725. 17:4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet. This symbolizes the celestial Divine good and truth contained in the Word among Roman Catholics.

Purple symbolizes celestial Divine good, and scarlet symbolizes celestial Divine truth, as will be seen presently. To be arrayed in them means, symbolically, to have these about them, thus among them. They have these among them from the Word, because the scarlet beast on which the woman was sitting symbolizes the Word (no. 723).

People know that Roman Catholics have the Divine good and truth in the Word about them, thus among them, as a kind of garment, for they venerate the Word outwardly and not inwardly. They acknowledge it, because it tells about the Lord and about His authority over heaven and the church, which they have transferred to themselves. It also tells about the keys given to Peter, whose successors they say they are. So, because they found their majesty, grandeur and power on these two points, of necessity they acknowledge the holiness of the Word. But still the Word is for them only a kind of garment of purple and scarlet, and of gold, precious stones and pearls, upon a harlot holding a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations and the filthiness of her licentiousness.

[2] Since the verse mentions purple and scarlet, and then gold, precious stones and pearls, and since purple and scarlet symbolize celestial Divine good and truth, while gold and precious stones symbolize spiritual Divine good and truth, both emanating from the Word, therefore we must say something about celestial Divinity and spiritual Divinity:

The Lord's whole heaven has been divided into two kingdoms - the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom. The celestial kingdom consists of angels who are impelled by love from the Lord, and the spiritual kingdom of angels who are impelled by wisdom from the Lord. Each kingdom has in it goodness and truth. The goodness and truth among angels in the celestial kingdom are symbolized by purple and scarlet, while the goodness and truth among angels in the spiritual kingdom are symbolized by gold and precious stones. Angels have both the one and the other goodness and truth from the Lord by means of the Word. Consequently the Word has in it two interior levels of meaning, one celestial and the other spiritual.

This now is the reason that the woman sitting on the scarlet beast appeared arrayed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold, precious stones and pearls.

[3] Like the symbolism of the woman here is the symbolism of the "rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day," at whose gate Lazarus lay prostrate, "desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table" (Luke 16:19-21). The rich man clothed in purple and fine linen refers to the Jews, who had the Word, and Lazarus refers to the gentiles who did not have it.

Similar symbolic meanings are found in the following places:

Those who ate delicacies are devastated in the streets; those who were brought up on scarlet embrace dunghills. (Lamentations 4:5)

When you are plundered, what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with scarlet, though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold..., in vain you will make yourself fair. (Jeremiah 4:30)

O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury, (and) who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. (2 Samuel 1:24)

Fine embroidered linen... was what you spread...; blue and purple... was your covering. (Ezekiel 27:7)

The last is said of Tyre, which symbolizes concepts of truth and goodness from the Word.

[4] Since purple and scarlet symbolize celestial goodness and truth, therefore Aaron's vestments and the veil and curtains of the Tabernacle were woven of blue, purple, scarlet and fine linen (Exodus 25:4; 26:31, 36; 27:16; 28:6, 15). Regarding the curtains (Exodus 26:1). The veil before the Ark (Exodus 26:31). The hem of the robe of the ephod (Exodus 28:33). The scarlet cloth over the showbread (Numbers 4:8).

It is apparent from this what is symbolized by the purple and scarlet with which the woman sitting on the scarlet beast appeared arrayed.

So likewise in the following passage, where we read:

Alas..., the great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet..., adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour such great riches were laid waste. (Revelation 18:16-17)

Moreover, purple and scarlet, gold, precious stones and pearls were among the merchandise of Babylon (Revelation 18:12).

492. "Clothed in sackcloth." This symbolizes the grief experienced meanwhile over the truth's not being accepted.

Being clothed in sackcloth symbolizes grief over the destruction of truth in the church, for garments symbolize truths (nos. 166, 212, 328, 378, 379). Consequently to be clothed in sackcloth, which is not a garment, symbolizes grief over the lack of truth, and where there is no truth, there is no church.

The children of Israel represented grief in various ways, which, because of their correspondence, were symbolic. For example, they would put ash on their heads, roll around in the dust, sit on the ground for a long time in silence, shave themselves, beat their breasts and wail, rend their garments, and also clothe themselves in sackcloth, and so on. Each action symbolized some evil in the church among them for which they were being punished. Then, when they were being punished, they put on a representation of repentance in these ways, and because of their representation of repentance, and at the same time then of their humbling themselves, they were heard.

[2] That putting on sackcloth represented grief over the destruction of truth in the church may be seen from the following passages:

The lion has come up from his thicket... He has gone forth from his place to make your land desolate... For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth, lament, wail. (Jeremiah 4:7-8)

O daughter of my people, gird yourself in sackcloth and roll about in ashes! ...For the destroyer will suddenly come upon us. (Jeremiah 6:26)

Woe to you, Chorazin (and) Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented... in sackcloth and ashes. (Matthew 11:21, Luke 10:13)

After the king of Nineveh heard the words of Jonah, he "laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes." Moreover, he proclaimed a fast and ordered that "man and beast be covered with sackcloth." (Jonah 3:5-8)

And so on elsewhere, as in Isaiah 3:24; 15:2-3; 22:12; 37:1-2; 50:3; Jeremiah 48:37-38; 49:3; Lamentations 2:10; Ezekiel 7:17-18; 27:31; Daniel 9:3; Joel 1:8, 13; Amos 8:10; Job 16:15-16; Psalms 30:11; Psalms 35:13; 69:10-11; 2 Samuel 3:31; 1 Kings 21:27; 2 Kings 6:30; 19:1-2.