569. Loose the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates, signifies the reasonings from fallacies pertaining to the sensual man, not before accepted. This is evident from the signification of "the angels at the river Euphrates," as being reasonings from the fallacies pertaining to the sensual man (of which presently); and because reasonings from such fallacies were not before accepted in the church these angels are said to be "bound" at that river, and they are said to be "four" because of the conjunction of falsity with evil, for this number signifies in the Word the conjunction of good and truth, and in the contrary sense, as here, the conjunction of evil and falsity (See above, n. 283, 384, 532). What precedes treats of the sensual man who is in the falsities of evil, and of the effect of the persuasions in which the sensual man is; therefore what now follows treats of the reasonings from the sensual. And because the sensual reasons only from such things as stand forth before the senses in the world, whenever it reasons respecting spiritual things, that is, the things of heaven and of the church, it reasons from fallacies, which are called the fallacies of the senses; therefore it is said here reasonings from the fallacies pertaining to the sensual man. But respecting these fallacies and reasoning from them more will be said in what follows.

[2] Here the state of the church at its very end is treated of, which is the state when the men of the church, having become sensual, reason from the fallacies of the senses; and when they reason from these respecting the things of heaven and the church they believe nothing at all because they understand nothing. It is known in the church that the natural man does not perceive the things of heaven unless the Lord flows in and enlightens, which influx is through the spiritual man; much less does the sensual man perceive these, for the sensual is the ultimate natural, to which the things of heaven, which are called spiritual things, are altogether in thick darkness. Genuine reasonings respecting spiritual things spring from the influx of heaven into the spiritual man, and thence through the rational into the knowledges and cognitions which are in the natural man, by means of which the spiritual man confirms himself. This way of reasoning respecting spiritual things is according to order. But reasonings about spiritual things that come from the natural man, and still more those that come from the sensual man, are entirely contrary to order; for the natural man cannot flow into the spiritual man and see anything there from itself, still less can the sensual man, since there is no physical influx; but the spiritual man can flow into the natural and from that into the sensual, since there is spiritual influx. (But on this see further in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 51, 277, 278.)

[3] From this what is meant by the things that now follow can be seen, namely, that at the very end of the church man speaks and reasons respecting spiritual things, or the things of heaven and the church, from the corporeal-sensual and thus from the fallacies of the senses; although therefore man then speaks in favor of Divine things he does not think in favor of them; for a man is able to speak in one way from the body while thinking in another way in his spirit; and while the spirit which thinks from the corporeal-sensual is unable to think in any other way than against Divine things, nevertheless from the corporeal-sensual it is able to speak in favor of them, and this especially for the reason that Divine things are to him the means of acquiring honor and gain. Every man has two memories, a natural memory and a spiritual memory, and he is able to think from either, from the natural memory when he is speaking with men in the world, but from the spiritual memory when he is speaking from the spirit; but man rarely speaks from the spirit with another, from the spirit he speaks only with himself, which is thinking. They who are sensual men are unable to speak with themselves from their spirit, or to think, in any other way than in favor of nature, consequently in favor of things corporeal and worldly, for the sensual man thinks from the sensual, and not from the spiritual; indeed, he is wholly ignorant of what the spiritual is, because he has closed the spiritual mind in himself, into which heaven flows with its light.

[4] But let us go on to explain these words, that "a voice was heard from the horns of the golden altar, saying to the sixth angel that he should loose the four angels bound at the river Euphrates." "The river Euphrates" signifies the rational, and thence also reasoning; this is the signification of this river because it divided Assyria from the land of Canaan, and "Assyria" or "Asshur" signifies the rational, and "the land of Canaan" the spiritual. There were three rivers, besides the sea, that were boundaries of the land of Canaan, namely, the river of Egypt, the river Euphrates, and the river Jordan. "The river of Egypt" signified the knowledge [scientia] of the natural man; "the river Euphrates" signified the rational which is in man from knowledges and cognitions; and "the river Jordan" signifies entrance into the internal or spiritual church; for "the regions beyond Jordan," where the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh had their inheritances allotted them, signified the external or natural church, and because that river was between those regions and the land of Canaan, and through it was the passage from one to the other, it signified entrance from the external church, which is natural, into the internal church which is spiritual. It was for this reason that baptism was there instituted, for baptism represented the regeneration of man, whereby the natural man is introduced into the church and becomes spiritual.

[5] This explains what these three rivers signify in the Word. All those places also outside of the land of Canaan signified such things as belong to the natural man, while those within the land of Canaan signified such things as belong to the spiritual man, thus the things of heaven and the church. Therefore the two rivers, "the river of Egypt" (or the Nile), and "the river of Assyria" (or the Euphrates), signified the terminations of the church, and also the introductions into the church. Moreover, cognitions and knowledges which are signified by "the river of Egypt," are what introduce, for without cognitions and knowledges no one can be introduced into the church nor perceive the things that belong to the church; for the spiritual man sees its spiritual things in knowledges [scientiae] by means of the rational, as man sees himself in a mirror, and recognizes himself in them, that is, its truths and goods, and moreover confirms its spiritual things by means of cognitions and knowledges, both those known from the Word and those known from the world.

[6] But "the river of Assyria" (or the Euphrates) signifies the rational, because man by the rational is introduced into the church. By the rational is meant the thought of the natural man from cognitions and knowledges, for a man who is imbued with knowledges [scientiae] is able to see things in series, that is, from first and mediate things to see the last, which is called the conclusion, and can therefore analytically arrange, turn over, separate, conjoin, and at length conclude things, even to a further end, and at length to the final end; which is the use that he loves. This, then, is the rational which is given to every man according to uses, which are the ends that he loves. Since everyone's rational comes into accord with the uses of his love, therefore it is the interior thought of the natural man from the influx of the light of heaven; and as man through rational thought is introduced into spiritual thought and becomes a church, so that river signifies the natural ¹ which introduces.

[7] It is one thing to be rational, and another to be spiritual; every spiritual man is also rational, but the rational man is not always spiritual, since the rational is in the natural man, that is, is its thought, while the spiritual is above the rational, and through the rational passes into the natural, into the cognitions and knowledges of its memory.

[8] But it is to be known that the rational does not introduce anyone into the spiritual, but it is only said to do so because such is the appearance; for the spiritual flows into the natural through the rational as a medium, and in this way it introduces. For the spiritual is the inflowing Divine, since it is the light of heaven, which is the Divine truth proceeding, and this light through the higher mind, which is called the spiritual mind, flows into the lower mind, which is called the natural mind, and conjoins this to itself, and through that conjunction causes the natural mind to make one with the spiritual; thus introduction is effected. Since it is contrary to Divine order for man to enter through his rational into the spiritual, therefore in the spiritual world there are angel guards to prevent this from taking place. This makes evident the signification of "the four angels bound at the river Euphrates," and afterwards the signification of "loosing" them. "The angels bound at the river Euphrates" signify the guard against man's natural entering into the spiritual things of heaven and the church, for thence would result nothing but errors and heresies, and at length denial.

[9] Moreover, in the spiritual world there are ways that lead to hell and ways that lead to heaven; also ways that lead from spiritual things to natural and thus to sensual things; and in those ways there are also guards lest anyone should go in the opposite direction, for thus he would fall into heresies and errors, as has just been said. These guards are set by the Lord at the beginning of the establishment of a church, and are also maintained, lest the man of the church from his own reason or his own understanding should invade the Divine things of the Word and thence of the church. But at the end, when the men of the church are no longer spiritual but are natural, and many are merely sensual, and thus there is no way open with the man of the church from the spiritual man into the natural, then these guards are removed and the ways are opened, and in these opened ways they advance in a contrary order, which is done by reasonings from fallacies. Thus ² it is that the man of the church speaks in favor of Divine things with the mouth, while in heart he thinks against them, that is, he is in favor of Divine things from the body and against them from the spirit; for reasoning respecting Divine things from the natural and sensual man has this effect. From this then the signification of "the four angels bound at the river Euphrates," and their being "loosed" can now be seen.

[10] That "the river Euphrates" signifies the rational, through which there is a way from the spiritual man into the natural, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Moses:

Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed I will give this land, from the river of Egypt even to the great river, the river Euphrates (Genesis 15:18).

In the sense of the letter this describes the extension of the land of Canaan, but in the internal sense it describes the extension of the church from its first boundary to its last; its first boundary is the knowing faculty [scientificum] which is of the natural man, the other boundary is the rational which is of the thought; the first, namely, the knowing faculty, which is of the natural man, is signified by "the river of Egypt," the Nile; while the rational, which is of the thought, is signified by "the river of Assyria," the Euphrates; to these two the spiritual church, which is signified by "the land of Canaan," extends itself, so too does the spiritual mind which is with the man of the church. Both these, the knowing faculty and the rational, are in the natural man, the one limit of which is the knowing and cognitive faculty, and the other is the intuitive and thinking faculty, and into these limits the spiritual man flows when it flows into the natural man; the conjunction of the Lord with the church by means of these is signified by the "covenant" that Jehovah made with Abram. Such is the signification of these words in the internal sense, while in the highest sense, they mean the union of the Divine Essence with the Lord's Human; according to this sense these words are explained in the Arcana Coelestia 1863-1866).

[11] In Zechariah:

His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth (Zechariah 9:10; also in Psalms 72:8).

This was said of the Lord and of His dominion over heaven and earth; and the "dominion from sea even to sea" signifies the extension of natural things, and "the dominion from the river even to the ends of the earth" signifies the extension of rational and spiritual things (See also above, n. 518).

[12] In Moses:

The land of the Canaanites and Lebanon, even to the great river, the river Euphrates, behold I have given the land before you; go in and possess it by inheritance (Deuteronomy 1:7, 8).

In the same:

Every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates even unto the hinder sea shall your border be (Deuteronomy 11:24).

And in Joshua:

From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even to the great river, the river Euphrates, the whole land of the Hittites, and even to the great sea, the going down of the sun, shall be your border (Joshua 1:4).

In these passages the extension of the church from one limit to the other is described; one of its limits, which is the cognitive and knowing faculty, is signified by "Lebanon" and "the sea;" and the other limit, which is the intuitive and thinking faculty, is signified by "the river Euphrates;" the extension of the land of Canaan means the extension of the church, for in the Word "the land of Canaan" signifies the church. "River" is twice mentioned, namely, "the great river, the river Euphrates," because "the great river" signifies the influx of spiritual things into rational, and "the river Euphrates" the influx of rational things into natural, thus the two signify the influx of spiritual things through the rational into natural things.

[13] In Micah:

This is the day in which they shall even come to thee from Assyria, and to the cities of Egypt, and thence from Egypt even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain (Micah 7:12).

This describes the establishment of the church by the Lord among the Gentiles, "this day" signifying the Lord's coming; the extension of the church among them from one limit to the other is signified by "they shall come from Assyria to the cities of Egypt and from Egypt to the river;" the extension of truth from one limit to the other is signified by "from sea to sea," and the extension of good by "from mountain to mountain. "

[14] In David:

Thou hast caused a vine to go forth out of Egypt; Thou didst drive out the nations and didst plant it. Thou hast sent out its boughs even unto the sea, and its shoots unto the river (Psalms 80:8, 11).

The "vine that God caused to go forth out of Egypt" means the sons of Israel, and signifies the church, for a "vine" signifies the spiritual church, and this was signified also by "the sons of Israel;" and because the church is called a "vine," it is said, "Thou didst plant it, Thou hast sent out its boughs even unto the sea, and its shoots unto the river," which describes the extension of the spiritual things of the church, the "sea" meaning one of its limits, and the "river," by which is meant the Euphrates, the other. The Euphrates:

As the fourth river that went out of Eden (Genesis 2:14);

also signifies the rational, for "the garden of Eden" (or Paradise) signifies wisdom. The signification of the other three rivers may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 107-121).

[15] As "the river Euphrates" signifies the rational, so in the contrary sense it signifies reasoning; reasoning here means thinking and arguing from fallacies and falsities, while the rational means thinking and arguing from knowledges (scientiae) and from truths; for the rational is cultivated always by knowledges, and is formed by truths, therefore one who is led by truths or whom truths lead, is called a rational man; but a man who is not rational has the ability to reason, for by various reasonings he is able to confirm falsities, and also to induce the simple to believe them, which is done mainly by means of the fallacies of the senses (of which below).

[16] Such reasoning is signified by "the river Euphrates" in the following passages. In Jeremiah:

What hast thou to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? And what hast thou to do with the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river? (Jeremiah 2:18)

This signifies that spiritual things must not be searched into by means of the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man, nor by means of reasonings therefrom, but by the means of the Word, thus out of heaven from the Lord; for those who are in spiritual affection, and in spiritual thought therefrom, see the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man and reasonings therefrom as below them, but from these no one can see spiritual things; from above one can look down on lower things on every side, but not the reverse. To search into spiritual things by means of the knowledges of the natural man is signified by "What hast thou to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor?" and by means of reasonings therefrom is signified by "what hast thou to do with the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?" "Egypt and its river" signify the knowledges of the natural man, and "Assyria and its river" signify the reasonings from them.

[17] In Isaiah:

In that day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired in the crossings of the river, by means of the King of Assyria, the head and the hairs of the feet, and shall also consume the beard (Isaiah 7:20).

This treats of the state of the church at its end, when the Lord is about to come; that reasonings from falsities will then deprive the men of the church of all spiritual wisdom and intelligence is described by these words. The reasonings by which this is done are signified by "the king of Assyria, in the crossings of the river," namely, the Euphrates. The deprivation of spiritual wisdom and of spiritual intelligence therefrom is signified by "the hairs of the head and of the feet shall be shaven with a razor that is hired, and the beard shall be consumed;" for "hairs" signify natural things upon which spiritual things operate and into which they close; therefore "hairs" signify in the Word the ultimates of wisdom and intelligence, "the hair of the head" signifying the ultimates of wisdom, the "beard" the ultimates of intelligence, and "the hair of the feet" the ultimates of knowledge [scientia]. When these ultimates are not, there are no prior things, as when there is no base for the column, nor foundation for the house. Those who have deprived themselves of intelligence by means of reasonings from fallacies and from falsities appear bald in the spiritual world (See above, n. 66).

[18] In the same:

Behold the Lord hath made to go up upon them the waters of the river strong and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory; and he shall go up over all his channels, and shall go over all his banks; he shall go through Judah, he shall overflow and pass over (Isaiah 8:7, 8).

These words signify that each and every thing of the Word is to be falsified in the church by means of reasonings from fallacies and falsities; "the waters of the river strong and many, the king of Assyria," signifies reasonings from mere fallacies and falsities; "he shall go up over all his channels and over all his banks" signifies that by these each and every thing of the Word will be falsified; "Judah, which he will overflow and pass over," signifies the church where the Word is, and thus the Word.

[19] In Jeremiah:

Against the army of Pharaoh king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates which Nebuchadnezzar smote. Towards the north by the bank of the river Euphrates they stumbled and fell (Jeremiah 46:2, 6, 10).

This signifies the destruction of the church, and of its truths by false reasonings from knowledges [scientifica]; "the river Euphrates" signifies false reasonings; "Egypt and its army" confirming knowledges [scientifica]; "the north where they stumbled and fell," signifies the source of these falsities. (On this see above, n. 518.)

[20] In the same:

Jehovah told the prophet to buy a linen girdle, and to put it upon the loins, but not to draw it through water; and then to go to the Euphrates, and hide the girdle there in a hole of the rock. And he went and hid it by the Euphrates. Afterwards, at the end of many days, Jehovah said, Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence. And he went and took it, and behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing. Thus as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I made to cleave unto Me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, that they might be unto Me for a name, and for a praise, and for a splendor; but they would not hearken (Jeremiah 13:1-7, 11).

This represented of what quality the Israelitish and Jewish Church was and what it became; the "linen girdle which the prophet put upon his loins" signifies the conjunction of the church with the Lord by means of the Word; for the "prophet" signifies doctrine from the Word, and the "girdle upon the prophet's loins" signifies conjunction. Falsifications of the Word by evils of life and falsities of doctrine, and thence reasonings that favor these, are signified by "the girdle was marred in the hole of the rock by the Euphrates." For by means of the Word there is conjunction of the Lord with the church, and when the Word is perverted by reasonings that favor evils and falsities there is no longer any conjunction, and this also is what is meant by "the girdle was profitable for nothing." That this was done by the Jews is evident from the Word both of the Old and New Testaments. From the Word of the New Testament it is evident that they perverted all things written in the Word respecting the Lord, and all the essentials of the church, and that they falsified these by their traditions.

[21] In the same:

When thou hast made an end of reading this book thou shalt bind a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates; and thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise again (Jeremiah 51:63, 64).

The prophet's "book" which he read, means in particular the Word that was in that book, but in general the whole Word; "he cast it into the midst of the Euphrates" signifies that in process of time the Word was falsified through reasonings that favor evils by those who are meant by "Babylon," who are such as adulterate the Word.

[22] In Isaiah:

And Jehovah shall make utterly accursed the tongue of the sea of Egypt; and with the vehemence of His wind shall He shake His hand over the river Euphrates, and shall smite it into seven brooks, to make a way with shoes. Then there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people which shall be left from Assyria; like as there was to Israel when he came up out of the land of Egypt (Isaiah 11:15, 16).

This signifies that before those who are in truths from good from the Lord, that is, who are of the church, all falsities and reasonings from them shall be dispersed, and that they shall pass safely as it were through the midst of them; this is so in the spiritual world with those whom the Lord protects. This has a similar meaning as "the drying up of the Sea Suph before the sons of Israel." Those who will pass through under the Lord's protection are signified by "the remnant of the people which shall be left from Assyria," "those left from Assyria" signifying those who have not perished by reasonings from falsities. The following in Revelation has a similar signification:

And the sixth angel poured out of his bowl upon the river Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings who are from the rising of the sun might be made ready (Revelation 16:12).

This will be more fully explained below in its place.

[23] From this it can now be seen that "the river Euphrates" signifies the rational by means of which the spiritual mind enters into the natural, and that in the contrary sense it signifies reasoning from fallacies and from falsities. But it is to be known that reasonings are in a like degree as the thoughts are, since they descend from the thoughts; thus there are reasonings from the spiritual man which might better be called conclusions from reasons and from truths; there are reasonings from the natural man, and there are reasonings from the sensual man. Reasonings from the spiritual man are rational, and therefore might better be called conclusions from reasons and from truths, because they are from the interior and from the light of heaven; but reasonings from the natural man respecting spiritual things are not rational, however rational they may be in things moral and civil, which are evident before the eyes, because they are from natural light alone; but reasonings from the sensual man respecting spiritual things are irrational, because they are from fallacies and thus from ideas that are false; these are the reasonings here treated of in Revelation.

Poznámky pod čarou:

9372. 'And He said to Moses' means something concerning the Word in general. This is clear from the representation of 'Moses' as the Word, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'He said', which includes all that follows in the present chapter, thus things concerning the Word in general, 9370. The fact that Moses represents the Word may be recognized from what has often been shown already regarding Moses, for instance in the Preface to Genesis 18, and in 4859 (end), 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8601, 8760, 8787, 8805, which please see. At present Moses represents the Word in general, because what follows says in reference to him, that he alone was to come near Jehovah, verse 2, and also that he was called from the middle of the cloud, went into it, and went up the mountain, verses 16, 18.

[2] In the Word there are many who represent the Lord in respect of God's truth or the Word; but the chief among them are Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist. The fact that Moses does so may be seen in the explanations referred to just above; the fact that Elijah and Elisha do so may be seen in the Preface to Genesis 18, and in 2762, 5247 (end); and the fact that John the Baptist does so is clear from His being 'the Elijah who is to come'. Anyone who does not know that John the Baptist represented the Lord in respect of the Word cannot know what it is that all the things said about him in the New Testament imply and mean. Therefore to lay bare this arcanum and at the same time the truth that Elijah as well as Moses, who were seen when the Lord was transfigured, meant the Word, let some of the things recorded regarding John the Baptist be introduced here, such as these words in Matthew,

After John's messengers went away Jesus began to speak about John, saying, What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A person clothed in soft garments? Behold, those who wear soft garments are in kings' houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one of whom it has been written, Behold, I send My angel before your face, who will prepare your way before you. Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not been raised up one greater than John the Baptist; but one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to believe it, he is the Elijah who is to come. He who has an ear to hear, let him hear. Matthew 11:7-15; Luke 7:24-28.

No one can know how to understand these things unless he knows that this John represented the Lord in respect of the Word, and unless he knows from the internal sense what is meant by 'the wilderness' in which he lived, also what is meant by 'a reed shaken by the wind' and by 'soft garments in kings' houses'; then what is meant by the statement that he was 'more than a prophet', and that 'among those born of women' there was none greater than he, and yet 'one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he'; and finally the announcement that he was 'the Elijah'. For without some deeper meaning all this sounds like a mere comparison and not anything more profound.

[3] It sounds altogether different however when the Lord in respect of the Word, or one representing the Word, is understood by John. Then 'the wilderness of Judea' in which John lived means the state in which the Word resided at the time when the Lord came into the world, namely in the wilderness, that is, in obscurity so great that the Lord was not acknowledged at all and nothing whatever was known about His heavenly kingdom, even though all the prophets prophesied about Him and about His kingdom which would last forever. The fact that 'the wilderness' means such obscurity, see 2708, 4736, 7313. The Word is therefore compared to 'a reed shaken by the wind' when it is explained at will; for 'a reed' in the internal sense is truth on its last and lowest level, which is what the Word is in the letter.

[4] The Word on the lowest level or in the letter looks to human sight to be rough and dull, but in the internal sense it is soft and shining. This is meant by the words that they did not see 'a person clothed in soft garments. Behold, those who wear soft garments are in kings' houses'. The fact that such things are meant by these words is evident from the meaning of 'garments' or clothes as truths, see 2132, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 6914, 6918, 9093, as a result of which angels appear clothed in garments soft and shining, in keeping with the truths springing from good that reside with them, 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216; and also from the meaning of 'kings' houses' as the places where angels dwell, and in the universal sense as the heavens. For 'houses' are so called by virtue of good, 2233, 2234, 3128, 3652, 3720, 4622, 4982, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997, and the word 'kings' is used in regard to truth, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148. Therefore angels are called the children of the kingdom, the king's children, and also kings, by virtue of their reception of truth from the Lord.

[5] The Word is greater than any doctrinal teachings in the world and greater than any truth in the world. This is meant by the words, 'What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet' and 'among those born of women there has not been raised up one greater than John the Baptist'. For 'a prophet' in the internal sense means doctrinal teachings, 2534, 7269, and 'those born of women' are truths, 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3704, 4257.

[6] The Word in its inward sense or as it exists in heaven is in a degree above the Word in its outward sense or as it exists in the world and as John the Baptist taught it. This is meant by the statement that 'the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he'; for the Word perceived in heaven possesses wisdom so great that it surpasses all human understanding. Prophecies concerning the Lord and His Coming, and things representative of the Lord and His kingdom were brought to an end when the Lord came into the world. This is meant by the words that 'all the prophets and the law prophesied until John'.

[7] The Word was represented by John as it had been by Elijah. This is meant by the statement that he is 'the Elijah who is to come', and also by the following in Matthew,

The disciples asked Jesus, Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? He answering said, Elijah will indeed come first and restore all things. I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not acknowledge him but did to him whatever they wished. In the same way too will the Son of Man suffer at their hands ¹ . And they understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist. Matthew 17:10-13.

'Elijah has come, and they did not acknowledge him but did to him whatever they wished' means that the Word indeed taught them that the Lord was going to come, but that they were nevertheless unwilling to have a right understanding of this; they interpreted it as support for their own dominion and in so doing eliminated what was of God within it. The fact that much the same would happen to God's truth itself is meant by the words 'In the same way too will the Son of Man suffer at their hands', 'the Son of Man' being the Lord in respect of God's truth, see 2803, 2813, 3704.

[8] All this now shows how to understand the prophecy regarding John in Malachi,

Behold, I send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrifying day of Jehovah comes. Malachi 4:5.

The Word on the lowest level or as it is in the outward form seen by people in the world is also described by 'the garments' John the Baptist wore and by 'the food' he ate, in Matthew,

John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea had a garment of camel hair and a skin girdle around his waist; his food was locusts and field honey. ² Matthew 3:1, 3, 4.

Much the same is said of Elijah in 2 Kings 1:8, that he was a hairy man, and wore a girdle of skin around his loins. When it has reference to the Word 'a garment' or piece of clothing means God's truth there in its lowest form; 'camel hair' means true factual knowledge such as is seen there by people in the world; 'a skin girdle' means the outward connecting bond, holding all the interiors in order; 'food' means spiritual nourishment derived from cognitions or knowledge of truth and good obtained from the Word; 'locusts' means the lowest or most general truths, and 'field honey' the pleasantness of them.

[9] The origin of these meanings of 'garments' and 'food' lies in representatives in the next life. There all are seen wearing clothes in accord with their truths derived from good; and also food there is represented in accord with their desires to have knowledge and wisdom. So it is that 'a garment' or piece of clothing means truth, see the places referred to above in this paragraph, while 'food' means spiritual nourishment, 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562, 9003; 'a girdle' means a bond gathering the interiors together and holding them within itself, 9341 (end), 'skin' means what is external, 3540, so that 'a skin girdle' means an external bond; 'hair' means the lowest or most general truths, 3301, 5569-5573, 'camel' means factual knowledge in general, 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145, 4156, consequently 'camel hair' means true factual knowledge obtained from the Word; 'locust' means truth nourishing the outermost levels, 3301(end), ³ and 'honey' its pleasantness, 5620, 6857, 8056, the words 'field honey' being used because 'the field' means the Church, 2971, 3317, 3766, 7502, 7571, 9139, 9295. A person who does not know that such things are meant cannot possibly know why Elijah and John were clothed in that manner; yet anyone with correct ideas about the Word can think that such clothing was a sign of something peculiar to those prophets.

[10] Since John the Baptist represented the Lord in respect of the Word, he also said of himself - when he spoke about the Lord, who was the Word itself - that he was not Elijah, nor the Prophet, and that he was not worthy to untie the latchet of the Lord's shoe, in John,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory. Jews from Jerusalem, priests and Levites, asked John who he was. He confessed, and did not deny, I am not the Christ. They therefore asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? But he said, I am not. Are you the Prophet? He answered, No. Therefore they said to him, Who are you? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said. They said therefore, Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet? He answered, I baptize with water; among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who will come after me, who was before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to untie. When he saw Jesus he said, Behold, the Lamb of God who bears away the sin of the world. This is He of whom I said, After me comes a Man (Vir) who was before me; for He was prior to me. John 1:1, 14, 19-30.

From these words it is evident that when John spoke about the Lord Himself, who was God's truth or the Word itself, he said that he himself was not anything; for when the light itself makes its appearance the shadow disappears, that is, the representative disappears when the image itself makes its appearance. Representatives had regard only to what they represented, namely holy things and the Lord Himself, and no regard whatever to the person who represented them, see 665, 1097 (end), 1361, 3147, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806. The person who does not know that representatives vanish as shadows do at the presence of the light cannot know why John said that he was not Elijah or the Prophet.

[11] All this now makes plain what was meant by Moses and Elijah, who were seen in glory, and who spoke to the Lord, when He was transfigured, about His departure which He was about to complete in Jerusalem, Luke 9:29-31. That is to say, the Word was meant by them - the historical section of the Word by 'Moses' and the prophetical part by 'Elijah' - the subject of which everywhere in the internal sense is the Lord, His Coming into the world, and His Departure from the world. This explains why it says that Moses and Elijah 'were seen in glory', for 'the glory' is the inward sense of the Word, and 'the cloud' the outward sense, see Preface to Genesis 18, and 5922, 8427.

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