1. Prefazione dell’Autore

Il Signore parlando ai suoi discepoli della fine dei tempi, cioè nell’ultimo periodo della chiesa, ¹ dice, all’avvicinarsi della predetta fine, in merito al successivo stato di amore e fede: ²

Subito dopo l’afflizione di quei giorni il sole si oscurerà e la luna non darà il suo splendore, e le stelle cadranno dal cielo, e le potenze dei cieli saranno scosse. Ed allora apparirà nel cielo il segno del Figlio dell’uomo; ed allora tutte le tribù della terra faranno cordoglio, e vedranno il Figliuolo dell’uomo venire sulle nuvole del cielo con gran potenza e gloria. E manderà i suoi angeli con gran suono di tromba a radunare i suoi eletti dai quattro venti, da un capo all’altro dei cieli. (Matteo 24:29-31)

Coloro che si soffermano sul mero significato letterale di queste parole, hanno la convinzione che alla fine dei tempi, quando vi sarà il giudizio universale, tutte queste cose avranno luogo, così come sono descritte nel senso letterale, cioè che il sole e la luna si oscureranno e le stelle cadranno dal cielo, e che il segno del Signore apparirà nel cielo, ed egli stesso sarà visto sulle nubi, con gli angeli e con le trombe al seguito; inoltre è predetto in altri passi che l’intero universo sarà distrutto, e poi sorgerà un nuovo cielo e una nuova terra. Tale è la convinzione della maggior parte degli uomini nella chiesa, nel presente. Ma coloro che sono in questa fede ignorano i segreti che sono nascosti in ogni minimo dettaglio della Parola; in realtà in ogni singolo vocabolo della Parola vi è un significato interiore che concerne le cose spirituali e celesti anziché le cose naturali e mondane, così come appaiono nel senso letterale. E questo è vero non solo per il significato di gruppi di parole, ma per ciascuna parola. ³ Perché la Parola è scritta esclusivamente per corrispondenze ⁴ , affinché vi possa essere un significato interiore in ogni singolo particolare di essa. Quale sia questo significato lo si può vedere da tutto ciò che è stato scritto al riguardo in Arcana Coelestia [pubblicato nel 1749-1756]; e dalle citazioni attinte da quell’opera, nell’illustrazione del Cavallo Bianco [dell’Apocalisse, pubblicato nel 1758] cui si fa riferimento nell’Apocalisse.

È in conformità di quel significato spirituale, che deve essere inteso l’avvento del Signore dal cielo, sulle nuvole, di cui al passo sopra citato. Ivi il sole che si oscura significa il Signore quanto all’amore; ⁵ la “luna” si riferisce alla fede; ⁶ le stelle indicano la conoscenza del bene e della verità, o dell’amore e della fede; ⁷ il “segno del Figlio dell’uomo nel cielo” indica la manifestazione della Divina verità; le “tribù della terra” significano tutte le cose concernenti la verità ed il bene, o la fede e l’amore; ⁸ “l’avvento del Signore sulle nuvole del cielo, in gloria e potenza,” significa la sua presenza nella Parola e la sua rivelazione; ⁹ le “nuvole” significano il senso letterale della Parola, ¹⁰ e la “gloria” il senso interiore della Parola; ¹¹ gli “angeli con gran suono di tromba” indicano il cielo quale sorgente della Divina verità. ¹² Tutto questo chiarisce cosa deve intendersi con queste parole del Signore, vale a dire che alla fine della chiesa, quando non vi sarà più alcun amore, e quindi alcuna fede, il Signore svelerà il significato interiore della Parola e rivelerà i segreti del cielo. I segreti rivelati nelle seguenti pagine riguardano il cielo e l’inferno, nonché la vita dell’uomo dopo la morte. L’uomo della chiesa attualmente ha una scarsa conoscenza del cielo e dell’inferno, o della sua vita dopo la morte, sebbene questi argomenti siano contemplati e descritti nella Parola; ciò nondimeno molti di quelli nati in seno alla chiesa, negano queste cose, dicendo nel loro intimo, “Chi mai è venuto da quel mondo e ha confermato queste cose?” Per evitare che questo atteggiamento negazionista, invalso specialmente presso quelli pervasi dalla saggezza mondana, possa contaminare e traviare le persone semplici nel cuore e nella fede, mi è stato concesso di essere associato agli angeli e di parlare con loro, come tra uomo e uomo, e anche di vedere come sono i cieli e gli inferni, e questo da tredici anni, ormai; quindi, adesso posso descrivere ciò che ho visto è udito, nell’auspicio che l’ignoranza possa essere illuminata, e l’incredulità, dissipata. Le presenti rivelazioni sono estese ora perché questo deve intendersi per la venuta del Signore.

Footnotes:

1182. And one strong angel tools up a stone, as it were a great millstone, and cast it into the sea.- That this signifies the confirmations of their doctrines from the Word cast down into hell with them, is evident from the signification of a strong angel, as denoting Divine truth in its power, concerning which see n. 130, 200, 302, 593, 800; and from the signification of a millstone, as denoting the confirmation of truth from the Word, and also the confirmation of falsity from the same, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of casting into the sea, as denoting into hell with them. That the sea also signifies hell, may be seen above (n. 537, 538).

The reason why a millstone signifies confirmation from the Word in both senses, is because wheat signifies good, and fine flour its truth; therefore a millstone, by which wheat is ground into fine flour, or barley into meal, signifies the production of truth from good, or the production of falsity from evil, thus also the confirmation of truth or falsity from the Word. This is also evident from the following passages.

In Jeremiah:

"I will take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of the millstones, and the light of the lamp" (25:10).

The joy of heaven and the Church is there also described. The voice of joy signifies exultation of heart from the good of love, and the voice of gladness signifies glorification of soul from the truths of faith; for joy, in the Word, is said of good, and gladness of truth. The voice of millstones signifies the same as the voice of joy, and the light of the lamp the same as gladness, namely, from the truth of faith. The reason why the voice of millstones signifies joy of heart from the good of love, is, that a millstone grinds wheat into fine flour; and wheat signifies the good of love, and fine flour truth from that good.

[2] Similar things are mentioned in this chapter of the Apocalypse, namely,

"The voice of the mill shall be heard in thee no more, and the light of a lamp shall shine in thee no more, and the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, shall be heard in thee no more" (verses 22, 23).

These words will be explained presently.

So in Isaiah:

"Take the millstone and grind meal, make bare the thigh, passing through the rivers" (47:2).

This is said of Babel and Chaldaea. To take the millstone and grind meal signifies to produce falsities from evil, and confirm them by the Word; while to uncover the thigh, passing through the rivers, signifies to adulterate goods by reasonings.

In Lamentations:

"The young men they have led away to grind, and the boys fall in wood" (5:13).

To take away the young men to grind, signifies to compel those who are capable of understanding truth to falsify truths. The boys fall in wood, signifies to compel those who are capable of being in the will of good, to adulterate goods. To grind denotes to falsify truths, or to confirm falsities by the Word, and wood denotes good.

In Moses:

"Thou shalt not take a mill (mola) or an upper millstone (molaris) to pledge, for he taketh the soul to pledge" (Deuteronomy 24:6).

This was among the laws of the Israelites, all of which corresponded to spiritual things. That they should not take a mill or the upper millstone to pledge signifies in the spiritual sense, that they should not take away from any one the power to understand truths from good, thus that they should not deprive any one of goods and truths. It is because of this signification that it was said, "For he taketh the soul to pledge," which signifies that thus he would spiritually perish.

Again:

"They shall die even to the first-born of the maidservant who is behind the mill" (Exodus 11:5).

The first-born of the maid-servant who is behind the mill, signifies the primary things of the faith of the natural man, which have been falsified.

In Matthew:

In the consummation of the age, "two women shall be grinding, one shall be taken, the other shall be left" (24:40, 41).

The consummation of the age is the last time of the church. The two women grinding mean those who confirm themselves in truths, and those who confirm themselves in falsities from the Word; those who confirm themselves in truths being meant by her "who shall be taken"; and those who confirm themselves in falsities by her "who shall be left."

[3] In the Evangelists: Jesus said,

"He who shall cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it is better for him that an ass-millstone be hanged about his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:6; Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2).

To cause one of the little ones who believe in Jesus to stumble, signifies to pervert those who acknowledge the Lord. It being better that an ass-millstone be hanged about his neck, signifies that it is better to be ignorant of any good and truth, and to know only evil and falsity, which is here meant by an ass-millstone; while to be hanged about the neck denotes cutting one off from knowing good and truth. To be drowned in the depth of the sea, signifies to be cast down into hell. The reason why this is better is that to know goods and truths and pervert them is to be guilty of profanation. What is meant by Moses burning the calf and grinding it to dust, and sprinkling it upon the faces of the waters and causing the sons of Israel to drink thereof (Exodus 32:20; Deuteronomy 9:21), may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia 10462-10466).

[4] Continuation.- Something shall now be said on the subject of spirits speaking with man. Many persons believe that man can be taught by the Lord by means of spirits speaking with him. But those who believe this, and desire to do so, are not aware that it is associated with danger to their souls. Man as to his spirit, as long as he lives in the world, is in the midst of spirits, but still the spirits do not know that they are with him, nor is he aware that he is with spirits. The reason is, that they are conjoined immediately as to the affections of the will, and mediately as to the thoughts of the understanding. For man thinks naturally, but spirits think spiritually; and natural and spiritual thought make one only by correspondence; it is this that prevents men and spirits from knowing anything of each other. But as soon as spirits begin to speak with man, they come out of their own spiritual state into man's natural state, and being then aware that they are with man, they conjoin themselves with the thoughts of his affection, and from these thoughts they speak with him. They can enter only into his natural state, for similar affection with the thought derived from it effects conjunction in all cases, but dissimilar affection causes separation.

It is owing to this circumstance, that when a spirit speaks he is in the same principles as the man with whom he speaks, whether these are true or false; and further, that he calls them into activity, and by means of his own affection conjoined to that of the man's strongly confirms them. Hence it is evident that only similar spirits speak with man, or manifestly act upon him; for manifest action coincides with speech. For this reason none but enthusiastic spirits speak with enthusiasts; none but Quaker spirits act upon Quakers, or Moravian spirits upon Moravians.

[5] The case would be similar with Arians, Socinians, and with other heretics (heraeticis). All spirits that speak with man were once men in the world, and were then of the same character. It has been granted me to know by repeated experience that this is the case. And what is ridiculous is that when a man imagines that the Holy Spirit is speaking with him, or acting upon him, the spirit who speaks with him also believes that he is the Holy Spirit. This is common in the case of enthusiastic spirits.

It is evident from these facts to what danger a man is exposed who speaks with spirits, or manifestly feels their operation. Man is ignorant of the nature of his own affection, whether it is good or evil, and with what other [affections] it is conjoined; and if he is proud of his own intelligence, the spirit humours every thought which proceeds from his affection. The same is the case if one has for certain principles a partiality kindled by a kind of fire which exists among those who are not in truths from genuine affection. For when a spirit from a similar affection humours a man's thoughts or principles, then one leads the other, like the blind leading the blind, until they both fall into the ditch.

The Pythonists of former times were of this description; the Magi also in Egypt and Babel; and because of their conversing with spirits, and of the action of these upon them being clearly felt in themselves, they were called wise. But it was by this means that the worship of God was converted into the worship of demons, and that the church perished. The sons of Israel were therefore, under penalty of death, forbidden to hold such intercourse.