365. And to him that sat upon him, to him it was given to take peace from the earth, signifies the Word consequently not understood, whence there are dissensions in the church. This is evident from the signification of "him that sat upon the red horse," as being the Word not understood in respect to good; for "he that sat upon the horse," signifies the Word, as was shown above (n. 355, 356), "horse" signifying the understanding of it n. 355, and the "red horse" the understanding destroyed in respect to good n. 364; therefore "he that sat upon the red horse" signifies the Word consequently not understood. It is evident also from the signification of "to take peace," as being that there are thence dissensions (of which presently); also from the signification of "earth," as being the church. (That "the earth" signifies the church, see above, n. 29, 304)

[2] Before it is explained what "peace" signifies, let something be said about dissensions arising in the church when the understanding of the Word is destroyed. By good, the good of love to the Lord and the good of love towards the neighbor are meant, since all good is of love. When these goods do not exist with the man of the church, the Word is not understood; for the conjunction of the Lord and the conjunction of heaven with the man of the church is by means of good; therefore if there is no good with him no illustration can be given; for all illustration when the Word is being read is out of heaven from the Lord; and when there is no illustration the truths that are in the Word are in obscurity, thence dissensions spring up. That the Word is not understood if man is not in good can also be seen from this, that in the particulars of the Word there is a heavenly marriage, that is, a conjunction of good and truth; therefore if good is not present with man when he is reading the Word, truth does not appear, for truth is seen from good, and good by means of truth. (That in the particulars of the Word there is a conjunction of good and truth, see above, n. 238 at the end, 288.)

[3] The state of the case is this: so far as man is in good the Lord flows in and gives the affection of truth, and thus understanding; for the interior human mind is formed entirely in the image of heaven, and the whole heaven is formed according to the affections of good and of truth from good; therefore unless there is good with man, that mind cannot be opened, still less can it be formed for heaven; it is formed by the conjunction of good and truth. From this it can also be seen that unless man is in good, truths have no ground in which to be received, nor any heat by which to grow; for truths with the man who is in good are like seeds in the ground in the time of spring; while truths with the man who is not in good are like seeds in ground bound by frost in the time of winter, when there is no grass, nor flower, nor tree, still less fruit.

[4] In the Word are all truths of heaven and the church, yea, all the secrets of wisdom that the angels of heaven possess; but no one sees these unless he is in the good of love to the Lord and in the good of love towards the neighbor; those who are not, see truths here and there, but do not understand them; they have a perception and idea of them wholly different from that which pertains to these same truths in themselves; although, therefore, they see or know truths, still truths are not truths with them, but falsities; for truths are not truths from their sound or utterance, but from an idea and perception of them. When truths are implanted in good it is different; then truths appear in their own form, for truth is the form of good. From this it may be concluded what the nature of the understanding of the Word is with those who make faith alone the sole means of salvation, and cast behind the back the good of life, or the good of charity. It has been found that those who have confirmed themselves in this, both in doctrine and life, have not even a single right idea of truth; this, moreover, is why they do not know what good is, what charity and love are, what the neighbor is, what heaven and hell are, that they are to live after death as men, nor, indeed, what regeneration is, what baptism is, and many other things; yea, they are in such blindness respecting God Himself that they worship three in thought, and not one except merely with the mouth, not knowing that the Father of the Lord is the Divine in Him, and that the Holy Spirit is the Divine from Him. These things are said to make known that there is no understanding of the Word where there is no good. It is here said that to him that sat upon a red horse, it was given "to take peace from the earth," because "peace" signifies a peaceful state of the mind [mens] and tranquillity of the disposition [animus] from the conjunction of good and truth; therefore "to take away peace" signifies an unpeaceful and untranquil state from the disjunction of good and truth, which is the cause of internal dissensions; for when good is separated from truth evil takes its place; and evil loves not truth but falsity; because every falsity belongs to evil, as every truth to good; when, therefore, such a person sees a truth in the Word or hears it from another, the evil of his love, and thus of his will, strives against the truth, and then he either rejects or perverts it, or by ideas from the evil so obscures it that at length he sees nothing of truth in the truth, however much it may sound like truth when he utters it. This is the origin of all dissensions, controversies, and heresies in the church. From this it can be seen what is here signified by "to take peace from the earth."

[5] But what peace is in its first origin is amply shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, where the State of Peace in Heaven is treated of (n. 284-290), namely that in its first origin it is from the Lord; it is in Him from the union of the Divine Itself and the Divine Human, and it is from Him by His conjunction with heaven and the church, and in particular from the conjunction of good and truth in each individual. From this it is that "peace," in the highest sense, signifies the Lord; in a relative sense, heaven and the church in general, and also heaven and the church in particular in each individual.

[6] That these things are signified by "peace" in the Word, can be seen from many passages therein, of which I will present the following by way of confirmation. In John:

Jesus said, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27).

This treats of the Lord's union with the Father, that is, the union of His Divine Human with the Divine Itself which was in Him from conception, and thence of the Lord's conjunction with those who are in truths from goods; therefore "peace" means tranquility of mind from that conjunction; and as such are protected by that conjunction from the evils and falsities that are from hell, for the Lord protects those who are conjoined with Him, therefore He says, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." This Divine peace is in man, and as heaven is with it, "peace" here also means heaven and in the highest sense, the Lord. But the peace of the world is from successes in the world, thus from conjunction with the world, and as this is only external and the Lord, and consequently heaven are not in it, it perishes with the life of a man in the world and is turned into what is not peace; therefore the Lord says, "My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth give I unto you."

[7] In the same:

Jesus said, These things I have spoken unto you that in Me ye may have peace. In the world ye have affliction; but have confidence I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

Here, too, "peace" means internal delight from conjunction with the Lord, whence come heaven and eternal joy. "Peace" is here opposed to "affliction," because "affliction" signifies infestation by evils and falsities, which those have who are in Divine peace so long as they live in the world; for the flesh, which they then bear about them, lusts after the things of the world, from which comes affliction; therefore the Lord says, "that in Me ye may have peace; in the world ye have affliction;" and as the Lord in respect to His Human acquired to Himself power over the hells, thus over the evils and the falsities that with everyone rise up from the hells into the flesh and infest, He says, "have confidence, I have overcome the world."

[8] In Luke:

Jesus said to the seventy whom He sent forth, Into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if a son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it; but if not, it shall return to you again (Luke 10:5-6).

And in Matthew:

Entering into a house salute it. And if the house be worthy let your peace come upon it; but if it be not worthy let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words, as ye go forth out of that house or city shake off the dust of your feet (Matthew 10:12-14).

That they were to say, "Peace be to the house" signifies that they were to learn whether those who were in it would receive the Lord; they were proclaiming the good tidings respecting the Lord, and thence respecting heaven, celestial joy, and eternal life, for all these are signified by "peace;" and those who received are meant by the "sons of peace," upon whom peace would rest, but if they did not acknowledge the Lord, and consequently did not receive the things pertaining to the Lord, or to peace, that peace would be taken away from them is what is signified by "if the house or city be not worthy let your peace return to you;" that in such case they might suffer no harm from the evils and falsities that were in that house or that city, it was commanded that "going forth, they should shake off the dust of their feet," which signifies that what is cursed therefrom might not cling to them, for "dust of the feet" signifies what is cursed; for what is ultimate in man, which is the sensual-natural, corresponds to the soles of the feet; and because evil clings to this, so in the case of those who were in the representatives of the church, as most were at that time, they shook off the dust of the feet when the truths of doctrine were not received. For in the spiritual world, when any good person comes to those who are evil, evil flows in from evil and causes some disturbance, but it disturbs only the ultimates that correspond to the soles of the feet; therefore when they turn and go away it appears as if they shook the dust off their feet behind them, which is a sign that they are delivered, and that evil clings to those that are in evil. (That "the soles of the feet" correspond to the lowest natural things, and therefore signify these in the Word, see Arcana Coelestia 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952; and that "dust, which should be shaken off" signifies what is damned, n. 249, 7418, 7522)

[9] In Luke:

Jesus wept over the city, saying, If thou hadst known, and indeed in this day, the things that belong to thy peace! but now it is hid from thine eyes (Luke 19:41-42).

Those who think of these words and those that follow immediately there, from the sense of the letter only, because they see no other sense, believe that these words were spoken by the Lord respecting the destruction of Jerusalem; but all things that the Lord spoke since they were from the Divine, did not relate to worldly and temporal things, but to heavenly and eternal things; therefore "Jerusalem, over which the Lord wept" signifies here as elsewhere the church, which was then entirely vastated, so that there was no longer any truth and consequently no good, and thus that they were about to perish forever; therefore He says, "if thou hadst known, and indeed in this day, the things that belong to thy peace," that is, that belong to eternal life and happiness, which are from the Lord alone; for "peace," as was said, means heaven and heavenly joy through conjunction with the Lord.

[10] In the same:

Zacharias prophesying said, The dayspring from on high appeareth to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:67, 78-79).

This was said of the Lord about to come into the world, and of the illustration at that time of those who were out of the church and in ignorance of Divine truth, from not having the Word. The Lord is meant by "the dayspring from on high which appeareth;" and those who are out of the church are meant by "them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death;" and their illustration in Divine truths through the reception of the Lord and conjunction with Him, whence are heaven and eternal happiness is meant by "the way of peace;" "guiding our feet into it" signifies instruction.

[11] In the same:

The disciples praised God, saying, Blessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest (Luke 19:37-38).

These things were said by the disciples when the Lord went to Jerusalem, that

He might there, by the passion of the cross, which was His last temptation, wholly unite His Human to His Divine, and might also entirely subjugate the hells; and as all Divine good and truth would then proceed from Him, they say, "Blessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord," which signified acknowledgment, glorification, and thanksgiving that these things were from Him (See above, n. 340; "peace in heaven and glory in the highest" signifies that the things meant by "peace" are from the union of the Divine Itself and the Divine Human, and that thence angels and men have them by conjunction with the Lord; for when the hells had been subjugated by the Lord, peace was established in heaven, and then those who were there had Divine truth from the Lord, which is "glory in the highest." (That "glory" signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, see above, n. 33, 288, 345.)

As "peace" in the internal sense of the Word signifies the Lord and thence heaven and eternal life, and in particular, the delight of heaven arising from conjunction with the Lord, so the Lord after the resurrection, when He appeared to the disciples, said to them:

Peace be unto you (Luke 24:36, 37; John 20:19, 21, 26).

[12] Again in Moses:

Jehovah bless thee and keep thee; Jehovah make His faces to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; and Jehovah lift up His faces upon thee, and give thee peace (Numbers 6:24-26).

Divine truth, from which is all intelligence and wisdom, with which the Lord flows in, is meant by "Jehovah makes His faces to shine upon thee;" and protection thereby from falsities is meant by "be gracious unto thee;" and the Divine good, from which is all love and charity, with which the Lord flows in, is meant by "Jehovah lift up His faces upon thee;" and protection thereby from evils, and thence heaven and eternal happiness, are meant by "give thee peace;" for when evils and falsities are removed and no longer infest, the Lord flows in with peace, in which and from which is heaven and the delight that fills with bliss the interiors of the mind, thus heavenly joy. (This benediction may also be seen explained above, n. 340 "Peace" has a like signification in David:

Jehovah will bless His people with peace (Psalms 29:11).

[13] And in the same:

Who will show us good? Jehovah, lift Thou up the light of Thy faces upon us. Thou givest joy in my heart more than at the time when their corn and new wine are increased. In peace I at the same time lie down and sleep; for Thou alone, O Jehovah, dost make me to dwell securely (Psalms 4:6-8);

This describes the peace that those have who are in conjunction with the Lord through the reception of Divine good and Divine truth from Him, and that it is peace in which and from which is heavenly joy. Divine good is meant by "Who will show us good?" and Divine truth by "lift Thou up the light of Thy faces upon us," "the light of the Lord's faces" is the Divine light that proceeds from Him as a sun in the angelic heaven, which light is in its essence Divine truth (as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140). Heavenly joy therefrom is meant by "Thou givest joy in the heart;" multiplication of good and truth is meant by "their corn and new wine are increased," "corn" signifying good, and "new wine" truth. Because peace is in these and from these, it is said, "In peace I at the same time lie down and sleep; for Thou alone, O Jehovah, dost make me to dwell securely," "peace" signifying the internal delight of heaven, "security" the external delight, and "to lie down and sleep" and "to dwell" signifying to live.

[14] In Moses:

If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments and do them, I will give peace in the land, so that ye may lie down securely, and none shall make afraid; and I will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land, and the sword shall not pass through the land (Leviticus 26:3, 6).

This describes the source of peace, that is, of heaven and heavenly joy. Peace viewed in itself is not heaven and heavenly joy, but these are in peace and from peace; for peace is like the dawn or like spring-time in the world, which dispose human minds to receive in the heart delights and pleasures from the objects that appear before the eyes, for that is what makes them delightful and pleasant; and because all things of heaven and of heavenly joy are in like manner from Divine peace, these also are meant by "peace." Since man has heaven from living according to the commandments, for thence he has conjunction with the Lord, therefore it is said, "If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them, I will give peace in the land;" that then they would not be infested by evils and falsities is meant by "they would lie down securely, and none make afraid," and by "Jehovah will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land, and the sword shall not pass through it," "the evil wild beast" signifying evil lusts, and "the sword" falsities therefrom; both these destroy good and truth from which is peace; and "land" signifies the church. (That "the evil wild beast" signifies evil lusts, and the destruction of good by them, see Arcana Coelestia 4729, 7102, 9335; that "the sword" signifies falsities, and the destruction of truth by them, see above, n. 131; and that "land" signifies the church, see also above, n. 29, 304.) One who does not rise above the sense of the letter of the Word sees in this nothing more than that he who lives according to the statutes and commandments shall live in peace, that is, shall have no adversaries or enemies, and that thus he shall lie down securely; also that no evil wild beasts shall harm him, and that he shall not perish by the sword; but this is not the spiritual of the Word, yet the Word in every particular is spiritual, and this lies concealed in the sense of its letter, which is natural; its spiritual is what has here been explained.

[15] In David:

The miserable shall possess the land, and shall be delighted with the multitude of peace. Mark the perfect man, and see the upright, for to that man the latter end is peace (Psalms 37:11, 37).

"The miserable" mean here those who are in temptations in the world; "the multitude of peace with which they shall be delighted" signifies the delights that follow temptations; for after temptations delights are given by the Lord from the conjunction of good and truth that follows temptation, and the consequent conjunction with the Lord. That man has the delight of peace from the conjunction of good and truth is meant by "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for to that man the latter end is peace." The perfection which is to be marked is predicated in the Word of good, and the uprightness which is to be seen is predicated of truth; the "latter end" means the termination when there is peace.

[16] In the same:

The mountains shall bear peace to the people, and the hills in righteousness. In His days shall the righteous flourish, and much peace until the moon be no more (Psalms 72:3, 7).

This treats of the Lord's coming and His kingdom; the "mountains which shall bear peace to the people," signify love to the Lord; and the "hills in righteousness" signify charity towards the neighbor. (That this is the signification of "mountains" in the Word, see Arcana Coelestia 795, 6435, 10438, for the reason that those who are in love to the Lord dwell in heaven upon mountains, and those who are in charity towards the neighbor upon hills there, n. Arcana Coelestia 10438; and in the work on Heaven and Hell 188.)

This makes clear that "peace" means heavenly joy which is from the conjunction with the Lord by love; "in His days shall the righteous flourish" signifies one who is in the good of love; therefore it is said, "and much peace;" for as was said above, peace is from no other source than from the Lord, and His conjunction with those who are in the good of love. It is said, "until the moon be no more," which signifies that truth must not be separated from good, but the two must be so conjoined as to be a one, that is, so that truth also is good; for all truth is of good because it is from good, and therefore in its essence is good; truth is such with those who are in the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, who are here meant by the "righteous." (That the "sun" signifies the good of love, and the "moon" truth therefrom, see Arcana Coelestia 1521, 1531, 2495, 4060, 4696, 7083.)

[17] In Isaiah:

Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; upon whose shoulder is the government; he shall call His name Wonderful, Counselor, God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. To the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end (Isaiah 9:6-7).

These things are said of the Lord's coming, of whom it is said, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given," because "child" in the Word signifies good, here Divine good, and "son" truth, here Divine truth. This is said on account of the marriage of good and truth that is in every particular of the Word; and as Divine good and Divine truth are from the Lord, He is called "Prince of Peace," and it is said, "to the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end;" "government" is predicated of Divine truth, and "peace" of Divine good conjoined to Divine truth, therefore He is called the "Prince of Peace." (That "Prince" is predicated of truths, and that it signifies the chief truth, see Arcana Coelestia 1482, 2089, 5044, and above, n. 29; and that "peace" is predicated of the conjunction of good and truth, see above in this article.)

[18] But as "peace" is mentioned in many passages of the Word, and the explanation must be adapted to the thing treated of, or to the subject of which it is predicated, and consequently its signification appears various, I will tell briefly what "peace" signifies, that the mind may not be borne hither and thither. Peace is bliss of heart and soul arising from the Lord's conjunction with heaven and with the church, and this from the conjunction of good and truth with those who are therein; consequently there is no longer combat of evil and falsity against good and truth, or no dissension or war in a spiritual sense; from this is peace, in which all the fructification of good and the multiplication of truth takes place, and thence comes all wisdom and intelligence. And as this peace is from the Lord alone, and from Him with the angels in heaven, and with men in the church, so "peace" in the highest sense means the Lord, and in a relative sense, heaven and the church, and thus good conjoined to truth with those who are there.

[19] From this an idea can be had of the signification of "peace" in the following passages. In David:

Depart from evil and do good; seek peace, and pursue it (Psalms 34:14).

"Peace" stands for all things that belong to heaven and the church, from which is the happiness of eternal life; and as only those who are in good have that peace, it is said, "depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."

[20] In the same:

Much peace have they that love thy law; and with them there is no stumbling. I have waited for Thy salvation, O Jehovah, and have done Thy commandments (Psalms 119:165-166).

"Peace" stands for heavenly blessedness, happiness, and delight, and as these are granted only with those that love to do the Lord's commandments it is said, "Much peace have they who love Thy law." "I have waited for Thy salvation, O Jehovah, and have done Thy commandments," "salvation" meaning eternal life; that such are not infested by evils and falsities is signified by "with them there is no stumbling."

[21] In Isaiah:

O Jehovah, ordain peace for us, for Thou hast wrought all our works for us (Isaiah 26:12).

As peace is from Jehovah alone, that is from the Lord and in doing good from him, it is said, "O Jehovah, ordain peace for us, for Thou hast wrought all our works for us."

[22] In the same:

The angels of peace weep bitterly; the highways are wasted, the one passing through the path hath ceased (Isaiah 33:7-8).

As peace is from the Lord, and is in heaven from Him, therefore the angels are here called "angels of peace;" and as those on the earth who are in evils and in falsities therefrom have no peace, therefore it is said that they "weep bitterly," because "the highways are wasted, the one passing through the path hath ceased;" "highways" and "a path" signifying the goods of life and the truths of faith; therefore "the highways are wasted" signifies that there are no longer goods of life, and "the one passing through the path hath ceased" signifies that there are no longer truths of faith.

[23] In the same:

O that thou hadst attended to My commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. There is no peace, saith Jehovah, unto the wicked (Isaiah 48:18, 22).

Because those who live according to the Lord's commandments have peace, and not those who do not so live, therefore it is said, "O that thou hadst attended to My commandments! then had thy peace been as a river; there is no peace unto the wicked," "peace as a river" signifying in abundance; "righteousness as the waves of the sea" signifying the fructification of good by truths; "righteousness" in the Word is predicated of good, and "sea" of truths.

[24] In the same:

The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My mercy shall not depart from with thee, the covenant of My peace shall not be removed. All thy sons shall be taught of Jehovah; and much shall be the peace of thy sons (Isaiah 54:10, 13).

This treats of a new heaven and a new church. The former heaven and the former church that were to perish are meant by "the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed;" that those who are in the new heaven and the new church will be in good from the Lord and possess heavenly joy to eternity through conjunction with the Lord is signified by, "My mercy shall not depart from with thee, and the covenant of My peace shall not be removed," "mercy" signifying good from the Lord, and "the covenant of peace," heavenly joy from conjunction with the Lord, "covenant" meaning conjunction; "the sons who shall be taught of Jehovah, and who shall have much peace" mean those in the new heaven and in the new church who will be in truths from good from the Lord, that they will have eternal blissfulness and happiness; "sons" in the Word signify those who are in truths from good; and that they are "taught of Jehovah" signifies that they are in truths from good from the Lord; and "much peace" signifies eternal blissfulness and happiness.

[25] In Ezekiel:

David shall be their prince forever; and I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be a covenant of eternity with them: and I will give them, and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them forever (Ezekiel 37:25-26).

This treats of the Lord and of the creation of a new heaven and a new church from him. "David who shall be their prince forever" means the Lord; "to make a covenant of peace with them" signifies heavenly joy and eternal life to those who are conjoined to the Lord; "a covenant of peace" here, as above, meaning heavenly joy and eternal life from conjunction with the Lord; the fructification of good and the multiplication of truth therefrom are signified by "I will give them, and multiply them," and as heaven and the church are therefrom, it is added "and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them forever," "sanctuary" meaning heaven and the church.

[26] In Malachi:

That My covenant may be with Levi; My covenant with him was of life and peace. The law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not found in his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness (Malachi 2:4-6).

"Levi" signifies all who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor, and in the highest sense, the Lord Himself, because that good is from Him; here the Lord Himself is meant. "The covenant of life and peace" signifies the union of His Divine with His Divine Human, from which union is all life and peace. That Divine truth is from Him is signified by "the law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not found in his lips;" the unition itself which was effected in the world is meant by "he walked with Me in peace and uprightness." (That "Levi" in the Word signifies spiritual love or charity, see Arcana Coelestia 4497, 4502, 4503; and that by him in the highest sense the Lord is meant, n. 3875, 3877)

[27] In Ezekiel:

And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land, that they may dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. Then the tree of the field shall give its fruit, and the land shall give its produce, when I shall have broken the bonds of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those who make them to serve (Ezekiel 34:25, 27).

This, too, treats of the Lord's coming and the establishment of a new church by Him. The conjunction of those who are of the church with the Lord is signified by the "covenant of peace," which He will then make with them; the consequent protection and security from evils and falsities is signified by, "I will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land, that they may dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods," "the evil wild beast" signifying evils of every kind, "the wilderness where they shall dwell securely" signifying that the lusts of evil shall not infest, "the woods in which they shall sleep" signifying falsities therefrom which shall not infest. The fructification of good by truths and the multiplication of truth from good are signified by "then the tree shall give its fruit, and the land shall give its produce," "tree of the field" signifying the knowledges of truth, "fruit" signifying good therefrom, "land" signifying the church in relation to good, thus also the good of the church, and "its produce" signifying the consequent multiplication of truth. That these things shall come to pass with them when the Lord has removed the evils and falsities pertaining to them is signified by "when I shall have broken the bonds of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those who make them to serve;" "the bonds of the yoke" meaning the delights of evil from the love of self and the world, which keep them bound, and "those who make them to serve" meaning falsities, since these make them to serve those evils.

[28] In Zechariah:

A seed of peace shall they be; the vine shall give its fruit, and the land shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. Speak ye the truth a man with his companion; judge the truth and the judgment of peace in your gates; love ye truth and peace (Zechariah 8:12, 16, 19).

Those are called "a seed of peace" with whom there is the conjunction of good and truth; and because such are meant by the "seed of peace" therefore it is said, "the vine shall give its fruit, and the land its produce," "the vine shall give its fruit" signifies that truth shall bring forth good, and "the land shall give its produce" signifies that good shall bring forth truths; for "vine" signifies the church in relation to truths, that is, the truths of the church, and "land" signifies the church in relation to good, or the good of the church, and "produce" signifies the production of truth; "the heavens which shall give their dew" signify the fructification of good and the multiplication of truth. The conjunction of truth and good is further described by "Speak ye the truth a man with his companion; judge the truth and the judgment of peace in your gates; and love ye truth and peace," "truth" signifying what is true, "the judgment of peace" and "peace" signifying the conjunction of truth with good.

[29] In David:

Jehovah will speak peace unto His people and to His saints, that they may not turn again to folly. Mercy and truth ¹ meet together; righteousness and peace do kiss each other (Psalms 85:8, 10).

"Jehovah will speak peace unto His people and to His saints" signifies that He will teach and give conjunction with Himself by the conjunction of good and truth with them, "peace" signifying both these conjunctions, "people" those who are in truths from good, and "saints" those who are in good by means of truths; that such thereafter will have no evil from falsity or falsity from evil is signified by "that they may not turn again to folly." Both these conjunctions are further described by "mercy and truth meet together, righteousness and peace do kiss each other," "mercy" here signifying removal from falsities, and the consequent possession of truths, [which makes clear the signification of "mercy and righteousness meet together, "] and "righteousness" signifying the removal from evils and the consequent possession of goods, which makes clear the signification of "righteousness and peace do kiss each other."

[30] In Isaiah:

How joyous upon the mountains are the feet of him that proclaimeth good tidings, that maketh peace to be heard; that proclaimeth good tidings of good, that maketh salvation to be heard; that saith unto Zion, Thy King ² reigneth (Isaiah 52:7).

This is said of the Lord, and "peace" here signifies the Lord Himself, and thus heaven to those who are conjoined to Him; "to proclaim good tidings" signifies to preach these things; and as this conjunction is effected by love it is said, "proclaim good tidings upon the mountains" and "say unto Zion;" "mountains" signifying here, as above, the good of love to the Lord, and "Zion" signifying the church that is in that good, and the Lord is meant by "thy King who reigneth." Because the conjunction of truth and good from conjunction with the Lord is signified by "peace" therefore it is said, "maketh peace to be heard, proclaimeth good tidings of good, maketh salvation to be heard;" "proclaiming good tidings of good" signifying conjunction with the Lord by good, and "making salvation to be heard" signifying conjunction with Him by truths and by a life according to them, for thereby is salvation.

[31] In the same:

But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His wound healing was given to us (Isaiah 53:5).

This is said of the Lord, of whom this chapter evidently treats, and these words describe the temptations that He underwent in the world that He might subjugate the hells, and reduce all things there and in the heavens into order. These grievous temptations are meant by "He was pierced for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities," and "the chastisement of our peace was upon Him;" "by His wound healing was given to us" signifies salvation by that means. Therefore "peace" here signifies heaven and eternal life to those who are conjoined with Him; for the human race could by no means be saved if the Lord had not reduced all things in the hells and in the heavens into order, and at the same time glorified His Human, and these were accomplished by temptations admitted into His Human.

[32] In Jeremiah:

Behold I will cause to go up unto them cure and healing; and I will heal them, and will reveal unto them an abundance ³ of peace and truth. All the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I am about to do unto them; that they may dread and may tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I am about to do unto them (Jeremiah 33:6, 9).

This also is said of the Lord, that He will deliver from evils and falsities those who are in conjunction with Him. Deliverance from evils and falsities is signified by "I will cause to go up unto them cure and healing, and I will heal them;" for to be healed spiritually is to be delivered from evils and falsities, and as this is done by the Lord by means of truths it is said, "and I will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth;" "the nations of the earth" signify those who are in evils and falsities, of whom it is said that "they shall dread and shall tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I am about to do unto them."

[33] In David:

He will redeem my soul in peace, that they come not near to me (Psalms 55:18);

"to redeem my soul in peace" signifies salvation through conjunction with the Lord, and "that they come not near to me" signifies the consequent removal of evils and falsities.

[34] In Haggai:

The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, for in this place will I give peace (Haggai 2:9).

"The house of God" signifies the church; "the former house" the church that was before the Lord's coming; and "the latter house" the church that was after His coming; "glory" signifies the Divine truth that was in the one and the other; and "the peace that He will give in this place," that is, in the church, means all these things that are signified by "peace" (of which above, which see).

[35] In David:

Ask for the peace of Jerusalem; let them be tranquil that love thee; peace be within thy ramparts, tranquility within thy palaces; ⁴ for the sake of my brethren and companions I will now speak, Peace be within thee; for the sake of the house of Jehovah our God I will seek good for thee (Psalms 122:6-9).

"Jerusalem" does not mean Jerusalem, but the church in relation to doctrine and worship; "peace" means everything of doctrine and worship, for when these are from a heavenly origin, that is, out of heaven from the Lord, then they are from peace and in peace, from which is evident what is meant by "ask for the peace of Jerusalem;" and as those who are in that peace are said to be "tranquil," it is also said, "let them be tranquil that love thee," that is, that love the doctrine and worship of the church; "peace be within thy rampart, and tranquillity within thy palaces" signifies in the exterior and in the interior man; for the exterior man with the things that are in it, which are natural knowledges and delights, is like a rampart or fortification to the interior man, since it is without or before it and protects it; and the interior man with the things that are in it, which are spiritual truths and goods, is like a palace or house, since it is within the exterior; therefore the exterior things of a man are signified by "a rampart," and his interior things by "palaces;" and the like is true also elsewhere in the Word; "for the sake of my brethren and companions" signifies for the sake of those who are in goods and in truths therefrom, and in a sense abstracted from persons it signifies goods and truths. (That these are meant by "brethren" and "companions" in the Word, see Arcana Coelestia 10490, and above, n. 47.) "The house of Jehovah our God" signifies the church in which these things are.

[36] In the same:

Celebrate Jehovah, O Jerusalem, praise Thy name, ⁵ O Zion who setteth thy border peace, and satisfieth thee with the fat of wheat (Psalms 147:12, 14).

"Jerusalem" and "Zion" mean the church, "Jerusalem" the church in relation to the truths of doctrine, and "Zion" the church in relation to the good of love; "the name of Jehovah, which Zion will celebrate," signifies everything of worship from the good of love; "who setteth thy border peace," signifies all things of heaven and the church, for "border" signifies all things of these, since in the "border," that is, the outmost, are all things in the complex (See Arcana Coelestia 634, 5897, 6239, 6451, 6465, 8603, 9215, 9216, 9824, 9828, 9836, 9905, 10044, 10099, 10329, 10335, 10548). "He satisfieth thee with the fat of wheat" signifies with all the good of love and wisdom (for "fat" signifies the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia 5943, 6409, 10033, and "wheat" signifies all things that are from the good of love, in particular the truths of heaven and wisdom therefrom, n. 3941, 7605).

[37] In the same:

Jehovah shall bless thee out of Zion; that thou mayest see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life; that thou mayest see the sons of thy sons, peace upon Israel (Psalms 128:5-6).

"Zion" and "Jerusalem," here as above, signify the church in relation to the goods of love and in relation to the truths of doctrine; the words "Jehovah bless thee out of Zion" mean blessing that is from the good of love, for "Zion" signifies the church in relation to the good of love; and as from that good every good and truth of doctrine proceeds and exists, it is said "that thou mayest see the good of Jerusalem, and the sons of thy sons;" "sons of sons" signifying the truths of doctrine and their multiplication to eternity. As all things are from the Lord and through the peace which is from Him, the concluding words are, "that thou mayest see peace upon Israel," "Israel" meaning those with whom is the church.

[38] In the same:

In Salem is the tabernacle of God, and His abode in Zion. There broke He the fiery shafts of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and war (Psalms 76:2-3).

Jerusalem is here called Salem, because "Salem" signifies peace, from which also Jerusalem was named. It was so named because "peace" signifies all those things that have been briefly mentioned above, and which may be referred to. "The tabernacle of God that is in it" signifies the church which is from these things; "His abode in Zion," signifies the good of love, because in that the Lord dwells, and from it gives truths and makes them bear fruit and multiply; and because "peace" also signifies that there are no longer combats of evil and falsity against good and truth, that is, no dissension or war in a spiritual sense, it is said, "There broke He the fiery shafts of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and war," which signifies the dissipation of all combat of the falsities of doctrine against good and truth, and in general the dissipation of all dissension. Moreover, from "peace":

Jerusalem was called Shalomim (Jeremiah 13:19).

And on that account Melchizedek, who was the priest of God Most High, was king of Salem [peace] (Genesis 14:18);

and by him the Lord was represented; as is evident in David, where it is written:

Thou art a priest forever after the manner of Melchizedek (Psalms 110:4).

[39] In Isaiah:

Be ye glad with Jerusalem, and exult in her, all ye that love her; that ye may suck and be satisfied from the breast of her consolations, that ye may press out and be delighted from the splendor of her glory. Behold, I extend over her peace like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing brook, that ye may suck; ye shall be taken up to her side, and be caressed upon her knees (Isaiah 66:10-12).

"Jerusalem," here as above, means the church in relation to doctrine, or, what is the same, the doctrine of the church; of this it is said, "Be ye glad with Jerusalem, and exult in her, all ye that love her;" and of the doctrine it is said further "that ye may suck and be satisfied from the breast of her consolations, and may press out and be delighted from the splendor of her glory," "breast of consolations" signifying Divine good, and "splendor of glory," Divine truth from which is doctrine. That there will be all these in abundance from conjunction with the Lord is signified by, "Behold, I stretch out over her peace like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing brook, that ye may suck;" "peace" signifying conjunction with the Lord, "the glory of the nations" the conjunction of good and truth therefrom, "to suck" influx from the Lord, and "like a river" and "an overflowing brook" abundance. That from this are spiritual love and celestial love, by which conjunction with the Lord is effected, is signified by "ye shall be taken up to her side, and be caressed upon her knees," "the side" signifying spiritual love, and "knees" celestial love, and "to be taken up and caressed" signifying eternal happiness from conjunction. (That the "breast" signifies spiritual love, and also "the side" or "bosom," see above, n. 65; that "knees" signify conjugial love, and thence celestial love, see Arcana Coelestia 3021[1-8], 4280, 5050-5062) That "glory" signifies Divine truth, and intelligence and wisdom therefrom, may be seen above (n. 33, 288, 345); and that "nations" signify those who are in the good of love, and in a sense abstracted from persons, the goods of love, may also be seen above (n. 175, 331); therefore "the glory of the nations" signifies genuine truth which is from the good of love, thus the conjunction of these.

[40] In the same:

The work of Jehovah ⁶ is peace; and the labor of righteousness, quietness and security even forever; that My people may dwell in a habitation of peace, and in tabernacles of securities, and in tranquil resting places (Isaiah 32:17-18).

"Peace" is called "the work of Jehovah," because it is solely from the Lord; and everything that comes forth out of peace from the Lord with those who are in conjunction with the Lord is called "the work of Jehovah;" therefore it is said, "the work of Jehovah is peace." The "labor of righteousness" signifies good conjoined to truth, in which is peace; for "labor" in the Word is predicated of truth, "righteousness" of good, and "quietness" of the peace therein; "security forever" signifies that thus there will be no infestation or fear from evils and falsities. This makes clear the signification of "that My people may dwell in a habitation of peace, and in tabernacles of securities, and in tranquil resting places," namely, that they may be in heaven where the Lord is, and in the good of love and of worship therefrom, without infestation from the hells, and thus in the delights of good and the pleasantnesses of truth; "habitation of peace" meaning heaven where the Lord is; "tabernacles of securities" the goods therefrom of love and of worship without infestation by evils and falsities from hell; and "tranquil resting places" the delights of good, and the pleasantnesses of truth. (That "tents" signify the goods of love and of worship, see Arcana Coelestia 414, 1102, 2145, 2152, 3312, 4391, 10545)

[41] In the same:

For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for stones iron; I will also make thy government peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, devastation and breaking within thy borders (Isaiah 60:17-18).

This chapter treats of the Lord's coming and a new heaven and new church at that time; and these words mean that there are to be those who are spiritual, and not natural as before, that is, those who are conjoined with the Lord by the good of love; and that there shall no longer be a separation between the internal or spiritual man and the external or natural. That there are to be those who are spiritual, and not natural as before, is signified by "for brass I will bring gold, for iron silver, and for stones iron;" "brass," "iron," and "stones" signifying things natural, and "gold," "silver," and "iron" in place thereof, signifying things spiritual; "gold" spiritual good, "silver" the truth of that good, and "iron" spiritual-natural truth. That the Lord is to rule by the good of love is signified by, "I will make thy government peace, and thine exactors righteousness;" "government" signifying kingdom, "peace" the Lord, and "righteousness" good from Him. That there is no longer to be a separation between the spiritual and the natural man is signified by "violence shall no more be heard in thy land, devastation and breaking within thy borders," "violence" signifying separation, "land" the internal spiritual man, because there the church is, which in general is signified by "land;" "devastation and breaking shall be no more" signifies that there shall no longer be evils and falsities, and "within thy borders" signifies in the natural man, for in the things in the natural man spiritual things are terminated; "devastation and breaking" signify evils and falsities, because evils devastate the natural man, and falsities break it up.

[42] As those have peace who are in the conjunction of good and truth from the Lord, and as evil destroys good, and falsity destroys truth, so do these destroy peace. From this it follows that those who are in evils and falsities have no peace. It appears as if they had peace when they have success in the world, and they even seem to themselves at such times to be in a contented state of mind; but that apparent peace is only in their extremes, while inwardly there is no peace, for they think of honor and gain without limit, and cherish in their minds cunning, deceit, enmities, hatreds, revenge, and many like things, which unknown to themselves, rend and devour the interiors of their minds, and thence also the interiors of their bodies. That this is so with them is clearly seen after death, when they come into their interiors; these delights of their minds are then turned into their contraries (as is evident from what has been shown in Heaven and Hell 485-490).

[43] That those have peace who are in good and in truths therefrom, and that those who are in evil and in falsities therefrom have no peace, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:

The wicked are like the sea driven along, when it cannot be quiet, but its waters drive along the filth and mud [;there is no peace, saith My God, to the wicked] (Isaiah 57:20-21).

In the same:

Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; devastation and breaking are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their courses; they have made crooked their paths for themselves; whosoever treadeth therein doth not know peace (Isaiah 59:7-8)

In David:

Too much hath My soul dwelt with the hater of peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war (Psalms 120:6-7).

In Ezekiel:

The prophets seduce My people, saying Peace, when there is no peace; and when one buildeth a wall, lo, they daub it with untempered mortar. The prophets of Israel see a vision of peace, when there is no peace (Ezekiel 13:10, 16).

In Jeremiah:

All, from the least unto the greatest, pursue gain; from the prophet even unto the priest everyone doeth a lie. And they heal the breach of the daughter of My people by a word of no weight, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace (Jeremiah 8:10-11).

A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and a wailing of the powerful of the flock, for Jehovah devastateth their ⁷ pasture, therefore the folds of peace are laid waste because of the glowing of Jehovah's anger (Jeremiah 25:36-37).

In David:

There is no soundness in my flesh because of Thine indignation; there is no peace in my bones because of my sin (Psalms 38:3).

In Lamentations:

He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood; and my soul is removed from peace; I forgot good (Lamentations 3:15, 17);

besides other passages.

[44] Since peace in its first origin is from the union in the Lord of the Divine Itself and the Divine Human, and is therefore from the Lord in His conjunction with heaven and with the church, and in the conjunction of good and truth with everyone therein, so the sabbath, which was the most holy representative of the church, was so called from rest or peace; and so also the sacrifices which were called "peace-offerings" were commanded (respecting which see Exodus 24:5; 32:6; Leviticus 3:3; 4:20, 26, 31, 35; 6:12; 7:11; 14:20, 21, 33; 17:5; 19:5; Numbers 6:17; Ezekiel 45:15; Amos 5:22, and elsewhere); and therefore Jehovah is said:

To have smelled an odor of rest from the burnt-offering (Exodus 29:18, 25, 41; Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17; 2:2, 9; 6:15, 21; 23:12, 13, 18; Numbers 15:3, 7, 13; 28:6, 8, 13; 29:2, 6, 8, 13, 36);

"odor of rest" signifying the perception of peace.

Poznámky pod čarou:

5135. 'For I have indeed been taken away by theft' means that evil caused celestial things to become alienated. This is clear from the representation of 'Joseph', who says this about himself, as the celestial within the natural, dealt with in 5086, 5087, 5106, and consequently the celestial things there; and from the meaning of 'being taken away by theft' as undergoing alienation caused by evil. For 'to commit theft' means to alienate, while 'theft' itself means the evil which causes alienation, as well as meaning evil which lays claim to the things existing there in the natural. 'Theft' means an alienation caused by evil that happens in the place which such evil takes possession of; for it expels everything good and true and fills up that place with evils and falsities. 'Theft' also means its laying claim to what belongs to others; for it takes to itself everything good and true in that place and makes such its own as well as attaching it to evils and falsities. But to enable anyone to know what is meant by 'theft' in the spiritual sense, a statement must be made about what happens to evils and falsities when they enter in and take possession of a place, and also when they lay claim to everything good and true there.

[2] From infancy to childhood, and sometimes on into early youth, a person is absorbing forms of goodness and truth received from parents and teachers, for during those years he learns about those forms of goodness and truth and believes them with simplicity - his state of innocence enabling this to happen. It inserts those forms of goodness and truth into his memory; yet it lodges them only on the edge of it since the innocence of infancy and childhood is not an internal innocence which has an influence on the rational, only an external one which has an influence solely on the exterior natural, 2306, 3183, 3494, 4563, 4797. When however the person grows older, when he starts to think for himself and not, as previously, simply in the way his parents or teachers do, he brings back to mind and so to speak chews over what he has learned and believed before, and then he either endorses it, has doubts about it, or refuses to accept it. If he endorses it, this is an indication that he is governed by good, but if he refuses to accept it, that is an indication that he is governed by evil. If however he has doubts about what he has learned and believed before, it is an indication that he will move subsequently either into an affirmative attitude of mind or else into a negative one.

[3] The truths that a person learns and believes in his earliest years when he is a young child but which later on he either endorses, has doubts about, or refuses to accept, are in particular these: There is God, and He is one; He created everything; He rewards those who do what is good and punishes those who do things that are bad; there is life after death, when the bad go to hell and the good go to heaven, and so there is a hell and a heaven; the life after death lasts for ever; also, people ought to pray every day and to do so in a humble way; they ought to keep the sabbath day holy, honour their parents, and not commit adultery, kill, or steal; and many other truths like these. Such truths are learned and absorbed by a person from earliest childhood; but if, when he starts to think for himself and to lead his own life, he endorses them, adding to them further truths of a more interior kind, and leads a life in conformity with them, all is well with him. But if he starts to disobey them, refusing at length to accept them, then even though outwardly he leads a life in conformity with them, because the law and society expect him to do so, he is governed by evil.

[4] This evil is what is meant by 'theft', to the extent that thief-like it usurps the position held previously by good. With many people it is thief-like to the extent that it takes away the forms of goodness and truth previously there and uses them to lend support to evils and falsities. So far as is possible with these people the Lord removes the forms of goodness and truth absorbed in early childhood from where these are to a more internal position, where - within the interior natural - He stores them away for future use. These forms of goodness and truth that are stored away within the interior natural are meant in the Word by 'the remnant', dealt with in 468, 530, 560, 561, 660, 661, 1050, 1738, 1906, 2284. But if evil steals the forms of goodness and truth there and uses them to lend support to evils and falsities, especially if it does so by the use of deceit, it destroys those remnants; for in this case it mingles evil with good, and falsity with truth, to such an extent that one cannot be separated from the other; and then a person is done for.

[5] The fact that 'theft' means the kinds of things mentioned above may be seen from the mere use of that word to refer to what constitutes a person's spiritual life. For the only riches in that life are cognitions of good and truth, and the only possessions and inheritances are the different forms of happiness in life which are gained from forms of good and from truths deriving from these. The stealing of such things, as stated above, is what 'theft' relates to in the spiritual sense, and therefore by the thefts mentioned in the Word nothing else is meant in the internal sense, as in Zechariah,

I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll. Then he said to me, This curse is going out over the face of the whole land, for everyone committing theft from now on, according to it, will be innocent, and everyone swearing falsely, according to it, will be innocent. I have cast it forth, that it may enter the house of the thief, and the house of him swearing falsely by My name, and may pass the night in his house and consume it, both its timbers and its stones. Zechariah 5:1-4.

Evil which takes away remnants of good is meant by 'one committing theft' and by 'the house of the thief', and falsity which takes away remnants of truth by 'one swearing falsely' and by 'the house of him swearing falsely'. 'The face of the whole land' stands for the whole Church, which is why the statement is made that the curse will consume the house, both its timbers and its stones - 'house' meaning the natural mind or a person so far as that mind is concerned, 3128, 3538, 4973, 5023, 'timbers' the forms of good present there, 2784, 2812, 3720, 4943, and 'stones' the truths, 643, 1298, 3720.

[6] Profanation and a consequent removal of goodness and truth are meant in the spiritual sense by the action of Achan, who took some of 'the devoted things' - a mantle of Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold - and hid them in the earth in the middle of his tent, on account of which he was stoned and everything was burned, as described in Joshua,

Jehovah said to Joshua, Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant which I commanded them, and have taken some of that which was devoted; they have committed theft, have lied, and have put it among their own vessels. Joshua 7:11, 12, 25.

'The devoted things' meant falsities and evils, which were not on any account to be mixed with anything holy. 'A mantle of Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold' in the spiritual sense are specific types of falsity. 'Hiding them in the earth in the middle of the tent' meant a mingling with things that are holy - for 'a tent' means that which is holy, see 414, 1102, 1566, 2145, 2152, 3312, 4128, 4391, 4599. Such was the meaning of the declaration that they had committed theft, lied, and put [what was devoted] among their own vessels; for 'vessels' means holy truths, 3068, 3079, 3316, 3318.

[7] In Jeremiah,

I will bring the disaster ¹ of Esau upon him, the time I will visit him. If grape-gatherers come to you, will they not leave grape-gleanings? if thieves in the night, will they not destroy a sufficiency? I will strip Esau bare, I will uncover his secret places, and he will not be able to be concealed. His seed has been laid waste, and his brothers, and his neighbours; and he is no more. Jeremiah 49:8-10.

'Esau' stands for the evil of self-love to which falsities have been allied, 3322. The destruction by this evil of the remnants of good and truth is meant by the statements that 'thieves in the night will destroy a sufficiency' and that 'his seed has been laid waste, also his brothers and his neighbours, and he is no more'. 'Seed' stands for truths which are those of faith grounded in charity, 1025, 1447, 1610, 1940, 2848, 3038, 3310, 3373; 'brothers' for forms of good which are those of charity, 367, 2360, 2508, 2524, 3160, 3303, 3459, 3815, 4121, 4191; 'neighbours' for the adjoining and related forms of truth and good which belong to it.

[8] A similar reference to Esau occurs in Obadiah,

If thieves come to you, if those who overturn in the night - how you will have been cut off! - will they not steal that which is enough for themselves? If grape-gatherers come to you, will they not leave some clusters? Obad. verse 5.

'Grape-gatherers' stands for falsities which are not a product of evil. These falsities do not destroy the forms of goodness and truth - that is, the remnants - stored away by the Lord in a person's interior natural. But falsities that are the product of evils do destroy them, for they steal forms of truth and good and also use them, through misapplication of them, to lend support to evils and falsities.

[9] In Joel,

A great and mighty people, like heroes they will run, like men of war they will scale the wall; and they will pass on, every one on his way. They will run about the city, they will run on the wall, they will climb into the houses, they will go in through the windows like a thief. Joel 2:7, 9.

'A great and mighty people' stands for falsities fighting against truths, 1259, 1260; and because they fight in a mighty way, by destroying truths, they are spoken of as 'heroes' and 'like men of war'. 'The city' through which they are said to run about stands for matters of doctrine regarding truth, 402, 2268, 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216; 'the houses which they will climb into' stands for the forms of good which they destroy, 710, 1708, 2048, 2233, 3128, 3652, 3720, 4982; 'the windows which they will go through' stands for intellectual concepts and for reasonings derived from these, 655, 658, 3391. This being so, those falsities are compared to a thief because they usurp the position held previously by truths and forms of good.

[10] In David,

Since you hate discipline and cast away My words behind you, if you see a thief you run with him, and your part is with adulterers. You open your mouth towards evil, and with your tongue you frame deceit. Psalms 50:17-19.

This refers to someone wicked, 'running with a thief' standing for his use of falsity to alienate truth from himself.

[11] In Revelation,

They did not repent of their murders, or of their enchantments, or of their whoredoms, or of their thefts. Revelation 9:21.

'Murders' stands for evils which destroy forms of good, 'enchantments' for falsities from these which destroy truths, 'whoredoms' for falsified truths, 'thefts' for forms of good that have consequently been alienated.

[12] In John,

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me he will be saved, and will go in, and will go out, and will find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. John 10:1-2, 8-10.

'A thief' in this instance also stands for the evil of merit-seeking, for anyone who takes away from the Lord that which is His and claims it as his own is called 'a thief'. This evil closes the path so as to prevent the flow of good and truth from the Lord, for which reason it is referred to as 'killing and destroying'. Much the same is meant in the Ten Commandments, at Deuteronomy 5:19, by You shall not steal, 4174. From all this one may see what is meant in the spiritual sense by the laws laid down in the Jewish Church regarding thefts, such as those at Exodus 21:16; 22:1-4; Deuteronomy 24:7; for all laws in that Church had their origin in the spiritual world, and they therefore correspond to the laws of order which exist in heaven.

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