Arcana Coelestia # 4424
4424. What the Lord's words quoted above embody in the internal sense becomes clear without explanation, for at this point the Lord uses comparisons rather than representatives and meaningful signs. Only the meaning of the words of the final verse has to be stated - 'He will cut him off and assign him his part with the hypocrites, where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth'.
He will cut him off means separation and removal from goods and truths, for people who have a knowledge of what is good and true, as those within the Church do, but who lead a life of evil are said to be cut off when that knowledge is removed from them; for in the next life their knowledge of good and truth is separated from them and they are restricted to evils and derivative falsities also. The reason why this takes place is so that they do not communicate with heaven through their knowledge of good and truth and with hell through their evil and consequent falsity, and thereby are left hanging between the two. A further reason is so that they do not profane goods and truths, as happens when these are mixed together with falsities and evils. The same is also meant by the Lord's words addressed to the one who hid his talent in the earth,
Take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents, for to everyone who has, it will be given, so that he may have in abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Matthew 25:28-29.
And what the Lord says elsewhere has the same meaning - Matthew 13:12; also Mark 4:25, and Luke 8:18.
[2] And assign him his part with the hypocrites means that his lot, meant by 'part', lies with those who outwardly give the appearance of knowing the truth so far as doctrine is concerned, and of cherishing good so far as life is concerned, but who inwardly have no belief at all in truth nor any desire at all for good, who are 'the hypocrites'. People like this have become 'cut off' in the sense described here. Consequently when external things are taken away from these people, as happens to all in the next life, they are seen to be what they are like internally - people devoid of faith and charity. Yet they have pretended to have these, so that, capturing the attention of others, they could earn themselves positions of importance, monetary gain, and reputation. Within the Church that has become ruined virtually everyone is like this, for they have things that are external but none that are internal. Hence the interior aspects of those people are engulfed in the deluge described immediately above in 4423.
[3] Where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth means their state in the next life, 'wailing' that state as regards evils, and 'gnashing of teeth' that state as regards falsities, for 'teeth' in the Word means lowest natural things - in the genuine sense truths going with these, and in the contrary sense falsities going with them. Teeth also correspond to those things. For these reasons 'the gnashing of teeth' means the clash of falsities and truths. People immersed in wholly natural things and governed by ideas resulting from sensory illusions, believing nothing which they do not see by means of these, are said to be where there is 'the gnashing of teeth', and in the next life seem to themselves to be there when they draw conclusions about the truths of faith on the basis of their own illusions. A Church in which good and truth have been brought to ruin teems with people such as these. The same is meant again in other places by the gnashing of teeth, as in Matthew,
The sons of the kingdom will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 8:12.
'The sons of the kingdom' means those within the ruined Church.
'Darkness' means falsities, 4418, for they are in darkness when surrounded by the dark cloud mentioned above. 'The gnashing of teeth' means the clash of falsities with truths there. The same matter occurs in other places, such as Matthew 13:42, 50; 22:13; 25:30; and Luke 13:28.
Mark 4
1
Again he began to teach by the seaside. A great multitude was gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat in the sea, and sat down. All the multitude were on the land by the sea.
2
He taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching,
3
"Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow,
4
and it happened, as he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it.
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Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil.
6
When the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7
Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8
Others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some brought forth thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much."
9
He said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
10
When he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
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He said to them, "To you is given the mystery of the Kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables,
12
that 'seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them.'"
13
He said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables?
15
The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes, and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
16
These in the same way are those who are sown on the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy.
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They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.
18
Others are those who are sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word,
19
and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20
Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times."
21
He said to them, "Is the lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn't it put on a stand?
22
For there is nothing hidden, except that it should be made known; neither was anything made secret, but that it should come to light.
23
If any man has ears to hear, let him hear."
24
He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you who hear.
25
For whoever has, to him will more be given, and he who doesn't have, even that which he has will be taken away from him."
26
He said, "The Kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,
27
and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he doesn't know how.
28
For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
29
But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts forth the sickle, because the harvest has come."
30
He said, "How will we liken the Kingdom of God? Or with what parable will we illustrate it?
31
It's like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth,
32
yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow."
33
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
34
Without a parable he didn't speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
35
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let's go over to the other side."
36
Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with him.
37
A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled.
38
He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up, and told him, "Teacher, don't you care that we are dying?"
39
He awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40
He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?"
41
They were greatly afraid, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
