9164. 'Or is led away captive' means removal. This is clear from the meaning of 'being led away captive', when it has reference to the good or truth present with a person, as removal. The situation here is that when truth that springs from good reigns in a person the truth he believes in the most strongly lies in the middle, and the truths he believes in less strongly are stationed further and further away from the middle, ending with those about which he is in doubt. Bordering the truths are falsities, but they are not part of that sequence of truths. Nor do they stand upright pointing to heaven in the way that the truths springing from good do, but are bent over pointing downwards, and in the measure that they arise from evil they look towards hell. But when falsity supplants truth order is turned upside down; the truths move away to the sides and form the outer circle, and the falsities arising from evil occupy the middle. This shows what removal is used to mean, regarding which see also 3436, 6084, 6103. The reason why that kind of removal is meant by 'being led away captive' is that when falsities take truths captive they lead them away in that manner. Such things are also meant by 'being taken captive' and 'being led away captive' in Jeremiah,

The wind will feed on all your shepherds, and your lovers will be led away into captivity. Jeremiah 22:22.

In the same prophet,

Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh have perished, for your sons have been led away into captivity, and your daughters into captivity. Yet I will bring back the captives ¹ of Moab in the last days. Jeremiah 48:46-47.

'Sons' who have been led away into captivity are truths, and 'daughters' are forms of good. And in Luke,

They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken captive among all the gentiles; ² and at length Jerusalem will be trodden underfoot by the gentiles. ² Luke 21:24.

This refers to the close of the age, which is the final period of the Church. 'Falling by the edge of the sword' means being destroyed by falsities, 'the sword' being falsity engaged in conflict against truth, 2799, 4499, 6353, 7102, 8294. 'The gentiles' among whom they will be taken captive and by whom the Church will be trodden underfoot are evils that give rise to falsities, see 1259, 1260, 1849, 1868, 6306; and 'Jerusalem' which will be trodden underfoot then is the Church, 2117, 3654.

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8294. 'I will unsheathe the sword' means unceasing conflict on the part of falsity arising from evil. This is clear from the meaning of 'the sword' as truth engaged in conflict against falsity and evil, and in the contrary sense as falsity engaged in conflict against truth and good, dealt with in 2799, 4499; and from the meaning of 'unsheathing', or baring it, as unceasing conflict until the enemy has been laid low. Unceasing conflict is likewise meant by an unsheathed or drawn sword in Moses, I will scatter you among the nations, and unsheathe a sword after you. Leviticus 26:33.

In Ezekiel,

I will scatter to every wind all his troop; and I will unsheathe the sword after them. Ezekiel 12:14.

In the same prophet,

Thus said Jehovah, Behold Me against you; I will draw my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. My sword will go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north; so that all flesh may know that I Jehovah have drawn My sword out of its sheath, and it is not going to return any more. Ezekiel 21:3-5.

Here 'unsheathing' or 'drawing the sword' stands for not ceasing to engage in conflict until enemies have been laid low, and so stands for unceasing conflict. Unceasing conflict against evils and falsities is also meant by the unsheathed sword of the Prince of the army of Jehovah whom Joshua saw when he entered the land of Canaan, Joshua 5:13. It was a sign to them that they were to fight the nations there and to destroy them. By 'the nations' in possession of the land of Canaan at that time are meant those who before the Lord's Coming occupied the region of heaven which was subsequently given to members of the Lord's spiritual kingdom, 6914, 8054.