767.And the dragon was wroth against the woman.- That this signifies the hatred of those who are meant by the dragon, against the church, which is the New Jerusalem, enkindled by the perception that it is favoured by many, is evident from the signification of wroth when said of the dragon, as denoting hatred, concerning which see above (n. 754, 758), therefore to be wroth denotes to hate. That it is a grievous hatred enkindled by the perception that that church is favoured by many, follows as a consequence from what precedes and from what follows. From what precedes, namely, that the earth opened her mouth, and helped the woman, and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth, which signifies that the church, in which there are also dragons, rendered assistance, and did not accept their crafty reasonings about faith alone; and from what follows, namely, that the dragon went away to make war with the rest of her seed, which signifies a determined effort, arising from that hatred, to attack the truths of the doctrine of that church. The anger of the dragon therefore signifies here such hatred enkindled by a perception that it is favoured by many. For, as said above, the woman flying into the wilderness to the place prepared by God signifies that the church which is the New Jerusalem was yet among a few, while provision was being made for it among many, and for its growing to fullness.

589. And they repented not of their murders.- That this signifies, who have not actually turned themselves away from extinguishing those things which pertain to the understanding of truth, to the will of good, and to spiritual life thence, is evident from the signification of repenting, as denoting actually to turn one's self away from, as shown above (n. 585:3); and from the signification of murders, as denoting the extinction of the understanding of truth, of the will of good, and thence of spiritual life. For by man are signified wisdom and the understanding of truth (see above, n. 280, 546, 547), and by slaying is signified to extinguish spiritual life by the falsities of evil (see also above, n. 315, 547, 572). That homicide or the killing of a man signifies the extinction of spiritual life, is clear without confirmations from passages of the Word, from the fact that all the details here mentioned must also be spiritually understood; and to kill spiritually is to extinguish spiritual life, and this is done by the falsities of evil.

[2] It is for this reason that the devil is called a murderer from the beginning, by the Lord in John:

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh from his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it" (8:44).

The Jewish nation itself is meant by these words, which, by its idolatries and traditions, extinguished spiritual life through the falsities of evil. By the father of it, are meant their fathers. Because they extinguished spiritual life through the falsities of evils, it is said, "there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of it." A lie signifies, in the Word, the falsity of evil.

[3] The same is signified by murders, and by a lie, in the following passage in the Apocalypse:

"Without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and doeth a lie " (22:15).

Because those meant by Babylon, extinguish all Divine truths by means of the falsities of evil, therefore Babylon is called "an abominable branch, the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with the sword; because thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people" (Isaiah 14:19, 20). These things are said of Babylon. Those who have perished through the falsities of evil are said to be thrust through with the sword. To destroy the land signifies [to destroy] the church; and to slay the people signifies to extinguish the truths of the church.