418. Holding the four winds of the earth, signifies the moderation of its influx. This is evident from the signification of "the four winds of the earth" as being everything Divine in heaven (of which presently); also from the signification of "holding them," as being to moderate its influx. But what is meant by moderating the influx of the Divine in heaven no one can know unless it is revealed to him, nor consequently can it be known what is signified by "holding the four winds of the earth." Without revelation, who would not think that "winds" here mean winds held back by angels, since it also follows "that the wind should not blow upon the earth, nor upon the sea, nor upon any tree." But "the winds of the earth," here as elsewhere in the Word signify everything Divine that is from the Lord in heaven, in particular, Divine truth, and because Divine truth flows from the Lord as a sun into the whole heaven, and from that into the whole earth, so "holding the winds" signifies to moderate influx. But that these things may be more clearly understood, it shall be told how it is with respect to that influx. The Lord is the sun of the angelic heaven; from Him as a sun all light and all heat there proceed. The light that proceeds is in its essence Divine truth, because it is spiritual light; and the heat that proceeds is in its essence Divine good, because it is spiritual heat. From the Lord as a sun these flow out into all the heavens accommodated to reception by the angels there, thus sometimes more moderately, sometimes more intensely. When they flow out more moderately the good are separated from the evil, but when more intensely the evil are cast out. When, therefore, the Last Judgment is at hand the Lord first flows in moderately, in order that the good may be separated from the evil. Because this separation is what is treated of in this chapter, the "holding of the four winds of the earth" is first mentioned, which signifies the moderation of the influx of Divine good and Divine truth from the Lord. It is evident from what follows in this chapter that this refers to the separation of the good from the evil, for it is said, "Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor any tree, till we shall have sealed the servants of God on their foreheads" (verse 3); and afterwards, to the end of the chapter, "those sealed," that is, the good separated from the evil are treated of. But respecting this separation more will be said in what follows, likewise respecting the casting out of the evil into the hells, which takes place afterwards.

[2] "The four winds" signify all the Divine proceeding, because "the winds of heaven" signify the quarters of heaven, for the whole heaven is divided into four quarters, namely, east, west, south, and north. Into two quarters, the east and the west, the Lord flows with Divine good more powerfully than with Divine truth; and into two quarters, the south and the north, with Divine truth more powerfully than with Divine good; consequently those who are in the latter are more in wisdom and intelligence, and those in the former more in love and charity; and as the whole heaven is divided into four quarters, and those quarters are meant by "the four winds," therefore "the four winds" signify all the Divine proceeding. They are called "the four winds of the earth," because "the earth" means all the earth in the spiritual world, but in the spiritual sense "the earth" signifies heaven and the church (respecting which see the preceding article).

[3] From this the meaning of "the four winds" in other passages of the Word can be seen, as in Ezekiel:

The Lord Jehovih said unto me, Prophesy about the spirit, prophesy, and say to the spirit, Thus the Lord Jehovih hath said, Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe into these slain that they may live. And when I had prophesied the spirit came, and they revived (Ezekiel 37:9, 10).

This is said of "the dry bones" seen by the prophet, by which the sons of Israel are meant (as is evident from verse 11 there); and this vision describes the reformation and establishment of a new church from those who have not before had any spiritual life. "The dry bones" are those who have nothing of spiritual life; the spiritual life given them by the Lord, from which the church is in them, is described by these words; "the spirit" about which the prophet prophesied, and by which they were revived, signifies spiritual life, which is a life according to the truths of the Word. "Come from the four winds, O spirit," signifies from the Divine of the Lord in heaven; "the four winds" meaning the four quarters in heaven, and the four quarters are everything Divine there (as has been said above). In the sense of the letter, "spirit" here means the breath (spiritus) of respiration, which is wind; it is therefore said that it should "come and breathe into these slain;" but the breath of respiration signifies as well the spiritual life, as will appear from what follows. "The slain" have a similar signification as "dry bones," namely, those who have no spiritual life.

[4] In Zechariah:

There were seen four chariots coming out from between two mountains of copper, to which there were horses; and the angel said, These are the four winds of the heavens, going forth from standing by the Lord of the whole earth (Zechariah 5:1, 5).

This treats of the church which is to be extended among those who have not yet been in any light of truth of the church, because they have not had the Word. What "the four chariots" and "the four horses," and the many things respecting them signify, may be seen above n. 355, and what "the mountains of copper" signify, also above (n. 364, 405), where they are explained. Here "the four winds" signify every Divine proceeding, or the Divine good and Divine truth that constitute the church; it is therefore said "the winds of the heavens going forth from standing by the Lord of the whole earth;" "to go forth from standing by Him" signifying to proceed. "Chariots" and "horses" are called winds because "chariots" signify the doctrinals of good and truth, and "horses" an understanding of them, and both of these proceed from the Divine of the Lord.

[5] In the Gospels:

The Son of man shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other end (Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27).

All the successive states of the church, even to its end, when the Last Judgment takes place, are here predicted by the Lord; and "the angels with a great sound of a trumpet" signifies proclaiming the good tidings respecting the Lord; and "gathering together the elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other end," signifies the establishment of a new church; "the elect" mean those who are in the good of love and of faith; "the four winds" mean all states of good and truth; "from one end of the heavens to the other end" means the internals and the externals of the church. (This may be seen more clearly explained in Arcana Coelestia 4060.)

[6] In Daniel:

The he-goat made himself very great; but when he was strong the great horn was broken, and there came up in appearance four in its place towards the four winds of the heavens (Daniel 8:8).

What is meant by "the he-goat" and "ram" in this chapter may be seen above n. 316, namely, that "he-goat" signifies faith separate from charity, and therefore those who expect to be saved because they know the doctrinals and truth of the Word, and who give no thought to a life according to them; "horns" signify truths, and in the contrary sense, as here, falsities; "the great horn" signifies the ruling falsity, which is, that salvation comes merely through knowing and thus believing; "the great horn was broken, and there came up four in its place toward the four winds of heaven," signifies that out of the one principle, faith alone, many falsities conjoined with evils arise; "the great horn" signifying the ruling falsity, which is, that faith alone saves; "broken" signifying its division into many falsities arising therefrom; "four in its place" signifying the conjunction of these with evils; "toward the four winds of the heavens," signifying in respect to each and all things of falsity and evil, for "the four winds of heaven" signify every good and truth of heaven and the church and their conjunction, but in the contrary sense every evil and falsity and their conjunction. "The four winds of the heavens" signify also every evil and falsity, because in the four quarters in the spiritual world not only those who are in the good of love and in truths therefrom dwell, but also those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom; for the hells are in the same quarters, but deep beneath the heavens, for the most part in caverns, caves, and vaults (respecting which see above, n. 410.

[7] In this same sense "the winds of the heavens" are mentioned in Jeremiah:

Upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four ends of the heavens, and I will disperse him toward all those winds, that there may be no nation to which the outcasts of Elam shall not come (4 Jeremiah 49:36).

Here "Elam" signifies those who are in the knowledges that are called the knowledges of faith, but not at the same time in any charity; "the four winds from the four ends of the heavens" signify falsities conjoined with evils; and "to disperse him toward all those winds" signifies into falsities of evil of every kind; "that there may be no nation to which the outcasts of Elam shall not come" signifies that there may be no evil to which falsity cannot be adapted, "nation" meaning evil, for knowledges alone without a life of charity bring forth innumerable falsities of evil.

[8] In Daniel:

I was seeing in my vision when it was night, and behold, the four winds of the heavens rushed upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea (Daniel 7:2, 3).

Here, too, "the four winds" signify falsities conjoined with evils, "the great sea" signifies hell from which they are, and "the four beasts" signify evils of every kind: but on this more in what follows. "The four winds" have a similar signification in Daniel (Daniel 11:4; also in Zechariah (Zechariah 2:6, 7). That "the four winds" signify the four quarters is clearly evident in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 42:16-19), where the measure of the house according to the four winds, that is, the four quarters, is treated of; and there the quarter is named by the same word in the Hebrew by which wind and spirit are named. But more will be seen concerning winds in the article that now follows.

31. Verse 6. And hath made us kings and priests, signifies that from Him we are in His spiritual and celestial kingdom. This is evident from the signification of "kings," as meaning those who are in truths from good; and since they constitute the Lord's spiritual kingdom, as meaning those who are in His spiritual kingdom. That these are signified by "kings" in the Word, will appear from what follows. The above is evident also from the signification of "priests," as meaning those who are in the good of love; and since these constitute the Lord's celestial kingdom, they also are those who are in His celestial kingdom. (That there are two kingdoms, into which the heavens are in general divided, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 20-28, and that the spiritual kingdom is called the Lord's regal kingdom, and the celestial kingdom His priestly kingdom, n. 24.) In any places in the prophetic Word, kings are mentioned, and he that is ignorant of the internal sense believes that by "kings" are there meant kings; kings, however, are not meant, but all those who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity, from the Lord. The reason of this is, that the Lord is the sole king, and those who from Him are in truths from good are called His "sons;" for this reason the same are meant by "princes," by "sons of the kingdom," by "sons of kings," and also by "kings;" and in a sense abstracted from the idea of persons, as it is in heaven, truths from good are meant, or, what is the same, faith from charity; since truth is of faith, and good is of charity.

[2] That kings are not meant can be seen simply from its here being said that Jesus Christ "hath made us kings and priests"; and afterwards:

And hast made us to be unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign upon the earth (Revelation 5:10);

and in Matthew:

The good seed sown in the field are the sons of the kingdom (Matthew 13:38);

the "seed of the field" are truths from good with man from the Lord (Arcana Coelestia 3373, 10248, 10249). Everyone, moreover, may perceive that the Lord will not make all those here treated of to be kings, but that he calls them kings from the power and the glory which those have who from the Lord are in truths from good. From this it can now be seen that by "king," in the prophetic Word, is meant the Lord as to Divine truth, and by "kings" and "princes," those who from the Lord are in truths from good, and as most things in the Word have also an opposite sense, that "kings" signify in that sense those who are in falsities from evil.

[3] That by "King" in the Word is meant the Lord in respect to Divine truth, is clear from the words of the Lord Himself to Pilate:

Pilate said, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest it, because I am a king. For this have I been born, and for this am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is in the truth heareth My voice. Pilate said unto Him, What is truth? (John 18:37-38).

From the question of Pilate, "What is truth," it is clear that he understood that truth was called "king" by the Lord; but as he was a Gentile, and knew nothing from the Word, he could not be taught that Divine truth is from the Lord, and that He is Divine truth; therefore, immediately after his question:

He went out to the Jews, saying, I find no fault in him; and afterwards put upon the cross, This is Jesus, the king of the Jews. And when the chiefs of the priests said unto him, Write not, The king of the Jews, but that He saith I am the king of the Jews, Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written (John 19:4, 19:14-22).

[4] When these things are understood, it may be known what is meant by "kings" in the following passages in Revelation:

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

The great harlot that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication (Revelation 17:1-2).

The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth, and they are seven kings; the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come. And the ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive power as kings with the beast for one hour. These shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for He is Lord of lords and King of kings (Revelation 17:9, 10, 12, 14).

And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, which hath the kingdom over the kings of the earth (Revelation 17:18).

Of the wine of the wrath of her fornication all the nations have drunk, and the kings of the earth committed fornication with her (Revelation 18:3).

And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together, to make war against Him that sat on the horse and against His army (Revelation 19:19).

And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it (Revelation 21:24).

In these passages by "kings" are not meant kings, but all who are either in truths from good, or in falsities from evil, as was said before. Likewise in Daniel:

By the king of the south and by the king of the north, who made war against each other (Daniel 11:40

By "the king of the south" are there meant those who are in the light of truth from good, by "the king of the north" those who are in darkness from evil. (That "south" in the Word signifies those who are in the light of truth from good, see Arcana Coelestia 1458, 3708, 3195, 5672, 9642; and "north" those who are in the darkness of falsity from evil, n. 3708, and in general, in the work on Heaven and Hell 141-153, where The Four Quarters in Heaven are treated of.)

[5] "Kings" are also frequently mentioned by the prophets in the Old Testament; and there likewise are meant those who, from the Lord, are in truths from good, and in a contrary sense, those who are in falsities from evil; as in Isaiah:

He shall disperse ¹ many nations: kings shall shut their mouths upon Him; for that which had not been told them they have seen, and that which they have not heard they have understood (Isaiah 52:15).

In the same:

The Zion of the Holy One of Israel, thou shalt suck the milk of the nations, and shalt suck the breast of kings (Isaiah 40:14, 16).

Kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and the chief women thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth (Isaiah 49:23; and 14:9 elsewhere, as in Isaiah 14:9; 24:21; 60:10; Jeremiah 2:26; 4:9; 49:38; Lamentations 2:6, 9; Ezekiel 7:26, 27; Hosea 3:4; Zephaniah 1:8; Psalms 2:10; 110:5; Genesis 49:20).

[6] Since "kings" signify those who, from the Lord, are in truths from good, it was a custom derived from ancient times for kings, when they were crowned, to receive such insignia as signify truths from good: as for the king to be anointed with oil, to wear a crown of gold, to hold a scepter in his right hand, to be clothed with a purple cloak, to sit upon a throne of silver, and to ride with the royal insignia upon a white horse; for "oil" signifies good from which is truth (See Arcana Coelestia 886[1-2], 4638, 9780, 9954, 10011, 10261, 10268-10269); a "crown of gold" upon the head has a like meaning (n. 9930); a "scepter," which is a staff, signifies the power of truth from good (n. 4581, 4876, 4966); a "cloak" and a "robe," Divine truth in the spiritual kingdom (n. 9825, 10005); and "purple," the spiritual love of good (n. 9467); a "throne," the kingdom of truth from good (n. 5313, 6397, 8625); "silver," that truth itself (n. 1551-1552, 2954, 5658); a "white horse," the understanding enlightened from truths (See the small work on The White Horse 1-5. That the ceremonies observed at the coronation of kings involve such things, but that the knowledge thereof is at this day lost, see also Arcana Coelestia 4581, 4966).

[7] As it is known from these things what is meant by a "king" in the Word, I will add to the above:

Why the Lord, when He entered Jerusalem, sat upon the foal of an ass, and the people then proclaimed Him king, and also strewed their garments in the way (Matthew 21:1-8; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:14-16).

This is predicted in Zechariah:

Exult, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy king cometh unto thee, just and having salvation; riding upon an ass, and upon the foal of an ass (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:5; John 12:15).

The reason was, that to sit upon an ass and the foal of an ass was the distinctive mark of the highest judge and of a king; as can be seen from the following passages:

My heart is towards the lawgivers of Israel, ye who ride upon white asses (Judges 5:9-10).

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgivers from between his feet, till Shiloh come; who shall bind his ass's foal to the vine, and the son of his she-ass to the noble vine (Genesis 49:10, 11).

As sitting on an ass, and the foal of an ass, was such a distinctive mark:

Judges rode upon white she-asses (Judges 5:9-10);

And his sons upon asses' colts (Judges 10:4; 12:14);

And the king himself when crowned, upon a she-mule (1 Kings 1:33);

And his sons upon mules (2 Samuel 13:29).

One who does not know the signification of "horse," "mule," and "the foal of an ass," in a representative sense, will suppose that the Lord's riding upon the foal of an ass was significative of misery and humiliation. But it signified royal magnificence; for this reason the people then proclaimed the Lord king, and strewed their garments upon the way. This was done when He went to Jerusalem, because by "Jerusalem" is signified the church (as may be seen in the little work on The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 6; and that "garments" signify truths clothing and serving good, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 1073, 2576, 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9215-9216, 9952, 10536; and in the work on Heaven and Hell 177-182).

[8] From this it is now clear what is signified by the "King" and by "kings," in the Word, so also what by the "Anointed," "Messiah," and "Christ;" for "Anointed," "Messiah," and "Christ," like "King," signify the Lord as to Divine truth proceeding from His Divine good; for a king is called "anointed;" and "anointed" in the Hebrew is Messiah, and in the Greek Christ. But that the Lord, as to the Divine Human, was alone "the Anointed of Jehovah," since in Him alone was the Divine good of Divine Love from conception, for He was conceived of Jehovah, but that all that were anointed were only representatives of Him (See Arcana Coelestia n. 9954, 10011, 10268-10269). But "priests" signify such good as exists in the celestial kingdom (See in Arcana Coelestia, namely, that priests represented the Lord, as to Divine good, n. 2015, 6148; that the priesthood was representative of the Lord as to the work of salvation, since this was from the Divine good of His Divine Love, see n. 9809; that the priesthood of Aaron, of his sons, and of the Levites, was representative of the work of salvation, in successive order, see n. Arcana Coelestia 10017; that from this "the priesthood," and "priesthoods," in the Word signified good of love, which is from the Lord, see n. 9806, 9809; that by the two names, "Jesus" and "Christ," is signified both His priesthood and His royalty, that is, by "Jesus" is signified Divine good, and by "Christ" Divine truth, n. 3004, 3005, 3009; that priests and likewise kings who do not acknowledge the Lord signify the opposite, namely, evil, and falsity from evil, n. 3670).

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