767. 18:9 "And the kings of the earth who committed whoredom with her and delighted in her will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning." This symbolizes the inner feelings of anguish in those Roman Catholics who had been in a higher degree of dominion and its delights through their falsifications and adulterations of the Word's truths, which they made sacred tenets of the church, when they see them turned into profane ones.

The subject in this and the following verse is the mourning of the kings of the earth, by whom the highest in rank are meant, those called prelates and primates. In verses 11 to 16 the subject is the mourning of the merchants of the earth, by whom those lower in rank are meant, those called monks. And in verses 17 to 19 the subject is the mourning of shipmasters and sailors, by whom those who provide their revenues are meant, those called the laity.

But here now the subject is the kings of the earth, by whom the highest Roman Catholics in rank are symbolically meant. To be shown that kings do not mean kings, but people governed by truths springing from goodness, and in an opposite sense, people governed by falsities springing from evil, see nos. 483, 704, 720, 737, 740 above. Consequently here the kings of the earth who committed whoredom with Babylon and delighted in her symbolize people who enjoyed her dominion and its delights by falsifying and adulterating the Word's truths, especially by falsifying and adulterating the truth which the Lord spoke to Peter, regarding which we will say something below.

That to commit whoredom means, symbolically, to falsify and adulterate the Word's truths may be seen in nos. 134, 632, 635. That to take delight means, symbolically, to enjoy the delights of dominion and at the same time wealth, in no. 759. The king's weeping and lamenting symbolizes their inner feelings of anguish. They are said to weep and lament because weeping is an expression of their anguish over being cast down from their dominion, and lamenting is an expression of their anguish over losing their wealth. Moreover, because their feelings of anguish are deeper than those of the merchants of the earth, therefore the kings of the earth, by whom those higher in rank are meant, are said to weep and lament, while the merchants of the earth, by whom those lower in rank are meant, are said to weep and mourn. When they see the smoke of her burning means, symbolically, when they see the falsities of their religion - their falsifications and adulterations of the Word's truths - turned into profane ones. The smoke symbolizes those falsities (nos. 422, 452), and burning symbolizes profanation (no. 766).

From this and what we explained in no. 766 above, it is apparent that "the kings of the earth who committed whoredom with her and delighted in her will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning" symbolizes the inner feelings of anguish in those Roman Catholics who had been in a higher degree of dominion and its delights through their falsifications and adulterations of the Word's truths, when they see them turned into profane ones.