7456. And will they not stone us? That this signifies that they would thus extinguish the truths of faith which are of worship, is evident from the signification of “stoning,” as being to extinguish and blot out falsities; but in the opposite sense, when done by the evil, as being to extinguish and blot out the truths of faith. If the infernal foulness and filthiness spoken of above (n. 7454) were to flow in with those who are in the holy of worship, the holy of worship would be extinguished; for the reason that when man is in the holy of worship, he is withheld from such things, and they who are in the good of faith and of life are elevated from the sensuous where such things are; but when such objects flow in, there are then excited the filthy things which are in the sensuous mind (and from which, as just said, the man is withheld when he is in the holy of worship, and they who are in good are being elevated), and thereupon the holy of worship is extinguished. This may also be plain from experience, for if when a man is engaged in Divine worship a filthy object appears, and is not removed, so long as it remains, the worship perishes and is extinguished. This is what is meant by the truths of faith which are of worship being extinguished by those who are in falsities from evils if these were in the neighborhood.

[2] As regards the signification of “stoning,” be it known that there were two death penalties among the Israelites and Jews, with whom the representative of a church had been instituted, of which the one was stoning, and the other was hanging upon wood. Stoning was for anyone who desired to destroy the truths of worship that had been commanded, and hanging was for anyone who desired to destroy the good of life. That those were stoned who desired to destroy the truths of worship, was because a “stone” signified truth, and in the opposite sense falsity (n. 643, 1298, 3720, 6426); and that those were hanged upon wood who desired to destroy the good of life, was because “wood” signified good, and in the opposite sense the evil of cupidities (n. 643, 2784, 2812, 3720).

[3] That the penalty of stoning was inflicted if anyone destroyed the truths which are of worship, is plain from the following passages:

At last they will make the company come up upon thee, and they shall stone thee with stone, and cut thee in sunder with their swords (Ezekiel 16:40);

speaking of Jerusalem perverted, and of the destruction of the truth of faith by means of falsities; hence it is said that they shall “stone with stone,” and also “cut in sunder with swords;” for a “sword” signifies truth fighting and destroying falsity, and in the opposite sense falsity fighting and destroying truth (n. 2799, 4499, 6353, 7102).

[4] So in another passage in the same:

Make the company come up against them, that the companies stone them with stone, and cleave them asunder with their swords (Ezekiel 23:46-47);

speaking of Jerusalem and Samaria, by which is signified the church, by “Jerusalem” the celestial spiritual church, by “Samaria” the spiritual church; and in this chapter is described how the goods and truths of faith have been destroyed in them.

[5] In Moses:

If when an ox shall gore a man or a woman that they die, stoning, the ox shall be stoned (Exodus 21:28);

“to gore a man or a woman” signifies falsity fighting and destroying truth and good, for a “horn” denotes falsity fighting, and also the power of falsity (n. 2832); by “man” and “woman” are signified in the Word truth and good. From this it is evident what is the internal sense in this command, and what the reason why the ox was to be stoned.

[6] In the same:

He that blasphemeth the name of Jehovah slaying shall be slain; all the assembly stoning shall stone him (Leviticus 24:15);

“to blaspheme the name of Jehovah” signifies to do violence to the truths and goods of worship by means of malevolent falsities. (That the “name of Jehovah” denotes everything in one complex whereby Jehovah is worshiped, see n. 2724, 3006, thus everything of faith and charity, n. 6674.) For this reason the son of the Israelitish woman who blasphemed the name of Jehovah was brought forth out of the camp and stoned (Leviticus 24:11, 14, 23). It was also ordered that those who served other gods should be stoned (Deuteronomy 17:3, 5); and also those who incited others to serve other gods (Deuteronomy 13:7-11). By “serving other gods” is signified profane worship, by which true worship is extinguished.

[7] If a damsel were married, and the tokens of virginity were not found in her, she was to be stoned, because she had wrought folly in Israel by playing the harlot in her father’s house (Deuteronomy 22:20-21). This was because by “whoredom” was signified the falsification of truth, thus its destruction (n. 2466, 4865). If a man lay in a city with a damsel, a virgin betrothed to a man, they were both to be stoned (Deuteronomy 22:23-24), for the same reason, namely, because of whoredom, for spiritual whoredom is the falsification of truth.

[8] In Luke:

They concluded among themselves that if they were to say that the baptism of John was from heaven, He would say, Why did ye not believe him? But if they said, From men, all the people would stone them (Luke 20:5-6); where also “stoning” is predicated of what is contrary to truth. The Jews desired to stone Jesus because He said that before Abraham was, He was (John 8:58-59); and this was because that nation believed it to be false. It was the same when they desired to stone Jesus because He said that He and His Father are one (John 10:30-33); for this they believed to be blasphemy, as is there said. From all this it is now evident what “stoning” involves, and why it was commanded, and also that the penalty of stoning being in Egypt from ancient times, had been derived from the representatives of the Ancient Church.

2336. That a “street” signifies truth, may be seen from many passages in the Word, as in John, where the New Jerusalem is treated of:

The twelve gates were twelve pearls, every gate was one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass (Revelation 21:21).

[2] The “New Jerusalem” is the Lord’s kingdom, which, being described as to good and truth, is described by “walls,” “gates,” and “streets.” By the “streets” are meant all things of truth which lead to good, or all things of faith which lead to love and charity; and because truths then become of good, thus transparent from good, the street is said to be “gold, as it were transparent glass.” Again:

In the midst of the street of it and of the river, on this side and on that, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits (Revelation 22:2),

where also the New Jerusalem or the Lord’s kingdom is treated of. The “midst of the street” denotes the truth of faith, by means of which comes good, and which afterwards comes from good; the “twelve fruits” are what are called the fruits of faith; for “twelve” signifies all the things of faith (as shown above, n. 577, 2089, 2129-2130).

[3] In Daniel:

Know and perceive that from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem, even unto Messiah the Leader, shall be seven weeks, and sixty and two weeks, and it shall be restored and built with street and moat (Daniel 9:25),

where the Lord’s advent is treated of; “it shall be restored with street and moat,” denotes that there will then be what is true and good. That Jerusalem was not then restored and built is well known; and that it is not to be restored and built anew everyone may also know provided he does not keep his ideas fixed on a worldly kingdom, but on the heavenly kingdom that is meant by “Jerusalem” in the internal sense.

[4] In Luke:

The master of the house said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind (Luke 14:21).

They who remain in the sense of the letter apprehend from this nothing else than that the servant should go everywhere, and that this is signified by the “streets and lanes;” and that he should bring in everybody, and that this is signified by the “poor, maimed, lame, and blind.” But each of these words contains deep secrets within it, for they are the Lord’s words. That he should “go into the streets and lanes,” signifies that he should seek everywhere for some genuine truth, or truth which shines from good, or through which good shines. That he should “bring in the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind,” signifies such as were so called in the Ancient Church and were such as to the faith, but were in the life of good, who should thus be informed about the Lord’s kingdom-thus the nations which were not yet instructed.

[5] As “streets” signified truths, it was a representative rite among the Jews to teach in the streets (as appears in Matthew 6:2, 5, and in Luke 13:26-27). In the Prophets, “streets,” wherever named, signify in the internal sense either truths, or things contrary to truths, as in Isaiah:

Judgment is cast away backward, and righteousness standeth afar off; for truth hath stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter (Isaiah 59:14).

Again:

Thy sons have fainted, and have lain at the head of all the streets (Isaiah 51:20).

In Jeremiah:

Death is come up into our windows, it is entered into our palaces, to cut off the child from the street, the young men from the roads (Jeremiah 9:21).

[6] In Ezekiel:

Nebuchadnezzar shall tread down all thy streets with the hoofs of his horses (Ezekiel 26:11),

speaking of Tyre, by which are signified the knowledges of truth (n. 1201); the “hoofs of the horses” denote the memory-knowledges that pervert truth.

In Nahum:

The chariots rave in the streets, they run to and fro in the roads (Nah. 2:4).

The “chariots” denote the doctrine of truth, which is said to “rave in the streets,” when falsity is in the place of truth.

In Zechariah:

There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls, playing in the streets (Zech. 8:4-5),

speaking of the affections of truth, and the consequent gladnesses and joys. (Besides other places, as Isaiah 24:11; Jeremiah 5:1; 7:34; 49:26; Lam. 2:11, 19; 4:8, 14; Zeph. 3:6).