7988. That all the armies of Jehovah went forth from the land of Egypt. That this signifies that they who were in truth and good and were still detained there, were taken out, is evident from the signification of “going forth from the land of Egypt,” as being to be taken out and liberated from infestations (that “to go forth” denotes to be taken out, is evident; and also that “the land of Egypt” denotes infestations, see n. 7278); and from the signification of “the armies of Jehovah,” as being the truths and goods of the spiritual church, thus those who are in truth and good (n. 3448, 7236). That truths and goods are “the armies of Jehovah,” is evident in Daniel:

There went out one little horn of the he-goat, and it grew exceedingly toward the south, and toward the east, and toward comeliness; and it grew even to the army of the heavens; and some of the army and of the stars it cast down to the earth, and trampled upon them. Yea, it exalted itself even to the Prince of the army. And the army was delivered upon the continual sacrifice unto transgression, because it cast forth truth into the earth. Then I heard a holy one speaking, How long shall the holy thing and the army be given to be trampled on? He said unto me, Until the evening and the morning, two thousand three hundred; then shall the holy thing be justified (Daniel 8:9-14);

it is here clearly evident that “armies” denote truths and goods; for it is said that it “cast down to the earth some of the army and of the stars,” and afterward that it “cast forth truth into the earth,” and that “the army was to be trampled on until the evening and the morning,” that is, until the coming of the Lord.

[2] As truths and goods are the “armies of Jehovah,” therefore the angels are called His “armies” in the first Book of Kings:

Micaiah the prophet said, I saw Jehovah sitting on His throne, and the whole army of the heavens standing by Him (1 Kings 22:19).

Bless Jehovah, ye His angels, mighty in strength. Bless Jehovah, all ye His armies, ye ministers of His (Psalms 103:20-21); where the angels are called “armies” from the truths and goods in which they are. Nor were the angels only called “the armies of Jehovah,” but also the luminaries of heaven, as the sun, moon, and stars, and this because by the “sun” was signified the good of love, by the “moon” the good of faith, and by the “stars” the knowledges of good and truth. That these luminaries are called “armies” is manifest in the book of Genesis:

And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the army of them (Genesis 2:1); where by “army” are meant all the luminaries of heaven; but in the internal sense, in which is here described the new creation of man, are meant truths and goods.

[3] In like manner in David:

Praise ye Jehovah, all His angels; praise ye Him, all His armies. Praise ye Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all ye stars of light (Psalms 148:2-3).

That the “sun” denotes the good of love; the “moon” the good of faith, see n. 1529, 1530, 2441, 2495, 4060, 4696, 5377, 7083; and that the “stars” denote the knowledges of good and truth, n. 1808, 2120, 2495, 2849, 4697.

[4] That the “sun, moon, and stars” signify goods and truths, is because in heaven the Lord is a sun to the celestial angels, and a moon to the spiritual angels (n. 1521, 1529-1531, 3636, 3643, 4300, 4321, 5097, 7078, 7083, 7171, 7173), and because the angelic abodes shine like the stars, according to these words in Daniel:

Then shall the intelligent shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that make many righteous, as the stars forever and to eternity (Daniel 12:3).

[5] As from truths and goods the angels are called “the armies of Jehovah,” and so also the sun, moon, and stars; and as all truth and good proceed from the Lord; therefore in the Word the Lord is called “Jehovah Zebaoth” that is, “of armies” (n. 3448). He is so called also from the fact that He fights for man against the hells. From all this it can now be seen what is meant in the internal sense by “the armies of Jehovah.” That the sons of Jacob, who went forth out of Egypt, were not these armies, but that they represented them, is evident from their life in Egypt, in that they did not know Jehovah, not even His name, until this was told to Moses out of the bramble (Exodus 3:13-16); and also that they, equally with the Egyptians, were worshipers of a calf, as may be concluded from the thirty-second chapter of Exodus; and also from their life in the wilderness, in that they were of such a character that they could not be introduced into the land of Canaan; thus were as far as possible from being the armies of Jehovah.

2495. CHAPTER 20

That the Word contains within it an internal sense that is not apparent in the letter has already been stated and shown in many places, and the nature of this internal sense appears from all that has thus far been unfolded, beginning with the first chapter of Genesis. Nevertheless as the few who at this day believe in the Word do not know that there is such a sense, it may be well to confirm it further.

[2] The Lord describes the Consummation of the Age, or the last period of the church, as follows:

Immediately after the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken (Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24).

That in this passage the “sun” does not mean the sun, nor the “moon” the moon, nor the “stars” the stars; but that the “sun” signifies love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor; the “moon” the faith of love and charity; and the “stars” the knowledges of good and truth, was shown above (n. 31, 32, 1053, 1521, 1529-1531, 2120, 2441); so that by these words of the Lord there is signified that in the consummation of the age (or last period of the church) there will no longer be any love, or charity, nor therefore any faith.

[3] That this is the meaning is evident from similar words of the Lord in the Prophets, as in Isaiah:

Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, to make the earth a solitude; and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it; for the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof shall not shine with their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine (Isaiah 13:9-10); where also the last period of the church, or what is the same, the consummation of the age, is treated of.

In Joel:

A day of darkness and of thick darkness, a day of cloud and obscurity, before Him the earth quaked, the heavens trembled, the sun and the moon were darkened, and the stars withdrew their shining (Joel 2:2, 10);

with a similar meaning. Again in the same:

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah comes (Joel 2:31).

And again in the same:

The day of Jehovah is near, the sun and the moon have been darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining (Joel 3:14-15).

In Ezekiel:

When I shall extinguish thee, I will cover the heavens, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not make her light to shine; all the luminaries of light in the heavens will I make dark, and will set darkness upon thy land (Ezekiel 32:7-8).

So too in John:

I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and behold there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, and the stars fell unto the earth (Revelation 6:12-13).

The fourth angel sounded, so that the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, and the third part of them was darkened (Revelation 8:12).

[4] From these passages it is evident that the Lord’s words in the Evangelists involve much the same as His words in the Prophets, namely, that in the last times there will be neither charity, nor faith; and that this is the internal sense; as also is still further evident in Isaiah:

The moon shall blush, and the sun shall be ashamed, for Jehovah Zebaoth shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem (Isaiah 24:23).

That is to say, faith, which is the “moon,” shall blush; and charity, which is the “sun,” shall be ashamed, because they are such; for it cannot be said of the moon and the sun that they shall blush and be ashamed. And in Daniel:

The goat’s horn grew toward the south, and toward the east, and grew even to the army of the heavens, and some of the army and of the stars it cast down to the earth and trampled upon them (Daniel 8:9-10); where it is plain to everyone that the “army of the heavens” does not signify an “army,” nor the “stars” stars.