419. That the wind should not blow. - That this signifies lest the good should be hurt, and the evil rejected before the day, is evident from the signification of wind as denoting the proceeding Divine, which is the Divine Good united with the Divine Truth; therefore, that "the wind should not blow," signifies that it might flow in softly and gently. "That that wind should not blow upon the earth" signifies that the good should not be injured, and the evil rejected before the day, for the reason that separations of the good from the evil, and castings out of the evil, in the spiritual world, are effected by various degrees of modification and of intensity of the Divine which proceeds from the Lord as the Sun. When this flows in gently, then the good are separated from the evil; and when powerfully, the evil are rejected. The reason for this is that when the Divine from the Lord flows in gently, there is everywhere a state of calm and serenity, in which every one appears such as he is as to the state of his good, for then every one stands forth in the light; wherefore, those who are in good from a spiritual origin are then separated from those who are in good from a natural origin only; for the Lord looks upon those who are in spiritual good, leads them, and thus separates them. Those who are in good from a spiritual origin, are they of whom it is afterwards said, that they are sealed upon their foreheads, for they are spiritual, and angels of heaven; but those who are in good from a natural origin only, are not good, because they are not spiritual, for the good which they seem to have is evil, because it regards itself and the world as an end. They do good in an external form for their own glory, honour, and gain, and not for their neighbour's good; and, therefore, they do good only to gain the respect of men. The merely natural are those who are not sealed, and who are afterwards rejected. But when the Divine from the Lord flows in powerfully, then the goods which the evil have are dissipated, because in themselves they are not goods, but evils, and evils cannot sustain the influx of the Divine; therefore it comes to pass, that their exteriors are closed, and this being the case, their interiors are opened, in which there is nothing but evils and the falsities thence; and so they come into grief, anguish, and torment, and, on account of these, cast themselves down into the hells, where there are similar evils and falsities.

[2] When the influx of the Divine is intensified, which is the case when the evil are to be removed, then lower down in the spiritual world there arises a strong wind, like a storm or tempest; this wind is what is called in the Word the east wind, which we shall also speak of presently. Hence also the casting down of the evil is described in the Word by strong and impetuous winds, by storms and tempests. By the wind of Jehovah is signified the same as by the spirit of Jehovah, for the wind of respiration is meant, which is also called breath; therefore in the Hebrew tongue, and in many other languages, spirit and wind are expressed by the same word. This is the reason why the greater part of men have no other idea of spirit and of spirits, than as of wind, such as the wind of respiration; and so the opinion prevails in the learned world also that spirits and angels are like wind, possessing only the power of thought. This also is the reason why few suffer themselves to be convinced that spirits and angels are men, possessing a body, face, and organs of sensation, like men in this world. The reason why by wind and breath, when used in reference to man, is signified the life of truth, or a life according to the truths or precepts of the Lord, is that respiration, which is the function of the lungs, corresponds to that life, while the heart and its motion correspond to the life of good; for there are two lives, which make one in man, the life of truth, and the life of good. The life of truth is the life of his understanding, but the life of good is the life of his will; for truths reside in the understanding, because they constitute the understanding, but goods reside in the will, because they constitute the will. The same is signified in the Word by the soul and heart, when they are mentioned together.

[3] From these considerations it is evident that the wind and spirit of Jehovah mean the Divine Truth; and the four winds, the Divine Truth united with Divine Good. Since wind means the wind or breath of respiration, which signifies Divine Truth and spiritual life in those who receive it, therefore that wind is also called the breath of the nostrils of Jehovah, the breath of his mouth, and respiration, as is evident from the following passages.

In Ezekiel:

"I beheld, and sinews and flesh came up" upon the dry bones, "and the skin covered them above, but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit, Thus saith the Lord Jehovih; Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live" (37:8, 9).

It was shewn in the preceding article, that dry bones here denote those in whom there is no spiritual life, or in whom there is not any life by means of the Divine Truth. The inbreathing of it by the Lord, is signified by, "Prophesy unto the spirit, and say to the spirit, Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." It is evident that by the spirit here named is meant the spirit of respiration, for there were nerves, flesh, and skin, but as yet there was no respiration; therefore it is said, "Say unto the spirit, Breathe upon these." Hence it is evident that spirit or wind signifies spiritual life. That common respiration is not meant, is plain from the fact that it is said, that those dry bones were the house of Israel, that is, that it was destitute of spiritual life; and from its being afterwards said of them, "I will put my spirit in you, that ye may live, and I will place you in your own land" (Ezekiel 37:14); which signifies that they were to be regenerated in order that a church might be formed from them. Regeneration is effected by a life according to Divine Truth, from which there is spiritual life; and to be placed in their own land, signifies to become a church, the land of Canaan signifying the church.

[4] In Moses:

Jehovah "breathed into his nostrils the breath of lives, and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7).

Here also, in the sense of the letter, is meant the wind of respiration, since it is said he breathed into his nostrils; but that spiritual life is meant, which is the life of intelligence and wisdom by means of Divine Truth, is evident from its being said that He breathed the breath of lives, and that man thus became a living soul. The breath of lives and living soul denote spiritual life; for, without this soul man is called dead, although he lives so far as the body and the senses are concerned. It is therefore plain that soul, spirit, and wind, in the Word, mean spiritual life.

[5] In John:

Jesus said to the disciples, "Peace be unto you; as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit" (20:21, 22).

By the Lord's breathing and saying to them, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit," is signified the same as by Jehovah breathing into Adam's nostrils the breath of lives, which means spiritual life; for the Holy Spirit signifies Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, from which arises spiritual life. That they should teach this from the Lord, is signified by these words: "As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you." For the Lord when in the world was the Divine Truth itself, which He taught from His Divine Good which was in Him from conception. This Divine is what the Lord here and in other places calls the Father; and because, when He went out of the world, He united Divine Truth with Divine Good, in order that they might be one in Himself, and as the Divine Truth then proceeded from Him, He therefore said, "As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you." That the wind of respiration signifies spiritual life, and this from correspondence, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 3883-3896). All who are in the spiritual world also are known as to their quality from their respiration alone. Those who are in the life of the respiration of heaven, are amongst the angels; but those who are not in that respiration, cannot breathe if they come into heaven, and so they suffer pain as though from suffocation. Concerning this fact, see Arcana Coelestia 1119, 3887, 3889, 3892, 3893). It is in agreement with this correspondence that the term inspiration is used, that the prophets are said to be inspired, and the Word divinely inspired.

[6] From these observations the signification of these words of the Lord in John is evident:

"Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the spirit" (John 3:5, 7, 8).

To be born again means to be regenerated; and because man is regenerated by a life according to Divine Truth, and all Divine Truth by which he is regenerated proceeds from the Lord, and flows into man without his knowledge, it is therefore said, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth." Thus is described the life of the spirit of man, which he has by regeneration; wind denoting the Divine Truth, by which that life is acquired. Man during his abode in the world, does not at all know how this flows in from the Lord, for he then thinks from his natural man, and has a faint perception only of anything which flows from the spiritual man into the natural, therefore this is what is meant by "Thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth." The water of which man is born signifies truth from the Word, and the spirit a life according to it.

[7] That water signifies truth, may be seen above (n. 71).

In Lamentations:

"The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations" (4:20).

By the anointed of Jehovah is here meant the Lord as the Divine Truth, for the anointed of Jehovah signifies the same as king. That a king in the highest sense signifies the Lord as to Divine Truth, may be seen above (n. 31), and that the anointed of Jehovah signifies the same, see above (n. 375). Hence it is said, "the breath of our nostrils, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live;" for breath and wind of the nostrils, in the highest sense, signify the Divine Truth, as said above. That the Divine Truth perished by means of the falsities of evil, is signified by being taken in their pits, pits denoting the falsities of evil.

[8] Again, in Lamentations:

"Thou hast heard my voice," Jehovah "hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry" (3:56).

"To hide thine ear at my breathing, at my cry," signifies, in regard to worship, confession, and prayers, which are from truths and goods, for all worship, confession, and prayer must be from both truths and goods, in order to be heard. If from truths alone, they are not heard, because there is no life in them, for the life of truth is from good. Breathing is there spoken of truths, and cry, of goods. That cry is spoken of goods will be seen elsewhere.

[9] Again, in Moses:

"All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of lives, of all that was upon the dry land, died" (Genesis 7:22).

Every one can see that these words in the sense of the letter mean, that every thing upon the earth was destroyed by the flood, thus all men, except Noah and his sons; but what they signify in the spiritual sense, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 805, 806), where it is shewn that by the breath of the spirit of lives in the nostrils is meant spiritual life, such as the men of the Most Ancient Church had; for the flood signifies the end of that church and a last judgment, which took place at the time when everything of the church had become extinct.

So in David:

"They have ears, but they hear not; yea, there is no breath in their mouth" (Psalm 135:17).

No breath in their mouth, signifies that there was no truth in their thought, for mouth signifies thought.

[10] Again, in Jeremiah:

"And the wild asses breathed out the wind like whales; their eyes are consumed because there is no herb" (14:5, 6).

To breathe out the wind like whales, signifies, that no truth was granted them; and "because there is no herb," denotes that there was no truth in the church. Since the evil are cast down by a more vehement influx of Divine Truth and Good, proceeding from the Lord as the Sun, as stated above, therefore, also, the casting down of those who are in the falsities of evil is described by the breath of the nostrils of Jehovah; as in Isaiah:

"For Tophet is prepared of old; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of Jehovah like a stream of brimstone doth kindle them" (30:33).

In David:

"The channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at the rebuke of Jehovah, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils" (Psalm 18:15).

In Moses:

"And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were heaped up together. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them" (Exodus 15:8, 10).

And in Job:

"They that plough iniquity, by the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed" (Job 4:8, 9).

By the blast, breath, and breathing of the nostrils of Jehovah, is meant the proceeding Divine, by which the evil are dispersed and cast down, when it flows in strongly and with intensity. But this influx will be spoken of in what follows, where storms, tempests, and the east wind, are treated of.

[11] That the wind of the earth signifies the proceeding Divine, arises also from correspondence with the winds in the spiritual world. For winds also exist in the spiritual world, arising from the direction of the influx of the Divine, and they extend to the lower parts of the earth there. In the heavens rarely any but gentle winds are perceived; but they are frequently perceived with those who dwell below upon the lands (terroe), for they increase in proportion to descent. Their directions are from the quarters into which the Divine flows, especially from the north; and because the winds there have a spiritual origin, they therefore also signify spiritual things, in general the Divine Truth, from which they exist. Thus, in David:

Jehovah "layeth his chambers in the waters; he maketh the clouds his chariot; he walketh upon the wings of the wind; he maketh his angels winds; his ministers a flaming fire" (Psalm 104:3, 4).

By waters, clouds, and wings of the wind, is signified Divine Truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word; because this is in ultimates it is said, "He layeth his chambers in the waters; he maketh the clouds his chariot; he walketh upon the wings of the wind;" waters denoting truth in ultimates, and similarly clouds and wings of the wind; chariot signifies truth of doctrine. "He maketh his angels winds, his ministers a flaming fire," signifies that He makes them recipients of Divine Truth and Divine Good. By angels are meant those who are in the spiritual kingdom of the Lord, and because they are recipients of Divine Truth, it is said, He maketh them winds. By ministers are meant those who are in the celestial kingdom of the Lord, and because they are recipients of the Divine Good, it is said, He maketh them a flaming fire, a flaming fire denoting the good of love and thence truth. That those who are in the spiritual kingdom of the Lord are recipients of the Divine truth, and those who are in the celestial kingdom recipients of the Divine Good, may be seen in the Heaven and Hell 20-28). That angels are called angels from the reception of Divine Truth, may be seen above (n. 130:2, 412:7), and that ministers are called ministers from the reception of Divine Good, may also be seen above (n. 155); and that fire signifies the good of love (n. 68).

[12] Again, in David:

Jehovah "Bowed the heavens, and came down; and thick darkness was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, he was borne upon the wings of the wind" (Psalm 18:9, 10).

By Jehovah bowing to the heavens and coming down, is signified the visitation, which precedes a last judgment; by the thick darkness under His feet, are signified falsities of evil in the lower parts; by His riding upon a cherub, His flying, and being carried upon the wings of the wind is signified Omnipresence with the Divine, and the wings of the wind denote Divine Truth in ultimates, as above.

[13] Again, in Jeremiah:

"He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his understanding. When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the end of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries" (10:12, 13; 51:15, 16).

And again, in David:

"He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries" (Psalm 135:7).

These things in the spiritual sense, describe the reformation of man, and the establishment of the church. From this reformation and this establishment the Lord is called the Maker of the earth, and elsewhere the Former and Creator; earth denoting the church. The Divine Good by means of which reformation is effected, is signified by His establishing the world by His wisdom; world denotes the church, and has reference to good. The Divine Truth by means of which this is also effected, is signified by, the voice which he uttereth, a multitude of waters in the heavens. The voice which he uttereth, signifies the influx of the Divine Truth; the multitude of waters in the heavens, signifies reception, waters denoting truths. Ultimate truths, which are knowledges from the sense of the letter of the Word, are signified by vapours from the end of the earth; spiritual things thence are signified by lightnings for the rain, lightnings having reference to the light of heaven, and rain to influx; reformation thence by means of Divine Truth from the Lord, is signified by, "He bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries." All these things are in this way understood in the heavens.

[14] Again, in David:

"He casteth forth his hail like morsels: who can stand before his cold? He sendeth out his Word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow. He declareth his Word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel" (Psalm 147:17-19).

By these words also, reformation is described, but in regard to the natural man; the scientifics therein, and the knowledges which a man possesses before reformation are signified by, "Hail like morsels; who can stand before his cold?" For man previous to reformation is altogether cold, and that cold is also distinctly felt when the Divine flows in out of heaven; and because such cold is dissipated when the Divine Good and the Divine Truth are received, that is when reformation takes place, it is therefore said, "He sendeth out his Word, and melteth them; he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow." By the Word is signified the Divine Good united with the Divine Truth; by the wind is signified Divine Truth, and by the waters flowing, the reception of truth; and because this is the signification of the above words, it is therefore added, "He declareth his Word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel." Jacob and Israel signify the church, the former, the church which is in good, the latter, the church which is in truths. Statutes and judgments denote external and internal truths from good.

[15] So again:

"Praise Jehovah; fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his Word" (Psalm 148:7, 8).

It is evident that fire and hail, snow and vapour, and wind signify things different from these; for what purpose could be served in the Divine Word by saying that they should praise Jehovah? But by fire and hail, snow and vapours, are signified the delights of the loves of the natural man, and his scientifics and knowledges; for these, before man is reformed and made spiritual, are fire, and hail, and snow and vapour; and the sphere of their life, when it flows forth from them causes similar things to appear in the spiritual world. To worship the Lord from those things, is signified by their praising Jehovah, for to praise is to worship. But by the stormy wind is signified the Divine Truth as to reception; wherefore it is also said, stormy wind fulfilling his Word. To fulfil His Word signifies to receive in the life the things pertaining to doctrine.

[16] Because everything in the Word has also an opposite sense, so also has wind, and in that sense it signifies falsity, as in the following passages.

In Isaiah:

"Behold they are all iniquity, their works are naught; their molten images are wind and emptiness" (41:29).

Wind and emptiness denote the falsities of evil, and the evils of falsity; wind denotes the falsities of evil, and emptiness, the evils of falsity; for where there is emptiness and vacuity, or, in other words, where there is neither good nor truth, there are evil and falsity. That falsities are there signified by wind is plain, from the fact that it is said, "They are all iniquity, their works are naught"; and also because it is said, "their molten images are wind and emptiness"; for molten images signify the things which man brings forth from his own intelligence, all of which are evils and falsities.

In Jeremiah:

"The prophets shall become wind, and the Word is not in them" (5:13).

Prophets signify those who teach truths, and in the abstract, truths of doctrine, but in this case falsities of doctrine which are signified by wind; therefore it is also said, "the Word is not in them," the Word signifying the Divine Truth.

[17] Again:

"I will scatter them as the stubble that passeth away unto the wind of the desert" (13:24).

The wind of the desert signifies where there is no truth, consequently, where there is only falsity; for desert in the Word signifies where there is no good, because there is no truth.

Again in the same prophet:

"The wind shall feed all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity" (22:22).

Shepherds in the Word signify those who teach the good of life and lead to it, this being accomplished by means of truths, but in this case, by shepherds are meant those who do not teach the good of life, still less lead to it, because they are in falsities; this is meant by, "the wind shall feed all thy shepherds," wind denoting the falsity which they seize upon and love. The lovers who shall go into captivity signify the delights of the love of self and the love of the world, and therefore the delights of the evil; lovers denote those delights, and captivity denotes detention in the hells.

[18] Again in Hosea:

"Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind; he daily multiplieth lies and desolation; and they make a covenant with the Assyrian, and oil is carried into Egypt" (12:1).

Ephraim signifies the Intellectual of the church; the Assyrian, reasoning; and Egypt, the Scientific; therefore by, "Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind," is signified that those in the church who are intelligent take up with falsities by means of which truths are completely driven out, for wind denotes what is false, and the east wind falsity withering and dissipating truths. Because of this signification of wind and the east wind, it is also said, "he daily multiplieth lies and desolation," a lie denoting falsity, and desolation the dissipation of truth. By their making a covenant with the Assyrian, and by oil being carried into Egypt, is signified, that by reasoning from scientifics falsely applied, they pervert the truths and goods of the church. To make a covenant with the Assyrian, signifies to reason from falsities and to destroy truths, and to carry oil into Egypt, signifies to destroy the good of the church by means of scientifics. For he who is in principles of falsity applies to them the scientifics which he has received from childhood, for his understanding sees nothing else, since the understanding is formed from either truths or falsities; if from truths, then a man sees truths, if from falsities, then he sees falsities, and these he sees in the natural man, in whose memory scientifics reside, from which he selects such as favour his ideas, and those which do not favour them are either perverted or rejected.

[19] Again, in the same prophet:

"Ephraim is joined to idols. Their wine is gone; they have committed whoredom continually; they have loved; they have added shame to her shield. The wind hath bound her up in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices" (Hosea 4:17-19).

Ephraim signifies the church in regard to the understanding of truth; but in the present case, the understanding of that which is not true but false, falsities of the church being meant by idols; the signification of "Ephraim is joined to idols," is therefore evident. By the wind in its wings is signified reasoning from fallacies, from which falsities arise. The signification of the rest is explained above (n. 283:16 and 376:38). The same is signified in Zechariah by the wind in the wings (5:9).

So in Jeremiah:

"And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil; and I will scatter them unto every wind, the cut off of the corner" (49:32).

By dispersing them into every wind is signified into every kind of falsity and evil, truths and goods having been dissipated. The rest of the prophecy is explained above (n. 417:7).

[20] Again, in Ezekiel:

"And a third part thou shalt scatter to the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them" (5:2, 12).

This is said concerning the hair of the head and of the beard, which the prophet was commanded to shave with a razor; and hair signifies the ultimate of truth in the church, for the entire heaven and the entire church in the sight of the Lord are as one man, and therefore all things of heaven and the church correspond to all things of man, both those without and those within him. See Heaven and Hell 87-102). The hair of the head and the hair of the beard being the ultimates of man, correspond to the ultimates of truth and good. The ultimates of truth and good are of such a quality as the ultimate truths of the sense of the letter of the Word. That these ultimates were perverted, falsified, and adulterated by the Jews, is signified by what is stated here concerning the hair of the head and of the beard of the prophet. A third part of the hair being scattered into every wind signifies the dissipation of all truth; when this is the case mere falsities are seized upon, and it is therefore said, "I will draw out a sword after them," a sword signifying the destruction of truth by falsity. See above (n. 131). Without the knowledge of this signification of the hair, who could understand what is involved in the command given to the prophet, that he should shave off the hair of his head and of his beard, burn a third part of it with fire in the midst of the city, take a third part and smite about it with a sword, and scatter a third part into every wind, and draw out a sword after them?

[21] That the falsification of truth by the Jews is signified by these things is very evident from what follows in the same chapter, where, among other things, it is said, "This is Jerusalem. And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her" (Ezekiel 5:5, 6).

In the same:

"And I will scatter to every wind all his hands; and I will draw out the sword after them" (Ezekiel 12:14).

These words have a similar meaning.

In Matthew:

"And the rain descended, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock" (Matthew 7:25).

Here, by the rain descending, and the winds blowing, are signified temptations, and consequently also falsities rushing in; for as spiritual temptations are nothing else but infestations of the mind by falsities and evils, therefore winds also here signify falsities. The rest is explained above (n. 411).

[22] It has been before stated, that in the spiritual world, just as in the natural world, strong winds and storms exist; but the storms in the spiritual world exist from the influx of the Divine into the lower parts where those are who are in evils and falsities. That influx, as it descends out of the heavens towards the lands (terroe), which are below, becomes denser and has the appearance of clouds which with the evil are dense and opaque, according to the degree and quality of their evil. These clouds are appearances of falsity from evil, and arise from the spheres of their life, for every angel and every spirit is encompassed by the sphere of his life. When the Divine goes forth powerfully from the Lord as the Sun, and flows into these dense and opaque clouds, a storm arises which is seen by the spirits there just as storms are seen by men on the earth. I was sometimes permitted to have experience of these storms, and also of the east wind, by which the evil were dispersed and cast into the hells, at the time when the Last Judgment was taking place. It is clear from these considerations what storms, tempests, and impetuous winds signify in the following passages.

In Isaiah:

"Thou shalt scatter them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall disperse them" (Isaiah 41:16).

And in Jeremiah:

"Behold, the tempest of Jehovah, his fury has gone forth, even a grievous whirlwind; it shall burst upon the head of the wicked" (Jeremiah 23:19; 30:23).

And in David:

"I will hasten my escape from the stormy wind and tempest" (Psalm 55:8).

Again:

"O my God, pursue them with thy tempest, and terrify them with thy storm" (Psalm 83:13, 15).

And in Ezekiel:

"I will make the storm-winds to burst through in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower, in mine anger, for a consummation" (Ezekiel 13:13).

And in Jeremiah:

"Evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be raised up from the sides of the earth" (Jeremiah 25:32).

Again in Isaiah:

"Thou shalt be visited by Jehovah of hosts with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire" (Isaiah 29:6).

And in Amos:

"I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rahab, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with a tempest in the day of the storm" (Amos 1:14).

And in Zechariah:

"The Lord Jehovih shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with the tempests of the south" (Zechariah 9:14).

In Nahum:

"Jehovah hath his way in the tempest and in the storm" (Nahum 1:3).

In David:

"Upon the wicked, the wind of the tempests, the portion of the cup of the wicked" (Psalm 11:6).

Again:

"God shall come and shall not keep silence; and it shall be very tempestuous round about him" (Psalm 50:3).

And in Hosea:

"They sow the wind, and they shall reap the tempest" (Hosea 8:7).

In these passages storms and tempests signify the dispersion of falsities and evils, because those who are in falsities of evil are cast down into hell by a stormy wind.

[23] In David:

"They who go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, and lifteth up the waves thereof. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still" (Psalm 107:23, 25, 29).

These things refer to temptations and liberation from them; the stormy wind, and the lifting up of the waves of the sea signify temptations, because spiritual temptations are caused by falsities rushing into the thoughts, from which arise pains of conscience and grief of mind and soul, and these are signified by "He raiseth the stormy wind and lifteth up the waves thereof." Liberation from them is signified by, "He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still."

[24] The same is signified by these words in Mark:

"And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow; and they awoke him, and say unto him, Carest thou not that we perish? And he awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm" (Mark 4:37-39).

Also in Luke:

"As they sailed he fell asleep; and there came down a storm of wind on the lake, and they were filled with water and were in jeopardy. And they came to him and awoke him, saying Master, Master, we perish. Then he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water; and they ceased, and there was a calm" (Luke 8:23, 24).

This, like all the miracles of the Lord, contains arcana of heaven, and interior things of the church. Divine miracles differ from those that are not divine in this, that Divine miracles also signify Divine things, because the Divine is in them, but miracles not divine have no signification, because there is nothing of the Divine in them. And, moreover, in the description of the Divine miracles in the Word, and in every detail of it, there is a spiritual sense. The above miracle refers to spiritual temptations. The great storm of wind that caused the waves to beat into the ship, so that it was full, signifies those temptations; and deliverance from these is signified by Jesus awakening when they were in great fear, rebuking the wind, and saying to the sea, "Peace, be still;" and by the ceasing of the wind, and the great calm. Every word contains a spiritual sense. We shall not here however explain it in detail, but merely say that a whirlwind and a tempest signify temptations, which are irruptions of falsities, or inundations of the mind by falsities. This is also evident from the fact that the wind and the waves were rebuked, and from the Lord's words to the sea, "Peace, be still," as being said to those things, or to those who induce temptations.

[25] Moreover the winds in the spiritual world, appear to arise from different quarters, some from the south, some from the north, and some from the east. Those which come from the south disperse truths with those who are in falsities, and those which come from the east disperse goods with those who are in evils. The reason why winds disperse these, is, that winds exist from a strong and powerful influx of the Divine through the heavens into the lower parts, [of the world of spirits], and where the influx reaches, it fills truths and goods, that is the minds and souls of those who are in truths and goods, with the Divine. Therefore those whose minds and souls are merely falsities and evils as to the interiors, and truths mingled with falsities, and goods with evils as to the exteriors, cannot sustain such influx from the Divine, and consequently they betake themselves to their own falsities and evils which they actually love, and reject the truths and goods which they love merely for the sake of themselves and of appearances.

[26] The effect produced by the wind coming from the east, called the east wind, is evident from what we have stated, for it disperses all the goods and truths of which the evil had made an external display before the world, and talked about for the sake of appearance, therefore withering and drying up are ascribed to this wind. "Withered" signifies a state in which there is no good, and "dried up" a state in which there is no truth. This is evident from those passages of the Word, where this wind is mentioned.

Thus, in Ezekiel:

Behold the planted vine. "Shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it?" (Ezekiel 17:10).

Again, in the same:

The vine "was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit; the rods of her strength were broken and withered" (Ezekiel 19:12).

And in Hosea:

Ephraim, "fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come, the wind of Jehovah shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up; it shall spoil the treasure of every vessel of desire" (Hosea 13:15).

And in Jonah:

"And it came to pass when the sun arose, that God prepared a withering east wind" (Jonah 4:8).

[27] That the east wind also destroys everything where the evil are, their lands (terroe), their dwellings, and their treasures, may be seen in the small work on The Last Judgment 61). The reason why this destruction takes place is that lands, dwellings, and treasures, in the spiritual world, are correspondences, therefore, when these perish, the things which correspond perish also, and consequently when the land where the evil dwell in that world is destroyed, the face of a new land appears for the good. Because the east wind in the spiritual world has such power, therefore, on account of its correspondence an east wind arose which divided the Sea Suph (Red Sea) (Exodus 14:21); which brought the locust (Exodus 10:13). It is called a rough wind (Isaiah 27:8) breaking the ships of Tarshish (Psalm 48:7); breaking in the heart of the seas (Ezekiel 27:26); and scattering enemies (Jeremiah 18:17).

405. And every mountain and island were moved out of their places. That this signifies that all the good of love and the truth of faith perished, is plain from the signification of a mountain, as denoting the good of love to the Lord, concerning which we shall treat presently; from the signification of island, as denoting the truth of faith, which will be explained in the next article; and from the signification of, to be moved out of their places, as denoting to be taken away and to perish, since the good of love and the truth of faith are meant, for when these are moved out of their places, then evils and falsities succeed, and by the evils and falsities the goods and truths perish. The reason why a mountain signifies the good of love, is that in heaven those dwell upon mountains who are in the good of love to the Lord, and upon hills those who are in charity towards the neighbour, or what is the same, those who are of the Lord's celestial kingdom dwell upon mountains, and those who are of His spiritual kingdom, upon hills; and the celestial kingdom is distinguished from the spiritual kingdom in this [particular], that those who belong to the celestial kingdom are in love to the Lord, and those who belong to the spiritual kingdom in charity towards the neighbour (but concerning the latter and the former, see the work concerning Heaven and Hell 20-28). These are the reasons why by a mountain is signified the good of love to the Lord.

[2] That the good of love to the Lord is meant abstractedly by a mountain, is, because all things in the internal sense of the Word are spiritual, and spiritual things are meant apart from persons and places; therefore also the angels, because they are spiritual, think and speak in the abstract in regard to such things, and thereby they have intelligence and wisdom; for an idea of persons and places limits the thought, because it confines it to those things, and thus limits it. This idea of the thought is properly natural, whereas an idea apart from persons and places extends itself into heaven in every direction, and is no otherwise bounded than the sight of the eye while it views the sky without intervening objects; such an idea is properly spiritual. Hence it is that by a mountain, in the spiritual sense of the Word, is signified the good of love. It is the same with the signification of the earth, as denoting the church; for an idea apart from places, and from nations and people upon the earth, is that of the church there or with those [who live there]; this, therefore, is signified by the earth in the Word. It is the same with other things mentioned in the natural sense of the Word, as with hills, rocks, valleys, rivers, seas, cities, houses, gardens, woods, and other things.

[3] That a mountain signifies love to the Lord, and hence all the good that is from it, which is called celestial good; and that in the opposite sense, it signifies the love of self, and hence all the evil that is from that, is plain from the following passages in the Word. In Amos:

"Dispose thyself towards thy God, O Israel. For, lo, he is former of the mountains, and the creator of the spirit, and declareth unto man what is his thought" (4:12, 13).

God is here called the former of the mountains, because mountains signify the goods of love; and the creator of the spirit, because spirit signifies the life therefrom; and because He thereby gives intelligence to man, it is added, and declareth to man what is his thought; for the intelligence of man is from his thought, which flows in from the Lord by the good of love into his life, therefore to declare here denotes to flow in.

[4] In David:

God "who setteth fast the mountains by his strength; he is girded with power" (Psalms 65:6).

By mountains here also are signified the goods of love; these the Lord establishes in heaven and in the church by means of His Divine truth, which has all power, therefore it is said, "He setteth fast the mountains by his strength; he is girded with power." In the Word, by the strength of God is signified Divine truth; and by power, when said of the Lord, all power or omnipotence. (That all power is in the Divine truth which proceeds from the Lord, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 228-233, and above, n. 209, 333; and that power when predicated of the Lord denotes omnipotence, see above, n. 338.)

[5] In the same:

"I lift up mine eyes to the mountains, whence cometh help" (Psalms 121:1).

By mountains are here meant the heavens; and because in the heavens those who are in the goods of love and charity dwell upon mountains and hills, as said above, and the Lord is in these goods, therefore to lift up the eyes to the mountains is also meant to the Lord, from whom is all aid. When mountains are mentioned in the plural number, both mountains and hills are meant, consequently, both the good of love to the Lord, and the good of charity towards the neighbour.

[6] In Isaiah:

"There shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every lofty hill, streams, courses of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall" (30:25).

The Last Judgment, here treated of, is meant by the day of great slaughter, when the towers shall fall. The great slaughter denotes the destruction of the evil; the towers which shall fall, denote the falsities of doctrine that are from the love of self and the world. That such things are signified by towers, is from appearances in the spiritual world, for those who seek to rule by such things as pertain to the church, build for themselves towers in high places (concerning which see the small work concerning the Last Judgment 56, 58). That then those who are in love to the Lord, and in charity towards the neighbour, are raised into heaven, and gifted with intelligence and wisdom, is meant by,

"There shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every lofty hill, streams, courses of waters." The high mountain signifies where those are who are in love to the Lord, and the lofty hill, where those are who are in charity towards the neighbour; streams signify wisdom, and courses of waters intelligence; for waters denote truths from which are intelligence and wisdom.

[7] In Joel:

"It shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streams of Judah shall flow with waters" (3:18).

The Lord's advent is here treated of, and the new heaven and the new earth then [to be formed]. And by, the mountains shall drop down new wine, is meant all truth from the good of love to the Lord; by, the hills shall flow with milk, is understood spiritual life from the good of charity towards the neighbour; and by, all the streams of Judah shall flow with waters, is meant truths from the particulars of the Word by which there is intelligence (but these things may be seen more fully explained above, n. 376).

[8] In Nahum:

"Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, [that publisheth] peace" (1:15).

In Isaiah:

"How delightful [upon the mountains] are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that saith unto Zion, Thy King reigneth" (52:7).

In the same:

"O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength" (40:9).

These things are said concerning the Lord's advent, and the salvation then of those who are in the good of love to Him, and thence in truths of doctrine from the Word; and because the salvation of those is treated of, therefore it is said, "Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that publisheth peace," and, "O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain." By publishing peace, is signified to preach the Lord's advent; for by peace, in the highest sense, is signified the Lord, and in the internal sense, all good and truth from the Lord (as may be seen above, n. 365); and by Zion, that bringeth good tidings, is meant the church which is in the good of love to the Lord; and by Jerusalem, that bringeth good tidings, the church which is thence in truths of doctrine from the Word.

[9] In Isaiah:

"I will set all my mountains into a way, and my highways shall be exalted. Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for Jehovah hath comforted his people" (49:11, 13).

By mountains in the plural number, are meant both mountains and hills, thus both the good of love and the good of charity. That the mountains and hills shall be set into a way, and the highways shall be exalted, signifies that those who are in those goods, shall be in genuine truths; to be set into a way signifying to be in truths, and the highways being exalted, signifies to be in genuine truths. For ways and highways signify truths that are said to be exalted from good, and truths that are from good are genuine truths. Their joy of heart thence is signified by, "Sing, O heavens, be joyful, O earth"; internal joy [being signified] by, sing, O heavens, and external joy by, be joyful, O earth. Confessions from joy originating in the good of love, are signified by, "break forth into singing, O mountains"; that this is on account of reformation and regeneration, is signified by, "for Jehovah hath comforted his people." That mountains in the world are not here meant, is evident; for to what purpose would it be for the mountains to be set into a way, for the highways to be exalted, and also for the mountains to break forth into singing?

[10] In the same:

"Sing, O ye heavens; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, ye mountains, ye forest, and every tree therein; for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and hath shown himself full of glory in Israel" (44:23).

By, "Sing, O ye heavens, shout, ye lower parts of the earth, break forth into singing, ye mountains," are signified the same things as just above; but here by mountains are signified the goods of charity; therefore it is also said, ye forest, and every tree therein, for by a forest is meant the external or natural man as to all things thereof, and by every tree is meant the knowing and scientific part there. The reformation of those is signified by, "Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and hath shown himself full of glory in Israel." By Jacob and Israel is meant the church external and internal; thus the external and internal with those in whom the church is.

[11] In the same:

The mountains and hills shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field clap their hands" (55:12).

In David:

"Praise Jehovah, ye mountains and hills; ye tree of fruit, and all cedars" (Psalms 148:7, 9).

In these words is described joy of heart from the good of love and charity; and mountains, hills, trees, cedars, are said to break forth into singing, to clap their hands and to praise, because thereby are signified the goods and truths that are the cause of joys to man; for man does not rejoice from himself, but from the goods and truths that he has; these things rejoice because they make the rejoicing of man.

[12] In Isaiah:

"The wilderness and the cities thereof shall lift up their voice, and the villages that Arabia doth inhabit; the inhabitants of the rock shall sing, they shall shout from the top of the mountains" (42:11).

By the wilderness is signified an obscure [state] of truth; by the cities thereof are signified doctrinals; by the villages, natural knowledges and scientifics. By Arabia is signified the natural man, for an Arabian in the wilderness denotes the natural man. By the inhabitants of the rock are signified the goods of faith, or those who are in the goods of faith. By the top of the mountains is signified the good of love to the Lord. Hence it is clear that the particulars signify in order, confession and joyful worship, from the good of love in such things as are mentioned; to shout from the top of the mountains, denotes to worship from the good of love.

[13] In David:

"The mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan. Why leap ye, ye mountains, ye hills of the mountain? God desireth to dwell in it; yea, Jehovah will dwell in it for ever" (Psalms 68:15, 16).

By the mountain of Bashan is signified voluntary good, such as exists with those who are in the externals of the church; for Bashan was a region beyond Jordan, which was given for an inheritance to the half tribe of Manasseh, as may be seen in Joshua (13:29-32); and by Manasseh is signified the voluntary good of the external or natural man. This voluntary good is the same as the good of love in the external man, for all good of love pertains to the will, and all the truth thence to the understanding. Therefore by Ephraim, his brother, is signified the intellectual truth of that good. Because the mountain of Bashan signifies that good, therefore by the hills of that mountain are signified goods in act. Because the will acts - for all the active part of the mind and body is from the will, as all the active part of the thought and speech is from the understanding - therefore the joy arising from the good of love is described and meant by leaping and skipping; hence it is clear what is signified by, "The mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan; why leap ye, ye mountains, ye hills of the mountain?" Because the Lord dwells in man in his voluntary good, whence [proceed] goods in act, therefore it is said, God desireth to dwell in it; yea, Jehovah will dwell in it for ever.

[14] In the same:

"Judah became the sanctuary of Jehovah, [and Israel his property]. The sea saw it and fled: Jordan turned back. The mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the sons of the flock. What possessedst thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou turnedst back? ye mountains, that ye leaped like rams; and ye hills, like the sons of the flock? Thou bringest forth, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; who turned the rock into a pool of waters, the flint into a fountain of waters" (Psalms 114:1 to the end).

The departure of the sons of Israel out of Egypt is thus described; nevertheless, without explanation by the internal sense, no one can know the signification of the mountains then leaping like rams, and the hills like the sons of the flock, also the meaning of the sea saw it and fled, and Jordan turned back; therefore it shall be explained. The establishment of the church, or the regeneration of the men of the church, is meant in the internal sense, for the church to be established is signified by the sons of Israel; the establishment, by their departure; the shaking off of evils is signified by the passage through the Red Sea, concerning which it is said that it fled; and introduction into the church is signified by the passing over Jordan, concerning which it is said that it turned back. But for the particulars: That Judah became a sanctuary, and Israel a property, signifies that the good of love to the Lord is the very holiness of heaven and the church, and that truth from that good is the means of government. For by Judah is signified celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord; by the sanctuary, the very holiness of heaven and the church; by Israel, spiritual good, which is truth from that good by means of which there is government; for all government pertains to the Lord by means of Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good. By, "The sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back," is signified that the evils and falsities which were in the natural man, having been shaken off, scientific truths and the knowledges of truth and good succeeded. "The mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the sons of the flock," signifies that celestial good, which is the good of love, and spiritual good, which is the truth from that good, from joy do goods, or produce an effect. Mountains signify the good of love; hills, the goods of charity, which in their essence are truths from that good; to leap, because said of these, signifies from joy to do goods. It is said like rams, and like the sons of the flock, because rams signify the goods of charity, and sons of the flock the truths thence. The establishment of the church thereby, or the regeneration of the men of the church, is signified by, "Thou bringest forth, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; who turned the rock into a pool of waters, and the flint into a fountain of waters." The earth denotes the church, and it is said to bring forth, when it is established, or the man of the church is born anew; it is said, at the presence of the Lord, and at the presence of the God of Jacob, because where the good of love is treated of in the Word, the Lord is called the Lord; and when goods in act [are treated of, He is called] the God of Jacob. Regeneration by truths from goods is signified by, "He turned the rock into a pool of waters, and the flint into a fountain of waters." By a pool of waters are signified knowledges of truth, and by a fountain of waters is signified the Word from which these are; and by the rock, the natural man as to truth before reformation, and by the flint, the natural man as to good before reformation.

[15] In the same:

"Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt; thou hast cast out the nations, and planted it. The mountains were covered by its shadow, and the cedars of God by its branches" (Psalms 80:8, 10).

By the vine out of Egypt is signified the spiritual church, which commences with man by scientifics and knowledges in the natural man; the vine denotes the spiritual church, and Egypt denotes the Scientific which is in the natural man. By, "Thou hast cast out the nations, and planted it," is signified that after evils were cast out, the church is established; the nations denoting evils, and to plant a vine denoting to establish that church. By, "The mountains were covered by its shadow, and the cedars of God by its branches," is signified that the whole [church is] from spiritual goods and truths; the mountains denoting spiritual goods, and the cedars of God denoting spiritual truths. That the bringing forth of the sons of Israel out of Egypt, and their introduction into the land of Canaan, whence the nations were expelled, are meant by these words, is evident; but still by the same words, in the internal sense, are meant such things as have been explained; nor was anything else represented and signified by the introduction of the sons of Israel into the land of Canaan, and by the expulsion of the nations thence; for all the historical parts of the Word, as well as its prophetical parts, involve spiritual things.

[16] In Isaiah:

"On all mountains that shall be weeded with the hoe, the fear of the briar and thorn shall not come thither; but there shall be the sending forth of the ox, and the treading of the sheep" (7:25).

By the mountains which shall be weeded with the hoe, are meant those who do goods from the love of good. What is signified by the rest may be seen above (n. 104), where they are explained. In the same:

"I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains, that mine elect may possess it and my servants dwell there" (65:9).

By Jacob and Judah is signified the church; by Jacob, the external church, which is in the knowledges of good and truth; and by Judah, the church which is in the good of love to the Lord; therefore, by a seed out of Jacob are signified the knowledges of good and truth, and hence those who are in them; and by the mountains, whose inheritor shall [be] out of Judah, is signified the good of love to the Lord, and thence those who are in it. By the elect who shall possess the mountain, are signified those who are in good, and by the servants, those who are in truths from good.

[17] In Jeremiah:

"I will bring" the sons of Israel again "upon their land. Behold, I send to many fishers, who shall fish them; and I shall send to many hunters, who shall hunt them upon every mountain, and upon every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks" (16:15, 16).

The establishment of a new church is here treated of, which was represented and signified by the bringing back of the Jews from captivity out of the land of Babylon into the land of Canaan. He who does not know what is signified by fishing and hunting, by a mountain, a hill, and by the holes of the rocks, can gather nothing from these words, but what is not even understood. That a church is to be established of those who are in natural good and in spiritual good, is meant by, "I will send fishers, who shall fish them; and hunters, who shall hunt them." To gather together those who are in natural good, is meant by sending fishers who shall fish them; and to gather together those who are in spiritual good, is meant by hunters who shall hunt them; because such are meant it is also said, upon every mountain, and upon every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. By those who are upon the mountain are meant those who are in the good of love; by those who are upon the hill, those who are in the good of charity; and by those who are out of the holes of the rocks, those who are in the obscure things of truth.

[18] In Ezekiel:

"Ye mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branch, and yield your fruit to my people Israel, when they draw near to come" (36:8).

By the mountains of Israel are signified the goods of charity; that the truths of faith and the goods of life are thence, is signified by, "ye shall shoot forth your branch, and yield your fruit"; branch denoting the truth of faith, and fruit denoting the good of life.

[19] In Amos:

"Behold, the days come, that the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that scattereth [the seed]; and the mountains shall drop new wine, and all the hills shall flow. And I will bring back the captivity of my people" (9:13, 14).

What is signified by these words, may be seen above (n. 376), where they are explained. The mountains are said to drop new wine, and the hills to flow, because by mountains is signified the good of love to the Lord, and by hills the good of charity towards the neighbour, and by new wine truths; and hence by these words, that from both those goods they shall have truths in abundance, for by the bringing back of the people from captivity, concerning which those things are said, is signified the establishment of a new church.

[20] In David:

Jehovah, "thy justice is as the mountains of God; thy judgments as a great abyss" (Psalms 36:6).

Because justice, in the Word, is said of good, and judgment of truth, it is therefore said that the justice of Jehovah is like the mountains of God, and His judgments like a great abyss; for the mountains of God signify the good of charity, and the abyss signifies truths in general, which are called truths of faith. That justice is said of good, and judgment of truth, may be seen, n. 2235, 9857.

[21] In the same:

Jehovah "founded the earth upon its bases; thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stand above the mountains. At thy rebuke they flee; at the voice of thy thunder they haste away. The mountains ascend, the valleys descend, unto the place which thou hast founded for them. Thou hast set a boundary, they go not beyond [it]; they return not again to cover the earth. Who sendeth forth springs into the rivers, they run between the mountains. Who watereth the mountains from his chambers; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works" (Psalms 104:5-13).

By these words, understood in the spiritual sense, the process of regeneration is described, or the formation of the church with man. And by, "He founded the earth upon its bases," is signified the church with man, with its boundaries, and closings. By, "Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment," is signified that they are encompassed with scientifics in the natural man, as to its interiors, where the spiritual things of the church reside; the deep signifies scientifics in general, and garment signifies scientific truths, which are encircling and clothing. By, "the waters stand above the mountains," are signified falsities upon the delights of the natural loves, which delights are in themselves evils; the mountains denote the evils of those loves, and waters denote the falsities thence. That, at "Thy rebuke they flee, at the voice of thy thunder they haste away," signifies that falsities are dissipated by truths, and evils by goods from heaven. By, "the mountains ascend, and the valleys descend, unto the place which thou hast founded for them," is signified that in the place of natural loves, and of the evils therefrom, there are inserted heavenly loves, and the goods therefrom, and in the place of falsities general truths are admitted. By, "Thou hast set a boundary, they go not beyond [it]; they return not again to cover the earth," is signified that falsities and evils are kept without, separated from truths and goods, and enclosed lest they flow in again and destroy. By, He "sendeth forth springs into the rivers, they run between the mountains," is signified that the Lord, from the truths of the Word, gives intelligence, all things of which are from the good of celestial love; by springs are signified the truths of the Word; by springs sent into rivers, is signified intelligence thence; and by, "they run between the mountains," is signified that [they are] from the goods of celestial love, mountains denoting those goods. By, "Who watereth the mountains from his chambers," is signified that all goods are by means of truths from heaven, to water being said of truths, because waters denote truths; mountains denoting the goods of love, and chambers denoting the heavens, whence they [are]. By, "the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works," is signified that from the Divine operation the church continually increases with man; the fruit of works, when said of the Lord, denotes the Divine operation, and the earth denotes the church with man, the formation of which is here treated of, and it is said to be satisfied by continual increase. These are the arcana which are hid in these words. But who can see them, unless he knows them from the internal sense, and unless he is in knowledges, in this case, unless he has knowledge concerning the internal and external man, and concerning the goods and truths that constitute the church in them?

[22] In Zechariah:

"I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, when, behold, four chariots going forth between the mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass" (6:1).

The new church to be established among the Gentiles is treated of in this chapter, for the new temple is treated of, by which a new church is signified. By the chariots going forth between the mountains, is signified the doctrine, which was to be formed from good by means of truths; chariots signifying doctrinals, mountains the goods of love, between the mountains signifying truths from goods; for the valleys between mountains signify lower truths, which are the truths of the natural man. In order that it may be known that by mountains are signified the goods of the natural man, it is therefore said, "and the mountains were mountains of brass," brass signifying the good of the natural man.

[23] In Zechariah:

"Jehovah shall go forth and fight against the nations; his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, before the faces of Jerusalem from the east, and the mount of Olives shall be cloven asunder, part thereof toward the east and toward the sea, [and there shall be a very] great valley; and a part of the mountain shall withdraw toward the north, and a part of it toward the south. Then shall ye flee through the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach towards Azal" (14:3-5).

These things are said concerning the Last Judgment, which was accomplished by the Lord when He was in the world. For the Lord, when He was in the world, reduced all things to order in the heavens and in the hells, therefore He then brought about a judgment upon the evil and the good. This judgment is what is meant in the Word of the Old Testament, by the day of indignation, of anger, of wrath, of the vengeance of Jehovah, and by the year of retributions (concerning this judgment, see the tractate upon the Last Judgment 46). That the Lord's advent and the judgment which then took place, are treated of in this chapter, is evident from these words in it:

"Then Jehovah my God shall come, [and] all the saints with thee. And in that day there shall not be light, brightness, and glittering; and it shall be one day which shall be known to Jehovah, not day nor night: for at evening time it shall be light" (verses 5-7).

The evening time denotes the last time of the church, when judgment takes place; then it is evening with the evil, but light with the good. When these things are first known, it is evident afterwards by the spiritual sense, what the particulars therein signify, namely, by, "Jehovah shall go forth and fight against the nations," is signified the Last Judgment upon the evil; to go forth and fight denoting to execute judgment, and the nations denoting the evil. By, "His feet shall stand upon the mount of Olives, before the faces of Jerusalem from the east," is signified that [this is effected] from the Divine love by means of Divine truths proceeding from His Divine good. For the mount of Olives, when said of the Lord, signifies the Divine love; Jerusalem, the church as to truths, and thence the Divine truths of the church; and the east, the Divine good. By, "the mount of Olives shall be cloven asunder, part thereof toward the east and toward the sea, [and there shall be a very] great valley," is signified the separation of those who are in good from those who are in evil; for, as has been said, the mount of Olives denotes the Divine love; the east denotes where those who are in the Divine good [dwell]; and the sea denotes where those who are in evil are, for the sea in the western quarter of the spiritual world separates. By, "part of the mountain shall withdraw toward the north, and part of it toward the south," is signified the separation of those who are in the falsities of evil from those who are in the truths of good; the north denotes where those are who are in the falsities of evil, because in darkness, and the south where those are who are in the truths of good, because in the light. By, "then shall ye flee through the valley of my mountains," is signified, that then those who are in truths from good shall be rescued; to flee signifying to be rescued; the valley of the mountains signifying where those are who are in the knowledges of truth, and thence in truths from good; for those who are in the knowledges of truth dwell in valleys, and those who are in good upon mountains. "For the valley of the mountains shall reach even unto Azal," signifies separation from the falsities of evil; for Azal signifies separation and liberation.

[24] Because the mount of Olives, which was before Jerusalem eastward, signified the Divine love, and Jerusalem eastward the Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good, as mentioned above, therefore the Lord usually abode upon that mount; as is evident in Luke:

Jesus "was in the day-time teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called [the mount] of Olives" (21:37; 22:39; John 8:1).

Here also He discoursed with His disciples respecting His advent, and concerning the consummation of the age, that is concerning the Last Judgment (Matthew 24:3 et seq.; Mark 13:3 et seq.). Thence also He went to Jerusalem and suffered (Matthew 21:1; 26:30; Mark 11:1; 14:26; Luke 19:29, 37; 21:37; 22:39) and by this was signified that He did all things from the Divine love, for the mount of Olives signified it; for whatever the Lord did in the world represented, and whatever He spoke signified. The reason why He was in representatives and significatives, when He was in the world, was that He might be in the ultimates of heaven and the church, and at the same time in their primaries, and thus might rule and dispose the ultimates from the primaries, and all intermediates from primaries by means of ultimates; representatives and significatives being in the ultimates.

[25] Because a mountain signified the good of love, and when said of the Lord, the Divine good of the Divine love, and from that good proceeds the Divine truth; therefore Jehovah, that is, the Lord, descended upon mount Sinai, and promulgated the law. For it is said that

He came down upon that mount, on the top of the mount (Exodus 19:20; 24:17);

and that there He promulgated the law (Exodus 20). Hence also by Sinai in the Word is signified Divine truth from the Divine good, [and] also by the law there promulgated. And therefore also:

The Lord took Peter, James, and John into a high mountain, when He was transfigured (Matthew 17:1; Mark 9:2);

and when He was transfigured, He appeared in the Divine truth from the Divine good; for His face, which [shone] as the sun, represented the Divine good, and His raiment, which was as the light, the Divine truth; and Moses and Elias, who appeared, signified the Word, which is Divine truth from the Divine good.

[26] Because a mountain signified the good of love, and, in the highest sense, the Divine good, and from the Divine good proceeds the Divine truth, therefore mount Zion was situated above Jerusalem; and by mount Zion in the Word is signified the church which is in the good of love to the Lord, and by Jerusalem the church which is in truths from that good, or the church as to doctrine. Therefore, Jerusalem is also called a mountain and a hill of holiness, for by a mountain of holiness is signified spiritual good, which in its essence is truth from good, similarly also by hill, as is evident in the following passages.

In Isaiah:

"It shall come to pass in the days that come after, that the mountain of Jehovah shall be on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; whence all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob" (2:2, 3).

In the same:

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they who were ready to perish shall come in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and they shall bow down to Jehovah in the mountain of holiness at Jerusalem" (27:13).

In Joel:

"Blow ye the trumpet out of Zion, and cry aloud in the mountain of holiness" (2:1).

In Daniel:

"Let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, the mountain of thy holiness" (9:16).

In Isaiah:

"And they shall bring all your brethren unto Jehovah, out of all nations, to Jerusalem, the mountain of my holiness" (66:20).

In the same:

"He that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land for a heritage, and shall inherit the mountain of my holiness" (57:13).

In Ezekiel:

"In the mountain of my holiness, in the mountain of the height of Israel, all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve me; there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the first-fruits of your oblations, with all your holy things" (20:40).

In Micah:

In the end of the days the mountain of the house of Jehovah shall be established on the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and the people shall flow unto it" (4:1).

Besides many other passages elsewhere, in which the mountain of holiness, mount Zion, and the mountain of Jehovah are mentioned;

The mountain of holiness, in Isaiah 11:9; 56:7; 65:11, 25; Jeremiah 31:23; Ezekiel 28:14; Dan. 9:20; 11:45; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Obad., verse 17; Zeph. 3:11; Zech. 8:3; Psalms 15:1; 43:3.

And the [following] where mount Zion is mentioned, Isaiah 4:5; 8:18; 10:12; 18:7; 24:23; 29:8; 31:4; 37:32; Joel 2:32; [3:5]; Obad., verses 17, 21; Micah 4:7; Lamentations 5:18; Psalms 48:11; 74:2; 78:68; 125:1, etc.

Because mount Zion signified the Divine Good, and the church as to that, therefore it is said in Isaiah:

"Send ye [the lamb] of the ruler of the land from the rock towards the wilderness, unto the mountain of the daughter of Zion" (16:1).

And in the Apocalypse:

"A Lamb stood upon the mount Zion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand" (Revelation 16:1).

[27] From these things it is also evident whence it was that the New Jerusalem, in which was the temple, was seen by Ezekiel constructed upon a high mountain, concerning which it is thus written:

"In the visions of God I was brought forth upon the land of Israel; he set me upon a very high mountain, upon which was as the building of a city on the south" (Ezekiel 40:2).

Much is said on this subject in the chapters which follow. In David:

"Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness; beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces as a refuge" (Psalms 48:1-3).

By these words is described the worship of the Lord from truths which are from good. The worship of Him from spiritual truths and goods, and the pleasure of the soul thence, is signified by, "Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness; beautiful for situation." Worship is meant by, "to be great, and to be greatly praised"; spiritual truth, which is from spiritual good, by, "in the city of our God, the mountain of his holiness"; and the pleasure of the soul thence, by, "beautiful for situation." The worship of the Lord from celestial goods and truths is described by, "the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King." Worship from celestial good is meant by, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, and truths from that good are meant by, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King; the sides of the north denoting truths from celestial good, and the city of the great King denoting the doctrine of truth thence. That truths are inscribed in those who are in celestial good, is signified by, "God is known in her palaces." The reason why the sides of the north signify truths from celestial good, is, because those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom dwell in the east in heaven; and those who are in truths from that good, towards the north there.

[28] In Isaiah:

O Lucifer, "thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend the heavens; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit on the mount of the assembly, on the sides of the north" (14:12, 13).

By Lucifer is meant Babylon, as is evident from what precedes and follows in this chapter; his love of ruling over heaven and the church, is described by his ascending the heavens, and exalting his throne above the stars of God; by which is meant the love of dominion over those heavens that constitute the Lord's spiritual kingdom, for truths and the knowledges of truth with them appear as stars. And by his sitting on the mount of the assembly, on the sides of the north, is signified [the love of dominion] over the heavens which constitute the Lord's celestial kingdom; for the mount of the assembly, and the sides of the north, denote the goods and truths there, as said above. Because mount Zion and Jerusalem were built as much as possible according to the form of heaven, it is evident what is signified by the words adduced above from David:

"Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King";

and by the words in Isaiah:

"The mount of the assembly, on the sides of the north."

[29] In Isaiah:

"Sennacherib the king of Assyria said, By the multitude of my chariots I will come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; where I will cut down the height of the cedars thereof, the choice of the fir-trees thereof" (37:24).

By these words, in the internal sense, is described the haughtiness of those who, by reasonings from falsities, are desirous of destroying the goods and truths of the church. The king of Assyria signifies the Rational perverted. The multitude of his chariots signifies reasonings from falsities of doctrine; to come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and to cut down the height of its cedars, and the choice of its fir-trees, signifies the endeavour to destroy the goods and truths of the church as well internal as external. The mountains denote the goods of the church, the sides of Lebanon denote where those are conjoined with truths, Lebanon denoting the spiritual church, and the cedars denoting the internal truths thereof, which are from good, and the fir-trees denoting the external truths thereof, also from good. These are the things meant by those words in the spiritual sense, consequently, in heaven.

[30] A mountain and mountains also signify the goods of love and charity in the following passages. In David:

Jehovah "who covereth the heavens with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains" (Psalms 147:8).

By the clouds, with which Jehovah covereth the heavens, are signified external truths, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word; for those that are in that sense are, in the Word, called clouds, and those that are in the internal sense, [are called] glory. By the heavens are meant internal truths, because those who are in the heavens are in those [truths]. By the rain which He prepares for the earth, is signified the influx of truth, the earth denoting the church, and thence those therein who receive the truth, for the church consists of such. By the mountains on which He maketh grass to grow, are signified the goods of love, and thence those who are in the goods of love. Grass signifies the spiritual nourishment which they have; for grass is meant for beasts, and beasts signify the good affections of the natural man.

[31] In Moses:

Of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be "Joseph's land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the abyss lying beneath; for the first-fruits of the mountains of the east, and for the precious things of the hills of an age" (Deuteronomy 33:13-15).

This is Joseph's blessing by Moses - or of the tribe named from Joseph - and this blessing was pronounced upon him, because by Joseph is signified the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and the heaven, there which next communicates with the Lord's celestial kingdom. By the land of Joseph is meant that heaven, and also the church that consists of those who will be in that heaven. By the precious things of heaven, by the dew, and the abyss lying beneath, are signified Divine-spiritual and spiritual-natural things, from a celestial origin; by the precious things of heaven, Divine-spiritual things; by the dew, spiritual things communicating; and by the abyss lying beneath, spiritual-natural things. By the first-fruits of the mountains of the east, and the precious things of the hills of an age, are signified genuine goods, both those of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbour; the mountains of the east denoting the goods of love to the Lord; first-fruits denoting genuine goods, and the hills of an age the goods of charity towards the neighbour. Those who do not know what is represented by Joseph and by his tribe, and besides that, what [is signified] by dew, the abyss lying beneath, the mountains of the east, and the hills of an age, can perceive scarcely anything of what such words involve, and generally can scarcely perceive the signification of anything of all those things said by Moses in that whole chapter concerning the tribes of Israel, and by the father Israel, in Genesis 44.

[32] In Matthew:

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a mountain cannot be hid" (5:14).

This was [addressed] to the disciples, by whom the church is meant that is in truths from good; therefore it is said, ye are the light of the world; the light of the world denoting the truth of the church. That it is not [truth] unless it is from good, is signified "by a city which is set on a mountain cannot be hid," a city on a mountain denoting truth from good.

[33] In the same:

"If a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, will he not leave the ninety and nine on the mountains, and going seek that which is gone astray?" (18:12).

It is said, "will he not leave the ninety and nine on the mountains?" for by sheep on the mountains are signified those who are in the good of love and charity; but by the one that is gone astray, is signified one who is not in that [good], because in falsities from ignorance; for where falsity is, there good is not, because good is of truth.

[34] In the Evangelists:

"When ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, then let him that is in Judea flee to the mountains; and let him that is on the roof not go down into the house" (Mark 13:14, 15; Matthew 24:16; Luke 21:21).

In those chapters is described the successive vastation of the church by the Lord, but it is described by pure correspondences. "When ye shall see the abomination of desolation," signifies, when the disciples, that is, those who are in truths from good, perceive the church to be devastated, which takes place when there is no longer any truth because there is no good, or no faith because no charity. "Then let him that is in Judea flee to the mountains," signifies that those who are of the Lord's church should remain in the good of love; Judea signifying the Lord's church; and mountains, the goods of love; to flee to them denoting to remain therein. "Let him that is on the roof not go down into the house," signifies that he who is in genuine truths should abide therein, a house signifying the man as to all interior things of his mind, and hence the roof signifies intelligence from genuine truths, thus also the genuine truths by which intelligence [is formed in man]. Unless the spiritual sense illuminated the particulars which the Lord spake in these chapters of the Evangelists, scarcely anything contained therein would be known, thus what, "let not him that is on the roof go down into the house," may mean; and elsewhere, "let not him that is in the field return back to take his garments”; with many other passages.

[35] Hitherto it has been shown, that mountains in the Word signify the goods of love; and because most things in the Word have also the opposite sense, so also mountains, which, in that sense, signify the evils of the love, or the evils which flow forth from the loves of self and of the world. Mountains are mentioned in this sense in the following passages in the Word.

In Isaiah:

"The day of Jehovah of hosts shall come upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up" (2:12, 14).

By the day of Jehovah of hosts is meant the Last Judgment, when the evil are cast down from the mountains and hills which they occupied in the spiritual world, as described in the beginning of this article; and because such dwelt upon mountains and hills before the Last Judgment, therefore by mountains and hills are meant the loves and the evils thence, in which they were; by mountains, the evils of the love of self; and by hills, the evils of the love of the world. It should be known, that all those who are in the love of self, especially those who are in the love of ruling, when they come into the spiritual world, have the greatest desire to attain high places, this being inherent in that love; whence also it has come to be said in common speech, "To be of a high and lofty mind," and "To aspire after high things." The real reason why there is such a desire in the love of ruling, is, that they wish to make themselves gods, and God is in the highest. That mountains and hills signify those loves and thence the evil thereof, is evident, for it is said, the day of Jehovah of hosts shall come upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up. What otherwise would be the object of His coming upon the mountains and hills'?

[36] In the same:

"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make straight a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low" (40:3, 4).

Here also the Lord's advent and the Last Judgment at that time are treated of. And by, "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah," and "a highway for our God," is signified that they should prepare themselves to receive the Lord; the wilderness signifies where there is no good, because no truth, thus where there is as yet no church. By, "every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low," is signified that all the humble in heart, who are those that are in goods and truths, shall be received, for those who are received by the Lord are raised up to heaven; and by, "every mountain and hill shall be made low," is signified that all those who are lofty in mind, these being those that are in the love of self and the world, shall be put down.

[37] In Ezekiel:

"For I will give the land to desolation and wasteness, that the pomp of strength may cease; and the mountains of Israel are desolate, that none pass through" (33:28).

The desolation and vastation of the spiritual church, which the Israelites represented, are described by these words; for the Jews represented the Lord's celestial kingdom, or the celestial church, but the Israelites the Lord's spiritual kingdom, or the spiritual church. The desolation and vastation of the latter signify the last state of the former church, which was when there was no longer any truth because no good, or, when there was no faith because no charity; desolation is said of truth which is of faith; and wasteness, of good which is of charity. The boasting and loftiness of mind from falsities which they declare to be truths, is signified by "the pomp of strength," strength and power being said of truths from good, because such possess all strength and all power; here, however, [they are said] of falsities, because from boasting and loftiness of mind. That there is no longer any good of charity and faith, is signified by, "the mountains of Israel are desolated." That there was no longer any good but [what was] altogether evil, is signified by that none pass through."

[38] In the same:

"Son of man, set thy faces toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovih; Thus said the Lord Jehovih to the mountains and to the hills, to the channels and to the valleys; Behold I will bring a sword upon you" (6:2, 3).

Here, also, by the mountains of Israel are signified the evils proceeding from the love of self and of the world, which exist with those who are in the spiritual church, when they no longer possess any good of life, but evil of life and the falsity of doctrine thence. By mountains, hills, channels, and valleys, are signified all things of the church, both the interior or spiritual and the exterior or natural. The mountains and hills signify things interior or spiritual; the channels and valleys things exterior or natural; that they should perish by falsities, is signified by, "Behold I will bring a sword upon you." A sword denotes the destruction of falsity by truths, but in an opposite sense, as here, the destruction of truth by falsities.

[39] In the same:

"In the day in which Gog shall come upon the land of Israel, the fishes of the sea shall tremble before me, and the bird of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man who is upon the faces of the earth, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steps shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground; then I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains" (38:18-21).

What is signified by all these things may be seen above (n. 400), where they are explained, namely, the signification of Gog, the fishes of the sea, the bird of the heavens, the wild beast of the field, the creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; and that by the mountains of Israel are signified the goods of spiritual love, but here the evils of the love [that are] opposed to those goods.

[40] In Micah:

"Arise, contend thou with the mountains, that the hills may hear thy voice. Hear, O ye mountains, the controversy of Jehovah, and ye strong foundations of the earth; for Jehovah hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel" (6:1, 2).

These things also are spoken of the spiritual church, which the Israelites separated from the Jews, represented; and by mountains are meant the goods of charity, and by hills the goods of faith; here, however, the evils and falsities opposed to those goods; therefore it is said, "contend thou with the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice." The strong foundations of the earth denote the principles of falsity in that church, the earth denoting the church, and foundations denoting the principles upon which the other things are founded. It is said, with His people, with Israel, because by people are meant those who are in truths, and those who are in falsities; and by Israel, those who are in goods, and those who are in evils.

[41] In Jeremiah:

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

These things are said of Babylon, by which are meant those who are in the falsities of evil, and in the evils of falsity, from the love of self, for they abuse the holy things of the church as a means of ruling. It is from that love, and the falsities and evils thence, that it is called a destroying mountain, destroying the whole earth, the earth denoting the church. Their destruction and damnation by the falsities of evil, is signified by, "I will roll thee down from the rocks," rocks denoting where the truths of faith are, here the falsities of evil; and their destruction and damnation by the evils of falsity, is signified by, "I will make thee a mountain of burning"; burning being said of the love of self, because fire signifies that [love] (as may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 566-573). From these things it is quite clear, that by mountains are signified the evils of the love of self and of the world, because Babylon is called a destroying mountain, and will be made a mountain of burning. In Nahum:

"The mountains quake before him, and the hills melt, and the whole earth is burned up before him, yea, who can stand before his rebuking?" (1:5, 6).

What these words signify in series may be seen above (n. 400), where the particulars are explained; and that the mountains and hills here denote the evils of the love of self and of the world.

[42] In Micah:

"Jehovah going forth out of his place, will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains are melted under him, and the valleys are cleft, as wax before the fire, and as waters poured down a steep place; on account of the transgressions of Jacob is all this, and on account of the sins of the house of Israel" (1:3-5).

These things are also said of the Last Judgment, and of those who then made to themselves a resemblance of heaven upon mountains and hills, concerning whom we have frequently treated above. The Last Judgment is meant by, "Jehovah going forth out of His place, will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth"; upon the high places of the earth signifying upon those who are in high places, namely, those upon whom judgment is accomplished; for in the spiritual world there are earths, mountains, hills, and valleys, just as in the natural world. The destruction of those who are upon the mountains and in the valleys, these being those who are in evils from the love of self and of the world, and in the falsities thence, is signified by, "the mountains are melted under him, and the valleys are cleft, as wax before the fire, as waters poured down a steep place"; mountains signifying the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and valleys the falsities thence. Concerning the evils of the loves of self and of the world signified by mountains, it is said that they are melted as wax before the fire, because fire signifies those loves; and concerning the falsities signified by valleys, it is said as waters poured down a steep place, because waters signify falsities.

[43] That this is on account of evils and falsities, is clear, for it is said, "on account of the transgressions of Jacob is all this, and on account of the sins of the house of Israel."

In Jeremiah:

"I looked to the earth, and, lo, it was empty and void; and towards the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills were overturned. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and every bird of the heaven had fled" (4:23-25).

By the trembling of the mountains is signified the destruction of those who are in the evils of the love of self, and by the overturning of the hills, the destruction of those who are in the evils of the love of the world, and in falsities; the other particulars may be seen explained above (n. 280, and 304).

In Isaiah:

O Jehovah, "that thou wouldst rend the heavens, that thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might flow down before thee" (64:1).

These words signify the same as those explained above on Micah 1:3-5.

[44] In David:

"Bow thy heavens, O Jehovah, and come down; touch the mountains, that they may smoke. Cast forth lightning and scatter them" (Psalms 144:5, 6).

By, to bow the heavens and come down, is signified the same as above, by rending the heavens and coming down, by going forth out of His place, to come down and tread upon the high places of the earth, namely, to visit and judge. By, to touch the mountains that they may smoke, is signified by His presence to destroy those who are in the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and in the falsities thence; to smoke signifies to be let into the evils of those loves and into their falsities, for fire signifies those loves, and smoke their falsities. By, cast forth lightning, and scatter them, is signified the Divine truth, by which they are dissipated, for by the presence of the Divine truth evils and falsities are discovered, and by the collision at the time, they appear as lightnings.

[45] In Moses:

"A fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth and her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains" (Deuteronomy 32:22).

It is said that a fire is kindled of Jehovah in His anger, which shall burn unto the lowest hell, although Jehovah has not any fire of anger in Him, much less that which burns to the lowest hell; for Jehovah, that is, the Lord, is never angry with any one, nor does evil to any one, neither does He cast any one into hell (as may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 545-550); but it is so said in the sense of the letter of the Word, because it so appears before the evil man, and also before the simple man; for the Word in the letter is according to the appearance, because according to the apprehension of natural men. But whereas the angels, who are spiritual, do not see the truths themselves of the Word, apparently according to the apprehension of man, but spiritually, therefore the sense of such expressions, which also is the internal or spiritual sense, is inverted with them, namely, that the infernal love with man is such a fire, and burns even to the lowest hell; and because that fire, that is, that love utterly destroys all things of the church with man, it is therefore said that it shall consume the earth and her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains; the earth denoting the church, her increase everything pertaining to the church, the foundations of the mountains denoting the truths upon which the goods of love are founded, which are said to be set on fire by the fire of the love of self and of the world. In David:

Then the earth shook and trembled; and the foundations of the mountains were moved and shaken, because he was wroth" (Psalms 18:7).

Similar things are meant by these words; and may be seen particularly explained above (n. 400).

In the same:

"God is for us a refuge. Therefore will not we fear, when the earth shall be changed, and the mountains be removed into the heart of the seas; they shall make an uproar, the waters thereof shall be troubled, the mountains shall tremble in the pride thereof" (Psalms 46:1-3).

These words also may be seen explained above, n. 301, and also what is signified by the mountains shall be removed into the heart of the seas, and, the mountains shall tremble in pride, namely, the evils of the loves of self and of the world, shall dazzle according to their increase.

[46] In Isaiah:

The anger of Jehovah is against all nations, and wrath upon all their army: he hath devoted them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter, so that their slain shall be cast out, and the stink of their carcases shall come up, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood" (34:2, 3).

These things are said concerning the Last Judgement; and by the anger of Jehovah against all nations, and by His wrath against all their army, is signified the destruction and damnation of all who are in evils and the falsities thence. That such as are in these shall be accursed and perish, is signified by, "He hath devoted them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter." The damnation of those who would perish by falsities is signified by, "their slain shall be cast out," slain, in the Word, being said of those who have perished by falsities, and to be cast out signifying to be damned. The damnation of those who would perish by evils is signified by, "the stink of their carcases shall come up"; carcases, in the Word, being said of those who have perished by evils, and stink signifying their damnation. "The mountains shall be melted with their blood," signifies that the evils of the loves with those have reference to falsities; mountains denoting the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and blood denoting falsity.

[47] In the same:

"I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herb; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools" (42:15).

By making waste the mountains and hills, is signified to destroy all the good of love to the Lord and towards the neighbour; by drying up all the herb, is signified thence to destroy all truths, herb signifying truths springing from good. By making the rivers islands, and drying up the pools, is signified to annihilate all understanding and perception of truth; rivers, signifying intelligence which is of truth; islands, where there is no intelligence, pools signifying the perception of truth; the understanding of truth is from the light of truth, but the perception of truth is from the heat or love of truth.

[48] In the same:

"Behold, Jacob, I will make thee a new threshing instrument having sharp teeth; thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt fan them, that the wind may carry them away, and the whirlwind scatter them" (41:15, 16).

By Jacob is meant the external church as to good and truth, and hence also external good and truth, which are good and truth from the sense of the letter of the Word. In these those are who belong to the external church. The reason why these are compared to a new threshing instrument having sharp teeth, is, because a threshing instrument strikes out the wheat, barley, and other grain, from the ears, and by these are signified the goods and truths of the church (as may be seen above, n. 374, 375); also that it would here bruise and break evils and falsities, therefore it is said, "a threshing instrument having sharp teeth," that thou mayest thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and that thou mayest make the hills as chaff, by which is signified the destruction of the evils arising from the love of self and of the world, and also of the falsities hence. And it is also said, thou shalt fan them, that the wind may carry them away, and the whirlwind scatter them, by which is signified that they shall be of no account. The wind and whirlwind are both mentioned, because evils and falsities are meant; for the wind is said of truths, and in an opposite sense of falsities, and a whirlwind of the evils of falsity.

[49] In the same:

"The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my mercy shall not depart from thee" (54:10).

By the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, is not meant that the mountains and hills in the world would depart and be removed, but those who are in evil loves, and in the falsities thence; for the Gentiles from whom a new church is to be formed are treated of in this chapter, therefore by the mountains and hills are specifically meant those of the former church, consequently the Jews, with whom were mere evils of falsity and falsities of evil, because they were in the loves of self and of the world.

[50] In Jeremiah:

"For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are wasted that no man passeth through them" (9:10).

The mountains, over which there is weeping and lamentation, denote evils of every kind flowing forth from the two loves above-mentioned; and by the habitations of the wilderness are signified the falsities thence; for by the wilderness is signified, where there is no good because no truth; and by habitations, where these are; here, therefore, the habitations of the wilderness denote falsities from the evils before mentioned; there being no good and truth at all is meant by their being wasted, that no man passeth through them. It is usually said in the Word, where vastation is treated of, that no man passeth through, and thereby is signified that there is no longer any truth, and, consequently, no intelligence. That they are not mountains and habitations of the wilderness that are here meant, and over which there are weeping and lamenting, is evident.

[51] In the same:

"My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have caused them to go astray, the mountains have turned away; they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place" (50:6).

In Ezekiel:

"My sheep wander upon all the mountains, and upon every high hill; my sheep are scattered over all the faces of the earth, and there is none to search or to seek" (34:6).

That the sheep have gone from mountain to hill, and that they wander upon all the mountains and upon every high hill, signifies that they seek goods and truths, but do not find them, and that instead thereof they seize upon evils and falsities. That the mountains have turned away, signifies that instead of goods there are evils.

[52] In Jeremiah:

"Give glory to Jehovah your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight" (13:16).

By these words is signified that Divine truth is to be acknowledged, lest falsities and the evils thence should break in from the natural man. To give glory to God, signifies to acknowledge the Divine truth, glory in the Word signifying Divine truth; and to acknowledge this, and live according to it, is the glory which the Lord desires, and which is given to Him. "Before he cause darkness," signifies, lest falsities take possession, darkness denoting falsities; "and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight," signifies, lest the evils thence from the natural man [take possession], mountains of twilight denoting evils of falsity; for mountains denote evils, and it is twilight when truth is not seen, but instead thereof falsity; and feet signifying the natural man, for all evils and the falsities thence are in the natural man, because man from his hereditary nature is moved to love himself above God, and the world above heaven, and also the evils adhering to those loves from his parents. These evils and the falsities thence are not removed except by means of Divine truth, and a life according to it. By these the higher or interior mind of man is opened, which sees from the light of heaven, and by this light the Lord disperses the evils and the falsities in the natural mind. (That feet signify the natural man, may be seen above, n. 65, 69; and in the Arcana Coelestia 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952.)

[53] In the Evangelists:

Jesus saith unto his disciples, "Have the faith of God; verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto a mountain, Be thou removed, and cast thyself into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; those things which he said shall be accomplished for him" (Mark 11:22, 23; Matthew 17:20).

He who does not know the arcana of heaven, and the spiritual sense of the Word, may suppose that the Lord spoke these words, not concerning saving faith, but concerning some other faith, which they call historical and miraculous; but the Lord spoke them of saving faith, which faith makes one with charity, and all [such faith] being from the Lord, therefore the Lord calls this faith the faith of God. And because the Lord by this faith, which is the faith of charity from Him, removes all the evils flowing from the loves of self and of the world, and casts them into hell whence they originate, therefore He says, [whosoever] shall say unto a mountain, "Be thou removed, and cast thyself into the sea"; for by a mountain are signified the evils of those loves, and by the sea is signified hell. Hence, by saying to a mountain, "Be thou removed," is signified the removal of those things, and by being cast into the sea, is signified to be cast down into hell whence they originate. From such signification of a mountain and of the sea, this became a common expression amongst the ancients, when the power of faith was the subject of discourse; not that the mountains on the earth could thereby be cast into the sea, but that evils from hell could. The mountains also in the spiritual world, upon which the evil dwell, are usually overturned and cast down by faith from the Lord; for when the evils with them are cast down, the mountains also upon which they dwell are cast down, as has been said above many times, and also often seen by me. That no other faith but the faith of charity from the Lord is here meant, is evident from the continuation of the Lord's discourse in Mark, where it is said:

"Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever which praying ye ask, believe that ye will receive, then shall it be done unto you. But when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any, that your Father also who is in the heavens, may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in the heavens, forgive your trespasses" (11:24-26).

From these words it is evident that the faith of God, of which the Lord here speaks, is the faith of charity, that is, the faith that forms one with charity, and, consequently, which is all from the Lord. The Lord, besides, spoke those things to the disciples when they supposed that they could do miracles from their own faith, thus from themselves, when yet such things are done by faith from the Lord, thus by the Lord, as is also evident in Matthew (17:19, 20), where similar things are said.

[54] Because mountains signified the goods of celestial love, and hills, the goods of spiritual love, therefore the ancients, with whom the church was representative, had their Divine worship upon mountains and hills, and therefore Zion was upon a mountain, and Jerusalem upon mountainous places below it. Lest, therefore, the Jews and Israelites, who were given to idolatry, should turn Divine worship into idolatrous worship, it was commanded them that they should perform worship in Jerusalem only, and not elsewhere; but because they were idolaters in heart, they were not content to perform worship in Jerusalem, but, according to the custom of the nations, derived from the ancients, they everywhere performed worship upon mountains and hills, and sacrificed and burnt incense thereon; wherefore because this was idolatrous with them, by their worship upon other mountains and hills is signified worship from evils and falsities; as in the following passages.

In Isaiah:

"Upon a high and lofty mountain hast thou set thy bed; thither also wentest thou up to sacrifice sacrifices" (57:7).

In Hosea:

"They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills" (Hosea 4:13).

In Jeremiah:

"Estranged Israel is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot" (3:6).

By playing the harlot is signified to falsify worship; that this was idolatrous, is evident from these words in Moses:

"Ye shall destroy the places, wherein the nations served their gods, upon the mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree" (Deuteronomy 12:2).

In these passages, therefore, by worship upon mountains and hills is signified worship from evils and falsities. From this, also, it came that the Gentiles in Greece fixed Helicon on a high mountain, and Parnassus on a hill below it, and believed that the gods and their goddesses dwelt there; this was derived from the ancients in Asia, and especially in the land of Canaan, not remote thence, with whom all worship consisted of representatives.

[55] It is said in the Evangelists that:

the devil took Jesus up into a high mountain, and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory, and he tempted him there (Matthew 4:8; Luke 4:5).

By this is signified, that the devil tempted the Lord by the love of self, for this is signified by a high mountain; for the three temptations described in those passages signify and involve all the temptations that the Lord sustained when He was in the world; for the Lord by temptations admitted into Himself from the hells, and by victories at the time, reduced all things in the hells to order, and also glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine. The reason that all the Lord's temptations were described in so few words, is, because He has not otherwise revealed them; but yet they are amply described in the internal sense of the Word (but concerning the Lord's temptations see what has been adduced in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 201, 293, 302).