all things of the church, as mice lay waste fields and crops, and also the vegetables underground. Such were their plagues, because they were such, since those who are without good defile truths and also lay waste all things of the church. This was done on account of the ark, because the “ark” signified the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord, and this cannot be genuine truth but with those who are in the good of love, and thence in the good of life; and when Divine truth flows in with those who are not in good it produces effects that correspond to their falsities of doctrine and evils of life, just as in the spiritual world, when Divine truth flows into such, the defilement of truth and devastation of good are manifested in a likeness of emerods and mice.
[22] Dagon the god of the Ashdodites, because of the nearness and presence of the ark, was cast down to the earth, and afterwards his head and the palms of his hands were cast upon the threshold of his temple, because “Dagon” signified their religion, which was wholly without intelligence and without power, because it was without spiritual good, “head” signifying intelligence, and “palms of the hands” power. It is similar in the spiritual world, when Divine truth inflows out of heaven with such persons, for they then appear as if they were without a head and without palms of the hands because they are without intelligence or power.
[23] By the advice of their priests and diviners they made golden images of the emerods and mice, and set them at the side of the ark upon a new cart, to which they tied two milch kine on which no yoke had come, because “gold” signifies the good of love, which heals and purifies from falsities and evils, which are signified by the “emerods and mice,” also because a “cart” signifies the doctrine of natural truth, and a “new cart” that doctrine untouched and unpolluted by the falsities of their evil, and the “milch kine” on which no yoke had come signify natural good not yet defiled by falsities, for to bear a yoke signifies to serve, here to serve falsities which defile good; and as such good agrees with the Divine truth, which was signified by the “ark,” therefore these representatives were adapted and applied; and afterwards the Levites offered the kine as a burnt-offering, which they burned with the wood of the cart.
[24] The ark with the gifts was put on a great stone, near which the kine stood still, because a “stone” signifies Divine truth in the ultimate of order. The priests and diviners of the Philistines recommended this to be done because a knowledge of correspondences and representations was a common knowledge at that time, since it was their theology, known to the priests and diviners, who were their wise men. But because men at that time had become for the most part merely natural, they regarded these things in an idolatrous way, worshiping the externals, and giving no thought to the internals that the externals represented. From this it can be seen what the particulars here cited from the book of Samuel signify in series, also that the “ark,” because of the law in it, signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord.
sRef 2Sam@6 @17 S25′ sRef 2Sam@6 @10 S25′ sRef 2Sam@6 @2 S25′ sRef 2Sam@6 @9 S25′ sRef 2Sam@6 @5 S25′ sRef 2Sam@6 @11 S25′ sRef 2Sam@6 @6 S25′ sRef 2Sam@6 @7 S25′ sRef 2Sam@6 @8 S25′ sRef 2Sam@6 @12 S25′ sRef 2Sam@6 @15 S25′ sRef 2Sam@6 @3 S25′ sRef 2Sam@6 @16 S25′ sRef 2Sam@6 @13 S25′ sRef 2Sam@6 @4 S25′ sRef 2Sam@6 @14 S25′ [25] Fourth, the two miracles wrought by means of the ark, the death of Uzzah and the blessing of Obed-edom, are thus described in the second book of Samuel:
David arose and went, and all the people that were with him, from Baal-Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called upon, the name of Jehovah of Hosts that sitteth upon the cherubim. And they caused the ark of God to be carried upon a new cart, and they brought it up out of the house of Abinadab, which was in Gibeah; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the cart. And David and all the house of Israel were playing before Jehovah, upon instruments of fir-wood of every kind, and upon harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with sistra, and with cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nachon, Uzzah put forth unto the ark and seized upon it, because the oxen stumbled; and the anger of Jehovah glowed against Uzzah, and God smote him for his error, so that he died there by the ark of God. And David was grieved at it, and David feared Jehovah that day, and he said, How shall the ark of Jehovah come unto me? And David would not remove the ark of Jehovah unto him in the city of David, but he turned it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of Jehovah remained in his house three months, and Jehovah blessed Obed-edom and all his house; and it was told to King David; and David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with joy; and when they that bare the ark of Jehovah had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling; and David danced with all his strength before Jehovah, girt with a linen ephod. And David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Jehovah with a shout and with the sound of a trumpet; and they brought the ark of Jehovah into the city of David, which is Zion, and set it up in its place within the tent that David had stretched out for it (2 Sam. 6:1-17).
These historical facts in the internal or spiritual sense involve many things that cannot come into view in the sense of the letter, which is the historical sense; as what is involved in the fact that the ark was brought from the house of Abinadab into the house of Obed-edom, and at length into the city of David, which is Zion; in the fact that when it was brought they played and sounded all kinds of musical instruments, and David himself danced; that the ark was brought upon a new cart, to which oxen were tied; also that Uzzah, the son of Abinadab, died, and Obed-edom with his house was blessed. All these things, although historical, have concealed in their bosom such things as pertain to heaven and the church, in like manner as the ark itself, which, on account of the law in it, represented the Lord as to the Divine truth; therefore it is called “the ark of God whose name is called upon, the name of Jehovah of hosts that sitteth upon the cherubim.” That the ark was now brought out of the house of Abinadab, first into the house of Obed-edom and at length into the city of David, which is Zion, involves arcana that no one can know unless he knows what was signified by “Gibeah” and by “Baal-Judah” there, where Abinadab was, and by “Gath” where Obed-edom was, and finally by “Zion” where David was. All the regions and the cities in them in the land of Canaan were representative, as it is in the spiritual world with the regions there and their cities. In the spiritual world in every region and also in every city those who are in the good of love dwell toward the east and the west, those who are in a bright good of love toward the east, and those who are in an obscure good of love toward the west; while toward the south and the north there those dwell who are in the light of truth; those who are in a bright light of truth toward the south and those who are in an obscure light of truth toward the north. The like is true of the land of Canaan and its regions and the cities of those regions; in reference to their quarters these corresponded to the regions of the spiritual world and to the cities of those regions; but with this difference, that on earth it is impossible so to arrange men in their quarters in respect to the good of love and the light of truth, as the spirits and angels are arranged in the spiritual world; consequently in the land of Canaan and its cities the places themselves represented, and not the persons. That this was so can be seen from the partition of the land of Canaan into inheritances, which fell by lot to the tribes according to their representation of the church; also from the representation of the church itself by Jerusalem and Zion, Jerusalem representing the church in respect to the truth of doctrine and Zion the church in respect to the good of love. When, therefore, it is known what pertaining to heaven and the church is signified by “Gibeah,” and by “Baal-Judah” there, where Abinadab was, and what by “Gath” where Obed-edom was, it can be known what is signified by bringing the ark from Abinadab to Obed-edom, and at length into Zion.
[26] From the signification of these cities it can be seen that the transference of the ark represented the progress of the church with man, from its ultimate to its inmost, as from one heaven into another, even to the highest, which is the third heaven. “Baal-Judah,” where Abinadab was, signified the ultimate of the church, which is called its natural, for this was represented by “Gibeah,” where “Baal-Judah” was. But “Gath,” where Obed-edom was, who was therefore called a Gittite, signified the spiritual of the church; and this signification it took on after the sons of Israel had taken from the Philistines the cities from Ekron even to Gath (1 Sam. 7:13-15); while “Zion,” where David was, signified the inmost of the church, which is called its celestial.
[27] From this it is evident that the transference of the ark signified the progress of the church with man from its ultimate to its inmost; and this because such progressions are effected by means of Divine truth, which was signified by the ark; for the man of the church progresses from the natural to the spiritual, and through that to the celestial, and this continually from the Lord by means of His Divine truth; the natural is the good of life, the spiritual is the good of charity toward the neighbor, and the celestial is the good of love to the Lord. As the goods of the three heavens have a like progression, so the ascent through them in their order is also represented.
[28] Their playing and sounding all kinds of musical instruments, and David’s dancing when the ark was brought up, represented the gladness and joy that result from the affection of truth and good from the Lord through the influx of Divine truth, which was signified by the “ark;” the instruments mentioned, on which they played in the first journey from the house of Abinadab to the house of Obed-edom, represented gladness of mind from a natural and spiritual affection of truth; and the dancing of David, also the shouting and sound of the trumpet represented joy of heart from the affection of spiritual and celestial good. Harmonies of musical sound are from the spiritual world, and signify the affections with their gladnesses and joys (as may be seen above, n. 323, 326). “Zion” signifies the third heaven, and thence the inmost of the church (see also above, n. 405).
[29] “The ark” brought on a new cart to which oxen were tied represented and thence signified the doctrine of truth from the good of love, “cart” signifying the doctrine of truth, and “oxen” the good of love, both in the natural man; for Divine truth, which is signified by the “ark,” rests and is founded upon the doctrine of natural truth which is from good; this is why the ark was set upon a cart before which were oxen. (That a “chariot” [or cart] signifies the doctrine of truth, see above, n. 355; that an “ox” signifies the natural good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2180, 2566.)
[30] Uzzah the son of Abinadab died because he seized upon the ark with his hand, because “to touch with the hand” signifies communication, and communication with the Lord is effected through the good of love, and yet Uzzah was not anointed, as the priests and Levites were, to whom the representation of the good of love was given by anointing (that this was given by anointing, see n. 375). Moreover, the cherubim that were over the mercy-seat which was upon the ark, signified the guard that the Lord be not approached except through the good of love. That this was also done that David might not bring the ark into Zion before the progression which was being represented was finished (of which above) can be seen from this, that David grieved at the death of Uzzah, and feared to bring the ark into his city, which was Zion (verses 8-10).
[31] Obed-edom was blessed, and his house, on account of the ark, because a blessing from the good things of the world signifies blessing from the good things of heaven, which proceed solely from the Lord by the reception of the Divine truth represented by the ark, and these good things those have who are in spiritual good, which Obed-edom in Gath represented, as has been said above.
[32] Finally, bringing the ark into Zion and into the tent that David had stretched out for it, signified the ascent into the third heaven, and the conjunction of the Divine truth with the good of love, for “Zion” represented the inmost of the church, and thence the inmost of the heavens, which is the highest or third heaven, in which the angels are in the good of love to the Lord, and where there is a guard that the Lord be not approached except through the good of love, which guard was represented by the cherubim over the ark.
sRef 1Ki@8 @2 S33′ sRef 1Ki@8 @3 S33′ sRef 1Ki@8 @1 S33′ sRef 1Ki@6 @27 S33′ sRef 1Ki@6 @28 S33′ sRef 1Ki@8 @8 S33′ sRef 1Ki@8 @7 S33′ sRef 1Ki@8 @6 S33′ sRef 1Ki@8 @4 S33′ sRef 1Ki@8 @5 S33′ sRef 1Ki@6 @23 S33′ sRef 1Ki@8 @21 S33′ sRef 1Ki@6 @19 S33′ [33] Bringing the ark into the inmost part of the temple built by Solomon has a like signification; this is thus described in the first book of Kings:
Solomon prepared an adytum in the midst of the house, to set there the ark of the covenant of Jehovah; and in the adytum he made two cherubim of wood of oil, and he set the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, so that their wings were spread forth to the wall on each side, and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house; and he overlaid the cherubim with gold. And Solomon brought up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which is Zion. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests lifted up the ark, and brought up the ark of Jehovah, and the tent of meeting, and all the vessels of holiness that were in the tent; and Solomon and all the congregation with him before the ark. And the priests brought the ark of the covenant of Jehovah into its place, into the adytum of the house, into the holy of holies, even under the wings of the cherubim; for the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof from above, and the heads of the staves were seen from the holy place, toward the faces of the adytum, but they were not seen without. And Solomon said, There have I set a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of Jehovah, which He made with our fathers when He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt (1 Kings 6:19, 23, 27, 28; 8:1-8, 21).
As the ark in the tent of meeting represented the third heaven where the Lord is, and the tent itself without the veil the second heaven, and the court the first heaven, so was it with the temple; for the temple with its courts represented the three heavens, therefore there was nothing in the temple or outside of the temple within the courts, that did not represent something of heaven, and this for the reason that the Lord at that time was present in representatives; for the churches before the Lord’s coming were representative churches, and finally such as the church was that was instituted with the sons of Israel. But when the Lord came into the world, the externals that represented were abolished, for it was the Lord Himself that the representatives of the church shadowed forth and signified; and as these were external things, and as it were veilings, within which was the Lord, so when He came these veilings were taken away, and He was manifested, with heaven and the church, in which the Lord is the all in all. The primary representatives of the Lord, and thence of heaven and the church, were the tent of meeting with the table, the lamp stand, the altar of incense, and the ark there, also the altar with the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and afterwards the temple; the temple having a similar representation as the tent of meeting, with the difference that the tent of meeting was a more holy representative of the Lord, of heaven, and of the church, than the temple.
[34] From this it can be seen that the adytum in the temple, where, like as in the tent of meeting, the ark was, represented the Lord in relation to the Divine truth, and thence the third heaven, where angels are conjoined to the Lord by love to Him, and consequently have Divine truth inscribed on their hearts. But what was signified by “the cherubim” in the temple, and their “wings,” and the “staves” which are also mentioned, shall be told in a few words. “The cherubim” signified a guard that the Lord be not approached except through the good of love, consequently they were made of the “wood of oil,” which wood signified the good of love (see above, n. 375); “the wings of the cherubim” signify the spiritual Divine, which descends from the celestial Divine, in which is the third heaven, into the second heaven, and is there received; this is why the wings “touched one another in the midst of the house,” and were thence “stretched forth to the wall on each side.” But the “staves” by which the ark was carried, signified Divine power, the same as “arms.” From this and what precedes the signification of “the ark of the Covenant” in the Word can be seen.
sRef Jer@3 @16 S35′ sRef Jer@3 @15 S35′ [35] By the “ark,” moreover, the same as by “the continual sacrifice” in Daniel, which was to cease at the Lord’s coming into the world, a representative of the church in general is meant, in Jeremiah:
I will give you shepherds according to My heart, that they may feed you with knowledge and intelligence; and it shall come to pass when ye shall be multiplied and bear fruit in the land, in those days they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of Jehovah, neither shall it come up upon the heart, neither shall they make mention of it, neither shall they miss it, neither shall it be renewed anymore (Jer. 3:15, 16).
This is said of the Lord’s coming, and of the abolition of the representative rites of the Jewish Church at that time. That the interior things of the church that had been veiled over by external representative rites would then be manifested and there would then be interior or spiritual men, is signified by “shepherds would be given according to the heart of the Lord, and they shall feed them with knowledge and intelligence,” “shepherds” meaning those who teach good and lead to it by means of truths; the multiplication of truth and fructification of good are signified by “Then it shall come to pass when ye shall be multiplied and bear fruit in the land in those days;” that there will then be conjunction with the Lord through the interiors of the Word and not through its exteriors, which merely represented and signified things interior, is signified by, “they shall say no more, The ark of the Covenant of Jehovah;” “the ark of the Covenant of Jehovah” here signifying the externals of worship that were then to be abolished, the same as “the continual sacrifice” that was to cease (see Dan. 8:13; 11:31; 12:11). That worship was to be no longer external but internal is signified by, “it shall not come up upon the heart, neither shall they make mention of it, neither shall they miss it, neither shall it be renewed anymore.” From this, too, it can be seen that “the ark of the Covenant” seen by John in the temple of God, which is the vision here treated of, was an appearing of the Divine truth, by which there is a conjunction of the new heaven and the New Church with the Lord, and that this was so seen that the Word in the letter might be similar throughout, consisting of things that were externals of worship and represented internals; the like as above (Dan. 8:3, 4), where “the altar” and “incense offerings” were seen “before the throne;” for the Word in the letter consists of pure correspondences, such as existed in the representative churches, and were taken therefrom for use in the Word, and in these the interior things of heaven and the church, which are spiritual and celestial, are contained.
* The photolithograph has “aditur,” probably for “auditur,” is heard.
** “Jehovah,” in the Hebrew “to Chobab.”

sRef Rev@11 @19 S0′ 701. As the ark is called “the ark of the covenant” it is also to be confirmed from the Word that it was called “the ark of the covenant” because the law was in it, and the “law,” which in a broad sense means the Word, signifies the Lord in relation to Divine truth, which is the Word, thus Divine truth or the Word which is from the Lord and in which is the Lord; for all Divine truth proceeds from Him, and when this is received by man conjunction with the Lord is effected, and this conjunction is what is signified by “covenant.” How conjunction of the Lord with man and of man with the Lord is effected, shall also be told in a few words. The Lord continually flows into all men with light that enlightens, and with the affection of knowing and understanding truths, also for willing and doing them; and as that light and that affection continually flow in from the Lord, it follows that man becomes rational to the extent that he receives of that light, and he becomes wise and is led by the Lord so far as he receives of that affection. That affection with its light draws to itself and conjoins to itself the truths that man from infancy has learned from the Word, from doctrine out of the Word, and from preaching; for every affection desires to be nourished by the knowledges that are in harmony with it. From this conjunction man’s spiritual love or affection is formed, through which he is conjoined to the Lord, that is, through which the Lord conjoins man to Himself.
[2] But in order that that light and that affection may be received, freedom of choice has been given to man, and as that freedom is from the Lord, it is also a gift of the Lord with man and is never taken away from him; for that freedom belongs to man’s affection or love, and consequently also to his life. From freedom a man can think and will what is evil, and can also think and will what is good. So far, therefore, as from that freedom, which belongs to his love and thence to his life, man thinks falsities and wills evils, which are the opposites of the truths and goods of the Word, so far he is not conjoined to the Lord; but so far as he thinks truths and wills goods, which are from the Word, so far he is conjoined to the Lord, and the Lord makes those truths and goods to be of his love, and thence of his life. From this it is evident that this conjunction is reciprocal, namely, of the Lord with man and of man with the Lord; such is the conjunction that is meant in the Word by “covenant.”
sRef Rev@3 @20 S3′ [3] He greatly errs who believes that man is incapable of doing anything for his own salvation because the light to see truths and the affection of doing them, as well as the freedom to think and will them, are from the Lord, and nothing of these from man. Because these appear to man to be as if in himself, and when they are thought and willed to be as from himself, man ought, because of that appearance, to think and will them as if from himself, but at the same time acknowledge that they are from the Lord. In no other way can anything of truth and good or of faith and love be appropriated to man. If one lets his hands hang down and waits for influx he receives nothing, and can have no reciprocal conjunction with the Lord, thus he is not in the covenant. That this is so is clearly evident from this, that the Lord in a thousand passages in the Word has taught that man must do good and must not do evil, and this the Lord would by no means have said, unless something had been given to man by which he has ability to do, and unless that which has been given to man might seem to him to be as if his own, although it is not his. Because this is so the Lord speaks thus in John:
I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hear My voice and open the door I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with Me (Rev. 3:20).
[4] That “covenant” signifies conjunction with the Lord through the reception of Divine truth by the understanding and will, or by the heart and soul, that is, by love and faith, and that this conjunction is effected reciprocally, can be seen from the Word where “covenant” is mentioned. For from the Word it is evident:
(1) That the Lord Himself is called a “covenant,” because conjunction with Him is effected by Him through the Divine that proceeds from Him.
(2) That the Divine proceeding, which is Divine truth, thus the Word, is the covenant, because it conjoins.
(3) That the commandments, judgments, and statutes commanded to the sons of Israel were to them a covenant, because through these there was then conjunction with the Lord.
(4) And further, that whatever conjoins is called a “covenant.”
sRef Isa@42 @6 S5′ [5] As to the first: That the Lord Himself is called a “covenant,” because conjunction with Him is effected by Him through the Divine that proceeds from Him, is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:
I Jehovah have called Thee in righteousness, and I will take hold of Thine hand and will guard Thee, and I will give thee for a covenant of the people and for a light of the nations (Isa. 42:6).
This is said of the Lord, who is called “a covenant of the people and a light of the nations,” because a “covenant” signifies conjunction, and “light” Divine truth; “peoples” mean those who are in truths, and “nations” those who are in goods (see above, n. 175, 331, 625); “to call Him in righteousness” signifies to establish righteousness by separating the evil from the good and by saving the good and condemning the evil; “to take hold of the hand and to guard” signifies to do this from Divine Omnipotence, which the hells cannot resist; Jehovah’s doing this means that it is done by the Divine in the Lord.
sRef Isa@49 @8 S6′ [6] In the same:
I have given Thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the earth and to inherit the wasted heritages (Isa. 49:8).
This, too, is said of the Lord; and “to give for a covenant of the people” signifies that there may be conjunction with Him and by Him; “to restore the earth” signifies the church; and “to inherit the wasted heritages” signifies to restore the goods and truths of the church that have been destroyed.
sRef Ps@89 @28 S7′ sRef Ps@89 @3 S7′ sRef Ps@89 @4 S7′ [7] In David:
I have made a covenant with My chosen, and I have sworn to David My servant, even to eternity will I establish thy seed, to eternity will I keep for him My mercy, and My covenant shall be steadfast for Him (Ps. 89:3, 4, 28).
“David” here means the Lord in relation to His royalty (see above, n. 205), and he is called “chosen” from good, and “servant” from truth; “to make a covenant and swear to him” signifies the uniting of the Lord’s Divine with His Human, “to make a covenant” meaning to become united, and “to swear” meaning to confirm it; “even to eternity will I establish thy seed” signifies the eternity of Divine truth from Him; “to eternity will I keep for him My mercy” signifies the eternity of Divine good from Him; “My covenant shall be steadfast” signifies the union of the Divine and Human in Him. This becomes the sense of these words when, instead of David, the Lord in relation to the Divine Human and its royalty is understood, respecting which this is said in the sense of the letter, because in that sense David is treated of, with whom there was no eternal covenant.
sRef 2Sam@23 @5 S8′ sRef 2Sam@23 @4 S8′ sRef 2Sam@23 @3 S8′ [8] In the second book of Samuel:
The God of Israel said, the rock of Israel spake to me; and He shall be as light in the morning when the sun riseth, without clouds; from the brightness after rain cometh grass out of the earth. Is not my house firm with God? For He hath set for me a covenant of eternity, to order over all and to keep (2 Sam. 23:3-5).
This is said by David; and “the God of Israel” and “the rock of Israel” mean the Lord in relation to Divine truth; what is signified by “He shall be as light in the morning when the sun riseth, a morning without clouds, from the brightness after rain cometh grass out of the earth,” may be seen above (n. 644). This describes Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, from which is all germination of truth and fructification of good. “Is not my house firm with God?” signifies the church conjoined with the Lord through the Divine truth, “the house of David” meaning the church; “for He hath set for me a covenant of eternity” signifies that from the union of His Human with the Divine He has conjunction with the men of the church; “to order over all and to keep” signifies from which He rules over all things and all persons, and saves such as receive.
sRef Mal@2 @7 S9′ sRef Mal@2 @6 S9′ sRef Mal@2 @8 S9′ sRef Mal@2 @4 S9′ sRef Mal@2 @5 S9′ [9] In Malachi:
Ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that My covenant may be with Levi. My covenant with him was of life and of peace, which I gave to him with fear, that he might fear Me. The law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not found in his lips. But ye have turned aside out of the way, ye have caused many to stumble in the law, ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi (Mal. 2:4-6, 8).
“The covenant of Jehovah with Levi” signifies in the highest sense the union of the Divine with the Human in the Lord, and in a relative sense, the Lord’s conjunction with the church; for by “Levi” as by “David” the Lord is meant, but “Levi” means the Lord in relation to Divine good, which is the priesthood of the Lord, and “David” in relation to Divine truth, which is the royalty of the Lord. That the Lord is meant by “Levi” is evident from its being said, “the law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not found in his lips,” “the law of truth” signifying Divine truth from Divine good, and “lips” the doctrine of truth and instruction; and afterwards it is said:
The priest’s lips shall keep knowledge; and they shall seek the law from His mouth, for He is the angel of Jehovah of Hosts (Mal. 2:7).
“A covenant of life and of peace” signifies that union and that conjunction (of which just above) from which the Lord Himself became life and peace, from which man has eternal life, and peace from the infestation by evils and falsities, thus by hell. What is signified by “His fear” may be seen above (n. 696). Those who live contrary to Divine truth are meant by “ye have turned aside out of the way, ye have caused many to stumble in the law, ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi;” “to turn aside out of the way and to stumble in the law” signifies to live contrary to Divine truth, and “to corrupt the covenant of Levi” signifies to corrupt conjunction with the Lord.
sRef Mal@3 @1 S10′ [10] In the same:
Behold, I send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me; and the Lord shall suddenly come to His temple; and the angel of the covenant whom ye desire (Mal. 3:1).
It is evidently the Lord’s coming that is here proclaimed. The Lord is here called “Lord” from Divine good, and “the angel of the covenant” from Divine truth (as may be seen above, n. 242, 433, 444, where the rest of the passage is explained). From this it can be seen that “covenant,” in reference to the Lord, means either Himself or the union of His Divine with the Human in Him, and in reference to those who are in heaven and in the church it means conjunction with Him through the Divine that proceeds from Him.
sRef Ex@24 @4 S11′ sRef Ex@24 @3 S11′ sRef Ex@24 @10 S11′ sRef Ex@24 @7 S11′ sRef Ex@24 @8 S11′ [11] Secondly, That the Divine proceeding, which is Divine truth, thus the Word, is the covenant, because it conjoins, can be seen from the following passages. In Moses:
Moses came down out of Mount Sinai, and told the people all the words of Jehovah and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, All the words which Jehovah hath spoken will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of Jehovah in a book. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the ears of the people; and they said, All that Jehovah hath spoken we will do and will hearken. And Moses took half of the blood of the burnt-offerings, and sprinkled upon the people, and said, Behold, the blood of the covenant that Jehovah hath concluded with you upon all these words. And they saw the God of Israel, and under His feet as it were a work of sapphire stone (Exod. 24:3, 4, 7, 8, 10).
That Divine truth which with us is the Word is a covenant, is evident from all these particulars regarded in the internal or spiritual sense; for Moses, who said these things to the people, represented the law, that is, the Word, as can be seen from various places where it is said, “Moses and the prophets,” and elsewhere “the law and the prophets;” thus “Moses” stands for the law, and the law in a broad sense signifies the Word, which is Divine truth. The same may also be evident from this, that “Mount Sinai” signifies heaven, from which is Divine truth; likewise from this, that “the book of the covenant, which was read before the people,” signifies the Word; also that the “blood,” half of which was sprinkled upon the people, also signifies Divine truth, which is the Word, and as this conjoins, it is called “the blood of the covenant.” Again, since all conjunction through Divine truth is conjunction with the Lord, “the God of Israel,” who is the Lord, was seen by Moses, Aaron and his sons, and the seventy elders. What was “under His feet” was seen, because when “the Lord” means the Word, “His feet” mean the Word in its ultimates, that is, in the sense of its letter, for the sons of Israel did not see the Word interiorly; “as it were a work of sapphire stone” signifies to be transparent from internal truths, which are the spiritual sense of the Word. (But this may be seen explained in detail in Arcana Coelestia, n. 9371-9412.)
[12] Of what nature the conjunction is that is signified by “covenant” can be seen from what has been set forth, namely, that it is like the covenants commonly made in the world, that is, on the part of one and on the part of the other; in like manner the covenants that the Lord makes with men must be on the part of the Lord and on the part of men; they must be on the part of both that there may be conjunction. The things on the Lord’s part are stated in the preceding chapter, namely:
That He will bless their bread and their waters, that He will take away their diseases, and that they shall possess the land of Canaan from the Sea Suph even to the river Euphrates (Exod. 23:25-31).
Here “to bless the bread and the waters” signifies in the internal spiritual sense the fructification of good and the multiplication of truth, “bread” signifying every good of heaven and the church, and “waters” all the truths of that good; “to take away diseases” signifies to remove evils and falsities which are from hell, for these are diseases in the spiritual sense; “to possess the land from the Sea Suph to the river Euphrates” signifies the church in all its extension, which those have from the Lord who are conjoined to Him through Divine truth. But the things that must be on man’s part are recounted in the three preceding chapters, and in brief are meant in the passage cited above by “the words and judgments of Jehovah” that Moses coming down from Mount Sinai declared to the people, to which the people, with one voice said, “All the words that Jehovah hath spoken we will do and will hearken.” It was for this reason that Moses divided the blood of the burnt offerings, and half of it, which was for the Lord, he left in the bowls, but the other half he sprinkled upon the people.
sRef Matt@26 @27 S13′ sRef Matt@26 @28 S13′ [13] That the conjunction of the Lord with men is effected through Divine truth is also meant by “blood” in the Gospels:
Jesus took the cup, saying, Drink ye all of it; this is My blood, that of the new covenant (Matt. 26:27, 28; Mark 14:23, 24; Luke 22:20).
This blood is called “the blood of the new covenant,” because “blood” signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and “covenant” signifies conjunction. (That “blood” signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, received by man, may be seen above, n. 329, 476; and that “to drink” signifies to receive, to make one’s own, and thus be conjoined, may also be seen above, n. 617.)
sRef Zech@9 @11 S14′ [14] Likewise in Zechariah:
By the blood of thy covenant I will send forth thy bound out of the pit wherein is no water (Zech. 9:11).
This is said of the Lord, who is plainly treated of in this chapter; and “the blood of the covenant” means, as above, the Divine truth, by which there is conjunction with the Lord. Who are meant by “those bound in the pit wherein is no water” can be seen above (n. 537).
[15] As the Lord called His blood, meaning the Divine truth proceeding from Him, “the blood of the new covenant,” it shall be said briefly what is meant by “the old covenant” and “the new covenant.” “The old covenant” means conjunction through such Divine truth as was given to the sons of Israel, which was external, and therefore representative of internal Divine truth. They had no other Divine truth, because they could not receive any other, for they were external and natural men, and not internal or spiritual, as can be seen from the fact that such as knew anything about the Lord’s coming had no other thought of Him than that He was to be a king who would raise them above all the peoples in the whole world, and thus establish a kingdom with them on the earth, and not in the heavens and therefrom on the earth with all who believe on Him. “The old covenant,” therefore, was a conjunction through such Divine truth as is contained in the books of Moses and is called “commandments, judgments, and statutes,” in which, nevertheless, there lay inwardly hidden such Divine truth as is in heaven, which is internal and spiritual. This Divine truth was disclosed by the Lord when He was in the world; and as through this alone there is conjunction of the Lord with men, therefore this is what is meant by “the new covenant,” also by “His blood,” which is therefore called “the blood of the new covenant.” “Wine” has a similar meaning.
sRef Jer@31 @34 S16′ sRef Jer@31 @33 S16′ sRef Jer@31 @31 S16′ sRef Jer@31 @32 S16′ [16] This “new covenant,” which was to be entered into with the Lord when He should come into the world, is sometimes treated of in the Word of the Old Covenant. Thus in Jeremiah:
Behold the days come in which I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not as the covenant which I made with your fathers, for they have made My covenant void. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after these days; I will give My law in the midst of them, and will write it upon their heart, and I will be to them for God, and they shall be to Me for a people; neither shall they teach anymore a man his companion, a man his brother, saying, Know ye Jehovah, for all shall know Me, from the least of them even to the greatest of them (Jer. 31:31-34).
That Jehovah, that is, the Lord, “was to make a new covenant with the house of Israel and house of Judah” does not mean that it was to be made with the sons of Israel and with Judah, but with all who from the Lord are in the truths of doctrine and in the good of love to the Lord. That these are meant in the Word by “the sons of Israel” and by “Judah” may be seen above (n. 433); that “the days come” means the Lord’s coming is evident. That there would then be conjunction with the Lord through Divine truth, internal and spiritual, is meant by the words, “This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after these days, I will give My law in the midst of them, and will write it upon their heart.” This signifies that they would then receive Divine truth inwardly in themselves; for spiritual Divine truth is received by man inwardly, thus otherwise than with the sons of Israel and the Jews, who received it outwardly; for when a man receives Divine truth inwardly in himself, that is, makes it to be of his love and thus of his life, truth is known from the truth itself, because the Lord flows into His own truth with man, and teaches him; this is what is meant by the words, “they shall no more teach a man his companion, and a man his brother, saying, Know ye Jehovah, for all shall know Me, from the least even to the greatest.” The conjunction itself thereby effected, which “the new covenant” signifies, is meant by “I will be to them for God, and they shall be to Me for a people.”
sRef Jer@32 @38 S17′ sRef Jer@32 @39 S17′ sRef Jer@32 @40 S17′ [17] In the same:
They shall be to Me for a people, and I will be to them for God, and I will give them one heart and one way, to fear Me all the days; and I will make with them an eternal covenant that I will not turn Me back from after them, that I may do them good; and My fear will I put into their heart that they may not depart from with Me (Jer. 32:38-40).
This, too, is said of the Lord and of the new covenant with Him; conjunction thereby is meant by “I will be to them for God, and they shall be to me for a people,” and is further described by this, that “He would give to them one heart and one way, to fear Him all the days,” and that “He would not turn Himself back from after them, and that He would put fear into their heart that they might not depart from with Him;” “one heart and one way to fear Me” signifies one will of good and one understanding of truth for worshiping the Lord; and as the conjunction is reciprocal, that is, a conjunction of the Lord with them and of them with the Lord, it is said that He will not turn Him back from after them “that I may do them good, and they will not depart from with Me.” From this it is clear what is signified by “the eternal covenant” that He will enter into with them, namely, conjunction through spiritual Divine truth, which truth, when received, constitutes the life of man, and from it comes eternal conjunction.
sRef Ezek@34 @24 S18′ sRef Ezek@34 @25 S18′ sRef Ezek@34 @23 S18′ [18] In Ezekiel:
I will raise up over them one shepherd who shall feed them, My servant David. I Jehovah will be to them for God, and My servant David a prince in the midst of them. Then will I make with them a covenant of peace, I will cause the evil wild beast to cease that they may dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the forests (Ezek. 34:23-25).
This also is said of the Lord; and “David,” who shall feed them and who shall be a prince in the midst of them, means the Lord in relation to the Divine truth, who is called a servant from serving; conjunction with the Lord through the Divine truth is meant by “the covenant” which He will make with them; this is called “a covenant of peace,” because man by conjunction with the Lord has peace from the infestation of evil and falsity from hell; therefore also it is added, “I will cause the evil wild beast to cease, that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forests,” “evil wild beast” meaning falsity and evil from hell, and “to dwell securely in the wilderness and to sleep in the forests” signifying that they shall be safe everywhere from all infestation from falsity and evil.
sRef Ezek@37 @24 S19′ sRef Ezek@37 @26 S19′ sRef Ezek@37 @27 S19′ [19] In the same:
My servant David shall be a king over them, that they all may have one shepherd. And I will make a covenant of peace with them, it shall be a covenant of eternity with them; and I will give them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in the midst of them to eternity, and My habitation with them; and I will be to them for God, and they shall be to Me for a people (Ezek. 37:24, 26, 27).
Here also by “David” the Lord is meant, for it is evident that David was not to come again to be their king and shepherd; but the Lord is called “king” from Divine truth, for this is the royalty of the Lord, while Divine good is His priesthood; and the Lord is called “shepherd,” because He will feed them with Divine truth, and thereby lead to the good of love, and thus to Himself; and because from this there is conjunction it is said, “I will make with them a covenant of peace, a covenant of eternity.” What “a covenant of peace” signifies has been told just above, also that “I will be to them for God, and they shall be to Me for a people,” means conjunction. The “sanctuary” that He will set in the midst of them, and the “habitation” that will be with them, signify heaven and the church, that are called a “sanctuary” from the good of love, and a “habitation” from the truths of that good, for the Lord dwells in truths from good.
sRef Hos@2 @18 S20′ sRef Hos@2 @19 S20′ [20] In Hosea:
In that day will I make a covenant for them with the wild beast of the field, with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth; and I will break the bow and the sword and war from the earth; and I will make them to lie down securely; and I will betroth thee to Me forever (Hos. 2:18, 19).
This treats of the establishment of a New Church by the Lord. It is clear that the Lord would not then make a covenant with the wild beast of the field, with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth, therefore these signify such things as are with man; “the wild beast of the field” signifying the affection of truth and good, “the bird of the heavens” spiritual thought, and “the creeping thing of the earth” the knowledge of the natural man. (What the rest signifies may be seen above, n. 650.) This makes evident that the covenant the Lord will make is a spiritual covenant, or a covenant through spiritual truth, and not a covenant through natural truth such as was made with the sons of Israel; this latter was “the old covenant,” the former was “the new covenant.”
sRef Deut@9 @11 S21′ sRef Deut@9 @9 S21′ [21] As “the law” that was promulgated by the Lord from Mount Sinai meant in a broad sense the Word, so also the tables on which that law was written are called “tables of the covenant” in Moses:
I went up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, the tables of the covenant which Jehovah made with you. At the end of forty days and forty nights Jehovah gave to me the two tables of stone, the tables of the covenant (Deut. 9:9, 11).
These “tables,” that is, the law written upon them, mean the Divine truth, through which there is conjunction with the Lord, and because of that conjunction they are called “the tables of the covenant;” and as all conjunction, like a covenant, is effected from the part of one and the part of the other, thus in turn on the one side and on the other, so there were two tables, and these were of stone; they were of stone because “stone” signifies the Divine truth in ultimates (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 643, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376). For the same reason the ark in which these tables were placed was called “the ark of the Covenant,” and with the sons of Israel this was the most holy thing of their worship, as has been shown in the preceding article.
sRef Lev@26 @15 S22′ sRef Lev@26 @3 S22′ sRef Lev@26 @9 S22′ [22] Thirdly, That the commandments, judgments, and statutes commanded to the sons of Israel were to them a covenant, because through these there was then conjunction with the Lord, can be seen from the following passages. In Moses:
If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments and do them, I will have respect unto you, and will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will establish My covenant with you. But if ye reject My statutes, so that ye do not all My commandments, whilst ye make My covenant void, I will do to you the opposite (Lev. 26:3, 9, 15 seq.).
The statutes and commandments that were to be observed and done are set forth in the preceding chapter, and the goods they were to enjoy if they kept those commandments and statutes, and afterwards the evils that would come upon them if they did not keep them are set forth in this chapter. But the goods they were to enjoy were earthly and worldly goods, so too were the evils, because they were earthly and natural men, and not celestial and spiritual men, and consequently they knew nothing about the goods that affect man inwardly or the evils that afflict him inwardly; nevertheless the externals they were bound to observe were such as inwardly contained celestial and spiritual things, through which there is conjunction itself with the Lord; and as these were perceived in heaven, therefore the externals that the sons of Israel were to observe were called a “covenant.” (But what the conjunction was of the Lord with the sons of Israel through these means may be seen in the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 248.)
sRef Deut@29 @9 S23′ sRef Deut@29 @15 S23′ sRef Deut@29 @12 S23′ sRef Deut@29 @14 S23′ sRef Deut@29 @13 S23′ sRef Ex@34 @27 S23′ sRef Deut@29 @10 S23′ sRef Jer@50 @5 S23′ sRef 2Ki@23 @2 S23′ sRef 2Ki@23 @3 S23′ sRef 2Ki@23 @1 S23′ [23] “Covenant” has a like meaning in the following passages. In Moses:
Jehovah said unto Moses, Write thou these words, for upon the mouth of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel (Exod. 34:27).
In the same:
Keep the words of this covenant and do them, ye that stand here this day, your heads, your tribes, your officers, and every man of Israel, to pass over into the covenant of Jehovah and into His oath which Jehovah thy God maketh with thee this day, that He may establish thee this day for a people, and that He may be to thee for God; not with you only do I make this covenant and this oath, but also with everyone who is not here with you this day (Deut. 29:9, 10, 12-15).
In the second book of Kings:
King Josiah sent and gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem; and the king went up to the house of Jehovah, and every man of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, also the priests and the prophets, and the whole people from small even to great; and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of Jehovah; and the king stood by the pillar, and made the covenant before Jehovah to go after Jehovah and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all the heart and with all the soul, to establish all the words of this covenant written upon this book; and all the people stood in the covenant (2 Kings 23:1-3).
So, too, in other passages (Jer. 22:8, 9; 33:20-22; 50:5; Ezek. 16:8; Mal. 2:14; Ps. 78:37; 50:5, 16; 103:17, 18; 105:8, 9; 106:45; 111:5, 9; Deut. 17:2; 1 Kings 19:14). In all these passages “covenant” is mentioned, and by it the externals that the sons of Israel were to observe are meant.
sRef Gen@15 @11 S24′ sRef Deut@5 @2 S24′ sRef Gen@15 @10 S24′ sRef Gen@15 @13 S24′ sRef Gen@15 @14 S24′ sRef Gen@15 @5 S24′ sRef Gen@15 @15 S24′ sRef Gen@17 @21 S24′ sRef Gen@15 @12 S24′ sRef Gen@15 @16 S24′ sRef Deut@5 @3 S24′ sRef Gen@15 @6 S24′ sRef Gen@15 @7 S24′ sRef Gen@15 @8 S24′ sRef Gen@17 @2 S24′ sRef Gen@15 @18 S24′ sRef Gen@15 @17 S24′ sRef Gen@15 @9 S24′ [24] But as regards the covenant that the Lord made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, this was not the same as the covenant He made with the posterity of Jacob, but it was a covenant on the part of the Lord that their seed should be multiplied, and to their seed the land of Canaan should be given, and on the part of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that every male should be circumcised. That the covenant with the posterity of Jacob was different is evident in Moses:
Jehovah our God made with us a covenant in Horeb; Jehovah made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us (Deut. 5:2, 3).
Regarding the former covenant it is written in Moses:
Jehovah brought Abraham forth abroad, and said, Look toward heaven and number the stars; and He said to him, So shall thy seed be. And He said to him, Take to thee* a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon. And he divided them in the midst, and he laid each part over against the other, but the birds divided he not. And the sun went down and it became very dark; and behold a furnace of smoke and a torch of fire passed through between the pieces. In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abraham** saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates (Gen. 15:5-18).
And afterwards:
I will give My covenant between Me and thee, and I will multiply thee exceedingly. I, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be for a father of a multitude of nations, and I will make thee fruitful; and I will give to thee and to thy seed after thee the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. This is My covenant that ye shall keep between Me and you and thy seed after thee. Every male shall be circumcised to you; he who is not circumcised in the flesh of the foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his peoples, he hath made void My covenant. And My covenant will I set up with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to thee (Gen. 17:1-21).
From this it is clear what kind of a covenant was entered into with Abraham, namely, that “his seed should be multiplied exceedingly, and that the land of Canaan should be given to his seed for a possession.” The commandments, judgments, and statutes themselves by which the covenant was to be established are not mentioned, but still they are signified by “the heifer, she-goat, and ram of three years old,” and by “the turtle-dove and young pigeon,” for these animals signify such things as belong to the church, and “the land of Canaan” itself signifies the church. And because the Lord foresaw that the posterity of Abraham from Jacob would not keep the covenant, there appeared to Abraham “a furnace of smoke and a torch of fire passing through between the pieces;” “a furnace of smoke” signifying the dense falsity, and “the torch of fire” the direful evil into which the posterity of Jacob would come. This is confirmed also in Jeremiah 33:18-20. “Abraham divided the heifer, the she-goat, and the ram, and laid each part over against the other,” according to the ritual of covenants between two parties. (But this may be seen fully explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 1783-1862.)
[25] The covenant was made by circumcision because circumcision represented the purification from the loves of self and of the world which are bodily and earthly loves, and the removal of these; therefore also the circumcision was made with a little knife of stone, which signified the truth of doctrine, by which all purification from evils and falsities and their removal is effected. (But the particulars recorded in that chapter respecting this covenant are explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 1987-2095; and respecting circumcision, n. 2039 at the end, 2046 at the end, 2632, 2799, 4462, 7044, 8093.) But as “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” mean in the internal sense the Lord, so “their seed” signify all who are of the Lord’s church, which church is meant by “the land of Canaan,” which their seed was to inherit.
sRef Gen@6 @18 S26′ sRef Gen@6 @17 S26′ [26] There was also a covenant entered into with Noah:
That men should no more perish by the waters of a flood, and that a bow should be in the cloud for a sign of that covenant (Gen. 6:17, 18; 9:9, 17).
Conjunction of the Lord through Divine truth is involved also in that covenant, as can be seen from the explanation of the above in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 659-675, 1022-1059). That “the bow in the cloud,” or the rainbow, here signifies regeneration, which is effected by Divine truth and a life according to it, and that consequently that bow was taken for a sign of the covenant, may also be seen in the same work (n. 1042).
sRef Ex@31 @16 S27′ [27] Fourth, That further, whatever conjoins is called a covenant; as the Sabbath in Moses:
The sons of Israel shall keep the Sabbath in their generations, the covenant of an age (Exod. 31:16).
The Sabbath was called “the covenant of an age,” because the “Sabbath” signified in the highest sense the union of the Divine with the Human in the Lord, and in a relative sense the conjunction of the Lord with heaven and the church, and in a universal sense the conjunction of good and truth, which conjunction is called the heavenly marriage. Therefore “the rest on the Sabbath day” signified the state of that union and of that conjunction, since by that state there is peace and rest to the Lord, and thereby peace and salvation in the heavens and on the earth. (That this is the signification of “the Sabbath” and “the rest,” then, can be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 8494, 8495, 8510, 10356, 10360, 10367, 10370, 10374, 10668, 10730.)
sRef Lev@2 @13 S28′ [28] Again, the salt in the sacrifices is called “the salt of the covenant” in Moses:
Thou shalt not cause the salt of the covenant of thy God to cease upon thine offering, upon all thine offering thou shalt offer salt (Lev. 2:13).
The salt upon the offering is called “the salt of the covenant,” because “salt” signifies the desire of truth for good, whereby the two are conjoined. (On this signification of “salt” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9207.)
sRef Mal@2 @14 S29′ [29] A wife is called “the wife of a covenant” in Malachi:
Jehovah hath been a witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, though she is thy companion and the wife of thy covenant (Mal. 2:14).
A wife is here called “the wife of the covenant” from her conjunction with her husband, but “wife” here signifies the church, and “the wife of youth” the Ancient Church, against which the Jewish Church is said to have dealt treacherously. Because these were both representative churches, and in this respect alike, and thus were conjoined, it is said, “though she is thy companion and the wife of thy covenant.”
sRef Job@5 @23 S30′ sRef Job@5 @22 S30′ [30] “A covenant with the stones of the field” is spoken of in Job:
Thou shalt not be afraid of the wild beast of the field, for with the stones of the field is thy covenant, and the wild beast of the field shall be at peace with thee (Job 5:22, 23).
“A covenant with the stones of the field” signifies conjunction with the truths of the church, for “stones” signify truths, “field” the church, and “covenant” conjunction; “the wild beast of the field” signifies the love of falsity, of which wild beast “thou shalt not be afraid,” and which “shall be at peace,” when there is conjunction with the church through truths.
sRef Gen@9 @10 S31′ sRef Hos@2 @18 S31′ sRef Gen@9 @9 S31′ [31] Again, “a covenant with wild beasts and birds” is spoken of in Hosea:
In that day will I make a covenant for them with the wild beast of the field, with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth (Hos. 2:18).
And in Moses:
God said unto Noah, Behold I establish My covenant with you and with every living soul that is with you, the bird, the beast, and every wild beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, even every wild beast of the earth (Gen. 9:9, 10).
“A covenant with beast, wild beast, bird and creeping thing of the earth,” signifies conjunction with such things with man as are signified by these, for “beast” signifies the affection of good, “wild beast” the affection of truth, “bird” the thinking faculty, and “creeping thing of the earth” the knowing faculty which lives from these affections.
sRef Isa@28 @18 S32′ sRef Isa@28 @15 S32′ [32] “A covenant with death” is spoken of in Isaiah:
Ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we have made vision. Your covenant with death shall be abolished, and your vision with hell shall not stand (Isa. 28:15, 18).
“To make a covenant with death” signifies conjunction through falsity from hell, from which man dies spiritually; “to make a vision with hell” signifies divination from hell as if prophetic. From the passages here cited in series it can be seen that “covenant,” where the Lord is treated of, signifies conjunction through Divine truth. There is, indeed, a conjunction with Him through the good of love; but because the Lord flows in with man through good into truths, whereby man has the affection of truth, and receives the Lord’s good in truths, from which he acknowledges, confesses, and worships the Lord, thence the good of love conjoins through truth, comparatively as the heat of the sun in the time of spring and summer conjoins itself with the fructifications of the earth.
* The Hebrew has “for Me.”
** The Hebrew has “Abram,” as found in AC 1863, 1864.

sRef Rev@11 @19 S0′ 702. And there were lightnings, voices, and thunders, signifies that at that time in the lower parts where the evil are there were conflicts and disturbances of the thoughts, and reasonings from evils and falsities respecting goods and truths. This is evident from the signification of “lightnings, voices, and thunders,” as being enlightenment, thoughts, and perceptions (of which above, n. 273); and in the contrary sense, as here, conflicts and disturbances of the thoughts, and reasoning from evils and falsities respecting the goods and truths of the church (of which above, n. 498). In a strict sense “lightnings” signify the darkenings of the understanding, “voices” reasonings, and “thunders” conclusions respecting falsity from evil, and because from these, according to the state of the interiors with them there then arise conflicts and disturbances of the affections and thoughts, and consequent reasonings from evils and falsities respecting the goods and truths of the church, therefore from logical connection with what precedes, this is what these words signify. It was evident that “the lightnings, voices, and thunders,” also “the earthquake and great hail” occurred in the lower parts, since it was in the higher parts that the “temple” and “the ark of the Covenant in the temple” were seen, which signify the appearing of a new heaven where there is worship of the Lord, and a representation of Divine truth through which there is conjunction, as can be seen from the explanation above; and from this it follows that these things occurred in the lower parts through influx from the higher heavens. That such things occurred in the lower parts through influx out of the higher heavens has already been made clear. But since these are such things as do not fall into anyone’s understanding except through living revelation and consequent knowledge respecting the influx of higher things into lower in the spiritual world, so as these things have been revealed to me, and have thus been made known to me, I will briefly explain this arcanum.
[2] In the spiritual world, by which are meant both the heavens and the hells, the arrangement is such that the heavens are like expanses one above another, and under the heavens is the world of spirits, and under this are the hells, one below another. Influx from the Lord takes place according to this consecutive arrangement, thus through the inmost heaven into the middle, and through this into the lowest, and from these in their order into the hells which lie beneath. The world of spirits is between, and receives influx both from the heavens and from the hells, each one there according to the state of his life.
[3] But this arrangement of the heavens and of the hells underwent changes from one judgment to another, for the reason that the men who arrived from the earth, of whom the heavens and the hells are constituted, had various affections, some more or less spiritual or internal, and some more or less natural or external. And as the Lord does evil to no one, but good to all, He permitted those who had lived a moral and as it were spiritual life in externals from custom and habit in the world, however interiorly they were conjoined with hell, to form for themselves in the world of spirits a similitude of heaven in various places; and then the heavens above them and the hells below them were so arranged that their interiors through which they were conjoined with hell might be as far as possible kept closed, while their exteriors through which they were conjoined with the lowest heaven were kept open. And then it was provided that the higher heavens should not flow in immediately, because by immediate influx their interiors which were infernal would be opened, and their exteriors which were as it were spiritual would be closed; for the influx of the higher heavens is into the interiors, which are properly the spirits’ own, and not into the exteriors, which are not properly their own.
[4] But when such seeming heavens had so greatly increased that the influx from the hells had thereby begun to prevail over the influx from the heavens, and thereby the lowest heaven, which was conjoined with them, began to be weakened, then the Last Judgment was at hand, and by turns a separation was effected of the evil from the good in those new seeming heavens, and this by immediate influx from the higher heavens; and by this influx their interiors which were infernal were opened, and their exteriors which were seemingly spiritual were closed, as has been said above. From this then it is clear why it was that the “temple” appeared, and “the ark in the temple,” which signifies the Divine truth by which the higher heavens were enlightened from which influx might come into the lower parts where the evil were. From this influx it came to pass that, in the lower parts where the evil were, lightnings were seen, and voices and thunders were heard, also there was an earthquake, and hail fell. The influx out of the heavens, that is, through the heavens from the Lord, is nothing else than an influx of the love of good and the affection of truth, but with the evil this is turned into such things as correspond to their evils and to the falsities therefrom, thus that correspond to their love of evil and affection of falsity; and as conflicts and disturbances of the thoughts and reasonings from the evils and falsities respecting the goods and truths of the church in which they were correspond to lightnings, voices, and thunders, therefore they are signified by these; for the state of heaven, what it was to be immediately before the Last Judgment, is what is here treated of. The conflicts and disturbances of the thoughts and the reasonings from evils and falsities respecting the goods and truths of the church that arise with those who are inwardly evil but who outwardly appear good, when their interiors have been opened and their exteriors closed, are from the conflict of their interiors with their exteriors in the first stage of separation; but as soon as the exteriors have been wholly closed and they have been left to their own interiors the conflict ceases, for then they are completely in the love of their own evil and in the affection of their own falsity, and thus in the delight of their life. Therefore they then cast themselves down into hell to their like, which takes place at the day of the Last Judgment.

sRef Rev@11 @19 S0′ 703. And an earthquake, signifies changes of state in respect to the things of heaven and the church with them. This is evident from the signification of an “earthquake,” as being a change of the state of the church, of which above (n. 400). That in the spiritual world there are lands, hills, and mountains, and that these are shaken when the state of the church with them is changed into evil and falsity, and that these are the earthquakes meant by the “earthquakes” spoken of in the Word, may also be seen above (n. 400, 499).

sRef Rev@11 @19 S0′ 704. And great hail, signifies infernal falsity destroying the truths and goods of the church. This is evident from the signification of “hail,” as being infernal falsity destroying the truths of the church (of which above, n. 503); and as it is called a “great hail,” and “great” is predicated of good, and “many” of truth (see above, n. 652, 696), so “great hail” signifies also infernal falsity destroying the goods of the church. Besides lightnings, thunders, and an earthquake, great hail also was seen, because in the spiritual world there appear all the things that are in the natural world, as mists, clouds, rains, snow, and hail, and these though appearances are nevertheless real, arising from correspondences; for the celestial and spiritual Divine things that belong to the affections and the thoughts therefrom, thus to the good of love and the truth of that good with angels, when they descend into the next lower sphere put on forms like those of natural things, and thus present themselves before the eyes to be seen; thus correspondences are formed. So is it with lightnings, thunders, and hail. For this hail is formed by the flowing down of Divine truth where the evil are, who by reasonings draw false conclusions, and by these oppose truths and destroy them. For when Divine truth flows down out of the heavens into the sphere that is about the evil and that appears like a mist formed from their evil affections and from the resulting falsities of their thoughts, then that influx is turned into various things, and into hail with those who think from evils and falsities in opposition to the goods and truths of heaven and the church, and who violently assault them. The reason of this is that their affections and the thoughts therefrom, which are of falsity against truths, are destitute of all heavenly heat; therefore the rain which also falls down out of the heavens into the lower parts congeals into snow or into hail, and that hail destroys all things with them that are green and growing, and also their dwelling places, just like it is said of the hail in Egypt. The hail destroys because the things that are “green and growing” signify the truths of the church, and “the dwelling places” its goods, which such destroy with themselves. This takes place, as has been said, according to correspondence. Moreover, the hail appears congealed into larger or smaller grains according to their stronger or milder attacks upon truths by falsities; the larger grains are called in the Word “hail-stones,” because “stones” also signify falsities. From this it can now be seen why “great hail” signifies infernal falsity destroying the truths and goods of the church.


APOCALYPSE. CHAPTER 12

1. And a great sign was seen in heaven; a woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.
2. And being with child she cried out, travailing, and pained to bring forth.
3. And there was seen another sign in heaven; and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems.
4. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them unto the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bring forth, that when she brought forth he might devour her offspring.
5. And she brought forth a son, a male who is to tend all the nations with an iron rod; and her offspring was caught up unto God and His throne.
6. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared by God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and sixty days.
7. And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels.
8. And they prevailed not; and their place was not found anymore in heaven.
9. And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil and Satan, that seduceth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10. And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, that accuseth them before our God day and night.
11. And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb, and through the word of their testimony: and they loved not their soul even unto death.
12. For this rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to those that inhabit the earth and the sea, for the devil is come down unto you, having great anger, knowing that he hath but a short time.
13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman that brought forth the son.
14. And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness into her place, where she is nourished a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15. And the serpent cast out after the woman out of his mouth water as a river, that he might cause her to be swallowed up by the river.
16. And the earth helped the woman; and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the river, which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17. And the dragon was angry against the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
18.* And I stood upon the sand of the sea.
* English Bible, 13:1

sRef Rev@12 @1 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @2 S0′ 705. EXPOSITION.
Verses 1, 2. And a great sign was seen in heaven; a woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. And being with child she cried out, travailing, and pained to bring forth. 1. “And a great sign was seen in heaven,” signifies Divine attestation respecting the coming church and the reception of its doctrine, and by whom it will be assaulted (n. 706); “a woman arrayed with the sun,” signifies the church with those who are in love to the Lord, and thence in love towards the neighbor (n. 707); “and the moon under her feet,” signifies faith with those who are* in charity (n. 708); “and upon her head a crown of twelve stars,” signifies the wisdom and intelligence of those who are of that church through doctrinals and the knowledges of all things of truth and good from the Word (n. 709). 2. “And being with child,” signifies the nascent doctrine from the good of celestial love (n. 710); “and** she cried out, travailing, and pained to bring forth,” signifies non-reception by those who are in the church, and the resistance of those who are in faith separated from charity (n. 711).
* In No. 705 the words “who are natural and” are crossed out, but they are found in No. 708.
** the photolithograph as “and,” which is not in the Greek.

sRef Rev@12 @1 S0′ 706. Verse 1. And a great sign was seen in heaven, signifies Divine attestation respecting the coming church and the reception of its doctrine, and by whom it will be assaulted. This is evident from the signification of “a great sign in heaven,” as being Divine manifestation and attestation; that it has reference to the church and the reception of its doctrine, and also to assault upon it, is evident from what follows, for the “woman” means the church, her “son a male” doctrine, and “the dragon and his angels” and afterwards “the beasts,” mean those who will assault the church and its doctrine. This vision is called “a great sign” because a “sign” means Divine manifestation respecting things to come, and attestation, here respecting the coming church and its doctrine, and also the assault upon it by those who are meant by “the dragon” and “the beasts.” This is called a “sign,” because it manifests and attests. “Sign” and “wonder” are mentioned in many passages in the Word, “sign” meaning that which indicates, witnesses, and persuades respecting the subject of inquiry, and “wonder” meaning that which stirs up, strikes dumb, and fills with amazement; thus a sign moves the understanding and faith, but a wonder the will and its affection, for the will and its affection are what are stirred up, stricken dumb, and filled with amazement, while the understanding and its faith are what are persuaded and moved by indications and proofs.
sRef Deut@4 @34 S2′ sRef Ps@78 @43 S2′ sRef Ps@105 @27 S2′ sRef Ex@7 @3 S2′ sRef Jer@32 @20 S2′ sRef Ps@78 @42 S2′ sRef Ps@135 @9 S2′ sRef Matt@24 @24 S2′ sRef Deut@6 @22 S2′ sRef Jer@32 @21 S2′ [2] That there is a difference between a sign and a wonder is evident from the fact that the Jews, although they had seen so many wonders performed by the Lord, still sought signs from Him; and also from the fact that the prodigies wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness are sometimes called “signs” and sometimes “wonders,” and sometimes both. It is further evident from this, that in every particular of the Word there is a marriage of truth and good, and thus also of the understanding and will, for truth is of the understanding and good of the will, consequently “signs” there have reference to things pertaining to truth, and to faith and the understanding, and “wonders” to the things pertaining to good, and to affection and the will. Thence is clear the meaning of “signs” and of “wonders,” where they are both mentioned in the Word, as in the following passages. In Moses:
I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt (Exod. 7:3).
In the same:
Jehovah gave signs and wonders great and evil upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his men* (Deut. 6:22).
In the same:
Hath Jehovah tried to come to take to Him a nation out of the midst of a nation, by wonders, by signs, and by prodigies? (Deut. 4:34)
In David:
They remembered not the day in which Jehovah set His signs in Egypt, and His prodigies in the field of Zoan (Ps. 78:42, 43).
In the same:
They set among them the words of their** signs and wonders in the land of Ham (Ps. 105:27).
In the same:
He sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh and all his servants (Ps. 135:9).
In Jeremiah:
Who hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and even to this day, both in Israel and in men, and hast led forth Thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt by signs and by wonders (Jer. 32:20, 21).
This shows that the prodigies wrought in Egypt, and afterwards among the sons of Israel, are called “signs and wonders,” “signs” because they attested and persuaded, and “wonders” because they stirred up and filled with amazement; yet they agree in this, that the things that stir up and fill with amazement also attest and persuade, as those things that stir up the will also persuade the understanding, or as those things that move the affection also move the thought by persuading. Likewise in the Gospels:
In the consummation of the age there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, they shall show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect (Matt. 24:24; Mark 13:22).
Here “great signs and wonders” have a like signification, namely, that they will attest and persuade, and that they will strike dumb and fill with amazement, which will cause a strong persuasion. Who are meant by “false Christs and false prophets,” and who by “the elect,” may be seen above (n. 624, 684).
sRef Deut@13 @1 S3′ sRef Deut@13 @2 S3′ sRef Deut@13 @3 S3′ [3] In Moses:
If there shall arise in the midst of thee a prophet or a dreamer of dreams who shall give thee a sign or a wonder, and if the sign or the wonder come to pass whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, thou shalt not obey (Deut. 13:1-3).
Here a “prophet” and a “dreamer of dreams,” also “sign” and “wonder” are mentioned, because a “sign” has reference to a prophet, and a “wonder” to a dreamer of dreams, because a “prophet” means one who teaches truths, and in the abstract sense the doctrine of truth, and a “dreamer” means one who stirs up to doing, and in the abstract sense the stirring up from which a thing is done; this, too, pertains to a “wonder,” and the former to a “sign;” for prophets were instructed by a living voice from the Lord, and “dreamers” by representatives exciting to doing, which flowed into the affection of the dreamer, and from that into the sight of the thought, for when a man dreams his natural understanding is laid asleep and his spiritual sight is opened, which draws its all from the affection. But in this passage the sight that draws its all from an evil affection is meant, for it treats of prophets who teach falsities and who dream vain things, for “other gods” mean the falsities and vain things that such heard and saw.
sRef Ex@4 @9 S4′ sRef Ex@4 @8 S4′ [4] That “signs” signify attestations which indicate and persuade to the belief that a thing is so, is evident from the following passages. In Moses:
If they will not believe thee nor hear the voice of the first sign, yet they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And if they will not believe these two signs nor hear thy voice, thou shalt take of the waters of the river and they shall become blood (Exod. 4:8, 9).
This is said of the wonders wrought by Moses, when the Lord appeared to him in the bush, which are called “signs” because they were to attest and persuade that Moses was sent to lead them out of Egypt; this is why it is three times said “that they may believe,” and also “that they may hear his voice.”
sRef Num@14 @11 S5′ sRef Num@14 @22 S5′ sRef Num@14 @23 S5′ [5] In the same:
Jehovah said unto Moses, How long will the people not believe in Me for all the signs which I have done in the midst of them? All the men that have seen My glory and the signs which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, they shall not see the land (Num. 14:11, 22, 23).
These miracles, too, are called “signs,” because mention is made of believing; for as has been said, miracles are called “signs” because they persuade and induce faith; and as signs did not induce faith with those who were unwilling on account of fear to enter into the land of Canaan, therefore it is said of them that “they should not see the land.” “Signs” have a like signification in Exod. 4:17; and 10:1, 2.
sRef Matt@12 @39 S6′ sRef Matt@12 @38 S6′ sRef Matt@12 @40 S6′ [6] In the Gospels:
The Scribes and Pharisees said, Master, we would see a sign from Thee. But He answering, said, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, but no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the belly*** of the earth (Matt. 12:38-40; Luke 11:16, 29, 30).
A “sign” plainly means attestation that they may be persuaded and believe that the Lord was the Messiah and the Son of God who was to come, for the miracles that the Lord wrought in abundance, and that they saw, were no signs to them, because miracles, as has been said above, are signs only with the good. “Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale,” and this was taken for a “sign,” because it signified the burial and resurrection of the Lord, thus the complete glorification of His Human, “three days and three nights” also signifying completeness.
sRef Matt@16 @1 S7′ sRef Matt@16 @3 S7′ sRef Matt@16 @4 S7′ sRef Matt@16 @2 S7′ [7] In Matthew:
The Pharisees and the Sadducees, tempting, asked Jesus to show them a sign from heaven. He answering, said to them, When it is evening ye say, It will be fair weather, for the heaven is red. And in the morning, There will be storm today, for the heaven is red and gloomy. Ye hypocrites, ye know how to discern the face of heaven, but not the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous nation requireth a sign, but no sign shall be given unto it but the sign of the prophet Jonah (Matt. 16:1-4).
Here, too, the “sign” asked from heaven means attestation that they might be persuaded and might believe that the Lord was the Son of God, although miracles were wrought that they did not call signs. The Lord then spoke of evening and of morning because “evening and morning” signifies the Lord’s coming; here it means when the church with the Jews was laid waste, who then had “fair weather,” because they had no knowledge of the Lord, and lived securely in falsities from evil; this is the “evening;” but when they knew Him, and because of falsities from evils in which they were denied and assaulted Him, this is signified by “the morning when there is a storm.” This is why the Lord said, “Ye hypocrites, ye know how to discern the face of heaven, but not the signs of the times,” that is, the Lord’s coming; and because they were “a wicked and adulterous nation,” that is, one that adulterated the Word, He said that “no sign should be given unto them.”
sRef Mark@8 @12 S8′ sRef Mark@8 @11 S8′ [8] So again in Mark:
The Pharisees began to dispute with Jesus, seeking of Him a sign from heaven; and He, sighing in His spirit, said, Why doth this generation seek a sign? Verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation (Mark 8:11, 12).
That a “sign” here signifies attestation by which they might plainly know, acknowledge, and believe, that the Lord was the Messiah and Son of God whom they expected from the predictions in the prophets, is evident from this, that “sighing in spirit, He said, Why doth this generation seek a sign? Verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation;” and this was because if this had been plainly revealed or told them from heaven, and if thus persuaded they had acknowledged and believed it, they would nevertheless have rejected it afterwards, and to reject after acknowledgment and faith is to profane, and the lot of profaners in hell is the worst of all.
sRef John@12 @40 S9′ [9] That for this reason plain attestation was not given them from heaven is evident from these words in John:
He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and should turn themselves, and I should heal them (John 12:40).
“To turn themselves and be healed” means here to profane, which is done when truths and goods are acknowledged, especially when the Lord is acknowledged and afterwards denied; so would it have been if the Jews had turned themselves and been healed by a sign. “To see with the eyes and understand with the heart” signifies to receive in the understanding and will, or in faith and love. From this it is clear that a “sign” signifies a plain testification. (On the lot of profaners see the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 172.)
sRef John@6 @32 S10′ sRef John@6 @31 S10′ sRef John@6 @30 S10′ sRef John@6 @33 S10′ [10] In John:
The disciples**** said unto Jesus, What doest Thou for a sign, that we may see and believe Thee, what workest Thou? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not the bread out of heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread out of heaven; for the bread of God is He who cometh down out of heaven and giveth life unto the world (John 6:30-33).
Here also the disciples**** desired a sign; that this signifies attestation that they might believe is clear from their saying, “That we may see and believe, what workest Thou?” They then spoke of “manna,” and the Lord answered respecting “bread from heaven,” because “bread” signifies all good and truth that nourishes the soul, and in the highest sense the Lord Himself, from whom is everything of doctrine and everything of spiritual nourishment, whereby he gave attestation that they might see and believe. Nevertheless attestation, that is, a sign from heaven, was given to the three disciples, Peter, James, and John, as can be seen from the Lord’s transfiguration, for they then saw His glory, and heard a voice out of heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him” (Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35; Matt. 17:5).
sRef John@2 @19 S11′ sRef John@2 @18 S11′ sRef John@2 @16 S11′ [11] In John:
When Jesus cast out of the temple them that sold therein, the Jews said, What sign showest Thou, that Thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, yet in three days I will raise it up (John 2:16, 18, 19).
Here evidently “to show a sign” signifies to give attestation by something wonderful, or by a voice out of heaven. But because such an attestation would have damned rather than saved them, as has been said just above, He answered them concerning “the temple,” by which He meant His body, that this should be destroyed, that is, should die, and should rise again glorified on the third day. This too is what the Lord meant by “the sign of Jonah in the belly of the whale three days and three nights.” (That “temple” in the highest sense signifies the Lord’s body, see John 2:21.)
sRef Luke@2 @11 S12′ sRef Luke@2 @12 S12′ sRef Luke@2 @16 S12′ [12] In Luke:
The angels said to the shepherds, There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord; and this is a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger (Luke 2:11, 12, 16).
Since a “sign” means attestation that they might believe that the Savior of the world was born, it is said that “they should find Him lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes;” but that this was an attestation no one can know until it is known what is meant by a “manger” and by “swaddling clothes.” “A manger” means the doctrine of truth from the Word, because “horses” signify the understanding of the Word (as can be seen from what has been shown above, n. 355, 364, and in the small work on The White Horse, n. 2-4); and thus a manger, as a feeding place for horses, signifies the doctrine of truth from the Word. It is said in the seventh verse of the same chapter that this was done “because there was no place in the inn,” an “inn” signifying a place of instruction. (This is the signification of “inn” also in Luke 10:34; 22:11; Mark 14:14; and elsewhere.) Because this was the state with the Jews, who were then in mere falsities, through the adulteration of the Word, this was signified by “there was no place in the inn;” for if it had pleased the Lord He might have been born in a most splendid palace, and have been laid in a bed adorned with precious stones; but He would thus have been with such as were in no doctrine of truth, and there would have been no heavenly representation. He is also said to have been “wrapped in swaddling clothes,” because “swaddling clothes” signify first truths, which are truths of innocence, and which are also truths of the Divine love; for “nakedness,” in reference to a babe, signifies deprivation of truth. From this it is clear why it was said by the angels, “This is a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.”
sRef Matt@24 @3 S13′ sRef Matt@24 @30 S13′ sRef Luke@21 @25 S13′ sRef Luke@21 @11 S13′ [13] In the Gospels:
The disciples said to Jesus, What shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the consummation of the age? (Matt. 24:3; Mark 13:4; Luke 21:7)
“The coming of the Lord and the consummation of the age” signifies the beginning of the New Church and the end of the former church, “the coming of the Lord” the beginning of the New Church, and “the consummation of the age” the end of the old church, therefore in these chapters the Lord instructs His disciples respecting the successive vastation of the former church, and at its end the establishment of the New Church; but He instructs and teaches them by mere correspondences, which cannot be unfolded and made known except by means of the spiritual sense; and because the Lord spoke by correspondences, all of these were signs and thus attestations. Moreover, the Lord calls them “signs.” As in Luke:
And there shall be fearful things, great signs from heaven. There shall be signs in the sun, moon, and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in desperation, the sea and the waves roaring (Luke 21:11, 25).
In Matthew:
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man; and then shall all the tribes of the earth lament, and they shall see the Son of man coming In the clouds of heaven with power and glory (Matt. 24:30).
The signification in the spiritual sense of these and the other things contained in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew have been explained in the Arcana Coelestia, and of “the appearing of the sign of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven” in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 1); therefore further explanation is unnecessary.
sRef Mark@16 @17 S14′ sRef Mark@16 @18 S14′ sRef Mark@16 @20 S14′ [14] In Mark:
Jesus said unto the disciples, These signs shall follow them that believe, In My name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the infirm and they shall be well. And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them by signs following (Mark 16:17, 18, 20).
These were miracles, yet still they are called “signs” because they were attestations of the Divine power of the Lord who wrought them; therefore it is said, “The Lord working with them by those signs.” If these had been applied to the evil they would have been called “wonders,” for with the evil such things only fill with amazement and strike the mind, and still do not persuade to belief; but with the good it is otherwise, for with them the same things are attestations that persuade to belief, and therefore they are called “signs,” and it is said “these signs shall follow them that believe.” But how these signs can persuade to belief shall be briefly told. These miraculous signs, as that “they should cast out demons,” “should speak with new tongues,” “should take up serpents,” “if they drank any deadly thing it should not hurt them,” and “they should become well by the laying on of hands,” were in their essence and in their origin spiritual, from which these flowed forth and came forth as effects; for they were correspondences that derived their all from the spiritual world by influx from the Lord. For instance, that “they should cast out demons in the name of the Lord” derived its effect from this, that the name of the Lord understood spiritually means everything of doctrine out of the Word from the Lord, and that “demons” mean falsities of every kind, and these are thus cast out, that is, taken away, by the doctrine out of the Word from the Lord; that “they should speak with new tongues” derives its effect from this, that “new tongues” mean doctrinals for the New Church; “they should take up serpents” was because “serpents” signify the hells in respect to malice, and thus they would be safe from infestation by it; “they would not be hurt if they drank any deadly thing” meant that they would not be contaminated by the malice of the hells; and “the infirm would become well by the laying on of hands” meant to be healed of spiritual diseases, which are called iniquities and sins, by communication and conjunction with heaven, thus with the Lord; the laying on of the hands of the disciples corresponding to communication and conjunction with the Lord, and thus to the removal of iniquities by His Divine power.
sRef Isa@7 @14 S15′ sRef Isa@7 @10 S15′ sRef Isa@7 @11 S15′ [15] In Isaiah:
Jehovah said unto Ahaz, Ask thee a sign of Jehovah, direct it into the deep, or lift it up on high. The Lord giveth you a sign, Behold, a virgin shall conceive and shall bear a son, and shall call His name God-with-us (Isa. 7:11, 14).
This was said to Ahaz king of Judah, because the king of Syria and the king of Israel made war against him, even to Jerusalem, and they also had on their side the tribe of Ephraim, and yet they did not prevail, for the reason that “the king of Syria” here represented the external or natural of the church, “the king of Israel” its internal or spiritual, and “Ephraim” its intellectual; but here these three, the natural, the spiritual, and the intellectual, perverted, and these wished to attack the doctrine of truth, signified by “the king of Judah” and by “Jerusalem,” wherefore they did not succeed. Nevertheless, in order that Ahaz might be assured of the frustration of their attempt he was told “to ask a sign,” that is, an attestation that he might be assured, and the choice was granted him whether it should be from heaven or from hell; this was signified by “direct it into the deep, or lift it up on high,” for the king was evil. But because “Jerusalem,” which signifies the doctrine of truth from the Word, was not to be destroyed by such before the Lord’s coming, there was given him, as an attestation of this, a miraculous sign, namely, that “a virgin shall conceive and shall bear a son, whose name shall be God-with-us.” That this church would subsequently be destroyed is indicated further on in the same chapter.
sRef Isa@38 @8 S16′ sRef Isa@38 @6 S16′ sRef Isa@38 @7 S16′ [16] In the same:
This shall be a sign to thee from with Jehovah, behold, I will bring back the shadow of the steps which is gone down on the steps of Ahaz before the sun, ten steps backward, that the sun may return ten steps on the steps which it has gone down (Isa. 38:7, 8).
This sign was given to King Hezekiah as an attestation that the Lord would defend him and Jerusalem from the king of Assyria (as is said in the sixth verse of that chapter), that king signifying the perverted rational destroying all things of the church; therefore this sign represented also a New Church that was to be established by the Lord, but here that the time would be protracted beyond that indicated to Ahaz just above; “bringing back the shadow that had gone down on the steps of Ahaz before the sun” signifies a drawing back of the time before this should be done, “steps of Ahaz” signifying a time, here even until the coming of the Lord, and the “shadow” signifying the progress of time from the rising to the setting; that the shadow “should be drawn backwards ten degrees” signifies the prolongation of the time for many years still, “ten” signifying many, and the “sun” which should go back signifying the Lord’s coming.
But this shall be further illustrated. The Lord’s coming took place when the Jewish Church was at an end, that is, when there was no good or truth left in it; this is meant by “when iniquity was consummated,” also by “the fullness of times,” in which the Lord was to come. The entire period of the duration of the Jewish Church was represented by “the steps of Ahaz,” its beginning by the first step there, which is when the sun is in its rising, and its end by the last when it is at its setting. This makes evident that by “the drawing back of the shadow” from the setting towards the rising means the prolongation of the time. This should take place “in the steps of Ahaz,” because Ahaz was a wicked king, and profaned the holy things of the church, consequently if his successors had done the same, the end of that church would have quickly come; but as Hezekiah was an upright king the time was prolonged, for on that account the iniquity of that nation was not so soon to reach its consummation, that is, its end.
sRef Isa@37 @30 S17′ [17] In the same:
Say to King Hezekiah, This shall be the sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year that which springeth up of itself, and in the second year that which groweth of its own accord; but in the third year sow ye, reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof (Isa. 37:30).
This was said to King Hezekiah when Sennacherib, king of Assyria, made war against him, and spoke proudly of himself and insolently of God and of Israel; in consequence of which also one hundred and eighty***** thousand were smitten in his camp, and he was himself killed by his sons. This was done because “Assyria” signifies the rational, and “the king of Assyria” the like, and “Judea” the celestial of the church, and “its king” the spiritual of the church; but here “the king of Assyria” signifies the perverted rational, which destroys by false reasonings all the celestial and spiritual things of the church, which are its goods and truths. And as “Judea and its king” signify the celestial and spiritual of the church which will be from the Lord when He comes into the world, therefore these things are said by which is described the regeneration of those who will be of that church. So the sign that the first year “they shall eat that which springeth up of itself” signifies celestial good that the Lord will implant in them; “in the second year that which groweth of its own accord,” signifies the truth of that good which shall come from it; “to sow, to reap, to plant vineyards, and to eat the fruit thereof,” signifies all the goods and truths that flow forth therefrom, “to sow and reap” signifying the implantation of good and its reception; “to plant vineyards” the implantation of truth and its reception; and “to eat the fruits thereof” the enjoyment of good and joyous things therefrom which the regenerate man has. These things are called “a sign” because they are attestations of a celestial church with those who are meant in the spiritual sense by “Judah,” whose regeneration is effected by the Lord by the implantation of celestial good, afterwards by the implantation of spiritual good, which in its essence is the truth of celestial good, and finally by multiplication and fructification in the natural man.
sRef Isa@45 @13 S18′ sRef Isa@45 @11 S18′ [18] In the same:
Thus said Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel and his Former, They have asked Me signs respecting My sons, and respecting the work of My hands they command Me. I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways. He shall build My city, and he shall send forth My captivity, not for price nor reward (Isa. 45:11, 13).
This also treats of the Lord’s coming and of the establishment of a church by Him. The Lord is meant by “Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Former,” who is called “the Holy One of Israel” from Divine truth, and his “Former” from the establishment of the church by means of truth; and “Israel” means the church; therefore “His sons, respecting whom they asked signs,” mean those who are in truths from the Lord, and “the work of His hands” means their formation, and the establishment of a church among them. “I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all His ways” signifies that Divine good and Divine truth are the Lord’s, for “righteousness” is predicated in the Word of good, and “ways” signify truths that lead, here Divine truths, because they are predicated of the Lord; “he shall build My city, and he shall send forth My captivity” signifies that He will restore the doctrine of truth, and that He will deliver those who are in falsities from ignorance, “city” signifying the doctrine of truth, and “captivity” the falsities of ignorance in which the Gentiles were, and through which they were in spiritual captivity; “not for price nor reward” signifies freely given from Divine love.
sRef Ezek@4 @3 S19′ sRef Isa@41 @23 S19′ sRef Isa@41 @22 S19′ [19] In the same:
Let them declare to you****** the things that shall happen, declare ye the former things, that we may set our heart and may know the latter end of them; or make us to hear things to come, declare to us a sign for the future, that we may know that ye are gods (Isa. 41:22, 23).
That to tell things past and to come belongs to the Lord alone, and not to any man or any spirit, is expressed by “declare a sign for the future, that we may know that ye are gods;” this concludes what precedes, therefore “to declare a sign” means to testify by persuading to believe.
[20] In Ezekiel:
Take to thee a pan of iron, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city; and thou shalt set thy faces against it, that it may be for a siege, and thou shalt lay siege to it; this shall be a sign to the house of Israel (Ezek. 4:3).
These and the rest of the things in this chapter are representatives of the state of the church with the Jewish nation, signifying that they had no truth that was not falsified and adulterated, which in itself is falsity. Such truth is signified by “the pan of iron” that he should set for a wall between him and the city; and because this, like iron, is hard, shutting out and not admitting any genuine truth, it is said, “that it may be for a siege, and thou shalt lay siege to it;” that this sign should be a witness that the church is such is signified by “this shall be a sign to the house of Israel,” “sign” meaning an attestation, and “house of Israel” the church.
sRef Ps@74 @9 S21′ sRef Ps@74 @4 S21′ sRef Ps@74 @3 S21′ [21] In David:
The adversary hath destroyed all things in the sanctuary; the adversaries have roared in the midst of Thy feast; they have set up their own signs for signs. We see not our signs; there is no more a prophet (Ps. 74:3, 4, 9).
“The adversary hath destroyed all things in the sanctuary” signifies that evil has destroyed the holy things of the church; “the adversaries have roared in the midst of Thy feast” signifies that falsities have destroyed all things of worship; “they have set up their own signs for signs” signifies that they have given attestation and persuaded by every means; “we see not our signs” signifies that no attestations of truth were accepted in the church; “there is no more a prophet” signifies no doctrine of truth.
sRef Ps@86 @17 S22′ [22] In the same:
Jehovah make a sign with me for good, that they that hate me may see and be ashamed, because Thou, O Jehovah, hast helped me and comforted me (Ps. 86:17).
“To make a sign for good” signifies attestation that Jehovah will help and comfort him, as follows, for this is the good for which Jehovah makes a sign; and because a sign is an attestation of this it is said “that they that hate me may see and be ashamed.”
sRef Ps@65 @8 S23′ sRef Ps@65 @6 S23′ sRef Ps@65 @7 S23′ [23] In the same:
God who setteth fast the mountains by His power is girded with might; He maketh the tumult of the seas to cease, the tumult of its waves and the noise of the peoples, that the dwellers in the uttermost parts may fear because of Thy signs (Ps. 65:6-8).
This describes the Lord’s Divine power through attestations that cause belief; but attestations that are signs are not that “He setteth fast the mountains, maketh the tumult of the seas and of its waves, and the noise of the people to cease,” for these are not such signs as convince those who ascribe all things to nature; but the things meant in the spiritual sense, in which sense heaven and the church are treated of, are the signs that give attestation of the Lord’s Divine power, for in that sense, the “mountains” that God setteth fast by His power mean the higher heavens, because the angels of those heavens dwell upon mountains; and in the abstract sense love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor are meant; these are what the Lord “girded with might, setteth fast by His power,” that is, makes them to stand fast forever; that “mountains” have such a signification may be seen above (n. 405); “the tumult of the seas” and “the tumult of the waves” mean the disputations and reasonings of those who are beneath the heavens, and who are natural and sensual; that “seas” signify the things of the natural man, thus those who are natural, therefore their tumults and waves signify disputations and reasonings, may be seen also above (n. 342). “The noise of the peoples” mean contradictions from falsities, for “peoples” signify those who are in truths, and in the contrary sense those who are in falsities (see above, n. 175, 331, 625). “That the dwellers in the uttermost parts may fear because of Thy signs” signifies holy worship from faith in regard to Divine power with those who are in the ultimates of heaven and the church; that “to fear” means to worship the Lord from charity and faith may be seen above (n. 696); and that “dwellers in the uttermost parts” mean those who are in the ultimates of heaven and the church, and are in the faith of charity there, is evident, since “the uttermost parts” mean the ultimates of heaven and the church. From this it is clear that “signs” here signify attestations respecting the Lord’s Divine power.
sRef Jer@44 @30 S24′ sRef Jer@44 @29 S24′ [24] In Jeremiah:
This shall be the sign unto you that I will visit upon you in this place, that ye may know that My words shall stand against you for evil. Behold, I give the king of Egypt into the hand of his adversaries and into the hand of them that seek his soul (Jer. 44:29, 30).
This treats of those of the church who have become natural, who are meant by those who sojourned in Egypt and returned therefrom. That such would be destroyed by evils and falsities is meant by “He will give the king of Egypt into the hand of his adversaries and into the hand of them that seek his soul,” “adversaries” here meaning those who are in evils, and “them that seek the soul” those who are in falsities, thus in an abstract sense evils and falsities (that “Egypt” means the natural man see above, n. 654).
This is called a “sign,” because it is an attestation that this will be done; therefore it is added, “that ye may know that my words shall stand against you for evil.”
sRef Judg@6 @21 S25′ sRef 1Sam@2 @34 S25′ sRef Judg@6 @17 S25′ sRef Isa@38 @22 S25′ sRef 1Sam@14 @10 S25′ [25] That a “sign” means attestation of certainty is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Hezekiah said, What is the sign that I am to go up into the house of Jehovah? (Isa. 38:22)
In the book of Judges:
Gideon said to the angel of Jehovah, Show me a sign that it is thou that speakest to me; and the sign was, that when he touched with the staff the flesh and unleavened bread which Gideon had offered, a fire went up out of the rock and consumed them (Judg. 6:17, 21).
In the first book of Samuel:
This shall be the sign unto thee that shall come upon thy two sons, in one day they shall die, both of them (1 Sam. 2:34).
If the Philistines say, Come up unto us, then will we go up, for Jehovah hath given them into our hand; this shall be the sign unto us (1 Sam. 14:10).
Nearly the same is signified by:
The signs of the covenant (Gen. 9:13; 17:11; Ezek. 20:12, 20; and elsewhere);
namely, attestations respecting conjunction.
sRef Jer@51 @12 S26′ sRef Jer@50 @2 S26′ sRef Jer@10 @2 S26′ sRef Isa@44 @25 S26′ sRef Rev@19 @20 S26′ sRef Rev@16 @14 S26′ sRef Jer@10 @3 S26′ sRef Jer@31 @21 S26′ sRef Rev@13 @14 S26′ sRef Jer@51 @27 S26′ sRef Rev@13 @13 S26′ [26] Attestations are signified also by “signs” wrought by the evil that appeared like miracles, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Jehovah maketh void the signs of the liars, He rendereth the diviners mad, He turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge stupid (Isa. 44:25).
In Jeremiah:
Jehovah hath said, Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of the heavens; for the nations are dismayed at them. The statutes of the nations******* are vanity (Jer. 10:2, 3).
In Revelation:
The beast coming up out of the earth did great signs, so that he even maketh fire to come down from heaven unto the earth before men, and seduceth them that worship******** upon the earth, because of the signs that were given him to do (Rev. 13:13, 14).
They are the spirits of demons doing signs to go forth unto the kings of the earth, to gather them together unto the war of that great day (Rev. 16:14).
And again:
The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that did signs before him, by which he seduced them that had received the mark of the beast (Rev. 19:20).
But what is meant by “signs upon the hand and in the forehead” may be seen above (n. 427). Again, the “signs” that were set upon mountains to gather the people together to war, to battle, and so on, signified indications to do the things commanded. As in Isaiah:
It shall be in that day that the root of Jesse, which standeth for an ensign of the peoples, the nations shall seek, and his rest shall be glory. When he shall lift up an ensign to the nations, and shall gather together the outcasts of Israel and the dispersed of Judah from the four winds of the earth (Isa. 11:10-12).
In Jeremiah:
Set thee up signs, place for thee columns, set thine heart to the highway, the way thou mayest go (Jer. 31:21).
In the same:
Declare ye among the nations, and make to be heard, and lift up an ensign; Babylon is taken (Jer. 50:2).
Lift up an ensign against the walls of Babylon, keep the watch, set the watchmen. Lift up an ensign in the land, sound the trumpet among the nations (Jer. 51:12, 27);
and elsewhere, especially in the historical parts of the Word. From all these passages quoted from the Word it is clear that “a great sign seen in heaven” signifies Divine manifestation and attestation (as also in the third verse of this chapter, and afterwards in chap. 15:1).
* The Hebrew has “house.”
** The Hebrew has “His,” as found in AR 598.
*** The Greek has “heart,” as also found in AC 2798.
**** The context would seem to show that we should read “The people.”
***** The Hebrew has “185,000,” as found in AC 4236.
****** The Hebrew has “to us.”
******* The Hebrew has “peoples.”
******** The Greek has “dwell,” as found in AC 826; AR 600.

sRef Rev@12 @1 S0′ 707. A woman arrayed with the sun, signifies the church with those who are in love to the Lord, and thence in love towards the neighbor. This is evident from the signification of “woman,” as being the spiritual affection of truth, from which the church is a church, consequently also the church in respect to that affection (of which above, n. 555); it follows that this means the New Church to be established by the Lord after the end of the present church, which is in the Christian world. This is evident also from the signification of the “sun,” as being the Lord in relation to the Divine love, thus also love to the Lord from the Lord (of which also above, n. 401, 412); also from the signification of “arrayed” as being to live from that love, for the life of the love of everyone, both of man and of spirit and angel, forms a sphere about them from which what is their quality is perceived, even afar off; moreover, by means of that sphere consociations and conjunctions are effected in the heavens and also in the hells; and as here the church which is in love to the Lord from the Lord is treated of, and that church is meant by “the woman,” and that love by “the sun,” so “the woman arrayed with the sun” signifies the church with those who are in love to the Lord from the Lord. It is added, and thence in love towards the neighbor, because love towards the neighbor is derived from love to the Lord, as what is posterior is derived from its prior, or what is exterior from its interior; in a word, as an effect from its effecting cause; for love to the Lord is to love and to will those things that are of the Lord, consequently those things that the Lord has commanded in the Word, and love towards the neighbor is to act from that will, thus it consists in the performance of uses, which are effects. That this “woman” signifies the New Church, which is to be established by the Lord after the end of the church now existing in the Christian world, can be seen from what follows in this chapter, namely, that “she brought forth a son, a male child which the dragon wished to devour, and that was caught up to God,” and that “the woman fled into the wilderness,” and there too “the dragon wished to destroy her;” for from what follows it will be seen that “the son a male” means the truth of the doctrine of that church, and “the dragon” means those who are opposed to the truths of that doctrine. That the church here meant by the “woman” is the same church as “the New Jerusalem” that is described chap. 21, and is there (verse 9) called “the bride, the Lamb’s wife,” will be seen in the explanation of that chapter.

sRef Rev@12 @1 S0′ 708. And the moon under her feet, signifies faith with those who are natural and who are in charity. This is evident from the signification of “moon” as being faith in which there is charity (of which presently); and from the signification of “feet,” as being things natural (of which above, n. 69, 600, 632); here, therefore, those who are natural, because this is said of the “woman,” by whom the church is signified, and the “sun” with which she was arrayed, signifies love to the Lord from the Lord and love to the neighbor (as shown in the preceding article); therefore “the woman arrayed with the sun” signifies the church with those who are celestial and thence spiritual, and “the moon under her feet” signifies the church with those who are natural and sensual, and at the same time in the faith of charity; for the goods and the truths therefrom of heaven and the church succeed in order, like the head, the body, and the feet with man. In the head of the Greatest Man, which is heaven, are those who are in love to the Lord from the Lord, and these are called celestial; but in the body, from the breast even to the loins of that Greatest Man, which is heaven, are those who are in love towards the neighbor, and these are called spiritual; but in the feet of the Greatest Man, which is heaven, are those who are obscurely in the faith of charity, and these are called natural.
[2] But that this may be clearly apprehended it must be known that there are two kingdoms into which the heavens are divided, one called the celestial, and the other the spiritual; and that there are three heavens, the highest called the celestial, the middle called the spiritual, and the lowest called the celestial-natural and the spiritual-natural. Besides these distinctions in the heavens, however, there is the further distinction between those who receive light, that is, intelligence, from the Lord as a sun, and those who receive light and intelligence from the Lord as a moon. Those who receive the light of intelligence from the Lord as a sun are those with whom the intellectual and its rational have been opened, and who have, in consequence, thought rationally about what should be believed from the spiritual affection of truth; while those who receive light from the Lord as a moon are those in whom the intellectual and interior rational have not been opened, but only the natural, and who in consequence have thought from the memory about what should be believed; and to think about this from the memory is to think only from such things as have been heard from a teacher or preacher, which they call truths and believe to be truths although they may be falsities, since they are not seen beyond the memory. If such while in the world were also in the faith of charity, they are in the heavens under the Lord as a moon, for the lumen, from which is their intelligence, is like the moon’s lumen in the nighttime, while the light from which is the intelligence of those who are in the heavens under the Lord as a sun is like the light of day. Of what nature the difference is can be seen from the difference between the light of the sun in the day and the light of the moon in the night. There is the further difference that those who are under the Lord as a moon can see nothing in the light that those have who are under the Lord as a sun, for the reason that their light is not genuine light but a reflected light, which can receive falsities as well as truths if only there seems to be good in the falsities. Because all those who are in the heavens under the Lord as a moon are natural and sensual, and have nothing in common with those who are in the heavens under the Lord as a sun, and moreover are in falsities, though in falsities in which there is good, therefore the moon was seen “under the feet” of the woman, which means the faith with those who are natural.
[3] Thus much respecting the faith of those in heaven who are under the Lord as a moon. A few things shall also be said about their affection, from which faith derives its life. Their affection of knowing truth and doing good is, like themselves, natural, thus deriving more or less from the glory of being learned, and from reputation that looks to honors and gain as rewards, differing in this from such spiritual affection of knowing truth and doing good as those have who are in heaven under the Lord as a sun, for with these this affection is so separated from natural affection that the natural affection is under the feet. This, also, is why “the moon,” which signifies not only faith but also its affection, was here seen under the feet. (But a fuller idea of this can be gained from what is said and shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, under the heads, Heaven is Divided into Two Kingdoms, n. 20-28; The Sun and the Moon in Heaven, Light and Heat in the Heavens, n. 116-140; and The Correspondence of Heaven with all Things of Man, n. 51-102; also in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem respecting those who are in falsities from good, n. 21.) That “the sun” signifies the Lord in relation to Divine love, and thus love to the Lord from the Lord, and “the moon” the truth of faith, may be seen above (n. 401); moreover, respecting the heavens that are under the Lord as a sun, and those under the Lord as a moon, see also above (n. 411, 422, 527). To this is to be added, that there are three heavens that are under the Lord as a moon, a higher, a middle, and a lower; or what is the same, an interior, a middle, and an exterior, but yet all who are in these heavens are natural. These heavens are interior, middle, and exterior, because the natural like the spiritual is divided into three degrees; the exterior-natural communicates with the world, the interior with heaven, and the middle conjoins. Nevertheless, those who are in the heavens under the Lord as a moon cannot enter into the heavens that are under the Lord as a sun, because their interior sight or understanding has been formed to receive the lunar light there, and not to receive the solar light. They are comparatively not unlike those birds that see in the night and not in the daytime, consequently when they come into the sunlight that those have who are under the Lord as a sun their sight is darkened. Those who are in these heavens are those who have been in charity according to their religious principle, or according to their faith; but such as are natural and are not in the faith of charity are in the hells under these heavens. From this it is evident that the “moon” here means faith with those who are natural and are in charity; and the moon was seen “under the feet” because those who are in the heavens under the Lord as a moon have nothing in common with those who are in the heavens under the Lord as a sun, even to the extent that they are unable to rise up to them.

sRef Rev@12 @1 S0′ 709. And upon her head a crown of twelve stars, signifies the wisdom and intelligence of those who are of that church through doctrinals and knowledges of all things of truth and good from the Word. This is evident from the signification of “head,” as being wisdom and intelligence (of which above, n. 553, 577), here of those who are of the church that is signified by “the woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet;” also from the signification of “crown,” which also means wisdom and intelligence (of which above, n. 126, 218, 272), also from the signification of “stars,” as being the doctrinals and knowledges of truth and good from the Word (of which see n. 72, 402, 535), also from the signification of “twelve,” which means all, and is predicated of truths and goods (see n. 430). From this it is clear that “the crown of twelve stars upon the head” of the woman signifies the wisdom and intelligence of those who are of that church through the doctrinals and knowledges of all things of truth and good from the Word. This is said of the woman after it is said that she was “arrayed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet,” because the “sun” signifies celestial and spiritual love, and the “moon” the faith of charity, and from these all wisdom and intelligence flow forth; for from the Lord as a sun heat and light proceed, and heat is the good of love, and light is truth from that good, and these two constitute wisdom and intelligence with angels and men, for the good of love enters their will, and truth from that good enters their understanding, and in the will and understanding together wisdom has its seat.

sRef Rev@12 @2 S0′ 710. Verse 2. And being with child, signifies nascent doctrine from the good of celestial love. This is evident from the signification of “being with child” [or having in the womb] as being, in reference to the church, which the woman signifies, the nascent doctrine of truth from the good of celestial love. For the “womb” signifies inmost conjugial love, and thence celestial love in the whole complex; and the embryo in the womb signifies the truth of doctrine from the good of celestial love, for it has a similar signification as “the son a male” which the woman brought forth, described in the fifth verse, which signifies the doctrine of truth from the good of love, but with the difference that the embryo, being yet in the womb, partakes more from the good of innocence than after it is born, therefore the embryo and the son a male both signify the doctrine of truth, the latter doctrine itself, but the former nascent doctrine. From this it is clear that “being with child” signifies the nascent doctrine of truth from the good of celestial love.
[2] The “womb” signifies the inmost good of love, because all the members devoted to generation, both with males and with females, signify conjugial love, and “the womb” its inmost, because there the fetus is conceived and grows, until it is born; moreover, it is the inmost of the genital organs, and from it is also derived the maternal love that is called “storge.” Because the man who is regenerating is also conceived, and as it were carried in the womb and born, and because regeneration is effected by truths from the good of love, so “to bear in the womb” signifies in the spiritual sense the doctrine of truth from the good of love. There is also a correspondence of the womb with the inmost good of love, since the whole heaven corresponds to all things with man (of which correspondence see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 87-102); and thus also the members devoted to generation; these correspond there to celestial love. There is also an influx of that love out of heaven with mothers during the time of gestation, and into the embryos; and from it springs the love of the babe with mothers, and innocence with babes. This shows why the “womb” signifies the inmost good of love, and “to bear in the womb” signifies the nascent doctrine of truth from the good of love.
sRef Isa@46 @4 S3′ sRef Isa@46 @3 S3′ [3] That this is the signification of the “womb,” and of “bearing in the womb,” can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Isaiah:
Hearken unto Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel carried from the womb, borne from the matrix; even unto old age I am the same, and even to hoariness I will carry; I have made, I will carry, and I will bear and will deliver (Isa. 46:3, 4).
This is said of the reformation of the church, and of the regeneration of the men of the church by the Lord. The church is signified by “the house of Jacob” and “the house of Israel,” the external church by “the house of Jacob,” and the internal by “the house of Israel.” “Those carried from the womb” signify those who are being regenerated by the Lord, and “those borne from the matrix” signify those who are regenerated. Because the man who is being regenerated is first conceived by the Lord, and next is born, and lastly is educated and perfected, and because regeneration is in this respect like the natural generation of man, so “to be carried from the womb” signifies the state of the man who is to be regenerated from conception to birth; the birth itself and afterwards education and perfection, is signified by “to be borne from the matrix; even unto old age I am the same, and even to hoariness I will carry;” “I have made, I will carry, and I will bear and will deliver,” have like significations; the former meaning regeneration by the goods of love and charity, and the latter regeneration by the truths from those goods; “to deliver” means to take away and remove evils and falsities that are from hell.
sRef Hos@9 @12 S4′ sRef Hos@9 @11 S4′ sRef Hos@9 @16 S4′ sRef Hos@9 @14 S4′ [4] In Hosea:
Ephraim, as a bird shall his glory fly away, from the birth and from the belly and from conception; yea, if they have brought up their sons, yet I will make them bereaved of man. Give to them, O Jehovah, a miscarrying matrix and dry breasts. Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall yield no fruit, even when they have borne I will kill the desires of their belly (Hos. 9:11, 12, 14, 16).
“Ephraim” means the church in respect to the understanding of truth and good; that there will be no longer any understanding of Divine truth in the church is signified by “Ephraim, as a bird shall his glory fly away,” “glory” signifying Divine truth, and “to fly away” signifying to be scattered; the expression “to fly away” is used because it is said of a bird, and a bird is mentioned because it signifies things belonging to the understanding and to thought therefrom; “from the birth and from the belly and from conception” signifies the dispersion of all truth from things last to things first, “birth” signifying things last, because it signifies what has been born; “from the belly and from conception” signifies what is before birth, thus all things from things last to things first, for when last things perish things prior also successively fall away; “if they have brought up their sons, yet I will make them bereaved of man,” signifies that although they have acquired for themselves truths, yet they will be without intelligence, “sons” signifying the truths of the church, and “man” intelligence, therefore “to make them bereaved of man” signifies that still they have no intelligence.
[5] “Give them, O Jehovah, a miscarrying matrix and dry breasts,” signifies that they have no longer truths from any good, but falsities from evil; “a miscarrying matrix” signifying falsities from evil in the place of truth from good, “dry breasts” have a like meaning, but “matrix” signifies truths from the good of love, and “breasts” truths from the good of charity, here falsities from evil contrary to those truths; “Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up,” signifies there is no longer any understanding of truth even from things first, Ephraim here as above meaning the understanding of the truth of the church, and “root” its first; “they shall yield no fruit” signifies no good, for where there are no truths there is no good; “even when they have borne, I will kill the desires of their belly,” signifies that although they have acquired for themselves truths, they will nevertheless perish, “desires of the belly” signifying truths acquired; it is said the “belly” instead of the womb, because the belly seems to swell in childbearing, and yet the term “belly” is used where truths are treated of, and “womb” where good is treated of.
sRef Ps@22 @9 S6′ sRef Ps@22 @10 S6′ [6] In David:
For thou art He that took me out of the womb, giving me trust from my mother’s breasts; I was cast upon Thee; Thou art my God from my mother’s belly (Ps. 22:9, 10).
This, too, describes the regeneration of the spiritual man by such things as belong to natural generation from the mother; therefore “Thou art He that took me out of the womb” signifies that one is regenerated by the Lord and made a man of the church; “Thou dost give me trust from my mother’s breasts” signifies that one is afterwards led and spiritually educated, “the mother’s breasts” signifying spiritual nourishment in such things as belong to the church, “mother” meaning the church; “I was cast upon thee from the womb” signifies that the Lord has done all things from the good of love, and “Thou art my God from my mother’s belly” signifies that He has done all things by means of truths, for, as has been said above, where the good of love is treated of the term “womb” is used, and where truths from that good are treated of the term “belly” is used; therefore it is said, “Thou art my God,” for where the good of love is treated of the Lord is called “Jehovah,” and where truths are treated of He is called “God.”
sRef Matt@24 @19 S7′ [7] In the Gospels:
Woe to them that bear in the womb, and to them that give suck in those days (Matt. 24:19; Mark 13:17; Luke 21:23).
These chapters treat of the consummation of the age, which means the end of the church when there is the Last Judgment; therefore “those that bear in the womb” and “those that give suck in those days,” over whom there is lamentation, mean those who then receive the goods of love and the truths of such good; “those that bear in the womb” mean those who receive the good of love, and “those that give suck” mean those who receive the truths of that good, for the “milk” which is given signifies truth from the good of love. It is said, “Woe to them,” because those who receive goods and truths are unable to keep them, for in such a state hell prevails and snatches away the goods and truths, and thence comes profanation. Hell then prevails because at the end of the church the falsities of evil rule, and take away the truths of good; for man is held in the midst between heaven and hell, and before the Last Judgment that which arises out of hell prevails over that which comes down out of heaven. (See respecting this in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 538, 540, 541, 546, 589-596; and in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 73, 74.)
sRef Luke@11 @27 S8′ sRef Luke@11 @28 S8′ sRef Luke@23 @29 S8′ [8] In Luke:
Behold, the days shall come in which they shall say, Blessed are the barren and the bellies that have not borne, and the breasts that have not given suck (Luke 23:29).
This has a like signification, for it is said of the last time of the church; and “the barren,” and “the bellies that have not borne,” signify those who have not received genuine truths, that is, truths from the good of love, and “the breasts that have not given suck” signify those who have not received genuine truths from the good of charity. For all truths are from good; and goods are of two kinds, celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord, and spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbor; “breasts” have a similar signification as “milk,” namely, truth from good.
[9] In the same:
A woman lifting up her voice out of the throng said of Jesus, Blessed is the belly that bare Thee, and the breasts that Thou hath sucked; but Jesus said, Yea, rather blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it (Luke 11:27, 28).
Because “to bear in the belly” and “to give suck with the breasts” signify the regeneration of man, as has been said above, the Lord answered, “Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it,” which describes the regeneration that is effected by truths from the Word and a life according to them; “to hear the Word of God” signifies to learn truths from the Word, and “to keep it” signifies to live according to those truths.
sRef John@3 @4 S10′ sRef Isa@48 @8 S10′ sRef John@3 @5 S10′ sRef John@3 @6 S10′ [10] In John:
Nicodemus said, How can a man be born when he is old? he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except one be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of the heavens. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, but that which is born of the spirit is spirit (John 3:4-6).
Nicodemus evidently understood natural generation instead of the spiritual generation, of which the Lord spoke, therefore the Lord teaches him concerning regeneration, which is effected by truths from the Word, and by a life according to them, and this is signified by “being born of water and of the spirit,” for “water” means in the spiritual sense the truth from the Word, and “the life is spirit”* according to it. That man is born natural and becomes spiritual by a life according to truths from the Word, is signified by “that which is born of the flesh is flesh, but that which is born of the spirit is spirit;” that the natural man cannot be saved unless he becomes spiritual is meant by “except one be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of the heavens.”
sRef Isa@44 @24 S11′ sRef Isa@44 @2 S11′ sRef Isa@49 @5 S11′ sRef Isa@49 @1 S11′ [11] Because it is the Lord alone who reforms and regenerates man, He is called in the Word “the Former from the womb,” as in Isaiah:
Jehovah, thy Maker and thy Former from the womb, helpeth thee (Isa. 44:2, 24).
In the same:
Jehovah hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother doth He make mention of my name. Thus said Jehovah, my Former from the womb, to be His servant, to bring back Jacob to Him, and that Israel be gathered to Him (Isa. 49:1, 5).
In many passages in the Word the Lord is called “Creator,” “Maker,” and “Former from the womb,” and also “Redeemer;” for the reason that He creates man anew, reforms, regenerates, and has redeemed him. It may be believed that the Lord is so called because He created man and forms him in the womb, but yet it is the spiritual creation and formation that is here meant; for the Word is both natural and spiritual; it is natural for men, who are natural, and spiritual for angels, who are spiritual, as can also be seen from this, that what is here said is said of Israel, and in the highest sense of the Lord. “Israel” means the church, thus every man of the church; and because the Lord knows what the nature of every man is in respect to the good of love and the truth of faith it is said, “Jehovah hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother doth He make mention of my name;”** “to call and to know the name” of anyone signifies to know of what nature he is; “from the womb” means to know this in respect to the good of love; and “from the bowels of my mother” in respect to the truths from that good; “Jacob” who shall be brought again to Him, and “Israel” who shall be gathered to Him, signify the church, “Jacob” the external church, and “Israel” the internal church; the internal church is in the spiritual man, the external in the natural.
sRef Jer@1 @5 S12′ [12] In Jeremiah:
Before I formed thee in the womb I knew thee, and before thou camest forth from the womb I sanctified thee; I will give thee as a prophet unto the nations (Jer. 1:5).
This is said of the prophet Jeremiah, but yet “prophet” means in the spiritual sense one who teaches truth, and in the abstract sense the doctrine of truth; therefore “to form in the womb,” and “to know before he came forth from the womb,” signify a foreseeing that one can be in truths from good by regeneration, thus that one can receive and teach the Word. “To sanctify” and “to give as a prophet to the nations” have the same meaning; “nations” are those who are in good, and who from good receive truths.
sRef Ps@71 @6 S13′ sRef Ps@127 @3 S13′ [13] In David:
Upon Thee have I been laid from the womb. Thou art He that took me out of my mother’s bowels (Ps. 71:6).
This has a like meaning. In the same:
Lo, sons are the heritage of Jehovah, the fruit of the belly is his reward (Ps. 127:3).
Here, as elsewhere in the Word, “sons” mean those who are in truths from good, and “fruit of the belly” means those who are in good by truths, who have heaven, which is a “heritage” and also a “reward.”
sRef Isa@49 @15 S14′ [14] In Isaiah:
Can a woman forget her infant, that she may not have compassion on the son of her belly? Yea, though these may forget, yet will not I forget thee (Isa. 49:15).
This is said because in the spiritual sense regeneration is meant, and this is why there is a comparison made with a woman and her love for her infant; the like is true of one who is regenerated by the Lord.
sRef Ps@139 @13 S15′ sRef Ps@132 @11 S15′ [15] In David:
Jehovah hath sworn truth unto David, Of the fruit of thy belly will I set upon thy throne (Ps. 132:11).
By “David,” here as elsewhere, the Lord in relation to the spiritual kingdom, which is his royalty, is meant, therefore “to set of the fruit of his belly upon his throne” means one who is being regenerated by the Lord; such a man is called “the fruit of his belly” because he is in truths and in a life according to them; the “throne” which he shall have means heaven. This is what is signified by these words in the spiritual sense, but in the highest sense the Lord and His glorification are meant.
[16] In the same:
Thou dost possess my reins, Thou hast covered me in my mother’s belly (Ps. 139:13).
“To possess the reins” signifies to purify truths from falsities (see above, n. 167); and “to cover in the mother’s belly” signifies to defend from the falsities of evil which are from hell, and this from the beginning of regeneration and afterwards continually.
sRef Ps@58 @3 S17′ [17] In the same:
The wicked are estranged from the womb, they go astray from the belly, speaking falsehood (Ps. 58:3).
This does not mean that the wicked are estranged from the womb, and go astray from the belly, that is, from birth; for no one is estranged from God and goes astray from birth; but “to be estranged from the womb” signifies to turn away from good to evil from the first day when one could be reformed, and “to go astray from the belly” signifies to turn away in like manner from truths to falsities; and “to speak falsehood” signifies to believe falsities. Such are said to turn away from the first day when they could be reformed, because the Lord strives to reform all, whoever they may be, beginning from childhood and continuing through adolescence to youth, but those who do not suffer themselves to be reformed are said to turn away at once.
sRef Hos@13 @13 S18′ sRef Hos@13 @12 S18′ [18] In Hosea:
The iniquity of Ephraim is tied together, his sin is hidden away, the throes of a woman in travail shall come upon him; he is a son not wise, for he doth not stay his time in the womb of sons (Hos. 13:12, 13).
“Ephraim” signifies the understanding of truth, here the understanding perverted, which is the understanding of falsity instead of truth; its falsity is signified by “iniquity,” and the evil of falsity by “his sin;” therefore he is called “a son not wise;” his not accepting reformation is signified by “the throes of a woman in travail shall come upon him,” and by “he doth not stay his time in the womb of sons,” this signifying that he does not remain in a state of reformation.
[19] In Isaiah:
I knew that in dealing treacherously thou wouldst deal treacherously, and the name of a transgressor was given thee from the womb (Isa. 48:8).
This is said of “the house of Jacob,” which means the perverted church; “to deal treacherously” signifies to act contrary to revealed truths; and “to have the name of a transgressor given from the womb” signifies a turning away from truths from the first time when one might be reformed; “to be called by name” signifies of what quality one is in respect to truths.
sRef Hos@12 @4 S20′ sRef Hos@12 @3 S20′ sRef Gen@32 @25 S20′ sRef Gen@32 @32 S20′ [20] In Hosea:
Jacob supplanted his brother in the womb, and in his vigor he struggled powerfully with God (Hos. 12:3).
What this signifies in the internal sense no one can know unless it is known that Jacob and his posterity even from their fathers down were merely natural, and therefore were opposed to the good of heaven and the church; for whoever is natural and not at the same time spiritual is opposed to that good, since that good is acquired solely through the conjunction of truth and good, first in the spiritual man and afterwards in the natural; but “Esau” signifies natural good in the spiritual. Now because Jacob and his posterity were such, and because they rejected every such good, and this from the very first time, it is said of Jacob that “he supplanted his brother in the womb.” Moreover, the combat of Jacob with the angel, which is described in Genesis 32:24-31, depicts the tenacity with which they insisted upon possessing the land of Canaan, which means that a church should be instituted with them; this tenacity is depicted by that combat, and also by what is said in the next verse, in Hosea:
And he struggled vigorously with the angel, he wept and entreated him (Hos. 12:4).
But that they would nevertheless be destitute of any good of celestial and spiritual love is meant by:
The angel touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh, and the hollow of his thigh was put out of joint in wrestling with the angel (Gen. 32:24, 31).
For the thigh signifies the conjunction of good and truth, and “its being put out of joint” signifies that with Jacob and his posterity there was no conjunction of truth with good; this is meant by “Jacob struggled vigorously with God.” (But on this see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4281, where it is explained. That the Israelitish and Jewish nation was not chosen, but was accepted to represent a church, because of the tenacity with which their fathers and Moses persisted, see n. 4290, 4293, 7051, 7439, 10430, 10535, 10632.)
sRef Gen@25 @26 S21′ sRef Gen@25 @25 S21′ sRef Gen@25 @24 S21′ sRef Gen@25 @23 S21′ sRef Gen@25 @22 S21′ [21] In Moses:
The sons strove with each other in the belly of Rebecca; and Jehovah said, Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels, and the one people shall prevail over the other people, and the greater shall serve the less. And the days for bringing forth were fulfilled, and behold twins were in her womb; and the first came forth red all over like a hairy garment, and they called his name Esau. And afterwards his brother came forth, and his hand had seized Esau’s heel, and he called his name Jacob (Gen. 25:20-26).
These historical statements involve what has just been said about Jacob and his posterity, namely, that they were merely natural, and thus were in no natural good from spiritual, which is signified by “Esau.” That Jacob’s posterity was without that good is signified by Jacob’s seizing Esau’s heel when he came forth out of his mother’s womb, the “heel” signifying the lowest natural. (But this, too, is explained in Arcana Coelestia.)
sRef Gen@49 @25 S22′ [22] In the same:
From the God of thy father and He shall help thee, and with Shaddai and He shall bless thee, with the blessings of heaven from above, with the blessings of the abyss lying beneath, with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb (Gen. 49:25).
This is the blessing of Joseph by his father Israel, which is explained in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 6428-6434), where it is shown that “the blessings of the breasts” signify the affections of good and truth, and “the blessings of the womb” the conjunction of good and truth, thus regeneration.
sRef Deut@28 @4 S23′ sRef Deut@7 @13 S23′ [23] In the same:
That Jehovah may love thee and bless thee and multiply thee, that He may bless the fruit of thy belly and the fruit of thy land, thy corn and thy new wine, thine oil, the young of thy kine and the rams of thy flock (Deut. 7:13).
And elsewhere:
Blessed shall be the fruit of thy belly and the fruit of thy land, the young of thy kine and of the herd of thy flock (Deut. 28:4)
This was said to the sons of Jacob, who understood it only in a natural way, that is, according to the sense of the letter, because they were merely natural, and not in the least spiritual; but these “blessings” signify spiritual blessings, which are of heaven, and thence of eternal life, “the fruit of the belly” signifying the good of love and the truth of that good; “the fruit of the land” everything of the church; “the corn and new wine” all good and truth in the natural man; “the young of kine and of the herd of the flock” the affections of good and truth exterior and interior. In general all this signifies the fructification and multiplication of truth and good.
sRef Isa@13 @17 S24′ sRef Isa@13 @18 S24′ [24] In Isaiah:
Behold, I stir up against them the Mede, who will not esteem silver, and in gold they will not delight; whose bows will dash in pieces the young men, and they will have no compassion on the fruit of the belly; their eye shall not spare the sons (Isa. 13:17, 18).
The “Mede” means those who make no account of the truth and good of the church, and who destroy the things of the understanding and love that are therefrom; the “silver” that they will not esteem, and the “gold” they will not delight in signify the truth and good of heaven and of the church, “silver” the truth and “gold” the good of these; “their bows will dash in pieces the young men, and they will have no compassion on the fruit of the belly,” signifies that the falsities of doctrine will destroy all the understanding of truth and all the good of love; “the bow” meaning the falsity of doctrine, “the young men” the understanding of truth, and “the fruit of the belly” the good of love; “their eye shall not spare the sons” signifies that their perverted understanding and insanity will lay waste every truth of the church, “sons” meaning truths, and the “eye” the perverted understanding, which is insanity. It is to be known that the “Mede,” does not mean the Mede, but such persons and things in the church as devastate it.
sRef Matt@19 @9 S25′ sRef Matt@19 @6 S25′ sRef Matt@19 @3 S25′ sRef Matt@19 @12 S25′ sRef Matt@19 @4 S25′ sRef Matt@19 @7 S25′ sRef Matt@19 @10 S25′ sRef Matt@19 @11 S25′ sRef Matt@19 @5 S25′ sRef Matt@19 @8 S25′ [25] In Matthew:
The Pharisees said, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? Jesus, answering, said, Have ye not read that He who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they twain shall become one flesh? Therefore they are no more twain but one flesh. What, therefore, God hath joined together let not man put asunder. Moses for the hardness of your heart suffered you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and whosoever marrieth her that is put away committeth adultery. The disciples said, If the case of the man is so with his wife, it is not expedient to contract matrimony. But Jesus said, All do not receive this word, but they to whom it is given; for there are eunuchs who were so born from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of God. He that is able to receive let him receive (Matt. 19:3-12).
That this contains interior arcana can be seen from the Lord’s saying that “all do not receive these words, but they to whom it is given.” The interior arcanum contained in these words spoken by the Lord is but little apprehended by men, but it is apprehended by all angels in heaven, because they perceive these words of the Lord spiritually, and the arcana contained in them are spiritual. These arcana are, that there are marriages in the heavens even as on earth, but in the heavens the marriages are of like with like; for man is born to act from the understanding, but woman from affection, and the understanding with men is the understanding of truth and good, and the affection with women is the affection of truth and good; and as all understanding derives its life from affection, therefore the two there are joined together, as the affection which belongs to the will is joined with the correspondent thought which belongs to the understanding. For the understanding is different with everyone, as the truths that constitute the understanding are different. In general there are celestial truths, spiritual truths, moral truths, civil truths, and even natural truths; and of every kind of truth there are species and varieties innumerable; and since in consequence of this the understanding of one is never like the understanding of another, nor the affection of one like that of another, yet, in order that the understanding and affection may act as one, they are so joined together in heaven that the correspondent affection, which belongs to the woman, is conjoined with the correspondent understanding which belongs to the man; and as a result, both by correspondence have a life that is full of love. Now because two different affections cannot correspond to one understanding, therefore in heaven one man never has and never can have several wives.
[26] From this it can be seen and concluded what these words of the Lord also mean spiritually, as what is meant by “a man shall leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh,” namely, that man must leave that evil and falsity that he has from his religion, and that defiles his understanding, that is, that he has from father and mother, and his understanding separated from such evil and falsity must be conjoined with the correspondent affection which belongs to the wife, thus the two become one affection of truth and good; this is meant by “one flesh” which the two must become, “flesh” signifying in the spiritual sense good which is of love or affection. “Therefore they are no more twain but one flesh” signifies that thus the understanding of good and truth and the affection of good and truth are not two but one, in like manner as while will and understanding are two they are nevertheless one; and the like is true of truth and good and of faith and charity, which indeed are two but yet one, that is, when truth is of good and good is of truth, so also when faith is of charity and charity is of faith; and this also is the source of conjugial love.
[27] “Moses for the hardness of their heart suffered them to put away a wife for every cause,” because the Israelites and Jews were natural and not spiritual, and those who are purely natural are also hard in heart, since they are not in any conjugial love but in lascivious love, such as is the love of adultery. It is said that “whosoever shall put away a wife except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery,” because fornication signifies falsity, and with a woman the affection of evil and falsity, thus an affection that does not at all agree with the understanding of truth and good; and since by such discordance conjugial love, which is of truth and good, and thence is heaven and the church with man, is entirely destroyed, for when the interior conjunction which is of the minds and dispositions is no more, marriage is dissolved. “Whosoever marrieth her that is put away committeth adultery,” because one put away on account of fornication means the affection of evil and falsity, as above, and this must not be joined with any understanding of truth and good, for thereby the understanding is perverted, and becomes an understanding of falsity and evil, and the conjunction of falsity and evil is spiritual adultery, as the conjunction of truth and good is spiritual marriage.
[28] The Lord afterwards spoke of eunuchs because the disciples said, “If the case of the man is so with the wife, it is not expedient to contract matrimony;” also because with the Jewish nation, which was a nation hard in heart because they were in falsities from evil, marriages were not marriages, but understood in the spiritual sense were adulteries, and therefore that nation was called by the Lord “an adulterous generation.” This was why the Lord spoke of eunuchs, “eunuchs” meaning those who have no desire to enter into marriage, that is, to be conjoined with the affection of evil, because the understanding of truth and good would thus be perverted and dissipated; thus “eunuchs” mean both the married and the unmarried in whom the understanding of truth and good is conjoined with the affection of truth and good. Such are called “eunuchs” because they have no lasciviousness, such as those have who, from the hardness of heart in which the Jews were, take several wives, and divorce them for every cause.
[29] It is to be known, in the first place, that the marriage of the understanding of truth and good with the affection of truth and good has in general a threefold origin, and thus is in a threefold degree. In the highest degree is the marriage of those who are called celestial, in a lower degree the marriage between those who are spiritual, and in the lowest degree between those who are natural; for there are three degrees of man’s interiors, and thence there are three heavens; those in the highest heaven are called celestial, those in the lower, spiritual, and those in the lowest natural. The marriage of the understanding of truth and good with the affection of truth and good with the celestial is meant by “the eunuchs who are born eunuchs from the mother’s womb,” because these when they are becoming regenerate, receive truths immediately in the life through love of truths, consequently they know truths from truths themselves; the regeneration of these by the Lord through love to Him is signified by “being made eunuchs in the womb,” thus without the lasciviousness of adultery.
[30] The marriage of the understanding of truth and good with the affection of truth and good of those who are spiritual is meant by “the eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men,” for such do not become regenerate in the womb, that is, through love, but through truths first received in the memory, and afterwards intellectually in the thought, and so finally in the life through a certain spiritual affection; these are said “to be made eunuchs by men” because they are reformed through the understanding from the memory, and “man” signifies that understanding, as also above, where “man and wife” are mentioned. But the marriage of truth and good with the affection of truth and good with those who are natural is meant by “eunuchs who make themselves eunuchs,” for those who are natural acquire for themselves by means of cognitions and knowledges a natural lumen, and through the good of life according to these knowledges they acquire affection and thence conscience; and as these know no otherwise than that they themselves do this, for the natural man does not enjoy the intelligence of the spiritual man, nor does he enjoy the perception of the celestial man, so these are meant by those who “make themselves eunuchs;” but this is said from the appearance, and from the obscure faith with them. This, therefore, is the meaning of “becoming eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of God.” And as there are but few who apprehend these things the Lord says, “He that is able to receive let him receive.” (But in illustration of this subject see what is said in the work on Heaven and Hell, under the heads, The Two Kingdoms into Which the Heavens are Divided, and The Three Heavens According to the Three Degrees of Man’s Interiors, n. 20-40, and Marriages in Heaven, n. 366-386.)
sRef Luke@1 @15 S31′ sRef Luke@1 @41 S31′ sRef Luke@1 @44 S31′ [31] It is said of John the Baptist:
That he was filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother’s womb; and that the babe leaped in the womb at the salutation of Mary (Luke 1:15, 41, 44).
This signified that he was to represent the Lord in relation to the Word, as Elijah did; for in the Word, which is Divine truth, there is everywhere the marriage of Divine good and Divine truth, and Divine good united with Divine truth is the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which is called the Holy Spirit. The leaping in the womb at the salutation of Mary represented the joy arising from the love of the conjunction of good and truth, thus the joy of celestial conjugial love, which is in every particular of the Word. (That John the Baptist, like Elijah, represented the Lord in relation to the Word, see in Arcana Coelestia, n. 7643, 9372.)
sRef Ex@34 @19 S32′ sRef Ex@34 @20 S32′ sRef Num@3 @13 S32′ sRef Num@3 @12 S32′ sRef Ex@13 @11 S32′ sRef Ex@13 @15 S32′ sRef Ex@13 @13 S32′ sRef Ex@13 @14 S32′ sRef Ex@13 @12 S32′ [32] What is signified by “the male that first opened the womb” shall also be told. Of this it is said in Moses:
When Jehovah shall have brought thee into the land of Canaan, thou shalt cause to pass over to Jehovah everyone that shall open the womb, and every firstling that cometh of beast, as many males as thou hast shall be Jehovah’s. But every firstborn among thy sons thou shalt redeem. And it shall be that if thy son shall ask thee on the morrow, saying, What is this? thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand Jehovah brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of servants, when he slew all the firstborn in the land, from the firstborn of men even to the firstborn of beast; therefore I sacrifice to Jehovah everyone that openeth the womb, the males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem (Exod. 13:11-15; 34:19, 20).
That the Levites were accepted in place of these, see in the same:
Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the womb among the sons of Israel, that the Levites may be Mine, for every firstborn is Mine, in the day when I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto Me all the firstborn in Israel, from man even to beast they shall be Mine (Num. 3:12, 13; 8:16, 17).
The spiritual meaning that lies concealed in this statute does not appear until it is known that natural generations and nativities signify spiritual generations and nativities; also that all the organs of generation correspond to celestial love and its products, which are uses, and are called the truths of that love. Because this is so, and because marriage signifies in the spiritual sense the marriage of truth and good, as has been said above, it can be seen thence what is signified in the same sense by “the one that openeth the womb, or the firstborn male.” “The one that openeth the womb or the firstborn male” signifies that which is firstborn from celestial love and from the perception of good and truth; and this evidently is truth from good, which serves as a beginning to what follows; in its essence this is spiritual good, since that good in its form is truth from good, or, what is the same, truth from good in its essence is spiritual good. This is signified by “the one that openeth the womb, the firstborn male,” because “the womb” corresponds to inmost conjugial love, which in its essence is celestial love, and from that love spiritual good comes forth, which in its form is truth from good, and in particular, that truth from good which is in place of a beginning to what follows; that which is in the place of a beginning is everything as regards their essential in the things that succeed, because that is what rules in them. As this is what is signified by “the one that openeth the womb (or the firstborn male)” therefore this was made holy to Jehovah, and by it also all the subsequent offspring were sanctified.
[33] It is to be known that the goods of heaven and the church are of three degrees; the good of the inmost degree, thus also of the inmost heaven, is called the good of celestial love; the good of the lower degree, which is also the good of the middle heaven, is called the good of spiritual love; and the good of the lowest degree, which is the good of the lowest heaven, is called natural good. These goods, as they follow in order, are also born in order. The good of natural love is born from the good of spiritual love, and the good of spiritual love is born from the good of celestial love; and for this reason “the one that openeth the womb, the firstborn male,” signifies the good of spiritual love born from the good of celestial love.
sRef Gen@20 @17 S34′ sRef Gen@20 @18 S34′ [34] Because “beasts” signify affections, “beasts of the herd” exterior affections, and “beasts of the flock” interior affections, so the firstborn of these were made holy. That this is so is also evident from this, that the Levites were taken in place of all the firstborn; for “Levi” (and thence the Levite) signifies spiritual good from celestial good; consequently the priesthood, which signifies celestial good, was given to Aaron and his sons, and the ministry of that good which signifies truth from good, was given to the Levites. (That this was the signification of the tribe of Levi see above, n. 444.) The statute respecting the firstborn was given to the sons of Israel because all the firstborn in Egypt were slain, for the reason that “the firstborn in Egypt” signify the falsities from evil contrary or opposite to truths from good, thus infernal evil contrary or opposite to spiritual good; and for the reason that when those falsities from evil in man are slain, that is, removed, truths from good, that is, spiritual good, then first flow in from the Lord and is received by man. From this it is evident what was represented and in the spiritual sense signified by that statute. What was signified by:
God’s closing up every womb of the house of Abimelech on account of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, and after Abraham prayed for them God’s healing Abimelech, his wife, and their maidservants, that they might bring forth (Gen. 20:17, 18),
may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, where it is explained.
* The Latin has “life is spirit,” for “spirit is a life,” etc.
** The Latin has “man” for “name.”

sRef Rev@12 @2 S0′ 711. She cried out travailing and pained to bring forth, signifies non-reception by those in the church who are natural and sensual, and their resistance. This is evident from the signification of “to cry out, travailing,” and “to be pained to bring forth,” when this has reference to the nascent doctrine of truth from celestial love, which is meant by “the male” that the woman brought forth, as being non-reception thereof, and also resistance; it is by those in the church who are natural and sensual, because such are meant by “the dragon” treated of in what follows. That “to travail” and “to bring forth” mean to be in labor over and to bring forth such things as belong to the church, here to the doctrine of truth and good, can be seen from what has been shown in the preceding article about the womb, and the opening of it, and birth, also from what is said about bringing forth in the rest of this chapter. In the meantime it may be mentioned that “the male” which the woman brought forth means the doctrine of the New Jerusalem which has been given by the Lord out of heaven; that the dragons then stood around and vehemently and strenuously opposed, and this even to the crying out and torment of those who favored that doctrine, I can testify; which shows that those who are like them in the world will also oppose to prevent this doctrine from being received. Who these are will be told in what follows, where “the dragon and the beasts” are treated of. But what in particular is signified elsewhere in the Word by “to cry out travailing” and “to be pained to bring forth” can be seen below (n. 721), where the signification of “travailing” and “bringing forth” is explained.

sRef Rev@12 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @4 S0′ 712. Verses 3, 4. And there was seen another sign in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven and cast them unto the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bring forth, that when she brought forth he might devour her offspring. 3. “And there was seen another sign in heaven,” signifies Divine revelation respecting the attack upon the doctrine that is for the New Church, and by whom (n. 713); “and behold, a great red dragon,” signifies all who are merely natural and sensual from the love of self and of the world, and yet have more or less knowledge from the Word, from doctrine therefrom, and from preaching, and think to be saved by knowledge [scientia] alone apart from life (n. 714); “having seven heads,” signifies the knowledge [scientia] of the holy things of the Word, which they have adulterated (n. 715); “and ten horns,” signifies much power (n. 716); “and upon his heads seven diadems,” signifies Divine truths in the ultimate of order, which are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word adulterated and profaned (n. 717). 4. “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven,” signifies the falsification and adulteration of all the truths of the Word (n. 718, 719); “and cast them unto the earth,” signifies their extinction and destruction (n. 720); “and the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bring forth,” signifies the hatred of those who are meant by the “dragon” against the church with those who will be in the doctrine and thence in the life of love and charity from the Lord (n. 721); “that when she brought forth he might devour her offspring,” signifies that they might destroy the doctrine of that church at its first rise (n. 722).

sRef Rev@12 @3 S0′ 713. Verse 3. And there was seen another sign in heaven, signifies Divine revelation respecting the attack upon the doctrine that is for the New Church, and by whom. This is evident from the signification of “a great sign,” as being Divine revelation, manifestation, and attestation (of which above, n. 706); that it has reference to attack upon the doctrine that is for the New Church, and by whom, is evident from what follows where this sign is described. They who are about to attack this doctrine are meant by “the great red dragon, the old serpent;” and the attack itself is described by the words, “the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bring forth, that he might devour her offspring,” and afterwards by “the combat of the dragon with Michael,” and finally by “he pursued the woman into the wilderness, and there cast out water after her as a river;” and further in what follows. Who they are who are meant by “the dragon” will be told in the following article; here let it be said merely that they are those that have communication with angels of heaven, but only through externals, not through internals, for it is said that that dragon was seen “in heaven,” and those who have no communication with heaven cannot be seen there, for they are in hell; they are such as deny God, especially the Lord, and make no account of the Word and blaspheme it, who have no faith in eternal life; in a word, they are all such as love self and the world above all things, and live a life of enmity, hatred, revenge, and deceit, and have delight in these. This has been said to make known that such as these are not meant by “the dragon,” but such as have, while living in the world, an external communication with heaven, which communication they have from the reading of the Word, from preaching therefrom, and from external worship according to the ordinances of their church, but who nevertheless are not in a life according to the Lord’s commandments; from this such have communication with heaven, but not an internal communication. Why such are called “the devil and Satan” will also be told in what follows.

sRef Rev@12 @3 S0′ 714. And behold a great red dragon, signifies all who are merely natural and sensual from the love of self, and yet have more or less knowledge from the Word, from doctrine therefrom or from preaching, and think to be saved by knowledge alone apart from life. This is evident from the signification of “dragon,” as being a man who is merely natural and sensual, and yet has a knowledge of things in themselves spiritual, whether from the Word or from preaching or from religion (of which presently); also from the signification of “great red,” as meaning to be in the love of self and in its evils; for “great” is predicated in the Word of good, and in the contrary sense of evil, as “many” is predicated of truths, and in the contrary sense of falsities (see above, n. 336, 337, 424), and “red” is predicated of love in both senses, namely, of celestial love, which is love to the Lord, and in the contrary sense of diabolical love, which is the love of self (of which also above, n. 364). This shows that “a great red dragon” means all who are merely natural and sensual from the love of self, and yet have more or less knowledge from the Word or from doctrine therefrom or from preaching, and who think to be saved by knowledge alone without the life of charity. Such think to be saved by knowledge alone without the life of charity, because all who live for the body and the world, and not for God and heaven, become merely natural and sensual; for everyone is inwardly formed according to his life, and to live for the body and the world is to live a natural and sensual life, while to live for God and heaven is to live a spiritual life.
[2] Every man is born sensual from his parents; and by his life in the world becomes natural more and more interiorly, that is, rational, according to his moral and civil life and the lumen acquired therefrom; afterwards he becomes a spiritual man by means of truths from the Word or from doctrine from the Word, and by a life according to these truths. From this it can be seen that one who knows the things taught in the Word or in doctrine or by a preacher, and does not live according to them, however learned and erudite he may appear, is nevertheless not spiritual but natural, and even sensual, for knowledge [scientia] and the ability to reason do not make man spiritual, but the life itself.
This is so because knowledge and the faculty of reasoning are merely natural, and can therefore also be with evil men, even with the worst of men; but truths from the Word with a life according to them are what make man spiritual, for life is willing truths and doing them from a love of them; this is not possible to the natural man alone, but must come from the spiritual, and from its influx into the natural; for to love truths and from love to will them and from that will to do them is from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord, and is in its nature celestial and Divine; this cannot flow in immediately into the natural mind, but only mediately through the spiritual mind, which is capable of being opened and formed for the reception of heavenly light and heat, that is, for the reception of Divine truth and Divine good. These cannot flow immediately into the natural mind, for the reason that man’s hereditary evils, which belong to the love of self and the world, have their seat in that mind; therefore the natural man, viewed in itself, loves nothing but self and the world, and from love wills, and from will does those evils, and these block the way to the influx of anything out of heaven into the natural man, and its reception there; therefore it has been provided by the Lord that these evils can be removed, and for a place to be given for the truths and goods of spiritual love, namely, by the opening and formation of the spiritual mind which is above the natural mind, and by the influx of heaven from the Lord through that mind into the natural mind.
[3] This has been said that it may be known that to know the things that are of the Word and of the doctrine of the church does not make man spiritual, but a life according to those things that the Lord has commanded in the Word; therefore although such know many things from the Word they yet remain natural and sensual. Such are signified in the Word by “the dragon.” They therefore are signified by “the dragon” because the dragon is a kind of serpent that not only creeps on the ground but also flies, and thence it appears in heaven; and it is because of this flying and appearing in heaven that the dragon means those who are in a knowledge of the truths from the Word, and not in a life according to them, “serpents” in general signifying the sensual things of man (see above, n. 581), and this is why “the dragon” (in the ninth verse of this chapter and in the second verse of the twentieth chapter) is called “the old serpent.”
[4] Since in the rest of this chapter and also afterwards “the dragon” is treated of, it shall be told what sort of persons, in general and in particular, it signifies. In general it signifies those who are more or less natural, and yet are in a knowledge of spiritual things from the Word. But in particular it signifies those who have confirmed themselves by doctrine and life in a faith separated from charity. These constitute the head of the dragon. But those who from self-intelligence hatch out for themselves dogmas from the Word constitute its body, while those who study the Word without doctrine constitute its external parts. All these also falsify and adulterate the Word, since they are in the love of self, and thence in the pride of self-intelligence, from which they become merely natural, yea, even sensual, and the sensual man is unable to see the genuine truths of the Word because of fallacies, obscurity of perception, and the evils of the body residing therein; for the sensual clings to the body, from which such things come.
[5] (1) In the first place, “the dragon” means in general those who are more or less natural, and yet are in a knowledge of spiritual things from the Word, because “serpents” signify in general the sensual things in man, and thence sensual men; therefore “the dragon,” which is a flying serpent, signifies the sensual man who yet flies towards heaven in that he talks and thinks from the Word or from doctrine from the Word. For the Word itself is spiritual, because it is in itself Divine, and is therefore in heaven. But since the mere knowledge of spiritual things from the Word does not make man spiritual, but a life according to those things that are in the Word, therefore all of those who are in knowledge from the Word and are not in a life according to that knowledge are natural and even sensual.
[6] The sensual who are meant by “the dragon” are those who do not see anything from the light of heaven, but only from the light of the world, and who from that light alone, when excited by the fire of the love of self and pride therefrom are able to talk about Divine things, and to reason keenly and readily about them; but yet they are unable to see whether these things be truths or not, calling that truth which they have imbibed from childhood from a master or preacher, and then from doctrine, and which they have afterwards confirmed by some passages of the Word not interiorly understood. Because they see nothing from the light of heaven they do not see truths, but in place of them falsities, which they call truths; for truths themselves can be seen only in the light of heaven, and not in the light of the world unless that light is illuminated by the light of heaven. These being such love no other than a bodily and worldly life; and as the pleasures and lusts of that life have their seat in the natural man the interiors of such are filthy and crowded with evils of every kind, which close up every way for the influx of the light and heat of heaven; consequently they are inwardly devils and satans, however much they may appear to be spiritual and to be Christians by their talk and simulated gestures. Such are merely sensual, for while they are able to talk outwardly about the holy things of the church, inwardly they believe nothing; and those who think they believe have only a historical and thence a persuasive belief derived from some teacher or from self-intelligence, which in itself is false, but which they believe for the sake of fame, honor, or gain. Such are meant in general by “dragons.” But there are many that are signified in particular by the dragon, for there are some that have reference to the head, some to the body, and some to the external parts.
[7] (2) Those that have reference in particular to the head of the dragon are those who have confirmed themselves both by doctrine and by life in faith alone, which is faith separated from charity. These refer to the head of the dragon because most of them are erudite and are believed to be learned; for they have confirmed themselves in the belief that they are saved by simply thinking what the church teaches, which they call believing. But what their doctrine is and what their life is shall be told. Their doctrine is, that God the Father sent His Son, born from eternity, into the world, that He might become man, might fulfill all things of the law, might bear the iniquities of all and suffer the cross; and that thereby God the Father was reconciled and moved to compassion; and that those who from confidence were in a faith respecting these things would be received into heaven; and that the confidence of that faith, together with the Lord, would intercede and save; consequently that such a faith is given to mankind, who are separated from God the Father, as a medium of reception and salvation, because when Adam had eaten of the tree of knowledge man was no longer in a state to do good of himself, for he had thus lost, with the image of God, his free will; lastly, that these things are the Lord’s merit, by which alone man can be saved. These in respect to doctrine are the primary things of faith with those who are in faith alone. Elsewhere, the Lord willing, it shall be explained and illustrated that no one can, from any spiritual sight, which is of the understanding, perceive and thus believe anything of this; but such things can be known and talked about only from the memory, without any understanding, thus that in that doctrine there is nothing of intelligence.
[8] Of what quality such as these are in respect to life shall also be stated. They teach that man is led of God by faith alone, even to the endeavor to do good, and that good itself in act contributes nothing to salvation, but faith alone does this, and that then nothing of evil condemns him, because he is in grace and is justified. Moreover, they have thought out the steps, which they call the progressions of faith alone, even to the last step of justification; the first is information as to the things that pertain to faith, especially those above mentioned; the second is confirmation from the Word or from preaching; the third is mental investigation whether it be so or not; and as doubt and consequent wavering, which is temptation, then flow in, there must be confirmation from the Word respecting the operation of faith, from which comes confidence, which is victory. They add that heed must be taken that the understanding be not allowed to go further than to secure confirmations from the Word respecting justification by faith alone; if it goes beyond this and is not kept in obedience to faith the man is overcome. The fourth and last step is an endeavor to do good; and this is an influx from God and not at all from man, and is the fruit of faith; for they say that after a man has thus been fully justified nothing of evil condemns him and nothing of good saves him, but faith alone. From this it is clear what such are in respect to life, namely, that they live for themselves and not for God, and for the world and not for heaven; for this follows from the belief that evils do not condemn and that goods do not save. Nor do they know that faith without the life of charity is not faith, and that man ought to shun evils and do good as of himself, and yet to believe that it is from the Lord, and that otherwise evils cannot be shaken off, nor goods appropriated. But more will be said also about this elsewhere.
[9] Such is the doctrine and the life with those who form the head of the dragon, who for the most part are the erudite leaders, but few are from the common people; and for the reason that the leaders regard these things as secrets of theology that cannot be comprehended by the common people because of their secular employments. These belong to the head of the dragon for the reason also that they pervert and falsify all the things of the Word which teach love, charity, and life; for the Word, viewed in itself, is simply the doctrine of love to the Lord and of charity toward the neighbor, and nowhere the doctrine of faith separate from charity. Such falsify the Word by calling them either faith or such fruit as is not eaten, because they give no thought to doing, and thus they are not nourished by that fruit. Moreover, they admit these principles no further than into the memory, and therefrom into the thought nearest to it, which is sensual thought, in which there is nothing spiritual, and this thought does not inquire whether a thing is true; therefore they guard against the entrance of anything into the interior sight which is of the understanding, being unwilling to know that all these things respecting their faith said above are contrary to an enlightened understanding, as they are contrary to the genuine sense of the Word. This is why those who constitute the head of the dragon have no genuine truth, for from a false principle, such as faith alone, nothing can flow forth except falsities in a continual series; nor indeed can there be any such thing as faith alone, for faith apart from charity is not faith, since charity is the soul of faith, therefore to speak of faith alone is to speak of what is without a soul, thus without life, which in itself is dead.
[10] (3) That those constitute the body of the dragon who have hatched out for themselves from self-intelligence dogmas from the Word can be seen from this, that all of such who study the Word and are in the love of self are also in the pride of self-intelligence, and all who are in this pride and at the same time excel in cleverness from natural lumen, hatch out dogmas therefrom for themselves; this is the origin of all the heresies and all the falsities in the Christian world. It shall be told what the intelligence is that is from man’s own [proprium], and what the intelligence is that is not from man’s own. Intelligence from man’s own is from self, but intelligence not from man’s own is from the Lord. All who are in the love of self have intelligence from what is their own, for love of self is man’s very own [ipsum proprium]; and those are in the love of self who read the Word and gather up dogmas from it for the sake of fame, glory, and honor; and as such are unable to see any truths, but can see falsities only, they are in the body of the dragon; for they gather up and hatch out such things from the Word as favor their loves and the evils that flow from them, and such things as are contrary to their dogmas, which are truths from good, they either do not see or they pervert; but all who are in the spiritual affection of truth, that is, who love truth because it is truth and because it is serviceable to eternal life and to the life of men’s souls, have intelligence from the Lord. It is said that their intelligence is not from their own [proprium] but from the Lord, because when such read the Word they are elevated above what is their own and even into the light of heaven, and are enlightened; in that light truth appears from truth itself, because the light of heaven is Divine truth. But they who are in the love of self and in the pride of self-intelligence therefrom cannot be elevated out of their own, for they look to self continually, thus in every least thing they do. Thence it is that they place everything of salvation in faith in their own dogmas, thus in knowing and thinking, and not at the same time in life, that is, not in willing and doing. These, therefore, constitute the body of the dragon. The heart of this body is the love of self, and the breath of its respiration, or of its spirit, is the pride of self-intelligence; from these two the dragon is called “great red,” and the term “red” [rufus] in the original Greek text is from fiery-red, thus from love and pride.
[11] (4) Those who study the Word without doctrine and are at the same time in the love of self, constitute the externals of the draconic body. Externals are what proceed from the interiors, and involve, inclose, and contain them, like the skins, the scales, and the prominences on every part. Such constitute the externals of the dragon’s body because they are without the intelligence of the spiritual things of the Word; for they only know the Word in respect to the sense of its letter, which is such that, unless doctrine lights the way, it may lead into errors and falsities of every kind; consequently those who study the Word without doctrine are able to confirm as many heresies as they will, and also to embrace them, and also to protect them by the loves of self and of the world and the evils arising therefrom. For the sense of the letter of the Word is the ultimate sense of Divine truth, thus it is for the natural and sensual man, adapted to its apprehension, and often so as to favor it; consequently unless it is read and viewed from doctrine, as from a lamp, it carries the mind away into darkness respecting many things that pertain to heaven and the church. And yet such believe themselves to be wise above all others, when in fact they are not wise at all.
[12] (5) All those who constitute the dragon adore God the Father, and look upon the Lord as a man like themselves, and not as God, or if as God they place His Divine above His Human, and not within it. This will be illustrated in what follows, where the combat of the dragon with Michael is treated of.
[13] (6) From this it can now be seen that the “tail” of the dragon means the falsification and adulteration of the Word by those who constitute its head, its body, and its extremities; for its tail, like the tail of every animal, is a continuation of the spine, which is an extension from the brain, and thus it is moved, bent, and vibrated, according to the appetites, lusts, and pleasures of the head and body, which it caresses, as it were. And inasmuch as all those that constitute the dragon falsify and adulterate the Word, because they are natural and sensual from the love of self and thence are in the pride of self-intelligence, therefore it is said that “the dragon with his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven and cast them unto the earth;” “the stars of heaven” signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, thence the truths from good therefrom, and “to cast them unto the earth” signifies to pervert and adulterate and thus destroy them.
[14] That those above described constitute the dragon, and that the adulteration and destruction of the truths of the Word are meant by “his tail,” it has been given me to see in the spiritual world two or three times, for in that world all things that are seen are representative of things spiritual. When such persons are seen in the light of heaven they are seen as dragons with a long tail; and when many such are seen the tail appears extended from the south through the west into the north, and that tail is also seen to draw down as it were the stars from heaven and cast them unto the earth.
sRef Isa@35 @7 S15′ sRef Jer@9 @11 S15′ [15] As those above described are meant by “the dragon” and the falsification and adulteration of the Word by his “tail,” the “habitation” and “bed” of dragons in the Word signify where there is nothing but falsity and evil, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
The dry place shall become a pool, and the thirsty place springs of waters; in the habitation of dragons, its den, there shall be grass instead of the reed and rush (Isa. 35:7).
This is said of the Lord’s coming and of the establishment of a New Church by Him with the Gentiles; and these words mean that the truths and goods of the church shall be where they were not before, even where there were falsities and evils; where falsities and evils were before is signified by “the dry and thirsty place,” and by “the habitation of dragons,” also by “the reed and rush;” but the truths and goods that they will then have are signified by the “pool,” the “springs of waters,” the “den” where dragons were before, and the “grass.”
sRef Jer@10 @22 S16′ [16] In Jeremiah:
I will make Jerusalem heaps, the habitation of dragons; and the cities of Judah will I reduce to a waste that there may be no inhabitant (Jer. 9:11).
The voice of a clamor, behold, a great tumult cometh from the land of the north, to reduce the cities of Judah to a waste, a habitation of dragons (Jer. 10:22).
“Jerusalem” means the church in respect to doctrine, and “the cities of Judah” doctrinals, which are truths from the Word; the falsification of truth and the adulteration of good, from which come mere falsities and evils, are signified by “making Jerusalem heaps,” and by “reducing the cities of Judah to a waste, a habitation of dragons,” for truth falsified is mere falsity, and good adulterated is mere evil; “the voice of a clamor and a great tumult from the land of the north” signifies falsities fighting against truths, and evils against goods; “the land of the north” means where those are who are in falsities of evil.
sRef Jer@49 @33 S17′ [17] In the same:
Hazor shall become a habitation of dragons, a desolation even forever; a man shall not dwell there, nor shall the son of man abide there (Jer. 49:33).
“Hazor” signifies spiritual treasures, which are the knowledges of truth and good from the Word; their devastation even until they are no more, but falsities and evils in their place, is signified by “Hazor shall become a habitation of dragons, a desolation even forever;” that there will be no truth of the church remaining is signified by “a man shall not dwell there, nor shall the son of man abide in her,” “son of man” meaning the truth of the church.
sRef Isa@34 @13 S18′ [18] In Isaiah:
The thorn shall come up in her palaces, the thistle and bramble in her fortresses; that she may be a habitation of dragons, a court for the daughters of the owl (Isa. 34:13).
This is said of Edom and of the nations, which mean those who are in falsities and evils; “the thorns, the thistle, and the bramble,” signify the falsities and evils in which these are; the dogmas by which they are defended are signified by “palaces and fortresses;” the devastation of all good and truth is signified by “a habitation of dragons, and a court for the daughters of the owl,” “owls” meaning those who see falsities as truths, and “their daughters” the lusts of falsifying truths.
sRef Isa@13 @22 S19′ [19] In the same:
The ijim shall answer in her palaces, and dragons in the temples (Isa. 13:22).
This is said of Babylon, which signifies the adulteration and profanation of good and truth; “her palaces” in which are the ijim, and the “temples” in which are dragons, signify the goods and truths of the Word and of the church, which are adulterated and profaned, “ijim” signifying adulterated and profaned truths, and “dragons” adulterated and profaned goods.
sRef Micah@1 @8 S20′ [20] In Micah:
For this I will lament and howl, I will go stripped and naked; I will make a lamentation like dragons, and a mourning like the daughters of the owl (Mic. 1:8).
This treats of the vastation of Samaria, which signifies the spiritual church in respect to doctrine, here that church vastated; devastation in respect to truth and good is signified by “going stripped and naked;” lamentation over it is signified by “lamenting and howling,” lamentation over devastated good by “making a lamentation like dragons,” and lamentation over devastated truth by “making a mourning like the daughters of the owl.” The lamentation and mourning are said to be like that of “dragons and the daughters of the owl” in a representative sense; also “his going stripped and naked,” “stripped” signifying, the like as the dragon, to be destitute of goods, and “naked,” the like as the daughters of the owl, to be destitute of truths.
sRef Jer@51 @34 S21′ sRef Jer@51 @37 S21′ [21] In Jeremiah:
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up as a whale, he hath filled his belly with my delicacies, he hath thrust me out. Let Babylon become a heap, a habitation of dragons, a hissing and an astonishment, without inhabitant (Jer. 51:34, 37). Here, too, “Babylon” and “Nebuchadnezzar” signify the adulteration and profanation of good and truth. The dispersion of all truth, and thence the destruction of all good, is signified by “he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up as a whale, he hath filled his belly with my delicacies, he hath thrust me out,” “whale” having a similar signification as “dragon,” the same word being used for both in the original tongue. The devastation of all truth and good by their adulteration and profanation is signified by “Babylon shall become a heap, a habitation of dragons, a hissing and an astonishment, without inhabitant,” “without inhabitant” signifying no good in anyone.
sRef Job@30 @28 S22′ sRef Job@30 @29 S22′ [22] In Job:
I walked blackened without the sun, I stood in the assembly, I cried out, I am become a brother to dragons and a companion to the daughters of the screech owl (Job 30:28, 29).
This is said of his state in temptations, in which man thinks himself to be damned; therefore “to walk blackened without the sun” signifies to be like a devil, without the good of love; “to stand in the assembly and cry out” signifies to be among truths and yet in falsities; “to become a brother to dragons and a companion to the daughters of the screech owl” signifies to be conjoined with and to be one with those who are in evils without good and in falsities without truths, “dragons” meaning those who adulterate goods and pervert them into evils, and “the daughters of the screech owl” those who do the same to truths.
sRef Ps@44 @19 S23′ sRef Ps@44 @18 S23′ [23] In David:
Our heart is not turned away backward, neither hath our step declined from Thy way, though Thou hast crushed us in the place of dragons, and covered us over with the shadow of death (Ps. 44:18, 19).
This, too, treats of temptations. That being then shut off, like a sensual man, from influx out of heaven, he did not perceive what is good and what is true, is signified by “God hath crushed him in the place of dragons, and covered him over with the shadow of death,” “the place of dragons” meaning where those who are dragons are in hell, that is, those who have destroyed every good in themselves; the falsity in which these are is called “the shadow of death.”
sRef Ps@91 @13 S24′ sRef Ps@91 @14 S24′ [24] In the same:
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder, the lion and the dragon shall he trample* on; because he hath set his love upon Me I will rescue him, I will set him on high because he hath known My name (Ps. 91:13, 14).
To destroy the interior and exterior falsities that vastate the truths of the church is signified by “treading upon the lion and adder;” and to destroy the interior and exterior falsities that vastate the goods of the church is signified by “trampling on the lion and dragon;” to lead away from falsities and to lead to interior truths and goods one who is in doctrine from the Word is signified by “I will rescue him, I will set him on high, who** hath known My name,” “to rescue” meaning to lead away from falsities, “to set on high” to lead to interior truths, and “to know My name,” to be in doctrine from the Word.
sRef Mal@1 @3 S25′ [25] In Malachi:
Esau I hated, and made his mountains a waste, and gave his heritage to the dragons of the wilderness (Mal. 1:3).
“Esau” means such as are in good in respect to the natural man, here such as are in evil in respect to the same, therefore it is said, “Esau I hated;” that the goods of love of the natural man will be destroyed is signified by “I made his mountains a waste;” and that the truths of that good will be destroyed by the falsities of the sensual man is signified by “I gave his heritage to the dragons of the wilderness.”
sRef Ezek@29 @4 S26′ sRef Ezek@29 @3 S26′ [26] In Ezekiel:
Behold I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon (or whale) that lieth in the midst of his rivers, that hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made myself (Ezek. 29:3, 4; 32:2).
This describes the pride of self-intelligence of the natural and sensual man; “Pharaoh king of Egypt” signifies the natural and sensual man; “the dragon” (or whale) the same in respect to knowledges [scientifica] which are falsities or things falsified by the pride of self-intelligence (but this may be seen explained above, n. 513).
sRef Deut@32 @33 S27′ sRef Deut@32 @32 S27′ [27] In Moses:
Their vine is of the vine of Sodom and of the fields*** of Gomorrah; his grapes are grapes of gall, his**** clusters of bitternesses. Their wine is the poison of dragons and the cruel gall of asps (Deut. 32:32, 33).
This may be seen explained above (n. 519). There, too, “their wine,” which is called “the poison of dragons and the cruel gall of asps,” signifies that the truth of the church with the posterity of Jacob was external, in which inwardly there were infernal evils and falsities; “dragons and asps” signify sensual things which are the ultimates of the natural man full of horrible evils and falsities confirming them, and for the reason that the natural then receives nothing through the spiritual mind from the Lord, consequently what it receives is from hell.
[28] That “the dragon” signifies such things as have been stated above can be seen more fully from what follows in this chapter, namely, from his enmity against the woman about to bring forth and fleeing into the wilderness; also from his combat with Michael; and still further in chapters 16:13-15, and 20:2, 7, 8, 10, 14, where it is said of him that “he was bound a thousand years, and afterwards being loosed he went forth to seduce the nations, and to gather Gog and Magog together to battle against the saints,” and that afterwards “he was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone;” from all of which it can be seen that “the dragon” means those who possess no good of charity and love because they do not acknowledge it to be any medium serviceable to salvation, but make it a kind of knowledge [scientificum] which from persuasion they call faith; and when the good of charity and love is not implanted by the life of man there is evil in place of it, and where there is evil there is falsity.
sRef Ex@7 @10 S29′ sRef Ex@4 @4 S29′ sRef Ex@7 @12 S29′ sRef Ex@4 @3 S29′ sRef Ex@7 @9 S29′ sRef Ex@7 @11 S29′ [29] Because “serpents” signify sensual things, which are the ultimates of the natural man, and these are not evil except with those who are evil, and because the word in the Hebrew that means dragon [tannin] is the same as that which means serpents not venemous, so when such serpents are meant by “dragons” they signify in the Word sensual things not evil, or as applied to persons, sensual men who are not evil. That the same word in Hebrew means dragons and such serpents can be seen in Moses:
When he was commanded out of the bush to cast his rod to the earth, and when it was changed to a serpent, he took hold of its tail, and thereby it was changed again into a rod (Exod. 4:3, 4).
Moses took the rod and cast it down before Pharaoh, and it became a serpent [dragon], and the magicians did the like with their rods; but the rod of Moses, then a serpent [dragon], swallowed up the rods, the serpents [dragons], of the magicians (Exod. 7:9-12).
The word rendered serpent in the former passage and the one so rendered in the latter in the original language are different; in the former passage the word generally employed in other parts of the Word for serpent is used, but in the latter it is the same word as is translated “dragon;” thus it might also be rendered that when Moses’ rod was cast before Pharaoh it was changed into a dragon. From this it follows that “dragon,” the same as “serpent,” signifies in a good sense the sensual which is the ultimate of the natural man when it is not evil or not wicked.
sRef Jer@14 @5 S30′ sRef Jer@14 @6 S30′ sRef Isa@43 @20 S30′ [30] It is in this milder sense that “dragons” are also mentioned in Isaiah:
The wild beast of the field shall honor Me, the dragons and the daughters of the owl, because I will give waters in the wilderness, rivers in the solitude, to give drink to My people, My chosen (Isa. 43:20).
And in Jeremiah:
The hind brought forth in the field, but forsook it, because there was no grass; and the wild asses stood upon the hills, they pant for wind like dragons, their eyes were consumed because there was no herb (Jer. 14:5, 6).
In these passages the word translated “dragons” is the same word commonly translated “serpents,” and is also translated “whales” in the sea, and these have a similar signification, namely, man’s natural in general which is the sensual; so the last passage might be translated, “they breathed out the wind like whales.” (Likewise in Isa. 51:9; in Jer. 51:34; in Ezek. 29:3, 4; and in David, Ps. 74:13, 14.) Moreover, there are men merely sensual who are good.
* The Hebrew has “shalt thou trample,” as in AE 632.
** The Hebrew, as in text where first cited, has “because he.”
*** The Latin has “waters” for “fields.”
**** The Hebrew is “their,” as found in AE 519; AC 2240.

sRef Rev@12 @3 S0′ 715. Having seven heads, signifies the knowledge of the holy things of the Word, which they have adulterated, and consequent insanity, and yet craftiness. This is evident from the signification of “head,” as being intelligence and wisdom, and in the contrary sense insanity and folly (of which above, n. 553, 577), and that it also means craftiness (n. 577); also from the signification of “seven,” which is all persons and all things, and is predicated of things holy (see above, n. 257), so here of the holy things of the Word, which they have adulterated. As “seven” is predicated of things holy, so also in the contrary sense it is predicated of holy things adulterated and profaned, for in the Word every word has also a contrary sense, and what is contrary to what is holy is profane. From this it is clear that heads and seven are not meant by the “seven heads” that the dragon was seen to have, but the knowledge of the holy things of the Word which they have adulterated, and consequent insanity but yet craftiness.
[2] “The head of the dragon” signifies insanity, because the intelligence of the man of the church is from genuine truths which are from the Word. The truly human understanding is formed and perfected by natural, civil, moral, and spiritual truths, the interior understanding by spiritual truths, but the exterior by moral and civil truths; therefore such as the truths are such is the understanding that is formed of them. All spiritual truths are from the Word, and make one with the good of love and charity. When, therefore, a man places everything of the church and of heaven in faith, and separates from that faith the good of charity and love, as those do who constitute “the head of the dragon,” as has been said in the preceding article, then the interior understanding cannot be formed, consequently in place of intelligence in things spiritual such have insanity; for from a false principle falsities flow in a continual series, and from the separation of the good of charity no genuine truth can be given them, since all truth is of good, yea, is good in form. Thence it is evident that “the head of the dragon” signifies insanity in spiritual things.
sRef Gen@3 @1 S3′ [3] “The head of the dragon” also signifies craftiness, because all those who constitute his head are merely natural and sensual, and if these have at the same time studied the Word and the doctrine of the church, and have caught at falsities in place of truths, and have confirmed these by knowledges, they are crafty above the others; but this craftiness does not manifest itself in the world as it does afterwards when they become spirits, for in the world they cover over the craftiness with external piety and feigned morality which conceal it; but as the craftiness abides in their spirit it is plainly manifest when externals are removed, as is done in the spiritual world. But it is to be known that the craftiness signified by “the head of the dragon” is a craftiness in perverting the truths and goods of the Word by means of reasonings from fallacies and sophistries, also from things persuasive, by which the understanding is fascinated, thus by inducing upon falsities the appearance that they are true. That this is so can be seen from “the serpent” by which the first parents were led astray, that is said to have been:
More crafty than any wild beast of the field (Gen. 3:1);
that “serpent” having a similar signification as “the dragon,” therefore the dragon is also called “the old serpent that seduceth the whole world,” in the ninth verse of this chapter.

sRef Rev@12 @3 S0′ 716. And ten horns, signifies much power. This is evident from the signification of “horn,” as being the power of truth against falsity and evil, and in the contrary sense the power of falsity against truth and good (of which above, n. 316, 567); also from the signification of “ten,” as being all persons and all things, likewise many persons and many things (of which also above, n. 675); which shows that “ten horns” signify much power. That the dragon had much power is evident from what follows, namely, that because of him “the son a male that the woman brought forth was caught up unto God,” that “his tail drew down from heaven the third part of the stars;” also that “he fought with Michael and his angels;” and afterwards that he stirred up Gog and Magog, and the nations in countless number, to war against the saints.
[2] “The dragon” had such power because “the dragon” means such as have separated faith from the goods of charity, which are works, and have confirmed this by the sense of the letter of the Word, which they thus twist from its genuine sense, and as it were draw it down from heaven; and because at the end of the church, which Revelation treats of, there is no charity, therefore the dragon then has power; for at the end of the church everyone wishes to live for himself, for the world, and according to his own bent, and few wish to live for the Lord, for heaven and eternal life; and the principle of faith alone, which is faith separated from charity, favors the former life, and like the current of a river draws in and carries away all to thus believing and living. This is why “the dragon,” which signifies such persons and such things, was seen to have “ten horns.”
sRef Matt@25 @0 S3′ [3] It has been said heretofore that falsities from evil have no power whatever; but it is to be known that falsities from evils have no power against truth from good; for truth from good is from the Lord, and the Lord has all power by His Divine truth. But falsities from evil have a power that is signified by “the ten horns of the dragon,” because they prevail against those who are in falsities from evil, since such persons and such falsities act as one; moreover, man is in evil and in falsities therefrom hereditarily from his parents, and afterwards from actual life, especially at the end of the church; and these falsities from evil cannot be expelled from man in a moment, but little by little; for if they were expelled in a moment man would expire, because they constitute his life. Because such is man’s state at the end of the church, the falsities of evil prevail, although they have no power whatever against truth from good. The Lord by His Divine truth might instantly cast out the falsities of evil that are with man, but this would be to cast the man instantly into hell; for these falsities must first be removed, and so far as they are removed, so far there is a place for implanting truths from good, and man is reformed. Such as are here meant by “the dragon” are meant also by “the he-goat” that fought with the ram (Daniel 8), and by “the goats” in Matthew 25; for “he-goats” there signify those who are in faith separated from charity, and “the ram” and “the sheep” those who are in charity.

sRef Rev@12 @3 S0′ 717. And upon his heads seven diadems, signifies Divine truths in the ultimate of order, which are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, here these truths adulterated and profaned. This is evident from the signification of “heads of the dragon,” as being the true knowledges [scientifica] of the Word, which have been adulterated and profaned; that these “heads” signify insanity in spiritual things and yet craftiness in deceiving and leading astray may be seen above (n. 714). Also from the signification of “diadems” (or precious stones), as being Divine truths in the ultimate of order, which are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word (of which presently); also from the signification of “seven,” which means all things, and is predicated of things holy, and in the contrary sense of things profane (of which above, n. 715), here it is predicated of things profane, because of truths of the Word adulterated and thus profaned.
Thence it is clear that “the seven diadems upon the heads of the dragon” signify Divine truths in the ultimate of order, here these truths adulterated and profaned.
[2] “Precious stones,” which are “diadems,” signify Divine truths in the ultimate of order, which are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, because a “stone” signifies truth, therefore “precious stones” signify Divine truths. They mean Divine truths in the ultimate of order, which are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, because these are transparent, having in them a spiritual sense, and in that sense there is the light of heaven, which makes all things of the sense of the letter of the Word to be pellucid, and to be variegated also according to the series of things in the spiritual sense from which arise modifications of heavenly light, that present such colors as appear in the heavens, and thence in precious stones of various kinds.
[3] Diadems were seen upon the seven heads of the dragon, because the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word shine wherever they are, as well with the evil as with the good, for the spiritual light that is in them is not extinguished by their being with the evil, for heaven still flows into those truths. But the evil adulterate them, and thence see nothing of the light of heaven in them, but yet believe them to be holy because they apply them to confirm the falsities of their religion, so from the faith they have in their holiness the truths still shine before them; and since this is so, and since they acquire for themselves by means of these truths communication with the heavens they are finally deprived of them, and left to their falsities in which there is no light; this is done when they are let down into hell.
[4] That the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word appear as diadems is evident from the diadems in the spiritual world. In the palaces of angels in heaven there are many things that shine with precious stones. Sometimes precious stones are also let down into the lower parts, and are presented as a gift to those who have done some good thing; they are even sold there as in the world, especially by the Jews, who also there trade in them. It is granted and permitted to the Jews to trade in precious stones in the spiritual as in the natural world, because they regard the sense of the letter of the Word as holy.
For the same reason also noble women below the heavens adorn themselves with diadems as in the world. When it is asked where those diadems in heaven and thence in the lower parts are from, it is said that they are from the Lord, and from the spiritual light that is from Him, and that they are ultimates of that light, which are called effects; also that they are representative forms of the affections of truth from good, thus that they are Divine truths in the ultimate of order, such as the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word are. As this is the origin of precious stones, there are some in the world of spirits who are allowed to make diadems by inserting together truths from the sense of the letter of the Word, but these diadems are not genuine, and are not hard like crystals, because they are artificial.
sRef Isa@54 @11 S5′ sRef Isa@54 @12 S5′ sRef Isa@54 @13 S5′ [5] From this it can now be seen what “diadems or precious stones” signify in the following passages. In Isaiah:
O thou afflicted and tossed with tempests and not comforted, behold, I lay thy stones with stibium, and thy foundations in sapphires, and I will make thy suns a carbuncle, and thy gates into stones of ruby, and all thy border into stones of desire, and all thy sons shall be taught of Jehovah (Isa. 54:11-13).
This is said of “the barren who did not bear,” who should have many sons, by whom the Gentiles that had no Divine truths because they did not have the Word are signified; therefore they are called “afflicted and tossed with tempests and not comforted,” “to be afflicted and tossed with tempests” is predicated of falsities by which they are infested and carried hither and thither. That when the Lord comes He will reveal to them Divine truths and instruct them, is signified by “I will lay thy stones with stibium, and thy foundations in sapphires, and I will make thy suns into a carbuncle, and thy gates into stones of rubies, and thy borders into stones of desire.” It is evident that the “precious stones” here mentioned mean Divine truths in the ultimate of order, like the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, in which are internal truths, which are such truths as are in the spiritual sense of the Word; for the “foundations, gates, and borders,” which were to be laid with these precious stones, signify ultimates; consequently here “stones” in general, and “sapphires,” “carbuncles,” and “stones of ruby,” signify such truths as are in the sense of the letter of the Word, which are ultimate truths because they are for the natural and sensual man. Because the instruction of the Gentiles in Divine truths is meant by these words it is added, “and all thy sons shall be taught of Jehovah.” But what “sapphire,” “carbuncle,” and “ruby” signify in particular need not be told here, only that “precious stones” signify in general ultimate truths.
sRef Rev@21 @18 S6′ sRef Rev@21 @19 S6′ sRef Rev@21 @21 S6′ sRef Rev@21 @20 S6′ [6] Because “the city of the New Jerusalem” signifies the doctrine of the New Church, and “the foundations of its wall” signify ultimate Divine truths, and “gates” introductory Divine truths, therefore the foundations are described by twelve precious stones, and the gates by pearls, in Revelation:
The foundations of the wall of the city the New Jerusalem were adorned with every precious stone; the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh hyacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate was [one] pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass (Rev. 21:19-21).
These “twelve precious stones” constituting the foundations, and “the twelve pearls” constituting the gates signify ultimate Divine truths, which are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, upon which the doctrine of that church is founded, and by which man is introduced as by gates. The foundations are said to be “of precious stones,” and the gates “of pearls,” because the sense of the letter of the Word contains in it the spiritual sense, thus the light of heaven, which makes the sense of the letter of the Word to be pellucid, as those stones are from light and from fire. But of this more hereafter, when the particulars are explained.
sRef Ex@28 @14 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @13 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @12 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @19 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @15 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @16 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @20 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @18 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @10 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @30 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @11 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @9 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @6 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @7 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @8 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @21 S7′ sRef Ex@28 @17 S7′ [7] The precious stones of which the breastplate of judgment called Urim and Thummim was made, which was upon the ephod of Aaron, and also those that were set upon the shoulders of the ephod have a similar signification, in Moses:
They shall make the ephod of gold, hyacinthine, purple, scarlet double-dyed, and fine twined linen, the work of the designer. Thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the sons of Israel, the work of an artificer in stone; with the engravings of a seal shalt thou engrave upon the two stones the names of the sons of Israel; thou shalt make them to be encompassed with settings of gold; and thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod. And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with the work of a designer, as the work of the ephod shalt thou make it; and thou shalt fill it with a filling of stones, there shall be four rows of stones. The first row a ruby, a topaz, a carbuncle; the second row a chrysoprase, a sapphire, and a diamond; the third row a cyanus, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row a tharshish, an onyx, and a jasper. The stones shall be upon the names of the sons of Israel, twelve upon their names, the engravings of a seal for every one upon his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes. This was the breastplate of judgment, the Urim and Thummim (Exod. 28:6-30).
What these things involve no one can know unless he knows what Aaron represented, and thus what his garments signified, and the ephod in particular (for it was because his garments were significative that they were called “the garments of holiness”); also what the “breastplate” upon the ephod, which was called “the breastplate of judgment, the Urim and Thummim,” signified; also what “the twelve tribes of Israel,” and “the twelve stones upon their names” signified. As to Aaron himself, he represented the Lord in relation to the priesthood, which is the Lord’s celestial kingdom; while “his garments” in general represented the spiritual kingdom, for this in the heavens invests the celestial kingdom. For there are two kingdoms into which the heavens are divided, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom. That is called the celestial kingdom where the Divine good proceeding from the Lord is received, and that is called the spiritual kingdom where Divine truth is received; therefore Divine truth is signified by “the garments of Aaron” in general, and Divine truth in ultimates by the “ephod,” since this was the outmost vestment. That “garments” in general signify truths, and “the Lord’s garments,” which appeared bright white as the light when He was transfigured before the three disciples, signified the Divine truth proceeding from Him, and likewise “the Lord’s garment divided by the soldiers,” may be seen above (n. 64, 65, 195, 271, 395, 475, 476, 637). This shows that “the twelve stones in the breastplate of the ephod” signified Divine truths in ultimates, like as “the twelve sons of Israel” and “the twelve tribes;” that both of these signify in the Word the truths of the church in the whole complex may be seen above (n. 431, 657).
[8] This breastplate was composed of precious stones, under which were the names of the twelve sons of Israel, that by means of it they might receive answers from heaven, which were exhibited in the breastplate and from it by variegations of the colors shining forth from those stones, which were in accord with the representations of Divine truths in the heavens, where the Divine truths that flow down from the Lord through the heavens towards the lower parts are exhibited by variegations of colors; which shows that these “precious stones” signified Divine truths in ultimates. (But this may be seen more fully explained in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 9856-9909; also respecting the two onyx stones that were upon the shoulders of the ephod, n. 9831-9855. That the “ephod” signified the external of the spiritual kingdom, which is Divine truth in ultimates, n. 9824. But what is signified in particular by the “ruby,” the “topaz,” and the “carbuncle,” see n. 9865; what by the “chrysoprase,” the “sapphire,” and the “diamond,” n. 9868; what by the “cyanus,” the “agate,” and the “amethyst,” n. 9870; and what by the “tharshish,” the “onyx,” and the “jasper,” n. 9872.)
sRef Ezek@28 @12 S9′ sRef Ezek@28 @14 S9′ sRef Ezek@28 @13 S9′ [9] The “precious stones” by which the knowledge [scientia] of the cognitions of truth and good, and thus the intelligence of the king of Tyre are described, have a similar signification in Ezekiel:
King of Tyre, thou art full of wisdom and perfect in beauty; thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the ruby, the topaz, and the diamond, the tharshish, the sardonyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the chrysoprase, and the emerald, and gold. Thou wast the cherub, the spreading out of him that covereth, and I have set thee, thou hast been in the mountain of the holiness of God, thou hast walked in the midst of the stones of fire (Ezek. 28:12-14).
Because “the king of Tyre” signifies the knowledges of the truth of the church from the Word, and indeed from its literal sense, therefore it is said that “he has been in Eden the garden of God,” “Eden the garden of God” signifying intelligence from the Lord through the Word, for “Eden” as the “east,” means the Lord, and “the garden of God” is intelligence from Him; and because true intelligence is acquired, that is, given, solely through the knowledges of truth and good from the Word understood according to its genuine sense, therefore it is said “every precious stone was thy covering,” “every precious stone” signifying the knowledges of truth and good, and “covering” signifying the external of the Word that covers its internal; the external of the Word is the sense of its letter covering the internal, which is its spiritual sense. Because man has wisdom and intelligence from this, it is said “King of Tyre, thou art full of wisdom and perfect in beauty;” “beauty” signifying intelligence, because all beauty in the heavens is according to intelligence. The sense of the letter of the Word is also meant by “the cherub, the spreading out of him that covereth,” for “cherubim” signify a guard that the Lord be not approached except through the good of love, and the sense of the letter of the Word is what guards, because it covers its interiors. “The mountain of holiness” signifies the church in respect to the doctrine of love and charity; and “the stones of fire,” in the midst of which he walked, signify truths from the good of love, according to which is the life. That “precious stones” here signify truths pellucid from the light of heaven, which is Divine truth, can be clearly seen from this, that “Tyre” signifies in the Word the knowledges of truth and good, which knowledges are ultimate truths, such as belong to the sense of the letter of the Word. (That “Tyre” signifies the knowledges of truth and good, may be seen above, n. 514.)
sRef Ezek@27 @16 S10′ sRef Ezek@27 @22 S10′ [10] In the same:
Syria was thy trader by reason of the multitude of thy works, they gave chrysoprase for thy wares, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and ruby. The traders of Sheba and Raamah, these were thy traders by the chief of all spices, and by every precious stone and gold (Ezek. 27:16, 22).
This, too, is said of Tyre, which signifies the knowledges of truth and good in the church from the Word (as above). Because “Syria and Sheba and Raamah” likewise signify the knowledges of truth and good, and “tradings” the acquisition of these, those regions are said to have given “precious stones in their tradings.” The knowledges of truth and good are truths in ultimates such as the truths of the sense of the letter and the literal sense of the Word.
sRef Job@28 @6 S11′ sRef Job@28 @19 S11′ sRef Job@28 @18 S11′ sRef Job@28 @12 S11′ sRef Job@28 @16 S11′ sRef Job@28 @15 S11′ sRef Job@28 @28 S11′ sRef Job@28 @17 S11′ [11] In Job:
The stones thereof are the place of sapphire, and it hath dust of gold. Where shall wisdom be found, and where is the place of understanding? Gold is not given for it, neither is silver weighed for the price of it; it cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, the precious onyx and the sapphire; gold and the diamond cannot vie with it; coral and crystal shall not be mentioned with it, and the choice of wisdom is above pearls; the topaz of Ethiopia shall not vie with it. Behold, the fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to depart from evil is intelligence (Job 28:6, 12, 13, 15-19, 28).
Because all wisdom and understanding comes through ultimate Divine truths spiritually understood, and because these truths are signified by the precious stones here named, as “the onyx, the sapphire, the diamond, the topaz, and pearls,” and because these stones being of earthly materials, although they are accounted precious in the world, are as nothing in respect to intelligence and wisdom, it is said that they are not to be valued as equal with intelligence and wisdom, nor are gold and silver. Comparisons are made with these because they are significative; otherwise they are comparatively of no account.
sRef Ps@102 @13 S12′ sRef Ps@102 @14 S12′ [12] In David:
Thou, Jehovah, shalt arise and have compassion upon Zion, for Thy servants desire the stones thereof (Ps. 102:13, 14).
“The stones of Zion” which the servants of Jehovah desire mean Divine truths, for “Zion” upon which Jehovah will have mercy, means the church that is in celestial love.
sRef Zech@3 @9 S13′ sRef Zech@3 @10 S13′ [13] In Zechariah:
Behold the stone that I have set before Joshua, the high priest, upon one stone are seven eyes; behold, I engrave the engraving of it. In that day ye shall call every man to his companion, under the vine and under the fig tree (Zech. 3:9, 10).
This is said of the Lord’s coming; and “the stone set before Joshua the priest” signifies Divine truth, which is the Word; “seven eyes in one stone” signify Divine wisdom and intelligence, which are of Divine truth, thus of the Word; seven is predicated of the holy things of the Word and of the church, and “eyes” signify intelligence and wisdom; “to engrave an engraving” signifies a representative and significative of it; “the vine and fig tree” under which they shall come signify the church and doctrine from internal and external truths; internal truths are those that are called spiritual, and external truths are those that are called natural, and the former are signified by the “vine,” and the latter by the “fig tree.”
sRef Rev@19 @13 S14′ sRef Ex@24 @10 S14′ sRef Rev@19 @12 S14′ sRef Rev@21 @11 S14′ [14] In Moses:
They saw the God of Israel, and under His feet as it were a work of sapphire stone, as the substance of heaven for cleanness (Exod. 24:10).
“The God of Israel” means the Lord; “a work of sapphire stone under His feet” means Divine truth in ultimates, such as the Word is in the letter, for “the sole of the foot” signifies the ultimate, which is all that the Jewish nation could see, for they were in the externals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, and not in internals; the “sapphire” signifies transparent from internal truths; “as the substance of heaven for cleanness” signifies the transparency of the angelic heaven. (But these things are explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 9406-9408.) Because a “precious stone” signifies Divine truth in ultimates transparent from interior truths, the luminary of the city New Jerusalem is described in Revelation as:
Like unto a precious stone, as it were a jasper stone, bright like crystal (Rev. 21:11)
Again, since “the white horse” there signifies the understanding of the Word, and “He that sat upon the horse” the Lord in relation to the Word:
There were seen upon the head of Him who sat upon the white horse many diadems, and His name is called the Word of God (Rev. 19:12, 13).
sRef Rev@17 @5 S15′ sRef Rev@18 @12 S15′ sRef Rev@18 @11 S15′ sRef Rev@18 @16 S15′ sRef Rev@17 @4 S15′ sRef Rev@17 @3 S15′ [15] Thus much respecting precious stones with those who are in Divine truths; something will now be said about precious stones with those who are in infernal falsities. To them precious stones are also given while they live in the world, since they, equally, possess the knowledges of truth and good from the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of the letter; therefore precious stones or diadems are equally ascribed to them, as here to “the dragon,” upon whose heads were seen “seven diadems,” for the reason that with the evil the same as with the good the Word is still the Word and its truths are truths in themselves; and when the evil pervert and falsify the truths of the Word it yet does not change their essence. For this reason, in what follows in Revelation like things were seen upon the woman sitting on the scarlet colored beast, by whom Babylon is described, of whom it is said:
A woman sat upon the scarlet colored beast full of the names of blasphemy, and it had seven heads and ten horns; she was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, and upon her forehead a name written, Babylon the great (Rev. 17:3-5).
But more about this in what follows. So again elsewhere in Revelation:
The merchants of the earth shall weep and lament over Babylon the great, for no one buyeth her merchandise anymore, the merchandise of gold and silver and precious stone and pearl, and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet. And the merchants shall say, Woe, woe, the great city! she that was arrayed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, decked with gold, precious stone, and pearls (Rev. 18:11, 12, 15, 16).
sRef Luke@16 @20 S16′ sRef Luke@16 @19 S16′ [16] Because “precious stones, also purple and fine linen” signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, therefore it is said of the rich man:
At whose gate Lazarus was laid, that he was clothed in purple and fine linen (Luke 16:19, 20).
“The rich man” means the Jewish nation; and because it had the Word in which are Divine truths, it is said “to be clothed in purple and fine linen,” and “Lazarus the pauper” means the Gentiles that did not have the Word, and thus had no truths; this evidently is why the rich man, although he was evil and was afterwards cast into hell, had “garments of purple and fine linen.”
sRef Dan@11 @38 S17′ sRef Dan@11 @39 S17′ [17] Like things are also said about the king of the north, who made war against the king of the south, in Daniel:
The king of the north, as a god he shall honor the fortresses upon his station, a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, silver, and precious stones, and desirable things; he shall make strongholds of fortresses with a strange god; whoso shall acknowledge him shall have great honor (Dan. 11:38, 39).
This chapter treats of the war of the king of the north with the king of the south; and “the king of the north” means those who are in knowledge [scientia] from the Word, but not in life, thus who are in so-called faith alone, but yet not in charity, since they reject charity as not contributing to salvation. But “the king of the south” means those who are in intelligence from the Word, because they are in charity; such are “the king of the south,” or pertain to “the king of the south,” because “the south” means light, and “light” signifies intelligence, and those who are in charity, which is the life of faith, have the light of intelligence from the Word. But “the king of the north,” or those who belong to “the king of the north” are such as are described above, because the “north” means night, and also a cold light, such as is the light of winter, from which, because there is no heat in it, there is no fructification; for spiritual heat is charity, and all germination is from heat through light. The war between these kings is described because the last time of the church is treated of when everything of salvation is placed in knowledge [scientia] from the Word, and nothing in the life, and with the Jewish nation, in the traditions by which they falsified the Word; the truths of the Word become traditions when there is no life of charity, and the truths of the Word likewise become falsities when faith is separated from charity. From this it can be seen that “the king of the north” also means those who are in faith alone, that is, in faith without charity.
[18] The same are meant in Daniel by “the he-goat” that fought with the ram; the same also are meant by “the dragon” in this chapter, with the difference, that “the dragon” means properly the learned who have confirmed themselves by doctrine and life in faith separated from charity, for these have poison like dragons that destroys charity. For this reason the angel Michael is also mentioned in Daniel 12:1. That those who place everything of the church in the knowledge [scientia] of cognitions from the Word, and nothing in life, pervert and falsify the truths of the Word is meant by “the king of the north shall honor a strange god whom their fathers knew not,” and “shall honor him with gold, silver, precious stone, and pearls;”* “his god” meaning the truths of the Word falsified, since “God” when mentioned in the Word means the Lord in relation to Divine truth, thus the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and when “Jehovah” is mentioned, the Lord in relation to Divine good, thus the Divine good proceeding from the Lord is meant; therefore “a strange god whom his fathers knew not” means the truths of the Word falsified, which in themselves are falsities, and are not acknowledged by those who were previously of the church. Those truths and goods of the Word themselves, though falsified, are signified by “precious stones and desirable things,” as also by “silver and gold,” for the truths of the Word do not change their essence when they are with the evil. “Fortresses upon the station,” and “strongholds of fortresses” signify the things of self-intelligence confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word, which is such that when it is not interiorly understood it may be so drawn as to confirm any heresies whatever. From this the signification of “the seven diadems upon the heads of the dragon” can now be seen.
* The Hebrew as given in the text before is “desirable things.”

sRef Rev@12 @4 S0′ 718. Verse 4. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, signifies the falsification and adulteration of all truths of the Word. This is evident from the signification of “drawing with the tail,” as being, in reference to “the dragon,” falsification and adulteration (of which presently); also from the signification of “the third part,” which means all, and is predicated of truths (see above, n. 384, 506); and from the signification of the “stars of heaven,” as being the knowledges of truth and good from the Word (see also above, n. 72, 402), thus also truths, for the knowledges of truth and good are the truths of the natural man, from which the rational and spiritual man has intelligence. From this it is evident that “to draw with the tail the third part of the stars of heaven” signifies in reference to the dragon to falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word. Such is the signification because “the dragon” means in general all who acknowledge the Word and read it and yet do not live according to it, and this because they separate life, which is charity, from faith, and believe that it is sufficient merely to think those things that are in the Word, and to persuade themselves that they are saved by thinking and talking about certain things from the Word with trust and confidence, and that faith alone justifies and saves, and not anything of life or work. (That such are meant by “the dragon” may be seen above, n. 714.) To confirm their dogmas from the Word they bring forward passages in which faith is mentioned and in which faith is treated of; but the passages in which charity and love are mentioned, and doing is spoken of, they pervert by applying them to faith alone, and thus they falsify the Word, which from beginning to end is the doctrine of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor. This falsification and adulteration of the truths of the Word is meant by “drawing down with the tail the third part [of the stars] of heaven.” This is the meaning of these words because the tail is a continuation of the brain through the spine of the back, of which it is an appendage; thus the tail is moved by the head and the body according to the desires and appetites of the natural man; the movements of the tail, therefore, are effects flowing from the delights of the loves in which the sensual man is, and the loves of the sensual man falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word. (That the “tail” signifies the sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural man, may be seen above, n. 559.) Whether it is said that the loves of the sensual man falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word or that the sensual does this, it is the same, for the sensual loves to live for the body and for the world, thus according to its own nature; and this life it feels, but it does not feel the interior life, therefore it denies that life.

sRef Rev@12 @4 S0′ 719. It is said that the sensual falsifies and adulterates the truths of the Word; but it needs to be known how it can falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word, for those who do not know how this is done and what is the nature of the Word, might think that because the truths of the Word are truths, and are plainly extant in the sense of its letter, they cannot become falsities. But to illustrate this take an example from nature, such as the natural man can clearly perceive. It appears before the eyes as if the sun were each day carried about the earth, also at the same time once each year; therefore it is said in the Word that the sun rises and sets, which causes the day, noon, evening, and night, also the seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and thus days and years; and yet the sun stands unmoved, while the earth revolves daily and is carried about the sun yearly, and the progression of the sun is only an appearance and thence a fallacy. Now when this truth is known and accepted that it is not the sun but the earth that moves, both become true, namely, that the sun stands unmoved in the center of its system, and also that it has its progressions; that it stands unmoved is true for the rational man, and that it has its progressions is true for the sensual, thus both become true, true actually for the rational man, and true apparently for the sensual. And yet if the rational man does not illustrate this phenomenon the falsity is believed that the sun actually progresses, and thus the truth that the sun is not moved out of its place but that it is the earth that moves becomes falsified; but it is not falsified when the rational illustrates it. It is the same with every particular of the Word in the sense of its letter; because this is the ultimate sense it is natural, and is adapted to the comprehension of the sensual man, thus of children and the simple; for this reason most things in it are appearances of truth, and unless these are perceived at the same time from a spiritual, that is, from an enlightened understanding, they become falsities; for they are then believed to be actually true and not merely apparently true. But it is otherwise when they are perceived understandingly and spiritually; then all things of the Word become true, in the genuine sense actually true, and in the sense of the letter apparently true, as was said above respecting the sun. From this it can be seen how innumerable things in the Word are falsified and adulterated; as that God tempts, that He is angry, that He does evil, that He casts into hell; likewise, that at the day of the Last Judgment the Lord is to come in the clouds of heaven, that the sun and the moon will then withdraw their light, and the stars will fall from heaven; also that the world with the earth will perish, and a new creation of all things take place; with other things that are truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, but which become falsities if they are not perceived at the same time from an enlightened understanding. But in what follows it shall be told how faith alone, which is faith separated from charity, falsifies all things of the Word.

sRef Dan@8 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @4 S0′ sRef Matt@24 @29 S0′ sRef Dan@8 @12 S0′ 720. And cast them unto the earth, signifies their extinction and destruction. This is evident from the signification of “casting to the earth,” when said of the “stars” by which is signified the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, thus truths; here it means to extinguish and destroy, for truths are extinguished and destroyed when they are falsified and adulterated. Truths falsified and adulterated are more false than falsities from any other source; for falsities from other sources do not so extinguish and destroy truths, for they give some place to truths in or near themselves. By falsities from other sources, those especially are meant that are from ignorance, from fallacies, and from religion with those who do not have the Word. It is to be known that those who live in evil, and yet say that they are saved because they have faith, have scarcely any genuine truth, however many things they know and draw forth from the sense of the letter of the Word; for the sense of the letter of the Word is such that when it is not comprehended interiorly it may be explained in various ways, and when that sense is not looked at from genuine truths it is believed according to the letter and is falsified, according to what was shown in the preceding article in the comparison with the movement and position of the sun. That such have scarcely any genuine truth was ascertained with some in the spiritual world who had confirmed faith alone by doctrine and life, who it was found did not know and acknowledge a single genuine truth; angels investigated it and were surprised. This showed clearly that they had extinguished and destroyed with themselves the truths of the Word. This, then, is meant by “the dragon drew down the third part of the stars of heaven with his tail, and cast them to the earth;” as the he-goat did also in Daniel:
The horn of the he-goat waxed great even to the host of the heavens, and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the earth and trampled upon them; and it cast down the truth to the earth (Dan. 8:10, 12).
“The host of the heavens” means all the truths and goods of heaven and the church. (The stars that shall fall from heaven have a like signification, Matt. 24:29.)

sRef Rev@12 @4 S0′ 721. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bring forth, signifies the hatred of those who are meant by “the dragon” against the church with those who will be in the doctrine, and thence in the light of love and charity from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of the “dragon,” as being those who have a knowledge [scientia] of the cognitions of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word, and are not in a life according to it (see above, n. 714); and from the signification of “the woman,” as being the church that is in the doctrine and thence in the life of love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor (see above, n. 707). The hatred of those who are signified by “the dragon” against that church and its doctrine, is meant by “standing before the woman about to bring forth and wishing to devour the offspring.” Also from the signification of “bringing forth,” as being to bring forth such things as pertain to the church, which are doctrinals, here respecting love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor, for “the son, a male” that the woman brought forth signifies the doctrine of that church. Such things are signified by “bringing forth,” because generations, births, and nativities mean in the Word spiritual generations, births, and nativities, which are effected by truths and a life according to them.
sRef John@3 @4 S2′ sRef John@3 @3 S2′ sRef John@3 @6 S2′ sRef John@3 @5 S2′ [2] For this reason where spiritual generation, which is called regeneration, is treated of in the Word it is described by natural generation and birth. As in John:
Jesus said to Nicodemus, Except one be begotten anew he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said, How can a man be begotten when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be begotten? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except one be begotten of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, but that which is begotten of the spirit is spirit. (John 3:3-6).
As Nicodemus did not understand the spiritual sense of the Lord’s words “that a man must be begotten anew,” the Lord explained that “to be begotten” means “to be begotten of water and of the spirit,” thus to be regenerated, that is, by means of truths from the Word and a life according to them, for “water” signifies truths, and “spirit” a life according to them. But elsewhere in the Word, where “to travail,” “to bring forth,” “to produce,” and “to beget” are mentioned, there is no explanation, and yet spiritual travail, birth, nativity, and generation are meant, since the Word in the letter is natural, but in its bosom is spiritual. “To bring forth” signifies to bring forth spiritually, because when a man is regenerating he is likewise as it were conceived, carried in the womb, born, and educated, as a man is conceived of his father, carried in the womb and born of his mother, and afterwards educated.
sRef Isa@23 @5 S3′ sRef Isa@23 @4 S3′ [3] To confirm that births and nativities signify in the Word spiritual births and nativities, some passages shall be cited from it. In Isaiah:
Be ashamed, O Zidon, the sea hath said, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, neither brought forth, I have not trained up young men, I have not brought up virgins; when the report comes from Egypt they shall be seized with pain as at the report respecting Tyre (Isa. 23:4, 5).
“Zidon” and “Tyre” signify the knowledges of good and truth from the Word; that the church has not acquired through these anything of intelligence and wisdom, and has not done any uses, is signified by “not travailing,” “not bringing forth,” “not training up young men,” “not bringing up virgins,” “young men” meaning the truths of the church, and “virgins” its goods. (But this may be seen explained above, n. 275.)
sRef Isa@26 @16 S4′ sRef Isa@26 @18 S4′ sRef Isa@26 @17 S4′ sRef Isa@26 @19 S4′ [4] In the same:
Thy chastening is upon them, as a woman with child that draweth near to her delivery; she crieth out in her pangs; so have we done* before Thee, O Jehovah; we have conceived, we have travailed, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought salvation to the earth, neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen; thy dead shall live (Isa. 26:16-19).
This is said of the last times of the church, when falsities and evils so far increase that there can be no reformation and regeneration; this state is meant by “the chastening of Jehovah upon them;” that it will then be difficult to perceive and acquire any truth is signified by “as a woman with child that draweth near to her delivery; she crieth out in her pangs;” that in the place of truths they imbibe vanities in which there are no truths is signified by “we have conceived, we have travailed, we have as it were brought forth wind,” “wind” signifying such vanities; that from these no uses of life come is signified by “we have not wrought salvation” to Jehovah;** that still, when the Lord shall come into the world they are to be taught and regenerated by truths from Him is signified by “thy dead shall live,” and by the words that follow.
sRef Isa@54 @1 S5′ [5] In the same:
Sing aloud O barren, thou that didst not bear, break forth into singing and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail, for more are the sons of the desolate than the sons of the married one (Isa. 54:1).
This treats of the Lord’s coming and of the New Church to be established by Him with the Gentiles; these are signified by “the barren that did not bear,” and by “the desolate” who shall have many sons; they are called “barren” because they did not know the Lord, and did not have the Word where truths are, and therefore could not be regenerated, “sons” meaning truths from the Lord through the Word. The church that has the Word, from which the Lord is known, is meant by “the married one” that has no sons; the joy of those who are of the New Church that before had no truths, is signified by “break forth into singing and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail,” “to travail” meaning to bear in the womb.
sRef 1Sam@2 @5 S6′ sRef 1Sam@2 @4 S6′ [6] In the first book of Samuel:
They who have been driven away have been girded with strength; they that are sated, have hired themselves for bread, and they that are hungry have ceased, even until the barren hath borne seven, and she that hath many sons languisheth (1 Sam. 2:4, 5).
This is the prophetic song of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. “Those driven away that are to be girded with strength” mean the Gentiles with whom the church is to be, who are called “driven away” from a lack of the knowledges of truth, and who are therefore rejected by those of the church, at that time the Jewish church; “to be girded with strength” signifies that such have truth from good, and thence power; “they that are sated, who have hired themselves for bread;” and “they that are hungry who have ceased,” mean those who were of the Jewish Church, who are said to be “sated” because they had truths in abundance, and “to be hired for bread” because they could only be led to learn truths and do them as hirelings; that they did not desire to know them is signified by “they that are hungry have ceased.” The same church is also meant by “she that hath many sons languisheth.” But the Gentiles that are to acknowledge the Lord and receive the Word, and thus suffer themselves to be regenerated into the church, are meant by “the barren that shall bear seven;” “seven” signifies all and many, and is predicated of the holy things of the church.
sRef Jer@15 @9 S7′ [7] In Jeremiah:
She that hath borne seven shall languish, she shall breathe out her soul; her sun shall go down while it is yet day (Jer. 15:9).
This signifies that a church that has all truths because it has the Word shall perish, even so that nothing of truth and good will remain; “to bear seven” signifies to be gifted with all truths from the Word; “to languish, and to have the sun go down,” signifies to perish successively and at length wholly; “to breathe out the soul” signifies to perish in respect to all truths, and “the sun going down” signifies to perish in respect to all the goods of love; “while it is as yet day” signifies while the Word is still acknowledged.
sRef Isa@66 @9 S8′ sRef Isa@66 @8 S8′ sRef Isa@66 @7 S8′ sRef Isa@66 @11 S8′ sRef Isa@66 @10 S8′ [8] In Isaiah:
Before she travailed she brought forth; before her pangs came she was delivered of a male child. Who hath heard a thing like this? Who hath seen a thing like this? Hath the earth travailed in one day? Shall a nation be begotten at once? As soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her sons. Shall I break and not bring forth, saith Jehovah, shall I that cause to bring forth restrain? Rejoice with Jerusalem, exult in her, all ye that love her, that ye may suck and be satisfied from the breast of her consolations (Isa. 66:7-11).
This, too, treats of the Lord’s coming and of the establishment of a church with the Gentiles. Their reformation and regeneration are described by “travailing,” “bringing forth,” “being delivered of a male child,” and by “breaking the matrix” and “begetting;” for, as has been said above, a man who is begotten anew is likewise as it were conceived, carried in the womb, born, educated, and grows up, as from a father and mother.
“Zion” and “Jerusalem” mean the church and its doctrine; and “to suck and be satisfied with the breast of her consolations” signifies to be fully instructed in truths from good from the delight of love according to desire; the “one day” in which these things shall take place signifies the Lord’s coming.
sRef Ps@114 @7 S9′ [9] In David:
From before the Lord thou art in travail, O earth, from before the God of Israel*** (Ps. 114:7).
“Thou art in travail, O earth,” signifies the establishment of the church, or the reformation of those who will be of the church, “to travail” meaning to receive truths and be reformed, and “the earth” meaning the church. It is said “from before the Lord” and “from before the God of Jacob,” because reformation in respect to good and truth is meant, for the Lord is called “Lord” from good, and “God” from truth.
sRef Jer@31 @8 S10′ [10] In Jeremiah:
Behold, I bring them from the land of the north, and I will gather them together from the sides of the earth; among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child, and she that is bringing forth together, a great assembly shall they return hither (Jer. 31:8).
This, again, treats of the restoration of the church with the Gentiles by the Lord. The Gentiles who are in falsities and in the appearances of truth such as the truths of the Word are in the sense of its letter, are meant by “the land of the north” and by “the sides of the earth,” the “north” signifying falsities, and “the sides of the earth” such ultimate truths; therefore it is also said, “among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and she that is bringing forth,” the “blind” meaning those who are not in truths, and the “lame” those who are not in goods, “the woman with child” those who receive truths, and “she who is bringing forth” those who do them. That from such the church will be established is signified by “Behold, I bring them, I will gather them together and a great assembly shall they return hither.”
sRef Isa@51 @1 S11′ sRef Isa@51 @2 S11′ sRef Isa@51 @3 S11′ [11] In Isaiah:
Look unto the rock out of which ye were hewn, and to the digging out of the pit out of which ye were digged; look unto Abraham, your father, and unto Sarah that bare you; for I called him alone, and I will bless him and will multiply him; for Jehovah will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places, and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her solitude like the garden of Jehovah (Isa. 51:1-3).
This, too, is said of the Lord, and of the New Church from Him. The Lord in relation to Divine truth and in relation to the doctrine of truth is meant by “the rock out of which they were hewn and the pit out of which they were digged” (see above, n. 411). But the Lord in relation to the Divine, from which is reformation, is meant by “Abraham” to whom they shall look, and by “Sarah” that bare them; for by “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” in the Word, those persons are not meant, but the Lord in relation to the Divine Itself and the Divine Human, as may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 1893, 2833, 2836, 3245, 3251, 3305, 3439, 3703, 4615, 6098, 6185, 6276, 6804, 6847); but the heavenly marriage which is that of Divine good and Divine truth, from which is all reformation and thus the church, is signified by “Abraham” and by “Sarah that bare them.” Because the Lord is meant by “Abraham” it is said, “I called him alone, and I will bless him and will multiply him,” and afterwards that “Jehovah will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places,” “Zion” meaning the New Church, “waste places” truths destroyed, and “to comfort” to restore the church. That those who will be of that church will acknowledge the Lord, and will receive love to Him and thence wisdom, is signified by “her wilderness shall be made like Eden, and her solitude like the garden of Jehovah,” “Eden” signifying love to the Lord, and “the garden of Jehovah” wisdom therefrom.
sRef Micah@4 @10 S12′ sRef Micah@4 @8 S12′ sRef Micah@4 @9 S12′ [12] In Micah:
O height of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall come and shall return the kingdom, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. Now why dost thou shout in shouting? Is there no king in thee; hath thy counselor perished, that pangs take hold of thee as a woman in travail? Be in travail and bring forth, O daughter of Zion, for now thou shalt go out from the city and shalt dwell in the field (Mic. 4:8-10).
This treats of the spiritual captivity in which the faithful are when they remain in a church in which there is no more truth and good; their lamentation that they are in that church is signified by “why dost thou shout in shouting?” Also by “that pangs take hold of thee as a woman in travail;” when yet they have truths of doctrine and also the understanding of them, which is signified by “Is there no king in thee; hath thy counselor perished?” “king” signifying the truth of doctrine from the Word, and “counselor” the understanding of it. That with those who are in the good of charity and thence in the truths of doctrine there will be a church is signified by “the daughter of Zion to whom the kingdom shall come,” and by “the daughter of Jerusalem,” “kingdom” also signifying the church. The establishment of the church and reformation of those who are of the church is meant by “be in travail, bring forth, O daughter of Zion;” “for now thou shalt go out from the city and shalt dwell in the field” signifies that they will withdraw from a doctrine in which there is no longer any truth or good, and will abide where these abound; “city” meaning the doctrine from which they will withdraw; “field” meaning where truths and goods abound, and “to go out” meaning to withdraw, namely, from that doctrine, and to be thus delivered from spiritual captivity.
sRef Ps@113 @8 S13′ sRef Ps@113 @9 S13′ sRef Ps@113 @7 S13′ [13] In David:
Jehovah raiseth the crushed out of the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill, to place him with princes, with the princes of His people; He maketh the barren to dwell in a house, to be a glad mother of sons (Ps. 113:7-9).
That those who are in falsities from ignorance, and thus are not in goods, are to be instructed by the Lord in truths, is signified by “Jehovah raiseth the crushed out of the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill,” “the crushed” and “the needy” meaning those who are in falsities from ignorance, and thus not in goods. The primary truths of the church in which they must be instructed are signified by “the princes, the princes of the people,” with whom they are to be placed. That those who did not before have life from the marriage of truth and good will have it is signified by “making the barren to dwell in a house, to be a glad mother of sons;” “to dwell” signifying to live; “the house of the barren” signifying where there is no marriage of truth and good, and “a glad mother of sons” the church where there are nascent truths from good.
sRef Hos@9 @11 S14′ sRef Luke@21 @23 S14′ sRef Luke@23 @29 S14′ [14] In Hosea:
As to Ephraim, as a bird shall his glory fly away, from the birth and from the belly and from conception (Hos. 9:11).
That this signifies that all understanding of truth from ultimates to firsts will perish, may be seen above (n. 710), where it is explained. In Luke:
Woe to them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days; for there shall be great anguish and anger upon this people (Luke 21:23).
And in the same:
Behold the days shall come in which they shall say, Blessed are the barren and the bellies that have not borne, and the breasts that have not given suck (Luke 23:29; also in Matt. 24:19; Mark 13:17).
That this is said of those who live at the end of the church, when there are no genuine truths to be received that are not falsified, may be seen above (n. 710).
sRef Jer@17 @11 S15′ [15] In Jeremiah:
The partridge gathereth but bringeth not forth; he that maketh riches but not with judgment, in the midst of his days he forsaketh them, and in his latter end he shall become foolish (Jer. 17:11).
A “partridge” means such as learn many things from the Word and from the doctrines of the church, but not for the sake of the uses of life, “to bring forth” means to perform uses, that is, to live and thus to be reformed; the “riches” that he maketh not with judgment signify spiritual riches, which are the knowledges of truth and good; to acquire these not for the sake of uses of life is “to make riches not with judgment;” that such knowledges as are not made to be of the life perish is signified by “in the midst of his days he shall forsake them;” that finally they will have no knowledges of truth that are not falsified is signified by “in his latter end he shall become foolish.”
sRef Gen@30 @23 S16′ sRef Luke@1 @24 S16′ sRef Luke@1 @25 S16′ sRef Gen@30 @1 S16′ [16] Since a “mother” signifies the church, and “sons and daughters” its truths and goods, and in the ancient churches, and afterwards in the Jewish church, all things were representative and thence significative, it was a reproach and disgrace for women to be barren, therefore:
Rachel was angry with Jacob that she bare no children, and when she brought forth Joseph she said, God hath gathered up my reproach (Gen. 30:1, 23).
For the same reason, when Elizabeth had conceived she said:
Thus hath the Lord done unto me, in the days wherein He looked upon me to take away my reproach among men (Luke 1:24, 25).
Thus it is evident that “to travail,” “to bring forth,” and “to beget,” signify the procreation of such things as pertain to the church.
sRef Isa@37 @3 S17′ sRef Isa@45 @10 S17′ [17] In Isaiah:
Woe to him that saith unto the father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, With what travailest thou? (Isa. 45:10)
This is said of man’s reformation, that it is from the Lord and not from man. In the same:
King Hezekiah said, when he heard the words of Rabshakeh, This day is a day of distress, and of reproving, and of reproach, and the sons are come to the mouth of the matrix and there is not strength to bring forth (Isa. 37:3).
That truths from the Word will be heard and known, and yet reformation will not be effected by them, is signified by “the sons are come to the matrix and there is not strength to bring forth,” “to bring forth” signifying to make truths fruitful by doing them, from which comes reformation. That this was a grief of heart and mind, and a reproach to the church, is signified by “a day of distress, of reproving and of reproach.”
sRef Ezek@30 @15 S18′ sRef Rev@12 @2 S18′ sRef Ezek@30 @16 S18′ [18] In Ezekiel:
I will pour out my wrath upon Sin, the strength of Egypt, and will cut off the multitude of No; I will set a fire in Egypt; Sin shall travail, and there shall not be**** for the breaking through (Ezek. 30:15, 16).
“Egypt,” “Sin,” and “No,” signify the knowledges and fallacies of the natural man, which hinder the reformation of man by means of truths from the Word; that truths will be known and yet will not be received in the life, and thus there can be no reformation, is signified by “Sin in travailing shall travail, but there shall not be for the breaking through,” that is, of the matrix. Since “to travail” signifies to receive the truths of the Word by hearing or reading, and “to bring forth” signifies to make them fruitful and bring them forth in act, which is to live according to them, and thus be reformed, so when these things are done with distress and difficulty because of the falsities and evils that rule in the church, and that hinder and which pervert its truths and goods, then it is said that “they are seized with pangs as of a woman in travail;” and as this takes place at the end of the church, therefore it is said in the Word of those who live at that time, as in this chapter of Revelation:
That a woman being with child, cried out, travailing, and pained to be delivered (verse 2); which signifies that spiritual truths and goods, which are from the Word, can be received only with the greatest difficulty and with distress, because of the opposing evils and falsities that then exist in the church and occupy the minds of those who are devoted to religion.
sRef Jer@4 @31 S19′ [19] This is signified by “the pangs as of a woman in travail” in Jeremiah:
I have heard a voice as of one sick, as of one in travail with her first born, the voice of the daughter of Zion; she sigheth, she spreadeth forth her hands. Woe to me now, for my soul is made desolate by the slayers (Jer. 4:31).
“The daughter of Zion” means the church that is in the truths of doctrine from the good of love; this is said “to sigh and to spread forth the hands, because her soul is made desolate by the slayers,” “slayers” meaning those who destroy man’s spiritual life by falsities and evils; and because on this account spiritual truths and goods can be received only with distress and difficulty, there is said to be lamentation “as of one sick and in travail with her firstborn,” “firstborn” signifying the first thing of the church, from which the rest flow as from their beginning.
sRef Jer@6 @24 S20′ sRef Jer@6 @25 S20′ [20] In the same:
We have heard the fame of a people coming from the land of the north, our hands are slackened, distress has taken hold of us, pangs as of one in travail; go not forth into the field, and go not in the way, for there is the sword of the adversary, terror on every side (Jer. 6:24, 25).
“A people coming from the land of the north” means those who are in the falsities of evil, and in an abstract sense the falsities of evil that are in the church at that time vastated. That truths will then be received in faith and in love with the greatest difficulty, because of the opposing falsities of evil, and that there will be in consequence torment and pain of mind and heart, is signified by “the hands are slackened, distress has taken hold of them, and pangs as of one in travail;” that at such a time the things of the church and of its doctrine will not be considered, in taking thought for oneself, is signified by “Go not forth into the field, go not in the way,” “field” meaning the church, and “way” doctrine; and this for the reason that falsity from hell rushes in, by which truth is falsified and extinguished, which is signified by “the sword of the adversary, terror on every side,” “sword” meaning falsity destroying truth, “adversary” hell, and “terror” spiritual death.
sRef Matt@24 @19 S21′ sRef Matt@24 @17 S21′ sRef Matt@24 @21 S21′ sRef Matt@24 @18 S21′ [21] From this it is evident what is meant by the Lord’s words in Matthew:
Then let him that is on the house not come down to take anything out of the house, and let him that is in the field not return back. Woe to them that bear in the womb and to them that give suck in those days. Then shall be great affliction, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now (Matt. 24:17-19, 21).
This, too, is said of the state of the church near its end, when falsities of evil and evils of falsity have rule, and the truths of the Word are not received except when falsified and adulterated; this is meant by “Woe to them that bear in the womb and to them that give suck in those days,” and also by “great affliction.” (But this with the rest of that chapter may be seen explained consecutively in Arcana Coelestia.)
sRef Jer@30 @7 S22′ sRef Jer@30 @6 S22′ [22] In Jeremiah:
Ask and see whether a male doth bring forth. Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? For that day is great, so that none is like it (Jer. 30:6, 7).
This also is said of the last state of the church, when the Last Judgment takes place; “the great day” is the Lord’s coming and judgment by Him at that time; “ask and see whether a male doth bring forth” signifies whether the truth of the Word without the good of life can bring forth anything of the church, since everything of the church is brought forth by the marriage of good and truth, “the male” signifying the truth of the church, and “the wife” the good of the church; “wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins as a woman in travail?” signifies why is it thought that truth without good will bring forth such things as belong to the church? “Loins” signify marriage, in the spiritual sense the marriage of truth and good, but “the loins of a man as of a woman in travail” signify, as if there could be a marriage of truth alone without good; “all faces are turned into paleness” signifies that there is nothing of good because there is nothing of love and charity; the “face” means the affections that are of the love of good, therefore “paleness” signifies those affections extinguished.
sRef Isa@21 @3 S23′ [23] In Isaiah:
My loins are filled with great pain, pains seize upon me as the pains of a woman in travail (Isa. 21:3).
This, too, is said of the last state of the church, when its truths and goods can be received only with the most painful effort, because of the evils and falsities that then oppose; “the loins that are said to be filled with pain,” signify the marriage of good and truth from which is heaven and the church, and these are said to be “filled with pain” when truth cannot be conjoined with good; therefore this is the signification of “the pains as of a woman in travail,” that seize.
sRef Isa@13 @7 S24′ sRef Isa@13 @8 S24′ sRef Isa@13 @6 S24′ [24] “Pain as of a woman in travail” is also said of those who are unable anymore to receive truths because of the falsities conjoined with evils of life, and yet they wish to receive them when destruction threatens, especially in the spiritual world, when the Last Judgment is at hand, but with a fruitless endeavor and effort; this is signified by “the pains of a woman in travail” in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Howl ye, for the day of Jehovah is nigh. Therefore all hands are slackened, and every heart of man doth melt, and they are dismayed; throes and pangs seize upon them, they are in travail like a woman bringing forth, a man is amazed at his companion, their faces are faces of flames (Isa. 13:6-8).
“The day of Jehovah” that is near signifies the Last Judgment which the Lord accomplished when He was in the world; their terror at that time on account of threatening destruction is signified by “all hands are slackened, and every heart of man doth melt, and they are about to perish;”***** that their ability to receive the truths and goods of heaven and the church is then in vain because of the falsities of evil in which they have been and then are in, is signified by “throes and pangs seize upon them, they are in travail like a woman bringing forth;” that they are in the evils of hatred and anger is signified by “their faces are faces of flames.”
sRef Jer@22 @25 S25′ sRef Jer@22 @23 S25′ [25] In Jeremiah:
She that dwelleth in Lebanon, having her nest in the cedars, what grace wilt thou find when pangs come upon thee, pain as of a woman in travail? I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy soul (Jer. 22:23, 25).
This treats of those that have the Word, and thus truths and the understanding of them, who are said “to dwell in Lebanon and to have a nest in the cedars;” their destruction at the Last Judgment, and their effort then to receive truths, but in vain, because of the opposing falsities of evil, is signified by “what grace wilt thou find when pangs come upon thee, pain as of a woman in travail;” that they will then be carried away by the falsities of evil from hell is signified by “I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy soul.”
sRef Hos@13 @13 S26′ sRef Gen@3 @16 S26′ sRef Jer@50 @43 S26′ sRef Ex@15 @14 S26′ sRef Jer@49 @24 S26′ [26] In the same:
Damascus is become feeble, she hath turned herself to flee, and horror hath taken hold of her, distress and pangs have seized her as of a woman in travail (Jer. 49:24).
The king of Babylon heard the fame of the people coming from the north; thence his hands are relaxed, distress hath taken hold of him, pain as of a woman in travail (Jer. 50:43).
In Moses:
The peoples heard, the pain of a travailing woman hath seized upon the inhabitants of Philistia (Exod. 15:14).
“The pains of a woman in travail” have a similar signification as in the passages above. In Hosea:
The pangs of a woman in travail shall come upon Ephraim, he is a son not wise, for he doth not stay his time in the womb of sons (Hos. 13:13).
This may be seen explained above (n. 710). In Moses:
Jehovah God said to the woman, In multiplying I will multiply thy pain and thy conception; in pain shalt thou bring forth sons; and thy obedience shall be to thy man, and he shall rule over thee (Gen. 3:16).
This does not mean that women are to bring forth sons in pain, but “the woman” means the church that from celestial has become natural; “eating of the tree of knowledge” signifies this. That the man of the church cannot easily be regenerated by means of truths and a life according to them, and that he must endure temptations that truths may be implanted and conjoined to good, is signified by “pain and conception shall be multiplied,” and by “she shall bring forth sons in pain,” “conception” signifying the reception of truth that is from good, and “to bring forth sons” signifying to bring forth truths from the marriage of truth and good. Because the natural man is full of lusts from the love of self and of the world, and these can be removed only by means of truths, therefore it is said “thy obedience shall be to thy man, and he shall rule over thee,” “man” signifying here as elsewhere in the Word the truth of the church. That man is reformed and regenerated by means of truths and a life according to them has been shown above. From this it can now be seen that conceptions, births, nativities, and generations signify in the Word spiritual conceptions, births, nativities, and generations.
* The Hebrew has “so were we.”
** The text itself just before has “to the earth,” as found in the Hebrew and AE 741.
*** The Hebrew has “Jacob,” as we find below in the explanation.
**** The Hebrew has “No shall be,” as found in AC 8398 and TCR 583.
***** The Hebrew has “they are dismayed,” as just above in the text.

sRef Ezek@19 @2 S0′ sRef Ezek@19 @6 S0′ sRef Ezek@19 @3 S0′ sRef Hos@13 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @4 S0′ sRef Dan@7 @5 S0′ sRef Jer@10 @25 S0′ 722. That when she brought forth he might devour her offspring, signifies that they might destroy the doctrine of that church at its first rise. This is evident from the signification of “the offspring” that the woman was about to bring forth, as being the doctrine of the church; that this is meant by “the son a male” which she brought forth will be seen in the following article. Also from the signification of “to devour,” as being to destroy; for what is predicated follows its subject, and when “the dragon” is the subject, “to devour” is predicated of him, but when the doctrine of the church is the subject, being destroyed is predicated of it, therefore “to devour” here signifies to destroy. To destroy it at its first rise is signified because it is said “that when the woman brought forth he might devour her offspring.” “To devour” and “to eat” also elsewhere signify to destroy, when predicated of wild beasts, which signify falsities and evils, as is evident in Ezekiel:
One of the whelps of the lion went up, it became a young lion, and it learned to seize the prey, it devoured man (Ezek. 19:3, 6).
“To devour man” signifies to destroy the understanding of truth and intelligence. In Hosea:
I will encounter them as a bear that is bereaved; and I will devour them like an immense lion; the wild beast of the field shall tear them (Hos. 13:8).
In Daniel:
Behold, a beast, like to a bear, it had three ribs in the mouth between the teeth, it was said to it, Rise, devour much flesh (Dan. 7:5).
Moreover, in the Hebrew, “to devour” in many passages stands for to consume, to ruin, and to destroy, as in Jeremiah:
They have devoured Jacob, they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitations (Jer. 10:25; and elsewhere).

sRef Rev@12 @5 S0′ 723. Verse 5. And she brought forth a son, a male, who is to tend all the nations with an iron rod; and her offspring was caught up unto God and His throne. 5. “And she brought forth a son, a male,” signifies the doctrine of truth for the church that is called the New Jerusalem (n. 724, 725); “who is to tend all the nations with an iron rod,” signifies that this doctrine, by the power of natural truth from spiritual, will refute and convince those who are in falsities and evils and yet are in the church, where the Word is (n. 726, 727); “and her offspring was caught up unto God and His throne,” signifies the protection of the doctrine by the Lord, because it is for the New Church (n. 728).

sRef Rev@12 @5 S0′ 724. Verse 5. And she brought forth a son, a male, signifies the doctrine of truth for the New Church that is called the New Jerusalem. This is evident from the signification of a “son,” as meaning truth, and of “a son, a male,” as meaning the genuine truth of the church, consequently also its doctrine, for the truth of the church from the Word is its doctrine, since the doctrine contains the truths that are for the church. But the genuine doctrine of the church is the doctrine of good, thus the doctrine of life, which is of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor; but yet it is the doctrine of truth, since doctrine teaches life, love, and charity, and so far as it teaches it is truth; for when a man knows and understands what good is, what life is, what love is, and what charity is, he knows and understands these things as truths, since he knows and understands what good is, how he ought to live, and what love and charity are, and of what quality a man is who is in the life of love and charity; and as long as these are matters of knowledge and understanding they are nothing but truths, and thus doctrines; but as soon as they pass over from knowledge and from the understanding into the will, and thus into act, they are no longer truths but goods; for interiorly man wills nothing but what he loves, and that which he loves is to him good. From this it can be seen that every doctrine of the church is a doctrine of truth, and that the truth of doctrine becomes good and comes to be of love and charity when from doctrine it passes into life.
[2] This doctrine that is here signified by “the son, a male” is especially the doctrine of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor, thus the doctrine of the good of life, which nevertheless is still the doctrine of truth. That the doctrine of the good of love, and thus of life, is here signified by “the son, a male” can be seen from this, that “the woman” who brought forth the son was seen “arrayed with the sun, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars,” and “the sun” signifies love to the Lord, and “the crown of twelve stars,” signifies the knowledges of good and truth, and from such a woman and mother nothing else is begotten except what pertains to love and good, thus the doctrine respecting these; this, therefore, is “the son, a male.”
[3] This doctrine* is for the New Church that is called the New Jerusalem, because “the woman” treated of in this chapter is the one who is called “the Bride, the Lamb’s wife,” which was “the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God” (Rev. 21:9-10). This is why she was seen “arrayed with the sun;” “the sun” meaning the Lord in relation to Divine love (see above, n. 401, 525, 527, 708). “The son, a male” signifies the doctrine of the church, for the reason also that in the Word “son” signifies truth, and the doctrine of the church is truth in the whole complex. That in the Word “son” signifies truth can be seen from what has been said before respecting “woman,” the “womb,” and “bringing forth;” namely, that “woman” signifies the church, the “womb” the inmost of love and the reception of truth from good, and “to bring forth” bringing these forth and making them fruitful. (Respecting “woman” see above, n. 707; the “womb,” n. 710; and “to bring forth,” n. 721.) From this it follows that “sons and daughters,” since they are births, signify the truths and goods of the church, “sons” its truths, and “daughters” its goods; in a word, that all terms pertaining to marriage and thus to procreation on the earth signify such things as pertain to the marriage of good and truth, thus “father,” “mother,” “sons,” “daughters,” “sons-in-law,” “daughters-in-law,” “grandsons,” and others, signify goods and truths procreating, and goods and truths procreated, and furthermore goods and truths derived in their order.
[4] But it is to be known that procreating goods and truths are in the spiritual man, and procreated goods and truths are in the natural man, and that those in the spiritual man are like the father and mother, and those that are from these in the natural man are like brothers and sisters; and again that truths and goods that are procreated anew as if from sons married within marriageable limits, and from daughters married within the same, are in the natural man, after these as parents have been raised up into the spiritual man; for all conception and all bearing or gestation in the womb takes place in the spiritual man, while the birth itself takes place in the natural man. Thus the spiritual man is continually enriched by the elevation into it of truths and goods out of the natural man, which as parents will procreate anew; and there all things are associated like the societies of heaven according to the affections of truth and good, and their relationships and affinities. Thence it is evident that these spiritual procreations, like the natural procreations from a father and mother, are multiplied like families and houses on earth, and are made fruitful like trees from seeds, from which are gardens that are called paradises in the spiritual man, but groves and woods in the natural, and shady forests in the sensual.
sRef Luke@14 @26 S5′ sRef Matt@19 @29 S5′ [5] But as “sons” are mentioned in many passages in the Word, and it has not yet been known that they signify the truths of the church and of doctrine, out of many I will merely cite the following passages in the way of confirmation. In the Gospels:
Jesus said, He that leaveth houses, brethren, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, fields, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundred-fold, and shall inherit eternal life (Matt. 19:29; Mark 10:29, 30).
Any man that cometh unto Me, and hateth not his own father, mother, wife, children, brethren, and sisters, yea, his own soul, is not My disciple (Luke 14:26).
Who cannot see that father, mother, wife, children, brethren, and sisters, also houses and fields, are not here meant, but such things as belong to man himself, and are called his own [proprium]? For these things a man must leave and hate, if he wishes to worship the Lord and to be His disciple, and to “receive a hundred-fold,” and “to inherit eternal life.” The things that are a man’s own are those that are of his love, and thus of his life into which he was born, consequently they are evils and falsities of every kind; and as these are of his love and life it is said that “he must hate his own soul.” These evils and falsities are signified by “father and mother, wife, children, brethren, and sisters;” for all things that are of man’s love and life, or that are of affection and thought therefrom, or of the will and the understanding therefrom, are formed and conjoined like generations descending from one father and one mother, and are also distinguished as into families and houses. The love of self and the consequent love of the world are their “father and mother,” and the cupidities arising therefrom and their evils and falsities are the “children,” which are “brethren and sisters.” That this is the meaning can be clearly seen from this, that the Lord does not wish to have anyone hate his father and mother, or wife or children, or brethren or sisters, since this would be contrary to the spiritual love implanted in everyone from heaven, which is the love of parents for children and of children for parents, and contrary to conjugial love, which is the love of the husband for his wife and of the wife for her husband, as also contrary to mutual love, which is the love of brothers and sisters for one another.
Yea, the Lord teaches that enemies must not be hated, but loved. All this shows that the terms that define consanguinities, alliances, and relationships in the Word mean consanguinities, alliances, and relationships in a spiritual sense.
sRef Luke@12 @53 S6′ sRef John@16 @33 S6′ sRef Luke@12 @0 S6′ sRef Matt@10 @21 S6′ sRef John@14 @27 S6′ [6] In the same:
Jesus said to His disciples, The brother shall deliver the brother to death, the father, the son, and children shall rise up against their parents and deliver them to be put to death (Matt. 10:21; Mark 13:12).
The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father, the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother, the mother-in-law against the daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law against the mother-in-law (Luke 12:53).
That this is not to be understood according to the letter is clear from what precedes, where Jesus says that He came not to give peace upon the earth but division, and that “there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three,” which signifies that falsities and evils will combat against truths and goods, and truths and goods against falsities and evils, which is done when man comes into temptations and is being reformed; this combat is signified by “division” and “rising up against;” that “the father shall be divided against the son and the son against the father” signifies that evil will fight against truth and truth against evil, “father” here meaning the evil that is man’s own [proprium], and “son” the truth that man has from the Lord.
That the cupidity of falsity will fight against the affection of truth, and the affection of truth against the cupidity of falsity, is signified by “the mother shall be divided against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother,” “mother” here meaning the cupidity of falsity, “daughter” the affection of truth; and so on. That this is the meaning can also be seen from what the Lord says elsewhere, that in Him, “they shall have peace,” thus not division (John 14:27; 16:33).
sRef Mal@4 @5 S7′ sRef Mal@4 @6 S7′ sRef Luke@1 @17 S7′ [7] In Luke:
The angel said to Zechariah of John, He shall go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the sons (Luke 1:17).
And in Malachi:
I will send to you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah comes, that he may turn the heart of the fathers to the sons, and the heart of the sons to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse (Mal. 4:5, 6).
John the Baptist was sent before to prepare the people for the reception of the Lord by baptism, because baptism represented and signified purification from evils and falsities, and also regeneration by the Lord by means of the Word. Unless this representation had preceded, the Lord could not have manifested Himself and have taught and lived in Judea and in Jerusalem, since the Lord was the God of heaven and earth under a human form, and He could not have been present with a nation that was in mere falsities in respect to doctrine and in mere evils in respect to life; consequently unless that nation had been prepared for the reception of the Lord by a representation of purification from falsities and evils by baptism, it would have been destroyed by diseases of every kind by the presence of the Divine Itself; therefore this is what is signified by “lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” That this is so is well known in the spiritual world, for those there who are in falsities and evils are direfully tormented and spiritually die at the presence of the Lord.
sRef Matt@3 @5 S8′ sRef Matt@3 @6 S8′ sRef Luke@3 @7 S8′ [8] The baptism of John could produce such an effect because the Jewish Church was a representative church, and all their conjunction with heaven was effected by representatives, as can be seen from the washings there commanded; as that all who became unclean must wash themselves and their garments, and in consequence were accounted clean; likewise the priests and Levites must wash themselves before they entered the tent of meeting and afterwards the temple and officiated in holy functions; in like manner Naaman was cleansed from leprosy by washing in Jordan. The washing and baptizing itself did not indeed purify them from falsities and evils, but only represented and thence signified purification from them; nevertheless, this was received in heaven as if they were themselves purified. It was thus that heaven was conjoined to the people of that church by means of the baptism of John; and when heaven was thus conjoined to them, the Lord, who was the God of heaven, could manifest Himself to them there, teach them, and abide among them:
That to John went out Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region round about Jordan, and they were baptized by him in Jordan, confessing their sins (Matt. 3:5, 6);
And that he said to them, O offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come (Luke 3:7).
That the Jews and Israelites were conjoined to heaven by means of representatives may be seen in the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine (n. 248). This now was the reason why John was sent before to prepare a way for the Lord, and to prepare the people for Him. And from this it may be concluded what “turning the heart of the fathers to the sons and the heart of the sons to the fathers” signifies, namely, that it means inducing a representation of the conjunction of spiritual goods with truths and truths with goods, thus of regeneration by the Lord by means of the Word. For regeneration is the conjunction of goods with truths and of truths with goods, and it is the Lord who regenerates, and the Word that teaches.
[9] It was said of this John that “he should go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah,” and that he was Elijah, because John, like Elijah, represented the Lord in relation to the Word, and thence signified the Word, which is from the Lord; and as Divine wisdom and Divine power are in the Word, these are meant by “the spirit and power of Elijah.” (That the Word is such see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 303-310; and in the small work on The White Horse.)
sRef Ps@127 @3 S10′ sRef Ps@127 @5 S10′ sRef Ps@127 @4 S10′ [10] That “sons” signify truths from the Word can be seen also from the following passages. In David:
Lo, sons are a heritage of Jehovah, the fruit of the belly is His reward; as darts in the hand of a mighty one, so are the sons of youth; happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed when they shall speak with the enemies in the gate (Ps. 127:3-5).
“Sons” who are a heritage of Jehovah and “the fruit of the belly” which is a reward mean the truths and goods of the church, “sons” truths, and “the fruit of the belly” goods, for both of these are a reward and an heritage of Jehovah, that is, heaven, which is from truths and goods, that is, from the reception of them; “the sons of youth” who are as darts in the hand of a mighty one, signify the truths of the ancient church, which were natural truths from spiritual truths; this church is meant by “youth;” and as these truths have all power against falsities and evils it is said, “as darts in the hand of a mighty one,” “darts” meaning truths destroying falsities.
Doctrine from truths is signified by “quiver,” because it is signified by “bow,” and because those who are in doctrine from these truths fear nothing from falsities, it is said, “happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed when they shall speak with the enemies in the gate;” “not ashamed” meaning not to be conquered, and “enemies in the gate” the falsities of evil which are from hell.
sRef Ps@144 @11 S11′ sRef Ps@144 @12 S11′ [11] In the same:
Deliver me out of the hand of the sons of the alien, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood; for our sons are as plants made great in their youth and our daughters as cornerstones hewn out in the model of a palace (Ps. 144:11, 12).
Evidently “sons of the alien” here mean falsities, for it is said, “whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood,” and that “our sons” signify truths is also evident, for it is said that “they are as plants made great in their youth,” “plants” also meaning truths, and “youth” here, as above, the ancient church, which had genuine truths. “Our daughters” signify the affections of truth, which are therefore compared to “cornerstones hewn out in the model of a palace,” because a “palace” is a representative of the understanding, in which truths are in a beautiful form, and they are in a beautiful form when they are from the affection of truth.
sRef Micah@1 @16 S12′ [12] In Micah:
Make thee bald and poll thee, because of the sons of thy delights, enlarge thy baldness as the eagle, for they have departed from thee (Micah 1:16).
Mourning because the truths of the church are destroyed is described by “making bald,” “enlarging baldness,” and “polling themselves,” for the “hair” signifies truths in ultimates, and those who are without truths in ultimates are also without internal truths; for this reason those in the spiritual world who have no truths from good appear bald. That truths are destroyed is signified by “the sons of thy delights have departed from thee;” they are called “sons of delight” from love of the truths and the consequent delights.
sRef Zech@4 @11 S13′ sRef Zech@4 @14 S13′ [13] In Zechariah:
He saw two olive trees at the right hand of the lampstand and at the left, and he said, These are the two sons of the olive standing by the Lord of the whole earth (Zech. 4:11, 14).
“The two olive trees” signify the two churches, the celestial church and the spiritual church, the former “at the right hand of the lampstand,” and the latter “at the left;” “the sons of the olive” signify the truths of these churches, which are doctrinals.
sRef Zech@9 @13 S14′ [14] In the same:
I will bend Judah for me, I will fill Ephraim with the bow, and I will stir up thy sons, O Zion, with thy sons, O Javan; and I will set thee as the sword of a mighty one (Zech. 9:13).
“The sons of Zion” and “the sons of Javan” signify the truths of the Word internal and external, “the sons of Zion” internal truths, and “the sons of Javan” external truths (what the rest signifies see above, n. 357, 443, where it is explained). Because “sons” signify truths it is said that “they shall be set as the sword of a mighty one;” “the sword of a mighty one” signifying truth powerfully destroying falsity.
sRef Isa@13 @18 S15′ sRef Isa@13 @17 S15′ [15] In Isaiah:
I will stir up against them the Medes, whose bows will dash in pieces the young men, and they will have no pity on the fruit of the belly, their eye will not spare the sons (Isa. 13:17, 18).
Because the “Medes” mean those who make no account of the truths and goods of the church, it is said “their eye will not spare the sons,” “sons” meaning the truths of the Word and of the church. (But this may be seen explained above, n. 710.)
sRef Jer@10 @20 S16′ [16] In Jeremiah:
My tent is devastated, and all my cords torn off; my sons have gone out from me, and they are not (Jer. 10:20).
The “tent” that is devastated signifies the church in respect to the good of love and worship from it, for all worship in ancient times was celebrated in tents, and afterwards in the Tent of meeting, in remembrance of which the feast of tents or tabernacles was instituted; “all my cords are torn off” signifies that there is no conjunction of truth with good, nor of truths with each other, which have thus fallen apart, and consequently there is no conjunction of heaven with the church; “my sons have gone out from me and they are not” signifies that the truths of the church from the Word have been dispersed, and that man has thus removed himself from the Lord.
sRef Jer@30 @18 S17′ sRef Jer@30 @20 S17′ [17] In the same:
Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and will have compassion on his habitations, that the city may be built on her own heap, and the palace shall be inhabited after its own manner; and his sons shall be as of old, and his congregation shall be established before Me (Jer. 30:18, 20).
“Jacob’s tents and habitations” signify all things of the church and of its doctrine, “tents” its goods, and “habitations” its truths; their “captivity” signifies spiritual captivity, which exists when the truths and goods of the Word cannot be perceived because of the falsities which rule. To disperse falsities and to teach truths is signified by “bringing back the captivity;” “that the city may be built on her own heap” signifies doctrine from truths which has become a ruin through falsities, “city” meaning doctrine; “and the palace shall be inhabited after its own manner” signifies the spiritual understanding of truths, as with the ancients, “palace” meaning the understanding of spiritual truths, for in the understanding are spiritual truths in their forms, which, when they are so presented as to be seen, appear like palaces; “his sons shall be as of old, and his congregation shall be established before Me,” signifies that the truths of the church shall remain as with the ancients, and that their forms shall remain, as with the ancients, in restored conjunction, “sons” here meaning truths, and “congregation” their conjunction and such arrangement into forms as exists in the understanding of the man of the church, from which he has intelligence; “after its own manner” and “as of old” mean as with the ancients.
sRef Lam@1 @16 S18′ [18] In Lamentations:
Mine eye floweth down with waters, because the counselor who refresheth my soul is far from me; my sons are laid waste, because the adversary hath prevailed (Lam. 1:16).
Mourning because the church is laid waste is meant by “mine eye floweth down with waters;” its devastation in respect to truths is signified by “my sons are laid waste;” that this was done by the falsities of evil is signified by “the adversary hath prevailed,” “adversary” meaning the falsity of evil and the hell from which it springs.
sRef Isa@51 @17 S19′ sRef Isa@51 @20 S19′ sRef Isa@51 @18 S19′ [19] In Isaiah:
Awake, awake, rise up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk out of the hand of Jehovah the cup of His anger; thou hast sucked out the dregs of the cup of trepidation; there is none to lead her of all the sons whom she hath brought forth, neither is there any that taketh hold of her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up. Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets (Isa. 51:17, 18, 20).
The restoration of the church, which had fallen into mere falsities of evil, is signified by “Awake, awake, rise up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk out of the hand of Jehovah the cup of His anger; thou hast sucked out the dregs of the cup of trepidation;” “Jerusalem” means the church in respect to doctrine; “awake and rise up” means its restoration; “to drink the cup of anger” means falsity, and “the dregs of the cup” mean mere falsities from which are evils, and to draw these in is signified by “drinking” and “sucking;” “there is none to lead her of all the sons whom she hath brought forth, neither is there any that taketh hold of her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up,” signifies that no truths of the Word that she has learned and imbibed will lead her away from falsities; “sons” here meaning truths; “thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets,” signifies that truths are dispersed by falsities of every kind; because “sons” mean truths, “fainting” signifies to be dispersed, and “to lie at the head of all the streets” signifies by means of falsities of every kind, for “the streets of a city” signify true doctrinals, here false doctrinals.
sRef Isa@43 @5 S20′ sRef Isa@43 @6 S20′ sRef Lev@26 @29 S20′ sRef Matt@24 @31 S20′ [20] In the same:
Fear not, Jacob, I will bring thy seed from the east, and I will gather thee from the west, I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Hold not back; bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the end of the earth (Isa. 43:5, 6).
This is not said of Jacob’s posterity, but of the Gentiles of whom the church is to be formed. “Jacob and his seed” mean those who will be of that church; that it is to be formed of those who are in falsities from ignorance, and thence in obscurity in respect to truths, is signified by “I will gather thee from the west, and I will say to the north, Give up;” and that these are not to be repulsed, but must be accepted, by those who are in the good of love and in the truths of doctrine in their clearness, is signified by “I will bring thy seed from the east, and I will say to the south, Hold not back;” “the east” signifying the good of love in clearness; “the south” the truth of doctrine in clearness; “the west” the good of love in obscurity, and “the north” the truth of doctrine in obscurity, such as those have who are in falsities from ignorance of truth and yet desire truths. This is the signification of these quarters, because all in the spiritual world dwell in these quarters distinctly according to the light of truth and the affection of good. These things have a like signification in Matthew, where it is said that “the elect are to be gathered together from the four winds, from the ends of the heavens even to the ends of them” (Matt. 24:31). That all who are in falsities from ignorance and yet in a desire for truth are to be brought into that church, is signified by “bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the end of the earth,” “sons” signifying those who are in truths, and “daughters” those who are in the affection of truths, and thence also in a sense abstractedly from persons they signify truths and the affections of them; and “afar off” and “the end of the earth” signify removal from the light of truth, because they are in falsities from ignorance from not having the Word or having no understanding of its meaning.
sRef Isa@49 @22 S21′ sRef Isa@49 @17 S21′ [21] In the same:
They shall hasten thy sons;** they that destroy thee and they that lay thee waste shall go out from thee. Behold I will lift My hand toward the nations, and lift up Mine ensign to the peoples, that they bring thy sons in the bosom, and carry thy daughters upon the shoulder (Isa. 49:17, 22).
This, too, treats of the establishment of the New Church by the Lord; and “sons” whom they shall hasten and whom they shall bring in the bosom, and “the daughters” whom they shall carry upon the shoulder, mean all who are in truths and in the affection of them, and in a sense abstractedly from persons truths themselves and affections for them with those who will be of the New Church; “they that destroy and they that lay waste” signify the falsities of evil; that these are to be removed is signified by “they shall go out from thee.”
sRef Hos@11 @10 S22′ sRef Isa@60 @9 S22′ sRef Hos@11 @11 S22′ sRef Hos@11 @9 S22′ [22] In the same:
The isles shall trust in Me, and the ships of Tarshish in the beginning, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them (Isa. 60:9).
This also is said of the church of the Gentiles; and the “sons” that will be brought signify those who will receive truths. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 50, 406, 514.) In Hosea:
I will not destroy Ephraim. They shall go after Jehovah; He shall roar like a lion, for he shall roar, and sons from the sea shall draw near with honor; with honor shall they come, as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria, and I will make them to dwell in their houses (Hos. 11:9-11).
“Sons from the sea” signify true knowledges and rational truths; therefore it is said, “they shall come as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria,” “Egypt” signifying the natural, and “Assyria” the rational, both in respect to truths. (This, too, is explained above, n. 275, 601, 654.)
sRef Ps@49 @1 S23′ sRef Ps@49 @2 S23′ sRef Ps@49 @3 S23′ [23] In David:
Hear this all ye peoples, perceive with the ear, all ye inhabitants of the age; both the sons of man [homo] and the sons of man [vir], the rich and the needy together; my mouth shall speak wisdoms, and the meditations of my heart shall be intelligences (Ps. 49:1-3).
“The sons of man” [homo] signify spiritual truths from the Lord through the Word, which are doctrinals, and “the sons of man” [vir] signify rational and natural truths that are from the understanding, thus they signify the understanding of the Word; “the rich and the needy” signify those who attain much wisdom from these and those who attain but little.
sRef Ps@80 @15 S24′ sRef Ps@80 @14 S24′ [24] In the same:
Jehovah, return, look from the heavens, and see and visit this vine and the shoot which Thy right hand hath planted, and upon the son whom Thou hast made mighty for Thyself; let Thy hand be over the man of Thy right hand, over the son of man whom Thou hast made mighty for Thyself (Ps. 80:14, 15, 17).
David said this of the church and of himself, which is the sense of the letter, for by the “shoot” and the “son” he meant himself; but in the spiritual sense the “vine” and the “shoot” that Jehovah planted signify the spiritual church that is represented by the sons of Israel; the “son” whom He made mighty for Himself signifies the truth of doctrine from the Word; “the man of the right hand” over whom was the hand, and “the son of man” whom He had made mighty for Himself, signify the truth of the Word in the natural sense, which is the sense of the letter, and the truth of the Word in the spiritual sense, which is the internal sense.
sRef Ezek@24 @21 S25′ sRef Ezek@24 @25 S25′ [25] In Ezekiel:
Behold I will profane My sanctuary, the greatness of My strength,*** the desire of your eyes, and the fondness of your soul; and your sons and your daughters, whom ye have left, shall fall by the sword (Ezek. 24:21, 25).
This describes the devastation of all truth that those of the church have; the “sanctuary” that He will profane signifies the Word from which is the church, for this is the sanctuary itself, because it is Divine truth; from its power against falsities and evils, which are from hell, it is called “the greatness of Jehovah’s strength;” from the consequent intelligence and heavenly life it is called “the desire of your eyes and the fondness of your soul;” that all truths with the affection of them will be destroyed by falsities is signified by “your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,” “sons” meaning truths, “daughters” the affections of truth, and “sword” falsity destroying truth.
sRef Deut@32 @8 S26′ [26] In Moses:
When the Most High gave the nations an inheritance, when He separated the sons of man, He set the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel (Deut. 32:8).
This is said of the ancient churches that preceded the Israelitish, and of the establishment of these by the Lord; “nations” mean those who were in the good of love, and “the sons of man” those who were in the truths of doctrine from that good; that these had all truths and goods is signified by “He set the borders of the people according to the number of the sons of Israel;” that “the twelve sons of Israel” (or the twelve tribes) represented and thus signified the church in respect to all truths and goods, may be seen above (n. 39, 430, 657).
sRef Jer@5 @17 S27′ sRef Jer@5 @15 S27′ sRef Jer@3 @24 S27′ sRef Jer@3 @25 S27′ [27] In Jeremiah:
Shame hath devoured the labor of our fathers from our childhood, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters; we lie down in our shame, and our confusion doth cover us (Jer. 3:24, 25).
So I will bring upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, which shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread, and it shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters, it shall eat up thy flock and thy herd, it shall eat up thy vine and thy fig tree, it shall impoverish thy strongholds in which thou trusteth, with the sword (Jer. 5:15, 17).
This describes in the spiritual sense the devastation of all things of the church with the Israelites; “the nation from afar” signifies the falsity of evil, which is the falsity of the sensual man, destroying truths; “harvest,” “bread,” “sons,” “daughters,” “flock,” “herd,” “vine,” and “fig tree,” which that nation will eat up, signify all things of the church; “harvest and bread” its truths and goods in respect to nourishment; “sons and daughters” its truths and goods in respect to generations; “flock and herd” truths and goods spiritual and natural; “vine and fig tree” the internal and external spiritual church from these.
sRef Ezek@14 @20 S28′ sRef Ezek@14 @18 S28′ sRef Ezek@14 @16 S28′ sRef Ezek@14 @17 S28′ [28] In Ezekiel:
Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in the midst of it, as I live, if they would deliver their sons or their daughters, they only shall be delivered; and the land shall become a desolation; I will bring a sword upon the land, and I will cut off from it man and beast (Ezek. 14:14, 16-18, 20).
This, too, describes the devastation of the church in respect to all truths of good and goods of truth, except with those who are reformed by means of truths from the Word and temptations; these are signified by “Noah, Daniel, and Job.” That with the rest all truths of good and goods of truth will perish is signified by “they would not deliver their sons or their daughters, but they only would be delivered;” the devastation of the church by falsities is signified by “the land shall become a desolation, and I will bring a sword upon the land,” “land” meaning the church, and “sword” falsity destroying truth. That every truth, spiritual and natural, will be destroyed, and thence all intelligence and the knowledge of truth will perish, is signified by “I will cut off from it man and beast.”
sRef Ezek@5 @10 S29′ [29] In the same:
The fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; I will do judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter unto every wind (Ezek. 5:10).
In Moses:
It was among the curses that they should eat the flesh of their sons and daughters (Lev. 26:29).
“The fathers shall eat the sons, and the sons the fathers” signifies that evils will destroy truths and falsities goods, “fathers” meaning evils and goods, and “sons” falsities and truths; and as everything of spiritual life with man thus perishes, it is said that “judgments will be done and the remnant be scattered unto every wind,” “remnant” meaning the truths and goods stored up by the Lord with man from infancy and childhood.
sRef Ezek@16 @20 S30′ sRef Ezek@16 @26 S30′ sRef Ezek@16 @36 S30′ sRef Ezek@16 @21 S30′ sRef Ezek@16 @45 S30′ [30] We read also that “they led away their sons to idols to be devoured,” and “for food,” and “to pass through fire,” as in the following passages. In Ezekiel:
Thou hast taken thy sons whom thou hast brought forth to Me, and these thou hast sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Were thy whoredoms a small matter? Thou hast slaughtered My sons, and hast given them up when thou didst cause them to pass through to them. Thou art thy mother’s daughter and the sister of thy sisters, who loathed their husbands and their sons (Ezek. 16:20, 21, 45).
This is said of the abominations of Jerusalem. “To sacrifice sons and daughters unto idols to be devoured” signifies to destroy and consume all truths and goods of the church; to do the like to truths from the Word is signified by “slaughtering sons, and making them to pass through to them;” that they destroyed the truths and goods of the Word by falsifications and adulterations is signified by “whoredoms” here and elsewhere in that chapter.
sRef Ezek@20 @31 S31′ sRef Ezek@20 @26 S31′ [31] In the same:
I will defile them with their gifts, in that they caused to pass over every opening of the womb, that I might lay them waste. Wherefore ye offer gifts, when ye caused your sons to pass through the fire; ye are defiled by all your idols (Ezek. 20:26, 31).
To destroy truths by the evils of the love of self and by cupidities from one’s own is signified by “causing sons to pass through fire;” and to destroy truths by falsities is signified by “defiled by idols.” (That “idols” signify the falsities of doctrine and worship from self-intelligence may be seen above, n. 587.)
sRef Ezek@23 @37 S32′ [32] In the same:
Oholah and Oholibah have committed whoredom and blood was in their hands; and with their idols have they committed whoredom; and their sons also whom they bare unto Me they have caused to pass through for them for food (Ezek. 23:37).
By “Oholah and Oholibah” Samaria and Jerusalem are meant; and “Samaria” means the spiritual church, and “Jerusalem” the celestial church, each in respect to doctrine; falsifications and adulterations of the Word are signified by “their committing whoredom” and by “blood in their hands;” the consequent falsities from self-intelligence are signified by “they committed whoredom with their idols;” from this it is clear what is signified by “causing their sons to pass through for their idols for food,” namely, that they destroyed the truths from the Word by falsities.
sRef Luke@3 @8 S33′ [33] Because “sons” signify truths:
The seeds that fell into the good land are called by the Lord the sons of the kingdom; and the tares, which are falsities, are called the sons of the evil one (Matt. 13:38).
Also those who are in truths are called the sons of light (John 12:36).
Those who are in the marriage of truth and good from the Lord are called the sons of the nuptials (Mark 2:19).
And those who are regenerated are called sons of God (John 1:11-13).
Because “stones” in the Word signify truths, John the Baptist said:
God is able of these stones to raise up sons unto Abraham (Luke 3:8).
That “stones” signify the truths upon which interior truths are based may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 643, 1298, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376.
sRef Isa@14 @21 S34′ sRef Isa@14 @22 S34′ sRef Isa@14 @23 S34′ [34] As “sons” signify truths, so in the contrary sense they signify falsities; as in some of the passages quoted above, also in these words of Isaiah:
Prepare slaughter for his sons for the iniquity of their fathers, that they rise not up and possess the land and the faces of the land be filled with cities. I will rise up against them, and I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son’s son. I will also make it a heritage for the bittern, and pools of waters, and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction (Isa. 14:21-23).
This is said of Babylon, which signifies the adulteration of the Word and profanation. Here the total vastation of truth with those who are meant by “Babylon” is treated of. That truths with them were utterly destroyed by the adulteration of the Word is signified by “Prepare slaughter for his sons, that they rise not up and possess the land and the faces of the land be filled with cities,” “land” meaning the church in which are truths, and “cities” doctrinals from mere falsities. That all truths from first to last will perish is signified by “name and remnant shall be cut off from Babylon, son and son’s son;” that nothing whatever of truth would remain is signified by “she shall be swept with the besom of destruction.”
[35] It is to be known that in the passages quoted above, “sons” signify those who are in truths or those who are in falsities; but as the spiritual sense of the Word has nothing in common with persons, “sons” signify in that sense truths or falsities abstracted from the idea of person. The spiritual sense is such because the idea of person limits thought and its extension into heaven in every direction; for all thought that proceeds from the affection of truth makes its way through heaven in all directions, and has no termination except as light has in shade; but when person is at the same time thought of, the idea has its termination where the person is, and intelligence with it; this is why “sons” signify in the spiritual sense truths or falsities regarded abstractly.
* The Latin has “this church is for the New Church,” for “this doctrine,” etc.
** The Hebrew has “thy sons shall hasten,” as found in AC 10540.
*** The Hebrew has “your strength,” as found in AC 9479.

sRef Rev@18 @17 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @16 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @5 S0′ sRef Gen@5 @2 S1′ sRef Gen@1 @27 S1′ 725. “A son, a male” signifies the doctrine of truth for the church which is called “the New Jerusalem,” because “son” signifies truth (as has been shown just above), and “a son, a male” signifies the truth of doctrine from the Word, consequently the doctrine of genuine truth which is for the church. It means the doctrine for the church which is called the New Jerusalem, because “the woman that brought forth a son, a male” means that church (as has also been shown above). The doctrine of truth which is for the church is also signified by “male” in the following passages. In Moses:
God created man into His image, into the image of God created He him. Male and female created He them (Gen. 1:27).
Male and female created He them, and blessed them, and called their name Man, in the day when they were created (Gen. 5:2).
What is involved in the things that are related in the first chapters of Genesis respecting the creation of heaven and earth, paradise, and eating from the tree of knowledge, no one can know except from the spiritual sense, for these historical things are made-up historicals, and yet they are holy, because every least particular is inwardly or in its bosom spiritual.
sRef Gen@3 @20 S2′ [2] It describes the establishment of the Most Ancient Church, which surpassed all the churches on this earth; its establishment is meant by the creation of heaven and earth, its intelligence and wisdom by the garden in Eden, and its decline and fall by eating from the tree of knowledge. From this it is clear that “Man,” who is called “Adam and Eve,” means that church, for it is said “male and female created He them, and called their name Man;” and as that church is meant by the two, it follows that “the male” means its truth, and “the female” its good, so too, “male” means doctrine, and “female,” the life, since the doctrine of truth is also the doctrine of love and charity, thus the doctrine of life; and the life of good is also the life of love and charity, thus the life of doctrine, that is, life according to doctrine. These two are meant by “male [and female],” and these taken together and conjoined in marriage are called “Man” [Homo], and also constitute the church, which is meant by “Man,” as has been said above. So, again, Adam is from a word that means ground, and ground from its reception of seeds signifies the church in respect to the truths of doctrine, for in the Word seeds signify truths; while Eve is from a word that means life, as it is said:
Because she was to be the mother of all living (Gen. 3:20).
These two, doctrine and life, when taken together and joined as it were in marriage, are called “Man,” and also constitute the church, because man is man from the understanding of truth and from the will of good, consequently from the doctrine of life, since this is of the understanding, and from the life of doctrine, because this is of the will. It is similar with the church, for the church is in man, and is the man himself.
sRef Matt@19 @6 S3′ sRef Matt@19 @4 S3′ sRef Matt@19 @5 S3′ [3] That these two, which are signified by “male and female,” are not to be two but one, the Lord teaches in the Gospels:
Jesus said, Have ye not read that He who made them from the beginning of creation made them male and female, and they twain shall be one flesh? Therefore they are no more twain, but one flesh (Matt. 19:4-6; Mark 10:6, 8).
This, like every particular of the Word, must be understood not only naturally, but also spiritually, and unless it is also understood spiritually no one can know what is signified by “male and female [or husband and wife] shall be no more twain but one flesh” (as it is also said in Gen. 2:24). Here, as above, “male and female” signify in the spiritual sense truth and good, consequently the doctrine of truth, which is the doctrine of life, and the life of truth, which is the life of doctrine; these must be not two but one, since truth does not become truth with man without the good of life, nor does good become good with anyone without the truth of doctrine, for good becomes spiritual good only by means of truths, and spiritual good is good, but natural good without it is not good. When these are one, then truth is of good and good is of truth, and this one is meant by “one flesh.” It is similar with doctrine and life; these also constitute one man of the church when the doctrine of life and the life of doctrine are conjoined with him, for doctrine teaches how one must live and do, and life lives the doctrine and does it. From this it can also be seen that “a son, a male” signifies the doctrine of love and charity, consequently the doctrine of life.
sRef Deut@15 @19 S4′ sRef Ex@13 @15 S4′ sRef Ex@13 @12 S4′ [4] Since the truth of doctrine or the doctrine of truth is signified by the “male,” the law was given:
That every male opening the womb should be holy to Jehovah (Exod. 13:12, 15; Deut. 15:19; Luke 2:23).
For from the marriage of truth and good, which, as has been said above, is meant in the spiritual sense by the marriage of man and woman, truths and goods are born, consequently these are signified in that sense by “sons and daughters,” truths by “sons,” and goods by “daughters;” and as every man is reformed and regenerated by means of truths, for without truths man does not know what is good, or what is the nature of good, thus does not know the way to heaven, so truth, which is what is first born from the marriage of truth and good, was sanctified to Jehovah. This truth first born is also the doctrine of truth, for that which is first is the all in what follows, thus is in all truth, and all truth is doctrine. But it must be carefully noted that “the firstborn” signifies the truth that is of the good of charity, consequently it signifies the good of charity in its form and in its quality, and therefore truth. For truth is the form of good and the quality of good. This is signified by “the firstborn,” because from the good of love, which is signified by the womb and the infant in it, nothing else can be born but the good of charity; and this good does not become good until it has been formed and qualified, that is, until it is in the form in which it has its quality, and its form is called truth, and yet it is good in form.
sRef Ex@23 @17 S5′ sRef Deut@16 @16 S5′ [5] From what has now been said it can be seen why it was commanded:
That every male should appear three times in the year before the face of the Lord Jehovah (Exod. 23:17; 34:23; Deut. 16:16);
namely, at the three feasts, which signified everything of regeneration, from its first to its last; and as everything of regeneration is effected by the truths of doctrine that are made by the Lord to be of the life, so all males, by whom truths were signified, were to present themselves before the Lord that they might be made clean by Him and afterwards be led by Him. Moreover, “three times in the year” signifies continually, and “the face of Jehovah” the Divine love, by which man is led. And this was done because “Jerusalem” signified the church in respect to doctrine, and thence also the doctrine of the church.
sRef Lev@1 @3 S6′ sRef Lev@1 @2 S6′ [6] Because “burnt-offerings and sacrifices” signified celestial and spiritual things, “burnt-offerings” celestial things, and “sacrifices” spiritual things, the law was given:
That burnt-offerings should be of males without blemish, either from the flock or from the herd; but sacrifices might be either of males or females (Lev. 1:2, 3; 3:1, 6).
The reasons were that celestial things are such as are of the love to the Lord, thus of the marriage of good and truth, but spiritual things are such as are of charity towards the neighbor, thus not of marriage but of the blood relationship of truth with good; and truths and goods in blood relationship are like sisters and brothers, but in marriage truths and goods are like husband and wife. This is why the burnt-offerings were “of males without blemish,” which signify genuine truths from the Word, or from doctrine out of the Word, which have been conjoined to the good of love to the Lord, which good was signified by “the altar and its fire.” The sacrifices were “either of males or females,” because “males” signified truths, and “females” goods, conjoined not by marriage but by blood relationship; and as both of these, like brothers and sisters, are of one parent, worship was equally well pleasing from truths and from goods, that is, from males and from females.
sRef Lev@6 @18 S7′ sRef Lev@6 @29 S7′ [7] As all spiritual nourishment is from truths that are from good, the law was also given:
That the male among the priests might eat the holy things (Lev. 6:18, 29; 7:6).
This was the law because “males” signify the truths of doctrine, which are doctrinals, as above, and “priests” the goods of love, which are the goods of life, and “their eating of the holy things” that belonged to Aaron and his sons signified spiritual nourishment.
sRef Deut@20 @10 S8′ sRef Deut@20 @13 S8′ sRef Deut@20 @12 S8′ sRef Deut@20 @14 S8′ sRef Deut@20 @11 S8′ [8] In Moses:
When thou draw near unto a city to fight against it, thou shalt invite it to peace; if it does not accept, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword, but the women, the little ones, the beasts, and the prey thou shalt take (Deut. 20:10-14).
Every male in a city that did not accept peace should be smitten with the edge of the sword, but not the women, little ones, and beasts, because “city” signifies doctrine, and “a city of the nations in the land of Canaan” the doctrine of falsity, likewise the males of that city; and “not to accept peace” signifies not to agree with the truths and goods of the church, which were signified by “the sons of Israel;” “the edge of the sword,” with which the males should be smitten, signifies truth destroying falsity. And because falsities alone fight against truths and goods and destroy them, but not evils without falsities, “the women, little ones, and beasts,” which, with the nations, signified evils, were not smitten, since evils can be subdued, amended, and reformed by means of truths.
sRef Jer@20 @16 S9′ sRef Jer@20 @15 S9′ [9] In Jeremiah:
Cursed be the man who brought glad tidings to his father, saying, A son, a male is born to thee, in gladdening he hath made him glad; let that man be as the cities that Jehovah overthrew (Jer. 20:15, 16).
This is said of those who are in the devastated church, in which nothing but falsities rule and are accepted; therefore “cursed be the man who brought glad tidings to his father, saying, A male is born to thee,” signifies one who acknowledges falsity and proclaims it as truth, thus the doctrine of falsity in place of the doctrine of truth; “in gladdening he hath made him glad” signifies the accepting from affection of falsity; “let that man be as the cities that Jehovah overthrew” signifies that it shall be with the doctrines that are from mere falsities, which the Lord exterminated from the church, and as with the cities of the Canaanitish nation that He destroyed; the comparison is with cities because “cities” signify doctrines.
sRef Ezek@16 @17 S10′ [10] In Ezekiel:
Thou didst take the vessels of thine adorning, of My gold and of My silver which I had given to thee, and madest for thee images of a male with which thou didst commit whoredom (Ezek. 16:17).
This is said of “the abominations of Jerusalem,” which signify the falsifications and adulterations of the Word, which are made by applications to the cupidities of corporeal and earthly loves; “vessels of adorning from the gold and silver of the Lord” signify the knowledges of good and truth, which are the goods and truths of the sense of the letter of the Word; these are called “vessels” because they contain in them spiritual truths and goods, and are called “vessels of adorning” because they are the appearances and thus forms of things interior; the things that are of “gold” signify those that are from good, and those of “silver” those that are from truth; “thou madest for thee images of a male, with which thou didst commit whoredom,” signifies falsities appearing as truths of doctrine, but which are falsified; “the images of a male” meaning the appearances of truth, which nevertheless are falsities, and “to commit whoredom” meaning to falsify.
sRef Mal@1 @14 S11′ [11] In Malachi:
Cursed be the defrauder in whose flock is a male and he voweth and sacrificeth to the Lord a corrupted thing (Mal. 1:14).
“A male in the flock” signifies the genuine truth of doctrine from the Word; “a corrupted thing” signifies what is falsified; and “to vow and sacrifice” signifies to worship, thus from things falsified when truth is known; that this worship being fraudulent is infernal is signified by “cursed be the defrauder.” From what has now been shown from the Word respecting the signification of “male” and of “sons,” it can be seen that “the son, a male that was brought forth by the woman arrayed with the sun, and upon whose head was a crown of twelve stars,” signifies the doctrine of truth, thus the doctrine of love and charity for the church which is called the New Jerusalem (which is treated of in the twenty-first chapter of this book).

sRef Rev@12 @5 S0′ 726. Who is to tend all the nations with an iron rod, signifies that this doctrine by the power of natural truth from spiritual will convince and refute those who are in falsities and evils and yet are in the church where the Word is. This is evident from the signification of “to tend,” as being to teach (of which above, n. 482), but here to convince and refute, because it is said that “he is to tend with an iron rod;” also from the signification of “all the nations,” as being those who are in falsities and evils (of which above, n. 175, 331, 625); also from the signification of an “iron rod,” as being the power of a natural truth from spiritual, for “rod” or “staff” signifies power, and it is predicated of spiritual Divine truth, and “iron” signifies truth in the natural man. It is the power of the truth of the natural man from the spiritual that is signified by the “iron rod,” because all the power that truths in the natural man have is from the influx of truth and good from the spiritual man, that is, from the influx of Divine truth from the Lord through the spiritual man into the natural; for the Lord alone has power, and He exercises it through Divine truth that proceeds from Him. But that this may be more clearly perceived it shall be shown:
(1) That the Lord has infinite power.
(2) That the Lord has this power from Himself through His Divine truth.
(3) That all power is together in ultimates, and therefore that the Lord has infinite power from things first through ultimates.
(4) That so far as angels and men are recipients of Divine truth from the Lord they are powers.
(5) That power resides in the truths of the natural man so far as it receives influx from the Lord through the spiritual man.
(6) That the truths of the natural man without that influx have nothing of power.
sRef Matt@28 @18 S2′ sRef John@5 @26 S2′ [2] (1) That the Lord has infinite power can be seen from this, that He is the God of heaven and the God of earth; that He created the universe filled with numberless stars, which are suns; and in the universe so many systems and earths in these systems; these systems and the earths in them exceeding in number many hundred thousands; also that He alone preserves and continually sustains these because He created them. Moreover, as He created the natural worlds, so He created the spiritual worlds above them, and these He perpetually fills with angels and spirits to the number of myriads and myriads. Under these, again, He has hid away the hells, as many in number as the heavens. And to each and every thing in the worlds of nature and in the worlds above nature He alone gives life; and because He alone gives life, no angel, spirit, or man is able to move a hand or foot except from Him. What infinite power the Lord has is especially evident from this, that all who come from so many earths into the spiritual worlds, numbering some myriads every week from our earth alone, consequently so many myriads from so many thousand earths in the universe, the Lord alone receives, and by a thousand secret ways of Divine wisdom leads everyone to the place of his life; the faithful to their places in the heavens, and the unfaithful to their places in the hells; and the thoughts, intentions, and wills of all, everywhere He rules in most particular and in most universal things; and He causes each and every one in the heavens to enjoy their happiness, and each and every one in the hells to be held in their bonds, even so that not one of them ventures to lift a hand, much less to rise up to do harm to any angel; and all are thus held in order and in bonds, howsoever the heavens and the hells may be multiplied to eternity. These and many other things too numerous to be mentioned, could not possibly be if the Lord did not have infinite power. That the Lord alone rules all things He Himself teaches in Matthew:
All authority is given to Me in heaven and in earth (Matt. 28:18).
And that He is the Life (John 5:26; 11:25, 26; 14:6).
[3] (2) The Lord has infinite power from Himself through His Divine truth, because Divine truth is the Divine proceeding, and from the Divine that proceeds from the Lord all those things that have been said above in respect to His infinite power are effected. Divine truth regarded in itself is Divine wisdom, which extends itself in every direction, like the light and heat from the sun in our world; for in the spiritual world, where angels and spirits are, the Lord is seen as a sun, from Divine love; all that proceeds from that sun is called* Divine truth; and that which proceeds brings forth; also that which proceeds is Himself, because it is from Him; consequently the Lord in the heavens is Divine truth. But that it may be known that the Lord has infinite power through Divine truth, something must be said of its essence and existence. This cannot be comprehended from the natural man and its light but by means of such things as proceed from the sun of the world, from which and by which that sun has all power in its world and in the earths that are under its heat and light. From the sun, of our world auras and atmospheres proceed as from their fountain; these are called ethers and airs. From this source nearest about it is pure ether, at a greater distance from it are less pure ethers, and at length airs; but these ethers and airs are around the earths. These ethers and airs when made active in mass produce heat, but when modified in their least parts give light. Through these the sun exercises all its power and produces all its effect outside of itself, thus through ethers and airs by heat as a means and at the same time by light as a means.
sRef John@1 @10 S4′ sRef John@1 @3 S4′ sRef Ps@33 @6 S4′ sRef John@1 @1 S4′ [4] From this some idea can be formed of the Lord’s infinite power through Divine truth. Likewise from Him as a sun similar auras and atmospheres emanated, but such as are spiritual, because they are from Divine love, which constitutes that sun. That there are such atmospheres in the spiritual world is clear from the respiration of angels and spirits. Those spiritual auras and atmospheres that are nearest to the Lord as a sun are the most pure; but according to the degrees in which they are removed from Him they are less and less pure. Therefore there are three heavens, the inmost heaven in a purer aura, the middle heaven in an aura less pure, and the lowest heaven in an aura still less pure. These auras or atmospheres, which are spiritual, because they have sprung from the Lord as a sun, when made active in common exhibit heat, but when modified in their least parts exhibit light. That heat, which in its essence is love, and that light, which in its essence is wisdom, are called specifically Divine truth; but together with the auras, which are also spiritual, they are called the Divine proceeding. Now from these the heavens were created, and also the worlds; for all things that exist in the natural world are produced from the spiritual world, as effects from their effecting causes. From this the creation of heaven and earth by means of Divine truth proceed from the Lord as a sun, which is above the angelic heavens, can be seen as in a natural mirror. It can also in some degree be comprehended that the Lord has infinite power by means of the Divine proceeding, which in general is called Divine truth. This also is meant by these words in John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word; all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the world was made by Him (John 1:1, 3, 10).
And in David:
By the Word of Jehovah were the heavens made (Ps. 33:6).
“The Word” signifies Divine truth.
[5] (3) All power is together in ultimates, and therefore the Lord has infinite power from first things through ultimates. What is meant by ultimates shall first be explained. First things are the things that are in the Lord, and those that most nearly proceed** from Him; ultimates are those that are most remote from Him, that is, the things in nature, and the ultimate things in it. These are called ultimates because spiritual things, which are prior, close into them and rest and repose upon them as upon their foundation; therefore they are immovable, and are called the ultimates of Divine order. All power is in ultimates because prior things are together in them, coexisting therein in an order that is called simultaneous. For there is a connection of all things from the Lord Himself through the things which are of heaven and the things of the world even to these ultimates; and because prior things that proceed successively are together in ultimates, as has been said, it follows that power itself is in ultimates from things first. But Divine power is power by the Divine proceeding, which is called Divine truth, as has been shown in the preceding article.
[6] For this reason the human race is to the heavens as a base to a column, or as a foundation to a palace; consequently the heavens subsist in order upon the things of the church that are with men in the world, thus upon Divine truths in ultimates which are such Divine truths as are in the sense of the letter of the Word. What power there is in these truths cannot be told in a few words; into these ultimates with man the Lord flows in from Himself, thus from things first, and rules and keeps together in order and connection all things in the spiritual world.
sRef John@14 @23 S7′ sRef John@14 @21 S7′ [7] Now because Divine power itself resides in these ultimates the Lord Himself came into the world and became Man that He might be in ultimates at the same time as in things first, to the end that through ultimates from things first, He might reduce all things to order that had become disordered, namely, all things in the hells and also all things in the heavens. This was the reason of the Lord’s coming, for at the time just before His coming there was no Divine truth in ultimates with men in the world, and none whatever in the church which was then with the Jewish nation, that had not been falsified and perverted, and consequently there was no foundation for the heavens; unless, therefore, the Lord had come into the world and had thus Himself assumed the ultimate, the heavens that were made up of the inhabitants of this earth would have been transferred elsewhere,*** and the whole human race on this earth would have perished in eternal death. But now the Lord, on the earth as in the heavens, is in His fullness, and thus in His omnipotence, because He is in ultimates and in things first. Thus the Lord is able to save all who are in Divine truths from the Word, and in a life according to them, for He can be present and dwell with such in ultimate truths from the Word, because ultimate truths are also His, and are Himself, because they are from Him, according to His words in John:
He that hath My commandments and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with Him (John 14:21, 23).
[8] (4) So far as angels and men are recipients of Divine truth from the Lord they are powers. This can be seen from what has been said above, namely, that the Lord has infinite power, and that He alone through His Divine truth has power; also from this, that angels, and men also, are nothing but forms recipient of Divine truth; for this reason angels signify in the Word Divine truths, and are called “gods.” It therefore follows that according to the measure and quality of their reception of Divine truth from the Lord they are powers.
[9] (5) Power resides in the truths of the natural man so far as it receives influx from the Lord through the spiritual man. This follows from what precedes, namely, that Divine truths in ultimates from things first have all power, and the natural man is a receptacle of ultimates. But to the natural mind of man there are two ways, one from heaven, the other from the world; the way from heaven leads through the spiritual mind into the rational and through this into the natural, and the way from the world is through the sensual which stands forth nearest to the world and clings to the body. From this it can be seen that the Lord flows in with Divine truth into the natural man only through the spiritual, and so far as the natural man receives influx therefrom is there power in it. By the power in it is meant power against the hells, which is the power to resist evils and falsities, and to put them away; and so far as these are resisted and put away man comes into angelic power and also into intelligence, and becomes “a son of the kingdom.” (On the Power of Angels, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 228-233; and on their intelligence and wisdom, n. 265-275.)
[10] (6) The truths of the natural man without that influx have nothing of power. This follows as a consequence from what has just been said. The truths of the natural man without influx through the spiritual man have in themselves nothing of the Lord, thus also nothing of life; and truths without life are not truths, and in fact when regarded interiorly are falsities, and falsities have nothing whatever of power, since they are opposites of truths, which have all power. These things have been here set forth to make known what is meant by the power of natural truth from spiritual, which is signified by the “iron rod with which the son a male born of the woman is to tend all nations.
* The Latin has “all that proceeds from that sun calls.”
** The Latin has “precede from him,” for “proceed.”
*** The Latin has “from elsewhere.”

sRef Rev@12 @5 S0′ sRef Judg@6 @21 S1′ sRef Ex@17 @5 S1′ sRef Ex@17 @10 S1′ sRef Ex@17 @11 S1′ sRef Ex@17 @9 S1′ sRef Ex@17 @12 S1′ 727. “Rod and staff” signify power, and indeed, the power of Divine truth, chiefly for the reason that they were branches or boughs of trees, and these signify the knowledges of truth and good, which are the truths of the natural man; and as they also supported the body, they signified power. This is still more true of an “iron rod,” because iron likewise signifies the truth of the natural man, and because of its hardness it signifies power that cannot be resisted. That “rods and staffs” thence signify the power of Divine truth is derived from correspondence. Therefore in the spiritual world, where all things that appear are correspondences, the use of staffs is a representative of the power of those that use them. It was similar in the Jewish Church, which, like the ancient churches, was a representative church. This is why Moses wrought miracles and signs in Egypt, and afterwards in the desert, by stretching forth his staff, as that:
The waters smitten with the staff were turned into blood (Exod. 7:1-21).
Frogs came up from the rivers and pools, over which the staff was stretched forth (Exod. 8:1 et seq.).
From the dust smitten with the staff there came lice (Exod. 8:12 et seq.).
When the staff was stretched toward heaven there came thunders and hail (Exod. 9:23 et seq.).
Locusts came forth (Exod. 10:12 et seq.).
The Sea Suph when the staff was stretched forth over it was divided, and afterwards returned (Exod. 14:16, 21, 26).
From the rock in Horeb, smitten with the staff, waters came forth (Exod. 17:5 et seq.; Num. 20:7-13).
Joshua prevailed over Amelek when Moses held up his hand with the staff, and Amelek prevailed when Moses let it down (Exod. 17:9-12).
Also fire went up out of the rock and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes which Gideon offered, when the angel of Jehovah touched it with the end of his staff (Judg. 6:21).
These miracles were wrought by the stretching forth of a staff, because a “staff” from correspondence signifies the power of the Lord through Divine truth (which power was treated of in the article immediately preceding).
sRef Ps@23 @4 S2′ sRef Ps@23 @5 S2′ [2] Divine truth in respect to power is signified elsewhere in the Word by “rods” and “staffs,” as can be seen from the following passages. In David:
Yea, when I shall walk in the shady valley I will fear no evil to me; Thy rod and Thy staff will comfort me; Thou wilt make ready before me a table in the presence of mine enemies; and Thou wilt make fat my head with oil and my cup will abound (Ps. 23:4, 5).
“To walk in a shady valley” signifies in the spiritual sense an obscure understanding that does not see truths from light; “Thy rod and Thy staff will comfort me” signifies that spiritual Divine truth together with natural Divine truth will protect, for these have power; “rod” meaning spiritual Divine truth, “staff” natural Divine truth, the two together meaning these in respect to their power to protect, for “to comfort” means to protect. As “rod and staff” signify Divine truth in respect to power, it is next said, “Thou wilt make ready before me a table, Thou wilt make fat anoint my head with oil, my cup will abound,” which signifies spiritual nourishment through Divine truth; for “to make ready a table” signifies to be nourished spiritually; “to make fat the head with oil” signifies with the good of love, and “cup” signifies with the truth of doctrine from the Word, “cup” standing here for “wine.”
sRef Ezek@19 @12 S3′ sRef Ezek@19 @11 S3′ sRef Ezek@19 @13 S3′ sRef Ezek@19 @14 S3′ sRef Ezek@19 @10 S3′ [3] In Ezekiel:
Thy mother was like a vine planted by the waters, whence she had rods of strength, as scepters for them that rule; but she lifted herself on high in her stature among the thick boughs; therefore she was plucked up in wrath, she was cast down to the earth and the east wind dried up her fruit; the rods of her strength were broken off and dried up, the fire devoured everyone. Now she is planted in the wilderness, in a land of drought and thirst; a fire hath gone out from the rod of her branches, and hath devoured her fruit, and so there is not in her a rod of strength, a scepter of them that rule* (Ezek. 19:10-14).
This describes the desolation of all truth in the Jewish church; the “princes” against whom is the lamentation signify truths, and the “mother” who was made a lioness signifies the church; about these this is said, “Thy mother was like a vine planted by the waters” signifies that the spiritual church, from its establishment had been instructed in truths; “mother” meaning the church in general; “vine” the spiritual church in particular; “waters” truths, and “to be planted” to be established. “Whence she had rods of strength as scepters for them that rule” signifies that the church had Divine truth in its power, and thus dominion over the falsities of evil which are from hell, “rods of strength” signifying Divine truth in respect to power, and “scepters” Divine truth in respect to dominion, for the scepters of kings were short staffs from a significative tree, here from the vine; “but she lifted herself on high in her stature among the thick boughs” signifies the pride of self-intelligence from knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man; this pride is signified by “she lifted herself on high in her stature,” and the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man are signified by the “thick boughs.” “She was plucked up in wrath, she was cast down to the earth,” signifies the destruction of the church by the falsities of evil; “the east wind dried up her fruit” signifies the destruction of its good, “east wind” signifying destruction, and “fruit” good; the good that those have, remaining from the Word, who are in the falsities of evil, is here meant, and its destruction is signified by “the drying up of the fruit by an east wind.” “The rods of her strength were broken off and dried up” signifies that all Divine truth was dispersed, consequently that the church had no power against the hells. “The fire consumed everyone” signifies pride from the love of self, which destroyed; “now she is planted in the wilderness, in a land of drought and thirst,” signifies that the church is desolated until there is no good of truth or truth of good. “A fire hath gone out from the rod of her branches,” signifies pride in every particular of it; “it hath devoured her fruit” signifies the consumption of good; “so that there is not in her a rod of strength, a scepter of them that rule,” signifies the desolation of Divine truth in respect to power and in respect to dominion, as above.
sRef Jer@48 @17 S4′ sRef Jer@48 @18 S4′ [4] In Jeremiah:
Say ye, How is the staff of strength broken, the staff of splendor! Come down from thy glory and sit in thirst, O thou daughter that dwellest in Dibon; for the devastator of Moab hath come up against thee and hath destroyed thy fortresses! (Jer. 48:17, 18).
“The daughter of Dibon” signifies the external of the church, and thence the external of the Word, which is the sense of its letter; and “the devastator of Moab” signifies its adulteration. From this it is clear what is signified by “the staff of strength is broken, the staff of splendor,” namely, that they have no Divine truth in its power, “staff of strength” meaning Divine truth in the natural sense, and “staff of splendor” meaning Divine truth in the spiritual sense; “come down from thy glory and sit in thirst, O thou daughter that dwellest in Dibon,” signifies the deprivation and lack of Divine truth; “to come down from glory” meaning the deprivation of it; “glory” Divine truth in light, and “thirst” the lack of it. “For the devastator of Moab hath come up against thee” signifies the adulteration of the Word, in respect to its literal sense; “and hath destroyed thy fortresses,” signifies the taking away of defense; “fortress” meaning defense against falsities and evils; the literal sense of the Word is that defense.
sRef Ps@110 @2 S5′ [5] In David:
Jehovah shall send the staff of thy strength out of Zion (Ps. 110:2).
Here also “staff of strength” signifies Divine truth in its power, and “Zion” the church that is in love to the Lord, and is therefore called a celestial church.
sRef Micah@7 @14 S6′ [6] In Micah:
Feed Thy people with Thy rod, the flock of Thine heritage; they shall feed in Bashan and Gilead according to the days of an age (Mic. 7:14).
“Feed Thy people with Thy rod” signifies the instruction of those who are of the church in Divine truths from the Word; “to feed” signifying to instruct; “people” meaning those who are of the church in truths, and “rod” where the Word is because it is Divine truth. “The flock of heritage” signifies those of the church who are in the spiritual things of the Word, which are the truths of its internal sense; “they shall feed in Bashan and Gilead” signifies instruction in the goods of the church and in its truths from the natural sense of the Word.
sRef Isa@11 @4 S7′ [7] In Isaiah:
He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked (Isa. 11:4).
Here “the rod of Jehovah’s mouth” signifies Divine truth or the Word in its natural sense; and “the breath of His lips” signifies Divine truth or the Word in the spiritual sense, both destroying the falsities of evil in the church, which is signified by “smiting the earth and slaying the wicked.”
To smite with a rod (Micah 5:1);
And to pierce with his staffs the head of the unfaithful (Hab. 3:14);
have a like signification.
sRef Num@21 @17 S8′ sRef Num@21 @18 S8′ [8] In Moses:
Israel sang a song respecting the fountain in Beer; O fountain the princes digged, the nobles of the people digged out, by the Lawgiver, with their staffs (Num. 21:17, 18).
“The fountain in Beer” here signifies doctrine from the Word, “Beer” meaning in the original tongue a fountain; the “princes” who digged, and “the nobles of the people” who digged out, signify those who are intelligent and those who are wise from the Lord, who is here “the Lawgiver.” The “staffs” with which they digged and digged out signify the understanding enlightened in Divine truths.
sRef Zech@8 @4 S9′ [9] In Zechariah:
There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and a man in whose hand is a staff because of the multitude of days (Zech. 8:4).
“Old men and old women” signify those who are intelligent from doctrine and from the affection of truth; “the man in whose hand is a staff [scipio] because of the multitude of days” signifies the wise who trust in the Lord alone and not at all in themselves; that these will be in the church that has the doctrine of genuine truth is signified by “in the streets of Jerusalem,” “Jerusalem” meaning the church in respect to doctrine, and “streets” the truths of doctrine, here genuine truths.
sRef Jer@10 @14 S10′ sRef Jer@10 @16 S10′ sRef Ex@8 @16 S10′ [10] In Jeremiah:
Every man has become brutish by knowledge, every refiner is put to shame by the graven image; the portion of Jacob is not like these; but He is the Former of all things, and Israel is the staff of His heritage, Jehovah of Hosts is His name (Jer. 10:14, 16; 51:19).
“Every man has become brutish by knowledge” signifies by the knowledges of the natural man separated from the spiritual; “every refiner is put to shame by the graven image” signifies by falsities that are from self-intelligence, “but He is the Former of all things” signifies the Lord from whom is all intelligence of truth; “Israel is the staff of his heritage” signifies the church that has Divine truth, and its power against falsities; and because this treats of intelligence through Divine truth it is added, “Jehovah of Hosts is His name;” the Lord is called “Jehovah of Hosts” from Divine truths in the whole complex, for “hosts” mean armies, and “armies” signify all the truths and goods of heaven and the church.
sRef Num@17 @6 S11′ sRef Num@17 @9 S11′ sRef Num@17 @7 S11′ sRef Num@17 @10 S11′ sRef Num@17 @2 S11′ sRef Num@17 @3 S11′ sRef Num@17 @8 S11′ sRef Num@17 @5 S11′ sRef Num@17 @4 S11′ [11] When the sons of Israel murmured in the desert against Moses and Aaron on account of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, because they were swallowed by the earth, it was commanded that:
The princes of the twelve tribes should place their staffs in the Tent of meeting, before the testimony; and when this was done the staff of Aaron blossomed and brought forth almonds (Num. 17:2-10).
This was done because they murmured against Jehovah, that is, against the Lord, and indeed against Divine truth which is from Him; for Moses and Aaron represented the Lord in respect to the law, which is the Word; for this reason it was commanded that “the princes of the twelve tribes should place their staffs in the Tent of meeting before the testimony;” for “the twelve tribes,” and in particular “their princes,” and likewise “their twelve staffs,” signified the truths of the church in the whole complex; and “Tent of meeting” represented and thence signified heaven, from which are the truths of the church, and the “testimony” the Lord Himself. “The staff of Aaron” blossomed and brought forth almonds, because his “staff” represented and thence signified truth from the good of love; and because truth from the good of love alone brings forth fruit, which is the good of charity, it was his staff that blossomed and brought forth almonds, “almonds,” like as “the tribe of Levi,” signifying that good (see above, n. 444). It is to be known that “tribe” and “staff” are expressed by the same word (as in Num. 1:16; 2:5, 7); therefore “the twelve staffs” have a like signification as “the twelve tribes,” namely, the Divine truth of the church in the whole complex. (On the twelve tribes see above, n. 39, 430, 431, 657.)
sRef Isa@3 @2 S12′ sRef Isa@3 @1 S12′ [12] As a “staff” signifies the power of Divine truth, it signifies also the power to resist evils and falsities. In Isaiah:
Behold the Lord Jehovih of Hosts doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the staff and the stay, the whole staff of bread, and the whole staff of water, the mighty one and the man of war, the judge and the prophet (Isa. 3:1, 2).
Here “to take away the whole staff of bread and the whole staff of water” signifies to take away every good and truth of the church, and when these are taken away there is no longer any power to resist evils and falsities, so as to hinder their free entrance; “bread” signifies the good of the church, “water” its truth, and “staff” the same as to their power to resist evils and falsities; therefore it follows that “the mighty one and the man of war, the judge and the prophet,” who will also be taken away, “the mighty one and the man of war” signifying truth combating against evil and falsity, and “judge and prophet” the doctrine of good and truth.
sRef Ezek@4 @16 S13′ [13] In Ezekiel:
Behold I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they shall eat bread by weight and in carefulness, and drink waters by measure and with astonishment (Ezek. 4:16).
“To break the staff of bread” signifies that good and truth shall fail in the church, for “bread” here signifies good and truth; therefore it follows “they shall eat bread by weight and in carefulness, and drink waters by measure,” which signifies a lack of good and truth, and thus of the power to resist evils and falsities:
Breaking the staff of bread and of water (Ezek. 5:16; 14:13; Ps. 105:16; Lev. 26:26);
has a like signification.
sRef Isa@14 @5 S14′ [14] As “rod and staff” signify the power of Divine truth, and thus Divine truth in respect to power, so in the contrary sense “rod and staff” also signify the power of infernal falsity, and thence infernal falsity in respect to power. In this sense “rod and staff” are mentioned in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Jehovah has broken the staff of the wicked, the rod of them that rule (Isa. 14:5).
“To break the staff of the wicked” signifies to destroy the power of falsity from evil; and “to break the rod of them that rule” signifies to destroy the rule of falsity.
sRef Ps@125 @3 S15′ [15] In David:
The staff of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous, that the righteous put not forth their hands to perversity (Ps. 125:3).
“The staff of wickedness” signifies the power of falsity from evil; “upon the lot of the righteous” signifies over truths from good, which the faithful have, and especially with those who are in love to the Lord, for these in the Word are called the “righteous;” “lest the righteous put forth their hands to perversity” signifies lest they falsify truths.
sRef Lam@3 @1 S16′ sRef Lam@3 @2 S16′ [16] In Lamentations:
I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of His fury; He hath led me in darkness, and not into light (Lam. 3:1, 2).
This is said of the devastation of the church; and “the rod of fury” signifies the rule of infernal falsity; “he hath led me and brought me in darkness and not into light” signifies into mere falsities, and thus not to truths.
sRef Isa@9 @4 S17′ [17] In Isaiah:
Thou hast broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his exactor (Isa. 9:4).
This is said of the Gentiles who were in falsities from ignorance, because they did not have the Word, and therefore did not know the Lord. The evil by which they were oppressed and the falsities by which they were infested are signified by “the yoke of the burden, the staff of the shoulder, and the rod of the exactor,” “to break” signifies to destroy these, for “to break” is predicated of a yoke, a staff, and a rod, and to destroy, of evil and falsity, which heavily weigh upon and powerfully persuade and compel to obedience.
sRef Isa@30 @32 S18′ sRef Isa@30 @31 S18′ [18] In the same:
At the voice of Jehovah Asshur shall be dismayed, he shall be smitten with a staff; then every passage of the rod of foundation upon which Jehovah shall cause to rest shall be with timbrels and harps (Isa. 30:31, 32).
This is said of the time of the Last Judgment, when there shall be a New Church. “Asshur, who shall be dismayed at the voice of Jehovah, and shall be smitten with a staff” signifies reasoning from falsities that will be dispersed by Divine truth. That the truths of the literal sense of the Word will then be understood and received with joy, is signified by “then the passage of the rod of the foundation shall be with timbrels and harps,” “passage” signifying the opening and free reception, and “timbrels and harps” signifying the delights of the affection of truth. The truths of the literal sense of the Word are signified by “the rod of the foundation,” because that sense is a foundation for the truths of its spiritual sense; and as the spiritual sense rests upon the literal, it is said “upon which Jehovah shall cause to rest.”
sRef Zech@10 @11 S19′ [19] In Zechariah:
The pride of Asshur shall be brought down, and the staff of Egypt shall depart (Zech. 10:11).
“The pride of Asshur” signifies the pride of self-intelligence, and “the staff of Egypt” signifies its power from the confirmation of its falsities by the knowledges of the natural man.
sRef Isa@36 @6 S20′ [20] In Isaiah:
Woe to Asshur, the rod of Mine anger and the staff of Mine indignation, which is in their hand; O My people that dwellest in Zion, fear not Asshur that he smite thee with a rod, and lift up his staff upon thee in the way of Egypt (Isa. 10:5, 24, 26).
Here, too, “Asshur” signifies the reasonings from self-intelligence by which truths are perverted and falsified; the consequent falsities and the perversions of truth are signified by “the rod of Mine anger and the staff of Mine indignation, which is in their hand.” That truths will not be perverted with those of the church who are in celestial love and in truths therefrom is signified by “Thou that dwellest in Zion, fear not.” That falsity urges and excites and strives to pervert by means of such things as pertain to the natural man is signified by “that he smite thee with a rod, and lift up a staff upon thee in the way of Egypt,” “the way of Egypt,” signifying the knowledges of the natural man, from which come reasonings. Since “Egypt” signifies the natural man with the things that are in it, and the natural man when separated from the spiritual is in mere falsities:
Egypt is called the staff of a bruised reed, which goeth into and pierceth the hand when one leaneth upon it (Ezek. 29:6, 7; Isa. 36:6).
This may be seen explained above (n. 627).
sRef Isa@14 @29 S21′ [21] In Isaiah:
Be not glad O Philistia, because the rod that smiteth thee** is broken; for from the serpent’s root shall come forth a basilisk, whose fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent (Isa. 14:29).
That “Philistia” signifies the religion of faith separated from charity, “the serpent’s root” that false principle, “the basilisk” the destruction of the good and truth of the church, and “the fiery flying serpent” reasonings from the falsities of evil, may be seen above (n. 386); thus these serpents have a similar signification as “the dragon” in this chapter of Revelation. That “Philistia should not be glad because the rod of him that smiteth her is broken” signifies that she should not boast that the dominion of that falsity is not yet destroyed.
sRef Hos@4 @12 S22′ [22] In Hosea:
My people question the wood, and their staff answereth them, for the spirit of whoredoms hath seduced them, and they have committed whoredom under their God (Hos. 4:12).
This is said of the falsification of the Word. “To question the wood or an idol of wood” signifies to consult the intelligence that is from what is one’s own [proprium] that favors its loves; “the staff answereth them” signifies the falsity in which one has faith, for when the selfhood [proprium] is consulted falsity responds; the selfhood is of the will, thus of the love, and the falsity thence is of the understanding, thus of the thought. “The spirit of whoredoms that has seduced” signifies the lust of falsifying; “to commit whoredom under their God” signifies to falsify the truths of the Word.
sRef Rev@19 @15 S23′ sRef Rev@2 @27 S23′ sRef Ps@2 @9 S23′ sRef Rev@2 @26 S23′ [23] From this now it is clear what “rod and staff” signify in both senses; and from this it can be known what is meant by “the iron rod with which the son, the male is to tend all nations;” likewise by these words in Revelation:
Out of the mouth of Him who sat upon the white horse goeth forth a sharp sword, that with it He may smite the nations; and He shall tend them with an iron rod (Rev. 19:15).
Also by these words above:
He that shall overcome I will give him power over the nations, that he may rule them with an iron rod; as a potter’s vessels shall they be broken (Rev. 2:26, 27).
The explanation of this may be seen above (n. 176). Like things are signified by these words in David:
Thou shalt break them in pieces with an iron rod, thou shalt shatter them like a potter’s vessel (Ps. 2:9).
* The Hebrew has “a scepter to rule,” as found in AC 5215.
** The Hebrew has “of him that smiteth thee,” as found in AE 386, 581, and 817.

sRef Rev@12 @5 S0′ 728. And her offspring was caught up unto God and His throne, signifies the protection of the doctrine by the Lord, because it is for the New Church. This is evident from the signification of “the offspring” (or the son, a male) brought forth by “the woman arrayed with the sun, under whose feet was the moon, and upon whose head was a crown of twelve stars,” as being doctrine from the Word, and indeed, the doctrine of truth, that is, the doctrine of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor, and finally of faith. Also from the signification of “caught up unto God and His throne,” as being protection by the Lord from “the dragon” that stood before the woman about to bring forth, with the intent and desire of devouring what was brought forth. That protection by the Lord from those who are meant by “the dragon” is here signified by these words. And as that doctrine was to be the doctrine of the church that is called the New Jerusalem, therefore it is said protection because it is for the New Church. It is said “caught up unto God and His throne,” “God” meaning the Lord, and “His throne” heaven; it is caught up to the Lord and to heaven because this doctrine is from the Lord, and heaven is in this doctrine.
sRef Gen@5 @24 S2′ [2] What is here said of the offspring born of the woman, who “was caught up unto God,” is also said of Enoch, the son of Jared, but in these words:
Enoch walked with God, and was no more; because God took him (Gen. 5:24).
Who are here meant by “Enoch,” and what “Enoch” signifies, has been disclosed to me from heaven, namely, those of the men of the Most Ancient Church who collected together the representatives and correspondences of natural things with spiritual; for the men of the Most Ancient Church were in the spiritual understanding and perception of all things they saw with their eyes, and thence from the objects in the world they saw through to the spiritual things corresponding to the objects. Because the Lord foresaw that this spiritual perception would perish with their posterity, and with that perception also the knowledge of correspondences through which the human race has conjunction with heaven, therefore the Lord provided that some of those who lived with the most ancient people should collect together the correspondences, and gather them into a manuscript; these are here meant by “Enoch,” and that manuscript is what is here signified. Because that manuscript was to serve the coming churches that were to be established by the Lord after the deluge with the knowledge and cognition of the spiritual things that are in natural things, it was preserved by the Lord for their use, and was also guarded, lest the last posterity of the Most Ancient Church, who were evil, should offer injury to it. This, therefore, is what is signified in the spiritual sense by “Enoch was no more, because God took Him.” From this it can be seen what is signified by “the offspring of the woman was caught up unto God and His throne.”

sRef Rev@12 @6 S0′ 729. Verse 6. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared by God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and sixty days. 6. “And the woman fled into the wilderness,” signifies the church among a few, because with those who are not in good, and consequently not in truths (n. 739); “where she hath a place prepared by God,” signifies its state, that in the meantime provision may be made for it among more (n. 731); “that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and sixty days,” signifies until it grows to fullness (n. 732).

sRef Rev@12 @6 S0′ 730. Verse 6. And the woman fled into the wilderness, signifies the church among a few, because with those who are not in good, and consequently not in truths. This is evident from the signification of “woman,” as being the church (see above, n. 707), also from the signification of “wilderness,” as being where there are no truths because there is no good (of which presently); also from the signification of “fleeing” thither, as meaning to tarry among those who are not in truths because they are not in good; and as there are at the end of the church but few who are in truths from good, it signifies among a few. From this it is clear what these words involve, namely, that the New Church that is called the Holy Jerusalem, which is signified by “the woman,” can as yet be instituted only with a few, by reason that the former church is become a wilderness; and the church is called a “wilderness” when there is no longer any good; and where there is no good there are no truths. When the church is such, evils and falsities reign, which hinder the reception of its doctrine, that is, the doctrine of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor, with its truths; and when doctrine is not received there is no church, for the church is from doctrine.
[2] Something shall first be said of there being no truths where there is no good. By good is meant the good of the life according to the truths of doctrine from the Word. The reason is because the Lord never flows immediately into truths with man, but mediately through his good; for good is of the will, and the will is the man himself; from the will the understanding is produced and formed; for the understanding is adjoined to the will so that what the will loves the understanding sees, and also brings forth into light; consequently if the will is not in good, but is in evil, then the influx of truth from the Lord into the understanding has no effect, for it is dissipated, because it is not loved, yea, it is perverted, and the truth is falsified. From this it is clear why the Lord does not flow immediately into man’s understanding except so far as the will is in good. With every man the Lord can enlighten the understanding, and thus flow in with Divine truths, since there is given to every man the ability to understand truth, and this for the sake of his reformation; nevertheless the Lord does not flow in, because truths do not remain except so far as the will has been reformed. Moreover, it is dangerous to so enlighten the understanding in truths as to produce belief except so far as the will acts as one with it; since man can then pervert, adulterate, and profane truths, which is most hurtful. Furthermore, so far as truths are known and understood and are not at the same time lived, they are nothing but lifeless truths, and lifeless truths are like statues that have no life. From this it can be seen why it is that there are no truths where there is no good, that is, not in essence but only in form.
[3] The man of the church at its end is such, because man then loves supremely such things as belong to the body and the world; and when these are loved supremely then the things pertaining to the Lord and heaven are not loved, for no one can serve two masters at the same time but that he will love the one and hate the other, since they are opposites. For from the love of the body, which is the love of self, and from the love of the world, which is the love of riches, when these are loved above all things, evils of every kind flow forth, and from evils falsities, and these are the opposites of goods and truths, which come forth from love to the Lord and from charity towards the neighbor. These few words will make clear why it is that the woman is said “to have fled into the wilderness,” that is, among a few, because of being with those who are not in good, and thus not in truths.
[4] In the Word wilderness and also solitude and waste places are mentioned in many passages, and these signify the state of the church when there is no longer any truth in it because there is no good. This state of the church is called a “wilderness” because in the spiritual world the place where those dwell who are not in truths because they are not in good is like a wilderness, where there is no verdure in the plains, nor harvest in the fields, nor fruit trees in the gardens, but a barren land, parched and dry; moreover “wilderness” signifies in the Word the state of the church with the Gentiles who are in ignorance of truth, and yet are in the good of life according to their religious principle, from which they have a desire for truths. “Wilderness,” signifies also in the Word the state of those who are in temptations, because in temptations goods and truths are shut in by the evils and falsities that come forth and are presented to the mind. That “wilderness” has these significations in the Word can be seen from the passages therein where “wilderness” is mentioned.
sRef Isa@14 @17 S5′ sRef Isa@14 @16 S5′ [5] In respect to the first meaning, namely, that “wilderness” means the state of the church when there is no longer any truth in it because there is no good, it is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Is this the man that maketh the earth to tremble, that maketh kingdoms quake, that hath made the world a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof? (Isa. 14:16, 17)
This is said of Lucifer, by whom Babylon is meant, and “to make the earth to tremble, to make kingdoms quake, and make the world a wilderness,” signifies to destroy all the truths and goods of the church; “the earth” meaning the church; “kingdoms” its truths; “world” its goods; and “wilderness” where these are not. “To destroy its cities” signifies its doctrinals, “city” signifying doctrine. The adulteration of the Word, whereby doctrine and thus the church is destroyed, is here signified by “Babylon.”
sRef Isa@32 @13 S6′ sRef Isa@32 @14 S6′ [6] In the same:
Upon the land of my people shall come up the thorn of the briar, yea, upon all the houses of joy in the triumphing city; for the palace shall be deserted, the multitude of the city shall be forsaken. The height and the watchtower shall be over the caves forever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture for flocks (Isa. 32:13, 14).
“Upon the land of my people shall come up the thorn of the briar” signifies the falsity of evil in the church; “the thorn of the briar” meaning the falsity of evil, and “land” the church. “Upon all the houses of joy in the triumphing city” signifies where the goods and truths of the doctrine from the Word have been received with affection. But what is signified by “the palace shall be deserted, the multitude of the city shall be forsaken, the height and the watchtower shall be over the caves, a joy of wild asses, and a pasture for flocks,” may be seen above (n. 410), where it is explained.
sRef Isa@50 @2 S7′ sRef Jer@4 @27 S7′ sRef Jer@4 @26 S7′ [7] In the same:
At My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers into a wilderness, their fish shall rot because there is no water, and shall die for thirst (Isa. 50:2).
“To make the rivers into a wilderness,” signifies to deprive the understanding of truths, thus to deprive man of intelligence. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 342.) In Jeremiah:
I saw, and lo, Carmel was a wilderness, and all the cities were desolate before Jehovah; the whole land shall be a waste (Jer. 4:26, 27).
“Carmel” signifies the spiritual church, which is in truths from good; that this was a “wilderness” signifies that there were in it no truths from good; “cities which were desolate” signify doctrinals without truths; “the whole land a waste” signifies a church destitute of good and consequently of truths.
sRef Jer@12 @12 S8′ sRef Jer@12 @10 S8′ [8] In the same:
Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard, they have trodden down My field, they have made the field of My desire a wilderness of solitude. Devastators are come upon all the hills in the wilderness, for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from one end of the land to the other end of it (Jer. 12:10, 12).
The total destruction of the truths and goods of the church by falsities from evil is signified by “they have destroyed the vineyard, trodden down the field, made the field of desire a wilderness of solitude; and devastators are come upon all the hills in the wilderness, for the sword of Jehovah devoureth;” “vineyard and field” signify the church in respect to truth and good; “field of desire” signifies the church in respect to doctrine; and “wilderness of solitude” where these are not; “devastators in the wilderness” signify evils because of the absence of truths; “the sword of Jehovah devoureth” signifies falsity destroying; “from one end of the land to the other end of the land” signifies all things of the church.
sRef Lam@5 @9 S9′ [9] In Lamentations:
We get our bread with the peril of our souls, because of the sword of the wilderness (Lam. 5:9).
“To get bread with the peril of souls” signifies the difficulty and danger in acquiring the truths of life from the Word; “because of the sword of the wilderness” signifies because the falsity of evil prevails in the church and falsifies truths and thus destroys them.
sRef Ezek@19 @13 S10′ [10] In Ezekiel:
The vine is now planted in the wilderness, in a land of drought and thirst (Ezek. 19:13).
“Vine” signifies the church, which in the beginning of this chapter is called “a mother who became a lioness;” this is said “to be planted in the wilderness” when there is no longer any truth in it because there is no good; “a land of drought” means where there is no good, but evil instead, and a “land of thirst” means where there is no truth, but falsity instead.
sRef Hos@2 @3 S11′ sRef Hos@2 @2 S11′ [11] In Hosea:
Strive with your mother that she may put away her whoredoms from her faces, lest I strip her naked and set her as in the day of her birth, and make her as a wilderness, and set her as a land of drought, and slay her with thirst (Hos. 2:2, 3).
This is said of the church that has falsified the truths of the Word; “mother” means the church, and “whoredoms” the falsifications of truth; “to strip her naked and set her as in the day of her birth” signifies to deprive the church of all truth, as it was before it was reformed; “wilderness” and “land of drought” signify a church without good; and “to slay with thirst” signifies a deprivation of truth; “thirst” is predicated of truths, because “water,” which is thirsted for, means truth, and “drought” is predicated of the want of good, because it is a result of scorching.
sRef Hos@13 @15 S12′ [12] In the same:
He is fierce among the brethren; an east wind shall come, the wind of Jehovah, coming up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up (Hos. 13:15).
This is said of Ephraim, by whom the understanding of the Word is meant, and this is called “fierce among the brethren” when it eagerly defends falsities, and combats for them against truths; “an east wind, the wind of Jehovah,” signifies the ardor of desire from a love for and pride in the destruction of truths; this is said “to come up from the wilderness” when it is from an understanding in which there are no truths from good, but only falsities from evil; such an understanding is a “wilderness” because it is empty and void; that by such ardor and pride everything of doctrine and of the Word is destroyed is signified by “his spring shall become dry and his fountain shall be dried up,” “spring” meaning doctrine, and “fountain” the Word.
sRef Joel@1 @19 S13′ sRef Joel@1 @20 S13′ [13] In Joel:
O Jehovah, to thee do I cry, because the fire hath consumed the habitations of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field; for the beasts of the field pant after Thee, for the streams of waters are dried up, and the fire hath consumed the habitations of the wilderness (Joel 1:19, 20).
“The fire hath consumed the habitations of the wilderness and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field” signifies that the love of self and the pride of self-intelligence have consumed all the perception of good and all the understanding of the truth of doctrine from the sense of the letter of the Word, “fire” signifying the love of self, “flame” the pride of self-intelligence, “the habitations of the wilderness” the goods of doctrine from the sense of the letter of the Word, and “the trees of the field” the knowledges of its truth. The sense of the letter of the Word is called a “wilderness” when it is merely understood naturally, thus according to appearances, and not at the same time spiritually, or according to the genuine sense. “The beasts of the field pant after Thee” signifies the lamentations of those who are natural and yet have a desire for truths; that “beasts” signify the affections of the natural man may be seen above (n. 650); “for the streams of waters are dried up, and the fire hath consumed the habitations of the wilderness” signifies that consequently there are no longer any truths and goods of life.
sRef Joel@2 @1 S14′ sRef Joel@2 @3 S14′ [14] In the same:
The day of Jehovah cometh; a fire consumeth before him, and behind him a flame kindleth; the land is as the garden of Eden before him, but behind him a wilderness of wasteness, and nothing escaped him (Joel 2:1, 3).
“The day of Jehovah” means the end of the church, called the consummation of the age, and the Lord’s coming at that time. That at the end of the church the love of self and the consequent pride of self-intelligence consume all its goods and truths is signified by “a fire devoureth before him, and behind him a flame kindleth,” “fire” signifying the love of self, and “flame” the pride of self-intelligence, as above. “The land is as the garden of Eden before him, but behind him a wilderness of wasteness,” signifies that in the beginning, when that church was established with the ancients, there was an understanding of truth from good, but at its end falsity from evil; “the garden of Eden” signifying the understanding of truth from good and the consequent wisdom, and “wilderness of wasteness” signifying no understanding of truth from good, and consequent insanity from falsities that are from evil; “nothing escaped him” signifies that there is nothing whatever of truth from good.
sRef Isa@33 @9 S15′ [15] In Isaiah:
The land mourneth, it languisheth, Lebanon blusheth, it hath withered away, Sharon is become like a desert, Bashan is shaken out, and Carmel (Isa. 33:9).
This, too, describes the devastation of good and the desolation of truth in the church. “Lebanon” signifies the church in respect to a rational understanding of good and truth; “Sharon,” “Bashan,” and “Carmel,” the church in respect to the knowledges of good and truth from the natural sense of the Word; the devastation and abandonment of these is signified by “mourning,” “languishing,” “withering away,” and “becoming like a desert,” the “desert” meaning where there is no truth because there is no good.
sRef Jer@23 @10 S16′ [16] In Jeremiah:
Because the land is full of adulterers, because the land mourneth on account of cursing, the pastures of the wilderness are dried up (Jer. 23:10).
“The land full of adulterers” signifies the church which has its goods and truths from the Word adulterated; the “curse” on account of which the land mourneth, signifies all the evil of life and falsity of doctrine; and “the pastures of the wilderness that are dried up” signify the knowledges of good and truth from the Word; “pastures” meaning such knowledges because they nourish the mind, and “wilderness” signifies the Word when it is adulterated.
sRef Ps@107 @33 S17′ sRef Ps@107 @34 S17′ [17] In David:
Jehovah maketh rivers into a wilderness, and the springs of water into dryness, a land of fruit into saltiness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein (Ps. 107:33, 34).
“The rivers that are made into a wilderness” signify intelligence from the understanding of truth and also of the Word in its interior sense, that has been devastated by falsities from evil; “rivers” meaning such things as belong to intelligence, and “wilderness” where these things are absent, and in their place are the falsities from evil. “The springs of water that are turned into dryness” signify that the lowest things of the understanding, which are called the knowledges of truth and good, have no light of truth or spiritual affection for it; “waters” signifying truths; “dryness” deprivation of these from the absence of light and affection, and “springs” the ultimates of truth, like the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word. “The land of fruit that shall be made into saltiness” signifies the good of love and of life deeply vastated by falsities; “saltiness” meaning the devastation of truth by falsities; and as all devastation by falsities comes from the evil of the life it is added, “for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.”
sRef Jer@3 @2 S18′ [18] In Jeremiah:
Lift up thine eyes unto the hills, and see where thou hast been defiled, upon the ways hast thou sat as an Arabian in the wilderness, whence thou hast profaned the land with thy whoredoms and thy wickedness (Jer. 3:2).
This describes the adulteration and falsification of the Word, which are signified by “being defiled and committing whoredom;” so “Lift up thine eyes unto the hills, and see where thou hast been defiled,” signifies to give thought to the knowledges of truth and good in the Word, that they have been adulterated; “to lift up the eyes” signifies to give thought, “hills” signify those knowledges because the groves and trees that are upon them signify knowledges; “hills” signify also the goods of charity which are so destroyed; “upon the ways hast thou sat as an Arabian in the wilderness” signifies to lie in wait, lest any truth should come forth and be received; “ways” meaning the truths of the church; “to sit in them” meaning to lie in wait, and “an Arabian in the wilderness” meaning one who kills and plunders like a robber in the wilderness. “Thou hast profaned the land with thy whoredoms and wickedness” signifies the falsification of the truths of the Word by evils that have come to be of the life.
sRef Jer@2 @31 S19′ [19] In the same:
O generation, see ye the Word of Jehovah; have I been a wilderness to Israel? have I been a land of darkness? (Jer. 2:31)
That every good of life and truth of doctrine is taught in the Word, and not the evil of life and the falsity of doctrine, is meant by “see ye the Word of Jehovah; have I been a wilderness to Israel? have I been a land of darkness?”
sRef Joel@3 @19 S20′ [20] In Joel:
Egypt shall be a waste, and Edom a waste wilderness, because of the violence to the sons of Judah, whose innocent blood they have shed in their land (Joel 3:19).
“Egypt” and “Edom” signify the natural man that has perverted the truths and goods of the Word; that it is to be so destroyed as to see only such things as serve for confirmation is signified by “Egypt shall be a waste, and Edom a waste wilderness;” that this will be because of the adulteration of every good and truth in the Word is signified by “because of the violence to the sons of Judah, whose innocent blood they have shed;” “violence to the sons of Judah” signifying the adulteration of the Word in respect to good, and “shedding innocent blood” the adulteration of the Word in respect to its truths. (That “Judah” signifies the celestial church, and also the Word, see above, n. 211, 433; and that “shedding innocent blood” signifies to do violence to Divine truth, thus to adulterate the truth of the Word, n. 329.) The adulteration of the Word is effected by the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man when these are applied to confirm falsities and evils, and the natural man becomes a “waste” and a “wilderness” when his knowledges are used to confirm falsity and evil; “Egypt” signifies such knowledges, and “Edom” the pride that falsifies by means of these.
sRef Matt@3 @2 S21′ sRef Matt@3 @3 S21′ sRef Isa@40 @3 S21′ sRef Matt@3 @1 S21′ sRef Mal@1 @3 S21′ [21] In Malachi:
Esau I hated, and made his mountains a waste and his heritage for the dragons of the wilderness (Mal. 1:3).
“Esau” signifies the love of the natural man; “his mountains” signify the evils from that love, and “his heritage” signifies the falsities from those evils, and “the dragons of the desert” signify mere falsifications from which these come.
sRef Luke@1 @80 S22′ sRef Matt@24 @26 S22′ sRef Luke@13 @35 S22′ [22] Because with the Jewish nation all things of the Word had been adulterated, and there was no longer any truth because there was no good, John the Baptist was “in the wilderness,” and this represented the state of that church, respecting which it is written in the Gospels:
John the Baptist was in the wilderness till the days of his appearing unto Israel (Luke 1:80).
That he preached in the wilderness of Judea (Matt. 3:1-3; Mark 1:2-4; Luke 3:2, 4, 5);
and in Isaiah:
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make level in the solitude a highway for our God (Isa. 40:3).
So also the Lord says of “Jerusalem,” which means the church in respect to doctrine:
Your house is left deserted (Luke 13:35).
“A house deserted” signifies the church that is without truths because it is without good. But what is signified by the following in Matthew:
If they say unto you, Lo, Christ is in the wilderness, go not forth; if in the secret chambers, believe not (Matt. 24:26);
may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia (n. 3900); for “Christ” means the Lord in relation to Divine truth, consequently in relation to the Word and to doctrine from the Word, and “false Christs,” of whom this is said, signify the falsities of doctrine from the truths of the Word falsified. From the passages that have been cited from the Word it can be seen that “wilderness” means the church in which there are no truths because there is no good, consequently in which there is falsity because there is evil; for where there is no truth and good, there is falsity and evil; the two cannot exist together, and this is meant by the Lord’s words, that “no one can serve two masters.”
sRef Isa@32 @15 S23′ sRef Isa@32 @16 S23′ [23] (2) Again, “wilderness” signifies the state of the church with the Gentiles that have been in ignorance of truth, and yet have been in the good of life according to their religious principle, from which they have desired truths, as can be seen from the passages in the Word that treat of the church that is to be established among the Gentiles. In Isaiah:
The spirit shall be poured out upon you* from on high; then the wilderness shall be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed a forest; judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and justice shall abide in the fruitful field (Isa. 32:15, 16).
This is said of those who are in natural good, and are being reformed; influx out of heaven into such is signified by “the spirit shall be poured out upon you** from on high;” that truth from a spiritual origin will then be implanted in them is signified by “the wilderness shall be a fruitful field;” “wilderness” meaning the natural man destitute of truths, and “fruitful field” (or land of harvest) the natural man made fruitful by truths. That in consequence the natural man will have a knowledge of the cognitions of truth and good is signified by “the fruitful field shall be esteemed a forest;” “forest” is predicated of the natural man as “garden” is of the spiritual, therefore a “forest” signifies knowledge and a “garden” intelligence; that in consequence there will be in the natural man that which is right and just is signified by “judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and justice shall abide in the fruitful field;” “judgment” and “justice” signify in the spiritual sense truth and good, but in the natural sense that which is right and just.
sRef Isa@41 @19 S24′ sRef Isa@41 @18 S24′ [24] In the same:
I will open rivers on the heights, and fountains will I place in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into springs of waters; I will give in the wilderness the cedar of shittah, the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the solitude the fir tree, the pine, and the box tree (Isa. 41:18, 19).
This, too, is said of the reformation and enlightenment of the Gentiles; and “to open rivers upon the heights and to place fountains in the midst of the valleys” signifies to give intelligence from spiritual truths and from natural truths; “rivers upon the heights” signifying intelligence from spiritual truths, and “fountains in the midst of valleys” intelligence from natural truths; “to make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into springs of waters” signifies to fill the spiritual and the natural man with truths where before there were no truths; the spiritual man in which there were no truths is meant by “wilderness,” since hitherto there had been no truth in it; and the natural man in which there was no truth is meant by “dry land,” since hitherto there had been no spiritual influx into it; that the spiritual man will have truths in abundance is meant by “a pool of waters,” and that the natural man will have truths in abundance is meant by the “springs of waters.” “To set in the wilderness the cedar of shittah, the myrtle, and the oil tree” signifies to give rational truths and a perception of them, and “to set in the solitude the fir tree, the pine, and the box tree,” signifies in like manner natural truths, which are knowledges and cognitions with the understanding of them; the “cedar” meaning higher rational truth; the “myrtle” lower rational truth; “oil tree” perception of good and thus of truth; “fir tree” the higher natural truth; the “pine” lower natural truth; and “box tree” the understanding of good and truth in the natural man.
sRef Ps@107 @35 S25′ sRef Ps@107 @36 S25′ [25] In David:
He maketh the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into a springing forth of waters; and there He maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may build a city of habitation (Ps. 107:35, 36).
This, likewise, is said of the enlightenment of the Gentiles. “To make the wilderness into a pool of waters” has a similar signification as just above; “and there He maketh the hungry to dwell” signifies for the sake of those who desire truths; these are meant by “the hungry and famished” in the Word; “that they may build a city of habitation” signifies that out of truths they may make for themselves a doctrine of life, “city” meaning doctrine, and “to inhabit” meaning to live.
sRef Isa@43 @19 S26′ sRef Isa@43 @20 S26′ [26] In Isaiah:
Behold, I am doing a new thing, now it shall spring forth; I will even place a way in the wilderness, rivers in the solitude; the wild beast of the field shall honor Me, the dragons and the daughters of the owl, because I will give waters in the wilderness, rivers in the solitude, to give drink to My people, My chosen (Isa. 43:19, 20).
This, too, is said of the New Church to be established by the Lord among the Gentiles. The “wilderness” signifies the state of the church with those who are ignorant of truth, and yet have a desire to know it. But what the particulars signify in the spiritual sense may be seen explained above (n. 518).
sRef Isa@51 @3 S27′ [27] In the same:
Jehovah will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places, and He will make her wilderness as Eden, and her solitude like the garden of Jehovah; joy and gladness will be found therein, confession and the voice of singing (Isa. 51:3).
This, also, is said of the New Church among the Gentiles that will acknowledge the Lord; that church is meant by “Zion,” and its establishment and the reformation of the Gentiles by “comforting;” “the wilderness that shall be made as Eden and the solitude like the garden of Jehovah” signifies wisdom and intelligence from love to the Lord that those have who before had no understanding of truth and no perception of good. (But this may be seen explained above, n. 721.)
sRef Ps@65 @13 S28′ sRef Ps@65 @12 S28′ [28] In David:
The habitations of the wilderness drop, and the hills gird themselves with exultation; the meadows are clothed with flocks, and the valleys are covered over with corn (Ps. 65:12, 13).
This, also, is said of the church among the Gentiles. “The habitations of the wilderness drop” signifies that their minds that before have been in ignorance of truth acknowledge and receive truths; “to drop” is predicated of the influx, acknowledgment and reception of truth; “habitations” are predicated of the interiors of man which belong to his mind, and “wilderness” is predicated of a state of the ignorance of truth. “The hills gird themselves with exultation” signifies that the goods in them receive truths with joy of heart; “the meadows are clothed with flocks, and the valleys are covered over with corn,” signifies that both the spiritual mind and the natural mind receive truths suitable to themselves; “meadows” signifying such things as belong to the spiritual mind and thus to the rational mind, and “valleys” such as belong to the natural mind; “flock” spiritual truth, and “corn” natural truth.
sRef Isa@42 @10 S29′ sRef Isa@42 @11 S29′ [29] In Isaiah:
Let them sing praise, the end of the earth, those that go down to the sea, and its fullness, the islands and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up the voice, the villages that Arabia doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them cry out from the head of the mountains (Isa. 42:10, 11).
This is said of a church with those who were remote from the truths of the church because they were natural and sensual; their state of ignorance is meant by the “wilderness,” and their joy from the preaching and the knowledge of truth is signified by “singing praise and lifting up the voice.” (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 406.)
[30] Since the state of ignorance of truth, in which the Gentiles have been, is signified by a “wilderness,” and the desire for truth by “hunger,” and instruction by the Lord by “feeding,” it came to pass that the Lord withdrew into the wilderness, and there taught the multitude that sought Him, and afterwards fed them. (That this took place in the wilderness can be seen in Matt. 14:13-22; 15:32-38; Mark 6:31-34; 8:1-9; Luke 9:12-17.) For all things that the Lord did and all things connected with Him were representative because they were correspondences, so also were these things. From these and the passages cited above it is evident that a “wilderness” signifies an uncultivated and uninhabited state with man, thus a state not yet made vital from what is spiritual, consequently, as applied to the church, a state not vivified by means of truths; thus it signifies such a religious principle as the Gentiles had, which was almost empty and void, because they did not have the Word where truths are, and thence did not know the Lord who teaches truths; and as they did not have truths, their good also could be no otherwise than such as the truth was with them, for good is like its truth, because one is of the other. From this it can be seen what “wilderness” signifies where the Gentiles are treated of, namely, where there is no truth and yet a desire for it that their good may be vivified.
[31] (3) Again, “wilderness” signifies the state of those who are in temptations, because in them truths and goods are shut in by the falsities and evils that come forth and are presented to the mind. This can be seen from the wandering of the sons of Israel in the wilderness forty years; for this represented every state of temptations into which those come who are being regenerated, and of whom the church is to consist. Every man is born natural, and lives naturally until he becomes rational; and when he has become rational he can be led by the Lord and become spiritual; and this is effected by the implanting of the knowledges of truth from the Word, and at the same time by the opening of the spiritual mind which receives the things of heaven, and by calling forth these knowledges and elevating them out of the natural man and conjoining them with the spiritual affection of truth. This opening and conjunction is possible only through temptations, because in temptations man fights interiorly against the falsities and evils that are in the natural man. In a word, man is introduced into the church and becomes a church through temptations. This was represented by the wandering and leading about of the sons of Israel in the wilderness. The state of the natural man before he is regenerated was represented by their sojourning in the land of Egypt, for “the land of Egypt” signified the natural man and its knowledges and cognitions, together with the cupidities and appetites that reside in it (as can be seen from what has been said and shown above respecting Egypt, n. 654). But the spiritual state, which is the state of the church with man, was represented by the introduction of the sons of Israel into the land of Canaan, for “the land of Canaan” signified the church with its truths and goods, together with its affections, and delights, which reside in such a man; while the reformation and regeneration of man before from being natural he becomes spiritual and thus a church, was represented by their wanderings and journeyings in the wilderness forty years.
sRef Deut@1 @33 S32′ sRef Deut@32 @10 S32′ sRef Deut@8 @4 S32′ sRef Deut@1 @31 S32′ sRef Deut@8 @15 S32′ sRef Deut@8 @2 S32′ sRef Deut@8 @3 S32′ sRef Deut@8 @16 S32′ [32] That this is so, and that “the wilderness” signified a state of temptations, can be seen in Moses:
Thou shalt remember all the way which Jehovah thy God hath led thee these forty years in the wilderness, that He might afflict thee and try thee, and know what was in thine heart whether thou wouldst keep His commandments or no; and He afflicted thee and made thee to hunger, and made thee to eat manna, which thou knewest not neither did thy fathers know; that He might teach thee that man doth not live by bread only, but by all that goeth forth from the mouth of Jehovah doth man live; thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, and thy foot swelled not, these forty years (Deut. 8:2-4).
In the same:
In the wilderness which thou sawest, Jehovah thy God bare thee as a man doth bear his son. He went before you in the way, to seek for you a place in which ye might encamp, in fire by night to show you the way, and in the cloud by day (Deut. 1:31, 33).
In the same:
Jehovah, who led thee through the great and fearful wilderness of the serpent, of the fiery serpent and of the scorpion, and of thirst, where there were no waters; who brought thee forth waters out of the rock of flint, and fed thee with manna in the wilderness, that He might afflict thee and try thee, to do thee good in thy latter end (Deut. 8:15, 16).
In the same:
Jehovah found Jacob in a land of wilderness, in an emptiness, a howling, a solitude; He led him about, He instructed him, He guarded him as the pupil of the eye (Deut. 32:10).
The particulars here mentioned, and all the particulars related in the book of Exodus respecting the journeyings of the sons of Israel in the wilderness, from their going forth from Egypt to their entrance into the land of Canaan, depict the temptations that the faithful encounter before they become spiritual, that is before the goods of love and charity with their truths are implanted, which constitute the church with man.
[33] He who knows what spiritual temptations are knows that when a man is in them he is so infested by evils and falsities as scarcely to know otherwise than that he is in hell; he knows, too, that the Lord with man fights against temptations from the interior; as also that He sustains man in the meantime with spiritual food and drink, which are the goods and truths of heaven; that the natural man loathes these; that nevertheless the natural man with his lusts is thus subdued and as it were dies; and that he is thus brought into subjection to the spiritual man; and that man is thus reformed and regenerated and introduced into the church. All this is involved in what is related respecting the sons of Israel in the wilderness. But to make clear that this is meant it is allowed to explain some of the particulars in the passages quoted.
[34] (1) That man in temptations is so infested by evils and falsities as scarcely to know otherwise than that he is in hell is meant by “Jehovah led thee through the great and fearful wilderness of the serpent, of the fiery serpent, of the scorpion, and of thirst, where there were no waters;” “the great and fearful wilderness” signifies grievous temptations; “the serpent, the fiery serpent, and the scorpion,” signify evils and falsities with their persuasions coming forth from the sensual and natural man; “serpents” meaning evils therefrom, “fiery serpents” falsities therefrom, and “scorpions” persuasions; “thirst where there were no waters” signifies a lack and shutting off of truth. The above is meant also by “Jehovah afflicted thee and tried thee, that He might know what was in thine heart.”
[35] (2) That the Lord with man fights against evils and falsities that are from hell is signified by “Jehovah found Jacob in a wilderness, in emptiness, a howling, a solitude, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye;” also by “He bare him as a man doth bear his son;” also by “He went before them in fire by night and in the cloud by day.”
(3) That the Lord sustains man in the meantime with spiritual food and drink, which are the goods and truths of heaven, is signified by “He fed them with manna, He brought them forth waters out of the rock of flint, and He led them and instructed them;” “manna” meaning the good of celestial love, and “waters out of the rock of flint” the truths of that good from the Lord.
(4) That in temptations the natural man loathes those things is meant by the sons of Israel so often complaining of the manna, and lusting after the food of Egypt; therefore it is here said, “Jehovah afflicted thee and caused thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna.”
[36] (5) That nevertheless the natural man with his lusts is subdued and as it were dies and becomes subject to the spiritual man, was represented by the death in the wilderness of all those that went forth out of Egypt and desired to return thither, and refused to enter into the land of Canaan, and that their children were brought into that land. That this represented and signified such things can be known and seen only from the spiritual sense.
(6) That after temptations man becomes spiritual, and is brought into the church, and through the church into heaven, was represented by their being brought into the land of Canaan, for “the land of Canaan” signified the church, and also heaven; and this is signified by “Jehovah afflicted thee and tried thee, to do thee good in thy latter end.”
Their spiritual life is described by Jehovah’s teaching them that “man doth not live by bread only, but by everything going forth from the mouth of Jehovah.” That “their raiment waxed not old and their foot swelled not” signifies that the natural man was not injured by these afflictions, for “raiment” signifies the truths of the natural man, and the “foot” the natural man itself. Moreover “forty,” whether years or days, signifies the entire duration of temptations (see above, n. 633).
sRef Ps@107 @5 S37′ sRef Ps@107 @6 S37′ sRef Ps@107 @7 S37′ sRef Ps@107 @4 S37′ [37] Like things are involved in these words in David:
They wandered in the wilderness in loneliness of life,* they found no city of habitation, hungry and thirsty; when their soul was disheartened in the way, they cried to Jehovah. He led them in a way of straightness,** that they might go to a city of habitation (Ps. 107:4-7).
This was said in general of those who have been redeemed, and in particular of the sons of Israel in the wilderness, and these words describe the temptations of those who are being regenerated by the Lord. “The city of habitation which they found not” signifies the doctrine of life which constitutes the church in man; and as the church is formed in man by a life according to doctrine, when temptations have been passed through, it is said that “Jehovah led them in a way of straightness that they might go to a city of habitation;” the lack of truth even to despair, and yet desire for it, is signified by “they were hungry and thirsty, so that their soul was disheartened in the way.”
sRef Jer@2 @7 S38′ sRef Jer@2 @2 S38′ sRef Jer@2 @6 S38′ [38] In Jeremiah:
I remembered thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after Me in the wilderness. They said not, Where is Jehovah, who made us to come up out of the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in the land of solitude and of the pit, in a land of drought and of dense shade, in a land through which no man [vir] passed, and where no man [homo] dwelt? And I led you into a land of grain, to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof (Jer. 2:2, 6, 7).
The “youth” and “love of espousals” that Jehovah remembered signify the state of man’s reformation and regeneration, when from being natural he becomes spiritual; because man is thereby conjoined to the Lord, and as it were espoused to Him, this is what is meant by the “love of espousals;” and because this is effected through temptations it is said, “When thou wentest after Me in the wilderness;” the state of temptations is described by “He led me in the wilderness, in a land of solitude and of the pit, in a land of drought and dense shade;” “wilderness” signifying that state; “land of solitude and of the pit” signifying that state in respect to the evils and falsities that come forth, and the “land of drought and dense shade” signifying the perception of good and the understanding of truth obscured. The state of man after temptations is described by “I led you into a land of grain, to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof,” which signifies to be brought into the church in which are the truths of doctrine, by means of which the good of love and of charity are appropriated; “land” signifying the church; “the land of grain” the church in respect to the truths of doctrine; “to eat” to appropriate; “fruit” the good of love, and “good” the good of charity and of life.
sRef Ezek@20 @36 S39′ sRef Ezek@20 @37 S39′ sRef Ezek@20 @34 S39′ sRef Ezek@20 @35 S39′ [39] In Ezekiel:
I will lead you out from the peoples, and will gather you from the lands, and I will lead you into a wilderness of peoples, and I will plead with you there face to face, even as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt; then will I cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant (Ezek. 20:34-37).
Here again “wilderness” stands for a state of temptations, which state is called “a wilderness of peoples” and “the wilderness of the land of Egypt,” because the state of the natural man before regeneration is meant, which is a wilderness and a solitude because there are then no goods and truths in it, but only evils and falsities; but when falsities and evils have been exterminated therefrom, and truths and goods have been implanted in their place, from being a wilderness it becomes “Lebanon” and a “garden.” “To plead with them in the wilderness face to face” signifies to show them to the life of what quality they are and in a way that they acknowledge it; for in temptations man’s evils and falsities come forth and appear; “face to face” means to the life and so as to be acknowledged. That after man has endured hard things, conjunction with the Lord, which is reformation, takes place, is signified by “then will I cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bonds of the covenant;” “to cause to pass under the rod” meaning to endure hard things, and “the bond of the covenant” meaning conjunction with the Lord.
sRef Hos@2 @14 S40′ sRef Hos@2 @13 S40′ sRef Hos@2 @15 S40′ sRef Hos@2 @16 S40′ [40] In Hosea:
I will visit upon her the days of the Baalim, in which she went after her lovers. Therefore behold, I will bring you*** into the wilderness, and afterwards I will speak upon her heart, and I will give her her vineyards thence, and the valley of Achor for an entrance of hope, and she shall make answer there according to the days of her youth, and according to the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt; and in that day thou shalt call Me, my Husband, and shalt no more call Me, my Baal (Hos. 2:13-16).
The “Baalim” and “lovers,” after whom she went, signify the things that belong to the natural man and are loved, namely, cupidities and falsities therefrom; that these must be removed by means of temptations is signified by “I will bring you*** into the wilderness;” that afterwards there will be consolation is signified by “afterwards I will speak upon her heart;” that they will then have spiritual and natural truths is signified by “I will give her vineyards thence and the valley of Achor.” That afterwards they will have influx of good out of heaven and consequent joy, as those had who were of the ancient churches and who from natural had become spiritual, is signified by “she shall make answer or sing there according to the days of her youth, and according to the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt,” “days of youth” signifying the times of the ancient church, and “according to the days of her coming up out of Egypt,” signifying when from natural they became spiritual. Conjunction with the Lord at that time through the affections of truth, when the cupidities from the natural man have been rejected, is signified by “in that day thou shalt call Me, my Husband, and thou shalt no more call Me, my Baal.”
sRef Matt@4 @3 S41′ sRef Matt@4 @1 S41′ sRef Matt@4 @2 S41′ sRef Mark@1 @12 S41′ sRef Mark@1 @13 S41′ [41] As a “wilderness” signifies a state of temptations, and “forty,” whether years or days, their whole duration from beginning to end, therefore the temptations of the Lord, which were the most direful of all, and which He sustained from childhood to the passion of the cross, are signified by the temptations of the forty days in the desert, which are thus described in the Gospels:
Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil; and when He had fasted forty days and forty nights He afterwards hungered; and the tempter drew near unto Him (Matt. 4:1-3; Luke 4:1-3).
The spirit urging Jesus caused Him to go out into the wilderness; and He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted, and He was with the beasts (Mark 1:12, 13).
This does not mean that the Lord was tempted by the devil only forty days, and at the end of these, but that He was tempted throughout His whole life even to the last, when He endured direful anguish of heart in Gethsemane and afterwards the dreadful passion of the cross; for by means of the temptations admitted into the human that He had from the mother, the Lord subjugated all the hells, and at the same time glorified His Human. (But of these temptations of the Lord see what is written in the Arcana Coelestia, and collected therefrom in the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 201.) All these temptations of the Lord are signified by the temptations in the wilderness forty days and forty nights, since the “wilderness” signifies a state of temptations, and “forty days and forty nights” the whole duration of these. No more was written respecting these in the Gospels because no more was revealed respecting them; nevertheless in the prophets, and especially in the psalms of David, they are described at length. “The beasts” with which the Lord is said to have been, signify the infernal societies; and “fasting” signifies here such affliction as there is in the combats of temptation.
[42] (4) Again, “wilderness” also signifies hell, because that is called a wilderness where there is no harvest or habitation, likewise where there are wild beasts, serpents, and dragons, which signify where there is no truth of doctrine or good of life, consequently where there are lusts from evil loves, and falsities therefrom of every kind; and as these are in hell and the former in a wilderness, so from correspondences the “wilderness” also signifies hell. Moreover, the natural man with everyone, so long as it is separated from the spiritual, as it is before regeneration, is a hell, because all the hereditary evil into which man is born resides in his natural man, and is not cast out from it, that is, removed, except by the influx of Divine truth through heaven from the Lord; and this influx into the natural man can come only through the spiritual, for the natural man is in the world and the spiritual in heaven; therefore the spiritual man must be opened before the hell that is in the natural man can be removed by the Lord out of heaven.
sRef Lev@16 @9 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @8 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @5 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @6 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @7 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @10 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @25 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @26 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @27 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @24 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @21 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @22 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @23 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @32 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @33 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @34 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @31 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @28 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @29 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @30 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @17 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @13 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @12 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @16 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @15 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @14 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @18 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @20 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @11 S43′ sRef Lev@16 @19 S43′ [43] How this is removed was represented by the he-goat called Azazel that was cast out into the desert; for the “he-goat” from correspondence signifies the natural man in respect to his affections and knowledges, and in the contrary sense in respect to his cupidities and falsities. Of this he-goat we read thus in Moses:
That Aaron should take two he-goats and cast lots upon them, one for the he-goat to be sacrificed, the other for Azazel; and after he had expiated the Tent of meeting and the altar with the blood of the sacrificed bullock and of the sacrificed he-goat, he should lay his hands upon the head of the he-goat Azazel, and should confess upon it the iniquities and sins of the sons of Israel; which he shall put upon the head of the he-goat, and afterwards should send him by the hand of a man appointed into the wilderness. So the he-goat shall bear upon him all the iniquities of the sons of Israel into the land cut off and into the wilderness; and the skin, the flesh, and the dung of the bullock and of the sacrificed he-goat should be burned in the wilderness; thus should they be expiated and cleansed from all their sins (Lev. 16:5-34).
These things were commanded to represent expiation, that is, purification from evils and falsities. Two he-goats were taken to represent this, because a “he-goat” from correspondence signifies the natural man; the he-goat that was to be sacrificed represented the natural man in reference to the part purified, and the he-goat that was to be sent into the wilderness the natural man not purified. And as the natural man swarms with cupidities and uncleanness of every kind, as has been said above, therefore that he-goat was sent out of the camp into a land cut off and into the wilderness that he might bear away the iniquities and sins of all in that church; “the land cut off and the wilderness” signifying hell. Aaron laying his hands upon its head and confessing the sins represented communication and transference, for this is done when man is purified or expiated from sins, for the sins are then sent down to hell, and the affections of good and truth are implanted in their place; these were represented in part by the fat sacrificed from the bullock and from the other he-goat, also by their blood, and especially by the burnt offering from the ram (respecting which see verses 5-24 in the same chapter), for the “ram” from correspondence signifies the natural man in respect to the good of charity. But it is to be known that the Israelitish people were not in the least purified from their sins by this, but the purification of the natural man when he was being regenerated was thus merely represented. All things of man’s regeneration were represented by such external things, especially by sacrifices; and this was done for the sake of the conjunction of heaven with that church through the externals of worship, the internals that the externals represented being seen in the heavens. Who cannot see that the sins of the whole congregation could not be transferred to a he-goat and borne by him to hell? From this it is evident what is signified by “wilderness” in its various senses.
* The Hebrew has “in loneliness of way,” as found also in AC 2708.
*** The Hebrew has “a straight way,” as found also in AE 223.
*** The Hebrew has “her,” as found in AC 2708.

sRef Rev@12 @6 S0′ 731. Where she hath a place prepared by God, signifies the state of the church that in the meantime provision may be made for it among more. This is evident from the signification of “place,” as being state (of which presently); also from the signification of “prepared by God,” as being to be provided by the Lord, for what is done by man is prepared, but what is done by the Lord is provided. Moreover, to be provided is predicated of the state that is signified by “place,” while “to be prepared” is predicated of “place.” It signifies that the state in the meantime may be provided among more, because the woman’s fleeing into the wilderness signifies that the church is as yet among few, because with those who are not in good and consequently not in truths (see the preceding article, n. 730); therefore it follows that these words, namely, “where the woman hath a place prepared by God” signify the state of the church, that in the meantime provision may be made for it among more; and what next follows, namely, “that they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and sixty days,” signifies until it grows to fullness (see below, n. 732). But this state of the church that is meant by “the place of the woman in the wilderness” is more fully treated of in what follows in this chapter, for it is said that “there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she would be nourished a time and times and half a time from the face of the dragon,” with many other things.
[2] “Place” signifies state because spaces, places, and distances, in the spiritual world, are in their origin states of life. These, indeed, appear there just the same as in this world, and yet they are different in this respect, that the quality of everyone is known from the place where he dwells, and where he dwells is known from what he is; thus it is in general in respect to the places of all according to quarters, and also in particular in respect to places in societies, and more particularly in respect to places in the houses, and even in the rooms. From this it is clear that place and quality of state act as one, and this for the reason that all things in the spiritual world that appear before the eyes, even to the lands, are correspondences of things spiritual; this is why “place” signifies state. (That spaces, places, and distances, are in their origin states, and thence in the Word signify states, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 191-199, in the article on Space in Heaven.) For the same reason it is customary in our world to designate state by place, as to have a high place, an eminent place, and a distinguished place, for a high, eminent or distinguished state.
sRef John@14 @2 S3′ sRef John@14 @3 S3′ sRef Luke@11 @24 S3′ [3] From this it may appear what is meant by the Lord’s words to His disciples:
That in His Father’s house there are many mansions, and that He would go to prepare a place for them; and if He should go and prepare a place for them that He would come and take them to Himself (John 14:2, 3).
“To prepare a place for them” signifies to provide heaven for everyone according to the state of his life, for “the disciples” mean all who are to be of His church. And in Luke:
When the unclean spirit goeth out of a man he wandereth through dry places seeking rest (Luke 11:24).
“The unclean spirit going out of a man” signifies the removal of evils and the consequent falsities from man when he is repentant; the “dry places through which he wanders seeking rest” signify the states of evil and falsity that belong to his life. So elsewhere in the Word where place and places are mentioned.

sRef Rev@12 @6 S0′ 732. That there they may nourish her a thousand and two hundred and sixty days, signifies until it grows to fullness. This is evident from the signification of “a thousand two hundred and sixty days,” as being from beginning to end, and thus fullness (of which above, n. 636); for this number involves three and a half years, and “three and a half,” whether years or days, signifies fullness (see above, n. 532, 658). “That they may nourish her” so many days signifies until it grows to fullness, because this follows from what precedes, namely, that “the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God,” which signifies that the New Church, which is meant by “the woman,” is at first amongst a few, that in the meantime provision may be made for it among more; therefore it is added, until it grows to fullness; moreover, “to nourish” signifies to sustain life and to grow.
[2] There are several reasons why this New Church that is called the Holy Jerusalem will first begin with a few, afterwards to be with more, and finally to reach fullness. First, its doctrine, which is the doctrine of love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor, cannot be acknowledged and thus received except by those who are interiorly affected by truths, and those only can be interiorly affected by truths who have the ability to see them, and those only see truths who have cultivated their intellectual faculty, and have not destroyed it in themselves by the loves of self and of the world. A second reason is that the doctrine of that church cannot be acknowledged and thence received but by those who have not confirmed themselves by doctrine and at the same time by life in faith alone; confirmation by doctrine alone does not prevent reception, but confirmation by life also does prevent, for such do not know what love to the Lord is, nor what charity towards the neighbor is, nor are they willing to know.
[3] A third reason is that the New Church on the earth grows according to its increase in the world of spirits, for spirits from that world are with men, and they are from such as while they lived on earth were in the faith of their church, and none of these receive the doctrine but those who have been in the spiritual affection of truth; these only are conjoined to heaven where that doctrine is, and they conjoin heaven to man. The number of these in the spiritual world now increases daily, therefore according to their increase does that church that is called the New Jerusalem increase on earth. These also were the reasons why the Christian Church, after the Lord had left the world, increased so slowly in Europe, and did not attain to its fullness until an age had elapsed.

sRef Rev@12 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @7 S0′ 733. Verses 7, 8. And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels. And they prevailed not, and their place was not found anymore in heaven. 7. “And there was war in heaven,” signifies the combat of falsity against truth, and of truth against falsity (n. 734); “Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels,” signifies the combat between those who are for the life of love and charity and for the Divine of the Lord in His Human against those who are for faith alone or faith separate, and are against the Divine of the Lord in His Human (n. 735). 8. “And they prevailed not, and their place was not found anymore in heaven,” signifies that they were overcome, and that nowhere in the heavens henceforth is there a place that corresponds to the state of their life, which is a state of thought alone, and of no affection of good and truth (n. 736, 737).

sRef Rev@12 @7 S0′ 734. Verse 7. And there was war in heaven, signifies the combat of falsity against truth and of truth against falsity. This is evident from the signification [of “war,” as being spiritual war, that is,*] of falsity against truth and of truth against falsity (of which presently). The falsity here meant is falsity from evil, and the truth truth from good; for there exist many kinds of falsities, but those falsities only that are from evil fight against truths from good, since evil is opposed to good, and all truth is of good. All those are in the falsities of evil who in their life have given no thought to heaven and the Lord, but have thought only of self and the world. To think of heaven and the Lord in the life is to think that this or that must be done because the Word so teaches and commands; those who do this, since they live from the Word, live from the Lord and heaven. But to think only of self and the world is to think that this or that must be done because of the laws of the country, and for the sake of reputation, honor and gain; such do not live for the Lord and heaven, but for self and the world. These in respect to life are in evil, and from evil in falsities; and those who are in falsities from this origin fight against truths. But these do not fight against the Word, for they call it holy and Divine, but they fight against the genuine truths of the Word, for they confirm their falsities from the Word, but only from the sense of its letter, which in some passages is such that it may be drawn to confirm the most heretical principles, for the reason that the Word in that sense is adapted to the apprehension of children and the simple, who for the most part are sensual, and they receive only such things as are apparent to the eyes; and as the Word is such in the letter, therefore those who are in falsities from evil of life confirm their falsities from the Word, and thus falsify the Word. Yea, they who separate faith from charity so falsify the Word that wherever mention is made of doing or of deeds and works, such passages, of which there are thousands, are explained as if nothing of doing or of deeds or works were meant, but only believing and faith; and so in other cases. This has been said to make known who are meant by those who are in falsities from evil, who “made war with Michael and his angels,” as described in the following article.
sRef Isa@2 @3 S2′ sRef Isa@2 @4 S2′ sRef Isa@2 @5 S2′ [2] That “war” signifies in the Word spiritual war, which is the war of falsity from evil against truth from good, and of truth from good against falsity from evil, or what is the same, which is carried on by those who are in falsities from evil against those who are in truths from good, is evident from many passages in the Word, of which the following only need be cited. In Isaiah:
Many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us of His ways that we may go in His paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem; that He may judge between the nations, and reprove peoples; and they shall beat their swords into hoes, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come ye, and we will go in the light of Jehovah (Isa. 2:3-5; Mic. 4:3).
This treats of the Lord’s coming, and that those who will be of His New Church are to be instructed in truths, by which they will be led to heaven. “The mountain of Jehovah” and “the house of Jacob” signify the church in which is love to the Lord and worship from that love; a summoning to that church, and thus to the Lord, is signified by “Many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to that mountain;” that they will be instructed in truths by which they will be led is signified by “He will teach us of His ways that we may go in His paths,” “ways” meaning truths and “paths” the precepts of life; that they will be led by the doctrine of the good of love and by the doctrine of truth from that good, which are for the church out of heaven from the Lord, is signified by “out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the Word from Jerusalem,” “the law” meaning the doctrine of the good of love, and “the Word” truth from that good; that evils of life and falsities of doctrine will then be dissipated is signified by “He will judge between the nations and reprove the peoples,” “nations” signifying those who are in evils, and “peoples” those who are in falsities, thus in an abstract sense evils of life and falsities of doctrine.
sRef Isa@2 @5 S3′ sRef Isa@2 @3 S3′ sRef Isa@2 @4 S3′ [3] That by the consent of all, combats will then cease is signified by “they shall beat their swords into hoes and their spears into pruning hooks,” “sword” and “spear” meaning falsities from evil fighting against truths from good, and truths from good against falsities from evil; “hoes” meaning the goods of the church which are cultivated by truths, for “a field that is tilled by the hoe” means the church in respect to the good of life; and “pruning hooks” mean truths of doctrine, because trees in gardens signify the perceptions and knowledges of truths. Like things are signified by “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore,” “war” signifying combats in the whole complex. That they will live a life of wisdom is signified by “Come ye, and we will go in the light of Jehovah,” “the light of Jehovah” meaning Divine truth, and “to go in it” meaning to live according to it, thus in a life of wisdom. That “war” here signifies spiritual war, which is that of falsities against truths and goods, and conversely, and that “swords and spears,” which are arms of war, signify such things as are used in spiritual combats, is clearly evident, for the Lord and the church to be established by Him and doctrine for that church are here treated of, and it is said, “He will teach us of His ways that we may go in His paths;” also “Come ye, and we will go in the light of Jehovah.”
sRef Hos@2 @18 S4′ [4] In Hosea:
In that day I will make a covenant for them with the wild beast of the field, and with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth; and I will break the bow, and the sword, and the war, from the earth; and I will make them to lie down securely (Hos. 2:18).
The signification of “the wild beast of the field, the bird of the heavens, and the creeping thing of the earth,” with which Jehovah in that day will make a covenant, may be seen above (n. 388, 701), also that “breaking the bow, the sword, and the war,” signifies to cease from all combat between falsity and truth; therefore it is added, “and I will make them to lie down securely,” which means security from the infestations from evils and falsities that are from hell.
sRef Zech@9 @10 S5′ sRef Ps@46 @9 S5′ sRef Ps@46 @8 S5′ [5] In Zechariah:
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war shall be cut off; but he shall speak peace to the nations (Zech. 9:10).
This, too, may be seen explained above (n. 355, 357), from which it is evident that “the bow of war” signifies the doctrine of truth fighting against falsities, for this is said of the Lord. In David:
Jehovah who setteth waste places in the earth, who maketh wars to cease even to the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow and cutteth the spear asunder, He burneth up the chariots with fire (Ps. 46:8, 9).
Here also “Jehovah maketh wars to cease even to the end of the earth” signifies that He makes combats, understood in the spiritual sense, to cease, which are the combats of falsities against the truths and goods of the church (see above, n. 357).
sRef Ps@76 @3 S6′ sRef Isa@21 @15 S6′ sRef Ps@18 @34 S6′ [6] In the same:
God breaketh the flashes of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the war (Ps. 76:3).
This has a like signification (see above, n. 357, 365). In Isaiah:
Before the swords shall they wander, before the drawn sword and before the bended bow, because of the grievousness of the war (Isa. 21:15).
What this signifies may be seen above (n. 131, 357), also that the “grievousness of war” signifies because of the strong assault of falsities against the knowledges of good, which are here signified by “Arabia” or “Kedar.” In David:
Jehovah who teacheth my hands war, that a bow of brass may be let down upon his arms** (Ps. 18:34).
“To teach the hands war” does not mean war against enemies in this world, but against enemies in hell, which is carried on by the combats of truth against falsities and against evils. The appearance is that such a war is there meant as David waged against his enemies, and thus that Jehovah taught him such war, and how to let down a bow of brass upon the arms; nevertheless spiritual war is meant, also a spiritual bow, which is the doctrine of truth, and “the bow of brass” means the doctrine of the good of life, and this because the Word regarded in its essence is spiritual. But on these words also see above (n. 357).
sRef Ps@35 @2 S7′ sRef Ps@35 @1 S7′ sRef Ps@35 @3 S7′ [7] In the same:
Strive, O Jehovah, with them that strive with me, fight against them that fight against me, take hold of shield and buckler and rise up for mine help, draw out the spear, and stop the way against my pursuers; say unto my soul, I am thy salvation (Ps. 35:1-3).
Here “to fight,” “to take hold of shield and buckler,” and “to draw out the spear,” does not mean to grasp these arms of war, since this is said of Jehovah, but it is so said because all arms of war signify such things as pertain to spiritual war. A “shield,” because it protects the head, signifies protection against the falsities that destroy the understanding of truth; a “buckler,” because it protects the breast, signifies protection against the falsities that destroy charity, which is the will of good; and a “spear,” because it protects all parts of the body, signifies protection in general. Because such things are signified it is added, “say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.”
sRef Ex@17 @16 S8′ sRef Isa@31 @4 S8′ sRef Isa@42 @13 S8′ sRef Zech@14 @3 S8′ [8] Because Jehovah, that is, the Lord, protects man from the hells, that is, from the evils and falsities that continually rise up out of the hells, therefore He is called “Jehovah Zebaoth,” that is, Jehovah of Hosts, and “hosts” signify the truths and goods of heaven, and thus of the church in the whole complex, by which the Lord removes the hells in general, and with each one individually; this is why it is attributed to Jehovah that He fights and wages war as a hero and man of war in battles, as can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Jehovah of Hosts shall come down to fight upon Mount Zion, and upon the hill thereof (Isa. 31:4).
In Zechariah:
Jehovah shall go forth and fight against the nations, as on the day of His fighting in the day of battle (Zech. 14:3).
In Isaiah:
Jehovah shall go forth as a hero, He shall stir up zeal like a man of wars, He shall prevail over his enemies (Isa. 42:13).
In Moses:
Jehovah hath war against Amalek from generation to generation (Exod. 17:16).
This is said because “Amalek” signifies those falsities of evil that continually infest the truths and goods of the church.
[9] Moreover, the wars that are described in the historicals of the Word, both in the books of Moses and in the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, signify spiritual wars; as the wars against the Assyrians, Syrians, Egyptians, Philistines, and, in the beginning, against the idolatrous nations in the land of Canaan beyond and on this side Jordan. What these wars signify becomes evident when it is known what and of what kind are the evil and falsity signified by “the Assyrians,” “the Babylonians and the Chaldeans,” also by “the Egyptians,” “the Syrians,” “the Philistines,” and the rest; for all nations and peoples that waged war with the sons of Israel represented the hells, which were desirous of doing violence to the church represented by the sons of Israel. Nevertheless, the wars actually took place as they are described, yet they represented and thence signified spiritual wars, since nothing is said in the Word that is not inwardly spiritual, for the Word is Divine, and what proceeds from the Divine is spiritual, and is terminated in what is natural.
[10] That the ancient people also had a Word, both prophetical and historical, that is now lost, is evident from Moses (Num. 21), where its prophecies are referred to, and are there called “Enunciations;” also the historical books, which are called “The Wars of Jehovah” (verses 14 and 27). Those historical books are called “The Wars of Jehovah” because they signify the wars of the Lord with the hells, as also do the wars in the historical books of our Word. This, then, is why “adversaries,” “enemies,” “assailants,” “pursuers,” “those that rise up,” as also all the arms of war, as the spear, the buckler, the shield, the sword, the bow, arrows, the chariot, signify in the Word such things as pertain to combats with the hells and protection against them.
sRef Deut@20 @1 S11′ sRef Deut@20 @3 S11′ sRef Deut@20 @4 S11′ sRef Zech@9 @10 S11′ sRef Deut@20 @2 S11′ [11] In Moses:
When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies and seest the horse and the chariot, a people more than thou, thou shalt not be afraid of them, for Jehovah thy God is with thee. The priest shall say to them when they draw near to battle, Ye draw nigh this day unto battle against your enemies; let not your heart soften, neither fear ye, nor tremble, nor be terrified before them, for Jehovah your God goeth with you to fight for you against your enemies, to save you (Deut. 20:1-4).
He who does not know that there is a spiritual sense in every particular of the Word might believe that nothing more interior is here meant than what is meant in the letter; and yet “war” here as elsewhere signifies spiritual war, and therefore “horse,” “chariot,” and “much people” signify the falsities of religion in which they trust, and from which they fight against the truths of the church, “horse” meaning the falsities of the understanding and reasonings therefrom, “chariot” falsities of doctrine, and “much people” falsities in general. Whether you say falsities or those who are in falsities it amounts to the same. They were not to be afraid of these nor tremble because they were in the truths of the church from the Lord and because the Lord is in these truths with man, and thus from them fights for man against the hells, which are the enemies in the spiritual sense; therefore it is said, “for Jehovah God is with you, and goeth with you to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.” These two senses, the natural and the spiritual, make one by the correspondences that exist between all things of the world and all things of heaven; consequently there is a conjunction of heaven with man by means of the Word. But the spiritual sense that lies hidden in the historical books of the Word is less easily seen than that in the prophetical things, because the historical facts keep the mind fixed in themselves, and thus prevent its thinking anything except what appears in the letter; and still all the historical facts of the Word are representative of heavenly things, and the words are significative.
sRef Deut@20 @8 S12′ sRef Deut@20 @5 S12′ sRef Deut@20 @7 S12′ sRef Deut@20 @6 S12′ [12] That all those who were in the truths of doctrine, and thus had become men of the church, and not those that had not yet so become, were to fight, is signified by the following words in the same chapter:
Afterwards the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house and hath not dedicated it, let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the war and another man dedicate it. Or what man is there that hath planted a vineyard and hath not completed and gathered the fruits of it, let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the war and another man complete and gather the fruits of it. Or what man is there that hath betrothed a wife and hath not taken her, let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the war and another man take her. What man is fearful and soft in heart, let him go and return unto his house, lest the heart of his brethren melt as his heart (Deut. 20:5-8).
That “those that had built new houses and had not yet dedicated them,” and “those that had planted vineyards and had not yet gathered the fruits of them,” and “those that had betrothed wives and had not yet taken them,” should remain at home, lest they should die in the war and other men should dedicate their houses, gather the fruits of their vineyards, and take their wives, was commanded and sanctioned from causes in the spiritual world, which no one can see unless he knows what is signified by “building a house,” “planting a vineyard,” and “taking a wife,” also by “dying in war.” “To build a house” signifies to establish the church; the like is meant by “planting a vineyard,” but a “house” signifies the church in respect to good, and a “vineyard” the church in respect to truth, for both good and truth must be implanted in man, that the church may be in him. The conjunction of these two, namely, of good and truth, is signified by “betrothing and taking a wife;” and “war” signifies spiritual war, which is combat against evils and falsities from hell; and “to die in the war” signifies to succumb before the church is implanted by these means; this is done also by means of temptations, which are also signified by “wars” in the Word.
[13] From this it can be concluded what these statutes signify in the spiritual sense, namely, that the men of the church, that is, the men in whom the church is, who are signified by “the sons of Israel going out to the war,” are the ones to fight against enemies, which are the hells, and not those who have not yet become men of the church or men in whom the church is; therefore it is said that those “that have built houses and have not yet dedicated them,” also those “that have planted vineyards and have not yet gathered the fruits of them,” also those “that have betrothed wives and have not yet taken them,” shall not go out to the war, for all these signify those in whom the church has not yet been implanted, thus who have not yet become men of the church; and it is said that such “should go and return to their house, lest they should die in the war,” which means that such will not prevail over their enemies, but their enemies over them, since those only prevail over spiritual enemies who are in truths from good, or in whom truth is conjoined to good. It is also said, “lest another man dedicate the house,” “gather the fruit of the vineyard,” and “take the wife,” which signifies lest falsities and evils conjoin themselves with good, or truth of another kind with the affection of good; for “another man” signifies falsity, and also other truth, thus truth that is not concordant. That “the fearful and soft of heart” should also return home signified such as were not yet in the truths and goods of the church and thereby in confidence in the Lord, for such fear the evil, and also cause others to fear them, which is signified by “lest they cause the heart of their brethren to melt.” These then are the interior reasons, or reasons from the spiritual world, why these things were commanded.
sRef Num@4 @23 S14′ sRef Num@4 @43 S14′ sRef Num@4 @35 S14′ sRef Num@8 @24 S14′ sRef Num@4 @39 S14′ sRef Num@8 @25 S14′ sRef Num@4 @47 S14′ [14] That “war” signifies spiritual war, which is against things infernal, is clearly evident from this, that the offices and ministries of the Levites about the Tent of meeting were called “military service,” as is evident from these words of Moses:
It was commanded Moses that the Levites should be numbered from a son of thirty years to a son of fifty years, to do military service, to do the work in the Tent of meeting (Num. 4:23, 35, 39, 43, 47).
And elsewhere:
This is the office of the Levites; from a son of twenty-five years and upward he shall come to do military service in the ministry of the Tent of meeting, but from a son of fifty years he shall cease from the military service of the ministry and shall minister no more (Num. 8:24, 25).
The works and ministries of the Levites about the Tent of meeting are called “military service” because the Levites represented the truths of the church, and Aaron, to whom the Levites were given and assigned for service, represented the Lord in relation to the good of love and in reference to the work of salvation, and as the Lord from the good of love by means of truths from the Word regenerates and saves men, and also removes the evils and falsities that are from hell, against which He continually fights, therefore the functions and ministries of the Levites were called “military service.” The same is evident from this also, that their ministries were called “military service” although the Levites did not war against the enemies of the land. This shows that the priesthood is a military service, but against falsities and evils. For the same reason the church at this day is called the church militant.
sRef Isa@13 @4 S15′ sRef Isa@28 @6 S15′ [15] In Isaiah:
The voice of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people, the voice of a tumult of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together; Jehovah of Hosts numbereth the host of war (Isa. 13:4).
This may be seen explained above (n. 453); also that “to number the host of war” signifies to arrange the truths from good against the falsities from evil, which are signified by “the kingdoms of the nations gathered together.” In the same:
In that day Jehovah shall be for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth on judgment; and for might to those who turn back the war from the gate (Isa. 28:5, 6).
This is said in reference to those who are in the pride of self-intelligence, who are meant in verse 1 by “the crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim.” Of those who are not in that pride this is said; that they shall have intelligence from the Lord is signified by “Jehovah shall be for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth on judgment;” “judgment” signifying the understanding of truth, thus intelligence; “Jehovah shall be for might to those who turn back the war from the gate” signifies that the Lord gives power to those who defend the Word and doctrine from the Word, and who prevent violence being done to them; a “city” meaning doctrine, and “gate” which gives entrance to it meaning natural truths. This was why the elders sat for judging in the gates of the city.
sRef Jer@6 @23 S16′ sRef Jer@6 @6 S16′ sRef Jer@6 @4 S16′ sRef Jer@6 @5 S16′ sRef Jer@6 @22 S16′ sRef Jer@6 @3 S16′ [16] In Jeremiah:
Sanctify ye the war against the daughter of Zion; arise and let us go up at noon, arise and let us go up in the night and let us destroy her palaces. Cast up a mound against Jerusalem. Behold a people cometh from the land of the north, cruel and they have no pity; their voice resoundeth like the sea; they ride upon horses prepared as a man for war, against thee, O daughter of Zion (Jer. 6:3-6, 22, 23).
This treats of the falsification of the Word by those who are in self-intelligence; such are meant by “a people coming from the land of the north,” for such in the spiritual world dwell in the north, because they are in falsifications from which truths are not seen; but the church that is in genuine truths is meant by “the daughter of Zion.” The assault upon truth and the destruction of the church by such is signified by “Sanctify ye the war against the daughter of Zion, and cast up a mound against Jerusalem;” “Jerusalem” meaning the church in respect to doctrine, and thence the doctrine of the church. The effort to destroy truths openly is signified by “arise, let us go up at noon;” and the effort to destroy them secretly is signified by “arise, let us go up in the night;” the effort to destroy the understanding of truth is signified by “let us destroy her palaces;” that they are not at all in the love of truth, but in the love of falsity, is signified by “a cruel people, and they have no pity;” that they reason from knowledges [scientiae] and from self-intelligence is signified by “their voice resoundeth like the sea, they ride upon horses;” that they assault the truth is signified by “they are prepared as a man for war.”
sRef Ps@140 @2 S17′ sRef Ps@140 @1 S17′ sRef Ps@140 @3 S17′ [17] In David:
Free me from the evil man, and preserve me from the man of violences, who think evils in the heart; all the day they gather together for war; they have sharpened their tongue like serpents (Ps. 140:1-3).
“Evil man” and “man of violences” signify those who pervert the truths of the Word; he is called “a man of violences” who from a depraved intention offers violence to the truths of the Word by perverting them. The depraved intention is further described by “thinking evils in the heart;” and perverting the truths of the Word is meant by “gathering themselves together all the day for war;” the reasonings by which they prevail are signified by “wars,” and therefore it is added, “they have sharpened their tongue like serpents.”
sRef Zech@10 @5 S18′ [18] In Zechariah:
They shall be as the mighty ones treading down the mire of the streets in the war, and they shall fight because Jehovah is with them, and they that ride upon horses shall be ashamed (Zech. 10:5).
This treats of the Lord’s coming and of those who are in truths from good from Him; of these it is said that “they shall be as the mighty ones treading down the mire of the streets in the war,” which signifies that they will dissipate and wholly destroy the falsities of doctrine; “the mire of the streets” signifying that falsity, because a “city” signifies doctrine, “the streets of a city” its truths, and the “mire” in them falsity from truth falsified; “and they shall fight because Jehovah is with them” signifies that from the Lord they will attack and overcome those falsities; “and they that ride upon horses shall be ashamed” signifies that everything of self-intelligence will succumb; “to be ashamed” means to succumb because it is said of those who are overcome, and “to ride upon horses” signifies to trust in self-intelligence.
sRef Hos@1 @7 S19′ [19] In Hosea:
I will have pity on the house of Judah, and will save them by Jehovah their God; and I will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by war, nor by horses, nor by horsemen (Hos. 1:7).
“The house of Judah” signifies the celestial church; “to have pity and to save them by Jehovah their God” signifies salvation from the Lord; “I will not save them by the bow, the sword, war, horses, and horsemen,” signifies not by such things as are of self-intelligence; what “bow,” “sword,” “horses” and “horsemen” signify has been shown above in various places; “war” signifies combat from such things.
sRef Ezek@13 @5 S20′ [20] In Ezekiel:
Ye have not gone up into the breaches, neither fenced with a fence for the house of Israel, that ye might stand in the war in the day of Jehovah (Ezek. 13:5).
This was said of “the foolish prophets,” that signify the falsities of doctrine from the Word falsified; that they were not able to correct the backslidings of the church, or amend anything of it, is signified by “Ye have not gone up into the breaches, neither fenced with a fence for the house of Israel;” “the breaches of the house of Israel” meaning the backslidings of the church, and its “fence” what wards off the invasion of falsity, and thus amends; “not to stand in the war in the day of Jehovah” signifies not to fight against the falsities of evil, which are from hell, in the day of the Last Judgment.
sRef Jer@49 @25 S21′ sRef Jer@49 @26 S21′ [21] In Jeremiah:
How is the city of glory not forsaken, the city of my joy? Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day (Jer. 49:25, 26; 50:30).
The doctrine of truth from the Word is meant by “the city of glory,” and by “the city of the joy of Jehovah;” that this is turned into the doctrine of falsity by falsifications of truth is signified by “being forsaken or deserted;” that all understanding of truth and thus all intelligence would perish is signified by “therefore her young men shall fall in her streets;” “young men” meaning the understanding of truth, and the “streets of that city” the falsities of doctrine. That there will no longer remain any truths combating against falsities is signified by “all the men of war shall be cut off;” “the men of war” meaning those who are in truths and who fight from them against falsities, and in an abstract sense truths fighting against falsities.
sRef Isa@22 @2 S22′ [22] In Isaiah:
Thy slain are not slain with the sword, neither are they killed in the war (Isa. 22:2).
This is said of “the valley of vision,” which signifies the sensual man that sees all things from the fallacies of the senses of the body; because it does not understand truths, and therefore seizes upon falsities instead, it is said “thy slain are not slain with the sword, neither are they killed in the war,” which signifies that the truths have not been destroyed by reasonings from falsities, neither by any combats of falsity against truths, but from themselves, because from fallacies from which truths are not seen.
sRef Isa@19 @2 S23′ [23] In the same:
I will commingle Egypt against Egypt, that a man may fight against his brother, and a man against his companion, city against city, kingdom against kingdom (Isa. 19:2).
This is said of the natural man separated from the spiritual; this is signified by “Egypt;” the crowd of falsities in the natural man reasoning and fighting against the truths and goods of the spiritual man is signified by “I will commingle Egypt against Egypt, that a man may fight against his brother and a man against his companion;” “man and brother” signifying truth and good, and in the contrary sense falsity and evil; and “man and companion” signifying truths among themselves, and in the contrary sense falsities among themselves; this division and combat take place when falsities prevail, since falsities continually contend with falsities, but truths do not contend with truths; that there will be like contentions of doctrines among themselves, that is, of the churches among themselves, is signified by “city shall fight against city, and kingdom against kingdom;” “city” meaning doctrine, and “kingdom” the church therefrom.
sRef Matt@24 @7 S24′ sRef Matt@24 @8 S24′ sRef Matt@24 @6 S24′ sRef Matt@24 @5 S24′ [24] From this the signification of the Lord’s words in the Gospels can be seen:
Many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ, and shall lead many astray. But ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled; for nation shall be stirred up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes (Matt. 24:5-7; Mark 13:6-8; Luke 21:8-11).
This was said by the Lord to the disciples respecting the consummation of the age, which signifies the state of the church at its end, which is described in these chapters; so, too, it means the successive perversion and falsification of the truth and good of the Word until there is nothing but falsity and the evil thence. Those who “shall come in His name and shall call themselves Christ, and shall lead many astray,” signify those who will come and say that this is divine truth, when yet it is truth falsified, which in itself is falsity; “Christ” meaning the Lord in relation to Divine truth, but here in the contrary sense Divine truth falsified. “They shall hear of wars and rumors of wars” signifies that there shall be disputes and contentions about truths, and consequent falsifications; “nation shall be stirred up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,” signifies that evil will fight with evil and falsity with falsity, for evils never agree among themselves nor falsities among themselves; this is why churches are divided, and so many heresies have arisen; “nation” signifies those who are in evils, and “kingdom” those who are in falsities, of whom the church consists. “There shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes” signifies that there will no longer be any knowledges of truth and good, and that the state of the church will be changed on account of the falsities that will corrupt it; “famine” meaning a deprivation of the knowledges of truth and good; “pestilences” corruptions by falsities, and “earthquakes” the changes of the church.
[25] Since “wars” signify in the Word spiritual wars, which are the combats of falsity against truth and of truth against falsity, therefore these combats are described by “the war between the king of the north against the king of the south,” and by “the battle of the he-goat against the ram,” in Daniel; the war between the king of the north and the king of the south in chapter eleven, and the battle of the he-goat against the ram in chapter eight; and there “the king of the north” means those who are in falsities, and “the king of the south” those who are in truths; the “he-goat” signifies those who are in the falsities of doctrine because they are in the evil of life, and the “ram” those who are in the truths of doctrine because they are in the good of life.
sRef Rev@16 @14 S26′ sRef Rev@11 @7 S26′ sRef Rev@20 @8 S26′ [26] From this it is clear what is signified by “war” in other passages of Revelation, as in the following:
When the witnesses shall have finished their testimony the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them and kill them (Rev. 11:7).
Again:
The spirits of demons doing signs to go forth unto the kings of the earth and of all the countries of the world, to gather them together unto the war of that great day of God Almighty (Rev. 16:14).
And elsewhere:
Satan shall go forth to lead astray the nations, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to war (Rev. 20:8).
In these passages also “war” signifies spiritual war, which is a war of falsity against truth and of truth against falsity. It is called a war of falsity against truth and of truth against falsity, but it is to be known that those who are in falsities fight against truths, but not so those who are in truths against falsities, for it is always those who are in falsities who attack, while those who are in truths only defend; but in reference to the Lord, He never even resists, but merely protects truths. But more elsewhere respecting this.
* The words in brackets are inserted from n. 734.
** The Latin has “my arms,” as found in AE 357.

sRef Rev@12 @7 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @10 S1′ 735. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels, signifies the combat between those who are for the life of love and charity and for the Divine of the Lord in His Human, against those who are for faith alone and faith separate and are against the Divine of the Lord in His Human. This is evident from the signification of “Michael and his angels,” as being those who are for the Divine of the Lord in His Human, and for the life of love and charity (of which presently); also from the signification of “the dragon,” as being those who are for faith alone and separated from the life of love and charity, and also against the Divine of the Lord in His Human. That those who are in faith separated from charity, which faith is called faith alone, are meant by “the dragon,” has been shown above (n. 714-716).
The same are also against the Divine of the Lord in His Human, that is, against the Divine Human, because most of those who have confirmed themselves in faith alone are merely natural and sensual, and the natural and sensual man separated from the spiritual can have no idea of the Divine in the Human, for they think of the Human of the Lord naturally and sensually, and not at the same time from any spiritual idea; therefore they think of the Lord in the same way as they think of an ordinary man altogether like themselves, and this they also teach; consequently in the idea of their thought they set the Divine of the Lord above His Human, and thus they altogether separate those two, namely the Divine and the Human of the Lord; and this they do although their doctrine, which is the doctrine of Athanasius respecting the Trinity, teaches otherwise, for this teaches that the Divine and Human are a united person, and that the two are one like soul and body. Let any one of them examine himself, and he will perceive that such is their idea respecting the Lord. From this it is clear what is meant by “Michael and his angels” who fought with the dragon, namely, those who acknowledge the Lord’s Divine Human and are for the life of love and charity, for they who are such cannot do otherwise than acknowledge the Divine Human of the Lord, and for the reason that otherwise they could not be in any love to the Lord nor in any charity towards the neighbor thence, since this charity and love are solely from the Lord’s Divine Human, and not from a Divine separated from His Human, nor from the Human separated from His Divine; consequently also after the dragon was cast down into the earth with his angels a voice said out of heaven:
Now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ (verse 10).
From this it is clear what is meant by “Michael and his angels.”
sRef Matt@23 @8 S2′ sRef Matt@23 @11 S2′ sRef Matt@23 @10 S2′ sRef Matt@23 @9 S2′ [2] As to Michael in particular, it is believed from the sense of the letter that he is one of the archangels; but there is no archangel in the heavens. There are, indeed, higher and lower angels, also wiser and less wise; and in the societies of angels there are governors who are set over the rest; but yet there are no archangels in obedience to whom others are held by any authority. There is no such government in the heavens, for no one there acknowledges in heart anyone above himself except the Lord only; this is what is meant by the Lord’s words in Matthew:
Be not ye called teacher, for one is your Teacher, Christ, but all ye are brethren. And call no man your father on earth, for one is your Father, who is in the heavens. Neither be ye called masters, for one is your Master, Christ. He that is greatest among you shall be your minister (Matt. 23:8-11).
But by those angels that are mentioned in the Word, as “Michael” and “Raphael,” administrations and functions are meant, and in general, limited and certain departments of the administration and function of all the angels; so here “Michael” means that department of angelic function that has been referred to above, namely, the defense of that part of the doctrine from the Word that teaches that the Lord’s Human is Divine, and that man must live a life of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor that he may receive salvation from the Lord, consequently that department of function is meant that is for fighting against those who separate the Divine from the Human of the Lord, and who separate faith from the life of love and charity, and who even profess charity with the lips but not in the life.
[3] Moreover, in the Word “angels” do not mean angels in the spiritual sense, but Divine truths from the Lord (see above, n. 130, 302), for the reason that angels are not angels from what is their own [proprium], but from the reception of Divine truth from the Lord. It is the same in respect to archangels, who signify that Divine truth, as has been said above. Angels, moreover, in the heavens do not have such names as men on earth have, but they have names expressive of their functions, and in general, to every angel a name is given according to his quality; this is why “name” signifies in the Word the quality of a thing and state. The name Michael means, from its derivation in the Hebrew, “who is like God;” therefore Michael signifies the Lord in relation to that Divine truth that the Lord is God even as to the Human, and that man must live from Him, that is, in love to Him from Him, and in love towards the neighbor. Michael is mentioned also in Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1, and signifies there like as here the genuine truth from the Word, which will be for those who are of the church to be established by the Lord; for “Michael” means those who will favor the doctrine of the New Jerusalem, the two essentials of which doctrine are, that the Human of the Lord is Divine, and that there must be a life of love and charity.
sRef Jude@1 @9 S4′ [4] Michael is also mentioned in the Epistle of Jude in these words:
Michael the archangel, when contending with* the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not pronounce a sentence of blasphemy, but said, The Lord rebuke thee (Jude 9).
This the apostle Jude quoted from ancient books that were written by correspondences, and by “Moses” in those books the Word was meant, and by his “body” the sense of the letter of the Word; and as the same persons are meant here by “the devil” as are meant in Revelation by “the dragon,” which is also called “Satan” and “the devil,” it is evident what is signified by “Michael, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses,” namely, that such falsified the sense of the letter of the Word; and because the Word in the letter is such that it can be distorted by the evil from its genuine sense, and yet can be received by the good according to its meaning, it was said by the ancients, from whom these words of Jude were quoted, that “Michael durst not pronounce a sentence of blasphemy.” (That in the spiritual sense “Moses” signifies the law, thus the Word, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 4859 at the end, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8787, 8805, 9372, 9414, 9419, 9429, 10234, 10563, 10571, 10607, 10614.)
* The Latin has “de,” which means “about.”

sRef Rev@12 @8 S0′ 736. Verse 8. And they prevailed not, and their place was not found anymore in heaven, signifies that they were overcome, and that nowhere in the heavens henceforth is there a place that corresponds to the state of their life, which is a state of thought alone, and of no affection of good and truth. This is evident from the signification of “they prevailed not,” as being that they were overcome in combat; also from the signification of “their place was not found anymore in heaven,” as being that in the heavens henceforth there is no place that corresponds to the state of their life (of which presently). This does not exist henceforth, because the state of their life which is meant by “the dragon and his angels” is a state of thought alone, and of no affection of good and truth; for those who place everything of the church and thus everything of salvation in faith alone cannot be in any affection of good and truth, since such affection belongs to life. Every man has two faculties of life, which are called understanding and will; the understanding is that which thinks, and the will that which is affected, thus thought belongs to the understanding and affection to the will; consequently those who separate faith from the life merely think that a thing is so, and by so thinking, and on account of it, they say that they will be saved. And because they separate life from faith, they can be in no other than a natural affection, which is of the love of self and of the world; consequently they conjoin the affections of these loves to the things of their faith, which conjunction does not constitute the heavenly marriage which is heaven, but adultery which is hell, for it is the conjunction of truth with the affection of evil; and such adultery corresponds to the adultery of a son with a mother, as is evident from correspondences known in the spiritual world.
Nevertheless, the Lord provides that there shall be no conjunction of truth with evil, by allowing such to have no genuine truths but only truths falsified, which in themselves are falsities. And as such a conjunction pertains to faith separate, namely, that of falsity with evil, “the dragon,” by whom those who are in such a faith are meant, is called” Satan” and “the devil;” “Satan” from falsity, and “devil” from evil, for as has been said above the conjunction of truth and good makes heaven with man, while the conjunction of falsity and evil makes hell with him. Such have no genuine truths, because all things of their faith are from the sense of the letter of the Word, and they do not consider that the truths that belong to that sense of the Word are appearances of truths, and that to accept and defend for truths themselves the appearances is to falsify the Word, according to what has been shown above (n. 715, 719, 720). This then is why “the dragon with his angels was cast out of heaven to the earth.” “Their place was not found anymore in heaven” signifies that in the heavens henceforth there is no place that corresponds to their state of life, for the reason that all places in the heavens correspond to the life of the angels, consequently “place” signifies a state of life, as has been said above (n. 731). And because the life of all the angels in the heavens is a life of the affection of good and truth, and those who are in faith alone (who are meant by “the dragon and his angels”) have no affection of good and truth, so there is no place in the heavens corresponding to the state of their life. Moreover, all the angels in the heavens are spiritual affections, and every one of them thinks from his own affection and according to it; from which it follows that those who place everything of the church and thence of heaven in thinking, and not in living, when they become spirits think from their affections, which are the affections of evil and falsity, as has been said above, and in consequence their faith, which they made to be of the thought alone and not of life, is exterminated and dissipated. In a word, no one can have any spiritual affection, which is an affection of good and truth, except from the life of faith, which is charity; charity itself is the affection of good, and faith is the affection of truth, and both joined together into one are the affection of good and truth.

sRef Rev@12 @8 S0′ sRef Job@5 @19 S0′ 737. It is said in verse 3 that the dragon was seen “in heaven;” and now that war was made with him “in heaven;” and afterwards no place for him and his angels was found “in heaven;” and yet he is called in verse 9 “that old serpent,” also “the devil” and “Satan;” and some may wonder how the dragon, who is the devil, could be in heaven and could have a place there until he was cast down; and yet there is never any place for the devil in heaven, but in hell. But the matter is thus: “the dragon” does not mean those who have denied God and the Lord, and have rejected the Word, and made no account of the church and its doctrine, for those who are such and who do this are cast into hell immediately after death, and never appear in heaven, much less have any place there. “The dragon and his angels” mean those who acknowledge God and the Lord, and declare the Word to be holy, and also stand for the church and its doctrine, but only with the mouth and not with the heart. They do not do this in heart because they make no account of life, and those who make no account of life are interiorly devils, however much they may exteriorly appear like angels. Thence it can be seen that by the acknowledgment of God and the Lord, and by reading the Word and preaching it, they were exteriorly conjoined with heaven; but because their lives have not been at all in accord with anything of the Lord in the Word, interiorly they were conjoined with hell. Such are called “devil” and “Satan,” because they have defiled the truths of the Word by a life of the love of self and the love of the world, and by evils that have gushed forth from those loves, like bubbling waters from their fountains, and because they have applied the literal sense of the Word to confirm such a life. Such persons, more than all others, are serpents, since they are more noxious than others; for they can draw over to their side the simple good, who are in the lowest heaven, especially by means of such things as they take from the sense of the letter of the Word and pervert. It is said that “they were seen in heaven,” and there “fought with Michael and his angels,” because the Word conjoined them with the heavens; for men are conjoined with the heavens by means of the Word; but when it was ascertained that they were in other than heavenly affections they were cast down out of heaven. Nevertheless, after the Last Judgment was accomplished it was provided and ordained by the Lord that henceforth no others but those who are in spiritual faith should have conjunction with heaven, and spiritual faith is acquired by a life according to the truths of the Word, which life is called charity. This, then, is what is signified by “the dragon with his angels was cast unto the earth,” and “their place was not found anymore in heaven.”

sRef Rev@12 @9 S0′ 738. Verse 9. And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil and Satan, that seduceth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 9. “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent,” signifies that those who were in evils of life, and who had thence become sensual, and had perverted all things of the Word and thus of the church, were separated from heaven and were cast down into hell (n. 739); “called the devil and Satan,” signifies because inwardly they are in evils and falsities that are from hell (n. 740); “that seduceth the whole world,” signifies that pervert all things of the church (n. 741); “he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him,” signifies that those evils and their falsities were condemned to hell (n. 742).

sRef Rev@12 @9 S0′ 739. Verse 9. And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, signifies that those who were in evils of life and who had thence become sensual, and had perverted all things of the Word and thus of the church, were separated from heaven and were cast down into hell. This is evident from the signification of “to be cast out,” as being, in reference to the dragon, to be separated from heaven and to be cast down into hell. That these had been conjoined to heaven but were afterwards separated may be seen in a preceding article (n. 737). That they were cast down and condemned to hell is meant by “he was cast out into the earth” (of which presently). Also from the signification of “the great dragon,” as being those who are in evils of life, and yet with the mouth confess God and the Lord, and call the Word holy, and speak in favor of the church. (That such are meant by “the dragon,” see above, n. 714-716, 718, 737.) This is why he is called “the great dragon,” for “great” is predicated in the Word of good, and in the contrary sense, as here, of evil; while their falsities are signified by “his angels” (of which presently). Also from the signification of “the old serpent,” as being those who are sensual, here that those who had perverted all things of the Word and of the church had thence become sensual. That “serpent” signifies the sensual may be seen above (n. 581, 715 at the end). The serpent is called “old,” because in olden times there were those who perverted all things of the Word and the church. According to the historical sense of the letter “the old serpent” means the serpent that seduced Eve and Adam in paradise, but both by that serpent and by this all such are meant as seduce the whole world, as can be seen from what follows in this paragraph. From this it is clear that “that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent,” signifies that those who were in evils of life, and who had perverted all things of the Word, and thus of the church, were separated from heaven and were cast down into hell.
[2] That all who are in evils of life become sensual, and that those who thus become sensual pervert all things of the church, can be seen from this, that there are with men three degrees of life, an inmost, a middle, and an ultimate, and that these degrees with man are opened successively as he becomes wise. Every man at his birth is altogether sensual, so that even the five senses of his body must be opened by use; he next becomes sensual in thought, since he thinks from the objects that have entered through his bodily senses; afterwards he becomes more interiorly sensual; but so far as by visual experiences, by knowledges [scientiae], and especially by the practices of moral life, he acquires for himself natural light [lumen], he becomes interiorly natural. This is the first or ultimate degree of man’s life.
[3] And as at this time from parents, masters, and preachers, and from reading the Word and books thence, he imbibes knowledges of spiritual truth and good, and stores them up in his memory like other knowledges [scientifica], he lays the foundations of the church with himself; and yet if he goes no further he continues natural. But if he goes on further, namely if he lives according to these knowledges from the Word, the interior degree is opened in him and he becomes spiritual, but only so far as he is affected by truths, understands them, wills them, and does them; and for the reason that evils and the falsities thence which by heredity have their seat in the natural and sensual man, are removed and as it were scattered in this and in no other way. For the spiritual man is in heaven and the natural in the world, and so far as heaven, that is, the Lord through heaven, can flow in through the spiritual man into the natural, so far evils and the falsities thence, which, as was said, have their seat in the natural man, are removed; for the Lord removes them, as he removes hell from heaven. The interior degree with man can be opened in no other way, because the evils and falsities that are in the natural man keep it closed up; for the spiritual degree, that is, the spiritual mind, contracts itself against evil and the falsity of evil of every kind as a fibril of the body does at the touch of a sharp point; for like as the fibers of the body contract themselves at every harsh touch, so does man’s interior mind, which is called the spiritual mind, at the touch or breath of evil or the falsity thence. But on the other hand, when things homogeneous, which are Divine truths from the Word that derive their essence from good, approach that mind, it opens itself; yet the opening is effected not otherwise than by the reception of the good of love flowing in through heaven from the Lord, and by its conjunction with the truths that man has stored up in his memory, and this conjunction is only effected by a life according to Divine truths in the Word, for when these truths come to be of the life they are called goods. Thence it may be clear how the second or middle degree is opened.
[4] The third or inmost degree is opened with those who apply Divine truths at once to life, and do not reason about them from the memory, and thus bring them into doubt. This is called the celestial degree. As there are these three degrees of life with every man, which yet are opened in diverse ways, thence there are three heavens. In the third or inmost heaven are those with whom the third degree is opened; in the second or middle heaven those with whom the second degree only is opened; and in the first or lowest heaven those with whom the interior natural man, which is also called the rational man, is opened; for this man, if truly rational, receives influx from the Lord through heaven. All these come into heaven. But those who have received Divine truths in the memory only, and not at the same time in the life, continue natural and even become sensual; and for the reason that the evils into which man is born have their seat, as was said above, in the natural and sensual man; and in such these evils have not been removed and as it were dispersed by the influx of good from the Lord and its reception by man; consequently with such the loves of the body rule, which in general are the love of self and the love of the world, and the consequent love and pride of self-intelligence. These loves, and the evils and their falsities that flow from them, fill the interiors of their natural mind, although these are covered without by things respectable and becoming which pertain to moral life, that are put on for the sake of the world and the laws enacted for the external man. Such although they may have filled their memory with knowledges from the Word, from the dogmas of their several religions and from the sciences, are yet natural and even sensual; for the interiors of their natural mind, which are nearest to the spiritual mind, are closed up by confirmations, even from the Word, against the spiritual life, which is a life according to Divine truths and is called charity towards the neighbor. These because they are sensual, are “the dragon,” and are called “serpents,” for “serpent” signifies the sensual, because the sensual is the lowest part of man’s life, and as it were creeps upon the ground and licks the dust like a serpent.
sRef Gen@2 @9 S5′ sRef Gen@3 @23 S5′ sRef Gen@2 @17 S5′ sRef Gen@3 @1 S5′ sRef Gen@3 @24 S5′ sRef Gen@2 @8 S5′ sRef Gen@3 @7 S5′ sRef Gen@3 @5 S5′ sRef Gen@3 @6 S5′ sRef Gen@3 @4 S5′ sRef Gen@3 @15 S5′ sRef Gen@3 @14 S5′ sRef Gen@3 @2 S5′ sRef Gen@3 @3 S5′ sRef Gen@2 @16 S5′ [5] To illustrate this I will quote what is related in Genesis respecting “the old serpent” that seduced Eve and Adam, and will explain what it signifies in the spiritual sense:
Out of the ground Jehovah God made to grow forth every tree that is desirable to the sight and good for food, and the tree of lives in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden eating thou mayest eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou mayest not eat, because in the day thou shalt eat of it dying thou shalt die. And the serpent was more crafty than any wild beast of the field which Jehovah God made; and he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the tree of the garden we may eat, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said, Dying ye shall not die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to give intelligence, and she took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and she gave also to her husband with her and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together and made themselves girdles. And Jehovah said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above every beast and above every wild beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed; he shall trample on thy head,* and thou shalt wound his heel. And Jehovah God sent forth the man from the garden of Eden and made to dwell from the east of the garden of Eden cherubim, and the flame of a sword turning itself to guard the way of the tree of lives (Gen. 2:8, 9, 16, 17; 3:1-7, 14, 15, 23, 24).
How the historical narratives of the creation of heaven and earth that are contained in the first chapters of Genesis down to the story of the Flood, are to be understood, no one can know except from the spiritual sense that is within every particular of the sense of the letter of the Word. For these historical narratives of the creation of heaven and earth, and of the garden in Eden, and of the posterity of Adam even to the Flood, are composed historicals; and yet they are most holy, because every particular idea and every particular expression therein are correspondences, and thence signify spiritual things. Anyone of clear intelligence might discover this from the history of the creation in the first chapter, which began with light when the sun did not yet exist, and from various other things there; also from the creation of Eve the wife of Adam out of one of his ribs; also from the two trees in paradise, and from the prohibition to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and yet, although they were the wisest of all they were seduced by the serpent and did eat; and that Jehovah should place such trees in the midst of the garden and suffer them to be seduced by the serpent to eat of the forbidden tree, which yet He might have averted; and finally that the whole human race was condemned to eternal death merely because they ate of that tree. Who cannot see that these things, with other like things which an obscure understanding might believe in simplicity, would be contrary to the Divine love and contrary to the Divine Providence and foresight? And yet there is no harm while children and the simple believe these things according to the historical letter, since they serve, as well as the rest of the Word, to conjoin human minds to angelic minds, for angels are in the spiritual sense when men are in the natural sense. But what is involved in these historicals in the spiritual sense shall be told in a few words.
[6] The first chapter treats of the new creation or establishment of a church, which was the Most Ancient Church on this globe, as well as the most excellent of all, for it was a celestial church, because it was in love to the Lord; and consequently the men of that church were most wise, having almost immediate communication with the angels of heaven, through whom they received wisdom from the Lord. Because they were in love to the Lord, and had revelations from heaven, and because they at once applied to life the Divine truths revealed to them, they were in a similar state as the angels of the third heaven; consequently that heaven consists chiefly of the men of that church. That church is meant by “Adam and his wife.” But “the garden in Eden” signifies their intelligence and wisdom, and this is also described by all that is told about that garden understood in the spiritual sense. Also how wisdom was lost in their posterity is described by “eating of the tree of knowledge.” For the two trees placed in the midst of the garden mean perception from the Lord and perception from the world; “the tree of lives” perception from the Lord, and “the tree of knowledge of good and evil” perception from the world, which yet in itself is mere cognition and knowledge. But “the serpent” that seduced them signifies the sensual of man, which communicates immediately with the world, therefore their seduction by the “serpent” means their seduction by the sensual, which derives all it has from the world and nothing from heaven. For the men of the celestial church are such that they perceive all the truths and goods of heaven from the Lord by influx into their interiors, whence they see truths and goods inwardly in themselves as if they were innate, and they do not need to acquire them by a posterior way, and to enrich the memory with them. So neither do they reason about truths whether they are so or not; for those who see truths in themselves do not reason, since reasoning implies a doubt whether a thing is true. For the same reason they never make mention of faith, for faith implies something unknown which must be believed although it is not seen. That the men of the Most Ancient Church were such has been revealed to me from heaven, for it has been granted me to speak with them and to be informed, as can be seen from the various things related concerning the men of that church in Arcana Coelestia.
[7] But it is to be known that they were never forbidden to acquire for themselves the knowledges of good and evil from heaven, for by these their intelligence and wisdom was perfected; neither were they forbidden to acquire for themselves the knowledges of good and evil from the world, for from this source their natural man had its knowledge [scientia] But they were forbidden to view these knowledges by a posterior way, because it was granted them to see all things that appeared before their eyes in the world by a prior way. To view the world and the things in it and to deduce knowledges from it by a prior way is to view them from the light of heaven, and to know in that way their quality. Therefore they were also able by knowledges from the world to confirm heavenly things, and thus to strengthen their wisdom. But they were forbidden to view knowledges from the world by a posterior way, which is done when conclusions are drawn from them respecting heavenly things, which is an inverted order that is called by the learned the order of physical or natural influx, and of this there is none in things heavenly. Such did the men of the Most Ancient Church become when they began to love things worldly more than things heavenly, and to exalt themselves and to boast of their own wisdom; from this their posterity became sensual, and then their sensual, which is meant by “the serpent,” seduced them; and the sensual is not willing to advance by any other than a posterior way. This, therefore, is the signification of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” of which they were forbidden to eat.
[8] That they were permitted to acquire knowledges from the world and to view them by a prior way is signified by “out of the ground Jehovah God made to grow every tree that is desirable to the sight and good for food;” for “trees” signify knowledges and perceptions; “desirable to the sight” signifies what the understanding desires; and “good for food” signifies what conduces to the nourishment of the mind. The knowledges of good and evil from the Lord from which is wisdom, and the knowledges of good and evil from the world from which is science, were represented by “the tree of lives” and by “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” in the midst of the garden. That they were permitted to appropriate to themselves knowledges from every source, not only from heaven but also from the world, provided they did not proceed in the inverted order, by reasoning about heavenly things from worldly knowledges, instead of thinking about worldly things from heavenly things, is signified by “Jehovah God commanded them to eat of every tree of the garden, but not of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil;” that if they did, heavenly wisdom and the church would perish with them is signified by “in the day that thou shalt eat of it dying thou shalt die,” “to eat” signifying in the spiritual sense to appropriate to oneself.
[9] That they were seduced by the sensual, because it stands next to the world and thus is sensitive to every pleasure and delight from the world, and from these is in fallacies and is ignorant of and also rejects heavenly things, is signified by “the serpent;” “the serpent” means the sensual, and no other sensual than the sensual of such. The serpent is “the devil and Satan,” because the sensual communicates with hell and makes one with it, for in it resides all the evil of man in the complex. And because man from the sensual reasons from fallacies and from the delights of the loves of the world and of the body, and indeed skillfully and cunningly, therefore it is said that “the serpent was more subtle than any wild beast of the field which Jehovah God had made;” “the wild beast of the field” signifying in the spiritual sense the affection of the natural man.
[10] As the sensual supposes that wisdom is acquired by means of knowledges from the world and by natural knowledges [scientiae], and not by any influx out of heaven from the Lord, therefore from such ignorance and fallacy the serpent said to the woman, “Ye shall not die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil;” for the sensual man believes that he knows all things, and that nothing is concealed from him; but not so the celestial man, who knows that he knows nothing from himself but only from the Lord, and that what he does know is so little as to be scarcely anything as compared with what he does not know. In fact, their posterity believed themselves to be gods, and that they knew all good and all evil; but from evil they were not capable of knowing heavenly good, but only worldly and corporeal good, and this in itself is not good; yet from heavenly good man is able to know what is evil.
[11] That the affection of the natural man persuaded by its sensual supposed that intelligence in the things of heaven and the church may be acquired through knowledge [scientia] of cognitions from the world is signified by, “the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to give intelligence;” “woman” here signifying the affection of the natural man, which draws its desires from the sensual, and that affection is such. That that affection seduced also the rational is signified by “the woman took of the fruit of the tree and did eat, and gave to her husband with her and he did eat,” “the husband of the woman” signifying the rational. That they then saw themselves to be without truths and goods is signified by “then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked;” the “nakedness that is ashamed” signifying the deprivation of heavenly love, and thence of good and truth. That they then clothed themselves with natural truths, that they might not appear to be deprived of heavenly truths, is signified by “they sewed fig-leaves together and made themselves girdles;” the “fig-tree” signifying the natural man, and “its leaf” true knowledge [scientificum].
[12] Afterwards what their sensual became, namely, that it turned itself entirely away from heaven and turned itself to the world, and thus received nothing Divine, is described by the curse of the serpent; for the sensual with man cannot be reformed, consequently when man is reformed it is simply removed, since it clings to the body and stands out before the world, and thus enjoyments from it, it calls goods, as it feels them to be. For this reason it is said that “the seed of the woman shall crush its head, and that it shall hurt His heel;” “the seed of the woman” meaning the Lord; “the head of the serpent” all evil; and “the Lord’s heel” Divine truth in ultimates which with us is the sense of the letter of the Word; this the sensual man, or the sensual of man, perverts and falsifies and thus hurts. That the sense of the letter is a guard that the Lord be not approached except through the appearances of truth, and not through genuine truths, by those who are in evils, is signified by “the cherubim” which with the flame of a sword turning itself were placed at the garden of Eden to guard the way of the tree of lives. (But this and the rest of these chapters may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia.)
* The Latin has “his head;” the Hebrew “thy head,” as also found in AC 250.

sRef Rev@12 @9 S0′ 740. Called the devil and Satan, signifies because interiorly they were in evils and in falsities that are from hell. This is evident from the signification of “the devil and as being hell in respect to evils and falsities (of which presently). It means those who were interiorly in evils and the falsities thence, since those who are here meant by “the dragon” and are called “the devil and Satan,” are not exteriorly such, but interiorly; for exteriorly* they speak like men of the church, and some like angels of heaven, about God, the Lord, faith in Him and love to Him, and about heaven and hell, and they gather many things from the Word by which they confirm their dogmas; thus by these exteriors they are conjoined to heaven; and yet interiorly they are not affected by them, much less delighted with them, but are affected and delighted only with bodily and worldly things, even so that they regard heavenly things as comparatively of no account. In a word, they love above all things the things of the body and of the world, and heavenly things only as things serviceable; thus they make the things of the body and of the world the head, and heavenly things the feet. They are such because they make the life to be of no account, saying that faith alone saves, and not any good of life. Therefore they are devils and satans, for man is such as he is interiorly, and not such as he is merely exteriorly, except when he speaks and acts outwardly from the interior. Moreover, a man continues such after death; for such as a man is interiorly, such he is in respect to the spirit, and the spirit of man is the affection from which is the will and the life therefrom. From this it follows that those who make no account of the life are interiorly devils and satans, and they also become devils and satans when their life in the world is ended and they become spirits.
[2] They are called “the devil and Satan” because both “the devil” and “Satan” signify hell; “the devil” signifying the hell from which are evils, and “Satan” the hell from which are falsities; this hell is called “Satan” because all who are in it are called satans, and the other hell is called “the devil” because all who are in it are called devils. Before the creation of the world there was no devil or Satan who had been an angel of light and was afterwards cast down with his crew into hell, as can be seen from what has been said in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 311-316, under the head, “Heaven and Hell Are from the Human Race”).
[3] It is to be known that there are two kingdoms into which the heavens are divided, namely, a celestial kingdom and a spiritual kingdom (on which see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28). To these two kingdoms correspond by opposition the two kingdoms into which the hells are divided; to the celestial kingdom corresponds by opposition the infernal kingdom that consists of devils and is therefore called “the devil,” and to the spiritual kingdom corresponds by opposition the infernal kingdom that consists of satans and is therefore called “Satan.” And as the celestial kingdom consists of angels who are in love to the Lord, so the infernal kingdom corresponding by opposition to the celestial kingdom consists of devils, who are in the love of self; consequently from that hell evils of every kind flow forth. And as the spiritual kingdom consists of the angels who are in charity towards the neighbor, so the infernal kingdom that corresponds by opposition to the spiritual kingdom consists of satans, who are in falsities from love of the world, consequently from that hell falsities of every kind flow forth.
sRef Matt@4 @1 S4′ [4] From this it is clear what “the devil” and “Satan” signify in the following passages. In the Gospels:
Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matt. 4:1, seq.; Luke 4:1-13).
What is signified by the “wilderness,” and by the Lord’s “temptations” for forty days and forty nights, has been shown above (n. 730). He is said to have been tempted “by the devil” to signify that He was tempted by the hells from which are evils, thus by the worst of the hells, for these were the hells that chiefly fought against the Lord’s Divine love, since the love that reigned in those hells was the love of self, and this love is the opposite of the Lord’s love, thus of the love that is from the Lord.
sRef Matt@13 @39 S5′ sRef Matt@13 @38 S5′ [5] In Matthew:
The tares are the sons of the evil one; the enemy that soweth is the devil (Matt. 13:38, 39).
“Tares” signify the falsities of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, which are from evil, therefore they are also called “the sons of the evil one;” and as evil brings them forth it is said that it is “the devil that soweth them.”
sRef Mark@4 @15 S6′ sRef Luke@8 @12 S6′ [6] In Luke:
Those upon the way are they that hear; then cometh the devil and taketh away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved (Luke 8:12).
And in Mark:
These are they upon the way, where the word is sown; and when they have heard, straightway cometh Satan and taketh away the word which hath been sown in their hearts (Mark 4:15).
Respecting this the term “devil” is used in Luke, and “Satan” in Mark, for the reason that “the seed that fell upon the way” signifies truth from the Word that is received in the memory only and not in the life, and as this is taken away both by evil and by falsity, therefore both “the devil” and “Satan” are mentioned; and therefore in Luke it is said that “the devil cometh and taketh away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved;” and in Mark that “Satan cometh and taketh away the word which hath been sown in their hearts.”
sRef Matt@25 @41 S7′ [7] In Matthew:
The king shall say to them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil** and his angels (Matt. 25:41).
Here the term “devil” is used because this was said of those who did not do good works, and therefore did evil works; for those who do not do good works do evil works; for the works they did not do are recounted in the preceding verses, and when goods are lightly esteemed evils are loved.
sRef John@13 @2 S8′ sRef John@6 @70 S8′ sRef John@13 @27 S8′ [8] The Lord calls Judas Iscariot:
A devil (John 6:70);
And it is said that the devil put into his heart (John 13:2);
And that after he had taken the sop satan entered into him (John 13:27; Luke 22:3).
It is so said because Judas Iscariot represented the Jews, who were in falsities from evil, and therefore from evil he is called a “devil,” and from falsities a “Satan.” Wherefore it is said that “the devil put into his heart,” “to put into the heart” meaning into the love that is of his will. Also it is said that “after he had taken the sop Satan entered into him;” “to enter into him with the sop” meaning into the belly, which signifies into the thought, and falsities from evil belong to the thought.
sRef John@8 @44 S9′ [9] In John:
Jesus said to the Jews, Ye are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father ye will to do; he was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth because there is no truth in him; when he speaketh a lie he speaketh from his own (John 8:44).
This describes the Jewish nation, such as it had been from the beginning, namely, that it was in evil and in falsities therefrom. “Their father the devil” means evil from hell, in which their fathers were in Egypt and afterwards in the desert; that they willed to remain in the evils of their cupidities is signified by “the desires of your father ye will to do;” that they destroyed every truth of the understanding is signified by “he was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth because there was no truth in him;” as “man” signifies the truth of intelligence, so “murderer” signifies its destroyer. Their falsities from evil are signified by “when he speaketh a lie he speaketh from his own;” “his own” signifying the evil of the will, and “lie” the falsity therefrom.
sRef Matt@12 @24 S10′ sRef Matt@12 @28 S10′ sRef Matt@12 @26 S10′ sRef Matt@12 @25 S10′ [10] In Matthew:
The Pharisees said of Jesus, He doth not cast out demons but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, If Satan casteth out satan he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? But if I in the spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come unto you (Matt. 12:24-26, 28).
Here the term “Satan,” and not devil is used, because “Beelzebub,” who was the god of Ekron, means the god of all falsities, for “Beelzebub” by derivation means the god of flies, and “flies” signify the falsities of the sensual man, thus falsities of every kind. This is why Beelzebub is called Satan. So, too, the Lord said, “If I in the spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come unto you;” “the spirit of God” meaning Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and “the kingdom of God” thence signifying heaven and the church that are in Divine truths.
sRef Matt@16 @23 S11′ sRef Matt@16 @22 S11′ [11] In the Gospels:
Peter rebuking Jesus because He was willing to suffer, Jesus turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan, thou art a stumbling-block, because thou savorest not the things which are of God, but the things which are of men (Matt. 16:22, 23; Mark 8:32, 33).
The Lord said this to Peter because in a representative sense “Peter” signified faith; and as faith is of truth, and also, as here, of falsity, Peter is called Satan, for as has been said “Satan” means the hell that is the source of falsities. “Peter” represented faith in both senses, namely, faith from charity, and faith without charity; and faith without charity is the faith of falsity.
Moreover, those who are in faith without charity find a stumbling-block in the Lord’s suffering Himself to be crucified; therefore this is called a “stumbling-block.” As the passion of the cross was the Lord’s last temptation and complete victory over all the hells, and also the complete union of His Divine with the Divine Human, and this is unknown to those who are in the faith of falsity, the Lord said “thou savorest not the things which are of God, but the things which are of men.”
sRef Luke@22 @31 S12′ sRef Luke@22 @32 S12′ [12] In Luke:
Jesus said to Simon, Behold Satan demanded you that he might sift you as wheat. But I prayed for thee that thy faith fail not; when, therefore, thou shalt be converted, strengthen thou thy brethren (Luke 22:31, 32).
Here, too, “Peter” represents faith without charity, which faith is the faith of falsity, for this was said to him by the Lord just before he thrice denied Him. Because he represented faith therefore the Lord says, “I prayed for thee that thy faith fail not;” that he represented the faith of falsity is evident from the Lord’s saying to him, “when, therefore, thou shalt be converted, strengthen thou thy brethren.” As the faith of falsity is like chaff before the wind, it is said that “Satan demanded them that he might sift them as wheat,” “wheat” meaning the good of charity separated from chaff. From this it is clear why the name “Satan” is here used.
sRef Luke@10 @18 S13′ [13] In the same:
I beheld Satan as lightning falling from heaven (Luke 10:18).
Here “Satan” has a similar signification as “the dragon” who was also seen in heaven and was cast out of heaven; but properly it is the “dragon” that is meant by the “devil,” and “his angels” that are meant by “Satan.” That “the angels of the dragon” mean the falsities of evil will be seen in a subsequent paragraph. “Satan falling down from heaven” signifies that the Lord by Divine truth, which He then was, thrust all falsities out of heaven and subjugated those hells that are called “Satan,” like as Michael cast down “the dragon and his angels” (of which above, n. 737).
sRef Job@2 @1 S14′ sRef Job@2 @2 S14′ sRef Job@1 @8 S14′ sRef Job@1 @6 S14′ sRef Job@2 @5 S14′ sRef Job@2 @6 S14′ sRef Job@1 @9 S14′ sRef Job@2 @4 S14′ sRef Job@1 @11 S14′ sRef Job@1 @10 S14′ sRef Job@2 @3 S14′ sRef Job@2 @7 S14′ sRef Job@1 @7 S14′ sRef Job@1 @12 S14′ [14] In Job:
There was a day when the sons of God came to stand by Jehovah, and Satan came in the midst of them. And Jehovah said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking through it. And Jehovah gave into the hand of Satan all things belonging to Job, but he was not to put forth his hand upon Job; also afterwards that he might touch his bone and his flesh (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7).
That this is a composed history is evident from many things in this book. The book of Job is a book of the Ancient Church, full of correspondences, according to the mode of writing at that time, but yet it is an excellent and useful book. The angels at that time were called “sons of God,” because “sons of God,” the same as “angels,” mean Divine truths, and “Satan” infernal falsities. And as the hells tempt men by falsities, as Job was afterwards tempted, and as infernal falsities are dispersed by Divine truths, it is said that “Satan stood in the midst of the sons of God.” What the rest signifies will not be explained here, since it must be made clear in its series.
sRef Ps@109 @6 S15′ sRef Ps@109 @5 S15′ [15] In David:
They put upon me evil for good, and hatred for my love; appoint Thou a wicked one over him, and let Satan stand at his right hand (Ps. 109:5-6).
This, like most things in the Psalms of David, is a prophecy respecting the Lord and His temptations; for He above all others endured the most frightful temptations; and as He in His temptations fought from Divine love against the hells, which were most hostile to Him, it is said “they put upon me evil for good, and hatred for my love;” and as infernal evil and falsity prevail with them it is said “appoint thou a wicked one over him, and let Satan stand at his right hand;” “to stand at the right hand” signifying to be wholly possessed, and “Satan” signifying infernal falsity with which he was possessed.
sRef Zech@3 @1 S16′ sRef Zech@3 @3 S16′ sRef Zech@3 @2 S16′ [16] In Zechariah:
Afterwards he showed me Joshua the great priest standing before the angel of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary; and Jehovah said unto Satan, Jehovah rebuke thee, even He who chooseth Jerusalem; is not this a brand delivered out of the fire? And Joshua was clothed in filthy garments, and thus stood before the angel (Zech 3:1-3).
What this involves can be seen only from the series of things that precede and follow; from these it can be seen that this represented how the Word was falsified. “Joshua the great priest” signifies here the law or the Word; and “he stood before the angel clothed in filthy garments” signifies its falsification. This shows that “Satan” here means the falsity of doctrine from the Word when it is falsified; and as this began to prevail at that time, Zechariah saw “Satan standing at his right hand;” “to stand at the right hand” signifying to fight against Divine truth. Because it is the sense of the letter of the Word only that can be falsified, for the reason that the things in that sense are truths in appearance only, and those who interpret the Word according to the letter cannot easily be convinced of falsities, so Joshua*** said, “Jehovah rebuke thee,” as above (n. 735), where is explained what is signified by “Michael disputed with the devil about the body of Moses, and Michael said to the devil, The Lord rebuke thee” (Jude, verse 9). Because the truth of doctrine from the Word which has been falsified is here meant, it is said, “Jehovah who chooseth Jerusalem; is not this a brand delivered out of the fire?” “Jerusalem” signifying the doctrine of the church, and “a brand delivered out of the fire” that there was but little of truth left.
sRef Rev@20 @8 S17′ sRef Rev@20 @1 S17′ sRef Rev@20 @7 S17′ sRef Rev@20 @2 S17′ sRef Rev@20 @10 S17′ [17] In these passages in the Old Testament “Satan” only is mentioned, and in no place the devil, but instead of the devil the terms “foe,” “enemy,” “hater,” “adversary,” “accuser,” “demon,” also “death” and “hell,” are made use of. From this it may be clear that “the devil” signifies the hell from which are evils, and “Satan” the hell from which are falsities; as also in the following passages in Revelation:
Afterwards I saw an angel coming down out of heaven having the key of the abyss and a great chain upon his hand, and he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall lead the nations astray. And the devil that led them astray was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone (Rev. 20:1, 2, 7, 8, 10).
But what “demon” and “spirit of a demon” signify may be seen above (n. 586).
* The Latin has “interiorly.”
** The Greek has “devil,” as is also found in AE 504.
*** The Latin here has “Jehovah,” but cf. The text as given above.

sRef Rev@12 @9 S0′ 741. That seduceth the whole world, signifies that pervert all things of the church. This is evident from the signification of “the whole world,” as being all things of the church (of which presently); and as all things of the church are signified by “the whole world,” so “to seduce it” signifies to pervert those things; for all things of the church are perverted when the good of charity, which is the good of life, is separated and removed from faith as not contributing and effecting anything to salvation. Thereby all things of the Word and thence all things of the church are falsified, for the Lord says that the law and the prophets* hang on these two commandments, “To love God above all things, and the neighbor as thyself.” These two commandments signify to live and act according to the commandments of the Word; for to love is to will and to do, since what a man interiorly loves, that he wills, and what he wills that he does. “The law and the prophets” signify all things of the Word.
sRef John@14 @23 S2′ [2] There are two principles of evil and falsity into which the church successively falls. One is dominion over all things of the church and of heaven, which dominion is meant in the Word by “Babel” or “Babylonia;” into this the church falls by reason of evil; the other is the separation of faith from charity, in consequence of which separation all the good of life perishes; this is meant in the Word by “Philistia,” and is signified by “the he-goat” in Daniel, and by “the dragon” in Revelation; into this the church falls by reason of falsity. But since this chapter treats of “the dragon,” which especially signifies the religion of faith separate from charity, I will mention in passing some things whereby the defenders of faith separate seduce the world. They especially seduce by teaching that as from oneself no one can do good that is in itself good, or can do good without placing merit in it, so good works can contribute nothing to salvation; nevertheless, goods should be done on account of use for the public good; and these are the goods that are meant in the Word and thence in preachings, and in some of the prayers of the church. How great an error this is shall now be told. When a man does good from the Word, that is, because it is commanded by the Lord in the Word, he does it not from himself but from the Lord, for the Lord is the Word (John 1:1, 14), and the Lord is in those things that man has from the Word, as He teaches in these words in John:
He that keepeth My word, I will come unto him and will make My abode with him (John 14:23).
This is why the Lord so often commands that His words and commandments must be done; and that those who do them shall have eternal life; so also that everyone will be judged according to his works. From this it then follows that those who do good from the Word do good from the Lord, and good from the Lord is truly good, and so far as it is from the Lord there is no merit in it.
sRef Rev@3 @20 S3′ [3] That good from the Word, thus from the Lord, is truly good, is evident also from these words in Revelation:
I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with Me (Rev. 3:20).
This shows that the Lord is always and continually present and bestows the effort to do good, but that man must open the door, that is, must receive the Lord; and he receives Him when he does good from His Word. Although this appears to man to be done as of himself, yet it is not of man but of the Lord in him. It so appears to man because he has no other feeling than that he thinks from himself and acts from himself; and yet when he thinks and acts from the Word he does it as if of himself, therefore he then also believes that he does it of the Lord.
[4] From this it can be seen that the good that a man does from the Word is spiritual good, and that this conjoins man to the Lord and to heaven. But the good that a man does for the world’s sake and for the sake of the communities in the world, which is called civil and moral good, conjoins him to the world and not to heaven. Moreover, the conjunction of the truth of faith is with spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbor, because faith in itself is spiritual, and what is spiritual cannot be conjoined with any other good than what is equally spiritual. But civil and moral good, separate from spiritual good, is not good in itself, because it is from man; yea, so far as self and the world lie concealed in it, it is evil; this good, therefore, cannot be conjoined with faith, yea, if it were to be conjoined faith would be dissipated.
[5] “To seduce the whole world” signifies to pervert all things of the church, because “the world” signifies in general the church as to all things of it, both goods and truths; but in particular it signifies the church in respect to good; this is the signification of “world” when “the earth” also is mentioned. That “the earth” in the Word signifies the church has been shown above (n. 304, 697); but when “the world” is also mentioned “the earth” signifies the church in respect to truth. For there are two things that constitute the church, namely, truth and good, and these two are signified by “earth” and “world” in the following passages.
sRef Isa@26 @9 S6′ [6] In Isaiah:
With my soul have I desired Thee in the night; yea, with my spirit in the midst of me have I early waited for Thee; for when Thou teachest the earth Thy judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness (Isa. 26:9).
“Night” signifies a state in which there is no light of truth, and “morning” a state in which there is the light of truth; the latter state is from love, but the former is when there is as yet no love. So “the soul that desired Jehovah in the night” signifies a life that is not yet in the light of truth; and “the spirit in the midst of him with which he waited for Jehovah in the morning” signifies a life that is in the light of truth; so it is added, “for when Thou teachest the earth Thy judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness,” which signifies that the church is in truths from the Lord, and by means of truths is in good; “earth” signifying the church in respect to truths, and “world,” the church in respect to good; for “judgment” in the Word is predicated of truth, and “righteousness” of good, and “inhabitants” signifying the men of the church who are in the goods of doctrine and thence of life. (That “judgment” in the Word is predicated of truth, and “righteousness” of good, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 2235, 9857; and that “to inhabit” signifies to live, and thence “inhabitants” those who are in the good of doctrine and thus of life, may be seen above, n. 133, 479, 662.)
sRef Lam@4 @12 S7′ [7] In Lamentations:
The kings of the earth believed not, and all the inhabitants of the world, that the enemy and the adversary would come into the gates of Jerusalem (Lam. 4:12).
“The kings of the earth” signify the men of the church who are in truths, and “the inhabitants of the world” the men of the church who are in good; that “kings” signify those who are in truths may be seen above (n. 31, 553, 625); and that “the inhabitants” signify those who are in good has been shown just above. Thence it is clear that the “earth” signifies the church in respect to truths, and the “world” the church in respect to good. And as all things of the doctrine of the church were destroyed by falsities and evils, it is said that “they believed not that the enemy and the adversary would come into the gates of Jerusalem;” “enemy” signifying the falsities that destroyed the truths of the church, which are meant by “the kings of the earth,” and “adversary” signifying the evils that destroyed the goods of the church, which are meant by “the inhabitants of the world;” “Jerusalem” meaning the church in respect to doctrine.
sRef Ps@24 @2 S8′ sRef Ps@24 @1 S8′ sRef Ps@33 @8 S8′ [8] In David:
Let all the earth fear Jehovah, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him (Ps. 33:8).
Here, too, the “earth” signifies those who are in the truths of the church, and “the inhabitants of the world” those who are in the goods of the church. In the same:
The earth is Jehovah’s and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein; He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers (Ps. 24:1, 2).
Here, also, the “earth” signifies the church in respect to truth, and “the fullness thereof” signifies all truths in the complex; and the “world” signifies the church in respect to good, and “they that dwell” signify goods in the complex. What is signified by “founding it upon the seas and establishing it upon the rivers” may be seen above (n. 275, 518).
sRef Isa@26 @18 S9′ sRef Isa@34 @1 S9′ [9] In Isaiah:
We have conceived, we have travailed, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought salvation in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world** have fallen*** (Isa. 26:18).
Here, again, the “earth” stands for the church in respect to truths, and the “world” for the church in respect to goods. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 721.) In the same:
Come near, ye nations, to hear, and attend ye people; let the earth hear and the fullness thereof, the world and all its offspring (Isa. 34:1).
That “nations” mean those who are in goods, and “peoples” those who are in truths, may be seen above (n. 175, 331, 625); therefore it is added, “let the earth hear and the fullness thereof, the world and all its offspring,” “the earth and the fullness thereof” signifying the church in respect to all truths, and “the world and all its offspring” the church in respect to all goods.
sRef Isa@18 @3 S10′ [10] In the same:
All ye inhabitants of the world and ye dwellers on the earth, when the ensign of the mountains shall be lifted up, see ye, and when the trumpet shall be sounded, hear ye (Isa. 18:3).
“The inhabitants of the world and the dwellers on the earth” signify all in the church who are in goods and truths, as above; the Lord’s coming is signified by “when the ensign of the mountains shall be lifted up, see ye, and when the trumpet shall be sounded, hear ye;” “the ensign upon the mountains,” as well as “the sounding of the trumpet,” signify a calling together to the church.
sRef Ps@96 @13 S11′ sRef Ps@98 @9 S11′ sRef Ps@90 @2 S11′ [11] In David:
Before Jehovah, for He cometh, for He cometh to judge the earth; He shall judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in truth (Ps. 96:13; 98:9).
This treats of the Lord’s coming, and the last judgment at that time. Because the “world” signifies those of the church who are in good, and “peoples” those who are in truths, it is said that “He shall judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in truth;” “righteousness” as well as the “world” refers to good. In the same:
Before the mountains were brought forth, and before the earth and the world were formed, from everlasting and even to everlasting Thou art God (Ps. 90:2).
“Mountains” signify those who dwell upon mountains in the heavens, who are those that are in celestial good, while “the earth and the world” signify the church consisting of those who are in truths and in goods.
sRef Ps@93 @2 S12′ sRef Ps@93 @1 S12′ [12] In the same:
Jehovah reigneth, He is clothed with majesty, Jehovah is clothed with strength, He girdeth Himself; the world also shall be established, nor shall it be moved; Thy throne is established from then, Thou art from eternity (Ps. 93:1, 2).
This is said of the Lord when about to come into the world; and as He has glory and power from the Human that He united to His Divine, it is said that “He is clothed with majesty and strength,” and that “He girdeth Himself;” for the Lord assumed the Human that He might have power to subjugate the hells. The church that He was about to establish and protect forever is signified by “the world that shall be established and shall not be moved,” and “the throne that shall be established;” for the “world” signifies heaven and the church as to the reception of Divine good, and “throne” heaven and the church as to the reception of Divine truth.
sRef Ps@96 @11 S13′ sRef Ps@96 @10 S13′ [13] In the same:
Say among the nations, Jehovah reigneth; the world also shall be established, neither shall it be moved; He shall judge the peoples in uprightness; the heavens shall be glad and the earth shall rejoice (Ps. 96:10, 11).
This, too, is said of the Lord about to come, and of the church to be established by Him and protected to eternity, which is signified by “the world that shall be established and not moved,” as above; and as the “world” signifies the church in respect to good it is added that “He shall judge the peoples in uprightness;” the “peoples,” like “earth,” signify those who are in the truths of the church, therefore it is said “the peoples of the earth,” but “the inhabitants of the world;” “uprightness” also means truths. The joy of those who are in the church in the heavens and in the church on earth is signified by “the heavens shall be glad and the earth shall rejoice.”
sRef Jer@10 @12 S14′ sRef Ps@9 @8 S14′ [14] In the same:
Jehovah shall judge the world in righteousness, He shall judge the peoples in uprightness (Ps. 9:8).
Because the “world” means the church in respect to good, and “righteousness” is predicated of good, it is said “Jehovah shall judge the world in righteousness;” and as those are called “peoples” who are in truths, and “uprightness” means truths, as above, it is said, “He shall judge the peoples in uprightness.” In Jeremiah:
Jehovah maketh the earth by His power, and prepareth the world by His wisdom, and by His intelligence He stretcheth out the heavens (Jer. 10:12; 51:15).
“Jehovah maketh the earth by His power” signifies that the Lord establishes the church by the power of Divine truth; “He prepareth the world by His wisdom” signifies that He forms the church that is in good from Divine good by means of Divine truth; “by His intelligence He stretcheth out the heavens” signifies that thus He enlarges the heavens.
sRef Ps@50 @13 S15′ sRef Ps@50 @12 S15′ sRef Ps@89 @11 S15′ sRef Ps@50 @14 S15′ [15] In David:
The heavens are Thine and the earth is Thine, the world and the fullness thereof Thou hast founded (Ps. 89:11).
“The heavens and the earth” signify the church in the heavens and in the earths, both in respect to truths, and “the world and the fullness thereof” signifies the church in the heavens and in the earths, both in respect to goods, “fullness” meaning goods and truths in the whole complex. In the same:
If I were hungry I would not tell thee, for the world is Mine and the fullness thereof (Ps. 50:12).
This is said of sacrifices, that the Lord does not delight in them, but in confession and works, for it is added:
Should I eat the flesh of the stout ones, or drink the blood of he-goats? Sacrifice unto God confession, and pay thy vows to the Most High (Ps. 50:13-14).
So “if I should be hungry” signifies if I should desire sacrifices; but as the Lord desires worship from goods and truths it is said “for the world is Mine and the fullness thereof;” “fullness” signifying goods and truths in the whole complex, as above. This is said of the beasts that were sacrificed, but these signify in the spiritual sense various kinds of good and truth.
sRef Matt@24 @14 S16′ [16] In Matthew:
These good tidings of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all, and then shall the end come (Matt. 24:14).
Because the “world” signifies the church in respect to good it is said that “these good tidings shall be preached unto all nations,” for the “nations” who are to hear and receive signify all who are in good. Moreover, “nations” signify all who are in evils, who also will hear; but then the “world” signifies the whole church when it is already in evils; therefore it is said that “then shall the end come.”
sRef 1Sam@2 @8 S17′ [17] In the first book of Samuel:
Jehovah raiseth up the depressed out of the dust, He exalteth the needy from the dunghill, to make them sit with princes, and He shall make them to inherit the throne of glory; for the bases of the earth are Jehovah’s, and He hath set the world upon them (1 Sam. 2:8).
This is the prophecy of Hannah the mother of Samuel. “To raise up the depressed out of the dust and the needy from the dunghill” signifies the instruction of the Gentiles, and the enlightenment in interior truths which would be revealed by the Lord, and thus the removal from evils and falsities. “The bases of the earth” signify exterior truths, such as those of the sense of the letter of the Word, for on those truths interior truths have their foundation; therefore the “world” which He hath set upon them signifies the church in respect to all its goods and truths. (But as to this see above, n. 253, 304.)
sRef Isa@27 @6 S18′ [18] In Isaiah:
Jacob shall cause them that are to come to take root, Israel shall blossom and bud, so that the faces of the world shall be filled with the increase (Isa. 27:6).
“Jacob” means the external church, and “Israel” the internal church; and as the internal of the church is founded upon its externals, and internals are thereby multiplied and made fruitful, it is said that “Jacob shall cause them that are to come to take root, and Israel shall blossom and bud;” the consequent fructification of the church is signified by “the faces of the world shall be filled with the increase.”
sRef Isa@14 @21 S19′ sRef Isa@14 @16 S19′ sRef Isa@14 @17 S19′ [19] In the same:
Is this the man that maketh the earth to tremble, that maketh the kingdoms to quake, that hath made the world a wilderness, and thrown down the cities thereof? Prepare slaughter for his sons for the iniquity of their fathers, that they rise not up and possess the earth and the faces of the world be filled with cities (Isa. 14:16, 17, 21).
This is said of Lucifer, by whom “Babylon” is meant, that is, the love of ruling over heaven and over the earth; therefore “to make the earth to tremble, to make the kingdoms to quake, to make the world a wilderness and throw down the cities thereof,” signifies to destroy all things of the church; the “earth” meaning the church in respect to truth; “kingdoms,” churches distinguished according to truths; the “world” the church in respect to good, and “cities” doctrinals. “To prepare slaughter for the sons for the iniquity of their fathers” signifies the destruction of the falsities that arise from their evils; “that they possess not the earth and fill the faces of the world with cities” signifies lest falsities and evils, and doctrinals from them, take possession of the whole church.
sRef Isa@24 @4 S20′ sRef Isa@24 @5 S20′ [20] In the same:
The earth shall mourn and be confounded, the world shall languish and be confounded, the exaltation of the people of the earth shall languish, and the earth itself shall be profaned under its inhabitants (Isa. 24:4, 5).
This describes the desolation of the church in respect to its truths and goods by reason of the pride of self-intelligence, and the profanation of truths that are from good. The desolation is described by “mourning, being confounded, and languishing;” the church in respect to truths and goods is signified by “the earth and the world;” the pride of self-intelligence by “the exaltation of the people of the earth,” and the profanation of truths that are from good by “the earth shall be profaned under its inhabitants.”
sRef Nahum@1 @5 S21′ [21] In Nahum:
The mountains shall quake before Him, and the hills shall melt; the earth shall be burnt up before Him, and the world and all that dwell therein (Nah. 1:5).
What is signified by the “mountains” that shall quake, and the “hills” that shall melt, may be seen above (n. 400, 405). But “the earth and the world and they that dwell therein shall be burnt up” signifies that the church in respect to all its truths and goods will be destroyed by infernal love.
sRef Ps@97 @4 S22′ sRef Ps@97 @5 S22′ sRef Ps@18 @15 S22′ sRef 2Sam@22 @16 S22′ [22] In David:
The channels of waters appeared and the foundations of the world were revealed at Thy rebuke, O Jehovah, at the breath of the spirit of Thy nostrils (Ps. 18:15; 2 Sam. 22:16).
That all things of the church in respect to its truths and goods were overturned from the foundation is signified by “the channels of waters appeared and the foundations of the world were revealed;” “the channels of waters” meaning the truths, and “the foundations of the world” its goods, and “to appear” and “to be revealed” meaning to be overturned from the foundation. That this destruction is from the hatred and fury of the evil against Divine things is signified by “at Thy rebuke, O Jehovah, at the breath of the spirit of Thy nostrils;” the “rebuke” and “the spirit of Jehovah’s nostrils” have a similar signification as “His anger and wrath” mentioned elsewhere in the Word. But since the Lord has no anger or wrath against the evil, while the evil have against the Lord, and as anger and wrath appear to the evil when they perish to be from the Lord, therefore this is so said according to that appearance. “The breath of the spirit of Jehovah’s nostrils” means also the east wind, which destroys by drought, and overturns by its penetrating power.
sRef Ps@77 @18 S23′ [23] In the same:
The voice of Thy thunder is in the world, the lightnings enlightened the world, the earth trembled and quaked (Ps. 77:18).
His lightnings shall enlighten the world; the earth shall see and fear, the mountains shall melt like wax before Jehovah, before the Lord of the whole earth (Ps. 97:4, 5).
This describes the state of the wicked because of the Lord’s presence in His Divine truth, which state is like that of the sons of Israel when the Lord appeared to them upon Mount Sinai. That they then heard thunders, saw lightnings, and that the mountain appeared to be in a consuming fire as of a furnace, and they feared exceedingly, is known from the Word. This was because they were evil in heart; for the Lord appears to everyone according to what is his quality, to the good as a recreating fire, and to the evil as a consuming fire. From this it is clear what is signified by “the voice of Thy thunder is in the world, the lightnings enlightened the world, the earth trembled and quaked;” and “the mountains shall melt before Jehovah, the Lord of the whole earth;” “the world” meaning all that are of the church who are in goods, but here who are in evils, and the “earth” all that are of the church who are in truths, but here who are in falsities.
sRef Isa@13 @11 S24′ [24] In Isaiah:
I will visit malice upon the world, and upon the wicked their iniquity (Isa. 13:11).
Here, too, the “world” means those that are of the church who are in evils, and the “wicked” those who are in falsities, therefore it is said “I will visit malice upon the world, and upon the wicked their iniquity;” “malice” means evil, and “iniquity” is predicated of falsities.
sRef Job@18 @18 S25′ [25] In Job:
They shall thrust him away from light unto darkness, and chase him out of the world (Job 18:18).
Because “light” signifies the truth, and the “world” the good of the church, and when the wicked man casts himself from truth into falsity he also casts himself from good into evil, it is said “they shall thrust him away from light into darkness, and chase him out of the world,” “darkness” meaning falsities, and “to chase out of the world” meaning to cast out from the good of the church.
sRef Luke@21 @27 S26′ sRef Luke@21 @26 S26′ [26] In Luke:
Men will faint for fear and for expectation of the things coming upon the whole world; for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; and then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud of the heavens with power and much glory (Luke 21:26, 27).
This is said of the consummation of the age, which is the last time of the church, when there is no longer any truth because there is no good; the state of heaven at that time is described by these words, that “men will faint for fear and for expectation of the things coming upon the whole world;” this describes the fear of those who are in the heavens, that everything of the church in respect to its good and therefore in respect to its truths would perish, and the expectation of help from the Lord. That the power of Divine truth is weakened is signified by “the shaking of the powers of the heavens;” “the powers of the heavens” meaning Divine truths in respect to power; that the Lord will then make evident Divine truth, which has power and from which is intelligence, is signified by “then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud of the heavens, with power and much glory.”
sRef Rev@16 @14 S27′ [27] “The earth and the world” have a like signification in the following passage in Revelation:
They are the spirits of demons doing signs to go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them together unto the war (Rev. 16:14).
It is said “unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world,” because one thing of the church is signified by “earth,” and another by “world.” As the “world” signifies the church in respect to good it also signifies all things of the church, for good is the essential of the church; therefore where there is good there is also truth, for every good desires truth and wishes to be conjoined to truth and to be spiritually nourished by it, thus also reciprocally.
* The Latin has here has “prophet.”
** The Hebrew has “not,” as is also found in AE 721.
*** The Latin here has “earth,” but in the explanation “world,” as in the Hebrew.

sRef Rev@12 @9 S0′ 742. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him, signifies that those evils and the falsities thence were condemned to hell. This is evident from the signification of “cast out into the earth,” as being to be separated from heaven and to be condemned to hell (of which presently); also from the signification of the dragon’s “angels,” as being falsities from the evil that is signified by “the dragon;” for “the angels of heaven” signify in the Word Divine truths because they are recipients of them (see above, n. 130, 302); therefore the dragon’s “angels” signify the infernal falsities that proceed from the evil that is signified by “the dragon.” The falsities signified by the dragon’s “angels” are for the most part truths falsified, which in themselves are falsities, as has been said above.
[2] “To be cast out into the earth” means to be condemned to hell, because this is signified by the expression “to be cast out of heaven.” In the spiritual world there are lands as in the natural world, full of mountains and hills, likewise of valleys and rivers; when these taken together are called the earth, then the “earth” signifies the church; but when the lowest parts of the earth are meant, as is meant in the expression “to be cast out of heaven into the earth,” then the “earth” signifies what is condemned, because under those lowest parts are the hells, and in the hells also there are lands, but such as are condemned. For this reason no angel goes about ordinarily with his head bent forward or bowed down or looking to the earth, still less lying upon it in its lowest parts, or taking up any of its dust. From this it comes that those who condemned others to hell in the world are wont to take the dust of that earth and to cast it upon another, because this corresponds to such condemnation. Furthermore, no one is permitted to walk with naked feet upon those lands. The earths (or lands) there that are condemned are easily distinguished from those that are not condemned, because the condemned land is utterly barren and mere dust, and is here and there covered with thorns and briars, while the land not condemned is fertile and full of herbs, shrubs, trees, and also fields.
[3] From this came the established rite in the Jewish representative church to cast themselves to the earth, to roll themselves upon it, and to sprinkle dust from it upon their heads, when they were in great grief on account of defeat by enemies or violence offered to their sanctuaries; and by this they represented that they acknowledged themselves to be of themselves condemned; thus by this most humble gesture they begged that their sins might be forgiven. That those meant by “the dragon and his angels” were separated from heaven and condemned to hell while the Last Judgment was executed and afterwards, it was granted me to see as an eyewitness, about which more will be told at the end of this work. From this it can be seen that “to be cast out of heaven into the earth” signifies to be condemned to hell.

sRef Rev@12 @12 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @11 S0′ 743. Verses 10-12. And I heard a great voice in heaven saying, Now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, that accuseth them before our God day and night. And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb, and through the word of their testimony; and they loved not their soul even unto death. For this rejoice, ye heavens and ye that dwell in them. Woe to those that inhabit the earth and the sea, for the devil is come down unto you having great anger, knowing that he hath a short time. 10. “And I heard a great voice in heaven saying,” signifies the joy of the angels of heaven because of the light and wisdom then with them (n. 744); “Now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ,” signifies that now the Lord has power by His Divine truth to save those who are of His church who receive Divine truth in heart and soul (n. 745); “for the accuser of our brethren is cast down,” signifies when those have been separated from heaven and condemned to hell who have assaulted the life of faith, which is charity (n. 746); “that accuseth them before our God day and night,” signifies and who have denounced them and disputed with them continually from the Word (n. 747). 11. “And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb,” signifies resistance and victory by Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine Human (n. 748); “and through the word of their testimony,” signifies and through the confession and acknowledgment of the Divine in His Human (n. 749); “and they loved not their soul, even unto death,” signifies the faithful who have endured temptations for the sake of these truths, and who have regarded the life of the world as of no account in comparison with the life of heaven (n. 750). 12. “For this rejoice, ye heavens and ye that dwell in them,” signifies the salvation and consequent joy of those who become spiritual by the reception of Divine truth (n. 751); “Woe to those that inhabit the earth and the sea,” signifies lamentation over those who become merely natural and sensual (n. 752); “for the devil is come down unto you,” signifies because they receive evils from hell (n. 753); “having great anger,” signifies hatred against spiritual truths and goods, which are of faith and life from the Word, consequently against those who are in them (n. 754); “knowing that he hath a short time,” signifies because the state is changed (n. 755).

sRef Rev@12 @10 S0′ 744. Verse 10. And I heard a great voice in heaven saying, signifies the joy of the angels of heaven because of the light and wisdom then with them. This is evident from the signification of “a great voice saying,” as being the attestation of joy from the heart (of which presently); also from the signification of “in heaven,” as being with the angels of heaven. That this is because of the light and wisdom then with them, follows for the reason that when the “dragons” (by whom are meant those who have some knowledge [scientia] of the cognitions of truth and good from the Word, and yet are not in truths and goods because they are not in a life from truths and goods) had been cast out, and thus were no longer in conjunction with heaven, then the angels came into light and wisdom, and from this was their joy. The angels then came into light and wisdom because there is a connection of all in the heavens, from the first there to the last, that is, from those who are in the inmost or third heaven, who are first, to those who are in the lowest or first heaven, who are last; for the Lord flows in through the third heaven into the lowest, and by influx conjoins the heavens. Because of this the whole heaven is in the sight of the Lord as one Man. When, therefore, the ultimates of the heavens have connection with those who are conjoined to hell, thus with those who are signified by “the dragon and his angels,” then in the degree in which the lowest heaven is conjoined with such, the light and intelligence of the angels of heaven are lessened.
[2] It is similar as with the ultimates in man, which are the outermost skins that invest the body in general and in particular, and the muscles within those skins, as also the nerves in their ultimates, from which bands and membranes are spread over the interiors; if these most external parts are injured, or in any way infected, or if they become tendinous, then in the same degree the life of acting and feeling of the interiors that are invested and enclosed by these most external parts perishes. This shows that the health of the body depends upon the condition of the extreme parts as a house does upon its foundation. This comparison especially applies to men worn out with age, whose extreme parts first become hardened, and thus they lose the faculty to act and feel, and by degrees this extends to the interiors, which causes death. The same reasoning applies to the heavens, which are as one Man in the sight of the Lord, when the outermost parts become callous as it were, which takes place when those parts have conjunction with the hells. Thus it was with the heavens so long as “the dragons” were seen there, for “the dragons,” as has been said, had conjunction with the ultimates of heaven as to externals, but with the hells as to their internals. This is why it was said that “the dragon was seen in heaven,” and that there was a combat between him and Michael in heaven, and finally that “he was cast out of heaven,” which signifies that he was separated. From this it is that “the great voice heard in heaven” signifies the attestation of joy from the heart with the angels of heaven. That they had this joy because of the light and wisdom they then had follows from what has been said before, namely, that as a man is in his active and sensitive life from the interiors when his extreme parts are in their integrity, so too are the lower and the higher heavens in their intelligence and wisdom, and in the consequent joy of their heart; therefore the same words mean that the angels had joy from the light and wisdom they then had.

sRef Rev@12 @10 S0′ 745. Now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ, signifies that now the Lord has power by His Divine truth to save those who are of His church, who receive Divine truth in heart and soul. This is evident from the signification of “salvation,” as being to be saved; and from the signification of “power,” as being to have ability, thus possibility (of which presently); from the signification of “kingdom,” as being heaven and the church (see above, n. 48, 685); from the signification of “our God,” as being the Lord in relation to His Divine; and from the signification of “the authority of His Christ,” as being the efficacy of Divine truth, thus by means of Divine truth. That “the Christ” means the Lord in relation to Divine truth may be seen above (n. 684, 685); and that “authority” signifies, in reference to the Lord, the salvation of the human race, may be seen above (n. 293); and that the Lord has power to save by means of His Divine truth (n. 333, 726); and because the Lord can save only those who receive Divine truth from Him with heart and soul, this too is signified. From this it is clear that “Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ,” signifies that now the Lord has power by His Divine truth to save those who are of His church who receive Divine truth with heart and soul.
[2] It is said “who receive with heart and soul,” meaning with love and faith, likewise with the will and understanding; for in the Word when “soul and heart” are both mentioned “soul” signifies faith, likewise understanding, and “heart” signifies love, likewise will; for soul [anima] means there in the ultimate sense the respiration of man, which is also called his “spirit” [or breath], and the verb animare means to respire; also when a man dies he is said “to give up the ghost” [emittere animam et spirituum]. Moreover, it is also from correspondence that “soul” signifies faith, also the understanding, and that “heart” signifies love, as also the will; for faith and understanding correspond to the breathing [animatio] or respiration of the lungs, and the love and will correspond to the motion and pulsation of the heart (on which correspondence see above, n. 167; and the Arcana Coelestia, n. 2930, 3883-3896, 9050).
[3] “Now is come the salvation and the power of our God” signifies that the Lord is now able to save; so “power” here signifies to have ability, thus the possibility, because the Lord could not save those who were of His church before the dragon with his angels had been driven out, that is, separated from heaven. One who does not know the laws of Divine order might believe that the Lord can save anyone He pleases, thus the evil as well as the good; and for this reason some are of the opinion that in the end all who are in hell will be saved. But that no one can be saved by immediate mercy, but only by mediate, and that still it is from pure mercy, that those who receive Divine truth from the Lord in soul and heart are saved, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 521-527).
sRef Num@8 @6 S4′ sRef John@1 @11 S4′ sRef Num@8 @7 S4′ sRef John@1 @12 S4′ sRef John@1 @13 S4′ [4] This is also meant by these words in John:
His own received Him not; but as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, to them that believe on His name; who were born not of bloods nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:11-13).
“His own” who received Him not mean those who are of the church where the Word is, and to whom the Lord could be known through the Word; therefore those who were of the Jewish Church are here meant by “His own.” That the Lord would “give to those that believe on His name power to become sons of God” signifies that He gives heaven to those* who receive Divine truths from Him in soul and heart, or in faith and life; “to believe on His name” meaning to receive the Lord in faith and life, for “the name of the Lord” signifies everything by which He is worshiped; “sons of God” mean those who are regenerated by the Lord; “who are born not of bloods” signifies who have not falsified and adulterated the Word; “nor of the will of the flesh” signifies who are not in evils from what is their own [proprium]; “nor of the will of man” signifies who are not in falsities from what is their own [proprium], for the “will” signifies what is man’s own [proprium], “flesh” signifies evil, and “man” [vir] signifies falsity; “but born of God” signifies those who have been regenerated by truths from the Word and by a life according to them. From this it can be seen that those who are not willing to be reformed and regenerated by the Lord, which is effected by the reception of Divine truth in faith and life, cannot be saved.
* The Latin has “to him who receive,” for “to them.”

sRef Rev@12 @10 S0′ 746. For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, signifies when those have been separated from heaven and condemned to hell who have assaulted the life of faith, which is charity. This is evident from the signification of “cast down,” as being, in reference to the dragon, that those who are meant by “the dragon” have been separated from heaven and condemned to hell (of which above, n. 739, 742); also from the signification of “the accuser of our brethren,” as being those who have assaulted the life of faith, which is charity, for an “accuser” signifies one who attacks, denounces, and reproaches, for he that accuses also attacks, denounces, and reproaches. Moreover, the same term in the original tongue means an adversary and one who reproaches; and what is wonderful, those who are “dragons,” although they make no account of the life, yet in the spiritual world they accuse the faithful if they observe any evil of ignorance, for they inquire into their life for the purpose of arraigning and condemning, and thence they are called accusers.
[2] But “the brethren” whom they accuse mean all who are in the heavens as well as all on the earth who are in the good of charity; such are called “brethren” because they all have one Father, namely, the Lord, and those who are in the good of love to the Lord and in the good of charity towards the neighbor are His sons, and are called “sons of God,” “sons of the kingdom,” and “heirs.” It follows, therefore, that as they are the sons of one Father they are brethren. Moreover, it is the primary commandment of the Lord, the Father, that they should mutually love one another, consequently it is love from which they are brethren; and love also is spiritual conjunction. From this it came that with the ancient people in the churches in which charity was the essential, all were called brethren, so likewise in our Christian Church at its beginning. This is why “brother” in the spiritual sense signifies charity. That formerly all who were of one church called themselves brethren and that the Lord calls those brethren who are in love to Him and in charity towards the neighbor, can be seen from many passages in the Word. But in order that what is signified by “brother” may be distinctly perceived it shall be illustrated from the Word.
sRef Deut@15 @12 S3′ sRef Micah@5 @3 S3′ sRef Deut@15 @11 S3′ sRef Ezek@11 @15 S3′ sRef Num@25 @6 S3′ sRef Deut@25 @3 S3′ sRef Deut@24 @7 S3′ sRef Lev@25 @46 S3′ sRef Ex@4 @18 S3′ sRef Ex@2 @11 S3′ sRef Lev@25 @25 S3′ sRef Isa@66 @20 S3′ sRef Lev@25 @47 S3′ sRef Jer@34 @9 S3′ sRef Lev@25 @35 S3′ sRef Num@20 @3 S3′ [3] (1) That all who were of the Israelitish Church called themselves “brethren” can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Then shall they bring all your brethren out of all nations an offering unto Jehovah (Isa. 66:20).
In Jeremiah:
No one shall cause a Jew to serve his brother (Jer. 34:9).
In Ezekiel:
Son of man, thy brethren, thy brethren, the sons* of thy kindred, and the whole house of Israel (Ezek. 11:15).
In Micah:
Until the remnant of his brethren return unto the sons of Israel (Mic. 5:3).
In Moses:
Moses went out unto his brethren that he might see their burdens (Exod. 2:11).
Moses said unto Jethro his father-in-law, Let me return to my brethren that are in Egypt (Exod. 4:18).
When thy brother shall be waxen poor (Lev. 25:25, 35, 47).
But in reference to your brethren, the sons of Israel, a man shall not rule over his brother with rigor (Lev. 25:46).
Would that we had died when our brethren died before Jehovah (Num. 20:3).
Behold a man of the sons of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman (Num. 25:6).
Thou shalt open thine hand to thy brother; when thy brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, shall be sold to thee he shall serve thee six years (Deut. 15:11, 12).
If anyone shall steal a soul of his brethren, and he shall make gain of him (Deut. 24:7).
Forty times thou shalt strike** him, and he shall not add, lest thy brother be accounted vile in thine eyes (Deut. 25:3; and elsewhere).
From this it can be seen that all the sons of Israel were called brethren among themselves; the primary reason of their being so called was that they were all descendants of Jacob, who was their common father; but the remote reason was that “brother” signifies the good of charity, and as this good is the essential of the church, all are also spiritually conjoined by it. Another reason is that “Israel” in the highest sense signifies the Lord, and thence “the sons of Israel” signify the church.
sRef Isa@9 @21 S4′ sRef Isa@9 @20 S4′ sRef Isa@9 @19 S4′ [4] (2) They also called themselves “man and brother,” likewise “companion and brother,” as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
The land has been darkened, and the people have become as food of the fire; they shall not spare a man his brother; they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm, Manasseh Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh (Isa. 9:19-21).
“Man and brother” signify truth and good, and in the contrary sense falsity and evil, therefore it is said “Manasseh shall eat Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,” for “Manasseh” signifies voluntary good, and “Ephraim” intellectual truth, both of the external church, and in the contrary sense evil and falsity. (But this may be seen explained above, n. 386, 440, 600, 617.)
sRef Isa@19 @2 S5′ [5] In the same:
I will commingle Egypt with Egypt, that they may fight a man against his brother and a man against his companion, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom (Isa. 19:2).
“Egypt” here signifies the natural man separated from the spiritual; and because this is in no light of truth it is continually contending about good and evil and truth and falsity, and this contention is signified by “I will commingle Egypt with Egypt, that they may fight a man against his brother and a man against his companion,” “brother and companion” signifying good from which is truth and truth from good, and in the contrary sense evil from which is falsity and falsity from evil; therefore it is added, “city against city, and kingdom against kingdom;” “city” signifying doctrine, and “kingdom” the church from doctrine, which will contend in like manner.
sRef Deut@15 @2 S6′ sRef Jer@9 @4 S6′ sRef Zech@7 @9 S6′ sRef Ex@10 @22 S6′ sRef Jer@34 @9 S6′ sRef Joel@2 @8 S6′ sRef Ex@10 @23 S6′ sRef Jer@23 @35 S6′ sRef Isa@41 @6 S6′ sRef Micah@7 @2 S6′ sRef Jer@34 @17 S6′ sRef Deut@15 @1 S6′ sRef Mal@2 @10 S6′ sRef Jer@13 @14 S6′ sRef Ezek@38 @21 S6′ [6] In the same:
They help a man his companion, and he saith to his brother, Be strong (Isa. 41:6).
“Companion and brother” have here a similar signification as above. In Jeremiah:
Take ye heed a man of his companion, and trust ye not in any brother; for every brother supplanteth, and every companion doth slander (Jer. 9:4).
In the same:
I will scatter them, a man with his brother (Jer. 13:14).
In the same:
Thus shall ye say a man to his companion and a man to his brother, What hath Jehovah answered? (Jer. 23:35)
In the same:
Ye have not hearkened unto Me, to proclaim liberty a man to his brother and a man to his companion (Jer. 34:9, 17).
In Ezekiel:
A man’s sword shall be against his brother (Ezek. 38:21).
In Joel:
They shall not thrust forward a man his brother (Joel 2:8).
In Micah:
They all lie in wait for bloods, they hunt a man his brother with a net (Mic. 7:2).
In Zechariah:
Do mercy and compassion a man with his brother (Zech. 7:9).
In Malachi:
Wherefore do we deal treacherously a man against his brother? (Mal. 2:10)
In Moses:
There was thick darkness of darkness over all the land of Egypt; a man saw*** not his brother (Exod. 10:22, 23).
In the same:
At the end of seven years every creditor shall remit his hand when he hath loaned anything to his companion, and he shall not exact from his companion or his brother (Deut. 15:1, 2);
and elsewhere. In the nearest sense a “man” means everyone, and “brother” one of the same tribe because in blood-relationship, “and companion” one of another tribe because allied only by affinity; but in the spiritual sense “man” signifies anyone who is in truths, then also anyone who is in falsities; “brother” signifies anyone who is in the good of charity, and in an abstract sense that good itself, and “companion” anyone who is in truth from that good, and in an abstract sense that truth itself; and in the contrary sense these signify the evil opposite to the good of charity and the falsity opposite to the truth from that good. Both terms, “brother” and “companion,” are used because**** there are two things, namely, charity and faith, that constitute the church, as there are two things that make up the life of man, will and understanding; so there are two parts that act as one, as the two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two hands, two feet, two lobes of the lungs, two chambers of the heart, two hemispheres of the brain, and so on, of which the one has reference to good from which is truth, and the other to truth from good. This is why it is said “brother and companion,” and why “brother” signifies good, and “companion” its truth.
sRef Matt@12 @49 S7′ sRef Matt@12 @50 S7′ [7] (3) The Lord calls those of His church “brethren” who are in the good of charity, as can be seen from the following passages. In the Gospels:
Jesus stretching out His hand over His disciples said, Behold My mother and My brethren; whosoever shall do the will of My Father, he is My brother and sister and mother (Matt. 12:49, 50; Mark 3:33-35).
The “disciples” over whom the Lord stretched out his hand signify all who are of His church; “His brethren” signify those who are in the good of charity from Him, “sisters” those who are in truths from that good, and “mother” the church constituted of these.
sRef Matt@28 @10 S8′ sRef John@20 @17 S8′ [8] In Matthew:
Jesus said to Mary Magdalene and to the other Mary, Fear not; go tell My brethren to go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me (Matt. 28:10).
Here, too, “brethren” mean the disciples by whom are signified all those of the church who are in the good of charity. In John:
Jesus said to Mary, Go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father (John 20:17).
The disciples are here again called “brethren” because “disciples,” the same as “brethren,” signify all those of His church who are in the good of charity.
sRef Matt@25 @40 S9′ [9] In Matthew:
The King answering said unto them, I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these My brethren ye did it unto Me (Matt. 25:40).
It is evident from what there precedes that those whom the Lord here calls “brethren” are such as have done the good works of charity; but let it be known that although the Lord is their Father He still calls them “brethren;” He is their Father from the Divine love, but brother from the Divine that proceeds from Him. This is because all in the heavens are recipients of the Divine that proceeds from Him; and the Divine that proceeds from the Lord, of which they are recipients, is the Lord in heaven and also in the church; and this is not of angel or man, but is of the Lord with them; consequently the good of charity itself with them, which is the Lord’s, He calls brother, in like manner also angels and men, because they are the recipient subjects of that good. In a word, the Divine proceeding, which is the Divine of the Lord in the heavens, is the Divine born of the Lord in heaven; from that Divine, therefore, angels who are recipients of it are called “sons of God,” and as these are brethren because of that Divine received in themselves, it is the Lord in them who says “brother,” for when angels speak from the good of charity they speak not from themselves but from the Lord. This, then, is why the Lord says, “Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these My brethren ye did it unto Me.” So in the spiritual sense the brethren of the Lord are the goods of charity that are enumerated in the verses preceding, and these are called by the Lord “brethren” for the reason just given. Moreover, “the King,” who so calls them, signifies the Divine proceeding, which in one word is called Divine truth or the Divine spiritual, which in its essence is the good of charity.
[10] It is therefore to be kept in mind that the Lord did not call them “brethren” because He was a man like them, according to an opinion that is received in the Christian world; and for this reason it is not allowable for any man to call the Lord “brother,” for He is God even in respect to the Human, and God is not a brother, but the Father. In the churches on the earth the Lord is called brother, because the idea of His Human which they have formed is the same as their idea of any other man’s human, when yet the Lord’s Human is Divine.
sRef Ps@22 @22 S11′ sRef Ps@69 @8 S11′ sRef Ps@122 @8 S11′ [11] As “kings” formerly represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and as Divine truth received by angels in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom is the same as Divine spiritual good, and as spiritual good is the good of charity, therefore the kings appointed over the sons of Israel called their subjects “brethren,” although on the other hand the subjects were not permitted to call their king “brother,” still less should the Lord be so called, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. So in David:
I will declare Thy name to my brethren; in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee (Ps. 22:22).
In the same:
I am become a stranger to my brethren, and an alien to my mother’s sons (Ps. 69:8).
In the same:
For the sake of my brethren and companions I will speak, Peace be in thee (Ps. 122:8).
This was said by David as if respecting himself, and yet in the representative spiritual sense David here means the Lord. In Moses:
Out of the midst of thy brethren shalt thou set a king over them;***** thou mayest not put a man that is an alien over them, who is not thy brother; but let him not exalt his heart above his brethren (Deut. 17:15, 20).
The “brethren” from whom a king might be set over them signify all who are of the church, for it is said, “Thou mayest not put over them a man that is an alien;” “a man that is an alien” and a “stranger” signifying one who is not of the church.
sRef Deut@18 @18 S12′ sRef Deut@18 @15 S12′ [12] In the same:
Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren like unto me; unto him shall ye hearken (Deut. 18:15, 18).
This is a prophecy respecting the Lord, who is meant by “the prophet” that Jehovah God will raise up of the brethren. They are called “thy brethren,” that is, of Moses, because “Moses” means in a representative sense the Lord in relation to the Word, and a “prophet” means one who teaches the Word; thus also the Word and doctrine from the Word are meant, and this is why it is said, “like unto me.” (That “Moses” represented the Lord in relation to the law, thus in relation to the Word, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 4859 at the end, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 9372, 10234.)
sRef Matt@23 @8 S13′ sRef Matt@23 @9 S13′ [13] (4) That all those are called “brethren” by the Lord who acknowledge Him and are in the good of charity from Him, follows from this, that the Lord is the Father of all and the Teacher of all, and from Him as Father is every good of charity, and from Him as Teacher is every truth of that good. Therefore the Lord says in Matthew:
Be ye not called teacher, for one is your Teacher, Christ; but all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon earth, for one is your Father who is in the heavens (Matt. 23:8, 9).
From this it is clearly evident that the words of the Lord must be understood spiritually; for who that is a teacher may not be called teacher? Or who that is a father may not be called father? But as “father” signifies good, and “the Father in the heavens” Divine good, and as “teacher” or “rabbi” signifies truth, and “the Teacher, Christ,” Divine truth, so on account of the spiritual sense in all things of the Word it is said, “Call no man your father upon earth, nor anyone teacher,” that is, in the spiritual sense, not in the natural sense. In the natural sense men may be called teachers and fathers, but representatively; that is to say, teachers in the world teach truths indeed, but from the Lord, not from themselves, and fathers in the world are good, and lead their children to good, but from the Lord, not from themselves. From this it follows that although they are called teachers and fathers still they are not teachers and fathers, but the Lord alone is Teacher and Father. “To call” and “to call by a name” signifies in the Word to recognize the quality of anyone. Because all in heaven and in the church are disciples and sons of the Lord, who is their Teacher and their Father, the Lord says, “all ye are brethren;” for the Lord calls all in heaven and in the church “sons and heirs” from their consociation by love from Him, and thus by mutual love, which is charity; therefore it is from the Lord that they are brethren. In this way the common saying that all are brethren in the Lord is to be understood.
sRef Luke@22 @32 S14′ sRef Luke@22 @34 S14′ sRef Luke@22 @31 S14′ [14] From this also it is clear whom the Lord means by “brethren,” namely, all who acknowledge Him and are in the good of charity from Him, consequently who are of His church. Such are meant by the Lord by “brethren” in the following passages. In Luke:
Jesus said to Peter, When thou shalt be converted strengthen thy brethren (Luke 22:32).
The term “brethren” here does not mean the Jews, but it means all who acknowledge the Lord and are in good from charity and faith, thus all who were to receive the gospel through Peter, both Jews and Gentiles, for “Peter” in the Word of the Gospels means truth from good, thus also faith from charity; but here “Peter” means faith separated from charity, for just before it is said of him:
Simon, behold Satan demanded you that he might sift you as wheat. But I prayed for you that your faith fail not (Luke 22:31-32);
and afterwards it is said to him:
I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day until thou hast thrice denied that thou knowest Me (Luke 22:34).
Such is faith without charity. But “Peter converted” signifies truth from good, which is from the Lord, or faith from charity, which is from the Lord; therefore it is said, “When thou shalt have been converted strengthen thy brethren.”
sRef Matt@18 @35 S15′ sRef Matt@18 @21 S15′ sRef Matt@18 @15 S15′ [15] In Matthew:
Peter said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me and I should forgive him? (Matt. 18:2)
In the same:
So also shall My heavenly Father do to you if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses (Matt. 18:35).
In the same:
If thy brother hath sinned against thee go and reprove him between thee and him alone; if he hear thee thou hast gained thy brother (Matt. 18:15).
Here “brother” means the neighbor in general, thus every man; but in particular it means one who is in the good of charity and thence in faith from the Lord, whoever he may be; for these passages treat of the good of charity, since to forgive one who sins against you is of charity; also it is said, “if he hear, thou hast gained thy brother,” which signifies, if he acknowledges his trespasses and is converted.
sRef Matt@7 @4 S16′ sRef Matt@7 @5 S16′ sRef Matt@7 @3 S16′ [16] In the same:
Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say unto thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye, when yet there is a beam in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye (Matt. 7:3-5).
Here too, because this treats of charity the term “brother” is used, for “to cast out the mote out of a brother’s eye” signifies to instruct respecting falsity and evil, and to reform. It is said by the Lord, “a mote out of the brother’s eye,” and “a beam out of one’s own eye,” because of the spiritual sense in every particular of what the Lord said; for without that sense, of what consequence would it be to see a mote in the eye of another and not consider a beam in one’s own eye, or to cast a beam out of one’s own eye before he casts a mote out of another’s eye? A “mote” signifies a slight falsity of evil, and a “beam” a great falsity of evil, and the “eye” signifies the understanding and also faith. “Mote” and “beam” signify the falsity of evil, because “wood” signifies good; and thus a “beam” signifies the truth of good, and in the contrary sense the falsity of evil, and the “eye” signifies the understanding and faith. This shows what is signified by “seeing the mote and the beam,” and by “casting them out of the eye.” (That “wood” signifies good, and in the contrary sense evil, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 643, 3720, 4943, 8354, 8740; and that the “eye” signifies the understanding, and also faith, n. 2701, 4403-4421, 4523-4534, 9051, 10569; also above, n. 37, 152.) Moreover, in some passages “beam” is mentioned, and it signifies the falsity of evil (as in Gen. 19:8; 2 Kings 6:2, 5, 6; Hab. 2:11; Song 1:17).
sRef Matt@5 @24 S17′ sRef Matt@5 @19 S17′ sRef Matt@5 @22 S17′ sRef Matt@5 @21 S17′ sRef Matt@5 @23 S17′ sRef Matt@5 @20 S17′ [17] In the same:
Whosoever doeth and teacheth, he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens. I say unto you, Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees ye shall not enter into the kingdom of the heavens. Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not kill, but whosoever shall kill shall be liable to the judgment. But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be liable to the judgment; but whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the council; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be liable to the hell of fire. If thou offer thy gift upon the altar, and shalt there remember that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there****** the gift before the altar, and go, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming offer thy gift (Matt. 5:19-24).
This whole chapter treats of the interior life of man, which is the life of his soul, consequently of his will and thought therefrom; thus it treats of the life of charity, which is the spiritual moral life. This life the sons of Jacob knew nothing about before, because from their fathers down they were external men. For this reason also they were kept in the observance of external worship, according to statutes that were external, representing the internal things of worship and of the church. But in this chapter the Lord teaches that the interior things of the church must not only be represented by external acts, but must also be loved and done from the soul and heart; therefore “whosoever doeth and teacheth, he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens,” signifies that he will be saved who from interior life does and teaches the external things of the church. “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees ye shall not enter into the kingdom of the heavens,” signifies that unless the life is internal, and from that is external, heaven is not in man and man is not received into heaven; “righteousness” signifies the good of life from the good of charity, and “to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees” signifies that the life must be internal, and not external without internal. The scribes and Pharisees were only in representative externals, and not in internals. External life from the internal is taught in the commandment of the Decalogue, “Thou shalt not kill;” but they did not know that wishing to kill a man is killing him; therefore it is first said, “Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be liable to the judgment;” for the doctrine had prevailed with the Jews from ancient time, that it was admissible to kill those who injured them, especially the Gentiles, and that they were to be punished for this lightly or grievously according to the circumstances of the hostility, consequently in reference to the body only and not as to the soul; this is meant by “he shall be liable to the judgment.”
[18] That one who thinks ill of his neighbor without adequate cause, and turns himself away from the good of charity, will be punished lightly as to his soul, is signified by “Whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be liable to the judgment;” “to be angry,” signifies to think ill, for it is distinguished from “saying Raca,” and “saying, Thou fool.” “Brother” means the neighbor, and also the good of charity, and “to be liable to the judgment” means to be examined and to be punished according to circumstances. That one who from wrong thought slanders the neighbor, and thus despises the good of charity as of little value, will be punished grievously, is signified by “whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the council,” for “to say Raca” signifies to slander the neighbor from evil thought, thus to hold the good of charity to be of little value, for “to say Raca” means to hold as useless and as of little value, and “brother” means the good of charity. That one who hates the neighbor, that is, one who is altogether averse to the good of charity, is condemned to hell, is signified by “whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be liable to the hell of fire,” to say “Thou fool” meaning to be altogether averse to, “brother” meaning the good of charity, and “the hell of fire” the hell where those are who hate that good and thence the neighbor. These three describe three degrees of hatred: the first is from evil thought, which is “to be angry,” the second is from consequent evil intention, which is “to say Raca,” and the third is from an evil will, which is “to say Thou fool.” All these are degrees of hatred against the good of charity, for hatred is the opposite of the good of charity. The three degrees of punishment are signified by “the judgment,” “the council,” and “the hell of fire;” the punishments for lighter evils are signified by “the judgment,” the punishments for the more grievous evils, by “the council,” and the punishments for the most grievous evils, by “the hell of fire.”
[19] As the universal heaven is in the good of charity towards the neighbor, and the universal hell is in anger, enmity, and hatred against the neighbor, and hence these are the opposites of that good; and as worship of the Lord because it is internal is worship from heaven, but it is no worship if anything of it is from hell, and yet external worship without internal is from hell, therefore it is said, “If thou offer thy gift upon the altar, and shalt there remember that thy brother hath aught against thee, go, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming offer thy gift upon the altar;” “the gift upon the altar” signifying the worship of the Lord from love and charity, “brother” meaning the neighbor, and in an abstract sense the good of charity; “having aught against thee” signifying anger, enmity, or hatred, and “to be reconciled” the dispersion of these and the consequent conjunction by love.
sRef Zech@11 @14 S20′ sRef Gen@19 @7 S20′ sRef Lev@19 @17 S20′ sRef Ps@133 @1 S20′ sRef Amos@1 @9 S20′ [20] From this it can be seen that the Lord means by “brother” the like as by “neighbor,” and “neighbor” signifies in the spiritual sense good in the whole complex, and good in the whole complex is the good of charity. “Brother” has a similar meaning in the spiritual sense in many passages in the Old Testament. As in Moses:
Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart (Lev. 19:17).
In David:
Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity (Ps. 133:1).
In this sense, also:
Lot called the inhabitants of Sodom brethren (Gen. 19:7).
And this is meant by:
The covenant of brethren between the sons of Israel and Edom (Amos 1:9).
And by the brotherhood between Judah and Israel (Zech. 11:14).
For by “the sons of Israel and Edom,” as also by “Judah and Israel,” these are not meant in the spiritual sense, but the goods and truths of heaven and the church, all of which are conjoined with each other.
* The Hebrew has “men.”
** The Hebrew has “he shall strike,” as found in AE 633; AC 9437.
*** The Latin has “hated,” but the Hebrew has “saw,” as found in AC 7716.
**** The Latin has “which.”
***** The Hebrew has “thee.”
****** The Latin has “for thee;” as found in AC 2360, 9293.

sRef John@1 @1 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @10 S0′ 747. That accuseth them before God day and night, signifies and who have denounced them and disputed with them continually from the Word. This is evident from the signification of “to accuse,” as being to assault (see above, n. 746); consequently it means to denounce and to dispute with, for he who accuses also disputes and denounces; also from the signification of “before God,” as being from the Word (of which presently); also from the signification of “day and night,” as meaning continually and without intermission; for “day and night” signify all states of life, “day” the state of the life when the mind is in clear thought, and “night” when the mind is in obscure thought. These two states of life mean continually, because there is in the spiritual world no division of times into years, months, weeks, days, and hours, but instead of these there are changes of state; for there angels and spirits are sometimes in clear thought and sometimes in obscure thought. That angels and spirits are by turns in a state of clear perception and in a state of obscure perception can be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 154-161). But in particular their states follow each other variously, as from one affection into another; and it is from these states that angels and spirits number their times; thus these take the place of times in the world, which are years, months, weeks, days, nights, and hours. Because then their states of life in general change as to clearness or obscurity of understanding, and thus are in a continual succession, so “days and nights” signify continually. “To accuse before God” signifies to denounce and to dispute from the Word; because those who are meant by “the dragon,” who are those that separate faith from life, argue and dispute from the Word; and to dispute from the Word is to dispute “before God,” for God is in the Word, since the Word is from God, and is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. This is why it is said in John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word (John 1:1).
They dispute in favor of faith separated from a life of charity, because they confirm their heresy from certain passages in the Word understood according to the mere letter, and when they have thus confirmed it they believe it to be the very truth of the church, although it is a falsity. In general, “to accuse day and night” signifies the continual influx of falsity from those who are meant by “the dragon;” and as their falsities are from the Word falsified, therefore this is signified by “accusing before God.”

sRef Rev@12 @11 S0′ sRef John@7 @39 S1′ 748. Verse 11. And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb, signifies resistance and victory by Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine Human. This is evident from the signification of “blood,” as being, in reference to the Lord, Divine truth proceeding (see above, n. 328, 329); also from the signification of “the Lamb,” as being the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (see above, n. 314); from which it can be seen that “to overcome the dragon by the blood of the Lamb” signifies to conquer him, that is, those who are signified by “the dragon and his angels,” by means of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine Human. It is said, Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine Human, since all Divine truth which fills the heavens and constitutes the wisdom of the angels in the heavens proceeds from the Lord’s Divine Human; for the Lord’s Divine Human is united to the Divine Itself which was in Him from conception, so that they are one; the Divine Itself that was in Him from conception is what He called “Father;” this is united to His Human as the soul is united with the body; this is why the Lord says that:
He is one with the Father (John 10:30, 38).
And that He is in the Father and the Father in Him (John 14:7-11).
Because there is such a union, Divine truth, after the glorification of His Human, proceeds from His Divine Human. The Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine Human is what is called “the Holy Spirit.” That this proceeds from the glorified Human of the Lord, He Himself teaches in John:
The Holy Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:39).
The Human glorified is the Divine Human. (But on this more may be seen in the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 280-310; also in Heaven and Hell, from beginning to end. That “the blood of the Lamb” means the Divine proceeding from the Lord’s Divine Human, may be seen above, n. 476.)
[2] From this it can be seen how much the sense of the letter of the Word differs from its spiritual sense; also how the Word is falsified when it is regarded in a merely exterior way, and not at the same time interiorly. How great the difference is can be seen from this, that “the blood of the Lamb” in the sense of the letter means the Lord’s passion of the cross, but in the spiritual sense Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine Human. If, then, that Michael conquered the dragon by the Lord’s passion of the cross is taken as the real truth, it follows thence that by this the Lord took away all the sins of the world, and also by this moved His Father to mercy towards the human race; and yet these ideas are not in harmony with Divine truth which the angels in heaven have, nor with the genuine understanding of truth. How can it be understood that the Lord by the passion of the cross took away all the sins of the world, when yet every man after death becomes such as his life has been in the world, those who do evil coming into hell, and those who do good into heaven? And how can it be understood that God the Father was moved to mercy by the blood of the Son on the cross, and that He had need of such means, when yet He is in Himself mercy itself, love itself, and good itself? From this it is evident that the Word, here and in a thousand other places is falsified if it is looked at in a mere exterior way, and not at the same time interiorly. To look at it exteriorly is to look at it from the letter, but to look at it interiorly is to look at it from the doctrine of genuine truth. When it is believed from doctrine that the Lord subjugated the hells and at the same time glorified His Human by means of temptations, and that the passion of the cross was the last temptation and complete victory by which He subjugated the hells and glorified His Human, this can be understood and consequently believed; and that Michael conquered by the passion of the cross becomes an apparent truth, while that He conquered by the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine Human becomes the real truth. But when the apparent truth is taken for the real truth, and is confirmed, then the Word is falsified, according to what has been set forth above (n. 719) in the way of illustration.

sRef Rev@19 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @11 S0′ 749. And through the word of their testimony, signifies and through the confession and acknowledgment of the Divine in His Human. This is evident from the signification of “the word of testimony,” as being the confession of the Lord, and the acknowledgment of the Divine in His Human (see above, n. 392, 635, 649). That this is “the word of testimony” is evident from the following passages in Revelation:
The angel said unto John, I am thy fellow-servant and of thy brethren that hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10).
And after the angel had so said:
A white horse was seen upon which One sat who was called “the Word of God,” and also “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:13, 16).
From this it can be seen that “the word of their testimony” signifies the confession and acknowledgment of the Divine in the Lord’s Human. Those who are in this acknowledgment are also in the acknowledgment that the Lord’s Human is Divine, for the Divine itself cannot dwell elsewhere than in what is Divine from itself. But because the scholars amongst us cannot easily comprehend this, they separate in their thought the Divine from the Human of the Lord, and place the Divine without or above it; nevertheless, this is contrary to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, which is called the Athanasian or Nicene Confession, which is that the Divine took to itself the Human, and that they are not two but a united Person, just the same as soul and body.

sRef Rev@12 @11 S0′ 750. And they loved not their soul, even unto death, signifies the faithful who have endured temptations for the sake of these truths, and who have regarded the life of the world as of no account in comparison with the life of heaven. This is evident from the signification of “not to love the soul,” as being to regard the life of the world as of no account in comparison with the life of heaven (of which presently); and from the signification of “even unto death,” as being to endure temptations; for those who are in the combats of temptation regard the life of the world as of no account in comparison with the life of heaven, and consequently regard the death of their body as of no account in comparison with the life of the soul, as is evident from those who suffered martyrdom. The reason is, that they know that life in the world, which is only for some years, is as nothing compared with the life in heaven, which is eternal life; yea, there is no ratio between the time of man’s life in the world and the life in heaven that will continue to eternity. Think if you can whether there can be any ratio between a hundred thousand years and eternity, and you will find there is none. These with many other thoughts flow in from heaven with those who endure spiritual temptations, therefore “they love not their soul (that is, their life in the world), even unto death.”
[2] What is meant by “soul” is but little known in the world, because scholars have put forth several theories about the seat of the soul in the body, as also about its essence, and its influx into and operation in the body, and from notions drawn therefrom, about its immortality. From this it has come to be believed that the soul is a cogitative something, in its essence ethereal, and when separated from the body has no organs of motion or sense as it had in the world, until it is again conjoined with the body, which they say will take place at the time of the Last Judgment. As so unsuitable an idea of the soul of man has been accepted in the learned world it is important to illustrate from the Word what is meant by the soul. In general, the soul means the man, and in particular the life of man; and as there are in every man three degrees of life, there are also as many degrees of the soul. But as the whole life of man resides in his two faculties that are called will and understanding, on which account these are sometimes in the Word called “lives,” in the plural, and as the soul means the life, it follows that there is a soul of the will and a soul of the understanding, and that the soul of the will is affection, which is of love, and the soul of the understanding is thought therefrom. But in the Word, the “soul” means properly the life of man’s understanding, which is thought, and the “heart” the life of the will, which is affection. And as the respiration of the lungs corresponds to the life of the understanding, which is thought, and the pulsation of the heart corresponds to the life of the will which is affection, so in the lowest natural sense the life of respiration is meant by “soul;” consequently the dying are said to give up the soul or spirit, also that they have no more animation, or that no breath from the mouth is perceived. That such is the meaning of “soul” in the Word can be seen from passages where it is mentioned.
sRef Gen@17 @14 S3′ sRef Lev@7 @27 S3′ sRef Gen@14 @21 S3′ sRef Gen@12 @5 S3′ sRef Deut@24 @7 S3′ sRef Deut@20 @16 S3′ sRef Gen@46 @15 S3′ sRef Lev@17 @15 S3′ sRef Gen@46 @27 S3′ [3] (1) That in general “soul” signifies man is evident from the following passages. In Moses:
Abram took every soul that they had gotten in Haran; and they departed into the land of Canaan (Gen. 12:5).
The king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the souls, and take the substance to thyself (Gen. 14:21).
All the souls of the sons and daughters from Leah were thirty and three (Gen. 46:15).
The sons of Joseph were two souls; every soul of the house of Jacob which came into Egypt, seventy (Gen. 46:27).
Every soul which hath eaten of a carcass, or of that which is torn, shall be unclean until the even (Lev. 17:15).
Of the cities of the peoples thou shalt not keep any soul alive (Deut. 20:16).
If a man hath stolen a soul from his brethren and hath made gain of him (Deut. 24:7).
The soul that eateth fat and blood shall be cut off (Lev. 12:27).
The soul that is not circumcised shall be cut off from his people (Gen. 17:14);
and elsewhere. In these passages “soul” is used in place of man.
sRef Ex@4 @19 S4′ sRef John@10 @17 S4′ sRef Isa@43 @4 S4′ sRef Deut@24 @6 S4′ sRef Jer@19 @9 S4′ sRef 1Ki@19 @2 S4′ sRef John@10 @18 S4′ sRef 1Ki@19 @3 S4′ sRef Gen@35 @18 S4′ sRef Judg@16 @30 S4′ sRef John@10 @15 S4′ sRef John@13 @37 S4′ sRef John@15 @13 S4′ sRef Isa@58 @5 S4′ sRef Jer@21 @9 S4′ sRef John@13 @38 S4′ sRef Deut@19 @21 S4′ sRef Jer@19 @7 S4′ sRef Matt@20 @28 S4′ sRef Jer@45 @5 S4′ sRef John@10 @11 S4′ sRef Gen@37 @21 S4′ [4] (2) That in particular “soul” signifies the life of the body is evident from these passages. In Luke:
The rich man thought with himself, I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast many goods laid up for many years; rest, eat, drink and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou unwise one, this night they shall require thy soul of thee (Luke 12:19, 20).
In Moses:
When the soul of Rachel was departing, she called his name Benoni (Gen. 35:18).
All the men are dead who sought thy soul (Exod. 4:19).
And elsewhere:
By the hand of them that seek thy soul (Jer. 19:7, 9; 34:21).
He that falleth away to the Chaldeans shall live, and his soul shall be to him for a spoil (Jer. 21:9).
I will give thy soul for a prey (Jer. 45:5).
Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a man to afflict his soul? (Isa. 58:5)
Reuben said to his brethren respecting Joseph, Let us not smite him in the soul (Gen. 37:21).
Soul for soul, eye for eye, tooth for tooth (Deut. 19:21).
Thou* shalt not take the mill or the millstone for a pledge, for he receiveth the soul for a pledge (Deut. 24:6).
Samson said, Let my soul die with the Philistines (Judg. 16:30).
Jezebel said to Elijah that tomorrow she would make his soul as the soul of one of them; and Elijah went away for his soul (1 Kings 19:2, 3).
Peter said, I will lay down my soul for Thee; Jesus answered, Wilt thou lay down thy soul for Me? Verily I say, the cock shall not crow till thou hast denied Me thrice (John 13:37, 38).
In these passages “soul” is used for the life of the body. Likewise the Lord said of the life of His body in the Gospels:
As the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give His soul a redemption for many (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45).
So elsewhere:
Behold I love thee, therefore I will give a man for thee; and peoples for thy soul (Isa. 43:4).
Jesus said, Greater love hath no one than this, that one lay down his soul for his friends (John 15:13).
Jesus said, I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd layeth down his soul for the sheep. I lay down My soul and I will take it again; no man taketh it away from Me, but I lay it down of Myself; I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again (John 10:11, 12, 15, 17, 18).
sRef Luke@9 @56 S5′ sRef Lam@5 @9 S5′ sRef Luke@2 @35 S5′ sRef Ps@35 @25 S5′ sRef Jer@31 @12 S5′ sRef Luke@1 @46 S5′ sRef John@12 @25 S5′ sRef Ps@69 @2 S5′ sRef Ps@27 @12 S5′ sRef Ps@105 @18 S5′ sRef Ps@24 @4 S5′ sRef Isa@38 @13 S5′ sRef Ps@33 @19 S5′ sRef Ps@78 @18 S5′ sRef Ezek@18 @20 S5′ sRef Matt@10 @39 S5′ sRef Matt@10 @28 S5′ sRef Ezek@18 @4 S5′ sRef Ps@69 @1 S5′ sRef Ps@35 @13 S5′ sRef Gen@2 @7 S5′ sRef Ps@103 @1 S5′ sRef Jer@18 @20 S5′ sRef Jonah@2 @5 S5′ sRef Ps@103 @22 S5′ sRef Jer@31 @25 S5′ sRef Ps@16 @10 S5′ sRef Ps@72 @14 S5′ sRef Ps@72 @13 S5′ sRef Matt@16 @25 S5′ sRef Matt@16 @26 S5′ sRef Ps@56 @13 S5′ sRef Luke@21 @19 S5′ sRef Ps@142 @7 S5′ sRef Ezek@13 @19 S5′ sRef Isa@19 @10 S5′ sRef Ezek@13 @18 S5′ sRef Isa@19 @9 S5′ sRef Matt@16 @24 S5′ sRef Ps@150 @6 S5′ [5] (3) That “soul” signifies the life of man’s spirit, which is called his spiritual life, is evident from the following passages. In the Gospels:
Jesus said, Fear not them that can kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 10:28; Luke 12:4, 5).
Whoever wisheth to find his soul shall lose it, and whoever would lose his soul for Jesus’ sake shall find it (Matt. 10:39; Luke 17:33).
He that loveth his soul shall lose it; but he that hateth his soul in this world shall keep it unto the life eternal (John 12:25).
Jesus said, Whosoever will come after Him,** let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Him. For he that will save his soul shall lose it, but he that would lose his soul for His sake shall find it. For what doth it profit a man if he should gain the whole world but should lose his soul? Or what*** shall a man give as a sufficient price for the redemption of his soul? (Matt. 16:24-26; Mark 8:35-37; Luke 9:24, 25)
Jesus said, I have come not to destroy souls but to save (Luke 9:56).
Mary said to Elizabeth, My soul doth magnify the Lord (Luke 1:46).
Simeon said unto Mary concerning the infant Jesus, And a sword shall also pierce through thine own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed (Luke 2:35).
Jesus said of the last times, In your patience possess ye your souls (Luke 21:19).
And elsewhere:
The foundations shall be broken, all that make gain from the pools of the soul (Isa. 19:9, 10).
We get our bread with the peril of our souls, because of the sword of the desert (Lam. 5:9).
They have digged**** a pit for my soul (Jer. 18:20).
Their soul shall be as a watered garden (Jer. 31:12).
I will water the wearied soul, and every soul that grieveth I will fill (Jer. 31:25).
Woe to them that sew pillows under all the joints of My hands, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls. Will ye hunt the souls of My people, that ye may make souls alive for yourselves? Thou hast profaned Me with My people, to slay the souls that should not die, and to make alive the souls that should not live (Ezek. 13:18, 19).
Behold all souls are Mine, as the soul of the father so the soul of the son, they are Mine; the soul that sinneth it shall die (Ezek. 18:4, 20).
I will go away for the bitterness of my soul (Isa. 38:15).
The waters compassed me about even to the soul (Jonah 2:5).
The waters came even unto the soul; I was sunk in the deep mire (Ps. 69:1, 2).
They afflicted my foot***** with a fetter, my soul came to the earth****** (Ps. 105:18).
Bring my soul out of prison (Ps. 142:7).
Thou hast delivered my soul from death (Ps. 56:13).
To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine (Ps. 33:19).
Deliver me not up to the soul of my adversaries (Ps. 27:12; 41:2).
I afflicted my soul with fasting; let them not say in their heart, Ah, for his soul (Ps. 35:13, 25).
Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell, nor wilt thou give thine Holy One to see corruption (Ps. 16:10).
The man who feareth Jehovah, him shall He teach in the way that He shall choose; his soul shall lodge in good (Ps. 25:12, 13).
The clean in hands and the pure in heart, who doth not lift up his soul unto vanity (Ps. 24:4).
He shall save the souls of the needy, He shall redeem their souls from deceit and violence (Ps. 72:13, 14).
Bless Jehovah, O my soul (Ps. 103:1, 22).
Let every soul praise Jah (Ps. 150:6).
They will ask food for their soul (Ps. 78:18).
Jehovah breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of lives, and man became a living soul (Gen. 2:7).
In these passages “soul” is used for the life of man’s spirit, which is called his spiritual life.
sRef Matt@22 @37 S6′ [6] (4) Since man has two faculties of life, namely, a faculty to understand and a faculty to will, and these two faculties constitute the spiritual life of man, it can be seen from certain passages cited above, as also from the following, that “soul” signifies that faculty that is called the life of man’s understanding. As in Moses:
Thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might (Deut. 6:5; 10:12; 11:13; 26:16).
And in the Gospels:
Jesus said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind (Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30, 33; Luke 10:27).
“To love Jehovah God with all the heart and all the soul” means with all the will and all the understanding, also with all the love and all the faith, for “heart” signifies the love and the will, and “soul” signifies the faith and the understanding. “Heart” signifies these two, the love and the will, because a man’s love is of his will; and “soul” signifies the two, namely, faith and understanding, because faith is of the understanding. This is the signification of “heart and soul” because the heart of man corresponds to the good of love that belongs to his will, and the soul [or breath] of the lungs corresponds to the truth of faith that belongs to man’s understanding. “With all the might and with all the mind” signifies above all things.
sRef Ezek@7 @19 S7′ [7] In Ezekiel:
Their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah’s anger; they shall not satisfy their soul, neither fill their bowels (Ezek. 7:19).
Here, too, “soul” stands for the understanding of truth, which is said “not to be satisfied” when there is no truth in the church, and “bowels” stand for the will of good, and are said “not to be filled” when there is no good in the church. Because “silver” from correspondence signifies truth, and in the contrary sense falsity, and “gold” signifies good, and in the contrary sense evil, it is said, “their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah’s anger;” “silver and gold” meaning what is not true and what is not good, and also what is false and evil, and “day of anger” meaning the day of judgment.
sRef Ps@25 @12 S8′ sRef Ps@25 @13 S8′ sRef Isa@10 @18 S8′ sRef Isa@10 @17 S8′ [8] In Isaiah:
The light of Israel shall be for a fire, and His Holy One for a flame, and it shall burn and consume the glory of his forest and of Carmel, it shall consume from the soul even to the flesh (Isa. 10:17, 18).
“The light of Israel,” and “His Holy One,” which shall be for a fire and a flame, mean the Lord in relation to the Last Judgment; “fire and flame” signify the destruction of those who are in the falsities of evil; “the glory of the forest and of Carmel that the fire and flame shall burn and consume” signifies the truth and the good of truth of the church, which shall be destroyed because they have been turned into falsities and the evils of falsity; “from the soul even to the flesh” signifies even from its understanding to its will, “soul” meaning the understanding of truth, and “flesh” the will of good.
sRef Isa@32 @6 S9′ [9] In the same:
The fool speaketh foolishness, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail (Isa. 32:6).
Here, again, the soul signifies the man in respect to the understanding of good and truth, “the soul of the hungry” the understanding of good, and “drink for the soul of the thirsty” the understanding of truth. That a man who is in the falsities of evil will endeavor to deprive a man who is in truth from good of that truth is signified by “the fool speaketh foolishness, to make empty the soul, and to cause it to fail.”
sRef Isa@29 @8 S10′ [10] In the same:
It shall be as when a hungry man dreameth as if he were eating, but when he awaketh his soul is empty; and when a thirsty man dreameth as if he were drinking, but when he awaketh behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite; so shall be the multitude of all nations that make war against Mount Zion (Isa. 29:8).
This is said of those who are in falsities from evil and yet think them to be truths from good; the falsities from evil combating against the goods of the church are signified by “the multitude of all nations that make war against Mount Zion;” “multitude” is predicated of truths, “nations” signify evils, and “Mount Zion” signifies the church in respect to the good of love. Believing evils to be good when they are the evils of falsity is signified by “It shall be as when a hungry man dreameth as if he were eating, but when he awaketh his soul is empty;” “a hungry man dreaming as if he were eating” signifies an erroneous opinion and belief about good; “to dream” signifying an erroneous opinion and belief, and “to be hungry and as if he were eating” signifying as it were a desire for good that will give nourishment; “but when he awaketh” signifies when it is discovered what good is; “his soul is empty” signifies that there is no understanding of good. Like things are said of truth, which are signified by “when a thirsty man dreameth as if he were drinking, but when he awaketh behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite;” “to be thirsty and as if drinking while he dreams” signifies an opinion and belief that it is true; “but when he awaketh behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite,” signifies that still it is not true but false; “soul” here signifying the belief in falsity from truth not being understood; for evil and falsity, like good and truth, pertain to faith and understanding when they are of the thought alone. For a man can think so as to understand and thus believe that evil is good, and that falsity is truth. Such are all those who are in the falsities of doctrine, and have faith merely in masters and books, and do not consider whether what they are taught is false and evil, believing it to be true and good because it can be confirmed, not knowing that falsity and evil can be confirmed just as well as truth and good.
sRef Isa@58 @10 S11′ [11] In the same:
If thou shalt draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul thy light shall arise in darkness, and thy thick darkness be as the noonday (Isa. 58:10).
“To draw out the soul to the hungry and to satisfy the afflicted soul” signifies to teach one who desires it what is good and what is true; “the hungry” signifies one who desires good, and “the afflicted” one who desires truth, and “to draw out the soul” signifies to teach good and truth, that is, from the understanding, doctrine and faith. That to those who are in ignorance and yet have a desire there shall be given an understanding of truth and good, is signified by “thy light shall arise in darkness and thy thick darkness be as the noonday;” “darkness” and “thick darkness” meaning ignorance of truth and good, and “light” and “noonday” meaning the understanding of good and truth.
sRef Lam@1 @11 S12′ sRef Lam@1 @19 S12′ sRef Lam@1 @16 S12′ [12] In Lamentations:
All the people groan, they seek bread, they have given their desirable things for food, to restore the soul. The comforter who restoreth my soul is far from me; my sons are made waste because the enemy hath prevailed. My priests and my elders have expired in the city, for they sought food for themselves with which to restore their soul (Lam. 1:11, 16, 19).
This is said of a church in which there is no longer any truth and good of doctrine, consequently the men of the church who desire these lack them; the lack of good and truth in doctrine, and the desire for them to nourish the life of faith and of the understanding is signified by “all the people groan, they seek bread, they have given their desirable things for food to restore the soul;” lack is signified by their “groaning;” desire for good by “seeking bread;” desire for truth by “giving their desirable things for food;” and the nourishment of the faith and understanding by “restoring their soul;” that there is no nourishment of faith and understanding because there are no longer any truths on account of the evils of life is signified by “the comforter who restoreth my soul is far from me, my sons are made waste because the enemy hath prevailed,” “sons made waste” signifying that there are no longer any truths, and “the enemy that hath prevailed” signifying evil from hell, thus the evil of life. That there are no longer any that teach good and truth is signified by “my priests and my elders have expired in the city;” “priests” signifying those who teach good, and “elders” those who teach truths, and “city” doctrine, and “to expire” that these no longer exist. That they have no spiritual nourishment is signified by “for they sought food for themselves with which to restore their soul.”
sRef Lam@2 @12 S13′ [13] In Lamentations:
They say to their mothers, Where is the corn and the wine? when they faint as one pierced in the broad ways of the city, when their soul is poured out upon their mother’s bosom (Lam. 2:12).
This has a similar signification as the preceding passage, namely, that the church is so desolated by the lack of good and truth in doctrine that spiritual life in it faints and perishes. “Mothers” signify the truths of the church; they say to them, “Where is the corn and the wine” signifies where is now the good of doctrine and its truth? “Their soul is poured out upon their mother’s bosom” signifies the fainting and perishing of spiritual life because of the desolation from lack of truths. Because the “soul” means the life of faith and of the understanding of good and truth, which is the spiritual life of man, it is said “they faint as one pierced in the broad ways of the city;” “one pierced” signifying one who perishes by falsities, and “the broad ways of the city,” truth of doctrine.
sRef Jonah@2 @7 S14′ sRef Ps@31 @9 S14′ sRef Ps@44 @25 S14′ [14] In Jonah:
When my soul fainted upon me (Jon. 2:7).
This treats of temptations; and that “his soul fainted upon him” signifies that the truth fainted (or ceased) in the faith and understanding. In David:
Mine eye wasteth away with vexation, and my belly (Ps. 31:9).
In the same:
My******* soul is bowed down to the dust, our belly cleaveth to the earth (Ps. 44:25).
This also describes the state of temptations. The “eye” signifies the understanding, the “soul” the belief in truth and the understanding of truth, and the “belly” the belief in good and the understanding of good. This is the signification of “belly” because the belly receives food, and “food” and “bread” signify good that nourishes, here the understanding and faith. The lack of these in temptation is signified by “wasting away with vexation,” and “bowing down to the dust,” and “cleaving to the earth.”
sRef Num@11 @6 S15′ [15] In Moses:
They said, Now is our soul dried up, there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes (Num. 11:6).
Because “manna” signifies spiritual nourishment, and it is the faith and understanding, or the intelligence of man, that is spiritually nourished, and because the sons of Israel had no natural nourishment, which yet they desired, so they said, “Our soul is dried up, there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes;” “the soul dried up” signifies the life of faith and of the understanding failing when there was not at the same time any natural nourishment; “there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes” signifies that there was nothing except spiritual nourishment; and because they loathed this, the flesh of quails, or selav, was given to them, and the flesh of these signifies natural nourishment.
sRef Matt@6 @25 S16′ [16] In the first book of Samuel:
Hannah said unto Eli, I have poured out my soul before Jehovah (1 Sam. 1:15).
“To pour out the soul before Jehovah” signifies to declare the thoughts of her mind and heart. In the Gospels:
Be ye not anxious for your soul what ye shall eat and what ye shall drink, nor for your body what ye shall put on; is not the soul more than nourishment, and the body more than the raiment? (Matt. 6:25; Luke 12:22, 23)
Although this is said of the life of the body, still it signifies such things as pertain to the life of the spirit, for all things of the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural, contain within them an internal sense which is spiritual; in this sense “to eat,” “to drink,” and “food” signify spiritual nourishment, which is the nourishment of faith together with the nourishment of the understanding, from which comes intelligence in spiritual things; therefore it is said, “Be not ye anxious for your soul what ye shall eat and what ye shall drink; is not the soul more than nourishment?” “To eat” means to perceive good intellectually and thus spiritually; “to drink” means to perceive truth intellectually and thus spiritually; and “nourishment” means good and truth from which is nutrition. “To clothe the body” and “raiment” signify truth investing the good of love and of the will; “raiment” signifies such truth, and the “body” the good of love which is the good of the will.
sRef Ps@57 @4 S17′ sRef Gen@23 @8 S17′ [17] In David:
My soul, I lie in the midst of lions, the sons of man are set on fire (Ps. 57:4).
Here, too, “the soul” signifies spiritual life, which is the life of faith, and thus the life of the understanding, for the understanding is formed from truths and consists of them, the same as faith. As this is the signification of “the soul,” and the vastation of truth is here treated of, it is said, “I lie in the midst of lions;” “lions” signifying the falsities that destroy the truths of the church; also it is said, “the sons of man are set on fire;” “sons of man” signifying the truths of doctrine and of the church, and when these are taken possession of by corporeal love, and thereby perish, they are said “to be set on fire.” In Moses:
Abraham spake with the sons of Heth, If it be with your soul that I bury my dead (Gen. 23:8).
“Soul” here signifies thought from truth. (But these words are explained in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 2930.)
sRef Rev@18 @13 S18′ sRef Jer@4 @30 S18′ sRef Ezek@27 @13 S18′ [18] In Jeremiah:
Thy lovers will abhor thee, they will seek thy soul (Jer. 4:30).
“Lovers” mean those who are in the love of evil; “to seek the soul” signifies to wish to destroy the belief in truth and the understanding of truth by the falsities of evil. In Ezekiel:
Javan and Tubal traded with the soul of man and vessels of brass (Ezek. 27:13).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good; “to trade” signifies the acquisition and communication of these; “Javan and Tubal” signify external representative worship; and “the soul of man” signifies the knowledge [scientia] of truth in the natural man, and “the vessels of brass” the knowledge of good in the natural man. The knowledge [scientia] of natural truth is signified also by “the souls of men” in Revelation 18:13; “the souls of men” mean properly slaves or servants, which also signify in the spiritual sense the true knowledges [vera scientifica] of the natural man that are serviceable to the spiritual.
sRef Jer@32 @41 S19′ [19] (5) Since the life of faith and also the life of man’s understanding is from Divine truth, therefore Divine truth also is signified by “soul;” as can be seen from the following passages. In Jeremiah:
I will plant them in this land in verity, with My whole heart and with My whole soul (Jer. 32:41).
As there are two things that proceed from the Lord, Divine good and Divine truth, and as these, when received by the angels of heaven and the men of the church, constitute the heavenly life with them, so it is clear what is signified by “planting them with the whole heart and with the whole soul,” namely, in His Divine good and in His Divine truth, for the “heart” signifies the Divine good of the Divine love, and the “soul” Divine truth.
sRef Ps@11 @5 S20′ [20] In the same:
Jehovah hath sworn by His soul (Jer. 51:14; Amos 6:8).
Jehovah is said “to swear by His soul” when He confirms by His Divine truth, for “to swear” signifies to confirm, and “the soul of Jehovah” Divine truth. In David:
Jehovah proveth the righteous; the wicked and him that loveth violence His soul hateth (Ps. 11:5).
Here, also, “the soul of Jehovah” signifies Divine truth, for “the violent” in the Word signifies one who offers violence to Divine truth; and because this is done by the falsities of evil this is signified by the “wicked and him that loveth violence.”
sRef Isa@42 @1 S21′ sRef Jer@15 @1 S21′ [21] In Isaiah:
My chosen in whom My soul is well pleased, I have given My spirit upon Him (Isa. 42:1).
This is said of the Lord, who is meant by “the chosen of Jehovah;” and as “the spirit of Jehovah” that was given upon Him signifies the Divine proceeding, so “the soul of Jehovah” that was well pleased in Him signifies Divine truth; for the Lord was in that Divine in respect to His Human in the world. In Jeremiah:
Jehovah said, Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My soul would not be towards this people (Jer. 15:1).
“Moses and Samuel” in the representative sense signify the Word; and as the Word is Divine truth, and “people” mean here the sons of Israel, who had no Divine truth that was not falsified and adulterated, it is said, “My soul would not be towards this people.”
sRef Jer@6 @8 S22′ sRef Jer@5 @9 S22′ sRef Jer@5 @29 S22′ [22] In the same:
Shall not My soul take vengeance? (Jer. 5:9, 29)
Here, again, “the soul of Jehovah” means Divine truth; when by this the Lord executes judgment it is said that “His soul takes vengeance.” “The Son of man who is to execute judgment” has a similar signification; “the Son of man” meaning the Lord in relation to Divine truth. In the same:
Receive chastisement, O Jerusalem, lest my soul be torn away from thee, and I reduce thee to wasteness (Jer. 6:8).
“Jerusalem” signifies the church in respect to doctrine; “to receive chastisement” signifies to receive discipline; “lest my soul be torn away from thee” signifies lest Divine truth depart from them; and “to reduce to wasteness” signifies lest the church be desolated in respect to all truth.
sRef Isa@42 @5 S23′ [23] In Isaiah:
Jehovah that giveth soul to the people upon the earth, and spirit to them that walk therein (Isa. 42:5).
“The soul that Jehovah gives to the people upon the earth” signifies Divine truth from the Lord to those who will be of His church; “the spirit that Jehovah will give to them that walk upon the earth” signifies life according to Divine truth; “to walk” signifying to live.
sRef Lev@17 @14 S24′ [24] (6) Since “soul,” in reference to the Lord, signifies Divine truth, so it signifies spiritual life from truth. In Moses:
The soul of all flesh is the blood (Lev. 17:14).
As the ultimate life of man, which is the life of his body, consists in the blood, it is said that “the soul of all flesh,” that is, the life thereof, “is its blood;” but as there is a spiritual sense in every least particular of the Word, and in that sense “blood” signifies the truth of doctrine from the Word, therefore this too is signified by “the soul of flesh.” That “blood” signifies the truth of doctrine from the Word, which is Divine truth, may be seen above (n. 328, 329, 476). Because this is the signification of blood, the sons of Israel were forbidden to eat blood; therefore the blood of the burnt-offerings and sacrifices was sprinkled about the altar, and by the blood sanctifications and also consecrations were effected; so likewise the covenant of the God of Israel, that is, of the Lord, with the people was entered into by blood; and furthermore, the Lord has entered into a new covenant with the church of this day. This is why the blood of the Lord is called “the blood of the covenant,” that is, of conjunction with the Lord; and it is so called because it is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord that conjoins. From this it is clear why blood is called “soul.”
sRef Gen@9 @4 S25′ sRef Lev@17 @10 S25′ sRef Lev@17 @11 S25′ sRef Gen@9 @3 S25′ [25] It was because of this signification of blood that from the most ancient time it was forbidden to eat blood, as can be seen in Moses:
Every creeping thing that liveth shall be for food to you, but the flesh with the soul thereof, the blood thereof, ye shall not eat (Gen. 9:3, 4).
Here, too, it is said that “the blood is the soul of the flesh;” and it was forbidden to eat it because eating blood signified the profanation of truth. In the same:
Whosoever shall eat any blood, I will set My faces against the soul that eateth blood that I may cut it off from the midst of his people; for the soul of the flesh is in the blood; therefore I have given it upon the altar to expiate for your souls, for it is the blood itself that expiateth for the soul (Lev. 17:10, 11).
Because “soul,” like “blood,” signifies truth from the Word, which is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and because all worship of the Lord is performed by means of Divine truth, it is said, “for the soul of the flesh is in the blood, therefore I have given it upon the altar,” “to give the blood upon the altar” signifying worship from Divine truth. And as all deliverance from evils and falsities, which is expiation, is effected by Divine truth and by a life according to it, it is said, “to expiate your souls, for it is the blood itself that expiateth for the soul.”
sRef Gen@9 @7 S26′ [26] In the same:
Surely the blood of your souls will I require, at the hand of every wild beast will I require it, especially at the hand of man, at the hand of man his brother will I require the soul of man (Gen. 9:5).
Here “blood” and also “soul” mean the spiritual life of man, which is a life according to Divine truth, as can be seen from this, that whoever extinguishes that life perishes in eternal death, for that life is not extinguished but by one who is in infernal evil and falsity. (But this may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia.)
sRef Gen@1 @21 S27′ sRef Gen@1 @20 S27′ sRef Rev@16 @3 S27′ sRef Ezek@47 @9 S27′ sRef Gen@2 @19 S27′ sRef Gen@1 @24 S27′ [27] (7) That “living soul” signifies life in general can be seen from passages where beasts, birds, creeping things, and fishes, are called “living souls.” As in the following:
God said, Let the waters bring forth the creeping thing, the living soul. God created great whales, and every living soul that creepeth which the waters brought forth (Gen. 1:20, 21).
God said, Let the earth bring forth the living soul according to its kind, beast and wild beast (Gen. 1:24).
Jehovah brought unto the man every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens, to see what he would call it; and whatsoever the man called it, the living soul, that was its name (Gen. 2:19).
Every living soul that swimmeth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live; whence there is much fish (Ezek. 47:9)
Every living soul died in the sea (Rev. 16:3).
In the spiritual sense all animals signify the things belonging to the natural man, and its life; and as the life of the natural man, which is life in ultimates, signifies life in the whole complex, so they are called “living souls.”
[28] From this it can now be seen what “soul” signifies in the Word, namely, the life of man both natural and spiritual, thus the life both of his body and of his spirit. This also makes evident how perverted is the idea of the soul of man that is entertained, first by the learned, and from them by the common people, namely, that it is a sort of indivisible entity, having its seat in some part of the body, either in the brain or in the heart, or elsewhere; and that when it is loosed from man by death it is without a body and without such sensory and motor parts as belong to a body, but that these will be added to it at the day of the Last Judgment; also that in the meantime it is a something flitting in the ether, or is abiding in a somewhere, awaiting its additional part, which is the body. Such is now the world’s idea of the soul of man; although in the Word “soul” has no such meaning, but means instead the life of man, which has no existence separate from the body, but only in the body; for the body is the external form of that life that is called the soul, giving effect to its will and pleasure in both worlds, the natural in which men live and the spiritual in which spirits and angels live. And as the Divine proceeding from the Lord constitutes the life of all, therefore that life is signified by “soul” in the celestial sense. Because the Divine proceeding, wherever it comes, forms an image of the Lord, thus it so forms angels and spirits that they may be human forms according to reception; thence it now follows that the soul that lives after death must mean the spirit of man, which is a man with both a soul and a body, a soul that rules over the body, and a body by which the soul effects its will in the world in which it is.
* The Hebrew has “he,” as found in AC 4335, 10303.
** The Greek has “Me.”
*** The Latin has “which.”
**** The Latin has “foverunt” for “foderunt.”
***** The Hebrew has “his foot,” as also found in AC 448.
****** The Hebrew has “into the Iron,” as also found in AE 448.
******* The Hebrew has “our,” as also found in AE 622.

sRef Rev@12 @12 S0′ 751. Verse 12. For this rejoice, ye heavens and ye that dwell in them, signifies the salvation and consequent joy of those who become spiritual by the reception of Divine truth. This is evident from the signification of “rejoicing,” as being joy on account of salvation; also from the signification of “heavens,” as being those who are spiritual (of which presently); also from the signification of “ye that dwell,” as being those who live, here spiritually. (That “to dwell” signifies to live, see above, n. 133, 479, 662.) “The heavens” signify those who are spiritual, because all who are in the heavens are spiritual; and because men who have become spiritual are likewise in the heavens, although in respect to the body they are in the world, so “ye that dwell in the heavens” means not only angels, but also men. For every man with whom the interior mind, which is called the spiritual mind, has been opened, is in the heavens, yea, sometimes he even appears among the angels in the heavens. That this is so has not been known heretofore in the world; let it be known, therefore, that man in respect to his spirit is among spirits and angels, and even in that society of them into which he is to come after death. This is because the spiritual mind of man is formed wholly to the image of heaven, even so that it is a heaven in least form; consequently that mind, although it is still in the body, must nevertheless be where its form is. But this has been more fully illustrated in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 51-58), where it is shown that every angel and also every man, in respect to his interiors, if he be spiritual is a heaven in least form, corresponding to heaven in its greatest form. For this reason, where the Word treats of the creation of heaven and earth the church internal and external is meant in general, as also in particular the internal and external man, or the spiritual and natural man. From this it can be seen that “the heavens and those that dwell in them” signify all who are there, also men who are becoming spiritual by the reception of Divine truth in doctrine and life.

sRef Rev@12 @12 S0′ 752. Woe to those that inhabit the earth and the sea, signifies lamentation over those who become merely natural and sensual. This is evident from the signification of “woe,” as being lamentation (of which above, n. 531); also from the signification of “those that inhabit the earth and the sea,” as being the merely natural and sensual; for as “those that dwell in the heavens” signify the spiritual, so “those that inhabit the earth and the sea” signify the natural and sensual, for the natural and sensual mind is beneath the spiritual mind, as the earth and sea are beneath the heavens. So also in the spiritual world the heavens appear on high, and far beneath them appear lands and seas; and the spiritual dwell in the heavens, while the natural dwell upon the earths far beneath them, and the sensual in the seas. For everyone has his dwelling place on high or in the deep, as his interiors, which are called interiors of the mind, are opened or closed. For this reason “heaven and earth” in certain passages in the Word signify the church internal and external, or spiritual or natural; also in particular the spiritual and the natural man, since the church is in man, and thence the man who is spiritual is a church. Here “the earth and the sea” signify the merely natural and sensual, because the earth here means the earth into which the dragon was cast out, and unto which the devil came down, as is next said. That is where the merely natural or external man is, since the natural man without the spiritual, or the external man without the internal, is upon the land that is condemned, under which is hell. For man is born sensual and natural, that is, as if in hell, because into evils of every kind; but by regeneration he becomes spiritual, and by it he is drawn out of hell and raised up into heaven by the Lord. This is why this lamentation is over those who are merely natural and sensual. There is lamentation over them because those are meant who are in faith separated from charity, that is, who say that they have faith and yet have no life of faith; and that such become merely natural and sensual has been shown above (n. 714, 739); such also are meant by “the dragon and his angels” and by “the old serpent,” but here those are meant who permit themselves to be easily led astray by the dragon and his angels. It is of such, therefore, that it is said, “Woe to those that inhabit the earth and the sea.” (That “heaven and earth” signify the internal church, which is spiritual, and the external church, which is natural, may be seen above, n. 304. That “the earth” also signifies damnation, n. 742. That “seas” signify the most external things of man’s life, which are called sensual, n. 275, 342, 511; that they also signify the hells, n. 537, 538).

sRef Rev@12 @12 S0′ 753. For the devil is come down unto you, signifies because they receive evils from hell. This is evident from the signification of “devil,” as being the hell from which come evils (of which above, n. 740); also from the signification of “coming down unto them,” as being, in reference to the devil, to be among them, to lead them astray, and to be received by them. Those unto whom the devil came down mean “those that inhabit the earth and the sea,” and these signify the merely natural and sensual who have become such because they have rejected the life of faith, which is called charity; and those who reject this from religion, and who believe and say in their heart that what they do contributes nothing to salvation, but faith alone and piety in worship are what save, such continue natural, and even become sensual so far as they reject goods in act or deeds, and give themselves up to the pleasures that spring from the loves of self and of the world. Because such continue natural and even become sensual, they receive with delight the evils that rise up out of hell; for the natural man is in those evils from birth, and unless he becomes also spiritual he continues in them; for when man becomes spiritual he has communion with the heavens, and receives goods therefrom, and goods received from the Lord through heaven remove evils, which is effected solely by means of a life according to the commandments from the Word.

sRef Rev@12 @12 S0′ 754. Having great anger, signifies hatred against spiritual truths and goods, which are of faith and life from the Word, consequently against those who are in them. This is evident from the signification of “great anger,” as being, in reference to the devil, hatred. For in reference to the Lord “anger” signifies zeal, which however has heaven within it; but in reference to the devil it means hatred, which has hell within it. That these and many other things are signified by “anger” and “wrath” may be seen above (n. 413, 481 at the end, 647, 693). The devil’s hatred is against spiritual truths and goods, because merely natural truths and goods are the direct opposites of these, for merely natural truths and goods are in their essence falsities and evils, although to those who are merely natural and sensual they appear to be truths and goods; because their goods are pleasures and delights flowing from the loves of self and the world, and their truths are whatever favor those goods; consequently as the loves of self and of the world are from hell, these goods and truths are in their essence evils and falsities. But spiritual truths and goods are in their essence truths and goods, because these goods are delights flowing from love to the Lord and from love towards the neighbor, and spiritual truths are what teach these goods; and these truths and goods are called spiritual because they are from the Lord through heaven, since everything that proceeds from the Lord is called spiritual. And since these truths and goods cannot be received by man unless he believes them and does them, it is added, which are of faith and life from the Word. To live from the Word is to live from the Lord, for the Lord is in the Word, yea, He is the Word.
[2] Now as merely natural truths and goods, which in their essence are falsities and evils, are altogether opposite to spiritual truths and goods, which in their essence are truths and goods, therefore the devil, by whom is meant hell, is in unceasing hatred against them. This is why hatreds of various kinds are unceasingly ascending from the hells; while on the other hand, spiritual loves also of various kinds descend from the heavens, and between the hatreds of the hells and the loves of the heavens there is an equilibrium, in which the men in the world are held, in order that they may be able to act from freedom according to reason. Consequently those who do not live from the Word but from the world, since they continue natural, receive evils and the falsities thence from hell, and conceive from them hatred against spiritual truths and goods. Their hatred does not appear in the world, because it lies concealed inwardly in their spirit; but it becomes manifest after death, when they become spirits. Then they burn against those who are in spiritual truths and goods with a hatred so great that it cannot be described; it is indeed a deadly hatred; for as soon as they see an angel who is in these truths and goods, or if they merely hear the Lord named, from whom these truths and goods are, they instantly come into a fury of hatred, and feel nothing more delightful than to pursue them and to do evil to them. And as they are unable to slay their body they endeavor with a burning heart to slay their soul.
[3] It is said, “Woe to those that inhabit the earth and the sea, for the devil is come down unto you having great anger,” because after the Last Judgment the state of the spiritual world was altogether changed. Before the Last Judgment those who were able to live a civil and moral life in externals, although they were not spiritual, were permitted to form for themselves seeming heavens, and to enjoy there pleasures like those in the world; but after the Last Judgment was accomplished this is no longer permitted, for now everyone according to his life is carried off, he who is merely natural to hell and he who is spiritual to heaven. This also is the meaning of the words, “the dragon and his angels were cast out of heaven into the earth,” namely, that before this it was granted them to have conjunction with the angels who were in the lowest heavens, and because of this to form for themselves such heavens; but now this is no longer permitted. This, then, is what is meant particularly by the hatred against those who are in spiritual truths and goods, which hatred is signified by the “great anger” that the devil has against “those that inhabit the earth and the sea.”

sRef Rev@12 @12 S0′ 755. Knowing that he hath a short time, signifies because the state is changed. This is evident from the signification of “time,” as being the proceeding state of life (of which above, n. 571, 610, 664, 673); therefore “he hath a short time” signifies that the former state has been changed; for the former state is described by the words “the dragon and his angels were seen in heaven,” while the latter state is described by “they were cast out into the earth” after the battle with Michael and his angels; what is the quality of this state has been briefly told in the preceding article, but a fuller description of this state shall be given after the conclusion of this work.

sRef Rev@12 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @13 S0′ 756. Verses 13-14. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the woman that brought forth the male. And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness into her place, where she is nourished a time and times and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 13. “And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth,” signifies when the religion of faith alone separated from the life of charity was not acknowledged, but was accounted as vile (n. 757); “he persecuted the woman that brought forth the male,” signifies that those who are meant by “the dragon” would from hatred and enmity reject and revile the church which is the New Jerusalem, because it has the doctrine of life (n. 758). 14. “And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle,” signifies the spiritual intelligence and circumspection which the Lord gives to those who are of that church (n. 759); “that she might fly into the wilderness into her place,” signifies as yet among a few, because it is among those who are not in the life of charity, and thence not in truths (n. 760); “where she is nourished a time and times and half a time from the face of the serpent,” signifies until the church grows and comes to its fullness (n. 761).

sRef Rev@12 @13 S0′ 757. Verse 13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, signifies when the religion of faith alone separated from the life of charity was not acknowledged but was accounted as vile. This is evident from the signification of “seeing,” as being to consider and to perceive; also from the signification of “the dragon,” as being those in the church who make no account of the life; and as this is especially done by those who have the doctrine that faith alone is what justifies, and not at all a life of faith, which is charity (of which above, n. 714, 715, 716, 718, 737), therefore “the dragon” here signifies the religion of faith alone separated from the life of charity. Also from the signification of “cast unto the earth,” as being that he was separated from heaven and condemned to hell (of which see above, n. 739, 742, 746). “To be cast unto the earth” here signifies that that religion was not acknowledged, but was accounted as vile, because whenever anything of religion or doctrine is not in accord with truth and good it is separated from heaven, and is no longer acknowledged, but is accounted as vile. This takes place first in the spiritual world, and afterward in the natural world; for in things pertaining to heaven and the church both worlds act as one; since a man who is living in the natural world can think about spiritual things no otherwise than the spirits and angels that are with him think, because spiritual things are above man’s natural thought, and the things that are above are dependent on influx; yet this influx is received only by those who are inwardly spiritual, that is, who are in the affection of truth for the sake of truth, and who are living according to truths. By such the religion of faith separated from the life of charity is not acknowledged, but is accounted as vile. It is otherwise with those who have no affection for truths except for the sake of fame, honor, and gain, consequently who make no account of the life of charity. These receive no influx out of heaven, therefore they make one with hell. These are signified by “the dragon.”

sRef Rev@12 @13 S0′ 758. He persecuted the woman that brought forth the male, signifies that those who are meant by “the dragon” would from hatred and enmity reject and revile the church which is the New Jerusalem, because it has the doctrine of life. This is evident from the signification of “persecuting,” as being, in reference to those who are meant by “the dragon,” to reject and revile from hatred and enmity (of which presently); also from the signification of “the woman,” as being the church that is called the New Jerusalem (of which above, n. 707, 721, 730); also from the signification of “the male,” as being the doctrine of that church, which is the doctrine of life (see above, n. 724, 725). From this it is clear that “the dragon persecuting the woman that brought forth the male” signifies that those who are meant by the dragon will from hatred and enmity reject and revile the church which is the New Jerusalem, because it has the doctrine of life. That “to persecute” signifies here to reject and revile from hatred and enmity follows from what precedes, that “the dragon stood near the woman who was about to bring forth, that he might devour her offspring,” and that “he fought with Michael and his angels,” and that when he was cast unto the earth “he had great anger,” and that from this anger, which signifies hatred, “he persecuted the woman;” that his “anger” signifies hatred see above (n. 754). His hatred is further described in what follows by the words, “he cast out after the woman out of his mouth water as a river, that it might swallow her up;” and at last, when he had tried all in vain, “he was wroth, and went away to make war with the remnant of her seed.”
[2] Those who are meant by “the dragon” have such hatred against those who are meant by “the woman,” because those who are in faith separated from charity have such hatred against those who are in charity, and as those who are in separated faith have conjunction with the hells, their hatred is like that of the hells against the heavens. The source of this hatred shall also be briefly explained. All who are in the hells are in the loves of self and the world, but all who are in the heavens are in love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, and these loves are direct opposites. Those who are in the loves of self and of the world love nothing but what is their own [proprium], and what is man’s own is nothing but evil; but those who are in love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor do not love what is their own, for they love the Lord above self, and the neighbor beyond self. Moreover, they are withheld from what is their own, and are held in the Lord’s own [proprium], which is the Divine. Furthermore, all the delights of life are delights of loves; the delights of the loves of self and of the world are the delights of various kinds of hatred, but the delights of love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor are the delights of various kinds of charity, and the former are the direct opposites of the latter; and as those who are in the hells act in all their activities from the delights of their loves, which, as has been said, are the delights of various kinds of hatred, it is evident why the dragon has such hatred against the woman; for “the dragon” means those who are in the love of self; and this is why he is called “the great red dragon,” “great red” signifying that love. He is also called “the devil” and “Satan,” “the devil” meaning every evil that is from hell, and “Satan” every falsity therefrom, and evil is in hatred against good, and falsity is in hatred against truth. He is also called “the old serpent,” which means the sensual, which is the ultimate of man’s life, and in that sensual all such hatred has its seat. Those who are in faith separated from charity have a like hatred against those who are in charity; which hatred is not manifested in this world, but in the spiritual world when they become spirits. That this is a deadly hatred, and that it is the very delight of the life of evil spirits, may be seen above (n. 754); but that such delight is turned into what is direfully infernal may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 485-490).

sRef Rev@12 @14 S0′ 759. [Verse 14.] And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, signifies spiritual intelligence and circumspection which the Lord gives to those who are of that church. This is evident from the signification of “the woman,” as being the church that is called the New Jerusalem (treated of above), consequently the men of that church; also from the signification of “wings,” as being things spiritual (of which above, n. 282, 283, 529); also from the signification of an “eagle,” as being intelligence and circumspection (of which above, n. 282). From this it follows that “there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle” signifies the spiritual intelligence and circumspection that the Lord gives to those who are of that church.
[2] What this means shall now be told. As all who are meant by “the dragon and his angels” are natural, yea, sensual, as has been shown above, and as such reason from appearances, which for the most part are fallacies, and thereby lead astray the simple, therefore it is granted to the men of the New Church that is called the Holy Jerusalem to behold the Divine truths that are in the Word, not sensually, that is, according to appearances, but spiritually, that is, according to their essences; for this reason the internal sense of the Word, which is spiritual and is solely for those who will be of that church, has been disclosed. From that sense Divine truth is seen such as it is in its own spiritual light, and from that light such as it is in its own natural light. Divine truth is the Word, and those who are of that church are enlightened by the spiritual light of the Word by influx from the Lord out of heaven, for the reason that they acknowledge the Divine in the Lord’s Human, and are in the spiritual affection of truth from Him. They and no others receive spiritual light, which is continually flowing in from the Lord through heaven with all who read the Word. From this they have enlightenment.
[3] How enlightenment is effected shall also be told. Every man in respect to his thoughts and affections is in the spiritual world, consequently he is there in respect to his spirit, for it is the spirit of man that thinks and that is affected. The man who becomes spiritual by being regenerated by the Lord is in respect to his spirit in a heavenly society, while the natural man, that is, one who is not regenerated, is in respect to his spirit in an infernal society; with the latter evils flow in continually from hell, and are also received with delight; but with the former goods flow in continually from heaven, and are also received; and as goods flow into his affection, and through the affection into his thought, from that he has enlightenment. This enlightenment is what is meant by the spiritual intelligence and circumspection that are signified by “the wings of an eagle” given to the woman, with which she flew into the wilderness. The spiritual also are comparatively like eagles flying on high; while those who are merely natural are comparatively like serpents who creep on the ground, and see the eagles above them. For this reason the dragon is called a “serpent” in the next verse.
[4] Furthermore, “the wings of an eagle” that were given to the woman signify the understanding of truth; for all who are of that church have the understanding enlightened and from this they are able to see truth from the light of truth, that is, whether a thing be true or not true. Because they see truth in this way they acknowledge it, and receive it with the affection which is of the will. By this the truths they have are made spiritual; and in consequence the spiritual mind, which is above the natural mind, is opened with them; and when this is opened it receives angelic sight, which is the sight of truth itself from its own light. On the other hand, those who are not of that church, who are they who do not acknowledge the Divine in the Lord’s Human, and who do not love truth because it is truth, that is, spiritually, cannot have the understanding so enlightened as to be able to see whether a thing be true or not; but they see appearances of truth as genuine truths, and confirm them as genuine truths from the sense of the letter of the Word; and yet most things in that sense of the Word are appearances of truth; and if these are confirmed as genuine truths they are falsified, and falsified truths are falsities. Because they are unable to see truths from the light of truth, and thus apprehend them in the understanding, they are in an obscure, yea, in a blind faith about what is to be believed; and a blind faith is like an eye that sees little or nothing. Yea a blind faith is not faith, but only a persuasion; and as such a persuasion is from another, either from some master or preacher, or from the Word not understood, it is a historical faith, which is natural and not spiritual. Because such persons do not see truths they also say and wish that the doctrinals of the church should not be approached or regarded with any understanding, but that they should be received with that obedience that is called the obedience of faith; and whether the things that are received with a blind obedience are true or false is not known.
[5] Such things cannot open the way to heaven, for in heaven nothing is acknowledged as truth except what is seen, that is, understood. Moreover, the light of heaven is such that by it truths appear before the understanding of the mind, as objects in the world appear before the sight of the eye; consequently when those in the world who have seen truths only from a blind sight of faith are conveyed into heaven to the angels, they see nothing at all, not even the angels there, much less the magnificent things they have. Then their understanding also becomes stupefied and their eyes are darkened and thus they withdraw. It is to be known that this is true of all such as have separated charity from faith; but all those who have not separated them, but have lived the life of faith which is called charity, have a desire to see truths; consequently when they come into the spiritual world, which takes place at death, it is granted them to see truths, and this for the reason that they have their spiritual mind opened, and are therefore in the light of heaven, into which they are actually admitted, after their departure from the natural world. From this it can be seen what is signified by “the wings of an eagle,” namely, the understanding of truth; and as “the woman” means the New Jerusalem, therefore the wings being given to her signifies that the understanding of truth was given, and will be given, to those who will be of that church.

sRef Rev@12 @14 S0′ 760. That she might fly into the wilderness into her place, signifies as yet among a few, because it is among those who are not in the life of charity, that in the meantime provision may be made for the church among many. This is evident from the explanations above (n. 730, 731), where like things are said, only with the difference that there the woman is said “to have fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared by God,” but here, that “she might fly into the wilderness into her place.”

sRef Rev@12 @14 S0′ sRef Dan@12 @7 S0′ 761. Where she is nourished a time and times and half a time, from the face of the serpent, signifies until the church grows and comes to its fullness. This is evident from the signification of “to be nourished,” as being to be sustained, and in the meantime to grow; from the signification of “a time and times and half a time,” as being a state of increase of the church, even to its fullness, for this has a similar signification as “a thousand two hundred and sixty days,” in the sixth verse above, for it is there, too, said of the woman that “she fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared by God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and sixty days.” That this number has a similar signification as the number “three and a half,” as also the number “seven,” namely, until it grows to its full, may be seen above (n. 732). But here it is said “a time, times, and half a time,” because the above named numbers in their places also signify times, and “times” signify the states of life in their progress (as may be seen above, n. 571, 610, 664, 673, 747), so here, their progress and growth even to fullness. It is said “a time, times, and half a time,” because “time” in the singular signifies a state of good, “times” in the plural a state of truth, both in respect to their implantation, and “half a time” signifies a holy state of the church. They have this signification because a thing in the singular involves good, in the plural truths, and a “half” holiness; a “half” involves holiness because “three,” likewise “three and a half” and “seven,” signify fullness, but “seven” signifies fullness when things holy are treated of, and the half after the three fills out or constitutes the number seven, for three and a half doubled makes seven, and a number doubled or multiplied has a similar signification as the number that is doubled or multiplied, as seven has a similar signification here as three and a half. That “seven” signifies fullness and the whole, and is predicated of things holy, may be seen above (n. 20, 24, 257). That “a time, times, and half a time,” have this signification can be seen from these words in Daniel:
A man clothed in linen held up his right hand and his left hand unto the heavens, and sware by Him that liveth forever that it shall be for a fixed time of fixed times and a half; and when they shall make an end of scattering the hand of the people of holiness all these things shall be consummated (Dan. 12:7).
From this it is clear that these times signify a consummation, for it is said “until all these things shall be consummated,” and consummation means fulfillment, thus even to fullness.

sRef Rev@12 @15 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @16 S0′ 762. Verses 15-16. And the serpent cast out after the woman out of his mouth water as a river, that he might cause her to be swallowed up by the river. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 15. “And the serpent cast out after the woman out of his mouth water as a river,” signifies crafty reasonings in abundance respecting justification by faith alone by those who think sensually and not spiritually (n. 763); “that he might cause her to be swallowed up by the river,” signifies that that church might be blinded and scattered by reasonings (n. 763 1/2) 16. “And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth,” signifies that those who are of the church that is not in truths afforded assistance, and did not receive the crafty reasonings of those who were in faith separated from charity (n. 764).

sRef Rev@12 @15 S0′ 763. Verse 15. And the serpent cast out after the woman out of his mouth water as a river, signifies crafty reasonings in abundance respecting justification by faith alone by those who think sensually and not spiritually. This is evident from the signification of a “serpent,” as being those who are sensual, and in an abstract sense the sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural in man (see above, n. 70, 581, 739); that “dragons” also mean those who are sensual may be seen above (n. 714); also from the signification of “the woman,” as being the church which will be the New Jerusalem (which is treated of in this chapter several times); also from the signification of “mouth,” as being thought, from which is speech (see above n. 580); also from the signification of “water,” as being the truth of faith, and in the contrary sense falsity (see above, n. 483, 518, 537, 538); also from the signification of “river,” as being intelligence from the understanding of the truth, and in the contrary sense reasoning from falsities (see also above, n. 518); consequently “casting out water as a river” signifies reasoning from falsities in abundance. Keen reasonings respecting justification by faith alone by those who think sensually and not spiritually are here meant, because “the dragon” means those who defend justification by faith alone, and who are sensual, and therefore think and reason sensually and not spiritually. (That “the dragon” signifies those who defend justification by faith alone may be seen above, n. 714.) This is meant for the reason also that “dragons” and “serpents” signify those who are sensual, and because sensual men are more crafty than the rest, and reason keenly from falsities and from fallacies. (That “the dragon” and “the serpent” in an abstract sense signify craftiness may be seen above, n. 715, 739, 581.) From this it is clear what is signified by the words “the dragon cast out after the woman out of his mouth water as a river.”
sRef Gen@3 @1 S2′ sRef Luke@16 @8 S2′ [2] Because such is the signification, something shall also be said about their crafty reasonings respecting justification by faith alone. Their dogma is that man is justified and saved by faith alone without the works of the law, which are the goods of charity. But inasmuch as they find in the Word of both Testaments “works” and “deeds,” as well as “doing” and “loving,” so frequently mentioned, they can do no otherwise than affirm that one ought to live well; but since they have separated works or deeds from faith as not justifying and saving, they craftily join these and faith together, but still in such a manner that they rather separate than conjoin them. But as their reasonings are too abundant and too crafty to be set forth in a few words, therefore they shall be set forth in a small work on Spiritual Faith, and be so presented as to be comprehended even by the simple. It is commonly believed, and they themselves who defend justification by faith alone believe, that they think and reason spiritually because they think and reason keenly and craftily. But let it be known that only he who is in enlightenment from the Lord, and thence in the spiritual affection of truth, thinks and reasons spiritually, for these are in the light of truth, and the light of truth is the light of heaven from which the angels have intelligence and wisdom; that light is what is called spiritual light, and consequently those who are in that light are spiritual. But those who are in falsities, however keenly they may think and reason, are not spiritual, but natural, yea, sensual, for their thoughts and reasonings therefrom are for the most part from the fallacies of the senses, which some adorn with eloquence and embellish with the flowers of rhetoric, and confirm by appearances from nature alone, while others add knowledges and adapt them to their reasonings, and these they proclaim from the fire of self-love and the pride of self-intelligence therefrom that sounds like the affection of truth. In such things their craftiness consists, and to such as cannot or dare not enter with any understanding into the things that pertain to the church and the Word this seems to be wisdom. Sensual men have the ability to think, speak, and act craftily, because all evil has its seat in man’s sensual, and in it cunning is as predominant as intelligence is in the spiritual man. This has been made evident to me by the cunning of the infernals, which is such and so great that it cannot be described; and in the hells all are sensual. This is the meaning of the Lord’s words in Luke:
The sons of this age are for their own generation more prudent than the sons of the light (Luke 16:8);
also by these words respecting the serpent in Moses:
The serpent was more crafty than any wild beast of the field which Jehovah God had made (Gen. 3:1);
“the serpent” signifies the sensual of man.

sRef Zeph@3 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @16 S0′ 764. * That he might cause her to be swallowed up by the river, signifies in order that the Church might be blinded and dissipated by the ratiocinations. This follows from the meaning of “river,” namely, ratiocinations, as said just above, and from the meaning of “to cause to be swallowed up,” and “to swallow up,” in that it is “to destroy.” This is to be blinded and dissipated because to destroy by ratiocinations from falsities is understood. And he who perishes from falsities, is first blinded so that he does not see truths. And when truths are no longer seen, the Church with him is dispersed as well. For the Church is the Church from truths.
* All printed versions of AE note that the explanation for this portion of verse 15 in Revelation 12 is missing from the manuscript. This note is correct in that this explanation is omitted from Swedenborg’s final draft but it is not true that Swedenborg never wrote the explanation of these words.
The first draft of Apocalypse Explained was only first reproduced in 1916. This means that none of the published editions were able to take into account the information contained in it. Both the English and the Latin editions published by the Swedenborg Foundation take the one sentence explanation of the internal sense in number 762 and add it in brackets as 763 1/2. 764, then, is the explanation of verse 16. There is no number 765 in Swedenborg’s final draft and 766 explains verse 17. Comparing this to the first draft, it becomes clear what happened: When recopying, Swedenborg simply skipped over his original 764 and put this number instead on what had been 765 in the first draft. Coming to the end of this number he saw that the next was 766 and resumed numbering the final draft as he had the first. All this probably took place without Swedenborg being aware of what he was doing. The original 764 stands intact in the first draft. It is of special interest because it is the only place in the Writings where the last part of Revelation 12:15 is specifically explained (AR 562 and AC 7293:5, both of which explain verse 15, do not really say anything about the last part).
Number 764 of the present published editions should be 765, and has been changed to that in NewSearch98. [Research and footnote provided by the Rev. Stephen D. Cole.]

sRef Rev@12 @16 S0′ 765. * Verse 16. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth, signifies that those who are of the church that is not in truths afforded assistance, and did not receive the crafty reasonings of those who were in faith separated from charity. This is evident from the signification of the “earth” that helped the woman, as being the church that is not in truths, for here the “earth” means the earth of the wilderness, into which the woman fled, and where she had a place prepared of God. (That “the earth of the wilderness” signifies the church that is not in truths because it is not in good, is evident from the signification of “earth,” as being the church, see above, n. 29, 304, 417, 697, 741, 742, 752; also from the signification of “wilderness” as being where there is no truth, of which also above, n. 730.) The above is evident also from the signification of “helping the woman,” as being to afford assistance to the New Church which is called the Holy Jerusalem; also from the signification of “opening her mouth and swallowing up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth,” as being the keen reasonings of those who were in faith separated from charity; for “the river of waters” that the dragon cast out of his mouth signifies the keen reasonings from falsities, as is evident from the two preceding articles, and “to open the mouth and swallow,” in reference to the church that is signified by the “earth,” signifies to take away; and as a thing is taken away when it is not received, it signifies not to receive.
[2] These things must be understood as follows: It is said above that “the woman fled into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared by God,” and afterwards that she received “the wings of an eagle and flew to her place,” which signifies that the church that is called the New Jerusalem is to tarry among those who are in the doctrine of faith separate while it grows to fullness, until provision is made for it among many. But in that church there are dragons who separate faith from good works not only in doctrine but also in life; but the others in the same church who live the life of faith, which is charity, are not dragons, although they are among them, for they do not know otherwise than that it is according to doctrine that faith produces fruits, which are good works, and that the faith that justifies and saves is believing what is in the Word, and doing it. But the dragons have wholly different sentiments; but what these are the others do not comprehend, and because they do not comprehend them they do not receive them. From this it is clear that the church consisting of those who are not dragons is meant by the “earth” that “helped the woman and swallowed up the river that the dragon cast out of his mouth.” But what and how crafty and even pernicious are the reasonings of those who are meant by “the dragon” about the separation of faith from good works, and about their conjunction, will, the Lord willing, be revealed elsewhere; likewise that these reasonings are only with the learned leaders of the church, and are not known to the people of the church because they are not understood by them, therefore it is by the latter that the New Church which is called the Holy Jerusalem, is helped and also grows.
* Printed versions of AE have numbered this passage 764 and noted that there is no passage numbered 765 in the text. However, both Latin and English versions did not examine the first Latin draft which contains both 764 and 765. See the previous number for a more complete explanation.

sRef Rev@12 @17 S0′ 766. Verse 17. And the dragon was angry against the woman, and went away to make war with the remnant of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. “And the dragon was angry against the woman,” signifies the hatred of those who are meant by “the dragon” against the church that is the New Jerusalem, enkindled by a perception that it is favored by many (n. 767); “and went away to make war with the remnant of her seed,” signifies and an ardent effort, springing from a life of evil, to assault the truths of doctrine of that church (n. 768); “who keep the commandments of God,” signifies with those who live the life of faith, which is charity (n. 769); “and have the testimony of Jesus Christ,” signifies and who acknowledge the Divine in the Lord’s Human (n. 770).

sRef Rev@12 @17 S0′ 767. Verse 17. And the dragon was angry against the woman, signifies the hatred of those who are meant by “the dragon” against the church that is the New Jerusalem, enkindled by a perception that it is favored by many. This is evident from the signification of “anger,” as being, in reference to the dragon, hatred (of which above, n. 754, 758), therefore “to be angry” means to hate; that this is a grievous hatred enkindled by a perception that the church is favored by many, follows as a consequence from what precedes and from what follows; from what precedes, namely, that “the earth opened her mouth and helped the woman, and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth,” which signifies that the church, in which there are also dragons, rendered assistance, and did not accept their keen reasonings respecting faith alone; and from what follows namely, that “the dragon went away to make war with the remnant of her seed,” which signifies an ardent effort from that hatred to assault the truths of doctrine of that church. So “the anger of the dragon” here signifies such hatred enkindled by a perception that it is favored by many; for, as has been said above, “the woman fled into the wilderness into a place prepared by God” signifies that the church which is the New Jerusalem was among a few, while provision was making for it among many, and for its growing to fullness.

sRef Rev@12 @17 S0′ 768. And went away to make war with the remnant of her seed, signifies and an ardent effort, springing from a life of evil, to assault the truths of doctrine of that church. This is evident from the signification of “going away,” as being an ardent effort from a life of evil (of which presently); also from the signification of “making war,” as being to assault and to wish to destroy (of which above, n. 573, 734); also from the signification of “her seed,” as being the truths of doctrine of the church (of which also presently). It is said “the remnant of her seed” because it means those who are in these truths, and in an abstract sense the truths of that church, which they believe themselves capable of assaulting and destroying. “To go away” signifies an ardent effort from a life of evil, because “to go” signifies in the spiritual sense to live, therefore in the Word the expressions “going with the Lord,” and “walking with Him” and “after Him,” are used, and these signify to live from the Lord; but when “going” is predicated of the dragon, whose life is a life of evil, it signifies to make an effort from that life; and because that effort is an effort from hatred, which is signified by “his anger” (see above, n. 754, 758), so an ardent effort is signified because he who makes an effort from hatred makes an ardent effort.
[2] As the hatred of those who are meant by “the dragon” is a hatred against those who are in the truths of doctrine of the church which is the New Jerusalem, therefore it is a hatred against the truths of doctrine that such have. For those who are in love towards anyone, as also those who are in hatred against anyone, are indeed in love towards a person or in hatred against a person with whom those things are which they either love or hate, and these are the truths of doctrine with them, therefore the truths of doctrine are signified by “the remnant of her seed.” This shows that in the spiritual sense of the Word person is not regarded, but a thing abstracted from person, as here a thing that is with the person. This may be further illustrated by the saying in the Word that the neighbor must be loved as one loves himself, but in the spiritual sense this does not mean that the neighbor is thus to be loved in respect to person, but those things are to be loved which are from the Lord with the person; for a person is not actually loved because of his being a person or a man, but because of his being such as he is; thus the person is loved because of his quality, consequently that quality is meant by “neighbor,” and that is the spiritual neighbor or the neighbor in the spiritual sense that must be loved; and this with those who are of the Lord’s church is everything that proceeds from the Lord; and this in general refers to all good, spiritual, moral, and civil; therefore those who are in these goods love those who are in the same goods; and this therefore is to love one’s neighbor as oneself.
sRef Gen@3 @15 S3′ [3] From this it can be seen that “the remnant of her seed,” namely, of the woman who signifies the church, means those who are in the truths of doctrine of that church; and in a sense abstracted from persons which is the genuine spiritual sense, the truths of the doctrine of that church are meant.
Likewise elsewhere in the Word, as in the following passages. In Moses:
I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and the woman’s seed. He shall trample on thy head and thou shalt wound his heel (Gen. 3:15).
This is a prophecy respecting the Lord. The “serpent” here signifies the sensual of man, where what is man’s own has its seat, which in itself is nothing but evil; and the “woman” signifies the spiritual church, or the church which is in Divine truths. And as the sensual of man has been destroyed, and when the man of the church becomes spiritual he is elevated out of the sensual, it is said, “there shall be enmity between thee and the woman.” “The seed of the serpent” signifies all falsity from evil, and “the seed of the woman” all truth from good, and in the highest degree Divine truth; and as all Divine truth is from the Lord, and as by it the Lord destroys falsity from, evil, it is said “He shall trample on thy head, “He” meaning the Lord, and “head” all falsity from evil. That the sensual would still do injury to Divine truth in its ultimates, which is the Word in the sense of the letter, is signified by “He shall wound the heel;” “the heel” signifying that ultimate and that sense. That the ultimate of truth and the sense of the letter have suffered and do still suffer hurt from the sensual, can be seen from this single example, that the papists understand the woman here to mean Mary and the worship of her; therefore in their Bibles the reading is not “He,” but “it” and “she.” So in a thousand other passages.
sRef Jer@31 @27 S4′ sRef Mal@2 @15 S4′ [4] In Jeremiah:
Behold the days shall come in which I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast (Jer. 31:27).
This is said of the Lord, and of the New Church from Him. His coming is signified by “Behold the days shall come;” “to sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah” signifies to reform those who will be of that church, “the house of Israel” signifying the spiritual church, and “the house of Judah” the celestial church; and as reformation is effected by means of spiritual truths and by means of natural truths therefrom, it is said “with the seed of man and with the seed of beast;” “the seed of man” signifying spiritual truth from which man has intelligence, and “the seed of beast” signifying natural truth from which man has knowledge, also life according to it, both of these from the affection of good. That “man” signifies the affection of spiritual truth and good may be seen above (n. 280); and “beast” natural affection (n. 650); thus “the seed of man and the seed of beast” signify the truths of those affections. In Malachi:
There is not one who doeth this who hath the spirit; is there one that seeketh the seed of God? (Mal. 2:15)
“Is there one that seeketh the seed of God?” signifies that no one seeks Divine truth; evidently “the seed of God” here signifies Divine truth; so “the born of God” mean those who are regenerated by the Lord by means of Divine truth, and a life according thereto.
sRef Isa@53 @10 S5′ [5] In Isaiah:
Jehovah willed to bruise Him, He hath weakened Him; if Thou shalt make His soul a guilt offering, He shall see seed, He shall prolong days, and the will of Jehovah shall prosper by His hand (Isa. 53:10).
This is said of the Lord, and the whole of this chapter treats of His temptations, by means of which He subjugated the hells. The increasing grievousness of His temptations is described by “Jehovah willed to bruise Him, and to weaken Him;” the most grievous temptation, which was the passion of the cross, is signified by “if Thou shalt make His soul a guilt offering;” “to make His soul a guilt offering” signifies the last temptation, by which He fully subjugated the hells and fully glorified His Human, which is the means of redemption. The Divine truth that afterwards proceeded from His Divine Human, and the salvation of all who receive Divine truth from Him, is signified by “He shall see seed;” that this will continue forever is signified by “He shall prolong days;” “to prolong” signifying in reference to the Lord to continue forever, and “days” signifying states of light, which are states of the enlightenment of all by Divine truth; that this is from His Divine for the salvation of the human race is signified by “the will of Jehovah shall prosper by His hand.”
sRef Isa@43 @5 S6′ sRef Isa@43 @6 S6′ [6] In the same:
Fear not, for I am with thee; I will bring thy seed from the sunrise, and I will bring thee together from the west; I will say to the north, Give, and to the south, Hold not back; bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the end of the earth (Isa. 43:5, 6).
This is supposed to refer to the bringing back of the sons of Israel into the land of Canaan; but this is not the meaning here; but it means the salvation by the Lord of all who receive Divine truth from Him; and of whom the New Church consists; this is what is signified by “His seed which shall be brought from the sunrise, and brought together from the west, and which the north shall give and the south* shall not hold back,” therefore it also follows: “Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the end of the earth;” “sons” signifying those who are in the truths of the church, and “daughters” those who are in its goods. (But these words may be seen explained above, n. 422, 724.)
sRef Isa@54 @3 S7′ [7] In the same:
On the right hand and on the left thou shalt break forth, and thy seed shall inherit the nations and make the desolate cities to be inhabited (Isa. 54:3).
This is said of the church from the Lord with the Gentiles, which church is here meant by “the barren woman that did not bear,” who should have many sons (verse 1). “The seed that shall inherit the nations” signifies the Divine truth that shall be given to the Gentiles; “to break forth on the right hand and on the left” signifies extension and multiplication; the “right hand” signifying truth in light, and the “left hand” truth in the shade, for the reason that in the spiritual world to the right hand is the south where those are who are in the clear light of truth, and to the left is the north where those are who are in an obscure light of truth. “To make the desolate cities to be inhabited” signifies their life according to Divine truths, which before this had been lost; “cities” meaning the truths of doctrine from the Word; “to be inhabited” signifying to live according to truths, and “desolate cities” those truths heretofore lost, that is, with the Jewish nation.
sRef Isa@61 @9 S8′ [8] In the same:
Their seed shall become known among the nations and their offspring in the midst of the peoples; all that see them shall acknowledge them that they are the seed that Jehovah hath blessed (Isa. 61:9).
This, too, is said of the church to be established by the Lord. “The seed that shall become known among the nations” signifies Divine truth that will be received by those who are in the good of life; “and the offspring in the midst of the peoples” signifies life according to Divine truth; “those that see them and shall acknowledge that they are the seed” signifies enlightenment, that it is the genuine truth that they receive; “that Jehovah hath blessed” signifies that it is from the Lord. But such is the signification of these words in a sense abstracted from persons, but in a strict sense those are meant who will receive Divine truth from the Lord.
sRef Isa@65 @23 S9′ [9] In the same:
They are the seed of the blessed of Jehovah, and their offspring with them (Isa. 65:23).
This, also, is said of the church from the Lord; and “the seed of the blessed of Jehovah” means those who will receive Divine truth from the Lord; and “their offspring,” those who live according to it; but in the sense abstracted from persons, which is the genuine spiritual sense, “seed” means Divine truth, and “offspring,” a life according to it (as just above). “Offspring” mean those who live according to Divine truth, and in an abstract sense life according to it, because the word in the original rendered “offspring” means going out or proceeding, and that which goes out or proceeds from Divine truth received is a life according to Divine truth.
sRef Isa@66 @22 S10′ [10] In the same:
As the new heavens and the new earth which I am about to make shall stand before Me, so shall your seed and your name stand (Isa. 66:22).
This, too, is said of the Lord, and of the salvation of the faithful by Him; the New Church from Him is meant by “new heavens and a new earth;” by “new heavens” an internal church, and by “a new earth” an external church; that Divine truth and its quality shall endure is signified by “your seed and your name shall stand;” “seed” signifying Divine truth, which also is the truth of doctrine from the Word, and “name” signifying its quality. (That “name” signifies the quality of a thing and of a state, may be seen above, n. 148.)
sRef Ps@102 @28 S11′ sRef Ps@102 @25 S11′ sRef Ps@102 @26 S11′ sRef Ps@102 @27 S11′ [11] In David:
Thou hast founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands; they shall perish, and Thou shalt stand; they shall all wax old like garments, like a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed; but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end; the sons of Thy servants shall dwell, and their seed shall be established before Thee (Ps. 102:25-28).
“The earth” which God formed, and “the heavens the work of His hands,” which shall perish, have a similar signification as “the former earth and the former heaven” that passed away (in Rev. 21:1; about which, see at that place); and as the face of the earth and heavens in the spiritual world will be altogether changed at the day of the Last Judgment, and there will be a new earth and new heavens in place of the former, it is said “they shall all wax old like garments, like a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed;” they are likened to garments because garments signify external truths, such as those had who were in the former heavens and the former earth, which were not permanent because they were not in internal truths. The state of Divine truth that shall endure from the Lord to eternity is signified by “Thou shalt stand,” and “Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end;” “the years of God” signifying the states of Divine truth. “The sons of Thy servants shall dwell, and their seed shall be established before Thee,” signifies that angels and men, who are recipients of Divine truth, shall have eternal life, and that truths of doctrine shall endure with them to eternity; “the sons of the servants of God” meaning angels and men who are recipients of Divine truth, and “their seed” meaning truths of doctrine.
sRef Ps@22 @30 S12′ [12] In the same:
A seed that shall serve Him shall be counted to the Lord for a generation (Ps. 22:30).
This also is said of the Lord; and “the seed that shall serve Him” means those who are in the truths of doctrine from the Word; and “it shall be counted to the Lord for a generation” signifies that they shall be His to eternity; “to be counted” signifying to be arranged and disposed in order, here to be numbered with or added to, thus to be His.
sRef Gen@13 @16 S13′ sRef Gen@13 @15 S13′ sRef Gen@15 @5 S13′ sRef Gen@26 @4 S13′ sRef Deut@1 @8 S13′ sRef Gen@22 @18 S13′ sRef Gen@35 @12 S13′ sRef Gen@26 @3 S13′ sRef Deut@4 @37 S13′ sRef Gen@26 @5 S13′ [13] In many passages in the Word mention is made of “the seed of Abraham,” “of Isaac,” and “of Jacob,” likewise of “the seed of Israel,” and in the historical sense of the letter their posterity is meant; but in the spiritual sense Divine truth and the truth of doctrine from the Word are meant, for the reason that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Israel, mean in that sense the Lord, as can be seen from passages in the Word where they are mentioned; as where it is said:
That they shall come from the east and from the west, and shall recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 8:11);
which means the enjoyment of celestial good from the Lord. So also elsewhere. And as the Lord is meant by them in the internal sense, “their seed” signifies Divine truth which is from the Lord, and thus also the truth of doctrine from the Word; as in these passages. In Moses:
Jehovah said to Abram, All the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed forever; and I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth (Gen. 13:15, 16).
Look up towards the heavens and number the stars, so shall thy seed be (Gen. 15:5).
In thy seed shall all the nations be blessed (Gen. 22:18).
To Isaac:
To thee and to thy seed will I give all these lands; and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed (Gen. 26:3-5).
To Jacob:
Unto thy seed after thee will I give this land (Gen. 35:12).
The land given to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and to their seed after them (Deut. 1:8).
The seed of your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deut. 4:37; 10:15; 11:9).
Since, as has been said, the Lord is meant by “Abraham,” “Isaac,” and “Jacob;” by “Abraham” the Lord in reference to the celestial Divine of the church; by “Isaac” in reference to the spiritual Divine of the church, and by “Jacob” in reference to the natural Divine of the church, so their “seed” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; “the seed of Abraham” signifying celestial Divine truth; “the seed of Isaac” spiritual Divine truth, and “the seed of Jacob” natural Divine truth; consequently those also are meant who are in Divine truth from the Lord. But the “land which the Lord will give to them” means the church which is in Divine truth from Him; and thence it may be known what is signified by “in their seed shall all nations be blessed;” for they could not be blessed in their posterity, namely, in the Jewish and Israelitish nation, but they were to be blessed in the Lord and from the Lord by the reception of Divine truth from Him.
sRef John@8 @37 S14′ sRef John@8 @44 S14′ sRef John@8 @33 S14′ [14] That “the seed of Abraham” does not mean the Jews is evident from the Lord’s words in John:
The Jews answered, We are Abraham’s seed, and have never been servants to any man. Jesus answered, I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; yet ye seek to kill Me, because My word hath no place in you; ye are of your father the devil (John 8:33, 34, 37, 44).
From this it is evident that the Jews are not meant by “the seed of Abraham,” but that “Abraham” means the Lord, and “the seed of Abraham” Divine truth from the Lord, which is the Word; for it is said, “I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; yet ye seek to kill Me, because My word hath no place in you.” The Lord’s saying “I know that ye are Abraham’s seed” signifies that He knew that the truth of the church, which is the Word, was with them; but that they nevertheless rejected the Lord is signified by “ye seek to kill Me;” and that they were not in Divine truths from the Lord is signified by “because My word hath no place in you;” that there was with them nothing but evil and falsity therefrom is signified by “ye are of your father the devil, and the truth is not in him;” and afterwards, “when he speaketh a lie he speaketh from his own;” “lie” signifying Divine truth, or the Word, adulterated. The Lord said “I know that ye are Abraham’s seed” for the further reason that “Judah” signifies the Lord in reference to the Word (as may be seen above, n. 119, 433).
sRef Isa@45 @25 S15′ sRef Isa@44 @3 S15′ sRef Ps@106 @27 S15′ sRef Isa@41 @9 S15′ sRef Ps@106 @26 S15′ sRef Isa@41 @8 S15′ [15] In David:
He will make them to fall in the wilderness, and will make their seed to fall among the nations and will scatter them in the lands (Ps. 106:26, 27).
“To make their seed to fall among the nations and to scatter them in the lands” signifies that Divine truth would perish with them by evils and falsities. “The seed of Israel” has a similar signification in these passages:
Thou Israel My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham My friend, whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth (Isa. 41:8, 9).
I will pour out My spirit upon the seed of Israel and Jacob, and My blessing upon their offspring (Isa. 44:3).
In Jehovah all the seed of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory (Isa. 45:25).
Jehovah who brought up and who brought back the seed of the house of Israel out of the land** towards the north, and out of all the lands whither I have driven them, that they may dwell upon their own land (Jer. 23:8).
In the highest sense “Israel” means the Lord in relation to the internal of the church, therefore “his seed” similarly signifies the Divine truth that is with those who are of the church that is signified by “Israel.” “Israel” means the church with those who are interiorly natural, and have truths therein from a spiritual origin. For this reason “Israel” signifies the church that is spiritual-natural.
sRef Ps@89 @36 S16′ sRef Jer@33 @22 S16′ sRef Ps@89 @3 S16′ sRef Ps@89 @4 S16′ sRef Ps@89 @29 S16′ [16] Since “David” in the Word means the Lord in reference to royalty, and the Lord’s royalty means Divine truth in the church, so his “seed” means those who are in the truths of the church from the Word, who are called “the sons of the king” and “the sons of the kingdom;” it means also that Divine truth is with them, as in the following passages:
As the host of the heavens shall not be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the seed of David and the Levites My ministers (Jer. 33:22).
I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to David My servant, Even to eternity will I establish thy seed, and will build up thy throne to generation and generation. I will set his seed forever, and his throne as the days of the heavens. His seed shall be to eternity, and his throne as the sun before Me (Ps. 89:3, 4, 29, 36).
That “David” means in the Word the Lord in reference to royalty, which is Divine truth in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, may be seen above (n. 205); therefore “his seed” signifies that Divine truth with those who are in truths from good, thus also who are in the truths of doctrine from the Word; for truths of doctrine from the Word, or the truths of the Word, are all from good; and as these are meant by “the seed of David,” so in an abstract sense the truth of the Word or the truth of the doctrine from the Word is meant by it. That “the seed of David” does not mean his posterity anyone can see, for it is said that “his seed shall be multiplied as the host of the heavens and the sand of the sea,” and that “it shall be established and set to eternity,” also that “his throne shall be built up to generation and generation,” and “shall be as the days of the heavens,” and “as the sun,” which cannot at all be said of the seed of David, that is, of his posterity and of his throne, for where now are his seed and throne to be found? But all these things harmonize when “David” is taken to mean the Lord, “his throne” heaven and the church, and “his seed” the truth of heaven and of the church.
sRef Jer@31 @35 S17′ sRef Jer@33 @26 S17′ sRef Jer@31 @36 S17′ sRef Jer@33 @25 S17′ [17] In Jeremiah:
If I shall not have set My covenant of day and night, the statutes of heaven and of earth, I will also reject the seed of Jacob and of David My servant, that I will not take of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will cause their captivity to return, and will have compassion on them (Jer. 33:25, 26).
In the same:
Jehovah said, who giveth the sun for a light by day, the statutes of the moon and stars for a light by night. If these statutes shall remove from before Me, the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me all the days (Jer. 31:35, 36).
In these passages, again, “the seed of Jacob” and of “David,” likewise “the seed of Israel,” mean those who are in Divine truths; but “the seed of Jacob” means those who are in natural Divine truth, “David” those who are in spiritual Divine truth, and “Israel” those who are in natural-spiritual Divine truth, which is mediate between natural Divine truth and spiritual Divine truth. For there are degrees of Divine truth, as there are degrees of its reception in the three heavens by the angels and in the church. “The covenant of day and night, and the statutes of heaven and earth,” signifying the conjunction of the Lord with those who are in Divine truths in the heavens, and with those who are in Divine truths on the earth, “covenant” signifying conjunction, and “statutes” the laws of conjunction, which are also the laws of order, and the laws of order are Divine truths; while “day” signifies such light of truth as the angels in the heavens have; and “night” such light of truth as men on the earth have, likewise such light of truth as those have who are in the heavens and on the earth under the Lord as a moon; therefore it is added, “who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the statutes of the moon and stars for a light by night.” But here “the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” mean all who are of the Lord’s church, in every degree; of these and of the seed of Jacob and David it is said that if they acknowledge not the Lord, and receive not Divine truth from Him, the Lord will not reign over them.
sRef Jer@22 @30 S18′ [18] In the same:
No one of his seed shall prosper who sitteth upon the throne of David and ruleth anymore in Judah (Jer. 22:30).
This is said of Coniah, king of Judah, who is here called “a despised and worthless idol,” and it is said of him:
That he and his seed shall be taken away and cast unto the earth (verse 28).
This king has a similar signification as Satan, and “his seed” signifies infernal falsity; that this shall not rule in the Lord’s church, in which is celestial Divine truth, is signified by “no one of his seed shall sit upon the throne of David or shall rule anymore in Judah;” “Judah” here meaning the celestial church in which the Lord reigns.
sRef Lev@21 @14 S19′ sRef Lev@21 @15 S19′ [19] As “David” represented the Lord’s royalty, so “Aaron” represented his priesthood; therefore “the seed of Aaron” means those who are in the affection of genuine truth which is from celestial good. Because of this representation this statute was given for Aaron:
The high priest shall not take a widow, or one divorced, or one polluted, a harlot, but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife, lest he profane his seed among his people; I Jehovah do sanctify him (Lev. 21:14, 15).
As “man and wife” In the Word in its spiritual sense signify the understanding of truth and the will of good, and as thought is of the understanding and affection is of the will, so “man and wife” also signify the thought of truth and the affection of good, likewise truth and good. Thence it is clear what is signified by a “widow,” by “one divorced,” and by “one polluted” and “a harlot;” “a widow” signifies good without truth, because left by truth, which is the man; “one divorced” signifies good rejected by truth, thus discordant good; and “one polluted, a harlot,” signifies good adulterated by falsities, which is no longer good but evil. Because of this signification of these women the high priest was forbidden to take any of them to wife, because he represented the Lord in reference to the priesthood, which signified the Divine good. And as a “virgin” signifies the will or affection of genuine truth, and genuine truth makes one with and is in harmony with Divine good, and these two are conjoined in heaven and in the church, and their conjunction is called the heavenly marriage, therefore it was required that the high priest should take a virgin to wife. And as the truth of doctrine is born of this marriage, while the falsity of doctrine is born of a marriage with such as are signified by “a widow,” “one divorced,” and “one polluted, a harlot,” it is said, “lest he profane his seed among his peoples,” “seed” signifying the genuine truth of doctrine, and thus also the doctrine of genuine truth from the good of celestial love, and “his peoples” signifying those who are of the church in which there is the doctrine of genuine truth from the Word. Also as this was a representative of the heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of the Lord with the church, therefore it is said, “I Jehovah do sanctify him.”
sRef Num@16 @40 S20′ [20] Since the high priest represented the Lord in reference to Divine good, and his “seed” signified Divine truth, which is the same as the genuine truth of doctrine, it was also made a statute:
That no man a stranger, who was not of the seed of Aaron, shall come near to burn incense before Jehovah (Num. 16:40).
“A man a stranger” signifies the falsity of doctrine, and “burning incense” signifies worship from spiritual good, which in its essence is genuine truth; and “the seed of the high priest” signifies Divine truth from a celestial origin; therefore it was decreed by law that no stranger who was not of the seed of Aaron should burn incense in the Tent of meeting before Jehovah.
sRef Gen@9 @9 S21′ sRef Num@14 @24 S21′ sRef Gen@48 @19 S21′ [21] When it is known what of heaven and the church was represented also by other persons mentioned in the Word, what is signified by “their seed” will also be known, as by the seed of Noah, Ephraim, and Caleb, in the following passages. Of Noah:
I establish My covenant with you and with your seed after you (Gen. 9:9).
Israel said of Ephraim:
His seed shall be the fullness of the earth*** (Gen. 48:19).
And Jehovah said of Caleb:
His seed shall inherit the earth (Num. 14:24).
What “Noah” and “Ephraim” represented and signified has been explained in the Arcana Coelestia. But “Caleb” represented those who are to be introduced into the church; therefore their “seed” signifies the truth of the doctrine of the church.
sRef Ezek@36 @10 S22′ sRef Jer@2 @21 S22′ sRef Ezek@36 @9 S22′ sRef Matt@13 @38 S22′ sRef Ps@21 @10 S22′ sRef Hos@2 @23 S22′ sRef Jer@31 @27 S22′ sRef Zech@10 @9 S22′ [22] The “seed of the field” has a similar signification as the “seed of man,” because a “field,” the same as “man,” signifies the church; for this reason the terms “seed” and also “sowing” are in some passages applied to the people of the earth the same as they are applied to a field, as in the following. In Jeremiah:
I had planted thee a noble vine, a seed of truth; how art thou turned into branches of a strange vine unto Me! (Jer. 2:21).
In David:
Their fruit will I**** destroy from the earth, and their seed from the sons of man (Ps. 21:10).
In Hosea:
I will sow Israel unto Me in the earth (Hos. 2:23).
In Zechariah:
I will sow Judah and Joseph among the peoples, and they shall remember Me in remote places (Zech. 10:9).
In Ezekiel:
I will look again to you, that ye may be tilled and sown; then will I multiply man upon you, all the house of Israel, the whole of it (Ezek. 36:9).
In Jeremiah:
Behold the days shall come in which I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast (Jer. 31:27).
In Matthew:
The seed sown are the sons of the kingdom (Matt. 13:38).
But it is not necessary to show here that the seed of the field has a similar meaning as the seed of man, for here only what is signified by “the seed of the woman” is what is to be explained and confirmed from the Word.
sRef Isa@57 @4 S23′ sRef Isa@57 @3 S23′ [23] Since “seed” signifies the truth of doctrine from the Word, and in the highest sense Divine truth, so in the contrary sense “seed” signifies the falsity of doctrine and infernal falsity. As in Isaiah:
Draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, ye seed of the adulterer, and thou that hast***** committed whoredom. Against whom do ye sport yourselves, against whom do ye make wide the mouth and lengthen the tongue? Are ye not children of transgression, the seed of a lie? (Isa. 57:3, 4)
“The sons of the sorceress and the seed of an adulterer” signify falsities from the Word when it has been falsified and adulterated, “the sons of the sorceress” meaning the falsities from the Word falsified, and “the seed of an adulterer,” falsities from the Word adulterated. The Word is said to be falsified when its truths are perverted, and to be adulterated when its goods are perverted, as also when truths are applied to the loves of self. “Children of transgression and seed of a lie” signify falsities flowing from such prior falsities. “To sport themselves” signifies to take delight in things falsified; “to make wide the mouth” signifies delight in the thought therefrom; and “to lengthen the tongue” delight in teaching and propagating such falsities.
sRef Isa@1 @4 S24′ sRef Isa@14 @20 S24′ [24] In Isaiah:
Woe to the sinful nation, a people heavy with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, sons that are corrupters; they have forsaken Jehovah, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel, they have estranged themselves backwards (Isa. 1:4).
“The sinful nation” signifies those who are in evils, and “a people heavy with iniquity” those who are in the falsities therefrom, for “nation” is predicated in the Word of evils, and “people” of falsities (see above, n. 175, 331, 625). The falsity of those who are in evils is signified by “a seed of evildoers,” and the falsities of those who are in the falsities from that evil are signified by “sons that are corrupters.” (That “sons” signify those who are in truths, and in the contrary sense those who are in falsities, and in an abstract sense truths and falsities, may be seen above, n. 724.) “They have forsaken Jehovah and have provoked the Holy One of Israel” signifies that they have rejected Divine good and Divine truth; “Jehovah” meaning the Lord in relation to Divine good, and “the Holy One of Israel,” the Lord in relation to Divine truth; “their estranging themselves backwards” signifies that they wholly departed from good and truth, and went away to infernal evil and falsity, for those in the spiritual world who are in evils and falsities turn themselves backward from the Lord (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 123). In the same:
Thou shalt not be joined with them in the sepulcher, for thou hast corrupted thy land, thou hast slain thy people; the seed of the evil shall not be named forever (Isa. 14:20).
This is said of Lucifer, by whom Babylon is meant; and “the seed of the evil which shall not be named forever” signifies the direful falsity of evil which is from hell. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 589, 659, 697.)
sRef Lev@20 @2 S25′ sRef Lev@18 @21 S25′ sRef Lev@20 @3 S25′ [25] In Moses:
He that hath given of his seed to Molech dying shall die, the people of the land shall stone him with stones. I will set My faces against that man, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, because he hath given of his seed to Molech, to defile My sanctuary and to profane the name of My holiness (Lev. 20:2-3; cf. 18:21).
“To give of his seed to Molech” signifies to destroy the truth of the Word and of the doctrine of the church therefrom, by application to the filthy loves of the body, as murders, hatreds, revenges, adulteries, and the like, which leads to the acceptance of infernal falsities instead of things Divine; such falsities are signified by “the seed given to Molech.” Molech was the god of the sons of Ammon (1 Kings 11:7); and was set up in the valley of Hinnom, which was called Topheth, where they burned up their sons and daughters (2 Kings 23:10); the above mentioned loves are signified by that fire; and as “seed given to Molech” signifies such infernal falsity, and stoning was the punishment of death for the injury and destruction of the truth of the Word and of doctrine therefrom, it is said that the man that “hath given of his seed to Molech dying shall die, and the people of the land shall stone him with stones.” (That stoning was the punishment for injuring or destroying truth may be seen above, n. 655.) That such falsity is destructive of every good of the Word and of the church is signified by “I will set My faces against that man, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, because he hath defiled My sanctuary and profaned the name of My holiness,” “sanctuary” signifying the truth of heaven and the church, and “the name of holiness” all that it is. From the passages quoted it can now be seen that “seed” means in the highest sense Divine truth which is from the Lord, and thence the truth of the Word and of the doctrine of the church which is from the Word; while in the evil sense it means infernal falsity which is the opposite of that truth.
* The Latin has “west,” but see the text above it.
** The Latin has “and the land;” the Hebrew “out of the land, “as found in AC 566.
*** The Hebrew has “of the nations,” as found in AC 6286, 6297.
**** The Hebrew has “wilt Thou,” as found in AC 348.
***** The Hebrew has “she that hath,” as also found in AC 7297, 8904.

sRef Rev@12 @17 S0′ 769. Who keep the commandments of God, signifies with those who live the life of faith, which is charity. This is evident from the signification of “keeping the commandments of God,” as being to live according to the commandments in the Word; and as that life is a life of faith, and a life of faith is charity, therefore “keeping the commandments of God” signifies to live the life of faith, which is charity. The life of faith is charity towards the neighbor, because faith means faith in the Word, thus faith in the truth that is in the Word and from the Word, and charity means the love of good and truth, spiritual, moral, and civil; and as that which man loves he also wills, and what he wills he does, therefore “keeping the commandments of God” signifies to live the life of faith, which is charity.
[2] From this it can be seen that all those who separate faith from charity know not what faith is or what charity is, for they have no other idea of faith than as being everything of the memory that is believed because they have heard it from learned men; and yet such faith is historical faith, for they do not see whether a thing is so, except because someone else has said it; and what is seen from another can be confirmed both by the sense of the letter of the Word misunderstood and by reasonings from appearances and knowledges [scientifica], although it may be a falsity directly opposed to the truth.
When this is confirmed it becomes a persuasive faith; but neither this faith nor historical faith is a spiritual faith, thus not a saving faith, for such faith has as yet no life from the Lord in it. That a man may receive that life he must live according to the Lord’s commandments in the Word, for living according to these commandments is the same as living from the Lord, because the Lord is the Word and is in the Word. Such a life is the life of faith, which is charity; and then its affection becomes charity, and thought from that affection becomes faith; for all man’s thought derives its life wholly from affection, since no one can think without affection; therefore when a man’s affection becomes spiritual his thought also becomes spiritual; consequently such as a man’s charity is such is his faith. From this it can be seen that charity and faith, like affection and thought, or what is the same, like will and understanding, act as one, for affection is of the will and thought is of the understanding, consequently they act as one as goods and truths do. Thence it is clear that to live according to the commandments of the Lord from the Word, or “to keep the commandments of God,” means to live the life of faith, which is charity.

sRef Rev@12 @17 S0′ 770. And have the testimony of Jesus Christ, signifies and who acknowledge the Divine in the Lord’s Human, as is evident from the signification of “the testimony of Jesus Christ,” as being the confession and acknowledgment of the Divine of the Lord in His Human (of which above, n. 392, 635, 649, 749).

sRef Rev@13 @1 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @17 S0′ 771. Verse 18.* And I stood upon the sand of the sea, signifies continuation of the state of those who are signified by “the dragon.” This is evident from the signification of “standing upon the sand of the sea,” as being to continue to see of what quality those are who are meant by “the dragon,” for it follows that “he saw a beast coming up out of the sea, to which the dragon gave his power and his throne, and his authority;” and afterwards that “he saw a beast coming up out of the earth that spake as a dragon,” and other things that follow. And as by means of these beasts the state of those who are dragons is further described, therefore this is what is signified by “standing upon the sand of the sea.” Moreover, “the sand of the sea” signifies sterility, such as is with those who think indeed about faith, but not at all about the life of faith, which is charity, for where such dwell in the spiritual world nothing is seen but heaps of stones and also sand, and rarely any grass or shrub; this, too, is why “the sand of the sea” signifies the state of those who are meant by “the dragon.”
* English Bible, Chapter 13:1.

APOCALYPSE. CHAPTER 13.
1. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads a name of blasphemy.
2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.
3. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been wounded to death; and the stroke of his death was healed; and the whole earth wondered after the beast.
4. And they worshipped the dragon which gave authority unto the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?
5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given unto him authority to work forty-two months.
6. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven.
7. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and there was given to him authority over every tribe and tongue and nation.
8. And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9. If anyone hath an ear let him hear.
10. If anyone shall lead into captivity he shall go into captivity; if anyone shall kill with the sword he must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
11. And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12. And all the authority of the first beast he exerciseth before him; and he maketh the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose stroke of his death was healed.
13. And he doeth great signs, so that he even maketh fire to come down from heaven unto the earth before men;
14. And he seduceth them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs that were given him to do before the beast; saying to them that dwell on earth that they should make an image to the beast which hath the stroke of the sword and did live.
15. And it was given unto him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast may both speak, and may cause that as many as do not worship the image of the beast be killed.
16. And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark upon their right hand or upon their foreheads;
17. And that no one be able to buy or to sell if he hath not the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18. Here is wisdom. He that hath intelligence let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of man; and his number is six hundred sixty-six.

sRef Rev@13 @1 S0′ 773. EXPOSITION

Verse 1. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads a name of blasphemy. 1. “And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea,” signifies reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from life (n. 774); “having seven heads,” signifies knowledge [scientia] of holy things, which are falsified and adulterated (n. 775); “and ten horns,” signifies much power (n. 776); “and upon his horns* ten diadems,” signifies power from the appearances of truth in abundance (n. 777); “and upon his heads a name of blasphemy,” signifies the falsifications of the Word (n. 778).
* The Latin has “heads” for “horns,” but see just above and below in AE 777.

sRef Rev@13 @1 S0′ 774. Verse 1. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea, signifies reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from life. This is evident from the signification of “a beast coming up out of the sea,” as being the things that belong to the natural man; for “beasts” signify in the Word the affections of the natural man, in both senses (see above, n. 650); and the “sea” signifies the various things of the natural man that have reference to its knowledges [scientifica] both true and false, and to thoughts and reasonings therefrom (see also above, n. 275, 342, 511, 537, 538, 600). Thence it is clear that “a beast coming up out of the sea” signifies reasonings from the natural man. It is evident that these are reasonings that confirm the separation of faith from life, because in this chapter the dragon is further described, “the beast coming up out of the sea,” signifies the reasonings of the dragon from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from life, and “the beast coming up out of the earth” signifies the confirmations of the dragon from the sense of the letter of the Word, and the falsification of it (see below, from verse 11 to the end of this chapter).
[2] That the dragon is further described in this chapter, and is also meant by the two beasts, is evident from its being said that “the dragon gave to the beast coming up out of the sea his power and his throne and great authority,” and furthermore, that “they worshipped the dragon which gave authority unto the beast;” also that “the other beast that came up out of the earth spake as a dragon, and exercised all the authority of the first beast before the dragon.” Thence it is clear that so far as those who separate faith from life (who are signified by “the dragon,”) confirm that separation by reasonings from the natural man, they are represented by “the beast coming up out of the sea;” while so far as they confirm that separation by the sense of the letter of the Word, and thereby falsify that sense, they are described by “the beast coming up out of the earth.” That this is so can be fully seen from the description of each that follows.
[3] That reasonings from the natural man enter into the dogmas of those who make faith the only means of salvation, thus the very essential of the church, and so separate it from life or from charity, which they do not acknowledge as a means of salvation and as an essential of the church; this is but little seen, and consequently but little known, by the followers and those learned in that doctrine, because their thought is continually fixed on those passages of the Word by which they confirm that doctrine. And as the dogmas they confirm by the ultimate sense of the Word, which is the sense of the letter of the Word, are falsities, they must needs take their reasonings from the natural man, for without these it would not be possible to make falsities appear as truths. But this shall be illustrated by an example. That life or charity may be separated from faith, they contend (1) That by Adam’s fall man lost all freedom to do good from himself; and (2) for this reason man is in no wise able to fulfill the law; and (3) without the fulfilling of the law there is no salvation; and (4) that the Lord came into the world that He might fulfill the law, and thus His righteousness and merit might be imputed to man, and by that imputation man might be loosed from the yoke of the law even to the extent that nothing condemns him; and (5) that man accepts the imputation of the Lord’s merit by faith alone, and not at all by works. That these are mostly reasonings from the natural man confirming the assumed principle of faith alone and its connecting derivatives can be seen from a survey of these particulars in their order.
[4] (1) “By Adam’s fall man lost his free will, which is a freedom to do good from himself.” This reasoning is from falsities; for no man has or can have a freedom to do good from himself, since man is merely a recipient; consequently the good that man receives is not man’s but is the Lord’s with him. Nor do angels even have any good except from the Lord; and the more they acknowledge and perceive this the more they are angels, that is, higher and wiser than the others. Still less, therefore, could Adam, who was not yet an angel, be in a state of good from himself. His integrity consisted in a fuller reception of good and truth, and thus of intelligence and wisdom from the Lord, than his posterity enjoyed. This also was the image of God; for a man becomes an image by receiving the Lord, and he becomes an image in the measure of this reception. In a word, to do good from the Lord is freedom; and to do good from self is slavery. Thence it is clear that this reasoning originates in falsities that flow forth from fallacies, which are all from the natural man. Moreover, it is not in accordance with truth that hereditary evil was ingenerated in the whole human race by Adam’s fall; its origin was from another source.
sRef Matt@23 @26 S5′ [5] (2) “From this it is that man is in no wise able to fulfill the law.” This reasoning, too, is from the natural man. The spiritual man knows that doing the law and fulfilling it in external form does not save; but that so far as man does the law in the external form from the internal, it does save. The internal form, or the internal of the law, is to love what is good, sincere, and just; and its external is to do this. This the Lord teaches in Matthew:
Cleanse first the inside of the cup and the platter, that the outside of them may become clean also (23:26).
Man fulfills the law so far as he does it from the internal, but not so far as he does it from the external apart from the internal. The internal of man is his love and will. But to love what is good, sincere, and just, and from love to will it, is from the Lord alone. Therefore to fulfill the law is to be led by the Lord. But this will be more fully illustrated in what follows.
[6] (3) “Without the fulfilling of the law there is no salvation.” This involves that if man were able to fulfill the law of himself he would be saved, which yet in itself is false; and since it is false, and yet appears as if true because it is a received dogma, it must be confirmed by reasonings from the natural man. That it is false is clear from this, that man is unable to do anything good from self, but everything good is from the Lord; also from this, that no such state of integrity is possible that any good that is in itself good can be from man and be done by man, as has been said above respecting Adam. And as such a state of integrity never did and never can exist, it follows that the law must be fulfilled by the Lord, according to what has just been said above. Nevertheless, he who does not believe that man must do everything as of himself, although he does it from the Lord, is much deceived.
sRef Matt@5 @17 S7′ sRef Matt@5 @19 S7′ [7] (4) “The Lord came into the world that He might fulfill the law, and thus His righteousness and merit might be imputed to man; and by that imputation man is loosed from the yoke of the law, even to the extent that after justification by faith alone nothing condemns him.” This, too, is reasoning from the natural man. It was not for this that the Lord came into the world, but that He might effect a judgment, and thereby reduce to order all things in the heavens and in the hells, and at the same time glorify His Human. By this have been saved, and are still saved all who have done good and do good from the Lord and not from self, thus not by any imputation of His merit and righteousness. For the Lord teaches:
I came not to destroy the law and the prophet;* I came not to destroy but to fulfill. Whosoever shall break the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whosoever doeth and teacheth them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 5:17, 19, seq.).
[8] (5) “Man accepts the imputation of the Lord’s merit by faith alone, and not at all by works.” This is a conclusion deduced from the reasonings that precede; and as those reasonings are from the natural man, and not from the rational enlightened by the spiritual, and consequently are from falsities and not from truths, it follows that the conclusion drawn from them falls to the ground.
From this it can be seen that to confirm any principle that is in itself false there must be reasonings from the natural man, and confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word, for reasonings will give an appearance of consistency to passages selected from the sense of the letter of the Word. This is why reasonings from the natural man are signified by “the beast out of the sea,” and confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word by “the beast coming up out of the earth.”
* the Latin has “prophet” for “prophets.” See AC 7933, where we read “prophets” which agrees with the Greek text.

sRef Rev@13 @1 S0′ 775. Having seven heads, signifies the knowledge [scientia] of the holy things of the Word which are falsified and adulterated. This is evident from the signification of “head,” as being intelligence and wisdom, and in the contrary sense, insanity and folly (see above, n. 573, 577). And as intelligence and wisdom cannot be predicated of those who by reasonings from the natural man confirm the separation of faith and life, who are meant by “the beast coming up out of the sea,” so “its head” signifies knowledge. It means the knowledge of the holy things of the Word, because there were “seven heads,” and seven is predicated of things holy (see above, n. 257). The knowledge of the holy things of the Word is meant, because those meant by “the dragon” are not opposed to the Word; for they call the Word holy and Divine, because they collect from it the confirmations of their dogmas. But that they falsify and adulterate by these the holy things of the Word, of which they have knowledge, will be evident from what follows, and is evident in general from this, that those who separate faith from life cannot do otherwise, since such a separation is contrary to each and all things of the Word. For in all things of the Word and in every particular of it there is a marriage of good and truth, as is manifestly evident from the spiritual sense of the Word. This is why there are in so many passages two expressions that appear like repetitions of the same thing, but still one of them has reference to good and the other to truth; thus the two make as it were a marriage, which is called the Divine marriage, the celestial marriage, and the spiritual marriage, which regarded in itself is the marriage of good and truth. (Respecting this marriage see above, n. 238, 288, 484, 660.) There must be a like marriage of faith and love, or of faith and good works; for faith pertains to truth, and truth to faith; and love pertains to good, and good to love. From this it is clear that those who separate faith from its life, or what is the same, from love, cannot do otherwise than falsify the Word, because they explain the sense of its letter in opposition to the marriage of good and truth which is in each and every thing of the Word.
[2] It has been said that the “head” signifies wisdom and intelligence, and that with those who are not in wisdom and intelligence it signifies knowledge [scientia]; therefore with those who falsify and pervert the Word it signifies insanity and folly, as above (n. 715), where the signification of “the seven heads of the dragon” was explained; so “the head of this beast” has a similar signification, since this beast means the dragon in reference to reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from the life. The “head” signifies wisdom, intelligence, and the knowledge of truths, and in the contrary sense folly, insanity, and the knowledge of falsities, because these have their seat in the head, and are there in their beginnings. This is clearly evident from the fact that the origins of all fibers are in the head, and from it they proceed to all the organs of sense and motion belonging to the face and the whole body; and there, too, are substances in infinite number that look like little spheres and are called by anatomists the cortical and cineritious substances; and from these go forth small fibers, the first of which are undiscernible; afterwards these are bundled together, and make up the medullary substance of the whole cerebrum, cerebellum, and medulla oblongata. From this medullary substance discernible fibers extend, and these when conjoined are called nerves. By these the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the spinal marrow form the entire body and each and all things pertaining to it; and from this it comes that each and all things of the body are ruled by the brains.
[3] From this it can be seen that the brains are the seat of the understanding and the will, which are called with one term, mind, and in consequence, of intelligence and wisdom, and that these are there in their first principles; also that the organs that are formed to receive sensations and to produce motions are derivations therefrom, precisely like streams from their fountains, or derivatives from their beginnings, or composite things from their substances; and these derivations are such that the brains are everywhere present, almost as the sun is present by its light and heat in each and all things of the earth. From this it follows that the whole body, and each and all things of it, are forms that are under the observation, auspices, and obedience, of the mind, which is in the brain; thus these forms are so constructed after the mind’s direction that any part in which the mind is not present, or to which it does not communicate its life, is no part of man’s life. From this it can be seen that when the mind is in its thought, which pertains to the understanding, and in its affection, which pertains to the will, it has an extension into every particular of the whole body, and there, by means of its forms, it spreads itself out as the thoughts and affections of the angels do into the societies of the universal heaven. The like is true here, since all things of the human body correspond to all things of heaven; consequently the form of the whole heaven before the Lord is the human form. (This is treated of at length in the Arcana Coelestia and in the work on Heaven and Hell.)
[4] This has been said to make known why the “head” signifies wisdom and intelligence, as also in the contrary sense folly and insanity. For such as man is in his beginnings such is he in the whole, for the body with each and every part of it is a derivation, as has just been said. If, therefore, the mind is in the belief of falsity and in the love of evil, its entire body, that is, the entire man, is in a like state. This is also clearly evident when man becomes a spirit, whether good or evil; then his whole spiritual body, from head to foot, is wholly such as his mind is. If the mind is heavenly, the whole spirit, even as to its body, is heavenly. If the mind is infernal, the whole spirit, even as to its body, is infernal; and in consequence such a spirit appears in a direful form like a devil, while the former spirit appears in a beautiful form like an angel of heaven. But on this more will be said elsewhere.

sRef Rev@13 @1 S0′ 776. And ten horns, signifies much power. This is evident from what has been stated above (n. 716), where “the dragon” that had “ten horns” was treated of. That much power which is attributed to the dragon and to this beast, is represented in the spiritual world by horns, and was therefore representatively exhibited to John as horns upon the beast of the dragon, is the power of reasonings by fallacies, thus by falsities, from the natural man. Such reasonings indeed have no real power in themselves, for all power belongs to truths; nevertheless, falsities from the fallacies of the senses and reasonings from these do have much power with men on earth before they are in truths from good, that is, before they have been regenerated by the Lord. For man from birth is in evils, and also in falsities therefrom; since falsities gush forth from evils like impure waters from an impure fountain; and those falsities when confirmed by reasonings from the fallacies of the senses appear like truths. And as man is from birth in falsities from evils he easily appropriates, acknowledges, and believes them, for they are in agreement with his first natural light and with the heat of that light, which is from the fire of the love of self or of the love of the world. And since man is easily, and as it were spontaneously, carried away to believe such things, and is thus misled, therefore much power is attributed here to the beast, and above to the dragon. But over the man who is in truths from good, or over one who is regenerated by the Lord, they have no power; and in every case they have less power in proportion as truths are multiplied with man, and finally none at all; for, as has been said above, all power is in truths from good, consequently there is none in falsities from evil.
sRef Rev@17 @3 S2′ [2] This may be confirmed by what is seen and perceived in the spiritual world. In certain places there those who are in falsities are continually contending with those who are like them and with those who are unlike them; and it was seen that the evil conquered by means of falsities, and drew a great many over to their side. When I wondered at this it was said and perceived that falsities have power over those who are in falsities; for it was observed that those who were conquered and thus drawn over were equally in falsities; and conversely, that falsities have no power over those who are in truths. It was further seen that those who were in falsities fought also with those who were in truths, and conquered them also; but still it was perceived that these were not in truths from good, but in truths without good. But when those who are in falsities fight against those who are in truths from good they have no effect whatever; they are like chaff in the air, that is dispersed and scattered in every direction by a man’s breath, with no power of resistance. Thence it is clear why the evil are sometimes called in the Word “mighty and powerful.” From this it is now evident why “ten horns” were seen upon the head of the dragon and upon the head of this beast, and likewise upon the head of the scarlet beast (Rev. 17:3).

sRef Rev@13 @1 S0′ 777. And upon his horns ten diadems, signifies power from appearances of truth in abundance. This is evident from the signification of “horns,” as being power (of which just above); also from the signification of “ten,” as being much, thus also abundance (see above, n. 675); also from the signification of “diadems,” as being truths in the ultimate of order, which are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word (see above, n. 717). Appearances of truth are also meant, because the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word are for the most part appearances of truth; and by means of these apparent truths of the Word those who are meant by this “beast” have their power. These are such as confirm by reasonings the separation of faith from life. For the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, which are appearances of truth, and which they connect by reasonings so as to make them to appear like genuine truths, are what are here signified by “diadems.” But when these have been connected by reasonings from falsities and fallacies they are no longer apparent truths but truths falsified, and thus falsities; according to what was illustrated above (n. 719) from the apparent progression of the sun. Upon the heads of the dragon there appeared seven diadems, but upon the horns of the beast ten diadems, because “the head of the dragon” signifies the knowledge [scientia] of the holy things of the Word which are falsified and adulterated, thus apparent truths which are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word; while the “horns” signify their much power when these are connected and confirmed by reasonings from the natural man. Yet this much power is not from the reasonings, but through the reasonings from the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word.

sRef Rev@13 @1 S0′ 778. And upon his heads a name of blasphemy, signifies the falsifications of the Word. This is evident from the signification of “heads,” as being the knowledge of the holy things of the Word, which are falsified and adulterated (see above, n. 775); also from the signification of “name,” as being the quality of a thing and its state (see above, n. 102, 135, 696); here the quality of the reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from life, which are signified by this “beast;” also from the signification of “blasphemy,” as being the falsification of the Word (of which presently). From this it is evident that “upon his heads a name of blasphemy” signifies the quality of those who by reasonings from the natural man confirm the separation of faith from life, and that the quality of such is the falsification of the Word. “Blasphemy” signifies the falsification of the Word, because in what follows by this beast is described the way in which those who are meant by the dragon pervert the sense of the letter of the Word by reasonings from the natural man, that they may confirm the justification and salvation by faith alone without good works; and this cannot be done except by their falsifying the Word, which in each and every particular conjoins truths to goods and goods to truths, thus faith to charity and charity to faith (as shown above, n. 775). This is why falsifications of the Word are signified by “blasphemy,” which is said to be the name of this beast.
[2] But how the Word is blasphemed by the falsification of it shall be illustrated by the following example. Those who separate faith from good works say:
That God the Father removed and even rejected from Himself the human race on account of their evils; and for this reason His Son was sent into the world, or the Son Himself, moved by pity, came into the world, and by the punishment of extreme condemnation, which was the passion of the cross, and by His own blood upon it, and finally by His death, He reconciled mankind to the Father, by thus interceding for it.
As this is among the chief things of the doctrine of those who separate faith from its life, which is charity, I will state briefly how the Divine is thereby blasphemed. It is blasphemed by this, that they believe and think that the Divine removed or rejected the human race from itself, when yet God is love itself, mercy itself, and goodness itself, and these are His Esse; evidently, therefore, it is impossible for God to remove or reject a single one of the human race, for this would be to act against His own Esse, which, as has been said, is the source of all love, all mercy, and all good. It would be impossible even for any angel or any man who is in love, mercy, and good from the Lord, to do this; and yet their love is finite, while the Divine love is infinite. God the Father’s removing or rejecting the human race they call vindictive justice, of which they cherish no other idea than that of a king or judge avenging an evil done to him, consequently that it is like their vengeance, in which there cannot but be something of anger. To confirm this they cite passages from the Word where God is called an avenger, a revenger, jealous, angry, wrathful; and these passages of the Word they thus falsify, since these expressions are used in the sense of the letter of the Word according to appearances. For when a man after death becomes a spirit, if he is in evils from his life in the world he turns himself away from the Lord; and when he turns himself away from the Lord and denies Him he can no longer be so under the Lord’s protection that his evil does not punish him, for the punishment of evil is in the evil, as the reward of good is in the good. But because the punishment of evil by the evil, or by those who are evil, appears as if it were punishment by the Divine, so from that appearance the Divine is said in the Word to be angry, to condemn, to cast into hell, and the like. Yet the Lord condemns and punishes no one (as can be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 545-550, under the head, “The Lord casts no one down into Hell, but the spirit casts himself down”). From this can be seen how the Divine is blasphemed by the falsification of the Word. For it is thought that God is in some respect an avenger, or revenger, that He is angry, that He casts into hell and punishes, when in fact it is evil that punishes itself, that is, hell from which evil is, and not the Divine. The Divine is blasphemed by the falsification of the Word also by their believing and thinking that God the Father wished to be reconciled to the human race by the punishment of extreme condemnation, which was the passion of the cross, thus by the blood of His Son; and that by this He was moved and is moved to mercy. Who that has an enlightened understanding does not see that this, too, is contrary to the Divine, and therefore contrary to the genuine truth of the Word? For as what is contrary to the Divine is blasphemy, so to wrest the sense of the letter of the Word to confirm this doctrine is blasphemy. But more about this in what follows.
sRef Mark@3 @29 S3′ sRef Matt@12 @32 S3′ sRef Mark@3 @28 S3′ sRef Matt@12 @31 S3′ sRef Luke@12 @10 S3′ [3] What, then, is signified by “blasphemy” can be seen from passages in the Word where it is mentioned; from which I am only allowed to cite the following. In the Gospels:
Jesus said, Every sin and blasphemy shall be remitted unto men, but the blasphemy of the Spirit shall not be remitted unto men. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man it shall be remitted unto him, but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit it shall not be remitted unto him, neither in this age nor in that which is to come (Matt. 12:31, 32).
I say unto you, All sins shall be remitted unto the sons of man. But whosoever shall blaspheme against the Spirit hath no remission to eternity, but shall be subject to an eternal judgment (Mark 3:28, 29).
Everyone who shall speak a word against the Son of man it shall be remitted unto him, but unto him that blasphemeth the Holy Spirit it shall not be remitted (Luke 12:10).
What is signified by “sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit,” and what by “a word against the Son of man,” has not hitherto been known in the church, and for the reason that it has not been known what is properly meant by “the Holy Spirit,” and what by “the Son of man.” “The Holy Spirit” means the Lord in relation to Divine truth such as it is in the heavens, that is, the Word such as it is in the spiritual sense, for this is Divine truth in heaven. And “the Son of man” means Divine truth such as it is on the earth, that is, the Word such as it is in the natural sense, for this is Divine truth on the earth. When it is known what is meant by “the Holy Spirit,” and what by “the Son of man,” it can also be known what is signified by “sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit,” and by “a word against the Son of man;” also why “a word against the Son of man” can be remitted, and “sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” cannot. “Sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” means to deny the Word, and to adulterate its essential goods and falsify its essential truths; while “a word against the Son of man” means to interpret the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, according to appearances.
[4] To deny the Word is a sin that “cannot be remitted in this age nor in that which is to come,” that is, to eternity, and he who does it “is subject to an eternal judgment,” because those who deny the Word deny God, deny the Lord, deny heaven and hell, and deny the church and all things pertaining to it; and those who deny these are atheists, who, although with their lips they attribute the creation of the universe to some Supreme Entity, or Deity, or God, yet in heart ascribe it to nature. Because such by denial have dissolved all bond of connection with the Lord they must needs be separated from heaven and conjoined to hell. To adulterate the essential goods of the Word and to falsify its essential truths is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that cannot be remitted, because “the Holy Spirit” means the Lord in relation to Divine truth such as it is in the heavens, that is, the Word such as it is in the spiritual sense, as has been said above. In the spiritual sense are genuine goods and genuine truths; but in the natural sense these same are as it were clothed, and only here and there are naked. They are therefore called apparent goods and truths. These are what are adulterated and falsified; and they are said to be adulterated and falsified when they are so explained as to be contrary to genuine goods and truths, for heaven then removes itself and man is separated from it; and for the reason, as has been said, that genuine goods and truths constitute the spiritual sense of the Word in which the angels of heaven are. For example, heaven is removed from man when the Lord and His Divine are denied, as was done by the Pharisees who said that the Lord wrought miracles by Beelzebub and had an unclean spirit; and because they thus denied Him and His Divine He said that this was sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, because it was against the Word, as may be seen in the preceding verses of these chapters in the Gospels. For the same reason also the Socinians and Arians, who deny the Divine of the Lord, although they do not deny the Lord, are out of heaven, and cannot be received by any angelic society.
[5] Take, as another example, those who exclude the goods of love and the works of charity from among the means of salvation, and who claim that faith, exclusive of these, is the sole means of salvation, and who confirm this opinion not only by doctrine but also by their life, saying in heart, Goods do not save me nor evils condemn, because I have faith. Such also blaspheme the Holy Spirit, for they falsify the genuine good and truth of the Word, and this in a thousand passages, where love and charity and deeds and works are mentioned. Moreover, as has been said above, in each and every thing of the Word there is the marriage of good and truth, thus of charity and faith; consequently when good or charity is taken away that marriage perishes, and instead there is adultery; the nature of this adultery will be explained elsewhere. This is why these, too, cannot be received into heaven; and for the further reason that they have put earthly love in place of heavenly love and evil works in place of good works, because their works are from earthly love, and when this is separated from heavenly love it is infernal love. But it is otherwise with those who believe, indeed, from the doctrine of the church and from their teachers, that faith is the only means of salvation, or who know this, but inwardly neither affirm it nor deny it, and who, nevertheless, live a good life from the Word, that is, because the Lord has so commanded in the Word. Such do not blaspheme the Holy Spirit, for they do not adulterate the goods of the Word nor falsify its truths, wherefore they have conjunction with the angels of heaven. Moreover, few of such know that faith is anything else than believing in the Word. The dogma of justification by faith alone without the works of the law they do not apprehend, because it transcends their understanding.
[6] These two examples are cited to make known what is meant by “sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit,” that is, that sin against it is to deny the Divine truth, thus the Word, and that blasphemy against it is to adulterate the essential goods of the Word and falsify its essential truths. Let it be noted that the good of the Word when adulterated is evil, and that its truth when falsified is falsity. A word against the Son of man, signifies to interpret the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, according to appearances, because the Son of man means the Lord in relation to Divine truth such as it is on earth, thus such as it is in the natural sense. Such a word is remitted unto men, because most things in the natural sense of the Word, or the sense of its letter, are goods and truths clothed, and some only are naked, as they are in the spiritual sense; and goods and truths that are clothed are called appearances of truth. For the Word in its ultimates is like a man clothed with a garment, but with his face and hands naked; and where the Word is thus naked its goods and truths appear naked, as they do in heaven, thus such as they are in the spiritual sense. There is, therefore, nothing to hinder those who are enlightened by the Lord from seeing, or to hinder those who are not so enlightened from confirming, the doctrine of genuine good and genuine truth from the sense of the letter of the Word. The Word is such in the sense of the letter that it may be a basis for the spiritual sense; thus, too, it is accommodated to the comprehension of the simple, who, unless things are so stated, are unable to perceive them, and when perceived, to believe and do them.
sRef Rev@12 @11 S7′ sRef Matt@26 @28 S7′ sRef Rev@12 @7 S7′ sRef John@1 @29 S7′ [7] Moreover, because the Divine truths in the sense of the letter of the Word are for the most part appearances of truth, and the simple in faith and heart cannot be raised above them, it is not sin or blasphemy to interpret the Word according to appearances, provided principles are not formed from these appearances and so confirmed as to destroy Divine truth in its genuine sense. For example, where it is said:
Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29);
and:
This is My blood, that of the new Testament, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins (Matt. 26:28);
and again:
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 12:7, 11);
and when from these words it is believed in simplicity that the Lord suffered the passion of the cross on account of our sins, and that through this suffering and His blood He redeemed us from hell-since this is an apparent truth, and can be stated and believed, therefore it does not condemn the simple in faith and heart. But to establish a principle from these words, and to confirm that principle so far as to hold that God the Father was and is in this way reconciled to man, and that man is justified and saved by his faith alone without the good things of charity, which are good works, and to be in that principle in life as well as in doctrine-this cannot be remitted.
[8] From this it can be seen that “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” signifies the falsification of the Word even to the destruction of Divine truth in its genuine sense. Therefore “a name of blasphemy” signifies the falsification of Divine truth, thus of the Word, because it is called blasphemy when anyone speaks against God; and to speak against God is to speak against the Divine truth, for the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is what is meant in the Word by “God;” and Divine good is meant by “Jehovah,” and by “the Lord.” And as it is blasphemy to speak against God, thus also against the Word, since the Word is Divine truth, it follows that blasphemy is to falsify the Word. For those who falsify the Word make its truth to be falsity, and falsity continually speaks against truth, and even assaults it. This is why “blasphemy” signifies the falsification of the Word, even to the destruction of its genuine good and genuine truth.
sRef Rev@17 @3 S9′ [9] The like is said of the “scarlet beast” further on in Revelation:
The woman sitting upon the scarlet beast was full of the names of blasphemy (17:3).
That beast with the woman sitting on it there means Babylon; and “the names of blasphemy” mean the adulterations of the good and the falsifications of the truth of the Word; and these, as has been said, are blasphemies against the Lord.
sRef Isa@37 @23 S10′ sRef Isa@37 @15 S10′ sRef Isa@37 @17 S10′ sRef Isa@37 @6 S10′ sRef Isa@37 @24 S10′ [10] That “blasphemies” signify to believe and speak wickedly and falsely about God and about Divine truth can also be seen from other passages in the Word. As in Isaiah:
Jehovah said, Fear not on account of the words which thou hast heard, wherewith the young men of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. And Hezekiah the king prayed, and said, Hear, O Jehovah, all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to blaspheme the living God. And Jehovah spake concerning him, Whom hast thou blasphemed and reviled, and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice and lifted up thine eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel! By the hand of thy servants thou hast blasphemed the Lord (37:6, 15, 17, 23, 24).
From this, too, it can be seen that blasphemy is predicated of false speaking against God. For “the king of Assyria,” who at that time was Sennacherib, signifies the rational, but here the rational perverted, which speaks against Divine truth, treats it shamefully, and censures it by falsities; and this is to falsify it, as has been said above. The falsities spoken against Divine truth are signified by the things mentioned in verses 10-13, 24, 25, which were all not only blasphemies against God but also falsifications of Divine truth.
sRef Num@15 @30 S11′ sRef Num@15 @31 S11′ [11] In Moses:
As to the soul that doeth with a high hand, the same blasphemeth Jehovah, in that he hath despised the word of Jehovah and hath rendered void His commandment, that soul shall be utterly cut off, its iniquity shall be upon it (Num. 15:30, 31).
This treats of those who act against the commandments of God given through Moses, both through error, and also from purpose (as is clear from verse 23 and those that follow in that chapter); here those who so act from purpose are treated of, and this is meant by “doing with a high hand.” And since to act against a commandment is to act against Divine truth, and to act against this from purpose is to act from the intention of the will, and from that to speak falsity, which is the actual adulteration and falsification of the Word, therefore it is said “he blasphemeth Jehovah.” And as this is similar to the sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit it is said, “that soul shall be utterly cut off, its iniquity shall be upon it;” “its iniquity shall be upon it” signifying that it cannot be remitted.
[12] That blasphemy is predicated of evil speaking and false speaking about God, and thus about Divine truth, it is unnecessary to confirm here by many passages from the Word; not only because anyone can see that blasphemy is nothing else in the spiritual sense, but also because there are various kinds of it; consequently in human languages, as in the Hebrew, there are various terms by which the kinds of blasphemy of God and of the Divine truth are expressed, such as calumny, contumely, ignominy, opprobrium, reproach, rebuke, jesting, scoffing, mocking, and others, each of which is used in the Word with a generic and specific difference, to analyze and explain which would require many pages.

sRef Rev@13 @2 S0′ 779. Verse 2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. 2. “And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard,” signifies reasonings that are discordant, and yet appear as if they cohere (n. 780); “and his feet were as of a bear,” signifies from natural things, which are fallacies (n. 781); “and his mouth as the mouth of a lion,” signifies reasonings from falsities destroying the truths of the Word (n. 782); “and the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority,” signifies that those who separate faith from life support and corroborate their doctrinals by reasonings from fallacies, and thus powerfully seduce (n. 783).

sRef Rev@13 @2 S0′ 780. Verse 2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, signifies reasonings that are discordant, and yet appear as if they cohere. This is evident from the signification of “a beast coming up out of the sea,” which is here treated of, as being reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from life (see above, n. 774), so here it means such reasonings; also from the signification of a “leopard,” as being reasonings that are discordant and yet appear as if true. Such is the signification of a “leopard” because the skin of the leopard is marked and variegated with spots, from which variegation it appears not unbeautiful; also because it is a fierce and insidious animal, and swifter than the others in seizing its prey; and because those are of like character who are versed in reasoning adroitly in confirming the dogma of the separation of faith from good works by reasonings from the natural man, and because this dogma, although it is inconsistent with truths, is made to appear as if it cohered with truths, therefore that beast appeared as to its body like a leopard.
[2] As this is the signification of the “leopard,” I will first illustrate by some examples how those who separate faith from its life, which is good works, make things that are discordant to appear by their reasonings to be coherent. In many passages of the Word heresies are represented by “idols” which the workman forms by various means until he makes them appear in the figure of a man, and yet no life can be imparted to them so that they may see, hear, move the hands and feet, and speak. This I have also seen done in the spiritual world by some who had separated faith from good works; and this work continued for many hours; and when the idol had been made it appeared the sight of many like an image of a man, but before the eyes of angels like a monster. Moreover, they wished to impart to it something of life by means of their arts; but this they were unable to do.
[3] Such things take place in the spiritual world, because all things that are seen in that world are representative of spiritual things, which are presented in such forms as exist in this world; consequently beasts of the earth of every kind and birds of heaven are seen there; also houses and apartments in them, with various decorations, likewise gardens and paradises full of trees bearing fruits and flowers, also tables are seen and eatables of every kind upon them, with innumerable other things, which, however, are all from a spiritual origin, and are therefore representative of spiritual things. For the same reason some there form various things by means of which spiritual things are presented in effigy. This is why they also desired to exhibit faith separated from good works under the image of a man in order to persuade the simple by that appearance that that heretical dogma is Divine truth. For every truth from the Lord is in its form a man; therefore the angels, as they are recipients of Divine truth from the Lord, are human forms, yea, whatever is with an angel from Divine truth has such a form. (That this is so can be seen from many things in the work on Heaven and Hell, especially in n. 460.) That “idols” signify in the Word false doctrinals from self-intelligence that appear as truths, can be seen above (n. 587). This has been said to make known that upon all heresies, and especially upon this universal one of the separation of faith from good works, an appearance can be induced by reasonings as if they were from truths and not from falsities.
[4] But this shall be illustrated by an example. Who may not be brought to believe that faith alone is the only means of salvation, since man is unable to do good of himself which is good in itself? For this appears to everyone at first sight as a consequence, and thus to agree with truth; and it is not then recognized to be a reasoning from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from good works; and when a man has been persuaded by this reasoning he thinks that there is no need to attend to his life, because he has faith. But he who is in this persuasion is not aware that to do good from the Word, that is, because it is commanded in the Word, is to do good from the Lord, and that thus a man may do good from himself, and yet may believe that it is from the Lord. But about this more will be said in what follows. From this much it can be seen how the appearance can easily be induced by reasonings that this falsity which universally prevails in the Christian Church is in agreement with this truth, that every good that is good in itself is from the Lord, and not at all from man, from which it is inferred that a man can cease doing good and yet be saved; when in fact, this is altogether in disagreement with the truth.
sRef Jer@13 @23 S5′ [5] That such is the signification of the “leopard” can be seen from the following passages. In Jeremiah:
Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then can ye also do good who have been taught to do evil (13:23).
“Can the Ethiopian change his skin” signifies that evil cannot change its nature, for “the Ethiopian” because he is wholly black, is evil in its form, and the skin, because it is the outermost part of man, and corresponds to his sensual, means his nature. “Or the leopard his spots” signifies that neither can the falsity of evil change, “leopard” here meaning the falsity from evil, since it means truth falsified by reasonings; and “spots” mean things falsified. As both of these are against good it is said, “Then may ye also do good who have been taught to do evil.” It is said that both are against good, namely, evil and the falsity of evil, because evil of the will and falsity of the understanding therefrom are meant. Evil of the will is evil from one’s nature, and falsity of the understanding becomes evil by act; for the will acts and does evil by means of the understanding.
sRef Isa@11 @6 S6′ sRef Isa@11 @5 S6′ [6] In Isaiah:
Righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and truth the girdle of His hips; therefore the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard with the kid, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little boy shall lead them (11:5, 6).
This is said of the Lord and of His kingdom, and of the state of innocence and peace therein. That this is said of the Lord is evident from the first verse of this chapter, where it is said that “there shall go forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a shoot out of his roots shall bear fruit.” “Righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and truth the girdle of His hips,” signifies that the Divine good proceeding from the Lord’s Divine love shall conjoin those in heaven and in the church who are in love to Him; and that the Divine truth proceeding from Him shall conjoin those in heaven and in the church who are in love towards the neighbor. “Righteousness” when predicated of the Lord means the Divine good, and “His loins” means those who are in love to Him; “truth” means the Divine truth; “His hips” mean those who are in love towards the neighbor; and “girdle” signifies the conjunction with these in heaven and in the church. “Therefore shall dwell” signifies the state of peace which exists when nothing of evil from hell is feared, because it can do no harm; “the wolf with the lamb and the leopard with the kid” signifies that no evil or falsity shall harm those who are in innocence and in charity from the Lord; a “wolf” signifying the evil that is the opposite of innocence, and that endeavors to destroy it, a “leopard” meaning the falsity that is the opposite of charity and that endeavors by reasonings in favor of faith to destroy charity; “a lamb” signifying innocence, and a “kid” charity. “The calf also and the young lion and the fatling together” signifies that infernal falsity shall not harm the innocence of the natural man, or any affection for good of the natural man; a “calf” signifying the innocence of the natural man, a “fatling or ox” the affection of the natural man, and a “lion” infernal falsity in respect to its power and eagerness to destroy Divine truth. “And a little boy shall lead them” signifies the state of innocence and love to the Lord in which they will be; “boy” signifying innocence together with love to the Lord, for love to the Lord makes one with innocence; because those who are in that love are also in innocence, as those are who are in the third heaven, and who consequently appear to the eyes of others like infants and boys.
sRef Jer@5 @6 S7′ [7] In Jeremiah:
A lion out of the forest hath smitten the great men of Jerusalem; the wolf of the plains shall devastate them; the leopard is watching against their cities; everyone that shall go out shall be torn in pieces, because their prevarications have been multiplied, their backslidings have become strong (5:6).
This is said of the falsification of truth in the church. “The great men of Jerusalem” mean those who excel others in teaching truths and goods; and “Jerusalem” means the church in respect to doctrine. “A lion out of the forest” that smote the great men, signifies the dominion of infernal falsity; the “wolf” that shall devastate them signifies the dominion of evil therefrom; both of these, the falsity and the evil, destroying the truths and goods of the church. “The leopard watching against the cities” signifies reasonings from the falsities of evil against the truths of doctrine, “cities” signifying doctrinals, thus the truths of doctrine. “Everyone that shall go out shall be torn in pieces” signifies that everyone who recedes from the truths of doctrine shall be destroyed by falsities. The “prevarications” that have been multiplied signify the falsifications of truth; the “backslidings” that have become strong signify the adulterations of good. That the falsifications of truth and the adulterations of good are signified by “prevarications” and “backslidings” is evident from the following verse, where it is said that “they committed adultery, and entered in crowds the house of the harlot,” which signifies these falsifications and alterations.
sRef Hab@1 @8 S8′ [8] In Habakkuk:
Whose horses are lighter than eagles* and more fierce than the wolves of the evening, so that her horsemen spread themselves (1:8).
This is said of the devastation of the church by the adulteration of truth, which is signified by the Chaldean nation, of which these things are spoken. “Whose horses are lighter than leopards” signifies the eagerness to seduce by reasonings, and a consequent expertness in seducing; such eagerness and expertness are signified by their “lightness” or “swiftness;” “horses” here signifying reasonings from the natural man. And as “horses” and “leopards” have a like signification it is said, “whose horses are lighter than leopards.” “More fierce than the wolves of the evening” signifies craftiness in deceiving by fallacies; the fallacies of the senses are here signified by “the wolves of the evening” because the fallacies are from the sensual man, which in darkness sees falsities as truths. “So that her horsemen spread themselves” signifies that the truths of the Word by adulteration become heresies; “horsemen” signify heresies because “horses” mean reasonings by which falsities are confirmed.
sRef Dan@7 @6 S9′ [9] In Daniel:
The third beast coming up out of the sea was like a leopard, which had four wings like birds’ wings upon its back (7:6).
The successive devastation of the church is here depicted by “the four beasts coming up out of the sea,” and this third beast, which was “like a leopard,” has a similar signification as the leopard here treated of in Revelation, namely, reasonings that are discordant and yet appear as if coherent; “which had four wings like birds’ wings upon its back” signifies appearing like the understanding of good and truth from the application thereto of the sense of the letter of the Word.
sRef Hos@13 @5 S10′ sRef Hos@13 @7 S10′ sRef Hos@13 @6 S10′ [10] In Hosea:
I knew thee in the wilderness, in the land of droughts; when they had pasture they were satiated; when they were satiated their heart was elated; therefore they have forgotten Me, therefore am I become to them as a lion, as a leopard will I watch over the way (13:5-7).
“I knew thee in the wilderness, in the land of droughts,” signifies a state without good and without truths; “wilderness” meaning a state without good, and “land of droughts” a state without truths; “when they had pasture they were satiated” signifies when goods and truths were given them, that is, when they were instructed respecting them from the Word, even to the full nourishment of the soul; “when they were satiated their heart was elated” signifies when by reason of such fullness they exalted themselves above all others, believing that for that reason heaven was for them alone and for no others. “Therefore they have forgotten Me” signifies that pride has obliterated goods and truths, and thus their desire and with it their heart has receded from the Lord. “Therefore am I become to them as a lion” signifies the consequent devastation of every truth of the church; “and as a leopard will I watch over the way” signifies the falsification of truth by reasonings from the natural man; a “leopard” signifying falsification by reasonings; “the way” truth leading to good, and “to watch” the intention to pervert. This is said of the Lord in the sense of the letter of the Word, from the appearance of truth, in which nevertheless lies hidden the genuine truth (which is the spiritual sense of the Word) that it is not the Lord that as a lion devastates the church, or that as a leopard falsifies truths by reasonings, but it is the man himself that does this when his heart is lifted up. From this it is clear what is signified in the Word by a “leopard.”
* Photolithograph has eagles, the Hebrew has leopards. In the explanation Swedenborg translates it leopards.

sRef Rev@13 @2 S0′ 781. And his feet were as of a bear, signifies from natural things which are fallacies. This is evident from the signification of “feet,” as being natural things (see above, n. 69, 600, 632, 666); also from the signification of a “bear,” as being those who are in power from the natural sense of the Word, both the good and the evil (of which presently). The “feet” of the beast whose body was like a leopard’s and whose feet were like a bear’s signifies fallacies, because a “leopard” signifies reasonings which are discordant and yet appear to be coherent (see just above, n. 780), and so far as such reasonings are from the lowest natural, which is the sensual, they are fallacies, which are signified by “the feet of a bear.”
[2] Beasts, both clean and unclean, are mentioned in many passages in the Word, and they signify various things pertaining either to heaven or to hell; clean and useful beasts signify such things as pertain to heaven, unclean and useless beasts such things as pertain to hell. But what pertaining to heaven or to hell is signified can be best known from representatives in the spiritual world, where also beasts appear, all of which are appearances representing such things as angels or spirits are thinking from their affections, inclinations, appetites, pleasures, and desires. These things are presented before their eyes in various forms, as gardens, forests, fields, plains, and also fountains; likewise palaces and houses, and chambers therein, in which are decorative and useful things; also tables are seen upon which are various kinds of food. They are also exhibited in the forms of animals of the earth, the flying things of heaven, and creeping things, in an infinite variety; not only in the forms of such animals and flying things as are upon our earth, but in forms composite from several forms, which nowhere exist on earth, many of which it has been granted me to see. When these appear, their spiritual origin and thus what they signify is at once known. But as soon as the spirit or angel ceases from his thought and meditation these animals and birds instantly vanish.
[3] That such things are seen in the spiritual world is clearly evident from like things seen by the prophets as that the Lord appeared like a Lamb; cherubs were seen with faces like a lion, an ox, and an eagle (described in Ezekiel); horses were seen going forth out of the book of life when the Lamb opened its seals, also a white horse, and also many white horses upon which those in heaven rode (in John); also white, bay, red, black, and grisled horses (in Zechariah); there was also seen a red dragon having many heads and horns; and now here was seen a beast like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion; also another beast having two horns like a lamb, and afterwards a scarlet beast upon which sat a woman. Again, to Daniel four beasts coming up out of the sea appeared, the first of which appeared like a lion with wings of an eagle, the second like a bear, the third like a leopard which had four wings, and the fourth terrible. From this it is clear not only that such beasts appear in the spiritual world, but also that they are significative; and from this it can also be seen that all the beasts as well as all the birds mentioned in the Word are significative of such things as are represented by beasts in the spiritual world. But what is signified by “the bear” will be told in what follows.
[4] Before this is shown from the Word I will illustrate by some examples what is meant by the fallacies that are here signified by “the feet as of a bear.” The many things that man reasons and forms conclusions about from the natural man without spiritual light, that is, without the light of the understanding enlightened by the Lord, are called fallacies, for the natural man takes the ideas of his thought from earthly, corporeal, and worldly things, which in themselves are material; and when a man’s thought is not elevated above these he thinks materially about things spiritual; and material thought without spiritual light derives everything from the loves of the natural man and from their delights, which are contrary to heavenly loves and their delights. This is why conclusions and reasonings from the natural man alone and its delusive lumen are fallacies. But let this be illustrated by examples.
[5] It is a fallacy that cogitative faith saves, since man is such as his life is. It is a fallacy that cogitative faith is spiritual, since to love the Lord above all things and the neighbor as oneself is the spiritual itself, and to love is to will and do. It is a fallacy that faith can also be given in a moment, since man must be purified from evils and from falsities therefrom and be regenerated by the Lord, and this is a long-continued process, and only so far as man is purified and regenerated does he receive spiritual faith. It is a fallacy that man can receive faith and be saved at the hour of death whatever his life may have been, since a man’s life remains and he is judged according to his deeds and works.
[6] It is a fallacy that little children also have faith through baptism, since faith must be acquired through the knowledges of truth and good, and by a life in accordance with them. It is a fallacy that through faith alone the church exists with man, since it is through the faith of charity that the church exists with him; and charity is of the life, and not of faith separated from the life. It is a fallacy that man is justified by faith alone, and that the merit of the Lord is thereby imputed to him when he is justified, and that afterwards nothing condemns him, since faith without the life of faith, which is charity, is like something that is said to be living but has no soul, which in itself is dead; for charity is the soul of faith, because it is its life; consequently man is not justified by a dead faith, much less is the merit of the Lord imputed and salvation effected by it; and where there is no salvation there is condemnation.
[7] It is a fallacy that in faith alone, there is love and charity, since love and charity are willing and doing, for what a man loves he not only thinks but also wills and does. It is a fallacy that where “doing” and “deeds” and “works” are mentioned in the Word to have faith is meant, because these are present in faith, since these are as distinct as thought and will are; for a man can think many things that he does not will, while what he wills he thinks when left alone to himself; and to will is to do. Moreover, the will and the thought therefrom are the man himself, and not the thought separate; and deeds and works are of the will and of the thought therefrom; while faith alone is of the thought separate from deeds and works, which are of the will.
[8] It is a fallacy that faith is to be separated from good works because man is unable to do good of himself, and if he does good he places merit in it, since man when he does good from the Word does not do it from himself but from the Lord, because the Lord is in the Word and is the Word; and man then does not do good of himself, when he does it as of himself and yet believes that he does it from the Lord, because from the Word; moreover, when a man believes that the good that he does is from the Lord he cannot place merit in the deeds. It is a fallacy that the understanding must be held bound under obedience to faith, and that faith seen by the understanding is not spiritual faith; when yet it is the understanding that is enlightened in the things of faith when the Word is read; and when enlightenment is excluded the understanding does not know whether a thing is true or false; and in that case faith does not become a man’s own faith but the faith of another in him, and this is a historical faith, and when it is confirmed it becomes a persuasive faith, which can see falsities as truths and truths as falsities. This is the source of all heretical beliefs.
[9] It is a fallacy that the confidence that is called saving faith, accepted without understanding, is spiritual confidence, since confidence apart from understanding is a persuasion from another, or from confirmation by passages gathered up here and there from the Word, and applied by reasonings from the natural man to a false principle. Such confidence is a blind faith, which is merely natural because it does not see whether a thing is true or false. Moreover, all truth wishes to be seen because it belongs to the light of heaven; but truth that is not seen may be falsified in many ways; and falsified truth is falsity.
[10] Such are the fallacies that pertain merely to such faith as is separated from good works. There are yet many others that pertain not only to faith but also to good works, to charity, and to the neighbor, and especially to such conjunctions of these with faith as are skillfully adjusted by the learned. Such fallacies are signified by “the feet of a bear,” because a “bear” signifies those, both the well-disposed and the evil, who have power from the natural sense of the Word. And as “feet” signify things natural, “the feet of the bear” signify the fallacies from which the sense of the letter of the Word is falsified by reasonings, and into which the appearances of truth of that sense are changed.
sRef 2Ki@2 @23 S11′ sRef 2Ki@2 @24 S11′ [11] That a “bear” signifies power from the natural sense of the Word, both with the well-disposed and with the evil, can be seen from the following passages. In the second book of Kings:
When Elisha went up to Bethel, as he was going up in the way there came forth boys out of the city and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up thou baldhead, go up thou baldhead. And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah; and there came forth two she-bears out of the forest, and tare in pieces forty-two boys (2:23, 24).
Why the boys were cursed by Elisha and in consequence were torn by two bears because they called him “baldhead,” cannot be known except by knowing what “Elisha” represented, and what a “baldhead” signifies, and what “bears” signify. This evidently was not done by Elisha from unrestrained anger and without just cause, for he could not have been so cruel merely because the little boys said, “Go up thou baldhead.” This was indeed, an insult to the prophet, but not a sufficient reason for their being therefore torn to pieces by bears. But this was done because Elisha represented the Lord in respect to the Word, thus the Word that is from the Lord. “Baldhead” signified the Word deprived of the natural sense, which is the sense of its letter; and “bears out of the forest” signified power from the natural sense or sense of the letter of the Word, as has been said above; and these “boys” signified such as blaspheme the Word because its natural sense is such as it is; and “forty-two” signifies blasphemy. From this it is clear that this represented and thence signified the punishment for blaspheming the Word. For all the power and sanctity of the Word are gathered up and have their seat in the sense of its letter; for without this sense the Word could not exist, since without it the Word would be like a house without a foundation, which would be shaken by the wind, and thus be overthrown and fall to pieces. The Word would also be like a man without a skin, which surrounds and holds the enclosed viscera in their position and order. And as this is the signification of “baldness,” and “Elisha” represented the Word, the boys were torn in pieces by bears which signifies the power from the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of the letter, both with the well-disposed and with the evil. From this it is clear that the historical things of the Word, as well as its prophecies, contain a spiritual sense.
sRef 1Sam@17 @35 S12′ sRef 1Sam@17 @37 S12′ sRef 1Sam@17 @34 S12′ sRef 1Sam@17 @36 S12′ [12] The bear that David smote has a like signification; this is described in the first book of Samuel:
David said unto Saul, Thy servant was pasturing his father’s flock, and there came a lion and a bear and took away a sheep from the flock; I went out after him and smote him; and when he arose against me I took hold of his beard and smote him and killed him. Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear. Therefore this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, because he hath reproached the ranks of the living God (17:34-37).
Power was given to David to smite the lion and the bear that took away the sheep from the flock, because “David” represented the Lord in reference to Divine truth in which those who are of His church are instructed; and a “lion” signifies the power of spiritual Divine truth, and in the contrary sense, as here, the power of infernal falsity against Divine truth; while a “bear” signifies the power of natural Divine truth, and in the contrary sense the power of falsity against that truth. But “a sheep from the flock” signifies those who are of the Lord’s church. And as this was represented, the power was given to David to smite the bear and the lion, to represent and signify the Lord’s power to defend by His Divine truth His own in the church from the falsities of evil that are from hell. David’s taking hold of the beard of the bear involves an arcanum that may be disclosed, indeed, but can scarcely be comprehended. The “beard” signifies the Divine truth in ultimates, in which its essential power rests. This truth also the evil who are in falsities carry indeed in the mouth but they misuse it to destroy; but when it is taken away they no longer have any power. This is why he killed the bear and smote the lion. But this will be further explained elsewhere. But “Goliath,” who was a Philistine and was therefore called “uncircumcised,” signifies such as are in truths without good; and truths without good are truths falsified, which in themselves are falsities. “The uncircumcised” signifies those who are in filthy corporeal loves; for the foreskin corresponds to those loves. From this it is clear what the victory of David over Goliath represented. From this it can be seen why:
David is compared by Hushai to a bear bereaved in the field (2 Sam. 17:8).
sRef Dan@7 @5 S13′ [13] In Daniel:
Another beast coming up out of the sea was like to a bear, and it raised itself upon its side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and they said unto it, Arise, devour much flesh (7:5).
The four beasts coming up out of the sea depict the successive states of the church, even to its devastation, which is its end. This second beast, which was “like to a bear,” signifies the falsification of the truth of the Word, the power of which still remains in the sense of the letter. The eagerness to falsify its goods is signified by “raising itself upon one side.” The “three ribs in the mouth between the teeth” signify the knowledges of truth from the Word in abundance, which are perverted by reasonings from fallacies; and “to devour much flesh” signifies the destruction of good by falsities, and the appropriation of evil.
sRef Hos@13 @7 S14′ sRef Hos@13 @8 S14′ [14] In Hosea:
I am become to them as a lion, as a leopard will I watch over the way; I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved; and there I will devour as a huge lion; the wild beast of the field shall rend them (13:7, 8).
The signification of the words, “I am become to them as a lion, as a leopard will I watch over the way,” was explained in the preceding article. “To meet them as a bear that is bereaved” signifies the falsification of the sense of the letter of the Word; “to devour as a huge lion” signifies the destruction and devastation of every truth of the Word, and thence of the church; “the wild beast of the field shall rend them” signifies that they will be destroyed by the falsities from evil.
sRef Lam@3 @11 S15′ sRef Lam@3 @10 S15′ sRef Lam@3 @8 S15′ sRef Lam@3 @9 S15′ [15] In Lamentations:
Although I cry out and shout he shutteth out my prayers, he hath hedged about my ways with hewn stone, he hath overturned my footpaths; a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in secret places, he hath perverted my ways, he hath made me desolate (3:8-11).
This is a lamentation from God respecting the desolation of truth in the church; and that they cannot be heard by reason of falsities is signified by “Although I cry out and shout he shutteth out my prayers.” That falsities from self-intelligence turn away and reject the influx of truth is signified by “he hath hedged about my ways with hewn stone, he hath overturned my footpaths;” God’s “ways and footpaths” signifying truths leading to good, and “hewn stone” what belongs to self-intelligence. Because this was the signification of “hewn stone” it was forbidden to build an altar of hewn stones, and likewise the temple at Jerusalem. “A bear lying in wait for me” signifies the natural man perverting the sense of the letter of the Word; “a lion in secret places” signifies the interior natural man from the evils in him perverting every sense of the truth of the Word and thence of the church, which is the source of falsities; “he hath perverted my ways, he hath made me desolate,” signifies the devastation of the truth of the church.
sRef Amos@5 @18 S16′ sRef Amos@5 @19 S16′ [16] In Amos:
Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah. What to you is the day of Jehovah? It is a day of darkness and not of light; as one who fleeth from a lion and meeteth a bear, or who cometh to a house and leaneth with his hand upon the wall and a serpent biteth him (5:18, 19).
“The day of Jehovah” means the coming of the Lord, who is the Messiah whom they expected; and as they believed that He would deliver them from the enemies of the land, and would exalt them in glory above all the nations, they desired Him. But as the Lord came into the world not for the sake of any kingdom on earth but for the sake of a kingdom in heaven, and as the Jewish nation was in the falsities of evil, and these were at that time manifested, it is said, “Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah. What to you is the day of Jehovah? It is a day of darkness and not of light,” “darkness and not light” meaning the falsities in which they were; “as one who fleeth from a lion meeteth a bear” signifies fear because of the dominion of falsity when truths are sought from the sense of the letter of the Word, which they cannot but falsify; for one is said “to flee from a lion and to meet a bear” when he is interiorly in falsity from evil, and is led to investigate truths from the sense of the letter of the Word, which he then, because of the interior dominion of falsity from evil, cannot but pervert; “who cometh to a house and leaneth with his hand upon a wall and a serpent biteth him” signifies that when such a man in seeking goods consults the Word from the sense of the letter he does not see that evils pervert it; “the bite of a serpent” signifying falsification, here the falsification that arises from the interior dominion of falsity from evil.
sRef Isa@11 @7 S17′ sRef Isa@11 @6 S17′ [17] In Isaiah:
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard with the kid; the calf shall lie down, and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little boy shall lead them; and the heifer and the bear shall feed, and their young ones shall lie down together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox (11:6, 7).
The signification of “the wolf dwelling with [the lamb, and the leopard with] the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling lying down together, and a little boy leading them,” has been explained in the preceding article. “The heifer and the bear shall feed, and their young ones shall lie down together,” signifies the power and eagerness of the natural man to falsify the truths of the Word, and that these shall do no harm to the good of the natural man and its affection, “heifer” meaning the affection for good and truth of the natural man, and “bear” the power and eagerness of the natural man to falsify the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word; “the lion shall eat straw like an ox” signifies that infernal falsity burning to destroy the truths of the church shall do no harm to the affection of good of the natural man, either as to the individual man in himself or as to men in relation to one another, nor shall it do harm to the Word, “straw” signifying the Word in the letter which is perverted by infernal falsity, but cannot be perverted by those who are in truths from good.
sRef Isa@59 @11 S18′ sRef Isa@59 @12 S18′ sRef Isa@59 @10 S18′ [18] In the same:
We grope for the wall as the blind, and we grope as they that have no eyes, we stumble in the noonday as in the twilight; among the living we are as dead; we growl like bears, and moaning we moan like doves; we wait for judgment but there is none, for salvation but it is far from us; for our transgressions before Thee are multiplied, and our sins answer against us (Isa. 59:10-12).
“We grope for the wall as the blind, and we grope as they that have no eyes,” signifies that there is no understanding of truth; “we stumble in the noonday as in the twilight” signifies a falling into errors, although they are in the church where the Word is, by which they might come into the light of truth; “among the living we are as dead,” signifies that they might be in spiritual life through the Word, and yet are not, because they are in falsities; “we growl like bears, and moaning we moan like doves,” signifies the grief of the natural man, and the grief of the spiritual man therefrom; “we wait for judgment but there is none, for salvation but it is far from us,” signifies a hope for the enlightenment of the understanding, and consequent salvation, but in vain; “our transgressions before* Thee are multiplied, and our sins answer against us,” signifies by reason of falsities from evil.
[19] From this it can now be seen that a “bear” signifies the natural man in respect to its power from the sense of the letter of the Word, in both senses, also in respect to the eagerness to falsify that sense. That this is what a “bear” signifies has been made evident to me by the bears seen in the spiritual world, in whose form the thoughts of those were represented who had been natural, and had studied the Word, and had wished to prevail by means of knowledge therefrom. Bears were also seen that had ribs between their teeth, like the bear described in the passage cited above from Daniel; and it was given to understand that the ribs represented the knowledges that they had drawn from the Word while in the world. White bears also appear there, which represent the power of the spiritual-natural man through the Word. Furthermore, composite beasts appear there of bears, panthers, wolves, and oxen, also the same furnished with wings, which are all significative of persons of such character when they are passing along in meditation.
* the Latin has “before” for “against.”

sRef Rev@13 @2 S0′ 782. And his mouth as the mouth of a lion, signifies reasonings from falsities destroying the truths of the church. This is evident from the signification of “mouth,” as being thought (see above, n. 580), but here reasoning (of which presently); also from the signification of a “lion,” as being infernal falsity in respect to its power (of which above, n. 278). This is because a “lion” signifies the Divine truth, for which reason the Lord also is called “a lion” in the Word; consequently in the contrary sense a “lion” signifies infernal falsity in respect to its power to destroy divine truth, and thus the Word; and this is especially done by adulterations and falsifications of it. And as a lion is the most powerful of animals, and its power increases according to its hunger to devour and consequently to seize its prey and tear it in pieces, so a “lion” signifies also the eagerness to destroy the truths of the Word. “Lions” have a like representation in the spiritual world, for lions also appear there, but the forms of lions are appearances arising from the eagerness of those who have great power to adulterate and falsify the truths of the Word whereby they are destroyed; with them this power increases according to their ability to reason. This is why “lions” signify in the Word in the contrary sense infernal falsity destroying the truths of the church. Because this is what a “lion” signifies, and because “the beast that was like unto a leopard” and that “had feet as of a bear” signifies the reasonings confirming the separation of faith from life, by which the goods and truths of the Word are adulterated and falsified; therefore the “mouth” of that beast, which was “as the mouth of a lion,” signifies reasoning from falsities that destroy the truths of the Word. The “mouth,” in a strict sense, signifies thought; but as man’s speech is from the mouth, the “mouth” signifies the various things that flow from thought, as instruction, preaching, reasoning; here reasoning, because reasonings from the natural man are signified by the “beast” here treated of. But more will be said about this in the explanation of verses 5-7 of this chapter, in which are these words: “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given unto him authority to make war forty-two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.” From that explanation it will be seen what power and eagerness, and what ability such have to falsify the truths and adulterate the goods of the Word by means of reasonings.

sRef Rev@13 @2 S0′ 783. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority, signifies that those who separate faith from life support and corroborate their doctrinals by reasonings from fallacies, and thus powerfully seduce. This is evident from the signification of the “beast” to which the dragon gave his powers, as being reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from life (see above, n. 774). These reasonings are from the fallacies of the senses, because that beast appeared like a leopard, and his feet were “as of a bear,” and “the feet of a bear” signify fallacies (see above, n. 781). Also from the signification of “giving his power, his throne, and great authority,” as being to support and corroborate doctrinals; “power” signifying efficacy; “throne” the church in respect to doctrine that is from falsities, and “great authority” support and corroboration thereby. That this is added to their reasonings and their fallacies has been shown above.
[2] It is not because the falsities in which they are have any power in themselves that those who separate faith from life, that is, from good works, have “power, a throne, and great authority,” for falsities from evil have no power whatever, since all power is in truths from good. But falsities have power over falsities, as like over like. This can be clearly seen from the power of infernal spirits with one another, which they exercise by things imaginary and by semblances of correspondences, by which they are desirous of seeming most powerful and mighty; but yet they have no power whatever against truths, and so wholly none that it is nothing at all. This I could confirm by much experience were there space to digress so far in these explanations of Revelation. But this can be seen from the fact that the hells, in which there are myriads of myriads, are so held bound by Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, that no one in them dares raise up a finger of his hand; also from this fact that a single angel by means of truths from the Lord is able to lead, to control, to bind, or to scatter a thousand companies of evil spirits, and this merely by a look from an intention of the will. Such power also has been sometimes granted to me by the Lord. It may seem strange that the church at its end should be in falsities and in evils from them, and in evils and in falsities from them, and yet that truths from good have all power; and it seems as if such truths might be given by the Lord by means of truths from the Word. But the reason is that falsities have power against those who are in falsities from evil; and at the end of the church these falsities reign, and when these reign truths are not received. For this reason falsities cannot be dispersed by truths, and therefore the devil is then called powerful, and loosed from bonds. This is why infernal falsity is called in the Word a “lion,” a “bear,” a “wolf,” a “beast,” also a “wild beast” strong and fierce.
sRef Jer@5 @15 S3′ sRef Matt@20 @25 S3′ sRef 1Sam@2 @4 S3′ sRef Joel@2 @2 S3′ sRef Jer@50 @36 S3′ sRef Joel@2 @7 S3′ sRef Hos@10 @13 S3′ sRef Ezek@31 @11 S3′ sRef Ezek@31 @12 S3′ sRef Jer@46 @9 S3′ sRef Ps@68 @30 S3′ sRef Amos@2 @16 S3′ sRef Jer@5 @16 S3′ sRef Rev@6 @15 S3′ sRef Amos@2 @14 S3′ sRef Luke@22 @53 S3′ [3] For the same reason those who are in falsities are called in the Word “powerful,” “vigorous,” “mighty,” “strong,” “heroes,” “rulers,” “terrible,” “dreadful,” and “wasters,” as can be seen from various passages, as from the following. In Jeremiah:
Behold I bring upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, a vigorous nation, all strong men (5:15, 16).
In the same:
Go up ye horses, rage ye chariots,, ye strong men go forth (Jer. 46:9).
In the same:
O sword against the strong, that they may be dismayed (Jer. 50:36).
In Ezekiel:
I will give Pharaoh into the hand of a strong one of the nations (31:11, 12).
In Hosea:
Thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy strong ones (10:13).
In Joel:
A people great and vigorous, like heroes they run, they climb over the wall (2:2, 7).
In Amos:
The refuge of the swift perisheth, and the strong shall not confirm his might, neither shall the powerful deliver his soul; he that is strong in his heart among heroes shall flee naked in that day (2:14, 16).
In David:
Rebuke the wild beast of the reed; the congregation of the strong (Ps. 68:30).
In the first book of Samuel:
The bows of the strong are broken (2:4).
In Revelation:
All the kings, the great ones, the rich, the commanders of thousands, and the powerful, hid themselves in caves and in the rocks (6:15).
In Matthew:
The rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them (20:25).
And in Luke:
This is your hour and the authority of darkness (22:53);
and various other passages.
[4] To what has been said above it may be added, that infernal spirits believe themselves to be stronger and more powerful than others, but this for the reason that they prevail over those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom, thus one infernal spirit over another infernal spirit, or one evil by means of falsity over another evil by falsity; from this appearance they believe themselves to be powerful. But such power may be compared to that of a mite against a mite, or of a flea against a flea, of dust against dust, or of chaff against chaff, the power of which is merely relative to their mutual forces. Add to this that infernal spirits are elated in mind, and wish to be called vigorous, strong, and heroes for the most trivial reasons.
[5] As “the power and great authority” that the dragon gave from himself to “the beast coming up out of the sea,” thus the power of infernal spirits among one another, are here treated of, I will unfold some arcana respecting their arts for acquiring power in the spiritual world. There are some who acquire for themselves power by means of the Word, for they are acquainted with some passages of it, and these they recite, and by these a communication with the simple good is effected and conjunction with them in respect to externals; and so far as they are in that conjunction they prevail over others. The reason is that all things of the Word are truths, and truths have all power, and the simple good are in truths; so from conjunction with them they have power, but only so long as that conjunction continues, and this does not continue long, because they are very soon separated from each other by the Lord. Some acquire for themselves power by simulated affections of good and truth and by the affections belonging to the love of what is sincere and just; by these they lead the simple good to feel well disposed towards them and to cherish good will towards them, and to join themselves to them. And so long as that kindly feeling continues to be mutual they continue more powerful than others. Some acquire for themselves power by representatives of various kinds, which are abuses of correspondences; and some in other ways. And as truths that are from good have all power, and these are found with angels, so nothing is more desired by evil spirits than to attract good spirits to their side, because thus the evil prevail; but as soon as they are separated from these they are in the falsities of their own evil, and when they are in these they are deprived of all power.
sRef Matt@25 @28 S6′ sRef Matt@25 @30 S6′ sRef Matt@25 @29 S6′ [6] This, too, is why all the evil who flock out of this world are first separated from the goods and truths that they have merely known from memory, and thus carried in the mouth; and when they have been separated from these their interiors appear, which consist of nothing but masses of falsities from evils. And when they are in these, because they no longer have any power they fall down headlong into hell, as heavy bodies in the air fall to the earth. That goods and truths are taken away from the evil is known from the Word; for the Lord says:
Take the talent from him and give it to him that hath the ten talents; for unto everyone that hath shall be given that he may have abundance, but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye out the useless servant into the outer darkness; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 25:28-30; Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18; 19:26).

sRef Rev@13 @3 S0′ 784. Verse 3. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been wounded to death; and the stroke of his death was healed, and the whole earth wondered after the beast. 3. “And I saw one of his heads as if it had been wounded to death,” signifies the discordance of their doctrinals with the Word, in which “love,” “life,” and “works,” which do not at all agree with that religious principle, are so often mentioned (n. 785); “and the stroke of his death was healed,” signifies the discordance apparently cleared away by means of devised conjunctions of works with faith (n. 786); “and the whole earth wondered after the beast,” signifies the acceptance of these by the more learned in the church, and the reception from afar by the less learned (n. 787).

sRef Rev@13 @3 S0′ 785. Verse 3. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been wounded to death, signifies the discordance of their doctrinals with the Word, in which “love,” “life,” and “works,” which do not at all agree with that religious principle, are so often mentioned. This is evident from the signification of the “heads” of that beast, as being the knowledge of the holy things of the Word which are falsified and adulterated (see above, n. 775). When the church and those of the church are treated of in the Word, “head” signifies intelligence and wisdom; and in the most universal sense the understanding of truth and the will of good. But as this treats of those who are not willing that the understanding should enter into the mysteries of faith, but who wish it to be held captive under obedience to their mysteries, and as these are described by “the dragon” and this his “beast,” it follows that the “head” of this beast signifies knowledge [scientia]; for where the understanding does not see there is no intelligence, but in place of it knowledge. Moreover, intelligence cannot be predicated of those who are in falsities, but only knowledge (see about this in the New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 33). The above is evident also from the signification of “being wounded to death,” as being in disagreement with the Word; for doctrine which disagrees with the Word is dead; and this death is what is signified by “being wounded to death.”
[2] The discordance is that they separate the life of love, which is good works, from faith, and make faith alone justifying and saving, and they take away everything of justification and salvation from the life of love or from good works; and as loving and doing are mentioned in the Word in a thousand passages, and it is declared that man is to be judged according to his deeds and works, and as this does not agree with that religious principle, therefore this is what is signified by the death-stroke of the head of this beast. From this it can be seen that the words, “I saw one of the heads of the beast as if it had been wounded to death,” signifies disagreement with the Word, in which “love,” “life,” and “works,” which do not at all agree with that religious principle, are so often mentioned. That they do not agree is clearly evident from the fact that it is a dogma of that religion that faith alone, without the works of the law, justifies and saves, yea, that if anything of salvation be placed in works it is damnable, because of man’s merit and what is his own [proprium] in them. For this reason many abstain from doing them, saying in their heart, Good works do not save me, and evil works do not damn me, because I have faith. From this principle they also assert that those are saved who about the hour of death declare with some confidence that they have faith, whatever their life may have been. But “deeds” and “works,” also “doing” and “loving,” are mentioned in the Word in a thousand passages, and as these disagree with that religious principle, therefore its dogmatists have devised means of conjoining them with faith. This, therefore, is the signification of the words “he saw one of the heads of the beast as if it had been wounded to death,” and “the stroke of his death was healed, and the whole earth wondered after the beast.” But how that stroke was healed, namely, by devised modes of conjunction, shall be said in the following article.
sRef Matt@5 @19 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @39 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @46 S3′ sRef John@14 @21 S3′ sRef John@5 @29 S3′ sRef Luke@6 @49 S3′ sRef Luke@3 @9 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @43 S3′ sRef Matt@16 @27 S3′ sRef John@9 @31 S3′ sRef Luke@3 @8 S3′ sRef Matt@7 @24 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @23 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @44 S3′ sRef Matt@7 @26 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @41 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @40 S3′ sRef Rev@2 @23 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @45 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @42 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @35 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @36 S3′ sRef Matt@21 @43 S3′ sRef Rev@20 @12 S3′ sRef Rev@2 @5 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @33 S3′ sRef John@15 @14 S3′ sRef Rev@2 @9 S3′ sRef Luke@6 @47 S3′ sRef John@15 @1 S3′ sRef John@3 @21 S3′ sRef Luke@6 @46 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @34 S3′ sRef John@15 @2 S3′ sRef John@14 @15 S3′ sRef Rev@20 @13 S3′ sRef Rev@22 @12 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @32 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @31 S3′ sRef John@15 @8 S3′ sRef John@14 @24 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @37 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @38 S3′ sRef John@14 @23 S3′ sRef John@15 @7 S3′ sRef Rev@2 @13 S3′ sRef John@14 @22 S3′ sRef Rev@14 @13 S3′ sRef Rev@2 @26 S3′ sRef Rev@2 @4 S3′ sRef Rev@2 @19 S3′ sRef Luke@6 @48 S3′ sRef Luke@8 @21 S3′ [3] In the first place, some passages shall here be quoted from the Word where “deeds,” “works,” “doing,” and “working,” are mentioned, that everyone may see the discordance that is here signified by “one of the heads wounded to death;” also that this stroke is wholly incurable unless man lives according to the precepts of the Word by doing them. In Matthew:
Everyone that heareth My words and doeth them is like to a prudent man; but everyone that heareth My words and doeth them not is like to a foolish man (7:24, 26).
In Luke:
Why call ye Me Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say? Everyone who cometh to Me and heareth My words and doeth them is like a man that built a house upon a rock; but he that heareth and doeth not is, like unto a man that built a house upon the ground without a foundation (6:46-49).
In Matthew:
He that was sown in good earth, this is he that heareth the Word and giveth heed, and who thence beareth fruit, and yieldeth some a hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, some thirty-fold (13:23).
In the same:
Whosoever shall break the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whosoever doeth and teacheth them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 5:19).
In John:
Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you (15:14).
In the same:
If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them (John 13:17).
In the same:
If ye love Me keep My commandments. He that hath My commandments and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and I will love him, and will manifest Myself unto him. And I* will come unto him and will make** My abode with him. But he that loveth Me not keepeth not My words (John 14:15, 21-24).
In Luke:
Jesus said, My mother and My brethren are those who hear My*** word and do it (8:21).
In Matthew:
I was an hungered and ye gave Me to eat, I was thirsty and ye gave Me to drink, I was a sojourner, and ye took Me in, I was naked and ye clothed Me, I was sick and ye visited Me, I was in prison and ye came unto Me. And to these the Lord said, Come, ye blessed, possess as inheritance the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And to those who had not done these things He said, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (25:31 to the end).
In John:
My Father is the vinedresser; every branch that beareth not fruit He taketh away (15:1, 2).
In Luke:
Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance; every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.
By their fruits ye shall know them (3:8, 9; Matt. 7:19, 20).
In John:
Herein is My Father glorified, that ye may bear much fruit and become My disciples (15:7, 8).
In Matthew:
The kingdom of God shall be taken away from them, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof (21:40-43).
In John:
He that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest that they have been wrought in God (3:21).
In the same:
We know that God heareth not sinners, but if anyone worship God and do His will, him He heareth (John 9:31).
In Matthew:
The Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall render unto everyone according to his deeds (16:27).
In John:
Then shall come forth they that have done goods into the resurrection of life, but they that have done evils into the resurrection of judgment (5:29).
In Revelation:
I will give unto you to everyone according to his works; he that overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end (2:23, 26).
Their works shall follow them (14:13).
The dead were judged out of the things that were written in the books according to their works. And the dead were all judged according to their works (20:12, 13).
Behold I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give unto everyone according to his works (22:12).
Happy are they that do His commandments (22:14).
He said to the angel of the church of Ephesus, I have against thee that thou hast left thy first charity; remember whence thou hast fallen, and do the first works; but if not, etc. (2:4, 5).
It was said to the angel of the church in Smyrna, I know thy works; to the angel of the church in Pergamos, I know thy works; to the angel of the church in Thyatira, I know thy works; to the angel of the church in Sardis, I know thy works; and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, I know thy works (2:9, 13, 19; 3:1, 8).
These two chapters treat of the exploration and judgment of those seven churches as to what they are and will be from their works and according to their works.
sRef Rev@22 @14 S4′ [4] Also in the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of Matthew from their beginning to their end the Lord teaches good works, and what they must be, and that thence is heavenly happiness; likewise in the parables of the laborers in the vineyard, of the husbandmen and servants, of the traders to whom pounds [minae] were given and those to whom talents were given; of the fig-tree in the vineyard which was to be cut down if it bore no fruit; of the man wounded by robbers, to whom the Samaritan showed mercy, respecting whom the Lord asked the lawyer which of the three was a neighbor, who answered, “He that showed mercy,” and Jesus said to him, “Go and do thou likewise;” of the ten virgins, of whom five had oil in their lamps and five had none, “oil in the lamps” signifying charity in faith; also in other passages.
sRef John@19 @26 S5′ sRef John@19 @27 S5′ sRef Matt@22 @40 S5′ sRef Matt@22 @39 S5′ sRef John@21 @22 S5′ sRef John@21 @21 S5′ sRef Matt@22 @37 S5′ sRef Matt@22 @38 S5′ [5] Moreover, the twelve disciples of the Lord represented the church in respect to all things of faith and charity in the complex; and of them, Peter, James, and John represented faith, charity, and good works in their order, Peter faith, James charity, and John good works; therefore the Lord said to Peter, when Peter saw John following the Lord:
What is that to thee, Peter? Follow thou Me, John; for Peter said of John, What of him? (John 21:21, 22).
This signifies that those who do good works must follow the Lord. Because John represented the church in respect to good works, he reclined at the Lord’s breast. That the church is with those who do good works is also signified by the Lord’s words from the cross to John:
Jesus saw His mother, and spoke to the disciple whom He loved, who was standing by; and He said to His mother, Woman, behold thy son; and He said to that disciple, Behold thy mother; and from that hour that disciple took her unto himself (John 19:26, 27).
This signifies that where good works are, there the church will be, for in the Word “woman,” like as “mother,” signifies the church. Thus much from the New Testament; there are yet more passages in the Old Testament, as where:
All are called blessed who keep and do the statutes, the judgments, and the commandments, and those cursed who do them not (as in Lev. 18:5; 19:37; 20:8; 22:31-33; 26:3, 4, 14, 15; Num. 15:39, 40; Deut. 5:9, 10; 6:25; 15:5; 17:19; 27:26; and in a thousand other passages).
[6] Besides those passages in the Word where “deeds” and “doing” are mentioned there are also very many where “love” and “loving” are mentioned; and “loving” means the like as “doing,” since he that loves does, for to love is to will, since everyone wills what he interiorly loves; and to will is to do, since everyone does that which he wills when he is able. Moreover, what is done is nothing but the will in act. Respecting love the Lord teaches in many passages (as in Matt. 5:43-48; 7:12; Luke 6:27-39, 43 to the end; 7:36 to the end; John 13:34, 35; 14:14-23; 15:9-19; 17:22-26; 21:15-23), and in brief in these words:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God in thy whole heart and from thy whole soul; this is the first and great commandment. The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang the law and the prophets (Matt. 22:35-38, 40; Luke 10:27, 28; Deut. 6:5).
“To love God above all things, and the neighbor as oneself,” is to do His commandments (John 14:21-24); and “the law and the prophets” signify the Word in all things and in every particular. From all these passages cited from the Word it is fully evident that it is not faith separated from good works that saves, but faith from good works and with them. For he who does good works has faith, but he who does them not has no faith.
* The photolithograph has “I will come,” the Greek “we will make.”
** The photolithograph has “I will make,” the Greek “we will make.”
*** The photolithograph has “My,” the Greek reads, “of God.”

sRef Rev@13 @3 S0′ 786. And the stroke of his death was healed, signifies the discordance apparently cleared away by means of devised conjunctions of works with faith. This is evident from the signification of “the stroke of death,” as being discordance with the Word; for “stroke of death” has a like signification here as “the head wounded to death” just above. That “strokes” signify in the Word such things as destroy the church and the spiritual life of man may be seen above (n. 584); and as doctrine from the Word constitutes the church, so when doctrine disagrees with the Word there is no longer a church, but only a religion that counterfeits the church. The above is evident also from the signification of “being healed,” that is, of the “stroke,” as being that this discordance was apparently cleared away by devised conjunctions of works with faith. That this is the signification of “being healed,” when “the stroke of death” signifies disagreement with the Word, can be seen without further argument. Nevertheless, that this stroke was not healed, but only apparently cleared away, will be seen in what follows. In the first place something shall be said in passing about the conjunctions of good works with faith that are devised by those who have believed themselves to be keener and more sagacious than all others, and at the same time to be endowed with such gifts of genius as to be able by reasonings from fallacies to induce upon any falsity whatever an appearance of truth. But in order that this may be investigated, presented to the comprehension, and afterwards unfolded, I will here speak of those conjunctions of good works with faith, by means of which the disagreement with the Word is apparently cleared away, some of which are believed by the simple, and some devised by the learned.
[2] (1) The very simple know no otherwise than that faith alone consists in believing those things that are in the Word, and that are taught therefrom by the doctrine of the church. (2) The less simple do not know what faith alone is; they merely know that faith is to believe what must be done; and few of them make any distinction between believing and doing. (3) Others, however, suppose that faith produces good works, but do not consider how it produces them. (4) Others think that faith must always precede, and that goods are brought forth from it, or spring from it as fruit does from a tree. (5) Some believe that this is done by man’s co-operation, others that it is done without his cooperation. (6) But as the doctrine declares that faith alone without good works is what saves, therefore some make no account of good works, saying in their heart that everything they do is good in God’s sight, and that evils are not seen by God. (7) But as deeds and works, and doing and working, are so frequently mentioned in the Word, from the necessity of reconciling the Word with that dogma, they devise various modes of conjunctions that are not consistent, and yet are such that faith is kept by itself, and works by themselves, to the end that salvation may be in faith, and nothing of it in works. (8) Some conjoin faith with the endeavor to do good with those who have attained to the last stage of justification, yet with an endeavor that derives nothing from the voluntary part of man, but only from influx or inspiration, since the good that is from the voluntary part of man is in itself not good. (9) Some conjoin faith with the Lord’s merit, saying that this works all things pertaining to man’s life, while man does not know it. (10) Some conjoin faith with moral good and with civil good, which are goods that are to be done for the sake of life in the world, not for the sake of eternal life; and they contend that these are the goods that are meant by the “deeds” and “works,” and “doing” and “working,” mentioned in the Word; and that for the sake of the uses there, good works must be taught and preached before the laity, because they have no knowledge of the arcana respecting the conjunction of faith and works, and some cannot comprehend them. (11) Many of the learned suppose that in faith alone all are conjoined, that is, that love to God, charity towards the neighbor, the good of life, works, the Lord’s merit, and God, are all included in faith alone, except that man thinks, wills, and does something from himself respecting these. (12) It is to be known that many other modes of conjunction have been devised, and that still more are devised by the same persons in the spiritual world; for spiritual thought can spread forth into innumerable things that natural thought cannot reach. I have seen a certain person in the spiritual world who had thought out hundreds of modes of conjunction, and in every one there was a progress in the train of thought from a beginning through means to an end; but when he had reached the end, and believed that he now saw the conjunction, he was enlightened and perceived that the more interiorly he thought upon the subject the more he separated faith from good works instead of conjoining them. From this it can be seen what the modes of conjunction are that have been devised especially by the learned, by which the disagreement of this dogma with the Word may appear like an agreement, which is what is meant by “the stroke of death of the beast was healed.”

sRef Rev@13 @3 S0′ 787. And the whole earth wondered after the beast, signifies the acceptance of these by the more learned in the church, and the reception from afar by the less learned. This is evident from the signification of “to wonder after the beast,” as being (in reference to the disagreement with the Word apparently cleared away by devised conjunctions of works with faith) the acceptance by the more learned, and the reception by the less learned (of which presently). Also from the signification of “earth,” as being the church (see above, n. 29, 304, 417, 697, 741, 742, 752). “The whole earth wondered after the beast” signifies acceptance and reception, because wondering attracts, and those who are attracted follow.
sRef Jer@7 @9 S2′ sRef Ex@23 @2 S2′ sRef 1Sam@17 @13 S2′ sRef Jer@11 @10 S2′ sRef 1Ki@14 @8 S2′ sRef Deut@4 @3 S2′ [2] In the Word mention is frequently made of “going” and “walking after God,” “after other gods,” “after a leader,” and “after many;” and these expressions signify to follow and acknowledge in heart, also to be and to live with them, and to be consociated, as in the following passages. In the first book of Kings:
David hath kept My commandments, and hath walked after Me with his whole heart, to do that which is right in Mine eyes (14:8).
In the first book of Samuel:
The sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the war (17:13).
In Moses:
Thou shalt not follow after many to evils; thou shalt not answer respecting a cause of strife to turn aside after many (Exod. 23:2).
In Jeremiah:
Thou shalt not go after other gods whom thou hast not known (7:9).
In the same:
They went after other gods to serve them (Jer. 11:10; Deut. 8:19).
In Moses:
The man who shall go after Baal-peor, Jehovah thy God will destroy from the midst of thee (Deut. 4:3).
From this it is evident that “to go after” anyone signifies to follow him, obey him, act from him, and live from him; “to walk and live”* also signifies to live. From this it can be seen that “to wonder after the beast” signifies acceptance and reception from the persuasion that the disagreement with the Word is apparently cleared away.
[3] Acceptance by the more learned and reception from afar by the less learned is signified, because the modes of conjoining faith with its life, which is good works, were devised by the learned; while the less learned, because they were unable to investigate interiorly these disagreements, received them, each one according to his apprehension; consequently this dogma, that faith alone is the essential means of salvation, has been received in the whole earth, or in the Christian Church.
[4] It shall be explained also in a few words how the chief point of that religion, namely, that in faith alone there is salvation, and not in good works, has been apparently cleared away, and is therefore accepted by the learned. For these have devised stages of the progress of faith to good works, which they call steps of justification. They make the first step to be the hearing from masters and preachers, the second step information from the Word that it is so; the third step acknowledgment; and since nothing of the church can be acknowledged in heart unless temptation precede, therefore they join temptation to this step; and if the doubts that are then encountered are dissipated by the Word or by the preacher, and thus the man conquers, they say that the man has confidence, which is a certainty that it is so, and also confidence that he is saved by the Lord’s merit. But as the doubts that are encountered in temptation arise chiefly from not understanding the Word, where “deeds,” “works,” “doing,” and “working” are so often mentioned, they say that the understanding must be held in check under obedience to faith. Hence follows the fourth step, which is the endeavor to do good; and in this they rest, saying that when man arrives at this stage he has been justified, and that then all the acts of his life are accepted by God, and the evils of his life are not seen by God, because they are pardoned. This conjunction of faith with good works has been devised by the learned and also accepted by them. But this conjunction rarely extends to the common people, both because it transcends the comprehension of some of them, and because they are for the most part engaged in their business and employments, and these divert the mind from gaining an understanding of the inner mysteries of this doctrine.
[5] But the conjunction of faith with good works, and thereby apparent agreement with the Word, is received in a different manner by the less learned. These know nothing about the steps of justification, but believe that faith alone is the only means of salvation; and when they see from the Word and hear from the preacher that goods must be done and that man will be judged according to his works, they think that faith produces good works, for they know no otherwise than that faith is to know the things that the preacher teaches, and thence to think that it is so; and because this comes first they believe that faith produces good works, which they call the fruits of faith, not knowing that such a faith is a faith of the memory only, and viewed in itself is historical faith, because it is from another, and thus another’s with themselves, and that such a faith can never bring forth any good fruit. Into this error most of those in the Christian world have fallen, for the reason that faith alone has been received as the chief means, yea, as the only means of salvation. But how faith and charity, or believing and doing, make one shall be told hereafter.
* The photolithograph has “ambulare et vivere significat vivere;” “to walk and live signifies to live.”

sRef Rev@13 @4 S0′ 788. Verse 4. And they worshipped the dragon which gave authority unto the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? 4. “And they worshipped the dragon which gave authority unto the beast,” signifies the acknowledgment of salvation and justification by faith alone, established and corroborated by these devised modes of conjunction, and thus received in doctrine (n. 789) “and they worshipped the beast,” signifies the acknowledgment of the reasonings by which the disagreement with the Word is seemingly cleared away (n. 790); “saying, Who is like unto the beast?” signifies the confession that nothing is more true (n. 791); “who is able to make war with him?” signifies that it can in no wise be impugned (n. 792).

sRef Rev@13 @4 S0′ 789. Verse 4. And they worshipped the dragon which gave authority unto the beast, signifies the acknowledgment of salvation and justification by faith alone, established and corroborated by these devised modes of conjunction, and thus received in doctrine. This is evident from the signification of “to worship,” as being to acknowledge and revere as Divine, and thus to receive in doctrine that is for the church; for such as acknowledge the Divine and from such acknowledgment revere it, these worship it, and also receive it in doctrine which is for the church. Also from the signification of “the dragon,” as being those who are in faith separated from charity in doctrine and in life, thus who acknowledge salvation and justification by faith alone (of which see above, n. 714). Also from the signification of “the authority of the beast” from the dragon, as being the establishment and corroboration of that dogma by devised conjunctions of faith with works (see above, n. 786). From this it is clear that “they worshipped the dragon which gave authority to the beast” signifies the acknowledgment of salvation and justification by faith alone, established and corroborated by devised modes of conjoining it with good works, and thus its reception in doctrine. It is said that the dogma of salvation and justification by faith alone is established and corroborated by devised modes of conjoining it with good works; but it must be understood that this doctrine can in no way be established and corroborated by such means, for this dogma is meant by “the dragon,” and the confirmation of it by reasonings from the natural man is represented by this “beast;” and “the dragon and its beast” signify what is discordant with the Word and cannot be conjoined with it.
[2] To make clear that it cannot be conjoined, I will here show that faith alone can in no way produce any good, that is, that from faith alone no good fruit can come. It is supposed that faith is to believe that the Lord suffered the cross for our sins, and thereby redeemed us from hell, and that it is mainly a faith in this that justifies and saves. It is supposed, moreover, that faith is a believing that God is triune, a believing of what is taught in the Word, a believing in eternal life and in the resurrection on the day of the Last Judgment, and the other things that the church teaches. And as they separate faith from the life of charity, which is doing what is good, most persons at this day suppose that to know these things and to think and speak about them is the faith that saves; consequently they pay no attention to willing them and doing them; they do not even know what they ought to will and do. Nor does the church teach this, because the doctrine of the church is the doctrine of faith alone, and not the doctrine of life. The doctrine of life they call moral theology, which they make of little account, because they believe that the virtues of a moral life, which in themselves are good works, contribute nothing to salvation.
sRef Isa@62 @1 S3′ sRef Isa@62 @12 S3′ sRef Isa@62 @4 S3′ sRef Isa@62 @3 S3′ sRef Isa@62 @11 S3′ sRef Isa@62 @2 S3′ [3] But that knowing, thinking, and speaking about these things is not faith, and even if this be called faith it does not bring forth what is good, as a tree its fruits, can be seen from the following. (1) All things that a man knows, thinks about, and talks about so far as he understands them, he calls truths; and all things that he wills and does so far as he loves them, he calls goods; thus truths belong to man’s faith, and truths* to his love. From this it is clear that the truths, which pertain to faith, are distinct from the goods, which pertain to love, as knowing and thinking are distinct from willing and doing. That they are distinct, and how far they are distinct, man can know from this, that it is possible for a man to know, to think about, speak about, and even to understand, many things that he does not will and do because he does not love them; but on the other hand, whatever a man wills and does from love, that he thinks and speaks about from faith; if not before the world yet with himself when he is alone and left to himself.
[4] From this it follows, (2) that a man’s love and will enter into all things of his faith and thought, but faith and thought cannot enter into his love and will. For that which a man loves he also loves to do, loves to know, loves to think about, loves to speak about, and loves to understand, and thus loves to have faith in. So if the will be taken in place of the love, that which a man wills he also wills to do, wills to know, wills to think about, wills to speak about, wills to understand, and thus wills to have faith in. Similar things may be said of the will as of the love, for the reason that the love is of the will, and the will is the receptacle of the love. From this it now follows that love produces faith as the will produces thought. And as faith, like thought, is produced, and love, like the will, produces, it follows that it is a perversion to say that faith produces love. From this it is now first evident that to believe that faith produces goods, which are called good works, as a tree produces fruits, is to believe what is contrary to order.
(3) [5] Similar things as have been said of faith and love are to be understood also of truth and good, for truth pertains to faith and faith to truth, since that which a man believes he calls truth; also good pertains to love and love to good, since that which a man loves be calls good. Truth regarded in itself is nothing but good in form; for while good may be made evident to the feeling it cannot be made evident to the sight except in some form; and the form in which it is made evident to the sight in the thought, and thus in the understanding and perception, is called truth. From this, too, it follows that love produces faith as good produces truth; consequently that faith does not produce the good of love as a tree does fruit.
(4) [6] Again, knowing and thinking and speaking therefrom are from the memory; but willing and doing from love are from the life. Man can think and speak about many things from the memory that are not from his life, which is love; this every hypocrite and flatterer can do; but when he is left to himself he cannot think and speak anything from the life that is not from his love, for love is the life of everyone, and such as the love is, such is the life. But the memory is only a storehouse, from which the life selects what it may think and speak, and what serves the life that it may be nourished by it. To say, therefore, that faith produces goods as a tree does fruits is to say that a man’s thought and speech produce his life, and that his life does not produce his thought and speech; and yet the evil, even the very worst, can think and speak truths from the memory, while only the good can do so from the life.
(5) [7] That faith alone, or faith separated from goods in act, which are good works, is not possible, is evident from this, that the essence of faith is charity, and charity is the affection of doing the things that belong to faith; consequently faith without charity is like thought without affection; and as thought without affection is no thought, so faith without charity is no faith. Therefore to speak of faith without charity is to speak of thought without affection, of life without a soul, of existere without esse, of form without that which forms, of a product without that which produces, and of an effect without a cause; and for this reason faith alone is a nonentity; and from a nonentity to produce goods in act, which are good works, as a good tree produces fruits, is a contradiction, whereby what is believed to be something is not anything.
(6) [8] Because faith without charity is not possible; and yet the thought and persuasion that a thing is so appears as if it were faith, and is called faith; but it is not saving faith, it is historical faith, because it is from the mouth of another. For one who believes anything from another whom he thinks worthy of belief, and who receives this, stores it in his memory, and from the memory thinks and speaks about it without seeing whether it be false or true, has no other hold upon it than as something historical. But if he confirms this in himself by appearances from the Word and by reasonings, from historical faith it becomes to him persuasive faith, which faith is like the sight of an owl, which sees objects in darkness and nothing in the light. Such persuasive faith exists from every confirmation of what is false. For every falsity can be confirmed until it seems to be a truth; and a falsity so confirmed shines with a fatuous lumen. From this also it is clear that such a faith cannot produce what is good.
(7) [9] As faith of thought is nothing but historical faith or persuasive faith, it follows that it is merely natural faith. For spiritual faith is produced from spiritual love, which is charity, just as light is produced from the sun; and it does not produce that love, as light does not produce the sun. Therefore merely natural faith is produced from merely natural love, which derives its soul from the love of self, and the delight of that love is a delight of the flesh, which is called pleasure, lust, or lewdness, from which evils of every kind gush forth, and from evils falsities. Thence it is clear that faith proceeding from these cannot produce goods as a tree does good fruits, and if it produces any goods they are goods from what is man’s own [proprium] which are in themselves evils, and at the same time are meritorious goods which are in themselves iniquitous. But it is otherwise with spiritual faith, which shall be treated of in the following article.
* The photolithograph has truths for goods.

sRef Rev@13 @4 S0′ 790. And they worshipped the beast, signifies acknowledgment of the reasonings by which the disagreement with the Word is seemingly cleared away. This is evident from the signification of “to worship,” as being to acknowledge as certain, and thus to adore as Divine (as above, n. 789); also from the signification of “the beast,” as being the reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from life (see above, n. 774). And as this beast was seen to have seven heads and ten horns, and moreover was like a leopard as to his body, a bear as to his feet, and a lion as to his mouth, by which various things are signified, so here also the same things are meant by “the beast,” since it was on account of these that they worshipped the beast.
[2] As the preceding article treated of this, that faith alone, or faith separated from charity, cannot produce goods of life as a tree does fruits, it is important to now set forth how to acquire spiritual faith, which is faith from charity. But as the learned world has not heretofore known what is meant by the spiritual or what is the nature of the spiritual in its essence, and how it is distinguished from what is natural, so neither could it know what spiritual faith is, and how it is distinguished from natural faith. And yet natural faith apart from spiritual faith as its origin is no faith at all, but merely knowledge [scientia] and thought therefrom that a thing is so; and if this is called faith, it is historical faith, and when it is confirmed is a persuasive faith, and both of these kinds of faith are natural, and faith merely natural does not save, but spiritual faith; consequently it shall now be told in what follows how spiritual faith is formed by the Lord.
It is known in the world that there is a natural man and a spiritual man, as also that the natural man is worldly and the spiritual man heavenly; but still it is not known what spiritual faith is, and how it differs from natural faith.
[3] It is therefore to be known, (1) That every man has two minds, one natural and the other spiritual; and as it is the mind that wills and thinks, every man has also natural will and thought and spiritual will and thought. The natural mind wills and thinks like a man in the world, and the spiritual mind wills and thinks like an angel in heaven. From this it follows that as faith is in man, it, too, is natural or spiritual; and that natural faith is according to man’s will and thought in the world, and spiritual faith is according to his will and thought in heaven. It is said the will and thought, because all things from which man is a man have relation to these two, for from the will he acts, and from the thought he speaks. And as a man acts and speaks either from self or from God, so he wills and thinks either from self or from God. From this it is clear, in the first place, that there is natural faith and spiritual faith; and that natural faith apart from spiritual faith is to think such things as are in the Word from self, while natural faith from spiritual faith is to think such things as are in the Word from God; although this also seems to the man to be from himself.
(2) [4] As every man has two minds, a natural and a spiritual, and the natural mind is opened and formed by such things as are in the world, while the spiritual mind is opened and formed by such things as are in heaven, and as the things that are in heaven are all spiritual, so a man’s spiritual mind must needs be opened and formed by such things as are in the Word, in which all things are spiritual because they are Divine. In the Word there are truths that are to be known and thought, and goods that must be willed and done; therefore it is by these goods and these truths that man’s spiritual mind is opened and formed. From this it follows, that unless the spiritual mind is opened and formed by truths and goods from the Word it remains closed; and when this is closed the natural mind only is opened and formed by such things as are in the world, from which man, indeed, derives a natural lumen, but such as has in it no wisdom from heaven. From this it is clear, in the second place, that faith is not faith so long as the natural mind only is opened, but that if the thought that a thing is so is called faith it is historical faith, which is nothing but knowledge from which the natural man thinks.
(3) [5] That the spiritual mind may be opened and formed it must have a storehouse from which it may draw its supplies; since unless man has such a storehouse he is empty, and in emptiness there can be no Divine operation. This storehouse is in the natural man and it is its memory, in which everything knowable can be stored up and can be drawn forth from it. In this storehouse for the formation of the spiritual man there must be truths that are to be believed and goods that are to be done, both of them from the Word and from doctrine and preaching from the Word. These man must learn even from infancy. But all these things, however abundant they may be, although they are from the Word, are natural until the spiritual mind is opened; for they are mere knowledge. Thought from this storehouse is what is called faith by those who separate faith from good works in doctrine and in life.
(4) [6] The spiritual mind is primarily opened by man’s abstaining from doing evils because they are contrary to the Divine commandments in the Word. If man abstains from evils from any other fear than this the spiritual mind is not opened. The following are the reasons why this is what opens the spiritual mind: First, that the evils with man must be removed before communication and conjunction with heaven can be granted him; since evils, which are all in the natural man, keep heaven closed, and yet heaven must be opened, for otherwise man remains natural. The second reason is that the Word is from the Lord, and consequently the Lord is in the Word, even so that He is the Word; for the Word is Divine truth all of which is from the Lord. From this it follows that he who abstains from doing evils because they are contrary to the Divine commandments in the Word abstains from them from the Lord. The third reason is, that as far as evils are removed so far goods enter. That this is so can be seen by man from natural lumen alone, for when lasciviousness is removed chastity enters; when intemperance is removed temperance enters; when deceit is removed sincerity enters; when hatred and the delight of revenge are removed love and the delight of love and friendship enter; and so in other cases; and this for the reason that the Lord enters, and heaven with Him, so far as man from the Word abstains from doing evils, since he then abstains from them from the Lord.
(5) [7] But this shall be illustrated by examples. Take for illustration the four commandments of the Decalogue, “thou shalt not commit adultery,” “thou shalt not steal,” “thou shalt not kill,” “thou shalt not bear false witness.” These commandments are Divine, since they are in the Word. When anyone shuns and averts himself from adultery because of the fear that it is against the Lord, against heaven, and against the spiritual life, to be in accord with which is eternal felicity, he loves chastity and loves his consort, because true conjugial love is chastity itself. When anyone shuns and averts himself from theft because of a like fear as from adultery, he loves sincerity, and loves the good of the neighbor as his own good. When anyone shuns and averts himself from murders or from deadly hatred from a like fear he loves the neighbor and is in charity. When anyone shuns and averts himself from false testimony because of a like fear he loves justice and loves truthfulness, and this from the Lord, because from the Word; consequently when after death he becomes a spirit he is like an angel of heaven, and therefore becomes an angel of heaven. But when one does not shun adultery from such a holy fear, but from a fear for his reputation, and thus of the loss of honor and gain, or from a fear of the law, or of disease, or because of weakness, he is still unchaste, since he merely fears the world and the loss of his prosperity in the world, and does not fear the Lord, and thus does not fear the loss of heaven and of eternal life. In like manner when anyone abstains from thefts, from murders or deadly hatreds, and from false testimonies, from natural fear only and not from spiritual fear, he abstains from these from self and not from the Lord; and he who does this from self still remains in them; and no one can be withdrawn from these except by the Lord. From this it can be seen that the spiritual mind with man is opened by this, that from the Word he abstains from doing evils; and that it is opened in the same degree in which he abstains from them by shunning and turning away from them.
(6) [8] So much respecting the opening of the spiritual mind. Something shall now be said about its formation. The spiritual mind is formed from those things that are in man’s memory from the Word; for the memory is the storehouse spoken of above, but these things are elevated therefrom in this manner: First, there is given to man the affection of truth, which is called the spiritual affection of truth, which is that man loves truth because it is truth. This affection of truth is then given because when evils are removed man is in goods from the Lord, and good loves truth and truth good, and the two will to be conjoined. This affection is given by the Lord alone, because the Lord in heaven is Divine truth; and it is given by the Word, because the Lord in the church is the Word. Secondly, those things that are from the Word in man’s storehouse mentioned above, are drawn forth and purified by the Lord, and genuine truths are there discriminated and separated from falsities; for man’s spiritual mind can be formed only out of genuine truths, since heaven is in no other. Thirdly, those truths are elevated by the Lord in a wonderful manner, and become spiritual; this is effected by the influx of heaven, and thus of spiritual things corresponding to natural; and these truths are there disposed into a heavenly form (what this is may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 200-212). Fourthly, the truths that are elevated into the spiritual mind are not in a natural but in a spiritual form. Truths in a spiritual form are such as are in the spiritual sense of the Word, but truths in a natural form are such as are in the natural sense of the Word; that these are distinct, and yet make one by correspondences, has been made clear in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 87-115). For this reason, when man after death becomes a spirit and his spiritual mind is opened, he no longer thinks and speaks naturally, but spiritually. Fifthly, so long as man is living in the world he is wholly ignorant of what he thinks in the spiritual mind; he knows only what he thinks from that mind in the natural; but after death the state is changed, and he then thinks from the spiritual mind, and not from the natural. Thus much respecting the opening of the spiritual mind and its formation.
(7) [9] When a man’s spiritual mind has been opened and formed then the Lord forms the natural mind; for man’s natural mind is formed by the Lord by means of the spiritual mind; and for the reason that man’s spiritual mind is in heaven, and his natural mind is in the world; for it is only from heaven, and when communication and conjunction with heaven have been effected, that the natural can be formed to the idea of such things as are in heaven. This formation is effected by the Lord by an influx out of the spiritual mind into the natural, by means of which the things that are in the natural mind are so arranged as to correspond to those that are in the spiritual mind. (This correspondence is treated of in many places in the Arcana Coelestia, and also in the work on Heaven and Hell.) These things that are in the natural mind out of the spiritual are called rational truths, moral truths, natural truths, and in general, truths of knowledge [vera scientifica]; while the goods that are in the natural mind out of the spiritual are called affections and desires for those truths, and for thinking about, speaking about, and doing those truths from such affections, and these are in general called uses. All those things that are in the natural mind out of the spiritual mind come under man’s intuition and into his perception.
(8) [10] It is to be known that this formation of the two minds with man goes on from his infancy to his old age, and afterwards to eternity; and sometimes from the middle age of man to his last age, and afterwards to eternity; but still in another way after the life in the world than during the life in the world. And as man is formed, so is he perfected in intelligence and wisdom, and becomes a man. For no man is a man from his natural mind; from that he is rather a beast; but he becomes a man through intelligence and wisdom from the Lord, and so far as he is intelligent and wise he is a beautiful man and an angel of heaven. But so far as he rejects, suffocates, and perverts the truths and goods of the Word, thus of heaven and the church, and therefore rejects intelligence and wisdom, so far he is a monster and not a man, because he is so far a devil. From this it can be seen that man is not a man from his parents, but from the Lord, of whom he is born and created anew. This, therefore, is regeneration and a new creation.
(9) [11] This being premised, something shall now be said about the will and understanding of the man who has been created anew or regenerated by the Lord; and afterwards about charity and faith. His will in the natural man is formed by the influx of the heat of heaven through his spiritual mind from the Lord. The heat of heaven in its essence is the Divine good proceeding from the Lord’s Divine love. But the understanding in the natural man is formed by the influx of the light of heaven through his spiritual man from the Lord. The light of heaven in its essence is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine love. From this it follows that the will is formed out of goods, and from these man has love and affection; and that the understanding is formed out of truths therefrom, and from these man has intelligence and wisdom. And as truths are nothing but forms of good it follows that the understanding is nothing but a form of its will. The only difference is that the understanding sees and the will feels. From this it is clear that such as man’s will of good is, such is his understanding of truth, or what is the same, such as man’s love is such is his intelligence. From this it is evident that although the will and the understanding are two faculties of life, still they act as one, and for this reason these two faculties of life are called one mind. This relates to the natural man. In the spiritual man also there are a will and an understanding, but much more perfect; and these are also called one mind. This therefore is the spiritual mind, and the other is the natural mind. But these are such with the man whose spiritual mind has been opened and formed; but it is altogether different with the man whose spiritual mind is closed, and only the natural mind opened.
(10) [12] The same can be said of charity and faith as has been said of the will and understanding; for the will is the subject and receptacle of charity as it is the subject and receptacle of good, and the understanding is the subject and receptacle of faith because it is the subject and receptacle of truth; for charity derives all that it is from good, and faith derives all that it is from truth; and this is why it is said the good of charity, and the truth of faith. From this it follows that charity and faith act as one, like will and understanding; and that such as the charity is such is the faith. But these are in the natural mind; but in the spiritual mind there is the love of good in place of charity, and the perception of truth in place of faith.
(11) [13] That spiritual love, which is charity, produces faith, can be seen merely from this, that man after death, who is then called a spirit, is nothing but an affection which is of love, and his thought is from that; consequently the whole angelic heaven is arranged into societies according to the varieties of affections; and everyone in heaven, in whatever society he may be, thinks from his affection; and therefore it is affection, which is love, that produces faith, and such faith as the affection is; for faith is nothing but thinking that a thing is so in truth, while affection means love in its continuation. But at the present day man in the world does not know that his thought is from affection and according to it, for the reason that he sees his thought but does not see his affection, and as his thought is his affection in a visible form therefore he knows no otherwise than that thought is the whole mind of man. It was otherwise of old with the ancients where the churches were. Because these knew that love produces all things of thought, therefore charity (which is the affection of knowing truths, of understanding them, and of willing them, and thus of becoming wise) was made by them the chief means of salvation. And as that affection makes one with faith they did not know what faith is.
[14] From this it is evident not only how faith is formed with man but also that faith never can produce charity; but charity, which is spiritual love, forms faith as an effigy of itself, and in it presents an image of itself; and for this reason the nature of faith is known from charity and its goods, which are good works, as the nature of a tree is known from its fruit. By a “tree,” however, faith is not meant, but man in respect to his life; while its leaves signify the truths through which there is faith, and its fruits signify goods of life, which are the goods of charity. Besides these arcana respecting the formation of faith by the Lord by means of charity there are innumerable others; but still it is the Lord who works all these arcana, while man knows nothing about it; all that man needs to do is to learn truths from the Word and to live according to them.

sRef Rev@13 @4 S0′ 791. Saying, Who is like unto the beast? signifies the confession that nothing is more true. This is evident from the connection of what precedes with these words, thus from the series of the things treated of; for in what goes just before it is said that “they worshipped the dragon which gave authority unto the beast, and they worshipped the beast;” which signifies the acknowledgment of the dogma of the separation of faith from life, because it was established and confirmed by devised conjunctions with good works, so also by reasonings by which its disagreement with the Word was apparently cleared away (see above, n. 789, 790); and as falsity was thereby made to appear like truth it is said, “Who is like unto the beast?” This is why these words signify a confession that nothing is more true; but in the genuine sense, that nothing is more false. For a heresy that is believed by its followers to be truth is seen by wise men to be falsity.

sRef Rev@13 @4 S0′ 792. Who is able to make war with him? signifies that it can in no wise be impugned. This is evident without explanation; for when “the dragon” and its “beast” signify the heretical dogma of faith alone, “not to be able to make war with the beast” signifies that it cannot be impugned. That their persuasion is so strong that they believe that nothing is more true is clearly evident from the reception of this dogma in Christian churches. For they say, Who is able to do good of himself? and thus they omit it. But what man at the first look, or as it is said, at the first glance of the eye, cannot see that a man is such as his life is? Who can call this into doubt, or turn it into a negative, especially when everyone may be confirmed in it by the Word, where it is said that “he is a wise man who hears and does,” and that “all shall be judged according to their deeds.” I do not see how anyone who has not twisted his understanding backwards, and has thus become crazy, can think that to live well is of no account; when nevertheless man continues after death such as his life has been in the world. It has been granted me to speak with some who lived ages ago, and it was found that their life was still such as it is described in history with respect to them. It has also been granted me to speak with some who believed that they had faith but had not lived the life of faith, which is charity; and it was found that they had been shut out from heaven. Moreover, it has often been declared out of heaven that his life awaits the man, and that faith separated from life is nothing.

sRef Rev@13 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@13 @6 S0′ 793. Verses 5, 6. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given unto him authority to work for forty-two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven. 5. “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies,” signifies the doctrine destroying utterly the goods of the Word and its truths (n. 794); “and there was given unto him authority to work forty-two months,” signifies its destruction even until nothing or good and truth remained (n. 796). 6. “And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,” signifies the falsification of Divine truth, thus of the Word, which is from the Lord and which is the Lord (n. 797); “to blaspheme His name,” signifies by falsifying all its quality (n. 798); “and His tabernacle” signifies all the doctrine of the church and worship therefrom (n. 799); “and them that dwell in heaven,” signifies spiritual goods and truths, from which is the heavenly marriage (n. 800).

sRef Rev@13 @5 S0′ 794. Verse 5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, signifies the doctrine destroying utterly the goods of the Word and its truths. This is evident from the signification of “mouth,” as being doctrine, from which is instruction, preaching, and reasoning (of which above, n. 782). “The mouth of the beast,” signifies doctrine, because in the preceding verse it was said that “they worshipped the dragon and its beast;” and this signified the acknowledgment of that dogma, and the reception of it in doctrine; also because it was said above that “the mouth of that beast was as the mouth of a lion,” which signified instruction, preaching, and reasoning, which are from the received doctrine. The above is evident also from the signification of “speaking great things,” as being to teach evils that destroy the goods of the Word, for “great” is predicated in the Word of good, and in the contrary sense of evil, while “many” is predicated of truth, and in the contrary sense of falsity (see above, n. 336, 337, 424). Because “the beast” means those who by reasonings separate faith from life, and those who do this destroy the goods of the Word, and because his “mouth” signifies their doctrine, therefore “to speak great things” signifies to destroy the goods of the Word. The above is evident also from the signification of “speaking blasphemies,” as meaning to falsify the truths of the Word (see above, n. 778). From this it is clear that “there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies” signifies the doctrine destroying the goods of the Word and utterly falsifying its truths. It is said utterly falsifying its truths, because the falsification of the Word even to the destruction of Divine truth, such as it is in the heavens and such as it is in the spiritual sense of the Word, is signified by “blasphemy” (see above, n. 778); this therefore is what is meant by utterly falsifying truths.
sRef Luke@18 @11 S2′ sRef Luke@18 @14 S2′ sRef Luke@18 @10 S2′ sRef Luke@18 @13 S2′ sRef Luke@17 @9 S2′ sRef Luke@18 @12 S2′ sRef Luke@17 @10 S2′ [2] It is said that “the mouth of the beast speaking great things” signifies doctrine, and instruction, preaching, and reasoning therefrom destroying the goods of the Word; it shall be told, therefore, in what manner they are destroyed. They are destroyed especially by teaching that faith without good works justifies and saves, and this is confirmed by the reasoning that no one can do good of himself, and that the good that a man does of himself must needs be meritorious good; and this is established by the Word, especially by the Pharisee and the publican praying in the temple:
That the latter was justified merely by his saying, God be merciful to me a sinner; and that the Pharisee was not justified who said that he was not an extortioner, unjust, and an adulterer, as others were, and that he fasted twice in the week, and gave tithes of all that he possessed (Luke 18:10-14);
and also by these words of the Lord:
Doth the lord thank the servant for doing those things that were commanded him? I trow not. So ye also, when ye shall have done all things that are commanded you, say, We are surely useless servants, for we have done that which we ought to do (Luke 17:9, 10).
But those are greatly mistaken who conclude from these words that there is nothing of justification and salvation in good works, but in faith alone, for they do not know what good works are. There are works that are done by man, and these are not good; and there are works that are done by the Lord through man, and these are good. Yet both of these appear alike in external form; but in internal form they are wholly unlike. The works enumerated by the Pharisee were works done from himself, and were therefore meritorious; so, too, the works done by command by servants, who are nevertheless called “useless.”
sRef Luke@11 @40 S3′ sRef Luke@11 @41 S3′ sRef Luke@11 @39 S3′ [3] It shall now be told, therefore, how works are done by man himself, and how they are done by the Lord with man, also how the latter are distinguished from the former. It has been shown above (n. 790) that man has two minds, one spiritual, the other natural. The spiritual mind is what is called the internal and the spiritual man, and the natural mind is what is called the external and the natural man. And as man has an internal spiritual and an external natural, and the internal is conjoined with heaven and the external with the world, it follows that whatever man does from that internal through the external he does from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord; but anything that a man does by the external without the internal, this he does from self. This is meant by the Lord’s words in Luke:
Now do ye Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. Ye foolish ones, did not He that made the outside make the inside also? But rather give for alms those things that are within, then behold all things are clean unto you (11:39-41).
It is said, “the outside of the cup and of the platter,” and “the inside” of them, because the “cup” has a similar meaning as “wine,” and the “platter” a similar meaning as “food;” and “wine” signifies truth, and “food” signifies good. It is said also “give alms,” and this signifies love and charity. From this it is evident that whatever a man does from the external alone is unclean, but whatever he does from a cleansed internal through the external is clean, for this is from the Lord; but the other from man. But examples will illustrate this point also. The internal is doing good for the sake of good, speaking truth for the sake of truth, acting sincerely for the sake of sincerity, and doing what is just for the sake of justice. He who does good for the sake of good does good from good, thus from the Lord, who is Good itself, and from whom is all good; and he who speaks truth for the sake of truth speaks truth from truth, thus from the Lord, who is Truth itself and from whom is all truth. The like is true of him who acts sincerely for the sake of sincerity, and does what is just for the sake of justice; for sincerity is moral good and truth, and justice is civil good and truth; and all good and truth are from the Lord and not from man, because they are done from the internal through the external. But when a man does and speaks what is good, true, sincere, and just, for the sake of self and the world he does and speaks them from self, because from the external man without the internal; and such deeds or works are all evil, and if heaven is regarded in them they are meritorious, and all such are iniquitous. In this world no one can determine whether works are from the Lord or from man, since in external form the two kinds appear alike, but they can be distinguished by the Lord alone, and after man’s life in the world their origin is disclosed (Matt. 10:26, 27; Mark 4:22; Luke 8:17; 12:2, 3, 8, 9). But how an internal is given to man, and an external from the internal, may be seen above (n. 790).
[4] From this it can be seen that if man were to fulfill all things of the law from self, that is, were to give much to the poor, were to do good to widows and orphans, to assist the needy, yea, were to give food to the hungry, and drink to the thirsty, to take in strangers, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and those who are bound in prison, preach and teach the gospel, convert the Gentiles, frequent temples, devoutly listen to preaching, attend the sacrament of the Supper frequently each year, spend time in praying, and other like things, and if his internal had not been purified from the love of rule and from the pride of self-intelligence, from the contempt of others, from hatred and revenge, from craftiness and malice, from insincerity and injustice, from the lasciviousness of adultery, and from other evils and falsities therefrom, still all these works would be hypocritical and from the man himself, and not from the Lord. But these same works when the internal has been purified are all good, because they are from the Lord with man. This has been testified to me from very many examples in the spiritual world. I have there heard that it has been granted to many to call to mind the acts of their life in the world, and to enumerate the good deeds they had done; but when their internal was opened it was found to be full of all evil and falsity therefrom; and it was then revealed to them that the good deeds they had enumerated they had done from self, because for the sake of self and the world. But it is otherwise with those who from the Word have abstained from doing evils, and have afterwards shunned and turned away from them because they are sins, and are contrary to love to God and to charity towards the neighbor. Their works were all good, although they had a similar appearance in external form as the works of those described above, and there was a perception in like manner of their having been done as if from self. These works are what are meant in the Word by the “works” that make a man spiritual, and make him happy to eternity; and these can in no way be separated from faith, for if faith were to be separated from these it would be dead, and a dead faith is a faith in falsity from evil.

sRef Rev@13 @5 S0′ 795. As the existence of faith from charity has been treated of in what precedes it shall also be briefly told which is before and which is after. It has been shown that charity produces faith as good produces truth, and as affection produces thought, likewise as fire produces light; therefore it is speaking wholly contrary to order and inversely, to say that faith produces charity or its goods, which are called good works. But it is to be known that charity (which in its essence is the affection of knowing, understanding, willing, and doing truth), does not come into any perception of man until it has formed itself in the thought, which is from the understanding; for it then presents itself under some form or image by which it appears before the interior sight, for the thought that a thing is so in truth is called faith. From this it is clear that charity is actually prior and faith posterior, as good is actually prior and truth posterior, or as that which produces is essentially prior to the product, and as the esse is prior to the existere, for charity is from the Lord, and is also formed first in the spiritual mind; but because charity does not appear to man before it becomes faith therefore it may be said that faith does not exist with man until it becomes charity in form. So it may be said of the existence of charity and faith with man, that they both come into existence at the same moment; for although charity produces faith, yet as they make one neither of them in respect to man’s perception can exist separate from the other in regard either to degree or to quality. Thence it is evident that the conjunction of the Lord with man is like the conjunction of good with truth. Good is from the Lord, and truths are with man, but they are truths that are not yet living. But as man receives good in truths so he receives the Lord into himself and lives; and he receives in the measure in which he abstains from evils, and from the Word shuns and turns away from them, for thus he shuns and turns away from them from the Lord and not from self.

sRef Rev@13 @5 S0′ 796. And there was given unto him authority to work forty-two months, signifies its destruction even until nothing of truth and good remained. This is evident from the signification of “authority to work,” as being the act of destroying goods and truths; for “a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies,” mentioned just above, signifies doctrine, and instruction, preaching, and reasoning therefrom, utterly destroying the goods of the Word and its truths; so the act of destroying these is signified by “there was given unto him authority to work.” The above is evident also from the signification of “forty-two months,” as being complete vastation and consummation (see above, n. 633), thus destruction, until nothing of truth and good remains. “Forty-two” has also the same signification in 2 Kings 2:24, where it is told how forty-two boys were torn in pieces by two bears (see above, n. 781).
[2] This and the following verse treat of the destruction of the church, which is altogether destroyed as its truths are turned into falsities and its goods into evils. That the doctrine of faith separated from the life does this can be seen from the fact that the doctrine of faith is the doctrine of the church, and the doctrine of life, which is called moral theology, is an outside doctrine, that is, serviceable to the church at its pleasure, but is regarded as having nothing of salvation in it because it has nothing of faith in it; yet faith when separated from life is not alive, and what is not alive, but is dead, can save no one.
[3] It is supposed that man from the doctrine of faith separate is able to believe that there is a God, that there is a heaven and a hell, that there is a life after death, that the Word is Divine, and therefore that what the Word contains is to be believed. These things man can indeed know and can think, and can even in some degree understand from the light of reason, and yet he cannot have such a faith in them as will remain long after death; for the faith that is of the life remains, but not faith separated from the life; and everyone has life to the extent that he abstains from evils, and shuns and turns away from them because they are contrary to the Word, thus contrary to the Lord. Faith from such a life awaits a man after death, because it is from the Lord, and thus is the Lord’s with man. Thence it is clear that from faith alone man cannot even believe that there is a God; how then can he believe the rest? From this it follows that the doctrine of faith separated destroys the church in respect to all its goods and truths. That this is so has been made abundantly evident to me from the state of such persons after death with whom I have talked. The followers and defenders of faith separate, who have cleansed the outside only of the cup and the platter and not the inside, when they have fulfilled their time reject all things they have said and believed in the world to be of their faith; and they acknowledge as gods either themselves or others who excel in power and in the arts known in hell; and they even laugh at the truths of the Word which in the world they had called holy.

sRef Rev@13 @6 S0′ 797. Verse 6. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, signifies the falsification of Divine truth, thus of the Word, which is from the Lord and which is the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “opening his mouth,” when the “mouth” signifies doctrine, and instruction, preaching, and reasoning therefrom (see above, n. 794), as being to instruct, preach, and reason; also from the signification of “blasphemy,” as being the falsification of the Word, even to the destruction of Divine truth such as it is in heaven (see above, n. 778); also from the signification of “God,” as being Divine truth, thus the Word. And as Divine truth is from the Lord, and is the Lord in heaven, therefore “blasphemy against God” signifies the falsification of Divine truth, or the Word, which is from the Lord, and which is the Lord. Moreover, the Word is the Lord because it is from the Lord, for the reason that the Word is the Divine truth, and the Divine truth proceeds from the Lord as a sun, and what proceeds belongs to Him from whom it proceeds, yea, is Himself; consequently the Divine truth, which is the source of all the wisdom and intelligence that angels and men have, is the Lord in heaven. Furthermore, the Word is such as it is with us in the world because that Word is the Divine truth in the ultimate of order, and contains a spiritual sense, which is the Divine truth such as it is in heaven. But more about this elsewhere. From this it is clear that “the beast opened his mouth in blasphemy against God” signifies the falsification of the Divine truth or the Word which is from the Lord and which is the Lord.
[2] As this verse treats of blaspheming, and as “blasphemy” signifies the falsification of the divine truth or the Word, namely, by those who separate faith from life, in explaining this verse, I will state who of that class so falsify the Word as to wholly close heaven to themselves, and what the quality of such is; and then who of that class do not so falsify the Word as to close heaven to themselves, and what their quality is; and finally who of that class do not falsify the Word, and in whom, therefore, heaven can be opened or is being opened, and what their quality is. In this article those who so falsify the Word that they altogether close heaven to themselves shall be described, but in the following article the others in order. All those altogether close heaven to themselves who confirm themselves by doctrine and at the same time by life that faith alone without good works justifies and saves; the reason is that these so falsify the Word that it is contrary to the Divine truth which is in heaven, and from which is heaven. The Word may be falsified to this extent or it may not.
[3] The reasons that they falsify the Word to that extent are these: (1) From their doctrine they regard the goods of life, which are good works, as of no value, and in their life they make them of no account, and yet the universal heaven is in good, for good is of love, and love is of the life. All the wisdom and all the happiness that angels of heaven have is from good through truths; and each one there has so much and such wisdom and happiness, as he has of the good from which are truths; consequently good is the very essence of angelic life, and thus the essence of heaven itself. Those, therefore, who ascribe the whole of salvation to faith alone, and nothing of it to good works, must needs close heaven to themselves; for they regard good, in which heaven consists, as of no account, and they make it of no account; and where good is not, there evil is; and where evil is, there is hell.
(2) sRef Luke@10 @28 S4′ sRef John@14 @24 S4′ sRef John@14 @21 S4′ [4] Because these place everything of salvation, and thus everything of heaven and of the church, in faith alone, and nothing of these in the goods of charity, which are good works, they give little value to love to God and love towards the neighbor, and make these of no account; and yet the Lord teaches:
That on these two commandments hang the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 22:34, 38).
“The Law and the Prophets” are all things of the Word. Also the Lord says to the lawyer respecting these two commandments:
Do these and thou shalt live (Luke 10:28).
To love God and to love the neighbor is nothing else than doing goods, for love in its essence is to will, and in its existence it is to do; for what a man loves, that he wills, and what he wills from love, that he does. Therefore also the Lord teaches:
He that hath My commandments and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me; but he that loveth Me not keepeth not My commandments (John 14:21, 24).
From this it follows that those who regard good works, which are the goods of love, the goods of charity, and the goods of life, which in heaven are called uses, as of no account, and who make them of no account, close heaven to themselves; for they neither love God nor love the neighbor, and yet heaven is heaven from these two loves. This is especially what falsifies the Word even to the destruction of Divine truth, which in heaven is from the Lord, and which is the Lord there.
(3) sRef Matt@7 @16 S5′ [5] Those who confirm themselves in doctrine and in life in the belief that faith alone without good works justifies and saves, close heaven to themselves by this also, that they excuse evil works; they excuse these by saying and believing that evils are not seen by God; or that with those who have faith the evils are forgiven (according to some with those who have the confidence of faith, according to others with those who are justified by faith). Therefore many think insanely, “Of what consequence is it for me to do goods when goods do not save me? Or what does it matter if I do evils, when evils do not damn me? I am in grace because I have faith.” Thus they live for themselves and for the world, and do not abstain from evil because it is evil, nor do good because it is good; if they abstain from evil it is from fear of the civil law and of the loss of reputation, and not from any fear of the Divine law and of the loss of eternal life; and if they do good it is from love of reward, and not from love of God. And yet such as the life is, such is the man:
Do men gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? (Matt. 7:16)
Moreover, such a man does not know what a good life is, or what an evil life is. If he lives as a citizen of the world he believes that he lives a good life; when yet such a life, if he does not live it as a citizen of heaven, is an evil life. Neither does he distinguish the one from the other, because the two appear alike in externals. He does not distinguish them, because good works, which make the life, he values lightly. From this it now follows that those who confirm themselves both in doctrine and in life in the belief that faith alone without good works justifies and saves, altogether close heaven to themselves.
(4) [6] Again, they close heaven to themselves by this, that although their life is a merely natural life, everything of which is drawn from the love of self and of the world, yet they attribute to themselves the Lord’s merit, saying in their hearts, “If only I shall have believed with trust and confidence that the Lord endured the cross for me, and thereby redeemed me, I can have eternal life, and this because that righteousness and that merit are imputed to me by faith, and nothing of it by works of the life.” And yet there is no imputation of the Lord’s merit; so neither can life thence be imputed to man. But a life from the Lord is given, such as has been described above in the article treating of it. Therefore to impute to oneself the merit of the Lord, and not to live according to His commandments in the Word, and thus live from Him, is blasphemy; because this implies the possibility of living solely for self and the world, thus wickedly, in the Lord.
(5) [7] Again, they close heaven to themselves by this, that they acknowledge what is no faith as faith, or historical faith as saving faith, thus natural for spiritual faith, and dead for living faith; and the same is true of the confidence of their faith. For such believe that knowing and thinking opens heaven, and not at the same time willing and doing, when yet these are primary, and the others are secondary. For the life of man’s thought is from the affection of his will.
(6) [8] Again, they close heaven to themselves by this, that because man cannot do good from himself that is good and unless it is meritorious, they omit doing good, and pray earnestly for faith; and yet there is no faith that is faith except from charity, thus except from good. The faith that is then suffered to be given through these beseechings is a faith in falsity from evil, for where good is not, there evil is; and where evil is, there falsity is; and faith in falsity from evil is the faith of hell, which is called dead faith; and this closes heaven.
(7) [9] Heaven is especially closed to them by the application of the Word to confirm all these things; for they thus falsify them even to the destruction of the Divine truth that is in heaven. For our Word in its spiritual sense is the Divine truth such as it is in heaven; and if the sense of the letter is falsified so as to destroy the spiritual sense, heaven is closed up; for the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord makes heaven, yea, is heaven; since the angels there are angels from the reception of it.
(8) [10] It has been said that those altogether close heaven to themselves who, both in doctrine and in life, make good works to be of no account from the principle that faith without good works justifies and saves. It shall now be stated briefly how heaven is closed by doctrine and how by life. Doctrine closes by consent, affirmation, confirmation, and persuasion that it is so; for then man not only thinks that it is so, but also wills it to be so. And if he still does goods because they are commanded in the Word he does only moral goods from the natural man; and these goods are from himself, and are meritorious goods. For all of man’s doing is from his will and is according to his will, since a deed is nothing but the will in its activity; consequently when a man thinks and also wills that there is nothing of salvation in works, he can do no other goods than such as are like their origin. Of this character are many of the learned, who have confirmed faith alone with themselves by their preaching and writings. In the spiritual world the mind of such appears to be covered as with a veil, or to be involved as if in a dense cloud, which prevents the entrance of light or truth from heaven; thus heaven is closed in them. But a life according to that doctrine altogether closes heaven because their faith is that the goods of life do not save, nor do the evils of life condemn.
(9) [11] It is similar whether it is said that heaven is closed to man, or that the higher mind of man, which is called his spiritual mind, is closed; for man’s spiritual mind is his heaven, therefore through this a man has conjunction with heaven, while the natural mind is his world, therefore through this he has conjunction with the world. But how the spiritual mind is opened, and thus communication and conjunction with heaven is granted to man, has been explained above (n. 790).

sRef Rev@13 @6 S0′ 798. To blaspheme His name, signifies by falsifying all the quality of Divine truth or the Word. This is evident from the signification of “blaspheming,” as being to falsify the Divine truth, thus the Word, which is from the Lord and which is the Lord (see just above, n. 797); also from the signification of “name,” as being the quality of a thing or state (see above, n. 148, 676), here all the quality of Divine truth or the Word; because it is said “His name,” that is, “the name of God.” “The name of the Lord” means in the Word every good of love and every truth from that good from which He is worshipped (see above, n. 102, 135, 696). From this it is clear that “to blaspheme the name of God” signifies to falsify all the quality of the Divine truth or the Word, also every good and truth by which the Lord is worshipped. That those who separate faith from good works both in doctrine and life falsify all the quality of the Divine truth, or all things of the Word, has been explained in the preceding article. This can be concluded from what has been frequently said above, namely, that such shut out love and charity, from which works become good and from which faith derives its essence, that these may not, together with faith, be means of salvation; thus they not only falsify those passages of the Word that teach about love to God and love toward the neighbor, but also those passages where “works,” “deeds,” “working,” and “doing,” are mentioned; and when these are falsified all things of the Word are also falsified; for the remaining things of the Word, which are called its truths, live from these; and when life is withdrawn the other things are dead. Furthermore, there is everywhere in the Word the marriage of good and truth, as has been frequently said and shown above; consequently when good is taken away the truth that remains is falsified, and truth falsified is falsity. That all things of the Word are falsified by reasonings that confirm faith alone or faith separate will be illustrated by several examples at the end of this chapter, where the signification of the number “six hundred sixty-six” will be explained.
[2] Since in the Christian churches in which faith alone is received as the head of their doctrinals there are those who are learned and those who are simple, also those who separate faith from the goods of life and those who conjoin faith with these, thus those who falsify the Word much and those who falsify it little, and since the preceding article treated of those who so falsify the Word as altogether to close heaven to themselves, so now those shall be treated of who do not so falsify the Word as to close heaven to themselves. These are such as confirm with themselves that the faith that justifies and saves produces goods of life as a tree does fruits. With those who confirm that doctrine in the life heaven is not closed, but its lowest part, where there is an entrance, is open. The reasons are as follows:
[3] First, although they invert the Divine order, which is that charity produces faith, and not that faith produces charity, yet with those who confirm that conjunction in doctrine and in life that inverted order can afterwards be reversed; and when it has been reversed they enter heaven in its lowest parts. They do not enter interiorly because their faith, by which they believed themselves to have been justified and saved, is derived more from falsities than from truths; and in the lowest parts of heaven are they who are in falsities from doctrine and religion and yet are in the good of life. Their falsities are appearances of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word, all of which have life as their end. It is almost similar with everyone who is being reformed; he first forms doctrine for himself out of the Word, and distinguishes in it between the things that are to be believed and the things that are to be done. The things that are to be believed he calls faith, and the things that are to be done he calls charity, but as the order with everyone has been reversed from birth he looks to faith in the first place and charity in the second. Yet if he lives the life of faith, which is charity, the order is by degrees turned about and restored; and from charity he lives faith. Then so far as his faith is from genuine truths he enters heaven; for, as has been said above, the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord makes heaven and is heaven. From this it can be seen how at the present day faith has become the first and chief thing of the church, namely, because they have followed the order reversed from birth, and because they have been satisfied with the life of the world, and have been led by the pride of self-intelligence; and for this reason they have stopped at the first stage of reformation.
[4] The second reason that such do not close heaven to themselves is, that good works are love and charity in act, and it is from these that heaven is heaven; for all angels and all spirits are affections and thoughts therefrom; or what is the same, are loves and intelligences therefrom; and there are two loves that are the universal and fundamental loves of all, namely, love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, which is called charity. In these loves are all who do goods from the Word; for all good is of love. Now since those who confirm with themselves in doctrine and life the belief that faith produces good works as a tree does fruits look from faith to good, therefore they have conjunction with heaven, not however with the spiritual heaven, but with the natural heaven, which is in things ultimate and may be called the entrance. Such cannot be admitted more interiorly for the reason that until faith becomes charity in form it is natural, and the natural can produce only what is natural. It is otherwise when faith becomes faith from charity; then faith becomes spiritual because charity, from which is faith, is spiritual. With these the spiritual mind is opened, but with the former only the natural mind is opened; yet this is opened more deeply and interiorly according to the quality of the faith and the quality of the life therefrom. The mind of these, viewed in the light of heaven, appears snowy, such as rational light is; and the rational is intermediate between the spiritual mind and the natural mind.
[5] Thirdly, if the state of the mind and life of those who believe that faith produces good works, and who also do them, is explored more interiorly, it will be seen that they are interiorly natural; since their faith is simply a knowledge of the commandments of the Word; and when the interior natural sight, which is called the rational, enters into this faith, an acknowledgment is produced that those commandments are Divine; and when love becomes active in this acknowledgment it becomes obedience. But the love that operates into this acknowledgment can be no other than a love of reward for the goods done, and to them this reward is eternal life. And as love of reward is not from God but from man, for in reward man regards his own good and not the good of the neighbor, it follows that this love is natural; consequently that the state of mind and life of those who believe that faith produces good works, and who do them according to their faith, is natural. But if they do not do good works from obedience, the love that leads them is the love of the glory that comes from erudition, or the love of the reputation that comes from being raised to honors, or from gaining riches. Such, however, merely say that they acknowledge and believe; in heart they do not acknowledge or believe; therefore they are the lowest natural, and heaven is altogether closed to them.
[6] In order that it may be known that to do good from obedience is from the natural man it shall be told briefly what it is to do good from charity. No one can do good from charity unless his spiritual mind is opened, and the spiritual mind is opened only by man’s abstaining from doing evils and shunning them, and finally turning away from them because they are contrary to the Divine commandments in the Word, thus contrary to the Lord. When man so shuns and turns away from evils all things that he thinks, wills, and does, are good because they are from the Lord; for the Lord is continually present, knocks at the door, is urgent and wishes to enter, but evils oppose; therefore man must open the door by removing the evils, for it is only when evils are removed that the Lord enters and sups there (Rev. 3:20). It is said that man opens and removes, because it is from self that man does evils; and inasmuch as the Lord is continually present, knocks at the door, and is urgent, as has been said, man has the ability to refrain from evils as if of himself; this ability is also given to every man. This is why, since man can of himself close heaven to himself he can also as if of himself open heaven, provided he thinks and wills to refrain from evils, looks to the Lord, and when he refrains acknowledges that it is from the Lord. When, therefore, evils have been removed, whatever man does is good, since it is from the Lord; and whatever man does from the Lord is not natural-moral, but is spiritual-moral. Since, then, charity is from the love of doing good for the sake of good, thus from good, consequently from the Lord, it follows that doing good from charity is spiritual, but doing good from obedience, since it is from a love of reward, is natural. Such is the natural in which those are who are in the entrance to heaven; and to this those come who do good only from obedience, who are such as confirm in themselves, in doctrine and life, that faith produces good works as a tree does fruits.
[7] Fourthly, moreover it is to be known that those who believe that faith produces good works as a tree does fruits believe also that heaven is allotted them before evils are removed; and yet so long as evils are with man whatever goods he does are not good, for from an evil tree no other than evil fruits spring forth; therefore the only way to heaven is for man from the Word to abstain from evils because they are sins, which unless they be first removed, the Lord cannot enter and bestow heaven.
[8] The fifth reason why those do not close heaven to themselves who confirm themselves in doctrine and life in the belief that faith produces good works as a tree does fruits, is, that they do not falsify the Word as those do who believe in justification and salvation by faith without good works. Those who believe in a faith without good works falsify all things of the Word that mention and enjoin love, charity, goods, works, deeds, working, and doing; and this they do even to the destruction of the Divine truth in the heavens, by understanding them as meaning either faith, or the moral and civil goods of the world, or as having been said merely for the common people on account of the simplicity of their faith. Thus they destroy the Divine truth itself by arguments from man’s inability to fulfill the law, by the nature of the good that is from man as not being good, and by the removal of the merit that inheres in goods from man. But those who in simplicity join good works to faith do not falsify all those things of the Word, and thence do not remove faith from the love to God, and thereby remove the Divine operation in all the particulars to be done by man, as also in all the particulars to be believed by man; for they think and say that good works are to be done as if by man, for he who does not act and believe as if of himself believes nothing and does nothing, and has no religion. And yet, since they have no genuine truths, while they do not close heaven to themselves they can advance no farther than to the threshold of heaven. To such of them, however, as have loved truths for the sake of truths heaven is opened when the Divine order has been restored with them, and that is done when charity and its good are in the first place, and faith and its truths in the second, for they are then like those who go on in a straight way with the face looking forward, while before they were like those who go with the face looking backward.
[9] Sixthly, there are also many who make charity the essential means of salvation, as others do faith, and yet do not live the life of charity; but since their charity is merely a confession of the mouth that this is the truth, it is their faith alone; therefore their charity likewise is not living but dead, and in consequence they differ very little from the confessors of faith alone, having a like heart but an unlike soul, but yet the one like the other closes heaven to himself.

sRef Rev@13 @6 S0′ 799. And His tabernacle, signifies all the doctrine of the church and the worship therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “tabernacle,” as being the church in respect to doctrine and worship, thus, too, the doctrine and worship of the church; therefore to falsify these is signified by “blaspheming the tabernacle of God.” “A tabernacle” signifies the church in respect to doctrine and worship, because those who were of the church in most ancient times dwelt in tabernacles and tents, and also journeyed with them, for they were then mostly shepherds of sheep; and the father of the family taught those who were born of his house the precepts of charity and thus the life of love, in tabernacles, as was done afterwards in temples; and this is why a “tabernacle” has a similar signification as “the house of God,” namely, the worship of God according to doctrine, consequently also the church, since the church is a church from a life according to doctrine, and a life according to doctrine is worship.
[2] Since these most ancient people with whom was the church worshipped God under a human form, and since God under a human form is the Lord, they worshipped the Lord; and therefore their church was the celestial church, which is distinguished from the spiritual church in this, that the celestial church is in love to the Lord and in worship from that love, while the spiritual church is in love towards the neighbor and in worship from that love. And as the church with the most ancient people was such, and the doctrine of love to the Lord was then taught in tabernacles, and thence tabernacles were more loved by the Lord than temples, therefore by command of the Lord on Mount Sinai a tabernacle was built in which the Israelitish nation might have holy worship; and afterwards, in commemoration of the most holy worship in tabernacles, the feast of tabernacles was instituted. From this it is clear why a “tabernacle” signifies the doctrine of the church, and worship therefrom.
sRef Num@24 @5 S3′ [3] This signification of “tabernacle” is evident from the following passages. In Moses:
How good are thy tabernacles O Jacob, thy tents O Israel (Num. 24:5).
Here and elsewhere in the Word both tabernacles and tents are mentioned; and a “tabernacle” signifies the church consisting of those who are in the good of love to the Lord; and the “tent” signifies the church consisting of those who are in truths from that good; and as doctrine and worship therefrom constitute the church, a “tabernacle” signifies the doctrine of the good of love, and a “tent” the doctrine of truth from that good. So, too, “tabernacles,” in the plural, signify the goods of the church and of doctrine, and “tents” the truths of the church and of doctrine. This makes clear the signification of those words of David,* “How good are thy tabernacles O Jacob, thy tents O Israel,” “Jacob” signifying the church that is in the good of doctrine and of life, and “Israel” the church that is in truths from good.
sRef Jer@30 @18 S4′ [4] In Jeremiah:
Jehovah bringeth back the captivity of the tabernacles of Jacob, and I will have compassion on his tents; and the city shall be built on her own heap, and the palace thereof shall be inhabited after its former manner (30:18).
Here, too, “tabernacles” and “tents” are mentioned; and “tabernacles” signify the goods of the church or of its doctrine, and “tents” the truths of the church or of its doctrine; “captivity” signifies spiritual captivity, which is when the goods and truths of the church or of doctrine are as it were imprisoned; therefore “to bring back captivity” signifies to restore these. (What the rest signifies may be seen above, n. 724.)
sRef Isa@54 @2 S5′ [5] In Isaiah:
Enlarge the place of thy tabernacle, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy tents; hinder not, make long thy cords, and make firm thy stakes (54:2).
This is said of the barren that did not bear, by whom the Gentiles are signified with whom the church was to be established by the Lord. The state of the good of love of that church is signified by “the place of thy tabernacle;” and the truths from that good are signified by “the curtains of thy tents;” the fructification of good and the multiplication of truth are signified by “enlarging” and “stretching forth;” “cords” signifying the conjunction of these, and “stakes” their firmness.
[6] In David:
One thing have I asked of Jehovah, that will I seek, that I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, to behold the pleasantness of Jehovah, and to visit in the morning His temple; for He shall hide me in His tent in the evil day, He shall conceal me in the secret place of His tabernacle, He shall exalt me upon a rock (Ps. 27:4, 5).
Here “the house of Jehovah,” “the temple,” “the tent,” and “the tabernacle,” are mentioned; and “house of Jehovah” signifies the church that is in the good of love to the Lord, “temple” the church that is in truths from that good, “the tent of Jehovah” Divine truth, and “the tabernacle” Divine good; thence it is clear that “to dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of one’s life” does not mean to dwell in the house of Jehovah, but in the good of love to the Lord; and that “to visit in the morning the temple of Jehovah” does not mean to visit the temple every morning, but to seek and learn the truths of that good; so “to hide in the tent” signifies to continue in Divine truth, and to be defended from falsities; and “to conceal in the secret place of the tabernacle” signifies to continue in Divine good and to be defended from evils; “to exalt upon a rock” signifies to instruct in interior truths.
sRef Ps@15 @1 S7′ sRef Ps@15 @2 S7′ [7] In the same:
Jehovah, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in the mountain of Thy holiness? He that walketh in integrity and doeth justice and speaketh the truth (Ps. 15:1, 2).
Here, too, a “tabernacle” signifies the church in respect to the good of love, consequently also the good of love; “the mountain of holiness,” meaning Jerusalem, signifies the church in respect to the truths of doctrine from that good; which shows what is signified by “abiding in them.” “He that walketh in integrity” signifies one who is in good in respect to life and truths in respect to doctrine; therefore it is added, “who doeth justice and speaketh the truth;” “doing justice” signifying to be in good in respect to life, and “speaking the truth” to be in truths in respect to doctrine.
sRef Ps@61 @4 S8′ [8] In the same:
I will abide in Thy tabernacle forever, I will trust in the hiding place of Thy wings (Ps. 61:4).
“To abide in a tabernacle forever” signifies to be in the Divine good of love; “to trust in the hiding place of Thy wings” signifies to be in Divine truths, “the wings of Jehovah” signifying spiritual truths.
sRef Isa@16 @5 S9′ [9] In Isaiah:
By mercy was the throne established, and in truth He sat upon it in the tabernacle of David, judging and seeking judgment, and hastening justice (16:5).
This is said of the Lord; the heaven that was established by Him and the church from it are signified by “the throne established by mercy.” That the Lord reigns there by the Divine truth from the Divine good is signified by “He sat upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David;” “David” meaning the Lord in respect to His royalty, which is the Divine truth, and “His tabernacle” signifying the Divine good. “Judgment” signifies the truth of doctrine, because from that is all judgment; and “justice” signifies the good of love, both of these from the Lord with those who are in heaven and in the church.
sRef Isa@33 @20 S10′ [10] In the same:
Look upon Zion the city of our appointed feast, let thine eyes see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle which shall not be dissipated; the stakes thereof shall never be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be torn off (Isa. 33:20).
“Zion” here does not mean Zion, nor “Jerusalem” Jerusalem, but they mean heaven and the church in respect to the good of love and the truth of doctrine; these are “a quiet habitation, and a tabernacle which shall not be dissipated.” The “stakes that shall not be removed” signify a strengthening by Divine truths; and the “cords that shall not be torn off” signify conjunction through Divine good.
sRef Jer@10 @20 S11′ [11] In Jeremiah:
My tabernacle is devastated, and all My cords torn off; My sons have gone out from Me, and they are not; there is no longer anyone to stretch out My tabernacle and to set up My curtains (10:20).
“The tabernacle that is devastated” signifies the church in which there is no longer any good, “the cords that are torn off” signify that there is no conjunction; “the sons that have gone out and are not” signify that there are no longer any truths; “there is no longer anyone to stretch out the tabernacle and to set up the curtains” signifies that no one any longer in the church teaches the good of love and the truth from that good, “curtains” signifying the truths that go forth from good and cover it.
sRef Jer@49 @29 S12′ sRef Jer@4 @20 S12′ [12] In the same:
The whole land is devastated, suddenly are My tabernacles devastated, My curtains in a moment (Jer. 4:20).
The “land” that is devastated signifies the church; the “tabernacles” that are devastated signify its goods, and “curtains” its truths. In the same:
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon shall take their tabernacle and their flocks, he shall carry away for himself their curtains and all their vessels, and their camels (49:29).
This describes the vastation of Arabia, by which the church that is in truths from good is signified; the goods of that church are signified by “their tabernacle and their flocks;” the truths of those goods by “the curtains and all vessels,” and the knowledges of truth by “camels.” “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon” signifies the evils and falsities that lay waste. “The tabernacles of Arabia” have a like signification in David (Ps. 120:5).
sRef Jer@6 @3 S13′ [13] In Jeremiah:
To Zion shepherds and their flocks shall come, they shall pitch tabernacles against her, they shall feed down everyone his space (6:3).
This, too, describes the vastation of the church in respect to the good of love, “Zion” meaning a church in which is that good. “The tabernacles that the shepherds and flocks shall pitch against her” signify the evils and their falsities that devastate the church; “they shall feed down everyone his space” signifies that it shall be altogether deprived of goods and truths.
sRef Hos@9 @6 S14′ [14] In Hosea:
Egypt shall gather them together, Moph shall bury them, the desirable things of their silver the thistle shall possess, and the thorn shall be in their tabernacles (9:6).
This describes the vastation of a church by the falsifications of truth. “Israel,” of which this is said, signifies this church; that the natural man and his cupidity will destroy them is signified by “Egypt shall gather them together, Moph shall bury them;” that falsity will destroy all truth is signified by “the desirable things of their silver the thistle shall possess;” and that the evils of falsity will destroy all their good is signified by “the thorn shall be in their tabernacles.”
sRef Isa@40 @22 S15′ [15] In Isaiah:
Who dwelleth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as locusts; who stretcheth out the heavens as something thin, and spreadeth them out as a tabernacle to dwell in (40:22).
“To dwell above the circle of the earth” means above the sky; for the sky encompasses the earth as a circle its center; and this is why the Lord is called “the Most High,” and “He that dwelleth in the highest.” “The inhabitants thereof are as locusts” signifies men in things outermost; for a “locust” signifies what is living in ultimates, in particular truth, and in the contrary sense falsity there; “Who stretcheth out the heavens as something thin” signifies omnipotence to enlarge the heavens at will; “and spreadeth them out as a tabernacle to dwell in” has a similar signification, this signifying the enlargement of the heavens in respect to goods, and the former their enlargement in respect to truths.
sRef Hos@12 @9 S16′ [16] In Hosea:
I will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, according to the days of the appointed time (12:9).
This treats of Ephraim, who being enriched said that “he had found wealth” (verse 8), which signifies that he had acquired for himself knowledges of truth; for “Ephraim” signifies the understanding of the Word and the intellectual of the church; therefore “I will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles” signifies still to be in the church where good is; “according to the days of the appointed time” signifies until those knowledges perish. In Zechariah:
Jehovah shall save the tabernacles of Judah first (12:7).
“The tabernacles of Judah” are the goods of the Word and the goods of the church, for “Judah” signifies the Word, and also the church, in respect to the good of love to the Lord.
sRef Zech@12 @7 S17′ sRef Lam@2 @4 S17′ [17] In Lamentations:
The Lord hath bent His bow like an enemy; He hath stood with His right hand as an enemy, and hath slain all things desirable to the eyes; into the tabernacles of Zion He hath poured out His anger like fire (2:4).
This treats of the devastation of the church in respect to truths and goods; the devastation in respect to its truths is signified by “He hath slain all things desirable to the eyes;” and the devastation in respect to goods by “He hath poured out His anger like fire into the tabernacles of Zion;” “things desirable” being predicated in the Word of truths, and “eyes” of the understanding of truth; “tabernacles” of goods, and “anger like fire” of the vastation of good; “the daughter of Zion” signifies the church that is in the affection of truth from the love of good. In David:
In the heavens He hath set a tabernacle for the sun (Ps. 19:4).
“The sun” means here the Lord in relation to Divine love; and because He dwells in the good of His own love in the heavens it is said, “In the heavens He hath set a tabernacle for the sun;” “tabernacle” here meaning the Lord’s heaven from the good of love.
sRef Ps@19 @4 S18′ sRef Ps@91 @10 S18′ sRef Ps@91 @9 S18′ [18] In the same:
Thou hast made Jehovah the Most High thy habitation; no evil shall befall thee, and no plague shall come nigh thy tabernacle (Ps. 91:9, 10).
“The habitation of Jehovah” and “His tabernacle” signify heaven and the church; “habitation” signifying heaven and the church in respect to truths, and “tabernacle” heaven and the church in respect to goods. “He hath made the Most High his habitation, no evil shall befall, and no plague come nigh,” signifies the removal and protection from evils and from the falsities of evil. In the same:
He shall pluck thee out of the tabernacle, and shall root thee out of the land of the living (Ps. 52:5).
This is said of Doeg the Edomite. That he was to be expelled from all the good of the church is signified by “he shall pluck thee out of the tabernacle,” also from all the truths of the church is signified by “he shall root thee out of the land of the living;” “land” is the church, and those are called “the living” who are in truths from good.
sRef Lev@26 @11 S19′ sRef Rev@21 @3 S19′ sRef Lev@26 @12 S19′ sRef Ps@78 @67 S19′ sRef Matt@17 @4 S19′ sRef Ps@78 @60 S19′ sRef Ps@52 @5 S19′ [19] “Tabernacle” signifies the church in respect to good, or the good of the church, in the following passages also:
That Jehovah would set a tabernacle in the midst of them, would walk in the midst of them, and be to them for a God (Lev. 26:11, 12);
this was among the blessings:
After the Lord was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, Peter said, Lord, it is good for us to be here; if Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for Thee, one for Moses, and one for Elijah (Matt. 17:4; Mark 9:5; Luke 9:33).
I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall dwell with them (Rev. 21:3).
He forsook the tent of Shiloh, the tabernacle, in which He dwelt among men (Ps. 78:60).
He rejected the tent of Joseph (Ps. 78:67).
That a “tent” signifies the church in respect to the truths of doctrine is evident from passages in the Word where a “tent and tents” are mentioned (as in Isa. 22:16; Jer. 9:19; Ezek. 25:4; Amos 9:11; Hab. 1:6; Ps. 43:3; 46:4; 74:7).
sRef Num@17 @12 S20′ sRef Num@9 @15 S20′ sRef Num@17 @13 S20′ sRef Ex@25 @9 S20′ [20] Since a tabernacle signified heaven and the church in respect to the doctrine of the good of love, and a tent the same in respect to the doctrine of truth from that good, and this because of the holy worship of the Lord by the most ancient men, as has been said at the beginning of this article, it pleased the Lord that a tabernacle should be set up by Moses, in which representative worship should be performed; and this is described in Exodus (26:7-15; 36:8-37); and it was afterwards commanded:
That all the tribes of Israel should encamp about it, and the Levites who were to keep charge of it should be beside it (Num. 1:10-54; 3:7-39);
Also that they should journey with it (Num. 9:15, seq.).
That this tabernacle was a representative of heaven and the church is clearly evident from this:
That the form of it was shown to Moses upon Mount Sinai (Exod. 25:9; 26:30).
And whatever is presented in a form to be seen in heaven and from heaven is representative. That the tabernacle was a representative of heaven itself, where the Lord is, and thence also of the church, is evident from its holiness:
In that no one was permitted to enter into it except Aaron and his sons, and if the people drew near they would die (Num. 17:12, 13; 18:1, 22, 23; 19:14-19).
Likewise that there was a cloud upon it by day, and the appearance of fire by night (Exod. 40:38; Num. 9:15; Isa. 4:5, 6).
And afterwards that a feast was celebrated, which was called the Feast of Tabernacles, and they were to be glad because of the produce of the threshing-floor and of the wine press (Lev. 23:39-44; Deut. 16:13, 14; Zech. 14:16, 18, 19).
[21] “The produce of the threshing-floor,” like as “bread” and “corn,” signified all the good of the church; and the “produce of the wine-press,” like as “wine,” signified all the truth of good of the church; and “to be glad” at that time signified the delight of celestial and spiritual love from good and truth. That all things belonging to the tabernacle, as the ark, the mercy-seat with the cherubim over it, the veil, the table upon which was the bread, the altar of incense, the lamp-stand, the curtains, the coverings, the boards and pillars, the cords, the stakes, and all other things, were representatives of heaven and the church, can be seen in the Arcana Coelestia treating of Exodus, in which all these things are explained. It is also shown there that the holiness of all these things came from the Law that was placed in the ark; for “the Law” signified the Word, and represented the Lord, who is the Word.
* The Latin has “David” for “Balaam.”

sRef Rev@13 @6 S0′ 800. And them that dwell in heaven, signifies spiritual goods and truths, from which is the heavenly marriage. This is evident from the signification of “blaspheming them that dwell in heaven,” as being to falsify spiritual goods and truths. By “them that dwell in heaven” the angels are meant; and as the angels are angels from the reception of the Divine good and the Divine truth, and as the spiritual sense is abstracted from persons, “angels” here signify the goods and truths from which they are angels; and these are also signified by “angels” elsewhere in the Word (see above, n. 130, 302). “Angels” signify spiritual goods and truths because all who are in heaven are spiritual, and think and speak spiritually. But it is otherwise with men on earth, who being natural, think and speak naturally, and therefore goods and truths with them are natural. And as good and truth mutually love each other, and for that reason they must needs be conjoined, it is also said, from which is the heavenly marriage. This, too, is signified by “them that dwell in heaven,” since all in heaven are in that marriage, and this is why heaven is likened in the Word to a marriage; and there is a like marriage in every least particular of the Word, as may be seen above (n. 238 at the end, 288, 484, 724); also an angel cannot be an angel of heaven unless he is in that marriage, or unless that marriage is with him; and the like is true of the man of the church (see n. 660). From this again it is evident that a man who separates faith from good works is not a man of the church. From this it can now be seen that “to blaspheme them that dwell in heaven” signifies to falsify spiritual goods and truths from which is the heavenly marriage.
[2] In the two preceding articles those who separate faith from the goods of life and thereby so falsify the Word as to close heaven to themselves, also those who join the goods of life to faith and thereby do not so falsify the Word as to close heaven to themselves, have been treated of. It now follows in order that something be said about those who, although they are in the churches where faith alone is acknowledged, still do not falsify the Word. These are (1) such as do not separate faith from the life but conjoin them by the belief that faith and life make one, like affection and thought, like will and understanding, like heat and light in the time of spring and summer, from the conjunction of which comes all germination, and like truth and good, when truth is put in place of faith, and good in place of life. On the conjunction of all these see the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine. Such affirm within themselves that no one who lives wickedly can have faith, but only he who lives well, and that one who lives wickedly cannot receive faith unless he performs repentance of life by seeking out his evils and desisting from them; likewise that one who lives wickedly cannot, in his spirit or in himself, have any other faith than a belief in falsity, however he may profess with the mouth a belief in truth. Therefore the life of those who so conjoin life and faith in profession and in works is charity, and their faith is the thought that a thing is so in truth. The faith of such is spiritual so far as they know truths from the Word, and live according to them, for faith becomes spiritual from the life, and so far as man thence becomes spiritual heaven is opened to him.
(2) [3] Neither do those falsify the Word who do not know, and do not wish to know, that faith is anything else than believing those things that are in the Word and doing them, for they see that faith is to believe and to do, and that to believe and not to do is a faith of the mouth and not of the heart, thus is outside of man and not within him. These, when they act, believe that faith is believing that there is a God, a heaven and a hell, and a life after death; and that to love God and to love the neighbor is to do the commandments in the Word; and such, so far as they desist from evils and shun and turn away from them because they are sins, so far do the commandments from God, and not from themselves. These also believe that the Lord came into the world to save those who believe in Him and who do what He taught.
(3) [4] Because such do not know, and do not wish to know, that faith is anything else than this, they do not acknowledge that justification and salvation are effected by merely believing that God the Father sent his Son, that by His blood He might effect propitiation, redemption, and salvation; for they perceive that merely to believe this and not to live any life of faith, which is charity, rather condemns than justifies; it rather condemns for the reason that it is not a belief in truth, but a belief in falsity; for it is a belief in immediate mercy, which is reformation and regeneration without means; which is imputation, propitiation, and intercession, not one of which is possible. Moreover, it is not true that a Son born from eternity was sent by the Father into the world, nor is it true that the Father was propitiated by the blood of the Son, nor is it true that the Lord transferred sins to Himself and thus effected redemption; and so with other things. So far as these are appearances of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word they may be asserted and also thought, but must not be so confirmed as to destroy the genuine truth that is in heaven, and that the doctrine of the church can teach from the Word. Those therefore who place all things of faith in that confession not only reject to the side all truths, which are innumerable, from which angels and men have life and wisdom, and make the universal theology to consist in certain expressions, uttered with confidence, in which there are no truths; but to confirm these expressions they must needs falsify the Word and thereby close heaven to themselves. But more on this subject elsewhere. So much concerning those who falsify the Word and those who do not falsify it.

sRef Rev@13 @7 S0′ 801. Verse 7. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and there was given to him authority over every tribe and tongue and nation. 7. “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them,” signifies combat with those who are in truths from good, and who on account of appearances have not followed out the combinations (n. 802); “and there was given to him authority over every tribe and tongue and nation,” signifies domination over all the truths and goods of the church, and over the doctrine of faith and love (n. 803).

sRef Rev@13 @7 S0′ 802. Verse 7. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, signifies combat with those who are in truths from good, and who on account of appearances have not followed out the combinations. This is evident from the signification of “war,” as being spiritual combat, which is the combat of truth against falsity and of falsity against truth (see above, n. 573, 734); consequently “to make war” means to fight from truths against falsities and from falsities against truths, here from falsities against truths. Also from the signification of “saints,” as being those who are in truths from good (see above, n. 204). Also from the signification of “overcoming them,” as being to make them to be of their doctrine and thence of their religion; and as this is done by reasonings by which they induce upon falsities the appearance of truth, and by passages from the sense of the letter of the Word by which they confirm their reasonings, therefore these words also signify those who have not followed out, or have not understood, how faith can be conjoined with good works, because of the appearances of truth that have been induced upon falsities. From this it can be seen that “it was given unto the beast to make war with the saints and to overcome them” signifies combat with those who are in truths from good, and who on account of appearances have not followed out these combinations.
[2] The reasonings by means of which the defenders of faith separated from the life have induced upon falsities the appearance of truth, by which they have seemed to themselves to have cleared away the disagreements with the Word, have been treated of in several places before; but that they have not cleared away these disagreements, but have woven as it were an invisible spider’s web, that they might induce a faith in falsities, can be seen from what has been presented above (n. 780, 781, 786, 790); also from this, that by doctrine, preaching, and writings, they assert and insist that faith was given as the means of salvation, because man is unable to do good of himself; also that God continues to operate whatever is good in man while man is unconscious of it, and by this operation the evils that are done by a man who is justified by faith are not sins but infirmities of nature; and that deliberate or voluntary evils are forgiven, either immediately or after some repentance of the mouth; and finally that it follows that by “works” and “doing,” in the Word, faith and to have faith are meant.
[3] This is their web by which they induce the simple to believe that out of the treasures of wisdom or interior perception, that are stored up only with the teachers and the learned, they have brought forth clear evidences to establish the doctrine of faith separated from any manifest endeavor of man (which is the will) to do what is good. Thus for themselves and all the people of the church they give license and free rein to acting and living according to the bent and trend of all lusts; and as this dogma is pleasing to the flesh and to the eyes, the common crowd gladly receive it. This, therefore, is what is here signified by “it was given to the beast to make war with the saints and to overcome them.” But lest the leaders of the church, who are initiated into this dogma when they are initiated into the priesthood, and from them the people of the church, should be infected by the poison drawn from these crafty reasonings, from which they cannot but die, I will take up again the arguments just mentioned respecting the separation of faith from the goods to be done by man, also the conjunctions fallaciously contrived, by which they proceed from something to nothing, or from truth to falsity, and I will present to the light before the understanding in any degree enlightened, the detestable falsities of evil and evils of falsity that are contained in that more than heretical dogma, and that gush forth from it in a constant stream.
[4] First, “That faith was given as the means of salvation, because man is unable to do good of himself.” That man is unable to do good of himself is true; and as man is unable to have any faith of himself it follows that as he is not able to do anything from himself, so is he not able to believe anything of himself. For what man of the church does not acknowledge that faith is from God and not from man? Therefore altogether similar things must he said of faith as is said of works. Of works it is said, that in case they are from man, and while they are from man, they do not justify. It must be similar with faith in case it is from man and while it is from man. And yet everyone believes from himself, for he evidently thinks and wishes to think in himself as if from himself that which belongs to faith. Therefore if the same is true of faith as of works, it follows that the elect only can have faith and be saved; and this implies predestination, from which with the evil flow all kinds of security of life, and with the good deprivation of all hope from which comes despair; and yet all are predestined for heaven, and those are called the elect who learn truths and do them. Again, since the same is true of faith and of good works, it follows that man cannot act and should not act otherwise than as an automaton, or as a thing that has no life, waiting to be moved by influx from God, and thus go on thinking nothing and willing nothing that is commanded in the Word; and yet such a man is continually willing and thinking something from himself. But as that which is from oneself is not from God but from hell, and yet to think and will from hell is against God, and two opposites cannot exist together, such a man is either foolish or an atheist. If anyone after this shall say that because faith is given to be the means of salvation it can be received by man as of himself he will say what is true; but to have faith, that is, to think that a thing is so and from that to speak as of oneself, and yet to be unable to will a thing because it is so as of oneself, is to annihilate faith; for one without the other is a nonentity. But if anyone shall say that justifying faith is simply to believe that God the Father sent the Son, that by the passion of His cross He might effect propitiation, redemption, and salvation, and this does not involve anything to be done, also because it is imputation that saves, it follows (since there is no truth of heaven in such belief, as will be shown in its place) that a belief in falsity, which is a dead faith, justifies.
sRef John@3 @27 S5′ sRef John@15 @5 S5′ [5] Secondly, “That still God operates what is good with man, while man is unconscious of it.” It is true that God operates what is good with man, and for the most part while man is unconscious of it, and yet God gives man the power to perceive the things that are necessary to salvation. For God operates that man may think and speak those things that belong to faith, and may will and do those things that belong to love; and when man thence thinks, speaks, wills, and does, he must needs think, speak, will, and do, as if of himself. God operates into those things in man that are from Himself with him; that is, into the truths that belong to faith and into the goods that belong to love; consequently when God presents the former in the understanding and the latter in the will they appear to man as if they were his own, and he brings them forth as his own. In no other way can anyone think and speak and will and act from God. It is enough for man to know and acknowledge that these things are from God. This Divine operation itself often takes place while man is unconscious of it, but the effects that come from it man is conscious of. This is the meaning of the words:
That man can receive nothing unless it be given him from heaven (John 3:27).
Jesus said, Without Me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).
If man had no consciousness in thinking truths and in doing goods, that they might not become goods and truths from himself, he would be either like an animal or like a stock; and thus would be unable to think and will anything of God or anything from God, thus would not be able to be conjoined with God by faith and love and live to eternity. The difference between animals and men is that animals are unable to think and speak truths and to will and do goods from God, while men are able to do this, and thus to believe those things that they think, and to love those things that they will, and this as if of themselves. If it were not as if of themselves the Divine influx and operation would flow through and not be received, for man would be like a vessel without a bottom, which receives no water. Man’s thought is the receptacle of truth, and his will the receptacle of good; and reception is not possible unless man is conscious of it. And if there is no reception there can be given no reciprocal, which makes that which is of God to be as if it were of man. Every agent that wills to conjoin himself with another must needs have something that is seemingly his own with which conjunction is effected, for otherwise there is no reagent; and where there is no action and at the same time reaction no conjunction is possible. The things in man with which God, who is the sole Agent, conjoins Himself, are the understanding and the will. These faculties are man’s; and although when they act they act from God, they cannot act otherwise than as if of themselves. From this it now follows that truths and goods that do not so act are not anything. But this shall be illustrated by examples. It is commanded in the Word that man must not commit adultery, must not steal, must not kill, must not bear false witness. It is known that man is able to do all these things of himself, also that he is able to refrain from them because they are sins; and yet he is not able to refrain from them from himself, but only from God; yet when he refrains from them from God he still thinks that he wills to refrain from them because they are sins, and thus he refrains from them as if from himself; and when this is done, then because he calls adultery a sin he lives in chastity and loves chastity, and this as if of himself; and because he calls theft a sin he lives sincerely and loves sincerity, and this also as if of himself. When he calls murder a sin he lives in charity and loves charity, and this as if of himself. When he calls false testimony a sin he lives in truth and justice and loves truth and justice, and this as if of himself. And although he lives and loves these as if of himself, yet he lives and loves them from God; for whatever a man does from chastity itself, from sincerity itself, from charity itself, and from truth itself and justice itself, as if of himself, he does from God, and consequently they are goods. In a word, all things whatever that a man does from these principles as if from himself, these, when evils are removed, are from God and are goods. But all things that a man does before evils are removed, although they are works of chastity, works of sincerity, works of charity, or works of truth and justice, are not goods, because they are from man. Since all works, both those that are done from God and those that are not done from God, must needs be carried on by man or as if by him, it is evident why “works,” “deeds,” “working,” and “doing,” are so frequently mentioned in the Word, which would never have been so mentioned and commanded if they were done by God without man’s knowledge, as is taught in the interior meaning of the doctrine of those who separate faith from good works.
[6] Thirdly, “That the evils that a man does who is justified by faith are not sins but infirmities of his nature; and that voluntary or deliberate evils are forgiven, either immediately or after some repentance of the mouth.” This is the profession of those who have inwardly examined and entered into the mysteries of the separation of faith from good works, with a difference with some according to the keenness of their ability to reason and draw conclusions. This, indeed, necessarily follows. For those who ascribe everything of salvation to faith alone, and ascribe nothing of salvation to good works, say that they are in grace, and some that they are in God; and if in grace they conclude that evils are not seen, and if they are seen that they are immediately forgiven; if in God they conclude that nothing condemns them, thus that their evils are not sins, since sins condemn, but are infirmities of nature. And as evils from the will, which are called in the Word “sinning with a high hand,” are not infirmities of nature, they say that they are forgiven, either immediately or after some repentance of the mouth, since he who has been justified by faith is in good and has no need of repentance of life; and some add, because these evils are done by permission. Again, this follows as a consequence from the belief that he who is justified by faith is redeemed, purified before God, and regenerated; and since he cannot do good of himself, that the merit of the Lord is ascribed and imputed to him, and by virtue of this imputation, together with redemption and regeneration, he is adopted as a son of God, and is led by God the Father, and enlightened by the Holy Spirit; consequently his works are accepted, and his evils are not evils like evils with others; and as they do not condemn they cannot be called sins, but infirmities, such as cling to everyone as an inheritance from Adam, and which, as soon as they come forth, are forgiven and cast out. These and various other opinions they assert, according to their ideas about the essence of faith, and its separation from the goods of life, or the conjunction of faith with those goods. But to investigate all these particulars is not necessary, for they are all streams from a false principle, from which nothing but falsities can flow forth in a continual series. Who does not know and acknowledge, when he thinks by himself, that man should examine himself, confess his sins before God, abominate them, and afterwards lead a new life, that he may inherit life eternal? This is taught in the appointed prayers in the churches, especially in those preparatory to observing the sacrament of the Supper; this is taught in the Word, and in all preachings from the Word; and reason that is at all enlightened declares it. And yet the light of this truth is extinguished as soon as anyone studies the arcana of this doctrine, and desires to gain a reputation for learning therefrom; for being led by the love of self and thence by the pride of self-intelligence, he departs from the faith of the common people, and embraces the falsity that destroys every truth of the Word and every truth of heaven. And as he is believed to be learned he draws after him and misleads many; and thus the sheep that he ought to gather he scatters, by teaching that he who is able to think and declare with confidence that Christ suffered for him, and thereby redeemed him, is condemned by no evil. But that there is nothing of life in such a faith will be seen in what follows. Such are not unlike those who from fantasy have visions, and who believe the men whom they see to be specters, and when they see phantoms believe them to be men, thus they see truths as falsities and falsities as truths, especially when the fantasy arising from the lumen of their infatuation is skillful in forming by means of fallacies images conformable to their lumen. In the delirium of their arcana they see wisdom, not knowing that those who know nothing about these things have after their life in this world a better lot.
sRef John@1 @12 S7′ sRef John@1 @13 S7′ [7] Fourthly, “That by “works” and “doing” in the Word, faith and to have faith are meant.” The wish of such is to persuade others by these means that they are verifying all things of the Word, when in fact they are falsifying all things of it, for this conclusion is both a contradiction and a false statement. It is a contradiction to say that doing goods means to have faith, when nevertheless the received faith not only separates good works but also excludes them from the means of salvation; and that which is separated and excluded from anything (thus from the faith which is said not only to be something but also everything), cannot possibly exist in it, and thus cannot be meant by it. It is also a contradiction to say that that which is saving and spiritual which is said to belong to faith-means at the same time that which is not saving and not spiritual; for they call faith saving and spiritual, but they call works not saving and so not spiritual. It is a false statement to say that the Divine operation, without any co-operation by man, is meant by “works” and “doing” in the Word when yet man is commanded to do these. It is also a false statement to say that “good works” mean the faith that is received and is called saving, when yet that faith is of the thought alone and not at all of the will. Furthermore they say that “works” and “deeds” are mentioned in the Word on account of the simple who do not grasp the arcana of faith. But it is to be noted that it is one thing to believe a person and another thing to believe in him; as to believe that there is a God and to believe in Him. To believe in God or in His name signifies both to do and to have faith, as in John:
As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, to them that believe in His name; who were born, not of bloods nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man (vir), but of God (1:12, 13).
Those born “not of bloods” are those who do not falsify the Word; those born “not of the will of the flesh” are those who are not in lusts from love of self; those born “not of the will of man” are those who are not in falsities from the pride of self-intelligence; those “born of God” are those who are regenerated by the Lord by means of truths from the Word and a life according to them; these are they who believe in the name of the Lord, and thence are called “sons of God.” Such a faith is not the faith of the teachers of the church at this day.

sRef Rev@13 @7 S0′ 803. And there was given to him authority over every tribe and tongue and nation, signifies domination over all the truths and goods of the church, and over the doctrine of faith and love. This is evident from the signification of “authority,” as being domination; also from the signification of “tribe,” as being the truths and goods of the church in general (see above, n. 39, 330, 430, 431, 454, 657). Also from the signification of “tongue,” as being the doctrine of the church, also confession and religion (see above, n. 330, 455, 625, 657), here the doctrine of faith; also from the signification of “nation,” as being the good of love, likewise the doctrine of love, and thence of the church (see above, n. 175, 331, 625, 657). From this it can be seen that “authority was given to the beast over every tribe and tongue and nation” signifies domination over all the truths and goods of the church, and over the doctrine of faith and love. And as “the beast” signifies faith separated from the life, corroborated and established by reasonings from the natural man, it follows that to such a faith domination is given over all things of the church and its doctrine. It is evident that domination was given to this faith, since faith alone is the universal prevailing principle in the churches; for it has been taken to be the essential means of salvation, as is clearly evident from the doctrines of the churches, as well as from the verbal profession of the men of the church, and in general from their lives; also from this, that they do not know what charity and love are, consequently what works are. And as such is the domination of faith separate, so it has domination over all the truths and goods of the church, and extinguishes them by falsifying, perverting, and adulterating them; for where that faith rules there is no longer anything good, and thence no truth.
sRef Rev@3 @20 S2′ aRef John@3 @35 S2′ [2] It is known that faith from love is the essential means of salvation, and thus is the principle of the doctrine of the church; but since it is important to know how a man can be in such enlightenment as to learn the truths that must constitute his faith and in such affection as to do the goods that must constitute his love, and thus can know whether his faith is a belief in truth and his love a love of good, this shall be told in its proper order, as follows: (1) Let him read the Word every day, one or two chapters, and learn from a master and from preachings the dogmas of his religion; and especially let him learn that God is one, and that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth (John 3:35; 17:2; Matt. 11:27; 28:18), that the Word is holy, that there is a heaven and a hell, and that there is a life after death. (2) Let him learn from the Word, from a master, and from preachings, what works are sins, and that they are especially adulteries, thefts, murders, false witness, and the others mentioned in the Decalogue; likewise that lascivious and obscene thoughts are also adulteries, that frauds and illicit gains are also thefts, that hatred and revenge are also murders, and that lies and blasphemies are also false witness; and so on. Let him learn all these things from childhood to youth. (3) When man begins to think for himself, which is the case after he has grown up, it must be to him the first and chief thing to refrain from doing evils for the reason that they are sins against the Word, thus against God, and for the reason that if he does them he will gain, not life eternal, but hell; and afterwards as he grows up and becomes old he must shun them as damned, and must turn away from them in thought and intention. But in order to so refrain from them and shun and turn away from them, he must pray to the Lord for help. The sins he must refrain from and must shun and turn away from are chiefly adulteries, frauds, illicit gains, hatreds, revenges, lies, blasphemies, and elation of mind. (4) So far as man detests these evils because they are opposed to the Word, and thence opposed to God, so far there is granted him communication with the Lord, and conjunction is effected with heaven. For the Lord enters, and with the Lord heaven enters, as sins are removed; since these and their falsities are the sole hindrances. The reason is because man has been placed in the midst between heaven and hell, wherefore hell acts from the one side, and heaven from the other; therefore so far as evils that are from hell are removed, so far goods from heaven enter; for the Lord says:
Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hear and open the door, I will come in to him (Rev. 3:20).
But if man refrains from doing these evils for any other reason than because they are sins, and are opposed to the Word and because thence to God, no conjunction of heaven with him is effected, because his refraining is from self, and not from the Lord. The Lord is in the Word, even so that He is called the Word (John 1:1-4), because the Word is from Him; consequently the conjunction of heaven with the man of the church is by means of the Word, as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 303-310). (5) So far, then, as man detests these sins so far good affections enter. Then so far as he detests adulteries so far chastity enters; so far as he detests frauds and unlawful gains so far sincerity and justice enter; so far as he detests hatred and revenge so far charity enters; so far as he detests lies and blasphemies so far truth enters; and so far as he detests elation of mind so far humility before God and love of the neighbor as oneself enter; and so on. From this it follows that to shun evils is to do goods. (6) So far as a man is in these good affections he is led by the Lord and not by self; and so far as he acts from them so far he does what is good, because he does this from the Lord and not from self; and then he acts from chastity, from sincerity and justice, from charity, from truth, in humility before God; and from these no one can act from self. (7) The spiritual affections that are granted by the Lord to him who is in them and who acts from them, are the affection of knowing and understanding the truths and goods of heaven and the church, together with the affection of willing and doing them; also the affection of combating with zeal against falsities and evils and dispersing them, both with himself and with others. From this man has faith and love, and from this he has intelligence and wisdom. (8) Thus and in no other way is man reformed; and so far as he knows and believes truths, and wills and does them, so far is he regenerated, and from natural becomes spiritual. The like is true of his faith and his love.
sRef Matt@23 @26 S3′ [3] If evils have not been removed because they are sins nothing that a man thinks, speaks, wills, and does, is good or true before God, however it may appear as if good and true before the world. The reason is that they are not from the Lord but from man, since it is the love of the man and of the world from which they are, and which is in them. Most people at this day believe that they will come into heaven if they have faith, live piously, and do goods; and yet they do not turn away from evils because they are sins, consequently they either do them or believe them to be allowable; and those who believe them to be allowable do them when opportunity is given. But let them know that their faith is not faith, that their pious things are not pious, and that their goods are not goods; for they flow from the impurities that lie inwardly concealed with man; and externals derive everything that they are from internals. For the Lord says:
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside may become clean also (Matt. 22:26).

From this it can now be seen that if a man were able to fulfill all things of the law, if he should give much to the poor, if he should do good to the fatherless and the widow, and if he should also give bread to the hungry and drink to the thirsty, take in the strangers, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and go to them that are bound in prison, if he should earnestly preach the Gospel, convert the Gentiles, frequent temples, listen devoutly to preachings, observe the sacrament of the Supper often every year, spend his time in prayer, and other things; and his internal has not been purified from hatred and revenge, from craftiness and malice, from insincerity and injustice, from the filthy delight of adultery, from the love of self and the consequent love of rule, and the pride of self-intelligence, from contempt of others in comparison with oneself, and from the other evils and their falsities; still all these works would be hypocritical and from the man himself, and not from the Lord. And yet these same works, when the internal has been purified, are all good, because they are from the Lord with man, and since the man is in the faith and in the love of doing these works he will do them as a matter of course. This has been proved to me by a thousand examples in the spiritual world. I have there heard that it has been granted to many to recall the actions of their life in the world, and to enumerate the goods they had done; but when their internal was opened it was found to be full of every evil and the falsity therefrom; and it was then disclosed to them that the goods they had enumerated had been done from self, because for the sake of self and the world, and that they were full of evils from their interiors; and on this account they appeared either as if scorched with fire, or as if sooty.
[4] But it was otherwise with those who from the Word had abstained from doing evils, and had afterwards shunned them and turned away from them because they were sins and were opposed to love to God and to charity towards the neighbor. Although there was a similar perception to them that their works were done as if from self, yet they were all good, and appeared in the light of heaven like white snow and wool (Isaiah 1:12-18). These are the works that are meant in the Word by the works that can in no wise be separated from faith; for faith separated from them is dead, and a dead faith is a faith in falsity from an evil love; or it is the thought that a thing is true, while the life is still evil.
That abstaining from evils for any reason whatever except from the Word does not purify the internal man is evident from the origin of evil works and from the origin of good works. For example, he that abstains from adulteries from fear of the civil law and its punishments, from fear of the loss of reputation and thus of honor, from fear of deprivations arising from poverty, parsimony, or avarice, from fear of consequent illness, from fear of brawls at home with the wife and the consequent intranquility of life, from fear of chastisement by the servants of the injured husband, from infirmity arising from abuse, or age, or impotence, or even from natural goodness and consequent moral goodness, that is, as not being proper and honorable, and so on, and if for such reasons only he lives chastely still he is interiorly unchaste and an adulterer, so long as he does not abstain from these evils from spiritual faith, which is a belief that adulteries are infernal because they are contrary to the Divine Law, and thus contrary to the fear of God and to love of the neighbor. And so in all other cases.
[5] From what has now been presented it can be seen what the internal and the external are, also what faith and love are, namely, that faith and love are with man when his internal has been purified from evils in the manner just described, and that they are not in him if it be not purified, and that where faith and love are, there is heaven, and where faith and love are not, there is hell. More on this may be seen hereafter (n. 825).

sRef Rev@13 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@13 @8 S0′ 804. Verses 8, 9. And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If anyone hath an ear let him hear. 8. “And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him,” signifies the necessity of acknowledgment by those who have been born within the church (n. 805); “whose names are not written in the book of life,” signifies by all who have not become spiritual by regeneration by the Lord (n. 806); “slain from the foundation of the world,” signifies whose Divine in His Human has not been acknowledged from the first establishment of this church (n. 807). 9. “If anyone hath an ear let him hear,” signifies reception by those who are in the understanding of truth and the consequent perception of good (n. 808).

sRef Rev@13 @8 S0′ 805. Verse 8. And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, signifies the necessity of acknowledgment by those who have been born within the church. This is evident from the signification of “worshipping,” as being to acknowledge and believe that a thing is true, and thence to receive it in doctrine and worship. That this is the signification of “worshiping” can be seen from what has been said above (n. 789, 790), where what is signified by “they worshipped the dragon which gave authority unto the beast, and they worshipped the beast” is explained. That they acknowledge from necessity is evident from what has been said and shown in the preceding article. The above is evident also from the signification of “those that dwell on the earth,” as being those who have been born within the church; for “the earth” signifies the church, and “those who dwell upon it” signify those who are there and live there. Those that have been born within the church are meant, because everyone adopts the religion of his native land, in the first place because he is educated in it, and is afterwards confirmed in it by preachings, and particularly because there are but few who study the doctrine of the church and the interior meaning of the Word, believing that such things transcend their comprehension, and also that they are not to be seen or understood, but only to be believed. This is the reason for the necessity of acknowledgment by those who have been born within the church, which is signified by “all that dwell on the earth shall worship the beast.”
[2] That this is so can be seen, in the first place, from the received faith which is called the only saving faith, “That God the Father sent His Son into the world, that through the passion of His cross He might effect propitiation, redemption, and salvation.” This faith if understood according to the ideas of those who defend faith separate from life, and thence according to preachings from their doctrine, is no faith; as is evident from each and every thing that is contained in that faith and that follows as a consequence from it; and these are:
(1) That there is propitiation, that is, a propitiation of God the Father by the passion or by the blood of His Son.
(2) That there is mercy or compassion of God the Father for the Son’s sake.
(3) That there was a bearing of our iniquities by the Lord, and a consequent deliverance from them.
(4) That there is an imputative principle, and thus an imputation of the Lord’s merit, through which we are saved.
(5) That there is an intercession of the Lord with the Father.
(6) That there is redemption and salvation without the means of life and faith, and thus there is immediate mercy.
(7) That in such a faith there is no religion, but it is emptiness and vacuity.
(8) That there is in it neither any faith in the Lord, nor any acknowledgment of His Divine in His Human.
(9) That consequently the trust and confidence of that faith which at this day is received as the only saving faith is an empty sound.
(10) That saving faith is wholly different.
But since it is on the lips of nearly all who are of the church that the Lord endured the cross for our sins, and that He took them upon Himself and bore them, and thereby not only reconciled the Father but also redeemed us from hell, and that by this merit of the Lord we are saved, provided we believe this in trust and confidence-it is necessary to inquire, in the first place, whether these things should be understood according to the common opinion.
(1) [3] In respect to the first proposition, “That there is propitiation, that is, a propitiation of God the Father by the passion or by the blood of His Son.” This involves a rejection or alienation of the human race because of some anger or vengeance, that is called vindictive justice, which was laid upon His Son by God the Father, to the end that by the passion of His cross He might be reconciled to the human race, and thus be propitiated. But who does not see that for God the Father to reject from Himself the human race, or from justice to revenge their alienation, is contrary to the Divine essence itself, which is love itself, mercy itself, and goodness itself? Such vengeance, indeed, could not exist in any angel, and scarcely with any well disposed man, much less with God. Who does not also see that it is difficult to think that such vengeance was laid upon the Son by His Father, or that the Son took such vengeance upon Himself, and that God the Father has mercy from seeing or recalling this, and not from the Divine love itself, which in its essence is infinite, eternal, and immediate towards the whole human race? I do not know, therefore, whether anyone can think from God and with God that he has been rejected of God, and therefore that by the will of the Father the Son was condemned, and was thereby made a propitiatory and a throne of grace. Moreover, justice is a Divine attribute, but not vindictive justice, and still less can it be in one on another’s account; and if it is not justice neither is it according to Divine order for one to be saved on another’s account, though it may be by means of another. Nor can God be reconciled by any other means than by the repentance of the man himself. To be saved by means of the Lord, and also by means of the passion of His cross, thus by the Lord, is propitiation and expiation, as will be seen in what follows.
(2) sRef John@14 @10 S4′ sRef John@14 @9 S4′ aRef John@3 @35 S4′ sRef John@14 @7 S4′ sRef John@14 @11 S4′ sRef John@14 @11 S4′ aRef John@10 @38 S4′ sRef John@14 @10 S4′ sRef Matt@11 @27 S4′ sRef John@14 @7 S4′ sRef John@14 @6 S4′ sRef John@6 @46 S4′ sRef John@1 @2 S4′ sRef John@14 @8 S4′ sRef John@5 @37 S4′ sRef John@1 @18 S4′ [4] “There is no mercy or compassion of God the Father for the Son’s sake.” The customary prayer in the churches, and by the men of the church at home and abroad, when they are in pious worship is, “May God the Father have mercy upon us for the sake of the Son, and for the sake of the passion of His cross.” This prayer flows from the accepted belief respecting the propitiation or reconciliation of the Father by the Son, as mentioned just above; likewise from the doctrine of the church respecting justification by faith alone without good works. And as the defenders and vindicators of that doctrine separate the life which is of good works from faith, they could acknowledge nothing else as a saving faith than that God the Father sent His Son, and that He is moved to mercy by the passion of His cross; and for this reason this prayer is at this day accepted by the general body as the only voice that can enter heaven and move God even if man utters it with a confession of trust only at the hour of death. And yet that such a prayer has in it nothing of life from truth and good, can be seen from what has been said just above respecting propitiation and reconciliation, and thence the mercy of the Father; also from what will be said presently respecting the bearing of our iniquities by the Lord, respecting the imputation of His merit, respecting intercession, and respecting redemption and salvation apart from life as a means. Here let it be said merely that it is never granted to any man of the church to approach God the Father immediately, and to pray to Him for the Son’s sake; for it is the Lord who must be approached and prayed to, since no one comes to the Father except by the Lord and in the Lord; and the Lord equally as the Father is God, infinite, eternal, uncreate, omnipotent, and neither of them is first nor last, nor greater nor less, but they are altogether equal. That no one comes to the Father except by the Lord He teaches in John:
No one hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath brought Him forth to view (1:18).
In the same:
Ye have never heard the Father’s voice nor seen His form (John 5:37). In Matthew:
No one knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son willeth to reveal Him (11:27).
In John:
No one hath seen the Father save He who is with the Father,* He hath seen the Father (6:46).
In the same:
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one cometh unto the Father but through Me (John 14:6).
No one cometh to the Father except in the Lord, is because the Father and He are one, as He also teaches in John:
If ye know Me ye know My Father also; he that seeth Me seeth the Father. Philip, believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? Believe Me, that I am in the Father and the Father in Me (14:7, 10, 11).
In the same:
The Father and I are one. That ye may know and believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me (John 10:30, 38).
Add to this:
That the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, as He Himself teaches (John 3:35; 17:2; Matt. 11:27; 28:18);
and that thus He must be approached. It is also to be known, that unless the Lord is approached man is unable to think with the angels, because all angelic thought about God is about God-Man. Angels are unable to think otherwise about God, and consequently about things Divine, because their thoughts go forth into every part of heaven; and heaven is heaven in the form of a man. But on this more elsewhere.
(3) sRef Ezek@4 @14 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @1 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @16 S5′ sRef Hos@1 @2 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @17 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @15 S5′ sRef Isa@53 @4 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @4 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @6 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @5 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @3 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @2 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @5 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @4 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @12 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @11 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @13 S5′ sRef Isa@53 @11 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @8 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @7 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @10 S5′ sRef Ezek@4 @9 S5′ sRef Isa@20 @2 S5′ sRef John@1 @29 S5′ sRef Isa@20 @3 S5′ [5] “There was no bearing of our iniquities by the Lord, and a consequent deliverance from them,” as is taught by the common faith, which is, that the Lord took upon Himself the sins of the world and cast them into hell, and thus took them away. This they conclude from the words of John respecting Jesus:
Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world (John 1:29);
also from Isaiah, where the Lord is treated of:
He hath borne our sicknesses and sorrows, and He hath carried our iniquities (53:4, 11).
But what is signified by “carrying iniquities” has not yet been understood in the churches; therefore it shall be told. It was according to Divine order for the prophets to represent the state of their church, that its quality might thus be known, as can be seen from the following. Isaiah was commanded:
To go naked and barefoot three years, for a sign and a wonder (Isa. 20:2, 3).
In this way he represented that there were no longer any truths in the church; for this is signified by “going naked and barefoot.” Hosea was commanded:
To take to himself a woman of whoredoms, and children of whoredoms, because the land had committed whoredom (Hos. 1:2, seq.).
“A woman of whoredoms” signified a church that falsifies the truths of the Word. Also Ezekiel was commanded:
To take to himself a tile and to portray upon it Jerusalem, and to lay siege against it; and to lie upon his left side three hundred and ninety days, and afterwards upon his right side forty days. Also he was commanded to eat a cake of barley made with cow’s dung; and it was said that so shall they be in want of bread and water in Jerusalem and shall pine away for their iniquity (Ezek. 4:1 to the end).
This signified that the church was without goods and truths, and in mere falsities from evil; and it is said:
That thereby he should bear the iniquity of the house of Israel (Ezek. 4:5).
Yet he did not thereby take away their iniquities, but only represented them; and this because a “prophet” signified doctrine from the Word, thus the church in respect to doctrine and worship therefrom. The like is meant by “bearing iniquities” where these words are applied to the Lord, who was the greatest Prophet, for He represented in Himself how the Jewish Church treated with contumely the Divine truth or the Word, for He was Himself the Word; therefore their scourging Him, spitting in His face, smiting Him with a reed, setting a crown of thorns upon Him, giving Him vinegar to drink, dividing His garments, and finally crucifying Him, were all representative of the state of that church (see above n. 83, 195, 627, 655). This, therefore, is signified by “bearing iniquities;” and in like manner also by His enduring temptations more grievous than those of all others. And yet to transfer to Himself the sins of others, and to take them away by sorrows and punishments admitted in Himself is contrary to the nature of the annulling of sins. For sins can be annulled only by repentance of life by him who has sinned. To take them away by drawing them from another upon oneself is a dogma of the Papists in which there is no truth.
(4) [6] “There can be no imputation, and thus no imputation of the Lord’s merit.” This cannot be because salvation by imputation is contrary to the laws of Divine order set forth in the Word; which are that man must learn what the sin is that he must shun, and what the truth is that he must do; and if he lives contrary to truths he must repent. These laws, with each and every thing that the doctrines of the churches teach from the Word, would be more than superfluous if man were saved by declaring with the confidence of faith that God has mercy on him for the sake of His Son and through the passion of His cross; and that thus the merit of the Lord would be imputed to him. For thus man might live wickedly, might commit adulteries, steal, act fraudulently, exercise hatred and revenge, calumniate, and other things, since be could not be saved by good works, but only by a faith that is wholly apart from any life. And yet it is blasphemy to say that a man can live wickedly and yet live from the Lord. It is likewise a contradiction that man must shun evils and do goods, and yet can be saved by mere faith in an imputed merit. The merit of the Lord is that from His own power He subjugated the hells and glorified His Human; by this He acquired for Himself the power to save all who believe in Him and who do what He taught. This merit cannot be attributed or imputed to anyone, still less can this be done by the Father, since it is the Lord’s own merit; and salvation also is by the Lord, thus through the Lord, and not for the Lord’s sake. In a word, no one’s merit can be attributed to another unless he is a sharer with him through his life, according to which everyone is rewarded or punished; but life is from the Lord; this follows from His merit. Moreover, anything imputative is contrary to the essence of Divine love, which extends to all; for to impute means to love one and not another except for the sake of the one; it is also contrary to justice, which requires that everyone should have reward to the extent that he lives from the Lord.
(5) [7] “That there is intercession of the Lord with the Father” falls indeed into the ideas of men who are wholly simple, who think of the three Persons of the Divinity only as three sitting and talking together about what is to be, and that one moves the other to be merciful for His sake, which is to intercede. But the more learned see that intercession means a perpetual remembrance from love, since the one Person has the same essence or substance as the other, and the same love, thus the same mercy; and this cannot be excited or recalled to memory by any entreaty.
(6) [8] “That there is redemption and salvation without the means of life and faith, and thus there is immediate mercy.” It is known that truths belong to faith, and goods to the life, and that without truths there can be no faith, as for example, without these truths: that there is a God, that the Lord is the Savior of the world, that there is a heaven and a hell, that there is a life after death, that the Word is holy, that the things that are in the Word must be believed and done, that the Holy Supper is the most holy thing of worship, and other like things; these must constitute faith; likewise that without goods there is no life of faith; for the Lord says:
He that heareth and doeth not is like a foolish man that buildeth his house upon the ground without foundation; but he that heareth and doeth is like a prudent man that buildeth his house upon a foundation from the rock (Matt. 7:24, 26).
These and like things, so far as they are to be believed, are means, and are said to belong to faith; and so far as they are to be done are means, and are said to belong to the life, without which man cannot be saved. All these things would be unmeaning, if in their place there were only this one thing which is called faith, namely, that man is saved by the mere mercy of the Father for the sake of the Son and by the imputation of His merit. That there is no such thing as immediate mercy, but mediate, and that yet man from pure mercy is led by the Lord from infancy to his old age, and afterwards to eternity, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 521-527). Thus neither is there any immediate salvation. From this it follows that redemption consists solely in the Lord’s redeeming from hell those who believe in Him, and who do what He has commanded; moreover, these, without His coming into the world, could not have been saved, since without His coming they could not have believed in Him, or have done what He has commanded, and thus have lived from Him. That these are those that are meant in the Word by “the redeemed” will be seen elsewhere.
(7) sRef Luke@18 @8 S9′ [9] “That in that faith there is no religion, but it is emptiness and vacuity.” What is religion except that man may so live that he may come into heaven, and that he may know how he should live? To know this is called doctrine; and to believe it and live according to it is called religion. From doctrine man will know not only what must be thought but also what must be done; for man must think that he may do, but not think what involves doing nothing. The faith here described consists in thinking without doing, so that it may be called a mere cogitative (or thought) faith, while man implores mercy alone, because the Son of God suffered for him, and took upon Himself the sins of the world, and thus redeemed and delivered him from hell, believing at the same time that the merit of the Son of God is attributed to him. Let anyone who is willing and able consider whether there is in this anything of the Word, in which believing and doing are so often mentioned, consequently whether there is in this faith anything of the church or anything of religion. For in the things presented here, where are the truths that must constitute faith, and the goods that must constitute life, and that must make the genuine doctrine from the Word, and thus the theology of the Christian world? And as these things do not exist in that faith, it follows that it is not only a faith empty and void but also a faith in what is not true. It is a wonder to many in the spiritual world, and to all in heaven, that the theology of the Christian world has been reduced to such emptiness and vacuity that at length the whole of it is comprised in a mere utterance of thought that is possible also to the evil at the hour of death from a fear of hell. Thus the same emptiness that prevails with the Papists is found with very many of the Reformed in the Christian world. But let them consider, if they will, whether such as these can have any lot among the angels of heaven, whose intelligence is from the truths in the Word, and whose wisdom is from truths in act, which are called goods. This is what is meant by the Lord’s words:
When the Son of man shall come will He find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8).
(8) sRef John@5 @37 S10′ sRef John@11 @26 S10′ sRef John@11 @25 S10′ sRef John@6 @39 S10′ sRef John@3 @36 S10′ [10] “That there is in them neither any faith in the Lord nor any acknowledgment of the Divine in His Human.” For he who prays to the Father to have mercy for the sake of His Son approaches the Father, and does not approach the Lord, when yet the Lord must be approached, for He is the God of heaven and earth; and the Word teaches that the Father cannot be approached except by the Lord and in the Lord, as has been shown above; also that faith must be in the Lord; for the Lord says:
He that believeth in the Son hath eternal life, but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the anger of God abideth on him (John 3:36).
Likewise:
This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that everyone who seeth the Son and believeth in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:40).
And again:
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he die, yet shall he live; but everyone that liveth and believeth in Me shall not die forever (11:25, 26);
and elsewhere. To believe in Him and not to approach Him, but to entreat the Father for His sake, is not to believe in Him; for all faith approaches Him in whom man believes; therefore to approach and see the Father was denied to Philip; and it was said:
That to see the Lord is to see the Father (John 14:7-11).
Thence also all were healed of their diseases who prayed to the Lord to have mercy upon them, and who had faith in Him. And the sons of Israel also were saved in the wilderness who looked upon the brazen serpent, which represented the Lord as to the ultimate in His Human, which is called the sensual. Furthermore, in the spiritual world all sight and thought from acknowledgment conjoins; but sight directed to the Father conjoins no one; for the Lord says:
Ye have never heard the Father’s voice nor seen His shape (John 5:37).
[11] Add to this that he who supplicates the Father to have mercy for the sake of the Son has no other idea of the Lord than as of an ordinary man; for he regards Him as beneath the Father, thus as a man from the mother Mary, who suffered the cross, and because of this there is mercy for man; thence the Lord’s Divine is separated from His Human, although there is no such separation in the doctrine of the Nicene Council respecting the Trinity; for this teaches that the Divine and the Human of the Lord are not two but one Person, and that they are like the soul and body in man.
[12] But those who look to the Father, although they acknowledge the Lord’s Divine yet do not approach it; for they place it near the Father above the Human of the Lord, and thus they see His Human apart from His Divine, although His Divine is His soul. This is why many at this time confess the Divine of the Lord with the mouth, while but few acknowledge it in heart; and he who does not acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in His Human, and does not look to that in his supplications, cannot have any conjunction with heaven. From this it follows that in this faith, namely, that the Father should have mercy for the sake of the Son, there is no faith in the Lord nor any acknowledgment of His Divine in His Human. This, moreover, is what the Lord foretold to Peter, that at the end of the church He would no longer be acknowledged.
(9) [13] “That consequently the trust and confidence of that faith, which is at this day accepted as the only saving faith, is an empty word.” For the trust of that faith is a natural trust, in which there is nothing spiritual, since there is nothing in it of truth and good, which belong to faith and life; when, therefore, that faith is confirmed by the learned, the truth of heaven may be destroyed and man shut out of heaven by such confirmation. In such emptiness the faith alone that is accepted in the churches, or faith separated from goods of life, terminates; and yet this faith, although it is empty, fills the entire theology of the Christian world. For this reason the learned of the church, when they come after death into the spiritual world, are in so many falsities as scarcely to know a single genuine truth. But it is otherwise with those who have not confirmed these falsities with themselves, and have lived at the same time in some measure the life of faith, which is charity. These can be instructed in the truths of faith, and when they have been instructed can be received among the angels in heaven. For it is one thing to believe these falsities with a confirmed faith, thus with the heart, and a wholly different thing to believe them with a faith not confirmed.
(10) “That saving faith is wholly different” shall be treated of in what next follows.
* The Latin has “Father” for “God.”

sRef Rev@13 @8 S0′ 806. Whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb, signifies by all who have not become spiritual through regeneration by the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “names,” as being their quality; for in the Word “name” signifies the quality of a thing or a state, and for the reason that in the spiritual world persons do not have names as in the natural world, but everyone there is named according to his quality (see above, n. 676). Also from the signification of “written in the book of life of the Lamb,” as being to be in love and faith in the Lord (see above, n. 199, 222, 299), thus also to become spiritual through regeneration by Him; for they who are in love and faith in the Lord from the Lord become spiritual, since their love and faith are spiritual; and they also are called regenerated, and are meant by those “whose names have been written in the book of life of the Lamb.” From this it is clear that “names written in the book of life of the Lamb” means not that their names are there, but that their quality is such, namely, that they have become spiritual through regeneration by the Lord.
[2] It has been shown in the preceding article what* the faith is that has been accepted by the general body in the church, namely, a belief that God the Father sent the Son, that through Him there might be propitiation, mercy, redemption, and salvation; likewise that the Son of God bore our iniquities, that He intercedes for us, and that His merit is attributed to those who pray for it from trust and confidence; and it has been shown in a former article that these are all vain expressions, in which as interpreted by the learned there is nothing of truth and thus nothing of salvation. That these are vain expressions in which there is nothing of truth is evident from the teachings of the Word respecting the reason of the Lord’s coming and why He suffered, namely, that the Lord came into the world to save the human race, who otherwise would have perished in eternal death, and that He saved them by subjugating the hells, which infested every man coming into the world and going out of the world, and at the same time by glorifying His Human, since thus He is able to keep the hells subjugated to eternity. The subjugation of the hells, together with the glorification of His Human, was accomplished by means of temptations admitted into the human that He had from the mother, and by continual victories therein. His passion in Gethsemane and on the cross was the last temptation and complete victory.
[3] That the Lord came into the world for these two reasons, and that He thus saved the human race from eternal death, can be seen from this, that before the Lord’s coming the hells were not in order, and consequently there was no equilibrium between hell and heaven, but hell on its part prevailed over heaven. And yet man has been placed in the midst between heaven and hell; in consequence of this whatever before the Lord’s coming flowed into man out of heaven was taken away by hell, because of its superior power. Therefore to restore the destroyed equilibrium it pleased the Lord to come into the world, and to accomplish at that time a Last Judgment, and subjugate the hells; and by doing this the Lord acquired for Himself the power to save the men who have faith in and love to Him from Him. These things could be carried into effect only by the Lord’s assuming a Human, for the reason that God works such effects from first principles by means of ultimates, since to work from first principles by means of ultimates is to work in fullness. The very might of the Divine power rests in things ultimate; so the Lord’s might rests in His Human because that is in the ultimate. This was one reason of His coming into the world. The other reason was that He might glorify His Human, that is, make it Divine, since by this and by no other means is He able to keep the hells subjugated to eternity, for He thus acts to eternity from first principles by means of things ultimate, and in fullness. In this way His Divine operation reaches down even to those who are lowest in the world, while otherwise it would reach only to those who are first in heaven, and mediately through these and those that follow to the lowest, who are men; consequently if these should give way, as happened just before the Lord’s coming, the Divine operation among men would cease, and consequently they would have no means of salvation. The Divine operation of the Lord through the Human assumed in the world is called His immediate influx even to those who are lowest.
[4] These are the two means whereby man has salvation, which is called redemption. This is called the redemption by His blood because the subjugation of the hells, together with the glorification of the Lord’s Human, could be effected only by means of temptations admitted into Himself from the hells, the last of which temptations was the passion of the cross. From this it can now be seen that the Lord did not come into the world to propitiate the Father and to move Him to mercy, nor to bear our iniquities and thus take them away, nor that we might be saved by the imputation of His merit, or by intercession, or by immediate mercy, consequently not by a faith in these things, still less by the confidence of that faith, since that confidence confirms such things as are not true, thus such things as do not belong to faith. He who knows why the Lord came into the world, and knows that all who believe and do the things that He taught are saved by Him, and at the same time by the Father in Him, and not by the Father separated from Him, can see that many of the things that the leaders teach respecting redemption must be understood otherwise than according to their explanation of them.
sRef John@12 @31 S5′ sRef Isa@63 @5 S5′ sRef John@12 @28 S5′ sRef John@12 @27 S5′ sRef John@13 @32 S5′ sRef John@17 @5 S5′ sRef Isa@63 @8 S5′ sRef John@16 @33 S5′ sRef John@17 @1 S5′ sRef Isa@63 @1 S5′ sRef John@13 @31 S5′ sRef Luke@24 @26 S5′ sRef Luke@10 @17 S5′ sRef Luke@10 @18 S5′ sRef Luke@10 @19 S5′ [5] That the Lord subjugated the hells He taught when the passion of the cross was at hand, in John:
Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out (12:27, 28, 31).
In the same:
Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world (John 16:33).
In Luke:
Jesus said, I beheld Satan as lightning falling from heaven (10:18).
In Isaiah:
Who is this that cometh from Edom, walking in the multitude of his power? great to save; Mine arm brought salvation for Me; so He became their Savior (63:1, 5, 8; also 59:16-21).
Because the Lord subjugated the hells He gave the seventy disciples:
Authority over demons (Luke 10:17, 19).
[6] That the Lord glorified His Human, and that the passion of the cross was the last temptation and complete victory by which He glorified it, He teaches in John:
When Judas was gone out Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God shall glorify Him in Himself, and straightway shall He glorify Him (13:31, 32).
In the same:
Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son that Thy Son also may glorify Thee (John 17:1, 5).
In the same:
Now is my soul troubled; Father, glorify Thy name. And there came a voice out of heaven, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again (John 12:27, 28).
And in Luke:
Ought not the Christ to suffer this and to enter into glory? (24:26).
This was said of His passion. “To glorify” is to make Divine. From this it can be seen that unless the Lord had come into the world and had become Man, and by this means had liberated from hell all those who believe in Him and love Him, no mortal could have been saved. Thus it is understood that without the Lord there is no salvation. This, now, is the mystery of the Lord’s incarnation.
* the Latin has “quod” for “quid.”

sRef Matt@25 @34 S0′ sRef Rev@13 @8 S0′ 807. Slain from the foundation of the world, signifies whose Divine in His Human has not been acknowledged from the first establishment of this church. This is evident from the signification of “the Lamb slain or killed,” as being not acknowledged (see above, n. 315, 328), here that His Divine in His Human has not been acknowledged (of which presently). Also from the signification of “the foundation of the world,” as being the first establishment of the church. For “the world” signifies in the Word several things, namely, the world in general, also both those who are good and those who are evil in it, also the evil only who are in the world, and so also the hells. “The world” has also a similar signification as “the earth,” namely, the church; and that is also here meant by “the foundation of the world,” as also in Matthew:
The King shall say to them on the right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (25:34).
[2] The Lord is not acknowledged when His Divine in His Human is not acknowledged, for the reason that the Lord is not then regarded as God, but only as a man, who is not able to save. And although it is believed from the Athanasian Creed that the Lord is the Son of God born from eternity, and that His Divine is equal to the Divine of the Father, yet (since they separate His Human from His Divine) they divide the Lord as it were into two persons, which they call natures, making the Lord one thing as the Son of God from eternity, and another as the son of Mary. And because they so divide the Lord no one is able to approach Him unless he is willing to approach Him as one person when regarded as God and as another when regarded as man. Such has been the idea of the Lord from the first foundation of the church, as can be seen from the writings of the fathers, and afterwards from the writings of their sons.
[3] The Lord has been thus divided in the church from its beginning, because they did not understand the Word. For where the Lord mentions the Father it is believed that a Divine distinct from His Human is meant, although it is clearly evident in Matthew and in Luke that the Lord was conceived by the very Divine which is called the Father, consequently that this very Divine is in His Human as a soul is in its body; and the soul and the body are one Person. And what is wonderful, this is taught in express terms in the Athanasian Creed, which is the doctrine concerning God in the whole Christian world, and yet scarcely anyone in that confession gives any heed to it. That no heed has been given to it has been made clear to me from conversations with many in the other life, both the learned and the unlearned, who have said that it was unknown to them, and that they had thought of the Son of God from eternity as a Divine Person above His Human, sitting at the Father’s right hand. It was clear also that they had given no heed to those words of the Lord, that “the Father and He are One,” and that “the Father is in Him and He in the Father.” From this it can be seen that the church from its beginning has not acknowledged the Lord’s Divine in His Human, and that this is what is signified by “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

sRef Rev@13 @9 S0′ 808. Verse 9. If anyone hath an ear let him hear, signifies the reception by those who are in the understanding of truth, and the consequent perception of good. This is evident from the signification of, “If anyone hath an ear let him hear,” as being one who understands and hearkens to what the Lord teaches in the Word (see above, n. 108, 180, 255); thence these words signify also the reception of Divine truth by those who are in the understanding of it. Those who are in the perception of good are also meant, because “to have an ear and to hear” signifies both to understand truth and to perceive good; to understand truth pertains to thought, and to perceive good pertains to affection; and both pertain to the ear or to hearing, since what enters the ear passes into the sight of the understanding and also into the affection of the will; and for this reason the “ear” and “hearing” signify hearkening and obedience. So “to hear” anyone signifies to understand, and “to give ear to” anyone signifies to obey, and both are meant by “hearkening.”
[2] As it has been shown above that in the faith received by the general body in the church there is mere emptiness, since there is nothing of life in it from any truth, I will here tell briefly what faith is saving faith. Saving faith is to believe that the Lord is the Savior of the world, and that He is the God of heaven and the God of the earth, and that by His coming into the world He entered into the power to save all who receive truths from Him through the Word, and who live according to them. Who those are that are able to receive truths from Him and to live according to them has been explained above (n. 803), namely, those who shun sins because they are sins against the Word and thus against God, since by so doing man’s internal is purified, and when this is purified man is led by the Lord and not by self; and so far as man is led by the Lord he loves truths, and receives them and wills them and does them. This faith is saving faith.
sRef John@8 @58 S3′ [3] These words, “If anyone hath an ear let him hear” mean especially that it must be received and believed that the Divine of the Lord is in His Human, that is, that His Human is Divine. Is it not surprising that the idea of the Lord’s Divine Human has been altogether destroyed in the Christian churches, especially among the learned there, and that only with the simple does anything of it remain? For the simple think of God as a Man, and not as a Spirit without a human form as the learned do. The most ancient people, who were wiser than those of our days, had no other idea of God than as a Man encompassed about the head with radiant circles, as is shown by the writings of ancient men, and by their paintings and sculptures. Moreover, all who were of the church from the time of Adam down to Abraham, Moses, and the prophets, thought of God as a Man. They also saw Him in a human form, and called Him Jehovah, as is evident from the Word; and God under a human form is the Lord, as is clear from the Lord’s words in John:
Before Abraham was, I am (8:58).
[4] That the inhabitants of this earth from the primeval age had an idea of God-Man, or of the Divine Human, is evident from their idols, also from the ideas of such Gentiles as had interior thought and perception, like some of the Africans; likewise from the inhabitants of almost all the earths (as may be seen in a separate small work). Man has such an idea of the Divine because it flows in from heaven, for in heaven no one can think of God except in the human form. If he thinks otherwise his thought of God perishes, and he himself falls from heaven. This is because the human form is the form of heaven, and all the thought of angels proceeds according to the form of heaven. Yet this idea of God, which is the chief of all ideas, is with the learned of the world at this day rooted out, as it were to such an extent that when it is merely said that God is a Man they are unable to think of it.
[5] This is why, even from the first establishment of the church, they have separated the Divine of the Lord from His Human; and from this it has come to pass that few in thinking of the Lord think of His Divine, but they think of Him as a man like themselves. And yet with this idea of the Divine no one, whoever he may be, can enter heaven, but is repelled as soon as he touches the first threshold of the way that leads thither. This therefore, is what is especially meant by “If anyone hath an ear let him hear.”

sRef Rev@13 @10 S0′ 809. Verse 10. If anyone shall lead into captivity he shall go into captivity; if anyone shall kill with the sword he must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. 10. “If anyone shall lead into captivity be shall go into captivity,” signifies that those who have shut out others from truths are shut out from the Divine truths in the Word (n. 810, 811); “if anyone shall kill with the sword he must be killed with the sword,” signifies that those who have imbued others with falsities are imbued with falsities from hell (n. 812). “Here is the patience and the faith of the saints,” signifies that through these comes temptation and afterwards the implantation of truth with those who are made spiritual by the Lord (n. 813).

sRef Rev@13 @10 S0′ 810. Verse 10. If anyone shall lead into captivity he shall go into captivity, signifies that those who have shut out others from truths are shut out from the Divine truths in the Word. This is evident from the signification of “captivity,” as being to shut out from truths, here by reasonings from the natural man, for this is the spiritual captivity that is meant by “captivity” in the internal sense. (That this is what is meant in the Word by “captivity” will be seen in the following article.) Thence it is clear that “to lead into captivity” signifies to shut out others from truths; and “to go into captivity” signifies to be also shut out from truths. Here “to lead into captivity” signifies to shut out others from truths by reasonings from the natural man, because “the beast of the dragon,” which is here treated of, means those who separate faith from life, and confirm that separation by reasonings from the natural man (see above, n. 773).
sRef Matt@24 @40 S2′ sRef Matt@24 @41 S2′ [2] Before proving from the Word that “captivity” signifies spiritual captivity, which is a shutting out from truths from the Word, I will first take up what was considered above (in article n. 805), which those who separate faith from life confirm by reasonings, and thus shut out others from truths; and in this way I will exhibit to view how they pervert truths and thence falsify the Word. It is to be known that those who are in truths can say the same things as those who are not in truths; for the latter prove the separation of faith from good works by the same passages of the Word as are used by the former to prove the conjunction of faith with good works. For the same expression may be used by two persons who disagree, and yet the perception be different; and it is the perception of a thing that causes it to be true or false. I have heard lovers of falsities speak in quite a similar way as those who were anxious to speak truths, and yet the latter were in truths and the former were in falsities, since they understood in a different way the things they expressed in a similar way, and according to their understanding they explained the passages from the Word; consequently by the one such passages were falsified, and by the other verified. For the truth in man is not a matter of speech, but of his perception; and this is why those who attempt to preach from the Word appear to be in truths, and yet when the same preach from doctrine about faith alone, redemption, the imputation of the Lord’s merit, and the like, they are in falsities. This may be illustrated by a thousand examples. In a word, it is the perception and not the speaking from the Word that falsifies. This is meant by these words of the Lord:
Then two men shall be in the field; one shall be taken, the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding; one shall be taken, the other shall be left (Matt. 24:40, 41).
To be “in the field” signifies to be within the church, “to grind” signifies to investigate and learn truths from the Word; and one who investigates and learns truths is meant by “the one grinding that is taken,” while he who falsifies truths is meant by “the one grinding that is left.” To illustrate this let us consider again how propitiation by the blood of the Son, the bearing of iniquities by the Lord, the imputation of His merit, intercession, redemption, and salvation out of mercy, also trust and confidence, and so on, are understood by such persons.
[3] As to propitiation by the blood of the Son, those who are in truths do not think about it as those do who are in falsities. Those who are in truths perceive by the propitiation by the blood of the Son that those who approach the Lord and pray to Him from the truths that are in the Word are received compassionately and are heard. “The Lord’s blood” signifies not only the passion of His cross, but also the Divine truth of the Lord that is in the Word; for by the passion of the cross the Lord subjugated the hells; and this is meant by His “conquering death and rising victorious,” as the leaders of the church say when they speak from the Word. By the passion of the cross the Lord also glorified His Human, and by this He keeps the hells forever subjugated. “The mercy-seat” that was over the ark of the Testimony, upon which cherubs were engraved, has the same signification. How those who are in truths understand the bearing of iniquities by the Lord has been shown above (n. 805).
[4] To those who are in truths the imputation of the Lord’s merit means simply an entreaty to the Lord that He will have mercy (who endured such cruel sufferings in order to redeem and save men, who would otherwise have perished in eternal death). The Lord’s merit means that by His own power He saved those who believe in Him, and who do what He has commanded. This merit cannot be imputed, but it can be prayed for. Intercession means the perpetual remembrance of man by the Lord. Trust and confidence mean trust and confidence in the Lord that out of pure mercy He will teach man the way and lead him to heaven. Thence it is also clear what is meant by redemption.
[5] From this it can now be seen that the things presented above (n. 805) do not mean, to those who are in truths from the Word, anything done by the Lord with the Father, but with Himself. For, as has been said above, God is one and not three, and the trinity is in the Lord; consequently when the Lord is approached the Father and the Holy Spirit are at the same time approached. From this it can also be seen that “to lead into captivity” signifies to shut out from Divine truths in the Word. For those who hold the doctrine of three persons in the Divinity, and who separate faith from its life, which is good works, shut out others from the understanding of truth in the Word. For they explain all things in it according to their doctrine; and what they cannot explain they falsify. Moreover, the Divine which is in the Lord, and which is of the Lord Himself, they ascribe to the Divine of the Father, and thus do not approach the Lord; and because they do this, either by reasonings or by an explanation of the truths of the Word foreign to them, they shut out from the truth the people who believe that everything that is said about Divine things is above human comprehension; this is signified by “leading into captivity.” That they themselves “go into captivity,” that is, shut themselves out from the Divine truths in the Word, is evident from all things of their doctrine, in that while the things they speak are true as to statement they are not true in the way they understand them. This, too, has been testified to me by the state of such in the spiritual world, where it was found, when they were examined, that they were in mere falsities, and consequently could never be brought by the Lord into any heavenly intelligence.

sRef Rev@13 @10 S0′ sRef Luke@21 @24 S0′ 811. That “captivity” signifies in the Word spiritual captivity, which is a shutting out from Divine truths, that is, from the understanding of them in the Word, also destruction by the falsities of evil and by the evils of falsity, can be seen from passages in the Word where “captivity” is mentioned; as in the following. In Luke:
They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive among all nations; and Jerusalem shall finally be trampled down (21:24).
This chapter treats of the consummation of the age, which means the last time of the church, when there is no longer any truth remaining. “To fall by the edge of the sword” at that time signifies the destruction of truth by falsities; “sword” signifying the combat of falsity against truth, and also the destruction of truth by falsities. “They shall be led captive among all nations” signifies persuasions and thence obsessions by evils of every kind; for when truths have been destroyed not only do falsities succeed in their place, but evils also. “All nations” signify evils of every kind; “Jerusalem shall be trampled down” signifies a complete destruction and perversion of the doctrine of the church; “Jerusalem” signifying the church in respect to doctrine, and “to be trampled down” signifying to be wholly destroyed, which is done chiefly by falsifications and adulterations of the Word.
sRef Ezek@6 @6 S2′ sRef Ezek@6 @5 S2′ sRef Ezek@6 @8 S2′ sRef Ezek@6 @7 S2′ sRef Ezek@6 @2 S2′ sRef Ezek@6 @1 S2′ sRef Ezek@6 @4 S2′ sRef Ezek@6 @3 S2′ sRef Ezek@6 @9 S2′ sRef Ezek@6 @10 S2′ [2] In Ezekiel:
They shall be led captive among the nations, and the altars shall be laid waste, and the idols shall be broken, and the slain shall fall in the midst of you (6:1-10).
“The altars being laid waste” signifies that all worship from the good of love shall perish; “the idols becoming broken” signifies that all worship from the truths of that good shall perish; and “the slain shall fall in the midst of you” signifies that they shall perish by falsities, “to be slain by the sword” signifying this.
sRef Lam@1 @18 S3′ [3] In Lamentations:
Hear, all ye people, and behold my grief; my virgins and my young men have gone into captivity (1:18).
This is a lamentation over the devastation of all truth in the church; this lamentation is described by “Hear, all ye people, and behold my grief;” that all the affection of truth has been destroyed is signified by “my virgins have gone into captivity,” a “virgin” signifying the affection of truth; and that all understanding of truth has been destroyed is signified by “my young men have gone into captivity,” “young men” signifying the understanding of truth and intelligence.
sRef Amos@9 @4 S4′ [4] In Amos:
If they have gone into captivity before their adversaries, thence do I command the sword that it may slay them (9:4).
“If they have gone into captivity before their adversaries” signifies, if they have suffered evils to take possession of them; “adversaries” meaning evils, and “to go into captivity” meaning to be possessed by them. “Thence do I command the sword that it may slay them” signifies that falsities will shut them out from the understanding of truths, and will destroy them.
sRef Ps@78 @60 S5′ sRef Ps@78 @61 S5′ [5] In David:
God abandoned the habitation of Shiloh, the tent He inhabited among men; and He gave His strength into captivity, and His splendor into the hand of the adversary (Ps. 78:60, 61).
“The habitation of Shiloh” signifies the church that is in the good of love, and the “tent” signifies the church that is in the truths of doctrine; thence it is clear what is signified by “God abandoned the habitation of Shiloh, the tent He inhabited among men,” namely, that the goods of love and the truths of doctrine have been destroyed. The “strength” that He gave into captivity signifies spiritual truth from celestial good; and “to give into captivity” signifies to shut out from an understanding of it, and thus destruction by falsities; and the “splendor that He gave into the hand of the adversary” signifies natural truth from spiritual; this is signified by “splendor;” and its destruction by evils is signified by “being given into the hand of the adversary.”
sRef Ezek@12 @12 S6′ sRef Ezek@12 @11 S6′ sRef Ezek@12 @7 S6′ sRef Ezek@12 @6 S6′ sRef Ezek@12 @8 S6′ sRef Ezek@12 @10 S6′ sRef Ezek@12 @9 S6′ sRef Ezek@12 @4 S6′ sRef Ezek@12 @2 S6′ sRef Ezek@12 @1 S6′ sRef Ezek@12 @3 S6′ sRef Ezek@12 @5 S6′ [6] In Ezekiel:
The prophet was commanded to remove out of the place, and to bring out the vessels of removal through the wall before their eyes, to bring them out in the darkness, and to cover his face that he see not the earth; and say, I am your prodigy; like as I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall go into exile, into captivity (12:1-12).
By this the prophet represented the state of the church at that time, that there were no longer any truths remaining that had not been destroyed by falsities. For all the prophets represented the church in respect to doctrine from the Word. “To remove out of the place,” and “to bring out the vessels of removal through the wall in darkness, and to cover his face that he see not the earth,” represented that all the truths of doctrine from the Word had been cast out; “to remove out of the place” signifies rejection; “vessels of removal” signify the truths of doctrine; the “wall” through which he brought them out signifies the ultimate, which encompasses and defends truths (the ultimate of doctrine being the sense of the letter of the Word, which is called a “wall” because it contains and includes the spiritual sense); the “darkness” in which he was to bring them out signifies falsities; “to cover his face that he see not the earth” signifies that truths of good are no longer seen in the church. Because the prophet represented these things it is said, “like as I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall go into exile and into captivity.” Thence it is clear that “to go into exile” signifies the dispersion of truth, and “to go into captivity” signifies to be possessed by falsities.
sRef Hab@1 @6 S7′ sRef Hab@1 @10 S7′ sRef Hab@1 @9 S7′ [7] In Habakkuk:
I will raise up the Chaldeans, a nation that marcheth into the breadths of the land; it shall gather captivity like the sand; it shall mock at kings and rulers shall be a derision unto it (1:6, 9, 10).
“The Chaldeans” signify those who destroy the truths of the church; “the breadths of the land” signify the truths of the church; that they will destroy all truths by falsities is signified by “it shall gather captivity like the sand;” that the truths and goods of the Word will be derided and blasphemed is signified by “that nation shall mock at kings, and rulers shall be a derision unto it,” “kings” signifying the truths of the Word, and “rulers” its goods.
sRef Jer@43 @11 S8′ sRef Jer@43 @12 S8′ [8] In Jeremiah:
Nebuchadnezzar shall come and shall smite the land of Egypt, they who are for death to death, they who are for captivity to captivity, they who are for the sword to the sword; and I will kindle a fire in the houses of Egypt that he may burn them up, and carry them away captive; finally he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd arrayeth himself with his garment (43:11, 12).
“Nebuchadnezzar,” or “the king of Babylon,” means in the Word those who destroy all things of the church by evils; and “the Chaldeans” those who destroy all things of the church by falsities; and in an abstract sense “the king of Babylon” signifies the evils that destroy, and “the Chaldeans” their falsities. “Nebuchadnezzar shall come and smite the land of Egypt” signifies the destruction of the natural man in respect to all goods and all truths thence from the Word; “they who are for death to death” signifies destruction by evils; “they who are for captivity to captivity” signifies destruction by shutting out from and deprivation of truth; “they who are for the sword to the sword” signifies destruction by falsities thence; “to kindle a fire in the houses of Egypt that he may burn them up, or carry them away captive,” signifies that the loves of self and of the world will destroy all things of the natural man by evils and falsities; “fire” signifying those loves; “houses of Egypt” signify all things of the natural man; “to burn them up” signifies to destroy by evil loves, and “to carry them away captive” signifies to destroy by falsities thence. “Finally he shall array himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd arrayeth himself with his garment” signifies that the falsities of evil and the evils of falsity will possess the whole natural man. This is compared to the garment of a shepherd, because a “garment” signifies truth clothing good, but here falsity clothing evil; for the natural man is like a garment to the spiritual man, for it encompasses and includes it.
sRef Jer@15 @2 S9′ [9] In Jeremiah:
They who are for death to death, they who are for famine to famine, and they who are for captivity to captivity (15:2).
This describes the total vastation of good and truth in the church; for in the preceding verse it is said, “Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My soul could not be towards this people; cast them out before My face, that they may go forth;” therefore “they who are for death to death” signifies that those who reject goods perish by evils; “they who are for famine to famine” signifies that those who reject truths perish by falsities; “they who are for captivity to captivity” signifies that those who love evils and falsities are taken possession of by them.
sRef Isa@20 @3 S10′ sRef Isa@20 @4 S10′ [10] In Isaiah:
Like as My servant Isaiah hath gone naked and barefoot three years, so shall the king of Assyria lead the captivity of Egypt, and the crowd of Cush that is to be carried away, boys and old men, naked and barefoot, even the buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt (20:3, 4).
“The king of Assyria” signifies reasoning from the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man; and “Egypt” signifies the natural man; so “the king of Assyria shall lead the captivity of Egypt” signifies that reasoning from falsities will destroy all the truths in the natural man, which are such as the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 532.)
sRef Dan@11 @33 S11′ sRef Dan@11 @8 S11′ [11] In Daniel:
Also their gods with their princes, with their vessels of desire, silver and gold, shall he carry captive into Egypt; and he shall stand more years than the king of the north. The intelligent of the people shall instruct many; yet they shall fall together by the sword and by flame and by captivity and by depredation, for days (11:8, 33).
This treats of the war between the king of the north and the king of the south, “the king of the north” signifying falsity ruling in the church, and “the king of the south” truth defending the church against falsity; that nevertheless falsities will predominate in the church in the latter end of days is here foretold and described. “Their gods and their princes, and vessels of desire, and silver and gold, that shall be carried captive into Egypt,” signify that the defending truth will take away all truths and goods of the church from those who are in falsities; its spiritual truths are signified by “their gods and princes,” natural truths by “their vessels of desire,” and all truth and good in general by “silver and gold,” and the taking away and defense of these is signified by “carrying captive into Egypt.” “To fall together by sword and flame” signifies to perish by falsities and evils therefrom; and “to fall together by captivity and depredation” signifies the deprivation of all things of truth and good.
sRef Jer@20 @1 S12′ sRef Jer@20 @2 S12′ sRef Jer@20 @3 S12′ sRef Jer@20 @4 S12′ sRef Jer@20 @5 S12′ sRef Jer@20 @6 S12′ [12] In Jeremiah:
When the prophet was given over to the prison he prophesied that all Judah should be carried away into captivity to Babylon, and should there die and be buried (20:1-6; 27:1 to the end).
This “prophet,” like “prophet” in general, signifies the doctrine of the church from the Word; his being “given over to the prison” represented that the like was done in respect to the church and its doctrine, which is signified by all Judah being carried away into captivity to Babylon. The captivity of the tribe of Judah in Babylon seventy years represented the complete destruction of truth and devastation of the church.
sRef Jer@22 @22 S13′ [13] In the same:
The wind shall feed all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness (Jer. 22:22).
“Shepherds” in an abstract sense signify the goods of the church, and “lovers” its truths; the “wind” that shall feed the shepherds signifies the hollowness and emptiness of doctrine; the “captivity” into which the lovers shall go signifies a shutting out from all truths and from the understanding of them; “to be ashamed and confounded” signifies to be destitute of all good and truth; for thus, when they come among the angels, are they ashamed and confounded.
sRef Deut@32 @42 S14′ [14] In Moses:
I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh, with the blood of the stain and of captivity, and the gall of the revenges of the adversary (Deut. 32:42).
“To make arrows drunk with blood” signifies the delirium of mind from the Word falsified; “the sword shall devour flesh” signifies that falsities will destroy all things of good; “with the blood of the slain and of captivity” signifies the extinction and shutting out of all truth, “slain” meaning the extinction of truth by falsities, and “captivity” the shutting out of truth by falsities. “With the gall of the revenges of the adversary” signifies with the malice and cruelty of hell; “the gall of revenges” meaning malice and cruelty, and the “adversary” meaning hell.
sRef Isa@46 @1 S15′ sRef Isa@46 @2 S15′ [15] In Isaiah:
Bel hath bowed low, Nebo hath stooped, their idols are to the wild beast and to the beast; they have stooped and bowed low together, and their soul shall go into captivity (46:1, 2).
“Their idols to the wild beast and to the beast” signifies that their falsities are infernal falsities, and evils therefrom; “they have stooped and bowed low together” signifies that they will fall apart; “their soul shall go into captivity” signifies that they shall go into hell, where they will be shut out from all truth.
sRef Obad@1 @11 S16′ [16] In Obadiah:
In that day strangers led his strength captive, and aliens entered his gates and cast the lot upon Jerusalem (1:11).
This is said of Edom, which signifies the truth of the natural man, but here the falsity; “the strangers that led his strength captive” signify the falsities of the church destroying its truths, “strength” signifying truth, since all spiritual strength consists in truths; “the aliens who entered the gates” signify the falsities of doctrine destroying the truths through which entrance is given into interior truths; “Jerusalem, upon which they cast the lot,” signifies the doctrine of the church from the Word, thus dispersed, “to cast the lot” meaning to disperse.
sRef Jer@48 @47 S17′ sRef Jer@48 @46 S17′ [17] In Jeremiah:
Woe to thee, Moab, the people of Chemosh have perished; for thy sons are taken into captivity, and thy daughters into captivity; yet I will bring back the captivity of Moab (48:46, 47).
“Moab” means those who are in natural delight, and who therefore adulterate the goods of the Word; “the people of Chemosh” mean those who are in natural truth; “sons are taken into captivity and daughters into captivity” signifies that the truths and goods of their church are shut out by falsities and evils; “sons” meaning truths, and “daughters” goods; “I will bring back the captivity of Moab in the end of days” signifies that truths will be opened to those who are meant by “Moab,” and they will be instructed in them, “the end of days” signifying the Lord’s coming.
sRef Isa@61 @1 S18′ [18] In many places in the Word it is said that “captives are to be brought back,” and captives mean the Gentiles; and these are called “captives” because they are shut out from truths, which, however, will be opened to them by the Lord. As in Isaiah:
Jehovah hath anointed Me to proclaim good tidings unto the poor; He hath sent Me to bind up the broken in heart; to preach liberty to the captives, and to the bound, to the blind (61:1).
This is said of the Lord; and “the poor” to whom Jehovah hath anointed Him to preach good tidings signify those who are in few truths, and yet desire truths that their soul may be sustained by them; “the broken in heart” signify those who in consequence are in grief; “the captives” to whom He was to preach liberty signify those who are shut out from truths and thus from goods; and to these truths are to be opened, and by them they will be imbued with goods. The “bound” and the “blind” signify those to whom it is denied to see truths, meaning the Gentiles that afterwards received truths from the Lord.
sRef Isa@45 @13 S19′ [19] In the same:
I have raised him up in justice, and I will make straight all his ways; he shall build My city and he shall let go My captivity, not for price nor reward (Isa. 45:13).
This, too, is said of the Lord; and the “justice” in which Jehovah hath raised him up signifies the good of love; and “his ways which He will make straight” signify the truths proceeding from good; the “city which he shall build” signifies the doctrine of the church; and the “captivity which he shall let go” signifies the opening and revelation of Divine truths with those who had heretofore been shut out from them. That the Lord will do these things freely is signified by “not for price nor reward.”
sRef Jer@50 @34 S20′ sRef Jer@50 @33 S20′ [20] In Jeremiah:
The sons of Israel and the sons of Judah are oppressed together, and all that take them captive hold them fast, they refuse to let them go. Their Redeemer is strong; pleading He will plead their cause, and will give quiet to the land (50:33, 34).
This also is said of the Lord, who is meant by “their Redeemer is strong;” “to plead their cause” signifies visitation and judgment upon those who oppress them by falsities, and consequent deliverance from them; “to give quiet to the land” signifies protection from falsities, “the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah,” who are said to be oppressed, do not mean the sons of Israel and of Judah, but the Gentiles that are in truths and goods from the Lord; and as these are restrained by those who deceive them and shut out truths from them, it is said that “those that take them captive hold them fast, and refuse to let them go.”
sRef Isa@49 @24 S21′ sRef Ps@68 @18 S21′ sRef Isa@49 @25 S21′ [21] In David:
Thou hast ascended on high; Thou hast led captivity captive (Ps. 68:18).
This, again, is said of the Lord; and “to lead captivity captive” signifies to deliver from the falsities that have held them captive. In Isaiah:
Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or shall the captivity of the just be delivered? For thus Jehovah hath said, Even the captivity of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the violent shall be delivered (Isa. 49:24, 25).
This also is said of the Lord, and of the bringing back of the sons of Zion from captivity; and “the sons of Zion” mean those who are in love to the Lord and in truths therefrom. That they had been shut out from truths by those who eagerly confirmed falsities, and yet they were delivered by the Lord, is signified by “Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, and shall the captivity of the just be delivered?”
sRef Ps@14 @7 S22′ [22] In David:
Who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel? When Jehovah shall bring back the captivity of His people Jacob shall exult, Israel shall be glad (Ps. 14:7; 53:6).
Here also “Zion” means those who are in the good of love from the Lord; deliverance from evils by the Lord and salvation are meant by “Who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel?” “To bring back the captivity of His people” means deliverance from falsities and evils; “Jacob shall exult, Israel shall be glad,” means the joy with those who are in the external church and of those who are in the internal church because of their deliverance, “Jacob” meaning those who are of the external church, and “Israel” those who are of the internal church; and both mean the Gentiles.
sRef Jer@46 @27 S23′ [23] In Jeremiah:
Fear not, My servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel; behold I will keep thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of thy captivity, so that Jacob may return, and be quiet and tranquil, and none shall make him afraid (46:27; 30:10).
Here, too, “Jacob and Israel” mean the Gentiles, “Jacob” those who are of the external church, and “Israel” those who are of the internal church; “to keep them from afar” signifies to save them although they are far from salvation; “to keep from the land of captivity” signifies to deliver from the falsities by which they have been shut out from the truths and goods of heaven and the church; “to return and be quiet and tranquil, and none shall make afraid,” signifies to be protected from falsities which are from hell.
sRef Jer@30 @16 S24′ sRef Jer@30 @18 S24′ [24] In the same:
All that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, all shall go into captivity; and they that plundered thee shall be for plunder; and all that preyed upon thee will I give for a prey. I will bring back the captivity of the tents of Jacob; and I will have compassion on his habitations, that the city may be built upon its own heap, and the palace shall be inhabited after its own manner (Jer. 30:16, 18).
“All that devour thee shall be devoured, all thine adversaries shall go into captivity, and they that plundered thee shall be for plunder, and all that preyed upon thee will I give for a prey,” has a similar signification as the passage in Revelation here explained, namely, “if anyone shall lead into captivity he shall go into captivity; and if anyone shall kill with the sword he must be killed with the sword.” (What the rest signifies has been explained above, n. 799.)
sRef Jer@29 @14 S25′ sRef Amos@9 @14 S25′ sRef Zeph@3 @20 S25′ [25] In the same:
I will be found of you, and I will bring back your captivity, and I will bring you together out of all nations, and I will bring you back to the place whence I caused you to depart (Jer. 29:14).
This, too, describes the deliverance of the Gentiles from spiritual captivity, which is a shutting out from the truths and goods of heaven and the church, whereby salvation is effected. In Zephaniah:
In that time I will bring you, and in time will bring you together unto Me, for I will give you for a name and a praise to all the peoples of the earth, when I bring back your captivity before your eyes (3:20).
This, too, means the bringing back of the Gentiles from spiritual captivity. In Amos:
I will bring back the captivity of My people Israel, that they may build the waste cities and inhabit them, and plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof; and they shall make gardens and eat the fruit of them (9:14).
This may be seen explained above (n. 376, 405).
sRef Isa@52 @2 S26′ sRef Isa@52 @1 S26′ [26] In Isaiah:
Put on thy strength, O Zion; put on the garments of thy splendor, O Jerusalem, the city of holiness; for there shall not add to come any more into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean; shake thyself from the dust; sit, O Jerusalem; open the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion (52:1, 2).
“Zion” means a church that is in the good of love to the Lord; truth from that good is signified by the “strength that Zion shall put on;” and the truths of doctrine of that church are signified by “the garments of splendor that Jerusalem shall put on.” “The uncircumcised and the unclean, who shall not add to come any more,” signify the evils of earthly loves and their falsities; “to shake herself from the dust, to arise and to sit,” signifies, in respect to Jerusalem, deliverance from infernal falsities and elevation to the truths of heaven. “To open the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion,” signifies deliverance from being withheld from truths by falsities that hinder the reception of influx out of heaven, “daughter of Zion” meaning those who are in the affection of truth from the good of love from the Lord. In the verses that follow it is said of the sons of Israel:
That they sojourned in Egypt, and that Assyria oppressed them (Isa. 4);
which signifies that they were shut out from truths by reasonings from the knowledges (scientifica) of the natural man.
sRef Isa@14 @2 S27′ [27] In the same:
The peoples shall take them and shall lead them to their place, and the house of Israel shall possess them for a heritage upon the land of Jehovah, for manservants and for maidservants; that they may thus take captive them whose captives they were, and they shall have dominion over their exactors (Isa. 14:2).
This, too, treats of the bringing back of the sons of Israel, and by sons of Israel the Gentiles are meant. That those who shut out others from truths and lead them astray by falsities are shut out from truths and led astray by falsities, is signified by “they shall take captive them whose captives they were, and they shall have dominion over their exactors.”
sRef Hos@6 @10 S28′ sRef Hos@6 @11 S28′ [28] In Hosea:
In the house of Israel I have seen a filthy thing; there is Ephraim’s whoredom; Israel is polluted and Judah hath set a harvest for thee, when I shall bring back the captivity of My people (6:10, 11).
This treats of the state of the church among the Jews about the time of the Lord’s coming; “Ephraim’s whoredom,” which is “the filthy thing in the house of Israel,” signifies the falsification of the Word; “whoredom” signifying falsification, and “Ephraim” the understanding of the Word. “Israel is polluted, and Judah hath set a harvest for thee,” signifies that the church was in mere falsities, and that they applied the Word to confirm falsities, “Judah” signifying the Word, and “harvest” the abundance of such things in the Word as they applied. That this would be the state of the Jewish Church when truths should be opened before the Gentiles, by which they might be delivered from falsities, is signified by “when I shall bring back the captivity of My people.”
[29] In the historical parts of the Word the captivities of the sons of Israel by various enemies, and their deliverances, have a like signification, as:
That they were forced to serve Cushan, king of Syria, and were delivered by Othniel (Judges 3);
That they served Eglon, king of Moab, and were delivered by Ehud (Judges 3);
That they were given over to Jabin, king of Canaan, and delivered by Deborah (Judges 4);
That they were given over to the Midianites, and delivered by Gideon (Judges 6);
That they were given over to the Philistines and Ammonites, and delivered by Jephthah (Judges 10, 11).
Similar things were signified by:
The captivity of the Jews seventy years in Babylon (2 Kings 25).
For the historical parts of the Word are all representative of such things as pertain to the church, and the expressions by which the historical facts are described are all significative.
sRef Matt@25 @43 S30′ sRef Isa@14 @17 S30′ sRef 2Ki@25 @0 S30′ sRef Luke@13 @16 S30′ sRef Ps@79 @11 S30′ sRef Isa@24 @22 S30′ sRef Zech@9 @11 S30′ sRef Isa@42 @7 S30′ [30] The “bound” have a similar signification in the Word as “captives,” as in the following passages:
The bound in the pit shall be gathered together, and they shall be shut up in a prison; but after a multitude of days shall they be visited (Isa. 24:22).
By the blood of thy covenant I will send forth the bound out of the pit wherein is no water (Zech. 9:11).
The sighing of the bound shall come before Thee (Ps. 79: 11).
He hath made the world into a wilderness and destroyed his* 22 cities. He hath opened not the house for His bound ones (Isa. 14:17).
To open the blind eyes, to lead him that is bound out of prison, them that sit in darkness out of the prison house (Isa. 42:7).
The king said, I was in prison, and ye came** unto me (Matt. 25:36).
Jesus said, Ought not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound lo these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the day of the sabbath? (Luke 13:16).
* See above, n.741,where we read “his.”
** the Latin has “ye did not come,” for “ye came.”

sRef Rev@13 @10 S0′ 812. If anyone shall kill with the sword he must be killed with the sword, signifies that those who imbue others with falsities are imbued with falsities from hell. This is evident from the signification of a “sword” [gladius et machaera] as being truth fighting against falsity, and in the contrary sense falsity fighting against truth, here falsity fighting against truth; therefore “to kill with the sword” means to destroy truths by falsities, and also to imbue with falsities. Also from the signification of “he must be killed with the sword,” as being to be imbued with falsities from hell. Such are imbued with falsities from hell because they have shut heaven against themselves by falsities; and when heaven is shut against anyone then hell is open to him. For man must be either in heaven or in hell; he cannot be between the two; consequently when anyone closes heaven to himself he opens hell to himself and from hell nothing but falsities of evil spring forth, and with these he becomes imbued. But no other falsities but the falsities of evil close heaven. For there are various kinds of falsities, for instance, falsities of ignorance, falsities of religion, and falsities from misunderstanding the Word; in a word, the falsities that lead to a life of evil, or that proceed from a life of evil, because they are from hell close heaven. From this it is clear that “if anyone shall kill with the sword he must be killed with the sword” signifies that those who imbue others with falsities will be imbued with falsities from hell.
sRef Matt@26 @52 S2′ [2] There is a like signification in what the Lord said to Peter:
All they that take the sword must perish by the sword (Matt. 26:52).
This was said to Peter because he represented the truth of faith, and also the falsity of faith; therefore “to take the sword and to perish by it” signified to receive the falsity of faith, and to perish by it. Those who are signified by this “beast,” who are such as by reasonings confirm the separation of faith from life, “kill with the sword, and are killed with the sword,” that is, imbue others with falsities, and are themselves imbued with falsities from hell, because the dogma of faith alone shuts out all truths and rejects all goods. Faith alone shuts out all truths because such insist that we are saved solely by this, “That the Lord endured the cross for our sins, and thereby took away the condemnation of the law, and that He thus redeemed us.” And as they hold that this alone, which they call faith itself, saves, they make no effort to learn truths, although truths are what teach man how he must live, and these truths are manifold. That faith alone rejects goods follows from the dogma itself, which is that faith justifies without good works; thus the essential goods of love to God and the goods of charity towards the neighbor are made of no account.

sRef Rev@13 @10 S0′ 813. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints, signifies that through these comes temptation, and afterwards the implantation of truth from good with those who are made spiritual by the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “the patience of the saints” (of which presently); also from the signification of “faith,” as being the implantation of truth; also from the signification of “saints,” as being those who are in truths from good from the Lord (see above, n. 204), thus those who are made spiritual by the Lord; for man is made spiritual by truths from good. “Faith” signifies the implantation of truth because faith with man is truth acknowledged in the heart; for unless it is acknowledged in the heart it cannot be one’s own faith; and this is why “faith” is nowhere mentioned in the Old Testament, but “truth” instead; and indeed, the ancient people with whom was the church were wholly ignorant that faith was anything else than truth; and when they said that they believed in God they meant by it knowing and understanding truths, and willing and doing them, and this from the Lord. Thence it is clear that “faith” signifies the implantation of truth.
[2] “The patience of the saints” signifies the temptation of the faithful, or of those who are made spiritual by the Lord, because “patience” signifies spiritual patience, which is patience in sustaining temptations; and those have that patience who fight in themselves against the falsities that are contained in the dogma of faith alone and that adhere to it; for that faith is confirmed by reasonings from the natural man and from the Word wrongly applied and thus falsified. The temptations that such sustain when they fight against falsities are meant by “patience.”
sRef Luke@21 @17 S3′ sRef Luke@21 @19 S3′ sRef Luke@21 @16 S3′ [3] “Patience” has a like signification in Luke:
Ye shall be delivered up by parents and brethren, and kinsfolk and friends; some of you shall they cause to be put to death; yea, ye shall be hated by all for My name’s sake: in your patience possess ye your souls (21:16, 17, 19).
This is said of the last time of the church, when judgment takes place. The temptations that the faithful will then undergo on account of truths are described by “they shall be delivered up by fathers, brethren, kinsfolk, and friends, and be put to death,” also “shall be hated for the sake of the Lord’s name;” “parents, brethren, kinsfolk, and friends,” meaning those who are of the same church, but who are in evils and falsities; their undergoing temptations is meant by “being delivered up to death” and “being hated;” therefore “in your patience possess ye your souls” signifies the preservation of the life of truth among falsities; “soul” signifying the life of truth.
sRef Luke@8 @15 S4′ sRef Isa@53 @7 S4′ [4] Again, in the same:
They who are sowed in the good land are those who in a simple and good heart hear the Word and hold fast, and bring forth fruit in patience (Luke 8:15).
“To bring forth fruit in patience” signifies to do truths and goods even when living amid falsities and evils, that is, among those who are in falsities and evils. The Lord’s patience in temptations, of which He suffered the most grievous of all, is described in these words in Isaiah:
He endured persecution and He was afflicted, yet like a lamb He opened not His mouth (53:7).
“Enduring persecution” signifies temptations; “to be afflicted” signifies their grievousness; “to open not His mouth” signifies patience.

sRef Rev@13 @11 S0′ 814. Verse 11. And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 11. “And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth,” signifies confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word in favor of faith separated from life, and the consequent falsifications of the truth of the church (n. 815); “and he had two horns like a lamb,” signifies the power as if from the Lord of persuading that there is a conjunction with the Word of faith separate (n. 816); “and he spake as a dragon,” signifies with a similar affection, thought, doctrine, and preaching, as belong to those who separate faith from the life of faith, which is charity (n. 817).

sRef Rev@13 @11 S0′ 815. Verse 11. And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, signifies confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word in favor of faith separated from life, and the consequent falsifications of the truth of the church. This is evident from the signification of “the two beasts” treated of in this chapter, as being the confirmation of those things that are signified by “the dragon,” for “the dragon” signifies especially faith alone (see above, n. 714); and “the beast coming up out of the sea” signifies reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from life (see also above, n. 774); therefore this “beast” signifies confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word in favor of faith separated from life, and the consequent falsifications of the truth of the church. That “the dragon” is further described by these two “beasts” is evident from verses 2, 4, 11, of this chapter. There are moreover two means by which any heretical dogma may be confirmed, namely, by reasonings from the natural man and by confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word; and these two means are what are signified by these two “beasts.” The former “beast” signifies reasonings from the natural man, because the “sea” out of which that beast came up signifies the natural of man, while this “beast” signifies confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word, because the “earth” out of which it came up signifies the church where the Word is. This “beast” signifies also falsifications of the Word, because the Word unless it is falsified can never confirm a false dogma, since all things of the Word are truths; consequently all truths can be confirmed from the Word, but by no means falsities, as can be clearly seen from what has been said above and also from what follows in this chapter.
[2] As passages from the Word have been cited above (n. 785) in which “works,” “deeds,” “working,” and “doing” are mentioned, I will now cite passages where “faith” and “believing” are mentioned, but only from the Gospels, and not from the Epistles of the Apostles, and for the reason that the Gospels contain the words of the Lord Himself, all of which have concealed in them a spiritual sense, through which immediate communication with heaven is granted, while the writings of the Apostles contain no such sense, although they are nevertheless useful books for the church.
sRef Matt@8 @10 S3′ sRef Matt@8 @8 S3′ sRef Matt@8 @13 S3′ [3] The passages of the Word where “faith” and “believing” are mentioned are the following. In Matthew:
There came a centurion to the Lord, saying, Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst come under my roof; but say the word only, and my boy shall be healed. Jesus hearing, marveled and said to them that followed Him, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith in Israel. And He said unto the centurion, Go thy way, and as thou hast believed be it done unto thee; and his boy was healed in that hour (8:8, 10, 13).

The Lord healed this person and others according to their faith, because the first and primary thing of the church then to be established was to believe that the Lord is God Almighty, for without that faith no church could have been established. For the Lord was the God of heaven and the God of earth, with whom no conjunction is possible except by an acknowledgment of His Divinity, which acknowledgment is faith. The centurion evidently acknowledged the Lord to be God Almighty, for he said, “I am not worthy that Thou shouldst come under my roof; but say the word only, and my boy shall be healed.”
sRef Matt@9 @7 S4′ sRef Matt@9 @5 S4′ sRef Matt@9 @29 S4′ sRef Matt@9 @22 S4′ sRef Matt@9 @27 S4′ sRef Matt@9 @21 S4′ sRef Matt@9 @28 S4′ sRef Matt@9 @20 S4′ sRef Matt@9 @4 S4′ sRef Matt@9 @2 S4′ sRef Matt@9 @3 S4′ sRef Matt@9 @6 S4′ [4] In the same:
A woman afflicted with an issue of blood touched the hem of Jesus’ garment; for she said within herself, If I shall but touch His garment I shall be healed. Jesus turning and seeing her, said, Daughter be of good cheer, thy faith hath made thee whole; and she was healed in that hour (Matt. 9:20-22).
In the same:
They brought unto Him one sick of the palsy lying on a bed; Jesus seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, Be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven. Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thy house (Matt. 9:2-7; Luke 5:19-25).
In the same:
Two blind men cried, saying, Have mercy on us, Thou Son of David. Jesus said unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They say unto Him, Yea, Lord. Then touched He their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it done unto you; and their eyes were opened (Matt. 9:27-30).
No other faith than that which is called historical, which at that time was a miraculous faith, was meant by this faith whereby the sick were healed; consequently by this faith many wrought miracles at that time. This faith was, that the Lord was Almighty, because He was able to do miracles of Himself; for this reason He also allowed Himself to be worshiped, which was not the case with the prophets of the Old Testament, who were not worshiped. But there must always be this historical faith before it becomes a saving faith; for a historical faith becomes a saving faith with man by his learning truths from the Word, and living according to them.
sRef John@4 @52 S5′ sRef John@4 @53 S5′ sRef John@9 @36 S5′ sRef Matt@15 @26 S5′ sRef Luke@8 @55 S5′ sRef John@9 @37 S5′ sRef Luke@8 @50 S5′ sRef Matt@15 @28 S5′ sRef Matt@15 @27 S5′ sRef John@9 @38 S5′ sRef John@4 @51 S5′ sRef Matt@15 @24 S5′ sRef Mark@9 @17 S5′ sRef Mark@9 @18 S5′ sRef Mark@9 @23 S5′ sRef Mark@9 @24 S5′ sRef John@4 @49 S5′ sRef John@4 @50 S5′ sRef John@9 @35 S5′ sRef John@4 @46 S5′ sRef John@4 @47 S5′ sRef John@4 @48 S5′ sRef Luke@18 @42 S5′ sRef Matt@15 @22 S5′ sRef Matt@15 @23 S5′ sRef Luke@18 @43 S5′ sRef Matt@15 @25 S5′ [5] In the same:
A woman of Canaan, whose daughter was vexed by a demon, came and worshiped Jesus, saying, Lord, help me. Jesus said unto her, Great is thy faith; be it done unto thee as thou wilt; and her daughter was healed (Matt. 15:22-28).
In John:
A ruler whose son was sick besought Jesus to heal his son before he died. Jesus said unto him, Go thy way, thy son liveth; and the man believed in the word that Jesus spake unto him. And his servants met him, saying, Thy son liveth. Therefore he believed, and his whole house (4:46-53).
In the same:
Jesus finding the man born blind whom He healed, said unto him, Believest thou, then, on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is He, Lord, that I may believe on Him? He said unto him, Thou hast both seen Him and He it is that speaketh with thee. He said, Lord, I believe; and he worshiped Him (John 9:35-38).
In Luke:
Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, whose daughter was dead, Fear not, only believe, and she shall be made whole; and the daughter was raised up again (8:50, 55).
In the same:
One of the ten lepers that were healed by the Lord, who was a Samaritan, returned and fell upon his face at the feet of Jesus; and Jesus said unto him, Arise, go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole (Luke 17:15, 16, 19).
In the same:
Jesus said to the blind man, Thy faith hath saved thee; and immediately he was able to see (Luke 18:42, 43).
In Mark:
Jesus said to the disciples, when they were unable to heal a certain man’s son* who had a dumb spirit; to whom Jesus said, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth; the father of the boy crying out with tears, said, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief; and he was healed (9:17, 23, 24).
There were three reasons why faith in the Lord healed these; first, because they acknowledged His Divine omnipotence, and that He was God; secondly, because faith is acknowledgment, and from acknowledgment intuition; and all intuition from acknowledgment makes another to be present; this is a common thing in the spiritual world. So now, when a New Church was to be established by the Lord, it was this intuition from an acknowledgment of the Lord’s omnipotence from which they were first to look to the Lord; and from this it is clear what is here meant by faith. The third reason was, that all the diseases healed by the Lord represented and thus signified the spiritual diseases that correspond to these natural diseases; and spiritual diseases can be healed only by the Lord, and in fact by looking to His Divine omnipotence and by repentance of life. This is why He sometimes said, “Thy sins are forgiven thee; go and sin no more.” This faith also was represented and signified by their miraculous faith; but the faith by which spiritual diseases are healed by the Lord can be given only through truths from the Word and a life according to them; the truths themselves and the life itself according to them make the quality of the faith. But more about this in what follows.
sRef Luke@7 @50 S6′ sRef John@11 @40 S6′ sRef John@11 @39 S6′ sRef Luke@7 @48 S6′ sRef Luke@7 @38 S6′ [6] In John:
When Lazarus was dead, his sister saith, Lord, by this time he stinketh. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, If thou wouldst believe thou shouldst see the glory of God? (11:39, 40).
In Luke:
Jesus said to the woman who was a sinner, and who made His feet wet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed His feet, which she also anointed with oil, Thy sins are forgiven thee; thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace (7:38, 48, 50).
From this it is clear that it was faith in the Lord’s omnipotence that healed them, and that the same faith remitted, that is, removed, sins. The reason of this was that this woman not only had faith in the Divine omnipotence of the Lord, but also loved Him, for she kissed His feet. Wherefore the Lord said, “Thy sins are forgiven thee, thy faith hath saved thee,” because faith makes the Divine of the Lord to be present, and love conjoins. It is possible, however, for the Lord to be present and not be conjoined; from which it is evident that it is faith from love that saves.
sRef Matt@13 @58 S7′ sRef Matt@8 @26 S7′ sRef Matt@13 @57 S7′ sRef Matt@14 @30 S7′ sRef Matt@14 @31 S7′ sRef Matt@17 @14 S7′ sRef Matt@14 @29 S7′ sRef Matt@14 @28 S7′ [7] Again:
Jesus said to the disciples in the boat, Why are ye fearful, O ye men of little faith? Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the sea, and there came a great calm (Matt. 8:26; Mark 4:39-41; Luke 8:24, 25).
Peter, at the Lord’s command, went down out of the boat and walked upon the waters; but when the wind became strong he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus took hold of his hand and said, O man of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt (Matt. 14:28-31).
When the disciples could not heal the lunatic, Jesus said unto them, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? and Jesus healed him; and He said to the disciples that they could not heal him by reason of their unbelief (Matt. 17:14, seq.).
Jesus came into His own country, and there they were offended in Him; and Jesus said, A prophet is not without honor save in his own country and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief (Matt. 13:57, 58).
The Lord called the disciples “men of little faith” when they were unable to do miracles in His name, and He was unable to do miracles in His own country because of their unbelief, for the reason that while the disciples believed the Lord to be the Messiah or Christ, also the Son of God, and the prophet of whom it was written in the Word, yet they did not believe that He was God Almighty, and that Jehovah the Father was in Him; and yet so far as they believed Him to be a man, and not at the same time God, His Divine to which omnipotence belongs could not be present with the disciples by faith. For faith presents the Lord as present, as has been said above; but faith in Him as a man only does not present His Divine omnipotence as present. For the same reason those in the world at the present day who look to His Human alone and not at the same time to His Divine, as the Socinians and Arians do, cannot be saved.
sRef John@7 @31 S8′ sRef Mark@16 @19 S8′ sRef Mark@16 @20 S8′ sRef Mark@16 @18 S8′ sRef Mark@16 @17 S8′ [8] And for a like reason the Lord could not do miracles in His own country, for there they had seen Him from infancy like another man; and therefore they were unable to add to that idea the idea of His Divinity; and when that idea is not present while the Lord is present, He is not present in man with Divine omnipotence; for faith presents the Lord as present in man according to the quality of the perception of Him. Other things man does not acknowledge and therefore rejects; for in order that the Lord may operate anything with man by faith the Lord’s Divine must be present in man, and not outside of him.
John:[9] In John:
Many of the multitude believed on Jesus, and said, When the Christ shall come, will He do more signs than those which this one hath done? (7:31).
In Mark:
These signs shall follow them that believe: in My name they shall cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word by signs following (16:17-20).
As the Jewish nation believed in Jehovah solely because of miracles, it is evidently a miraculous and not a saving faith that is here meant; for they were external men, and external men are moved to Divine worship only by external things, like miracles which forcibly strike the mind. Moreover, a miraculous faith was the first faith with those among whom a New Church was to be established; and such a faith is also the first with all in the Christian world at this day, and this is why the miracles performed by the Lord were described, and are also now preached. For the first faith with all is a historical faith, and this afterwards becomes a saving faith when man by his life becomes spiritual; for first of all it is to be believed that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and that He is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, infinite, and one with the Father. These things must be known; but so far as they are merely known they are historical, and a historical faith presents the Lord as present, because it is a looking to the Lord from His Divine nature. And yet that faith does not save until man lives the life of faith, which is charity; for he then wills and does what he believes, and to will and to do is of the love, and love conjoins to Him whom faith presents as present. The signification of those miracles that the disciples were to do, and that were done by them in the beginning of the Christian church, as casting out demons, speaking with new tongues, and others, may be seen above (n. 706).
sRef Luke@17 @15 S10′ sRef Mark@11 @24 S10′ sRef Mark@11 @23 S10′ sRef Matt@21 @21 S10′ sRef Mark@11 @22 S10′ sRef Matt@21 @22 S10′ sRef Luke@17 @16 S10′ sRef Matt@17 @14 S10′ sRef Matt@17 @15 S10′ sRef Matt@17 @16 S10′ sRef Luke@17 @18 S10′ sRef Luke@17 @19 S10′ sRef Luke@17 @6 S10′ sRef Matt@17 @19 S10′ sRef Matt@17 @18 S10′ sRef Luke@17 @17 S10′ sRef Matt@17 @20 S10′ sRef Matt@17 @17 S10′ [10] In Matthew:
Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you (17:14-20).
In Mark:
Have the faith of God; for verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou lifted up and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, what he hath said shall be done for him. Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye ask when ye pray, believe that ye shall receive them and ye shall have them (11:22-24).
In Matthew:
Jesus said to the disciples, If ye have faith and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which has been done to the fig-tree, but even if ye shall say unto this mountain, be thou lifted up and cast into the sea. And all things whatsoever ye shall ask believing in Me, ye shall receive (21: 21, 22).
In Luke:
If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed ye would say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou rooted up and be thou planted in the sea, and it would obey you (17:6).
That this is to be understood otherwise than according to the words is evident from its being said to the disciples, that “If they had faith as a grain of mustard seed they would be able to pluck up a mountain or a sycamine tree from its place, and cast it into the sea;” also that “all things whatsoever they asked they should receive;” and yet it is not according to Divine order for one to receive what he asks if he only have faith, or for the disciples to pluck up a mountain or a tree from its place and cast it into the sea. But “faith” here means faith from the Lord, consequently it is called “the faith of God,” and he who is in faith from the Lord asks for nothing but what contributes to the Lord’s kingdom and to himself for salvation; other things he does not wish, saying in his heart, Why should I ask for what does not contribute to this use? Therefore if he were to ask for anything except what it is granted him from the Lord to ask he would have no faith of God, that is, no faith from the Lord. It is impossible for angels of heaven to wish and so to ask for anything else, and if they were to do so they could have no faith that they would receive it. The Lord compared such faith to the ability and power to cast a mountain or sycamine tree into the sea, because the Lord spake here as well as elsewhere by correspondences, and therefore these words must be understood spiritually. For a “mountain” signifies the love of self and of the world, thus the love of evil; and a “sycamine tree” signifies the faith of that love, which is a faith in falsity from evil, and the “sea” signifies hell; therefore “to pluck up a mountain and cast it into the sea by the faith of God” signifies to cast these loves, which in themselves are diabolical, into hell, and likewise the faith in falsity from evil; and this is done through faith from the Lord. This comparison of the ability and power of faith from the Lord with plucking up and casting a mountain and a sycamine tree into the sea was also made because in the spiritual world such things actually take place. There these loves of evil sometimes appear as mountains, and the faith in falsity from evil as a sycamine tree; and both of these an angel can root up and cast into hell through faith from the Lord. (That a “mountain” signifies love to the Lord, and in the contrary sense the love of self, see above, n. 405, 510; and that a “fig-tree,” or a “sycamine tree,” signifies the natural man in respect to its goods and truths, and in the contrary sense the same in respect to evils and falsities, see above, n. 403.)
sRef John@11 @26 S11′ sRef John@6 @33 S11′ sRef John@6 @28 S11′ sRef John@3 @15 S11′ sRef John@11 @25 S11′ sRef John@6 @48 S11′ sRef John@12 @45 S11′ sRef Mark@16 @16 S11′ sRef John@12 @44 S11′ sRef John@6 @29 S11′ sRef John@6 @47 S11′ sRef John@8 @24 S11′ sRef John@3 @18 S11′ sRef John@3 @17 S11′ sRef Mark@16 @15 S11′ sRef John@14 @1 S11′ sRef John@7 @37 S11′ sRef John@6 @46 S11′ sRef John@7 @39 S11′ sRef John@2 @23 S11′ sRef John@3 @16 S11′ sRef John@7 @38 S11′ sRef John@3 @14 S11′ sRef John@12 @46 S11′ sRef John@12 @47 S11′ sRef John@6 @39 S11′ sRef John@5 @24 S11′ sRef John@5 @25 S11′ sRef John@5 @26 S11′ sRef John@6 @40 S11′ sRef John@1 @12 S11′ sRef John@12 @36 S11′ sRef John@6 @35 S11′ sRef John@3 @36 S11′ sRef John@3 @35 S11′ sRef John@12 @48 S11′ [11] So much respecting miraculous faith. Passages from the Gospels respecting saving faith, which is faith in truth from love to the Lord, shall now follow. In John:
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him may not perish but may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have eternal life. He that believeth in Him is not judged; but he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God (3:14-19).
In the same:
The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand; he that believeth in the Son hath eternal life, but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the anger of God abideth on him (John 3:35, 36).
In the same:
Except ye believe that I am He ye shall die in your sins (John 8:24).
In the same:
They said to Jesus, What shall we do that we may work the works of God? Jesus answering said, This is the work of God, that ye believe in Him whom the Father hath sent. I am the bread of life; he that cometh to Me shall not hunger, and he that believeth in Me shall never thirst. This is the will of Him that sent Me, that everyone that seeth the Son and believeth in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. Not that anyone hath seen the Father save He that is with the Father;** He hath seen the Father. Verily I say unto you, he that believeth in Me hath eternal life. I am the bread of life (John 6:28, 29, 35, 40, 46-48).
In the same:
Jesus said, He that heareth My word and believeth Him that sent Me hath eternal life, and shall not come into judgment, but shall pass from death into life. Verily I say unto you, that the hour shall come when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. Even as the Father hath life in Himself so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:24-26).
In the same:
Jesus cried out, saying, If anyone thirst let him come unto Me and drink. He that believeth in Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. These things He said of the Spirit which those believing in Him were to receive John (7:37-39).
In the same:
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he die yet shall he live; but everyone who liveth and believeth in Me shall not die to eternity (John 11:25-27).
In the same:
Jesus cried out and said, He that believeth in Me believeth not in Me but in Him that sent Me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth in Me may not abide in the darkness. And if anyone hear My words and yet believe not, I judge him not; he that rejecteth Me and receiveth not My words hath one that judgeth him, the word that I have spoken shall judge him at the last day (John 12:44-48).
In the same:
While ye have the light believe in the light, that ye may be sons of light (John 12:36).
In the same:
Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me (John 14:1).
In the same:
As many as received Jesus, to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that believe in His name (John 1:12).
In the same:
Many believed in His name, beholding His signs (John 2:23).
In the same:
These are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye may have life in His name (John 20:31).
In Mark:
Jesus said to the disciples, Going into all the world, preach ye the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be condemned (16:15, 16).
These and other passages describe saving faith, which is to believe in the Lord; and to believe in Him is also to believe in the Father, because He and the Father are one. “To believe in the Lord” signifies not only to adore and worship Him, but also to live from Him, and one lives from Him when he lives according to the Word which is from Him; therefore “to believe in Him” is to believe that He regenerates man, and gives eternal life to those who are regenerated by Him.
sRef Matt@18 @20 S12′ sRef Matt@18 @19 S12′ [12] “To believe in His name” has a similar signification as “to believe in Him,” since the Lord’s “name” signifies every quality of faith and love by which He is to be worshiped, and by which He saves man. This is signified by “His name,” because in the spiritual world names that are given to persons are always in accord with the quality of their affection and life, and in consequence the quality of each one is known from his name alone. So when anyone’s name is pronounced, and the quality that is meant by the name is loved, that one becomes present, and the two are united as companions and brethren. The quality of the Lord however is everything of faith and love by which He saves man, for that quality is the essence proceeding from Him; therefore when that quality is thought of by man the Lord becomes present with him, and when this quality is loved the Lord is conjoined to him. Thence it is that those who believe in His name have eternal life. This shows how necessary it is that man should know the quality of faith and love, that is, the Lord’s “name;” also how necessary it is to love that quality, which comes by doing those things that the Lord has commanded. The names “Jesus” and “Christ” moreover involve this same quality, since “Jesus” means salvation, and “Christ” or “Messiah” Divine truth, which is everything of faith and love as to knowledges, doctrine, and life. When, therefore, these names are mentioned their quality must be thought of and they must live according to it. This is what is meant by the words of the Lord in Matthew:
Jesus said, If two of you on earth shall agree in My name respecting anything that they shall ask it shall be done for them by My Father who is in the heavens. For where two or three are gathered together in My name there am I in the midst of them (18:19, 20).
There is, indeed, a presence of the Lord with all and also a love towards all; and yet man cannot be led and be saved by the Lord except in the measure of his reception of the Lord by faith in Him and love to Him.
sRef John@14 @6 S13′ sRef John@10 @30 S13′ [13] This shows how necessary it is for man to know the quality of faith and love, that is, the Lord’s name, also to love it, since the Lord can be loved only through His quality. That the Lord, and not the Father, must be approached and must be worshiped in accordance with the quality of the faith and love that is prescribed in the Word the Lord Himself teaches, saying:
That no one has seen the Father at any time but that the Son brings Him forth to view (John 1:18);
Also that no one cometh to the Father except through Him (John 14:6);
Since the Father and He are one (John 10:30).
Therefore to approach the Father and not the Lord is to make two out of one, and thus to worship apart from the Lord the Divine that is in Him. And this destroys in man the idea of Divinity in respect to the Lord, which again makes evident the truth:
That he that believeth in the Son hath eternal life (John 3:36).
sRef John@16 @30 S14′ sRef John@16 @26 S14′ sRef John@16 @28 S14′ sRef John@16 @27 S14′ sRef John@14 @1 S14′ sRef John@14 @11 S14′ sRef John@12 @44 S14′ sRef John@14 @12 S14′ sRef John@12 @45 S14′ sRef John@14 @10 S14′ [14] That to believe in the Lord is to believe in the Father, the Lord Himself teaches also in John:
He that believeth in Me believeth not in Me but in Him that sent Me; and he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me (12:44, 45).
This means that he that believes in the Lord believes in Him not separate from the Father, but in the Father; and it is therefore added, “He that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me.” So elsewhere in John:
Believe in God, believe in Me (14:1).
In the same:
Philip, believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? Believe Me, that I am in the Father and the Father in Me. Verily I say unto you, He that believeth in Me, the works that I do he shall do also, because I go to My Father (John 14:10-12).
In the same:
In that day ye shall ask in My name; and I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for you, for the Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved Me and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world; and I go unto the Father. The disciples say, In this we believe that Thou camest forth from God (John 16:26-30).
“To come forth from the Father” signifies to be conceived of Him, and “to go to the Father” signifies to be fully united to Him. That “to come forth from the Father” means to be conceived of Him is clearly evident from His conception (Matt. 1:18-25; and in Luke 1:34, 35). That “to go to the Father” means to be fully united to Him is evident from the glorification of His Human by the passion of the cross, which has been spoken of above; and therefore He says, “In that day ye shall ask in My name,” and no more in the name of the Father.
sRef John@20 @29 S15′ sRef Luke@18 @8 S15′ sRef John@20 @28 S15′ sRef John@10 @38 S15′ sRef John@10 @36 S15′ sRef John@10 @37 S15′ [15] In the same:
Jesus said unto Thomas, Because thou hast seen Me thou hast believed; happy are they that have not seen and yet have believed. And Thomas said, My Lord and my God (John 20:28, 29).
It was because the Lord was now fully united to the Divine Itself, which is called the Father, that Thomas called Him his Lord and his God. So elsewhere in the same:
Say ye of Him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest, because I said I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of My Father believe me not; though ye believe not Me believe the works, that ye may know and believe that the Father is in Me and I in the Father (10:36-38).
That the Jews did not believe is evident in John 5:14-47; 10:24-26; 12:37-49; Matt. 21:31, 32. The cause of their unbelief was their wish for a Messiah who would exalt them to glory above all the nations in the world; also that they were wholly natural and not spiritual; also that they had falsified the Word, especially where it treats of the Lord and also of themselves. That such were the causes of their unbelief is evident also from the faith of the Jews at this day, who are altogether natural, and know or wish to know scarcely anything about the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens. That neither would those in the Christian world at the present day believe that the Lord is one with the Father, and is therefore the God of heaven and earth, is meant by the Lord’s words in Luke:
When the Son of man cometh shall He find faith on the earth? (18:8).
But on this subject, the Lord willing, more will be said elsewhere.
* The photolithograph has “filiam” “daughter,” for “filium,” “son.”
** The Latin has “Father” for “God.”

sRef Rev@13 @11 S0′ 816. And he had two horns like a lamb, signifies a power as if from the Lord, of persuading that there is a conjunction with the Word of faith separate. This is evident from the signification of “horns,” as being power (see above, n. 316, 776); also from the signification of “two,” as being conjunction (see above, n. 532 at the end); also from the signification of a “lamb,” as being the Lord in relation to the Divine Human (see also above, n. 314); therefore “to have two horns like a lamb” signifies a power as if from the Lord of persuading that there is a conjunction with the Word of faith separate, as can be seen from what precedes and from what follows; from what precedes, in that “the beast coming up out of the earth” signifies confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word in favor of faith separate from life (see just above, n. 815); and from what follows, in that it is said that this beast “spake as the dragon,” and that “all the authority of the first beast he exercised before him,” which signifies a similar affection, thought, doctrine, and preaching as belong to those who separate faith from the life of faith, which is charity, also the conjunction of the reasonings from the natural man, by which the religion of faith separate is strengthened, which will be treated of in the next articles. Thence it is clear that as the “horns” of this beast signify the power of persuading, “two” signifies conjunction, and “a lamb” the Lord, so “this beast having two horns like a lamb” signifies a power as if from the Lord of persuading that there is a conjunction with the Word of faith separate from life. Upon the head of this beast two horns only were seen, but upon the head of the former beast ten horns, because this beast signifies confirmations from the Word; and in the Word there is the marriage of good and truth, and this marriage is signified by “two.” So, too, the horns appeared “like a lamb,” because a “lamb” means the Lord, here the Lord in relation to the Word. That the Lord in respect to His Divine Human is the Word, that is, the Divine truth, is declared in the plainest terms in John:
That the Word became flesh (1:14).
[2] Such a power of persuading and confirming any heresy whatever from the Word is well known in the Christian world from the many heresies there, everyone of which is confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word and thus they are persuaded. The reason is that the sense of the letter of the Word is accommodated to the apprehension of the simple, and therefore consists in large part of appearances of truth; and it is the nature of appearances of truth to be capable of being adapted to confirm anything that anyone may adopt as a principle of religion and thence of doctrine, thus even when it is false. Consequently those who place genuine truth itself in the sense of the letter of the Word only, are open to many errors unless they are in enlightenment from the Lord, and in that enlightenment form doctrine for themselves that will serve them as a lamp. In the sense of the letter of the Word there are naked truths as well as truths clothed, and these latter are appearances of truth, and appearances of truth can be understood only from passages where naked truths stand out; out of these doctrine can be formed by one who is enlightened by the Lord, and according to that doctrine all other things can be explained. This is why those who read the Word without doctrine are led into manifold errors. The Word was so written in order that there might be a conjunction of heaven with man; and there is a conjunction because every expression in the Word, and in some passages every letter, contains a spiritual sense, in which the angels are; consequently when man perceives the Word according to its appearances of truth the angels that are about man understand it spiritually. Thus the spiritual of heaven is conjoined with the natural of the world in respect to such things as contribute to man’s life after death. If the Word had been written otherwise no conjunction of heaven with man would have been possible.
[3] And because the Word in the letter is such it serves as it were as a support for heaven; for all the wisdom of the angels of heaven in respect to things pertaining to the church terminates in the sense of the letter of the Word as in its basis; consequently the Word in the letter may be called the support of heaven. For this reason the sense of the letter of the Word is most holy, and is even more powerful than its spiritual sense, as has been made known to me by much experience in the spiritual world, for when spirits bring forward any passage according to the sense of the letter they immediately excite some heavenly society to conjunction with them. From this it can be seen that all things of the doctrine of the church are to be confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word that there may be in them any sanctity and power, and moreover from those books of the Word in which there is a spiritual sense. Thence it is also evident how dangerous it is to falsify the Word even to the destruction of the Divine truth that is in its spiritual sense; for by so doing heaven is closed to man. That this is done by those who confirm by the Word the separation of faith from its life, which is good works, has been shown above.

sRef Rev@13 @11 S0′ 817. And he spake as a dragon, signifies with a similar affection, thought, doctrine, and preaching, as belong to those who separate faith from the life of faith, which is charity. This is evident from the signification of “speaking,” as being affection, thought, doctrine, and preaching. This is the signification of “speaking” because all the speech of man is from affection and the consequent thought. The affection itself is expressed by the sound of the speech, and the thought by its words. The affection and the thought are both of them in the speech, as everyone who reflects can see. The affection alone by itself cannot speak, it can only make a sound and sing; nor can thought alone by itself speak otherwise than as an automaton without life, since it is the affection that gives life to every expression of speech; and this is why a man is regarded by others according to the affection of his speech and not according to the words he utters. “To speak” signifies also to preach from doctrine, thus doctrine and preaching therefrom, because it is said that the beast “spake as a dragon;” and a “dragon” means those who are in faith separated from charity both in doctrine and in life (see above, n. 714); and this beast means confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word in favor of the separation of faith from life, and the resulting falsifications of the Word; consequently “to speak as a dragon” signifies that kind of religion in respect to doctrine and preaching.
[2] As faith separate from charity and the resulting falsification of the Word are described by the dragon and its two beasts, I will show in this article that a like heresy is depicted in the Word by “Cain,” by “Reuben,” and by the “Philistines,” and the like is meant also by the “he-goat” in Daniel. For there have been several churches on this earth, namely, the Most Ancient, which was before the flood; the Ancient, which was after the flood; the Jewish, which followed the Ancient; and lastly the Christian Church. All of these churches degenerated in process of time into two enormous errors, into one which adulterated all the goods of the church, and into the other which falsified all its truths. The church that adulterated all the goods of the church is described in the Word by the “Babylonians and Chaldeans;” and the church that falsified all the truths of the church is described by “Cain,” by “Reuben,” and by the “Philistines,” and by the “he-goat” in Daniel which fought with the ram and overcame it. The adulteration of the good of the church, which is described by the “Babylonians and Chaldeans,” will be spoken of hereafter where “Babylon” is treated of in Revelation; but now the falsification of truth shall be treated of, which is described here in Revelation by “the dragon and his two beasts,” and was also described by “Cain,” and by the others above mentioned.
sRef Gen@4 @19 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @10 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @26 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @11 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @7 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @6 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @8 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @20 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @9 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @23 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @15 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @17 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @3 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @16 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @18 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @13 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @12 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @25 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @14 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @24 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @21 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @22 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @2 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @5 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @1 S3′ sRef Gen@4 @4 S3′ [3] That those who separate the knowledges of truth and good from a life according to them, and who believe that they may be saved by these alone, were represented by “Cain,” has been briefly shown in the Arcana Coelestia where Cain and Abel are treated of; to which this shall be added. It is written of Cain:
That he was the firstborn of Adam, and that he tilled the ground, and brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to Jehovah; and that Abel was a shepherd of the flock, and brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof; also that Jehovah had respect unto the offering of Abel and not unto the offering of Cain, that therefore Cain’s anger was kindled and he slew his brother; and that Cain was therefore accursed and rejected from the ground, and became a wanderer and fugitive in the earth; and that Jehovah set a sign upon Cain lest he should be slain, and decreed that whoever should slay him should have vengeance taken on him sevenfold (see Gen. 4).
It is to be known that all names of persons and places in the Word signify things and states of the church, especially the names in the first chapters of Genesis, because the stories in those chapters are made-up histories containing the deepest arcana of heaven, and yet they are most holy in the sense of the letter, because in every least word there is a spiritual sense that conjoins the heavens with the men of the church. What these stories involve in the spiritual sense and what the names of the persons there signify has been explained in the Arcana Coelestia. “Cain” signifies the knowledges of truth and good separated from a life according to them, thus from heavenly love, and “Abel” signifies heavenly love; or what is the same, “Cain” signifies truth separated from good, and “Abel” good conjoined with truth. And as truth is the first thing of the church, since every church is formed by means of truths, because every church begins from truths or from the knowledges of truth and good, therefore Cain was the firstborn, and was named “man” [vir] of Jehovah,” “man of Jehovah” signifying in the Word the truth of heaven and the church; and the “ground” which Cain tilled signifies the church. The separation of truth from good is signified by the murder of Abel by Cain; for when everything of the church is placed in truths or in knowledges, and not in goods or in the affection of living according to truths, good with its affections is slain. And as everything of the church perishes when truth is separated from good, so Cain “was cast forth from the ground,” which, as has been said, signifies the church. But because truths are the first things of the church, for life must be learned from truths, “a sign was set on Cain, lest someone should slay him; and it was decreed that if anyone should slay him he should be avenged seven-fold.” And because truth without good is carried hither and thither, having nothing to lead it, and consequently falls successively into falsities, and departs from the way that leads to heaven, so Cain “was cast forth from the face of Jehovah, and became a wanderer and fugitive.” The like is true of faith and charity, since faith is of truth and charity is of good; so when faith is separated from charity what is said of Cain takes place, namely, that “it kills Abel its brother,” which is charity, and in consequence the church perishes, which is signified by “being cast forth from the ground, and becoming a wanderer and fugitive,” for when faith is separated from charity truth is successively turned into falsity and falls away.
[4] It has been shown above (n. 434), that “Reuben,” the firstborn of Jacob, signified the light of truth and thence the understanding of the Word, and thus truth from good or faith from charity, as did the apostle Peter; and that conversely, “Reuben” represented truth separated from good, or faith separated from charity, and that this faith is signified by his adultery with Bilhah his father’s concubine, in consequence of which the birthright was taken away from him and given to Joseph. To this may be added, that all heresies, so far as they are adulterations and falsifications of the Word, correspond to adulteries and whoredoms of various kinds, and these because of this correspondence are actually perceived in the spiritual world from those who are in heresies. The reason of this is that marriages as they exist in the heavens derive their spiritual origin from the conjunction of good and truth; and conversely, adulteries derive their origin from the conjunction of evil and falsity; and this is why heaven is compared in the Word to a marriage, and hell to adultery. And as there is in the hells the conjunction of evil and falsity, so there continually exhales therefrom a sphere of adultery. It is for this reason that “adulteries and whoredoms” signify in the Word the adulterations of the good of the church and the falsifications of its truth (see above, n. 141, 161).
sRef Gen@49 @4 S5′ sRef Gen@49 @3 S5′ [5] In respect to faith separated from charity, this is perceived in the spiritual world as the adultery of a son with a mother as also with a step-mother. This is so because that faith shuts out the good of charity; and when this is shut out the evil of the love of self and of the world takes its place, and that faith conjoins itself with that love. For every kind of faith must necessarily conjoin itself with some love; therefore when spiritual love, which is charity, is separated, faith then conjoins itself with the love of self or with the love of the world, which are the loves that are dominant in the natural man; and this is why so heinous an adultery results from faith separated from charity. From this then it is clear what is signified by the adultery of Reuben with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and why he was rejected for this reason from the right of the primogeniture. This is also meant by the prophecy of Israel his father respecting Reuben:
Reuben my firstborn, thou art my power and the beginning of my vigor; excelling in exaltation and excelling in strength; light as water, thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed, then thou didst profane it, he went up to my couch (Gen. 49:3, 4).
These words may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 6341-6350). That such adultery is perceived in the spiritual world from faith separated from charity has been made evident to me from correspondences in that world. For whenever I have perceived afar off the sphere of adultery with a mother or stepmother, I have known at once that those who had confirmed themselves in faith alone both in doctrine and in life were near, and they were also then discovered; and when they had been explored they were found to have been such in the world.
[6] So much respecting Reuben; we will now speak of the Philistines; these also in the Word represent faith separated from love. It was for this reason that they were called the “uncircumcised;” for “one uncircumcised” signifies one who is destitute of spiritual love, and is solely in natural love, and with that love alone no religious principle can be conjoined, much less anything of the church; for every religious principle and everything of the church has regard to the Divine, to heaven, and to spiritual life; and these cannot be conjoined with any other than a spiritual love; but not with a natural love separated from a spiritual love; since natural love separated from spiritual love is man’s own [proprium], and this, regarded in itself, is nothing but evil. All the wars that the sons of Israel waged against the Philistines represented the combats of the spiritual man with the natural man, and thence also the combats of truth conjoined with good against truth separated from good, which in itself is not truth but falsity. For truth separated from good is falsified in the idea of the thought respecting it, and for the reason that there is nothing spiritual present in the thought to enlighten it. For the same reason those who are in faith separated from charity have no truth, except merely in their speech or in their preaching from the Word, the idea of truth instantly perishing as soon as truth is thought about.
[7] Because this religion exists in the churches with all who love to live a natural life, so in the land of Canaan the Philistines were not subjugated, as the other nations of that land were, and consequently there were many battles with them. For all the historical things of the Word are representative of such things as pertain to the church; and all the nations of the land of Canaan represented things heretical confirming either the falsities of faith or the evils of the love; while the sons of Israel represented the truths of faith and the goods of love, and thus the church. But what was represented by the wars that the inhabitants of the land of Canaan carried on will be told in its place and time; here it shall merely be shown that the Philistines represented a religious principle separated from spiritual good, such as is the religious principle of faith alone separated from its life, which is charity. This is why the sons of Israel whenever they fell away from the worship of Jehovah to the worship of other gods were given over to their enemies, or were conquered by them:
Thus they were given over to the Philistines, and served them eighteen years, and afterwards forty years (Judges 10; 13).
This represented their departure from the worship from the good of love and the truths of faith to worship from the evils of love and the falsities of faith. Likewise:
The sons of Israel were conquered and distressed by the Philistines (1 Sam. 4; 13; 28; 29; 31).
But when the sons of Israel returned to the worship of Jehovah, which was the worship from the good of love and the truths of faith, they conquered the Philistines (1 Sam. 7, 14; 2 Sam. 5, 8, 21, 23; 2 Kings 18). That these historical things involve such things can be seen only from the series of things there described when viewed in the internal sense, to present which here would occupy too much time; therefore one passage only from the prophetical parts of the Word shall be cited, from which it will be manifest that such things as pertain to the church were represented by the Philistines in these narratives.
sRef Isa@14 @32 S8′ sRef Isa@14 @30 S8′ sRef Isa@14 @31 S8′ sRef Isa@14 @29 S8′ [8] Thus in Isaiah:
Rejoice not, O Philistea, all of thee, because the rod that smiteth thee is broken; for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a basilisk, whose fruit shall be a fiery-flying serpent. Then the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety; and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant. Howl, O gate; cry out, O city; thou whole Philistea art dissolved; for from the north cometh a smoke, and none shall be alone in thy assemblies. What then shall one answer, ye messengers of the nation? That Jehovah hath founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of His people shall hope (14:29-32).
This describes Philistea, which signifies the church, or those in the church who indeed are in truths from the sense of the letter of the Word or from some other revelation, and yet are in filthy loves, consequently their truths are not living truths; and truths not living are turned into falsities when they are brought from exterior thought, which is the thought next to the speech, into interior thought, which belongs to the understanding, also when this thought considers truths in their origin, which those who are meant by “the Philistines” do not see. They do not see for the reason that while every man, even an evil man, has a faculty to understand, he has no good of the will, which is the good of life; for this good springs from love to God and from love to the neighbor, and it is these loves that cause that faculty to communicate with heaven and receive enlightenment therefrom.
[9] This chapter in Isaiah describes those who are in truths without good, and shows that with such all truths are turned into falsities. This, therefore, is the spiritual sense of these words: “Rejoice not, O Philistea, all of thee, because the rod that smiteth thee is broken,” signifies that they should not rejoice because they are permitted to remain in their heresy by reason of the fewness of those who are in truths from good; “for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a basilisk” signifies that out of the sensual man a dogma destructive of all truth will arise; “the serpent’s root” being the sensual, which is the ultimate of man’s life, and “the basilisk” being the destruction of all truth. “Whose fruit shall be a fiery-flying serpent” signifies from which there will spring faith separated from charity; this faith is meant by “a fiery-flying serpent” because it flies upwards by means of reasonings and confirmations from things revealed that are not understood, and thus it kills the things that are living. In like manner “the basilisk” has a similar signification as “the dragon,” which is also called “a serpent;” and “the fiery-flying serpent” has a similar signification as “the beast coming up out of the sea and the beast out of the earth,” in this chapter of Revelation. “Then the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety,” signifies that when that dogma is received by those who are natural and sensual men, and who believe themselves to be wiser than others, truths from good with those who desire what is true and will what is good, will become living; “the firstborn” in the Word signify truths born from good; the “poor” those who are not in truths but who still desire them, and the “needy” those who are not in goods but who in heart will them. “And I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant,” signifies that all truths, from the first of them to the last, will be destroyed by falsities. “Howl, O gate; cry out, O city,” signifies that no entrance will be granted to any truth, and that doctrine will be made up of mere falsities, “gate” signifying entrance to the truths of doctrine, and “city” doctrine. “Thou whole Philistea art dissolved” signifies the destruction of that church by mere falsities. “For from the north cometh a smoke” signifies that every falsity from evil will break in from hell, “the north” meaning hell, and “smoke” the falsity of evil. “And none shall be alone in thy assemblies” signifies that there shall not remain a single truth among their knowledges. “What then shall one answer, ye messengers of the nation?” signifies the enlightenment of those who are in the good of life from love to the Lord. “That Jehovah hath founded Zion” signifies that a church shall be established from them; “and in her the afflicted of His people shall hope” signifies that those who are not in wisdom from self, and who conquer in temptations against such falsities, shall have intelligence and salvation.
[10] The vastation of truth by falsities with those who are meant by “the Philistines” is also described by Jeremiah 47:1-7; likewise in Ezekiel 25:15, 16; in Joel 3:4-6; in Amos 1:8. That such falsify truths is meant by “the daughters of the Philistines,” mentioned in Ezekiel 16:27, 57; also in 2 Sam. 1:20; “the daughters of the Philistines” there meaning the affections of falsity. Their religious principle was also represented by their idol called Dagon, which was set up in Ashdod, and which, according to their description, was formed like a man from the head to the navel, and like a fish from the navel downwards; its being like a man from the head to the navel represented the understanding derived from truths; and like a fish from the navel downwards represented the natural destitute of the good of love; for the lower part down to the knees corresponds to celestial love, and a “fish” signifies the natural man which is without spiritual good. (That “man” [homo] signifies the affection of truth, may be seen above, n. 280; that his “head” signifies the understanding of truth and intelligence therefrom, n. 553; that a “fish” signifies the natural man, n. 513; and that the generative organs signify from correspondence celestial love, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5050-5062. Moreover, the “emerods” with which the Philistines were smitten when the ark of God was held captive by them, signified truths defiled by evils of life; but these and other things related about them in 1 Sam. 5 may be seen explained above, n. 700.)
[11] Truth defiled by evil of life is signified also by “the uncircumcised” (2 Sam. 1:20; Ezek. 28:10; 31:18; 32:18, 19; 44:9). For the foreskin corresponds to corporeal love, because the member which it covers corresponds to spiritual and celestial love. And because “the Philistines” represented those who are in knowledge (scientia) and cognitions of truth without any spiritual and celestial good, they were called “uncircumcised.” And as the sons of Israel were also actually of the same character, in order that they might nevertheless represent the church which is in spiritual and celestial good and in truths therefrom, it was commanded that they should be circumcised. From this it can be seen that the religious principle at this day that separates charity from faith is in the representative sense Philistea.
[12] So much respecting the Philistines. Something shall now be said about the goats and sheep, upon which judgment will be executed, according to the Lord’s words in Matthew (25:31 to the end). The common opinion is that the “goats” there mean all the evil, and it has not been known heretofore that the “goats” there mean those who are in faith separated from charity, and the “sheep” those who are in faith from charity. In a good sense “goats” mean those who are in natural good and in truths therefrom, which truths are called the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good from the natural sense of the Word. Such as these, or such good and such truth therefrom, are signified by the goats that were sacrificed. That there were also sacrifices of goats is evident from Lev. 4:23; 9:2-4, 8-23; 16:2-20; 23:18,19; Num. 15:22-29; 28:11-15, 18 to the end; 29; and elsewhere. For all the beasts that were offered as sacrifices signified such things as pertain to the church, all of which have reference to goods and truths. The celestial goods and the truths therefrom in which are the angels in the third heaven were signified by “lambs,” while the spiritual goods and truths in which are the angels in the middle heaven were signified by “rams,” and the natural goods and truths therefrom, in which are the angels who are in the lowest heaven, were signified by “goats.” Celestial goods and truths are with those who are in love to the Lord; but spiritual goods and truths are with those who are in love towards the neighbor; and natural goods and truths with those who live well according to truths from natural affection. This is the signification of these three kinds of beasts in various parts of the Word (as in Ezek. 27:21; Deut. 32:14).
[13] But as most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so “goats” signify in that sense those who are in faith separated from charity, for the reason that they are more lascivious than other animals, and that they signify in the genuine sense those who are in natural good and the truth thence, and all who are in faith separated from charity both in doctrine and in life are merely natural. That such are meant in the Word by “goats” has been shown me to the life in the spiritual world. There various beasts are seen; but they are not such beasts as exist in our world, that is, not beasts that have been born, but they are correspondences of the affections and of the thoughts therefrom of spirits and angels; consequently as soon as those affections and the thoughts therefrom vary and cease, these beasts vanish out of sight. That I might know that those who are in faith separated from charity, or rather the affections and thoughts of such from their faith, are represented by “goats,” it was granted me to see some of those spirits; and they appeared before my eyes and the eyes of many others altogether as goats with horns. Moreover, when rams and sheep were sent among them these goats being kindled with anger rushed upon them, and strove to throw them down, but in vain. For in the spiritual world goats have no power against the rams or sheep, therefore the goats were overcome. Afterwards it was granted me to see the same as men; and this was a proof that the goats were identical with those who had lived in the world in faith separated from charity.
sRef Dan@8 @2 S14′ sRef Dan@8 @3 S14′ sRef Dan@8 @1 S14′ sRef Zech@10 @3 S14′ sRef Dan@8 @11 S14′ sRef Ezek@34 @17 S14′ sRef Dan@8 @6 S14′ sRef Dan@8 @5 S14′ sRef Dan@8 @8 S14′ sRef Dan@8 @9 S14′ sRef Dan@8 @10 S14′ sRef Dan@8 @7 S14′ sRef Dan@8 @4 S14′ sRef Dan@8 @12 S14′ [14] From this what is signified by the “ram” and the “he-goat,” and “the battle between them,” in the eighth chapter of Daniel can be seen, namely, that the “ram” there means those who are in faith from charity, and the “he-goat” those who are in faith separated from charity. Thus the future state of the church is there described, namely, that faith separate would dissipate all charity, which is the good of life, and falsity therefrom would have rule in the Christian world. To illustrate this, I will present a summary of what is related in Daniel respecting the ram and the he-goat, as follows:
Daniel saw in vision a ram that had two horns, one higher than the other, but the higher came up last; and he made himself great. But then a he-goat of the goats came from the west over the faces of all the earth; and he charged upon the ram and smote him, and broke his two horns; and he cast the ram down to the earth, and trampled upon him. The he-goat had a horn between his eyes, and when this was broken there came up four horns in its place towards the four winds of the heavens; and out of one of them came forth one horn which grew exceedingly, even to the host of the heavens, and cast down some of the host and of the stars to the earth and trampled upon them. Yea, it exalted itself even to the prince of the host, and the continual burnt-offering was taken away from him, and the dwelling-place of his sanctuary was cast down; and it cast down the truth to the earth (8:1-14, seq.).
That the “ram” here means those who are in faith from charity, and the “he-goat” those who are in faith separated from charity, may be seen above (n. 316 and n. 573), where the same things are explained; therefore I pass by any further explanation.
[15] Again that “he-goats” mean those who are in faith separated from charity, and “rams” those who are in faith from charity, is evident also in Ezekiel:
And as for you, O my flock, behold I judge between cattle and cattle, and between rams and he-goats (34:17).
Likewise in Zechariah:
Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I will visit upon the he-goats (10:3).
From this it can be seen that the goats and the sheep in Matthew (25:31 to the end) have the same meaning; consequently works of charity only are there enumerated which were done by the sheep, and were not done by the goats. That such are there meant by the “goats” was proved also when the Last Judgment was accomplished upon those who belonged to the Christian Church; for then all those who were in faith separated from charity both in doctrine and life were cast into hell; and all who were in faith from charity were kept safe.

sRef Rev@13 @12 S0′ 818. Verse 12. And all the authority of the first beast he exerciseth before him; and he maketh the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose stroke of death was healed. 12. “And all the authority of the first beast he exerciseth before him,” signifies the connection of the reasonings from the natural man with the sense of the letter of the Word, by which the religion of faith separate is strengthened (n. 819); “and he maketh the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast,” signifies in consequence of which those in the church who are in falsities and in evils therefrom in heart acknowledge the agreement (n. 821); “whose stroke of death was healed,” signifies and thus the discordance was removed by devised conjunctions of works with faith (n. 822).

sRef Rev@13 @12 S0′ 819. Verse 12. And all the authority of the first beast he exerciseth before him, signifies the connection of the reasonings from the natural man with the sense of the letter of the Word, by which the religion of faith separate is strengthened. This is evident from the signification of “the beast coming up out of the earth,” which exercised all the authority of the first beast before the dragon, as being confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word in favor of faith separated from life, and the consequent falsifications of truth (see above, n. 815), also from the signification of “the first beast,” as being reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from the life (see above, n. 774); also from the signification of “the dragon,” before which this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast, as being in general, faith separated from the life of faith, which is charity. From this it can be seen that this beast’s “exercising all the authority of the first beast before the dragon” signifies the connection of reasonings from the natural man with the sense of the letter of the Word, by which the religion of faith separate is confirmed.
[2] The connection of reasonings from the natural man with the sense of the letter of the Word is meant, because nothing false can ever be confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word except by means of reasonings from the natural man. For the Word in the letter consists of appearances of truth and also of correspondences, and both of these in their bosom, that is, in their spiritual sense, contain genuine truths; consequently when any falsity is confirmed by the appearances of truth that correspond to genuine truths the Word is falsified; and the falsification of the Word can be effected only by reasonings from the natural man. This is why “the dragon,” which signifies the heretical dogma of faith alone, is further described by two beasts, by the first of which reasoning from the natural man in favor of faith separated from its life, which is charity, is described; and by the other, confirmation from the sense of the letter of the Word, and thus corroboration of it, also the falsification of truth, are described; from which it is again evident that this beast’s “exercising all the authority of the first beast before the dragon” signifies the connection of reasonings from the natural man with the sense of the letter of the Word. But these things shall be illustrated by examples.
(1) sRef John@14 @21 S3′ sRef John@14 @24 S3′ [3] The dogmatists who contend for faith alone pay no attention to any of those passages of the Word where “works,” “deeds,” “working,” and “doing,” are mentioned; and yet these are so plain as to admit of no contrary reasoning; nevertheless by reasonings they wrest these passages from their genuine meaning and bend and turn them away from the genuine truth that is in the heavens, and that is contained in their spiritual sense. For they reason by saying that faith alone includes deeds and works, because those who are in faith are also in these, thus they are wrought by faith; when in fact, faith without deeds or works is a dead faith, by which nothing can be wrought. If this is said to them they argue that deeds are nevertheless present by a secret Divine operation, although they exclude them from being a means of salvation, thus that they may be present and not be present, as can be seen from justification by instantaneous faith, and also in the hour of death, even in the case of evil men. (2) It is a reasoning from the natural man that faith separate from goods of life is also spiritual, and yet the goods that are of love are what give life to faith, and make it spiritual. For love is the very soul of faith, and love is doing, for what a man loves he wills, and what he wills he does. And this the Lord teaches in John:
He that hath My commandments and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me; but he that loveth Me not keepeth not My words (14:21, 24).
Thence it is clear that faith without works is not spiritual; for it is without its soul, and faith without its soul is a dead faith. (3) It is also a reasoning from the natural man that faith was made the means of salvation because man cannot do good of himself. (4) It is also a reasoning from the natural man that those who are merely in faith are in God and in a state of grace, even so that nothing can condemn them. From this it is believed by many that it is not necessary to live a Christian life, which is according to the Lord’s commandments; for they say to themselves, Why should I give any thought to works, when good works do not save and evil works do not condemn? I have faith that the Lord suffered the cross for the sins of the world, and delivered us from the condemnation of the law; what more is necessary? (5) It is a reasoning from the natural man that faith alone is like a seed from which all kinds of salvation spring forth like shrubs and trees from seed in gardens; and yet in faith alone there is no seed of life except what is from the spiritual life of man. (6) Moreover, all those things that are taught by the learned dogmatists of this religious principle respecting the progression to justification through faith alone are reasonings from the natural man; as, that the trust of that faith must be acquired from the Word, from preaching, and from the authority of teachers, without intellectual sight; and if the understanding enters into it faith does not become spiritual. And yet when the intellectual sight is excluded man is blind, and before a blind man falsities can be confirmed as well as truths, and even better than truths, because with one who is blind fallacies which are darkness avail more than truths themselves which are in light. Shut up the understanding, bring forth reasonings, and cite confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word, and you will persuade yourself of anything you wish, especially in theological matters that ascend into the interior of the rational mind.
[4] These are called reasonings from the natural man, because the natural man is in the delights of the love of self and of the world; and these delights, when they prevail, cause man to believe only such things as agree with them, which in themselves are falsities. They also induce darkness in everything spiritual, even to the extent that man shuns heavenly light, and thus rejects all enlightenment of the understanding. The reason is that the natural man, separated from the spiritual, regards only self and the world, and not the Lord and heaven; and thus he is conjoined to hell, which is the source of all falsities; and these can never be dissipated except by the prevalence of heavenly love and by genuine truths which are from that love. This, then, is why these are called reasonings from the natural man, and why reasonings from the natural man are what falsify the Word; for the Word cannot be falsified except by reasonings from the natural man.

sRef Rev@13 @12 S0′ sRef Mark@5 @37 S1′ 820. As it was shown in a preceding article (n. 817), that Cain, Reuben, and the Philistines, represent in the Word those who are in truths separated from good, I will now show that the apostle Peter in the Word of the Evangelists means truth from good which is from the Lord, and also in the contrary sense, truth separated from good. And as truth is of faith and good is of charity, “Peter” also means faith from charity, and again faith separated from charity. For the twelve apostles, like the twelve tribes of Israel, represented the church in respect to all things of it, thus in respect to truths and goods, since all things of the church have reference to these, the same as to faith and love; for truths are of faith, and goods are of love. In general, Peter, James, and John, represented faith, charity, and the works of charity; and this is why these three followed the Lord more than the others, and it is said of them in Mark:
He suffered no one to follow Him save Peter, James, and John (5:37).
sRef Mark@3 @13 S2′ sRef Mark@3 @17 S2′ sRef Matt@4 @18 S2′ sRef John@1 @42 S2′ sRef John@1 @40 S2′ sRef Mark@3 @16 S2′ sRef John@1 @41 S2′ sRef Matt@4 @20 S2′ sRef Matt@4 @19 S2′ [2] And as truth from good, which is from the Lord, is the first thing of the church, Peter was the first to be called by his brother Andrew, and afterwards James and John were called, as is evident in Matthew:
Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee saw two brethren, Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And He said unto them, Come ye after Me, and I will make you fishers of men. And straightway leaving their nets they followed Him (4:18-20).
In John:
Andrew findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And therefore he brought him to Jesus. And Jesus looking upon him, said unto him, Thou art Simon the son of Jonah; thou shalt be called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, Peter (1:41-43)
In Mark:
Jesus going up into a mountain calls unto Him whom He would, first Simon upon whom He conferred the name Peter, and afterwards James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (3:13, 16, 17).
Peter was the first of the apostles because truth from good is the first thing of the church; for, from the world a man does not know anything about heaven and hell, nor of a life after death, nor even about God. His natural light teaches nothing except what has entered through the eyes, thus nothing except what relates to the world and to self; and from these is his life; and so long as he is in these only he is in hell; and therefore, that he may be withdrawn from these and be led to heaven he must needs learn truths, which teach not only that there is a God, that there is a heaven and a hell, and that there is a life after death, but also teach the way to heaven. From this it is clear that truth is the first thing through which man has the church. But it must be truth from good, for truth without good is mere knowledge that a thing is so; and mere knowledge does nothing except to make a man capable of becoming a church; but this is not effected until he lives according to knowledges. Then truth is conjoined to good, and man is introduced into the church. Moreover, truths teach how a man ought to live; and when man is affected by truths for the sake of truths, which is done when he loves to live according to them, he is led by the Lord, and conjunction with heaven is granted him, and he becomes spiritual, and after death an angel of heaven. Nevertheless it is to be known that it is not truths that produce these effects, but good by means of truths; and good is from the Lord. Because truth from good, which is from the Lord, is the first thing of the church, Peter was the first to be called, and was the first of the apostles, and he was also named by the Lord “Cephas,” which means petra [a rock]; but, that it might be the name of a person, he is called Petrus [Peter]. In the highest sense “rock” [Petra] signifies the Lord in relation to Divine truth, or Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; consequently in a relative sense “rock” signifies truth from good, which is from the Lord, the like is meant by Peter. (That “rock” has this signification see above, n. 411. But what “Simon son of Jonah” signifies see also above, n. 443).
[3] These three apostles were fishermen, and the Lord said unto them, “Come ye after Me, and I will make you fishers of men,” because “to fish” signifies to instruct natural men; for there were at that time, both within the church and outside of it, natural men who became spiritual as they received the Lord and received truths from Him.
sRef Matt@16 @14 S4′ sRef Matt@16 @18 S4′ sRef Matt@16 @17 S4′ sRef Matt@16 @16 S4′ sRef Matt@16 @19 S4′ sRef Matt@16 @15 S4′ [4] From this the signification of the Lord’s words to Peter concerning the keys may be deduced; as in Matthew:
When some had said that Jesus was John the Baptist, others Elijah, others Jeremiah or another of the prophets, Jesus said to the disciples, But whom say ye that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon son of Jonah; for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but My Father who is in the heavens. And I say also unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens (16:14-19).
This was said by the Lord to Peter because truth from good, which is from the Lord, is the first thing of the church, and this was what Peter signified; and this was said when he acknowledged the Lord to be the Messiah or the Christ, and to be the Son of the living God; for without such an acknowledgment truth is not truth, because truth derives its origin, essence, and life from good, and good from the Lord. Because truth from good, which is from the Lord, is the first thing of the church, therefore the Lord says, “upon this rock will I build My church.” It has been said just above that “Peter” or “Rock” signifies in the highest sense Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and in a relative sense truth from good, which is from the Lord. That “the gates of hell shall not prevail” signifies that falsities from evil, which are from the hells, will not dare to rise up against those of the church who are in truths from good from the Lord, “the gates of hell” signifying all things of hell, for there are gates to all the hells through which falsities from evil exhale and rise up. “The keys of the heavens” signify the introduction into heaven of all those who are in truths from good from the Lord; “whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on the earth shall be loosed in the heavens,” signifies that heaven is opened by the Lord to those who are in truths from good from Him; and that it is closed to those who are not. These things were said to Peter; but because “Peter” means truth from good, which is from the Lord, they were said of the Lord, who is the source of good and its truth; and this is why they were said when Peter acknowledged the Lord to be the Messiah or the Christ, and the Son of the living God. Moreover, as soon as good is implanted in truths with man he is conjoined with the angels; but so long as good is not implanted in truths with man heaven is closed to him; for he then has evil in place of good, and falsities in place of truths. From this it is clear how sensuously those think who attribute such authority to Peter, when yet such authority belongs to the Lord alone.
sRef John@13 @6 S5′ sRef Mark@11 @24 S5′ sRef John@13 @7 S5′ sRef Mark@11 @23 S5′ sRef John@13 @8 S5′ sRef John@13 @5 S5′ sRef Mark@11 @21 S5′ sRef John@13 @9 S5′ sRef John@13 @4 S5′ sRef Matt@17 @26 S5′ sRef Matt@17 @27 S5′ sRef Matt@17 @24 S5′ sRef John@13 @3 S5′ sRef Matt@17 @25 S5′ sRef Mark@11 @22 S5′ sRef Matt@18 @22 S5′ sRef Matt@17 @1 S5′ sRef Matt@17 @2 S5′ sRef Matt@18 @21 S5′ sRef Matt@17 @3 S5′ sRef Matt@17 @5 S5′ sRef Matt@17 @4 S5′ sRef John@6 @68 S5′ sRef John@6 @69 S5′ sRef John@6 @67 S5′ sRef John@13 @10 S5′ [5] That “Peter” signifies truth from good, which is from the Lord, has been made manifest to me from heaven, as may be seen in the work on The Last Judgment (n. 57). Because “Peter” signified truth from good which is from the Lord, and consequently also doctrine, and thus he represented those who are in truths from good and in the doctrine of genuine truth from the Lord, and since such as these instruct others, and are instructed by the Lord, therefore Peter so often spoke with the Lord and was also instructed by the Lord. He spoke with the Lord at His transfiguration:
About making three tabernacles (Matt. 17:1-5; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:26-36).
The Lord then represented the Word, which is Divine truth; and “tabernacles” signify the worship of the Lord from the good of love and truths therefrom. (See above concerning the Lord’s transfiguration, n. 594; and concerning the signification of tabernacles, n. 799.) He spake about the Lord:
That He was the Christ, the Son of the living God (John 6:67-69).
He was taught by the Lord:
Respecting charity, that a brother must be forgiven as often as he sinned (Matt. 18:21, 22).
Respecting regeneration, which is signified by the one who having once bathed has no need except to wash his feet (John 13:10);
Respecting the power of truth from good from the Lord, which is meant by the power of those who have the faith of God (Mark 11:21, 23, 24);
Respecting sins, that they are forgiven to those who are in faith from love (Luke 7:40-48);
Respecting men who are spiritual, as being free; and those who are natural, as being servants, about which Peter was taught when he took the stater out of the mouth of a fish and gave it for tribute (a fish signifying the natural man, as likewise one that pays tribute. Matt. 17:24-27); as well as many other things (respecting which see Matt. 14:26-31; 19:27, 28; Mark 10:28, seq.; 13:3, seq.; 16:7; Luke 22:8, seq.; 24:12, 33, 34; John 18:10, 11; 20:3-8; 21:1-11).
sRef John@21 @17 S6′ sRef John@21 @15 S6′ sRef John@21 @16 S6′ [6] It was because Peter represented those who are in truths from the good of love to the Lord, or in doctrine from truths, and these are they who instruct others, that the Lord said to Peter when he replied that he loved Him, that “he should feed His lambs and sheep,” respecting which in John:
When they had breakfasted, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed My lambs. He saith to him again, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed My sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, Lovest thou Me? And he saith unto Him, Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed My sheep (21:15-17).
From this it is clearly evident that Peter represented truth from the good of love to the Lord, and this is why he was now called Simon son of Jonas, for “Simon son of Jonas” signifies faith from charity; “Simon” signifies hearkening and obedience, and “Jonas” means a dove, which signifies charity. That those who are in the doctrine of truth from love to the Lord are to instruct those who will be of the Lord’s church is meant by the Lord’s asking, “Lovest thou Me?” and afterwards by “Feed My lambs” and “My sheep.” Not that Peter only would instruct, but all those who were represented by Peter, who, as has been said, are those who are in love to the Lord, and thence in truths from the Lord. Peter was asked three times to signify the full time of the church from its beginning to its end, for this is the signification of “three;” so when he was asked the third time it is said that “Peter was grieved.”
sRef John@21 @22 S7′ sRef John@21 @19 S7′ sRef John@21 @21 S7′ sRef John@21 @23 S7′ sRef John@21 @20 S7′ sRef John@21 @18 S7′ [7] And as the third asking signified the end of the church, therefore these words of the Lord to Peter immediately follow in John:
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast younger thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldst; but when thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thou wouldst not. And when He had thus spoken He saith unto him, Follow Me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved, following; which also leaned on His breast at supper. Peter, seeing then,* saith to Jesus, Lord, but what about this one? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou Me. This saying therefore went forth among the brethren, that that disciple should not die. Yet Jesus said not unto him that he should not die, but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? (21:18-23).
What all this signifies no one can know unless he knows that “Peter” signifies faith from charity, and also faith without charity, faith from charity in the church at its beginning, and faith without charity when the church comes to its end; thus “Peter when he was younger” signifies the faith of the church in its beginning, and “when he became old” the faith of the church coming to an end; and “to gird himself and walk” signifies to learn truths and live according to them. From this it is evident that “I say unto thee, when thou wast younger thou girdedst thyself and walkedst whither thou wouldst,” signifies that the church in its beginning will be instructed in truths that are from good, and by means of them will be led by the Lord; and that “When thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch forth thine hands and another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thou wouldst not,” signifies that the church at its end will not know truths, but falsities that belong to faith without charity, and will be led by them, “to gird oneself” like as “to be clothed” signifying to be instructed in truths, because “garments” signify truths clothing good (see above, n. 195, 395, 637), and “to walk” signifying to live according to truths (see above, n. 97); consequently “to gird himself and walk whither he would” signifies to consider freely and to see truths, and do them; while “to stretch forth the hands” signifies not to be in such freedom; for “the hands” signify the power of truth from the understanding and perception of it, and “to stretch forth the hands” signifies not to have that power, thus neither the freedom to think and to see truth. “Another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thou wouldst not,” signifies to acknowledge as truths what another dictates, and what one does not see for oneself, as is done at this day with the religion of faith alone. This faith is what is now meant by “Peter,” and therefore it is said that Peter turning about saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, and said of him, “But what about this one?” likewise that Jesus said to Peter, “What is that to thee?” “The disciple following Jesus” signifies the goods of life, which are good works; and that these will not perish to the end of life is signified by the words that here follow.
sRef Matt@16 @23 S8′ sRef Matt@16 @21 S8′ sRef Matt@16 @22 S8′ sRef Luke@22 @31 S8′ [8] From this it can now be seen that “Peter” signifies also faith separated from charity, as also when:
Peter thrice denied the Lord (Matt. 26:69-75; Mark 14:29-31, 54, 66-72; Luke 22:33, 34, 50, 51, 55-62; John 13:36-38; 18:16-18, 25-27).
Also when the Lord, turning away from Peter, said to him, Get thee behind Me, Satan, thou art a stumbling-block unto Me; for thou savorest not the things that are of God, but the things that are of men (Matt. 16:21-23).
Also when the Lord said to him, Simon, Simon, Behold Satan demanded you that he might sift you as wheat (Luke 22:31).
All these things have been cited to make known that “Peter” in the representative sense signifies in the Gospels truth from good, which is from the Lord; also faith from charity; and also in the contrary sense truth separated from good, which in itself is falsity; also faith separated from charity, which in itself is not faith.
* Photolithograph has “tunc” for “hunc,” “then” for “him.”

sRef Rev@13 @12 S0′ 821. And he maketh the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, signifies in consequence of which those in the church who are in falsities and in evils therefrom acknowledge the agreement in heart. This is evident from the signification of “the earth and them that dwell therein,” as being those of the church who are in falsities and in evils therefrom; for “the earth” signifies the church that is in truths or that is in falsities, here, that which is in falsities; and “them that dwell therein” signify the goods or the evils of the church, here the evils; therefore as applied to the persons upon it, “the earth and them that dwell therein” signify those in the church who are in falsities and in evils therefrom. (That “the earth” signifies the church in respect to truths and in respect to falsities see above, n. 304, 413, 417, 697, 741, 752; and that “those that dwell” signify the good in the church, and also the evil, and in an abstract sense goods or evils, see above, n. 479.) The above is evident also from the signification of “worshiping,” as being to acknowledge as certain, to acknowledge in heart, and to believe (see above, n. 790, 805); also from the signification of “the first beast,” as being reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from the life (see above, n. 774), here the agreement of reasonings with the sense of the letter of the Word, because this “beast” signifies confirmations therefrom (see also above, n. 815). From this it is clear that the words “the beast coming up out of the earth maketh the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast” signifies that those in the church who are in falsities and in evils therefrom acknowledge the agreement in heart.
sRef Mark@5 @37 S2′ [2] In the preceding article it was shown that “Peter” signified truth and faith in both senses, namely, truth from good and truth without good; so also faith from charity and faith without charity. Something shall now be said about the apostle John, as signifying the works of charity. It has been said above that the twelve apostles, like the twelve tribes of Israel, represented the church in the whole complex, or all things of truth and good, or all things of faith and charity; likewise that Peter, James, and John, signified faith, charity, and the works of charity, in their order; from which it follows that when they were together they represented these as one. It is said as one, because without charity there is no faith that is faith; and without works there is no charity that is charity.
sRef Matt@4 @21 S3′ sRef Mark@1 @20 S3′ sRef Matt@4 @22 S3′ sRef Mark@3 @17 S3′ sRef Mark@1 @19 S3′ [3] Because these three apostles had this signification they followed the Lord more than the others, as can be seen in Mark, where it is said:
Jesus suffered no man to follow Him save Peter, James, and John the brother of James (5:37).
For this reason Peter was the first to be called by the Lord through Andrew, “Andrew” signifying the obedience of faith; and afterwards James and John were called; and to these two the Lord gave a new name. Likewise He took Peter, James, and John up into the mountain when He was transfigured; He also spoke with these three about the consummation of the age, and about His coming; they were also with the Lord in Gethsemane. That the Lord called James and John after He had called Peter is shown in the Gospels:
Jesus going on from thence saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. And straightway leaving the boat and their father, they followed Him (Matt. 4:21, 22; Mark 1:19, 20).
[4] That the Lord gave a new name to James and John is evident in Mark:
Jesus called James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, and them He surnamed Boanerges, which is, sons of thunder (3:17).
“Sons of thunder” signify truths from celestial good. This is the signification of “thunders” in the Word, because in the spiritual world thunders are also heard, and these are produced by truths that are from celestial good when these are descending from the higher heavens into the lower. The light itself of truth from good is then seen as lightning, the good itself is heard as thunder, and the truths themselves therefrom as variations of sound. This is why lightnings, thunders, and voices, are mentioned here and there in the Word with this signification. Good is there heard as thunder, because good, which is of man’s affection or love and is also of his will, is not spoken, but only sounds; while truth, which is of man’s understanding and of his thought therefrom, articulates that sound into words. Celestial good is the same thing as the good of love in will and in act; before this it is not celestial good; and celestial good is what produces truths by means of thought and speech therefrom. From this it is clear why James and John were called “sons of thunder.” (What “lightnings, thunders, and voices,” signify in the Word may be seen above, n. 273, 702, 704.) sRef Mark@14 @33 S5′ sRef Mark@9 @2 S5′ sRef Matt@26 @37 S5′ sRef Mark@13 @3 S5′ [5] That the Lord took Peter, James and John up into a mountain when He was transfigured appears in Mark (9:2) and in Luke (9:28). These were taken because only those who are in truths from celestial good are able to see the Lord in His glory; and no others can be enlightened and can perceive the Word in enlightenment. For when the Lord was transfigured before them He represented Divine truth, which is the Word; and this is why Moses and Elijah were seen speaking with Him, “Moses and Elijah” signifying the Word. (But on this see above, n. 594). That the Lord talked with Peter, James, and John, about the consummation of the age and about His coming is evident in Mark (13:3); and that these three were with the Lord in Gethsemane is evident in Matthew (26:37) and in Mark (14:33).
sRef John@13 @23 S6′ sRef John@13 @25 S6′ [6] As John represented the church in respect to good works, and good works contain all things of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor, John was more loved by the Lord than the others, as is evident:
From his reclining in the Lord’s bosom, and his gliding on His breast when he spake with Him (John 13:23, 25).
The “bosom” and the “breast” signify in the Word spiritual love, which is love in act; and “the Lord’s bosom and breast” Divine love itself; therefore those in heaven who are in spiritual love are in the province of the breast.
sRef John@19 @27 S7′ sRef John@19 @26 S7′ [7] So, too, John took the Lord’s mother to his own house, and abode with her; which is described thus in John:
Jesus from the cross saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing by; He saith to His mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then He saith to the disciple, Behold thy mother! Therefore from that hour the disciple took her unto his own home (19:26, 27).
This signified that the church is where there is charity in act, or where there are good works; for the Lord’s “mother” and “woman” signify the church, and “John” signifies charity in act, which is good works. (That “mother” signifies the church may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 289, 2691, 2717, 3703, 4257, 5581, 8897; and that “woman” has a similar signification see above n. 555, 707, 721, 730).
[8] That the Lord’s church is in those who are in charity in act, or in good works, and not with those who are in faith separated from these, is signified also by what is related about Peter and John, namely:
Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom the Lord loved following, which also leaned upon His breast at supper. Peter seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, but what about this one? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou Me (John 21:20-22).
It may be seen above (n. 820), where also the preceding words are explained, that “Peter” here signifies truth without good, or faith separated from good works, such as the faith will be at the end of the church; and as “John” signifies the goods of charity, which are called good works, and these are with those who constitute the Lord’s church; therefore it was not Peter but John who followed the Lord, and to Peter who had asked, “But what about this one?” the Lord replied, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou Me,” which means that the good of charity will continue with those who are the Lord’s, even to the end of the church and when there is the New Church, but not with those who are in faith separated from that good; and this is what is signified by these words to Peter, “what is that to thee?”

sRef Rev@13 @12 S0′ 822. Whose stroke of death was healed, signifies and thus the discordance was cleared away by devised conjunctions of works with faith. This is evident from the signification of “the stroke of death was healed” with the first beast, as being the discordance apparently cleared away by devised conjunctions of works with faith (see above, n. 786, where the same words occur). It is said, the discordance cleared away by devised conjunctions of works with faith, but what the nature of the conjunctions devised by them is, namely, that they are rather separations, may be seen in the place cited above.
[2] As it has been shown that in the Word of the Evangelists the apostle John signifies good works, which are also called the goods of charity and the goods of life, and that it was on account of this signification that John reclined on the Lord’s breast, I will now show what good works are; but here only that they include in themselves all things of charity and faith that are with man. No one has known heretofore that all things of man’s life are in his works, since works seem to be mere movements, which are called actions because they are alive with man, and are called speech because they are effected by movements of the mouth, tongue, and larynx. And yet these are what make manifest the charity and faith in man, and also complete and perfect them; and this for the reason that neither faith nor charity is with man until they actually exist; and they actually exist in works.
[3] All the things of charity and faith that are with man are in works, because works are the activities arising from his will and thought; and all things of the will and thought are brought forth and poured out into works, precisely as all things of cause into effects, and all things of a seed and tree into fruits; for works are their complements. That this is so is not apparent before man’s eyes, but is apparent perceptibly before the angels. When man is in the exercise of charity the sphere of all his affections and of the consequent thoughts is seen about him like clear water, and sometimes like a cloud, either bright white or obscure; and this sphere contains all things of his mind in their complex; and from it what is the quality of the man in respect to all things belonging to him is known to the angels. The reason is that everyone is his own love; and the works therefrom are what cause that love to be active, and when it is active it pours itself out round about him. This spiritual sphere manifests itself not only before the sight as an undulation, but also before the sight in various representative forms, and this to the extent that by those representatives the man, spirit, or angel, is seen precisely as he is.
[4] Another reason why works contain in themselves all things of the mind is that all successive things, which advance in their order from highest to lowest, or from first things to last, form in things lowest or ultimate what is simultaneous, in which all things higher or prior coexist. But what successive order is and what simultaneous order is may be seen above (n. 595, 666), also in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 634, 3691, 4145, 5114, 5897, 6239, 6326, 6465, 9215, 9216, 9828, 9836, 10044, 10099, 10329, 10335). Moreover, works are the ultimate things of man springing from his interiors, which are in successive order. From all this it is clear that in these works all things of man’s will and thought, consequently all things of his love and faith coexist. This, then, is why works are so often commanded in the Word by the Lord, and why man must be judged according to his works.
[5] From this it is clear what kind of man he is who separates faith from works, namely, that he has no faith, and that his works are evil, springing from the love of self and of the world, covered over and encompassed by such things as pertain to faith, but contaminated and profaned by the evils that are within. When, therefore, such a man is let into his interiors, as takes place after death when he becomes a spirit, all things belonging to his faith, which constituted the circumferences, are cast off and scattered. From this it can be seen why John, who represented the goods of charity or good works, reclined at the Lord’s breast, and that he and not Peter followed the Lord; also why he abode with the Lord’s mother after the Lord’s resurrection.

sRef Rev@13 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@13 @13 S0′ 823. Verses 13, 14. And he doeth great signs, so that he even maketh fire to come down from heaven unto the earth before men; and he seduceth them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs that were given him to do before the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast which hath the stroke of the sword and did live.
13. “And he doeth great signs,” signifies testifications and persuasions (n. 824); “so that he even maketh fire to come down from heaven unto the earth before men,” signifies the love of falsity from evil arising from the pride of self-intelligence as if it were the love of truth from good which is in the church from the heavens (n. 825). 14. “And he seduceth them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs that were given him to do before the beast,” signifies to persuade those who are in the church by testifications from the Word joined to reasonings from the natural man (n. 826); “saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast,” signifies an established decree that all in the church should teach and believe nothing whatever except these things (n. 827); “which hath the stroke of the sword and did live,” signifies the nature of those natural things by which the things taken from the natural sense of the Word for confirmation were conjoined (n. 829).

sRef Rev@13 @13 S0′ 824. Verse 13. And he doeth great signs, signifies testifications and persuasions. This is evident from the signification of “signs,” as being testifications and persuasions (see above, n. 706); and as “great” is predicated of good, and in the contrary sense of evil, therefore “great signs” signify testifications and persuasions of falsity from evil. It is here said that the beast “did great signs,” because “the beast” signifies confirmations from the Word in favor of faith separated from good works; and when reasonings from the natural man, which are signified by “the first beast,” are confirmed from the Word, they both testify and persuade that it is so, and this for the reason that those who make this separation are not willing that the intellectual sight should have any part in matters of faith, which they call mysteries; and when the intellectual sight is not present they can persuade anything they please, even that which from the mere light of nature, anyone may see to be false. Propose any falsity, and declare it to be true because it has been said by some leader who is believed by his followers to be enlightened or inspired, and take away the use of reason, and thus prevent the entrance of the understanding with any light, and you will see all things as true, and will be persuaded; and for the reason that the primary proposition is believed without first investigating whether it is a truth or a falsity.
[2] That it may be known, that a falsity may be confirmed as easily as a truth, take this most trifling example: Lay down the ridiculous proposition that a crow is white, and confirm it as follows: that a crow is not born wholly black, that as it grows old it grows white, that its feathers are white within, and also its skin is white, and thus its blackness is only a shade surrounding the white parts, and reason further that man may indeed speak according to the appearance, that is, may say that it is black, and yet, since he is a man, he ought to think from his understanding that it is white, because it is inwardly white; just as it is allowable to speak of the sun’s progression around the earth from appearance, and as in the Word also the sun is said to rise and set; and yet from his understanding one’s thought must be that the earth revolves and causes that appearance. Add to this reasonings from the nature of colors, that they are all white in their origin, because they are from the light of heaven, also because every color when it is ground to a powder, even a black crystal, becomes white; and cite on this point those who have written on optics; and besides take away the use of reason, declaring that some man of authority and learning has seen this, and fix the mind on the confirmations, and not on the primary proposition, and it is possible that someone may be persuaded. But all this is ridiculous, because it is silly to conclude about a bird from any other color than its own, in which it appears; for thus all things in the world might be said to be white.
[3] It is similar with the falsities of heresies, as with that greatest of all that existed in Babylon, of which it is said in Daniel that the king published an edict there that he should be worshiped as God. It is similar with the reasonings, which are from hell, of those who declare that all things belong to nature, and even that nature created herself, and was not created by God; and if I may venture to say it, it is the same with the faith that is called justifying without an actual cooperation of the life. Such are the things here meant by “the great signs that the beast that came up out of the earth did, and made fire to come down from heaven unto the earth before men, and seduced them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs that were given him to do before the beast,” as is said in this and the following verse.

sRef Rev@13 @13 S0′ 825. So that he even maketh fire to come down from heaven unto the earth before men, signifies the love of falsity from evil, arising from the pride of self-intelligence, as if it were the love of truth from good, which is in the church from* the heavens. This is evident from the signification of “fire,” as being love in both senses, namely, love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor; and in the contrary sense, the love of self and the love of the world (see above, n. 504, 539), consequently both the love of good and truth and the love of evil and falsity; for all goods and truths therefrom flow forth from love to the Lord and from love towards the neighbor; and on the other hand, all evils and falsities therefrom flow from the love of self and the love of the world. Therefore those who are in the love of self and of the world are in the love of all the evils that arise therefrom, and in the love of the falsities from those evils. (On these loves and the evils and falsities arising therefrom, see the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 65-83.) The above is evident also from the signification of making it, namely, the fire, “to come down from heaven,” which is said because this is done in the spiritual world, by means of arts there known, by those who are in faith separate; and it means that the appearance that the love of falsity from evil is the love of truth from good, is from the confirmation of faith separated from the life by means of the sense of the letter of the Word; since what is confirmed from the Word is confirmed from heaven; but when a falsity is confirmed from the Word it is not confirmed from heaven, but only appears to be confirmed from heaven. So also from the signification of “before men,” as being especially before those who are in the pride of self-intelligence, and who confirm in themselves this heretical dogma by their writings and preachings. From these it passes to the simple-minded, who have no pride of self-intelligence; but these do not confirm it with themselves, but suppose that it is so because it is declared and affirmed by a man of learning and consequent authority. But these merely hold the dogma in the memory, while the others implant it in their life, especially if they have lived according to it; and that which is implanted in the life inheres to eternity; but not what is merely in the memory.
[2] The pride of self-intelligence is with all who confirm falsities even to the destruction of the Divine truth, in which the angels of heaven are; for those are in that pride who regard self only, that is, their reputation, in their writings and preachings. For such are in the love of self, and everyone who is in the love of self when he writes and preaches is in pride; and pride derives all things from man’s own [proprium], consequently it is called the pride of self-intelligence. The love of self has its seat in the will, and the pride of self-intelligence in the thought therefrom; consequently when they think anything from self they can think nothing but what is false, for one’s own [proprium] which is of the will and therefore of the love, is what rules, and this, viewed in itself, is nothing but evil. It is otherwise with those who are in the love of uses, and thence in the love of truth for the sake of truth.
[3] Because those who are in the pride of self-intelligence remove works from faith, and therefore do not know what is meant by works, nor indeed what is meant by charity and by the neighbor, and even, when they have confirmed themselves, are not willing to know, it shall here be told what is meant by good works. Good works are all things that a man does, writes, preaches, and even speaks, not from self but from the Lord; and he acts, writes, preaches, and speaks from the Lord when he is living according to the laws of his religion. The laws of our religion are that one God is to be worshiped; that adulteries, thefts, murders, false witness, must be shunned; thus also frauds, unlawful gains, hatreds, revenge, lies, blasphemies, and many other things that are mentioned not alone in the Decalogue but everywhere else in the Word, and are called sins against God and also abominations. When man shuns these because they are opposed to the Word, and thence opposed to God, and because they are from hell, then man lives according to the laws of his religion, and so far as he lives according to his religion is he led by the Lord; and so far as he is led by the Lord are his works good; for he is then led to do goods and to speak truths for the sake of goods and for the sake of truths, and not for the sake of self and the world; uses are his enjoyments, and truths his delights. Moreover, he is daily taught by the Lord what he must do and what he must say, also what he must preach or what he must write; for when evils are removed he is continually under the Lord’s guidance and in enlightenment. Yet he is not led and taught immediately by any dictate, or by any perceptible inspiration, but by an influx into his spiritual delight, from which he has perception according to the truths of which his understanding consists. When he acts from this influx, he appears to be acting as if from himself, and yet he acknowledges in heart that it is from the Lord. All angels are in such a state; and all infants in heaven are being led by that way to heaven.
[4] But it is otherwise with man when he refrains from evils and shuns them on account of the civil laws or the damage to his reputation; he does not then shun evils from any spiritual origin, but from a natural origin; consequently he indeed does works that appear outwardly as if good yet inwardly they are evil. They are like pictures composed of filthy mire, but overlaid with colors beautiful to the sight; or like harlots who appear comely in form, and adorned in white raiment, with diadems upon their foreheads and in their ears, and yet within are full of foulness. Consider, then, what the Christian world is at this day; how many there are who shun adulteries, frauds, unlawful gains, hatred, revenge, lies, and blasphemies, not because they are opposed to the Word and thus to God, but because they are opposed to the civil laws, and for the sake of reputation and from a fear of the loss of honor and gain in the world; then search interiorly into the reason, and you will perceive that it is because they do not believe that there is a heaven and a hell or a life after death. From this it is clear that whatever a man does, be it small or great, is a good work when it is done from religion, and in the church when it is done from the Word, when the man has come to detest evils because they are sins, and in themselves are infernal; on the other hand, that whatever a man does, be it small or great, is an evil work when it is not done from religion, and with us, from the Word. (For more about this see above, n. 803.)
[5] It must be known, however, that he who shuns evils because they are opposed to the Divine laws in the Word also shuns them because they are opposed to civil and moral laws in the world, for a man thinks from civil and moral laws when he is in a natural state, but from the Divine laws when he is in a spiritual state. From this it follows, that to shun evils and do goods for the sake of reputation and one’s own honor is not hurtful, provided the Word and religion therefrom hold the higher place and constitute the head, and self and the world hold the lower place and constitute the feet. But otherwise religion is trampled down with the feet, and the world is worshiped with the head.
* The photolithograph has “in” for “ex.”

sRef Rev@13 @14 S0′ 826. Verse 14. And he seduceth them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs that were given him to do before the beast, signifies to persuade those who are of the church that these are truths, by testifications from the Word joined to reasonings from the natural man. This is evident from the signification of “seducing,” as being to persuade that falsities are truths, for the persuasion of falsity is seduction. Also from the signification of “them that dwell on the earth,” as being those who are of the church (see above, n. 821). Also from the signification of “signs,” as being testifications and consequent persuasions (see just above, n. 824), here testifications from the sense of the letter of the Word. Also from the signification of “the beast” before which these signs were done, as being reasonings from the natural man (see above, n. 774). Here “the signs that were done by this beast before the other” signify testifications from the sense of the letter of the Word, joined to reasonings from the natural man, because “the beast” that did the signs signifies confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word; and “the beast” before which the signs were done signifies reasonings from the natural man; so here it signifies the conjunction of confirmations from the Word with these reasonings; and when these are conjoined they become testifications and persuasions. For reasonings that are from the natural man are of no avail in spiritual things before the world; but when the same reasonings are confirmed from the Word they prevail; for the reason that the Word is Divine, and in the sense of the letter consists of appearances of truth and of correspondences, in which the genuine truths that lie hidden within can be seen only by one who is enlightened; while one not enlightened can draw over these appearances of truth to confirm that falsities are truths, for with one who is not enlightened fallacies prevail, and the reasonings are from fallacies. But one who is enlightened sees from spiritual and from natural light at the same time; and the natural light with him is illumined by the spiritual; but one who is not enlightened sees from natural light only, separated from spiritual light, and such a light is in spiritual things not light but thick darkness. And yet this thick darkness, when falsities have been confirmed, appears to be as it were the light of truth, but it is like the light in the hells, which in the sight of those who are there appears as light; but as soon as light from heaven enters the light there is turned into mere thick darkness, and their thought grows dull. Those who are in the hells that contain such as have more deeply persuaded themselves of falsities by their ability to think more interiorly than others, are in the light of phantasy, and this light is bright in a way, but it is turned into a still blacker thick darkness by the influx of rays of light from heaven. Such is the light of the confirmation of falsity from the sense of the letter of the Word by reasonings from the fallacies of the natural man. From this it is clear that the light of the confirmation of falsity even to the destruction of the Divine truth which is in heaven, is infernal light.
sRef John@14 @21 S2′ sRef Jer@31 @33 S2′ sRef Jer@31 @34 S2′ sRef John@14 @24 S2′ [2] As the preceding articles treat of good works, I will here go on with the plan and show what is meant by love to the Lord. All who are in love to the Lord from the Lord are in the third or inmost heaven; and they are such as have truths written in the life, and not, like the angels of the lower heavens, in the memory; and this is why those who are in the third heaven never talk about truths, but only listen to others speaking about them, and reply either that it is so, or that it is somewhat so, or that it is not so. For they see in themselves whether what they hear is true or not; and this they see not from any sight in the thought, as others do, but from the affection of truth in the understanding. For with them all truths are written on their affections, and these derive their essence from celestial love, which is love to the Lord. Thus with them truths make one with their affections. And as these angels are in love to the Lord from the Lord, their interior life consists of mere affections of good and truth from that love. For this reason they do not speak about truths, but do truths, that is, good works. For the affections of good and truth that are from that love must needs come forth in act, and when they come forth they are called uses, and are what are meant by good works. Moreover, they perceive in themselves the quality of the uses or works from the affection from which they are; and also the differences between them from the conjunction of many affections; thus they do all things with interior wisdom. And because they do not think about truths and thence speak about them, but only do them, and because this comes from their love to the Lord, and thence from the affections alone, of which their life consists, it is evident that love to the Lord consists in doing truths from the affection of them, and that their deeds are good works; consequently that to love the Lord is to do; and this is what is meant by the Lord’s words in John:
He that hath My commandments and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me. But he that loveth Me not keepeth not My words (14:21, 24).
And they are meant by these words in Jeremiah:
I will give My law in the midst of them, and will write it upon their heart. Neither shall they teach a man his companion or a man his brother, Know ye Jehovah, for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them (31:33, 34).
“The law” means all things of the Word, thus all the truths and goods of heaven; “in the midst of them” signifies in their life; and the “heart” upon which the law shall be written signifies the love. From this it is clear how ample is the doctrine of love to the Lord, for it is the doctrine of all affections which belong to love; and every affection has truths written upon it according to the quality of its perfection, and brings them forth in act with infinite variety; and these affections do not come into the understanding in the form of ideas, but come to the inner sensitive perception in the form of delights of the will, wherefore they cannot be described by words. Those who imbibe the laws of life from the Word and live according to them, and who worship the Lord, become angels of the third heaven.

sRef Rev@13 @14 S0′ 827. Saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast, signifies an established decree that all in the church should teach and believe nothing whatever except these things. This is evident from the signification of “them that dwell on the earth,” as being all who belong to the church (see just above, n. 826); also from the signification of “the image of the beast,” as being the doctrine of faith separated from good works, and worship therefrom confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word by means of reasonings from the natural man; consequently “to make that image” signifies to make a decree or to determine that they should teach and believe only in this way; also that this has been done in the churches where the doctrine of faith separate has been accepted. This is the signification of the “image,” because in the spiritual world all spiritual things may be exhibited by means of images, also by means of idols; and by these the particulars of doctrine may be portrayed, which I have also seen done. This is why images and idols have this signification in the Word. That idols signify the falsities of doctrine may be seen above (n. 587, 650, 654, 780). So here “saying to them that dwell upon the earth that they should make an image to the beast” signifies an established decree that all in the church should teach and believe nothing whatever except these things. With those who belonged to the ancient churches images were made representative of their doctrine and the worship therefrom; but the sons of Israel, on account of the proclivity of their mind to idolatrous worship, were forbidden to make them, as is evident from the Word.
sRef Lev@26 @1 S2′ sRef Deut@4 @16 S2′ sRef Deut@4 @17 S2′ sRef Deut@4 @18 S2′ sRef Ex@20 @4 S2′ sRef Ex@20 @5 S2′ [2] That it may be known that images have this signification I will cite in confirmation the following passages from the Word. In Moses:
Thou shalt not make to thee any graven image, or any image of that which is in the heavens above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the waters under the earth; thou shalt not bow thyself down to them nor worship them (Exod. 20:4, 5).
Ye shall make no idols to you, neither shall ye rear you up a graven image or a pillar, neither shall ye place the stone of an image in your land to bow yourselves down to it (Lev. 26:1).
Lest ye make to you a graven image, the image of any likeness, the figure of male or female, the figure of any beast that is on the earth, the figure of any winged bird that flieth under heaven, the figure of anything that creepeth on the ground, the figure of any fish that is in the waters under the earth (Deut. 4:16-18).
The sons of Israel were forbidden to make idols, graven images, and forms or figures of anything in the heavens, on the earth, or in the waters, because the ancient churches which were before the Israelitish Church were representative churches, also because the sons of Jacob were wholly external men, and external men at that time, when all worship was representative, were prone to idolatries, thus to the worship of such things as appeared before their eyes. But as the ancient churches were representative churches, the men of those churches made to themselves graven images and forms of various things which represented and thence signified things heavenly; and the ancients took delight in these on account of their signification, for when they looked upon them they were reminded of the heavenly things they represented; and as these belonged to their religion, therefore they worshiped the images. This is why they had groves and high places, and also sculptured, molten, and painted figures, which were set up either in groves or upon mountains, or in temples, or in their houses. So in Egypt, where the science of representations, which is the same as the science of correspondences, flourished, there were images, idols, and graven images, as also hieroglyphics; and other nations had the like. But when the men of those churches from being internal became external, then the celestial and spiritual things which were represented and thence signified remained as traditions with their priests and wise men, who were called magi and diviners; consequently the common people, because of the religious principle which their fathers saw in these things, began to worship them and to call them their gods. Now as the sons of Jacob were more external men than the others, and thence more prone to idolatries and also to magic, they were strictly forbidden to make to themselves graven images, images and figures of the likeness of anything existing in the heavens, on the earth, or in the sea, because all things that are in the world are representative, as flying things, beasts, fishes, and creeping things, for so far as they worshiped these idolatrously, so far they did not acknowledge Jehovah. And yet, since the church was representative with them also, the tabernacle was built, in which were placed the chief representatives of heavenly things, as the table on which were the loaves, the golden altar on which incense was offered, the lampstand with the lamps, the ark with the mercy-seat. and the cherubim above it, and the altar not far from the door of the tabernacle, on which was the sacred fire; and afterwards the temple was built, in which also all things were representative, as the painting therein, the lavers outside of it, the brazen sea under which were the oxen supporting it, likewise the pillars and porticos, with the vessels of gold, all of which they were permitted to worship as holy, provided they acknowledged the tabernacle, and afterwards the temple, as the dwelling-place of Jehovah. This was granted them to prevent their turning aside to idolatry and magic, which then existed with various nations in Asia; as Egypt, Syria, Assyria, Babylon, Tyre and Sidon, Arabia, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, and especially in and about the land of Canaan.
sRef Gen@31 @20 S3′ sRef Gen@31 @19 S3′ [3] From this it is clear why “idols” signify in the Word the falsities of religion, and “images” doctrinals. That such things existed with various nations in the countries of Asia is made evident by the gods of Laban the Syrian that Rachel the wife of Jacob carried off (Gen. 31:19, 20); by the calves and other idols in Egypt; by the hieroglyphics there engraved and painted in temples, and upon obelisks and walls; by Dagon the idol of the Philistines in Ekron; by the idols made by Solomon, and afterwards by the kings in the temple of Jerusalem and in Samaria; and by the altars, pillars, images, and groves, among the nations of the land, which the sons of Israel were commanded to destroy, as is evident from various passages in the Word.
sRef 1Sam@6 @1 S4′ [4] Moreover, it was from the science of correspondences and representations:
That the priests and diviners of the Philistines persuaded them to make golden images of the emerods and mice that had laid waste the land, and to place them beside the ark, which they sent back upon a new cart drawn by kine, and that they should thus give glory to the God of Israel (1 Sam. 6 seq.).
For at that time their priests and diviners knew what all these things represented; and that the images of the emerods and mice signified the falsities of their religion, which might be atoned for by these as gifts made of gold.
sRef Ezek@7 @20 S5′ sRef Ezek@7 @19 S5′ [5] Doctrinals are also signified by “images” in the following passages. In Ezekiel:
They shall cast their silver into the streets, and their gold shall be an abomination, in that they have turned the gracefulness of their adornment into pride, and have made thereof images of their abominations and their detestable things; therefore I have made it unto them for an abomination (7:19, 20).
This treats of the devastation of the church by falsities and evils, which is here meant by “the sword, pestilence, and famine” (verse 15), that were to consume them. The “silver that they shall cast into the streets,” and the “gold that shall be for an abomination,” signify the truth of the church and its good turned into falsity and evil; “to cast these into the streets” signifies to scatter them, and “to be for an abomination” signifies to be turned into infernal evil, for this is to be for an abomination. “They have turned the gracefulness of their adornment into pride, and have made thereof images of their abominations and their detestable things,” signifies that they filled the whole church and its doctrine, and all things that are contained in it, with things profane; “the gracefulness of the adornment” signifying the church and its doctrine; and “images of abominations and of detestable things” signifying all things of it, thus doctrinals, the goods and truths of which have been profaned; “abominations” are goods profaned, and “detestable things” truths profaned.
sRef Ezek@16 @17 S6′ [6] In the same:
Thou didst take the vessels of thy adornment, of my gold and of my silver which I had given to thee, and madest for thee the images of a male, with which thou couldst commit whoredom (Ezek. 16:17).
This is said of “the abominations of Jerusalem,” which mean the adulterations of the truth and good of doctrine from the Word; “vessels of adornment of gold and silver” signifying the knowledges of good and truth from the Word; “to make of them images of a male” signifying to make doctrinals from falsities to appear as if from truths; and “to commit whoredom with them” signifying the falsification of them.
sRef Ezek@23 @12 S7′ sRef Ezek@23 @14 S7′ sRef Ezek@23 @16 S7′ sRef Ezek@23 @3 S7′ [7] In the same:
Oholibah committed whoredom in Egypt, she loved the sons of Assyria; she added to her whoredoms; when she saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion, at the sight of her eyes she loved them (Ezek. 23:3, 12, 14, 16).
“Oholibah” means Jerusalem, which signifies the church in respect to doctrine, therefore the doctrine of the church; “to commit whoredom” signifies the falsification and adulteration of the Word; and as “Egypt” signifies natural truths, which are called knowledges [scientifica], and “Assyria” rational truths, and in the contrary sense falsities, it is clear what is signified by “committing whoredom with them.” As “the Chaldeans” signify the truths of the Word profaned by being applied to the loves of self and the world, so the “images of the Chaldeans” signify doctrinals that are pleasing to those loves; “portrayed with vermilion” signifies these appearing outwardly as if truths, although inwardly they are profane; “men portrayed upon the wall” have a similar signification, “a painted wall” meaning the appearance of doctrinals in externals. “Images” have a like signification in Isaiah (2:16); in David (Ps. 73:20); also in the following passages in Revelation (14:9-11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4). (See also what has been said above about “idols” and “graven images,” n. 587, 650, 654, 780, where other passages from the Word have been cited and explained.)

sRef Rev@13 @14 S0′ 828. Love to the Lord, in which love are the angels that are in the third heaven, has been treated of above; it now remains to say something about the love towards the neighbor with those angels. By the “neighbor” they mean uses, which indeed* are works; but with those angels uses are all things that are done with them from the Lord, and these have relation especially to the worship of the Lord, to His church, to the implantation of its holy things, especially with little children, with whom they have conjunction, and whom they inspire with innocence and its affections; also to the good of society in general and also in particular. These are the things that chiefly belong to their love, because they belong to the Lord’s love. The Lord operates these things with them by means of the love that is implanted in their life, which is such that they perceive in these things the delight of their life. Such things are the neighbor to them, because they do not regard persons, but such things as are with persons; for they have more wisdom than other angels, and it is wisdom to regard others from such things as are with them and which constitute them. For every angel, spirit, and man is his love and his affection, thus his good and his truth therefrom; and as these are what constitute them, and as they are wise, they must needs regard others according to what constitutes them. This to them is the neighbor, or the brother and companion, which are often mentioned in the Word, “brother” meaning to them good, and “companion” truth. Thence it is clear what love towards the neighbor is in the third heaven.
[2] As to the other things that relate to moral, civil, and domestic life, these, too, are works done by them from affection, but they are not such works as they mean by “neighbor,” or “brother and companion;” for they derive somewhat from the world, and also from what is useful to themselves and their own. These works are derivations and productions of the uses before mentioned, and are such things as proceed from their thought, therefore they can discourse about them. These works keep the life of their body in such a state that the life of their love can dwell in it and perform its uses. These angels, being such, do not know what is meant by charity, or what is meant by faith; but they have the love of good in place of charity, and the love of truth in place of faith. Moreover, they are continually in the love of good and truth because their life is the affection of good, in which and from which is the perception of truth. When, therefore, charity from which is faith, or faith which is from charity, is mentioned, they do not know what is meant. As the angels of the third heaven are such they appear before the angels of the lower heavens like infants, some like boys, and all of them, as it were simple; moreover, they go naked. They appear like infants and like boys because they are in innocence; and love to the Lord from the Lord is innocence; and this is also why infants and boys signify in the Word innocence and also love to the Lord.
[3] They appear simple because they cannot talk about the holy things of heaven and the church; for with them these things are not in the memory, from which all speech comes, but in the life; and from that in the understanding, not as thought but as the affection of good in its form, which does not descend into speech; and if it were to descend it would not be spoken, but only sounded; and those who cannot speak about such things appear to themselves and others as if simple. A further reason is that they are in humility of heart, knowing that wisdom consists in perceiving that the things in which they are wise are scarcely anything in comparison with the things in which they are not wise. They go naked because “nakedness” means in the spiritual sense innocence, and because “garments” signify truths clothing good, and the truths that clothe are in the memory, and from that in the thought; while with them truths are in the life, that is, are hidden, and manifest themselves only before the perception when others are uttering them, or their ministers are preaching them from the Word. Again, they are perfected by the conversation of those who are in the understanding of truth, and by preachings, and also by books. And they write not by letters, like the other angels, but by curves and inflexions that contain arcana that transcend the understanding of the angels in the lower heavens. Furthermore, they dwell in expanses above the others, and in gardens there in which there are shrubberies and beds of flowers, and thus they are in perpetual representatives of heavenly things; and what is wonderful, not a stone is found there; because “stone” signifies natural truth, while “wood” signifies good; a “tree” perception, and a “flower” implantation. Thus much respecting love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, that is, respecting celestial love. Hereafter spiritual love shall be described, also charity and faith.
* The Latin has “in quidem” for “quidem.”

sRef Rev@13 @14 S0′ 829. Which hath the stroke of the sword and did live, signifies the nature of those natural things by which the things taken from the natural sense of the Word for confirmation were conjoined. This is evident from the explanation of what is said above in the third verse of the chapter, where are these words, “I saw one of his heads as if it had been wounded unto death, and the stroke of his death was healed,” for the explanation of which see above (n. 785, 786). That “sword” signifies the combat of falsity against truth and the destruction of truth by falsities see also above (n. 131, 367).

sRef Rev@13 @15 S0′ 830. Verse 15. And it was given unto him to give breath to the image of the beast that the image of the beast may both speak and may cause that as many as do not worship the image of the beast be killed. 15. “And it was given unto him to give breath to the image of the beast,” signifies that by being conjoined with the Word there was something of spiritual life therein (n. 831); “that the image of the beast may both speak,” signifies that consequently an agreement flowed in from heaven into the thought nearest to the speech excited and enkindled by natural love (n. 832); “and may cause that as many as do not worship the image of the beast be killed,” signifies threats of eternal death to those that do not believe everything and all things that are so established (n. 833).

sRef Rev@13 @15 S0′ sRef John@6 @63 S1′ 831. Verse 15. And it was given unto him to give breath to the image of the beast, signifies that by being conjoined with the Word there was something of spiritual life therein. This is evident from the signification of “breath,” as being spiritual life (of which presently); also from the signification of “the image of the beast,” as being the doctrine of faith separated from good works, which would be taught and believed in the church (see above, n. 827); from which it follows that “to give breath to the image of the beast” signifies that by a conjunction of the reasonings from the natural man with the Word there was something of spiritual life therein; but what the quality of that life is will be told presently; “breath” [spiritum] signifies spiritual life, because “breath” [“spiritum”] signifies in the highest sense Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and thence, as applied to men, who receive it, it signifies spiritual life (see above, n. 183). Spiritual life is the same as a life from Divine truths; and as the Word is Divine truth, and thus from it man has spiritual life, therefore when reasonings from the natural man in favor of faith separated from life are conjoined with the Word, and thus it is made the doctrine for the church, there is in it something of spiritual life. For all things in the Word are in themselves spiritual, and give spiritual life to those who study it in the measure of its reception in the heart. Therefore the Lord says:
The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life (John 6:63).
[2] As celestial love in which are the angels of the third heaven has been treated of in what precedes, I will now say something about spiritual love, in which are the angels of the second heaven. Spiritual love is the love of truth, and in the highest sense the love of the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; thus it is also love to the Lord, but in a lower degree than that in which the celestial angels are. The celestial angels are in love to the Lord from the reception of Divine good from Him, while the spiritual angels are in love to the Lord from the reception of Divine truth from Him. The difference is like that between love in the will and love in the understanding, or like that between a flame and its light. Moreover light with the angels of the third heaven is derived from what is flaming, while the light of the angels of the second heaven is derived from what is bright white (but for more respecting this see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140). Their life differs in like manner. The life of the angels of the third heaven consists in the affections of good, and the life of the angels of the second heaven in the affections of truth. The difference is such that they are easily distinguished by their faces and by their speech. As spiritual love is love of truth, and spiritual angels in respect to their life are affections of truth, they speak about the holy things of heaven and the church, unlike the angels of the third heaven, who cannot speak about these things, as has been said above. And as the celestial angels are perfected in wisdom by hearing, there are intermediate angels, who are called celestial-spiritual angels, who preach and teach truths in their temples, which are called houses of God, and are of wood.
[3] Spiritual angels, from the spiritual love that constitutes their life, are affections of truth, and not affections of good, because they are reformed and regenerated and become angels in a way different from that of celestial angels. For spiritual angels admit truths first into the memory, and from that into the understanding, which is thus formed by these truths; and then they are perfected so far as they are spiritually affected by Divine truths, that is, on account of them and for the sake of a life according to them. But celestial angels do not first admit truths into the memory, but immediately into the will, and through acts into the life; consequently they are not able to speak about Divine truths, but they simply will and do them; while spiritual angels speak about Divine truths, because with them they are inscribed on the memory; and thought speaks from the memory.
[4] And yet spiritual angels admit no truth into the memory and from it into the understanding with themselves unless they see it; for the angels in that heaven see truths from the light of truth, thus by enlightenment from the Lord; for in the heavens truths are spiritual objects, and appear more clearly before the angels there than natural objects do before men in the world; consequently they know* that faith is nothing else than the acknowledgment of truth because it is seen to be true; and they cannot at all comprehend how a faith in anything that is not seen or understood can exist in anyone, for in that case a man does not know whether it be true or false, and faith in what is false is harmful. From this it is clear that with spiritual angels intellectual sight is spiritual sight. These angels are perfected in understanding so far as they are in the love of truth for the sake of life and its genuine uses; and in the same measure truths are implanted in their life and they become affections of truth. For as truths derive all their essence and all their life from good, so the understanding derives all its essence and life from the will and its activity; for the understanding is the receptacle of truth, and the will the receptacle of good, and their activity fills and establishes them. Thence also the truths of which their understanding is formed, when they come to be of the will and thence of the action are called goods, but spiritual goods; and because they then come to be of their love they enter the life and form it. From this also it is clear that the life of every man is from his works, since in them the affection which is of the will, and the thought which is of the understanding, terminate and thus have existence; and unless they are terminated they perish. For the will has no existence unless it becomes active; and when there is no will the understanding perishes, and there remains merely the faculty to understand.
[5] Because their love is the love of truth they acknowledge as the neighbor truth in act, which is called spiritual good, thus the good of the church, the good of the society in which they are, the good of the fellow-citizens in the society, and thus also the moral good which is called integrity, and the civil good which is called justice. Therefore their love towards the neighbor consists in exercises, which are works. Moreover, all in the spiritual heaven love uses, and are intent on works, by which their thoughts are kept as it were at home, and withheld from idleness, which is, as it is also called the devil’s pillow. They know that only those who perceive delight in works can be kept in spiritual love; such are in their fixed affection; but others are in every affection and thus in none, for they wander wherever pleasures and cupidities carry them. Again, the angels of the second heaven, like the angels of the third heaven, dwell in distinct societies, but the societies of the third heaven are above those of the second, because celestial love flows into spiritual love; for spiritual love derives its essence from celestial love by influx mediate and immediate from the Lord.
[6] In the spiritual heaven there are magnificent palaces, in which all things within shine with precious stones and decorations in such forms as cannot be equaled by any painting in the world, nor expressed in words. For art there, especially that of architecture, is in its own art. From that heaven many arts in the world derive their laws and harmonies, from which come their forms of beauty. The silver that is found among those who dwell beneath these heavens is given by the Lord from that heaven, but the gold from the third heaven; for silver corresponds to spiritual good, which is in its essence truth; and gold corresponds to celestial good. The spiritual angels are clothed in garments of fine linen and silk, generally in shining garments. And as the spiritual heavens correspond to the eyes, there are paradisiacal scenes, as also in many places rainbow colored appearances and these also are of ineffable beauty. They know nothing there about the sense of the letter of the Word, but only about its spiritual sense, for they have the Word in that sense, which is read by everyone. In that heaven, justice, integrity, verity, chastity, and the other praiseworthy virtues of moral life reign. These heavens constitute the royalty of the Lord, while the higher heavens, where the celestial angels are, constitute the priesthood of the Lord; for His royalty is Divine truth, and His priesthood is Divine good.
* The Latin has “no sciunt” for “sciunt.”

sRef Rev@13 @15 S0′ 832. That the image of the beast may speak, signifies that consequently an agreement flowed in from heaven into the thought nearest to the speech excited and enkindled by natural love. This is evident from the speech and preaching of those who confirm the separation of faith from life by means of the Word. For all things of the Word and every particular of it communicate with the heavens, and from it there flows a holiness into the person speaking or preaching; but with such this holiness cannot flow into any spiritual affection and thought therefrom, because all who are in a faith separated from the life are not spiritual but merely natural. Therefore this holy principle flows into their natural love, which excites and enkindles the thought nearest to the speech. And this is why such can speak and preach like those who are spiritual, although they have no spiritual affection, but only natural affection, which is the affection of glory, honor, or gain; and yet this affection is excited, and even enkindled, by an influx of holiness from heaven.
[2] The sense of the letter of the Word communicates with heaven, because each and every thing therein contains a spiritual sense; and the spiritual sense is perceived in the heavens when the natural sense, which is the sense of the letter, is understood by man. That this is so has been confirmed to me from the spiritual world by much experience. I have heard some recite words from the sense of the letter of the Word and have perceived that immediately they had communication with some society of heaven; for the spiritual sense which was in the words then recited from the sense of the letter penetrated to that society. Sometimes this communication is abused by evil spirits to acquire for themselves favor from the heavens. From this it is clear what is the quality of the Word in the sense of the letter; and as it is a means of communicating with heaven, a spiritual which is holy and which agrees with the natural, flows in therefrom into the natural love of the one speaking or preaching from the Word; and this love excites the thought nearest to his speech. It is said the thought nearest to the speech, because man has interior thought and exterior thought. He has interior thought when he is alone and thinks by himself, but he has exterior thought when he is with others and is speaking with them. Everyone knows that* man can think in himself differently from the thought from which he speaks before men. This exterior thought is what is meant by the thought nearest to the speech. This thought is excited and enkindled by natural love, which is the love of glory, honor, or gain, with those who are in falsities, and who confirm them from the sense of the letter of the Word. This, then, is what is signified by “the breath given to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast may speak,” which signifies that in the doctrine of faith separated from life, when it is conjoined with the Word, there is something of spiritual life, and that in consequence an agreement flowed in from heaven into the thought nearest to the speech, excited and kindled by natural love.
[3] As the preceding article treated of spiritual love, which those have who are in the second heaven, and which constitutes their life, and as man does not know how love becomes spiritual, it shall be briefly told. All love becomes spiritual by means of truths from the Word in the measure in which man acknowledges them and sees them in his understanding and afterwards loves them, that is, does them from the will. Love becomes spiritual by means of truths from the Word in the measure in which man acknowledges them and sees them in the understanding, because there are two memories in man, and from these there are two kinds of thought both with the evil and the good, namely, an interior and an exterior. Every man thinks with himself from the interior memory when he is left to himself and is led by his love. This thought is the thought of his spirit. But man thinks from the exterior memory when he is speaking before the world. Everyone sees even by a little reflection that there are these two kinds of thought. The things that a man thinks with himself from the interior memory when left alone to himself, belong to his life, and come to be of his life; for it is his spirit that then thinks, or what is the same, it is the affection proper to his life that excites this thought. But the things that a man thinks from the exterior memory, when they do not make one with the thought of the interior memory, do not belong to his life and do not come to be of his life, for they belong to the body for the sake of the world; and these things also after death, when a man becomes a spirit, are cast away. From this it can be seen what the state is of those who are evil, and who fear neither God nor man, namely, that inwardly with themselves they think evils and falsities, while outwardly they think and speak truths and also do goods; but when a man puts off the body and becomes a spirit these goods and truths are scattered, but the evils and the falsities thence remain with him as a spirit. But it is otherwise with the good. Because these have feared God and have loved the neighbor, when they think from the interior memory they think from truths that are from good; in like manner as when they think from the exterior memory. With them these two kinds of thought make one. And as they are in truths from good, the internal spiritual man, which is in conjunction with angels in the heavens, and is in itself an angel of heaven, is opened with them; and as this is in the light of heaven, in which spiritual truths appear as clearly as objects in the world appear before the eye, when it sees truths it receives them and forms the understanding from them. From this such have spiritual faith, which is in its essence the acknowledgment of truth because it is seen in the understanding. Natural faith, which is to believe that a thing is so because another has said it, is to them no faith; this they call historical faith, and with some it is a persuasive faith, which is permanent only so far as it is in harmony with the love of their life. Who cannot see that nothing can enter the life of a man and constitute it except what he has first thought to be so and afterwards has willed that it should be so? From this it can be seen that if a man’s love is to become spiritual he must see his truths, that is, must grasp them by the understanding.
sRef Hos@6 @2 S4′ [4] But if you say that spiritual truths cannot be seen, and that the understanding cannot be so far opened so long as man is in the world, let it be known that he who loves truth from truth, that is, because it is truth, can see spiritual truths; and those which he does not see in the world he sees afterwards in heaven. For it is the love itself of truth that receives the light of heaven, which enlightens the understanding. Moreover, everyone can receive in thought and can understand truths more than he himself knows, unless his own love induces obscurity and causes darkness. This has often been proved to me in the spiritual world. For evil spirits have understood spiritual truths when they have been uttered by anyone just as well as good spirits, and even almost like angels; but as soon as they turned their ear away and let themselves back into the state of their own love they understood nothing at all. From this it is clear that every man has the ability to understand truths, and even to see them; but that nothing except a love of truth for the sake of truths causes a man to understand them, in the world rationally, but after death spiritually.
[5] But love with man, and his life from it, do not become spiritual by merely knowing and understanding truths unless he also wills and does them. For, as has just been said, an evil man, whose love is infernal, can know and understand truths just as well as a good man whose love is heavenly; therefore the evil believe that because of their knowledges and their understanding of verities they will not only come into heaven but will also be among the intelligent there, of whom it is said that “they shall shine as the stars,” and yet, if they do not also love, that is, will to do the truths that they know and understand, they come after death among those who are in hell, from whom all truths are taken away. For after death everyone comes to be his own love; and in the world everyone comes to be his own love by willing and doing according to his understanding and knowledge; for in these a man’s love has its seat, and in the love the truths of the understanding have their seat; from which it is clear whence man has life, since it is the love that makes his life.
[6] There are three degrees of life with man, the third degree in which are the angels of the third heaven; the second degree in which are the angels of the second heaven; and the first degree in which are the angels of the first or ultimate heaven. There is also a lowest degree, which is corporeal and material, which man has while he lives in the world. These degrees are opened with man according to the reception of Divine truth in his life; and Divine truth is received in the life by willing and doing truth according to the knowledge and understanding of it. And as the love and the life of man make one, it follows that there are as many degrees of love as there are of life. The love in which the angels of the third heaven are is called celestial love; the love in which the angels of the second heaven are is called spiritual love; and the love in which the angels of the first heaven are is called spiritual-natural love, also celestial-natural. As their love is, such is their wisdom and intelligence. Those who are in the third degree of love and of wisdom thence live in an atmosphere as it were purely ethereal; those who are in the second degree of love and thence of intelligence live in an atmosphere as it were purely aerial; and those who are in the first degree of love and thence of knowledge live in an atmosphere as it were purely aqueous. And as the purity of their life is in a similar degree as their love, it is evident that those who are in the third heaven and in the love and life of that heaven cannot be approached by those who are in the second and first; for to ascend from the second heaven into the third would be like a bird’s flying above its own atmosphere into the ether; and to ascend from the first heaven into the second would be like elevating a fish into the air, in which it would suffocate and suffer direful things. This has been said to make known that spiritual love is the love of truth in act; and that the love of truth in act is in accordance with the sight of truth in the understanding; and that the faith of that love is nothing else than the acknowledgment of truth from that sight and understanding. This, therefore, is spiritual faith.
* The Latin has “quam” for “quod.”

sRef Rev@13 @15 S0′ 833. And may cause that as many as do not worship the image of the beast be killed, signifies threats of eternal death to those who do not believe everything and all things that are so established. This is evident from the signification of “to worship,” as being to acknowledge and believe (see above, n. 790, 805, 821); also from the signification of ” the image of the beast,” as being the doctrine of faith separate, and a decree that all things and each thing therein established should be taught and believed (see just above, n. 827); also from the signification of “to be killed,” as being to be killed spiritually, that is, to perish in eternal death (see above, n. 315, 589). From this it is clear that “to cause that as many as do not worship the image of the beast be killed” signifies threats of eternal death to those who do not believe everything and all things that are so established. It is well known that this is so, for salvation, thus life eternal, is declared to all those who believe in that doctrine, and damnation and eternal death are denounced against those who do not believe.

sRef Rev@13 @15 S0′ 834. As celestial love and spiritual love have been treated of, it now remains to say something about the spiritual-natural love in which are the angels of the first or ultimate heaven. This love is what is properly called charity towards the neighbor. As these angels are nearly alike in respect to the understanding as men in the world are, and as they are natural, their understanding is raised but little above what it was while they were in the world; therefore they do not see truths in the light as the angels of the second heaven do; but they receive, acknowledge, and believe truths from doctrine, in which they are instructed before they are admitted into heaven. For this reason only the more intelligent of them know what charity towards the neighbor is, the simple there believing that every man is the neighbor, and that charity is to assist the needy, and to do good to the poor, the sojourner, and so on. For the most part they consider persons and what they say, and not the interiors which are the source of what they say. This is so because they are natural; and a natural man does not think abstractedly from what his eyes see except to the extent that he admits light from heaven into his natural lumen. Nevertheless, those are there taught that “neighbor” does not mean in the Word a man merely in respect to person, but in respect to the quality in him that makes him to be such and such a man; also that the quality of a man is from his understanding and will, and the quality of his understanding is from truths, and the quality of his will is from goods, and the quality of both the understanding and the will is from his love. From this it is known that while every man is a neighbor, every man is a neighbor from his quality, and consequently that it is the quality of a man from which he is a man that is meant in the spiritual sense by “neighbor;” for otherwise a bad man would be as much a neighbor as a good man; and yet to do good to the evil is sometimes doing evil to the good. That this is so anyone can see from natural lumen. If you were to choose a helper or servant from those in your neighborhood, and ten were brought before your eyes from whom you were to choose one, would you choose from the face alone? Would you not choose from some quality that you love, as integrity, modesty, piety, uprightness? These you would consider as you looked upon them. It is similar in respect to the neighbor; it is the man’s quality that is to be loved. From this it follows that the neighbor in the spiritual sense is that with a man which makes him be such and such a man.

sRef Rev@13 @17 S0′ sRef Rev@13 @16 S0′ 835. Verses 16, 17. And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark upon their right hand or upon their foreheads; and that no one be able to buy or to sell if he hath not the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. 16. “And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond,” signifies the lower and the higher, the wise and the simple, both those who think from themselves and those who think from others (n. 836); “that there be given them a mark upon their right hand and upon their foreheads,” signifies an attestation of the acknowledgment that they are of the church, and are in the so-called truths and goods of that faith (n. 838). 17. “And that no one be able to buy or to sell if he hath not the mark of the beast,” signifies forbidding anyone to learn or teach anything but what has been acknowledged and thence accepted in doctrine (n. 840); “or the name of the beast or the number of his name,” signifies either what is like it in respect to life, or what is like it in respect to faith (n. 841).

sRef Rev@13 @16 S0′ 836. Verse 16. And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, signifies the lower and the higher, the wise and the simple, both those who think from themselves and those who think from others. This is evident from the signification of “all, the small and the great,” as being the lower and the higher, or the more common and the more eminent; also from the signification of “the rich and the poor,” as being the wise and the simple. (That those are called “rich” who possess many knowledges of good and truth, thus who are wise, may be seen above, n. 118, 236; and that those are called “poor” who have no knowledges of good and truth because they do not have the Word, and yet they desire them, may also be seen above, n. 118, 238.) So also from the signification of “the free and the bond,” as being those who think from themselves and those who think from others. To think from oneself is to see from oneself whether a thing be true or false, and thus to choose the one and reject the other. These are they who are made spiritual by the Lord, and are thence in the light of heaven, and from the Lord they see and are led; for to think and live from the Lord is freedom; and to think and live from hell is bondage; that such are “the free” may be seen above (n. 248, 490, 701, 774); that the Lord makes them to be free by means of His Divine truth is declared in John (8:32-36). It may also be seen above (n. 820) that the church when it is in faith from love is in a free state, but when it is in faith without love is in a servile state, and that this is what is meant by the Lord’s words in John (21:18). From this it follows that by “the bond” those are meant who think not from themselves but from others, and who do not see whether a thing is true or false and yet acknowledge it to be true. That such are “the bond,” while those who think from themselves are “the free,” is evident from the opposition of their relation.

sRef Rev@13 @16 S0′ 837. As many things have been said about faith and works, I will now bring them together in a brief summary, as follows: (1) Every man after death comes to be his own love, and the spirit of man is nothing but the affection that is of his love; when therefore a man becomes a spirit he thinks and thence speaks from his affection; he also wills and thus acts from his affection; and he desires and imbibes the things that are of his affection or love, and those that do not belong to his affection or love he turns away from and rejects. And in fact, his face gradually becomes the face of his affection or love, from which he is then known, as he is also known from his speech, the tone of which is the tone of his affection. In a word, a man after death becomes his love or his affection in form; and consequently when anyone speaks against the affection which is of his love, or assaults it, his face is changed, and he himself goes away or suddenly vanishes. As all men after death are the substances and forms of their love, therefore the whole heaven, which consists of angels who have been men, is divided into societies according to the genera and species of the affections, thus according to all the differences and varieties of the affections. And hell, also, which consists of spirits who have been men, is divided into societies according to the affections opposite to heavenly affections, and according to all the differences and varieties of these in general and in particular. That man after death is his love, or his affection which is of the love, has been heretofore unknown in the world; for the world has believed that affection does nothing and that thought does everything; and for the reason that man has not been able to reflect upon the affections and the variations of them in himself, but only upon thoughts and their variations; for thoughts he sees inwardly in himself as it were, but not affections; and what does not reach the sight of his thought, and thus become manifest, is not considered by him. But whoever is wise can know his affections by his thoughts; for the affections manifest themselves in the thoughts whenever a man is in the freedom of his spirit and is alone with himself; for he then thinks from the affection which belongs to his love. Nor is thought anything else than affection made visible in various forms by the influx of light; therefore if you take away affection the thought immediately perishes, just as light does if you take away the flame. From this it is clear how important it is to acquire for oneself heavenly love or affection. How this is acquired shall be told in what follows. But it is to be known that by affection love in its continuity is meant.
(2) [2] That the whole life of man is the life of his love, and that the love and the life make one and are one with man, can be seen from what has been said above, namely, that everyone appears in the spiritual world with a face according to his love, that he speaks according to it, thinks, wills, desires, lusts, rejoices, and is sad, according to it, and these are the things that constitute his life, and that proceed from it. That this is so is clearly evident in the case of spirits and angels, who are all men both in face and in body; for as soon as the love of one of them is assaulted he vanishes with his whole body, even though he were sitting shut up in a room; and this I have frequently seen; and thus it was made clear that an angel or spirit is not only an affection in a human form, but also that his whole life from the head to the sole of the foot, or from cap to shoe, is nothing but affection which is of love; otherwise he could not have wholly vanished from the eyes of those sitting by him. When inquiry was made whether his corporeal form with its members is also affection which is of the love, it was found that each thing and all things of these were so; for the reason that the universal heaven, which, as has been said above, is divided and formed into societies according to all the differences and varieties of the affections, has a relation to one man, and from this all angels and spirits are human forms; therefore as heaven is a complex of all affections, so, too, is an angel and a spirit, who are least forms of heaven. This arcanum was thus made clear to me, and it was also confirmed from heaven, that all things and everything of man, both of his mind and of his body, are forms of love in a wonderful series, and that the organs of the brain and of the face, as also the members and viscera of the body, are perpetual contextures corresponding to those affections of heaven in which its societies are. And from this still another arcanum was made clear to me, namely, that the affections of the mind and the thoughts therefrom spread out and pour themselves forth into all things of the body, as into the field of their excursion and circumgyration, which field and circumgyration are from the affection of the mind and its thought into the uses from which, in which, and according to which, the members and viscera of the body are formed. For it is similar as with the affections and thoughts therefrom of the angels, in that they pour themselves forth in every direction into heaven and its societies; and according to their extension is the wisdom of the angels. (But on this see further in the work on Heaven and Hell, namely, that all angels are images of heaven, and thus are as it were heavens in the least form, n. 51-58; that the universal heaven has a relation to one man; and that thence angels and spirits are human forms, n. 59-102; that all thought from affection proceeding from angels has extension into the societies of heaven according to the quality of their love and wisdom, n. 200-212.)
(3) [3] Since love constitutes the life of man, and man is to live to eternity either in heaven or in hell in accordance with the life he has acquired in the world, it is a matter of the highest importance to know how man acquires heavenly love and becomes imbued with it, so that his life, which is to have no end, may be blessed and happy.
(4) [4] There are two chief faculties of man’s life, namely, the will and the understanding. The will is the receptacle of all things of good, and the understanding is the receptacle of all things of truth from that good. Man cannot be reformed except by means of these two faculties of life, and only by their being filled by goods and truths. Reformation is effected in this order: first, man must fill the memory with knowledges and cognitions of truth and good, and by means of these he must acquire for himself the light of reason; especially be must learn that God is one, that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, that there is a heaven and a hell, that there is a life after death, and that the Word is holy.
(5) [5] Next he must learn what evils are sins, first from the Decalogue, and afterwards from the Word everywhere, and must think that they are sins against God, and that they therefore withhold and separate man from heaven, and condemn and sentence him to hell. Consequently, the first thing of reformation is to refrain from sins, to shun them, and finally to be averse to them; but that he may refrain from them, shun them, and be averse to them he must pray to the Lord for help. But he must shun them and turn away from them because they are opposed to the Word, thus opposed to the Lord, and thence opposed to heaven, and because they are in themselves infernal.
(6) [6] So far as man shuns evils, and turns away from them because they are sins, and thinks about heaven, his salvation and eternal life, so far he is adopted by the Lord, and conjoined to heaven, and so far he is endowed with spiritual affection, which is such that he not only wishes to know truths, but also to understand them, and to will and do them.
(7) [7] Thus is man reformed by the Lord; and so far as he then knows and understands truths and wills and does them, so far he becomes a new man, that is, a regenerate man, and thus becomes an angel of heaven, and has a heavenly love and life.
(8) [8] The love and life of such a one are wholly according to the works of his will; and the works of the will are according to the truths that are applied to the life. The knowledges of truth and good that a man has acquired for himself from infancy, and with which he has filled his memory, are not living in him until he begins to be affected by truths because they are truths, and begins to will and to do them. Until then they are only outside of the life of man. (9) [9] By good works are meant each and every thing that a man does after he has turned away from evils because they are sins against God; for then he no longer does good works or operates them from self but from the Lord. He then also learns daily what he is to do; and he has a clear discernment of goods and evils, and shuns evils and does good with prudence, intelligence, and wisdom. Thus much respecting the love, which constitutes the life of man. Something shall now be said respecting faith.
(10) [10] The ancients did not know what faith is; but in place of faith they had truth; for when truth is perceived or is seen in the understanding, and thus acknowledged, it is believed on its own account; consequently it cannot be said of it that faith must be had in it, since faith is in it. If, for example, one sees a tree and a flower in a garden, and another should say that he should believe or have faith that there is a tree and a flower there, and that it is such a tree and such a flower, would he not answer, Why do you wish me to believe or to have faith in this when I myself see it? This is why the angels of the third heaven, since they perceive truths from good, are unwilling even to mention faith, and in fact, do not know that it exists; and why angels of the second heaven, since they see truths from the light of truth by which their understanding is enlightened, do not acknowledge the word faith. They wonder and laugh when they hear anyone saying that the understanding is to be held captive under obedience to faith, and that one should have faith in what is not perceived and seen; and they say that in this way what is false may be believed, and by confirmations be placed as if in light, and truth itself as if in darkness; and thus falsity may play with truth as with a ball.
(11) [11] When the world could no longer see truths from the love of them and from their light, because men had become natural and external, then faith began to be mentioned, and everything of faith began to be called truth, although it was not perceived or seen but only asserted by some leader and confirmed by passages of the Word not understood. This is the condition of the churches in the Christian world at this day, in every one of which the doctrinals of their faith are believed to be truths, and this for the sole reason that these are held by the church of their native land; and yet that it is not perceived or seen whether they are true is clear from the discussions, disputings, opinions, and heresies respecting them, in general and in particular, both public and private.
(12) [12] So long as faith was joined with works, and charity was acknowledged in an equal degree with faith, or above it, the church was in truths from the Word, but only in a few, because they did not see them. But as soon as faith was separated from charity the church fell from truths into falsities, and at length into a faith that has destroyed all the truths of the church. This faith is a faith in justification and salvation by the merit of the Lord with the Father. For if man is saved by this faith alone, and this faith also is separated from the goods of life, which are good works, what need is there of truths, which teach the way to heaven and lead to it? Live and believe in any way you wish, and merely hold that faith, and you will be saved. But let me tell you, my reader, that all who live that faith are in natural love separated from spiritual love; and natural love separated from spiritual love is the love of self and the world, and thus the love of all evils and of all falsities from evils; and that all who thus live are so empty and so blind that they do not even know and do not see a single genuine truth of the church in the Word, although they have it and read it; and many of them have no desire to know or see truth of any kind.
(13) [13] The reason for this is that there is no truth with man, still less any faith, unless he wills it and does it, for until then it is not a truth of the life, but only a truth of the memory, which is outside of man and not within him; and what is outside of him is dispersed. From this it is clear that faith without works is not faith-unless it be a faith in falsity from evil, which is a dead faith, such as reigns in hell.

sRef Deut@6 @5 S0′ sRef Gen@4 @15 S0′ sRef Rev@13 @16 S0′ sRef Ezek@9 @4 S0′ sRef Deut@6 @8 S0′ 838. That there be given them a mark upon their right hand and upon their foreheads, signifies an attestation of the acknowledgment that they are of the church, and are in the so-called truths and goods of that faith. This is evident from the signification of a “mark,” as being a sign or attestation of acknowledgment, here that they are of that church; also from the signification of “right hand,” as being the truth of faith in its power (see above, n. 298); also from the signification of “forehead,” as being the good of love (see also above, n. 427). So here “the right hand and the forehead” signify the so-called truths and goods of that faith, which, nevertheless, are either not truths and goods or are falsities and evils. The acknowledgment of these as truths and goods however is signified by “giving and receiving a mark upon their right hand and upon their foreheads.” A “mark” signifies a sign of acknowledgment also in the following passages in Revelation, 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4. Moreover, a “mark” has a similar meaning as:
The sign set by Jehovah upon Cain (Gen. 4:15);
Likewise the sign that the prophet was commanded to set upon the foreheads of the men in the city of Jerusalem (Ezek. 9:4);
as also the “sign” in Moses:
Thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might. Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be for frontlets before thine eyes (Deut. 6:5, 8; 11:18).

sRef Rev@13 @16 S0′ 839. It has been shown already that every man is his love, and that the love and life of man make one and are one. It shall now be shown that a man’s faith is such as his love or life is, also that a man’s faith is according to his works. It has been shown above that works contain in themselves all things of man’s love and life, since works are their products and effects, and are the ultimates in which all things prior coexist. For this reason angels of the third heaven know what the quality of a man is by the tone of his speech, also by his step, by the touch of the hand, by the action of the body, by his exultation, and by many other things, which are acts. That a man is known in the third heaven by such things is not known in the world, because man believes that there is nothing in such things but mere motion; when yet the life of his mind produces these actions by means of the life of his body; and both of these lives, with everything pertaining to them, concur in the production of these acts, from which it follows that they manifest themselves in them. Since, then, a man’s life goes forth into works, and manifests itself in them, it follows that his faith does the same; for faith is the acknowledgment that a thing is so, and acknowledgment is of the thought and at the same time of the will; and as will and thought produce action by means of the life of the body, so also faith is manifested in works as to its quality. And yet nothing is acknowledged to be so in thought, will, and work together, except what pertains to man’s love and life, for it is his love and life that acknowledge; which shows that as faith is such as man’s love and life are, so it is such as his works are.
[2] By works all things are meant that a man does, speaks, and writes, whether great and many or little and few; as whatever an officer does in his office, or whatever a priest does in his, or a merchant in his, or a servant in his; all such works, whether little or great, are good when they are done from the Lord with man, and are evil when they are done by the man himself; thus they are good so far as man shuns evils because they are sins against God, and they are evil so far as he does not shun evils. It is similar with faith; such as his works are such is his faith, for these make one like thought and speech or like will and action. Man supposes that even if he lives wickedly he can still have faith, at least to believe that there is a God, that the Lord is the Savior of the world, that there is a heaven and a hell, and that the Word is holy. But I can affirm that if he does not shun evils because they are sins, and then look to the Lord, he does not at all believe these things; since they are not of his life and love, but only of his memory and knowledge; and they do not come to be of his life and love until he fights against evils and overcomes them. This has been made clear to me by the state of many after death who supposed that they had believed at least that there is a God, and that the Lord is the Savior of the world, and other like things; and yet such as had lived wickedly had not believed.

sRef Rev@13 @17 S0′ 840. Verse 17. And that no one be able to buy and* to sell if he hath not the mark of the beast, signifies forbidding anyone to learn and teach anything but what has been acknowledged and thence accepted in doctrine. This is evident from the signification of “to buy and to sell,” as being to acquire knowledges to oneself and to communicate them to others, thus to learn and to teach (of which presently). “To cause no one to be able” signifies to forbid. It is evident also from the signification of a “mark,” as being an attestation and sign of acknowledgment that those who are in these so-called truths and goods of that faith are of the church (see just above, n. 838). From this it is clear that “to cause that no one be able to buy and to sell save he that hath the mark of the beast” signifies forbidding anyone to learn and to teach anything but what has been acknowledged and also accepted in doctrine. “To buy and to sell” signifies to acquire for oneself the knowledges of truth and good from the Word and to communicate them, or what is the same, to learn and teach, because “wealth and riches” signify in the Word the knowledges of truth and good; and “silver and gold,” by means of which buying and selling are conducted, signify the truths and goods of heaven and the church; and this is why “buying and selling,” and also “doing business and trading,” are spoken of in the Word here and there, and why they signify spiritual buying and selling, and doing business and trading.
sRef Isa@55 @1 S2′ [2] As in Isaiah:
Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no silver, come ye, buy and eat; come, I say, buy wine and milk without silver and without price (55:1).
Everyone sees that by “buying wine and milk” is not here meant buying such things. And as “to buy” signifies to acquire for oneself such things as contribute to man’s spiritual life, evidently the particulars here are to be spiritually understood; thus the “waters” to which everyone that thirsts may come signify truths for those that desire them; “waters,” meaning truths from the Word, and “to thirst” meaning to desire them; that these are given freely from the Lord is signified by “he that hath no silver,” also by “without silver and without price;” “to eat” signifies to appropriate to oneself; “wine and milk” signify spiritual truth and natural truth therefrom, both from good.
sRef Matt@25 @9 S3′ sRef Matt@25 @10 S3′ [3] In Matthew:
The prudent virgins said to the foolish, Go ye rather to them that sell, and buy oil for yourselves; but while they went away to them to buy the bridegroom came (25:9, 10).
“The prudent virgins” signify those in the church with whom faith is conjoined to charity, and “the foolish” signify those in the church with whom faith is separated from charity; for “lamps” signify the truths of faith, and “oil” signifies the good of love; therefore “to go to them that sell and to buy” signifies to those who teach, and to learn or acquire for oneself. But as such had not acquired for themselves the good of love, and vivified by that means the truths of faith, while they lived in the world, but had acquired them afterwards, and as no one can acquire for himself the good of love after death and retain it, so these foolish virgins, by whom all who separate the good of love or the good of charity from the truths of faith are signified, were not admitted to the marriage feast nor received by the bridegroom. “The marriage feast” signifies heaven, and “the bridegroom” the Lord.
sRef Matt@21 @12 S4′ [4] In the Gospels:
Jesus entered into the temple, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers and the seats of them that sold doves (Matt. 21:12; Mark 11:15; Luke 19:45).
“Those that sold and bought” here signify those who make gain for themselves out of holy things; the “tables of the money-changers” signifies those who do this from holy truths; and the “seats of them who sold doves” those who do it from holy goods; therefore it is afterwards said that they made the temple “a den of thieves,” “thieves” meaning those who pillage the truths and goods of the church, and thus make to themselves gain.
sRef Luke@17 @28 S5′ [5] In Luke:
As it came to pass in the days of Lot, so shall it be in the days of the Son of man, they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded (17:28).
“To eat and drink” signifies here to live for self and the world, and to appropriate to oneself evils and falsities; “to buy and sell” signifies to acquire these and to communicate them to others; “to plant and build” signifies to confirm oneself in these, and to live in them.
sRef Luke@22 @36 S6′ [6] In the same:
Jesus said, Now he who hath a purse let him take it, and likewise a wallet; but he that hath no sword let him sell his garments and buy one (Luke 22:36).
What is meant by these words is evident from what follows there, namely, that “this which was written must be fulfilled in the Lord” (verse 37), thus that He was to suffer the cross; and since this must needs distract the minds of those who were then living, as well as the minds of the disciples, and lead them into doubts respecting the Lord and His kingdom, and thus into temptations, and these doubts could be dispelled only by means of truths, therefore the Lord says, “he that hath a purse and a wallet let him take them,” that is, he that possesses truths from the Word, in which it is foretold that Christ must suffer such things, let him take heed not to lose them; for the purse and the wallet have a similar signification as the coins and money in them, namely, the knowledges of truth and good from the Word. “But he that hath no sword let him sell his garments and buy one,” signifies let those who have no truths reject what is their own, and acquire the truths with which they may fight against falsities, “sword” signifying the combat of truth against falsity, and the destruction of falsity.
sRef Ezek@27 @11 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @33 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @16 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @12 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @13 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @15 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @10 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @9 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @14 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @36 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @17 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @6 S7′ sRef Isa@23 @8 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @8 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @7 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @2 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @20 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @26 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @4 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @27 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @21 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @24 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @3 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @23 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @22 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @25 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @19 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @34 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @35 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @31 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @32 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @5 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @1 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @18 S7′ sRef Isa@23 @1 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @28 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @30 S7′ sRef Ezek@27 @29 S7′ [7] As “Tyre” signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, and thence also the knowledges of truth and good which belong to the church, and which are serviceable for its doctrine, so where “Tyre” is treated of in the Word, her “tradings” are also treated of, which signify the acquisition and also the communication to others of these knowledges, as in Ezekiel:
All the ships were for the trading of thy traffic; Tarshish was thy trader in silver, iron, tin, and lead; they traded for thy merchandise. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, these were thy merchants; they traded for the merchandise with the soul of man and with vessels of brass. The sons of Dedan were thy merchants, many islands were the merchants of thy hand. Syria was thy trader with chrysoprasus. But thy riches and thy tradings, thy merchandise, and they who trade thy traffic, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of thy fall (27:1, to the end).
In Isaiah:
Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is devastated, whose merchants are princes, her traders the honored of the earth (23:1, 8).
Everyone can see that tradings and merchandise here do not mean tradings and merchandise; for what has the Word, which in itself is Divine and heavenly, and teaches man about God, heaven and the church, eternal life, and the like, in common with such things? Therefore who cannot see that all the particulars here signify spiritual things which pertain to heaven and the church, not only the names of the lands here mentioned with which trading was carried on, but also their special kinds of merchandise? But it would take too much space to explain here what the particulars in the spiritual sense signify; it is enough to know that “tradings” here signify the acquisition and communication of the knowledges of truth and good; and that “merchandise or wares” signify these knowledges; which are multifarious.
sRef Ezek@28 @4 S8′ sRef Ezek@28 @5 S8′ [8] That this is the signification is evident also from these words in Ezekiel:
In thy wisdom and in thine intelligence thou hast made to thyself wealth; and hast made gold and silver in thy treasures; by the abundance of thy wisdom in thy trading thou hast multiplied to thyself wealth (28:4, 5).
This treats of the prince of Tyre, by whom the knowledges of truth from the Word, through which come intelligence and wisdom, are meant; and as these same knowledges are signified by “wealth,” and the acquisition of them by “trading,” it is said, “by the multiplication** of thy wisdom in thy trading thou hast multiplied to thyself wealth.”
sRef Matt@13 @45 S9′ sRef Matt@13 @46 S9′ [9] From all this it can now be seen why:
The Lord compared the kingdom of the heavens to a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it (Matt. 13:45, 46).
“Pearls” signify knowledges, and also truths themselves; and “the one of great price” signifies the acknowledgment of the Lord; and “to sell all that he had” signifies to set aside all things that are of one’s own love, and “to buy it” signifies to procure for oneself that Divine truth.
sRef Matt@13 @44 S10′ [10] The like is meant by:
The treasure hidden in a field, which a man having found hid, and for joy he went and sold all things whatsoever that he had and bought the field (Matt. 13:44).
The “treasure” signifies the Divine truth that is in the Word; and the “field” signifies the church and its doctrine; and “to sell all things whatsoever that he had and buy the field” signifies here as above, to set aside what is one’s own and to acquire for oneself the Divine truth that is in the Lord’s church.
sRef Luke@19 @17 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @15 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @17 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @18 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @19 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @18 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @20 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @15 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @16 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @23 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @14 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @21 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @16 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @14 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @22 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @25 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @24 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @26 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @26 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @27 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @24 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @13 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @12 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @30 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @29 S11′ sRef Isa@52 @3 S11′ sRef Isa@48 @15 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @20 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @19 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @28 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @21 S11′ sRef Luke@19 @25 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @22 S11′ sRef Matt@25 @23 S11′ [11] As “trading” signifies the acquisition and possession of truths, the Lord spake by a parable:
Of a man going on a journey, who gave to his servants talents, that they might trade with them and make gain (Matt. 25:14-30);
and of another:
Who gave to his servants ten pounds, that they might trade with them (Luke 19:12-26).
“To trade,” “tradings,” and “traders,” have the same signification elsewhere in the Word; also the contrary sense, in which they signify the reception and appropriation of falsities (as in Isa. 48:15; Ezek. 16:3; Nahum 3:14; Rev. 18:3, 11-24). So the church in which such things exist is called:
A land of trading (Ezek. 16:29; 21:30, 31; 29:14).
Moreover, “to sell” and “to be sold” signify to alienate truths and to be alienated from them, and to accept falsities in their place, and to be captivated by them (Isa. 50:1; 52:3; Ezek. 30:12; Joel 3:6, 7; Nahum 3:4; Zech. 13:5; Ps. 44:11-13; Deut. 32:30). From this can be seen what is properly signified by “being redeemed and redemption,” where the Lord is treated of; as in Isaiah:
Ye have sold yourselves for nought; therefore ye shall be redeemed without silver (52:3);
and in many passages elsewhere.
* The Latin has “et,” but in the text of the chapter we read “aut.”
** The photolithograph reads “multiplicationem,” but just above “multitudinem.”

sRef Rev@13 @17 S0′ 841. Or the name of the beast, or the number of his name, signifies either what is like it in respect to life or what is like it in respect to faith. This is evident from the signification of “name,” as being the quality of the good of love and of life therefrom; also from the signification of “number,” as being the quality of the truth of faith and of intelligence therefrom; so “the number of a name” signifies the quality of the truth of faith and the intelligence thence from the quality of the good of love and its life; but here in the contrary sense, because it is said “the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” That “name” signifies in the Word the quality of anyone in respect to good or to love, thus in respect to life, may be seen above (n. 102, 135, 148, 676, 695, 696, 815); and that “number” signifies the quality of the thing that is treated of, and that the quality is determined by the numbers that are added, may also be seen above (n. 429, 430, 574); thus it signifies the quality of the truth of faith; also that “to number” signifies to know the quality of a thing, and to arrange and to dispose according to it (n. 453). “Number” signifies the quality of truth and thence of faith, because number involves multitude; and in the Word “multitude” is predicated of truths (see above, n. 336, 337). So now “the number of the name” signifies the quality of truth from good, that is, the quality of faith from love; but because the beast is here treated of it must here be understood in the contrary sense.

sRef Matt@23 @25 S0′ sRef Matt@23 @28 S0′ sRef Matt@23 @27 S0′ sRef Rev@13 @17 S0′ 842. As faith and works have been treated of above I will draw from these the following conclusion: that love, life, and works make one in every man, so that whether you say love, or life, or works, it is the same. It has been shown above that love constitutes the life of a man, and that his life is such as his love is, not only the life of the mind, but at the same time the life of the body. And since that which a man loves he also wills with the mind and does with the body, it follows that love and deeds or works make one. There are many things to show that works proceed from both the internal and the external life of man, and that they are the activities of the sphere of the affections and of the thoughts therefrom by which he is encompassed, and that no communication of man’s life and love is possible unless the encompassing sphere, which is of his life, becomes active by doing; consequently such as the life is, or such as the love is, or such as the works are, with man, such are all the things of which that sphere is composed, and in consequence such also is the faith. So if the works are evil it follows that there is no faith of truth, but only a faith of falsity; for evil and falsity cling together, but not evil and truth. But if the works are good it follows that there is a faith of truth, for good and truth mutually love each other, and join themselves together. But if a man’s works appear good in external form, and yet he is interiorly evil, it follows that he has a faith in falsity, however much he may talk about truth with the mouth, for the truth is contaminated with evil from within; and thus his deeds are according to the description of them by the Lord:
They are like the cleansed outside of the cup and the platter, whose inside is full of extortion and excess; and are like unto whited sepulchers which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of the bones of the dead and all uncleanness (Matt. 23:25, 27, 28).

sRef Rev@13 @18 S0′ 843. Verse 18. Here is wisdom. He that hath intelligence let him count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred sixty-six. 18. “Here is wisdom,” signifies that this is their doctrine in all its complex, which is thought to be wisdom, although it is insanity (n. 844). “He that hath intelligence let him count the number of the beast,” signifies that those who are in enlightenment may inquire into the quality of the faith of that religion (n. 845); “for it is the number of a man,” signifies its quality, as if it were from the understanding of truths such as the men of the church must have (n. 846); “and his number is six hundred sixty-six,” signifies that its quality, nevertheless, is from all falsities and all evils therefrom in the complex (n. 847).

sRef Isa@44 @25 S0′ sRef Isa@5 @21 S0′ sRef Isa@19 @11 S0′ sRef Isa@29 @14 S0′ sRef Isa@10 @12 S0′ sRef Matt@11 @25 S0′ sRef Isa@10 @13 S0′ sRef Jer@50 @35 S0′ sRef Rev@13 @18 S0′ sRef Isa@19 @13 S0′ 844. Verse 18. Here is wisdom, signifies that this is their doctrine in all its complex, which is thought to be wisdom, although it is insanity. This is evident from the signification of “here is wisdom,” as being that all those things that have been said of the dragon and his two beasts is the doctrine of those who have separated faith from life, which however is not wisdom, as it is reputed, but insanity. That this is the meaning of “here is wisdom” follows from what precedes, that “no one is able to buy* and sell save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name,” which signifies that no one should learn or teach anything else but what had been acknowledged, and thus accepted in doctrine. From this it can be concluded that “wisdom” here means wisdom in their own eyes; which, nevertheless, is insanity appearing to them to be wisdom. Insanity is meant by “wisdom,” because those who are in falsities, when they have confirmed their falsities believe themselves to be wiser than others. The evil do the like when they are in their evils and are contriving devices by which they may do evil to the good; they then appear to themselves to be ingenious, yea even wiser than others, and yet before the eyes of angels they appear crazy. And this is why their insanity when they are in falsities is called in the Word “wisdom and intelligence,” as in the following passages:
O Lord God, Thou hast hid these things from the wise and intelligent, and hast revealed them unto babes (Matt. 11:25; Luke 10:21).
Woe to the wise in their own eyes, and the intelligent before their own faces (Isa. 5:21).
I will visit upon the fruit of the proud heart of the king of Assyria and upon the splendor of the exaltation of his eyes; for he hath said, In the power of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; because I was intelligent (Isa. 10:12, 13).
Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the wise of the counselors of Pharaoh; how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise (Isa. 19:11).
The wisdom of his wise men shall perish, and the intelligence of his intelligent shall hide itself (Isa. 29:14).
He casteth the wise men backward (Isa. 44:25).
A sword against the inhabitants of Babylon, and against her princes, and against her wise ones (Jer. 50:35).
This is why the magi in Babylon and elsewhere were called wise men (Dan. 2:48).
From this it is clear that wisdom is predicated in the Word also of those who are not wise, also of those who are insane from falsities, like as “diadems” are attributed to them (as to the dragon, Rev. 12:3, and to his beast in the first verse of this chapter); and it is said of the woman who sat on the scarlet beast:
That she was arrayed in purple and scarlet, gilded with gold, adorned with precious stones and pearls (Rev. 17:4).
Likewise the evil are called “strong” and “mighty,” when in fact they are anything but strong and mighty (see above, n. 783).
* The photolithograph has “edere et vendere” for “emere et vendere.”

sRef Rev@13 @18 S0′ 845. He that hath intelligence let him count the number of the beast, signifies that those who are in enlightenment may inquire into the quality of the faith of that religion. This is evident from the signification of “having intelligence,” as meaning to be in enlightenment (of which presently); also from the signification of “to count,” as being to inquire into. “To count” signifies to inquire into because in the two senses of the Word, namely, in the literal sense and in the spiritual sense, words are used in agreement with their subjects; that is, “to count” is predicated of number, and to inquire into is predicated of the quality of faith. Also from the signification of “the number of the beast” as being the quality of the faith of this religion. That “number” signifies the quality of faith, may be seen above (n. 841), also that “the beast” signifies faith separated from life, which is the faith of that religious principle. From this it is clear that “he that hath intelligence let him count the number of the beast” signifies that those who are in enlightenment may inquire into the quality of the faith of that religion. Those who are in enlightenment are to make the inquiry because the quality of the faith of that religion can be seen and thus can be inquired into by no others. For everything of the Word by which inquiry must be made and from which there can be judgment is in the light of heaven, and therefore can be seen only from that light, and it is that light which enlightens man; therefore to inquire into the quality of the faith of any religion which has been confirmed by some passages of the Word can be done only by one who is in the light of heaven, consequently who is in enlightenment.

sRef Rev@13 @18 S0′ 846. For it is the number of a man, signifies its quality, as if it were from the understanding of truths such as men of the church must have. This is evident from the signification of “number,” as being the quality of faith (see above, n. 841); also from the signification of “man,” as being the understanding of truth that men of the church have in matters of faith (see above, n. 280, 546, 547), here as if it were from the understanding; for faith separated from the life is a faith in falsity, thus without truth and an understanding of it; therefore it is similar here in regard to the signification of “man” as in regard to the signification of “wisdom” above (n. 844), which means, as if it were wisdom although it is insanity.
[2] Moreover, those who are in faith separated from charity shut out the understanding, demanding obedience to a faith not understood, and that the faith understood is man’s own faith, and thus is natural and not spiritual. But what the quality of intellectual faith is shall be told. The Word in its spiritual sense treats in many passages of the understanding of the Divine truth in the Word; and where it describes the desolation of the church it treats also of the destruction of the understanding of its Divine truths from the Word; and from a collection of passages on that subject, carefully investigated in respect to their interior meaning, it is clear that so far as the understanding of truth perishes in the church, so far the church perishes. Moreover, the understanding of the Word is signified in many passages by “Egypt,” “Assyria,” “Israel,” and also “Ephraim;” “Egypt” signifying the natural understanding of it, “Assyria” the rational understanding; “Israel” the spiritual understanding, and “Ephraim” the understanding itself of the Word in the church. But in order that man may see and perceive from enlightenment the genuine truths of the Word, these three degrees of understanding, the natural, the rational, and the spiritual, must be together; for the natural understanding, which is the lowest, cannot be enlightened by its own lumen, but must be enlightened by the light of the rational man, which is intermediate, and this by spiritual light; for the spiritual understanding is in the light of heaven and sees by it, and the rational is intermediate between the spiritual and the natural, and receives spiritual light and transmits it to the natural and enlightens it. This shows that the natural understanding without light through the rational from the spiritual is no understanding, for it is without light from heaven; and the truths of the church, which are also truths of heaven, can by no means be seen except in the light of heaven; the reason is that Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun is the light of heaven, and the Lord enlightens man by His own light only, which is spiritual light.
[3] From this it is clear that the Lord wishes man both to know the truths of His church and also to understand them; not, however, from natural light separated from spiritual light; for natural light separated from spiritual light, in the things of heaven or in spiritual matters, is not light but thick darkness. For man, from natural light separated from spiritual light, views the things of the church from self and not from the Lord, and consequently he can see them only from appearances and fallacies; and to see them from these is to see falsities for truths, and evils for goods. The fire that propagates and enkindles that light is the love of self and the consequent pride of self-intelligence. Man who thinks from that fire and that light so far as he excels in genius and thence in the ability to confirm whatever he pleases, so far he is able to so confirm falsities and evils as to make them appear to be truths and goods, and can even set forth falsities and evils in a resplendent natural light, which is, nevertheless, a delusive light that has been thus exalted by art. But to apprehend church matters by this light is not to understand them, but rather to not understand them, since by that light alone man sees truths as falsities, and falsities as truths. This is especially so when any accepted dogma is assumed to be the truth itself, with no previous investigation whether it be true or not; or if investigated is investigated only through what has been established by reasonings from the natural man, and by confirmations from the Word not understood. When a man views all the dogmas of his religion in this way he can assume as a principle whatever he pleases, and can so impart to it the light of confirmation as to make it to appear to be a truth from heaven, although it is a falsity from hell.
[4] From this it can be concluded that the understanding of the truths of the church means the understanding of them that is enlightened by the light of heaven, thus by the Lord. The man who is in that enlightenment is able to see the truths of the church rationally in this world, and spiritually after death. But to enter into church matters, which are interiorly spiritual and celestial, from natural lumen separated from spiritual light, which is the light of heaven from the Lord, is to proceed by an inverse order, since what is natural cannot enter into what is spiritual, but what is spiritual can enter into what is natural. For there can be with man no natural influx (called also physical influx) into the thoughts and intentions of his spirit; but there can be spiritual influx, that is, of the thoughts and intentions of the spirit into the body and into its actions and sensations.

sRef Rev@13 @18 S0′ 847. And his number is six hundred sixty-six, signifies that its quality nevertheless is from all falsities and all evils therefrom in the complex. This is evident from the signification of “number,” as being the quality of faith separated from the life; also from the signification of “six hundred sixty-six” as being all falsities and all evils therefrom in the complex. This is the signification of that number, because “six” signifies all things, and is predicated of truths and of goods therefrom, and in the contrary sense of falsities and of evils therefrom; for that number is composed of the numbers two and three multiplied together, and the number two is predicated of goods, and in the contrary sense of evils; and the number three of truths, and in the contrary sense of falsities; and a composite number has a similar signification as the simple numbers of which it is composed. This, then, is why “six” signifies all truths and all goods therefrom in the complex, and in the contrary sense all falsities and all evils therefrom in the complex. That all these may be signified to the full, that number is tripled; and by triplication the number 666 arises. For a thing triplicated signifies completeness and fullness from beginning to end; so here it signifies that nothing whatever of truth and good remains.
[2] That every number in the Word signifies something pertaining to a thing or state, and that its quality is determined by the numbers added, may be seen above (n. 203, 429, 574, 841). That larger numbers composed of the smaller have a similar signification as the smaller and simple numbers from which they arise by multiplication may be seen above (n. 430); thus the number six hundred sixty-six has a similar signification as six, and six the like as three and two, from which it arises by multiplication. That three signifies fullness, completeness, altogether, and all things from beginning to end, and is predicated of truths and falsities, may be seen above (n. 532); and that two is likewise predicated of goods and evils (n. 532, at the end). Again, six has a similar signification as twelve, because twelve arises from the multiplication of three by four; and four, like two, is predicated of goods and also of evils. From this it is clear that the number “six hundred sixty-six,” which is said to be “the number of a man,” and “to count” which is said to be a matter of intelligence, signifies the quality of faith separated from good works, that it is composed of all falsities and of all evils therefrom in the complex. Its being said to be a matter of intelligence to count that number does not signify that it is a matter of intelligence to know or find out the signification of that number, but that it is a matter of intelligence to inquire into and see the falsities and evils that make up the quality of faith separated from life.
sRef Matt@6 @24 S3′ [3] That the quality of that faith is such in respect to falsities will be seen in what presently follows. It is also such in respect to evils because when good works are set aside (and they are set aside when it is believed that they contribute nothing at all to justification or salvation), it follows that evil works take their place; for a man must be either in goods or in evils. That he cannot be in both together is meant by these words of the Lord:
No one can serve two masters; he will either hate the one and love the other…. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Matt. 6:24).
Therefore all evils in the complex follow from a faith that sets aside good works, which are the goods of life. Moreover, every religion has life as its end; for it teaches the evils that must be shunned, and the goods that are to be done. A religion that does not have life as its end, consequently a religion in which it is taught that the works of life are of no account, but faith alone, cannot be called a religion; and where this is taught, are not all evils of life permitted so far as they are not forbidden and restrained by the civil laws, since faith alone covers, remits, and takes them away? That this is so can be seen from this, that faith alone is said to justify the life; and yet it is taught that man is not saved by any good of life, also that he may be saved by this faith even in the last hour of death, also that he is justified at the same moment that he receives this faith, with other like things, which altogether persuade that life is not the end of that religion. And if religion does not have life as its end it follows that it must give loose reins to evils of every kind.
[4] That those who are in that faith both in doctrine and in life have all falsities in the complex is clear from the claim that this faith is the only justifying or saving faith, namely, that the Father sent the Son that He might reconcile to Him the human race by the passion of the cross and by thus taking away damnation. But it has been shown above what the quality of this faith is, and what there is in it of truth and untruth; and anyone can see that in this faith there is nothing except thought, and nothing of life; for it is said that if we believe this with trust and confidence, that is, if we acknowledge it in thought, we are saved. If in this faith alone there is salvation what need is there of knowing what love to the Lord is, what charity towards the neighbor is, what the life of man is, what the goods and evils of life are, what remission of sins is, what reformation and regeneration are? Are not all these this faith alone? If it be asked what remission of sins is, is it not this faith alone? If it be asked what charity towards the neighbor is, is it not this faith alone? If it be asked what the church is, is it not this faith alone? So in the rest. It is clear, therefore, that this faith alone has absorbed, and has swallowed up like a dragon, all the goods and truths of the Word, and thus of the church, although these are innumerable, and through these the angels have all their intelligence and wisdom, and men have all their salvation.
[5] As all the truths and goods of the church have been banished by means of this faith alone, it follows that falsities and evils therefrom have taken their place, and as a consequence the church is devastated. Yea, by means of this truth that man of himself can do no good that is good, all the truths and goods of the church are cast aside, as if this made it permissible for man to refrain from doing them, because if they are not good they are rather damnable than saving. And it is wonderful that through a single truth wrongly understood all the truths and goods of the church in the whole complex should have been cast aside. This is what is signified in the spiritual sense by “the number of the beast, six hundred sixty-six.”

Revelation 14

1. And I saw, and behold a Lamb standing on the Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred forty-four thousand having the name of His Father written upon their foreheads.
2. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard a voice of harpers harping with their harps.
3. And they were singing as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four animals and the elders: and no one was able to learn the song save the hundred forty-four thousand, those bought from the earth.
4. These are they that were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were bought from among men, first fruits to God and the Lamb.
5. And in their mouth was found no guile; for they are spotless before the throne of God.
6. And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the eternal gospel to proclaim unto them that dwell on the earth, and unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people,
7. Saying with a great voice, Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come; and adore Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters.
8. And another angel followed, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon that great city, for she hath given all nations to drink of the wine of the anger of her whoredom.
9. And a third angel followed them, saying with a great voice, If anyone have adored the beast and his image, and have received his mark on his forehead or on his hand,
10. Even he shall drink of the wine of the anger of God, mixed with unmixed wine in the cup of His wrath; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone before the holy angels and before the Lamb;
11. And the smoke of their torment shall go up unto the ages of the ages; and they shall have no rest day and night that adore the beast and his image, and if anyone have received the mark of his name.
12. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
13. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works do follow with them.
14. And I saw, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sitting like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown,* and in his hand a sharp sickle.**
15. And another angel went out from the temple, crying out with a great voice to Him that sat on the cloud, Send Thy sickle and reap, for the hour for thee to reap is come, for the harvest of the earth is dried up.
16. And He that sat upon the cloud cast His sickle upon the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17. And another angel went out from the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle;
18. And another angel went out from the altar, having authority over the fire; and he cried with a great cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Send thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vineyard*** of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripened.
19. And the angel cast his sickle into the earth and gathered the vineyard of the earth and cast it into the great wine-press of the anger of God.
20. And the wine-press was trodden without the city; and there went out blood from the wine-press even unto the bridles of the horses, for a thousand six hundred stadia.
* [Author’s Note:] Divine Love and Divine Wisdom.
** [Author’s Note:] The Divine Truth of the Word.
***[Author’s Note:] Good of charity.

sRef Rev@14 @1 S0′ 848. EXPOSITION.
Verse 1. And I saw, and behold a Lamb standing on the Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred forty-four thousand having the name of His Father written upon their foreheads. 1. “And I saw,” signifies a manifestation respecting the future separation of the good from the evil before the Last Judgment (n. 849); “and behold a Lamb standing on the Mount Zion,” signifies the presence of the Lord in heaven and in the church for separating the good from the evil and for executing judgment (n. 850); “and with Him a hundred forty-four thousand,” signifies according to truths in the whole complex (n. 851); “having the name of His Father written upon their foreheads,” signifies these according to the acknowledgment of His Divine, from love (n. 852).

sRef Matt@13 @27 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @1 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @26 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @24 S0′ sRef Matt@24 @31 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @29 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @30 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @28 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @25 S0′ sRef Matt@24 @30 S0′ 849. Verse 1. And I saw, signifies a manifestation respecting the future separation of the good from the evil before the Last Judgment. This is evident from the signification of “I saw,” as being the things seen by John, which now follow; these, regarded in the spiritual sense, treat of the calling together and assembling of the faithful, and their separation from the evil before the Last Judgment; and this is meant by the Lord by these words in Matthew:
They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory; and He shall send His angels and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other (24:30, 31).
That chapter treats also of the Last Judgment, which is there meant by “the consummation of the age and the coming of the Lord.” The gathering together of the good and their separation from the evil is there described by those words, as well as in this chapter (verses 14, 16), where the Son of man is described as sitting upon a white cloud with a sickle in His hand reaping the earth.
[2] Similar things in this chapter are meant also by these words of the Lord in Matthew:
The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man that sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept his enemy came and sowed tares and went away. But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit then appeared the tares. And the servants came and said, Wilt thou then that going we gather them up? But he said, Nay, lest haply while ye gather up the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them. Rather let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Collect first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn (13:24-30).
Here the separation of the good from the evil, which was to take place at the time of the Last Judgment, is foretold by the Lord, and is meant by “Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Collect the tares to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” The “tares” mean the evil, who will then be cast into hell, and the “wheat” means the good, who having been separated from the evil will be raised up into heaven. Similar things are meant in this chapter where it is said:
The hour for thee to reap is come; for the harvest is dried up. And he that sat upon the cloud cast in his sickle upon the earth; and the earth was reaped (verses 15, 16, and what follows).
Why the good were not separated from the evil previous to the time of the Last Judgment, and the good raised up to heaven and the evil cast into hell, can be seen in the work on The Last Judgment, and also above (n. 391, 392, 394, 397, 411, 413, 418, 419, 426, 489 1/2, 493, 497, 668, 669, 670, 674, 675, 676, 754).

sRef Rev@14 @1 S0′ 850. And behold a Lamb standing on the Mount Zion, signifies the presence of the Lord in heaven and in the church for separating the good from the evil and for executing judgment. This is evident from the signification of “Lamb,” as being the Lord as to the Divine Human (see above, n. 297, 314, 343, 460, 482); also from the signification of “standing,” as meaning to be present and to be conjoined (of which presently); also from the signification of “the Mount Zion,” as being heaven and the church, where the Lord reigns by His Divine truth, as can be seen from the passages in the Word where “Mount Zion” is mentioned. But first something shall be said about the Lord’s presence in heaven and in the church, for separating the good from the evil and for executing judgment. The presence of the Lord is perpetual in the whole heaven and in the whole church; for heaven is not heaven from what is the angels’ own [proprium] in it, nor is the church a church from what is men’s own [proprium] in it, but from the Divine of the Lord with them. For an angel’s own [proprium] cannot make heaven, nor a man’s own [proprium] the church, since the own [proprium], both of angels and of men, is not good. Consequently it is the Divine that goes forth from the Lord, as received by them, that makes heaven and the church in particular with each one, and thus makes heaven and the church in general in all in whom heaven and the church exist. Thence it is evident that the presence of the Lord is perpetual with all who are in heaven and in the church; but it is a presence that is peaceful, tranquil, preserving, and sustaining, by which all things in the heavens and on the earth are held constantly in their order and connection, or are reduced to that order; so, too, in the hells. But the presence that is meant here by “standing upon the Mount Zion” is the unusually active presence of the Lord, for the purpose of effecting an inflow of His Divine through the heavens into the lower parts, that the good there may be separated from the evil, and the evil be cast down from their places where they had formed for themselves a semblance of heavens. But this presence and conjunction of the Lord with the heavens and His consequent influx into the lower parts to effect the judgment has been treated of above (n. 413, 418, 419, 426, 4891/2, 493, 702, 704). It is this presence that is signified elsewhere by “standing,” when attributed to the Lord (as in Isaiah 3:13). From all this it can be seen that “behold a Lamb standing on the Mount Zion” signifies the presence of the Lord in heaven and in the church, for separating the good from the evil and for executing judgment.
[2] “Mount Zion” signifies heaven and the church where the Lord reigns by His Divine truth, for the reason that Zion was a city built by David, and in which he afterwards dwelt, and was therefore called “the city of David,” and as “David” represented the Lord in respect to His royalty, which is the Divine truth, “Zion” signifies in the Word heaven and the church, where the Lord reigns by His Divine truth. For the same reason the ark of Jehovah, in which the law was deposited, was carried into that city by David; for that law also signifies in a broad sense Divine truth going forth from the Lord. And for the same reason Jerusalem, which lay below that mountain, signifies the church in respect to doctrine; for every doctrine of the church is from the Divine truth that goes forth from the Lord, consequently is from the Word. That city was built upon a mountain for the reason that at that time mountains, because of their height, represented the heavens, and thence also in the Word signify the heavens. The ground of this representation and consequent signification is that the highest heavens, in which are the angels of the third degree, appear at a height above the rest, and before the eyes of others like mountains; and as the highest heavens appear like mountains, and the angels who are upon them are in love to the Lord, so “mountains,” and especially “Mount Zion,” signify in the Word love to the Lord. (That a “mountain” signifies love see above, n. 405, 510.)
sRef Ps@2 @6 S3′ sRef Ps@2 @12 S3′ sRef Ps@2 @7 S3′ sRef Ps@2 @8 S3′ [3] That “Zion” signifies heaven and the church, in which the Lord reigns by His Divine truth, can be seen from the following passages. In David:
I have anointed My king upon Zion, the mountain of My holiness. I will declare the decree, Jehovah hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee. I will give the nations for Thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Thy possession. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and ye perish in the way, for His anger will shortly burn forth. Happy are all they that trust in Him (Ps. 2:6-8, 12).
This evidently was not said of David, but of the Lord, for it is said, “Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee. I will give the nations for Thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Thy possession;” also “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and ye perish in the way; Happy are all they that trust in Him;” nothing of which can be said of David. Therefore “to anoint a king upon Zion, the mountain of holiness,” signifies the Lord’s rule in heaven and in the church by means of Divine truth. (What “to be anointed” and “one anointed” signify, in reference to the Lord, may be seen above, n. 375.) “King” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, “Zion” heaven and the church, and “to declare the decree” His coming; “Thou art, My Son, this day have I begotten Thee,” signifies the Divine Human, which also is the Son of God; that He has all power in the heavens and on earth is meant by “I will give the nations for Thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Thy possession;” that there must be conjunction with Him by love that there may be salvation is signified by “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and ye perish in the way.” The Last Judgment by Him is signified by “His anger will shortly burn forth;” that those who have faith in Him will then be saved is signified by “Happy are all they that trust in Him.” All this makes evident that “Zion” means heaven and the church, where the Lord reigns by means of His Divine truth.
sRef Matt@21 @2 S4′ sRef Matt@21 @4 S4′ sRef Matt@21 @5 S4′ sRef Zech@9 @9 S4′ [4] Likewise in Zechariah:
Exult greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold thy king cometh unto thee; He is just and a Deliverer; meek and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the son of an ass (9:9).
That this was said of the Lord and of His kingdom in the heavens and on earth, which kingdom is meant by “Zion” and by “Jerusalem,” is evident in the Gospels, where this, when it is fulfilled, is related:
Jesus sent two disciples that they might bring to Him an ass and her colt. This was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold thy King cometh to thee, meek, sitting upon an ass, and upon a colt, the son of a beast of burden (Matt. 21:1, 2, 4, 5; John 12:14, 15).
That “riding upon an ass and upon a foal of an ass” was a sign of royalty, and therefore the Lord so rode when He entered Jerusalem, and He was therefore called King by the multitude crying aloud, and branches of palm trees and garments were strewn upon the way before Him (verses 7-9), may be seen above (n. 31), and as the Lord thus entered Jerusalem as a King it is evident that “Zion” means heaven and the church, in which the Lord reigns by means of His Divine truth. That the kings of Judah and Israel represented the Lord as to the Divine truth, and that consequently “kings” mean those who are in truths from good from the Lord can be seen above (n. 31, 553, 625); and that especially David represented in the Word the Lord as to royalty, which is the Divine truth (n. 205).
sRef Isa@40 @9 S5′ sRef Isa@40 @10 S5′ [5] In Isaiah:
O Zion, proclaimer of good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, proclaimer of good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! behold the Lord Jehovih cometh in strength (40:9, 10).
As this is said of the Lord and of His Kingdom, and this is signified by “Zion and Jerusalem,” it is said that “Zion and Jerusalem should proclaim it as good tidings,” Zion from good of love, and Jerusalem from truths of doctrine. To proclaim good tidings from good of love is meant by “getting up into a high mountain;” and proclaiming good tidings from truths of doctrine is meant by “lifting up the voice with strength;” “the cities of Judah” signify the doctrine of love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor in the whole complex. The Lord as to the Divine truth and the Divine good, who was to come and execute judgment, is meant by, “Behold your God! behold the Lord Jehovih cometh in strength;” for the Lord is called “God” in the Word from Divine truth, and “Jehovah,” and also “Lord Jehovih,” from Divine good; and “to come in strength” is to execute judgment, and thus to subjugate the hells.
sRef Micah@4 @8 S6′ sRef Micah@4 @2 S6′ sRef Micah@4 @1 S6′ sRef Micah@4 @7 S6′ sRef Micah@4 @3 S6′ [6] In Micah:
In the end of the days it shall be that the mountain of the house of Jehovah shall be established in the head of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us of His ways and that we may go in His paths; for from Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem. Then shall He judge among many nations, and shall reprove numerous nations, even afar off. Jehovah shall rule in Mount Zion from henceforth even forever. Thou, O tower of the flock, O hillside of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall come and shall return the former kingdom, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem (4:1-3, 7, 8).
Anyone can see that the coming of the Lord and of His kingdom in the heavens and in the earth are here described; therefore His kingdom, which is heaven and the church, is meant by “the mountain of the house of Jehovah” that will then be established in the head of the mountains. And as “Zion” means heaven and the church in which the Lord is to reign by His Divine truth, while “Jerusalem” means heaven and the church as to doctrine from that Divine truth, it is said, “from Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem.” The instruction of all from the Lord is described by what then follows.
sRef Zeph@3 @14 S7′ sRef Zeph@3 @15 S7′ sRef Isa@46 @13 S7′ sRef Isa@12 @6 S7′ sRef Isa@59 @20 S7′ sRef Isa@28 @16 S7′ sRef Isa@35 @10 S7′ sRef Isa@28 @17 S7′ sRef Isa@18 @7 S7′ sRef Ps@14 @7 S7′ sRef Isa@28 @18 S7′ sRef Zech@8 @3 S7′ sRef Zech@2 @11 S7′ sRef Zech@2 @10 S7′ [7] In Isaiah:
Cry out and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee (12:6).
In the same:
The redeemed of Jehovah shall return to Zion with singing, and the joy of eternity shall be upon their head (35:10).
In Zephaniah:
Sing for joy, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and exult with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem; Jehovah hath taken away thy judgments; He hath overturned thine adversary. Jehovah is in the midst of thee (3:14, 15).
In Zechariah:
Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for lo, I come that I may dwell in the midst of thee; and many nations in that day shall cleave to Jehovah. I will dwell in thee (2:10, 11).
In the same:
I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; whence Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth, and the mountain of Jehovah, the mountain of holiness (Zech. 8:3).
In David:
Who shall give in Zion the salvation of Israel? When Jehovah shall bring back the captivity of his people Jacob shall exult and Israel shall be glad (Ps. 14:7; 53:6).
In Isaiah:
The Lord Jehovih shall lay in Zion for a foundation a tried stone, a precious corner stone of a well-founded foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste. Then I will set judgment for a rule and justice for a plummet; your covenant with death shall be abolished, and your vision with hell shall not stand (28:16-18).
In the same:
In that day a present unto Jehovah of Hosts shall be brought, a people distracted and plundered, from a terrible people, to the place of the name of Jehovah of Hosts, to Mount Zion (Isa. 18:7).
In the same:
I have made near My justice, it is not far off, and My salvation shall not tarry; I will place salvation in Zion, My adornment for Israel (Isa. 46:13).
In the same:
Then a Redeemer shall come to Zion (Isa. 59:20).
These passages treat of the Lord’s coming and of His kingdom in the heavens and on the earth, and as that kingdom is meant by “Zion and Jerusalem” it is said that they shall come thither, and that Jehovah the Holy One and the King of Israel shall dwell there; “Jehovah the Holy One and the King of Israel” meaning the Lord as to Divine truth. This makes clear that “Zion” means heaven and the church, in which the Lord reigns by Divine truth, and “Jerusalem” heaven and the church as to doctrine from that Divine truth. Who does not see that Zion and Jerusalem, to which the nations should be brought back, and where the Lord should dwell, do not mean Zion and Jerusalem where the Jewish nation was?
sRef Isa@31 @9 S8′ sRef Ps@87 @3 S8′ sRef Ps@48 @12 S8′ sRef Ps@126 @1 S8′ sRef Isa@33 @20 S8′ sRef Ps@128 @5 S8′ sRef Ps@128 @6 S8′ sRef Ps@135 @21 S8′ sRef Isa@37 @22 S8′ sRef Ps@48 @13 S8′ sRef Isa@33 @5 S8′ sRef Isa@37 @22 S8′ sRef Isa@4 @3 S8′ sRef Ps@146 @10 S8′ sRef Isa@24 @23 S8′ sRef Ps@48 @3 S8′ sRef Ps@48 @2 S8′ sRef Ps@48 @14 S8′ sRef Ps@48 @11 S8′ sRef Ps@87 @2 S8′ sRef Ps@78 @68 S8′ sRef Isa@4 @5 S8′ sRef Ps@126 @2 S8′ sRef Isa@37 @23 S8′ sRef Ps@87 @5 S8′ sRef Ps@87 @7 S8′ sRef Ps@134 @3 S8′ sRef Ps@87 @6 S8′ sRef Ps@149 @3 S8′ sRef Ps@149 @2 S8′ sRef Ps@132 @14 S8′ sRef Ps@9 @14 S8′ sRef Ps@132 @13 S8′ sRef Isa@1 @27 S8′ sRef Ps@76 @2 S8′ [8] It can also be seen from the following passages that “Zion” means heaven and the church, in which the Lord reigns by Divine truth. In Isaiah:
Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and those of her that are brought back in justice (1:27).
In the same:
He that is left in Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy to Him, everyone that is written unto life in Jerusalem. Jehovah will create over every dwelling of Mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud by day and a smoke and the shining of a flame of fire by night (Isa. 4:3, 5).
In the same:
Jehovah of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders shall be glory (Isa. 24:23).
In the same:
Jehovah, who hath His fireplace in Zion, and His oven in Jerusalem (Isa. 31:9).
In the same:
Jehovah is exalted, for He dwelleth on high; He hath filled Zion with judgment and justice. Look upon Zion, the city of our set feast; let thine eyes see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be destroyed (Isa. 33:5, 20).
In the same:
The virgin daughter of Zion hath despised thee; she hath laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head after thee, because thou hast blasphemed and reviled the Holy One of Israel (Isa. 37:22, 23).
In David:
That I may recount all Thy praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion (Ps. 9:14).
The sides of the north, the city of the great King; God is known in her streets (Ps. 48:2, 3).
In the same:
Encompass ye Zion, and encircle her, number her towers, set your heart to her bulwarks, examine her palaces; and ye shall tell to the generation following that this God is our God forever and ever; He will lead us (Ps. 48:11-14).
In the same:
In Salem is the tabernacle of God, and his dwelling place in Zion (Ps. 76:2).
In the same:
The Lord hath chosen the tribe of Judah, the mountain of Zion which He hath loved (Ps. 78:68).
In the same:
Jehovah loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are to be spoken in thee, O city of God; Jehovah shall count when He describeth the peoples, This one was born there. All my fountains are in thee (Ps. 87:2, 3, 6, 7).
In the same:
When Jehovah shall bring back the captivity of Zion, then shall our mouth be filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing (Ps. 126:1, 2).
In the same:
Jehovah shall bless thee out of Zion, that thou mayest see the good of Jerusalem all the days of my* life; that thou mayest see the sons of thy sons, peace upon Israel (Ps. 128:5, 6).
In the same:
Jehovah hath chosen Zion, He hath desired it for a seat for Himself; this is My rest forever, here will I dwell, for I have desired it (Ps. 132:13, 14).
In the same:
Jehovah shall bless thee out of Zion (Ps. 134:3).
In the same:
Blessed be Jehovah out of Zion, who dwelleth in Jerusalem (Ps. 135:21).
In the same:
Jehovah shall reign forever thy God, O Zion, in generation and generation (Ps. 146:10).
In the same:
Let the sons of Zion exalt in their king; let them praise His name in the dance; let them sing psalms with timbrel and harp (Ps. 149:2, 3).
These passages respecting Zion are quoted that everyone may see that in the Word “Zion” does not mean Zion, but heaven and the church where the Lord reigns by means of His Divine truth. Most of these are also prophetic of the Lord, that when He came He would love Zion and dwell there forever; and yet He did not love that city nor Jerusalem, as is evident from His words respecting them; but He loved heaven and the church, where He is received through His Divine truth. This is why Zion is called “His rest,” “His dwelling place,” “the mountain of Jehovah,” “the city of God,” “the city of the great King,” “the city of truth,” and it is said that His kingdom shall be there “to eternity,” “forever,” and “to generation and generation;” none of which things could by any means be said of the Zion of David, or be meant by it.
sRef John@1 @4 S9′ sRef John@1 @14 S9′ sRef John@1 @1 S9′ sRef John@1 @3 S9′ sRef John@1 @2 S9′ [9] As the Lord came into the world to execute judgment, and thereby reduce all things in the hells and in the heavens to order; and as judgment is effected by Divine truth, since this, according to reception, is what makes man spiritual, and according to its laws, which are the Divine commandments in the Word, all judgments are effected in the spiritual world, so the Lord assumed the Human, and during His life in the world made it Divine truth, to the end that He might execute judgment, as has been said. That the Lord made His Human Divine truth is meant in John by:
The Word that was with God, and that was God, and by which all things were made that were made, and by which the world was created (1:1, seq.).
“The Word” means Divine truth. That the Lord became Divine truth as to His Human is clearly stated as follows:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
The Lord as to Divine truth is also meant by “the Son of man,” as the Lord frequently calls Himself in the Gospels; of whom He also says that judgment is to be wrought by Him. Since, then, the Lord executed judgment by His Divine truth, and since “Zion” means heaven and the church, in which the Lord reigns by His Divine truth, it is said in this chapter of Revelation, which treats of the separation of the good from the evil before the Last Judgment, that “a Lamb was seen standing upon the Mount Zion,” which signifies the presence of the Lord in heaven and in the church for separating the good from the evil and for executing judgment, as has been said above.
sRef Isa@31 @4 S10′ [10] Because “the mount of Zion” has the same signification elsewhere in the Word, it is said that the Lord will fight from Mount Zion for the church against the evil, and will destroy them; as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Jehovah of Hosts shall come down to fight upon the mount of Zion and upon the hill thereof (31:4).
This, too, treats of the coming of the Lord and of the redemption or deliverance of the faithful; therefore “to fight upon the mount of Zion and upon the hill thereof” signifies to execute judgment by Divine truth, by which judgment is executed because all are judged according to their reception of it; since Divine truth, or the Word and doctrine therefrom, teach life, and everyone is judged according to the life.
sRef Ps@20 @5 S11′ sRef Ps@20 @2 S11′ sRef Ps@20 @6 S11′ [11] In David:
Jehovah will send help for thee out of the sanctuary, and will sustain thee out of Zion. We will sing of thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. I know that Jehovah saveth His anointed; He answereth him from the heaven of His holiness with the might of the salvation of His right hand (Ps. 20:2, 5, 6).
This, too, was said of the Lord and of His victory over the hells, and the consequent salvation of men. Combats and victories are meant by “answering His anointed from the heaven of His holiness with the might of the salvation of His right hand,” and the salvation of the faithful thereby is meant by “His sustaining us out of Zion,” and by “singing of His salvation.”
sRef Ps@50 @5 S12′ sRef Ps@50 @4 S12′ sRef Ps@50 @1 S12′ sRef Ps@50 @3 S12′ sRef Ps@50 @2 S12′ [12] In the same:
Jehovah shall speak, and shall call the earth from the rising of the sun even unto its going down. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shall shine forth, our God shall come. He shall cry out to heaven above and to the earth to judge His people. Gather My saints together unto Me (Ps. 50:1-5).
This plainly treats of judgment upon all from Zion, that is, from the Lord by the Divine truth. The separation of the good from the evil is meant by “He shall call the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down.” Judgment upon all is meant by “He shall cry out to heaven above and to the earth to judge the people.” The gathering together of the good and their salvation is meant by “gather My saints together unto Me.” Divine truth, in which the Lord is in His glory, is meant by “Out of Zion the perfection of beauty God shall shine forth.”
sRef Ps@110 @2 S13′ sRef Ps@110 @1 S13′ [13] In the same:
The saying of Jehovah to my lord, Sit thou at My right hand, until I make thine enemies a stool for thy feet. Jehovah shall send to thee the staff of thy strength out of Zion; rule thou in the midst of thine enemies (Ps. 110:1, 2).
The words of the Lord Himself in Matthew (22:44) show that this was said of the Lord. “To sit at the right hand” signifies the Lord’s Divine omnipotence; “to make his enemies a stool for his feet” signifies the complete subjugation and surrender of the hells; “the staff of strength out of Zion” signifies Divine truth, which is omnipotent, “Zion” meaning heaven, where the Lord reigns by His Divine truth. His rule over the hells by means of it is signified by “rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.” That omnipotence belongs to the Lord alone, and this He has by His Divine truth, may be seen above (n. 726). That truths have all power from good, and that good and truth therefrom are from the Lord, may also be seen above (n. 209, 338, 716, 776, 783).
sRef Isa@52 @1 S14′ [14] In Isaiah:
Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on the garments of thy beauty, O Jerusalem, the city of holiness (52:1).
As “Zion” signifies heaven, where the Lord reigns by His Divine truth, and as Divine truth has all power, it is said, “Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion.” Doctrine therefrom is signified by the “garments of beauty” that Jerusalem will put on.
sRef Joel@3 @21 S15′ sRef Joel@3 @16 S15′ sRef Amos@1 @2 S15′ sRef Joel@3 @17 S15′ [15] In Joel:
Jehovah shall roar out of Zion, and shall utter His voice from Jerusalem, that the heavens and the earth may shake. Then shall ye know that I am Jehovah, dwelling in Zion the mountain of My holiness, and that Jerusalem is holiness; no strangers shall pass through her any more (3:16, 17, 21).
In Amos:
Jehovah shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem (1:2).
“To roar,” and the “roaring of a lion,” when predicated of Jehovah, signify an ardent zeal for protecting heaven and the church, and for saving those who are therein by the Divine truth and its power, which is done by destroying the evils and falsities that rise up out of hell (see above, n. 601), and as “Zion” signifies heaven where the Lord reigns by the Divine truth, and “Jerusalem” signifies doctrine therefrom, it is clear what is signified by “Jehovah shall roar out of Zion, and shall utter His voice from Jerusalem.” That the Lord is present where He reigns by His Divine truth, both with the angels of heaven and with the men of the church, is signified by “ye shall know that I am Jehovah, dwelling in Zion, the mountain of My holiness.” That there shall be no falsities of evil there is signified by “no strangers shall pass through her,” “strangers” being the falsities of evil.
sRef Isa@34 @8 S16′ sRef Ps@99 @2 S16′ sRef Lam@4 @2 S16′ sRef Ps@99 @4 S16′ sRef Isa@64 @10 S16′ [16] In Isaiah:
The day of vengeance of Jehovah, the year of retribution for the controversy of Zion (34:8).
“The day of vengeance of Jehovah and the year of retribution” signifies the Last Judgment, and the condemnation of those who through falsities and evils have laid waste all the truths of the church; which is what is meant by the words “for the controversy of Zion.” In David:
Jehovah is great out of Zion, and He is high above all the peoples, the king’s strength (Ps. 99:2, 4).
Here Zion is called “the king’s strength” from the Divine truth which has power itself.
sRef Ps@102 @13 S17′ sRef Ps@102 @21 S17′ sRef Ps@102 @14 S17′ sRef Ps@102 @16 S17′ sRef Ps@102 @22 S17′ sRef Ps@102 @15 S17′ [17] In the same:
O Jehovah, Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion, for it is time to pity her, for the set time is come; for Thy servants desire the stones thereof, and pity the dust thereof, that the nations may fear the name of Jehovah, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory; because Jehovah hath built up Zion, and hath appeared in His glory. The name of Jehovah shall be declared in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem, when the peoples shall be gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve Jehovah (Ps. 102: 13-16, 21, 22).
This treats of the Lord’s coming and of the redemption of the faithful by Him. His coming is signified by “the time to pity her,” and by “the set time;” truths that are to be restored and truths that have been restored are signified by the “stones” which the servants desire; the establishment of the church and the worship of the Lord from Divine truths is described by what follows.
[18] The devastation of the church by the Jewish nation, by this that they had falsified every Divine truth, is also described throughout the Word by the vastation of Zion. As in Isaiah:
The cities of Thy holiness are become a wilderness; Zion is become a wilderness, and Jerusalem a waste (64:10).
In Lamentations:
The precious sons of Zion, esteemed equal to pure gold, how are they reputed as earthenware bottles, the work of the hands of the potter (4:2 to the end; likewise in Isa. 3:16-26; Jer. 6:2; Micah 3:10, 12; and elsewhere).
“The virgin” and “the daughter of Zion” are mentioned in many places, as in the following: 2 Kings 19:21; Isa. 1:8; 3:16, 17; 4:4; 10:32; 16:1; 37:22; 52:2; 62:11; Jer. 4:31; 6:2, 23; Lam. 1:6; 2:1, 4, 8, 10, 13, 18; 4:22; Micah 1:13; 4:8, 10, 13; Zeph. 3:14; Zech. 2:10; 9:9; Ps. 9:15; Matt. 21:5; John 12:15; and elsewhere. “The daughter of Zion” signifies the spiritual affection for the Divine truth, which is the love of truth for the sake of truth, and the desire for it for the sake of the uses of eternal life. From all this it is now evident what is signified by “the Lamb was seen standing upon the Mount Zion,” namely, that in what here follows the separation of the good from the evil for the execution of judgment is treated of.
* the Hebrew has “thy,” the photolithograph has “Deus Deus.”

sRef Isa@3 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @1 S0′ sRef Isa@3 @13 S0′ sRef Matt@19 @28 S0′ 851. And with Him a hundred forty-four thousand, signifies according to truths in the whole complex. This is evident from the signification of a “hundred forty-four thousand,” as being truths in the whole complex (see above n. 430). These words of the Lord to His twelve disciples have a like signification:
Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye that have followed Me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His glory ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28).
This does not mean that the twelve disciples were to sit upon twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel, but it means that the Lord is to judge all according to truths from good, which are from Him, for “the twelve disciples” signify all who are of the church, and in an abstract sense all things of the church, which are truths from good. (But this may be seen explained above, n. 9, 206, 253, 270, 297, 430).
[2] “Elders and princes” have a like signification in Isaiah:
Jehovah hath stood up to plead, and standeth to judge the peoples. Jehovah will come to judgment with the elders of His people and the princes thereof (3:13, 14).
“The elders of the people and the princes thereof” have a similar signification as the twelve disciples, namely, all belonging to the church who are in its truths and goods, and in an abstract sense the truths and goods of the church in the whole complex. (That this is the signification of “elders” see above, n. 270; also of “princes,” n. 29, 408).
[3] “A hundred forty-four thousand” means truths in the whole complex, because that number has a similar signification as the number “twelve” and “twelve” signifies truths and goods in the whole complex. “A hundred forty-four thousand” has a similar signification as twelve because composite numbers have a similar signification as the simple numbers from which they arise by multiplication; and the number one hundred forty-four arises from the multiplication of twelve by twelve. Again, one hundred forty-four thousand has a similar signification as one hundred forty-four. But on this see many things that were said in the explanation of the seventh chapter, which treats of the twelve thousand sealed out of each tribe, and the one hundred forty-four thousand sealed out of all the tribes together.

sRef Rev@14 @1 S0′ 852. Having the name of His Father written on their foreheads, signifies such truths according to the acknowledgment of His Divine from love. This is evident from the signification of “the name of His Father,” as being the Divine of the Lord (of which presently), also from the signification of “written on the foreheads,” as being full acknowledgment. “The name of the Father written on the forehead” means the full acknowledgment of the Divine of the Lord, because the Lord turns towards Himself all who acknowledge His Divine, and looks at them in the forehead, while they on the other hand look at the Lord with the eyes; and this for the reason that the “forehead” signifies love, and the “eye” the understanding of truth; therefore to be looked at by the Lord in the forehead signifies to be looked at by the Lord from the good of love; and on the other hand their looking at the Lord with the eyes signifies to look from truths from that good, consequently from the understanding of truth. (That all who are in the heavens are turned to the Lord, and look with the face towards Him as a Sun, see above, n. 646; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 17, 123, 142, 272; also that the Lord sees angels in the forehead, and on the other hand angels see the Lord with the eyes, because the forehead corresponds to the good of love, and the eyes correspond to the understanding of truth, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 145, 251; and that the forehead corresponds to the good of love see above, n. 427.)
[2] One who does not know what the Word is in the sense of the letter might think that when “God and the Lamb” are mentioned, and here “the Lamb and the Father,” two are meant, and yet the Lord alone is meant by the two. It is the same in the Word of the Old Testament, where mention is made of “Jehovah,” “the Lord Jehovih,” “Jehovah of Hosts,” “Lord,” “Jehovah God,” “God” in the plural and in the singular, “the God of Israel,” “the Holy one of Israel,” “the King of Israel,” “Creator,” “Savior,” “Redeemer,” “Shaddai,” “Rock,” and so on; and yet by all these names only one is meant, and not many; for the Lord is named variously according to His Divine attributes. So again, in the Word of the New Testament, where “Father,” “Son,” and “Holy Spirit,” are mentioned as three; and yet by these three names one only is meant; for “Father” means the Lord as to the Divine Itself which He had as the soul from the Father; “the Son” means the Divine Human; and “the Holy Spirit” the Divine proceeding; thus the three are one, the same as “the Lamb” and “the Father” are here.
sRef Luke@1 @31 S3′ sRef Luke@1 @35 S3′ sRef Matt@1 @20 S3′ sRef Matt@1 @25 S3′ sRef Luke@1 @34 S3′ sRef Luke@1 @32 S3′ [3] That when the Lord mentioned the Father He meant the Divine in Himself, and thus Himself, can be seen from many passages in the Word of both Testaments; but I will here quote a few from the Word of the Gospels, from which it can be seen that by “the Father” the Lord meant the Divine in Himself, which was in Him as the soul is in the body; and that when He mentioned the Father and Himself as two He meant Himself by both, for the soul and the body are one, the soul belonging to its body, and the body to its soul. That the Divine which is called “the Father” was the Divine Itself of the Lord from which His Human existed, and from which it was made Divine, is clearly evident from His conception from the Divine Itself. In Matthew:
The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy bride, for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph knew her not until she had brought forth her firstborn Son (1:20, 25).
And in Luke:
The angel said to Mary, Behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High. But Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, since I know not a man? And the angel answered and said, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; therefore that Holy Thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God (1:31, 32, 34, 35).
From this it is evident that the Lord from conception is Jehovah God; and to be Jehovah God from conception is to be so as to the life itself, which is called the soul from the Father, from which the body has life. From this it is clearly evident that it is the Lord’s Human that is called the Son of God, for it is said “the Holy Thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
sRef John@1 @3 S4′ sRef John@1 @1 S4′ sRef John@1 @14 S4′ [4] That it is the Lord’s Human that is called “the Son of God” can be seen further from the Word of both the Old and New Testaments in many passages. But this subject, God willing, shall be particularly discussed elsewhere; here only such passages will be quoted as testify that by “the Father” the Lord meant the Divine in Himself, thus Himself, as follows. In John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (1:1, 2, 14).
Evidently “the Word” means the Lord as to the Divine Human, for it is said that “the Word became flesh, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father.” It is also evident that the Lord is God even as to the Human, that is, that the Lord’s Human is also Divine, for it is said, “the Word was with God, and God was the Word;” and this Word became flesh. “The Word” means the Lord as to Divine truth.
sRef John@5 @25 S5′ sRef John@5 @17 S5′ sRef John@5 @18 S5′ sRef John@5 @19 S5′ sRef John@5 @24 S5′ sRef John@5 @22 S5′ sRef John@5 @23 S5′ sRef John@5 @21 S5′ sRef John@5 @26 S5′ sRef John@5 @20 S5′ [5] In the same:
My Father worketh even until now, therefore also I work. But the Jews sought to kill Him, because He said that God was His own Father, making Himself equal with God. But Jesus answered and said, The Son can do nothing of Himself except what He seeth the Father doing; for whatever things He doeth these also the Son doeth in like manner. As the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which sent Him. Verily, verily, I say unto you that the hour is coming when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. As the Father hath life in Himself so also gave He to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:17-27).
That “the Father” means here the Divine in the Lord, which was His life, as the soul of the father is in every man, and that “the Son” means the Human, which lived from the Divine Itself which was in Him, and thus became Divine, consequently that Father and Son are one, is evident from these words of the Lord, namely, that “the Son doeth like things as the Father,” that the Son like the Father “raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them,” that the Son like the Father “hath life in Himself,” and that “they that hear the voice of the Son shall live;” from all which it is clearly evident that the Father and the Son are one as soul and body are; as well as from the fact that “the Jews sought to kill Him because He said that God was His own Father, making Himself equal with God.”
[6] In the same:
All that which the Father giveth to Me shall come unto Me. Everyone that hath heard from the Father and hath learned, cometh unto Me. Not that anyone hath seen the Father save He who is with the Father, He seeth the Father. I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. As the living Father hath sent Me I also live by the Father (John 6:37, seq.).
Here the Lord says of His Human that it came down out of heaven, and that everyone has life through Him, because the Father and He are one; and that the life of the Father is in Him, as the soul from a father is in the son.
sRef John@10 @35 S7′ sRef John@10 @32 S7′ sRef John@10 @34 S7′ sRef John@10 @33 S7′ sRef John@10 @31 S7′ sRef John@10 @29 S7′ sRef John@10 @28 S7′ sRef John@6 @37 S7′ sRef John@10 @30 S7′ sRef John@10 @38 S7′ sRef John@10 @36 S7′ sRef John@10 @37 S7′ [7] In the same:
To my sheep I give eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone pluck them out of My Father’s hand. I and the Father are one. And the Jews were indignant that He made Himself God. He said, Say ye of Him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest, because I said I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of My Father believe Me not; but if I do, believe the works, that ye may know and believe that the Father is in Me and I in the Father (John 10:28-38).
Here the Lord speaks of the Father as of another, saying, “No one shall pluck the sheep out of my Father’s hand,” also, “If I do not the works of My Father believe Me not, but if I do, believe the works;” and yet that they might not believe that the Father and He were two He saith, “The Father and I are one;” and that they might not believe that they were one merely by love, He adds, “that ye may know and believe that the Father is in Me and I in the Father.” From this it is clear that by “the Father” the Lord meant Himself, or the Divine in Himself from conception; and that by “the Son whom the Father sent” He meant His Human, for this was sent into the world by being conceived of God the Father and born of a virgin.
sRef John@12 @45 S8′ sRef John@12 @44 S8′ sRef John@12 @46 S8′ [8] In the same:
Jesus cried out and said, He that believeth in Me believeth not in Me but in Him that sent Me, and He that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth in Me may not abide in darkness (John 12:44-46).
From this also it is clear that by “the Father” the Lord meant Himself, and by “the Son whom the Father sent” His Divine Human, for He says, “He that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me,” also “he that believeth in Me believeth not in Me but in Him that sent Me;” and yet He says that they are to believe in Him (verse 36, and elsewhere).
sRef John@13 @3 S9′ sRef John@13 @20 S9′ [9] In the same:
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He came forth from God and returned to God, said, He that receiveth Me receiveth Him that sent Me (John 13:3, 20).
As the Father and He were one, and the Lord’s Human was Divine from the Divine in Himself, therefore all things of the Father were His, which is meant by “the Father had given all things into His hands;” and because they were one He says, “He that receiveth Me receiveth Him that sent Me;” “Coming forth from the Father and returning to the Father” means to be conceived and thus to exist from Him, and to be united to Him like the soul to the body.
sRef John@16 @24 S10′ sRef John@16 @23 S10′ sRef John@14 @8 S10′ sRef John@14 @10 S10′ sRef John@14 @7 S10′ sRef John@14 @6 S10′ sRef John@14 @9 S10′ sRef John@14 @11 S10′ [10] In the same:
I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one cometh to the Father but through Me. If ye have known Me ye have known My Father also; and henceforth ye have known Him and have seen Him. Philip saith unto Him, Lord, show us the Father. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you and thou dost not know Me, Philip? He that seeth Me seeth the Father; how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The Father that abideth in Me, He doeth the works. Believe Me, that I am in the Father and the Father in Me (John 14:6-11).
Here it is plainly declared that the Father and He are one, and that the union is like the union of soul and body; thus that it is such a union that he who seeth Him seeth the Father. This union is further confirmed in this chapter. And as the union was such, and as no one can approach the soul of man but only the man himself, the Lord says:
That they should go to Him and should ask the Father in His name, and that He would give to them (John 16:23, 24).
sRef John@16 @15 S11′ sRef John@16 @7 S11′ sRef John@16 @16 S11′ sRef John@16 @14 S11′ sRef John@16 @10 S11′ sRef John@16 @13 S11′ sRef John@17 @3 S11′ sRef John@16 @28 S11′ sRef John@16 @5 S11′ sRef John@17 @10 S11′ sRef John@17 @2 S11′ sRef John@16 @17 S11′ [11] This union is also meant by:
He went forth from the Father and came into the world, and again He leaves the world and goeth to the Father (John 16:5, 10, 16, 17, 28.)
As the Father and He were one He also says:
All things whatsoever the Father hath are Mine, and therefore the Paraclete, which is the Holy Spirit, was to receive from the Lord what He should speak (John 16:13-15).
And elsewhere:
Father, Thou hast given Me authority over all flesh, that to everyone whom Thou hast given Me I may give eternal life. This is life eternal, that they may know Thee the only God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. All Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine (John 17:2, 3, 10).
Here, too, it is plainly declared that all things of the Father are the Lord’s, as all things of the soul are man’s; for man and the soul are one, as life and the subject of life are one. That even as to the Human the Lord is God is evident from these words of the Lord, “that they may know Thee the only God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.”
sRef Mark@8 @38 S12′ sRef Isa@7 @14 S12′ sRef Isa@9 @6 S12′ sRef Matt@28 @18 S12′ [12] As “the Father” and “the Son of God” are one, the Lord says that:
When He cometh to judgment He will come in the glory of His Father (Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26);
And in His own glory (Matt. 25:31);
And that He hath all authority in the heavens and on the earth (Matt. 28:18).
[13] That “the Son of God” means the Lord’s Divine Human is also made manifest in other passages in the Word; also in passages in the Old Testament. As in Isaiah:
Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, upon whose shoulder is the government; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, God, Mighty, the Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace (9:6).
And in the same:
A virgin shall conceive and shall bear a Son, and His name shall be called God-with-us (Isa. 7:14).
Evidently “a Child born” and “a Son given” here mean the Lord as to the Divine Human. And that the Lord is God also as to it, thus that His Human is Divine, is clearly said, for it is said that “His name shall be called God,” “God-with-us,” “the Father of Eternity.”
[14] Many other passages besides these might be quoted to prove, that by “the Father” in the Word the Lord meant His Divine which was the life or soul of His Human, and not another separate from Himself. Nor indeed could He have meant any other. Thus the Divine and the Human in the Lord, according to the doctrine of the Christian world, are not two but one person, altogether like soul and body; as is declared in clear terms in the Athanasian Creed. And as God and Man in the Lord are not two but one Person, and thus are united like soul and body, it follows that the Divine which the Lord had from conception was what He called “the Father,” and the Divine Human was what He called “the Son;” consequently that they were both Himself. From these things it can now be seen that “the name of the Father written on their foreheads” means the Lord as to His Divine.

sRef Rev@14 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @3 S0′ 853. Verses 2, 3. And I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of many waters and as the voice of a great thunder. And I heard a voice of harpers harping on their harps; and they were singing as it were a new song before the throne and before the four animals and the elders; and no one was able to learn the song save the hundred forty-four thousand, those bought from the earth. 2. “And I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of many waters,” signifies the glorification of the Lord from the Divine truths that are from Him (n. 854); “and as the voice of a great thunder,” signifies glorification of the Lord from His celestial kingdom (n. 855); “and I heard a voice of harpers harping on their harps,” signifies glorification of the Lord from His spiritual kingdom (n. 856); 3. “And they were singing as it were a new song,” signifies respecting acknowledgment and confession of the Lord (n. 857); “before the throne and before the four animals and the elders,” signifies with all in the entire heaven (n. 858); “and no one was able to learn the song save the hundred forty-four thousand,” signifies that acknowledgment and confession of the Lord was possible only with those who are in faith from charity, or in truths from good (n. 859); “those bought from the earth,” signifies those who having been instructed, have received that acknowledgment in the world (n. 860).

sRef Ezek@1 @24 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@19 @6 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @15 S0′ 854. Verse 2. And I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of many waters, signifies glorification of the Lord from the Divine truths that are from Him. This is evident from the signification of “a voice from heaven” as being the glorification of the Lord, since “a voice from heaven” involves the things thus spoken, and these here follow, and are especially contained in “the new song,” by which acknowledgment and confession of the Lord are signified. Also from the signification of “many waters,” as being Divine truths that are from the Lord. That “waters” signify in the Word Divine truths, may be seen above (n. 71, 483, 518); and because this is the signification of “waters” therefore speech is sometimes heard from heaven as the sound of flowing waters; such was the sound of the voice of the Son of man walking in the midst of the lampstands:
Whose voice was as the sound of many waters (Rev. 1:15).
Also in the following words:
I heard the voice of a great multitude, and as it were the voice of many waters, and as it were the voice of mighty thunders (Rev. 19:6).
And again:
The sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard like the sound of great waters (Ezek. 1:24).

sRef Rev@14 @2 S0′ 855. And as the voice of a great thunder, signifies glorification of the Lord from His celestial kingdom. This is evident from the signification of “voice,” as being glorification of the Lord, as above; also from the signification of “a great thunder,” as being glorification of the Lord from His celestial kingdom. “Thunder” signifies glorification from the celestial kingdom, because from it only sounds, and not expressions of speech, are heard; and for the reason that all who are in that kingdom speak from love, that is, from affection, which is of the heart; and when such speech flows down from that heaven toward the regions below it is heard as thunder. For all affections in the spiritual world are heard as sounds with their variations, but the thoughts therefrom become manifested by the articulations of sound which are called words. (On this see above, n. 323, 393; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 234-245.) But all who are in the spiritual kingdom speak from thought, which belongs to the understanding or soul; and when such speech flows down out of heaven towards the regions below it is heard either as a voice or as harmonious music, or is seen before the eyes like the brightness of a cloud or like the flash of lightning before thunder. This is why “lightnings, thunders, and voices,” signify in the Word enlightenment, understanding, and perception (see above, n. 273, 702, 704); and why voices let down from the celestial kingdom are heard as thunders (n. 353, 393, 821).

sRef Rev@14 @2 S0′ 856. And I heard a voice of harpers harping on their harps, signifies glorification of the Lord from His spiritual kingdom. This is evident from the signification of “voice,” as being glorification of the Lord, as above; also from the signification of “harpers harping with their harps,” as being the affections of those who are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom; for the affections of such also are heard as sounds, but as the sounds of stringed instruments; for sounds from stringed instruments correspond to truths from good, or intellectual things in which are the angels of the Lord’s spiritual kingdom; but sounds from wind instruments correspond to goods, in which are the angels of the Lord’s celestial kingdom. (That these are correspondences see above, n. 323, 326; and that “harps” signify confessions from spiritual truths, and “psalteries” confessions from goods, n. 323.) Now because the heavens are divided into two kingdoms, namely, into the celestial kingdom, in which are the angels that are in the good of love, and into the spiritual kingdom, in which are the angels that are in the truths from that good, it is said that “the voice from heaven was heard as the voice of a great thunder, and as the voice of harpers harping with their harps,” by which is signified the glorification of the Lord from the celestial kingdom, that is, from the good of love, and His glorification from the spiritual kingdom, thus from truths from that good.

sRef Rev@14 @3 S0′ 857. Verse 3. And they were singing as it were a new song, signifies respecting acknowledgment and confession of the Lord. This is evident from the signification of a “song,” as being confession from joy of heart; and of “a new song,” as being acknowledgment and confession of the Lord, thus glorification of Him (see above, n. 326). Songs are mentioned in many passages of the Word, especially in David, and they signify confession and glorification of God by singing; and where it is said “a new song” confession and glorification of the Lord is signified, for this song is called new for the reason that in the churches before the Lord’s coming Jehovah was praised in songs; and after the Lord had come into the world and had manifested Himself He too was praised in songs; while now in the church that is hereafter to be established, which is meant by “the New Jerusalem,” the Lord alone will be praised; but as it was the same Lord in the ancient churches, although praised under the name “Jehovah” who is now called the Lord, and as thus the song respecting Him, regarded in itself, is not new, so it is said to be “as it were a new song.” Here, therefore, it is called new, because it is for the New Church which is hereafter to be established by the Lord.

sRef Rev@14 @3 S0′ 858. Before the throne and before the four animals and the elders, signifies with all in the whole heaven. This is evident from the signification of a “throne,” as being heaven in general, in particular the spiritual heaven, and in an abstract sense Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; consequently “throne” is predicated of judgment (see above, n. 253, 267, 297, 343, 460, 462, 477, 482). Also from the signification of “the four animals and four and twenty elders,” as being the higher heavens (see also above, n. 313, 322, 362). Therefore “before the throne and before the four animals and the elders” signifies with all in the whole heaven.

sRef Rev@14 @3 S0′ 859. And no one was able to learn the song save the hundred forty-four thousand, signifies that acknowledgment and confession of the Lord was possible only with those who are in faith from charity, or in truths from good. This is evident from the signification of “the new song,” as being acknowledgment and confession of the Lord (see just above, n. 857); also from the signification of “the hundred forty-four thousand,” as being all who are in truths from good, thus who are in faith from charity, and in a sense abstracted from persons, truths from good (see above, n. 430). That these are meant by “the hundred forty-four thousand sealed out of all the tribes” can be seen from the explanation of the seventh chapter, where “the twelve thousand sealed out of each tribe” and “the hundred forty-four thousand” out of all the tribes, are treated of; and it is shown that these are those who acknowledge the Lord and His Divine Human, and therefore are among those who are separated from the evil, and raised up into heaven by the Lord and saved at the time of the Last Judgment; for as has been said above, this chapter treats of the separation of the good from the evil previous to the Last Judgment; therefore the good who are separated from the evil are meant by “the hundred forty-four thousand” that were sealed out of all the tribes.
[2] This makes evident that the words “no one was able to learn the song save the hundred forty-four thousand” signify that acknowledgment and confession of the Lord was possible only with those who are in faith from charity, or in truths from good. Acknowledgment and confession of the Lord is not possible with any others, because no others can receive influx from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord. For the Lord flows into the life of everyone; and the life of heaven is from love or charity, that is from good; and the quality of love or charity is formed by truths. From this, then, is man’s life; and therefore no other life receives influx out of heaven from the Lord, and thus acknowledges and confesses the Lord in heart, than the life of faith from charity or the life of truth from good. The life of faith separated from charity or the life of truth separated from good is a merely natural life, which receives nothing and can receive nothing from heaven, because from that life no communication with heaven is possible; for communication with heaven is given only through spiritual love, which is also called charity, that is, through a life according to truths from the Word; and that life is not given with those who separate faith from charity and believe that they are saved by faith alone, that is, by faith separated from good works. Since, then, “the hundred forty-four thousand” mean those who are in truths from good or who are in faith from charity, it is evident why they alone were able to learn the song, that is, were able to acknowledge and confess the Lord in heart, namely, that He is the only God, and that the trinity is in Him.

sRef Rev@14 @3 S0′ 860. Those bought from the earth, signifies those who having been instructed have received that acknowledgment in the world. This is evident from the signification of “those bought,” that is, redeemed by the Lord, as being those who receive instruction from the Word, especially respecting the Lord (of which presently); also from the signification of “the earth,” as being the church (see above, n. 29, 304, 697, 741, 742, 752); consequently “those bought from the earth” signify those who, having been instructed, have received in the church, and thus in the world, what the Lord has taught in the Word. It is to be known that only those who have acknowledged and confessed the Lord in the world can confess and acknowledge Him in the other life; for what a man is in regard to acknowledgment and confession therefrom in the world, such he remains after death. Some believe that those who have not had faith in the world will nevertheless receive faith in the other life when they hear from others and themselves see that it is so, as that there is a God, that the Lord is the Savior of the world, that the Word is holy, and the like; but I can testify that those who have not had faith in the world cannot have faith after death, even when they both hear from the angels and see with their own eyes that it is so. I have seen this tried with many who had not believed, that they might be induced to believe, but in vain; which made clear that what a man is when he dies such he remains to eternity. And this is what is meant by the five foolish virgins who had no oil in their lamps, but who wished to get oil for themselves; but when they had bought it and had come to the house of the wedding feast they were not admitted. “To buy oil” signifies to acquire the good of love for oneself after death. There are many such who acquire for themselves something after death, when they have become spirits; but this does not remain, because it has not been interiorly rooted, as it is with those who acquire those things for themselves in the world.
[2] “Those bought from the earth” signify those who, having been instructed, have received the acknowledgment of the Lord in the world, because “to buy” signifies to acquire for oneself the knowledges of truth and good, which is done by instruction; thus “those bought” signify here those who having been instructed receive. That “to buy and to sell” signify to acquire for oneself the knowledges of truth and good and to communicate them to others, may be seen above (n. 840). Those who having been instructed have received the faith of God are called by the Lord “bought,” because those who have been estranged by falsities are called “sold;” and for this reason those who have been led from falsities to truths, thus who have been delivered by the Lord from hell and have been led to heaven are called “the redeemed,” and the Lord is called “the Redeemer.” “To redeem” signifies in reference to the Lord to deliver from evils and to liberate from falsities, that is, from hell, and thus it signifies to reform and regenerate (as may be seen above, n. 328). “To redeem by His blood” signifies conjunction with the Divine through the acknowledgment of the Lord, and through reception of the Divine truth from Him (see n. 328, 329). The Lord is called “the Redeemer” as to the Divine Human (see also above, n. 328).

sRef Rev@14 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @5 S0′ 861. Verses 4, 5. These are they that were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were bought from among men, the firstfruits to God and the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit; for they are spotless before the throne of God. 4. “These are they that were not defiled with women,” signifies those who have not falsified the truths of the Word (n. 862); “for they are virgins,” signifies for the reason that they are in the affection of truth for the sake of truth (n. 863); “these are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth,” signifies those who have been conjoined to the Lord by the acknowledgment of His Divine Human, and by a life according to His commandments (n. 864); “these were bought from among men, the firstfruits to God and the Lamb,” signifies those received in the New Church by the Lord (n. 865). 5. “And in their mouth was found no deceit,” signifies that they are averse to thinking falsities and persuading to them (n. 866); “for they are spotless before the throne of God,” signifies that in the sight of angels they are without falsities from evil (n. 867).

sRef Rev@14 @4 S0′ 862. Verse 4. These are they that were not defiled with women, signifies those who have not falsified the truths of the Word. This is evident from the signification of “to be defiled and contaminated with women,” as being to falsify the truths of the Word, since this has the same signification as “to commit whoredom” and “to play the harlot.” That “whoredoms,” “harlotries,” and “adulteries,” which are so often mentioned in the prophecies of the Word, signify falsifications and adulterations of the truth and good of the doctrine of the church, thus of the Word, may be seen above (n. 141, 161, 511, 695, 803); therefore it is added “for they are virgins,” which signifies that they are in the affection or love of truth for the sake of truth. It is said that these hundred forty-four thousand “are not defiled with women, for they are virgins,” because these hundred forty-four thousand mean all who are in truths from good; and those who are in truths from good cannot falsify truths, because good opens the spiritual mind, which receives light from heaven and enlightens the natural mind; therefore when truths appear they are acknowledged and received, and falsities are rejected. It is altogether different with those who are in truths without good. Such are in falsities, although they believe themselves to be in truths. For truths without good have no light or life; consequently they are inwardly as it were black and dead; and therefore when interiorly regarded by such they are either falsified or are scattered as if they were nothing. Such are the truths of the Word with those who are in faith separated from charity. When these speak from the sense of the letter of the Word they can speak nothing else than truths, since all things of the Word are truths; and yet those things that constitute the sense of the letter are appearances of truth because they are for the simple and for little children, and therefore are adapted to their apprehension. But when one who is in faith separated from charity interiorly examines these appearances of truth and undertakes to draw forth their genuine meaning or genuine truth he falls into falsities, by which he destroys the very truths of heaven, and thus closes heaven to himself. It is otherwise with those who are in truths from good; for these are continually enlightened by the Lord; for the Lord flows into good, and through good into truths with man; but not into truths without good, thus not into faith without charity.

sRef Matt@13 @46 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @4 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @45 S0′ sRef Matt@13 @44 S0′ 863. For they are virgins, signifies for the reason that they are in the affection of truth for the sake of truth. This is evident from the signification of “virgins,” as being affections of truth, which are called spiritual affections of truth. For there are natural affections of truth which exist in almost everyone, especially during childhood and youth. But natural affections of truth have reward as an end, at first reputation, and afterwards honor and gain. These are not the affections here meant by “virgins,” but spiritual affections of truth are meant, which are such as have for their end eternal life and the uses of that life. Those who are in such affections love truths because they are truths, thus apart from the world’s glory, honors, and gains; and those who love truths apart from such considerations love the Lord; for the Lord is with man in the truths that are from good. For that which proceeds from the Lord as a Sun is the Divine truth, and that which proceeds from the Lord is the Lord; consequently he that receives truth from spiritual love because it is truth receives the Lord. Therefore of such it is said “these are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.” Moreover, such are meant by the Lord in these words in Matthew:
The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a treasure hidden in a field, which a man having found hideth, and in his joy goeth and selleth all things whatsoever he hath, and buyeth the field. Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man, a merchant, seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one precious pearl, went and sold all that he had, and bought it (13:44-46).
“The treasure hidden in a field” and “the pearls” signify the truths of heaven and the church; and the “one precious pearl” signifies the acknowledgment of the Lord. The affection of truths because they are truths is meant by “the man went in his joy and sold all that he had, and bought the field” in which the treasure was hidden, also by “the merchant’s going and selling all that he had, and buying the precious pearl.”
sRef Lam@1 @15 S2′ sRef Lam@1 @4 S2′ sRef Lam@1 @18 S2′ [2] Those who are in the spiritual affection of truth are called “virgins” from the marriage of good and truth from which is conjugial love; for a “wife” is the affection of good, and a “husband” the understanding of truth; moreover, females and males are born such. Now because virgins love to be conjoined to men with whom is the understanding of truth, therefore they signify the affections of truth. (But on this see more fully in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 366-386, where “Marriages in the Spiritual World” are treated of.) This makes clear what “virgins” signify in the following passages in the Word. In Lamentations:
The ways of Zion do mourn because they come not to the feast; all her gates are devastated, her priests moan, her virgins are sad, and she herself is in bitterness. The Lord hath cast down all my mighty in the midst of me; He hath proclaimed against me an appointed time for breaking my youths. The Lord hath trodden the wine-press for the virgin daughter of Zion.* Hear, I pray, all ye people, and behold my grief; my virgins and my youths have gone into captivity (1:4, 15, 18).
This describes the devastation of Divine truth in the church, “Zion” of which this is said signifying the church, where the Lord reigns by the Divine truth. “The ways of Zion do mourn” signifies that Divine truths are no longer sought; “no one comes to the feast” signifies that there is at that time no worship; “all her gates are desolated” signifies that there is no approach to truths; “her priests moan, her virgins are sad,” signifies that affections of good and affections of truth are destroyed; “He hath cast down all my mighty in the midst of me” signifies that all power of truth against falsities has perished; “He hath proclaimed against me an appointed time” signifies its last state, when the Lord is about to come; “for breaking my youths” signifies when there is no longer any understanding of truth; “the Lord hath trodden the wine-press for the virgin daughter of Zion”* signifies when all the truths of the Word are falsified; “my virgins and my youths have gone into captivity” signifies when all the affection of truth and the understanding of truth have perished by falsities.
sRef Lam@2 @10 S3′ sRef Lam@2 @21 S3′ sRef Lam@2 @13 S3′ [3] In the same:
The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the earth; they keep silence; they have cast up dust upon their head; they have girded themselves with sackcloth; the virgins of Jerusalem have made their head to go down to the earth. What shall I testify unto thee, to what shall I liken thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? They have lain in the streets, the boy and the old man; my virgins and my youths have fallen by the sword (Lam. 2:10, 13, 21).
These words, too, describe the devastation of Divine truth in the church, “the daughter of Zion” being the church in which the Lord reigns by Divine truth; grief on account of its devastation is described by “sitting on the earth,” “the elders being silent,” “casting up dust upon the head,” “girding themselves with sackcloth,” and “making the head to go down to the earth.” “The elders of the daughter of Zion” signify those who have been in Divine truths; “the virgins of Jerusalem” signify those who have taught truths from the affection of truth; “they have lain in the streets, the boy and the old man,” signifies that innocence and wisdom have been destroyed, together with Divine truths; “my virgins and my youths have fallen by the sword” signifies that all the affection of truth and all the understanding of truth have perished by falsities, “virgin” being the affection of truth, “youth” the understanding of truth, and “to fall by the sword” is to perish through falsities.
sRef Amos@8 @11 S4′ sRef Lam@5 @12 S4′ sRef Amos@8 @13 S4′ sRef Lam@5 @10 S4′ sRef Lam@5 @11 S4′ [4] In the same:
Our skins are become black like an oven because of the tempests of famine; the women in Zion have been ravished, the virgins in the cities of Judah; the princes have been hanged up by their hand; the faces of the elders have not been honored (Lam. 5:10-12).
In this like things are involved. What is signified by “the women in Zion,” “the virgins in the cities of Judah,” and “the princes and old men,” has been explained above (n. 540, 555, 655).
In Amos:
Behold the days shall come in which I will send a famine in the land, not a famine for bread nor a thirst for waters, but for hearing the words of Jehovah. In that day shall the beautiful virgins and the youths faint for thirst (8:11, 13).
This describes the lack of Divine truth. That lack is meant by “famine” and by “thirst;” therefore it is said, “not a famine for bread nor a thirst for waters, but for hearing the words of Jehovah.” That the affection of truth and the understanding of truth will cease because of this lack is signified by “in that day shall the beautiful virgins and the youths faint for thirst.”
sRef Isa@23 @4 S5′ [5] In Isaiah:
Blush, O Zidon, the sea hath said, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, neither brought forth; I have not trained up youths, I have not brought up virgins (23:4).
“Zidon and Tyre” mean the church as to the knowledges of good and truth; and the “sea” and “the stronghold of the sea” mean the natural where such knowledges are. That none are reformed by those knowledges is signified by “I have not travailed, neither brought forth;” and that consequently there is no understanding of truth and no affection of truth is signified by “I have not trained up youths, I have not brought up virgins.”
sRef Ps@78 @62 S6′ sRef Ps@78 @64 S6′ sRef Ps@78 @63 S6′ [6] In David:
God shut up His people to the sword, and was wroth with His inheritance. The fire hath devoured her youths, and her virgins are not wedded. Her priests have fallen by the sword (Ps. 78:62-64).
This, too, treats of the devastation of the church by falsities and evils. “God shut up His people to the sword, and was wroth with His inheritance,” signifies that the church perished through falsities and evils, the “sword” signifies the destruction of truth by falsities, “to be wroth” destruction by evils, the “people” those of the church who are in truths, and “inheritance” those who are in goods, but here those who are in falsities and evils. “The fire hath devoured her youths” signifies that the love of self and thence the pride of self-intelligence have destroyed the understanding of truth; “her virgins are not wedded” signifies that the affections of truth have perished through non-understanding of truth; “her priests have fallen by the sword” signifies that the goods of the church, which are the goods of works, of charity, and of life, have been destroyed by falsities.
sRef Deut@32 @25 S7′ [7] In Moses:
Without shall the sword bereave, and from the chambers terror, both the youth and the virgin, the suckling with the old man (Deut. 32:25).
“Without shall the sword bereave, and from the chambers terror,” signifies that falsity and evil, which are from within, shall devastate both the natural and the rational man; “the youth and the virgin” signify the understanding of truth and the affection of it; “the suckling with the old man” signifies innocence and wisdom.
sRef Jer@51 @23 S8′ sRef Jer@51 @22 S8′ sRef Jer@51 @21 S8′ sRef Jer@51 @20 S8′ [8] In Jeremiah:
By thee I will scatter nations, and by thee I will destroy kingdoms; by thee I will scatter the horse and his rider; by thee I will scatter the chariot and him that is carried therein; by thee I will scatter the old man and the boy; by thee I will scatter the youth and the virgin; by thee I will scatter the shepherd and his flock; by thee I will scatter the husbandman and his team; by thee I will scatter the governors and the leaders (51:20-23).
This is said of Jacob and Israel, by whom is meant in the highest sense the Lord, who was to destroy the evils and falsities that bore rule in the church about the time of His coming; the “nations” and “kingdoms” that He will scatter signify evils and falsities in general; “the horse and his rider” signify reasonings from falsities against truths; “the chariot and him who is carried therein” signify falsities of doctrine; “the old man and the boy” signify falsities confirmed and not confirmed; “the youth and the virgin” signify the understanding of falsity and the affection of it; “the shepherd and his flock” signify those who teach and those who learn; “the husbandman and his team” have a like signification; “governors and leaders” signify the principles of falsity and evil.
sRef Ezek@9 @4 S9′ sRef Ezek@9 @6 S9′ [9] In Ezekiel:
Jehovah said, Go through the midst of the city, and through the midst of Jerusalem. Slay to destruction the old man, the youth and the virgin, and the infant and the women; but come not against any man upon whom is the sign (9:4, 6).
This describes the devastation of all things pertaining to the church; “Jerusalem” signifies the church; “the old man, youth, virgin, infant, and women,” signify all things of the church, the “old man” wisdom, the “youth” intelligence, the “virgin” the affection of truth, the “infant” innocence, “women” good conjoined to truths; “to slay to destruction” signifies to destroy utterly. That these things did not happen, but were merely seen by the prophet when he was in the spirit, is evident from the preceding verses, in which the abominations of the house of Israel and Judah are set forth under various forms and objects; and as these things did not happen, but were merely seen, it is clearly evident that “old man, youth, virgin, infant, and women,” have this signification. What is signified by “come not against any man upon whom is the sign” may be seen above (n. 427).
sRef Joel@3 @3 S10′ [10] In Joel:
They have cast lots upon my people, and they have given a boy for a harlot, and have sold a girl for wine which they drank (3:3).
“To cast lots upon the people” signifies to disperse the truths of the church by falsities; “to give a boy for a harlot” signifies to falsify the truths of the Word; “to sell a girl for wine” signifies to falsify the goods of the Word; “which they drank” signifies becoming imbued with falsity.
sRef Zech@8 @5 S11′ [11] In Zechariah:
The streets of the city were filled with boys and girls playing in its** streets (8:5).
“Boys and girls” signify the truths and goods of innocence, such as are the truths and goods of the Word, which essentially constitute the church; “streets of the city” signify doctrinals, for which reason the ancients taught in the streets; and “to play in the streets” signifies to be glad and rejoice from doctrinals.
sRef Jer@31 @4 S12′ sRef Jer@31 @13 S12′ [12] In Jeremiah:
Again will I build thee, O virgin Israel; then shall the virgin be glad in her dance, and the young men and old men together (31:4, 13).
“The virgin Israel” signifies the church from the affection of truth; “then shall the virgin be glad in the dance” signifies the gladness of heart of those who are in the spiritual affection of truth, since all spiritual gladness is from the affection of truth; and this is why the expressions “to play,” “to dance,” “to sing,” and the like, are used in the Word in reference to virgins and girls.
sRef Jer@31 @4 S13′ sRef Jer@31 @21 S13′ sRef Ps@68 @24 S13′ sRef Ps@68 @25 S13′ sRef Isa@47 @1 S13′ [13] Because the church is a church from the spiritual affection of truth, which is the love of truth for the sake of truth, the following expressions are frequently used in the Word:
The virgin of Israel (Jer. 18:13; 31:4, 21; Amos 5:2);
The virgin daughter of Zion (2 Kings 19:21; Isa. 37:22; Lam. 1:4; 2:13);
The virgin daughter of my people (Jer. 14:17);
The virgin daughter of Zidon (Isa. 23:12);
The virgin daughter of Egypt (Jer. 46:11);
Also the virgin daughter of Babylon (Isa. 47:1).
In David:
They have seen thy goings, O God, the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary. The singers went before, the minstrels after, in the midst of virgins playing on timbrels (Ps. 68:24, 25).
This is said of the Lord, who is here meant by “my God” and “my King,” and His coming is meant by “His goings in the sanctuary,” “the singers, minstrels, and players on timbrels,” signify all who are of the Lord’s spiritual and celestial kingdom, “the virgins singing,” those who are of His spiritual kingdom, and “the minstrels and players on timbrels” those who are of His celestial kingdom; they are called “virgins” from the affection of truth and good; and “to sing, to play on instruments and on timbrels” describes the gladness and joy of their heart, for instruments played by beating and by blowing depict the joy of those who are of the celestial kingdom; while stringed instruments and singing depict the gladness of those who are of the spiritual kingdom.
sRef Ps@45 @9 S14′ sRef Ps@45 @14 S14′ sRef Ps@45 @15 S14′ sRef Ps@45 @10 S14′ sRef Ps@45 @13 S14′ sRef Ps@45 @12 S14′ sRef Ps@45 @11 S14′ [14] In the same:
King’s daughters are among thy precious ones; on thy right hand standeth the queen in the best gold of Ophir. Hear, O daughter and see, incline thine ear. Then shall the king delight in thy beauty; for he is thy lord, therefore bow thyself down to him. The daughter of Tyre also with an offering, the rich of the people shall entreat thy faces. The king’s daughter is all precious within, her clothing is inwrought with gold; she shall be brought unto the king in broidered work; the virgins that follow her, her companions, shall be brought unto him; with joy and exultation they shall be brought, they shall come into the king’s palace (Ps. 45:9-15).
It is evident from the verses that precede (2-8), and from those that follow (16, 17), that this is said of the Lord. “King’s daughters” signify the affections of Divine truth; “the queen that was at his right hand in the best gold of Ophir” signifies heaven and the church, which are in Divine truths from Divine good; “to hear, to see, and to incline the ear,” which is said of the king’s daughter, signifies to hearken, to perceive, and to obey, thus to understand, to do, and to be wise, from the Lord. That she will then be acceptable to the Lord is signified by “then shall the king delight in thy beauty,” “beauty” is predicated of the affection of truth, for this is what constitutes the beauty of angels; “therefore bow thyself down to him” signifies worship from a humble heart. “And the daughter of Tyre shall send an offering” signifies worship by those who are in the knowledges of truth; “the rich of the people shall entreat thy faces” signifies adoration by those who are in intelligence from these knowledges; “the king’s daughter is all glorious within” signifies the spiritual affection of truth, which is called “glorious” from abundance of truth, while “within” signifies what is spiritual; “her clothing is inwrought with gold” signifies investing truths formed from the good of love; “she shall be brought unto the king in broidered work” signifies the appearances of truth, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word; “the virgins that follow her, her companions,” signify the spiritual-natural affections of truth which serve; “with joy and exultation they shall be brought, they shall come into the king’s palace,” signifies with heavenly joy into heaven, where the Lord is.
sRef Zech@9 @17 S15′ sRef 2Sam@13 @18 S15′ [15] Because “king’s daughters” signified the spiritual affections of truth, and their “garments” signified truths in the ultimate of order, such as the truths of the Word are in the sense of its letter, therefore:
The king’s daughters that were virgins were formerly clothed in robes of diverse colors, as is said of Tamar the daughter of David (2 Sam. 13:18).
In Zechariah:
How great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty! Corn maketh the young men to grow, and new wine the virgins (9:17).
This, too, is said of the Lord; and “His goodness and beauty” mean the Divine good and the Divine truth. “Corn maketh the young men to grow, and new wine the virgins,” signifies that the understanding of truth and the affection of truth are formed by good and truth from Him. It is evident from these passages that “virgins” signify in the Word the affections of truth, likewise from other passages (as Isa. 62:5; Jer. 2:32; Joel 1:7, 8; Ps. 148:12; Judges 5:30).
sRef Lev@21 @13 S16′ sRef Lev@21 @15 S16′ sRef Ex@22 @16 S16′ sRef Ex@22 @17 S16′ sRef Lev@21 @14 S16′ [16] Because a “virgin” signified the affection of the genuine truth of the church, which is wholly in accord with the good of love, it was commanded:
That the high priest should not take to wife a widow, or one divorced, or one polluted, a harlot, but a virgin of his own people, lest he profane his seed (Lev. 21:13-15; also Ezek. 44:22).
The particulars of this may be seen explained above (n. 768). It was because “virgin” signifies the affection of genuine truth, and her defilement signifies falsification of Divine truth, that to commit whoredom was so severely forbidden, that:
If anyone should entice a virgin and lie with her he should pay her a dowry to be a wife for himself; but if her father should refuse to give her he should weigh him silver according to the dowry of virgins (Exod. 22:16, 17; Deut. 22:28, 29).
This may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 9181-9186).
sRef Deut@22 @18 S17′ sRef Deut@22 @27 S17′ sRef Deut@22 @17 S17′ sRef Deut@22 @13 S17′ sRef Deut@22 @14 S17′ sRef Deut@22 @16 S17′ sRef Deut@22 @15 S17′ sRef Deut@22 @26 S17′ sRef Deut@22 @23 S17′ sRef Deut@22 @24 S17′ sRef Deut@22 @20 S17′ sRef Deut@22 @19 S17′ sRef Deut@22 @25 S17′ sRef Deut@22 @21 S17′ [17] Because the affection of truth and the understanding of truth constitute a marriage, like that of a virgin espoused and married to a man, and these afterwards make one, like will and understanding, or affection and thought, or good and truth, in every man, and because diverse affections cannot be conjoined to one and the same thought, or diverse wills to one and the same understanding, or diverse truths of the church to one and the same good of love, without causing falsifications and dispersions of truth, so lying with a virgin who was betrothed was made a crime punishable with death, according to this command in Moses:
If a man lie in a city with a damsel that is a virgin betrothed to a man, both shall be stoned; but if in the field the man alone shall die, to the damsel there is no crime of death (Deut. 22:23-27).
“Lying together in the city” signifies the adulteration of the good and truth of doctrine from the Word, for a “city” means doctrine, and “stoning” was a punishment for harm done to the truth of doctrine. But “lying together in the field” signifies the falsification of the truth of the church before it has been accepted as a doctrinal; and this is not the adulteration of its good, since a “field” means the church, in which truth at first is implanted and afterwards grows and at length becomes a matter of doctrine; and for this reason the man only should die. From this it can also be seen that “virginity” signifies the undefiled affection of truth (as in Lev. 21:13; Deut. 22:13-21; Ezek. 23: 3, 8).
* The Hebrew has “Judah,” which is also found in n. 922.
** The Hebrew has “its,” see above, n. 652.

sRef Rev@14 @4 S0′ sRef John@3 @27 S1′ sRef Mark@4 @26 S1′ sRef Mark@4 @27 S1′ sRef John@15 @5 S1′ 864. These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth, signifies those who have been joined to the Lord by the acknowledgment of His Divine Human, and by a life according to His commandments. This is evident from the signification of “the Lamb,” as being the Lord as to the Divine Human (see above, n. 314); also from the signification of “following Him whithersoever He goeth,” as being to acknowledge His Divine and to do His commandments. “To follow the Lord” has a similar signification as “to go or to walk after Him.” That “to go or walk after the Lord,” signifies to acknowledge, to obey, and to act and live from Him and with Him, may be seen above (n. 787). This is the signification of “following the Lord,” because no one can follow the Lord from self, but only from the Lord Himself. For the Lord draws after Him the man who from freedom wills to follow; but He can draw no one who does not will to follow Him. For the Lord so operates with man that man may follow Him as if of himself; thus does the Lord flow into man’s freedom; and this He does for the sake of the reception and implantation of truth and good with man and consequent reformation and regeneration. For unless it appeared to man that he followed the Lord as if of himself, that is, acknowledged His Divine and did His commandments as if of himself, there would be no appropriation and conjunction, and thus no reformation and regeneration. For everything enters into the man and becomes as if it were his own that man receives in freedom, that is, as if of himself, whether it be what he thinks and speaks or what he wills and does as if of himself. And yet man ought to believe, as the matter really is in itself, that he does these things not from himself but from the Lord; and this is why it is said that he must act not of himself but as if of himself. Another reason for this is that man has no perception of the Lord’s operation into his will and into his thought therefrom; for man knows nothing about his conjunction with angels; consequently he supposes that whatever he wills and thinks he wills and thinks from himself; therefore he cannot know otherwise than that this is done by himself; and yet all good flows in, that which he thinks, that which he wills, and that which he consequently does. And as he knows this from the doctrine of the church, namely, that all good is from God, he ought to believe that he does not do good of himself, although he does it as if of himself. This is meant by what the Lord taught in Mark:
So is the kingdom of God as if a man should cast seed upon the earth, and should then sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up he knoweth not how (4:26, 27).
And in John:
A man can receive nothing unless it be given him from heaven (3:27).
And in the same:
He that abideth In Me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).
[2] To acknowledge the Lord’s Divine Human and to do His commandments is to follow Him, because only those who do this can be conjoined to the Lord. That everyone is conjoined to the Lord according to the acknowledgment and confession of Him from the heart and according to the life, can be seen from this, that all the angels of heaven acknowledge no other Divine than the Divine of the Lord, and all angels of the heavens live according to the laws of order, which are His commandments, that is, they live in the Divine that proceeds from the Lord, which is called the Divine truth. Because they so live they live in a heavenly aura, or in a heavenly ether, into which none can be admitted except those who are in life from the Lord. If any others were to enter into that ether it would be like letting mice into a pipe out of which the air has been exhausted.
sRef John@8 @12 S3′ [3] All this makes clear what is signified in the spiritual sense by “following the Lord whithersoever He goeth.” “To follow Him” has the same signification in the following passages. As in John:
Jesus said, I am the light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (8:12).
“I am the light of the world” signifies that He is the Divine truth itself; “he that followeth Me” signifies he that acknowledges His Divine and does His commandments; “shall not walk in darkness” signifies that he shall not be in falsities; “but shall have the light of life” signifies that he shall be in Divine truths, which teach man eternal life and lead to heaven. Here evidently “to follow the Lord” does not mean to follow Him, but to acknowledge His Divine and obey Him.
sRef John@10 @27 S4′ sRef John@10 @5 S4′ sRef John@10 @4 S4′ [4] In the same:
When the Shepherd of the sheep hath led forth His own sheep He goeth before them and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice; but a stranger they do not follow, but flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me (John 10:4, 5, 27).
Here, “to follow the Lord” means to acknowledge His Divine and to obey Him; for it is said, He goeth before His own sheep and the sheep follow Him and know and hear His voice; “to know and hear the Lord’s voice” signifies to do His commandments.
sRef Matt@16 @24 S5′ [5] In the Gospels:
Whosoever wills to come after Me let him deny himself and follow Me (Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23).
Evidently “to go after the Lord and to follow Him” is to deny self; and to deny self is to be led not by self but by the Lord; and he denies self who shuns and turns away from evils because they are sins; and when man turns away from evils he is led by the Lord; for he does the Lord’s commandments, not from self but from the Lord. “To follow the Lord” has the same signification elsewhere (as in Matt. 19:21, 28; Mark 2:14, 15; 3:7, 8; 10:21, 28, 29; Luke 18:22, 28; John 12:26; 13:36, 37; 21:19-22).
[6] All this makes clear that to “follow the Lord” is to be led by Him and not by self; and only those who are not led by self can be led by the Lord; and everyone is led by self who does not shun evils because they are contrary to the Word and thus contrary to God; consequently because they are sins and are from hell. Everyone who does not thus shun and turn away from evils is led by self; and for the reason that the evil that is in man by heredity constitutes his life, because that is his own [proprium]; and until such evils have been removed man does all things from them, thus from self. But it is otherwise when evils have been removed, which is done when he shuns them because they are infernal; then the Lord enters with truths and goods from heaven, and leads him. The chief reason is that every man is his own love; and man, as to his spirit, which lives after death, is nothing else than the affection which is of his love, and all evil is from his love, and thus belongs to his love; from which it follows that a man’s love or affection is reformed only by a spiritual shunning of evils and turning away from them, which is shunning them and turning away from them because they are infernal. From all this it can now be seen what it is “to follow the Lord whithersoever He goeth.”

sRef Rev@14 @4 S0′ 865. These were bought from among men, firstfruits to God and the Lamb, signifies those received in the New Church by the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “those bought by the Lord,” as being those who receive instruction from the Word, especially respecting the Lord, and who live according to it (see above, n. 860). The same are meant by those called “redeemed by the Lord;” and “the redeemed” are those who have been regenerated by the Lord and these are those who follow the Lord, that is, are led by Him (of whom just above). Also from the signification of “firstfruits of God and the Lamb,” as being those who have given themselves to the Lord and have been adopted by Him. That those who are of the New Church are meant is evident from their being called “firstfruits to God and to the Lamb,” since those who are received in that church acknowledge the Lord’s Divine Human and live according to His commandments. No others are received in the New Church which is called “the New Jerusalem,” because those who do not believe this and live thus are not in accord with the life of heaven, nor with the light there, nor with the heat there: for the light there is the Divine truth, which is the source of all intelligence and wisdom; and the heat there is the Divine good, which is the source of all love and charity. All man’s affection and thought therefrom not only is within him and constitutes his life but is also outside of him and constitutes the sphere of his life. This is why heaven is divided into societies according to the varieties of the affections and their thoughts; consequently unless the affections and the thoughts therefrom are spiritual, which are formed solely by the acknowledgment of the Lord and a life according to His commandments, they cannot be admitted into any society of heaven, for they are repugnant thereto; and this is why those who do not acknowledge the Lord’s Divine Human and do not live according to His commandments in the Word cannot be consociated with the angels of heaven. That this is so has been proved to me by much experience. There were some who had the same idea of the Lord as of any other man, and had lived in the faith of the present day, which is cogitation (or thought) without any good of life. As these believed that eternal life is merely being admitted into heaven, so according to their wish they were admitted into a certain society; but as soon as the light of heaven struck their eyes, their sight, and at the same time their understanding, began to be wholly darkened, and they began to fall into a stupor and into foolishness; and when the heat of heaven breathed upon them they began to be tormented in a direful manner, and their head and limbs began to writhe like serpents; consequently they cast themselves downwards, swearing that admission to heaven, unless they were in the light and heat of heaven, was hell to them, and that they had not known that everyone has heaven from love and its faith, or from a life according to the Lord’s commandments in the Word, and from faith in the Lord, and not at all from faith without the life of faith, which is charity.
[2] It shall now be told briefly what “firstfruits” signify in the Word. The signification of firstfruits is similar to that of “firstborn;” but “firstborn” is predicated of animals, and “firstfruits” of vegetables; thus “the firstborn” are such as are born first, and “firstfruits” are from the first products; and both of them signify the spiritual good that is first formed, which in itself is truth from good which is from the Lord. This has its origin in the fact that there are two minds in man, a natural mind and a spiritual mind. From the natural mind alone nothing is produced but evil and its falsity; but as soon as the spiritual mind is opened, good and its truth are produced; and that which is first produced is meant by the “firstborn” and the “firstfruits.” And as all things that are born and produced from the spiritual mind are from the Lord and not from man, these were sanctified to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord, because they were His, and thus were holy. And as that which is born or produced first signifies all things that follow in their order, as a leader is followed by his people, or a shepherd by his flock, so “the giving of the firstborn and the firstfruits to the Lord” signified that all the rest were also His.
[3] But that this may come yet more clearly into the understanding it is to be known that the merely natural mind is formed to the idea or image of the world, but the spiritual mind to the idea or image of heaven; also that the spiritual mind is not opened to any man, except by the acknowledgment of the Lord’s Divine and by a life according to His commandments; and until this mind has been opened no good and no truth therefrom are produced; but as soon as it is opened these are produced, and what is produced is from the Lord. Therefore the first thing that is produced is called holy, and signifies that all things that are afterwards produced are holy. This makes clear that the opening of the womb or matrix signifies the opening of the spiritual mind. This signification of opening the womb or matrix is from correspondence, the womb corresponding to the good of celestial love. (On this correspondence see above, n. 710, and in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 4918, 5050-5062.)
[4] Because this is what is signified by “firstfruits,” and because the things pertaining to the harvest, as wheat, barley, and the rest, and also wool, signified the goods and truths of heaven and the church, and the clean and useful beasts had a similar signification, so the firstborn of the latter and the firstfruits of the former were given to the Lord; and as the high priest represented the Lord as to His priestly function, which is the good of love, these things were given to that priest, and thus all things that were products of the corn, wine, and oil were made holy. But respecting these firstfruits see the statutes for the sons of Israel in the law of Moses; as respecting the first of the products of all corn, of oil, of wine, of the fruit of the tree, also of the fleece, likewise of the firstborn of the herd and the flock; and that these were given as holy to Jehovah, and by Jehovah to Aaron, and after him to the high priest (Exod. 22:29; Num. 13:20; 15:17-22; 18:8-20; Deut. 18:4; 26:1 to the end): also concerning the feast of the first fruits of harvest and of the first fruits of bread (Exod. 23:14-16, 19, 26; Lev. 23:9-15, 20-25; Num. 28:26 to the end; and elsewhere).
[5] From all this it can now be seen that “firstfruits to God and to the Lamb” mean those who will be of the New Church which is called “the New Jerusalem,” who acknowledge the Lord’s Divine Human and live a life of love, that is, a life according to the Lord’s commandments in the Word. In such and in no others is the spiritual mind opened; therefore no others are led by the Lord, or “follow Him whithersoever He goeth.” That “God and the Lamb” means in Revelation the Lord as to the Divine Itself, and at the same time as to the Divine Human, may be seen above (n. 297, 314, 343, 460, 482).

sRef Rev@14 @5 S0′ 866. Verse 5. And in their mouth was found no deceit, signifies that they are averse to thinking falsities and persuading to them. This is evident from the signification of “mouth,” as being thought and speech therefrom, and thus persuasion; (see above, n. 580, 782, 794); also from the signification of “deceit,” as being to deceive and mislead purposely, thus from an intention of the will; consequently to think falsities and persuade to them designedly, which destroys man forever. That such things have no place in those who are led by the Lord or who follow Him is signified by “in their mouth is found no deceit.” For the Lord is Divine truth united to Divine good; and all who are in the Lord, who are those who acknowledge His Divine Human and do His commandments, are in the Divine truth and in the Divine good; and as thinking falsities is contrary to the Divine truth, and wishing to persuade to them is contrary to the Divine good, such are averse to so doing.
sRef John@1 @47 S2′ [2] What else “deceit” signifies in the Word can be seen from the passages where it is mentioned, as in the following. In John:
Jesus said of Nathaniel as he was coming to Him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit (1:47).
An “Israelite” signifies one who is in the good of charity, and from that in truths, thus one who is in truths from good. Such are meant also by “the hundred forty-four thousand who follow the Lord, in whose mouth is found no deceit;” so here “deceit” has the same signification.
sRef Zeph@3 @13 S3′ [3] In Zephaniah:
The remnant of Israel shall not do perversity nor speak a lie, neither shall a tongue of deceit be found in their mouth (3:13).
“The remnant of Israel,” the same as “an Israelite indeed,” means those who are in spiritual faith, because they are in the good of charity; “to speak a lie” signifies to teach falsely from ignorance of truth; but “deceit” signifies falsity that is not from ignorance of truth, but from deliberation, thus from the purpose of deceiving, as is the case with the wicked.
sRef Ps@72 @14 S4′ sRef Jer@8 @5 S4′ sRef Ps@35 @20 S4′ sRef Ps@50 @19 S4′ sRef Ps@55 @23 S4′ sRef Ps@17 @1 S4′ sRef Micah@6 @12 S4′ sRef Ps@35 @21 S4′ sRef Ps@119 @118 S4′ sRef Ps@52 @4 S4′ sRef Ps@24 @4 S4′ sRef Jer@9 @5 S4′ sRef Ps@120 @2 S4′ sRef Ps@52 @2 S4′ sRef Ps@120 @3 S4′ sRef Ps@109 @2 S4′ sRef Isa@53 @9 S4′ sRef Ps@43 @1 S4′ sRef Ps@5 @6 S4′ sRef Ps@36 @3 S4′ sRef Job@27 @4 S4′ sRef Zeph@1 @9 S4′ sRef Jer@9 @6 S4′ sRef Ps@32 @2 S4′ sRef Jer@8 @6 S4′ sRef Job@13 @7 S4′ sRef Ps@55 @11 S4′ [4] Likewise in the following passages:
He did no violence, neither was deceit in His mouth (Isa. 53:9); which is said of the Lord:
He shall redeem their* soul from deceit and violence (Ps. 72:14).
The rich are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof speak a lie; and as to their tongue deceit is in their mouth (Micah 6:12).
They fill their master’s house with violence and deceit (Zeph. 1:9).
Men of bloods and of deceit shall not live out half their days (Ps. 55:23).
Thou wilt destroy those that speak a lie; the man of bloods and of deceit Jehovah will abhor (Ps. 5:6).
“Violence and blood” signify perversion of truth and falsification of the Word; and “deceit” signifies doing this purposely:
Jehovah give ear to my prayers, that are apart from lips of deceit (Ps. 17:1).
Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking deceit (Ps. 34:13).
If my lips should speak iniquity, and my tongue should speak deceit (Job 27:4).
Deliver my soul, O Jehovah, from a lip of falsehood, from a tongue of deceit. What shall he give to thee, What shall he add to thee, thou tongue of deceit? (Ps. 120:2, 3).
Thou openest thy mouth to evil, and with thy tongue thou framest deceit (Ps. 50:19).
The mouth of the wicked, the mouth of deceit they have opened against me; they have spoken against me with a tongue of lies (Ps. 109:2).
Thy tongue thinketh wickednesses like a sharp razor working deceit (Ps. 52:2, 4).
They mock everyone with his companion, and they speak not truth; they have taught their tongue to speak a lie; it is thine to dwell in the midst of deceit; through deceit they have refused to know Me (Jer. 9:5, 6).
“Lips and tongue” with which they speak falsehood and deceit signify the thought with the intention of persuading to falsities against truths, and of misleading; the lips and the tongue having a similar signification as the mouth:
Blessed is the man unto whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit (Ps. 32:2);
The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit; he ceaseth from understanding and doing good (Ps. 36:3);
To speak iniquity and to speak deceit (Job 13:7);
“iniquity” having reference to evil and “deceit” to falsity thence:
From the man of deceit and perversity deliver me, O Jehovah (Ps. 43:1).
The clean in hands and pure in heart, who doth not lift up his soul to vanity, and sweareth not with deceit (Ps. 24:4).
They think words of deceit against the quiet in the land, they opened their mouth exceedingly against me (Ps. 35:20, 21).
Wickednesses are in the midst thereof, fraud and deceit depart not from her street (Ps. 55:11).
Thou hast trodden down all them that err from Thy statutes, for their deceit is a lie (Ps. 119:118).
This people turneth itself away, Jerusalem is perpetually turned away, they hold fast to deceit, they refuse to return; I have hearkened and heard, but they speak not aright (Jer. 8:5, 6).
In these passages “deceit” does not mean deceit in the natural sense, which consists of deceitful plotting and malicious false-hood against another, but deceit in the spiritual sense, in which “deceit” means thought from the intention of the will, or intentionally and deliberately speaking falsities and persuading to them, and thereby destroying the soul.
sRef Jer@14 @14 S5′ sRef Jer@23 @26 S5′ [5] Likewise respecting the prophets, in Jeremiah:
Is it not in the heart of the prophets that prophesy falsehood, even of the prophets of the deceit of their own heart? (23:14).
In the same:
The prophets prophesy unto you a vision of falsehood and divinations, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their own heart (Jer. 14:14).
In the spiritual sense “prophets” signify those who teach truths from the Word and doctrine, and thus in an abstract sense the Word as to doctrine, therefore in the contrary sense, as in these passages, they signify those who teach falsities, thus those who falsify the truths of the Word; and to do this intentionally is meant by “the deceit of their heart.”
sRef Hos@11 @12 S6′ [6] That “deceit” means in the spiritual sense intentional falsification of the truths of the Word, from a desire to mislead, is evident in Hosea:
Ephraim hath compassed Me about with falsehood, and the house of Israel with deceit (11:12).
“Ephraim” signifies the understanding of the truths of the church; and “the house of Israel” the church itself; so “deceit” and “falsehood” signify persuading to falsities with intention and desire.
sRef Hos@7 @16 S7′ sRef Ps@78 @57 S7′ [7] In the same:
They are become like a deceitful bow; their princes shall fall by the sword, from the rage of their tongue (Hos. 7:16).
And in David:
They are turned aside like deceitful bows (Ps. 78:57).
They are compared to a “deceitful bow” because a “bow” signifies doctrine combating, in both senses, namely, the doctrine of falsity combating against truth, and of truth against falsity, for javelins and arrows signify falsities or truths to fight with. (That this is the signification of “bow and arrows” may be seen above, n. 357.) All this again makes evident that “deceit” means deceit in the spiritual sense, which is deceit against the truths and goods of the Word and of the church, thus a disposition and desire to destroy them.
sRef Ex@21 @14 S8′ sRef Jer@48 @10 S8′ sRef Jer@5 @26 S8′ sRef Jer@5 @27 S8′ [8] That a disposition and desire to destroy the truths and goods of the Word, of doctrine, and of the church, thus to destroy them deliberately and intentionally, is signified by “deceit,” is evident in Jeremiah:
They watch as fowlers lie in wait; they set a trap that they may catch men; as a cage full of birds so their houses are full of deceit (5:26, 27).
In Moses:
If a man have a purpose against his neighbor to slay him by deceit, thou shalt take him from Mine altar (Exod. 21:14).
And as this was so grievous a sin it is said in Jeremiah:
Cursed is he who doeth the work of Jehovah with deceit (48:10).
“Deceit” was so grievous a crime because deliberation and purpose are of the will, and whatever is of the will is of the man himself, and is called the evil of his heart, for the will is the man himself; but the thought that precedes consent, which is an act of the will, is not in man but outside of him; since the things that flow into the thought are like the objects that flow into the sight from the world, some of which are pleasing and some not pleasing; and those that are pleasing enter the delight of his life, but those that are not pleasing are cast out. So it is with everything that flows into man’s internal sight, which is of his understanding and consequent thought. If it is pleasing it enters his will and adds itself to his life; but if it is not pleasing it is cast out.
[9] It is to be known that all evil persons have a disposition and desire, consequently a will, to destroy the truths of heaven and the church by falsities, for the reason that they are conjoined to hell, and infernal spirits from the delight of their love burn with a lust of destroying all things of heaven and the church, and this by crafty devices, which they artfully contrive and wonderfully execute, which, if described from experience, would fill many pages. This makes clear that “deceit” signifies in general all evil of intention to destroy truths by falsities. (In addition, see what has been said about deceit in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that deceit destroys everything of the spiritual and interior life in man, n. 9013; that deceit, fraud, and simulation were accounted by the ancients monstrous wickedness, n. 3573; that the deceitful, when viewed by the angels, appear like serpents and vipers, n. 4533; that such are meant in the Word by “serpents” and “vipers,” n. 9013; that “poison” in the Word signifies deceit, n. 9013. Respecting the punishments of those who lie in wait for and deceive others by deceit, n. 831, 957-960, 1273; respecting their hells, n. 830, 831, 947, 4951.)
* The Hebrew has “their,” see above n. 328.

sRef Rev@14 @5 S0′ 867. For they are spotless before the throne of God, signifies that in the sight of angels they are without falsities from evil. This is evident from the signification of “being spotless,” as meaning to be without falsities from evil (of which presently); also from the signification of “before the throne of God,” as being in the sight of angels. That “the throne of God” means heaven where the angels are may be seen above (n. 253). They appear spotless in the sight of the angels of heaven because they are led by the Lord, and the Lord continually provides that nothing false shall enter their will; falsity is admitted into the thought, but no further, and is cast out therefrom; and what is cast out from the thought does not defile the man. But what is taken therefrom by his will, that defiles; for that belongs to and comes to be of his love, thus of his life, and inheres in his deeds; and this cannot be removed except by an earnest and actual repentance of the life. For the will, and the love and life with it, and also the deeds, act as one, and are meant in the Word by the “heart;” and this is why those who are led by the Lord, or who follow Him, are “spotless.”
[2] It is unavoidable that man should think what is false and what is evil, both because he is born into evils of every kind and because the doctrines of the church at this day are not doctrines of life but doctrines of faith only; and the doctrine of faith separated from the life does not teach the truths by which man’s life can be reformed. But those who are in the Lord are kept in the spiritual affection of truth; and those who are in that affection may indeed receive falsities, although not with full consent, and only in such a manner and to such an extent as they agree with good and its truths. Therefore when those who are in the spiritual affection of truth imbibe falsities of any kind they easily reject them when they hear truths, either in this world or in the other. Such is the spiritual affection of truth. For this reason those who are in that affection are perfected in intelligence and wisdom to eternity; and they have also the faculty of understanding truths. But those who are not in that affection refuse both to understand and to listen to truths, and therefore have no faculty of understanding them. That this is so has been made plain to me from general experience in the spiritual world.
sRef Lev@22 @24 S3′ sRef Lev@22 @22 S3′ sRef Lev@21 @23 S3′ sRef Lev@22 @25 S3′ sRef Lev@22 @19 S3′ sRef Lev@21 @17 S3′ sRef Lev@21 @18 S3′ sRef Lev@21 @20 S3′ sRef Lev@21 @21 S3′ sRef Lev@21 @22 S3′ sRef Lev@22 @23 S3′ sRef Lev@22 @21 S3′ sRef Lev@21 @19 S3′ sRef Lev@22 @20 S3′ [3] Now as the angels of heaven have no perception of anything in man except his love, and his affections, desires, and delights therefrom, and thus his ends, on account of which he thinks in a certain way and in no other, so when they perceive within him the love of truth for the sake of the uses of life, which are ends, they see no falsities from evil; and if they chance to see falsities not from evil they know that these falsities do no harm, because there is no evil in them. Falsities from evil are real falsities, which are from hell; such falsities are in themselves evils because they are forms of evil.
[4] In respect to the term “spotless,” it signifies what is entire and without blemish, but in the spiritual sense it signifies to be without falsities from evil. On this account it was among the things forbidden that any of the seed of Aaron who had any blemish should come near the altar or enter within the veil (Lev. 21:17-23); it was also forbidden to make any sacrifice, as of oxen, calves, goats, or lambs, in which there was any blemish (Lev. 22:19-25). In both of these passages the blemishes are enumerated, by all of which falsities and evils of various kinds are signified.

sRef Rev@14 @6 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @7 S0′ 868. Verses 6, 7. And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the eternal gospel, to proclaim unto them that dwell on the earth, and unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people, saying with a great voice, Fear God and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come; and adore Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters.
6. “And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven” signifies manifestation everywhere from the Lord (n. 869); “having the eternal gospel,” signifies respecting His coming and the salvation of those who believe in Him (n. 870); “to proclaim unto them that dwell on the earth,” signifies announcement respecting it to all who are of the church (n. 871); “and unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people,” signifies to all who are in the goods and consequent truths of life and doctrine (n. 872); “saying with a great voice,” signifies exhortation (n. 873); “Fear God and give glory to Him” signifies to worship the Lord from His Divine truth by a life according to it (n. 874); “for the hour of His judgment is come,” signifies the separation of those who live according to Divine truths from those who do not live according to them (n. 875); “and adore Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters,” signifies acknowledgment and confession of Him from whom is the all of heaven and the church, and from whom is the Divine truth or the Word (n. 876).

sRef Rev@14 @6 S0′ 869. Verse 6. And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, signifies manifestation everywhere from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “an angel flying in the midst of heaven,” as being manifestation from the Lord everywhere, since an “angel” signifies something from the Lord, for angels are not angels from themselves but from the Lord, for they are recipients of the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord, and for this reason they signify in the Word Divine truths. Nor is heaven itself heaven from that which is the angel’s own [proprium], but from the Divine that is with them (see above, n. 130, 200, 302). “To fly” signifies oversight and presence (see above, n. 282), but here manifestation; because it made manifest the Lord’s coming, which is meant by “having the eternal gospel,” and also the coming of the Last Judgment; and “in the midst” signifies everywhere (see above, n. 313); from which it is clear that “the angel flying in the midst of heaven” signifies manifestation everywhere from the Lord.

sRef Matt@24 @30 S0′ sRef Matt@24 @3 S0′ sRef Matt@24 @42 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @6 S0′ 870. Having the eternal gospel, signifies respecting His coming and the salvation of those who believe in Him. This is evident from the signification of “gospel,” as being the Lord’s coming and the salvation at that time of those who believe in Him. (That there has been a coming of the Lord, and that He is yet to come at the time of the consummation of the age, that is, at the end of the old church and the beginning of the new, and at the same time will be the Last Judgment, may be seen above, n. 612.) Also from the signification of “eternal,” as being the Divine as to its existence [existere]. There are two universals through which the Divine is expressed, namely, the infinite and the eternal. The infinite is the Divine as to its being [esse]; and the eternal is the Divine as to its existence [existere]; each of which must be understood in a supereminent sense, namely, without space and without time. Anyone who thinks about the infinite and the eternal from space and time falls into errors; for space and time belong to nature, and man’s ideas are in these so long as he lives in the natural world, but are not in them when he leaves this world and comes into heaven. Spaces and times indeed appear in heaven exactly similar to those in the world; but they are only appearances of the states with angels, for the states of their affection and consequent thought are presented in appearance before their external senses as spaces and as times, and yet they are not spaces and times like those in the natural world. (What these are can be seen in two articles in the work on Heaven and Hell, which treat of Space and Time in Heaven.) Because the Divine is infinite and eternal the infinite and eternal is in each and every thing that comes from the Divine; and this is why “the gospel,” which signifies the Lord’s coming and the salvation of the faithful, is called “eternal.” That the infinite and eternal are predicated of the Lord alone may be seen above (n. 23, 286). That “the gospel” signifies the Lord’s coming and the salvation of the faithful at that time can be seen from the passages where it is mentioned in both Testaments which have been quoted above (n. 612).
[2] In respect to the Lord’s coming it is believed by some that the Lord will come again in person, and indeed, to accomplish the Last Judgment; and this because it is said in Matthew:
The disciples drew near, saying unto Jesus, Tell us what shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the consummation of the age (24:3).
And after the Lord had foretold to them the states of the church declining step by step even to its devastation and consummation, He said:
Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man; and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory. Watch, therefore, for ye know not in what hour your Lord will come (verses 30, 39, 42; also in John 21:22).
But His coming does not mean here His coming in person, but that He was then to reveal Himself in the Word that He is Jehovah the Lord of heaven and earth, and that all who will be in His New Church which is meant by the New Jerusalem will adore Him alone; and to this end He has now opened the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, in which sense the Lord is everywhere treated of. This is the meaning also of:
His coming in the clouds of heaven with glory (Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Mark 13:26; 14:62; Luke 21:27).
That the “clouds of heaven” signify the Word in the letter, and “glory” its spiritual sense, may be seen above (n. 36, 594). Because He Himself is the Word, as He is called in John (1:1, 2, 14), therefore the revelation of Himself in the Word is “His coming.”

sRef Rev@14 @6 S0′ 871. To proclaim unto them that dwell on the earth, signifies the announcement respecting it to all who are of the church. This is evident from the signification of “proclaiming,” as being to announce the Lord’s coming (see just above, n. 870); also from the signification of “them that dwell on the earth,” as being those who are of the church, and in particular the good there. (That “the earth” means the church may be seen above, n. 29, 304, 413, 417, 697, 741, 742, 752; and that “to dwell” is predicated of the good, n. 479, 662.)

sRef Rev@14 @6 S0′ 872. And unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people, signifies to all who are in the goods of life and doctrine and in truths thence. This is evident from the signification of “nation” as being those who are in the good of life, because they are in the good of love (see above, n. 175, 331, 625); also from the signification of “tribe,” as being those who are in truths from good (see above, n. 39, 430, 431); also from the signification of “tongue,” as being confession from good of heart, thus those who are in good of doctrine (see above, n. 455, 625); also from the signification of “people” as being those who are in truths of doctrine (see above, n. 175, 331, 625). This makes clear that “every nation and tribe and tongue and people” signifies all who are in the goods of life and doctrine, and in truths thence, thus both the simple and the learned, wherever they may be, whether within the church or outside of it. In the sense of the letter “every nation, tribe, tongue, and people,” means all, of whatsoever religion they are; but in the spiritual sense it means all who live well and understand well.

sRef Rev@14 @7 S0′ 873. Verse 7. Saying with a great voice, signifies exhortation. This is evident from the signification of “a great voice,” as being exhortation, since it involves what follows, where it is said that “they should fear God and give glory to Him.” The word “voice” is frequently used in the Word, also “a great voice;” and when it is a voice from the Lord or from His angels it signifies Divine truth in general, and everything that proceeds from the Lord, consequently commandment and precept, thus also exhortation, and other things (see above, n. 261, 302, 424, 668, 682); for a voice from the angels is not a voice from them but through them from the Lord.

sRef Rev@14 @7 S0′ 874. Fear God and give glory to Him, signifies to worship the Lord from His Divine truth by a life according to it. This is evident from the signification of “fearing God,” as being to revere and worship the Lord (see above, n. 696); also from the signification of “giving glory to Him,” as being to live according to the Divine truth, that is, according to His commandments in the Word. “Glory” in reference to the Lord signifies the Divine truth proceeding from Him, thus the Word such as it is in heaven; for that is light to the angels, and by that light the Lord manifests His glory; for by that light He gives intelligence and wisdom, and also presents before the eyes of angels magnificent objects that glow with most precious things. This is the signification of the Lord’s “glory” in the sense nearest to the letter. But all these magnificent things, which glow as if from gold and precious stones in wonderful forms, are given by the Lord according to the reception of Divine truth proceeding from Him, consequently they appear to the angels in the exact measure of the wisdom that is with them, for they are correspondences. But since angels have wisdom according to their reception of Divine truth not only in doctrine but also in life, “to give glory to Him,” signifies to live according to Divine truth.
sRef John@15 @14 S2′ sRef John@15 @10 S2′ sRef John@15 @9 S2′ sRef John@15 @8 S2′ [2] It is believed in the world that those have wisdom, and thus heaven, who know Divine truths and talk about them from knowledge, although they do not live according to them. But I can testify that such have no wisdom. They appear to have wisdom when they speak; but as soon as they are in their own spirit or think with themselves they are not at all wise, sometimes they are even demented like fools, thinking in opposition to the Divine truths which they have spoken. But it is otherwise with those who live according to Divine truths; such think wisely with themselves, and speak wisely with others. This it has been given me to know from a thousand examples of experience in the spiritual world; for there such things are manifest that are wholly unknown to men in the natural world. I have heard many there speak so wisely that I could have believed them to be interior angels of heaven; and yet they became devils, for they had filled their memory with such things from the love of glory, but had not lived according to them; consequently as soon as they returned to themselves and the love of their life they spoke in opposition to these things, and were as insane as if they had known nothing at all about them. This made clear to me that almost everyone has the ability to understand, in order that he may be reformed; but he who does not live the life of truth does not wish to be reformed; and he who does not wish to be reformed gradually rejects from himself everything pertaining to that intelligence and wisdom, and lives his own love which is contrary to these, and finally he draws near to those who are in hell, and is in a love like theirs.
[3] From all this it can be seen that “to give glory to God” signifies to live according to Divine truth; as the Lord has taught in these words in John:
Herein is My Father glorified, that ye may bear much fruit, and may become My disciples. Abide ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments ye shall abide in My love. Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you (15:8-10, 14).
This makes clear that “to glorify God,” or “to give glory to God,” means to bear fruit. See also what has been said before about glory; as that “glory” signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and its reception by angels and men (n. 33, 288, 345); also that “the Lord’s glory” means the enlightenment of men and angels, and blessing them with wisdom and happiness; which is done solely through the reception of Divine truth in doctrine and at the same time in the life.

sRef Rev@14 @7 S0′ sRef Matt@25 @0 S0′ 875. For the hour of His judgment is come, signifies the separation of those who live according to Divine truths from those who do not live according to them. This is evident from the signification of “hour,” as being state, here the last state of the church (of which presently); also from the signification of “judgment,” as being the separation of the good from the evil, thus of those who live according to the Lord’s Divine truths from those who do not; for the latter are the evil but the former are the good. That the Last Judgment means the separation of these can be seen from what has been said in the small work on The Last Judgment. That this is the separation of those who live according to Divine truths from those who do not live according to them can be seen from the passages in the Word where the Last Judgment is treated of, as in the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew, where the separation of the sheep from the goats is described, the “sheep” being those who have done goods, and the “goats” those who have not done goods; also from passages in the Word where it is said that “everyone shall be judged according to his works,” that is, according to his life (as Matt. 16:27; John 5:29; Rev. 14:13; 20:12, 13; 22:12; and elsewhere), see also above (n. 785). It is said “the hour of judgment,” because “hour” signifies not only time but also state (the same as “day,” “week,” “month,” “year,” and time in general, as may be seen above, n. 571, 610, 664, 673, 747, 761; also concerning the signification of “hour” in particular, n. 194, 488, 673). “Hour” and “day” are so often mentioned in the Word on account of the spiritual sense in every particular of the Word; for while a man is thinking of hour and day, and thus of time, the angels, who are in the spiritual sense of the Word, are thinking of state; and for the reason that the angels, have no idea of time because they have no days, weeks, months, and years, such as are in the world, but have changes of state, from which they measure things successive (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 162-169, where Time in Heaven is treated of).

sRef Rev@14 @7 S0′ 876. And adore Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of water, signifies the acknowledgment and confession of Him from whom is the all of heaven and the church, and from whom is the Divine truth or the Word. This is evident from the signification of “adoring,” as being to acknowledge in heart, thus to confess and worship (see above, n. 790, 805, 821); also from the signification of “the heaven and the earth,” as being the internal and the external of the church (see above, n. 304, 752); it also signifies heaven and the church, because with man the internal of the church is heaven, for it is in conjunction with the angels, even so as to make one with them; for, as has been said above, man’s internal is formed to the idea and image of heaven, but his external to the idea and image of the world. So long, however, as man lives in the world the church in him is in his natural, which is his external. Yet the church is in man’s natural or external only when the internal has been opened; for the church cannot exist with anyone unless he has heaven within, from which enlightenment and influx from the Lord may pass into the natural or external which is beneath. The above is evident also from the signification of “sea” as being the Divine truth in ultimate things, thus the Word in the letter, for this is Divine truth in ultimates. This is the signification of the “sea” because in the lowest parts of heaven there appear to be seas; for it is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord that forms the heavens and all things in them; and the higher heavens appear to be in an ethereal atmosphere, the lower in an aerial atmosphere, and the lowest in a misty atmosphere; and this atmosphere appears to the eyes of those who stand afar off like a sea, but not to those who dwell in it. Those who dwell in it are in the ultimates of Divine truth, and that Divine truth is such as the Word is in the sense of the letter. It is from this that the “sea” has this signification. But on this see above (n. 275, 342, 511, 600). The “sea” here signifies the Word in the letter, because it is said “sea and fountains of waters;” and “fountains of waters” signify interior Divine truth such as the Word is in its spiritual sense. That this is the signification of a “fountain of water” can be seen from passages from the Word and their explanation above (n. 483). That “fountains of waters” here signify Divine truths that are from the Word can be seen from this, that “the heaven and the earth” signify the internal and the external of the church; and both are formed by the Divine truth or the Word, as it is said in John (1:1, 2, 14), the internal of the church by spiritual Divine truth, and the external by natural Divine truth; and this is why “fountains of waters” are here mentioned among the things made by the Lord.
[2] It can be seen from all this and from many other things how spiritual ideas, which are the ideas of angels, differ from natural ideas which are the ideas of men. To the angels, whose ideas are spiritual, “to adore Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters” means nothing else than the acknowledgment and confession of the Lord, from whom is the all of heaven and the church, and from whom is the Divine truth, or the Word in its natural and spiritual sense. The angels so understand these words because the heavens in which they are, and which appear to the sight altogether like our lands, but full of paradises, flower beds, and shrubberies, are not permanent like the lands on our globe, but come into existence in a moment, in the exact measure of the reception of the Divine truth by the angels; consequently the aspects of all things there change as the state of reception and therefore of their intelligence and wisdom, changes, thus according to the states of the church with them, and this even to the extent that all things spring forth correspondently before their sight according as the church is in them. So when “the heavens and the earth” are mentioned they can have no other idea than an idea of the church, because to them all things are from that. But men, when “the heaven and the earth” are mentioned, can have no such spiritual idea, because they are ignorant of such things; but they have a natural idea, which is according to what they see; for they see a heaven and an earth that are permanent, and that are not changed according to reception of the Divine truth, and thus of the church, as in the angelic heavens; consequently they mean by “heaven” nothing else than the visible heaven, and by “earth” nothing else than the earth inhabited by men.
[3] The state of heaven and earth in accord with the state of the church was represented with the sons of Israel by changes in the aspect of the land of Canaan, where they dwelt, according to the states of the church with them, but only in respect to the products, namely, of the harvest, the oil, the vine, the fruits, and as to the rains. This took place because all things with them were representative of things celestial. This is why it is so often said in the Word that “the land should yield its increase” if they would keep the statutes and do them. But it is otherwise at this day, when the interior things of the church have been laid open by the Lord; and the external things that were representative of the interior things have ceased. All this makes clear what a difference there is between the ideas of the angels and the ideas of men respecting the new heaven and the new earth. For the angels from their ideas understand the destruction of the heavens and the earths in the spiritual world, but men the destruction of the heavens and the earths in the natural world. Moreover, according to the predictions, there has been a destruction of those heavens and earths in the spiritual world upon which were those who had lived a moral life in externals but not at the same time a spiritual life from internals. But of this more may be seen in the small work on The Last Judgment.

sRef Rev@14 @8 S0′ 877. Verse 8. And another angel followed, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon, that great city, for she hath given all nations to drink of the wine of the anger of her whoredom. 8. “And another angel followed,” signifies manifestation by the Lord (n. 878); “saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon,” signifies the condemnation and destruction of those who have transferred to themselves the Lord’s Divine authority (n. 879); “that great city,” signifies the devastation and destruction as to all things of doctrine with them (n. 880); “for she hath given all nations to drink of the wine of the anger of her whoredom,” signifies the adulteration of all things of the good of heaven and the church by direful falsities of evil (n. 881).

sRef Rev@14 @8 S0′ 878. Verse 8. And another angel followed, signifies manifestation by the Lord. This is evident from what has been said above respecting “the angel flying in the midst of heaven,” where also “angel” signifies manifestation by the Lord. Another angel was now seen because by the former angel manifestation was made in reference to the Lord’s coming and the separation of the good from the evil, and by this angel manifestation was made in reference to the Last Judgment as impending.

sRef Rev@14 @8 S0′ 879. Saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon, signifies the condemnation and destruction of those who have transferred to themselves the Lord’s Divine authority. This is evident from the signification of “Fallen, fallen,” as being that they were condemned and wholly destroyed; also from the signification of “Babylon,” as being those who have transferred to themselves the Lord’s Divine authority. It is said, “Fallen, fallen,” because it is said of Babylon as a city; but when “Babylon” means those who have transferred to themselves the Lord’s Divine authority, and “a great city” means all things of their doctrine, then “to fall” signifies to be destroyed. “To fall” is thus changed into “to be destroyed” in accordance with the subject predicated. What “Babylon” signifies in general and in particular will be told in chapters 17 and 18 which treat of Babylon and its destruction. This verse treats of Babylon; and the four following of the beast of the dragon; and what follows, to the end of this chapter, of the devastation of the church in general. Babylon and the beast of the dragon are here treated of because the devastation of the church, first in general and afterwards in particular, and finally the Last Judgment, are treated of in the verses that follow.
[2] But respecting the devastation of the church this must be premised. Every church in its beginning is in the love of doing goods, and in the love of knowing truths; but in process of time it is so devastated in respect to goods and truths that there is no longer any good or any truth in the church. In the first place, by degrees, it is devastated by the love of ruling over the souls of men, by means of holy things, and finally over heaven and over the Lord Himself. This is described in Revelation by “Babylon,” and by “the harlot sitting upon the scarlet beast.” Secondly, it is devastated by faith separated from charity and thus from the goods of life, and finally by faith alone in which there is nothing of truth. This is described in Revelation by “the dragon” and “his two beasts.” In these two, the primitive loves of the church, which were, as has been said, the love of doing goods and the love of knowing truths, came to an end; and when they had come to an end in these the church was devastated. The love of doing goods is changed by degrees into the love of doing evils that are called goods; and the love of knowing truths is changed into the love of knowing falsities that are called truths.
[3] With those who are described by “Babylon” every good of the church is adulterated, and thus every truth of it, for the one is a consequence of the other; while with those who are described by “the dragon” every truth of the church is falsified, and thus every good of it, for the one is a consequence of the other. This latter takes place with the Reformed, who have accepted faith alone as the essential of the church; but the former takes place with the Papists, who have made dominion over the holy things of heaven the essential of the church. But in what way faith alone has devastated the church has been shown above, where “the dragon and his two beasts” are treated of; and how dominion over the holy things of heaven has devastated the church will be shown in the explanation of chapters 17 and 18. From all this it can now be seen why Babylon is spoken of in this verse, the beast of the dragon in the four verses that follow, and the devastation of the church in general from that to the end of the chapter, and afterwards the devastation of the church in particular in chapters 15 and 16.

sRef Rev@14 @8 S0′ 880. That great city, signifies devastation and destruction as to all things of doctrine with them. This is evident from the signification of “falling” in reference to a city, as being to be devastated and destroyed (as has been said above, n. 879); also from the signification of a “city,” as being doctrine with all things thereof (see above, n. 223). It is said “a great city,” because doctrine full of evils and falsities therefrom is signified; for “great” is predicated of good, and in the contrary sense of evil (see above, n. 336, 337). “Fallen is Babylon, that great city,” signifies that with those who are meant by “Babylon” all goods and truths are devastated, also that such will be wholly destroyed at the time of the Last Judgment; and that such were destroyed, and their great city, which was situated towards the south and towards the north, was wholly overthrown, and those in it were cast into hell, can be seen from what is related respecting Babylon in the small work on The Last Judgment.
[2] This makes evident that “Fallen, fallen, is Babylon, that great city,” means two things, namely, the devastation of the church constituted of such in respect to all the goods and truths in the world, and their destruction at the time of the Last Judgment. It is believed that the destruction of Babylon means the destruction of that religion in the world. But its destruction is not meant, but its devastation in the world as to all the goods and truths of heaven and the church, thus the destruction of those who have transferred to themselves the Lord’s Divine authority, and have exercised it from love of self in reference to souls, and thus as to eternal life. For that religion will continue with those who continue in that love and who act from it. And as such destruction is meant, which is the devastation of the church, therefore the destruction of these in the other life is also meant in particular and in general, in particular the condemnation of all of those who were such from that religion, and in general the destruction of all who were such by the Last Judgment.

sRef Rev@14 @8 S0′ 881. For she hath given all nations to drink of the wine of the anger of her whoredom, signifies the adulteration of all things of the good of heaven and the church by direful falsities of evil. This is evident from the signification of “wine,” as being truth from good, and in the contrary sense falsity from evil (see above, n. 376); also from the signification of “anger,” as being evil in the whole complex, and thus hatred against good and truth, and the desire to destroy them (see above, n. 693, 754); also from the signification of “whoredom,” as being the falsification of truth (see above, n. 141, 161); also from the signification of “giving all nations to drink,” as being to adulterate goods, for “to give to drink” signifies to imbue, and “nations” signify those who are in the good of love and of life, and in the sense abstracted from persons, goods. (That “to drink” and “to give to drink” signify to imbue and to appropriate, may be seen above, n. 617; and that “nations” signify those who are in the good of love and of life, and in the abstract sense the goods of the church, n. 175, 331, 625.) “To give all nations to drink” here signifies to adulterate the goods of the Word and thus of the church, because “the wine of the anger of whoredom” signifies the falsification of truth; and truth falsified adulterates good. But in what way all the truths of the Word are falsified and thus all its goods adulterated will be told in the explanation of chapters 16 and 17, where Babylon is treated of. From all this it can now be seen that “to give all nations to drink of the wine of the anger of her whoredom” signifies the adulteration of all things of the good of heaven and the church by direful falsities of evil. They are called falsities of evil because all falsities arising from the love of ruling for the sake of self and self-eminence are falsities of evil, and are direful according to that love.

sRef Rev@14 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @12 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @9 S0′ 882. Verses 9-12. And a third angel followed them, saying with a great voice, If anyone hath adored the beast and his image, and hath received the mark on his forehead or on his hand, even he shall drink of the wine of the anger of God, mixed with unmixed wine of the cup of His wrath; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone before the holy angels and before the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment shall go up unto the ages of the ages: and they shall have no rest day and night, that adore the beast and his image, and if anyone hath received the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. 9. “And a third angel followed them,” signifies further manifestation by the Lord (n. 883); “saying with a great voice” signifies earnest exhortation and denunciation (n. 884); “if anyone hath adored the beast and his image,” signifies lest they acknowledge the religion of faith separated from life, and its doctrine (n. 885); “and hath received the mark on his forehead or on his hand,” signifies acceptance and acknowledgment of these as goods of the church or as truths of the church (n. 886). 10. “Even he shall drink of the wine of the anger of God, mixed with unmixed wine in the cup of his wrath,” signifies appropriation of falsity and its evil, conjoined with falsified truths from the sense of the letter of the Word (n. 887); “and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone before the holy angels and before the Lamb,” signifies that their hell is from the love of evil and falsity that is direful according to the falsification and consequent rejection of the divine truth and the Divine good, thus of the Word (n. 888). 11. “And the smoke of their torment shall go up unto the ages of the ages,” signifies the dense falsity encompassing them and flowing forth from their loves continuously (n. 889); “and they shall have no rest day and night,” signifies continual infestation by evils and their falsities (n. 890); “that adore the beast and his image,” signifies who acknowledge the religion of faith separated from the life, and its doctrine (n. 891); “and if anyone hath received the mark of his name,” signifies acceptance and acknowledgment of its quality according to the description above (n. 892). 12. “Here is the patience of the saints,” signifies the persecutions and temptations of those who are not in that faith, but in charity (n. 893); “here are they that keep the commandments of God,” signifies that these are such as live according to the commandments of the Lord in the Word (n. 894); “and the faith of Jesus,” signifies the implantation of truth by the Lord (n. 895).

sRef Rev@14 @9 S0′ 883. Verse 9. And the third angel followed them, signifies further manifestation by the Lord. This is evident from what has been said about the two angels above (n. 869, 878), as being manifestations by the Lord respecting His coming and the separation of the good from the evil at the day of the Last Judgment; but here respecting those who are meant by “the dragon and his beast,” who are such as separate faith from good works in doctrine and in the life.

sRef Rev@14 @9 S0′ 884. Saying with a great voice, signifies earnest exhortation and denunciation. This is evident from the signification of “a great voice,” as being exhortation (see above, n. 873). That it means an earnest exhortation not to remain in that heresy, and at the same time denunciation of destruction, is evident from what follows, where it is said, “If anyone hath adored the beast he shall drink of the wine of the anger of God mixed with unmixed wine in the cup of His wrath, and shall be tormented with fire and brimstone,” and other things.

sRef Rev@14 @9 S0′ 885. If anyone hath adored the beast and his image, signifies lest they acknowledge the religion of faith separated from life and its doctrine. This is evident from the signification of “the beast,” as being the religion of faith separated from life (of which presently); also from the signification of “to adore,” as being to acknowledge and believe (see above, n. 790, 805, 821); also from the signification of “his image,” as being the doctrine of that religion, and the prescribed rule that such things only should be taught and believed (see above, n. 827); “The beast” that with his image was not to be adored means the beast that came up out of the sea (described in the preceding chapter, verse 1), by which reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from the life were signified (see above, n. 774). That this beast is meant is evident from the fourteenth verse of the preceding chapter; but the other beast that was seen to come up out of the earth signifies confirmations from the Word in favor of such a separation (see above, n. 815). They were not to adore the former beast and his image, and those that did adore them “should be tormented with fire and brimstone,” since passages of the Word cited to prove the separation of faith from good works, apart from reasonings from the natural man, do not implant falsity and evil, but this is done only by reasonings, for reasonings are what falsify these, and without reasonings from the natural man nothing in the Word can be falsified. How reasonings have falsified the Word has been shown above in many places.
[2] That this is so can be seen especially in the churches where faith alone is accepted as the essential means of salvation, in that those who teach from their doctrine and thence from the Word teach in a wholly different way from those who teach from the Word and not at the same time from their doctrine. Those who teach from their doctrine and thence from the Word falsify all things of the Word; but those who teach from the Word and not at the same time from their doctrine do not falsify it, and for the reason that the doctrine is full of reasonings, although they do not seem to be reasonings, while the Word is free from reasonings. Therefore many in those churches teach faith conjoined to life, and life conjoined to faith; but others teach faith separated from the life. This latter is done by the learned who teach from doctrine, but the former by the learned and unlearned who teach from the Word. Thus they go in opposite ways; and yet this is permitted by the defenders of the doctrine for the reason that the Word plainly teaches life and a faith according to life, and the simple-minded cannot be taught otherwise than according to the obvious sense of the Word. And some permit it because they cannot openly resist the truth; for truth operates and persuades in unknown ways, flowing in from heaven with everyone; and those receive it who do not live in evil, and who have not from childhood and from pride in being more learned than others confirmed themselves in the doctrine of faith alone, especially in the dogma of justification by it, in which they place the glory of superior learning. Nevertheless, these think otherwise in heart when they hear from others confirmations from the Word in favor of life; for they think that faith alone includes works in itself, and that the two are conjoined, according to the dogma of justification; although this dogma, as it is taught by many, separates works from faith more than it conjoins them with faith; it even sets them aside as not justifying so far as there is anything in them from man or from his will.
[3] That in the churches where faith alone is accepted, the teaching that is from the Word and the teaching that is from doctrine are wholly different, can be confirmed by many instances; as in the Anglican Church and in the Lutheran Church. It is known that the doctrine of the Anglican Church teaches faith alone, and that the preachers skillfully, ingeniously, and gracefully join works to faith, as if they were stored up in it; and they perceive a kind of endeavor from faith, like an affection for doing good. This is especially true of those who have been justified by faith alone to the third or fourth degree. It teaches, moreover, that those whose faith alone has not been efficacious to that degree are nevertheless saved, because the good of life lies hidden in faith, as the ability to bring forth lies hidden in the seed of fruit. But it has been shown above in the explanations of the twelfth and thirteenth chapters that these things are the offspring of a mind glorying and boasting in superior learning and ingenuity. To show that in the Anglican Church when they teach from the Word and not at the same time from doctrine the teaching is wholly different, I will here quote in proof what is taught in that church on every feast day, and is read by those who come to the Holy Supper. It is as follows: “The way and means thereto is, first, to examine your lives and conversations by the rule of God’s commandments; and whereinsoever ye shall perceive yourselves to have offended, either by will, word, or deed, there to bewail your own sinfulness and to confess yourselves to Almighty God, with full purpose of amendment of life. And if ye shall perceive your offenses to be such as are not only against God but also against your neighbor, then ye shall reconcile yourselves unto them; being ready to make restitution and satisfaction according to the uttermost of your power, for all injuries and wrongs done by you to any other; and being likewise ready to forgive others that have offended you, as ye would have forgiveness of your offenses at God’s hand; for otherwise the receiving of the holy communion doth nothing else but increase your damnation. Therefore if any of you be a blasphemer of God, an hinderer or slanderer of His Word, an adulterer, or be in malice, or envy, or in any other grievous crime, repent you of your sins, or else come not to the holy table; lest after the taking of that holy sacrament the devil enter into you, as he entered into Judas, and fill you with all iniquities, and bring you to destruction both of body and soul.” Here faith is not even named, but works only are taught, because all this is from the Word, and not at the same time from doctrine.
[4] Moreover, the Athanasian faith, which is frequently read in the presence of the people in that church every year on feast days, and which, because it is the work of a council, has been accepted in all Christian churches as the common doctrine concerning the trinity, teaches thus respecting the Lord and the Last Judgment by Him: “All men shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil into everlasting fire. This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved.” Now consider, reflect, and examine, whether those who preach so ingeniously from doctrine, or who believe the same, do not include the above things in faith, as concealed in it. And as they believe that works do not justify, and that no one can do any good that is good from himself, and that good done by man has in itself merit, they give up doing, and believe that they are saved by the life concealed in faith alone, that is, in faith separated from good works. But I can testify that those who so believe and at the same time so live all come into hell. But those who live according to the precepts contained in the exhortation preparatory to the Holy Supper, and according to what has just been quoted from the Athanasian faith, come into heaven. Moreover, these have faith; but the others do not, whatever they may think to the contrary. It is said, those who believe and at the same time live from doctrine; for there are many, especially the more simple-minded, who believe from doctrine, but who do not at the same time live according to the doctrine; and these are saved.
sRef Rev@14 @12 S5′ [5] It is the same in the Lutheran Church. There, too, those who teach from doctrine and those who teach from the Word go in opposite directions. Those who teach from doctrine teach in precisely the same way as in the Anglican Church respecting faith alone and justification by it; and they separate works from the means of salvation, and set them aside as not good and as meritorious, and thus not justifying, because they are from man. But when they teach from the Word they also teach works, as can be seen from things written that are set forth for the general body, and are therefore inserted in all the Psalm books, and are called “Hindrances to the Impenitent,”* where the following words occur: “The holy will of God and His manifest command is, that those who believe should perform good works, and when these are done for just causes, and aim at a true end, especially such as are done for the sake of God’s glory and the use of the neighbor, they are acceptable to God for Christ’s sake; yea, out of pure mercy He rewards them; so that man has recompense for every good that he does. For God gives praise and honor and eternal blessedness to those who in patience strive through works to attain to eternal life. Wherefore God looks attentively to the works of men, as He has shown in His address to the seven churches in Asia, and to all men, where the Last Judgment is treated of. And on this account the apostle Paul uses these admonitions to exhort his hearers to good works, saying, `Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap it without ceasing’ (Gal. 6:9). Therefore those who are rich in good works show thereby that they are rich in faith, since while faith is living it works by charity. Yea, faith which alone justifies never abides alone and separate, but brings with it good works, as a good tree does good fruit, the sun light, the fire heat, and the water moisture.” From all this it can be seen that in those churches the teaching from doctrine and thus from the Word is one thing, and the teaching from the Word and not at the same time from doctrine is another thing; and that those who teach and at the same time live from doctrine are meant by those who “adore the beast and his image” (here treated of in verses 9-11); and that those who teach and live from the Word are meant by those of whom it is said in the twelfth verse, “Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”
* Obotfardigas forhinder. This appendix was omitted in the revision of the Psalm-book made in 1819.

sRef Rev@14 @9 S0′ 886. And hath received the mark on his forehead or on his hand, signifies acceptance and acknowledgment of these as goods of the church or as truths of the church. This is evident from the explanations above (n. 838), where like words occur. “To receive the mark on the forehead” signifies to love these things and thus acknowledge them as goods of the church, for “the forehead” signifies the good of love (see above, n. 427), here to acknowledge evils as goods; and “to receive the mark on the hand” signifies to acknowledge the falsities of that faith as truths of the church, for the “hands” are predicated of truths (see above, n. 298). This makes clear that “to receive the mark on the forehead or on the hand” signifies to accept by acknowledgment the evils of the doctrine of faith alone as goods of the church, and its falsities as truths of the church. It is said, “as goods of the church or as truths of the church,” because there are those who love that faith that is signified by the “beast,” and there are those who acknowledge that faith as the truth of the church; these are the simple-minded who accept that faith, but the former are the learned who glory in their learning because they have learned in the schools the degrees of justification and have thus come to believe that they are wiser than the common people. The same is true of those who live for the world and for their own gratification, and yet think at times about eternal life; for these confirm their life by that faith.

sRef Rev@14 @10 S0′ 887. Verse 10. Even he shall drink of the wine of the anger of God mixed with unmixed wine in the cup of His wrath, signifies appropriation of falsity and its evil, conjoined with falsified truths from the sense of the letter of the Word. This is evident from the signification of “to drink,” as being to take in and to appropriate to oneself (see above, n. 617); also from the signification of “wine,” as being truth from good, and in the contrary sense falsity from evil (see above, n. 376); also from the signification of “anger,” as being evil, because evil is angry against good and wishes to destroy it (see n. 693, 754). It is said “the anger of God,” but anger against God is meant, as in many passages where anger and wrath and evil in general are attributed to God (see n. 481 at the end, n. 647); so here, “to drink the wine of the anger of God” signifies to take in and appropriate falsity and its evil. The taking in and appropriation of evil is effected by faith separated from good works, because when goods of life, which are good works, are set aside as not justifying, thus as not saving, evils take their place; for so far as goods withdraw evils enter, “for no one can serve two masters,” namely, evil and good, at the same time. The above is evident also from the signification of “mixed with unmixed wine,” as being to be conjoined with falsified truths (of which presently); also from the signification of “cup,” as being an external container of truth, thus the Word in the sense of its letter; for when “wine” signifies truth, “cup” signifies that which contains it, and the sense of the letter of the Word is the containant of truth, both natural and spiritual. (That “cup” has a similar signification as “wine,” that is, what it contains, and that it signifies the containant, can be seen from the passages in the Word where “cup,” “chalice,” “goblet,” and “vial” are mentioned, which will be cited in the explanation of chapters 16 and 17 that follows.) As “cup” signifies the external or containant of truth, thus the sense of the letter of the Word, and as this is falsified by those who are in the doctrine and at the same time in the life of faith separated, so it is called “the cup of God’s wrath.” The “anger” and the “wrath” of God are here mentioned as in many other passages of the Word, and “anger” means the love and desire for evil in man; and “wrath” the love and desire for falsity in him, for “anger” is predicated of evil, and “wrath” of falsity (see above, n. 481 at the end). All this makes clear that “the wine mixed with unmixed wine in the cup of the wrath of God” signifies conjunction with falsified truths from the sense of the letter of the Word.
[2] “To mix with unmixed wine” signifies to be conjoined with falsified truths of the Word, because “unmixed wine” means intoxicating wine, and thus intoxication, consequently in the spiritual sense delirium in respect to truths induced by falsities, for delirium in respect to truths induced by falsities is spiritual intoxication. Moreover, the word in the original translated “unmixed wine” is derived from a word that means to be intoxicated. As this is the signification of “unmixed wine,” and those who falsify the Word are spiritually drunken, that is, are in a state of delirium in respect to truths, the two passages where “unmixed wine” is mentioned in the Word treat of the falsification of truth, as in Isaiah and Hosea.
sRef Hos@4 @18 S3′ sRef Hos@4 @17 S3′ [3] In Isaiah:
How hath the faithful city become a harlot; she was full of judgment, justice lodged in her; but now murderers. Thy silver hath become dross, thy unmixed wine mixed with waters (1:21, 22).
A “harlot” signifies everywhere in the Word falsified truth (see above, n. 141, 161); and “city” signifies doctrine; so “the faithful city becoming a harlot” signifies that doctrine that had previously been the doctrine of genuine truth has become the doctrine of falsified truth. “She was full of judgment, justice lodged in her,” signifies where the truth of doctrine and the good of love had been abundant, for “judgment” is predicated in the Word of the truth of doctrine and the understanding, and “justice” of the good of love and of the will; “but now murderers” signifies that falsification has extinguished the understanding of truth and the perception of good. (That this is the signification of a “murderer” may be seen above, n. 589.) “Thy silver hath become dross” signifies that genuine truth has been changed into falsity; “thy unmixed wine mixed with waters” signifies that truth has been made vile and destroyed by falsifying it.
[4] In Hosea:
Ephraim is associated with idols, let him alone. Their wine* is gone; in whoring they have committed whoredom, they are given up to love (4:17, 18).
“Ephraim” signifies the understanding of the truth of the church, “idols” signify the falsities of religion. This makes clear what is signified by “Ephraim is associated with idols.” “Let him alone” signifies the rejection of the falsities of that religion by the church. “Their wine* is gone” signifies that the truth of the Word has perished; “in whoring they have committed whoredom” signifies the falsification of that truth; “they are given up to love” signifies the love of falsity. All this makes clear what is signified in particular by “unmixed wine.”
* The Hebrew is the same expression as that used in the preceding passage translated “unmixed wine” merum, but Swedenborg has vinum, “wine.”

sRef Rev@14 @10 S0′ 888. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone before the holy angels and before the lamb, signifies that their hell is from the love of evil and falsity, that is direful according to the falsification and consequent destruction of Divine truth and Divine good, thus of the Word. This is evident from the signification of “to be tormented,” as being hell; for when heaven is mentioned its joy is at the same time meant, so when hell is mentioned its torment is also meant, and conversely; this is especially true of this expression “to be tormented with fire and brimstone.” The above is evident also from the signification of “fire,” as being love in both senses, namely, love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, which are the loves that prevail in heaven, and in the contrary sense love of self and love of the world, which are the loves that prevail in hell (see above, n. 504). And as all goods have their source in love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, and all evils have their origin through love of self and love of the world, so “fire” signifies the love of all things of good, and in the contrary sense the love of all things of evil. Also from the signification of “brimstone,” as being the love of falsity from evil, especially the lust of destroying the truths of the good of the church by the falsities of evil (see n. 578). Also from the signification of “the holy angels,” as being Divine truths from the Lord (see n. 130, 200, 302, 800). Also from the signification of “the Lamb,” as being the Lord’s Divine Human; here the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which is the Divine good united to the Divine truth in the heavens; so again here the Divine good, since it is mentioned in connection with “the holy angels,” which signify Divine truths from the Lord.
[2] “To be tormented before the holy angels and before the Lamb” signifies the direfulness of hell according to the falsification and consequent destruction of the Divine truth and the Divine good, thus of the Word, because the direfulness of hell, or the torment there is altogether according to that falsification and destruction; for so far as a man falsifies the Word so far he closes heaven to himself, and so far as he destroys interior Divine truths, which are Divine truths in the heavens, and from which the heavens exist, so far he is separated from the heavens and is cast down the more deeply into hell. This is “to be tormented before the angels and before the Lamb,” because the Word in the letter communicates with heaven through the spiritual sense; consequently so far as that sense is destroyed by falsification so far is the falsifier cast out of heaven, and so far as anyone is cast out of heaven so far he is tormented. That this is the spiritual sense of these words can be seen from the fact that no one is tormented in hell by angels or by the Lord, thus neither before the angels nor before the Lord, but by himself through the falsification and consequent destruction of the Divine truth, which is signified by “the holy angels,” and of the Divine good, which is, signified by “the Lamb.”
[3] How infernal and thus how injurious it is to falsify the Word even to the destruction of the Divine truth and the Divine good in the heavens can be seen from the fact that all things of the sense of the letter of the Word, which are Divine truths for the natural man, communicate through the spiritual sense with the angels of heaven, to the extent that men and the angels of heaven are conjoined by means of the Word; consequently the sense of the letter of the Word, with the man who falsifies it, is perceived in heaven in a two-fold manner, namely as genuine truth and also as that truth destroyed; as genuine truth from the sense of the letter according to correspondences, and as destroyed according to falsifications. From this it comes that truth and falsity are presented together as conjoined, from which the angels of heaven are exasperated, and turn themselves entirely away. Thus heaven is closed up, and all communication of heaven with that man is destroyed; consequently he comes into conjunction with hell. And so far as anyone is conjoined with hell so far he is in the love of all evil and its falsity, and from that in a lust of destroying the truths and goods of the church, and at the same time he is in torment. This, then, is what is signified by “being tormented with fire and brimstone before the holy angels and before the Lamb.”
[4] This is true especially of those who think from faith alone and at the same time live from faith alone, that is, who confirm that faith in themselves both in doctrine and life, as is done especially by those who have studied much to confirm that faith by writings and preachings. Such cannot do otherwise than falsify the Word, even to the destruction of its genuine truth; for the Word in the whole complex has respect to man’s life, consequently to works; for the Lord says that the law and the prophets hang upon these two commandments, namely, to love God above all things and the neighbor as oneself. “The law and the prophets” signify the Word in the whole complex; and “to love God and the neighbor” means doing the commandments, and this is works (see above, n. 826), and works are what the defenders of faith separated shut out; and as a consequence they reject all the essentials of the Word when they read it; and when the essentials are rejected all that remains is dross, just as an animal’s body when its life is taken away becomes putrid, since its love, which is the same as deeds, is its life. I have heard spirits who, when they lived as men in the world, had embraced faith alone, talking about the Word, that it contained Divine truths in abundance, and they said, “What are the knowledges of good and truth to me? What advantage is it to know anything about regeneration, remission of sins, free will, providence, love and charity, good works, and the rest, when the trust and confidence of this faith alone-that the Lord died for our sins-is the only thing that saves, and when all things of the Word must be explained to prove this, and can be so explained? For all things that are there said about love, good works, and doing, are included in that faith, and thus concealed like treasures under the ground.” Evidently such can do no otherwise than falsify all the truths and goods of the Word when they read it and think more deeply about its meaning than about other things, and apply it to faith alone.

sRef Rev@14 @11 S0′ 889. Verse 11. And the smoke of their torment shall go up unto the ages of the ages, signifies the dense falsity encompassing them and continually flowing forth from their loves. This is evident from the signification of “smoke,” as being dense falsity flowing forth out of the hells from the evils of earthly and bodily loves with those who are there (see above, n. 539); also from the signification of “torment,” as being the direfulness of hell, thus hell itself (see above, n. 888); also from the signification of “going up,” as being to encompass and flow forth (of which presently); also from the signification of “unto the ages of the ages,” as being continuously. Strictly, “the ages of the ages” signifies what is eternal or without end; but in the spiritual sense, which is apart from the idea of time, it signifies a state interiorly ruling without ceasing. This makes clear that “the smoke of their torment shall go up unto the ages of the ages” signifies the dense falsity encompassing them and flowing forth from their loves continually.
[2] That dense falsity encompasses and flows forth from them, follows from the fact that everyone is his own truth or his own falsity, because he is his own love. For everything that a man thinks inwardly or in his spirit is from his love; and everything that a man thinks has reference either to truths or to falsities; consequently man is either his own truth or his own falsity; and, what is yet unknown, man is his own truth or his own falsity not only as to the thoughts that are from his will but also as to his whole body; for the body with all its organs, viscera, and members, is the field into which the thoughts from the will go forth and spread themselves abroad, thence the entire man, as to everything pertaining to him both interior and exterior, is his own love, and thus his own truth or his own falsity (see further above, n. 775, 837).
[3] That the truth or the falsity from a man’s loves encompasses him and flows forth from him can be seen from the fact that all things in the world, both animate and inanimate, pour forth from themselves a sphere that is sometimes perceived at a great distance, as from animals in the woods which dogs acutely smell and follow by the scent from step to step; likewise from plants in gardens and forests which send out an odoriferous sphere in every direction; also from the soil and its various minerals. But these exhalations are natural exhalations. It is the same in the spiritual world, where from every spirit and angel the sphere of his love, and thus the sphere of his truth or falsity, flows forth in every direction; and in consequence the quality of all spirits can be known solely by the spiritual sphere that pours forth from them, and according to these spheres they have conjunction with societies that have a like love, and thus a like truth or falsity; those who are in the love of good and of truth therefrom are with the societies of heaven, while those who are in the love of evil and of falsity therefrom are with the societies of hell.
[4] I can assert that no spirit or man has a single thought that does not communicate through that sphere with some society. That this is so has not hitherto been known to man, but it has been made evident to me by a thousand experiences in the spiritual world; and therefore when the quality of spirits is explored, the direction in which their thoughts pour forth is investigated, and from this it is known with what societies they are conjoined, and thus what they are, and that the evil are with societies of hell and the good with societies of heaven. From this, too, it has been made clear to me that as the eye, according to its determinations, takes the quality of its sight from the objects in the natural world, so the understanding, according to its determinations, takes the quality of its thought from the truths that are its objects in the spiritual world; and thus man has not the least thought from himself, but it is either from hell or from heaven, and his thought is according to the determination of the affections that are of his love; in this determination his freedom has its seat.
[5] This has been said to make known what is meant by the dense falsity encompassing such and flowing forth from them. The falsity that flows forth from the hells where they are is manifestly felt by all who are not in falsities, when they are walking over the hells. These falsities sometimes appear to the sight like smoke from conflagrations or from furnaces, sometimes like black clouds, sometimes like black and stinking waters, sometimes like foul odors; but still the hells, lest they should strike the nostrils too strongly and hurt the interiors of other spirits, are covered over with black earths, and where the persuasions of falsity reign, with rocks, and in general with gravel and barren land, and thus are closed up; but yet falsities from evils continually breathe forth from them. From which it is clear why “smoke” in the Word signifies falsities from evils.

sRef Rev@14 @11 S0′ 890. And they shall have no rest day and night, signifies continual infestation by evils and falsities thence. This is evident from the signification of “having no rest,” as being to be infested by evils and falsities thence (of which presently); also from the signification of “day and night,” as being continuously. For “day and night” does not mean day and night, but their state, here in reference to infestation; for in the spiritual world no one has any idea of time, but an idea of state, as has been frequently said and shown above; and “day” signifies the state of their falsity, and “night” the state of their evil; for it is in reference to thought that man is in light, thus in day, and in reference to affection that he is in obscurity, that is, in night; moreover, falsities and truths pertain to thought, and evils and goods to affection. This is why there was a cloud over the tent by day, and a fire by night, “cloud” with the sons of Israel signifying the truth and “fire” the good of love with them.
[2] Infestation by evils and falsities is signified by “having no rest,” because those who are in hell are continually withheld from their loves, and as often as they break out into them they are punished; for their loves are hatreds, revenges, enmities, and lusts of doing evil, which are so delightful to them that they may be called the very delights of their life, consequently to be withheld from them is to be tormented. For everyone is in the joy of his heart when he is in his ruling love; and thus conversely, is in grief of heart when he is withheld from it. This is the general torment of hell, from which innumerable others exist; but to enumerate and describe them does not belong to this work or place.

sRef Rev@14 @11 S0′ 891. That adore the beast and his image, signifies who acknowledge the religion of faith separated from the life, and its doctrine. This is evident from the explanation given above (n. 885), where like words occur.

sRef Rev@14 @11 S0′ 892. And if anyone hath received the mark of his name, signifies reception and acknowledgment of its quality, according to the description above. This is evident from the signification of “receiving a mark,” as being reception and acknowledgment (as above, n. 838, 886); also from the signification of “name,” as being the quality of anyone (see n. 102, 135, 148, 676, 696, 815, 841), so here according to the description of this beast above (chapter 13); for such things constitute their name in the spiritual world, since everyone there receives a name according to his quality, and the quality of everyone there is expressed by a word of the spiritual language; and while this word might be pronounced in natural language it could not be understood, for it includes many things that could not be comprehended by the ideas of natural thought, and thus could not be expressed by the words of speech in this world. This makes clear that “the mark of the name of the beast” signifies the acknowledgment of that religion as to all that it is, which has been described above.

sRef Rev@14 @11 S0′ 893. Verse 12. Here is the patience of the saints, signifies the persecutions and temptations of those who are not in that faith, but in charity. This is evident from the signification of “patience,” as being temptations (see above, n. 813). That persecutions also are meant will be seen below. Also from the signification of “saints” as being those who are in truths from good (see n. 204), thus who are in charity, for these are in truths from good; they are in faith also; but they know that charity and faith act as one, like good and truth, or like will and understanding, or like affection and thought; and because these act as one, faith with them is charity; for whatever comes into the thought from charity, since it is of charity, is in its essence charity, although as to its existence it is called faith. For nothing can exist in the thought except what is from some affection and thus belongs to affection, for this is like the esse, and thus is the life and soul of thought. It is similar with charity and faith; from which it follows that there can be no faith except from charity, also that the faith is altogether such as the charity is. (But more about this elsewhere.)
sRef Rev@12 @4 S2′ sRef Rev@12 @15 S2′ sRef Rev@12 @17 S2′ [2] The persecutions of those who are in charity by those who are in faith separated from charity are not such at this day as cause them to be banished and cast out from the assemblages of the Christian world, but only to be reviled and condemned by those who are in faith alone. For no one can be banished and cast out in any kingdom who lives well, and who declares that to live well is necessary to salvation, since this is in complete agreement with the Word, and since everyone sees from rational light that he ought to live well; and yet such are condemned by those who are in faith alone as not saved because of merit in good works, and because such works are not good because they are from self, and for other reasons by which they confirm justification and salvation by faith alone. This is more evident with those who belong to the Moravian sect, who above all others are defenders of faith separated, and who condemn those who in their life give thought to doing good from religion as not being alive but utterly dead, and declare that all such are cast out of heaven. Those who do not belong to that sect, but to churches where works are rejected as means of salvation, do not thus blaspheme although they think wrongly about such, especially those who confirm themselves in many ways by writings or by preachings or by reasonings in the doctrine of justification by faith alone. These persecutions are what are here meant by “patience,” and also in chapter 12 of Revelation by:
The dragon standing before the woman who was about to bring forth, that when she brought forth he might devour her offspring; and afterwards he persecuted the woman, and cast out after her, out of his mouth, water as a river, that he might cause her to be swallowed up by the river; also the dragon was angry against the woman, and went away to make war with the remnant of her seed who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (verses 4, 15, 17).
Also what is said about the beast (13:5-7, 15). That such suffer persecutions on account of their acknowledgment and confession of the Divine Human in the Lord will be seen in what follows.
sRef Luke@14 @27 S3′ sRef Matt@16 @24 S3′ sRef Matt@10 @38 S3′ [3] But in respect to temptations, which are also meant here by “patience,” there are spiritual temptations which those undergo who receive genuine charity from the Lord; for such must fight against the evils that are in every man from birth, and some must fight against the falsities that they have imbibed from childhood from masters and preachers respecting faith alone. These falsities and evils are removed by the combats of temptations. This is what is meant by the “cross” in the following passages:
Jesus said, He that doth not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me (Matt. 10:38; Luke 14:27).
Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone will come after Me let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me (Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23).
In these passages the “cross” means temptations, and “to follow the Lord” means to acknowledge His Divine and to do His commandments. That this is the meaning of “following the Lord” may be seen above (n. 864). The “cross” means temptations because the evils and the falsities therefrom that cling to man from his birth infest and thus torment those who are natural when they are becoming spiritual. And as those evils and their falsities that infest and torment can be dispersed only by temptations, temptations are signified by the “cross.” Therefore the Lord says, that “they must deny themselves and take up their cross,” that is, that they must reject what is their own, “their cross” meaning what is man’s own [proprium], against which he must fight.
sRef Mark@10 @20 S4′ sRef Mark@10 @19 S4′ sRef Mark@10 @21 S4′ sRef Mark@10 @17 S4′ [4] Again:
Jesus spake to the rich man who asked Him what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus said to him, Thou knowest the commandments: Thou shalt not commit adultery; Thou shalt not kill; Thou shalt not steal; Thou shalt not bear false witness; Thou shalt not defraud; Honor thy father and mother. He answered and said unto Him, All these things have I observed from my youth. Jesus looked upon him and loved him; yet He said unto him, One thing thou lackest; go, sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the poor; so shalt thou have treasure in the heavens; and come, follow Me, taking up the cross (Mark 10:17-21).
Here “to follow the Lord and to take up the cross” have the same signification as above, namely, to acknowledge the Lord’s Divine, and the Lord as the God of heaven and earth; for without that acknowledgment no one can abstain from evils and do good except from self and as meritorious good, for the good that is good in itself and that is not meritorious good is solely from the Lord; consequently he cannot be saved unless the Lord is acknowledged, and it is acknowledged that all good is from Him. And yet before anyone can act from the Lord he must undergo temptations, for the reason that the internal of man, by which he is conjoined with heaven, is opened by means of temptations. And because no one can do the commandments apart from the Lord, therefore the Lord said, “Yet one thing thou lackest; sell all that thou hast and follow Me, taking up the cross;” that is, the Lord must be acknowledged and temptations must be endured. That “he should sell all that he had and give to the poor” signifies in the spiritual sense that he should alienate and cast away from himself what is his own [proprium], thus it has the same signification as “denying oneself” in the passages quoted above; and “to give to the poor” signifies in the spiritual sense to do the works of charity. The Lord said this to him because he was rich; and “riches” signify in the spiritual sense the knowledges of good and truth, and with this man, who was a Jew, the knowledges of evil and falsity, since they were traditions. From this it can be seen that the Lord, here as elsewhere, spake by correspondences.
sRef Mark@10 @38 S5′ sRef Mark@10 @39 S5′ sRef Mark@10 @40 S5′ [5] Again, temptations are signified by the “cup” of which they were to drink:
Jesus said unto James and John, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I drink, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They said unto Him, We are able. And Jesus said to them, The cup that I drink ye shall indeed drink, and with the baptism that I am baptized with shall ye be baptized; but to sit on My right hand or on My left is not Mine to give, but for whom it hath been prepared (Mark 10:38-40).
“To drink the cup that the Lord drank” has the same signification that the “cross” has above, namely, to undergo temptations; and “the baptism with which the Lord was baptized” signifies to be regenerated by temptations. But between the cup which the Lord drank and the cup which they are to drink there is the same difference as between the temptations of the Lord and the temptations of men. The temptations of the Lord were most grievous, and against all the hells; for the Lord subjugated all the hells by means of the temptations admitted into Himself; but the temptations of men are against evils and falsities that are from the hells with them, and in these the Lord and not man himself fights, except against certain painful feelings. There is a like difference between the baptism with which the Lord was baptized and the baptism with which men are baptized as there is between glorification and regeneration. By means of temptations the Lord glorified His Human by His own power, but men are regenerated, not by their own power but by the Lord; for “baptism” signifies to be regenerated by temptations, but the Lord’s baptism signifies the glorification of His Human by temptations. (That “baptism” signifies regeneration and also temptations may be seen in the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 187-193 seq.; and that the Lord glorified His Human and made it Divine, as He regenerates man and makes him spiritual, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 1725, 1729, 1733, 3318, 3381, 3382, 4286.)

sRef Rev@14 @11 S0′ 894. Here are they that keep the commandments of God, signifies that these are they who live according to the commandments of the Lord in the Word, as is evident without explanation. It is said in many passages in the Word that “they should keep and do God’s commandments and His precepts;” and “to do the precepts of God” means the same as to love the Lord above all things, and the neighbor as oneself. For what a man loves inwardly or from the heart he wills, and what he wills he does; and to love God is to love His precepts, because they are of God even to the extent that they are God. From this it can be seen how little the followers of faith alone know what love is. They grant or affirm that faith lives from love, and that faith without love is dead, and yet they do not know that love and deeds are one. They declare that love is in faith; and yet they do not know there is no love in faith when one does not live according to the Lord’s commandments in the Word; and that it is from this, and from no other source whatever, that there is any love in faith except a natural love that is not love to the Lord and love to the neighbor, but love of self and love of the world; and these loves utterly destroy faith, and even falsify the truths that must constitute a genuine faith and that are in the Word.

sRef Rev@14 @11 S0′ 895. And the faith of Jesus, signifies the implantation of truth by the Lord, and acknowledgment of Him. This is evident from the signification of “the faith of Jesus,” as being the implantation of truth by the Lord (see above, n. 813). It means also acknowledgment of the Lord because truths cannot be implanted unless the Lord is acknowledged, namely, that His Human is Divine, and that He is the God of heaven and earth. It is to be known that truth and faith in their essence are one, since faith must be of truth and truth must be of faith; consequently the men of old time did not speak of faith, but of truth instead of faith, while the men of the present day speak of faith instead of truth, and for the reason that the men of old time declared that nothing was to be believed except what they saw to be true, thus what they comprehended by the understanding. But the men of the present day declare that a thing must be believed even when they do not see it or comprehend it by the understanding. This makes clear how the old faith differed from the present faith, namely, as what is seen differs from what is not seen; but the very truth itself that is seen or comprehended by the understanding is not to be named faith, but only that which is not seen or not comprehended by the understanding. For this reason the angels in the higher heavens are unwilling even to mention faith, for they see truth from the love of good and the light of truth which are in them from the Lord; and they say that it is folly to have faith in anyone’s saying that this or that must be believed when it is not comprehended by the understanding, for this would be to think a thing to be true whether it be true or false, and to believe what is false is hurtful. Moreover, what is believed and not seen enters into man no further than the memory, and this cannot be appropriated to him.
[2] From this it follows that it would be better to give up the use of the term “faith” and to use the expression “the truth” in its stead. And yet what is believed and is not seen may be called faith, although such a faith is mere knowledge [scientia]. But as soon as a man becomes spiritual, (and he becomes so when his internal which communicates with heaven is opened), then that which is known, which is called faith, becomes truth, for it is then seen from the light of heaven. It is to be known that all angels and all good spirits see the truths of heaven as the bodily eye sees the objects of the world, for the objects of heaven are truths to those who are spiritual, for the reason that their understanding is their spiritual sight. The term truth should be used in place of faith, because all intelligence and all wisdom exists by means of truths, while all ignorance, that is, in spiritual things, exists by means of faith, especially faith separated; consequently the angels of the higher heavens turn themselves away when they hear faith mentioned, because their mind is turned away from what is thought by them; which thought is that the understanding should be held captive in obedience to faith; also because not to see truths would be to extinguish the light of heaven, in which those angels are and which is in them. Moreover, they are surprised that some believe that the faith that understands is not spiritual faith, when in fact such faith is truth; while a faith that is destitute of understanding is historical faith, because it is from another, and this regarded in itself is mere knowledge [scientia].

sRef Rev@14 @13 S0′ 896. Verse 13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth; Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works do follow with them. 13. “And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me,” signifies consolations by the Lord after temptations (n. 897); “Write,” signifies certainty (n. 898); “Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth,” signifies the resurrection into eternal life of those who have lived heretofore a life of charity, and will so live hereafter (n. 899); “Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors,” signifies that they will henceforth be free from combat against evils and falsities, and from infestation by them (n. 900); “for their works do follow with them,” signifies that they have spiritual life, which is the life of the angels of heaven (n. 901, 902).

sRef Rev@14 @13 S0′ 897. Verse 13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, signifies consolation by the Lord after temptations. This is evident from the signification of “a voice saying” as being what follows, which are consolations after temptations (see below); also from the signification of “saying from heaven,” as being from the Lord; for what is declared from heaven is Divine truth; and while this is spoken by angels from heaven, yet it is spoken by the Lord through angels. For angels, like men, cannot think any truth from themselves nor do good from themselves, but only from the Lord; and this is why “angels” signify in the Word Divine truths from the Lord, and “heaven” signifies the Lord. Those are greatly mistaken who believe that angels were created immediately, and in such a state of integrity that they could do good from themselves; for all angels throughout the entire heaven have been men, and therefore they have what is their own [proprium], the same as men have, and this is wholly evil. But while they lived in the world as men they were regenerated by the Lord, and thus could be withheld from evils and their falsities and be held in goods; and when they are withheld from evils and held in goods by the Lord it seems as if they are in goods from themselves, and yet they know and perceive that this they have from the Lord and not from themselves. From all this it can be seen why the whole angelic heaven, as to intelligence and wisdom and as to the affections of good and truth, is the Lord. And this is why “a voice saying from heaven” signifies such things as are from the Lord, and here consolations after temptations, and this because the preceding verse treats of the patience of those “who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus,” and “patience” here signifies temptations.
[2] Something shall now be said about consolations after temptations. All who are being regenerated by the Lord undergo temptations, and after temptations experience joys. But the source of the temptations and of the joys that follow, which are here meant by consolations, is not yet known in the world, because there are few who experience spiritual temptations, for the reason that there are few who are in the knowledges of good and truth, and fewer yet who are in the marriage of good and truth, that is, in truths as to doctrine and at the same time in goods as to life; and no others are let into spiritual temptations; for if others were let into temptations they would yield, and if they yielded their latter state would be worse than their former state. The true reason why only those who are in the marriage of good and truth can be let into spiritual temptations is that the spiritual mind, which is, properly, the internal man, can be opened only with these; for when that mind is opened temptations exist, and for the reason that heaven, that is the Lord through heaven, flows in through man’s spiritual mind into his natural mind; there is no other way of heaven, that is of the Lord through heaven, into man; and when heaven flows in it removes the hindrances, which are evils and falsities therefrom, which have their seat in the natural mind, that is, in the natural man; and these can be removed only by a living acknowledgment of them by man, and grief of soul on account of them. This is why man is distressed in temptations by the evils and falsities that rise up into the thought; and so far as he then acknowledges his sins, regards himself as guilty, and prays for deliverance, so far the temptations are useful to him. From this it is clear that man has spiritual temptation, when his internal, which is called the spiritual mind, is opened, thus when man is being regenerated. When, therefore, man’s evils and falsities are removed temptations are brought to an end; and when they are ended joy flows in through heaven from the Lord and fills his natural mind. This joy is what is here meant by consolations. These consolations all those receive who undergo spiritual temptations. I speak from experience. After temptations man receives joys because after them man is admitted into heaven; for through temptations man is conjoined to heaven and is admitted into it, and consequently has joy like that of the angels there.

sRef Rev@14 @13 S0′ 898. Write, signifies certainty. This is evident from the signification of “writing,” as being certainty; for that which is said from heaven, and is commanded to be written, is like what has been endorsed, and thus is true, and consequently certain; here it means that those who endure spiritual temptations shall have consolations and be happy. “To write” signifies certainty because writing is the ultimate act of thought and of speech therefrom, and thus it means what is certain, because what is terminated. This may be compared with all things that a man wills, thinks, and speaks therefrom, and does not terminate by doing them; such things are not yet in man’s life, for the ultimate in which prior things exist together is lacking. That “writing” thus signifies to inscribe on the life may be seen above (n. 222).

sRef Rev@14 @13 S0′ 899. Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth, signifies the resurrection into eternal life of those who have lived heretofore a life of charity, and will so live henceforth. This is evident from the signification of “the dead in the Lord,” as being those who rise into eternal life (of which presently), also from the signification of “the dead and those that die from henceforth,” as being the resurrection of those who have heretofore lived and who henceforth live a life of charity, for this is said of those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus; and these are such as live according to the Lord’s commandments in the Word and acknowledge His Divine, thus who live a life of charity from the Lord (see above, n. 894, 895).
sRef John@12 @32 S2′ sRef Matt@27 @53 S2′ sRef John@12 @31 S2′ sRef Matt@27 @52 S2′ [2] It is said “from henceforth,” because those are meant who have heretofore lived and who henceforth live that life. Those who have lived that life heretofore were kept by the Lord below the heavens and protected from infestation by the hells until the Last Judgment; and when this was accomplished they were raised up from their places, and elevated into heaven. This was not done before because before that the hells prevailed, and there was a preponderance on their part; but after this the heavens prevailed, and thus there was a preponderance on their part; for by the Last Judgment all things, both in the hells and in the heavens, were reduced to order. If, therefore, these had been elevated before, they could not have resisted the power with which the hells prevailed over the heavens. That they were elevated it was granted me to see; for I saw troops of them arising and being lifted up from the lower earth, where they had been kept by the Lord, and transferred to the heavenly societies. This took place after that Last Judgment that is treated of in the work on The Last Judgment. The same was done after a former judgment that was accomplished by the Lord when He was in the world, which is treated of in the same work. This mystery is what is meant by the resurrection of those who had heretofore lived a life of charity. This is meant also by these words in John:
Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out. But I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto Myself (12:31, 32);
and this was represented by:
Many of the saints who slept were raised up; and coming forth out of their tombs after the Lord’s resurrection they entered into the holy city, and appeared unto many (Matt. 27:52, 53).
But on this more will be said where the first and second resurrection or death are treated of in what follows in Revelation.
[3] “The dead that are blessed,” and “those that die,” mean also those that are to rise again into life hereafter, who are such as live a life of charity, as is evident from the expressions “from henceforth,” and “the dead,” and “those that die,” “from henceforth,” referring not only to those who are such since the Last Judgment, but also to those who were such before, and who have been treated of above. “Death” signifies resurrection, and thus “the dead” signify those who rise again into eternal life, because “death” signifies hell, and thus evils and falsities; and these must die that man may receive spiritual life; for until these are dead and extinct man has no spiritual life, which is the life that is meant in the Word by “life,” “eternal life,” and “resurrection;” therefore “to die” means here and elsewhere in the Word the extinction of the life that is man’s own, which regarded in itself consists solely of evils and falsities from them. And because when that life has been extinguished spiritual life enters in its place, so “the dead in the Lord” signify those who have been made spiritual by the Lord.
[4] Moreover, “to die” can mean in the spiritual sense resurrection, because the angels, who are in the spiritual sense of the Word, know nothing about natural death, by which man is taken out of this world; but they know only about spiritual death, which comes to those who are being regenerated by the Lord by means of temptations, and with whom evils and falsities therefrom are being subdued and put to death. Again, natural death is nothing but resurrection, for the reason that when the body dies man rises again as to his spirit, and thus death is simply a continuation of his life; for through death man passes from a life in the natural world into a life in the spiritual world, with the difference only that the life in the natural world is a more external and imperfect life, and the life in the spiritual world is a more internal and perfect life; and yet the two are alike in appearance, as can be seen from things heard and seen that are related in the work on Heaven and Hell.
sRef John@11 @25 S5′ sRef John@11 @26 S5′ [5] From all this it can be seen that “death” signifies both spiritual death, which is damnation, and resurrection into life, which is salvation. That “death” signifies damnation can be seen above (n. 186, 383, 427, 694). That “death” signifies resurrection to eternal life, and salvation, can be seen from the following passages. In John:
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he die yet shall he live; and everyone that liveth shall not die forever (11:25, 26).
“I am the resurrection and the life” signifies that resurrection and life are from Him and not from another; “he that believeth in Me” signifies, he that believes in the Lord’s Divine and believes that He is the omnipotent and only God; and as no one can believe this except he that lives a life of charity, therefore a life of charity, is also meant by “believing in Him;” “though he die yet shall he live” signifies that though one die naturally, still he shall rise again into life; “and everyone that liveth and believeth in Me shall not die forever” signifies that he who has been reformed shall not die spiritually, that is, be condemned, but shall rise again into eternal life. This makes clear that “to die” does not mean to die, but to rise again to life.
sRef John@6 @49 S6′ sRef John@6 @50 S6′ sRef John@6 @58 S6′ [6] In the same:
Your fathers did eat manna in the desert, and they are dead. This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that one may eat thereof and not die (John 6:49, 50, 58).
The “manna” that the sons of Jacob ate in the desert means in reference to them natural food, because they were natural; but “the bread that cometh down out of heaven” means spiritual food, which is from the Lord alone; and because it is from Him alone, in the highest sense “bread” means Himself; and therefore He says, “I am the Bread of life.” For Divine good united with Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, is that from which both angels and men have spiritual life. Consequently these words mean in the spiritual sense that those who nourish themselves from the Word in a natural way only are dead, that is, condemned, as were the sons of Jacob; and this was signified by their all dying in the desert; but those who nourish themselves spiritually from the Word will not be subject to condemnation, which is meant by “they shall not die,” which evidently does not mean not to die, but resurrection into life; for if death is not death it is life.
sRef John@5 @24 S7′ sRef John@8 @51 S7′ sRef John@8 @52 S7′ [7] In the same:
If a man keep My word he shall never see death (John 7:51, 52).
“To keep the Lord’s words” signifies to live according to the Lord’s commandments; “not to see death” signifies not to see condemnation but life, into which man rises and enters by death. In the same:
Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, that he that heareth My word and believeth on Him that sent Me hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment but passeth from death into life (John 5:24).
“To hear the word of the Lord and believe on Him that sent Him” has a like meaning as above, for by “the Father” the Lord meant the Divine that was in Him from conception, thus Himself. “Not to come into judgment” signifies not to be condemned; “to pass from death into life” signifies resurrection and life in heaven, “from death” signifying not only from natural death into eternal life, thus a resurrection, but also from spiritual death, which is condemnation, into eternal life; thus also resurrection; for the Word contains both a natural and a spiritual sense.
sRef John@5 @21 S8′ sRef Luke@14 @14 S8′ sRef John@5 @25 S8′ [8] In the same:
Jesus said, As the Father raiseth up the dead and vivifieth them, even so the Son vivifieth whom He will (John 5:21).
“To raise up the dead and vivify them” means resurrection into life, not only by natural death but also by spiritual death; resurrection into life is effected by reformation and regeneration, and these by the removal and separation of evils, which condemn man, and which are spiritual death. In the same:
Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, that the hour is coming when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live (John 5:25).
“The dead” signify here those who have been in evils and in falsities therefrom, but have been delivered from them by reformation; that they shall rise again is meant by these words, for they are no longer dead but alive, for they are “those that hear the voice of the Son of God,” that is, those who live according to His commandments. Likewise it is said in Luke:
That such shall be recompensed in the resurrection of the dead* (14:14).
“The resurrection of the dead” means not only the resurrection of those who die naturally, for these rise again immediately after death, but also the resurrection of those who die spiritually and are vivified by the Lord.
sRef John@5 @29 S9′ sRef John@5 @28 S9′ [9] In John:
Jesus said, The hour shall come, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and shall come forth, they that have done goods unto the resurrection of life, but they that have done evils unto the resurrection of judgment (5:28, 29).
This does not mean that the tombs shall be opened and all shall go forth at the day of the Last Judgment; but the “tombs” that shall be opened mean the places in the lower earth where those who had previously lived a life of charity and had acknowledged the Lord’s Divine were kept and guarded by the Lord, and in the day of the Last Judgment and after it were raised up into heaven, as has been said above in this article. These places are signified in the spiritual sense by “tombs.” This does not mean that the tombs in the earth are to be opened, and that they shall come forth from them at the day of the Last Judgment, as is clearly evident from the fact that all men come into the spiritual world immediately after death, and live there in a human form in like manner as in the natural world, therefore that everyone’s resurrection takes place immediately after death, resurrection to life for those who have done goods, and resurrection to judgment for those who have done evils; as is evident from the things heard and seen that are related in the work on Heaven and Hell.
[10] The same was represented by:
The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints that slept were raised up, and coming forth out of their tombs after the Lord’s resurrection entered into the holy city and appeared unto many (Matt. 27:52, 53).
That the tombs were then opened and the saints who had previously died came forth and entered into the holy city and appeared to many, represented the resurrection of those who had been kept by the Lord in places under heaven until His coming into the world, and who after His resurrection were taken therefrom and raised up into heaven. This took place and was seen by those who were in Jerusalem; nevertheless it was representative of the resurrection of those here and before described. For as all things of the Lord’s passion were representative, also that the veil of the temple was rent in twain, the earth quaked, and the rocks were rent (Matt. 27:51), so was this, that they came forth from the opened tombs; therefore it is added that “they entered into the holy city and appeared there;” for “Zion,” which is here meant by “the holy city,” still represented heaven where the Lord reigns by His Divine truth (on this signification of “Zion” see above, n. 850); and that city, together with Jerusalem, was at that time profane rather than holy, so that it was even called “Egypt and Sodom” in Revelation (11:8). But it is called “holy” on account of its representation and consequent signification in the Word.
[11] Resurrection from the dead, both in the natural and in the spiritual sense, was represented and thus was signified by the dead whom the Lord raised:
As by the raising of Lazarus (John 11:11-44);
By the raising of the young man of Nain (Luke 7:11-18);
And by the raising of the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue (Mark 5:21 to the end).
For all the miracles wrought by the Lord, and all the miracles described in the Word, included in them and thus signified the holy things of heaven and the church; and for this reason those miracles were Divine, and they were distinguished from miracles not Divine. The like is signified by this:
That it was granted to the disciples to raise the dead (Matt. 10:8).
sRef Ezek@37 @14 S12′ sRef Ezek@37 @13 S12′ sRef Ezek@37 @12 S12′ sRef Ezek@37 @11 S12′ [12] Regeneration, which also is a resurrection from the dead, was represented by the vivification of the bones in Ezekiel (37:1-14). That this represented regeneration is plainly evident from verses 11-14, where it is said:
These bones are the whole house of Israel; therefore prophesy and say unto them, Behold I will open your graves, O My people, and I will bring you upon the land of Israel, that ye may know that I will put My spirit in you, that ye may live.
Here again it is said that “the graves shall be opened,” which signifies resurrection into life. (That “to be buried” and “burial” signify resurrection, likewise regeneration, being the rejection of things unclean, may be seen above, n. 659.)
sRef John@12 @24 S13′ sRef Ps@116 @15 S13′ [13] That natural death, which is a rejection of the unclean things of the body, and spiritual death, which is a removal of the unclean things of the spirit, signify resurrection, can be seen also from the following passages in Revelation, where the first and the second death are treated of, which also are called the first and the second resurrection** (2:11; 21:8). Also in David:
Precious in the eyes of Jehovah is the death of His saints (Ps. 116:15).
Evidently “the death of the saints” does not signify damnation, but the separation and removal of the unclean things of their spirit, thus regeneration and resurrection. So also in John:
Jesus said, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die it abideth alone; but if it die it beareth much fruit (12:24).
The same is true of man, who, that he may rise again, must die both as to the body and as to what is his own [proprium], which is in itself infernal; for unless both of these die he does not have the life of heaven.
sRef John@20 @17 S14′ [14] As men rise again after death, therefore the Lord willed to undergo death and to rise again the third day, but to the end that He might put off everything human that He had from the mother and might put on the Divine Human; for everything human that the Lord took from the mother He rejected from Himself by temptations, and finally by death; and by putting on a Human from the Divine Itself that was in Him He glorified Himself, that is, made His Human Divine; therefore in heaven His death and burial do not mean death and burial, but the purification of His Human, and glorification. That this is so the Lord taught by this comparison with wheat falling into the earth, which must die that it may bear fruit. The same is involved in what the Lord said to Mary Magdalene:
Touch Me not, for I am not yet ascended unto My Father (John 20:17).
“To ascend to His Father” means the uniting of His Human with His Divine, the human from the mother being fully rejected.
* The photolithograph has “mortuorum,” “the dead,” the Greek text has “the just.”
** The Latin has “mors secunda” second death, for “resurrectio secunda” second resurrection.

sRef Rev@14 @13 S0′ 900. Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, signifies that such will henceforth be free from combat against evils and falsities, and from infestation by them. This is evident from the signification of “saith the Spirit,” as being assertion that it is true, for “angel,” likewise “Spirit,” signifies truth from the Lord. Also from the signification of “labors,” as being combats against evils and falsities and infestations by them, thus temptations (of which presently), therefore “to rest from them” signifies that they will henceforth be free from them. This makes evident that “the Spirit saith, that they may rest from their labors,” signifies that it is true that they will henceforth be free from combat against evils and falsities, and from infestation by them. The preceding verse treats of the temptations of those who live according to the Lord’s commandments and who acknowledge His Divine, therefore this verse treats of the consolations that follow spiritual temptations; for, as has been said above (n. 897), after all spiritual temptations joys come forth.
sRef Isa@53 @10 S2′ sRef Isa@53 @11 S2′ [2] “Labors” mean temptations, because temptations are labors of the soul or spiritual labors; and these are meant by “labor” in Isaiah:
Jehovah hath willed to bruise him, He hath weakened him; if He hath made his soul a guilt-offering, he shall see seed, he shall prolong days, and the will of Jehovah shall prosper by his hand; he shall see of the labor of his soul and shall be satisfied (53;10, 11).
This is said of the Lord, of whom the whole of that chapter treats. The Lord’s temptations, which were most grievous, because they were against the hells, are described by “Jehovah willed to bruise him, He hath weakened him,” for by means of temptations the loves of what is one’s own [proprium] are broken, thus the body is bruised and weakened. “If he hath made his soul a guilt-offering” signifies, if he has endured temptations even unto death; “he shall see seed” signifies that the Divine truth shall proceed from Him, “seed” meaning truth, and in reference to the Lord the Divine truth; “he shall prolong days” signifies the Divine good, which shall also proceed from Him, “long” and thus “to prolong” being said in reference to good (see above, n. 629), and “days” signifying states. “And the will of Jehovah shall prosper by his hand” signifies that thus all things and each thing in the heavens and in the earths shall be kept in Divine order; “of the labor of his soul” signifies by temptations; “he shall see and shall be satisfied” signifies glorification. This is the signification of these words in the highest sense, which treats of the Lord. But in a relative sense they describe the salvation of the human race, for which the Lord fought from Divine love.
sRef John@10 @18 S3′ sRef John@10 @17 S3′ [3] It is said, “If he hath made his soul a guilt-offering,” as if it were a matter of doubt whether he would so make it. But the same truth is involved in this as in what He Himself says in John:
I lay down My soul that I may take it again; no man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This commandment received I from My Father (10:17, 18).
The arcanum that is concealed in these words no one can see unless he knows what the temptations are by which man is regenerated. For in these man is kept in his freedom; from which it appears to him as if he fought from himself. In fact, man has in temptations a more potent spiritual freedom than when he is not in them, for it is more interior. Unless man fought from this freedom in temptations he could not become spiritual; for all freedom is of the love, therefore man then fights from the love of truth, and thus from the love of eternal life; and in this and in no other way is the internal opened and man regenerated. From these few things it can be seen in some degree what is involved in these words of the Lord, namely, that he fought from His own freedom and finally laid down His soul that He might do all things from His own power, and thus might become righteousness from Himself, which He could not have become except from His freedom; and this is why it is said, “I lay down My soul of Myself; I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment I have received from My Father.”
[4] Those to whom this arcanum is unknown interpret these words as the Arians do, that the Lord was the adopted not the actual Son of God; thus that He was adopted because He was willing to lay down His life, or endure the death of the cross; not knowing that these words involve that from His own power He fought against the hells from His Human and overcame them, and from His own power He glorified His Human, that is, united it to the very Divine in Himself, and thus made it Divine; and that this could by no means have been done if absolute freedom had not been left to Him as to the Human. All this makes clear why it is said in Isaiah, “If He hath made his soul a guilt-offering.” (That freedom is that which is of the love and of the will and thus of the life of man, and that it appears as if it were his own [proprium], can be seen in the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 141, 145. That man must have freedom in order to be regenerated can be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 1937, 1947, 2876, 2881, 3145, 3158, 4031, 8700. That in no other way can the love of good and truth be implanted in man and be appropriated to him, apparently as his own, n. 2877, 2879, 2880, 8700. That nothing is conjoined to man that is done by compulsion, n. 2875, 8700. That to compel oneself is from freedom, but not to be compelled, n. 1937, 2881. That in all temptation there is freedom, but this freedom is more interiorly in man from the Lord, and for this reason he fights and wishes to conquer and not to be conquered, which he would not do without freedom, n. 1937, 1947, 2881. That the Lord fought alone and from His own power against all the hells, and overcame them, n. 1692, 1813, 2816, 4295, 8273, 9937. That thus the Lord became righteousness from Himself alone, n. 1813, 2025-2027, 9715, 9809, 10019. That the Lord’s last temptation was in Gethsemane and upon the cross, when He gained a complete victory, by which He subjugated the hells, and at the same time glorified His Human, n. 2776, 2803, 2813, 2814, 10655, 10659, 10828. All these are from the Arcana Coelestia, from which still more may be seen collected in the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, under the heads, The Freedom of Man, n. 148, 149; Temptations in General, n. 196-200; The Lord’s Temptations, n. 201, 302.)

sRef Rev@14 @13 S0′ 901. For their works do follow with them, signifies that they have spiritual life, which is the life of the angels of heaven. This is evident from the signification of “works,” as being spiritual life, such as the angels of heaven have (of which presently); also from the signification of “to follow with them,” as meaning to be in them, for what follows with anyone, when it is predicated of his life, is in him, and is as it were himself; therefore it is said “to follow with them,” not follow them. “Works” signify the life of man because they constitute his life. For man has thought, will, and from these two, action. That which is in a man’s thought and not in his will is not yet in him. That which is in thought and in the will, and not in act, this indeed enters the man, and forms a beginning to his life; and yet it goes forth and disappears, because it has not been terminated. But that which is in a man’s will, and from that in act, constitutes his life, and remains, whether it be evil or good. That thought alone does not constitute man’s life can be seen from this, that man is able to think many things that he does not will, because he does not love them. The thought and the will of man without the act do not constitute his life, because the will is not made sure, and a will not made sure is like water passing off into vapor, since it is easily changed by a love opposed to it. From all this it can be seen that by works which are acts of the will man’s life is signified. That works, love, will, and act, also man’s life, make one, may be seen above (n. 842).

sRef Rev@14 @13 S0′ 902. Since here as in many other passages in Revelation, “works” are mentioned, and here it is said that “their works do follow with them,” which signifies spiritual life, something shall be said about how that life is acquired, and also how it is destroyed by the faith of the present day. Spiritual life is acquired solely by a life according to the commandments in the Word. These commandments are given in a summary in the Decalogue, namely, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet the goods of others. These commandments are the commandments that are to be done, for when a man does these his works are good and his life becomes spiritual, because so far as a man shuns evils and hates them, so far he wills and loves goods.
sRef Matt@6 @24 S2′ [2] For there are two opposite spheres that surround man, one from hell, the other from heaven, from hell a sphere of evil and of falsity therefrom, from heaven a sphere of good and of truth therefrom; and these spheres affect* the body, but they affect the minds of men, for they are spiritual spheres, and thus are affections that belong to the love. Man is set in the midst of these; therefore so far as he approaches the one so far he withdraws from the other. This is why so far as a man shuns evils and hates them, so far he wills and loves goods and the truths therefrom, for:
No one can at the same time serve two masters, for he will either hate the one and love the other (Matt. 6:24).
[3] But let it be known, that man must do these commandments from religion, because they are commanded by the Lord; and if he does them from any other consideration whatever, for instance, from regard merely to the civil law or the moral law, he remains natural, and does not become spiritual. For when a man acts from religion he acknowledges in heart that there is a God, a heaven and a hell, and a life after death. But when he acts merely from the civil and moral law, he may act in the same way, and yet in heart may deny that there is a God, a heaven and a hell, and a life after death. And if he shuns evils and does goods it is only in an external form, and not in an internal form; thus while he is outwardly as to the life of the body like a Christian, inwardly as to the life of his spirit he is like a devil. All this makes clear that a man can become spiritual, or receive spiritual life, in no other way than by a life according to religion from the Lord.
[4] I have had proof that this is true from angels of the third or inmost heaven, who are in the greatest wisdom and happiness. When asked how they had become such angels, they said that it was because during their life in the world they had regarded filthy thoughts as heinous, and these had been to them adulteries; and had regarded in like manner frauds and unlawful gains, which had been to them thefts; also hatreds and revenges, which had been to them murder; also lies and blasphemies, which had been to them false testimonies: and so with other things. When asked again whether they had done good works, they said that they loved chastity, in which they were because they had regarded adulteries as heinous; that they loved sincerity and justice, in which they were because they had regarded frauds and unlawful gains as heinous; that they loved the neighbor because they had regarded hatreds and revenges as heinous; that they loved truth because they had regarded lies and blasphemies as heinous, and so on; and that they perceived that when these evils had been put away, and they acted from chastity, sincerity, justice, charity, and truth, it was not done from themselves but from the Lord, and thus that all things whatsoever that they had done from these were good works, although they had done them as if from themselves; and that it was on this account that they had been raised up by the Lord after death into the third heaven. Thus it was made clear how spiritual life, which is the life of the angels of heaven, is acquired.
[5] It shall now be told how that life is destroyed by the faith of the present day. The faith of this day is that it must be believed that God the Father sent His Son, who suffered the cross for our sins, and took away the condemnation of the law by fulfilling it; and that this faith without good works will save everyone, even in the last hour of death. By this faith, instilled from childhood and afterwards confirmed by preachings, it has come to pass that no one shuns evils from religion, but only from the civil and moral law; thus not because they are sins but because they are damaging. Consider, when a man thinks that the Lord suffered for our sins, that He took away the condemnation of the law, and that merely to believe these things or to have faith in them without good works saves-whether this is not to regard as of little worth all the commandments of the Decalogue, all the life of religion as prescribed in the Word, and furthermore all the truths that teach charity. Separate these therefore, and take them away from man, and is there any religion left in him? For religion does not consist in merely thinking this or that, but in willing and doing that which is thought; and there is no religion when willing and doing are separated from thinking. From this it follows that the faith of this day destroys spiritual life, which is the life of the angels of heaven, and is the Christian life itself.
[6] Consider further, why the ten commandments of the Decalogue were promulgated from Mount Sinai by so great a miracle; why they were engraven on two tables of stone, and why these were placed in the ark, over which was placed the mercy-seat with cherubs, and the place where those commandments were was called the Holy of holies, within which Aaron was permitted to enter only once a year, and this with sacrifices and incense, and if he had entered without these he would have fallen dead; also why so many miracles were afterwards performed by the ark. Have not all throughout the whole globe a knowledge of like commandments? Do not their civil laws prescribe the same? Who does not know from merely natural lumen, that for the sake of order in every kingdom adultery, theft, murder, false witness, and other things in the Decalogue are forbidden? Why then were those same precepts promulgated by so many miracles, and regarded as so holy? Can there be any other reason than that everyone might do them from religion, and thus from God, and not merely from civil and moral law, and thus from self and for the sake of the world? This was the reason for their promulgation from Mount Sinai and their holiness; for to do these commandments from religion purifies the internal man, opens heaven, admits the Lord, and makes man as to his spirit an angel of heaven. And this is why the nations outside the church who do these commandments from religion are all saved, but not anyone who does them merely from civil and moral law.
[7] Inquire now whether the faith of this day does not cancel all these commandments, which faith is, that the Lord suffered for our sins, that He took away the condemnation of the law by fulfilling it, and that man is justified and saved by this faith without good works. Look about and discover how many there are at this day in the Christian world who do not live according to this faith. I know that they will answer that they are weak and imperfect men, born in sins, and the like. But who is not able to think from religion? This the Lord gives to everyone; and with him who thinks these things from religion the Lord works all things, so far as he thinks. And be it known that he who thinks these things from religion believes that there is a God, a heaven, a hell, and a life after death; but he who does not think of these things from religion, I affirm, does not believe them.
* The sense indicates that not has been omitted in the Latin.

sRef Rev@14 @15 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @16 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @14 S0′ 903. Verses 14-16. And I saw, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sitting like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel went out from the temple, crying out with a great voice to Him that sat upon the cloud, Send Thy sickle and reap, for the hour for Thee to reap is come, for the harvest of the earth is dried up. And He that sat upon the cloud cast His sickle upon the earth, and the earth was reaped. 14. “And I saw,” signifies prediction respecting the separation of the good from the evil (n. 904); “and behold a white cloud,” signifies Divine truth in ultimates, such as the Word is in the sense of the letter, within which is the spiritual sense (n. 905); “and upon the cloud One sitting like unto the Son of man,” signifies the Lord in the heavens in the Divine truth or the Word which is from Him (n. 906); “having upon His head a golden crown,” signifies the Divine good girded for judgment (n. 907); “and in His hand a sharp sickle,” signifies the Divine truth accurately exploring and separating (n. 908). 15. “And another angel went out from the temple,” signifies exploration by the Lord of the state of the church in general (n. 909); “crying out with a great voice to Him that sat upon the cloud,” signifies announcement after exploration or visitation (n. 910); “send Thy sickle and reap, for the hour for Thee to reap is come, for the harvest of the earth is dried up,” signifies that it is the time for gathering up the good and separating them from the evil, because this is the end of the church (n. 911). 16. “And He that sat upon the cloud cast the sickle upon the earth, and the earth was reaped,” signifies the gathering out of the good from the evil, and that thus the church was laid waste (n. 912).

sRef Rev@14 @14 S0′ 904. Verse 14. And I saw, signifies prediction respecting the separation of the good from the evil. This is evident from the fact that “seeing” involves the things that are seen, and these are what now follow; and as these involve in the spiritual sense the first or general separation of the good from the evil, so here, “I saw” signifies prediction respecting this separation. It is to be known that in what follows in this chapter separation in general is predicted, and in the following chapters separation in particular, or specifically, which is described by “the seven angels having the seven vials of the wrath of God.” It is according to Divine order that the separation of the good from the evil should be thus described, which order is that what is general should come before the setting forth of the particular and the most particular or the specific things. It is according to Divine order for what is general to precede, in order that particulars may be introduced into them and rightly arranged, and made homogeneous and joined together in close connection. (On this subject see what is set forth in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that general things precede, into which particulars are introduced, and most particular things into these, n. 920, 4325, 4329, 4345, 5208, 6089. That with the man who is being regenerated general things precede, and particular and most particular things follow in order, n. 3057, 4345, 4383, 6089. That afterwards there is a subordination of all things under the generals in man, and thus connection, n. 5339. That generals may be filled with innumerable things, n. 7131. That such as a man is in general, such he is in every particular thing, n. 917, 1040, 1316. That what reigns generally is in all things and in each thing, n. 6159, 7648, 8067, 8853-8857, 8865. All this has been presented to make known why general and generic things are here first stated, and afterwards the particular and most particular things.)

sRef Rev@14 @14 S0′ 905. Behold a white cloud, signifies the Divine truth in ultimates, such as the Word is in the sense of the letter, within which is the spiritual sense. This is evident from the signification of a ” cloud,” as being the Divine truth in ultimates, and thus the Word in the sense of the letter (of which above, n. 36, 594); and this cloud appeared “white” because of the shining through it of the Divine truth in the heavens, such as the Word is in the spiritual sense, for all whiteness that appears in the heavens exists from the light of heaven, which in its essence is the Divine truth. This is why the angels, who are in the Divine truth, are clothed in white and shining garments. (That Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun is the light of heaven, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140; and that white for this reason is predicated in the Word of truths, see above, n. 196.)

sRef Rev@14 @14 S0′ 906. And upon the cloud One sitting like unto the Son of man, signifies the Lord in the Divine truth or the Word which is from Him. This is evident from the signification of a “white cloud,” as being the Divine truth in ultimates, such as the Word is in the sense of the letter, within which is the spiritual sense (see above); also from the signification of “sitting upon it,” as being in the heavens where the Divine truth is in its light, such as the Word is in the spiritual sense; also from the signification of “the Son of man,” as being the doctrine of truth, and in the highest sense the Lord as to the Word (see above, n. 63, 151). One may wonder that a “cloud” signifies the Word, and “One sitting upon the cloud” signifies the Lord as to the Word, since to those who comprehend all things according to the sense of the letter of the Word, it must needs seem that a “cloud” means a cloud, and not anything spiritual such as the Word is, for the Word does not appear to have any affinity or agreement with a cloud; nevertheless it is the Divine truth in ultimates, such as the Word is in the letter, that is here signified. The reason is, that in the spiritual world the Divine truth flowing down from the higher heavens into the lower appears like a cloud; and this has been seen by me, and from it and its varied hues I was able to conclude what kind of truth the angels of the higher heaven were talking about with one another.
sRef Matt@26 @64 S2′ sRef Rev@1 @5 S2′ sRef Matt@24 @30 S2′ sRef Rev@1 @7 S2′ sRef Matt@17 @5 S2′ [2] The “cloud” that appeared upon Mount Sinai when the Law, which was the Divine truth, was promulgated, had a similar signification, also the “cloud” that was seen every day upon the Tent of meeting, and that sometimes filled it; also:
The bright cloud that overshadowed Peter, James, and John, when Jesus appeared transfigured; out of which cloud a voice was heard saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him (Matt. 17:5; Luke 9:34, 35).
Also in the following passages in the Gospels:
Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man; and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory (Matt. 24:30; Luke 21:27).
And Jesus said, Now shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven (Matt. 26:64; Mark 14:61, 62).
In these passages also “to come in the clouds of heaven” means the manifestation of the Lord in the Word; for after His coming predictions respecting the Lord were clearly seen in the prophecies of the Word that were not seen before; and they are still more clearly seen at this day, when the spiritual sense of the Word has been opened, in which, in the highest sense, the Lord and the subjugation of the hells by Him and the glorification of His Human are everywhere treated of. This sense is what is meant by the “glory” in which He would come. That “glory” signifies spiritual Divine truth such as it is in the heavens may be seen above (n. 33, 874). All this makes clear what is signified by “the white cloud, and upon the cloud One sitting like unto the Son of man,” which John saw; for what now follows treats of the separation of the good from the evil before the Last Judgment, and afterwards of that judgment; the same as was predicted by the Lord in the Gospels, that “He would come in the clouds of heaven;” also in the first chapter of Revelation in these words:
Jesus Christ, who is the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Behold He cometh with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him (verses 5, 7).

sRef Rev@14 @14 S0′ 907. Having on His head a golden crown, signifies the Divine good girded for judgment. This is evident from the signification of “a golden crown” on the head, as here being the Divine good girded for judgment; for what now follows treats of the separation of the good from the evil, and this separation precedes the Last Judgment, thus it treats of “the Son of man” by whom is meant the Lord as to the Divine truth or the Word girded to separate the good from the evil, and afterwards to execute judgment. That this is meant by “the golden crown upon the head of the Son of man,” can be seen from the fact that among the sons of Israel and also among the ancients, kings, who represented the Lord, when they were girded for war and in their battles, wore golden crowns (see above, n. 553); and for the reason that kings represented the Lord as to the Divine truth, and this proceeds from the Lord conjoined with the Divine good; and in order that this might be represented kings wore crowns of gold, since “gold” signifies good (see above, n. 242). That a “golden crown” signifies good and consequent wisdom, and that truths are what are crowned, may also be seen above (n. 272).
sRef John@5 @27 S2′ sRef John@12 @47 S2′ sRef John@5 @22 S2′ sRef John@12 @48 S2′ [2] That an arcanum lies concealed in this is because the Divine good judges no one, but the Divine truth judges; because the Divine good loves all, and so far as man follows it draws to heaven, but the Divine truth separated from good condemns all and judges all to hell. Lest, therefore, all should be condemned and judged to hell, and in order that the Divine good may as far as possible mitigate and raise up to heaven, there was a golden crown on the head, which signified the Divine good girded for judgment, that is, for mitigating. That the Divine good does not judge anyone but the Divine truth, is meant by these words of the Lord:
The Father doth not judge anyone, but He hath given all judgment unto the Son (John 5:22).
“The Father” means the Divine good, and “the Son” the Divine truth. (That “the Father” means the Divine good may be seen above, n. 200, 254; and “the Son” the Divine truth, n. 63, 151, 724.) Likewise by these words:
The Father gave to the Son to execute judgment, because He is the Son of man (John 5:27).
“The Son of man” signifies the Divine truth (see above, n. 778).
[3] Nevertheless it must be understood that the Lord does not judge anyone by Divine truth; but the Divine truth regarded in itself judges the man who does not receive it but rejects it, as is clearly evident from the Lord’s words:
Jesus said, If anyone hear My words and yet believe not, I judge him not, for I have not come to judge the world but to save the world. He that rejecteth Me and receiveth not My words hath one that judgeth him; the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day (John 12:47, 48; also John 3:17).
“The Word” means the Divine truth, for this is in the Word, and is the Word. That this, regarded in itself, will judge man, and not the Lord Himself by it, is clearly evident, for the Lord says, “I judge him not, for I have not come to judge the world but to save the world.” The Lord Himself does not judge, because He is the Divine love and also the Divine good united with Divine truth, and the one cannot be separated from the other, for they are one; and the Divine good judges no one, but saves, as has been said above. So also does the Divine truth which proceeds from the Lord united with the Divine good. The saying in John, that “it was given to the Son to execute judgment,” must be understood in the same sense as where it is said of Him that “He is angry,” “wrathful,” “casts into hell,” and the like; while in fact the Lord is angry with no one, nor does He cast into hell, but man casts himself thither (on which see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 545-550). So, too, contempt for and rejection of the Divine truth, consequently falsity from evil, judges man; thus again, the man judges himself.
[4] How the Divine truth regarded in itself judges man shall also be told. The man who is in falsities from evil because of contempt for and rejection of the Divine truth is in hatred against it, and burns to destroy it with everyone who is in it from the Lord. And when he makes this attempt he is like one who casts himself into a fire or dashes his face against a rock; the fire is not the cause of this nor the rock, but the man who does this. For the real truth is, that the Divine truth never fights against falsity from evil, but falsity fights against truth; and thus heaven does not fight against hell, but hell against heaven.

sRef Ps@57 @4 S0′ sRef Ps@120 @2 S0′ sRef Ps@120 @4 S0′ sRef Isa@49 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @16 S0′ 908. And in His hand a sharp sickle, signifies the Divine truth accurately exploring and separating. This is evident from the signification of a “sickle,” as being the Divine truth accurately exploring and separating. This is the signification of “sickle,” because it has almost the same signification as “sword” [gladius et machaera], which means in the spiritual sense the Divine truth fighting against falsity and dispersing it (see above, 73, 131, 367); so here in place of sword [gladius et machaera] a “sickle” is mentioned, because the harvest is treated of, respecting which and the sickle more will be said hereafter. “A sharp sickle” signifies the Divine truth accurately exploring and separating, because the “harvest” signifies the last state of the church preceding the Last Judgment, when the Lord explores everyone and separates; and when this is done the good are raised up into heaven and the evil cast into hell, which is the Last Judgment. That such exploration and separation are effected before the Last Judgment, and have also been done at this day, has been set forth to some extent from experience in the work on The Last Judgment, and also above; and more will be said about it in an appendix at the end of this work.
[2] That “sharp” signifies what is careful, accurate and complete, is evident without explanation. For a sharp sickle, like a sharp sword, acts with great accuracy and pierces very keenly. This is shown in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Jehovah hath made my mouth like a sharp sword (49:2).
The “mouth” of the prophet signifies the Divine truth, and for this reason is compared to a sharp sword, meaning that the Divine truth pierces and wholly disperses and destroys falsity. So in Revelation:
Out of the mouth of the Son of man went forth a sharp two-edged sword (1:16; 2:12; 19:15, 21).
The tongue of the wicked, which speaks falsities from interior evil, and pierces and disperses truths, is also compared to a sharp sword and sharp arrows. In David:
My soul, in the midst of lions do I lie; the sons of man are set on fire, their teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword (Ps. 57:4).
And elsewhere:
Jehovah deliver my soul from the lip of falsehood, from the tongue of deceit, sharp arrows of the mighty (Ps. 120:2, 4).
Here “the lip of falsehood and the tongue of deceit” stand for falsities from evil; and the dispersion of truth by falsities is signified by “a sharp sword” and “sharp arrows.” In like manner in Ezekiel (5:1).

sRef Rev@14 @15 S0′ 909. Verse 15. And another angel went out from the temple, signifies exploration by the Lord of the state of the church in general. This is evident from what follows, namely, that the angel “cried out with a great voice, Send Thy sickle and reap, for the hour for Thee to reap is come, for the harvest of the earth is dried up,” which signifies announcement after exploration that it is the time for gathering up the good and separating them from the evil, because this is the end of the church. Also from the signification of “the temple,” as being heaven and the church, and the Divine proceeding from the Lord (see above, n. 220, 630, 700). The state of the church in general is here meant, because it is added that “two other angels went forth, one from the temple that is in heaven, and the other from the altar;” and these signify manifestations by the Lord respecting separation. Exploration by the Lord is signified, because an “angel” means in the Word something from the Lord (see above, n. 869, 878, 883); since angels can make no exploration of the state of the church from themselves, but only from the Lord.

sRef Matt@19 @28 S0′ sRef Matt@24 @31 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @15 S0′ 910. Crying out with a great voice to Him that sat upon the cloud, signifies announcement after exploration or visitation. This is evident from the signification of “crying out with a great voice,” as being announcement (of which presently). It means after visitation because it is announced “to Him who sat upon the cloud, that the hour to reap is come, because the harvest of the earth is dried up.” “He that sat upon the cloud” means the Lord in the heavens (see above, n. 906). “The great voice” of this angel signifies announcement of the state of the church after visitation, because a “voice” involves the things said, which are what follows. It is said “announcement after exploration or visitation,” because visitation precedes separation, and after separation the Last Judgment is accomplished. Visitation is mentioned in many passages, and it means the exploration of what the state of the church is before the judgment. Not that such visitation exists actually; but before the judgment the angels of heaven begin to lament because of the growing power of the evil from hell, and begin to pray to the Lord for help; for the Lord knows all things, because He is omniscient. Nevertheless, visitation is depicted by the sending of angels and by their announcement; as that, when the Last Judgment is at hand:
The Lord shall send His angels with a great voice of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds (Matt. 24:31).
Not that any angels are sent to gather them together, but the Lord does this by His Divine truth; for “angels,” as has been said, signify Divine truths. So again:
The apostles shall sit upon twelve thrones, and shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:30).
Not that the apostles shall sit upon thrones and judge, but the Lord by His Divine truth; for “apostles,” the same as “angels,” signify Divine truths, since they signify all things of the church. Likewise in other places. (But respecting visitation see what has been said in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that visitation is an inquiry into what the state of love and faith in the church is; and that this precedes judgment, n. 2242. That “the day of visitation” means the last state of the church in general, n. 10509, 10510; thus when the old church is laid waste and a New Church is established, n. 6588. Also that it means the damnation of the unfaithful and salvation of the faithful, n. 6588, 10623. That visitation means also the coming of the Lord, because the Lord then comes to judgment, n. 6895.)

sRef Rev@14 @15 S0′ 911. Send Thy sickle and reap, for the hour for Thee to reap is come, for the harvest of the earth is dried up, signifies that it is the time for collecting the good and separating them from the evil, because this is the end of the church. This is evident from the signification of “sending the sickle,” as being to collect the good and separate them from the evil (of which presently); also from the signification of “the hour to reap is come,” as being the time for doing this; also from the signification of “for the harvest of the earth is dried up,” as being the last state or the end of the church, for “harvest” signifies the last state or the end, and “the earth” signifies the church. From this it is clear that “Send Thy sickle and reap, for the hour to reap is come, for the harvest of the earth is dried up,” signifies that it is the time for collecting the good and separating them from the evil, because this is the end of the church. “To send the sickle and reap” means to collect the good and to separate them from the evil, because “the harvest of the earth” signifies the last state of the church, when the Last Judgment takes place and the evil are cast into hell and the good raised up into heaven, and thus they are separated.
sRef Matt@13 @28 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @27 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @40 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @42 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @39 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @29 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @26 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @25 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @41 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @24 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @30 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @37 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @43 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @36 S2′ sRef Matt@13 @38 S2′ [2] That the collecting, separation, and Last Judgment do not take place before can be seen in the work on The Last Judgment, and will be more fully explained in the appendix to this book. This is briefly set forth in the Lord’s words in Matthew:
Jesus spake this parable: The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man that sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept his enemy came and sowed tares, and went away. But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. The servants of the father of the family came and said unto him, Lord, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares? And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. But the servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that going we collect them? But he said, Nay, lest haply while ye collect the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them. Rather let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Collect first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn. And His disciples came unto Him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answering said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; and the seed are the sons of the kingdom; but the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy that soweth them is the devil; while the harvest is the consummation of the age; and the reapers are angels. As then the tares are collected and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the consummation of the age. The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall collect out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling and them that do iniquity, and shall send them into a furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the just shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of the Father (13:24-30, 36-43).
The Lord by this parable illustrates all that is said in this chapter of Revelation (in verses 14 to 19) respecting the Son of man having a sickle in His hand and reaping, and that the earth was reaped by Him and the angels. For this parable teaches that the “sower” means the Lord, who is here called “the Son of man;” that the “reapers,” or “those that reap,” mean the angels; also that “the tares shall be cast into a furnace of fire and the good seed gathered into the barn;” and that this could not be done until “the consummation of the age” (which signifies the last state of the church), “lest the wheat should be rooted up at the same time with the tares.”
[3] As this parable of the Lord contains arcana respecting the separation of the evil from the good, and the Last Judgment, it is important that its particulars should be explained. “The kingdom of the heavens” signifies the Lord’s church in the heavens and on earth; for the church is in both. “The man who sowed good seed in his field” means the Lord as to the Divine truth, which is the Word, in the church; “the man,” who is called in the following verses “the Son of man,” is the Lord as to the Word; “good seed” is Divine truth; and “field” the church where the Word is. “While men slept his enemy came and sowed tares, and went away,” signifies that while men are living a natural life, or the life of the world, evils from hell secretly, or while they are unconscious of it, introduce and implant falsities, “to sleep” signifying to live a natural life or the life of the world, since such a life is sleep as compared with spiritual life, which is wakefulness. The “enemy” signifies evils from hell, which influence that life when it is separated from spiritual life; “to sow tares” signifies to insinuate and implant falsities; “and went away” signifies that it was done secretly and when they were unconscious of it. “But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also,” signifies that when truth increased and brought forth good, falsities from evil were mingled with it; “the blade springing up” signifying truth such as it is when it is first received, “fruit” signifying good, and “tares” falsities from evil, here these mingled with truths.
[4] “The servants of the father of the family came and said unto him, Lord, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares?” signifies those who are in truths from good perceiving that falsities from evil have been mingled with them, and complaining, “the Lord’s servants” signifying those who are in truths from good, “the father of the family” signifying the Lord as to truths from good (“father” the Lord as to good, and “family” the Lord as to truths); the “good seed,” the “field,” and the “tares,” having the same signification as above. “And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this,” signifies that such falsities were from evil in the natural man. “But the servants said to him, Lord, wilt thou then that going we collect the tares?” signifies the separation and casting out of falsities from evil before truths from good are received and increase. “But he said, Nay, lest haply while ye collect the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them,” signifies that thus truth from good and its increase would also perish; for truths are mingled with falsities with the men of the church, and these cannot be separated and the falsities cast out until they are reformed.
[5] “Rather let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Collect first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn,” signifies that the separation and casting out of falsities from evil cannot be effected until it is the last state of the church; since it is then that the falsities of evil are separated from the truths of good, and the falsities of evil are delivered up to hell, and the truths of good are conjoined with heaven, or what is the same, the men who are in them. This takes place in the spiritual world, where all who are of the church from its beginning to its end are in this way separated and judged. The “harvest” signifies the end or the last state of the church; “to bind into bundles” signifies to conjoin together particular kinds of falsities from evil; “to burn” signifies to deliver up to hell; and “to gather into the barn” signifies to conjoin with heaven.
[6] “He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man” signifies the Divine truth from the Lord. “The field is the world” signifies the church everywhere. “The seed are the sons of the kingdom” signifies that the Divine truth is with those who are of the church. “The tares are the sons of the evil one” signifies falsities with those who are in evil. “The enemy that soweth them is the devil” signifies that their falsities are from evil, which is from hell. “The harvest is the consummation of the age” signifies the last time and state of the church. “The reapers are angels” signifies that the Divine truth from the Lord is what separates. “The Son of man shall send forth angels, and they shall collect out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling,” signifies that the Divine truth from the Lord will remove those things that hinder the separation. “They that work iniquity” signifies those who live wickedly. “And shall send them into a furnace of fire” signifies into the hell where those are who are in love of self and in hatred and revenge. “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” signifies where there is what is direful from evils and falsities. “Then shall the just shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of the Father” signifies that those who have done the Lord’s commandments shall live in heaven in heavenly loves and their joys; those are called “just” who acknowledge the Lord and do His commandments. Such was to be the state of the angels after the Last Judgment, because the superior power which had before been on the side of hell was then restored to heaven, which was a source of joy to the angels with unceasing increase.
[7] It remains to give some explanation of the Lord’s words respecting the separation of the evil from the good, namely, “Rather let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Collect first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” This signifies the separation of the evil from the good when the Last Judgment is at hand. Why they were not separated before may be seen in the work on The Last Judgment (n. 59, 70), to which I will here add, that it is according to Divine order for things that must in the end be separated to grow in connection; and that when the end is reached separation is easily and as it were spontaneously effected. This might be illustrated by a thousand lessons of experience in both worlds, and also from correspondences in the animal and vegetable kingdom; from which it can be seen as in a general mirror why the evil were not separated from the good until near the time of the Last Judgment; and this is the signification of the things in Revelation here explained, that the angel said to Him that sat upon the cloud, “Reap, for the hour for Thee to reap is come, for the harvest of the earth is dried up.”
sRef Joel@3 @13 S8′ sRef Joel@3 @12 S8′ [8] Also in the following passages the “harvest” signifies the last state of the church, when the old church has been laid waste, that is, when there is no longer any truth or good left in it that has not been falsified or cast aside. In Joel:
At the valley of Jehoshaphat will I sit to judge all the nations round about. Send forth the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, get ye down, for the wine-press is full, the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great (3:12, 13).
This chapter treats of the falsification of the truth in the Word, and the devastation of the church by it; and this verse treats of the last state of the church, when judgment takes place; and this state is described, as in Revelation, by “sending forth the sickle, for the harvest is ripe,” the “harvest” being that last state; also by “the wine-press is full and the vats overflow,” as in this chapter of Revelation (verses 19, 20). That judgment then takes place is plainly declared, “the valley of Jehoshaphat,” where judgment is executed, signifying the falsification of the Word.
sRef Jer@51 @33 S9′ sRef Jer@50 @16 S9′ [9] In Jeremiah:
Cut off him that soweth in Babylon and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest (50:16).
And in the same:
The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing-floor; it is time to thresh her; yet a little while and the time of her harvest shall come (Jer. 51:33).
Here, too, “the time of harvest” means the last state of the church, when there is no longer any good or any truth; its devastation is described by “cutting off him that soweth and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest;” also by “threshing as on a threshing-floor,” “Babylon” meaning those who seek dominion by means of the holy things of the church.
sRef Isa@16 @9 S10′ [10] In Isaiah:
I will bewail for Jazar, the vine of Sibmah; I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for upon thy vintage and upon thy harvest the battle shout hath fallen (16:9).
Here again, “harvest” signifies the last state of the church, for “the battle shout” signifies the end, because it was a custom to exult and call out when the vintage was finished and the harvest was gathered in; but here it signifies to lament, because it is said to have fallen. “Jazar, the vine of Sibmah,” and “Heshbon and Elealeh,” signify men of the external church who explain the Word to favor worldly loves, for these places had been given for an inheritance to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and these, because they dwelt beyond the Jordan, represented the external church. “The vine of Sibmah” signifies the church of such; and their destruction when the Lord should come and accomplish judgment is also described in that chapter.
sRef Jer@8 @20 S11′ [11] In Jeremiah:
The harvest is past, the autumn is ended, and we have not been saved; because of the bruising of my daughter I am bruised (8:20, 21).
Here again the “harvest” signifies the last state of the church. “Because of the bruising I am bruised” signifies grief that there is no longer any good and truth, “daughter” signifying the affection of truth, and thus the church, for that affection is of the church and the church is from it.
sRef Isa@17 @6 S12′ sRef Isa@17 @11 S12′ sRef Isa@17 @5 S12′ sRef Isa@17 @14 S12′ [12] In Isaiah:
It shall come to pass when the harvest, the standing corn, is gathered, and his arm reapeth ears, and there shall be left in it gleanings, as in the shaking of an olive tree, three berries in the top of the bough, four or five in the branches of the fruit-bearing one. In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to blossom; the harvest shall be a heap in the day of possession, and desperate sorrow (17:5, 6, 11).
This chapter treats of the knowledges of truth and good belonging to the church, and of their destruction. These are here signified by “Damascus,” of which this chapter treats, and by “Aroer.” Their destruction is described by “there shall be left in it gleanings, as in the shaking of an olive tree, three berries in the top of the bough, four or five in the head* of the fruit bearing one,” also by “the harvest shall be a heap in the day of possession,” that is, that there shall be no more than a single heap; therefore it is added, “and desperate sorrow.” This makes clear that “harvest” signifies here the last state of the church. That state is signified also by “morning,” for when the last state of the church is at hand it is morning to those who are to be of the New Church, and evening and night to those who are of the old church. That this is what “morning” here means is evident from the last verse of this chapter, where it is said:
About the time of evening behold terror; before the morning it is not (Isa. 17:14).
“Terror” signifies destruction.
sRef Joel@1 @11 S13′ [13] In Joel:
The husbandmen were ashamed, the vine-dressers howled for the wheat and for the barley, because the harvest of the field hath perished (1:11).
The devastation of the church as to good and truth is here meant by “the harvest of the field hath perished;” “husbandmen” mean those who are in the good of the church, and “vine-dressers” those who are in its truths; “wheat and barley” mean good itself and truth itself; grief on account of devastation is signified by “they were ashamed and howled.”
sRef Jer@5 @17 S14′ [14] “Harvest” signifies the last state of the church, because “corn,” which is the harvest, signifies the good of the church and truth from good, and “field” the church itself. That all things pertaining to natural nourishment, such as wheat, barley, oil, wine, and the like, signify such things as pertain to spiritual nourishment has been shown above in many places; and the things that pertain to spiritual nourishment have reference in general to good and truth and knowledges of them, thus to doctrine and to a life according to these knowledges. Therefore it is said in Jeremiah:
A nation from afar shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread, it shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters, it shall eat up thy flock and thy herd, it shall eat up thy vine and thy fig-tree; it shall impoverish thy fortified cities, in which thou dost trust, with the sword (5:17).
“A nation from afar” means the falsity of evil destroying; “from afar” signifying what is far away from good and truth. “Harvest” and “bread” signify nourishing truths and goods of the church; “sons and daughters” goods and truths generating; “flock and herd” goods and truths spiritual and natural, “vine and fig-tree” the internal spiritual church, and the external natural church; the “fortified cities in which they trust” signify doctrinals from self-intelligence; “to be impoverished with the sword” signifies to be destroyed by falsities of evil.
sRef Matt@9 @38 S15′ sRef Matt@9 @37 S15′ [15] As “harvest” signifies all things that spiritually nourish man, and these have reference to the truths of doctrine and the goods of life, so “harvest” signifies the church in general and in particular; in general, in these words in the Gospels:
Jesus said to His disciples, The harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that He send laborers into His harvest (Matt. 9:37, 38; Luke 10:2).
The “harvest” here means all with whom the church was to be established by the Lord, thus also the church in general; and “laborers” mean all who will teach from the Lord.
sRef John@4 @35 S16′ sRef John@4 @37 S16′ sRef John@4 @38 S16′ sRef John@4 @36 S16′ [16] Likewise in John:
Jesus said to the disciples, Say ye not there are yet four months and then cometh the harvest? Behold I say unto you, Lift up your eyes and look on the fields that they are white already for harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth reward and gathereth fruit unto life eternal. For herein is the saying true, that there is one who soweth and another who reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye have not labored; others have labored, but ye have entered into their labor (4:35-38).
This was said by the Lord of a New Church to be established by Him. That the establishment of that church was then at hand is meant by “Lift up your eyes and look on the fields that they are white already for harvest.” To teach those who were to be of that church, or as the Lord says elsewhere, “to collect and gather into the barn,” is signified by “reaping.” That it is the Lord who teaches, thus who collects and gathers, and not themselves (for it was the Lord, by means of the angels, that is, by means of Divine truths from the Word, who prepared for reception those whom the disciples converted to the church), is meant by “there is one who soweth and another who reapeth; I sent you to reap that whereon ye have not labored; others have labored, but ye have entered into their labor.”
sRef Mark@4 @28 S17′ sRef Mark@4 @27 S17′ sRef Mark@4 @29 S17′ sRef Mark@4 @26 S17′ [17] The increase of the church with man in particular, and with men in general by the Lord, is also described by “harvest” in Mark:
Jesus said, So is the kingdom of God as if a man should cast seed upon the earth, and should then sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow up he knoweth not how. For the earth beareth fruit of herself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit hath come forth straightway he putteth forth the sickle, because the harvest is ready (4:26-29).
“The kingdom of God” means the church of the Lord in the heavens and on the earth; and the implantation of it with all who receive truths and goods from the Lord, not from self, is described by these words, every particular of which corresponds to spiritual things and signifies them; as that “a man casts seed upon the earth, that he then sleeps, and rises night and day, that the seed springs up and grows up he knows not how;” for “seed” signifies the Divine truth, “to cast seed into the earth” signifies the work of man, “to rise day and night” and finally “to put in the sickle” signifies in every state. The rest signifies the Lord’s work; and the “harvest” the implantation of the church in particular and in general. For it is to be known, that, although the Lord works all things, and man nothing from self, yet He wills that man should work as if from self in all that comes to his perception. For without man’s cooperation as if from self there can be no reception of truth and good, thus no implantation and regeneration. For to will is the Lord’s gift to man; and because the appearance to man is that this is from self, He gives him to will as if from self.
[18] Such being the signification of “harvest” two feasts were instituted with the sons of Israel, one of which was called the feast of seven weeks, which was that of the harvest of firstfruits; and the other the feast of tabernacles, which was the feast of ingathering of the fruits of the earth. Of these the first signified the implantation of truth in good, and the other the bringing forth of good, thus regeneration. But the feast of unleavened bread, or the Passover, which preceded, signified deliverance from the falsities of evil, which is the first thing of regeneration.
* The photolithograph has “capite” “head” for “ramis” branches.” In the text just above.

sRef Rev@14 @16 S0′ 912. Verse 16. And He that sat upon the cloud cast the sickle upon the earth, and the earth was reaped, signifies the collection of the good and their separation from the evil, and that thus the church was laid waste. This is evident from the signification of “Him who sat upon the cloud,” as being the Lord as to the Word, which is the Divine truth; from which and according to the reception of which judgment is effected; also from the signification of “the earth,” as being the church (see above, n. 29, 304, 417, 697, 741, 752, 876); also from the signification of “the earth was reaped,” as being that the church was laid waste. For “harvest” signifies the last state of the church, as has been shown above (n. 911), therefore “the earth was reaped” signifies that there is no church, or that it has been laid waste, because there is no longer any good or any truth therefrom, which are signified by the grain of the harvest. It is here said that “the earth was reaped” by Him who sat upon the cloud, but the meaning is that this is done by man; as in many other passages where devastation is attributed to the Lord, when yet it is wrought by man; for man from his first idea can see it in no other way, and the Word in the sense of the letter is written according to that idea.
[2] That the separation of the good and the evil was thus effected when the Last Judgment was at hand can be seen from what has been said above on this subject, namely, that when the good were separated from those who were inwardly evil, but had been able to live outwardly a moral life like the Christian life, and had therefore made for themselves seeming heavens in the world of spirits, these, as soon as the bond that held them to the good was broken, came into their own evils which deeply concealed they had inwardly cherished; and thus the church, which was merely maintained in externals, was laid waste with them; for they had been able to live a moral life like the Christian life in externals, solely because of their conjunction with the good and the closing up for the time of their interiors which are of their will. But on this subject see what has been said in the work on The Last Judgment, as well as in several passages above, and what will be said specifically in the appendix to this work; for unless these things were explained in their series they could not fall into the understanding except in an obscure way.

sRef Rev@14 @19 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @18 S0′ sRef Rev@14 @17 S0′ 913. Verses 17-19. And another angel went out from the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel went out from the altar, having authority over the fire; and he cried with a great cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Send thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vineyard of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripened. And the angel cast his sickle into the earth and gathered the vineyard of the earth, and cast it into the great wine-press of the anger of God. 17. “And another angel went out from the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle,” signifies manifestation by the Lord of the devastation of the church as to the Divine truth such as it is in heaven, after exploration (n. 914). 18. “And another angel went out from the altar,” signifies manifestation by the Lord of the devastation of the church as to the good of love and charity (n. 915); “having authority over the fire,” signifies thus in respect to celestial and spiritual love (n. 916); “and he cried with a great cry,” signifies announcement after exploration or visitation (n. 917); “saying, Send thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripened,” signifies that the collection and separation of the good from the evil must take place, since there are no longer any truths of faith because there is no spiritual good, which is charity (n. 918). 19. “And the angel cast his sickle into the earth and gathered the vineyard of the earth,” signifies that this was done (n. 919); “and cast it into the great wine-press of the anger of God,” signifies falsification of the Word as to all spiritual truth, and consequent damnation, because there is no spiritual good, which is charity, (n. 920).

sRef Rev@14 @17 S0′ 914. Verse 17. And another angel went out from the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle, signifies manifestation by the Lord of the devastation of the church as to the Divine truth such as it is in heaven, after exploration. This is evident from the signification of “an angel going out and saying,” as being manifestation by the Lord (as above, n. 869, 878, 883); also from the signification of “temple,” as being heaven and the church as to the Divine truth (see above, n. 220); also from the signification of “a sharp sickle,” as being the Divine truth accurately exploring and separating (see above, n. 908), but here, devastating also after exploration, for what was said respecting the former angel (verses 15, 16) also signified visitation and exploration, and announcement that the church was wholly devastated; but what is here said respecting these two angels (verses 17-19) signifies the devastation of the church; what is said of “the one that went out from the temple which is in heaven” signifying the devastation of the church as to truth, and of the other “who went out from the altar” the devastation of the church as to good; for “temple” signifies in the highest sense the Divine truth, and “altar” the Divine good, both proceeding from the Lord. All this makes clear that “the first angel” (in verse 15) means manifestation by the Lord, also exploration of what the church was, and that it was found to be desolated. From this it follows that “another angel went out from the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle,” signifies manifestation by the Lord of the devastation of the church, as to the Divine truth such as it is in heaven, after exploration.
[2] It is said “the Divine truth such as it is in heaven,” because this is what is falsified, and not the Divine truth such as it is on earth or in the church there. The Divine truth in heaven is such as the Word is in the spiritual sense; while the Divine truth on earth is such as the Word is in the natural sense, or the sense of the letter. This Divine truth is for men, and makes the church with them; while the other Divine truth is for the angels, and makes heaven with them. These differ as what is spiritual differs from what is natural; and this difference is like the difference between the wisdom of angels and the wisdom of men. The wisdom of men as compared with the wisdom of angels is as knowledge compared with intelligence, which difference is so great that it cannot be described.
[3] As to the devastation of the church in respect to the Divine truth, it is wrought by the falsification of the Word; for when the Word is explained to favor earthly loves and to confirm falsities of doctrine the church is laid waste. It is not laid waste when the Word is understood in simplicity according to the sense of the letter; but it is laid waste when the Word is so explained as to destroy even the Divine truth in heaven; for then heaven is closed up, and when heaven is closed up there is no longer any church with man. There are those within the church who explain the sense of the letter of the Word even so as to destroy the Divine truth in heaven; and there are those who do not misinterpret it to that degree, and these do not devastate the church with them, but the former do. The sense of the letter understood in simplicity does no harm to any spiritual truth in heaven; but the sense of the letter explained according to falsities of doctrine, and in harmony with evils of the love, does harm to it, for the sense of the letter of the Word is natural Divine truth. This Divine truth differs indeed from spiritual truth as what is natural differs from what is spiritual, and yet they make one by correspondences. But when natural Divine truth is so explained as even to destroy spiritual Divine truth they can no longer make one by correspondence; but the falsity according to which natural Divine truth is explained destroys the spiritual Divine truth. This, then, is the falsification of the Word and the devastation of the church by falsifications. But on this more has been said where “the dragon and his two beasts” are treated of; and more will be said upon it where “the harlot sitting on the scarlet beast,” and “Babylon,” are treated of in what follows.

sRef Rev@14 @18 S0′ 915. Verse 18. And another angel went out from the altar, signifies manifestation by the Lord of the devastation of the church as to the good of love and charity. This is evident from the signification of “an angel going out,” as being manifestation by the Lord (see above, n. 914); also from the signification of “altar,” as being in the highest sense the Divine good of the Divine love; and in a relative sense the good of love to the Lord, and the good of charity towards the neighbor (see above, n. 391, 490). Why “the altar” has this signification shall be told in a few words. In the church instituted among the sons of Israel there were two things that were the chief things of worship, namely, the Tent of meeting and the altar, and afterwards the temple and the altar. In the temple the Word was taught, and upon the altar sacrifices were made, and these were the chief things of their worship; and as the church established among them was a representative church these two represented in brief all things of the church; and all things of the church in brief relate to the truth of doctrine from the Word and to the good of love and charity. Moreover, from these two all the worship of the church comes; and as all the representatives of the church looked to the Lord as the end and as the cause, thus as the one to whom all things relate and from whom they are, so the temple represented the Lord as to the Divine truth, and the altar the Lord as to the Divine good. (On this representation of the temple see above, n. 220; and of the altar, n. 391, 490.) Now as all things of the church, and thus of worship, relate to these two, namely, to the truth of doctrine and the good of love, and all things of heaven to the Divine truth and the Divine good, both from the Lord, and as there is no longer any church when these two are laid waste, so two angels appeared to John, and by these the devastation of the church in respect to both was represented.

sRef Rev@14 @18 S0′ 916. Having authority over the fire, signifies thus as to celestial and spiritual love. This is evident from the signification of “fire,” as being love in both senses, namely, love to the Lord, which exists with those in heaven who are called celestial angels, and love towards the neighbor, which exists with those in heaven who are called spiritual angels; and in the contrary sense love of self, which exists with those in hell who are called devils, and love of the world, which exists with those in hell who are called satans. (That these loves are signified in the Word by “fire” may be seen above, n. 68, 496, 504, 539.) It is said of this angel that “he had authority over the fire,” because the devastation of the church as to the good of love is treated of, and the devastation as to that is attributed to this angel, as the devastation as to the truth of doctrine is attributed to the former angel, who was therefore said to have “a sharp sickle in his hand.” This makes clear what is meant by its being said that this angel “had authority over the fire;” namely, that he will lay waste celestial and spiritual love, and all things of it in the church.
[2] The devastation of the church is attributed to an angel, as elsewhere in the Word it is attributed to the Lord. But this is said of the Lord merely in the sense of the letter, but is not so understood in the spiritual sense. For truth in the sense of the letter is like a face seen through a veil, while truth in the spiritual sense is like a face uncovered; or truth in the sense of the letter is like a cloud, while the truth in the spiritual sense is like light and its splendor; or again, truth in the sense of the letter is what appears to be truth to the sensual man, while truth in the spiritual sense is truth to the spiritual-rational man. For example, it is said in the Word that the sun rises, moves forward, and sets, making days and years, which is wholly according to the way it appears to the sensual man. Nevertheless, the rational man thinks of the sun as not moving, and of the earth as moving; which shows that man’s understanding thinks in a reverse way of the things that appear before the senses in order that they may be presented before it in the light of truth. It is similar with the things here said in Revelation of “Him who sat on the white cloud” and of the angels, namely, that “they send the sickle into the harvest and reap it,” and that “they gather the clusters of the vineyard of the earth, and cast them into the wine press of the anger of God.” All this, too, is said according to the way it appears to the sensual man; and yet it must be reversed, and understood according to its spiritual sense.
[3] All this makes clear that a sensual man, such as one is in the ages of infancy and early childhood, also the simple-minded, can think about and believe these and like things according to the sense of the letter, as that God takes away good and truth from men on account of their wickedness; while the adult man who wishes to be wise will not explain these things in the sense that this is done by God, that is, that He takes away from man all good and truth and infuses in the place of them evil and falsity, or that He devastates the church, or even that He is angry and wrathful. For if a wise adult should explain such expressions according to the sense of the letter and confirm them by reasonings, he would destroy the genuine truth itself such as it is in heaven, and consequently would close up heaven to himself. For how could anyone enter heaven with a belief that God is angry and revengeful, that He punishes, and the like, when the angels of heaven are in the perception that God is never angry, and never works vengeance, or punishes? Would they not turn themselves away from such a one and bid him depart, and immediately close the door after him? So is heaven closed to those who, while they live in the world, explain the sense of the letter of the Word even so as to destroy Divine truth in the heavens; which truth is also the same as the truth of the spiritual sense, which is in all the particular truths of the natural sense which constitute the sense of the letter of the Word.

sRef Rev@14 @18 S0′ 917. And he cried with a great cry to Him that had the sharp sickle, signifies announcement after exploration or visitation, as is evident from what follows, also from what has been said and explained above (n. 910), where nearly the same words occur.

sRef Rev@14 @18 S0′ 918. Saying, Send thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripened, signifies that the collection and the separation of the good from the evil must take place, since there are no longer any truths of faith because there is no spiritual good, which is charity. This is evident from the signification of “sending the sharp sickle and gathering,” as being to collect the good and to separate them from the evil (see above, n. 911). “To gather” has here the same signification as “to reap” above, but “to gather” has reference to clusters and grapes, and “to reap” has reference to the harvest; and both signify to devastate and make an end of the church, which is signified both by “harvest” and “vineyard;” and when the church is devastated, and thus brought to an end, the good are collected and separated from the evil. What is further signified by “gathering” will be seen in what follows. The above is evident also from the signification of “clusters,” as being the goods of faith and their truths (of which presently). Also from the signification of “for her grapes are fully ripened,” as being, because there are no longer any goods of charity, thus because the church is at its end. From all this it can be seen that “send thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripened,” signifies that the collection and the separation of the good from the evil must take place, since there are no longer any goods or truths of faith because there is no spiritual good, which is charity. There are no truths of faith when there is no good of charity, because truth is not given without good, since truth derives its essence or its life from good; from which it follows that there are no truths and no faith in truths when there is no good or charity.
[2] What charity is, which is the same as spiritual good, shall be told briefly. Charity or spiritual good is to do good because it is true; thus it is to do truth, and to do truth is to do what the Lord has commanded in His Word. This shows that charity is spiritual good. And when a man does what is good because it is true, that is, does what is true, charity becomes moral good; and this is similar in external form to the good that every man who is a moral and civil man does at the present day, but with this difference, that genuine moral good is good from the spiritual good from which it proceeds. For spiritual good is from the Lord, but moral good is from man, consequently unless the good that man does is from the Lord, that is, through man from the Lord, it is not good, the end for the sake of which it is done determines its quality. Moral good separated from spiritual good has regard to man, his honor, gain, and pleasure, as the end for which it is done; while moral good from spiritual good has regard to the Lord, heaven, and eternal life, as its end. This has been said to make known why there is no truth of faith where there is no good of charity; consequently where these two are not, the church is laid waste, which is the subject treated of here and in what now follows in Revelation. (That there is no faith where there is no charity can be seen in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-39.)
sRef Jer@8 @13 S3′ [3] That “clusters” and “grapes” signify the good of charity can be seen from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned, as in the following. In Jeremiah:
In consuming I will consume them; there shall be no grapes on the vine, neither figs on the fig-tree, and the leaf shall fade; and I will give them to those who pass over them (8:13).
“No grapes on the vine” signifies that there is no spiritual good with man; “no figs on the fig-tree” signifies that there is no natural good with him, “vine” and “fig-tree” signifying man as to the church, thus the church with him. But this can be seen explained above (n. 403).
sRef Isa@5 @2 S4′ sRef Isa@5 @1 S4′ sRef Isa@5 @4 S4′ [4] In Isaiah:
My beloved had a vineyard in the horn of a son of oil, which he fenced, and gathered out the stones, and planted it with a noble vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed out a wine-press in it; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes (5:1, 2, 4).
The “vineyard” that the beloved had signifies the spiritual church which was instituted with the sons of Israel; “in the horn of a son of oil” signifies that it had truths from the good of charity; “which he fenced, and gathered out the stones,” signifies that it was protected from falsities and evils; “he planted it with a noble vine” signifies that it had genuine truths; “he built a tower in the midst of it” signifies the interior things that receive influx, and through which there is communication with heaven; “he also hewed out a wine-press in it” signifies bringing forth truth from good; “and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes,” signifies a hope of the fructification of truths from the good of charity, but in vain, because there was iniquity in the place of good.
sRef Micah@7 @1 S5′ sRef Micah@7 @2 S5′ [5] In Micah:
Woe is me, I am become as the gatherings of the summer, as the gleanings of the vintage; there is no cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first ripe fruit. The holy one has perished from the earth, and the upright one among men; all lie in wait for bloods (7:1, 2).
Grief because of the vastation of good and of truth therefrom in the church is meant and described by “Woe is me, I am become as the gatherings of the summer, as the gleanings of the vintage.” That there is no longer any spiritual good or natural good from which the Lord is worshiped is signified by “there is no cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first ripe fruit;” that there is no longer any spiritual or natural truth is signified by “the holy one has perished, and the upright one among men;” that the truths and goods of the Word and thus of the church are destroyed by falsities and evils is signified by “all lie in wait for bloods.”
sRef Hos@9 @10 S6′ [6] In Hosea:
I found Israel like grapes in the desert; I saw your fathers like the first ripe fruit on a fig-tree in its beginning (9:10).
This is said of the Ancient Church, and its establishment. That church is here meant by “Israel;” its first state by “in the desert,” and “in the beginning;” and the spiritual good with them by “grapes;” and the good springing from it in the natural man by “the first ripe fruit on the fig-tree.”
sRef Deut@32 @32 S7′ [7] That the men of the Ancient Church, and not the sons of Jacob, are here meant by “Israel in the desert,” and by “their fathers in the beginning,” is evident in Moses:
Their vine was of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes were grapes of gall, their clusters were of bitternesses (Deut. 32:32).
Here the sons of Jacob, such as they were in the desert, are described. That their religion was infernal, because they worshiped the gods and idols of the nations, is signified by “their vine was of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah.” That instead of the goods of charity they had hatred, and falsities breaking forth therefrom instead of truths, is signified by “their grapes were grapes of gall, their clusters were of bitternesses.”
sRef Gen@49 @11 S8′ [8] In Moses:
He bindeth his foal to the vine, and the son of his she-ass unto the choice vine; he washeth his garment in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes (Gen. 49:11).
This is in the last address of the father Israel to his sons; this was said to Judah, by whom is meant in the highest sense the Lord as to the celestial church and as to the Word; and the “blood of grapes” signifies the Divine truth from His Divine good, and in the relative sense the good of charity. (But this and the other things here said may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 6375-6379.) “The blood of grapes,” like “wine,” signifies also truth from spiritual good (Deut. 32:14).
[9] The “grapes” signify the good of charity because a “vineyard” signifies the spiritual church, and “vine” the man of that church; and therefore “clusters” or “bunches,” and “grapes,” which are its fruits, signify the goods which make that church, which are called spiritual goods and also goods of charity. And as all truth is from good, as all wine is from grapes, so “wine” signifies in the Word truth from good. (On this signification of “wine” see above, n. 220, 376.) But “clusters” or “bunches” signify strictly the variations of the state of spiritual good, or of the good of charity, because in them many grapes are connected together in order. What is meant by variations of the state of good will be told elsewhere.
[10] As “the land of Canaan” represented and thus signified the church, and the church is a church from spiritual good, for this is the mark of the church, therefore:
The explorers of that land brought back a cluster of grapes of a remarkable size, carried on a pole by two (Num. 13:23, 24).
This was a representative sign of the church that was signified by “the land of Canaan.” The church is a church from the good of charity because that good regarded in itself is the good of life arising from love to the Lord; consequently it is an effect of that love. The good of charity means justice, sincerity, and uprightness in every work and in every function from a love of justice, sincerity, and uprightness, which love is solely from the Lord.
sRef Num@6 @3 S11′ sRef Num@6 @4 S11′ [11] As it has not heretofore been known what was represented by the “Nazirite,” and what was signified by his abstaining from grapes and from wine, and making the hair of his head to grow, it may be disclosed here. Of his abstinence from grapes and from wine it is said:
He shall abstain from wine and strong drink, he shall drink no vinegar of wine or vinegar of strong drink, yea, he shall not drink any maceration of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried; all the days of his Naziriteship he shall eat nothing that is made of the grape of the vine, from the kernels even to the skin (Num. 6:3, 4).
This was the law for the Nazirite before he had fulfilled the days of his Naziriteship, because he then represented the Lord as to His first state. The Lord’s first state, like that of every man, was a sensual state. For every man is first sensual, afterwards he becomes natural and rational, then spiritual, and finally, if the third degree is opened with him, he becomes celestial, like an angel of the third heaven. The sensual of man is signified by “the hair of the head” (see above, n. 66, 555). And as the sensual is the most external part of man’s life, and in that all power resides, therefore the Nazirites had so great strength. That all power resides in the most external or ultimate things, consequently in the ultimate sense of the Word, which is the sense of the letter, and that this is what “hair” corresponds to and signifies, may be seen above (n. 346, 417, 567, 666, 726). Such power the Lord had when He was a boy, and by it He conquered and subjugated the most direful hells, where all are sensual. This state of the Lord was represented by “the days of fulfillment” with the Nazirites, and when these were fulfilled the Lord entered from the sensual and natural into the spiritual and celestial Divine. Now as that state, with its good and truth, is signified by “grapes” and “wine,” it was not lawful for the Nazirite to eat grapes or to drink wine until he had fulfilled those days. That it was lawful for him afterwards is evident from the twentieth verse of that chapter, where it is said, “And after that the Nazirite may drink wine.”
sRef Num@6 @18 S12′ sRef Num@6 @20 S12′ [12] At the end of the days of fulfillment:
He should shave his head, and put the hair of his head on the fire that was under the sacrifice of peace-offerings (Num. 6:18).
This represented the sensual that was then new from the celestial Divine, for new hair grew afterwards upon the Nazirite. This also represented that the Lord from ultimate Divine truth, which is the sense of the letter, entered into interior Divine truth, which is the Word in the internal sense, even to its highest. For when the Lord was in the world He was the Word, because He was the Divine truth, and that more interiorly by degrees as He grew up, even to its highest, which is purely Divine and wholly above the perceptions of the angels. It is to be known that while the Lord was in the world, from infancy even to the last day there, He progressed successively to union with the Divine Itself that was in Him from conception. (On this successive progression see the Arcana Coelestia, n. 1864, 2033, 2632, 3141, 4585, 7014, 10076.) This makes clear what was represented by the Nazirite not being allowed to eat anything from the grape, or to drink any kind of wine, until the days of his Naziriteship were fulfilled.

sRef Rev@14 @19 S0′ 919. Verse 19. And the angel cast his sickle into the earth and gathered the vineyard of the earth, signifies that this was done. This is evident from what has been just said in the preceding article. That a “vineyard” signifies the spiritual church is evident from the passages in the Word where “vineyard” is mentioned (as in Isa. 1:8, 3:14; 5:1-10; 16:10; 36:17; 37:30; 65:21; Jer. 12:10; 32:15; 35:7, 9; 39:10; Ezek. 28:26; Hosea 2:15; Amos 4:9; 5:11, 17; 9:14; Micah 1:6; Zeph. 1:13; 1 Sam. 8:14, 15; Ps. 107:37; Matt. 20:1-8; 21:28, 38-41; Mark 12:1-9; Luke 13:6, 7; 20:9-16). And concerning a “vine” see John 15:1-12; as well as in the historical parts of the Word. From these passages it is clearly evident that a “vineyard” means the church (see also above, n. 376, 403, 638, 918, where many passages in which “vineyard” occurs are explained). From the signification of “vineyard” it can be seen that “to gather the vintage” signifies to collect for uses those things that will be serviceable to the understanding, and which will give intelligence and wisdom; and in the contrary sense it signifies to lay waste the church as to spiritual good, and thus as to the affection of truth and the understanding of truth. In this contrary sense “vintage” and “to gather the vintage” are used in the sense that there are no longer any clusters or grapes remaining; and this signifies in the spiritual sense that all spiritual good, and thus all truth that is truth in itself, is destroyed; and this is especially effected in the church by falsifications of the Word, likewise when evil of life corrupts all good, and falsity of doctrine perverts all truth; this is described also by “spoilers” and by “thieves.”
sRef Isa@24 @12 S2′ sRef Isa@24 @13 S2′ sRef Isa@24 @11 S2′ [2] That “gathering the vintage” signifies, for this reason, laying waste, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
A cry over the wine in the streets; every joy shall be mixed; the gladness of the earth shall be banished. The remnant in the city is a waste, and the gate shall be beaten down even to devastation. For so shall it be in the midst of the land as the beating of an olive-tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is finished (24:11-13).
This describes the mourning over the devastation of the church as to celestial good and as to spiritual good, which in its essence is truth from celestial good. This devastation is compared to “the beating of an olive-tree,” and to “the gleanings when the vintage is finished.” (But this may be seen explained above, n. 313, 638).
sRef Isa@32 @10 S3′ sRef Isa@32 @9 S3′ [3] In the same:
Ye confident daughters, perceive My word in your ears; year* upon year shall ye be troubled, ye confident ones, for the vintage is finished, the ingathering shall not come (Isa. 32:9, 10).
“Confident daughters” signify those in the church who love falsities more than truths. That with such, truths are gradually diminished in every state, is signified by “year* upon year shall ye be troubled.” The devastation of all truth until there is nothing left is signified by “the vintage is finished, and the ingathering shall not come.”
sRef Jer@48 @33 S4′ sRef Jer@48 @32 S4′ [4] In Jeremiah:
Upon thy fruits of autumn and upon thy vintage hath the spoiler fallen, therefore gladness and joy are gathered out of Carmel (48:32, 33).
“Fruits of autumn” signify the goods of the church; “the vintage” signifies its truths; for “bread,” which is here meant by the “fruits of autumn,” signifies the good of the church, and “wine,” which is from the vintage, signifies its truth. “The spoiler” who fell upon them signifies evil and falsity therefrom. That the delight of spiritual and celestial love, which is the very joy of the heart, will perish, is signified by “gladness and joy shall be gathered out of Carmel.”
sRef Jer@49 @9 S5′ sRef Micah@7 @1 S5′ sRef Obad@1 @5 S5′ sRef Obad@1 @4 S5′ [5] In Micah:
Woe is me, I am become as the gatherings of the summer, as the gleanings of the vintage; there is no cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first ripe fruit (7:1).
“As the gleanings of the vintage, there is no cluster to eat,” signifies such devastation of the church that there is no longer any good or truth. (The rest may be seen explained in the preceding article.) In Jeremiah:
If the grape-gatherers came to thee they would leave no gleanings; if thieves in the night they would destroy sufficiency (49:9).
In Obadiah:
If thieves came to thee, if destroyers by night, how wouldst thou be cut off? Would they not steal till they had enough? If the grape-gatherers came to thee would they leave any clusters? (verse 5).
“Grape-gatherers” signify falsities, and “thieves” evils, which lay waste the truths and goods of the church; but “destroyers” signify both falsities and evils; that “they would leave no clusters” signifies that there are no goods because there are no truths. But “to gather the vintage” signifies to gather for uses such things especially as will be serviceable to the understanding, see in Jer. 6:9; Lev. 19:10, 26:5; Deut. 20:6, 7, 24:21.
* The Hebrew has “days upon a year,” Schmidius has “year upon year.”

sRef Rev@14 @19 S0′ 920. And cast it into the great wine-press of the anger of God, signifies the falsification of the Word as to all spiritual truth, and consequent damnation, because there is no spiritual good, which is charity. This is evident from the signification of “wine-press” as being the bringing forth of truth from good; for “clusters” and “grapes,” which were put into the wine-press, signify spiritual good, and “wine” which is produced, signifies truth from that good (see above, n. 220, 376). As “the wine-press” signifies the bringing forth of truth from spiritual good, so in the contrary sense it signifies the bringing forth of falsity from evil. For in like manner as good brings forth truth, so evil opposite to good, brings forth falsity. “Wine-press” signifies here the falsification of the Word as to all spiritual truth, because it is called “the great wine-press of the anger of God,” and “the anger of God” signifies man’s contempt for truth and good and his rejection of it, and the full rejection of it is the falsification of the sense of the letter of the Word even to the destruction of spiritual truth, that is, of the Divine truth which is in heaven. That this falsification closes heaven may be seen (n. 888). Moreover, those who are in evil (and all are in evil who are not in the good of charity) cannot do otherwise than bring forth falsities; for as good brings forth truths so evil brings forth falsities. “The great wine-press of the anger of God” signifies also damnation, because this is a consequence, and because the terms “anger of God” and “great wine-press” are used. That this is what a “wine-press” signifies will be confirmed from the Word in the next article.
[2] Here a few words shall be said about the bringing forth of truth from good, and also of falsity from evil, which is signified by “wine-press” in the spiritual sense. The origin and cause of such bringing forth is that all good is from love, and that which is loved gives delight; and as delight is grateful and pleasing, that which is of the love man thinks about with delight and also confirms. And since love with its delight constitutes the life of man, when man thinks from love and its delight he thinks from self and from his life. That this is so can be clearly seen from men after death, when they have become spirits; for then, when they think from self, they can think in no other way than from their love, since their whole life is their love. Since, therefore, good is from love and truth is from thought, it is clear how truth is brought forth from good.
[3] The same that has been said of good and truth can be said of the will and understanding; for as all good is from the love it is from the will, and as all truth from good is from the thought it is from the understanding; for the will loves, and the understanding thinks. The same that has been said of good and truth can be said of heat and light; for spiritual heat is the love that enkindles the will, and the spiritual light is the truth that enlightens the understanding. For all love, which is from the will, presents an effigy of itself in the light of the understanding, where it recognizes itself and wishes to see itself, because it loves itself; and this is why man thinks what he loves.
[4] The same that has been said of the bringing forth of truth from good can be said of the bringing forth of falsity from evil. For all evil is from the love, and therefore it loves falsity; and evil is from the will, and falsity is from the thought from evil. This has been said because “wine-press” signifies in the spiritual sense the bringing forth of truth from good, also the bringing forth of falsity from evil. “The great wine-press of the anger of God” signifies also the falsification of the word, because the falsification of the Word is the bringing forth of falsity from evil; for evil is what falsifies, since evil loves the idea of itself in the thought, and the thought, that it may persuade, wishes to find confirmation of the evil in the Word.

sRef Rev@14 @19 S0′ 921. Verse 20. And the wine-press was trodden without the city; and there went out blood from the wine-press even unto the bridles of the horses, for a thousand six hundred stadia.* 20. “And the wine-press was trodden without the city,” signifies the bringing forth of falsity from evil out of hell (n. 922); “and there went out blood from the wine-press even to the bridles of the horses,” signifies falsifications of the Word flowing forth from evil, even to dominion over the understanding (n. 923); “for a thousand six hundred stadia,” signifies evils in the whole complex (n. 924).**
* A stadium (plural stadia) is an ancient Greek measure of distance equal to about 607 feet. Thus 1600 stadia is about 180 miles or 300 meters.
** MARGINAL NOTE.-See chap. 19., where the Lord as the Word is treated of.

922. Verse 20. And the wine-press was trodden without the city, signifies the bringing forth of falsity from evil out of hell. This is evident from the signification of “treading the wine-press,” as being to bring forth truth from good, and in the contrary sense to bring forth falsity from evil, since “grapes,” from which wine is made in the wine-press, signify the good of charity, and in the contrary sense evil; and from good truth is brought forth, and from evil falsity. That this, as well as falsifications of the Word, are signified by “the great wine-press of the anger of God,” can be seen from the preceding article (n. 920). The above is evident also from the signification of “without the city,” as being from hell, for “city” signifies the doctrine of truth from the Word (see above, n. 223), while “without the city” signifies the doctrine of falsity from the Word falsified; and as the falsification of the Word is from hell, “without the city” means out of hell. In the Word “city” signifies doctrine, and “the city of David,” that is, Zion, and “the city of Jerusalem,” signify the church as to the Word and as to doctrine from the Word, therefore “without the city” signifies, not from the Word and doctrine from the Word; and what is not from the Word and from doctrine therefrom is from hell. “Without the city” has a like signification as “without the camp” of the sons of Israel in the desert, for their “camp” signified heaven and the church, and “without the camp,” signified hell. For this reason the lepers and all that were unclean were sent out of the camp (Lev. 13:46; Num. 5:1-6); and the excrements, by which things infernal were signified, were left without the camp (Deut. 23:13, 14).
sRef Lam@1 @15 S2′ [2] That the “wine-press” and “treading it” signify the bringing forth of falsity from evil and the bringing forth of truth from good, can be seen from the Word where “wine-press” is mentioned. That it signifies the bringing forth of falsity from evil can be seen from the following passages. In Lamentations:
The Lord hath prostrated all my strong ones in the midst of me, He hath proclaimed against me an appointed time for breaking my young men; the Lord hath trodden the wine-press for the daughter of Judah (1:15).
This treats of the end of the church with the Jewish nation; and “the strong ones whom the Lord hath prostrated in the midst thereof” signifies the destruction of the love of good; those who are in love of good are called in the Word “strong ones,” because good from its love prevails over the hells, and is therefore “strong.” “In the midst” signifies all and everywhere. “To break the young men” signifies the destruction of all the understanding of truth; “an appointed time” means when both the goods and the truths of the church were all devastated with that nation; this time was when the Lord came into the world, and is what is meant by “the fullness of times.” So “the Lord hath trodden the wine-press for the daughter of Judah” signifies the perversion of the church and the adulteration of the Word that is brought forth from evils of life and falsities of doctrine, “the daughter of Judah” being the church from the doctrine of truth from the Word, and “wine-press” being the bringing forth of falsity from evil, and the consequent adulteration of the Word and overthrow of the church. In the sense of the letter this is attributed to the Lord; but this is reversed in the spiritual sense, in which it is meant that this was done by that nation itself.
sRef Joel@3 @13 S3′ sRef Hos@9 @1 S3′ sRef Hos@9 @2 S3′ [3] In Joel:
Send forth the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, get ye down, for the wine-press is full, the vats have overflowed; for their wickedness is great (3:13.)
The devastation of the church as to good and as to truth is thus described; and “the wine-press is full and the vats have overflowed” signifies that there was nothing except falsities from evil. (The rest may be seen explained, n. 911). In Hosea:
Be not glad, O Israel, over a likeness, like the nations: for thou hast committed whoredom under thy God; thou hast loved the reward of whoredom upon all corn-floors; the floor and the wine-press shall not feed them, and the new wine shall be false to her (9:2).
This treats of the falsification of the Word; “the floor and the wine-press shall not feed them” signifies that they will not draw from the Word the goods and truths that nourish the soul. (But this passage also has been explained above, n. 695.)
sRef Jer@48 @32 S4′ sRef Jer@48 @34 S4′ sRef Jer@48 @33 S4′ [4] In Jeremiah:
Upon thy vintage hath the spoiler fallen; therefore gladness and joy are gathered out of Carmel, and out of the land of Moab; and I have caused the wine to cease from the wine-presses; none shall tread with shouting; the shouting shall be no shouting (48:32-34).
What is signified by “the vintage” upon which the spoiler hath fallen, and what by “the gladness and joy” that were gathered, may be seen above (n. 919); that there is no longer any truth because there is no good is signified by “I have caused the wine to cease from the wine-presses;” and that there is no longer any joy from any spiritual love is signified by “none shall tread with shouting,” “shouting” meaning the rejoicing of those that tread the wine press.
sRef Isa@63 @2 S5′ sRef Isa@63 @1 S5′ sRef Isa@63 @3 S5′ [5] In Isaiah:
Who is this that cometh from Edom, His garments sprinkled from Bozrah, He that is honorable in His apparel, walking in the multitude of His strength? I that speak in justice, mighty to save. Wherefore art Thou red in Thy garment, and Thy garments as of one that treadeth in the wine-press? I have trodden the wine-press alone; and of the people not a man was with Me; therefore have I trodden them in mine anger, and trampled them in My wrath; therefore their victory is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My raiment (63:1-3).
This is said of the Lord, and of His combats against all the hells; and as He fought against them from the Human, in which was the Divine Itself, it is said, “Who is this that cometh from Edom, His garments sprinkled from Bozrah?” which signifies fighting from the good of love and from truth, which are from the Divine; for Edom means red, and Bozrah gathering the vintage; and “red” is predicated of good, and “gathering the vintage” of truth; and because this is what Edom and Bozrah mean, the expressions “red” and “as one treading in the wine-press” are afterwards used. And as the Divine good and the Divine truth that are here meant are the Word in the letter, and this is what is signified by the Lord’s “garments” it is said, “garments sprinkled,” also “honorable in His apparel.” And as all strength in the Word is in the letter it is said, “walking in the multitude of His strength.” Judgment from His Divine upon the good and upon the evil and consequent salvation, is meant by “I that speak in justice, mighty to save.” The violence offered to the Word by the Jewish nation is signified by “Wherefore art Thou red in Thy garments, and Thy garments as of one that treadeth in the wine-press?” “Red in garment” is predicated of the violence offered to the Divine good of the Word, which is meant above by “Edom,” and “garments as of one that treadeth in the wine-press” is predicated of the violence offered to Divine truth in the Word, which is meant above by “Bozrah.” “The Lord’s garments” signify the Word in the letter, to which violence was offered through adulterations and falsifications of it. The casting down of the hells and of their falsities by His own power is signified by “I have trodden the wine-press alone, and of the people not a man was with Me.” The casting down into the hells of those who were in direful evils and in falsities therefrom is signified by “I have trodden them in Mine anger and trampled them in My wrath;” “anger” is predicated of evils, and “wrath” of falsities; and these are attributed to the Lord; although it is those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom that are angry and wrathful against the Lord. And as the judgment by which the hells were subjugated was accomplished by the Lord by means of temptations admitted into His Human, even to the last, which was the passion of the cross, it is said, “therefore their victory is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My raiment.” For by all things of His passion and by the last temptation on the cross the Lord represented the violence offered by the Jewish nation to the Word, that is, to Divine truth (see above, n. 183, 195, 627, 655, 805).
sRef Joel@2 @24 S6′ sRef Joel@2 @23 S6′ [6] That “wine-press” and “treading it” signify the bringing forth of truth from good, because “the grape” signifies spiritual good, and “wine from the grape” truth from that good, can be seen from the following passages. In Joel:
Rejoice, ye sons of Zion, the floors are full of corn, and the winepresses overflow with new wine and oil (2:23, 24).
“Sons of Zion” signify those who are in wisdom from the Divine truth; “the floors are full of corn” signifies that they have celestial good in abundance; “the wine-presses overflow with new wine and oil” signifies that from the good of charity they have truth and its delight.
sRef Matt@21 @33 S7′ sRef Isa@5 @1 S7′ sRef Isa@5 @2 S7′ [7] In Matthew:
A man, a householder, planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a wine-press in it, and built a tower; and let it out to husbandmen, who slew the servants sent to them, and finally the son (21:33).
The “vineyard” which the householder planted signifies the church that was instituted with the sons of Jacob; the “hedge” which he set about it signifies protection from the falsities of evil, which are from hell; “and digged a wine-press in it” signifies that it had spiritual good; “and built a tower” signifies interior truths from that good which looked to heaven; “and let it out to husbandmen” signifies to that people; “they slew the servants that were sent to them” signifies that they slew the prophets; “and finally the son” signifies the Lord.
[8] In Isaiah:
My beloved had a vineyard in a horn of a son of oil, which he fenced and gathered out the stones, and planted it with a noble vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed out a wine-press in it; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes (5:1, 2).
“Vineyard,” “tower,” and “wine-press,” have a like signification here as just above in Matthew. (The rest may be seen explained n. 918.) In most passages, where “vintage” and “wine press” are mentioned, the “harvest” and “corn floor” are also mentioned (as in Hos. 9:1, 2; Joel 2:23, 24; 3:13; Num. 18:26-30; Deut. 15:14; 16:13; 2 Kings 6:27); and for the reason that “harvest” and “corn-floor,” from “corn” and “bread” signify the good of celestial love, which is love to the Lord; and “vintage” and “wine-press,” from the “grape” and the “wine,” signify the good of spiritual love, which is love towards the neighbor; for these two loves make one, like an efficient cause and its effect. This has been said because here in Revelation the “harvest” is mentioned, and afterwards the “vintage” in the same way. (For the “harvest” see verses 14, 15; and the “vintage,” verse 19.)

923. And there went out blood from the wine-press even to the bridles of the horses, signifies falsifications of the Word flowing forth from evil even to dominion over the understanding. This is evident from the signification of “went out from the wine-press,” as being to be brought forth, or to flow forth, from evil (see in articles above, n. 920, 922); also from the signification of “blood,” as being the falsification of the Word; for “blood” signifies in the genuine sense the Divine truth, but in the contrary sense violence offered to the Divine truth or the Word, which is the falsification of it. (On this signification of “blood” see above, n. 329.) The above is evident also from the signification of “even to the bridles of the horses,” as being even to dominion over the understanding; for “horses” signify the understanding, and their “bridles” government and dominion, for one who sits on a horse governs it and rules over it by means of the bridle. (That “horses” signify the understanding of truth from the Word may be seen above, n. 355, 364; and that “bridles” signify government and dominion will be seen below.)
[2] In regard to dominion over the understanding, it is the understanding of truth in the Word that is meant; for when falsities of religion are confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word the understanding no longer sees truth. For everyone who is in the spiritual affection of truth is enlightened by the Lord when he reads the Word, and it is the understanding that is enlightened. But he who is not in the spiritual affection of truth cannot have his understanding enlightened; for he sees truth as if in the night, and falsity as if in the light. And as the church is such at its end the understanding of truth then so far perishes that it cannot be enlightened, since falsities of religion are then to that extent confirmed from the Word, that is, the Word is falsified. This takes place with those who are meant by “Babylon,” verse 8, and by “the beast,” verse 10, of this chapter. For it is said of Babylon that “she hath given all nations to drink of the wine of the anger of her whoredom;” and of the beast there that “he that hath adored the beast shall drink of the wine of the anger of God mixed with unmixed wine of His wrath.” That falsifications of the Word are thereby signified may be seen above (n. 881 and 887).
[3] The understanding of truth in the Word would perish with such as are meant by “them that dwell in Babylon” and “the worshipers of the beast,” because they have no spiritual good; and this good, which is the good of charity from the Lord, is what alone opens the spiritual mind, through which the Lord flows in and enlightens; and without the opening of that mind no enlightenment is possible, and thus no understanding of truth. He that believes that he can see any truth of the church from the mere light (lumen) of reason is much deceived. He may have knowledge of it from another, but he cannot see it in the light. And when he wishes to see it or to comprehend it in thought, mere shadows from falsities, which spring from fallacies and from what is man’s own [proprium] hover over him and induce blindness. All this makes clear what is meant by the falsifications of the Word flowing forth from evil, even to dominion over the understanding, which are signified by “blood going out from the wine-press, even to the bridles of the horses.”
sRef Isa@30 @28 S4′ sRef Isa@37 @29 S4′ sRef Isa@30 @27 S4′ [4] The term “bridle” is used in some passages in the Word, and it signifies in the spiritual sense restraint and government, and it is predicated of the understanding and its thought, because a bridle belongs to horses, and “horses” signify the understanding; and with those who have no understanding “horses” signify reasonings from falsities. This makes clear what is signified by “bridle” in Isaiah:
I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will bring thee back by the way by which thou camest (37:29).
This was said of the king of Assyria by whom reasoning from falsities is signified; for “Assyria” signifies in a good sense the rational. Because that king then besieged Jerusalem and blasphemed God it was said to him that “a hook should be put into his nose,” which signifies that stupidity and foolishness should possess him; for the “nose” signifies perception, and a “hook” signifies taking it away, or properly, immersing it in the corporeal sensual, and when this is separated from the rational it is stupid. It was also said that “a bridle should be put in his lips,” which signifies insanity as to the understanding of truth, for the “lips” signify thought from the understanding, and a “bridle” the withdrawal of it. “To bring him back into the way by which he came” signifies into the falsities by which he will perish; therefore his army, which signifies falsities, perished by a very great slaughter.
[5] In the same:
Jehovah’s lips are full of indignation, His tongue is like a devouring fire, and His breath is like an overflowing stream. It shall reach even to the middle of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity, and a bridle that misleadeth upon the jaws of the peoples (Isa. 30:27, 28).
The “lips,” “tongue,” and “spirit” of Jehovah signify the Divine truth, which is the Word, from its ultimates to its inmosts; when this is adulterated and falsified it is said to be “full of indignation,” “like a devouring fire,” and “like an overflowing stream,” and for the reason that the adulteration and falsification of it closes heaven to man and devastates him. Because it appears that heaven does this, or what is the same, the Divine truth from which heaven exists, it is said to have “indignation,” to be “a devouring fire,” and “an overflowing stream.” “It shall reach even to the middle of the neck” signifies the devastation of it by falsities, even till it is not understood, for the “neck” signifies conjunction, and conjunction perishes when that which is beneath is taken away. “To sift the nations with the sieve of vanity” signifies the adulteration of the Word by those who are in evils by means of fictions; “and a bridle that misleadeth upon the jaws of the peoples” signifies the falsification of the truth in the Word by those who are in falsities, “a bridle that misleadeth” being properly a withdrawing from the understanding of truth, “jaws” being thoughts from the corporeal sensual, thus from fallacies; and the term “peoples” being used of those who are in falsities; and “nations” of those who are in evils. They who are ignorant of correspondences might think that it is merely from comparison that a “horse’s bridle” signifies government over the understanding; but it is from correspondence, as can be seen clearly from the fact that in the spiritual world horses are seen variously harnessed and caparisoned, and these horses, with everything upon them, are correspondences.

924. For a thousand six hundred stadia, signifies evils in the whole complex. This is evident from the signification of “stadia,” as being the bringing forth in a series, for “stadia,” like “miles,” and like ways in general, signify the progressions in series according to thoughts from affection. Also from the signification of “a thousand six hundred,” as being goods in the whole complex, and in the contrary sense, as here, evils in the whole complex. For the number “a thousand six hundred” has a similar signification as sixteen, and the number sixteen has a similar signification as four and two; and all these numbers are predicated of goods, and in the contrary sense of evils. For the greater compound numbers have a similar signification as the lesser and simple from which they arise by multiplication; as “twelve thousand” has a like signification as “twelve;” and “twelve” a like signification as “three and four” multiplied together (see above, n. 430, 851). That “three” is predicated in the Word of truths, and “two” and “four” of goods, and in the contrary sense “three” of falsities, and “two” and “four” of evils, can also be seen above (n. 532). This makes clear that “for a thousand six hundred stadia” signifies the bringing forth of evils in a continuous series, thus evils in the whole complex. That by these two devastators of the church that are meant by “Babylon” and “the beast of the dragon,” evils in a continuous series, and thus evils in the whole complex, have been brought forth and are still brought forth, can be fully shown. But how the church is devastated by the beast of the dragon has been shown in the explanations of the twelfth and thirteenth chapters; and how it is devastated by Babylon will be shown below in the explanations of the seventeenth and eighteenth chapters.


Revelation 15

1. And I saw another sign in heaven great and wonderful, seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them was consummated the anger of God.
2. And I saw as it were a glassy sea mingled with fire, and them that have victory over the beast and over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name standing by the glassy sea, having the harps of God.
3. And they were singing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and wonderful are Thy works, O Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints.
4. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy: wherefore all the nations shall come and worship before Thee, for Thy judgments have been made manifest.
5. And after these things I saw, and behold the temple of the Tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.
6. And there came out of the temple the seven angels that had the seven plagues, clothed in linen clean and bright, and girded about the breasts with golden girdles.
7. And one of the four animals gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials, full of the anger of God, who liveth unto the ages of the ages.
8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter into the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels should be consummated.

sRef Rev@15 @1 S0′ 925. EXPOSITION.
Verse 1. And I saw another sign in heaven great and wonderful, seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them was consummated the anger of God. 1. “And I saw another sign in heaven,” signifies revelation by the Lord of the state of the church before the Last Judgment (n. 926); “great and wonderful,” signifies from Divine omnipotence and providence (n. 927); “seven angels having the seven last plagues,” signifies evils and falsities in the whole complex, that have wholly devastated the church as to all its goods and truths, made manifest by the Lord by means of Divine truth (n. 928); “for in them was consummated the anger of God,” signifies thus the end of the church (n. 929).

sRef Rev@15 @1 S0′ sRef John@14 @20 S0′ 926. Verse 1. And I saw another sign in heaven, signifies revelation by the Lord of the state of the church just before the Last Judgment. This is evident from the signification of a “sign,” as being revelation; also from the signification of “heaven,” as being the Lord (of which presently). A “sign” signifies revelation because by a “sign” are meant those things that were seen by John, and that are described in what follows; and the things seen by him involve arcana respecting the state of the church just before the Last Judgment. For in general, whatever appears in heaven has precisely the same appearance as the things which exist in our material world in its three kingdoms; and such things appear before the eyes of the angels in just the same way as the things of the three kingdoms appear before the eyes of men in the world. There appear there gold, silver, copper, tin, lead, stones precious and not precious, soil, lands, mountains, hills, valleys, waters, fountains, and other things of the mineral kingdom. There appear paradises, gardens, forests, fruit trees of every kind, lawns, fields of grain, meadows filled with flowers, plants, and grasses of every kind; also things produced from these, as oils, wines, strong drinks, and other things of the vegetable kingdom. There appear animals of the earth, flying things of heaven, fishes of the sea, creeping things, and these of every kind, and so much like those on our earth that they cannot be distinguished. I have seen them, and could see no difference.
[2] Still there is this difference, that the things seen in heaven are from a spiritual origin, but those seen in our world are from a material origin; and things from a spiritual origin affect the senses of the angels because their senses are spiritual, as those from a material origin affect the senses of men because they are material. For spiritual things are homogeneous with spiritual beings, and material things are homogeneous with material beings. It is said that they are from a spiritual origin because they exist from the Divine that proceeds from the Lord as a sun; and the Divine proceeding from the Lord as a sun is spiritual. For the sun there is not fire, but is the Divine love, which appears before the eyes of angels as the sun of the world appears before the eyes of men; and whatever proceeds from the Divine love is Divine and is spiritual. That which proceeds appears in general as light, and is felt as heat; and yet that light as well as the heat is spiritual. For that light is the Divine wisdom, and is called the Divine truth, and that heat is the Divine love, and is called the Divine good, consequently that light inwardly enlightens the understanding of angels, and that heat inwardly fills the will of angels with the good of love. From that origin are all things that exist in the heavens; and they appear in forms like those in our world in its three kingdoms, as has been said above. Their appearing in such forms is according to the order of creation, which is that when the things pertaining to the wisdom of angels and to their love descend into the lower sphere in which angels are as to their bodies and their bodily sensations they are manifested in such forms and types. These are correspondences.
[3] This has been said to make known what is meant by the sign that John declares that he saw, also by the sign mentioned in the first and third verses of the twelfth chapter, namely, that it means revelation by such things as exist in heaven from a Divine spiritual origin, and thus contain in them Divine arcana; here arcana respecting the state of the church just before the Last Judgment. For seven angels were seen “with seven golden vials, clothed in linen clean and bright, and girded about the breasts with golden girdles;” there was also seen “a glassy sea mingled with fire;” also “those who had victory over the beast, having harps;” there was also seen “the temple of the Tabernacle of the testimony;” and the songs in which they glorified the Lord were heard; all these are called the “sign” that he saw, because they were significative. But the things signified by them can be seen only by correspondences; and because they contain Divine arcana, they cannot be seen unless the Lord reveals them.
sRef John@14 @24 S4′ sRef John@14 @23 S4′ sRef John@14 @22 S4′ [4] It is called a “sign from heaven,” which means revelation by the Lord. It is said “by the Lord” because heaven is the Lord. Heaven indeed consists of angels; and yet the angels are not heaven, but the Lord is heaven, for heaven is the Divine that proceeds from the Lord, and this is called the Divine good and the Divine truth, and from it the angels have all their love and wisdom. Angels are angels from love and wisdom, and they have love and wisdom from the Lord; and because these are from the Lord they are the Lord’s, and are thus the Lord with them, as can be seen from the Lord’s words to His disciples:
That they are in the Lord and He in them (John 14:20);
And that He hath His abode in them in the Word from Him (John 14:22-24).
Since, then, heaven is from the angels, and angels are angels from the Lord, it follows that heaven is the Lord.

sRef Rev@15 @1 S0′ 927. Great and wonderful, signifies from Divine omnipotence and providence. This is evident from the signification of “great,” as being in reference to the Lord His Divine omnipotence; also from the signification of “wonderful,” as being in reference to the Lord His Divine providence. For when man looks to what is great in the Lord he looks to His Divine omnipotence, and when he looks to what is wonderful in the Lord he looks to His Divine providence. Moreover, what follows respecting the salvation of the good and the condemnation of the evil is all of the Divine omnipotence and providence.

sRef Rev@15 @1 S0′ 928. Seven angels having the seven last plagues, signifies evils and falsities in the whole complex, that have wholly devastated the church as to all its goods and truths, made manifest by the Lord by means of Divine truth. This is evident from the signification of “angels,” as being Divine truths from the Lord (see above, n. 130, 302); also from the signification of “seven,” as being all things and wholly (see n. 20, 24, 257, 300); also from the signification of “plagues,” as being the evils and falsities that have devastated the church (see above, n. 584). And as “seven” means all things and wholly, so “the seven plagues” signify evils and falsities in the whole complex, which wholly devastate the church. (All evils in the complex of those who devastate are signified by the number “one thousand six hundred,” chapter 14:20, see n. 924; and all falsities in the complex of those who devastate are signified by the number “six hundred sixty-six,” chapter 13:18, see n. 847.) The above is evident also from the signification of “last,” as being as to all goods and truths; for then comes what is last and finished. From all this it is clear that “seven angels having the seven last plagues” signify evils and falsities in the whole complex, that have wholly devastated the church as to all its goods and truths, made manifest by the Lord by means of Divine truth. How the evils and falsities that have wholly devastated the church were made manifest by the Lord is described in what follows in this chapter from the fifth to the eighth verse.
[2] That the church has been devastated as to all goods and truths can be seen from this, that the Christian Church has been divided from its beginning into two churches, one of which is depicted in Revelation by the dragon and the two beasts; and the other by the harlot sitting on the scarlet beast, and by Babylon. That which is depicted by the dragon and its two beasts is the church with the Reformed; and that which is depicted by the harlot and by Babylon is the church with the papists. The church with the Reformed has been devastated by faith alone; and the church with the papists by dominion over the souls of men, and over heaven. The devastation of this church as to all goods and truths therefrom is treated of in the seventeenth and eighteenth chapters; and the devastation of the church with the Reformed is described in the twelfth and thirteenth chapters, and further in the sixteenth chapter by “the seven angels having vials full of the anger of God.”
[3] That both churches have been devastated in respect to all goods and truths by evils and falsities can be clearly seen from the fact that scarcely anyone at this day knows that God is one and that He is the Lord, or knows what love to the Lord is, or what charity towards the neighbor is, and therefore what good works are, or even what faith is in its essence, and that what is called faith is not faith; also what conscience is, what free will is, what regeneration is, what spiritual temptation is, what baptism is, what the Holy Supper is, what heaven and hell are, what the Word is, and many other things. And as all this is not known, goods and truths are concealed; and so far as worldly and bodily things are loved all these things are lightly esteemed and are even cast aside; and then evils enter in the place of goods, and falsities enter in the place of truths, and thus the church is devastated.

sRef Rev@15 @1 S0′ 929. For in them was consummated the anger of God, signifies thus the end of the church. This is evident from the signification of “the anger of God,” as being when there is no longer any good or truth, but only evil and falsity; and because these are against the Lord and against heaven they are called “the anger of God;” and this, too, is why the last time of the church, and the Last Judgment at that time, are called “the day of God’s anger, wrath, and vengeance” (see above, n. 413); also why anger is attributed to the Lord, when in fact it belongs to the evil; for all evil contains anger against the Lord, and consequently against good and truth, which are from the Lord. The “anger” is said to be “consummated,” because “consummation” signifies the end of the church or when there is no longer any good or truth, but only evil and falsity. (See above, n. 397; also why the Last Judgment does not come until the consummation has been accomplished, n. 624, 911.) Every church in its beginning is in good and from that in truths, or in charity and from that in faith; but afterwards it is in faith and from that in charity, and finally in faith separated from charity. When it is in charity and from that in faith the church is spiritual; when it is in faith and from that in charity the church is rational; and when it is in faith separated from charity it is natural; and a merely natural church is no church, for the merely natural man has regard only for self and the world, and no regard for the Lord and heaven-the latter is on his lips only, the former in his heart-and when the church is such then it has been consummated.

sRef Rev@15 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@15 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@15 @4 S0′ 930. Verses 2-4. And I saw as it were a glassy sea mingled with fire, and them that have victory over the beast and over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name standing by the glassy sea, having the harps of God. And they were singing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and wonderful are Thy works, O Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy: wherefore all the nations shall come and worship before Thee, for Thy judgments have been made manifest. 2. “And I saw as it were a glassy sea mingled with fire,” signifies the generals of truth from the Word, transparent from spiritual truths, which are from the good of love (n. 931); “and them that have victory over the beast,” signifies that have lived a life of charity, and thus have not falsified the Word (n. 932); “and over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name,” signifies and that have not acknowledged the doctrine of faith separated from charity, or any quality of it (n. 933); “standing by the glassy sea,” signifies because they have been in truths from the Word (n. 934); “having the harps of God,” signifies glorification of the Lord from spiritual affection (n. 935). 3. “And they were singing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb,” signifies acknowledgment and confession of the commandments in the Word of both Testaments, also acknowledgment and confession of the Lord’s Divine in His Human (n. 936, 937); “saying, Great and wonderful are Thy works,” signifies that all the goods of heaven and the church are from Him (n. 938); “O Lord God Almighty,” signifies because He is the Divine good (n. 939); “just and true are Thy ways,” signifies that all the truths of heaven and the church are from Him (n. 940); “Thou King of saints,” signifies because He is the Divine truth (n. 941). 4. “Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord,” signifies worship of the Lord from the good of love (n. 942); “and glorify Thy name,” signifies worship of Him from truths from that good (n. 943); “for Thou only art Holy,” signifies because He is good itself and truth itself, and consequently all good and all truth are from Him (n. 944); “wherefore all the nations shall come and worship before Thee,” signifies that all who are in the good of love and in truths therefrom will acknowledge His Divine (n. 945); “for Thy judgments have been made manifest,” signifies that Divine truths have been revealed to them (n. 946).

sRef Rev@15 @2 S0′ 931. Verse 2. And I saw as it were a glassy sea mingled with fire, signifies the generals of truth in the Word, transparent from spiritual truths, which are from the good of love. This is evident from the signification of “a glassy sea,” as being generals of truth transparent from spiritual truths (see above, n. 275); also from the signification of “fire,” as being the good of love (see n. 68, 496, 504, 916). It shall be told here briefly why “a glassy sea” signifies the generals of truth in the Word transparent from spiritual truths. The “sea” signifies truths in general, because “waters, fountains, and rivers,” signify truths from which intelligence is derived, and the sea is their general receptacle. Truths in general, or the generals of truth, are such truths as are in the sense of the letter of the Word, and the sense of the letter of the Word is natural, and everything natural is a general receptacle of spiritual things. For nothing in the nature of the world, or nothing natural, is possible that does not exist from the spiritual; for the natural is formed from the spiritual, as an effect out of its effecting cause. And as thousands of things that are spiritual effect and form one natural thing, so this one, as it is the containant of the thousands, is a general thing.
sRef Rev@21 @18 S2′ sRef Ezek@1 @22 S2′ sRef Rev@4 @6 S2′ sRef Rev@21 @21 S2′ [2] Such also is the Word in the sense of the letter in its relation to the Word in the spiritual sense; and as the spiritual sense of the Word is in the natural sense, and in it shines through before the angels, so the Word as to the generals of truth transparent from spiritual truths is signified by “the glassy sea.” “Glassy sea” has the same signification elsewhere in Revelation:
And in sight of the throne a glassy sea like crystal (4:6).
Also:
The city New Jerusalem, as well as the street of the city, appeared like pure gold, similar to transparent glass (Rev. 21:18, 21).
For that “city” signifies the doctrine of the church, and “street” the truth of that doctrine; and the truths of that doctrine, because they are genuine truths, derive their light and their transparency from spiritual truths. It is this transparency that is signified by “glass” and by “crystal”:
Also over the heads of the cherubim a firmament was seen like the appearance of a wonderful crystal (Ezek. 1:22).
This signifies the spiritual Divine in heaven. That “the glassy sea” signifies the Word in the sense of the letter transparent from its spiritual sense can be seen also from the fact that near it were seen “them that had the victory over the beast;” and these signify those who have not falsified the Word, and have not extinguished thereby the light of the spiritual sense.

sRef Rev@15 @2 S0′ 932. And them that have victory over the beast, signifies who have lived a life of charity, and thus have not falsified the Word. This is evident from the signification of “having victory over the beast,” as being to live a life of charity; for “the beast” signifies those who are in faith separated from charity, or what is the same, those who are in faith without good works, and who live according to that faith; consequently those who do not live that faith but the faith of charity “have victory over the beast,” for they fight against that faith in their life; and as they come off victors they receive the reward of victory after their life in the world. As “the beast” signifies also the confirmation from the Word of faith separate, and thus falsification of the Word, so “to have the victory over the beast” signifies also not to have falsified the Word. (That “the two beasts” of the dragon treated of in chapter 13 signify faith separated from the goods of life, also falsification of the Word to confirm that faith, may be seen above, n. 773, 815.)

THE GOODS OF CHARITY

As faith separated from the goods of charity, which are good works, also the faith that is from charity, have been treated of in the explanations of two preceding chapters (the twelfth and thirteenth), the goods of charity shall be treated of in the explanations of this and the following chapter. What is meant by the goods of charity or good works is at this day unknown to most in the Christian world, because of the prevalence of the religion of faith alone, which is faith separated from the goods of charity. For if only faith contributes to salvation, and goods of charity contribute nothing, the idea that these goods may be left undone has place in the mind. But some who believe that good works should be done do not know what good works are, thinking that good works are merely giving to the poor and doing good to the needy and to widows and orphans, since such things are mentioned and seemingly commanded in the Word. Some think that if good works must be done for the sake of eternal life they must give to the poor all they possess, as was done in the primitive church, and as “the Lord commanded the rich man to sell all that he had and give to the poor, and take up the cross and follow Him” (Matt. 19:21). But what is meant in the Word by good works shall be told in order in what follows.

sRef Rev@15 @2 S0′ 933. And over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, signifies and that have not acknowledged the doctrine of faith separated from charity, or any quality of it. This is evident from the signification of “the beast,” whose “image,” “mark,” and “number of name,” are here mentioned, as being faith separated from charity, or faith without good works (see above, n. 773, 815); also from the signification of “his image,” as being the doctrine of that faith (see n. 827); also from the signification of “mark,” as being the acknowledgment and confession of that faith (see n. 838); also from the signification of “the number of his name,” as being what is like it as to life and as to faith, thus its quality, also as being falsities in the whole complex (see n. 841, 845, 847). So “the image, mark, and number of his name,” signify, when taken together, not acknowledging and confessing faith separated as to its doctrine, and as to any quality of it. “To have victory over these” signifies to reject them in life and doctrine, which is effected by combat against the falsities that the followers of that faith offer in opposition.

(Continuation)

[2] It has been said in the previous article that at this day it is scarcely known what is meant by charity, and thus by good works, unless it be giving to the poor, enriching the needy, doing good to widows and orphans, and contributing to the building of temples, hospitals, and lodging houses; and yet whether such works are done by man and for the sake of reward is not known; for if they are done by man they are not good, and if for the sake of reward they are meritorious; and such works do not open heaven, and thus are not acknowledged as goods in heaven. In heaven no works are regarded as good except such as are done by the Lord with man, and yet the works that are done by the Lord with man appear in outward form like those done by the man himself, and cannot be distinguished even by the man who does them. For the works done by the Lord with man are done by man as if by himself; and unless they are done as if by himself they do not conjoin man to the Lord, thus they do not reform him. That man ought to do goods as if by himself may be seen above (n. 616, 864, 911). (Continued in the following article.)

sRef Rev@15 @2 S0′ 934. Standing by the glassy sea, signifies because they have been in truths from the Word. This is evident from the signification of “the glassy sea,” as being the generals of truth from the Word transparent from spiritual truths (see above, n. 931); so “standing by it” signifies to be in truths. They were seen “standing by the glassy sea” because those who live the life of charity and reject the doctrine of faith separated remain in the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, and do not pervert and falsify them. As for example, where “doing” and “working,” also “deeds” and “works” are mentioned in the Word they do not include these in faith as though they were concealed in it, but they actually will and do them; for they know that without them faith is not faith, and that faith is only so far faith as works are rightly conjoined with it; consequently to include these in faith or to separate them from it they condemn as a heresy. This makes clear that such “stand by the glassy sea,” that is, are in truths from the Word.

(Continuation)

[2] It was said of works in the preceding article that those done by man are not good, but only those done by the Lord with man. But for works to be done by the Lord, and not by man, two things are necessary: first, the Lord’s Divine must be acknowledged, also that He is the God of heaven and earth even as to the Human, and that every good that is good is from Him; and secondly, that man must live according to the commandments of the Decalogue by abstaining from those evils that are there forbidden, that is, from worshiping other gods, from profaning the name of God, from thefts, from adulteries, from murders, from false witness, from coveting the possessions and property of others. These two things are requisite that the works done by man may be good. The reason is that every good comes from the Lord alone, and the Lord cannot enter into man and lead him so long as these evils are not removed as sins; for they are infernal, and in fact are hell with man, and unless hell is removed the Lord cannot enter and open heaven. This is what is meant by the Lord’s words to the rich man:
Who asked Him about eternal life, and said that he had kept the commandments of the Decalogue from his youth; whom the Lord is said to have loved, and to have taught that one thing was lacking to him, that he should sell all that he had and take up the cross (Matt. 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-23).
“To sell all that he had” signifies that he should relinquish the things of his religion, which were traditions, for he was a Jew, and also should relinquish the things that were his own [proprium], which were loving self and the world more than God, and thus leading himself; and “to follow the Lord” signifies to acknowledge Him only and to be led by Him; therefore the Lord also said, “Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but God only.” “To take up his cross” signifies to fight against evils and falsities, which are from what is one’s own [proprium].

sRef Rev@15 @2 S0′ 935. Having the harps of God, signifies the glorification of the Lord from spiritual affection. This is evident from the signification of “harps,” as being confessions and glorifications (see above, n. 323, 856). Therefore “the harps of God” mean confessions and glorifications of the Lord from spiritual affection. This is the signification of “the harps of God,” because spiritual affections, which are the affections of truth, were expressed by stringed instruments; while celestial affections, which are the affections of good, were expressed by wind instruments (see above, n. 323, 326).

(Continuation)

[2] The previous article treated of the two things necessary that works may be good, namely, that the Divine of the Lord be acknowledged, and that the evils forbidden in the Decalogue be shunned as sins. The evils enumerated in the Decalogue include all the evils that can ever exist; therefore the Decalogue is called the ten commandments, because “ten” signifies all. The first commandment, “Thou shalt not worship other gods,” includes not loving self and the world; for he that loves self and the world above all things worships other gods; for everyone’s god is that which he loves above all things. The second commandment, “Thou shalt not profane the name of God,” includes not to despise the Word and doctrine from the Word, and thus the church, and not to reject these from the heart, for these are God’s “name.” The fifth commandment, “Thou shalt not steal,” includes the shunning of frauds and unlawful gains, for these also are thefts. The sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” includes having delight in adulteries and having no delight in marriages, and in particular cherishing filthy thoughts respecting such things as pertain to marriage, for these are adulteries. The seventh commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” includes not hating the neighbor nor loving revenge; for hatred and revenge breathe murder. The eighth commandment, “Thou shalt not bear false witness,” includes not to lie and blaspheme; for lies and blasphemies are false testimonies. The ninth commandment, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house,” includes not wishing to possess or to divert to oneself the goods of others against their will. The tenth commandment, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, his man-servants,” and so on, includes not wishing to rule over others and to subject them to oneself, for the things here enumerated mean the things that are man’s own. Anyone can see that these eight commandments contain the evils that must be shunned, and not the goods that must be done.

sRef Rev@15 @3 S0′ 936. Verse 3. And they were singing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, signifies the acknowledgement and confession of the commandments in the Word of both Testaments; also the acknowledgment and confession of the Lord’s Divine in His Human. This is evident from the signification of “singing a song,” as being confession from acknowledgement and from joy of heart (see n. 326, 857); also from the signification of “Moses,” as being the Word of the Old Testament (of which presently); also from the signification of “the Lamb,” as being the Lord as to the Divine truth (see n. 297, 343, 460, 482), thus as to the Word, for that is the Divine truth; but here, since it is said “Moses and the Lamb,” the Word of the Old Testament and of the New is signified. It is evident from what follows in these two verses that “the song of Moses and of the Lamb” signifies the acknowledgment of the commandments in the Word of both Testaments, also the acknowledgment of the Divine in the Lord’s Human, since these are what they were singing, or what constituted their song. In the first verse the Lord’s works and His ways, which signify His commandments, are glorified. In the following verse the Lord is glorified, and an injunction that all must fear Him, because He alone is holy; and as these are the subjects of the two songs, and “songs” signify acknowledgments and confessions of these things, it is clear that “they were singing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb,” signifies the acknowledgment and confession of the commandments in the Word of both Testaments, also the acknowledgment and confession of the Lord’s Divine in His Human. Moreover, by these two victory is had over the beast (the subject here treated of), namely, by keeping the commandments and by acknowledging the Lord’s Divine. Without these two the beast conquers.

(Continuation)

[2] In the previous article the evils that must be shunned were enumerated from the Decalogue. But many, I know, think in their heart that no one can shun these of himself, because man is born in sins and has therefore no power of himself to shun them. But let such know that anyone who thinks in his heart that there is a God, that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, that the Word is from Him, and is therefore holy, that there is a heaven and a hell, and that there is a life after death, is able to shun these evils. But he is not able who despises these truths and casts them out of his mind, and not at all he who denies them. For how can one who never thinks about God think that anything is a sin against God? And how can one who never thinks about heaven, hell, and the life after death, shun evils as sins? Such a man does not know what sin is. Man is placed in the middle between heaven and hell. Out of heaven goods unceasingly flow in, and out of hell evils unceasingly flow in; and as man is between he has freedom to think what is good or to think what is evil. This freedom the Lord never takes away from anyone, for it belongs to his life, and is the means of his reformation. So far, therefore, as man from this freedom has the thought and desire to shun evils because they are sins, and prays to the Lord for help, so far the Lord removes them and gives man the ability to refrain from them as if of himself, and then to shun them.
[3] Everyone is able from natural freedom to shun these same evils because of their being contrary to human laws; this every citizen of a kingdom does who fears the penalties of the civil law, or the loss of life, reputation, honor, wealth, and thus of office, gain, and pleasure; even an evil man does this. And the life of such a man appears exactly the same in external form as the life of one who shuns these evils because they are contrary to the Divine laws; but in internal form it is wholly unlike it. The one acts from natural freedom only, which is from man; the other acts from spiritual freedom, which is from the Lord; both acting from freedom. When a man is able to shun these same evils from natural freedom, why is he not able to shun them from spiritual freedom, in which he is constantly held by the Lord, provided he thinks to will this because there is a hell, a heaven, a life after death, punishment, and reward, and prays to the Lord for help?
[4] Let it be known that every man when he is beginning the spiritual life because he wishes to be saved, fears sins on account of the punishments of hell, but afterwards on account of the sin itself, because it is in itself heinous, and finally on account of the truth and good that he loves, thus for the Lord’s sake. For so far as anyone loves truth and good, thus the Lord, he so far turns away from what is contrary to these, which is evil. All this makes clear that he that believes in the Lord shuns evils as sins; and conversely, he that shuns evils as sins believes; consequently to shun evils as sins is the sign of faith.

sRef Luke@16 @31 S0′ sRef Luke@24 @44 S0′ sRef Dan@9 @13 S0′ sRef Dan@9 @11 S0′ sRef Luke@24 @27 S0′ sRef Rev@15 @3 S0′ sRef Luke@16 @29 S0′ sRef John@8 @5 S1′ sRef Mark@7 @10 S1′ sRef Josh@8 @32 S1′ sRef John@7 @22 S1′ sRef John@1 @45 S1′ sRef John@7 @19 S1′ sRef John@7 @23 S1′ 937. That “Moses” signifies the Word of the Old Testament can be seen from certain passages in the Word in which he is mentioned. But in some passages “Moses” means the law in the strictest sense, which is the law given from Mount Sinai; in others, the law in a broader sense, which is the historical Word; while here the Word of the Old Testament, both historical and prophetical, is meant. “Moses” signifies the Word because the Ten Commandments, and afterwards the Five Books, which were the first part of the Word, were not from him but from the Lord through him. That Moses is mentioned instead of the law and the Word, is evident from the following passages. In Luke:
Abraham said unto him, They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. If they hear not Moses and the prophets neither will they be persuaded if one should rise from the dead (16:29, 31).
Here “Moses and the prophets” have a like meaning as the “law and the prophets” elsewhere, namely, the historical and prophetical Word. In the same:
Jesus, beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, interpreted in all the Scriptures the things that pertained to Himself (Luke 24:27).
In the same:
All things must needs be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the psalms concerning Me (Luke 24:44.)
In John:
Philip said, We have found Jesus, of whom Moses in the law did write (1:45).
In the same:
In the law Moses commanded us (John 8:5).
In Daniel:
The curse hath flowed down upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him. As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us (9:11, 13).
In Joshua:
Joshua wrote upon the stone of the altar a copy of the law of Moses (8:32).
In John:
Moses gave to you the law. Moses gave you the circumcision. If a man receive circumcision on the sabbath, that the law of Moses might not be broken (7:19, 22, 33).
In Mark:
Moses hath said, Honor thy father and thy mother (7:10).
sRef Luke@2 @22 S2′ sRef Luke@2 @23 S2′ sRef Luke@2 @39 S2′ sRef Luke@2 @24 S2′ [2] That which was from the Lord through Moses was attributed to Moses because of the representation; therefore the terms “the law of Moses” and “the law of the Lord” are both used in Luke:

When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought Him up to Jerusalem, (as it is written in the law of the Lord, that every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord), that they might offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons (2:22-24, 39).
sRef Ex@19 @9 S3′ [3] Because Moses represented the law it was permitted him to come into the presence of the Lord on Mount Sinai, and not only to receive there the Tables of the Law, but also to hear the statutes and judgments of the law, and command them to the people; and it is added, that they might therefore believe in Moses forever:
Jehovah said unto Moses, Lo, I will come unto thee in the mist of a cloud, that the people may hear when I shall speak unto thee, and may also believe in thee forever (Exod. 19:9).
It is said “in the mist of a cloud,” because a “cloud” signifies the Word in the letter. So when Moses came into the presence of the Lord on Mount Sinai:
He entered into the cloud (Exod. 20:21; 24:2, 18; 34:2-5).
(That “cloud” signifies the sense of the letter of the Word see above, n. 36, 594, 905, 906.)
sRef Ex@34 @30 S4′ sRef Ex@34 @29 S4′ sRef Ex@34 @32 S4′ aRef Ex@35 @3 S4′ aRef Ex@35 @4 S4′ sRef Ex@34 @28 S4′ aRef Ex@35 @2 S4′ sRef Ex@34 @33 S4′ sRef Ex@34 @31 S4′ sRef Ex@34 @34 S4′ sRef Ex@34 @35 S4′ [4] Because Moses represented the Lord as to the law or the Word, therefore:
When he came down from Mount Sinai the skin of his face shone; therefore when he spoke with the people he put a veil over his face (Exod. 34:28 to end).
“The shining of the face” signified the internal of the law, for that is in the light of heaven. He veiled his face when he spoke with the people because the internal of the Word was covered and thus obscured to that people to protect them from anything of its light.
sRef Mal@4 @4 S5′ sRef Mal@4 @5 S5′ sRef Matt@17 @3 S5′ [5] Because Moses represented the Lord as to the historical Word, and Elijah the Lord as to the prophetical Word, when the Lord was transfigured Moses and Elijah were seen talking with Him (Matt. 17:3). When the Lord’s Divine was manifested in the world, only those who signified the Word could talk with the Lord, because discourse with the Lord is by means of the Word. (That Elijah represented the Lord as to the Word, see n. 624.)
[6] Because Moses and Elijah taken together represented the Word, where Elijah is spoken of as the one sent before the Lord, both are mentioned, in Malachi:
Remember ye the law of Moses My servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, the statutes and the judgments. Lo, I send to you Elijah the prophet, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah comes (4:4-6).
Elijah the prophet means John the Baptist; because he, like Elijah, represented the Word (see above, n. 624, 724).

sRef Rev@15 @3 S0′ 938. Saying, Great and wonderful are Thy works, signifies that all the goods of heaven and the church are from Him. This is evident from the signification of “the Lord’s works,” as being all the goods of heaven and the church. This is the signification of “His works,” because it is added, “just and true are Thy ways,” and the Lord’s “ways” signify all the truths of heaven and the church. For where good is spoken of in the Word truth is also spoken of, because of the heavenly marriage, which is a marriage of good and truth in all the particulars thereof; from which it is clear that “works” here signify goods, and “ways” truths. The goods of heaven and the church are the works of the Lord because heaven is heaven, and the church is a church from the good of love to the Lord and from the good of love towards the neighbor (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13-19).

(Continuation)

[2] A previous article (n. 936) treated of refraining from evils from spiritual freedom, in which every man is held by the Lord. But as all the evils into which man is born derive their roots from the love of ruling over others and from the love of possessing the goods of others, and all the delights of man’s own life flow forth from these two loves, and all evils are from them, so the loves and delights of these evils belong to man’s own life. And since evils belong to the life of man, it follows that man from himself can by no means refrain from them, for this would be from his own life to refrain from his own life. The ability to refrain from them of the Lord is therefore provided, and that he may have this ability the freedom to think that which he wills and to pray to the Lord for help is granted him. He has this freedom because he is in the middle between heaven and hell, consequently between good and evil. And being in the middle he is in equilibrium; and he who is in equilibrium is able easily and as of his own accord to turn himself the one way or the other; and the more so because the Lord continually resists evils and repels them, and raises man up and draws him to Himself. And yet there is combat, because the evils which belong to man’s life are stirred up by the evils that unceasingly rise up from hell; and then man must fight against them, and, indeed, as if of himself; if he does not fight as if of himself the evils are not separated.

sRef Rev@15 @3 S0′ 939. O Lord God Almighty, signifies because He is Divine good. This is evident from the signification of “omnipotence,” as meaning to be, to exist, to have ability, and to live, from Himself (see n. 43, 689); and as all goods and truths are from Him because they are in Him it is said “Lord God;” for He is called “Lord” from the Divine good, and “God” from the Divine truth; and as He has omnipotence from the Divine good through the Divine truth, it is said “Lord God Almighty.” (That the Lord is called “Lord” in the Word from the Divine good, see n. 685; and “God” from the Divine truth, n. 24, 220, 688.)

(Continuation)

sRef Matt@23 @26 S2′ [2] It is known that man’s interior must be purified before the good that he does is good; for the Lord says:
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside may be clean also (Matt. 13:26).
Man’s interior is purified only as he refrains from evils, in accordance with the commandments of the Decalogue. So long as man does not refrain from these evils and does not shun and turn away from them as sins, they constitute his interior, and are like an interposed veil or covering, and in heaven this appears like an eclipse by which the sun is obscured and light is intercepted; also like a fountain of pitch or of black water, from which nothing emanates but what is impure. That which emanates therefrom and that appears before the world as good is not good, because it is defiled by evils from within, for it is Pharisaic and hypocritical good. This good is good from man and is meritorious good. It is otherwise when evils have been removed by a life according to the commandments of the Decalogue.
sRef Isa@1 @17 S3′ sRef Isa@1 @16 S3′ sRef Isa@1 @11 S3′ sRef Isa@1 @12 S3′ sRef Isa@1 @18 S3′ sRef Isa@1 @13 S3′ sRef Isa@1 @15 S3′ sRef Isa@1 @14 S3′ [3] Now since evils must be removed before goods can become goods, the Ten Commandments were the first of the Word, being promulgated from Mount Sinai before the Word was written by Moses and the Prophets. And these do not set forth goods that must be done, but evils that must be shunned. For the same reason these commandments are the first things to be taught in the churches; for they are taught to boys and girls in order that man may begin his Christian life with them, and by no means forget them as he grows up; although he does so. The same is meant by these words in Isaiah:
What is the multitude of sacrifices to Me? Your meal-offering, your incense, your new moons, and your appointed feasts, My soul hateth. And when you multiply prayer I will not hear. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil. Then though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow; though they be red as purple they shall be as wool (1:11-19).
“Sacrifices,” “meal-offerings,” “incense,” “new moons,” and “feasts,” also “prayer,” mean all things of worship. That these are wholly evil and even abominable unless the interior is purified from evils is meant by “Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings, and cease to do evil.” That afterwards they are all goods is meant by the words that follow.

sRef Rev@15 @3 S0′ 940. Just and true are Thy ways, signifies that all the truths of heaven and the church are from Him. This is evident from the signification of “ways,” as being truths (see n. 97); so in reference to the Lord they signify all the truths of heaven and the church. It is said that the ways are “just and true,” because truths that are the Lord’s and are from the Lord are from good, and thus are good; for “just,” in the Word, is predicated of good. “Ways” signify truths because truths like ways lead man; therefore “ways” signify truths leading. This signification of “ways” is derived from the spiritual world, where all walk in ways according to their truths. Ways in that world are not prepared and directed from one place to another, as the ways in our world are; but they are opened to each one according to his truths, and these ways are such that he alone, and no one who is in other truths can see them. These ways lead them to the places whither they are to go, as towards the societies with which they are to be conjoined, or from which they are to be separated, and finally to the society where they are to remain.

(Continuation)

[2] When man’s interior is purified from evils by his refraining from them and shunning them because they are sins, the internal which is above it, and which is called the spiritual internal, is opened. This communicates with heaven; consequently man is then admitted into heaven and is conjoined to the Lord. There are two internals with man, one beneath and the other above. While man lives in the world he is in the internal which is beneath and from which he thinks, for it is natural. This may be called for the sake of distinction the interior. But the internal that is above is that into which man comes after death when he enters heaven. All angels of heaven are in this internal, for it is spiritual. This internal is opened to the man who shuns evils as sins; but it is kept closed to the man who does not shun evils as sins.
[3] This internal is kept closed to the man who does not shun evils as sins, because the interior, that is, the natural internal, until man has been purified from sins, is a hell; and so long as there is a hell there heaven cannot be opened; but as soon as hell has been removed it is opened. But let it be known that in the measure in which the spiritual internal and heaven are opened to man, the natural internal is purified from the hell that is there. This is not done at once, but successively by degrees. All this makes clear that man from himself is hell, and that man is made a heaven by the Lord, consequently that he is snatched out of hell by the Lord, and raised up into heaven to the Lord, not immediately, but mediately. The means are the commandments just mentioned, by which the Lord leads him who wishes to be led.

sRef Rev@15 @3 S0′ 941. Thou King of saints, signifies because He is the Divine truth. This is evident from the signification of “king,” when said of the Lord as being the Divine truth (see n. 29, 31, 553, 625); also from the signification of “saints,” as being those who are in Divine truths from the Lord (see n. 204). Because the Divine truth proceeds from the Lord He is the Divine truth, since that which proceeds from anyone is himself. This may be illustrated from the angels, from whom a spiritual sphere proceeds, which is from the affection of their life; that same affection that is in them proceeds or is spread abroad to a distance from them, and by this others can recognize what they are and where they are. And as the sphere that proceeds from them is the same as the affection of their life that is in them, they are themselves their own sphere or proceeding affection. But from the Lord as a sun the Divine which fills the whole heaven and which makes heaven proceeds; and this Divine is called the Divine truth. From this it is clear that the Lord is the Divine truth.
(Continuation)
[2] When the spiritual internal is opened, and through it communication with heaven and conjunction with the Lord are given, then man becomes enlightened. He is enlightened especially when he reads the Word, because the Lord is in the Word, and the Word is the Divine truth, and the Divine truth is light to angels. Man is enlightened in the rational, for this directly underlies the spiritual internal, and receives light from heaven and transfers it into the natural when it is purified from evils, filling it with the knowledges of truth and good, and adapting to them the knowledges [scientiae] that are from the world, for the sake of confirmation and agreement. Thus man has a rational, and thus he has an understanding. He is deceived who believes that man has a rational and an understanding before his natural has been purified from evils, for the understanding is seeing the truths of the church from the light of heaven; and the light of heaven does not flow into those not purified. And as the understanding is perfected the falsities of religion and of ignorance and all fallacies are dispersed.

sRef Rev@15 @4 S0′ 942. Verse 4. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, signifies the worship of the Lord from the good of love. This is evident from the signification of “fearing the Lord,” as being to worship Him. It means “from the good of love,” because it is added, “who shall not glorify Thy Name?” which signifies worship from truths that are from that good. These two are meant, because all worship of the Lord is from the good of love by means of truths. Good fears the Lord, and truths glorify Him. Worship from the good of love means worship by those who are in the good of life; with others worship from the good of love is not given. Moreover, true worship consists in a life according to the Lord’s commandments, and to do the Lord’s commandments is to love Him. (What further is meant by “fearing the Lord” may be seen above, n. 696.)

(Continuation)

[2] After a man has been admitted into heaven by the opening of his internal, and receives light therefrom, the same affections that angels of heaven have, with their pleasures and delights, are communicated to him. The first affection then granted is the affection of truth; the second is the affection of good; and the third is the affection of bringing forth fruit. For when a man has been admitted into heaven and into its light and heat he is like a tree growing from its seed. His first budding forth is from enlightenment; his blossoming before the fruit is from the affection of truth; the putting forth of fruit that follows is from the affection of good; the multiplication of itself again into trees is from the affection of producing fruit. The heat of heaven, which is love, and the light of heaven, which is the understanding of truth from that love, bring forth in subjects of life things like those that the heat of the world and its light bring forth in subjects not of life. That like things are brought forth is from correspondence. But in both cases the production is effected in springtime; and springtime in man is when he enters heaven, which is effected when his spiritual internal is opened; before that it is the time of winter to him.

sRef Rev@15 @4 S0′ 943. And glorify Thy name, signifies the worship of the Lord from truths from that good. This is evident from the signification of “glorifying the Lord’s name,” as being to worship Him from truths that are from good. For “the Lord’s name” signifies all things by which He is worshiped (see above, n. 102, 135, 696, 815); and “to glorify Him,” or “to give glory to Him,” signifies to live according to His Divine truths (see n. 874); and to live according to His Divine truths is to worship Him, as has been said in the article just preceding.

(Continuation)

Man has the affection of truth when he loves truth and turns away from falsity. He has the affection of good when he loves good uses and turns away from evil uses. He has the affection of bringing forth fruit when he loves to do goods and to be serviceable. All heavenly joy is in these affections and from them, and this joy cannot be described by comparisons, for it is supereminent and eternal.

sRef Rev@15 @4 S0′ 944. For Thou only art holy, signifies because He is good itself and truth itself, consequently all good and truth are from Him. This is evident from the signification of “holy,” as being the Divine that proceeds from the Lord, for this alone is holy, and is called the Divine good united to the Divine truth. And as this proceeds from the Lord it is Himself; for that which proceeds is from that which is in Him, and therefore it is Himself. This is why the Lord is the Divine good itself and the Divine truth itself.
[2] It is the same as with the heat and light that proceed from the sun in the world, or from a flame of fire. The heat and light are from the sun, for they are from what is in the sun; in the sun is pure fire; this fire outside the sun is heat decreasing as the distance from the sun increases; and light is its modification or interior action in substances that are outside the sun, but are also from its fire. These substances in which these exist and take place are called atmospheres. From an analogous correspondence a conclusion may be formed respecting the heat and light that proceed from the Lord as a sun in heaven. The Lord there as a sun is the Divine love; and the heat proceeding therefrom is the Divine good; and the light proceeding therefrom is the Divine truth. The heat that proceeds, which is the Divine good, is the Divine love in its extension; and the light that proceeds, which is the Divine truth, is a modification or interior action of this in substances that are outside of Him. These substances, in which this modification takes place, are the spiritual atmospheres, from which the angels breathe and live.
[3] As like things in the world are analogous correspondences, so “fire” signifies in the Word love, “heat” the Divine good, and “light” the Divine truth. The difference is that as the heat and light of heaven vivify spiritual essences, so the heat and light of the world vivify natural essences. And yet the heat and light of the world do not vivify from themselves, but from the heat and light of heaven, thus from the Lord. All this has been said to make known that the Lord is the Divine good itself and the Divine truth itself; thus He only is holy.

(Continuation)

[4] Into this state the man comes who shuns evils because they are sins, and looks to the Lord; and so far as he comes into this state he turns away from and detests evils as sins, and acknowledges in heart and worships the Lord only, and His Divine in the Human. This is a summary.

sRef Rev@15 @4 S0′ 945. Wherefore all the nations shall come and worship before Thee, signifies that all who are in the good of love and in truths therefrom will acknowledge His Divine. This is evident from the signification of “nations,” as being those who are in the good of love and in truths therefrom (see n. 175, 331, 625); also from the signification of “worship” [adorare] as being to acknowledge in, heart and to worship [colere] (see n. 790, 805, 821). It is evident that such only are meant by “all nations,” for there are also those who will not acknowledge the Lord.

(Continuation)

When a man is in that state he is raised up from what is his own (proprium) for a man is in what is his own [proprium] when he is only in the natural external, but he is raised up from what is his own [proprium when he is in the spiritual internal. This raising up from what is his own man perceives only by this, that he does not think evils, and that he turns away from thinking them, and takes delight in truths and in good uses. And yet if such a man advances further into that state he perceives influx by a kind of thought; but he is not withheld from thinking and willing as if from himself, for this the Lord wills for the sake of reformation. Nevertheless, man should acknowledge that nothing of good or of truth therefrom is from himself, but all is from the Lord.

sRef Rev@15 @4 S0′ sRef Jer@23 @5 S0′ sRef Isa@9 @7 S1′ 946. For Thy judgments have been made manifest, signifies that Divine truths have been revealed to them. This is evident from the signification of “judgments,” as being Divine truths (of which presently); also from the signification of “made manifest,” as being to be revealed. That Divine truths are revealed at the end of the church, and that they have been revealed, will be shown in what follows in this chapter, because this is there treated of. “Judgments” signify Divine truths because the laws of government in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom are called “judgments;” while the laws of government in His celestial kingdom are called “justice.” For the laws of government in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom are laws from the Divine truth; while the laws of government in the Lord’s celestial kingdom are laws from the Divine good. This is why “judgment” and “justice” are mentioned in the Word, in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Of peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David, to establish it, and to uphold it in judgment and in justice from henceforth and to eternity (9:7).
This is said of the Lord and His kingdom. His spiritual kingdom is signified by “the throne of David;” and because this kingdom is in Divine truths from Divine good it is said, “in judgment and in justice.” In Jeremiah:
I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign King, and He shall act intelligently, and shall do judgment and justice (23:5).
This, too, is said of the Lord, and of His spiritual kingdom. And as this kingdom is in Divine truths from Divine good it is said, “He shall reign king, and shall act intelligently, and He shall do judgment and justice.” The Lord is called “King,” from Divine truth; and as Divine truth is also Divine intelligence it is said that “He shall act intelligently.” And as the Divine truth is from the Divine good it is said that “He shall do judgment and justice.”
sRef Isa@33 @5 S2′ sRef Hos@2 @20 S2′ sRef Isa@58 @2 S2′ sRef Jer@9 @24 S2′ sRef Hos@2 @19 S2′ [2] In Isaiah:
Jehovah is exalted, for He dwelleth on high, He hath filled Zion with judgment and justice (33:5).
“Zion” means heaven and the church, where the Lord reigns by the Divine truth; and as all the Divine truth is from the Divine good it is said, “He hath filled Zion with judgment and justice.” In Jeremiah:
I Jehovah doing judgment and justice in the earth; for in these things I am well pleased (9:24).
Here, too, “judgment and justice” signify the Divine truth from the Divine good. In Isaiah:
They ask of me the judgments of justice, they long for an approach unto God (58:2).
The “judgments of justice” are Divine truths from the Divine good, as are “judgment and justice;” for the spiritual sense conjoins things that the sense of the letter separates. In Hosea:
I will betroth thee unto Me forever; and I will betroth thee unto Me in justice and in judgment and in mercy and in truth (2:19, 20).
This treats of the Lord’s celestial kingdom, which consists of those who are in love to the Lord; and as the Lord’s conjunction with such is comparatively like the conjunction of a husband with a wife, for so does the good of love conjoin, it is said, “I will betroth thee unto Me in justice and in judgment,” “justice” being put here in the first place, and “judgment” in the second, because those who are in the good of love to the Lord are also in truths; for they see truths from good. As “justice” is predicated of good, and “judgment” of truth, it is also said, “in mercy and in truth,” “mercy” belonging to good, because it is of love.
sRef Ps@36 @5 S3′ sRef Ps@36 @6 S3′ [3] In David:
Jehovah is in the heavens. Thy justice is like the mountains of God, and Thy judgments are like the great deep (Ps. 36:5, 6).
“Justice” is predicated of the Divine good, and is therefore compared to “the mountains of God;” for “mountains of God” signify the goods of love (see above, n. 405, 510, 850); and “judgments” are predicated of Divine truths, and are therefore compared to “the great deep;” for “the great deep” signifies the Divine truth. From this it can now be seen that “judgments” signify Divine truths.
sRef Deut@6 @1 S4′ sRef Deut@5 @31 S4′ sRef Ps@89 @31 S4′ sRef Ps@89 @30 S4′ sRef Ps@89 @32 S4′ sRef Deut@7 @11 S4′ [4] In many passages in the Word, “judgments,” “commandments,” and “statutes” are mentioned; and “judgments” there signify civil laws, “commandments” the laws of spiritual life, and “statutes” the laws of worship. That “judgments” signify civil laws, is evident from Exodus (21, 22, 23), where the things commanded are called “judgments” because according to them the judges gave judgments in the gates of the city; nevertheless they signify Divine truths, such as are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom in the heavens, for they contain these in the spiritual sense; as can be seen from the explanation of them in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 8971-9103, 9124-9231, 9247-9348). That the laws given to the sons of Israel were called “judgments, “commandments,” and “statutes,” can be seen from the following passages. In Moses:
I will speak unto thee all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them (Deut. 5:31).
In the same:
These are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which Jehovah your God commanded to teach you (Deut. 6:1).
In the same:
Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them (Deut. 7:11).
In David:
If his sons forsake My law and walk not in My judgments, if they profane My statutes and keep not My commandments, then will I visit their transgression with the rod (Ps. 89:30-32).
So in many other places, as Lev. 18:5; 19:37; 20:22; 25:18; 26:15; Deut. 4:1; 5:1, 6, 7; 17:19; 26:17; Ezek. 5:6, 7; 11:12, 20; 18:9; 20:11, 13, 25; 37:24. In these passages “commandments” mean the laws of life, especially those contained in the Decalogue, which are therefore called the Ten Commandments; while “statutes” mean the laws of worship which related especially to sacrifices and holy ministrations; and “judgments” mean civil laws; and as these laws were representative of spiritual laws, they signify such Divine truths as are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom in the heavens.

(Continuation)

[5] It follows from this that when man shuns and turns away from evils as sins and is raised up into heaven by the Lord, he is no longer in what is his own (proprium), but in the Lord, and thus he thinks and wills goods. Again, since man acts as he thinks and wills, for every act of man proceeds from the thought of his will, it follows that when he shuns and turns away from evils, he does goods from the Lord and not from self; and this is why shunning evils is doing goods. The goods that a man then does are meant by good works; and good works in their whole complex are meant by charity. Man cannot be reformed unless he thinks, wills, and does as if from himself, since that which is done as if by the man himself is conjoined to him and remains with him, while that which is not done by the man as if from himself, not being received in any life of sense, flows through like ether; and this is why the Lord wills that man should not only shun and turn away from evils as if of himself, but should also think, will, and do as if of himself, and yet acknowledge in heart, that all these things are from the Lord. This he must acknowledge because it is the truth.

947. Verses 5, 6. And after these things I saw, and behold the temple of the tabernacle of the Testimony in heaven was opened; and there came out of the temple seven angels, that had the seven plagues, clothed in linen clean and bright, and girded about the breasts with golden girdles. 5. “And after these things I saw, and behold the temple of the tabernacle of the Testimony in heaven was opened,” signifies interior Divine truth in the Word, revealed by the Lord (n. 948). 6. “And there came out of the temple seven angels that had the seven plagues,” signifies consequent manifestation of all evils and the falsities therefrom, and of all falsities and the evils therefrom, that have devastated the church (n. 949); “clothed in linen clean and bright,” signifies by means of the Divine truth, or the Word in the spiritual sense (n. 950, 951); “and girded about the breasts with golden girdles,” signifies Divine spiritual good holding truths in order and connection (n. 952).

948. Verse 5. And after these things I saw, and behold the temple of the tabernacle of the Testimony in heaven was opened, signifies the interior Divine truth in the Word revealed by the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “temple,” as being the Divine truth from the Lord (see n. 220, 391, 915); also from the signification of “the tabernacle of the Testimony,” as also being the Divine truth, but interior, for “tabernacle” and “temple” have a similar signification; but when it is said “the temple of the tabernacle of the Testimony” interior Divine truth is signified. “He saw that this was opened in heaven” means that this truth has been revealed. The interior Divine truth that was revealed means the Word in its internal sense; because the Word is the Divine truth, and the internal or spiritual sense is interior Divine truth. The “Testimony” means the law that was placed in the ark, which was therefore called “the ark of the Testimony.” (What “Testimony” further signifies in a broad and in a strict sense may be seen above, n. 10, 392, 635, 649, 749.)
[2] What now follows in this chapter treats of the Word interiorly revealed, before the church has been wholly devastated. For the following chapter treats of its full devastation, which is described by “the seven angels having seven vials full of the anger of God,” and by their “casting them unto the earth.” The Word is revealed interiorly, that is, as to the spiritual sense, before the church has been fully devastated, because then the New Church will be established into which those who are of the former church are invited; and for the New Church interior Divine truth is revealed; and this could not have been revealed before for reasons that will be given in what follows. A like thing is now done as was done at the end of the Jewish Church; for at its end, which was when the Lord came into the world, the Word was opened interiorly; for when the Lord was in the world He revealed interior Divine truths that were to be for the use of a New Church about to be established by Him and that did serve that church. For like reasons the Word has been opened interiorly at this day, and still more interior Divine truths have been revealed therefrom for the use of the New Church, that will be called the New Jerusalem.
[3] What the Divine providence of the Lord was in revealing Divine truths can be seen from the successive establishment of churches. There have been several churches on our globe one after another. There was the Most Ancient, that was before the flood; there was the Ancient, that was after the flood; then the Hebrew; and then the Israelitish; after this the Christian; and now the New Church is beginning. Inmost Divine truths were revealed to those who were of the Most Ancient Church; more external Divine truths were revealed to those of the Ancient Church; and most external or ultimate Divine truths to the Hebrew Church, and afterwards to the Israelitish, with which church all Divine truth finally perished, for at last there was nothing in the Word that had not been adulterated. But after the end of the Israelitish Church interior Divine truths were revealed by the Lord for the Christian Church, and now still more interior truths for the church that is to come. These interior truths are such as are in the internal or spiritual sense of the Word. All this makes clear that there has been a progression of Divine truth from inmosts to ultimates, thus from wisdom to mere ignorance; and that now there is a progression of it from ultimates to interiors, thus from ignorance again to wisdom.

(Continuation.)

[4] Religion with man consists in a life according to the Divine commandments, which are contained in a summary in the Decalogue. He that does not live according to these can have no religion, since he does not fear God, still less does he love God; nor does he fear man, still less does he love him. Can one who steals, commits adultery, kills, bears false witness, fear God or man? Nevertheless everyone is able to live according to these commandments; and he who is wise does so live as a civil man, as a moral man, and as a natural man. And yet he who does not live according to them as a spiritual man cannot he saved; since to live according to them as a spiritual man means to so live for the sake of the Divine that is in them, while to live according to them as a civil man means for the sake of justice and to escape punishments in the world; and to live according to them as a moral man means for the sake of honesty, and to escape the loss of reputation and honor; while to live according to them as a natural man means for the sake of what is human, and to escape the repute of having an unsound mind. All laws, civil, moral, and natural, prescribe that one must not steal, must not commit adultery, must not kill, must not bear false witness; and yet a man is not saved by shunning these evils from these laws alone, unless he also shuns them from spiritual law, thus unless he shuns them as sins. For with such a man there is religion, and a belief that there is a God, a heaven and a hell, and a life after death; with such a man there is a civil life, a moral life, and a natural life; a civil life because there is justice, a moral life because there is honesty, and a natural life because there is manhood. But he who does not live according to these commandments as a spiritual man is neither a civil man, nor a moral man, nor a natural man; for he is destitute of justice, of honesty, and even of manhood, since the Divine is not in these. For there can be nothing good in and from itself, but only from God; so there can be nothing just, nothing truly honest or truly human in itself and from itself, but only from God, and only when the Divine is in it. Consider whether anyone that has hell in him, or who is a devil, can do what is just from justice or for the sake of justice; in like manner what is honest, or what is truly human. The truly human is what is from order and according to order, and what is from sound reason; and God is order, and sound reason is from God. In a word, he who does not shun evils as sins is not a man. Everyone who makes these commandments the principles of his religion becomes a citizen and an inhabitant of heaven; but he who does not make them the principles of his religion, although in externals he may live according to them from natural, moral, and civil law, becomes a citizen and an inhabitant of the world, but not of heaven.
[5] Most nations know these commandments, and make them the principles of their religion, and live according to them because God so wills and has commanded. Through this they have communication with heaven and conjunction with God, consequently they also are saved. But most in the Christian world at this day do not make them the principles of their religion, but only of their civil and moral life; and they do this that they may not appear in external form to act fraudulently and make unlawful gains, commit adulteries, manifestly pursue others from deadly hatred and revenge, and bear false witness, and do not refrain from these things because they are sins and against God, but because they have fears for their life, their reputation, their office, their business, their possessions, their honor and gain, and their pleasure; consequently if they were not restrained by these bonds they would do these things. Because, therefore, such form for themselves no communication with heaven or conjunction with the Lord, but only with the world and with self, they cannot be saved. Consider in respect to yourself, when these external bonds have been taken away, as is done with every man after death, if there are no internal bonds, which are from fear and love of God, thus from religion, to restrain and hold you back, whether you would not rush, like a devil, into thefts, adulteries, murders, false witnesses, and lusts of every kind, from a love of these thus from a delight in them. That this is the case I have both seen and heard.

949. Verse 6. And there came out of the temple seven angels that had the seven plagues, signifies consequent manifestations of all the evils and falsities therefrom, and of all the falsities and evils therefrom that have devastated the church. This is evident from the signification of “angels,” as being manifestations (see above, n. 869, 878, 883); also from the signification of “seven,” as being all and wholly (see n. 257, 300); also from the signification of “plagues,” as being such things as destroy spiritual life, and thus the church, and these are lusts from an evil love and from falsities (see above, n. 584), consequently as being evils and the falsities therefrom, and falsities and the evils therefrom; also from the signification of “the temple,” as being the interior Word revealed (see the preceding article). All this makes clear that the words “there came out of the temple seven angels that had the seven plagues” signify that from the Word and from its spiritual sense are made manifest all the evils and falsities therefrom, and all the falsities and evils therefrom that have devastated the church.
[2] The expression “evils and the falsities therefrom and falsities and the evils therefrom” is used, because both the church with the Papists and the church with the Reformed are meant. With the Papists evils and the falsities therefrom have devastated the church; but with the Reformed, falsities and the evils therefrom. The evils with the Papists are evils from the love of ruling by means of the holy things of the church over all things of heaven and over all things of earth. That love is the fountain of all evils; and from those evils come falsities of every kind. But with the Reformed there are falsities and the evils therefrom; and these falsities spring from the principle of the justification and salvation of man by faith alone, or by faith without good works; and when good works are separated from faith, evil works take their place; consequently falsities and evils therefrom have devastated the church with the Reformed, as evils and falsities therefrom have with the Papists.

(Continuation)

[3] So far as evils are removed as sins, so far goods flow in, and so far does man afterwards do goods, not from self, but from the Lord. As, first, so far as one does not worship other gods, and thus does not love self and the world above all things, so far the acknowledgement of God flows in from the Lord, and then he worships God, not from self but from the Lord. Second, so far as one does not profane the name of God, that is, so far as he shuns the lusts arising from the loves of self and of the world, so far he loves the holy things of the Word and of the church; for these are the name of God, and are profaned by the lusts arising from the loves of self and of the world. Third, so far as one shuns thefts, and thus shuns frauds and unlawful gains, so far sincerity and justice enter, and he loves what is sincere and just from sincerity and justice, and thus does what is sincere and just not from self but from the Lord. Fourth, so far as one shuns adulteries, and thus shuns unchaste and filthy thoughts, so far conjugial love enters, which is the inmost love of heaven, and in which chastity itself resides. Fifth, so far as one shuns murders, and thus shuns deadly hatreds and revenges that breathe slaughter, so far the Lord enters with mercy and love. Sixth, so far as one shuns false testimonies, and thus shuns lies and blasphemies, so far truth from the Lord enters. Seventh, so far as one shuns the covetousness for the houses of others, and thus shuns the love and consequent lusts for possessing the goods of others, so far charity towards the neighbor enters from the Lord. Eighth, so far as one shuns the covetousness for the wives of others, their servants, etc., and thus shuns the love and consequent lusts of ruling over others (for the things enumerated in this commandment are what belong to man), so far love to the Lord enters. These eight commandments include the evils that must be shunned, but the two others, namely, the third and fourth, include certain things that must be done, namely, that the sabbath must be kept holy, and that parents must be honored. But how these two commandments should be understood, not by the men of the Jewish Church but by the men of the Christian Church, will be told elsewhere.

950. Clothed in linen clean and bright, signifies by means of the Divine truth or the Word from the spiritual sense. This is evident from the signification of “linen,” as being truth, and in reference to the Lord or the Word, as being the Divine truth. This is called “clean” because it is genuine, and is called “bright” from the light in heaven, which light is brightness, since from it all things there are bright. The Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord is what appears to the eyes of angels as light, for the reason that the Divine truth enlightens their understanding; and what enlightens the understanding of angels is light to their eyes. Such is the Divine truth in heaven, and such is the Word in its spiritual sense; while Divine truth on the earth is such as the Word is in the sense of the letter, in which there are few genuine truths like those in heaven, but there are appearances of truth; and these only can the natural man receive. Nevertheless in these appearances of truth genuine truths like those in heaven lie stored up; for these are what are contained in the spiritual sense of the Word. All this makes clear that the words “there came out of the temple angels clothed in linen clean and bright” signify that the evils and falsities that have devastated the church were made manifest by the Divine truth, or the Word from its spiritual sense.
[2] There are many reasons why the spiritual sense of the Word has now been disclosed. First, because the churches in the Christian world have falsified all the sense of the letter of the Word, and this even to the destruction of the Divine truth in heaven, by which heaven has been closed up. In order, therefore, that heaven may be opened it has pleased the Lord to reveal the spiritual sense of the Word, in which sense is the Divine truth such as it is in heaven. For through the Word there is the conjunction of man with the Lord, and thus with heaven. When the Word is falsified even to the destruction of its genuine truth the conjunction perishes, and man is separated from heaven. In order, therefore, that he may again be conjoined with heaven, Divine truth such as it is in heaven has been revealed; and this has been confirmed by the spiritual sense of the Word, in which is that Divine truth. The second reason is that the falsities that have inundated and devastated the church can be dissipated only by means of the genuine truth laid open in the Word. Falsities and the evils therefrom and evils and the falsities therefrom can be seen in no other way than from truths themselves. For so long as genuine truths are not present, falsities and evils appear as in a kind of light. This light they have from confirmations by reasonings from the natural man, and by the sense of the letter explained and applied according to the appearances before that man. But when genuine truths are present, then first falsities and evils appear; for the light of heaven, which is in genuine truths, dissipates the delusive light of falsities and turns it into darkness. The third reason is, that, by means of the Divine truths of the Word that are in its spiritual sense, the New Church, which is meant by “the Holy Jerusalem” in Revelation, may be conjoined with heaven. For the Word is conjunction; but conjunction is effected only when man perceives the Word in a similar way as the angels perceive it. That “linen” signifies truth will be seen in the following article.

(Continuation: The First Commandment)

[3] “Thou shalt not make to thee other gods” includes not loving self and the world above all things; for that which one loves above all things is his god. There are two directly opposite loves, love of self and love to God, also love of the world and love of heaven. He who loves himself loves his own [proprium]; and as a man’s own [proprium] is nothing but evil he also loves evil in its whole complex; and he who loves evil hates good, and thus hates God. He who loves himself above all things sinks his affections and thoughts in the body, and thus in his own [proprium], and from this he cannot be raised up by the Lord; and when one is sunk in the body and in his own [proprium] he is in corporeal ideas and in pleasures that pertain solely to the body, and thus in thick darkness as to higher things; while he who is raised up by the Lord is in light. He who is not in the light of heaven but in thick darkness, since he sees nothing of God, denies God and acknowledges as god either nature or some man, or some idol, and even aspires to be himself worshiped as a god. From this it follows that he who loves himself above all things worships other gods. The same is true, but in a less degree, of one who loves the world; for there cannot be so great a love of the world as of one’s own [proprium]; therefore the world is loved because of one’s own, and for the sake of one’s own, because it is serviceable to it. The love of self means especially the love of domineering over others from the mere delight in ruling and for the sake of eminence, and not from the delight in uses and for the sake of the public good; while the love of the world means especially the love of possessing goods in the world from the mere delight in possession and for the sake of riches, and not from the delight in uses from these and for the sake of the good therefrom. These loves are both of them without limit, and rush on to infinity so far as opportunity is given.

sRef Lev@6 @10 S0′ sRef Lev@6 @11 S0′ sRef Lev@16 @32 S1′ sRef Ex@28 @43 S1′ sRef Lev@16 @4 S1′ sRef Ex@28 @42 S1′ 951. As “the seven angels that had the seven last plagues,” signify the manifestation of the evils and falsities that have devastated the church, and as these are made manifest by means of the Divine truth in the Word, therefore those angels appeared “clothed in linen clean and bright;” for “linen clean and bright” signifies genuine truth. All angels appear clothed according to their functions; for the garments in which they go clothed correspond to their ministries, and in general to their interiors. The angels who are wise from Divine truth appear in white garments of muslin, lawn, or linen, because “muslin,” “lawn,” and “linen,” correspond to the truths in which they are; and for this reason Aaron and his sons had garments of linen in which they ministered. These are described in Moses:
Thou shalt make for Aaron and his sons linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness, from the loins even unto the thighs; these shall be upon them when they shall go into the Tent of meeting and when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place, that they bear not iniquity and die (Exod. 28:42, 43).
Again:
When Aaron shall enter into the holy place he shall put on the linen coat of holiness and the linen breeches shall be upon his flesh, and he shall gird himself with a linen belt and shall put on a linen miter (Lev. 16:4).
He should put on the same garments when expiating the people (Lev. 16:32).
Also when he took the ashes from the altar after the burnt-offering (Lev. 6:10).
sRef Ezek@44 @18 S2′ sRef Ezek@44 @17 S2′ sRef Ezek@44 @15 S2′ [2] In like manner the priests were to minister in the new temple. In Ezekiel:
When the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok shall enter at the gates of the inner court they shall put on linen garments; no wool shall come upon them while they shall minister in the gates of the inner court and within; linen miters shall be upon their head and linen breeches shall be upon their loins (44:15, 17, 18).
They put on linen garments when they ministered holy things, because all holy administration is effected by the Divine truth. For the priesthood in which Aaron and his sons officiated represented the Lord as to the Divine good; and this ministers all things by means of the Divine truth. Moreover, the Divine truth protects from falsities and evils, which are from hell; therefore it is said “that they bear not iniquity and die,” which signifies that otherwise falsities from hell would destroy them. These garments were called “garments of holiness,” because holiness is predicated of the Divine truth. As the garments of ministry were linen garments, the priests wore a linen ephod when they ministered, as is read of Samuel (1 Sam. 2:18), and of the priests whom Saul slew (1 Sam. 22:18), and of David when he went before the ark (2 Sam. 6:14).
sRef John@13 @4 S3′ sRef John@13 @5 S3′ [3] Also of the Lord Himself in John:
Jesus rose up from supper and laid aside His garments, and took a linen cloth and girded Himself, and poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the linen cloth with which He was girded (13:4, 5).
The washing of the disciples’ feet represented and thus signified purification from evils and falsities by means of the Divine truth from the Lord; for all purification from evils and falsities is effected by the Lord by means of the Divine truth; and this is signified by “the linen cloth” with which the Lord girded Himself and with which He wiped the disciples’ feet.
sRef Dan@10 @5 S4′ sRef Ezek@9 @3 S4′ sRef Ezek@9 @2 S4′ sRef Ezek@9 @11 S4′ sRef Ezek@40 @3 S4′ sRef Ezek@9 @4 S4′ [4] Besides these seven angels treated of in Revelation there have been other angels seen in linen garments; as:
The angel who shall set a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh; and who shall go in between the wheels of cherubim and take coals of fire and scatter them over the city (Ezek. 9:3, 4, 11; 10:2, 6, 7).
Likewise the angel seen by Daniel, clothed in linen, whose loins were girt with gold of Uphas (Dan. 10:5; 12:6, 7).
These appeared clothed in linen because girded for ministry. The angel who measured the new temple, whose appearance was like that of brass:
Was seen to have a line of flax in his hand and a measuring reed (Ezek. 40:3).
By “the measuring of the temple” there, is described the New Church as to its quality; this is signified by the number of the measures; and as all the quality of the church is known by the Divine truth, therefore “a line of flax” was in his hand.
sRef Jer@13 @7 S5′ sRef Jer@13 @3 S5′ sRef Jer@13 @1 S5′ sRef Jer@13 @5 S5′ sRef Jer@13 @2 S5′ sRef Jer@13 @6 S5′ sRef Jer@13 @4 S5′ [5] As “linen” signifies truth, and “a girdle” everything of it, for it is what embraces and includes all things, and as nothing of truth any longer remained with the sons of Israel, therefore:
The prophet Jeremiah was commanded to buy himself a linen girdle, and to hide it in the cleft of a rock at the Euphrates; and at the end of many days it was spoiled and was profitable for nothing (Jer. 13:1-7).
“The linen girdle” signifies all the truth of doctrine from the Word. What is signified by its being “hidden in the cleft of a rock at the Euphrates and was there spoiled,” may be seen above (n. 569).
sRef Isa@42 @3 S6′ [6] “Linen” signifies the truth of the church also in Isaiah:
A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not extinguish, and He will bring forth judgment in truth (42:3).
This was said of the Lord; and “the smoking flax,” that He will not extinguish signifies the small amount of truth from good with anyone. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 627.) “Linen” signifies also truth from the Word, especially the truth of the sense of its letter (Hos. 2:5, 9).
sRef Deut@22 @11 S7′ [7] Moreover, it was a statute with the sons of Israel:
That they should not wear a garment of wool and linen mixed together (Deut. 22:11).
The reason was that “wool” signifies good and “linen” truth, also because man has communication with the societies of heaven by means of his garments; and there are societies that are in good and societies that are in truth; and man must not have communication with different societies at the same time, which would cause confusion. That this was the reason for this statute no one has heretofore known. But it has been granted me to know it from changing my garments; for when I have laid aside a linen garment those in the spiritual world who were in truths have complained that they could not be present; and when I again put on the garment the same spirits became present. That there is such correspondence with the very garments of man has not been known heretofore, and yet it can be seen from the passages cited above, namely, from what is said of the linen garments of Aaron and his sons, the linen ephod that the priests and David wore, the linen in which the angels appeared clothed, and the linen cloth with which the Lord girded Himself and wiped the disciples’ feet, also the other garments of Aaron and his sons, all of which were representative; also from the signification of garments in general, as being truths clothing good (see above, n. 64, 65, 195, 271, 395, 475, 476, 637).

(Continuation respecting the First Commandment)

[8] It is not believed in the world that the love of ruling from the mere delight of ruling, and the love of possessing goods from the mere delight of possession, and not from the delight of uses, conceal in themselves all evils, and also a contempt for and rejection of all things pertaining to heaven and the church; and for the reason that man is stirred up by the love of self and the love of the world to doing good to the church, the country, society, and the neighbor, by making good deeds honorable and looking for reward. Therefore this love is called by many the fire of life, and the incitement to great things. But it is to be known that so far as these two loves regard uses in the first place and self in the second they are good, while so far as they regard self in the first place and uses in the second they are evil, since man then does all things for the sake of self and consequently from self, and thus in every least thing he does there is self and what is his own [proprium], which regarded in itself is nothing but evil. But to regard uses in the first place and self in the second is to do good for the sake of the church, the country, society, and the neighbor; and the goods that man does to these for the sake of these are not from man but from the Lord. The difference between these two is like the difference between heaven and hell. Man does not know that there is such a difference, because from birth and thus from nature he is in these loves, and because the delight of these loves continually flatters and pleases him.
[9] But let him consider that the love of ruling from the delight of ruling, and not from the delight of uses, is wholly devilish; and such a man may be called an atheist; for so far as he is in that love he does not in his heart believe in the existence of God, and to the same extent he derides in his heart all things of the church, and even hates and pursues with hatred all who acknowledge God, and especially those who acknowledge the Lord. The very delight of their life is to do evil and to commit wicked and infamous deeds of every kind. In a word, they are very devils. This a man does not know so long as he lives in the world; but he will know that it is so when he comes into the spiritual world, as he does immediately after death. Hell is full of such, where instead of having dominion they are in servitude. Moreover, when they are looked at in the light of heaven they appear inverted, with the head downwards and the feet upwards, since they gave rule the first place and uses the second, and that which is in the first place is the head, and that which is the second is the feet; and that which is the head is loved, but that which is the feet is trampled upon.

952. And girded about the breasts with golden girdles, signifies Divine spiritual good holding truths in order and connection. This is evident from the signification of “a golden girdle,” as being what holds in order and in connection, for a girdle or belt encloses the garments and holds them together. Truths are so held in order and connection because truths are signified by “garments,” and particularly by “linen garments.” Spiritual good is meant, because the “breast” which was girt about, and the “gold” of which the girdles were made, signify that good. What has been said above, that:
The Son of man was seen in the midst of the lampstands, girt about the paps with a golden girdle (Rev. 1:3),

has a like signification, as may be seen explained above (n. 65). (That a “girdle” or “belt” signifies a common bond for holding all things in order and connection may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 9341, 9828. What “the girdle of the ephod” signifies may be seen n. 9837; and what “the belt of Aaron’s coat,” n. 9944.) “Belt (or girdle)” has the same signification elsewhere in the Word (as in Isa. 9:5; 23:10; Jer. 13:1-7).
(Continuation respecting the First Commandment.)
[2] He is deceived who supposes that he acknowledges and believes that there is a God before he abstains from the evils forbidden in the Decalogue, especially from the love of ruling from the delight in ruling, and from the love of possessing the goods of the world from the delight of possession, and not from the delight of uses. Let a man confirm himself as fully as he can, from the Word, from preachings, from books, and from the light of reason, that there is a God, and thus be persuaded that he believes, yet he does not believe unless the evils have been removed that spring from the love of self and of the world. The reason is that evils and their delights block up the way, and shut out and repel goods and their delights from heaven, and prevent their confirmation. And until heaven is confirmed there is only a faith of the lips, which in itself is no faith, and there is no faith of the heart, which is real faith. A faith of the lips is faith in externals, a faith of the heart is faith in internals; and if the internals are crowded with evils of every kind, when the externals are taken away (as they are with every man after death), man rejects from them even the faith that there is a God.

sRef Rev@15 @7 S0′ sRef Rev@15 @8 S0′ 953. Verses 7, 8. And one of the four animals gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials, full of the anger of God, who liveth unto the ages of the ages. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter into the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels should be consummated. 7. “And one of the four animals gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials, full of the anger of God, who liveth unto the ages of the ages,” signifies all the falsities of evil that have destroyed the spiritual life of the men of the church made manifest by the Lord by means of the Divine truth or the Word (n. 954). 8. “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power,” signifies the Divine truth or the Word in the natural sense in light and power from the Divine truth in the spiritual sense (n. 955); “and no one was able to enter into the temple,” signifies that it is in obscurity before the understanding (n. 956); “till the seven plagues of the seven angels should be consummated,” signifies until evils and falsities have been rejected, and those who are in them cast into hell (n. 957).

sRef Rev@15 @7 S0′ 954. Verse 7. And one of the four animals gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials, full of the anger of God, who liveth unto the ages of the ages, signifies all the falsities of evil that have destroyed the spiritual life of the men of the church made manifest by the Lord by means of the Divine truth or the Word. This is evident from the signification of “the four animals,” as being the inmost heaven (see n. 277, 322, 462), and as being the Word (n. 717), consequently the Lord as to heaven and the Word, for heaven is heaven from the Lord, and the same is true of the Word. Also from the signification of “the seven angels,” as being manifestations through the Divine truth or the Word (see above, n. 949). Also from the signification of “the seven vials,” as being all falsities and evils, for “the seven vials” have a like signification as “the seven plagues” (verse 6), namely, evils and falsities therefrom, and falsities and evils therefrom (see above, n. 949). These are said to be “full of the anger of God, who liveth unto the ages of the ages,” because these devastate the church and destroy the spiritual life of the men of the church. These are what are signified by “the anger of God.” All this makes clear that the words, “one of the four animals gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials, full of the anger of God, who liveth unto the ages of the ages,” signify all the falsities of evil that have destroyed the spiritual life of the men of the church, made manifest by the Lord by means of the Divine truth or the Word. “Vials” are mentioned instead of plagues because vials are the containants, and plagues are the contents; and in the Word the containants are frequently mentioned instead of the contents, because the containants are the ultimates, in order that the sense of the letter of the Word may be in ultimates. Likewise “cups” and “chalices” are mentioned instead of wine. (But see further on this subject in the following chapter, where the seven vials and the seven plagues therein are treated of.)

(Continuation respecting the First Commandment)

[2] So far as a man resists his own two loves, which are the love of ruling from the mere delight of ruling and the love of possessing the goods of the world from the mere delight of possession, thus so far as he shuns as sins the evils forbidden in the Decalogue, so far there flows in through heaven from the Lord, that there is a God, who is the Creator and Preserver of the universe, yea also that God is one. This then flows in for the reason that when evils have been removed heaven is opened, and when heaven is opened man no longer thinks from self but from the Lord through heaven; and that there is a God and that God is one is the universal principle in heaven which comprises all things. That from influx alone man knows, and as it were sees that God is one, is evident from the common confession of all nations, and from a repugnance to thinking that there are many gods. Man’s interior thought, which is the thought of his spirit, is either from hell or from heaven; it is from hell before evils have been removed, but from heaven, when they have been removed. When this thought is from hell man sees no otherwise than that nature is God, and that the inmost of nature is what is called the Divine. When such a man after death becomes a spirit he calls anyone a god who is especially powerful; and also himself strives for power that he may be called a god. All the evil have such madness lurking inwardly in their spirit. But when a man thinks from heaven, as he does when evils have been removed, he sees from the light in heaven that there is a God and that He is one. Seeing from light out of heaven is what is meant by influx.

sRef Rev@15 @8 S0′ 955. Verse 8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, signifies the Divine truth or the Word in the natural sense, in light and power from the Divine truth in the spiritual sense. This is evident from the signification of the “temple,” as being the Divine truth or the Word in the natural sense enlightened from the Divine truth in the spiritual sense (see above, n. 948); also from the signification of “smoke,” as being the understanding of the Word in the natural sense (of which presently); also from the signification of “the glory of God,” as being the light of heaven, which is the Divine truth in the spiritual sense (see n. 33, 288, 345, 874); also from the signification of “the power of God,” as being the Divine power; for in the natural sense of the Word there are glory and power [virtus] or light and power [potentia] from its spiritual sense, but not apart from that sense. Those are without that sense who do not regard the Word as holy, and to whom therefore the Divine truth therein is without light and power; while those who regard the Word as holy have that light and power. The reason is that such are conjoined with heaven through the spiritual sense, although they are not conscious of it. From this it is clear that the words “the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power” signify that the Word in the natural sense is in light and power from the Divine truth in the spiritual sense.
[2] “Smoke” signifies the understanding of the Word in the natural sense, because “smoke” has the same signification as “cloud;” and that “cloud” signifies the Word in the natural sense may be seen (n. 36, 504, 594, 906); also because “smoke” here has a like signification as “the smoke of the incense;” and that “the smoke of the incense” signifies the Word in the natural sense may be seen (n. 494, 539 at the end). “Smoke” has this signification because smoke is from fire, and “fire” signifies love in both senses, and “holy fire” celestial love. The same is true of the Word in the sense of the letter when it is enlightened and as it were enkindled by the spiritual sense, namely, that the truth there, as to the understanding of it, is in obscurity as if from smoke, until the falsities and evils that pour darkness over the light and cause blindness are dissipated; and this is what is meant by “no one was able to enter into the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels should be consummated.”
sRef Isa@4 @5 S3′ sRef Isa@6 @4 S3′ sRef Rev@8 @4 S3′ [3] The Divine truth in the natural sense is signified also by “smoke” in Isaiah:
Jehovah will create over every dwelling of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud by day and a smoke and the brightness of a flame of fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a covering (4:5).
In the same:
The posts of the threshold were moved at the voice of the seraphim crying, and the house was filled with smoke (Isa. 6:4).
Also by the “smoke” seen upon Mount Sinai when the law was promulgated; and elsewhere in the Word, by “the smoking of the mountains” when Jehovah comes down. Also by:
The smoking flax (Isa. 42:3);
And by the smoke of the incense-offerings ascending with the prayers of the saints (Rev. 8:4).

(Continuation respecting the First Commandment)

[4] When a man shuns and turns away from evils because they are sins, he not only sees from the light of heaven that God is and that God is one, but also that God is Man. For he wishes to see his God, and he is incapable of seeing Him otherwise than as Man. Thus did the ancients before Abraham and after him see God; thus do the nations in countries outside the church see God from an interior perception, especially those who are interiorly wise although not from knowledges; thus do all little children and youths and simple well-disposed adults see God; and thus do the inhabitants of all earths see God; for they declare that what is invisible, since it does not come into an idea, does not come into faith. The reason of this is that the man who shuns and turns away from evils as sins thinks from heaven; and the whole heaven, and everyone there, has no other idea of God than as that of Man; nor can he have any other idea, since the whole heaven is a man in the largest form, and the Divine that proceeds from the Lord is what makes heaven; consequently to think otherwise of God than according to that Divine form, which is the human form, is impossible to angels, since angelic thoughts pervade heaven. (That the whole heaven in the complex answers to one Man may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 51-86; and that the angels think according to the form of heaven, n. 200-212.)
[5] This idea of God flows in from heaven with all in the world, and has its seat in their spirit; but it seems to be rooted out with those in the church who are in intelligence from what is their own [proprium], indeed so rooted out as to be no longer a possible idea; and this for the reason that they think of God from space. But when these become spirits they think otherwise, as has been made evident to me by much experience. For in the spiritual world an indeterminate idea of God is no idea of Him; consequently the idea there is determined to someone who has his seat either on high or elsewhere, and who gives answers. From the general influx which is from the spiritual world men have received ideas of God as Man variously according to the state of perception; and for this reason the triune God is with us called Persons; and in paintings in churches God the Father is represented as Man, the Ancient of Days. It is also from a general influx that men, both living and dead, who are called saints, are adored as gods by the common people in Christian Gentilism, and their sculptured images are loved. The same is true of many nations elsewhere, of the ancient peoples in Greece, in Rome, and in Asia, who had many gods, all of whom were regarded by them as men. This has been said to make known that there is an intuition, namely, in man’s spirit, to see God as Man. That is called an intuition which is from general influx.

sRef Rev@15 @8 S0′ 956. And no one was able to enter into the temple, signifies that it is in obscurity before the understanding. This is evident from the signification of the “temple,” as being the Word (see above); therefore “not to enter the temple on account of the smoke” signifies that the Word is in obscurity before the understanding. The Word is in obscurity even so as not to be understood because in the end of the church there are no truths, and thus all things of the Word are falsified; therefore until genuine truths have been disclosed the Word is in obscurity before the understanding.

(Continuation respecting the First Commandment)

[2] As man from a general influx out of heaven sees in his spirit that God is Man, it follows that those who are of the church where the Word is, if they shun and turn away from evils as sins, see, from the light of heaven in which they then are, the Divine in the Lord’s Human, and the trine in Him, and Himself to be the God of heaven and earth. But those cannot see this who by intelligence from what is their own [proprium] have destroyed in themselves the idea of God as Man; neither do they see from the trinity that is in their thought that God is one; they call Him one with the lips only. But those who have not been purified from evils, and therefore are not in the light of heaven, do not in their spirit see the Lord to be the God of heaven and earth; but in place of the Lord some other being is acknowledged; by some of these someone whom they believe to be God the Father; by others someone whom they call God because he is especially powerful; by others some devil whom they fear because he can bring evil upon them; by others nature, as in the world; and by others no God at all. It is said “in their spirit,” because they are such after death when they become spirits; therefore what lay concealed in their spirit in the world then becomes manifest. But all who are in heaven acknowledge the Lord only, since the whole heaven is from the Divine that proceeds from Him, and relates to Him as Man; and for this reason no one can enter heaven unless he is in the Lord, for he enters into the Lord when he enters into heaven. If others enter they become impotent in mind and fall backwards.

sRef Rev@15 @8 S0′ 957. Till the seven plagues of the seven angels should be consummated, signifies until evils and falsities have been rejected, and those who are in them cast into hell. This is evident from the signification of “being consummated,” as meaning to be ended, but here to be rejected; also from the signification of “the seven plagues,” as being all the evils and falsities that have devastated the church (see above, n. 949); also from the signification of “the seven angels,” as being manifestation (see n. 949). Thus “till the seven plagues of the seven angels should be consummated” signifies until the evils and falsities that are made manifest are rejected. These words signify also until those who are in evils and falsities have been cast into hell, because they relate to the time before the Last Judgment was accomplished, and before the good had been separated from the evil, and the good had been raised up into heaven and the evil cast into hell, thus before the new heaven and new earth had been established. That “no one was able to enter into the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels should be consummated” signifies that until that time the Word was in obscurity before the understanding.
[2] But this arcanum must be more fully explained. The Divine truths that lie interiorly stored up in the Word could not be made manifest until after the Last Judgment had been accomplished; and for the reason that before that judgment the hells had prevailed, while since that judgment the heavens prevail; and man is placed in the middle between the hells and the heavens; consequently so long as the hells prevail the truth of the Word is either perverted or despised or rejected; but the reverse takes place when the heavens prevail. From all this it can be seen why Divine truths are now first disclosed and the spiritual sense of the Word revealed. This, then, is the meaning of the statement that the Word was in obscurity in regard to the understanding of it until those who were in evils and falsities had been cast into hell.

(Continuation respecting the First Commandment)

sRef Matt@28 @18 S3′ [3] The idea of God is the primary of all ideas; for such as this idea is such is man’s communication with heaven and his conjunction with the Lord, and such is his enlightenment, his affection of truth and good, his perception, intelligence, and wisdom; for these are not from man but from the Lord according to conjunction with Him. The idea of God is the idea of the Lord and His Divine, for no other is the God of heaven and the God of earth, as He Himself teaches in Matthew:
All authority has been given unto Me in heaven and on earth (28:18).
But the idea of the Lord is more or less full and more or less clear; it is full in the inmost heaven, less full in the middle, and still less full in the ultimate heaven; therefore those who are in the inmost heaven are in wisdom, those who are in the middle in intelligence, and those who are in the ultimate in knowledge. The idea is clear in the angels who are at the center of the societies of heaven; and less clear in those who are round about, according to the degrees of distance from the center.
[4] All in the heavens have places allotted them according to the fullness and clearness of their idea of the Lord, and they are in correspondent wisdom and in correspondent felicity. All those who have no idea of the Lord as Divine, like the Socinians and Arians, are under the heavens, and are unhappy. Those who have a twofold idea, namely, of an invisible God and of a visible God in a human form, also have their place under the heavens, and are not received until they acknowledge one God, and Him visible. Some in the place of a visible God see as it were something aerial, and this because God is called a spirit. If this idea is not changed with them into the idea of Man, thus of the Lord, they are not accepted. But those who have an idea of God as the inmost of nature are rejected, because they cannot help falling into the idea of nature as being God. All nations that have believed in one God, and have had an idea of Him as Man, are received by the Lord. From all this it can be seen who those are that worship God Himself and who those are that worship other gods, thus who live according to the first commandment of the Decalogue and who do not.


Revelation 16

1. And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go and pour out the vials of the anger of God into the earth.
2. And the first went forth and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there came an evil and noxious sore upon the men that had the mark of the beast and that adored his image.
3. And the second angel poured out his vial into the sea; and it became blood as of one dead; and every living soul in the sea died.
4. And the third angel poured out his vial into the rivers and into the fountains of the waters; and they became blood.
5. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, Thou art just, O Lord, who art, and who wast, and art holy, because Thou hast judged these things.
6. For they have poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
7. And I heard another out of the altar saying, Yea, O Lord God Almighty, true and just are Thy judgments.
8. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and it was given him to scorch men with fire.
9. And men were scorched with great heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who hath authority over these plagues, and they repented not to give Him glory.
10. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom became dark, and they gnawed their tongues for distress.
11. And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their distresses and their sores; and they repented not of their works.
12. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared.
13. And I saw out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.
14. For they are spirits of demons, doing signs, to go away unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them together to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15. Behold, I come as a thief; happy is he that is awake and keepeth his garments, that he may not walk naked and they see his shame.
16. And he gathered them together into a place called in Hebrew Armageddon.
17. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came forth a great voice out of the temple of heaven from the throne, saying, It is done.
18. And there were voices, and lightnings, and thunders, and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, such an earthquake, so great.
19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon came into remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the wrath of His anger.
20. And every island fled, and the mountains were not found.
21. And great hail, as of the weight of a talent, cometh down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

sRef Rev@16 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @1 S0′ 958. EXPLANATION.
Verses 1, 2. And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go and pour out the vials of the anger of God into the earth. And the first went forth and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there came a great* and noxious sore upon the men that had the mark of the beast and that adored his image. 1. “And I heard a voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels,” signifies manifestation by the Divine truth from the Word of the evils and falsities that have devastated the church (n. 959); “Go, pour out the vials of the anger of God into the earth,” signifies the state of the devastated church (n. 960). 2. “And the first went forth and poured out his vial upon the earth,” signifies manifestation of the state of the church in general (n. 961); “and there came a great* and noxious sore,” signifies evil works therein, and consequent falsifications of the Word (n. 962); “upon the men that had the mark of the beast and that adored his image,” signifies those who acknowledge faith alone and its doctrine, and who live according to it (n. 963).
* In the text at the beginning of the chapter it reads “malum et noxium,” “evil and noxious” here in the photolithograph Swedenborg first wrote “malum” but crossed this out and wrote over it “magnum” “great,” through the following explanation he wrote “magnum” where the word is quoted. The Greek word means evil. In The Apocalypse Revealed Swedenborg translates it “malum” “evil,” wherever quoted.

sRef Rev@16 @1 S0′ 959. Verse 1. And I heard a voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, signifies manifestation by the Divine truth from the Word of the evils and falsities that have devastated the church. This is evident from the signification of “a voice out of the temple,” as being the Divine truth from the Word, for a “voice” signifies the Divine truth (see above, n. 261, 668); and “the temple of the tabernacle of the Testimony,” out of which the voice came, signifies the Word in which is the Divine truth both natural and spiritual (n. 948). Also from the signification of “the seven angels,” as being manifestations (as has often been said above). And as “the seven vials” or “plagues” which they had signify the evils and falsities that have devastated the church, therefore manifestations of all the evils and falsities that have devastated the church are here signified by “the seven angels.” The manifestations of these are further treated of in the following verses.

(Continuation: The Second Commandment)

sRef John@1 @1 S2′ [2] In the preceding chapter the first commandment of the Decalogue is treated of at the end of the several articles. In the following articles in this chapter the other commandments of the Decalogue will be treated of; and here the second commandment, “Thou shalt not profane the name of God.”
In the first place, what is meant by “the name of God” shall be told, and afterwards what is meant by “profaning” it. “The name of God” means every quality by which God is worshiped. For God is in His own quality, and is His own quality. His essence is the Divine love, and His quality is the Divine truth therefrom united with the Divine good; thus with us on earth it is the Word; consequently it is said in John:
The Word was with God, and God was the Word (1:1).
Thence also, it is the doctrine of genuine truth and good from the Word; for worship is according to that.
[3] Now as His quality is manifold, for it comprises all things that are from Him, so He has many names; and each name involves and expresses His quality in general and in particular. He is called “Jehovah,” “Jehovah of Hosts,” “Lord,” “Lord Jehovih,” “God,” “Messiah or Christ,” “Jesus,” “Savior,” “Redeemer,” “Creator,” “Former,” “Maker,” “King,” and “the Holy One of Israel,” “the Rock” and “the Stone of Israel,” “Shiloh,” “Shaddai,” “David,” “Prophet,” “Son of God,” and “Son of man,” and so on. All these names are the names of the one God, who is the Lord; and yet where they occur in the Word they signify some universal Divine attribute or quality distinct from the other Divine attributes or qualities. So, too, where He is called “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” three are not meant, but one God; that is, there are not three Divines, but one, and this trine which is one is the Lord.
[4] Since each name signifies some distinct attribute or quality, “to profane the name of God” does not mean to profane the name itself but His quality. “Name” signifies quality for the reason that in heaven everyone is named according to his quality; and the quality of God or the Lord is everything that is from Him by which He is worshiped. For this reason, since no Divine quality of the Lord is acknowledged in hell, the Lord cannot be named there; and in the spiritual world His names cannot be uttered by anyone except so far as His Divine is acknowledged; for there all speak from the heart, thus from love and consequent acknowledgment.

sRef Rev@16 @1 S0′ sRef Rev@15 @6 S1′ 960. Go pour out the vials of the anger of God into the earth, signifies the state of the devastated church. This is evident from the signification of “the vials of the anger of God,” as being the evils and falsities that have devastated the church; for “the vials of the anger of God” have the like signification as “the plagues” in the preceding chapter (15:6), where it is said that “seven angels went out from the temple having seven plagues,” “plagues” there signifying the evils and falsities therefrom and the falsities and evils therefrom that have devastated the church (see above, n. 949). “The anger of God” has a similar signification, for “the anger of God” is predicated of the evils and falsities that devastate the goods and truths of the church. It is evident also from the signification of “the earth,” as being the church (see above, n. 29, 304, 417, 697, 741, 752, 876). “To pour out these vials into the earth” signifies the state of the church so produced, because the vastations of the church are attributed in the Word to God, consequently they are represented as flowing forth from heaven; and yet nothing of them comes from God, but they are solely from man. Nevertheless, it is so said in the sense of the letter of the Word because it so appears to men, and that sense being the ultimate sense consists of appearances.
sRef Jer@25 @16 S2′ sRef Jer@25 @15 S2′ sRef Jer@25 @28 S2′ [2] These are called “vials” because vials are vessels, and vessels have a similar signification as their contents, as goblets, beakers, cups, with wine or other liquor in them; and as the incense vessels and censers for the incense, and many other vessels. The reason of this is that the sense of the letter of the Word is the ultimate sense of the Divine truth, and therefore consists of the ultimate things that are in nature; for upon ultimates interior or higher things are built and founded. That vials, goblets, cups, beakers, and platters are mentioned in place of their contents, and therefore have a similar signification, is evident from the Word, where they signify falsities from hell, and drunkenness or insanity therefrom. They also signify temptations; also truths from the Lord and wisdom therefrom. That they signify falsities from hell and insanity therefrom is evident from the following passages. In Jeremiah:
Jehovah said, Take this cup of the wine of the anger of Jehovah out of My hand, and make all nations to whom I send thee to drink of it, that they may drink and stagger, and be mad because of the sword. When they refuse to take the cup out of thine hand to drink, thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of Hosts, Drinking ye shall drink (25:15, 16, 28).
“Cup of wine” here signifies the falsity that is from hell; “to drink” signifies to appropriate to oneself; “to be mad” signifies to be spiritually insane, which takes place when falsity is called truth and truth falsity. The “nations” that shall drink signify the evil, and in an abstract sense evils; for many nations that were to drink are there enumerated, and yet nations are not meant, but the evils signified by them, and evils are what drink, that is, appropriate to themselves, falsities. That “cup of wine” signifies falsity is evident also from the words, “that they may be mad because of the sword,” for “sword” signifies falsity destroying truth.
sRef Jer@51 @7 S3′ [3] In the same:
Babylon is a cup of gold in the hand of Jehovah, making the whole earth drunken; the nations have drunk of her wine, therefore the nations are mad (Jer. 51:7).
“Cup of gold” signifies falsity destroying good; “Babylon” signifies dominion over heaven and over the souls of men by means of the holy things of the church, from which dominion profane falsities flow forth; “to make the earth drunk” signifies to so infatuate the church that truth is not seen any more. “Wine” signifies that falsity.
sRef Ezek@23 @33 S4′ sRef Ezek@23 @31 S4′ sRef Ezek@23 @34 S4′ sRef Ezek@23 @32 S4′ [4] In Ezekiel:
Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister, therefore will I give her cup into thine hand. Thus saith the Lord Jehovih, Thou shalt drink of thy sister’s cup, which is deep and broad; thou shalt be for a laughing and derision; ample to contain, thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sadness, with the cup of devastation and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria, which thou shalt drink and press out; and thou shalt break in pieces the shards thereof (23:31-34).
This is said of Jerusalem, which signifies the celestial church as to doctrine; and Samaria, which is the “sister,” signifies here the spiritual church, also as to doctrine. For the Jewish nation represented the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and the Israelitish nation His spiritual kingdom. But here “Jerusalem and Samaria” signify the church devastated as to all good and truth. The full devastation of the church with the Jewish nation is described by “the sister’s cup, which is deep and broad,” and “they shall be filled with drunkenness and sadness,” and “they shall drink the cup and press it out, and break in pieces the shards thereof. “It is called “a cup of devastation and desolation,” because “devastation” is predicated of good, and “desolation” of truth.
sRef Hab@2 @16 S5′ sRef Zech@12 @2 S5′ sRef Lam@4 @21 S5′ [5] In Zechariah:
Behold I make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the peoples round about (12:2).
In Habakkuk:
Thou shalt be satiated with shame more than with glory; drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered. The cup of Jehovah shall go about unto thee, and shameful vomiting shall be upon thy glory (2:16).
“Cup” stands for falsified truth, which in itself is falsity, and of this “shameful vomiting” is predicated; therefore it is said “upon thy glory,” “glory” signifying the Divine truth in the Word. In Lamentations:
Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom; the cup shall pass through unto thee also; thou shalt be made drunken and shalt be uncovered (4:21).
Here “cup” has the same signification.
sRef Ps@11 @6 S6′ sRef Ps@75 @8 S6′ [6] In David:
Jehovah shall rain upon the wicked snares, fire, and brimstone, and a wind of tempests shall be the portion of their cup (Ps. 11:6).
In the same:
There is a cup in the hand of Jehovah, and He hath mixed it with wine. He hath filled it with mixture, and hath poured it out thence; but the dregs of it all the wicked of the earth shall suck out and drink (Ps. 75:8).
“Snares, fire, and brimstone,” signify falsities and evils leading astray, and “a wind of tempests” signifies vigorous assault upon truth. These are called “the portion of a cup,” because a “cup,” as a containant signifies these. “To mix” and “to fill with mixture” signify to falsify truth and to profane it.
[7] In all these passages the devastation of truth and good by falsities and evils is attributed to Jehovah, for it is said that “they were to take the cup of the anger of Jehovah out of His hand,” that “Jehovah hath mixed it with wine and filled it with mixture,” also it is called “a cup in the hand of Jehovah;” and yet it must be understood that nothing of devastation is from Jehovah, but everything of it is from man. It is so said because the natural man sees no otherwise than that God is angry with, punishes, condemns, and casts into hell, those who despise and blaspheme Him, in a word, who do not give glory to Him; and because to so think is natural, it is so said in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural.
sRef Rev@18 @6 S8′ sRef Rev@16 @19 S8′ [8] So in other passages in Revelation:
He that adored the beast shall drink of the wine of the anger of God, mixed with unmixed wine in the cup of His wrath (14:9, 10).
Great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath (16:19).
A woman having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and of the uncleanness of her whoredom (17:4).
Double unto her double according to her works; in the cup that she mingled mingle to her double (18:6).
This makes clear the signification of the seven “vials” of the angels, which they poured out into the earth, the sea, the rivers, the fountains of waters, upon the sun, the throne of the beast, the river Euphrates, and into the air, namely, that they mean states of devastation, which are described by these.
sRef John@18 @11 S9′ sRef Matt@26 @44 S9′ sRef Matt@20 @23 S9′ sRef Matt@20 @22 S9′ sRef Matt@26 @42 S9′ sRef Matt@26 @39 S9′ [9] That a “goblet” or “cup” signifies temptations can be seen from the following passages. In the Gospels:
Jesus said to the sons of Zebedee, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They said, We are able. Then He said unto them, My cup indeed shall ye drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with (Matt. 20:22, 23; Mark 10:38, 39).
But these passages may be seen explained above (n. 893). In the same:
Jesus said to Peter, The cup which the Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it? (John 18:11).
Jesus said in Gethsemane, If it be possible let this cup pass away from Me (Matt. 26:39, 42, 44; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42).
In these passages a “cup” or “goblet” plainly signifies temptations. So in Isaiah (51:17, 22), where it is also called “the cup of the anger of God” and “the cup of trembling.”
sRef Matt@26 @27 S10′ sRef Matt@26 @28 S10′ [10] As “cup” has a similar signification as “wine,” and “wine” in the good sense signifies the Divine truth, therefore also this is what “cup” signifies in the following passages. In the Gospels:
Jesus taking the cup and giving thanks, gave to the disciples, saying, All drink from it; for this is My blood, that of the new Testament (Matt. 26:27, 28; Mark 14:23, 24; Luke 22:17, 18).
As the Lord’s “blood,” and likewise “wine,” signify the Divine truth that proceeds from Him, consequently the “cup” also, it is said therefore “this is My blood;” and as it is by means of the Divine truth that the Lord is conjoined with the church, it is called “that of the new Testament or the new Covenant.” (That the Lord’s “blood” signifies the Divine truth may be seen n. 328, 329, 476, 748; and that “covenant” signifies conjunction, n. 701.)
sRef Ps@16 @5 S11′ sRef Ps@23 @5 S11′ [11] In David:
Jehovah is the portion of your* part and of my cup; Thou sustainest my lot (Ps. 16:5).
In the same:
Thou wilt set a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou wilt make fat my head with oil; my cup shall run over (Ps. 23:5).**
In these passages “cup” stands for the Divine truth; and as this is the signification of “cup” it is also called:
The cup of salvation (Ps. 116:13);
And the cup of consolations (Jer. 16:7).
sRef Mark@9 @41 S12′ [12] In Mark:
Whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in My name, because ye are Christ’s, he shall not lose his reward (9:41).
“To give a cup of water to drink in My name, because ye are Christ’s,” signifies to teach truth from the love of truth, thus from the Lord, likewise to do it. The love of truth for the sake of truth is meant by “giving a cup of water in the name of the Lord;” and “Christ” means the Lord as to the Divine truth.
sRef Matt@23 @26 S13′ sRef Matt@23 @25 S13′ [13] In the Gospels:
Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and the platter, but within they are full from rapine and intemperance. Cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside may become clean also (Matt. 23:25, 26; Luke 11:39).
The Lord used the terms “cup” and “platter,” because the containant has the same signification as the contents; thus the “cup” the same as “wine,” and the “platter” the same as “food.” “Wine” signifies the truth of the Word and of doctrine, and “food” the good of the Word and of doctrine. The natural man or the natural mind is inwardly purified when falsities and evils are removed, but it is not purified when they are not removed. For such as the interior is such does the exterior become, but the interior does not become such as the exterior is. For the interior flows into the exterior and disposes it to agreement with itself, but not the reverse.

(Continuation respecting the Second Commandment)

[14] Since “the name of God” means that which is from God and which is God, and this is called the Divine truth, and with us the Word, this must not be profaned, because it is in itself Divine and most holy; and it is profaned when its holiness is denied, which is done when it is despised, rejected, and treated contemptuously. When this is done heaven is closed and man is left to hell. For the Word is the only medium of conjunction of heaven with the church; therefore when the Word is cast out of the heart that conjunction is dissolved; and because man is then left to hell he no longer acknowledges any truth of the church.
[15] There are two things by which heaven is closed to the men of the church. One is the denial of the Lord’s Divine, and the other is the denial of the holiness of the Word; and for this reason that the Lord’s Divine is the all of heaven, and the Divine truth, which is the Word in the spiritual sense, is what makes heaven; which makes clear that he who denies the one or the other denies that which is the all of heaven, and from which heaven is and exists, and thus deprives himself of communication and thence of conjunction with heaven. To profane the Word is the same as “blaspheming the Holy Spirit,” which is not forgiven to anyone, consequently it is said in this commandment that he who profanes the name of God shall not be left unpunished.
* The Latin has “vestrae” “your.” The Hebrew has “my.”
** [Marginal Note:] Skins of wine.

sRef Rev@16 @2 S0′ 961. Verse 2. And the first went forth and poured out his vial upon the earth, signifies manifestation of the state of the church in general. This is evident from the signification of “pouring out the vial upon the earth,” as being manifestation of the state of the church in general, for “the seven angels” signify manifestation, and “the earth” the church, here as just above (n. 960).

sRef Rev@16 @2 S0′ 962. And there came a great* and noxious sore, signifies evil works therein and consequent falsifications of the Word. This is evident from the signification of a “sore,” as being works that are done from man, thus that are from what is his own [proprium] and that are evil (of which presently); and as “great”* is predicated of good, and in the contrary sense of evil, and “noxious” of what is falsified, therefore “a great* and noxious sore” signifies evil works, and consequent falsifications of truth. “Sores” signify works from what is one’s own [proprium], and thus evils, because from what is man’s own nothing but evil can be produced. For what is man’s own is that into which he is born, and which he afterwards carries into effect by means of his life. And as what is his own is thus from very birth composed of mere evils, man must be as it were created anew, that is, regenerated, that he may be in good and thus be received into heaven. When he is being regenerated the evils that are from his own are removed, and goods are implanted in their place, and this is effected by means of truths. That evil works and falsifications of truths are with those who acknowledge faith alone in doctrine, and confirm it in life is meant by what follows, namely, that “a great* and noxious sore is on the men who have the mark of the beast and who adore his image.”
sRef Isa@1 @6 S2′ sRef Isa@1 @7 S2′ [2] That “sores” signify works that are from one’s own can be seen from the Word where sores and wounds, also diseases of various kinds, as leprosies, fevers, ulcers, emerods, and many others, are mentioned. All of these correspond to the cupidities that arise from evil loves, and thus signify them. Moreover, what sores or wounds signify can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; wound, and bruise, and the fresh blow, they have not been pressed out nor bound up nor softened with oil. Your land is a solitude, your cities are burned with fire (1:6, 7).
This describes that there is no good and consequently no truth in the church, but evil and falsity therefrom. “From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness” signifies that both natural and spiritual things which are the interiors of man and of his will have been destroyed. “Wound and bruise and fresh blow” signify the evils of the will, and the falsities of the thought therefrom continually increasing. Evils of the will are also evil works. “Not bound up nor softened with oil” signifies not amended by repentance and tempered by good. “Your land is a solitude, your cities are burned with fire” signifies that the church has been devastated as to all truth, and its doctrinals have been destroyed by a life according to the cupidities that spring from an evil love.
sRef Hos@5 @13 S3′ [3] In Hosea:
Ephraim saw his disease, and Judah his wound; and Ephraim went to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb, and he was not able to heal you, neither shall he cure you of your wound (5:13).
“Ephraim” signifies the church as to the understanding of truth, here as to the understanding of falsity; and “Judah” signifies the will of good, but here the will of evil; the “Assyrian” and “king Jareb” signify the rational perverted as to good and truth. This makes clear the signification of these words in the series, namely, that man is unable from self-intelligence to amend the falsities that spring from the evils of the will, “wound” meaning the evil of the will, which also is the evil of the life.
sRef Ps@38 @4 S4′ sRef Ps@38 @5 S4′ [4] In David:
Mine iniquities have passed over my head. My wounds have putrefied, they have wasted away because of my foolishness (Ps. 38:4, 5).
Here, too, “wounds” stand for evils of the will, which are evil works, these are said “to putrefy and to waste away because of foolishness” when it is the delight of the will and of the thought therefrom to do them.
sRef Isa@30 @26 S5′ [5] In Isaiah:
In the day that Jehovah shall bind up the breach of His people, and shall heal the wound of their blow (30:26).
“The breach of the people” signifies the falsity of doctrine; and “the wound of their blow” the evil of life; the reformation of doctrine by means of truths is signified by “Jehovah shall bind up the breach of His people;” and reformation of the life by means of truths is signified by “He shall heal the wound of their blow.”
sRef Luke@16 @20 S6′ sRef Luke@16 @21 S6′ sRef Luke@10 @33 S6′ sRef Luke@10 @34 S6′ [6] In Luke:
The Samaritan bound up the wounds of the man disabled by robbers, and poured into them oil and wine (10:33, 34).
This signifies that by means of truths from good, those who are in the good of charity will to amend the evils that spring from falsities; “robbers” mean those who have infused falsities from which come evils, in particular the Jews; “wounds” mean those evils; “oil” means the good of love; and “wine” the truth of the Word and of doctrine. (But this may be seen explained above, n. 376, 444.)
[7] In Luke:
Lazarus, full of sores, who was cast forth at the vestibule of the rich man (16:20, 21),
signifies the nations that were in falsities from ignorance of truth, and thus were not in goods. From this he is said to have been “fall of sores;” “the rich man” at whose vestibule he was cast forth means the Jewish nation, which could have been in the truths from the Word that it possessed.
sRef Ex@9 @9 S8′ sRef Ex@9 @11 S8′ sRef Ex@9 @10 S8′ sRef Ex@9 @8 S8′ [8] That “a boil breaking forth” was one of the plagues in Egypt is evident in Moses:
Jehovah said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses scatter it towards heaven before the eyes of Pharaoh; and it shall become dust upon all the land of Egypt. And they took ashes of the furnace, and Moses scattered it towards heaven, and it became a boil of pustules breaking forth on man and beast; and the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boil, because the boil was upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians (Exod. 9:8-11).
“Pharaoh and the Egyptians” signify the natural man obsessed by evils and falsities of every kind, and the natural man’s striving after dominion over the spiritual; the spiritual man is here signified by the sons of Israel. The miracles in Egypt, which were so many plagues, also called diseases, signify so many evils and falsities infesting, devastating, and destroying the church which is with spiritual men. “The ashes of the furnace” which Moses scattered towards heaven signify the falsities of lusts that are stirred up; “the dust in the land of Egypt” signifies damnation; “the boil breaking forth in pustules” signifies the filthy things of the will with blasphemies. (But this may be seen explained in detail in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 7516-7532.)
sRef Deut@28 @34 S9′ sRef Deut@28 @27 S9′ sRef Deut@28 @36 S9′ sRef Deut@28 @35 S9′ [9] So, too, these words in Moses have a like signification:
Jehovah shall smite thee with the boil of Egypt and with emerods, and with scab and the itch, so that thou canst not be healed, with which thou shalt become mad from the sight of their eyes. Jehovah shall smite thee with an evil boil upon the knees and upon the thighs, of which thou canst not be healed (Deut. 28:27, 34-36).
The plagues here mentioned signify evils and falsities of various kinds arising from the filthy loves of the natural man, for they correspond thereto. For sores and wounds exist from injury to flesh and blood, and evils and falsities from injury to the Divine good and the Divine truth; and flesh corresponds to good, and thus signifies it in the Word, and blood to truth, and thus signifies it.
[10] As “leprosy” signifies the profanation of truth, and the profanation of truth is various, is light or grievous, interior or exterior, and is according to the quality of the truth profaned, so too its effects are various, and these are signified by the appearances in leprosy, which were:
Tumors, suppurating tumors, white pustules, reddenings, abscesses, burnings, tetter, scall (Lev. 13:1 to the end). The Jewish nation was afflicted with such things from correspondence because of their profanations of the Word, not only in their flesh, but also in their garments, houses, and vessels.
(Continuation respecting the Second Commandment)
[11] As the Divine truth or the Word is meant by “the name of God,” and the profanation of it means a denial of its holiness, and thus contempt, rejection, and blasphemy, it follows that the name of God is interiorly profaned by a life contrary to the commandments of the Decalogue. For there is profanation that is interior and not exterior, and there is profanation that is interior and at the same time exterior, and there can be also a kind of profanation that is exterior and not at the same time interior. Interior profanation is produced by the life, exterior by the speech. Interior profanation, which is produced by the life, becomes exterior also, or of the speech, after death. For then everyone thinks and wills, and so far as it can be permitted, speaks and acts, according to his life; thus not as he did in the world. In the world, for the world’s sake and to gain reputation, man is wont to speak and act otherwise than as he thinks and wills from his life. This is why it has been said that there is profanation that is interior and not at the same time exterior. There can also be a kind of profanation that is exterior and not at the same time interior. It can come from the style of the Word, which is not at all the style of the world, and for this reason it may be to some extent despised from ignorance of its interior sanctity.
* In the text at the beginning of the chapter it reads “malum et noxium,” “evil and noxious” here in the photolithograph Swedenborg first wrote “malum” but crossed this out and wrote over it “magnum” “great,” through the following explanation he wrote “magnum” where the word is quoted. The Greek word means evil. In The Apocalypse Revealed Swedenborg translates it “malum” “evil,” wherever quoted.

sRef Rev@16 @2 S0′ 963. Upon the men that had the mark of the beast and that adored his image, signifies those who acknowledge faith alone and its doctrine, and who live according to it. This is evident from the signification of “the beast,” as being those who are in faith alone, or in faith separated from goods of life, and who confirm this by reasonings from the natural man (see in the preceding thirteenth chapter, from beginning to end). It is evident also from the signification of its “mark,” as being acknowledgment, reception, and attestation thereof (see above, n. 838, 886). Also from the signification of its “image,” as being doctrine, and of “adoring” it, as being to acknowledge it in heart and life (see n. 827, 833). That to such belong evil works and falsifications of the Word has been shown in the chapters that treat of the dragon and of the two beasts of the dragon, and is clearly evident from this, that such exclude good works from saving or justifying faith, teaching that faith justifies and saves without these, and as they are unnecessary they are omitted. It is from an eternal statute or from the Divine order that where there are not good works there are evil works; therefore these evil works are what are signified by “the great* and noxious sore in the earth,” that is, in the church, with those who are in faith alone both in doctrine and in life.

(Continuation respecting the Second Commandment)

[2] He who abstains from profaning the name of God, that is, the holiness of the Word, by contempt, rejection, or any blasphemy, has religion; and such as his abstinence is such is his religion. For no one has religion except from revelation, and with us revelation is the Word. Abstinence from profaning the holiness of the Word must be from the heart, and not merely from the mouth. Those who abstain from the heart live from religion; but those who abstain merely from the mouth do not live from religion, for they abstain either for the sake of self or for the sake of the world, in that the Word can be made to serve them as a means of acquiring honor and gain; or they abstain from some fear. But of these many are hypocrites who have no religion.
* In the text at the beginning of the chapter it reads “malum et noxium,” “evil and noxious” here in the photolithograph Swedenborg first wrote “malum” but crossed this out and wrote over it “magnum” “great,” through the following explanation he wrote “magnum” where the word is quoted. The Greek word means evil. In The Apocalypse Revealed Swedenborg translates it “malum” “evil,” wherever quoted.

sRef Rev@16 @3 S0′ 964. Verse 3. And the second angel poured out his vial into the sea; and it became blood as of one dead; and every living soul in the sea died. 3. “And the second angel poured out his vial into the sea,” signifies the state of the church manifested as to the knowledges of truth in the natural man (n. 965); “and it became blood as of one dead,” signifies that these have all been falsified (n. 966); “and every living soul in the sea died,” signified that there is no longer anything from the spiritual man in the natural man from the Word (n. 967).

sRef Rev@16 @3 S0′ 965. Verse 3. And the second angel poured out his vial into the sea, signifies the state of the church manifested as to the knowledges of truth in the natural man. This is evident from the signification of “the angel pouring out the vial,” as being the state of the church manifested (see above, n. 960, 961); also from the signification of the “sea,” as being the generals of truth in the natural man (see n. 275, 342, 511, 876, 931, 934), here from the Word, the generals of truth from which are knowledges; therefore the “sea” signifies the natural man as to the knowledges of truth from the Word, also the knowledges of good therefrom, for the knowledges of good are also the knowledges of truth; for it is a truth to know that a thing is good, and that it is such a good; also to see by the understanding various goods and their differences, and their opposites which are called evils; these so far as they are knowledges are truths; nor are these essentially goods until they are felt as delightful or not delightful, that is, when they are perceived by some sense or from some love.

(Continuation: The Third Commandment)

sRef John@6 @29 S2′ sRef Ex@20 @8 S2′ sRef Ex@20 @9 S2′ sRef Ex@20 @11 S2′ sRef Ex@20 @10 S2′ sRef John@15 @5 S2′ sRef John@6 @28 S2′ [2] Now follows the third commandment, which is, to keep the sabbath holy.
The third and fourth commandments of the Decalogue contain things that must be done, namely, that the sabbath must be kept holy, and that parents must be honored. The other commandments contain things that are not to be done, namely, that other gods must not be worshiped; that the name of God must not be profaned; that one must not steal, must not commit adultery, must not bear false witness, must not covet the goods of others. These two commandments are commandments to be done, because the sanctification of the rest of the commandments depends upon these, for the “sabbath” signifies the union in the Lord of the Divine Itself and the Divine Human, also His conjunction with heaven and the church, and thus the marriage of good and truth with the man who is being regenerated. This being the signification of the sabbath, it was the chief representative of all things of worship in the Israelitish Church, as is evident in Jeremiah (17:20-27), and elsewhere. It was the chief representative of all things of worship, because the first thing in all things of worship is the acknowledgment of the Divine in the Lord’s Human, for without that acknowledgment man can believe and do only from self, and to believe from self is to believe falsities, and to do from self is to do evils, as is also evident from the Lord’s words in John:
To those asking, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus said, This is the work of God, that ye believe in Him whom God hath sent (6:28, 29).
And in the same:
He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).
[3] That the sabbath represented that union and the holy acknowledgment of it, has been shown in many places in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that the “sabbath” signified in the highest sense the union of the Divine Itself and the Divine Human in the Lord, in the internal sense the conjunction of the Lord’s Human with heaven and with the church, in general the conjunction of good and truth, thus the heavenly marriage (n. 8495, 10356, 10730). Therefore the rest on the sabbath day signified the state of that union, because the Lord then has rest; also through that union there is peace and salvation in the heavens and on the earth. In a relative sense it signified the conjunction of man with the Lord, because man then has peace and salvation (n. 8494, 8510, 10360, 10367, 10370, 10374, 10668, 10730). The six days preceding the sabbath signified the labors and combats that precede union and conjunction (n. 8510, 8888, 9431, 10360, 10667).
[4] The man who is being regenerated is in two states, the first when he is in truths and by means of truths is being led to good and into good, the other when he is in good. When man is in the first state he is in combats or temptations; but when he is in the second state he is in the tranquility of peace. The former state is signified by the six days of labor that precede the sabbath; and the latter state is signified by the rest on the sabbath day (n. 9274, 9431, 10360). The Lord also was in two states; the first when He was Divine truth and from it fought against the hells and subjugated them, the other when He was made Divine good by union with the very Divine in Himself. The former state was signified in the highest sense by the six days of labor, and the latter by the sabbath (n. 10360). Because such things were represented by the sabbath it was the chief representative of worship, and the holiest of all (n. 10357, 10372). “To do work on the sabbath day” signified to be led not by the Lord but by self, thus to be disjoined (n. 7893, 8495, 10360, 10362, 10365). The sabbath day is not now representative, but is a day of instruction (n. 10360 at the end).

sRef Rev@16 @3 S0′ sRef Matt@23 @9 S0′ 966. And it became blood as of one dead, signifies that these have all been falsified. This is evident from the signification of “blood,” as being the Divine truth, and in the contrary sense Divine truth falsified (see n. 30, 328, 329, 476, 748); so here that all knowledges of truth from the Word have been falsified. Knowledges of truth from the Word are the truths of the sense of its letter, that is, the truths in the Word that are for the natural man, and these, too, are Divine truths. These wholly falsified are signified by the words, “the sea became blood as of one dead.” The Divine truths of the sense of the letter of the Word are said to be falsified when they are perverted even to the destruction of interior Divine truth, that is, Divine truth in the heavens. In the heavens they then appear with man as the blood of one dead. It has been frequently shown above that those who separate faith from the goods of life falsify the Word; and it is of such that these things are said, as is evident from the second verse of this chapter.

(Continuation: The Fourth Commandment)

sRef Ex@20 @12 S2′ [2] The fourth commandment of the Decalogue is that parents must be honored.
This commandment was given because honor to parents represented and thus signified love to the Lord and love towards the church, for “father” in the heavenly sense, that is, the Heavenly Father, is the Lord; and “mother” in the heavenly sense, that is, the heavenly mother, is the church; “honor” signifies the good of love; and “length of days,” which they will have, signifies the happiness of eternal life. So is this commandment understood in heaven, where no other father but the Lord is known, and no other mother but the kingdom of the Lord, which is also the church. For the Lord gives life from Himself, and through the church He gives nourishment. That in the heavenly sense no father in the world can be meant, and indeed, when man is in a heavenly idea, can be mentioned, the Lord teaches in Matthew:
Call no man your father on earth; for one is your Father who is in the heavens (23:9).
That “Father” signifies the Lord as to the Divine good may be seen above (n. 32, 200, 254, 297). That “mother” signifies the Lord’s kingdom, the church, and the Divine truth, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 289, 2691, 2717, 3703, 5581, 8897). That “length of days” signifies the happiness of eternal life (n. 8898); and that “honor” signifies the good of love (n. 8897, and above, n. 288, 345). All this makes clear that the third and fourth commandments involve arcana relating to the Lord, namely, the acknowledgment and confession of His Divine, and the worship of Him from the good of love.

sRef Rev@16 @3 S0′ 967. And every living soul in the sea died, signifies that there was no longer anything from the Word from the spiritual man in the natural man. This is evident from the signification of “living soul in the sea,” as being what has in itself spiritual life (of which presently); also from the signification of “sea,” as being the generals of truth in the natural man, and thus also the knowledges of truth from the Word (of which just above, n. 965). When these have no life from the spiritual world or from heaven they are called dead. “Living soul in the sea” means fishes of various kinds, and these signify knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man (see above, n. 531); they also signify the knowledges of truth from the Word with natural men, for with natural men the knowledges [cognitiones] of truth from the Word do not differ from the knowledges [scientifica] of the world, and for the reason that with such these knowledges have in them no life from the spiritual, and unless the spiritual flows in out of heaven into the knowledges from the Word they are not living but dead.
[2] Knowledges of truth from the Word are not living with man until the internal spiritual man has been opened; and this is opened by the Lord while man is being regenerated; and then through the opened spiritual man the spiritual out of heaven flows into the knowledges of truth and good that are from the Word in the natural man and vivifies them. It vivifies them in such a way that the knowledges of truth and good in the natural man become correspondences of the spiritual things that are in the internal spiritual man; and when they are correspondences they are living, for then the spiritual is enclosed in the particular knowledges or truths as the soul is in its body. For this reason man after death comes into these spiritual things, and the knowledges to which they corresponded serve them for a basis. But it is otherwise with those in whom the knowledges from the Word have not been vivified. The spiritual that flows into the knowledges out of heaven is the affection of truth, the affection of good, and the affection of bearing fruit; for it is spiritual heat which is the love or the affection of good, and spiritual light which is the affection of truth. These are the spiritual things that flow in and vivify the knowledges of truth from the Word with those who are in the life of charity and in faith therefrom. But these same knowledges with those who are in faith separated from a life of charity are dead. This, therefore, is what is signified by the words “every living soul in the sea died.”

(Continuation: The Fifth Commandment)

sRef Ex@20 @15 S3′ [3] The fifth commandment is, “Thou shalt not steal.” By “thefts” are meant thefts that are manifest and those not manifest, such as unlawful usury and gains, which are effected by fraud and craft under various pretenses to make them appear lawful, or so done clandestinely as not to appear at all. Such gains are commonly made by higher and lower managers of the goods of others, by merchants, also by judges who sell judgments and thus make justice purchasable. These and many other things are thefts that must be abstained from and shunned, and finally renounced as sins against God, because they are against the Divine laws that are in the Word and against this law, which is one among the fundamental laws of all religions in the whole globe. For these ten commandments are universals, given to the end that in living from these a man may live from religion, since by a life from religion man is conjoined with heaven, while a life according to these from obedience to civil and moral law conjoins man with the world and not with heaven, and to be conjoined with the world and not with heaven is to be conjoined with hell.
* This order of the commandments reverses their usual order against killing and stealing. This order is found in the Septuagint. Elsewhere in treating of the Decalogue (in Arcana Coelestia, Doctrine of Life, and True Christian Religion) the traditional order is followed.

sRef Rev@16 @7 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @6 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @5 S0′ 968. Verses 4-7. And the third angel poured out his vial into the rivers and into the fountains of the waters, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, Thou art just, O Lord, who art and who wast, and art holy, because Thou hast judged these things. For they have poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar saying, Yea, O Lord God Almighty, true and just are Thy judgments. 4. “And the third angel poured out his vial into the rivers and into the fountains of the waters,” signifies the state of the church manifested as to the faculty of understanding the truths of the Word (n. 969); “and they became blood,” signifies that it was destroyed by falsifications (n. 970). 5. “And I heard the angel of the waters saying,” signifies preaching of the Lord’s justice from His spiritual kingdom (n. 971); “Thou art just, O Lord, who art and who wast,” signifies the Lord as to the Divine good from eternity (n. 972); “and art holy,” signifies as to the Divine truth (n. 973); “because Thou hast judged these things,” signifies by whom it was foreseen that these things would take place, and was provided that the heavens, which are in Divine good and in Divine truth, might not suffer harm (n. 974). 6. “For they have poured out the blood of saints and prophets,” signifies because they have falsified the truths of the Word and of doctrine from the Word (n. 975); “and Thou hast given them blood to drink,” signifies that consequently such are in the falsities of evil (n. 976); “for they are worthy,” signifies that it is done to them as they do (n. 977). 7. “And I heard another out of the altar saying,” signifies the preaching of the Lord’s justice from His celestial kingdom (n. 978); “Yea, O Lord God Almighty, true and just are Thy judgments,” signifies that this is done because all things are and live and have power from the Divine good and the Divine truth (n. 979).

sRef Ex@20 @15 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @4 S0′ 969. Verse 4. And the third angel poured out his vial into the rivers and into the fountains of waters, signifies the state of the church manifested as to the faculty of understanding the truths of the Word. This is evident from the signification of “the angel pouring out the vial,” as being the state of the church manifested (see above, n. 960, 961, 965); also from the signification of “rivers,” as being such things as belong to intelligence, and thus to the faculty of understanding (see n. 518); also from the signification of “fountains of waters,” as being the truths of the Word (see n. 483). From this it is clear that “the third angel poured out his vial into the rivers and into the fountains of waters” signifies the state of the church manifested as to the faculty of understanding the truths of the Word.

(Continuation respecting the Fifth Commandment)

[2] Man is so created as to be an image of heaven and an image of the world, for he is a microcosm. He is born of his parents an image of the world, and he is born again to be an image of heaven. To be born again is to be regenerated; and man is regenerated by the Lord by means of truths from the Word and a life according to them. Man is an image of the world as to his natural mind, and he is an image of heaven as to his spiritual mind. The natural mind, which is the world, is beneath; and the spiritual mind, which is heaven, is above. The natural mind is full of all kinds of evils, such as thefts, adulteries, murders, false witnesses, covetousnesses, and even blasphemies and profanations of God. These evils and many others have their seat in that mind, for the loves of them are there, and thus the delights of thinking, willing, and doing them. These things are innate in that mind from parents, for man is born and grows up into the things that are in that mind, and is restrained only by the bonds of civil law and by the bonds of moral life from doing them, and from thus manifesting the tendencies of his depraved will. Who cannot see that the Lord cannot flow in out of heaven with man and teach him and lead him before these evils have been removed? For they obstruct, repel, pervert, and suffocate the truths and goods of heaven, which present themselves from above, press down and strive to flow in. For evils are infernal and goods are heavenly, and everything infernal burns with hatred against everything heavenly.
[3] This makes clear that before the Lord can flow in with heaven out of heaven and form man to the image of heaven, those evils that lie heaped up in the natural mind must needs be removed. Moreover, as the removal of evils must come first before man can be taught and led by the Lord, the reason is evident why in eight commandments of the Decalogue the evil works that must not be done are recounted, but not the goods that must be done. Good does not exist together with evil, nor does it exist before evils have been removed; for until then there is no way possible from heaven into man. Man is like a dark sea, the waters of which must be removed on either side before the Lord in a cloud and in fire can give a passage to the sons of Israel. The “dark sea” signifies hell, “Pharaoh with the Egyptians” the natural man, and “the sons of Israel” the spiritual man.

sRef Ex@20 @15 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @4 S0′ 970. And they became blood, signifies that it was destroyed by falsifications. This is evident from the signification of “blood,” as being truth falsified (see above, n. 966); therefore that “the rivers and fountains became blood” signifies that the faculty of understanding the truths of the Word was destroyed by falsifications. Every man has the faculty of understanding truths, for it is this faculty by which man is distinguished from beasts; and this remains with every man, even with the evil, since it is the spiritual part of man and the most essential means of his regeneration. For man is regenerated by the Lord by means of truths, and if he were not able to understand truths he could not receive them and thus be reformed; for to receive what he is not able to understand does not profit. That this is so has been proved by experience in the spiritual world. There was a discussion among the spirits whether everyone has the faculty of understanding truths; and an infernal spirit was taken as a witness whether he could understand the truths of heaven, and it was found that he understood them when he heard them just as well as a good spirit, and yet that he was not willing to understand them, for he turned away from them because they were opposed to the evils and the falsities therefrom that were delightful to him. And it was said that man through that faculty has conjunction with the Lord, since that faculty is proper to man. That faculty is said to have been destroyed by falsifications, because those who have falsified the Word are not willing to understand truths themselves; and those who are not willing are as it were not able, although they would be able if they were willing. For the mind of such rejects truths, and like one deaf does not hear them so long as it clings to things opposite. But when these opposite things are removed it is as if the ears of the deaf were opened. All this has been said to make known what is meant by the destruction of the faculty of understanding the truths of the Word by falsifications.

(Continuation respecting the Fifth Commandment)

[2] It has been said above that communication with heaven is not given before the evils and the falsities therefrom with which the natural mind is stopped up have been removed; for these are like black clouds between the sun and the eye, or like a wall between the light of heaven and the dim light of a candle in a chamber. For so long as a man is in the dim light of the natural man only he is like one shut up in a chamber where he sees by a candle. But as soon as the natural man has been purified from evils and falsities therefrom he is as if he saw through windows in the wall the things of heaven from the light of heaven. For as soon as evils have been removed, the higher mind, which is called the spiritual mind, is opened, and this, viewed in itself, is a type or image of heaven. Through this mind the Lord flows in and enables man to see from the light of heaven, and through this He also reforms and at length regenerates the natural man, and implants in it truths in the place of falsities and goods in the place of evils. This the Lord does through spiritual love, which is the love of truth and good. Man is then placed in the midst between two loves, between the love of evil and the love of good; and when the love of evil recedes the love of good takes its place. It is solely through the life according to the commandments of the Decalogue, that is, through refraining from the evils there enumerated because they are sins, and finally shunning them as infernal, that the love of evil recedes.
[3] In a word, so long as man does not refrain from evils because they are sins the spiritual mind is shut; but as soon as he refrains from evils because they are sins the spiritual mind is opened, and with that mind heaven also. And when heaven is opened man comes into another light as to all things of the church, heaven, and eternal life; although so long as man lives in this world the difference between this and the former light is scarcely noticeable, and for the reason that in the world man thinks naturally even about spiritual things, and until he passes from the natural into the spiritual world spiritual things are enclosed in natural ideas; but in the spiritual world spiritual things are disclosed, perceived, and made evident.

sRef Ex@20 @15 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @5 S0′ 971. Verse 5. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, signifies preaching of the Lord’s justice from His spiritual kingdom. This is evident from the signification of “the angel of the waters,” as being the Lord’s spiritual kingdom; for “angel” signifies in the Word something pertaining to the Lord, also a heavenly society, also heaven; here “the angel of the waters” signifies the heavens of which the Lord’s spiritual kingdom consists, for “waters” signify truths, thus things spiritual, since the Divine truth in the heavens is called spiritual, while the Divine good is called celestial. All the heavens are divided into two kingdoms, one called the spiritual kingdom, the other the celestial kingdom. The spiritual kingdom consists of the heavens and the angels there that are in the Divine truth, and those heavens are in the southern and northern quarters. The celestial kingdom consists of the heavens and the angels there that are in the Divine good, and these heavens are in the eastern and western quarters. Therefore the spiritual kingdom, which consists of the heavens and the angels there, that are in the Divine truth, is meant by “the angel of the waters;” while the celestial kingdom, which consists of the heavens and the angels there that are in the Divine good, is meant by “the angel from the altar” (described in the seventh verse of this chapter), since the “altar” signifies the Divine good. That “the angel of the waters” preached the Lord’s justice is evident from the things said by that angel that now follow.

(Continuation respecting the Fifth Commandment)

[2] So far as man refrains from evils and shuns and turns away from them as sins, good flows in from the Lord. The good that flows in is the affection of knowing and understanding truths, and the affection of willing and doing goods. But man cannot refrain from evils by shunning and turning away from them of himself, for he himself is in evils from his birth, and thus from nature; and evils cannot of themselves shun evils, for this would be a like a man’s shunning his own nature, which is impossible; consequently it must be the Lord, who is the Divine good and the Divine truth, who causes man to shun them. Nevertheless, man ought to shun evils as if of himself, for what a man does as if of himself becomes his and is appropriated to him as his own; while what he does not do as if of himself in no wise becomes his or is appropriated to him. What comes from the Lord to man must be received by man; and it cannot be received unless he is conscious of it, that is, as if of himself. This reciprocation is a necessity to reformation. This is why the ten commandments were given, and why it is commanded in them that man shall not worship other gods, shall not profane the name of God, shall not steal, shall not commit adultery, shall not kill, shall not covet the house, wife, or servants of others, thus that man shall refrain from doing these things by thinking, when the love of evil allures and incites, that they must not be done because they are sins against God, and in themselves are infernal. So far, therefore, as a man shuns these evils so far the love of truth and good enters from the Lord; and this love causes man to shun these evils, and at length to turn away from them as sins. And as the love of truth and good puts these evils to flight, it follows that man shuns them not from himself but from the Lord, since the love of truth and good is from the Lord. If a man shuns evils merely from a fear of hell they are withdrawn; but goods do not take their place; for as soon as the fear departs the evils return.
[3] To man alone is it granted to think as if of himself about good and evil, that is, that good must be loved and done because it is Divine and remains to eternity, and that evil must be hated and not done because it is devilish and remains to eternity. To think thus is not granted to any beast. A beast can do good and shun evil, yet not of itself, but either from instinct or habit or fear, and never from the thought that such a thing is a good or an evil, thus not of itself. Consequently one who would have it believed that man shuns evils or does goods not as if of himself but from an imperceptible influx, or from the imputation of the Lord’s merit, would also have it believed that man lives like a beast without thought of, or perception of, or the affection of truth and good. That this is so has been made clear to me from manifold experience in the spiritual world. Every man after death is there prepared either for heaven or for hell. From the man who is prepared for heaven evils are removed, and from the man who is prepared for hell goods are removed; and all such removals are effected as if by them. Likewise those who do evils are driven by punishments to reject them as if of themselves; but if they do not reject them as if of themselves the punishments are of no avail. By this it was made clear that those who hang down their hands, waiting for influx, or for the imputation of the Lord’s merit, continue in the state of their evil, and hang down their hands forever.
[4] To shun evils as sins is to shun the infernal societies that are in them, and man cannot shun these unless he repels them and turns away from them; and a man cannot turn away from them with repulsion unless he loves good and from that love does not will evil. For a man must either will evil or will good; and so far as he wills good he does not will evil; and it is granted him to will good when he makes the commandments of the Decalogue to be of his religion, and lives according to them.
[5] Since man must refrain from evils as sins as if of himself, these ten commandments were inscribed by the Lord on two tables, and these were called a covenant; and this covenant was entered into in the same way as it is usual to enter into covenants between two, that is, one proposes and the other accepts, and the one who accepts consents. If he does not consent the covenant is not established. To consent to this covenant is to think, will, and do as if of oneself. Man’s thinking to shun evil and to do good as if of himself is done not by man, but by the Lord. This is done by the Lord for the sake of reciprocation and consequent conjunction; for the Lord’s Divine love is such that it wills that what is its own shall be man’s, and as these things cannot be man’s, because they are Divine, it makes them to be as if they were man’s. In this way reciprocal conjunction is effected, that is, that man is in the Lord and the Lord in man, according to the words of the Lord Himself in John (14:20); for this would not be possible if there were not in the conjunction something belonging as it were to man. What man does as if of himself he does as if of his will, of his affection, of his freedom, consequently of his life. Unless these were present on man’s part, as if they were his there could be no receptivity, because nothing reactive, thus no covenant and no conjunction; in fact, no ground whatever for the imputation that man had done evil or good or had believed truth or falsity, thus that there is from merit a hell for anyone because of evil works, or from grace a heaven for anyone because of good works.

sRef Rev@16 @5 S0′ sRef Ex@20 @15 S0′ 972. Just art thou, O Lord who art and who wast, signifies the Lord as to the Divine good from eternity. This is evident from the signification of “just,” as being in relation to the Lord the Divine good, for “just” is predicated in the Word of good, and “holy” of truth (see above, n. 204); also from the signification of “who art and who wast,” as being the infinite and the eternal, for “art and wast” means the same as “Jehovah,” and the Lord is called Jehovah in the Word from the Divine good, and God from the Divine truth; moreover, to be [esse] in reference to the Lord means to be from Himself, that is, in Himself, and to exist [existere] means in reference to the Lord to exist from Himself and in Himself. And in a relative sense to exist [existere] is to be [esse] in all things of heaven and the church; and this is effected by the Divine truth. This to be [esse] is what is meant by the eternal; for in heaven (otherwise than in the world) eternal, as applied to the Lord is without any idea of time; for in the angelic idea eternal means a state of the Divine existence, which nevertheless makes one with the Divine essence, which is Jehovah. The infinite in relation to being [esse] is signified by “who art” in Jehovah; and the infinite in relation to existence [existere] is signified by “who was” in Jehovah. The infinite existence [existere], which is also the eternal, is the Divine proceeding, from which is heaven and everything of it. The Divine existence [existere] is also the Divine being [esse] but it is called existence [existere] in relation to heaven, where it is the all in all.

(Continuation respecting the Fifth Commandment)

[2] He who refrains from thefts, understood in a broad sense, and even shuns them from any other cause than religion and for the sake of eternal life, is not cleansed of them; for in no other way can he open heaven. For it is through heaven that the Lord removes evils with man, as through heaven He removes the hells. For example, there are higher and lower managers of property, merchants, judges, officers of every kind, and workmen, who refrain from thefts, that is, from unlawful modes of gain and usury, and who shun these, but only to secure reputation and thus honor or gain, because of civil and moral laws, in a word, from some natural love or natural fear, thus from merely external constraints, and not from religion; but the interiors of such are full of thefts and robberies, and these burst forth when external constraints are removed from them, as takes place with everyone after death. Their sincerity and rectitude is nothing but a mask, a disguise, and a deceit.

sRef Rev@16 @5 S0′ sRef Ex@20 @15 S0′ 973. And art holy, signifies and in relation to the Divine truth. This is evident from the signification of “holy,” as being the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; for this in the Word is meant by “holy,” also by “the Holy Spirit,” which is therefore called “the Spirit of Truth.” (That in the Word “holy” is predicated of truth, and “just” of good, may be seen n. 204; and that the Lord alone is holy, because He is the Divine truth itself, n. 204, 285, 328.)

(Continuation respecting the Fifth Commandment)

[2] So far then as the various kinds and species of thefts are removed, and the more they are removed, so far the kinds and species of good to which they by opposition correspond enter and occupy their place; and these have reference in general to what is sincere, right and just. For when a man shuns and turns away from unlawful gains through fraud and craft he so far wills what is sincere, right, and just, and at length begins to love what is sincere because it is sincere, what is right because it is right, and what is just because it is just. He begins to love these things because they are from the Lord, and the love of the Lord is in them. For to love the Lord is not to love the Person, but to love the things that proceed from the Lord, for these are the Lord with man; thus it is to love sincerity itself, right itself, and justice itself. And as these are the Lord, so far as a man loves these, and thus acts from them, so far he acts from the Lord and so far the Lord removes insincerity and injustice as to the very intentions and volitions in which they have their roots, and always with less resistance and struggle, and therefore with less effort than in the first attempts. Thus it is that man thinks from conscience and acts from integrity, not indeed the man of himself but as if of himself; for he then acknowledges from faith and also from perception. It indeed appears as if he thought and did these things from himself, and yet he does them not from himself but from the Lord.

sRef Ex@20 @15 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @5 S0′ 974. Because Thou hast judged these things, signifies by whom it was foreseen that these things would take place, and by whom it was provided that the heavens, which are in the Divine good and in the Divine truth, might not suffer harm. This is evident from the signification of “judging these things,” as being to cause them to be done or come to pass, namely, what follows, that “because they have poured out the blood of saints and prophets, He gave them blood to drink.” But as this is said respecting the Lord, and the Lord never gives anyone blood to drink, or gives what is signified by “drinking blood,” and yet these with many other like things in the Word are attributed in the sense of the letter to the Lord, it follows that these words must be understood to mean that the Lord foresaw that these things would take place, and provided that no harm should be done thereby to the heavens, which are in the Divine good and in the Divine truth. For the Lord foresees evil and provides good. Such are the things signified by these words in the spiritual sense, that is, when the natural, which is the exterior, is put off, and the spiritual, which is the interior, appears; consequently when the thought of the natural man, which is according to appearances, is supplanted by the spiritual thought of the angels, which is according to the essence of the thing. This makes clear what the sense of the letter of the Word is and what its spiritual sense is, also what human thought is and what angelic thought is, namely, that these are in accord like what is internal and what is external, or like a cause and an effect, and that the effect or external that is with man is put off, and the cause or internal that is with the angels who are with man becomes manifest. And this is why a holy internal from the angels flows into the external thought of the man who regards the Word as holy, even when he does not know it.

(Continuation respecting the Fifth Commandment)

[2] When a man begins to shun and turn away from evils because they are sins all things that he does are good, and also may be called good works; with a difference according to the excellence of the uses. For what a man does before he shuns and turns away from evils as sins are works done by the man himself; and as the man’s own [proprium], which is nothing but evil, is in these, and they are done for the sake of the world, therefore they are evil works. But the works that a man does after he shuns and turns away from evils as sins are works from the Lord, and because the Lord is in these and heaven with Him they are good works. The difference between works done from man and works done from the Lord in man is not apparent to men’s sight, but is clearly evident to the sight of angels. Works done from man are like sepulchers outwardly whitened, which within are full of the bones of the dead. They are like platters and cups outwardly clean, but containing unclean things of every kind. They are like fruits inwardly rotten, but with the outer skin still shining; or like nuts or almonds eaten by worms within, while the shell remains untouched; or like a foul harlot with a fair face. Such are the good works done from man himself, since however good they appear on the outside, within they are full of impurities of every kind; for their interiors are infernal, while their exteriors appear heavenly. But after man shuns and turns away from evils as sins his works are good not only outwardly but inwardly also; and the more interior they are the more they are good, for the more interior they are the nearer they are to the Lord. Then they are like fruits that have a fine-flavored pulp, in the center of which are depositories with many seeds, from which new trees, even to whole gardens, may be produced; but everything and all things in his natural man are like eggs from which swarms of flying creatures may be produced, and gradually fill a great part of heaven. In a word, when man shuns and turns away from evils as sins the works that he does are living, while those that he did before were dead, for what is from the Lord is living, but what is from man is dead.

sRef Rev@16 @6 S0′ sRef Ex@20 @15 S0′ 975. Verse 6. For they have poured out the blood of saints and prophets, signifies because they have falsified the truths of the Word and of doctrine from the Word. This is evident from the signification of “blood” as being the Divine truth (see above, n. 30, 328, 329, 476, 748); also from the signification of “pouring it out,” as being to do violence to the Divine truth, which is to falsify it (see n. 329); also from the signification of “saints,” as being those who are in the Divine truth from the Lord (see n. 204); but in the abstract sense Divine truths from the Lord (n. 325); and as holy things mean Divine truths in the Word, so they mean the Word. Also from the signification of “prophets” as being those who teach doctrine from the Word; and in the abstract sense truths of doctrine from the Word (see n. 624). Therefore “to pour out the blood of saints and prophets” signifies to falsify the truths of the Word and the truths of Doctrine from the Word.

(Continuation respecting the Fifth Commandment)

[2] It has been said that so far as a man shuns and turns away from evils as sins he does goods, and that the goods that he does are the good works which are meant in the Word, for the reason that they are done in the Lord; also that these works are good so far as man turns away from the evils opposed to them, because so far they are done from the Lord and not from man. Nevertheless, works are more or less good according to the excellence of the use; for works must be uses. The best are those that are done for the sake of the uses of the church. Next in point of goodness come those that are done as uses of one’s country; and so on, the uses determining the goodness of the works. The goodness of works increases with man according to the fullness of truths from affection for which they are done; since the man who turns away from evils as sins wishes to know truths because truths teach uses and the quality of their good. This is why good loves truth and truth loves good, and they wish to be conjoined. So far, therefore, as such a man learns truths from the affection of them so far he does goods more wisely and more fully, more wisely because he knows how to distinguish uses and to do them with judgment and justice, and more fully because all truths are present in the performance of uses, and form the spiritual sphere that the affection of them produces.

sRef Rev@16 @6 S0′ sRef Ex@20 @15 S0′ 976. And thou hast given them blood to drink, signifies that consequently such are in the falsities of evil. This is evident from the signification of “drinking blood,” as being to imbibe falsities, for “blood” signifies truth falsified, and “to drink” signifies to imbibe. And as falsified truth is the falsity of evil, therefore here “to drink blood” signifies to be in the falsities of evil. Falsified truth is the falsity of evil, because evil falsifies truth. That such are in falsities of evil is here attributed to the Lord; for it is said, “Thou hast given them blood to drink,” as if the Lord had done it in the way of vengeance, although the Lord never avenges the evil done to Him by man. This makes clear that an interior sense lies hidden in these same words, and that this sense appears when the sense of the letter, which is that of apparent truth, is put off. When that sense is put off the spiritual sense comes forth, which is, that the Lord did not give them blood to drink, but that man gives himself blood to drink; in other words, that from the evil in which he is man has falsified the Word, and consequently is in the falsities of evil.

(Continuation respecting the Fifth Commandment)

[2] Take judges for an example: All who make justice venal by loving the function of judging for the sake of gain from judgments, and not for the sake of uses to their country, are thieves, and their judgments are thefts. It is similar if they judge according to friendships and favors, for friendships and favors are also profits and gains. When these are the end and judgments are the means, all things that they do are evil, and are what are meant in the Word by “evil works” and “not doing judgment and justice, perverting the right of the poor; of the needy, of the fatherless, of the widow, and of the innocent.” Yea, even if they do justice, and yet regard profit as the end they indeed do a good work, but to them it is not good; for justice, which is Divine, is to them a means, and such gain is the end; and that which is made the end is everything, while that which is made the means is nothing except so far as it is serviceable to the end. Consequently after death such judges continue to love what is unjust as well as what is just, and are condemned to hell as thieves. I speak this from what I have seen. These are such as do not abstain from evils because they are sins, but only because they fear the punishments of the civil law and the loss of reputation, honor, and office, and thus of gain.
[3] It is otherwise with judges who abstain from evils as sins and shun them because they are contrary to the Divine laws, and thus contrary to God. These have justice for their end, and they venerate, cherish, and love it as Divine. In justice they see God, as it were, because everything just, like everything good and true, is from God. They always join justice with equity and equity with justice, knowing that justice must be of equity in order to be justice, and that equity must be of justice in order to be equity, the same as truth is of good and good is of truth. As such make justice their end, their giving judgments is doing good works; yet these works, which are judgments, are to them more or less good as there is in their judgments more or less of regard for friendship, favor or gain; also as there is more or less in them of a love of what is just for the sake of the public good, which is that justice may reign among their fellow-citizens, and that those who live according to the laws may have security. Such judges have eternal life in a degree that accords with their works; for they are judged as they themselves have judged.

sRef Rev@16 @6 S0′ sRef Ex@20 @15 S0′ 977. For they are worthy, signifies that it is done to them as they do. This is evident from the signification of “being worthy,” namely, that they are in falsities of evil because they have falsified the truths of the Word and of doctrine, which is signified by “it was given to them to drink the blood of the saints and of the prophets, which they poured out,” consequently that it is done to them as they have done. For it is according to order that his works follow everyone and judge everyone; thus it is done to everyone as he has done; therefore this is here meant by “being worthy,” that is, having so deserved.

(Continuation respecting the Fifth Commandment)

[2] Take as an example managers of the goods of others, higher and lower. If these secretly by arts or under some pretext by fraud deprive their kings, their country, or their masters of their goods, they have no religion and thus no conscience, for they hold the Divine law respecting theft in contempt and make it of no account. And although they frequent temples, devoutly listen to preachings, observe the sacrament of the Supper, pray morning and evening, and talk piously from the Word, yet nothing from heaven flows in and is present in their worship, piety, or discourse, because their interiors are full of theft, plundering, robbery, and injustice; and so long as these are within, the way into them from heaven is closed; consequently all the works they do are evil.
[3] But the managers of property who shun unlawful gains and fraudulent profits because they are contrary to the Divine law respecting theft, have religion, and thus also conscience; and all the works they do are good, for they act from sincerity for the sake of sincerity, and from justice for the sake of justice, and furthermore are content with their own, and are cheerful in mind and glad in heart whenever it happens that they have refrained from fraud; and after death they are welcomed by the angels and received by them as brothers, and are presented with goods even to abundance. But the opposite is true of evil managers; these after death are cast out of societies, and afterwards seek alms, and finally are sent into the caverns of robbers to labor there.

sRef Rev@16 @7 S0′ sRef Ex@20 @15 S0′ 978. Verse 7. And I heard another out of the altar saying, signifies the preaching of the Lord’s justice from His celestial kingdom. This is evident from the signification of “an angel out of the altar,” as being the Lord’s celestial kingdom; for the “altar” signifies the Lord as to the Divine good, thus also the heaven that is in the Divine good; that heaven or those heavens constitute the Lord’s celestial kingdom. (That the “altar” signifies the Lord as to the Divine good may be seen n. 391, 490, 915.) The angel speaking “out of the altar” signifies the Lord’s celestial kingdom, because “the angel of the waters” speaking, described in the fifth verse, means the Lord’s spiritual kingdom (see above, n. 971). As the Lord’s justice is here preached from the heavens, and as the heavens consist of two kingdoms, namely, the spiritual and the celestial, therefore there is preaching from each kingdom; and one is meant by “the angel of the waters,” and the other by “the angel of the altar.”

(Continuation respecting the Fifth Commandment)

[2] Take merchants as an example: All their works are evil works so long as they do not regard as sins, and thus shun as sins illegitimate gains and unlawful usury, also fraud and craft; for such works cannot be done from the Lord, but are done from man himself. And the more expert they are in skillfully and artfully contriving devices from within for overreaching their companions the more evil are their works. And the more expert they are in bringing such devices into effect under the pretense of sincerity, justice, and piety, the more evil still are their works. The more delight a merchant feels in such things the more do his works have their origin in hell. But if he acts sincerely and justly in order to acquire reputation, and wealth through reputation, even so as to seem to act from a love of sincerity and justice, and yet does not act sincerely and justly from affection for the Divine law or from obedience to it, he is still inwardly insincere and unjust, and his works are thefts, for through a pretense of sincerity and justice he seeks to steal.
[3] That this is so becomes evident after death, when man acts from his interior will and love, and not from the exterior; for then he thinks about and devises nothing but sharp practices and robberies, and withdraws himself from those who are sincere, and betakes himself either to forests or deserts, where he devotes himself to stratagems. In a word, all such become robbers. But it is otherwise with merchants who shun as sins thefts of every kind, especially the more interior and hidden, which are effected by craft and deceit. All their works are good, because they are from the Lord; for the influx from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord, for accomplishing such works is not intercepted by the evils just mentioned. To these, riches do no harm, because to them riches are means for uses. Their tradings are the uses by which they serve their country and their fellow-citizens; and through their riches they are in a condition to perform those uses to which the affection of good leads them.

sRef Ex@20 @15 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @7 S0′ 979. Yea, O Lord God Almighty, true and just are Thy judgments, signifies that these things are done because all things have their essence, life and power from the Divine good and the Divine truth. This is evident from the signification of “Lord God,” as being the Lord as to the Divine good and the Divine truth; for the Lord is called “Lord” from the Divine good, and “God” from the Divine truth. Also from the signification of “Almighty,” as being to be, to live, and to have power from Himself (see n. 43, 689, 939); so also that He is being, life, and power to all things; for the Lord is all this from Himself, but man is all this from the Lord. Also from the signification of “Thy judgments,” as being those things that are being done, namely, those mentioned above in the sixth verse. That this is what is meant by “judgments” is evident from the fifth verse, where it is said, “Just art Thou, O Lord, and holy, because Thou hast judged these things.” These judgments are called “true” from the Divine truth, and “just” from the Divine good, from which two all things are effected. (That “just” is predicated of the Divine good may be seen above, n. 972.) The same things are involved in these words, “Yea, O Lord God Almighty, true and just are Thy judgments,” as in the words of the fifth verse, “Thou art just, O Lord, who art and who wast, and art holy, because Thou hast judged these things.” The only difference is that the latter were said from the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, and the former from His celestial kingdom. “Yea” is here an expression confirmative of the statements from the spiritual kingdom. That the same things are involved see above (n. 972-974), and compare.

(Continuation respecting the Fifth Commandment)

[2] From what has been said above, what is meant in the Word by good works can now be seen, namely, that they are all works done by man when evils have been removed as sins. For the works done after this are done from man only as if from him; for they are done from the Lord, and all works done from the Lord are good, and are called the goods of life, the goods of charity, and good works; as for instance, all the judgments of a judge who has justice as his end, and who venerates and loves it as Divine, and who detests as infamous decisions made for the sake of rewards or friendship, or from favor. Thus he consults the good of his country by causing justice and judgment to reign therein as in heaven; and thus he consults the peace of every innocent citizen and protects him from the violence of evildoers. All these are good works. So all services of managers and dealings of merchants are good works when they shun unlawful gains as sins against the Divine laws. When a man shuns evils as sins he daily learns what a good work is, and the affection of doing good grows with him, and the affection of knowing truths for the sake of good; for so far as he knows truths he can perform works more fully and more wisely, and thus his works become more truly good. Cease, therefore, from asking in thyself, “What are the good works that I must do, or what good must I do to receive eternal life?” Only cease from evils as sins and look to the Lord, and the Lord will teach and lead you.

sRef Rev@16 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @9 S0′ 980. Verses 8, 9. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun, and it was given him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who hath authority over these plagues; and they repented not to give Him glory. 8. “And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun,” signifies the state of the church manifested as to love to God, thus to the Lord (n. 981); “and it was given him to scorch men with fire,” signifies the cupidity for falsifying truths arising from the loves of self and of the world (n. 982). 9. “And men were scorched with great heat,” signifies the ardent cupidity of adulterating the truths and goods of the Word (n. 983); “and they blasphemed the name of God,” signifies the falsification of the Lord’s Word even to the destruction of the Divine truth in the heavens (n. 984); “who hath authority over these plagues,” signifies no fear of the Last Judgment by the Lord and of the condemnation and punishment at that time of the evils and consequent falsities that have devastated the church (n. 985); “and they repented not to give Him glory,” signifies that they were unwilling to turn themselves to living according to the Lord’s commandments (n. 986).

sRef Rev@16 @8 S0′ 981. Verse 8. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun, signifies the state of the church manifested as to love to God, thus to the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “the angel pouring out his vial,” as being the state of the church manifested (as above, n. 969); also from the signification of the “sun,” as being love to God, thus to the Lord (see above, n. 401, 412, 422, 525, 527, 708). The “sun” signifies love to God, thus to the Lord, because the Lord appears before the angels in the heavens as a sun, and His appearance as a sun is from the Divine love. For all love in the spiritual world corresponds to fire and flame, and because it corresponds it is manifested representatively by fire and by flame; consequently the Lord’s Divine love appears as a sun. This is why the “sun” signifies in the Word the Lord as to love towards all who are in heaven and in the world, and in a reciprocal sense love to the Lord. Love to the Lord means the love or affection of doing His commandments, thus the love of keeping the commandments of the Decalogue. For so far as a man from love or from affection keeps and does these, so far he loves the Lord, and for the reason that these are the Lord with man.

(Continuation: The Sixth Commandment)*

[2] Thus far five commandments of the Decalogue have been explained. Now follows the explanation of the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
Who at this day can believe that the delight of adultery is hell with man, and that the delight of marriage is heaven with him, consequently so far as man is in the one delight so far he is not in the other, because so far as man is in hell so far he is not in heaven? Who at this day can believe that the love of adultery is the fundamental love of all infernal and diabolical loves, and that the chaste love of marriage is the fundamental love of all heavenly and Divine loves; consequently so far as a man is in the love of adultery so far he is in every evil love, if not in act yet in endeavor; and on the other hand, so far as man is in the chaste love of marriage so far he is in every good love, if not in act yet in endeavor? Who at this day can believe that he who is in the love of adultery believes nothing of the Word, thus nothing of the church, and even in his heart denies God; and on the other hand, that he who is in the chaste love of marriage is in charity and in faith, and in love to God; also that the chastity of marriage makes one with religion, and the lasciviousness of adultery makes one with naturalism?
[3] All this at this day is unknown because the church is at its end, and is devastated as to truth and as to good; and when the church is such, the man of the church, by influx from hell, comes into the persuasion that adulteries are not detestable things and abominations, and thus comes into the belief that marriages and adulteries do not differ in their essence, but only as a matter of order, and yet the difference between them is like the difference between heaven and hell. That such is the difference between them will be seen in what follows. This, then, is why in the Word in its spiritual sense heaven and the church are meant by nuptials and marriages, and hell and the rejection of all things of the church are meant in the Word in its spiritual sense by adulteries and whoredoms.

sRef Rev@16 @8 S0′ 982. And it was given him to scorch men with fire, signifies the cupidity of falsifying the truths arising from the evils of the loves of self and of the world. This is evident from the signification of “heat,” as being the lust of falsity and for falsity (see n. 481); also from the signification of “fire,” as being love in both senses, namely, love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, and in the contrary sense love of self and love of the world, and thus a cupidity for evils of every kind. That the loves of self and of the world are the origins of all evils may be seen above (n. 162, 171, 506, 510, 512, 517, 650, 653, 950, 951). And as these loves are the origins of all evils, and in their continuation are called cupidities and also lusts, so “to scorch men with fire” signifies the cupidity or lust for falsities from evils of every kind, and thus for evil or for doing harm to others; for this is the delight of life of those who are in the love of self and in the love of the world. It is from this delight that the continuation of these loves are called cupidities and lusts.
[2] In the world it is scarcely known that all who are in the love of self, according to the delight of that love, are in the delight of injuring others who do not make one with them. That this is so is clearly evident from the same persons after death; then it is the delight of their life to do harm and to do evil to others in any way whatever, especially to the good. This delight of theirs is the delight of hatred; for they hate, and from hatred persecute, all who worship the Lord. This hatred is not manifested with them in the world because they are held back and checked by external restraints, which are fears of punishments from the civil law, and of loss of reputation, honor, gain, employments, pleasures, and of life, and injuries to it, so that this hatred does not come forth to the sight of others; nevertheless it lies hidden in their spirit; and consequently after death, when man becomes a spirit and external restraints are taken away from him it breaks forth even into destruction so far as the reins are loosened. Such is the signification of “scorching men with fire.”
[3] It is said that “the angel poured out his vial into the sun,” and that “it was given him to scorch men with fire,” and that the “sun” signifies love to God, and “heat” and “fire” signify the cupidity for falsity and for doing evil, and this is said because the loves and the cupidities of falsity and evil are brought forth and made evident with the evil by means of the influx of love or the affection of good and truth from heaven. For so far as heavenly loves and affections flow into the evil there is kindled in them a frenzy and cupidity for doing evil and speaking falsity; and for the reason that every good of heaven with them is turned into evil, and every truth of heaven into falsity. For their interiors, which belong to the will and consequent thought, are turned directly contrary to heavenly things, and whatever flows into a contrary form is turned into what is contrary. And when that which flows in becomes powerful it is turned into fury, and when very powerful into torment; as when good flows strongly into the evil, the evil come either into a state of fury or of infernal torment. But when evil flows powerfully into the good, the good come into a state of anguish, and also into a certain torment of conscience.
[4] The inmost cause of these effects is that the life of the affections and consequent thoughts of all in the entire world, both the spiritual and the natural worlds, proceed from a single fountain of life, which is the Lord, and this life is received by each one according to the quality of his life, thus according to the quality of his love; therefore those who have turned heavenly love with themselves into infernal love cannot help turning into their own love the love that flows in out of heaven; the same as the heat and light of the sun always do when they flow into objects on the earth, some of these from that influx giving forth a sweet odor, and some a foul odor, and yet the heat and light are the same in themselves and are from a single fountain, namely, the sun.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[5] Since adultery is hell with man and marriage is heaven with him, it follows that so far as a man loves adultery he removes himself from heaven; consequently adulteries close heaven and open hell, and this they do so far as they are believed to be allowable and are perceived to be more delightful than marriages. The man, therefore, who confirms himself in adulteries and commits them from the favor and consent of his will, and turns away from marriage, closes heaven to himself, until finally he ceases to believe anything of the church or of the Word, and becomes a wholly sensual man, and after death an infernal spirit; for, as has been said above, adultery is hell, and thus an adulterer is a form of hell. And since adultery is hell it follows that unless a man abstains from adulteries and shuns them and turns away from them as infernal he shuts up heaven to himself, and does not receive the least influx therefrom. Afterwards he reasons that marriages and adulteries are alike, but that marriages must be maintained in kingdoms for the sake of order and on account of the education of offspring; also that adulteries are not criminal, since offspring are equally born from them; and they are not harmful to women, since they can endure them, and by them the procreation of the human race is promoted. He does not know that these and other like reasonings in favor of adulteries ascend from the Stygian waters of hell, and that the lustful and bestial nature of man which inheres in him from birth attracts them and sucks them in with delight, as a swine does excrement. That such reasonings, which at this day possess the minds of most men in the Christian world, are Stygian, will be seen in what follows.

sRef Rev@16 @9 S0′ 983. Verse 9. And men were scorched with great heat, signifies the cupidity of adulterating the truths and goods of the Word. This is evident from the signification of “great heat,” as being the lust of falsity, and for falsity, thus the cupidity of adulterating the truths and goods of the Word (see n. 481). This is said of those who are in faith separated from the goods of life, who are meant by those that “have the mark of the beast” and that “adore his image” (verse 2). Because such separate from faith the very essential of the church, which is the good of life, and thus remove it from being a means of salvation, they cannot do otherwise than falsify all the truths of the Word; for those who set aside a life according to the Lord’s commandments annihilate all things of the Word, since all things of the Word are precepts of life. The precepts of faith, which are the truths of the Word, teach life.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

sRef John@14 @20 S2′ [2] That marriage is heaven and that adultery is hell cannot be better seen than from considering their origin. The origin of love truly conjugial is the Lord’s love for the church and this is why the Lord is called in the Word the “Bridegroom” and the “Husband,” and the church the “bride” and the “wife.” It is from this marriage that the church is the church in general and in particular. The church in particular is a man in whom the church is. From this it is clear that the Lord’s conjunction with a man of the church is the very origin of love truly conjugial; and how that conjunction can be the origin shall be told. The Lord’s conjunction with a man of the church is a conjunction of good and truth; good is from the Lord, and truth is with man, and from this is the conjunction that is called the heavenly marriage. From that marriage, love truly conjugial exists between two partners that are in such conjunction with the Lord. From this it is now evident that love truly conjugial is from the Lord alone, and exists with those who are in the conjunction of good and truth from the Lord. As this conjunction is reciprocal it is said by the Lord that:
They are in Him, and He in them (John 14:20).
[3] This conjunction or this marriage was thus established from creation. The man was created to be the understanding of truth, and the woman to be the affection of good; and thus the man to be truth, and the woman good. When the understanding of truth which is with the man makes one with the affection of good which is with the woman, there is a conjunction of the two minds into one. This conjunction is the spiritual marriage from which conjugial love descends. For when two minds are so conjoined as to be one mind there is love between them; and when this love, which is the love of spiritual marriage, descends into the body it becomes the love of natural marriage. That this is so anyone can clearly perceive if he will. A married pair who interiorly or as to their minds love each other mutually and reciprocally also love each other mutually and reciprocally as to their bodies. It is known that all love descends into the body from an affection of the mind, and that apart from such an origin no love exists.
[4] Since then the origin of conjugial love is the marriage of good and truth, which marriage in its essence is heaven, it is clear that the origin of the love of adultery is the marriage of evil and falsity, which in its essence is hell. Heaven is a marriage because all who are in the heavens are in the marriage of good and truth; and hell is adultery because all who are in the hells are in the marriage of evil and falsity. From this it follows that marriage and adultery are as opposite as heaven and hell are.

sRef Rev@16 @9 S0′ 984. And they blasphemed the name of God, signifies the falsification of the Lord’s Word even to the destruction of the Divine truth in the heavens. This is evident from the signification of “blaspheming,” as being to falsify the Divine truth even to its destruction in heaven (see n. 778); also from the signification of “the name of God,” as being the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, thus the Word (see n. 962); therefore the words “they blasphemed the name of God” signify the falsification of the Word even to the destruction of the Divine truth in the heavens. (On the falsification of the Word even to the destruction in heaven of the Divine truth that the Word contains see above, n. 778, 888, 914, 916 at the end, 950.)

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] Man was so created as to be spiritual and celestial love, and thus an image and likeness of God. Spiritual love, which is the love of truth, is the image of God; and celestial love, which is the love of good, is the likeness of God. All the angels in the third heaven are likenesses of God; and all the angels in the second heaven are images of God. Man can become the love which is an image or likeness of God only by a marriage of good and truth; for good and truth inmostly love one another, and ardently long to be united that they may be one; and for the reason that the Divine good and the Divine truth proceed from the Lord united, therefore they must be united in an angel of heaven and in a man of the church. This union is by no means possible except by the marriage of two minds into one, since, as has been said before, man was created to be the understanding of truth, and thus truth, and woman was created to be the affection of good, and thus good; therefore in them the conjunction of good and truth is possible. For conjugial love which descends from that conjunction is the veriest means by which man [homo] becomes the love that is the image or the likeness of God. For the two partners who are in conjugial love from the Lord love one another mutually and reciprocally from the heart, thus from inmosts; and therefore although apparently two they are actually one, two as to their bodies, but one as to life. This may be compared to the eyes, which are two as organs but one as to the sight; also to the ears, which are two as organs but one as to hearing; so, too, the arms and the feet are two as members but one as to use, the arms one as to action, and the feet one as to walking. So with the other pairs with man. All these have reference to good and truth, the organ or member on the right to good, and that on the left to truth. It is the same with a husband and wife between whom there is love truly conjugial; they are two as to their bodies but one as to life; consequently in heaven two partners are not called two angels but one. All this makes clear that through marriage man becomes a form of love, and thus a form of heaven, which is the image and likeness of God.
[3] Man is born into the love of evil and falsity, which love is the love of adultery; and this love cannot be converted and changed into spiritual love, which is the image of God, and still less into celestial love, which is the likeness of God, except by the marriage of good and truth from the Lord, and not fully except by the marriage of two minds and two bodies. From this it is clear why marriages are heavenly and adulteries infernal; for marriage is an image of heaven, and love truly conjugial is an image of the Lord, while adultery is an image of hell, and love of adultery is an image of the devil. Moreover, conjugial love appears in the spiritual world in form like an angel, and the love of adultery in form like a devil. Reader, treasure this up within you, and after death, when you are living as a spirit-man, inquire whether this is true, and you will see.

sRef Rev@16 @9 S0′ 985. Who hath authority over these plagues, signifies no fear of the Last Judgment by the Lord, and of the condemnation and punishment at that time of the evils and consequent falsities that have devastated the church. This is evident from the signification of “having authority,” as being, in reference to God whose name they blasphemed, the Lord as to the Last Judgment; also from the signification of “plagues,” as being the evils and consequent falsities, and the falsities and the consequent evils that have devastated the church (see n. 949). It is the Lord in regard to judgment that is signified by “who hath authority over the seven plagues” that are treated of in this chapter, because the end of the church, when these plagues, that is, these evils and falsities exist, is what is here treated of; and after that the judgment is wrought by the Lord. By the Last Judgment all that are in these plagues, that is, in the evils and falsities that have devastated the church, are cast into hell, and thus the New Church which is then to be established is cleansed of them. This makes clear the signification of “having authority over these plagues.”

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] How profane and thus how much to be detested adulteries are can be seen from the holiness of marriage. All things in the human body, from the head to the heel of the foot, both interior and exterior, correspond to the heavens, and in consequence man is a heaven in its least form, and also angels and spirits are in form perfectly human, for they are forms of heaven. All the members devoted to generation in both sexes, especially the womb, correspond to societies of the third or inmost heaven, and for the reason that love truly conjugial is derived from the Lord’s love for the church, and from the love of good and truth which is the love of the angels of the third heaven; therefore conjugial love, which descends therefrom as the love of the heavens, is innocence, which is the very being [esse] of every good in the heavens. And for this reason embryos in the womb are in a state of peace, and after birth infants are in a state of innocence; so, too, is the mother in relation to them.
[3] As this is the correspondence of the genital organs of both sexes, it is evident that from creation they are holy, and therefore they are devoted solely to chaste and pure conjugial love, and are not to be profaned by the unchaste and impure love of adultery, by which man converts the heaven with himself into hell; for as the love of marriage corresponds to the love of the highest heaven, which is love to the Lord from the Lord, so the love of adultery corresponds to the love of the lowest hell. The love of marriage is so holy and heavenly because it has its beginning in the inmosts of man from the Lord Himself, and it descends according to order to the ultimates of the body, and thus fills the whole man with heavenly love and brings him into a form of the Divine love, which is the form of heaven, and is an image of the Lord, as has been said above. But the love of adultery has its beginning in the ultimates of man from an impure lascivious fire there, and thus, contrary to order, penetrates towards the interiors, always into the things that are man’s own [proprium], which are nothing but evil, and brings these into a form of hell, which is an image of the devil. Therefore a man who loves adultery and turns away from marriage is in form a devil.
[4] As the organs of generation in each sex correspond to the societies of the third heaven, and the love of a marriage pair corresponds to the love of good and truth, so those organs and that love correspond to the Word. The reason is that the Word is the Divine truth united to the Divine good proceeding from the Lord; and this is why the Lord is called “the Word,” also why in every particular of the Word there is a marriage of good and truth, or a heavenly marriage. That there is such a correspondence is an arcanum not yet known in the world, but it has been made evident and proved to me by much experience. From this also it is clear how holy and heavenly marriages are in themselves, and how profane and diabolical adulteries are. And for this reason adulterers make no account of Divine truths and thus of the Word, and if they were to speak from the heart they would even blaspheme the holy things that are in the Word. This they do when they have become spirits after death, for every spirit is compelled to speak from the heart that his interior thoughts may be revealed.

sRef Rev@16 @9 S0′ 986. And they repented not to give Him glory, signifies that they were unwilling to turn themselves to living according to the Lord’s commandments. This is evident from the signification of “repenting,” as being to turn themselves from evils and their falsities, here before the Last Judgment and condemnation and punishment come upon them; also from the signification of “giving glory to the Lord,” as being to live according to His commandments (see above, n. 874).

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] As all the delights that a man has in the natural world are turned into correspondences in the spiritual world, so are the delights of the love of marriage and the delights of the love of adultery. The love of marriage is represented in the spiritual world as a virgin, whose beauty is such as to inspire the beholder with the charms of life; while the love of adultery is represented in the spiritual world by an old woman, whose deformity is such as to inspire in the beholder a coldness and death to every charm of life. Therefore in the heavens the angels are beautiful according to the quality of conjugial love with them, and in the hells the spirits are deformed according to the quality of the love of adultery with them. In a word, the angels of heaven have life in their faces, in the movements of their body, and in their speech, according to their conjugial love, while the spirits of hell have death in their faces according to their love of adultery. In the spiritual world the delights of conjugial love are represented to the sense by odors from fruits and flowers of various kinds, while the delights of the love of adultery are there represented to the sense by the stenches from excrements and putridities of various kinds. Moreover, the delights of the love of adultery are actually turned into such things, since all things pertaining to adultery are spiritual filth. Therefore from the brothels in the hells stenches pour forth that excite vomiting.

sRef Rev@16 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @10 S0′ 987. Verses 10, 11. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom became dark; and they gnawed their tongues for distress. And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their distresses and their sores; and they repented not of their works. 10. “And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the throne of the beast,” signifies the state of the church manifested as to the doctrine of faith (n. 988); “and his kingdom became dark” signifies the church in consequence in mere and dense falsities (n. 989); “and they gnawed their tongues for distress,” signifies that they were unwilling from loathing to perceive and know genuine goods and truths (n. 990). 11. “And they blasphemed the God of heaven,” signifies the falsification of the Word (n. 991); “because of their distresses and their sores,” signifies from loathing and nausea towards genuine truths and goods, arising from the falsities and evils in which those are who are in faith alone (n. 992); “and they repented not of their works,” signifies that they were unwilling to live according to the Lord’s commandments (n. 993).

sRef Rev@16 @10 S0′ 988. Verse 10. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the throne of the beast, signifies the state of the church manifested as to the doctrine of faith. This is evident from the signification of “the angel pouring out the vial,” as being the state of the church manifested (as above); also from the signification of “the throne of the beast,” as being the doctrine of faith. “The throne of the beast” signifies the doctrine of faith because “throne” signifies the church as to the truth that reigns therein, and “the beast” signifies such faith as exists in that church, therefore “the throne of the beast” signifies the church as to the doctrine of faith. This follows also from what is said before, that “the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun,” which signifies the state of the church manifested as to love (see above n. 981); consequently the vial poured out by this angel upon the throne of the beast signifies manifestation of the state of the church as to faith, since love and faith are what constitute the church, but only when they are one and not two. But “the throne of the beast” means such faith as there is at this day in that church, which is faith separated from the goods of life.
[2] The doctrine of faith is meant by “the throne of the beast,” because “throne” means in the highest sense heaven and the church as to the Divine truth; and in the Christian Church the Divine truth is called faith; which was not done in the ancient churches, in which they did not know what faith is since faith involves something that is not understood and yet must be believed as if it were truth. Nearly everything of the church and of its doctrine at the present day is such; as for instance, what must be believed about the trinity, that there are three Persons of the Divinity, that the Lord was born from eternity, that the Holy Spirit proceeds from them, and that this proceeding is a Person which is God by Himself, and yet that there are not three but one, and thus that there is a trinity in the unity, and a unity in the trinity; furthermore, that faith is saving apart from its life, which is from the goods of charity or from good works; that to one who has been justified by faith alone, all works even such as are evil are pardoned, and the law does not condemn him, since the Lord has taken away the condemnation by the fulfilling of the law and by the passion of the cross; and that man will be saved when this is merely believed.
[3] There are many other things that must be believed as truths which are said to be matters of faith because whether they are true or not cannot be seen; as what is said about free will, about the faith of infants, about the flesh and blood in the Holy Supper, also about the life of man after death, and the Last Judgment, which are called things to be believed although the understanding sees in them mere paradoxes that transcend all faith; as that man after death is a shadowy or airy something, a formless phantom of ether that does not see, hear or speak, and thus is either flying in the air or is in a somewhere awaiting the judgment, which is to come with the destruction of the entire universe, both the visible heaven, the sun, moon and stars, and also the earth; and then all things of the body left in the world by death are to come together again and clothe the soul, and thus man’s senses will be restored; with other like things. As these cannot fall into the understanding they cannot be called truths, but must be called faith. Such is the faith that is meant by “the throne of the beast.”
sRef Dan@7 @9 S4′ sRef Ezek@26 @16 S4′ sRef Hag@2 @22 S4′ sRef Rev@13 @2 S4′ [4] Who cannot see that by such a faith a man may be induced to believe mere absurdities and falsities, provided they are set up as dogmas by those placed in authority and are confirmed by others who for various reasons prefer to live in blind obedience? For by fallacies and sophistries, falsities, even infernal ones, can be so confirmed as to appear like truths, for instance, that infernal falsity that nature is everything; that whatever appears is ideal; that there is little difference between man and beast, that they die a like death and do not live after death; that the Word is not holy; and other like things; from which it is clear that all blindness in spiritual things has been induced by the faith of the present day, which was begun and brought to its densest darkness by the Babylonish nation; and although the Reformed, who separated from that nation, came forth from that thick darkness into some light by reading the Word they did not come into a light that enabled them to see truths as the ancient people did, and for the reason that they separated faith from the life, and it is from the life that a man has light, and not from any faith separated. All this makes clear what is meant by “the throne of the beast,” the same as before by:
The throne that the dragon is said to have given to the beast (Rev. 13:2, see above, n. 783).
Also by the throne of Satan (Rev. 2:13).
“Thrones” signify false doctrinals in other passages in the Word, as in Ezekiel:
All the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and shall cast away their mantles and they shall be clothed with terrors (26:16).
In Haggai:
I will overthrow the throne of the Kingdoms and I will destroy the strength of the Kingdoms of the nations (2:22).
And in Daniel:
I beheld till thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit (7:9).

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[5] How holy in themselves, that is, from creation, marriages are can be seen from the fact that they are seminaries of the human race; and as the angelic heaven is from the human race they are also the seminaries of heaven; consequently by marriages not only the earths but also the heavens are filled with inhabitants; and as the end of the entire creation is the human race, and thus heaven, where the Divine Itself may dwell as in its own and as it were in itself, and as the procreation of mankind according to Divine order is accomplished through marriages, it is clear how holy marriages are in themselves, that is, from creation, and thus how holy they should be esteemed. It is true that the earth might be filled with inhabitants by fornications and adulteries as well as by marriages, but not heaven; and for the reason that hell is from adulteries but heaven from marriages. Hell is from adulteries because adultery is from the marriage of evil and falsity, from which hell in the whole complex is called adultery; while heaven is from marriages because marriage is from the marriage of good and truth, from which heaven in its whole complex is called a marriage, as has been shown above in its proper article. That is called adultery where its love reigns, which is called the love of adultery, whether it be within matrimony or out of it, and that is called marriage where its love reigns, which is called conjugial love. Whether the earth might be filled with inhabitants by fornications and adulteries as well as by marriages will be further considered in the following article.
[6] When procreations of the human race are effected by marriages in which the holy love of good and truth from the Lord reigns, then it is on earth as it is in the heavens, and the Lord’s kingdom on earth corresponds to the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens. For the heavens consist of societies arranged according to all the varieties of celestial and spiritual affections, from which arrangement the form of heaven springs, and this preeminently surpasses all other forms in the universe. There would be a like form on the earth if the procreations there were effected by marriages in which love truly conjugial reigned; for then, however many families might descend in succession from one head of a family, there would spring forth as many images of the societies of heaven in a like variety. Families would then be like fruit-bearing trees of various kinds, forming as many different gardens, each containing its own kind of fruit, and these gardens taken together would present the form of a heavenly paradise. This is said in the way of comparison, because “trees” signify men of the church, “gardens” intelligence, “fruits” goods of life, and “paradise” heaven. I have been told from heaven that with the most ancient people, from whom the first church on this globe was established, which was called by ancient writers the golden age, there was such a correspondence between families on the earth and societies in the heavens, because love to the Lord, mutual love, innocence, peace, wisdom, and chastity in marriage then reigned; and it was also told me from heaven that they were then inwardly horrified at adulteries, as at the abominable things of hell.

sRef Rev@16 @10 S0′ 989. And His kingdom became dark, signifies the church in consequence in mere and dense falsities. This is evident from the signification of “kingdom,” as being the church as to truths (see n. 48, 683, 684, 685); also from the signification of “darkness,” as being falsities (see n. 526), here mere and dense falsities, because it is added, “even so that they gnawed their tongues and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their distresses and sores.” That through faith alone, that is, through faith separated from good works, all the truths of the church have been banished, and mere falsities have been introduced in their place, has been frequently shown above. Nor can it be otherwise when life is separated from faith, and is thus shut out from religion.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] That heaven is from marriages and hell from adulteries has been shown above. What this means shall now be told. The hereditary evils into which man is born are not from Adam’s having eaten of the tree of knowledge, but from the adulteration of good and the falsification of truth by parents, thus from the marriage of evil and falsity, from which the love of adultery exists. The ruling love of parents by means of an offshoot is derived from them and transcribed into the offspring and becomes its nature. If the love of the parents is the love of adultery it is also the love of evil for falsity and of falsity for evil. From this source man has all evil, and from evil he has hell. All this makes clear that it is from adulteries that man has hell, unless he is reformed by the Lord by means of truths and a life according to them. And no one can be reformed unless he shuns adulteries as infernal and loves marriages as heavenly. In this and in no other way is hereditary evil broken and rendered milder in the offspring.
[3] It is to be noted, however, that while from adulterous parents man is born a hell, he is not born for hell but for heaven. For the Lord provides that no one shall be condemned to hell on account of hereditary evils, but only on account of the evils that the man has actually made his own by his life, as can be seen from the lot of infants after death, all of whom are adopted by the Lord, educated under His auspices in heaven, and saved. This makes clear that every man is born not for hell but for heaven, although from connate evils he is a hell. It is the same with every man born from adultery if he does not himself become an adulterer. Becoming an adulterer means living in the marriage of evil and falsity by thinking evils and falsities from a delight in them and by doing them from a love for them. Every man who does this becomes an adulterer. It is from Divine justice that no one is punished for the evils of his parents, but for his own; therefore the Lord provides that hereditary evils shall not return after death, but one’s own evils, and it is for those that return that a man is then punished.

sRef Rev@16 @10 S0′ 990. And they gnawed their tongues for distress, signifies that from loathing they are unwilling to perceive and know genuine goods and truths. This is evident from the signification of “gnawing their tongues,” as being to be unwilling to perceive and know genuine goods and truths (of which presently); also from the signification of “distress,” as being loathing. “Gnawing their tongues” signifies to be unwilling to perceive and know genuine goods and truths, because the “tongue” signifies perception of truth, and “to gnaw the tongue” to repress it. For the tongue has various significations, because it is an organ both of speech and of taste; as an organ of speech it signifies confession, thought, and religion; and as an organ of taste it signifies the natural perception of good and truth; while the sense of smell corresponds to the spiritual perception of good and truth. For the tongue tastes and relishes foods and drinks; and foods and drinks signify the goods and truths which nourish the natural mind. To be unwilling to have that perception, or to be unwilling to perceive genuine goods and truths, is signified by “gnawing their tongues.” This has been said of those who separate faith from the goods of life; for they bring together all things of the church or of religion into one article of faith; and contend that by this man is justified. And as man is justified and saved by this alone, it follows that they loathe the remaining things of faith, which are truths of the church, even so as to be unwilling to perceive or to know them; for they say in their heart, “Of what use are these when this one thing is what saves, namely, that God the Father sent the Son, who has redeemed me from hell by the passion of the cross? Therefore the works of the law neither condemn nor save me, because I am saved simply by thinking and believing this with confidence.” This, then, is why they are unwilling from loathing to perceive or know genuine truths and goods. They are nauseated at them, because being in faith alone they have an inward antagonism to the goods and truths of heaven and the church, also because these goods and truths are subjects of interior thought, and therefore transcend their material ideas. This loathing and nausea are here signified by “distress.”

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] It has been said abode that the difference between the love of marriage and the love of adultery is like that between heaven and hell. There is a like difference between the delights of these loves; for delights derive their all from the loves from which they spring. The delights of the love of adultery derive what they are from the delights of doing evil uses, thus of evil doing; and the delights of the love of marriage from the delights of doing good uses, thus of well-doing. Therefore such as the delight of the evil is in doing evil such is the delight of their love of adultery; because the love of adultery descends therefrom. That it descends from that scarcely anyone can believe; and yet such is its origin. From this it is evident that the delight of adultery ascends from the lowest hell. But the delight of the love of marriage, since it is from the love of the conjunction of good and truth and from the love of doing good, is a heavenly delight; and it comes down from the inmost or third heaven, where love to the Lord from the Lord reigns.
[3] From this it can be seen that the difference between these two delights is like that between heaven and hell. And yet, what is wonderful, it is believed that the delight of marriage and the delight of adultery are similar; nevertheless the difference between them is such as has now been described. But the difference can be discerned and felt only by one who is in the delight of conjugial love. One who is in that delight very clearly feels that in the delight of marriage there is nothing impure or unchaste, thus nothing lascivious; and that in the delight of adultery there is nothing but what is impure, unchaste, and lascivious. He feels that unchastity comes up from beneath, and that chastity comes down from above. But one who is in the delight of adultery is incapable of feeling this, because he feels what is infernal as his heavenly. From all this it follows that the love of marriage, even in its ultimate act, is purity itself and chastity itself; and that the love of adultery in its acts is impurity itself and unchastity itself. Since the delights of these two loves are alike in outward appearance, although inwardly they are wholly unlike, because opposites, the Lord provides that the delights of adultery shall not ascend into heaven and that the delights of marriage shall not descend into hell; and yet that there shall be some correspondence of heaven with prolification in adulteries, though none with the delight itself in them.

sRef Rev@16 @11 S0′ 991. Verse 11. And they blasphemed the God of heaven, signifies the falsification of the Word. This is evident from the signification of “blaspheming,” when predicated of God, as being to falsify the Word even to the destruction of the Divine truth in the heavens (see n. 778); also from the signification of “the God of heaven,” as being the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. This is the meaning of “the God of heaven” here and elsewhere in the Word, because the whole heaven consists of that Divine; and this is why angels are called “gods,” and why they signify the Divine truths that are from the Lord; this also is why the Lord is called “the Word,” which is the Divine truth, and why here the words “they blasphemed the God of heaven” signify the falsification of the Word even to the destruction of the Divine truth in the heavens.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] It has been said that conjugial love, which is natural, descends from the love of good and truth, which is spiritual; this spiritual therefore is in the natural love of marriage as a cause is in its effect. So from the marriage of good and truth there exists the love of bearing fruit, namely, good through truth and truth from good; and from that love the love of producing offspring descends, in which there is all delight and pleasure. On the contrary, the love of adultery, which is natural, exists from the love of evil and falsity, which is spiritual; consequently this spiritual is in the natural love of adultery as a cause is in its effect. So from the marriage of evil and falsity by love there exists the love of bearing fruit, namely, evil through falsity and falsity from evil; and from that love descends the love of producing offspring in adulteries, and in that love there is every delight and pleasure.
[3] There is every delight and pleasure in the love of producing offspring, because all that is delightful, pleasurable, blessed and happy, in the whole heaven and in the whole world, has been from creation brought together in the effort and thus into the act of producing uses; and these joys increase in an ascending degree to eternity, according to the goodness and excellence of the uses. This makes evident why the pleasure of producing offspring, which surpasses every other pleasure, is so great. It surpasses every other because its use, which is the procreation of the human race, and thus of heaven, surpasses all other uses.
[4] From this, too, comes the pleasure and delight of adultery; but as prolification through adulteries corresponds to the production of evil through falsity and of falsity from evil, that pleasure or delight decreases and becomes vile by degrees until it is changed at last into loathing and nausea. Because, as has been said above, the delight of the love of marriage is a heavenly delight, and the delight of adultery is an infernal delight, so the delight of adultery is from a certain impure fire, which as long as it lasts, counterfeits the delight of the love of good, but in itself it is the delight of the love of evil, which is in its essence the delight of hatred against good and truth. And because this is its origin there is no love between an adulterer and an adulteress except such as the love of hatred is, which is such that they can be in conjunction in externals but not in internals. For in the externals there is something fiery, but in the internals there is icy coldness; therefore after a short time the fire is extinguished and icy coldness succeeds, either with impotence or with aversion as from one filthy.
[5] It has been granted me to see that love in its essence, and it was such that within it was deadly hatred, while without it appeared like a fire from burning dung and putrid and stinking matters. And as that fire with its delight burnt out, so by degrees the life of mutual discourse and interaction expired, and hatred came forth, manifested first as contempt, afterwards as aversion, then as rejection, and finally as blasphemy and fighting. And what was wonderful, although they hated each other they could from time to time come together and for the time feel the delight of hatred as the delight of love; but this came from an itching of the flesh.
[6] What the delight of hatred and thus of doing evil is with those who are in hell can neither be described nor believed. To do evil is the joy of their heart, and this they call their heaven. Their delight in doing evil derives its all from hatred and vindictiveness against good and truth; when, therefore, they are moved by a deadly and diabolical hatred they rage against heaven, especially against those who are from heaven and who worship the Lord; for they violently burn to slaughter them, and because they cannot destroy their bodies they will to destroy their souls. It is, therefore, the delight of hatred which, becoming a fire in the extremes and being injected into the lusting flesh, becomes for the moment the delight of adultery-the soul in which the hatred lies concealed then withdrawing itself. It is for this reason that hell is called adultery, and also that adulterers are desperately unmerciful, savage and cruel. This, then, is the infernal marriage.
[7] As adultery is fiery in the externals but cold in the internals, and as therefore the internal does not produce the external, as it does in marriages, but they mutually act against each other, so the man feels impotence if the woman desires the act, and still more if she importunes it; for the internal which is cold then comes into the effort and flows into what is fiery in the externals and extinguishes it, and so casts it off as unfit. Add to this that the lust of violating, which also enkindles that impure fire, then perishes.

sRef Rev@16 @11 S0′ 992. Because of their distresses and their sores, signifies from loathing and nausea towards genuine truths and goods arising from the evils and falsities in which those are who are in faith alone. This is evident from the signification of “distresses,” as being loathing toward genuine truths and goods arising from the falsities in which those are who are in faith alone (see n. 990); also from the signification of “sores,” as being nausea arising from evils of the life. That “sores” signify the evil works that are what is man’s own [proprium) and consequent falsifications of truth and good, may be seen above (n. 962]. Nausea is signified because pain from the sores on account of which they blasphemed the God of heaven is meant, and yet not pain on that account, but nausea for truths and for the goods therefrom.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] It has been said that the love of adultery is a fire enkindled from impurities that soon burns out and is turned into cold, and into an aversion corresponding to hatred. But the reverse is true of the love of marriage. This is a fire enkindled from the love of good and truth and from the delight in well-doing, thus from love to the Lord and from love towards the neighbor. This fire, which from its origin is heavenly, is full of innumerable delights, as many, in fact, as are the delights and blessednesses of heaven. It has been told me that the charms and pleasantnesses of that love which are manifested from time to time are so many and such that they cannot be numbered or described. Moreover, they are multiplied with continual increase to eternity. These delights have their origin in the fact that the married pair wish to be united into one as to their minds, and into such a union heaven breathes from the marriage of good and truth from the Lord in heaven.
[3] I will here say something about the marriages of angels in heaven. They declare that they are in continual potency, that after the acts there is never any weariness, still less any sadness, but eagerness of life and cheerfulness of mind, that the married pair pass the night in each other’s bosoms as if they were created into one, that effects are constantly open, that they are never lacking when they have desire, since without these their love would be like the channel of a fountain stopped up. The effect opens that channel and causes continuance and conjunction that they may become as one flesh; for the vital of the husband adds itself to the vital of the wife and binds together. They declare that the delights of the effects cannot be described in the expressions of any language in the natural world, nor be thought of in any except spiritual ideas, and that even these do not exhaust them. These things have been told me by the angels.

sRef Rev@16 @11 S0′ 993. And they repented not of their works, signifies that they were unwilling to live according to the Lord’s commandments. This is evident from the signification of “repenting,” as being to live a different life; also from the signification of “their works,” as being evils from falsities. For those who separate faith from works do evils from falsities, in that they say that as works are from man they are not good but are meritorious, and therefore must not be joined with faith, which is spiritual and justifying. For a man can do nothing that is good from a false principle; and where there is no good there is evil. It is otherwise when a man lives according to the Lord’s commandments, which are, that evils must be refrained from and goods must be done. Therefore “they repented not of their works” signifies not to be willing to live according to the Lord’s commandments.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] That true conjugial love contains in itself so many ineffable delights that can neither be numbered nor described can be seen from the fact that this love is the fundamental love of all celestial and spiritual loves, since through that love man becomes love; for from it each of the marriage pair loves the other as good loves truth and truth loves good, thus representatively as the Lord loves heaven and the church. Such love can exist only through a marriage in which the man is truth and the wife is good. When a man through marriage has become such love he is also in love to the Lord and in love towards the neighbor, and thus in the love of all good and in the love of all truth. For from man as love there must proceed loves of every kind; therefore conjugial love is the fundamental love of all the loves of heaven. And as it is the fundamental love of all the loves of heaven it is also the fundamental of all the delights and joys of heaven, since every delight and joy is of love. From this it follows that heavenly joys, in their order and in their degrees, have their origins and their causes from conjugial love.
[3] From the felicities of marriages a conclusion may be drawn respecting the infelicities of adulteries, namely, that the love of adultery is the fundamental love of all infernal loves, which are in themselves not loves, but hatreds; consequently from the love of adultery hatreds of every kind gush forth, both against God and against the neighbor, and in general against every good and truth of heaven and the church; therefore to it all infelicities belong, for, as has been said before, from adulteries man becomes a form of hell, and from the love of adulteries he becomes an image of the devil. That from the marriages in which there is true conjugial love all delight and felicities increase even to the delights and felicities of the inmost heaven, and that all that is undelightful and unhappy in the marriages in which the love of adultery reigns increases in direfulness even to the lowest hell, can be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 386).

sRef Rev@16 @16 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @15 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @13 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @12 S0′ 994. Verses 12-16. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared. And I saw out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are spirits of demons, doing signs to go away unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them together to the battle of that great day of the Almighty. Behold I come as a thief; happy is he that is awake and keepeth his garments, that he may not walk naked and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in Hebrew Armageddon. 12. “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates,” signifies the state of the church as to things rational, and intelligence therefrom (n. 995); “and the water thereof dried up,” signifies that falsities were removed (n. 996); “that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared,” signifies that Divine truth from the Lord might flow in (n. 997). 13. “And I saw out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast,” signifies from the thought, reasoning, religion, and doctrine of those who are in faith alone, and in confirmations of that faith from the natural man (n. 998); “and out of the mouth of false prophets,” signifies the doctrine of faith separated from the life, and of justification by it, confirmed from the Word falsified (n. 999); “three unclean spirits like frogs,” signifies reasonings from mere falsities against Divine truths (n. 1000). 14. “For they are spirits of demons,” signifies false reasonings from hell (n. 1001); “doing signs,” signifies persuading by fallacies and sophistries (n. 1002); “to go away unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them together to the battle,” signifies to excite dissensions and combats against truths with all who are of the church (n. 1003); “of that great day of the Almighty,” signifies the last state of the church, when the Lord comes and the Let Judgment takes place (n. 1004). 15. “Behold I come as a thief,” signifies the Lord’s coming and the Last Judgment (n. 1005); “happy is he that is awake,” signifies the happy state of those who look to the Lord (n. 1006); “and keepeth his garments,” signifies and who live according to His Divine truths (n. 1007); “that he may not walk naked,” signifies that he may not be without truths, and thus without good (n. 1008); “and they see his shame,” signifies and thus be in filthy loves (n. 1009). 16. “And he gathered them together into a place called in Hebrew Armageddon,” signifies a state of combat from falsities against truths, arising from the love of self with the men of the church (n. 1010).

sRef Rev@16 @12 S0′ 995. Verse 12. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates, signifies the state of the church manifested as to things rational, and intelligence therefrom. This is evident from the signification of “the angel pouring out the vial,” as being the state of the church manifested (as often above); also from the signification of “Euphrates,” as being the rational (see above, n. 569), which is called “a great river” from the intelligence that man has from the rational, for “river” signifies intelligence (see n. 518). All the intelligence of the natural man is from his rational, for the rational is the medium between the spiritual and the natural; and because it is the medium, it first receives influx from the spiritual world and transfers it into the natural. From this it follows that before the spiritual mind, which is called the spiritual man, can be opened, and through it influx into the natural mind be given, the rational must be cultivated, which is done by means of knowledges [scientifica], which are natural and moral truths, and by means of cognitions [cognitiones] of truth and good from the Word. Through these the rational mind is opened from below. But as soon as the spiritual mind has been opened, and there is influx from that, the rational mind is opened from above; and thus the rational, as an intermediate, furnishes a passage; and then through it the natural mind, which contains knowledges and cognitions [scientifica et cognitiones, is subordinated to the spiritual mind, and thus to heaven and the Lord.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] True conjugial love is from the Lord alone. It is from the Lord alone because it descends from the Lord’s love for heaven and the church, and thus from the love of good and truth; for good is from the Lord, and truth is in heaven and the church; and from this it follows that true conjugial love in its first essence is love to the Lord. And from this it is that no one can be in true conjugial love and its pleasantnesses, delights, happiness, and joys, unless he acknowledges the Lord alone, that is, that the trinity is in Him. He who approaches the Father as a person by Himself, or the Holy Spirit as a person by Himself, and these not in the Lord, can have no conjugial love. The genuine conjugial is given especially in the third heaven, because the angels there are in love to the Lord, they acknowledge Him alone as God, and they do His commandments. To them doing the commandments is loving the Lord. To them the Lord’s commandments are the truths in which they receive Him. There is conjunction of the Lord with them, and of them with the Lord; for they are in the Lord because they are in good, and the Lord is in them because they are in truths. This is the heavenly marriage, from which true conjugial love descends.

sRef Rev@16 @12 S0′ 996. And the water thereof was dried up, signifies that falsities were removed. This is evident from the signification of “waters,” as being truths, and in the contrary sense falsities (see n. 518), here falsities, for it is added, “that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared,” which signifies that the Divine truth from the Lord might flow in. Also from the signification of “being dried up,” as meaning to be removed. This describes the state of man as to the rational. It is from the rational that man can see and understand truths; and so far as he can see truths, so far falsities from evils do not obstruct. For every man, even an evil man, has the faculty of understanding truths (see above, n. 874, 970); but man does not see them, nor does he understand them because he loves evil, and evil brings in falsity, and afterwards when truth has fallen into falsity, truth can no longer appear in its own light, for it is blunted, obscured, suffocated, and rejected. But in the first age of man falsities from evils do not enter, and thus do not obstruct. But they enter in his second and third age, when he no longer thinks from the memory alone or from a master, but from his own understanding. For the rational, in which is the understanding, is opened gradually, as man grows up. From this it is clear that falsities are in the meantime removed, and then the knowledges of good and truth from the Word enter; and these the man sees in a certain light apart from falsities. But afterwards the rational sight is perverted by reasonings from fallacies and from falsities which is signified by “three unclean spirits like frogs” that went forth out of the mouth of the dragon and of the beast and of the false prophet, which are treated of in what follows. The nearest sense of the words, that “the water of the river Euphrates was dried up, that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared,” is that a passage might be given from the church, where Divine truths are, which the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet wished to pervert. For the Euphrates was a boundary of the land of Canaan on one side and separated it from Assyria; and “the land of Canaan” signifies the church, and “Assyria” the rational.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] As true conjugial love in its first essence is love to the Lord from the Lord it is also innocence. Innocence is loving the Lord as one’s Father by doing His commandments and wishing to be led by Him and not by oneself, thus like an infant. As that love is innocence, it is the very being [esse] of all good; and therefore man has so much of heaven in himself, or he is so much in heaven, as he is in conjugial love, because he is so far in innocence. It is because true conjugial love is innocence that the playfulness between a married pair is like the play of infants together; and this is so in the measure in which they love each other, as is evident in the case of all in the first days after the nuptials, when their love emulates true conjugial love. The innocence of conjugial love is meant in the Word by the “nakedness” at which Adam and his wife blushed not; and for the reason that there is nothing of lasciviousness, and thus nothing of shame, between a married pair, any more than between little children when they are naked together.

sRef Rev@16 @12 S0′ 997. That the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared, signifies that the Divine truth from the Lord might flow in. This is evident from the signification of “the way of the kings,” as being the influx of Divine truth, “way” signifying influx, and “kings” truths. The influx of Divine truth is meant because it is called “the way of the kings from the rising of the sun,” for “ways” signify influx, since all influx from one society to another, thus from the Lord, is through ways opened in the spiritual world. And since “the rising of the sun” signifies where the Lord is, so “from the rising of the sun” means from the Lord. That the Lord is the sun of heaven, and therefore the “sun” means in the Word the Lord as to love, may be seen above (n. 401, 412, 527). (That “the east” and “the rising of the sun” mean where the Lord is, see n. 422; and that “kings” signify Divine truths, n. 29, 31, 553, 625.) What these words mean in the nearest sense has been told above, namely, that a way might be opened from the land of Canaan, which signifies the spiritual of the church, to Assyria, which signifies the rational of the church. The river Euphrates separated and bounded these countries. So “the way of the kings from the rising of the sun” signifies a passage from the church; and that this was opened is meant in that sense by “the water of the Euphrates was dried up.”
[2] Something shall now be said about the influx into men of Divine truth from the Lord. From the Lord as a sun both heat and light proceed; but the heat is Divine good, and the light is Divine truth. The light, which is Divine truth, flows into and enters into every angel of heaven, and also into every man in the world, and gives internal sight, which is the sight of the understanding. For every man, not as to his body but as to his spirit, has a faculty for receiving that light, that is, for understanding the Divine truth. And that faculty is opened as the man grows up, and cultivates and forms his rational according to order, by the knowledges [scientifica] and by the cognitions [cognitiones] of good and truth. But the heat, which is Divine good, does not flow into an angel or a man as the light, which is Divine truth, does, for the reason that man is born into evils of every kind, and evils obstruct; consequently evils must first be removed before the heat, which is Divine good, can flow in; and evils are removed by looking upon them as sins against God and shunning them, by praying to the Lord for help; and so far as a man thus receives Divine good so far he comes into the light of understanding Divine truth. For the way of Divine truth into a man who is reformed is through the good of the will, and of the life therefrom with him.
[3] But when a man is not in Divine good, but in evil, he has nonetheless the faculty for receiving light, that is, for understanding Divine truth; and yet only so far as he is in a state separate from evil; if he is not in a state separate he has no such understanding of truth. A man is in a state separate when he is held solely in the thought that belongs to his understanding and not at the same time in the affection that belongs to his will. But in this state a man is not reformed, because the light does not then affect his life, that is, Divine truth is not then implanted. But man is in a state not separate when he is held in thought from the understanding and at the same time in affection from the will; and in that state man does not receive light, that is, does not understand Divine truth, unless he is at the same time in Divine good as to the affection of the will, for in that state the evils that belong to the will and the consequent falsities that belong to the thought obstruct and extinguish the light. But of these two states of man more will be said hereafter.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[4] Since conjugial love in its first essence is love to the Lord from the Lord, and thus is innocence, conjugial love is also peace, such as the angels in the heavens have. For as innocence is the very being [esse] of all good, so peace is the very being [esse] of all delight from good, consequently is the very being [esse] of all joy between the marriage pair. As then, all joy is of love, and conjugial love is the fundamental love of all the loves of heaven, so peace itself has its seat chiefly in conjugial love. Peace is happiness of heart and soul arising from the conjunction of the Lord with heaven and the church, as well as from the conjunction of good and truth, when all conflict and combat of evil and falsity with good and truth has ceased, as may be seen above (n. 365). And as conjugial love descends from such conjunction so all the delight of that love descends and derives its essence from heavenly peace. Moreover, this peace shines forth in the heavens as heavenly happiness from the faces of a marriage pair who are in that love, and who mutually regard each other from that love. But such heavenly happiness, which inmostly affects the delights of loves, and is called peace, can be granted only to those who can be joined together inmostly, that is, as to their very hearts.

sRef Rev@16 @13 S0′ 998. Verse 13. And I saw out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast, signifies from the thought, reasoning, religion, and doctrine of those who are in faith alone, and in confirmations of that faith from the natural man. This is evident from the signification of the “mouth,” as being thought, reasoning, religion, and doctrine (see n. 580, 782, 794); also from the signification of the “dragon,” as being those who are in faith alone both as to doctrine and as to life (see n. 714-716, 737); also from the signification of the “beast,” as being those who confirm faith alone by reasonings from the natural man (see n. 773). For there were two beasts, one coming up out of the sea, the other out of the earth; and “the beast out of the sea” means faith alone confirmed by reasonings from the natural man; and “the beast out of the earth” means that faith confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word, and its consequent falsification. But here “the beast coming up out of the sea” is meant, that is, faith confirmed by reasonings; since it is added, “out of the mouth of the false prophet,” and “the false prophet” has the same signification as “the beast out of the earth,” namely, faith alone confirmed by the Word, thus the doctrine of falsity from falsified truths.
[2] This and what here follows describes how the doctrine of faith alone has blunted and almost extinguished the faculty of understanding the Divine truth, which is given to every man by the Lord so far as falsities from evil do not block up influx and access, lest anything should be perceived from heaven. For a man is like a garden, which receives light in winter equally as in summer, but not heat; and yet when it does receive heat it blossoms and bears fruit. So the evil man equally with the good man is able to receive light, that is, to understand Divine truth, but he cannot blossom and become fruitful, that is, be wise and do works that are good, except as he receives heat, that is, the good of love.
[3] There are many who believe that the learned, since they know many things from the Word and from doctrine from the Word, are more intelligent and wise than others; and yet they have only so much intelligence and wisdom as they have spiritual heat, that is, the good of love, for only so far is their faculty of understanding truths opened and vivified; while that faculty is as it were covered up and blotted out by the evils of one’s own love. That they have, nevertheless, this intellectual faculty, however covered up and blotted out, I have frequently heard proved by experiment. There were spirits who were wholly in falsities from evil, and who in their heart denied the Divine influx into all things of the understanding of truth and of the will of good, that is, denied the Divine Providence, and thus they confirmed with themselves that all things are of nature and of their own prudence. Although these spirits had as it were no faculty of understanding truths when they thought about them with themselves, yet when they heard from others that the Divine is everything, and that the natural is relatively nothing except as a tool is to a workman, they understood all this as clearly as those did who taught it, or as others did who had confirmed themselves in that Divine truth. But the moment they turned away their ear they fell back into things contrary, and no longer understood these truths, because they covered them up with falsities from confirmations. This clearly showed that all have the faculty of understanding the truth or of receiving light from heaven; and yet they receive only so far as by life they are in the good of love; the same as a garden that admits light from the sun in winter equally as in summer, and yet it blossoms and bears fruit only so far as it receives at the same time heat from the sun, which it does in spring and summer.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[4] Man has such and so much of intelligence and wisdom as he has of conjugial love. The reason is that conjugial love descends from the love of good and truth as an effect does from its cause, or as the natural from its spiritual; and from the marriage of good and truth the angels of the three heavens have all their intelligence and wisdom; for intelligence and wisdom are nothing else than the reception of light and heat from the Lord as a sun, that is, the reception of Divine truth conjoined to Divine good, and of Divine good conjoined to Divine truth; thus it is the marriage of good and truth from the Lord. That it is so has been made clearly evident by angels in the heavens. When these are separated from their consorts they are indeed in intelligence, but not in wisdom; but when they are with their consorts they are also in wisdom; and what is wonderful, as they turn the face to their consort they are to the same extent in a state of wisdom; for the conjunction of truth and good is effected in the spiritual world by looking; and the wife there is good and the husband truth; therefore as truth turns itself to good so truth becomes living. By intelligence and wisdom ingenuity in reasoning about truths and goods is not meant, but the faculty of seeing and understanding truths and goods, and this faculty man has from the Lord.

sRef Rev@16 @13 S0′ 999. And out of the mouth of the false prophet, signifies the doctrine of faith separated from life, and of justification by it confirmed from the Word falsified. This is evident from the signification of “the false prophet,” as being the doctrine of falsity from truths of the Word falsified. This is signified by the “false prophet” because a “prophet” means the doctrine of truth from the Word, and in the highest sense the Word (see above, n. 624); so a “false prophet” means the contrary of this. Moreover, “the false prophet” here has the same signification as “the beast coming up out of the earth,” for it is said, “out of the mouth of the beast and of the false prophet.” For there were two beasts by which the dragon has been further described, one seen coming up “out of the sea,” the other “out of the earth;” and “the beast out of the sea” signifies confirmations of faith separated from the life by reasonings from the natural man, but “the beast out of the earth” signifies confirmations from the Word of faith separated from the life, and the consequent falsifications of the Word. And because the doctrine of the church was made from this, and that doctrine teaches the separation of faith from the life and justification by that separated faith, so this second beast is meant by “the false prophet.”

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] From true conjugial love there is power and protection against the hells, because it is against the evils and falsities that ascend from the hells, and for the reason that through conjugial love man has conjunction with the Lord, and the Lord alone has power over all the hells; also because through conjugial love man has heaven and the church; consequently as the Lord unceasingly protects heaven and the church from the evils and falsities that rise up from the hells, so He protects all who are in true conjugial love because heaven and the church is with these and with no others. For heaven and the church are the marriage of good and truth, from which is conjugial love, as has been said above. And this is why through conjugial love man has peace, which is inmost joy of heart from a complete safety from the hells and a protection from infestations of the evil and falsity therefrom.

sRef Rev@16 @13 S0′ 1000. Three unclean spirits like frogs, signifies reasonings from mere falsities against Divine truths. This is evident from the signification of “unclean spirits,” as being falsities of evil which are from hell; for all who are in the hells are unclean from falsities of evil, for the reason that all unclean things exist from the falsities that are from evil, and all clean things from the truths that are from good. Also from the signification of “three,” as being all things and fullness, and as being applied either to truths or to falsities (see n. 435, 506, 532, 658); and because of this “three” signifies wholly and merely, and here, mere falsity. Also from the signification of “frogs,” as being reasonings from falsities. Frogs have this signification not only because of their croaking, but also because they live in bogs and fetid pools; and for the same reason they signify infernal falsities. For those who reason from falsities against Divine truths live in hells that appear like bogs and fetid pools; and those who are there, when they are seen in the light of heaven, resemble frogs, some in a larger and some in a smaller form according to their elation of mind arising from more or less keenness of reasoning. They are also more or less unclean according as their reasonings are against more or less interior and important Divine truths.
sRef Ex@8 @6 S2′ sRef Ex@8 @2 S2′ sRef Ex@8 @5 S2′ sRef Ex@8 @14 S2′ sRef Ex@8 @7 S2′ sRef Ex@8 @8 S2′ sRef Ex@8 @13 S2′ sRef Ps@105 @30 S2′ sRef Ex@8 @12 S2′ sRef Ps@105 @29 S2′ sRef Ex@8 @4 S2′ sRef Ex@8 @11 S2′ sRef Ex@8 @3 S2′ sRef Ex@8 @10 S2′ sRef Ex@8 @9 S2′ [2] That “frogs” signify reasonings from mere falsities against Divine truths can be seen from the miracle of the frogs in Egypt. For all the miracles there performed signify the plagues or evils with which those are affected after death who fight against spiritual goods and truths and endeavor to destroy them by means of the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man. For Pharaoh and the Egyptians represented and thus signified natural men; and the sons of Israel, whom they infested and wished to reduce to servitude, represented and thus signified spiritual men. So, too, the Egyptians represented and signified the things of the natural man, and the sons of Israel the things of the spiritual man. The things of the natural man have reference to evils and falsities, and evils have reference to the love, and falsities to its doctrine; while the things of the spiritual man have reference to the goods that belong to the love and to the truths that belong to its doctrine. That “frogs” here signify the reasonings from falsities of the natural man against the truths of the spiritual man is evident from the description of that miracle in Moses:
He caused the river to swarm with frogs, and they went up and came into the house of Pharaoh and into his bed-chamber and upon his bed, and into the house of his servants and of his people, and into the ovens and the kneading troughs. And when they were dead they were gathered into heaps, and the land stank (Exod. 7:27-29; 8:1-14).
That “frogs” here signify the reasonings from falsities of the natural man against Divine truths can be seen from the explanation of all this in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 7345-7357, 7379- 7409).
[3] Also in David:
He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish. He caused frogs to creep forth upon their lands, into the chambers of their kings (Ps. 105:29, 30).
This is said of the plagues in Egypt. “The waters turned into blood” signify truths falsified; “the fishes slain” signify scientific [scientifica] truths and cognitions [cognitiones] of the natural man, that they perished; “the frogs creeping forth upon their lands” signify reasonings of the natural man from falsities; “chambers of the kings” signify interior truths, which they perverted by reasonings from falsities, “chambers” being interior things, and “kings” truths. “The frogs that came up into the house of Pharaoh, into his bed-chamber, and upon his bed,” have a similar signification. All this makes clear what is signified by “three unclean spirits like frogs, which went forth out of the mouth of the dragon, of the beast, and of the false prophet.”

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[4] Those who are in true conjugial love, after death, when they become angels, return to their early manhood and to youth, the males, however spent with age, becoming young men, and the wives, however spent with age, becoming young women. Each partner returns to the flower and joys of the age when conjugial love begins to exalt the life with new delights, and to inspire playfulness for the sake of prolification. The man who while he lived in the world had shunned adulteries as sins, and who has been inaugurated by the Lord into conjugial love, comes into this state first exteriorly and afterwards more and more interiorly to eternity. As such continue to grow young more interiorly it follows that true conjugial love continually increases and enters into its charms and satisfactions, which have been provided for it from the creation of the world, and which are the charms and satisfactions of the inmost heaven, arising from the love of the Lord for heaven and the church, and thus from the love of good for truth and truth for good, which loves are the source of every joy in the heavens. Man thus grows young in heaven because he then enters into the marriage of good and truth; and in good there is the conatus to love truth continually, and in truth there is the conatus to love good continually; and then the wife is good in form and the husband is truth in form. From that conatus man puts off all the austerity, sadness, and dryness of old age, and puts on the liveliness, gladness, and freshness of youth, from which the conatus lives and becomes joy.
[5] I have been told from heaven that such then have the life of love, which cannot otherwise be described than as the life of joy itself. That the man who lives in true conjugial love in the world comes after death into the heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of good and truth springing from the marriage of the Lord with the church, is clearly evident from this, that from the marriages in the heavens, although the married pair have consociations there like those on the earth, children are not born, but instead of children goods and truths, and thus wisdom, as has been said above. And this is why births, nativities, and generations mean in the Word, in its spiritual sense, spiritual births, nativities, and generations, and sons and daughters mean the truths and goods of the church, and other like things are meant by daughters-in-law, mothers-in-law, and fathers-in-law. This also makes clear that marriages on the earth correspond to marriages in the heavens; and that after death man comes into the correspondence, that is, comes from natural bodily marriage into spiritual heavenly marriage, which is heaven itself and the joy of heaven.

sRef Rev@16 @14 S0′ 1001. Verse 14. For they are spirits of demons, signifies false reasonings from hell. This is evident from the signification of “unclean spirits like frogs,” as being reasonings from mere falsities against Divine truths (see just above, n. 1000); also from the signification of “demons,” as being things that are from hell. For in hell those are called “demons” who are in the lust of falsifying truths, and this is done chiefly by reasonings; therefore “demons and demoniacs” signify in an abstract sense lusts and falsities, as can be seen from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned (as in Lev. 17:7; Deut. 32:17; Isa. 13:21; 34:14; Ps. 106:37; Matt. 4:24; 8:16, 28, 31; 9:32, 33; 10:8; 12:22; 15:22; Mark 1:32, 34, 39; Luke 4:33-38, 41; 8:2, 26-40; 9:1, 37-42, 49; 13:32; Rev. 9:20; 18:2).

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

From conjugial love angels have all their beauty; thus each angel has beauty in the measure of that love. For all angels are forms of their affections; for the reason that it is not permitted in heaven to counterfeit with the face things that do not belong to one’s affection; consequently their faces are types of their minds. When, therefore, they have conjugial love, love to the Lord, mutual love, love of good and love of truth, and love of wisdom, these loves in them give form to their faces, and show themselves like vital fires in their eyes; to which innocence and peace add themselves, which complete their beauty. Such are the forms of the inmost angelic heaven; and they are truly human forms.

sRef Rev@16 @14 S0′ 1002. Doing signs, signifies persuading by fallacies and sophistries. This is evident from the signification of “signs,” as being attestations and persuasions, and thus confirmations (see n. 706, 824); here persuasions by fallacies and sophistries because those who establish by reasonings a faith separated from life are here treated of; and as this is done by fallacies and sophistries, by which the simple are persuaded, so “doing signs” here signifies persuasions and confirmations by fallacies and sophistries. That persuasions are effected by fallacies has been shown above where “the beast coming up out of the sea” was treated of (13:1-13), which signified confirmations by reasonings from the natural man. This is the signification of “signs,” because it is added that they were “to go away unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to battle,” which signifies to excite dissensions and combats against truths in the whole church.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] From what has been thus far presented what the good is that results from chastity in marriage can be inferred, consequently what the good works of chastity are that a man does who shuns adulteries as sins against God. The good works of chastity concern either the married pair themselves, or their offspring and posterity, or the heavenly societies. The good works of chastity that concern the married pair themselves are spiritual and celestial loves, intelligence and wisdom, innocence and peace, power and protection against the hells and against the evils and the falsities therefrom, and manifold joys and felicities to eternity. Those who live in chaste marriages, as before described, have all these. The good works of chastity that concern the offspring and posterity are that so many and so great evils do not become innate in families. For the ruling love of parents is transmitted into the offspring and sometimes to remote posterity, and becomes their hereditary nature. This is broken and softened with parents who shun adulteries as infernal and love marriages as heavenly.
[3] The good works of chastity that concern the heavenly societies are that chaste marriages are the delights of heaven, that they are its seminaries, and that they are its supports. They supply delights to heaven by communications; they are seminaries to heaven by producing offspring; and they are supports to heaven by their power against the hells; for at the presence of conjugial love diabolical spirits become furious, insane, and mentally impotent, and cast themselves into the deep.

sRef Rev@16 @14 S0′ 1003. To go away unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them together to the battle, signifies to excite dissensions and combats against truths with all who are of the church. This is evident from the signification of “kings,” as being those who are in truths from good, and in an abstract sense truths from good (see n. 29, 31, 553, 625); also from the signification of “the earth and the world,” as being the church as to truth and good, thus the whole church (see n. 741); also from the signification of “battle,” as being dissension respecting truths and goods, and spiritual combats (see n. 573, 734). All this makes clear that “to go away unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them together to the battle,” signifies to excite dissensions and combats against truths with all who are of the church.
[2] That it was through faith alone that the church was brought into contentions in regard to truths and goods, and into combats against them, and finally into dissensions, is made clearly evident by the fact that when that faith was accepted no power was any longer given to the understanding to examine into goods and truths, for that faith involves that a thing must be believed, however it may appear to the understanding; and when the understanding is taken away from faith enlightenment also is taken away; and when that is taken away blindness and stupidity enter into everything of the church; and in that state mere contentions arise about the meaning of the Word, which is capable of being turned to confirm whatever one pleases. This is why the church has been divided into so many churches, and in these so many heresies have arisen. That these dissensions and combats about truths and goods are from hell is signified by “the spirits of demons working signs to go away to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them together to the battle.”

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[3] From the goods enumerated and described that result from chaste marriages it may be concluded what the evils are that result from adulteries; for such evils are the opposites of such goods; that is, in place of the spiritual and celestial loves that those have who live in chaste marriages, there are the infernal and diabolical loves that those have who are in adulteries. So in place of the intelligence and wisdom that those have who live chastely in marriages there are the insanities and follies that those have who are in adulteries; in place of the innocence and peace that those have who live in chaste marriages there are the deceit and no peace that those have who are in adulteries; in place of the power and protection against the hells that those have who live chastely in marriages there are the very Asmodean demons and the hells that those have who live in adulteries; in place of the beauty that those have who live chastely in marriages there is the deformity that those have who live in adulteries, which is monstrous according to their quality. Their final lot is that from the extreme impotence to which they are at length reduced they become emptied of all the fire and light of life, and dwell alone in deserts as images of the slothfulness and weariness of their own life.

sRef Rev@16 @14 S0′ 1004. Of that great day of God Almighty, signifies the last state of the church, when the Lord comes and the Last Judgment takes place. This is evident from the signification of “the great day of God Almighty,” as being the last state of the church, when the Lord comes and the Last Judgment takes place (see n. 413). Frequent mention is made in the Word of “the great day,” “the day of Jehovah,” “the day of anger and wrath,” “the day of vengeance,” “the terrible day;” and this means in these passages the last state of the church, and then the coming of the Lord and the Last Judgment.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] True conjugial love cannot be given except between two, like the Lord’s love towards heaven, which is one from Him and in Him, or towards the church, which like heaven is one from Him and in Him. All who are in the heavens and who are in the church must be one through mutual love from love to the Lord. An angel in heaven and a man in the church who does not thus make one with the rest is not of heaven nor of the church. Moreover, in the whole heaven and in the whole world there are two things to which all things have reference; these two are called good and truth, from which, when joined into one, all things in heaven and in the world have had existence and subsistence. When these are one, good is in truth and truth is in good, and truth is of good and good is of truth; thus one acknowledges the other as its mutual and reciprocal, or as an agent recognizes its reagent, each in its turn. This universal marriage is the source of conjugial love between husband and wife. The husband has been so created as to be the understanding of truth, and the wife so created as to be the will of good, and thus the husband to be truth and the wife good; thus that both may be truth and good in form, which form is man, and the image of God. And because it is from creation that truth should be of good, and good of truth, thus mutually and reciprocally, therefore it is impossible for one truth to be united to two diverse goods, or the reverse; neither is it possible for one understanding to be united to two diverse wills, or the reverse; neither for one person who is spiritual to be united to two diverse churches; neither in like manner for one man (vir) to be inmostly united to two women. Inmost union is like that of soul and heart; the soul of the wife is the husband, and the heart of the husband is the wife. The husband communicates and conjoins his soul to the wife by actual love; it is in his seed; and the wife receives it in her heart, and from this the two become one, and then each and all things in the body of the one look to their mutual in the body of the other. This is genuine marriage, which is possible only between two. For it is from creation that all things of the husband, both of his mind and of his body, have their mutual in the mind and in the body of the wife; and thus the most particular things look mutually to each other and will to be united. From this looking and conatus conjugial love exists.
[3] All things in the body, which are called members, viscera, and organs, are nothing but natural corporeal forms corresponding to the spiritual form of the mind; from this each and all things of the body so correspond to each and all things of the mind that whatever the mind wills and thinks the body at its command instantly brings forth into act. When, therefore, two minds act as one their two bodies are potentially so united that they are no more two but one flesh. To will to become one flesh is conjugial love; and such as the willing is, such is that love.
[4] It is allowed to confirm this by a wonderful thing in the heavens. There are married pairs there in such conjugial love that the two can be one flesh, and are one whenever they wish, and they then appear as one man. I have seen and talked with such; and they said that they have one life, and are like the life of good in truth and the life of truth in good, and are like the pairs in man, that is, like the two hemispheres of the brain enclosed in one membrane, the two ventricles of the heart within a common covering, likewise the two lobes of the lungs; these, although they are two, yet are one in regard to life and the activities of life, which are uses. They said that their life so conjoined is full of heaven, and is the very life of heaven with its infinite beatitudes, for the reason that heaven also is such from the marriage of the Lord with it, for all the angels of heaven are in the Lord and the Lord in them.
[5] Furthermore, they said that it is impossible for them to think from any intention about an additional wife or woman, because this would be turning heaven into hell, consequently if an angel merely thinks of such a thing he falls from heaven. They added that natural spirits do not believe such conjunctions as theirs to be possible, for the reason that with those who are merely natural there is no marriage from a spiritual origin, which is of good and truth, but only a marriage from a natural origin; therefore there is no union of minds, but only a union of bodies from a lascivious disposition in the flesh; and this lust is from a universal law impressed upon and thus implanted in everything animate and inanimate from creation. The law is that everything in which there is force wills to produce its like and to multiply its kind to infinity and to eternity. As the posterity of Jacob, who were called the sons of Israel, were merely natural men, and thus their marriages were not spiritual, but carnal, so they were permitted on account of the hardness of their hearts to take several wives.

sRef Rev@16 @15 S0′ 1005. Verse 15. Behold I come as a thief, signifies the Lord’s coming and the Last Judgment at that time. This is evident from the signification of “coming as a thief” as being, in reference to the Lord, His coming and the Last Judgment at that time, as elsewhere in the Word (as Matt. 6:19, 20; 24:42, 43; Obad. verse 5; Joel 2:9; Hos. 7:1). This is the signification of “coming as a thief,” because taking away the knowledges of good and truth, and devastating the church, as a thief takes away wealth and robs a house, is attributed to the Lord; also because the church is then in night and in darkness, that is, in falsities from evil, and the last state of the church is called “night,” and the falsities of evil that then prevail are called “darkness,” and a thief comes in the night when it is dark. This is why the Lord’s coming and the Last Judgment are compared to a thief (see above, n. 193).

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] That adultery is hell, and consequently an abomination, anyone can perceive from the idea of the mixture of diverse seed in the womb of one woman, for in man’s seed there lies hidden the inmost of his life, and thus the rudiment of a new life; and for this reason it is holy. To make this common with the inmosts and rudiments of others, as is done in adulteries, is profane. This is why adultery is hell, and why hell in general is called adultery. And as from such a mixture nothing but corruption, also from a spiritual origin, can exist, it follows that adultery is an abomination.
[3] Consequently in the brothels that are in hell, foulnesses of every kind appear; and when light out of heaven is let into them, adulteresses are seen lying with adulterers, like swine in filth itself; and what is wonderful, like swine they are in their delights when they are in the midst of filth. But these brothels are kept closed, because when they are opened a stench is exhaled that excites vomiting. It is otherwise in chaste marriages. In these the life of the husband adds itself through the seed to the life of the wife; and from this there is inmost conjunction, by which they become not two, but one flesh. And according to conjunction by means of that, conjugial love increases, and with it every good of heaven.

sRef Rev@16 @15 S0′ 1006. Happy is he that is awake, signifies the happy state of those who look to the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “happy,” as being to be in a happy state; also from the signification of “being awake,” as being to acquire for oneself spiritual life (see n. 187); and this is acquired by man’s looking to the Lord, because the Lord is Life itself, and from Him alone is life eternal. When a man is in life from the Lord he is in wakefulness; but when he is in life from himself he is asleep; or what is the same, when a man is in spiritual life he is in wakefulness, but when he is in natural life separated from the spiritual he is asleep; and what a man then sees is like what he sees in a dream. To live this life is meant also by “sleeping and slumbering” in the Word (as in Matt. 13:25; 25:5, 6; Mark 4:26, 27; 13:36; Isa. 5:27; Jer. 51:39, 57; Ps. 13:4; 76:7; and elsewhere). This makes clear what is signified by “being awake.”

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] But it is to be known that adulteries are more and less infernal and abominable. The adulteries that spring from more grievous evils and their falsities are more grievous, and those from the milder evils and their falsities are milder; for adulteries correspond to adulterations of good and consequent falsifications of truth; adulterations of good are in themselves evils, and falsifications of truth are in themselves falsities. According to correspondences with these the hells are arranged into genera and species. There are cadaverous hells for those whose delights were the violations of wives; there are excrementitious hells for those whose delights were the debauching of virgins; there are direful, slimy hells for those whose delights were varieties and changes of harlots; for others there are filthy hells. There are sodomitic hells for those who were in evils from a love of ruling over others from mere delight in ruling, and who were in no delight of use.
[3] From those who have separated faith from good works both in doctrine and in life there exhale adulteries like that of a son with a mother or a mother-in-law; from those who have studied the Word only for the sake of glory, and not for the sake of spiritual uses, there exhale adulteries like that of a father with a daughter-in-law; from those who believe that sins are remitted by the Holy Supper, and not by repentance of life, there exhale adulteries like that of a brother with a sister; from those who altogether deny the Divine, there exhale heinous things with beasts; and so on. Such hells are for them because of the correspondence with the adulterations or defilements of good and truth.

sRef Rev@16 @15 S0′ 1007. And keepeth his garments, signifies who live according to His Divine truths. This is evident from the signification of “garments,” as being truths covering good (see n. 64, 65, 195, 271, 395, 637); therefore “to keep the garments” signifies to live according to truths, here according to the Lord’s Divine truths in the Word.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

In brief, from every conjunction of evil and falsity in the spiritual world a sphere of adultery flows forth, but only from those who are in falsities as to doctrine and in evils as to life; but not from those who are in falsities as to doctrine yet are in goods as to life, for with these there is no conjunction of evil and falsity, but only with the former. That sphere flows forth particularly from priests who have taught falsely and lived wickedly; for these have adulterated and falsified the Word. Even though these were not adulterers in the world, adultery is excited by them; but it is an adultery called sacerdotal adultery, which is distinguishable from other adulteries. All this makes clear that the origin of adulteries is the love and consequent conjunction of evil and falsity.

sRef Rev@16 @15 S0′ 1008. That he may not walk naked, signifies that he may not be without truths, and thus without goods. This is evident from the signification of “naked,” as meaning to be without truth, and thus without good (see n. 240); for those who are without truths are also without goods, since all good is acquired by means of truths; and moreover, good without truth is not good, and truth without good is not truth; that there may be truth it must be conjoined to good, and that there may be good it must be conjoined to truth. There may be indeed truth without good and good without truth; but truth without good is dead, and so is good without truth. For truth has its being [esse] from good, and good has its existence [existere] by means of truth. All this makes clear that “to walk naked” signifies to be without truths, and thus without goods. That “to walk” signifies to be and to live may be seen above (n. 787).

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] Adulteries are less abhorrent with Christians than with the Gentiles, and even with some barbarous nations, for the reason that at present in the Christian world there is no marriage of good and truth, but a marriage of evil and falsity. For the religion and doctrine of faith separated from good works is a religion and doctrine of truth separated from good; and truth separated from good is not truth, but interiorly regarded is falsity; and good separated from truth is not good, but interiorly regarded is evil. Consequently in the Christian religion there is the doctrine of falsity and evil, from which origin a desire and favor for adultery from hell flow in; and this is why adulteries are believed in the Christian world to be allowable, and are practiced without shame. For, as has been said above, the conjunction of evil and falsity is spiritual adultery, from which according to correspondence natural adultery exists. For this reason “adulteries and whoredoms” signify in the Word adulterations of good and falsifications of truth; and for this reason Babylon is called in Revelation a “harlot,” and Jerusalem is so called in the Word of the Old Testament; and the Jewish nation was called by the Lord “an adulterous nation,” and “from their father the devil.” (But on this see above from the Word, n. 141.)

sRef Rev@16 @15 S0′ 1009. And they see his shame, signifies and thus be in filthy loves. This is evident from the signification of “shame” as being filthy loves. For shame (pudor) means the part of the body covered by the breeches, the region of the genitals, which are called pudenda, from scandals and adulteries. “Walking naked” means the nakedness of these; and as the genitals of both sexes correspond to the loves of heaven in general, and this is their correspondence when they are clothed, so when they are not clothed, that is, when they are naked, they correspond to the loves of hell. For “garments” signify truths clothing, and “the flesh” of that region of the body signifies the good of love, and good without truth is not good, as truth without good is not truth (see just above, n. 1008); and where there is no good of love there is evil, that is, filthy love. As the nakedness of that part of the body signifies filthy love, or the lasciviousness of adultery, therefore Aaron had breeches of linen that were upon his flesh when he ministered (Exod. 28:42, 43; 39:28), “breeches of linen” signifying truths covering.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] He that abstains from adulteries from any other motive than because they are sins and are against God is still an adulterer; as for instance when anyone abstains from them from fear of the civil law and its penalties, from fear of the loss of reputation and thus of honor, from fear of resulting diseases, from fear of upbraidings at home from his wife and consequent intranquility of life, from fear of chastisement by the servants of the injured husband, from poverty, or from avarice; from infirmity arising from abuse or from age or impotence or disease; in fact, when one abstains because of any natural or moral law, and does not at the same time abstain because of the Divine law, he is still interiorly unchaste and an adulterer, since he nonetheless believes that adulteries are not sins, and therefore in his spirit, declares them allowable, and thus he commits them in spirit, although not in the body; consequently after death when he becomes a spirit he speaks openly in favor of them, and commits them without shame. It has been granted me in the spiritual world to see maidens who regarded whoredoms as heinous because they are contrary to the Divine law, and also maidens who did not regard them as heinous and yet abstained from them because the resulting bad name would turn away suitors. These latter I saw encompassed with a dusky cloud in their descent to those below, while the former I saw encompassed with a shining light in their ascent to those above.

sRef Rev@16 @16 S0′ sRef Rev@12 @17 S1′ sRef Rev@13 @7 S1′ 1010. Verse 16. And he gathered them together into a place called in Hebrew Armageddon, signifies a state of combat from falsities against truths, arising from the love of self with the men of the church. This is evident from the signification of “gathering them together into a place,” that is, for battle, as being to arrange for fighting, from falsities against truths. This means a state of combat, because “place” signifies the state of a thing, and it means from falsities against truths, because it is meant that the dragon gathered them together; for in chapter 12 it is said:
The dragon went away to make war with the remnant of the woman’s seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (verse 17);
and of the beast coming up out of the sea in chapter 13:
It was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them (verse 7).
And here the place where they were to be gathered together and to begin the battle is named. It is believed that Armageddon means Megiddo, where Josiah, king of Judah, fighting against Pharaoh was defeated (see 2 Kings 23:29, 30; 2 Chron. 35:20-24; also Zech. 12). But what “Megiddo” there signifies in the spiritual sense is not yet known; therefore it shall be told. “Armageddon” signifies the love of honor, of rule, and of supereminence. This love is also signified by “Megiddo” in the old Hebrew tongue, as is evident from the meaning of that word in Arabic. Nor is anything else meant by “Armageddon” in the heavens; for all places mentioned in the Word signify things and states.
[2] The love of honor, of rule, and of supereminence is the last state of the church, when falsities are about to fight against truths, because that love is about to rule in the church in its last times, and when that love rules, falsity from evil rules also, and this overcomes truth; for that love more than all other loves extinguishes the light of heaven and induces the darkness of hell, because that love is man’s very own [proprium]; and by no force can man be drawn away from what is his own [proprium] and raised up towards heaven so long as that love rules; and one’s own [proprium] in which man is wholly immersed by that love is nothing but evil and falsity. That man from that love is in thick darkness as to all things of heaven and the church, consequently in mere falsities, does not appear to the man who is in it, because according to the brilliancy of the natural light [lumen] in them spiritual light [lux] is extinguished; but that brilliancy is from a delusive light [lumen], for it is a light [lumen] kindled from the love of glory, thus from the love of self-intelligence; and when that intelligence is seen in heaven it is insanity and folly; therefore when that love rules in the church it is all over with it, for no one has any longer any understanding of truth or any will of good; since honor, rule, and supereminence constitute the highest pleasure, and are felt as the highest good; and the highest pleasure and the highest good are the end for the sake of which all other things are regarded; and then all goods and truths, civil, moral, and spiritual, serve as means, which are loved only from the end and to the extent that they serve the end, and when they do not so serve they are utterly despised and rejected. This is true of all uses, civil, moral, or spiritual. It is otherwise when uses are made the end, and man does not attribute glory and honor to his own person, but to the uses themselves according to their excellence. Then honor, rule, and supereminence are the means, and are esteemed only to the extent that they serve uses as means. From all this it can in some measure be seen what “Armageddon” means.
[3] Moreover, it has been shown me to the life that that love has devastated the church and adulterated all its goods and truths, not only in the kingdoms of Babylon but in all other kingdoms. For almost everyone at this day when he comes after death into the spiritual world carries with him out of the natural world the desire to be honored, to rule, and to be supereminent; and there are very few who love uses for the sake of uses, but it is their will that uses should serve, and that honor, which is not a use, should govern; and when that rules which when separated from use is nothing, there can be no lot or inheritance granted them in the heavens where uses alone rule, since the kingdom of the Lord is a kingdom of uses; and when these rule the Lord rules, since uses are goods, and all good is from the Lord. This, then, is the state of the church manifested as to things rational, which state is signified by “the sixth angel pouring out his vial upon the great river Euphrates,” and is the state here treated of.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[4] Thus far adulteries have been considered; and now it shall be told what adultery is. Adulteries are all the whoredoms that destroy conjugial love. Whoredom of a husband with the wife of another or with any woman, whether a widow or a virgin or a harlot, is adultery when done from loathing or aversion to marriage; likewise the whoredom of a wife with a married man, or with a single man when done for a like reason. Again, the whoredoms of any unmarried man with the wife of another, and of any unmarried woman with the husband of another, are adulteries, because they destroy conjugial love by turning their minds away from marriage to adultery. The delights of varieties although with harlots are the delights of adultery, for the delight of variety destroys the delight of marriage. So, too, the delight of the defloration of virgins without the end of marriage is also the delight of adultery; for those who are in that delight afterwards desire marriage only for the sake of defloration, and when that is accomplished they loathe marriage. In a word, all whoredom that destroys the conjugial and extinguishes its love is adultery or pertains to adultery; while that which does not destroy the conjugial and does not extinguish its love is fornication springing from a certain instinct of nature towards marriage, which for various reasons cannot yet be entered into.

sRef Rev@16 @17 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @18 S0′ 1011. Verses 17, 18. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air, and there came forth a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices and lightnings and thunders, and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, such an earthquake, so great. 17. “And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air” signifies the state of the church manifested as to all things of thought (n. 1012); “and there came forth a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done,” signifies manifestation out of heaven from the Lord that the end is come, and thus that the Last Judgment is at hand (n. 1013). 18. “And there were voices and lightnings and thunder,” signifies reasonings, darkenings of the understanding, and conclusions of falsities from evils (n. 1014); “and there was a great earthquake,” signifies the state of the church wholly changed (n. 1015); “such as was not since men were upon the earth,” signifies that the state was more completely inverted than ever before in the countries where the church is (n. 1016); “such an earthquake, so great,” signifies so that the church was no more (n. 1017).

sRef Rev@16 @17 S0′ 1012. Verse 17. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air, signifies the state of the church manifested in regard to all things of thought. This is evident from the signification of “the angel pouring out the vial,” as being the state of the church manifested (as above); also from the signification of the “air,” as being thought, here everything of thought, because the last state of the church is here described; therefore when this state has been manifested it is said, “It is done,” that is, it is consummated. The “air” signifies thought because respiration, which is effected by means of the air, corresponds to thought, which is of the understanding, as the motion of the heart corresponds to affection, which is of the will. That the respiration of the lungs corresponds to thought is clearly evident from the fact that they operate simultaneously and harmoniously, for as man thinks so he breathes. If he thinks quietly he breathes quietly, and reversely if forcibly. If he thinks intensely and interiorly in himself, respiration is gradually arrested and withdrawn. Thus man varies the state of his respiration in accommodation to every state of his thought. The reason of this is that man has two lives, namely, the life of the understanding and the life of the will; and all things of the body correspond to these two lives of the mind. Thus in general the life of the respiration corresponds to the life of the understanding and consequent thought; and the life of the motion of the heart corresponds to the life of the will and the consequent love. These two lives are meant by “soul” and “heart” in the Word, where it is said “with the whole soul and with the whole heart,” which signifies with the whole understanding and the whole will, or with every thought which is of faith and with every affection which is of love. This is said to make known that the “air,” since respiration is effected by it, signifies thought.
[2] “The last vial was poured out into the air,” because all things of man close into his thoughts. For such as a man is as to the church and as to the goods and truths of the church, also as to love, in a word, such as he is as to his spiritual, moral, and civil life, such is he as to thought. This can be perceived especially in the spiritual world. When any angel goes out of his own society into a society not his own his breathing labors, because he is not thinking from a like affection. So, too, when an infernal spirit ascends into an angelic society he comes into distress of breathing, and thus into anguish, or into fantasy, or into blindness of thought; which makes clear that such as a man is such is his thought.

(The Seventh Commandment)*

sRef Matt@5 @22 S3′ sRef Matt@5 @24 S3′ sRef Matt@5 @21 S3′ sRef Matt@5 @25 S3′ sRef Matt@5 @23 S3′ sRef Matt@5 @26 S3′ [3] In what now follows something shall be said about the seventh commandment, which is, “Thou shalt not kill.” In all the commandments of the Decalogue, as in all things of the Word, two internal senses are involved (besides the highest which is a third), one that is next to the letter and is called the spiritual moral sense, another that is more remote and is called the spiritual celestial sense. The nearest sense of this commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” which is the spiritual moral sense, is that one must not hate his brother or neighbor, and thus not defame or slander him; for thus he would injure or kill his reputation and honor, which is the source of his life among his brethren, which is called his civil life, and afterwards he would live in society as one dead, for he would be numbered among the vile and wicked, with whom no one would associate. When this is done from enmity, from hatred, or from revenge, it is murder. Moreover, by many in the world this life is counted and esteemed in equal measure with the life of the body. And before the angels in the heavens he that destroys this life is held to be as guilty as if he had destroyed the bodily life of his brother. For enmity, hatred, and revenge, breathe murder and will it; but they are restrained and curbed by fear of the law, of resistance, and of loss of reputation. And yet these three are endeavors towards murder; and every endeavor is like an act, for it goes forth into act when fear is removed. This is what the Lord teaches in Matthew:
Ye have heard that it was said to them of old, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be liable to the judgment. But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother rashly shall be liable to the judgment; whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the council; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be liable to the Gehenna of fire (5:21-26).
This may be seen explained above (n. 693, 746).
[4] But the more remote sense of this commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” which is called the celestial spiritual sense, is that one shall not take away from man the faith and love of God, and thus his spiritual life. This is murder itself, because from this life man is a man, the life of the body serving this life as the instrumental cause serves its principal cause. Moreover, from this spiritual murder moral murder is derived; consequently one who is in the one is also in the other; for he who wills to take away a man’s spiritual life is in hatred against him if he cannot take it away, for he hates the faith and love with him, and thus the man himself. These three, namely, spiritual murder, which pertains to faith and love, moral murder, which pertains to reputation and honor, and natural murder, which pertains to the body, follow in a series one from the other, like cause and effect.
* This order of the commandments reverses their usual order against killing and stealing. This order is found in the Septuagint. Elsewhere in treating of the Decalogue (in Arcana Coelestia, Doctrine of Life, and True Christian Religion) the traditional order is followed.

sRef Rev@16 @17 S0′ 1013. And there came forth a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done, signifies manifestation out of heaven from the Lord that the end is come, and thus that the Last Judgment is at hand. This is evident from the signification of “a great voice, saying,” as being manifestation; from the signification of “temple,” as being heaven as to the Divine truth, through which all manifestation is effected (see n. 220, 391, 915); also from the signification of “throne,” as being where the Lord is as to judgment (see n. 253, 267, 462, 477); also from the signification of “It is done,” as being to be ended, that is, that there is no longer any good and truth, thus no longer any church, because all things are devastated. All this makes clear that “a great voice coming forth out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done,” signifies manifestation out of heaven from the Lord that the end is come, and that the Last Judgment is at hand. This was said after “the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air,” which signifies that all things of man’s thought have been turned away from heaven, consequently there is no longer any communication of men of the church with heaven; and when this communication has been broken off the Last Judgment comes. For so long as there is a communication of heaven with the church all things are held together in connection; but when communication is destroyed it is like a house falling when the foundation is taken from under it. And yet a new house is then built by the Lord in its place; the house is the church.

(Continuation respecting the Seventh Commandment)

[2] As all who are in hell are in hatred against the Lord, and thus in hatred against heaven, for they are against goods and truths, so hell is the essential murderer or the source of essential murder. It is the source of essential murder because man is man from the Lord through the reception of good and truth; consequently to destroy good and truth is to destroy the human itself, thus to kill man.
[3] That those who are in hell are such has not yet been known in the world, because with those who belong to hell and therefore after death come into hell, there does not appear any hatred against good and truth, nor against heaven, nor still less against the Lord. For everyone while he lives in the world is in externals; and these externals are taught and trained from infancy to counterfeit such things as are honest and decorous, just and equitable, and good and true. Nevertheless, hatred lies concealed in their spirit, and this in equal degree with the evil of their life. And as hatred is in the spirit it breaks forth when the externals are laid aside, as is the case after death.
[4] This infernal hatred against all who are in good is deadly hatred because it is hatred against the Lord. This can be seen particularly from their delight in doing evil, which is such as to exceed in degree every other delight, for it is a fire that burns with the lust for destroying souls. Moreover, it has been ascertained that this delight is not from hatred against those whom they attempt to destroy, but from hatred against the Lord Himself. Now since man is a man from the Lord, and the human which is from the Lord is good and truth, and since those who are in hell are, from a hatred against the Lord, eager to kill the human, which is good and truth, it follows that hell is the source of murder itself.

sRef Rev@16 @18 S0′ 1014. Verse 18. And there were voices, lightnings, and thunders, signifies reasonings, darkenings of the understanding, and conclusions of falsities from evils. This is evident from the signification of “voices, lightnings, and thunders,” which in reference to those of the church with whom there is no longer any good of love and truth of faith mean reasonings, darkness of the understanding, and conclusions of falsities from evils (see above n. 702, 704). This signification in the Word of “voices, lightnings, and thunders,” is derived from the appearance of these in the spiritual world with those who are not in the good of love and in the truths of faith, but who talk with each other about them. Their discourse, which is reasoning, is signified by “voices,” the conflict of truth and falsity by “lightnings,” and consequent rejection of truth and good by “thunders.” And as such things come forth in the spiritual world by correspondence, it follows that the like things in the natural world correspond, and thus have such signification as has been said.

(Continuation respecting the Seventh Commandment)

[2] From what has been said above it can be seen that all who are in evils as to life, and in the falsities therefrom, are murderers; for they are enemies and haters of good and truth, since evil hates good and falsity hates truth. The evil man does not know that he is in such hatred until he becomes a spirit; then hatred is the very delight of his life. Consequently from hell, where all the evil are, there constantly breathes forth the delight in doing evil from hatred; but from heaven, where all the good are, there constantly breathes forth the delight in doing good from love. Therefore two opposite spheres meet each other in the middle region between heaven and hell, and engage in reciprocal combat. While man lives in the world he is in this middle region. If he is then in evil and in falsities therefrom he passes over to the side of hell, and thus comes into the delight of doing evil from hatred. But if he is in good and in truths therefrom, he passes over to the side of heaven, and thus comes into the delight of doing good from love.
[3] The delight of doing evil from hatred, which breathes forth from hell, is the delight in killing. But as they cannot kill the body they wish to kill the spirit; and to kill the spirit is to take away spiritual life, which is the life of heaven. This makes clear that the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” involves also “thou shalt not hate thy neighbor, also thou shalt not hate the good of the church and its truth;” for if one hates good and truth he hates the neighbor; and to hate is to wish to kill. This is why the devil, by whom hell in the whole complex is meant, is called by the Lord, “A murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44).

sRef Rev@16 @18 S0′ 1015. And there was a great earthquake, signifies the state of the church wholly changed. This is evident from the signification of an “earthquake,” as being a change of the state of the church (see n. 400, 499); for the “earth” signifies the church, and its quaking signifies a change of state; and it was called “great” to signify that the state was wholly changed.

(Continuation respecting the Seventh Commandment)

sRef Matt@5 @24 S2′ sRef Matt@5 @21 S2′ sRef Matt@5 @22 S2′ sRef Matt@5 @23 S2′ sRef Matt@5 @26 S2′ sRef Matt@5 @25 S2′ [2] Since hatred, which is to will to kill, is the opposite of love to the Lord and also of love towards the neighbor, and since these loves are what make heaven with man, it is evident that hatred, being thus opposite, is what makes hell with him. Nor is infernal fire anything else than hatred; and in consequence the hells appear to be in a fire with a dusky glow according to the quality and quantity of the hatred, and in a fire with a dusky flame according to the quantity and quality of the revenge from hatred.
[3] Since hatred and love are direct opposites, and since hatred in consequence constitutes hell with man, just as love constitutes heaven with him, therefore the Lord thus teaches:
If thou shalt offer thy gift upon the altar, and shalt there remember that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming, offer thy gift. Be well disposed towards thine adversary whiles thou art in the way with him; lest haply the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt not come out thence till thou hast paid the last farthing (Matt. 5:23-26).
To be delivered to the judge, and by the judge to the officer, and by him to be cast into prison, describes the state of the man who is in hatred after death from his having been in hatred against his brother in the world, “prison” meaning hell, and “to pay the last farthing” signifies the punishment that is called everlasting fire.

sRef Rev@16 @18 S0′ 1016. Such as was not since men were upon the earth, signifies that the state was more completely inverted than ever before in the countries where the church is. This is evident from the signification of “there was not such an earthquake,” as being that the state of the church was more changed than heretofore, thus completely inverted; also from the signification of “the men that were upon the earth,” as being with those who are of the church, thus who are in the countries where the church is. Here the state of the church with the Reformed is especially treated of, while the church with the Babylonians will be treated of hereafter. And that the state of the church has been turned into its opposite is clear from this, that it is not known at this day what good is, nor what truth nor even what love is, nor what faith is; for love is called faith, works are called faith, good is called faith, truth is called faith, and yet it is not in the least seen whether the accepted faith, in which everything of the church is included, be a faith in truth, since it consists of mere incomprehensible things.

(Continuation respecting the Seventh Commandment)

[2] Since hatred is infernal fire it is clear that it must be removed before love, which is heavenly fire, can flow in, and by light from itself give life to man; and this infernal fire can in no wise be removed unless man knows whence hatred is and what it is, and afterwards turns away from it and shuns it. There is in every man by inheritance hatred against the neighbor; for every man is born into the love of self and of the world, and in consequence conceives hatred, and from it is inflamed against all who do not make one with him and favor his love, especially against those who oppose his lusts. For no one can love himself above all things and love the Lord at the same time; neither can anyone love the world above all things and love the neighbor at the same time; since no one can serve two masters at the same time without despising and hating the one while he honors and loves the other. Hatred is especially with those who are in the love of ruling over all; with others it is enmity.
[3] It shall be told what hatred is. Hatred has in itself a fire which is an endeavor to kill man. That fire is manifested by anger. There is a seeming hatred and consequent anger with the good against evil; but this is not hatred, but an aversion to evil; neither is it anger, but a zeal for good in which heavenly fire inwardly lies concealed. For the good turn away from evil, and are seemingly angry at the neighbor, in order that they may remove the evil; and thus they have regard to the neighbor’s good.

sRef Rev@16 @18 S0′ 1017. Such an earthquake, so great, signifies that the church was no more. This is evident from what has been said thus far in this chapter about the church, and before about faith alone, which at this day constitutes the church.

(Continuation respecting the Seventh Commandment)

When a man abstains from hatred and turns away from it and shuns it as diabolical, then love, charity, mercy and clemency flow in through heaven from the Lord, and then first the works which he does are works of love and charity. The works he had done before, however good might be their appearance in the external form, were all works of the love of self and of the world, in which hatred lurked whenever they were not rewarded. So long as hatred is not put away so long man is merely natural; and the merely natural man remains in all his inherited evil, nor can he become spiritual before hatred, with its root, which is the love of ruling over all, is removed; for the fire of heaven, which is spiritual love, cannot flow in so long as the fire of hell, which is hatred, stands in the way and shuts it out.

sRef Rev@16 @19 S0′ 1018. Verse 19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon came into remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the wrath of His anger. 19. “And the great city was divided into three parts,” signifies that all things of the doctrine of truth from the Word were dissipated (n. 1019); “and the cities of the nations fell,” signifies that all things of the doctrine of good from the Word were likewise dissipated (n. 1020). “And great Babylon came into remembrance before God,” signifies that thus far the church with the Reformed and its devastation has been treated of, and that what follows treats of the church with the Papists and its devastation (n. 1021); “to give unto her the cup of the wrath of His anger,” signifies devastation through dire falsities of evil (n. 1022).

sRef Rev@16 @19 S0′ 1019. Verse 19. And the great city was divided into three parts, signifies that all things of the doctrine of truth from the Word were dissipated. This is evident from the signification of “city” as being doctrine (see n. 223); and all things of doctrine from the Word are meant because it is called the “great city;” all things of the doctrine of truth are meant because it is added that “the cities of the nations fell,” and this signifies all things of the doctrine of good; for doctrine treats both of truths, which are predicated of faith, and of goods, which are predicated of love; therefore it is said doctrine of truth and the doctrine of good. Also from the signification of “divided into three parts,” as meaning to be dissipated. “To be divided into three parts” means to be dissipated, because “three” signifies all, the whole, and fullness, and when these are divided there is a dissipation. (That “three” signifies all, the whole, and fullness, and is predicated of truths, see above n. 532.) “To be divided into three parts” has a like signification in Ezekiel (5:2.)

(The Eighth Commandment)

[2] The eighth commandment of the Decalogue, “Thou shalt not bear false witness,” shall now be explained. “To bear false witness” signifies in the sense nearest to the letter to lie about the neighbor by accusing him falsely. But in the internal sense it signifies to call what is just unjust, and what is unjust just, and to confirm this by means of falsities; while in the inmost sense it signifies to falsify the truth and good of the Word, and on the other hand to prove a falsity of doctrine to be true by confirming it by means of fallacies, appearances, fabrications, knowledges falsely applied, sophistries and the like. The confirmations themselves and the consequent persuasions are false witnesses, for they are false testimonies. From this it can be seen that what is here meant is not only false witness before a judge, but even a judge himself who in perverting right makes what is just unjust, and what is unjust just, for he as well as the witness himself acts the part of a false witness. The same is true of every man who makes what is right to appear crooked, and what is crooked to appear right; likewise any ecclesiastical leader who falsifies the truth of the Word and perverts its good. In a word, every falsification of truth, spiritual, moral, and civil, which is done from an evil heart, is false witness.

sRef Rev@16 @19 S0′ 1020. And the cities of the nations fell, signifies that all things of the doctrine of good from the Word were likewise dissipated. This is evident from the signification of a “city,” as being doctrine (as just above); so “cities” mean doctrinals, or all things of doctrine. Also from the signification of “nations,” as being those who are in the good of love, and in an abstract sense goods (see n. 175, 331, 625). Also from the signification of “falling,” as meaning to be dissipated, for when cities fall they perish, and when doctrine falls its truths are dissipated.

(Continuation respecting the Eighth Commandment)

[2] When a man abstains from false testimonies understood in a moral and spiritual sense, and shuns and turns away from them as sins, the love of truth and the love of justice flow in from the Lord through heaven. And when, in consequence the man loves truth and loves justice he loves the Lord, for the Lord is truth itself and justice itself. And when a man loves truth and justice it may be said that truth and justice love him, because the Lord loves him; and as a consequence his utterances become utterances of truth, and his works become works of justice.

sRef Rev@16 @19 S0′ 1021. And great Babylon came into remembrance before God, signifies that thus far the church with the Reformed and its devastation has been treated of, and that what follows treats of the church with the Papists and its devastation. This is evident from the signification of “Babylon” as being the church with the Papists, since “Babylon” signifies the love of ruling over heaven and over the earth through the holy things of the church; and this love is dominant chiefly with the Papists. These words mean also that thus far the church with the Reformed and its devastation has been treated of, as is evident from what precedes and from what follows. In what precedes it has treated of the dragon and the two beasts, which describes the church with the Reformed, its devastation by “the seven angels pouring out the seven vials” (as can be seen from the thirteenth verse of this chapter). In what follows the church with the Papists is described in chapter 17 by “the harlot sitting upon the scarlet beast,” and its devastation in chapter 18. From this it is clear that “great Babylon came into remembrance before God” signifies that thus far it has treated of the church with the Reformed and its devastation, and what follows treats of the church with the Papists, and its devastation.

(The Ninth Commandment)

[2] The ninth commandment, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house,” is now to be treated of. There are two loves from which all lusts spring and flow forth perpetually like streams from their fountains. These loves are called the love of the world and the love of self. Lust is love continually willing, for what a man loves, that he continually longs for. But lusts belong to the love of evil, while desires and affections belong to the love of good. Now because the love of the world and the love of self are the foundations of all lusts, and all evil lusts are forbidden in these last two commandments, it follows that the ninth commandment forbids the lusts that flow from the love of the world, and the tenth commandment the lusts that flow from the love of self. “Not to covet a neighbor’s house” means not to covet his goods, which in general are possessions and wealth, and not to appropriate them to oneself by evil arts. This lust belongs to the love of the world.

sRef Rev@16 @19 S0′ 1022. To give unto her the cup of the wrath of His anger, signifies its devastation through direful falsities of evil. This is evident from the signification of a “cup,” as being falsity from hell, which is the falsity of evil (see n. 960); and as it appears as if God were wrathful and angry on account of this it is called “the cup of the wrath of the anger of God,” “wrath” on account of the falsity, and “anger” on account of the evil. So “to give unto her that cup” signifies to devastate, for the falsity of evil from hell devastates the church as to all good and truth. That the church meant by “Babylon” has been thus devastated will be made evident from the two following chapters.

(The Tenth Commandment)

[2] “Thou shalt not covet (or desire) thy neighbor’s wife, his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass.” These are lusts after what is man’s own, because the wife, manservant, maidservant, ox, and ass, are within his house, and the things within a man’s house mean in the spiritual internal sense the things that are his own, that is, the wife means the affection of spiritual truth and good, “manservant and maidservant,” the affection of rational truth and good serving the spiritual, and “ox and ass” the affection of natural good and truth. These signify in the Word such affections; but because coveting and desiring these affections means to will and eagerly desire to subject a man to one’s own authority or bidding, it follows that lusting after these affections means the lusts of the love of self, that is, of the love of ruling, for thus does one make the things belonging to a companion to be his own.
[3] From this it can now be seen that the lust of the ninth commandment is the lust of the love of the world, and that the lusts of this commandment are lusts of the love of self. For, as has been said before, all lusts are of love, for it is love that covets; and as there are two evil loves to which all lusts have reference, namely, the love of the world and the love of self, it follows that the lust of the ninth commandment has reference to the love of the world, and the lust of this commandment to the love of self, especially to the love of ruling. (That all evils and the falsities therefrom flow from these two loves may be seen above, n. 159, 171, 394, 506, 517, 650, 950, 951, 973, 982, 1010, 1016; and in the New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 65-83.)

sRef Rev@16 @20 S0′ sRef Rev@16 @21 S0′ 1023. Verses 20, 21. And every island fled, and the mountains were not found. And a great hail, as of the weight of a talent, cometh down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, for the plague thereof was exceeding great. 20. “And every island fled,” signifies that there was no longer any truth of faith (n. 1024); “and the mountains were not found,” signifies that there was no longer any good of love (n. 1025). 21. “And a great hail, as of the weight of a talent, cometh down from heaven upon men,” signifies falsities in the greatest degree infernal destroying all the understanding of truth with the men of the church (n. 1026); “and men blasphemed God because of the plague of hail,” signifies the consequent falsification of the Word (n. 1027); “for the plague thereof was exceeding great,” signifies the total destruction of genuine truth (n. 1028).

sRef Rev@16 @20 S0′ 1024. Verse 20. And every island fled, signifies that there was no longer any truth of faith. This is evident from the signification of “island,” as being the church as to the truths of the natural man, which are called scientific truths [vera scientifica] also cognitions [cognitiones] of truth and good (concerning which see above, n. 406); here it signifies the church as to the truths of faith, for the truths that are called the truths of faith are the truths of the natural man; and that there were no longer these is signified by “every island fled.” An “island” means the church as to the truths of faith, the reason is that an island is land encompassed by the sea, and “land” signifies the church, and “sea” the scientific and knowing faculty in general, which belong to the natural man. “Islands” signify also in the Word the churches with the Gentiles that possess nothing but appearances of truth, which are truths further removed from genuine truths. Islands have this signification because the islands of the sea were widely separated from the land of Canaan, which was the mainland, by which the church that was in genuine truths was signified.

(The Commandments of the Decalogue in general)

[2] The commandments of the Decalogue are called the ten words or ten commandments, because “ten” signifies all; consequently the ten words mean all things of the Word, and thus all things of the church in a summary. All things of the Word and all things of the church in a summary are meant, because there are in each commandment three interior senses, each sense for its own heaven, for there are three heavens. The first sense is the spiritual moral sense; this is for the first or lowest heaven; the second sense is the celestial spiritual sense, which is for the second or middle heaven; and the third sense is the Divine celestial, which is for the third or inmost heaven. There are thus three internal senses in every least particular of the Word. For from the Lord who is in things highest, the Word has been sent down in succession through the three heavens even to the earth, and thus has been accommodated to each heaven; and therefore the Word is with each heaven and almost with each angel in its own sense, and is read by them daily; and there are preachings from it, as on the earth.
[3] For the Word is Divine truth itself, thus the Divine wisdom, proceeding from the Lord as a sun, and appearing in the heavens as light. Divine truth is the Divine that is called the Holy Spirit, for it not only proceeds from the Lord but it also enlightens man and teaches him, as is said of the Holy Spirit. As the Word in its descent from the Lord has been accommodated to the three heavens, and the three heavens are joined together as inmosts are with ultimates through intermediates, so, too, are the three senses of the Word; which shows that the Word is given that by it there may be a conjunction of the heavens with each other, and also a conjunction of the heavens with the human race, for whom the sense of the letter is given, which is merely natural and thus the basis of the other three senses. That the ten commandments of the Decalogue are all things of the Word in a summary can be seen only from the three senses of those commandments, which are as above stated.

sRef Rev@16 @20 S0′ 1025. And the mountains were not found, signifies that there was no longer any good of love. This is evident from the signification of “mountains,” as being the church as to the good of love (see n. 405, 510, 850). “Mountains” mean the church as to the good of love, because “land” signifies the church, and angels that are in love to the Lord have their land upon mountains in the spiritual world; so “mountains” signify the church as to the good of love to the Lord. Such dwell upon mountains in the spiritual world because they are interior angels, and interior things in the spiritual world correspond to higher things, and actually become the higher. And this is why the Lord, because He is in the inmost, is called “the Most High,” and is said “to dwell in the highest.”

(Continuation: The Commandments in general)

[2] What these three senses in the commandments of the Decalogue are can be seen from the following summary explanation. The first commandment of the Decalogue, “Thou shalt not worship other gods besides Me,” involves in the spiritual moral sense that nothing else nor anyone else is to be worshipped as Divine; nothing else, that is, nature, by attributing to it something Divine of Itself; nor anyone else, that is, any vicar of the Lord or any saint. In the celestial spiritual sense it involves that one God only is to be acknowledged, and not several according to their qualities, as the ancients did, and as some pagans do at this day, or according to their works, as Christians do at this day, who make one God from creation, another from redemption, and another from enlightenment.
[3] This commandment in the Divine celestial sense involves that the Lord alone is to be acknowledged and worshiped, and a trinity in Him, namely, the Divine Itself from eternity, which is meant by the Father, the Divine Human born in time, which is meant by the Son of God, and the Divine that proceeds from both, which is meant by the Holy Spirit. These are the three senses of the first commandment in their order. From this commandment viewed in its threefold sense it is clear that it contains and includes in a summary all things that concern the Divine as to essence.
[4] The second commandment, “Thou shalt not profane the name of God,” contains and includes in its three senses all things that concern the quality of the Divine, since “the name of God” signifies His quality, which in its first sense is the Word, doctrine from the Word, and worship of the lips and of the life from doctrine; in its second sense it means the Lord’s kingdom on the earth and the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens; and in its third sense it means the Lord’s Divine Human, for this is the quality of the Divine Itself. (That the Lord’s Divine Human is “the name of God” in the highest sense may be seen above, n. 224.) In the other commandments there are likewise three internal senses for the three heavens; but these, the Lord willing, will be considered elsewhere.

sRef Rev@16 @21 S0′ 1026. Verse 21. And a great hail, as of the weight of a talent, cometh down from heaven upon men, signifies falsities in the greatest degree infernal destroying all the understanding of truth with the men of the church. This is evident from the signification of “hail,” as being infernal falsity destroying all the truth and good of the church (see n. 503, 704). This hail is called “great,” and “as the weight of a talent,” because falsities in the greatest degree infernal are meant. The quality of the falsities is compared to a talent, because a talent was the largest denomination in the reckoning of money and the weighing of silver, and “silver” signifies truth, and in the contrary sense falsity, and “weight” signifies what is heavy from evil, thus in the greatest degree infernal; for falsity from evil is heavy and falls of itself into hell. Also from the signification of “coming down from heaven upon men,” as being from hell destroying the understanding of truth with the men of the church; for by “men” men of the church as to the understanding of truth are meant, or what is the same, such understanding of truth as the men of the church possess.
[2] “Coming down from heaven” signifies to be from hell, because falsity, which is here signified by a “great hail,” does not come down from heaven, but rises up from hell. Hail indeed falls from heaven in the spiritual world as in the natural world, since hail is rain that descends from heaven; but it is frozen into hail by the cold that rises up from hell, and that cold is the absence of heat or of heavenly love. From this it follows that hail does not come down as hail from heaven, but is from hell. It is the same with the rain of brimstone and fire from heaven. “Rain” of water signifies the Divine truth from heaven, but “hail” Divine truth changed into infernal falsity, which is done while it is coming down from heaven.

(Continuation: The Commandments in general)

[3] As Divine truth united to Divine good proceeds from the Lord as a sun, and by this, heaven and the world were made (John 1:1, 3, 10), it follows that it is from this that all things in heaven and in the world have reference to good and to truth and to their conjunction that they may be anything. These ten commandments contain all things of Divine good and all things of Divine truth, and there is also in them a conjunction of these. But this conjunction is hidden; for it is like the conjunction of love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor; Divine good belongs to love to the Lord, and Divine truth to love towards the neighbor; for when a man lives according to Divine truth, that is, loves his neighbor, the Lord flows in with Divine good and conjoins Himself. For this reason there were two tables on which these ten commandments were written, and they were called a covenant, which signifies conjunction; and afterwards they were placed in the ark, not one beside the other, but one above the other, for a testimony of the conjunction between the Lord and man. Upon one table the commandments of love to the Lord were written, and upon the other table the commandments of love towards the neighbor. The commandments of love to the Lord are the first three, and the commandments of love towards the neighbor are the last six; and the fourth commandment, which is “Honor thy father and thy mother,” is the mediating commandment, for in it “father” means the Father in the heavens, and “mother” means the church, which is the neighbor.

sRef Rev@16 @21 S0′ 1027. And men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, signifies consequent falsification of the Word. This is evident from the signification of “blaspheming God,” as being to falsify the Word (see above, n. 778, 991); also from the signification of “the plague of the hail,” as being falsity in the greatest degree infernal (see just above), from which comes the falsification of the Word.

(Continuation: The Commandments in general)

[2] Something shall now be said about how conjunction is effected by means of the commandments of the Decalogue. Man does not conjoin himself to the Lord, but the Lord alone conjoins man to Himself, and this He does by man’s knowing, understanding, willing, and doing these commandments; and when man does them there is conjunction, but if he does not do them he ceases to will them, and when he ceases to will them he ceases also to understand and know them. For what does willing amount to if man when he is able does not do? Is it not a figment of reason? From this it follows that conjunction is effected when a man does the commandments of the Decalogue.
[3] But it has been said that man does not conjoin himself to the Lord, but that the Lord alone conjoins man to Himself, and that conjunction is effected by doing; and from this it follows that it is the Lord with man that does these commandments. But anyone can see that a covenant cannot be entered into and conjunction be effected by it unless there is some reciprocal on man’s part, not only that he may consent but also that he may receive. To this end the Lord has imparted to man a freedom to will and act as if of himself, and such a freedom that man does not know otherwise, when he is thinking truth and doing good, than that the freedom is in himself and thus from himself. This reciprocal is on man’s part in order that conjunction may be effected. But as this freedom is from the Lord, and continually from Him, man must by all means acknowledge that to think and understand truth and to will and do good are not from himself, but are from the Lord, according to what has been said on this subject above (n. 946, 971, 973).
[4] Consequently when man through the last six commandments conjoins himself to the Lord as if of himself, the Lord then conjoins Himself to man through the first three commandments, which are that man must acknowledge God, must believe in the Lord, and must keep His name holy. This man does not believe, however much he may think that he does, unless the evils forbidden in the other table, that is, in the last six commandments, he abstains from as sins. These are the things pertaining to the covenant on the part of the Lord and on the part of man, through which there is reciprocal conjunction, which is that man may be in the Lord and the Lord in man (John 14:20).

sRef Rev@16 @21 S0′ 1028. For the plague thereof was exceeding great, signifies the total destruction of genuine truth. This is evident from the signification of “the plague of the hail,” as being the falsification of the Word (as above); therefore “the plague thereof was exceeding great” signifies more grievous falsification, which is that the Word is falsified even to the destruction of all genuine truth. How the Word is falsified even to the destruction of genuine truth, and heaven is thereby closed against man, may be seen above (n. 719, 778, 888, 914, 916, 950).

(Continuation: The Commandments in general)

[2] It is said by some that he who sins against one commandment of the Decalogue sins also against the rest, thus that he who is guilty of one is guilty of all. It shall be told how far this is in harmony with the truth. When a man transgresses one commandment, by confirming with himself that it is not a sin, thus without fear of God, he commits it; because he has thus rejected the fear of God he does not fear to transgress the rest of the commandments, although he may not do this in act.
[3] For example, when one does not regard frauds and illicit gains, which in themselves are thefts, as sins, neither does he regard as a sin adultery with the wife of another, hating a man even to murder, lying about him, coveting his house and other things belonging to him; for when he rejects from his heart in any one commandment the fear of God he denies that anything is a sin; consequently he is in communion with those who in like manner transgress the other commandments. He is like an infernal spirit who is in a hell of thieves; and although he is not an adulterer, nor a murderer, nor a false witness, yet he is in communion with such, and can be persuaded by them to believe that such things are not evils, and can be led to do them. For he who has become an infernal spirit through the transgression of one commandment, no longer believes it to be a sin to do anything against God or anything against the neighbor.
[4] But the opposite is true of those who abstain from the evil forbidden in one commandment, and who shun and afterwards turn away from it as a sin against God. Because such fear God, they come into communion with the angels of heaven, and are led by the Lord to abstain from the evils forbidden in the other commandments and to shun them, and finally to turn away from them as sins; and if perchance they have sinned against them, yet they repent and thus by degrees are withdrawn from them.

APOCALYPSE. CHAPTER 17.
1. And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven vials and spoke with me, saying unto me, Come, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters;
2. With whom the kings of the earth committed whoredom, and they that dwell on the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her whoredom.
3. And he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and inwrought with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the uncleanness of her whoredom.
5. And upon her forehead a name written, Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of the whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth.
6. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus; and when I saw her I wondered with great wonder.
7. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore dost thou wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and the ten horns.
8. The beast that thou sawest was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition; and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, seeing the beast that was and is not, and yet is.
9. This is the mind that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, where the woman sitteth upon them.
10. And they are seven kings; the five have fallen, and the one is, the other is not yet come; and when he is come he must remain a short time.
11. And the beast which was and is not is himself the eighth, and is of the seven, and he goeth into perdition.
12. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom; but they receive authority as kings one hour with the beast.
13. These have one mind, and shall give over their power and authority unto the beast.
14. These shall fight with the Lamb; but the Lamb shall overcome them, for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings; also those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.
15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
16. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the harlot and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her up with fire.
17. For God gave into their hearts to do His mind, and to do one mind, and to give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be consummated.
18. And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, which hath a kingdom over the kings of the earth.

sRef Rev@17 @0 S0′ 1029. EXPLANATION.

As this chapter and the following treat of Babylon, before these chapters are explained, what is meant by Babylon in general and in particular shall be told; also what it is in the beginning, and what it becomes afterwards by degrees. “Babylon” (or Babel) means the church consisting of those who by means of the holy things of the church strive to gain dominion over the whole world, and this by dominion over the souls of men, claiming to themselves authority to save whomsoever they will; and these finally seek dominion over heaven and hell and make it their own. And to this end they draw and transfer to themselves all the Lord’s authority, as if it had been given them by Him. The church consisting of such is very different in the beginning from what it becomes in process of time. In the beginning they are as it were in zeal for the Lord, for the Word, for love and faith, and especially for the salvation of men. But in that zeal the fire of domineering lies hidden; and in process of time as dominion increases this breaks forth; and so far as it comes into act the holy things of the church become the means, and dominion itself the end; and when dominion becomes the end the holy things of the church are applied to that end, and thus to themselves; and then they not only ascribe the salvation of souls to their own authority, but they also appropriate to themselves all the Lord’s Divine power. And when they do this they pervert every good and every truth of the church, and thus profane the holy things of the church. These things are “Babylon.”
[2] That this is so has been shown me to the life. In the spiritual world there were those who strove to gain such dominion; and as they knew that the Lord alone has all power, they put on a seeming zeal for Him and for heaven and for the church, and they labored with all their might to worship the Lord alone, and to observe in a holy way all things of the Word; and they arranged to have sanctity and integrity prevail in all. But it was granted to know that in such zeal an ardent desire of domineering over all others lay hidden, believing that the things they arranged would be acceptable to the Lord. For just as soon as they began to gain dominion, their end was gradually disclosed, which was that they and not the Lord should rule, and thus that the Lord should serve them and not they the Lord; and they were indignant if they were not permitted, like gods, to dispose everything at their will; and it was perceived also that they thought lightly of the Lord, and even rejected Him if He did not grant them authority to do all things as they pleased, and unless He assented to every decision of theirs. It was also perceived that if they dared, they would, under some pretext, transfer His Divine authority to themselves; but they were afraid of being for this reason cast down into hell. By this it was shown how Babylon begins and how it ends. The conclusion to be drawn from this was that when dominion becomes the end, and the holy things of the church become the means, the worship of God is turned, under various pretexts, into the worship of men; so that they themselves are actually gods, and the Lord is not actually God, but is so called for the sake of form.
[3] Now because dominion by means of the holy things of the church over the souls of men, over heaven, and over the Lord Himself, is inwardly profane, it follows that it is infernal; for the devils who are in hell desire nothing so much as to have dominion over heaven, and over the Lord Himself; and this they attempt to do under various pretexts, but as soon as they attempt it they are swallowed up by hell. And since those who in the world cast the Lord down from the seat of His kingdom and place themselves upon it, are in heart like devils, it is evident that a church made up of such must in process of time be devastated as to all its good and all its truth; and this is its end. That such are devils is evident from the same in the spiritual world. Those who have exercised the Lord’s Divine authority in the world talk about the Lord after death in a most holy manner, and worship Him with all external devotion. But when their interiors are looked into (for in the spiritual world these can be uncovered and looked into) they are seen to be profane, because they are godless and full of diabolical craft; and from this it becomes clear that their holy externals had served them as means to an end, which was dominion. At one time the question arose among spirits whether any devil in hell could do the like; one of the worst was therefore summoned, and was told that he would receive dominion over many if he would worship the Lord with sanctity and acknowledge His Divine to be equal to the Divine of the Father, and at the same time would observe all things of worship. When he heard of dominion over many he immediately disposed his interiors to craft and his exteriors to holiness, and worshiped the Lord in a more holy manner than many angels, burning with anger against all who would not adore Him. But as soon as he observed that dominion was not given to him, he burned with anger against the Lord Himself, and denied both His Divine and the Divine of the Father, and even cast reproaches upon both; for he was an atheist.
[4] That such is Babylon at this day is clearly evident from the fact that under the pretext of the keys having been given to Peter, they have transferred to themselves all the Divine authority of the Lord, that they have shut up Divine truth from the people by taking away the Word, and that they have ascribed to the decrees of the Pope a holiness equal and even superior to the holiness of the Word; also that they teach little, if at all, the fear and worship of God, but only a fear and worship of themselves, and also a worship of the saints for the sake of themselves. All this makes clear that Babylon in its end is a church empty and void of all the good of love to God, and of all the good of love towards the neighbor, and consequently of all truth. It is therefore no longer a church but an idolatry, and as such it differs but little from the heathenisms of the ancients, who worshiped Baal, Ashtaroth, Beelzebub, and others, and yet had temples, appointed feasts, altars, sacrifices, incense, libations and other things like those of the Jewish Church. These things have been said about Babylon in its beginning and at its end, to make known why in the Word Babylon is sometimes extolled even to heaven, and sometimes cast down even to hell.
sRef Dan@2 @35 S5′ sRef Dan@2 @34 S5′ sRef Dan@2 @43 S5′ sRef Dan@2 @44 S5′ sRef Dan@2 @31 S5′ sRef Dan@2 @38 S5′ sRef Dan@2 @32 S5′ sRef Dan@2 @33 S5′ [5] That Babylon is such can be seen fully from the descriptions and representations of it in the Prophets, and especially in Daniel. First, from the statue of king Nebuchadnezzar, in Daniel:
There appeared to king Nebuchadnezzar in a dream, a statue standing opposite the king; its head was of good gold, its breast and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of brass, its legs of iron, and its feet part of iron and part of clay. Afterwards a stone was cut out, not by hands, which smote the statue upon its feet, which were of iron and clay, and brake them in pieces; and then the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, were broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floor; so that the wind carried them away, and no place was found for them. But the stone that smote the statue became a great rock (Dan. 2:31-35).
From the interpretation of this dream by Daniel, it is clear that it describes the state of the church that becomes Babylon, from its beginning to its end. It is Babylon that is described, for these things were seen by the king of Babylon in a dream, and he saw a statue opposite to him; also Daniel said plainly to the king:
Thou art its head which is gold (Dan. 2:38).
The successive states of this church even to the last are depicted by the head, breast, arms, belly, thighs, legs, and feet of that statue; likewise by the gold, silver, brass, iron and clay, of which the statue consisted from top to bottom. All this makes clear that this church in its beginning was full of wisdom from the good of love to the Lord. For its “head,” which is the highest part, signifies wisdom, and “gold” signifies the good of love to the Lord. That the toes of its feet were “part of iron and part of clay” signifies that the last state of that church would be without any good of love and without any wisdom; for this is thus interpreted by Daniel:
Whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of man; but they shall not cohere one with the other, even as iron doth not mingle with clay (Dan. 2:43).
“The seed of man” signifies the Divine truth, thus the truth of the Word; and by this no coherence is effected, because at the end of the church it is falsified by application to the worship of men. The destruction of this church is described by “the stone brake in pieces all parts of the statue.” “Stone” signifies the Divine truth; and the “rock” which the stone became signifies the Lord as to the Divine truth. Its destruction is the Last Judgment. The New Church that will then be established by the Lord is described by these words:
The God of the heavens shall make a kingdom to arise which shall not perish for ages, and His kingdom shall not be committed to another people. It shall break in pieces and consume all those kingdoms, but itself shall stand for ages (Dan. 2:44).
Here and elsewhere in the Word “kingdom” signifies the church; so, too, does a “man,” in the form of which the statue was.
sRef Dan@4 @30 S6′ sRef Dan@4 @37 S6′ sRef Dan@4 @13 S6′ sRef Dan@4 @11 S6′ sRef Dan@4 @14 S6′ sRef Dan@4 @10 S6′ sRef Dan@4 @12 S6′ sRef Dan@4 @15 S6′ sRef Dan@4 @16 S6′ sRef Dan@4 @17 S6′ [6] The church that afterwards became Babylon is also described by the “tree” seen by King Nebuchadnezzar in a dream, in Daniel:
I was looking, when behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great; the tree grew and became strong, and the height thereof reached even unto heaven, and the sight thereof even unto the end of all the earth; the leaf thereof was beautiful, and the flower thereof much; the beast of the field had shadow under it, and the birds of heaven dwelt in the branches of it, and all flesh was nourished by it. But behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven, crying with all might, saying thus, Hew down the tree and cut off his branches, and scatter his flower, let the beast flee from under him, and the birds from his branches; but leave the stump of his root in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the herb of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of the heavens, and let his portion be with the beast in the grass of the earth; they shall change his heart from man’s, and the heart of a beast shall be given to him, until seven times shall pass over him, until the living shall know that the Lord is the Most High in the kingdom of man (Dan. 4:10-17).
That King Nebuchadnezzar, consequently Babylon itself, is meant by that tree and all things of it, is plainly declared in verses 20-22; and that the things that were heard happened to the king, namely, that he was driven out from man, dwelt with the beast of the field, ate the herb like oxen, until seven times had passed over him, is evident from verses 32-34, of the same chapter. That these things came upon him because of the love of self and the pride of his own dominion is evident from these words of his:
Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the house of the kingdom, by the might of my power and for the glory of mine honor? (Dan. 2:30.)
And afterwards when he was restored:
I, Nebuchadnezzar, honor the King of the heavens, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment; and those that walk in pride He is able to humble (Dan. 2:37).
This state of Nebuchadnezzar depicts the state of those after death who exalt themselves as gods over all things of the church, namely, “they are driven out from man,” which means that as to the understanding they are no longer like men; “they become beasts and eat grass like oxen,” and “their hairs grow like eagles’ feathers and their nails like birds’ claws” signifies that they are wholly sensual, that in place of intelligence they have foolishness and in place of wisdom insanity; “to eat grass, to have hair like eagles’ feathers, and nails like birds’ claws” signifies to become sensual.
sRef Dan@7 @5 S7′ sRef Dan@7 @3 S7′ sRef Dan@7 @6 S7′ sRef Dan@7 @4 S7′ sRef Dan@7 @7 S7′ [7] The successive states of the church which at length became Babylon are described also by “the four beasts coming up out of the sea,” in Daniel:
There appeared to him four beasts coming up out of the sea, the first was like a lion, but it had eagle’s wings, but the wings were plucked out, and it was lifted up from the earth and raised up on the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. Afterwards another beast, a second, like a bear, and it raised itself up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this, behold another like a leopard, which had upon its back four wings like those of birds, and four heads; and dominion was given to it. Afterwards a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible and exceedingly strong and it had great teeth of iron, it devoured and brake in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet (Dan. 7:3-7).
That by these beasts also the successive states of the church from its first to its last are described may be seen above (n. 316, 556, 650, 780, 781). That in the first state they were in truths, and thus in intelligence, is signified by “the lion that had an eagle’s wings,” and that afterwards appeared “like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.” That in the last state they are in falsities from evil of every kind is signified by “the fourth beast, that was dreadful, that devoured and brake in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet.” Of this beast other things are said in verses 23-25.
sRef Dan@7 @14 S8′ sRef Dan@7 @27 S8′ sRef Dan@7 @13 S8′ [8] That the church that has become Babylon will then be destroyed, and a New Church established that will worship the Lord, is meant by these words:
I was seeing, and behold with the clouds of the heavens One like the Son of man. And there was given Him dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and tongues might worship Him. His dominion is the dominion of an age, which shall not pass away; and His kingdom that which shall not perish. And the kingdom and the dominion and the majesty of kingdoms under all the heavens shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is the kingdom of an age; and all dominions shall worship Him and obey (Dan. 7:13-14, 27).
“The Son of man” means the Lord as to the Divine Human and as to the Word. That a church is to be established by Him that will worship Him is meant by the words, “there was given Him dominion and glory and a kingdom, and His dominion is the dominion of an age, which shall not pass away”; and the church that is to be established by Him is meant by “the kingdom given to the people of the saints.” This would come to pass when the church had become Babylon, that is, so devastated that there is no longer any good or truth remaining in it, because then is its end, that is, there is then no longer a church. This end is meant by the end of Babylon. Not that the idolatrous worship of such in the world will be destroyed and themselves with it, for this will remain, but not as the worship of any church, but as the worship of paganism; consequently such after death will come among pagans, and be no longer among Christians. But from those who have adored the Lord, and not the Pope or saints or graven images, a New Church will be gathered up by the Lord.
sRef Dan@3 @5 S9′ sRef Dan@3 @2 S9′ sRef Dan@3 @1 S9′ sRef Dan@3 @4 S9′ sRef Dan@3 @7 S9′ sRef Dan@3 @6 S9′ sRef Dan@3 @3 S9′ sRef Dan@6 @7 S9′ sRef Dan@6 @8 S9′ sRef Dan@6 @9 S9′ [9] The Babylonish idolatry is described in Daniel:
By the high statue which king Nebuchadnezzar set up and which he decreed all should fall down to and adore; and those who did not should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace (Dan. 3:1-7).
This idolatry is described also in the same:
By the statute that Darius the Mede decreed, that no one should ask any petition from any god or from any man, but from the king; and that whosoever should ask anything from god or from man within thirty days, should be cast into a den of lions (Dan. 6:7-9).
By this “Babel” or “Babylon” is depicted as to dominion over holy things, and the assumption of Divine authority; and the destruction of such is described by all who persuaded Darius to make that statute being cast into the den of lions and devoured.
sRef Dan@5 @29 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @17 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @27 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @28 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @31 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @30 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @13 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @16 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @15 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @24 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @21 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @22 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @23 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @20 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @19 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @18 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @25 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @26 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @3 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @4 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @5 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @2 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @23 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @14 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @1 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @10 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @11 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @12 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @9 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @7 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @8 S10′ sRef Dan@5 @6 S10′ [10] Babylon is described also in Daniel:
By Belshazzar the king, his nobles, his wives, and his concubines, drank wine out of the vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had brought from the temple of Jerusalem, and at the same time they praised the gods of gold and silver, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, and then the writing on the wall appeared to him; after which the king was slain that same night (Dan. 5:1 to the end).
This represented and thus signified the profanation of the holy things of the church by those who are of Babylon, and who extend their dominion even unto heaven; for it is said:
Thou hast exalted thyself above the Lord of the heavens, when they brought the vessels of His house before thee (Dan. 5:23).
From these passages in Daniel it can be seen that “Babylon” or “Babel” means in the Word the love of dominion over the entire globe, likewise over heaven and over the Lord Himself, and that the church of the Lord successively becomes Babylon, and that as it becomes Babylon so it is devastated as to all the good of love and all the truth of faith; and that this is its end, that is, it is no longer a church; and when it is no longer a church it is reckoned among the idolatrous nations, except those in it who worship the Lord, regard the Word as holy, and admit instruction from it.
sRef Isa@14 @20 S11′ sRef Dan@2 @37 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @21 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @19 S11′ sRef Dan@2 @38 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @4 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @18 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @22 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @25 S11′ sRef Dan@4 @10 S11′ sRef Dan@4 @22 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @22 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @23 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @24 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @17 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @8 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @7 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @9 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @11 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @10 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @6 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @4 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @5 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @3 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @1 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @2 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @12 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @13 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @14 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @15 S11′ sRef Isa@14 @16 S11′ [11] “Babel” or “Babylon” is described also in Isaiah:
Jehovah will have compassion on Jacob, and will again choose Israel, that He may set them in their own land. It shall come to pass in the day that Jehovah shall give thee rest from thy sorrow that thou shalt declare this parable concerning the king of Babylon. How hath the exactor ceased, the lust of gold ceased. Jehovah hath broken the staff of the wicked, the rod of the rulers, therefore the whole earth is at rest and is quiet; they have broken forth into singing. Even the oaks rejoice on account of thee, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down no woodcutter hath come upon us. Hell beneath is moved for thee, to meet thee at thy coming; it hath stirred up Rephaim for thee, all the mighty of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall answer and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us? Thy magnificence is brought down into hell, the noise of thy psalteries; the worm is spread under thee, and the little worms cover thee. How hast thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the dawn. Thou hast been cut down to the earth, thou hast been weakened below the nations. And thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven, and I will sit on the mount of assembly, on the sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the cloud, I will become like the Most High. Yet in truth thou hast been brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee consider thee. Is this the man that moveth the earth, that maketh kingdoms to tremble, that hath made the world a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof? Thou hast been cast out of thy sepulcher, like an abominable shoot, a garment of those that are slain, thrust through with the sword, that go down to the stones of the pit, like a carcass trodden under foot. Thou shalt not be joined with them in the sepulcher, for thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people; the seed of the wicked shall not be named forever. Prepare slaughter for his sons for the iniquity of their fathers, that they rise not up and possess the land, and fill the faces of the land with cities. For I will rise up against them, saith Jehovah of Hosts, and I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son’s son. I will make thee* a heritage for the bittern and pools of waters, and I will sweep her with the besom of destruction. And I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains will I trample him (Isa. 14:1-25).
All this is said of Babylon, and not of any devil who was created an angel of light, and became a rebel and was cast into hell, and from his first state was called “Lucifer, son of the dawn.” That Babylon is here described is evident from the fourth and twenty-second verses of this chapter, where the king of Babylon and Babylon are mentioned, for it is said, “Thou shalt declare this parable concerning the king of Babylon,” and afterwards, “I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant.” It is to be known that a king has a like signification in the Word as his kingdom. Babylon is called “Lucifer, son of the dawn,” because, as has been said above, Babylon in the beginning is the church that is in zeal for the Lord, for the good of love, and for the truths of faith, although inwardly in the zeal of its pastors lies hidden the fire of dominating by means of the holy things of the church over all whom they can subdue to themselves. This is why Babylon is called “Lucifer, son of the dawn.” For the same reason it is called:
King of kings, into whose hand all things are given (Dan. 2:37);
and also:
The head of the statue which was gold (Dan. 2:38);
likewise:
A tree in the midst of the earth, great in height (Dan. 4:10, 22).
sRef Dan@7 @4 S12′ sRef Isa@13 @19 S12′ [12] Again, Babylon in its beginning is meant by:
The lion that had the wings of an eagle, and afterwards appeared like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it (Dan. 7:4);
and is called:
The ornament of the kingdoms and the glory of the magnificence of the Chaldeans (Isa. 13:19);
and is mentioned among:
Those that know Jehovah (Ps. 87:4).
Now as Babylon in its beginning signifies such a church, the king of Babylon is here called “Lucifer, son of the dawn,” “Lucifer” because of the light of truth at that time, and “son of the dawn” because of the beginning of light or of day, for “dawn” means the church in its beginning. But this chapter describes this church as to its state even to the end, when it has become “Babylon the harlot,” which is its state when there is no longer any good of love nor any truth of faith left. This state of it is what is meant by its destruction and condemnation to hell. Their destruction in the world means nothing else than that after death hell is for those who have arrogated to themselves the Divine authority, and have exercised it, and to that end have held the peoples of the earth in dense thick darkness or blindness, and in idolatrous worship; especially those who have led men away from the worship of the Lord.
[13] As these are the things described in this chapter I will explain briefly the passages quoted from it. “Jehovah will have compassion on Jacob, and will again choose Israel, that He may set him upon their own land,” signifies a new church to be established by the Lord after the end of Babylon. “In that day thou shalt declare this parable concerning the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the exactor ceased, the lust for gold ceased,” signifies deliverance from the spiritual captivity and servitude in which those were who were under its dominion. “Jehovah hath broken the staff of the wicked, the rod of those having dominion,” signifies that they no longer have any power by means of truths from good, because they are in mere falsities from evil; such is their impotence in the spiritual world. “The whole earth is quiet; they have broken forth into singing, even the oaks rejoice on account of thee, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down no woodcutter hath come upon us,” signifies that those who are in the knowledges of good and truth will no longer be infested by such, “earth” meaning a new church that will be at rest from them, “oaks” and “cedars of Lebanon” meaning the knowledges of good and truth in the external and the internal sense, “the woodcutter not coming upon them” meaning no more infestation. “Hell beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming; it has stirred up Rephaim for thee, all the mighty of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations,” signifies the delight of revenge of those who are in hell. “All shall answer and say, Art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us? Thy magnificence is brought down into hell, the noise of thy psalteries,” signifies such delight on this account that the church has become like them, and is likewise in the falsities of evil. “How hast thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning, thou hast been cut down to the earth, thou hast been weakened below the nations,” signifies derision because of its having become such, although in the beginning it was in heaven, because in the good of love and in the truths of faith. This was said by those who are in hell, because to those in hell nothing is more delightful than to be able to draw one down from heaven and destroy him by falsities of evil. “And thou hast said in thine heart, I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven, and I will sit on the mount of assembly, on the sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the cloud, I will become like the Most High,” are also words of derision respecting their pride of dominion, that they spread out even to heaven, and arrogate to themselves the Divine authority, and thus subject all things of heaven and all things of the church to their will, to the end that they may be worshiped and adored as gods, “the mount of assembly on the sides of the north” being where there is ascent into the heavens, “over the stars and over the heights of the cloud” being over the Divine truth, “stars” being the knowledges of good and truth, and “heights of the cloud” the interior truths of the Word. “Yet in truth thou hast been brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit; they that see thee consider thee. Is this the man that moveth the earth, that maketh kingdoms to tremble, that hath made the world a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof?” is a continuation of the derision of those who are in hell, and also of their glorying that the church has been cast down from heaven, “the sides of the pit” being places in hell where there are mere falsities of evil, “the earth, the kingdoms, and the world,” signifying the church, and “cities” doctrinals. “Thou hast been cast out of thy sepulcher like an abominable shoot, a garment of those that are slain, thrust through with the sword, that go down to the stones of the pit, like a carcass trodden under foot,” signifies the state of their damnation, “a garment of those that are slain, thrust through with the sword, and a carcass trodden under foot,” signifying the condemnation of the profanation of truth. “Thou shalt not be joined with them in the sepulcher, for thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people; the seed of the wicked shall not be named forever,” signifies more grievous condemnation than that of the rest, because all things of the church have been extinguished. “Prepare slaughter for his sons for the iniquity of their fathers, that they rise not up and possess the land, and fill the faces of the land with cities,” signifies their eternal destruction. “I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son’s son,” signifies total destruction, because they have no longer anything of good or of truth. “I will make thee* a heritage for the bittern, and pools of waters, and I will sweep her with the besom of destruction,” signifies infernal falsity through destruction of truth. “I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains will I trample him,” signifies that in the New Church there shall spring up no reasonings from falsities against truths and goods. Furthermore, the things in this chapter may be seen more particularly explained in other parts of this work (as n. 208, 223, 304, 331, 386, 405, 539, 589, 594, 608, 659, 687, 697, 724, 727, 730, 741, 768, 811).
sRef Isa@13 @20 S14′ sRef Isa@13 @21 S14′ sRef Isa@13 @22 S14′ sRef Isa@13 @19 S14′ [14] In the same:
So shall Babylon, the ornament of kingdoms and the adornment of the magnificence of the Chaldeans, be as God’s overthrowing Sodom and Gomorrah; it shall not be inhabited forever; it shall not be dwelt in even from generation to generation; that the Arabian may not abide there, and the shepherds shall not make to lie down; but the ziim shall lie down there, and their houses shall be full of ochim, and the daughters of the owl shall dwell there, and the satyrs shall dance there. And the ijim shall answer in her palaces and dragons in her palaces of delights. Her time is near to come, and her day shall not be prolonged (Isa. 13:19-22).
This entire chapter treats of the total devastation of all things of good and all things of truth of the church, with those who are of Babylon. “So shall Babylon be” means in the sense of the letter the great city called Babylon; but in the spiritual sense it means the church that has become Babylon. Babylon is called “the ornament of kingdoms and the adornment of the magnificence of the Chaldeans,” because of the wisdom of that church in its beginning, as has been said before; but in general “Babel” or “Babylon” means the church in which all the goods of love have been destroyed and finally profaned, and “Chaldea” the church in which all the truths of faith are destroyed and finally profaned; and this is why it is said “as God’s overthrowing Sodom and Gomorrah,” “Sodom” also signifying the destruction of all good by the love of self, and “Gomorrah” the destruction of all truth therefrom. “It shall not be inhabited forever, it shall not be dwelt in even from generation to generation,” signifies its destruction to eternity, “not to be inhabited forever” relating to the destruction of good, and “not to be dwelt in from generation to generation” relating to the destruction of truth; for those who destroy good and truth and afterwards embrace in place of these evil and falsity cannot be reformed. It is otherwise with those who are in evils and falsities but have not destroyed good and truth, as are the Gentiles that have no knowledge of good and truth. “The Arabian shall not abide there, and the shepherds shall not make to lie down,” signifies that the church will become such a desert, “the Arabian” meaning one who lives in a desert, but does not abide there, because there is no corn or fruit; and it is the same with the flocks of shepherds when there is no pasture. “The ijim** shall lie down there, and the houses shall be full of ochim,” signifies the infernal falsities and evils pertaining to them, “ijim” meaning infernal falsities, and “ochim” infernal evils, and “house” the mind of those who are such. “The daughters of the owl shall lie down there, and the satyrs shall dance there,” signifies that falsified truths and adulterated goods shall be there, “daughters of the owl” meaning falsified truths, and “satyrs” adulterated goods, and “to dance” meaning the joy from filthy love which has adulterated the good of love. “The ijim shall answer in her palaces, and dragons in the palaces of delights,” signifies these adulterated and falsified things in their doctrines.
sRef Jer@51 @8 S15′ sRef Jer@51 @7 S15′ sRef Jer@51 @6 S15′ sRef Jer@50 @40 S15′ sRef Jer@50 @39 S15′ sRef Jer@51 @37 S15′ sRef Jer@51 @25 S15′ sRef Jer@51 @26 S15′ sRef Isa@47 @11 S15′ sRef Isa@47 @8 S15′ sRef Isa@47 @10 S15′ sRef Isa@47 @9 S15′ sRef Jer@50 @38 S15′ sRef Jer@50 @37 S15′ sRef Jer@50 @35 S15′ [15] Babylon is likewise described in other passages in the prophets. As in Jeremiah:
O sword against Babylon, a sword against her treasures, that they may be spoiled; a drought upon her waters, that they may be dried up; for it is a land of graven images, and they glory in horrible things; therefore the ziim with the ijim shall dwell there, and the daughters of the owl shall dwell therein; she shall not sit anymore forever, nor shall she be inhabited even from generation to generation; according to God’s overthrowing Sodom and Gomorrah, and its neighboring cities, not a man shall dwell there, neither shall a son of man tarry therein (Jer. 50:35, 37-40).
In the same:
Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver a man his soul, lest ye be cut off for her iniquity. Babylon is a cup of gold in the hand of Jehovah, making the whole earth drunken; the nations have drunk of her wine, therefore the nations are mad. Babylon is fallen suddenly, and is broken in pieces. Behold I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith Jehovah, destroying the whole earth. And I will stretch out my hand against thee, to roll thee down from the rocks, and to make thee a mountain of burning. And they shall not take from thee a stone for a corner. Babylon shall become heaps, a habitation of dragons, an astonishment and a hissing, without inhabitant (Jer. 51:6-8, 25, 26, 37).
In Isaiah:
Hear now, O Babylon, sitting securely, saying in her heart, I and none like me besides; I shall not sit a widow, neither shall I know bereavement. But these two things shall come to thee in a moment, in one day, bereavement and widowhood. They shall come upon thee fully because of the multitude of thy sorceries and the great abundance of thine enchantments. For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness, saying, No one seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge hath seduced thee, when thou hast said in thy heart, I and none like me besides. Therefore evil shall come upon thee which thou knowest not how to ward off, and calamity shall fall upon thee which thou shall not be able to expiate; and devastation shall come upon thee suddenly which thou knewest not (Isa. 47:8-11).
Thus the destruction of Babylon is described not only here, but also in the whole of chapter 47 of Isaiah; also in the whole of chapters 50 and 51 of Jeremiah; also in Isaiah 21:8, 9; and in David (Ps. 137:1, 8, 9). Again, the adulteration of good and the falsification of truth by the Jews is described by their whoredoms in Egypt, and afterwards with the daughters of Assyria, and finally with the daughters of Babylon and with the Chaldeans (Ezek. 16:1 to the end; 23:1 to the end). “Whoredom in Egypt” means falsification of truth from the natural man, which is effected by fallacies, appearances, and knowledges. Their whoredom with the daughters of Assyria signifies falsification of truth from the rational man, which is effected by reasonings and sophistries from fallacies, appearances, and knowledges. Their whoredom with the daughters of Babylon and with the Chaldeans signifies the adulteration of good and the profanation of truth.
sRef Jer@25 @8 S16′ sRef Jer@25 @9 S16′ sRef Jer@25 @10 S16′ sRef Jer@25 @11 S16′ sRef Jer@25 @2 S16′ sRef Jer@25 @3 S16′ sRef Jer@25 @1 S16′ sRef Jer@25 @7 S16′ sRef Jer@25 @6 S16′ sRef Jer@25 @5 S16′ sRef Jer@25 @4 S16′ [16] When, therefore, the sons of Israel wholly departed from the statutes which were representative of the spiritual things of the church, through which they had communication with heaven, they were all given into the hands of the king of Assyria; for there was no longer with them any representative church and consequently no communication with heaven. Respecting their offenses and their being carried away by the king of Assyria into his cities, and also into Babylon, see 2 Kings 17:1 to the end. The same thing happened to the Jews. When they had adulterated and profaned all the statutes, judgments, and laws that represented good and truth of faith, to the extent that there was no longer anything of good and truth left, and when their church thus became Babylon, then not only their kings and princes and the whole people, but also all the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and afterwards all its golden vessels, were given into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon; and moreover the temple itself was burned (respecting this see 2 Kings 24:1-20; 25:1-26; also Isa. 20:17, 18; 39:6, 7; Jer. 20:4, 5; 21:4-10; 25:1-12; 27:6-22; 28:1-16; 29:1-21; 32:1-5; 34:1-7, 18-22; 35:11; 38:17-23; 39:2-18; 41:1-12; 52:1 to the end). Their transgressions were:
That they filled Jerusalem with innocent blood (2 Kings 24:4);
That they offered incense unto Baal, poured out drink-offerings unto other gods, set abominations in the house of Jehovah, built high places to Baal in the valley of Hinnom, delivered up their sons and daughters to Molech (Jer. 32:29-35).
All these signify the profanation of the holy things of the church. Such profanation is signified also by “Babylon.” That the land, therefore, which signified the church might no longer be profaned by them, and also that Babylon might thus fully put on its representation, it was said to them by Jeremiah that they should surrender themselves voluntarily into the hands of the king of Babylon, and those who did not surrender themselves, but remained in the land, should die by the sword, famine, and pestilence (Jer. 25:1-11).
[17] But since the Lord was to be born in that nation and make Himself manifest where the church then was and where His Word was, so that nation after a captivity of seventy years was brought back from Babylon, and the temple was rebuilt. And yet no other church remained with them except a church like that called Babylon, as can be seen from many things which the Lord Himself said about that nation, and from the way they received Him; and for this reason Jerusalem was again destroyed, and the temple burnt with fire.
[18] It is to be known in general that every church in its beginning is like a virgin, but in process of time it becomes a harlot. For it enters gradually into a life of evil and thus embraces a doctrine of falsity, as gradually it begins to love self and the world; and then from being a church it becomes either Babylon or Philistia, Babylon with those who love self above all things, and Philistia with those who love the world above all things. For as these two loves increase, the men of the church adulterate and falsify the goods and truths of the Word, which is from being a virgin to become a harlot.
[19] The first church after the flood would have become Babylon, if the Lord by the dispersion of their religion had not prevented the attempt, represented and signified by the tower that was to reach even to heaven, which the posterity of Noah began to build (see respecting this in Genesis 11:1-9, and an explanation of the particulars in Arcana Coelestia, n. 1283-1328). It having thus been shown from the Word what is signified in general and in particular by “Babylon,” we are now prepared to pass on to the explanation of those things which are foretold in this and the following chapter about Babylon and its destruction.
* The photolithograph reads “thee,” in n. 724 we read “her,” which agrees with the Hebrew text.
** Ijim in text where we read Ziim, which agrees with the Hebrew.

sRef Rev@17 @1 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @2 S0′ 1030. Verses 1-2. And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven vials and spoke with me, saying unto me, Come, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed whoredom; and they that dwell on the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her whoredom. 1. “And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven vials and spoke with me” signifies a manifestation of the state of the church with the Papists (n. 1031); “saying unto me, Come, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot,” signifies the religious persuasion of those in whom all the good and truth of the church has been adulterated and profaned (n. 1032); “that sitteth upon many waters,” signifies that has dominion over all things of the Word, and thus over the holy things of the church (n. 1033). 2. “With whom the kings of the earth committed whoredom,” signifies that it has falsified all the truths of the church (n. 1034); “and they that dwell on the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her whoredom,” signifies that from falsifications those who are of the church have become insane (n. 1035).

sRef Rev@16 @19 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @1 S0′ 1031. Verse 1. And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven vials and spoke with me, signifies a manifestation of the state of the church with the Papists. This is evident from the signification of “the angel that had the vial,” as being the manifestation by the Lord of the state of the church (as above, n. 869, 878, 883). It means manifestation of the state of the church with the Papists, because this chapter and the following treat of “Babylon,” by which is meant the religious persuasion of the Papists. One of the seven angels came, because “the seven angels that have the seven vials” mean in the preceding chapter the manifestation of the state of the church with the Reformed, and now here with the Papists; so when the seventh angel poured out his vial it is said:
And great Babylon came into remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fury of His anger (Rev. 16:19).

sRef Rev@17 @1 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @5 S1′ 1032. Saying unto me, Come, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot, signifies the religious persuasion of those in whom all the good and truth of the church has been adulterated and profaned. This is evident from the signification of “judgment,” as being all that concerns their religious persuasion, and finally its condemnation. Also from the signification of “the great harlot,” as being the adulteration and profanation of the good and truth of the church (see above, n. 141, 161, 717, 881). This is the meaning of “the great harlot” because by her Babylon is meant, as is evident from the fifth verse of this chapter, where it is said, “Upon the forehead” of the harlot “a name written, Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of the whoredoms and abominations of the earth;” and “Babylon” signifies the adulteration and profanation of good and truth (as has been fully shown above in article 1029).
[2] Babylon is called “the great harlot” and “the mother of the whoredoms and abominations of the earth,” because a love of having dominion over all things of the world, and still further, over all things of heaven and the church, and finally over the Lord Himself, cannot do otherwise than wholly change Divine truths into falsities and Divine goods into evils, thus the church into a religious persuasion in which all its good and truth is adulterated and profaned. For by that love a man wholly turns himself away from the Lord, and turns only towards self; and thus he can no longer be led by the Lord, but is led by what is his own [proprium]; and to be led by what is his own is to be led by hell. Man is either led from heaven or he is led from hell; he cannot be led by both at the same time; and he is led from heaven when he is led by the Lord, and from hell when he is led by self. For man was so created as to be capable of being raised above what is his own [proprium] and of thinking in that elevated state. He is raised above what is his own [proprium] and thinks in that elevated state when he is raised up by the Lord; and this is effected when he acknowledges the Lord and His Divine power over heaven and earth; and by that confession and faith of the heart he has conjunction with the Lord; and when conjunction is effected, the interiors, which belong to his mind, that is, to his understanding and will, are held by the Lord under his view. This is effected by an elevation above what is his own [proprium]; and when man thinks in that elevated state he thinks truth from the Lord and does good from Him.
[3] The opposite comes to pass when a man strives to gain dominion over the world, over heaven, and over the Lord; for he then immerses the interiors of his mind which belong to his thought and will in what is his own [proprium]; and when a man is immersed in what is his own he thinks and wills from hell; consequently he thinks and wills falsities and evils; and for the reason that what is man’s own [proprium] is nothing but evil, for it is his inherited evil itself. Such then are the Babylonians; and therefore they have adulterated and profaned all the goods and truths of the church; and this is why Babylon is called a “harlot,” and “the mother of the whoredoms and abominations of the earth.”

sRef Rev@17 @1 S0′ 1033. That sitteth upon many waters, signifies that has dominion over all things of the Word, and thus over the holy things of the church. This is evident from the signification of “to sit,” as being to subject to her judgment and to bring under her jurisdiction, and thus to have dominion over. This is why the expressions “sitting in judgment” and “sitting upon a throne” are used (see above, n. 687). Also from the signification of “waters,” as being truths (see n. 71, 483, 518, 854), but here all things of the Word, because it is said “many waters,” and has reference to the “harlot,” which is Babylon, by which is meant adulteration and profanation of the Word from which comes every good and truth of the church. “Many waters” signify also the holy things of the church, because all holy things of the church have reference to goods and truths, which are from the Word.
sRef Rev@17 @15 S2′ sRef Jer@51 @12 S2′ sRef Jer@51 @13 S2′ [2] “To dwell upon many waters” has a like signification in Jeremiah:
Jehovah shall do that which He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon. O thou that dwellest upon many waters, upon many treasures, thine end is come, the measure of thy gain (Jer. 51:12-13).
Because “many waters” signify the truths of the Word, and thus the holy things of the church, it is here added, “upon many treasures”; for “treasures” signify Divine truths, which are in the Word. “Many waters” here signify also the holy things of the church, as will be evident from the explanation of the fifteenth verse, where it is said, “The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples and multitudes, nations and tongues,” and “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues,” there mean all things of the church; because the “earth” in the Word signifies the church, and thus those on the earth signify all things of the church. But on this more will be said in the explanation of that verse. That the Babylonians have subjected the truths of the Word and the holy things of the church to their judgment, jurisdiction, and dominion, can be seen from this, that they persuade the people that the Word is understood by them alone and not by any who have not been inaugurated into the ministry; and by this means they subject all things of the Word and thus all things of the church to their dominion.
[3] Moreover, the Word is such in the sense of its letter that it may be drawn aside to confirm any heresy whatever; for the sense of the letter consists of appearances of truth, which hold enclosed in them the genuine truths of heaven, which are called spiritual truths; and unless these truths are revealed and laid bare, that is, unless they are taught in the doctrines of the church, the appearances they present may be drawn over and perverted to favor any falsity whatever, and even to favor evil. For the genuine truths of the Word are like a man, and the appearances of truth, of which the sense of the letter consists, are like his garments, from which alone no judgment can be formed respecting who the man is or what he is. If a man were judged from his garments alone, a king might be called a servant, and a servant a king, and a good man might be called an evil man, and an evil man a good man; and so on. So those who arrogate to themselves dominion over all things of the church and heaven can apply the sense in its letter a thousand ways to favor their dominion. And this is an easy task, because all things of the church, which are called holy, they place above the human understanding, and when this is assented to and no genuine truth is taught, infernal falsities may be called truths, and devilish evils may be called goods; and the simple may even be persuaded that the edicts of the Pope are just as holy as the commandments of the Word, and even more holy; and yet these are from heaven, while those edicts are for the most part from hell. For every edict respecting government, faith, and worship in the church, that has for an end dominion in the world, however it may appear in the external form, and may sound as if from the Word, is from hell; while every commandment from the Word, because it has for its end the salvation of souls by the Lord, is from heaven. From all this it can be seen that “sitting upon many waters,” when predicated of Babylon as a harlot, signifies having dominion over all things of the Word, and thus over the holy things of the church.

sRef Rev@19 @19 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @12 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @18 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@1 @6 S0′ sRef Dan@7 @24 S0′ sRef Rev@5 @10 S0′ 1034. Verse 2. With whom the kings of the earth committed whoredom, signifies that they have falsified all the truths of the church. This is evident from the signification of “committing whoredom,” as being to falsify (see n. 141, 161, 817, 881); also from the signification of “the kings of the earth,” as being the truths of the church, “kings” being truths, and the “earth” the church. “Kings” are mentioned in many places in the Word, and it is supposed that kings or their kingdoms are thereby meant; but in the Word “kings” mean all who are in truths from good from the Lord, and in an abstract sense, in which is the spiritual sense, they mean truths from good. That this is the meaning of “kings” may be seen above (n. 29, 31, 553, 624, 625). This can be further seen from the following in Revelation:
Jesus Christ, the Prince of the kings of the earth, who hath made us kings and priests (Rev. 1:5-6).
Again:
The Lamb made us kings and priests, that we might reign upon the earth (Rev. 5:10; likewise 16:12, 14).
[2] Because “kings” signify truths from good, they also signify in the contrary sense falsities from evil. For most expressions in the Word have also a contrary sense. Such is the signification of “kings” in the following passages in this chapter:
The seven heads of the beast are seven kings; the five are fallen, and the one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he is come he must continue a little while (Rev. 17:10).
Also:
The ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings (Rev. 17:12).
Again:
The woman is the great city which hath kingship over the kings of the earth (Rev. 17:18).
So, too, in a subsequent passage, where it is said:
That the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, made war with Him that sat on the white horse (Rev. 19:19).
All this makes clear the signification of the words “the kings of the earth committed whoredom with the harlot that sitteth upon many waters,” namely, that the truths of the church have been falsified by those who are of Babylon. So again in a subsequent passage, where it is said that:
The kings of the earth committed whoredom with that woman, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich from the abundance of her delicacies. The kings of the earth, who have committed whoredom and lived deliciously with her, shall weep and lament over her (Rev. 18:3, 9, 11).
“Kings” have a like signification in Daniel:
As for the ten horns of the fourth beast, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise; and another shall arise after them, and he shall be diverse from the former, and he shall put down three kings (Dan. 7:24).
[3] “Kings” signify those who are in truths from good, and in an abstract sense truths from good, because the Lord is called “king” from Divine truth, and “priest” from Divine good; and therefore the heaven where Divine truth reigns is called “His throne.” For the same reason angels in the heavens and men on earth who are in truths from good from the Lord are called “sons of the king,” also “sons of the kingdom” and “heirs;” consequently such are meant by “kings” where the Lord is called “King of kings” (as in the fourteenth verse of this chapter, and in chapter 19:16; and elsewhere).

sRef Rev@17 @2 S0′ 1035. And they that dwell on the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her whoredom, signifies that from falsifications those who are of that church have become insane. This is evident from the signification of “made drunk,” as being to be insane in spiritual things (see n. 376); also from the signification of “wine,” as being spiritual truth (see also n. 376); also from the signification of “whoredom,” as being the falsification of truth (see just above); also from the signification of “they that dwell on the earth,” as being those who are of the church. (That the “earth” in the Word signifies the church, has been frequently shown above.) From all this it is clear that “they that dwell on the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her whoredom” signifies that from falsifications those who are of that church have become insane.
[2] In regard to the insanity that is signified in the Word by “intoxication” and “drunkenness,” it is not from falsities but from truths falsified, for the reason that truth from heaven acts into the understanding, and at the same time falsity from hell; and this gives rise to dissension in the mind, and to an insanity like that of a drunkard in the world. But only those are subject to this insanity who are in evil, and who have confirmed falsities of evil by means of the Word; for all things of the Word are truths and communicate with heaven, while falsities of evil are from hell. But from falsities that are not from evil there is no spiritual intoxication, for such falsities do not pervert and destroy the spiritual truths that lie hidden within the truths of the sense of the letter, since from falsities not from evil, they cannot produce evil, as they can by falsities from evil.
sRef Jer@51 @7 S3′ [3] Falsities not from evil may be compared to impure waters, which do not when drunk induce drunkenness; but falsities from evil may be compared to wine or strong drinks, which induce drunkenness. Such insanity therefore is said in the Word to be produced by wine that is called “the wine of whoredom” and “the wine of Babylon” in Jeremiah:
Babylon is a cup of gold in the hand of Jehovah, making the whole earth drunken; the nations have drunk of her wine, therefore the nations are mad (Jer. 51:7).

sRef Rev@17 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @5 S0′ 1036. Verses 3-5. And he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and inwrought with gold, precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the uncleanness of her whoredom. And upon her forehead a name written, Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of the whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth. 3. “And he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness,” signifies into a place appearing in vision that corresponded to the state of that religious persuasion (n. 1037); “and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast,” signifies the dominion of that religious persuasion over the holy things of the Word (n. 1038); “full of names of blasphemy,” signifies which are adulterated and falsified (n. 1039); “having seven heads,” signifies and profaned (n. 1040); “and ten horns” signifies the power of the Word from truths (n. 1041). 4. “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet,” signifies the appearance of that religious persuasion in externals as if it were from celestial good and truth, and yet in internals it is from devilish evil and falsity (n. 1042); “and inwrought with gold and precious stone,” signifies the appearance of that religion in externals, as if it were from spiritual good and truth, and yet in internals it is from infernal evil and falsity (n. 1043); “and pearls,” signifies its appearing in externals to be in the knowledges of good and truth (n. 1044); “having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the uncleanness of her whoredom,” signifies having doctrine from profaned goods and truths (n. 1045). 5. “And upon her forehead a name written, Mystery, Babylon the great,” signifies having in heart the love of dominion over the world and heaven, which the holy things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, are made to serve as means (n. 1046); “the mother of the whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth” signifies a religious persuasion which is the source of adulterations of good and truth, and profanations of the holy things of the church (n. 1047).

sRef Isa@13 @20 S0′ sRef Isa@14 @17 S0′ sRef Isa@13 @22 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @3 S0′ sRef Isa@13 @21 S0′ sRef Isa@13 @19 S0′ 1037. Verse 3. And he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness, signifies into a place appearing in vision that corresponded to the state of that religious persuasion. This is evident from the signification of “wilderness,” as being a state of the church in which there is no longer any good or truth (see n. 730). But as a church in which there is no longer any good or truth is not a church, it is called a religious persuasion. Also from the signification of “in the spirit,” as being in vision, for what John saw in the spirit he saw in vision. To see in vision is to see such things as exist with angels in heaven, which are representative and thus significative of things spiritual. When these appear to man they do not appear before the sight of his body, but before the sight of his spirit. For the spirit of man has eyes as well as his body; but the eyes of his spirit see the things that are in the spiritual world, because all things that appear there are from a spiritual origin, and the spiritual man sees spiritual things with the understanding, and with the eyes he sees the same in a form like the natural. But the eyes of the body see the things that are in the material world, because all things that appear there are from a natural origin; and with his understanding the material man sees natural things, while with his eyes he sees the same in a material form. So when the eyes of the spirit were opened with the prophets they saw such things as represented and thus signified the celestial Divine and spiritual Divine things of the church, and sometimes such things as represented and thus signified things that were to come to pass in the churches in the future; and such were the things that John saw. He now saw a wilderness, because a “wilderness” signifies a state of the church devastated of all good and truth; and this state corresponds to the church that had become Babylon. This is why Babylon is described in many passages of the Word as a wilderness, as in the following:
Art thou he that hath made the world a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof? (Isa. 14:17).
Babylon shall be as God’s overthrowing Sodom and Gomorrah; it shall not be inhabited forever; it shall not be dwelt in even from generation to generation; that the Arabian may not abide there. The daughters of the owl shall dwell there, and the satyrs shall dance there (Isa. 13:19-22; also Jer. 50:37-40; 51:2, 25-26, 37, 41-43; and elsewhere).

sRef Rev@17 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @16 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @17 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @3 S0′ 1038. And I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, signifies the dominion of that religious persuasion over the holy things of the Word. This is evident from the signification of a “woman,” as being the church (see n. 555, 707, 721, 730), here Babylon, which is not a church but a religious persuasion devastated of all the truth and good of the church. That Babylon is meant by this “woman” is clearly evident from the fifth verse of this chapter. Also from the signification of “sitting,” as being to have dominion (see just above, n. 1033); also from the signification of “a scarlet beast,” as being the Word as to the holy things of it, which the woman that is Babylon had profaned by dominion over them. That “the scarlet beast” signifies the Word as to the holy things of it that have been profaned by Babylon can be seen from what follows in this chapter, where it is said that “it was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into perdition” (verses 8-11); and afterwards, that “the ten horns of the beast were ten kings, who hated the harlot, and would make her desolate and naked, and would eat her flesh, and burn her up with fire, and would give the kingdom unto the beast” (verses 12, 16, 17). From these words viewed in the spiritual sense it is clear that “the scarlet beast” signifies the Word as to the holy things of it.
[2] The Divine Word can be signified by a “beast,” because many of the holy things of the church are signified in the Word by “beasts,” as:
The cherubim that appeared as four beasts (Ezek. 1 and 10).
And the four beasts, or four animals, that also were cherubim, were seen by John sitting and standing before the throne (Rev. 4:6-10; 5:6-12; 7:11; 14:3).
And these as cherubim signify providence and protection that the Lord be not approached except by the good of love, and thus also they signify the Word in the letter, since that protects (see above, n. 277, 278, 717). Moreover, all beasts that were sacrificed, as oxen, bullocks, goats, she-goats, kids, rams, sheep, and lambs, signified the holy things of the church (as can be seen from what has been shown above, n. 279, 283, 362, 552, 650, 781, 817). And this is why men because of charity are called “sheep,” and even the Lord Himself because of the Divine innocence is called a “Lamb,” and because of the Divine power is called a “Lion.” This has been said that it may not seem strange that the “beast” here signifies the Word, but the Word in the letter, where it is natural. Also, in a general sense, “beast” signifies in the Word the natural as to affection. The beast appeared scarlet in color, because “scarlet” signifies truth from a celestial origin, such as the truth of the Word is in the sense of its letter, that is, in its natural sense, which is what is meant by its holiness. Nearly the same is signified by “the harlot seen sitting upon many waters” (in the first verse of this chapter), also “upon many treasures” (in Jer. 51:13). For “many waters” and “many treasures” there signify the truths of the Word, and thus the holy things of the church which have been adulterated (see above, n. 1033). The signification of “scarlet” will be seen in the explanation of the following verse.

sRef Rev@17 @3 S0′ 1039. Full of names of blasphemy, signifies which are adulterated and falsified. This is evident from the signification of “name,” as being what a thing is or what a state is (see n. 102, 148, 676, 695, 841); therefore “full of names” signifies what the holy things of the Word were to it; also from the signification of “blasphemy,” in reference to the Word, as being its adulteration and falsification (see n. 778).

sRef Rev@17 @3 S0′ 1040. Having seven heads, signifies and profaned. This is evident from the signification of the “head,” as being intelligence and wisdom; and in the contrary sense, insanity and folly and also cunning (see n. 553, 715). And as these heads were the heads of the scarlet beast, which signifies the Word as to its holy things (see above, n. 1038), and seven of them were seen, so “the seven heads” signify the holy things of the Word profaned, for the number “seven” signifies what is holy, and in the contrary sense what is profane. In the sense nearest to the letter “the head” of this beast signifies the Word as to the understanding of it, and thus as to the intelligence and wisdom in it and from it. But when its truths and goods, from which intelligence and wisdom come, have been falsified and adulterated, its “heads,” when seven were seen, signify the holy things of the Word profaned. That this is the signification of “the seven heads” is evident also from the ninth and tenth verses of this chapter, where it is said, “The seven heads are seven mountains, where the woman sitteth upon them, and they are seven kings,” which signifies profanation of the good of love and of the truth of faith.

sRef Rev@17 @16 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @17 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @12 S0′ 1041. And ten horns, signifies the power of the Word from truths. This is evident from the signification of “horns,” as being the power of truth against falsity; and in the contrary sense the power of falsity against truth (see n. 316, 567, 776); here the power of truth from the Word against falsity, because it is said in what follows:
The ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings. These shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her up with fire. And God gave into their hearts to give their kingdom unto the beast (Rev. 17:12, 16-17).
This makes clear that “the ten horns” that the scarlet beast had signify the power of truth, thus of the Word, against falsities; for it is said that they “will hate the harlot and will burn her up with fire,” and the “harlot” signifies the truth of the Word falsified, which in itself is falsity, and this can be hated and burned up only by the truth of the Word in its power, thus by those who are in truths from the Word, and who think of the Word alone as holy, and acknowledge it to be the Divine truth, without regard to the decrees of the Pope. But on this more will be said hereafter. Ten horns were seen because “ten” signifies much, so “ten horns” signify much of power.

sRef Rev@17 @4 S0′ 1042. Verse 4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, signifies the appearance of that religious persuasion in externals, as if it were from celestial good and truth, and yet in internals it is from devilish evil and falsity. This is evident from the signification of the “woman,” as being the religious persuasion of the Papists; also from the signification of “arrayed,” as being what it is in externals, for “garments” are external things that clothe; therefore “to be arrayed” means the appearance in externals. Also from the signification of “purple,” as being good from a celestial origin, and also the evil opposite thereto, which is called devilish evil (of which presently). Also from the signification of “scarlet,” as being truth from a celestial origin, and also the falsity opposite thereto, which is called devilish falsity. That these goods and truths differ from goods and truths that are from a spiritual origin, and that the like is true of the evils and falsities opposite to them, which are called infernal evils and falsities, will be shown in the following article.
sRef Ezek@23 @6 S2′ sRef Luke@16 @19 S2′ sRef Ezek@23 @12 S2′ [2] This woman, who is a harlot, and is Babylon, is thus described, because those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom are described in the Word from their external appearance, thus such as they are in the eyes of the men who worship them. They are so described because the sense of the letter of the Word consists of appearances; while the spiritual sense puts off those appearances, and presents interior things naked, without clothing, and when these appear, they appear in a wholly different form; as here the woman seen in external appearance “arrayed in purple and scarlet,” is called, as to her internal form, “the mother of the whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth;” and the like is said of:
The rich man clothed in purple and fine linen, who, nevertheless, was cast into hell (Luke 16:19);
also of the Assyrians, with whom Ohola and Oholibah, that is, Samaria and Jerusalem, committed whoredom, who are called:
Officers and leaders, horsemen clothed in blue riding upon horses (Ezek. 23:6, 12).
So in other passages. Babylon is here described as a harlot appears in the world, splendidly clothed and yet abominable, because full of uncleanness.
[3] Before proving from the Word that “purple and scarlet” signify goods and truths from a celestial origin, something shall be said about such goods and truths. The Divine good that proceeds from the Lord is united with His Divine truth, as heat from the sun is with light in the time of spring. But the angels, who are recipients of the Divine good and Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, are distinguished into celestial and spiritual. Those who receive more of the Lord’s Divine good than of His Divine truth are called celestial angels; because these constitute the kingdom of the Lord that is called the celestial kingdom. But the angels who receive more of the Lord’s Divine truth than of His Divine good are called spiritual angels, because the Lord’s spiritual kingdom consists of these. This makes clear that goods and truths have a twofold origin, namely, a celestial origin and a spiritual origin. Those goods and truths that are from a celestial origin are the goods and truths of love to the Lord; while those goods and truths that are from a spiritual origin are the goods and truths of love towards the neighbor. The difference is like that between higher and lower, or between interior and exterior; thus like that between things that are in a higher or interior degree, and those that are in a lower or exterior degree; and what this difference is can be seen from what has been said in the work on Heaven and Hell about the three degrees of the heavens, and thus of the angels, and of their wisdom and intelligence (n. 33, 34, 38-39, 208-209, 211, 435).
sRef Luke@16 @19 S4′ sRef Lam@4 @5 S4′ sRef Ezek@27 @7 S4′ [4] That “purple” signifies in the Word that good, and “scarlet” that truth, can be seen from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned. As in Ezekiel:
Fine linen of embroidered work from Egypt was thy spreading forth, blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was thy covering (Ezek. 27:7).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church as to the knowledges of truth and good, “blue and purple” standing for such knowledges from a celestial origin, and “covering and spreading forth” signifying the externals of that church. In Luke:
There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and indulged in delicacies every day (Luke 16:19).
The “rich man” means the Jewish nation and the church therein, which was called “rich” from the knowledges of good and truth from the Word that they had, “in purple” meaning the knowledges of good, and “in fine linen” the knowledges of truth, both from a celestial origin. In Lamentations:
They that did eat delicacies are laid waste in the streets; they that were brought up in scarlet have embraced a dunghill (Lam. 4:5).
“To be brought up in scarlet” means to be instructed from infancy in truths from celestial good.
sRef Num@4 @8 S5′ [5] As the Tent of meeting represented heaven, and the garments of Aaron represented the holy things of heaven, and purple and scarlet signify the goods and truths of heaven, so the curtains and veils of the Tent, as well as the garments of Aaron, were wrought with blue, purple, scarlet double-dyed, and fine linen woven together; as:
The curtains of the habitation (Exod. 26:1);
The veil before the ark (Exod. 26:31);
The covering for the door of the Tent (Exod. 26:36);
The covering at the gate of the court (Exod. 27:16);
The ephod (Exod. 28:6);
The belt (Exod. 28:8);
The breastplate of judgment (Exod. 28:15);
The fringes of the robe of the ephod (Exod. 28:33).
Because “scarlet double-dyed” signified the truth of celestial good, therefore:
A cloth of scarlet double-dyed was spread over the table upon which was the bread of faces, and afterwards it was covered with a covering of the skin of the badger (Num. 4:8).
For the inmost things of the celestial kingdom were signified by the things that were upon the table, which were loaves; but the exterior things by the coverings, which have reference to truths from good.
sRef Num@15 @38 S6′ sRef Gen@38 @30 S6′ sRef Gen@38 @28 S6′ sRef Josh@2 @18 S6′ sRef Num@15 @39 S6′ sRef Josh@2 @21 S6′ [6] As truth from celestial good, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, is signified by “scarlet,” it was used for remembrances, as that:
The sons of Israel should make for themselves a train on the borders of their garment, and should put upon the train of the border a cord of scarlet, that by it they might remember all the commandments of Jehovah and do them (Num. 15:38-39).
And for the same reason it was a custom in ancient times, when significatives were in use, to tie a scarlet cord as a reminder or remembrance of a thing, as is said of Perez the son of Tamar, that:
The midwife tied scarlet upon his hand (Gen. 38:28, 30);
and of the harlot Rahab, that:
She tied in the window a scarlet cord, that the spies might remember their promise (Josh. 2:17, 21).
sRef Lev@14 @51 S7′ sRef Lev@14 @50 S7′ sRef Lev@14 @5 S7′ sRef Lev@14 @52 S7′ sRef Lev@14 @6 S7′ sRef Lev@14 @49 S7′ sRef Lev@14 @7 S7′ sRef Lev@14 @4 S7′ [7] As all purifications from evils are effected by truths from the Word, therefore:
Cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop were used in cleansings (Lev. 14:4-7, 49-52).
And scarlet was used for the waters of separation and expiation from a red heifer (Num. 19:6).
Purple and scarlet derive their signification from the nature of these colors. For there are colors in heaven far more brilliant than in the world, originating from the light there; and as red has its origin there from what is fiery or flame-like, and what is fiery and flame-like has its origin there from the good of love, so “purple” signifies good from a celestial origin. But scarlet derives its color from what is flame-like and at the same time glistening, and glistening from light signifies truth; consequently that color signifies the truth of celestial good.
sRef Isa@1 @18 S8′ [8] As most things in the Word have a contrary sense, so have purple and scarlet; and in that sense they signify the evils and falsities opposite to those goods and truths. As in Isaiah:
Although your sins have been as scarlet they shall become white like snow; although they have been red as purple they shall be as wool (Isa. 1:18).
Since “scarlet,” the same as “snow,” signifies truth, and “purple,” the same as “wool,” signifies good, and since “scarlet and purple,” signify in the contrary sense falsity and evil (falsity and truth, and evil and good corresponding by opposition), so it is said “Although your sins have been as scarlet they shall become white like snow, and although they have been red as purple they shall be as wool.”

sRef Rev@17 @4 S0′ 1043. And inwrought with gold and precious stone, signifies the appearance of that religious persuasion in externals as if it were from spiritual good and truth, and yet in internals it is from infernal evil and falsity. This is evident from the signification of “gold,” as being spiritual good and the evil opposite thereto, which is called infernal evil. That “gold” signifies good may be seen above (n. 242). Also from the signification of “precious stone,” as being both truth from a spiritual origin and the falsity opposite thereto, which is called infernal falsity. That “precious stone” means truth from a spiritual origin may be seen above (n. 717).

(Continuation.)

[2] Something has been said about good and truth from a celestial origin, and good and truth from a spiritual origin; and something shall now be said about the evil and falsity that are opposite to these. As the heavens are divided into two kingdoms, namely, into a celestial kingdom and a spiritual kingdom, so are the hells divided into two dominions opposite to those kingdoms. The dominion opposite to the celestial kingdom is called devilish, and the dominion opposite to the spiritual kingdom is called infernal. These dominions are distinguished in the Word by the names Devil and Satan. There are two dominions in the hells, because the heavens and the hells are opposite to each other; and opposite must fully correspond to opposite that there may be equilibrium. For the existence and subsistence of all things, both in the natural world and in the spiritual world, depend upon an exact equilibrium between two activities that are opposite; and when these act against each other manifestly, they act by forces, but when not manifestly they act by endeavors [conatus]. By means of equilibriums all things in both worlds are preserved; without this all things would perish. In the spiritual world the equilibrium is between good from heaven and evil from hell; and thus between truth from heaven and falsity from hell. For the Lord continually arranges that all kinds and species of good and truth in the heavens shall have opposite to them in the hells evils and falsities of kinds that correspond by opposition; thus goods and truths from a celestial origin have for their opposites evils and falsities that are called devilish; and in like manner goods and truths from a spiritual origin have for their opposites evils and falsities that are called infernal.
[3] The cause of these equilibriums is to be found in the fact that the Divine goods and the Divine truths that the angels in the heavens receive from the Lord, the spirits in the hells turn into evils and falsities. All angels, spirits, and men are kept by the Lord in equilibrium between good and evil, and thus between truth and falsity, in order that they may be in freedom; and thus may be led from evil to good and from falsity to truth easily and as if by themselves, although in fact they are led by the Lord. For the same reason they are led in freedom from good to evil, and from truth to falsity, and this, too, as if by themselves, although the leading is from hell.

sRef Rev@17 @4 S0′ 1044. And pearls, signifies their appearance in externals to be in the cognitions [cognitiones] of good and truth, and yet in internals they are in the knowledge [scientia] of evil and falsity. This is evident from the signification of “pearls,” as being the cognitions of good and truth (of which presently); therefore in the contrary sense “pearls” signify the knowledges of evil and falsity, which are the source of their craft and cunning. That the Babylonian nation is such, namely, that they wish to appear to be in sanctity, and thus in every good and truth and in the knowledges of these, and to appear in consequence to be intelligent above all others in the world, although in fact they are in no good or truth nor in any knowledges of these, and thus not in any intelligence or wisdom in spiritual things. That they are not in these, but are instead insane in respect to them, is clearly seen in the spiritual world, where the interiors of every man are laid bare and thus clearly appear. In the case of the monks, and especially the Jesuits, who from their cleverness were considered to be more intelligent than all others in the world, their interiors were found to be so empty and void that they did not know a single truth that leads to heaven. These have been explored, and have been found to be such.
[2] They appear in externals to be in goods, truths, knowledges, intelligence, and wisdom, because they have made subject to their dominion all the holy things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, and therefore from dominion they speak with the common people, persuading them that they hold the mysteries of heaven, and that their Pope utters his edicts from inspiration, like that of the prophets and apostles; and this they can declare in a haughty manner, because they speak from the authority of dominion over souls, and over heaven and hell; and from a persuasion of their holiness it can be accepted by the common people with no repugnance of heart, since the common people are kept for this very purpose in dense thick darkness respecting spiritual things. And in that thick darkness they inspire spurious goods and foolish truths, which they call Divine and heavenly; and in such thick darkness in which the common people are kept, they are even able to inspire devilish and infernal evils and falsities, and to induce a faith in them as if they were celestial and spiritual goods and truths; for thus and not otherwise can they be adored as deities, and subject countries and possessions to their command and disposal. Such are the things that lie hidden inwardly in them, while outwardly they appear as if “arrayed in purple and scarlet, and inwrought with gold, precious stones, and pearls.”
sRef Matt@13 @45 S3′ sRef Matt@13 @46 S3′ [3] That “pearls” signify the knowledges of good and truth can be seen from the following passages. In Matthew:
The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one precious pearl, going away sold all that he had and bought it (Matt. 13:45-46).
“The kingdom of the heavens” means both heaven and the church; the “merchant” means those who acquire for themselves the goods and truths through which heaven and the church come; “pearls” signify the knowledges of good and truth, for these are the truths of the natural man; “the one precious pearl” means the knowledge respecting the Lord and His Divine; “going away he sold all that he had and bought it” signifies to reject what is one’s own [proprium] in order to receive life from the Lord.
sRef Matt@7 @6 S4′ [4] In the same:
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine, lest they trample on them with their feet, and turn and rend you (Matt. 7:6).
“Dogs” signify lusts and appetites; “swine” signify filthy loves, such as are those in the hells of adulterers. Because such are in the infernal marriage, which is the marriage of falsity and evil, they utterly reject goods and truths and the knowledges of these, and moreover treat them with scorn and scoffing; therefore it is said, “Cast not your pearls before the swine, lest they trample on them with their feet, and turn and rend you,” “to trample with the feet” being to wholly reject as filth, and “to turn and rend” being to treat with scorn and scoffing.
sRef Rev@18 @11 S5′ sRef Rev@18 @12 S5′ [5] “Pearls” also signify the knowledges of good and truth in the following passages in Revelation:
The merchants of the earth shall weep and wail over Babylon, for no one buyeth their merchandise any more, merchandise of gold and silver, and of precious stone and pearl (Rev. 18:11-12).
Again:
The twelve gates of the wall of the New Jerusalem were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was one pearl (Rev. 21:21).
As “the gates to the New Jerusalem” signify such things of doctrine from the Word as introduce man into the church, and these are the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, so the gates were seen to be “of pearls.”

sRef Rev@17 @4 S0′ 1045. Having in her hand a golden cup, full of abominations and the uncleanness of whoredoms, signifies having doctrine from profaned goods and truths. This is evident from the signification of a “cup,” as being falsity from hell, for a “cup” has a similar signification as “wine,” and “wine” signifies truth from heaven, and in the contrary sense falsity from hell (see n. 887, 960, 1022). And as a “cup” signifies truth or falsity, and the doctrine of every church is either of truth or of falsity, for all truth or falsity of the church is contained in doctrine, so a “cup” also signifies doctrine, and “a golden cup” the doctrine of falsity from evil.
sRef Matt@23 @27 S2′ sRef Jer@51 @7 S2′ sRef Matt@23 @26 S2′ sRef Matt@23 @25 S2′ [2] As in Jeremiah:
Babylon is a golden cup in the hand of Jehovah, making the whole earth drunken (Jer. 51:7).
It is called “a golden cup” for the same reason that the woman is said to be “arrayed in purple and scarlet, and inwrought with gold, precious stones and pearls,” that is, from the appearance in externals; and yet in internals it is like a cup “full of abominations and uncleanness.” For it is like what the Lord says of the externals and internals with the Scribes and Pharisees:
Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, who cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. And ye make yourselves like unto whited sepulchers, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of bones of the dead and all uncleanness (Matt. 23:25-27).
The above is evident also from the signification of “abominations,” as being the profanations of good (of which presently); also from the signification of “the uncleanness of whoredom,” as being the profanation of truth. For “whoredom” signifies falsification of truth (see above), therefore its “uncleanness” signifies profanation.
[3] In regard to the profanations that are signified by “abominations,” they are perversions of the holy things of the church, thus conversions of its goods into evils, and of its truths into falsities. They are called “abominations” because the angels abominate them; for so far as they have been holy things of the church, derived from goods and truths from the Word, they ascend into heaven; but so far as they have been applied to evils, and thus profaned, they carry with them what is infernal, which lies hidden within; and consequently they are perceived as things dead, in which there was once a living soul; and this is why heaven abominates and detests them.
sRef Ezek@16 @10 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @9 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @11 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @8 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @7 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @18 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @17 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @13 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @12 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @14 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @16 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @15 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @6 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @2 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @3 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @5 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @4 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @59 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @58 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @41 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @60 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @63 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @62 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @61 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @40 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @39 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @38 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @55 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @57 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @53 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @54 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @42 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @51 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @50 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @52 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @45 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @44 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @43 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @46 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @49 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @48 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @47 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @37 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @28 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @27 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @26 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @29 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @32 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @31 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @30 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @25 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @20 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @19 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @56 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @21 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @24 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @23 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @22 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @33 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @34 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @36 S4′ sRef Ezek@16 @35 S4′ [4] That this is the meaning of “abominations” in the Word is evident from the account of the abominations of Jerusalem in Ezekiel:
As that she took of the garments of her adorning which were given to her, and made for herself high places of various colors, and committed whoredom upon them;
That of the gold and silver given to her, she made herself images of a male, and committed whoredom with them;
That the oil, incense, bread, fine flour, and honey, that were given to her, she gave for an odor of rest;
That they sacrificed their sons and daughters;
That she committed whoredom first in Egypt, and afterwards with the sons of Assyria, and finally with the Chaldeans; besides other things that are there called abominations. (Ezek. 16:2-63).
All these things signify profanations of the Word, of the church, and of worship. So in other passages where abominations are either recounted or mentioned (as Jer. 7:9, 10; 16:18; 32:35; Ezek. 5:11; 7:19, 20; 8:6-18; 11:21; 14:6; 20:7, 8; Deut. 7:25, 26; 12:31; 18:9, 10; Matt. 24:15; Mark 13:14; Dan. 9:27; 11:31; and elsewhere).

sRef Rev@17 @5 S0′ 1046. Verse 5. And upon her forehead a name written, Mystery, Babylon the great, signifies having in heart a love of dominion over the world and heaven, which the holy things of the Word, of the church, and of worship are made to serve as means. This is evident from the signification of “a name written upon the forehead,” as being what she is as to love, for “name,” signifies what a thing or a state is, and “forehead” signifies love. That “name” means what a thing or a state is may be seen n. 102, 148, 676, 695, 841, 892; and that “forehead” corresponds to the good of love, n. 427, 852. Also from the signification of “mystery,” as being that which lies hidden in the heart and is not evident to the common people. That this is the love of dominion over the world and over heaven, which the holy things of the church are made to serve as means, and that the cupidity and government of that love is Babylon, has been fully shown in the introduction to this chapter (n. 1029). And as that love devastates the church of all truths and goods, that devastation is also meant by “Mystery, Babylon the great.”

sRef Rev@17 @5 S0′ 1047. The mother of the whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth, signifies a religious persuasion which is the source of adulterations of good and truth, and profanations of the holy things of the church. This is evident from the signification of “mother,” as being the church, but here a religious persuasion which in the general sense is meant by “Babylon;” also from the signification of “whoredoms,” as being adulterations of good and falsifications of truth (see n. 141, 161, 817, 881); also from the signification of “abominations,” as being profanations (see n. 1045); also from the signification of the “earth,” as being the church, here as to its holy things. That in the Word “earth” signifies the church may be seen (n. 29, 304, 413, 417, 697, 741, 742, 752, 876).

(Continuation respecting Profanation)

[2] Profanations are of many kinds. The most grievous kind is when one acknowledges and lives according to the truths and goods of the Word, of the church, and of worship, and afterwards denies them and lives contrary to them, or even lives contrary to them and does not deny them. Such profanation effects a conjunction and coherence of good with falsity, and of truth with evil, and from this it comes to pass that man is at the same time in heaven and in hell; consequently, when heaven wills to have its own, and hell wills to have its own, and yet they cohere, they are both swept away, and thus the proper human life perishes, and the man becomes like a brute animal, continually delirious, and carried hither and thither by fantasy like a dragon in the air, and in his fantasy shreds and specks appear like giants and crowds, and a little platter like the universe; and so on.
[3] As such have no longer any human life they are not called spirits, but something profane, nor are they called he or she, but it; and when they are seen in the light of heaven they appear like dried skeletons. But this kind of profanation is rare, since the Lord provides against a man’s entering into a belief in truth and a life of good unless he can be kept in them continually even to the end of his life. But this profanation, and other kinds of profanations, will be further treated of in the following articles.

sRef Rev@17 @6 S0′ 1048. Verse 6. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus; and when I saw her I wondered with great wonder. 6. “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints,” signifies a religious persuasion that is insane from the falsities of evil, from which violence is done to Divine truths (n. 1049); “and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus,” signifies violence done to those truths of the Word that teach that the Lord alone is to be adored (n. 1050); “and when I saw her I wondered with great wonder,” signifies an astonishing vision in which were arcana of heaven, that were unknown to him (n. 1051).

sRef Rev@17 @6 S0′ 1049. Verse 6. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, signifies a religious persuasion that is insane from falsities of evil, from which violence is done to Divine truths. This is evident from the signification of “the woman,” as being the religious persuasion that is meant in a general sense by “Babylon” (as above, n. 1042); also from the signification of “to be drunken,” as meaning to be insane in spiritual things from falsities of evil (see above, n. 376, 1035); also from the signification of “the blood of the saints,” as being Divine truths, here violence done to them, because it is meant that the blood was shed. (That “blood” signifies the Divine truth may be seen n. 30, 328, 329, 476, 748; and that “shedding blood” signifies violence done to Divine truth, n. 329.) It is said “the blood of the saints,” because the Divine truths of the Word are what are called holy, and because by “saints” in the spiritual sense saints are not meant, but things holy; for in the spiritual sense of the Word there is no idea of person, place or time; but it is otherwise with its natural sense.
[2] How these two senses differ from each other can be clearly seen in many passages of the Word, as here where it is said that he “saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and the blood of the witnesses or martyrs of Jesus,” and in the natural sense these words mean that Babylon shed the blood of the saints, and the blood of those who bore witness to the Lord; while in the spiritual sense these words mean that Babylon did violence to Divine truths, and also to testification concerning the Lord. That this sense is contained in these words can also be seen or concluded from this, that the modern Babylon has not slain the saints nor the witnesses of the Lord, for it worships saints even to idolatry, and the Lord with supreme though external sanctity, but the Pope with internal sanctity; which makes clear that this is not what is to be understood, but that something more interior lies hidden in these words, which is, that they have done violence to Divine truths, and also to the Lord’s Divine authority; for they have done violence to Divine truths by falsifying, adulterating, and profaning the Word; and it is known that they have done violence to the Lord’s Divine authority by transferring it to themselves.

(Continuation respecting Profanation)

[3] It has been said that the most grievous kind of profanation is when the truths of the Word are acknowledged in faith and confirmed in the life, and man afterwards recedes from faith and lives in evil, or if he does not recede from faith he nevertheless lives in evil. But one who is in faith and in the life according to it from childhood to youth, and afterwards in adult age recedes from faith and from the life of faith, does not profane, for the reason that the faith of childhood is the faith of the memory, and is the master’s faith in the child; while the faith of adult age is the faith of the understanding, and thus man’s own faith. This faith man can profane if he recedes from it and lives contrary to it, but not the former. For nothing enters the life of man and affects it except what comes into the understanding and from that into the will; and man does not think from his own understanding and act from his own will until he arrives at adult age. Before that he has thought merely from knowledge and has acted merely from obedience; and this does not make a part of his life, and therefore cannot be profaned.
[4] In a word, whatever a man thinks, speaks, and does from the understanding with the will favoring it, this belongs to his life or comes to be of his life; and if this is holy it is profaned by his receding. But the profanations of this kind are more grievous or are lighter according to the quality of the truth and the consequent faith, and according to the quality of the good and the consequent life, and according to the quality of the withdrawal from these; and therefore there are many specific differences in this profanation.

sRef Rev@17 @6 S0′ 1050. And with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus, signifies violence done to those truths of the Word that teach that the Lord alone is to be adored. This is evident from the signification of “blood,” as being the Divine truth of the Word and violence done to it (as has been said just above); also from the signification of “the witnesses of Jesus,” as being those who in heart acknowledge the Lord, and worship and adore him only. That “to bear witness” means to acknowledge in heart, and that “the testimony of Jesus” means the acknowledgment of the Lord’s Divine in His Human, and that He alone is to be worshiped and adored, may be seen (n. 10, 27, 228, 392, 635, 649, 749). That the Babylonians do violence to the truths of the Word that teach about the Lord can be clearly seen from this, that they have transferred the Lord’s Divine authority to the Pope as His vicar, and worship and adoration along with it; also with this end in view they have separated the Lord’s Divine from His Human, that they might say that they have not assumed His Divine but His Human authority; not being willing to know that the Divine authority consists chiefly in the power to save the human race; although the Babylonians appropriate even this power to themselves. But on this more will be said elsewhere.

(Continuation respecting Profanation)

[2] Why the state of profaners after death is so horrible shall be disclosed. Man has two minds, the natural and the spiritual. The natural mind is opened to him by the knowledges and cognitions of truth and good, and the spiritual mind is opened by a life according to these; and this is effected in those who know, acknowledge, and believe the truths of the Word and live according to them. In others that mind is not opened. When the spiritual mind has been opened, the light of heaven, which is Divine truth, flows through it into the natural mind, and there arranges truths in a corresponding order. Therefore when a man passes over into a contrary state, and either in faith or life denies the truths of the Word that he has previously acknowledged, the things that are in the natural mind no longer correspond with those that are in the spiritual mind; consequently heaven with its light flows in through the spiritual mind into things that do not correspond, or into things opposite in the natural man; and from this a fantasy arises that is so direful that they seem to themselves to fly in the air like dragons, while shreds and specks appear to them like giants and crowds, and a little ball like the whole globe, and other like things. The reason of this is that they have heaven in the spiritual mind and hell in the natural mind, and when heaven, which is in the spiritual mind, acts into hell, which is in the natural mind, such things appear. And as this destroys all things pertaining to the understanding, and the will with the understanding, the man comes to be no longer a man. And this is why a profaner is no longer called a man, nor he or she, but it, for he is a brute.

sRef Rev@17 @6 S0′ 1051. And when I saw her I wondered with great wonder, signifies an astonishing vision, in which were arcana of heaven that were unknown to him. This is evident from the signification of “wondering with great wonder” at those things that he saw, as being to be astonished respecting the vision, in which lay hidden arcana unknown to him, therefore the angel said to him, “I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her.”

(Continuation respecting Profanation)

[2] This kind of profanation exists especially with those who acknowledge the Lord and His Divine, and the Word and its holiness; and for the reason that the Lord alone by means of truths from the Word opens heaven to the man who lives according to those truths; and unless heaven is opened such profanation is not possible. And this shows why the Gentiles, who are ignorant of the Lord and know nothing about the Word, cannot bring upon themselves such profanation; neither can the Jews, for they deny the Lord from their infancy, and heaven is not opened to them by means of the Word; neither can the impious who have been such from childhood; for, as has been said, those only profane who believe well and live well, and afterwards believe wrongly and live wrongly. Besides this kind of profanation there are other kinds of it, which shall be treated of in the following articles.

sRef Rev@17 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @7 S0′ 1052. Verses 7-8. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore, dost thou wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition; and they that dwell upon the earth shall wonder, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, seeing the beast that was and is not, and yet is. 7. “And the angel said unto me, Wherefore dost thou wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and the ten horns,” signifies manifestation of all things (n. 1053). 8. “The beast that thou sawest was and is not,” signifies the Word which in the beginning was received in the church and read, and afterwards was taken away from the people and not read (n. 1054); “and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition,” signifies that it is acknowledged as Divine and yet is rejected (n. 1055); “and they that dwell upon the earth shall wonder,” signifies those of that religion who reject the Word (n. 1056); “whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world,” signifies that there are those who do not acknowledge the Lord’s Divine authority over heaven and earth, but regard it as transferred to a certain vicar, and from him to his vicars (n. 1057); “seeing the beast that was and is not,” signifies knowing that the Word has been received, and yet is rejected (n. 1058); “and yet is” signifies that it still is because it is Divine and has not been rejected except by profaners (n. 1059).

sRef Rev@17 @7 S0′ 1053. Verse 7. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore dost thou wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and the ten horns, signifies manifestation of all things, as is evident without explanation; but what each particular signifies, as “to wonder,” “the mystery of the woman,” “the scarlet beast,” “the seven heads,” and “the ten horns,” has been told in the preceding pages, and will be further explained in what follows.

(Continuation: the Second Kind of Profanation)

[2] There is another kind of profanation of holy things that those come into who have domination as their end, and regard the holy things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, as means. The Divine order is that heaven and the church, and consequently the holy things of these, be the end, and domination the means for promoting that end. For when holy things are the end and domination the means, the Lord is worshiped and adored; but when domination is the end and holy things the means, instead of the Lord man is worshiped and adored. For the means look to the end as servants look to their master, and the end looks to the means as a master looks to his servants; consequently as a master esteems and loves his servants according to the compliance they render to his will, so a man who has domination as his end esteems and loves the holy things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, according to the compliance they render to his end, which is domination. And on the other hand, as a lord despises and dismisses servants and takes others in their place when they are not subservient to his will, so a man who has domination as his end despises and rejects the holy things of the church, and takes other things in their place when they are not subservient to his end, which is domination.
[3] From this it is clear that in those who have domination as their end, holy things are of no account except so far as they are subservient to the end, and also that they are not holy, but are profane when they are subservient to this end; and for the reason that the end, when it is domination, is the man himself, and as this end is love of self it is the man’s own [proprium]; and man’s own when viewed in itself is nothing but evil, and indeed is profane, and the end joins to itself the means that they may be as one. In this kind of profanation are all those who are in sacred ministries, and who are seeking by means of the holy things of the church to gain honor and glory, and these and not use, which is the salvation of souls, are what give them joy of heart.

sRef Rev@17 @8 S0′ 1054. Verse 8. The beast that thou sawest was and is not, signifies that the Word in the beginning was received in the church and read, and afterwards was taken away from the people and not read. This is evident from the signification of “the scarlet beast,” as being the Word in the letter as to its holy things (see n. 1038); also from the signification of “was,” as being that in the beginning it was received in the church and read; also from the signification of “is not,” as being that afterwards it was taken away and not read. That this is the meaning of these words is evident from the fact that the Word was so treated, namely, that in the beginning they acknowledged it as Divine, taught from it, and read it before the people; but that afterwards, as they extended their dominion over the church and over heaven, while they acknowledged it to be Divine they no longer taught from it as before. For they interdicted the people from reading it, and instead of doctrine from it they put forth their doctrine from the Papal throne as Divine, they instituted Divine worship in masses not understood by the common people, and they preached the adoration of the Pope and of dead men whom they call saints, instead of the Lord whom they previously adored. All this makes clear that the Word is what is meant by “the scarlet beast, which was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss, and go into perdition.” That Babylon in the beginning was a church that worshiped the Lord, and preached the Divine truth from the Word, but afterwards, while it retained an adoration of the Lord it was an external, that is, a formal adoration, and the internal which is the essential adoration they transferred to the Pope as the Lord’s vicar, and consequently to the ministering body as vicars under him; this may be seen above (n. 1029).

(Continuation respecting the Second Kind of Profanation)

[2] Those who are in this kind of profanation cannot do otherwise than adulterate the goods of the Word and falsify its truths, and thus pervert the holy things of the church; for these are not in accord with the end, which is the domination of man over them, for they are Divine things that cannot be mere servants; therefore from necessity, that the means may be in accord with the end, goods are turned into evils, truths into falsities, and thus holy things into things profane, and this in an increasing degree as dominion, which is the end, is increased.
[3] That this is so can be clearly seen from the Babylon of the present day, to which the holy things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, are means, and domination is the end. So far as they have amplified domination they have weakened the holiness of the Word, and have actually exalted above it the holiness of the Pope’s decrees; they have claimed to themselves authority over heaven, and even over the Lord Himself, and they have instituted the idolatrous worship of men, both living and dead, and this until there is nothing left of Divine good and Divine truth.
[4] That the holy things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, have been so changed is of the Lord’s Divine Providence; not of His providence that this should be so done, but of His providence that when men wish to have dominion and do have dominion by means of holy Divine things, they should choose falsity in place of truth and evil in place of good, for otherwise they would defile holy things, and render them abominable before angels; but when holy things no longer exist this cannot be done. Take as an example what has been done with the Holy Supper instituted by the Lord; they have separated the bread and the wine, giving the bread to the people and drinking the wine themselves. For “bread” signifies the good of love to the Lord, and “wine” the truth of faith in Him; and good separated from truth is not good, nor is truth separated from good truth, for truth is truth from good, and good is good in truth. And so in other things.

sRef Rev@17 @8 S0′ 1055. And is about to come up out of the abyss, and go into perdition, signifies that it is acknowledged as Divine for form’s sake, and yet is rejected. This is evident from the signification of “coming up out of the abyss,” as being, in reference to the Word with those who are of Babylon, to be accepted and acknowledged as Divine for form’s sake (of which presently); also from the signification of “going into perdition,” as being not to be acknowledged but to be rejected. That the Word has been thus treated by those who are of Babylon is known. For the Word is acknowledged as Divine on account of the Lord’s words to Peter respecting the keys, on account of the stories of the passion, of Mary, and of the apostles, and some passages which they can pervert to favor their dominion. Since all these are from the Word, and upon these their religion is founded, so if the Word were not acknowledged as Divine the religion itself would fall, and they could no longer rule over holy things, nor even be called Christians. But that the Word, nevertheless, is rejected by them is also known, for it is not read by the common people, and but little by the monks who teach; and many invalidate its holiness, as is evident from their writings and sayings, for the reason that it contains things that are not in accord with the decrees and bulls of the Pope, also because Babylon is there described to the life and condemned to hell. These are the causes of its rejection. All this makes clear that the Word is acknowledged as Divine only for form’s sake. And that this is what these words signify can be clearly seen when it is seen that “the scarlet beast” means the Word, and the “harlot or the woman that sitteth upon it” means the religious persuasion that regards dominion as its end, and the holy things of the Word, of the church, and of worship as the means.

(Continuation respecting the Second Kind of Profanation)

[2] Those who are in the love of self, and from that in the love of having dominion, and who covet, acquire, and afterwards exercise domination by means of the holy things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, are those who profane. For the delight of the love of having dominion for self’s sake, that is, for the sake of eminence, and consequent homage, and a kind of adoration of self, is an infernal delight. Moreover, this reigns in hell, for in hell everyone wills to be the greatest, while in heaven everyone wills to be the least; and to have dominion over holy things from an infernal delight is to profane them.
[3] But this second kind of profanation of the holy things of the church is not like the former kind of the profanation of them. Those fall into the former kind in whom a communication with heaven has been effected by the opening of their spiritual mind; while this second kind of profanation those have with whom the spiritual mind has not been opened, or communication with heaven effected through it. For so long as the delight of the love of having dominion resides in man, that mind cannot be opened, and communication with heaven is not possible to him.
[4] Moreover, the lot of these profaners after death differs from the lot of the former. The former, as has been said, are in an unceasing delirium of fantasy; but these hate the Lord, hate heaven, hate the Word, hate the church, and hate all its holy things; and they come into such hatred because their dominion is taken away from them, and thus their state is changed into its opposite. They appear like something fiery, and their hell appears like a conflagration; for infernal fire is nothing else than the lust of having dominion from the love of self. These are among the worst, and are called devils; while the others are called satans.

sRef Rev@17 @8 S0′ 1056. And they that dwell upon the earth shall wonder, signifies those of that religious persuasion who reject the Word. This is evident from the signification of “they that dwell upon the earth,” as being those who are of that religious persuasion; for the “earth” signifies the church, but here a religious persuasion because there is no church, since there is a church only where the Lord is worshiped and the Word is read. That those who reject the Word are meant is clear from what follows, namely, that they are those “whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world,” and are those “who saw the beast that was and is not, and yet is,” “beast” signifying the Word (as above); therefore they wonder that the Word still is, although it was and is not.

(Continuation respecting the Second Kind of Profanation)

[2] The love of having dominion by the holy things of the church as means wholly shuts up the interiors of the human mind from the inmosts towards the outmosts, according to the kind and extent of that love. But to make clear that they are shut up, something shall first be said about the interiors belonging to the human mind. Man has a spiritual mind, a rational mind, a natural mind, and a sensual mind. By means of the spiritual mind man is in heaven and is a heaven in its least form. By means of the natural mind he is in the world and is a world in its least form. Heaven with man communicates with the world in him by means of the rational mind, and with the body by means of the sensual mind. The sensual mind is the first to be opened with man after his birth; after that the natural mind, and as he seeks to become intelligent the rational mind, and as he seeks to become wise the spiritual mind. And at length, as man becomes wise the spiritual mind becomes to him as the head, and the natural mind as the body, and the rational mind serves as a neck to join this to the head, and then the sensual mind becomes like the sole of the foot.
[3] With infants the Lord so arranges all these minds by means of the inflow of innocence from heaven that they can be opened. But with those who begin from childhood to be inflamed with the lust of having dominion by means of the holy things of the church as means, the spiritual mind is wholly shut; so, too, is the rational mind, and finally the natural mind, even to the sensual mind, or as it is said in heaven, even to the nose. And thus they become merely sensual, and are the most stupid of all in things spiritual and thus in things rational, and the most crafty of all in worldly and thus in civil matters. That they are so stupid in spiritual things they do not themselves know, because in heart they do not believe these things, and because they believe craft to be prudence and malice to be wisdom. And yet all of this kind differ according to the kind and extent of their lust of having dominion and of exercising it, also according to the kind and extent of the persuasion that they are holy, and according to the kind of good and truth from the Word that they profane.

sRef Rev@17 @8 S0′ 1057. Whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, signifies that there are those who do not acknowledge the Divine authority of the Lord over heaven and earth, but regard it as transferred to a certain vicar, and from him to his vicars. This is evident from the signification of “names not written in the book of life,” as being those who are not received in heaven (see n. 199, 222, 299); and as those are not received into heaven who do not acknowledge the Lord’s Divine authority over heaven and earth, such are here meant. Also from the signification of “from the foundation of the world,” as being from the establishment of the church. In the sense of the letter or the natural sense “the foundation of the world” means the creation of the world; but in the internal spiritual sense it means the establishment of the church; for the spiritual sense treats of spiritual things, while the natural sense treats of natural things which pertain to the world. For this reason the creation of the heaven and the earth in the first chapter of Genesis describes in the spiritual sense the new creation or establishment of the first and Most Ancient Church on this earth. (That this is described by the creation of heaven and earth in the first chapter of Genesis may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, where the contents of that chapter are explained.) Moreover, “to create” signifies in the Word to reform; and “the Creator” means the Lord as Reformer and Savior. (That “to create” signifies to reform, and that the creation of heaven and earth in the first chapter of Genesis in the spiritual sense describes the establishment of the Most Ancient Church can be seen above, n. 294, 739.)
sRef John@17 @24 S2′ sRef Luke@11 @50 S2′ sRef Matt@25 @34 S2′ sRef Zech@12 @1 S2′ [2] The establishment of the church is meant by “the foundation of the world” in these passages in the Word:
The king shall say to them on the right hand, Come and possess as an inheritance the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matt. 15:34).
Jesus praying said, Father, for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world (John 17:24).
Jesus said, The blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world shall be required of this generation (Luke 11:50).
That the establishment of the church is meant by “the foundation of the world” is evident from passages in the Word where mention is made of “founding the earth,” “the founding of the earth,” and “the foundation of the earth,” which do not mean the founding or creating of the earth, but the establishment or creation of the church upon the earth. As in Zechariah:
Jehovah spreadeth abroad the heavens, and foundeth the earth, and formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him (Zech. 12:1).
Here “spreading abroad the heaven and founding the earth,” does not mean the spreading abroad of the visible heaven and the founding of the habitable earth, but the church as to its internals, which are called spiritual, and as to its externals, which are called natural. “To found” this and “to spread abroad” that means to establish; and therefore it is added, “and formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him,” which signifies his reformation and regeneration.
sRef Isa@48 @12 S3′ sRef Isa@51 @13 S3′ sRef Isa@48 @13 S3′ [3] In Isaiah:
Hearken unto Me, O Jacob and Israel, My hand hath founded the earth, and My right hand hath spanned the heavens (Isa. 48:12-13).
“Founding the earth with the hand, and spanning the heavens with the right hand,” has a similar signification here as above, as can be seen from what precedes and what follows in this chapter where the establishment of a New Church by the Lord is treated of. In the same:
Thou hast forgotten Jehovah thy Maker, that stretcheth forth the heavens and foundeth the earth (Isa. 51:13).
Here again, “the heavens and the earth” signify the church as to its internal or spiritual things and its external or natural things; and “to stretch forth and found” signifies to establish.
sRef Isa@51 @17 S4′ sRef Ps@89 @11 S4′ sRef Isa@51 @16 S4′ [4] In the same:
I will put My words in thy mouth, and will cover thee with the shadow of My hand, to plant the heavens and to found the earth, and to say unto Zion, Thou art My people. Awake, awake, arise, O Jerusalem (Isa. 51:16-17).
Here “to plant the heavens and to found the earth” evidently stands for the establishment of the church; for this is said to the prophet, that “the word should be put in his mouth, and that he should be covered with the shadow of the hand, to plant the heavens and to found the earth;” and a prophet cannot found the earth, but he can found a church; therefore it is also added, “to say unto Zion, Thou art my people. Awake, awake, arise, O Jerusalem,” “Zion and Jerusalem,” in the Word, meaning the church. In David:
The heaven is Thine and the earth is Thine; the world and the fullness thereof Thou hast founded them (Ps. 89:11).
Here too, “heaven and earth” signify the church; “the world” signifies the church as to good, and “the fullness thereof” signifies all the goods and truths of the church.
sRef Isa@24 @18 S5′ sRef Ps@24 @2 S5′ sRef Ps@24 @3 S5′ sRef Isa@40 @21 S5′ [5] In the same:
The earth and the world Jehovah hath founded upon the seas, and established upon the rivers. Who shall ascend into the mountain of Jehovah, and who shall stand in the place of His holiness? (Ps. 24:2-3).
The establishment of the church is described by “founding the earth and the world upon the seas, and establishing them upon the rivers,” as can be seen above (n. 304, 518, 741). That the establishment of the church is signified is evident from what here follows, namely, “Who shall ascend into the mountain of Jehovah, and who shall stand in the place of His holiness?” “The mountain of Jehovah” means Zion, which signifies where the Lord reigns by means of the Divine truth, and “the place of His holiness” means Jerusalem, where the temple was, which signifies the church as to doctrine. All this makes clear that “the founding of the world” signifies the establishment of the church. For the “world” has a similar meaning as “heaven and earth;” and the expression “to found the earth” is used because the “earth” signifies the church on earth, and upon this heaven as to its holy things is founded. This also makes clear the signification of “the foundations of the earth” in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Do ye not know, do ye not hear, hath it not been declared to you from the beginning, do ye not understand the foundations of the earth? (Isa. 40:21).
In the same:
The foundations of the earth are corrupted (Isa. 24:18; likewise 63:12; Jer. 31:37; Micah 6:2; Ps. 18:7, 15; 82:5; and elsewhere).

(Continuation respecting the Second Kind of Profanation)

[6] Profaners of this kind are stupid and foolish in spiritual things, but are crafty and keen in worldly things, because they make one with the devils in hell; and because, as has been said above, they are merely sensual, and are therefore in what is their own [proprium], which draws its delight of life from the unclean effluvia that exhale from waste matters in the body, and that are emitted from dunghills; and these cause a swelling of their breasts when their pride is active and the titillation of these causes delight.
[7] That such is the source of their delight is made evident by their delights after death when they are living as spirits; for then more than the sweetest odors do they love the rank stenches arising from the gases of the belly and from outhouses, which to their smell are more fragrant than thyme. The approach and touch of these close up the interiors of their mind, and open the exteriors pertaining to the body, from which comes their quickness in worldly things, and their dullness in spiritual things. In a word, the love of having dominion by means of the holy things of the church corresponds to filth, and its delight to a stench indescribable by words, and at which angels shudder. Such is the exhalation from their hells when they are opened; but they are kept closed because of the oppression and occasional swooning which they produce.

sRef Rev@17 @8 S0′ 1058. Seeing the beast that was and is not, signifies the knowledge that the Word has been received, and yet is rejected. This is evident from the signification of “seeing,” as being to know and cognize (see n. 260, 529); also from the signification of the “beast,” as being the Word (see n. 1038); also from the signification of “that was and is not,” as being that it has been received, and yet rejected (see n. 1054-1056).

(Continuation: the Third Kind of Profanation)

[2] In this kind of profanation are those who with devout gestures and a pious utterance adore Divine things, and yet in heart and spirit deny them; thus who venerate the holy things of the Word and of the church and of worship outwardly or before the world, and yet at home or in secret deride them. When those of this class are in a holy external, and are teaching in a temple or conversing with the common people, they do not know otherwise than that what they say is true; but as soon as they return into themselves they think the opposite. Because these are such they can counterfeit angels of light, although they are angels of darkness. From this it is clear that this kind of profanation is a hypocritical kind. They are not unlike images made of filth and gilded, or like fruits rotten within but with a beautiful skin, or like nuts eaten by worms within but with a whole shell. From all this it is evident that their internal is diabolical, and therefore that their holy external is profane.
sRef Isa@14 @22 S3′ sRef Isa@14 @4 S3′ [3] Such are most of the rulers in the Babylon of the present day, and many of a certain society in Babylon, as those of them know who claim to themselves dominion over the souls of men and over heaven. For to believe as they do, that authority has been given them to save and to admit into heaven, is the very opposite of acknowledging in heart that there is a God, and for the reason that man, in order to be saved and admitted into heaven must look to the Lord and pray to Him. But a man who believes that such authority has been given to him looks to himself, and believes the things that are the Lord’s to be in himself; and to believe this, and at the same time to believe that there is a God or that God is in him, is impossible. For a man to believe that God is in him when he thinks himself to be above the holy things of the church, and heaven to be in his power, is like ascribing that belief to Lucifer, who burns with the fire of ruling over all things. If such a man thinks that God is in him he cannot think this otherwise than from himself; and thinking from himself that God is in him is thinking not that God is in him, but that he himself is God, as is said of Lucifer in Isaiah (14:13, 14), by whom is there meant Babylon, as is evident from the fourth and twenty-second verses of the same chapter.
[4] Moreover, such a man, of himself, when power is given him, shows forth what he is of himself, and this by degrees according to his elevation. From this it is clear that such are atheists, some avowedly, some clandestinely, and some ignorantly. And as they regard dominion as an end, and the holy things of heaven and the church as means, they counterfeit angels of light in face, gesture, and speech, and thus profane holy things.

sRef Rev@17 @8 S0′ 1059. And yet is, signifies that it still is, because it is Divine, and has not been rejected except by profaners. This is evident from the signification of the “beast” of which this is said, as being the Word. That this still is, and that it is commonly acknowledged to be Divine, and its sanctity to be equal to that of the decrees and bulls of the Pope is known; and that it is nevertheless rejected by those who deny Divine truths in heart, and thus profane the holy things of, the church, has been shown above. The expression “and yet is” is a hidden saying, that has respect to those who acknowledge the Word to be Divine, of whom we shall speak in the explanation of the sixteenth and seventeenth verses of this chapter.

(Continuation respecting the Third Kind of Profanation)

[2] Those who are in this kind of profanation, which is hypocritical, differ in this respect, that there are those who have less ability and those who have more ability to conceal the interiors of their mind, that they may not be disclosed, and to shape the exteriors, which pertain to the face and mouth, into an expression of sanctity. When such after death become spirits they appear encompassed with a cloud, in the midst of which is something black, like an Egyptian mummy. But as they are raised up as it were into the light of heaven, that bright cloud changes to a diabolical duskiness, not from any shining through it, but from a breathing through it, and the consequent darkening. In hell, therefore, these are black devils. The differences in this kind of profanation are known from the blackness, as being more or less foul and horrid.

sRef Rev@17 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @10 S0′ 1060. Verses 9-11. This is the mind that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, where the woman sitteth upon them. And they are seven kings; the five have fallen, and the one is, the other is not yet come; and when he is come, he must remain a short time. And the beast which was and is not is himself an eighth, and is of the seven, and he goeth into perdition. 9. “This is the mind that hath wisdom,” signifies the understanding of these things in the natural sense from the spiritual (n. 1061). “The seven heads are seven mountains, where the woman sitteth upon them,” signifies the goods of the Word adulterated and profaned by those who are in dominion from that religious persuasion (n. 1062). 10. “And they are seven kings,” signifies the truths of the Word falsified and profaned by such (n. 1063); “the five have fallen,” signifies that nothing is here said about the rest of the truths profaned, but only about the two that are the heads of religion (n. 1064); “and the one is,” signifies the adulterated truth that the Lord’s authority over heaven and earth, thus over men to save them, has been transferred to their head, and from him to the others who are under him (n. 1065); “the other is not yet come; and when he is come he must remain a short time,” signifies the profaned truth that the Lord’s authority over heaven and earth, assumed by them, is said not to be Divine, and yet it is Divine (n. 1066). 11. “And the beast which was and is not is himself an eighth, and is of the seven, and he goeth into perdition,” signifies that the truth that the Word is Divine has also been profaned, and yet it has been rejected (n. 1067).

sRef Rev@17 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@13 @18 S1′ 1061. Verse 9. This is the mind that hath wisdom, signifies the understanding of these things in the natural sense from the spiritual. This is evident from the signification of “this is the mind,” as being the understanding of these things; also from the signification of “having wisdom,” as being one who is able to see what is represented and thus signified by the vision, particularly by “the scarlet beast” and “its seven heads and ten horns.” But in a sense abstracted from person, “having wisdom” means the explanation from the spiritual sense of the thing represented in the natural sense, thus the explanation of what is meant by “the seven mountains” and “the seven kings,” which are signified by “the seven heads.” For the explanation given by the angel, that the “seven heads” are “seven mountains upon which the woman sitteth,” and that they are “seven kings, five of whom have fallen, and the one is, and the other is not yet come,” with what follows, is not an explanation from the spiritual sense in the natural sense, but is an explanation in a sense merely natural, in which the spiritual sense lies concealed, and this sense must be unfolded; and it is unfolded when it is explained what is signified by “the seven mountains,” “the seven kings,” “the five that have fallen,” and “the one that is,” and so on; therefore this is what is meant by “having wisdom,” as also above:
Here is wisdom. He that hath intelligence let him count the number of the beast (Rev. 13:18).
The angel did not explain the vision in the natural sense from the spiritual, because his explanation constitutes the Word in the letter; and the Word in the letter must be natural, in every particular of which the spiritual sense must be stored up; otherwise the Word would not serve the heavens as a basis; nor would it serve the church as the means for its conjunction with heaven. For the same reason when angels explain visions elsewhere in the Word, as in Daniel and the rest of the prophets, they explain them in a sense merely natural, and not at all in the natural sense from the spiritual. The natural sense from the spiritual, is when the signification of “the seven mountains,” “the seven kings,” and the other things is explained, namely, that “mountains” signify the goods of the Word, and “seven mountains” these profaned; and that “kings” signify the truths of the Word, and “seven kings” these profaned. This is the natural sense from the spiritual sense, which is called the internal sense, also the spiritual-natural sense.

(Continuation respecting the Fourth Kind of Profanation)

[2] The fourth kind of profanation is to lead a life of piety, by frequenting temples, listening devoutly to preachings, observing the sacrament of the Supper, and the other appointed forms of worship, reading the Word at home, and sometimes books of devotion, and habitually praying morning and evening, and yet making the precepts of life that are in the Word, and particularly in the Decalogue, of no account, by acting dishonestly and unjustly in business and in judgments for the sake of gain or influenced by friendship; committing whoredom and adultery when lust inflames and urges; burning with hatred and revenge against those who do not favor their gain or honor; lying and speaking wickedly of the good, and well of the evil, and so on. When a man is in these evils, and has not been purified from them by turning away from them and hating them, and still worships God devoutly, as has been said above, then he profanes; for he mingles his internals which are impure with externals that are pious, and these he defiles. For there can be nothing external that does not proceed and exist from internals. The actions and speech of man are his externals, and thoughts and volitions are his internals. Man can speak only from thought, and can act only from volition. When the life of the thoughts and of the will is imbued with cunning, malice, and violence, it must needs be that these, as interior crimes of the life, will flow into the speech and actions pertaining to worship and piety, and defile them as filth defiles waters.
[3] This worship is what is meant by “Gog and Magog” (Rev. 20:8), and is thus described in Isaiah:
What is the multitude of sacrifices unto Me, meal-offering, incense, Sabbaths, new moons, appointed feasts, and prayers, when your hands are full of bloods? Wash you, make you clean, put away the wickednesses of your doings; cease to do evil (Isa. 1:11-19).
This kind of profanation is not hypocritical like the former, because the man who is in it believes that he will be saved by external worship separate from internal, and does not know that the worship by which he is saved is external worship from internal.

sRef Rev@17 @9 S0′ 1062. The seven heads are seven mountains, where the woman sitteth upon them, signifies the goods of the Word adulterated and profaned by those who are in dominion from that religious persuasion. This is evident from the signification of “the seven heads of the beast,” as being the holy things of the Word profaned (see n. 1040); also from the signification of “seven mountains,” as being the goods of the Word adulterated and profaned. (That “mountains” signify the goods of love, and in the contrary sense evils pertaining to the love, see n. 405, 510, 850, 1025; also that “seven” is predicated of what is holy, and in the contrary sense of what is profane, n. 1040; therefore “seven mountains” signify the goods of love, which are the goods of the Word, adulterated and profaned.) Also from the signification of “where the woman sitteth upon them,” as being where there is dominion from that religious persuasion. (That “the woman” signifies the religious persuasion of those that belong to Babylon, may be seen above, n. 1038; and that “to sit” signifies to have dominion, see above, n. 1033, 1038, where the woman is said “to sit upon many waters,” and “to sit upon a scarlet beast.”) Dominion from that religious persuasion is meant because those who are in dominion over the holy things of the church, and exercise that dominion, are the ones meant by this “woman,” who is called a “harlot,” and “the mother of the whoredoms and the abominations of the earth,” and not those who are in worship according to that religious persuasion and are not in dominion. When such live according to the statutes of the Pope, and acknowledge him to be the Lord’s vicar, and observe the holy things of worship as they have been instituted, they are not dissimilar to upright pagans, who know not otherwise than that they are truths, goods and holy things which their ministers and monks teach; and this the more because they do not read the Word, some because it has been taken away from them, and some because under persuasion they depend upon the mouth of their monks, and believe that these alone and no others understand the Word.
[2] But those of their people who look to the Lord, and to the Pope only as to the head of the church, and who are in some affection for truth, are indeed in Babylon, but are not of it; for after death these can be drawn away from the vanities of that religious persuasion and from idolatries, and can be led to worship and adore the Lord; and they also receive truths from the Lord through the Word or through those who teach it. For this reason, after the Last Judgment many societies, which are so many churches, were instituted from these by the Lord (of which in what follows). In regard to “the seven mountains” upon which the woman was seen to sit, it is believed that they are the seven mountains of Rome, where the Papal throne is. But admitting that Rome is meant, still “the seven mountains” signify the goods of the Word adulterated and profaned; for the Word is spiritual in every part, and this is the spiritual of it. That “the seven mountains” signify the goods of the Word adulterated and profaned is evident also from what immediately follows, where it is said that “the seven heads of the beast” mean also “seven kings;” and “seven kings” signify in the spiritual sense the truths of the Word falsified and profaned.

(Continuation respecting the Fourth Kind of Profanation)

[3] Those who give themselves up wholly to a life of piety, who walk continually in pious meditations, who pray frequently upon their knees, and talk about salvation, faith, and love at all times and in all places, and yet do not shun frauds, adulteries, hatreds, blasphemies, and the like, as sins against God, nor fight against them, are the kind that more fully profane; for by the impurities of their minds they defile the piety of their lips, especially when they renounce the world, and lead solitary lives. Of this kind there are some who still more fully profane; these are like those just described, but by reasonings and by the Word falsely interpreted they defend their vices, as adulteries and lusts that belong to their nature, and thus to their enjoyment. Such first regard themselves as free from danger, afterwards as blameless, and at length as holy; and thus under the veil of sanctity they cast themselves into uncleannesses with which they pollute both themselves and their garments.

sRef Rev@17 @10 S0′ 1063. Verse 10. And they are seven kings, signifies the truths of the Word falsified and profaned by such. This is evident from the signification of “kings,” as being the truths of the Word (see n. 29, 31, 625, 1034); also from the mention of “seven,” which has reference to what is holy, and in the contrary sense to what is profane; therefore “seven kings” signify the truths of the Word falsified and profaned. “Seven kings” have this signification because the “seven mountains” just mentioned signify the goods of the Word adulterated and profaned. For in the Word where good is treated of truth is also treated of, because of the heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of good and truth in all the particulars of it (see above, n. 238, 660, 775).
sRef Rev@17 @10 S2′ sRef Rev@17 @12 S2′ sRef Rev@17 @9 S2′ sRef Rev@17 @11 S2′ [2] One who does not know that in the Word “kings” signify truths can by no means know what is meant by “kings” in many passages in the Word, as in Daniel where it is said:
The heads and the horns of the beasts are kings or kingdoms (Dan. 7:17, 24; also in Rev. 16:12, 14; 18:3; 19:19; 21:24; and elsewhere).
And in this chapter:
The seven heads are seven kings; the five have fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come. And the beast that was and is not is the eighth king, and is of the seven, and he goeth into perdition. And the ten horns are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom; and other things that follow (Rev. 17:10-12).
For if kings were here meant by “kings” it could not possibly be divined by any conjecture what these expressions mean. But when it is known that “kings” signify the truths of the Word and thus the truths of the church, the meaning is plainly evident. Moreover, by the numbers so many truths are not to be understood, but such truths as are signified by the number in the spiritual sense. For if seven truths were signified by the “seven kings,” and five truths by “the five kings who have fallen,” and ten truths by the “ten kings” and as many “horns,” from all this no spiritual sense could in any way result; therefore it must be altogether known that all numbers signify in the Word the qualities of the things which are described.

(Continuation respecting the Fourth Kind of Profanation)

[3] In this kind of profanation are those especially who read the Word and know about the Lord; because from the Lord through the Word are all things holy that can be profaned; things not from that source cannot be profaned. That is said to be profane that is the opposite of what is holy, and that offers violence to what is holy and destroys it. From this it follows that those do not belong to this kind of profanation who do not read the Word and do not approach the Lord, as is the case with the Papists, still less those who know nothing about the Lord and the Word, like the Gentiles. Those who belong to this kind of profanation appear after death at first with a face of human color, around which float many wandering stars; and those of them that had been leaders sometimes appear shining about the mouth. But as they are brought into the light of heaven, the stars and the shining of the mouth vanish, and the color of the face is changed to black, and likewise their garments. But the blackness of these profaners draws something from blue, as the blackness of the other kind of profaners draws something from red, for the reason that the latter profane the goods of the Word and of the church, while the others profane the truths of the Word and of the church. For red derives from the sun its signification of good, while blue derives from the sky its signification of truth.

sRef Rev@17 @10 S0′ 1064. The five have fallen, signifies that nothing is here said about the rest of the truths profaned, but only about the two that are the heads of religion. This is evident from the signification of “the five have fallen,” as being that of the rest nothing is here said. For when five in the Word follows after ten it signifies some persons or things, or the remaining persons or things, or few persons or things; but when it does not follow after ten it signifies many persons or things. (On the signification of this number see n. 584.) That “the five have fallen” signifies that nothing is said of the rest is evident also from what follows, “The one is, and the other is not yet come, and when he is come he must continue a little while,” which signifies that the two profaned truths that are the heads of the rest must here be spoken of; and of the other it is further said in the following verse, “And the beast that was and is not is himself an eighth king, and is of the seven;” from which it is evident that all this signifies that these profaned truths alone, and not the others, are here to be spoken of.
[2] Consequently the “five” that have fallen signify the remaining things of that religion that have been profaned, for five kings of the seven are meant, and the “seven kings” signify all the truths of the Word falsified and profaned by them (see just above, n. 1063). Therefore the two profaned truths here treated of, that are the heads of the rest, are that they have transferred to themselves the Lord’s Divine authority, and that they have rejected the Word. The transferring of the Lord’s Divine authority to themselves is signified by the “one king who is,” and by “the other who is to come;” and their rejection of the Word by the “beast” that is the eighth king, and yet among the seven.

(Continuation respecting the Fifth Kind of Profanation)

[3] This kind is not like the others that have been treated of, for it consists in jesting from the Word and about the Word. For those who make jokes from the Word do not regard it as holy, and those who joke about it hold it in no esteem. And yet the Word is the very Divine truth of the Lord with men, and the Lord is present in the Word, and heaven also; for every particular of the Word communicates with heaven, and through heaven with the Lord; therefore to jest from the Word and about the Word is to bespatter the holy things of heaven with the dust of the earth.

sRef Rev@17 @10 S0′ 1065. And the one is, signifies the adulterated and profaned truth that the Lord’s authority over heaven and earth, thus over men to save them, is transferred to their head, and from him to the others who are under him. This is evident from the series of things regarded in the internal sense. For as the “seven kings” signify all the truths of the Word profaned, and “the five have fallen” signifies that nothing is here said about the rest of the truths, or that they are to be passed by, only the two that are heads of the rest, namely, that respecting the Lord’s authority over heaven and earth, and that respecting the Word, so it follows that “the one king who is” and “the other who is to come” signify the transference of the Lord’s authority to their head; and that “the beast that is the eighth king” signifies the acknowledgment of the Word as Divine, and yet its rejection.
[2] In respect to the matter itself, namely, that they have transferred the Lord’s authority over heaven and earth, thus over men to save them, to their head and from him to the others who are under him, this is well known; and it is evident from this that with all the heart and mind they aspire to be gods over the earth, consequently to be adored with Divine worship. That their head is adored as a god in place of the Lord is evident from their venerating him upon the knees, from the holy kissing of his shoes, also of his footsteps. This veneration or rather adoration follows from this, that he is able to open heaven by the keys of Peter, and thus to give heaven to whomsoever he pleases; also by the same means to close heaven, thus to cast into hell whomsoever he pleases. Nor is this enough; they aspire to dominion over the earth, and to this end under various pretenses of sanctity they scrape together and bring into their monasteries, which are so many treasuries, the wealth of the kingdoms of the world, thus subjecting to themselves both the souls of men and their resources; consequently not only the things of heaven but also those of the world with men. For they know that he who possesses the souls of men and also their wealth, possesses men as God does, and can transfer to himself a kind of Divine worship. From this it is clear that those who belong to the Babylon of the present day aspire with the whole heart and mind to be gods, and to be adored with Divine worship. But although they aspire to this they deny that they have transferred anything Divine to themselves, as will be shown in the following article.

CONCERNING THE WORD

[3] In what now follows the Word and its holiness shall be treated of as a supplement. It was said of old that the Word is from God, Divinely inspired, and thus holy; and yet it has not been known heretofore where in the Word the Divine is. For the Word appears in the letter like a common writing in a strange style, not so sublime or so lucid as appears in the writings of the present age. For this reason a man who worships nature more than God, or in place of God, and thus thinks from himself and what is his own [proprium], and not from the Lord out of heaven, can easily fall into error respecting the Word, and into contempt for it, saying in his heart when he reads it, “What is this? What is that? Is this Divine? Can God who has infinite wisdom speak in this manner? Where is its holiness, and from what source, unless from the religious persuasion whose ministers it serves?” And other like things. But that they may know that the Word is Divine, not only in every sentence but also in every expression, its internal sense, which is spiritual, and which is in its external sense, which is natural, as a soul in its body, has now been revealed. This sense can bear witness to the Divinity and consequent holiness of the Word; and can convince even the natural man that the Word is Divine if he is willing to be convinced.

sRef Rev@17 @10 S0′ 1066. The other is not yet come, and when he is come he must remain a short time, signifies the profaned truth that the Lord’s authority over heaven and earth, assumed by them, is said not to be Divine, and yet it is Divine. This is evident from the signification of “the other king” of the two that remained besides “the five” of the seven that “had fallen,” as being here the other truth profaned, which nevertheless is one with the former, with the difference that the Lord’s authority over heaven and earth, which they have transferred to themselves, is said not to be Divine, and yet it is Divine. And because it is Divine, although this is denied, it is said that “this king,” that is, this profaned truth, “is not yet come;” and that “when he is come he must remain a short time,” which signifies that that authority is Divine, although it is said that it is not Divine. This is the signification of “that other king,” because he acts as one with the former king, only with the difference as to whether that authority is Divine or not. That he acts as one with the former with this difference is evident from the following verse, in which the beast is said to be “the eighth king, and yet of the seven;” therefore as the beast is said to be one king of the seven, it follows that these two that remain after five of the seven had fallen, and that are called “the one” and “the other,” have respect to one matter, that is, to one profaned truth; and that the other profaned truth is what is signified by the beast, so far as that is said to be “one king of the seven.”
[2] In respect to the thing itself it is well known that they claim that the authority over heaven, and over the souls of men to save them, is not Divine, since it was the authority of the Lord’s Human transferred to Him from God the Father, and from the Lord to Peter. But this is said from a fear that the common people may withdraw from them. Nevertheless, that authority is Divine as is clearly evident from this, that after God had created the universe, the chief object of the Divine power is to deliver men from hell and to save them. For man is not saved in a single moment, since he is reformed and regenerated by the Lord by successive steps from infancy even to the end of his life in the world, and afterwards to eternity; and to this no human power can contribute in the least. That man is thus reformed and regenerated by the Lord they do not know, because they do not wish to know it; consequently they persuade themselves that salvation is instantaneous, and is simply an admission into heaven, which is a huge falsity. But on this more will be said elsewhere.

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[3] In a summary: The Word is Divine truth itself, which gives wisdom to angels and enlightens men. As Divine truth proceeds from the Lord, and as what proceeds is Himself out of Himself, the same as light and heat proceed from the sun and are the sun, that is, are of the sun out of it, and as the Word is the Divine truth, it is also the Lord, as it is called in John (1:1-3, 14). Inasmuch as the Divine truth, which is the Word, in its descent into the world from the Lord, has passed through the three heavens, it has become accommodated to each heaven, and lastly to men also in the world. This is why there are in the Word four senses, one outside of the other from the highest heaven down to the world, or one within the other from the world up to the highest heaven. These four senses are called the celestial, the spiritual, the natural from the celestial and the spiritual, and the merely natural. This last is for the world, the next for the lowest heaven, the spiritual for the second heaven, and the celestial for the third. These four senses differ so greatly from one another that when one is exhibited beside the other no connection can be recognized; and yet they make one when one follows the other; for one follows from the other as an effect from a cause, or as what is posterior from what is prior; consequently as an effect represents its cause and corresponds to its cause, so the posterior sense corresponds to the prior; and thus it is that all four senses make one through correspondences.
[4] From all this these truths follow. The ultimate sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, and the fourth in order, contains in itself the three interior senses, which are for the three heavens when a man on the earth is reverently reading the Word. Therefore the sense of the letter of the Word is that from which and through which there is communication with the heavens, also from which and through which man has conjunction with the heavens. The sense of the letter of the Word is the basis of Divine truth in the heavens, and without such a basis the Divine truth would be like a house without a foundation; and without such a basis the wisdom of the angels would be like a house in the air. It is the sense of the letter of the Word in which the power of Divine truth consists. It is the sense of the letter of the Word through which man is enlightened by the Lord and through which he receives answers when he wishes to be enlightened. It is the sense of the letter of the Word by which everything of doctrine on the earth must be confirmed. In the sense of the letter of the Word is the Divine truth in its fullness. In the sense of the letter of the Word the Divine truth is in its holiness.

sRef Rev@17 @11 S0′ 1067. Verse 11. And the beast which was and is not is himself the eighth, and is of the seven, and he goeth into perdition, signifies that the truth that the Word is Divine has also been profaned; and yet it has been rejected. This is evident from the signification of “the beast,” as being the Word (see above, n. 1038); also from the signification of “which was and is not,” as being that the Word in the beginning was received and read, but afterwards was taken away, and not read (see above, n. 1054); also from the signification of “is himself the eighth, and is of the seven,” as being that the good and truth that the Word to them is Divine has been profaned (of which presently); also from the signification of “going into perdition,” as being that this is acknowledged for the sake of form, and still has been rejected (see above, n. 1055). From all this it can be seen that these words signify this profaned truth of good that the Word is Divine, and still it has been rejected. It has been received and acknowledged as Divine chiefly because their religion is founded on the keys given to Peter, as described in the Word. Nevertheless, that it has been rejected is well known, for it is taken away from the common people, it is not read in the temples, and the same holiness and inspiration are attributed to the decrees of the Pope as to the Word; but as these are not in harmony with the Word, the Word in general is invalidated, and even blasphemed, by the claim that it is allowable to change it according to the state of the church. From this it is clear that the truth that the Word is Divine has been profaned by them.
[2] That this is the signification of these words can be seen from this, that “the beast” treated of in this chapter signifies the Word, and is called the “eighth king,” and yet is “of the seven.” It is called “the eighth king” because a “king” signifies truth, and the number “eight” signifies good, and “seven” the truth of good profaned. For the Word is truth conjoined to good; therefore in every particular of it there is the marriage of good and truth. When this is seen to be the signification of these words their meaning is clearly evident; but otherwise no one could perceive nor indeed surmise what is meant by “the beast is the eighth king and yet of the seven, and he goeth into perdition,” for to be the eighth and yet to be of the seven would be a contradiction. Nor could anyone perceive or surmise what is meant by “the seven kings,” of whom “five have fallen and one is, and the other is not yet come;” also what is signified by what is said of the beast, namely, that “it was and is not, and yet is,” and afterwards that “the ten kings shall give over their authority unto the beast, and shall make the harlot desolate.” These would have been mysteries forever, deeply hidden from mankind, if it had not been revealed that the things recorded in this chapter describe what Babylon is as to the Word.

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[3] That the Word is the Divine truth itself, which gives wisdom to angels and enlightens men, can be apperceived or seen only by a man enlightened. For to a worldly man, whose mind has not been raised above the sensual sphere, the Word in the sense of the letter appears so simple that scarcely anything could be more simple; and yet the Divine truth, such as it is in the heavens, and from which angels have their wisdom, lies concealed in it as in its sanctuary. For the Word in the letter is like the adytum in the midst of a temple covered with a veil, within which lie deposited arcana of heavenly wisdom such as no ear hath heard. For in the Word and in every particular of it there is a spiritual sense, and in that a Divine celestial sense, which regarded in itself is the Divine truth itself, which is in the heavens and which gives wisdom to angels and enlightens men. The Divine truth in the heavens is light proceeding from the Lord as a Sun, which is the Divine love. And as the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is the light of heaven, so it is the Divine wisdom. This illuminates both the minds and the eyes of angels, and also enlightens the minds of men, but not their eyes, and enables them to understand truth and also to perceive good when man reads the Word from the Lord and not from self; for he is then in consort with angels, and interiorly has a perception like the spiritual perception of angels; and that spiritual perception which the man-angel has flows into his natural perception, which is his own while in the world, and enlightens it. Consequently the man who reads the Word from the affection of truth has enlightenment through heaven from the Lord.

sRef Rev@17 @12 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @13 S0′ 1068. Verses 12-14. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give over their power and authority unto the beast. These shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for He is the Lord of lords, and King of kings; also those who are with Him are called and chosen and faithful. 12. “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings” signifies the truths of the Word as to power (n. 1069); “who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings one hour with the beast,” signifies with those who have not thus acknowledged that the Lord’s authority over heaven and earth has been transferred to man, but have ascribed Divine holiness to the Word, and not to the decrees of the Pope (n. 1070). 13. “These have one mind, and shall give over their power and authority unto the beast,” signifies the unanimity of such that the Word is the Divine truth, on which the church must depend as to its doctrine (n. 1071). 14. “These shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them,” signifies that these must contend with those meant by the “harlot” concerning the holiness of the Word and the Lord’s authority to save men, and that the Lord has delivered those who have been willing to be led by Him by means of the Word, and not by the woman the harlot (n. 1072); “for He is the Lord of lords and King of kings,” signifies for the Lord is good itself and truth itself, and thus omnipotent (n. 1073); “also those who are with Him are called and chosen and faithful,” signifies that those who are in love to the Lord, in love towards the neighbor, and in the faith of charity, have the truth respecting the Lord’s Divine power and Divine holiness of the Word (n. 1074).

sRef Rev@17 @12 S0′ 1069. Verse 12. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, signifies the truths of the Word as to power. This is evident from the signification of “horns,” as being the power of truth (see n. 316, 567, 776, 1041). There were “ten horns” because “ten” signifies many persons and many things, likewise all persons and all things (see above, n. 675); therefore “ten horns” signify, in reference to the truths of the Word, all power. Also from the signification of “ten kings,” as being the truths of the Word and thus of the church (of which frequently above). In these three verses, and in verses 16 and 17, the signification of “the ten horns of the beast” is explained, namely, that they are those Divine truths that the Babylonish nation has profaned, which are especially, that the Lord has authority over heaven and earth, and that the Word alone is holy and Divine; for these two truths make the church itself of the Lord on earth, for the church is a church from this that the Lord is adored and that the Word is read. For the Lord reforms man, and the Word teaches how man must live that he may be reformed by the Lord; therefore if these two truths are not acknowledged and received the church itself perishes, for upon these two truths the church is founded. It was for this reason that it came to pass through the Divine Providence of the Lord that certain churches separated themselves from the Babylonish, and these acknowledge the Lord’s Divine power over heaven and earth to be equal to the power of God the Father, and also attribute Divine holiness to the Word alone. This was provided by the Lord in order that the Christian Church in the European world might not be utterly overthrown. That this is the signification of “the ten horns which are ten kings” will appear from what follows.

(Continuation respecting the Word)

sRef Matt@1 @20 S2′ sRef Matt@1 @18 S2′ sRef Matt@1 @19 S2′ sRef Matt@1 @21 S2′ sRef Matt@1 @25 S2′ sRef Luke@1 @33 S2′ sRef Luke@1 @34 S2′ sRef Luke@1 @30 S2′ sRef Luke@1 @31 S2′ sRef Luke@1 @32 S2′ sRef Matt@1 @24 S2′ sRef Matt@1 @22 S2′ sRef Luke@1 @35 S2′ sRef Matt@1 @23 S2′ [2] Since the Word is the Divine truth, and this proceeds from the Lord’s Divine Being [Esse] as light proceeds from the sun, it follows as a consequence that the Lord is the Word because He is the Divine truth. The Lord is the Word, because He is the Divine truth, and this proceeds from His Divine Being [Esse], which is the Divine love, because the Divine love was in Him when He was in the world as the soul is in its body; and as the Divine truth proceeds from the Divine love as light proceeds from the sun, as has been said, therefore the Lord’s Human in the world was the Divine truth proceeding from the Divine love that was in Him. That the Divine Itself, which is called “Jehovah” and the “Father,” and which is the Divine love, was in the Lord from conception, is evident in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. In Matthew from these words:
When Mary the mother of Jesus had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. And the angel said to Joseph in a dream, Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit. This came to pass that it might be fulfilled which was said of the Lord by the prophet, Behold the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son. And Joseph knew her not until she had brought forth her firstborn son; and he called His name Jesus (Matt. 1:18-25).
And in Luke from these words:
The angel said to Mary, Behold thou shalt conceive in the womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call His name Jesus; He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High. But Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? The angel answered her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; wherefore also the Holy One that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:30-35).
It was because He was conceived of Jehovah that He is so frequently called in the Word “the Son of God,” and Jehovah is called His “Father.” Jehovah as to His Being [Esse] is the Divine love, and as to His Existing [Existere] He is the Divine good united to the Divine truth.
[3] From this it can be seen what is meant by:
The Word that was with God and that was God, and also was the light that enlighteneth every man (John 1:1-10),
namely, that it was the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, thus the Lord as to His Existing [Existere]. That the Lord as to His Existing [Existere] was Divine truth, and that this was His Divine Human, because this existed from His Divine Being [Esse] as the body from its soul, these words in John clearly certify:
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father (John 1:14).
“The Word” is the Divine truth, which also is “glory;” “flesh” means the Divine Human, “the only-begotten of the Father” means that which exists or proceeds from the Divine Esse in Him.

sRef Rev@17 @12 S0′ 1070. And have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings one hour with the beast, signifies with those who have not thus acknowledged that the Lord’s authority over heaven and earth has been transferred to man, but have ascribed Divine holiness to the Word and not to the decrees of the Pope. This is evident from the signification of “kings,” as being the truths of the Word, here those two primary truths that have been treated of in the verses just preceding; also from the signification of “kingdom,” as being the church, here the church called Babylon, where these two truths have been profaned; and yet those truths have not been profaned by such as are meant by “the kings that have not yet received a kingdom,” but have been accepted by them. Also from the signification of “one hour,” as being some part, for “hour,” like times in general and in particular, signifies in the Word the thing as to the quality of its state; so here “one hour” signifies some part, and thus that these in some degree reigned with the woman the harlot. Therefore from all this there comes this meaning, that these two primary truths of the church (namely, that the Lord’s authority over heaven and the church, and thus over the souls of men to save them, has been transferred to a certain man, and that the voice of the mouth of the Pope has equal power and holiness with the Word), have not been acknowledged and thus have not been profaned. That this sense is contained in these words can be seen especially from what follows, namely, that “they shall give over their authority to the beast,” which signifies that Divine holiness must be attributed to the Word; also that “the Lamb shall fight with them,” and “the Lamb shall overcome them,” which signifies that they will acknowledge that the Lord has power to save, thus that He, and not the Pope, has dominion over heaven, the church, and the souls of men.
[2] It has been said above that there are two things that constitute the church, namely, the acknowledgment and belief that the Lord has the power to save, and that the Word is Divine; and that where these two are not acknowledged and believed there is no church; and for the reason that the Lord reforms man and gives him faith and love, and the Word teaches the way in which man must go to the Lord that he may receive faith and love from Him. Unless these two truths are recognized in a church it is not a church. But that the church in the European world might not wholly perish, it has been provided by the Lord that not only within the kingdom of Babylon, but also outside of it, there should be societies that should not make one with the Babylonians in these two primary truths, which are the pillars and the foundations of the church itself. Within Babylon there are those in the kingdom of France, and many in Holland, England, Scotland, and Ireland, who have not taken away from the Lord the power to save men, nor from the Word Divine holiness, and ascribed these to some vicar; as may appear from the contest between the Gallican Church and the Roman, which has so long continued and still continues. These are the things especially treated of in verses 12-14 of this chapter. Since outside of the kingdoms of Babylon there are churches that ascribe all power to save to the Lord, and none to the Pope, and acknowledge the Word alone to be Divine, and have wholly withdrawn from the papal dominion, and are consequently called Protestants and Reformed, so these also are treated of in this chapter. For it is of these that it is said, that “they shall hate the harlot and shall make her desolate and naked, and also shall eat her flesh, and burn her up with fire,” and “shall give the kingdom to the beast” (verses 16, 17). (But of this presently.)

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[3] But as the world does not know how the words in John (1:1, 2, 14) that the Lord is the Word, are to be understood, this shall be further explained. It is known in the church that God is good itself and truth itself, and thus that all the good that an angel has and that a man has is from God, and likewise all truth. Now since the Lord is God, He is also the Divine good and the Divine truth; and this is what is meant by “the Word, that was with God, and was God,” and also was “the light that enlighteneth every man,” and that also “became flesh,” that is, Man in the world. That when the Lord was in the world He was the Divine truth, which is the Word, He Himself teaches in many passages where He calls Himself “the Light,” also where He calls Himself “the Way, the Truth, and the Life;” and where He says that “the Spirit of truth” proceeds from Him. “The Spirit of truth” is the Divine truth. When the Lord was transfigured He represented the Word, “His face that shone as the sun” represented its Divine good; and “His garments, which were bright as the light” and “white as snow,” represented its Divine truth. “Moses and Elijah,” who then talked with the Lord, also signified the Word, “Moses” the historical Word, and “Elijah” the prophetic Word. Moreover, all things of the Lord’s passion represented the kind of violence that the Jewish nation offered to the Word. Again, the Lord from Divine truth, which He is, is called “God,” “King,” and “Angel,” and is meant by “the rock in Horeb,” and “the rock” where Peter is spoken of. All this makes clear that the Lord is the Word, because He is the Divine truth. The Word in the letter, which is with us, is the Divine truth in ultimates.

sRef Rev@17 @13 S0′ 1071. Verse 13. These have one mind, and shall give over their power and authority to the beast, signifies the unanimity of such that the Word is the Divine truth, on which the church as to its doctrine must depend. This is evident from the signification of “having one mind,” as being unanimity; also from the signification of “giving over their power and authority to the beast,” as being that the Word is the Divine truth, on which the church as to its doctrine must depend; for “the beast” signifies the Word (see above, n. 1038); and “to give over to it power and authority” signifies to acknowledge it to be the Divine truth, from which is the doctrine of the church. It has been said above that the Gallican Church acknowledges the Word to be the Divine truth, and ascribes a Divine inspiration to all the particulars of the Word, and not an equal Divine inspiration to the decrees of the Pope as to those things which are means of salvation; and the same is true of others in the European world; and this has come to pass from the Divine Providence of the Lord, that the Christian Church might not be wholly destroyed, because by means of the Word man has communication and conjunction with heaven, and through heaven with the Lord; and communication and conjunction with heaven and with the Lord cannot possibly be given through the declarations and decrees of the Pope, since these have not for their end the salvation of souls, but dominion; and all edicts and statutes that have dominion as their end, especially over the things of heaven and the church, have communication with hell, and effect conjunction with hell. From all this the signification of “the ten kings who gave over their power and authority to the beast” is evident.
(Continuation respecting the Word.)
[2] As it cannot but transcend the comprehension that the Lord in relation to His Human in the world was the Word, that is, the Divine truth, according to these words in John:
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father (John 1:14),
it shall be again explained to the comprehension as far as possible. It can be said of every regenerate man that he is his own truth and his own good, since the thought which belongs to his understanding is from truths, and the affection which belongs to his will is from goods. Whether you say, therefore, that a man is his own understanding and his own will, or that a man is his own truth and his own good, it amounts to the same thing. The body is mere obedience; for it speaks that which man thinks from the understanding, and does that which he wills from affection. Thus these things and the body mutually correspond and make one, like an effect and its effecting cause; and these taken together constitute the human.
[3] As it can be said of the regenerate man that he is his own truth and his own good, so it can be said of the Lord as Man, that He is the truth itself or the Divine truth, and good itself or the Divine good. All this makes evident the truth that the Lord as to His Human in the world was the Divine truth, that is, the Word; and that everything that He then spoke was the Divine truth, which is the Word; and that afterwards when He went to the Father, that is, became one with the Father, the Divine truth proceeding from Him is the Spirit of truth, which goes forth and proceeds from Him, and at the same time from the Father in Him.

sRef Rev@17 @14 S0′ 1072. Verse 14. They shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, signifies that these must contend with those meant by “the harlot” respecting the holiness of the Word, and the Lord’s power of saving men, and that the Lord has delivered those who have been willing to be led by Him by means of the Word, and not by the woman the harlot. This is evident from the signification of “fighting with the Lamb,” as being to contend about the holiness of the Word and the power of the Lord to save men; for those who contend about these things fight with the Lord, but not against the Lord, for the Lord is the Word and the Lord is salvation. Also from the signification of “and the Lamb shall overcome them,” as being that He will deliver those who are willing to be taught and led by Him by means of the Word. That such are those whom the Lord conquers is evident from what follows in this verse, that they are “those who are with Him, who are called, and chosen, and faithful.” These are all such, in the kingdoms subject to the papal dominion, who call the Pope merely the head of the church, and not a vicar in any such sense as would put him in the place of the Lord in the world, as to the power of opening and shutting heaven at will, since that power is the Divine power that cannot be transferred to any man; and they also hold that it is not allowable for the Pope to change the holy things of the Word, and to issue new decrees that are not in harmony with it. These are the ones here meant.

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[2] That the Word is holy and Divine from inmosts to outermosts is not evident to the man who leads himself, but is evident to the man whom the Lord leads. For the man who leads himself sees only the external of the Word, and judges from its style; but the man whom the Lord leads judges of the external of the Word from the holiness that is in it. The Word is like a garden, that may be called a heavenly paradise, in which are dainties and delightful things of every kind, dainties from the fruits, and delightful things from the flowers; and in the middle of it trees of life, and near them fountains of living water, and round about trees of the forest, and near them rivers. The man who leads himself judges of that paradise, which is the Word, from its circumference, where the trees of the forest are; but the man whom the Lord leads judges of it from the middle of it, where the trees of life are. The man whom the Lord leads is actually in the middle of it, and looks to the Lord; but the man who leads himself actually sits down at the circumference, and looks away from it to the world.
[3] Again, the Word is like fruit within which there is a nutritious pulp, and in the middle of it seed vessels, in which inmostly is a living germ that germinates in good soil. Again, the Word is also like a most beautiful infant, which, except the face, is enveloped in wrappings upon wrappings; the infant itself is in the inmost heaven, the wrappings are in the lower heavens, and the general covering of the wrappings is on the earth. As the Word is such it is holy and Divine from inmosts to the externals.

sRef Rev@17 @14 S0′ 1073. For He is Lord of lords, and King of kings, signifies because the Lord is good itself and truth itself, and thus omnipotent, as is evident from the fact that the Lord is called “Lord” from the Divine good, and “King” from the Divine truth. There are two things that proceed from the Lord, namely, the Divine good and the Divine truth. These two proceed from the Lord united, but in heaven they are received by the angels not so united. In the highest or third heaven more Divine good than Divine truth is received; in the middle or second heaven more Divine truth than Divine good is received. Therefore the third heaven is called the Lord’s dominion, and the second heaven is called the Lord’s kingdom; and thence also the angels who are in the third heaven are called sons of the Lord, and also lords, and the angels in the second heaven are called sons of the kingdom and sons of the King, and also kings. These two classes of angels are meant by “lords” and by “kings,” when the Lord is called “Lord of lords and King of kings.” So, too, when He is called “God of gods,” the Lord is meant by “God,” and the angels by “gods.” But in general “lords” in the spiritual sense mean all who are in the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, and “kings” those who are in the doctrine of truth from that love, whether in the heavens or on the earth. Now as all the good of love and thus of charity, and all the truth of doctrine and thus of faith, is given to man by the Lord through the Word, and this they know, who attribute to the Lord the Divine power of saving men, and who attribute to the Word a Divine holiness, so it is here said that “the Lamb shall overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings,” that is, because the Lord alone is the Divine good and the Divine truth, and thus also the Word. Because all things are done by the Lord from the Divine good by means of the Divine truth, “Lord of lords and King of kings” means also the Lord as omnipotent.

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[2] The Word is such because in its origin it is the Divine itself that proceeds from the Lord, and is called the Divine truth; and when this descended to men in the world it passed through the heavens in their order according to their degrees, which are three; and in each heaven it was written there in accommodation to the wisdom and intelligence of the angels. Finally it was brought down from the Lord through the heavens to men, and there it was written and promulgated in adaptation to man’s understanding and apprehension. This, therefore, is the sense of its letter, and in this the Divine truth such as it is in the three heavens, lies stored up in distinct order. From this it is clear that all the wisdom of the angels in the three heavens has been imparted by the Lord to our Word, and in its inmost there is the wisdom of the angels of the third heaven, which is incomprehensible and ineffable to man, because full of arcana and treasures of Divine verities. These lie stored up in each particular and in all the particulars of our Word. And as the Divine truth is the Lord in the heavens, so the Lord Himself is present, and may be said to dwell in all the particulars and each particular of His Word, as He does in His heavens; and in the same way as He has said of the ark of the Covenant, in which were deposited only the Ten Commandments written on the two tables, the first fruits of the Word, for He said that He would speak there with Moses and Aaron, that He would be present there, that He would dwell there, and that it was His holy of holies, and His dwelling place as in heaven.

sRef Rev@17 @14 S0′ 1074. Also those who are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful, signifies that those that are in love to the Lord, in love towards the neighbor, and in the faith of charity, have the truth respecting the Lord’s Divine authority and the Divine holiness of the Word. This is evident from the signification of the “called,” as being in reference to the Lord those who are in love to the Lord; also from the signification of the “chosen,” as being those who are in love towards the neighbor; also from the signification of the “faithful,” as being those who are in the faith of charity. That this is the meaning of “the called, the chosen, and the faithful,” is evident from the Word where “the called, the chosen, and the faithful,” are mentioned; and also from the fact that the angels of the third heaven, who are in love to the Lord, are called the “called,” the angels of the second heaven, who are in love towards the neighbor, are called the “chosen,” and the angels of the first heaven, who are in the faith of charity, are called the “faithful.” And since in the Lord’s church on earth there are those who belong to the third, the second, and the first heaven, and who therefore become after death angels of those heavens, so “the called, the chosen, and the faithful,” mean all those in the kingdoms under the dominion of the Pope who ascribe to the Lord the power of saving men, and ascribe to the Word alone Divine holiness and inspiration, and in these two doctrines recede from the vicarship of the Pope.

(Continuation respecting the Word)

sRef John@6 @63 S2′ sRef John@6 @27 S2′ sRef John@4 @14 S2′ sRef Matt@4 @4 S2′ [2] As the Divine truth, when passed from the Lord Himself through the three heavens down to men in the world, was written and became the Word in each heaven, therefore the Word is the union of the heavens with each other, and the union of the heavens with the church in the world. For the Word is the same everywhere, differing only in the perfection of glory and wisdom according to the degrees in which the heavens are; consequently the holy Divine from the Lord flows in through the heavens with the man in the world who acknowledges the Lord’s Divine and the holiness of the Word when he reads it; and so far as such a man loves wisdom, he can be instructed and can imbibe wisdom from the Word as from the Lord Himself, or from heaven itself, and can thus be nourished with the food with which the angels themselves are nourished, and in which there is life; according to these words of the Lord:
The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life (John 6:63).
The water that I will give you shall become a fountain of water springing up unto eternal life (John 4:14).
Man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).
Work for the food that abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you (John 6:27).
Such is the Word.

sRef Rev@17 @15 S0′ 1075. Verse 15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. 15. “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues,” signifies the doctrinals from the Papal Consistory in general, that is, all the other doctrinals, that they are falsities and evils interior and exterior (n. 1076, 1077).

sRef Rev@17 @15 S0′ 1076. Verse 15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, signifies the doctrinals from the Papal Consistory in general, that is, all the other doctrinals. This is evident from the signification of “waters,” as being the truths of the Word, and thus of the church, consequently doctrinals (see n. 71, 483, 518, 854); here truths falsified and profaned, because they are those upon which “the harlot sitteth,” by which is signified Babylon, where all the holy things of the church are profaned. Also from the signification of “where the harlot sitteth,” as being where the dominion of Babylon is, the “harlot” signifying the church that has become Babylon by the profanation of all things of good and truth (see above, n. 1032); and to “sit” signifying to have dominion (see above, n. 1033, 1038, 1062). And as “waters” signify the doctrinals that are in Babylon, and these proceed from the Papal Consistory, therefore “the waters where the harlot sitteth,” signify the doctrinals that are from the Papal consistory; here all except the two that have just been mentioned. For the series of things from verses 12 to 17 is as follows: verses 12-14 treat of the profanation of the two truths which are the primary truths of the church, namely, the Lord’s Divine authority over heaven and the church, and the Divine holiness of the Word; that is, that there are many within the kingdom of Babylon who have not profaned these, because they have not accepted them. Verse 15 treats of profaned goods and truths in general, thus of all other truths. Verses 16 and 17 treat of those who are outside of Babylon, who have acknowledged the Lord’s Divine authority over the holy things of the church, and also the Divine holiness of the Word, who are those called the Reformed. This is the series of things in the internal sense from verses 12 to 17.

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[2] It has been said that the Divine truth proceeds from the Lord, and that the Word is from that, and that through the Word angels and men have wisdom. But so long as it is unknown how the Divine truth proceeds from the Lord, this may be said but it cannot be understood. The Divine truth, which is the same as the Divine wisdom, proceeds from the Lord as light and heat do from the sun. The Lord is the Divine love itself, and love appears in the heavens from correspondence as fire, and the Lord’s Divine love as a sun, glowing and resplendent like the sun of the world. From that sun, which is high above the heavens where the angels are, and which is the Divine love, heat and light proceed; the heat therefrom is the Divine good, and the light therefrom is the Divine truth. The heat is the Divine good, because all the heat of life proceeding from love is felt as good, for it is spiritual heat; and the light is the Divine truth, because all the light proceeding from love is felt as truth, for it is spiritual light; consequently it is from that light that the understanding sees truths, and it is from that heat that the will is sensible of goods; and this is why in the Word love is meant by heavenly fire and wisdom by heavenly light. It is the same with a man and with an angel. Every angel and man is his own love, and a sphere flowing out from his love encompasses every man and angel. That sphere consists of the good of his love and of the truth of his love, for love produces both, as fire produces both heat and light; from the will of a man or angel it produces good, and from his understanding it produces truth. This sphere, when the man or angel is good, has an extension into the heavens in every direction according to the quality and the amount of the love, and into the hells in every direction when the man or angel is evil. But the sphere of the love of a man or an angel has a finite extension into a few societies only of heaven or hell, while the sphere of the Lord’s love, because it is Divine, has an infinite extension, and creates the heavens themselves.

sRef Rev@17 @15 S0′ 1077. Are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues, signifies which are falsities and evils interior and exterior. This is evident from the signification of “peoples,” as being those who are in truths, and in the contrary sense those who are in falsities (see n. 175, 331, 625); also from the signification of “multitudes,” as being also those who are in truths or in falsities, for “multitudes” mean people of a lower kind; also from the signification of “nations,” as being those who are in goods, and in the contrary sense those who are in evils (see n. 175, 331; 452; 455; 625); also from the signification of “tongues,” as being those who are in various confessions and perceptions of good (see n. 455, 625, 657, 990).
“Peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues,” signify falsities and evils interior and exterior, because the truly spiritual sense comprehends things abstracted from persons; and thus when you take away from “peoples,” who are those who are in truths or falsities, all idea of person, truths or falsities are signified instead. The same is true of “multitudes, nations, and tongues.” Falsities and evils are signified, because the “earth” signifies the church, and therefore “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues,” signify the things of which the church consists, which are either truths and goods or falsities and evils; and as every church is internal and external, because its truths and goods or falsities and evils are interior and exterior, therefore these are the things that are signified by these words. This follows also from the signification of the “waters upon which the harlot sitteth,” which it is here said are “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues,” as meaning the holy things of the church that have been profaned (see above, n. 1033), and the holy things of the church which have been profaned are falsities and evils, for they are the truths of the Word falsified and its goods adulterated.

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[2] The Word of the Lord is wonderful in this, that in every particular of it there is a reciprocal union of good and truth, which testifies that the Word is the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which is the Divine good and the Divine truth reciprocally united; and also testifies that in the Word there is a marriage of the Lord with heaven and the church, which also is reciprocal. There is a marriage of good and truth, also of truth and good, in every particular of the Word, in order that it may be a source of wisdom to angels and of intelligence to men, for from good alone no wisdom or intelligence is born, neither from truth alone, but from their marriage when the love is reciprocal. This reciprocal love the Lord teaches in John:
He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood abideth in Me and I in him (John 6:56).
In the same:
In that day ye shall know, that ye are in Me and I in you. He that hath My commandments and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and I will love him (John 14:20-21).
The reciprocal is that they are in the Lord and the Lord is in them, also that whoever loves the Lord, the Lord also will love him. “To have His commandments” is to be in truths, and “to do them” is to be in good.
sRef John@6 @56 S3′ sRef John@14 @9 S3′ sRef John@14 @10 S3′ sRef John@14 @11 S3′ sRef John@14 @21 S3′ sRef John@14 @20 S3′ [3] The reciprocal is also described by the Lord in His union with the Father, in these words:
Philip, How sayest thou, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? Believe Me, that I am in the Father and the Father in Me (John 14:9-11).
From this reciprocal union of the Divine and the Human in the Lord proceeds the reciprocal union of the Divine good and the Divine truth; and this proceeds from the Lord’s Divine love; and the same is true of the Lord’s reciprocal union with heaven and the church, and in general the reciprocal union of good and truth with an angel of heaven and with a man of the church. And as good is of charity and truth is of faith, and as charity and faith make the church, it follows that the church is in a man when there is a reciprocal union of charity and faith in him. Again, as good is of the will and truth is of the understanding, and as the will and understanding make man, it follows that man is man according to the union of the will and all things belonging to it with the understanding and all things belonging to it, and this reciprocally. This union is what is called marriage, which from creation is in every particular of heaven and in every particular of the world; and from this is the production and the generation of all things. That in every particular of the Word there is such a marriage that good loves truth and truth loves good, thus mutually and in turn, the spiritual sense of the Word reveals; and it is from this marriage that good and truth are one and not two, and are one when good is of truth and truth is of good.

sRef Rev@17 @18 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @16 S0′ sRef Rev@17 @17 S0′ 1078. Verses 16-18. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her up with fire. For God gave into their hearts to do His mind, and to do one mind,* until the words of God shall be consummated. And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, which hath dominion over the kings of the earth. 16. “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,” signifies the truths of the church from the Word with the Reformed, especially respecting the Lord’s Divine authority and the Divine holiness of the Word (n. 1079); “these shall hate the harlot,” signifies an entire rejection of the dogmas by which the Papal Consistory has falsified the truths and adulterated the goods of the Word, and has thus profaned the holy things of the church (n. 1080); “and shall make her desolate and naked,” signifies rejection of its falsities, which are falsified truths, and then manifestation that they were without any truth (n. 1081); “and shall eat her flesh” signifies rejection of its evils, which are adulterated goods, and then the manifestation that they were without any good (n. 1082); “and shall burn her up with fire,” signifies rejection of the whole of that religion, which has profaned the holy things of the church by the love of having dominion over them and over heaven (n. 1083). 17. “For God gave into their hearts to do His mind,” signifies things from the Lord, causing them to recede altogether (n. 1084); “and to do one mind” signifies unanimously (n. 1085); “and to give their kingdom unto the beast,” signifies acknowledgment that the Word is Divine, and the founding of the church upon it (n. 1086); “until the words of God shall be consummated,” signifies even to the last state of the church, when there is a judgment, and after that what is new (n. 1087). 18. “And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city,” signifies the heinous doctrine of the church (n. 1088); “which hath dominion over the kings of the earth,” signifies its dominion over the truths of the church (n. 1089).
* The photolithograph omits the clause, “and to give their kingdom unto the beast.” It is given below and in the explanation, n. 1086.

sRef Rev@17 @16 S0′ 1079. Verse 16. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, signifies the truths of the church from the Word with the Reformed, especially respecting the Lord’s Divine authority and the Divine holiness of the Word. This is evident from the signification of “the ten horns upon the beast,” as being the truths of the church from the Word (see above, n. 1069; that “horns” mean truths as to power, see n. 316, 567, 776, 1041; and that the “beast” means the Word, n. 1038). That “the ten horns of the beast” signify here the truths of the Word as to power with the Reformed, is evident from what is said in these two verses, namely, that “they shall hate the harlot, shall make her desolate and naked, shall eat her flesh, and burn her up with fire,” which signifies they have altogether rejected all the statutes and decrees of the Pope, thus his falsifications and profanations, especially the two treated of above, namely, respecting his authority over the holy things of the church and over the souls of men to save them, which is called the authority to open and shut heaven, also respecting the authority to interpret the Word, and to change things in it to favor his own dominion; these being the two heads of their religion which the Reformed have wholly rejected and burned with fire. That this recession is described in this and the following verse can be seen from the series of things in the internal sense; for verses 12-14 treat of those within Babylon who have rejected those two profane dogmas, while these two verses treat of those outside of Babylon who have rejected them, and the rest of their profanations are treated of in verse 15. That this is so is clearly evident when the Word is meant by “beast,” its truths by “the horns of the beast,” and the Babylonish profanations by the “harlot.”

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[2] The Word in the sense of the letter appears very simple, and yet there is stored up in it the wisdom of the three heavens, for each least particular of it contains interior and more interior senses; an interior sense such as exists in the first heaven, a still more interior sense such as exists in the second heaven, and an inmost sense such as exists in the third heaven. These senses are in the sense of the letter, one within the other, and are evolved therefrom one after the other, each from its own heaven, when a man who is led by the Lord reads the Word. These interior senses differ in the degree of light and wisdom according to the heavens, and yet they make one by influx, and thus by correspondences. How they thus make one shall be told in what follows. All this makes clear how the Word was inspired by the Divine, and that it was written from such an inspiration to which nothing else in the world can in anywise be compared. The arcana of wisdom of the three heavens contained in it are the mystical things of which many have spoken.

sRef Rev@17 @16 S0′ 1080. These shall hate the harlot, signifies the entire rejection of the dogmas by which the Papal Consistory has falsified the truths and adulterated the goods of the Word, and has thus profaned the holy things of the church. This is evident from the signification of “hating,” as being to reject altogether; also from the signification of the “harlot,” as being Babylon, which is called a “harlot” from its falsification and adulteration of the Word, and consequent profanation of the holy things of the church. (That “harlots” and “whoredoms” have this signification in the Word may be seen n. 141, 817, 881, 1032.) “Those who hate the harlot” mean the Reformed, who have altogether rejected the dogmas that have proceeded from the Papal Consistory, which, because they had for their end the enlargement of dominion, and not the salvation of man, could not but be against the truths and goods of the Word, and thus could not but falsify and adulterate them.

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[2] It has been said that there is a Word in each heaven and that these Words are in our Word in their order, and that they thus make one by influx and consequent correspondences. Here, therefore, it shall be told what correspondence is and what influx is; otherwise it cannot be comprehended what the Word is inwardly in its bosom, thus as to its life from the Lord, which is its soul. But what correspondence is and what influx is shall be illustrated by examples. The changes of the face that are called the countenance correspond to the affections of the mind; consequently the face changes as to the countenance just as the affections of the mind change as to their states. These changes in the face are correspondences, as consequently the face itself is; and the action of the mind into it, that the correspondences may be exhibited, is called influx. The sight of man’s thought, which is called the understanding, corresponds to the sight of his eyes; and consequently the quality of the thought from the understanding is made evident from the light and flame of the eyes. The sight of the eye is a correspondence, as consequently the eye itself is; the action of the understanding into the eye, by which the correspondence is exhibited, is influx. The active thought, which belongs to the understanding, corresponds to speech, which belongs to the mouth. The speech is a correspondence, likewise the mouth and everything belonging to it, and the action of thought into speech and into the organs of speech is influx. The perception of the mind corresponds to the smell of the nostrils. The smell and the nostrils are correspondences, and the action is influx. For this reason a man who has interior perception is said to have a keen nose, and perceiving a thing is called scenting it out.
[3] Hearkening, which is obedience, corresponds to the hearing of the ears; consequently both the hearing and the ears are correspondences, and the action of obedience into the hearing, that a man may raise his ears and attend, is influx; therefore hearkening and hearing are both significative, hearkening and giving ear to anyone being to obey, and hearkening and hearing anyone meaning to hear with the ears. The action of the body corresponds to the will, the action of the heart corresponds to the life of the love, the action of the lungs, which is called respiration, corresponds to the life of the faith, and the whole body as to all its members, viscera, and organs, corresponds to the soul as to all the functions and powers of its life. From these few examples it can be seen what correspondence is and what influx is; and that when the spiritual, which belongs to the life of man’s understanding and will, flows into the acts which belong to his body, it exhibits itself in a natural effigy, and there is correspondence; also that thus the spiritual and the natural act as one by correspondences, like interior and exterior, or like prior and posterior, or like the effecting cause and the effect, or like the principal cause which belongs to man’s thought and will, and the instrumental cause which belongs to his speech and action. There is such a correspondence of natural things and spiritual not only in each and every thing of man, but also in each and every thing of the world; and the correspondences are produced by an influx of the spiritual world and all things of it into the natural world and all things of it. From all this it can be seen in some measure how our Word, as to the sense of the letter, which is natural, makes one by influx and correspondences with the Words in the heavens, the senses of which are spiritual.

sRef Rev@17 @16 S0′ 1081. And shall make her desolate and naked, signifies rejection of its falsities, which are falsified truths, and then the manifestation that they were without any truth. This is evident from the signification of “making desolate and naked,” as being to reject its falsities, which are falsified truths; and when these have been rejected it is manifest that there is no truth, this also is signified. “To be desolate and naked” signifies to be without any truth, for spiritual vastation and nakedness are signified; and spiritual vastation is like that in a desert where there is no grain and no fruit trees, and spiritual nakedness is like that of a man who has no garments. “Grain and fruit trees” signify knowledges of truth and good, and “garments” signify truths investing; therefore to be without these means to be without any truth. That “nakedness” means deprivation of truth may be seen (n. 240, 1008); and that “vastation,” such as exists in a desert, means where there is no truth may be seen (n. 730).

(Continuation respecting the Word)

sRef John@12 @40 S2′ [2] What the Word is as to influx and correspondences can now be illustrated. It is said in John:
He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and should turn themselves and I should heal them (John 12:40).
The “eyes” that are blinded signify the understanding of truth and the belief in it; the “heart” that is hardened signifies the will and the love of good; and “to be healed” signifies to be reformed. They were not permitted “to turn themselves and be healed” lest they should commit profanation; for an evil man who is healed and who returns to his evil and falsity commits profanation; and so it would have been with the Jewish nation.
sRef Matt@13 @16 S3′ [3] In Matthew:
Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear (Matt. 13:16).
Here, too, the “eyes” signify the understanding of truth and the belief in it; so “to see” signifies to understand and believe, and the “ears” signify obedience, thus a life according to the truths of faith, and “to hear” signifies to obey and live. For no one is blessed because he sees and hears, but because he understands, believes, obeys, and lives.
sRef Matt@6 @23 S4′ sRef Matt@6 @22 S4′ [4] In the same:
The lamp of the body is the eye; if the eye be sound the whole body is lucid; if the eye be evil the whole body is darkened. If, therefore, the light [lumen] is darkness, how great is the darkness (Matt. 6:22-23).
Here, again, the “eye” signifies the understanding of truth and the belief in it, which is called a lamp from the light of truth that man has from understanding and belief. And because a man becomes wise from understanding and believing in truth, it is said “if the eye be sound the whole body is lucid.” The “body” means the man, and “to be lucid” means to be wise. But it is the reverse with the “evil eye,” that is, understanding and believing in falsity. “Darkness” means falsities, “if the light [lumen] be darkness” signifies if the truth be false or falsified, and because truth falsified is worse than any other falsity, it is said, “If the light [lumen] be darkness, how great is the darkness.”
[5] These few examples make clear what correspondence is and what influx is, namely, that the eye is a correspondence of the understanding and faith, the heart a correspondence of the will and love, the ears a correspondence of obedience, the lamp and light [lumen] correspondences of truth, and darkness a correspondence of falsity, and so on; and as the one is spiritual and the other natural, and the spiritual acts into the natural and forms it to an image of itself that it may appear before the eyes or before the world, therefore that action is influx. Such is the Word in each and every particular.

sRef Rev@17 @16 S0′ 1082. And shall eat her flesh, signifies rejection of its evils, which are adulterated goods, and then the manifestation that they were without any good. This is evident from the signification of “flesh,” as being the good of the Word and of the church, and in the contrary sense the evil thereof. Here “flesh” means evils, which are adulterated goods. Also from the signification of “to eat,” as being to consume, but here to reject wholly, because this is said of the Reformed, who have rejected the works or goods of Babylon, which consist especially in gifts to the idols of their saints, to their sepulchers, also to monasteries, and to the monks themselves, given as offerings for various expiations. It follows that the same words mean also the manifestation that they were without any good, for when spurious and meritorious goods are rejected, which are signified by the “flesh that they should eat,” it is then manifest that they are without any good.
sRef John@6 @55 S2′ sRef John@6 @56 S2′ sRef John@6 @58 S2′ sRef John@6 @57 S2′ sRef John@6 @52 S2′ sRef John@6 @51 S2′ sRef John@6 @54 S2′ sRef John@6 @53 S2′ [2] “Flesh” has various significations in the Word. It signifies what is man’s own [proprium], thus either his good or evil, and from this it signifies the whole man. But in the highest sense it signifies the Lord’s Divine Human, and particularly the Divine good of the Divine love that proceeds from Him. That “flesh” signifies the Divine Human as to the good of love is evident in John:
Jesus said, I am the living bread, which cometh down out of heaven; if anyone eat of this bread he shall live forever; and the bread which I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews, therefore, strove one with another, saying, How can this one give His flesh to eat? Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood ye shall not have life in yourselves. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day; for My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood abideth in Me and I in him. This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven (John 6:51-58).
It is clearly evident that “flesh” here means the own [proprium] of the Lord’s Divine Human, which is the Divine good of the Divine love, and is that which is called in the Holy Supper the body. (That the “body” there, that is, the “flesh,” is the Divine good, and the “blood” is the Divine truth, may be seen above, n. 329.) And as “bread and wine” have the same signification as “flesh and blood,” “bread” meaning the Divine good, and “wine” the Divine truth, therefore these were commanded in place of flesh and blood.
[3] Divine good from the Lord was signified also by the flesh of the sacrifices that Aaron, his sons, and those who sacrificed, and others who were clean, might eat:
And that this was holy (may be seen in Exod. 12:7-9; 29:31-34; Lev. 7:15-21; 8:31; Deut. 12:27; 16:4);
Consequently if an unclean person ate of that flesh he would be cut off from his people (Lev. 7:21).
That those sacrifices were called bread (Lev. 22:6-7).
That that flesh was called the flesh of holiness (Jer. 11:15; Hag. 2:12),
And the flesh of the offering, which was to be upon the table in the Lord’s kingdom (Ezek. 40:43).
The Lord’s Divine Human is also called “flesh” in John:
The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father (John 1:14).
sRef Ezek@11 @19 S4′ sRef Ps@63 @1 S4′ sRef John@1 @13 S4′ sRef John@1 @12 S4′ sRef Ps@84 @2 S4′ [4] That “flesh” signified also the good with man can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
I will give them one heart, and I will give a new spirit in the midst of you, and I will take away the heart of stone out of their flesh, and I will give them a heart of flesh (Ezek. 11:19; 36:26).
“Heart of flesh” means the will and love of good. In David:
O God, Thou art my God, in the morning I seek Thee; my soul thirsteth for Thee; my flesh longeth for Thee in a land of drought and weariness without waters (Ps. 63:1).
In the same:
My soul longeth for the courts of Jehovah; my heart and my flesh cry out unto the living God (Ps. 84:2).
The “flesh” that longeth for Jehovah, and that crieth out unto the living God, signifies man as to good of the will, for the “flesh” of man corresponds to the good or evil of his will, and the “blood” to the truth or falsity of his understanding; here “flesh” means the good of the will, because it longeth for Jehovah and crieth out unto God.
sRef Job@19 @26 S5′ sRef Job@19 @25 S5′ sRef Job@19 @27 S5′ sRef Rev@19 @17 S5′ sRef Ezek@37 @8 S5′ sRef Ezek@37 @6 S5′ sRef Rev@19 @18 S5′ sRef Ezek@37 @5 S5′ [5] In Job:
I have known my Redeemer, He liveth, and at the last He shall rise upon the dust; and afterwards these things shall be encompassed by my skin, and from my flesh I shall see God (Job 19:25-27).
To see God from one’s flesh signifies from one’s own voluntary made new by the Lord, and thus good. In Ezekiel:
Upon the bones seen in the midst of the valley, I will put sinews, and I will cause flesh to come up upon them, and I will cover them with skin, and I will give spirit unto them that they may live (Ezek. 37:6, 8).
Here, too, “flesh” signifies what is one’s own [proprium] of the will made new by the Lord, and thus good. What “bones” and the rest signify here may be seen above (n. 418, 419, 665). In Revelation:
Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God, that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders of thousands, and the flesh of the mighty, and the flesh of horses and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all, free and bond, small and great (Rev. 19:17-18; Ezek. 39:17-19).
That “flesh” here does not mean flesh but goods of every kind, is clearly evident.
sRef Lev@26 @29 S6′ sRef Zech@11 @9 S6′ sRef Isa@9 @20 S6′ sRef Lev@26 @28 S6′ sRef Isa@49 @26 S6′ sRef Jer@19 @9 S6′ [6] But on the other hand, that “flesh” signifies man’s own voluntary, which regarded in itself is evil, is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:
They shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm (Isa. 9:20).
In the same:
I will feed thine oppressors with their own flesh (Isa. 49:26).
In Jeremiah:
I will feed you with the flesh of their sons and with the flesh of their daughters; and they shall eat every man the flesh of his companion (Jer. 19:9).
In Zechariah:
The rest shall eat everyone the flesh of another (Zech. 11:9).
In Moses:
I will chastise you sevenfold for your sins, and ye shall eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters (Lev. 26:28-29).
sRef John@6 @63 S7′ sRef Ezek@16 @26 S7′ sRef Jer@17 @5 S7′ sRef Ps@78 @39 S7′ sRef Matt@16 @17 S7′ sRef Isa@31 @3 S7′ aRef Ezek@20 @48 S7′ sRef John@3 @6 S7′ [7] In Jeremiah:
Cursed is the man who trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm (Jer. 17:5).
Here “flesh” signifies what is man’s own [proprium] which in itself is evil; to appropriate this to oneself is signified by eating and feeding upon it. Again, “flesh” signifies what is man’s own [proprium] in Matthew:
Jesus said, Blessed art thou, Simon, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee (Matt. 16:17).
In John:
As many as received, to them gave He power to become sons of God, who were born, not from bloods nor from the will of the flesh, but from God (John 1:12-13).
In Ezekiel:
Jerusalem committed whoredom with the sons of Egypt her neighbors, great in flesh (Ezek. 16:26).
In Isaiah:
Egypt is man and not God, and his horses are flesh and not spirit (Isa. 31:3).
In John:
It is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing (John 6:63).
In the same:
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is begotten of the spirit is spirit (John 3:6).
In David:
God remembered that they were flesh, a breath that passeth away and returneth not (Ps. 78:39).
The evil of man’s will, which is what is his own [proprium] from birth. is what is signified in these passages by “flesh”; also by:
The flesh that the sons of Israel lusted after in the desert, and on account of which they were smitten with a great plague, and from which the place was called graves of lust (Num. 11:4-34).
Moreover, in the Word the expression “all flesh” is frequently used as meaning every man (as in Gen. 6:12, 13, 17, 19; Isa. 40:5, 6; 49:26; 66:16, 23, 24; Jer. 25:31; 32:27; 45:5; Ezek. 20:48; 21:4, 5; and elsewhere).

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[8] The spiritual by influx presents what is correspondent to itself in the natural, in order that the end may become a cause, and the cause become an effect, and thus the end through the cause may present itself in the effect as visible and sensible. This trine, namely, end, cause, and effect, is given from creation in every heaven. The end is the good of love, the cause is truth from that good, and the effect is use. That which produces is love, and the product therefrom is of love from good by means of truth. The final products, which are in our world, are various, as numerous as the objects are in its three kingdoms of nature, animal, vegetable, and mineral. All products are correspondences.
[9] As this trine, namely, end, cause, and effect, exists in each heaven, there must be in each heaven products that are correspondences, and which in form and aspect are like the objects in the three kingdoms of our earth; from which it is clear that each heaven is like our earth in external appearance, differing only in excellence and beauty according to degrees. Now in order that the Word may be full, that is, may consist of effects in which are a cause and an end, or may consist of uses, in which truth is the cause and good is the end and love is that which produces, it must needs consist of correspondences; and from this it follows that the Word in each heaven is like the Word in our world, differing only in excellence and beauty according to degrees. What this difference is shall be told elsewhere.

sRef Rev@17 @16 S0′ 1083. And shall burn her up with fire, signifies rejection of the whole of that religious persuasion which has profaned the holy things of the church by the love of having dominion over them and over heaven. This is evident from the signification of “burning with fire,” as being to destroy the things of the church that have been profaned by the love of having dominion. The punishment for profaning the holy things of the church was burning with fire, for the reason that that “fire” represented the fire of hell, and “to be burned” signified to perish thereby, and the fire of hell is the love of having dominion. “To be burned up with fire” is here the punishment for profaning the holy things of the church, since the harlot is here referred to, and “Babylon” as a “harlot” signifies profanation of the holy things of the church by the diabolical love of having dominion over them. “To be burned up with fire” has a like signification as “Tophet” in the valley of Hinnom, where they burned sons and daughters, and which signified in the spiritual sense the profanation of the truths and goods of the church, “sons” its truths, and “daughters” its goods. The valley of Achor, where Achan, who took of the devoted thing, was burned with fire after he had been stoned, has nearly the same signification. From all this it can be seen that “burning the harlot with fire” signifies the rejection of the whole religious persuasion that has profaned the holy things of the church by the love of having dominion over them and over heaven. This means rejection by the Reformed, as above.

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[2] As there is a trine, one within another, in every least particular of the Word, and this trine is like that of effect, cause, and end, it follows that there are three senses in the Word, one within another, namely, the natural, the spiritual, and the celestial; the natural for the world, the spiritual for the heavens of the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, and the celestial for the heavens of His celestial kingdom. (That all the heavens are divided into two kingdoms, the spiritual and the celestial, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell n. 20-28.) Now as there is one sense within another, the first which is the sense of the letter for the natural world, the second which is the internal sense for the spiritual kingdom, and the third which is the inmost for the celestial kingdom, it follows that the natural man draws from it his sense, the spiritual angel his sense, and the celestial angel his sense, thus everyone what is analogous to and in agreement with his own essence and nature. This takes place whenever a man who is led by the Lord is reading the Word.
[3] But let this be illustrated by examples. When this commandment of the Decalogue is read: “Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother,” a man in the world understands by “father and mother” a father and mother on the earth, and also all who are or may be in the place of father or mother; and by “honoring” he understands to hold such in honor. But an angel of the spiritual kingdom understands by “father” the Divine good, and by “mother” the Divine truth, and by “honoring” loving; while an angel of the celestial kingdom understands by “father” the Lord, and by “mother” heaven and the church, and by “honoring” doing.
[4] When the fifth commandment of the Decalogue, “Thou shalt not steal,” is read, by “stealing” a man understands stealing, defrauding, and taking away under any pretense his neighbor’s goods. But an angel of the spiritual kingdom by “stealing” understands depriving another of his truths and goods by means of falsities and evils, while an angel of the celestial kingdom by “not to steal” understands not to attribute to himself the things that are the Lord’s, as the good of love and the truth of faith; for thereby good becomes not good, and truth not truth, because they are from men.
[5] When the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” is read, a man by “committing adultery” understands committing adultery and whoredom, also thinking filthy thoughts, speaking lasciviously, and doing obscene things. But an angel of the spiritual kingdom by “committing adultery” understands falsifying the truths of the Word and adulterating its goods, while an angel of the celestial kingdom by “committing adultery” understands blaspheming against the Lord, heaven, and the church.
[6] When the seventh commandment “Thou shalt not kill,” is read, by “killing” a man understands hating and desiring revenge, even to murder. But an angel of the spiritual kingdom by “killing” understands the killing of a man’s soul by stumbling blocks to the life and by reasonings, whereby a man is led into spiritual death, while an angel of the celestial kingdom by “killing” understands seducing a man into believing that there is no God and no heaven and no hell, for thus man perishes as to eternal life.
[7] When the eighth commandment, “Thou shalt not bear false witness,” is read, a man by “false witness” understands lying and defamation. But an angel of the spiritual kingdom by “false witness” understands asserting, confirming, and persuading that falsity is truth and evil is good, or on the other hand that truth is falsity and good is evil, while an angel of the celestial kingdom by “false witness” understands every falsity against the Lord, and against heaven in favor of hell.
[8] All this makes clear how a man draws and calls forth from the Word in the letter the natural sense, a spiritual angel the spiritual sense, and a celestial angel the celestial sense, much as the wood of a tree draws its sap, the leaf its sap, and the fruit its sap, from the same soil. And what is wonderful, this is done instantly, without the angel’s knowing what the man thinks, or the man what the angel thinks, and yet their thoughts are one by correspondences, as end, cause, and effect are one. Moreover, ends are actually in the celestial kingdom, causes in the spiritual kingdom, and effects in the natural world.

sRef Rev@17 @17 S0′ 1084. Verse 17. For God gave into their hearts to do His mind, signifies things from the Lord, causing them to recede altogether. This is evident from the signification of “giving into their hearts,” as being to inspire affection, for the “heart” signifies the will and the love, that is, the affection, which is the will and the love in its continuity. God, of whom this is said, means the Lord, because there is no other God of heaven and earth. Also from the signification of “doing His mind,” that is, in reference to the “harlot,” as being the things said in the preceding verse, that “they should make the harlot desolate and naked, eat her flesh, and burn her up with fire,” which signifies in brief that they would wholly reject the profane things of Babylon and recede from them, as was done by the Reformed.

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[2] Since it is from creation that end, cause, and effect shall together make one, so it is from creation that the heavens shall make one with the church on the earth, but by means of the Word, when it is read by man from the love of truth and good. For the Word was given by the Lord to this end, that there might be a perpetual conjunction of the angels of heaven with men on the earth, and a perpetual communication according to conjunction. Without this medium there would not be any conjunction and communication with heaven on this earth. The conjunction and communication are instantaneous, and for the reason that all things of the Word in the sense of the letter are as effects, in which the cause and the end exist together, and the effects, which are in the Word, are called uses, their causes truths, and their ends goods; and the Divine love, which is the Lord, unites these three together in the man who is in the affection for uses from the Word. How a man draws and calls forth from the Word in the letter the natural sense, a spiritual angel the spiritual sense, and a celestial angel the celestial sense, and this instantly, from which there is communication and conjunction, shall be illustrated by comparisons; first by something in the animal kingdom, afterwards by something in the vegetable kingdom, and finally by something in the mineral kingdom.
[3] From the Animal Kingdom: From the food, when it has become chyle, the vessels draw and call forth their blood, the fibers of the nerves their fluid, and the substances that are the origins of fibers their spirit, which is called the animal spirit; and this is done through the vital heat, which in its essence is love. The vessels, the fibers, and the substances which are their origins, are distinct from each other, and yet they act as one throughout the body, and they act together and in an instant.
[4] From the Vegetable Kingdom: The tree, with its trunk and branches, leaves and fruits, stands upon its root, and from the soil where its root is draws and calls forth its sap, a coarser sap for the trunk and branches, a purer for the leaves, and a still purer and also nobler for the fruits and for the seeds in them; and this is done by means of heat from the sun. Here the branches, leaves, and fruit although they are distinct, yet they extract together and instantly and from the same soil foods of such different purity and nobleness.
[5] From the Mineral Kingdom: In the bosom of the earth in certain places there are minerals impregnated with gold, silver, copper, and iron. From vapors stored up in the earth the gold attracts its element, silver its element, copper and iron theirs, distinctly together and on the instant, and this by means of some power of unknown heat.
[6] As it is allowable to illustrate spiritual things by means of comparisons drawn from natural things, these will serve to illustrate how interior things, which are spiritual and celestial, and by which a man of the church has communication and conjunction with the heavens, can be drawn and called forth and extracted and eliminated from the Word in its ultimates, which is, the sense of the letter. Comparisons can be made with these, because all things in the three kingdoms of nature, animal, vegetable, and mineral, correspond to the spiritual things that are the three heavens, as the food of the body, with which a comparison has been made, corresponds to the food of the soul, which is knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom; a tree, with which also a comparison has been made, corresponds to man, the tree to man himself, the wood to his good, the leaves to his truths, and the fruits to his uses; so, too, gold, silver, copper, and iron correspond to goods and truths, gold to celestial good, silver to spiritual truth, copper to natural good, and iron to natural truth. Moreover, these things have these significations in the Word. And what is wonderful, the purer are contained in the grosser and are drawn from them, as the animal spirit and the nerve fluid are contained in the blood from which the original substances and nerve fiber draw and extract their distinct portions. So, again, fruits and leaves draw theirs from the gross fluid that is brought up from the soil by the wood and its bark, and so on. Thus comparatively, as has been said, the purer senses of the Word are drawn and called forth from the sense of the letter.

sRef Rev@17 @17 S0′ 1085. And to do one mind, signifies unanimously. This is evident from the signification of “doing one mind,” as being unanimously, for “it was given into their hearts to do the mind of the harlot” signifies that they should wholly withdraw from the profane things of Babylon; consequently “to do one mind” signifies unanimity in it. That there is unanimity in this is evident from the Reformed, who are divided into three churches, one of which has embraced the doctrine of Luther, another that of Calvin, and the third that of Melancthon; nevertheless all three have wholly withdrawn from the profane things of Babylon. This, therefore, is what is here signified by “doing one mind” (see just above, n. 1084).

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[2] As there are three senses in the Word, the natural, the spiritual, and the celestial, and as its natural sense, which is the sense of the letter, is a containant of the two senses, the spiritual and the celestial, it follows that the sense of the letter of the Word is the basis of those senses. And as the angels of the three heavens receive their wisdom from the Lord through the Word with them, and as their Words make one with our Word by correspondences, it also follows that the sense of the letter of our Word is the basis, support, and foundation of the wisdom of the angels of heaven. For the heavens rest upon the human race as a house rests upon its foundation; so the wisdom of the angels of heaven rests in like manner upon the knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom of men from the sense of the letter of the Word; for as has been said above, communication and conjunction with the heavens are effected through the sense of the letter of the Word. Thence it is, that of the Lord’s Divine Providence it has come to pass, that the Word as to the sense of the letter from its first revelation has not been mutilated,* not even as to an expression and letter in the original text, for every expression is a support, and in some measure the letters. From all this it is clear what a profanation it is to falsify the truths and adulterate the goods of the Word, and how infernal it is to deny or to weaken its holiness. As soon as that is done, for that man of the church heaven is closed. The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which cannot be forgiven, is the blasphemy of the Word by those who deny its holiness. Since the Word is the basis of the heavens, and since the Word has been wholly falsified and adulterated by the Jewish nation by traditions and by applications of the sense of the letter to favor their evil loves, lest the heavens should be endangered and the wisdom of the angels there should become foolishness, it has pleased the Lord to come down from heaven and to put on the Human and to become the Word (as is evident from John 1:14), and thus to restore the state of heaven.
* Swedenborg wrote mutatum (changed), but crossed this out and wrote mutilatum (mutilated).

sRef Rev@17 @17 S0′ 1086. And to give their kingdom unto the beast, signifies acknowledgment that the Word is Divine, and the founding of the church upon it. This is evident from the signification of “giving a kingdom,” as being the church; for “kingdom” signifies in the Word the church as to truth, and “dominion” the church as to good. Also from the signification of “the beast,” as being the Word (see above, n. 1038). Therefore “to give a kingdom to the beast” signifies to give the church to the Word, or what is the same, to acknowledge the Word, and to establish and found the church upon it. From what is related in this verse, also in verses 11, 12, 13, 16 above respecting the beast, and which is there explained, it is clearly evident that “the beast” signifies the Word received by those who are meant by “the harlot,” and yet rejected, and nevertheless defended by others both within Babylon and without it.
[2] The Word can be meant by a “beast,” for a lion and a lamb are beasts, and yet by them the Lord is meant throughout the Word; also sheep, kids, rams, goats, and heifers are beasts, and yet by them the holy things of heaven and the church are signified throughout the Word; and again, “the beast out of the earth,” mentioned above, signified confirmations from the Word in favor of faith separated (see n. 815). That nothing else can be signified by this beast is clearly evident from what is said about it (verse 13), that “the ten kings would give their power and authority unto the beast;” also in verses 16 and 17, that “they would give their kingdom to the beast;” although they were those who “made the harlot desolate, ate her flesh, and burnt her up with fire.”
sRef Rev@17 @3 S3′ sRef Rev@17 @2 S3′ sRef Rev@17 @1 S3′ sRef Rev@17 @4 S3′ [3] The harlot was seen sitting upon the beast because Babylon has founded her dominion upon certain passages in the Word; as upon those things which were said by the Lord to Peter. That the harlot would sit “upon many waters,” and elsewhere “upon treasures,” also that she was seen “arrayed in purple and scarlet, and inwrought with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup” (verses 1-4 of this chapter, and Jer. 51:13), has a like signification.

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[4] There is successive order and there is simultaneous order. In successive order things pure and perfect appear above, and those less pure and perfect appear below. The three heavens are in successive order, one above another; and in the higher heavens all things are pure and perfect, while in the lower they are less pure and perfect. Simultaneous order exists in lower things, and fully in the lowest; for higher things let themselves down and place themselves in the order that is called simultaneous, in which the pure and perfect things, which were the higher, are in the middle or center, and the less pure and perfect, which were the lower, are in the circumferences. Therefore all things that have existed in successive order are together in ultimates in their order.
[5] And as all higher things place themselves in what is lowest in simultaneous order, it follows that in the ultimates of the Word, which constitute the sense of its letter, are all things of the Divine truth and of the Divine good, even from their firsts. And as all things of the Divine truth and the Divine good are together in their ultimate, which is the sense of the letter of the Word, there evidently is the power of Divine truth, yea, the omnipotence of the Lord in saving man. For when the Lord operates He operates not from first things through mediates into ultimates, but from first things through ultimates and thus into mediates. This is why the Lord is called in the Word the First and the Last; and this is why the Lord assumed the Human, which in the world was the Divine truth or the Word, and glorified it even to the ultimates, which are the bones and the flesh, in order that He might operate from first things through ultimates, and not as before from man, but from Himself. This power in ultimates was represented by the hair with the Nazirites, as with Samson, for the hair corresponds to the ultimates of the Divine truth. And for this reason, to produce baldness was regarded in ancient times as disgraceful.
aRef 2Ki@2 @24 S6′ aRef 2Ki@2 @23 S6′ [6] The boys who called Elisha “bald head” were torn in pieces by bears, because Elisha and Elijah represented the Word; and the Word without the sense of the letter, which is like a head without hair, is without any power, and thus is no longer the Word. “Bears” signify those that have strength from the ultimates of truth. The power of the Word in the sense of the letter is the power to open heaven, whereby communication and conjunction are effected, and also the power to fight against falsities and evils, thus against the hells. A man who is in genuine truths from the sense of the letter of the Word can disperse and scatter the whole diabolical crew and their devices in which they place their power, which are innumerable, and this in a moment, merely by a look and by an effort of the will. In brief, in the spiritual world nothing can resist genuine truths confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word.

sRef Rev@17 @17 S0′ 1087. Until the words of God shall be consummated, signifies even to the last state of the church, when there is a judgment, and after that what is new. This is evident from the signification of “to be consummated,” as being to have an end; or specifically, when there is no longer any good and truth of doctrine and of life remaining, that is, when the last state of the church has come. (That consummation signifies the last state of the church can be seen n. 624, 911.) And as the Last Judgment comes in the last state of the church, and after that the New Church is established by the Lord, so “to be consummated” signifies the last state of the church when judgment takes place, and afterwards that which is new. Also from the signification of “the words of God,” as being predictions in the Word; therefore “the words of God shall be consummated” signifies when the predictions are fulfilled. It is said that those signified by “the ten horns of the beast” will “make the harlot desolate, eat her flesh, and burn her up with fire,” and “will give the kingdom to the beast, until the words of God shall be consummated,” because those also who have wholly withdrawn from Babylon and have rejected her profane things are then devastated as to all the goods and truths of heaven, that is, they have equally falsified the Word, not from the principle of having dominion over the holy things of the church and over heaven, but from the principle of separating works from faith, and when these have been separated there is no longer any living from the Lord, but only a living from self and the world, and that life is a life of evil from falsity, therefore “the words of God shall be consummated” also means when these, too, have been devastated.

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[2] Now since all interior things, that is, the spiritual and celestial things that are in the Words of the three heavens, are together in the ultimate sense of the Word, which is called the sense of the letter, (for in its inmosts there are the things that are in the Word with the angels of the third heaven, and in its middle parts the things that are in the Words of the angels of the lower heavens, and these are encompassed by such things as exist in the nature of our world and are included in these), so the sense of the letter of our Word is from all these. From this it can be seen that the Divine truth is in its fullness in the sense of the letter of our Word. That is said to be full which contains in itself all things prior, even from the first, or all things higher even from the highest; the ultimate is what includes these. The fullness of the Word is like a general vessel of marble, in which are countless lesser vessels of crystal, and in these still more numerous vessels of precious stones, in and about which are the most delightful things of heaven which are for those who perform noble uses from the Word. That the Word is such is not evident to man while he is in the world; but it is evident to him when he becomes an angel. Because the Word is such in ultimates it follows that it is not the Word until it is in that ultimate, that is, until it is in the sense of the letter. The Word not in that ultimate would be like a temple in the air and not on the earth, or like a man having flesh but without bones.
[3] As the Divine truth is in its fullness and also in its power in its ultimate, for when it is in that it is in all things at once, therefore the Lord never works except from first things through ultimates, and thus in fullness. For He reforms and regenerates man only through truths in ultimates, which are natural. And this is why a man after his departure out of the world remains to eternity such as he has been in the world. For the same reason heaven and hell are from the human race, and angels are not created immediately; for in the world a man is in his fullness, consequently he can there be conceived and born, and afterwards be imbued with knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom, and become an angel. To create angels in any other way is not given.
sRef Luke@24 @39 S4′ sRef Mark@16 @19 S4′ [4] Because the Lord works all things from things first through ultimates, and is in His power and in His fullness in ultimates, therefore it pleased the Lord to take upon Him the Human and to become the Divine truth, that is, the Word, and thus from Himself to reduce to order all things of heaven and all things of hell, that is, to execute a Last Judgment. This the Lord could accomplish from the Divine in Himself, which was in things first, through His Human which was in ultimates, and not, as before, from His presence or abode in the men of the church; for these had wholly forsaken the truths and goods of the Word, in which the Lord had previously had His dwelling-place with men. This was the chief reason for the Lord’s coming into the world, also for making His Human Divine; for by this He put Himself into the power of holding all things of heaven and all things of hell in order to eternity. This is meant by:
Sitting at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19).
“The right hand of God” means the Divine omnipotence, and “to sit at the right hand of God” means to be in that omnipotence through the Human. That the Lord ascended into heaven with His Human glorified even to the ultimates He testifies in Luke:
Jesus said to the disciples See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself, handle Me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye behold Me have (Luke 24:39).
This the Lord said just before* His resurrection. “Flesh and bones” are the ultimates of the human body, on which its strength depends.
* Photolithograph has ante before, the Latin editor gives post after.

sRef Rev@17 @18 S0′ 1088. Verse 18. And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, signifies the heinous doctrine of the church. This is evident from the signification of “the woman,” as being the church, here a church in which the truths and goods of the Word are profaned, which is no longer a church, but a religious persuasion that is called Babylon. Also from the signification of “city,” as being the doctrine of the church (see n. 223), here the doctrine of Babylon, which doctrine is heinous, because it is from the truths and goods of the Word, from which are the holy things of the church, which have been profaned. This woman, by whom is signified the church, is called “a great city,” which signifies doctrine, because only from doctrine can there be a church, and such as the doctrine is such is the church, here such is the religious persuasion. It is Babylon that is here meant by the “city;” and “Babylon” as a metropolis has a similar signification as “Babylonia” which is a kingdom; as also in Daniel, where it is called “Babel.” Other metropolitan cities have a like signification as their kingdoms, as the Jewish kingdom and Jerusalem, the Israelitish kingdom and Samaria, the kingdom of Syria and Damascus. But while the kingdom signifies the church, the metropolitan city signifies the church as to doctrine.

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[2] The Divine truth is what is called holy, but only when it is in its ultimate, and its ultimate is the Word in the sense of the letter; therefore the Divine truth there is holy, and may be called a sanctuary, and for the reason that that sense contains and encloses all the holy things of heaven and the church. The appearance is that the Divine truths in the heavens, which are called spiritual and celestial, are more holy than the Divine truths in the sense of the letter of the Word, which are natural; but the Divine truths in the heavens, which are called spiritual and celestial, are comparatively like the lungs and heart in man, which form the chest only when they are encompassed by ribs, and enclosed in the pleura and diaphragm; for without these integuments they could not perform their vital functions, and even unless connected with them by bonds. The spiritual things of the Word are like the breathing of the lungs, its celestial things are like the systole and diastole of the heart, and its natural things are like the pleura, the diaphragm, and the ribs, with the moving fibers attached, by which the motions are made reciprocal.
[3] Again, the spiritual and celestial things of the Word are comparatively like the holy things of the tabernacle, which were the table upon which was the show bread, the golden altar upon which was the incense, the perfumes and the censer, also the lampstand with the lamps, and still further within the cherubim, the mercy seat and the ark. All these were the holy things of the Jewish and Israelitish church; nevertheless they could not be called holy and the sanctuary until they had been covered by curtains and veils, for without those coverings they would have stood under the naked sky, exposed to showers and storms, to the birds of heaven and the wild beasts of the earth, and also to robbers that would violate, plunder, and scatter them. So would it be with the Divine truths in the heavens, which are called spiritual and celestial, unless they were enclosed in natural truths, like the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word.
[4] Natural truths, which are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, are not the very truths of heaven, but are appearances of them; and appearances of truth encompass, enclose, and contain the truths of heaven, which are genuine truths, and cause them to be in connection and order and to act together, like the cardiac and pulmonary organs with their coverings and ribs, as has been said above; and when these truths are held in connection and in order they are holy, and not till then. This the sense of the letter of our Word does by means of the appearances of truth of which its ultimate consists; and this is why that sense is the holy Divine Itself and the sanctuary.
[5] But he is greatly mistaken who separates appearances of truth from genuine truths and calls these appearances holy by themselves and from themselves, and not the sense of the letter holy by genuine truths and from them and together with them. He separates these who sees only the sense of the letter and does not explore its meaning, as those do who do not read the Word from doctrine. The “cherubim” mean in the Word a guard and protection that the holy things of heaven be not violated, and that the Lord be approached only through love; consequently these signify the sense of the letter of the Word, because that is what guards and protects. It guards and protects in this manner that man can think and speak according to the appearances of truth so long as he is well-disposed, simple, and as it were an infant; but he must take heed not to so confirm appearances as to destroy the genuine truths in the heavens.

sRef Rev@17 @18 S0′ 1089. Which hath a kingdom over the kings of the earth, signifies its domination over the truths of the church. This is evident from the signification of “having a kingdom,” as being domination, and as being predicated of truths or falsities. That “kingdom” means the church in respect to truths or falsities, may be seen (n. 48, 684, 685). Also from the signification of “kings of the earth,” as being truths (see n. 31, 625, 1034, 1063, 1073). Also from the signification of “earth,” as being the church (of which frequently above). This makes clear that “having a kingdom over the kings of the earth” signifies domination over the truths of the church. There is domination over the truths of the church because their chief, who is called Pope and Pontiff, ascribes to his own decrees an equal holiness and a like inspiration with the truths of the Word. It is also a part of this doctrine that it is lawful for him to change the truths of the Word according to the changes of the state of the church, and thus to turn them into such things as may be means of domination, and these are falsities; for all things that have regard to domination are falsities, or truths falsified, since the end chooses the means and applies them to itself; and means that are applied to an end which is domination over the souls of men, over all things of the church and over heaven, cannot be truths, and if they are truths the end falsifies them, but with those only who are in dominion.

(Continuation respecting the Word)

[2] It is an invariable truth that no one can understand the Word without doctrine; for he may be led away into any errors to which he may be inclined from some love, or to which he may be drawn from some principle, whereby his mind becomes unsettled and uncertain, and at length as it were destitute of truth. But he who reads the Word from doctrine sees all things that confirm it, and many things that are hidden from the eyes of others, and does not permit himself to be drawn away into strange things; and thus his mind becomes so settled as to see with certainty. The Word may be drawn away to confirm heresies unless it is read from doctrine, for the reason that the sense of its letter consists of mere correspondences, and these are in great part appearances of truth, and in part genuine truths, and unless there be doctrine for a lamp these cannot be seen and cannot be distinguished from each other.
[3] But doctrine can be acquired from no other source than from the Word, and it can be acquired only by those who are in enlightenment from the Lord. Those are in enlightenment who love truths because they are truths and make them to be of their life. Moreover, all things of doctrine must be confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word, because the Divine truth is in its fullness and in its power in that sense, and through it man is in conjunction with the Lord and in consociation with the angels. In brief, he who loves truth because it is truth can inquire of the Lord, as it were, in doubtful matters of faith, and can receive answers from Him, but nowhere except in the Word, for the reason that the Lord is the Word.


Revelation 18

1. And after these things I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having great authority, and the earth was lightened by his glory.
2. And he cried out mightily with a great voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become a habitation of demons and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird.
3. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the anger of her whoredom, and the kings of the earth have committed whoredom with her; and the merchants of the earth have become rich from the abundance of her luxuries.
4. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come forth out of her, my people, that ye become not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5. For her sins have reached even unto heaven, and God hath remembered her injustices.
6. Render unto her even as she hath rendered unto you, and double unto her double according to her works; in the cup that she hath mingled mingle to her double.
7. How much she hath glorified herself and lived luxuriously, so much torment and mourning give her, for in her heart she saith, I sit a queen, and a widow I am not, and mourning I shall not see.
8. For this reason in one day shall her plagues come, death and mourning and famine, and she shall be burned up in fire; for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
9. And the kings of the earth shall weep for her and wail over her, who have committed whoredom and lived luxuriously with her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning;
10. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, that great city Babylon, that mighty city; for in one hour is thy judgment come.
11. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her, because no one buyeth their merchandise anymore;
12. Merchandise of gold and of silver, and of precious stones and of pearl, and of fine linen, and of purple, and of silk and scarlet, and of all thyine wood, and every vessel of ivory and every vessel of precious wood, and of brass, and of iron, and of marble;
13. And cinnamon and incense, and ointment and frankincense, and wine and oil, and fine flour and wheat, and beasts of burden and sheep, and horses and carriages, and slaves, and souls of men.
14. And the fruits of the desire of thy soul have departed from thee; and all fat and splendid things have departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more.
15. The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, shall stand afar off for fear of her torment, weeping and mourning;
16. And saying, Woe, woe, that great city, arrayed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and inwrought with gold, precious stone and pearls;* for in one hour were devastated so great riches.
17. And every pilot, and all that are employed on ships, and sailors, and as many as work at sea, stood afar off,
18. And cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like this great city?
19. And they cast dust upon their heads, and cried out weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, that great city, wherein all that had ships in the sea were made rich by her costliness; for in one hour they were devastated.
20. Exult over her, O heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath judged your judgment upon her.
21. And one strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall Babylon, that great city, be cast down and shall be found no more.
22. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and pipers, and trumpeters, shall not be heard in thee anymore; and no craftsman of whatsoever craft shall be found in thee anymore, and the voice of a millstone shall not be heard in thee anymore;
23. And the light of a lamp shall not shine in thee anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and of bride shall not be heard in thee anymore, because thy merchants were the great men of the earth, because by thy sorcery have all nations been seduced.
24. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that had been slain on the earth.
* English version, verse 17 begins here.

sRef Rev@18 @1 S0′ 1090. EXPLANATION
Verse 1. And after these things I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having great authority, and the earth was lightened by his glory. 1. “After these things” signifies what was done after the Last Judgment upon those meant by the “harlot” (n. 1091); “I saw an angel coming down from heaven” signifies the Divine proceeding from the Lord in heaven and in the world (n. 1092); “having great authority” signifies which now has omnipotence, as in the heavens so upon the earth (n. 1093); “and the earth was lightened by his glory” signifies the church now in light from the influx and reception of Divine truth (n. 1094).

sRef Rev@18 @1 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @19 S1′ sRef Rev@18 @10 S1′ sRef Rev@18 @16 S1′ sRef Rev@18 @15 S1′ 1091. Verse 1. After these things signifies what was done after the Last Judgment upon those meant by the “harlot.” This is evident from what follows in this chapter, namely, from the cry of the angel that came down out of heaven, that Babylon the great had fallen, and had become “a habitation of demons, a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird,” which means its downfall, thus the Last Judgment; also from what follows that they who stood afar off on account of the fear of her torment said, “Alas, alas, the great city Babylon, the strong city, for in one hour her judgment is come” (verses 10, 15, 16, 19), and from the rest. But what was to be done after this, that is, after the Last Judgment upon these, is related in this chapter, namely, that their religious persuasion would be wholly condemned, nor would it ever rise again to eternity. But this must be thus understood, that this religious persuasion will continue in the world, because the love of ruling is so implanted in everyone that it cannot be rooted out, and so long as that love is present it is impossible for that religious persuasion to come to an end in the world; and yet in the spiritual world, into which everyone comes after death, it will come to an end, for then all who are of that religion and have exercised dominion from the delight of the love of ruling, do not as they previously did, make for themselves seeming heavens in the world of spirits, which is in the midst between heaven and hell, and dwell there for a time, but as soon as they arrive there they are sent away and cast into their hells. This is what is meant by the destruction of Babylon, as predicted both here in Revelation, and in many passages in the prophets. Since the Babylonians have transferred the Lord’s authority over heaven and the church to their chief pontiff, whom they call the successor of Peter, and thus the vicar of the Lord, declaring that the authority over heaven and hell was transferred by the Lord to Peter, and that it was not the Lord’s Divine authority but His human authority given Him from God the Father, I will show at the end of the articles of this chapter that the Lord even as to His Human was God, that is, that His Human was Divine; and from this it follows that the Babylonians did transfer His Divine authority to him whom they call the Lord’s vicar, and thus they have made him God upon earth, and that he has made his ministers deities, which can be nothing else than horrible. In the first place, then, at the end of the articles the doctrine of the Trinity that is accepted in the whole Christian world, and is called the Creed of Athanasius, also the Athanasian Faith, according to the decree of the Council of Nice, shall be examined; and here the creed itself, as adopted in England from the decree of the council, shall be quoted entire.

THE ATHANASIAN SYMBOLIC FAITH

[2] “Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic faith;
Which faith except everyone shall keep it whole and entire, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
The Catholic faith is this:
That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the substance (essence).
For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit;
But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is one and the same, the glory equal, and the majesty co-eternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.
The Father is uncreate, the Son is uncreate, and the Holy Spirit is uncreate.
The Father is infinite, the Son infinite, and the Holy Spirit infinite.
The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
And yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal;
Also there are not three infinites, nor three uncreates, but one uncreate and one infinite.
So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Spirit Almighty;
And yet there are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.
As the Father is God, so the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;
And yet there are not three gods, but one God.
So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the Holy Spirit is Lord;
And yet there are not three lords, but one Lord.
For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord;
So we are forbidden by the Catholic religion to say there be three gods or three lords (others, we cannot from the Christian faith make mention of three gods or of three lords.)
The Father was made of none, neither created nor begotten;
The Son is of the Father alone, not made nor created, but begotten.
The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
And in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another;
But the whole three Persons are co-eternal and co-equal. So that in all things, as before said, the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped (others, three Persons in one Godhead, and one God in three Persons is to be worshiped.)
He, therefore, that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary for salvation that he believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ (others, that he constantly believe that our Lord Jesus Christ is true Man.)
For the true faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man.
God of the substance (or essence; others, nature) of the Father, begotten before the world, and man of the substance (others, nature) of the mother, born in the world.
Perfect God and perfect man, consisting of a reasonable soul and a human body;
Equal to the Father as touching the Divine, and inferior to (others, lesser than) the Father as touching the Human.
Who although He be God and Man, yet He is not two but one Christ; one not by conversion of the Divine Essence into the Human (or, of the Godhead into the flesh) but by a taking of the Human Essence into the Divine (or into God).
One altogether, not by confusion of essence (or substance) but by unity of Person (others, because they are one Person).
For as the reasonable soul and body are one man, so God and Man is one Christ.
Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, and rose again on the third day from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father God Almighty;
From whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies;
[And shall give account for their own works;]
And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting, and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.
This is the Catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved.
Glory be to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever;
world without end. Amen.

sRef Rev@18 @1 S0′ 1092. I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, signifies the Divine proceeding from the Lord in heaven and in the world. This is evident from the signification of “an angel coming down out of heaven,” as being the Lord as to the Divine proceeding, for in the internal sense an angel means not an angel, but either the Lord or something pertaining to the Lord (see n. 130, 302, 593, 910), here the Lord, because it is said that “he had great authority, and the earth was lightened by his glory,” which means the power and presence of the Divine truth now in heaven and in the world; for it is now made clear that Babylon has been destroyed, and when she has been destroyed there is an accession of power and light to the Divine that proceeds from the Lord. The reason of this will be explained hereafter.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] This is the doctrine respecting God that is accepted in the whole Christian world, because it is from a council. But before that doctrine is examined, a certain arcanum respecting the state of man’s faith and love in this world, and afterwards in the other world into which he comes after death shall be disclosed; for until this has been disclosed man can have no other idea than that everyone, whatever his faith may have been, can by the Divine mercy be admitted into heaven and saved, which is the source of the erroneous belief of the Babylonish race, that man has heaven from the good pleasure of the Pope, and by the favor of his vicars.
[3] The arcanum is this, that all the thoughts of man pour themselves forth into the spiritual world in every direction, much the same as rays of light from a flame. As the spiritual world consists of heaven and hell, and as heaven as well as hell consists of innumerable societies, the thoughts of man must needs pour themselves forth into societies; spiritual thoughts, which relate to the Lord, to love and faith in Him, and to the truths and goods of heaven and the church, into heavenly societies; but merely natural thoughts, which relate to self and the world and the love of these, and not at the same time to God, into infernal societies.
[4] That there is such an extension and determination of all man’s thoughts has not been known heretofore, because it has not been known what heaven is and what hell is, thus that they consist of societies, consequently that there is an extension of man’s thoughts into another world than this natural world, into which the sight of his eyes extends. Thus it is the spiritual world into which thought extends, and the natural world into which sight extends, because the thought of the mind is spiritual while the sight of the eye is natural. That all thoughts of man extend into the societies of the spiritual world, and that without such extension no thought is possible, has been made so evident to me by the experience of many years that I can with all faith affirm it to be true.
[5] In a word, man is in the spiritual world with his head as he is in the natural world with his body, head meaning here his mind, which consists of understanding, thought, will, and love, and body here meaning his senses, which are seeing, hearing, smelling, taste, and touch. And as a man is in the spiritual world as to his head, that is, as to his mind, so he is either in heaven or in hell; and where the mind is there the whole man with the head and body is when he becomes a spirit. Moreover, man is wholly such as his conjunction is with the societies of the spiritual world, such an angel as his conjunction is with the societies of heaven, and such a devil as his conjunction is with the societies of hell.

sRef John@1 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @1 S0′ 1093. Having great authority, signifies which has omnipotence, as in the heavens so upon the earth. This is evident from the signification of “great authority,” as being, in reference to the Lord, omnipotence. “Great authority” here signifies omnipotence because according to the idea that man has of angels, great authority can be predicated of an angel, but not omnipotence; but when the Lord as to His Divine proceeding is meant by an angel, then “great authority” means omnipotence. Moreover, omnipotence belongs to the Lord because He is the God of heaven and the God of the earth, and by the Divine that proceeds from Him as a sun heaven and earth were created, and by it heaven with the earth is held together and subsists. The Divine proceeding is what is called in John, “the Word that was with God and that was God, by which all things were made that have been made, and by which also the world was made” (John 1:1, 2, 10). The Lord’s omnipotence as in the heavens so upon the earth, is what is meant by “the great authority of the angel,” because it is added, that “the earth was lightened by his glory;” for when the Last Judgment upon those who are meant by “the harlot or Babylon” was accomplished, the darkness that was interposed between heaven and earth was removed. But more upon this below.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] From what has been said it is clear that the thoughts of man are extensions into societies either heavenly or infernal, and that if there were no extensions there would be no thoughts. For man’s thought is like the sight of his eyes; if sight had no extension out of itself, either there would be no sight or there would be blindness. But it is a man’s love that determines his thoughts into societies, good love determining them into heavenly societies, and evil love into infernal societies; for the entire heaven is arranged into societies, generally, particularly, and most particularly, according to all the varieties of affections belonging to the love; while on the other hand, hell is arranged into societies according to the cupidities of the love of evil, which are opposite to the affections of the love of good.
[3] Man’s love is comparatively like fire, and his thoughts are like rays of light therefrom. If the love is good, the thoughts, which are like rays, are truths. If the love is evil, the thoughts, which are like rays, are falsities. Thoughts from a good love, which are truths, tend towards heaven; while thoughts from an evil love, which are falsities, tend towards hell and conjoin themselves with homogeneous societies, that is, with societies of like love, and adapt themselves to them, and ingraft themselves into them, and so intimately that the man is wholly one with them.
[4] Through love to the Lord man is an image of the Lord. The Lord is the Divine love; and in heaven before the angels He appears as a sun. From that sun light and heat proceed; the light is the Divine truth and the heat is the Divine good. From these two is the whole heaven, and from them are all the societies of heaven. The Lord’s love in a man who is an image of Him is like the fire from that sun, from which fire also light and heat proceed; the light is the truth of faith and the heat is the good of love; both of these are from the Lord, and both are implanted in the societies with which the man’s love acts as one. That man from creation is an image and likeness of God is evident from Genesis (1:26); and he is an image and likeness of the Lord by means of love, because by means of love he is in the Lord and the Lord is in him (John 14:20, 21). In a word, not the least thought can exist unless it finds reception in some society, not in the individuals or angels of the society, but in the affection of love from which and in which that society is; and for this reason the angels are not aware of the influx at all, and such influx in no way disturbs the society.
[5] From all this the truth is clear that while man is living in the world he is in conjunction with heaven and also in consociation with angels, although both men and angels are unconscious of it. They are unconscious of it because man’s thought is natural and an angel’s thought is spiritual, and these make one only by correspondence. Because man is inaugurated into societies either of heaven or hell by means of the thoughts of his love, so when he comes into the spiritual world, as he does immediately after death, his character is known merely by the extensions of his thoughts into societies; and thus everyone is explored; and he is reformed by the admissions of his thoughts into the societies of heaven, and is condemned by the immersions of his thoughts in the societies of hell.

sRef Rev@18 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @1 S0′ 1094. And the earth was lightened by his glory, signifies the church now in light from the influx and reception of Divine truth. This is evident from the signification of “the earth,” as being the church (of which frequently); also from the signification of “to be lightened,” as meaning to be in light; also from the signification of “glory,” as being, in reference to the Lord who is here meant by the angel, the Divine truth (see n. 33, 288, 345, 874). That “glory” means the Divine truth, since that is the light of heaven and from it angels have all their wisdom and happiness, and also magnificence, may be seen (n. 678). It is said of the angel coming down out of heaven, that he had “great authority,” and that “the earth was lightened by his glory,” because the Last Judgment was effected on those who are meant by “the harlot or Babylon,” for this is the meaning of the words of the angel:
Fallen, fallen is Babylon, and is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird (Rev. 18:2).
And when judgment had been effected upon these, the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord came into its power and into its light; for so long as the Babylonians were tolerated under heaven they were like the dense and dusky clouds between heaven and earth by which the rays of light from the sun are intercepted and the day is darkened; and this for the reason that the Divine truth, which is the Word, was not only falsified but also rejected; and moreover, by transferring the Lord’s Divine authority to themselves they annihilated it. These and many other things, so long as they were permitted to make dwelling places for themselves under the heavens, were like dusky clouds between heaven and earth, through which the Divine truth could not pass to enlighten any man of the church. But as soon as they had been driven away and cast into hell, there was an accession of power and light to the Divine truth that proceeded from the Lord as a sun, to the extent that the Lord could lead more powerfully and enlighten more clearly not only the spirits who are under the heavens, but also the men in the church. This is why the spiritual sense of the Word was not revealed and the state of heaven and hell manifested until the Last Judgment had been accomplished, for if before there would have been no power and light in the Divine truth.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] Since man when born is not in any society either heavenly or infernal, being without thought, and yet is born for eternal life, it follows that in the course of time he either opens heaven or opens hell to himself, and enters into societies, and becomes an inhabitant either of heaven or of hell even while he is in the world. Man becomes an inhabitant of the spiritual world, because that is his real dwelling place, and as it is called, his native land, for there he is to live to eternity after he has lived some years in the natural world. From this it may be concluded how necessary it is for a man to know what it is in him that opens heaven and leads him into its societies, and what it is that opens hell and leads him into its societies. This will be told in the appendices to the following articles. Here let it be said that a man lets himself more and more into the societies of heaven successively according to the increase of wisdom, and into more and more interior societies successively according to the increase of the love of good; also that so far as heaven is opened to him hell is closed. But it is man who opens hell to himself, while it is the Lord who opens heaven to man.

sRef Rev@18 @2 S0′ 1095. Verse 2. And he cried out mightily with a great voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird. 2. “And he cried out mightily with a great voice,” signifies manifestation before heaven and in the church from joy of heart (n. 1096); “saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great,” signifies that the Last Judgment has been effected upon those who had profaned the holy things of heaven and the church by the dominion they had assumed over them (n. 1097); “and is become a habitation of demons” signifies where there are direful falsities from the profaned truths and goods of the church (n. 1098); “and a hold of every unclean spirit,” signifies where there are nothing but evils from the adulterated goods of the Word (n. 1099); “and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird” signifies where there are nothing but falsities from the falsified truths of the Word (n. 1100).

sRef Rev@18 @2 S0′ 1096. Verse 2. And he cried out mightily with a great voice, signifies manifestation before heaven and in the church from joy of heart. This is evident from the signification of “crying out,” as being to make manifest, namely, that the Last Judgment has been effected upon Babylon, for it is added, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.” Also from the signification of “mightily,” as being in power before heaven and in the church (of which in what follows). Also from the signification of “a great voice,” as being joy of heart, for from joy of heart the voice becomes great. The joy of heart was from this, that after the Last Judgment upon those who are meant by the “harlot” (or “Babylon”), power and light came to the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord, according to those things which have been said in a preceding article. A “great voice” signifies joy of heart, because every great voice crying out comes from some affection, more intense according to the affection or degree of love. “Mightily” signifies in heaven and on earth, because might signifies power, and there was now the power to make these things manifest before heaven and before the world. That there was now this power, may be seen above (n. 1093).
(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith.)
[2] The first and foremost thought that opens heaven to man is thought about God, and for the reason that God is the all of heaven, even to the extent that whether we say heaven or God it is the same thing. The things Divine that make the angels of whom heaven consists to be angels are, when taken together, God; and this is why thought about God is the first and foremost of all the thoughts that open heaven to man, for it is the head and sum of all truths and loves celestial and spiritual. But there is thought from light, and there is thought from love; thought from light alone is knowledge that there is a God, which appears like acknowledgment but is not.
[3] By thought from light man has presence in heaven, but not conjunction with heaven, for the light of thought alone does not conjoin, but presents man as present to the Lord and the angels. For such light is like winter light, in which man sees with the same clearness as in summer light, and yet that light does not join itself to the earth, nor to any tree, shrub, flower, or blade of grass. Moreover, every man has implanted in him the faculty of thinking about God, and also of understanding in the light of heaven the things relating to God; but thought alone from that light, which is intellectual thought, merely causes his presence with the Lord and with angels, as has been said.
[4] When a man is in mere intellectual thought about God and about things relating to God, he appears to angels at a distance like an image of ivory or marble that can walk and utter sounds, but in whose face and in whose voice there is as yet no life. Also to the angels he appears comparatively like a tree in winter time, with naked branches without leaves, and yet of which some hope is cherished that it will be covered with leaves and afterwards with fruit, when to the light heat is joined, as in the spring time. As thought about God is what primarily opens heaven, so thought against God is what primarily closes heaven.

sRef Rev@18 @2 S0′ 1097. Saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, signifies that the Last Judgment has been effected upon those who have profaned the holy things of heaven and the church by the dominion they have assumed over them. This is evident from the signification of “Fallen, fallen,” as being utter overthrow and downfall, thus the Last Judgment, for through the Last Judgment utter overthrow and downfall are effected, since such then are cast into hell. Also from the signification of “Babylon,” as being those who have profaned the holy things of heaven and the church by the dominion they have assumed over them; for by “Babylon” the same is meant as by “the harlot sitting on the scarlet beast,” and the same as by “the mother of whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth” in the preceding chapter, which mean those who have profaned the holy things of the church. These and the profanations wrought by them are treated of in that chapter.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] Thought about one God opens heaven to man, since there is but one God, while on the other hand thought about many gods closes heaven, since the idea of many gods destroys the idea of one God. Thought about the true God opens heaven, since heaven and everything belonging to it is from the true God, while on the other hand thought about a false God closes heaven, since no other than the true God is acknowledged in heaven. Thought about God the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Enlightener opens heaven, for this is the trinity of the one and true God. Again, thought about God infinite, eternal, uncreate, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient opens heaven, for these are attributes of the essence of the one and true God, while on the other hand thought about a living man as God, of a dead man as God, or of an idol as God closes heaven, because they are not omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, uncreate, eternal, and infinite, nor was creation or redemption wrought by them, nor is there enlightenment by them.
sRef Matt@11 @27 S3′ sRef John@17 @2 S3′ sRef Matt@28 @18 S3′ sRef John@3 @35 S3′ [3] Thought about God as Man, in whom is the Divine trinity, that is, the trinity called the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, alone opens heaven; while on the other hand thought about God as not Man, which idea is presented in appearance as a little cloud, or as nature in her least parts, closes heaven, for God is Man, as the whole angelic heaven in its complex is Man, and every angel and every spirit is in consequence a man. For this reason thought about the Lord as being the God of the universe is what alone opens heaven, for the Lord says:
The Father hath given all things into the hand of the Son (John 3:35).
The Father hath given the Son power over all flesh (John 17:2).
All things have been delivered to Me by the Father (Matt. 11:27).
All authority hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18).
[4] All this makes clear that man without such an idea of God as exists in heaven cannot be saved. The idea of God in heaven is the Lord, for the angels of heaven are in the Lord and the Lord is in them; consequently to think of any other God than the Lord is to them impossible (see John 14:20, 21). Allow me to add that the idea of God as Man has been implanted from heaven in every nation throughout the whole world, but what I lament, it has been destroyed in Christendom. The causes of this will be told below.

sRef Rev@18 @2 S0′ 1098. And is become a habitation of demons, signifies where there are direful falsities from the profaned truths and goods of the church. This is evident from the signification of “habitation,” as being where those have been since the Last Judgment who are meant by “Babylon” as a harlot. Also from the signification of “demons,” as being those who are in direful falsities from profaned truths and goods (see above, n. 586, 1001). Here the hell of such is described, namely, that it is “a habitation of demons, a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird.” That their hell is such is evident from the exhalations therefrom, which are the profaned truths and goods of heaven and the church, for in speech, countenance, and gesture they are in holy externals, which they raise heavenward, and yet in soul and heart they do not look to any God, but only to themselves as deities of the earth. Thus they make one with those who are in hell. They profane holy things, because their interiors, which pertain to the soul and heart, flow into exteriors that are disposed in a holy manner. Such are here meant by “demons.”

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] The thought alone that there is a God and that the Lord is the God of heaven opens heaven and presents man as present there, and yet so slightly as to be almost unseen, appearing afar off as in the shade. But in proportion as his thought of God becomes more full, true, and just, he appears in the light. Thought becomes more full by the knowledges of truth from the Word that pertain to faith and of good that pertain to love; for all things from the Word are Divine, and Divine things taken together are God. A man who thinks merely that there is a God and who gives no thought to what God is, is like one who thinks that the Word exists and that it is holy, and yet knows nothing of its contents; or like one who thinks that the law exists, but knows nothing of what is in the law. But the thought of what God is, is so great that it fills heaven, and makes all the wisdom of the angels, which is ineffable, for in itself it is infinite, because God is infinite. The thought that there is a God, derived from what He is, is what is meant in the Word by “the name of God” (see above, n. 102, 135, 148, 695, 959).

sRef Rev@18 @2 S0′ 1099. And a hold of every unclean spirit, signifies where there is nothing but evils from the adulterated goods of the Word. This is evident from the signification of a “hold,” as being where those are who are meant by “Babylon,” “hold” being the same here as “habitation” above. Also from the signification of “unclean spirits,” as being those who are in evils from the adulteration of good, thus abstractly the evils themselves that are adulterated goods. Goods that have been applied to evils are called adulterated, as for instance, the goods of love to the Lord applied to the loves of self, and the goods of love towards the neighbor applied to the loves of the world. Love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor are pure and holy loves, but the loves of self and of the world, such as they are in those who have claimed to themselves the Lord’s dominion over heaven and over the church, are impure and profane loves; therefore to change holy loves into profane loves is to adulterate the goods of the Word, especially when they call their profane things holy and their evil things good. Those who have been such in the world become after death unclean spirits; and their hell is meant by “the hold of every unclean spirit.”

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] It has been said that man has thought from light and thought from love, and that thought from light makes man’s presence in heaven, but thought from love makes man’s conjunction with heaven, and for the reason that love is spiritual conjunction. Therefore, when man’s thought from light becomes his thought from love he is introduced into heaven as to a marriage, and so far as love is the primary agent in thought from light or leads that thought, man enters heaven as a bride enters the bride-chamber, and is wedded. For the Lord is called in the Word a “bridegroom” and a “husband,” and heaven and the church are called a “bride” and a “wife.” “To be wedded” means to be conjoined to heaven in some society of it; and one is so far conjoined to heaven as he has acquired in the world intelligence and wisdom from the Lord through the Word, thus so far as he has learned by means of Divine truths to think that there is a God, and that the Lord is that God. And yet one who thinks from few truths, thus from little intelligence, although he is conjoined with heaven when he thinks from love, is conjoined in its lower parts only.
sRef John@14 @24 S3′ sRef John@14 @21 S3′ [3] By love, love to the Lord is meant, and loving the Lord does not mean loving Him as a Person, for by such a love only man is not conjoined to heaven, but by the love of Divine good and Divine truth, which are the Lord in heaven and in the church; and these two are not loved by knowing them, thinking about them, understanding them, and speaking them, but by willing and doing them for the reason that they are commanded by the Lord, and thus because they are uses. Nothing prior is full until it has been done; and the end for the sake of which the thing is done is the love; consequently the love of knowing a thing, of thinking about it, and of understanding it springs from a love of willing and doing it. Tell me why you wish to know and understand anything except for the sake of an end which you love. The end that is loved is the deed. If you say, it is for the sake of faith, this is faith alone, or faith merely of the thought separated from actual faith which is the deed, which is nothing. You are greatly deceived if you think that you believe in God, when you are not doing the things pertaining to God; for the Lord teaches in John:
He that hath My commandments and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me, and I will make My abode with him. But he that loveth Me not keepeth not My words (John 14:21, 23-24).
In a word, loving and doing are one; therefore where loving is mentioned in the Word doing is meant, and where doing is mentioned loving also is meant; for what I love, that I do.

sRef Rev@18 @2 S0′ 1100. And a hold of every unclean and hateful bird, signifies where there are nothing but falsities from the falsified truths of the Word. This is evident from the signification of a “hold,” as being where the falsifiers are, thus hell (as above); also from the signification of “every unclean and hateful bird,” as being falsities from the falsified truths of the Word; for “birds” signify things rational and intellectual, thoughts, ideas, and reasonings, thus truths or falsities, and “unclean” means what flows forth from a filthy love, and especially from the love of having dominion, for this constitutes uncleanness in hell; and “hateful” signifies what flows forth from a false principle, thus from a religious principle confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word falsified. It is from correspondence that “birds” signify such things as pertain to man’s thought, both spiritual and infernal, thus both truths and falsities, for these pertain to thought. That this is from correspondence is evident from the birds seen in the spiritual world, where all things that appear before the eyes and the other senses are correspondences. All sorts of animals of the earth, also flying things of heaven, both beautiful and unbeautiful, are seen there, and they appear from the affections and thoughts of angels or of spirits, the animals from affections, and the flying things from thoughts. It is known to everyone there that these are correspondences; and they know also to what affections and thoughts they correspond. That they are correspondences of affections and thoughts is made to appear most clearly; since they are instantly dissipated when the spirit or the angel goes away or stops thinking about the matter. As birds are correspondences of thoughts both rational and not rational, thus of both verities and falsities, therefore they have this signification in the Word, for all things of the Word are correspondences.
sRef Ps@148 @10 S2′ [2] That “birds” signify thoughts that are from truths, both rational and spiritual, can be seen from the following passages. In David:
Let them praise the name of Jehovah, the wild beast and every beast, creeping thing and winged bird (Ps. 148:5, 10).
That “the wild beast and beast” signify the affections of the natural man, both of truth and of good, and in the contrary sense the cupidities of falsity and evil, may be seen above (n. 522, 650, 781); therefore “winged bird” signifies thoughts. This is why it is said that they should praise Jehovah, for it is man who must praise from affections and thoughts, thus from goods and truths.
sRef Hos@2 @18 S3′ [3] In Hosea:
In that day will I make a covenant for them with the wild beast of the field, and with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth; and I will break the bow and the sword and the war from the earth (Hos. 2:18).
This is said of the Lord’s coming and of the state of heaven and the church from Him. “In that day” means the Lord’s coming; “the covenant” that He will then make signifies conjunction with those who believe in Him; therefore, “the wild beast of the field and the bird of heaven” cannot mean wild beasts and birds, but must mean the things to which they correspond, which are the affections of good and truth and consequent thoughts. That there will then be no infestation from falsities and evils from hell is signified by “the bow, the sword, and the war, shall be broken in the earth.”
sRef Ps@8 @6 S4′ sRef Ps@8 @7 S4′ sRef Ps@8 @8 S4′ [4] In David:
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands, Thou hast put all things under his feet, flocks and herds, yea, the beasts of the fields, the birds of heaven, and the fish of the sea (Ps. 8:6-8).
This treats of the Lord, of whom it is here said that “He shall have dominion over all the works of Jehovah’s hands,” which does not mean terrestrial things, such as flocks, herds, beasts, birds, and fishes. For what have these things to do with His dominion, which is in the heavens, and from the heavens over men on the earth, whom He will lead to life eternal? Therefore the spiritual things of the church are what are meant, “flock” signifying in general all things spiritual with man, “herd” all things natural with him that correspond to things spiritual, “beasts of the fields” affections of good in the natural man that pertain to the church (for “field” signifies the church), “birds of heaven” signify the thoughts of the rational man, and “fishes of the sea” knowledges.
sRef Ezek@17 @23 S5′ sRef Ezek@17 @22 S5′ [5] In Ezekiel:
I will take of the shoot of a high cedar, in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it, that it may lift up the bough and bear fruit and become a magnificent cedar; that under it may dwell every bird of every wing, in the shades of its branches shall they dwell (Ezek. 17:22-23).
This means the establishment of a new church by the Lord; its establishment anew or from its first rise is meant by “the shoot of a high cedar,” “cedar” here as elsewhere in the Word signifies the spiritual rational church, such as was the church with the ancients after the flood. “To plant a shoot in the mountain of the height of Israel” signifies in spiritual good, which is the good of charity, “the mountain of the height of Israel” signifying that good; “to become a magnificent cedar” signifies the full establishment of that church; “that under it may dwell every bird of every wing” signifies that there will be rational truths of every kind in that church; “to dwell in the shade of its branches” signifies these terminated in natural truths, since these cover and guard rational truths that are from a spiritual origin.
sRef Ezek@31 @6 S6′ sRef Ezek@31 @5 S6′ sRef Ezek@31 @3 S6′ [6] In the same:
Ashur a cedar in Lebanon, which has become high. In his branches have all the birds of the heavens built their nests, and under his branches all the beasts of the field have brought forth, and in his shade have dwelt all great nations (Ezek. 31:3, 5-6).
Here, too, “cedar” signifies the spiritual rational church, since “Assyria” signifies the rational; and as “cedar” signifies the church, it follows that “the birds of the heavens that have built their nests in its branches,” and “the beasts of the field that have brought forth under them,” mean rational thoughts respecting the truths of the church, and the affections of them; and this being the meaning it is added, “In his shade have dwelt all great nations.”
sRef Dan@4 @14 S7′ sRef Dan@4 @12 S7′ sRef Dan@4 @10 S7′ sRef Dan@4 @13 S7′ sRef Dan@4 @11 S7′ sRef Dan@4 @21 S7′ sRef Dan@4 @20 S7′ [7] In Daniel:
Nebuchadnezzar in a dream saw a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great; and it grew and became strong, and the height thereof reached even unto heaven, and the sight thereof unto the end of the earth; the leaf thereof was beautiful, and the flower thereof much; and in it was food for all. The beast of the field had shade under it, and the birds of the heavens dwelt in the branches of it, and all flesh was nourished by it. But a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven, crying out, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaf, and scatter his flower; let the beast flee away from under it, and the birds from his branches (Dan. 4:10-14, 20-21).
Here, too, “tree” signifies the church called Babylon in its beginning and progress, and here that church in the knowledges of truth and good. Its beginning and progress is described in the words, “it became great and strong, the leaf thereof was beautiful, and the flower thereof much, and in it was food for all;” its affections of good and thoughts of truth are signified by “the beast of the field that had shade under it, and the birds that dwelt in its branches.” That it lifted up its dominion over the holy things of the church and of heaven, is meant by “a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven, and cried out, Hew down the tree and cut off his branches.” That “beast and bird” here signify affections and thoughts is evident from its being said, when the tree was cut down, “let the beast flee away from under it, and the birds from his branches.”
sRef Matt@13 @31 S8′ sRef Matt@13 @32 S8′ [8] “The birds of heaven” have a similar signification in the Gospels:
Jesus said, The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, and it becometh a tree, so that the winged things of heaven come and build nests in the branches thereof (Matt. 13:31-32; Mark 4:31-32; Luke 13:19).
“A tree from a grain of mustard seed” signifies a man of the church, and also a church beginning from a very little spiritual good by means of truth; for if only a very little spiritual good takes root with a man it grows like a seed in good ground. And as a “tree” thus signifies a man of the church, it follows that “the winged things of heaven” that made nests in its branches signify the knowledges of truth and thoughts therefrom. Anyone can see this is not a mere comparison, for if it were, what would be the need of such things in the Word and of like things in the Prophets?
sRef Ps@104 @12 S9′ sRef Ps@104 @17 S9′ sRef Ps@104 @11 S9′ sRef Ps@104 @16 S9′ sRef Ps@104 @10 S9′ [9] So again in David:
Jehovah sendeth forth fountains into the streams, they go between the mountains. They give drink to every wild beast of the fields; the wild asses quench their thirst; by them the bird of the heavens dwells, from among the boughs they utter their voices. The trees of Jehovah are satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon which He hath planted, where the birds make their nests; as to the stork her house is in the fir trees (Ps. 104:10-12, 16-17).
Such things as these also would not have been said in the Divine Word unless each particular of them had been a correspondence of things spiritual and celestial, and consequently holy. For otherwise why should it be said that “streams from fountains go between the mountains, and give drink to every wild beast of the field; that the wild asses quench their thirst, and by them the bird of the heavens dwells, and utters its voice among the boughs, and the stork in the fir trees”? But when by “fountains” truths of the Word are understood, by “rivers” intelligence therefrom, by “mountains” goods of love, by “wild beast of the fields” affections of truth, by “wild asses” the rational, and by “birds of the heavens” thoughts from Divine truths, then the Word is the holy Divine; otherwise it would be merely human.
sRef Job@12 @8 S10′ sRef Job@12 @9 S10′ sRef Job@12 @7 S10′ [10] In Job:
Ask, I pray, the beasts, and they shall teach thee, or the birds of heaven, and they shall tell thee, and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who doth not know from all these that the hand of Jehovah doeth this? (Job 12:7-9).
Evidently “beasts, birds of heaven, and fishes of the sea,” do not mean here beasts, birds, and fishes, for these cannot be asked, or teach, or tell, or declare “that the hand of Jehovah doeth this;” but these signify the things that pertain to man’s intelligence, “beasts” meaning his affections, “birds of heaven” his thoughts, and “fishes of the sea” cognitions and knowledges [cognitiones et scientifica]. From these man can teach that the hand of Jehovah doeth it. Unless the things of man’s intelligence were signified by “beasts, birds, and fishes,” it could not be asked, “Who doth not know from all these?”
sRef Ezek@39 @21 S11′ sRef Ezek@39 @17 S11′ [11] In Ezekiel:
Son of man, Say to the bird of every wing, and to every wild beast of the field, Gather yourselves and come, gather yourselves from every side to a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel. And I will give My glory among the nations (Ezek. 39:17, 21).
This describes the establishment of the church among the nations, and the invitation and calling to it, for it is said, “So will I give my glory among the nations;” therefore “the bird of every wing,” and “every wild beast of the field,” signify all who are in the affection of good and the understanding of truth.
sRef Rev@19 @17 S12′ [12] So in Revelation:
An angel standing in the sun cried out with a great voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and be gathered together to the supper of the great God (Rev. 19:17).
Here “birds flying in the midst of heaven” cannot mean birds, but men who are rational and spiritual; for they are invited to the supper of the great God.
sRef Jer@4 @25 S13′ sRef Jer@4 @26 S13′ sRef Jer@4 @24 S13′ [13] In Jeremiah:
I beheld the mountains, and lo they were moved, and all the hills were overturned; I beheld, when lo there was no man, and all the birds of heaven were flown away. I beheld when Carmel was a wilderness, and all its cities were desolated (Jer. 4:24-26).
This was said of the devastation of the church as to all its good and truth. “Mountains and valleys” signify celestial and spiritual loves; and “to be moved and overturned” signifies to perish. For in the spiritual world, when there no longer exists in spirits any celestial or spiritual love, the mountains are actually moved and the hills overthrown upon which they dwelt. “All the birds were flown away” signifies that there was no longer any knowledge and consequent thought of truth; “there was no man” signifies no understanding of truth; “Carmel was a wilderness” signifies a church destitute of good and truth; and “its cities desolated” signifies that there were no longer any doctrinals of truth.
sRef Jer@9 @11 S14′ sRef Jer@9 @10 S14′ [14] In the same:
The habitations are laid waste, so that no man passeth through, neither do they hear the voice of cattle; from the bird of the heavens even to the beast they have flown away, they have gone; for I will make Jerusalem heaps, a habitation of dragons (Jer. 9:10-11; 12:9).
Here, too, the devastation of the church is described. “The habitations that are laid waste, so that no man passeth through,” signify the doctrinals of the church which were from the Word, in which now there is no good or truth; “the voice of cattle which they do not hear,” signifies good of charity and truth of faith, of which there is none; “the birds of the heavens and even the beasts are flown away, they have gone” signifies that there is no longer any thought of truth from the knowledge of it, nor any affection of good. This evidently does not mean the flying away of the birds of heaven and the going away of the beasts of the earth, but the vastation of the church as to doctrine, for it is added, “I will make Jerusalem into heaps, a habitation of dragons,” “Jerusalem” signifying the church as to doctrine, and “making it into heaps, and into a habitation of dragons,” its devastation.
sRef Hos@4 @3 S15′ sRef Hos@4 @1 S15′ [15] In Hosea:
There is no truth and no mercy, and no knowledge of God in the land. Therefore the land shall mourn for the wild beast of the field, and for the bird of the heavens; yea, the fishes of the sea shall be gathered together (Hos. 4:1, 3).
Evidently “the wild beast of the field, the bird of the heavens, and the fishes of the sea,” have the same signification here as above, for here, too, the devastation of the church is treated of, for it is said, “there is no truth, no mercy, and no knowledge of God in the land,” and “the land” signifies the church.
sRef Zeph@1 @3 S16′ [16] In Zephaniah:
I will consume man and beast, I will consume the bird of the heavens and the fishes of the sea, I will cut off man from the faces of the land (Zeph. 1:3).
“To consume man and beast” signifies to destroy spiritual and natural affection; “to consume the birds of the heavens and the fishes of the sea” signifies to destroy the perceptions and knowledges of truth; and as these signify things pertaining to the church it is said, “I will cut off man from the faces of the land,” “man” signifying everything of the church.
sRef Ps@50 @11 S17′ sRef Ezek@38 @20 S17′ sRef Ezek@38 @19 S17′ [17] In David:
God said, I know every bird of the mountains, and the wild beast of My fields is with Me (Ps. 50:11).
In Ezekiel:
There shall be a great earthquake upon the land of Israel, and the fishes of the sea, and the bird of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man who is upon the faces of the earth shall tremble before Me (Ezek. 38:19-20).
Here “the bird of the heavens and the wild beast of the field” have the same signification as above. “Earthquake” signifies a change of state of the church.
sRef Isa@18 @6 S18′ sRef Isa@18 @1 S18′ [18] In Isaiah:
Woe to the land shadowed with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush. The bird of the mountains and the beasts of the earth shall be left, but the bird shall loathe it, and every beast of the earth shall despise it (Isa. 18:1, 6).
This treats of the establishment of the church with the nations and the devastation of the Jewish church; therefore “the bird and beast of the earth” signify the knowledges of truth and the affections of good.
sRef Isa@46 @9 S19′ sRef Isa@46 @11 S19′ [19] In the same:
I am God, and there is no God besides, and there is none like Me, calling a bird from the east, a man of counsel from a land far off (Isa. 46:9, 11).
The “bird” called from the east signifies the truth of the Word, which is said to be “from the east” because it is from the good of love, “the east” being the good of love. Otherwise, what could be meant by “God shall call a bird from the east, and a man of counsel from a land far off”? “A man of counsel” means a man who is intelligent from truths that are from the good of love.
sRef Hos@11 @9 S20′ sRef Hos@11 @10 S20′ sRef Hos@11 @11 S20′ sRef Hos@9 @11 S20′ [20] In Hosea:
Ephraim, as a bird shall his glory fly away, from the birth and from the belly and from conception (Hos. 9:11).
In the same:
I will not return to destroy Ephraim. They shall go after Jehovah. With honor shall they come as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove from the land of Assyria (Hos. 11:9-11).
“Ephraim” signifies the understanding of the truths of the church; and this is why he is compared to a bird, and it is said, “as a bird shall his glory fly away.” Also in Hosea (7:12) he is compared to a bird, for a “bird” signifies everything pertaining to the understanding, including the knowing, the thinking, and the reasoning faculties; while everything that is delightful and pleasurable, thus that pertains to the will and affection, is signified by “beast and wild beast.” “The bird from Egypt” signifies the knowing faculty, which pertains to the natural man; and “the dove from Assyria” the rational faculty, since “Egypt” signifies the knowing faculty, and “Assyria” the rational faculty. Here a church to be established by the Lord is treated of.
sRef Jer@15 @3 S21′ sRef Ezek@29 @5 S21′ sRef Jer@16 @4 S21′ sRef Ezek@39 @4 S21′ sRef Jer@7 @33 S21′ sRef Ps@79 @2 S21′ sRef Ps@79 @1 S21′ [21] As most things of the Word have also a contrary sense, so have birds, and in that sense they signify fallacies from the sensual man, also reasonings from falsities against truths, and also falsities themselves, worse and more noxious according to the genera and the species of unclean birds; rapacious birds signifying especially the falsities that destroy truths. In many passages of the Word it is said that men “should be given for food to birds and wild beasts,” which signifies that they would altogether perish by fallacies, falsities, consequent reasonings, cupidities of evil, and in general by evils and falsities from hell. This is signified by “being given for food to the birds of heaven and the beasts of the earth” in the following passages. In Jeremiah:
The carcass of this people shall be for food to the bird of the heavens, none shall frighten them away (Jer. 7:33).
In the same:
I will visit upon you in four kinds, with the sword to kill, and with dogs to drag about, and with the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to devour and to destroy (Jer. 15:3).
In the same:
They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, that their carcass may become food for the birds of the heavens and the beast of the earth (Jer. 16:4; 19:7; 34:20).
In Ezekiel:
Upon the faces of the field thou shalt fall, thou shalt not be brought together nor gathered; I have given thee for food to the wild beast of the earth and the bird of heaven (Jer. 29:5).
Upon the mountains of Israel thou shalt fall; I have given thee for food to the bird of the heavens of every wing and to the wild beast of the field (Jer. 39:4).
This is said of Gog. In David:
The nations have come into Thine inheritance, they have defiled the temple of Thy holiness; they have laid Jerusalem in heaps, the carcass of Thy servants have they given for food to the bird of the heavens, the flesh of Thy saints to the wild beast of the earth (Ps. 79:1-2).
sRef Matt@13 @4 S22′ sRef Matt@13 @3 S22′ sRef Dan@9 @27 S22′ sRef Gen@15 @11 S22′ [22] Because of this signification of “the birds of the heavens and the wild beasts of the earth,” and because the nations of the land of Canaan signified the evils and the falsities of the church, it was customary for the Jewish nation to expose the carcasses of their enemies after their slaughter to the wild beasts and birds, by which they were devoured. This is why it was formerly regarded as horrible and profane, and is still so regarded, to leave dead men upon the face of the earth unburied, even after a battle. Also this is the signification in the Word of “not being buried,” and of “bones drawn out of the graves and cast forth.” Infernal falsities are signified also by:
The birds that came down upon the carcasses, that Abram drove away (Gen. 15:11).
Also by the birds in Revelation (19:21);
Also by the birds that devoured that which was sown on the hard way (Matt. 13:3, 4; Mark 4:4; Luke 8:5).
In Daniel:
In the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the meal offering to cease. At last upon the bird of abominations shall be desolation, and even to the consummation and decision it shall drop upon the devastation (Dan. 9:27).
This is said of the total devastation of the Jewish church which was when the Lord was born. Its devastation by horrible falsities is signified by “the bird of abominations”; that falsity is here meant by “bird” is clearly evident. It is to be known that there are many kinds of falsities, and that each of them is signified by its own kind of bird; and these are enumerated in Moses (Lev. 11:13 seq.; and Deut. 14:11-20), and are mentioned in various parts of the Word, as the eagle, the kite, the woodpecker, the raven, the screech owl, the spoonbill, the heron, the owl, the horned owl, the dragon, and others.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[23] About God and about Divine things, which are called in heaven celestial and spiritual, and in the world ecclesiastical and theological, there is thought from light; there is also thought not from light about them. Those have thought not from light who know about these things but do not understand them. Such are all those at the present day who wish the understanding to be kept under obedience to faith, holding even that a thing must be believed and not understood, and claiming that intellectual faith is not true faith. But these are such as are not interiorly in the genuine affection of truth, and consequently are in no enlightenment; and many of them are in the pride of self-intelligence, and in the love of ruling over the souls of men by means of the holy things of the church, not knowing that truth wishes to be in the light, since the light of heaven is the Divine truth, and that a truly human understanding is moved by that light and sees from it, and that when the understanding does not see from that light it is the memory that has faith and not the man; and such faith is blind, because without an idea from the light of truth; for the understanding is the man, and the memory introduces. If what is not understood must be believed a man might be taught like a parrot to speak and to remember, even that there is holiness in the bones of the dead and in sepulchers, that carcasses perform miracles, that man will be tormented in purgatory if he does not consecrate his wealth to idols or to monasteries, that men are gods because heaven and hell are in their power, with other like things which man must believe from a blind faith and from a closed understanding, and thus from the light of both extinguished. But be it known that all the truths of the Word, which are the truths of heaven and of the church, can be seen by the understanding, in heaven spiritually, in the world rationally; for a truly human understanding is the sight itself of these truths, for it is separated from what is material, and when separated it sees truths as clearly as the eye sees objects; it sees truths as it loves them, for as it loves them it is enlightened. The angels have wisdom in consequence of seeing truths; when, therefore, it is said to any angel that this or that must be believed although it is not understood, the angel answers, Do you think that I am insane, or that you are God whom I am to believe if I do not see? It may be falsity from hell.

sRef Rev@18 @3 S0′ 1101. Verse 3. For all nations have drunk of the wine of her whoredom, and the kings of the earth have committed whoredom with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich from the abundance of her luxuries. 3. “For all nations have drunk of the wine of the anger of her whoredom,” signifies the adulteration of all things of the good of heaven and of the church by direful falsities of evil (n. 1102); “and the kings of the earth have committed whoredom with her,” signifies the falsification of all things of the truth of heaven and the church (n. 1103); “and the merchants of the earth have become rich from the abundance of her luxuries,” signifies instruction in those things of heaven and the church, which draw their delightfulness and desirableness from the love of having dominion by the holy things of the church as means, and also from the love of possessing the world by the same means (n. 1104).

sRef Rev@18 @3 S0′ 1102. Verse 3. For of the wine of her whoredom all nations have drunk, signifies the adulteration of all things of the good of heaven and the church by direful falsities of evil. This is evident from what has been explained above (n. 881), where there are like words. It is there said that “she made all nations to drink,” but here that “all nations have drunk.”
(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith.)
Now as to the doctrine of the Trinity that was written by Athanasius, and established by a council at Nice. This doctrine is such that when it is read it leaves a clear idea that there are three Persons, and thus that there are three unanimous Gods, but an obscure idea that God is one; and yet, as has been said above, the idea of thought of one God is what primarily opens heaven to man, and on the other hand the idea of three Gods closes heaven. Whether this Athanasian doctrine, when it has been read, leaves a clear idea that there are three Persons, and thus three unanimous Gods, and whether this unanimous Trinity gives rise to the thought that there is one God, let everyone consider from his own thought about it. For it is said in the Athanasian Faith in plain words, “There is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. The Father is uncreate, infinite, eternal, Almighty, God, Lord.” Likewise is the Son, and likewise the Holy Spirit. Also, “The Father was made and created of none; The Son was born of the Father; And the Holy Spirit proceedeth from both.

Thus there is one Father, one Son, and one Holy Spirit. And in this Trinity the whole three Persons are co-eternal and co-equal.” From all this no one can think otherwise than that there are three Gods; neither could Athanasius nor the Nicene Council think otherwise; as is evident from these words inserted in the doctrine, “Like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, yet we cannot from Christian faith make mention of three Gods or three Lords.” This cannot be understood otherwise than that it is allowable to acknowledge three Gods and Lords, but not to name them, or that it is allowable to think that there are three Gods and Lords, but not to say it.

sRef Rev@18 @3 S0′ 1103. And the kings of the earth have committed whoredom with her, signifies the falsification of all things of the truth of heaven and the church, as can be seen from the explanation of the same words above (n. 1034).
(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith.)
That the doctrine of the Trinity that is called the Athanasian Faith when it has been read leaves an obscure idea that God is one, and so obscure as not to remove the idea of three Gods, can be seen from this, that the doctrine makes one God out of three through a unity of essence, saying, “This is the Christian faith: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the essence.” And afterwards, “So that in all things the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.” This was said to remove the idea of three Gods, but it enters the understanding in no other way than that there are three Persons, although they all have one Divine essence, that is, by Divine essence God is here meant; and yet essence, like divinity, majesty, and glory, which are also mentioned, is something predicated, and God because a Person is the subject; consequently to say that the essence is God would be like saying that something predicated is the subject. But the essence is not God, it belongs to God, as majesty and glory are not God but belong to God, just as what is predicated is not the subject, but belongs to the subject. This makes evident that the idea of three Gods as three Persons is not removed. This may be illustrated by a comparison. Suppose that there are in one kingdom three rulers of equal power, each called king; then if power and majesty are meant by king, these might, if it were so commanded, be called and declared king, although it would not be easy to call them one king. But as a person is meant when a king is mentioned, it is impossible from any command for three kings to be thought of as one king. If, therefore, they should say to you, Speak to us as freely as you think, you would certainly say, Ye kings and Your Majesties. If you answer, As I am commanded to speak so do I think, you are deceived, because either you are pretending or you are compelling yourself, and if you are compelling yourself, your thought is not left to itself, but inheres in your words.
[2] That this is so was seen by Athanasius; therefore he explains the above words by the following: “Like as we are compelled by Christian verity to acknowledge every person by Himself to be God and Lord, so we cannot by Christian faith name three Gods or three Lords.” This can be understood only as meaning that it is allowable to acknowledge three Gods and Lords, but not to name them; or that it is allowable to think of three Gods and Lords, but not to speak of them, because it is contrary to the Christian faith; also that it is allowable to acknowledge and think of three infinites, eternals, uncreates, and Almighties, because there are three Persons, but not to name three infinites, eternals, uncreates, and Almighties, but only one. Athanasius added the above words to the others, because no one, not even himself, could think otherwise. But everyone can speak otherwise, and ought so to speak in all things, because it is taught by the Christian religion, that is, from the Word, that there is one God and not three Gods. Moreover, the properties assigned to each Person as his special attribute, as to the Father creation, to the Son redemption, and to the Holy Spirit enlightenment, is not thus one and the same in the three Persons, and yet they all enter into the Divine essence, for creation is Divine, redemption is Divine, and enlightenment is Divine.
[3] Furthermore, does any man who wishes to change the idea of three Gods into an idea of one God, think that the Trinity in Unity and the Unity in Trinity is to be worshiped, neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the essence? Who is able to do this even by metaphysical reasoning that transcends the comprehension? The simple are wholly unable to do it, while the learned hurry it over, saying to themselves, This is my doctrine and faith about God; nor do they retain therefrom in the memory by any obscure idea, or in thought from the memory, anything except that there are three Persons and one God, and each one makes one out of three in his own way; but only when he speaks and writes, for when he thinks he can think only of three, and of one only from the unanimity of the three; and some are unable to do even this. But listen, my reader, and do not say to yourself that this is too harshly or too boldly spoken against the faith universally accepted in respect to the triune God, for you will see in what follows that each and every thing that is written in the Athanasian Faith is in agreement with the truth, if only instead of three Persons one Person in whom is the Trinity is believed in.

sRef Rev@18 @3 S0′ 1104. And the merchants of the earth have become rich from the abundance of her luxuries, signifies instruction in the things of heaven and the church, which draw their delightfulness and desirableness from the love of having dominion by the holy things of the church as means, and also from the love of possessing the world by the same means. This is evident from the signification of “merchants,” as being those who acquire the knowledges of good and truth from the Word, that is, who either teach or learn them; for in the proper or natural sense he is called a merchant who buys and sells merchandise, and to buy and to sell signify to acquire and communicate, thus in the spiritual sense to learn and to teach; and “merchandise” signifies the knowledges of good and truth from the Word. (That this is the signification of “trading,” see above, n. 840.) “The merchants of the earth” signify instruction in the things of the church, because to teach is to instruct, and to be taught or to learn is to be instructed, and the term instruction is applicable to both; and as the spiritual sense of the Word is abstracted from persons, “merchant” signifies instruction, and the natural sense from the spiritual signifies those who instruct and who are instructed; for the spiritual sense has respect to goods and truths abstracted from persons, while the natural sense from the spiritual has respect to the persons in whom are these goods and truths. That “the earth” signifies the church has often been confirmed above from the Word. The above is evident also from the signification of “the abundance of her luxuries,” as being the things of the church that are called knowledges, and that are said to be holy, and yet derive all that they are from the love of having dominion both over heaven and over the world. Such knowledges, which they call the holy things of the church, are what are meant by “the abundance of her luxuries” which are enumerated below (verses 11-15), and by which such things are signified. They are called “the abundance of luxuries” because they are delightful, for all things that flow forth from the love of self and from the love of the world are delightful, for from his natural man or from his body everyone feels no other delight. When, therefore, these loves are ends, such means as favor them are devised; and these means are delightful because they belong to the ends. And because these loves are ends with those who are the heads and the primates in that religious persuasion that is meant by “Babylon,” they devise the means that favor them, all of which are delightful (as will be shown below). From all this it can be seen that “the merchants of the earth have become rich from the abundance of her luxuries” signifies instruction in those things of the church that draw their delightfulness and desirableness from the love of having dominion by the holy things of the church as means, and from the love of possessing the world by the same means.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] Another thing that the Athanasian doctrine teaches is that there are two essences in the Lord, the Divine and the Human essence; and in this there is a clear idea that the Lord has the Divine and the Human, that is, that the Lord is God and Man, but an obscure idea that the Divine of the Lord is in His Human as the soul is in the body. The clear idea that the Lord has the Divine and the Human is drawn from these words, “The true faith is, that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the world, and Man of the substance of the mother, born in the world; Perfect God and perfect Man, consisting of a reasonable soul and a human body; equal to the Father as to the Divine, and inferior to the Father as to the Human.” Here the clear idea stops and goes no farther, because it becomes from what follows an obscure idea, and what pertains to an obscure idea, since it does not enter the memory from thought from light, gains no other place there than among things not of light; and as these do not appear before the understanding they are hidden, and cannot be called forth from the memory in connection with things that belong to the light. In that doctrine the point that is in an obscure idea is that the Lord’s Divine is in His Human as the soul is in the body; for on this it is said, “Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but one Christ; One altogether by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and the body is one man, so God and Man is one Christ.” The idea in this is indeed in itself clear, and yet it becomes obscure by what follows, “one, not by conversion of the Divine essence into the Human, but by a taking of the Human essence into the Divine; one altogether, not by confusion of essence but by unity of Person.”
[3] As a clear idea prevails over an obscure idea, so most people, both simple and learned, think of the Lord as they do of an ordinary man like themselves, and not at the same time of His Divine; or if they think of the Divine they separate it in their idea from the Human, and thereby weaken the unity of Person. And if they are asked where His Divine is, they answer according to their idea, In heaven with the Father. They thus say and think because they have an aversion to thinking that the Human is Divine, and is in heaven united with its Divine, not knowing that when they thus separate in thought the Lord’s Divine from His Human they not only think contrary to their doctrine, which teaches that the Lord’s Divine is in His Human as the soul in the body, and that there is a unity of Person, that is, that they constitute one Person, but they also charge that doctrine undeservedly with the contradiction or fallacy that the Lord’s Human with its rational soul was from the mother alone, when in fact every man is rational from the soul, which is from the father. But that there is such a thought and such a separation is a result of the idea of three gods, according to which His Divine in the Human is from the Divine of the Father, who is the first Person, although it is His own Divine which descended from heaven and took on the Human. If man does not rightly perceive this it might perhaps be supposed that the Father, who is the source, is not one Divine but threefold; and yet this cannot be accepted with any faith. In a word, those who separate the Divine from His Human, and do not think that the Divine is in His Human as the soul is in the body, and that the two are one Person, may fall into strange ideas about the Lord, even into an idea like that of a man separated from his soul. Take heed, therefore, not to think of the Lord as a man like yourself, but think of the Lord as Man who is God. God.
[4] Listen, my reader: You may think when you read all this that you have never separated in thought the Lord’s Divine from His Human, nor in consequence His Human from His Divine; but give attention, I pray you, to your thought when you have directed it to the Lord, and see whether you have ever thought that the Lord’s Divine is in His Human as the soul is in the body; and whether you have not thought instead, and even, if you please, are not now thinking, of His Human separately and of His Divine separately? And when you are thinking of His Human is it not in your thought like the human of any other man; and when you are thinking of His Divine, is it not, in your thought, with the Father? I have questioned very many about this, even primates of the church, and they have all answered that it is so; and when I have said that it is according to the doctrine in the Athanasian Faith, which is the very doctrine of their church respecting God and respecting the Lord, that the Lord’s Divine is in his Human as the soul is in the body, they have replied that they did not know it; and when I recited these words of the doctrine: “Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two but one Christ; one altogether by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and body is one man, so God and Man is one Christ,” they were silent, but afterwards confessed that they had not observed these words, and were indignant that they had passed over their own doctrine with eyes so closed; and some of them abandoned their mystical union of the Divine of the Father with the Lord’s Human.
sRef Luke@1 @31 S5′ sRef Matt@1 @25 S5′ sRef Matt@1 @20 S5′ sRef Matt@1 @18 S5′ sRef Luke@1 @35 S5′ sRef Luke@1 @34 S5′ sRef Luke@1 @32 S5′ [5] That the Divine is in the Lord’s Human as the soul is in the body the Word teaches and testifies in Matthew and in Luke. In Matthew:
When Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. And an angel said to Joseph in a dream, Fear not to take Mary thy bride, for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son, and he called his name Jesus (Matt. 1:18, 20, 25).
And in Luke:
The angel said to Mary, Behold thou shalt conceive in the womb, and bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, since I know not a man? The angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee, therefore that Holy One that is born of thee shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:31-32, 34-35).
All this makes clear that the Divine was in the Lord from conception, and that the Divine was His life from the Father, which life is the soul. This will suffice for the time. More will be said on this subject in what follows, where it will be shown that even the things in the Athanasian doctrine that produce an obscure idea of the Lord are in harmony with the truth when the Trinity, that is, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is thought and believed to be in the Lord as in one Person. Without this thought and belief it may be said, and in fact it is said, that Christians, differently from all other peoples and nations in the whole globe that have rationality, worship three Gods; and yet the Christian world might surpass and ought to surpass all others in the clearness of the doctrine and belief that God is one both in essence and in Person.

sRef Rev@18 @4 S0′ 1105. Verse 4. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come forth out of her, my people, that ye become not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 4. “And I heard another voice from heaven saying,” signifies exhortation to those who are in truths and in the good of life to beware of such (n. 1106); “Come forth out of her, my people,” signifies that they should leave them and not communicate with them (n. 1107); “that ye become not partakers of her sins,” signifies lest they come into their evils, which are from the love of self and the love of the world (n. 1108); “and that ye receive not of her plagues,” signifies and thus come into falsities of evil, and consequently into destruction (n. 1109).

sRef Rev@18 @4 S0′ 1106. Verse 4. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, signifies exhortation to those who are in truths and in the good of life to beware of such. This is evident from the signification of “a voice from heaven,” as being exhortation to those who are in the truths of faith and in the goods of life to beware of such. That this is what is meant by “a voice from heaven” is evident from what follows, for it is said, “Come forth out of her, my people, that ye become not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues,” with other things besides; and after this is described what the wares of Babylon are, and what their state is; which makes clear that “a voice from heaven” means exhortation. There was heard “a voice from heaven,” because it means from the Lord through the Word; for everything that a man imbibes from the Word is a voice from heaven, and the Word teaches everyone what Babylon is, as is evident from the passages quoted from the Word respecting Babylon (n. 1029).
[2] It is said “another voice,” because the former voice was that of the angel crying out that “Babylon had fallen, and was become the habitation of demons;” so this is an exhortation to all, both to those within Babylon who are in some affection of truth and in some life of good, that they should come forth out of her and have no faith in her witchcrafts and enchantments; and also to those who are out of Babylon, that they do not permit themselves to be led away by such. For it is the character of that nation to persuade by the delights of each one’s love, and thus close up the understanding, and thereby lead man into a belief in every thing they say. That the Babylonish nation is such has been made known to me by much experience; for they enter into the delights of each one’s life, and thereby captivate minds; and thus they as it were spread the bait, and ensnare, until they get into one’s life; and thus they lead him like one blind and powerless wherever they wish, leading him first to accept a blind faith by removing all light from the understanding in theological matters, in order that their ends may not become evident, which are that they may be lords not only over man’s interiors that pertain to his mind but also over the exteriors that pertain to the body; over the interiors pertaining to the mind by dominion over all things of the church and of heaven, thus over souls, and over the exteriors pertaining to the body by dominion over their wealth. In a word, their ends are that they may themselves alone be lords and all others servants, for thus are they worshipped as gods, if not by open words, yet in silent acknowledgment; and this is their final end, which is concealed from men but is manifest to the angels in heaven. That this is their final end is clearly evident from this, that they have taken away from the Lord Himself all power to save, by transferring it to the Pope and from him to his ministers; and yet the saving of man is the Lord’s Divine itself; and he who is able to do this is not a man but God. But more will be said upon this subject in what follows.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[3] It has been shown that the doctrine of faith that has its name from Athanasius, leaves a clear idea, when it is read, that there are three Persons, and thus that there are three unanimous Gods, and an obscure idea that God is one, so obscure that the idea of three Gods is not removed. And again, this doctrine leaves a clear idea that the Lord has the Divine and the Human, that is, that the Lord is God and Man, but an obscure idea that the Divine and the Human of the Lord are one Person, and that His Divine is in His Human as the soul is in the body. It has been also said that all things in that doctrine from beginning to end, both such as are clear and such as are obscure, nevertheless agree and coincide with the truth, if only instead of saying that God is one in essence and three in Person, it is believed, as the truth really is, that God is one both in essence and in Person.
[4] There is a Trinity in God and there is also a unity. That there is a Trinity is evident from the passages in the Word where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are mentioned; and that there is a unity, from the passages in the Word where it is said that God is one. The unity in which there is the Trinity, or the one God in whom there is a trine, does not exist in the Divine that is called the Father, nor in the Divine that is called the Holy Spirit, but in the Lord alone. In the Lord alone there is a trine, namely, the Divine which is called Father, the Divine Human which is called the Son, and the Divine proceeding which is the Holy Spirit; and this trine is one because it is of one Person, and may be called triune. In what follows the agreement with this of all things of the Athanasian doctrine will be seen, First, respecting the Trinity; Secondly, respecting the unity of Person in the Lord; Thirdly, that from the Divine providence it has come to pass that the doctrine was so written that while it disagrees with the truth it nevertheless agrees with it. Afterwards it will be established in general, that the trine is in the Lord; and next in particular, that the Divine that is called the Father is the Lord, that the Divine that is called the Son is the Lord, and that the Divine that is called the Holy Spirit is the Lord.

sRef Rev@18 @4 S0′ 1107. Come forth out of her, my people, signifies that they should leave them and not communicate with them. This is evident from the signification of “coming forth out of Babylon,” as being to leave those who are meant by “Babylon,” also not to communicate with them. Also from the signification of “my people,” as being those who are in truths, and through truths in the good of life. (That “people” signifies those who are in truths from good may be seen, n. 175, 331, 625.) These are the subjects of the exhortation that is meant by “the voice from heaven.” They were exhorted to leave such, and not to communicate with them, because interaction with such is dangerous, especially in the spiritual world, where they send out emissaries, as they do in the natural world, and these persuade others in various ways and entice them by promises that they may accede to their religion; for as a man acts in the world so he acts after his departure out of the world, for the ruling love with everyone remains, and the love of such is to bring all the world over to their religious persuasion, and this for no other end than that they may extend the boundaries of their empire for the sake of the infernal delight of the love of self and the infernal delight of the love of the world. It is for the sake of these delights that the devil, as it is said, walks about and leads astray, as can be seen from what is said in the Gospels about the Lord’s temptations by the devil, where the love of self in which he is, is described by his wishing to be adored, and his love of the world by his showing from a mountain all the kingdoms of the world as his own. As everyone’s love continues the same after death, so is it with the Babylonish nation when it has come into the spiritual world; then those who have exercised dominion from the delight of those loves, acquire arts unknown in the natural world, and by these they fascinate men’s spirits and draw them over to their side against their will. And now since the Last Judgment has been accomplished upon these, they are strictly forbidden to send emissaries into societies in which the Reformed are, or to the Gentiles; and when any are sent they are sought out and punished. As the state of such after the Last Judgment, especially their state in the spiritual world, is here treated of, what is said here and in the following parts of this chapter about Babylon must be understood as said chiefly on their account. For as regards Babylon in the natural world or on our earth, those meant by Babylon there are not in the same state as those who are in the spiritual world, and yet the exhortation is also for them, that they may take heed to themselves.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] Now in regard to the agreement of all things of the Athanasian doctrine with this truth, that God is one both in essence and Person, in whom is a trine, to establish this agreement and make it clear I will proceed in the following order. The Athanasian doctrine first teaches thus: “The Catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the essence.” When in place of three Persons one Person in whom is the trine is understood, this is in itself a truth, and in a clear idea is thus seen: The Christian faith is this: We worship one God in whom is a trine, and a trine in one God; and the God in whom is the trine is one Person, and the trine in God is one essence; thus there is one God in a Trinity, and a Trinity in the unity; and neither are the Persons confounded nor is the essence divided. That the Persons are not confounded and the essence is not divided will appear more clearly from what follows. The Athanasian doctrine further teaches: “For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit; but the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is one and the same, and the glory equal.” When in place of three Persons one Person, in whom is the trine, is understood, this also in itself is a truth, and in a clear idea is thus seen: The trine in the Lord as in one Person is the Divine that is called the Father, the Divine Human that is called the Son, and the Divine proceeding that is called the Holy Spirit; but the Godhead or Divine essence of the three is one, the glory equal. Again, “Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.” These words are to be understood thus: Such as is the Divine that is called the Father, such is the Divine that is called the Son, and such is the Divine that is called the Holy Spirit.
[3] And further, “The Father is uncreate, the Son is uncreate, and the Holy Spirit is uncreate. The Father is infinite, the Son is infinite, and the Holy Spirit is infinite; the Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal, and yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal. Also there are not three infinites, but one infinite; neither are there three uncreates, but one uncreate. As the Father is Almighty the Son is Almighty and the Holy Spirit Almighty; and yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.” When in place of three Persons one Person in whom is a trine is understood, this also in itself is a truth, and in a clear idea is thus seen: As the Divine in the Lord that is called the Father is uncreate, infinite, Almighty, so the Divine Human that is called the Son is uncreate, infinite, Almighty, and the Divine that is called the Holy Spirit is uncreate, infinite, and Almighty; but these three are one; because the Lord is one God, both in essence and in Person, in whom is a trine. Again, in the Athanasian doctrine this follows: “as the Father is God so the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God; and yet there are not three gods, but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the Holy Spirit is Lord; and yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord.” Here again, when in place of three persons one person in whom is a trine is understood, this in a clear idea is thus seen: the Lord from his Divine that is called the Father, from His Divine Human that is called the Son, and from His Divine proceeding that is called the Holy Spirit, is one God and one Lord; since the three Divines called by the names Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are in the Lord, one in essence and in Person.
[4] Still again: “For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, so are we forbidden by the Catholic religion to say there be three gods or three lords.” Elsewhere thus: “Like as we are bound by Christian truth to acknowledge every Person to be God and Lord, so we cannot in Christian faith make mention of three gods or three lords.” This can be understood in no other way than that by Christian truth we cannot help acknowledging and thinking three gods and three lords, yet it is not permitted by the Christian faith and religion to speak of and name three gods or three lords. And this is what is done, for most people think of three gods who are of one mind, and consequently call them a unanimous Trinity, and yet they are bound to say one God. But with the idea that there are not three Persons but one Person, in place of these words, which ought to be expunged from the Athanasian doctrine, this might be said: “When we acknowledge a trine in the Lord, then it is from truth, and thus from the Christian faith and religion, that we acknowledge both with the lips and the heart, one God and one Lord.” For if it were permissible to acknowledge and think of three it would be permissible also to believe in three, for believing or belief belongs to the thought and acknowledgment and to the speech therefrom, and not to the speech separately.
[5] Afterwards this follows: “the Father was made of none, neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone, not made nor created, but begotten. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor created nor begotten, but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.” This is wholly in agreement with the truth if by the Father the Divine of the Lord that is called the Father is meant, and if by the Son His Divine Human is meant, and if by the Holy Spirit His Divine proceeding is meant; for from the Divine that is called the Father the Divine Human that is called the Son was begotten, and from both the Divine that is called the Holy Spirit proceeds. But the Divine Human begotten of the Father will be spoken of particularly hereafter. All this makes clear that the Athanasian doctrine agrees with the truth that God is one both in essence and in Person, if only in place of three Persons one Person, in whom is a trine that is called Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is understood. In the following article a like agreement will be established respecting the unity of Person in the Lord.

sRef Rev@18 @4 S0′ sRef Isa@14 @14 S1′ sRef Isa@14 @13 S1′ 1108. That ye become not partakers of her sins, signifies lest ye come into their evils which are from the love of self and from the love of the world. This is evident from the signification of “becoming partakers,” as being in reference to sins to come into them, and thus to become guilty of them. Also from the signification of “sins,” as being here the evils that spring from the love of self and the love of the world. Such evils are here meant because the Babylonish nation is in those loves, and consequently in the evils that arise from them. That that nation is in such evils is evident, for those of that nation extend their dominion not only over all things of the church but also over heaven; nor are they content with that; they have extended their dominion over the Lord Himself, for they have transferred to themselves His power over the souls of men to save them, which power is the Lord’s very Divine power, since it was for this end that the Lord came into the world and glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine, that He might thereby save men. They have evidently extended their dominion over the Lord Himself, for having transferred to themselves His Divine power, which is the power to save men, they believe that the Lord will do what they wish, and not that they are to do what the Lord wishes; thus their will rules and the Lord’s will serves; in a word, they have drawn down the Lord from His throne, and set themselves upon it, saying in their hearts, like Lucifer:
And thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven, I will ascend above the heights of the cloud, I will become like the Most High (Isa. 14:13-14).
That “Lucifer” here means Babylon may be seen above (n. 1029), but the modern Babylon has made herself not merely like the Most High, but even higher. Now as those who are meant by “Babylon” are in the loves of self and of the world above all others in the whole globe, and as all evils spring from these two loves, and the worst evils are from such a love of ruling, there is here an exhortation that they go out or depart from them “lest they become partakers of her sins.” (That all evils spring from these two loves, namely, love of self and love of the world, may be seen in New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine n. 65-83; and that these loves reign in hell, Heaven and Hell n. 551-565.)

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] Now as to the agreement of the Athanasian doctrine with this truth, that the Lord’s Human is Divine from the Divine that was in Him from conception. That the Lord’s Human is Divine appears as if it were not in the Athanasian doctrine, and yet it is, as is evident from these words in the doctrine: “Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; Who although he be God and Man, yet He is not two but one Christ; One altogether by unity of Person” (others, because they are one Person). For as the reasonable soul and body are one man, so God and Man is one Christ.” Now as the soul and body are one man, and thus one Person, and such as the soul is such is the body, it follows that as His soul from the Father was Divine, His body also, which is His Human, is Divine. He took, indeed, a body or a human from the mother, but this He put off in the world and put on a Human from the Father, and this is the Divine Human. It is said in the doctrine, “Equal to the Father as touching the Divine, and inferior to the Father as touching the Human.” This, too, agrees with the truth when the human from the mother is meant, as it is here. Again, in the doctrine it is said, “God and Man is one Christ, one not by conversion of the Divine essence into the Human, but by the taking of the Human essence into the Divine. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of Person.” This, too, agrees with the truth, since the soul does not change itself into body, nor so mingle itself with body as to become body, but it takes a body to itself. Thus soul and body, although the two are distinct, are still one man, and in respect to the Lord, one Christ, that is, one Man who is God. More will be said on the Lord’s Divine Human in what follows.

sRef Rev@18 @4 S0′ 1109. And that ye receive not her plagues, signifies and thus come into the falsities of evil, and consequently into destruction. This is evident from the signification of “plagues,” as being such things as destroy man’s spiritual life (see above, n. 584), here falsities from evil, because these destroy that life. The appearance is that the evils themselves destroy man’s spiritual life, but they do not destroy it of themselves, but by means of falsities, and for the reason that evils without falsities do not enter the thought; for evils belong wholly to the will, and anything that belongs to the will and not at the same time to the thought cannot destroy, because it is without reason, and then man does not know that it is an evil. But when man confirms evils by the thought they do destroy, for they then are man’s. Confirmations of evils by the thought are falsities. “Plagues” here signify falsities, because “sins,” which are mentioned just before, mean evils of the love of self and of the world, and in the Word wherever evil is treated of falsity is also treated of. Now as evils destroy spiritual life by means of falsities, and “plagues” signify falsities from evil, so “plagues” signify destruction.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] It was from the Divine providence that each and every thing of the Athanasian doctrine respecting the Trinity and respecting the Lord is a truth and is harmonious, when in place of three Persons one Person in whom is the Trinity is understood, and it is believed that the Lord is that Person. For at that time, if the Trinity of Persons had not been accepted, they would have become either Arians or Socinians, and consequently the Lord would have been acknowledged as a mere man and not as God; and by this the Christian church would have been destroyed, and heaven would have been closed to the man of the church; for no one is conjoined with heaven, and after death admitted into heaven, unless in the idea of his thought he sees God as Man, and at the same time believes God to be one both in essence and in Person, for it is by this that the Gentiles are saved; also unless he acknowledges the Lord, His Divine and His Human, for by this a man of the Christian church is saved, provided he lives at the same time as a Christian.
[3] It was by Divine permission that the doctrine respecting God and the Lord, which is the primary of all doctrines, was so conceived by Athanasius; for it was foreseen by the Lord that in no other way would the Roman Catholics have acknowledged the Divine of the Lord, and for the same reason even to this day they separate His Divine from His Human. Neither would the Reformed have seen the Divine in the Human of the Lord, for those who are in faith separated from charity do not see this. Nevertheless both of them acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in a Trinity of Persons. And yet this doctrine that is called the Athanasian Faith was by the Lord’s Divine providence so written that all things in it are truths, provided that in place of three Persons one Person in whom is a trine is recognized, and it is believed that the Lord is that Person. Moreover, it was from providence that they are called Persons, for a person is a man, and a Divine Person is God who is Man. This has been revealed at this day for the sake of the New Church, which is called the Holy Jerusalem.

sRef Rev@18 @5 S0′ 1110. Verse 5. For her sins have reached even unto heaven, and God hath remembered her injustices. 5. “For her sins have reached even unto heaven,” signifies for their evils have closed up heaven (n. 1111); “and God hath remembered her injustices” signifies that falsities from evils have separated them from the Lord (n. 1112).

sRef Rev@18 @5 S0′ 1111. Verse 5. For her sins have reached even unto heaven, signifies for their evils have closed up heaven. This is evident from the signification of “sins,” as being the evils springing forth from the loves of self and of the world (as above, n. 1108); also from the signification of “reaching even unto heaven,” as being to close up heaven, for evils close up heaven, and especially the evils from such a love of self as reigns with them; for their love of self is the love of ruling over the world, over the Word and the church, over heaven, and over the Lord Himself. “To reach even unto heaven” signifies to close up heaven, because evils when they reach to heaven close it up, for the angels because of the evils that are with those who are beneath heaven, come into a state either of sadness, or grief, or horror, or irritation; not that angels see those who are in evils, and thus know that the evils have this effect; but when falsities from evil reach unto heaven they produce this result, for in the heavens all are in goods from love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbor, and evils from the love of self and the love of the world are direct opposites of these goods, and when one opposite acts against another, as here, that is, diabolical evil against celestial good, those who are in celestial good are either made sad, or are grieved, or horrified, or provoked, and when this takes place they turn themselves away, and thus heaven becomes closed. Nevertheless, the Lord provides that those who are in evils, especially those who are in the evils that are the worst of all, be removed afar off from heaven, that the angels may not be infested by them.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] That there is in the Lord a trine, the Divine itself that is called the Father, the Divine Human that is called the Son, and the Divine proceeding that is called the Holy Spirit, can be seen from the Word, from the Divine essence, and from heaven. From the Word: Where the Lord Himself teaches that the Father and He are one, and that the Holy Spirit proceeds from Him and from the Father; also where the Lord teaches that the Father is in Him and He in the Father, and that the Spirit of Truth, which is the Holy Spirit, does not speak from Himself but from the Lord; and again, from passages in the Old Word where the Lord is called “Jehovah,” “Son of God,” and “the Holy One of Israel.”
[3] From the Divine Essence: That one Divine by itself is not possible, but there must be a trine. This trine is being [esse], manifesting [existere], and proceeding [procedere], for being must necessarily be manifested, and when it is manifested it must proceed that it may produce. And this trine is one in essence and one in Person, and is God. This may be illustrated by a comparison. An angel of heaven is trinal and thus one; the being [esse] of an angel is what is called his soul, his manifesting [existere] is what is called his body, and the proceeding [procedere] from both is what is called the sphere of his life, without which an angel has neither existence nor being. By this trine an angel is an image of God, and is called a “son of God,” and also an “heir,” and even a “god;” nevertheless, an angel is not life from himself, but is a recipient of life; God alone is life from Himself.
[4] From Heaven: The Divine trine, which is one in essence and in Person, is such in heaven. The Divine called the Father, and the Divine Human called the Son, appear in heaven before the angels as a sun, and the Divine that proceeds therefrom appears as light united to heat; the light is Divine truth, and the heat is Divine good. Thus the Divine called the Father is the Divine being [esse], the Divine Human called the Son is the Divine manifesting [existere] from that being [esse], and the Divine called the Holy Spirit is the Divine proceeding [procedere] from the Divine manifesting [existere] and from the Divine being [esse]. This trine is the Lord in heaven; His Divine love is what appears there as a sun.

sRef Rev@18 @5 S0′ 1112. And God hath remembered her injustices, signifies that falsities from evils have separated them from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “remembering,” in reference to God as being to separate Him from themselves (of which presently); also from the signification of “injustices,” as being falsities from evil, for “the just” is truth from good, consequently “the unjust” is falsity from evil. “The just” is truth from good because civil justice is nothing else than civil truth, which is of the law, and civil equity is the good that is also of the law, since as the law wills justice so it wills equity; for as all truth must be from good so all justice must be from equity; and as all truth must be of good so all justice must be of equity, and conversely. The two cannot be separated, for if they are separated equity is no longer equity, nor is so-called justice justice; as good and truth cannot be separated, for if they are separated good is not good, nor is truth truth. This has been said to make clear that “injustices” here signify falsities from evil.
[2] “God hath remembered her injustices” signifies that falsities of evil have separated them from the Lord, because what precedes, that “her sins have reached even unto heaven,” signifies that their evils had closed up heaven, for when heaven is closed to man the Lord is separated; and that being the meaning of the first part of the verse, this must be the meaning of what follows. It must be understood, however, that the Lord does not separate Himself from such, but that they separate themselves from the Lord; for the Lord regards everyone from the face and not from the back of the head; and for this reason the angels of heaven have the Lord continually before their face, and this whichever way they turn, but evil spirits turn the face away from the Lord and turn to Him the back part of the head, and thus they separate themselves from Him. The falsities from evils that are with them are what do this. (That the angels of heaven thus turn to the Lord, and that the spirits of hell thus turn away from Him, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 17, 123, 142-145, 151, 251, 272, 548, 552, 561.)

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[3] It has been said that one Divine by itself is not possible, but that there must be a trine, and that this trine is one God in essence and in Person. It may now be asked, What trine God had before the Lord took on the Human and made it Divine in the world? God was then likewise Man, and had the Divine, the Divine Human, and the Divine proceeding, that is, the Divine being [esse], the Divine manifesting [existere], and the Divine proceeding [procedere], for as has been said, God without a trine is not possible. But the Divine Human was not then Divine even to ultimates. Ultimates are meant by “flesh and bones,” and even these were made Divine by the Lord when He was in the world. This was what was added, and this is the Divine Human that God now has. This, too, may be illustrated by this comparison. Every angel is a man, having a soul, having a body, and having a proceeding; and yet this does not make him a complete man, for he does not have flesh and bones as a man in the world has.
sRef John@5 @26 S4′ sRef Luke@24 @39 S4′ [4] That the Lord made His Human Divine even to its ultimates, which are called “flesh and bones,” He made clear to the disciples, who when they saw Him believed that they saw a spirit, saying:
See My hands and My feet that it is I Myself; feel Me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see Me have (Luke 24:39).
From this it follows that now God is Man more than an angel is. Comparison has been made with an angel and with a man; yet it must be understood that God has life in Himself, while an angel does not have life in himself, for he is a recipient of life. That the Lord as to both the Divine and the Divine Human, is life in Himself He teaches in John:
As the Father hath life in Himself so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:26).
Here by “Father” the Lord means the Divine in Himself; for He says elsewhere that the Father is in Him, and that the Father and He are one.

sRef Rev@18 @6 S0′ 1113. Verse 6. Render unto her even as she hath rendered unto you, and double unto her double according to her works; in the cup that she hath mingled mingle to her double. 6. “Render unto her even as she hath rendered unto you,” signifies infernal punishment corresponding to their evil deeds (n. 1114); “and double unto her double according to her works,” signifies as much retribution as they have profaned good (n. 1115); “in the cup that she hath mingled mingle to her double,” signifies as much retribution as they have profaned truth (n. 1116).

sRef Rev@18 @6 S0′ 1114. Verse 6. Render unto her even as she hath rendered unto you, signifies infernal punishment corresponding to their evil deeds. This is evident from their signification of “rendering to one even as he hath rendered (or done),” as being to make retribution according to the law of retaliation, thus to render punishment corresponding to evil deeds. But as this was said to those who according to the exhortation have gone forth out of Babylon, that is, have left that religious persuasion, and are on their guard against it, and as such are in charity, and consequently are not revengeful and therefore do not punish others, so these words signify infernal punishment corresponding to evil deeds. These expressions, that such “would render unto her,” also “would double unto her double according to her works,” and “would mingle to her double in the cup that she hath mingled,” are in accord with the style of the Word in the sense of its letter, which is according to appearances, that is, that they would avenge the injustices done to themselves; as also in the same sense it is attributed to the Lord Himself that He is angry, that He punishes, and thus that He acts from revenge; and yet anger and revenge are not possible in the Lord, and consequently not in those who are led by the Lord and live from Him.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] Some in the Christian world have formed to themselves an idea of God resembling their idea of the universe, others like the idea of nature in her inmosts, others like the idea of a cloud in some ethereal space, others like the idea of a beam of light, and others no idea at all, and few an idea of God as Man; and yet God is Man. There are several reasons why Christians have formed such ideas of God. The first is that they believe from their doctrine in three Divine Persons distinct from each other; in the Father as the invisible God, and in the Lord, but not God as to His Human. The second reason is that they believe God to be a Spirit, and they conceive of a spirit as wind or as air or ether, and yet every spirit is a man. The third reason is that Christians, in consequence of their faith alone without life, have become worldly, and from the love of self have become corporeal, and the worldly and corporeal man does not see God except from space, thus as the whole inmost in the universe or in nature, consequently as extended. But God must not be regarded from space, for in the spiritual world there is no space; space there is an appearance from something like it.
[3] In this way does every sensual man see God, because he has little thought above his speech; and the thought that pertains to speech says to itself, “What the eye sees and the hand touches, that I know to be,” and everything else it sets aside as mere words. These are the reasons why there is no idea of God as Man in the Christian world. That there is no such idea, yea that there is a repugnance to it, will be seen if you will examine yourself, and think of the Divine Human; and yet the Lord’s Human is Divine. But these ideas of God are not so much the ideas of the simple as of the intelligent, for many of the intelligent are blinded by the pride of self intelligence, and are in consequence infatuated by what they know, according to the Lord’s words in Matthew (11:25; 13:13-15). But let it be known that all who see God as Man see Him from the Lord, and all others see Him from self; and those who see from self do not see.

sRef Rev@18 @6 S0′ 1115. And double unto her double according to her works, signifies as much retribution as they have profaned good. This is evident from the signification of “doubling double,” as being to make much retribution, or to render much punishment (of which presently); also from the signification of “works,” as being profanations of good, for the works of such are profanations; therefore “doubling double” signifies as much retribution as they have profaned good.
“Doubling double” has this signification because “two” does not signify two, nor does any number signify the quantity of the thing, but its quality, and two signifies the quality of a thing as to union, and is predicated of good and of evil (see above, n. 532, 984); and here “double” is predicated of the retribution of evil on account of the profanation of good; from which it is clear that “double” here does not mean double, but much of evil.
sRef Jer@17 @18 S2′ sRef Zech@9 @12 S2′ [2] That “double” is predicated of retribution and of remuneration, and signifies much, is evident from these passages in the Word. In Jeremiah:
Let my persecutors be ashamed, bring upon them the day of evil, and break them with a double breaking (Jer. 17:18).
“To bring upon them the day of evil and to break them with a double breaking” signifies much retribution of evil on account of persecution. In Zechariah:
Return to the stronghold, ye prisoner of hope, and this day do I declare that I will render double unto thee (Zech. 9:12).
“To render double,” signifies to give much reward.
sRef Isa@61 @6 S3′ sRef Isa@40 @1 S3′ sRef Isa@61 @7 S3′ sRef Isa@40 @2 S3′ [3] In Isaiah:
Comfort ye, My people, and speak unto the heart of Jerusalem that her warfare is accomplished and that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received from the hand double for all her sins (Isa. 40:1-2).
This is said of the Lord’s coming and of a new church to be established by Him. That new church is meant by “Jerusalem,” unto whose heart they should speak; the “warfare” that is accomplished signifies combats against evils; the “iniquity” that is pardoned signifies evil removed by the Lord; “they received double for all sins” signifies to endure much in combat or temptation. In the same:
Ye shall be called priests of Jehovah, ministers of our God; it shall be said unto you, Ye shall eat the riches of the nations, and in their glory shall ye glory. For your shame double, and for reproach they shall sing in their portion; therefore in their land they shall possess double, the joy of eternity shall be unto them (Isa. 61:6-7).
Here, too, “double” signifies not double but much, and is predicated of retribution.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[4] But I will relate what cannot but seem wonderful. In the thought of his spirit every man sees God as Man, even he who in the thought of his body sees Him like a cloud, a mist, air, or ether, and even he who has denied that God is Man. A man is in the idea of his spirit when he thinks abstractly, and in the idea of his body when he does not think abstractly. That every man in the idea of his spirit sees God as Man has been made evident to me by men after death, who are then in the ideas of the spirit; for after death a man becomes a spirit, and then it is impossible for him to think of God otherwise than as Man. An experiment was made whether they could think otherwise, and for this purpose they were let down into the state in which they had been in the world, and then they thought about God. The thought of some was that of the universe, others that of nature in her inmost, others that of a cloud in midair, others that of a beam of light, and others thought in other ways; but the moment they came out of that state into a state of the spirit they thought of God as Man. At this they were surprised, and declared that it was something implanted in every spirit. But evil spirits who have denied God in the world deny Him also after death, and yet in place of God they worship some spirit, who gains power over the rest by diabolical arts.
[5] It has been said that to think of God as Man has been implanted in every spirit. That this comes through an influx of the Lord into the interiors of their thoughts is evident from the fact that the angels of all the heavens acknowledge the Lord alone. They acknowledge His Divine which is called the Father, they see His Divine Human, and they are in the Divine proceeding, for the whole angelic heaven is the Lord’s Divine proceeding. An angel is not an angel from what is his own, but from the Divine that he receives from the Lord. From this they are in the Lord; consequently when they think of God they can think of no other than the Lord in whom they are and from whom they think. Add to this that the whole angelic heaven in its complex before the Lord is as one Man, which maybe called the Greatest Man; consequently the angels in heaven are in the Man that is the Lord’s Divine proceeding, as has been said; and since their thoughts have direction there according to the form of heaven, they are unable when they think of God to think of any other than the Lord. In a word, all the angels of the three heavens think of God as Man, and are unable to think otherwise. If they wished to think otherwise thought would cease, and they would fall from heaven. This, then, is why to every spirit and to every man, when he is in the idea of his spirit, it is instinctive to think of God as Man.

sRef Rev@18 @6 S0′ sRef Ps@75 @8 S1′ 1116. In the cup that she hath mingled mingle to her double, signifies as much retribution as they have profaned truth. This is evident from the signification of “cup,” as being truth, and in the contrary sense falsity, for “cup” has a similar signification as “wine” (see above, n. 887, 1045). Also from the signification of “to mingle,” as being to profane, for he who mingles falsity with truth or truth with falsity profanes (of which presently). Also from the signification of “double,” as being much, and as said of retribution (see just above, n. 1115). “To mingle” signifies to profane, because it is predicated of the wine that is in the cup, which signifies truth, and in the contrary sense falsity; and when truth and falsity are mingled profanation takes place (see above, n. 1053-1063). “To mingle” has this signification in David:
There is a cup in the hand of Jehovah, and He hath mingled it with wine, He hath filled it with the mixture, and hath poured it out therefrom; but the dregs of it all the wicked of the earth shall suck out and drink (Ps. 75:8).
“The cup in the hand of Jehovah,” and the “wine,” signify the Divine truth; “to mingle” and “mixture” signify profanation, for the mingling of falsity with truth is meant; “He hath poured it out therefrom, but the dregs of it all the wicked of the earth shall suck out and drink,” signifies the punishment of profanation; all of which makes clear that “mingling the cup” has the same meaning here as in Revelation.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

sRef John@14 @8 S2′ sRef John@17 @24 S2′ sRef John@8 @56 S2′ sRef John@14 @9 S2′ sRef John@8 @58 S2′ sRef John@17 @5 S2′ [2] In consequence of this intuition the most ancient people worshiped God visible under the Human form more than their posterity did. Moreover, the Word bears witness that they saw God as Man; as that Adam heard the voice of Jehovah walking in the garden; and Moses spoke with Jehovah mouth to mouth; and Abraham saw Jehovah in the midst of three angels, that Lot spoke with two of them. Jehovah also appeared as man to Hagar, to Gideon, to Joshua, to Daniel as “the Ancient of days” and as “the Son of man”; likewise to John as “the Son of man in the midst of seven lampstands”; also to other prophets. That it was the Lord who was seen by these He Himself teaches where He says:
That Abraham exulted to see his day, and that he saw and rejoiced (John 8:56);
Also that He was before Abraham was (John 8:58),
And that He was before the world was (John 17:5, 24).
sRef John@1 @2 S3′ sRef John@5 @37 S3′ sRef John@1 @18 S3′ sRef John@6 @46 S3′ [3] It was not the Father but the Son that was seen, because the Divine being [esse], which is the Father, cannot be seen except by means of the Divine manifesting [existere], which is the Divine Human. That the Divine being [esse], which is called the Father, was not seen, the Lord teaches in John:
The Father who hath sent Me, He hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form (John 5:37).
Not that anyone hath seen the Father save He that is with the Father, He hath seen the Father (John 6:46).
No one hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath manifested Him (John 1:18).
From this it is clear that the Divine being [esse], which is the Father, was not seen by the ancients, nor could it be seen; nevertheless it was seen by means of the Divine manifesting [existere], which is the Son.
[4] Since a being is in its manifesting as a soul is in its body, so he who sees the Divine manifesting [existere] or the Son sees also the Divine being [esse] or the Father, as the Lord confirms in these words:
Philip said, Lord, show us the Father. Jesus said unto him, Have I been so long time with you and hast thou not known Me, Philip? He who hath seen Me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou, Show us the Father (John 14:8, 9)?
These words show that the Lord is the Divine manifesting [existere] in which is the Divine being [esse], thus the God-man who was seen by the ancients. From what has been cited it follows also that the Word is to be understood according to the sense of the letter in saying that God has a face, that He has eyes and ears, and that He has hands and feet.

sRef Rev@18 @7 S0′ 1117. Verse 7. How much she hath glorified herself and lived luxuriously, so much torment and mourning give her; for in her heart she saith, I sit a queen, and a widow I am not, and mourning I shall not see. 7. “How much she hath glorified herself and lived luxuriously,” signifies how much of glory and consequent pleasure they have acquired for themselves from their dominion over heaven and over the world (n. 1118); “so much torment and mourning give her,” signifies so much of infernal punishment and desolation (n. 1119); “for in her heart she saith, I sit a queen,” signifies pride and boasting that heaven and the church are under their dominion (n. 1120); “and a widow I am not,” signifies that they are not without defense (n. 1121); “and mourning I shall not see,” signifies that they will never be in desolation and will not perish (n. 1122).

sRef Rev@18 @7 S0′ 1118. Verse 7. How much she hath glorified herself and lived luxuriously, signifies how much of glory and consequent pleasure they have acquired for themselves from their dominion over heaven and over the world. This is evident from the signification of “glorifying herself,” as being to acquire glory, also from the signification of “living luxuriously,” as being to take pleasure; that it means from their dominion over heaven and over the world is evident, for this is the source of their glory and pleasure.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] It is because the idea of God as Man is implanted in everyone that many peoples and nations have worshiped gods who either were men or appeared to them as men, as Greece, Italy, and certain kingdoms under their rule worshipped Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, Apollo, Mercury, Juno, Minerva, Diana, Venus and her boy, and others, and ascribed to them the government of the universe. They distributed divinity among so many persons, because from intuition they saw God as Man, and therefore viewed all the attributes, properties, and qualities of God as persons, and thence also the virtues, affections, inclinations, and knowledges as persons. It was also from intuition that the inhabitants of the countries round about Canaan, as well as those of the regions within it, worshiped Baalim, Ashtaroth, Beelzebub, Chemosh, Milcom, Molech, and others, some of whom had lived as men.
[3] Again, it is from intuition that in Christian Gentilism at this day there are those who worship saints as gods, bending the knee before their idols, kissing them, baring the head before them in the ways where they are set up, and worshiping at their graves; and even doing the same to the Pope, whose shoes and even his footsteps they press with their lips, and would salute him as a god if religion allowed it. These and other practices are from an intuition, that is, a desire to worship a visible god, and not an airy something which is nothing but smoke to them. But the idea of God as Man that flows in from heaven is so perverted with many that either a man of the world or an idol is worshiped in place of God, comparatively as the bright light of the sun is turned into colors not beautiful, and its summer heat into foul stenches, according to the objects upon which they fall. But it is for reasons stated above that the idea of God becomes an idea of a little cloud, or of a mist, or of the inmost of nature, ideas that exist among Christians, but rarely among other nations who enjoy any light of reason, as the Africans and some others.

sRef Rev@18 @7 S0′ 1119. So much torment and mourning give her, signifies so much of infernal punishment and desolation. This is evident from the signification of “torment,” as being infernal punishment; also from the signification of “mourning,” as being desolation, which is from their no longer having anything of truth or good, but mere falsity and evil. It is said that “as much torment and mourning should be given as she glorified herself and lived luxuriously,” because all torment or infernal punishment corresponds exactly to the evils in which such persons are. Those, therefore, who have glorified themselves much and have taken delight in the love of having dominion over heaven and over the church, and for the sake of that glory and consequent delight have perverted the goods of heaven and the church which belong to the Word, have their lot in a hell more grievous in respect to torment; while those who have glorified and delighted themselves less in such things have their lot in a milder hell; and those who have not glorified themselves at all, and thus have not perverted the goods and truths of heaven and the church, which are from the Word, but have simply rendered obedience to them either ignorantly or from persuasion, do not have their lot in hell; and such people as have no part in dominion, especially those who look to the Lord and have some affection of truth, have their lot in the heavens, where they are taught by the angels. From all this it can be seen that here, where Babylon is treated of, only those are meant who exercise dominion from the delight of the love of it for the sake of self.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

sRef Gen@1 @27 S2′ sRef Gen@1 @26 S2′ [2] That God is Man and that the Lord is that Man is made evident by all things that are in the heavens and that are beneath the heavens. In the heavens all things that proceed from the Lord in greatest and in least things are either in the human form or have reference to the human form; the whole heaven is in the human form; every society of heaven is in the human form; every angel is in the human form; and also every spirit beneath the heavens; and it has been revealed to me that all things both least and greatest that proceed immediately from the Lord are in that form, for that which proceeds from God is an image of Him. This is why it is said of the man Adam and Eve:
That they were created into the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26-27).
sRef John@6 @40 S3′ [3] And for the same reason the angels in the heavens, because they are recipients of the Divine that proceeds from the Lord, are men of wonderful beauty, while the spirits in the hells, because they do not receive the Divine that proceeds from the Lord, are devils, and in the light of heaven they do not appear as men but as monsters. And on this account it is known in the spiritual world from one’s human form how much he derives from the Lord. From all this it can be seen that the Lord is the only Man, and that everyone is a man according to his reception of Divine good and Divine truth from the Lord. In a word, he who sees God as Man sees God because he sees the Lord. And the Lord says:
He that seeth the Son and believeth in Him hath eternal life (John 6:40).
To see the Son is to see Him in spirit, for this is said also to those who did not see him in the world.

sRef Rev@18 @7 S0′ 1120. For in her heart she saith, I sit a queen, signifies pride and boasting that heaven and the church are under their dominion. This is evident from the signification of “to say in their heart,” as being boasting from pride, for “to say” signifies boasting, and “heart” signifies the love of self, thus also pride. Also from the signification of “sitting a queen,” as being that heaven and the church are under their dominion. This is meant by “sitting a queen,” because when the Lord is called “King” then “queen” means heaven and the church; just as when the Lord is called “Bridegroom and Husband” heaven and the church are meant by “bride and wife.” It is said heaven, but the church in heaven is meant, that is, the church with the angels of heaven, which makes one with the church that is with men on earth; for there are governments in the heavens as on the earth, and consequently there are economical, civil, and ecclesiastical affairs as on the earth, though in a more perfect degree; therefore the church in the heavens is meant by “bride and wife,” and when the Lord is referred to as King, then the church, which is the King’s wife, is meant by “queen.”
sRef Ps@45 @9 S2′ [2] “Queen” means the church in David:
Kings’ daughters are among thy precious ones, at thy right hand doth stand the queen in the best gold of Ophir (Ps. 45:9).
This Psalm treats of the Lord and His Kingdom; and “kings’ daughters” among the precious ones signify the affections of truth, which are said to be “among the precious ones” because “precious” is predicated in the Word of truths; “the queen who stands at the right hand in gold of Ophir,” signifies the church from the reception of good from the Lord; for all things with man that belong to his right side have reference to good from which is truth, and those belonging to the left side have reference to truth from good, and this is why it is said that “the queen stands at the right hand.” Also “the gold of Ophir” signifies good. That things on the right side with man have reference to good, and those on the left side to truth, may be seen above (n. 600); and that “gold” signifies the good of love (n. 242). Moreover, woman is born to be affection which belongs to love, and man [vir] is born to be understanding; thus the woman is born to be good, for every good is of affection which belongs to love, and man [vir] is born to be truth, for every truth is of the understanding. Since, then, good belongs to the right side of man, and truth to his left, it follows that it is according to Divine order for the wife to be on the right.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[3] It has been said that the Lord is the only Man, and that all are men according to their reception of Divine good and Divine truth from Him. The Lord is the only Man because He is life itself; while all others are recipients of life because they are men from Him. Between the Man who is life and the man who is a recipient of life there is a difference like that between the uncreate and the created, or between the infinite and the finite, a difference that admits of no ratio, for there is no possible ratio between the infinite and the finite, thus there is none between God as Man and any other as a man, whether angel or spirit or a man in the world.
sRef John@1 @1 S4′ sRef John@5 @26 S4′ sRef John@6 @57 S4′ sRef John@1 @4 S4′ sRef John@14 @6 S4′ sRef John@1 @14 S4′ sRef John@11 @25 S4′ sRef John@6 @33 S4′ [4] That the Lord is Life He Himself teaches in John:
The Word was with God, and the God was Word; in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the Word became flesh (John 1:1, 4, 14).
In the same:
As the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:26).
In the same:
As the living Father hath sent Me, and I also live through the Father (John 6:57).
In the same:
I am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25).
In the same:
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).
As the Lord is life, so elsewhere in the Word He is called “the Bread of life,” “the Light of life,” and “the Tree of life,” also “the Living God,” and “He that liveth.”
sRef John@14 @19 S5′ aRef Acts@17 @28 S5′ sRef John@5 @21 S5′ [5] As He is life, and every man is a recipient of life from Him, He also teaches that He gives life and makes alive, as in John:
As the Father makes alive, the Son also makes alive (John 5:21).
In the same:
I am the bread of God that cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world (John 6:33).
In the same:
Because I live ye shall live also (John 14:19).
Also in many passages, that He gives life to those who believe in Him. And for this reason God is called “the fountain of life” (Psalm 36:9), and elsewhere, “Creator,” “Maker,” “Former,” also “Potter,” and we “the clay, and the work of His hands.” As God is life, it follows that in Him we live, move, and have our being.

sRef Rev@18 @7 S0′ 1121. And a widow I am not, signifies that such are not without defense. This is evident from the signification of “a widow,” as being one who is in the affection of good, and from that affection desires truth. Here a “widow” signifies* defense, thus “not a widow” means not without defense, because good with its affection does not defend itself, but is defended by truth and the understanding of it, “man” [vir], who defends it, signifying the understanding of truth, thus truth. For the marriage of man [vir] and woman is a complete likeness of the marriage of truth and good; since a man is born to be the understanding of truth, consequently that predominates in him, and woman is born to be the affection of good, consequently that predominates in her; and as good and truth mutually love each other and will to be conjoined, so do the understanding of truth and the affection or will of good. Moreover, the conjugial love of husband and wife derives its origin from the spiritual marriage of truth and good (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 366-386).
sRef Isa@47 @8 S2′ sRef Isa@47 @9 S2′ [2] “Widow” has the same signification here as in Isaiah:
Hear this, thou luxurious one, sitting securely, saying in thy heart, I and none like me besides. I shall not sit a widow, neither shall I know bereavement. But these two evils shall come to thee in a moment, bereavement and widowhood (Isa. 14:8-9).
This, too, is said of Babylon, and it has the same signification as these words in Revelation, “A widow I am not, and mourning I shall not see, for this reason in one day shall her plagues come to thee, death, and mourning, and famine.” Elsewhere in the Word “widows” signify those, both women and males, who are in good and not in truth and yet desire truth, thus those who are without defense against falsity and evil, but who are defended by the Lord. The term is used also in the contrary sense, as in Isaiah 9:17; 10:1, 2; Jer. 15:7-9; 22:3; 49:10-11; Lam. 5:3; Ezek. 22:6-7; David, Psalm 68:9; Psalm 146:9; Exod. 22:21-24; Deut. 10:18; 27:19; Matt. 23:14; Luke 20:47; and elsewhere.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[3] Life regarded in itself, which is God, cannot create another that shall be the only life; for the life that is God is uncreate, continuous, and inseparable; and from this it is that God is one. But the life that is God can create forms out of substances that are not life, in which it can be, and give to them the appearance of living. Such forms are men; and since they are receptacles of life they could not when first created be anything else than images and likenesses of God; images from the reception of truth and likenesses from the reception of good; for life and its recipient are fitted to each other as the active and passive, but do not mingle. For this reason human forms, which are recipients of life, live, not from themselves, but from God who alone is life; consequently, as is well known, every good of love and every truth of faith is from God, and nothing of these is from man; for if man had the least portion of life as his own he would be able to will and do good from himself, and to understand and believe truth from himself, and thus to claim merit; and yet if he so believes, the form recipient of life closes itself above and becomes perverted, and intelligence perishes. Good and its love and truth and its faith are the life that is God, for God is good itself and truth itself; and therefore in these God dwells in man. And from all this it follows, that man of himself is nothing, and is something only so far as he receives from the Lord, and at the same time acknowledges that it is not his own but is the Lord’s; then the Lord gives him to be something; yet not from himself but from the Lord.
* Absque (without) has been omitted in Latin text; “widow” signifies defense; but it is inserted in explanation at the end of the number, “widows” signify “without defense.”

sRef Rev@18 @7 S0′ 1122. And mourning I shall not see, signifies that they will never be in desolation and will not perish. This is evident from the signification of “not to see mourning” (when predicated of a “widow,” which signifies defense) as being to be desolated and perish. “Mourning” here has reference to dominion and to its having no end. Moreover, such things the Babylonians say in their hearts, because they have fortified themselves by every art. This they have done by having ingratiated and by continually ingratiating themselves by means of the delights of earthly and worldly loves, especially with the chief men of the earth, and thereby catching souls and interiorly conjoining themselves to them; they have fortified themselves also by exciting terror by means of the horrors of purgatory if they do not manifest a blind faith; also by the judgment of the inquisition whenever anyone speaks against their dominion; moreover by confessions, which they extort, and by which they search out secret things; and further by the multiplication of monasteries, which have increased into armies, from which they send out emissaries in every direction as so many guards both at the walls and gates. These defenses pertain, however, to those who are on earth, and not to those who are in the spiritual world; where no one has any longer the refuge they had before the Last Judgment. For when they come thither after death they are immediately separated, and those who have exercised dominion from the love of self are cast into hell, and the others are sent away into societies. Thus Babylon at this day has been desolated and has perished.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] The appearance to man is that he lives from himself, but this is a fallacy; if it were not a fallacy man would be able to love God from himself, and be wise from himself. The appearance is that life is in man, because it flows in from the Lord into his inmosts, which are far removed from the sight of his thought, and thus from perception; also for the reason that the principal cause which is life and the instrumental cause which is a recipient of life act together as one cause, and this is felt in the instrumental cause which is the recipient, that is, in man, as if it were in him. It is exactly the same as our feeling that the light, which is the cause of sight, is in the eye, and that sound, which is the cause of hearing, is in the ear, and that the volatile particles in the air that cause smell are in the nose, that the soluble particles of food that cause taste are on the tongue; when the truth is that the eyes, the ears, the nose, and the tongue, are recipient organized substances, that is, instrumental causes, while light, sound, the volatile particles in the air, and the soluble particles on the tongue, are the principal causes, and these act together as one cause; that which acts is called the principal, and that which suffers itself to be acted upon is called the instrumental. He who examines the subject more deeply can see that man, as to each and every thing pertaining to him, is an organ of life, and that what produces sensation and perception flows in from without, and that the life itself is what causes man to feel and to perceive as if from himself. Another reason why life appears to be in man is that the Divine love is such that it desires its own to be man’s, and yet it teaches that it is not man’s. And the Lord wills that man should think and will and in consequence speak and act as if from himself, and yet should acknowledge that this is not done from himself. Otherwise man could not be reformed (see above, n. 971, 973).

sRef Rev@18 @8 S0′ 1123. Verse 8. For this reason in one day shall her plagues come, death and mourning and famine, and she shall be burned up in fire, for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. 8. “For this reason in one day shall her plagues come,” signifies that being such they have reached their last state, and then comes destruction (n. 1124); “death and mourning and famine,” signifies when there is no longer any good or any truth, but only evil and falsity (n. 1125); “and she shall be burned up in fire,” signifies that since these things are from a diabolical love they must perish (n. 1126); “for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her,” signifies through the Last Judgment (n. 1127).

sRef Rev@18 @8 S0′ 1124. Verse 8. For this reason in one day shall her plagues come, signifies that being such it is their last state, and then comes destruction. This is evident from the signification of “for this reason,” as being such, namely, that they are in glory and delight from domination over heaven and the church, and trust in their own and not in the Divine power and protection. Also from the signification of “in that day,” as being their last state, “day” signifying state, here the last, because it is added that then there is “death, mourning, and famine.” Also from the signification of “plagues,” as being such things as destroy spiritual life, thus destruction (see n. 584). The last state, here signified by the “day” in which their plagues shall come, signifies the state when there is no longer any good and truth left with them; and as their spiritual life is then wholly destroyed, destruction, that is, the Last Judgment, then comes upon them. It comes then and not before, because then there can be no longer any connection or conjunction of heaven with them, and when there is no connection or conjunction a separation takes place, and separation is the Last Judgment. When this takes place the evil are cast into hell, and the good are drawn away from them and raised up into heaven; for as soon as the connection of anyone with heaven is broken he at once falls into hell. It is only the connection with heaven, thus with the Lord, that withholds from hell.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] If it is said and thought that life itself is God, or that God is life itself, and with this there is no idea of what life is, then beyond these expressions there is no understanding of what God is. In the thought of man there are two ideas, one abstract, which is spiritual, and one not abstract, which is natural. The abstract idea, which is spiritual, about the life which is God is that it is love itself and that it is wisdom itself, and that love is of wisdom and that wisdom is of love. But the idea that is not abstract which is natural about the life which is God is that His love is like fire and His wisdom like light, and that together they are like a sunbeam. This natural idea is acquired from correspondence, for fire corresponds to love and light corresponds to wisdom, and therefore in the Word “fire” signifies love and “light” signifies wisdom. And when one preaches from the Word he also prays that heavenly fire (which means the Divine love) may warm all hearts, and that heavenly light (which means the Divine wisdom) may enlighten all minds. The Divine love, which in the Divine wisdom is the life itself which is God, is not in its essence thinkable, for it is infinite and thus transcends comprehension, but in its appearance it is thinkable. Before the eyes of angels the Lord appears as a sun, and from that sun proceed heat and light. The sun is the Divine love, the heat is the Divine love proceeding, which is called the Divine good, and the light is the Divine wisdom proceeding, which is called the Divine truth. And yet the life that is God must not be thought of as a fire or heat or light, unless there goes with it the thought at the same time of love and of wisdom, that is, that the Divine love is like fire, and the Divine wisdom is like light, and the Divine love and the Divine wisdom together are like a sunbeam. For God is a perfect Man, in face like Man and in body like Man, with no difference as to form but only as to essence; His essence is that He is love itself and wisdom itself, thus life itself.

sRef Rev@18 @8 S0′ 1125. Death and mourning and famine, signifies when there is no longer any good nor any truth, but only evil and falsity. This is evident from the signification of “death,” as being when there is no good, for then man is spiritually dead. (That “death” signifies in the Word spiritual death may be seen n. 78, 387, 694.) Also from the signification of “mourning,” as being when there is no longer any truth, thus when the church is desolated (see above, n. 1119). Also from the signification of “famine,” as being when there is nothing but evil and falsity, for “famine” signifies in the Word a lack of truth and good, and still a desire for them. Those who have such a lack and desire are meant by “those who hunger” and the “famished.” “Famine” signifies also a lack of truth and good when there is no desire for them, thus the loss of them. Such is the famine of those who are solely in falsities and evils (see above, n. 386).

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] An idea of the life that is God cannot be had unless an idea of the degrees by which life descends from its inmosts to its ultimates is gained. There is an inmost degree of life and there is an ultimate degree of life and there are intermediate degrees of life; the distinction between these is like the difference between things prior and things posterior, for a posterior degree exists from a prior one, and so on. Again, the difference is like the difference between things less and more general, for what is of a prior degree is less general, and what is of a posterior one is more general. Such degrees of life are in every man from creation; and they are opened according to the reception of life from the Lord. In some the degree next to the ultimate is being opened, in some the middle, and in some the inmost. Men in whom the inmost degree is being opened become after death angels of the inmost or third heaven, those in whom the middle degree is being opened become after death angels of the middle or second heaven, while those in whom the degree next to the ultimate is being opened become after death angels of the lowest heaven. These degrees are called degrees of man’s life, but they are degrees of his wisdom and love, because they are opened according to the reception of wisdom and love, thus of life from the Lord. There are such degrees of life also in all the organs and viscera and members of the body, and by influx they act as one with the degrees of life in the brains. The skins, the cartilages, and the bones make their ultimate degree.
[3] There are such degrees in man because there are such degrees in the life that proceeds from the Lord, but in the Lord these are life, while in man they are recipients of life. But it is to be known that in the Lord there are still higher degrees, and that all, both the highest and the lowest, are life; for the Lord teaches both that He is the life and that He has flesh and bones. (But on these degrees, and on continuous degrees, see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 33, 34, 38, 39, 208, 209, 211, 435, where they are more fully described. A knowledge of these should be drawn from that work for use in what follows.)

sRef Rev@18 @8 S0′ 1126. And she shall be burned up in the fire, signifies that since this is from diabolical love such must perish. This is evident from the signification of “fire,” as being love in both senses, celestial love and diabolical love (see n. 68, 496, 504, 916), but here diabolical love, because it is the love of having dominion both over heaven and over the world. This is called diabolical love because it is from the deepest hells, where the devils are who desire to have dominion over all things of heaven, and who believe in their hearts that they are gods, and that there is no God besides them. Also from the signification of “to be burned up,” as meaning to perish by that love. To be burned up with fire is the penalty of profaning holy things by the love of having dominion over them, as may be seen above (n. 1083).

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] Because God is life, it follows that He is uncreated. He is uncreated because life can create but cannot be created, for to be created is to have existence from another, and if life had existence from another there would be another being even as to life, and that life would be life in itself. If this First were not life in itself it would be either from another or from itself; and you cannot say life from itself because from itself involves an origin, and that origin would be from nothing, and from nothing, nothing can originate. This First, which has being [esse] in itself and from which all things have been created, is God, who is called Jehovah because He is Being in Himself. This, especially if it is illustrated by things created, reason can see. Now as there can be no Being unless it exists, so being and existing [esse et existere] in God are one; for when there is being there is existing, and when there is existing there is being. This, therefore, is the life itself which is God and which is Man.

sRef Rev@18 @8 S0′ 1127. For strong is the Lord God who judgeth them, signifies through the Last Judgment. This is evident from the signification of “strong is the Lord God who judgeth her,” as being the Last Judgment upon them. That the Last Judgment is meant by these words follows from what goes before, for it is said that “in one day her plagues shall come, death, mourning, and famine, and she shall be burned up in fire,” which signifies that when they reach their last state, which is when there is no longer any good nor any truth but only evil and falsity from their diabolical love, they will then perish by the Last Judgment. That they did perish by the Last Judgment can he seen in the small work on The Last Judgment and on Babylon Destroyed.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] That all things are from the life itself which is God and is Man, can be illustrated by man who was created, in that he is man as to his ultimates, as to his intermediates, and as to his inmosts; for a man who in the world has been merely corporeal and consequently stupid as to his life, appears nevertheless after the rejection of the material body as a man in the spiritual world. A man who as to his life in the world has been merely sensual or natural, thus who has known little about heaven although much about the world, nevertheless after death appears as a man. A man who as to his life in the world has been rational, and has thought rightly from natural light, when after death he becomes a spirit appears as a man. A man who as to his life in the world has been spiritual, when after death he becomes an angel appears as a man, perfect in the measure of his reception of life from the Lord. A man in whom the third degree of life has been opened, thus who as to his life in the world has been a celestial man, when after death he becomes an angel appears as a man in all perfection.
[3] The life itself that is in him is the man, whether it be sensual or natural, or rational, or spiritual, or celestial, for so the degrees of life are called. Man in whom these degrees exist is only a recipient. As it is in the least types so it is in the greatest. The whole angelic heaven in every complex is a man. Each heaven by itself, the first, the second, and the third, is a man. Each society in the heavens, greater or less, is a man. Even the church on the earth in general is a man; likewise all assemblages that are called churches are by themselves men. It is said the church, but it is meant all in whom the church is in the complex; thus does the church on the earth appear to the angels of heaven. It so appears because the life that is from the Lord is Man. Life from the Lord is love and wisdom; consequently such as the reception of love and wisdom from the Lord is, such is the man. This shows in the first place that all things have been created from the life that is God and that is Man.

sRef Rev@18 @9 S0′ 1128. Verse 9. And the kings of the earth shall weep for her and wail over her, who have committed whoredom and lived luxuriously with her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning. 9. “The kings of the earth shall weep for her and wail over her,” signifies the mourning and grief of heart of those who have exercised that authority (n. 1129); “who have committed whoredom and lived luxuriously with her,” signifies who have been in falsities and in evils of falsities from delight regarding that authority (n. 1130); “when they shall see the smoke of her burning,” signifies because of hell and of their damnation (n. 1131).

sRef Rev@18 @9 S0′ 1129. Verse 9. And the kings of the earth shall weep for her and wail over her, signifies mourning and grief of heart of those who have exercised that authority. This is evident from the signification of “to weep and wail,” as being mourning and grief of heart (of which presently); also from the signification of “kings of the earth,” as being those who are in truths from good, and in the contrary sense who are in falsities from evil (see n. 29, 31, 625, 1034, 1063), here those who have exercised that authority and are therefore called “kings of the earth,” the “earth” meaning the church. It is evident from what follows that such are signified by “kings of the earth,” for it is said “who have committed whoredom and lived luxuriously with her,” which signifies who have been in falsities and evils from delight respecting that authority. Those who are in truths from good, who are also signified by “kings of the earth,” cannot “weep for her and wail over her.”
sRef Jer@16 @5 S2′ sRef Jer@6 @26 S2′ sRef Micah@1 @8 S2′ sRef Zech@12 @10 S2′ [2] The expressions “to weep” and “to wail” are used, because “to weep” signifies mourning because of falsities, and “to wail” mourning because of evils, and because both have been lost; thus “to weep” has reference to the falsity that they have called truth, and “to wail” has reference to the evil that they have called good. This is why “mourning and wailing” are mentioned together in the Word. As in Jeremiah:
O daughter of My people, make thee mourning for an only begotten, a wailing of bitterness, for the waster shall suddenly come upon us (Jer. 6:26).
Here “mourning” is named because of truth destroyed, and wailing on account of good destroyed; the “waster” signifies the loss of these, and thus the end of the church. In Micah:
I will make a wailing like the dragons, and a mourning like the daughters of the owl (Micah 1:8).
Because “wailing” has reference to good, and in the contrary sense to evil, it is said, “I will make a wailing like dragons,” “dragons” being those who are in the lusts of evil; and because “mourning” has reference to falsity it is said, “I will make a mourning like the daughters of the owl,” “daughters of the owl” being those who are in falsities and their pleasantness, “owls” signify falsities, because they see in darkness and not in the light. In Zechariah:
They shall wail over him according to the wailing over a first begotten,* and they shall mourn over him according to the mourning over a first begotten (Zech. 12:10).
Here, too, “wailing” is predicated of the loss of good, and “mourning” of the loss of truth. In Jeremiah:
Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go away to wail (Jer. 16:5);
where the meaning is the same. Both expressions are used on account of the marriage of good and truth, or on account of the marriage not of good and truth, which is in every particular of the Word.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[3] That all things are from the life itself which is God, and which is wisdom and love, can also be made clear by reference to things created when they are viewed from order. For it is from order that the angelic heavens, consisting of thousands and thousands of societies, act as one through love to the Lord and through love towards the neighbor, and that they are kept in order through Divine truths which are the laws of order. Also it is from order that the hells beneath the heavens, which are also divided into thousands and thousands of congregations, are kept in order by means of judgments and punishments, so that they are unable to do the least harm to the heavens, although they are hatreds and insanities. It is also from order that between the heavens and the hells there is an equilibrium, in which is man in the world, and in which he is led to heaven if led by the Lord, and to hell if led by himself; for it is the law of order that man must do whatever he does from freedom according to reason.
[4] Since so many myriads of myriads of men from the creation of the world have poured into the spiritual world and are unceasingly pouring in like streams, and each individual has a different disposition and love, they could by no means have been associated together as a one unless God who is life itself had been one, and unless this life had been wisdom itself and love itself, and thus order itself. Thus much about heaven. But in the world the Divine in order appears to be from the sun, moon, stars, and planets. The sun in appearance makes the years, days, and hours, also the seasons of the year, which are spring, summer, autumn, and winter, also the divisions of the day, which are morning, noon, evening, and night; and it vivifies all things of the earth according to the reception of its heat in light and of its light in heat; and according to reception it opens, arranges, and prepares bodies and matters, which are in the earth and upon the earth, to receive influx from the spiritual world. Thus in the spring time, by the union of heat and light at that season the flying things of heaven and the animals of earth return into the love of prolification, and into a knowledge of all things pertaining to that love; and the things of the vegetable kingdom return into the efforts and activities of producing leaves, flowers and fruits, and seeds in them for perpetuating their kind to eternity, and for multiplying it to infinity.
[5] It is also from order that the earth produces vegetables, and that vegetables nourish animals, and that both are useful to man for food, raiment, and for pleasure; and as man is the one in whom is God, so all things thus return to God from whom they are. All this makes clear that created things follow in such order that one is for the sake of another, and that they are perpetual ends which are uses, and that the ends which are uses are constantly so directed as to return to God from whom they are. All this now shows that all things have been created from life itself, which is wisdom itself, and also shows that the created universe is full of God.
* Photolithograph has “primogenito” (first-begotten); the Latin editor has “unigenito” (only-begotten).

sRef Rev@18 @9 S0′ 1130. Who hath committed whoredom and lived luxuriously with her, signifies who have been in falsities and in the evils of falsities from delight respecting that authority. This is evident from the signification of “to commit whoredom,” as being to falsify truths (see n. 141, 161, 805, 983); thus also to love falsities, for he who is in the love of evil is also in the love of falsity, since by falsity evil is confirmed. Also from the signification of “living luxuriously,” as being to have delight from dominion or from that authority, thus to love evils. “To commit whoredom” is predicated of falsities, and “to live luxuriously” of evils, and both of delight in these.
[2] As “committing whoredom” signifies the falsifying of truths, and “living luxuriously” signifies loving evils and thus also falsities, it shall now be told whence it is that the Babylonish nation has falsified the Word and weakened its Divine holiness. It has been known in the whole Christian world that the Word is Divine, and consequently that all things contained in the Word are Divine truths. Now as the Babylonians have claimed for themselves and have actually assumed dominion over all things of the church and also over heaven, and as they thus let themselves into all evils that spring up from the love of self, it was necessary for them to confirm those evils by means of the Word, and this could be done only by falsifying it, for the Word can in no wise confirm evil; consequently when a man confirms evil by means of the Word he falsifies its truths. This was done by the Babylonians; but as they still saw truths in the Word that they could not falsify, as for instance, all that is said in it about Babylon, so by their craft they weakened the Divine holiness of the Word, and forbade the reading of it by the people; and their leaders and presbyters, who are called monks, also refrained from reading it, saying that the decrees of the Pope were just as holy as the contents of the Word, and that all things of the church must be adapted to its state, and consequently must be changed as its state requires, and that such adaptation and changes must be made from the inspiration of the Pope. All this makes clear how it is that the truths of the Word have been falsified and rejected by them, and in place of these such things as pander to their love of ruling and wholly favor it, and which are in themselves falsities, have been accepted, and have been endorsed by their Pope. From all this the particular signification of “the whoredoms of its kings” with Babylon the harlot can be seen.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[3] As God is uncreate He is also eternal; for the life itself which is God is life in itself, not from itself, nor from nothing; thus it is without origin; and what is without origin is from eternity and is eternal. But an idea of anything without origin is impossible to the natural man; so, too, is the idea of God from eternity; but it is possible to the spiritual man. The thought of the natural man cannot be separated and abstracted from the idea of time; this idea clings to him from nature, in which he is. Nor can his thought be separated and abstracted from the idea of origin, since origin means to him a beginning in time. The appearance in the sun’s progression has impressed this idea on the natural man. But the thought of the spiritual man is abstracted from the idea of time, because it is raised above nature, and in place of that idea there is the idea of state of life, and in place of duration of time is an idea of the state of thought from affection, which constitutes life. For in the angelic heaven the sun does not rise or set or make years and days, as the sun in the world does; and for this reason the angels of heaven, because they are in spiritual ideas, think apart from time; consequently their idea of God from eternity does not take anything from origin, that is, from a beginning, but from state that it is eternal, and that everything therefore that is God and that proceeds from God is eternal, in other words, is Divine in itself. That this is so has been granted to perceive by an elevation above the natural idea into a spiritual idea. From all this it is now clear that God, who is uncreate, is also eternal, also that it is impossible to think that nature is from eternity, or that it is from itself in time; but it is possible to think that God is from eternity, and that nature with time is from God.

sRef Rev@18 @9 S0′ 1131. When they shall see the smoke of her burning, signifies because of hell and of their damnation. This is evident from the signification of “the smoke of burning,” as being hell and damnation (of which presently); therefore, “when they shall see it” signifies because of these, for it is said, “they shall weep for her and wail over her when they shall see the smoke of burning,” which signifies mourning and grief of heart because of these, that is, because of hell and of their damnation. “The smoke of burning” signifies hell and damnation, because “smoke” signifies infernal falsity, and “fire,” that is, “burning,” signifies infernal evil. From this correspondence of infernal falsity and infernal evil with the fire of burning, a smoke mingled with fire, like smoke from a furnace or from conflagrations, appears over the hells of such. (That “smoke” signifies infernal falsity, may be seen n. 494, 539, 889; and that “fire” signifies infernal evil, which is such as their love is, may be seen n. 68, 496, 504, 916.)

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] As God is eternal He is also infinite, and as there is a natural idea and a spiritual idea of the eternal, so there is of the infinite. The natural idea of the eternal is from time, but the spiritual idea of it is not from time. And the natural idea of the infinite is from space, but the spiritual idea of it is not from space. For as life is not nature, so the two properties of nature, which are time and space, are not properties of life, for they were created with nature by the life which is God. The natural idea of the infinite God, which is from space, is that He fills the universe from end to end; but from this idea of the infinite there springs the thought that the inmost of nature is God, and thus that He is something extended, and yet everything extended belongs to matter.
[3] As, therefore, the natural idea has nothing in common with the idea of life, of wisdom, and of love, which is God, so the infinite must be viewed from the spiritual idea, in which there is nothing of time and nothing of space, because there is in it nothing of nature. According to the spiritual idea the Divine love is infinite and the Divine wisdom is infinite, and since the Divine love and the Divine wisdom are the life which is God the Divine life is also infinite; from which it follows that God is infinite. That the Divine wisdom is infinite can be seen from the wisdom of the angels of the third heaven. As these excel all others in wisdom, they perceive that there is no ratio between their wisdom and the Lord’s Divine wisdom, because there is no ratio between the infinite and the finite. Moreover, they say that the first degree of wisdom is to see and acknowledge that this is so. The same is true of the Divine love. Furthermore, angels like men are recipient forms of life, thus they are recipients of wisdom and love from the Lord; and these forms are from substances that are without life, thus are in themselves dead, and between what is dead and what is living there is no ratio.
[4] But how that finite receives the infinite can be illustrated by the light and heat of the sun of the world. The light itself and the heat itself from that sun are not material, and yet they affect material substances, the light by modifying them, and the heat by changing their states. The Lord’s Divine wisdom is likewise light, and the Lord’s Divine love is heat, but they are spiritual heat and light, because they proceed from the Lord as a sun, which is Divine love united to Divine wisdom; but the light and heat from the sun of the world are natural, because that sun is fire and not love.

sRef Rev@18 @10 S0′ 1132. Verse 10. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, that great city Babylon, that mighty city, for in one hour is thy judgment come. 10. “Standing afar off for the fear of her torment,” signifies when they are in externals from a dread of infernal punishment (n. 1133); “saying, Woe, woe, that great city Babylon,” signifies lamentation over that doctrine and over that religion (n. 1134); “that mighty city” signifies which had fortified itself by so many wicked devices (n. 1135); “for in one hour is thy judgment come” signifies their total destruction through the Last Judgment (n. 1136).

sRef Rev@18 @10 S0′ 1133. Verse 10. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, signifies when they are in externals from a dread of infernal punishment. This is evident from the signification of “standing afar off,” as meaning to be in externals (of which presently); also from the signification of “fear of torment,” as being dread on account of infernal punishments, for “torment” signifies such punishments. “Standing afar off” signifies to be in externals because man is in himself when he is in internals, for there his love, and thus his very life, has its seat. The internals of man are the things that belong to his spirit, and are meant in the Word by “things near;” and therefore his externals, as being remote from internals, are meant by things “afar off,” and here by “standing afar off.” Moreover, every evil man when he is in externals is unlike what he is in internals. Not only does he then speak and act differently, he also thinks and wills differently, for his thought and will then are that he may appear as a civil, moral, and even as a spiritual man, and this either because of the law and its penalties or for the sake of reputation and consequent honor and gain, thus from fear of losing these. That the man is then “afar off” from himself is evident from the fact that when he returns from externals into his internals, as he does when alone, he thinks and wills in a wholly different way, and when he is with companions like himself he talks in a different way. This shows that “standing afar off” signifies in the spiritual sense to be in externals.
[2] The chief reason why an evil man introduces himself or comes from internals into externals is fear; for fear closes up his internals when he sees the punishments and torments of his companions, and when his internals are closed up he comes into externals, and remains in them as long as the punishment is kept before his mind. And yet his internal is not made better by punishments, but remains wholly as before; therefore as soon as the fear of punishment recedes he returns into his evils, which are interiorly with him, and which belong to his spirit, and thus to his life. This may be illustrated by examples from the spiritual world. An evil spirit there is compelled by punishments not to speak or do evil; and in such a state he remains as long as he is in the place where the punishment is kept before his mind; but as soon as the fear of the punishment recedes he is evil as before. It is the same in the world. So long as thieves, robbers, and other criminals are in a city where all are held in restraint by the law and its penalties they do not steal or rob; but as soon as they come into forests, or into places where they have no fear of the penalties of the law, or when they can pervert the law by crafty devices and thus escape the penalties, they come into their internals and commit crimes.
sRef Jer@31 @10 S3′ sRef Zech@6 @15 S3′ sRef Isa@49 @12 S3′ sRef Jer@23 @23 S3′ sRef Isa@33 @13 S3′ sRef Isa@43 @6 S3′ sRef Isa@49 @1 S3′ sRef Ps@65 @5 S3′ [3] All this makes clear that externals are remote from internals, and stand as it were afar off; and this is why in the Word “afar off” signifies the external or what is remote from the internal, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Hear, ye that are afar off, what I have done, and ye that are near know My power (Isa. 33:13).
“Those that are afar off” here mean the nations, because they are remote from internal truths, and “those that are near” mean those who are of the church and who are in truths from the Word. In the same:
Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the end of the earth (Isa. 43:6).
Here, too, “sons and daughters” mean the nations; and because these are remote from truths and goods, which are the internals of the church, they are called “sons from afar, and daughters from the end of the earth,” “sons” meaning those who are in truths, and “daughters” those who are in goods, “the end of the earth” signifying the ultimates of the church.
sRef Isa@13 @5 S4′ sRef Jer@5 @15 S4′ sRef Isa@5 @26 S4′ [4] In the same:
Listen, O isles, unto Me, and ye peoples from afar. Lo, these shall come to thee from afar, and lo, these from the north and from the west (Isa. 49:1, 12).
“Isles” and “peoples from afar,” and “from the north and from the west,” mean in like manner the nations with whom the church was to be established. The meaning is the same in Jeremiah:
Declare it in the isles afar off (Jer. 31:10).
In Zechariah:
They that are afar off shall come, and shall build the temple of Jehovah (Zech. 6:15).
Here, too, “those afar off” mean the nations, and the “temple” that they shall build is the church. In Jeremiah:
Am I God that is near, and not God afar off? (Jer. 23:23).
This signifies that the Lord is God both to those who are within the church and to those who are outside of it, also to those who are in internal truths and to those who are in external truths. In David:
O God, the confidence of all the ends of the earth and of the sea, of those that are afar off (Ps. 65:5).
“The ends of the earth and of the sea, of those that are afar off,” signify the ultimates of the church. In the contrary sense “afar off” signifies evil, because evil is in the external man; for all who are in evils and falsities therefrom are external men. Such are meant by “nations and peoples from afar” and “from the end of the earth” in the following passages. In Isaiah:
The nations from afar and from the end of the earth (Isa. 5:26).
Peoples coming from a land afar off, from the end of the earth* (Isa. 13:5).
In Jeremiah:
Nations coming from a land afar off against Jerusalem (Jer. 4:16).
In the same:
Upon the house of Israel will I be a nation from afar (Jer. 5:15).
Because “Babylon” signifies evil of every kind and the profanation of good it is called:
A land afar off (Isa. 39:3).
That “those afar off” signify those who are in the externals of the church can be seen also from those who are in externals and those who are in internals in the spiritual world; the latter are in the south and the former in the north, thus they are separated according to the degree of the reception of truth and good. That “near” means what is internal may be seen above (n. 16).

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[5] Since God is infinite He is also omnipotent, for omnipotence is infinite power. God’s omnipotence shines forth from the universe, which is the visible heaven and the habitable globe; these, with all things that are in the visible heavens and on the habitable globe, are the great works of the omnipotent Creator. The creation of these and their maintenance testify that they are from the Divine omnipotence, while their order and mutual regard to ends from first to last testify that they are from the Divine wisdom. God’s omnipotence shines forth also from the heaven that is above or within our visible heaven, and from the globe there that is inhabited by angels, as ours is by men. There are wonderful testimonies there to the Divine omnipotence; and as these have been seen by me and revealed to me, I am permitted to mention them. All men that have died from the first creation of the world are there; and these after death continue to be men in form, but are spirits in essence.
[6] Spirits are affections that are of love, and thus also thoughts. The spirits of heaven are affections of the love of good, and the spirits of hell affections of the love of evil. Good affections, which are angels, dwell on a globe that is called heaven, and evil affections, which are spirits of hell, dwell at a great depth beneath them. The globe is one, but is divided into expanses as it were, one below another. There are six expanses; in the highest the angels of the third heaven dwell, and beneath them the angels of the second heaven, and beneath these the angels of the first heaven, below these dwell the spirits of the first hell, beneath these the spirits of the second hell, and beneath these the spirits of the third hell. All things are arranged in such order that the evil affections, which are spirits of hell, are held in bonds by the good affections, which are angels of heaven; the spirits of the lowest hell by the angels of the highest heaven, the spirits of the middle hell by the angels of the middle heaven, and the spirits of the first hell by the angels of the first heaven. By such opposition the affections are held in equilibrium as in the scales of a balance.
[7] Such heavens and hells are innumerable, divided into assemblies and societies according to the genera and species of all affections; and these affections in their order and connection are in accord with the nearer and more remote affinities of the societies. This is true both of the heavens and of the hells. This order and this connection of affections are known to the Lord alone, and the arrangement of so many different affections, as many as there have been men from the first creation and will be hereafter, is a work of infinite wisdom, and at the same time of infinite power. That the Divine power is infinite, or that it is omnipotence, is there clearly evident from the fact that neither the angels of heaven nor the devils of hell have any power whatever from themselves. If they had any at all heaven would fall to pieces, hell would become a chaos, and with these every man would perish.
* Photolithograph has “earth;” the Hebrew “heavens.” See n. 331, where Swedenborg translates it “heavens.”

sRef Rev@18 @10 S0′ 1134. Saying, Woe, woe, that great city Babylon, signifies lamentation over that doctrine and over that religion. This is evident from the signification of “woe, woe,” as being lamentation, especially over destruction and devastation (see n. 531); also from the signification of “city,” as being doctrine (see n. 223); also from the signification of “Babylon,” as being that religious persuasion which, because of the falsification and profanation of the truth and good of the church, is called “a harlot” and “the mother of whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth.” This makes clear that “Woe, woe, that great city Babylon,” signifies lamentation over that religious persuasion.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] God has all power, and men and angels have none at all, because God alone is life, and men and angels are only recipients of life, and life is that which acts, and the recipient of life that which is acted upon. Everyone can see that a recipient of life cannot act at all from itself, and that its action must be from the life that is God. Nevertheless, it can act as if from itself, for this can be granted to it; that it has been granted to it has been said above. If man does not live from himself it follows that he does not think and will from himself, neither does he speak and act from himself, but from God who alone is life. That this is so appears as a paradox, for man has no other feeling than that these things are in himself, and thus are done by himself; and yet when he speaks from faith he acknowledges that everything good and true is from God, and that everything evil and false is from the devil, although everything that a man thinks, wills, speaks or acts, has reference to what is good and true or to what is evil and false. For this reason when a man does good he says within himself, or his teacher says to him, that he was led by God, and when he does evil that he was led by the devil. Also every man who preaches, prays that his thought, his discourse, and his tongue, may be led by the spirit of God, and sometimes he adds after preaching that he has spoken from the Spirit; and some even have a perception of this in themselves. Moreover, I can myself testify before the world that all things of my thought and will have entered by influx, the goods and truths through heaven from the Lord, and the evils and falsities from hell. It has been granted me for a long time to perceive this.
sRef John@1 @1 S3′ sRef John@1 @2 S3′ sRef John@1 @1 S3′ sRef John@1 @4 S3′ sRef John@1 @3 S3′ [3] Angels of the higher heavens feel this manifestly; and the wisest of them do not wish to think and will even as if from themselves. On the other hand, infernal genii and spirits utterly deny this, and are angry when told that it is so. Yet to many the truth has been made evident by living proof; but afterwards they were indignant. Since, however, this seems to many to be a paradox, it is important that it should be seen from some idea of the understanding how this takes place, that it may be acknowledged that it does take place. The essence of the matter is as follows. From the Lord’s Divine love, which appears in the angelic heaven as a sun, light and heat proceed. This light is the life of His Divine wisdom, and this heat is the life of His Divine love. This spiritual heat which is love, and this spiritual light which is wisdom flow into subjects that are recipient of life, as natural heat and natural light from the sun of the world flow into subjects not recipient of life. And although light simply modifies the substances into which it flows, and heat simply changes their state, yet it follows that if these were living subjects, they would feel these changes in themselves, and would suppose them to be from themselves; and yet they recede with the sun and return with the sun. It is because the life of the Lord’s Divine wisdom is light that the Lord in many passages of the Word is called light, and it is said in John:
The Word was with God, and God was the Word. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men (John 1:1-4.)
From all this it is now clear that God has infinite power because He is the all in all. But how an evil person can think, will, speak and do evil, when God alone is life, will be told in what follows.

sRef Rev@18 @10 S0′ 1135. That mighty city, signifies which had fortified itself by so many wicked devices. This is evident from the signification of “mighty,” as being in reference to its doctrine and religious persuasion, which are signified by “the city of Babylon,” that they are fortified by devices that they may not be assailed and overthrown. What those devices are, and how wicked they are, may be seen above (n. 1112). It follows, nevertheless, that these devices were of no avail at the day of the Last Judgment, when all who were such perished, for it is said, “For in one hour is thy judgment come,” and that not only the kings of the earth, but also the merchants of the earth, and the pilots of the ships “should weep for her and wail over her.”
sRef Joel@2 @1 S2′ sRef Joel@2 @7 S2′ sRef Joel@2 @2 S2′ [2] Elsewhere in the Word those are called “mighty” who are in evils and falsities therefrom, and have fortified themselves by means of devices against the goods and truths of the church, thus those with whom the church is devastated, and who devastate the church with others. As in Joel:
The day of Jehovah cometh, a day of darkness and of thick darkness; a people great and mighty, such as there hath not been for an age. Like heroes they run, like men of war they climb over the wall (Joel 2:1-2, 7);
where also the Last Judgment is treated of, which is signified by “the day of Jehovah, a day of darkness and of thick darkness.” Those who are in falsities of evil and have fortified their falsities against truths by reasoning and by falsifications of the Word, are signified by “a people great and mighty;” that they reason from falsities against truths, and thus assail truths, is signified by “like heroes they run, like men of war they climb over the wall.” And so in other places.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[3] As the Divine omnipotence is such that man is not able to think and will, and thus to speak and act, of himself, but is able to do so only from the life which is God, it may be asked why every man is not saved. But he who concludes from this that everyone is saved, or that he is not to be blamed if he is not, is ignorant of the laws of Divine order respecting man’s reformation, regeneration, and consequent salvation. The laws of that order are called laws of the Divine providence. These the natural mind cannot know unless it is enlightened. And as man does not know them, and consequently forms conclusions respecting the Divine providence from what happens in the world, by which he falls into fallacies and thus into errors, from which it is difficult for him afterwards to extricate himself, therefore these laws shall be disclosed.
[4] But before these are disclosed, it is important to make known that the Divine providence operates every particular thing pertaining to man, and even in the most minute particulars, for his eternal salvation; for the salvation of man was the end of the creation of heaven and of earth. This end was that out of the human race a heaven might be formed, in which God could dwell as in His own very home, consequently the salvation of man is the all in all of the Divine providence. But the Divine providence proceeds so secretly that man can see scarcely a trace of it, and yet it is active in the most minute particulars relating to him from infancy to old age in the world, and afterwards to eternity, and in each one of these it is the eternal that is regarded.
[5] As the Divine wisdom is in itself nothing but an end, so providence acts from an end, in an end, and to an end. The end is that man may become wisdom and may become love, and thus a dwelling place and an image of the Divine life. But since the natural mind, unless it is enlightened, is unable to comprehend why the Divine providence, which works solely for man’s salvation, and works in the most minute things of the progress of man’s life, does not lead all to heaven, when it desires from love to so lead them, and is omnipotent; so in what now follows the laws of order, which are laws of the Divine providence, shall be opened; by which, I hope, the mind not before enlightened may be withdrawn from fallacies, if it is willing to be withdrawn.

sRef Rev@18 @10 S0′ 1136. For in one hour thy judgment is come, signifies their total destruction through the Last Judgment. This is evident from the signification of “in one hour,” as being suddenly, and here entirely, and thus in reference to destruction, total; for hour, the same as day, year, and all times in general, signifies state (see n. 194, 488, 673, 875). Here “hour” signifies a state of destruction by means of the Last Judgment; and the number used to designate the successive duration of time signifies the quality of the state; so when it is said “in one hour” it signifies all things suddenly. That it signifies all things suddenly is evident from what follows, where all things belonging to Babylon are enumerated as “her merchandise” that had perished. That “thy judgment is come” signifies destruction through the Last Judgment is evident without explanation.
(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)
[2] The laws of order which are called the laws of Divine Providence are the following: (1) Man does not feel and perceive and thus know otherwise than that life is in him, that is, that he thinks and wills from himself, and thus speaks and acts from himself; and yet he may acknowledge and believe that the truths that he thinks and speaks and the goods that he wills and does are from God, thus as if they were from himself; (2) Man does what he does from freedom according to reason, and yet he may acknowledge and believe that the very freedom that he has is from God; and the same is true of his very reason, viewed in itself, which is called rationality.
[3] (3) To think and speak truth and to will and do good from freedom according to reason is not from oneself but from God; and to think and to speak falsity and to will and do evil from freedom is not from oneself but from hell; and yet in such a way that while the falsity and evil are from hell, the freedom itself, regarded in itself, and the ability itself to think, will, speak, and do, regarded in itself, are from God.
[4] (4) Man’s understanding and will must not be compelled by another in the least, since all compulsion by another takes away freedom, but man himself should compel himself, for to compel oneself is to act from freedom.
[5] (5) From sense and perception man does not know in himself how good and truth flow in from God and how evil and falsity flow in from hell; nor does he see how the Divine Providence operates in favor of good against evil; if he did he could not act from freedom according to reason as if from himself; it is sufficient for him to know and acknowledge this from the Word and from the doctrine of the church.
[6] (6) Man is not reformed by external means but by internal means; by external means miracles and visions, also fears and punishments are meant; by internal means truths and goods from the Word and from the doctrine of the church and looking to the Lord are meant; for these means enter by an internal way, and remove the evils and falsities that have their seat within, while external means enter by an external way and do not remove evils and falsities but shut them in. Nevertheless, man may be further reformed by external means when he has previously been reformed by internal means; but a man that has not been reformed is merely withheld by external means, which are fears and punishments, from speaking and doing the evils and falsities that he thinks and that he wills.
[7] (7) Man is let into truths of faith and goods of love by God only so far as he can be kept in them until the end of life; for it is better that he should continue to be evil than that he should be good and afterwards evil, for he thus becomes profane. This is the chief reason why evil is permitted.
[8] (8) God continually withdraws man from evils so far as man is willing from freedom to be withdrawn. So far as man can be withdrawn from evil God leads him to good and thus to heaven. But so far as man cannot be withdrawn from evils God cannot lead him to good and thus to heaven; for so far as man has been withdrawn from evils so far he from God does good that is in itself good, but so far as he has not been withdrawn from evils so far he from himself does good that has evil within it.
[9] (9) God does not teach man truths either from Himself or through angels immediately; but He teaches by means of the Word, preaching, reading, and conversation and communication with others, and thus by thoughts with himself about these things. Man is then enlightened in the measure of his affection of truth from use. Otherwise man could not act as from himself.
[10] (10) Man from his own prudence has led himself to eminence and opulence, when these lead him astray; for by the Divine providence man is led only to such things as do not lead astray and as are serviceable to eternal life; for all things of the Divine providence with man look to what is eternal, since the life which is God, from which man is man, is eternal life.

sRef Rev@18 @11 S0′ 1137. Verse 11. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her because no one buyeth their merchandise anymore. 11. “And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her,” signifies the mourning and grief of those who acquire the things pertaining to that religious persuasion in order to gain honor and wealth (n. 1138); “because no one buyeth their merchandise anymore,” signifies that their evils and falsities by which they make gain are no more received (n. 1139).

sRef Rev@18 @11 S0′ 1138. Verse 11. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her, signifies the mourning and grief of those who acquire the things pertaining to that religious persuasion in order to gain honor and wealth. This is evident from the signification of “merchants,” as being those who acquire the knowledges of the truth and good of the church, and in the contrary sense those who acquire the knowledges of evil and falsity, so here those who acquire the things pertaining to that religious persuasion for the sake of gain, that is, both honors and wealth. (That this is the signification of “merchants” may be seen n. 840, 1104.) Also from the signification of “weeping and mourning,” as being to grieve and lament. There are four kinds of men of that religious persuasion that are here described, namely, those called “kings of the earth,” those called “merchants of the earth,” those called “merchants of merchandise,” and those called “masters of ships with sailors.” “The kings of the earth” are treated of in verses 9, 10, “the merchants of the earth” in verses 11-14, “the merchants of merchandise” verses 15-16, and “the masters of ships and sailors” verses 17-19.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] From all this it is evident that the Lord can lead man to heaven only by means of these laws, although he has Divine love from which He wills, and Divine wisdom from which He knows all things, and Divine power, which is omnipotence, from which He can do what He wills. For these laws that are called laws of providence are laws of order respecting reformation and regeneration, thus respecting the salvation of man, and against these the Lord cannot act, since to act against them would be to act against His own wisdom and against His own love, thus against Himself. In respect to the first law, which is, That from sense and perception man cannot know otherwise than that life is in him; and yet he should acknowledge that the goods and truths which belong to love and faith which he thinks, wills, speaks, and acts, are not from him but are from the Lord. This law presupposes the second, namely, That man has freedom, and that this freedom also appears to be his, and yet he should acknowledge that it is not his, but is the Lord’s in him.
[3] This law follows from the former because freedom makes one with life, for without freedom man cannot feel and perceive that life is as if it were in him; it is from freedom that he feels this and perceives this, for it is from freedom that everything that the life effects appears to man to be his own [proprium et suum], for freedom is the power to think, will, speak, and do from oneself, here as if from oneself. And it especially belongs to the will, for a man says, I have power to do what I will, and I will that which I have power to do; in other words, I am in freedom. Again, who cannot think from freedom that one thing is good and another evil, or that one thing is true and another false? Therefore freedom was given to man together with his life, nor is it ever taken away from him; for so far as it is taken away or lessened so far man feels and perceives that he does not live, but that another lives in him, and so far the delight of all things of his life is taken away or lessened, for he becomes a slave.
[4] That from sense and perception man knows no otherwise than that life is in him, thus that it is as if it were his own, has need of no other proof than experience itself. Who has any other feeling or perception than that he thinks from himself when he thinks, that he wills from himself when he wills, that he speaks and acts from himself when he speaks and acts? But it is from a law of the Divine providence that man should know no otherwise, since without such a feeling and such a perception he cannot receive anything to himself, appropriate anything to himself, or bring forth anything from himself; thus he would be neither a recipient of life from the Lord nor an agent of life from the Lord, but would be like an automaton, or like an upright image, without understanding or will, with the hands hanging down, awaiting influx that could not be given. For if life were not received and not appropriated as if by man, it would not be retained, but would flow through, and in consequence man from being alive would become like one dead, and from being a rational soul would become not rational, thus either a brute or a stock; for he would have no delight of life, that is, the delight that everyone has from receiving as if from himself, from appropriating and from bringing forth as if from himself, since delight and life act as one, and when you take away all the delight of life you grow cold and die.
[5] If it were not according to a law of the Divine providence that man should feel and perceive as if life and everything pertaining to it were in him, and should be left to acknowledge simply that good and truth are not from him but are from the Lord, nothing could be imputed to man, neither good nor truth, and thus neither love nor faith; and if nothing could be imputed, the Lord would not have commanded in the Word that man must do good and shun evil, and if he did good heaven would be his inheritance, and if he did evil hell would be his portion; nor even would there be any heaven or hell, for without that perception man would not be a man, thus would not be a dwelling place of the Lord. For the Lord wills to be loved by man as if by him; thus it is that the Lord dwells with man in what is His own, and this he has given him in order that He may be loved reciprocally; for the Divine love consists in this, that it wishes what is its own to be man’s, and this could not be unless man felt and perceived what is from the Lord to be as if it were his own.
[6] If it were not according to the Divine law that man cannot from sense and perception know otherwise than that life is in him, no end for the sake of which man could act would be possible; this is possible to man because the end from which he acts seems to be in him. The end from which he acts is his love, which is his life, and the end for the sake of which he acts is the delight of his love or life, and the effect in which the end presents itself is use. The end for the sake of which he acts, which is the delight of his life’s love, is felt and perceived in man, because the end from which he acts enables him to feel and perceive it; and that end is, as has been said, the love which is life. But to the man who acknowledges that all things of his life are from the Lord, the Lord gives the delight and blessedness of His love, so far as the man acknowledges this and performs uses. Thus when man by acknowledgment and by faith from love, as if from himself, ascribes to the Lord all things of his life, the Lord in turn ascribes to man the good of His life, which carries with it every happiness and every blessedness, and also enables him to feel and perceive interiorly and exquisitely this good to be in himself as if it were his own, and the more exquisitely in proportion as man from the heart wills that which he acknowledges by faith. The perception is then reciprocal, for the perception that He is in man and man is in Him is grateful to the Lord, and the perception that he is in the Lord and the Lord in him is gratifying to man. Such is the union of the Lord with man and of man with the Lord by means of love.

sRef Rev@18 @11 S0′ 1139. Because no one buyeth their merchandise anymore signifies that the falsities and evils by which they make gain are no more received. This is evident from the signification of “merchandise,” as being the falsities and evils of doctrine and of that religion, by which they make gain, which consists in honors and riches. (That this is the signification of “merchandise” is evident from the signification of “merchants,” as being those who acquire and sell such things, see above n. 1138.) What falsities and evils in particular are here signified by “merchandise” will be seen in what follows, where they are enumerated. This “merchandise,” since it belongs to Babylon, which is called a “harlot” and “the mother of the whoredoms of the earth,” is what is meant in the Word by “the merchandise of whoredoms”; and that this means the falsifications and adulterations of good and truth may be seen above (n. 695). Also from the signification of “not to buy anymore,” as being not to receive anymore. Not being received means that their evils and falsities are no longer received in the spiritual world, although they are received in the natural world; for all who come after death into the spiritual world from Babylon on the earth are explored, and according to their loves are sent into societies; the evil are sent into infernal societies, and the good are instructed and are then received into heaven according to their reception of truth and good from the Lord.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] Man has a feeling and perception that life is in him, because the life of the Lord is in him as the light and heat of the sun are in a subject. This light and heat belong not to the subject but to the sun in the subject, for they withdraw with the sun, but when they are in the subject they in appearance wholly belong to it; from light the subject has color as if it were in it, and from heat it has vegetative life as if it were in it. But this is much more true of the light and heat from the sun of the spiritual world, which is the Lord, whose light is the light of life and whose heat is the heat of life, for the sun from which these proceed is the Lord’s Divine love, while man is the recipient subject. This light and heat never withdraw from the recipient, which is man, and when they are in man they are in appearance wholly his own. From the light he has the ability to understand, and from the heat the ability to will. From this, that the light and heat, although they are not his own, are seemingly wholly in the recipient, and from this that they never withdraw, also from this that they affect his inmosts, which are remote from the sight of his understanding and from the feeling of his will, there must needs be the appearance that they are innate, that is, they seem to be in him, and thus what they effect seems to be from him. From this it is that man does not know otherwise than that he thinks from himself and that he wills from himself; and yet he does not in the least do this from himself, for it is impossible for this light and heat to be so united to the recipient as to be his own, precisely as it is impossible for the light of the sun to be united to an earthly subject and become material as the subject is. The same is true of heat. But the light of life and the heat of life move and fill their recipient in the exact measure of the quality of his acknowledgment that they are not his but are the Lord’s, and the quality of acknowledgment is in exact accord with the quality of love in doing the commandments, which are uses.

sRef Rev@18 @12 S0′ 1140. Verse 12. Merchandise of gold and of silver, and of precious stone and of pearl, and of fine linen and of purple, and of silk and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and every vessel of ivory and every vessel of precious wood, and of brass and of iron, and of marble. 12. “Merchandise of gold and silver” signifies all goods and truths in general of the Word, of doctrine, and of the church, that have been profaned by them, thus all evils and falsities in general through which are their gains (n. 1141); “and of precious stone and of pearl” signifies the knowledges of truth and good from the Word that have been profaned (n. 1142); “and of fine linen and of purple” signifies truths and goods from a celestial origin, that have been profaned (n. 1143); “and of silk and of scarlet” signifies truths and goods from a spiritual origin that have been profaned (n. 1144); “and all thyine wood” signifies all good in the natural man therefrom (n. 1145); “and every vessel of ivory and every vessel of precious wood” signifies rational truths and goods that have been profaned (n. 1146); “and of brass and of iron” signifies all natural goods and truths that have been profaned (n. 1147); “and of marble” signifies sensual truth (n. 1148).

sRef Rev@18 @12 S0′ 1141. Verse 12. Merchandise of gold and of silver signifies all goods and truths in general of the Word, of doctrine, and of the church, that have been profaned by them, thus all evils and falsities in general, from which are their gains. This is evident from the signification of “merchandise,” as being all things by which gain is acquired, and when predicated of the church these signify all evils and falsities (see just above, n. 1139). Also from the signification of “gold and silver,” as being goods and truths (see n. 242), but here goods and truths profaned, and thus evils and falsities, because they belong to Babylon; for when the goods and truths of the Word have been profaned, they are no longer goods and truths, but evils and falsities. They are profaned by falsifications and adulterations, and by a life according to these. What is meant by profanations, whence they are and what they are, may be seen above (n. 1045-1099). All things in general are signified by “merchandise of gold and silver,” because in the following parts of this verse the goods and truths that have been profaned are enumerated; these are particular evils and falsities and are signified by “precious stone, pearl, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, thyine wood, vessel of ivory, vessel of precious wood, brass, iron, and marble.” The things mentioned in this verse signify all things of the Word, of doctrine, and of the church, because the things mentioned in the following verse 13, signify all things of worship, and those in verse 14 all things of effects. From all this it is clear that “merchandise of gold and silver” here signifies all goods and truths in general of the Word, of doctrine, and of the church, that have been profaned by them, thus all evils and falsities in general from which are their gains.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] (3) The third law of Divine providence is, That to think and speak truth and to will and do good from freedom according to reason is not from man but from the Lord; and that to think and speak falsity and to will and do evil from freedom is not from man but from hell, and yet in such a way that while the evil and falsity are from hell, the freedom itself regarded in itself, and the ability itself to think, will, speak, and do, regarded in itself, are from the Lord. That every good that is good in itself and every truth that is truth in itself is from the Lord and not from man, can be comprehended by the understanding from this, that the light that proceeds from the Lord as a sun is the Divine truth of His Divine wisdom, and that the heat that proceeds from the Lord as a sun is the Divine good of His Divine love; and as man is a recipient of these it follows, that every good which is from love and every truth which is from wisdom is from the Lord and not from man. But that every evil and every falsity is from hell and not from man has not been made a matter of faith, as the fact that good and truth are not from man has, because heretofore this has not been heard. But that evil and falsity are from man is an appearance, and if believed is a fallacy, cannot be comprehended until it is known what hell is, and how hell with evil and falsity can flow in on the one side as the Lord with good and truth flows in on the other. Therefore it shall be told in the first place of whom hell consists, what hell is, whence it is, and how it flows in and acts against good, and thus how man who is in the midst is acted upon on either side as a mere recipient.

sRef Rev@18 @12 S0′ 1142. Of precious stone and of pearl signifies the knowledges of truth and good from the Word that have been profaned. This is evident from the signification of “precious stone,” as being the knowledges of truth from the Word (see n. 717); also from the signification of “pearl,” as being the knowledges of good (see n. 1044); and as such knowledges are scientific truths [vera scientifica] or truths of the natural man, so “precious stones” signify the truths through which goods come, and “pearls” the goods through which truths come, for everywhere in the Word there is a marriage of truth and good, and for the reason that truth is not truth unless it looks to good or proceeds from good, and good is not good unless it looks to truths or exists through truths. Thus truths and goods are joined as in a marriage, and truths and goods exist as from a marriage. This is why here and elsewhere in the Word things are mentioned in pairs, one of which signifies good and the other truth, as “gold and silver,” “precious stone and pearl,” “fine linen and purple,” “silk and scarlet,” “vessel of ivory and vessel of precious wood,” “brass, iron, and marble,” where “gold, pearl, purple, scarlet, precious wood, and brass,” signify goods of various kinds, and “silver, precious stone, fine linen, silk, ivory, iron, and marble,” signify truths of various kinds. So elsewhere. But here these all signify goods and truths profaned, thus evils and falsities, as has been said just above of the signification of gold and silver.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] First it shall be told of whom hell consists. Hell consists of spirits who when they were men in the world denied God, acknowledged nature, lived contrary to Divine order, loved evils and falsities, although not before the world for appearance’s sake; consequently they were either insane as to truths, or despised truths, or denied them in heart if not with the lips. Of all such from the creation of the world hell consists. All these are called either devils or satans; those in whom the love of self has predominated are called devils, and those in whom the love of the world has predominated are called satans. The hell where devils are is meant in the Word by the “Devil,” and the hell where satans are is meant by “Satan.” Moreover, the Lord has so joined the devils together that they are as one, and also the satans; and this is why the hells are called the Devil and Satan in the singular. Hell does not consist of spirits immediately created, neither does heaven consist of angels immediately created; but hell consists of men born in the world, who were made devils or satans by themselves, and in like manner heaven consists of men born in the world, who were there made angels by the Lord. All men as to the interiors which belong to their minds are spirits, clothed in the world with a material body which is under the direction of the thought of the spirit and under the control of its affection; for the mind which is spirit acts, and the body which is matter is acted upon; and every spirit after the material body has been cast off, is a man similar in form as a man in the world (see above, n. 1127). All this makes clear of whom hell consists.

sRef Rev@18 @12 S0′ 1143. And of fine linen and of purple signifies truths and goods from a celestial origin that have been profaned. This is evident from the signification of “fine linen,” as being truths from a celestial origin (of which presently); also from the signification of “purple,” as being goods from a celestial origin (of which above, n. 1042). But here such truths and goods profaned are meant, because the fine linen and purple are called “merchandise of Babylon,” and “Babylon,” as “a harlot and the mother of whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth,” signifies profanations of truth and good. Truths and goods from a celestial origin are truths and goods with those who are in love to the Lord; these are called celestial, and are distinguished from the truths and goods from a spiritual origin, which are signified by “silk and scarlet,” which will be spoken of presently. Truths and goods from a celestial origin are profaned by their transferring to themselves the Lord’s Divine power of saving the human race, thus transferring their love to the Lord to the Pope as a vicar and to his ministers. And yet the Lord cannot be loved when He has no power to save; but the man is loved who is put in the Lord’s place. They say that the Lord is loved because He has given that power to a man, and that He is loved and is held in holy respect by those who have received that power, and is worshipped by the rest. But love to the Lord cannot exist with them, because the love of having dominion over heaven and over the church is wholly contrary to it; for such love is love of self, which is a diabolical love, from which the Lord cannot be loved. Such love regarded in itself is rather hatred against the Lord, and it is turned into hatred when they become spirits and dominion is taken away from them. Then they persecute all who are in love to the Lord. All this makes clear how they profane truths and goods which are from a celestial origin.
sRef Ezek@16 @10 S2′ sRef Luke@16 @19 S2′ sRef Ezek@16 @13 S2′ sRef Ezek@27 @7 S2′ [2] That “fine linen” signifies truths from a celestial origin can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
I clothed thee with embroidered work, I shod thee with the skin of the badger, and I girded thee with fine linen, and covered thee with silk. Thus wast thou adorned with gold and silver, and thy garments were fine linen, and silk, and embroidered work (Ezek. 16:10, 13).
This is said of Jerusalem, which means the church, here in its first establishment. “Embroidered work and the skin of the badger” here signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word; “fine linen and silk” signify truths from a celestial origin and truths from a spiritual origin. These are said to be “garments,” because “garments” signify the truths with which good is clothed. In the same:
Fine linen in embroidered work was thy spreading forth, and purple from the isles of Elishah was thy covering (Ezek. 27:7).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church as to the knowledges of good and truth. These knowledges are signified by “embroidered work from Egypt,” truths by “fine linen,” and good by “purple,” both from a celestial origin. In Luke:
There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and indulged in luxuries every day splendidly (Luke 16:19).
The “rich man” means the Jewish nation, which is said to be “clothed in purple and fine linen,” because they have the Word from which they might have goods and truths; goods are here meant by “purple,” and truths by “fine linen,” both from a celestial origin. “Lazarus lying at the rich man’s porch” means the Gentiles that did not have the Word.
sRef Rev@19 @14 S3′ sRef Rev@19 @8 S3′ sRef Rev@19 @7 S3′ [3] Since “fine linen” [byssus] which is also called cotton [xylinum] signified truths from a celestial origin, and the garments of Aaron represented Divine truths, because he represented the Lord, therefore:
His miter and belt were woven of fine linen and cotton (Exod. 28:39; 39:27).
And because the curtains and hangings of the tabernacle represented those things of the church that cover, and these are truths, therefore:
These were woven of cotton or fine linen (Exod. 26:1; 27:9, 18; 36:8; 38:9, 16).
“Fine linen” has the same signification in the following passages of Revelation:
The time of the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready; and it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright (Rev. 19:7-8).
The armies of Him that sat upon the white horse followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean (Rev. 19:14).
“Fine linen” signifies truth from a celestial origin because fine linen was a kind of very shining flax of which garments were made; “flax,” and also “whiteness,” signify truth, and “a garment” made of it signifies truth that is clean and pure according to the shining.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[4] The hell where those are who are called devils is the love of self; and the hell where those are who are called satans is the love of the world. The diabolical hell is the love of self because that love is the opposite of celestial love which is love to the Lord; and the satanic hell is the love of the world because that love is the opposite of spiritual love, which is love towards the neighbor. Now as the two loves of hell are opposites of the two loves of heaven, hell and the heavens are in opposition to each other; for all who are in the heavens look to the Lord and to the neighbor, but all who are in the hells look to self and the world. All who are in the heavens love the Lord and the neighbor, and all who are in the hells love self and the world, and consequently hate the Lord and the neighbor. All who are in the heavens think what is true and will what is good, because they think and will from the Lord; but all who are in the hells think what is false and will what is evil, because they think and will from self. From this it is that all who are in the hells appear turned backward, with the face turned away from the Lord; they also appear turned upside down, with the feet upwards and the head downwards. They so appear in accordance with their loves, which are opposite to the loves of heaven.
[5] As hell is the love of self it is also fire, for all love corresponds to fire, and in the spiritual world is so presented as to appear like a fire at a distance, although it is not fire but love; and thus the hells appear within to be on fire, and without like outbursts of fire in smoke from furnaces or from conflagrations; and sometimes the devils themselves appear like fires of coals. Their heat from that fire is like a boiling up from impurities, which is lust, and their light from that fire is only an appearance of light from fantasies and from confirmations of evil by falsities, but still it is not light, for when the light of heaven flows in it becomes to them thick darkness, and when the heat of heaven flows in it becomes to them cold; nevertheless, they see from their light, and live from their heat; but they see like owls, birds of night, and bats, whose eyes are blinded in the light of heaven, and they live half dead. The living principle in them is from the ability to think, to will, to speak, to do, and in consequence to see, to hear, to taste, to smell, and to feel; and this living principle is merely the ability arising from action upon them from without of the life which is God, according to order, and continually impelling them towards order. It is from that power that they live to eternity. Their dead principle is from the evils and falsities that spring from their loves. Consequently their life viewed from their loves is not life but death; and this is why in the Word hell is called “death,” and those who are there are called “the dead.”

sRef Rev@18 @12 S0′ 1144. And of silk and of scarlet signifies truths and goods from a spiritual origin that have been profaned. This is evident from the signification of “silk,” as being truth from a spiritual origin (of which presently); also from the signification of “scarlet,” as being good from a spiritual origin (see above, n. 1142). This good coincides with truth from a celestial origin, and therefore that, too, is signified by “scarlet” in the Word. But “silk and scarlet” here signify such truths and goods profaned by Babylon, which are profaned when spiritual love, which is love towards the neighbor, has been perverted; for those who are in such love of self as the Babylonians are in, can have no love to the neighbor; if they love others it is for the sake of self, so that the end is the man himself and love to the neighbor the means, and the end loves the means so far as the means are serviceable to it; and casts them away when they cease to serve it. This can be seen in all the particulars of their works. Love towards the neighbor in the spiritual sense is the love of uses; and when uses are for the sake of self, it is not a love of uses but a love of self. That “silk” signifies truth from a spiritual origin, can be seen from the passage in Ezekiel (16:10, 13) which has been explained just above (n. 1143). “Silk” signifies truth from a spiritual origin because of its gloss, for silk is glossy from light, and “light” signifies the Divine truth, which is also called the spiritual Divine.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] It has been said that the love of self and the love of the world are hell, but the source of those loves shall now be explained. Man was created to love self and the world, to love the neighbor and heaven, and to love the Lord. For this reason when a man is born he first loves himself and the world, and afterwards, so far as he becomes wise, he loves the neighbor and heaven, and as he becomes still wiser he loves the Lord. Such a man is in the Divine order, and is actually led by the Lord, although apparently by himself. But so far as he is not wise he stops in the first degree, which is to love himself and the world; and if he loves the neighbor, heaven, and the Lord, it is for the sake of self before the world. But if he is wholly unwise he loves himself alone, and the world and also the neighbor for the sake of self; while heaven and the Lord he either despises or denies or hates in heart, if not in words. These are the origins of the love of self and of the love of the world, and as these loves are hell, it is evident whence hell is.
[3] When a man has become a hell, he is like a tree cut off or like a tree whose fruits are malignant; or he is like sandy soil in which no seed will take root, or like soil, out of which springs nothing but the thorn that pricks or the nettle that stings. When a man becomes a hell the inner or higher parts of his mind are closed up and the outer and lower are opened. And as the love of self determines all things of the thought and will to itself and immerses them in the body, it inverts and twists back the outer parts of the mind, which, as has been said, are open, and as a consequence these incline and bend and are borne downwards, that is, towards hell.
[4] But since man has still an ability to think, to will, to speak and to do, and this ability is in no case taken away from him, because he was born a man, so having become inverted and no longer receiving any good or any truth from heaven, but only evil and falsity from hell, he acquires a kind of light by confirmations of evil from falsity, and of falsity from evil in order that he may be eminent above others. This he believes to be a rational light, when yet it is an infernal light, and in itself fatuous, producing vision like that of a dream in the night, or a delirious fantasy, by reason of which things that are appear as if they were not, and things that are not appear as if they were. But this will be seen more clearly from a comparison between an angel-man and a devil-man.

sRef Rev@18 @12 S0′ 1145. And all thyine wood signifies all good conjoined to truth in the natural man. This is evident from the signification of “wood,” as being the good of the natural man (of which presently); but “thyine wood” signifies good conjoined to truth in the natural man, for the word thyine in the Greek is derived from the word that means two; and “two” signifies such conjunction. That “thyine wood” signifies good conjoined to truth is evident also from what precedes and from what follows; from what precedes the things that signify celestial goods and truths and the things that signify spiritual goods and truths are enumerated, which are “fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet;” and from what follows, the things that signify natural goods and truths are enumerated, which are “vessel of ivory, and vessel of precious wood, of brass, iron, and marble.” This makes clear that “thyine wood” signifies good conjoined to truth in the natural man, arising from those goods and truths that are mentioned above. For there are three degrees of life in man, which viewed in their order are called celestial, spiritual, and natural; in this verse such things as signify goods and truths according to their degrees are mentioned in this order. But as the things mentioned above signify truths and goods profaned, which in themselves are falsities and evils, so good conjoined to truth, which is “thyine wood,” means such good profaned, which is evil conjoined to falsity. And because such good is of the natural man, it is especially profaned by venerations of bones and sepulchers, by sanctifications of many things used in worship, by many things relating to processions, and in general by all things idolatrous that are delightful to the natural man, and are consequently felt to be good and are called true.
[2] “Wood” signifies good, because it is from a tree from which are fruits; also because wood can be burned and be useful in keeping the body warm, and in building houses and making various articles of convenience and use; also because an oil, which signifies the good of love, may be expressed from wood; it also contains in it that which gives heat. “Stone” on the other hand signifies here the truth of the natural man, because it is cold and cannot be burned. Because “wood” signifies good, with the most ancient people who were in the good of love the temples were of wood, which were not called temples but houses of God; and with many their tabernacles were used for this purpose, in which they not only dwelt but also had Divine worship. For the same reason the angels of the third heaven dwell in houses of wood, and this because they are in the good of love to the Lord, to which “wood” corresponds. Moreover, their different kinds of wood have a correspondence according to the trees from which they are; for a tree signifies man, and its fruit the good of man. This is why woods from various kinds of trees are mentioned in the Word, as the olive, the vine, the cedar, the poplar, the oak; and the wood of the olive signifies celestial good, of the vine spiritual good, of the cedar rational good, of the poplar natural good, and of the oak sensual good.
sRef Lam@5 @4 S3′ sRef Ezek@26 @12 S3′ [3] Now as all things in the world are correspondences, and wood corresponds to good, and in the contrary sense to evil, so “wood” here signifies good, and in the contrary sense evil, as can be seen from the following passages. In Lamentations:
We drink our waters for silver, and our wood comes at a price (Lam. 5:4).
The lack of the knowledges of truth and good is thus described; the lack of the knowledges of truth by “drinking waters for silver,” and the lack of the knowledges of good by “wood coming at a price.” In Ezekiel:
They shall pillage thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise; they shall break down thy walls, and overthrow the houses of thy desire; thy stones, thy woods, and thy dust shall they place in the midst of the sea (Ezek. 26:12).
This describes the devastation of all things of truth and good of the church by evils and falsities. The “riches” which they pillage are the knowledges of truth; the “merchandise” of which they shall make a prey are the knowledges of good; the “walls” which they shall break down are doctrinals; “the houses of desire” which they shall overthrow are the things of the mind, thus of the understanding and will, for there man dwells; the “stones, woods, and dust, which they shall place in the midst of the sea,” are the truths and goods of the natural man, “stones” its truths, “woods” its goods, and “dust” the lowest things, which are of the sensual man.
sRef Ex@15 @25 S4′ sRef Ezek@37 @16 S4′ sRef Ezek@37 @19 S4′ sRef Ezek@37 @17 S4′ [4] In the same:
Son of man, take thee one stick and write upon it, For Judah and the sons of Israel his companions; then take one stick and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and of the tribes* of Israel his companions; then join them to thee one with the other into one stick, that the two may be one in My hand, and I will make them into one stick (Ezek. 37:16-17, 19-20).
This represents the conjunction of the celestial and spiritual kingdoms of the Lord by the good of love. “Judah and the sons of Israel his companions” signify the Lord’s celestial kingdom; “Judah” that kingdom as to good, and “the sons of Israel his companions” as to truth; but “Joseph and the tribes of Israel his companions” signify the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, “Joseph” that kingdom as to good, and the “tribes of Israel his companions” as to truth. “Ephraim” signifies the understanding of truth; and as those who are in the understanding of truth from spiritual good are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, the stick is called Ephraim’s. That the Lord conjoins these two kingdoms into one by the good of love to Him and by the good of charity towards the neighbor is meant by the Lord’s “joining them one with the other into one stick, that the two may be one in the hand of Jehovah, and be made one stick.” That things derived from falsities are corrected by means of good was represented and signified by:
The bitter waters in Marah were made sweet by the wood cast into them (Exod. 15:25).
“Bitter waters” mean the things that are apparently true but are derived from falsities; “wood” means the good of the natural man. Because “wood” from correspondence signifies the good of love, the tables of stone on which the law was inscribed were placed in an ark made of shittim wood; and for the same reason other things of the tabernacle were made of the same wood, and the temple of Jerusalem was covered with wood.
sRef Isa@40 @20 S5′ [5] Now as most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so does wood, and in that sense it signifies evil, because evil is opposite to good. This is signified by:
Serving wood and stone (Deut. 4:23-28; Isaiah 37:19; Jer. 3:9; Ezek. 20:32; and other places).
In Isaiah:
He chooseth wood that will not rot, he seeketh for himself a wise artificer to prepare a graven image that shall not be moved (Isa. 40:20).
“Wood” here signifies evil which is adored as good, for a “graven image” means the evil of worship; “to choose wood that will not rot” signifies some good from the Word that is becoming adulterated and thus evil; this is chosen because that which is from the Word persuades, and thus does not perish in the mind, which is the case with evil and falsity confirmed by the Word. “He seeks a wise artificer” signifies to seek one who from self intelligence has a gift for confirming and falsifying.
sRef Jer@10 @3 S6′ sRef Jer@10 @8 S6′ [6] In Jeremiah:
The statutes of the nations are vanity; since one cutteth wood from the forest, the labor of the hands of the workman with the axe. . . . They are stupid and foolish, the wood is a doctrine of vanities (Jer. 10:3, 8).
“The statutes of the nations, which are vanity,” signify all things of worship of those who are in evil; “the wood cut from the forest and the labor of the hands of the workman with the axe” signify evil from which is worship that has been fashioned by falsities from self-intelligence, “wood” being the evil of the worship that is meant by a graven image, “the labor of the hands of the workman” being what is from self-intelligence, and the “axe” the falsity that destroys good and confirms evil.
sRef Deut@19 @5 S7′ sRef Jer@46 @22 S7′ [7] In the same:
The voice shall go like that of a serpent, and they came with axes like hewers of wood (Jer. 46:22).
“The voice of a serpent” means craft and deceit; “with axes” signifies with falsities destroying good; “like hewers of wood” signifies as if willing to extirpate evil, and yet they extirpate good. In Moses:
If one should kill his companion by error, as in coming with a companion into a forest, and the axe slip from the wood upon his companion, he shall flee to a city of refuge (Deut. 19:5).
That one who sins by error is permitted to flee to a city of refuge is here illustrated by an example that rarely happens, but it is cited to show what is meant by slaying by error; this example is cited because wood and axe and forest are significative, “wood” being good, “axe” falsity, and “forest” the natural man; therefore these words signify that if one who is in natural good should bring destruction upon another’s soul by falsity which he does not know to be falsity, it would be done by error, because it is not done from evil.
sRef Hab@2 @11 S8′ sRef Jer@2 @27 S8′ [8] In Habakkuk:
The stone crieth out of the wall, and the beam from the wood answereth (Hab. 2:11).
This means that evil confirms and incites falsity; the “wall out of which the stone crieth” signifies man devoid of truths, and thus wishing to be taught falsity; “the beam that answereth from the wood” signifies man destitute of good, “wood” signifying the evil that confirms falsity and agrees with it. In Jeremiah:
Saying to the wood, Thou art my father, and to the stone, Thou hast begotten me; for they have turned the neck to Me and not the face (Jer. 2:27).
“Saying to the wood, Thou art my father,” signifies to be conceived from evil; and “saying to the stone, Thou hast begotten me,” signifies to be born from falsity of evil; “to turn the neck and not the face” signifies to turn away from all good and truth. “Fire and wood” are mentioned in Zechariah (12:6), and in Isaiah (30:33), because “fire” signifies evil love, and “wood” evils therefrom.
sRef Matt@26 @47 S9′ sRef Deut@21 @23 S9′ sRef Deut@21 @22 S9′ [9] As “swords” signify falsities destroying truths, and “woods” signify evils destroying good, so by command of the chief priests:
A multitude went out with Judas Iscariot against Jesus, with swords and staves (Matt. 26:47; Mark 14:43, 48; Luke 22:52).
This was done because all things relating to the Lord’s passion were representative of the destruction by the Jews of all things of good and truth. With the sons of Israel there were two general punishments, stoning and hanging upon wood, stoning for injuring or destroying truth, and hanging upon wood for injuring or destroying good. For this reason:
Hanging upon wood was a curse (Deut. 21:22-23).
All this makes clear that “wood” signifies good, specifically the good of the natural man, and in the contrary sense its evil.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[10] In the world there are angel-men and devil-men; heaven is constituted of angel-men, and hell of devil-men. With an angel-man all the degrees of his life are open to the Lord; but with a devil-man only the lowest degree is open, and the higher degrees are closed. An angel-man is led by the Lord both from within and from without; but a devil-man is led by himself from within, and by the Lord from without. An angel-man is led by the Lord according to order, from within from order, and from without to order; but a devil-man is led by the Lord to order from without, but by himself against order from within. An angel-man is continually led away from evil by the Lord, and led to good; a devil-man also is continually led away from evil by the Lord, but from a more to a less grievous evil, for he cannot be led to good. An angel-man is continually led away from hell by the Lord, and is led into heaven more and more interiorly; a devil-man is also continually led away from hell, but from a more grievous to a milder hell, for he cannot be led into heaven.
[11] Because an angel-man is led by the Lord he is led by civil law, by moral law, and by spiritual law, for the sake of the Divine in them; a devil-man is led by the same laws, but for the sake of himself [suum] in them. An angel-man from the Lord loves the goods of the church, which are the goods of heaven, because they are goods, also its truths because they are truths; but he loves from self the goods of the body and of the world because they are for use and because they are for pleasure, likewise the truths that belong to the sciences; but although he loves all these in appearance from self, in reality he loves them from the Lord. A devil-man also loves from self the goods of the body and of the world, because they are for use and because they are for pleasure, likewise the truths that belong to the sciences; but although he loves all these in appearance from self, in reality he loves them from hell. An angel-man is in freedom and in the delight of his heart when he is doing good from good, and when he is not doing evil; but a devil-man is in freedom and in the delight of his heart when he is doing good from evil, and when he is doing evil. An angel-man and a devil-man in externals appear alike, but in internals they are wholly unlike; therefore when external things are laid aside by death they are manifestly unlike. The one is taken up into heaven, and the other is taken down into hell.
* Photolithograph has “tribes;” the Hebrew has “house,” but in verse 19 below it has “tribes.”

sRef Rev@18 @12 S0′ 1146. And every vessel of ivory, and every vessel of precious wood, signifies rational truths and goods that have been profaned. This is evident from the signification of “vessel,” as being the knowing faculty (of which presently); also from the signification of “ivory,” as being rational truth (of which also presently); also from the signification of “precious wood,” as being good of great excellence, thus rational good, for this is such good because it is the best good of the natural man. That “wood” signifies good may be seen above (n. 1145). A “vessel” means the knowing faculty, because all truth in the natural man is called knowledge; and this is signified by a “vessel” because the knowledge of the natural man is the containant of rational and spiritual truths, for when these are thought and perceived they are laid up in the memory and are called knowledges. This is why in the Word “vessels” signify cognitions [cognitiones] and so far as these belong to the natural man, and are laid up in the memory of that man, they are knowledges [scientifica].
sRef Ezek@27 @6 S2′ sRef Ezek@27 @15 S2′ [2] “Ivory” signifies rational truth, because the camel* signifies the natural in general; since, therefore, “ivory” is from his teeth and by it he has power, also since it is white and also has a power of resistance, it signifies rational truth, which is the most excellent truth of the natural man. This truth is signified by “ivory,” as well as by “ebony.” In Ezekiel:
Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; they have made thy benches of ivory. Many isles were the traffic of thine hand, they brought thee for a gift horns of ivory and ebony (Ezek. 27:6, 15).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the knowledges of truth, by which man has intelligence. These knowledges are here described by a ship, the oars of which were of oak and the bench of ivory, “oars” signifying the things of the understanding that are of use in speaking and that belong to the sensual man, and “bench” signifying that part of the understanding by which one is led, which is the rational. This is here signified also by the “ebony” which the isles bring, “isles” signifying those in the church who are natural and yet rational.
sRef Amos@3 @15 S3′ sRef Amos@6 @4 S3′ sRef Ps@45 @8 S3′ [3] In Amos:
That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches (Dan. 6:4).
Reasonings from falsities are thus described, “beds of ivory” being doctrines seemingly from rational truths, and “to stretch themselves upon their couches” being to reason in favor of these from falsities. In the same:
I will smite the winter house with the summer house, that the houses of ivory may perish, and the great houses may have an end (Amos 3:15).
“Houses” signify the things of the human mind, here the things of the natural mind separate from the spiritual mind; “winter house and summer house” signify things of the natural man that are called sensual, and “house of ivory” and “great house” signify the things of the natural man that are called rational, “house of ivory” here meaning those that have relation to truth, and “great house” those that have relation to good. As “house” signifies man as to those things that are of his mind, they formerly built houses of ivory, as we read of Ahab (1 Kings 22:39), which signified man as to the rational. This makes clear what is signified by these words in David:
Out of the ivory palaces have they made thee glad (Ps. 45:8).
This is said of the Lord. “Ivory palaces” mean truths from the rational man, thus rational truths. But “vessel of ivory” and “vessel of precious wood” signify rational truths and goods profaned, because they were predicated of Babylon, which signifies profanation of all things of truth and good.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[4] That man is merely a recipient of good and truth from the Lord and of evil and falsity from hell, must be illustrated by comparisons confirmed by the laws of order and influx, and finally established by experience. It is illustrated by the following comparisons. The sensories of the body are recipient and percipient only seemingly from themselves; the sensory of sight, which is the eye, sees objects out of itself as if it were close by them, when, in fact, the rays of light convey with wings of ether their forms and colors into the eye, and these forms when perceived in the eye are observed by an internal sight that is called the understanding, and are distinguished and recognized according to their quality. It is the same with the sensory of hearing. This perceives sounds, whether words or musical tones, from the place from which they come as if it were there; when in fact, the sounds flow in from without and are perceived by the understanding within the ear. It is the same with the sensory of smell; this, too, perceives from within what flows in from without, sometimes from a great distance. Also the sensory of taste is excited by the foods that come in contact with the tongue from without. The sensory of touch does not feel unless it is touched. These five bodily sensories by virtue of an influx from within are sensible of what flows in from without; the influx from within is from the spiritual world, and the influx from without is from the natural world.
[5] With all this the laws inscribed on the nature of all things are in harmony, which laws are: (1) That nothing exists or subsists from itself, or is acted upon or moved by itself, but only by something else. From this it follows that everything exists and subsists and is acted upon and moved by the First that is not from another, but is in itself the living force, which is life. (2) That nothing can be acted upon or moved unless it is intermediate between two forces, one of which acts and the other reacts, that is, unless one acts on the one side and the other on the other, and unless one acts from within and the other from without. (3) And since these two forces when at rest produce an equilibrium, it follows that nothing can be put in action or moved unless it is in equilibrium, and when put in action it is out of the equilibrium; also that everything put in action or moved seeks to return to an equilibrium. (4) That all activities are changes of state and variations of form, and that the latter are from the former. By state in man his love is meant, and by changes of state the affections of love; by form in man his intelligence is meant, and by variations of form his thoughts; and thoughts are from affections.
* Swedenborg wrote “camel” instead of elephant. In Apocalypse Revealed, n. 774 he has elephant

sRef Rev@18 @12 S0′ 1147. Of brass and of iron signifies natural goods and truths also that have been profaned. This is evident from the signification of “brass,” as being natural good (see n. 70); also from the signification of “iron,” as being natural truth (see n. 176). But as what is here presented relates to the natural man, it is to be known that the natural of man is threefold-rational, natural, and sensual; the rational is the highest in it, the sensual is the lowest, and the natural is the middle. The genuine rational is from influx from the spiritual world, the sensual is from influx from the natural world, and the mediate natural is either of the rational or of the sensual. That the natural is threefold can be seen in men who while they are in the world are either rational or sensual or intermediate. Which of these they are is clear especially from their perception of civil, moral and spiritual laws. Those are rational who think, judge, and conclude well from reason, and the thoughts of such are raised above material things; but those who are sensual think from material things and in them, and what they speak from thought is only from the memory. As there are these two degrees, there is also an intermediate degree which is called the natural. What men are can be known also from their understanding of the Word. The rational draw from the sense of the letter such things as pertain to doctrine, while the sensual abide in the letter only and draw from it nothing more interior. The same distinctions exist in the spiritual world, since in the lowest heaven there are the same degrees of natural men; the lowest there are the sensual, and the highest the rational; but of these more will be said elsewhere. That natural goods and truths, which are signified by “iron and brass,” have also been profaned by Babylon, is evident from the profanation of the sense of the letter of the Word by such; the sense of the letter of the Word is the natural sense.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] On this subject also we will speak from experience. The angels of the higher heavens have a clear feeling and perception that their goods and truths are from the Lord, and that they have nothing at all of good and truth from themselves. And when they are let down into the state of their self [proprium] as is now and then done, they have a clear feeling and perception that the evil and falsity belonging to their self [proprium] they have from hell. Some angels of the lowest heaven, who did not comprehend that evil and falsity are from hell, because they had believed in the world that they were themselves in evils from birth and from actual life, were led through infernal societies from one to another, and in each one while they were in it they thought just as the devils there thought, and differently in the several societies, thinking in opposition to goods and truths. They were told to think from themselves, and thus otherwise, but they said that they were wholly unable to do so. In this way they were made to comprehend that evils and falsities flow in from hell. It is the same with many who believe and insist that they have life in themselves. Also it sometimes occurs that angels are separated from the societies with which they are connected, and when thus separated they are unable to think, will, speak, or act, but lie like newborn infants; but as soon as they are restored to their societies they revive. For everyone, man, spirit or angel, is connected as to his affections and thoughts therefrom with societies, and acts as one of them; and for this reason it is known what each one is from the society in which he is. All this makes clear that the quality of each one’s life flows in from without.
[3] With regard to myself I can testify that for fifteen years I have clearly perceived that I have thought nothing and willed nothing of myself; also that every evil and falsity has flowed in from infernal societies, and that every good and truth has flowed in from the Lord. Some spirits reflecting upon this declared that I had no life. It was permitted me to reply, I am more alive than you are, since I feel the influx of good and truth from the Lord and see and perceive the enlightenment. I also perceive from the Lord that evils and falsities are from hell, and not only that this is so, but also from what spirits they come; and it has been granted me to speak with these, to rebuke them, and to reject them with their evils and falsities, and thus I was delivered from them. Furthermore, it was granted me to say that now I know that I live, and before I did not know it. From all this I have been fully convinced that every evil and falsity is from hell, and every good and truth, together with the perception of them, is from the Lord; and moreover, that I have freedom and thus perception as if from myself.
[4] Again, that every evil and falsity is from hell it has been granted me to see with my own eyes. Over the hells there is an appearance of fires and smoke; evils are fires and falsities are smoke. These are continually exhaled and rise up, and the spirits that dwell in the midst between heaven and hell are affected by them according to their love. It shall be told briefly how evil and falsity have power to flow forth from hell, when there exists only one acting force, which is the life that is God; this also has been revealed. There was uttered with a loud voice out of heaven a truth from the Word, which flowed down to hell and through it to its lowest part; and it was heard that this truth in its flowing down was successively and by degrees turned into falsity, and at length into such falsity as is wholly opposite to the truth; then it was in the lowest hell. It was so changed because everything is received according to the state and form; so truth flowing into inverted forms, such as are in hell, became successively inverted and changed into the falsity opposite to the truth. From this it is clear what hell is from top to bottom, also that there is but one acting force, which is the life that is the Lord.

sRef Rev@18 @12 S0′ 1148. And of marble signifies sensual truth that has been profaned. This is evident from the signification of “marble,” as being the sensual, which is the ultimate of the life of man’s thought and will. This is signified by “marble” because “stone” signifies truth in ultimates, especially the appearance of truth. “Marble” is mentioned instead of stone because the appearance of truth in the church from the Word is meant. That ultimate truth, which is called sensual, has also been profaned is evident from the adoration of the sepulchers, bones, and carcasses of those who are called saints, although they are putrid and correspond to things infernal. The very senses of the body would turn away from such things if the holy things of the church had not been profaned to such an extent.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] That man nevertheless is a subject of guilt follows from what has been said above, and also from what has been before established respecting the life that is God and that is with man from God; it follows also from the above-mentioned laws, which are truths. Evil is imputed to man because it has been granted him, and is continually granted him, to feel and to perceive as if life were in him; and as he is in that state he also has the freedom and ability to act as if from himself; and that ability regarded in itself, and that freedom regarded in itself, are not taken away from man, because he is born a man who is to live forever. It is from that ability and that freedom that he is able to receive both good and evil as if of himself. And as man is held in the midst between heaven and hell, the Lord gives him to know that good is from Him and that evil is from the devil, also to know by truths in the church what is good and what is evil. When man knows this, and it is granted him by the Lord to think, will, speak, and do this as if from himself, and this continually by influx, then if he does not receive he becomes guilty.
[3] But man is in fallacies thence, especially because he does not know that his freedom and his ability to act as if from himself are from an influx of life from the Lord into his inmost, and that this influx is never taken away from him, since he is born a man, and man has such an inmost; yet the influx of life from the Lord into the recipient forms that are beneath that inmost, where and in which forms the understanding and will have their seat, is varied according to the reception of good and truth; and in fact, the influx is diminished and even taken away in the measure in which evil and falsity are received. In a word, the life that makes man to be man and that distinguishes him from brute animals, and which is in his inmost, and is therefore universally active in the lower parts, and from which he has freedom and the ability to think, will, speak, and act, is unceasingly with man from the Lord; but man’s understanding and will therefrom, that is, from that life, are changed and varied according to reception. Man lives in the midst between heaven and hell, and the delight of the love of evil and of falsity therefrom flows into him from hell, while the delight of the love of good and of truth therefrom flows into him from the Lord, and he is constantly held in the feeling and perception that life is from himself, and thereby is also held constantly in the freedom to choose the one or the other, and in the ability to receive the one or the other. So far, therefore, as he chooses and receives evil and falsity, so far from that middle state he is carried down towards hell, and so far as he chooses good and truth, so far from that middle state is he taken up towards heaven.
[4] Man is from creation in a state to know that evil is from hell, and that good is from the Lord, and to perceive these in himself as if they were from himself, and when he so perceives them to cast the evil down to hell and to receive the good, with the acknowledgment that it is from the Lord. When he does these two things he does not appropriate evil to himself, and does not claim merit for the good. But I know that there are many who do not comprehend this, and who have no desire to comprehend it, but let them pray, “That the Lord may be with them continually, that He may lift up and turn His face to them, that He may teach, enlighten, and lead them, since of themselves they can do nothing that is good, that He may grant to them to live; that the devil may not lead them astray and instill evils into their hearts, knowing that if they are not led by the Lord the devil will lead them and breathe into them evils of every kind, as hatred, revenge, cunning, and deceit, as a serpent instills poison; for the devil is present stirring up and continually accusing, and wheresoever he meets with a heart turned away from God, he enters in, dwells there, and draws the soul down to hell. O Lord, deliver us.” These words coincide with what has been said above, for hell is the devil. Moreover, this is an acknowledgment that man is led either by the Lord or by hell, thus that he is between the two. See also what has been said above upon this subject (n. 1134).

sRef Rev@18 @13 S0′ 1149. Verse 13. And cinnamon and incense, and ointment and frankincense, and wine and oil, and fine flour and wheat, and beasts of burden and sheep, and horses and carriages, and slaves and souls of men. 13. “And cinnamon and incense” signifies profaned worship from celestial love (n. 1150); “and ointment and frankincense” signifies profaned worship from spiritual love (n. 1151); “and wine and oil” signifies profaned worship from truths and goods that are from a celestial origin (n. 1152); “and fine flour and wheat” signifies profaned worship from truths and goods that are from a spiritual origin (n. 1153); “and beasts of burden and sheep” signifies profaned worship from truths and goods that are from a spiritual-natural origin (n. 1154); “and horses and carriages” signifies profaned worship from truths and goods that are from a rational origin (n. 1155); “and slaves and souls of men” signifies profaned worship from truths and goods that are from a natural-sensual origin (n. 1156).

sRef Rev@18 @13 S0′ 1150. Verse 13. And cinnamon and incense signifies profaned worship from celestial love. This is evident from the signification of “cinnamon,” as being the good of celestial love (of which presently); also from the signification of “incense or perfume,” as being the truth of celestial love, which truth is the good of wisdom because it is from the good of celestial love. Worship from celestial love is meant because in this verse things relating to worship are enumerated, while in the former verse the things relating to doctrine were enumerated. That things relating to worship are here signified can be seen from what follows, and also from this, that so many particulars are enumerated, which would not have been done except to describe the profanation of all things of worship from first to last. There is this distinction between doctrine and worship, that doctrine teaches how God must be worshiped, and how man must live that he may withdraw from hell and draw near to heaven; but this is effected by worship, since worship is actual as well as oral.
[2] “Cinnamon” signifies celestial love because it is a most excellent aromatic, and for this reason the oil for holy anointing was prepared from this and other aromatics (as may be seen Exod. 30:23, 24); and the oil for holy anointing signified the Divine love, and the aromatics, which were pure myrrh, aromatic cinnamon, sweet calamus, and cassia, signified the Divine wisdom, and when united with the oil of olive signified the Lord’s Divine wisdom united to His Divine love. The Divine wisdom was signified by those aromatics, because “odor” signifies perception, and perception belongs to wisdom. As this was the signification of the oil of anointing, all things that were to serve for worship were sanctified by it, as the altar, the Tent of meeting, the ark with the mercy-seat and cherubs, also Aaron’s garments of holiness, and Aaron himself. This makes evident that “cinnamon” signifies celestial good, and “incense or perfumes” signifies such things as proceed from that good, all of which have reference to truth, and truth in its form is wisdom. And because this truth derives its essence from the good of celestial love it is called the good of wisdom. That the worship from that love has been profaned is evident from what has been said above about the profanation of all things of doctrine; and when all things of doctrine have been profaned all things of worship are also profaned, since worship is from doctrine and according to doctrine.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[3] (4) The fourth law of the Divine providence is, That the understanding and will must not be compelled in the least, since all compulsion by another takes away freedom, but man should compel himself-for to compel oneself is from freedom. Man’s freedom belongs to his will, and from the will it is in the thought of the understanding, and through the thought in the speech of the lips and in the action of the body. For when a man wills anything from freedom he says, I will to think this, I will to speak this, and I will to do this. Moreover, from the freedom of the will man has the ability to think, to speak, and to act; for the will gives this ability, because it gives freedom. Since freedom belongs to man’s will it also belongs to his love, since nothing constitutes freedom in man except the love that is of his will; and for this reason that love is man’s life; for man is such as his love is; consequently whatever goes forth from the love of his will goes forth from his life. This makes clear that freedom belongs to man’s will, to his love, and to his life, consequently that it makes one with what is his own [proprium] and with his nature and disposition.
[4] Now because it is the Lord’s will that everything that comes from Himself to man should be appropriated to man as if it were his own, since otherwise there would be in man no reciprocal by which conjunction is effected, so it is a law of the Divine providence that man’s understanding and will should not be compelled in the least by another. For who is not able to think and will evil or good, against the laws or with the laws, against the king or with the king, and even against God or with God? Yet man is not allowed to speak and do everything that he thinks and wills. There are fears that compel the externals, but they do not compel the internals; and for the reason that the externals must be reformed by means of the internals, and not the internals by means of the externals; for what is internal flows into what is external, and not the reverse. Moreover, internals belong to man’s spirit, and externals to his body, and as it is the spirit of man that must be reformed the spirit is not compelled.
[5] Nevertheless, there are fears that compel man’s internals or his spirit, but they are only such fears as flow in from the spiritual world, and which relate on the one hand to the punishments of hell, and on the other to the loss of favor with God. But fear on account of the punishments of hell is an external fear of the thought and will, while the fear of the loss of favor with God is an internal fear of the thought and will, and is the holy fear that adds and conjoins itself to the love, with which at length it makes one essence. It is like one who loves another and from love fears to injure him.

sRef Rev@18 @13 S0′ sRef Ex@30 @35 S1′ sRef Ex@30 @36 S1′ sRef Ex@30 @37 S1′ sRef Ex@30 @34 S1′ 1151. And ointment and frankincense signifies profaned worship from spiritual love. This is evident from the signification of “ointment,” as being the good of spiritual love (of which presently); also from the signification of “frankincense,” as being the truth of spiritual good (see n. 491). “Ointment and frankincense” signify spiritual love because the incense offerings were made with these; and the incense offerings signified spiritual love because of the fragrant smoke that went up from the holy fire in the censers. Spiritual love is love towards the neighbor, which makes one with the love of uses. There are two loves of heaven, and thus of the church, from which the Lord is worshipped; celestial love, which is love to the Lord, and spiritual love, which is love towards the neighbor; the former is signified by “cinnamon and perfumes,” the other by “ointment and frankincense.” Moreover, all worship is from love; the worship that is not from one or the other of these loves is no worship, but only an external act in which there is inwardly nothing of the church. That the incense offerings signified worship from spiritual love may be seen (n. 324, 491-492, 494, 567). Ointment means a compound of aromatics that was used in the incense offerings, as can be seen from these words in Moses:
Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense. And thou shalt make it an incense; an ointment, the work of the perfumer, salted, pure, holy; and thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put it before the testimony in the Tent of meeting where I shall meet with thee; it shall be unto you the holy of holies (Exod. 30:34-37).
Here all these things are called “the ointment of the perfumer.” (The particulars are explained in Arcana Coelestia n. 10289-10308.)

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] There is infernal freedom and there is heavenly freedom. Infernal freedom is that into which man is born from his parents, and heavenly freedom is that into which man is reformed by the Lord. From infernal freedom man has the will of evil, the love of evil, and the life of evil; while from heavenly freedom he has the will of good, the love of good, and the life of good; for as has been said before, a man’s will, love and life, make one with his freedom. These two kinds of freedom are opposites of each other, but the opposition is not evident except so far as man is in one and not in the other. But a man cannot come out of infernal freedom into heavenly freedom unless he compels himself. To compel oneself is to resist evil and to fight against it as if from oneself, but still to implore the Lord for help. Thus a man fights from the freedom that is inwardly in him from the Lord against the freedom that is outwardly in him from hell. While he is in the combat it seems to him that it is not freedom from which he fights, but a kind of compulsion, because it is against that freedom into which he was born; and yet it is freedom, since otherwise he would not fight as if of himself.
[3] But this inward freedom from which he fights, which seems like compulsion, is afterwards felt as freedom, for it becomes like what is involuntary, spontaneous, and as it were innate, comparatively like one’s compelling his hand to write, to work, to play a musical instrument, or to contend in games, for after a while the hands and arms do these things as if of themselves or spontaneously; for man is then in good because he is then removed from evil and is led by the Lord. When a man has compelled himself to act in opposition to infernal freedom he sees and perceives that infernal freedom is servitude and that heavenly freedom is freedom itself, because it is from the Lord. The essence of the matter is this, that so far as a man compels himself by resisting evils, so far the infernal societies with which he acts as one are removed from him, and he is introduced by the Lord into heavenly societies, with which he acts as one. On the other hand, if a man does not compel himself to resist evils he remains in them. That this is so I have learned through much experience in the spiritual world, and further, that evil does not withdraw in consequence of any compulsion that comes from punishments, or from fear of them afterwards.

sRef Rev@18 @13 S0′ 1152. And wine and oil signifies profaned worship from truths and goods that are from a celestial origin. This is evident from the signification of “wine,” as being truth (of which presently); also from the signification of “oil,” as being good from a celestial origin (see n. 375). “Wine” signifies truth from a celestial origin because it is here joined with “oil” which means good from that origin. For in this verse, as in the former, there are pairs, of which one signifies what belongs to truth, and the other what belongs to good, both from the same origin; and from this it follows that “wine” signifies truth from a celestial origin, because “oil” signifies good from that origin. That “wine” in the Word signifies truth or spiritual good may be seen above (n. 376); for truth from a celestial origin coincides with spiritual good. It is the same with oil; when the oil of holy anointing is meant, “oil” signifies the good of celestial love, but when the oil with which they anointed themselves on festal days is meant, it signifies the good of spiritual love.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] It has been said above that it is a law of the Divine providence that man himself should compel himself; but this means that he should compel himself from evil, and does not mean that he should compel himself to good; for it is possible for man to compel himself from evil, but not to compel himself to good that in itself is good. For when a man compels himself to good and has not compelled himself from evil he does good from himself and not from the Lord, for he compels himself to it for the sake of self, or for the sake of the world, or for the sake of recompense, or from fear; and such good is not in itself good, because the man himself or the world or recompense is in it as its end, and not the good itself, thus neither the Lord; and it is love and not fear that makes good to be good. For example, to compel oneself to do good to one’s neighbor, to give to the poor, to endow churches, to do what is righteous, thus to compel oneself to charity and truth before compelling oneself from evils and thereby removing them, would be like a palliative treatment by which the disease or ulcer is healed externally; or like an adulterer compelling himself to act chastely, or a proud man to act humbly, or a dishonest man to act honestly in external conduct.
[3] But when a man compels himself from evils he purifies his internal, and when that is purified he does good from freedom without compelling himself to do it; for so far as a man compels himself from evil so far he comes into heavenly freedom, and everything good that is in itself good is from that freedom, and to such good man does not compel himself. The appearance is that compelling oneself from evil and compelling oneself to good necessarily go together, but they do not. I know from the evidence of experience of many who have compelled themselves to do goods, but not from evils; and when such were explored it was found that evils from within clung to the goods, and in consequence their goods were like idols or images made of clay or dung; and it was said that such persons believe that God may be gained over by praise and gifts, even from an impure heart. Nevertheless, before the world a man may compel himself to goods without compelling himself from evil, since in the world he is rewarded for so doing; for in the world the external is regarded and rarely the internal; but before God it is not so.

sRef Rev@18 @13 S0′ 1153. And fine flour and wheat signifies profaned worship from truths and goods that are from a spiritual origin. This is evident from the signification of “fine flour,” as being truth from a spiritual origin (of which presently); also from the signification of “wheat,” as being good from a spiritual origin (see n. 374; 375). These also signify worship because the meal offering was composed of them, which was offered with the sacrifices upon the altar the same as the wine and the oil; for the meal offerings were prepared with oil and the drink offerings with wine. And because of the crops of these they had rejoicings in festivals which were instituted to celebrate their harvests. “Fine flour” signifies truth from spiritual good because it is prepared from wheat, which signifies spiritual good, as truth comes from good.
sRef Lev@2 @1 S2′ sRef Gen@18 @6 S2′ [2] As this truth of the church was signified by “fine flour,” it was prescribed what quantity of it should be used in the cakes that were called the meal offerings, which were offered with the sacrifices upon the altar (respecting which see Exod. 29; Lev. 5-7, 23; Num. 18, 28-29); also the quantity of fine flour in the show bread (Lev. 23:17; 24:5); for it was commanded that the meal offering that was to be offered on the altar should be prepared from fine flour, and oil and frankincense poured thereon (Lev. 2:1). Because of this signification of “fine flour,” when Abraham talked with the three angels he said to Sarah his wife:
Hasten, knead three measures of flour, of fine flour, and make cakes (Gen. 18:6).
sRef Ezek@16 @13 S3′ sRef Ezek@16 @19 S3′ [3] “Fine flour” also signifies the truth of good from a spiritual origin in Ezekiel:
Thou didst eat fine flour, honey, and oil, whence thou didst become exceeding; beautiful, and didst prosper even to a kingdom. My bread which I gave thee, fine flour, honey, and oil, with which I fed thee, thou didst offer before idols as an odor of rest (Ezek. 16:13, 19).
This is said of Jerusalem, which signifies the church as to doctrine, and in that chapter is described what it had been in its beginning and what it became afterwards. “Fine flour and oil” signify truth and good from a spiritual origin, and “honey” good from a natural origin. “Thou didst become exceeding beautiful” signifies to be intelligent and wise; “to prosper even to a kingdom” signifies even to becoming a church, “kingdom” being the church; “to offer these to idols as an odor of rest” signifies the idolatrous worship into which the true worship of the church was afterwards changed.
sRef Isa@47 @2 S4′ sRef Hos@8 @7 S4′ [4] But “flour” from barley signifies truth from a natural origin, for “barley” signifies natural good, as “wheat” signifies spiritual good. Thus in Isaiah:
Take the millstone and grind flour, make thyself bare (Isa. 47:2).
This is said of Babylon. “To take a millstone and grind flour” signifies to falsify the truths of the Word, and “to make oneself bare” signifies to adulterate the goods of the Word. In Hosea:
They sow the wind and they reap the whirlwind; he hath no standing corn, the blade shall yield no flour; and if perchance it do, strangers shall devour it (Hos. 8:7).
Here, too, “flour” signifies truth from a natural origin.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

sRef John@3 @8 S5′ [5] (5) The fifth law of the Divine providence is, That from sense and perception in himself man cannot know how good and truth flow in from the Lord, and how evil and falsity flow in from hell; nor can he see how the Divine providence operates in favor of good against evil; if he did he could not act from freedom according to reason as if from himself. It is sufficient for him to know and acknowledge this from the Word and from the doctrine of the church. This is what is meant by the Lord’s words in John:
The wind bloweth where it willeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh or whither it goeth; so is everyone that is born of the spirit (John 3:8).
Also by these words in Mark:
The kingdom of God is like a man that casteth seed upon the earth and then sleepeth and riseth night and day; but the seed springeth up and groweth up when he knows it not, for the earth beareth fruit of herself, first the blade, then the ear, at length the full corn in the ear; and when the fruit is produced, he putteth in the sickle because the harvest is at hand (Mark 4:26, 29).
[6] Man does not perceive the operation of the Divine providence within him, because that would take away his freedom, and thus his ability to think as if of himself, and with it every delight of life; thus man would be like an automaton, in which there is no reciprocal, and by that, conjunction; also he would be a slave and not free. The Divine providence moves so secretly that scarcely a trace of it is seen, although it acts upon the most minute things of man’s thought and will, which regard his eternal state, chiefly for the reason that the Lord continually wills to impress His love on man, and through it his wisdom, and thus create him into His image. Consequently the operation of the Lord is into man’s love and from that into his understanding, and not the reverse. Love with its affections, which are manifold and innumerable, is perceived by man only by a most general feeling, and thus so slightly that there is scarcely anything of it; and yet that man may be reformed and saved he must be led from one affection of love into another according to their connection from order, a thing that no man and even no angel can at all comprehend.
[7] If a man should learn anything of these arcana, he could not be withheld from leading himself; and in this he would be continually led from heaven into hell, while the Lord’s leading is continually from hell towards heaven. For from himself man constantly acts against order, while the Lord acts constantly according to order; for man, from the nature derived from his parents, is in the love of self and the love of the world, and consequently perceives from a feeling of delight everything belonging to those loves as good; nevertheless, those loves as ends must be removed; and this is done by the Lord in infinite ways, that appear like a labyrinth even before the angels of the third heaven.
[8] All this makes clear that man would find no help at all in knowing anything about this from sense or perception, but it would do him harm instead, and would destroy him forever. It is sufficient for man to know truths, and by means of truths to know what is good and what is evil, and to acknowledge the Lord and His Divine auspices in every least thing. Then so far as he knows truths, and by means of them what is good and evil, and does what is good as if from himself, so far the Lord leads him from love into wisdom, conjoining love to wisdom and wisdom to love, and making them to be one, because they are one in Himself. These ways by which the Lord leads man may be compared to the vessels through which the blood in man courses and circulates, also the fibers and their foldings within and without the viscera of the body, especially in the brain, through which the animal spirit flows and gives life.
sRef Mark@4 @27 S9′ sRef Mark@4 @26 S9′ sRef Mark@4 @29 S9′ sRef Mark@4 @28 S9′ [9] How all these things flow in and flow through, man knows nothing; and yet he lives if only he knows what he needs to do and does it. But the ways by which the Lord leads man are far more complicated and inexplicable, both those by which the Lord leads man through the societies of hell and away from them, and also those by which he leads him through the societies of heaven and interiorly into them. This, therefore, is what is meant by “the wind bloweth where it willeth, and thou knowest not whence it cometh and whither it goeth” (John 3:8), also by “the seed springeth up and groweth up, the man knoweth not how” (Mark 4:27). Moreover, of what consequence is it for a man to know how seed grows up, provided he knows how to plow and harrow the land, to sow the seed, and when he reaps his harvest to bless God?

sRef Luke@10 @34 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @13 S0′ sRef Isa@30 @6 S1′ 1154. Beasts of burden and sheep signifies profaned worship from truths and goods that are from a spiritual-natural origin. This is evident from the signification of “beasts of burden,” as being the truths that look to charity (of which presently); also from the signification of “sheep,” as being the goods of charity, as can be seen from all the passages in the Word where they are mentioned. (As in the following: Matt. 7:15; 9:36; 10:5, 6, 16; 12:10-12; 15:21-29; 18:12, 13; 25:31-41; 26:31; Mark 6:34; 14:27; John 10:1-18, 26-31; 21:15-17; besides many passages in the prophets.) In these passages sheep signify those who are in the good of charity, therefore in an abstract sense, “sheep” signify the goods of charity. But “beasts of burden” signify the truths that look to the goods of charity, and as asses are especially meant, and these were used for riding and carrying burdens, things pertaining to use and to instruction were signified. As in Isaiah:
They carry their wealth upon the shoulder of beasts of burden (Isa. 30:6).
Wealth here signifies knowledges. And in Luke:
The Samaritan set the man wounded by the robbers on his own beast of burden (Luke 10:34).
“To set him on his own beast of burden” signifies to instruct him according to his ability (see n. 375, 376, 444), where this is explained. What “beasts of burden” signify when asses are meant may be seen (n. 31, 140). It is said that “beasts of burden and sheep” signify truths and goods from a spiritual-natural origin, because such goods and truths are meant as are in those who are in the Lord’s external church, and thus in the first or lowest heaven. These are natural, and yet they receive the spiritual, and are therefore called spiritual-natural. But here, as elsewhere, profaned worship from such truths and goods is meant.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] The operation of the Divine providence, man not knowing it, may be illustrated by two comparisons. It is like a gardener collecting the seeds of shrubs, fruit trees, and flowers of all kinds, and providing himself with spades, rakes, and other tools for working the land, and then fertilizing his garden, digging it, dividing it into beds, putting in the seeds, and smoothing the surface. All these things man must do as if of himself. But it is the Lord who causes the seeds to take root, to spring forth out of the earth, to shoot forth into leaves, and then into blossoms, and finally to yield new seeds for the benefit of the gardener. Again, it is like a man about to build a house, who provides himself with the necessary materials, as timber, rafters, stones, mortar, and other things. But afterwards the Lord builds the house from foundation to roof exactly adapted to the man, though the man does not know it. From this it follows, that unless a man provides the necessary things for a garden or a house, he will have no garden with the benefit of its fruits, and no house and thence no habitation.
[3] So it is with reformation. The things that man must provide himself with are the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, from the doctrine of the church, from the world, and by his own labor. The Lord does everything else while man is ignorant of it. But it is to be known, that all things necessary to planting a garden or building a house, which, as has been said, are the knowledges of truth and good, are nothing but the materials, and have no life in them until man does them or lives according to them as if of himself. When that is done the Lord enters and vivifies and builds, that is, reforms. Such a garden, or such a house is man’s understanding, for therein is his wisdom, which derives from love all that it is.

sRef Rev@18 @13 S0′ sRef Isa@66 @20 S1′ 1155. And horses and carriages signifies profaned worship from truths and goods that are from a rational origin. This is evident from the signification of “horses,” as being things intellectual (see n. 355, 364, 372, 373, 381, 382, 575, 923), thus also truths that are from a rational origin, for things of the understanding belong to truth and reason. Also from the signification of “carriages” as being goods from a rational origin, because they are drawn by horses, which signify truths from that origin; for carriages are a kind of chariot, and “chariots” signify doctrinals (see n. 355), and when these are drawn by truths, as chariots are by horses, they are goods, for doctrines teach both truths and goods.
[2] “Carriages” have a like signification in Isaiah:
Then shall they bring all your brethren out of all nations a present unto Jehovah, upon horses and upon the chariot, and upon covered carriages, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to the mountain of My holiness, Jerusalem (Isa. 66:20).
“Horses, chariot, covered carriages, mules, and swift beasts” mean in the spiritual sense things of doctrine, and thus of the church, for this treats of a new church to be established by the Lord. For “horses” signify intellectual things, “chariot” doctrine, “covered carriages” doctrinals of good, “mules” things rational, and “swift beasts” things rational as to good; “the brethren” whom they will bring signify all who are in the good of charity, and “Jerusalem the mountain of holiness” signifies the church in which charity reigns. These things profaned are here signified because they belong to Babylon, which signifies the profanation of truth and good.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[3] (6) The sixth law of the Divine providence is, That man is not reformed by external means but by internal means; by external means miracles and visions, also fears and punishments are meant. By internal means truths and goods from the Word and from the doctrine of the church, and looking to the Lord, are meant; for these means enter by an internal way, and cast out the evils and falsities that have their seat within; but external means enter by an external way, and do not cast out evils and falsities, but shut them in. Nevertheless, man may be further reformed by external means when he has previously been reformed by internal means. This follows from the above mentioned laws, namely, that man is reformed by means of freedom, and not without freedom, also that to compel oneself is from freedom, but to be compelled is not, and man is compelled by miracles and visions, and also by fears and punishments; but miracles and visions compel the external of his spirit, which consists in thinking and willing; and fears and punishments compel the external of his body, which consists in speaking and doing. This may be compelled, because man nevertheless thinks and wills freely; but the external of his spirit, which consists in thinking and willing, must not be compelled, for thus perishes his internal freedom by which he is reformed.
[4] If man could have been reformed by miracles and visions, all in the whole world would have been reformed. It is therefore a holy law of the Divine providence that internal freedom should in no way be violated; for by that freedom the Lord enters into man, even into the hell where he is, and by it leads him while in hell, and if he is willing to follow, leads him out of hell and leads him into heaven, and nearer and nearer to Himself in heaven. In this and in no other way is man led out of infernal freedom, which regarded in itself is slavery, because it is from hell, and is led into heavenly freedom, which is freedom itself, becoming by degrees more free, and at length most free, because it is from the Lord who wills that man should not be in the least compelled. This is the way of man’s reformation, but this way is closed by miracles and visions.
[5] Nor is the freedom of man’s spirit ever violated, to the end that his evils, both hereditary and actual, may be removed; which can be done only when man compels himself, as has been said above. These evils are removed by the Lord by means of the affection of truth inspired in man from which he has intelligence, and by means of the affection of good through which he has love. So far as a man is in these affections, so far he compels himself to resist evils and falsities. And this way of reformation is closed by miracles and visions, for they persuade and compel belief, and thus send the thoughts bound as it were to prison; and when freedom has thus been taken away there can be no ability from the interior to remove evils, for nothing of evil is removed except from the interior. Thus evils remain shut in, and from their infernal freedom, which they love, they continually act against those truths and goods that miracles and visions have repressed, and at length dissipate them, calling miracles the interior operations of nature and visions the deliriums of fantasy, and truths and goods fallacies and mockeries; for such is the action of the evils that are shut in upon the externals that shut them in. And yet superficial thought may lead a man to believe that miracles and visions, although they persuade, do not take away freedom of thinking; but with those not reformed they do take it away, while with the reformed they do not take it away, for with such they do not shut evils in, but with those not reformed they do.

sRef Ezek@27 @13 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @13 S0′ sRef Deut@24 @7 S1′ 1156. And slaves and souls of men signifies profaned worship from truths and goods that are from a natural origin. This is evident from the signification of “slaves,” as being truths known, which are from the natural man (of which presently); also from the signification of “souls of men,” as being the goods corresponding to these truths, which are in general affections of knowing, for “souls of men” here mean those sold for servants, thus things serviceable. These are also called “souls of men” in Ezekiel:
Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, were thy merchants, they traded for thy merchandise with the soul of man and with vessels of brass (Ezek. 27:13).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the knowledges of truth and good; and “the soul of man” means servants that are sold, thus slaves; and because it is also said “with vessels of brass,” “the soul of man” signifies in the spiritual sense serviceable knowledges, “vessels of brass” the same. A man who is sold is also called “soul” in Moses:
If anyone hath stolen a soul of his brethren, and hath made gain of him by selling him, he shall be killed (Deut. 24:7).
A “slave” signifies truth known, because the knowledges of the natural man wait upon and serve the rational man in thinking, and this is why knowledges are signified in the Word by ministries, household servants, services, and slaves, and here by “souls of men.” Here as above is meant worship from truths and goods profaned by Babylon.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

sRef John@20 @29 S2′ sRef Luke@16 @30 S2′ sRef Luke@16 @31 S2′ sRef Luke@16 @29 S2′ [2] All who wish for miracles and visions are like:
The sons of Israel, who, when they had seen so many prodigies in Egypt at the Sea Suph and on Mount Sinai, still within a month turned away from the worship of Jehovah and worshiped a golden calf (Exod. 32).
They are also like:
The rich man in hell who said to Abraham that his brethren would repent if one from the dead were sent to them; to whom Abraham replied, They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them; if they hear not Moses and the prophets neither will they be persuaded if one rose from the dead (Luke 16:29, 31).
And they are like:
Thomas, who said he would not believe unless he saw; to whom the Lord said, Blessed are those who believe and do not see (John 20:25, 29).
“Those who believe and do not see” are those who do not desire signs, but truths from the Word, that is, Moses and the prophets, and who believe them. Such are internal men and become spiritual; but the former are external and remain sensual, and when they see miracles, and believe only because of the miracles, in their belief are not unlike a lovely woman who within is infected with a deadly disease of which she soon dies, or they are like an apple with a fair skin but rotten at the core, or like filberts in which a worm lies concealed. Moreover, it is known that no one can be compelled to love or to believe, and that love and faith must be inwardly rooted in man. Consequently it is not possible for anyone to be led to love God and to believe in Him by means of miracles and visions, because these compel. For when one does not believe from the miracles in the Word, how can he believe from miracles that are not in the Word?

sRef Rev@18 @14 S0′ 1157. Verse 14. And the fruits of the desire of thy soul have departed from thee, and all fat and splendid things have departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more. 14. “And the fruits of the desire of thy soul have departed from thee” signifies that the gladnesses and joys they expected from worship and life according to the traditions of the Babylonish religion are turned into weeping and mourning (n. 1158); “and all fat and splendid things have departed from thee” signifies that all things good and true, and thus satisfying and grand, which they were persuaded they would secure through that religious persuasion, are turned into the opposite (n. 1159); “and thou shalt find them no more” signifies that they have been destroyed forever (n. 1160).

sRef Rev@18 @14 S0′ 1158. Verse 14. And the fruits of the desire of thy soul have departed from thee, signifies that the gladnesses and joys they expected from worship and life according to the traditions of the Babylonish nation are turned into weeping and mourning. This is evident from the signification of “the fruits of the desire of the soul,” as being the gladnesses and joys they hoped for from worship and life according to the traditions of the Babylonish religion. This is the signification of these words, because the things enumerated in verses 12 and 13 signify all things of the doctrine and worship of that religious persuasion from which those who believe in a life after death expect gladnesses and joys; therefore these are “the fruits of the desire of their souls.” Also from the signification of “have departed from thee,” as being that these have been dissipated, and have been turned into weeping and mourning, because into the torments of hell. Those gladnesses and joys which they expect are merely external, thus corporeal and worldly, for such do not know what internal gladnesses and joys are, because they have no truths from the Word, thus no truths from the Lord, but only from him whom they call His vicar, from whom falsities can come forth but no truths, because they have dominion for their end. Therefore that the people may be kept under the yoke of that dominion, such things from self and the world as delight the body are offered them.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] (7) The seventh law of the Divine providence is, That man is let into the truths of faith and into the goods of love by the Lord only so far as he can be kept in them until the end of life; for it is better that he should continue to be evil than that he should be good and afterwards evil, for he thus becomes profane. The permission of evil is from this cause. To every man of sound reason the Lord can give the affection of truth and faith therefrom and the affection of good and love therefrom by withholding him from evil loves, which belong to his own [proprium] ; for so far as man is withheld from these he is in the understanding of truth and in the will of good. I have seen the very devils brought back to such a state; and while they were in it they talked about truths from understanding and faith, and did good from will and love. They were brought into this state because they had denied that they were unable to understand truths and do good. But as soon as withholding from their own loves had relaxed, and they had returned into the lusts of their loves, in place of faith in truth they had faith in falsity, and in place of love of good they had love of evil. This has often been witnessed, and in the presence of many. From this it is clear that everyone is capable of being reformed, and that being reformed is nothing else than being removed from evil loves. How man is removed from those loves has been told above. The Lord does not thus withhold man from evils for the reason that those who come into the affection of truth and thence into faith, and into the affection of good and thence into love, and do not continue in these affections to the end of life, but fall back into the loves from which they had abstained, profane holy things.
[3] There are many kinds of profanation, but this kind is the most grievous of all. The lot of such after death is terrible. They are not in hell but beneath hell; and there they neither think nor will, but merely see and act. They see things that are not, and do not see the things that are. They act as if they were doing everything, and yet they do nothing. They are nothing but deliriums of fantasy. And as they neither think nor will, they are no longer men, for the human is thinking and willing.
Consequently they are not called “he” nor “she,” but in the neuter gender “it” or “that.” When seen in any heavenly light they appear like skeletons covered over with a black skin. Such is the condition of those that have been reformed and do not remain so. Why their lot is so horrible shall be told. By their reformation a communication is established between them and heaven, whereby goods and truths flow in; and by these the interiors of their minds are opened, and evils are removed to the sides. If they remain in this state till death they are happy, but if they do not they become unhappy, for the evils that have been removed then flow back and mingle themselves with the truths and goods; thus hell is so mixed with heaven in them that the two cannot be separated; for if anything has once been impressed on the mind of man by love it can never be rooted out; since, therefore, after death the goods cannot be separated from the evils nor the truths from the falsities, the mind is wholly overthrown, and such spirits no longer have any thought or will, but what remains is like a shell when the kernel is removed, or like the skin with the skeleton when the flesh is gone, for this is all that is left of the man. Let it be known, therefore, that the danger is not in passing from evil to good, but the danger is in passing from good to evil.

sRef Rev@18 @14 S0′ 1159. And all fat and splendid things are departed from thee, signifies that all things good and true and satisfying and grand, which they were persuaded they would secure through that religious persuasion, are turned into opposites. This is evident from the signification of “fat things,” as being what is good and thus satisfying (of which presently); also from the signification of “splendid things,” as being what is true and thus grand. This is the signification of “splendid things,” because splendor is from light, and the light of heaven is the Divine truth or the Divine wisdom, from which all things in the heavens shine with a splendor such as does not exist in the world; it may be compared with the splendor of a diamond turned to the sun, although the splendor seen in heaven exceeds this beyond measure, as the light of heaven exceeds the light of the world, with a difference so great that while it may be illustrated by comparisons it cannot be described. From that light all things magnificent in the heavens exist, which consist principally of forms corresponding to wisdom, which are such as can in no way be pictured in the world, and consequently cannot be described, for in them art itself is in its art, and knowledge in its wisdom, consequently they are of ineffable beauty. From all this it is clear why “splendid things” signify what is true and thus grand.
sRef Ps@63 @5 S2′ sRef Ps@36 @8 S2′ sRef Isa@55 @2 S2′ sRef Jer@31 @14 S2′ [2] “Fat things” signify what is good and thus satisfying, because the fat is the best part of flesh and because it resembles oil, which signifies the good of love. That “fatness” signifies good and things pertaining to good, thus satisfactions and joys, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Isaiah:
In hearkening hearken unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, that your soul may be delighted in fatness (Isa. 55:2).
“To eat that which is good” signifies to appropriate good to oneself; therefore “to be delighted in fatness” signifies to be in a state of satisfaction and blessedness. In Jeremiah:
I will fill the soul of the priests with fatness, and My people shall be satisfied with good (Jer. 31:14).
Here, too, “fatness” signifies satisfaction and blessedness from the good of love. In David:
With fat and fatness my soul shall be satisfied, and my mouth will praise Thee with lips of songs (Ps. 63:5).
“To have the soul satisfied with fat and fatness” signifies to be filled with the good of love and consequent joy; “to praise with lips of songs” signifies to worship by truths that gladden the mind. In the same:
They shall be filled with the fatness of Thy house, and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures (Ps. 36:8).
The “fatness” with which the house shall be filled signifies the good of love and consequent satisfaction, “house” being the things of the mind; “the river of pleasures” that he will make them to drink of signifies intelligence and consequent happiness.
sRef Isa@30 @23 S3′ sRef Ps@92 @15 S3′ sRef Ps@20 @3 S3′ sRef Isa@25 @6 S3′ sRef Ps@92 @14 S3′ [3] In Isaiah:
In this mountain shall Jehovah of Hosts make to all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of lees, of fat things of marrows, and of lees well refined (Isa. 25:6).
This is said of the state of those who will acknowledge and worship the Lord. That “mountain” signifies a new church from these, “a feast of fat things, of fat things of marrows,” signifies both natural and spiritual good with joy of heart, and “lees, and lees well refined” signify truths from that good with happiness from them. In the same:
Jehovah shall give the rain of thy seed with which thou shalt sow the land, and bread of the produce of the land, and it shall be fat and plenteous (Isa. 30:23).
“Rain of seed” signifies the multiplication of truth, and “bread of produce” signifies fructification of good; “fat and plenteous” signifies good and truth with all satisfaction and happiness. In David:
They shall still have increase in old age, they shall be fat and green, to proclaim that Jehovah is upright (Ps. 92:14-15).
“To be fat and green” signifies to be in the goods and truths of doctrine. In the same:
Jehovah shall remember all thy offerings and shall make fat thy burnt-offering (Ps. 20:3).
“Offerings and burnt-offering” signify worship, and to “make fat” signifies worship from the good of love. “Fatness” has the same signification in Ezek. 34:3; Gen. 27:39; and elsewhere. As “fat and fatness” signified the good of love, and all worship which is truly worship must be from the good of love, therefore:
It was appointed that all the fat and fatness in the sacrifices should be burnt on the altar (Exod. 29:13, 22; Lev. 1:8; 3:3-16; 4:8-35; 7:3-4, 30-31; 17:6; Num. 18:17-18).
For “sacrifices and burnt-offerings” signified worship.
sRef Ezek@39 @19 S4′ [4] As the Jewish and Israelitish nation was only in external worship, and not also in internal worship, and in consequence was in no good of love and in no good of charity and faith:
It was forbidden them to eat the fat and blood, and it was declared that they would be cut off if they should eat them (Lev. 3:17; 7:23, 25).
But to those who are in internal worship and from that in external worship, such as those must be who will be of the Lord’s New Church, it is said:
That they shall eat fat till they be full, and drink blood till they be drunken (Ezek. 39:19);
“fat” here signifying all the good of heaven and of the church, and “blood” all their truth. In the contrary sense those who are “fat” signify those who are nauseated at good, or who at least despise and reject it (Deut. 32:15; Jer. 5:28; 50:11; Ps. 17:10; 20:4; 68:31; 119:70; and elsewhere).

(Continuation)

[5] But such is not the lot of those who are permanently evil. All who are permanently evil are in hell according to the loves of their life; and there they think and speak from thought, although they speak falsities, and they will and from will do, although they do evils. Moreover, to one another they appear like men, although in the light of heaven they have monstrous forms. From this it can be seen why it is according to a law of order relating to reformation, which is called a law of Divine providence, that man is not let into the truths of faith and the goods of love except so far as he can be withheld from evils and held in goods even to the end of life, and that it is better for a man to be permanently evil than that he be good and afterwards evil, for thus he becomes profane. It is for this reason that the Lord, who provides all things and foresees all things, hides the operations of His providence, even to the extent that man scarcely knows whether there be any providence whatever, and man is permitted to attribute what he does to prudence, and what happens to him to fortune, and even to ascribe many things to nature, rather than that he should, through conspicuous and clear indications of the Divine providence and presence, plunge unseasonably into sanctities in which he will not continue. The Lord also permits like things by other laws of His providence, namely, by these, that man should have freedom, and that he should do whatever he does according to reason, thus wholly as if of himself, for it is better for a man to ascribe the workings of the Divine providence to prudence and fortune than to acknowledge them and still live as a devil. From this it is clear that the laws of permission, which are many, proceed from the laws of providence.

sRef John@12 @40 S0′ sRef Matt@12 @44 S0′ sRef Matt@12 @43 S0′ sRef Matt@12 @45 S0′ sRef John@5 @14 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @14 S0′ 1160. And thou shalt find them no more, signifies that they are destroyed forever. This is evident from the signification of “not finding them” (that is, things fat and splendid, which signify things good and thus satisfying and things true and thus grand), as being that they have been destroyed forever, for things found no more are destroyed forever.
(Continuation)
[2] One kind of profanation described above is meant by these words in Matthew:
When the unclean spirit goeth out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest and finding it not. Then he saith, I will return to the house whence I went forth. When he cometh he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then he goeth away, and taketh to himself seven other spirits worse than himself, and entering in they dwell there; and the latter things of that man become worse than the first (Matt. 12:43-45).
This describes the conversion of a man by the departure of the unclean spirit from him; and his return to evils and the consequent profanation is described by the unclean spirit returning with seven spirits worse than himself.
[3] Likewise by these words in John:
Jesus said to him who was healed at the pool of Bethesda, Behold thou art made whole, sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee (John 5:14).
Also by these words in the same:
He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and should convert themselves and I should heal them (John 12:40).
“Lest they should convert themselves and be healed” signifies lest they should become profane. Thus would it have been with the Jews (Matt. 12:45); and this is why they were forbidden to eat fat and blood (Lev. 3:17; 7:23, 25), for this signified their profanation of what is holy in consequence of their being such. Moreover, the Lord by his Divine providence guards with the greatest care against this kind of profanation; and lest this exist, He separates the holy things with man from those that are not holy, and stores up the holy things in the interiors of his mind, and raises them up to Himself; while the things not holy He stores up in the exteriors, and turns them to the world. Thus holy things can be separated from the unholy, and thus man can be saved. But this cannot be done when goods and evils are mixed together. That those who continue in faith and love even unto death will have the crown of life, the Lord teaches in Revelation (2:10, 26).

sRef Rev@18 @15 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @16 S0′ 1161. Verses 15-16. The merchants of these things who became rich by her shall stand afar off for fear of her torment, weeping and mourning; and saying, “Woe, woe, that great city, arrayed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and inwrought with gold, precious stone, and pearls. [English version, verse 17.] For in one hour were devastated so great riches.”
15. “The merchants of these things who were made rich by her” signifies all those who gained from that religious persuasion honors and riches, and thus the good things of opulence and eminence, which are satisfying and grand (n. 1162); “shall stand afar off for fear of her torment” signifies from dread of infernal punishments while they were in externals (n. 1163); “weeping and mourning” signifies grief of soul and heart (n. 1164). 16. “And saying, Woe, woe, that great city,” signifies lamentation over their doctrine and religious persuasion (n. 1165) ; “arrayed in fine linen and purple and scarlet” signifies the appearance in externals of being from celestial and spiritual truth and good (n. 1166); “and inwrought with gold and precious stone and pearls” signifies the appearance in externals of being from spiritual and natural truth and good (n. 1167). “For in one hour were devastated so great riches” signifies the destruction of all things that they had gained, and of all things by which they had hoped to make gains (n. 1168).

sRef Matt@24 @38 S0′ sRef Matt@24 @39 S0′ sRef Luke@14 @19 S0′ sRef Luke@14 @20 S0′ sRef Luke@14 @18 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @15 S0′ 1162. Verse 15. The merchants of these things who became rich by her signifies all those who gained from that religious persuasion honor and wealth, and thus the good things of opulence and eminence, which are satisfying and grand. This is evident from the signification of “merchants,” as being those who acquire such things as are signified in the Word by “riches,” for it is said, “The merchants of these things.” (That “merchants” have this signification see above, n. 1138.) Also from the signification of “becoming rich,” as being to gain such things and to make gain by them. The good things of eminence and opulence which are signified by “things fat and splendid” are here meant, and these are external things that are satisfying and grand separated from internal things, thus the goods of the world separated from the goods of heaven; for those who are of Babylon do not know what internal satisfactions are, because they do not read the Word and look to the Lord, but they know only what external satisfactions are, and with these only are they delighted. They are not receptive of internal satisfactions. The answers of those who were invited to the great supper have a similar signification:
One of whom said that he had bought a field, to which he must go, another that he had bought oxen which he must prove, and a third that he had married a wife (Luke 14:18-20).
All these things mean the goods of the world, or external goods withdrawn from internal goods. There is a like signification in the Lord’s words in Matthew:
That they were eating and drinking, contracting matrimony and giving in nuptials, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away (Matt. 24:38-39).
This was said by the Lord of the Last Judgment; and “to eat and drink, to contract matrimony and give in nuptials,” has the same signification as “things fat and splendid” in this verse, namely, external satisfactions and pleasantnesses, which are called pleasures of the body and of the world, and not also of the soul and of heaven. All this makes clear that all the kinds of merchandise enumerated in this chapter mean external goods and satisfactions that are not at the same time internal, and thus that those who are in these are meant by “the merchants who became rich” by these means.

(Continuation)

[2] (8) The eighth law of the Divine providence is that the Lord is continually withdrawing man from evils so far as man is willing from freedom to be withdrawn; that so far as man can be withdrawn from evils the Lord leads him to good and thus to heaven; but so far as man cannot be withdrawn from evils the Lord cannot lead him to good and thus to heaven; for so far as man has been withdrawn from evils so far he does good from the Lord, and that good is good in itself; but so far as he has not been withdrawn from evils, so far he does good from himself, and that good has evil within it. By the speech of his lips and the actions of his body man is in the natural world; but by the thoughts of his understanding and the affections of his will he is in the spiritual world. By the spiritual world heaven and hell are meant, both divided into innumerable societies, according to all the varieties of affections and consequent thoughts arranged in a most complete order. In the midst of these societies is man, so bound to them as not to have the least ability to think or will except in connection with them, and so connected that if he were to be torn away from them or they from him he would fall down dead, life remaining only in his inmost, whereby he is a man and not a beast, and whereby he lives to eternity. Man does not know that in regard to his life he is in such inseparable fellowship. This he does not know, because he has no discourse with spirits. For so long a time has man known nothing about that state; but lest this should remain hidden to eternity, it has been revealed. This much must be said before this law of the Divine providence can be understood.

sRef Rev@18 @15 S0′ 1163. And stood afar off for fear of her torment signifies from dread of infernal punishments while they were in externals, as is evident from the explanation above (n. 1113), where similar words occur.

(Continuation)

Man is from birth in the midst of infernal societies, and extends himself into them precisely as he extends the evil affections of his will. All evil affections of the will are from the loves of self and the world; and for the reason that those loves turn all things of the mind downwards and outwards, that is, towards hell, which is beneath and outside of themselves, thus turning them away from the Lord, and away from heaven. Moreover, the interiors of all things of the human mind, and with them the interiors of all things of the spirit, are capable of being turned either downwards or upwards. They are turned downwards when man loves himself above all things; and they are turned upwards when he loves the Lord above all things. This is an actual turning. Man from himself turns them downwards, while the Lord from Himself turns them upwards. The ruling love is what turns. Thoughts do not turn the interiors of the mind except so far as they are derived from the will. That all this is true man does not know; and yet he ought to know it in order that he may understand how he is led out of hell and led into heaven by the Lord.

sRef Rev@18 @15 S0′ 1164. Weeping and mourning signifies grief of soul and heart. This is evident from the signification of “weeping,” as being grief of soul, and from the signification of “mourning,” as being grief of heart. Grief of soul and grief of heart differ as truth and good differ, for in the Word “soul” is predicated of truth, which is of faith, and “heart” of good, which is of love; so the expression occurs in the Word, “from the soul and heart.” They differ also as will and understanding in man differ, and also as the respiration of the lungs and the motion of the heart differ. And as there is in the Word a marriage like the marriage of truth and good, or of faith and love, or of understanding and will, so it is here with “weeping and mourning,” that is, “weeping” is from grief of soul, and “mourning” from grief of heart.

(Continuation)

[2] That a man may be led out of hell and led into heaven by the Lord, he must himself resist hell, that is, evils, as if from himself. If he does not resist as if from himself, he remains in hell and hell in him, nor is he separated from it to eternity. This follows from the laws of the Divine providence that are stated above and that have been explained. Moreover, experience will teach that this is true. Evils are removed from man either by punishments, or by temptations, and consequent turning away, or by the affections of truth and good. With those not reformed evils are removed by punishments; with those about to be reformed they are removed by temptations and consequent turning away; and with the regenerate by the affections of truth and good. The experience is this: When an unreformed or evil person endures punishments, as takes place in hell, he is kept in the punishments until it is perceived that of himself he does not will the evils; not until then is he set free. Thus is he compelled of himself to put away evils. If he is not punished even to that intention and will he continues in his evil. Yet even then the evil is not rooted out, because he has not compelled himself. The evil remains within, and returns when the fear ceases. With those about to be reformed evils are removed by temptations, which are not punishments but combats. Such persons are not compelled to resist evils, but they compel themselves and pray to the Lord, and thus are delivered from the evils which they have resisted. Such afterwards refrain from evils, not from any fear of punishment but from an aversion to evil; and at length this aversion to evil is their resistance. But with the regenerate there are no temptations or combats, but the affections of truth and good that keep evils far away from them; for they are wholly separated from hell, which is the source of evils, and are conjoined to the Lord.
[3] To be separated and removed from evils is the same thing as to be separated and removed from infernal societies. The Lord has the power to separate and remove from infernal societies, that is, from evils, and the power to transfer to heavenly societies, that is, to goods, anyone He may wish; but such a change can continue only for a few hours, after which the evils return. I have frequently seen this done; and seen that the evil continued evil as before. In the whole spiritual world there is not an instance of anyone’s having been removed from evils in any other way than by combat or resistance as if from himself, or of anyone doing this except of the Lord alone.

sRef Rev@18 @16 S0′ 1165. Verse 16. And saying, Woe, woe, that great city, signifies lamentation over their doctrine and religious persuasion, as is evident from the explanation of like words above (n. 1134). “Woe, woe,” signifies lamentation when it is said, “Woe that city,” but it signifies cursing when it is said, “Woe to that city.”

(Continuation)

Let experience testify further on this subject. The quality of all who come from the earth into the spiritual world is known from their ability or inability to resist evils as if from themselves. Those who are able to do this are saved, while those who are not able are not saved. The reason is that man is not able to resist evils from himself, but only from the Lord; for it is the Lord who resists evils in man and gives man to feel and perceive as if he does it from himself. Therefore those in the world who have acknowledged the Lord, and have acknowledged that all good and truth are from Him, and that nothing is from man, and thus that power over evils is from the Lord, and not from themselves, such resist evils as if from themselves. But those who have not acknowledged this in the world are unable to resist evils as if from themselves, for such are in evils and in the delight of evils from love; and to resist the delight of love is the same as resisting themselves, their own nature, and their own life. An experiment was made whether such were able to resist evils when the punishments of hell were described to them, and even when those punishments were seen and were felt; but it was in vain; for they hardened their minds, saying, Let this be so, and let it come, but so long as I am here let me be in the pleasures and joys of my heart. The present I know; what is to come I give no thought to; no more evil will come to me than to very many others. Such when their time is fulfilled are cast into hell; and there they are compelled by punishments to refrain from doing evil; but punishments do not take away the will, intention, and consequent thought of evil; they merely take away the acts. All this makes clear that the power to resist evils is not from man, but is from the Lord with those who acknowledge Him, and that the Lord causes it to appear as if done by man.

sRef Rev@18 @16 S0′ 1166. Arrayed in fine linen and purple and scarlet signifies the appearance in externals of being from celestial and spiritual truth and good. This is evident from the signification of “fine linen,” as being truth from a celestial origin (see n. 1143); also from the signification of “purple,” as being good from a celestial origin (see n. 1042); also from the signification of “scarlet,” as being good from a spiritual origin (see n. 1144); also from the signification of “to be arrayed in them,” as being to appear in externals. This makes clear that “to be arrayed in fine linen and purple and scarlet” signifies the appearance in externals of being from celestial and spiritual truth and good, and yet regarded interiorly, these are evils and falsities from an infernal origin. What the celestial is and what the spiritual is has frequently been told before.
(Continuation.)
[2] The Lord alone resists the evils with man by Himself and not through any angels of heaven, because to resist evils with man is a work of Divine omnipotence, Divine omniscience, and Divine providence. It is a work of Divine omnipotence, because to resist one evil is to resist many, and even to resist the hells. For every evil is joined with innumerable other evils, and they cling together like the hells with each other; for as evils make one so do the hells, and as the hells make one so do evils, and no one but the Lord is able to resist the hells so united. It is a work of Divine omniscience, because the Lord alone knows what man is and what his evils are, and what their connection is with other evils, thus in what order they must be removed that man may be inwardly or radically cured. It is a work of Divine providence, that nothing may be done contrary to the laws of order, and that what is done may promote man’s eternal good; for Divine omnipotence, Divine omniscience, and Divine providence have respect in every least particular to what is eternal.
[3] All this makes clear that no angel is able to resist the evils with man, but the Lord only. The Lord carries on this work in man both immediately from himself, and mediately through heaven, and yet in such a way that no angel knows anything about it. For heaven in the whole complex is the Lord, because it is His Divine proceeding; consequently when He is working through heaven He is working from Himself. It is said mediately because the Divine operation flows through the heavens, and yet it takes nothing from the own [proprium] of any angel there, but only from what is its own with them. The appearance is the same as when a man does any act; to produce it he moves innumerable motor fibers scattered through his whole body, but of this action no single fiber knows anything. Such are angels in the Divine Body which is called heaven.

sRef Rev@18 @16 S0′ 1167. And inwrought with gold and precious stone and pearls signifies the appearance in externals of being from spiritual and natural truth and good, as is evident from what has been explained above (n. 1043, 1044), where like words occur.

(Continuation)

The law of the Divine providence, that so far as a man can be withdrawn from evils he does good from the Lord that is good in itself, but so far as he cannot be withdrawn from evils, he does good from himself, and such good has evil in it, may be illustrated by the commandments of the Decalogue. Take for example the commandment not to steal. Those who resist as if from themselves the lust of stealing and thus the lust of gaining wealth dishonestly and unjustly, saying in their hearts that this must not be done because it is contrary to the Divine law, thus contrary to God, and is in itself infernal, thus in itself evil, such after some brief combats are withdrawn from that evil, and are led by the Lord into the good that is called integrity, and into the good that is called justice; and then they begin to think about these goods, and to look upon them from them, to look upon integrity from integrity, and upon justice from justice; and afterwards as they shun and turn away from the evil of this lust, they love the goods, and do them from love and not from compulsion. Such goods are from the Lord, because they are goods that are good in themselves. It is otherwise when the lust of gaining wealth dishonestly and unjustly remains with man; then he cannot act honestly from honesty or justly from justice, thus not from the Lord, but only from self. For he acts honestly and justly only that he may be believed to be honest and just with a view to securing greater gain and honor; these ends are in his goods, and from the end is the whole quality of the good. Such good has evil in it, since its quality is from the end to make gains dishonestly and unjustly. Everyone can see that such good cannot become good in itself until the evil has been removed. It is the same with all the other commandments of the Decalogue.

sRef Rev@18 @17 S0′ 1168. [English version, ver. 17.] For in one hour were devastated so great riches signifies the loss of all that they had gained, and of all things by which they hoped to make gains. This is evident from the signification of “were devastated in one hour,” as being total destruction (see n. 1136), and so the loss of all things; also from the signification of “riches,” as being gains, which are honors and wealth, thus things they have gained, also the evils and falsities of their doctrine and religious persuasion, which are the things by which they hoped to make gains. “Riches” have the same signification as the “merchandise” enumerated in verses 12-14.

(Continuation)

[2] So far as man is removed from evils he is removed from hell, for evils and hell are one; and so far as he is removed from these he enters into goods and is conjoined with heaven, for goods and heaven are one. Man thus becomes another man; his freedom, his good, his mind, and his understanding and will, are turned about, for he becomes an angel of heaven. His freedom, which before had been a freedom to think and will evil, becomes a freedom to think and will good, which in itself is essential freedom. Until a man is in this freedom he does not know what freedom is, for from the freedom of evil he felt the freedom of good to be slavery; but now from the freedom of good he feels the freedom of evil to be slavery, as it is in itself. The good that man had before done, since it was from the freedom of evil, could not be good in itself, for it had in it the love of self or of the world. Good can have no other, origin than love; therefore such as the love is such is the good; yet even when the love is evil its delight is felt as good, although it is evil. But after this change the good that man does is good in itself, because it is from the Lord who is good itself, as has been said above.
[3] The mind of man, before it was conjoined to heaven was turned backwards, because it had not been led out of hell. When it is in a state of reformation, it looks from truth to good, thus from left to right, which is contrary to order. But when the mind has been conjoined to heaven it is turned forwards and lifted up to the Lord and looks from right to left, that is, from good to truth, which is according to order. Thus a turning is brought about. It is the same with the understanding and will, since the understanding is a recipient of truth, and the will a recipient of good. Before man has been led out of hell the understanding and will do not act as one; for man then sees and acknowledges from the understanding many things that he does not will, because he does not love them. But when man has been conjoined to heaven the understanding and will act as one, for the understanding then becomes the will’s understanding; for when the turning has been effected whatever a man wills he loves, and whatever he wills from love he thinks. Thus when a man has been removed from evils by resistance and combat against them as if from himself, he comes into the love of truth and good; and then everything that he wills and consequently does he also thinks and consequently speaks.

sRef Rev@18 @17 S0′ 1169. Verse 17. And every pilot, and all that are employed on ships, and sailors, and as many as work at sea, stood afar off. 17. “And every pilot, and all that are employed on ships, and sailors, and as many as work at sea,” signifies all that have believed themselves to be in wisdom, in intelligence, and in knowledge, and have confirmed the falsities of that doctrine and religious persuasion by reasonings from the natural man (n. 1170); “stood afar off” signifies not now in these things as before because of fear (n. 1171).

sRef Ezek@27 @8 S0′ sRef Ezek@27 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @17 S0′ sRef Ex@31 @3 S1′ 1170. Verse 17. And every pilot, and all that are employed on ships, and sailors, and as many as work at sea, signifies all that have believed themselves to be in wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge, and have confirmed the falsities of that doctrine and religious persuasion by reasonings from the natural man. This is evident from the signification of “ships” as being the knowledges of truth and good, also doctrinals in both senses (see n. 514); and as wisdom, intelligence and knowledge are from the knowledges of truth and good, so a “pilot or ship master” signifies those who are in wisdom. “Those employed on ships” signify those who are in intelligence; and “sailors” signify those who are in knowledge. Wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge are mentioned, because they follow in that order with those who from knowledges become wise. Wisdom is in the third degree, intelligence in the second, and knowledge in the first or ultimate, and this is why they are mentioned in that order in the Word, as in Moses:
I have filled Bezaleel with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in intelligence, and in knowledge (Exod. 31:3; 35:31).
The above is evident also from the signification of “working at sea,” as being to confirm by reasonings from the natural man, and here to confirm the falsities of that doctrine and religious persuasion, for “the sea” signifies the natural man, and “working” there signifies to reason, and by reasonings to confirm. Strictly, “to work at sea” signifies to acquire the things by which they may make gain, also to sell such things, and thus to make gain. But as gains were described above by “merchants and their merchandise,” here “working at sea” has another signification, namely, to confirm by reasonings. That “pilots or ship masters” signify those who are wise can be seen in Ezekiel:
The wise men of Zidon and Arvad were thy pilots. The elders of Gebal and the wise men thereof were thy caulkers (Ezek. 27:8, 9).
But these things may be seen explained above (n. 514).

(Continuation)

[2] There are two faculties of life in man, one called the understanding and the other the will. These faculties are entirely distinct from each other; but they were created to make one, and when they make one they are called one mind; but with man they are at first divided, and afterwards united.
They are distinct just as light and heat are. For the understanding is from the light of heaven which in its essence is the Divine truth or the Divine wisdom; and while man is in the world the understanding in him sees, thinks, reasons, and concludes from that light. Yet man is ignorant of this fact, since he knows nothing about that light or its origin. The will is from the heat of heaven, which in its essence is the Divine good or the Divine love; and while man is in the world the will in him loves from that heat, and has from it all its pleasure and delight. Of this fact also man is ignorant, since he knows nothing about that heat or its origin. Since, then, the understanding sees from the light of heaven, it is evidently the subject and receptacle of that light, and thus the subject and receptacle of truth and of wisdom therefrom. And since the will loves from the heat of heaven, it is evidently the subject and receptacle of that heat, and thus the subject and receptacle of good, that is, of love. From all this it can be clearly seen that these two faculties of man’s life are distinct, as light and heat are, also as truth and good are, and as wisdom and love are.
[3] That these two faculties are at first divided in man, is plainly perceptible from the fact that man is capable of understanding truth, and good from truth, and of accepting it as good, even though he does not will it and from willing do it; for he understands what is true and thus what is good when he hears and reads about it, and understands so fully as to be able afterwards to teach it by preaching and writing. But when alone and thinking from his spirit he can apprehend that he does not will the truth, and even that he wills to act contrary to it, and does act contrary to it when not restrained by fears. Such are those who are able to speak intelligently, and yet live otherwise. This is “seeing one law in the spirit, and another in the flesh,” “spirit” being the understanding, and “flesh” the will. This division between the understanding and the will is perceived especially by those who wish to be reformed, and but little by others.
[4] This division is possible because the understanding with man has not been destroyed, but the will has been destroyed. For the understanding is comparatively like the light of the world by which man is able to see with equal clearness in the winter season and summer season; while the will is comparatively like the heat of the world, which may be absent from the light or be present in the light. It is absent in the winter season and present in the summer season. But the fact is this, that nothing except the will destroys the understanding, as nothing except the absence of heat destroys the germinations of the earth. The understanding is destroyed by the will in those who are in evils of life when the two act as one, and not when they do not act as one. They act as one when man thinks by himself from his love, but they do not act as one when he is with others. When he is with others he conceals and thus sets aside his will’s own love; and when this is set aside the understanding is raised up into higher light.
[5] This shall be shown by experience. I have occasionally heard spirits talking with one another and also with myself so wisely that an angel could scarcely have talked more wisely; and I was in consequence led to believe that they would soon be raised up into heaven; but after a while I saw them with the evil in hell, at which I wondered. But I was then permitted to hear them talking in a wholly different way, not in favor of truths as before, but against them, because they were now in the love of their own will and likewise of their own understanding, while before they were not in that love. It has also been granted me to see how what is man’s own [proprium] is distinguished from what is not his own; for this may be seen in the light of heaven. What is man’s own has its seat within, and what is not his own has its seat without; and the latter veils and conceals the former, and the former does not appear until this veil is taken away, as takes place with all after death. I have noticed also that many were amazed at what they saw and heard; but these were such as judge of the state of a man’s soul from his conversation and writings, and not also from his acts which are from his own will. All this makes clear that these two faculties of life in man are at first divided.
[6] Something shall now be said about their union. They are united in those who are reformed, which is effected by combat against the evils of the will. When these evils have been removed the will of good acts as one with the understanding of truth. From this it follows that such as the will is such is the understanding, or, what is the same, such as the love is such is the wisdom. The wisdom is such as the love is because the love belonging to the will is the esse of man’s life, and the wisdom belonging to the understanding is the existere of life therefrom; therefore the love, which belongs to the will, forms itself in the understanding, and the form it there takes on is what is called wisdom; for as love and wisdom have one essence it is clear that wisdom is the form of love, or love in form. When these faculties have thus been united by reformation the will’s love increases daily, and it increases by spiritual nourishment in the understanding; for it has there its affection for truth and good, which is like an appetite that hungers and desires. From all this it is clear that it is the will that must be reformed, and as it is reformed the understanding sees, that is, grows wise; for as has been said, the will has been destroyed, but the understanding has not. The will and the understanding also make one with those who are not reformed, that is, in the evil, if not in the world yet after death; for after death man is not permitted to think from his understanding except in accordance with the love of his will. To this everyone is finally brought; and when he is brought to this condition the evil love of the will has its own form in the understanding, and as this form is from the falsities of evil it is insanity.

sRef Rev@18 @17 S0′ 1171. Stood afar off signifies not now in these things as before because of fear. This is evident from the signification of “standing afar off,” as being to be in externals (see n. 1133), so here because of fear, not to be in that delusive wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge by which they had before confirmed the evils and falsities of their doctrine and religious persuasion; for fear causes man to withdraw from these things when he sees the punishments and torments of those who are in them.

(Continuation)

Let the following be added to what has been said. (1) Before reformation the light of the understanding is like the light of the moon, clear according to the knowledges of truth and good; but after reformation it is like the light of the sun, clear according to the application of the knowledges of truth and good to the uses of life. (2) The reason that the understanding has not been destroyed is that man may know truths, and from truths see the evils of his will, and seeing them he may resist them as if from himself, and thus be reformed. (3) And yet man is not reformed from his understanding, but by means of the recognition of truths by the understanding and its seeing evils by them; for the operation of the Lord’s Divine providence is into the love of man’s will, and from that into the understanding, and not the reverse. (4) The love of the will gives intelligence according to its quality. Natural love from spiritual love gives intelligence in civil and moral matters; but spiritual love in natural love gives intelligence in spiritual matters; but merely natural love and the conceit that comes from it does not give intelligence in spiritual matters, but gives the ability to confirm whatever it pleases, and after confirmation so infatuates the understanding that it sees falsity as truth, and evil as good. Nevertheless, this love does not take away the ability to understand truths in their light; when it is present it takes it away, but not when it is absent. (5) When the will has been reformed, and the wisdom belonging to the understanding has come to be of the love belonging to the will, that is, when wisdom comes to be the love of truth and good in its form, man is like a garden in spring time, when heat is united to light and gives a soul to the germinations. Spiritual germinations are such productions of wisdom from love; and in every such production there is a soul from that love, while its clothing is from wisdom; thus the will is like a father and the understanding like a mother. (6) Such is man’s life, not only the life of his mind, but also the life of his body, since the life of the mind acts as one with the life of the body by correspondences. For the life of the will or love corresponds to the life of the heart, and the life of the understanding or wisdom corresponds to the life of the lungs; and these are the two fountains of the life of the body. Man does not know that this is so; nevertheless it is for this reason that an evil person cannot live in heaven, or a good person in hell. For either of these becomes as it were dead when he is not among those with whom the life of his will and thus the life of his understanding acts as one. When he is among such his heart beats freely, and his lungs respire freely; but not when he is among others.

sRef Rev@18 @19 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @18 S0′ 1172. Verses 18-19. And they cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What is like this great city? And they cast dust upon their heads, and cried out, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, that great city, wherein all that had ships in the sea were made rich by her costliness, for in one hour they were devastated. 18. “And they cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning” signifies grief of mind because of direful falsities, when they saw the punishment on account of those direful falsities that flowed from their lives (n. 1173); “saying, What is like this great city,” signifies astonishment that that doctrine and religious persuasion were thus destroyed (n. 1174). 19. “And they cast dust upon their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning,” signifies confession that by a life according to that religious persuasion and its doctrine they were condemned (n. 1175); “saying, Woe, woe, that great city, wherein all that had ships in the sea were made rich by her costliness,” signifies lamentation over the doctrine and religious persuasion by which all who confirmed them by reasonings from the natural man had made gains (n. 1176); “for in one hour they were devastated” signifies over the loss and destruction of all things (n. 1177).

sRef Rev@18 @18 S0′ 1173. Verse 18. And they cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning signifies grief of mind when they saw the punishment on account of the direful falsities that flowed from their loves. This is evident from the signification of “crying out,” as being grief of mind (see n. 393, 424, 459); also from the signification of “smoke,” as being infernal falsity flowing from the evils of earthly and bodily loves (see n. 539, 889, 1131); also from the signification of “burning,” as being the condemnation and punishment of the evils flowing from their loves (see n. 1083, 1126). From all this it is clear that “they cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning,” signifies grief of mind when they saw the punishment on account of the direful falsities that flowed from their loves.

(Continuation)
[2] (9) The ninth law of the Divine providence is that the Lord does not teach man truths either from Himself or through the angels immediately; but He teaches mediately by means of the Word, preaching, reading, conversation, and communication with others, and thus by thoughts within oneself about these things. Man is thus enlightened in the measure of his affection of truth from use. Otherwise man could not act as if from himself. This follows as a consequence from the laws of the Divine providence before explained, namely, that man must be in freedom, and must do what he does from reason; that he must think as if from himself from his understanding, and must do good as if from himself from his will; also that he must not be compelled to believe anything or do anything by miracles or by visions. These laws are unchangeable, because they are laws of the Divine wisdom and also of the Divine love; and yet they would be disturbed if man should be taught immediately, either by influx or by speech.
[3] Moreover, the Lord flows into the interiors of man’s mind and through these into its exteriors, also into the affection of his will and through that into the thought of his understanding, but not the reverse. To flow into the interiors of man’s mind and through these into its exteriors is to take root and from the root produce; for the root is in the interiors and production in the exteriors; and to flow into the affection of the will and through that into the thought of the understanding is first to inspire a soul, and through that to form all other things; for the affection of the will is like a soul whereby the thoughts of the understanding are formed. Furthermore, this is influx from what is internal into what is external, and such influx is possible. About what flows into the interiors of his mind, or about what flows into the affection of his will, man knows nothing; but he would know about that which flowed into the exteriors of his mind, or into the thought of his understanding, and this would be to produce something without a root, or to form something without a soul. Everyone can see that this would be contrary to Divine order, consequently that it would be to destroy and not to build up. By all this the truth of this law of the Divine providence is made clear.

sRef Rev@18 @18 S0′ 1174. Saying, What is like this great city, signifies astonishment that that doctrine and religious persuasion were destroyed. This is evident from the signification of “great city,” which is Babylon, as being its doctrine and religious persuasion; for “city” signifies doctrine, and “Babylon” its religious persuasion (as above, n. 1134); astonishment that they were destroyed is signified by their “crying out and saying, What is like it,” and this follows from seeing the smoke of her burning.

(Continuation)

[2] But how the Lord flows in and man is thus led can be known from no other source than the spiritual world, where man is as to his spirit, that is, as to his affections and the thoughts therefrom, for these constitute man’s spirit; and the spirit from its affection, and not the body, is what thinks. The affections of man, from which are his thoughts, have extension into societies in the spiritual world on every side, into more or fewer of them according to the amount and quality of the affection. Man as to his spirit is within these societies, and to them he is attached as it were with extended cords, which determine the space where he can walk. As he passes from one affection into another, so he passes from one society into another, and the society he is in, and the place where he is in the society, is the center from which the affection and its thought extends to other societies as circumferences, and these are thus in unbroken connection with the affection at the center, and from that affection man then thinks and speaks.
Man acquires this sphere, which is the sphere of his affections and thoughts therefrom, while he is in the world; from hell if he is evil, from heaven if he is good. Of this man is ignorant, because he does not know that such things exist. Through these societies man, that is, man’s mind, although bound walks free; but he is led by the Lord, and he takes no step into which and from which the Lord does not lead; and yet the Lord grants continually that man shall have no other thought than that he goes of himself in full liberty; and he is permitted to persuade himself of this because it is according to a law of the Divine providence that man shall go whithersoever his affection wills. If his affection is evil he is conveyed through infernal societies; and if he does not look to the Lord he is carried into these societies more interiorly and deeply. And yet the Lord leads him as if by the hand, permitting and withholding as far as man is willing to follow in freedom. But if man looks to the Lord he is led forth from these societies gradually, according to the order and connection in which they stand, which order and connection no one knows but the Lord only, and thus he is brought by continual steps out of hell up towards heaven and into heaven.
[3] This the Lord does without the man’s knowing it, because if man knew it he would disturb the continuity of that process by leading himself. It is enough for man to learn truths from the Word, and by means of truths to know what good is, and from truths and goods what evils and falsities are, in order that he may be affected by truths and goods, and not be affected by falsities and evils. Before he knows goods and truths he may have a knowledge of evils and falsities, but he is not able to see them and perceive them. In this and in no other way can man be led from one affection into another in freedom and as if of himself. This is done by leading according to the affection of truth and good when man acknowledges the Lord’s Divine providence in every particular; and it is done by permission according to an affection for evil and falsity when man does not acknowledge such a providence. So, too, man becomes capable of receiving intelligence corresponding to affection; and this he receives so far as from truths he fights against evils as if of himself. This must be revealed, because it is not known that the Divine providence is continual, and enters into the most minute things of man’s life, and because it is not known how this can be.

sRef Rev@18 @19 S0′ 1175. Verse 19. And they cast dust upon their heads and cried out weeping, and mourning, signifies grief and confession that by a life according to that religious persuasion and its doctrine they were condemned. This is evident from the signification of “to cast dust upon the head,” as being to mourn because they were condemned (it follows as a consequence that it was on account of life according to that religious persuasion and its doctrine); also from the signification of “to cry out weeping and mourning,” as being grief that they were condemned by such a life, “to cry out” having reference to doctrine, and “to weep and mourn” signifying grief of soul and heart (as above, n. 1164). “To cast dust upon the heads” means mourning on account of condemnation, because “dust” signifies what is condemned, and “head” the man himself. “Dust” signifies what is condemned, because the hells are beneath and the heavens are above, and from the hells falsity from evil unceasingly breathes forth, consequently the dust over them signifies what is condemned (see also above, n. 742). Because of this signification of “dust” it was a custom in the representative churches to cast dust upon their heads when they had done evil and had repented of it, thus giving proof of their repentance.
sRef Job@42 @6 S2′ sRef Isa@65 @25 S2′ sRef Job@2 @12 S2′ sRef Lam@2 @10 S2′ sRef Ezek@27 @30 S2′ sRef Gen@3 @14 S2′ sRef Micah@1 @10 S2′ [2] That this was so can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
They shall cry bitterly and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall roll themselves in ashes (Ezek. 27:30).
“To cast up dust upon their heads” signifies mourning because of condemnation, and “to roll themselves in ashes” signifies still deeper mourning, for “ashes” signify what is condemned, because the fire from which they come signifies infernal love. In Lamentations:
The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the earth, they keep silence, they have cast up dust upon their heads; the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the earth (Lam. 2:10).
By such things grief and mourning because of evils and falsities of which they repented, and thus confession that they were condemned, were represented. “Daughter of Zion” signifies the church, and “virgins of Jerusalem” signify truths of doctrine; “to sit upon the earth and keep silence” signifies grief of mind; “to cast dust upon the head” signifies confession that they were condemned, and “to hang down the head to the earth” signifies confession that they were in hell. In Job:
The friends of Job rent everyone his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven (Job 2:12).
“To sprinkle dust upon the head towards heaven” signifies mourning on account of Job, who seemed to be condemned. Mourning on account of condemnation of evil is signified by “dust upon the head,” and “rending the mantle” signifies mourning on account of condemnation of falsity. The same is signified by:
Rolling themselves in the dust (Micah 1:10).
That repentance was thus represented is evident in Job:
I repent upon dust and upon ashes (Job 42:6).
Because “dust” signifies condemnation, it was said to the serpent:
Upon the belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life (Gen. 3:14).
The “serpent” signifies infernal evil with those who pervert the truths of the Word, and thereby deceive artfully and craftily. So in Isaiah:
Dust shall be the serpent’s bread (Isa. 65:25).
From all this it is clear that “dust” signifies what is condemned, and that “to cast dust upon the head” is a testification of condemnation.

(Continuation)

[3] All this having been premised it shall now be told what affection is, and afterwards why man is led by the Lord by means of affections and not by means of thoughts, and lastly that man can be saved in no other way.
What affection is. The same is meant by affection as by love. But love is like a fountain and affections are like the streams therefrom, thus affections are continuations of love. Love as a fountain is in the will of man; affections, which are streams from it, flow by continuity into the understanding, and there by means of light from truths produce thoughts, just as the influences of heat in a garden produce germinations by means of rays of light. Moreover, love in its origin is the heat of heaven, and truths in their origin are the rays of light of heaven, and thoughts are germinations from their marriage.
From such a marriage are all the societies of heaven, which are innumerable, which in their essence are affections; for they are from the heat that is love and from the wisdom that is light from the Lord as a sun. Therefore these societies, as heat in them is united to light, and light is united to heat, are affections of good and truth. From this are the thoughts of all in these societies. This makes clear that the societies of heaven are not thoughts but affections, consequently to be led by means of these societies is to be led by means of affections, that is, to be led by means of affections is to be led by means of societies; and for this reason in what now follows the term affections will be used in place of societies.
[4] Why man is led by the Lord by means of affections and not by means of thoughts shall now be told. When man is led by the Lord by means of affections he can be led according to all the laws of His Divine providence, but not if he should be led by means of thoughts. Affections do not become evident to man, but thoughts do; also affections produce thoughts, but thoughts do not produce affections; there is an appearance that they do, but it is a fallacy. And when affections produce thoughts they produce all things of man, because these constitute his life. Moreover, this is known in the world. If you hold a man in his affection you hold him bound, and lead him wherever you please, and a single reason is then stronger than a thousand. But if you do not hold man in his affection reasons are of no avail, for his affection, when not in harmony with them, either perverts them or rejects them or extinguishes them. It would be similar if the Lord should lead man by means of thoughts immediately, and not by means of affections.
Again, when a man is led by the Lord by means of affections, it seems to him as if he thought freely as if of himself, and spoke freely and acted freely as if of himself. And this is why the Lord does not teach man immediately, but mediately by means of the Word, and by means of doctrines and preachings from the Word, and by means of conversations and interaction with others; for from these things man thinks freely as if of himself.
[5] In no other way can man be saved. This follows both from what has been said about the laws of the Divine providence and also from this, that thoughts do not produce affections in man. For if man knew all things of the Word, and all things of doctrine, even to the arcana of wisdom that the angels possess, and thought and spoke about them, so long as his affections were lusts of evil he could not be brought out of hell by the Lord. Evidently, then, if man were to be taught from heaven by an influx into his thoughts it would be like casting seed upon the way, or into water, or into snow, or into fire.

sRef Rev@18 @19 S0′ 1176. Saying, Woe, woe, that great city, wherein all that had ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her costliness, signifies lamentation over the doctrine and religious persuasion by which all who confirmed them by reasonings from the natural man made gains. This is evident from the signification of “Woe, Woe,” as being lamentation (see n. 1165); from the signification of “the great city,” as being the doctrine and religious persuasion (see n. 1134); from the signification of “to be made rich by her costliness,” as being to make gains by these means; also from the signification of “having ships in the sea,” as being to confirm these by reasonings from the natural man. “Those who have ships in the sea” have the same signification as “pilot, all employed on ships, sailors, and they that work at sea,” in the seventeenth verse; and these signify all who believe themselves to be in wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge, and who have confirmed the falsities of that doctrine and religious persuasion by reasonings from the natural man, as may be seen above (n. 1170).

(Continuation)

[2] Because the Divine providence acts into the affections that belong to man’s love and thus to his will, leading him in and from his affection into another that is near and related to it by means of his freedom, and so imperceptibly that man has no knowledge of how it acts, and in fact hardly knows that there is a Divine providence; for this reason many deny providence, and confirm themselves against it. This is done in consequence of the various things that happen and arise, as that the arts and deceits of the wicked are successful, that impiety prevails, that there is a hell, that the understanding is blinded to spiritual things, and that this gives rise to so many heresies, each one of which, starting from a single head, flows out into assemblies and nations and becomes permanent, like popery, Lutheranism, Calvinism, Melancthonism, Moravianism, Arianism, Socinianism, Quakerism, Enthusiasm, and even Judaism, and with these naturalism and atheism; and outside of Europe extending through many kingdoms, Mohammedanism, and also paganism, in which are various kinds of worship, and in some cases no worship at all.
[3] All who do not think on these subjects from the Divine truth say in their heart that there is no Divine providence; and those who are perplexed about it assert that there is a Divine providence, but that it is only universal. When either of these hear that there is a Divine providence in every least particular of man’s life they either give no heed to it or do give heed to it; those who give no heed to it, casting the truth behind them and turning away, and those who do give heed to it turning away like the others, and yet they turn back their faces, merely to see whether there is anything in it; and when they see they say to themselves, This is mere affirmation. Some of these latter do affirm the truth with the lips, but not with the heart. Since, then, it is important that the blindness arising from ignorance, or the thick darkness arising from absence of light, should be dissipated, it is permitted to see (1) That the Lord teaches no one immediately, but mediately through those things in man that are from the hearing and sight. (2) And yet the Lord provides that man may be reformed and saved by those things that he adopts as his religion. (3) And for every nation the Lord provides a universal means of salvation.

1177. For in one hour they were devastated signifies over the loss and destruction of all things, that is, lamentation over them, as is evident from the explanations above (n. 1136, 1168), where like words occur.

(Continuation)

(1) That the Lord teaches no one immediately, but mediately through those things in man that are from the hearing and sight. This follows from what has been said above; to which it must be added that immediate revelation is not granted to man except that which has been given in the Word, such as it is in the prophecies and gospels and histories; which is such that everyone may be taught according to the affections of his love and the consequent thoughts of his understanding, those who are not in good of life receiving very little, but those who are in good of life receiving much, for these are taught through enlightenment by the Lord.
[2] The enlightenment is as follows: Light conjoined with heat flows in through heaven from the Lord. This heat, which is the Divine love, affects the will, from which man has the affection of good; and this light, which is the Divine wisdom, affects the understanding, from which man has the thought of truth. From these two fountains, which are the will and understanding, all things of man’s love and all things of his knowledge are affected; but only those things that pertain to the subject are called up and presented to view. In this way is enlightenment effected by the Lord by means of the Word, in which everything, from the spiritual that is in it, communicates with heaven, and the Lord flows in through heaven into that which is at the time under man’s view; and the influx in everyone is continual and universal even to the minutest particulars. It is comparatively like the heat and light from the sun of the world, which operate upon each and every thing of the earth and give life according to the quality of the seed and the reception. What, then, must be the effect of the heat and light from the Divine sun, from which all things live? To be enlightened by the Lord through heaven is to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit is the Divine that proceeds from the Lord as a sun, from which is heaven. From this it is clear that the Lord teaches the man of the church mediately by means of the Word according to the love of his will that comes from his life, and according to the light of his understanding that he gains by means of knowledge; and that this cannot be otherwise, because this is the Divine order of influx.
[3] And this is why the Christian religion has been divided into churches, and into heresies in general and in particular within the churches. Neither can those who are outside the Christian world, and who do not have the Word, be taught in any other way, for they are taught through the religious principle that they have instead of the Word, which is in part from the Word. The religious principle with the Mohammedans was in some respects taken from the Word of both Testaments. Others have a religious principle derived from the ancient Word that was afterwards lost. With some it was from the Ancient Church that extended over a great part of the continent of Asia, which, like our church at the present day, was divided into many, all of them having that ancient Word. From these the religious principles of many nations were derived, although in process of time these became in many cases more or less idolatrous.
[4] Those whose worship is from that origin are taught by the Lord mediately by means of their religious principle the same as Christians are by the Word; and this is done, as has been said, by the Lord through heaven, and thus by a stirring up of their will and also of their understanding. But enlightenment by means of those religious principles is not like enlightenment by means of the Word. It is like enlightenment at evening when the moon is shining more or less brightly, while enlightenment by means of the Word is like enlightenment in the daytime from morning to noon, when the sun is shining more or less brightly. Thus it is that the Lord’s church which, as to its light, which is Divine wisdom, extends through the entire globe, is like the day from noon to evening, and even to night; while as to its heat, which is Divine love, it is like the year from spring to autumn, and even to winter.

sRef Rev@18 @20 S0′ 1178. Verse 20. Exult over her, O heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath judged your judgment upon her. 20. “Exult over her, O heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets,” signifies joy of heart in heaven and in the church with those who are in wisdom and intelligence from the Word (n. 1179); “for God hath judged your judgment upon her” signifies on account of the rejection of these (n. 1180).

sRef Rev@18 @20 S0′ 1179. Verse 20. Exult over her, O heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, signifies joy of heart in heaven and in the church with those who are in wisdom and intelligence from the Word. This is evident from the signification of “exulting,” as being joy of heart; also from the signification of “heaven,” as being not only heaven but also the church, since the church is the Lord’s heaven upon the earth; also from the signification of “apostles,” as being those who teach from the Word (see n. 100, 333), therefore those who are in wisdom; also from the signification of “prophets,” as being those who are in the doctrine of truth from the Word, and in an abstract sense doctrines themselves (see n. 624), therefore those who are in intelligence; for those who are in doctrine from the Word are called “intelligent,” while those who teach the Word are called “wise.” From all this it is clear that “Exult over her, O heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets,” signifies joy of heart in heaven and in the church with those who are in wisdom and intelligence. This now follows because before the Last Judgment, or before the Babylonians were cast into hell and the world of spirits was thus delivered from them, the light by which the angels have wisdom and intelligence was intercepted. That light was intercepted and the angels thereby somewhat obscured because of the conjunction of the Babylonians with the angels of the lowest heaven; but it was otherwise when they had been cast down. (On this see what is related from things seen and heard in the work on The Last Judgment.)

(Continuation)

[2] (2)And yet the Lord provides that man may be reformed and saved by those things that he adopts as his religion. In the entire globe where there is any religion, since there must be conjunction, there are two that constitute it, namely, God and man; and there are two things that constitute conjunction, namely, the good of love and the truth of faith; the good of love is from the Lord immediately, the truth of faith is also from God, but mediately. The good of love is that through which God leads man, and the truth of faith is that through which man is led. This is the same as what has been said above. The truth of faith appears to man to be his own, because it is from those things that he acquires as if from himself. Therefore God conjoins Himself to man through the good of love, and man conjoins himself to God as if of himself through the truth of faith. Because the conjunction is such the Lord compares Himself to a bridegroom and husband, and the church to a bride and wife. The Lord flows in continually with an abundance of the good of love, but He cannot be conjoined to man in the fullness of the truth of faith, but only in that which is with man, and this varies; it can be given in greater fullness with those who are where the Word is, and in less fullness with those who are where there is no Word; and yet the fullness varies in both in proportion to their knowledge and their life according to it, and consequently it may be greater with those who have not the Word than with those who have it.
[3] The conjunction of God with man and of man with God is taught in the two tables that were written with the finger of God, and called “the tables of the covenant,” “of the testimony,” and “of the law.” In one table is God, in the other man. All nations that have any religion have these tables; from the first table they know that God must be acknowledged, regarded as holy, and worshiped; from the other table they know that they must not steal, either openly or secretly by crafty devices; that they must not commit adultery; that they must not kill either by the hand or by hatred; that they must not bear false witness in a court of justice or before the world; and also that they must not will these things. From his table man knows the evils that must be shunned, and just so far as he knows them and shuns them as if from himself, God conjoins the man to Himself and enables him from His table to acknowledge Him, to regard Him as holy, and to worship Him, and also enables him not to will evils, and so far as he does not will evils to know truths in abundance. Thus these two tables are conjoined with man, and God’s table is placed above man’s table, and they are put as one table into the ark, over which is the mercy-seat, which is the Lord, and over the mercy-seat the two cherubim which are the Word and what is from the Word, in which the Lord speaks with man as he spoke with Moses and Aaron between the cherubim.
[4] Since, then, there is conjunction of the Lord with man and of man with the Lord by these means, evidently everyone who knows them and lives according to them, not merely from the civil and moral law, but also from the Divine law, will be saved; thus everyone in his own religion, whether Christian or Mohammedan or Gentile. And what is more, a man who from religion lives these truths, even if in the world he knows nothing about the Lord, nor anything else from the Word, yet he is in such a state as to his spirit that he wishes to become wise; consequently after death he is instructed by the angels and acknowledges the Lord and receives truths according to his affection and becomes an angel. Every such person is like a man who dies an infant, for he is led by the Lord and is educated by the angels. Those who from ignorance and from having been born in such a place have known nothing of worship, are after death instructed like little children, and according to their civil and moral life receive the means of salvation. I have seen such, and at first they did not appear like men; but afterwards I saw them as men, and heard them speaking sanely from the commandments of the Decalogue. To instruct such is the inmost angelic joy. From all this it is now clear that the Lord provides that every man can be saved.

sRef Rev@18 @20 S0′ 1180. For God hath judged your judgment upon her, signifies on account of their rejection of these, as is evident from the signification of “judging a judgment” as being to recompense according to deeds, thus to cast into hell those meant by “Babylon,” consequently to cast them out of the places where they had been before.

(Continuation)

(3) For every nation the Lord provides a universal means of salvation. From what has been said above it is clear that in whatever religion a man may live he can be saved; for he knows the evils and the falsities from evils that must be shunned, and having shunned them he knows the goods that must be done and the truths that must be believed. The goods he does and the truths he believes before he has shunned evils are not in themselves goods and truths, because they are from man and not from the Lord. Before that they are not goods and truths in themselves because in the man they then have no life. A man who knows all goods and all truths, as many as can be known, but does not shun evils, knows nothing. His goods and truths are swallowed up or cast out by the evils, so that he becomes foolish, not in the world but afterwards; while the man who knows few goods and few truths, but shuns evils, knows those goods and truths and learns many more and becomes wise, if not in the world yet afterwards. Since, then, everyone in every religion knows the evils and falsities from evils that must be shunned, and having shunned them knows the goods that must be done and the truths that must be believed, it is clear that this is provided by the Lord as the universal means of salvation with every nation that has any religion.
[2] With Christians this means exists in all fullness; it also exists, though not in fullness, with Mohammedans and Gentiles. The remaining things, by which they are distinguished, are either ceremonials which are of little consequence, or are goods that may be done or not done, or truths that may be believed or not believed, and yet man be saved. What these things amount to man can see when evils are removed. A Christian sees this from the Word, a Mohammedan from the Koran, and a Gentile from his religious principle. A Christian sees from the Word that God is one, that the Lord is the Savior of the world, that all good that is good in itself, and all truth that is true in itself, is from God, and nothing of it from man; that there must be Baptism and the Holy Supper, that there is a heaven and that there is a hell, that there is a life after death, and that he who does good comes into heaven, and he who does evil into hell. These things he believes from truth and does from good when he is not in evil. Other things that are not in accord with these and with the Decalogue he may pass by. A Mohammedan sees from the Koran that God is one, that the Lord is the Son of God, and that all good is from God, that there is a heaven and that there is a hell, that there is a life after death, and that the evils forbidden in the commandments of the Decalogue must be shunned. If he does these latter things he also believes the former and is saved. A Gentile sees from his religious principle that there is a God, that He must be regarded as holy and be worshiped, that good is from Him, that there is a heaven and that there is a hell, that there is a life after death, that the evils forbidden in the Decalogue must be shunned. If he does these things and believes them he is saved. And as many Gentiles perceive God to be Man, and as God-Man is the Lord, so after death when they are instructed by angels they acknowledge the Lord, and afterwards receive truths from the Lord that they had not before known. They are not condemned because of their not having the ordinances of Baptism and the Holy Supper; the Holy Supper and Baptism are for those only who are in possession of the Word, and to whom the Lord is known from the Word; for they are symbols of that church, and are attestations and certifications that those who believe and live according to the Lord’s commandments in the Word are saved.

sRef Rev@18 @21 S0′ 1181. Verse 21. And one strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall Babylon, that great city, be cast down, and shall be found no more. 21. “And one strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast into the sea,” signifies all confirmations of their doctrine from the Word cast with them into hell (n. 1182); “saying, Thus with violence shall Babylon, that great city, be cast down, and shall be found no more,” signifies the total destruction of that doctrine and religious persuasion, and that they shall not rise again (n. 1183).

sRef Jer@25 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @21 S0′ 1182. Verse 21. And one strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast into the sea, signifies confirmations of their doctrine from the Word cast with them into hell. This is evident from the signification of “strong angel,” as being the Divine truth in its power (see n. 130, 200, 302, 593, 800); also from the signification of a “millstone,” as being the confirmation of truth from the Word, and also the confirmation of falsity from the Word (of which presently); also from the signification of “casting into the sea,” as being into hell with them; that the “sea” signifies hell, may be seen (n. 537, 538). A “millstone” signifies confirmation from the Word in both senses, because “wheat” signifies good, and “fine flour” its truth, therefore “a millstone,” by which wheat is ground into fine flour, or barley into meal, signifies the production of truth from good, or the production of falsity from evil, so, too, the confirmation of truth or of falsity from the Word; as can be seen from the following passages. In Jeremiah:
I will take away from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of the millstones and the light of the lamp (Jer. 25:10).
Here, too, the joy of heaven and of the church is described, and “the voice of joy” signifies exultation of heart from the good of love, and “the voice of gladness” signifies glorification of soul from the truths of faith, for in the Word “joy” is predicated of good, and “gladness” of truth. “The voice of millstones” has a similar signification as “the voice of joy;” and “the light of the lamp” has a similar signification as “gladness,” namely, from the truth of faith. “The voice of millstones” signifies joy of heart from the good of love, because a millstone grinds wheat into fine flour, and “wheat” signifies the good of love, and “fine flour” truth from that good.
sRef Rev@18 @23 S2′ sRef Rev@18 @22 S2′ sRef Deut@24 @6 S2′ sRef Matt@24 @41 S2′ sRef Isa@47 @2 S2′ sRef Ex@11 @5 S2′ sRef Matt@24 @40 S2′ sRef Lam@5 @13 S2′ [2] Like things are said in this chapter of Revelation, namely:
The voice of a millstone shall not be heard in thee anymore, and the light of a lamp shall not shine in thee anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and the voice of bride shall not be heard in thee anymore (Rev. 18:22-23).
These words will be explained presently. In Isaiah:
Take the millstone and grind meal, make bare the thigh passing through the rivers (Isa. 47:2).
This is said of Babylon and Chaldea; and “to take the millstone and grind meal,” signifies to bring forth falsities from evil, and to confirm them by means of the Word; and “to make bare the thigh passing through the rivers,” signifies to adulterate goods by means of reasonings. In Lamentations:
The young men they led away to grind, and the boys stumbled under the wood (Lam. 5:13).
“To lead away the young men to grind,” signifies to compel those who are capable of understanding truths to falsify truths; “the boys stumble under the wood,” signifies to compel those who are capable of willing goods to adulterate goods, “to grind” being to falsify truths or to confirm falsities by means of the Word, “wood” being good. In Moses:
Thou shalt not take the mill or the upper millstone for a pledge, for He receiveth the soul for a pledge (Deut. 24:6).
This was among their laws, all of which corresponded to spiritual things. “Not to take a mill or millstone for a pledge” signified in the spiritual sense that the ability from good to understand truths must not be taken away from anyone, thus that no one must be deprived of goods and truths. Because this is the signification it is said, “for he receiveth the soul for a pledge,” which signifies that thus one would spiritually perish. In the same:
They shall die even to the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill (Exod. 11:5).
“The firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill” signifies the chief things of faith of the natural man, that have been falsified.
sRef Matt@18 @6 S3′ sRef Ex@32 @20 S3′ [3] In Matthew:
In the end of the age two women shall be grinding, one shall be taken and the other shall be left (Matt. 24:40, 41).
“The end of the age” is the last time of the church; “the two women grinding” mean those who confirm themselves in truths and those who confirm themselves in falsities from the Word; those who confirm themselves in truths are meant by the one that shall be taken, and those who confirm themselves in falsities by the one that shall be left. In the Gospels:
Jesus said, Whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe in Me to stumble, it is profitable for him that an ass-millstone be hanged about his neck, and that he be sunk in the depths of the sea (Matt. 18:6; Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2).
“To cause one of the little ones that believe in Jesus to stumble,” signifies to pervert those who acknowledge the Lord; “it is profitable that an ass-millstone be hanged about the neck,” signifies that it would be better for him not to know any good and truth, but only evil and falsity; this is meant by “ass millstone,” and “to be hanged about the neck” means cutting one off from knowing good and truth; “to be sunk in the depths of the sea,” signifies to be cast down to hell. This is profitable because to know goods and truths and to pervert them is to profane. What is meant by:
Moses burnt the calf and ground it even to powder, and sprinkled it upon the face of the waters, and made the sons of Israel to drink of it (Exod. 32:20; Deut. 9:21),
may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 10462-10466).

(Continuation)

[4] Something shall now be said about the speech of spirits with man. Many believe that man can be taught by the Lord by means of spirits speaking with him; but those who believe this and are willing to believe it do not know that it is attended with danger to their souls. So long as man is living in the world, as to his spirit he is in the midst of spirits, although spirits do not know that they are with man, nor does man know that he is with spirits; and for the reason that as to the affections of the will they are immediately conjoined, while as to the thoughts of the understanding they are mediately conjoined. For man thinks naturally, but spirits think spiritually; and natural and spiritual thought make one only by correspondences; and in a oneness by correspondences neither one of the two knows anything about the other. But as soon as spirits begin to speak with man they come out of their spiritual state into man’s natural state, and they then know that they are with man and they conjoin themselves with the thoughts of his affection and speak with him from those thoughts. They can enter into no other state of man, for all conjunction is by like affection and thought therefrom, while unlike separates. For this reason the speaking spirit must be in the same principles as the man is, whether they be true or false; and these he stirs up, and through his affection conjoined to man’s affection he strongly confirms them. This makes clear that none but like spirits speak with man, or manifestly operate into him, for manifest operation coincides with speech. Consequently only enthusiastic spirits speak with enthusiasts; only Quaker spirits operate upon Quakers, and only Moravian spirits upon Moravians. The same is true of Arians, Socinians, and other heretics.
[5] All spirits that speak with man were once men in the world, and were then of like character. This has been granted me to know by repeated experience. And what is absurd, when a man believes that the Holy Spirit is speaking with him or operating upon him the spirit also believes himself to be the Holy Spirit. This is common with enthusiastic spirits. All this shows the danger in which a man is who speaks with spirits, or who manifestly perceives their operation. Man does not know what the quality of his affection is, whether it be good or evil, or with what others it is conjoined; and if he is in the pride of self-intelligence the spirit within him favors every thought from that source; and the same is true when one favors certain principles enkindled by such a fire with those who are not in truths from genuine affection. Whenever a spirit from like affection favors man’s thoughts or principles, one leads the other as the blind lead the blind until both fall into the pit. The Pythonists formerly were of this character, also the magi in Egypt and in Babylon, who were called wise because they talked with spirits, and because they clearly perceived the operation of spirits in themselves. But by this the worship of God was changed into the worship of demons, and the church perished. For this reason such interaction was forbidden to the sons of Israel under penalty of death.

sRef Rev@18 @21 S0′ 1183. Saying, Thus with violence shall Babylon, that great city, be cast down, and shall be found no more, signifies the total destruction of that doctrine, and that these shall not rise again. This is evident from the signification of “to be cast down with violence,” as being total destruction; also from the signification of “Babylon that great city,” as being that religious persuasion and its doctrine (of which frequently above); also from the signification of “found no more,” as being not to rise again.

(Continuation)

It is otherwise with those whom the Lord leads. He leads those who love truths, and who will them from Himself. Such are enlightened when they read the Word; for the Lord is in the Word, and speaks with everyone according to his apprehension. When such hear the speech of spirits, as they sometimes do, they are not taught but led, and this with such precaution that the man is left to himself; for every man, as has been said before, is led by the Lord by means of affections, and from these he thinks as if from himself in freedom; if this were not so man would be incapable of reformation, nor could he be enlightened. But men are enlightened variously, each according to the quality of his affection and consequent intelligence. Those who are in the spiritual affection of truth are raised up into the light of heaven, even so as to be able to perceive the enlightenment.
[2] This it has been given me to see, and from it to perceive clearly what comes from the Lord and what from angels. What has come from the Lord has been written; what has come from the angels has not. Moreover, it has been granted me to talk with angels as man with man, also to see the things that are in the heavens and that are in the hells; and for the reason that the end of the present church has come, and the beginning of a new one, which will be the New Jerusalem, is at hand; and to that it must be revealed that the Lord rules the universe, both heaven and the world; that there is a heaven and a hell, and what these are; that men live even as men after death, those who have been led by the Lord in heaven, but those who have been led by self in hell; that the Word is the Divine itself of the Lord on the earth; also that the Last Judgment is accomplished, that man may not expect it forever in this world; as well as many other things belonging to the light that is now arising after darkness.

sRef Rev@18 @22 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @23 S0′ 1184. Verses 22-23. And the voice of harpers and musicians and pipers and trumpeters shall not be heard in thee any more; and no craftsman of whatsoever craft shall be found in thee any more; and the voice of a millstone shall not be heard in thee any more. And the light of a lamp shall not shine in thee any more; and the voice of bridegroom and of bride shall not be heard in thee any more; because thy merchants were the great men of the earth, because by thy sorcery have all nations been seduced. 22. “And the voice of harpers and musicians and pipers and trumpeters shall not be heard in thee any more,” signifies no more any interior or exterior joys (n. 1185); “and no craftsman of whatsoever craft shall be found in thee any more,” signifies no more any wisdom, intelligence, or knowledge (n. 1186); “and the voice of a millstone shall not be heard in thee any more,” signifies no more any understanding of truth from the will of good (n. 1187). 23. “And the light of a lamp shall not shine in thee any more,” signifies nothing of the truth of heaven and of the church (n. 1188); “and the voice of bridegroom and of bride shall not be heard in thee any more,” signifies no joy from the conjunction of good and truth (n. 1189); “because thy merchants were the great men of the earth,” signifies those who are in dominion and in its love and delight, and who have gained the chief honors of the world and the riches of the world (n. 1190); “because by thy sorcery have all nations been seduced,” signifies that by their wicked arts and persuasions they compelled all the well disposed to believe and to do those things from which they have gained dominion and wealth (n. 1191).

sRef Rev@18 @22 S0′ 1185. Verse 22. And the voice of harpers and musicians and pipers and trumpeters shall not be heard in thee any more, signifies no more any interior or exterior joys. This is evident from the signification of the “voice or sound” of various instruments of music, as being joys from internal and external affections. They signify affections because of their harmony, for musical sounds express affections and produce them with joy. Stringed instruments signify spiritual things, and wind instruments celestial things, and that they correspond to affections may be seen (n. 323, 326). But what “the voice of the harp, the voice of the pipe, and the voice of the trumpet” signify in particular, can be seen only from the affections, which are of two kinds, spiritual and celestial; spiritual affections are from truths and celestial from goods; but they are of three degrees, inmost, middle, and ultimate; the inmost are such as are in the inmost heaven, the middle such as are in the middle heaven, and the ultimate such as are in the lowest heaven.

(Continuation)

[2] (10) The tenth law of the Divine providence is that man has led himself to eminence and riches by his own prudence, when these lead astray, for by the Divine providence man is led only to such things as do not lead astray and as are serviceable to eternal life; for all things of the Divine providence with man look to what is eternal, since the life which is God, from which man is man, is eternal. There are two things that especially influence the minds of men, eminence and riches; eminence relates to the love of glory and of honors, riches to the love of money and possessions. These especially influence men’s minds because they belong to the natural man; consequently those who are merely natural have no other idea than that eminence and riches are real blessings that are from God, when in fact they may be curses, as may be clearly inferred from this, that they are the portion both of good men and of evil men. I have seen the eminent and the rich in the heavens and I have seen them in the hells; therefore, as has been said, when eminence and riches do not lead astray they are from God, but when they do they are from hell.
[3] In the world man does not distinguish between their being from God or from hell, because the natural man separated from the spiritual cannot perceive this distinction; but the distinction can be seen in the natural man that is from the spiritual, and yet with difficulty, because the natural man is taught from infancy to counterfeit the spiritual man; and in consequence when he performs uses to the church, to the country, to society and his fellow citizens, thus to the neighbor, he not only professes but also is able to persuade himself that he has done it for the sake of the church, the country, society, and his fellow citizens, and yet he may have done it for the sake of self and the world as ends. Man is in such blindness because he has not put away evils from himself by any combat; for so long as evils remain man can see nothing from the spiritual in his natural; he is like one in a dream who believes himself to be awake, or like a bird of night that sees the darkness as light. Such is the natural man when the gate of heavenly light is closed. Heavenly light is the spiritual that enlightens the natural man. Since, then, it is of the greatest importance to know whether eminence and riches, or the love of glory and honor, and the love of money and of possessions, are ends or are means, ends and means shall first be defined, for if these are ends they are curses, but if they are not ends, but means, they are blessings.

sRef Rev@18 @22 S0′ 1186. And no craftsman of whatsoever craft shall be found in thee any more, signifies no more wisdom, intelligence, or knowledge. This is evident from the signification of “craftsman of whatsoever craft,” as being everything belonging to the understanding, consequently wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge, for these belong to the understanding, the inmost of which is wisdom, the middle intelligence, and the lowest is knowledge. This is the signification of “craftsman of whatsoever craft,” because these are endowments of the understanding, and its endowments are signified by “crafts.” As these are signified by “crafts,” so in the Word where the construction of the tabernacle is treated of, also the garments of Aaron, which were of gold, blue, purple, scarlet double-dyed, and fine twined linen, it is said that they were to be the work of the “craftsman,” elsewhere “a work of a contriver” (Exod. 26:1, 31; 28:6; 39:8; and elsewhere). The things of which these were made, and which are here mentioned, signify things of wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge; therefore of Bezaleel and Oholiab, who were the craftsmen, and who made these things, it is said:
They were filled with wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge (Exod. 31:3 seq.; 36:1-2 seq.).
sRef Isa@40 @20 S2′ sRef Hos@13 @2 S2′ sRef Isa@40 @19 S2′ [2] That “craftsman” signifies intelligence from what is one’s own [proprium] is evident in Hosea:
They make them a molten image of their silver, and idols in their intelligence, all of it the work of the craftsmen (Hos. 13:2).
“Molten image” and “idol” signify worship according to doctrine that is from self-intelligence; “silver” signifies the falsity from which such doctrine comes; therefore it is said “that in their intelligence they make them an idol, all of it the work of craftsmen.” So in Isaiah:
The craftsman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth chains of silver; he seeketh a wise craftsman (Isa. 40:19-20).
And in Jeremiah:
Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the founder, hyacinthine and garments, all of it the work of the wise (Jer. 10:3, 9).
Here and in many passages elsewhere self-intelligence is described by “idols,” and “sculptured and molten images” (see n. 587, 827).

(Continuation)

[3] End, mediate causes, and effect, are called also the chief end, intermediate ends, and the final end. Intermediate and final ends are called ends, because the chief end produces them, is everything in them, is their esse and is their soul. The chief end is the will’s love in man, the intermediate ends are subordinate loves, and the final end is the love of the will existing as it were in its effigy. As the chief end is the love of the will it follows that intermediate ends, being subordinate loves, are foreseen, provided, and produced through the understanding, and that the final end is the use foreseen, provided, and produced by the love of the will through the understanding, for everything that love produces is a use. This must be premised in order that what has just been said may be perceived, namely, that eminence and riches may be blessings or that they may be curses.

sRef Rev@18 @22 S0′ 1187. And the voice of the millstone shall not be heard in thee any more signifies no more any understanding of truth from the will of good. This is evident from the signification of “millstone,” as being the production of truth from good (see n. 1182); thus also the understanding of truth from the will of good, since the understanding is the recipient of truth, and the will the recipient of good.

(Continuation)

Now as the end, which is the love of man’s will, provides or acquires for itself through the understanding the means through which the final end may exist, to which the first end advances through the means, and this is the end coming into existence, which is the use, it follows that the end loves the means when they promote that use, and does not love them when they do not promote it, but then rejects them, and through the understanding provides or acquires for itself other means. This makes clear the quality of a man whose chief end is the love of eminence, or the love of glory and honor, or whose chief end is the love of wealth, or love of money or possessions, namely, that he regards all means as servants that are serviceable to him for his final end, which is love coming into existence, and this love is use to himself.
[2] Take, for example, a priest whose chief end is love of money or possessions, his means are the ministerial office, the Word, doctrine, learning, preaching from these, and instruction of men of the church and their reformation and salvation by means of these. These means are valued by him according to the end and for the sake of the end, and yet they are not loved, although with some they appear to be loved; for wealth is what is loved, since this is the first and the final end, and that end, as has been said, is everything in the means. Such assert, indeed, that their desire is that men of their church be taught, reformed, and saved; but as wealth is the end from which this is said, it is not said from their love, but only as means of acquiring reputation and gain for the sake of the end.
[3] The same is true of a priest whose chief end is a love of eminence over others, as will be seen if gain or honor is separated from the means. It is wholly different when instruction, reformation, and salvation of souls is the chief end, and wealth and eminence are the means; for a priest is then a wholly different man, for he is a spiritual man, while the former is a natural man. With a spiritual priest wealth and eminence are blessings, but with a natural priest wealth and eminence are curses. This has been made evident by much experience in the spiritual world. Many have been seen and heard there who asserted that they had taught, had written, and had reformed men; but when the end or love of their will was disclosed, it was clear that they had done all things for the sake of self and the world, and nothing for the sake of God and the neighbor, and that they even cursed God and did evil to the neighbor. Such are meant in Matt. 7:22-23; and in Luke 13:26-27.

sRef Rev@18 @23 S0′ 1188. Verse 23. And the light of a lamp shall not shine in thee any more signifies nothing of the truth of heaven and the church. This is evident from the signification of “light,” as being the Divine truth (see above, n. 955, 1067, 1159); also from the signification of “lamp” or “lampstand,” as being heaven and the church (see n. 62); also from the signification of “not shining any more,” as being not to exist.

(Continuation)

Take as another example a king, a prince, a magistrate, a governor, or an official, whose chief end is the love of rule, and whose means are all things belonging to their dominion, administration, and function. The uses they perform do not have the good of the kingdom, commonwealth, country, societies, and fellow- citizens, as their end, but delight in ruling, consequently self. The uses themselves are not to them uses, but minister to their pride. They perform uses for the sake of appearances and of distinction; they do not love them, but they commend and yet make light of them, just as a master does his servants. I have seen such after death, and have been amazed. They were devils among the burning; for when the love of rule is the chief end it is the very fire of hell.
[2] I have also seen others whose chief end was not love of rule, but love of God and the neighbor, which is the love of uses; these were angels to whom dominion in the heavens was granted. From all this again it is clear that eminence may be a blessing or may be a curse, and that eminence as a blessing is from the Lord, and eminence as a curse is from the devil. What the love of rule is when it is the chief end, anyone who is wise can see from the kingdom that is meant in the Word by “Babylon,” that set its throne in the heavens above the Lord by claiming to itself all His authority; consequently it abrogated the Divine means of worship, which are from the Lord through the Word, and in their place instituted demoniacal means of worship, which are adorations of living and dead men, also of sepulchers, carcasses, and bones. That kingdom is described by “Lucifer” in Isaiah (14:4-24). But only those that have exercised that dominion from the love of it are Lucifers, not the rest.

sRef Jer@16 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@18 @23 S0′ sRef Jer@33 @10 S0′ sRef Jer@25 @10 S0′ sRef Jer@7 @34 S0′ sRef Jer@33 @11 S0′ sRef Joel@2 @16 S1′ 1189. And the voice of bridegroom and of bride shall not be heard in thee any more signifies no joy from the conjunction of good and truth. This is evident from the signification of “bridegroom,” as being in the highest sense the Lord; also from the signification of “bride,” as being in that sense the church; and as the Lord flows into man from the Divine good of the Divine love, and is conjoined to the man of the church in the Divine truth, so “bridegroom and bride” mean the conjunction of the Lord with the church, and also the conjunction of good with truth. Because all spiritual joy is from that conjunction, it follows that “the voice of the bridegroom and bride” signifies the joy therefrom. Moreover, the angels have all their wisdom and intelligence, and thus all their joy and happiness from that conjunction and according to it. As this is the signification of “the voice of bridegroom and bride,” heavenly joy is described in other places in the Word by “bridegroom and bride.” As in Jeremiah:
I will take away from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of the millstone and the voice of the lamp (Jer. 25:10).
In the same:
Behold I cause to cease out of this place the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride (Jer. 16:9).
In the same:
I will cause to cease out of the cities of Judah, and out of the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride (Jer. 7:34).
In Joel:
Let the bridegroom go forth out of His chamber, and the bride out of her closet (Joel 2:16).
In Jeremiah:
Yet again shall be heard in this place the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, of them that say, Confess ye Jehovah of Hosts (Jer. 33:10-11).
In these passages, “the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride” signify joy and gladness from the conjunction of the Lord with the church, and thus from the conjunction of good and truth, for the state of the church is here treated of; and the terms “joy and gladness” are also used, “joy” from good and “gladness” from truth.
sRef Rev@22 @17 S2′ sRef Isa@61 @10 S2′ sRef Matt@9 @15 S2′ sRef Rev@21 @9 S2′ sRef Matt@25 @2 S2′ sRef John@3 @29 S2′ sRef Isa@62 @5 S2′ sRef Matt@25 @1 S2′ sRef Rev@21 @2 S2′ [2] So in Isaiah:
I will rejoice in Jehovah, my soul shall exult in my God, as the bridegroom putteth on a miter, and as the bride adorneth herself with her jewels (Isa. 61:10).
“To put on the miter” means to put on wisdom, and “to adorn herself with jewels” means with the knowledges of truth. In the same:
As the joy of the bridegroom over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee (Isa. 62:5).
That the Lord is meant in the highest sense by the “bridegroom,” and the church by the “bride,”‘ is evident in the Gospels:
When the disciples of John asked about fasting, Jesus said as long as the bridegroom is with them the sons of the nuptials cannot fast; but the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them; then shall they fast (Matt. 9:15; Mark 2:19, 20; Luke 5:34-35).
Here the Lord calls Himself the “bridegroom” and the men of the church He calls “sons of the nuptials;” “to fast” signifies to mourn on account of the lack of truth and good. In Matthew:
The kingdom of the heavens is likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom (Matt. 25:1-2 seq.).
Here the “bridegroom” means the Lord, and “virgins” mean the church, and “lamps” signify the truths of faith. In John:
He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth with joy because of the bridegroom’s voice (John 3:29).
John the Baptist said this of the Lord, who is meant by the “bridegroom,” and the church is meant by the “bride.” That the church is meant by the “bride” is evident from these passages in Revelation:
I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (21:2).
The “New Jerusalem” means the New Church. Again:
Come, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb; and he showed me the city Jerusalem (Rev. 21:9-10).
And again:
The Spirit and the bride say, Come; and he that heareth, let him say, Come (Rev. 22:17).
“The Spirit and the bride” signify the church as to good and truth.

(Continuation)

[3] As the love of rule and the love of riches prevail universally in the Christian world, and these loves at this day are so deeply rooted that it is not known that they in any wise lead astray, it is important that their quality should be set forth. They lead every man astray who does not shun evils because they are sins; for he who does not thus shun evils does not fear God, and therefore remains natural. And as the love of ruling and the love of riches are the natural man’s own loves, he does not see with any interior acknowledgment what the quality of those loves are in him. This he does not see unless he is reformed, and he can be reformed only by combat against evils. It is believed that he can be reformed by faith; but there can be no faith of God in man until he fights against evils. When man has thus been reformed light flows in from the Lord through heaven and gives him the affection of seeing and the ability to see what those loves are, and whether they rule or serve in him, thus whether they are in the first place in him and make as it were the head, or are in the second place and make as it were the feet. If they rule and are in the first place they lead astray and become curses; but if they serve and are in the second place they do not lead astray but become blessings.
[4] I can assert that all in whom the love of rule is in the first place are inwardly devils. This love is known from its delight, for it exceeds every other delight of the life of man. It is continually exhaled from hell, and the exhalation appears like the fire of a great furnace, kindling the hearts of men whom the Lord does not protect from it. The Lord protects all who are reformed. Nevertheless, the former although in hell, are led by the Lord but only by means of external bonds, which are fears on account of the penalties of the law and the loss of reputation, honor, gain, and consequently pleasures. He leads them also by means of worldly rewards. He cannot lead them out of hell because the love of rule does not admit of internal bonds, which are the fear of God and affections of good and truth, by means of which the Lord leads all who will follow Him to heaven and in heaven.

sRef Rev@18 @23 S0′ 1190. For thy merchants were the great men of the earth signifies those who are in dominion and in its love and delight, and who have gained the chief honors of the world and the riches of the world. This is evident from the signification of “merchants,” as being those who acquire the knowledges of good and truth and communicate them; and in the contrary sense, as here, those who acquire such things as are serviceable for dominion, from which they gain both the honors and the riches of the world (see n. 840, 1104); also from the signification of “the great men of the earth,” as being those who transfer to themselves and exercise that dominion, which is dominion over the church and over heaven, and even over the Lord Himself. Such are meant in this chapter, but not those who are under their dominion. These indeed venerate and adore them, but they do this from a faith induced by authority, and thus from obedience, and this faith and obedience are from ignorance. These have no share in dominion, therefore the things said in this chapter of Babylon as the harlot are not said of these.

(Continuation)

[2] Something shall now be said about man’s being led by the Divine providence to such things as do not lead astray, but are serviceable to eternal life. These things also have reference to eminence and wealth. It is made clear that this is so by what I have seen in the heavens. The heavens are divided into societies, and those who are eminent and rich are to be found in every society. The eminent there are in such glory, and the rich in such abundance, that the glory and abundance of the world are almost nothing in comparison. But all the eminent there are wise, and all the rich abound in knowledge; thus eminence there is wisdom and wealth there is knowledge. Such eminence and wealth can be acquired in this world, both by those who are eminent and rich and by those who are not, for they are acquired here by all who love wisdom and knowledge. To love wisdom is to love uses that are true uses, and to love knowledge is to love the cognitions of good and truth for the sake of such uses. When uses are loved more than self and the world, and the cognitions of good and truth are loved for the sake of uses, uses have the first place and eminence and wealth the second place; and this is the case with all who are eminent and rich in the heavens. They look upon the eminence they have from wisdom, and the wealth they have from knowledge, just as a man looks upon his garments.

sRef Rev@18 @23 S0′ 1191. Because by thy sorcery have all nations been seduced signifies that by their wicked arts and persuasions they have compelled all the well disposed of that church to believe and to do those things from which they have gained dominion and wealth. This is evident from the signification of “sorcery,” as being arts and persuasions, (of which presently); also from the signification of “nations” as being those who are in good, thus the well disposed (see n. 175, 331, 625, 1077); also from the signification of “to be seduced,” as meaning to be deceived by such arts and persuasions into believing and doing those things from which they have gained dominion and wealth. “Sorcery” has nearly the same signification in the Word as “enchantment,” and “enchantment” signifies such persuasion as causes a man to have no other perception than that a thing is so. Certain spirits possess a power of persuasion that closes up as it were the understanding of another, and suffocates the ability to perceive; and as the well-disposed men in the Babylonish nation are compelled and persuaded to believe and to do whatever the monks say, it is here said that “they have been seduced by their sorcery.” “Sorcery” here has the same signification as “enchantment” in Isaiah (47:9, 12), where Babylon is treated of; also in David (Psalm 58:4, 5). Enchantment is also mentioned among the arts associated with magic, that were forbidden to the sons of Israel (Deut. 18:10-11).

(Continuation)

[2] The eminence and wealth of the angels of heaven shall also be described. In the societies of heaven there are higher and lower governors, all arranged by the Lord and subordinated according to their wisdom and intelligence. Their chief, who excels the rest in wisdom, dwells in the midst in a palace so magnificent that nothing in the whole world can be compared with it. Its architecture is so wonderful that I can truthfully assert that not a hundredth part of it can be described by natural language, for art itself is there in its art. Within the palace are rooms and bed-chambers, in which all the furniture and decorations are resplendent with gold and various precious stones in such forms as no artist in the world can imitate either in painting or sculpture. And what is wonderful, the particulars, even to the minutest particulars, are for use; and everyone who enters sees their use, perceiving it by a breathing forth, as it were, of the uses through their images. But no wise person who enters keeps his eyes fixed very long on the images, but his mind attends to the uses, since these delight his wisdom. Round about the palace are colonnades, pleasure gardens, and smaller palaces, each in the form of its own beauty a heavenly delight. Besides these magnificent objects there are attendant guards, all clad in shining garments, and many other things. The subordinate governors enjoy similar luxuries, which are magnificent and splendid according to the degrees of their wisdom, and their wisdom is according to the degrees of their love of uses. And not only do the rulers have such things, but also the inhabitants, all of whom love uses and perform them by various employments.
[3] But few of these things can be described; those that cannot be described are innumerable, for as they are in their origin spiritual they do not fall into the ideas of the natural man, and consequently not into the expressions of His language, except into these, that when wisdom builds for itself a habitation, and makes it comformable to itself, everything that lies inmostly concealed in any science or in any art flows together and accomplishes the purpose. These things have been written to make known that all things in the heavens also have reference to eminence and wealth, but that eminence there pertains to wisdom and wealth to knowledge, and that such are the things to which man is led by the Lord through His Divine providence.

sRef Rev@18 @24 S0′ 1192. Verse 24. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that had been slain on the earth. 24. “And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints” signifies violence offered by them to every truth and thus to every good of the Word (n. 1193); “and of all that had been slain on the earth” signifies all the falsities and evils by which those who were of the church had perished (n. 1194).

sRef Rev@18 @24 S0′ 1193. Verse 24. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints signifies violence offered by them to every truth and thus to every good of the Word. This is evident from the signification of “blood,” as being the Divine truth, and in the contrary sense violence offered to the Divine truth (see n. 329, 476, 748); also from the signification of “prophets,” as being those who are in truths of doctrine from the Word, and in an abstract sense truths of doctrine (see n. 624, 999); also from the signification of “saints,” as being those who are in Divine truths from the Word, and in an abstract sense Divine truths in the Word (see n. 204, 325, 973); also from the signification of “found in her,” as being that violence was offered to these from the doctrine and religious persuasion meant by Babylon. From all this it is clear that “the blood of prophets and of saints found in her” signifies the violence offered by them to every truth and thus to every good of doctrine from the Word.

(Continuation)

[2] Something shall now be said about the uses through which men and angels have wisdom. To love uses is nothing else than to love the neighbor, for use in the spiritual sense is the neighbor. This can be seen from the fact that everyone loves another not because of his face and body, but from his will and understanding; he loves one who has a good will and a good understanding, and does not love one with a good will and a bad understanding, or with a good understanding and a bad will. And as a man is loved or not loved for these reasons, it follows that the neighbor is that from which everyone is a man, and that is his spiritual. Place ten men before your eyes that you may choose one of them to be your associate in any duty or business; will you first find out about them and choose the one who comes nearest to your use? Therefore he is your neighbor, and is loved more than the others. Or become acquainted with ten maidens with the purpose of choosing one of them for your wife; do you not at first ascertain the character of each one, and if she consents betroth to you the one that you love? That one is more your neighbor than the others. If you should say to yourself, “Every man is my neighbor, and is therefore to be loved without distinction,” a devil-man and an angel-man or a harlot and a virgin might be equally loved. Use is the neighbor, because every man is valued and loved not for his will and understanding alone, but for the uses he performs or is able to perform from these. Therefore a man of use is a man according to his use; and a man not of use is a man not a man, for of such a man it is said that he is not useful for anything; and although in this world he may be tolerated in a community so long as he lives from what is his own, after death when he becomes a spirit he is cast out into a desert.
[3] Man, therefore, is such as his use is. But uses are manifold; in general they are heavenly or infernal. Heavenly uses are those that are serviceable more or less, or more nearly or remotely, to the church, to the country, to society, and to a fellow-citizen, for the sake of these as ends; but infernal uses are those that are serviceable only to the man himself and those dependent on him; and if serviceable to the church, to the country, to society, or to a fellow citizen, it is not for the sake of these as ends, but for the sake of self as the end. And yet everyone ought from love, though not from self-love, to provide the necessaries and requisites of life for himself and those dependent on him.
sRef Matt@6 @33 S4′ [4] When man loves uses by doing them in the first place, and loves the world and self in the second place, the former constitutes his spiritual and the latter his natural; and the spiritual rules, and the natural serves. This makes evident what the spiritual is, and what the natural is. This is the meaning of the Lord’s words in Matthew:
Seek ye first the kingdom of the heavens* and its justice, and all things shall be added unto you (Matt. 6:33).
“The kingdom of the heavens” means the Lord and His church, and “justice” means spiritual, moral, and civil good; and every good that is done from the love of these is a use. Then “all things shall be added,” because when use is in the first place, the Lord, from whom is all good, is in the first place and rules, and gives whatever contributes to eternal life and happiness; for, as has been said, all things of the Lord’s Divine providence pertaining to man look to what is eternal. “All things that shall be added” refer to food and raiment, because food means everything internal that nourishes the soul, and raiment everything external that like the body clothes it. Everything internal has reference to love and wisdom, and everything external to wealth and eminence. All this makes clear what is meant by loving uses for the sake of uses, and what the uses are from which man has wisdom, from which and according to which wisdom everyone has eminence and wealth in heaven.
* Photolithograph has “kingdom of the heavens.” Schmidius also has it. The Greek is “Kingdom of God.”

sRef Rev@18 @24 S0′ 1194. And of all that had been slain on the earth signifies all the falsities and evils by which those who were of the church had perished. This is evident from the signification of the “slain,” as being those who had perished by falsities and evils (see n. 315, 366); “to slay” being to deprive others of their truths and goods by falsities and evils (see n. 547, 572, 589); also from the signification of the “earth,” as being the church (of which frequently); therefore “the blood of all that had been slain upon the earth” signifies violence offered to every truth and good by falsities and evils, by which those who were of the church perished.

(Continuation)

As man was created to perform uses, and this is to love the neighbor, so all who come into heaven, however many there are, must do uses. All the delight and blessedness of these is according to uses and to the love of uses. Heavenly joy is from no other source. He who believes that such joy is possible in idleness is much deceived. No idle person is tolerated even in hell. Those who are there are in workhouses and under a judge who imposes tasks on the prisoners that they must do daily. To those who do not do them neither food nor clothing is given, but they stand hungry and naked; thus are they compelled to work there. The difference is that in hell uses are done from fear, but in heaven from love; and fear does not give joy, but love does. Nevertheless it is proper to vary occupations in different ways in company with others, and these serve as recreations, which are also uses. It has been granted me to see many things in heaven, many things in the world, and many things in the human body, and to consider at the same time their uses; and it has been revealed that every particular thing in them, both great and small, was created from use, in use, and for use; and that the part in which the ultimate that is for use ceases is separated as harmful and is cast out as condemned.


Revelation 19

After these things I heard as it were a voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, Alleluia, salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God;
2. For true and just are His judgments; for He hath judged the great harlot that corrupted the earth with her whoredom, and He hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand.
3. And a second time they said, Alleluia; and her smoke shall go up unto the ages of the ages.
4. And the twenty-four elders and the four animals fell down and adored God who sitteth on the throne, saying, Amen, Alleluia.
5. And a voice came forth from the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him, both the small and the great.
6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as it were the voice of many waters, and as it were the voice of mighty thunders, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God, the Almighty, reigneth.
7. Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory unto Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.
8. And it hath been given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the just deeds of the saints.
9. And he said unto me, Write, Blessed are they that have been called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said unto me, These are the true words of God.
10. And I fell down before his feet to adore him; and he said unto me, See thou do it not; I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus; adore God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
11. And I saw the heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and He that sat upon him is called faithful and true, and in justice He doth judge and make war.
12. And His eyes are like a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems, having a name written that no one knoweth except Himself.
13. And He was clothed in a garment dyed with blood; and His name is called the Word of God.
14. And the armies that are in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen white and clean.
15. And out of His mouth went forth a sharp sword, that with it He may smite the nations; and he shall tend them with a rod of iron; and He treadeth the wine-press of the wine of the fury and anger of God Almighty.
16. And He hath on His garment and on His thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
17. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a great voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and be gathered together unto the supper of the great God.
18. That ye may, eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders of thousands, and the flesh of the mighty, and the flesh of horses and of those that sit on them, and the flesh of all, free and bond, and small and great.
19. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war with Him that sat upon the horse and with His army.
20. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that did signs before him, with which he seduced those that had received the mark of the beast and that adored his image; these two were cast alive into the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone.

21. And the rest were slain by the sword that proceeded out of the mouth of Him that sat upon the horse; and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

EXPLANATION

CONTENTS OF THE SEVERAL VERSES.

GLORIFICATION OF THE LORD BY THOSE WHO ARE IN THE LOWER HEAVENS BECAUSE OF THEIR DELIVERANCE FROM BABYLON (verses 1, 2):
THAT THEY MAY BE FOREVER DELIVERED FROM HER (verse 3).
GLORIFICATION OF THE LORD BY THE HIGHER HEAVENS FOR THE SAME REASON (verse 4).
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE LORD OUT OF HEAVEN THAT THEY WORSHIP HIM (verse 5);
AND SHOULD REJOICE THAT THE NEW CHURCH IS APPEARING (verses 6, 7).
WHAT THAT CHURCH IS (verse 8).
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE ANGELS TO THOSE WHO ARE ON THE EARTH RESPECTING THE NEW CHURCH (verses 9, 10).
THE COMING OF THE LORD IN THE WORD, AND THE OPENING OF THE WORD (verses 11-16).
THE CALLING OF ALL TO THAT CHURCH (verses 17, 18).
RESISTANCE BY THOSE WHO ARE IN FAITH SEPARATE, AND THE REMOVAL AND CONDEMNATION OF SUCH (verses 19-21).

sRef Rev@19 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@19 @1 S0′ sRef Rev@19 @3 S0′ 1195. Verses 1-3. After these things I heard as it were a voice of a great multitude in heaven saying, Alleluia, salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God. For true and just are His judgments, for He hath judged the great harlot that corrupted the earth with her whoredom, and He hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand. And a second time they said, Alleluia, and her smoke shall go up unto the ages of the ages. (1) “After these things I heard as it were a voice of a great multitude in heaven” signifies the joy and gladness of the angels of the higher heavens because of the condemnation and casting out of those signified by “Babylon” and by “the beasts of the dragon,” and because of the light of Divine truth that will consequently arise for the sake of the New Church that is to be established by the Lord (n. 1196); “Saying, Alleluia,” signifies glorification of the Lord (n. 1197); “salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God” signifies because eternal life is from the Lord through the Divine truth and the Divine good from His Divine omnipotence (n. 1198). (2) “For true and just are His judgments” signifies that the laws of the Divine providence and the works of the Lord are of the Divine wisdom and the Divine love (n. 1199); “for He hath judged the great harlot” signifies judgment upon those who have transferred to themselves dominion over the church and over heaven (n. 1200); “that corrupted the earth with her whoredom” signifies by whom all the truths of the church have been falsified, and all its goods adulterated (n. 1201); “and He hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand” signifies the deliverance of those that are in Divine truths from the Lord by the casting out of the Babylonians (n. 1202). (3) “And a second time they said, Alleluia,” signifies the joy and gladness of the angels of the lower heavens (n. 1203); “and her smoke shall go up unto the ages of the ages” signifies that the falsity of evil that pertains to such is forever condemned to hell (n. 1204).

sRef Rev@19 @1 S0′ 1196. Verse 1. After these things I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude in heaven signifies the joy and gladness of the angels of the higher heavens because of the condemnation and casting out of those signified by “Babylon” and by “the beasts of the dragon,” and because of the light of Divine truth that will consequently arise for the sake of the New Church that is to be established by the Lord. This is evidently the signification of “the voice of a great multitude in heaven,” for these are the subjects treated of in this and the following chapters; the condemnation and casting out of those meant by “Babylon” are treated of in verses 2-3; the condemnation and casting out of “the beasts of the dragon” in verses 19-21; joy because of the New Church to be established by the Lord in verses 7-9, 17-18; and the light springing therefrom in verses 11-16.

(Continuation)

[2] Something shall now be said about the life of animals, and afterwards about the soul of vegetables. The whole world, with each and every thing in it, came into existence and continues to exist from the Lord the Creator of the universe. There are two suns, the sun of the spiritual world and the sun of the natural world. The sun of the spiritual world is the Lord’s Divine love, the sun of the natural world is pure fire. From the sun that is the Divine love every work of creation has begun, and by means of the sun that is fire it has been carried to completion.
[3] Everything that proceeds from the sun that is the Divine love is called spiritual, and everything that proceeds from the sun that is fire is called natural. The spiritual from its origin has life in itself, but the natural from its origin has nothing of life in itself. And because from these two fountains of the universe all things that are in both worlds have come into existence and continue to exist, it follows that there is in every created thing in this world a spiritual and a natural, a spiritual as its soul and a natural as its body, or a spiritual as its internal and a natural as its external; or a spiritual as the cause and a natural as the effect. That these two in any particular thing cannot be separated every wise person knows, for if you separate cause from effect or the internal from the external, the effect or the external goes to pieces, as when the soul is separated from the body.
[4] That there is such a conjunction in the particular and even in the most particular things of nature has not yet been known. It has not been known because of the existing ignorance respecting the spiritual world, the sun there, and heat and light there, and because of the insanity of sensual men in ascribing all things to nature, and rarely anything to God except creation in general; and yet not the least thing is possible or can be possible in nature in which there is not a spiritual. That this spiritual is in each and every thing of the three kingdoms of nature, and how it is therein, will be explained in what follows.

sRef Rev@19 @1 S0′ sRef Ps@113 @9 S1′ sRef Ps@113 @1 S1′ sRef Ps@150 @6 S1′ sRef Ps@115 @18 S1′ sRef Ps@104 @35 S1′ sRef Ps@106 @48 S1′ 1197. Saying, Alleluia, signifies the glorification of the Lord, as is evident from the signification of “Alleluia,” as being the glorification of the Lord; for in the original language “Alleluia” means, Praise ye God, and thus, Glorify ye the Lord. It was an expression of joy in confession and worship; as in David:
Bless Jehovah, O my soul; Hallelujah (Ps. 104:35).
In the same:
Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting; and let all the people say, Amen, Hallelujah (Ps. 106:48).
In the same:
Let us bless Jah from this time forth and forevermore; Hallelujah (Ps. 115:18).
In the same:
Let every soul praise Jah; Hallelujah (Ps. 150:6).
And elsewhere (as in Psalm 105:45; Psalm 106:1; Psalm 112:1; Psalm 113:1, 9; Psalm 116:19; Psalm 117:2; Psalm 135:3; Psalm 148:1, 14; Psalm 149:1, 9; Psalm 150:1).

(Continuation)

[2] That the spiritual and the natural are thus united in each and every thing of the world, just as there is a soul in each and every thing of the body, or an effecting cause in each and every thing of the effect, or a producing internal in each and every thing of its product, can be illustrated and confirmed by the subjects and objects of the three kingdoms of nature, which are all things of the world. That there is such a union of things spiritual and things natural in each and all of the subjects and objects of the animal kingdom is evident from the many wonderful things that have been observed in that kingdom by learned men and societies, and recorded to be studied by those who investigate causes. It is generally known that animals of all kinds, great and small, both those that walk and creep on the earth and those that fly in the air and swim in the waters, know from something innate and implanted that is called instinct, and also nature, how their species is to be propagated; how the young when born or brought forth are to be reared, and on what food they are to be fed; also they know their proper food from mere sight, smell, or taste, and where to seek and gather it, also they know their own places of habitation and resort, also where their companions and mates are by hearing the sounds they make; also they know from the variations of the sound what they desire. The knowledge of such things, viewed in itself, as well as the affection from which it is derived, is spiritual; but the knowledge and affection are clothed from nature and are produced through nature.
[3] Moreover, in respect to the organs, members, and viscera of the body, and in respect to their uses, animal and man are wholly alike. An animal, like a man, has eyes and thus sight, ears and thus hearing, nostrils and thus smell, a mouth and tongue and thus taste, also the cuticular sense with all its variations in every part of the body. In regard to the interiors of the body they have like viscera, they have two brains, a heart and lungs, a stomach, liver, pancreas, spleen, mesentery, intestines, with the other organs for chyle making, blood making, and purification; also the organs of secretion and the organs of generation; they are also alike in respect to nerves, blood vessels, muscles, skins, cartilages, and bones. The likeness is such that man in respect to these things is an animal. That all these things in man have a correspondence with the societies of heaven has been shown in many places in the Arcana Coelestia; consequently the same is true of animals. From this correspondence it is clear that the spiritual acts into the natural and produces its effects by means of the natural, as the principal cause does by means of its instrumental cause. But these are only general evidences that bear witness to the conjunction in that kingdom.

sRef Rev@19 @1 S0′ 1198. Salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God signifies because eternal life is from the Lord through the Divine truth and the Divine good from His Divine omnipotence. This is evident from the signification of “salvation,” as being eternal life; also from the signification of “glory and honor,” as being the Lord’s Divine truth and Divine good (see n. 288, 345); also from the signification of “power,” as being, in reference to the Lord, omnipotence; and as the Lord is called in the Word “Jehovah” and “Lord” from the Divine good, and “God” from the Divine truth, and Divine good and truth are signified by “glory and honor,” so it is said, “the Lord our God.” In the sense of the letter, “salvation, glory, honor, and power,” are mentioned separately, but in the spiritual sense they are joined into one meaning, which is, that eternal life is from the Lord through the Divine truth and the Divine good from the Divine omnipotence. The same is true of many other passages of the Word. Sometimes mere names of countries and cities are enumerated, that appear disconnected in the sense of the letter, but in the spiritual sense they combine into one continuous sense.

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[2] The particular evidences that furnish like testimony are still more numerous and more striking. With some kinds of animals these are such that a sensual man, whose thoughts are confined to matter, compares the things pertaining to beasts with those pertaining to man, and from foolish intelligence concludes that their states of life are similar, even after death, insisting that if man lives after death, animals do also, or if animals die man also dies. The evidences that so testify and by which the sensual man is deluded are that certain animals seem to have prudence and cunning, connubial love, friendship and seeming charity, probity, and benevolence; in a word, a morality the same as with men. For example, dogs, from a genius innate in them, know how to act as faithful guards as if from their own nature; from the transpiration of their master’s affection they know as it were his will; they search him out by perceiving the scent of his footsteps and clothes; they know the different quarters and find their way home, even through pathless regions and dense forests; with other like things; from which the sensual man concludes that a dog has knowledge, intelligence and wisdom. Nor is this to be wondered at when he ascribes all such things, both in the dog and in himself, to nature. But the spiritual man on the other hand sees that there is something spiritual that leads, and that this is joined to the natural.
[3] These particular evidences, again, are that birds know how to build their nests, to lay eggs in them, to brood over them, to hatch their young, and afterwards from a love called storge to provide for them warmth under their wings and food out of their mouths, until they become clothed with feathers and furnished with wings, when they of themselves come into all the knowledge of their parents from the spiritual which is their soul, and from which they provide for themselves. These particular evidences, again, are all things that are contained in eggs. In the egg the rudiment of a new bird lies hidden, encompassed by every element necessary to the formation of the fetus, from its beginnings in the head to the full formation of all things of the body. Is it possible that nature should provide such things? For this is not only bringing forth, it is also creating; and nature does not create. What has nature in common with life except that life may be clothed by nature, and thus put itself forth and appear in form as an animal? Among particular evidences furnishing the same testimony are those seen in worms of vegetables when in undergoing their metamorphosis, they encompass themselves as with a womb that they may be born again, in which they are changed into nymphs and chrysalises, and after the appointed process of time into beautiful butterflies, when they fly forth into the air as into their heaven; and there the female sports with her male companion like one marriage consort with another, and they nourish themselves with fragrant flowers, and lay their eggs, thus providing that their kind may live after them. A spiritual man sees that this emulates the rebirth of man, and is a representative of his resurrection, and thus is spiritual.
[4] Still more striking evidences are seen with bees, which have a government after the form of human governments. They build for themselves little houses of wax according to the rules of art in a series, with commodious passages for transit; they fill the cells with honey collected from flowers; they appoint over themselves a queen to be the common parent of a future race; she dwells above her people in the midst of her guards; and when she is about to bring forth they follow her, with a mixed multitude after them; thus she goes from cell to cell, and lays a little egg in each, and so continually until her matrix is emptied, when she returns to her home; this she does repeatedly. Her guards, which are called drones because they perform no other use than as so many servants to one mistress, and perhaps inspire her with something of amatory desire, and because they do no work, are judged useless; and for this reason, and lest they should seize and consume the gains and work of others, they are brought out and deprived of their wings. Thus the community is purged of its idle members. Moreover, when the new progeny is grown up, they are commanded by a general voice, which is heard as a murmur, to depart and to seek a home and food for themselves. And they go out and collect into a swarm, and institute a like order in a new hive. These and many other things which investigators have discovered and published in books, are not unlike the governments that have been instituted and ordained in kingdoms and commonwealths by human intelligence and wisdom, according to the laws of justice and judgment. Moreover, like men, they know as it were the approach of winter, for which they gather food lest they should die of hunger. Who can deny that such things are from a spiritual origin, or can believe that they can possibly be from any other origin? To me all these things are evidences and proofs of a spiritual influx into natural things, and I have greatly wondered how they could be made evidences and proofs of the operation of nature alone, as they are by certain persons who are deluded by self-intelligence.

sRef Rev@19 @2 S0′ 1199. Verse 2. For true and just are His judgments, signifies that the laws of the Divine providence, and all the works of the Lord, are of the Divine wisdom and the Divine love. This is evident from the signification of “true and just” as being in reference to the Lord the things that belong to His Divine wisdom, and at the same time the things that belong to His Divine love (of which presently); also from the signification of “judgments,” as being in reference to the Lord the laws of His Divine providence (see n. 946); so, too, “judgments” signify works, since all the Lord’s works are from His Divine providence, and according to its laws; and for the reason that the Lord, in everything He does, regards what is eternal, and the things that regard what is eternal belong to His Divine providence. “True” means what pertains to His Divine wisdom, and “just” what pertains to His Divine love, because from the Lord as a sun heat and light proceed, and the light is His Divine wisdom and the heat is His Divine love; therefore “light” signifies the Divine truth, from which angels and men have all their intelligence and wisdom, and “heat” signifies the Divine good, from which angels and men have all their love and charity; this light and heat are such also in their essence.

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[2] No one can know what is the quality of the life of the beasts of the earth, the birds of heaven, and the fishes of the sea, unless it is known what their soul is and its quality. It is known that every animal has a soul, for they are alive, and life is soul, and this is why they are called in the Word “living souls.” That an animal is a soul in its ultimate form, which is corporeal, such as appears before the sight, can be best known from the spiritual world; for in that world, the same as in the natural world, beasts of every kind and birds of every kind, and fishes of every kind, are to be seen and so like in form that they cannot be distinguished from those in our world; but there is this difference, that in the spiritual world they spring evidently from the affections of angels and spirits, so that they are affections made apparent, and consequently they disappear as soon as the angel or spirit departs or his affection ceases. From this it is clear that their soul is nothing else; and that there are given as many genera and species of animals as there are genera and species of affections. It will be seen in what follows that the affections that are represented in the spiritual world by animals are not interior spiritual affections, but are exterior spiritual affections that are called natural; also that there is not a hair or fiber of wool on any beast, or a filament of a quill or feather upon any bird, or a point of a fin or scale on any fish, that is not from the life of their soul, thus that is not from the spiritual clothed by the natural. But something shall first be said about the animals that appear in heaven, in hell, and in the world of spirits which is intermediate between heaven and hell.

sRef Rev@19 @2 S0′ 1200. For he hath judged the great harlot, signifies judgment upon those that have transferred to themselves dominion over the church and over heaven. This is evident from the signification of “to judge,” as being the Last Judgment which was accomplished upon those meant by “Babylon” as “a harlot,” who are such as have falsified all the truths and goods of the Word by the dominion over the church and over heaven that they have transferred to themselves; therefore it is said “that corrupted the earth with her whoredom,” which signifies that all the truths of the church have been falsified by them, and all its goods adulterated. But by “Babylon” as a harlot only such are meant as exercise that dominion, and thereby falsify and adulterate all things of the Word, and hold the Word itself in little esteem.

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[2] As the entire heaven and the entire hell, and the entire world of spirits are divided into societies, and the societies are arranged according to the genera and species of affections, and as the animals there, as has just been said, are affections made apparent, so one kind of animal with its species appears in one society, and another in another, and all kinds of animals with their species in the societies taken together. In the societies of heaven gentle and clean animals appear, in the societies of hell the savage and unclean beasts, and in the world of spirits beasts of an intermediate character. These I have often seen, and from these I have been able to recognize the quality of the angels and spirits there. All in the spiritual world are known from what appears near them and about them, and their affections are known from various things, and also from the animals.
[3] In the heavens I have seen lambs, sheep, and goats, so closely resembling those seen in the world that they do not differ at all. I have also seen in the heavens turtle doves, pigeons, birds of paradise, and many others, beautiful in form and color. I have also seen fishes in the waters, but these in the lowest parts of heaven. In the hells, dogs, wolves, foxes, tigers, swine, mice, and many other kinds of savage and unclean beasts are seen, besides poisonous serpents of many kinds, also ravens, owls, and bats. But in the world of spirits camels, elephants, horses, asses, oxen, deer, lions, leopards, bears, also eagles, kites, magpies, peacocks, and quails, are seen. I have also seen there composite animals, like those seen by the prophets and described in the Word (as in Rev. 13:2, and elsewhere).
[4] As the animals that appear in that world bear such a resemblance to the animals in this world that no difference is discernible, and as the animals in that world derive their existence from the affections of the angels of heaven, or from the lusts of the spirits of hell, it follows that natural affections or lusts are their souls, and when these have been clothed with a body they are animals in form. But what affection or cupidity is the soul of this or that animal, either a beast or a wild beast of the earth, a bird of day or of the night, or a fish of limpid or fetid water, will not be explained here. These are mentioned frequently in the Word, and have a signification there in accordance with their souls. The signification of lambs, sheep, she-goats, rams, kids, he-goats, bullocks, oxen, camels, horses, asses, deer, and various kinds of birds, has been disclosed in the Arcana Coelestia, and may be seen there.

sRef Rev@19 @2 S0′ 1201. That corrupted the earth with her whoredom, signifies those by whom all the truths of the Word have been falsified and its goods adulterated. This is evident from the signification of “the earth,” as being the church; also from the signification of “corrupting it with whoredom,” as being to falsify all its truths and to adulterate all its goods (n. 141, 161, 1083, 1130). That such have falsified the truths of the Word is evident from this, that they have little regard for the Word; but from what is their own [proprium] they devise new statutes, judgments, and commandments, most of which have regard to dominion over the church and heaven as an end, and these are all falsified truths. That the goods of the church are also adulterated is evident from this, that they call holy all things given to their monasteries and idols, and also to the papal chair, and call such gifts good works, and yet they thereby despoil homes, and deprive widows and orphans of their goods; and this they do notwithstanding they dwell amid treasures and possess superabundant revenues. Moreover, they make such works meritorious, and do many other like things.

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[2] These things being premised, what the soul of beasts is shall be told. The soul of beasts, regarded in itself, is spiritual; for affection of whatever kind, whether good or evil, is spiritual, for it is a derivation from some love, and has its origin in the heat and light that proceed from the Lord as a sun; and whatever proceeds from that is spiritual. That the evil affections that are called lusts are from the same source is evident from what has been already said about the evil loves and insane cupidities therefrom of infernal genii and spirits.
[3] Beasts and wild beasts, as mice, poisonous serpents, crocodiles, basilisks, vipers, and the like, with the various noxious insects, the souls of which are like evil affections, were not created from the beginning, but they originated with hell in stagnant lakes, marshes, rank and fetid waters, and in the effluvia from dead bodies, dung, and urine, with which the malignant loves of infernal societies have communication. That such communication exists has been granted me to know from much experience. Moreover, in everything spiritual there is a plastic force wherever homogeneous exhalations are present in nature; and in everything spiritual there is also a propagative force, for the spiritual gives form by means of wombs or eggs not only to the organs of sense and motion, but also to the organs of prolification. But from the beginning useful and clean beasts only were created, the souls of which are good affections.
[4] It must be known, however, that the souls of beasts are not spiritual in the same degree in which the souls of men are spiritual, but in a lower degree. For there are degrees in things spiritual; and although affections of a lower degree, regarded in their origin, are spiritual, they must be termed natural. They must be so called because they are like the affections of the natural man. In man there are three degrees of natural affections, and the same is true of beasts. In the lowest degree are insects of various kinds, in a higher degree are the flying things of heaven, and in a still higher degree are the beasts of the earth which were created from the beginning.

sRef Rev@19 @2 S0′ 1202. And he hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand signifies the deliverance of those that are in Divine truths from the Lord by the casting out of the Babylonians. This is evident from the signification of “avenging at her hand,” as being to deliver from those who are meant by “Babylon” as a “harlot,” also from the signification of “the blood of servants,” as being violence done to those who are in truths from the Lord, “blood” being violence done, and “servants” those who are in truths from the Lord. Why such are called “servants” may be seen above (n. 6, 409).

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[2] The difference between men and beasts is like that between wakefulness and dreaming, or between light and shade. Man is both spiritual and natural, while a beast is not spiritual but natural. Man has a will and an understanding, and his will is a receptacle of the heat of heaven, which is love, and his understanding is a receptacle of the light of heaven, which is wisdom. But a beast does not possess a will and an understanding, but in place of a will it has affection, and in place of an understanding it has knowledge.
[3] With man the will and the understanding are capable of acting as one or not acting as one; for a man can think from his understanding what does not belong to his will, for he can think what he does not will, and conversely. But with a beast affection and knowledge make one and cannot be separated; for a beast knows what belongs to its affection and is affected by what belongs to its knowledge. And because with a beast these two faculties, called knowledge and affection, cannot be separated, a beast could not destroy the order of its life. Hence it is born into all the knowledge belonging to its affection. With man it is otherwise. His two faculties for life, which are called the understanding and the will, can be separated, as has been said, therefore he has the ability to destroy the order of his life by thinking contrary to his will and willing contrary to his understanding, and in this way he has destroyed it. For this reason man is born into mere ignorance, that he may be led out of it into order through knowledges by means of his understanding.
[4] The order into which man was created is to love God above all things and the neighbor as himself; and the state into which man has come since he destroyed that order is loving himself above all things and the world as himself. Since man has a spiritual mind, which is above his natural mind, and his spiritual mind is able to contemplate such things as pertain to heaven and the church, as well as such things as pertain to the state in respect to morals and laws, and all these have reference to truths and goods, which are called spiritual, moral, and civil, with the natural things pertaining to knowledges, and also have reference to their opposites, which are falsities and evils, for this reason man is able both to think analytically and draw conclusions and also to receive influx through heaven from the Lord, and become intelligent and wise. This no beast is capable of. What a beast knows is not from any understanding, but is from the knowledge that belongs to its affection, which is its soul. Knowledge belonging to affection must be in everything spiritual, because the spiritual that proceeds from the Lord as a sun is light united to heat, or wisdom united to love, and knowledge is of wisdom, and affection is of love, in the degree that is called natural.
[5] Because man has both a spiritual mind and a natural mind, and his spiritual mind is above his natural mind, and the spiritual mind is such as to be able to contemplate and love truths and goods in every degree, either conjointly with the natural mind or abstracted from it, it follows that the interiors of man belonging to each mind are capable of being raised up by the Lord to the Lord and of being conjoined to Him; and this is why every man lives eternally. This is not so with beasts. A beast does not possess any spiritual mind, it has only a natural mind; and therefore its interiors, which belong solely to knowledge and affection, cannot be raised up by the Lord and conjoined to Him, and for this reason a beast does not live after death.
[6] A beast indeed is led by a sort of spiritual influx falling into its soul; but since its spiritual is incapable of being elevated it can only be determined downwards, and can look only to such things as belong to its affection, which have reference solely to what pertains to nourishment, habitation, and propagation; and it can know these only from the knowledge pertaining to its affection by means of light, odor, and taste. Because man is able by virtue of his spiritual mind to think rationally, he is also able to speak, for to speak belongs to thought from the understanding, which is able to see truths in spiritual light. But a beast, which has no thought from understanding, but only knowledge from affection, is only able to utter sounds, and to vary the sound of its affection according to its appetites.

sRef Rev@19 @3 S0′ 1203. Verse 3. And a second time they said, Alleluia, signifies the joy and gladness of the angels of the lower heavens, and the glorification of the Lord because of their deliverance from those signified by “Babylon” and by “the beasts of the dragon.” This is evident from what has been explained above (n. 1195-1196). Joy, gladness, and glorification of the Lord by the angels of the lower heavens is what is here meant, because it is said “a second time,” and because it is added that “their smoke goeth up unto the ages of the ages,” also because glorifications of the Lord are begun by angels of the higher heavens and proceed to angels of the lower heavens. That “Alleluia” signifies praise and glorification may be seen above (n. 1197).

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[2] Something shall now be said about the vegetable kingdom, and its soul, which is called the plant soul. That this, too, is spiritual is not known in the world. By the plant soul is meant the tendency and effort to produce a plant from its seed progressively even to new seeds, and thereby to multiply itself to infinity, and to propagate itself to eternity; for there is as it were in every plant an idea of what is infinite and eternal; for a single seed can be so multiplied during a certain number of years as to fill the whole earth, and can also be propagated from seed to seed without end. This, with the wonderful process of growth from the root into a sprout, then into a stalk, also into branches, leaves, flowers, fruits, even into new seeds, is not a natural but a spiritual power. Likewise, plants have in many respects a relation to such things as belong to the animal kingdom, as that they exist from seed, in which there is as it were a prolific power, they produce a sprout like an infant, a stalk like a body, branches like arms, a top like a head, barks like skins, leaves like lungs, they grow in years, and afterwards blossom like maidens before their nuptials, and after these they expand like wombs or eggs, and bring forth fruit like offspring, in which are contained new seeds, from which, as in the animal kingdom, spring new prolifications or fructifications of the same kind or stock. These and many other things that are observed by those skilled in the art of botany who have traced a parallel between the two kingdoms, indicate that the tendency and effort to such things are not from the natural world but from the spiritual. That the living force as the principal cause is the spiritual, and that the dead force as the instrumental cause is the natural, will be seen in what follows.

sRef Rev@19 @3 S0′ 1204. And her smoke goeth up unto the ages of the ages signifies that the falsity of evil that pertains to such is forever condemned to hell. This is evident from the signification of “smoke,” as being the falsity of evil (see n. 539, 889, 1131); also from the signification of “going up unto the ages of the ages,” as meaning to be in hell forever, consequently to be condemned to hell. (That “the ages of the ages” signifies eternity may be seen n. 289, 468.)

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How the spiritual flows in and acts upon plants and produces such a tendency, effort, and action, cannot be comprehended by any understanding, unless the following are first unfolded: (1) Nothing in nature exists and subsists except from the spiritual and by means of it. (2) Nature in itself is dead, being created that the spiritual may be clothed by it with forms that may serve for use, and thus may be terminated. (3) There are two general forms, the spiritual and the natural; the spiritual is such as belongs to animals, and the natural is such as belongs to vegetables. (4) In everything spiritual there are three forces, an active force, a creative force, and a formative force. (5) From the spiritual by means of these forces both plants and animals, both those which appear in heaven and those which are in the world, have their existence. (6) These two classes have the same origin and thus the same soul, the difference being only in the forms into which the influx flows. (7) And that origin is in use. Until these propositions are explained, the cause of so many wonderful effects in the vegetable kingdom cannot be seen by the understanding.

sRef Rev@19 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@19 @4 S0′ 1205. Verses 4-5. And the twenty-four elders and the four animals fell down and adored God who sitteth upon the throne, saying, Amen, Alleluia. And a voice came forth from the throne, saying, Praise God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him, both the small and the great. (4) “And the twenty-four elders and the four animals fell down” signifies humiliation of heart of the angels of the higher heavens (n. 1206); “and adored God who sitteth on the throne” signifies adoration of the Lord, who has all power in the heavens and on the earth (n. 1207); “saying Amen, Alleluia,” signifies who in truth is alone to be worshiped and glorified (n. 1208). (5) “And a voice came forth from the throne” signifies the unanimity of the whole heaven (n. 1209); “saying, Praise God all ye His servants,” signifies worship of the Lord by those who are in truths (n. 1210); “and ye that fear Him” signifies worship of the Lord by those who are in the good of love (n. 1211); “both the small and the great” signifies all who are in truths and goods in every degree (n. 1212).

sRef Rev@19 @4 S0′ 1206. Verse 4. And the twenty-four elders and the four animals fell down signifies humiliation of heart of the higher heavens. This is evident from the signification of “falling down,” as meaning humiliation of heart (of which presently); also from the signification of “the twenty-four elders” and “the four animals,” as being the higher heavens and the angels there (see n. 313, 322, 362, 462). “To fall down” means humiliation of heart, because falling down upon the knees and upon the face is a gesture corresponding to inmost humiliation, which is called humiliation of heart; for by creation there are gestures corresponding to every affection, and a man falls into them spontaneously when he comes into the affection, provided he has not learned to counterfeit affections that are foreign to him; while one who has learned so to do takes on gestures from himself by which he depicts affections of the heart, although they do not belong at all to his heart. Such can fall down before God, but it is a purely counterfeit act. This has been said to make known that “falling down before God” means to act from inmost affection, which is called humiliation of heart; this precedes worship, which is an act of the lips.

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[2] (1) Nothing in nature exists except from the spiritual and by means of it. The reason of this is that nothing can exist except from another, and so finally from Him who is and exists in Himself, who is God; wherefore God is called Esse and Existere, Jah from Esse and Jehovah from Esse and Existere in Himself. Nothing in nature comes forth except from the spiritual, because nothing is possible without a soul. All that is called soul, which is essence, for that which has in itself no essence has no existence, for it is a nonentity, since there is no esse from which it comes forth. Thus it is with nature. Its essence from which it exists is the spiritual, because this has in itself the Divine Esse, and also the Divine active, creative, and formative force, as will be seen in what follows. Moreover, this essence may be called soul. For everything spiritual is living, and what is living, when it acts into what is not living, as for instance into the natural, causes it either as it were to be living, or to draw somewhat of appearance from what is living. This latter is true of plants, the former of animals.
[3] Nothing in nature exists except from the spiritual, because no effect is possible without a cause. Whatever exists in effect is from a cause; what is not from a cause is separated. Thus it is with nature. Its particular and most particular parts are effects from a cause which is prior, interior, and superior to the effect, and which is immediately from God. For there is a spiritual world; and that world is prior, interior and superior to the natural world, consequently everything in the spiritual world is a cause, and everything in the natural world is an effect. Even in the natural world one thing exists from another in a progression, but this is done through causes from the spiritual world, for where the cause of the effect is, there also is the cause of the effecting effect; for every effect becomes an effecting cause in order even to the lowest, where the effective force subsists; but this is effected continually from the spiritual, in which alone is that force. This, therefore, is what is meant by “nothing in nature exists except from the spiritual, and by means of it.”
[4] In nature there are two mediate causes by means of which every effect, that is, every production and formation there, is accomplished. These mediate causes are light and heat. Light modifies substances and the heat moves them, each from the presence of the sun in them. The presence of the sun that is manifested as light causes an activity of the forces or substances of every particle according to the form that it has from creation. This is modification. The presence of the sun that is perceived as heat expands the particles, and produces the acting and effecting forces according to their form, by moving the conatus that they have from creation. This conatus, which becomes by means of heat the acting force even in the minutest forms of nature, is from the spiritual acting in them and into them.

sRef Rev@19 @4 S0′ 1207. And adored God who sitteth upon the throne, signifies adoration of the Lord, who has all power in the heavens and on the earth. This is evident from the signification of “adoring,” as being here adoration from humiliation of heart; also from the signification of “who sitteth upon the throne,” as being who has power in the heavens and on the earth, for “the throne” means in reference to the Lord the whole heaven and also all power there. All power on the earth is also meant because power in the heavens cannot be separated from power on the earth; for the spiritual world, in which are the heavens and the hells, cannot be separated from the natural world; thus angels and spirits cannot be separated from men, for they are consociated and conjoined; for as to the thoughts of his understanding and the affections of his will every man is in the spiritual world, in the societies there, thus with angels of heaven on the one hand or with spirits of hell on the other. For as to his thoughts and affections man is a spirit; consequently after death, when he becomes a spirit, he comes into the societies in which he was while in the world. This makes clear that since the Lord has power in the heavens He has power also on the earth, and that the one cannot be separated from the other. By “God” here and elsewhere in the Word, the Lord is meant, because He has all power in the heavens and on the earth, as He Himself teaches in the Word, for He alone is God.

(Continuation)

[2] (2) Nature in itself is dead, being created in order that the spiritual may be clothed by it with forms that may serve for use, and thus may be terminated. Nature and life are two distinct things. Nature has its beginning from the sun of this world, and life has its beginning from the sun of heaven. The sun of the world is pure fire, and the sun of heaven is pure love. That which proceeds from the sun that is pure fire is called nature; and that which proceeds from the sun that is pure love is called life. That which proceeds from pure fire is dead, but that which proceeds from pure love is living. This shows that nature in itself is dead. That nature is serviceable in clothing the spiritual is manifest from the fact that the souls of beasts, which are spiritual affections, are clothed with materials that exist in the world. That their bodies, as well as the bodies of men, are material, is well known.
[3] The spiritual can be clothed by the material, because all things that exist in the world of nature, atmospheric, aqueous, or earthy, as to every particle thereof, are effects produced by the spiritual as a cause, and the effects act as one with the cause and wholly in agreement with it, according to this axiom, that nothing exists in the effect that is not in the cause. But there is this difference, that the cause is a living force because it is spiritual, while the effect is a dead force because it is natural. This is the reason why such things exist in the natural world as wholly agree with those in the spiritual world, and why the two can be closely conjoined. And these are the reasons for saying that nature was created in order that by it the spiritual might be clothed with forms, that might serve for use.
[4] That nature was created in order that the spiritual might be terminated in it, follows from what has been said, that the things in the spiritual world are causes, and those in the natural world are effects. Effects are terminations. Where there is a first there must always be a last, and as everything intermediate from the first exists together in the last, the work of creation is perfected in things last. For this end the sun of the world was created, and nature by means of the sun, and finally the terraqueous globe, in order that there might be ultimate materials into which everything spiritual might close, and in which creation might subsist; also in order that the work of creation might continually persist and endure, which is effected through the generations of men and animals and the germinations of plants; also in order that all things might thus return to their First source, which is effected through man. That intermediates exist together in ultimates is evident from the axiom that there is nothing in the effect that is not in the cause, thus from a continuity of causes and effects from the First even to the ultimate.

sRef Rev@19 @4 S0′ 1208. Saying, Amen, Alleluia, signifies who in truth is alone to be worshiped and glorified. This is evident from the signification of “Amen,” as being truth, and in the highest sense as being the Lord as to the Divine truth (see n. 34, 228, 464, 469); also from the signification of “Alleluia,” as being to worship and glorify the Lord (see n. 1197, 1203).

(Continuation)

[2] (3) There are two general forms, the spiritual and the natural; the spiritual is such as belongs to animals, and the natural is such as belongs to plants. This is why all things of nature, except the sun, moon, and the atmospheres, constitute three kingdoms, the animal, the vegetable, and the mineral, and the mineral kingdom is simply a storehouse, in which are contained and from which are taken the things of which the forms of the other kingdoms, the animal and the vegetable, are composed.
[3] The forms of the animal kingdom, which are called in a single word, animals, are all in accord with the flow of spiritual substances and forces; and from the conatus that is in these forms this flow tends to the human form, and to each and all things of it from head to heel; thus it tends in general to produce the organs of sense and the organs of motion, also the organs of nutrition and the organs of prolification. For this reason the entire heaven is in such a form, and all angels and spirits are such a form, and men on the earth are in such a form, and all beasts, birds, and fishes, for all these have like organs.
[4] This animal form derives its conatus to such things from the First from whom all things are, who is God, because He is Man. This conatus and consequent determination of all spiritual forces can be given and exist from no other source, for it is given in things greatest and in things least, in first things and in last things, in the spiritual world and therefrom in the natural world; but with a difference of perfection according to degrees.
[5] But the other form, which is the natural form, and which is the form of all plants, has its origin in the conatus and consequent flow of natural forces, which are atmospheres, and are called ethers; and in these this conatus is present from that determination of spiritual forces which is in the animal form, and from the continual operation of spiritual forces into natural forces, which are ethers, and through these into the materials of the earth, of which plants are composed. That its origin is such is clear from what has been said above that a certain semblance of the animal form is evident in them.
[6] That all things of nature strive after that form, and that the ethers have impressed upon them and so implanted in them from the spiritual an effort to produce that form, is evident from many things; as from all vegetation on the surface of the whole earth, also from the vegetation of minerals into such forms in mines, where openings exist, also from the vegetation of cretaceous substances into corals in the depths of the sea, and even from the forms of snowflakes that emulate plant forms.

sRef Rev@19 @5 S0′ 1209. Verse 5. And a voice came forth from the throne signifies the unanimity of the whole heaven. This is evident from the signification of “a voice coming forth from the throne,” as being the unanimity of the whole heaven, namely, in glorifying the Lord; for “throne” signifies the whole heaven because the Lord is on it, and the Lord is heaven itself. The angels of whom heaven consists do not make anything of heaven from what is of their own; but it is the Divine with them that proceeds from the Lord that makes heaven; and this is why “a voice out of heaven” signifies the unanimity of all the heavens, or of the whole heaven. (That a “throne,” when the Lord is treated of, signifies heaven, may be seen n. 253, 462, 477.)

(Continuation)

[2] (4) In everything spiritual there are three forces, an active force, a creative force, and a formative force. The active force, because it is spiritual, proceeds from the fountain of all forces, which is the sun of heaven, and that is the Lord’s Divine love, and love is the active itself, from which the living force which is life proceeds.
[3] The creative force is the force that produces causes and effects from beginning to end, and reaches from the First through intermediates to the last. The First is the sun of heaven itself, which is the Lord; intermediates are things spiritual, afterwards things natural, also things terrestrial, from which finally are productions. And as in the creation of the universe that force proceeded from the First to the last, so afterwards it proceeds in like manner in order that productions may be continual; otherwise they would fail. For the First continually regards the last as an end; and unless the First looked to the last continually from itself through intermediates according to the order of creation, all things would perish; therefore productions, which are especially animals and plants, are continuations of creation. It does not matter that the continuations are effected by seeds, it is still the same creative force that produces. Moreover, it is according to the observation of some that certain seeds are yet being produced.
[4] The formative force is the last force from ultimates, for it is the force that produces animals and plants from the ultimate materials of nature, which are collected in the earth. The forces that are in nature from its origin, which is the sun of the world, are not living forces but dead forces. These do not differ from the forces of heat in man and animal, which keep the body in such a state that the will by means of affection, and the understanding by means of thought, which are spiritual, can flow in and do their work in it. They do not differ from the forces of light in the eye, which simply cause the mind, which is spiritual, to see by means of its organ, the eye. The light of the world sees nothing, but the mind by the light of heaven. The same is true of plants. He that believes that the heat and light of the sun of the world do anything more than open and dispose the things proper to nature that they may receive influx from the spiritual world is very much deceived.

sRef Rev@19 @5 S0′ 1210. Saying, Praise God, all ye His servants, signifies worship of the Lord by those who are in truths. This is evident from the signification of “praising God,” as being to confess and worship Him (of which presently); also from the signification of “servants of God,” as being those who are in truths from the Lord (see n. 6, 409). In many passages in the Word the expression “praising God” signifies to confess Him with the heart and with the lips, thus also to worship; “to praise God” has a similar signification as “Hallelujah,” because “Hallelujah” means “praise ye God,” and that means, as has been said before, the voice of joy and gladness in confessions of God and in the worship of God. “To praise God” signifies confession and worship, because the Lord has no wish to be praised and glorified from any love of Himself, but only from His love for man, for man must needs praise and glorify the Lord, that is, give praise and glory to Him, when he acknowledges in heart that there is nothing of good in himself, and that he can do nothing of himself, and on the other hand, that all good is from the Lord, and that the Lord can do all things. When man is in this acknowledgment he puts aside what is his own [proprium], which belongs to the love of self, and opens all things of his mind, and thus gives room for the Divine to flow in with good and with power. This is why it is necessary for man to be in humiliation before the Lord, and why humiliation can be from no other source than self-acknowledgment and acknowledgment of the Lord, according to which reception is effected. That “to give praise to God” and “to praise God” mean to confess Him and from confession of heart to worship Him is evident from many passages in the Word (as Matt. 21:16; Luke 2:13-14, 20; 5:25-26; 7:16; 13:13; 18:43; 19:28-40; 24:52-53; also Psalm 148:1-5, 7, 13; and elsewhere.)

(Continuation)

[2] (5) From the spiritual, by means of these forces, both plants and animals, both those that appear in heaven and those in the world, have their existence. Such things exist also in heaven, because these forces are in the spiritual in things greatest and in things least, in its firsts and its ultimates, thus in the spiritual both in heaven and in the world. Its firsts are in the heavens, its ultimates are in the world. For there are degrees of spiritual things, and each degree is distinct from the other, and the prior or higher degree is more perfect than the posterior or lower. This is evident from the light and the heat in the heavens, and from the wisdom of the angels from these. The light in the highest or third heaven is from a flame so brilliant as to exceed a thousand times the midday light of the world; in the middle or second heaven the light is less bright, and yet exceeds a hundred times the noonday light of the world; in the lowest or first heaven the light is like the noonday light of our world. Also there are degrees of heat, which in heaven is love, and according to those degrees the angels have wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge. Everything spiritual belongs to the light and heat that are from the Lord as a sun, and wisdom and intelligence are from these.
[3] There are also as many degrees of things spiritual below the heavens, that is, in nature, which are lower degrees of things spiritual, as can be seen from man’s natural mind, and from its rationality and sensuality; rational men are in its first degree, sensual men are in its last, and others are in the middle; and all thought and affection of the natural mind is spiritual. These three forces, namely, the active force, the creative force, and the formative force, are in the spiritual in every degree of it, but with a difference of perfection. But since there is nothing without its ultimate, in which it terminates and subsists, so the spiritual has its ultimate, which in the earth is in its lands and waters; and from this ultimate the spiritual produces plants of all kinds, from the tree to the blade of grass, and in these the spiritual abides, manifesting itself only in a certain likeness to animals that has been spoken of above.

sRef Rev@19 @5 S0′ 1211. And ye that fear Him signifies worship of the Lord by those who are in the good of love, as is evident from the signification of “the fear of God,” as being worship from the good of love (see n. 696, 942, 1150).

(Continuation)

[2] Something shall now be said about plants in heaven, as the animals there have already been spoken of. In the heavens, as on the earth, there are plants of all genera and species; yea, in the heavens there are also plants that are not on the earth, for there are composite forms of the different genera and species with infinite variation. This they derive from their origin, of which below. The genera and species of the plants differ in the heavens as the genera and species of animals do, of which above.
[3] According to the degrees of light and heat there, paradisal gardens, groves, fields, and plains are seen; and in these, groups of trees and flowers and lawns. In the inmost or third heaven especially there are orchards whose fruits drop oils; beds of flowers from which fragrant odors are spread abroad, and the seeds of which are sweet to the taste from the fragrance and the oil; and there are lawns diffusing like odors. In the middle or second heaven there are orchards whose fruits drop wine; and flower-beds from which exhale pleasant odors, with seeds of delicate flavor, and also lawns. In the lowest or first heaven there are the same things as in the inmost and in the middle heaven, with a difference of delights and pleasantnesses according to degrees.
[4] Moreover, in the inmost heaven there are fruits and seeds of pure gold, in the middle heaven of silver, and in the lowest heaven of copper; there are also flowers of precious stones and of crystals. All these germinate from the lands there. There are lands there, as with us; but nothing springs up from seed sown, but only from seed created; and creation there is instantaneous, sometimes enduring for a long time and sometimes only for a moment; for they exist there by means of the forces of light and heat from the sun of heaven, which is the Lord, and apart from the forces that serve as substitutes and aids from the light and heat from the sun of the world. This is why the matters in the lands of our globe are fixed, and the germinations are permanent; while the matters or substances in the lands that are in the heavens are not fixed, and consequently the germinations from them are not permanent. There all things are spiritual with a natural appearance; but in the lands that are subject to the sun of our world it is not so. These things have been mentioned to show that in everything spiritual, both in heaven and in the world, and both in the firsts and in the ultimates, there are these three forces, namely, the active force, the creative force, and the formative force; and that these forces proceed continually to their ultimates, in which they close and subsist; and for this reason there are lands also in the heavens, for the lands there are these forces in ultimates. There is this difference, that the lands there are spiritual from their origin, but here they are natural; and the productions from our lands are effected from the spiritual by means of nature, but in those lands without nature.

sRef Rev@19 @5 S0′ 1212. Both the small and the great signifies all who are in truths and goods in every degree. This is evident from the signification of “the small,” as being those who are but little in truths and goods; and from the signification of “the great,” as being those who are much in them. What is further signified by “the small” and “the great” may be seen above (n. 696, 836).

(Continuation)

[2] (6) These two classes, animals and plants, have the same origin, and thus the same soul, the difference being only in the forms into which the influx flows. It has been shown above that the origin of animals, which also is their soul, is spiritual affection, such as man has in his natural. That plants have the same origin is evident especially from plants in the heavens, in their appearing according to the affections of angels, and representing those affections, even so that the angels see and recognize their affections in them as in their types; also that they are changed as the affections change; but this occurs outside of the societies. The only difference is that affections appear formed into animals by the spiritual in its intermediate parts, while they appear formed into plants in its ultimates, which are the lands there. For the spiritual which is their source is living in its intermediates, but is not living in its ultimates. In ultimates the spiritual retains no more of life than is sufficient to produce a resemblance of being alive. It is nearly the same as in the human body, the ultimates of which, that are produced by the spiritual, are cartilages, bones, teeth, and nails, and in these what is living, which is from the soul, terminates.
[3] That the plant soul has the same origin as the soul of the beasts of the earth and of the birds of heaven and of the fishes of the sea does not appear to be true at first sight, for the reason that the one is a living thing and the other is not; nevertheless it becomes plainly evident from the animals and the plants seen in the heavens, and also from those seen in the hells. In the heavens beautiful animals and like plants are seen; but in the hells noxious animals and like plants; and angels and spirits are known from the way the animals appear, and equally from the way the plants appear. The agreement with the affections of the angels and spirits is so complete that an animal can be changed into a corresponding plant, and a plant into a corresponding animal.
[4] The angels of heaven know what element of affection is represented in the one and in the other; and I have heard, and even perceived, that it is the same. Moreover, it has been granted me to discern clearly the correspondence of both animals and of plants with the societies of heaven and with the societies of hell, thus with their affections, for in the spiritual world societies and affections make one. This is why in so many places in the Word gardens, groves, forests, trees, and plants of various kinds, are mentioned, and why they have there a spiritual signification according to their origins, all of which have reference to affections.
[5] The difference, therefore, between the plants in the spiritual world and those in the natural world is that in the spiritual world both their seeds and their germinations exist in an instant according to the affections of the angels and spirits there; but in the natural world the origin is implanted in the seeds, from which they spring each year. Moreover, there are two things proper to nature, time and consequent succession and space and consequent extension, but these do not exist in the spiritual world as properties of it, but in their place are appearances of the states of life of those there; and this is why from the lands there, which are from a spiritual origin, plants spring up instantly and disappear instantly. But this occurs only when the angels go away; as long as they remain the plants continue. This is the difference between plants in the spiritual world and plants in the natural world.

1213. Verses 6-7. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as it were the voice of many waters, and as it were the voice of mighty thunders, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God, the Almighty, reigneth. Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory unto Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. 6. “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude,” signifies the glorification of the Lord by all that are in the heavens because of the rejection of the evil and the consequent deliverance of the good (n. 1214); “and as it were the voice of many waters” signifies the glorification of Him from truths (n. 1215); “and as it were the voice of mighty thunders,” signifies the glorification of Him from the goods of love (n. 1216); “saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God, the Almighty, reigneth,” signifies joy and gladness that the Lord has now a kingdom on the earth as in the heavens (n. 1217). 7. “Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory unto Him,” signifies manifestation of joy from the affection of truth and from the affection of good (n. 1218); “for the marriage of the Lamb is come,” signifies the conjunction of the Lord with the church (n. 1219); “And His wife hath made herself ready,” signifies that the church is now adorned with truths from good for receiving Him (n. 1220).

sRef Rev@19 @6 S0′ 1214. Verse 6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, signifies the glorification of the Lord by all that are in the heavens because of the rejection of the evil and the consequent deliverance of the good. This is evident from the signification of a “voice,” as being the glorification of the Lord, for the voice was “Alleluia, for the Lord God, the Almighty, reigneth,” as appears from the end of this verse. That it is glorification because of the rejection of the evil and thence the deliverance of the good is a consequence from what precedes and follows in this chapter and in other chapters, for it means the glorification of the Lord because of the Last Judgment, by which the good were delivered from the evil; for at that time the evil were cast into hell and thereby the good were delivered from them. It is evident also from the signification of “a great multitude,” as being all that are in the heavens, who are called a “multitude” from the combined sound of all. Simultaneous speech by many is heard as “the voice of a great multitude.”

(Continuation)

[2] (7) That origin is use. This is because affections have reference to uses; use is the subject of all affection, for man cannot be affected except for the sake of something, and that something is use. Since, then, all affection supposes use, and the plant soul, from its spiritual origin, is an affection, as has been said, it, too, is a use. For this very reason every plant contains a use, a spiritual use in the spiritual world, and both a spiritual and a natural use in the natural world. The spiritual use is for the various states of the mind, and the natural use is for the various states of the body. It is well known that minds are refreshed, recreated, and stimulated, or on the other hand that drowsiness, sadness, or fainting is induced, by the odors and flavors of different kinds of plants; also that the body is healed by the various solutions, purgations, and remedies made from plants, and on the other hand, is destroyed by the poisons extracted from them.
[3] In the heavens the external spiritual use derived from them is the refreshment of minds, and the internal is the representation of Divine things in them, and thereby also the elevation of the mind. For the wiser angels see in them the quality of affections in a series. These, with what lies hidden in them, are manifested in the varieties of flowers in their order, also in the variegations of color and odor. For every ultimate affection which is called natural, although it is spiritual, derives its quality from an interior affection, which pertains to intelligence and wisdom, and these derive their quality from use and the love of it. In a word, from the soil in the heavens nothing but use blooms forth, for use is the plant soul.
[4] Because use is the plant soul, in those places in the spiritual world that are called deserts, where those are who in the world had rejected works of charity, which are essential uses, no grass or herb of any kind is seen, but mere gravel and sand. Every good in act that is from the Lord through love to him and love towards the neighbor, is meant by the uses that alone blossom forth in the heavens. Every plant there represents a form of use; and whatever appears in it, from its first to its last and from its last to its first, that is, from seed to flower and from flower to seed, exhibits the progression or extension from end to end of an affection and of its use. Those that are skilled in the sciences of botany, chemistry, medicine, and pharmacy, come after death into a knowledge of spiritual uses from the plants in the spiritual world, and cultivate that knowledge and find the greatest delight in it. I have talked with such and have heard from them wonderful things.

sRef Rev@19 @6 S0′ 1215. And as it were the voice of many waters, signifies the glorification of Him from truths. This is evident from the signification of a “voice,” as being the glorification of the Lord (as above); also from the signification of “waters,” as being truths (see n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538, 854, 971, 1033); therefore “many waters” mean all the truths that are with the angels in the heavens. In the heavens there are angels that are in truths and angels that are in goods. The angels that are in truths are called spiritual angels, and those that are in goods are called celestial angels. From this heaven is divided into two kingdoms, the spiritual and the celestial kingdoms. In the spiritual kingdom are all that are in truths, and in the celestial kingdom are all that are in goods.
[2] All, indeed, are in truths from good; but good is twofold, spiritual good and celestial good; the good of charity is the good of love towards the neighbor, and celestial good is the good of love to the Lord. These goods are distinct; spiritual good is good in a lower degree, and celestial good is good in a higher degree; consequently the good that the angels of the higher heavens have is celestial good, while the good that the angels of the lower heavens have is spiritual good. All this makes clear that the “many waters,” the voice of which was heard, signify all the spiritual angels in the heavens, but “the voice of mighty thunders” that follows signifies all the celestial angels in the heavens.

(Continuation)

[3] From all that has thus far been presented respecting the life that is from the Lord and the existence of all things in the universe from it, everyone who is wise in heart can see that nature produces nothing from itself, but merely in the process of production serves the spiritual that proceeds from the sun of heaven, which is the Lord, as an instrumental cause serves its principal cause, or as a dead force serves its living force. This makes clear how mistaken those are who ascribe the generations of animals and the productions of plants to nature. This is the same as ascribing magnificent and splendid works to the tool and not to the workman, or like adoring a sculptured image and not God.
[4] From this spring the fallacies, which are innumerable, in all reasonings about spiritual, moral, and civil matters; for a fallacy is an inversion of order; it is the judgment of the eye, not of the mind; it is a conclusion from the appearance of a thing, not from its essence. Consequently to reason from fallacies respecting the world and the existence of things in it is like confirming by reasonings that thick darkness is light, that what is dead is alive, and that the body flows into the soul, and not the reverse. And yet it is an eternal truth that influx is spiritual and not physical, that is, influx from the soul, which is spiritual, into the body, which is material, or from the spiritual world into the natural world; also that as the Divine from itself and through that which proceeds from itself created all things, so it sustains all things; also that sustaining is perpetual creation, as subsistence is perpetual existence.

sRef Rev@19 @6 S0′ 1216. And as it were the voice of mighty thunders, signifies the glorification of the Lord from the goods of love. This is evident from the signification of a “voice,” as being the glorification of the Lord (as above); also from the signification of “thunders,” as being the goods of love sounding (see n. 821, 855); therefore “mighty thunders” mean all goods with the angels that give forth sound. In the speech of man two things unite, namely, sound and its articulation into words.
The sound belongs to the affection of man’s will, and the articulation of the sound belongs to the thought of his understanding. These two unite in human speech, but are distinguished by the hearing. For the affection is known from the sound, and the thought from the words, which are articulations of the sound. This is so natural a thing that man gives little thought to it; but he knows it to be true when he hears it. This distinction is more clearly perceived by angels and spirits than by men, because they are spiritual, and the spiritual think from affection and also speak from affection, those who are in the celestial kingdom from the affection of good, and those in the spiritual kingdom from the affection of truth; thus they are distinguished by their tones. The sound of the speech of the angels in the higher parts of heaven is heard variously below, for it increases as it goes on, as sound does in the world when it descends from above. The sound of the spiritual angels is thus heard as the sound of roaring waters, and the sound of the celestial angels as the sound of thunders. (On the further signification of “thunders” see above, n. 273, 353, 498, 702, 704, 1014.)

(Continuation)

[2] Infinity and Eternity, also Providence and Omnipotence, as belonging to the Lord, have been treated of; now the Omnipresence and Omniscience that belong to Him shall be treated of. In every religion it is acknowledged that God is omnipresent and omniscient; therefore prayer is offered to God that He will hear and that He will see and will have mercy; which would not be done unless His omnipresence and omniscience were believed in. This belief is from an influx out of heaven into those that have any religion, for it does not come into question from religion itself whether it is granted or how it is granted. But at this day, especially in the Christian world, natural men have become very numerous, and such see nothing of God; and unless they see they do not believe, or if they profess to believe it is either done from conventionality or from blind knowledge, or from hypocrisy; and yet they have the ability to see. In order, therefore, that the things relating to God may be seen, it is permitted to treat of them from light and from consequent rational sight.
[3] For every man, even a merely natural and sensual man, is endowed with an understanding that can be raised up into the light of heaven, and can see spiritual things, and even Divine things, and can comprehend them, but only while he is hearing them or reading about them; and afterwards he can talk about them from the memory, but cannot think about them within himself from himself. The reason of this is that when he is listening or reading, the understanding is separated from its own affection, and when so separated it is in the light of heaven, but when he is thinking within himself from himself the understanding is joined to the affection of his will, and that affection fills the understanding and occupies it, and hinders it from going out of itself. Nevertheless, the fact is that the understanding can be separated from the affection of the will, and thus can be raised up into the light of heaven with such natural men as have any affection of truth and as have not confirmed themselves in falsities; but scarcely with those that have no affection of truth from having rejected all Divine things or from having confirmed themselves in falsities. In such, between spiritual light and natural light there is a sort of darkening veil, although with many this is transparent.
[4] Since, then, any man, even a corporeal sensual man, when he reaches adult age is endowed with such an ability to understand that he can comprehend the things that relate to God when he is listening or reading, and afterwards can retain them in his memory, and thus talk, teach, and write about them, it is important that this treatise on the Divine attributes should be continued as it was begun. Here, then, the Divine Omnipresence and the Divine Omniscience shall be considered, lest the merely natural man, from a lack of willingness (which he calls a lack of ability) to understand anything Divine or spiritual, should bring these into doubt, and even denial.

sRef Rev@19 @6 S0′ 1217. Saying, Alleluia for the Lord God, the Almighty reigneth, signifies joy and gladness that the Lord has now a kingdom on the earth as in the heavens. This is evident from the signification of “Alleluia,” as being an expression of glorification of the Lord from joy of heart (see n. 1197, 1203). The two expressions, joy and gladness, are used because in the Word “joy” is predicated of good, and “gladness” of truth, and here both the angels that were in truths and those that were in goods said “Alleluia.” It is evident also from the signification of “the Lord God, the Almighty, reigneth” as being that His kingdom is on the earth as in the heavens, which means that when the good have been separated from the evil, and the evil have been cast into hell, all the good came into a better state for receiving truth and good from the Lord, a state in which they had not been before. For so long as they were held in connection with the evil, if they had received goods and truths they would have defiled and perverted them. For the same reason interior truths were not revealed on the earth until that separation had been effected by means of the Last Judgment.
sRef Luke@11 @2 S2′ sRef Matt@6 @10 S2′ [2] This, too, is the meaning of the words in the Lord’s Prayer:
Thy kingdom come on earth as in the heavens (Matt. 6:10).
The Lord’s kingdom existed before the Last Judgment, for the Lord always rules both heaven and earth; but after the Last Judgment the state of the Lord’s kingdom became different from the state before it, for after it the reception of Divine truth and good became more universal, more interior, more easy, and more distinct. It is said, “the Lord God, the Almighty,” for the Lord is called “Lord” from good, and “God” from truth, “Almighty” from the separation of the good from the evil by the Last Judgment, and also from His power to save those who receive Him.

(Continuation)

[3] How the Lord can be present with all who are in heaven and throughout the whole earth, and can know all things, even the most particular things connected with them, both present and future, can be comprehended only by means of the following truths: (1) In the natural world there are spaces and times, but in the spiritual world these are appearances. (2) Spaces and times must be removed from the ideas before the Lord’s omnipresence with all and with each individual, and His omniscience of things present and things future connected with them, can be comprehended. (3) All angels of heaven and all men of the earth who constitute the church are as one man, and the Lord is the life of that man. (4) Consequently as there is life in the particular and most particular things of man and it knows the entire state of these, so the Lord is in the particular and most particular things of the angels of heaven and of the men of the church. (5) The Lord, by the intellectual faculty that each man has, or by its opposite, is also present with those who are out of heaven and out of the church, that is, those who are in hell or who are to come into hell, and knows their whole state. (6) From the omnipresence and omniscience of the Lord thus perceived it can be understood how the Lord is the all and is in all things of heaven and the church, and that we are in the Lord and He is in us. (7) The omnipresence and omniscience of the Lord can be comprehended also from the creation of the universe; for it was so created by Him that He is in things first and in things last, in the center and at the same time in the circumferences, and that the things in which He is are uses. (8) As the Lord has the Divine love and the Divine wisdom, so from these He has the Divine omnipresence and the Divine omniscience; but omnipresence is chiefly from the Divine love, and omniscience chiefly from the Divine wisdom.

sRef Rev@19 @7 S0′ 1218. Verse 7. Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory unto Him, signifies manifestation of joy that is from the affection of truth and from the affection of good. This is evident from the signification of “rejoicing,” as being here joy from the affection of truth; also from the signification of “exulting,” as being joy from the affection of good, for exulting has relation to the heart, thus to the good of love; also from the signification of “giving glory,” as being to acknowledge, confess, and worship the Lord (see n. 678); “to glorify” has the same meaning. “To rejoice” and “to exult” signify joy from the affection of truth and from the affection of good, because all joy is a matter of affection. It is only from the things by which he is moved or which he loves that man has joy. There are two universal origins of all spiritual joys, one is from the affection or love of truth, the other from the affection or love of good. Joy from the affection of good belongs properly to the will and to deeds therefrom, while joy from the affection of truth belongs properly to the understanding and to speech therefrom. As the preceding verse treats of those who are in truths and of those who are in goods, and also of the glorification of the Lord by them, so the joy of all such and glorification by such is expressed in these words, “Let us rejoice and exult, and give glory unto Him.”

(Continuation)

[2] (1)In the natural world there are spaces and times, but in the spiritual world these are appearances. The reason is that all things that appear in the spiritual world are immediately from the sun of heaven, which is the Lord’s Divine love; but all things that appear in the natural world are from the same, but by means of the sun of the world, which is pure fire. Pure love, from which all things in the spiritual world exist immediately, is immaterial; but pure fire, through which all things in the material world exist mediately, is material. This is why all things that come forth in the spiritual world are by virtue of their origin spiritual, and all things that exist in the natural world are by virtue of their secondary origin material; and material things in themselves are fixed, permanent, and measurable. They are fixed because they endure, however the states of men may be changed, like the lands, mountains, and seas. They are permanent, because they recur regularly in turn, like the seasons, generations, and germinations. And they are measurable, because all things can be defined, as spaces by miles and furlongs, and these by feet and spans, and as times by days, weeks, months, and years. But in the spiritual world all things are as if they were fixed, as if they were permanent, and as if they were measurable, and yet in themselves they are not so. For they exist and continue according to the states of the angels, so that they make one with those states, and consequently they change in whatever way those states change. But this takes place especially in the world of spirits, into which every man first comes after death, and is not so in heaven or in hell. This occurs in the world of spirits, because every man there undergoes changes of state, and is thus prepared for heaven or for hell.
[3] But spirits do not reflect upon these changes and variations, because they are spiritual and are thus in spiritual thought, and with this each and all things that they perceive by sense make one; also because they are separated from nature, and yet they see in the spiritual world things exactly like those they saw in the world, as lands, mountains, valleys, waters, gardens, forests, plants, palaces, houses, garments with which they are clothed, food by which they are nourished, animals, and themselves as men. All these things they see in a clearer light than that by which they saw like things in the world, and they feel them by a more exquisite touch than they had in the world. For these reasons man after death is wholly ignorant that he has put off his material part, and that he has emigrated from the world of his body into the world of his spirit. I have heard many declaring that they have not died, and that they could not understand how anything of their body could have been rejected in the grave; and for the reason that all things in that world are like those in this world; and they do not know that the things they there see and feel are not material, but are substantial from a spiritual origin, and yet are real things, since they have the same origin that all things in this world have, with this difference only, that something additional like an outer garment has been added from the sun of the world to those things that are in the natural world by virtue of which they have become material, fixed, permanent, and measurable. But yet I can assert that those things that are in the spiritual world are more real than those in the natural world, for the dead part that is added in nature to the spiritual does not constitute reality but diminishes it. This is evident from the state of the angels of heaven compared with the state of men on the earth, and from all things that are in heaven compared with all things in the world.

sRef Rev@19 @7 S0′ 1219. For the marriage of the Lamb is come, signifies conjunction of the Lord with the church. This is evident from the signification of “marriage,” as being conjunction (of which presently); also from the signification of “the Lamb,” as being the Lord as to the Divine Human (see n. 314). It is said “the marriage of the Lamb,” because the conjunction of the Lord with the church is the conjunction of His Divine Human with it; for there can be no immediate conjunction with His Divine which is called the Father, since this cannot be received, for it is above every idea of the thought of men and of angels; not so with the Divine Human, for one can think of this. This is why it is said “the marriage of the Lamb,” and not “the marriage of the Lord God.”

(Continuation)

[2] As there are like things in heaven and in our world, in the heavens there are spaces and times, but the spaces there, like the lands themselves and the things upon them, are appearances; for they appear according to the states of the angels, and the extensions of spaces and distances appear according to the similarities and dissimilarities of states. By states are meant states of love and wisdom, or of affections and of thoughts therefrom, which are manifold and various. According to these the angelic societies in the heavens are distant from each other, also the heavens are distant from the hells, and the societies of the hells from each other. It has been granted me to see how likeness of state conjoins, and lessens the extension of space or distance, and how unlikeness of state separates, and produces extension of space or distance. Those there who appear to be a mile apart can instantly be present with each other when the love of one for the other is stirred up, and on the other hand those who are talking together can instantly become a mile apart when anything of hatred is aroused.
[3] That spaces in the spiritual world are mere appearances has also been made evident to me by this, that many from distant lands, as from various kingdoms of Europe, from Africa, and from India, also the inhabitants of different planets and of widely separated earths, have been present with me. And yet spaces in the heavens appear extended in the same way as the spaces of our earth. But as the spaces there have only a spiritual origin, and not at the same time a natural origin, and thus appear according to the states of the angels, so the angels can have no idea of spaces, but they have instead an idea of their states; for the changeableness of the spaces gives rise to the idea that they are from a spiritual origin, thus from a likeness or unlikeness of affections and of thoughts therefrom.
[4] It is the same in regard to times, for as spaces are, so are times, since progressions through spaces are also progressions through times. Times also are appearances of states because the sun of heaven, which is the Lord, does not there make days and years by its revolutions and progressions, as the sun of the world seems to do; consequently in the heavens there is perpetual light and a perpetual spring, and therefore times there are not fixed, permanent, and measurable. And as times also vary according to the states of the affections and of the thoughts therefrom, for they are short or diminished by things delightful to the affections, and are long or lengthened by things undelightful to the affections, so the angels cannot have from appearance an idea of time, but they have instead an idea of states from its origin. All this makes clear that the angels in heaven have no idea of space and time, but they have a spiritual idea about these, which is an idea of state.
[5] But this idea of state with the consequent idea of the appearance of space and time comes solely in and from the ultimates of creation there; the ultimates of creation there are the lands upon which angels dwell. It is there that spaces and times appear, and not in the spiritual things themselves by which the ultimates were created; nor do they appear in the affections themselves of angels, except when the thought from them extends to ultimates. But it is otherwise in the natural world where spaces and times are fixed, permanent, and measurable, and therefore enter into the thoughts of men and limit them, and distinguish them from the spiritual thoughts of angels. This is the chief reason why man cannot easily comprehend the Divine omnipresence and omniscience, for even when he wishes to comprehend them he is liable to fall into the error that God is the inmost of nature, and is for that reason omnipresent and omniscient.

sRef Rev@19 @7 S0′ 1220. And His wife hath made herself ready signifies that the church is now adorned with truths from good for receiving Him. This is evident from the signification of “wife,” in reference to the Lord as being the church (see n. 1120); also from the signification of “making herself ready,” as being to be adorned with truths from good for receiving Him, for it is added, that “she should be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright,” and “fine linen” signifies truth from celestial good. The church receives the Lord by these truths, for the Lord flows in with man into the good of His love, and is received by man in truths, and from this is all spiritual conjunction. The expression “to be adorned” is used, which means to be taught and to learn, for thus and no otherwise does the church adorn herself and make herself ready for the marriage and for receiving the Lord.

(Continuation)

[2] (2) Spaces and times must be removed from the ideas before the Lord’s omnipresence with all and with each individual, and His omniscience of things present and future, can be comprehended. But inasmuch as spaces and times cannot easily be removed from the ideas of the thoughts of the natural man, it is better for a simple man not to think of the Divine omnipresence and omniscience from any reasoning of the understanding; it is enough for him to believe in them simply from his religion, and if he thinks from reason, let him say to himself that they exist because they pertain to God, and God is everywhere and infinite, also because they are taught in the Word; and if he thinks of them from nature and from its spaces and times, let him say to himself that they are miraculously brought about. But inasmuch as the church is at present almost overwhelmed by naturalism, and this can be shaken off only by means of rational considerations which enable man to see what is true, it will be well by means of such to draw forth these Divine attributes out of the darkness that nature induces into the light; and this can be done because, as has been said, the understanding with which man is endowed is capable of being raised up into the interior light of heaven if only man desires from love to know truths. All naturalism arises from thinking about Divine things in accord with what is proper to nature, that is, matter, space, and time. The mind that clings to these, and is unwilling to believe anything that it does not understand, cannot do otherwise than make blind its understanding, and from the dense darkness in which it is immersed, deny that there is any Divine providence, and thus deny the Divine omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience, although these are just what religion teaches both within nature and above nature. And yet these cannot be comprehended by the understanding unless spaces and times are separated from the ideas of its thought; for these are in some way present in every idea of thought, and unless they are separated man cannot think otherwise than that nature is everything, that it is from itself, and consequently that the inmost of nature is what is called God, and that all beyond it is merely ideal. And such, I know, will wonder how anything can possibly exist where there is no time or space; and that the Divine itself is without them, and that the spiritual are not in them, but are only in appearances of them; and yet Divine spiritual things are the very essence of all things that have existed or that exist, and natural things apart from these are like bodies without souls, which become carcasses.
[3] Every man who has become naturalistic by thoughts from nature continues such after death, and calls all things that he sees in the spiritual world natural, because they are similar. Such, however, are enlightened and taught by angels that these things are not natural, but are appearances of natural things; and they are so far convinced as to affirm that it is so. But they soon fall back and worship nature as they did in the world, and at length separate themselves from the angels and fall into hell, and cannot be taken out to eternity. The reason is that their soul is not spiritual, but natural like the soul of beasts, although with the ability of thinking and speaking because they were born men. And because the hells at this day more than ever before are full of such, it is important that such dense darkness arising from nature, which at present fills and closes up the thresholds of the understanding of men, should be removed by means of rational light derived from spiritual.

sRef Rev@19 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@19 @8 S0′ 1221. Verses 8-9. And it hath been given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the just deeds of the saints. And he said unto me, Write, Blessed are they that have been called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said unto me, These are the true words of God. 8. “And it hath been given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright,” signifies that that church should be instructed by the Lord in truths from the Word (n. 1222); “for the fine linen is the just deeds of the saints” signifies that by means of truths from the Word those who believe in the Lord have the goods of life (n. 1223). 9. “And he said unto me, Write,” signifies that these things shall be for a memorial to posterity (n. 1224); “Blessed are they that have been called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb” signifies that those who are conjoined to the Lord by means of truths from the Word and become a church will come into heaven (n. 1225); “And he said unto me, These are the true words of God,” signifies that they are from the Lord, who is the Word and who is the truth (n. 1226).

sRef Rev@19 @8 S0′ 1222. Verse 8. And it hath been given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright, signifies that that church should be instructed by the Lord in truths from the Word. This is evident from the signification of “to be clothed,” as meaning to be instructed in truths, for in the Word, “garments” signify truths that invest goods, consequently “to be clothed,” signifies to be instructed in truths. (That this is the signification of “garments” and “to be clothed,” see n. 64, 65, 195, 271, 395, 951.) It is evident also from the signification of “linen or fine linen,” as being truths from a celestial origin (see n. 1143). But as truth from that origin is Divine truth, and all Divine truth is from the Lord, and is the Word, so “linen and fine linen” signifies truth from the Word. This truth is called “clean” from celestial good, and “bright” from spiritual good. All truth is from good, and there are two most general goods, from which are all truths, namely, celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord, and spiritual good, which is the good of love towards the neighbor. Truth from this good is meant by “bright fine linen,” and truth from the former good is meant by “clean fine linen,” both from the Word; for the Word in all its particulars is such that truth from celestial good and truth from spiritual good are conjoined, and within these truths celestial good is conjoined with spiritual good.

(Continuation)

[2] All the angels of heaven and all the men on the earth who constitute the church are as one man, and the Lord is the life of that man. This you will see confirmed in the work on Heaven and Hell, in the following articles: The whole Heaven in the complex has relation to one Man (n. 59-67); Each Society in the heavens has relation to one Man (n. 68-72); Consequently each Angel is in a perfect Human Form (n. 73-77); Heaven as a whole and in part has relation to Man, and this is from the Lord’s Divine Human (n. 78-86); There is a correspondence of all things of Heaven with all things of Man (n. 87-102; The same may be said of the Lord’s church on the earth (n. 57).
That heaven is like one man I have been taught by experience and am taught by reason. Experience: It has been granted me to behold a society consisting of thousands of angels as one man of a medium stature, and societies consisting of fewer angels in like form. This is seen, however, not by the angels in that society, but by angels outside of that society at a distance, and at the time when a society is to be purified of those who are foreign to it. When this is done all who constitute the life of that society are within that man, while those who do not are outside of him; and these are removed, but the former remain. It is the same with the whole heaven in the presence of the Lord. For this reason and no other every angel and spirit is a man, in a form like that which a man on earth has.
[3] I have not seen but I have heard that the church on earth also before the Lord is like one man; and that it is also divided into societies, and that each society is a man; furthermore, that all who are within that man are within heaven, while those who are outside of him are in hell; and the reason has been stated, namely, that every man of the church is also an angel of heaven, for he becomes an angel after death. Moreover, not only does the church on earth together with the angels constitute the interiors of that man, the church constitutes also the exteriors, which are called the cartilaginous and bony parts; this the church constitutes, because the men of the earth are provided with a body in which the lowest spiritual is clothed with the natural. This is what constitutes the conjunction of heaven with the church and of the church with heaven.
[4] From reason: Heaven and the church are a man, in the greatest, the lesser, and the least sum or complex, for the sole reason that God is Man, and consequently the Divine proceeding, which is the Divine from Him, is the same in every least and greatest respect, which is man. For it has been said above that the Divine is not in space and extension, but causes spaces and extensions to exist in the ultimates of His creation, in the heavens apparently, in the world actually. Nevertheless spaces and extensions are not spaces and extensions before God,* for He is in His Divine everywhere. This is clearly manifest from this, that the whole angelic heaven with the church is as one man before God; and so is a society consisting of thousands of angels, although their habitations appear extended through much space. The same is evident also from this, that the whole heaven, also an entire society in heaven, can appear at the good pleasure of the Lord, as a man, great or small, as a giant or as an infant. But it is not the angels that so appear, but the Divine in them; for the angels are only recipients of the Divine from the Lord, and it is the Divine in them that constitutes what is angelic in them and thus heaven. As angels are only recipients, and the Divine in them constitutes what is angelic and heaven, it is clear that the Lord is the life of that man, that is, of heaven and the church.
* The Latin has “the Lord”, not “God.”

sRef Rev@19 @8 S0′ 1223. For the fine linen is the just deeds of the saints, signifies that by means of truths from the Word those who believe in the Lord have goods of life. This is evident from the signification of “fine linen,” as being truths from the Word (see above, n. 1222); also from the signification of “just deeds,” as being the goods of love, and thus the goods of life (see n. 204, 1199); also from the signification of “saints,” as being those who are in truths from good from the Lord (see n. 204, 325, 973), thus also those who believe in the Lord.

(Continuation)

[2] (4) Consequently as there is life in the particular and most particular things of man, and it knows the entire state of these, so the Lord is in the particular and most particular things of the angels of heaven and of the men of the church. Life is in the particular and most particular things of man, because the various and diverse things in him, called members, organs, and viscera, so make one that he knows no otherwise than that he is a simple and not a composite being. That life is in the most particular things of man is evident from the fact, that from his life he sees, hears, smells, and tastes, which could not be unless the organs of those senses lived from the life of his soul; also from the fact that the whole surface of the body possesses the sense of touch, and it is the life that produces that sense, and not the skin apart from the life. This is evident also from the fact that all the muscles under the skin are under the control of the life of man’s will and understanding, and are moved at their pleasure, thus not only the hands and feet and the entire body, but also the tongue, the lips, the face, and the entire head. None of these could be moved by the body alone, but they are moved by life from the will and understanding together with the life in these members. The same is true of all the viscera in the body, each of which performs its own office, and acts submissively according to the laws of order inscribed on it. But it is the life that does this by its motion from the heart and lungs in every part, and by sensation from the cerebellum in every part, while man is unconscious of its action.
[3] Life is in the particular and most particular things of man, because the animal form, which has been treated of above, is the real form of life; for life from its first fountain, which is the sun of heaven or the Lord, is unceasingly in the effort to form a likeness and image of itself, that is, a man, and out of man an angel. Therefore from the ultimates that it has created it joins to itself things proper to the existence of man in whom life can live. From this it is clear that life is in the particular and most particular things of man, and that any part or least particle from which life is absent becomes dead and is dissociated. Since, then, men and angels are not lives, but only recipients of life from the Lord, and since the whole heaven with the church is before the Lord as one man, it is clear that the Lord is the life of that man, that is, of heaven and the church, and also that He is omnipresent and omniscient in the particular and most particular things of the angels of heaven and the men of the church. And as the whole heaven with the church is, before the Lord, as one man, great or small, according to His will, as a giant or as an infant, it is clear that the life or the spiritual that proceeds from the Lord is not in space or extended with the angels and with the men of the church; consequently that spaces and times must be separated from their ideas, in order that the Lord’s omnipresence and omniscience with all and with each individual may be comprehended.

sRef Rev@19 @9 S0′ 1224. Verse 9. And he said unto me, Write, signifies that these things shall be for a memorial to posterity. This is evident from the signification of “to write,” as being to inscribe on the life and faith of man (see n. 222); and as being what is certain (see n. 898); but here that it shall be for a memorial to posterity, because the New Church to be established by the Lord, which is meant by “the New Jerusalem,” is here treated of, for this is what is meant by “the wife of the Lamb,” and is also called “his wife” (Rev. 21:9-10).

(Continuation)

[2] (5) The Lord by the intellectual faculty that each man has, or its opposite, is also present with those who are out of heaven and the church, with those who are in hell or who are to come into hell, and knows their whole state. Every man has three degrees of life, a lowest in common with beasts, and two higher that are not in common with beasts. By these two higher degrees man is a man; these are closed with the evil, but with the good are open. And yet, in regard to the light of heaven, which is the wisdom that proceeds from the Lord as a sun, these two degrees are not closed with the evil, but are closed in regard to the heat, which is the love, that at the same time proceeds therefrom. From this it is that every man, even an evil man, has a capacity to understand, but not a capacity to will from heavenly love, for the will is a receptacle of heat, that is, of love, and the understanding is a receptacle of light, that is, of wisdom, from that sun.
[3] The reason why every man is not intelligent and wise is that some have by their lives closed up in themselves the receptacle of that love, and when that is closed they have no wish to understand anything except what they love, for that only do they wish and love to think about and thus understand. And as every man, even an evil man, has an ability to understand, and that ability is from an influx of light from the sun which is the Lord, it is clear that the Lord is also present with those who are out of heaven and the church, who are either in hell or are to come into hell. It is from the same ability that man is able to think and reason about various things, which beasts cannot do. It is from the same ability that man lives forever.
[4] Another proof of the Lord’s omnipresence in hell is that the entire hell, like the entire heaven, is before the Lord as one man, but as a man-devil or a man-monster; and in this all things are in opposition to those that are in the Divine man-angel, consequently from this latter everything that is in the former can be known, that is, from heaven everything that is in hell; for evil is known from good and falsity from truth, thus the entire quality of the one from the quality of the other. There are three heavens, and there are three hells; and as the heavens are divided into societies so are the hells; and each society of hell corresponds by opposition to a society of heaven. The correspondence is like that between good affections and evil affections, for all societies are affections. So in the same way that each society of heaven, as has been said, is in the Lord’s sight as one man-angel in the likeness of its affection, each society of hell is in the Lord’s sight as one man-devil in the likeness of its evil affection. This, too, it has been granted me to see. They appear like men, but monstrous. I have seen three kinds of them, the fiery, the black, and the pallid, but all of them with deformed faces, a husky voice, external speech, and like gestures. They all have a lascivious love, and not one of them a chaste love. The delights of their will are evils, and the delights of their thoughts are falsities.

sRef Rev@19 @9 S0′ 1225. Blessed are they that have been called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb, signifies that those who are conjoined to the Lord by means of truths from the Word, and become a church, will come into heaven. This is evident from the signification of “blessed,” as being those who are in heaven or who will come into heaven, for these are the blessed; also from the signification of “supper,” as being consociation through love, and communication (see n. 252); therefore “the marriage supper of the Lamb” signifies conjunction with the Lord and consequent communication with those who are of that church.

(Continuation)

[2] (6) From the omnipresence and omniscience of the Lord thus perceived it can be understood how the Lord is the All and is in all things of heaven and the church, and that we are in the Lord, and He is in us. All things of heaven and the church mean the Divine truth and the Divine good; the former is from the light of the sun of heaven, which is wisdom, and the latter is from the heat of the sun of heaven, which is love; and in the same way that the angels are recipients of these are they a heaven in general and heavens individually, and in the same way that men are recipients of them are they a church in general and churches individually. There can be nothing with any angel that makes heaven in him, nor anything with any man that makes the church in him, except the Divine that proceeds from the Lord; for it is well known that every truth of faith and every good of love is from the Lord, and nothing of these from man. All this makes clear that the Lord is the All and is in all things of heaven and the church.
sRef John@6 @56 S3′ sRef Acts@17 @28 S3′ sRef John@14 @21 S3′ sRef John@14 @20 S3′ [3] That we are in the Lord and He is in us, He Himself teaches in John:
Jesus said, He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood abideth in Me and I in him (John 6:56).
And in the same:
In that day ye shall know that ye are in Me and I in you (John 14:20-21).
And elsewhere:
That in Him we live and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28).
All the angels of heaven and all the men of the church are in the Lord and the Lord is in them when they are in that heavenly man spoken of above. Angels and men are then in the Lord because they are recipients of life from Him, and this are in His Divine, and the Lord is in them because He is the life in the recipients. All this makes clear that all who are in a natural idea of the Lord cannot understand His Divine omnipresence in any other way than as intuitive, although it is an actual omnipresence, like the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit, which is the Divine proceeding.

sRef Rev@19 @9 S0′ 1226. And he said unto me, These are the true words of God. This means that they are from the Lord, who is the Word and who is the truth, as is evident from this, that all the truths of God are from the Lord, who for this reason is called the Word, which is the Divine truth (John 1:1, 2, 14), and He calls Himself the truth (John 14:6).

(Continuation)

[2] (7) The omnipresence and omniscience of the Lord can be comprehended also from the creation of the universe; for the universe was so created by Him that He is in things first and in things last, in the center and in the circumferences, and that the things in which He is are uses. This can be seen to be true from the creation of the universe, from the life of man, and from the essence of uses.
The creation of the universe can be in no way so well understood as from types of it in the heavens. There creation is unceasing and instantaneous, for in the spiritual world lands exist in a moment, and upon them paradisal gardens, and in these trees full of fruits, also shrubs, flowers, and plants of every kind. When these are contemplated by one who is wise, they are found to be correspondences of the uses in which the angels are, to whom they are given as a reward. The angels, moreover, in accordance with their uses have houses given them, full of utensils and beautiful things according to uses; also garments according to their uses, and food that is esculent and palatable according to their uses, and delightful conversations, which also are uses because they are recreations. All these things are given them gratuitously, and yet on account of the uses they perform. In a word, the whole heaven is so full of uses that it may be called the very kingdom of uses.
[3] Those, on the other hand, who perform no uses, are sent into the hells, where they are compelled by a judge to perform tasks; and if they refuse no food is given them and no clothing, nor any bed but the ground, and they are scoffed at by their companions as slaves are by their masters. The judge even permits them to be their bond servants, and if they entice others from their tasks they are severely punished. All this is done until they yield. But those who cannot be made to yield are cast out into deserts, where a morsel of bread is given them daily, and water to drink, and they dwell by themselves in huts or in caves; and because they perform no uses the land about them is so barren that a grassy sod is rarely seen upon it. In such deserts and hells I have seen many of noble descent, who in the world gave themselves up to idleness, or sought offices, the duties of which they discharged not for the sake of use but for honor and gain, which were the only uses regarded.
[4] The uses performed in the heavens and the tasks done in the hells are in part like those done in the world, although for the most part they are spiritual uses, that cannot be described by any natural language, and (what I have often wondered at) do not fall into the ideas of natural thought. But this is generally the case with what is spiritual. In the unceasing and instantaneous creation of all things in the heavens there can be seen as in a type the creation of the universe with its globes, and that there is nothing created in these except for use, and in general, one kingdom of nature for another, the mineral kingdom for the vegetable, this for the animal, and both for the human race, that they may serve the Lord for performing uses to the neighbor.
[5] From the life of man. When this is regarded from the creation of all things in it no part will be found that is not for use, not a fiber or minute vessel in the brains, in the organs of sense, in the muscles, or in any of the viscera of the thorax and the abdomen, or anywhere else, that is not for the sake of use in general and in particular, thus for the sake of the whole and of each thing connected with it, and not for its own sake. The greater forms, which are called members, sensories, muscles, and viscera, which are made up and organized from fibers and vessels, all are formed from use, in use, and for use, so that they may be simply called uses, of which the whole man is composed and formed. It is therefore clearly evident that they have no other origin and no other end than use.
[6] That every man likewise was created and born for use is clearly evident from the use of all things in him, and from his state after death, when, if he performs no use, he is accounted so worthless that he is cast into infernal prisons or into desert places. That man is born to be a use is clear also from his life; for a man whose life is from a love of uses is wholly different from one whose life is from a love of idleness. By a life of idleness is meant a life made up of social interaction feasting, and entertainments. A life from the love of uses is a life of love of the public good and of love to the neighbor, and also a life of love to the Lord, for the Lord performs uses to man through man, consequently a life of the love of uses is the spiritual Divine life, and everyone who loves a good use and does it from a love for it is loved by the Lord, and is received with joy by the angels in heaven. But a life of the love of idleness is a life of the love of self and the world, and thus a merely natural life; and such a life does not hold the thoughts together, but diffuses them into every vain thing, and thereby turns man away from the delights of wisdom and immerses him in the delights of the body and of the world alone to which evils cling; therefore after death he is let down into the infernal society to which he has attached himself in the world, and is there compelled to work by force of hunger and lack of food. By uses in the heavens and on the earths are meant the ministries, functions, and pursuits of life, employments, various domestic tasks, occupations, consequently all things that are opposite to idleness and indolence.
[7] From the essence of uses. The essence of uses is the public good. With the angels the public good in the most general sense means the good of the entire heaven, in a less general sense the good of the society, and in a particular sense the good of the fellow citizen. But with men the essence of uses in the most general sense is both the spiritual and the civil good of the whole human race, in a less general sense the good of the country, in a particular sense the good of a society, and in an individual sense the good of the fellow citizen; and as these goods constitute the essence of uses, love is their life, since all good is of love and the life is in the love. In this love is everyone who takes delight in the use he is in because of its usefulness, whether he is a king, a magistrate, a priest, a minister, a general, a merchant, or a workman. Everyone who takes delight in the use of his function because of its usefulness loves his country and fellow citizens; but he who does not take delight in it because of its usefulness, but does it solely for the sake of self, or solely for the sake of honor and wealth, does not in his heart love his country and fellow citizens, but only himself and the world. This is because no one can be kept by the Lord in love to the neighbor unless he is in some love for the public good; and no one can be in that love unless he is in the love of use for the sake of use, or in the love of use from use, thus from the Lord.
[8] Since, then, each thing, and all things in the world were created in the beginning for use, and in man also all things were formed for use, and the Lord from creation regarded the whole human race as one man, in which each individual is likewise for use or is a use, and since the Lord Himself, as has been said above, is the life of that man, it is clear that the universe was so created that the Lord is in things first and in things last, also in the center and in the circumference, that is, in the midst of all, and that the things in which He is are uses. And from all this the Lord’s omnipresence and omniscience can be comprehended.

sRef Rev@19 @10 S0′ 1227. Verse 10. And I fell down before his feet to adore him; and he said unto me, See thou do it not, I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus; adore God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. 10. “And I fell down before his feet to adore him” signifies perception from him of the Divine to which adoration belongs (n. 1228); “and he said unto me, See thou do it not,” signifies the knowledge that he was not God but an angel (n. 1229); “I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus” signifies that he is like men on the earth who receive or have received the Divine truth from the Lord (n. 1230); “adore God” signifies that the Lord alone is to be acknowledged and worshiped from the heart (n. 1231); “for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” signifies that acknowledgment of the Lord and conjunction with Him is the life of all doctrine from the Word (n. 1232).

sRef Rev@19 @10 S0′ 1228. Verse 10. And I fell down before his feet to adore him signifies perception from him of the Divine, to which adoration belongs. This is evident from the signification of “to fall down before the feet” and “to adore,” as being to acknowledge, confess, and worship the Divine (see n. 805, 821, 1206). From his saying that he must not be adored because he is only an angel, who is a servant of the Lord the same as men are, it is evident that merely a perception from him of the Divine is meant. But the essence of the matter is that when the Lord sends angels to men, as He did to the prophets, He fills them with His Divine and thus moves them to speak. Then the angel that is sent speaks from the Lord and not from himself; but as soon as he has spoken he returns into himself and then knows that he is only an angel. Thus the Word was written by the Lord by means of angels, and thus the Lord spoke with the ancients, as with Abraham, with Hagar his handmaid, with Gideon, and in general with the prophets, and this is why the prophets called the angels Jehovah, and some of them were adored as long as they were filled with the Divine. This presence of the Lord is the same as the presence of the Holy Spirit. This makes clear what is signified by these words.

(Continuation)

[2] (8) As the Lord has the Divine love and the Divine wisdom, so from these He has Divine omnipresence and Divine omniscience, but omnipresence is chiefly from the Divine love, and omniscience is chiefly from the Divine wisdom. Love and wisdom in the Lord are not two but one, and this one is the Divine love, which appears before the angels of heaven as a sun. But when love and wisdom proceed from the Lord as a sun they appear as two distinct things, love appearing as heat, and wisdom as light. These from their origin from the sun act wholly as one; but with the angels of heaven and with the men of the church they are separated, some receiving more of love which is heat than of wisdom which is light, and these are called celestial angels and men; while others receive more of wisdom which is light than of love which is heat, and these are called spiritual angels and men. An illustration of this can be found in the sun of the world. In that sun fire and the origin of light are wholly one, and this one is the fiery element in that sun. From this the heat and light proceed together, but they appear as two distinct things, although from their origin they act as one. That one appears on the earth in the spring and summer seasons, yet they are two distinct things according to the turning of the earth towards the sun, and thus according as the reception is direct or oblique. This correspondence may serve as an illustration.
[3] It is similar with omnipresence and omniscience. In the Lord these are one; and yet they proceed from Him as two distinct attributes; for omnipresence has relation to love, and omniscience to wisdom; or what is the same, omnipresence has relation to good, and omniscience to truth, since all good is of love and all truth is of wisdom. The Lord’s omnipresence has relation to love and to good because the Lord is present with man in the good of his love; and omniscience has relation to wisdom and to truth because from man’s good of love the Lord is omnipresent in the truths of his understanding, and this omnipresence is called omniscience. As this is true individually of one man so it is true in general of all.

sRef Rev@19 @10 S0′ 1229. And he said unto me, See thou do it not, signifies the knowledge that he was not God but an angel, as can be seen without explanation, for he said, “See thou do it not,” namely that he was not God but an angel, before whom no one must fall down, that is, who must not be adored.

(Continuation)

The Divine attributes, which are infinity, eternity, providence, omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience have been treated of; the Divine love and the Divine wisdom, from which is the life of all things, and of which the above attributes are predicated, shall now be treated of. But in order that these two essentials of all things may be distinctly seen they shall be considered in the following order. First respecting the Divine love: (1) In the world it is but little comprehended what love is, and yet it is man’s very life. (2) The Lord alone is love itself, because life itself, while men and angels are only recipients. (3) Life, which is love, is not given except in a form, and that form is a form of uses in the whole complex. (4) Such a form is man, individually and collectively, and in such a form is heaven, and also the world. (5) There are genera and species of uses, and varieties of species to infinity; also there are degrees of uses. (6) There are as many affections as there are uses, and consequently there are genera and species of affections, and differences of species to infinity; and there are degrees of affections. (7) Every affection of use in itself is a man, according to its quality and quantity. (8) Each use draws its life from the common good, and flows in from it, and gives the necessary, useful, and delightful things of life. (9) So far as man is in the love of uses so far is he in the Lord, so far he loves the Lord and the neighbor, and so far is he a man. (10) The active force of uses according to their connection in their order produce vital heat, which is perceived in man as love. (11) This is made evident by the fact that man wills this thing or that, or this or that is good or not good to him, and finally by his delight. (12) All things in man are formed and grow and are held in connection by the Lord by means of love and its heat. (13) Man does not know what affection is, and still less that there are as many various affections as there are men born into the world, and will be born to eternity, thus that they are infinite. (14) Man does not know otherwise than that he is thought, and yet he is affection. (15) Neither does he know that he has eternal life according to his affection of use.

sRef Rev@19 @10 S0′ 1230. I am thy fellow-servant and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus signifies that he is like men on the earth who receive or have received Divine truth from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of “thy fellow servant,” as being that he is like John in serving the Lord; also from the signification of “the fellow servant of his brethren,” as being that he is also like men on the earth in serving the Lord; also from the signification of “to have the testimony of Jesus,” as being to receive the Divine truth from the Lord, for “testimony,” in reference to the Lord, signifies acknowledgment of the Lord’s Divine in His Human (see n. 27, 392, 635, 649). It means also reception of the Divine truth from the Lord, and through Divine truth acknowledgment of the Lord (n. 10, 228, 625).

(Continuation)

sRef Rev@19 @10 S0′ 1231. Adore God signifies that the Lord is to be acknowledged and worshiped from the heart. This is evident from the signification of “God,” as being the Lord, since no other is the God of heaven and earth; also from the signification of “to adore” as being to acknowledge, confess, and worship from the heart (see n. 290, 291, 463, 790, 805, 821).

sRef Rev@20 @15 S0′ sRef John@15 @26 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @8 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @2 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @13 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @12 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @11 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @14 S0′ sRef John@15 @27 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @9 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @4 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @6 S0′ sRef Rev@19 @10 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @7 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @5 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @3 S0′ sRef Rev@20 @1 S0′ 1232. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy signifies that acknowledgment of the Lord and conjunction with Him is the life of all doctrine from the Word. This is evident from the signification of “the testimony of Jesus,” as being the acknowledgment of the Lord’s Divine and reception of the Divine truth from Him (see just above, n. 1230), and thus conjunction with the Lord, for conjunction is effected through the acknowledgment of the Lord and reception of the Divine truth from Him. Also from the signification of “the spirit of prophecy,” as being the life of all doctrine from the Word, “spirit” signifying life because the Holy Spirit is meant, which is the Divine proceeding from the Lord, and the Divine proceeding is the essential life of man, and “prophecy” signifies doctrine from the Word. (That “prophecy” signifies doctrine from the Word, see n. 624, 999). That “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” signifies that acknowledgment of the Lord and conjunction with Him is the life of all doctrine from the Word, and that “the spirit of prophecy” means the Holy Spirit, which testifies respecting the Lord and thus is doctrine, is evident from the Lord’s words in John:
Jesus said, When the Paraclete is come, whom I shall send unto you from the Father, the spirit of truth, he shall bear witness of Me; and ye also shall bear witness (John 15:26-27).
“The spirit of truth,” which is elsewhere called “the Holy Spirit,” means the Divine that proceeds from the Lord; and its “testimony” means enlightenment, preaching, confession, acknowledgment; and “the disciples,” who would also bear witness, signify all who acknowledge and receive the Lord.

Revelation 20

EXPLANATION.

(CONTENTS OF THE SEVERAL VERSES.)

BY “THE DRAGON” ARE MEANT ALL IN THE REFORMED CHRISTIAN WORLD WHO DO NOT GO TO THE LORD IMMEDIATELY AND WHO DO NOT SHUN EVILS AS SINS.
ALL WHO WERE SUCH WERE REMOVED (verses 1-3).
THOSE FROM THE LOWER EARTH, WHO WERE THERE CONCEALED ON ACCOUNT OF THE DRAGON, LEST THEY SHOULD BE SEDUCED, WERE RAISED UP INTO HEAVEN (verses 4-6).
AFTERWARDS THOSE WHO WERE IN EXTERNAL WORSHIP ONLY AND NOT IN ANY INTERNAL WORSHIP WERE LET LOOSE, IN ORDER THAT SUCH MIGHT BE DISCLOSED. THESE PERISHED (verses 7-9).
AFTER THIS ALL WHO WERE MEANT BY “THE DRAGON” WERE CONDEMNED (verse 10).
THE HELLS WERE SO REDUCED TO ORDER AS TO CORRESPOND BY OPPOSITION TO THE NEW HEAVEN BUT ONLY THOSE WHO HAD LIVED SINCE THE LORD’S COMING (verses 11-15).