401. And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, signifies that all the good of love was separated, and thence all the truth of faith falsified. This is evident from the signification of "sun" as being in the highest sense the Lord in respect to Divine love, and thence with man the good of love to the Lord from the Lord (of which presently); also from the signification of "black as sackcloth of hair," as being separated; "black" is predicated of thick darkness, thus of what does not appear from any light. It is said "as sackcloth of hair," because it means the sensual of man, which is the lowest of the natural, and is thus round about the interiors, in which it induces thick darkness. Man has two minds, a spiritual and a natural; the spiritual mind thinks and perceives from the light of heaven, but the natural mind thinks and perceives from the light of the world; from the latter, man has a light that is called natural light [lumen]. This natural mind is what is called the natural man, but the spiritual mind is what is called the spiritual man. As the natural mind is below or outside of the spiritual mind it is also round about it, for it enwraps it on every side; therefore it is called "sackcloth of hair" or "hairy;" for when the spiritual mind, which is the higher and interior mind, is closed, then the natural mind, which is the lower and exterior, is in thick darkness in respect to all things of heaven and the church; for all the light that the natural mind has, and that constitutes its intelligence, is from the light of his spiritual mind, and this light is the light of heaven. The sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural, is also in the light of heaven like something hairy; from this it is that "hair" signifies the ultimate of the natural man, which is the sensual (See Arcana Coelestia n. 3301, 5247, 5569-5573). These things have been said that it may be known why it is that "the sun became black as sackcloth of hair."

[2] The above is evident also from the signification of the "moon" as being spiritual truth, which is called the truth of faith (of which presently); also from the signification of "became as blood," as being that truth was falsified; for "blood" in the genuine sense signifies Divine truth, and in the contrary sense, violence offered to Divine truth, thus Divine truth falsified (that this is the signification of "blood" in the Word, see above, n.329; this makes clear what "the moon became as blood" signifies. "The sun" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine love, and thus with man the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, and "the moon" signifies spiritual truth, because the Lord in the heaven of celestial angels appears as a sun, and in the heaven of spiritual angels as a moon. His appearing as a sun is from His Divine love, for Divine love appears as a fire, from which angels in the heavens have their heat; consequently celestial and spiritual "fire" in the Word mean love. The Lord's appearing as a moon is from the light that is from that sun, for the moon derives her light [lumen] from that sun, and light in heaven is Divine truth, consequently "light" in the Word signifies Divine truth. (But of the Sun and the Moon in the Heavens, and the Heat and Light Therefrom, see what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell (116-125, 126-140)

[3] That in the Word "sun" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine love, and with man the good of love to the Lord, and the "moon" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth spiritual, is evident from the following passages. In Matthew:

When Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became as light (Matthew 17:1-2).

Because the Lord was then seen in His Divine, He appeared in respect to His face "as the sun," and in respect to His garments "as the light," because the face corresponds to love, and "garments" correspond to truths; and "His face did shine as the sun" because Divine love was in Him, and "His garments became as light" because Divine truth was from Him; for the light in Heaven is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun. (That "the face" in reference to the Lord means love and every good, see Arcana Coelestia 5585, 9306, 9546, 9888; and that "garments" in reference to the Lord signify Divine truth, see above, n. 64, 195.) In like manner the Lord appears in heaven before the angels when He presents Himself before them, but He then appears out of the sun. He was therefore seen in like manner by John when he was in the spirit, as appears in Revelation, where it is said that:

The face of the Son of man was seen as the sun shineth in his power (Revelation 1:16).

It was evidently the Lord who was seen (See above, n. 63).

[4] Likewise when the Lord was seen by John as an angel, respecting which we read:

And I saw a strong angel coming down out of heaven, encompassed with a cloud, and a rainbow about his head, and his face was as the sun (Revelation 10:1);

for "angels" in the Word in its spiritual sense do not mean angels, but something Divine from the Lord, since the Divine that appears from them is not theirs, but the Lord's with them. So, too, the Divine truth they speak, which is full of wisdom, they do not speak from themselves, but from the Lord, for they have been men, and men have all wisdom and intelligence from the Lord. This makes clear that in the Word "angel" means the Lord, who also then appeared as a sun. (That in the Word, "angel" means something Divine from the Lord, seeArcana Coelestia 1925, 2821, 3039, 4085, 6280, 8192; that this is why in the Word angels are called gods, n.4295, 4402, 7268, 7873, 8301, 8192.)

[5] So, too, when the church was represented as a woman, the sun also then appeared around her; which is thus described in Revelation:

A great sign was seen in heaven; a woman encompassed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars (Revelation 12:1).

That "the woman" here signifies the church will be seen in the explanation that will be given in what follows. (That "woman" signifies the church, see Arcana Coelestia 252, 253, 749, 770.) And because the church is from the Lord she was seen encompassed with the sun. What is signified by "the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars," will also be shown in that explanation.

[6] It is therefore said by David:

The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me, As the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, a morning without clouds, from the brightness after rain (2 Samuel 23:3-4

"The God of Israel" and "Rock of Israel" here mean the Lord in relation to the church, and in relation to Divine truth therein, "the God of Israel" in relation to the church, and "Rock of Israel" in relation to Divine truth therein; and as the Lord is the sun of the angelic heaven, and the Divine truth proceeding from Him is the light of that heaven, therefore it is said of the Divine which He spoke, which is Divine truth, that it is "as the light of the morning when the sun riseth;" because this is pure, and proceeds from His Divine love, it is added, "a morning without clouds, from brightness after rain," for the brightness of the light, or of Divine truth proceeding from Him, is from Divine love; "after rain" signifies after communication and reception, for its brightness is then with angels and men to whom it is communicated and by whom it is received. (That "the Rock of Israel," and "the Stone of Israel," mean the Lord in relation to Divine truth, see Arcana Coelestia 6426, 8581, 10580; and that "light" is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun, thus out of His Divine love, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 126-140.)

[7] In like manner it is said of those who love Jehovah, in the book of Judges:

Let them that love Him be as the going forth of the sun in his might (Judges 5:31).

That in the Word "Jehovah" means the Lord in relation to the Divine good of the Divine love may be seen in theArcana Coelestia 1736, 2921, 3035, 5041, 6303, 6281, 8864, 9315, 9373, 10146). Of those who love Him it is said, "as the going forth of the sun in his might," which signifies the Lord's Divine love in them. Of such it is also said that "they shall shine as the sun," in Matthew:

The righteous shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of My ¹ Father (Matthew 13:43).

In the Word those are called "righteous" who love the Lord, that is, from love do His commandments; and in respect to their faces they shine with an effulgence like that of the sun, because the Lord's Divine love is communicated to them and received by them, whereby the Lord is in their midst, that is, in their interiors, which manifest themselves in the face. (That those who are in good of love to the Lord are called "righteous," see above, n.204)

[8] In David:

His seed shall be to eternity, and His throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established as the moon to eternity, and as a faithful witness in the clouds (Psalms 89:36-37).

This is said of the Lord, and of His heaven and church, for by "David," who is here treated of in the sense of the letter, is meant the Lord (See above, n. 205); "his seed which shall be to eternity" signifies Divine truth, and also those who receive it; "his throne as the sun before Me" signifies the heaven and church of the Lord, which are in celestial good, which is the good of love; "the throne established as the moon to eternity" signifies the heaven and the church that are in spiritual good, which is Divine truth; "a faithful witness in the clouds" signifies the Word in the sense of the letter, which is called "a witness" because it witnesses, "clouds" meaning the sense of the letter of the Word.

[9] In the same:

They shall fear Thee with the sun and before the moon, a generation of generations. In His days shall the righteous flourish; and much peace till the moon be no more. His name shall be to eternity; before the sun shall He have the name of Son; and all nations shall be blessed in Him (Psalms 72:5, 7, 17).

This, too, is said of the Lord, for this whole Psalm treats of Him; and as the Lord appears in heaven to those who are in His celestial kingdom as a sun, and to those who are in His spiritual kingdom as a moon, it is said "they shall fear Thee with the sun and before the moon, a generation of generations;" "in that day the righteous shall flourish, and much peace till the moon be no more," signifies that those who are in love to the Lord will be in truths from that good, for with those who are in the celestial kingdom, that is, in love to the Lord, truths are implanted; those are called "righteous" who are in the good of love, and "peace" is predicated of that good. But that it may be known how this is to be understood, "till the moon be no more," it shall be told. The light proceeding from the Lord as a sun differs from the light proceeding from the Lord as a moon in the heavens, as the light of the sun in the world by day differs from the light of the moon in the world by night; the intelligence of those who are in the light of the sun of heaven differs in like manner from the intelligence of those who are in the light of the moon there; wherefore those who are in the light of the sun there are in pure Divine truth; but those who are in the light of the moon there are not in pure Divine truth, for they are in many falsities, which they have derived from the sense of the letter of the Word not understood, and yet these falsities appear to them as truths. From this it can be seen that "till the moon be no more" signifies till there no longer exists with them falsity appearing as truth, but pure truth which makes one with the good of love. It must be known however, that the falsities of those who are in the light of the moon in the heavens are falsities in which there is no evil, and that such falsities, therefore, are accepted by the Lord as if they were truths (respecting these falsities, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 21). This, therefore, is what is signified by "till the moon be no more," that is, with those who are meant by "the righteous in whom there is much peace." But in the highest sense, by these words the Lord in relation to His Divine Human, that this shall be the Divine good of the Divine love, is meant, therefore it is also added, "before the sun He shall have the name of Son," "Son" meaning the Lord's Divine Human. And as "nations" mean all who are in good, or who receive the good of love from the Lord, it is said, "and all nations shall be blessed in Him." (That "nations" signify those who are in good, and "peoples" those who are in truths, may be seen above, n. 331.)

[10] In Isaiah:

There shall be upon every high mountain and upon every lofty hill streams, rivulets of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall. And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days (Isaiah 30:25-26).

This is said of the Last Judgment, which is meant by "the day of great slaughter, when the towers shall fall," "the towers that shall fall" meaning those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom, in particular, those who are in the love of ruling by means of the holy things of the church (See in the work on The Last Judgment 56, 58). That to those who are in love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbor it shall then be given to understand truths, is signified by "there shall be upon every high mountain and upon every lofty hill streams, rivulets of waters." Those "upon a high mountain" mean those who are in the good of love to the Lord, "high mountain" signifying that good; those "upon the lofty hill" mean those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor, "hill" signifying that good; "streams, rivulets of water" signify intelligence from truths. That there shall then be truth in the Lord's spiritual kingdom, as before there was truth in the celestial kingdom, and that the truth in the celestial kingdom shall then become the good of love is meant by "the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days;" for "light" means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, "the light of the moon" Divine truth in the spiritual kingdom, and "the light of the sun" Divine truth in the celestial kingdom; "sevenfold" signifies full and perfect, and truth is full and perfect when it becomes good, or good in form. It can be seen that this means, not the sun and moon on the earth, but the sun and moon in the heavens. It is to be known that when a last judgment is being effected the Lord appears in the heavens in much greater effulgence and splendor than at other times, and this because the angels there must be more powerfully defended; for lower things, with which the exteriors of the angels have communication, are then in a state of disturbance. Therefore, as the Last Judgment is here treated of, it is said, "the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days;" and therefore it is also said that "there shall be streams, rivulets of waters, upon every high mountain, and upon every lofty hill," which signifies abundant intelligence with those who are upon the higher mountains and higher hills, for on the lower mountains and hills is where the judgment then takes place. (That the Lord appears to those who are in His celestial kingdom as a sun, and to those who are in his spiritual kingdom as a moon, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 116-125; and that the light from these is Divine truth, n. 127-140)

[11] In the same:

Thy sun shall no more go down, and thy moon shall not withdraw; for Jehovah shall be unto thee for a light of eternity, and the days of thy mourning shall be fulfilled (Isaiah 60:20).

This treats of the Lord, and of the new heaven and new earth, that is, of the church to be established by Him. That to those in that church the good of love to the Lord and the good of charity towards the neighbor should not perish is meant by "thy sun shall no more go down, and thy moon shall not withdraw;" for to those who are in the good of love to the Lord He appears as a sun, and to those who are in truths from the good of charity towards the neighbor He appears as a moon; so "thy sun" signifies the good of love to the Lord, and "thy moon" the good of charity, which, in its essence, is truth from good. That they shall continue to eternity in truths from the good of love, and in truths from the good of charity is meant by "Jehovah shall be unto thee for a light of eternity, and the days of thy mourning shall be fulfilled," "the light of eternity" is predicated of those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and "fulfilling the days of mourning" of those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor, or in truths from good; for with those who were of the ancient churches, "mourning" represented grief on account of the loss or destruction of truth and good; "fulfilled" signifies ended, thus that they shall be in truths from good. From this the signification of "the sun became as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood," can be seen, namely, that the good of love to the Lord was separated, and thus truth was falsified.

[12] Nearly the same is signified in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Behold the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel with indignation and the glow of anger, to lay the earth waste; and He shall destroy its sinners out of it. For the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof do not shine with their light; the sun is darkened in its rising, and the moon maketh not her light to be bright. I will visit evil upon the world, and upon the wicked their iniquity (Isaiah 13:9-11).

"The day of Jehovah, cruel with indignation and the glow of anger," signifies the day of the Last Judgment; "the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof do not shine with their light, the sun is darkened in its rising, and the moon maketh not her light to be bright," signifies that the knowledges of good and truth have perished, as well as the good of love to the Lord, and the good of charity towards the neighbor, and thence the truth that is called the truth of faith; for "stars" signify the knowledges of good, "constellations" the knowledges of truth, "the sun" the good of love to the Lord, and "the moon" the good of charity towards the neighbor, which, in its essence, is truth from good, and is called the truth of faith. The sun is said "to be darkened in its rising," and the moon "not to make her light to be bright;" not that the sun and moon in the angelic heavens are darkened, for the sun there is always in its effulgence, and the moon in its splendor; but before those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom, goods and truths are thus obscured; it is therefore according to the appearance that it is so said, for those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom turn themselves away from the good of love and charity, consequently from the Lord, and then they will nothing but evil and think nothing but falsity, and those who will and think no other, see nothing but thick darkness and darkness in such things as pertain to heaven and the church. Because such are meant by those with whom "the sun is darkened, and the moon maketh not her light to be bright," it is said, "to lay the earth waste, and He shall destroy its sinners out of it," and afterwards, "I will visit evil upon the world, and upon the wicked their iniquity," "earth" and "world" signifying the church, "laying it waste" signifying that there is no longer any good, and "visiting evil upon the world, and upon the wicked their iniquity," signifying the Last Judgment.

[13] In Ezekiel:

When I shall extinguish thee I will cover the heavens and make the stars thereof black; 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 black over thee, and I will give darkness upon thy land (Ezekiel 32:7-8).

This is said of Pharaoh king of Egypt, by whom is here signified the natural man separate from the spiritual; which when it is separated is wholly in thick darkness and in darkness in regard to all things of heaven and the church, and so far as it is separated denies them; for the natural man sees nothing in such things from itself, but only through the spiritual man from the Lord, since the natural man is in the heat and light of the world, while the spiritual man is in the heat and light of heaven. From this it is clear what is meant by the particulars here, namely, "When I extinguish thee I will cover the heavens" signifies the interiors, which are in the light of heaven; "I will make the stars thereof black" signifies the knowledges of good and truth; "I will cover the sun with a cloud" signifies the good of love to the Lord; "the moon shall not make her light to shine" signifies the good of charity towards the neighbor and the truth of faith therefrom; "all the luminaries of light will I make black over thee" signifies all truths; and "I will give darkness upon thy land" signifies falsities.

[14] In Joel:

The day of Jehovah cometh. A day of darkness and of thick darkness, a day of cloud and obscurity. Before Him the earth trembleth, the sun and the moon were black, and the stars withdrew their brightness (Joel 2:1-2, 10).

In the same:

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

In the same:

The day of Jehovah is near in the valley cut off. The sun and the moon were made black, and the stars withdrew their brightness (Joel 3:14-15).

In the Gospels:

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 (Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24-25).

In Revelation:

The fourth angel sounded, and 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, and the day shone not for the third part of it, and the night likewise (Revelation 8:12).

In another place:

Out of the pit of the abyss there went up a smoke as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun was darkened and the air by the smoke (Revelation 9:2).

It is clear from what has been said above, that in these passages "the sun and moon made black and darkened" means that there was no longer any good or any truth; therefore they are not further explained.

[15] Because such things are signified by "the sun darkened," therefore the sun was darkened when the Lord was upon the cross, because He was entirely rejected by the church that then was with the Jews, who were consequently in dense darkness, or in falsities. This is thus described in Luke:

At the sixth hour darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour, for the sun was darkened (Luke 23:44-45).

This was done as a sign and token that the Lord was denied, and that thence there was no good nor truth with those who were of the church; for with them all signs from the heavens represented and signified such things as are of the church, because the church with them was a representative church, or consisted of such things in externals as represented and thus signified the internal things of the church. That "darkness came over all the land" signified that with those who were of the church there was nothing except the falsities of evil, "all the land" meaning all the church, and "darkness" signifying falsities; that it continued for three hours, namely, "from the sixth to the ninth hour," signifies that there remained mere falsity, and no truth whatever, for "three" signifies full, whole, and entirely, and "six" and "nine" signify all things in the complex, here falsities and evils; and because there were falsities and evils with them, from the Lord's having been denied, therefore it is said, "and darkness came, and the sun was darkened;" "the sun" that was obscured, meaning the Lord, who is said to be "obscured" when falsities so prevail in the church that He is not acknowledged, and evils so prevail that He is crucified. (That each and every thing related in the Word concerning the Lord's passion is significative may be seen above, n.64, 83, 195c at the end.)

[16] In Micah:

Jehovah said against the prophets that cause the people to err, It shall be night unto you for vision; and darkness shall be to you for divination; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall grow black over them (Micah 3:5-6).

What these words signify in the spiritual sense, may be seen above n. 372, where they are explained. In Amos:

It shall come to pass in that day, that I will cause the sun to set at noon, and I will darken the earth in a day of light (Amos 8:9).

This signifies that in the church, where the Word is from which it might be known what is good and true, there is nevertheless nothing but evil and falsity. "To cause the sun to set," and "to darken the earth" signify the evil of life, and the falsity of doctrine in the church; for "the rising of the sun" signifies the good of love, which is the good of the life, and "the setting of the sun" signifies the evil of love, which is the evil of the life; and "the darkening of the earth" signifies the consequent falsity of doctrine, "darkness" signifying falsities, and "the earth" the church; "at noon," and "in the day of light" signify when there might be the knowledges of good and truth, because they have the Word, "noon" signifying where there are the knowledges of good, and the "day of light" where there are the knowledges of truth. Such knowledges as are from the Word are meant, because it is the church where the Word is that is here treated of.

[17] In Habakkuk:

The mountains were moved; the overflowing of waters passed by. Sun and moon stood in their habitation; Thine arrows go forth in light, the lightning of Thy spear in brightness (Habakkuk 3:10-11).

This chapter treats of the Lord's coming and of the Last Judgment then accomplished by Him; "the mountains were moved, the overflowing of waters passed by" signifies that those who were in the love of self and the world were cast out by the falsities of evil into which they were let; "mountains" signifying the loves of self and the world, and "the overflowing of waters" to be let into falsities from those loves, "waters" meaning falsities, and "overflowing" to be let into them. That by those in that state genuine truths and goods are not seen, but instead of these, fatuous truths and goods, which in themselves are falsities and evils is signified by, "Thine arrows go forth in light, the lightning of Thy spear in brightness;" "arrows" or "lightnings" signifying fatuous truths, which in themselves are falsities, and "the lightning of the spear" signifying fatuous goods which in themselves are the evils of falsity. Moreover, such signs appear in the spiritual world, in the case of those who are in falsities from the loves of self and the world, when the Last Judgment takes place, and these are cast out.

[18] As in this prophecy it is said, "Sun and moon stood in their habitation," the significance of the sun's resting in Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Aijalon shall also be explained, which is thus described in Joshua:

Then spoke Joshua to Jehovah, and he said in the eyes of Israel, Sun, rest thou in Gibeon; and thou, moon, in the valley of Aijalon; and the sun rested, and the moon stayed, until the nation was avenged upon its enemies. Is not this written upon the book of the Upright? And the sun stood in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day (Jos. Joshua 10:12-13).

That the sun is said to have stood in Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Aijalon, signifies that the church was altogether vastated in respect to all good and truth, for a battle was then going on against the king of Jerusalem and the kings of the Amorites; and "the king of Jerusalem" signifies the truth of the church wholly vastated by falsities, and "the kings of the Amorites" signify the good of the church vastated by evils; therefore those kings were smitten with hailstones, which signify the dire falsities of evil. It is said that the sun and the moon stood in their place, that is, before the sons of Israel, that they might see their enemies; but this, although it is told as history is a prophecy, as is evident from its being said, "Is not this written upon the book of the Upright?" which was a prophetical book from which this was taken; so it was from the same book that it was said, "Until the nation was avenged upon its enemies," and not, "Until the sons of Israel were avenged upon their enemies," the term "nation" being used prophetically. This is evident also from the fact that if this miracle had occurred altogether in this way, the whole nature of the world would have been inverted, which is not the case with the other miracles in the Word. That it might be known, therefore, that this was said prophetically, it is added, "Is not this written upon the book of the Upright?" And yet it is not to be doubted, that there was given to them a light out of heaven, a light in Gibeon like that of the sun, and a light in the valley of Aijalon like that of the moon.

[19] In Jeremiah:

She that hath borne seven shall languish, she shall breathe out her soul; her sun shall go down while it is yet day, it shall be ashamed and blush; and the remnant of them will I give to the sword before their enemies (Jeremiah 15:9).

"She that hath borne seven shall languish, she shall breathe out her soul," signifies that the church to which the Word is given and through it all truths, is about to perish; "to bear seven" meaning to be gifted with all the truths of the church (as in the first book of Samuel, 1 Samuel 2:5, see above, n. 257. "Her sun shall go down while it is yet day" signifies that the good of the church is about to perish, although the church has the Word, and might through the Word be in light; "it, namely, the sun, shall be ashamed and blush" signifies because good and truth are not received, but evil and falsity (as is evident also from the next quotation from Isaiah); "the remnant of them will I give to the sword before their enemies" signifies that all the remaining good and truth will perish through the falsity from evil; "remnant" meaning all that remains; "to be given to the sword" meaning to perish on account of falsities; "enemies" meaning evils.

[20] In Isaiah:

Jehovah will visit upon the host of the height in the height, and upon the Kings of the earth who are upon the earth. Then the moon shall blush, and the sun be ashamed (Isaiah 24:21, 23).

"To visit" signifies to destroy, because visitation precedes judgment, when those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom are destroyed; "the host of the height in the height" signifies all evils that are from the love of self, "host" signifying all evils; "the kings of the earth" falsities of every kind, and "the earth" the church. This makes clear the signification of "Jehovah will visit upon the host of the height in the height, and upon the kings of the earth who are upon the earth." It is said "upon the host of the height in the height" because those who are in the love of self seek in the spiritual world high places; "then the moon shall blush, and the sun be ashamed," signifies that there is no longer any reception of Divine truth and Divine good, "moon" and "sun" signifying the truth of faith and the good of love, and these are said "to blush and be ashamed" when they are no longer received, but falsity and evil are received in their place.

[21] In David:

Jehovah, who hath made the heavens by His intelligence, who hath spread out the earth upon the waters; who hath made great luminaries, the sun for rule by day, the moon and stars for rule by night: Who hath smitten Egypt in their firstborn, and hath brought out Israel from the midst of them (Psalms 136:5-11).

He who knows nothing of the spiritual sense of the Word must suppose that there is nothing involved in these words except what appears in the sense of the letter; and yet every particular involves such things as pertain to angelic wisdom, which are all celestial Divine and spiritual Divine things. This describes the new creation, or regeneration of the men of the church, of whom the church consists; "the heavens" which Jehovah hath made by His intelligence, signify the internal things of the men of the church, which, in one expression, are called the spiritual man, where intelligence has its seat, and where their heaven is; "the earth" which He hath spread out upon the waters, signifies the external of the church, which in one expression, is called the natural man; this is said to be "spread out upon the waters" because there the truths are by which man is regenerated, "waters" meaning truths; "the great luminaries, the sun, moon, and stars," signify the good of love, truth from that good, and the knowledges of good and truth, "the sun," the good of love, "the moon" truth from that good, and "the stars" the knowledges of good and truth. The sun is said to have been made "for rule by day," because "day" signifies the light of the spiritual man, for the spiritual man has illustration and perception from the good of love; the moon and the stars are said to have been made "for rule by night," because "night" signifies the light of the natural man, and its light, as compared with the light of the spiritual man, is like the light of night from the moon and the stars as compared with the light of day from the sun. Because this treats of the regeneration of the men of the church it follows, "who hath smitten Egypt in their firstborn, and hath brought out Israel from the midst of them;" "Egypt" signifying the natural man, such as it is by birth, namely, in mere falsities from evil; "their firstborn" mean primary things; the destruction of these while man is being regenerated is meant by "who hath smitten Egypt in their firstborn;" "Israel" signifies the spiritual man; and "to bring him out from the midst of them" signifies to open the spiritual man, and thus to regenerate; for the Lord regenerates the man of the church by dispersing the falsities from evils that are in the natural man, and by opening the spiritual man, and this is effected by the Lord by means of spiritual light, which is Divine truth.

[22] Like things are signified by these words in Genesis:

God made two great luminaries; the great luminary to rule by day, and the lesser luminary to rule by night, and the stars (Genesis 1:16).

For that chapter treats of the new creation, or the regeneration of the men of whom the Most Ancient Church consisted, and this is described in the sense of the letter, by the creation of heaven and earth. Like things are signified, too, by these words in Jeremiah:

Thus said the Lord Jehovih ² who giveth the sun for light by day, the statutes of the moon and stars for light by night (Jeremiah 31:35).

"The statutes of the moon and stars" signify all things that are done in the natural man according to the laws of order.

[23] In David:

Praise ye Jehovah, all His angels; praise ye Him, all His hosts; praise ye Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all ye stars of light; praise Him, ye heavens of heavens (Psalms 148:2-4).

"To praise Jehovah" signifies to worship Him; "angels" signify those who are in Divine truths from the good of love, for such are angels; "all the hosts" signify goods and truths in the whole complex; "sun and moon" signify the good of love and the truth from that good; "the stars of light" signify the knowledges of truth from good; "the heavens of heavens" signify goods and truths both internal and external; and as man worships the Lord from those things that are with him from the Lord, thus from the goods and truths that are with him, and as man is a man from these, therefore it is said to them, namely, to the sun, moon, and stars, which signify goods and truths, that they "shall praise," that is, worship, Jehovah. Who does not know that the sun, moon, and stars do not praise, that is, worship?

[24] In Moses:

Of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be His land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that lieth beneath, and for the precious things of the increase of the sun, and for the precious things of the produce of the months (Deuteronomy 33:13, 14).

This is said in the blessing of the sons of Israel by Moses; and because "Joseph" means the spiritual-celestial, who are those that are highest in the spiritual kingdom, and thus most closely communicate with those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom, "His land" signifies that spiritual kingdom, likewise the church that consists of such; "the precious things of heaven, the dew, and the deep also that lieth beneath" signify things spiritual-celestial in the internal and the external man; "the precious things of the increase of the sun, and the precious things of the produce of the months," signify all things that proceed from the Lord's celestial kingdom, and all things that proceed from His spiritual kingdom, thus the goods and truths therefrom, "the sun" signifying the good of love to the Lord from the Lord which is the good that those have who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom, "its increase" signifying all things that proceed from it; "the produce of the months" signifies all things that proceed from the Lord's spiritual kingdom, "months" here signifying the like as "the moon," namely, truths from good, for the same word is used for both in the original. But this that has been said must seem obscure to one who knows nothing about the two kingdoms of heaven, the celestial and the spiritual, and about their conjunction by intermediates. (But respecting these kingdoms and the intermediates, see what is said in Heaven and Hell 20-28.)

[25] In Isaiah:

I will make thy suns a ruby, and thy gates of stones of carbuncles, and all thy border of stones of desire (Isaiah 54:12).

This is said of the nations outside of the church, from whom a new church was to be established by the Lord. "I will make thy suns a ruby" signifies that goods will be brilliant from the fire of love, "suns" here meaning the goods of love, and "the ruby" meaning a brilliance as from fire; "I will make thy gates of stones of carbuncles" signifies that truths will be resplendent from good, "gates" meaning introductory truths, in particular the doctrines that are from good, for all truths of doctrine that are genuine proceed from good, and are of good; and "stones of carbuncles" signify their brightness from good; in fact, all precious stones signify truths from good, and their color, brightness, and fire indicate the quality of the truth from good. "I will make all their border of stones of desire" signifies that true knowledges [scientifica], which belong to the natural man, will be pleasant and enjoyable from good; for "border" has the same meaning as "foundation," and this means the natural man, for in the things in it the goods and truths of the spiritual man are terminated, and "stones of desire" mean truths pleasant and enjoyable from good; by these are meant the goods and truths of the Word which those who constitute the new church will have, and which will be such. That the "sun" signifies the good of love is evident, too, from their being called "suns," in the plural.

[26] In Job:

Was I glad because my means were great, and because my hand had found much? did I behold the light that it shone, and the moon that it walked in brightness? and hath my heart secretly misled itself, and my hand kissed my mouth? (Job 31:25-28).

These words mean in the spiritual sense that he had not acquired for himself intelligence from what was his own [ex proprio], and had taken no merit to himself for his intelligence, and had not gloried in it; for "Was I glad because my means were great, and because my hand had found much?" signifies, had he gloried over having intelligence, and having acquired it for himself from what was his own [ex propria]? "means" signify the knowledges of good and truth, by which intelligence is gained; "and because my hand had found much" signifies to have acquired from what is one's own [ex propria]; "did I behold the light that it shone, and the moon that it walked in brightness" signifies to have spiritual truths, which constitute intelligence, "light" and the "moon" signifying spiritual truths; "hath my heart secretly misled itself, and my hand kissed my mouth?" signifies, have I therefore gloried inwardly, and have I claimed them to myself?

[27] In Matthew:

That ye may be sons of your Father who is in the heavens; who maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45).

This treats of charity towards the neighbor, as is evident from what there precedes and follows, and, in particular of the Jews, who accounted the Gentiles as enemies, and their own people as friends. That they ought to love the Gentiles the same as their own people the Lord makes clear by this comparison; but as all comparisons in the Word are from correspondences, and from that are significative, as other things are that are not said comparatively, so it is with this comparison; and "the Father in the heavens maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust" signifies that the Lord flows in from heaven with the Divine good of love and with Divine truth, with those who are outside of the Jewish church as much as with those who are within it, "sun" also here signifying the good of love, and "rain" the Divine truth. "The evil and the unjust" signify in the internal sense those who were of the Jewish Church, since they did not receive; and "the good and the just" signify those who were outside of that church and did receive. In general, all the evil and the good, and the just and the unjust, are here meant, for the Lord flows in with good and truth equally with all, but all do not receive equally.

[28] Because "the sun" signifies the Lord in relation to Divine love, He is called "the Sun of righteousness (in Malachi 4:2); and "a Sun and Shield" (in David, Psalms 84:11). Because "the sun" signifies the good of love to the Lord with man, "from the rising of the sun unto its going down" signifies all who are in the good of love to the Lord, from the first to the last; "from the rising of the sun" meaning from the first, and "unto the going down of the sun" meaning to the last, as in the following passages. In Malachi:

From the rising of the sun even unto its going down is My name great among the nations (Malachi 1:11).

In David:

From the rising of the sun unto its going down the name of Jehovah is to be praised (Psalms 113:3).

In the same:

God, Jehovah God speaketh, and shall call the earth from the rising of the sun unto its going down (Psalms 50:1).

In Isaiah:

That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from its going down, that there is none beside Me (Isaiah 45:6).

In the same:

From the going down of the sun shall they fear the name of Jehovah, and His glory from the rising of the sun (Isaiah 59:19).

I shall raise up one that shall come from the north, and from the rising of the sun one who shall call upon My name (Isaiah 41:25).

"From the rising of the sun unto its going down" signifies all, from the first to the last, who are in the good of love to the Lord, because all in heaven dwell according to quarters. Those who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell from the east to the west; those who dwell in the east are those who are in a clear good of love, and those who dwell in the west are those who are in an obscure good of love. This is why "from the rising of the sun unto its going down" signifies all, from the first to the last, who are in the good of love. The words in Isaiah, "I will raise up one that will come from the north and from the rising of the sun" signify those who are outside of the church, and those who are inside of it; for "the north" signifies the obscurity of truth, thus those who are outside of the church, because they are in obscurity in regard to truths from not having the Word, and thence not knowing anything about the Lord; and "the rising of the sun" signifies those who are within the church, because they have the Word, in which the Lord is always present, and so in His rising. (That "the east" or "the rising of the sun," and "the west" or "the setting of the sun," mean the good of love in clearness and the good of love in obscurity, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 141, 148-150; and that "the north" means truth in obscurity, in the same chapter, n 148-150; for the Four Quarters in the Spiritual World are there treated of.)

Again, "the setting of the sun" signifies the state of the church when it is in ignorance, which is its first state; and "the rising of the sun" signifies its state when it is in light. "The setting of the sun" also signifies the state of the church when it is in evils and falsities therefrom; and "the rising of the sun" when it is in goods and in truths therefrom.

[29] The first state of the church, when it is still in ignorance, is signified by the commencement of the passover in the evening when the sun was set, according to these words of Moses:

Thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, when the sun shall have set in the stated time of thy going forth out of Egypt (Deuteronomy 16:6).

For "the feast of the passover" signified the celebration of the Lord on account of deliverance from damnation, which is effected by regeneration; and in the highest sense a remembrance of the glorification of the Lord's Human, because deliverance is from that (See Arcana Coelestia 7093, 7867, 9286-9292, 10655). And because the first state of regeneration is a state of ignorance, the beginning of that feast was "at even, when the sun had set." Again, that state is signified by "the going forth of the sons of Israel out of Egypt," for in Egypt they were in a servile state, and thus in a state of ignorance; therefore it is said, "in the stated time of the going forth out of Egypt."

[30] The last state of the church, when the church is in falsities and evils, for this state is its last, is signified by "the setting of the sun" in Moses:

When the sun was about setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, a horror and great darkness fell upon him. At length, when the sun had set, and it had become dark, behold, a furnace of smoke, and a torch of fire that passed through between these pieces (Genesis 15:12, 17).

These things are said of the posterity of Abram from Jacob, that is, of the Israelitish and Jewish nation; and "when the sun was about setting," and "at length, when the sun had set," signify the last state of the church in that nation, that they were in mere falsities and evils; "great darkness" and "a furnace of smoke," signify falsities from evil; and "a torch of fire" signifies the dire love of self, from which came their evils and falsities.

[31] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so have "sun" and "moon" and in that sense "sun" signifies the love of self, and "moon," the falsities therefrom. "Sun and moon" have this signification because those who are in natural thought only, and not in spiritual thought, do not think beyond nature; therefore when they see that from these two luminaries, or from their light and heat, all things arise and, as it were, live upon the earth, they suppose that these luminaries rule the universe; above this they do not raise their thoughts. This all do who are in the love of self and in the evils and falsities therefrom, for such are merely natural and sensual men, and the merely natural and sensual man does not think beyond nature, for what he does not see and touch he believes to be nothing.

With the ancients, all things of the church consisted of the representatives of spiritual things in natural; with them therefore, "the sun" signified the Lord in relation to Divine good, and "the moon" the Lord in relation to Divine truth, consequently in worship they turned their faces to the rising of the sun; and those among them who were in the love of self, and were therefore merely natural and sensual, began to worship as their highest gods the sun and the moon that they saw with their eyes; but because those alone did this, or persuaded others to do it, who were in the love of self and in the evils and falsities therefrom, therefore "the sun" signifies the love of self, and "the moon" the falsity therefrom. This becomes still more evident in the case of spirits in the other life who in the world had been such; these turn the face away from the Lord, and turn it towards something there that is dark and in thick darkness, which is in the place of the sun and moon of the world, over against the sun and moon of the angelic heaven (on which more may be seen in the work onHeaven and Hell 122, 123). By persons like this the worship of the sun and moon was instituted in ancient times, when all Divine worship was representative; but at this day, when representatives have ceased, the worship of the sun and moon does not exist in the Christian world, but in its place the worship of self, which exists with those in whom the love of ruling predominates. This makes clear the signification of "sun and moon" in the contrary sense.

[32] That in ancient times the sun and moon were worshiped is evident from the fact that the Gentiles dedicated shrines to them, which are spoken of in many histories. That the Egyptians as well as the Jews and Israelites worshiped the sun and moon is evident from the Word. That the Egyptians did, see in Jeremiah:

The King of Babylon shall come, and shall smite the land of Egypt, and shall break in pieces the pillars of the house of the sun in the land of Egypt (Jeremiah 43:11, 13).

That the Jews and Israelites did, see in Ezekiel:

I beheld their faces towards the east; and the same bowed themselves towards the rising of the sun (Ezekiel 8:16).

This treats of the abominations of Jerusalem. In the second book of Kings:

Josiah ³ the King put down the idolatrous priests, them that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, to the moon, and to the stars, and to all of the hosts of the heavens. He furthermore took away the horses that the kings of Judah had set up to the sun at the entering in of the house of Jehovah, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire (2 Kings 23:5, 11).

In Jeremiah:

They shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of his princes, and the bones of his priests, and the bones of his prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and they shall spread them to the sun and the moon and all the host of the heavens, which they have loved, and which they have served (Jeremiah 8:1-2);

and also Jeremiah 44:17-19, 25; Deuteronomy 4:19; 17:3, 5.

[33] Because "Moab" in the Word signifies those who are in a life of falsity from the love of self, and their worship signifies the worship of self, therefore when the Israelitish people drew near to the worship of the Moabitish people, it was commanded that the chiefs of the people should be hung up before the sun; respecting which it is thus written in Moses:

The daughters of Moab called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. Especially did Israel join himself unto Baalpeor; therefore Jehovah said unto Moses, Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up before the sun (Numbers 25:1-4).

"Moab" signifies those who are in a life of falsity from the love of self, and who consequently adulterate the goods of the church (See Arcana Coelestia 2468, 8315).

[34] From this it is also clear that the sun of the world signifies the love of self. Because the love of self lets man down into what is his own [proprium] and holds him there, for it looks continually to self, and man's own is nothing but evil, and from evil comes every falsity, therefore "the heat of the sun" signifies adulterated truth, which in its essence is the falsity of evil. This is signified by "the heat of the sun" in the following passages. In Revelation:

The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given unto him to scorch men with fire (Revelation 16:8).

And elsewhere:

They shall hunger no more, neither shall the sun fall on them, nor any heat (Revelation 7:16).

In David:

The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. Jehovah shall keep thee from all evil, He shall keep thy soul (Psalms 121:6, 7).

The "sun" here means the love of self, and the "moon" the falsity therefrom; because from that love is all evil, and from evil all falsity, therefore it is said, "Jehovah shall keep thee from all evil, and He shall keep thy soul," "soul" signifying the life of truth.

[35] In Matthew:

Other seeds fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth; and when the sun was risen they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away (Matthew 13:5-6; Mark 4:5-6).

"Seeds" signify the truths from the Word, that is, the truths man receives from the Lord, for it is afterwards said, that it is "the Son of man that soweth." "Rocky places" signify a historical faith, which is another's faith in oneself, which is believing a thing to be true, not because one sees it in himself, but because another in whom he has confidence has said it. "Earth" signifies spiritual good, because this receives truths as soil does seeds; "the sun's rising" signifies the love of self; and "to be scorched" and "to wither away" signify to be adulterated and to perish. This makes clear what is signified by these words of the Lord in series, namely, that the truths that are implanted from infancy from the Word or from preaching, when man begins to think from himself, are adulterated and perish by lusts from the love of self. All things in the Word are, indeed, truths, but they are adulterated by the ideas of thought concerning them, and by the way they are applied, consequently with such persons truths are not truths except in respect to the mere utterance of them. This is so because all the life of truth is from spiritual good, and spiritual good has its seat in the higher or interior mind, which is called the spiritual mind. This mind cannot be opened with those who are in the love of self, for in everything they look to self. If they lift their eyes to heaven, still the thought of their spirit is held in the consideration of self; consequently from the fire of its own glory it incites the external and corporeal sensual things which have been taught from childhood, to the imitation of such affections as belong to the spiritual man.

[36] It is written in Jonah that "the gourd that came up over him withered, and that the sun beat upon his head, so that he fell sick." As this cannot be understood without explanation by the internal sense, it shall be explained in a few words. It is thus told in Jonah:

Jehovah prepared a gourd that came up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head to deliver him from his evil, and Jonah was glad over the gourd. And God prepared a worm, when the dawn came up the following day, and it smote the gourd that it dried up. And it came to pass when the sun arose that God prepared a scorching east wind; and the sun smote upon the head of Jonah, and he fell sick so that he asked that his soul might die. Then God said to Jonah, is it well for thee to be angry over the gourd? He said, It is well for me to be angry, even unto death. Jehovah said, Thou wouldest spare the gourd, for which thou hast not labored, nor didst thou make it grow up, because thou didst become the son of the night ⁴ and the son of night perisheth; shall not I spare Nineveh, the great city, in which are more than twelve myriads ⁵ of men? (Jonah 4:6-11).

This is a description of the genius of the Jewish nation, that they are in the love of self and in falsities therefrom. Jonah was of that nation, and therefore also was sent to Nineveh; for the Jewish nation had the Word, and was therefore able to teach those who were outside of the church and who are called Gentiles; these are signified by "Nineveh." Because the Jewish nation was, above others, in the love of self and in the falsities from that love, they did not wish well to any but themselves, thus not to the Gentiles, but these they hated. Because that nation was such, and Jonah represented it, he was very angry that Jehovah should spare Nineveh, for it is said:

Jonah was ill with a great illness, so that he was angry, and from the illness of anger he said, Take, O Jehovah, my soul from me, for my death is better than my life (Jonah 4:1, 3).

This evil in that nation is signified by the gourd which the worm smote so that it dried up. "The sun that smote upon the head of Jonah" signifies the love of self which was in that nation; and "the scorching east wind" the falsity therefrom; and "the worm that smote the gourd" signifies the destruction of this evil and the falsity thence. That this is the signification of "the gourd" is evident from its being said in this description that Jonah at first "was glad over the gourd," and after the gourd had been smitten by the worm and had dried up that "he was angry over it, even unto death," and also from its being said that "he had pity over the gourd." That the Jewish nation, because it was in such a love and in such falsity therefrom was liable to damnation is meant by these words to Jonah, "thou didst not cause it to grow up, because thou didst become a son of night, ⁶ and a son of night perisheth." (That such was the Jewish nation, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248.)

[37] The love of self is signified here and in the preceding passages, because "the sun" in the genuine spiritual sense signifies love to the Lord, and the love of self is the opposite of this love.

Moreover, the Lord's Divine love, which is present with everyone, is turned into the love of self with the evil; for everything that flows in is changed in the recipient subject into what agrees with its own nature; as the pure heat of the sun is turned into an offensive smell in subjects of such a nature, and the pure light of the sun into hideous colors in objects of such reception; this is why "the sun that smote upon the head of Jonah" signifies the love of self that is in him; likewise "the sun that was risen" by which the seeds were scorched upon the rocky places, mentioned in Matthew.

[38] In Revelation:

The city New Jerusalem hath no need of the sun and moon to shine in it, for the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof (Revelation 21:23; 22:5).

"The sun" here, of which the city New Jerusalem shall have no need, signifies natural love, which, viewed in itself is the love of self and the world; and "the moon" signifies natural light, for natural light, viewed in itself is from natural love, and the quality of the light is according to the quality of the love; while spiritual love and spiritual light are signified by "the glory of God shall lighten it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof."

[39] That such is the sense of these words is very evident from the following from Isaiah:

The sun shall be no more a light to thee by day, and for brightness the moon shall not give light unto thee; but Jehovah shall be unto thee for a light of eternity, and thy God for thine adornment. Thy sun shall no more go down, and thy moon shall not withdraw; for Jehovah shall be unto thee for a light of eternity, and the days of thy mourning shall be fulfilled (Isaiah 60:19-20).

In the first part of this passage "the sun and moon" have the same meaning as above in Revelation, namely, "the sun" signifies merely natural love, and "the moon" natural light therefrom; but in the latter part of the passage "the sun and moon" mean the sun and moon of the angelic heaven, and that sun signifies the Lord's Divine love, and the moon Divine truth, as was explained above. For it is first said, "the sun shall be no more a light to thee by day, and for brightness the moon shall not give light unto thee;" and afterwards it is said, "thy sun shall no more go down, and thy moon shall not withdraw." From all this it is now evident what "sun and moon" signify in both senses.

Poznámky pod čarou:

768. And went away to make war with the remnant of her seed, signifies and an ardent effort, springing from a life of evil, to assault the truths of doctrine of that church. This is evident from the signification of "going away," as being an ardent effort from a life of evil (of which presently); also from the signification of "making war," as being to assault and to wish to destroy (of which above n. 573, 734); also from the signification of "her seed," as being the truths of doctrine of the church (of which also presently). It is said "the remnant of her seed" because it means those who are in these truths, and in an abstract sense the truths of that church, which they believe themselves capable of assaulting and destroying. "To go away" signifies an ardent effort from a life of evil, because "to go" signifies in the spiritual sense to live, therefore in the Word the expressions "going with the Lord," and "walking with Him" and "after Him," are used, and these signify to live from the Lord; but when "going" is predicated of the dragon, whose life is a life of evil, it signifies to make an effort from that life; and because that effort is an effort from hatred, which is signified by "his anger" (See above, n. 754, 758), so an ardent effort is signified because he who makes an effort from hatred makes an ardent effort.

[2] As the hatred of those who are meant by "the dragon" is a hatred against those who are in the truths of doctrine of the church which is the New Jerusalem, therefore it is a hatred against the truths of doctrine that such have. For those who are in love towards anyone, as also those who are in hatred against anyone, are indeed in love towards a person or in hatred against a person with whom those things are which they either love or hate, and these are the truths of doctrine with them, therefore the truths of doctrine are signified by "the remnant of her seed." This shows that in the spiritual sense of the Word person is not regarded, but a thing abstracted from person, as here a thing that is with the person. This may be further illustrated by the saying in the Word that the neighbor must be loved as one loves himself, but in the spiritual sense this does not mean that the neighbor is thus to be loved in respect to person, but those things are to be loved which are from the Lord with the person; for a person is not actually loved because of his being a person or a man, but because of his being such as he is; thus the person is loved because of his quality, consequently that quality is meant by "neighbor," and that is the spiritual neighbor or the neighbor in the spiritual sense that must be loved; and this with those who are of the Lord's church is everything that proceeds from the Lord; and this in general refers to all good, spiritual, moral, and civil; therefore those who are in these goods love those who are in the same goods; and this therefore is to love one's neighbor as oneself.

[3] From this it can be seen that "the remnant of her seed," namely, of the woman who signifies the church, means those who are in the truths of doctrine of that church; and in a sense abstracted from persons which is the genuine spiritual sense, the truths of the doctrine of that church are meant.

Likewise elsewhere in the Word, as in the following passages. In Moses:

I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and the woman's seed. He shall trample on thy head and thou shalt wound his heel (Genesis 3:15).

This is a prophecy respecting the Lord. The "serpent" here signifies the sensual of man, where what is man's own has its seat, which in itself is nothing but evil; and the "woman" signifies the spiritual church, or the church which is in Divine truths. And as the sensual of man has been destroyed, and when the man of the church becomes spiritual he is elevated out of the sensual, it is said, "there shall be enmity between thee and the woman." "The seed of the serpent" signifies all falsity from evil, and "the seed of the woman" all truth from good, and in the highest degree Divine truth; and as all Divine truth is from the Lord, and as by it the Lord destroys falsity from evil, it is said "He shall trample on thy head, "He" meaning the Lord, and "head" all falsity from evil. That the sensual would still do injury to Divine truth in its ultimates, which is the Word in the sense of the letter, is signified by "He shall wound the heel;" "the heel" signifying that ultimate and that sense. That the ultimate of truth and the sense of the letter have suffered and do still suffer hurt from the sensual, can be seen from this single example, that the papists understand the woman here to mean Mary and the worship of her; therefore in their Bibles the reading is not "He," but "it" and "she." So in a thousand other passages.

[4] In Jeremiah:

Behold the days shall come in which I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast (Jeremiah 31:27).

This is said of the Lord, and of the New Church from Him. His coming is signified by "Behold the days shall come;" "to sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah" signifies to reform those who will be of that church, "the house of Israel" signifying the spiritual church, and "the house of Judah" the celestial church; and as reformation is effected by means of spiritual truths and by means of natural truths therefrom, it is said "with the seed of man and with the seed of beast;" "the seed of man" signifying spiritual truth from which man has intelligence, and "the seed of beast" signifying natural truth from which man has knowledge, also life according to it, both of these from the affection of good. That "man" signifies the affection of spiritual truth and good may be seen above (n. 280); and "beast" natural affection (n. 650); thus "the seed of man and the seed of beast" signify the truths of those affections.

In Malachi:

There is not one who doeth this who hath the spirit; is there one that seeketh the seed of God? (Malachi 2:15)

"Is there one that seeketh the seed of God?" signifies that no one seeks Divine truth; evidently "the seed of God" here signifies Divine truth; so "the born of God" mean those who are regenerated by the Lord by means of Divine truth, and a life according thereto.

[5] In Isaiah:

Jehovah willed to bruise Him, He hath weakened Him; if Thou shalt make His soul a guilt offering, He shall see seed, He shall prolong days, and the will of Jehovah shall prosper by His hand (Isaiah 53:10).

This is said of the Lord, and the whole of this chapter treats of His temptations, by means of which He subjugated the hells. The increasing grievousness of His temptations is described by "Jehovah willed to bruise Him, and to weaken Him;" the most grievous temptation, which was the passion of the cross, is signified by "if Thou shalt make His soul a guilt offering;" "to make His soul a guilt offering" signifies the last temptation, by which He fully subjugated the hells and fully glorified His Human, which is the means of redemption. The Divine truth that afterwards proceeded from His Divine Human, and the salvation of all who receive Divine truth from Him, is signified by "He shall see seed;" that this will continue forever is signified by "He shall prolong days;" "to prolong" signifying in reference to the Lord to continue forever, and "days" signifying states of light, which are states of the enlightenment of all by Divine truth; that this is from His Divine for the salvation of the human race is signified by "the will of Jehovah shall prosper by His hand."

[6] In the same:

Fear not, for I am with thee; I will bring thy seed from the sunrise, and I will bring thee together from the west; I will say to the north, Give, and to the south, Hold not back; bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the end of the earth (Isaiah 43:5, 6).

This is supposed to refer to the bringing back of the sons of Israel into the land of Canaan; but this is not the meaning here; but it means the salvation by the Lord of all who receive Divine truth from Him; and of whom the New Church consists; this is what is signified by "His seed which shall be brought from the sunrise, and brought together from the west, and which the north shall give and the south ¹ shall not hold back," therefore it also follows: "Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the end of the earth;" "sons" signifying those who are in the truths of the church, and "daughters" those who are in its goods. (But these words may be seen explained above, n. 422, 724)

[7] In the same:

On the right hand and on the left thou shalt break forth, and thy seed shall inherit the nations and make the desolate cities to be inhabited (Isaiah 54:3).

This is said of the church from the Lord with the Gentiles, which church is here meant by "the barren woman that did not bear," who should have many sons (verse 1). "The seed that shall inherit the nations" signifies the Divine truth that shall be given to the Gentiles; "to break forth on the right hand and on the left" signifies extension and multiplication; the "right hand" signifying truth in light, and the "left hand" truth in the shade, for the reason that in the spiritual world to the right hand is the south where those are who are in the clear light of truth, and to the left is the north where those are who are in an obscure light of truth. "To make the desolate cities to be inhabited" signifies their life according to Divine truths, which before this had been lost; "cities" meaning the truths of doctrine from the Word; "to be inhabited" signifying to live according to truths, and "desolate cities" those truths heretofore lost, that is, with the Jewish nation.

[8] In the same:

Their seed shall become known among the nations and their offspring in the midst of the peoples; all that see them shall acknowledge them that they are the seed that Jehovah hath blessed (Isaiah 61:9).

This, too, is said of the church to be established by the Lord. "The seed that shall become known among the nations" signifies Divine truth that will be received by those who are in the good of life; "and the offspring in the midst of the peoples" signifies life according to Divine truth; "those that see them and shall acknowledge that they are the seed" signifies enlightenment, that it is the genuine truth that they receive; "that Jehovah hath blessed" signifies that it is from the Lord. But such is the signification of these words in a sense abstracted from persons, but in a strict sense those are meant who will receive Divine truth from the Lord.

[9] In the same:

They are the seed of the blessed of Jehovah, and their offspring with them (Isaiah 65:23).

This, also, is said of the church from the Lord; and "the seed of the blessed of Jehovah" means those who will receive Divine truth from the Lord; and "their offspring," those who live according to it; but in the sense abstracted from persons, which is the genuine spiritual sense, "seed" means Divine truth, and "offspring," a life according to it (as just above). "Offspring" mean those who live according to Divine truth, and in an abstract sense life according to it, because the word in the original rendered "offspring" means going out or proceeding, and that which goes out or proceeds from Divine truth received is a life according to Divine truth.

[10] In the same:

As the new heavens and the new earth which I am about to make shall stand before Me, so shall your seed and your name stand (Isaiah 66:22).

This, too, is said of the Lord, and of the salvation of the faithful by Him; the New Church from Him is meant by "new heavens and a new earth;" by "new heavens" an internal church, and by "a new earth" an external church; that Divine truth and its quality shall endure is signified by "your seed and your name shall stand;" "seed" signifying Divine truth, which also is the truth of doctrine from the Word, and "name" signifying its quality. (That "name" signifies the quality of a thing and of a state, may be seen above, n. 148)

[11] In David:

Thou hast founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands; they shall perish, and Thou shalt stand; they shall all wax old like garments, like a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed; but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end; the sons of Thy servants shall dwell, and their seed shall be established before Thee (Psalms 102:25-28).

"The earth" which God formed, and "the heavens the work of His hands," which shall perish, have a similar signification as "the former earth and the former heaven" that passed away (in Revelation 21:1; about which, see there); and as the face of the earth and heavens in the spiritual world will be altogether changed at the day of the Last Judgment, and there will be a new earth and new heavens in place of the former, it is said "they shall all wax old like garments, like a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed;" they are likened to garments because garments signify external truths, such as those had who were in the former heavens and the former earth, which were not permanent because they were not in internal truths. The state of Divine truth that shall endure from the Lord to eternity is signified by "Thou shalt stand," and "Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end;" "the years of God" signifying the states of Divine truth. "The sons of Thy servants shall dwell, and their seed shall be established before Thee," signifies that angels and men, who are recipients of Divine truth, shall have eternal life, and that truths of doctrine shall endure with them to eternity; "the sons of the servants of God" meaning angels and men who are recipients of Divine truth, and "their seed" meaning truths of doctrine.

[12] In the same:

A seed that shall serve Him shall be counted to the Lord for a generation (Psalms 22:30).

This also is said of the Lord; and "the seed that shall serve Him" means those who are in the truths of doctrine from the Word; and "it shall be counted to the Lord for a generation" signifies that they shall be His to eternity; "to be counted" signifying to be arranged and disposed in order, here to be numbered with or added to, thus to be His.

[13] In many passages in the Word mention is made of "the seed of Abraham," "of Isaac," and "of Jacob," likewise of "the seed of Israel," and in the historical sense of the letter their posterity is meant; but in the spiritual sense Divine truth and the truth of doctrine from the Word are meant, for the reason that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Israel, mean in that sense the Lord, as can be seen from passages in the Word where they are mentioned; as where it is said:

That they shall come from the east and from the west, and shall recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of the heavens (Matthew 8:11);

which means the enjoyment of celestial good from the Lord. So also elsewhere. And as the Lord is meant by them in the internal sense, "their seed" signifies Divine truth which is from the Lord, and thus also the truth of doctrine from the Word; as in these passages. In Moses:

Jehovah said to Abram, All the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed forever; and I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth (Genesis 13:15, 16).

Look up towards the heavens and number the stars, so shall thy seed be (Genesis 15:5).

In thy seed shall all the nations be blessed (Genesis 22:18).

To Isaac:

To thee and to thy seed will I give all these lands; and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed (Genesis 26:3-5).

To Jacob:

Unto thy seed after thee will I give this land (Genesis 35:12).

The land given to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and to their seed after them (Deuteronomy 1:8).

The seed of your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deuteronomy 4:37; 10:15; 11:9).

Since, as has been said, the Lord is meant by "Abraham," "Isaac," and "Jacob;" by "Abraham" the Lord in reference to the celestial Divine of the church; by "Isaac" in reference to the spiritual Divine of the church, and by "Jacob" in reference to the natural Divine of the church, so their "seed" signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; "the seed of Abraham" signifying celestial Divine truth; "the seed of Isaac" spiritual Divine truth, and "the seed of Jacob" natural Divine truth; consequently those also are meant who are in Divine truth from the Lord. But the "land which the Lord will give to them" means the church which is in Divine truth from Him; and thence it may be known what is signified by "in their seed shall all nations be blessed;" for they could not be blessed in their posterity, namely, in the Jewish and Israelitish nation, but they were to be blessed in the Lord and from the Lord by the reception of Divine truth from Him.

[14] That "the seed of Abraham" does not mean the Jews is evident from the Lord's words in John:

The Jews answered, We are Abraham's seed, and have never been servants to any man. Jesus answered, I know that ye are Abraham's seed; yet ye seek to kill Me, because My word hath no place in you; ye are of your father the devil (John 8:33, 34, 37, 44).

From this it is evident that the Jews are not meant by "the seed of Abraham," but that "Abraham" means the Lord, and "the seed of Abraham" Divine truth from the Lord, which is the Word; for it is said, "I know that ye are Abraham's seed; yet ye seek to kill Me, because My word hath no place in you." The Lord's saying "I know that ye are Abraham's seed" signifies that He knew that the truth of the church, which is the Word, was with them; but that they nevertheless rejected the Lord is signified by "ye seek to kill Me;" and that they were not in Divine truths from the Lord is signified by "because My word hath no place in you;" that there was with them nothing but evil and falsity therefrom is signified by "ye are of your father the devil, and the truth is not in him;" and afterwards, "when he speaketh a lie he speaketh from his own;" "lie" signifying Divine truth, or the Word, adulterated. The Lord said "I know that ye are Abraham's seed" for the further reason that "Judah" signifies the Lord in reference to the Word (as may be seen above, n. 119, 433).

[15] In David:

He will make them to fall in the wilderness, and will make their seed to fall among the nations and will scatter them in the lands (Psalms 106:26, 27).

"To make their seed to fall among the nations and to scatter them in the lands" signifies that Divine truth would perish with them by evils and falsities. "The seed of Israel" has a similar signification in these passages:

Thou Israel My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham My friend, whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth (Isaiah 41:8, 9).

I will pour out My spirit upon the seed of Israel and Jacob, and My blessing upon their offspring (Isaiah 44:3).

In Jehovah all the seed of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory (Isaiah 45:25).

Jehovah who brought up and who brought back the seed of the house of Israel out of the land ² towards the north, and out of all the lands whither I have driven them, that they may dwell upon their own land (Jeremiah 23:8).

In the highest sense "Israel" means the Lord in relation to the internal of the church, therefore "his seed" similarly signifies the Divine truth that is with those who are of the church that is signified by "Israel." "Israel" means the church with those who are interiorly natural, and have truths therein from a spiritual origin. For this reason "Israel" signifies the church that is spiritual-natural.

[16] Since "David" in the Word means the Lord in reference to royalty, and the Lord's royalty means Divine truth in the church, so his "seed" means those who are in the truths of the church from the Word, who are called "the sons of the king" and "the sons of the kingdom;" it means also that Divine truth is with them, as in the following passages:

As the host of the heavens shall not be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the seed of David and the Levites My ministers (Jeremiah 33:22).

I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to David My servant, Even to eternity will I establish thy seed, and will build up thy throne to generation and generation. I will set his seed forever, and his throne as the days of the heavens. His seed shall be to eternity, and his throne as the sun before Me (Psalms 89:3, 4, 29, 36).

That "David" means in the Word the Lord in reference to royalty, which is Divine truth in the Lord's spiritual kingdom, may be seen above (n. 205); therefore "his seed" signifies that Divine truth with those who are in truths from good, thus also who are in the truths of doctrine from the Word; for truths of doctrine from the Word, or the truths of the Word, are all from good; and as these are meant by "the seed of David," so in an abstract sense the truth of the Word or the truth of the doctrine from the Word is meant by it. That "the seed of David" does not mean his posterity anyone can see, for it is said that "his seed shall be multiplied as the host of the heavens and the sand of the sea," and that "it shall be established and set to eternity," also that "his throne shall be built up to generation and generation," and "shall be as the days of the heavens," and "as the sun," which cannot at all be said of the seed of David, that is, of his posterity and of his throne, for where now are his seed and throne to be found? But all these things harmonize when "David" is taken to mean the Lord, "his throne" heaven and the church, and "his seed" the truth of heaven and of the church.

[17] In Jeremiah:

If I shall not have set My covenant of day and night, the statutes of heaven and of earth, I will also reject the seed of Jacob and of David My servant, that I will not take of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will cause their captivity to return, and will have compassion on them (Jeremiah 33:25, 26).

In the same:

Jehovah said, who giveth the sun for a light by day, the statutes of the moon and stars for a light by night. If these statutes shall remove from before Me, the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me all the days (Jeremiah 31:35, 36).

In these passages, again, "the seed of Jacob" and of "David," likewise "the seed of Israel," mean those who are in Divine truths; but "the seed of Jacob" means those who are in natural Divine truth, "David" those who are in spiritual Divine truth, and "Israel" those who are in natural-spiritual Divine truth, which is mediate between natural Divine truth and spiritual Divine truth. For there are degrees of Divine truth, as there are degrees of its reception in the three heavens by the angels and in the church. "The covenant of day and night, and the statutes of heaven and earth," signifying the conjunction of the Lord with those who are in Divine truths in the heavens, and with those who are in Divine truths on the earth, "covenant" signifying conjunction, and "statutes" the laws of conjunction, which are also the laws of order, and the laws of order are Divine truths; while "day" signifies such light of truth as the angels in the heavens have; and "night" such light of truth as men on the earth have, likewise such light of truth as those have who are in the heavens and on the earth under the Lord as a moon; therefore it is added, "who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the statutes of the moon and stars for a light by night." But here "the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," mean all who are of the Lord's church, in every degree; of these and of the seed of Jacob and David it is said that if they acknowledge not the Lord, and receive not Divine truth from Him, the Lord will not reign over them.

[18] In the same:

No one of his seed shall prosper who sitteth upon the throne of David and ruleth anymore in Judah (Jeremiah 22:30).

This is said of Coniah, king of Judah, who is here called "a despised and worthless idol," and it is said of him:

That he and his seed shall be taken away and cast unto the earth (verse 28).

This king has a similar signification as Satan, and "his seed" signifies infernal falsity; that this shall not rule in the Lord's church, in which is celestial Divine truth, is signified by "no one of his seed shall sit upon the throne of David or shall rule anymore in Judah;" "Judah" here meaning the celestial church in which the Lord reigns.

[19] As "David" represented the Lord's royalty, so "Aaron" represented his priesthood; therefore "the seed of Aaron" means those who are in the affection of genuine truth which is from celestial good. Because of this representation this statute was given for Aaron:

The high priest shall not take a widow, or one divorced, or one polluted, a harlot, but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife, lest he profane his seed among his people; I Jehovah do sanctify him (Leviticus 21:14, 15).

As "man and wife" in the Word in its spiritual sense signify the understanding of truth and the will of good, and as thought is of the understanding and affection is of the will, so "man and wife" also signify the thought of truth and the affection of good, likewise truth and good. Thence it is clear what is signified by a "widow," by "one divorced," and by "one polluted" and "a harlot;" "a widow" signifies good without truth, because left by truth, which is the man; "one divorced" signifies good rejected by truth, thus discordant good; and "one polluted, a harlot," signifies good adulterated by falsities, which is no longer good but evil. Because of this signification of these women the high priest was forbidden to take any of them to wife, because he represented the Lord in reference to the priesthood, which signified the Divine good. And as a "virgin" signifies the will or affection of genuine truth, and genuine truth makes one with and is in harmony with Divine good, and these two are conjoined in heaven and in the church, and their conjunction is called the heavenly marriage, therefore it was required that the high priest should take a virgin to wife. And as the truth of doctrine is born of this marriage, while the falsity of doctrine is born of a marriage with such as are signified by "a widow," "one divorced," and "one polluted, a harlot," it is said, "lest he profane his seed among his peoples," "seed" signifying the genuine truth of doctrine, and thus also the doctrine of genuine truth from the good of celestial love, and "his peoples" signifying those who are of the church in which there is the doctrine of genuine truth from the Word. Also as this was a representative of the heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of the Lord with the church, therefore it is said, "I Jehovah do sanctify him."

[20] Since the high priest represented the Lord in reference to Divine good, and his "seed" signified Divine truth, which is the same as the genuine truth of doctrine, it was also made a statute:

That no man a stranger, who was not of the seed of Aaron, shall come near to burn incense before Jehovah (Numbers 16:40).

"A man a stranger" signifies the falsity of doctrine, and "burning incense" signifies worship from spiritual good, which in its essence is genuine truth; and "the seed of the high priest" signifies Divine truth from a celestial origin; therefore it was decreed by law that no stranger who was not of the seed of Aaron should burn incense in the Tent of meeting before Jehovah.

[21] When it is known what of heaven and the church was represented also by other persons mentioned in the Word, what is signified by "their seed" will also be known, as by the seed of Noah, Ephraim, and Caleb, in the following passages. Of Noah:

I establish My covenant with you and with your seed after you (Genesis 9:9).

Israel said of Ephraim:

His seed shall be the fullness of the earth ³ (Genesis 48:19).

And Jehovah said of Caleb:

His seed shall inherit the earth (Numbers 14:24).

What "Noah" and "Ephraim" represented and signified has been explained in the Arcana Coelestia. But "Caleb" represented those who are to be introduced into the church; therefore their "seed" signifies the truth of the doctrine of the church.

[22] The "seed of the field" has a similar signification as the "seed of man," because a "field," the same as "man," signifies the church; for this reason the terms "seed" and also "sowing" are in some passages applied to the people of the earth the same as they are applied to a field, as in the following. In Jeremiah:

I had planted thee a noble vine, a seed of truth; how art thou turned into branches of a strange vine unto Me! (Jeremiah 2:21).

In David:

Their fruit will I ⁴ destroy from the earth, and their seed from the sons of man (Psalms 21:10).

In Hosea:

I will sow Israel unto Me in the earth (Hosea 2:23).

In Zechariah:

I will sow Judah and Joseph among the peoples, and they shall remember Me in remote places (Zechariah 10:9).

In Ezekiel:

I will look again to you, that ye may be tilled and sown; then will I multiply man upon you, all the house of Israel, the whole of it (Ezekiel 36:9).

In Jeremiah:

Behold the days shall come in which I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast (Jeremiah 31:27).

In Matthew:

The seed sown are the sons of the kingdom (Matthew 13:38).

But it is not necessary to show here that the seed of the field has a similar meaning as the seed of man, for here only what is signified by "the seed of the woman" is what is to be explained and confirmed from the Word.

[23] Since "seed" signifies the truth of doctrine from the Word, and in the highest sense Divine truth, so in the contrary sense "seed" signifies the falsity of doctrine and infernal falsity. As in Isaiah:

Draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, ye seed of the adulterer, and thou that hast ⁵ committed whoredom. Against whom do ye sport yourselves, against whom do ye make wide the mouth and lengthen the tongue? Are ye not children of transgression, the seed of a lie? (Isaiah 57:3, 4)

"The sons of the sorceress and the seed of an adulterer" signify falsities from the Word when it has been falsified and adulterated, "the sons of the sorceress" meaning the falsities from the Word falsified, and "the seed of an adulterer," falsities from the Word adulterated. The Word is said to be falsified when its truths are perverted, and to be adulterated when its goods are perverted, as also when truths are applied to the loves of self. "Children of transgression and seed of a lie" signify falsities flowing from such prior falsities. "To sport themselves" signifies to take delight in things falsified; "to make wide the mouth" signifies delight in the thought therefrom; and "to lengthen the tongue" delight in teaching and propagating such falsities.

[24] In Isaiah:

Woe to the sinful nation, a people heavy with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, sons that are corrupters; they have forsaken Jehovah, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel, they have estranged themselves backwards (Isaiah 1:4).

"The sinful nation" signifies those who are in evils, and "a people heavy with iniquity" those who are in the falsities therefrom, for "nation" is predicated in the Word of evils, and "people" of falsities (See above, 331, 625). The falsity of those who are in evils is signified by "a seed of evildoers," and the falsities of those who are in the falsities from that evil are signified by "sons that are corrupters." (That "sons" signify those who are in truths, and in the contrary sense those who are in falsities, and in an abstract sense truths and falsities, may be seen above, n. 724 "They have forsaken Jehovah and have provoked the Holy One of Israel" signifies that they have rejected Divine good and Divine truth; "Jehovah" meaning the Lord in relation to Divine good, and "the Holy One of Israel," the Lord in relation to Divine truth; "their estranging themselves backwards" signifies that they wholly departed from good and truth, and went away to infernal evil and falsity, for those in the spiritual world who are in evils and falsities turn themselves backward from the Lord (See in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 123). In the same:

Thou shalt not be joined with them in the sepulcher, for thou hast corrupted thy land, thou hast slain thy people; the seed of the evil shall not be named forever (Isaiah 14:20).

This is said of Lucifer, by whom Babylon is meant; and "the seed of the evil which shall not be named forever" signifies the direful falsity of evil which is from hell. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 589, 659, 697)

[25] In Moses:

He that hath given of his seed to Molech dying shall die, the people of the land shall stone him with stones. I will set My faces against that man, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, because he hath given of his seed to Molech, to defile My sanctuary and to profane the name of My holiness (Leviticus 20:3; Leviticus 18:21).

"To give of his seed to Molech" signifies to destroy the truth of the Word and of the doctrine of the church therefrom, by application to the filthy loves of the body, as murders, hatreds, revenges, adulteries, and the like, which leads to the acceptance of infernal falsities instead of things Divine; such falsities are signified by "the seed given to Molech." Molech was the god of the sons of Ammon (1 Kings 11:7); and was set up in the valley of Hinnom, which was called Topheth, where they burned up their sons and daughters (2 Kings 23:10); the above mentioned loves are signified by that fire; and as "seed given to Molech" signifies such infernal falsity, and stoning was the punishment of death for the injury and destruction of the truth of the Word and of doctrine therefrom, it is said that the man that "hath given of his seed to Molech dying shall die, and the people of the land shall stone him with stones." (That stoning was the punishment for injuring or destroying truth may be seen above, n. 655.) That such falsity is destructive of every good of the Word and of the church is signified by "I will set My faces against that man, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, because he hath defiled My sanctuary and profaned the name of My holiness," "sanctuary" signifying the truth of heaven and the church, and "the name of holiness" all that it is. From the passages quoted it can now be seen that "seed" means in the highest sense Divine truth which is from the Lord, and thence the truth of the Word and of the doctrine of the church which is from the Word; while in the evil sense it means infernal falsity which is the opposite of that truth.

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