1. OM HIMLEN OCH HELVETET

När Herren inför lärjungarna talar om tidevarvets fulländning, som är kyrkans sista tid ¹ , säger Han vid slutet av förutsägelserna om dess efter varandra följande tillstånd med avseende på kärlek och tro ² :

»Strax efter de dagarnas bedrövelse skall solen förmörkas, och månen skall inte giva sitt sken, och stjärnorna skola falla från himlen, och himlarnas krafter skola bäva. Och då skall Människosonens tecken synas i himlen; och då skola jordens alla stammar jämra sig, och de skola se Människosonen komma i himlens skyar med makt och mycken härlighet. Och Han skall utsända sina änglar med basun och stor röst, och de skola församla Hans utvalda från de fyra vindarna, från himlarnas ena ände till den andra.» (Matteus 24:29-31.)

De som förstå dessa ord efter bokstavsmeningen tro inte annat än att på den sista tid som kallas den yttersta domen skall allt detta ske i enlighet med den bokstavliga skildringen. De tro sålunda inte endast, att solen och månen skola förmörkas, och att stjärnorna skola falla från himlen, samt att Herrens tecken skall synas i himlen, och att de skola se Honom i skyarna jämte änglar med basuner, utan även, enligt förutsägelser på andra ställen, att hela den synliga världen skall förgås, och att det sedan skall uppstå en ny himmel och en ny jord.

Denna uppfattning ha de flesta i kyrkan nu för tiden. Men de som tro så känna inte till de hemligheter som är dolda i Ordets alla enskilda ting. Ty i varje särskilt uttryck i Ordet är det en inre mening, i vilken inte förstås naturliga och världsliga saker, sådana som är i bokstavsmeningen, utan andliga och himmelska ting, och detta inte endast med avseende på meningen av flera ord, utan även med avseende på vart enda ord ³ . Ordet är nämligen skrivet helt och hållet medelst motsvarigheter ⁴ för det ändamåls skull, att det må vara en inre mening i alla enskilda ting. Hur beskaffad den meningen är, kan inses av allt som blivit sagt och visat därom i Arcana Coelestia (Himmelska Hemligheter) och även av vad som sammanförts därifrån i förklaringen om Vita Hästen, varom talas i Uppenbarelseboken.

Enligt samma mening bör man förstå Herrens ovan anförda ord om sin ankomst i himlens skyar. Med solen, som skall förmörkas, betecknas Herren med hänsyn till kärleken ⁵ ; med månen Herren med avseende på tron ⁶ ; med stjärnorna kunskaperna om det goda och det sanna eller om kärlek och tro ⁷ ; med Människosonens tecken i himlen uppenbarandet av den Gudomliga Sanningen; med jordens stammar, som skola jämra sig, allt som hör till det sanna och det goda eller till tro och kärlek ⁸ ; med Herrens ankomst i himlens skyar med makt och härlighet Hans närvaro i Ordet och uppenbarelse ⁹ ; med skyar betecknas Ordets bokstavsmening ¹⁰ , och med härlighet Ordets inre mening ¹¹ ; med änglar med basun och stor röst betecknas himlen, varifrån den Gudomliga Sanningen är ¹² .

Härav kan man inse, att med dessa Herrens ord förstås, att vid kyrkans slut, då det inte mer finns någon kärlek och i följd därav inte heller någon tro, Herren skall upplåta sitt Ord med avseende på dess inre mening och uppenbara himlens hemligheter. De hemligheter som skola uppenbaras i vad som nu följer angå himlen och helvetet samt människans liv efter döden.

Den människa som tillhör kyrkan känner nu för tiden knappt något om himlen och helvetet, ej heller om sitt liv efter döden, ehuru alla dessa saker är beskrivna i Ordet. Ja, många som är födda inom kyrkan förneka dem även, sägande i sitt hjärta: Vem har kommit därifrån och berättat? För att inte ett sådant förnekande, som i synnerhet råder hos dem som ha mycken världslig vishet, även må besmitta och fördärva de i hjärtat okonstlade och de i tron enkla, har det givits mig att vara tillsammans med änglar och att tala med dem såsom en människa med en människa samt även att se, vad som är i himlarna och vad som är i helvetena, och detta nu i tretton år. Därför får jag nu beskriva dessa ting på grund av vad jag har sett och hört, i förhoppning om att okunnigheten sålunda må upplysas och otron skingras. Att nu för tiden en sådan omedelbar uppenbarelse sker, är därför, att det är den som förstås med Herrens ankomst.

Footnotes:

481. Neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.- This signifies that they shall not be affected by evil and falsity arising from lusts, as is evident from the signification of the sun, which denotes the Lord as to Divine Love, and in reference to men, spirits, and angels, the good of love from the Lord and directed to the Lord; and in the opposite sense, as here, it denotes the love of self, and thence evil from lusts (ex concupiscentiis); see above (n. 401); and in the Heaven and Hell 116-125). And from the signification of heat, which denotes falsity from that evil, consequently falsity from lusts. For when a man is in heat, that is, when he becomes hot, then he eagerly desires drink that his heat may be allayed, for he is thirsty, and drinking signifies to drink in truths, and in the opposite sense, to drink in falsities, because water and wine (vinum), which are drunk or imbibed, signify truths.

[2] That heat signifies falsity from lusts, or the lust for falsity, is evident from the following passages.

Thus in Jeremiah:

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in Jehovah, for he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, that spreadeth out his roots by the river; he shall not see when heat cometh, but his leaf shall be green; he shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall he cease from yielding fruit" (17:7, 8).

The man who suffers himself to be led by the Lord is compared to a tree, to its growth and fructification, because a tree in the Word signifies the knowledge and perception of truth and good, consequently the man in whom those things are. The tree planted by the waters, means the man in whom there are truths from the Lord, waters denoting truths. That spreadeth out his roots by the river, signifies the extension of intelligence from the spiritual man into the natural. This is said because a river signifies intelligence, and because roots are sent out from the spiritual into the natural man; he shall not see when heat cometh, signifies that he shall not be affected by the lust for falsity. But his leaf shall be green, signifies scientifics (scientifica) living from truths; for leaf signifies the scientific (scientificum), and green signifies what is living from truths. He shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall he cease from yielding fruit, signifies, that in the state when there are no truth and good, he shall not be in fear for the loss and deprivation of them, but that even then truths united to good shall bear fruit. The year of drought signifies a state in which there are loss and deprivation of truth; this is said, because with spirits and angels there are alternations of state; see the Heaven and Hell 154-161).

[3] In Isaiah:

"For thou art become a place of defence to the poor, a fortress to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the inundation, a shadow from the heat; for the blast of the violent is as an inundation against the wall, as drought in a dry place; the tumult of strangers shalt thou subdue; the heat by the shadow of a cloud, the branch of the violent shall he repress" (25:4, 5).

By the poor and the needy are signified those who are destitute of good from ignorance of truth, and yet they desire these. It is called inundation and heat, when evils and falsities rise up and flow in from the proprium, and also from others who are in evil. The blast of the violent, signifies that those things are contrary to the goods and truths of the church; they are called violent who endeavour to destroy goods and truths, and their blast signifies their eager desire to destroy. The tumult of strangers shalt thou subdue, signifies that the Lord will allay and remove the irruption of falsities from evil; tumult signifies irruption, strangers signify falsities from evil, and to subdue signifies to allay and remove. To subdue the heat by the shadow of a cloud, signifies to defend from the lust for falsity, heat denoting the lust for falsity, and the shadow of a cloud, defence therefrom; for the shadow of a cloud tempers the heat of the sun, and assuages its intensity.

[4] In Jeremiah:

"His dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost" (36:30).

These words were said concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah, after he had burned the roll written by Jeremiah, and this act signifies that the truths of the church would perish through the lust for falsities, and thence by hatred of truths. The kings of Judah represented and thence signified in the Word truths from good, and the king there mentioned, the truth of the church which was about to perish. The roll which he burnt signifies the Word; this is said to be burnt when it is falsified and adulterated, and this takes place by means of the lust for falsity from evil. His dead body signifies the man of the church without that spiritual life which is acquired by means of truths from the Word. If this spiritual life becomes extinct, lust for falsities and an aversion to truths alone remain, and consequently he becomes dead, and in the spiritual sense a carcase. Lust for falsities is signified by heat in the day, and hatred of truths by frost in the night. For when the light of heaven, which in its essence is Divine Truth, flows in, those who are in falsities from evil are seized with cold, which is more or less intense according to the warmth of the falsity from evil.

[5] In the same:

"When they are heated I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may exult, and sleep the sleep of an age, and not awake" (Jeremiah 51:39).

These words are concerning Babylon, which signifies the profanation of good and truth. When they are heated, signifies the warm desire and lust to falsify truths and adulterate goods. To make their feasts, to make them drunken, and to exult, signifies from falsifications to be insane in an extreme degree; their feasts signify the adulterations of good and truth, drunkenness and rejoicing signify insanities in the highest degree, or such as are extreme. To sleep the sleep of an age, and not awake, signifies that they will not perceive truths for ever.

[6] In Hosea:

"They are all hot as an oven, and devour their judges; all their kings fall; there is none among them that calleth unto me" (7:7).

To be hot as an oven signifies lusting after falsity from love of it. To devour their judges, and all their kings to fall, signifies the destruction of all intelligence, the truths from which it arises having been destroyed; judges signify those that are intelligent, and, in an abstract sense, those things which belong to intelligence; and kings signify truths. There is none among them that calleth unto me, signifies that no one cares for truths from the Divine.

[7] In Job:

"He regardeth not the way of the vineyards; drought and heat shall consume the waters of snow" (24:18, 19).

Not to regard the way of the vineyards signifies to regard the truths of the church as of no importance. Drought and heat shall consume the waters of snow, signifies that the want of truth, and thence the lust for falsity will destroy all genuine truths, waters of snow denoting genuine truths.

[8] In Isaiah:

"He will say to the bound, Go forth, to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed upon the ways, and their pasture shall be on all heights. They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither the heat nor the sun shall smite them; for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, yea, even unto fountains of waters shall he guide them" (49:9, 10).

The signification of these words need not be explained in detail, since they are similar to those that we are now explaining in the Apocalypse, and are as follows:- "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat, for the Lamb shall feed them and lead them unto living fountains of waters."

These things in the Apocalypse, in a similar manner to those in the prophet, are spoken of the Lord. By the bound here mentioned, to whom he shall say, "Go forth," and by those who are in darkness, to whom he shall say, "shew yourselves," are signified also the Gentiles, who had lived in good according to their religion, and yet were in falsities from ignorance; they are said to be bound, when they are in temptations. Darkness denotes falsities arising from ignorance. That the heat shall not smite them, signifies that falsity from lust (ex concupiscentia) shall not affect them.

[9] In the Apocalypse:

"And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun, and it was given unto him to scorch men with fire; and men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God" (16:8, 9).

These words will be explained hereafter in their proper place. Because the sun signifies the Divine Love, therefore also heat signifies ardent desire for truth, as in Isaiah 18:4; and Zech. 8:2, where heat is attributed to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord. In many passages anger and wrath are predicated of God, and by anger is signified zeal for good, and by wrath zeal for truth; for wrath and heat are from the same word in the original tongue.