336. And every mountain and island was moved out of its place. This symbolically means that all goodness of love and truth of faith vanished.

No one can see that this is the symbolic meaning except by recourse to the spiritual sense. It is the symbolic meaning because mountains mean people who possess the goodness of love, inasmuch as angels dwell upon mountains - those motivated by love toward the Lord on loftier mountains, and those motivated by love for the neighbor on less lofty ones. Consequently "every mountain" symbolizes all goodness of love. Islands mean people relatively removed from the worship of God, as may be seen in no. 34 above - here people who are impelled by faith, and not so much by the goodness of love. Therefore in an abstract sense "every island" means, symbolically, all truth of faith. To be moved out of their places means, symbolically, to go away.

It derives from the abodes of angels on mountains and hills, therefore, that mountains and hills in the Word symbolize heaven and the church where love toward the Lord and love for the neighbor are found, and in an opposite sense, hell where self-love and love of the world are found.

[2] It is apparent from the following passages that mountains and hills symbolize heaven and the church where love toward the Lord and love for the neighbor are found, thus where the Lord is present:

Lift up your eyes to the mountains, whence comes your help. (Psalms 121:1)

Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who proclaims... peace! (Nahum 1:15, cf. Isaiah 52:7)

Praise Jehovah..., you mountains and... hills...! (Psalms 148:7, 9)

A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan. Why do you leap, you mountains, you hills of the mountain? Jehovah has desired to inhabit them; (Jehovah) also will inhabit them forever. (Psalms 68:15-16)

The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like the young of the flock... You travail, O earth, at the presence of the Lord... (Psalms 114:4-7)

I will bring forth a seed from Jacob, and from Judah an heir of My mountains, that My elect may inherit them, and My servants dwell there. (Isaiah 65:9)

(In the consummation of the age:) then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matthew 24:16)

(O Jehovah,) Your righteousness is as the mountains of God. (Psalms 36:6)

Jehovah will go forth and fight... In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, opposite Jerusalem on the east. (Zechariah 14:3-4)

[3] Since the Mount of Olives symbolized Divine love, therefore during the days the Lord preached in the Temple, but during the nights He went out and spent the night on the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37; 22:39, John 8:1). And therefore the Lord spoke upon that mountain with His disciples regarding His coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3, Mark 13:3-4).

Since a mountain symbolized heaven and love, therefore Jehovah came down upon the top of Mount Sinai and proclaimed the Law (Exodus 19:20; 24:17). And therefore the Lord was transfigured before Peter, James and John on a high mountain (Matthew 17:1). Therefore Zion also was located on a mountain, and so, too, Jerusalem, and the two were called the mountain of Jehovah and the mountain of holiness in many places in the Word.

Mountains and hills have similar symbolic meanings elsewhere, as in Isaiah 7:25; 30:25; 40:9; 44:23; 49:11, 13; 55:12; Jeremiah 16:15-16; Psalms 65:6; 80:10; 104:5-10, 13.

[4] That mountains and hills symbolize these loves can be seen still more clearly from their opposite meaning, in which they symbolize hellish loves, namely, self-love and a love of the world, as is apparent from the following passages:

...the day of Jehovah... shall come... upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up... (Isaiah 2:12, 14)

Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low. (Isaiah 40:4)

The mountains shall be overthrown, and its ascents shall fall... (Ezekiel 38:20-21)

Behold, I am against you, O... mountain, that destroys all the earth... ...I will make you a burnt mountain. (Jeremiah 51:25)

I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they are shaken, and all the hills are overthrown. (Jeremiah 4:23-25)

...a fire is kindled in my anger..., and it will set on fire the foundations of the mountains. (Deuteronomy 32:22)

I will lay waste the mountains and hills... (Isaiah 42:15)

Behold, (O Jacob,) I will make you like a threshing sledge... that you may thresh the mountains and crush them, and make the hills like chaff..., that the wind may carry them away. (Isaiah 41:15-16)

Give glory to Jehovah... before your feet stumble on the dark mountains... (Jeremiah 13:16)

Nor is anything else meant by the seven mountains on which the woman - namely Babylon - sat (Revelation 17:9). And so also elsewhere, as in Isaiah 14:13; Jeremiah 50:6; 9:10; Ezekiel 6:2-3; 34:6.

It can now be seen from this what is meant by the statement that "every mountain and island was moved out of its place," and later by the statement that "every island fled away, and the mountains were not found" (Revelation 16:20, no. 714).

9258. 'And you would cease from removing [it] for him' means not receiving truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'ceasing from removing' as not giving instruction and correcting, at this point not being able to receive instruction, and so not receiving truth since what is said refers to falsity which does not accord with the Church's good, and that falsity is such. The fact that 'removing' has this meaning in the spiritual sense is evident from this consideration, that words are used with reference to the matter under discussion. Thus 'removing' is used in the sense of the letter with reference to the burden under which the ass lies, and in the internal sense with reference to the falsity that is not in accord with the Church's good. In the internal sense therefore not removing from falsity by means of correction is meant, thus also not receiving truth brought about through such correcting or removing. There are falsities which are in accord with the Church's good, and there are falsities which are not in accord with it. The falsities that are in accord are ones which have good lying hidden within them, and which for that reason can be brought by the good nearer to truths. But the falsities that are not in accord with the Church's good are ones which have evil lying hidden within them, and which for that reason cannot be brought nearer to truths.

[2] As regards the good which lies within authentic truths, or else within unauthentic truths, which have been called falsities immediately above, and as regards the evil within falsities and even within truths, that good or evil is like the reproductive germ of life in the seed of a fruit. When the fruit starts to grow all its fibres fix their attention on the germ in the seed; they nourish it with juice passing through them and form it. But once it has been formed the fibres forsake it and convey the juice away from the seed. As a consequence the flesh of the fruit deteriorates and goes rotten, and then it serves the germ as its soil. The same applies to the seed itself when the germ in it begins a new phase of development in the ground. The germ of life in new shoots corresponds to the good within a person; the seed itself corresponds to the inward parts of his being; and the flesh around the seed corresponds to the outward parts. When the inward part of a person is formed anew or regenerated, the factual knowledge and truths belonging to the external man are like the fibres of a fruit through which juice is transported to the inward part. And afterwards, when the person has been regenerated, they are separated and serve as the soil [for the inward part]. Something similar happens in the person's inward part to which the seed corresponds. The good which has been formed in that manner gives rise to a new person, just as the germ within the seed develops into a new tree or new shoot. In this way all things are made new, after which they multiply and remain fruitful for evermore. So it is that the new person becomes like a garden, a paradise garden, to which also he is compared in the Word.

[3] This is the meaning of the Lord's words in Matthew,

The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a person took and sowed in his field, which is the smallest of all seeds. But when it has grown it is the greatest of all plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches. Matthew 13:31-32.

These words make clear what the situation is with authentic truths and unauthentic truths which have good within them, namely this: When the good has been formed it gives rise to truths such as are in accord with good. Even if they are unauthentic truths they are accepted as though they were authentic ones because they savour of good; for they derive their very being and life from it. Good germinates and develops by means of truths, and while it is developing it is constantly endeavouring to give birth to new good which holds a like ability to germinate. It acts in much the same way as the seed's reproductive germ does in a new shoot or tree when this comes up out of the ground and exists to produce new fruit and new seeds. But there are endless varieties, the different natures of which are determined by the kinds of good that have been formed through a charitable life led in keeping with the commandments of faith.

[4] By contrast one can see also what the situation is with falsities which have evil within them, namely that they are like trees which bear bad fruit, which must be uprooted and thrown into the fire, in accordance with the Lord's words in Matthew,

Every good tree bears good fruit, but a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Matthew 7:17-20; 12:33.

And in John,

Jesus said, As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you cannot do anything. If a person does not abide in Me he will be cast forth as a branch and be withered; and they gather it and throw it into the fire, and it is burned. John 15:4-6.

From this it is evident that all good which is going to bear any fruit begins in the Lord, and unless it comes from Him it is not good.