4906. Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. That this signifies that it ought to be extirpated, namely, the internal of the church which is represented by Tamar, is evident from the signification of “bringing her forth and burning her,” as being to extirpate. “Bringing forth” is predicated of the truth, and “burning” of the good, which was to be extirpated. That “burning” is predicated of the extirpation of good is evident from many passages in the Word; and the reason is that “fire” and “flame” in the spiritual sense denote good, and hence “heat” denotes the affection of good; but in the opposite sense “fire” and “flame” denote evil, and the “heat” thence the affection of evil (n. 1297, 1861, 2446). Moreover, good is actually spiritual fire, from which comes the spiritual heat which vivifies, and evil is the fire and the consequent heat which consumes. That the good of love is spiritual fire, and that the affection of this good is spiritual heat, will be very evident to one who attends and reflects; for if he reflects whence man has vital fire and heat, he will find that it is from love; because as soon as love ceases, the man grows cold, while the more he is in love, the warmer he grows. Unless man’s vitality were from this origin he could have no life at all. But this spiritual fire or heat which produces life becomes a burning and consuming fire with the evil, for with them it is turned into this kind of fire. With animals devoid of reason spiritual heat likewise flows in and produces life, but a life according to the reception in their organic forms, for which reason their knowledges and affections are connate, as with bees and the rest.

2446. That “brimstone” denotes the hell of the evils of the love of self, and “fire” the hell of the falsities thence derived, is evident from the signification in the Word of “brimstone” and the “fire” from it, as being the love of self with its cupidities and the derivative falsities, thus as being hell, for hell consists of such things. That “brimstone” and “fire” have this signification is evident in David:

Jehovah shall rain upon the wicked snares, fire, and brimstone (Psalms 11:6).

That fire and brimstone are not here meant, but something else that is signified by “fire and brimstone,” is evident also from its being said that Jehovah “rains snares.”

In Ezekiel:

I will contend against him with pestilence and with blood, and I will make it rain an overflowing rain, and hailstones, fire and brimstone, upon him, and upon his troops, and upon the many peoples that are with him (Ezekiel 38:22); where God is treated of, who lays waste the land of Israel, that is, the church. (The signification of “God” may be seen above, n. 1151.) “Fire” denotes falsities, “brimstone” the evils thence, and at the same time the hells of those who lay waste.

In John:

They who adored the beast were cast into a lake of fire burning with brimstone (Revelation 19:20);

meaning hell.

Again:

The devil was cast into a lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are; and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever (Revelation 20:10);

manifestly meaning hell.

Again:

The abominable, and murderers, and adulterers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8); where also “fire and brimstone” plainly denote hell.

[2] That they denote the evils of the love of self and the falsities thence derived, from which come the hells-in Isaiah:

The day of the vengeance of Jehovah, and the year of retribution in the controversy of Zion; and the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch (Isaiah 34:8-9); where “burning pitch,” here mentioned instead of “fire,” denotes dense and direful falsities and “brimstone” the evils from the love of self.

Again:

The pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of Jehovah is like a stream of brimstone kindling in it (Isaiah 30:33);

speaking of Topheth; the “stream of kindling brimstone” denoting falsities from the evils of the love of self.

In Luke:

In the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all; even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed (Luke 17:29-30).

That it will not then rain fire and brimstone is obvious; but what is meant is that the falsities and cupidities of the love of self, which are signified by “fire and brimstone,” and which make the hells, will then predominate.

[3] That in the Word “fire” signifies cupidities, and at the same time the hells, and that in this case the “smoke” from the fire signifies the falsity thence derived, and which is in those hells, may be seen above (n. 1861); and in John:

I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat upon them, having breastplates of fire and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouth issued fire, smoke, and brimstone: by these three were the third part of men killed, by the fire, and the smoke, and the brimstone (Revelation 9:17-18);

“fire, smoke, and brimstone” denote evils and falsities of every kind, of which as before said the hells consist.