728. And her offspring was caught up unto God and His throne, signifies the protection of the doctrine by the Lord, because it is for the New Church. This is evident from the signification of "the offspring" (or the son, a male) brought forth by "the woman arrayed with the sun, under whose feet was the moon, and upon whose head was a crown of twelve stars," as being doctrine from the Word, and indeed, the doctrine of truth, that is, the doctrine of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor, and finally of faith. Also from the signification of "caught up unto God and His throne," as being protection by the Lord from "the dragon" that stood before the woman about to bring forth, with the intent and desire of devouring what was brought forth. That protection by the Lord from those who are meant by "the dragon" is here signified by these words. And as that doctrine was to be the doctrine of the church that is called the New Jerusalem, therefore it is said protection because it is for the New Church. It is said "caught up unto God and His throne," "God" meaning the Lord, and "His throne" heaven; it is caught up to the Lord and to heaven because this doctrine is from the Lord, and heaven is in this doctrine.

[2] What is here said of the offspring born of the woman, who "was caught up unto God," is also said of Enoch, the son of Jared, but in these words:

Enoch walked with God, and was no more; because God took him (Genesis 5:24).

Who are here meant by "Enoch," and what "Enoch" signifies, has been disclosed to me from heaven, namely, those of the men of the Most Ancient Church who collected together the representatives and correspondences of natural things with spiritual; for the men of the Most Ancient Church were in the spiritual understanding and perception of all things they saw with their eyes, and thence from the objects in the world they saw through to the spiritual things corresponding to the objects. Because the Lord foresaw that this spiritual perception would perish with their posterity, and with that perception also the knowledge of correspondences through which the human race has conjunction with heaven, therefore the Lord provided that some of those who lived with the most ancient people should collect together the correspondences, and gather them into a manuscript; these are here meant by "Enoch," and that manuscript is what is here signified. Because that manuscript was to serve the coming churches that were to be established by the Lord after the deluge with the knowledge and cognition of the spiritual things that are in natural things, it was preserved by the Lord for their use, and was also guarded, lest the last posterity of the Most Ancient Church, who were evil, should offer injury to it. This, therefore, is what is signified in the spiritual sense by "Enoch was no more, because God took Him." From this it can be seen what is signified by "the offspring of the woman was caught up unto God and His throne."

153. Evil spirits are sometimes seen turned towards the quarters of heaven; and they then have intelligence and perception of truth, but no affection for good; but as soon as they turn back to their own quarters they have no intelligence or perception of truth; and then they declare that the truths they heard and perceived are falsities and not truths, and they wish falsities to be truths. In respect to this turning I have been told that with the evil the intellectual part of the mind can be so turned, but not the voluntary part; and that this is provided by the Lord to the end that everyone may have the ability to see and acknowledge truths, but that no one can receive truths unless he is in good, since it is good, and never evil, that receives them; also that man has a like ability to the end that he may be made better by means of truths. Nevertheless, he is made better only so far as he is in good; consequently a man can in like manner be turned to the Lord; but if his life is evil he immediately turns himself back and confirms in himself the falsities of his evil, which are contrary to the truths he had understood and seen; and this takes place when he thinks in himself from his interior states.