4434. “示剑的灵魂系恋雅各的女儿底拿” 表与它结合的倾向. 这从 “灵魂系恋” 的含义清楚可知, “灵魂系恋” 是指一种倾向. 显然, 所指的是一种结合的倾向, 因为就内义而言, 属于婚姻之爱的事物涉及属灵的结合, 也就是真理与良善, 并良善与真理的结合. 就内义而言, 属于婚姻之爱的事物之所以涉及这种结合, 是因为婚姻之爱起源于真理与良善, 并良善与真理的婚姻 (2618, 2727-2729, 2737, 2803, 3132节). 因此, 在圣言中, “淫行或奸淫” (act of adultery) 表示对良善的玷污, “邪淫或卖淫” (whoredom) 表示对真理的歪曲 (2466, 2729, 2750, 3399节). 由此可见, 本章所提到的关于示剑和底拿的一切细节在内义上无非表示 “示剑” 所代表的真理与 “底拿” 所代表的对真理的情感的结合; 因此 “示剑的灵魂系恋底拿” 这句话表示与这种情感结合的倾向.

由于这一整章所论述的主题是示剑对底拿的爱情, 以及他如何想办法娶她为妻, 还由于涉及婚姻之爱的事物表示属灵的结合, 所以我要从圣言证实, 婚姻和涉及婚姻的事物并没有别的意思. 启示录:

我们要欢喜快乐, 将荣耀归给祂! 因为羔羊的婚期到了, 祂的妻子也自己预备好了. 凡被请赴羔羊之婚筵的有福了! (启示录 19: 7, 9)

又:

我看见圣城新耶路撒冷由神那里从天而降, 预备好了, 就如新妇妆饰整齐, 等候丈夫. 七位天使中有一位来同我说话, 说, 你来, 我要将新妇, 就是羔羊的妻, 指示你. 我在灵里被那天使带到一座又大又高的山上, 他将那大城, 就是由神那里从天而降的圣耶路撒冷指示我. (启示录 21: 2, 9-10)

很明显, 在上述经文中, 涉及订婚和婚姻的话无非表示主与教会的结合, 该结合通过真理与良善实现. 因为 “圣城” 和 “新耶路撒冷” 无非表示教会. “城” 表示教会的真理 (参看402, 2268, 2449, 2451, 2712, 2943, 3216节), “耶路撒冷” 表示属灵教会 (402, 2117, 3654节).

玛拉基书:

犹大人行事诡诈, 并且在以色列和耶路撒冷中行一件可憎的事. 因为犹大人亵渎耶和华的圣洁, 因为他恋慕并娶了外邦神的女子. 耶和华在你和你幼年的妻之间作见证, 你以诡诈待她. (玛拉基书 2:11, 14)

“恋慕并娶了外邦神的女子” 表示将人的自我与虚假, 而非真理, 也就是 “幼年的妻” 结合.

以西结书:

你拿你为我所生的儿女献给它们吞噬. 你这淫行还算小吗? 你正是你母亲的女儿, 厌弃丈夫和儿女; 你正是你姐妹的姐妹, 厌弃丈夫和儿女. (以西结书 16:20, 45)

此处论述的是耶路撒冷的可憎之事, 由于它们是邪恶与虚假的产物, 故这一章通过与婚姻直接对立的那类事, 也就是奸淫和淫行来描述这可憎之事. “她们所厌弃的丈夫” 是指良善, “儿子” 是指真理, “女儿” 是指对这些真理的情感.

以赛亚书:

你这不怀孕, 不生养的啊, 要歌唱! 你这未曾经过产难的要发声歌唱, 扬声欢呼! 因为凄凉独居者的儿女比已结婚者的儿女更多. 你不再记念你寡居的羞辱, 因为造你的是你的丈夫, 万军之耶和华是祂的名; 救赎你的是以色列的圣者, 祂必称为全地之神. 耶和华召你, 如召被离弃灵里忧伤的妇女, 就是幼年所娶被弃的妻. 这是你神所说的. 你所有的儿女都要受耶和华的教训, 你的儿女必大享平安. (以赛亚书 54:1, 4-6, 13)

由于 “结婚” 表示真理与良善, 并良善与真理的结合, 故明显可知 “丈夫和妻子”, “儿女”, “寡居的”, “被弃”, “生养”, “产难”, “凄凉独居”, “不怀孕” 分别表示什么; 因为这些事物涉及婚姻. 至于这些说法在灵义上是什么意思, 这在解释部分已多次说明.

同一先知书:

我因锡安必不静默, 为耶路撒冷必不息声. 你必不再称为撇弃的; 你的地也必称为已结婚的, 因为耶和华喜悦你, 你的地将要婚嫁. 因为少年人怎样娶处女, 你的众子也要照样娶你; 新郎怎样喜悦新妇, 你的神也要照样喜悦你. (以赛亚书 62:1, 4-5)

人若不了解圣言的内义, 可能会以为圣言中的这类形像描述纯粹是打比方, 和日常对话所用的许多比方一样, 并且这就是为何将教会比作女儿, 童女或处女, 妻子, 因而将信与仁的事物比作涉及婚姻事物的原因. 但在圣言中, 一切事物都是属灵和属天事物的代表, 是真实的对应; 因为圣言是从天上降下来的, 并因从天上降下来, 故就其源头而言, 就是属于字义的一切事物所对应的神性属天和属灵事物. 正因如此, 涉及天上婚姻, 也就是良善与真理的结合的事物落入与它们相对应的事物, 因而落入涉及地上婚姻的事物.

也正因如此, 主将天国, 也就是祂在天上的国和在地上的国, 即教会比作一个人, 即 “为他儿子摆设婚筵, 请许多人来赴席” 的王 (马太福音 22:2-14); 还比作 “拿着灯出去迎接新郎的童女” (马太福音 25:1-13). 主同样称那些属教会的人为 “婚礼之子”:

耶稣说, 新郎和婚礼之子同在的时候, 婚礼之子岂能哀恸呢? 但日子将到, 新郎要离开他们, 那时候他们就要禁食. (马太福音 9:15)

由于同样的原因, 对良善的情感和对真理的情感被称为 “新郎和新妇的欢喜快乐”, 因为天上的喜乐就出自这些情感, 并居于它们里面. 如以赛亚书:

你的众子要娶你; 新郎怎样喜悦新妇, 你的神耶和华也要照样喜悦你. (以赛亚书 62:5)

耶利米书:

有欢喜的声音和快乐的声音, 新郎的声音和新妇的声音, 又有人的声音, 说, 你们要称谢耶和华, 因耶和华本为善. (耶利米书 33:11)

同一先知书:

那时, 我必使犹大城邑中和耶路撒冷街上, 欢喜的声音和快乐的声音, 新郎的声音和新妇的声音都止息了, 因为地必成为荒场. (耶利米书 7:34; 16:9; 25:10)

启示录:

灯光在巴比伦中间决不能再照耀, 新郎和新妇的声音, 在你中间决不能再听见. (启示录 18: 23).

由于地上的婚姻通过真正的婚姻之爱与天上的婚姻, 也就是良善与真理的婚姻相对应, 故在圣言中, 涉及订婚和婚姻的律法完全对应于天上婚姻的属灵律法, 如男人只能娶一位妻子的律法 (马可福音 10:2-8; 路加福音 16:18); 因为天上婚姻的情形乃是这样: 良善只能与自己的真理结合, 真理只能与自己的良善结合. 良善若不与自己的真理, 而是与其它真理结合, 根本就无法被凝聚起来, 而是会四分五裂, 从而灭亡. 在属灵教会, 妻子代表良善, 男人代表真理; 而在属天教会, 丈夫代表良善, 妻子代表真理; 这是一个奥秘, 即: 他们不仅代表这些事物, 还在其一切实际活动中与它们相对应.

此外, 旧约中涉及婚姻的律法以同样的方式对应于天上婚姻的律法, 如出埃及记 (21:7-11; 22:16, 17; 34:16), 民数记 (36:6) 和申命记 (7:3, 4; 22:28, 29) 的律法, 以及亲密程度的禁令 (利未记 18:6-20). 蒙主的神性怜悯, 这些将在别处分别予以论述. 婚姻的程度和律法起源于真理与良善的律法, 也就是属于天上婚姻并与其相关的律法; 这一事实明显可见于以西结书:

祭司利未人不可娶寡妇和被休的妇人为妻, 只可娶以色列家之种的处女, 或为祭司遗留的寡妇的寡妇. (以西结书 44:22)

此处论述的主题是圣城新耶路撒冷和天上的迦南; 显然, 这些就是主的国度及其教会. 因此, “利未人” 不是指利未人, “寡妇和被休的妇人” 也不是指寡妇和被休的妇人, 而是指它们与之相对应的那类事物.

400. And behold there was a great earthquake, signifies the state of the church entirely changed. This is evident from the signification of "earthquake," as being a change of state of the church, "earth" meaning the church, and its "quaking" a change of state. (That "the earth" means the church, see above, n. 304; and that its "quaking" means a change of state, see Arcana Coelestia 1273-1275, 1377, 3356.) That this prediction, which is signified by "the sixth seal was opened," involves a total change in the state of the church, is evident from what has been said before, and from what follows in this chapter. In what precedes it was predicted that the understanding of the Word in relation to good, and afterwards in relation to truth, would perish, and that at length there would be no understanding of the Word in consequence of the evils of life and the falsities of doctrine from them. The destruction of the understanding of the Word in relation to good was signified by "the red horse" that was seen to go forth from the opened seal of the book (of which above, n. 364; the destruction of the understanding of the Word in relation to truth was signified by "the black horse" that was seen (of which above, n. 372; and that in consequence of the evils of life and the falsities of doctrine there was no understanding of the Word was signified by "the pale horse" (of which above, n. 381; from this it follows that the state of the church was altogether changed. This is evident from what precedes; also from what follows, since it is said that "the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth," with many other things, which signify that there was no longer any good of love nor any truth of faith, nor any knowledges of good and truth; which makes clear that "a great earthquake" here signifies a total change in the state of the church.

[2] It is evident, moreover, from many passages in the Word, that "an earthquake" signifies a change in the state of the church; and some of these shall be cited in what follows. This signification of "earthquake" is from appearances in the spiritual world. In that world, as well as in the natural world, there are lands, valleys, hills, mountains, and on them societies of spirits and angels dwell. Before the new heaven was formed upon these places, they were seen to undergo remarkable changes; some appeared to sink down, some to be agitated and shaken, and some appeared to be rolled up, as the scroll of a book is rolled up, and to be borne away, and some appeared to shake and tremble as by a great earthquake. Such things were often seen by me before the new heaven was formed, and were always signs of a change there in the state of the church. When there was a quaking and trembling as from an earthquake it was a sign that the state of the church was changed in that place, and the amount of change was made evident from the extent and character of the earth's motion; and when the state of the church with them was completely changed from good into evil and from truth into falsity, the earth there appeared to be rolled up like the scroll of a book and to be taken away; this is what is meant by the words in verse 14 this chapter, namely, "and the heaven departed as a book rolled up." Like things also appeared to John, for when he saw these things he was in the spirit, as he himself says (Revelation 1:10; 4:2); and he who sees in the spirit sees the things that exist and appear in the spiritual world. This now makes clear that "an earthquake" signifies a change of state of the church, that is, from good into evil, and from truth into falsity.

[3] That "earthquakes" and "tremblings of the earth" have no other meaning in the Word can be seen from the following passages. In Joel:

The earth trembled before Him, the heavens quaked, the sun and the moon were blackened, and the stars withdrew their brightness (Joel 2:10).

"Earth and heavens" here, as often elsewhere, signify the church; "earth" the external church, and "heavens" the internal church. The external church means the worship from good and truth in the natural man; and the internal church, the good of love and the faith, which is in the spiritual man, from which is worship; for as there is an internal and an external man, or a spiritual and a natural man, so is it with the church, since the church is in man, and is made up of men in whom the church is. A change and perversion of the church is signified by "the earth trembled, and the heavens quaked;" "the sun and the moon were blackened" signifies that there is no good of love or truth of faith, and "the stars withdrew their brightness" signifies that there were no longer any knowledges of truth and good.

[4] In Isaiah:

I will make a man [virum hominem] more rare than fine gold; therefore I will make heaven to tremble, and the earth shall quake out of its place, in the fury of Jehovah of Hosts, and in the day of the fury of His anger (Isaiah 13:12-13).

"Man" [virum hominem] means intelligence, and "to make him more rare than fine gold" means that there is scarcely any intelligence left, intelligence meaning intelligence from truths, for all intelligence is from truths; "therefore I will make heaven to tremble, and the earth shall quake out of its place," signifies that the good of love and the truth of faith and worship therefrom in externals are dispersed, "heaven and earth" signifying here, as above, the internal and the external of the church; the internal of the church is the good of love and the good of faith, and its external is worship therefrom; for such as the internal of the man of the church is such is his external, since the external proceeds solely from the internal. Apart from the internal, external worship is inanimate, the voice is without spirit, and the thought from which is the voice, and the will from which is gesture, are without life, for there is nothing spiritual therein from which there is life. What is signified by "the fury of Jehovah, and the glowing of His anger," will be told in the explanation of verse 17, below.

[5] In the same:

The flood-gates from on high were opened, and the foundations of the earth quaked, in breaking the earth was broken, in shaking the earth was shaken, in staggering the earth staggers as a drunkard, it sways like a hut; and its transgression is heavy upon it; and it shall fall and shall not rise again (Isaiah 24:18-20).

This is most evidently said of the church, not of the earth; for who can think that the foundations of the earth have quaked, that the earth has been shaken, that it staggers like a drunkard, that it sways like a hut? But anyone can understand these words when, instead of the earth, the church is thought of. These words evidently signify a change and perversion of the church, for it is said "its transgression is heavy upon it, and it shall fall and shall not rise again;" "the flood-gates that were opened from on high," also mean an inundation of evil and of falsity.

[6] In David:

The earth tottered and quaked; the foundations of the mountains trembled, because He was wroth (Psalms 18:7).

This does not mean that it was the earth and its foundations that tottered and quaked, but the church and the truths upon which it was founded; for "earth" signifies the church, and the "foundations of the mountains" signify the truths on which the church is founded, which are truths from good; "because He was wroth" has the like signification as "the wrath of Jehovah," in the Word. Its being said that "the earth tottered and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled," is from appearances in the spiritual world, where such things occur when the state of the church is changed with those who dwell there. Moreover, those who are in truths there dwell at the foot of mountains, for all the dwelling places of the angels are so arranged that those who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell upon mountains, and those who are in truths from that good dwell lower down. When the state of these in respect to truths is changed, their habitations, and thus the foundations of the mountains, tremble. That there are such things in the spiritual world, and that they exist from changes of the state of the church there, no one except he to whom it is revealed can know.

[7] In Nahum:

The mountains quake before Jehovah, and the hills dissolve, and the earth is burned up before Him, and the world and all that dwelt therein. His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are torn down before Him (Nahum 1:5-6).

"Mountains" signify the church in which there is love to the Lord, and "hills" the church in which there is love towards the neighbor; so, too, "mountains" signify love to the Lord, and "hills" love towards the neighbor, for the reason that angels who are in love to the Lord dwell upon mountains, and those who are in love toward the neighbor dwell upon hills. When in place of love to the Lord love of self reigns, and in place of love towards the neighbor love of the world reigns, then the mountains are said "to quake," and the hills "to dissolve;" for this occurs in the spiritual world, not with the angels, who are in heaven, but with those spirits that made for themselves a semblance of heaven upon the mountains and hills before the Last Judgment. Because the love of self and the world is meant, it is said that "they dissolve," and that "the earth is burned up before Him, the world and all that dwell therein," also that "His wrath is poured out like fire," for "fire" signifies such loves, and "to dissolve" and "to be burned" signify to perish by them; "the rocks that are torn down," signify the truths of faith, because those who are in faith, and do good from obedience, although not from charity, dwell in the spiritual world upon rocks.

[8] In Job:

Jehovah who maketh the earth to tremble out of its place, so that the pillars thereof shake (Job 9:6).

And in Jeremiah:

Jehovah is God in truth, He is the living God, and King of an age; by His rage the earth quaketh, and the nations are not able to abide His indignation (Jeremiah 10:10).

Here, too, "the earth" signifies the church, but the church in which are falsities, which is said "to quake" when falsities are believed and are called truths. "Nations" signify the evils of falsity; the casting down into hell and destruction of these evils is signified by "the nations are not able to abide His indignation." Because "the earth" here signifies the church in which are falsities, it is said "God in truth, He is the living God, and the King of an age;" for Jehovah is called "God" and "King" from Divine truth, "a living God" from Divine truth in the heavens, and "King of an age," from Divine truth on the earth; and as good is also treated of in the Word wherever truth is treated of, because of the heavenly marriage in the particulars of the Word, and so on the other hand, where falsity is treated of, evil is also treated of, mention is made also of "the nations," by which the evils of falsity are signified. What the evils of falsity that flow from the falsities of doctrine are, may be illustrated as follows: where the doctrine prevails that faith alone and not the good of life saves, also that to one who has faith nothing of evil is imputed, and that a man may be saved by faith alone, even at the end of his life, provided he then believes that the Lord has delivered all from the yoke of the law by His fulfillment of it, and has made atonement by His blood, in that case the evils that a man does in consequence of such a faith are the evils of falsity.

[9] In Ezekiel:

In the day in which Gog shall come upon the ground of Israel, in My anger wrath shall go up, and in My zeal and in the fire of My indignation I will speak: Surely there shall be in this day a great earthquake upon the ground of Israel, that the fishes of the sea, and the fowl of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the ground, and every man who is upon the faces of the ground may quake before Me; and the mountains shall be thrown down and the steps shall fall, and every wall shall fall down to the earth (Ezekiel 38:18-20).

"Gog" signifies external worship without internal; "the ground of Israel" signifies the church; this makes clear what is signified by "in that day Gog shall come upon the ground of Israel;" that "then there shall be a great earthquake," signifies a change of the church, and its overthrow; for external worship derives its all from internal worship, so that the external is just such as the internal is, consequently where there is no internal worship the external worship is not worship but mere gesture and speech; the thought that is present at the time is solely from the natural memory, and the affection is from the body, such as arises from habit before men; "the fishes of the sea, the fowl of the heavens, the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, shall quake" signifies all things of man; for "fishes of the sea" signify natural things in general, and in particular, knowledges there, "the fowl of the heavens" signify in general intellectual things, in particular, thoughts from truths, but here from falsities, "the wild beast of the field" signifies affection and lust for falsity and evil, and the creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth" signifies the sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural, with its delights and knowledges; and as these signify all things of man it is said, "and every man who is upon the faces of the ground," "every man" in the spiritual sense meaning everything of man in respect to intelligence and wisdom; "the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steps shall fall, and every wall shall fall down to the earth" signifies that every good of love and every truth of that good shall perish, and thus every evil and falsity will break in unresisted; "mountains" signifying the goods of love, "steps" the truths therefrom, and "wall" defense; and where there is no defense there every evil and falsity breaks in unresisted. Who does not see that this does not mean that fishes of the sea, the fowl of the heavens, the wild beast of the field, and the creeping thing of the ground are to quake before Jehovah?

[10] In Jeremiah:

At the sound of the fall of Edom and of the inhabitants of Teman the earth quaked, there is a cry, and the sound of it was heard in the sea of Suph (Jeremiah 49:21).

Here "Edom and the inhabitants of Teman" are not meant, but the evils and falsities that are opposed to the goods and truths of the celestial kingdom; therefore "at the sound of the fall of Edom and of the inhabitants of Teman the earth quaked" signifies that the church was changed and perished by those evils and falsities; "a cry, and the sound of it was heard in the sea of Suph" signifies their damnation; "the sea of Suph" meaning damnation; "cry" is predicated of the damnation of evil, and "sound" of the damnation of falsity. (That "the sea of Suph" signifies damnation and hell, see Arcana Coelestia 8099.)

[11] In David:

O God, Thou hast cast us off, Thou hast made a breach in us, Thou hast been angry; restore rest to us. Thou hast made the earth to quake; Thou hast broken it up; heal the breaches thereof, for it is moved (Psalms 60:1, 2).

"Breach" signifies a falling away of the church and the consequent perversion of truth and breaking in of falsity; this therefore is signified by "Thou hast made the earth to quake, Thou hast broken it up," also by "the earth is moved," "earth" meaning the church.

[12] In Haggai:

Yet once, it is for a little while, when I make the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land to quake, and then I will make all nations to quake that the choice of all nations may come; and I will fill this house with glory (Haggai 2:6-7).

This is said of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, and the "new temple" there signifies a new church that is to be established by the Lord. This is meant by "Yet once, it is for a little while," and by "then I will make all nations quake that the choice of all nations may come; and I will fill this house with glory," "nations" and "the choice of nations" signifying all who are in good (See above, n. 175, 331), "house" signifying the church, and "glory" Divine truth. This new church is further described by "the temple" in that chapter thus:

The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former, for in this place I will give peace (Haggai 2:9).

The judgment in the spiritual world that will precede is described by "I make the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land to quake" "the heavens and the earth" meaning all interior things of the church, and "sea and dry land" all the exterior things of it.

[13] In the Gospels:

Nation shall be stirred up against nation, kingdom against kingdom; for there shall be pestilences, famines, and earthquakes, in divers places (Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11).

"Nation shall be stirred up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom," signifies that evil is to fight with evil, and falsity with falsity, "nation" signifying the good of the church, and in a contrary sense its evil, and "kingdom" signifying the truth of the church, and in a contrary sense its falsity; "there shall be pestilences, famines, and earthquakes in divers places," signifies that there will no longer be any goods and truths, and knowledges of good and truth, and thus that the state of the church is changed, which is meant by "an earthquake." In these chapters of the Gospels the successive states of the church even to its consummation are foretold, but these are described by pure correspondences. (These are explained in Arcana Coelestia 3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3751-3757, 3897-3901, 4056-4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335, 4422-4434.)

[14] It is recorded also in the Word that there was an earthquake when the Lord suffered upon the cross, and also when the angel descended and rolled away the stone from the mouth of the sepulcher; and each of these earthquakes signified a change in the state of the church. Of the earthquake that occurred when the Lord suffered it is thus written:

The veil in the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks were rent. The centurion and they that were with him guarding Jesus, seeing the earthquake and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God (Matthew 27:51, 54).

And of the earthquake that occurred when the angel descended and rolled away the stone from the mouth of the sepulcher it is said:

When Mary Magdalene came and the other Mary to see the sepulcher, and behold, there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and coming, rolled away the stone from the mouth, and sat upon it (Matthew 28:1-2

These earthquakes occurred to indicate that the state of the church was then changed; for the Lord by His last temptation, which He endured in Gethsemane and upon the cross, conquered the hells, and put in order all things there and in the heavens, and also glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine; for this reason "there was an earthquake, and the rocks were rent." "The veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom" signified that His Human was made Divine; for within the veil was the ark in which was the Testimony, and "the Testimony" signified the Lord in respect to His Divine Human (See above 392). "The veil" signified the external of the church which was with the Jews and Israelites, and that covered their eyes that they might not see the Lord and Divine truth, or the Word in its own light. The "great earthquake" that occurred when the angel descended from heaven and rolled away the stone from the mouth of the sepulcher, has a like signification, namely, that the state of the church was altogether changed; for the Lord then rose again, and in respect to His Human assumed all dominion over heaven and earth, as He Himself says in Matthew (Matthew 28:18). "The angel rolled away the stone from the mouth and sat upon it" signifies that the Lord removed all the falsity that had shut off access to Him, and that He opened Divine truth, "the stone" signifying the Divine truth which the Jews had falsified by their tradition; for it is said that:

The chief priests and Pharisees sealed the stone with a guard; but that an angel from heaven removed it and sat upon it (Matthew 27:66; 28:2).

The things that have been said respecting these earthquakes, and the veil of the temple, and the stone before the mouth of sepulcher, are but a few, but the things signified by them are many, for each and everything that is written in the Gospels respecting the Lord's Passion involves arcana and is significative. The earthquakes mentioned elsewhere in Revelation also signify changes of the state of the church (as chap. Revelation 11:13; 16:17-19).