THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 13

(Note: Rev. Smithson's translation of the Isaiah text is appended below the explanation)

1. THE burden of Babel, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

VERSE 1. The burden of Babel [or Babylon], which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. - As in this chapter and in the following [and also in many other parts of the Word, especially in Revelation xvii., xviii.] the subject treated of is concerning Babylon, therefore before we proceed to the explication of these chapters, it shall be shown what is understood by "Babylon" in general and in particular; also what its quality is in the beginning, and what it becomes afterwards by degrees.

By "Babylon" or by "Babel" is understood the church, consisting of those who, by the holy things of the church, aspire to dominion over the universal terrestrial globe, and this by exercising a dominion over the souls of men, claiming to themselves a power of saving whomsoever they will; and who at last seek and appropriate to themselves dominion over heaven and hell; for which end they derive and transfer to themselves all the Lord's power, as if it was given to them by Him. The church, consisting of such in its. beginning, is not the same as it becomes in process of time, In the beginning they are, as it were, in zeal for the Lord, for the Word, for love and faith, and especially for the salvation of men; but in that zeal lies concealed the fire of the love of ruling, which in process of time, as dominion increases, breaks out, and in the degree in which it comes into act, the holy things of the church become the means, and dominion itself the end; and when dominion becomes the end, then the holy things of the church are applied to that end, thus to themselves; and then they not only make the salvation of souls dependent on their own power, but also appropriate to themselves all the divine power of the Lord; and when they do this, they then pervert all the good and all the truth of the church, and thus profane its sanctities; - these things are "Babylon."

That this is the case has been shown to me to the life. In the spiritual world there were such as affected a like dominion: and whereas they knew that all power belonged to the Lord alone, they put on a zeal as it were for Him, and for heaven, and for the church, and laboured with all their might that they might worship the Lord alone, and that all things of the Word might be kept most holy; they also ordered that sanctity and integrity might reign in all; but it was given to know that in that zeal lay concealed an ardent cupidity of ruling over all others, believing that these things which they ordained were accepted by the Lord; for in truth, as soon as they obtained dominion, by degrees the end was revealed, which was not that the Lord, but that themselves, might rule, and thus that the Lord might serve them, and not they the Lord, being indignant if it was not allowed them as gods to dispose all things at their nod; yea, it was apperceived that they made light of the Lord, and even rejected Him, if the power was not granted them of doing all things according to their own pleasure, and unless every decision of theirs was assented to. It was also apperceived that they were desirous, under any pretence, to transfer His divine power to themselves if they dared, but were afraid of being cast down into hell if they did so; hereby it was shown how "Babylon", begins, and how itterminates.

Hence also it was given to conclude, that whilst dominion becomes the end, and the holy things of the church become the means, the worship of God is turned under various pretences into the worship of men, so that they themselves are gods in act, and the Lord is God not in act, but is merely called so for the sake of form. Now, inasmuch as dominion by the holy things of the church over the souls of men, over heaven, and over the Lord Himself, is inwardly profane, it follows that it is infernal; for the devils who are in hell covet nothing more than to exercise dominion over heaven, and over the Lord Himself, which they also attempt under various pretences, but whilst they are in the attempt they are swallowed up by hell. Inasmuch as in the world they who cast down the Lord from the seat of His kingdom, and place themselves upon it, are in heart like to devils, it is evident that the church consisting of them, in process of time, must be devastated as to all the Good and all the Truth thereof; this is its end. That they are devils appears from the same in the spiritual world. They who have exercised the divine power of the Lord in the world, after death speak most holily concerning the Lord and worship Him with all external devotion; but when their interiors are inspected [for they may be uncovered and inspected in the spiritual world], it is given to see that they are profane, because atheistical, and full of diabolical craftiness; hence it was manifested that their holy externals served them only as means to an end, which end was dominion.

It was once a question among certain spirits, whether any devil in hell could do the like, wherefore one of the worst was then called, and it was told him that he might receive dominion over many, if he could worship the Lord with sanctity, and acknowledge His Divine [Principle] equal to the Divine [Principle] of the Father, and perform at the same time all things appertaining to worship: he, when he heard that he could have dominion over many, immediately disposed his interiors to cunning, and his exteriors to holiness, and worshipped the Lord in a more holy manner than many angels, waxing angry against all those who adored Him not; but as soon as he observed that dominion was not given to him he became enraged against the Lord Himself, and not only denied His Divine [PrincipleJ and also the Divine [PrincipleJ of the Father, but cast reproaches upon both, for he was an atheist. That such is also the nature of "Babylon" at this day is manifestly evident from this consideration, that under the pretence of the keys being given to Peter, they have transferred to themselves all the divine power of the Lord, having shut up divine Truth from the people by taking away from thorn the Word, and have attributed to the dictates of the pope a sanctity equal, yea, actually superior to the sanctity of the Word: they also teach but little, if anything, of the fear and worship of God, but the fear and worship of themselves, and also the worship of holy things for the sake of themselves. Hence it is manifest that "Babylon", in its end, is the church void and empty of all the good of love to God, and of all the good of love towards their neighbour, and consequently of all truth, whence it is no longer a church, but an idolatry; and therefore differing very little from the Gentilism of the aucients, who worshipped Baal, Ashtaroth, Beelzebub, and several others, and notwithstanding had temples, stated feasts, altars, sacrifices, incense, drink-offerings, and other things similar to what were in the Jewish church. These things are adduced concerning "Babylon" in its beginning and in its end, in order that it may be known whence it is that "Babel", in the Word, is sometimes extolled even to heaven, and sometimes cast down even to hell. That such is the nature of "Babel" may fully appear from the descriptions and representations thereof in the Prophets, and especially in Daniel. Apocalypse Explained 1029.

2. Upon a lofty mountain erect the standard; exalt the voice unto them; wave the hand; that they may enter the gates of princes.

Verse 2. Upon a lofty mountain erect the standard, etc. - By a "sign" or a "standard", in the Word, is signified a calling together to war, and whereas it is Jehovah who [in this case] calls together for war, protection from Him is also signified by the "standard." That by a "standard" or a sign is signified a calling a together for war is manifest from this consideration, that when convocations were made, whether for journeyings or for festivals, or for war, they sounded the trumpet, and also lifted up a sign or standard upon the mountains. That they "sounded the trumpet", see Numbers 10:1-11; that they "lifted up a sign or standard" is evident from the following passages:

"Announce you in Judah, and in Jerusalem call you to be heard; and say, and sound the trumpet in the earth; proclaim, fill, say, Be gathered together, and let us enter into cities of fortification. Set up a standard towards Zion: assemble, stay not." (Jeremiah 4:5, 6)

And in Isaiah, "All you inhabitants of the globe, and dwellers all the earth, when a standard shall be lifted up, behold you, and when a trumpet sounds, hear you." (Isaiah 18:3)

Again,

"He has lifted up a standard for the Gentiles from far, and has hissed to him from the extremiity of the earth, and behold, the swift one shall quickly come. (Isaiah 5:26)

Again - "LIft you up a standard on a lofty mountain, lift up a voice unto them, shake the hand, that the gates of the princes may come." (Isaiah 13:2)

Again,

"Thus says the Lord Jehovih, Behold, I Will lift up My hand towards the nations, and towards the people will lift up My standard, that, they may bring your sons in the bosom, and may carry your daughters upon the shoulder." (Isaiah 49:22)

Frorn these passages it is evident that by a "standard" is signified a gathering together. That a "standard" or a sign, when it is predicated of the Lord, signifies also protection, is manifest from Isaiah, "They shall fear from the west the name of Jehovah, and from the rising of the sun His glory, because He shall come as a strait river, the Spirit of Jehovah shall set up a standard in it; then shall the Redeemer come to Zion." (Isaiah 59:19)

Again,

"It shall come to pass in that day, the Root of Jesse, which stands for a standard of the people, the nation shall seek; and His rest shall be glory." (Isaiah 11:10)

Inasmuch as a "sign", which in the original tongue is expressed by the same expression as a "standard", signified a gathering together, and when it was said of the Lord, signified also protection, therefore it was expressly commanded that a brazen serpent should be set for a sign, concerning which it is thus written in Moses "Jehovah said to Moses, Make to yourself a serpent, and set it upon a standard; and it shall come to pass, that everyone who has been bitten, and shall look at it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon a standard; whence it came to pass, if a serpent bit a man, and he looked on the serpent of brass, he revived." (Numbers 21:8, 9)" That the "brazen serpent" represented the Lord, see John 3:14, 15; that it also signified protection is evident, for the healing effected by "looking on the serpent which was on the standard", signified healing from evils of the false by looking on the Lord through faith in Him; for the Lord says in the passage quoted from John "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believes in Him may not perish, but have eternal life." Arcana Coelestia 8624.

3. I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have also called My mighty ones to [execute] My wrath;. those that exult in My greatness.

Verse 3. I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have also called My mighty ones, etc. - [These words signify that the Lord, as the Word, arranges His divine Truths, "His sanctified ones", -, - and His divine Goods "His mighty ones", for the execution of judgment, denoted by His "wrath." Similar things are meant by these words as by the Lord's "coming to judgment with His angels." Matthew 24:31.]

4. The voice of a multitude in the mountains, the likeness of much people; the voice of the tumult of kingdoms, of nations gathered together! Jehovah of Hosts musters the host for the battle.

Verse 4. The voice of the tumult of kingdoms, of nations gathered together, etc. - By the "kingdoms of the nations gathered together", of which a tumult is predicated, are not understood nations gathered together from the kingdoms [of this world], for this is a prophetic, and not an historical passage; but by the "kingdoms of the nations gathered together", are signified the falsities of evil which they have made to cohere, and by their "tumult" is understood their threats and eagerness of desire to combat against truths; for "kingdoms" are predicated of truths, and, in the opposite sense, of falsities, and "nations" signify goods, and, in the opposite sense, evils, as may be seen above, n. 175, 331; and "tulmult" is predicated of the eager desire of combating, in the present case, against truths; "Jehovah rnusters the host", signifies the arrangement of truths from good by the Lord against the falsities from evil; the Lord, is the Word, is called " Jehovah Zebaoth", from truths and goods comating against falsities and evils, for "Zebaoth" signifies hosts, and "hosts" signify the truths and goods of heaven and the church; and to "number" or muster, signifies to arrange them, and "war" spiritual combat. Apocalypse Explained 453.

As to the meaning of "Jehovah Zebaoth", or of Hosts, see above, Chapter 1:9, 24, the Exposition.

5. They come from a distant land, from the extremity of the heavens; Jehovah, and the weapons of His wrath, to destroy the whole land.

Verse 5. They come front a distant land, from the extremity of the heavens, etc. - To be at a distance [or to "come from a distant land "] signifies to be in externals, because a man is in himself when he is in his internals, for his love resides there, and hence is his life. The internals of man are such things as belong to his spirit, and in the Word are understood by "things near"; wherefore externals, which are remote from internals, are understood by "things distant." Every evil man also, whilst he is in externals, is not like himself such as he is in internals; for he then speaks and acts otherwise than he thinks and wills. For his thought and his will then is that be may appear a civil, moral, and also a spiritual man, and this either on account of the law and its penalties, or on account of fame and of honour and gain, thus on account of the fear of the loss of those things. That then rnan was at a distance from himself is evident from this circumstance, that when he returns from his externals into his internals, which is the case when he is alone, he then thinks and wills altogether otherwise, and also speaks otherwise with his companions who are like himself; hence it is evident that to "stand at a distance" is to be in things external. What is signified, in a good sense, by "coming from afar" or a distance, see below, Chap, Isaiah 43:6; 49:1, 12, the Exposition; and in Zechariah-

"They shall come from afar, and build the temple of Jehovah." (Zechariah 6:15)

Those "coming from afar" are the nations who are receptive of what is good and true; the "temple which they shall build" is the church. But in the opposite sense, by "afar off", and "the extremity of the earth or of heaven", is signified evil, because this is the external man; for all who are in evils, and thence in falsities, are external men. These are understood by "the nations and the peoples at a distance, and coming from the extremities of the earth", in the following passages, as in Isaiah,

"The nations afar off and coming from the end of the earth"; (Isaiah 5:26; 13:5), and in Jeremiah 4:16; 5:15. Apocalypse Explained 1133. See also above, Chapter 5:26, the Exposition.

[They who "come from a distance to destroy the land", that is, the church as fallen under the dominion of Babylon, or as actuated by the love of dominion by means of the truths of the Word and the holy things of the church, are here represented as "the weapons of Jehovah's wrath", which are evils and falsities of every kind arising from Babylonish principles, For Babylon must not be thought of as a distant city long since destroyed, but as a state of things existing in the fallen church and in the unregenerate mind. It should be observed that Jehovah is said to "commancl His sanctified ones", and to "call His mighty ones", (verse 3.) which signify the Lord's coming to judgment in the Truths conjoined with the Goods of His Word, by the influx and power of which, evils and falsities, signified by those "from a distance", are laid bare and overwhelm them with destruction. Why evils and falsities are said to be "the weapons of Jehovah's wrath", see above, in respect to "anger", when ascribed to Jehovah, Chapter 9:12, 17, 21; see also Chapter 1:24, the Exposition.]

6. Howl you, for the day of Jehovah is near; as a devastation from the Almighty shall it come.

7. Therefore shall all hands be slackened, and every heart of man shall melt;

Verses 6-8. Howl you, for the day of Jehovah is near, etc. - The "day of Jehovah which is near", signifies the Last Judgment performed by the Lord when He was in the world; their terror on account of the destruction then impending, is signified by "all hands are slackened, and every heart of man melteth, and they are sore afraid"; that their attempts to receive the goods and truths of heaven and the church are then in vain, by reason of the falsities of evil in which they were and still are, is signified by "pangs and sorrows seizing them, as a woman in travail"; that they are in the evils of hatred and anger, is signified by their "faces being faces of flames." Apocalypse Explained 721.

Verse 6. As a devastation from the Almighty shall it come. - The "devastation from the Almighty" [Shaddai] , signifies devastation in temptations. That God, as to temptations, was called by the ancients Shaddai, see Arcana Coelestia 1992, 3667.

"God Shaddai" signifies temptations and consolations after them, because Truths from Good [the source of consolations], are implanted in man by temptations, Arcana Coelestia 5376, and Apocalypse Explained 283.

8. And they shall. be terrified: pangs and sorrows shall seize them; as a woman in travail they shall be pained: they shall be astonished every man at his companion; their faces shall be faces of flames.

Verse 8. They shall be terrified; pangs and sorrows shall seize them, as a woman in travail, etc. - These words treat of the Last Judgment [specifically upon those understood by Babylon], when the evil are let into their interiors. The interiors of those who are in the love of self and of the world, and thence, in hatred and revenge, are understood by "their faces being faces of flames", for so they appear. The torments they then suffer from the influx of divine Good and of divine Truth, are signified by the "pangs and sorrows as of a woman in travail." Their torments are compared to the "pangs and sorrows of a woman in labour", from a similar cause to that stated in Genesis 3:16; for evils and falsities are then conjoined; in which case, when divine Good and Truth flow in, "pangs and sorrows seize upon them." Apocalypse Explained 412.

9. Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh! cruel with indignation, and with burning wrath: to make the land a desolation; and the sinners thereof He shall destroy from out of her.

Verses 9, 10, 12, 13. Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, to make the land a desolation; etc. - That the "land" here denotes the church, is evident from each expression understood in a spiritual sense. The subject treated of is concerning its end, when Truth and Good, or Faith and Charity, are no more; for by "the constellations and stars which do not shine", are signified the knowledges of Truth and Good; by "the sun which is darkened in its rising", is signified love; by "the moon which causes not its light to shine", is signified faith; by "man who shall be rendered more rare than pure gold," is signified intelligence and wisdom. Hence it is manifest what is meant by "Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, to make the earth a desolation; I will make the heavens tremble, and, the earth [or land] shall be shaken out of her place." The "day of Jchovah" is the end of the church, when judgment takes place; the "earth" [or land] is the church; that the earth itself is not shaken out of its place is evident, but that the church where there is not Love and Faith is removed; to be " shaken out of her place" is to be removed Irom a former state. Apocalypse Explained 304.

Verses 9, 13. Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel with indignation etc. - By a "cruel day" and the "burning wrath of Jehovah" is understood the Last Judgment; and because it is the evil which waxes hot and the false which is angry, it is therefore called "the day of the wrath of anger"; by "the earth which shall be made a desolation, and which shall be shaken out of her place", is understood the earth. which is in the spiritual world, for in that world there are earths as in our world; and when the Last Judgment is performed, the earths in that world are "made a desolation", and are "shaken out of their places", the mountains and hills being overturned, and the valleys sinking into marshes, where the face of things is entirely changed. By the "earth", in the spiritual sense, is everywhere understood the church; for in the spiritual world the face of the earth is similar to the state of the church with those who dwell there, wherefore when the church perishes the earth also perishes, for they make one; and then in place of the former earth a new one exists. But these changes are unknown to us on our earth, which nevertheless are to be declared and manifested, in order that the spiritual sense of such expressions as we are treating of may be unrlerstood. A Apocalypse Explained 413.

The devastation and destruction of the church at its end are described by the "indignation, anger, and wrath of Jehovah", whereas it is quite the contrary, namely, that instead of the Lord it is man who as being in evil, is "indignant, angry, and burns with wrath", and opposes himself to what is Good and True. The punishment which is from evil is ascribed to Jehovah on account of the appearance. Elsewhere, frequently, in the Word, the last time of the church and its destruction is called "the day of the anger of Jehovah." Arcana Coelestia 5798.

As to the meaning of "anger", when ascribed in the Word to the Lord, see above, Chapter 9:12, 17, 21, the Exposition.

10. For the stars of heaven, and the constellations thereof, shall not shine forth with their light: the sun shall be darkened at his rising, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

Verses 9-18. The day of Jehovah cometh, cruel with indignation, and with burning wrath, etc. - The subject here treated of is concerning the last time of the churoh, when there is no longer any faith and charity, which time is "the day of Jehovah, cruel with indignation, and with burning wrath." Every one may see that something else is meant than what the words barely dictate; but what is meant cannot be known but from the significatives of the expressions in the spiritual sense, in which sense that "earth" [or land] denotes the church, see Arcana Coelestia 566, 662; hence "to make the land a desolation, and to destroy sinners from out of her", signifies the man of the church at that time without faith and charity. That "stars and constellations" denote the knowledges of truth and good, see Arcana Coelestia 2120; which are said "not to shine with their light", when they are no longer illustrated by the light of heaven which flows in by [or through] the faith of charity; that the "sun" denotes love to the Lord, and the "moon" faith in Him, see Arcana Coelestia 2120, 2441; hence "the sun being darkened in his rising", signifies that love to the Lord cannot exist with man, and "the moon not causing her light to shine", signifies that neither can charity and faith exist, thus that man cannot any longer be regenerated. To "make a man more rare than fine gold, and [the son of] man than the gold of Ophir", signifies that good is no longer seen, nor truth, for by "man" is signified the good of the church, Arcana Coelestia 4287, and by the "son of man" truth derived from good; in the supreme sense the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, Arcana Coelestia 1724, 1733. "Everyone that is found shall be thrust through", signifies that all would perish by reason of the evil of the false; and "everyone that is gathered together shall fall by the sword", signifies that they should perish by reason of the false; that to be "thrust through" denotes to perish by reason of the evil of the false, see Arcana Coelestia 4503; and that to "fall by the sword" denotes to perish by reason of the false, see Arcana Coelestia 2799. "Their infants shall be dashed before their eyes", signifies that they were about extinguish innocence altogether, for" infants" denote innocence, Arcana Coelestia 430; "their wives being ravished", signifies that the goods of truth were perverted, for" wives" denote the goods of truth, Arcana Coelestia 2517, 4510, and to be "ravished" denotes to be perverted, Arcana Coelestia 2466, 4865. "their bows shall dash the young men to pieces", signifies that the truths of good were about to perish by doctrines of the false derived from evil, for a "bow" denotes the doctrine of truth, and, in the opposite sense, the doctrine of the false, Arcana Coelestia 2686; "young men" denote truths confirmed, Arcana Coelestia 7668; and "their eye shall not spare the sons", signifies that he who understands truths still extinguishes them, for "sons" denote truths, Arcana Coelestia 489, 491, and the "eye" denotes the understanding of truth, Arcana Coelestia 2701. From these considerations it is now plain what is meant by the above prophetic words, that is, that when the church comes to its end, all Truth and all Good are about to perish. Arcana Coelestia 8902.

11. And I will visit upon the world its wickedness, and upon the wicked their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease; and I will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

Verse 11. I will visit upon the world its wickedness, and upon the wicked their iniquity. - By the "world" here also are understood those of the church who are in evils, and by the "impious" those who are in falsities; wherefore it is said, "I will visit upon the world its wickedness, and upon the wicked their iniquity"; "evil or 'wickedness" denoting evil, and "iniquity" is predicated of falsities. Apocalypse Explained 741.

Verses 11, 15. I will visit upon the world its wickedness; everyone found therein shall be thrust through, etc. - Treating also of Babylon. That "everyone found therein shall be thrust through", signifies that they shall perish by evil; and "everyone that is gathered together shall fall by the sword", signifies to perish by falsities. Apocalypse Explained 315.

12. I will make a man more rare than fine gold; and [the son of] man than the gold of Ophir.

13. Wherefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth shall be shaken out of her place: in the indignation of Jehovah of Hosts;. and in the day of His burning anger.

Verse 12. I will make a man more rare than fine gold, etc. - By a "man" [virum hominem] is signified intelligence, and by a "man" [hominem], wisdom: and that these were about to cease, is signified by its being said that "they shall be rendered rare." Intelligence is distinguished from wisdom by this, that intelligence is the understanding of truth, such as the spiritual man has, and wisdom is the understanding of truth, such as the celestial man has; the understanding of the latter being from the will of good. Hence it is evident what is signified bythe "man" [virum hominem] and what by the "man" [hominem], in the above passage. Apocalypse Explained 280.

By a "man" is there understood intelligence, the scarcity of which Is understood by being "more rare than fine gold; by intelligence is meant that which is derived from truths, truths being the foundation of all intelligence.

By "shaking the heavens, and the earth being moved out of its place", is signified the dissipation of the good of love and the truth of faith, and worship in the externals thence derived; "the heavens and the earth" signifying here, as above, the internal and external of the church, the former being the good of love and faith; and the latter the worship thence derived; for according to the quality of the internal of the man of the church, such is his external, inasmuch as the latter proceeds entirely from the former. Without this there is external inanimate worship and expression without spirit, and without thought from which expression flows, and will from which gesture comes, without life, for there is no spiritual principle therein from which life is derived. Apocalypse Explained 400.

14. And it [Babel] shall be as a roe chased, and as sheep when there is none to gather them: they shall look everyone to his own people, and they shall flee everyone to his own land.

15. Everyone that is found shall be thrust through; and everyone that is gathered together shall fall by the sword.

16. And their infants shall be dashed before their eyes; their houses shall be plundered, and their wives ravished.

Verse 14., And it [Babel] shall be as a roe chased, etc. - [The "roe" or gazelle chased", and the "sheep having none to gather them", etc., signify when predicated of Babel, as in this case, those who are in external good as represented by those animals, but not in internal good. At the period of Judgment there are many who have the semblance of good in the external, but not the reality thereof in the internal. "They seem to have", (Luke 8:18) but this semblance is then taken away, when "they look to their own people, and flee to their own land", which signifies that they come to their own states, and put on externals corresponding to their internals.]

17. Behold, I will raise up against them the Medes, who do not esteem silver; and as to gold, have no delight in it.

18. Their bows shall dash the young men to pieces; and all the fruit of the womb they shall have no pity: their eye shall not spare the sons.

Verses 17, 18. Behold, I will raise up against them the Medes, etc. By the "Medes" are understood those who make no account of the Truth and Good of the church, and destroy those things which are thence of the understanding and love; by the "silver which they shall not esteem", and by the "gold with which they shall not be delighted", is signified the Truth and Good of heaven and the church; by "silver" their truth, and by "gold" their good. "Their bows shall dash the young men to pieces, and on the fruit of the womb they shall have no pity, " signifies that falsities of doctrine will destroy all the understanding of truth and all the good of love; "bows" denotin the falsities of doctrine, "young men" the intelligence of truth, and "the fruit of the "womb" the good of love; "their eye shall not spare the sons", signifies that their perverted understanding and insanity will devastate all the truth of the church; "sons" denoting truths, and the "eye" the understanding perverted, which is insanity. It is to be observed that by the "Medes" are not understood the Medes, but such persons and things in the church as devastate it. Apocalypse Explained 710.

19. And Babel, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the magnificence of the Chaldeans, shall become as the overthrow by God of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Verse 19. Inasmuch as all the evil with them is from the love of self, and all the false is from that evil, and that evil and the false thence derived is condemned to hell, therefore it is said, "So shall Babel be, as the overthrow by God of Sodom and Gomorrah"; the "overthrow by God" signifying condemnation to hell, and "Sodom and Gomorrah", the evils originating in the love of self and the falsities thence derived. That these things are signified by "Sodom and Gomorrah", may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 220, 2246, 2322. Apocalypse Explained 357.

For the signification of "Sodom and Gomorrah", see above, ChapterIsaiah 1:9, the Exposition.

Verses 19-22. Babel [or Babylon], etc. - The subject treated of in the whole of this chapter is concerning the total devastation of all things appertaining to the Good, and of all things appertaining to the Truth of the church, with those who are signified by "Babylon."

By "so shall Babel be", in the sense of the letter, is understood the great city called "Babel", but in the spiritual sense is understood thereby the church which became "Babylon." Babel is called "the beauty of the kingdoms, and the glory of the magnificence of the Chaldeans", from the wisdom of that church in its beginning, as has been said before; but, in general, by "Babylon" or "Babel" is understood the church in which all the goods of love are destroyed, and at last profaned, and by "Chaldeans", the church in which all the truths of faith are destroyed; hence it is that it is called "the overthrow by God of Sodom and Gomorrah"; "Sodom" also signifying the destruction of all good by the love of self, and "Gomorrah" the destruction of all truth thence derived. "It shall not be inhabited for ever, nor shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation", signifies the destruction thereof to eternity; "not to be inhabited for ever" having respect to the destruction of Good, and "not to be dwelt in from generation to generation" having respect to the destruction of Truth, for they who destroy Good and Truth, and afterwards embrace what is evil and false in the place thereof, cannot be reformed. It is otherwise with those who are in evils and falsities, but yet have not destroyed Good and Truth, as is the case with the nations or Gentiles who are ignorant of Good and Truth. "The Arab shall not pitch [his] tent there, neither shall the shepherds make their flocks to lie there", signifies that the church will become such a wilderness; the "Arab" denoting those who live in a wilderness, but do not continue there, because there is no corn nor fruit, as is the case also with "the flocks of the shepherds", when there is no pasture. "The zijim shall lie there, and the ochim shall fill their houses", signifies infernal falsities and evils appertaining to them; the "zijim" infernal falsities, and the "ochim" infernal evils; and the "house" is the mind of those who are of such a quality. "The daughters of the owl shall dwell there, and there shall the satyrs dance", signifies that falsified truths and adulterated goods are there; falsified truths are "the daughters of the owl", and adulterated goods are the "satyrs"; and to "dance or leap" denotes the joy arising from the' filthy lust [of dominion] whereby the good of love to the Lord is adulterated. "The ijim shall howl in their houses, and dragons in their palaces of delights" [or voluptuousness], signifies those adulterations and falsifications in their doctrines. Apocalypse Explained 1029.

20. It shall not be inhabited for ever; nor shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: the Arab shall not pitch [his] tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their flocks to lie there.

Verse 20. It shall not be inhabited for ever; nor shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; etc. - Whereas the love of self does not acknowledge any truth of the church, it is said "not a man shall dwell there, nor shall the son of man tarry therein"; by "man" [vir] is signified intelligence, and by "the son of man " [filius hominis], the truth of the church. Apocalypse Explained 653.

21. But monsters [Zijim] shall lie there; and doleful creatures [Ochim] shall fill their houses: and the daughters of the owl shall dwell there; and there shall the satyrs dance.

22. And wild beasts [Ijim] shall howl in their houses, and dragons in their palaces of voluptuousness: and her time is near to come; and her days shall not be prolonged.

Verse 21. But monsters [Zijim] shall lie there; and doleful creatures [Ochim] shall fill their houses: and the daughters of the owl shall dwell there; and there shall the satyrs dance. - These things are said concerning Babel. That such merely natural and corporeal concupiscences appertain to those who are understood by "Babel", and constitute the life of their mind, is signified by their "houses" being filled with such things, and by their" dwelling and dancing there"; by "house" is signified the mind [mens], or the merely external rnind [animus] of man, with the things therein contained; by "the daughters of the owl" are signified falsities, and by "the demons of the forest, or satyrs", cupidities merely corporeal. Apocalypse Explained 586. See also Apocalypse Revealed 756, 757.

---

Isaiah Chapter 13.

1. THE burden of Babel, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

2. Upon a lofty mountain erect the standard; exalt the voice unto them; wave the hand; that they may enter the gates of princes.

3. I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have also called My mighty ones to [execute] My wrath;. those that exult in My greatness.

4. The voice of a multitude in the mountains, the likeness of much people; the voice of the tumult of kingdoms, of nations gathered together! Jehovah of Hosts musters the host for the battle.

5. They come from a distant land, from the extremity of the heavens; Jehovah, and the weapons of His wrath, to destroy the whole land.

6. Howl you, for the day of Jehovah is near; as a devastation from the Almighty shall it come.

7. Therefore shall all hands be slackened, and every heart of man shall melt;

8. And they shall. be terrified: pangs and sorrows shall seize them; as a woman in travail they shall be pained: they shall be astonished every man at his companion; their faces shall be faces of flames.

9. Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh! cruel with indignation, and with burning wrath: to make the land a desolation; and the sinners thereof He shall destroy from out of her.

10. For the stars of heaven, and the constellations thereof, shall not shine forth with their light: the sun shall be darkened at his rising, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

11. And I will visit upon the world its wickedness, and upon the wicked their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease; and I will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

12. I will make a man more rare than fine gold; and [the son of] man than the gold of Ophir.

13. Wherefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth shall be shaken out of her place: in the indignation of Jehovah of Hosts;. and in the day of His burning anger.

14. And it [Babel] shall be as a roe chased, and as sheep when there is none to gather them: they shall look everyone to his own people, and they shall flee everyone to his own land.

15. Everyone that is found shall be thrust through; and everyone that is gathered together shall fall by the sword.

16. And their infants shall be dashed before their eyes; their houses shall be plundered, and their wives ravished.

17. Behold, I will raise up against them the Medes, who do not esteem silver; and as to gold, have no delight in it.

18. Their bows shall dash the young men to pieces; and all the fruit of the womb they shall have no pity: their eye shall not spare the sons.

19. And Babel, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the magnificence of the Chaldeans, shall become as the overthrow by God of Sodom and Gomorrah.

20. It shall not be inhabited for ever; nor shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: the Arab shall not pitch [his] tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their flocks to lie there.

21. But monsters [Zijim] shall lie there; and doleful creatures [Ochim] shall fill their houses: and the daughters of the owl shall dwell there; and there shall the satyrs dance.

22. And wild beasts [Ijim] shall howl in their houses, and dragons in their palaces of voluptuousness: and her time is near to come; and her days shall not be prolonged.

304. Verse 3. And no one was able, in heaven nor upon the earth, nor under the earth, to open the book, neither to look thereon, signifies manifestation that no one knows and perceives of himself anything whatever of the state of life of all in general, and of each one in particular. This is evident from the signification of "And no one was able to open the book, neither to look thereon," as being that no one of himself knows and perceives the states of the life of all in general and of each one in particular (of which see just above, n. 303); also from the signification of "in heaven nor upon the earth nor under the earth," being that no one anywhere has such knowledge, not even in the slightest degree; for "in heaven, upon the earth, and under the earth," means the three heavens; and by all who are there heaven in its entire complex is meant. And as heaven is heaven from the Divine truth that flows in from the Lord and is received by the angels, and not at all from any self-intelligence of the angels, for this is no intelligence, so the same words signify that no one has any knowledge or perception whatever from himself. That angels in heaven as well as men in the world have a selfhood [proprium], which regarded in itself is nothing but evil, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 592), and as evil receives nothing of intelligence and wisdom, it follows that angels equally with men understand nothing at all of truth from themselves, but solely from the Lord. Angels are such for the reason that all angels are from the human race, and every man retains after death what is his own [suum proprium], and angels are withheld from the evils that pertain to what is their own [proprii eorum] and are kept in goods by the Lord. (That all angels are from the human race, and not one is created such from the beginning, see in the small work on The Last Judgment 14-22; and that they are all withheld from evil, and kept in good by the Lord, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 166.)

[2] "In heaven," "upon the earth," and "under the earth," signify the three heavens, because the angels that are in the third or highest heaven dwell upon mountains; and those that are in the second or middle, upon hills; and those that are in the first or lowest, in plains and valleys below these. For in the spiritual world, where the spirits and angels are, it is just as it is in the natural world where men are, that is, there are lands, hills, and mountains; and in appearance the resemblance is such that there is no difference at all; therefore men after death scarcely know otherwise than that they are still living on the earth, and when the privilege is granted them to look into our world, they see nothing dissimilar. Moreover, the angels who are in the lowest heaven call that heaven where the angels of the third heaven dwell, because it is high above them, and where they themselves dwell they call earth; moreover, the third or highest heaven, which is upon the mountains, does not appear, to those who are below or upon that earth, otherwise than as the highest region of the atmosphere covered with a thin bright cloud appears before us, thus as the sky appears to us. From this it can be seen what is here meant, specifically, by "in heaven," "upon the earth," and "under the earth." (But more can be seen on this subject in the work on Heaven and Hell, where Appearances in Heaven are treated of, n 170-176; and The Habitations and Dwelling Places of Angels, n. 183-189)

[3] As men have not known that there is a like surface of the earth in both worlds, the natural and the spiritual, therefore they have not perceived otherwise when they have read the Word than that "heaven" and "earth" there mean the heaven visible before our eyes, and the earth inhabited by men; from this arose the belief in the destruction of heaven and earth, and the creation of a new heaven and a new earth at the day of the Last Judgment; when yet "heaven" and "earth" there mean the heaven and the earth where spirits and angels dwell, and in the spiritual sense the church with angels and with men (for there is a church with angels equally as with men, as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 221-227). It is said, in the spiritual sense, for an angel is not an angel, nor is a man a man, from the human form, which both have, but because of heaven and the church with them. This is why "heaven" and "earth," where angels and men dwell, signify the church; "heaven" the internal church and also the church with angels, and "earth" the external church and also the church with men. But since it can only with difficulty be believed that "earth" in the Word means the church, because it is not yet known that in every particular of the Word there is a spiritual sense, whence a material idea adheres and keeps the thought fixed in the nearest meaning of the expression, I wish to illustrate and confirm it by a number of quotations.

[4] In Isaiah:

Behold, Jehovah maketh the earth empty and maketh it void, and He shall disfigure the faces thereof; in emptying the earth shall be emptied, and in spoiling it shall be spoiled; the habitable earth shall mourn and be confounded; the world shall be confounded; the earth shall be profaned under its inhabitants; therefore a malediction shall devour the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth shall be burnt up, and a man shall be rare. A shout over the wine in the streets; the gladness of the earth shall be banished; it shall be in the midst of the earth as the shaking of an olive tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is ended. From the uttermost part of the earth we have heard songs, Glory to the righteous. The floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth quake; in breaking the earth is broken, in rending the earth is rent asunder, in moving the earth is moved; in tottering the earth shall totter as one drunken; and it shall be moved to and fro as a veil; but it shall be in that day that Jehovah will visit upon the host of the height in the height, and upon the kings of the earth who are upon the earth (Isaiah 24:1, 3-6, 11, 13, 16, 18-21).

Here it is very clear that "earth" does not mean the earth, but the church. Let the particulars be run over and considered. One who is in a spiritual idea does not think, when "earth" is mentioned, of the earth itself, but of the people on it and their quality; still more is this true of those who are in heaven; who, since they are spiritual, perceive that the church is meant. Here the church destroyed is treated of; its destruction in respect to the good of love and the truth of faith, which constitute it, is described by "Jehovah maketh the earth empty and maketh it void," "in emptying the earth shall be emptied, in spoiling it shall be spoiled," "it shall mourn and be confounded," "it shall be profaned," and "a malediction shall devour it;" "the floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of it quake;" "it is broken," "it is rent asunder," "it is moved," "it shall totter as one drunken." These things can be said neither of the earth, nor of any nation, but only of the church.

[5] In the same:

Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, to lay the earth waste; and He shall destroy the sinners out of it. For the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof do not cause their light to shine, the sun hath been darkened in its rising, and the moon maketh not bright her light. I will make a man more rare than fine gold; wherefore I will cause the heavens to tremble and the earth shall quake out of its place (Isaiah 13:9-10, 12-13).

It is clear from the particulars understood in the spiritual sense, that "earth" here means the church. The end of the church is here treated of, when truth and good, or faith and charity, are no more. For "the stars and constellations that do not cause their light to shine," signify the knowledges of truth and good; the "sun that has been darkened in its rising," signifies love; the "moon that maketh not bright her light," signifies faith; a "man made more rare than fine gold," signifies intelligence and wisdom: this makes clear what is signified by "Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh to lay the earth waste. I will cause the heavens to tremble and the earth shall quake out of its place;" "the day of Jehovah" is the last end of the church, when there is the judgment; the "earth" is the church. It can be seen that the earth itself does not quake out of its place, but that the church is removed when love and faith are not. "To quake out of its place" signifies to be removed from its former state.

[6] In the same:

Behold, the Lord, as a deluge of hail, a storm of slaughter, as a deluge of mighty waters. He shall cast down to the earth with the hand. A consummation and decision I have heard from the Lord Jehovih of hosts upon the whole earth (Isaiah 28:2, 22).

This is said of the day of judgment upon those who are of the church. The day of judgment, when the church is at an end is meant by "a consummation and decision I have heard from the Lord Jehovih of Hosts upon the whole earth;" it is therefore said "as a deluge of hail, a storm of slaughter, as a deluge of mighty waters. He shall cast down to the earth with the hand;" by "hail" and "a deluge of it" falsities that destroy the truths of the church are signified; by "slaughter," and "a storm of it," evils that destroy the goods of the church are signified; by "mighty waters" falsities of evil are signified. (That a "deluge" or "flood" signifies immersion into evils and falsities, and the consequent destruction of the church) see Arcana Coelestia (Arcana Coelestia 660, 705, 739, 756, 790, 5725, 6853 the like is meant by "casting down to the earth," or a violent rain.

[7] In the same:

The land shall become burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be desolate (Isaiah 34:9-10).

"Burning pitch" signifies every evil springing from love of self, through which the church entirely perishes and is desolated; it is therefore said, "the land shall become burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be desolate." Who does not see that such things are not said of the land itself?

[8] In the same:

The land mourneth and languisheth; Lebanon blusheth, and hath withered away (Isaiah 33:9).

Here also the "land" means the church, which is said "to mourn" and "to languish" when falsities begin to be accepted and acknowledged in place of truths; it is therefore said, "Lebanon blusheth and hath withered away;" "Lebanon" signifying the like as "cedar," namely, the truth of the church.

[9] In Jeremiah:

The lion is gone up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations hath gone forth from his place to make thy land a waste; thy cities shall be destroyed. I saw the earth, when lo, it was void and empty; and towards the heavens, and lo, they had no light. I saw the mountains, and lo, they quaked and all the hills are overturned. Jehovah said, The whole earth shall be a waste. For this shall the land mourn, and the heavens above be black (Jeremiah 4:7, 4:23-24, 27-28).

Here also the vastation of the church is treated of, which takes place when there are no longer truth and good, but falsity and evil in place of them. This vastation is described by "the lion going up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations going forth from his place;" "the lion" and "the destroyer of the nations" signifying falsity and evil, laying waste. The "mountains that quake," and the "hills that are overturned," signify love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor. This is the signification of "mountains" and "hills," because those who are in love to the Lord dwell upon mountains in heaven, and those who are in charity towards the neighbor, upon hills (See what has been said above, also in the work on Heaven and Hell, 188, and in the notes there, letter c, original edition). "The heavens where there was no light, and that were black" signify the interiors of the men of the church, which, when closed by evils and falsities, do not admit light from heaven, but darkness from hell instead. From this it can be seen what is signified by "the lion and the destroyer of the nations making the land a waste;" so likewise by "I saw the earth, and lo, it was void and empty;" also by "the whole earth shall be a waste; for this shall the land mourn," namely, that the earth is not meant, but the church.

[10] In the same:

How long shall the land mourn, and the herb of every field [wither]? for the evil of them that dwell therein the beasts shall be carried off, and the fowl. The whole land is made waste because no man layeth it to heart. Wasters are come upon all the bare heights in the wilderness; for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from one end of the land even to the other end of the land. They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns (Jeremiah 12:4, 11-13).

That the "land" here signifies the church is evident, from its being said that "the land shall mourn, and the herb of every field [wither]," and that "the beasts and the birds shall be carried off for the evil of them that dwell therein, and because no man layeth it to heart." "The herb of every field" signifies every truth and good of the church, and the "beasts and the fowl" signify the affections of good and truth; and since the church is signified by the "land," and it is here treated of as being vastated, it is said "wasters are come upon all the bare heights in the wilderness; for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from one end of the land even to the other end of the land. They have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns." "The bare heights in the wilderness upon which the wasters came" signify the things that are of charity, "wilderness" meaning where there is no good because no truth; "the sword of Jehovah" signifies falsity destroying truth; "from one end of the land to the other end of the land" signifies all things of the church; "to sow wheat and reap thorns" signifies to take from the Word the truths of good and to turn them into the falsities of evil, "wheat" meaning the truths of good, and "thorns" the falsities of evil.

[11] In Isaiah:

Upon the ground of my people shall come up the thorn and briar; the palace shall be deserted; the multitude of the city shall be forsaken (Isaiah 32:13-14).

The "thorn and briar that shall come up upon the ground" signify falsity and evil; the "palace that shall be deserted" signifies where good dwells; and the "multitude of the city that shall be forsaken" signifies where there are truths; for "city" signifies the doctrine of truth.

[12] In the same:

All the land shall be a place of briars and brambles; but as to all the mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe, there shall not come thither the fear of the briar and bramble; but there shall be the sending-forth of the ox and the trampling of the sheep (Isaiah 7:24-25).

"Briars and brambles" signify falsity and evil; which makes evident what is signified by "all the land shall be a place of briars and brambles." "The mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe" signify those who from the love of good do goods, that with them there shall be no falsity and evil, but good, natural as well as spiritual, is signified by "there shall not come thither the fear of the briar and bramble, but there shall be the sending forth of the ox, and the trampling of sheep;" that is, thither shall oxen be sent, and there the sheep shall trample, "ox" signifying natural good, and "sheep" spiritual good.

[13] In Ezekiel:

Thy mother is a lioness; she couched among lions; one of her whelps went up; he desolated the cities; the land and the fullness thereof was made waste by the voice of his roaring (Ezekiel 19:2-3, 7).

"Mother" signifies the church; a "lioness" and "lions" signify the power of evil and falsity against good and truth; the "roaring of the lion" signifies the lust of destroying and desolating; the "cities that he desolated" signify doctrine with its truths, which makes evident what is signified by "the land and the fullness thereof was laid waste," namely, the whole church.

[14] In the same:

They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment, that the land may be laid waste from the fullness thereof, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein; and the cities that are inhabited shall be desolated, and the land shall be a waste (Ezekiel 12:19-20).

Here "the land and the cities that shall be desolated and shall be a waste" have the same signification as above, namely, "the land" signifies the church, and "cities" doctrine with its truths; it is therefore said, "because of the violence of all them that dwell therein." Since this is what is meant, it is first said that "they shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment," "bread" and "water" in the Word signifying all the good of love and truth of faith (See Arcana Coelestia 9323), and "eating" and "drinking" signifying instruction and appropriation (n. 3168, 3513, 3832, 9412).

[15] In David:

I called upon Jehovah, and cried unto my God. Then the earth tottered and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled and tottered when He was wroth (Psalms 18:6-7).

Here the "earth" stands for the church, which is said to "totter and quake" when it is perverted by the falsification of truths; and then "the foundations of the mountains" are said "to tremble and totter," for the goods of love, which are founded upon the truths of faith, vanish; "mountains" meaning the goods of love (as above), and their "foundations" the truths of faith; which also shows that the "earth" is the church.

[16] In the same:

The earth is Jehovah's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein; and He hath founded it upon the seas, He hath established it upon the rivers (Psalms 24:1, 2).

The "earth" and the "world" stand for the church, and "fullness" for all things thereof; the "seas upon which He hath founded it," mean the knowledges of truth in general; the "rivers" doctrinals; because the church is founded on both of these, it is said that "He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers." That this cannot be said of the earth and the world is clear to anyone.

[17] In the same:

We will not fear, when the earth shall be changed, and when the mountains shall be moved in the heart of the seas, when the waters thereof are in tumult and do foam. The nations are in tumult, the kingdoms are moved, when He giveth forth His voice the earth shall dissolve (Psalms 46:2-3, 6).

The "earth" evidently means the church, since it is said "to be changed" and "to dissolve," also that "the mountains shall be moved in the heart of the seas, and the waters thereof shall be in tumult," and "the nations are in tumult and the kingdoms are moved." "Mountains" signify (as above) the goods of love, which are said "to be moved in the heart of the seas" when the essential knowledges of truth are perverted; "waters" signify the truths of the church, which are said "to foam" when they are falsified; "nations" signify the goods of the church, and in a contrary sense, its evils; and "kingdoms" the truths of the church, and in a contrary sense, its falsities; and also those who are in the one and the other."

[18] In the same:

O God, Thou hast cast us off; Thou hast been angry; bring back 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).

It can be seen that these things are said of the church, and not of the earth, for it is said, "Thou hast made the earth to quake, Thou hast broken it up; heal the breaches thereof, for it is moved;" and as "the earth" signifies the church, and here the church vastated, it is said, "O God, Thou hast cast us off, Thou hast been angry; bring back rest to us."

[19] In the same:

When I shall receive the set time, I shall judge with uprightness. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof shall be dissolved; I will make firm the pillars of it (Psalms 75:2-3).

Here, likewise, the "earth" stands for the church, which is said to "dissolve" when the truths by which there is good fail; truths, because they support the church, are called its "pillars," which God will make firm; it is not the pillars of the earth evidently that are made firm. As the restoration of the church is here described, it is said, "When I shall receive the set time, I shall judge with uprightness." The truths of the church, here called the "pillars of the earth," are also called the "bases of the earth" (1 Samuel 2:8); and the "foundations of the earth," in Isaiah:

Do ye not understand the foundations of the earth? It is He that dwelleth upon the circle of the earth, that bringeth the princes to nothing; and maketh the judges of the earth as emptiness (Isaiah 40:21-23).

The "princes who will be brought to nothing," and the "judges of the earth, whom He will make as emptiness," signify the things that are from self-intelligence and from one's own judgment.

[20] In Jeremiah:

A tumult cometh even to the end of the earth. Thus said Jehovah, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth. And the slain of Jehovah shall be in that day from the end of the earth even unto the end thereof (Jeremiah 25:31-33).

The "end of the earth" and the "sides of the earth" signify where the ultimates of the church are, and where evils and falsities begin; and "from the end of the earth to the end thereof" signifies all things of the church; from this it can be known what is signified by "a tumult shall come to the end of the earth," and "a great tempest shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth," also by "the slain of Jehovah in that day shall be from the end of the earth to the end thereof." The "slain" signify those in whom the truths and goods of the church are extinguished (See Arcana Coelestia 4503[1-11]).

[21] In Isaiah:

The isles saw, they feared; the ends of the earth trembled, they drew near, and came. I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into a spring of waters (Isaiah 41:5, 18).

The establishment of the church among the Gentiles is thus described; they are signified by the "isles" and the "ends of the earth;" for "isles" and "the ends of the earth" in the Word signify those who are far removed from the truths and goods of the church because they do not have the Word, and consequently, are in ignorance. That a church is to be established with such is signified by "I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into a spring of waters." That is called a "wilderness" where there is not yet good because there is not yet truth, and for the same reason it is called "dry land;" a "pool of waters" and a "spring of waters" signify good, because they signify truth; for all spiritual good, which is the good of the church, is acquired by means of truths.

[22] In the same:

Woe to the land shadowed with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush. Go, ye messengers, to a nation trodden down, whose land the rivers have despoiled (Isaiah 18:1-2).

No one knows what is meant by "a land shadowed with wings," and "a land that the rivers have despoiled," unless he knows that "land" means the church, and "rivers" falsities; "a land shadowed with wings" is a church that is in thick darkness in respect to Divine truths (that these are signified by "wings," see above, n. 283; "beyond the rivers of Cush" signifies in respect to the knowledges themselves from the sense of the letter of the Word, which have been falsified; "a nation trodden down, to which the messengers should go, whose land the rivers have despoiled," signifies those out of the church who are in falsities from ignorance; "rivers" meaning the truths of doctrine, and in a contrary sense falsities; that "the messengers should go to them" signifies that they should be invited to receive the church.

[23] In the same:

In the fury of Jehovah of Hosts the land is obscured (Isaiah 9:19).

A "land obscured" signifies the things of the church in thick darkness, that is, in falsities; for the falsities of evil are said to be in thick darkness, but truths in light.

[24] In the same:

Jehovah shall remove man, and forsaken places shall be multiplied in the midst of the land (Isaiah 6:12);

"man whom Jehovah shall remove," signifying him who is wise, and abstractly, wisdom (as may be seen above, n. 280; "forsaken places multiplied in the midst of the land" signifying that there shall be no good at all, because no truth; "the midst of the land" meaning where truth is in the highest light; consequently when there is no light there, thick darkness pervades the whole; thus there is nowhere any truth at all.

[25] In the same:

Jehovah shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He put to death the wicked (Isaiah 11:4).

"The rod of Jehovah's mouth which shall smite the earth," signifies truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word; "the breath of the lips which shall put to death the wicked," signifies truth in the spiritual sense of the Word; these truths are said "to smite the earth," and "to put to death the wicked," when such are condemned by truths; for by truths everyone is judged and is condemned.

[26] In the same:

The earth is at rest, and is quiet. Hell hath stirred up the Rephaim because of thee, all the powerful of the earth. They that see thee shall say, Is this the man that maketh the earth to tremble, that maketh the kingdoms to quake; that hath made the world as a wilderness and threw down the cities thereof? Thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people. Prepare slaughter for his sons, that they rise not up and possess the land, and the faces of the world be filled with cities. I will break the Assyrian in My land, and upon My mountains I will tread him down (Isaiah 14:7, 9, 16-17, 20-21, 25).

These things are said of the king of Babylon, by whom is signified the destruction of truth by the love of ruling over heaven and earth; which love the truths of the Word or of the church are made to serve as means; here their damnation is treated of. The "Rephaim whom hell stirred up," mean those who are in the direful persuasion of what is false, who are therefore called the powerful of the earth; "to make the earth to tremble," "to make the kingdoms quake," "to make the world as a wilderness," and "to throw down the cities thereof," signifies to pervert all things of the church; "earth" and "world" mean the church, "kingdoms" the truths that constitute it; and "cities" all things of doctrine. From this it is clear what is signified by, "Thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people." The "Assyrian who shall be broken in the land and trodden down upon the mountains," signifies the reasonings from falsities against truths; "to be broken" means to be dispersed, and "to be trodden down" means to be wholly destroyed; "mountains upon which this is done," signify where the good of love and charity reigns, for there, or with such, all reasoning from falsities is dispersed or destroyed.

[27] In the same:

Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; from the land of Chittim it shall manifestly come to them. Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish; the girdle is no more. Behold the land of the Chaldean; Assyria hath founded it into heaps. Jehovah will visit Tyre, that she may return to the hire of whoredom and commit whoredom with all the kingdoms of the earth upon the faces of the ground (Isaiah 23:1, 10, 23:13, 17).

Neither ships of Tarshish, nor Tyre, nor the land of Chittim, nor the land of the Chaldeans, nor Assyria, are here meant, as can be seen from the particulars in this chapter; but "the ships of Tarshish" mean the knowledges of truth and good, "Tyre" the like; "the land of Chittim" what is idolatrous; "the land of the Chaldeans" the profanation and destruction of truth, and "Assyria" reasoning from falsities. From this it is clear that, "Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is desolated" signifies that there were no longer any knowledges of truth; "from the land of Chittim it shall manifestly come to them" signifies idolatry therefrom; "the girdle is no more" signifies that there is no longer any coherence of truth with good; "behold the land of the Chaldeans" signifies that thus there is profanation and destruction of truth; "Assyria hath founded it into heaps" signifies that reasonings from falsities have destroyed it; "to return to the hire of whoredom" and "to commit whoredom with all kingdoms upon the faces of the ground" signifies the falsification of all truths of the whole church.

[28] In the same:

The king of Assyria shall pass on through Judah, he shall overflow and pass through, he shall reach even to the neck; and the flappings of his wings ¹ shall be the fullness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel (Isaiah 8:8).

Here, too, "the king of Assyria" signifies the reasoning from falsities against truths; "he shall pass on through Judah, he shall overflow and pass through" signifies that this shall destroy the good of the church (to "overflow" is predicated of falsities, because they are signified by "waters"); "he shall reach even to the neck" signifies that thus there shall be no longer any communication of good and truth; and "the flappings of his wings shall be the fullness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel" signifies that falsities shall be opposed to all the truths of the Lord's church; "the breadth of the land" signifies the truths of the church (See Heaven and Hell 197), consequently, in a contrary sense, falsities; therefore the "flappings of his wings" signify reasonings from falsities against truths; "fullness" signifies all; thus "the fullness of the breadth of the land" signifies all the truths of the church.

[29] In the same:

In that day shall the bud of Jehovah be for adornment and glory, and the fruit of the earth for magnificence and splendor to those left of Israel (Isaiah 4:2).

The "bud of Jehovah," that shall be for adornment and glory, signifies the truth of the church; and the "fruit of the earth," that shall be for magnificence and splendor, signifies the good of the church; "Israel" signifies the spiritual church. Evidently it is the truth and good of the church, and not the bud and the fruit of the earth, that shall be for adornment, glory, magnificence, and splendor. When it is said the truth and good of the church, the truth of faith and the good of love are meant, for all truth is of faith, and all good is of love.

[30] In the same:

Thou hast added to the nation, O Jehovah; Thou hast been glorified; Thou hast removed all the ends of the earth (Isaiah 26:15).

The "nation to which Jehovah has added" signifies those who are in the good of love, whom He has claimed to Himself; "the ends of the earth which He has removed" signify the falsities and evils that infest the church, from which He has purified them.

[31] In the same:

Thine eyes shall behold the king in his beauty, they shall behold a land of far distances (Isaiah 33:17).

"To see the king in his beauty," means to see genuine truth, which is from the Lord alone; "to behold a land of far distances" signifies to behold the extension of intelligence and wisdom.

[32] In the same:

I have given thee for a covenant to the people, to restore the earth. Sing aloud O heavens, and exult O earth, and break forth O mountains with a song (Isaiah 49:8, 13).

This treats of the Lord and His coming; the establishment of the church by Him is described by "I have given thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the earth," to "restore the earth" being to reestablish the church; it is known that the Lord did not restore the earth to the Jewish people, but that He established a church among the Gentiles; the joy in consequence is described by, "Sing aloud O heavens, and exult O earth, and break forth O mountains with a song," "the heavens" being the heavens where angels are who are in the interior truths of the church, "the earth" the church among men, and "the mountains" those who are in the good of love to the Lord.

[33] In Jeremiah:

The land is full of adulterers; for because of malediction the land mourneth; the pastures of the wilderness are dried up (Jeremiah 23:10).

"Adulterers" signify those who adulterate the goods of the church; therefore it is said, "the land is full of adulterers, and because of the malediction the land mourneth;" the "pastures of the wilderness that are dried up" signify no spiritual nourishment in such a church; that is called "wilderness" where there is no truth.

[34] In the same:

A drought is upon her waters, so that they shall become dry; for it is a land of graven images (Jeremiah 50:38).

"A drought upon the waters, so that they shall become dry" signifies that there are no more truths, "waters" being truths; "for it is a land of graven images" signifies the church destroyed by falsities which are from self-intelligence, which they call truths, "graven images" signifying those falsities.

[35] In Ezekiel:

The end hath come upon the four quarters of the earth; the earth is full of the judgment of bloods, and the city is full of violence (Ezekiel 7:2, 23).

"The end hath come upon the four quarters of the earth" signifies the last time and the last state of the church, when its end is, the four quarters being all truths and goods of the church, and in a contrary sense, all its falsities and evils, thus all things of the church; "the earth full of the judgment of bloods" signifies that it is filled with evils of every kind, "bloods" being the evils that offer violence to the goods of love and charity and wholly destroy them; "the city full of violence" signifies the doctrine of that church likewise offering violence.

[36] In the same:

All the luminaries of light in heaven will I make black over thee, and will set darkness upon thy land (Ezekiel 32:8).

"The luminaries of light in the heavens" mean the sun, moon, and stars; the "sun" signifying love, the "moon" faith therefrom, and the "stars" the knowledges of good and truth; from this it is clear what is signified by "I will make them black over thee," namely, that these no longer exist; thence also it is clear what is signified by "I will set darkness upon thy land," namely, that there will be falsities in the church," "darkness" meaning falsities, and "land" the church.

[37] In the same:

Prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills and to the watercourses and to the valleys, Behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you that ye may be tilled and sown (Ezekiel 36:6, 9).

"The land of Israel" means the church; "mountains, hills, watercourses, and valleys" signify all things of the church from the first to the last things thereof, "mountains" are the goods of love to the Lord, "hills" the goods of charity towards the neighbor-these are the first things of the church; "watercourses and valleys" are truths and goods that are the last things of the church. That this is the meaning can be seen from what was said at the beginning of this article, namely, that those in heaven who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell upon mountains, those who are in charity towards the neighbor upon hills, and those who are in goods and truths in the lowest heaven in plains and valleys; "watercourses" are the truths of doctrine there; to implant these is signified by "I will turn unto you that ye may be tilled and sown. "

[38] In Hosea:

In that day I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; and the earth shall hear the corn and the new wine and the oil, and these shall hear Jezreel, ² and I will sow her unto me in the earth (Hosea 2:21-23).

Evidently these things are to be understood spiritually, and not naturally according to the sense of the letter, for it is said that "these shall hear Jezreel; and I will sow her unto me in the earth;" therefore the "heavens" mean the heavens where the Lord is; and the "earth" the church where also the Lord is; "corn, new wine, and oil" signify all the things of spiritual nourishment, which are the goods of love and charity and the truths of faith.

[39] In Malachi:

He shall not destroy for you the fruit of the ground, neither shall the vine in the field be barren to you; all nations shall proclaim you happy, and ye shall be a land of good pleasure (Malachi 3:11-12).

These things are said of those with whom is the church; and because "the fruit of the ground," and "the vine in the field" signify the goods and truths of the church ("fruit" goods, and "the vine" its truths), therefore they are called "a land of good pleasure."

[40] In David:

Let thy good spirit lead me into the land of uprightness; vivify me, O Jehovah, for Thy name's sake (Psalms 143:10-11).

"The land of uprightness" stands for the church in which is the right and the true; and because "the spirit of Jehovah" signifies Divine truth, and everyone receives spiritual life through that, therefore it is said, "Let Thy good spirit lead me," and "vivify me, O Jehovah."

[41] As the "earth" signifies the church, and where the church is there is heaven, therefore heaven is called "the land of the living," and "the land of life;" "the land of the living" in Isaiah:

I said, I shall not see Jah in the land of the living (Isaiah 38:11);

and in Ezekiel:

Who caused terror in the land of the living (Ezekiel 32:23-27).

"The land of life," in David:

Unless I had believed to see good in the land of life (Psalms 27:13).

[42] In Moses:

The stone shall be entire and just, the ephah shall be entire and just, that thy days may be prolonged upon the earth (Deuteronomy 25:15).

"Days to be prolonged upon the earth" does not mean a lengthening of life in the world, but the state of life in the church, thus in heaven; for "to be prolonged" is predicated of good and its increase, and "day" signifies the state of life; and as "a stone entire and just," which was a weight, and "an ephah entire and just," which was a measure, signify truth and good and their quality, and both together signify justice, "stone" signifying truth, and "measure" good, and as not to deceive by weight and measure is to be just, therefore such shall have the life of the church and afterwards life in heaven, which is meant by "their days upon the earth shall be prolonged."

[43] The like is signified by this precept in the Decalogue:

Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged upon the earth (Exodus 20:12).

Those who honor father and mother have heaven and the happiness there, because in heaven no other father but the Lord is known, for all there have been generated anew from Him; and in heaven by "mother" the church is meant, and in general, the kingdom of the Lord. It is clear that those who worship the Lord and seek his kingdom will have life in heaven, also that many of those who honor father and mother in the world do not live there long.

[44] In Matthew:

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).

"Inheriting the earth" signifies not possession of the earth, but possession of heaven and blessedness there; the "meek" mean those who are in the good of charity.

[45] In Isaiah:

Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name God-With-Us: butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to reject the evil and to choose the good; for before the Lad knoweth to reject the evil and to choose the good, the land which thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of its two kings. It shall come to pass in that day, by reason of the abundance of milk they yield, He shall eat butter; for butter and honey shall everyone eat that is left in the midst of the land (Isaiah 7:14-16, 21-22).

It is known that these things were said respecting the Lord and His coming; "butter and honey," which He shall eat, signify the goods of love; "butter" the good of celestial and spiritual love, "honey" the good of natural love; this means that He would appropriate the Divine to Himself even in respect to the Human; "to eat" signifying to appropriate. That "the land shall be forsaken before He knoweth to reject the evil and to choose the good" signifies that when He should be born there would not be anything of the church remaining in the whole world; and because those where the church was, rejected every Divine truth and perverted all things of the Word, and explained it in favor of self, it is said of the land, that is, the church, "which thou abhorrest from the presence of its two kings; "king" signifying the truths of heaven and of the church; "two kings" the truth of the Word in the internal or spiritual sense, and the truth of the Word in the external or natural sense. "Milk" signifies truth through which good comes, and as "butter" signifies the good therefrom, "by reason of the abundance of yielding milk, butter shall everyone eat that is left in the midst of the land" signifies that every truth shall be from good.

[46] In Matthew:

In the consummation of the age, all the tribes of the earth shall lament (Matthew 24:30).

"The consummation of the age" which is treated of in that chapter, is the last time of the church, when judgment takes place; "all the tribes of the earth" signify all truths and goods of the church, which are said "to lament" when they are no more.

[47] In Luke:

Then shall there be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, the sea and the waves roaring; men expiring for fear and for expectation of the things coming upon the whole earth; for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. That day as a snare shall come upon all that dwell upon the face of the whole earth (Luke 21:25-26, 35).

Here also the last time of the church is treated of, when judgment takes place, and the "earth" and the "world" here mean the church. "The distress of nations upon the earth," "the fear and expectation of the things coming upon the earth, and upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth" signifies upon those who are in the spiritual world, not upon those who are in the countries in the natural world. (That there are lands in the spiritual world also, see what is said at the beginning of this article; and that the Last Judgment was accomplished there, see in the small work on The Last Judgment.) It has been told before what "sun," "moon," and "stars" signify, in which are signs, namely, that "sun" signifies love, "moon" faith therefrom, and "stars" the knowledges of good and truth; the "sea and waves roaring" signify the reasonings and assaults of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word, wrongly and perversely applied. The "powers of the heavens that shall be shaken" signify the Word in the sense of the letter, since this sense is the foundation of the spiritual truths that are in the heavens. (See Heaven and Hell, in the article that treats of The Conjunction of Heaven with Man by the Word, n.303-310.)

[48] In Isaiah:

Sing aloud ye heavens; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth with singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein; for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob. I am Jehovah, that maketh all things; that stretchest forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by Myself (Isaiah 44:23-24).

"Sing aloud, ye heavens; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth with singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein" signifies all things of heaven and of the church, both internal and external, all of which have reference to good and to truth. Things internal are signified by "the heavens," things external by "the lower parts of the earth;" "mountains" mean the good of love, the "forest" means natural truth, and the "trees" therein mean the knowledges of truth. Because such things are signified, it is said, "for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob," "Jacob" in the Word signifying the external church, and "Israel" the internal church; "to stretch forth the heavens," and "to spread abroad the earth" signifies the church on all sides, which is spread forth and extended by the multiplication of truth and the fructification of good, with those who are of the church.

[49] In Zechariah:

Jehovah stretcheth out the heavens, and foundeth the earth, and formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him (Zechariah 12:1).

Here, too, in like manner "heavens" and "earth" signify the church everywhere, thus in respect to its interiors and as to its exteriors; therefore it is also said, "He formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him."

[50] In Jeremiah:

The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from under the heavens. Jehovah maketh the earth by His power, prepareth the world by His wisdom, and stretcheth out the heavens by His intelligence. At the voice which He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the end of the earth (Jeremiah 10:11-13; 51:15-16).

Because the "heavens" and the "earth" signify the church (as above), it is said, "Jehovah maketh the earth by His power, prepareth the world by His wisdom, and stretcheth out the heavens by His intelligence;" and therefore also it is said, "At the voice which He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the end of the earth;" "the voice that Jehovah giveth forth" signifies Divine truth proceeding from Him; the "multitude of waters in the heavens" signifies truth in abundance, for "waters" signify truths; and "the vapors that He causeth to ascend from the end of the earth" signify the ultimate truths of the church, "vapors" are those truths; and "the end of the earth" is the ultimate of the church; and as "gods" signify the falsities of doctrine and of worship, which destroy the church, it is said, "The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from under the heavens."

[51] In David:

Jehovah, who by intelligence maketh the heavens, and spreadeth out the earth above the waters (Psalms 136:5-6).

Because "heaven" and "earth" signify the church, and the church is formed by truths, and the truths of the church constitute intelligence, it is said, "Jehovah maketh the heavens by intelligence, and spreadeth out the earth above the waters," "waters" meaning the truths of the church.

[52] In Isaiah:

Thus saith Jehovah God, that createth the heavens, and stretcheth them out, that spreadeth forth the earth and the products thereof, that giveth breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein (Isaiah 42:5).

"To create the heavens" and "to spread forth the earth and the products thereof" signifies to form the church and to reform those who are in it, "products" meaning all things of the church; therefore it is said, "that giveth breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein." That "to create" is to reform, see above n. 294.

[53] In the same:

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the [higher] clouds flow down with righteousness; let the earth open, and bring forth the fruit of salvation. I have made the earth, and created man upon it. Thus said Jehovah who created the heavens; God Himself who formeth the earth and maketh it and prepareth it: I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness (Isaiah 45:8, 12, 18-19).

"Heavens" and "earth" here plainly mean all things of the church, both its internals and externals; for it is said, "Drop down, ye heavens, and let the [higher] clouds flow down with righteousness; let the earth open, and bring forth the fruit of salvation." "Heavens" signify the interiors of the church, because the interiors that are of man's spiritual mind are the heavens with him. (That with the man with whom the church is there is a heaven, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 30-57.) "To create the heavens and to form the earth, and make and prepare it," signifies to fully establish the church.

[54] In the same:

Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered (Isaiah 65:17).

"To create new heavens and a new earth" signifies to establish a new church in respect to its interiors and exteriors, both in the heavens and on earth (as above).

[55] In the same:

Who hath heard a thing like this? shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be begotten at one time? For as the new heavens and the new earth which I am about to make shall stand before Me, so shall your seed and your name stand (Isaiah 66:8, 22).

Because the "earth" signifies the church, it is said, "shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be begotten at one time?" "To bring forth," and "birth," and "to beget," and "begetting," in the Word, signify spiritual birth and begetting, which are of faith and love, thus reformation and regeneration. What the "new heavens" and the "new earth" signify has been told above.

[56] In Jeremiah:

I have made the earth, man and beast that are upon the faces of the earth, and I give it to him who is right in My eyes (Jeremiah 27:5).

"Man and beast that are upon the faces of the earth" signify the affections of truth and good in the spiritual and the natural man (See n. 280; and Arcana Coelestia 7424, 7523, 7872); and since these affections with men constitute the church in them it is said, "I have made the earth, man and beast that are upon the faces of the earth, and I give it to him who is right in My eyes." Everyone knows that God gives the earth not alone to those who are right in His eyes, but also to those who are not right, while the church He gives to those only who are right; "right" signifying truth and its affection.

[57] In Isaiah:

The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and the dwellers therein shall die in like manner (Isaiah 51:6).

The "heavens that shall vanish away," and the "earth that shall wax old like a garment" signify the church; this step by step falls, and at length is desolated; but not so the visible heaven and the habitable earth; therefore it is said, "and the dwellers therein shall die in like manner," "to die" signifying to die spiritually:

The heavens and earth shall pass away (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17);

has a like signification.

[58] In Revelation:

Four angels standing upon the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow upon the earth (Revelation 7:1).

"The four corners of the earth," and "the four winds of the earth" signify all truths and goods of the church in the complex; for they have the like signification as the four quarters of heaven (that these have this signification, see Heaven and Hell, On the Four Quarters in Heaven, n141-153). To "hold the four winds" signifies that truths and goods do not flow in because they are not received; therefore it is said that "the wind should not blow upon the earth." "The earth" signifies the church elsewhere in Revelation (as Revelation 10:2, 5-6, 8; 12:16; 13:13; 16:2, 14; 20:8-9, 11; 21:1), as well as in many other places in the Word, too numerous to be cited.

[59] As the church was signified by the "earth" and especially by the "land of Canaan," because the church was there, and as the church which was there was a representative church, so all things there were representative, and all that was said to them by the Lord signified the spiritual or interior things of the church, and this even to the land itself and its products; as in these words in Moses:

If thou wilt keep the commandments, Jehovah will lead thee into a good land, into a land of brooks of waters, of fountains, of depths coming forth out of valley and mountain; a land of wheat, of barley, of vine, of fig, of pomegranate; a land of the olive, of oil, of honey; a land where thou shalt eat bread without scarceness; it shall lack nothing; a land where the stones are iron and out of the mountains is digged copper; and thou shalt eat, and shalt be satisfied in this good land (Deuteronomy 8:6-10).

This is a description of all things of the church, both its interiors and its exteriors; but to explain what the particulars signify would be tedious and not to the present purpose.

[60] Because the "land" signifies the church it was among the blessings, that if they lived according to the commandments:

The land would yield its increase, evil beasts would cease out of the land, nor would the sword pass through the land (Leviticus 26:3-4, 6).

That "the land would yield its increase" signifies that there would be good and truth in the church; that "evil beasts would cease" signifies that there would not be evil affections and lusts, which destroy the church; that "the sword would not pass through the land" signifies that falsity would not cast out truth.

[61] Again, as the "land" signifies the church, it was also decreed that:

The seventh year should be a sabbath of the land, and that there should be no labor upon it (Leviticus 25:1-8).

It is therefore said also that:

The land was defiled on account of their evils, and would vomit them out because of their abominations (Leviticus 18:25-28).

Because the "land" [or ground] signified the church:

The Lord spat on the earth, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man, and said, Go wash thee in the pool of Siloam (John 9:6-7, 11, 15);

So the Lord, when the Scribes and Pharisees questioned Him respecting the woman taken in adultery, stooping down, wrote twice on the earth (John 8:6, 8);

which signified that the church was full of adulteries, that is, full of the adulteration of good and the falsification of truth; therefore the Lord said to them:

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her; but they went out one by one, beginning from the elders, even unto the last (John 8:7, 9).

[62] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so has the "earth," which in that sense signifies the church vastated; it is vastated when the good of love and the truth of faith are no more, but instead thereof evil and falsity; as these damn man, the "earth" in that sense signifies damnation, as in the following places: Isaiah 14:12; 21:9; 25:12; 26:19, 21; 29:4; 47:1; 63:6; Lamentations 2:2, 10; Ezekiel 26:20; 32:24; Numbers 16:29-33; 26:10; and elsewhere.

Poznámky pod čarou: