639. Standing before the God of the earth, signifies which are the Divine things proceeding from the Lord, and are His in heaven and in the church. This is evident from the signification of "the God of the earth," as being the Lord, who is the God of heaven and earth, and particularly the God of the church in heaven and in the world; for in the Word "the earth" signifies the church, and the church is both in heaven and in the world. "The earth" means heaven and also the church there, because there are lands in the spiritual world, like as in the natural world, and in external appearance they are altogether similar in that world as in this; this is why "the God of the earth" means the God of heaven and earth, and particularly the God of the church in heaven and in the world. That the Lord is the God of heaven and earth He Himself teaches in Matthew:

Jesus said, All power hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).

The above is evident also from the signification of "standing before Him," as meaning the being [esse] from Him, and thus what is His in heaven and in the church.

[2] In the Word it is here and there said of angels and of the men of the church that "they stand before God," also that "they walk before Him," and in the spiritual sense "to stand before God" signifies being from Him, and "to walk before God" signifies to live according to being [esse] from Him; for all the being [esse] of heaven and the world proceeds from the Lord; for it is the Divine proceeding that has created and formed all things of heaven and the world; this Divine proceeding is called "the Word" in John 1:1-3; and "the Word" there is the Divine proceeding, which is called Divine truth, from which all things were made and created. Because this extends itself in every direction about the Lord as a sun, it is properly said "to stand before Him," for it looks to the Lord as its common center, from every quarter and from every boundary. This is, in its essence, the Lord in heaven, for it is the Divine proceeding, and that which proceeds is of Him from whom it proceeds, and indeed is Himself; just as the heat and light that proceed from the sun are of the sun. For this reason all angels, who are recipients of this Divine proceeding, which is called Divine truth, turn themselves to the Lord, and thus are continually in His presence; for, as was said, the Divine proceeding looks to the Lord as its center from which it is and to which it looks; so also do the angels, who are the recipients of Divine truths, and are as it were Divine truths in form. This is why angels are said "to stand before the Lord," for "to stand" is properly predicated of Divine truth, because this stands about the Lord as a sun.

[3] "To stand before God" signifies to be in Divine truth, and thus with the Lord, also in the following passages. In Luke:

The angel said, I am Gabriel, that standeth before God (Luke 1:19).

In the first book of Kings:

I saw Jehovah sitting on His throne, and all the hosts of the heavens standing beside Him on His right hand and on His left (1 Kings 22:19).

In Jeremiah:

There shall not be cut off from Jonadab a man to stand before Me all the days (Jeremiah 35:19).

In David:

On my right hand standeth the queen in the best gold of Ophir (Psalms 45:9).

In Luke:

Be ye wakeful at every season, that ye may be accounted worthy to stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:36).

In Revelation:

The great day of His anger is come, and who is able to stand? (Revelation 6:17)

All the angels stood around the throne, and the elders and the four animals (Revelation 7:11).

I saw the seven angels who stood before God (Revelation 8:2).

In Zechariah:

The two olive trees and two berries of olives, which are the two sons of the olive tree standing beside the Lord of the whole earth (Zechariah 4:11, 12, 14).

And in other places. It is also said of the Lord Himself that "He stood to judge," because it is said of the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which is called the Divine truth, for judgment is from it. Thus it is said in Isaiah:

Jehovah hath stood up to plead, and standeth to judge (Isaiah 3:13).

And in David:

God stood in the congregation of God, in the midst of the gods He will judge (Psalms 82:1.)

"The congregation of God," and the "gods" in the midst of whom Jehovah stood, mean the angels, by whom in the spiritual sense Divine truths are signified; and because the Lord in heaven is the Divine truth He is here said "to stand." This makes clear that "to stand before the God of the earth" signifies the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which is His in heaven and in the church; that this, and those who are in this, are meant can be seen also from this, "to stand before the God of the earth" is predicated of "the two olive trees" and "the two lampstands," and these signify good and truth, and thus the Divine proceeding. (See also in the preceding article, n. 638)

6377. 'He washes his clothing in wine' means that His Natural consists in Divine Truth from His Divine Good. This is clear from the meaning of 'washing' as purifying, dealt with in 3147; from the meaning of 'wine' as the good of love towards the neighbour and the good of faith, and in the highest sense as Divine Truth from the Lord's Divine Good, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'clothing' as the exterior which covers the interior, dealt with in 5248, thus the natural since this is exterior and covers the rational, which is interior. Therefore 'clothing' also means truth since this is exterior and covers good, which is interior, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5319, 5954.

[2] The fact that 'wine' means love towards the neighbour and the good of faith may be recognized from what has been shown regarding the bread and wine in the Holy Supper, in 2165, 2177, 3464, 4581, 5915. These paragraphs show that 'bread' is the good of celestial love, and that 'wine' is the good of spiritual love. The same may also be recognized from the minchah and the drink-offering in sacrifices. The minchah in them meant the good of love, and the drink-offering the good of faith. The minchah consisted of the kinds of things that meant the good of love, while the drink-offering consisted of wine that meant the good of faith. The sacrifices themselves were also called 'bread', 2165. For the use in sacrifices of a drink-offering consisting of wine, see Exodus 29:40; Leviticus 23:12-13, 18-19; Numbers 15:2-15; 28:6-7, 18-end; 29:1-7 and following verses.

[3] The meaning that 'wine' has of love towards the neighbour and the good of faith is also evident in Isaiah,

Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! And come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Isaiah 55:1.

No one can fail to see that they did not have to buy wine and milk, but that they were to acquire what is meant by 'wine and milk', which is love towards the neighbour and faith. These gifts come from the Lord 'without money and without price'.

[4] In Hosea,

Threshing-floor and winepress will not feed them, and new wine will be deceptive to her. ¹ Ephraim will return to Egypt, and in Assyria they will eat what is unclean. They will not pour libations of wine to Jehovah, their sacrifices will not be pleasing to Him. Hosea 9:1-4.

Here also in the internal sense reference is made to the good of love and the good of faith, to the demise of them. The good of love is meant by 'threshing-floor' by virtue of the grain there and the bread made from it, while the good of faith is meant by 'winepress', 'new wine', and 'libation of wine'. 'Ephraim will return to Egypt' stands for the fact that the understanding would resort to factual knowledge for advice concerning the arcana of faith; 'in Assyria they will eat what is unclean' stands for that which is the outcome of consequent false reasoning - 'Ephraim' being the area of understanding in the Church, see 5754, 6112, 6238, 6267; 'Egypt' the area of factual knowledge, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 5702; and 'Assyria' that of reasoning, 1186. The line of thought in this passage also shows that the words used here contain something more than what one sees in the letter. For everything hangs together in the internal sense, but not so in the external sense, for example when it says that 'threshing-floor and winepress will not feed them, and new wine will be deceptive to her', immediately followed by 'Ephraim will return to Egypt, and in Assyria they will eat what is unclean'. Moreover, without the internal sense what meaning would Ephraim's return to Egypt and their eating in Assyria what is unclean have?

[5] 'Winepress' and 'wine' are also used in Jeremiah to describe the demise of mutual love and the good of faith,

He who lays waste has fallen on your vintage, therefore joy and gladness have been plucked from Carmel, and from the land of Moab, for I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; none will tread the headed. ² Jeremiah 48:32-33.

[6] The fact that 'wine' means the good of mutual love and of faith is also evident in John,

I heard a voice from the midst of the four living creatures, saying, Do no harm to oil and wine. Revelation 6:6.

[7] 'Oil' stands for the good of celestial love, and 'wine' for the good of spiritual love.

'Oil' and 'wine' have a similar meaning in the Lord's parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke,

A certain Samaritan was journeying, and seeing him who had been wounded by the robbers was moved with compassion for him; going therefore to him, he bandaged his wounds, and poured on oil and wine. Luke 10:33-34.

'He poured on oil and wine' means that he performed the works of love and charity, 'oil' being the good of love, see 886, 3728. A like meaning was involved in the practice of the ancients, who poured oil and wine onto a pillar when they consecrated it, Genesis 35:14, 4581, 4582.

[8] The fact that 'wine' means the good of love and faith is evident from the words the Lord used when He instituted the Holy Supper. He said then regarding the wine,

I tell you that I shall not drink from now on of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom. Matthew 26:29; Luke 22:17-18.

Anyone can see that He was not about to drink wine in that kingdom, but that the good of love and faith is meant, which He was about to impart to those who belonged to His kingdom. Much the same is meant by 'wine' in Isaiah 24:9, 11; Lamentations 2:11-12; Hosea 14:7; Amos 9:13-14; Zechariah 9:15-16; Luke 5:37-39.

[9] Since 'wine' means the good of love and faith, Divine Truth from the Lord's Divine Good is therefore meant in the highest sense, for that Truth, when it flows into a person and is accepted by him, brings him the good of love and faith.

[10] Since most things in the Word also have a contrary meaning, so too does 'wine', the contrary meaning of which is falsity from evil, as in Isaiah,

Woe to those who rise in the morning around dawn, and then follow strong drink, who continue into dusk, so that wine may inflame them! Woe to heroes at drinking wine, and to valiant men in mixing strong drink! Isaiah 5:11, 22

In the same prophet,

Also these err through wine, and go astray through strong drink. The priest and the prophet err through strong drink. They are swallowed up by wine, they go astray through strong drink. They err among the seers, they are tottery in judgement. Isaiah 28:7.

In the same prophet,

The shepherds know no understanding, they all look to their own way. Come, I will get wine, and we will be drunken from strong drink; and let there be tomorrow, as there is this day, great abundance. Isaiah 56:11-12.

In addition to these places 'wine' is used with the contrary meaning in Jeremiah 13:12; Hosea 4:11; 7:5; Amos 2:8; Micah 2:11; Psalms 75:8; Deuteronomy 32:33.

Falsity from evil is also meant by the cup of the wine of wrath in Jeremiah 25:15-16; Revelation 14:8, 10; 16:19; the winepress of the wrath of God's anger, Revelation 19:15; and the wine of whoredom, Revelation 17:2; 18:3.

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