919. (Verse 19) And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the vineyard of the earth. That this signifies that this was done, is evident from what has been just said in the above article.

That vineyard signifies the spiritual church is evident from the passages in the Word, where vineyard is mentioned:

As in Isaiah 1:8; 3:14; 5:1-10; 16:10; 36:17; 37:30; 65:21; Jeremiah 12:10; 32:15; 35:7, 9; 39:10; Ezekiel 28:26; Hosea 2:15; Amos 4:9; 5:11, 17; 9:14; Micah 1:6; Zephaniah 1:13; 1 Sam. 8:14, 15; Psalm 107:37; Matthew 20:1-8; 21:28, 38-41; Mark 12:1-9; Luke 13:6, 7; 20:9-16. And concerning a vine, see John 15:1-12.

Besides, in the historical parts of the Word. From which it is clearly evident that by a vineyard the church is meant; see also above (n. 376, 403, 638, 918), where many passages in which vineyard is mentioned are explained.

From the signification of vineyard it is evident, that by gathering the vintage, is signified to collect for uses those things that are to be serviceable to the understanding, and to impart intelligence and wisdom; and, in the opposite sense, to devastate the church as to spiritual good, and consequently as to the affection and understanding of truth. In this opposite sense, vintage and to gather the vintage are mentioned when there are no longer any clusters or grapes remaining; which, in the spiritual sense, signifies that all spiritual good, and thence all truth which in itself is truth, is destroyed; and this is chiefly effected in the church by falsifications of the Word. Also when evil of life corrupts all good, and then the falsity of doctrine perverts all truth; this is described also by devastators and thieves. That, therefore, by gathering the vintage is signified devastation, is evident from the following passages.

[2] In Isaiah:

"A cry over the wine in the streets; all joy shall be commingled; the gladness of the earth shall be banished. The remainder in the city shall be wasteness, and the gate shall be smitten even to devastation. For so shall it be in the midst of the earth, as the shaking of the olive tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is done" (24:11, 12, 13).

By these words mourning over the devastation of the church as to celestial good, and as to spiritual good, is described; which, in its essence, is truth from celestial good. Devastation is compared to the shaking of an olive tree, and to the gleanings when the vintage is done; but the particulars of this passage may be seen explained above (n. 313, 638).

[3] In the same:

"Ye confident daughters in your ears perceive my word; year upon year shall ye be moved, ye confident; for the vintage is ended, the gathering shall not come" (32:9, 10).

By confident daughters are signified those in the church who love falsities more than truths. That truths with them are successively diminished and in every state, is signified by being moved year upon year. The devastation of all truth even till there is nothing remaining, is signified by the vintage being ended, and the gathering not coming.

[4] In Jeremiah:

"Upon thy fruits of autumn, and upon thy vintage, hath the spoiler fallen, whence gladness is gathered and joy out of Carmel" (48:32, 33).

By the fruits of autumn are signified the goods of the church, by the vintage are signified the truths thereof; for bread, which is there meant by the fruit of autumn, signifies the good of the church, and wine, which is of the vintage, signifies the truth thereof. By the spoiler who fell upon them, is signified evil and falsity therefrom. That the delight of spiritual and celestial love, which is the very joy of the heart, is about to perish, is signified by gladness and joy being gathered out of Carmel.

[5] In Micah:

"Woe is me! I am become as the gatherings of the summer, as the gleanings of the vintage: not a cluster to eat: my soul desireth the first-fruit" (7:1).

As the gleanings of the vintage, not a cluster to eat, signifies the devastation of the church being such that there is no longer any good and truth. The rest may be seen explained in the article just preceding.

In Jeremiah:

"If the grape-gatherers come to thee, they will not leave any gleanings: if thieves in the night, they will destroy sufficiency" (49:9).

In Obadiah:

"If thieves come to thee, if destroyers by night, when thou shalt be cut off, will they not steal till they have enough? if the grape-gatherers come to thee, will they leave any clusters?" (vers. 4, 5).

By the grape-gatherers are signified falsities, and by thieves evils, which devastate the truths and goods of the church. But by destroyers are signified both falsities and evils. By their not leaving any clusters, is signified there not being any goods because there are no truths. But by gathering the vintage, is signified to gather for uses such things especially as are to be serviceable to the understanding,

In Jeremiah 6:9; Leviticus 19:10; 26:5; Deuteronomy 20:6, 7; 24:21.

3141. 'Why do you stand outside?' means at some distance away. This becomes clear without explanation; for the situation is that the Lord's Divine Rational was born from Divine Truth itself joined to Divine Good, the Divine Rational being Isaac whom Sarah, who is the Divine Truth here, bore to Abraham, who is the Divine Good here, as shown already. None but the Lord's Divine Rational was born in this fashion. It was indeed born from Himself because the Lord's Essential Being (Esse) was Jehovah or Divine Good itself, while the Lord's Essential Being (Esse) proceeding from it was also Jehovah's, that is, it was Divine Truth itself. The Divine Good within the Rational, which is Isaac, was born in such a way that Good was not separate from Truth, but was Divine Good together with Divine Truth. Both together however are called Good within the Rational to which truth from the natural man, the truth which is Rebekah, was to be joined. To make His Human Divine as regards Good as well as regards Truth, by the ordinary way, as stated above in 3138, the Lord could act in no other possible way. For this is the Divine order by which all regeneration takes place, thus by which the Lord's glorification took place, 3138 (end). It was that Divine Good coming by way of Divine Truth within the Rational that was flowing into the natural man and enlightening all things there. The process itself is described here, that is to say, it first of all flowed in somewhat more remotely, which is meant here by at some distance away, and did not wish to do so more closely until instruction had taken place.

[2] For the ordinary way is that instruction should come first. Then influx takes place according to the depth of knowledge laid down by that instruction - so that from that depth of knowledge truth may continually flow and be introduced into, and then be joined to, the good of the rational. From these considerations one may see the nature of the arcana contained in the internal sense of the Word, and that those arcana are such that even the most general of them are scarcely intelligible to man. To angels however they are plain to see, together with countless other things which cannot possibly be put into words.