Arcana Coelestia # 6675
6675. And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools. That this signifies a discernment of the truth and good flowing in from the internal into the memory-knowledges of the church, is evident from the signification of “doing the office of a midwife,” as being reception of the good and truth flowing in from the internal into the natural, for the natural is a “midwife” insofar as it receives the influx (see n. 4588, 6673); from the signification of “the Hebrew women,” as being things of the church (n. 5136, 5236); from the signification of “seeing,” as being to discern (n. 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400); and from the signification of “stools,” as being those things in the natural which receive the goods and truths flowing in from the internal, thus true memory-knowledges, for these receive. Hence it is evident that by “When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women and see them upon the stools,” is signified a discernment of the truth and good flowing in from the internal into the memory-knowledges of the church which are in the natural.
Revelation 17:8
8
The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.
