734. Verse 7. And there was war in heaven, signifies the combat of falsity against truth and of truth against falsity. This is evident from the signification [of "war," as being spiritual war, that is, ¹ ] of falsity against truth and of truth against falsity (of which presently). The falsity here meant is falsity from evil, and the truth truth from good; for there exist many kinds of falsities, but those falsities only that are from evil fight against truths from good, since evil is opposed to good, and all truth is of good. All those are in the falsities of evil who in their life have given no thought to heaven and the Lord, but have thought only of self and the world. To think of heaven and the Lord in the life is to think that this or that must be done because the Word so teaches and commands; those who do this, since they live from the Word, live from the Lord and heaven. But to think only of self and the world is to think that this or that must be done because of the laws of the country, and for the sake of reputation, honor and gain; such do not live for the Lord and heaven, but for self and the world. These in respect to life are in evil, and from evil in falsities; and those who are in falsities from this origin fight against truths. But these do not fight against the Word, for they call it holy and Divine, but they fight against the genuine truths of the Word, for they confirm their falsities from the Word, but only from the sense of its letter, which in some passages is such that it may be drawn to confirm the most heretical principles, for the reason that the Word in that sense is adapted to the apprehension of children and the simple, who for the most part are sensual, and they receive only such things as are apparent to the eyes; and as the Word is such in the letter, therefore those who are in falsities from evil of life confirm their falsities from the Word, and thus falsify the Word. Yea, they who separate faith from charity so falsify the Word that wherever mention is made of doing or of deeds and works, such passages, of which there are thousands, are explained as if nothing of doing or of deeds or works were meant, but only believing and faith; and so in other cases. This has been said to make known who are meant by those who are in falsities from evil, who "made war with Michael and his angels," as described in the following article.

[2] That "war" signifies in the Word spiritual war, which is the war of falsity from evil against truth from good, and of truth from good against falsity from evil, or what is the same, which is carried on by those who are in falsities from evil against those who are in truths from good, is evident from many passages in the Word, of which the following only need be cited. In Isaiah:

Many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us of His ways that we may go in His paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem; that He may judge between the nations, and reprove peoples; and they shall beat their swords into hoes, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come ye, and we will go in the light of Jehovah (Isaiah 2:3-5; Micah 4:2-3).

This treats of the Lord's coming, and that those who will be of His New Church are to be instructed in truths, by which they will be led to heaven. "The mountain of Jehovah" and "the house of Jacob" signify the church in which is love to the Lord and worship from that love; a summoning to that church, and thus to the Lord, is signified by "Many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to that mountain;" that they will be instructed in truths by which they will be led is signified by "He will teach us of His ways that we may go in His paths," "ways" meaning truths and "paths" the precepts of life; that they will be led by the doctrine of the good of love and by the doctrine of truth from that good, which are for the church out of heaven from the Lord, is signified by "out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the Word from Jerusalem," "the law" meaning the doctrine of the good of love, and "the Word" truth from that good; that evils of life and falsities of doctrine will then be dissipated is signified by "He will judge between the nations and reprove the peoples," "nations" signifying those who are in evils, and "peoples" those who are in falsities, thus in an abstract sense evils of life and falsities of doctrine.

[3] That by the consent of all, combats will then cease is signified by "they shall beat their swords into hoes and their spears into pruning hooks," "sword" and "spear" meaning falsities from evil fighting against truths from good, and truths from good against falsities from evil; "hoes" meaning the goods of the church which are cultivated by truths, for "a field that is tilled by the hoe" means the church in respect to the good of life; and "pruning hooks" mean truths of doctrine, because trees in gardens signify the perceptions and knowledges of truths. Like things are signified by "nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore," "war" signifying combats in the whole complex. That they will live a life of wisdom is signified by "Come ye, and we will go in the light of Jehovah," "the light of Jehovah" meaning Divine truth, and "to go in it" meaning to live according to it, thus in a life of wisdom. That "war" here signifies spiritual war, which is that of falsities against truths and goods, and conversely, and that "swords and spears," which are arms of war, signify such things as are used in spiritual combats, is clearly evident, for the Lord and the church to be established by Him and doctrine for that church are here treated of, and it is said, "He will teach us of His ways that we may go in His paths;" also "Come ye, and we will go in the light of Jehovah."

[4] In Hosea:

In that day I will make a covenant for them with the wild beast of the field, and with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth; and I will break the bow, and the sword, and the war, from the earth; and I will make them to lie down securely (Hosea 2:18).

The signification of "the wild beast of the field, the bird of the heavens, and the creeping thing of the earth," with which Jehovah in that day will make a covenant, may be seen above (n. 388, 701), also that "breaking the bow, the sword, and the war," signifies to cease from all combat between falsity and truth; therefore it is added, "and I will make them to lie down securely," which means security from the infestations from evils and falsities that are from hell.

[5] In Zechariah:

I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war shall be cut off; but he shall speak peace to the nations (Zechariah 9:10).

This, too, may be seen explained above (n. 355, 357), from which it is evident that "the bow of war" signifies the doctrine of truth fighting against falsities, for this is said of the Lord. In David:

Jehovah who setteth waste places in the earth, who maketh wars to cease even to the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow and cutteth the spear asunder, He burneth up the chariots with fire (Psalms 46:8, 9).

Here also "Jehovah maketh wars to cease even to the end of the earth" signifies that He makes combats, understood in the spiritual sense, to cease, which are the combats of falsities against the truths and goods of the church (See above, n. 357).

[6] In the same:

God breaketh the flashes of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the war (Psalms 76:3).

This has a like signification, see above, n. 357, 365).

In Isaiah:

Before the swords shall they wander, before the drawn sword and before the bended bow, because of the grievousness of the war (Isaiah 21:15).

What this signifies may be seen above (n. 131, 357), also that the "grievousness of war" signifies because of the strong assault of falsities against the knowledges of good, which are here signified by "Arabia" or "Kedar."

In David:

Jehovah who teacheth my hands war, that a bow of brass may be let down upon his arms ² (Psalms 18:34).

"To teach the hands war" does not mean war against enemies in this world, but against enemies in hell, which is carried on by the combats of truth against falsities and against evils. The appearance is that such a war is there meant as David waged against his enemies, and thus that Jehovah taught him such war, and how to let down a bow of brass upon the arms; nevertheless spiritual war is meant, also a spiritual bow, which is the doctrine of truth, and "the bow of brass" means the doctrine of the good of life, and this because the Word regarded in its essence is spiritual. But on these words also see above n. 357.

[7] In the same:

Strive, O Jehovah, with them that strive with me, fight against them that fight against me, take hold of shield and buckler and rise up for mine help, draw out the spear, and stop the way against my pursuers; say unto my soul, I am thy salvation (Psalms 35:1-3).

Here "to fight," "to take hold of shield and buckler," and "to draw out the spear," does not mean to grasp these arms of war, since this is said of Jehovah, but it is so said because all arms of war signify such things as pertain to spiritual war. A "shield," because it protects the head, signifies protection against the falsities that destroy the understanding of truth; a "buckler," because it protects the breast, signifies protection against the falsities that destroy charity, which is the will of good; and a "spear," because it protects all parts of the body, signifies protection in general. Because such things are signified it is added, "say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. "

[8] Because Jehovah, that is, the Lord, protects man from the hells, that is, from the evils and falsities that continually rise up out of the hells, therefore He is called "Jehovah Zebaoth," that is, Jehovah of Hosts, and "hosts" signify the truths and goods of heaven, and thus of the church in the whole complex, by which the Lord removes the hells in general, and with each one individually; this is why it is attributed to Jehovah that He fights and wages war as a hero and man of war in battles, as can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:

Jehovah of Hosts shall come down to fight upon Mount Zion, and upon the hill thereof (Isaiah 31:4).

In Zechariah:

Jehovah shall go forth and fight against the nations, as on the day of His fighting in the day of battle (Zechariah 14:3).

In Isaiah:

Jehovah shall go forth as a hero, He shall stir up zeal like a man of wars, He shall prevail over his enemies (Isaiah 42:13).

In Moses:

Jehovah hath war against Amalek from generation to generation (Exodus 17:16).

This is said because "Amalek" signifies those falsities of evil that continually infest the truths and goods of the church.

[9] Moreover, the wars that are described in the historicals of the Word, both in the books of Moses and in the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, signify spiritual wars; as the wars against the Assyrians, Syrians, Egyptians, Philistines, and, in the beginning, against the idolatrous nations in the land of Canaan beyond and on this side Jordan. What these wars signify becomes evident when it is known what and of what kind are the evil and falsity signified by "the Assyrians," "the Babylonians and the Chaldeans," also by "the Egyptians," "the Syrians," "the Philistines," and the rest; for all nations and peoples that waged war with the sons of Israel represented the hells, which were desirous of doing violence to the church represented by the sons of Israel. Nevertheless, the wars actually took place as they are described, yet they represented and thence signified spiritual wars, since nothing is said in the Word that is not inwardly spiritual, for the Word is Divine, and what proceeds from the Divine is spiritual, and is terminated in what is natural.

[10] That the ancient people also had a Word, both prophetical and historical, that is now lost, is evident from Moses (Numbers 21), where its prophecies are referred to, and are there called "Enunciations;" also the historical books, which are called "The Wars of Jehovah" (Numbers 21:14 and 27). Those historical books are called "The Wars of Jehovah" because they signify the wars of the Lord with the hells, as also do the wars in the historical books of our Word. This, then, is why "adversaries," "enemies," "assailants," "pursuers," "those that rise up," as also all the arms of war, as the spear, the buckler, the shield, the sword, the bow, arrows, the chariot, signify in the Word such things as pertain to combats with the hells and protection against them.

[11] In Moses:

When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies and seest the horse and the chariot, a people more than thou, thou shalt not be afraid of them, for Jehovah thy God is with thee. The priest shall say to them when they draw near to battle, Ye draw nigh this day unto battle against your enemies; let not your heart soften, neither fear ye, nor tremble, nor be terrified before them, for Jehovah your God goeth with you to fight for you against your enemies, to save you (Deuteronomy 20:1-4).

He who does not know that there is a spiritual sense in every particular of the Word might believe that nothing more interior is here meant than what is meant in the letter; and yet "war" here as elsewhere signifies spiritual war, and therefore "horse," "chariot," and "much people" signify the falsities of religion in which they trust, and from which they fight against the truths of the church, "horse" meaning the falsities of the understanding and reasonings therefrom, "chariot" falsities of doctrine, and "much people" falsities in general. Whether you say falsities or those who are in falsities it amounts to the same. They were not to be afraid of these nor tremble because they were in the truths of the church from the Lord and because the Lord is in these truths with man, and thus from them fights for man against the hells, which are the enemies in the spiritual sense; therefore it is said, "for Jehovah God is with you, and goeth with you to fight for you against your enemies, to save you." These two senses, the natural and the spiritual, make one by the correspondences that exist between all things of the world and all things of heaven; consequently there is a conjunction of heaven with man by means of the Word. But the spiritual sense that lies hidden in the historical books of the Word is less easily seen than that in the prophetical things, because the historical facts keep the mind fixed in themselves, and thus prevent its thinking anything except what appears in the letter; and still all the historical facts of the Word are representative of heavenly things, and the words are significative.

[12] That all those who were in the truths of doctrine, and thus had become men of the church, and not those that had not yet so become, were to fight, is signified by the following words in the same chapter:

Afterwards the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house and hath not dedicated it, let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the war and another man dedicate it. Or what man is there that hath planted a vineyard and hath not completed and gathered the fruits of it, let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the war and another man complete and gather the fruits of it. Or what man is there that hath betrothed a wife and hath not taken her, let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the war and another man take her. What man is fearful and soft in heart, let him go and return unto his house, lest the heart of his brethren melt as his heart (Deuteronomy 20:5-8).

That "those that had built new houses and had not yet dedicated them," and "those that had planted vineyards and had not yet gathered the fruits of them," and "those that had betrothed wives and had not yet taken them," should remain at home, lest they should die in the war and other men should dedicate their houses, gather the fruits of their vineyards, and take their wives, was commanded and sanctioned from causes in the spiritual world, which no one can see unless he knows what is signified by "building a house," "planting a vineyard," and "taking a wife," also by "dying in war." "To build a house" signifies to establish the church; the like is meant by "planting a vineyard," but a "house" signifies the church in respect to good, and a "vineyard" the church in respect to truth, for both good and truth must be implanted in man, that the church may be in him. The conjunction of these two, namely, of good and truth, is signified by "betrothing and taking a wife;" and "war" signifies spiritual war, which is combat against evils and falsities from hell; and "to die in the war" signifies to succumb before the church is implanted by these means; this is done also by means of temptations, which are also signified by "wars" in the Word.

[13] From this it can be concluded what these statutes signify in the spiritual sense, namely, that the men of the church, that is, the men in whom the church is, who are signified by "the sons of Israel going out to the war," are the ones to fight against enemies, which are the hells, and not those who have not yet become men of the church or men in whom the church is; therefore it is said that those "that have built houses and have not yet dedicated them," also those "that have planted vineyards and have not yet gathered the fruits of them," also those "that have betrothed wives and have not yet taken them," shall not go out to the war, for all these signify those in whom the church has not yet been implanted, thus who have not yet become men of the church; and it is said that such "should go and return to their house, lest they should die in the war," which means that such will not prevail over their enemies, but their enemies over them, since those only prevail over spiritual enemies who are in truths from good, or in whom truth is conjoined to good. It is also said, "lest another man dedicate the house," "gather the fruit of the vineyard," and "take the wife," which signifies lest falsities and evils conjoin themselves with good, or truth of another kind with the affection of good; for "another man" signifies falsity, and also other truth, thus truth that is not concordant. That "the fearful and soft of heart" should also return home signified such as were not yet in the truths and goods of the church and thereby in confidence in the Lord, for such fear the evil, and also cause others to fear them, which is signified by "lest they cause the heart of their brethren to melt." These then are the interior reasons, or reasons from the spiritual world, why these things were commanded.

[14] That "war" signifies spiritual war, which is against things infernal, is clearly evident from this, that the offices and ministries of the Levites about the Tent of meeting were called "military service," as is evident from these words of Moses:

It was commanded Moses that the Levites should be numbered from a son of thirty years to a son of fifty years, to do military service, to do the work in the Tent of meeting (Numbers 4:23, 35, 39, 43, 47).

And elsewhere:

This is the office of the Levites; from a son of twenty-five years and upward he shall come to do military service in the ministry of the Tent of meeting, but from a son of fifty years he shall cease from the military service of the ministry and shall minister no more (Numbers 8:24, 25).

The works and ministries of the Levites about the Tent of meeting are called "military service" because the Levites represented the truths of the church, and Aaron, to whom the Levites were given and assigned for service, represented the Lord in relation to the good of love and in reference to the work of salvation, and as the Lord from the good of love by means of truths from the Word regenerates and saves men, and also removes the evils and falsities that are from hell, against which He continually fights, therefore the functions and ministries of the Levites were called "military service." The same is evident from this also, that their ministries were called "military service" although the Levites did not war against the enemies of the land. This shows that the priesthood is a military service, but against falsities and evils. For the same reason the church at this day is called the church militant.

[15] In Isaiah:

The voice of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people, the voice of a tumult of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together; Jehovah of Hosts numbereth the host of war (Isaiah 13:4).

This may be seen explained above n. 453; also that "to number the host of war" signifies to arrange the truths from good against the falsities from evil, which are signified by "the kingdoms of the nations gathered together." In the same:

In that day Jehovah shall be for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth on judgment; and for might to those who turn back the war from the gate (Isaiah 28:5, 6).

This is said in reference to those who are in the pride of self-intelligence, who are meant in verse 1 by "the crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim." Of those who are not in that pride this is said; that they shall have intelligence from the Lord is signified by "Jehovah shall be for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth on judgment;" "judgment" signifying the understanding of truth, thus intelligence; "Jehovah shall be for might to those who turn back the war from the gate" signifies that the Lord gives power to those who defend the Word and doctrine from the Word, and who prevent violence being done to them; a "city" meaning doctrine, and "gate" which gives entrance to it meaning natural truths. This was why the elders sat for judging in the gates of the city.

[16] In Jeremiah:

Sanctify ye the war against the daughter of Zion; arise and let us go up at noon, arise and let us go up in the night and let us destroy her palaces. Cast up a mound against Jerusalem. Behold a people cometh from the land of the north, cruel and they have no pity; their voice resoundeth like the sea; they ride upon horses prepared as a man for war, against thee, O daughter of Zion (Jeremiah 6:3-6, 22, 23).

This treats of the falsification of the Word by those who are in self-intelligence; such are meant by "a people coming from the land of the north," for such in the spiritual world dwell in the north, because they are in falsifications from which truths are not seen; but the church that is in genuine truths is meant by "the daughter of Zion." The assault upon truth and the destruction of the church by such is signified by "Sanctify ye the war against the daughter of Zion, and cast up a mound against Jerusalem;" "Jerusalem" meaning the church in respect to doctrine, and thence the doctrine of the church. The effort to destroy truths openly is signified by "arise, let us go up at noon;" and the effort to destroy them secretly is signified by "arise, let us go up in the night;" the effort to destroy the understanding of truth is signified by "let us destroy her palaces;" that they are not at all in the love of truth, but in the love of falsity, is signified by "a cruel people, and they have no pity;" that they reason from knowledges [scientiae] and from self-intelligence is signified by "their voice resoundeth like the sea, they ride upon horses;" that they assault the truth is signified by "they are prepared as a man for war."

[17] In David:

Free me from the evil man, and preserve me from the man of violences, who think evils in the heart; all the day they gather together for war; they have sharpened their tongue like serpents (Psalms 140:1-3).

"Evil man" and "man of violences" signify those who pervert the truths of the Word; he is called "a man of violences" who from a depraved intention offers violence to the truths of the Word by perverting them. The depraved intention is further described by "thinking evils in the heart;" and perverting the truths of the Word is meant by "gathering themselves together all the day for war;" the reasonings by which they prevail are signified by "wars," and therefore it is added, "they have sharpened their tongue like serpents."

[18] In Zechariah:

They shall be as the mighty ones treading down the mire of the streets in the war, and they shall fight because Jehovah is with them, and they that ride upon horses shall be ashamed (Zechariah 10:5).

This treats of the Lord's coming and of those who are in truths from good from Him; of these it is said that "they shall be as the mighty ones treading down the mire of the streets in the war," which signifies that they will dissipate and wholly destroy the falsities of doctrine; "the mire of the streets" signifying that falsity, because a "city" signifies doctrine, "the streets of a city" its truths, and the "mire" in them falsity from truth falsified; "and they shall fight because Jehovah is with them" signifies that from the Lord they will attack and overcome those falsities; "and they that ride upon horses shall be ashamed" signifies that everything of self-intelligence will succumb; "to be ashamed" means to succumb because it is said of those who are overcome, and "to ride upon horses" signifies to trust in self-intelligence.

[19] In Hosea:

I will have pity on the house of Judah, and will save them by Jehovah their God; and I will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by war, nor by horses, nor by horsemen (Hosea 1:7).

"The house of Judah" signifies the celestial church; "to have pity and to save them by Jehovah their God" signifies salvation from the Lord; "I will not save them by the bow, the sword, war, horses, and horsemen," signifies not by such things as are of self-intelligence; what "bow," "sword," "horses" and "horsemen" signify has been shown above in various places; "war" signifies combat from such things.

[20] In Ezekiel:

Ye have not gone up into the breaches, neither fenced with a fence for the house of Israel, that ye might stand in the war in the day of Jehovah (Ezekiel 13:5).

This was said of "the foolish prophets," that signify the falsities of doctrine from the Word falsified; that they were not able to correct the backslidings of the church, or amend anything of it, is signified by "Ye have not gone up into the breaches, neither fenced with a fence for the house of Israel;" "the breaches of the house of Israel" meaning the backslidings of the church, and its "fence" what wards off the invasion of falsity, and thus amends; "not to stand in the war in the day of Jehovah" signifies not to fight against the falsities of evil, which are from hell, in the day of the Last Judgment.

[21] In Jeremiah:

How is the city of glory not forsaken, the city of my joy? Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day (Jeremiah 49:25, 26; 50:30).

The doctrine of truth from the Word is meant by "the city of glory," and by "the city of the joy of Jehovah;" that this is turned into the doctrine of falsity by falsifications of truth is signified by "being forsaken or deserted;" that all understanding of truth and thus all intelligence would perish is signified by "therefore her young men shall fall in her streets;" "young men" meaning the understanding of truth, and the "streets of that city" the falsities of doctrine. That there will no longer remain any truths combating against falsities is signified by "all the men of war shall be cut off;" "the men of war" meaning those who are in truths and who fight from them against falsities, and in an abstract sense truths fighting against falsities.

[22] In Isaiah:

Thy slain are not slain with the sword, neither are they killed in the war (Isaiah 22:2).

This is said of "the valley of vision," which signifies the sensual man that sees all things from the fallacies of the senses of the body; because it does not understand truths, and therefore seizes upon falsities instead, it is said "thy slain are not slain with the sword, neither are they killed in the war," which signifies that the truths have not been destroyed by reasonings from falsities, neither by any combats of falsity against truths, but from themselves, because from fallacies from which truths are not seen.

[23] In the same:

I will commingle Egypt against Egypt, that a man may fight against his brother, and a man against his companion, city against city, kingdom against kingdom (Isaiah 19:2).

This is said of the natural man separated from the spiritual; this is signified by "Egypt;" the crowd of falsities in the natural man reasoning and fighting against the truths and goods of the spiritual man is signified by "I will commingle Egypt against Egypt, that a man may fight against his brother and a man against his companion;" "man and brother" signifying truth and good, and in the contrary sense falsity and evil; and "man and companion" signifying truths among themselves, and in the contrary sense falsities among themselves; this division and combat take place when falsities prevail, since falsities continually contend with falsities, but truths do not contend with truths; that there will be like contentions of doctrines among themselves, that is, of the churches among themselves, is signified by "city shall fight against city, and kingdom against kingdom;" "city" meaning doctrine, and "kingdom" the church therefrom.

[24] From this the signification of the Lord's words in the Gospels can be seen:

Many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ, and shall lead many astray. But ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled; for nation shall be stirred up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes (Matthew 24:5-7; Mark 13:6-8; Luke 21:8-11).

This was said by the Lord to the disciples respecting the consummation of the age, which signifies the state of the church at its end, which is described in these chapters; so, too, it means the successive perversion and falsification of the truth and good of the Word until there is nothing but falsity and the evil thence. Those who "shall come in His name and shall call themselves Christ, and shall lead many astray," signify those who will come and say that this is divine truth, when yet it is truth falsified, which in itself is falsity; "Christ" meaning the Lord in relation to Divine truth, but here in the contrary sense Divine truth falsified. "They shall hear of wars and rumors of wars" signifies that there shall be disputes and contentions about truths, and consequent falsifications; "nation shall be stirred up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom," signifies that evil will fight with evil and falsity with falsity, for evils never agree among themselves nor falsities among themselves; this is why churches are divided, and so many heresies have arisen; "nation" signifies those who are in evils, and "kingdom" those who are in falsities, of whom the church consists. "There shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes" signifies that there will no longer be any knowledges of truth and good, and that the state of the church will be changed on account of the falsities that will corrupt it; "famine" meaning a deprivation of the knowledges of truth and good; "pestilences" corruptions by falsities, and "earthquakes" the changes of the church.

[25] Since "wars" signify in the Word spiritual wars, which are the combats of falsity against truth and of truth against falsity, therefore these combats are described by "the war between the king of the north against the king of the south," and by "the battle of the he-goat against the ram," in Daniel; the war between the king of the north and the king of the south in chapter eleven, and the battle of the he-goat against the ram in chapter eight; and there "the king of the north" means those who are in falsities, and "the king of the south" those who are in truths; the "he-goat" signifies those who are in the falsities of doctrine because they are in the evil of life, and the "ram" those who are in the truths of doctrine because they are in the good of life.

[26] From this it is clear what is signified by "war" in other passages of Revelation, as in the following:

When the witnesses shall have finished their testimony the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them and kill them (Revelation 11:7).

Again:

The spirits of demons doing signs to go forth unto the kings of the earth and of all the countries of the world, to gather them together unto the war of that great day of God Almighty (Revelation 16:14).

And elsewhere:

Satan shall go forth to lead astray the nations, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to war (Revelation 20:8).

In these passages also "war" signifies spiritual war, which is a war of falsity against truth and of truth against falsity. It is called a war of falsity against truth and of truth against falsity, but it is to be known that those who are in falsities fight against truths, but not so those who are in truths against falsities, for it is always those who are in falsities who attack, while those who are in truths only defend; but in reference to the Lord, He never even resists, but merely protects truths. But more elsewhere respecting this.

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329. Since it is said, "thou didst redeem us to God in thy blood," and since this is understood within the church entirely according to the sense of the letter, and not according to any spiritual sense, I will also show that "blood" does not mean blood, or the Lord's suffering on the cross, but Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and the reception of it by man; thus that "thou didst redeem us in Thy blood" means that He has delivered and freed from hell those who acknowledge Him, and receive Divine truth from Him (as was said above, n. 328. In illustration of this matter I will cite the following. Because all things that were commanded in the Israelitish Church were representative of things celestial and spiritual, and not the least thing was not so, it was also commanded, when the paschal supper was first instituted:

That they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side posts and on the lintel upon the houses wherein they shall eat [the paschal lamb]; and the blood shall be for you for a sign upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, nor shall there be a plague upon you from the destroyer when I shall smite the land of Egypt. And further: Ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and shall touch the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and not a man of you shall go out of the entrance of his house until the morning. And Jehovah will pass through to smite Egypt; and when he shall see the blood upon the lintel and upon the two side posts, Jehovah will pass over the door, and will not suffer the smiter to come into your houses to strike you (Exodus 12:7, 13, 22-23).

He who does not know that there is a spiritual sense in the Word believes that "blood" here signifies the Lord's blood upon the cross; but this is not at all the meaning in heaven; but to the angels there the paschal supper here described has a like meaning as the holy supper instituted by the Lord, in which, in place of the paschal lamb, there are the bread and the wine; and the Lord then said that the bread was His flesh and the wine was His blood; and everyone knows, or may know, that bread and wine are what nourish the body, bread as food and wine as drink, and that in the Word, which in its bosom is spiritual, these things also must be spiritually understood, "bread" standing for all spiritual food, and "wine" for all spiritual drink.

[2] Spiritual food is all the good that is communicated and given to man by the Lord, and spiritual drink is all the truth that is communicated and given to man by the Lord. These two, namely, good and truth, or love and faith, make man spiritual; it is said, or love and faith, because all good is of love, and all truth is of faith. From this it can be seen that "bread" means the Divine good of the Lord's Divine love, and in reference to man, this good received by him; also that "wine" means the Divine truth that proceeds from the Divine good of the Lord's Divine love, and in reference to man, this truth received by him. Since the Lord says that His flesh is bread, and His blood is wine, it can be seen that "the Lord's flesh" means the Divine good of His Divine love, and "to eat" it means to receive it, and make it one's own, and thus to be conjoined to the Lord; and that "the Lord's blood" means the Divine truth that proceeds from the Divine good of His Divine love, and that "drinking" it means to receive that truth and make it one's own, and thus be conjoined to the Lord.

[3] Again, spiritual nourishment is from the good and truth that proceed from the Lord, as all nourishment of the body is from food and drink; their correspondence also is from this, which is such that where anything of food, or that serves for food, is mentioned in the Word, good is meant, and where anything of drink, or that serves for drink, is mentioned, truth is meant. From this it can be seen that the "blood" from the Paschal Lamb, which the sons of Israel were commanded to put upon the two side posts and upon the lintel of their houses, means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; this, when received in faith and life, protects man against the evils that rise up out of hell; for in His Divine truth the Lord is with man, for this is the Lord's own with man, yea, it is Himself with man. Who that thinks from sound reason cannot see that the Lord is with a man not in His blood, but in His Divine, which is the good of love and the good of faith received by man. (But what the particulars here signify, namely, "the two side posts" and "the lintel," "the destroyer" and "smiter," and "Egypt," and many other things in this chapter, can be seen in Arcana Coelestia, where they are explained.)

[4] From what has now been said, without further explanation, the significance of the Lord's words when He instituted the Holy Supper is evident:

As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, broke, and gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body. And He took the cup, and having given thanks, He gave to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you; for this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. I say unto you that I will not drink henceforth of this product of the vine until that day when I shall drink it with you in the kingdom of God (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:15-20).

As "wine" means Divine truth nourishing the spiritual life, therefore the Lord says to them, "I say unto you that I will not drink henceforth of this product of the vine until that day when I shall drink it with you new in the kingdom of God," which shows clearly that something spiritual is meant, for He says that "He is to drink with them," and "in the kingdom of God," or in heaven, and also that "He is to eat" with them of the Paschal Lamb there (Luke 22:16).

[5] What has now been said also makes clear what is signified by these words of the Lord:

The bread that I will give is My flesh. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have not life in you. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood abideth in Me, and I in him. This is the bread that cometh down out of heaven (John 6:51-58).

That the Lord's "flesh" is Divine good, and His "blood" Divine truth, both of them from Him, can be seen from this, that these are what nourish the soul; it is therefore said, "My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink." And as a man is conjoined to the Lord by Divine good and truth, therefore it is further said, "He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood shall have eternal life, and he abideth in Me and I in him." The Lord spoke in this way, namely, saying His "flesh" and His "blood," and not His Divine good and His Divine truth, in order that the sense of the letter of the Word might be made up of such things as correspond to things spiritual, in which the angels are; thus and in no other way could there be, by means of the Word, a conjunction of the men of the church with the angels (See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 252, 258-262; and Heaven and Hell 303-310).

[6] Since "blood" signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and conjunction with the Lord is effected by man's reception of it, therefore blood is called "the blood of the covenant," for "covenant" signifies conjunction. Blood is called "the blood of the covenant" by the Lord when He instituted the Holy Supper, for He said:

Drink of it, all of you; for this is My blood of the new covenant [or testament] (Matthew 26:27, 28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20).

It is also called "the blood of the covenant" in Moses, where is the following:

Moses came from Mount Sinai, and told the people all the words of Jehovah, and all the judgments. And Moses wrote all the words of Jehovah, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar under the mount. And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered up burnt-offerings, and sacrificed bullocks as peace-offerings unto Jehovah. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the ears of the people; and they said, All that Jehovah hath spoken will we do and hear. And he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant that Jehovah hath concluded with you upon all these words. And they saw the God of Israel, and under His feet as it were a work of sapphire stone, and as the substance of the heavens for purity (Exodus 24:3-11).

That "blood" here signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and received by man, and conjunction therefrom, is evident, for half of it was sprinkled on the altar and half on the people; for the "altar" signified all worship that is from the good of love, and the "people" those who offer worship and receive the good of love by means of truths; for all reception of Divine good is effected by truths made truths of life, and consequent conjunction is by means of the good in such truths. That there is conjunction by means of the good in such truths, that is, by means of truths made truths of life, and that "blood" was a representative thereof, is very clear from the words there, for this was done when Moses descended from Mount Sinai, from which the law was promulgated, and also the statutes and judgments that were to be observed; and it is said that "Moses wrote all these words of Jehovah, and read them in the ears of the people," who said, "All that Jehovah hath spoken will we do and hear," which words they said twice (See verses 3 and 7).

[7] Words or truths become truths of life by doing; and as Moses wrote these words, he called them, "The Book of the Covenant," which signifies that there is conjunction by means of them. The law promulgated by Jehovah from Mount Sinai, and the statutes and judgments that were also commanded at that time, signified all Divine truth, or the Divine truth in its whole complex. This is why they are called "the Book of the Covenant," and why the ark in which was that book is called "The Ark of the Covenant," "covenant" signifying conjunction. Because Divine truth, by which there is conjunction, proceeds from the Lord, the Lord appeared to the people "under the feet as it were a work of sapphire stone;" that He so appeared "under the feet" signifying that Divine truth is such in ultimates. Divine truth in ultimates is Divine truth in the sense of the letter of the Word; "work of sapphire stone" signifies the translucence of this sense from Divine truth in the internal or spiritual sense; "the God of Israel" is the Lord. (That "sapphire stone" signifies translucence from internal truths, see Arcana Coelestia 9407; and that "the God of Israel" is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, see above, n. 328.) From this it is now clear that a "covenant" or conjunction is effected by means of Divine truth, and that the blood sprinkled on the altar and half of it on the people was a representative of it, since "blood" signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and received by man, as was said above.

(That "covenant" signifies conjunction, see Arcana Coelestia 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804, 8767, 8778, 9396, 10632.

That the law in a strict sense means the ten commandments of the Decalogue, and in a broad sense, the whole Word, thus all Divine truth, n. 2606, 3382, 6752, 7463, 9417.

That from this "Mount Sinai" signifies heaven where the Lord is, from whom is Divine truth, or from whom is the law, both in the strict and the broad sense, n. 8399, 8753, 8793, 8805, 9420; and that the altar was the principal representative of the Lord, and of the worship from the good of love, n. 921, 2777, 2811, 4489, 4541, 8935, 8940, 9388-9389, 9714, 9963-9964, 10123, 10151, 10242, 10245, 10642.)

[8] Since "blood" signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and received by man, from which is conjunction, therefore all things that were representative of things Divine proceeding from the Lord which are called celestial and spiritual were inaugurated by oil and by blood, and were then called holy. They were inaugurated by oil and blood that they might be representative, because "oil" signified the Divine good of the Divine love, and "blood" the Divine truth proceeding therefrom, for truth proceeds from good. That inaugurations and sanctifications were made by means of oil will be seen in what follows, where they are treated of in their paragraph. Here let some things in which blood was used be mentioned, as:

When Aaron and his sons were to be sanctified, blood was sprinkled upon the horns of the altar, and round about the altar, and upon Aaron and his sons, and upon their garments (Exodus 29:12, 16, 20-21; Leviticus 8:24).

Blood was sprinkled seven times before the veil that was over the ark, and upon the horns of the altar of incense (Leviticus 4:6-7, 17-18).

Before Aaron entered within the veil to the mercy-seat, he should sacrifice and burn incense, and should sprinkle the blood with the finger seven times upon the mercy-seat eastward (Leviticus 16:12-15).

The blood of the burnt-offering and of the sacrifice should be sprinkled upon the altar, around the altar, and at the base of the altar (Leviticus 1:5, 1:11, 15; 3:2, 8, 13; 4:25, 30, 34; 5:9; 8:15, 24; 17:6; Numbers 18:17; Deuteronomy 12:27).

The blood should be sprinkled upon the horns of the altar and thus expiation should be made for the altar (Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 16:18-19).

Blood from the burnt-offerings and sacrifices was sprinkled and poured out upon the altar, around the altar, or at its base, because the altar with the burnt-offerings and sacrifices upon it represented and thence signified all worship from the good of love and the truths therefrom; and as truths proceed from good, therefore the blood was sprinkled on and poured out around the altar, for "around" signifies proceeding.

[9] (But these things can be better seen from what has been shown respecting burnt offerings and sacrifices in the Arcana Coelestia, as follows: "burnt-offerings" and "sacrifices" signified all things of worship from the good of love, and the truths therefrom, n. 923, 6905, 8680, 8936, 10042. Therefore burnt-offerings and sacrifices were called bread, n. 2165, because "bread" signifies everything that nourishes the spiritual life, n. 2165, 3478, 4976, 5147, 5915, 6118, 8410, 8418, 9323, 10686. Burnt-offerings and sacrifices signified celestial Divine and spiritual Divine things, which are the internals of the church, from which are all things of worship, n. 2180, 2805, 2807, 2830, 3519; with a difference according to the differences of worship, n. 2805, 6905, 8936. Therefore there were many kinds of burnt-offerings and sacrifices, and in them various processes and consisting also of various animals, n. 2830, 9391, 9990. The various things they specially signified can be known from the particulars of the procedure unfolded by the internal sense, n. Arcana Coelestia 10042. The rituals and procedures of the sacrifices contain arcana of heaven, n. Arcana Coelestia 10057. In general they contain the arcana of the glorification of the Lord's Human, and in a relative sense, the arcana of man's regeneration and his purification from evils and falsities, n. 9990, 10022, 10042, 10053, 10057. What was signified by the "meal-offerings," which were bread and cakes, which were also sacrificed, n. Arcana Coelestia 10079; what by the "drink-offering," which was wine, n. 4581, 10137)

[10] When these things are understood it can be known that "the blood of the sacrifice" in other places also in the Word signifies Divine truth, as in Ezekiel:

Say to the bird of every wing and to the beast of the field, Come together and come; gather yourselves from round about to My sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel; that ye may eat flesh and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth. And ye shall eat fat to satiety, and drink blood to drunkenness, of My sacrifice which I sacrifice for you. And ye shall be satiated at My table with horse, with chariot, with every man of war. So will I give My glory among the nations (Ezekiel 39:17-21).

This treats of the restoration of the church; and "Israel" and "Jacob" mean all who are of the church, respecting whom these things therefore are said; "a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel" signifies all things of their worship; "flesh" and "fat" signify the good of love, and "blood" the truth from that good; worship is from these; an abundance of both is described by their "eating flesh and fat to satiety," and "drinking blood to drunkenness," and this "of the sacrifice;" it is therefore further said, "Ye shall be satiated at My table with horse, chariot, and every man of war," for "horse" signifies the understanding of truth, "chariot" doctrine, and the "man of war" truth fighting against falsity and destroying it. Who cannot see that "blood" here does not mean blood, as that they "should drink the blood of the princes of the earth," and "drink blood even to drunkenness, of the sacrifice?" "The princes of the earth" signify the principal truths of the church; therefore their "blood" signifies spiritual nourishment from those truths. Because such things are signified, therefore it is also said, at the end of this chapter, respecting Israel, by whom the church is signified:

Then will I not hide My faces any more from them; for I will pour out My spirit upon Israel (Ezekiel 39:29).

It is said, "Say to the bird of every wing and to the beast of the field," because "bird of every wing" signifies spiritual truth in the whole complex, and "beast of the field" the affection of good. (That "birds" in the Word signify things spiritual, n. 745, 776, 866, 988, 991, 3219, 5149, 7441; likewise "wings," n. 8764, 9514; that "beasts" signify affections, and "beasts of the field" the affections of good, n. 2180, 3218, 3519, 5198, 9090, 9280, 10609; and that both birds and beasts were for this reason used in sacrifices, n. 1823, 3519, 7523, 9280)

[11] In confirmation that the "beast of the field" and "bird" signify such things, I will quote here one passage only from the Word:

In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beast of the field, and with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth; and I will break the bow and the sword and war from the earth. And I will betroth thee unto Me for ever; and I will betroth thee unto Me in justice and in judgment, and in mercy and in compassions, and I will betroth thee unto Me in truth (Hosea 2:18-20).

"To make a covenant with the beast of the field and with the bird of the heavens" signifies with the affections of good and with spiritual truths, for with these the Lord is conjoined to man, since the Lord is in these with man; therefore it is called "a covenant" with them, "covenant" meaning conjunction. That "beasts" signify the affections of good, and "birds" things spiritual, will be fully shown in their paragraphs in what follows.

[12] Because "fat" in sacrifices signified Divine good, and "blood" Divine truth, both from the Lord, and because by both when received by man conjunction was effected, therefore the posterity of Jacob, that is, the Jews and Israelites, were forbidden to eat any fat or any blood (See Leviticus 3:17; 7:23-27; 17:11-14; Deut. 12:17, 12:23-25; 15:23). This was because that nation was not in any good of love, nor in any truth of good, but in the falsities of evil; and "to eat fat and blood" signified with them the mingling of truth from good with the falsity from evil, which is profanation; from which also it can be seen that "blood" signifies Divine truth. (That "fat" or "fatness" in the Word signifies the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia 353, 5943, 6409, 10033; and that the Jews and Israelites were solely in things external and not in things internal, and consequently not in spiritual truths and good, but in the falsities of evil; and that all things of their worship were external separated from what is internal, and that still by things external they could represent the internal things of worship, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248 .)

[13] Because "blood" in the sacrifices signified Divine truth, therefore also:

They were forbidden to sacrifice the blood of the sacrifice upon what was leavened (Exodus 23:18; 34:25);

for "leaven" signifies falsity, and "what was leavened" truth falsified (See Arcana Coelestia 2342, 7906, 8051, 9992).

[14] The Lord's "flesh" signifies the Divine good of the Divine love, and His "blood" signifies the Divine truth proceeding from that good, because there are two things that proceed from the Lord's Divine Human, namely, Divine good and Divine truth, the latter is His blood, and the former His flesh. That which proceeds is the celestial Divine and the spiritual Divine; and these constitute the heavens in general and in particular. (But this can be seen better from what has been shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, under the following heads. The Divine of the Lord makes Heaven, n. 7-12; the Divine of the Lord in Heaven is Love to Him and Charity towards the Neighbor, n. 13-19; The Whole Heaven, therefore, as a Whole and in Its Parts, answers to One Man, n 59-77; This is from the Lord's Divine Human, n 78-87 and further from what is said of The Sun in Heaven, and Light and Heat therefrom, and that Heat is the Divine Good, and Light Divine Truth, both proceeding from the Lord, n 116-140) From this it can in some measure be comprehended why the Divine proceeding is meant by the "flesh and blood," that is, the Divine good by "flesh," and the Divine truth by "blood."

[15] With man also there are two things that constitute his spiritual life, namely the good of love and the truth of faith. With him the will is the receptacle of the good of love, and the understanding is the receptacle of the truth of faith. All things belonging to the mind, that is, belonging to the will and understanding, have a correspondence with all things belonging to the body, consequently the latter are moved at the nod of the former. In general, the correspondence of the will is with the flesh, and the correspondence of the understanding with the blood; consequently the voluntary that is man's own [proprium voluntarium] is meant in the Word by "flesh," and the intellectual that is his own [proprium intellectuale] by "blood," as in Matthew:

Jesus said to Simon, blessed art thou, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee (Matthew 16:17).

These things are mentioned that it may be known that in the Word things voluntary and intellectual, that is, spiritual things, are meant by "flesh and blood" when man is referred to, and things Divine when the Lord is referred to. But these things are for those whose minds can be elevated above natural ideas and can see causes.

[16] This also is what is signified by the "blood and water" that issued out of the Lord's breast; which is described as follows in John:

One of the soldiers pierced His side, and straightway there came out blood and water. And he that saw beareth witness, and his witness is true; he knoweth that he saith true things, that ye also may believe (John 19:34-35).

These things were done to signify the Lord's conjunction with the human race through Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good of His love; "breast" signifies Divine love; "blood and water" signify Divine truth proceeding, "blood" the Divine truth that is for the spiritual man, and "water" the Divine truth that is for the natural man; for all things that are related in the Word respecting the Lord's passion are also significative (See above, n. 83, 195). And because these things signify His love, and man's salvation by means of Divine truth proceeding from Him, therefore the evangelist adds, "He that saw beareth witness, and his witness is true; he knoweth that he saith true things, that ye also may believe."

[17] To what has already been mentioned I will add the following from the Word.

In Zechariah:

Exult exceedingly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh. And He shall speak peace unto the Gentiles; and His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the uttermost parts of the earth. As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I will send forth thy bound ones out of the pit wherein is no water (Zechariah 9:9-11).

This is said of the Lord, and of the establishment of the church by Him among the nations; "the blood of the covenant" here meaning Divine truth, by means of which there is conjunction of the Lord with those who are to be of His church (as above); it is therefore further said, "I will send forth thy bound ones out of the pit wherein is no water," for by these the nations that are in falsities from ignorance are signified; "the pit wherein is no water" signifying where there is no truth, and "sending them forth" signifying to free them from falsities. That "water" signifies the truth of the church, see above (n. 71); and that "the bound in the pit" signifies those who are in falsities from ignorance, and yet in a desire to know truths, see Arcana Coelestia 4728[1-8], 4744, 5038, 6854, 7950).

[18] In David:

God shall save the souls of the needy; He shall redeem their soul from fraud and violence; and precious shall their blood be in His eyes. And he shall live, and to him shall He give of the gold of Sheba, and shall pray for him continually; all the day shall He bless him. Upon the top of the mountains his fruit shall be shaken (Psalms 72:13-16);

this treats of the "needy," by whom those who desire truths from spiritual affection are signified; of these it is said, that "He shall redeem their soul from fraud and violence," which signifies their liberation from evils and falsities, which destroy the goods of love and the truths of faith. The reception of Divine truth by them as being acceptable and grateful, is signified by "precious shall their blood be in His eyes," "blood" here meaning Divine truth received. Their reformation is described by "he shall live, and to him shall He give of the gold of Sheba, and shall pray for him continually; all the day shall He bless him;" the "gold of Sheba" meaning the good of charity; "to pray for him continually" signifying that they shall be continually withheld from falsities and kept in truths, and "He shall bless him" signifying that they shall be continually in the good of charity and faith; it is therefore said further, "upon the top of the mountains his fruit shall be shaken;" the "top of the mountains" signifying heaven, from which they have the good of love from the Lord, which is "fruit."

[19] In Moses:

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; who shall bind to the vine his ass's foal, and to the noble vine the son of his she-ass, whilst he shall wash his vesture in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes (Genesis 49:10-11).

This prophecy treats of the Lord, of whom it is said, "he shall bind to the vine his ass's foal, and to the noble vine the son of his she-ass," and "he shall wash his vesture in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes;" "vine" signifying the church, and "wine" and the "blood of grapes" Divine truth. (For what the other things signify, see the explanation of these words in Arcana Coelestia 6371-6377.) The like is meant by the "blood of grapes" in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 32:14); where the ancient church reformed by Divine truth is treated of.

[20] From what has been shown in this and the preceding article it can be seen by those who acknowledge the spiritual sense of the Word that "Thou didst redeem us to God in Thy blood" means conjunction with the Divine by the acknowledgment of the Lord, and by the reception of Divine truth from Him; also that the like is meant by "blood" in the twelfth chapter of this prophetic book, where it is said:

That Michael and his angels overcame the dragon by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their ³ testimony (Revelation 12:11).

It is said, "the blood of the Lamb" and "the word of testimony," because "the blood of the Lamb" signifies the reception of Divine truth from the Lord, and "the word of testimony" the acknowledgment of His Divine Human.

[21] That "blood" signifies Divine truth is still further evident from its contrary sense, in which "blood" signifies violence offered to Divine truth by the falsities of evil, and its destruction by these; and as what is signified in the genuine sense is also manifested by these contrary meanings, I will cite some passages in which "blood" and "bloods" have that significance. It is to be known that most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, and that from that sense it can be known what is signified in the genuine sense. The following will serve for illustration. In Revelation:

The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became as the blood of one dead, and every living animal in the sea died. And the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and into the fountains of the waters, and they became blood (Revelation 16:3-4).

And elsewhere:

The two witnesses have power over the waters to turn them into blood (Revelation 11:6).

In Isaiah:

The waters of Nimrim shall be desolations; and the waters of Dimon are full of blood (Isaiah 15:6, 9).

In David:

He sent darkness and made it dark. He turned their waters into blood, and made their fish to die (Psalms 105:28-29).

It is clear from these passages what "blood" signifies in the contrary sense; for blood in the genuine sense signifies Divine truth, and with those who receive it truth from good; so in the contrary sense it signifies violence offered to Divine truth, and with those who do that, it signifies falsity from evil. This contrary meaning is clear from its being said that the "waters" of "the sea," of "rivers," and of "fountains," "were turned into blood;" for "waters" signify truths, therefore "blood" here signifies falsities that destroy truths. The "living animal in the sea," and the "fish," signify truths known [vera scientifica]; so their "dying" and "being slain" by blood signify such truths also destroyed. (That "waters" signify truths, see above, n. 71; and that "fish" signify truths known [vera scientifica] of the natural man, see Arcana Coelestia 40, 991)

[22] Again in Revelation:

I saw when He had opened the sixth seal, and behold there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, and the whole moon became blood (Revelation 6:12).

In Joel:

I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth; blood, and fire, and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great day of Jehovah come (Joel 2:30-31).

Here also it is known from the contrary meaning that "blood" signifies violence offered to the Divine truth; for "sun" in the Word signifies the celestial Divine, which is the Divine good, and "moon" signifies the spiritual Divine, which is the Divine truth; it is therefore said that "the moon shall be turned into blood." (That this is the signification of "moon" see in the work on Heaven and Hell 118, 119.)

[23] In Isaiah:

He that walketh in righteousness, and speaketh uprightness, that stoppeth his ear lest he hear bloods, and shutteth his eyes lest he see evil (Isaiah 33:15);

"to stop the ear lest he hear bloods" meaning evidently not to hear falsities from evil. In David:

Thou wilt destroy those that speak falsehood; the man of blood and deceit Jehovah abhorreth (Psalms 5:6);

"the man of blood and deceit" meaning those who are in falsities from evil; it is therefore said, "Thou wilt destroy those that speak falsehood," "falsehood" in the Word signifying falsities. In Isaiah:

And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy to Him, everyone that is written unto life in Jerusalem. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have washed away the bloods of Jerusalem out of the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of cleansing [burning] (Isaiah 4:3-4).

Because "Jerusalem" signifies the church in respect to doctrine, therefore it is said, "When He shall have washed away its blood out of the midst thereof," "bloods" signifying the falsities of evil. The "spirit of judgment" signifies Divine truth, and because this purifies it is said, "by the spirit of cleansing" [burning].

[24] In Ezekiel:

In the day wherein thou wast born I passed by beside thee, and I saw thee trodden down in thy bloods, and I said unto thee, In thy bloods, live; yea, I said unto thee, In thy bloods live. I washed thee, and I washed away thy bloods from upon thee, and I anointed thee with oil (Ezekiel 16:5-6, 9, 22, 36, 38).

This also treats of Jerusalem, which signifies the church in respect to the doctrine of truth, here first of the falsities of evil in which it was before it was reformed, and afterwards of its reformation; the falsities of evil are signified by its being seen "trodden down in bloods;" and its reformation by "he washed, and washed away the bloods, and anointed with oil;" "to wash" signifying to purify by truths; "to wash away bloods" signifying to remove the falsities of evil; and "to anoint with oil" signifying to endow with the good of love.

[25] In Lamentations:

For the sins of the prophets of Jerusalem, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her. They have wandered blind in the streets, they have been polluted with blood, what they cannot pollute they touch with their garments (Lamentations 4:13-14).

"Prophets of Jerusalem" signify those who are to teach the truths of doctrine, and "priests" those who are to lead by truths to good; here mentioned in a contrary sense, since it is said, "for their sins;" "to shed the blood of the just" signifies to falsify truths and adulterate goods; it is therefore said, "they have wandered blind in the streets, they have been polluted with blood, what they cannot pollute they touch with their garments;" "to wander blind in the streets" signifies not to see truths at all, "streets" meaning truths; "polluted with bloods" signifies to be wholly in falsities; "what they cannot pollute they touch with their garments" signifies that what they cannot pervert they nevertheless falsify, "garments" meaning the truths that invest interior things, which truths are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word.

In Isaiah:

All uproar shall be whirled about by the earthquake, and the garment is polluted with bloods (Isaiah 9:5);

"earthquake" signifying the perversion of the church by the falsification of truth, and the "garment polluted with bloods" the falsification of the sense of the letter of the Word.

[26] In Jeremiah:

Thou hast taught evils thy ways; also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the innocents; I found them not in digging through, but upon all these (Jeremiah 2:33-34).

Here "blood found in the skirts" signifies the like as above by "what they cannot pollute they touch with their garments," "skirts" are the "garments." "I found them not in digging through, but upon all these" signifies that they dared not destroy the truths themselves, but that they falsified the truths of the sense of the letter, "skirts" signifying those truths.

[27] In Isaiah:

Your hands are full of bloods (Isaiah 1:15).

Your hands are polluted with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue hath meditated perverseness. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity (Isaiah 59:3, 7).

"Hands polluted with blood, and fingers with iniquity" signifies that in all things belonging to them there is falsity and the evil of falsity; "hands" and "fingers" signify power, thus all things with them that have power. Because this is the meaning it is also said, "your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue hath meditated perverseness," "lies" meaning falsities, and "perverseness" the evil of falsity; "their feet make haste to shed innocent blood" signifies their hastening to destroy the good of love and charity; this is signified by "shedding innocent blood." The good of innocence is that from which is every good and truth of heaven and the church (See Heaven and Hell 276-283). From this it can be seen what is signified in a general sense by "bloods," in the plural, namely, violence offered both to the truths and the goods of the Word and of the church.

As "shedding innocent blood" signifies to destroy the good of love and of charity, every kind of precaution was taken that innocent blood should not be shed; and if it were shed:

That expiation shall be made for the land (Deuteronomy 19:10, 13; 21:1-9);

for the "land" signifies the church.

[28] In Isaiah:

Jehovah goeth forth from His place to visit the iniquity of the earth; then shall the earth reveal her bloods, and shall no more cover her slain (Isaiah 26:21).

The "bloods" that the earth shall reveal signify all the falsities and evils that have destroyed the truths and goods of the church, the "earth" being the church where these are; the "slain" signify those that have perished by falsities and evils. (That the "slain" signify those that have perished by falsities and evils, see above, n. 315.) In Revelation:

In Babylon was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth (Revelation 18:24);

"the blood of prophets and of saints" meaning truths and goods extinguished; and the "slain" those who have perished by falsities and evils (as just above).

[29] The like is meant by:

The blood of the prophets which was shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just even to the blood of Zachariah, the son of Barachiah, whom they slew between the temple and the altar (Matthew 23:30, 34-35; Luke 11:50-51).

In the spiritual sense, by "Abel" those who are in the good of charity are meant, and, abstractly from person, that good itself; and by "Cain" those who make faith alone the sole means of salvation, and the good of charity of no account, thus rejecting and slaying it; and by "Zachariah" those who are in the truths of doctrine are meant, and abstractly from person the truth itself of doctrine; therefore the "blood" of these two signifies the extinction of all good and truth; "whom they slew between the temple and the altar" signifies in the spiritual sense every kind of rejection of the Lord; for "temple" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and "altar" the Lord in respect to Divine good, and "between them" signifies both together.

(That "Abel" in a representative sense is the good of charity, see Arcana Coelestia 342, 354, 1179, 3325; and that "Cain" is faith alone, separated from charity, n. 340, 347, 1179[1], 3325. That "prophet" signifies the doctrine of truth, n. 2534, 7269. That "temple" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and "altar" the Lord in respect to Divine good, and in a relative sense the Lord's kingdom and church in respect to truth and good, n. 2777, 3720, 9714, 10642. That "between" the two signifies where there is a marriage of Divine truth and Divine good, n. 10001, 10025.)

[30] In the Word it is often said of those condemned to death, that "their bloods should be upon them," which means, in the spiritual sense, that damnation should be upon them because of the falsities and evils by which they had destroyed the truths and goods of the church; for in general "bloods" signify all the falsities of doctrine, of life, and of worship, by means of which come the evils that destroy the church. These evils are in part enumerated in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 18:10-13); these are also signified by "bloods" in John:

As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, to them that believe on His name; who were born, not of bloods nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12, 13).

"The Lord's name" means all truths and goods by which He is to be worshiped; "bloods" mean all the falsities and evils that destroy; "the will of the flesh" and "the will of man" signify all the evils of love and the falsities of faith, for "flesh" signifies the voluntary that is man's own [proprium volutarium] from which is every evil, and "man" [vir] signifies the intellectual that is man's own [proprium intellectuale], from which is every falsity, "will" meaning where these things are; "to be born of God" is to be regenerated by means of the truths of faith, and by means of a life according to them.