920. And cast it into the great wine-press of the anger of God, signifies the falsification of the Word as to all spiritual truth, and consequent damnation, because there is no spiritual good, which is charity. This is evident from the signification of "wine-press" as being the bringing forth of truth from good; for "clusters" and "grapes," which were put into the wine-press, signify spiritual good, and "wine" which is produced, signifies truth from that good (See above, n. 220, 376). As "the wine-press" signifies the bringing forth of truth from spiritual good, so in the contrary sense it signifies the bringing forth of falsity from evil. For in like manner as good brings forth truth, so evil opposite to good, brings forth falsity. "Wine-press" signifies here the falsification of the Word as to all spiritual truth, because it is called "the great wine-press of the anger of God," and "the anger of God" signifies man's contempt for truth and good and his rejection of it, and the full rejection of it is the falsification of the sense of the letter of the Word even to the destruction of spiritual truth, that is, of the Divine truth which is in heaven. That this falsification closes heaven may be seen n. 888. Moreover, those who are in evil (and all are in evil who are not in the good of charity) cannot do otherwise than bring forth falsities; for as good brings forth truths so evil brings forth falsities. "The great wine-press of the anger of God" signifies also damnation, because this is a consequence, and because the terms "anger of God" and "great wine-press" are used. That this is what a "wine-press" signifies will be confirmed from the Word in the next article.

[2] Here a few words shall be said about the bringing forth of truth from good, and also of falsity from evil, which is signified by "wine-press" in the spiritual sense. The origin and cause of such bringing forth is that all good is from love, and that which is loved gives delight; and as delight is grateful and pleasing, that which is of the love man thinks about with delight and also confirms. And since love with its delight constitutes the life of man, when man thinks from love and its delight he thinks from self and from his life. That this is so can be clearly seen from men after death, when they have become spirits; for then, when they think from self, they can think in no other way than from their love, since their whole life is their love. Since, therefore, good is from love and truth is from thought, it is clear how truth is brought forth from good.

[3] The same that has been said of good and truth can be said of the will and understanding; for as all good is from the love it is from the will, and as all truth from good is from the thought it is from the understanding; for the will loves, and the understanding thinks. The same that has been said of good and truth can be said of heat and light; for spiritual heat is the love that enkindles the will, and the spiritual light is the truth that enlightens the understanding. For all love, which is from the will, presents an effigy of itself in the light of the understanding, where it recognizes itself and wishes to see itself, because it loves itself; and this is why man thinks what he loves.

[4] The same that has been said of the bringing forth of truth from good can be said of the bringing forth of falsity from evil. For all evil is from the love, and therefore it loves falsity; and evil is from the will, and falsity is from the thought from evil. This has been said because "wine-press" signifies in the spiritual sense the bringing forth of truth from good, also the bringing forth of falsity from evil. "The great wine-press of the anger of God" signifies also the falsification of the word, because the falsification of the Word is the bringing forth of falsity from evil; for evil is what falsifies, since evil loves the idea of itself in the thought, and the thought, that it may persuade, wishes to find confirmation of the evil in the Word.

9057. 'Blow for blow' means if anything of affection in the understanding is wiped out or injured. This is clear from the meaning of 'blow' as the wiping out or injuring of affection in the understanding, that is, of affection for truth. 'Blow' is expressed in the original language by a word that means a bruise resulting from a gathering of blood or corrupted blood; and 'blood' in the internal sense is the truth of faith derived from the good of love and in the contrary sense truth that has been falsified and rendered profane, 4735, 6978, 7317, 7326. 'A blow' therefore is truth that has been injured or wiped out. 'Blows' or 'plagues' ¹ have the same meaning in Revelation 9:20; 11:6; 13:12; 15:1, 6, 8; 16:21; 18:8; also in Jeremiah 30:12, 14, 17; Ezekiel 7:2; Zechariah 14:12-15; Psalms 38:5; and in Luke 10:30-35, where it speaks about the one who fell among thieves, who inflicted blows on him, and left him half dead, and about a Samaritan who bandaged his blows, poured in oil and wine, lifted him onto his own animal, and brought him to an inn.

[2] A person with an understanding of the internal sense of the Word can know why the Lord said that a Samaritan bandaged the victim's blows, poured in oil and wine, and set him on his own animal. In the internal sense 'a Samaritan' means someone with an affection for truth; 'bandaging blows' means healing that affection when it has been injured; 'pouring in oil and wine' means introducing the good of love and the good of faith; and 'lifting onto his animal' means supporting with his own power of understanding. Thus those words were used to describe charity towards the neighbour, in a natural way for the benefit of people in the world and in a spiritual way for the benefit of angels in heaven - in a natural way in the sense of the letter, and in a spiritual way in the internal sense. The reason why 'a Samaritan' is someone with an affection for truth is that in the Word 'Samaria' means that affection. For the meaning of 'oil' as the good of love, see 886, 3728, 4582; of 'wine' as the good of faith, 1798, 6377; of 'an animal' as the power of understanding, 2761, 2762, 2781, 3217, 5321, 5741, 6125, 6401, 6534, 7024, 8146, 8148. The Lord spoke in this manner, but few understand it; for they think that such details were mentioned by Him merely in order to make up some story that was a parable. But in that case they would not be words from God. Words from God all hold within themselves such things as tell of the Lord, of heaven, and of the Church, in every tiny detail, see above in 9049 (end).

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