7791. And he went out from before Pharaoh in the wrath of anger. That this signifies the rending asunder of the presence of truth Divine from those about to be damned, is evident from the signification of “going out,” as being to depart, here to be rent asunder, because it is said “in the wrath of anger;” moreover, at the last when damnation takes place, there is a rending asunder; for when they begin to hold truth Divine in aversion, and also to fear it, and finally to feel horror at its presence, they rend themselves asunder from it; from the representation of Moses, as being truth Divine (of which frequently above); from the representation of Pharaoh, as being those who had infested those who are of the spiritual church (of which also frequently above), but in the present case those who are about to be damned, for damnation is signified by the firstborn being given up to death (see n. 7778); and from the signification of “the wrath of anger,” as being repugnance and aversion (see n. 3614, 5034, 5798), and when attributed to the Divine, as here to the Divine truth which is represented by Moses, it is not meant that the Divine turns itself away, but that they who are in evil turn themselves away (see n. 5798). “Wrath” is predicated of falsity, and “anger” of evil (n. 3614).

2120. As to what the Lord said concerning the last times, that then the sea and the billows shall roar, the sun be darkened, the moon not give her light, the stars fall from heaven, nation rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and more (see Matthew 24:7, 29; Luke 21:25)—these things both in general and in particular signify the state of the church, such as it would be at the time of its Last Judgment. And by the “roaring of the sea” and the “billows” nothing else is signified than that heresies and controversies within the church in general, and in everyone in particular, will be thus in uproar. By the “sun” is meant nothing else than love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor; by the “moon,” faith; and by the “stars,” the knowledges of faith; all of which, in the last times, will be thus darkened, will not give light, and will fall from heaven, that is, will vanish away. The like is said by the Lord also in Isaiah (chapter13:10). So too by “nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,” nothing else is meant than evils against evils, and falsities against falsities, and so on. There were many secret reasons why the Lord spoke in this way. (That the “seas,” “sun,” “moon,” “stars,” “nations,” and “kingdoms” have such a signification, I know with certainty, and have shown in Part First.)