922. (Verse 20) And the wine-press was trodden without the city. That this signifies the production of falsity from evil from hell, is evident from the signification of treading the wine-press, as denoting to produce truth from good; and, in the opposite sense, to produce falsity from evil. For grapes, of which wine is made in the wine-press, signify the good of charity; and, in the opposite sense, evil. And from good is produced truth, and from evil falsity. That these things, as well as the falsifications of the Word, are signified by the wine-press of the wrath of God, may be seen from the article just preceding (n. 920); and from the signification of without the city, as denoting from hell. For by a city is signified the doctrine of truth from the Word; as may be seen above (n. 223); but without the city, the doctrine of falsity, from the Word falsified. And because the falsification of the Word is from hell, therefore by without the city denotes from hell. By city, in the Word, is signified doctrine; but by the city of David or Zion, and by the city of Jerusalem, are signified the church as to the Word, and as to doctrine from the Word. Hence by without the city is signified, not from the Word and doctrine therefrom; and the things which are not from the Word and doctrine therefrom are from hell. Without the city signifies the same as, without the camp, of the sons in the wilderness. For by their camp was signified heaven and the church; and by without the camp, was signified hell. For this reason the lepers, and all that were unclean, were sent out of the camp (Leviticus 13:46; Numbers 5:1-6); and also the excrements, by which infernal things were signified, were carried outside the camp (Deuteronomy 23:13, 14).

[2] That the wine-press and treading it, signify the production of falsity from evil, and the production of truth from good, is evident from the Word, where wine-press is mentioned. That it signifies the production of falsity from evil, is seen from the following passages. As in Lamentations:

"The Lord hath prostrated all my mighty ones in the midst of me; he hath proclaimed against me, the time appointed to break the young men: the Lord hath trodden the wine-press of the daughter of Judah" (1:15).

The subject there treated of is the end of the church with the Jewish nation. And by the mighty ones whom the Lord has prostrated in the midst thereof, is signified the destruction of the love of good - those who are in the love of good being in the Word called mighty; because good from the love of it prevails against the hells, and thence is mighty. In the midst, signifies all, and everywhere. By breaking the young men, is signified the destruction of all understanding of truth. The time appointed denotes, when both the goods and truths of the church were devastated with that nation. This time was when the Lord came into the world, and is meant by the fulness of times. Hence by the Lord hath trodden the wine-press of the daughter of Judah, is signified the perversion of the church, and the adulteration of the Word, produced from evils of life and falsities of doctrine, the daughter of Judah denoting the church from the doctrine of truth from the Word, and the wine-press denoting the production of falsity from evil, and the consequent adulteration of the Word and the overturning of the church. This is attributed to the Lord in the sense of the letter; but it is inverted in the spiritual sense, in which it is meant that it would be done by that nation itself.

[3] In Joel:

"Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get ye down, for the wine-press is full, the vats overflowed; for their wickedness is great" (3:13).

The devastation of the church as to good and truth is thus described. And by the wine-press being full and the vats overflowing, is signified that there was nothing but falsities from evil. The rest may be seen explained (n. 911).

In Hosea:

"Rejoice not, O Israel, over a likeness, as the nations, because thou hast committed whoredom under thy God, thou hast loved the reward of whoredom upon all corn-floors; the threshing floor and the wine-press shall not feed them, and the must shall fail in her" (9:1, 2).

This treats of the falsification of the Word. The threshing and the wine-press shall not feed them, signifies that they will not imbibe from the Word the goods and truths which nourish the soul; but this passage also has been explained before (n. 695).

[4] In Jeremiah

"The spoiler hath fallen upon thy vintage, whence gladness is gathered and joy out of Carmel, and out of the land of Moab: and I have made the wine to cease from the wine-presses; none shall tread with shouting; shouting shall be no shouting" (48:33, 34).

What is signified by the vintage, upon which the spoiler hath fallen, and what by gladness and joy which are gathered, may be seen above (n. 919). That there is no longer any truth because there is no good, is signified by making the wine to cease from the wine-presses. And that there is no longer joy from any spiritual love, is signified by none shall tread with shouting; the triumph of those who tread the wine-press being meant by shouting.

[5] In Isaiah:

"Who is this that cometh from Edom, sprinkled as to his garments from Bozrah, this that is honourable in his apparel, walking in the multitude of his strength? I who speak in justice, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red as to thy garment, and thy garments as of him that treadeth in the wine-press? I have trodden the wine-press alone; and of the people not a man with me: wherefore I have trodden them in mine anger, and trampled them in my wrath; therefore their victory is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have polluted all my raiment" (63:1-3).

These things are said of the Lord, and His combats against all the hells. And because He fought against them from the Human in which was the Divine itself, it is said, who is this that cometh from Edom, sprinkled as to his garments from Bozrah; by which is signified combating from the good of love and from truth, which are from the Divine. For Edom signifies what is red, and Bozrah the vintaging; and red is said of good, and vintaging of truth. And because those things are signified by Edom and by Bozrah, therefore in what follows, it is said, "red, and as one treading in the wine-press." And since the Divine Good and Divine truth, which are here meant, is the Word in the letter, and this is signified by the garments of the Lord, therefore it is said, "sprinkled as to his garments;" also who is honourable in his apparel. And because all strength is contained in the Word in the letter, therefore it is said, "walking in the multitude of his strength." Judgment from His Divine upon the good and upon the evil, and salvation in consequence, is meant by, "I who speak in justice, mighty to save." The violence offered to the Word by the Jewish nation, is signified by, wherefore art thou red as to thy garment, and thy garments as of him that treadeth in the wine-press; red as to the garment, being said of the violence offered to the Divine Good of the Word, which was meant above by Edom; and the garments as of him that treadeth in the wine-press, being said of the violence offered to Divine truth therein, meant above by Bozrah. The garments of the Lord signify the Word in the letter, to which violence was offered by the adulterations and falsifications thereof. The prostration of the hells and of the falsities therefrom, from his own proper power, is signified by, I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the people not a man with me. The casting down into the hells of those who were in direful evils and the falsities therefrom, is signified by, I have trodden them in mine anger, and trampled them in my wrath - anger being said of evils and wrath of falsities. And these are ascribed to the Lord, although it is those who are in evils and the falsities therefrom, that are angry and wrathful with the Lord. And because the judgment by which the hells were subjugated was accomplished by the Lord by means of temptations admitted into His Human, even to the last, which was the passion of the cross; consequently it is said, therefore their victory is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have polluted all my raiment. For the Lord, by all things of His passion, and by the last upon the cross, represented the violence offered by the Jewish nation to the Word, or to the Divine truth (concerning which see above, n. 183, 195 at the end, 627 at the end, 655, 805).

[6] That by the wine-press and the treading thereof, is signified the production of truth from good, because the grape signifies spiritual good, and the wine (vinum) from the grape the truth from that good, is clear from the following passages.

In Joel:

"Sons of Zion, rejoice. The floors are full of corn, and the wine-presses overflow with must (mustum) and oil" (2:23, 24).

The sons of Zion signify those who are in wisdom from Divine truth. The floors are full of corn, signifies that they have celestial good in abundance. The wine-presses overflow with must and oil, signifies that from the good of charity they have truth and its delight.

[7] In Matthew:

"A man, the father of a family, planted a vineyard and set a hedge about it, and digged a wine-press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen" who slew the servants sent to them, and lastly his son (21:33).

By the vineyard which the father of the family planted, is signified the church instituted with the sons of Jacob. By the hedge which he set about it, is signified a guard from the falsities of evil, which are from hell. And digged a wine-press in it, signifies that it had spiritual good. And built a tower, signifies interior truths from that good which looked to heaven. And let it out to husbandmen, signifies to that people. Who slew the servants that were sent to them, signifies the prophets. And lastly his son, signifies the Lord.

In Isaiah:

"My beloved had a vineyard in the horn of a son of oil, which he fenced about, and gathered out the stones thereof; and he planted it with a noble vine, and built a tower in the midst of it; also he hewed out a wine-press in it, and he waited for it to bring forth grapes; but it brought forth wild grapes" (5:1, 2).

By the vineyard, tower, and wine-press are here signified things similar to those explained just above, in Matthew; the rest may be seen explained (n. 918).

In most passages where vintage and wine-press are mentioned, the harvest and corn-floor are also mentioned at the same time;

As in Hosea 9:1, 2; Joel 3:13; Numbers 18:26-30; Deuteronomy 15:14; 16:13; 2 Kings 6:27.

The reason of this is, that the harvest and corn-floor signify, from the corn and bread, the good of celestial love, which is love to the Lord; and the vintage and wine-press signify, from the grape and the wine, the good of spiritual love, which is love towards the neighbour. For those two loves make one as the efficient cause and the effect. These things are mentioned, because in this part of the Apocalypse the harvest, and afterwards the vintage, are similarly referred to - of the harvest (vers. 14, 15), and of the vintage (ver. 19).

918. Saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the vintage of the clusters of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. That this signifies that the collecting and separation of the good from the evil may take place, because there are no longer any truths of faith, since there is no spiritual good, which is charity, is evident from the signification of thrusting in the sharp sickle and gathering the vintage, as denoting to collect the good and to separate them from the evil (concerning which see above, n. 911). The same is here signified by gathering the vintage as above by reaping. But gathering the vintage is spoken of, because it relates to clusters and grapes; and reaping is spoken of because it relates to the harvest; and by each is signified to devastate and make an end of the church, which is signified both by the harvest and vintage. And when the church is devastated, and thereby brought to its end, then the good are collected and separated from the evil. What is further signified by gathering the vintage, will be seen in what follows; and from the signification of clusters, as denoting the goods of faith and the truths therefrom, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of, for her grapes are fully ripe, as denoting, because there are no longer any goods of charity, thus because it is the end of the church. From these things it is evident that by, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vintage of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe, is signified that the collecting and separation of the good from the evil may take place, because there are no longer any goods and truths of faith, since there is no spiritual good, which is charity. The reason why there are no truths of faith is that there is no good of charity, and that truth is not possible without good; for truth derives its essence or its life from good. Whence it follows that truths and the faith thereof have no existence, if there is no good or charity.

[2] What charity is, which is the same as spiritual good, shall be briefly explained. Charity, or spiritual good, consists in doing good because it is truth; that is, it is to do truth. And to do truth is to do those things which the Lord has commanded in His Word. It is evident, therefore, that charity is spiritual good. And when a man does good because it is truth, or does truth, then charity becomes moral good, which, in the external form, is like the good that is done at this day with every man who is a moral and civil man. But there is this difference, that genuine moral good is good from the spiritual good from which it proceeds. For spiritual good is from the Lord, but moral good is from man. Therefore, unless the good from man is from the Lord, that is, through man from the Lord, it is not good. The end for the sake of which [a thing is done], declares its quality. Moral good separated from spiritual good, regards man, his honour, profit, and pleasure, as the end for which it is done. But moral good from spiritual good has regard to the Lord, heaven, and eternal life, as the end. These things are said, in order that it may be known, why it is that there is no truth of faith where there is no good of charity; consequently, that where these two do not exist, the church is devastated; this is the subject treated of here and in what now follows in the Apocalypse. That there is no faith where there is no charity, may be seen also in the small work concerning the Last Judgment 33-39).

[3] That clusters and grapes signify the good of charity, is evident from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned, as in the following.

In Jeremiah:

"Consuming I will consume them; there shall be no grapes on the vine, neither figs on the fig-tree, and the leaf shall fall off; and I will give them to those who pass by over them" (8:13).

No grapes on the vine, signifies that there is no spiritual good in man. No figs on the fig-tree, signifies that there is no natural good in him. The vine and the fig-tree signify man as to the church, thus the church with him. But these may be seen further explained above (n. 403).

[4] In Isaiah:

"My beloved had a vineyard in the horn of a son of oil, which he fenced about, and gathered out the stones thereof; and he planted it with a noble vine, and built a tower in the midst of it; also he hewed out a wine-press in it, and he waited for it to bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes" (5:1, 2, 4).

By the vineyard of the beloved, is signified the spiritual church, which was instituted with the sons of Israel. In the horn of a son of oil, signifies, which had truths from the good of charity. Which he fenced about, and gathered out the stones, signifies the guarding it from falsities and evils. He planted it with a noble vine, signifies that it was gifted with genuine truths. He built a tower in the midst of it, signifies the interior things, which receive influx, and by which there is communication with heaven. Also he hewed out a wine-press in it, signifies the production of truth from good. And he waited for it to bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes, signifies the hope of the fructification of those things from the good of charity; but in vain, because there was iniquity in the place of good.

[5] In Micah:

"Woe is me, I am become as the gatherings of the summer, as the gleanings of the vintage; not a cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first-fruits. The holy one has perished from the earth, and the upright one amongst men; all lie in wait for bloods" (7:1, 2).

Grief because of the vastation of good and the truth therefrom in the church, is meant and described by, Woe is me, I am become as the gatherings of the summer, as the gleanings of the vintage. That there is no longer any spiritual good, nor natural good, from which the Lord is worshipped, is signified by, there is no cluster to eat, my soul desireth the first-fruits. That there is no longer spiritual or natural truth, is signified by the holy one has perished, and the upright one amongst men. That the truths and goods of the Word, and thence of the Church, are destroyed by falsities and evils, is signified by, all lie in wait for bloods.

[6] In Hosea:

"I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness: as the first-fruit on the fig-tree in the beginning. I saw your fathers" (9:10).

These things are said concerning the Ancient Church, and its establishment. That church is here meant by Israel; its first state by, in the wilderness, and in the beginning; and the spiritual good with them, by grapes; and the good therefrom arising in the natural man, by the first-fruit in the fig-tree. That the men of the Ancient Church are there meant by Israel in the wilderness, and by their fathers in the beginning, and not the sons of Jacob, is evident in Moses:

[7] "Their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of gall, clusters of bitterness to them" (Deuteronomy 32:32).

Here the sons of Jacob are described, such as they were in the wilderness. That religion with them was infernal, because they worshipped the gods and idols of the nations, is signified by their vine being of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah. That instead of the goods of charity, they were given to hatred and to the falsities breaking forth therefrom, instead of truths. This is signified by, their grapes are grapes of gall, clusters of bitterness to them.

[8] In Moses:

"He tieth to the vine his ass, and to the choice vine the son of his she-ass; he washeth his garment in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes" (Genesis 49:11).

These form the last address of the father of Israel to his sons, here [spoken] to Judah, by whom, in the highest sense, is meant the Lord as to the celestial church, and the Word. And by the blood of grapes is signified the Divine truth from His Divine good; and, in a relative sense, the good of charity. But this and the rest may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia 6375-6379).

[9] By the blood of the grapes is also signified truth from spiritual good, the same as by wine (also Deuteronomy 22:14). The reason why grapes signify the good of charity is, that by a vineyard is signified the spiritual church, and by a vine the man of that church. Therefore, by clusters or bunches, and by grapes, which are the fruits, are signified the goods which constitute that church; these are called spiritual goods, and also goods of charity. And because all truth is from good, as all wine is from grapes, therefore by wine, in the Word, is signified truth from good. Concerning this signification of wine see above (n. 219, 376). But by clusters or bunches are properly signified the variations of the state of spiritual good, or of the good of charity, because in them many grapes cohere in series. But what is meant by variations of the state of good will be explained elsewhere.

[10] Because the land of Canaan represented and thence signified the church, and the church being a church from spiritual good - for this is the mark of the church, therefore

those who went to explore that land brought from it a cluster of grapes of a remarkable size, which was carried on a staff by two (Numbers 13:23, 24).

This was a representative sign of the church signified by the land of Canaan. The reason why the church is a church from the good of charity is, that this good, strictly considered, is the good of life arising from love to the Lord; consequently, it is the effect of that love. By the good of charity is meant justice, sincerity, and uprightness in every work and in every function, from the love of justice, sincerity, and uprightness; this love comes solely from the Lord.

[11] Because it has been hitherto unknown, what was represented by the Nazarite, and what was signified by his abstaining from grapes and from wine, and by making the hair of his head to grow, it is permitted here to make it known. Concerning his abstinence from grapes and from wine it is thus written:

"He shall abstain from wine and strong drink, vinegar of wine and vinegar of strong drink he shall not drink, yea, he shall not drink any bruising of grapes; the grapes also either fresh or dry he shall not eat. All the days of his Nazariteship, he shall not eat anything that is made of the grape of the vine, from the kernels even to the skin" (Numbers 6:3, 4).

This law was for the Nazarite before he fulfilled the days of his Nazariteship, because he then represented the Lord as to His first state. The Lord, like every man, passed through a first state which was sensual. For every man is first sensual; afterwards he is made natural and rational, then, spiritual; and lastly, if the third degree is opened in him, he becomes celestial, such as an angel of the third heaven becomes. The Sensual of man is signified by the hair of the head (concerning which see above, n. 66, 555). And because the Sensual is the most external of man's life, where all power resides, therefore the Nazarites had such great strength. That all power resides in the extremes or ultimates, consequently, in the ultimate sense of the Word, this being the sense of the letter, which also corresponds to and signifies hair, may be seen above (n. 346, 417, 567, 666, 726). Such power pertained to the Lord in His childhood, by which He overcame and subjugated the most direful hells, where all are sensual.

This state of the Lord was represented by the days of fulfilment with the Nazarites, which being fulfilled, the Lord entered from the sensual and natural into the spiritual and celestial Divine. Now because that state, together with its good and truth, is signified by grapes and wine, therefore it was not lawful for the Nazarite to eat grapes and drink wine, before he had fulfilled those days.

[12] That afterwards it was lawful for him is evident from the twentieth verse of that chapter, where it is said,

"And after that the Nazarite may drink wine."

That at the end of the days of fulfilment,

he should shave his head, and put the hair of his head upon the fire, which was under the sacrifice of the peace offerings (ver. 18),

represented the sensual, then new, from the celestial Divine; for new hair grew afterwards upon the Nazarite. This also represented that the Lord from ultimate Divine truth, which is the sense of the letter, entered into interior Divine truth, which is the Word in the internal sense, even to the highest there. For the Lord, while He was in the world, was the Word, because He was the Divine truth, and that more interiorly by degrees, as He grew up, even to the highest, which is purely Divine, entirely above the perceptions of the angels.

It must be known that the Lord, during His abode in the world, from infancy to the last day there, successively advanced to union with the very Divine that was in Him from conception (concerning this successive progression see the Arcana Coelestia 1864, 2033, 2632, 3141, 4585, 7014, 10076). From these considerations it is evident, what was represented by its not being granted to the Nazarite to eat anything of the grape, nor to drink anything of wine, before the fulfilment of the days of his Nazariteship.