411. Verse 16. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, signifies to be covered over by evils and by falsities therefrom. This is evident from the signification of "mountains," as being the evils that flow from the loves of self and of the world (of which above, n. 405; also from the signification of "rocks," as being the falsities from evil (of which below); also from the signification of "fall on us," as being to be covered by them. These things, too, are to be illustrated by such things as occur in the spiritual world when the Last Judgment takes place; for they are said respecting the Last Judgment, as is evident from the following verse, where it is said, "For the great day of His anger is come, and who is able to stand?" that "day" meaning the time and state of the Last Judgment. The state of the wicked then is such that from the mountains and rocks upon which they have made their habitations they cast themselves down into the hells, more or less deeply according to the atrocity of the evils and falsities with them; and this they themselves do, because they cannot endure Divine good and Divine truth, the higher heavens then being opened, from which the light of heaven flows in, which is Divine truth united to Divine good, by which light their pretended goods and truths are constricted, and these being constricted their evils and falsities are loosened; and as evils and falsities cannot endure the light of heaven, for they are pained and tortured by it, these spirits cast themselves from the mountains and rocks into the hells, more or less deeply according to the quality of their evil and falsity; some into gaps and caves, and some into holes and rocks, which then stand open before them; but as soon as they have cast themselves in, the openings are closed up. In this way the casting out of evil spirits from the mountains and hills which they have occupied is effected (See above, n. 391-392, 392, 394); and when they are in the caves and among the rocks the pains and torments they suffered from the influx of the light of heaven cease; for they find rest in their evils and in the falsities therefrom, because these had been their delights; for the delights of his life remain with everyone after death, and the delights of life are the delights of their loves, for every delight of life is from love.

[2] From this the signification of their "calling to the mountains and the rocks to fall on them" can be seen; likewise what is signified in Hosea:

They shall say to the mountains, Cover us, and to the hills, Fall on us (Hosea 10:8).

And in Luke:

Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us, and to the hills, Hide us (Luke 23:30).

This, too, treats of the Last Judgment. The light of heaven, which is Divine truth united to Divine good, by the influx and presence of which the evil who cast themselves down are pained and tormented, is meant by the words immediately following in this verse; "hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb;" it is said "the anger O the Lamb" because they are in torment; but their torment is not from that, but from the evils of their loves and from the falsities of their faith; and because these evils and falsities have formed all the interiors of their mind (for each one's mind is formed by his love and its faith, even so as to be a likeness of these in form), and because the interiors of the mind of those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom are turned away in a contrary direction, or to a quarter opposite to Divine goods and truths, therefore when Divine truth flows in and endeavors to reverse the action of the interiors of their mind, and thereby to lead them into heaven (for this is what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord does everywhere where it flows in), and they are unwilling to abandon the delights of their loves, they suffer anguish and torment; but these cease when they come into the hells where like delights or like loves prevail.

[3] Having shown above n. 405 what "mountains and hills" signify, it shall now be shown what "rocks" signify, namely, that they signify truth from spiritual good, also the truth and good of faith, but in the contrary sense the falsity of faith. This signification of "rocks" is also from appearances in the spiritual world; for rocks and crags are seen there as mountains and hills are seen, as was shown above, and upon the rocks there those dwell who are in truths from spiritual good, and who are in the truth and good of faith. The difference between the mountains and hills, and the rocks and crags, is that the former are of soil, and the latter of stone, and "soil" corresponds to and thus signifies the good of love, and "stone" corresponds to and thus signifies the truth of faith. And as most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so do "rocks," and in that sense they signify the falsity of faith, and this also from correspondence; for those who are in the falsities of faith dwell there within the rocks in caverns.

[4] That "rock" signifies truth from good and the truth of faith, and in the highest sense the Lord in respect to these, is evident from the following passages. In Daniel:

Thou sawest ¹ till that a stone was cut out, not by hands, and it smote the image upon his feet, that were iron and clay. And the stone that smote the image became a great rock and filled the whole earth (Daniel 2:34-35).

This was said of the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. "The stone that became a great rock" means the Lord, as is evident from the particulars there. But first let the signification of what precedes be told; "the head of the image" which was gold, signifies the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial church, or a church in which the good of love to the Lord reigned; this good is signified in the Word by "gold," and also by "the head;" "the breast" and "the arms" which were silver, signify the Ancient Church, which succeeded the Most Ancient, and this church was a spiritual church, or a church in which the good of charity towards the neighbor, and truth from that good, reigned; this truth and good are signified by "silver," and also by "the breast" and "the arms;" "the belly and the thighs which were brass" signify the church that succeeded the ancient spiritual church and which may be called spiritual-natural; in this church the good of faith and the truth from that good reigned; this good is signified in the Word by "brass," and also by "the belly" and "the thighs;" but "the legs and the feet, which were part iron and part clay," signify the Israelitish and Jewish Church, which was an external church without any internal, and which therefore had no truth and good, but truth falsified which in itself is falsity, and good adulterated which in itself is evil; therefore it is said respecting it in this chapter:

Whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of man; but they shall not cohere one with the other, even as iron doth not mingle with clay (Daniel 2:43).

"Iron" signifies natural truth, and "miry clay" natural good; "the feet and legs" have a like meaning; but here "clay" signifies good adulterated, and "iron" such truth as there is in the external sense of the Word; for "the seed of man" means the Word where there are goods and truths, the adulterations and falsifications of which are described by "iron mixed with clay, which do not cohere one with the other." (That there have been four churches, one after another, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 247, 248 .) "The stone" that smote the image means Divine truth from the Lord; that "it became a great rock and filled the whole earth" signifies that the Lord by Divine truth is to rule over heaven and the church; "the earth" here meaning the church and also heaven; therefore it is added that this kingdom "shall stand forever" (verse Daniel 2:44), "kingdom" also signifying the church and heaven, for there is the kingdom of God. That Divine truth is here meant by "stone," and the Lord in respect to Divine truth by "rock," is evident from the signification of "stone" in the Word when predicated of the Lord (as in Genesis 49:24; Psalms 118:22-23; Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 21:42, 21:44; Mark 12:10-11; Luke 20:17-18). Whether you say the Lord or Divine truth it is the same, since all Divine truth is from Him, and thence He is in it; and it is from this that the Lord is called "the Word," for the Word is Divine truth. (That "stone" in the highest sense signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and thence in a lower sense truth from good, see Arcana Coelestia 643[1-4], 1298, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376)

[5] That "rock" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, is plain from:

The rock in Horeb from which waters were given to the Israelitish people (Exodus 17:5-6);

and that it was commanded:

That Moses and Aaron should speak unto the cliff, and thus should sanctify Jehovah in the eyes of the sons of Israel; but that Moses smote it with a staff two times, therefore it was declared to Moses and Aaron that they should not bring the people into the land of Canaan (Numbers 20:8-13).

It is known in the church that this "rock" signified the Lord; but it is not known that it had this signification because "rock" in the Word signifies the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord; this was why Moses and Aaron were commanded to speak to it, and thus to sanctify Jehovah in the eyes of the sons of Israel. Also "the waters" that flowed forth signify Divine truth; and "the people drinking of them" signifies to nourish spiritually, which is done by instructing and teaching. (That "waters" signify truths, see above, n. 71; and that "to drink," and "to be given to drink," signify to be instructed and to be taught, see Arcana Coelestia, n. (Arcana Coelestia 3069, 3772, 4017-4018, 8562, 9412) The like is signified by "rock" in Isaiah:

They shall not thirst; He will lead them in desolate places; He will cause the waters to flow out of the rock for them, when He cleaveth the rock that the waters may issue (Isaiah 48:21).

In David:

He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and made them to drink of the great depths; and He brought streams out of the cliff; and they remembered that God was their Rock, and the most high God their Redeemer (Psalms 78:15-16, 20, 35).

In the same:

He opened the rock that the waters might issue out; they flowed in the dry places, a river (Psalms 105:41).

In the same:

Before the Lord thou art in travail, O earth, before the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool of waters, the flint into a fountain of waters (Psalms 114:7-8).

That "rock" in these passages signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, or what is the same, Divine truth from the Lord, is evident from what has been said above, also from the fact that these two passages in David treat of the redemption and the regeneration of the men of the church, and this is effected by means of Divine truth from the Lord. Redemption is treated of in these words, "they remembered that God was their Rock, and the most high God their Redeemer;" regeneration in these words, "Before the Lord thou art in travail, O earth;" "to be in travail" when predicated of the church, signifying to be reformed and regenerated.

[6] In Isaiah:

Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek Jehovah; look unto the rock out of which ye were hewn, and to the digging out of the pit out of which ye were digged (Isaiah 51:1).

The "rock" means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and the "pit" signifies the Word, as also in other places; "to be hewn out of the rock" and "to be digged out of the pit," signify to be regenerated by Divine truths and Divine goods, thus by truths from good from the Lord; for "stones," that are cut out of a rock, signify truths from the Lord; and "soil," that is dug out of a pit, signifies good from the Lord, therefore it is called "the digging out of the pit."

[7] In Moses:

Give ye greatness unto our God; the rock, whose work is perfect, and all His ways are judgment. He made him to ride on the high places of the earth, and feedeth him with the increase of the fields; He maketh him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock. The rock that begat thee hast thou given to forgetfulness, and hast forgotten God thy Former. Is it not because their rock hath sold them, and Jehovah hath shut them up? For their rock is not as our rock, neither are our enemies judges (Deuteronomy 32:3-4, 13, 18, 30-31).

This is said of the Ancient Church, which was a church that was in truths from good; therefore truths from good are described by various things that correspond, as "He made him to ride on the high places of the earth, He fed him with the increase of the fields; He made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock." Intelligence in the spiritual things of this church is signified by "He made him to ride on the high places of the earth;" "to ride" signifying to understand; "the high places of the earth" meaning the spiritual things of the church; spiritual nourishment therefrom is signified by "He fed him with the increase of the fields;" "to feed" meaning to nourish, and "the increase of the fields" meaning all things of the church. That they had natural good and spiritual good through Divine truth from the Lord is signified by "He made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock;" "honey" meaning natural good, "oil" spiritual good; "cliff" external Divine truth from the Lord which is for the natural man, and "flint of the rock" internal Divine truth from the Lord which is for the spiritual man. The Jewish Church, which was not in any Divine truth, is next treated of, and respecting this it is said, "the rock that begat thee hast thou given to forgetfulness, and hast forgotten God thy Former," which signifies that the Lord, and thence Divine truth, by which the church is reformed, were rejected; "rock" meaning the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and "that begat thee," and "God the Former" signifying to be reformed by the Lord by means of Divine truth. That they were altogether deprived of truth and good is signified by "their rock hath sold them, and Jehovah hath shut them up," "rock" having reference to truth, and "Jehovah" to good; "to sell" and "to shut up" means to be deprived of. That they would be in falsity from evil is signified by "their rock is not as our rock, neither are our enemies judges" "their rock" meaning falsity, "our enemies" evils, "not judges" signifying not truths and goods. From this it can be seen that "rock" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and in the contrary sense, falsity.

[8] In the second book of Samuel:

The spirit of Jehovah spoke in me, and His speech was upon my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke [to me]. He that ruleth over the righteous man, that ruleth over the fear of God (2 Samuel 23:2-3).

"Rock" here manifestly stands for the Lord, for in the Word "the God of Israel" means the Lord; therefore it is said "the spirit of Jehovah spoke in me, and His speech was upon my tongue," also "the God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me." The "spirit of Jehovah" and "His speech" signify Divine truth, and the Lord is called "the God of Israel" from worship, and "the Rock of Israel" from Divine truth, from which is worship. Because it is the Lord who is meant, it is said that "the Rock of Israel spoke." His dominion over those who are in good and those who are in truth is signified by "He that ruleth over the righteous man, that ruleth over him that hath the fear of God;" righteousness" is predicated of good, and "fear of God" of truth; for this Psalm of David treats of the Lord, which makes clear that the Lord is meant by "the God of Israel," and "the Rock of Israel."

[9] In David:

O that My people may hearken unto Me, that Israel might walk in My ways! I would feed ² them with the fat of wheat; and with honey out of the rock I would satisfy them (Psalms 81:13, 16).

Here, too, "rock" means the Lord in respect to Divine truth (as may be seen above, n. 374, where this is explained). In the same:

Who is God save Jehovah, or who is a Rock besides my ³ God? Jehovah liveth: and blessed be my Rock; and the God of my salvation shall be exalted (Psalms 18:2, 31, 46; 2 Samuel 22:2-3, 32, 47).

It is said, "Who is God save Jehovah, and who is a Rock besides my God?" because where Divine good is treated of the Lord is called "Jehovah," and where Divine truth is treated of he is called "God," and also "Rock," as here; so afterwards, "Jehovah liveth, and blessed be my Rock;" "the God of my salvation shall be exalted" signifies that He must be worshiped by means of truths from good, from which is salvation; "to be exalted," in reference to God is predicated of worship from good by means of truths.

[10] In the same:

Let the sayings of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be well pleasing before Thee, O Jehovah, my Rock and my Redeemer (Psalms 19:14).

"Jehovah the Rock" has a like signification as "Jehovah God," namely, the Lord in respect to Divine good and Divine truth; and He is called "Redeemer" from regeneration, which is effected by Divine truth; "sayings of the mouth" signify the understanding of truth, and "the meditation of the heart" the perception of good. In the same:

I say unto God my Rock, Why hast Thou forgotten me? (Psalms 42:9).

"God the Rock" means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, here in respect to defense. In the same:

Unto Thee do I call, O Jehovah my Rock; be not silent from me; lest Thou be silent from me (Psalms 28:1).

Here, too, "Jehovah" and "Rock" are mentioned, because "Jehovah" means the Lord in respect to Divine good, and "Rock" the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and as both are meant it is twice said, "be not silent from me," "lest Thou be silent from me;" one having reference to Divine good, the other to Divine truth, for in the Word there is a heavenly marriage in every particular, which is the marriage of good and truth. In Habakkuk:

O Jehovah, Thou hast placed him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast founded him for correction (Habakkuk 1:12).

In Isaiah:

Trust ye in Jehovah forevermore; for in Jah Jehovah is the Rock of Eternity (Isaiah 26:4).

Ye shall have a song as of the night of celebrating the feast; and gladness of heart as of one going with a pipe to come into the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel (Isaiah 30:29).

Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no Rock, I know not any (Isaiah 44:8).

In David:

We will make a joyful noise unto the Rock of our salvation; we will come before His faces with confession (Psalms 95:1-2

In the first book of Samuel:

There is none holy as Jehovah; and there is no Rock like our God (1 Samuel 2:2).

In David:

Upright is Jehovah my Rock (Psalms 92:15).

He shall call me, Thou art my Father, my God, the Rock of my salvation. I also will make Him the firstborn, high above the kings of the earth (Psalms 89:26-27).

[11] In these passages, "rock" means Divine truth from the Lord and the Lord Himself, as well as in other passages. As in the gospels:

Everyone that heareth My words and doeth them, I will liken him to a prudent man, who built his house upon a rock; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, yet it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock (Matthew 7:24-25; Luke 6:48).

"The house founded upon a rock" means the church and the man of the church who has founded his doctrine and life upon the Divine truth, which is from the Lord, thus upon those things that are in the Word, consequently one who is in truths from good from the Lord. It is said, "who is in truths from good," because Divine truth is not received by anyone who is not in good. To be in good is to be in the good of life, which is charity; therefore it is said "he that heareth My words and doeth them;" "doing the Lord's words" is the good of life, for truth, when a man does it, becomes good because it then enters the will and love, and whatever becomes of the will and love is called good. Temptations, in which such a man of the church does not fall but conquers, are signified by "the rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew, and beat upon the house, and yet it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock;" for in the Word "floods of waters" and "rains," and also "tempests of wind," signify temptations. This, to be sure, is a comparison, but it should be known that all comparisons in the Word are as much according to correspondences as are the things not said comparatively (See above, n. 69; and Arcana Coelestia 3579, 8989).

This makes plainly evident that "rock" in the Word signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, or Divine truth from the Lord.

[12] From this it can be seen what is signified by the Lord's words to Peter, in Matthew:

Jesus said to the disciples, But who say ye that I am? Simon Peter answered, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answering said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon son of Jonah; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father who is in the heavens. I say unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, that whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens (Matthew 16:15-19).

"Peter" here does not mean Peter, but Divine truth from the Lord (as in the passages cited above) for all the Lord's disciples together represented the church; and each one of them some constituent of the church; "Peter" the truth of the church, "James" its good, and "John" good in act, that is, works; the rest of the disciples represented the truths and goods that are derived from these, just as the twelve tribes of Israel. That this is so will be seen in what follows, where the tribes and the disciples are treated of. This is why these three disciples are mentioned in the Word more than the others.

[13] The Lord addressed these words to Peter because he then confessed, saying, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," which in the spiritual sense signifies that He is the Divine truth; this is signified by "Christ," also by "the Son of God." (That this is signified by "Christ" see Arcana Coelestia 3004, 3005, 3009; and by "the Son of God" above, n. 63, 151, 166.) By virtue of this confession "Peter" represented Divine truth from the Lord in the church, and for this reason he was called "a rock" [petra], and it is said "thou art a rock [petra], upon this rock [petra] I will build My church," which signifies upon Divine truth from the Lord, or what is the same, upon truths from good, for upon these the church is built. That Peter might represent this in the church he was called by the Lord "a rock [petra]." as is evident in John:

Jesus looking upon him said unto him, Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah; thou shalt be called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, a rock [petra] (John 1:42).

Cephas in the Syriac language means a rock, and so Peter in that version is everywhere called "Cephas;" moreover, the same word in the Hebrew means a rock (as is evident in Jeremiah 4:29; andJob Job 30:6, where "rocks" are mentioned in the plural number); but Peter is not called a rock [petra] in the Greek and Latin because the name was bestowed upon him as a personal name.

[14] The Lord said "Simon son of Jonah" and afterwards he was called "a rock," because "Simon son of Jonah" signifies truth from good, or faith from charity; and as truth from good or faith from charity is granted only to those who are in Divine truth from the Lord, and Peter then confessed [the Lord], so he is called "a rock," not himself as a person, but that Divine truth which was from the Lord with him in his confession. That this was from the Lord is meant by the Lord's words, "flesh and blood has not revealed it unto thee, but My Father who is in the heavens;" "the Father in the heavens" meaning the Divine in the Lord, since the Father was in Him, and He in the Father and they were one (John 14:7-11; 10:30, 38). That "Simon" signifies truth in the will, see in the following chapter; and that "dove," which is what "Jonah" means, signifies spiritual good, see Arcana Coelestia 870[1-3], 1826, 1827); consequently "Simon son of Jonah" signifies the truth of good or truth from good. Because the hells have no power against Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, or against any man in whom there is Divine truth from the Lord, therefore the Lord says that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

[15] The Lord further said, "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens," which signifies that all things are possible to those who are in truths from good from the Lord, in full agreement with these words:

All things whatsoever ye ask for, praying, believe that ye are to receive, then shall it be done unto you (Mark 11:24; Matthew 7:8; Luke 11:9).

How these words are to be understood see above (n. 405i), namely, that to ask from the faith of charity is to ask not from self but from the Lord, for whatever anyone asks not from self but from the Lord he receives. That such is the signification of these words, "whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens," is clear from the Lord's words to the disciples and to all who are in truths from good from the Lord, in Matthew:

Verily I say unto you, What things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens (Matthew 18:18).

[16] These words were spoken to all, thus not to Peter only, as the Lord immediately declares in that chapter in these words:

I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth in My name respecting anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by My Father, who is in the heavens. For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:19-20).

"The Lord's name" means everything by which He is worshiped; and as He is worshiped by means of truth from good, which is from Him, so this is meant by "His name." (That this is what is meant by the "Lord's name," see above, n. 102, 135.) So "every thing they shall ask on earth shall be done for them in the heavens" has a similar signification as "whatsoever ye shall bind and shall loose on earth shall be bound and shall be loosed in the heavens," for the Lord explains the former words by the latter. One who knows the spiritual sense of the Word can know also why it is said "if two agree," and afterwards, "where there are two or three," namely, because "two" is predicated of good, and "three" of truth, consequently "two and three" of all who are in truths from good. (That Divine truth from the Lord has all power in the heavens and on earth, see above, n. 209, 333; and in the work on Heaven and Hell 230-231, 539; and Arcana Coelestia 3091, 3563, 6344, 6423, 6948, 8200, 8304, 9643, 10019, 10182. "Two" is predicated of good because it signifies conjunction by love, n. 1686, 5194, 8423; "three" is predicated of truths because it signifies all truths in the complex, in like manner as "twelve," n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913; therefore when "two" and "three" are mentioned in the spiritual world, two and three, are not meant, but all who are in truths from good. That "Peter" signifies truth from good, which is from the Lord, see in the small work on The Last Judgment 57.)

[17] Thus far it has been shown what "rock" signifies in this sense; it shall now be shown what "rock" signifies in the contrary sense. In the contrary sense "rock" signifies infernal falsity that is trusted in; as in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Hewing out ⁴ thy sepulcher in the height, graving for himself a habitation in the cliff (Isaiah 22:16).

This chapter treats of "the valley of vision," which signifies the falsity of doctrine confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word; the love of falsity is signified by "the sepulcher in the height," and the belief of falsity by "the habitation in the cliff;" their making such things for themselves is signified by "hewing out" and "graving for themselves."

[18] In the same:

In that day they shall reject every man the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold which your hands make for you; then shall Asshur fall by the sword not of a man [vir], and the sword not of a man [homo] shall devour him: and his cliff shall pass away for awe, and his princes shall be dismayed at the banner (Isaiah 31:7-9).

This treats of judgment upon those who from self-intelligence believe themselves to be wise in Divine things. Such are those who are in the love of self and the world, and who seek after a reputation for learning for the sake of self; these, because they are unable to see truths, seize on falsities and proclaim them as truths. The falsities that favor their principles and their loves are signified by "the idols of silver and the idols of gold;" that these are from self-intelligence is signified by "which your hands have made for you;" that they will perish by their own falsities is signified by "then shall Asshur fall by the sword not of a man [vir], and the sword not of a man [homo] shall devour him;" "Asshur" meaning the rational perverted, and thence those who are in falsities from self-intelligence; "to fall and to be devoured by the sword" meaning to perish. This was represented also by the king of Assyria in that he was slain by his own sons (Isaiah 37:38); "his sons" there signifying his own falsities by which he perished; "his cliff, which shall pass away for awe," signifies all falsity in general, in which such have trusted; and "the princes, who shall be dismayed at the banner," signify the primary falsities; it is said "at the banner," because such falsities are dispersed not by any combat with truths, but by a mere sign of combat, which a banner is. I have seen such cast down from the rocks upon which they were by the waving of an ensign.

[19] In Jeremiah:

The whole city fleeth before the voice of the horseman and the shooter of the bow; they entered the clouds and went up into the rocks, the whole city is forsaken, not a man [vir] dwelleth therein (Jeremiah 4:29).

This describes the church desolated in respect to truths. The desolation of all the truth of doctrine by false reasonings and false doctrinals therefrom is signified by "the whole city fleeth before the voice of the horseman and of the shooter of the bow;" "the voice of the horseman" signifying false reasonings, and "the voice of the shooter of the bow" false doctrinals; "the whole city fleeth" signifies the desolation of all the truth of doctrine, "city" meaning doctrine. That no truth is acknowledged, but falsity alone, is signified by "they entered the clouds and went up into the rocks;" "to enter the clouds" signifying into the non-acknowledgment of truth, and "to go up into the rocks" signifying into mere falsity.

[20] I have also seen rocks that consisted of stones heaped together, with no level place where verdure grew as elsewhere upon rocks; upon these were spirits who while they lived in the world as men had been in faith separate from charity, which is called faith alone, and had confirmed themselves therein both in doctrine and in life. This is what is meant by "the dryness of the rock," in Ezekiel:

She set ⁵ it upon the dryness of the cliff; she poured it not upon the earth that dust might cover it (Ezekiel 24:7).

And in the same:

I will cause many nations to come up against thee; and they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and throw down her towers; and I will purge her dust from her, and make her the dryness of a cliff (Ezekiel 26:3-4, 14).

"Dust" in these two passages means the soil, which signifies the good of the church. When there is no soil on the rocks, but the rocks are dry, that is, consist of mere heaps of stones, as was said above, it is a sign that there is no good, and where there is no good there is mere falsity; so this is what is signified by "the dryness of a cliff," and "she poured it not upon the earth, that the dust might cover it," and "I will purge her dust from her." This makes evident what is signified by the Lord's words in the Gospels:

Other seed fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much soil; and straightway they sprang up because they had no depth of earth; and they dried up (Matthew 13:5-6).

This may be seen explained above n. 401.

[21] Most of those in the spiritual world who have their light from the moon there, dwell upon rocks. Those who are spiritual-natural dwell upon rocks that are covered with a thin surface of soil, where consequently there are level places, verdure, and shrubberies, but not such as are upon the mountains and hills where those dwell who receive light from the sun of heaven; while those who are not spiritual-natural, but merely natural, are not at this day upon the rocks, but in caverns in the rocks there; and those who are in falsities from evil, dwell among heaps of stones there; all these things are correspondences.

[22] In Jeremiah:

Behold, I am against thee, O mountain destroying the whole earth; and I will stretch out Mine hand against thee and roll thee down from the cliffs, and will make thee a mountain of burning (Jeremiah 51:25).

This is said of Babylon, whose damnation through falsities is signified by "I will roll thee down from the cliffs," and whose damnation through evils is signified by "I will make thee a mountain of burning" (but this may be seen more fully explained above, n. 405.

[23] In the same:

O ye inhabitants of Moab, forsake the cities and dwell in the cliff, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the passages of the mouth of the pit (Jeremiah 48:28).

This is said of Moab, which signifies the adulteration of good and truth, and thus those who pervert the good and truth of the Word. "Forsake the cities" signifies to leave the truths of doctrine; "dwell in the cliff" signifies in falsities and the doctrine of falsities; "be like the dove that maketh her nest in the passages of the mouth of the pit" signifies looking at truth from without and not from within, for "a pit" signifies the Word where truths are; "to make a nest in the passages of its mouth" means outside of it and not within, "to make a nest" having the same signification as to dwell, namely, to live a life; but "to build a nest" is predicated of a bird, and "to dwell" of man. What it is to regard the Word from without and not from within may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 10549-10551), namely, to look at it not from doctrine but from the mere letter; and in consequence of this men wander in every direction whither the disposition, thought, and affection may lead; they are sure of nothing, whence come the perpetual adulterations that are signified by "Moab." This is the case with those who study the Word for the sake of glory and honor; because such regard themselves in everything when studying the Word, they remain outside of the Word; while those who love truth and good from the Word are within the Word, for they look at it not from self, but from the Lord. This makes clear what is signified by "O ye inhabitants of Moab, forsake the cities and dwell in the cliff, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the passages of the mouth of the pit."

[24] In the same:

Is not My word like as fire? and like a hammer that scattereth the cliff? (Jeremiah 23:29.)

The Word is said to be "like a fire and like a hammer" because "fire" signifies the good of love, and "hammer" the truth of faith, for "the hammer" has a similar signification as "iron," and "iron" signifies truth in ultimates, and the truth of faith. Both are mentioned, namely, "fire" and "hammer," and accordingly good and truth, because of the marriage of good and truth in every particular of the Word. "The cliff that is scattered" signifies the falsity in the whole complex and the doctrine of falsity; and these are scattered or destroyed, when man with whom they exist is judged.

[25] In Nahum:

Who shall stand before His indignation? or who shall stand up in the glowing of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks shall be overturned before Him (Nahum 1:6).

That the "indignation," "wrath," and "anger" of Jehovah signify the Last Judgment, and the state of damnation of those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom will be seen in the following articles. The damnation of evils is signified by "His wrath, which is poured out like fire;" and the damnation of falsities from evils by "His anger," and "the rocks shall be overturned before Him;" "fire" also signifying the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and "rocks" the falsities therefrom, and "to be overturned" signifies to perish. Moreover, the rocks, upon which are those who are in the principles of falsity and thus in falsities of every kind, are visibly overturned, and those who are upon them are thus cast down into hell; but this occurs in the spiritual world, where all have their dwelling places according to the quality of their interiors to which their externals correspond.

[26] In Isaiah:

Ye that have heated yourselves with gods under every green tree, that slaughter the children in the brooks under the shelves of the cliffs (Isaiah 57:5).

What is meant by "heating oneself with gods under every green tree, and slaughtering the children in the brooks under the shelves of the cliffs," no one can know except from the internal sense. In that sense "to heat oneself with gods under every green tree" signifies to worship God from every falsity that occurs; "to heat oneself with gods" means ardent worship, and "every green tree" means every falsity that occurs, for "tree" signifies knowledges and perceptions, here the knowledges and perceptions of falsity; and "to slaughter the children in the brooks, under the shelves of the cliffs" signifies to extinguish truths by falsities from self-intelligence; "children" meaning truths, "brooks" self-intelligence, "shelves of the cliffs" falsities; "under the shelves of these" signifies from the sensual, in which there is the ultimate natural light, for those who are in that light only stand under precipitous rocks and do not see any truth, and if it is told them they do not perceive it. In such a position I also have seen them in the spiritual world. This makes evident that "to slaughter the children" means not to slay children, but to extinguish truths.

[27] So in David:

Happy is he who shall seize and shatter thy babes against the cliff (Psalms 137:9).

"Babes" mean here not babes but falsities springing up; for Babylon is here treated of, which signifies the falsities of evil destroying the truths of good of the church; the destruction of these is signified by "shattering them against the cliff;" "cliff" meaning the ruling falsity of evil, and "to shatter" meaning to destroy. He who abides in the mere sense of the letter of the Word and does not think beyond it, can easily be led to believe that he is called "happy" who does this with the babes of his enemies, when yet that would be an enormous crime; but he is called "happy" who disperses the falsities of evil springing up in the church, which are here signified by "the babes of Babylon. "

[28] In Jeremiah:

Who hath heard such a thing as this? The virgin of Israel hath done a horrible thing. Shall the snow of Lebanon from the rock leave My fields? Shall the strange cold waters flowing down be snatched away? My people have forgotten Me, they have burned incense to vanity (Jeremiah 18:13-15).

"The virgin of Israel" means here and elsewhere the spiritual church, for this the Israelites represented; "the horrible thing that they did" means that they turned the goods of the church into evils, and the truths of the church into falsities, and from these evils and falsities worshiped Jehovah. The evils from which is such worship are signified by "My people have forgotten Me," for he who forgets God is in evils; and the falsities from which is such worship are signified by "they have burned incense to vanity," "vanity" meaning falsity, and "to burn incense" worship; "shall the snow of Lebanon from the rock leave My fields?" signifies, have they not the truths of the church from the Word? "rock" here signifies the Word, because it signifies Divine truth (as above); "the snow of Lebanon" signifies the truths of the church therefrom. Here "snow" has a similar signification as water, namely, truths, but "snow" signifies cold truths, because a cold church is here treated of. "Lebanon" means the church from which these are, and "fields" mean all goods and truths of the church; "the strange cold waters flowing down," signify the falsities in which there is no good; "strange waters" meaning falsities, and "cold" meaning in which there is no good, for truths have all their heat from the good of love.

[29] In the same:

Behold, I am against thee, thou inhabitant of the valley, thou rock of the plain; that say, Who shall descend against us, and who shall enter into our abodes? (Jeremiah 21:13).

"The inhabitant of the valley" and "the rock of the plain" signify those who are in the ultimates of the Word, and do not permit themselves to be illustrated from the interior; and such do not see truths, but falsities instead; for all the light of truth, because it is out of heaven from the Lord, comes from the interior and descends. Such are meant by "the inhabitant of the valley" and "the rock of the plain;" "valley" and "plain" meaning the ultimates of the Word in which they are; and "inhabitant" and "rock" signifying falsities, "inhabitant" the falsity of life, and "rock" the falsity of doctrine. The belief in falsity and evil in which such are firmly fixed, believing falsity and evil to be truths and goods, is signified by their saying, "Who shall descend against us, and who shall enter into our abodes?"

[30] In Isaiah:

Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for the dread of Jehovah (Isaiah 2:10).

"To enter into the rock" means into falsity, and "to hide themselves in the dust" means in evil. This treats of the Last Judgment, when those who are in the falsities of evil and in the evils of falsity cast themselves into the hells which are in the rocks and under the lands in the spiritual world. (But these things may be seen more fully brought out and explained in the preceding article.) In Job:

The mountain falling passeth away, and the rock is removed out of its place (Job 14:18).

"Mountain" signifies the love of evil; and "rock" the belief of falsity; and "to melt away" and "be removed out of its place" signifies to perish.

[31] In David:

Let their judges be cast down by the sides of the cliff (Psalms 141:6).

"Judges" signify those who are in falsities, and in an abstract sense, the falsities of thought and of doctrine. "Judges" in the Word have a similar signification as "judgments," and "judgments" signify the truths from which judgments are formed and in the contrary sense falsities. Because those who are in falsities dwell in the spiritual world in cliffs it is said, "let them be cast down by the sides of the cliff," which signifies that they should be let into their falsities and dwell in the hells corresponding to their falsities. In Job:

To dwell in the cleft of the valleys, in holes of the earth, and in the rocks (Job 30:6).

This treats of those who are in the hells, because they are in evils and in falsities therefrom; the hells of those who are in evils in respect to life are under valleys and in caves there; and the hells of those who are in falsities from evil are in rocks. This makes clear what is signified by "dwelling in the cleft of the valleys, in holes of the earth, and in rocks." (But respecting the caverns and caves in which those dwell who are in the hells, and the clefts and holes by which these are entered, see the article just preceding, n. 410.)

[32] These things have been adduced to make known that "rock" in the contrary sense signifies falsity in general; and this signification of "rock" is from correspondence, as can be seen from the appearances and phenomena in the spiritual world, where all dwell according to the correspondences of the interiors of their mind and life. Consequently those who are in wisdom and intelligence, because they are in love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbor, and thence in the spiritual affection of truth, dwell upon mountains and hills of earth, where there are paradises, gardens, rose-beds, and lawns; but those who are in the belief in the doctrinals of their church and in some degree of charity, dwell upon rocks where there are level places upon which are some groves and some trees and grassy places; while those who have been in faith alone, as it is called, in respect to doctrine and life, and thence in falsities of faith and evils of life, dwell within the rocks, in caverns and cells there.

[33] This signification of "rock" is from the correspondence spoken of. But there is a signification of "rock" from its hardness, as in the following passages.

In Jeremiah:

They have made their faces harder than a rock (Jeremiah 5:3).

In Ezekiel:

As an adamant stronger than rock have I made thy forehead; fear not (Ezekiel 3:9).

In Job:

They shall be graven with an iron pen and with lead in the rock forevermore (Job 19:24).

In Isaiah:

The hoofs of the horses are accounted as rock (Isaiah 5:28).

Hardness is expressed by "rock" from the correspondence of rock with truth from good, for truth from good has all power, as has been said above; but when truth acts against falsity from evil then good is blunted, and truth then remaining acts with hardness, according to the above words in Ezekiel, "As an adamant stronger than rock have I made thy forehead." Truth without good is also hard, but still is easily broken. But what has been here adduced respecting rocks will be more fully elucidated by what will be said hereafter respecting the signification of stones.

Poznámky pod čarou:

304. Verse 3. And no one was able, in heaven nor upon the earth, nor under the earth, to open the book, neither to look thereon, signifies manifestation that no one knows and perceives of himself anything whatever of the state of life of all in general, and of each one in particular. This is evident from the signification of "And no one was able to open the book, neither to look thereon," as being that no one of himself knows and perceives the states of the life of all in general and of each one in particular (of which see just above, n. 303); also from the signification of "in heaven nor upon the earth nor under the earth," being that no one anywhere has such knowledge, not even in the slightest degree; for "in heaven, upon the earth, and under the earth," means the three heavens; and by all who are there heaven in its entire complex is meant. And as heaven is heaven from the Divine truth that flows in from the Lord and is received by the angels, and not at all from any self-intelligence of the angels, for this is no intelligence, so the same words signify that no one has any knowledge or perception whatever from himself. That angels in heaven as well as men in the world have a selfhood [proprium], which regarded in itself is nothing but evil, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 592), and as evil receives nothing of intelligence and wisdom, it follows that angels equally with men understand nothing at all of truth from themselves, but solely from the Lord. Angels are such for the reason that all angels are from the human race, and every man retains after death what is his own [suum proprium], and angels are withheld from the evils that pertain to what is their own [proprii eorum] and are kept in goods by the Lord. (That all angels are from the human race, and not one is created such from the beginning, see in the small work on The Last Judgment 14-22; and that they are all withheld from evil, and kept in good by the Lord, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 166.)

[2] "In heaven," "upon the earth," and "under the earth," signify the three heavens, because the angels that are in the third or highest heaven dwell upon mountains; and those that are in the second or middle, upon hills; and those that are in the first or lowest, in plains and valleys below these. For in the spiritual world, where the spirits and angels are, it is just as it is in the natural world where men are, that is, there are lands, hills, and mountains; and in appearance the resemblance is such that there is no difference at all; therefore men after death scarcely know otherwise than that they are still living on the earth, and when the privilege is granted them to look into our world, they see nothing dissimilar. Moreover, the angels who are in the lowest heaven call that heaven where the angels of the third heaven dwell, because it is high above them, and where they themselves dwell they call earth; moreover, the third or highest heaven, which is upon the mountains, does not appear, to those who are below or upon that earth, otherwise than as the highest region of the atmosphere covered with a thin bright cloud appears before us, thus as the sky appears to us. From this it can be seen what is here meant, specifically, by "in heaven," "upon the earth," and "under the earth." (But more can be seen on this subject in the work on Heaven and Hell, where Appearances in Heaven are treated of, n 170-176; and The Habitations and Dwelling Places of Angels, n. 183-189)

[3] As men have not known that there is a like surface of the earth in both worlds, the natural and the spiritual, therefore they have not perceived otherwise when they have read the Word than that "heaven" and "earth" there mean the heaven visible before our eyes, and the earth inhabited by men; from this arose the belief in the destruction of heaven and earth, and the creation of a new heaven and a new earth at the day of the Last Judgment; when yet "heaven" and "earth" there mean the heaven and the earth where spirits and angels dwell, and in the spiritual sense the church with angels and with men (for there is a church with angels equally as with men, as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 221-227). It is said, in the spiritual sense, for an angel is not an angel, nor is a man a man, from the human form, which both have, but because of heaven and the church with them. This is why "heaven" and "earth," where angels and men dwell, signify the church; "heaven" the internal church and also the church with angels, and "earth" the external church and also the church with men. But since it can only with difficulty be believed that "earth" in the Word means the church, because it is not yet known that in every particular of the Word there is a spiritual sense, whence a material idea adheres and keeps the thought fixed in the nearest meaning of the expression, I wish to illustrate and confirm it by a number of quotations.

[4] In Isaiah:

Behold, Jehovah maketh the earth empty and maketh it void, and He shall disfigure the faces thereof; in emptying the earth shall be emptied, and in spoiling it shall be spoiled; the habitable earth shall mourn and be confounded; the world shall be confounded; the earth shall be profaned under its inhabitants; therefore a malediction shall devour the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth shall be burnt up, and a man shall be rare. A shout over the wine in the streets; the gladness of the earth shall be banished; it shall be in the midst of the earth as the shaking of an olive tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is ended. From the uttermost part of the earth we have heard songs, Glory to the righteous. The floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth quake; in breaking the earth is broken, in rending the earth is rent asunder, in moving the earth is moved; in tottering the earth shall totter as one drunken; and it shall be moved to and fro as a veil; but it shall be in that day that Jehovah will visit upon the host of the height in the height, and upon the kings of the earth who are upon the earth (Isaiah 24:1, 3-6, 11, 13, 16, 18-21).

Here it is very clear that "earth" does not mean the earth, but the church. Let the particulars be run over and considered. One who is in a spiritual idea does not think, when "earth" is mentioned, of the earth itself, but of the people on it and their quality; still more is this true of those who are in heaven; who, since they are spiritual, perceive that the church is meant. Here the church destroyed is treated of; its destruction in respect to the good of love and the truth of faith, which constitute it, is described by "Jehovah maketh the earth empty and maketh it void," "in emptying the earth shall be emptied, in spoiling it shall be spoiled," "it shall mourn and be confounded," "it shall be profaned," and "a malediction shall devour it;" "the floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of it quake;" "it is broken," "it is rent asunder," "it is moved," "it shall totter as one drunken." These things can be said neither of the earth, nor of any nation, but only of the church.

[5] In the same:

Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, to lay the earth waste; and He shall destroy the sinners out of it. For the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof do not cause their light to shine, the sun hath been darkened in its rising, and the moon maketh not bright her light. I will make a man more rare than fine gold; wherefore I will cause the heavens to tremble and the earth shall quake out of its place (Isaiah 13:9-10, 12-13).

It is clear from the particulars understood in the spiritual sense, that "earth" here means the church. The end of the church is here treated of, when truth and good, or faith and charity, are no more. For "the stars and constellations that do not cause their light to shine," signify the knowledges of truth and good; the "sun that has been darkened in its rising," signifies love; the "moon that maketh not bright her light," signifies faith; a "man made more rare than fine gold," signifies intelligence and wisdom: this makes clear what is signified by "Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh to lay the earth waste. I will cause the heavens to tremble and the earth shall quake out of its place;" "the day of Jehovah" is the last end of the church, when there is the judgment; the "earth" is the church. It can be seen that the earth itself does not quake out of its place, but that the church is removed when love and faith are not. "To quake out of its place" signifies to be removed from its former state.

[6] In the same:

Behold, the Lord, as a deluge of hail, a storm of slaughter, as a deluge of mighty waters. He shall cast down to the earth with the hand. A consummation and decision I have heard from the Lord Jehovih of hosts upon the whole earth (Isaiah 28:2, 22).

This is said of the day of judgment upon those who are of the church. The day of judgment, when the church is at an end is meant by "a consummation and decision I have heard from the Lord Jehovih of Hosts upon the whole earth;" it is therefore said "as a deluge of hail, a storm of slaughter, as a deluge of mighty waters. He shall cast down to the earth with the hand;" by "hail" and "a deluge of it" falsities that destroy the truths of the church are signified; by "slaughter," and "a storm of it," evils that destroy the goods of the church are signified; by "mighty waters" falsities of evil are signified. (That a "deluge" or "flood" signifies immersion into evils and falsities, and the consequent destruction of the church) see Arcana Coelestia (Arcana Coelestia 660, 705, 739, 756, 790, 5725, 6853 the like is meant by "casting down to the earth," or a violent rain.

[7] In the same:

The land shall become burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be desolate (Isaiah 34:9-10).

"Burning pitch" signifies every evil springing from love of self, through which the church entirely perishes and is desolated; it is therefore said, "the land shall become burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be desolate." Who does not see that such things are not said of the land itself?

[8] In the same:

The land mourneth and languisheth; Lebanon blusheth, and hath withered away (Isaiah 33:9).

Here also the "land" means the church, which is said "to mourn" and "to languish" when falsities begin to be accepted and acknowledged in place of truths; it is therefore said, "Lebanon blusheth and hath withered away;" "Lebanon" signifying the like as "cedar," namely, the truth of the church.

[9] In Jeremiah:

The lion is gone up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations hath gone forth from his place to make thy land a waste; thy cities shall be destroyed. I saw the earth, when lo, it was void and empty; and towards the heavens, and lo, they had no light. I saw the mountains, and lo, they quaked and all the hills are overturned. Jehovah said, The whole earth shall be a waste. For this shall the land mourn, and the heavens above be black (Jeremiah 4:7, 4:23-24, 27-28).

Here also the vastation of the church is treated of, which takes place when there are no longer truth and good, but falsity and evil in place of them. This vastation is described by "the lion going up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations going forth from his place;" "the lion" and "the destroyer of the nations" signifying falsity and evil, laying waste. The "mountains that quake," and the "hills that are overturned," signify love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor. This is the signification of "mountains" and "hills," because those who are in love to the Lord dwell upon mountains in heaven, and those who are in charity towards the neighbor, upon hills (See what has been said above, also in the work on Heaven and Hell, 188, and in the notes there, letter c, original edition). "The heavens where there was no light, and that were black" signify the interiors of the men of the church, which, when closed by evils and falsities, do not admit light from heaven, but darkness from hell instead. From this it can be seen what is signified by "the lion and the destroyer of the nations making the land a waste;" so likewise by "I saw the earth, and lo, it was void and empty;" also by "the whole earth shall be a waste; for this shall the land mourn," namely, that the earth is not meant, but the church.

[10] In the same:

How long shall the land mourn, and the herb of every field [wither]? for the evil of them that dwell therein the beasts shall be carried off, and the fowl. The whole land is made waste because no man layeth it to heart. Wasters are come upon all the bare heights in the wilderness; for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from one end of the land even to the other end of the land. They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns (Jeremiah 12:4, 11-13).

That the "land" here signifies the church is evident, from its being said that "the land shall mourn, and the herb of every field [wither]," and that "the beasts and the birds shall be carried off for the evil of them that dwell therein, and because no man layeth it to heart." "The herb of every field" signifies every truth and good of the church, and the "beasts and the fowl" signify the affections of good and truth; and since the church is signified by the "land," and it is here treated of as being vastated, it is said "wasters are come upon all the bare heights in the wilderness; for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from one end of the land even to the other end of the land. They have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns." "The bare heights in the wilderness upon which the wasters came" signify the things that are of charity, "wilderness" meaning where there is no good because no truth; "the sword of Jehovah" signifies falsity destroying truth; "from one end of the land to the other end of the land" signifies all things of the church; "to sow wheat and reap thorns" signifies to take from the Word the truths of good and to turn them into the falsities of evil, "wheat" meaning the truths of good, and "thorns" the falsities of evil.

[11] In Isaiah:

Upon the ground of my people shall come up the thorn and briar; the palace shall be deserted; the multitude of the city shall be forsaken (Isaiah 32:13-14).

The "thorn and briar that shall come up upon the ground" signify falsity and evil; the "palace that shall be deserted" signifies where good dwells; and the "multitude of the city that shall be forsaken" signifies where there are truths; for "city" signifies the doctrine of truth.

[12] In the same:

All the land shall be a place of briars and brambles; but as to all the mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe, there shall not come thither the fear of the briar and bramble; but there shall be the sending-forth of the ox and the trampling of the sheep (Isaiah 7:24-25).

"Briars and brambles" signify falsity and evil; which makes evident what is signified by "all the land shall be a place of briars and brambles." "The mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe" signify those who from the love of good do goods, that with them there shall be no falsity and evil, but good, natural as well as spiritual, is signified by "there shall not come thither the fear of the briar and bramble, but there shall be the sending forth of the ox, and the trampling of sheep;" that is, thither shall oxen be sent, and there the sheep shall trample, "ox" signifying natural good, and "sheep" spiritual good.

[13] In Ezekiel:

Thy mother is a lioness; she couched among lions; one of her whelps went up; he desolated the cities; the land and the fullness thereof was made waste by the voice of his roaring (Ezekiel 19:2-3, 7).

"Mother" signifies the church; a "lioness" and "lions" signify the power of evil and falsity against good and truth; the "roaring of the lion" signifies the lust of destroying and desolating; the "cities that he desolated" signify doctrine with its truths, which makes evident what is signified by "the land and the fullness thereof was laid waste," namely, the whole church.

[14] In the same:

They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment, that the land may be laid waste from the fullness thereof, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein; and the cities that are inhabited shall be desolated, and the land shall be a waste (Ezekiel 12:19-20).

Here "the land and the cities that shall be desolated and shall be a waste" have the same signification as above, namely, "the land" signifies the church, and "cities" doctrine with its truths; it is therefore said, "because of the violence of all them that dwell therein." Since this is what is meant, it is first said that "they shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment," "bread" and "water" in the Word signifying all the good of love and truth of faith (See Arcana Coelestia 9323), and "eating" and "drinking" signifying instruction and appropriation (n. 3168, 3513, 3832, 9412).

[15] In David:

I called upon Jehovah, and cried unto my God. Then the earth tottered and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled and tottered when He was wroth (Psalms 18:6-7).

Here the "earth" stands for the church, which is said to "totter and quake" when it is perverted by the falsification of truths; and then "the foundations of the mountains" are said "to tremble and totter," for the goods of love, which are founded upon the truths of faith, vanish; "mountains" meaning the goods of love (as above), and their "foundations" the truths of faith; which also shows that the "earth" is the church.

[16] In the same:

The earth is Jehovah's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein; and He hath founded it upon the seas, He hath established it upon the rivers (Psalms 24:1, 2).

The "earth" and the "world" stand for the church, and "fullness" for all things thereof; the "seas upon which He hath founded it," mean the knowledges of truth in general; the "rivers" doctrinals; because the church is founded on both of these, it is said that "He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers." That this cannot be said of the earth and the world is clear to anyone.

[17] In the same:

We will not fear, when the earth shall be changed, and when the mountains shall be moved in the heart of the seas, when the waters thereof are in tumult and do foam. The nations are in tumult, the kingdoms are moved, when He giveth forth His voice the earth shall dissolve (Psalms 46:2-3, 6).

The "earth" evidently means the church, since it is said "to be changed" and "to dissolve," also that "the mountains shall be moved in the heart of the seas, and the waters thereof shall be in tumult," and "the nations are in tumult and the kingdoms are moved." "Mountains" signify (as above) the goods of love, which are said "to be moved in the heart of the seas" when the essential knowledges of truth are perverted; "waters" signify the truths of the church, which are said "to foam" when they are falsified; "nations" signify the goods of the church, and in a contrary sense, its evils; and "kingdoms" the truths of the church, and in a contrary sense, its falsities; and also those who are in the one and the other."

[18] In the same:

O God, Thou hast cast us off; Thou hast been angry; bring back rest to us. Thou hast made the earth to quake, Thou hast broken it up; heal the breaches thereof, for it is moved (Psalms 60:1-2).

It can be seen that these things are said of the church, and not of the earth, for it is said, "Thou hast made the earth to quake, Thou hast broken it up; heal the breaches thereof, for it is moved;" and as "the earth" signifies the church, and here the church vastated, it is said, "O God, Thou hast cast us off, Thou hast been angry; bring back rest to us."

[19] In the same:

When I shall receive the set time, I shall judge with uprightness. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof shall be dissolved; I will make firm the pillars of it (Psalms 75:2-3).

Here, likewise, the "earth" stands for the church, which is said to "dissolve" when the truths by which there is good fail; truths, because they support the church, are called its "pillars," which God will make firm; it is not the pillars of the earth evidently that are made firm. As the restoration of the church is here described, it is said, "When I shall receive the set time, I shall judge with uprightness." The truths of the church, here called the "pillars of the earth," are also called the "bases of the earth" (1 Samuel 2:8); and the "foundations of the earth," in Isaiah:

Do ye not understand the foundations of the earth? It is He that dwelleth upon the circle of the earth, that bringeth the princes to nothing; and maketh the judges of the earth as emptiness (Isaiah 40:21-23).

The "princes who will be brought to nothing," and the "judges of the earth, whom He will make as emptiness," signify the things that are from self-intelligence and from one's own judgment.

[20] In Jeremiah:

A tumult cometh even to the end of the earth. Thus said Jehovah, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth. And the slain of Jehovah shall be in that day from the end of the earth even unto the end thereof (Jeremiah 25:31-33).

The "end of the earth" and the "sides of the earth" signify where the ultimates of the church are, and where evils and falsities begin; and "from the end of the earth to the end thereof" signifies all things of the church; from this it can be known what is signified by "a tumult shall come to the end of the earth," and "a great tempest shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth," also by "the slain of Jehovah in that day shall be from the end of the earth to the end thereof." The "slain" signify those in whom the truths and goods of the church are extinguished (See Arcana Coelestia 4503[1-11]).

[21] In Isaiah:

The isles saw, they feared; the ends of the earth trembled, they drew near, and came. I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into a spring of waters (Isaiah 41:5, 18).

The establishment of the church among the Gentiles is thus described; they are signified by the "isles" and the "ends of the earth;" for "isles" and "the ends of the earth" in the Word signify those who are far removed from the truths and goods of the church because they do not have the Word, and consequently, are in ignorance. That a church is to be established with such is signified by "I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into a spring of waters." That is called a "wilderness" where there is not yet good because there is not yet truth, and for the same reason it is called "dry land;" a "pool of waters" and a "spring of waters" signify good, because they signify truth; for all spiritual good, which is the good of the church, is acquired by means of truths.

[22] In the same:

Woe to the land shadowed with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush. Go, ye messengers, to a nation trodden down, whose land the rivers have despoiled (Isaiah 18:1-2).

No one knows what is meant by "a land shadowed with wings," and "a land that the rivers have despoiled," unless he knows that "land" means the church, and "rivers" falsities; "a land shadowed with wings" is a church that is in thick darkness in respect to Divine truths (that these are signified by "wings," see above, n. 283; "beyond the rivers of Cush" signifies in respect to the knowledges themselves from the sense of the letter of the Word, which have been falsified; "a nation trodden down, to which the messengers should go, whose land the rivers have despoiled," signifies those out of the church who are in falsities from ignorance; "rivers" meaning the truths of doctrine, and in a contrary sense falsities; that "the messengers should go to them" signifies that they should be invited to receive the church.

[23] In the same:

In the fury of Jehovah of Hosts the land is obscured (Isaiah 9:19).

A "land obscured" signifies the things of the church in thick darkness, that is, in falsities; for the falsities of evil are said to be in thick darkness, but truths in light.

[24] In the same:

Jehovah shall remove man, and forsaken places shall be multiplied in the midst of the land (Isaiah 6:12);

"man whom Jehovah shall remove," signifying him who is wise, and abstractly, wisdom (as may be seen above, n. 280; "forsaken places multiplied in the midst of the land" signifying that there shall be no good at all, because no truth; "the midst of the land" meaning where truth is in the highest light; consequently when there is no light there, thick darkness pervades the whole; thus there is nowhere any truth at all.

[25] In the same:

Jehovah shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He put to death the wicked (Isaiah 11:4).

"The rod of Jehovah's mouth which shall smite the earth," signifies truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word; "the breath of the lips which shall put to death the wicked," signifies truth in the spiritual sense of the Word; these truths are said "to smite the earth," and "to put to death the wicked," when such are condemned by truths; for by truths everyone is judged and is condemned.

[26] In the same:

The earth is at rest, and is quiet. Hell hath stirred up the Rephaim because of thee, all the powerful of the earth. They that see thee shall say, Is this the man that maketh the earth to tremble, that maketh the kingdoms to quake; that hath made the world as a wilderness and threw down the cities thereof? Thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people. Prepare slaughter for his sons, that they rise not up and possess the land, and the faces of the world be filled with cities. I will break the Assyrian in My land, and upon My mountains I will tread him down (Isaiah 14:7, 9, 16-17, 20-21, 25).

These things are said of the king of Babylon, by whom is signified the destruction of truth by the love of ruling over heaven and earth; which love the truths of the Word or of the church are made to serve as means; here their damnation is treated of. The "Rephaim whom hell stirred up," mean those who are in the direful persuasion of what is false, who are therefore called the powerful of the earth; "to make the earth to tremble," "to make the kingdoms quake," "to make the world as a wilderness," and "to throw down the cities thereof," signifies to pervert all things of the church; "earth" and "world" mean the church, "kingdoms" the truths that constitute it; and "cities" all things of doctrine. From this it is clear what is signified by, "Thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people." The "Assyrian who shall be broken in the land and trodden down upon the mountains," signifies the reasonings from falsities against truths; "to be broken" means to be dispersed, and "to be trodden down" means to be wholly destroyed; "mountains upon which this is done," signify where the good of love and charity reigns, for there, or with such, all reasoning from falsities is dispersed or destroyed.

[27] In the same:

Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; from the land of Chittim it shall manifestly come to them. Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish; the girdle is no more. Behold the land of the Chaldean; Assyria hath founded it into heaps. Jehovah will visit Tyre, that she may return to the hire of whoredom and commit whoredom with all the kingdoms of the earth upon the faces of the ground (Isaiah 23:1, 10, 23:13, 17).

Neither ships of Tarshish, nor Tyre, nor the land of Chittim, nor the land of the Chaldeans, nor Assyria, are here meant, as can be seen from the particulars in this chapter; but "the ships of Tarshish" mean the knowledges of truth and good, "Tyre" the like; "the land of Chittim" what is idolatrous; "the land of the Chaldeans" the profanation and destruction of truth, and "Assyria" reasoning from falsities. From this it is clear that, "Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is desolated" signifies that there were no longer any knowledges of truth; "from the land of Chittim it shall manifestly come to them" signifies idolatry therefrom; "the girdle is no more" signifies that there is no longer any coherence of truth with good; "behold the land of the Chaldeans" signifies that thus there is profanation and destruction of truth; "Assyria hath founded it into heaps" signifies that reasonings from falsities have destroyed it; "to return to the hire of whoredom" and "to commit whoredom with all kingdoms upon the faces of the ground" signifies the falsification of all truths of the whole church.

[28] In the same:

The king of Assyria shall pass on through Judah, he shall overflow and pass through, he shall reach even to the neck; and the flappings of his wings ¹ shall be the fullness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel (Isaiah 8:8).

Here, too, "the king of Assyria" signifies the reasoning from falsities against truths; "he shall pass on through Judah, he shall overflow and pass through" signifies that this shall destroy the good of the church (to "overflow" is predicated of falsities, because they are signified by "waters"); "he shall reach even to the neck" signifies that thus there shall be no longer any communication of good and truth; and "the flappings of his wings shall be the fullness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel" signifies that falsities shall be opposed to all the truths of the Lord's church; "the breadth of the land" signifies the truths of the church (See Heaven and Hell 197), consequently, in a contrary sense, falsities; therefore the "flappings of his wings" signify reasonings from falsities against truths; "fullness" signifies all; thus "the fullness of the breadth of the land" signifies all the truths of the church.

[29] In the same:

In that day shall the bud of Jehovah be for adornment and glory, and the fruit of the earth for magnificence and splendor to those left of Israel (Isaiah 4:2).

The "bud of Jehovah," that shall be for adornment and glory, signifies the truth of the church; and the "fruit of the earth," that shall be for magnificence and splendor, signifies the good of the church; "Israel" signifies the spiritual church. Evidently it is the truth and good of the church, and not the bud and the fruit of the earth, that shall be for adornment, glory, magnificence, and splendor. When it is said the truth and good of the church, the truth of faith and the good of love are meant, for all truth is of faith, and all good is of love.

[30] In the same:

Thou hast added to the nation, O Jehovah; Thou hast been glorified; Thou hast removed all the ends of the earth (Isaiah 26:15).

The "nation to which Jehovah has added" signifies those who are in the good of love, whom He has claimed to Himself; "the ends of the earth which He has removed" signify the falsities and evils that infest the church, from which He has purified them.

[31] In the same:

Thine eyes shall behold the king in his beauty, they shall behold a land of far distances (Isaiah 33:17).

"To see the king in his beauty," means to see genuine truth, which is from the Lord alone; "to behold a land of far distances" signifies to behold the extension of intelligence and wisdom.

[32] In the same:

I have given thee for a covenant to the people, to restore the earth. Sing aloud O heavens, and exult O earth, and break forth O mountains with a song (Isaiah 49:8, 13).

This treats of the Lord and His coming; the establishment of the church by Him is described by "I have given thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the earth," to "restore the earth" being to reestablish the church; it is known that the Lord did not restore the earth to the Jewish people, but that He established a church among the Gentiles; the joy in consequence is described by, "Sing aloud O heavens, and exult O earth, and break forth O mountains with a song," "the heavens" being the heavens where angels are who are in the interior truths of the church, "the earth" the church among men, and "the mountains" those who are in the good of love to the Lord.

[33] In Jeremiah:

The land is full of adulterers; for because of malediction the land mourneth; the pastures of the wilderness are dried up (Jeremiah 23:10).

"Adulterers" signify those who adulterate the goods of the church; therefore it is said, "the land is full of adulterers, and because of the malediction the land mourneth;" the "pastures of the wilderness that are dried up" signify no spiritual nourishment in such a church; that is called "wilderness" where there is no truth.

[34] In the same:

A drought is upon her waters, so that they shall become dry; for it is a land of graven images (Jeremiah 50:38).

"A drought upon the waters, so that they shall become dry" signifies that there are no more truths, "waters" being truths; "for it is a land of graven images" signifies the church destroyed by falsities which are from self-intelligence, which they call truths, "graven images" signifying those falsities.

[35] In Ezekiel:

The end hath come upon the four quarters of the earth; the earth is full of the judgment of bloods, and the city is full of violence (Ezekiel 7:2, 23).

"The end hath come upon the four quarters of the earth" signifies the last time and the last state of the church, when its end is, the four quarters being all truths and goods of the church, and in a contrary sense, all its falsities and evils, thus all things of the church; "the earth full of the judgment of bloods" signifies that it is filled with evils of every kind, "bloods" being the evils that offer violence to the goods of love and charity and wholly destroy them; "the city full of violence" signifies the doctrine of that church likewise offering violence.

[36] In the same:

All the luminaries of light in heaven will I make black over thee, and will set darkness upon thy land (Ezekiel 32:8).

"The luminaries of light in the heavens" mean the sun, moon, and stars; the "sun" signifying love, the "moon" faith therefrom, and the "stars" the knowledges of good and truth; from this it is clear what is signified by "I will make them black over thee," namely, that these no longer exist; thence also it is clear what is signified by "I will set darkness upon thy land," namely, that there will be falsities in the church," "darkness" meaning falsities, and "land" the church.

[37] In the same:

Prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills and to the watercourses and to the valleys, Behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you that ye may be tilled and sown (Ezekiel 36:6, 9).

"The land of Israel" means the church; "mountains, hills, watercourses, and valleys" signify all things of the church from the first to the last things thereof, "mountains" are the goods of love to the Lord, "hills" the goods of charity towards the neighbor-these are the first things of the church; "watercourses and valleys" are truths and goods that are the last things of the church. That this is the meaning can be seen from what was said at the beginning of this article, namely, that those in heaven who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell upon mountains, those who are in charity towards the neighbor upon hills, and those who are in goods and truths in the lowest heaven in plains and valleys; "watercourses" are the truths of doctrine there; to implant these is signified by "I will turn unto you that ye may be tilled and sown. "

[38] In Hosea:

In that day I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; and the earth shall hear the corn and the new wine and the oil, and these shall hear Jezreel, ² and I will sow her unto me in the earth (Hosea 2:21-23).

Evidently these things are to be understood spiritually, and not naturally according to the sense of the letter, for it is said that "these shall hear Jezreel; and I will sow her unto me in the earth;" therefore the "heavens" mean the heavens where the Lord is; and the "earth" the church where also the Lord is; "corn, new wine, and oil" signify all the things of spiritual nourishment, which are the goods of love and charity and the truths of faith.

[39] In Malachi:

He shall not destroy for you the fruit of the ground, neither shall the vine in the field be barren to you; all nations shall proclaim you happy, and ye shall be a land of good pleasure (Malachi 3:11-12).

These things are said of those with whom is the church; and because "the fruit of the ground," and "the vine in the field" signify the goods and truths of the church ("fruit" goods, and "the vine" its truths), therefore they are called "a land of good pleasure."

[40] In David:

Let thy good spirit lead me into the land of uprightness; vivify me, O Jehovah, for Thy name's sake (Psalms 143:10-11).

"The land of uprightness" stands for the church in which is the right and the true; and because "the spirit of Jehovah" signifies Divine truth, and everyone receives spiritual life through that, therefore it is said, "Let Thy good spirit lead me," and "vivify me, O Jehovah."

[41] As the "earth" signifies the church, and where the church is there is heaven, therefore heaven is called "the land of the living," and "the land of life;" "the land of the living" in Isaiah:

I said, I shall not see Jah in the land of the living (Isaiah 38:11);

and in Ezekiel:

Who caused terror in the land of the living (Ezekiel 32:23-27).

"The land of life," in David:

Unless I had believed to see good in the land of life (Psalms 27:13).

[42] In Moses:

The stone shall be entire and just, the ephah shall be entire and just, that thy days may be prolonged upon the earth (Deuteronomy 25:15).

"Days to be prolonged upon the earth" does not mean a lengthening of life in the world, but the state of life in the church, thus in heaven; for "to be prolonged" is predicated of good and its increase, and "day" signifies the state of life; and as "a stone entire and just," which was a weight, and "an ephah entire and just," which was a measure, signify truth and good and their quality, and both together signify justice, "stone" signifying truth, and "measure" good, and as not to deceive by weight and measure is to be just, therefore such shall have the life of the church and afterwards life in heaven, which is meant by "their days upon the earth shall be prolonged."

[43] The like is signified by this precept in the Decalogue:

Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged upon the earth (Exodus 20:12).

Those who honor father and mother have heaven and the happiness there, because in heaven no other father but the Lord is known, for all there have been generated anew from Him; and in heaven by "mother" the church is meant, and in general, the kingdom of the Lord. It is clear that those who worship the Lord and seek his kingdom will have life in heaven, also that many of those who honor father and mother in the world do not live there long.

[44] In Matthew:

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).

"Inheriting the earth" signifies not possession of the earth, but possession of heaven and blessedness there; the "meek" mean those who are in the good of charity.

[45] In Isaiah:

Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name God-With-Us: butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to reject the evil and to choose the good; for before the Lad knoweth to reject the evil and to choose the good, the land which thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of its two kings. It shall come to pass in that day, by reason of the abundance of milk they yield, He shall eat butter; for butter and honey shall everyone eat that is left in the midst of the land (Isaiah 7:14-16, 21-22).

It is known that these things were said respecting the Lord and His coming; "butter and honey," which He shall eat, signify the goods of love; "butter" the good of celestial and spiritual love, "honey" the good of natural love; this means that He would appropriate the Divine to Himself even in respect to the Human; "to eat" signifying to appropriate. That "the land shall be forsaken before He knoweth to reject the evil and to choose the good" signifies that when He should be born there would not be anything of the church remaining in the whole world; and because those where the church was, rejected every Divine truth and perverted all things of the Word, and explained it in favor of self, it is said of the land, that is, the church, "which thou abhorrest from the presence of its two kings; "king" signifying the truths of heaven and of the church; "two kings" the truth of the Word in the internal or spiritual sense, and the truth of the Word in the external or natural sense. "Milk" signifies truth through which good comes, and as "butter" signifies the good therefrom, "by reason of the abundance of yielding milk, butter shall everyone eat that is left in the midst of the land" signifies that every truth shall be from good.

[46] In Matthew:

In the consummation of the age, all the tribes of the earth shall lament (Matthew 24:30).

"The consummation of the age" which is treated of in that chapter, is the last time of the church, when judgment takes place; "all the tribes of the earth" signify all truths and goods of the church, which are said "to lament" when they are no more.

[47] In Luke:

Then shall there be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, the sea and the waves roaring; men expiring for fear and for expectation of the things coming upon the whole earth; for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. That day as a snare shall come upon all that dwell upon the face of the whole earth (Luke 21:25-26, 35).

Here also the last time of the church is treated of, when judgment takes place, and the "earth" and the "world" here mean the church. "The distress of nations upon the earth," "the fear and expectation of the things coming upon the earth, and upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth" signifies upon those who are in the spiritual world, not upon those who are in the countries in the natural world. (That there are lands in the spiritual world also, see what is said at the beginning of this article; and that the Last Judgment was accomplished there, see in the small work on The Last Judgment.) It has been told before what "sun," "moon," and "stars" signify, in which are signs, namely, that "sun" signifies love, "moon" faith therefrom, and "stars" the knowledges of good and truth; the "sea and waves roaring" signify the reasonings and assaults of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word, wrongly and perversely applied. The "powers of the heavens that shall be shaken" signify the Word in the sense of the letter, since this sense is the foundation of the spiritual truths that are in the heavens. (See Heaven and Hell, in the article that treats of The Conjunction of Heaven with Man by the Word, n.303-310.)

[48] In Isaiah:

Sing aloud ye heavens; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth with singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein; for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob. I am Jehovah, that maketh all things; that stretchest forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by Myself (Isaiah 44:23-24).

"Sing aloud, ye heavens; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth with singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein" signifies all things of heaven and of the church, both internal and external, all of which have reference to good and to truth. Things internal are signified by "the heavens," things external by "the lower parts of the earth;" "mountains" mean the good of love, the "forest" means natural truth, and the "trees" therein mean the knowledges of truth. Because such things are signified, it is said, "for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob," "Jacob" in the Word signifying the external church, and "Israel" the internal church; "to stretch forth the heavens," and "to spread abroad the earth" signifies the church on all sides, which is spread forth and extended by the multiplication of truth and the fructification of good, with those who are of the church.

[49] In Zechariah:

Jehovah stretcheth out the heavens, and foundeth the earth, and formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him (Zechariah 12:1).

Here, too, in like manner "heavens" and "earth" signify the church everywhere, thus in respect to its interiors and as to its exteriors; therefore it is also said, "He formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him."

[50] In Jeremiah:

The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from under the heavens. Jehovah maketh the earth by His power, prepareth the world by His wisdom, and stretcheth out the heavens by His intelligence. At the voice which He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the end of the earth (Jeremiah 10:11-13; 51:15-16).

Because the "heavens" and the "earth" signify the church (as above), it is said, "Jehovah maketh the earth by His power, prepareth the world by His wisdom, and stretcheth out the heavens by His intelligence;" and therefore also it is said, "At the voice which He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the end of the earth;" "the voice that Jehovah giveth forth" signifies Divine truth proceeding from Him; the "multitude of waters in the heavens" signifies truth in abundance, for "waters" signify truths; and "the vapors that He causeth to ascend from the end of the earth" signify the ultimate truths of the church, "vapors" are those truths; and "the end of the earth" is the ultimate of the church; and as "gods" signify the falsities of doctrine and of worship, which destroy the church, it is said, "The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from under the heavens."

[51] In David:

Jehovah, who by intelligence maketh the heavens, and spreadeth out the earth above the waters (Psalms 136:5-6).

Because "heaven" and "earth" signify the church, and the church is formed by truths, and the truths of the church constitute intelligence, it is said, "Jehovah maketh the heavens by intelligence, and spreadeth out the earth above the waters," "waters" meaning the truths of the church.

[52] In Isaiah:

Thus saith Jehovah God, that createth the heavens, and stretcheth them out, that spreadeth forth the earth and the products thereof, that giveth breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein (Isaiah 42:5).

"To create the heavens" and "to spread forth the earth and the products thereof" signifies to form the church and to reform those who are in it, "products" meaning all things of the church; therefore it is said, "that giveth breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein." That "to create" is to reform, see above n. 294.

[53] In the same:

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the [higher] clouds flow down with righteousness; let the earth open, and bring forth the fruit of salvation. I have made the earth, and created man upon it. Thus said Jehovah who created the heavens; God Himself who formeth the earth and maketh it and prepareth it: I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness (Isaiah 45:8, 12, 18-19).

"Heavens" and "earth" here plainly mean all things of the church, both its internals and externals; for it is said, "Drop down, ye heavens, and let the [higher] clouds flow down with righteousness; let the earth open, and bring forth the fruit of salvation." "Heavens" signify the interiors of the church, because the interiors that are of man's spiritual mind are the heavens with him. (That with the man with whom the church is there is a heaven, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 30-57.) "To create the heavens and to form the earth, and make and prepare it," signifies to fully establish the church.

[54] In the same:

Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered (Isaiah 65:17).

"To create new heavens and a new earth" signifies to establish a new church in respect to its interiors and exteriors, both in the heavens and on earth (as above).

[55] In the same:

Who hath heard a thing like this? shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be begotten at one time? For 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 66:8, 22).

Because the "earth" signifies the church, it is said, "shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be begotten at one time?" "To bring forth," and "birth," and "to beget," and "begetting," in the Word, signify spiritual birth and begetting, which are of faith and love, thus reformation and regeneration. What the "new heavens" and the "new earth" signify has been told above.

[56] In Jeremiah:

I have made the earth, man and beast that are upon the faces of the earth, and I give it to him who is right in My eyes (Jeremiah 27:5).

"Man and beast that are upon the faces of the earth" signify the affections of truth and good in the spiritual and the natural man (See n. 280; and Arcana Coelestia 7424, 7523, 7872); and since these affections with men constitute the church in them it is said, "I have made the earth, man and beast that are upon the faces of the earth, and I give it to him who is right in My eyes." Everyone knows that God gives the earth not alone to those who are right in His eyes, but also to those who are not right, while the church He gives to those only who are right; "right" signifying truth and its affection.

[57] In Isaiah:

The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and the dwellers therein shall die in like manner (Isaiah 51:6).

The "heavens that shall vanish away," and the "earth that shall wax old like a garment" signify the church; this step by step falls, and at length is desolated; but not so the visible heaven and the habitable earth; therefore it is said, "and the dwellers therein shall die in like manner," "to die" signifying to die spiritually:

The heavens and earth shall pass away (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17);

has a like signification.

[58] In Revelation:

Four angels standing upon the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow upon the earth (Revelation 7:1).

"The four corners of the earth," and "the four winds of the earth" signify all truths and goods of the church in the complex; for they have the like signification as the four quarters of heaven (that these have this signification, see Heaven and Hell, On the Four Quarters in Heaven, n141-153). To "hold the four winds" signifies that truths and goods do not flow in because they are not received; therefore it is said that "the wind should not blow upon the earth." "The earth" signifies the church elsewhere in Revelation (as Revelation 10:2, 5-6, 8; 12:16; 13:13; 16:2, 14; 20:8-9, 11; 21:1), as well as in many other places in the Word, too numerous to be cited.

[59] As the church was signified by the "earth" and especially by the "land of Canaan," because the church was there, and as the church which was there was a representative church, so all things there were representative, and all that was said to them by the Lord signified the spiritual or interior things of the church, and this even to the land itself and its products; as in these words in Moses:

If thou wilt keep the commandments, Jehovah will lead thee into a good land, into a land of brooks of waters, of fountains, of depths coming forth out of valley and mountain; a land of wheat, of barley, of vine, of fig, of pomegranate; a land of the olive, of oil, of honey; a land where thou shalt eat bread without scarceness; it shall lack nothing; a land where the stones are iron and out of the mountains is digged copper; and thou shalt eat, and shalt be satisfied in this good land (Deuteronomy 8:6-10).

This is a description of all things of the church, both its interiors and its exteriors; but to explain what the particulars signify would be tedious and not to the present purpose.

[60] Because the "land" signifies the church it was among the blessings, that if they lived according to the commandments:

The land would yield its increase, evil beasts would cease out of the land, nor would the sword pass through the land (Leviticus 26:3-4, 6).

That "the land would yield its increase" signifies that there would be good and truth in the church; that "evil beasts would cease" signifies that there would not be evil affections and lusts, which destroy the church; that "the sword would not pass through the land" signifies that falsity would not cast out truth.

[61] Again, as the "land" signifies the church, it was also decreed that:

The seventh year should be a sabbath of the land, and that there should be no labor upon it (Leviticus 25:1-8).

It is therefore said also that:

The land was defiled on account of their evils, and would vomit them out because of their abominations (Leviticus 18:25-28).

Because the "land" [or ground] signified the church:

The Lord spat on the earth, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man, and said, Go wash thee in the pool of Siloam (John 9:6-7, 11, 15);

So the Lord, when the Scribes and Pharisees questioned Him respecting the woman taken in adultery, stooping down, wrote twice on the earth (John 8:6, 8);

which signified that the church was full of adulteries, that is, full of the adulteration of good and the falsification of truth; therefore the Lord said to them:

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her; but they went out one by one, beginning from the elders, even unto the last (John 8:7, 9).

[62] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so has the "earth," which in that sense signifies the church vastated; it is vastated when the good of love and the truth of faith are no more, but instead thereof evil and falsity; as these damn man, the "earth" in that sense signifies damnation, as in the following places: Isaiah 14:12; 21:9; 25:12; 26:19, 21; 29:4; 47:1; 63:6; Lamentations 2:2, 10; Ezekiel 26:20; 32:24; Numbers 16:29-33; 26:10; and elsewhere.

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