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Et dans Amos - Amos 2:9-10.

C’est pourquoi ici par l'Emorréen on doit entendre toutes les nations de la terre de Canaan, par lesquelles ont été signifiés en particulier les maux et les faux, comme je l'ai déjà dit ; de là l'Emorréen signifie tous les maux en général. La consommation signifie le dernier temps quand il n'y a plus aucun bien. Toutefois, ce qui est entendu par ces mots : parce que jusque-là l'iniquité des Emorréens n'aura pas été consommée, est un arcane ; voici ce qui se passe à l'égard des méchants dans l'autre vie : les méchants ne sont pas punis avant que leurs maux soient parvenus à leur comble et cela, soit dans le commun, soit dans le particulier ; car tel est l'équilibre dans l'autre vie, que le mal se punit lui-même, ou que les méchants se jettent dans la peine du mal, mais seulement quand il est parvenu à son comble ; chaque mal à sa limite, qui est différente chez chacun ; cette limite ne doit pas être dépassée ; quand le méchant la dépasse, il se précipite alors dans la peine, et cela en tout ce qui concerne le particulier. Il en est de même en ce qui regarde le commun : les méchants se jettent dans l'enfer, non pas en un moment, mais successivement ; cela vient de la Loi universelle de l'Ordre établi par le Seigneur, loi d'après laquelle le Seigneur n'envoie jamais qui que ce soit dans l'enfer, mais le mal où le méchant s'y jette lui-même successivement, et cela, jusqu'à ce que le mal ait été consommé, et qu'il n'apparaisse plus aucun bien ; tant qu'il y a en lui quelque reste de bien, il est élevé de l'enfer ; mais quand il n'y a plus que le mal, il s'élance lui-même dans l'enfer ; il faut d'abord que l'un soit séparé de l'autre, car le bien et le mal sont opposés l'un à l'autre ; rester en suspens entre l'un et l'autre n'est pas permis : voilà ce qui est signifié par l'iniquité des Emorréens qui doit être consommée : mais il en est autrement des bons ; ils sont continuellement élevés par le Seigneur vers le ciel, et le mal qui est en eux s'efface successivement. Il en est de même de l'état de l'Eglise ; la visite ne vient point avant que le mal ait été consommé, c'est-à-dire tant qu'il reste encore quelque bien de la charité et quelque vrai de la foi : il est très-souvent parlé de cette consommation dans les Prophètes ; par exemple, dans Ésaïe :

« J'ai entendu la consommation et Indécision de la part du Seigneur Jéhovih Zebaoth sur toute la terre. » - .

Dans Jérémie :

« Babel, qui habites sur plusieurs eaux, grande en trésors, elle est venue, ta fin, la mesure de ton lucre. » - Jérémie 51:13.

Dans Daniel :

« Soixante-dix semaines ont été décidées sur ton peuple et sur la ville de ta sainteté, pour consommer la prévarication, et pour sceller les péchés, et pour expier l'iniquité, et pour amener la justice des siècles, et pour sceller la vision et le prophète, et pour oindre le Saint des saints. » - Daniel 9:24.

« Enfin sur l'oiseau des abominations (est) la désolation, et jusqu'à la Consommation et à la décision, elle se répandra sur la dévastation. » - Ibid. vers. 27.

La Consommation est aussi prédise par le Seigneur Lui-Même dans le Luc, en ces termes :

« Ils tomberont sous le tranchant de l'épée, et seront captifs parmi toutes les nations : et enfin Jérusalem sera foulée par les nations, jusqu'à ce que les temps des nations soient accomplis. » - .

Tomber sous le tranchant de l'épée, c'est par les faux ; car l'épée, dans la Parole, est la peine du faux ; Jérusalem, c'est le Royaume du Seigneur et l'Eglise, numéro 402 ; les nations sont les maux, numéro 1260 ; il y a consommation alors que l'Eglise a été possédée par les maux et par les faux, et par conséquent détruite par elle-même.

3941. 'Reuben went in the days of the wheat harvest' means faith in regard to its state of love and charity. This is clear from the representation of 'Reuben' as faith, which is the first stage of regeneration, dealt with in 3862, 3866; from the meaning of 'days' as states, dealt with in 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785; and from the meaning of 'wheat' as love and charity, dealt with below - 'wheat harvest' therefore meaning a developing state of love and charity. Jacob's four sons by the servant-girls have portrayed the various means by which the external man is joined to the internal man. Now his remaining four sons portray the actual joining together of good and truth, on account of which reference is made first of all to 'dudaim', by which that joining together or conjugial relationship is meant. The reason why 'wheat harvest' means a developing state of love and charity is that 'the field' means the Church and so the things that constitute the Church, while the seeds sown in it mean the germs of good and truth. And what springs up from those seeds, such as wheat, barley, and many other crops, are the fruits of love and charity, and also of faith. The states of the Church so far as those things are concerned are therefore compared to seedtime and harvest, and are also actually called seedtime and harvest, as in Genesis 8:22 - see 932.

[2] That 'wheat' means the things which constitute love and charity may also be seen from the following places: In Moses,

Jehovah causes him to ride over the heights of the land and He feeds [him] with the produce of the fields, causes him to suck honey out of the crag, and oil out of the stony rock - butter from the cattle, and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs and rams, the breed ¹ of Bashan, and of goats, with the kidney-fat of wheat; and of the blood of the grape you drink unmixed wine. Deuteronomy 32:13-14.

This refers in the internal sense to the Ancient Church and its state when it was established, every aspect of love and charity, and every aspect of faith there, being described by means of things that have spiritual meanings. 'The kidney-fat of wheat' means the celestial side of love and charity. And because 'fat' or 'fatness' means that which is celestial, 353, and 'wheat' means love, the two words are therefore linked together in various places in the Word, as also in David,

O that My people were obedient to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! He would feed them with the fat of wheat, and with honey out of the rock I will satisfy you. Psalms 81:13, 16.

And elsewhere in the same author,

Jehovah is the one who makes peace your border; with the fat of wheat He satisfies you. Psalms 147:14.

[3] That 'wheat' means love and charity is evident in Jeremiah,

Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard, they have trampled down the portion of My field, they have rendered the portion of My field into a lonely wilderness. On all the hills in the wilderness those who cause devastation have come, for the sword of Jehovah is devouring from one end of the land even to the other end of the land. There is no peace for any flesh. They have sown wheat and reaped thorns. Jeremiah 12:10, 12-13.

'Vineyard' and 'the field' stand for the Church, 'a lonely wilderness' for the vastation of it, 'a devouring sword' for the vastation of truth, 'no peace' for the absence of good stirring the affections, 'sowing wheat' for forms of good which are the product of love and charity, 'sowing thorns' for evils and falsities which are the result of self-love and love of the world. For 'vineyard' means the spiritual Church, 1069; 'the field' the Church as regards good, 2971; 'wilderness' vastation, 1927, 2708; 'a devouring sword' vastation of truth, 2799; 'peace' good that stirs the affections, 3780.

[4] In Joel,

The field has been laid waste, the ground has been mourning because the grain has been laid waste, the new wine has failed, the oil languishes. Farmers have been put to shame, vinedressers have wailed over the wheat and over the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished. Gird yourselves and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Joel 1:10-11, 13.

It is evident to anyone that here the state of the Church when it has been vastated is what is described, and this being so, that 'the field' and 'the ground' mean the Church, 'the grain' its good, and 'the new wine' its truth, 3580, while 'wheat' means celestial love, 'barley' spiritual love. And since the state of the Church is the subject, the call to 'gird yourselves and lament, O priests, and wail, O ministers of the altar' is used.

[5] In Ezekiel,

The Spirit of Jehovah addressing the prophet, Take for yourself wheat and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt, and put them into a single vessel, and make them for yourself into bread. With human excrement you shall make a cake before their eyes. Thus shall the children of Israel eat their unclean bread. Ezekiel 4:9, 12-13.

This refers to the defilement of good and truth. 'Wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, spelt' stands for different kinds of good and of truth derived from good. 'Bread' or a cake made from these together with human excrement stands for the defilement of them all.

[6] In John,

I saw, and behold, a black horse, and the one seated on it held a balance in his hand I heard a voice from the midst of the four living creatures saying, A choenix of wheat for a denarius, and three choenices of barley for a denarius; but do no harm to oil and wine. Revelation 6:5-6.

This too refers to the vastation of good and truth. 'A choenix of wheat for a denarius' stands for a scarcity of love, 'three choenices of wheat for a denarius' for a scarcity of charity.

[7] In Ezekiel,

Judah and the land of Israel, they were your merchants. Wheat of minnith and pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm, they exchanged for your tracings. Ezekiel 27:17.

This refers to Tyre, which means the cognitions of good and truth. The goods of love and charity, and the happiness they bring, are meant by 'wheat of minnith and pannag, and honey, oil, and balm'. 'Judah' means the celestial Church, 'the land of Israel' the spiritual, which are the source of those goods. 'Tracings' means acquisitions.

[8] In Moses,

A land of wheat and barley, and of the vine and of the fig and of the pomegranate, a land of olive oil and honey. Deuteronomy 8:8.

This is a description of the land of Canaan, which in the internal sense means the Lord's kingdom, 1413, 1437, 1585, 1607, 3038, 3705. Forms of good which are the product of love and charity in that kingdom are meant by 'wheat and barley', forms of good which are the product of faith by 'the vine and the fig'.

[9] In Matthew,

Whose fan is in His hand, and He will purge His threshing-floor and gather His wheat into the granary, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire. Matthew 3:12; Luke 3:17.

John the Baptist referred in this way to the Lord. 'Wheat' stands for the goods of love and charity, 'chaff' for those things which do not have any good at all within them. In the same gospel,

Let both grow together until the harvest; and at the time of harvest I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to burn them but gather the wheat into my barn. Matthew 13:30.

'Weeds' stands for evils and falsities, 'wheat' for goods. These are comparisons, but all comparisons in the Word are made through the use of things that carry a spiritual meaning.

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